Are you ready 2016 CrossFit Open?!

It's that time of year again! The time of year that all CrossFitters around the world impatiently wait for Dave Castro to determine there fate each Thursday night for 5 weeks. The CrossFit open is upon us once again and if you have not signed up already it's time to commit and get your name on that leaderboard.

While it is always filled with anxiety, wonder, and competitive stress the CrossFit open is a must do for everyone. How often are you able to compete in the same competition as Rich Froning or Annie Thorisdotter? The answer is, once a year ;-) If you participated in the open in 2015, this is a great opportunity to see the progress you have made this past year and retest your fitness. If you are new or have only been crossfitting for a few months, no worries! With the added option of scaling there is no reason to not participate and see where you place amongst the community.  The open gives you a perfect opportunity to see where you stand, find your strengths, find your weaknesses, and learn what you need to focus on the next year. This is where you determine your short term goals and make a plan for 2016. 

If all of this isn't reason enough to participate, The support and energy you feel during the open is unreal! Not only do you find overflowing encouragement within your home box, but every CrossFitters Instagram and Facebook feed helps you feel the connection with the worldwide community. You can be part of that too! Register today and let's see what CrossFit Macomb can do! 

We will be doing the open WODs every Friday after the workout is announced. You will be doing it anyways so you mine as well register ;-) Here is the registration link: https://games.crossfit.com/cf/login?returnTo=%2Fregister-athlete&flow=games

The cost is only $20! $20 you will never regret spending 

July 2015 PR's

Great job on your PR's last month! It's great to see such awesome improvement each month :) Keep up the great work!

July PR's

Mel: “Nancy” RX (20:40), 205# DL x3, Legless Rope Climbs

Jen S.: 180# DL x3

Mary: “Nancy” (22:06), 3 strict HSPU

Toni: “Nancy” (18:31), “Diane” (8:01)

Mouse: 100 unbroken sit-ups

Rob: 270# Jerk, 210# SN

Megg: 5k (26:05), 135# SN

Rene A: “Angie” (19:35), “Diane” (4:06)

Sarah C.: “Diane” (6:08)

Gen: Rhyan said “nice squat”

Dalton: “Angie” (14:10), “Diane” (4:32)

Chris: 5k Run (44:20)

Vicky: 5k Run (44:30)

Renee: pistols

James L.: 1 rep max flat bench 255#

Andrew G: 225# C&J, 180# SN

Nicole F: 225# DL x2, 115# CL, 110# C&J, 3 Kipping Pull-ups, 1 strict pull-up

Kurt: 435# Squat x3, 385# Bench

Shannon: “Angie” (19:59)

Josh: “Diane” (5:33), 190# SN

Mitchell: 240# SN x2, PS + HPS 225#

Kate: 75# SN

Trevor: 300# C & J, 190# x12 PP, 80 unbroken push-ups, “DT” (5:46),  215# SN, “Fran” (2:28)

May 2015 Pr's

Congratulations on your PR's last month!

Kate: 70# Snatch, 125# FS, 115# Clean Pull, 100# Clean and Jerk, Not terrified of OHS and Snatches

Trevor: 135# 1 mile Sled Drag 32:24, 305# FS, 310# FS, 290# x 3 FS, 235# x 2 OHS, 235# 10 RM FS, 360# x 2 BS, 315# Jerk, 190# Muscle Snatch, 295# Clean, “Helen” 7:38

Genefer: “Fran” 7:08, Kipping Pull-ups

Sarah C.: “Fran” 4:38

Derek: Handstand Push-ups

Marissa: “Murph” 54:56

Mckenna: “Murph” w/ vest 53:21

Rene: “Randy” 6:08

Nicole F.: “Randy” 7:40

Cody: “Fran” Rx'd 4:37

Dalton: 135# 1 mile sled drag 31:34, 285# BP, 345# BS

Mitchell: 269# Snatch, 250# x 5 Push Press, 135# 1 mile Sled drag 33:12

Eileen: Came 5 days in a Row

Mike: 205# Clean and Jerk

Christina N.: 1^st Rx’d WOD

Andrew W.: “Fran” Rx’d 3:18, “Randy” 3:23

Kelsey: 225# x 5 BS

Renee F.: 170# FS, rope climbs, 160# Clean and Jerk, “Murph” Rx’d

Patty: “Fran” Rx’d 8:26

Deb: “Fran” Rx’d 4:30

Rob: 337# x 5 BS

Michelle: “Mighty Murph” 1:20:01

Megg: “Mighty Murph” 1:13:04

Karli Came back!

What to Take From the CrossFit Open

Congratulations to all of you who have completed the 2015 CrossFit Open!!! The open is the best thing we could ask for as a CrossFit athlete. The open gives us a goals, motivation, and direction. This is where we learn what to focus on next, and where to take our training. It is a yearly reality check and push to keep us on track and excited about our improvements and opportunities.

Since the open is over, now is the time to evaluate your performance and start working toward improvement. Recognizing the workouts that you struggled with is one of the greatest tools you can have as you continue with your fitness progression. What workouts were the most challenging? Which ones did you do better on? Think about the different movements, rep schemes, lengths, and focus of each WOD. Evaluating your weaknesses is the first step in turning them into your strengths.  Ask yourself these questions; what were your physical limitations? What were your mental limitations? Did you lack strength, endurance, mental focus, or skill?

If you found you lacked strength, it's time to suck it up and start hitting those heavier weights in the WOD. Yes it may take you longer, yes it is going to hurt both mentally and physically, but the more reps you get in under your belt, the easier it becomes. If you need help assessing which WODs you should be lifting heavier and which WODs you should use a weight you can do quickly, ask one of your trainers. Always be sure to tell them your specific goals so they can help you make the right choice.

If endurance was your issue, your focus needs to be to keep moving. Keep your body going during the WOD. If you break, make it short and sweet. Try to stick with a consistent pace. This may mean cooling your jets in the beginning of the workout. Going all out in the first 3 minutes will make the last 12 a struggle. It may take some time to learn how to pace yourself but remember the goal is to keep moving. If you find you started out too hard, slow down, but keep moving. If you feel like you can push a little harder speed up the last half. Be patient and teach your body how to breathe and stay calm under stress. A great guide is to think about your pace as 80% effort for the first 80% of the WOD and all out for the last 20%. This works well in most situations. Remember to note how you feel after the workout so you can quickly learn your threshold and understand how to best pace yourself no matter what WOD is thrown at you.

Mental focus can be the only thing holding you back. As much as CrossFit is about physical strength and skill, it is three times more of a mental battle. If you lack the confidence in yourself and your abilities, you will not do your best. If you are overwhelmed with the time, the reps, or the movements, you have doomed yourself from the beginning. Practice mentally preparing yourself for each WOD. Think of a strategy and tackle one thing at a time. Take all your doubts and counteract them with positive mental notes that will help you keep pushing. A healthy mental attitude will make all the difference in your performance.

There are always a lot different skills and movements in the open. If you found that your downfall was a skill, or multiple skills, its time to start practicing. This is where you will need to put the extra time in. Maybe its 10 min before and/or after the WOD or, even better, take advantage of the open gym time. Get a plan together on how you are going to improve on this specific skill. Where are you at now and what progression do you hope to take? Just like your goals on the goal wall, you want to give yourself a timeframe and decide on a plan that fits within that. Ask your trainers for advice on what you can do to improve, check out progression programs online, ask your fellow CrossFitters what has worked for them. Make a plan, implement it, and be patient enough to see it through.

Whether you decide this year’s focus is strength, endurance, mental focus, skill work, or some combination of the four, get to work! You don’t necessarily have to carve out hours more of time, just ensure you are narrowing your focus and goals as you are doing the daily WOD. 10-20 extra minutes to work on a skill or two will not only make you a master of the skill, but will improve your workouts. Struggling through a WOD with a little extra weight will only make you better. In fact, that case will kill two birds with one stone; strength, and mental toughness. Please communicate with your trainers on what your goals are and ask them to help you get there. Support and accountability is essential to staying on track and reaching your goals.

February 2015 PR's

The open is here and it is time to see how much you have improved over the past year. Lets put all these PR's to good use! Great job last month!

Melanie: 10 Strict Pull-ups, 135# Clean, 95# Snatch

Amanda V.: 65# Snatch

Cody: 175# Snatch, 225# Clean

Patty: 100# C&J

Trevor: 210# Snatch, 275# C&J, 285# Clean, “Nate” 8+6, Survived 22 years

Rene: 145# PC, 300# DL

Jenna: 100# Clean, 75# Snatch

Christina N.: 125# BS

Toni: 75# Snatch, 100# C&J

Mike: 195# C&J

Josh: 245# PP

Shannon: 95# Snatch

Andrew W.: 280# BP, 275# PC, 350# BS

Kate: 160# DL

Mitchell: 300# BP, 400# x2 BS, 350# 4x2 FS,  205# 4x3 PS, 255# Snatch, 335# Clean, 1^st WOD in 4 months.

Kurt: 265# PC, 180# Snatch

Marissa: 125# C&J

Deb: 225# 5x3 DL

Is Your Competitive Edge in the Way of Your Training?

Imagine the feeling you get right before a WOD. You enter “beast mode.” You’re focused, determined, and chomping at the bit waiting for the 3-2-1 Go! “How fast can I do this?” “That seems heavy,” “who can I beat?”, “this is going to suck!” It’s all running through your head creating anxiety, adrenaline, and determination. While these thoughts seem like negative stressors, they’re not all that bad. These are the thoughts that turn you into an athlete, a CrossFitter. The problem lies in letting your competitive edge get in the way of your training. In your everyday CrossFitting at your box, you are training. This is where you seek to better your weaknesses and improve the quality of your work. It takes a different mental strength. You first need to know the standards, know your weakness, and be patient enough to take a step back, slow down, and train them.
 

You look at the whiteboard each day and see the WOD written with prescribed weight, rep scheme, and skills. Before throwing the weight on the bar, or deciding whose time to beat from the previous classes, you need to consider the movements and where you are in your training. Is that an ideal weight for you to perform the movements in a reasonable time? Are the skills in the WOD ones you need to work on, or some of your greatest strengths? Are you going to be able to meet CrossFit standards with quality reps, or will you have to give up good form for speed? Assess your personal situation, and make good decisions. It is more beneficial for you to be able to move properly vs. move faster and at the same time it is better to keep moving vs. having to take too many rests during work times. 

Everyone is in a different place with their CrossFit training and although the aspect of competition is a big part of CrossFit, your daily training is the opportunity for you to perfect your performance. The most important thing is that you are always doing YOUR best.  Does it really matter if your time was faster than “so and so” when you would have been “no repped” on half of the reps in a competition? Does it matter if you could move more weight if your form is all over the place and you put yourself at risk for injury? Scale the workout for you. Understand what the WODs structure is meant to train, and base your scaling on how to keep the WOD effective, challenging, and safe.  Push yourself, but don’t sacrifice form or quality for time or load. The metcon WODs are meant to keep you moving and test your efficiency and endurance. The key is good form and precise technique. Train these first, and everything else will come.

 

If you are having trouble scaling appropriately, ask a trainer for some help. Let them know your goals and what is important to you, they can help you get the best out of the WOD.

Transformation Tuesday: Michelle the "Competition Queen"

Todays "Transformation Tuesday" comes from our Macombie of the month Michelle! Michelle has participated in 10 CrossFit competitions in 2014 and plans on competing even more in 2015. She is the "Competition Queen" and is not afraid to jump in and give it her all amongst local CrossFitters. Here is what she has to say about what she loves about competing, and how it has helped her grow:

The best part about competing is the feeling of accomplishment when you’re done, the feeling of community you get from all the different CrossFit families that come out to support everyone, and seeing that no matter your age, gender, weight, or athletic ability, you will be cheered on until you are done.

I have learned a lot from competing, about myself and others, and you’re never going to know how you’ll do if you don’t try. Don’t be afraid of failure, failure motivates you to keep pushing and working harder. Failure forces you to set the bar higher.

For as long as I can remember I have always loved to compete; from bumper bowling as a toddler, to all the sports I played through school, to where I am now. Competing can be very stressful; you will have good days and bad days. Every competition is different and some will push you to your limits, but that is the best part; being pushed to your limit, overcoming it, and setting PR’s. The time on the clock and the place on the leader board mean nothing if you didn't give 110%. Being first is always an awesome accomplishment, but giving everything you had and finishing means more than first place. When you walk off that floor there should be no doubt in your mind that you left every ounce of effort you had out there. 

-Michelle

We are proud of Michelle's fearlessness and hard work. She always gives it her all and never settles for less than her best.

Here is a list of all the competitions she participated in last year:

1-Underdog Competition w/Larry, Sarah, & Ben

2-Spring Fling w/Larry

3-Double Trouble Throwdown w/Sarah

 4-Bad Boy Breakout Games w/Larry

5-CFM 10 Skills Challenge w/Andrew W.

6-Clash of the Monsters II (Individual)

7-Wodtober Games w/Larry

8-Skunkbear Games (Individual)

9-Tank Tops & Booty Shorts w/Sarah

10-Compete with a Cougar/Wod with a Sugar Daddy w/Larry

Great Work Michelle!

 

If you have a transformation story please send it to crossfitmacomb@gmail.com. We want to celebrate your transformation with you and feature you on "Transformation Tuesday." :-)

December 2014 Prs

 Last month of the year and we have a great list here. Great work!!! Should be an awesome year in 2015!

Andrew W.: 195 # Snatch

Marissa: "13.2" 7+15

Toni: 1st Rx'd WOD, solid jerk

Mary: 100# OHS

Josh: 205# OHS x 2

Tim: 10 Bar Muscle Ups

Dalton: 205# Clean & Jerk

Kate: 100# Clean

Rhyan: 2 Bar Muscle Ups

Shannon: 75 Unbroken Double Unders

Mitchell: 325# BS 4x3, 380# 5 rep max BS, 235# Snatch 6x1, 330# FS 4x2

Charsell: 37 Double Unders

Megg: 150# Clean and Jerk, 165# Clean, "Diane" 4:59

Trevor: 245# OHS x 2, 175# Strict Press x 5, "11.1/ 14.1" 358 reps, "Diane" 3:25

Bre Likes CrossFit!

Mike: Ski first 5k, 245# Squat, 135# BS x 23, Ran 1st 5k, 135# OHS, 125# OHS x 3, one mile sled drag 38:00, 205# flat bench x 3

Embrace the Basics

“Ok CrossFit Macomb, grab a PVC pipe and circle up!” The WOD has commenced and we will now join together to go through each movement step by step reviewing proper form, technique, and terminology. Every class, every movement, every time you will relearn this information so it instilled in your brain and muscle memory. These are the basic movements at basic levels; the foundation of all your PR’s.

 The time spent during class going over things that you may have already heard, done, and know has more of an advantage to you than you may realize. You need to be able to know the difference between throwing weight around and moving weight around, hanging on to the bar and holding the bar, standing up and standing tall. Reviewing lifts with just your body and a PVC pipe is an excellent opportunity to really put your energy into perfecting your form, stance, quality, and ability to flawlessly perform the movement every time. The more reps you do with proper form, the more your body remembers and is able to repeat without a second thought. Treat that PVC pipe like you would the barbell, own it, hold it tight, and connect it with your body movements and timing. Weight increases and high reps will be less strenuous as your body will already know how to compete the movement efficiently. 

 

During the review, take the opportunity to put purpose and intention into your movements. Only going through the motions is not helping you learn the art of the lift. If you can’t do it perfectly with the PVC pipe, do you really think you have a great chance when you add 90#’s? Embrace the review and establish a solid foundation. Whether you realize it or not your body is learning and remembering each rep, so make them good!

"Practice Makes Perfect"

Everybody has a few skills that they just absolutely detest. They’re hard, you’re not good at them, and they exploit your weaknesses. When you see them in a WOD you tend to just go through the motions praying they will not appear again for another week.

It is unrealistic to think you are going to love every WOD and every skill to go with it. It is even more unrealistic to think you are going to be a rockstar at everything; we all have our strengths and our weaknesses. Instead of thinking of our unfavorable movements as a no good weakness, turn them into opportunities to become strengths. I know this sounds cliché or perhaps “high and mighty,” but it’s true, and your doing yourself a disservice by brushing them off, never trying to work on them.

So make an action plan. Gear up and decide right now that you are going to change your feelings and suck it up. The reason you don’t like them is because they are more difficult for you and mostly likely a literal “pain in the butt.” They hurt because your still working on your strength, your coordination is off, or you cant get the proper form down to get them done efficiently. If you work on improving them, you may find you don’t hate them so much…maybe even like them.

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Try just doing 10-15 reps of an unfavorable movement at the end of each WOD for a week. Pick something you don’t like and work on your form and ability to repeat unbroken reps. Here is an example; some people HATE wall balls. They tire your whole body and a large number of reps are mentally exhausting. You could feel that you are putting all your might into throwing it up to hit the right spot on the wall, and that ball will be airborne and barreling down to smack you straight in the noggin…. Ouch! So now you still have to repeat your reps, find your bearings, find your ball, and make sure you still remember your first and last name. It’s SO frustrating! The only way to get better is practice. If you try doing 10-15 wall balls for a week after each WOD, you can take time to practice form, control, and stringing them together. Doing them outside a WOD eliminates pressure from the clock and the anxiousness to finish. The more you do perfectly, the more your body remembers how to efficiently and properly complete the task. Slow down, concentrate, and take the time to figure it out. Those 10 reps with good form and concentration will make a big difference the next time you go into a timed WOD, but the low number will make it easier to add on to an already tough workout.

So whether it is wall balls, pull-ups, handstand push-ups, box jumps, kettle bell swings, or those oh so intimidating double unders, take them head on and conquer. Every rep you complete with good form, control, and mental toughness, is on more rep closer to a beautiful friendship. Don’t just stop with week one, pick a different skill every week and do the same thing. Change it up so you don’t mentally burn out on one skill, but make a plan to circle back around and see your improvements. Share with your trainers and fellow athletes what you would like to improve on so they can encourage you and help you along the way. It is important to enlist your trainers to help you with your form, give you tips on improvement, and keep you accountable. Good luck! And remember “Practice makes perfect.”

Here is a link to a great article written by Colin Stuckert, “50 ways to get Better at CrossFit.” Just some ideas to keep in mind as you continue your CrossFit journey.

Immersion

Found this post on This is Indexed not too long ago and I loved what it represented. So where do you fall on this chart. In CrossFit we start someone on the practice to skill graph. We need to be able to push ourselves to Immersion. That is full of skill and full of practice of that skill.