beyond the whiteboard

Below you will find details about the components of our new Whiteboard Calendar Overlay. When preparing for a workout, it’s important to look not only at information about the Workout itself, but also about the Movements contained in it. The purpose of this Overlay is to give as much information as possible to help you decide how to best approach a workout, and how to properly modify it if necessary.  

Workout Information

Levels

Rx’d results for most workouts will now be assigned a level.  This level is from 0-100, with a higher number being better.  It represents the percent of results that your result is better than.  For example, a level of “80″ means that your result was better than 80% of the site results for that workout.  One thing to note is that all modified results are grouped below the worst Rx’d result.  So if you do a workout as prescribed, you will automatically have a level higher than all the people who modified.  Due to the wide variations in scaling, we can’t assign a meaningful level to Modified results.  By including all the results for a workout, and not just Rx’d results, it allows us to standardize and compare levels across workouts.

Milestone Slider

The Milestone Slider is an easy way to see what score you need to get to achieve a certain level.  As you slide to different levels, the score field will update with the appropriate score for that level.  If you have done the workout Prescribed in the past, you will be given a Milestone to shoot for on your next attempt at the workout.

Previous Results

Your Previous Results will show up on the slider as well, arranged by their Level.  By clicking on different results on the slider, you will be able to bring up all of the details of your previous results.

Movement Information

Potential Max Graph

Whenever you perform a set for a specific lift, we can calculate the Potential Max of your set.  The Potential Max is an estimate of what 1RM that set would be equivalent to.  We use the standard 1rm Estimator formula to calculate this.  For example, performing 3 reps @ 185# gives you a Potential Max of 203#.  By comparison, performing 5 reps @ 174# would also give a Potential Max of 203#.  This allows us to say that 6 reps @ 174# is better than 3 reps @ 185#.

We have constructed a Potential Max Graph for each of your lifts using these concepts.  We have plotted every set of every workout for each movement, based on each set’s Potential Max.  This allows us to compare different sets with different reps, and see which one was better.  Within the same workout, you can see how intense each set was, by looking at how closely bunched the vertical red points (Potential Maxes) are. When looking at lifting workouts that were performed over the course of a week or two, you can use the Potential Max as a measure of relative intensity.  Over longer time periods, the trends of the Potential Max graph will give you good picture of how you are progressing in your lifts.

Max Lifts and Percentage Slider

We’ve also included a section that lists your 1 RM, 3 RM and 5 RM for weightlifting movements, if available.  These will give you an idea of what your current maxes are, which can be helpful in choosing an appropriate weight for a workout containing that movement.  There is also a small slider below each max, allowing you to quickly find percentages of your 1RM.  This makes it much simpler when performing a workout that assigns percentages.

Recent Levels and Recent Posts

We’ve also included a Recent Results graph which shows the levels of other recent workouts you’ve done that contain the selected movement.  This can be helpful in seeing how well you generally do on workouts containing, for example, Deadlifts.  This can give you an idea of what level to shoot for on a popular workout that you haven’t done before.

The Recent Posts box will let you know the weight/reps you performed during some recent workouts with that movement, to give you some insight into what weight you should choose for your current workout.

Workout 13.2

As many rounds as possible in 10 mins of:
5 Shoulder To Overhead 115/75
15 Deadlifts 115/75
9 Box Jumps 24in/20in

CF Open Prep and Strategy for 13.2: W /Diane Fu, Carl Paoli, Brian MacKenzie, and Kelly Starrett

Gymnastics WOD: CrossFit Games Breakdown 13.2

Push Press

CrossFit Journal

• The Moves
• Spanish Push Press
• Perfecting the Push Press
• On the Safety and Efficacy of Overhead Lifting
• The Lifting Shoulder
• The Overhead Lifts
• A Postural Error: A Costly Biomechanical Fault: Muted Hip Function (MHF)
• The Jolie Diaries: Correcting the Push Press
• The Level 2 Cert — Fixing the Dip
• Overhead is Rising
• The Overhead Series – Part 2 The Push Press
• Coaches Prep Course: The Overhead Position

Old School Coach Glassman Video

Mobility WOD
Start at about 1:10.

Deadlift

CrossFit Journal

• The Deadlift
  The deadlift is unrivaled in its simplicity and impact while unique in its capacity for increasing head to toe strength.
• Keeping Your Adductors Strong
  Knees rolling in on squats and pulls? Bill Starr explains how you can fix the problem by working on your adductors, which will translate to more weight on the bar.
• Spanish Deadlift
  Maggie Dabe from CrossFit Fairfax is one of CrossFit HQ’s traveling seminar trainers. Originally from Ecuador, she explains our standard cues and faults for the deadlift entirely in Spanish.
• Deadlifts a la Tate
  In this series on the deadlift, Tate offers a simplified approach. Pick the bar up. More specifically, he says, stay on the heels, shoulders start over or behind the bar, lean back, and stand up. Sumo style is better for some. His language reflects his ti
• Pulling Exercises: Hip It Before You Whip It
  Learning how to pull a weight off the floor or a platform correctly can help every strength athlete to better perform a number of very beneficial exercises: power cleans, power snatches, full cleans, full snatches, clean and snatch grip high-pulls, and co
• The Slow Lifts: Deadlift
  There is no more functional movement than picking up something heavy, as we do in the deadlift, writes Mark Rippetoe of The Witchita Falls Athletic Club/CrossFit Witchita Falls in part 5 of his series on the slow lifts.
  
• The Slow Lifts
  The slow lifts—the squat, the press, the deadlift and the bench press—form the basis of any effective program to improve strength, writes Mark Rippetoe, owner of The Wichita Falls Athletic Club and Crossfit Wichita Falls and co-author of Starting Stre
• CrossFit & Powerlifting
  Several months ago I came across a link to CrossFit.com, and, after sifting through the site for a while, I was hooked. As someone who appreciates the value of hard work, I knew I had to find a way to incorporate this type of training and conditioning int
• Correcting The Deadlift
  Rachel Medina is the co owner of CrossFit South San Clemente, she is also a part of CrossFit HQ’s traveling Level 1 seminar team.

  In this clip from Jordan Gravatt of CrossFit by Overload, Rachel “Funky-Cold” Medina teaches the deadlift to Level 1

• CrossFit Kids – Teaching the Deadlift
  Jeff Martin shows his progression for teaching young kids how to deadlift. Jeff and his wife Mikki run CrossFit Kids. He explains why barbells are less important for kids, how cues like the Angry Gorilla came to be, and why they’re so important for teachi

Box Jump

CrossFit Journal

• Perfecting the Box Jump
• 56 Inches Of Fame
• Plyo Boxes

Gymnastics WOD on Box Jumps

Mobility WOD: Recovering

Let’s be honest, you are doing this WOD twice. Might as well know how to recover the best way via Mobility WOD.

The average Female completed 5 more reps on 13.1 than the average Male. This is primarily due to the lighter than normal Female weights. Traditionally, in a workout like Isabel, the ladies would be using 95#, but in 13.1 they were prescribed 75# instead. Contrast this with the fact that the average Female Rx’d Isabel time is 33 seconds slower than the average male time. This leads me to conclude that the ideal female loading for 135# would be somewhere between 75# and 95#.

The ideal female loading for 135# would be somewhere between 75# and 95#.

The CrossFit Open 13.1 workout was announced last night and has a lot of Burpees and Snatches. Which is actually a combination of 12.1 and 12.2 from last year. Below is everything you need to know about the Burpee and Snatch. Enjoy! Feel free to hit me up on Twitter with information you think we should add.

Burpee

Here is Carl Paoli going over the burpee from last year’s open. Turns out a burpee is still a burpee.

Warm-up: Work on those hips! Check MobilityWOD for the full warmup cycle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo59eq…).

The Efficient Burpee: We’ve covered this movement before in the Burpee Skill Transfer series in full detail, so check it (gymnasticswod.com/progressions?field_ta­gs_category_tid[]=81&field_tags_tid[]=6&­field_tags_apparatus_tid[]=79)

The Kip: You may be able to power and grind though 50 or more burpees with dirty push ups and then hopping… pulling… dragging your feet in, but things could quickly go down hill from there in the final minutes. If you recall your kipping skills on the bar and even your kipping Toes to Bar, think of doing those movements starting from your belly and really use your hip drive and hip closing to sweep your legs in and under you.

The Transition: If you’ve got the Kip working efficiently, you’ve essentially created plenty of useful tension and torque in your system that will do more than just sweep your feet in. Leverage the sweeping motion and push away from the ground at the same time to rotate and bring your chest up, similar to a gymnastics snapdown (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=…). Don’t waste the explosiveness of the kip, it’s like dry-firing a Shaman’s Bow that is your body and you don’t want to do that.

The Jump: The closer your feet are in together, the taller you’ll stand and the less you’ll need to jump to touch the target. With feet together you’ll also wind up more tension in your hamstrings to make the kick out easier. When you’re doing anything high-rep, consistency is key so always keep a check on your foot placement (not up at the target) and make your last rep look and pace like the first one.

The Snatch

The definitive guide on the Snatch for all the CrossFitters that are going to hit the 13.1. Yet another reason why you need to sign up for the CrossFit Journal.

CrossFit Journal

1. Efficiency Tips: The Snatch
2. Split Snatch
3. Fixing The Feet With Mike Burgener
4. Teaching the Snatch to a Large Group: Part 1
5. The Burgener Warm-Up
6. Perfect Position: Deadlift and Snatch
7. Perfect Position: Deadlift and Snatch
8. 12 Tips for Coaching O-Lifts in the CrossFit Box
9. Snatch Strategies for CrossFit Workouts and Competitions
10. The Quick Lifts: Start Here
11. Learning How to Do Full Snatches
12. More Pop at the Top
13. The Burgener Files V—Coaching Points
14. The Burgener Files VI—The Pocket
15. Weightlifting Workshop at Eleiko
16. Why’d You Miss
17. Teaching the Snatch to a Large Group: Part 2
18. Improving the Full Snatch
19. Dissecting Dave and Nadia: Part 2
20. Keeping Your Adductors Strong
21. USAW Movement Standards
22. Dissecting Dave & Nadia: Part 3
23. Preparing for the First Olympic Meet
24. Dissecting Dave & Nadia: Part 4
25. Dissecting Dave and Nadia: Part 1
26. Better Bracing for Midline Stability
27. Reviewing the Snatch
28. Burgener Files IV – Stance, Grip and Position
29. Coaching Points
30. Skill Transfer Exercises
31. The Scoop & The Second Pull
32. The World’s Fastest Lift: World Class Coaching LLC’s Olympic Lifting Videotapes
33. The End of the First Pull
34. Analysis of the Transition
35. Nick Hawkes’ Snatch Training at Mike’s Gym: Part 2
36. Coach Burgener Teaches the Snatch Part 2
37. Coach Burgener Teaches the Snatch Part 1
38. Pulling Positions for the Snatch
39. Skill Transfer Exercises for the Snatch
40. Learning The Olympic Lifts: The Stance
41. Learning The Olympic Lifts: The Grip
42. More About the Snatch
43. The Burgener Files: 1 – The Warmup
44. Lunchtime Snatching Session
45. Pulling Exercises: Hip It Before You Whip It
46. The Power of Dynamic Pulling Exercises
47. Pat’s Oly Workout: Snatch
48. Fixing Loopy Lifts
49. Assistance Sequence for the Snatch
50. Snatch Assistance Exercises
51. The Burgener Warmup
52. The Moves

KStar: Mobility WOD

Mic’d Instructor: Again Faster

Carl Paoli: Gymnastics WOD

CrossFit Open 13.1 Overview Videos

Carl Paoli

Guys from the Barbell Shrugged Podcast

The Third CrossFit Open Starts Tomorrow

In my opinion The CrossFit Open is the most difficult CrossFit Competition to program for. Unlike the Regionals and Games, there isn’t an understood expectation of talent.

Workout Type

All of the workouts last year were AMRAPs/AMREPs and I imagine they will be the same this year. I think we will see something like 7, 10, 12, 15 and 20 minute workout caps. Eventhough making workouts that everyone can attempt is a big priority, the main priority is setting a threshold for Regional worthy athletes. It turns out, HQ thought of a genius solution. The most technical movements are put towards the end of a workout, where the people who are fit enough to get to them are probably able to perform them. Expect to see a long chipper or a workout where reps get progressively heavier (Maybe both). Trying to guess the actual workouts is pointless (fun tough). However, below is a breakdown of movements that have appeared in the last two CrossFit Opens.

Here is what I think is likely to show up.

Doubtful

• Row
• GHD-Sit Ups
• Back Extension
• Rope Climb
• Swimming
• Run (unless it’s a shuttle run which I’d like to see)
• Basically anything you can’t do out of your garage.
• Push-Ups (mainly because I think everyone can’t help but cheat when they get tired and it’s really hard to judge)
• Ring Dips

Random First Workout Guess

As many reps in 7 mins as you can of: Jumping Squat to height above your reach.