1-arm kettlebell clean + 1-arm kettlebell Thruster:
8, 6, 4, 2, 2, 2, 2
Weight increases each set (denoted by commas), and reps are divided evenly L to R. Today, 1 clean + 1 Thruster = 1 rep; Complete the clean (including a full stand-up), and then begin the Thruster.
Start conservatively and end as heavy as possible.
Then, 4 rounds of:
12 Push-up
12 Reverse lunge box jump @ 20″ W, 24″ M
8 Bodyweight row
8 Box jump @ 20″ W, 24″ M
And then:
10 minutes Airdyne (3 minutes forward + 2 minutes arms-only x 2)
We have learned the hard way, and continue to learn, that we are in an era of “Do”, and much less an era of “Learn to do” when it comes to “Functional fitness”. That simple fact makes the way we operate our facility and conduct our training more of a challenge than being a growing brand in the fitness industry is in the first place.
There are right ways and wrong ways to train people, and then there are those that choose to do neither. We choose the right way. It’s not the quickest way, it’s definitely not the easiest way, and it is often not the funnest way. But it’s right. Detail-oriented training- from the beginning and day-in and day-out afterwards- leads to a strong, versatile skill set, it leads to long-term progress… It favors safety and quality over convenience, and develops the mental fortitude to endure things outside and above a haphazard conditioning workout.
For all the truly amazing things that CrossFit has done over the past 12 years, the current incarnation of it has left its bastard children to fend for themselves and fight over scraps at an overcrowded dinner table, and created a culture of mediocrity in a field that should be anything but. The ease of franchise- but lack of experience- and need for members to fill over-equipped facilities has led to an inattention to detail at the upstart level that has made attention to detail such as ours the exception, and not the rule. We’ve seen the impatience with those that just want to “Get after it”, and not learn the fundamentals… We’ve seen those that, after training other places, struggle with the basics but don’t want to slow down and hammer them. And thankfully, we’ve also taken in many that have decided details are fun, and know that there’s more to training than the time on a clock, or the weight on a bar.
We have less members than many of the sub-par CrossFit gyms in our area. Do we need members to keep the doors open? Sure. Are we willing to follow the herd, throw out a Groupon or two, let anyone with enough money to train for a month jump cold into a class that involves hard work, heavy weights, and challenging body positions, or put a diluted brand name above our door to recruit them? No.
We choose to grow the right way. It’s not the quickest way, it’s definitely not the easiest way, and it is often not the funnest way. But it’s right.
“A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” James Crook