CrossFit Engineering (CF-Endurance)
		Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week4	Week5
Monday	Skill	POSE	Rowing	POSE	Rowing	POSE
	Strength	De: Power Clean + Push Press 12 min EMOM 2 Reps @70%	ME: Bench Press 5 x 5	DE: Close Stance Squats 4 reps on the 12 min	ME: Snatch Grip Deadlifts 5x 3	DE: Thrusters 4 reps EMOM  12 mins
	Date	03/07/15	10/07/15	17/07/15	24/07/15	31/07/15
	W.O.D	6 rounds for time of::20 Max RKB Swings 70/53 200m Run	4 rounds each for time of:300m Row 25 Toes to bar rest :60 between each round	4-6 x 400m efforts on 3:30.	500m MAX OUT ROWThen 500m @ 80% x 3-5 Rest 3 mins	2 rounds for time of:30 Calorie Row 40 Alternating Kettlebell Snatches 70/53 50 Sit-ups

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Week 2 of 16 Olympic Lifting and Russian Squats

COACHES COMMENT: 

Is it the excitement of a new Russian Squat Routine and Olympic phase that has the classes pumping, or is it the coverage of the CrossFit Games?  Either way its great to see the classes are full and everyone is enjoying the challenge of the new phase, again we have loads of positive feedback from many of you.

The Russian Squats

Make sure you have downloaded the Russian Squat Routine spreadsheet and entered your numbers correctly.  Those that want to take full advantage of this squatting routine will know their numbers and be honest about their CrossFit Hackney level.  The only thing worse than not knowing your numbers is not leaving your BIG EGO at the door and trying to cheat the spreadsheet.   Don’t think for a second that the coaches don’t know the level that all of our members should be following.  At the end of the day it’s your choice to put yourself into a higher level, but remember that the programming at Momentum is written with years of experience and the knowledge of how to build strength in athletes of all abilities. Those who follow the guidelines will see the best results.

Olympic Lifting

There is no hiding from the Olympic lifts in this new phase and the first 8-weeks is designed to help everyone improve their lifting technique.  Again this is not the time to be chasing big weights and failing repetitions.  The message has been made clear that the “technique must dictate the weight.” Practice does not make perfect, practice makes habit!

Perfect practice makes perfect

Make sure you are moving fast, be explosive and aim to perfect every single repetition.  Speed, confidence and quality movement will pay dividends when the programme changes and we start to work towards a new 1RM on both lifts.

Gymnastics Thursday

After 3 days of lifting (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday) the programming on Thursday is all about bodyweight movement.  Gymnastics is not easy and many athletes can quickly get frustrated with what seems like slow progress.  It’s hard to measure progress in the gymnastic movements and this is one of the main reasons athletes give up.  When lifting weights its easy to see progress when we put weight on the bar, but gymnastics is not that simple.  It takes time, concentration and effort to see improvements in bodyweight movements, but the rewards will be well worth it.

I’ll be honest, people don’t like it because they suck at it, and yet they don’t’ take the time to practice it and get better at it.  We have just spent the last 16 weeks working on the big lifts and now its time to master some new skills.   It takes time, concentration and effort to see improvements in bodyweight movements, but the rewards will be well worth it.  Improving bodyweight strength, body awareness and flexibility will improve all of you lifts in the gym. Keep up the good work #teamHackney

Keep up the good work #teamHackney

 

RECOMMENDED WEEKLY READING:

Article of the week: Catalyst Athletics:  The Olympic Lift Starting Position Snatch& Clean –  Most importantly, we need to understand this: The purpose of the starting position (and first pull) is to allow an optimal second & third pull. If you take away only one point from this entire article, it should be that one. If you don’t understand that, none of the following details explaining or describing the starting position will matter.

Breaking Muscle: Eat to Perform: Simple Dietary Advice for the Athlete – Everyone is looking for some kind of secret when it comes to nutrition and performance. There is always a new superfood people are trying to take advantage of or some new diet that people preach about. The reality is there is no secret, no magic pill, no special supplement. The best way to govern your eating is to make informed, well thought through decisions that relate to your individual needs and goals.

Mercola: Research Reveals the Importance of Your Microbiome for Optimal Health – Research shows that some microbes specifically help prevent certain disease states. For example, simply by eradicating four species of bacteria (Lactobacillus, Allobaculum, Rikenelleceae, and Candidatus arthromitus), researchers were able to trigger metabolic changes in lab animals that led to obesity.

GMB:  Wrist Flexibility and Strength Conditioning for Hand Balance and Bodyweight Exercise – Wrist and hand pain is a common complaint for many people as they begin bodyweight training, especially for those that haven’t been involved in consistent weight-bearing activities on their hands.

Which is to say, the majority of people!

Breaking Muscle: 2 Skills You Need For a Better Vertical Jump – We usually think of the vertical jump as a power movement. There are some details in form coaches consider to be critical to a good jump, namely a strong counter-movement (when you lower rapidly just before the jump) and good arm action. But aside from these basic components of jumping skill, an athlete’s vertical jump is typically thought of as a pure expression of power.

CrossFit Hackney Levels Spreadsheet

CrossFit HackneyRussian Squat Programme

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So far we have come a long way with great PB’s coming in the major lifts. Although, could we be doing more to fuel and supplement those workouts?

Providing a warm up to the body is crucial to prime the nervous system and the body to fire as many muscle fibres as possible. Not just be happy if the bar is moving. We need to have intent to move the bar and switch on as soon as the iron is in our hands. Lets make a real effort to get those warm ups done. This will also reward us with long jeverdy and continuous gains for years to come!

We will still be looking at accumulation in this phase before we start taking the program down in reps and heading towards 1 RM’s in 4 month time.

If you are looking to make some extra gains in the nutrition department get in and see Josh and Stretch to talk about Fresh Fitness Food and the services they offer. As a Momentum member you will receive 10% discount on their prices.

Click and print Phase 8

Week 1 of 16 Olympic Lifting and Russian Squats

COACHES COMMENT: 

Ding, Ding, Ding, Dong….  The personal best (PB) bell has been going crazy all week and social media comments regarding new personal records being set by so many of our members.  The 16-week Juggernaut phase has delivered some amazing results as some members have added a huge 10-30kg onto many of their big lifts.   Many of the members have expressed their positive feedback for the CrossFit Hackney programming.  Yes, we put the plan on the board and gave you all the numbers to work off, but you did all the hard work of getting to the gym and lifting the iron. For those of you who followed the programming and made the gainz, well done!

The new phase has now arrived and it’s now time to take this newfound strength and apply it in a meaningful manner.   The dawn of the Russian Squat Routine (RSR) has arrived and it will be accompanied by 16-weeks of speed and power training.  It’s time to get explosive and learn to move faster!

The first 8-weeks of this new phase will continue to build strength (a question of strength)  in both the front squat and the back squat.  We will also be spending a solid 8-weeks focusing on improving your Olympic lifting technique.  The objective of the first 8 weeks is TECHNIQUE, TECHNIQUE, TECHNIQUE!!   The weight on the bar is not important and the coaches will be keeping a sharp eye on all of you.  The rule is, “Only increase weight if technique is perfect”.

We will be introducing a lot of new Olympic lifting drills and exercises to help improve both the snatch and the clean & jerk.  It’s important that each of you take the time to learn these new movements.  The remaining 8-weeks of the programming will then take the new technical skills and apply them to the full lifts.  This is when you can start to add weight to the bar and chase down a new PB.  Be patient and remember that every successful lift is a positive step towards mastering the movement and every failed attempt is a step backwards.  Don’t chase weight, chase quality repetitions and solid progress.

RECOMMENDED WEEKLY READING:

Mercola.com – Research Reveals the Importance of Your Microbiome for Optimal Health – Your body’s microbiome—colonies of various microbes that reside in your gut and elsewhere in and on your body—is as unique to you as your fingerprint, and can be rapidly altered based on factors such as diet, lifestyle, and exposure to toxins and antibiotics.

GMB – How To Get Flexible Fast (yes it’s really possible – and safe) – If you cannot actively attain a position you’d like, then you need to find a way to get to that range of motion.” If you have poor form in a handstand because your arms don’t fully raise above your head, then you need to stretch. If you have trouble getting down on the floor because you’re too tight, then you need to stretch.

Poliquin Group – Does Cardio Make you Fat? – The following ten rules will answer this question and help you to experience all of those good things that can come out of exercise: a perfect body composition, boundless energy, and a workout program you don’t need to stress about

Time.com – 11 Reasons Why You’re Not Losing Belly Fat – From missing out on sleep to genetic factors, there are plenty of reasons why your abdominal fat, which can be a predictor of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and some cancers, may be stubbornly sticking around

MindBodyGreen – Why I Tell My Patients To Eat Breakfast If They Want To Lose Weight – Studies have shown that eating a real breakfast can decrease hunger and cravings, improve cognition and reduce your risk for obesity and metabolic syndrome. After all, eating breakfast is more than just “breaking” your overnight “fast.” It also sets the tone for a day of making wise, healthy food choices.

CrossFit Hackney Levels Spreadsheet

CrossFit HackneyRussian Squat Programme

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The Russian Squat Routine (RSR) is typically a 6-week peaking cycle to help improve total squat weight. At the end of the 6 weeks of squatting many lifters can see a 5% increase on the bar.  Please make sure you read part1 and part2 of this blog post before reading on.

There are a number of slightly different versions of the RSR floating around in Internet land, and many of them have a pure squat training cycle focus.  As CrossFitters we Olympic lifting, do gymnastics, and WOD on a daily basis.  The pure squat focus isn’t the exact prescription that we desired. The basic design of the RSR is to squat heavy and consistently 3 times per week, and this is something we can certainly achieve.

The CFH RSR will cycle every 4 weeks, and on the 4^th week of each mesocycle we will deload (lower the total volume of repetitions performed) by performing max effort attempts on both the front and back squat.  Yes, we will MAX OUT every 4 weeks!

Each individual member will have a certain number of sets and repetitions to complete in each squatting session.  The CrossFit Hackney levels and the best protocol for you to make progress determine these lifting parameters. (more…)