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Chuck - did the bikram help your flexibility a lot? I'm REALLY inflexible in my upper body - my hands are 12+" in front of where they should be at the top of ah OHS - so I'm looking for anything I can to speed up that process. I'm already doing tons of resistance band work and pass-throughs, but I feel like progress is sloooooowwwww.

Is there a box in vegas?

Chuck - did the bikram help your flexibility a lot? I'm REALLY inflexible in my upper body - my hands are 12+" in front of where they should be at the top of ah OHS - so I'm looking for anything I can to speed up that process. I'm already doing tons of resistance band work and pass-throughs, but I feel like progress is sloooooowwwww.

Is there a box in vegas?

10xOHS with a broomstick pulling the hell out of the broom each morning for the win. Took me about a month though.

10xOHS with a broomstick pulling the hell out of the broom each morning for the win. Took me about a month though.

heh i've been doing this for like 6 months

eta: maybe i'll get a pic up of me doing an OHS with PVC

If you are interested in optimal efficiency for strength gains, read Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe: perfect the 5 lifts (squat, OHP, dead, power clean, press), decide upon your desired weight, and work until linear strength gains are no longer possible in those lifts (3-9 months, depending on your desired weight, diet, and genetics) at that weight imo. Don't waste time with other stuff if efficiency whilst improving concerns you. Improved flexibility will come in under two weeks from the squats alone (if executed correctly). You should be able to use any Crossfit centre to follow the Rippetoe program, as long as you don't get distracted by the myriad other exercises and jazzacise.

To me, Crossfit appears to be way better as a maintenance program than as an improvement program. Not that you won't improve doing it, it will just take a more time and more effort than necessary.

^^ is this directed at me?

I have a few level 3s:
DL, Bsquat, 400m run, 500m row, clean. Of these, the lifts took a year of training, whereas the run seems easy, and the row was just low hanging fruit for a 6ft/220lb man.

What I want to ask is, how to women's standards compare to mens? The standards adjust for mens/womens rowing times and kettlebells. Are the BW standards tougher on women?

I think you answered your own question, the lifts take time and training! Scaling to body weight seems to be about the same difficulty level, but lots of women (myself included) haven't lifted prior to CrossFit.

What is holding me back in the lifts is perfecting the form. CrossFitters are known for getting hurt because in lots of boxes its ok to keep adding weight and have terrible form. I tweaked my shoulder in the fall trying to press too much weight with ugly form. Since taking it easy and focusing on technique, I've added about 40# to my press.

If you are interested in optimal efficiency for strength gains, read Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe: perfect the 5 lifts (squat, OHP, dead, power clean, press), decide upon your desired weight, and work until linear strength gains are no longer possible in those lifts (3-9 months, depending on your desired weight, diet, and genetics) at that weight imo. Don't waste time with other stuff if efficiency whilst improving concerns you. Improved flexibility will come in under two weeks from the squats alone (if executed correctly). You should be able to use any Crossfit centre to follow the Rippetoe program, as long as you don't get distracted by the myriad other exercises and jazzacise.

To me, Crossfit appears to be way better as a maintenance program than as an improvement program. Not that you won't improve doing it, it will just take a more time and more effort than necessary.

Rippetoe does an awesome Starting Strength weekend seminar. That hard part is finding a box that will let you do your own programming. Most gyms want you to follow their class schedule instead of doing your own thing. Sometimes you can find a box with open gym time where you can just use the equipment.

CrossFit football http://www.crossfitfootball.com/ is another great variation that will help you build strength and also work on mobility.

I took today off but will be Randy Rx tomorrow which should be a lot of fun.

I love starting my day with a good snatch!

I love starting my day with a good snatch!

Not an official crossfit thread until we get some snatch double entendre in!

azwildkitten (Mrs. DD? other?),

What are your thoughts on HQ/Glassman and how they've been handling the explosion of CF over the past 2ish years? From my sorta noob perspective it seems like Glassman was the first to really formalize a great training style, and for that we should all be really grateful. That being said, once other, possibly smarter people started playing the same game and trying to adapt to/improve upon his ideas, our CF hero wasn't particularly ready to accept that (eg Robb Wolf, a lot of others from what I can tell).

To all crossfit people out there, have a look at these shoes. I discovered these about a year ago and i've been hooked on them ever since. They are basically shoes that simulate barefoot walking but with the protection of a really thin sole. Way better than normal cushioned shoes for olympic lifting and crossfit as you actually are more aware of your feet and balance. Try them out, they are worth every penny.

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_footwear.cfm

Chuck - did the bikram help your flexibility a lot? I'm REALLY inflexible in my upper body - my hands are 12+" in front of where they should be at the top of ah OHS - so I'm looking for anything I can to speed up that process. I'm already doing tons of resistance band work and pass-throughs, but I feel like progress is sloooooowwwww.

Is there a box in vegas?

Re: Box in Vegas - I'd need a car first. I joined up at a globogym around here and they actually have some racks so that's fine by me.

THe Bikram helped a lot everywhere except the hips - where it just helped me a little bit. I had a lot of pain in my wrists on the OHS that just disappeared and my shoulder/elbows were a lot more flexible.

To all crossfit people out there, have a look at these shoes. I discovered these about a year ago and i've been hooked on them ever since. They are basically shoes that simulate barefoot walking but with the protection of a really thin sole. Way better than normal cushioned shoes for olympic lifting and crossfit as you actually are more aware of your feet and balance. Try them out, they are worth every penny.

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_footwear.cfm

ya like 1/2 our box has these - I haven't converted yet but I might at some point.

azwildkitten (Mrs. DD? other?),

What are your thoughts on HQ/Glassman and how they've been handling the explosion of CF over the past 2ish years? From my sorta noob perspective it seems like Glassman was the first to really formalize a great training style, and for that we should all be really grateful. That being said, once other, possibly smarter people started playing the same game and trying to adapt to/improve upon his ideas, our CF hero wasn't particularly ready to accept that (eg Robb Wolf, a lot of others from what I can tell).

Are you talking about Glassman the philosopher or Glassman the businessman?

Glassman the philosopher has done the good stuff. He's defined fitness as "improved performance across broad time and modal domains", and Crossfit training as that which improves fitness. So a training program which is better at improving measured fitness is a better program.

Glassman the businessman is less visibly brilliant. He's running a multi-million pound industry with the friends from his original gym, mainly. And the Robb Wolf thing was one of those friends (Castro) blowing up at something, and Glassman (necessarily) backing him. Glassman will be fine however Crossfit evolves, but his friends are more exposed, and know it.

Glassman apparently was never a great technician, but he's had the wisdom to bring in Subject Matter Experts. Those guys aren't necessarily working out.

Rippetoe (the Starting Strength author, mentioned above) has removed himself from Crossfit as far as I can see. Glassman has pulled in Louie Simmons to do the power-lifting stuff instead. I'm not sure there is a major complaint. There is a complaint vs basic Crossfit programming IMO (as mentioned by JJD above.) There isn't enough lifting included, and several variants (MEBB, Crossfit Strength Bias, Crossfit Football) are addressing this. In this light, it's interesting how often a Crossfit Journal interview has elite people say they follow main site programming. Noone seems to have Khalipa on tape saying that he follows Austin Begiebing's programming.

Similarly, Wolf has been replaced in the area of nutrition by Sears. That seems to me more problematic. Sears is a much less accomplished speaker. There is a debate between Paleo and Zone based on the importance of food quality vs the importance of quantity.

But turn it around. This guy had no idea what he had created. He got on the web late simply because he had the luck to be based in Santa Cruz. Before that, he only opened his own box because (in Santa Cruz) he had been kicked out of EVERY globo-gym. And we expect him to manage the international movement without a mis-step?

If you are interested in optimal efficiency for strength gains, read Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe: perfect the 5 lifts (squat, OHP, dead, power clean, press), decide upon your desired weight, and work until linear strength gains are no longer possible in those lifts (3-9 months, depending on your desired weight, diet, and genetics) at that weight imo. Don't waste time with other stuff if efficiency whilst improving concerns you. Improved flexibility will come in under two weeks from the squats alone (if executed correctly). You should be able to use any Crossfit centre to follow the Rippetoe program, as long as you don't get distracted by the myriad other exercises and jazzacise.

To me, Crossfit appears to be way better as a maintenance program than as an improvement program. Not that you won't improve doing it, it will just take a more time and more effort than necessary.

Do you know about the hybrid programs like Crossfit Strength Bias or Crossfit Football or Max Effort Black Box? They go some way to address your concern that the standard programming doesn't improve strength sufficiently.

The attraction of Crossfit is that the WODs are fun. Racing to complete a workout beats the hell out of the SS program, which will certainly work, but has the same drawback of diets in that people won't necessarily stick to them.