Becky on the rings.
“Warming Up to the Warm-Up” by Melissa Reed (Physical Therapist and CrossFit Coach)
Classes start on the hour with a group warm-up here at CrossFit Watertown. Your coaches spend about 10-15 minutes preparing your bodies for the WOD ahead, and while it is sufficient to get you ready for that day’s workout, you all can (and should) be doing more!
The crowd usually starts gathering in the Club Room about 15 minutes before each class; we chat about our day, our soreness, and who killed the WOD yesterday. I love this aspect of CFW. The community and friendships are what makes CFW so great and unique. I’m going to make one suggestion: Let’s take it INSIDE the gym. Use the 15 minutes to make yourself a better CrossFitter and a better athlete.
We all have our unique flexibility issues, injuries, and goats. This is a great time to work on them. Let me offer up a few suggestions . . .
First, start off with an easy run or row to get the blood flowing and help loosen up all your muscles and joints. If you have specific flexibility issues (like not being able to get into a good front rack position for your front squat) spend some time working on PVC dislocates and other shoulder and wrist stretches.
For those of you with low back pain, OHS with PVC pipe/ring holds/plank position are all great exercises that will help build core strength. For those of you with shoulder issues, it’s important to prehab and rehab with ring rows, shoulder dislocates, plank holds, and foam roller to the thoracic spine, all of which will improve mobility and strength.
Are you someone who spends all day at a desk or has a long commute? Use the 15 minutes to stretch out your back and hips; press-ups and active hamstring stretches are both great!
Double-unders getting you down? Practice, practice, practice. Double-unders are an example of a coordination/agility/balance/accuracy exercise that CrossFit includes in the 10 domains of fitness. The only way to get better at these types of exercises is to practice!
If all else fails, keep in mind the basic CrossFit warm-up. Samson stretch, squats, sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups: 10 reps, 3 rounds. That should get a sweat going. Talk to any of the coaches if you are unsure of what you should be working on or if you need suggestions for exercises.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:11 am
BAM!!
Also- LOVE this post… it just shows you anyone can WOD no matter what injury they may have… Personal experiance showed me our Coachs are more than able to build WOD’s/Warm-ups around any pain you may have!
Love you guys!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:16 am
Didn’t I say I captured some magic on that camera of yours!?
That WOD was deceivingly tough!
Todays post? Great advice! You can add me to the list of people with tweaked shoulders (well, really just my left). Something about rings and supporting my weight on them causes me issue. No like.
In other news… Warrior Dash. Extremely short notice, but we are thinking about renting a house for the weekend. We have one locked and loaded and want to fill it – we just need 10 or so people to make it cost effective enough. With 10, it will be about $100/person for the 2 days. I think they need to know today?
Anyone interested? If so, holla! contact@crankfire.com
July 29th, 2010 at 11:35 am
What date is the Warrior Dash, Nate? (Not running, just like the house party idea. LOL)
July 29th, 2010 at 11:37 am
@ Nate…kirk and I are in! we are planning on going up sat and staying that night, then dashing on sunday!! whoohoo!!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:45 am
Becky’s face in that photo is priceless. I think she’d have the same look if Barry got drunk and stripped in front of everyone at CFW. That was a tough WOD, especially when it takes you about 7 or 8 sets to get to 30 DU’s in the opening round. It’s amazing how faster the round goes when you string those DU’s together! Big D and I are determined to get our MU’s going. After watching Melis do the workout RX for over two rounds, we’re motivated.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:51 am
Those DU’s absolutely sucked the life from my body. I was reduced to sets of 1 for the last 10 and failed at least half of those. Also, I’m not sure but my time was either 24.21 or 25.21.
Becky looks like someone’s about to attack her.
Is the house rental Fri/Sat or Sat/Sun?
July 29th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
@Lis: September 18 and 19.
@M and K: Cool! You are in.
@Barry: Pretty sure it is for Saturday to Sunday, let me verify.
So, the place has 4 bedrooms with beds for 10 from what I can tell. More than 10 is plenty cool too – thoughfrom there it is couch/floor/inflatable mattress/etc though.
Plus it is apparently right on windham mountain. Which is nice.
I can forward the email with photos to anyone that wants to see it. Place looks fine in a 1970′s kind of way.
From CFN, it would be my lady, Joan, Georgie I think and me so far. We have more people signed up but no one has really thought about lodging or for that matter responded.
I say we pack the place, get a log or quarter keg of beer and drink from our viking helmets all weekend. Then, of course, perform drunken feats of strength.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
FYI — if you ever wanted to order one of Nate’s infamous pooping KB shirts, you can get free shipping from Spreadshirt this weekend: use the code FREEWEEKEND at check-out. Here’s the link to our shop: http://crossfitwatertown.spreadshirt.com/
And we’re always open to new design ideas in that shop. It’s not a large-run thing, so you can actually kinda personalize designs. Each shirt just costs more because it’s a small run.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:26 pm
Warm-up, so important. I know the more I can get the better I WOD.
Good job N8. We got a B&B in Windham for Fri. & Sat night. We are going up Fri. night because my dash is wave #1 on Sat. 9:00am. House party sounds good!!!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
N8: I’m in. Lemme know when you need the ca$h. Whoot!!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
I’m not running but I think Jen is?
Anyhow, someone better document this thing and that would be me! I think you can count us in, N8 . . . unless the kilted one comes on and disagrees . . .
July 29th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Oh this is going to be fun….
So… I was a little off, I am pretty sure we renting it for Friday AND Saturday nights. So we arrive Friday, and leave Sunday. That is what my lady wife says, still awaiting confirmation from Joan though. So everyone should be good!
More importantly though, what kind of beer? A log of Ten Penny would be wonderful? Plus I hear it gives you super strength and the ability of flight.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
i just spoke with becky and we’re in the early saturday heats so we’re probably out for the house but i’ll still drink beer from a viking helmet.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
oh, nate, I just read the post you made directly before mine. I guess i’ll have to talk to becky again than.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:25 pm
Yup, confirmed. Friday through Sunday it is!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
http://www.vikinghelmet.net/
We should really place a group order. They have many styles. I am calling firsties on the one with fur.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
And I can see Barry in the Nordic Warrior.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Well, luck would have it that racers are already provided with “warrior helmets” – which are much like Viking helmets. Plus, if you place in the top 3 in your division, you get a really nice fancy looking steel warrior helmet.
Of course, I already have myself a viking helmet, but, as they say, you can never have enough of ‘em.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:15 pm
Oooooooh! I would have SO ran for a viking helmet! I mean, I hate to run but nobody is going to give me a helmet for rowing.
Wait a minute, didn’t the Vikings row? I’m smelling something fishy here.
Hahaha. Row. Fish. Okay, I’ll stop now.
July 29th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Nate,
We are in! Let me know what the cost is!
July 29th, 2010 at 7:24 pm
Great article Melis!
Lis – really?? There wasn’t a better one on the camera…
July 29th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
We are in for the house too N8!
July 29th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
This is going to be insane! Can’t wait for the Dash! N8 gets the gold star!