"We are a family here..."

15 April 2009 was my first day doing crossfit and it is awesome. I thought I was in shape. I do distance running, spinning and aerobics. The workout out I did yesterday broke me off something bad. I am sore all over and it feels great. I will be a regular on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. If you really want to be in shape and push yourself to the limit you should come out. CrazyWife and CrazyHusband you are the BOMB!!!!!!!!!!!! --Anonymous

We got our first "official" comments about CrossFit Yongsan and they were glowing!!! They were posted to our old "off-Pen" website CrazyWife CrossFit which is who we were before our new military affiliate was approved here in Korea. All that means is that this new CrossFitter was excited enough about our program that after just one workout, that they ended up surfing around our site and trying to figure out what all we had to offer. Pretty cool I'd say...!!!

And what we have to offer is one of the best things about CrossFit. The Community. You.

The comments you could post at the bottom of every post (workout) is one of the ways that we can interact with each other. We can trash talk, congratulate someone's achievements, add anything we want to the experience of working out with other great people. CrossFit attracts the best people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Typically they are driven, focused, professional, and FUN!!! You can find out alot about a person by suffering through a workout with them. Everyone's strengths and weaknesses bubble up to the surface during that shared adversity and it makes you closer to those people around you. This makes us a tight knit community. This makes CrossFit great!!!

How often do you go to your local Globo Gym and plug into your iPod, jump on your "machine" and zone out for the entire workout? I can easily shuffle through an entire workout, shower, smoothie bar visit and back out to the parking lot without saying two words to anyone. Who wants to hang out in that environment?

Randolph said it best last week...

"I love this... we are a family here..."

Amen, brother.

Burpee Races

Burpee Races

400 Burpees for time

Team 1
Dressen
Doc Baker
Birdsong
CW2 Johnson

20:45

Team 2
Ryan
Trigg
LT Forsyth
SFC Johnson

21:50

Great job guys!!!

More "brutal" workouts coming right up...


Ryan and Dressen neck and neck down the stretch...


Trigg trying to sneak over the bar. I gotta keep my eye on him...

Is that FloJo in the background???


Newcomers "Johnson & Johnson" getting in a real workout before they go off to Aerobic Class. I think they might give up the "aerobics" once they get hooked on the potency of CrossFit...


CrazyMonkey showing off his "ups"...



Birdsong catching some good air...


Ryan and Trigg working up a sweat...


LT Forsyth wondering "How did I get myself into this..."

HALF CHELSEA

MONDAY 090413

We hit 15 rounds of Chelsea today:

Chelsea

Every minute on the minute for 30 minutes perform:

5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats

Doc Baker - 15 rounds (Rx'd)
Trigg - 15 (Rx'd)
Jae - 15
Henry - 15
Ryan - 11 rounds (Rx'd) + 3 more rounds
Randolph - 10/3
Robinson - 3/10

Julia - CFY Baseline workout - 6:38

Great job everyone!!!


Randolph finally ready to warm up now that the camera is out.


Henry doing a good job monitoring everyone's warm up before his big vacation. See you next month Henry!!!


Look Ma, No Bands!!! Doc Baker and Trigg hitting their pull ups "au natural", without any bands.


Ryan working hard to get that chin over the bar on every rep. Randolph demonstrating some new "Rated PG-13" pull up technique. Robinson trying to catch up...


Seeing Ryan work on the timing of his kipping pull ups obviously makes me smile. Kipping is not "cheating". It allows you to turn a difficult strength exercise (the Pull up) into a full body exercise that incorporates the explosiveness of your hips and transfers your lateral swing on the bar into vertical movement. This makes the pull ups "easier" which allows you to do more pull ups which translates into more Work which is equal to Power which is equal to INTENSITY and that is what we are looking for in all of our workouts. More INTENSITY please!!!


Julia fighting through the CF Yongsan "Baseline" workout on her own. It really wasn't punishment for showing up late I promise...


Randolph is showing off his vast improvement in his squat form. Now that is doesn't have to think about keeping his knees "out" when he gets into the bottom of the squat, is body is adapting (getting more flexible) quite well. Perfect form!!!


Jae showing off perfect for on the squat. Technique, Consitency, then Intensity. Jae is ready for more INTENSITY!!!


I wouldn't be a CrossFit Yongsan without an obligatory shot of Randolph grimacing in pain...


CrazyMonkey demonstrating the perfect squat. This is a great example of functional movement. It demonstrates how our bodies are naturally designed to move, without having to be "taught".


CrazyMonkey out squatting the shutter on CrazyWife's mondo-expensive camera...


Here is our CrossFit Yongsan Family!!! They don't look too bad after that workout, I guess I'll have to start making them harder...

Heavy Deads

The boys and I hit some Tabata Sprints before the gym opened as a last minute prep for next week's APFT. We'll see it will be enough to go faster than last time.


The little blob in the middle is CrazyMonkey trying to keep up with us on our Tabata Sprints. He was back and forth several times. Oh to have the endless energy of a child again...


We caught Dressen walking back home after a 12-hour night shift in the OR and we talked him into a quick workout in his blue jeans no less. He got right after it. Way to go man!!! Hope this helped you sleep a little better...


Kyeong pulling big weight off the floor today. She is strong!!! I can tell she is getting tired here though, her hips have dropped a little at the start and her low back is a little soft. Very strong work though, we can go even heavier next time... muuhahaaahaaha...


Randolph starting to lift some heavier weight too. I believe he topped out around 325 today. I'm going to have to get to work to stay ahead of him on these...

I would like to see a little bit more arch in his low back though. That will make it virtually impossible to get injured doing this lift.

Ryan pulling big weight today as well. Same story with his low back. Any more rounding than this and it's time to call it a day. You always have to maintain a delicate balance between perfect form and going hard enough (intensity) that your form starts to break down. That's how you get the most improvements in strength, or fitness or whatever. Way to push that envelope Ryan...


David looking as strong as ever. I think he worked his way up to 365 pounds today. I hope we weren't holding him back, I think he can pull more than that...


Our Mother/Daughter team of Renee and Lauren getting after their push ups during the standard CrossFit Warm Up. They chose to workout outside today (thank goodness). It was some beautiful weather for some Reverse Tabata Sprints. They sprints for 10 seconds and rested for 20 seconds for a total of 10 rounds. It isn't as easy as it sounds when you are sprinting "for your life". Great work ladies!!!

Tabata Death

Our CrossFit veterans hit a tough one today: Tabata Death

Tabata Push ups
Rest 1 minute
Run 800 meters
Rest 1 minute
Tabata Sit ups
Rest 1 minute
Run 800 meters
Rest 1 minute
Tabata Jumping Pull ups
Rest 1 minute
Run 800 meters

Doc Baker - 11/3:14/9/3:3:27/7/3:15
Julia - 6/3:28/12/3:38/3/3:30
Ryan - 12/knee/10/knee/knee/knee
Tomsik - 10/3:56/8/3:48/3/3:50
Randolph - 7/3:28/8/3:58/3/4:10

Several newcomers hit our baseline workout:

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

Murphy - 7:17
Williams - 7:27
Renee - 8:38
Jonesy - 10:27 (400m run)
Mr. Jones - 7:50 (400m run)

Great job everyone!!!

CrossFit potluck

Everyone got to choose their workout today. Most of us chose an easier/shorter one today so we can hit it hard on Friday. Doc Baker and newcomer John chose to do a hard one today.

CF Yongsan Baseline

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

C.H. - 6:14
Jae - 6:47
Randolph - 6:59
Tomsik - 7:20:99
Birdsong - 7:21

Doc Baker and John picked 100 perfect push ups...

100 perfect push ups

Do as many push ups as you can in a single set without resting. When you have to rest for more than a second, get up and run 400 meters. Come back and do another set of push ups. Run 400 meters everytime you can't do any more perfect push ups. Repeat until you get to 100 push ups.

Doc Baker - 6:24 (400m runs)
John - 9:42 (50 squats subbed for each 400m run)

Great job everyone!!!



We'll show you how hard 10 minutes could be... or 4 minutes...


John pullin some nice pull ups for our regular warm up. You can click the links to the right to see all six exercises we use for our dynamic warm up before every workout...


Once 3 sets of 10 push ups gets too easy, Jae will be there to add some resistance so you get stronger with every warm up.


Jae rock solid with his "L sit" on the parallettes. This is all "abs" baby...


Randolph playing with a handstand on the parallettes... Coordination, Accuracy, Balance and Agility are part of CrossFit's definition of fitness. Can your workout say that...???


Randolph with his patented "break-dancing" dismount...


Doc Baker and John workin through their 100 Perfect Push ups workout...


The boys finishing up our Baseline Workout...


A good CrossFit workout always leaves you a little devistated by the potent intensity of each workout. Intensity is the key to health and fitness success. "Embrace the suck..."


Jae showin off more "ab" work with some strong handstand push ups on the parallettes...

Who knew so many of our functional exercizes used so many different muscles at once...


Birdsong is worried you can't get "big" by "just" doing CrossFit. I don't think he has anything to worry about...


CrazyHusband with some tall guy handstand push ups using the glorious bands for an assist. It still allows you to work the movement through the full range of motion even when your not yet strong enough for some of the movements. Bonus...


John playing with Plance Push ups and handstands in the parallettes. Good work John!!!

Attention "Real" CrossFitters

If you've ever started to wonder when you'll be able to classify yourself as an honest-to-goodness CrossFitter...

CrossFit Works answers the question "What is a Real CrossFitter?": Read.

CFWU: DIPS

Last but not least, 3 sets of 10-15 dips on a dip bar. Ensure you complete that good full range of motion by sinking down all the way at the bottom. Keep your head and chest up as you press your bodyweight back up until your arms are locked out at the top.



You can modify these by doing bench dips if you can't find any dip bars. Close-hand push ups are also a great substitute if you don't have a good dip yet.

CFWU: PULL UPS

Start with an overhand (pull ups) or underhand (chin ups) grip. Extend your arms fully at the bottom of every rep. Pull yourself up completely until your chin is over the bar. That full-range of motion counts as one rep.

Start with partner-assisted or use the pull up bands as you work to get strong enough for your first pull up. Jumping pull ups are also a good substitute. Static holds at the top (chin over the bar), the middle (elbows at 90 degrees) and at the bottom will rapidly improve your strength.

CFWU: BACK EXTENSIONS

Back extensions are done by simply lying down on the ground on your belly, placing your hands somewhere near behind your head. Keeping your elbows pulled back, arch your back and lift your chest up as high as you can. 3 sets of 10-15 reps will get your spine warmed up in no time.

You can also do these in the elusive GHD bench.

CFWU: SIT UPS

Just do 3 sets of 10-15 regular military sit ups. Don't worry about interlacing your fingers behind your head. At least come up to where your elbows hit your knees. Simple.

Try the advanced version if you can find a Glute-Ham Developer (GHD) bench. Lock your legs in there and lay back until your hand touches the ground behind you and sit all the way up and touch your toes. These are extremely difficult.