CrossFit Connection - Burlington, Ontario

Strength Day

Today we did a nice little strength workout. What better test of real strength is lifting something from the ground to overhead.....so thats just what we did....max ground to overhead in any which way you can get it there. Clean, push press, push jerk, snatch, you choose the technique....just get that s.o.b. overhead.

Then......

7 deadlift (155/225)

7  box jumps

7x

A special congrats to Peter and Scott, graduates of our basics program. Great job on your first Crossfit class. You guys did awesome! You gave it your all and got through the whole workout. Nice going and superb progress!

Thrusters and More

Any workout with thrusters is going to be tough and this one is no exception. With the thruster remember to stay on your heels the entire time and drive the power up through your hips with a explosive move to get to bar overhead. The top of the movement is full knee and hip extension  and the bar completely overhead.

WOD

12 Thrusters (men 95lbs/wmn 65 lbs)

12 Sumo Deadlift Highpulls (same bar)

12 Knees to Elbows            4 rounds

250 m sprint

 

Filthy Fifty

WOD

"Filthy Fifty"

50 Box Jumps (24" men/20" women)

50 Jumping Pullups

50 KB Swings (16kg men/ 12 kg women)

50 Lunge steps

50 Knees to Elbows

50 Push Press (45 lbs men/ 30 lbs women)

50 Back Extensions

50 Wall Ball (20 lbs men/14 lbs women)

50 Burpees

50 Double Unders

Dr. Sean's Blog

The Kinetic Chain Causing Plantar Fascitis and IT Band Syndrome

Last week I discussed how a limitation in the motion of your first toe or ankle can lead to Achilles tendonitis or shin splints.  Several other running injuries can start at the foot.

When we run, the foot must become “flat” (pronate) as it hits the ground.  This allows for proper shock absorption and prevents injury. It is a misconception that flat-footed people are more prone to injury while running. What scientific evidence has demonstrated is that the foot must be flat for a split second while running and those with a rigid foot (supinators) actually have a higher incidence of injury because of poor shock absorption.

However, scientists have also discovered that runners whose foot stays flat TOO LONG (pronate too long) get problems at their knee, hip, back and opposite shoulder.  This is because when the foot goes flat the knee must turn in. (try it by standing and make you foot go flat).  If your foot stays like this too long then you can develop pain on the outside of your knee called (IT band syndrome).  Similarly it stresses the plantar fascia because of the prolonged stretch on the foot.

In order to address this problem one first needs to look at your footwear.  Different feet need different types of shoes.  Supinators need a cuishoned, mobile shoe while those with flat feet need a rigid, motion control shoe.  In addition, those running extra miles may need to change shoes regularly or even invest in a pair of orthotics to decrease shock absorption.

Finally, those who pronate too long usually need to work on: stability of their ankle; 1 leg agility (dot drill anyone); and hip strength on that side.  A weak ankle, hip or back can cause a person to shorten their stride and land harder on their leg, hence creating a pronation timing problem.

So, if you’ve been out pounding the pavement and have been noticing some foot pain in the morning or some knee pain consider getting your footwear checked and looking at some ankle and hip strengthening to keep you running.

 

 

WOD

 

10 Sumo Deadlift Highpulls (men 95/wmn 65)

10 Ring Dips                6 rounds

100 m Sprint

Run, drop and squat

Must be the nice weather brought everyone out this morning...so not to disappoint we did a little running. This is a great little workout you can do on your own with no equipment and it adds a whole new dimension to a run.

WOD

Run 1.5 miles (6 laps of our 400m)

Every 90 seconds when the whistle blows, stop drop and do 10 push ups and 15 squats then continue running. The faster you can do your push ups and squats the more time you get to cover distance before the next whistle.

One bar, one box, one nasty workout

Set up one bar at 95 pounds for guys and 65 for girls (scale as needed) and one box to jump on and storm through this workout as fast as possible.

Welcome to Sean last night at CrossFit Connection, great effort and technique on a tough workout.

WOD

Thrusters

Sumo Deadlift Highpull

Floor Wipers

reps of 21-15-9 with 8 box jumps between each round.

Andy sent us this little video about Brain Development.........maybe we should add this to the warm-up!!!!

SUPER BRAIN YOGA

Wednesday night

All Met Con today as we hit it hard with mostly a body weight workout that should take you to that horrible anaerobic place where everything hurts. Suck it up and push through..keep your breaks short....there is no recovering from this madness until its done....the harder you go the quicker its OVER!!!!

WOD

10 Sit Ups

20 Double Unders

30 Overhead Lunges (guys 45 lbs/girls 30lbs)

40 Push ups                                        2 rounds

30 Kb Swings (guys 20 kg/girls 16kg)

20 Pull ups

10 Box Jump Burpees

This video has a demo of the BOX JUMP BURPEE

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Adam and Stanley

Pressing Tabata

This is a 2 part workout the first emphasizing strength and the second part a real leg and lung blaster. For the Strict press pick a weight that you can only do 4 or 5 reps with and use that same weight for the entire workout. For the Push Press and Split Jerk the key is an EXPLOSIVE dip and drive with the legs and hips to develop maximum power.

WOD

1.        Each of these moves is done in a 2 Minute TABATA (20 seconds "on" 10 seconds "off") 4           rounds with a 1 minute rest between each different movement.

        Strict Press

        1 min rest

        Push Press

        1 min rest

        Split Jerk

 

2.     Box Jump

        Double Unders   reps of 21-15-9

        Jump Squats

 

here are a few pictures of Scott from their recent trip to Maui!!!

Monday Double Unders

Short, tough  anearobic workout for today. Go as hard as you can and really concentrate on holding your form for all those kettlebell swings....tight core and drive with the hips.

WOD

50 Double Unders

10 KB swings (guys 24 kg/ wmn 16 kg)

40 Double Unders

20 KB swings

30 Double Unders

30 KB swings

20 Double Unders

40 KB swings

10 Double Unders

50 KB swings

More Helpful Information from Dr. Sean

The Kinetic Chain

 

It is hard to believe that a problem with your 1^st toe can be responsible for pain in your back.  In fact, biomechanical errors with your first toe, ankle or hip can result in injuries in seemingly unrelated areas.  This connection between seemingly unrelated areas is referred to in sports medicine as a kinetic chain dysfunction.  The most common sport where kinetic chain dysfunctions cause us problems is running because of the repetitive nature.  I will try to describe various examples of common kinetic chain errors in the following weeks.  I will begin at the foot.

 

Believe it or not, one of the most important joints in your body is your first toe.  You have to have at least 60 degrees of movement in this joint to allow for proper propulsion during running.  A restriction of motion in your big toe is referred to as “hallux limitus”.  Any limitation in this motion will cause a deviation of your lower leg and knee (toward the midline) in order to create the lost motion at your toe while running (or squatting).  This deviation can cause pain in the lower leg commonly referred to as “shin splints” or pain at the knee called “patello-femoral pain syndrome”.  Hallux limitus can result from a previous injury to the toe where you may have missed while trying to kick a soccer or football, or perhaps you landed incorrectly after jumping.  This injury if untreated creates a soft-tissue restriction of the toe and creates a limitation in movement.  It can be addressed with a combination of soft-tissue treatment and stretching exercises quite effectively.

 

Another common problem at the foot is a limitation of ankle motion.  Those who have suffered from repeated sprained ankles may have difficulty doing squats because of restricted ankle motion. This biomechanical error can result in a back injury while doing squats because of an inability to squat deeply.  An athlete will compensate by bending more at the back and therefore predispose themselves to a muscle strain.  An ankle restriction may also cause an athlete to run predominantly on their toes because the foot tends to point downward due to the ankle restriction.  Repetitive stress to the achilles tendon from repeatedly landing on your toes while running can result in tendonitis.  It has been my experience that this ankle restriction can be present for years if not treated properly.  A very simple ankle mobilization technique can remedy this within 20 minutes and prevent these injuries.

 

Next week I will continue with more examples of kinetic chain dysfunctions.