News

• Sunday is day 2 of the Colorado Open. Tire flips, ball slams, and more. There are two workouts today. Heat times and the workouts are posted here. There are EmerFit heats at 9:20, 9:45, 10:00, noon, 12:20, & 3:20. Good luck Ali, John and Leisel!
• Remember we are doing a photo shoot in the gym at 8:00a on Monday. If you’re free come help us get some good shots of the gym for use on the website and in other marketing.
• Finally, remember applications for the Weightlifting and CrossFit Team are due by Monday. Apply by posting a comment here. Please note, the team will practice together 2-4 times a month. All other training will be completed on your own during Open Coaching or sometimes CrossFit Class.

Introduction
This is a transition week between cycles but we will be determining some 6 rep maxes that will used throughout the next 8 weeks. This week will end with the “Karen” challenge, can you beat Coach Brown and his 7:26?

You’ll notice a departure from ABC system this week but it is still somewhat present in the skill sessions. You’ll notice that the primary lifts this week are the front squat and deadlift.

Monday

Objective
Determine a 6 rep max in the front squat and conditioning.

Warm-Up
3 rounds of:

• Run 200 meters
• 5 Samson Stretch per leg
• 5 Supine Ring Pull Ups
• 5 Squats + 5 Jumping Squats

Skill
Front Squat 6 Rep Max (10-8-6-6-6)

Use a pyramid method of decreasing reps and increasing weight. Start with a set of 10 with 20-40% of your body weight. Add weight and do 8 reps. Add weight and do 6 reps. Follow-up with 2 more attempts at 6 reps. Any reps with improper form such as excessive back rounding or elbows dropping do not count. Find an honest 6RM not an ugly 6RM.

Conditioning
4 rounds

• Row 250
• 15 Dumbbell Push Press 30 lbs (20 lbs)

Practice/Recovery
Foam Roll Your Legs

Tuesday

Objective
Make up yesterday’s front squats or bench press instead plus some conditioning work.

Warm-up
3 Rounds

• 10 KB Goblet Squats
• 10 Swings
• 10 Burpees
• 10 Samsons

Skill
Make up Monday’s Front Squats if you missed them. If you already did the front squats find a 6 RM in the bench press using the same pyramid rep/load method.

Conditioning
12 minutes max rounds:
6 Lateral Box Jumps Each Direction
6 Push-ups (Scale up by elevating your feet on a box or bench)
30 second KB Farmer’s Hold 32kg (24kg)

Recovery
Athlete’s Choice

Wednesday

Objective
Find a 6 rep max in the deadlift.

Warm-up
Row 500 and CrossFit Warm-up x 2

Skill
Find a 6 Rep Max in the Deadlift.

You must release your grip at the bottom of each deadlift. No bouncing. You may stand up between reps if you like but you should not move your feet.

Conditioning
None

Recovery
Coach Led Stretching

Thursday

Objective
Make up yesterday’s deadlift or sprint work.

Warm-up
3 rounds of:
5 T Push Up
Walking Lunge Across Gym
Spiderman Stretch
10 Squats
Broad Jump Across Gym

Skill
Make up the deadlift 6RM or if you already did the deadlift then complete 6 200 meter sprints walking back between sprints.

Conditioning
21-15-9 reps of
Ball Slam
Barbell Push Press 95 pounds (65 pounds)
Sit Ups

Recovery
Foam Roll

Friday

Objective
Benchmark test: “Karen”

Warm-up
3 rounds:
Run 200
5 Squats + 5 Jumping Squats
5 Pull Ups
Hip Swivel Stretch

Conditioning
“Karen”
150 wall ball shots for time.

Recovery
Coach Led Stretching

News

• Remember no Suffer on Saturday this week or next due to the Colorado Open and the Labor Day weekend, respectively. The gym will also be closed on Labor Day.
• Come cheer John G., Ali, and Deisel on this weekend at the Colorado Open. Workouts and heat announcements will be announced Friday at noon.
• New T-Shirts are in! If your pre-ordered one or just want to get one now Kristi can help you out.
• We are extending the application deadline for the EmerFit Weightlifting and CrossFit Team to the end of the day Monday. Apply by posting a comment to this blog post. The deadline was extended to give some interested people the chance to watch the Colorado Open before deciding if they want to participate.

The Next Cycle, Special Programs, and The Team

I wanted to share some thoughts about your choices for training programs starting in September. More details about the next cycle will continue to be announced over the next week. Next week will be a transition week and the new cycle will officially start on the Tuesday after Labor Day. After listening to your feedback and giving it probably too much thought we will be changing the focus slightly during the next cycle.

So as a bit of a reminder and to share some new details the more significant changes for the next cycle will be:

• Elimination of the ABC format which means that CrossFit Classes will be more group oriented and instructor led with everyone doing the same warm-up and workout. Most classes will also include a strength or skill section and there may be some variety in what each of your are doing during that portion of class.
• We will be programming a 6 week cycle beginning with a 3-week skill and strength microcycle, followed by a 2 week work capacity and stamina cycle, and finally a transition and testing week. In September the skill and strength work will be focused on the front squat, deadlift, barbell clean, and kettlebell snatch.
• We will continue to have a number of Open Coaching sessions surrounding each CrossFit class. The Open Coaching sessions allow additional times for your to complete the days training, make-up a session that you really wanted to do, or complete your own Special Program.

Some of you may notice a change in the above description and a previous announcement. We have decided to focus on the barbell clean instead of the snatch. We will still be working on kettlebell snatches. The reason for the change is beyond the scope of this post but it has to do with the everyday functionality of the snatch compared to the clean and common shoulder mobility issues amongst many EmerFitters. If you’d like more on that topic post a comment and I’ll do another blog post about the snatch.

With all that said I wanted to address some common questions and I think its easiest to do that in a FAQ format. I’ll post answers to one or two common questions of the next few days. If you have programming questions post them to the comments and I’ll add them to the list.

1. What if I liked the strength cycle and want to keep doing that?

The short answer is to talk with a coach about your options. In most cases we will recommend that you try the new cycle for 2-6 weeks before deciding whether to stick with the regular program or choose something more specialized.

We are finding that people fall into two broad categories when it comes to their training:

Category 1: I prefer to train with a group, be told what to do, and have regular opportunity for friendly competition. I want to get better overall but I have no specific goals.

Category 2: I prefer to train individually or with a partner. I like to be able to ask questions and have some supervision but enjoy going at my own speed. I have specific short-term and long-term goals.

Obviously, you need not stay in the same category overtime. And there is the possibly of a hybrid of these two categories, a sort of 2′ where you mostly train in Open Coaching but like to catch the occasional Class.

Its important to give this categorization some thought when considering how you want to train. If you think you have some specific goals but you a really motivated by the community and social aspects of class you might convince yourself to try a Special Program only to find you get bored or lose your motivation to train.

What category you fall in also depends on the rest of your life and priorities outside of the gym. If other projects at work or home require a lot of self-motivation and responsibility you might find Class to be the better option because you can just show up and do what you’re told.

• Thanks to everyone who came out to represent EmerFit at the Warrior Dash. Photos here and results (and more photos) over here.
• We need some smiling volunteers for a photo shoot! Next Monday we are doing a gym photo shoot at 8:00am and we need some volunteers to be models. If you’re attending the 7am class please consider sticking around for some photos or everyone is welcome to drop by at 8:00am to participate.
• Remember, you have until the end of the week to announce your interest in being part of the new EmerFit Weightlifting and CrossFit Team. Sasha is in, who else?
• Finally, there will be no Suffer On Saturday this week or next. Please consider joining us at Front Range CrossFit this weekend to cheer on Ali, John G., and Leisel in the Colorado Open. Next Saturday’s Suffer is cancelled due to the long Labor Day weekend. Our new Saturday schedule in the gym will begin September 11th.

Cycle:
Summer 2010 (pdf)

Introduction
This week we will re-test the conditioning benchmark workouts that started this cycle plus set a baseline Fight Gone Bad score. After this week we’ll have a transition week before the next cycle and new schedule starts on September 3rd. We will have workouts as usual during the transition week but they won’t be part of a broad plan other than a break between cycles.

Primary Session A

Objective
Establish new benchmark score and compare to beginning of cycle.

Warm-Up
3 rounds of:

• Run 200 meters
• 5 Samson Stretch per leg
• 5 Supine Ring Pull Ups
• 10 Burpees

Benchmark: “Not Fran”
Descending reps of:

• Thruster
• Pull-ups

If you completed this workout the week of 100530 then use the same load, reps, and pull-up method as you did then so you can compare your time. If you have not done this workout before ask your coach for help in determining the load and pull-up method.

We are calling this “Not Fran” because the scaling, loads, and reps will vary by individual. Some of you may do it “prescribed” with regular pull-ups, 95/65 pounds on the bar, and reps of 21-15-9. Others will do it heavy with fewer reps or even with supine ring pull-ups and an empty bar. Rest assured that it will be a challenge for all and you will see measurable improvements in the coming months.

Practice/Recovery
Double-Unders

Primary Session B

Objective
Establish new benchmark score and compare to beginning of cycle.

Warm-up
3 Rounds

• 10 KB Goblet Squats
• 10 Swings
• 1 Samson, Push-Up Plyo Lap

Benchmark: “Enough Gas”
5 rounds:

• 15 Back Squats
• 1 Gasser

If you completed this workout the week of 100530 then use the same load as you did then so you can compare your time. If you have not done this workout before ask your coach for help in determining the load.

The “Gasser” comes to us from CrossFit Football and consists of 4 trips the distance of the width of a football field. The load on the back squat will be scaled based on your current 3×5 working load. A good long term goal would be body-weight.

Practice/Recovery
Foam Roll

Primary Session C

Objective
Establish new benchmark and prepare for Fight Gone Bad V.

Warm-up
Row 500 and CrossFit Warm-up x 2

Benchmark: “Fight Gone Bad”
3 rounds of 1 minute at each station with 1 minute rest between rounds.

Stations

• Wall Ball
• Sumo Deadlift High Pull
• Box Jump
• Push Press
• Row For Calories

Cycle: Summer 2010 (pdf)
Week: 100815

Please note, all these workouts assume a proper warm-up.

Regulars

Session 1 (R1)
Complete between primary sessions A and B.

Deadlift – Find a new 3 Rep Max
1-Arm Strict Dumbbell Press – Work up to a heavy triple on each arm then do two more sets of 3 with the same weight.

Session 2 (R2)
Complete between sessions B and C.

Run 400 meters
Max Pull-ups
Run 800 meters
Max Push Ups
Run 800 Meters
Max Air Squats
Run 400 Meters

On the pull-ups once you come off the bar you’re done. On the push-ups once you drop to your knees you are done. If you need to scale the push-up elevate your arms on a bench, boxes, or bar in the rack. On the air squats if you rest more than 3 seconds at the top or you move your feet (like to shake them out) you’re done.

Remember there is no Suffer on Saturday this week due to the Warrior Dash. If you’re not racing you can still come up to Copper to cheer us on! Racers send any awesome photos to Kristi and post them on Facebook.

See you on the mountain!

As mentioned in this week’s newsletter and Wednesday’s blog post we are starting a Weightlifting and CrossFit Team. The point of starting The Team is to prepare athletes for competing in Olympic Weightlifting meets, the Tactical Strength Challenge, Powerlifting meets, and the CrossFit Games. The Team will have its own training program and training will start September 13th. Team members will occasionally attend regular EmerFit Group Classes but will primarily train during Group Coaching Sessions and special team practice sessions.

To join the team you must be able to train 3 or more days per week and you must have things together enough that you are or soon will be getting adequate rest and proper nutrition. Finally, you must compete in at least one judged non-EmerFit event in 2011.

Depending on your skill level and competition goals, joining the team may require some private training. Other than possible private training there is no extra fee for joining the team.

To join the team you must apply. To apply post a comment to this post with your answer to the following two questions:

1) What do you want to compete in? (Oly, Powerlifting, Kettlebells, CrossFit, All of the above, Other ______)

2) Why do you want to be part of the EmerFit Weightlifting and CrossFit Team? What would make you a good team member?

You have until August 27th to post your answers. Accepted team members will be notified of their acceptance by September 1st. Team training will begin the week of September 13th.

Emergent Fitness has been involved with the Fight Gone Bad Fundraiser from the beginning. For the first FGB the gym was still in my basement so a few of us met at Bacon Elementary and did the workout there. For FGB II we partnered up with Front Range CrossFit and traveled to Aurora for the fun. FGB III and FGB IV saw more than 30 athletes show up at the original EmerFit gym and we raised thousands of dollars.

This will be our first Fight Gone Bad in the new space. We will be practicing for the workout over the next 6 weeks. To “officially” participate in the fundraiser you need to register at the FGB V website and raise a minimum of $150. To participate in the workout at EmerFit on September 25th you must either raise $150 via the FGB V website OR bring at least a $25 donation for the Larimer County Food Bank.

RSVP For The Workout Now!

Fight Gone IV at EmerFit from Chris Brown on Vimeo.

The new EmerFit T-Shirts will be available by the end of August. Preorder now and save 10%!

Note, there will be no Suffer On Saturday this weekend due to the Warrior Dash. Speaking of the Dash, anyone want to car pool? Plan to meet up? What heat are you in? Post answers or ideas to comments.

Fall Changes at EmerFit (from yesterday’s newsletter)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before summarizing the upcoming changes we want to say thanks for being patient with our schedule and programming experiments this year. We are hopeful that these will be the last significant changes for the foreseeable future. As always we welcome your feedback as we continue to strive to make the best gym in Fort Collins even better.

Unless otherwise noted all of these changes will go into effect on September 1st.

Simplified Class Schedule

While the ABC (Primary) Schedule was useful for a linear strength cycle it also had some significant disadvantages when used in our group classes. Chief among them was a reduction in the amount of friendly competition and community.

As a result September will see a return to a schedule that is the same every weekday. We are going to keep a number of Open Coaching slots so you can make up workouts or utilize our Special Programs. The weekday schedule will have group CrossFit classes at 6:00a, 9:30a, noon, and 5:30p. The other existing time slots (7:00a, 10:30a, 4:30p, and 6:30p) will be Open Coaching.

The exact Saturday schedule will be announced next week but it will contain both Suffer On Saturday and Open Coaching time. We will likely be open from 8:00a to noon.

CrossFit Cycle with Olympic Weightlifting Emphasis

While this summer’s programming was strength focused this fall’s training will focused on General Physical Preparation (aka CrossFit) with an emphasis on learning the Olympic Lifts. In September we will focus on the barbell snatch and the kettlebell clean and press. In October we will focus on the barbell clean and jerk and the kettlebell snatch.

Special Programs

Starting in September our Special Programs will be open to all unlimited members. If you liked this summer’s hybrid strength cycle or you are interested in trying a different style of training our Special Programs might be a good choice for you. The programs available in September include:

* Beginner and Intermediate Strength Programs
* Beginner and Intermediate Olympic Lifting Programs
* Olympic Lifting and CrossFit Hybrid Program
* Strength and CrossFit Hybrid Program
* Strength and Kettlebell Hybrid Program

Depending on the athlete some of these programs may require some private training to learn the movements involved. For example, if you are new to the Olympic Lifts (Snatch and Clean and Jerk) you will need some private coaching before you can begin any of the Olympic Lifting programs.

Weightlifting and CrossFit Team

We are forming a team of athletes who intend to compete in weightlifting or CrossFit competitions in 2011. If you are interested in competing in the Olympic Lifts, Power Lifting, Kettlebells, or the CrossFit Games you should consider applying for a position on the team. The team will have its own training program, team meetings, and other events. To be a part of the team you must agree to compete in 2011 in at least one judged non-EmerFit event.

Applications for the team will be available on August 20th and training will begin September 13th.

Stay tuned to our website for more information on these changes!!