Monday, May 14, 2012

Sumiko and PJ are two new Basics graduates who already show excellent athleticism and CF promise. Introduce yourself at the gym!

Get ready for a new week of WODs! We have some exciting workouts in the near future. Two more weeks are left in the linear program and we will be testing your one-rep maxes. CrossFit Totals are being slated for the week of May 28. Keep up with your strength work and get ready to see your effort pay off. Remember, if you can’t get all five reps across three sets, do what you can for that day and take 10 percent off the next week. If and when you complete the full three sets of five, you may go up again the next week (5# for upper body and 10# for lower body). One rep maxes are pivotal to your daily training; it’s important to know what you’re capable of and how to dial in your weights accordingly.

That’s why the term RX can be so tricky— some coaches and athletes want it; others don’t. Weights are relative, and we should be using percentages of our one-rep maxes in our WODs that are determined by the volume of reps being performed. However, the flip side of the coin is that CrossFit, the sport of fitness in which we all participate, contains  workouts that call for a certain weight. Is CF saying that everyone should attempt that weight or skill right off the bat? No. At least we don’t think so. Each athlete should build up to RX, and some may never reach an RX level. However, CrossFit prides itself on allowing modification for all levels of fitness and all ages. Our motto at CFUM is that completing the workout, no matter what the modification, can be celebrated. CrossFit is not meant to be easy. But most things worthwhile aren’t. Keep working hard — no matter what level you are at — that’s where the gains are made.

Here’s the workout for Monday, May 14, 2012:

A. Strength

Back squat – linear week 6

(spotters mandatory)

B. Metcon

For time:

21-15-9

Overhead squats (95/65)

Chest-to-bar pull-ups