Strength Bias

My wod list

2010-10-05T15:49:00.000-07:00

Here's my home wod list that include the equipment I have here at the house (A growing collection of kettlebells and gymnastics rings).

1 round
Repeat couplet for 400m, KBs may not touch ground
10x KB Thruster (2x36#/24#)
20m Farmer's walk

Scooter (gym wod that I thought looked cool)
For time
Swings are performed RKC hard style
35x KB swing (72#)
25x KB swing (88#)
15x KB swing (106#)
10x Power clean (135#)
5x Deadlift (315#)
35x KB swing (72#)

For time
KB weight is 36#/24#
Sprint 100m
21x Snatch, left arm
10x Push-ups
21x Snatch, right arm
15x Push-ups
21x Thruster, left arm
20x Push-ups
21x Thruster, right arm
Sprint 100m

1 round
30x Burpee broad jumps
20x Double KB push press (36#/24#)
20x Squats
20x KB renegade rows (36#/24#)
Sprint 100m
20x KB swings (53#/36#)
20x Double KB front squat(36#/34#)
20x KB snatch (53#/36#)
Sprint 100m
20x Pull-ups
20x Sit-ups
20x Push-ups
Sprint 100m
30x Burpee broad jumps

3 rounds, 21-15-9x
Knees to elbows
KB Turkish get-ups (53#/36#)

KB swings (72#/53#)
Ring push-ups
10 rounds
5x Pull-ups, weighted (30#/15#)
10x KB swings (72#/53#)
5x Burpee box jumps

3 rounds
Double unders 42-30-18x reps
KB swings (53#/36#) 21-15-9x reps

3 rounds
50m Walking KB see-saw press (2x36#/24#)
50m KB bear crawl
10x KB front squat

Max rounds in 12 minutes
Switch arms each round
5x KB clean (36#)
5x KB snatch
5x KB press

Max reps in 10 minutes
Switch arms as necessary
Long cycle KB clean & jerk (72#)

This is gonna hurt (another gym wod)
3 rounds
1 minute at each station, total reps=score, swings are performed RKC hard style
KB swing (36#)
KB swing (53#)
KB swing (72#)
KB swing (88#)
KB swing (106#)
Rest

KETTLE-HELL, Part 2
Repeat the following sequence for 400m
5x KB Clean (2x36#/24#)
5x KB Push jerk
5x KB Front squat
5x Double KB snatch
Overhead lunge 10 steps

3 rounds
30x KB front squat (2x36#/24#)
30x Ring Push-ups
10x KB snatch (53#/24#)
10x Pull-ups, strict

5 rounds
4x Muscle-ups
8x KB swings (106#/72#)
10x KB press, each arm (53#/24#)
12x Knees to elbows

For time
KB weight is 36#/24#
Sprint 100m
21x Snatch, left arm
10x Push-ups
21x Snatch, right arm
15x Push-ups
21x Thruster, left arm
20x Push-ups
21x Thruster, right arm
Sprint 100m

Scooter
For time
Swings are performed RKC hard style
35x KB swing (72#)
25x KB swing (88#)
15x KB swing (106#)
10x Sumo deadlift high pull (135#)
5x Deadlift (315#)
35x KB swing (72#)

Kiss the rings, bitch
5 rounds
KB swings 80-40-20-40-80x (53#/36#)
Push-ups 40-20-10-20-40x
Pull-ups 20-10-5-10-20x

10 rounds
6x KB snatch, each arm (72#/36#)
12x Broad jumps

Bugaboo at Crossfit Lees Summit

2010-09-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

Now that the dust has cleared and hopefully everyone is getting over their soreness from the grind that was "bugaboo" I felt that a review is in order. First off, my apologies to those athletes that didn't make it into the video (ran out of space right before heat #2)and to Chandra for not recording your explanation of the wod which was very appropriate. Bugaboo is a wod that was originally to raise awareness of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) which is the #1 genetic killer for children under 2 years of age. The wod itself was born out of the crossfit community where 2 members lost their child to this condition. Anytime you have a community wod to pay tribute to devestation it inevitably brings out the tremendously positive crossfit community. Crossfit Lees Summit has embraced the community culture and every member is better for it. Each member is personally invested in the next member's success and the gym is equally invested in the success of it's members which tends to reach beyond the walls of the building at CFLS. Such commitment is rare and hard to find these days so I'd like to extend a thank you to Chris, J, Chandra, and everyone involved it keeping the doors open at CFLS as well as the members who make it such a great place to PR!!

On a side note, I felt the music (Stand up by Flobots) was insanely appropriate, however there are a few curse words in there (no more than were spilled at the wod itself;).

Over and out

Efficiency Matters in all endeavors

2010-08-29T17:49:00.000-07:00

As I sit here and edit the video from the bugaboo wod I'm reminded of the importance of efficiency as it applies to all fitness movement. The form breaks you see at high reps and max effort are very similar and the more appropriate your form is the less taxing the movements are. Thrusters are one of those in between movements where the transition becomes the biggest issue. If your front squat rack position is sub par or you utilize a powerlifting squat this movement becomes a terrible thing to endure. In order to help those in need of better positioning I will post some vids and pics to help. Also, if you're in the mood there's a video on the main site with Khalipa doing a prowler wod with some snatches mixed in and again efficiency comes into play which could partially be becauses he's snatching fatigued but no matter. If I could get him to come out to a saturday class he might be pretty good:) J/k Khalipa lol.

Dan John Squat therapy video

Dropping the Back Squat

2010-08-28T07:22:00.001-07:00

There are some mixed reports out there as to the relative value of the back squat for athletes. Honestly, the real answer is whatever keeps you squatting whether it be back, front, zercher, goblet etc...in my training I've found some value in opting for the front squat as the main lift and using the back squat to supplement. My reasoning has more to do with personal experience than empirical evidence, but for the majority, back squats are a good tool to have. I need the squat I use to directly effect the strength of my legs in the way that resembles the lifts as much as possible. My back squat tends to be much more of a back exercise as with heavy lifts I tend to do a good morning in order to lift the weight (I'm a much better deadlifter than back squatter). Now the back squat nazis would tell me that I need to take weight off and focus on form which would be great if I wanted to be a good back squatter, however the truth is I just want the strength from the squat that transfers to my legs and lifts. The front squat actually fulfills all the strength needs from a lifting stand point and it's much more comfortable for me to get DEEP without sacrificing form. I'll still keep back squats in the tool box but mostly for higher reps if needed (goblet squats actually work just as good for high reps). If my back squats could look like this then I would certainly have no argument here.

Olympic lifts and crossfit

2010-08-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

As much as I enjoy crossfit, there are some glaring errors I see with some of the programming. It's important to note that I am an olympic weightlifter/strength athlete first and I have more interest competing in those sports than crossfit, but I am certain on how one should develop an olympic weightlifter or strength and power athlete. In order for me to learn and become proficient with the lifts (which are still nowhere near perfect by the way) I went through two 2 month courses on weightlifting and practiced on my own outside of that for at least a year and a half. Now it’s important to note that the 2 courses were perfect for learning the lifts (especially Coach Rodden’s camp at Mid America) and the year and a half on my own was my own choice. My issue is with the frequency of the programming in crossfit. I shouldn’t even have to sell a crossfit athlete on the importance of being proficient in the lifts, but I will anyway. One only needs to go so far as the first event in this years games for the answer. A much weaker and smaller Spealler cleaned up in the muscle up and snatch couplet 1. Because his muscle ups are ridiculous but 2. Because his snatch was efficient and legit. Khalipa and Rob Orlando are both much stronger than Spealler, yet they lost because their snatch form sucks. Almost none of their lifts would pass in a real competition while Spealler’s were right on point which expresses power better and takes less muscular energy. With this in mind, almost every crossfit gym I’ve seen still programs the lifts as if they’re a similar neurological movements to the deadlift. Nick Horton from Iron samurai compares it to learning a new language which I think is a perfect analogy. You wouldn’t learn Spanish by practicing it once every 2 weeks would you? Absolutely not, you would practice and speak it every day even if it was just some light practice. It takes practice at every session for about a month or 2 to build acceptable form. You can still include the metcons and what not but there should definitely be at least a month or two out of your programming that is Olympic weightlifting focused.

Over and out

I'm done squatting

2010-08-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

It's over folks, the light has been shed. All the mentors I thought were on the right path were absolutely wrong. Dan John, Joe Defranco, Rippetoe, Coach Cross, Coach Rodden, Poliquin, and Bill Starr have all missed the mark. In trying to build better athletes we've all convinced ourselves that the squat was the best answer.....but it is the "absolute worst movement for building athletes" just ask this guy.....

He obviously knows what he's talking about he probably has a degree of some kind, and look in the video that's Troy Polamalu one of the best defensive players in football!! Of course this is all BS and the squat is still one of the best lifts there is. The problems I have with this cat is that 1) people are paying him real money to train people 2) he only uses assumptions with no factual research to support the claim (most research shows an unusually high correlation between squatting strength and vertical jump) 3) he contradicts himself with the exercises he uses in the vid. His claim is that loading the heel with weight teaches improper movement mechanics that are unrealistic to the sporting world.....which would be cool if his athletes weren't standing on a slanted board with one foot catching a football with one hand (happens every game right?). For future references, think twice about following advice from a man who can't seem to grow hair on his face or chest. The only way for a man without these features to reddeem their man card is to squat massive amounts of weight all the way down and back up. I don't make the rules I just follow them. Please people for the love of everything that is manly KEEP SQUATTING!! If it were up to this jagaloon all female athletes would look like runway models.....no butts no glory

Over and out

Year end goals

2010-08-06T14:34:00.000-07:00

I've definitely lost sight of many of the things that I was hoping to do during the beginning of the year. Here will be my goal list for the rest of the year:

- Rededicate myself to getting insanely strong legs. Front squat 315 and back squat 350 ATG: end goal is 2xbw front squat and 2.5xbw back squat

- Snatch bw (right now that's 205, but could be going up)

- Complete king kong as rx'd: this requires work on strength and the muscle ups

- Complete the prowler challenge 6 passes (3 down, 3 back) alternating high and low bar pushes

I'd prefer to keep my crossfiting on maintenence and just focus on gaining a lot of strength, however I will be programming some traditional wods to work on some work capacity but this will not be my focus.

Front squats:

Training Hypothesis

2010-07-23T18:15:00.000-07:00

In light of my immediate boredom I have devised a theory for training. The idea is to combine different ways of training into a highly efficient training system. The main lifts for this system would include squat(back and front), deadlift, press, clean and jerk, and snatch. These lifts are the only lifts that should be done with the barbell, all assistance lifts and feeder workouts should be done with other training implements (kettlebells, sandbags, sleds, big tires etc). An ideal approach would be to do starting strength 2 days a week and begin the session with one of the oly lifts. Alternating back and front squats would also be beneficial. For another 2 days during the week there would be assistance lifts done in conditioning or "wod" fashion. These would depend on your impending weaknesses but they should include lots of swings, presses, and bodyweight stuff. On the fifth workout of the week one should include aworkout that includes running, jumping, or various other forms of bodyweight conditioning. My 2 cents (this actually seems like a pretty solid method.....but who knows).

Equipment needs

2010-07-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

People seem to have the artificial sense that a gym must be equipped with rows and rows of expensive equipment. A gym doesn't really even need to take up that much space so long as the main goal is general fitness and not to heavy on strength. For me, my equipment list includes kettlebells (various sizes), a set of gymnastics rings, and a sandbag. Eventually I would like this to include a dragging sled and a weighted vest but these items aren't incredibly necessary. With the kettlebells, an ideal set up would be a pair of medium bells (relative to you) and a heavy bell (also relative to you). With the sandbag you can add as much weight as desired and with these few implements you can follow just about any crossfit wod that comes up on any affiliate site. Regular kipping pullups are a staple as well and one only need to travel to the park to complete those.

2010-07-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Top City Strength Bias! I built this blog to follow my journey through crossfit strength and conditioning. As the title of the blog indicates, I lean a bit more towards the strength side of crossfit, and I am a student of the Olympic lifts and would love to have a strong crossfit total (1000+). I practice these things in various environments most notably Crossfit Topeka and Crossfit Lees Summit. I also plan on doing more over at The Shop Topeka and outside in the park as well. A few freinds of mine ask that I post simple workouts that could be done in a park so I will post wods that I have accumulated for outside workouts. For the most part this will act as my workout journal and include many practical tips and ideas that I have about strength, conditioning, food, and life in general enjoy:).

Monday (park) WOD 100719

AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) 12:00 min

Walking lunges (roughly 25 yds use your best judgement) down and back
Kipping pullups 10
pushups 15

scale as needed to keep the rest to a minimum