Schedule Clarification & Mobility Class Info

NO SCHEDULE CHANGES! The new Mobility Classes will be in addition to our regular classes.

Mobility Classes will take place Thursdays Only at 8:30AM & 6:00PM starting next week on the 6th. The Mobility Class will focus on a different joint (hip, shoulder, knee) or position (front rack, squat, overhead) each week.

Getting the Pull-up

There’s been a lot of talk about pull-ups recently. Here’s the basic need-to-know info on pull-ups.

DISCLAIMER – Doing kipping pull-ups, with or without a band, before obtaining the strength and stability to execute strict pull-ups will not make you better at pull-ups, and is (IMO) the easiest way to get injured in CrossFit. As coaches we shouldn’t allow anyone to kip before establishing the strict pull-up, but at the end of the day it’s your shoulders, so you’ve been warned.

KIPPING – This is the easy part. Anyone with explosive hips can eventually figure out how to pop their chin up to the bar one time. The hard part is improving to where you can do 10, 20, or 50 of them safely and quickly. Since learning the kip is easy, let’s master the prerequisite first…

STRICT – These are the real deal. No kicksies, running-man, butterfly, gliding, or air-humping… just old school, raw, nasty, pulling power.

First, I need to be blunt for a second – these are a lot easier if you are lighter. I’m decent at pull-ups, but my 1RM weighted pull-up is 90-100lbs. So if I weighed 90lbs more and wasn’t stronger, there is little chance I could do one strict pull-up, and I would be guaranteed a gnarly shoulder surgery if I tried to kip at that weight. In summary, if you have some lb’s to lose, that’s priority number one. Everything will get easier after that extra load is gone. Come talk to us if you’ve been struggling with this and want to make some serious changes.

Next is the strength work. If you really want to improve on the pull-ups, suck it up for a while and kill the kip, especially if you have a band. Grab some extra band, take the extra 10 seconds and do your strict pull-ups in the metcons. We try to get in some pullup strength work once a week, but if this is a weakness for you, try to mix in some extra pull-up strength work 2-4 times a week before your classes. Try doing one of the following exercises each day, mixing it up day to day. These load schemes are very similar to all strength work (squats, deadlift, presses) we do.

Strict Banded Pullups 1×8-10, 1×6-8, 1×4-6, 5×2-4 @ least assistance possible
Ring Rows 4×8-12, 1xMax Effort
Negatives 5X4-7 (Never do these in high reps)
…Work on pec, shoulder, & lat mobility between sets. 

And always remember, like everything else we do, it’s all about consistency. The more frequently you do these exercise and eat healthy, the quicker you will get results.
DON’T GET DISCOURAGED when you can’t do one after the first week!

WOD

1) Hi-Hang Snatch 15 min to find heavy double

2) Four sets for times of (20 min cap):
5 Unbroken Thrusters (135/95)
15 Kettlebell Swings (53/35)
25 Double-Unders
Rest 90 seconds

COMP

1) Complete 100 Wallballs (20/14) in as few sets as possible:
Rest EXACTLY 60 seconds every time you break.
Goal is four sets or fewer. Record total sets taken and total time to complete 100 reps.

2) Deadlift
*Set 1 – 10 reps @ 50% of 1RM
*Set 2 – 10 reps @ 60%
*Set 3 – 8 reps @ 75%
*Set 4 – 6 reps @ 85%
*Set 5 – 4 reps @ 90%
Rest 2-3 minutes between sets.

3) Three sets, not for time, of:
Bent-Over Row x6-8 AHAP
Rest 60 seconds
Weighted Supinated-Grip Pull-Ups x 4-6 AHAP
Rest 60 seconds
Glute-Ham Raises x6-8
Rest 60 seconds

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