Front Squat 5-5-5-5-5
For Time:
Row 1000m
30 Wall Ball Shots 20/14
30 Jumping Pull Ups
Try to go straight through this one with out stopping or breaking any sets. Do full range of motion jump pull ups with a slight kip swing at the bottom and chin well over the bar at the top. If you think you can do 30 regular kipping pull ups in a row at the end, then go for it. Otherwise do jumping. The name of the game today is nasty power output without having to stop.
Here is a great sequence of a good lifter on his second pull. As the sequence moves through the first three frames, the lifter is moving his knees forward and positioning his body into an upright jumping position. Things to note here are how he keeps the bar tight to his legs, how the bar moves straight up, and how he moves his body around the bar to accommodate the bar path and set himself up into a powerful jumping position.
The third picture shows what we call the pocket position, and the last picture in the sequence shows the full finish position. In the instant from frame 3 to frame 4, the lifter has created a violent acceleration on the bar that will move the bar upward into the overhead position. Also note that in the finish position, the lifter's arms are still straight as can be, allowing him to transfer all of his hip strength straight into elevating the bar. This is about 320lbs, and he send that bar directly over his head not by pulling it upward, but by jumping the load against a straight arm. This is POWERFUL. This is how we create momentum. Straight arms with a hook grip on the bar are almost infinitely strong. The second your elbow bends, your arms become weak and wimpy. So stop trying to pull weight up in the air. Use your ass and jump.
Another problem we often see with our members is that they try to jump the bar straight off the floor, straight up in the air. If you are starting to try and jump upward with the bar still below the knees, you will likely send the bar out in front of you away from your legs and miss the pocket position. If the bar loses contact with the body below the waist, you will lose a great deal of power and fail to elevate the bar high enough. In the case that you still manage to elevate the bar high enough to receive it, it will likely be too far in front of you to hold up. No lift.
Learn to hit that pocket position and the finish position seen in frames 3 and 4 on every snatch and every clean. In CrossFit we often lift light weights for high output. You can get away with letting the bar get away from you, and with early arm pulls, and with missing the finish position with these light weights. If you continue to perform sloppy lifts you like that, you are re-enforcing bad habits that will limit your lifting potential and keep you in weightlifting kindergarten. Sloppy form also wastes energy and will ultimately lead you to a slower time on your WOD. The key is to slow down a bit during your conditioning workouts and really try to make every lift the same, lift efficiently. If you can slow down and dial in good lifting technique, you will tire less easily, keep moving more consistently, and actually finish your WOD faster. Not only that you will stop re-enforcing the bad habits that drive your coaches up the wall.
Stare at the pictures, visualisation is a key to moving better.
