All new Elements class starts tonight at 8:30pm. Call or email us here to reserve your spot now!

The 2012 CrossFit Games begins this Friday and last the whole weekend. We will have a Games watching party either on Friday or Saturday evening. Stay tuned!

Here are some of the workouts that will be happening at The Games this weekend.

Photo courtesy of J. Ford Photography

Come join us at Deep Ellum Brewing Company tomorrow, Saturday, at 1pm after the free Saturday workout. $10 will get you a tour, a commemorative DEBC glass, and three beer tasters. The tour starts at 2pm but come hang out with us before. Bring friends! The more the merrier.

Free Saturday workout as usual starting at 10am.

New Elements class for those wanting to join the EDCF community starting at 8:30pm on Monday, July 9th. Contact us here to reserve your spot now!

Starting this week, we will be starting a low bar back squat cycle. We will be squatting low bar every week in percentages of your 3-rep max. If you can’t make it in today, you will still have an opportunity to find your 3RM on Wednesday and Friday. Please try and make one of these days. We will also be introducing more olympic lifting into the strength/skill portions of class.

Adding more low bar back squats in with the addition of more olympic lifting will decrease the stresses on the spine. Don’t freakout at the word “stresses” either. Every day we stress the body inside and outside the gym. You have to stress the body to an extent to evoke positive change. Anyway…. The low bar backsquat, where the bar sits just below the spine of the scapula, presents three main differences from the high bar back squat. 1. By placing the bar in a lower position on the back, the lever arm between the load and the pivot point (the hips) is shortened, which should allow the athlete to lift more weight. 2. The weight sits on the meaty shelf of the shoulder muscles instead of on the spine making if more comfortable for some people. 3. The more horizontal position of the back during the squat incorporates more of the posterior chain into the lift. The lower back, glute, and hamstring muscles are thus worked more.

Our goal over the next 4-6 weeks is to focus on low bar back squats, front squats, and olympic lifts (clean & jerk, snatch). There will be less deadlifting and more shorter and heavy met-cons. Operation strength building is now set in motion. 🙂

 

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No class on Wednesday, July 4th.

Deep Ellum Brewery tour this Saturday. We will head there sometime between 12-1pm.

What our program is not…

Our program is not a lot of things. Our program is not having mirror-lined walls to look at yourself in between 3 sets of 12 reps of bicep curls. Our program is not selling Muscle Milk and Ripped Force drinks for 4 dollars a pop at the front desk. Our program is not having to side step body builders who spray tan but couldn’t run a mile to save their life. Our program is not “Please don’t drop the weights” signs. Our program is not running on treadmills, ellipticals, or any other sort of human hamster wheel. Our program is not cliques or social status. Our program is not about the brand of your workout shorts. Our program is not having to wear a shirt. Our program is not air-conditioning. Our program is not designed to impress the guy or girl next to you. Our program is not sweat towels. Our program is not a sparkling clean bathroom. Our program is not leg curl, tricep pull-down, or calf raise machines. Our program is not hot showers, smoothie bars, or yoga classes. Our program is not bosu balls or preacher curls. Our program is not filling in the gaps with unneeded bullshit.

What our program is…

Our program is moving organically and functionally. Our program is getting leaner and stronger. Our program is training for life. Our program is sweat, tears, and sometimes blood. Our program is  busting your ass and leaving everything on the floor. Our program is coming early and staying late in order to work on things you suck at. Our program is everyone being equal. Our program is no frills. Our program is having chalk on your shorts and black marks on your knees. Our program is dropping the weights after a big lift. Our program is lifting heavy and running fast. Our program is body weight movements just as much as it is about power and olympic lifting. Our program is getting blisters on your hands and coming the next day because there is no good excuse not to. Our program is checking your ego at the door. Our program is working out beside your peers, cheering them on and embracing their cheers when you are having a tough time that day. Our program is competing against the clock. Our program is sweat angels and deep squats. Our program is measurable and quantifiable results. Our program is being a fitness level that is well rounded. Our program is being part of a team, a community, a way of life. Our program is not about one, three, or six month contracts but about commitment. Our program is about getting out what you put in. Be a part of our program.

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Free Saturday workout tomorrow @ 10am.

Deep Ellum Brewery tour next Saturday (July 7th) following the morning workout. 

Next Elements class starting Monday, July 9th. Email us here to sign up. Spaces are limited.

NO CLASSES ON JULY 4TH!!

After the free workout next Saturday, July 7th, we will be heading down to Deep Ellum Brewing Company. The tours last from 12-3pm. For $10 a pop we get a tour of the brewery, a souvenir pint glass, and a beer. I’m sure you can have more than one beer if you’d like. Put this in your calendars people!

The second pull in the olympic lifts is where the majority of the power on the bar is generated. A rapid extension of the hips followed swiftly by a sharp shrug of the shoulders should apply enough force to move the bar upward. Before an extension of the hips is utilized, the bar should be close to the body and the knees pushed back until there is tension in the hamstrings. The lumbar curve in the lower back should be prominent with the arms straight and the head in a neutral position. After the hips extend and the shoulders start to shrug, the bar should remain close to the body until the 3rd and final pull initiates. If the bar swings out from the hips it could mean a couple of things could have gone wrong such as bending the arms too early, jumping forward and not reaching full extension of the hips, and/or not starting the second pull close to the body and in the proper position.

Next time you try a snatch or clean, think about these different variables if the bar isn’t moving desirably.

Come see what we are all about…

Free Saturday CrossFit class tomorrow from 10-11am.

Free CrossFit class for ages 45+ from 9-10am.

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Sunday Suckday this Sunday from 12-2pm.

As CrossFit athletes, grip strength is a key area of focus when lifting heavy. The traditional grip, while more comfy and natural, is highly susceptible to fatigue. Releasing tension on the forearm muscles, helping keep the arms straight through extension of the hips, and preserving grip are just a few of the positives from the “hook grip”. The grip is also much more secure than your standard grip in lifts like the snatch, clean, and deadlift. The next time you run across one of these lifts, try incorporating the hook grip.

The correct hook grip method is:

Start by stretching the thumb and index finger as far apart as you can so that the skin between the two fingers is tight. With the elbow in a straight and locked position press the skin between the thumb and index finger against the bar. The result of this action will cause the two fingers to move together and your grip to tighten. With pressure still being applied to the bar wrap the thumb around the bar. Reach your index and middle finder over the bar, grabbing the bar and thumb at the same time. Your grip should now be locked in the hook position. The grip should be only used in the “pulling phase” of the lift. Once the bar is in the front rack position or overhead, the grip should be released.