10 Rounds for time
10 Deadlifts
8 Hang power cleans
6 Push press
Men’s weight = 95#
Women’s weight = 65#

Skill work:
Hollow rocks
GHD sit-ups

Post time to comments.

The early morning crew is always eager to lend each other a helping hand.

Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation

Michael Pollan, author of Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food has a new book out called Cooked. I heard about this book during a recent NPR interview of Pollan. The book essentially details the history of cooking and how cooking food changed our relationship with food. He also discusses how cooking our food shaped our evolution. It’s actually a really fascinating subject. While I haven’t read the book I am very intrigued and look forward to getting my hands on it.

There is also a big part of the book that is dedicated to fermented foods. Kombucha, sauerkraut and even my favorite form of fermented cabbage, kimchi are all the rage right now because the bacteria formed in the fermenting process have been shown to be good for gut health. He also discusses some new studies that have shown that if you eat a lot of red meat and eggs you may develop bacteria in your gut that contribute to heart disease. I’ll have to look into the studies on that one.

Anyway, it was a fascinating interview and I think it will be a great book. You can listen to the entire NPR interview here: Michael Pollan – You Are What You Cook

Snatch balance
2-2-2-2-2-2

max rep strict pull-ups after each set of snatch balance. Post loads and pull-up reps to comments.

The Ben Morgan demonstrates the functionality of an overhead squat on a hike.

What’s A Heavy Day?

Let’s talk a bit about how you should approach training days like today. Do you ever feel like you didn’t get much of a workout after a heavy day? Well, chances are, maybe you didn’t. Not because heavy days aren’t good workouts, but probably because your approach to a heavy day isn’t quite dialed in.

Heavy days should be … well … HEAVY. If the WOD says 6 sets of 2 reps that doesn’t mean that you do 12 reps total and call it a day. The 6 sets of 2 are your “working sets” and these should be HEAVY sets. Any light reps you do are merely warm-up. If your 1 rep snatch balance is 150# then that set you do at 65# is just a warm-up, it is not your first set of 6.

Your first working set should be somewhere near 80% of your 1 rep max, or so. After you finish your first set your thought should be, “Dang, that’s heavy.” You shouldn’t feel like you could jump right back into another set 30 seconds after you finish your first one. There should be just a little bit of fear and intimidation as you approach the bar.

If you approach your heavy days in this manner, you will feel like you are getting more of a workout. The next day, you will definitely KNOW that you got a workout.

Here’s a good example of what a heavy day looks like:

Rest day

Cal, representing KCF on the East Coast.

“You Be The Coach” – Matt C.
Front Squat
5-4-3-2-1

Then:
3 Rounds for time
5 Thrusting man makers (40#/25#)
10 Box jumps (24″/20″)
15 Kettlebell swings (53#/35#)
20 Air squats

Post loads and time to comments.

Somehow, it seems that Chris is pulling a fast one on his sled pushes.

The Saints Go CrossFit

I have had this conversation and witnessed this conversation multiple times in person and on the interwebs. Tell me if it seems familiar to you.

Hater: I think CrossFit is just a fad.
CrossFitter: Why do you say that?
Hater: Well, if it is so effective, why aren’t there any professional athletes doing it?
CrossFitter: Uhhh … ummm. Let me get back to you on that one.

Have you ever found yourself in that situation? Well, truth is, there are plenty of Pro athletes that are doing CrossFit. During last year’s Olympics we talked about some Olympians who were utilizing the CrossFit methodology. Now it appears that the New Orleans Saints are drinkin’ the Kool-Aid.

Coach Sean Payton has incorporated the program into the Saints’ strength and conditioning during this off-season. Peyton utilize CrossFit himself and saw such great benefit that he decided to add it to his team’s training.

The high-intensity CrossFit workouts that helped Payton get into the best physical shape of his life have inspired a new approach to the Saints’ offseason workout program.

The Saints’ new workouts now include both the rapid series of various high-intensity workouts, but also the spirit of competition that CrossFit promotes.

So, the next time you find yourself in one of these conversations, you can simply point the Hater in the direction of this article. Of course, truth be told, it doesn’t mean a damn thing to me if pro athletes are doing CrossFit or not. I know that this program has me in the best shape of my life and it’s the most fun I have ever had being consistent with a fitness program. That’s all the validation I need.

You can read the entire article here: Sean Payton brought back high-intensity attitude and high-intensity workouts to New Orleans Saints

3 Rounds for time
400m Run
30 Kettlebell snatches (53#/35#)
20 Pull-ups
10 Handstand push-ups

Power Hour:
Individual Regional Event 7
4 Rounds for time
2 Rope climbs
100ft Run
4 Squat cleans (225#/135#)
100ft Run

Post times to comments.

Steve J. fights for full depth in in the wee hours of the morning.

On The Horizon

If you haven’t taken a look at the Events Board lately, you should … it’s pretty full. Here’s a quick run down of some of the things that are coming your way in the next few weeks.

Saturday, May 18: Viking Fest Road Race – No CrossFit Kids class or Oly class this day
Friday, May 24: Friday Night Lights – 6pm Throwdown WOD and party. Bring drinks and snacks/food. Adults only.
Monday, May 27: Memorial Day WOD – Starts at 10am and we’ll go until everyone is done. Show up early to warm-up.
Friday, May 31 – Sunday, June 2: North West Regionals at the ShoWare Center in Kent. Buy your tickets here.
Saturday, June 8: Jump Rope Clinic – Starts at 11am, no Oly class. This clinic is already full. We’ll schedule another one.
Saturday, June 22: Poulsbo Beer Run – Proceeds benefit the Survive & Thrive program