Elements Workshops Update: #34 just sold out, currently only #36 still has availability
Elements #36 M/W/F @ 8:30pm: Feb. 16, 18, 20, 23, 25, 27 (4 slots left)
And if you want to give us a test drive first, come to a FREE BEGINNERS' CLASS (Tues, Thurs, Sat, and Sun at 10am, Wed at 7pm)
Friday 090130 (23)
"Nicole"
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
Run 400 meters
Max rep Pull-ups
Post number of pull-ups completed for each round to comments.
Compare to 081119.
More help for lower-back woes
CrossFit Endurance+Paleo=Ass-kicker!
Challenge yourself...you'll be surprised
A little mercury with your soda?
Inspiration from Anthony Robles
This woman sounds amazing but they should write an article about Jacinto next
Kirk sends his greetings from Afghanistan. He writes of this picture: "I took the handstand pic by a UN vehicle for a reason. When you said you wanted shots of people doing adventurous things their Crossfit training helps them achieve, driving in vehicles here popped into my mind. The most dangerous time for internationals is a place like this is when they are in transit. In fact, we fight over who sits in the front seat - and it's the loser who gets to sit there. In the case of an IED or mine attack, statistically the front end gets hit. In the case of ambush, the driver has been trained to turn the passenger side to the attackers, thus sacrificing the person in the passenger side in order to keep the driver alive and still able to drive... It doesn't pay to be someone who needs to sit in front because they get car sick... You need to be constantly alert and observing as you drive and in the event of an attack, you better be ready and able to move and respond. There is no question that Crossfit puts me in a better position to do this than most people. In my mind, Crossfit is a life saving tool."
And here's Kirk versus the Pullup Bar of Doom. (Click here to see photos of his "gym friend" and the "shiny silver weights".)
Scaling options from the CrossFit Brand X forums, along with some general advice on how to approach this workout:
CrossFit does not ask for max efforts very often. Like “Lynne” this workout “Nicole” does and expects that there is no “gaming” the workout. At Brand X I tell people I want to see you falling of the pull up bar. People whose score looks like:
30
25
20
20
15
Are going for a number and not a max. Test your limits today.
Big Dawgs and Pack:
As Rx’d
Puppies:
5 rounds of:
Run 200 M
12 beginner or assisted pull ups
Buttercups
3 rounds
run 200 M
12 beginner or assisted pull ups
I think I posted this before:
http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=guy.wisdom&category=life.lessons&conitem=8dbfe72cdbcf2110VgnVCM20000012281eac____
It's about the explosion (not literal) of gyms in Afghanistan since ousting the Taliban. There's a video of a guy doing Oly, but the article seems focused on bodybuilding, or at least it sort of operates under the assumption that lifting weights is synonymous with bodybuilding. Regardless of that aspect, the emphasis is on "building" which is the overall theme.
I disagree with the gaming comment above. First, all CrossFit WODs including this one are games by definition--you can't really remove that aspect. Secondly, because there's more than one parameter in Nicole to score, what exactly constitutes
"gaming"?
There are so many ways in which to approach this WOD, and I'm not sure any of them are definitively right or wrong.
For example, you can aim for:
- most rounds, which is equivalent to maximizing the number of runs and minimizing the pull up reps
- max effort pull up set to failure, or most pull ups in a single set
- most pull ups overall within 20 minutes, which would probably require a pacing strategy and minimize the number of runs
I also think the idea of literally doing pull ups until you fall off the bar, with no regard to proper hand care, is shortsighted.
I just posted something in response to the gaming comment above, but I think I lost it.
"there is no 'gaming' the workout"
What exactly does this mean?
In the context of the first comment, I think "gaming" means doing less than max rep pull-ups in any given round. For example, if your absolute maximums over, say, five rounds are (20, 16, 15, 12, 9) = 72, you could go much easier in the early rounds and increase the total for five rounds, e.g., (15, 15, 15, 15, 15) = 75. In this example, the higher pull-up score was achieved by not doing max reps each round.
The question of "gaming" rounds versus total pull-ups is more subtle. It is not necessarily true that more rounds (e.g., a sixth round in my example above) would lead to less total pull-ups.
However many rounds you do, you should take close to the full 20 minutes to do them. A strategy of 3 minutes average per round for 6 rounds in 18 minutes is a waste of 2 minutes. There is still not enough time to do a seventh round. In this example, an average time of 3:20 per round would produce better results.
KIRK - amazing. And the handstand ain't bad, either. Stay safe!
Kirk, I fail to comprehend your constant bickering and complaining while training abroad. It's clear in the photos that your training facility is equipped a combination preacher curl/ bench press station which many in the "civilized" world, including myself, would long to have access to. I would suggest dropping CF altogether and focusing on building beach muscles as the Summer months will be here soon. Seriously though, that pullup bar looks pretty sketchy.
Is there a weight vest at the Box for member use?
I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture with the pull up bar that my head is pressing against the ceiling... Scary piece of kit.
It's true, I do complain too much about training, I really should have focused on isolation work of my biceps and the medial head of my deltoids while I was here...
As for the Afghan gyms - I would have loved to go and train in one of the ones I drove past downtown, but to say it is off limits would be putting it mildly. Currently, the number one threat to internationals here is hostage taking. No foot movement at all is allowed. All movement in official vehicles (preferably armoured) point-to-point only. You can only live, shop and eat in approved locations.
That gym article, however, is great and relatively accurate - and there are a ridiculous amount of bodybuilding posters all over the city. More Ronnie Coleman than a copy of Muscle & Fitness...
Since no one's commented on actually doing this WOD, I guess I'll be the first. FYI, it was really cold outside this morning. My hands were freezing when I got on the bar.
Rd 1 - 41 (PR for single set)
Rd 2 - 22
Rd 3 - 20
Rd 4 - 18
Rd 5 - 18
Total - 119
Plus I got in an extra run.
As to "gaming" this WOD, that defeats the entire purpose. It's max rep PU/rd. Of course you can pace your rounds to get more PU overall, but the WOD is 20 min AMRAP: 400m Run, max rep PU. That means do as many as you can in the round before you drop off the bar. I've read before that the goal is to minimize the number of runs, so you want to be on the PU bar as much as possible.
I have not had a chance yet to look at previous Nicole's, but clearly the first set today killed me on the subsequent sets. As I obviously view this workout, that's kind of the point though.
What is the route for running tonight at the box?
Court hooked me up with a little 30th bday WOD yesterday
Row age in calories
3 rounds of:
10 BW DL (185 lbs)
10 Burpees
10 BW FS
10 Pullups
Row age in Calories
Took 19:17 - the Frontsquats at 185 were killer, especially after the max thruster WOD.
I'll be at Hill Country with my wife and some friends tonight - 9pm reservation. I'd assume we will be there sometime after 8. If you are at the box - peak in for a drink.
-George
4 complete rounds and partway through the 5th run
20 + 21 + 22 + 23 = 86
My arms were so tired I couldn't run properly.
Consistent to what Hari said, I ended up "wasting" the last few minutes or so since I knew I realistically wouldn't make it back from my run in time to do more pull ups.
Continuing on the notion that one might consider aiming for fewest rounds possible, maybe it would make sense to simply walk the first 400m to entirely save your energy to go completely balls out on the first pull up set. Maybe even just jog the other runs too.
Next time I do Nicole at the Manhattan Box I'm going to either aim for 3 runs with sets of 29 pull ups (87 total pull ups) or 5 runs with sets of 17 (85 total pull ups). I'd imagine the latter to feel much worse--it does require another 800m of running after all.
Jeff, an athlete of your caliber should be in the ~100 pullup range. Please recalculate.
Craig
41 to 21. Interesting. Great numbers though.
Dexter (and everybody),
The coaches have all officially agreed (finally) on where to run for 400m: Go down the stairs. Hang a left out the door. Run to B'way and 26th. Hang a left and run to the corner of 27th and B'way. Come back the way you went. Run back up the stairs.
TOMORROW'S SCHEDULE FOR REST-DAY MAKEUP WODs:
11:00: 7 x 1 Thrusters or "Nicole"
12:00 "Elizabeth" or "Nicole"
Yes that's a 2nd WOD class at noon tomorrow. No, it's not an official class as of yet but Hari said he could be there to run it, so if you're looking to make up "Elizabeth" or "Nicole" and want to sleep in a bit, you're all set...
http://www.crossfiteastside.com/uploaded_images/wastipated-752387.jpg
Now this is some hard work.
Dan, that pic is priceless... I wonder what the WOD was?
Brian -
Yeah, I have no idea why the dropoff was so significant. I did Elizabeth (8:24) Thursday night & sometimes I don't train as well early the next morning. I also sometimes find it hard to keep going on the PU bar. I'll do better next time.
Didn't anyone else do this (besides Jeff)?
18-11-13-11-8 for 61 total
Wearing 40lbs vest.
Nicole, As Rx'd
20+13+13+13+14+13+14 for 100 total
Black Box (23,23)
5 Rounds (22, 17, 12, 11, 12) = 74
(23,17)
Craig;
That Elizabeth time is...strong. I bet you could have done 4 rounds of at least 30 even though gaming is discouraged.I'm doing this one tomorrow. I"ll post it tomorrow.
5 rounds w/ the 12 assisted pullups sub from BrandX. 2 rounds jumping, 3 rounds on the assisted machine w/80 lbs of help. I finished the sixth round, but ran over a little.
How long does it usually take for a total novice to start getting a few decent pullups in? Is there any additional exercise I should add to help the process along or will the band, jumping and assisted pullups just eventually kick in?
(20,9)
5-8-6-8-5-6 plus 1 run
6 rounds of running and pull-ups (5,4,5,5,3,6 = 28) PR by 6 pull-ups from Sept, 2008.
(18,7)