Seven Sisters Series - #2 Claudia

One of the challenges with weight training and cardio vascular fitness is linking them together in a workout. When doing the "Claudia" workout is couldn't be more straight forward. With this second installment of the Sever Sister Series we introduce a couplet of running and Kettlebell Swings. Do not be fooled as this girl is anything but a "Plain Jane." Claudia is one of the most effective and efficient workouts in the series. Whether you are at home using a treadmill or at the park with a single piece of equipment. This five round event with put you in your place with a total body butt kicker.

"Claudia"

5 Rounds for Time

400 m Run

20 Kettlebell Swings

Women 35 lb

Men 53 lb.

Train Fun!

T.G.I.F

We are all happy that it is Friday so here is a end of the week lift to bring in the weekend or at least earn your Happy Hour tonight!

Our weekly prescription of the "Alphabet Assault"

"T.G.I.F."

Do as a circuit

21-15-9

T - DB Thrusters

G - 1 /2 Pirate Get Up

I - Kettlebell Swing

F - Goblet Squat

Train Fun!

10 x 10 x 10

Are you ready for a full body workout where the grand total equals 1000 reps? Yes you are! Here is the lay out.

A Tribute work out to the late great Jack LaLanne. He did in his 90's what most can't do in their prime. A testament to health and wellness.

10 Exercise, 10 Reps each, 10 Rounds for Time

1. Jumping Jacks
2. Air Squats
3. Push Ups
4. Sit Ups
5. Alternating Lunges
6. Bench Dips
7. Squat Jumps
8. 1/2 Pirate Get Ups
9. Giant Backward Arm Circles
10. Burpee Jacks

Train Fun!

OC Throwdown 2011 video

Visit sicfit.com for more Videos

Run, Bike, Swim, or Row

Simple Things Done Savagely Well is our motto here at Pirate Fit. Todays WOD is a mono structural pursuit for you to buckle down and go the distance. To balance out the lifting and short interval work lets air it out and hit the Long Slow Distance (LSD).

Let us know what exercise you choose, distance, and time.

My choice today is the 5k Row. Check later for my time.

Train Fun!

CrossFit Fun with the Seven Sisters

This past weekend myself and Taylor Yaffee attended and became certified as CrossFit Level 1 coaches courtesy of Coach Greg Glassman founder of CrossFit. He is a big believer in the development of todays youth and improving their health. He felt that the work that we are doing here at Pirate Fit was important and offered both Taylor and I this certification and the CrossFit Kids certification on his dime. The Charter of CrossFit is to "Increase Work Capacity Across Broad Time and Modal Domains". The prescription is "constantly varied, high intensity, functional movement." We are excited to add this methodology into a blended program to help our athletes to get best results.

My background and degree is in Exercise Science with certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), USA Weightlifting (Level 1 Club Coach), Function Movement Screen as a Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES), and a certified massage therapist. The combination of these educational programs and 15 years of coaching experience has helped to shape Pirate Fit.

Over the next 7 weeks we will be introducing the "Seven Sister Series." We have selected from the popular list of "Girl" workouts that are so popular with CrossFit. The are named after tropical storms (or so the legend goes) and they are to be taken seriously. Here they are

1. Angie
2. Cindy
3. Claudia
4. Fran
5. Grace
6. Helen
7. Linda

Each one has its unique characteristics and a combination of task and time priorities. They can all be scaled to accommodate everyone from Olympian to Centenarian. There is a need to have access to a pull up bar but we can offer some suggestions if this is not possible. kettlebells are nice but not mandatory.

"ANGIE" - For Time

100 Pull Ups

100 Push Ups

100 Sit Ups

100 Air Squats

Simply Scaled Levels

1. 25 reps
2. 50 reps
3. 75 reps
4. 100 reps - Prescribed or Rx

You must finish one exercise before you move on. You may also decide to do different levels for different exercises

i.e

• Pull Ups Level 1
• Push ups Level 2
• Sit Ups Level 3
• Air squats Level 4

Train Fun!

Please post your time and comments. We love to hearing from you.

The Pull Up Part III

In this third installment for pull up success we will go over the guidelines to getting up to the bar. In our previous two posts we covered

1. Hand size
2. Grip strength
3. Pain
4. Systemic strength
5. Body weight
6. Equipment

Now we will delve deeper into what to do day in and day out.

7. Technique - When it comes to the traditional Dead Hang Pull Up there is no technique. Simply pull until you get your chin over the bar. Of course then this post wouldn't relate to you anyway. But we advocate the use of the kipping pull ups. This will do a few things to help you along on your journey.

• Develop hand strength
• Tolerate pain and and toughness i.e. callouses - Yes you will need them
• And help to develop the proper body mechanics to develop the swing + pull to achieve your goal

The swing - This is simple. Use the shoulder as a pivot point and move through the core while swinging to and fro. When the legs go forward the upper body moves back when the legs travel behind the torso moves to the front. Mastery of this is essential. You should try variations with short and tight swings as well as long and loose.

The Swing + Pull - Once you have some appreciation for the swing you will want to add short pulls (mini pull ups with elbow bend) when the legs come forward. You can create a weightless moment if your swing + pull are timed correctly. Don't expect to go flying up just yet. There is a distinct technique that allows for this to become automatic. It takes time and reps. That leads us to point # 8.

8. Density is defined as the number of training days, combined with amount of work performed over a given time. You need to put in the time, energy and intensity to make a impact and create change. An old surfer named Roy Crump sold me a surf board while I was new to Huntington Beach and the surf scene. He asked how often I planned on surfing. I confidently said 3 x's per week. He looked at me as though he should take the board back and sell it to a more worthy adversary. His response was simple. "Joshua if you really want to surf you need to get in the water everyday twice a day." Truer words have never been spoken. Commit yourself to the task as often as is possible to remain physically healthy. Your mental health...well that is already shot so lets move on. Your body will adapt and the closely packed sessions will build on both success and motivation. As my friend and coach Victor Hall reminds me "Intensity is KING but CONSISTENCY rules."

Band Assisted Kipping Pull Up

9. Program Design - The final piece of this series is what to do. We will lay out a model for you to go by. You may pick and choose as needed because people progress at different rates. This is our method and it has yielded consistent results with our athletes.

• Kipping Swing - 3 x 10 If you can't Kip you can't play. This is the jumping off point that we have been referring to. Hand and tissue tolerance are the limiting factors up front. So be smart and mind your blisters. Increase reps and sets as you build comfort and strength.
• Band Assisted Kipping Pull Ups 3 x 5. This will teach you how to time the swing + pull and also develop the know how to link reps together.
• Jumping Pull Ups - 3 x 10 To develop the strength and work capacity needed you must add this in to your training. It won't help with technique but it will develop strength levels than can be further challenged by using a lower box or even jumping from only one foot. Remember to drop your hips at the bottom and fully extend your arms.

With a one month program we like to use a simple Pirate Progression

1. Week 1 - 2 x's week
2. Week 2 - 3 x's week
3. Week 3 & 4 - 4 x's week

All told that equals out to be a one month total of

• Kipping Swings = 390
• Band Assisted Kipping Pull Ups = 195
• Jumping Pull Ups = 390

Of course through out this program you should try to do a full pull up and see where you are at. The hardest part is going from Zero to One pull up. The next is getting two in a row. After that it is all the same. Let us know your progress.

Train Fun!

The Pull Up Part II

Can you do that pull up yet? Well then let us dive a bit deeper into the next three areas to help with the king of upper body exercises. In our last post we went over # 1, 2, & 3. Then we introduced a video demonstrating a jumping pull up. It is the perfect way to get started doing pull ups today regardless of your strength level or experience.

1. Hand size - No way to change this but if this is an issue you better nail down these other areas
2. Grip strength - Improve griping and crushing strength for more pull ups
3. Pain - It is going to hurt

Now lets take a look at the next 3 areas in the series

4. Systemic strength - People who can do pull ups can do most every exercise well. It is an indicator of what is know as systemic strength. Your whole body working in unison recruiting as many motor units as needed and synchronizing them to help get the job done. Deadlifts will help your pull ups and pull ups can help your deadlift. You need to ditch the 8 lb dumbbells that you have been using for the last 5 years in an attempt to "tone' your muscles and improve overall strength.

5. Body weight - Get light and get fast. I recently lost 10 lbs since the New Year and performed a workout named "Nicole" ( see below) a 20 minute AMRAP of 400 m Runs and Max effort pull ups. I did 5 rounds and 67 pull ups. Without that fat loss I would have achieved 60% 0f those rounds and runs. Get your diet together and stop hauling around non contributing weight i.e. fat. I am a huge fan of Mark Sisson and The Primal Blueprint when it comes to lifestyle and Paleo (Caveman) eating.

6. Equipment - A few things that you will want to aid in your quest for pull up power. A box to do jumping pull ups. Anything will do but we use aerobic steps to make quick and easy adjustments.

Next is a super band to help assist you with the motion. It will help you through the strength curve (gives you assistance at the bottom where you are mechanically weakest and less help towards the top zone where you are strongest.)

And last is a good pull up bar. there are many to choose from. But if you are looking for one to have in the garage but not take up a lot of room we like the Stud Bar. It is less than $100 and if you are serious about pull ups you can do a set every time you are ready to head out to work!

Todays "Captain's Challenge" is to get started with the kipping swing. It is more fun than hanging and is the prime lead in to the Kipping pull up we will introduce entirely tomorrow.

Our next post will cover

7. Technique - How to get you started or better at what you are doing.

8. Density - How much & how often

9. Program Design - How to work it into your program

Todays WOD is a Met Con

"Nicole"

20 Minute AMRAP

Run 400m

Max Pull Ups - Kipping , Butterfly, Dead hang, Band assisted, Jumping. Your choice.

Please post your results and share your comments.

Train Fun!

The Pull Up Part 1

Can you do a pull up? How about 5? How about 20? Pull Ups are the benchmark for functional upper body strength. It truly separates a group of athletes distinctly and quickly. It is the great equalizer. The challenge I see with many people is that if they can't do a pull up they simply accept it as a hard and fast truth that cannot be changed. I do not agree and will share how we have helped our athletes do the "impossible". Ladies much of this is written with you in mind. These are the areas this 3 part series will cover.

1. Hand size
2. Grip strength
3. Pain
4. Systemic strength
5. Body weight
6. Equipment
7. Technique
8. Density
9. Program Design

In Part I we will address the first 3 points

1. Hand Size - This is overlooked in so many areas in training. In Olympic weightlifting their is a specific "ladies bar" that weighs 15 kg compared to the mens 20 kg bar. It is shorter and has a smaller bar diameter to accommodate for the smaller hand. Also used with youth aged athletes. Even basketball has a smaller ball for women. Most bars are similar in size but the advantage goes to the men in this area when it comes to making improvement. This leads us to point # 2
2. Grip Strength - With the relative size difference of hand - to- bar women have to simply get better at their hand strength both in griping and crushing. But the same holds true for men. If you can't hang comfortably on the bar for 60 seconds without always worrying about your hands don't expect to knockout 20 pull ups anytime soon. Actually exerting high levels of force and doing kipping or butterfly style gives your hands a break momentarily on every rep. Also there is something to be said for hand toughness or skin thickness.
3. Pain - Pull Ups hurt. Sometimes just for 30 seconds and sometimes for 24 hours after. Should you blister or rip a callous then you can expect a week or two to get full recovery. One of my favorite quotes "It's not about ignoring the pain but rather being more than the pain."

Today lets try a workout that is a popular CrossFit girl named "Cindy"

20 minute AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible)

5 Pull Ups

10 Push Ups

15 Body weight squats

Jumping Pull Ups - Try these to help get you going. Long arms at bottom chin over the bar at the top.

Train Fun!

Pirate Fit Athlete Wins OC Throwdown

Congratulations to Taylor Yaffee (18) for winning this years 2011 CrossFit OC Throwdown Intermediate Division event. In his first competition he showed that he had the balance of Strength, Fitness, and Skills. He was the favorite to win even before the finals with a commanding lead of 29 points. Showing his "never quit" attitude and poise throughout 6 workouts over 2 days we expect to see more great things from Taylor and the athletes of Pirate Fit.

Special thanks to all the members and coaches at Cross Fit South County for letting Taylor participate in WOD's on weekends. It has been great that he was able to get in extra sessions and get great coaching from some real fire breathers.

Try this WOD from this weekends OC Throwdown.

Run 330 m

20 KB Swings

20 Pull Ups

Repeat 3 x's

Finish with

330 m Run

Taylors Time - 7:43

KB Weight

Men - 53 lbs

Women - 44 lbs

Check out Taylor's interview on SicFit.com

Vegas, Baby!

In honor of one of our clients weekend get away to Sin City we bring you the next WOD in our Alphabet Assault Series. May we introduce a workout that is free of guilt but payment for playing will be felt for days after. Done as a Chipper where it is one round for time and you steadily chip away.

• V - SUMO DEADLIFT HIGH PULL x 100
• E - SIT UPS x 75
• G - 1/2 PIRATE GET UP x 25 each
• A - AIR SQUATS x 100
• S, - DB SQUATS x 25

• B - PUSH UPS x 25
• A - AIR SQUATS x 100
• B - PUSH UPS x 25
• Y - DB CLEANS x 25

We are adding exercise videos to help with technique and specific skills.

Sumo Deadlift High Pull - Can be done wit Dumbbells or our preference a Kettle Bell

1/2 Pirate Get Up - Can be done with a Dumbbell

Squat Cleans can be done with Dumbbells. For "Vegas, Baby" do it without the squat.

Train Fun!

The Pirate Death Walk

A couple years ago I was in Sacramento visiting my good friend Victor Hall. We went over to the local college to see the weight room and proceeded outside to watch track practice. As usual we started discussing challenges and exercise ideas. One question I brought up was "Could you lunge one lap around the track?" Now from Cross Fit we know the answer is yes. But the quality and recovery could be more than it is worth. They have posted that as a WOD many times. We decided the 100 Rep* challenge would be a good end of WOD finisher. So that night after a garage lift we gave it a shot. Victor was gracious enough to allow me to go first. I got about 30 reps in and my legs started to shake and seize up. I finished in 5:35 touching my back knee to the asphalt on every rep. Victor turned in an impressive 2:32 time to show me he was twice the athlete. Since then hundreds of Pirate Fit Athletes have tried and succeeded with the "Pirate DEATH Walk" challenge.

There are two ways to do this

1. Get in 100 reps for time
2. Get as many reps as possible unbroken stopping at 100 for time

* Note:Victor is 5'8" to my 6'0" and we have completely opposite builds. I am all limbs. He was quick to point out that reps versus distance was an easy way to compare scores.

.

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Going to the Well

A few years back my good friend and former co worker from Athletes' Performance Luke Richesson was training for a deadlift competition. Luke is the most powerful coach I have ever worked with. Not only can he lift big weights but he can get others to do it as well. He motivated me to train and attain a 506.2 lb deadlift in 2003. We had a conversation I will never forget. I asked him how training was going and what numbers he wanted to hit. He told that he was shooting for 650 lbs. at a body weight of around 200 lbs. and sub 10% body fat. But he said something else that day that left an impression. "If I am going to hit my goal I will have to go to the well about 3 - 4 more times" said Luke in between 400 lb sets of RDL's. What Luke meant was that every few weeks he was going to have to make the long journey to get in a savage session and do all the work he could muster to earn what he wanted. It was as if he were living in a village and had to travel many miles to the water source and bring it back for survival. His goal was massive and it was going to take a few special workouts to do the extra work that no matter how bad you want it it will be a fight that is going to hurt and leave you feeling it for days after. To be great you have to get your mind and body right too. "Go To The Well".

Wednesday "Well WOD"

1 x 20 Front or Back Squats

Get in a great extended warm up of stretching and some cardio. Do at least 4 warm up sets to get in the groove. Dumbbells or a barbell is fine. Prepare for the long fight. Full Range of Motion (ROM) and get your mind right because you may do 5 reps out of the gate and pause for a few breaths do 4 more, a few breaths and eventually you will likely be doing singles all the way home. Do not put the bar down. Stand there and stay in the fight. Dig deep and exceed expectations today.

Luke's best deadlift 650.2 lbs.

Train Fun!

What Does It Take To Be Great?

"In order to be great you must not think less of yourself but rather less about yourself".

After last nights game between the Auburn Tigers and The University of Oregon Ducks we have created another "Alphabet Assault" WOD. The Tigers showed their greatness by going undefeated this season. What game are you playing to win? Have you taken the time to read, talk, listen, and test out these methods? Staying on track with our Nutrition theme my good friend and colleague Rett Larson reviews Dr. Loren Cordain's book Paleo Diet for Athletes. If you are not familiar with the Paleo Diet you need to get aquatinted with it immediately. But here it is in a nutshell. Eat meat and vegetables, little fruit no starch or sugar. Got It? Paleo comes from the Paleolithic Era of Cavemen. The idea is that if we eat closer to the earth and less from boxes we will regain our bodies natural functions like less inflammation, and sickness, lose weight, and feel better. You really can't go wrong with this method. If your diet isn't very good then start to look into the Paleo Diet and get GREAT results.

A WOD to celebrate the best team in college football The 14-0 Auburn Tigers.

Do 4 quarters of 14 reps per exercise. Split the reps for unilateral exercises i.e. Pirate Get ups

For Time

4 x 14

T - DB Thrusters

I - KB Swings

G - Pirate 1/2 Get Up

E - Sit Ups

R - DB Row

S - DB Front Squat

Men - Rx DB 30 lbs KB 44 lbs

Women - Rx DB 15 lbs KB 28 lbs

Fatigue Makes A Coward Of Us All

Pirate Fit WOD January 10th, 2011

Week # 2 of the new year. How are your resolutions coming along? Things over here at the Pirate Workshop are really ramping up. We have started a better system for tracking our Personal Records (PR). We will be sharing more of these systems later this month. Until then if you are doing a food journal we prefer www.DailyBurn.com . And if you don't track for your foods then start today! If you really want success then track it. Don't you think investment bankers keep track of their finances everyday? If you are serious about it then make sure you can measure it. The other effective and even easier system is to take a picture of every meal. It is a bit harder to take a picture of a bag of M&M's then a chicken salad with EVOO.

Today's WOD

Run a 5k

Please post your time.

Pirate Fit WOD January 7th, 2011

Got Strength?

Back to the basics. The need for total body strength is often overlooked by adults. Athletes understand that the ability to move heavy weights properly has a direct correlation to on the field performance whether you play football or golf. But the weekend warrior seems to default to the "light weight high reps" game plan and it leaves much to be desired. I recall well known Physical Therapist Gray Cook state that once when he was working with a older adult after a major knee surgery the goal was to get her working with 35, 44, and 53 lb. kettlebells. People questioned him on the value of the loads knowing she was not an athlete. His reason was simple "she likes to travel". You can't have her using 10 lb dumbbells when she is regularly pulling a 50 lb. suitcase awkwardly out of the back of her car or putting a 25 lb carry on in the overhead compartment. You can't feel good knowing she wasn't strong enough to support her lifestyle or worse yet get injured doing it. Strength is critical, makes us feel good, and is essential to a full heathy life.

"5 X 5"

A tried and true method for strength training. The goal is to get in your warm up sets and then get the best tonnage possible over 5 sets.

i.e.

Bench Press - 5 x 5

135 x 5

140 x 5

145 x 5

145 x 5

145 x 5

Total weight = 710 x 25 reps = 17,750 lbs. lifted

1. Bench Press
2. Deadlift
3. Overhead Press
4. Walking Lunges
5. Barbell Bent Over Row

• Do one exercise until all sets are complete aka - Straight sets
• Rest no more than a minute in between sets
• Warm ups sets do not count towards total exercise or WOD tonnage

Please remember to post your workout times, reps, weights and comments. We would love to hear from you.

Train Fun!

Pirate Fit WOD January 6th, 2011

Are you ready for 1, 2, 3, Core? This strength based WOD uses a combination of movements, planes, weight, and positions to give you a well rounded full body workout.

"Pirate Pointer"

We love push ups over here at the Pirate Workshop. In fact we have a number of our team members who have committed to the ridiculous 1 year goal of 50,000. You read correctly that is 137 per day. Between Jason, Alexia, and Taylor that have accomplished over 48,000 push ups in just 5 months. We also take the technique on push ups seriously. Two rules: make sure you go chest to deck and lock out the arms at the top. Other than that modify however you want. Push ups from the knees are fine but please don't call them "girl push ups" around us! That is an insult to all the females out there like Alexia who can do 20 perfect unbroken push ups. Here are a few tips. We keep our elbows tight to our body with a relatively close grip. This places a greater demand on the tricep muscles but also reduces the amount of rotation of the humerous (upper arm bone) at the shoulder. Remember to create some tension throughout your entire body especially on the upward movement. Legs tight, glutes tight, abs tight. Make certain that your body rises as a plank. If you are sagging in the middle it is not worth the fight. Another good modification to increase difficulty is to elevate your feet or use parallette bars and to make it easier do your push ups with your hands on a bench or box.

"1, 2, 3, Core"

• 4 Rounds
• 30s rest between sets
• Done as a circuit

Push Ups - Max reps

Single Arm Single Leg (SA SL) DB Row - 10 each arm

Alternating DB Lunges - 10 each leg

Pirate 1/2 Get Up - 5 each side

Rx - Prescribed Weights

• Women 20 lbs
• Men 40 lbs
• Scale weight as needed

Please remember to post your workout times, reps, weights and comments. We would love to hear from you.

Train Fun!

Pirate Fit WOD January 5th, 2011

The Wednesday Workout Of the Day (WOD) is the first from our Alphabet Assault Series. Each letter of the alphabet has a paired exercise. When you spell out different words you get a unique workout. We thought we would kick it off with a couplet (double WOD) named "PIRATE FIT". We hope you are ready to "come aboard".

The first word in the series "PIRATE" is a circuit. Do all six exercises back to back for three rounds of 10 reps with no break.

"PIRATE"

• 3 Rounds of 10 reps
• For Time

P - DB Shoulder Press

I - KB Swing

R - DB Pirate Plank Row

A - Air Squat

T - Thruster (DB Squat to Press)

E - Sit Ups

Rx - Prescribed Weights

• Women DB 20 lbs KB 35 lbs
• Men DB 40 lbs KB 53lbs
• Scale weight as needed

WOD # 2

Workout or Walk the Plank - You have a choice you can stay onboard or walk the plank for an easy exit (read - QUIT). Still here... great now get your mind right because it is time to get "FIT". This terrible trifecta is a UNBROKEN Challenge. Do As Many Reps As Possible (AMRAP) until you have to take a break. Continuous reps only! Then take 30s and simply move on to the next exercise. Sounds easy right? Done as a circuit this builds extreme muscular endurance and the mental toughness to tackle even the "Kraken". Count up your total reps of all 3 rounds.

"FIT"

• 3 Rounds of UNBROKEN sets.
• Rest 30s between exercises
• Add up total reps completed

F - Goblet Squat

I - KB Swing

T - Thruster

Rx - Prescribed Weights

• Women DB 20 lbs KB 35 lbs
• Men DB 40 lbs KB 53lbs
• Scale weight as needed

Please remember to post your workout times, reps, weights and comments. We would love to hear from you.

Train Fun!

Pirate Fit WOD January 4th, 2011

Tuesday's Workout Of the Day (WOD)

Select a single set of dumbbells (DB) and use that weight for all three exercises. The weight will be determined by your pressing strength. See Levels below.

Do the exercises in a circuit A - B - C at ten reps each. The second round will be 9 reps for each exercise, the third round at 8 reps, etc. down to one. See how long it takes. Post your comment and let us know what weight you did and your time.

10/9/8/7/6/5/4/3/2/1 for Time

A. DB Press

B. DB Squat

C. DB Squat to Press

Female Weight Levels

1. 10 lbs
2. 12.5 lbs
3. 15 lbs
4. 20 lbs - Prescribed (Rx)

Male Weight Levels

1. 25 lbs
2. 30 lbs
3. 35 lbs
4. 40 lbs - Prescribed (Rx)

Train Fun!