CrossFit Oakland

Molly, it's great to have you at CFO!

I want to be like Molly when I grow up!

Way to go Molly. That's awesome.

Banged out the WoD today - Helen as Rx'ed 18'48" - it felt slow - PUs were badly broken - can others post their times so I can get a feel for what's a good target.

Molly I hope to heft as you do at my age!(

hi molly, welcome to cfo. quick feet!

carlo, i think it was 11'40", but i was using 1 pood instead of 1.5, and my pull-ups are jumping, though they are getting higher. i should work on kipping every time i go to cfo.

joe

Carlo,

11:30 is the Level 2 standard to shoot for.

I know some random dude who tried the workout a while back (about 6 months ago) and got 9:18 and he reported to me that it was quite painful.

The first thing to do--and the one that will cut down the most time--is to be able to do the swings and the pull-ups unbroken.

After that, it's just a matter of being able to turn over fast 400m times without digging in so deep that it affects the other two movements. That's the beauty of CF: it's a balancing act, both on a micro level (within the workout itself) and on a macro level (the balancing of the ten general physical skills over a longer time frame).

Here's how I'd approach getting to 11:30 (this assumes as Rx'd; if you aren't doing the WOD as Rx'd, that should be your first goal).

The first target you want to hit (which you've already done) is 21:00. This assumes three 2-minute runs and three times through the other two exercises at a 5-minute pace.

The next target you want to hit is 18:00. This assumes three 2-minute runs and three times through the other two exercises at a 4-minute pace.

Then, the next target you want to hit is 15:00. This assumes three 2-minute runs and three times through the other two exercises at a 3-minute pace.

Finally, you want to hit 12:00, which assumes three 2-minute runs and three times through the other exercises at a 2-minute clip.

Once you get to 12:00, 11:30 will fall relatively quickly, and then the gains will be slow but powerful. For example, getting sub-10 represents a monumental increase in all-around fitness.

This is just one way to approach Helen. I have other methods (borrowed from others far smarter than I), too, but this post is already getting long enough. I happen to love Helen; she and Fran are my favorite "girls." Both in terms of a workout and in terms of possible permutations.

Wow. Congrats Molly! Very inspiring.

Carlo, I did Helen back in November with only 1 pood KB instead of 1.5 and took 12:30, so your time looks reasonable to me--especially considering you just got done with the bulk-up super session.

I think the 400m/KB swing combo really makes the pullups harder, because the flexors get so tired. Much more difficult to kip.

I'd have to agree with Mike that unbroken sets are key. Max always tells me to "keep moving," as I bend over and suck air.

One tip I've been given when breaking a set is to only take breaths equal to half the number of reps left in that set. 10 reps, 5 breaths and back at it. Seems to help.

I've also noticed a tendancy to try and "make up time" during the activity I feel most comfortable with. So, I'd go too fast in the run and then waste all that "gained" time trying to catch my breath before the next exercise. Much better to find a reasonable running pace and move directly to the next thing.

WU: OHSQ working up to 185x1
Helen as rx'd: 13:40. Best time pre-strength program 10:30.

Carlo: as Tim said, you are probably suffering from a lack of work/time management. Next time you do this think it through. How long will each run take? How long will each 21 KB swing take? How long will each pull-up take? How can I minimize transition times?

If you do have to break it up take 5 deep breaths and restart. Ignore the pain.

I am confident I could coach you through this in 12 minutes.

Due to lack of interest we will not be viewing the 300 this weekend.

Molly - I truly cannot believe you are 57! It's almost enough to inspire me to do the heavy lifting. :-P

I loved the Helen workout today. KB swings are one of my favorite exercises (I use the booty bell or "baby bell" as Nicole calls it). I was able to do all the KB reps unbroken, but I had to break up the jumping PU's into sets of two. I definitely think I could shave some time off by running faster - I tend to run slow in order to save my energy for everything else.

Time: 17:20 (not too shabby for a slow poke like me!) but I can't imagine doing in 11:30. Can you say Pukie?

Question for Mike and Nicole:

Why is there only one suggested weight for the workouts? (For example, today was 1 1/2 pood KB). They expect the women to lift as much as the men? From biological and evolutionary standpoints, men have more muscle mass and upper body strength than women do, so wouldn't it make sense for the women to have their own suggested weight? Just curious...

Thanks to all for the suggestions. The real problem was the pull-ups. My runs were all in the 1:50 - 2:00 range. The KB swings were all 14 & 7 as RXd. The real drag was the PUs. I managed the first set OK. But the last set was like 3-3-2-2-1-1. No jumping.

So I've got to work on arm strength and kipping technique.

Way to go Molly! I'm wondering which weight class you're in.

Funny you should ask about the weights Maren...

The WOD as rx'd is based on a fit 175 lb lean (generally male) athlete. However CrossFit workouts are totally scalable.

Check this section of the FAQ: http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/faq.html#General2

on CrossFit.com.

There is actually a more exact method expounded by Coach Rip:

Take your CrossFit Total (CFT) and divide it by 875. Thus if your CFT is 400 you get .45. Multiply this number by the rx'd (suggested) weight. Use that weight. For example if the WOD is "Diane" person with a 400 lb CFT would use 225x.45 for the workout, or 100 lbs (approximately).

Happily, my CFT is currently 865, so no modifications are needed.

Finally, this is not hard and fast. Some athletes will need less weight, and some will need more than this formula might suggest, depending on the workout, but if you use it, I think you will find it surprisingly accurate most of the time.

fyi, I witnessed Nicole Carol do "Helen" with the 1.5P bell as prescribed. It was humbling.

Max -

Woah man. It's like you're talking in Chinese. ;-P

What is my CrossFit Total? Does it change from workout to workout or is it always the same?

I saw on the main website where is says to use a weight that is 55% of your body weight, but I see a flaw in that system. If you come to Crossfit when you weigh a lot but are out of shape, based on body weight, they want you to use a heavy weight. Then, when you've trimmed down and are in much better shape, you use a lighter weight? When you look at it from this angle, it doesn't make sense to base it on body weight.

It seems that smartest thing to do is adjust the weight to one's strength ability. I just think it would be nice if they had a Rx'ed weight for the 175 lb male AND an Rx'ed weight for say, a 140 lb female.

Because, let's face it, unless you're Nicole Carrol or some other totally buffed woman, how often will a woman get to say, "So I did the workout as Rx'ed today."

Sorry Maren:

CrossFit Total is your one-rep Max in the following lifts:

Squat
Overhead Press
Deadlift

You can find tons of info on the CFT here:

http://tinyurl.com/2zu7m9.

This method does not suffer from the obvious flaw you pointed out about the bw% method. It is surprisingly accurate.

Since you have not done the CFT, you could err on the side of caution and assume a CFT of 275 and use .30 as your scaling calculator. So that you don't have to do math, just use 1/3 of the Rx'd weight, you should be fine. As you get stronger, using this method, you will use heavier weights over time.

Maren

"how often will a woman get to say, 'So I did the workout as Rx'ed today'"?

Of the 20 benchmark workouts with female names found here: http://tinyurl.com/2a99z8, 12 are within reach of a female athlete in only reasonable condition, with the caveat that she would have to be able to do kipping pull-ups.

All are within the reach of any superior-conditioned person, male or female. Think of it as a 3-5 year journey to get there. It is true that "Diane" or "Isabel", for example, would represent a major accomplishment for a smaller person. I cannot do either as rx'd, but I'm working on it.

By the way there is only one athlete at CrossFit Oakland who can do all of them as rx'd, the "random dude".

I put forth a friendly challenge to you: start to believe that it is possible you will start to do some of these workouts as rx'd at some future point. It is more than possible, it is inevitable if you continue CrossFit.

Max,

A THREE TO FIVE YEAR JOURNEY? sheesh. So much for instant gratification. ;-)

LOL about "the random dude". I've heard about him. He's a bit of a legend, no?

Have fun at both of your workouts this week-end! I will be hiking with Becky. (that's Crossfitty, right?)

MJ

There are plenty of gratifying markers along the way.

molly,
i am so happy you are here!! You are very inspiring!

Thanks to everyone for such encouraging feedback!
The video is extremely useful to me in looking for opportunities for little improvements, so extra thanks to Mike for posting it.

I'm very happy and appreciative to have such a great place to work out (people, facility, the works!).

My weight class is 58K.

Molly