Tips, news & views
It's got me. That's right. The common cold has seen fit to visit me this year. In this regard I'm no different to millions of people across the world. Of course, this doesn't mean I feel any better about it. But I'm not gonna let it get me down. In fact, I've decided to ride it through and see how well a good old positive attitude will work in treating one of the few ailments that modern medicine has yet to find a pill to over-prescribe in the hope of treating. Here are a few ways that you can treat a common cold: - get a lot of sleep (9-10 hours a night for starters)
- eat well (lots of nutrient rich foods)
- keep warm (obvious but essential)
- down some vitamins, herbs & minerals (e.g. vitamin C, B-complex vitamins & echinacea)
- avoid dairy foods
- Traditional Chinese Medicine recommends garlic and ginger and avoiding chicken
- or you could buy some dodgy cough syrup and decongestants and knock yourself out
My recommendations: rest, sleep, eat well, stay at home for a day and keep warm.
Beware: your CrossFit trainer may not be a CrossFit trainer at all.Recently, there have been a number of individuals and organisations that have been using the CrossFit IP (intellectual property) and claiming it as their own or not paying the appropriate dues or both. Now, whilst everyone is free to use the concepts of CrossFit for their own training and even train others with the CrossFit methods, the use of the CrossFit name and IP is reserved to affiliates. We have discovered a blatant example in Damon Ponder of Texas. For more information on Damon's disregard for the CrossFit community please refer to the 23/07/2007 post on crossfit.com, please leave your thoughts as comments. In order to maintain the high standards of CrossFit and continue the development of an unparalleled fitness community operators like Damon must be made accountable for their actions. As passionate CrossFitters we are not going to stand idly by while this kind of dishonesty and disrespect continues.
 The overhead squat (OHS) is my personal favourite. Where you may be able to get away with poor form in a back squat or front squat, the overhead squat will show you up very quickly. The difference is obvious; you have to hold and stabilise a weight above your head. Adding this extra complexity to the squat demands greater understanding of the techinque and provides substantial benefits for athletes and fitness fanatics alike. Watch this video of Peter and I doing a few reps. You'll notice a distinct difference in form and confidence in the movement. (FYI - Peter's overheads are now looking great). For a more in depth analysis of the overhead squat, watch this video of Coach Greg Glassman discussing the lift. Note: Nicole winning another OHS competition - the girl is a freak! Labels: Exercise, Technique
The CrossFit training model has had a long and successful association with the armed forces all over the world. Soldiers, pilots and sailors have all proven the validity of the CrossFit principles throughout their training and in combat. The Canadian Army is leading the world in adopting CrossFit for its PT. CrossFit Victoria is aiming to introduce the Australian Defence Forces to CrossFit training in the near future. Stay tuned for more information or contact us if you want to know more right now. Watch this video of Coach Greg Glassman founder of CrossFit at an event introducing the Canadian Army to CrossFit.
Angela Hart shows how to refine your rowing technique in this video. Labels: Exercise, Technique
 In our opinion you are never too young to start training. All this BS about stunting growth and causing more harm than good gets us a little riled up. If a child is instructed correctly and understands that learning how their body works is important they will develop valuable life skills whilst having fun. At CrossFit Victoria, we encourage participation in a wide array of sports and athletic pursuits from a young age. It is also important that teenagers continue to exercise regularly even when they have a lot of study to do too. Neglecting the body will not make the brain work better. Forming good physical habits from a young age often sees the continuation of these activities in adult life; the importance of this cannot be understated given the current worldwide obesity disaster. FYI - That's Sebastian, Peter Trapp's son behind a kettlebell that's 3-4 times his bodyweight.
 An A-level gymnastics movement, the muscle-up is classed as one of the easier movements learned by gymnasts (the scale goes from A to E). However, the movement is anything but easy. Effectively a pullup that transitions into a dip, this movement is much more difficult that it looks. Performed on a bar or rings; don't be surprised if it takes a lot of practice to hit your first muscle-up. Here are a few items to help you understand more about this potent exercise: Now, it's time to start practicing.
A week ago saw the first event where full MMA rules were seen in Melbourne. The Chelsea Fight Night included four MMA fights plus a heap of kickboxing matches too. I was lucky enough to be in the corner of Ross Macleod who is training with CrossFit Victoria to achieve elite conditioning for his fights. Ross took the foght on 3 weeks notice and was eager to make his return to MMA competition. We arrived at 7pm to find out that Ross' fight was now the main event and that we would have a few hours wait (the fight began at about 12:15am). Unfortunately for Ross his first punch landed atop his opponent Neil Swailes' skull. This broke and dislocated his thumb and pretty much shut down his hand. From that point Neil had the advantage taking the fight to the ground and avoiding a guillotine from Ross. Neil took the victory with a shoulder lock variation that Ross had trouble defending due to his injury. We will be making sure Ross is in the best shape of his career for his next fight. We wish him a speedy recovery and the best of luck for his future in MMA.
We see a lot of different styles when we sit people on the rower for the first time. With some good instruction and a little concentration these are remedied very quickly. But what if you haven't got anyone to help you get it right?  Angela Hart was recently captured on video explaining some keys points and we recommend that you watch the video (even if you think you know what you are doing).
Andrew started training with CrossFit Victoria to get into shape for his upcoming Commando selection test. He, like many people online, understands that the CrossFit model is a perfect fit for armed forces personnel - in fact the Canadian Army has adopted CrossFit for it's PT.  We've been training Andrew for about two weeks now and are focusing on improving his level of intensity and his ability to push himself both physically and mentally. He's a strong unit and we expect he will have no trouble meeting the requirements of selection. We wish him the best of luck.
You've heard of Dan John, right? Well if you haven't you are truly missing out on the knowledge and experience of one of the world's top no BS fitness coaches. He knows about it because he does it. Here's a great article by Dan from T-Nation. Read it!
At the most basic level of functional movement it is important to keep things as simple as possible. Often the problem with learning new moves is that there is too much complexity where it is not required. This can be the fault of your coach, the article you read, your friends in the gym or perhaps your need to over-analyse everything. Whatever the reason things can be fixed by stepping back, stripping things back to basics and starting from scratch.  Let's look at an example. The push-up is one of the most basic bodyweight exercises in existance. It is simple in its design and execution yet can be performed poorly with incorrect technique and incorrect points of focus. So, let's simplify the movement. What are we aiming to do? We want to raise our body from the floor by extending our arms away from our bodies. Simple. The only other thing to think about at the most basic level is that you must keep your body (from shoulder to toe) rigid and in a straight line. Not too difficult either. Here's the easiest way to do it. Lie face down on the ground. Don't start at the top. Remember it's a push- UP so start at the bottom. Now, hold the muscles of your torso, hips and legs just tight enough to maintain the position you are in whilst lying face down. Position your hands where comfortable (we can alter this position for various reasons if we choose) and push yourself up until your arms reach full extension. Then lower yourself down. Easy. The moral of the post? Keep it simple. You can apply this principle to most movements (yes, even the seemingly complex ones). Think about it - what is a deadlift? It's simply lifting an object from a dead stop. What is a pull-up? It's simply pulling yourself up to an overhead bar. So, start simple and once you've got the basics then you can start to analyse the movement a little more and tweak it until it's perfect.
Given the nature of CrossFit workouts it can be hard to describe what you might be in for when you attend a CrossFit training session. To give you an idea of what a CrossFit Victoria workout may look like, here's a video of one of our clients at the tail end of a workout.
You may have found this link elsewhere but if you haven't seen "Sports Acrobatics: The 5 Disciplines" then you're missing something special. Click here to view the video.
 Right off the bat we want to say that the deadlift should be a part of every single fitness program. I don't care if you are a house wife, commando, football player or ballerina you should be deadlifting. It is simple in its design and potent in its ability to build strength. There is a common misconception that the deadlift is bad for the back, the knees and any number of other joints in the body. This idea holds as much water as the idea that squats where the knees go beyond 90 degrees are a recipe for disaster. That is, it's complete BS. The deadlift is functionality, pure and simple. Recently, CrossFit.com posted a great video featuring Coach Rippetoe talking about the deadlift. We recommend that you watch it.
The thruster is a very heavily used CrossFit exercise. It is a combination of the front squat and push press resulting in a very powerful and strong functional movement. It develops amazing hip function, co-ordination and as previously mentioned power and strength. Performed at high intensity it also makes for one hell of a metabolic conditioning tool. The thruster is part of the benchmark WOD Fran and should be well understood by all CrossFit athletes. Check out this video to see the thruster in motion.
 We are often asked what resistance to set the Concept 2 rower at when using it in a workout. This area is a little confusing as the level that is labelled 1-10 is not actually a resistance modifier. The truth is that you change resistance based upon how you use the machine. The lever is called a damper and there are various reasons why you might chose a particular setting. Recently crossfit.com posted a great video about this very topic, we recommend that you watch it to learn more about the Concept 2 rower and its settings.
Due to the inclement weather and a general lack of interest over recent weeks we have decided to cancel Sunday in the park until further notice. We will be replacing these sessions with indoor training in South Yarra. This will commence within the next few weeks and will occur on Saturday mornings. Those who have purchased 10 pass cards will be able to use them at the new venue. Stay tuned for more info and as always contact us if you have any questions.
It seems that the cooler weather is starting to turn more and more people away from Sunday morning training. Maybe it's the fact that it's on a Sunday that's the reason? We are thinking of moving training indoors for the cooler months. Possible venues are Oasis Fitness Club in Hawthorn East, SYSC in South Yarra or maybe a local hall. Anyway, we want your input. So, here are the questions: Are Saturdays better for you? Which venue would you prefer? What time do you want to train? Please reply to comments.
This advertisement was printed in today's Herald-Sun newspaper.  [enlarge image]Post your thoughts to comments.
That's right people, CrossFit Victoria just took possession of a couple of wheels and tyres for flips, drags, lifts and other associated nastiness. We'd like to thank Lindo Rotar for his donation of the 2 heavy tyres and his late night delivery after a busy day! We are very grateful. Call Lindo if your car needs some new rubber: ROTAR TYRE SERVICE 11-15 Brunswick Road, East Brunswick 3057 Tel- 9380 4455
We have just installed our own discussion board. To join in the fun and frivolity (and a little seriousness) just click here.
|
