WOD March 1
For time:
- 10 Box Jumps (32add plates/24)
- 20 Burpees
- 30 Hand-to-Hand Kettlebell Swings (red yellow or orange)
- 40 Sit-ups
- 50 Dead lifts 135/105
- 40 Sit-ups
- 30 Hand-to-Hand Kettlebell Swings
- 20 Burpees
- 10 Box Jumps
Special congratulations to our new Level 1 certified CrossFit members & trainers from FirePower: Chris Christensen, Dan Rogers, Sarah Macgregor, and Vikki Schembri. After a grueling weekend of learning, practicing, and multiple WOD’s, you are ready to hold the rest of us to true CrossFit standards.
New for Milton starting this week is FirePower’s Boxing Boot Camp. This 5 week program will introduce you to alternative strength & conditioning activities, and boxing in the ring. 90 Minute workouts will be on Saturdays from 11am to 12:30pm starting March 6th. See Andrea for details. Only 5 spots left.
Lastly, slight change to boxing class times starting tonight: New 5:15pm class is added. 2nd class starts @ 6:15pm.
WOD February 28
Hilton Falls winter running on trails
Reminder the gym is closed today due to the cert.so you either take a rest day or do 70 burpees.We all really missed everyone that did not show yesterday!!
More pics are on the FirePower facebook group here.
Tonya’s Story: Building A Believer
February 27, 2010 by Andrea
Filed under Member Achievements
Hi Crossfit,
I hope that everyone can appreciate the bravery it takes for a woman to publish her measurements but I would like to share my journey so far in the hopes of encouraging someone else to stick with it, there are lots of new faces lately.
My first time at Crossfit, I did a tabata workout with Kim, I almost died….I mean I thought I was literally going to have a stroke. I could hardly walk for a full week afterwards. It took me a month to get my nerve up, and my husband insisting, before I went back to really try it. You see, Roland had already been bitten by the bug and was a full-on member of the cult. He kept after me to come back and try it. Took away all my excuses and made it possible that he would attend in the morning, and I could attend in the evenings. Volunteered to take the kids, do the laundry, whatever it took to get me in there (thanks babe)…. That first class, was it ever hard. I was in tears when I left. It was brutal. But I went back the very next day. And kept going and going. It didn’t take too long before I could feel it starting to take hold. The addiction. The punishment. The feeling of pushing yourself and challenging yourself like never before. Feeling strong, confident. Mentally clear. If I went a day or two without a class, I felt off-course.
I started measuring myself the first time almost a month into it. Here are my results so far:
Date: Oct 25/09 Nov 5/09 Jan 8/10
Waist 37” 36.5” 35.5”
Hips 41” 40 39.5”
Bust 39” 35.5” 35”
This of course is nothing compared to my ability and improvement in my squats, weights, and running. I still have a long way to go. I have goals set and once I reach those, I will have new goals. This is a lifestyle that my husband and I have now adopted and are completely committed to. Crossfit may be the hardest thing you’ve ever done but the rewards to your health and well-being are immeasurable. The team atmosphere, the support of the trainers, and the encouragement of the members I have been lucky enough to meet have been such a tremendous source of inspiration. I thank you for getting me back on a path to feeling healthy and strong. You guys rock!
Tonya Link
FirePower Note: This is from January 2010. We’ll get Tanya to keep us posted of her progress and update for March. We’re SUPER PROUD of you Tonya!
Trail Run today
We are blessed to have some amazing trail running so close to FirePower in Milton and the escarpment is incredibly beautiful. So the level 1 cert for CrossFit trainers is coming to FirePower training again this weekend, and the gym will be tied up with lots of people coming from all over the place. So as an alternative workout of the day we will be hosting a trail run at the agreement forest North of Hilton Falls in Milton.
Start Time: We will meet Saturday February 27th at 9 a.m. and again at 10 a.m.
The run will be hosted by : Mark and possibly Heather if we can get babysitting.
start/finish location: Corner of 10th SideRoad and 4th Line near Milton, Ontario (no facilities).
Exit Hwy 401 at Guelph Line. Go North on Guelph Line for approx. 2km to 10th SideRoad. Turn Right/East on 10th SideRoad and travel approx. 2km to Start Location. Click here for a link to google maps
How it will work:
The run will start from the corner “parking lot” area of the agreement forest. We will leave no one behind. If we get ahead the lead runners will either do a short loop or complete functional fitness exercises, squats, burpees, push ups until the back of the pack catches up. Trail running is very different from running on pavement and due to Mark’s love of adventure racing and off road running their may be some scrambling over the rocks and through the woods as well with a little follow the leader.
This will not be a hammerfest designed to demoralize and turn you off of ever running in the woods again.
The run will finish up back at the parking lot and you will love being outside. This will happen rain, snow, hurricane, or sun.
Things to bring:
- running shoes
- clothing, loose and in layers.
- hat
- gloves
- sunglasses or clear glasses for sticks (you have been warned)
- snacks as we will stop every 20 minutes or so for a little bite.
- hydration either camelback or a with water
- small backpack, fanny pack (this isn’t a fashion show, i’m more concerned about function)
- pants not shorts
hope to see you there, call me if you have any questions 416.970.3727 or email me @ mark @ firepowertraining.com
Are you lifting enough weight?
February 26, 2010 by Brian
Filed under Tips & Hints
After a diccussion last night with Tammy about max weight lifting and potential, I found this gem…
Are You Lifting Enough Weight?
If you lift weights, have you ever wondered whether you’re doing it right? Specifically, are you lifting enough weight? According to a study done by the University of Michigan, many of us aren’t. Researchers took beginners (both men and women) through a series of moves, allowing them to choose their own weight. After assessing their 1 rep max (the general standard for choosing weight), they determined that most chose a weight well below what was needed to stimulate muscle growth.
Are you guilty of going too light? If so, you may not be seeing the results you’d like. Learn more about why lifting heavier weights could change your entire body.
Why Lifting Heavy is the Key to Weight Loss
You know that losing fat involves increasing your metabolism. What you may not know is that muscle plays a huge role in raising metabolism. A pound of muscle burns about 10-20 calories a day while a pound of fat burns 5 calories. That means any growth in your muscle tissue is going to help you burn more calories all day long. In fact, strength training has all kinds of great effects on your body like:
- Increasing resting metabolic rate so you burn more calories, even while at rest.
- Making you lean and slim–muscle takes up less space than fat so, the more you have, the slimmer you are
- Strengthening bones and connective tissue, which can protect your body from injuries in daily life
- Enhancing balance and stability
- Building confidence and self-esteem
However…this only works if you’re using enough weight to stimulate that muscle growth. In other words, if you can lift the weights you’ve chosen (for most exercises) more than 16-20 times, you might not see the kind of fat loss you would if you increased your weight.
So, why don’t we lift more weight? For some, lifting weights is scary, especially if you’ve never done it before. The machines…the dumbbells…the people who seem to know what they’re doing…it’s enough to make anyone skip weights altogether. Aside from that, there are other fears that invade our minds, such as:
- It feels weird. The goal of weight training, if you didn’t know, is to lift as much weight as you possibly can (with good form!) for the number of reps you’ve chosen. In daily life, we typically don’t push ourselves to fatigue in anything we do, so this idea may not only feel foreign, it may feel downright miserable. That’s one reason it’s best for beginners to gradually work towards that.
- Fear of injury. Because our muscles burn when we challenge them with resistance, people often feel they’re injuring themselves when they lift. And injury can be a real fear for beginners since injury can occur if you max out before your body is ready for it. Taking it slow while still challenging your body will help protect you from injury.
- Confusion. When you haven’t lifted weights before, you may not know what’s too heavy and what’s too light. It may take some time to get a feel for your body and what it can handle.
- Fear of getting bulky. There’s still a tired old myth running around that men should lift heavy and women should lift light to avoid getting big and bulky. Women hear this: Lifting heavy weights will NOT make you huge–you simply don’t have the testosterone levels to build big muscles. Lifting heavy weights WILL help you lose fat.
- Fear of pain. The other thing about lifting weights is the psychological factor. The discomfort level associated with training to fatigue is pretty high…if you haven’t lifted weights before, you may not be able to overcome that discomfort enough to lift as heavy as you’re capable of. Again, this is one reason it’s best to err on the side of caution (if you need to), while always working towards more challenge and more weight.
These fears often keep people lifting the same amount of weight for weeks, months or even years. Most of these fears are unfounded, if you take time to ease into a weight training program and work (slowly) towards the muscle fatigue that will make your muscles grow.
WOD February26
3 rounds for time of :
10 sprints ( 25m )
10 squat snatches ( 95/65 )
WOD February 25
first rope climb for Carmen!
Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
- 1 Rope Climb
- 4 Pistols 2 per leg
- 6 Burpees
- 8 Ball slams 20/14
Reminder of the upcoming Level 1 CF certification this weekend on Sat & Sun. We’ll be hosting approx 70 athletes from across North America. If you can spare a few minutes, we could use a hand with gym clean-up and set-up on Friday afternoon from 3pm to 6pm.
In place of Saturday’s WOD, Mark will be holding a trail run for all members to participate in. Have a look here for times, directions, etc. Will be an excellent day!!
WOD February 24
sorry for the late post,but the big city never sleeps.It has been a great week lets see if i can keep it going.
‘ AIR FORCE ‘
Complete the following for time:
20 thrusters
20 sumo deadlifts high pulls
20 push jerks
20 overhead squats
20 front squats
all at 95/65lbs
at the biginning of every min.you must do 4 burpees
NOTE. you should start with the burpees,and we are not to use the racks…sorry!!
as Feddy put it this is a ass kicker on the legs.This was a workout from the crossfit Mid western sectional. Pete Ramusen finished the workout in 3.53 thats stupid fast.
Reminder: The gym will be CLOSED to EVERYONE this week end due to the cert.But good news mark is going to lead us on a 1 hr trail run sat & sun mornings,,stay tuned for time and location,
WOD February 23
Oh boy!!its brians turn..good luck.
3 rounds:
9 deadlifts 315/200
6 muscle-ups
3 box jumps 36″/28″(add plates to box)
400 m run
WOD February 22
Marks up!!!
The work is similar to Barbara. 3 minutes of work. 3 minutes of rest.
5 stations. A combination of push and pull, upper and lower body, and all compound movements. Not long but intense!
Rest exactly 3 minutes in between stations so that you can hit the work stations hard ! The three minutes of work covers two metabolic pathways for about equal parts.
Add up reps and calories to get a total score. Make sure you have the barf buckets ready.
Burpee pull ups.
Rest 3 minutes
Tire flips
Rest 3 minutes
Barbell back squats with 50 percent of body weight.
Rest 3 minutes
Calorie row
Rest 3 minutes
Thrusters with 50 percent of body weight.