This past weekend, longtime member Fernando Arzola and teammates finished 1st in the 70.3 Ironman New Orleans. While not typically and endurance centered athlete, Nando has put in extra work in the pool and on the pavement over the past few months. The was his first team-style Ironman event and it will be a memorable one for him as he takes a gold medal back to Dallas. He is proof that we just don’t work out inside EDCF, we train for whatever may come at us outside EDCF.
Fast approaching is No Ordinary Race, EDCF’s first ever endurance challenge. On Sunday, April 28th, you will be given the opportunity to test your true fitness.
There is a sign up sheet at the gym for competitors and volunteers. There is a $20 entry fee for competitors, which includes an awesome t-shirt (shown above), breakfast tacos, and beer. Also, t-shirts are $10 for people who sign up to volunteer. ONLY COMPETITORS AND VOLUNTEERS WILL RECEIVE T-SHIRTS. No extras will be ordered so please sign up at the gym by this Wednesday, April 17!
As promised, we are releasing the routes. This gives you the chance to study your course and run through it before race day if you would like. Still, we will not be releasing the obstacles.
Again, if you would like to participate by competing or volunteering, please sign up by THIS WEDNESDAY and pay Ryan if you would like a t-shirt.
Check out the maps for the 6 and 3 mile courses HERE.
Our first ever No Ordinary Race .
On Sunday, April 28th, EDCF will host its first endurance cenetered fitness challenge. This competition is open to only members of our gym, and all of you are encouraged to participate.
There will be two lengths: 3 miles for intermediate and 6 miles for advanced athletes. This is no ordinary race, though; there will be stations with obstacles and challenges along the way. These hurdles will be CrossFit movements that you’ve all experienced during a WOD at the gym. However, these movements will not be announced. Part of being fit is being prepared for the unknown.
Remember, the Endurance class is every Sunday at 11 am. These WODs will help build stamina and prepare you for running distance.
We will be releasing race rules and official routes later this week. In the mean time, get running!
Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 strength cycle has stood the test of time in the world of powerlifting. Powerlifting a focus on training the basic multi joint movements and a foundation of our programming at EDCF. Wendler states that “the bench press, parallel squat, deadlift, and standing press have been the staples of any strong man’s repertoire. Those who ignore these lifts are generally the people who suck at them. If you get good at those, you’ll get good at other stuff, as they have such a huge carryover.” Now are we training for Strongman competitions or to just get huge? Not necessarily. We would like to strengthen joint and core stability as well as overall raw strength which will carry over into other types of training inside the gym or sport/life outside the gym.
The key to Wendler’s program is the basic concept periodization, a method that has been in strength and conditioning for quite a while. Does that make his method new and novel? Not at all. It is simplified and effective though. Basically the method is designed to start light with more reps then move heavier decreasing the number of reps on a certain movement each week. At the end of the cycle you take a deload week(s) then add about 5% to your previous max and start again. A typical four week Wendler 5/3/1 cycle looks like this:
Week 1: 3 x 5
Week 2: 3 x 3
Week 3: 3 x 5, 3, 1
Week 4: deloading
We are starting off putting this method to work on the strict press. If favorable results ensue, look for this method to also be applied to the bench press, low bar back squat, and deadlift.
An all new CrossFit Prep Course starts tonight! The prep course is 8 classes in duration and usually start at the beginning of each month. The classes will be held MWTh nights for the next two weeks and only on MW on the third week. All classes will start at 8:30pm and end around 9:30. The cost for the eight classes is $150. Spaces are limited so let us know if you would like to join in!
If you are a member and have a friend complete the prep course AND sign up for regular classes, we will give you your next month for half off! Our way of saying ‘thank you’ for spreading the word.
We are now in week 4 of the 2013 CrossFit Open. Join us as our athletes take on workout 13.4 tomorrow at CF White Rock at 12:30pm. If you’re taking on the WOD today in class, this video goes over tips to help out your efficiency with the movements. We will be going over movement prep before the WOD to help clear up any issues with toes to bar or clean and jerks.
The third week of the CrossFit Open is this week with a workout that is in fact a repeat of last year. Tomorrow, at CF White Rock, our athletes will take on the 12 min AMRAP consisting of 150 wallballs, 90 double-unders, and 30 muscle-ups that comprise workout 13.3. If you would like to take this WOD on you can come to any class today and do it. Can’t make it today? Come by on Sunday during the endurance WOD at 11am and the gym will be open. Once you know your score, then check out the CF Games leaderboard to see where you stack up against the 120,000 performing this workout. Hopefully your legs don’t end up like this afterwards.
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– Weekend Schedule –
Saturday
8:00am Olympic lifting
9:00am Masters class
10:00am Regular CrossFit
12:30pm Workout 13.3 at CF White Rock (come support our athletes!)
Sunday
11:00am Endurance class & 13.3 make-up