Skills

The ladies working on Turkish Get ups.

WOD:

Rest or

A: Power clean
3 x 65% 1rm
3 X 75% 1rm
3 X 85% 1rm

B: Skills
med ball clean
10 turkish get ups per side (not for time)

Wall Balls

Along with push ups, Wall balls are one of the most cheated on movements in Thames CrossFit. This movement is all about your legs. If you use your legs to drive the ball and use your arms to guide it, the workout will be a lot easier, you will use less energy, and your arms will not get tired as quickly.

Check the video above for good tips on how to do wall balls, as well as some common mistakes people make.

Remember, keep a solid squat (lumbar curve, weight through heels, below parallel, knees over toes), and hold the ball high the entire time.

WOD:

Ladder: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Wall balls 9/6kg
Knees to elbows

Mixed-up workouts

Violet working on her endurance.

If you did Jackie a few weeks back, you know how difficult it can be to do a workout with mixed domains. For reference, Jackie was to row 1000m, then do 50 thrusters with an empty bar, and 30 pull-ups. It sounds simple, but moving from a cardio or endurance activity like rowing to a strength and power activity is not easy, and many of us had to rest multiple times during the thrusters. Even going from one cardio activity to another can be difficult, as those of you who participate in triathlons can attest to.

Today’s workout will push your ability to mix domains by forcing you to start a gymnastics based WOD after a 1 mile run. Pushing through the pain on this one will help increase your lung capacity and prepare your body and mind for the unexpected. You can think about this one next time you have to run away from a dog (cardio), and hop a fence or climb a tree to get away (pull-ups, ring dips)

WOD:

A:
Deadlift
3×65%
3×75%
3×85% (as many repetitions as possible)

B:
For time:

Run 1600m

then
3 rounds
10 ring dips
20 pull ups
30 squats

Rest and Recovery

Am I overtraining?

Here at Thames CrossFit we all like to push ourselves and others hard during the workouts. We do this as we know that it is the high intensity that provides the optimal adaptation, leading to improved fitness. Feeling tired immediately after a session and the following day(s) is a normal response to this high intensity stimulus but is there a point where that tiredness is a sign that you should be slowing down during a workout or maybe even decide to back off and just take the day off? We are not talking about the moment where that little voice inside your head is telling you to give up during a workout but a more long term issue of overtraining.

Let’s take a look at some common signs and symptoms of overtraining:

• Insomnia
• Achiness or pain in the muscles and/or joints
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Sudden inability to complete workouts
• Feeling unmotivated and lacking energy
• Increased susceptibility to colds, sore throats and other illnesses
• Loss in appetite
• Decrease in performance

As we can see, being in a state of overtraining is not a happy place to be.  However, more often than not these signs creep in slowly and not all at once. At first we might not even be able to pinpoint the cause for a subtle decrease in performance or altered sleep quality.

So how do I know if I’m overtraining?

There are many ways to keep track of this. Here are two solutions you can apply:

1. Just listen to your body for the above listed signs. This is something that takes time to learn but here is a practical way to get started: If you are feeling tired and not quite sure whether you should train today or take the day off, the first step to take is to come to the gym. When you are at the gym, changed to your workout gear and looking at the whiteboard, you can decide whether you need to take the day off or not. If you are still feeling like it’s not a good idea then back off, do some stretching and call it a day. It is way too easy to feel tired after a hard week at work and just decide that “yep, I’m definitely overtrained and will need to take today off (and maybe have a beer or two in the process)”.
2. Slightly more technical solution is to keep a log of your resting heart rate (HR). The best time to do this is after waking up (before getting off the bed) in the morning and just before turning the lights off (already in bed) in the evening. You can then establish a baseline resting HR for yourself. You can now follow the changes based on your training. A 5% increase from the baseline means you should take it easy that day and a 10% increase means it’s time to take a rest day. Although this might sound like a bit too much hassle at first, it’s actually quite easy to implement in your daily routine

Next time we are going to consider the possibility that you are not actually overtraining but just under recovering..

WOD:

Note there is no park WOD this weekend…however, some members were planning to meet in Greenwich for an informal WOD. Post details and enquiries to comments.

9 rounds of:
1 min run, 1 min rest
Hold distances as consistent as possible.

More presses

Louise working on her overhead press.

WOD:

A: Press

3×65%
3×75%
3×85% (as many repetitions as possible)

B: 4 rounds of

3 minute limit:
Run 200m
then AMRAP
7 box jumps 24/18″
7 ring dips

Rest 2 minutes between intervals

Phil!

Age: 23
Height: 5’8
Weight: 63kg

This week we highlight Phil, our recent paleo challenge winner and one of our most consistent athletes. Phil has shown tremendous determination since day 1, and is one of the most well-rounded athletes at Thames CrossFit.

What do you do all day?
I work in ‘Compliance and Information Management’ in the civil service (although maybe not for much longer when George ‘Swift-cut’ Osbourne reveals his budget!)

Can you give us some of your benchmark workout stats?
Fran: 06:03
Cindy: 20 rounds
Fight Gone Bad: 299

What is your athletic history?
I have dabbled in a few different areas, when I was younger I did a little karate and judo, more recently I have done a few half-marathons, some rock climbing whilst at Uni, how can I forget playing football! and of corse before I found Crossfit I was a user of the dreaded ‘globogym’.

What is your biggest strength in the gym?
Apparently its anything to do with bouncing? or so some would have you believe….I think I have a fairly good gas tank which helps with the longer WODS, and any bodyweight workouts seem to favour me.

Biggest weakness?
At the moment i’d say my strength, although its not to bad for someone of my size, if I want to compete with the big guns then it has to improve.

What’s your drink?
You mean apart from Milk?….I suppose it depends on the situation. Nothing can beat a good first pint refreshment, but I am partial to some good old Southern Comfort or some form of Rum.

What’s your biggest fitness goal?
At the moment its to do my best on the Manchester Invitational CF Games! and maybe one day attempt the CF Games. In the long term just health and longevity, CF is my elixir of life!

What do you enjoy most about Thames CrossFit?
The sense of community, not just at ThamesCF, but the crossfit population in general. I have had the pleasure of visiting a couple of other affiliates and I was immediately made to feel welcome and part of the group. This extends into each and every training session with an unbelievably supportive & motivating atmosphere. I can say my recent battle with Eva was a team effort, without the group cheering me on (with beers in hand!) I wouldn’t have got that time.

Have any advice for our new members or potential CrossFitters?
Just give it a go, the experience speaks for itself!

Most importantly: What is the greatest sports movie of all time?
Baseketball…Thats right not basketball, basEketball. Starring the creators of South Park (and of course the lovely Yasmine Bleath) its exactly the comedy you would expect. Its about 2 childhood friends who create a hybrid sport of baseball and basketball which turns into a nationwide sport.

Dude!

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WOD:

“Almost an Annie”
50 – 40 – 30 – 20 – 10
Double-unders
Hollow rocks

Wednesday Skills

Frankie and John preparing for an overhead squat. Special recognition goes to all of our newest members, Frankie, John, Stan, Animesh, Louise, Violet, Louisa, and Serena. They are taking to the WOD’s and bringing a lot of enthusiasm every day.

WOD:

Skills!

A: Backsquat
3×65%
3×75%
3×85% (as many repetitions as possible)

B: Waiter’s walk with 1 KB, 400m (make sure the load is challenging and chance hands as often as needed)

C: Skills:
- kipping pull ups

Tuesday’s WOD and Last Friday’s Antics

Do you remember much about Friday night? We have more than a few photos, and some video, to remind you:

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Tuesday’s WOD:

3 intervals of:

400m run
21 KB swings 24/16kg
12 pull ups

REST 3 minutes between intervals

Summer Solstice

Visitors Jon and Adam joining our members outside and enjoying the sun…er…well…the daytime.

Prey for sun, it’s the longest day of the year today. Spend it with us getting fit!

WOD:

A:
Power Clean
60%x5×1
70%x5×1
80%x5×1, you need minimum 5 reps on this one but aim is to go for as many as you can.

B:
Complete 7 rounds for time of:
3 Deadlifts 100/70 kg
6 Handstand Push Ups
9 Box Jumps 24″ box

Weekend WOD at Green Park

This week’s park workout will be in Green Park at 11:00am on Sunday. We will meet near the toilets next to the tube station on Piccadilly st. We will be there for 10 mins, so please be on time. Please call Jay if you get lost or are going to be late. 077 7768 8871.

Here’s a google maps view of where we’ll be.

View Larger Map

Weekend WOD
5x1km runs, rest 2 mins between runs.

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