For time:

200m run
50 double-unders
200m run
40 kettlebell swings (m:1.5 pood/f: 1 pood)
200m run
30 pull-ups
200m run
20 toes to bar
200m run
10 thrusters (115/75)

Post time in comments.

The 2010 CrossFit Games “Strong” commercial by Rogue Fitness – video [wmv] [mov]

“The Calm After the Storm: Part 2″ with Kristan Clever, Valerie MacKenzie Voboril and Rebecca Voigt by CrossFit Again Faster, CrossFit Journal preview video [wmv] [mov]

Masters Event 1, Run/Overhead Squat, at the 2010 CrossFit Games:
Master Men – video [wmv] [mov]
Masters Women – video [wmv] [mov]

Melissa spent most of her youth doing gymnastics. She decided to join CrossFit to try something new and to get away from the typical Globo Gym atmosphere. After CrossFitting for three months, Melissa became pregnant with her second child and hasn’t stopped CrossFitting. She feels that CrossFit has been an amazing addition to her life and has enhanced it in so many ways.   It has increased her endurance, strength, and energy to help keep up with her two year old and the one on the way.

Age: 32
Height: 5’0
Weight: 115lbs and growing
Occupation: RN/Wife/Mother

Drank Kool-Aid: Jan 2010

Personal Records:

Backsquat: 140-lbs
Squatclean: 100-lbs*
Deadlift: 155-lbs
Consecutive Pullups: 13*
5K Run: 27:33*

*pregnant

Favorite Lift/Movement: Thrusters and Kipping pullups
Favorite WOD: Tabata anything

Least Favorite Lift/Movement: Overhead squat, Double-Unders
Least Favorite WOD: Murph (Although its a love/hate thing)

Goals:
Short term- continue CrossFitting (modified as necessary) throughout pregnancy.
Long term- once recovered from giving birth, get into competition shape.

“Isabel”

For time:
Snatch, 30 reps (m: 135 lb, f: 95 lb)

WOD Demo with Miranda, Chris and Mary – video [wmv] [mov]

Patrick is a mechanical/aerospace engineer and private pilot.  He has been active in team sports most of his life and currently plays in local basketball and flag football leagues.  Outside of sports, Patrick enjoys hiking, mountain biking, and snowboarding.  David eventually nagged Patrick enough to try CrossFit after he became increasingly bored with traditional gym routines.  Patrick and his wife Lisa enjoy the exercise variety, measurable results, and friendly competitive atmosphere CrossFit Impulse provides.

Age: 32
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 175

Personal Records:
Annie: 6:33
Barbara: 24:00
Eva: 53:50
Filthy Fifty: 25:35
Fran: 7:33
Murph: 45:03
Stephen: 25:55
TommyV: 23:10
Consecutive Double Unders: 118
Max Box Jump: 49”

Run 5K

Post time to comments.

Compare to 100501.

Life presents many situations where success means looking fear in the eyes, spitting in its face, and resolving to finish no matter how much you might want to quit. Distance running is one such situation. All it takes is a little confidence and a lot of spit.

Chucks

One of the most common questions asked during our Fundamentals series is “What’s up with everyone wearing Chuck Taylor All-Stars?” or “Do shoes matter?” So, I decided to take a few moments to explain, “why” shoes matter and “why Chucks” for CrossFitting.

CrossFitters choose their shoes for numerous reasons such as comfort, style, cost, and performance. Comfort is a no-brainer. No one wants to magnify the pain of a high intensity “Fran” by lacing on a pair of uncomfortable shoes of any size, shape, or style.

Style on the other hand is like an opinion, everyone has one and it differs from one person to the next. Although style may not be the most important factor when selecting a shoe for CrossFitting, you’d be fooling yourself if you said style had zero influence in the decision tree. If a particular brand or type of shoe just doesn’t mesh with your personal style, then you are not likely to run out to grab a pair just because you saw someone at CrossFit Impulse sporting them.

We all want the best product at the lowest cost. That doesn’t change when shopping for a pair of kicks to wear during your next WOD. Snoop Dogg may wear $1500 Gators while driving his $65,000 Snoop Deville, but he’s not going to scuff them on a plyo-box during Filthy Fifty. Finding a shoe that fits your budget can be as important as comfort and style.

CrossFitters are constantly seeking ways to shave seconds off their metcon times or set a PR on Olympic lifts. As you may have anticipated, shoes can be a significant performance variable when CrossFitting. Some features that affect performance are sole thickness, sole density, heel thickness or angle, and flexibility of the shoe. Let’s examine a 1RM (one rep max) deadlift attempt wearing a pair of Asics GT-2150s running shoes designed with a thick, cushy sole to absorb those infamous heel strikes. To perform a proper deadlift, we must pull the loaded barbell from the ground, maintaining core stabilization, by driving our heels against the floor. When wearing a traditional running shoe like the GT-2150s, that thick, shock absorbing sole will do exactly what it’s designed to do: absorb force. What do I mean? The cushiony sole has to be compressed before any force is applied to the barbell. Imagine deadlifting while standing on a mattress. Sound ridiculous? It is! So why do it by wearing high heeled running shoes?

Additionally, the thick heel automatically puts you at a disadvantage for driving through the heels. The heel is usually much thicker and higher than the forefoot of the shoe, shifting you unnaturally to your toes. We all know the shame of being on our toes while performing lifts. Double-unders, running, and box jumps are a few incidents when being on your toes (or forefoot) is desired and accepted. However, the majority of the time we want to drive through our heels to transfer the most force to the ground. I haven’t even mentioned the lateral or side-to-side instability that is absorbed by the comfy cushioned sole shoes, but it’s time to move on. Whether you are deadlifting, cleaning, or squatting you want a thin, flat, hard soled, minimalist shoe to transfer the maximum amount of force to the ground through the heels. This means moving heavy loads more efficiently.

Now is a good time to talk about why I, and many other CrossFitters, prefer Chuck Taylor All-Stars. To no surprise, Chucks have a thin, flat, hard sole. During a lift, minimum sole compression takes place before force is transferred to the ground to move the load. A completely flat sole allows you to start, and remain, on your heels throughout the movement. This makes Chucks ideal for any type of lift. I initially bought my first pair of Chucks for lifting but I quickly found that they are very versatile. Unlike specialty shoes, I can wear my Chucks during any and all workouts. I can lift, run, wall-ball, row, tire flip, box jump–you name it. I even bought a pair to wear outside of the gym. The only workouts when I don’t prefer my Chucks are long distance runs of five kilometers (5K) or more. If done with proper POSE form, running is not bad in Chucks. I have run up to a 5K in mine with no issues, but sometimes I would like to have a little more sole, like a Nike Free.

What about the comfort, style, and cost of Chucks? They are not the lightest shoe available, but I find Chucks to be comfortable, offering little to no restrictions. Numerous styles and colors are available for as little as $45. You can build your own custom Chucks on the Converse website, including printing personalized text on the shoe for approximately $60. Jeff Barnett, CrossFit Impulse co-owner and trainer, took advantage of the customization with his bright orange “Snatchtastic” high-top All-stars. It took a lot of ingenuity to get the word “snatch” past Converse’s word filter, but he pulled it off.

Are Chucks the only shoe to achieve the versatility CrossFitters need? Of course not. They are just my choice. Many other options are available that offer a flat, minimalist sole shoe for CrossFitting.

Vibram FiveFingers are popular among many CrossFitters. FiveFingers are probably the most minimalist shoe on the market. They are about as close to barefoot as you can get, which makes them truly functional. We were not meant to have miniature mattresses on our feet, such as the GT-2150s mentioned earlier. FiveFingers are extremely light and flexible with a thin, dense rubber sole. I have never worn a pair for any substantial length of time, but I know many CrossFitters that swear by them. They say “it’s like wearing an extra thick sock that fits between your toes”. The “fits between your toes” is what I don’t like. I have to agree with Chuck Carswell, a CrossFit HQ trainer, “Thongs between more than two toes sketches me out a little.” FiveFingers are also not the most visually appealing footwear either. Not that we are concerned with appearance, right? Although they are a minimalist shoe, they are not sold at a minimalist price. A pair will set you back $80-$100. I am considering giving FiveFingers another chance because I do like their raw functionality. Who knows, maybe I can adapt to the “thongs between more than one toe.”

The Nike Free is another shoe that seems to get good reviews from the CrossFit community. It “attempts to simulate barefoot running while wearing a shoe,” making it another good option for those looking for a minimalist shoe for CrossFitting. Nike grades the shoe on a scale from 0 to 10, with 10 offering the most support and 0 being closest to barefoot. For example, the Nike Free 5.0 would be like running 50 % barefoot. I have not worn a pair of Nike Free(s) other than trying them on in the store. It seems they are extremely light and flexible, offering little support, but they do have a soft sole. This is another shoe on my list to try, specifically for running. A pair of Frees will cost you $90-$100.

I have directed much attention to minimalist shoes. However, some CrossFitters prefer to go the ultra-minimalist route and workout barefoot. Barefoot is by far the most primitive and functional way to go. There is nothing between your foot and the ground, so no force is lost to compressing a shoe sole. This is especially beneficial and most common when executing a 1RM power lift such as deadlift or back squat. However, faster movements like snatches and cleans may roll your pinky toe in ways nature didn’t intend, so perform shoeless Olympic lifts at your own risk. I have not seen many people go barefoot when things like running or box jumps are involved. Barefoot running or running in minimalist shoes is a hot topic in the fitness and running communities. Research has shown that many running related injuries are actually caused by our advances in the technology of running shoes. They allow us to run improperly, causing injury over time. Barefoot is an option at CrossFit Impulse, and it doesn’t cost anything.

Hosts of other options abound on the market. The shoes I have mentioned are simply my picks. Mix it up and find what works best for you. You may find that you like Chucks for general metcons, running shoes for workouts that involve running, and weight lifting shoes for strength days. I am certainly not suggesting you wear any particular brand, make or style of shoe. The intent is to give you my opinion for you to use in finding what shoes work best for you as an individual. CrossFit is about improving your fitness. Find the shoe or shoes that will help you meet your fitness goals. If you want to wear $1500 Gators during Fight Gone Bad, by all means, go for it!

“Roy”

Five rounds for time of:
225 pound Deadlift, 15 reps
20 Box jumps, 24 inch box
25 Pull-ups

Kristan Clever 16:29 (155lb Deadlift),

Rebecca Voigt 22:36 (155lb Deadlift).

Post times to comments.

Marine Corps Sgt. Michael C. Roy, 25, of North Fort Myers, Fla., assigned to the 3rd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Marine Special Operations Advisor Group, Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command at Camp Lejeune, was killed in action on July 8th, 2009 in Nimroz Province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations. He is survived by his wife Amy and three children, Michael, Landon and Olivia.

-50 ft overhead famer’s walk with uneven load (m: 70 lb/53 lb; f: 55 lb/ 35 lb)

-Over the pullup bar, any way

-50 ft overhead famer’s walk with uneven load (m: 70 lb/53 lb; f: 55 lb/ 35 lb)

-12 squats

Overhead famer’s walk will be done by carrying the heavier load hanging by one arm and the lighter load extended overhead in the other arm. At the end of 50 ft the athlete will drop the load, maneuver her body over the pullup bar, and then return to the starting line in an overhead famer’s walk while carrying the light/heavy loads in opposite arms from her first walk. After the athlete has returned to the starting line, she will perform 12 squats. Complete this sequence for 10 rounds. Prescribed WOD will use barbells for heavier load. Kettlebells will be available for lighter load and as scaling options for heavier load.

Check out our pictures from Friend and Family Day here on Facebook! If you haven’t already, “like” our page and tag your friends in pictures to let them know they’re famous!

Today is CrossFit Impulse Friend and Family Day. If you know someone who’s interested in CrossFit and wants to try it or see it for themselves, bring them to our 3:00 class. We’ll have a quick intro to CrossFit and then everyone can participate in today’s WOD. As always, scaling will be available for all ability levels. There is no requirement for high intensity exercise. Everyone can participate at whatever level they are comfortable.

AMRAP 8 minutes

5 pullups

10 pushups

15 situps

Post rounds completed to comments.

“CrossFit Total”

Back squat, 1 rep
Shoulder Press, 1 rep
Deadlift, 1 rep

Post total to comments.