Blog | CrossFit Ignite Sydney

CrossFit Workout MAP6

May 12, 2012 By Hoodie Leave a Comment

METABOLIC:

Levels 3-5
2 sets of 4 rds for time
Run 600m
4 Thrusters unbroken (45/30kg)
8 Wallball unbroken (10/6kg)
12 Box Jumps no stopping (24/20″)
Rest 2mins between rounds
Rest 10mins between sets

note: this session will take 60mins

Levels F-2
4 rds for time
Run 400m
5 KB Front Squats unbroken (12/8kg)
8 Wallball unbroken (10/6kg)
12 Alternating Step Ups no stopping (16″)
Rest 2mins between rounds

note: this session will take 30mins

ADDITIONAL READING AFTER THE WOD:

“Paleo Spaghetti Bolognese” – CrossFit Ignite Sydney

Filed Under: CrossFit Workouts

CrossFit Workout Strict Pullups

May 11, 2012 By Hoodie 1 Comment

A) Front Squat 5×3 – tempo 12X0 – rest 90s

B) Strict Press – find 1RM in 12mins

C) i) Strict Pullups (M 5-10/ F 3-6) – x3
ii) Row 1min @ 90% x3 Rest 1min

D) GHD Hip Extension 3×12 – rest 60s

Filed Under: CrossFit Workouts Tagged With: front squat, hip extension, press, pullup, row

What’s the go with Coconut Water

May 10, 2012 By PJ Leave a Comment

Coconut water is becoming more and more popular and featuring more and more in the fridges of cafe’s, supermarkets and gyms ….. So what’s the deal with coconut water?

What is Coconut Water?

Coconut water is sourced from young coconuts and is literally just the liquid floating around on the inside of a young coconut. Not to be confused with coconut milk which is created by grating the flesh of a coconut.

Does it taste good? Depends who you ask. Some, myself included, love the taste. I find it quenches my thirst more than water and have heard similar comments from other trainers and clients here at Ignite. It tastes a little salty, with a bit of sweetness there as well but is doesn’t taste distinctively of coconut or coconut milk as you might imagine. On the other side of the coin I’ve spoken with people who would rather drink just about anything else. You’ll need to try one for yourself to see what side of the fence you sit on!

What are the benefits:

Good source of antioxidants: Coconut water is a good source of naturally occurring micronutrients and antioxidants. These antioxidants are useful for dealing with damaging free radicals which can be generated during intense exercise (such as CrossFit). That these are not added in, often with High Fructose Corn Syrup and Artificial colours makes coconut water in my opinion a superior choice to a sports drink for drinking either during or after exercise. This is why it is often marketed or described as ‘Natures Gatorade’.

Good for re hydration: Coconut water contains naturally occurring ions, minerals and sugars at levels that support re hydration. A 2012 study in The Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition showed that there was no significant difference between a Sports Drinks, Coconut water and water in terms of they’re ability to rehydrate after exercise. Due to the sugar content of (about 5g per 100ml) coconut water is best drunk during or just after training. It is particularly refreshing after a hard Metcon.

Nothing artificial: The biggest benefit of Coconut Water over say a sports drink.

Therapeutic benefits?: A 2008 study in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology showed that feeding rats coconut water lowered cholesterol and lipids to the same degree as the drug Lovastin. Believe it or not, we are not little rats, so we can’t assume this will also be the case with humans though research in humans may confirm this in the future.

The bottom line:

If you like the taste, drinking coconut water during or after exercise (particularly a hard metcon) will keep you hydrated and may well reduce the oxidative damage that can be caused by free radicals developed during intense exercise.

If you don’t like the taste you are not missing out on a ‘magic pill’ that will make being fit and healthy effortless and you will be able to stay as well hydrated by sticking to good ol H2O.

Filed Under: Weight Loss & Nutrition

CrossFit Workout Yanky Doodle

May 10, 2012 By Hoodie 2 Comments

METABOLIC:

Note: yes Yanky doodle dandy

100 Double Unders

50 Swings (32/24kg)

25 Pull Ups (guys chest to bar)

35 Swings (32/24kg)

25 Pull Ups (guys chest to bar)

20 Swings (32/24kg)

100 Double Unders

ADDITIONAL READING AFTER THE WOD:

“Recipe: Lemon Garlic Prawns” – CrossFit Ignite Sydney

Filed Under: CrossFit Workouts

Understanding core-to-extremity to boost performance

May 9, 2012 By Alex Gold Leave a Comment

Once I understood the concept of core-to-extremity, I was able to apply it to my training to make my movement more efficient and thus achieve gains in my strength and conditioning. It also helped break down the complexity of CrossFit movement, which often involves the whole body and is easy to get frustrated when many body parts move simultaneously or in a specific sequence. Without going into too much detail, the idea of core-to-extremity means that the functional movements you see in CrossFit recruit in a wave of contraction from core to extremity. Basically, we want our biggest muscles to do initiate the movement and do most of the work, with the smaller muscles finishing the job. A couple examples may help with our understanding.

The sumo deadlift high pull (SDHP) requires us to use core to stabilise, the hips to drive forward (hip extension) and “pop” the weight up, and the arms to pull the weight to the collarbone at the finish. A common mistake is to bend the elbows and initiate the pull before the hips have fully extended; doing so violates the core-to-extremity principle (the same can be said of the clean and snatch). Such a violation ends up with a movement that overworks smaller muscles and fails to activate the true potential of the larger ones. By adhering to core-to-extremity, we can use our body to its fullest potential, thus allowing us to perform more work in less time and achieve better conditioning.

Similarly, when I first learned the thruster, I was guilty of beginning the pressing part of the movement before finishing the squat (i.e. fully extending the hips). This is an important core-to-extremity violation that hampers many from progressing with thrusters. It is vital that before initiating the press overhead, we accelerate out of the front squat and extend the hips with as much force as possible. This will accelerate the weight off our chest and shoulders, thus allowing our shoulders to simply finish the press. Should we initiate the press too soon, we will not benefit from the power of our large hip and leg muscles and instead end up tiring too soon. Again, applying core-to-extremity with solid technique can make our lifts more efficient and allow for greater gains in strength and conditioning.

How does core-to-extremity apply to the front squat, kipping pullup, rowing, or other movement? Have a think about it and see if you can apply it to boost your training.

Filed Under: Fitness & Training Tips Tagged With: core, SDHP, technique, thruster

CrossFit Workout Not For Time

May 9, 2012 By Hoodie 1 Comment

A) Power Clean to Push Jerk 5×2 – increase weight each set every 60s

B) DeadLift 3×5 – aim for last set to be heavy – rest 2mins

C) Not For Time – focus on quality of reps
50 Push Ups
50 Pullups
50 Pistols

Filed Under: CrossFit Workouts Tagged With: deadlift, gymnastics, power clean, push jerk

CrossFit Workout Lactic – ALP2

May 8, 2012 By Hoodie 3 Comments

METABOLIC:

Levels 3-5
Burpee Ball Slams 4x40s (@90%) rest 4:40 between Intervals
Rest 10mins (practice handstand progressions)
Snatch / KB Clean and Jerk (20/12k) 4x40s (@90%) rest 4:40 btw Intervals
Rest 10mins (practice pistol progressions)
Row 4x40s (@90%) rest 4:40 between Intervals

note: this session will take 60mins

Levels F-2
Row 6x40s (@90%) rest 4:40 between Intervals
Walk on treadmill in rest times

note: this session will take 35mins

ADDITIONAL READING AFTER THE WOD:

“5 Tips For CrossFit Beginners” – CrossFit Ignite Sydney

Filed Under: CrossFit Workouts

Roast beets and sautéed stems

May 7, 2012 By Kat Leave a Comment

I love roast beetroots… they take a bit of time to cook, but it’s so worth it! Remember not to throw away the stems as they contain a lot of nutrients and are very tasty as a side dish.
Ingredients
Beets
Fresh oregano
Thyme
Salt & pepper
Shallot, minced (optional: for cooking the stems)
Garlic, minced (optional: for cooking the stems)
Olive oil

Method
Pre-heat oven to 180C.

Scrub beets well and cut off stems (but don’t throw them away!). Quarter beets and place on a sheet of tin foil.

Spice with fresh oregano, dried thyme, salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil.
Wrap tin foil into a package – if making lots, make several little parcels, about 1 cup of beets in each – and place in the oven.

Roast for about 45-60 minutes or until soft and sweet.

Method for the Stems
Wash stems well and chop roughly. Heat olive oil on medium heat in a pan and sauté shallots and garlic in the pan until transparent and fragrant. Add in beetroot stems and sauté for a few minutes until done.

Serve on the side together with your favourite piece of meat, chicken or fish and some roasted pumpkin or sweet potatoes.

This is a perfect post workout dinner.

Filed Under: Weight Loss & Nutrition Tagged With: 4 Week Intensive Weight Loss Program, beetroot, nutrition, paleo, recipe, weight loss