Julie stole the show with her picture perfect L-sit. This takes a tremendous amount of "core" strength... Great job Julie!!!
Newcomer Hannah can do a lot of sit ups and even more crunches, but those exercises can't prepare you for the midline stablization demands of the L-sit. But building capacity in the L-sit will rapidly make sit ups and crunches easier. I consider this the definition of "functional" fitness.
Here Mike shows good strength in his abs that is required to keep your legs straight but he hasn't focused his efforts through his entire body. You have to keep everything tight from your shoulders, arms, wrists, back, abs, glutes, thighs, calves, toes pointed to get your feet up so your legs are parallel to the ground...
CrossFit is universally scaleable meaning that young kids, MMA fighters and little old ladies can participate in the same workout. The same functional movements that a Navy Seal needs to survive on the battlefield are the same movements your grandmother needs to carry a relatively heavy bag of groceries up and down the stairs. They don't need two different "workouts".
Julie is getting so comfortable with her handstands that she can smile. When it starts to become "fun" it is easier to work longer and get even stronger... It is a vicious cycle of work-outey goodness...
The Tomsik's love their handstands. I guess they'll have to start working on handstand push ups. That's the beauty of CrossFit. It is not content to set a goal (hold a handstand) and reach it. It pushes you to set higher and higher goals, stuff you never thought you could accomplish when you first struggled just to hold handstand.
Once we were done "playing around" we got down to business.
7 rounds for time of:
Run 200 meters
3 pull ups
6 push ups
9 squats
Mike - 17:08
Hannah - 18:45
Julie - 19:37
Good work guys!!!
Mike showing big improvements in his squat form. Getting that crease in your hip just below your knee cap (just below parallel) ensures that you engage your hamstrings and glutes to power you back up to standing. This powerful hip extension is a key element in all of athletic movement. If you want to hit a golf ball farther, swim faster, jump higher, run faster, punch harder then you need to be working the strength and explosiveness of your hip extension.
Our new track star Hannah is going to see huge improvements in her run times as she builds upper body strength. She will see more gains in her run times by focusing on some of her weaknesses than if she just tried to run harder all summer...
CrossFit workouts require the same mental toughness that you need to keep pushing through the pain of the last quarter mile of a cross country meet. Your body is designed to keep pushing even after your mind starts screaming to slow down. The "trick" is to just train yourself to ignore that little voice in your head.
Julie is getting stronger in her pull ups as well. She is ready for the smaller band...
Here is one of Mike's patented stretch-while-really-resting during the workout breaks...
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