This week, I am purposely taking some time away from HQ workouts and working directly on my olympic lifting skills. It’s important to me to get stronger while also getting faster, and I’ve noticed that my cleans, presses, deadlifts, squats and snatches have all sort leveled out. …at lower weights than I’d like I might add.

WOD – Oly Skillz

• Double Bergerner warmup
• Lots of snatches from bar to 85lbs
• Lots of clean and jerk, from the ground, up to 105 and 135
• Push press 5x5x5x5
  • 135 lbs
  • 145 lbs
  • 155 lbs – 2 reps, stripped to 145, 3 reps
  • 135
• Lots of overhead squats with weighted bar
• Turkish get-ups 35, 45 – Max 60 lb kettlebell

Whenever the “what is CrossFit?” question comes up, the above headline is a very clear and concise definition – but you can’t stop there – you’ll be forced to elaborate, the statement serves as the perfect foundation for further discussion.

What’s a great example? How about one of the best examples – Snatches!

WOD – Isabel

• 30 snatches
  • Men RX 135 lbs
  • Men scale 95 lbs
  • Men noob 75 lbs
  • Men beginner 45 lbs and less

Christian’s time: 7:56 – 75 lbs

Christian says, “Snatches are tough. Keeping count for 30 is tough. Not counting drops is tough. …all this at only 75 pounds. Snatches are definitely the most technical of all the Olympic lifts, but the amount of work* performed is huge, thus, the amount of power** generation is also a factor.

* Work is defined as
Work = Load x Distance

** Power is defined as:
Power = Work(Load x Distance)/Time

If you can perform the same work, for more repetitions, in the same amount of time, you are said to be increasing your power. Similarily, if you can perform increased work (i.e. increased load) in less time, you are said to have increased power output.

This is one of the key concepts behind CrossFit and basis to functional fitness.

Custom WOD – “Chief” Salad

Oly warm-up:

• Berg warm-up

Light oly lifts – three rounds of

• 3, 75 lb snatches – some ground, some hang, some mid
• 3, 75 lb squat cleans
• 12, 75 lb overhead squats

Three rounds:

• 3, 135 lb hang power cleans
• 6, push-ups
• 9, squats

Then,

• 3 x 4 x 5 x 6 x 7 pull-ups (25 total)
• 1 minute jump rope
• 20 75 lb good mornings (2 sets)

Atlanta Runner Tackles 100-Mile Ultramarathon Trail Race

Tuesday WOD – Oly Practice a’ Plenty

• Extended Berg warm-ups and good mornings
• Barbell snatches up to 95 lbs
• Barbell clean and split jerk up to 125 lbs
• One warm-down set of dips (12), pull-ups (4) and strict, bar-only overhead press (10-front, 10-back)

Run tonight 3.2 tonight…

Christian says, “What can I say? I love the olympic lifts. They require constant practice, and for me at least, they also require lots of warm-up. I have been doing the progressive weight in sets of three, and usually do a couple high-hang versions before going into full movement from the floor.”