It is our opinion that CrossFit DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO USE THE ERGOMOTER. In all but a few instances CrossFit WoDs on the Main Site and in competitions simply use the erg as a means to tire out the athlete or as an active rest. This is a terrible misuse of this incredible machine. Only the ergonometer has the ability to tell you EXACTLY your level of output. You slip even the slightest and you will know. The erg does not lie. Top level rowers are incredible athletic specimens and QUALITY time on the erg  is a vehicle to some world class ass kickings and for CrossFitters that means a higher level of fitness. Rowing is an essential skill in your CrossFit game  and should be looked at as on par with the Olympic lifts.

Too many CrossFitters with strong power cleans, squats, and deadlifts struggle to break even mediocre times for a 2000 meter row. The essentials of a proper rowing stroke and pacing are necessary for good performance on the ergometer. In the rowing world inches decide Olympic victories and defeats. In the 2008 Olympics the British Coxless four were battling against the Australians for a race to go down in history. The coxless four is the English prize boat, although coming into the last 500 meters of the olympic final it was not looking good for them. This crew was comprised of monster athletes that dominated the indoor rower, and when they needed to summon the power they did so. Peter Reed sitting in the 3 seat mentions the punishment that it takes to come back from behind, the pain and suffering it takes to win. This is what I’m trying to bring to Orange Coast CrossFit. I don’t want to see the erg being treated like a rest machine, I want to see athletes trading meters back and fourth down the pieces. I want to give you the ability to do this. In ROWING 101 I will give you the tools to crush the C2, it may be hard it may be frustrating, but coming off the machine 20 seconds ahead of the next opponent will feel even better. There are still a few spots left for the ROWING 101 seminar with NCAA Division 1 National Champion AJ Brooks. To sign up click here.

The typical measure of aerobic exercise is elevated heart rate, which increases blood flow, bringing oxygen to power the muscles, and of course, a lot of heavy breathing. All this elevated activity of the lungs and heart trains and conditions the cardiovascular system. Rowing, though, has some unique advantages over other forms of aerobic training that are often overlooked. The advantage of rowing is that more muscle mass is used doing the activity than while running, walking or biking. Your legs, glutes, abdominals, back, shoulders, and arms are all being worked. Of course, as with anything, the actual amount of work being done, and the amount of power being generated, relates to how hard you push yourself. Even on a rowing machine you can just paddle easily, or you can train like an Olympian. Rowing puts all your major body parts through a large range of movement. This is not true of many other forms of aerobic activity. In every stroke, rowing requires full compression and full extension of the arms and legs. Consider the joint rotation during the rowing movement: the ankle rotates through 70 degrees, the knees 130, the hip 80, the shoulder and elbow each about 100. Continue reading here.

WoD

A1. Push Press 3-3-3-3-3

Rest :30

A2. Power Clean 5-5-5-5-5 (touch and go, no drops)

Rest 2:00

(use same bar for movements, switch loads during rest period. )

B. For Time:

Row 250m

15 Burpees

Row 250m

15 Burpees

Row 250m

15 Burpees

Michelle going overhead and  showing us a solid push jerk. Is she being helped by the song going in the background?

Does music make you go faster during workouts and go harder? Unfortunately, science suggests that music’s impacts decline dramatically when you exercise at an intense level. A much-cited 2004 study of runners found that during hard runs at about 90 percent of their maximal oxygen uptake, a punishing pace, music was of no benefit, physiologically. The runners didn’t up their paces, no matter how fast the music’s tempo. Their heart rates stubbornly stayed the same, already quite high, whether they listened to music or not. That result, according to a 2009 review of research by Costas Karageorghis and David-Lee Priest, researchers who have extensively studied music and exercise, is likely due to the ineluctable realities of hard work. During moderate exercise, they write, music can “narrow attention,” diverting “the mind from sensations of fatigue.” But when you increase the speed and intensity of a workout, “perceptions of fatigue override the impact of music, because attentional processes are dominated by physiological feedback.” The noise of the body drowns all other considerations…Finish the rest of this article …Does music make you exercise harder?

New photos up in the gallery. Check em out.

Speaking of music, please post to comments your 3 all time favorite songs to train with. I want to compile a sweet playlist.

WoD

Rest day or make up one from earlier in the week

Want to welcome our newest coach to the Orange Coast CrossFit team, Matt Banwart. Matt, who recently finished 7th out of 65 in the NLP contest,  has been a CrossFit athlete since January of 2008. He currently attends BiolaUniversity.  After growing tired of the monotonous traditional style of working out he began looking for a better program. Matt stumbled upon CrossFit.com and dabbled at the workouts during the summer and fall of 2007. Once he committed full time to CrossFit as his strength and conditioningprogram his performance and athletic ability exceeded his expectations. Matt holds a CrossFit Level 1 certification and a CrossFit Kids Certification. Check out Matt’s own training log to get a sense of his commitment to CrossFit.

WOD

3 Rounds of:

15 Deadlifts (225/135)

20 Pullups

400 m run

Rest 5 min.

10 Rounds of:

:30 sec on :30 sec off

-Double Unders (keep score)

Post both wods to the whiteboard

Josh feeling the pain after Saturdays workout of the day.

Never got a chance to do a write up of the Primal Blueprint seminar. So our friend Rett Larson of Performance Corps did it for us. Check it out here.

September 25th is Fight Gone Bad, we are putting a team together and going over to our friends at CrossFit Costa Mesa. We are only allowed 12 athletes so if you are interested in being a part of this please post to comments and reserve your spot.

Are we a crazy for putting ourselves through these intense workouts day after day? One CrossFitter explains WHY WE ARE DIFFERENT.

WOD

A. Take 12 minutes and work up to a max split jerk taken from the rack.

B. 21,18,15,12,9,6,3

Push Jerk (75#, 55#)

Sumo Deadlift High Pull

Congrats to Josh Havelka for rowing a 6:39 2k and having the best mens time of the day.

Those foam rollers in the corner are not just decoration. Learn how to get the full use out of them both pre and post workout in this article.

No Sign Ups required today… just come in and get it done. After 12 am tonight you will be able to sign up for next months classes.

Check out the new photos on our gallery right here.

WOD

400 m walking lunge

then get to 50 pullups as fast as possible.

ORANGE COAST CROSSFIT LOVES TO GET INTENSE. IF YOU DONT WANT TO BE PUSHED TO YOUR ABSOLUTE BREAKING POINT, WE ARE NOT THE BOX FOR YOU. WE ARE NOT THE PLACE FOR THE TIMID. BRING IT EVERY TIME IN HERE OR DONT BOTHER COMING. IF YOU WANNA HALF ASS IT THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHER GYMS. OUR TRIBE OF ATHLETES ARE COMMITTED, AND TO JOIN THEM YOU MUST BE WILLING TO DO THINGS AND ENDURE PAIN/DISCOMFORT THAT YOU HAVE NEVER FELT BEFORE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Saturdays WOD

AMRAP in 20 minutes

4 Handstand Push Ups

8 Kb swings (2 pood)

12 Snatch (95/65#)

Top Male Times

1. JMF 10 +22 RX

2. Matt Banwart 10+19 RX (New Orange Coast CrossFit Coach)

3. Rich 5+5 RX

4. Ryan Flanagan 5+3 RX

Top Females

1. Piper 10 (55#,mod hspu)

2. Pinky 9+21 (55#, mod hspu)

Pinks showing great form on the Glute Ham Raises.

I am committed to seeing every athlete in my gym succeed and progress. I put alot of time into the thought and design of your workouts. Trying to make you all balanced and well rounded. We have also provided seminars with experts in their fields to educate us. If you feel that you are not progressing at the rate of your peers or as much as you feel you should be, email me. I would love to sit down with you and look at your results, perceptions, and formulate a game plan to get you on the track you need to be.

WOD

A. As many sets of 5 unbroken front squats as possible in 10 minutes. (Men 155, women 95) (Must clean weight from the ground for start of each set, and must put weight back down on floor after completing 5 reps)

B. :30 Second AMRAP Push Press dumbell :60 rest x5 rounds (men 40, women 20)

C. 5 Rounds of: 6 Ring Dips, 12 Burpees

Rest exactly 1 minute bw A. B. and C.

Huge meals for fat loss and conditioning.

The leangains approach.

WOD

Rest day or make up one from earlier in the week

WOD

In 12 minutes (men), 13 minutes (women) row a 2k and then with the remaining time, perform as many GHD situps as possible. This workout is scored in two parts. The row time and second the total situps performed.

New photos up on Flickr. Check em out here.

WOD

A. Take 60% of your best deadlift and go nuts for 3:00. How many reps can you get?

B. In 3 minutes complete amrap of:

Pullups 5x

Double Unders 20x

Rest 2:00 bw rounds

x5 rounds