Fitness is a skill.

The fitness we seek to instill into our athletes comes from "constantly varied movements executed at relative high intensity".*CrossFit recognises that the compound movements (movements employing more than one skeletal joint) need to be taught and consequently re-taught, or at the very least revisited each time before our workouts.
The functional movements we employ have "points of performance" and all of these need to be adhered in order to move well, thusly improving fitness and the avoidance of injury. Some potential clients approach us and say "how much is a class? others say "I want to learn CrossFit-show me how?"
Everybody that comes to us to train will start their education with the basic fundamentals of functional movement, and learn these before they join classes. This is how we start your training at CrossFit Hove.

"Mechanics, consistency-then relative intensity"*

This of course raises the question of intensity, and its relation to scalabilty for differing clients, dependent on fitness, conditioning, possible movement issues and age. The workouts we do are scaled and suited to the ability of the individual.
"The fitness needs between olympic athletes and our grandparents differ by degree not by kind."*

Quotes from CrossFit creator Coach Greg Glassman. Further reading can be found by clicking on the CrossFit Journal link.

Before and after

in five minutes
1 minute of pullups
1 minute of pressups
run 280
rest for remainder of 5 minutes
x 5

Nasty girls

It should be
50 squats
7 muscle ups
10 hang power cleans

It was in fact
7 muscle ups
10 hang power cleans
50 squats

my apologies.

Deads n stuff.

Deadlift
5,5,5

Am'ers saw
5 deads at 80%
30 situps
3 ramps
x3

Pm'ers saw
Half filthy
25 jumping pullups
25 box jumps
25 lunges
25 situps
25 push press
25 swings
25 double unders
25 wall ball
25 burpees

FS +annie

Front squat
3,3,3,3,3

Annie,
50 situps, 50 double unders, then sets decending by ten to zero.

Form follows function

What do we look for in our fitness?
To directly answer this we need to think about a definition of fitness, aspects of movement that we need, ability to be flexible yet strong (as opposed to weak) cardio endurance with power, speed with coordination and accuracy, and stamina with agility.

What occurs if we specialise in one energy pathway at the bereft of the others, what about if we isolate our musculature yet twist our back unloading the washing machine?

In CrossFit we seek to address general physical skills combining all of the ten points in the first paragraph, and use all our energy pathways and train compound multi-joint movements. We do this because it is functional for life. Fitness should not be the pursuit of an asthetic, it needs to be defined as the ability to perform tasks quickly and efficiently and the tasks are often variable as is the nature of human existance. Choosing not to squat or deadlift because nobody sees your legs is an inherently weak statement, it suggests narcissistic vanity more unattractive than a skinny leg. We are bipeds, if we cease to lose that ability our quality of life is severly diminished.

If training for appearance is what defines your fitness then how do you know how fit you are? Is it measurable? Does it involve any data-does your mirror have a score card system?

We train functional movements, this is defined as GPP (general physical preparedness) or the ability to perform well at any or every task imaginable. Thusly our training sytem is a constantly varied programme involving many different stimuli, we do this as nature very seldom gives us tasks that are periodized with rest phases and sets. We train to be better at life and consequently the movements we utilise focus on what will keep us functional as opposed an appearance of fitness.

CrossFit is a training system designed to enhance the individuals quality of life. The individual themselves addressing what is important, whether its a 2.14 Fran time, increasing general fitness for their sport or martial art, or having the ability to pull or push themselves upright if they fall or sit without the need of an aide to do so.

The search for the asthetic in fitness will highlight weaknesses in the individual when their fitness is needed to be functional, the same as the quest for great strength yet indulging in a diminished range of movement will always be a flawed strength.

The purpose of an increased fitness is to create a better quality of life and this needs to be done via functional movements. The use of isolation machines, mirrors and shallow squats will not achieve this, nor should the inexperienced individual be fooled into thinking that it will.

30muscle ups pt 2

Muscle ups from CrossFit Hove on Vimeo.

30 Muscle ups pt1

Jo and Adrian both scaling the movement.

In 3 minutes.

In 3 minutes run 400m, for the remainder of the time period do as many handstand pressups as possible. Rest 2 minutes, 5 rounds.

400,30,20,10,400

Run 400
30 squat cleans
30 pressups
20 squat cleans
20 pressups
10 squat cleans
10 pressups
Run 400

7x7x7

7 sumo deadlift
7 ring dips
x7

Spear class at Myojo Dojo.

Bar-Rage!

OHS and Jackie

Overhead squats
3,3,3.

Jackie
row 1000
50 thrusters
30 pullups.

3D

After classes,we headed up to Manchester for the opening of CrossFit 3D, Karl Steadmans new box.
It is quite awesome. It was great to see so many affiliates from different parts of the country make the effort to support Karl's new venture. Unfortunately we missed Andy from CrossFit Reading and Graham and Lorraine from CrossFit Dental.
From left to right is David from CrossFit Intensity in Leicester, Davie from CrossFit Central Scotland in Motherwell, Jami from Thames CrossFit, Karl, Kempie from CrossFit Northeast in Newcastle, Melissa and Simon from CrossFit Central Manchester and Matthew from Crossfit Velocity in Swansea. We wish Karl (and his wife Rachael) every success with their new venture and look forward to seeing them again soon.

5, 20 for ten

Front squat
3x5
or
5x3

Hi rep back squat
1x15+

5 push jerk
20 double unders
amrap 10 minutes.

A note on scaling
The push jerk on this wod was ideally 15kg below bodyweight, thusly is if you weigh 75kg you would lift 60, or 50kg, 35kg. If you are new, or this lift is not your best, we scale the weight, looking for better form as opposed to allowing movement which would prevent it. The policy of "mechanics, consistency, intensity is prevalent in how we train. Good movement is essential to what we do, only when we see this do we add greater intensity.

Don't be a Dufus!

A client of our's sister was interested in joining us at CFH, but was worried that she wouldn't be
fit enough to start-so she joined a globo gym-FAIL! If you want to join CrossFit Hove, we start your workouts small, everybody has different fitness levels and we tailor the workout to the individual, teaching the mechanics, making sure they move consistently before we introduce intensity. Our workouts are infinitely scalable, delivering improved fitness regardless of your own level of fitness. Don't be a Dufus.

Wednesday

power cleans and burpees
10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1.

Practice handstands and headstands, attempt headstand press to handstand. (no walls allowed)

5,3,3,1,1,1,1.

Deadlift

2 stroke tabata
wall ball and kettlebell swings.

5,3,3,1,1,1,1.

Week six of the CFSB and back squat went well, everybody is lifting heavier and they've seen a natural progression across the six weeks of the programme. The question we have to ask is, has this improved us as athletes who measure fitness across broad time and modal domains or are we just stronger in these lifts.
Strength is one of the ten factors of fitness but if we lose our flexibility, or endurance, or stamina has the programme served its purpose? The answer to this is to retest all the metcon workout performed in the first weak and measure our improvements (if any) after working our strength bias.

Our fitness needs to be a measurable quantity, seeking improvements along the way, and it has to be multifaceted as well, each client having an aim or mission whether its improved performance, weight loss or performing movements with increased range to enhance their own functionality. The fitness we strive to deliver is so adaptable and movements so scalable that we can deliver all these things, and enrich lives in the process.

Saturday

Press
3x5 or
5x3

1x12

Metcon
5 ring pressups
5 deadlifts
run 140m
x7

Friday

Front squat
3x5
or
5x3

No hi rep squat in week 5 and no metcon either in the CFSB-so we did two rounds of fight gone bad.

I got a phone call today from someone who'd done a google search for gyms in Hove, and he asked "Are you a gym". The answer really depends on what constitutes a gym, and what you would expect to find in a gym, and how you perceive fitness.
We train people, they join us and they learn new or refine existing movements. We seek to improve people and they come to us to to pursue this improvement, charting, monitoring and watching progress in fitness along the way. We don't run a policy of wander in and do the bits you like, or gaze upon yourself in a mirror, or read a magazine/watch television whilst on an elliptical or treadmill.
Our fitness demands learning, listening and being coachable, following advice as well as eating better and getting sufficient rest. All of these points lead to a better fitness that is "measurable, observable and repeatable".
If you want to go to a gym to avoid improvement, not see results and not find what fitness is actually about-go somewhere else.

Push Jerk

Push jerk
5x3
metcon
7 sumo deadlifts hi pulls
12 pressups
30 skips
amrap
10 minutes
This came up when scrutinising the push jerk, aiming for Dip, drive and drop, you gotta get up (hip opening-hard) to get down, (hip partially closes to get under the bar)-Coolio explains it best

wednesday

Lift of choice
5x3

row 300
5 push press
7 burpees
x5

Deads and Muscle ups

CFSB
5x3 deadlift
Jo is nudging towards her double bodyweight deadlift-that's 81 kg on the bar.

Metcon
either
4 minutes of squats
3 minutes of muscle up
or
Amrap for 6 minutes
1 handstand pressup
3 muscle ups
5 wall ball.

Grace x Annie=

3 clean and jerk
15 situps
15 double unders
x10

Saturday

Press
3x 5 or 5x3

12-9-6 or 12x1

Two wods were "offered"
"Nicole"
as many pullups as possible, run 400 m-capped to 15 minutes

"Kelly-esque"
15 wall ball
15 box jumps
run 400
amrap 15 minutes.

There was really no choice, those who did the front squat back squat on friday night did Nicole, those who didnt got Kelly (albeit a scaled version of the benchmark wod)

This sees the end of our fourth week on the CFSB, so we have another two weeks then its time to revisit the benchmarks we set out for ourselves in week one and check progress accordingly. As a trainer I'm very pleased with the progress being made with strength whilst at the same time not visibly loosing any fitness in our athletes. As a side effect everybody seems confident with the lifts and excellent form and depth of movement is being maintained, there is no point getting heavier at the loss of good movement for the sake of a pb.