CrossFit Yongsan, Seoul, Korea

Moving to Fort Campbell

2012-01-07T04:09:00.001+09:00

CrossFit Yongsan had a good run bringing functional fitness to the ROK.

The latest PCS move is taking us back to the States and Clarksville, Tennessee.

CrazyWife CrossFit will be reopening its 'doors' just in time for the Reebok CrossFit Games Open competition beginning on 22 February.

If you are stuck in Korea and looking for a CrossFit fix, check out FIGHT TONIGHT CROSSFIT in Yongsan.

CF Yongsan is no more...

2011-09-23T05:24:00.001+09:00

It was a good run...

More weight dropping excuses was the final straw that broke this camel's back. First, the hamsters were worried about the equipment as weights were being gloriously dropped... But it's all our own equipment (the only thing that Collier Field House owns in the Anti-CrossFit space are the wooden boxes that we ordered from the wood shop for them and some seriously overpriced 'sit up' bars). Then they were worried about the poor little linoleum flooring... Sorry, just indestructible concrete. Then it was just too loud... Ever tried to concentrate in a workout during a Zumba class??? Finally, they got creative and we were dropping the weights from 'above the norm'... What 'norm' do you say? Good question. There aren't really any 'rules' posted anywhere for Collier Field House other than putting collars on all your weights - cuz we all know that those little spring collars are dripping with safety features. So despite Garrison's claims that they are in favor of CrossFit and functional fitness for Soldiers (more on the Trent Gym debacle later...), we are still at the mercy of they retired Colonel mafia and the perpetually complaining military spouse club (where did my favorite thigh burning machine go anyway...???).

You can go to our CrazyWife CrossFit site to see the humble beginnings of CrossFit Yongsan. Yes, our first workout in early 2009 was Fight Gone Bad at Trent Gym (on a Saturday, at 8am) and yes, we crammed all the equipment into our little white car and drove it all to the gym and unloaded it ourselves. Why, because there is never any real weightlifting equipment in an MWR-run 'Globo' gym. Still isn't. Google 'Operation Phoenix' and Marine Corps to see how far their version of MWR will go to keep this equipment out of the hands of our Warriors. I mean an hour on the elliptical and sitting in the thigh-extension machine is good enough to get you up those mountains in Afghanistan right?

We quickly moved to Collier Field House because it had an actual parking lot and more 'stuff' inside. This was before you could move any of that 'stuff' around mind you. There was no dumbbell room in the back racquetball court and we got 'complaints' for daring to move dumbbells out of the weight room and into the racquetball courts or the gym floor for a (gasp) workout. So we were still bringing a car load of equipment to every workout and trying to get things done around the single solitary squat rack at Collier or in one of said racquetball courts since there was no space to workout (too many stupid Nautilus machines and ellipticals taking up all the floor space).

Since there were no pull up bars inside Collier, we were happy to move outside when it warmed up in the Spring/Summer of '09. We ran a lot of boring run-pull up-push up-sit up-squat-kettlebell swing workouts that summer. This was the same time that a little round man named Henry walked by and said, "hey, is this CrossFit?" Henry has a superior command of the obvious to this day. September 2009 brought Fight Gone Bad 4 and we dragged all of our equipment from home and put on a pretty killer event all by ourselves. Marine Corps 'Mike' raised like $500 by himself by going to AAFES and some other places on post. Great kid. By October, CrazyWife was ready to pop so we got a month long vacation in Hawaii when Baby Toa was ready to come out. In December, we bounced around in the back weightroom, cramming five or ten of us around the little squat rack, trying not to get in the bench pressers way too much.

Spring/Summer of 2010 and CrazyHusband went off to school for the summer and CrazyWife grew our little CrossFit group of 3-5 regulars into a dozen regulars. That and she scored the shed of pain during one final ridiculous equipment drop off in front of the Saturday 5k crew with a carload of equipment, a toddler and a baby in tow. September brought Fight Gone Bad 5 and our trip/workout at the DMZ with CrossFit Bonifas. Back inside for the winter and our own racquetball court (after 15-20 of us got kicked out three times by the only two racquetball players in Korea). We ended up with space above the racquetball court to store our equipment (Collier is still lacking), Mr. Jackson created the dumbbell room in the other racquetball court and ordered a boatload of dumbbells and the kettlebells that are in there now. We were finally able to move said dumbbells around so we finally weren't getting in trouble for bringing them into the racquetball court or the gym. Remember the blue mats and barbells on the gym floor??? But once volleyball started, we and our 20-40 CrossFitters per class got kicked off the gym floor due to "safety" reasons with flying volleyballs and those most dangerous volleyballers. We also had complaints about all the kids since we were running childcare on our own since there isn't any at Collier during the busiest time to workout after work. Anyone seeing a trend here??? We once again cancelled classes for the winter and hunkered down until the spring thaw allowed us back out into the shed of pain.

One killer ICE Comment later and we got to sit down with the garrison commander and see his master plan for supporting functional fitness at Collier and Trent. All of these big changes were to be complete by June 2011. We weren't holding our breath.

2011 brought lots of summer weightlifting ('Running Sucks') in the shed of pain after we brought our own barbells and bumpers back out of hiding from Camp Kim and started working out outside. The CrossFit Games Open Sectionals brought us some memorable workouts and a trip to Okinawa, Japan to support Chris at Regionals. September brought the functional fitness renovations (three months late and without equipment) and Fight Gone Bad 6 and our first real workout in the new Anti-CrossFit room. Raising $5,000 for those charities will be the highlight of our 3-year tour in Korea. Thanks again guys.

So here we are. They've complained us out of an effective workout in just two short weeks. At least we still have all those dumbass mirrors so we watch our form on the bicep curls. Who wants to do handstand push ups anyway? Too unsafe for me...

What is the future of CrossFit in Yongsan??? Stay tuned...

Final WOD

2011-09-23T04:19:00.000+09:00

THURSDAY 110922

Bitter sweet ending to the CFYongsan run. 6 newbies show up out of the blue and we have to smack'em with the news that they can't come back. More on that later.
We hit the 'mega' warm up one last time and then went out to the track for some actual work. Thank goodness, the hamster spin class and the chubby Zumba instructor class were annoyingly loud.

Final WOD

Bottom-to-bottom tabata squats
Max effort 1-mile run

Tuesday 110920

2011-09-19T21:00:00.001+09:00

Squat Clean (70-75% 1RM)
2-2-2-2
These reps should be considered as challenging form work. They should be performed with a focus on speed, hip extension, and tension in the bottom position. If you don't know your 1RM, just follow this principle.

Then

AMRAP 10 mins:
5 HSPU
10 Pistols (Alternating Legs)s
15 Sit-up (standard)s

Post total rounds.

We all need to work on the first 2 movements of this WOD. HSPU's are obviously weak for a lot of folks. If you are good at them, there is sufficient volume in this WOD to make it challenging. If you are not, you can easily cut the numbers down and get in-WOD practice. Same with pistols.

You may not like these movements. Or you might think you suck at them. But bottom line, you train here because you want to push yourself. You train here because you want to challenge yourself. So do it. The best workouts for you to show up to are the ones you read and say to yourself "There's no way I can do that." That's how you're going to build fitness and character. -KenCFY

FGB 6 Results

2011-09-18T11:23:00.002+09:00

Last Name	First Name	Class	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Eubanks	Chris	A	110	103	107	320
Barriger	Steven	A	108	83	84	275
Moore	Patrick	A	107	81	69	257
Rezendes	Scott	A	98	76	71	245
Ochoa	Willie	A	96	72	71	239
Chatriwala	Imran	A	96	71	63	230
Waters	Travis	B	126	103	101	330
Perkins	Mike	B	114	104	95	313
Gunny	Dave	B	116	90	83	289
Kumar	Sean	B	108	85	74	267
Jung	Henry	B	80	67	73	220
Chatriwala	Mary	B	84	62	63	209
Amzden	Jason	C	113	84	90	287
Perkins	Lilly	C	100	95	77	272
Ochoa	Angie	C	88	84	89	261
Thompson	Nora	C	95	79	75	249
Kim	Sam	C	95	66	66	227
Pearson	Dennis	C	86	76	64	226
Serwon	Heather	C	77	66	76	219
Rezendes	Mary	C	73	59	57	189
Regner	Mary	D	131	121	111	363

Fight Gone Bad 6

2011-09-16T15:46:00.001+09:00

It's finally here and we've already busted my goal of raising more than $3,000. How much more can we raise this weekend...?!!???!!!!

WHO: everyone (beginners too!!!)
WHAT: FGB6 workout/fundraiser
WHEN: 0800-1100 SAT 17 SEP 11
WHERE: Collier Field House (inside)
WHY: raise money for Special Operations Warrior Foundation, Infant Swim Resource and Camp Patriot

How hard could 17 minutes be...???

Press-Push Press-Push Jerk

2011-09-16T15:38:00.000+09:00

THURSDAY 110916

Press 5-5-5

Push press 3-3-3

Push jerk 1-1-1

Great work everyone!!!

Remember we are not just dropping weights from overhead straight to the ground if we can help it. Bring it down to the rack position and down to your waist before dumping whenever possible...

2011-09-13T21:17:00.000+09:00

Kids, it's time to get HOT!!! Fight Gone Bad 6 is coming up fast. This Saturday 17 September from 0800-1100. We only have 14 people signed up and we only have 9 people that have raised any money. We are almost to our goal of $3,000 dollars raised. It's time to get HOT!!! Click on FGB6 and sign up with us at Team CrossFit Yongsan. Raise $20 to workout. Raise $150 and get a free limited edition FGB6 tshirt.

Snatch 2-2-2

2011-09-13T20:45:00.000+09:00

Weight overhead...

Dairy-free Chocolate pudding

2011-09-13T14:30:00.000+09:00

http://balancedbites.com/2010/02/easy-recipe-dairy-free-chocolate-pudding.html

Tuesday 110913

2011-09-12T21:09:00.001+09:00

Snatch
2-2-2

Then

For Time: (Time limit: 13 mins)
4 Rounds of:
6 Squat Snatches 95/65
60 Double Unders

Monday WOD at 0900

2011-09-12T03:46:00.001+09:00

We will meet inside our new space at 0900 and hopefully work off some of that birthday cake...

Moving Day

2011-09-12T03:43:00.000+09:00

SATURDAY 110910

CrossFit Yongsan updates...

2011-09-08T20:44:00.001+09:00

New things are happening with CrossFit Yongsan and we want to keep everyone up to date on the future and reiterate what our expectations of all of you are. Bear with me...

The new CrossFit/TRX/P90X/"Functional Fitness" space is finally remodeled inside Collier Field House so we officially have room to workout inside this winter. Anyone who was there for the final (frozen) "Fran" workout outside last October can appreciate how far we've come. No more bouncing off each other in the back racquetball court and no more getting kicked off the gym floor either...

That being said, we will plan on moving all the stuff out of "the Shed of Tears" and into the Collier Field House 'CrossFit' room this SATURDAY at 0900. I will bring some stuff to wipe everything down before it goes inside so we don't get any of Henry's muddy bumper plates on the floor inside. Then we will hit a cool WOD inside to the amusement of all the 'hamsters' on the ellipticals. Lastly, we will put all of the equipment away in an orderly fashion so that other gym goers are encouraged to put things back where they found them and keep our space neat, clean and organized throughout the week. Anyone will be able to use our equipment, we only get priority during our regularly scheduled classes. (Don't forget we are dressing funny, eating crap food, and partaking adult beverages afterwards...)

Since we have room to CrossFit properly again, we no longer require a Foundations class before you can start working out. Brand new folks are welcome anytime, and can "just show up" to the next scheduled workout and we will put them through their own modified workout different than the veteran's WOD. Start bugging your friends to come and workout with us. I would like to get back to the 40 people at every class we had last fall now that we have equipment and Collier is ordering more. You can still sign up for Foundations if you want to take your workouts to the next level or if you want a nice two-hour refresher.

Our 'new' schedule will be TUE-THU from 1730-1830 and SAT from 0900-1000. Every three weeks or so, we will have a Saturday Foundations class from 1000-1200 so we don't have to cancel or move around the SAT WOD.

Veterans, this means that you have to become more autonomous. Get to the workout ON TIME and get started with the warm up. By now you should know what parts you need to warm up and how to get them there. If not, we can hold your hands and walk you through the "mega warm up"... TWICE.

Veterans, this also means that you know what the workout is when you show up. Every workout will be posted to BEYOND THE WHITEBOARD at least the night before so you can start getting equipment organized for the workout. Post your workout results to keep track of your progress.

When Collier's equipment order comes in, we will look like an actual CrossFit 'Box' with a 20-person pull up rig taking up some of our new space, 9 shiny new barbells and more bumper weights than we would know what to do with. There will also be a ton of kettlebells and dumbbells for very large group classes available for check out from the front desk for unit PT at 0600.

We still have our hard and fast rule of everyone knows everyone's name since our COMMUNITY is what makes our workout better than anything else around. If you see someone you don't recognize, introduce yourself, help them out, or ask them for help and get after it. If you don't know everyone's names when the workout starts, you owe BURPEES...!!!

Speaking of COMMUNITY, it is only two weeks until our FIGHT GONE BAD 6 workout slash fundraiser. We only have 14 people signed up on our fundraising team. Get signed up and start emailing and facebooking your family and friends. We have already raised $1,800+ and we should be able to bust $3,000. Remember you have to raise or donate $20 to do the workout on SATURDAY 17 SEPTEMBER. Raise $150 and you get a free FGB6 tshirt. We will celebrate with a post-WOD barbeque. We will also take walk-ins the day of who want to pay the $20 and try out the workout. It will be scaled to 4 ability levels: Men, Women, Intermediate and Beginner so invite everyone you know!!! We will start setting up at 0800 and go hot with the first workout NLT 0900 on 17 SEP...

Keep checking our Facebook page for the latest updates...

Thanks for all you do to make our little group great; now let's see how big we can grow it...!!!

-CrazyHusband

Thrusters 3-3-3-3-3-3-3

2011-09-08T19:58:00.002+09:00

THURSDAY 110908

Thrusters 3-3-3-3-3-3-3

Willie gets deep into a perfect front squat with back completely vertical...

...then he powers up out of the bottom and finishes a very pretty "Thruster".

One lift we don't do very often but everyone got heavy enough today. Great work everyone!!!

Mobility Work

2011-09-08T07:24:00.001+09:00

TUESDAY 110906

The Paleo Diet - What to Eat... | PracticalPaleolithic.com

2011-09-07T11:36:00.000+09:00

http://practicalpaleolithic.com/paleolithic-diet-blog/the-paleo-diet-what-to-eat

Sent from my iPhone

Tuesday 110906

2011-09-05T21:54:00.001+09:00

Power Clean
3-3-3

Then

3 rounds for time of:
15 Push Presses 95/65
15 Overhead Lunges 95/65
30 Double Unders

Compare to your results on Saturday 110521
http://crossfityongsan.blogspot.com/2011/05/saturday-110521.html

Foundations 11.13

2011-09-04T09:38:00.001+09:00

Charles, Dan, Steve, Dennis, Sean, Lauren and Sam

SATURDAY 110903

Congrats to our newest members of CrossFit Yongsan!!! Great work!!!

CFY Baseline Workout

2011-09-04T09:35:00.000+09:00

800m run, 40 squats, 30 sit ups, 20 push ups, 10 pull ups...

SATURDAY 110903

CF Yongsan Baseline workout

800m run
40 squats
30 sit ups
20 push ups
10 pull ups

"How fit are you?"

Power Cleans & Burpees

2011-09-04T09:26:00.001+09:00

SATURDAY 110903

15-12-9-6-3 rep rounds of:
135-lb power cleans
Burpees

Chris
Imran
Mary
Nickole
Steve
Sam

CINDY

2011-09-01T20:18:00.003+09:00

How strong is your workout...???

2011-09-01T20:18:00.001+09:00

TUESDAY 110830

2011-09-01T08:10:00.000+09:00

Tuesday 110830

2011-08-29T20:37:00.001+09:00

AMRAP 10 minutes

3 Squat Cleans 155/105
30 Walking Lunges

We're working under heavy load on this one. For those of you w/ moderate proficiency with the squat clean, select a weight that will definitely challenge you yet still maintain proper form.

Saturday 110827

2011-08-26T22:09:00.001+09:00

Death by Clean & Jerk (135/95)

With a continuously running clock perform 1 clean and jerk the first minute, 2 the second min, and so on. Continue until you are not able to perform the required number of C&Js in a given minute. Post total rounds and partials.

Then

Death by Pull-ups

With a continuously running clock perform 1 pull-up the first minute, 2 the second min, and so on. Continue until you are not able to perform the required number of pull-ups in a given minute. Kipping is allowed. Post total rounds and partials.

Thursday 110824

2011-08-24T21:00:00.000+09:00

Back to lifting heavy S%^& - the good-ol' fashioned way

Back Squat

5-5-5+
Sets will be done at 65%,75%, and 85% 1RM respectively. If you don't know what your 1RM is, then let me know and we can estimate it.
IMPORTANT: The final set will be performed to maximum reps (but will stop 1 rep short of failure). For those unfamiliar w/ this scheme, this is the Wendler 5/3/1 strength periodization methodology.

Then:
5 Rounds
30 Seconds Handstand Hold
30 Seconds of Sit-ups
Post loads and sit-up totals to comments.
Subtract 10 sit-ups from your total for each time you come out of your handstands before the end of 30 seconds.

Tuesday 110823

2011-08-22T21:16:00.001+09:00

Intensity is the most common variable in positive adaptation.

We'll work the same domain as we did on Saturday - working on quick explosive movements w/ full intensity over a very short duration using a moderate amount recovery time. The stimulus achieved in these type of WODs is powerful, and the effect on increasing your stamina is significant.

4 Rounds of:

6 iterations of 1 one barbell complex*, which is:
1 Power Clean
1 Front Squat
1 Push Press
1 Back Squat
1 Behind the neck Push Press
THEN Run 200m

Rest 3 mins between rounds.

*Weight: 95/65; reps must be touch & go from the ground; barbell is not allowed to rest on the ground; barbell can only rest in the rack or behind the neck.

So in other words, you will perform 6 iterations of the barbell complex then run 200m. You will do this 4 times w/ 3:00 in between. Cool?

Post time of each round.

Saturday 110820

2011-08-19T21:10:00.001+09:00

Great day to work on increasing our power, speed, and explosiveness while enhancing our ability to recover rapidly.

WOD 1: 3 Rounds

Clap Push Ups AMRAP. Just below failure. rest 10 sec
Push Ups AMRAP. Just below failure. rest 10 sec
Rest 3 min

WOD 2: 2 Rounds

1 Heavy Power Clean
6 Jump-over-the-box jump
Rest 3 min

WOD 3: 6 sets

20 sec AMRAP Hang Power Clean 85/55*
Sprint run 200 m @ 90%
rest 3 min

choose a weight in which you can perform non stop reps of power cleans for 20 sec (no pause on ground or in rack position), when the 20 sec timer goes off, sprint run 200 m @ 90% effort. You choose the power clean weight for all 7 sets; ensure the sprint is powerful for entire 200m

*you cannot change weight once chosen for 1st round

--

Ken Velez

Cell (Korea): 010-6566-4971

Dial toll-free from the US (+13hrs EDT): 703-531-8479

Skype name: metsek7

Thursday 110818

2011-08-17T18:10:00.001+09:00

In the event I'm called back to the hospital - here's what we should tackle:

"Griff"

For time:
Run 800 meters
Run 400 meters backwards
Run 800 meters
Run 400 meters backwards

Tuesday 110815

2011-08-15T21:21:00.001+09:00

3 rounds for time of:

10 Deadlifts 225/155
20 Box Jump 20/16
400 m Run

SNATCH 1-1-1

2011-08-13T12:05:00.000+09:00

THURSDAY 110811

2011-08-13T05:58:00.000+09:00

TUESDAY 110809

2011-08-11T07:30:00.001+09:00

The If, When, Why, and How You Should Scale

2011-08-08T21:23:00.001+09:00

For those of you that don't have a CrossFit Journal subscription, I was able to pull this informative article in .pdf format from CrossFit Smyrna. Here's great quote:
"If the WOD calls for 30 clean and jerks at 155 pounds, it's clearly a met-con WOD. If you turn the workout into 30 single reps with a minute rest between them, you've missed the point." (I'm talking to you Henry and your double unders)

I can't emphasize enough that your ability to successfully scale the workouts to your skill level WILL significantly increase your work capacity. One of my favorite coaches always says, "The most common variable in positive adaptation in intensity". It's a strident belief that has served me well in 3 years of crossfit.

This article goes a long way in explaining if, why, when, and how you should scale.

Enjoy! -KenCFY

http://www.crossfitsmyrna.com/pdfs/CFJ_CleaWeiss_Scaling.pdf

Tuesday 110809

2011-08-08T21:07:00.001+09:00

For Time:
30 Clean & Jerks 95/65 lbs
20 Power Snatches 95/65 lbs
10 Thrusters 95/65

12 minute cap. Scale appropriately.

Annie

2011-08-08T18:48:00.001+09:00

Chris and his patented whirly-bird miss on the double unders...

SATURDAY 110806

Annie

50-40-30-20-10 rep rounds of:
Double unders
Sit ups

Foundations 11.9

2011-08-07T19:47:00.001+09:00

SATURDAY 110806

Hyun Jo and Dan tackled the foundations class in some hot, muggy weather... Great job gentlemen!!!

CF Yongsan Baseline Workout

800m run
40 squats
30 sit ups
20 push ups
10 pull ups

Hyun Jo - 9:58*
Dan - 10:16*

THURSDAY 110804

2011-08-06T07:24:00.001+09:00

Clean 1-1-1

Getting down to the last of our heavy lifts. We've been working all summer from 5-5-5s to 3-3-3s to now 1-1-1s.

New guy Dave easily did 50 squat cleans at a lighter weight to try and groove this new movement pattern into his brain. This is one reason why the Olympic lifts are so vital to your training, they literally train your brain to harness the strength you already possess and make you more 'athletic' in the process.

Great work everyone!!!

Foundations 11.9

2011-08-03T21:29:00.000+09:00

Foundations 11.9 is locked in.

Saturday 6 August from 10am to 12pm.

Outside Collier Field House at the grandstand.

5 athletes are already confirmed.

Click on "FREE INTRO" above to send us your info and reserve your spot.

Space is limited!!! Hurry, click up there now...!!!

CrossFit Yongsan Foundations Classes

2011-08-03T21:26:00.002+09:00

"Why do I need this 'Foundations' class...???

"I already know how to workout...?!?!?"

"But I used to do this "Functional" fitness boot camp at my old gym..."

Why do we want you to take a two-hour intro to CrossFit 'Foundations' class?

Lots of reasons.

It helps us to weed out the lazy or non-committed. CrossFit is hard work. Intensity is the key to nearly every measurable component of fitness you might like to improve: lower your blood pressure, lose fat, gain muscle, increase your LDL, lower your resting heart rate, improve your 2-mile run time, decrease your HDL... none of these things can be found at the end of an hour on the elliptical. Intensity is king. If that is just not for you, we don't want to waste your time and we don't want you to waste ours...

Showing you the nine foundational CrossFit movements helps you more easily integrate into our group classes. That way our coaches don't spend all of their time and energy on brand new athletes which wouldn't be fair to our seasoned athletes. There are a lot of movements within CrossFit that you won't find in your regular 'Globo' Gym or Men's Fitness magazine so the Foundations class makes it all a little less confusing.

The Foundations classes also allow our coaches to evaluate your movement patterns and overall athleticism. If you have previous injuries or glaring flexibility issues, then throwing around weights can get a little dangerous but if we know about any issues ahead of time we can adjust the workouts, or the weights, or reps to make your workout a little more manageable and safe.

Plus learning the movements up front will allow you to go to the gym and workout on your own with confidence, using proper body mechanics to keep you safe and injury free.

Lastly, a Foundations class gives you a chance to get to know some other new athletes, like-minded individuals who are ready to learn the CrossFit secret. CrossFit is more than just a website or a 'workout of the day', it is a COMMUNITY of dedicated individuals all working towards similar goals. It is a tight knit group of people who work hard and play hard. Working out together will push you to workout harder than you every have in your life (there is that intensity again). Suffering through seemingly impossible workouts, getting cheered on by your fellow athletes makes for an experience unlike anything you've ever experienced in a gym in your life. There are no mirrors, we don't plug into our iPods and tune out on the elliptical, we don't watch a wall of TVs while inching through the same old boring workout while speaking to no one. We get to know each other. Friends for life. We work hard. We play hard. Barbecues. 5k runs because we can. Birthday parties. Girls Night Out. Hooker Hill. Dragon shots. Need I say more...?!?!?!??

If you are still with us, click on "FREE INTRO" at the top and shoot us your information and get into the next scheduled Foundations class. These are held on Saturdays from 10am - 12pm when we have a group of 3-5 athletes ready to go. You will get a confirmation email when the next class gets locked in.

CrossFit Yongsan Foundations Agenda

Introductions (5-min)
Deadlift (10-min)
Kettlebell swing (10-min)
Air squat (10-min)
CrossFit warm up (10-min) scaling/bands
Gymnastics (10-min) pull ups, dips, handstand push ups
Power clean (15-min) dumbbell, med ball, kettlebell
Front squat (10-min) dumbbell, kettlebell, barbell
Overhead squat (10-min) PVC, dumbbell, barbell
Press, push press, push jerk (15-min)
Rhabdo (5-min)
CF Yongsan baseline workout (10-min)

See you on Saturday...

An Explanation of the Strength/Heavy Lift Component of our WODs

2011-08-02T10:29:00.001+09:00

So you took a look at the WOD and said "What the hell does 2-2-2-2-2 (At 1RM Squat Clean Weight)" mean? What's a Front Squat? What's a Squat Clean? What's a 1RM?"

First off, ask the coach! If you're confused about anything, that's what we're here to do!

Second, if you don't remember a movement and you want to know what it is before you come in, just Google it. I promise, it's on there. Got to YouTube and just search "Front Squat". Better yet, search "Crossfit Front Squat". Or you can go to the "exercises" section of www.crossfit.com and find most of the movements there.

Third, our nomenclature 2-2-2-2-2 means that you are to perform five "work sets" at as heavy a weight as you can. In most cases, you can and should start lighter and go up. But in some instances, we may ask you to do a certain percentage of your 1RM (One Rep Max) across all work sets. For example, you may be required to perform all sets of Push Jerk 1-1-1-1-1 at 90% 1RM.

Last, we recommend performing 2-4 warmup sets prior to the work sets. We do a guided warmup every day, but following that guided warmup and before these types of strength movements you should be doing a few sets of the movement at a lighter load to warmup.

A typical warmup template that we recommend for everyone is:

5xBarbell
5×40% 1RM
5×50% 1RM
3×60% 1RM

If your response to this is "I don't know what my 1RM is!", then have no fear, another way to describe this is:

5x Really Light Weight
5x Light Weight
5x Moderate to Light Weight
3x Moderate Weight

Armed with this and the certainty that if you ask a coach a question, they will give you an answer, you should have no problems doing the strength portion of our WODs.

On a final note, remember to keep a personal WOD record. This is extremely helpful is coming into a WOD with a target load or time

Tuesday 110802

2011-08-01T21:16:00.001+09:00

Snatch
3-2-1-1

AMRAP 10:
2 Strict Pull-ups
4 Goblet Squats (med. hi)
6 Knees-to-elbows

Lessons from a (sort of) Globo Gym - by KenCFY

2011-07-25T21:50:00.001+09:00

So in addition to training with you all at CrossFit Yongsan, I've also been working out inside Collier on my own since I arrived here last fall. I usually do my heavy powerlifts there then follow it up w/ a short metcon or skill work. Even though I trained exclusively at a nicely equipped CrossFit gym in DC for over 2 years, I'm often fairly pleased w/ the type and variety of workouts I can knock out at Collier. Yes, I'd love to have for them to have bumpers, KB's, and more rower…but I digress.

What usually leaves me with an impression is not the workout there. Rather what certainly leaves an indelible impression on me is the people working out around me and how fascinating it is to regularly train once again at a "big house" gym for the first time in a long time.

Now I don't want to get turn this into a rant on Collier, other base gyms, and Globo Gyms. That would be predictable and lame. But if you're thinking to yourself, "Gosh, working out inside Collier must be weird for you sometimes, Ken." Then I would say, "Yes. Hell yes." I say this b/c it's awfully hard to keep myself from "coaching". But I've never interjected on someone no matter how badly I needed to (think really dangerous deadlift form here)…..EXCEPT for one instance last week. I had to cut-in to some dude snatching so poorly he looked like he learned it from Men's Fitness or Maxim (does anyone read that anymore?). I thought I could give him a couple pointer and save him the wasted effort. But he looked at me like, "Who the hell are you, jerkoff?". He seriously looked pissed and embarrassed. So I demo'ed one for him then told him to have fun. He didn't seem to appreciate the effectiveness and humor of my whole "snatching in a phone booth" bit (funny, right?). That same workout, I watched some dude literally explaining to his buddy for 15 mins the importance of keeping "your wrist straight" in order to get the most out of those tricep cable extensions.

The CrossFit community can be very insular at times. We train at our own locations, view Crossfit blogs and videos with regularity, talk about Paleo incessantly, and we even rove in packs when we go out socially. But we at CrossFit Yongsan – coaches and athletes alike - should occasionally remind ourselves of where our new athletes are coming from and the facilities they train in whether that's Gold's, Bally's, 24Hr Fitness, and yes Collier Field House.

Here's an example how a trip back inside Collier or to any globo gym can change the way we welcome new athletes:

"Hey, man. Now I know we do things a little bit differently here then from what you might be used to or what you might know. I also recognize I might sound like a crazy person when I tell you that this 35 lb barbell could destroy you but may be light enough for most of our veteran female athletes here. But stick with me – I promise you there is a method to our madness and a proven logic behind our strict adherence to form and range of motion. And in the end, you'll be able to achieve your goals much better if you continue to give us a shot."

Welcome your new fellow athletes! Be patient, understanding, and helpful. They are the lifeblood of this community!

Tuesday 110726

2011-07-25T21:19:00.001+09:00

Whether you're looking to achieve your first HSPU or increase your rep capacity, low-rep volume training can help tremendously.

HSPU Volume Training
Perform 1 rep every minute for 10 minutes. If you're proficient at your level, you may perform additional reps per minute. Pick a number and try to stick to it. Whatever you do, DON'T FAIL A REP and make it the entire 10 minutes. One note: if you're proficient w/ pike HSPUs on a box but are incapable of strict HSPU, you perform additional reps per minute.
We'll talk scaling options beforehand.

Then for time:
"Pack" version
60 Double Unders
40 Hang Squat Clean 95/65
40 Overhead Lunges 95/65
60 Double Unders

Recommended "Pups" (beginners') version
60 Single Unders
40 Hang Power Clean to Front Squat*
40 Overhead Lunge*
60 Single Unders

*Scale weight as appropriate

Foundations 11.7 is in the books...!!!

2011-07-24T16:13:00.000+09:00

SATURDAY 110723

Still smiling after 2 & 1/2 hours of hard work...!!!

Weighted Push Up 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

2011-07-24T16:11:00.000+09:00

SATURDAY 110723

Mega Warm up

WOD: Weighted push ups 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

HyoJin and Hannah's favorite exercise - with weight added...

Skinny Kenny pushes up 125-lbs...!!!

Mary gets 55-lbs. and then 65-lbs!!! Almost got 70-lbs...

Henry pushin' up stupid weight...!!! (160-lbs...)

Little Hannah got 10-lbs when she thought it was only five...

Steve pushin' 90-lbs...!!!

Didn't get any pictures of HyoJin this time, but I'm sure she is at home working on push ups right now...

Great work everyone.

Handstand walking was icing on the cake...!!!

Press 1-1-1; Farmers Walks-Burpees

2011-07-21T18:56:00.000+09:00

THURSDAY 110721

Warm up: 50 overhead squats

STRENGTH:
Shoulder Press 1-1-1

METCON:
3 rounds for time of:
200m farmer walks (1/4 your BW dumbbell)
15 burpees

Foundations Class this Saturday!!!

2011-07-19T08:56:00.001+09:00

We have a bunch of interest so we are running a Foundations class this Saturday for those that can make it.

WHEN: Saturday 23 July (10:00-12:00)
WHERE: Outside Collier Field House at the Lombardo Field grandstand

Email us with any questions...

We will also have the regular Saturday WOD at 10.

Tuesday 110719

2011-07-18T21:52:00.001+09:00

Buy-In:
2 x 15 Thrusters
Rest 90 secs between sets

Pick a weight you can quickly do UNBROKEN yet will still present a challenge.

WOD:
I'll pick one of two TEAM WODs planned depending on how many of you show up and the weather conditions.

Saturday 110716

2011-07-15T20:10:00.001+09:00

Advanced level "Big Dawg" WOD
3 rounds for time of:

7 Deadlifts (heavy: 1.5xBodyweight but not greater than 275men/185women)

200 m Medicine Ball Run 20/16 lbs
15 Box Jump 24/20in

Intermediate/Beginner level "Pack" WOD
5 rounds for time of:

7 Deadlifts (medium: .75-1.0xBodyweight)
200 m Medicine Ball Run 8-20 lbs
15 Box Jump 20/16in

Post total time.

Thursday 110714

2011-07-13T19:18:00.000+09:00

Turkish Get-ups
1-1-1-1-1

Run 5 x 400m
Hold best possible pace. Never slowing more than 5 sec from best interval. 2 min recoveries.

Post time to comments.

Tuesday 110712

2011-07-11T22:38:00.001+09:00

Snatch Balance
3-3-3
Focus on speed and tightness/stability in the bottom position

3 rounds for time of:
15 Hang Squat Snatches 75/45
100 Flutter Kicks

Thursday 110707

2011-07-06T22:27:00.001+09:00

AMRAP 15:

1 Hang Squat Clean 115/75 lbs
2 Front Squats 115/75 lbs
1 Hang Squat Clean
2 Front Squats
1 Hang Squat Clean
2 Front Squats
10 Push-ups
20 Sit-ups

Post total rounds.

You're essentially doing 3 iterations of 1 Hang Squat Clean then 2 Front Squats before doing 10 push-ups and 20 situps. That's ONE round.
Note: you must fully stand up from the 1 squat clean then separately do 2 front squats.
Final note: I made a mistake and initially listed the womens' weight at 95#. It has since been updated to 75#.
That is all.

Tuesday 110705 Post-4th Reality Check

2011-07-05T07:13:00.001+09:00

Snatch
1-1-1-1-1
Working on form and speed here. Keep these reps very light. When the bar starts to lose even just a touch of speed, you've added too much weight.

AMRAP 15:
8 Pistols
10 Dumbbell Power Snatches (alternating one-arm) 50/35 lbs
30 ft Overhead Plate Lunge 45 lbs

Fight Gone Bad tune-up

2011-07-03T18:50:00.001+09:00

Monday, July 4th at 0900 we will be hitting some Fight Gone Bad to get ready for our annual blow out fundraiser workout on 17 September. We will follow up with a BBQ. Don't miss out...

This CrossFit workout is ‘Fight Gone Bad.’ In this workout you spend one minute at each of five stations, resulting in a a five-minute round after which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. This event calls for three rounds. The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of ‘rotate,’ the athletes must move to the next station immediately. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower, where each calorie is one point. The stations are:

1. Wall-ball, 10 ft target (Reps)
2. Sumo deadlift high-pull (Reps)
3. Box jump (Reps)
4. Push-press (Reps)
5. Row (Calories)

Foundations 11.5

2011-07-03T17:15:00.000+09:00

SUNDAY 110703

Two more CFPs completed our Foundations class today. Ryan and Hyojin are ready to tackle some Saturday workouts and get a taste of the Kool-Aid...

Great work guys!!!

The new two-hour format is pretty good, it's fast and furious but you still get a good introduction to the various functional movements associated with CrossFit.

Stay tuned for the next scheduled Foundations class...

Olympic Lifting focus session

2011-07-03T17:10:00.000+09:00

SUNDAY 110703

Coach Ken and 5 dedicated CFPs spent two hours today going over the finer points for the Clean and Jerk. Good times...

Press 3-3-3

2011-07-02T11:21:00.001+09:00

THURSDAY 110630

Press 3-3-3

Everyone went heavy today and finished with a short burner METCON.

30 ground to overhead anyhow (95-lbs/65-lbs)

Small Group Olympic Lifting Seminar: Sunday 1100-1300

2011-07-01T10:37:00.001+09:00

Apologize for the short notice but....

In keeping with our desire to offer a series of small group training seminars this summer and fall, CrossFit Yongsan will hold its first Olympic Lifting seminar this Sunday 3 July at 1100-1300. This session will specifically focus on the squat clean and jerk.

We'll start the session with an individual assessment of your clean and jerk to determine both areas of strength and improvement. Next, we'll work on a set of progressions and skill transfer exercises that will allow the Olympic movement to feel more fluid, powerful, and stable. Finally, we'll pull it all together for a final assessment.

My goal is to enhance your understanding and performance of this Olympic lift in a small group environment where you can receive the extra level of individualized training that normally cannot be obtained in a normal WOD setting.

Cost for this seminar is $10.00 per person.

E-mail ken.velez@gmail.com if you're interested. I will take the first five responders. If you miss this one, I can put you on a waiting list for a class later in July.

Happy WODing!

-KenCFY

Tuesday 110628

2011-06-27T21:57:00.001+09:00

Front Squat
5-3-1-1-1

Then

For time:
21-15-9
Thrusters 75/55 lbs)
Burpees

Post total time.

Hero WOD - 'Daniel'

2011-06-27T19:25:00.002+09:00

Tyler on last set of thrusters chasing Chris on pull ups...

SUNDAY 110626

'Daniel'

50 pull ups
400m run
21 thrusters (95#)
800m run
21 thrusters (95#)
400m run
50 pull ups

Chris, Tyler, 'P.W.' Pat and Henry hit a Hero WOD Sunday afternoon...

Overhead squat 3-3-3

2011-06-27T19:18:00.002+09:00

SATURDAY 110625

Deadlift 3-3-3

2011-06-27T19:17:00.002+09:00

THURSDAY 110623

Row 4x250m

2011-06-22T04:55:00.002+09:00

Chris giving pointers on the C2 rower...

WOD:

4 rounds of:

250m row

Rest 3-4 minutes between efforts

c.h.

Tuesday 110621

2011-06-20T19:52:00.001+09:00

We're proud to have resident rowing expert and Naval Academy crew team alum teach us the fundamentals of rowing.
Plan to meet at the grandstands as usual. Then we'll make our way inside to the rowers.

Chris will take us through an instructional for approx 20 minutes. Then we'll hit our WOD

4 rounds:
250m row
Rest 3-4 minutes between each round

Post times.

Grace

2011-06-19T07:33:00.001+09:00

SATURDAY 110618

WOD:

30 clean & jerks for time (135/95)

Everyone but Steven B. chose to do their own thing and go ground-to-overhead anyhow. Steven did the prescribed squat cleans since we all need work on those...

c.h.

THURSDAY 110616

2011-06-17T05:43:00.001+09:00

Mega Warmup

Back squat 3-3-3

Tuesday 110614

2011-06-13T21:51:00.001+09:00

Take 20 minutes max to establish a 1RM Clean & Jerk

Then:
4 rounds for time of
10 Burpees
30 Double Unders

Weightlifting shoe reviews by KenCFY

2011-06-12T22:42:00.001+09:00

"Weightlifting shoes? C'mon, are you serious? Do they really make that much of a difference?"

I had been crossfitting for about 5 months when I asked that question. After all, I saw all the other athletes at the box wearing those awkward looking shoes with their goofy soccer socks as if they thought they were trying to win a gold medal or something. I figured it was all about being part of the "cult", and I just dismissed buying those shoes altogether.

But as I became more proficient w/ the power lifts (dead, squats, and presses) and oly lifts, I became more aware of what my feet doing...or more importantly what they weren't supposed to do. I realized how unstable I felt in a lift from setup and start to finish. Now 3 years later, I firmly believe a decent pair of weightlifting (WL) shoes is the single most important piece of equipment you can invest in to improve your performance NOW.

Check out this video to see what I mean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrJfOi5rnlU&NR=1

You can spend anywhere from $60 to $200 on WL shoes. Now I'm not saying more expensive is better. But in some makes/models, you get what you pay for.

So here are a few pairs from least to most expensive. This list is by no means all-inclusive, but it should give you an idea of what's out there.

1. VS Dynamo (http://www.vsathletics.com/product.php?xProd=1917)
Ahhh, my first WL shoe ever. You never forget your first.
Pros: Great starter shoe; light (doesn't hinder pullups, for example); affordable price
Cons: Breaks down in a short period of time, velcro straps aren't all that sturdy; moderate lateral roll (more than I liked); slight forward roll; wasn't a big fan of black/red styling
Overall: Decent shoe for the price. But I should've paid a bit more for a pair that lasted longer

2. Rogue Do-Win (http://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-equipment/rogue-do-wins/rogue-weightlifting-shoes.php)
Highly popular and perhaps the best-seller among crossfitters everywhere
Pros: Excellent shoe; above average durability; moderate weight - can still do many types of WODs (even with double unders); has slightly lower heel than VS and other models, which helps keeps hamstrings engaged in powerlifts; nice styling; less roll than the VS
Cons: $120 price tag + plus shipping may be too rich for your blood; women tend to have sizing issues
Overall: With the exception of the price, you can't go wrong here.

3. Nike Romaleos
Nike's holy grail answer to weightlifting comes in at way steep price but with excellent performance
Pros: Highly stable. It's like wearing ski boots. As long as you hit the ground flat, you're gonna stick. Virtually no lateral or forward roll. Excellent velcro strap system. Takes a beating - highly durable. These shoes love oly lifting. Nice styles.
Cons: $190 + plus shipping - Very steep price. Very difficult to perform other WODs - forget about box jumps and DU's are manageable but pretty tough. Pullups feel weighted if wear these.
Overall: Now I somewhat biased b/c I own a pair. No way in hell did I pay full price though. I picked mine up from Ebay for $140, and I'm so glad I did. I love these shoes, but I'm well aware of their limitations.

Well that was just a snapshot of the shoes I've either owned or tried on. They are obviously other makes and models out there. So do your research. But I guarantee that any WL shoe you purchase will make a quick and positive difference. Happy hunting!

CF Games Asia Regionals Live Feed

2011-06-10T16:18:00.001+09:00

Chris is looking good, finished Day One in 7th place...!!!

Two boys from CF Hankook in Seoul are in 2nd and 3rd...

Here's the link to the live feed. Might be a small delay but not much...

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/reebok-crossfit-regional-asia

Check out Chris tomorrow at 10:50 or so for WOD 3.

21-15-9
315# deadlift
30" box jumps

WOD 4 at about 14:45

For time:
100 Pull-ups
100 Kettlebell swings (53lb / 35lb)
100 Double-unders
100 Overhead squats (95lb / 65lb)

I will update those times on facebook as it changes tomorrow...

Saturday 110610 FIVE Minute Fran

2011-06-10T10:18:00.001+09:00

FIVE Minute Fran

21-15-9 (95/65)

Thrusters

Pullups

Choose a weight or rep scheme to achieve a Fran time of 5:00 or less.

Rep schemes are:

21-15-9

15-12-9

12-9-6

Fran. She's a dreaded bitch, ain't she? In my previous gym, we only programmed Fran 2-3 times a year. Our hope was that as our athletes strive for peak performance across different time and modal domains, the crossover effect into Fran would be achieved. In other words, Fran was only coming around 2-3 times a year, but you'd be ready when it's programmed. Most of our athletes had success w/ this model as 3-5 months between Frans provided enough time to make significant gains.

Here's at CrossFit Yongsan, we program Fran more frequently. While that provides numerous opportunities to know where your Fran time stands, that tends to reinforce bad strategy...BADLY. The conventional thought goes: I need to be able to do this WOD at Rx'd weights as soon as possible. Then, I'll focus my efforts on cutting down that time until I achieve sub 5-minutes - with this time, I'll be up there with the best. All I need to do is cut down on all that rest time, right??

But unfortunately, it's highly unlikely you'll achieve a significant time reduction if you did Fran say once a month or every several weeks. For example, say you've been crossfitting here at CFY for 6 months, did Fran 4 times, and always did it around 7-8 minutes. The last time you did Fran six weeks ago, you did it 6:45. So what are the chances you'll break 5-minutes tomorrow? Probably not that great.

But it doesn't have to be this way. Bottom line: you may have to give up going RX'd or scale even more and consider two other approaches:

Get to the RX'd weight, but cut down the reps to the point where the WOD can be done unbroken. For example instead of doing (7,7,7), (5,5,5), (3,3,3) on the thrusters, consider doing a "60% Fran," 12, 9, 6 on pull-ups and thrusters. But do it UNBROKEN! Learn what it feels like not to rest. The first thing you may find is that a "60% Fran" does not take 60% of the time; in fact, it may take as little as 40% the time. Much of the time on a full RX'd "Fran" is typically spent resting. The transition from doing each round in three sets to doing each round unbroken eliminates 12 breaks! Once you learn that you can do a "60% Fran" unbroken in, say, 3 minutes, your entire attitude towards the WOD may change. If you can do 60% in 3 minutes, then your goal should be raised to 70% in 3:30, then 80% in 4:00, until you're at 100% in 5:00.

The second approach is to do the full number of reps, but cut the weight until the reps can all be done unbroken. Instead of doing 95 lbs in 3 sets per round, cut to a weight that allows you to do each round UNBROKEN. If that means going to 45 lbs, so be it. If your "Fran" RX'd is, say, 7:30, what would it be with a 45 lb bar? 5:00? Less? Find out, and then make that time your goal as you steadily increase the weight back up to 95 lbs.

We're conditioned to think that when we do a WOD like Fran as RX'd, we're not scaling. Here's how to change that perspective: Expand the definition of RX'd to include a time limit, say 5 minutes (or pick your own time). Now, with three dimensions defining the WOD (weight, reps, and time) it's easy to see that most of us are always scaling.

When the WOD is done as traditionally thought to be "RX'd" but in more than, say, 5 minutes, we're scaling time. When the WOD is done in 5 minutes but with less than 95 lbs (or with band pull-ups) we're scaling force. And when the WOD is done in 5 minutes with 95 lbs but less than 21-15-9 reps (or less than full ROM) we're scaling distance. So really, we're always scaling. (If you've got a 5-minute "Fran" just redefine your standard to be a 4-minute "Fran")

It's all just a question of which dimension we scale. CrossFit is about constant variation. Considered varying your dimensions.

Tuesday 110607

2011-06-06T21:25:00.001+09:00

Press
3-3-3
(Refer to your Press 5-5-5 on 6/19 and select weights accordingly)

Then

8 rounds of 20 secs on 10 secs rest of:
Tabata Back Squats 45/15
Tabata Deadlift 135/95

Post loads and total reps.

SATURDAY 110604

2011-06-03T19:05:00.001+09:00

WOD at 0900 sharp. Don't be late. 10 burpees for every minute late (Henry)...

Foundations from 1000-1400...

THURSDAY 110602

2011-06-03T19:00:00.001+09:00

Squat Clean 5-5-5

110531 Snatch skill work

2011-05-30T21:28:00.001+09:00

Snatch grip deadlift
5-5-5

Snatch pull
3-3-3

Then if time permitting
Snatch
2-2-2

We'll deconstruct the snatch today to improve your strength and speed from the ground. The focus will be on developing a nice violent hip extension.

MONDAY 110530

2011-05-30T05:33:00.001+09:00

Memorial Day Hero WOD - 0900

'Murph'

Run 1 mile
100 pull ups
200 push ups
300 squats
Run 1 mile

Partition the exercises as needed. If you have a 20-lb weight vest or body armor, wear it...

SUNDAY 110529

2011-05-29T12:06:00.001+09:00

No pool WOD today. Water is FREEEEZING...!!!

Push press 5-5-5

Pull-up ladder

SATURDAY 110528

2011-05-29T12:04:00.000+09:00

THURSDAY 110526

2011-05-29T12:03:00.001+09:00

Overhead squat 5-5-5

Tuesday 110524 Team WOD

2011-05-23T20:29:00.001+09:00

Looking for max participation on this one, guys! Hope you can all make it!

Teams of 5 (or less - situation dependent) at 5 stations:

AMRAP 15 minutes
Front Squat 115/75 (all athletes should be able to do these weights)
Ring Dip
Plate clean and throw over chest high barbell 45/25
2 x 50m Plate carry/run 45/25
Rest

Athletes will rotate stations. Players will rotate when teammate doing plate runs completes 2 x 50 runs. During these plate runs, all other teammates are accumulating reps. Do not rotate until plate runs are complete.

Post team and individual totals.

SUNDAY 110522

2011-05-22T14:26:00.003+09:00

"Cindy"

AMRAP 20:
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats

SATURDAY 110521

2011-05-22T14:25:00.000+09:00

Power Clean 3-3-3

Find your 3 rep max.

3 rounds for time of:
95-lb Push press, 15 reps
95-lb Overhead Lunge, 15 reps
30 Double unders

THURSDAY 100519

2011-05-22T14:23:00.001+09:00

Shoulder Press 5-5-5

Find your 5 rep max.

4 x 400m sprints

Rest same amount of time as previous sprint.
Record time for each 400m sprint and total time.

Paul joined us today from CrossFit Crystal City in Alexandria, VA. Great job Paul!!!

Tuesday 110517 Snatch Fun take 2

2011-05-16T21:23:00.001+09:00

Since we skipped the snatch metcon WOD last Tuesday, we're going to knock it out this time.

Back Squat
5-5-5
Establish a 5RM

Then
For Time:
12 Squat Snatches 75/45
15 Push-ups
12 Hang Squat Snatches
15 Push-ups
12 Power Snatches
15 Push-ups
12 Hang Power Snatches
15 Push-ups

Don't end up skinny-fat...

2011-05-11T03:31:00.001+09:00

Check out this post: http://www.crossfitsouthbay.com/2011/05/skinny-fat/

CrossFit South Bay | Hermosa Beach, CA- Skinny Fat

Sent from my iPhone

Tuesday 110509 - Snatch Fun

2011-05-09T21:12:00.001+09:00

Snatch
5-5-5
Establish a 5 RM. Focus is on solid form.

For Time:
12 Squat Snatches 75/45
15 Push-ups
12 Hang Squat Snatches
15 Push-ups
12 Power Snatches
15 Push-ups
12 Hang Power Snatches
15 Push-ups

Post loads and total time.

SUNDAY 110508

2011-05-09T14:23:00.001+09:00

Overhead squat 5-5-5
Front squat 3-3-3
Back squat 1-1-1

Try to go heavier every set, working up to a PR on 1RM back squat.

Steve
Angela
Nickole
Marlene
Imran
Mary
Neil
Tyler
Henry

Chris - CF Games Prep (x3)

Snatch 1-1-1-1-1

AMRAP20
15 Overhead squats (115-lb)
10 knees to elbows
5 handstand push ups

Isabel
30 reps, squat snatch for time (95-lb)

SATURDAY 110507

2011-05-09T14:16:00.001+09:00

"JEREMY"

Three rounds, 21-15-9 reps, for time of:
95/65 pound Overhead squats
Burpees

Nickole 6:20 (55)
Marlene 6:28 (25)
Henry 7:06
Dave 14:31
Tyler 7:55
Chris (115) 8:19
Travis (75) 6:30
Steve (85) 5:40
Angela (25) 6:19
Neil (95) 8:10

"GRIFF"

800m run
400m backwards run
800m run
400m backwards run

Neil 12:05
Lilly 21:05
Chris 10:20
Dave 11:10

Sent from my iPhone

THURSDAY 110505

2011-05-06T08:33:00.001+09:00

"ANGIE"

100 pull ups
100 push ups
100 sit ups (an mat)
100 squats

Neil 14:23
Travis 14:59
Chris 15:12
Nora 15:23*
Nickole 16:30*
Mary 16:41*
Angie 17:55*
Henry 20:26*
Imran 20:42*
Steve 22:36 (unbroken)
Willie 23:53*
Sean 21:20*

Thanks for this one Park City Steve...!!!

Tuesday 110503

2011-05-02T22:02:00.001+09:00

"Grace"

30 Clean & Jerks for time 135/95

Post time.

How to Sign-Up for Foundations Class 11.3

2011-05-02T13:55:00.001+09:00

If you want to attend our Foundations class on Saturday 7 May 10:00-14:00...

email us at crossfityongsan[at]gmail.com with:

First Name
Last Name
Sex
Age
Date of Birth
Email address
Cell phone number
Total CrossFit experience
Month and year that you first joined our classes

Once you are signed up, read the CrossFit Journal articles posted down the right side of the website starting with "What is Fitness?" to get familiar with CrossFit concepts.

Once you 'graduate' from Foundations you can move into the regular TUE/THU/SAT classes. If we feel you aren't quite ready for the demands of CrossFit, you will be recycled into the next available Foundations class.

CF Games Open WOD 11.6 results SATURDAY 110430

2011-04-30T12:31:00.000+09:00

	AMRAP in 7 minutes: Thrusters & Chest To Bar Pullups
	CrossFit Yongsan Men
	Last Name	First Name	TH	PU	Total	As Rx'd
1	Eubanks	Chris	54	45	99	As Rx'd
2	Kim	David	45	40	85	As Rx'd
3	Casey	Neil	45	33	78	As Rx'd
4	Barriger	Steven	45	31	76	As Rx'd
5	Bruhjell	Steve	32	30	62	As Rx'd
6	Moore	Pat	30	29	59	As Rx'd
7	Perkins	Michael	30	24	54	As Rx'd
8	Ochoa	Guiellermo	18	13	31	As Rx'd
9	Chatriwala	Imran	9	5	14	As Rx'd
			TOTAL:		513

	CrossFit Yongsan Ladies
	Last Name	First Name	PC	TB	Total	#	Band
1	Ochoa	Angie	56	45	101	45	Green
2	Alfazar	Marlene	45	45	90	45	Brown
3	Diehl	Nickole	45	30	75	65	Red
4	Chatriwala	Mary	38	30	68	65	Green
5	Dougherty	Danielle	30	30	60	65	Green
6	Perkins	Lillian	30	29	59	65	Green
7	Bruhjell	Angela	22	18	40	65	Brown
			TOTAL:		334

Recovery and Maintenance Methods - by Ken

2011-04-27T12:26:00.001+09:00

I noticed several of you are starting to get banged up, especially during these last couple weeks with the Games and more dynamic WOD programming. You've been training hard and moving your body in ways it's never done before. But like your car, you need to do some preventive and reactive maintenance work to keep things running smoothly. If you choose to ignore these RECOVERY METHODS, you will probably end up injured or sick no matter how smart you train.

(Active) Rest

If it's a chronic overuse injury then full rest with no exercise is a valid option. But if it's an acute injury, we should be trying to work the area as soon as possible. This doesn't mean stopping exercise altogether, but rather taking the muscle, connective tissue, and joint(s_ through a SAFE range of motion that will promote blood flow and healing, In many cases, inactivity could hinder recovery b/c muscle fibers will not fire and reconnect or scar tissue formation will not reduce. In general, discomfort is acceptable, provided it is not making the condition worse. This could mean performing low intensity volume training, skill work, and/or flexibility/mobility training.

Ice & Ice Baths

Ice is your number one weapon when recovering from an injury. And while a bag of frozen peas is better than nothing (just don't plan on cooking those peas after they've been thawed, refrozen, then thawed again), there is a better way. Fill a styrofoam cup with water, freeze it, rip away the edge, and use it to actively massage the area. It penetrates deeper and promotes major blood flow to speed up recovery. It will also reduce swelling, inflammation, and pain. Ice for approx 10-15 minutes, let the area warm up on its own, and then repeat multiple times per day, every day, until you're 100%. Don't ice for just 3 minutes and then tell me you followed through with this protocol! Deal with the freeze. You won't feel it in 5 minutes. Ice after workouts - never before.

Ice baths are best immediately after a really punishing workout, when afterwards you think "Oh, man. This is gonna suck tomorrow." Fill a tub with cold water, throw in a few bags of ice, and jump in. Cover as much skin surface as possible (head included) for no more than 15 minutes. When you get out, let your body warm up on its own. This will stimulate glands and help speed up recovery between workouts. Just do an ice bath when no one is home so they won't hear all the crazy screams you'll make. Again, if you make to 5 minutes, you'll hardly feel it anymore.

Sleep

Arguably the most important recovery method - a good night's sleep. If you can get 8-9 hours (I definitely don't), then you're golden. When I trained for last year's games (we didn't do the Open format then),increasing my sleep was huge for my performance. Unfortunately, I don't get that much sleep anymore, and I'm sure many of don't get as much as you'd like. So we need to maximize the quality of sleep we can get within the time you have. Here are some quick tips to do that:

Keep the room on the cool side. Reduce caffeine and water intake approximately 6 hours before bed. Minimize alcohol consumption - 1-2 glasses of wine are OK, but any more will screw up your sleep cycle. And finally, get rid of all light in your bedroom. 100% darkness. No alarm clock, no cell phone, no TV, no nightlight in the hallway. Get black out curtains, no stars, no moon, no street lights. DARK. What a huge difference this makes!

Nutrition

Food is more powerful than any drug or supplement. Get your nutrition balanced on a consistent basis and you'll notice a huge difference. More strength, more speed, less soreness, and less dependency on medications. So what is the prescription? Lean meats & veggies, seeds & nuts, some fruit, little starch, and NO SUGAR,

Massage Therapy

By default, exercise causes micro trauma in our soft tissues. Over time this trauma leads to knots and scar tissue, causing excessive tightness in the muscle and unnecessary strain on tendons. This prevents the muscle from applying full power and also prevents the muscle from reaching full range of motion. Pushed to the limits it will result in injury such as inflammation or strains. A strain can be a simple overstretching of the muscle or tendon, partial tear, or full tear.

Regular massage therapy will remove adhesion and break down scar tissue, allowing for improved flexibility, power, and strength. It also creates higher body awareness (so you know when things are out of whack before you actually get injured), improves blood circulation, decreases inflammation, improves respiratory functions, stimulates the immune system, improves lymphatic movement to break up and release toxins, decreases stress and anxiety.

When I regularly visited a massage therapist in DC, my flexibility and WOD performance notably increased

Self Myofascial Release

But if you can't find that one awesome massage therapist (esp here in Korea), this method offers the same benefits as massage, to a lesser degree, but you can do it at home on your own. And you can do this more frequently.

The most common tools used are a foam roller, tennis ball, baseball, and lacrosse ball. We have foam rollers in the storage room, Just ask us how to use them and we'll demonstrate. We recommend using them before and after workouts on a daily basis. Personally, I also have tennis balls and lacrosse balls at home to use for my convenience, I even keep a lacrosse ball at my office desk and roll it on whatever hotspot I have, provided I don't make ass out of myself.

Here's a link to CrossFit Journal article trigger point therapy that covers the theory behind this method:

http://www.crossfit.com/journal/library/37_05_trigger_points.pdf

Hand Care (callous maintenance)

As we've seen the past few week, doing chinups and lifting barbells will get you callouses. This offers strength and protection when gripping heavy objects (gloves do not). Most people are initially grossed out, thinking callouses have to be big and bumpy and scratchy. Not true. In fact, a properly maintained callous will be flat and smooth. However, too much callous will cause pinching and that can lead to tearing and nasty looking pictures we see on Facebook :-). Here's how to avoid it:

Use chalk while training. This reduces moisture in your hand so there's more friction between you and the bar. 100% friction equals no movement.
After your training session wash your hands with hot water and soap to remove all the chalk. If you don't do this, your hands will dry out and crack.
Use a good moisturizer.
When you notice your callouses getting too big (if you can pinch them, they are too big), you'll need to flatten them. There are many ways to accomplish this, but the most common is to use a callous remover (looks like a mini cheese slicer/grater) after a hot shower. Make sure the callous is smooth and flat, but don't go too deep. Then lightly use a pumice stone as final touch to rid of loose skin.

If you ignore the advice above and happen to tear a callous, here's how you fix it.

Wash your hands with hot water and soap.
Cut away any torn skin with nail clippers.
Soak in hot salt water multiple times per day and use a barrier like Burt's Bees Wax to protect the callous, keep it moist, and speed up healing.
Cover the tear with athletic tape before training. Do NOT just wrap tape around your hand - there's a special method. Ask us a coach if you don't know how.

Well, a lot of info for sure. But try these technique outs and feel free to discuss them w/ me. -KenCFY

TUESDAY 110426

2011-04-27T11:19:00.001+09:00

TUESDAY 110426

Skill Work: skin the cats

Volume training: handstand push ups

WOD:
4 rounds for time:
10 cleans (135/95#)
12 games push ups

Sean 8:40 (65)
Nora 8:10 (55)
Danielle 9:21 (65)
Travis 9:57 (115)
Nickole 10:04 (65)
Willie 10:35 (95)
Angie 8:02 (55)
Steve 12:00 (135/95) 3 rds + 5 cleans
Angela 9:30 (55)
Kenny 10:05 (95)
Henry 8:09 (125)
Ken 6:19 (135)
Marlene 8:15 (45)
Mary Ellen 9:50 (65)

Tuesday 110426

2011-04-25T21:30:00.001+09:00

Skill work:
Skin the Cats
Handstand Holds / HSPU work

4 rounds for time of:
10 Squat Cleans 135/95 lbs
12 Push-up (hand release)

Post total time.

10 Things I've Learned The Hard Way - by Ken

2011-04-24T23:30:00.001+09:00

10. It's OK to work on stuff outside of the WOD – in fact, it's encouraged. So are you bad at dips? Why not do them more than once every 4 weeks.

9. Athletes make decisions all day at their jobs and in their homes. When they come to the gym (or field, in our case), the overwhelming majority want to be told what to do. This is a gym, not an episode of "choose your adventure".

8. Remember that nutrition and sleep should be the base of your "wellness" pyramid. I've never done a WOD w/ under 5 hours sleep for the past 2 nights and 2 really crappy meals and said to myself, "Man, that was kick-ass!" You're much better off getting your own house in order before coming to ours. So get your rest. Straighten out your diet.

7. Almost everybody dislikes working on flexibility and mobility. But a lack in both will almost always prevent you from maximizing the other dimensions of your fitness: strength, power, speed, endurance, agility, etc.

6. Form is expected to degrade towards the end of most WODs. It happens with the most elite crossfitters. There are times to say "F it!". But the best almost rarely choose to sacrifice form for better time/reps/loads. What does this mean for you? Sacrificing form doesn't make you a better crossfitter. It just keeps you from being efficient and achieving your full potential.

5. Understanding AND adhering to the standards of any movement is important. W/o them, any guy working out of a garage gym with no instruction doing half-ass lazy air squats and muted push-ups will score better than you. This pisses me off to no end. You too? But really, it doesn't matter. You are or are going to be more fit than that guy.

4. Unless given better options from a smart coach, people's default goal is to do things RX'd. In most cases, this is a really crappy goal.

3. When a class is more than 15 people, and there's only equipment for 5, a coach spends more time doing logistics than actually coaching.

2. Ignorance in athletes is not blameworthy. Ignorance is coaches is – particularly if coupled with arrogance. If you see the former from me, call it out. It is my responsibility to learn from others and/or educate myself. If you see the latter, beat me over the head. I will wipe my tears away later.

1. Deadlifts are to be respected ALWAYS. When your back starts to round, just drop it. No sense in crushing your L4/L5 disc. You have a day job, and you need to walk to get there.

Developing Upperbody Gymnastic Strength

2011-04-20T10:00:00.001+09:00

Hey Ken- I've been struggling with pull-ups, ring dips, HSPU's. What do I need to do to get better?

I heard this question quite often, and it came up again yesterday. I always say the worst thing you can is the throw yourself to the task w/out having a clear methodology and attainable benchmarks/milestones.

But really, gaining upper body strength is quite easy, here's what you need to keep in mind:

Stay below your muscle failure threshold
Practice often
Listen to your joints
Track your progress to see what works

_The two basic progressions which I've seen work really really well are "Recon Ron" and Volume Training.

Recon Ron Pullup Program

We used this at Potomac CrossFit with much success. It takes a very small amount of time, and works well.

RRPR couldn't be simpler in execution:

Pick a level on the progression that is challenging, but not impossible: meaning you are staying BELOW MUSCLE FAILURE.
Perform the progression once, 5-7 days per week, allowing yourself 30 seconds to 2 minutes rest between sets.
Take a rest day if/when you're elbows, shoulders, etc, start to get inflamed.

Like everything, test and retest. Do some shoulder warmup, then crank out one max set. Stick with RRPR for 4 weeks, be consistent, then retest. Guaranteed you'll see big gains.

Use RRPR for anything: Pullups, Pushups, Handstand Pushups, Ring Dips, Muscle Ups.

Volume Training

We also found Volume Training an equal tool for improving upper body strength. Advantages of Volume Training versus RRPR are:

Better recovery because of decreased frequency
Flexibility of programming, i.e., you can do other movements within your Volume Training
Flexibility of modalities, i.e., you can use this for any movement

Volume Training is also an easy way to track your progress. Even if you only get 1-2 more reps every session, at least you're moving forward. One of the biggest issues I've seen with athletes and improvement in these movements is psychological. They practice so infrequently, and nearly never do a One Set Max (1SM), so they are easily discouraged by their perceived lack of progress.

Here's how Volume Training works:

Perform a set every minute on the minute, there should be some rest within each minute
Perform 10-20 minutes (so that's 10-20 sets)
Ensure that your first set and last set differ by no more than two reps
Do not do more than one upper body movement per session.

So a common example of a stand along upper body Volume Training session would be 20 minutes of Handstand Pushups. A typical progression over a few weeks would look like this:

I've seen significant progress with 10-15 minute sessions as well, so if you are strapped for time, this is a great way to build upper body strength in a short period of time. Most athletes can only handle two sessions of upper body Volume Training per week. Again, listen to your joints, but practice frequently.

"But I'm pissed off that I don't have any Pullups/Handstand Pushups/Ring Dips/etc!"

This is where understanding general strength and conditioning comes into play, namely the role of eccentric and isometric exercises in building concentric strength.

Isometric exercises should be the baseline. Ensure that you:

can do handstand hold for 30-60 secs
can hold the top of a ring dip
can hold the top of a pushup
can hold a flexed arm hang

If you can do these movements, then you can use them as the basis for your Volume Training. Simply set a goal time per minute and try to hold that exercise within that goal time by five seconds.

For folks with nearly zero upper body strength, you can do the following exercises, but the principal of goal time per minute, delta no greater than five seconds still apply:

Overhead barbell hold
Band assisted ring hold
Knee pushup or elevated pushup hold
Band assisted flexed arm hang

If athletes are incapable of the isometric movements, then we can begin work on eccentric movements. These are commonly called "negatives". Start at the top of the movement, and move through the eccentric range of motion taking 3-5 seconds depending on the length of the movement (i.e., a pushup ROM is shorter than a pullup ROM).

Key to the eccentric movements is going beyond the normal ROM whenever we can. While this is difficult for Pullups and Ring Dips, this is easy for Handstand Pushups and Pushups.

Simply place a raised object (plates, blocks, parallettes, etc) under your hands and perform a negative to the floor.

Summary

So remember, you are practicing the movements, not trying to puke in your shoes. So stay below muscle failure. These can and should be challenging, but if you burn out too fast, then MISSION FAIL!

Stick to the plan and you'll be sure to see big progress quickly. Even for top level athletes, this is a great tool. What better way to feel confident going into a HSPU WOD then knowing that you can do 40 unbroken HSPU while the nearest competitor can probably do 20 on a good day.

Note however, that you'll want to decrease the reps and add a load on many of these movements as you gain mastery. If you are getting to 3-5 reps per minute for 20 minutes, it's time to decrease the reps and time and add weight. So take it down to 1-2 reps per minute for 10-15 minutes and add some weight: weighted ring dips, weighted pullups, weighted HSPU, weighted Muscle-Ups, etc. Again, listen to your joints, test and retest.

This is a great way to gain proficiency or gain dominance. Good luck!

Paleo Goodness

2011-04-18T22:30:00.001+09:00

Liz and Alison of Potomac CrossFit have some great Paleo recipes to share:

http://www.liz.powellfitness.net/category/food/

http://humblexfitter.wordpress.com/category/paleo-recipes/

Tuesday 110419

2011-04-18T22:28:00.001+09:00

WOD A1
Weighted Pull-ups
3-3-3-3-3

WOD A2
Weighted Ring Dips
5-5-5-5-5

WOD B
4 rounds for time of:
6 Handstand Push-ups
10 Pistols (5 each leg)
40 Double Unders / 80 Single Unders

Post loads and total time.