Sat. Nov. 14th, 2009

Our series on solving knee problems continues with Kelly Starrett telling participants at a one day seminar at CrossFit Santa Cruz on March 14, 2009 that he first time an athlete engages the hamstring when squatting is an ‘aha!’ moment and “lights go off for them.” Starrett is the owner of San Francisco CrossFit and a Doctor of Physical Therapy.
If the tibia goes forward in a squat, joint forces across the meniscus will not be in perfect rotation. There will be compression and shear. Over time, this may result in a meniscus tear. “You set yourself up for that meniscus tear with your crappy squat,” Starrett says. To avoid injury, ensure the tibia is vertical, or least under control.
It’s also important to ensure athletes land properly with a definite “the buck stops here” end to the movement. The butt and hamstring should be engaged. Otherwise, athletes may put their knee forward and twist. Coaches should watch for a toe to heel to hamstring sequence.
Coaches should also harp on proper squat mechanics and repeating the “get the shin back” cue. Athletes need to have a good reason to put the knees forward. A good answer from an athlete might be that his knees were forward to keep his torso upright, but his hamstring was engaged.

http://library.crossfit.com/premium/video/CFJ_Starrett_Knees_2.wmv?e=1258186641&h=de0939e3fe72aa3b857b74918627da76

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Today's W.O.D. - will be determined if I finish the pullup station by 9am or not.

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Today's hours: 9am only

Fri. Nov. 13th, 2009

Today's W.O.D.
1000m row
50 wallballs 20#
50 double unders
25 butterfly situps
5 Tire flips
25 butterfly situps
50 double unders
50 wallballs 20#
1000m row
For time

Today's hours:
6:30am - 10am
2pm - 3pm
6pm - 7pm
Otherwise by appt.

Thurs., Nov. 12th, 2009

Today's W.O.D.
Make up Thursday
If you missed a W.O.D. or if there is something you would like to work on, today is the day.

Today's hours:
6:30AM - 10:00AM
2:00PM - 3:00PM
6:00PM - 7:00PM
otherwise by appointment

Wed. Nov. 11th, 2009

We are working around the construction but everything seems to be going well. We have done some heavy lifting the last couple of days. Its amazing to see the gains everybody is making every week. Make sure everybody is drinking lots of water. I have included an article and video which is part 1 of 3 in a series by Kelly Starrett on solving knee problems. Let me know what you think.

“The squat magically cures knee pain if you squat correctly,” Kelly Starrett told participants at a one day seminar at CrossFit Santa Cruz on March 14, 2009. Starrett is the owner of San Francisco CrossFit and a Doctor of Physical Therapy.
Improper squat mechanics under load will lead to problems over time. Muted hips and knees bent forward are common faults. Starrett said one patient at his clinic was an elite, world champion athlete who had flown in for a consultation. The problem was the athlete simply didn’t know how to squat. Starrett blamed the athlete’s coach and PE teachers for failing to provide proper instruction. “No one ever taught him to squat right,” Starrett said.
The body weight squat to a high box can be a good way to start. Kelly tells his clients to keep their spines straight, stick their butts back, break their knees at the same time as they reach back, and put their hands up for balance. Athletes find they can squat with no pain because they are unloading their quad tendons. It takes them off tension and they don’t get a down/up stretch cycle. The eccentric/concentric chain is broken and the athlete is able to rise properly from the squat. The shin is pretty vertical and the femur is rotating around a pretty vertical tibia.
When athletes are put in the best position, with maximum congruency of the joints, hotspots are unloaded. Keeping the shins vertical maximally unloads the patella tendon.
http://library.crossfit.com/premium/video/CFJ_Starrett_Knees_1.wmv?e=1257928908&h=308a908e64122150acaa173ba800cb2a

Today's W.O.D.
150 Burpees
For time

Today's hours:
6:30am - 11am
2pm - 3pm
6pm - 7pm
Otherwise by appt.

Tuesday, Nov. 10th, 2009

Website is finally up again, sorry for the technical difficulties.

Today's W.O.D.
"CrossFit Total"
shoulder press 1 rep max
back squat 1 rep max
deadlift 1 rep max


Today's Hours:
6:30AM - 11:00AM
2PM - 3PM
6PM - 7PM

Mon. Nov. 9th, 2009

We are going into week 2 of the new box. As everybody is probably noticing, we are having some pains associated with the transition. Merlin is fast at work on the new pull-up station, a little bit of water from the storms among other building quirks, and of course the new running routes. Fortunately, the larger space seems to outweigh all of these issues. Again, I appreciate the patience and the smiling faces everyday. If anybody has any questions or concerns, please let me know. I have included an article on the overhead squat by Greg Glassman. Let me know what you think.

The overhead squat is the ultimate core exercise, the heart of the snatch, and peerless in developing effective athletic movement. This functional gem trains for efficient transfer of energy from large to small body parts - the essence of sport movement. For this reason it is an indispensable tool for developing speed and power. The overhead squat also demands and develops functional flexibility, and similarly develops the squat by amplifying and cruelly punishing faults in squat posture, movement, and stability.
The overhead squat is to midline control, stability, and balance what the clean and snatch are to power - unsurpassed.
Ironically, the overhead squat is exceedingly simple yet universally nettlesome for beginners. There are three common obstacles to learning the overhead squat. The first is the scarcity of skilled instruction - outside of the Olympic lifting community most instruction on the overhead squat is laughably horribly, wrong - dead wrong.
The second is a weak squat - you need to have a rock-solid squat to learn the overhead squat. We strongly recommend you review the December 2002 issue of the CrossFit Journal on squatting before attempting the overhead squat; you could save yourself a lot of time in the long run. The third obstacle is starting with too much weight - you haven't a snowball's chance in hell of learning the overhead squat with a bar. You'll need to use a length of dowel or plastic PVC pipe; use anything over five pounds to learn this move and your overhead squat will be stillborn.
http://library.crossfit.com/premium/pdf/36_05_Overhead_Squat.pdf?e=1257783660&h=9a50e0f7061316ef041308d5d5c36a5f

Check out this video on the overhead squat:http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_OverheadSquattingSafely.wmv

Today's W.O.D.
"Nancy"
400 meter run
15 Overhead squat - 95 lbs
5 rounds for time

Today's hours:
6:30am - 7:20am - Mike has to leave by 7:20am
9am - 11am - I will be down there as soon as I get off shift (hopefully by 8:30am)
2pm - 3pm
6pm - 7pm