New standards for
Burpees in 2018. The rules of the Burpee have now been fixed.
For the burpee,
athletes will no longer be allowed to step down or step up.
Instead, athletes must
leave the floor with both feet and “kick out” to get into the bottom position. From there, both feet must be kicked back up at the same time.
The change is in
response to the community moving to the step back, step up pattern on burpees. Athletes who choose to step back or up, will be considered “scaled”.
You can no longer step
up or step down during the burpee, you HAVE TO JUMP.
Most people would start
stepping when they get fatigued and some use the step as a pacing guide, either
way, it’s no longer considered an “RX” movement.
You will get a NO REP and will have to start that burpee over again.
During the burpees, you
must jump with both feet back, chest and thighs touch the floor, then jump with
both feet back to your hands and stand up. When doing Burpee jump overs, you have to jump over
the Barbell/Dumbbell, so step up or back to get your feet next to the dumbbell and jump
laterally over the dumbbell. That’s one rep.
In the 18.0 in the
burpee you must jump or kick your feet backwards, at the same time, and jump up
with both feet at the same time.
You also had to jump
with both feet over the dumbbell, you were allowed to take a step towards the
dumbbell if you had somehow jumped to far or if you where not at the dumbbells
side.
If you don´t jump, just
step backwards, then it will be judged as a scaled version. Of course as always
your chest has to touch the floor when you go down.
You must then raise yourself
to a standing position before you jump over the dumbbell. Hips flexed for the
jump, not like in a burpee over bar where you can jump almost lying down. So let's hope that CrossFit Open WOD 12.1 (AMRAP of 7 mins of Burpees) does not show its ugly face!. Good luck in 18.2, whatever it will be.
In 2017, the DB
standard allowed for an athlete to switch hands on the DB while still overhead.
You can no longer
change hands over your head, it has to be below your eye line.
Last year a lot of
people changed hands at the top of the movement questioning whether there was a
full lockout or not, so to make that more clear, the switch has to happen after
the dumbbell passes your eyes.
Most “normal” people
found that too challenging anyway and switched hands when the dumbbell touched
the ground.
For the dumbbell
snatch, athletes are still allowed to switch hands in mid-air, but in 2018 the
athlete must switch hands when the dumbbell is below the face.
The athlete can no
longer hold the dumbbell overhead and switch. Doing so would result in a
no-rep.
The change to the
dumbbell snatch will likely not have much of an impact as athletes are still
not required to change hands with the dumbbell on the ground.
The wait is finally over and 18.1 has been revealed.
The announcement
continued a trend of international destinations for the live
broadcasts, which
for 18.1 was hosted at Ginasio Poliesportivo Dr. Antonio Leme
Nunes Galvao,
also called Morumbi Stadium, in São Paulo, Brazil.
18.1 is:
·8 Toes-to-Bar
·10 Dumbbell Hang Clean & Jerks
(5 each arm; men use 50 pounds, women use 35 pounds)
·14/12 Calories Rowed on a Concept 2 Rower (men/women)
As many reps as possible (AMRAP) in 20 minutes.
It was Holte Vs Briggs:
Kristin Holte took an
early lead in the first Open Workout but Sam kept a steady and controlled pace
that the Norwegian athlete was simply unable to match over the full 20 minutes
of the workout.
TIPS FROM SAM BRIGGS
‘I just kept counting
the reps for each movement and that helped me keep my pace.’
‘I got a few no reps at
the beginning which slowed me down.’
‘I tried to go faster
at the end but it didn’t really work!’
Sam kept a pace of
around 1000 cal per hour on the rower, and stuck to a time frame of 1 min 26
seconds for each round.
On round 6 she really
put the hammer down and began to push forward and establish a pace that Holte
was unable to keep up with.
THE FINAL SCORES
Sam finished with 409
reps and Kristin managed 379.
CrossFit differentiates
itself from many other fitness cultures because of the apparent closer ties
both within its boxes and its wider universe. You pretty quickly know who
everyone is at a box and any anti-social use of globo gym style earphones is
quickly rinsed into submission. Members become friends, they share information
and knowledge via social media and forums. They go out together, they attend
competitions, they celebrate successes, they bond (aww bless), and they become
aware of the wider network that is the CrossFit community. We know the score...
right?
As the UK community
grows though and CrossFit potentially makes the jump from cocky little
pretender to fully fledged star of the team in the fitness world, we need to be
aware that the things we loved about Crossfit may change. This may not always
be for the better depending on where you're at on these things.
Reebok's involvement
has always caused a stir and plenty of post Wod chat as we guzzle our
Boditronics, BCAA's, discuss injuries; swap paleo brownie recipes, and debate
whether to start on steroids to make all this stuff a bit easier to deal with.
Will Reebok ultimately care about the community or will it just be seen as an
audience reach in the end? It's inadvertently changed a few existing
friendships I know of in the community already. Only the future will tell and
we've just all got to ride it out and see.
On the flip side of a
close knit box community, it can have its own subcultures too. As in all walks
of life people gravitate towards those they feel they have most in common with,
or are in line with their values and interests. Cliques are inevitable in most
social communities and..well.. I guess CrossFit itself is the biggest clique of
all while we are on the subject. People watching is a big guilty pleasure of
mine and I pick up on social dynamics pretty well I like to think. I notice the
people who make an effort with everyone, and those who don't so much. There was
a great comment on the CrossFit affiliates page relating to the healthy nature
of cliques:
A core 'group' or
clique that presents a non-exclusive non-alienating feel, can help create a
cohesive motivating family environment = Good!
An ego driven group or
clique that presents an exclusive alienating feel that is cold and
stand-off-ish can do just the opposite = Bad!
Maybe we should ask
ourselves when was the last time we walked up to a new member and chatted to
them about their Crossfit experiences or just got to know them? We should all
be mindful that CrossFit doesn't turn into American high school stereotypes in
UK boxes.
As CrossFit evolves at
boxes and with wider competition being ever more accessible, is it creating a
two tier CrossFit some may ask? The competitive tier for those who love to pit
their wits against other Crossfitters, take it on to another level, or see
where they lie in a larger scale hierarchy. Then there are those that are happy
with just using the regime to improve their life, get mobile and fitter and
take it one PB (Personal Best) at a time.
The reality is people
have different goals and are at different stages of their CrossFit experience.
General programming cannot always cover all the bases for everyone in their own
set timelines of achievement. You only have to look at how the programming at
an affiliate now is a world away from where it will have been two years ago.
Yet, we have new starters coming in at a higher standard because that's just
the way it is. The game has changed my friends... it's inevitable. More is
achieved by of the average CrossFitter both at your gym and I'm sure, boxes
across the world. Look at the rapid progress of the new breed. Their linear
progression across skills, loads and volume has often been far steeper than
probably anyone who picked up CrossFit two years ago because they viewed a
standard where they wanted to be and don't know any different. This is the
catch net effect of competition from the top level down in CrossFit. It pulls
everyones development along at a quicker rate. So if people want an accelerated
development, whatever ability, the Advanced/competitor programmes are an option,
nothing more.
To me that two tier has
always been there, its just more evident now the chance to compete outside your
box is more frequent and accessible and the abilities of your boxes
'firebreathers' (top tier athletes) move further on from your general
population. That should be celebrated and it is up to everyone to ensure those
two elements aren't at loggerheads. It's up to firebreathers to stay grounded
and inclusive, and its up to others not to feel lesser or envious.
CrossFit in the UK is changing.
It is moving out of its innocent, 'yay lets all be friends' stage into
something else. Sometimes the rose tinted glasses of the community need to come
off.
Manchester will be one
of the first UK cities to have to manage a higher than average concentration of
CrossFit boxes. Three are loads of Boxes in Manchester. The lines between friends and
competitors are getting blurred for sure and not just in a throwdown workout!
Things are becoming a lot more professional and business like (e.g. see the
growth of cross sell products within gyms) and rightly so I guess.
As this concentration
increases a couple of things maybe need to happen. Either the general public
moves away from the Fitness First gyms of this world and see the CrossFit
light. (This could be the massive gain from Reebok's marketing work and create
demand and an upturn of interest)
Or, individual boxes are going to have to
raise their game and shine like hell to attract and keep members in a heavily
contested market. This is where the issues of U.S. boxes that we have only read
about could come home to roost! Members switching for cheaper memberships,
specialisations, location, or, hell, just to change up. Don't be surprised in
the future if it turns into a car insurance situation with some, where loyalty
has no place. I'm sure this will be a small section of the CrossFit membership
but a headache nonetheless for box owners trying to keep a steady revenue. A
group membership idea for multiple boxes is something that has been adopted in
the US for high concentration areas. A noble idea! As to whether that could
work in the UK with the numbers doing CrossFit, the logisitics of creating it
and the reward for the individual boxes... hmmm toughie!!
Whatever happens... for
every great new development in the community there is always a new problem.
It's just how we choose to manage it to ensure the magic STAYS in the
community.
For more info go to
http://spartanstrength.co.uk/
Sean Murray is a Manchester
Personal Trainer/ CrossFit Trainer in Castlefield. He also runs his own boot
camp in Moston, North Manchester. He works with clients on their weight/fat
loss goals as well as performance athletes such as Triathletes and Rugby League
players to improve work capacity or weaknesses.
As CrossFit evolves at
boxes and with wider competition being ever more accessible, there are now two
types of CrossFitter:
Those competitive
athletes who love to pit their wits against other Crossfitters, take it on to
another level, or see where they lie in a larger scale hierarchy.
Then there are those
that are happy with just using the regime to improve their life, get mobile and
fitter and take it one PB (Personal Best) at a time.
Whichever athlete you are we can all enjoy the CrossFit Open.
We all have our own
journey and aspirations to compete in the CrossFit Open 2018.
With competition harder than ever, it really depends on what comes up over the next 5 weeks.
So this week on the Bulletproofbodies Blog we are speculating and anticipating in preparation for Friday night lights.
You know that only the
Open can take you to the darkest of places.
Have you been training
the following systems?
Aerobic Threshold:
Steady workouts at a
moderate intensity to develop fuel efficiency (burn fat), muscular skeleton
system, and aerobic endurance.
Lactate Threshold:
Higher volume workouts with longer distance
intervals at higher “threshold” intensities with less rest between reps and/or
sets.
VO2 Max:
Lower volume workouts, shorter distance
intervals at higher intensities, and more rest between reps and/or sets.
Speed Endurance:
Very low volume workouts with interval
distances less than 60sec. Extremely high intensities. Used to recruit fast
twitch fibres and force them to develop endurance. Full recovery between reps
and/or sets.
Strength Endurance:
Low volume workouts with high intensity
intervals that include various explosive movements to recruit and develop your
fast twitch muscle fibres.
The Open is about
BURPEES.
The burpee has been
around since 1939, when Royal H. Burpee invented the bodyweight movement as a
quick, simple way of administering fitness tests and included it in his thesis
for a doctorate in applied physiology from Columbia University. Over the last
75 years, the burpee has evolved from its original incarnation—a four-count
movement to be performed four times in a row in order to evaluate fitness—to
its current version: a six-count movement that includes three jumps, a couple
squats, a push-up, and a not insignificant amount of torment.
1. Don't rest. Pace. If
you stop [in the middle of your reps], it only takes longer to get going again.
Most people need to stop because they’re going too fast, but the best thing you
can do if you’re doing a lot of repetitions is to go "slow" and
steady: Pick a pace you can maintain for however many burpees you need to do,
and don't stop. So if you only have to do five to 10 burpees, you can go a
little faster. But if you’re doing 50 burpees, go slower so you can maintain a
consistent pace.
2. Feet go before
hands. If you want to take a second off of your burpee, shoot your legs back
before your hands hit the ground. When most of us first learn a burpee, we
usually learn that our hands should hit the ground before we jump our feet
back. But once you understand that basic movement, you can shoot your feet back
before your hands land on the ground.
3. Turn on robot mode.
When you have a lot of burpees to do...stop thinking about how man burpees you
have to do. Just go into robot mode. Approach each small movement one at a
time: "drop to the floor," "feet back," "jump up,"
etc., and repeat. Just slip into auto-pilot and keep counting. Thinking ahead
too much gets you freaked out about how many you have left to do. Just keep
moving and focusing on one movement at a time.
4. Breathe! As much as
you can, try to get into a rhythm with your breathing. Experiment with what
works for you, recognizing that as you get more out of breath your rhythm will
change slightly. But always try to keep your breathing as steady as possible.
5. Avoid common faults.
Many people fall prey to two faults. The first is arching the back to come out
of the burpee, as if they were doing an upward dog pose. This can lead to an
aching lower back. The second fault is losing range of motion. The chest should
touch the floor, not just the belly button or pelvis. The hips need to open up
all the way at the top when you jump. Try looking straight ahead as you stand
up and jump— this can help you to remember to open your hips.
Take it from CrossFit
coach Erica Giovinazzo, who does plenty of burpees and programs them for her
athletes.
The Open is about Dumbbell
Thrusters
At some point in an
athlete’s or trainees fitness there will come a time when the barbell will not
be available and/or injury to the shoulder and wrist may make the barbell
variation unbearable.
The dumbbells will
allow for a wide array of wrist angle and overhead positionings that can be
altered to best “fit” the athlete. For this same reason, increased joint
stabilization can occur in varying positions to maximize joint capsule and
movement Integrity as well.
Whatever the Open is about, it's about our community having fun! Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQHhd5lxVEkGidVXXegTisw
Imagine you've built a
big, beautiful hotel in the mountains. Tourists come flooding in for the summer
months for the beautiful weather, breathtaking scenery and to visit the mineral
spas. But it's dead in the bleak winter months. It's also difficult to get
around on the snow-covered roads.
You can't make the snow
go away. Your plan for year-round success must involve embracing the snow and
your surroundings. This is the exact attitude Caspar Badrutt had when he
decided to make St. Moritz, Switzerland the place to visit in summer or winter.
People loved sledding so why not put the snowy, mountainous landscape to use
and create a wager with some English tourists to race down the lanes and
alleyways? This is how the sliding sports of bobsled, luge and skeleton were
born.
Since the idea for
these sports took hold over 150 years ago, the sleds and tracks have improved
dramatically, the best sliding athletes have strict training schedules and
vacations to Switzerland in the winter are mostly for skiing.
See athletes at the top
of their games compete in bobsled, luge and skeleton at the 2018 Whistler
Olympics.
Bobsled
Bobsled teams consist
of either two or four people (women only compete in the two person event).
Every team includes a driver (sits at the front and steers) and brakeman (sits
at the back and puts on the brakes after crossing the finish line). The four
person team includes a couple extra people to help with the running start,
called pushers.
Like all of the sliding
sports, bobsled is competed on an icy track with many twists and turns to
navigate. Bobsled races are very close and every fraction of a second counts.
The fastest team will have the best combination of aerodynamics, weight, skill
and initial push off strength.
In the Olympics, each
bobsled event consists of four runs. The team with the lowest combined time
wins.
Luge
Luge is both a single
and team sport for men and women. The speed of a luge run ranks right up there
with the bobsled, but without the comfort of a sled casing to surround the
athlete.
Luge sleds are flat and
constructed of fibreglass and metal runners. Athletes ride the sled on their
backs, feet first. Unlike the other sliding events, there is no running start.
Instead, competitors start sitting upright on the sled, propel themselves
forward by pushing off handlebars and then paddle the track with their hands
before lying down.
Just like bobsled,
every second counts in a luge race. Mistakes made at the top of the track are
most detrimental as the athlete needs to make up time the rest of the way down.
Unlike the bobsled, luge sleds have no steering devices. Athletes are able to
manipulate the direction of the sled by shifting their body weight.
In the Olympics, the
singles events consist of four timed runs. The doubles event has only two timed
runs. The winners of each event are determined by combining the times of all
runs.
Skeleton
The sport of skeleton
has been around since the late 1800's but was not officially included as an
Olympic sport until 2002. Both men and women compete in skeleton, which is a
singles-only sport.
Skeleton athletes slide
down the track on their sleds, stomach facing downward, head first. They gather
speed at the top of the track with a running start (approximately 25 - 40
metres) before jumping onto the sled.
The construction of a
skeleton sled is similar to the luge sled in that it is made of fibreglass and
metal runners. The shape of the sled is quite different though - like a
skeleton (hence the name). Like the luge sled, skeleton sleds have no steering
mechanisms, but they also have no brakes! Athletes must drag their feet to
stop.
In the Olympics, the
men's and women's sliding events consist of four runs each with the best
combined time winning.
Devon O'Malley is a
staff writer for Allura Direct, a vacation rentals website featuring properties
in ski resorts that can be booked directly from the owner.
