Workout of the Day

Back Squat

5-5-5-5-5

then,

4 sets of 15 weighted back extensions, 25 lbs

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Looking for Some Fun? Try a Trail Run.

If you are looking for a day of fun for the entire family and a way to test you fitness at the same time, I encourage you to check out and consider the Mi-Wuk You R-U-N event that is being put on by the Christain Berets. The Christian Berets is an organization that raises money for and serves people with special needs. They are hosting their first annual trail run event in the mountainous terrain of Mi Wuk, California. Mi Wuk is about 15 minutes above Sonora and is a very beautiful setting. The event is set up to provide fun for the entire family. There is a 5 mile trail race and a 1 mile family run/walk. There will be a bounce house, face painting, music and food. It sounds like a great day for the entire family. Not to mention a wonderful fundraiser for a very worthy cause. For more information you can go to www.christianberets.org or you can take a flyer from the lobby.

-Nick

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Schedule

We will be cancelling 9:30 am and 12:00 noon classes on Friday, 5-18, as well as Saturday Open gym. These cancellations are due to the Northern California Regional competition for the CrossFit Games. All other classes will be held as normal.

Open Gym 9:00-11:00 am and 3:00-7:00 pm

Come by and choose from these (not so) specific options:

1. Make up a workout you missed

2. Choose a workout off the leader boards

3. Complete the workout of the day

4. Work on your weakness

5. Keep Buddy company

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NorCal Regionals…

The Northern California Regionals for the 2012 CrossFit Games start this Friday, May 18th, at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. The above video features 6 of the Region’s favorites, including , Gabe Subry of CrossFit 209. Too bad they didn’t interview Buddy or Moses. Buddy placed 8th in the Open and Moses 28th. The thing is with any CrossFit competition its hard to predict what will happen, anyone of  these athletes could make it to the Games, it all depends on the WODs, their mental attitude ,whether they show up with their Game face on, etc. NorCal is stacked and if you want to see a premier CF competition you should be sure to make it to the Regionals this weekend, especially to root Buddy and Moses on.

- Terry

Shirts for Regionals…

Just in time…barely. I have been working on a shirt order with Reebok for the last few months, with the numerous design errors, (wrong colors) etc. They finally got it right. The shirts were supposed to be here some time ago and Reebok promised me they would be here by Regionals.  Well today they called and said they would have them all at the Reebok booth at the Regionals on Friday for me.

If you would like a shirt let me know, send me an email or call me. They will all be $20. I will be at Regionals this weekend and you can grab one there,  just let me know.

We ordered 36 of the red shirts for Men and 36 for Women…only the Mens were shipped but we have 5 Mens smalls for women if they want. We also have 36 white tanks for Women.

In addition we order black shirts with the same design as the red, 36 Men and 36 Women, but they have not shipped.

So for now your choices are Mens red shirts or the Womens white tanks, the remaining shirts will ship in a week or so.

Schedule

We will be cancelling 9:30 am and 12:00 noon classes on Friday, 5-18, as well as Saturday Open gym.  These cancellations are due to the Northern California Regional competition for the CrossFit Games.  All other classes will be held as normal.

Workout of the Day

For time:

25 handstand push-ups

50 toes-to-bar

800 m run

75 push-presses, 75/55 lbs

150 double-unders

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Seated Hip Stretch

Often times when squating of some sort is involved in the WOD, the seated hip stretch will be in the warm-up.  It is a great stretch that takes advantage of contract/relax (PNF) stretching and helps prepare the hips for squating.  On Monday, I was noticing some people were struggling with the stretch (as I have noticed on many occasions).  So, Buddy grabbed my phone and it was time for another impromptu, one take video.  Please watch the above video, and then enjoy the hip stretch…correctly.\

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Schedule

We will be cancelling 9:30 am and 12:00 noon classes on Friday, 5-18, as well as Saturday Open gym.  These cancellations are due to the Northern California Regional competition for the CrossFit Games.  All other classes will be held as normal.

Workout of the Day

7 rounds, untimed:

max reps strict pull-ups

20 hollow rocks

*You can use various grips for pull-ups

*Score is total pull-ups

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5:30 AM?!?!?!

Schedule Update

Workout of the Day

Bench Press

5-5-5-5-5

then,

Three rounds for time:

200 m run

20 wall ball shots, 20/14 lbs

10 pull-ups

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Proper Handstand Push-Up Work

The photo above shows what the top of a pike handstand push-up should look like.  Often times when handstand push-ups are in WOD’s, people need to scale.  That is totally fine.  However, there is a very common mistake that is bound to happen.  Instead of staying in a good pike position and lowering the head to the floor with the body over the top, people tend to open at the hips and essentially perform a regular push-up except with their knees or feet on the box.  Then, when they push up, they end up with the hands out in front of their face.  This does not really help getting better at handstand push-ups.  What is key, is keeping the body over the top, and pushing up.  At the top one should get the head through a touch in order to reach lockout of a good overhead position.  It should feel very similar to holding a barbell locked out overhead…except your upside down.  If you have any questions about this, feel free to ask your trainer!

-Danny

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Regionals

Next weekend are the Northern California Regionals for the 2012 CrossFit Games.  Buddy and Moses will both be competing!  Everyone who is available should go watch Buddy and Moses compete for a spot to compete in the worldwide CrossFit games.  The top 3 qualify to go.  Moses and Buddy both have legitamate shots at making it, but support always helps!  We will be closed that day (next Saturday, May 19), so you might as well go to San Jose to watch!  Although the competition runs Friday-Sunday, if you can even make one day I’m sure they would appreciate it.  A group will be meeting at CrossFit Excel to carpool every morning.  Feel free to use the comments section to plan.

Workout of the Day

“Zimmerman”

Complete as many rounds as possible in 25 minutes:

11 chest-to-bar pull-ups

2 deadlifts, 315/205 lbs

10 handstand push-ups

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HQ website

If you check out crossfit.com, you will see the above video posted as the wod demo for Thursday, 120510.

Great job guys!  Way to make us all proud!

Open Gym 9:00-11:00 am and 3:00-7:00 pm

Come by and choose from these (not so) specific options:

1. Make up a workout you missed

2. Choose a workout off the leader boards

3. Complete the workout of the day

4. Work on your weakness

5. Keep Buddy company

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Seminar Reviews

Over 20 CrossFit Excel members attended Jon North’s weightlifting seminar last Saturday. 

How was it?  Please take a moment to write what you liked/didn’t like in comments.

Workout of the Day

“Griff”

run 800 m

run 400 m backwards

run 800 m

run 400 m backwards

then:

max burpees in 2 minutes

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Why I Train…Final Edition

This week we will be wrapping up blog posts from our members on “Why I Train”. We would like to acknowledge CrossFit Pacific Coast for such a cool idea. Check out their blog from last week for some very inspiring stories.

We would like to thank all of our members who contributed. This week we will be featuring personal stories from our CF Excel athletes.

This is the last of the posts.  We combined a few shorter ones for this finale.  If we missed yours, please let us know and we’ll get it up.  Thanks again,

-Terry

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I train for life, and for myself. It makes me feel good and strong, and I love it, sure you get sore and most of the time it’s hard, but I’ts the hard that makes it great and in turn makes you great!!

-Nicole

This is pretty simple. I started crossfit approx. 3 years ago, after retirement when I found myself laboring just to do routine daily functions. My golf game was suffering, I could barely get out of my chair without straining and found it difficult to breath when bending over to tie my shoes. That was enough. I wanted to live a more vigorous life and increase my energy level to participate in my grandchildren’s activities. There is a down side though. My wife stopped doing the yard work when she realized I was capable. Oh well win some lose some.

-Dale Clayton

Will I began organized fitness programs when my daughter graduated from high school (1978) and have been at it since then. My major thought is to be fit for as long as I can. Not only has fitness programs helped me be fit and healthy, but it also got me through some very emotional times as well. Thank you for all your help and all you do.

-Leita

I’m a rookie with CrossFit Excel. I just completed my elements classes. I have to admit that I was and still am a bit nervous. This is way outside of my comfort zone….a new atmosphere, new people, and new challenges. I’m usually the quiet one that hangs out in the back of the classroom. I have heard nothing but positive and great things about CrossFit and that is why I decided to check it out.

I train because I am weak. I’m training to get fit. I train because I love a challenge. I train because I am an athlete. I train because I want to do my job to the best of my ability. I train because I want to live longer. I train because I want to be healthy. I train because I want to be able to do a pull up. I train because I want to be a positive role model. I train with CrossFit because I enjoy the group setting. I train because I want to be STRONG.

-Candice

Workout of the Day

Clean, 1 rep

Bench press, 1 rep

Overhead Squat, 1 rep

*Clean is from the ground, power or squat

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Why I Train…

This week we will be wrapping up blog posts from our members on “Why I Train”. We would like to acknowledge CrossFit Pacific Coast for such a cool idea. Check out their blog from last week for some very inspiring stories.

We would like to thank all of our members who contributed. This week we will be featuring personal stories from our CF Excel athletes.

-Terry

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During my 10 months at CrossFit Excel there have been many motivating factors that get me through the door several times a week. Initially having worked for Reebok at the 2011 Regionals and seeing what these elite athletes are capable of first hand is what made me sign up at CF Excel. A couple months into crossfit and feeling/seeing my body transform is one of the most rewarding feelings and is a huge part in why I train. You truly get in what you put out.

As I became more skilled in crossfit I signed up for my first competition in October 2011. Signing up for something that will physically and mentally challenge you will help you stay focused and motivated to want to get better. This is what competitions do to me, they help me eat better and train harder as I have something to work toward. I train because I don’t want to embarrass myself or the gym and people I represent by putting on that Red Crossfit Excel t-shirt at a competition.

Reflection…plain and simple, nothing is more rewarding then the feeling of reflection you get, when you look in your wod book and realize that you hit a huge pr, or got a faster time on a benchmark wod. Less than a year into crossfit I have now completed my fifth competition and with each one I realize how far I’ve come and how far I can go. At my first competition between four people we had to split up 100 double unders…myself and my two other teammates probably broke up our d.u. 10 times. Just a couple weeks ago I hit 100 unbroken. Also at the first competition there was a 95 lb ohs workout and I remember how heavy that felt at the time how hard it was to grunt out a set of 8-10 reps at a time, and this last weekend at the infamous “intensity competition” that Buddy and Danny have talked so much about…I had my own moment as well. My team of 4 had to complete 80 ohs…with 30 seconds to go the barbell was in my hands and I had to complete 10 reps of ohs with 135 lbs…as time expired I completed the last rep. 10 months ago I would have never been able to even hold that weight overhead for an ohs…let alone 10 in 30 seconds…That is why I train…for results, motivation, and endless reflection on a never ending journey of fitness.

Dave