Hey Legion,
Getting right into it today. Last chance to order some new apparel, some quick tips on 13.4 for all you competitors, and a break down of 13.3 for all you tribe members making it down here today. Let's do it.

New Apparel: The deadline to order any new gear is this Sunday by midnight. Which means this is the last post you'll be reminded about it. If you want something go get to our CFLI Spring Apparel Page:
(Just click right here to place an order). Don't be caught in your cut off sweats and 1980's Tee when it gets warm out because you didn't jump on this when you had the chance!

13.4 Competitors Yikes! Looks fun and intense doesn't it!? You know the deal by now. Prep makes all the difference. Not only does this one require a motor to hit this short 7 minute killer but you need to make sure your shoulders and grip are ready to rock. This will be very intensive on both so plan accordingly. For some quick tips on how to do that check our Gymnastics WOD Guru Carl Paoli talk about 13.4. See you tonight at 7:30.

Also recommend checking out K-Starr's breakdown on MobilityWOD.com if you haven't already. Don't smoke your shoulders, smoke the competition!

Tribe Members: By popular demand we have 13.3 in store for you today. That's right! Last week's Open WOD will be done right here in your normal class time today for your convenience. Yay! Okay, okay calm down I know you're excited and just want to hop on the phone and call the world right now. But let's talk. Don't think we don't have tips and strategies for you too. Before you call mom and your best friend check this video out on today's workout. THEN you can call mom.
(A little long, but very good)

As we all know, results are driven by intensity. If you accomplish doing abundant work within a given time period, you will see rapid results. Perhaps short intense bursts of work will allow us to achieve these results. This targets our system through what is generally known as the anaerobic pathway. Others believe that longer endurance activities yield a more preferable outcome. This is what we know more commonly as the aerobic pathway. It is the classic debate of anaerobic vs. aerobic.

Through CrossFit, our goal is to be well rounded athletes that can perform well at any task. Therefore, we put ourselves through both anaerobic and aerobic training. We actually train these pathways all of the time. In 1996, Dr. Izumi Tabata published his study of how to effectively train both of these pathways at the same time. Athletes would train in short bursts, which would effect them anaerobically. After short rest, they would attack another burst of work. This would be repeated over a substantial period of time engaging the aerobic pathway. Tabata used various intervals, but studies proved the “20 seconds on, 10 seconds off” approach to be the most impacting on our metabolic conditioning.

Dr. Tabata Conducting His Studies


Although Dr. Tabata did his work primarily with exercise bikes, his formats may be applied with various movements. We often see bodyweight (gymnastic) movements, but weight lifting may be incorporated as well. The CrossFit Journal gave dumbell examples to the CrossFit community years ago. Today, we’ll have fun with kettlebells!

13.4
We expect everyone to have clean reps this week for the open. Literally. It’s clean and jerks followed by... you knew they were coming... toes to bar. Like CrossFit Games “Fran” from the past two years, we’re looking at a 7 minute increasing ladder workout. You even get to tack on three reps to each movement with each round that you start over. Good times! New movements, same ol’ format.

Peep this WODsters!



Keep in mind that we still offer a 3:30pm “Open Skill” class today for competing and non-competing members. Also, we will be meeting during tomorrow’s “Open Lift” slot to talk technique and get some practice. All competitors are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Look Out Milan
Be sure to beat all of your friends to the hottest spring fashions this year. Workout, hit the town, or just relax around the house, but look good while doing it. Take advantage of our pre-order offer before any items hit the shelves. We may have been voted the “Best on Long Island”, but you can look the best on long island.

Sweet New Getups

If you are more into that retro look, talk to us or email us for more information on our prior designs.

All of you have gotten the e-mail. The question is did you check it?! For those of you who don't know by now or just plain forgot if you're looking for some fresh new CFLI threads the deadline is this Sunday(31st) by midnight. Once April hits your out of luck. To see the new digs or to place an order ya have to go get to our google docs page: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AlS86HMOc812dGtvUm40RUtKWWZXUnRtYUtZd1FuZ2c#gid=6
Get it while it's hot!





Here's a great clip to watch before you head in today:
Breaking down the dreaded Muscle Up

Howdy? Partner? I’ll have to introduce today’s topic how I imagine Texas’s own Coach Mark Rippetoe* would. I just can’t resist:



Now what in tarnation could we have y’all doin’ today? “Cowboy up” for a good one because we are WODdin’ with... PARTNERS! This will be a good chance to get to know some other members if y’all “howdied, but ain’t shook yet.” So when you saddle up for your workout today, remember that you have someone else counting on you, and it probably “ain’t their first rodeo.” If you sometimes count those reps that aren’t quite up to standard, remember, “You can put your boots in the oven, but that don't make em biscuits”, so having a partner will keep you honest. This is no time for being “big hat, no cattle” because skipping reps will make you “as welcome as a skunk at a lawn party.” So do your part while your partner does their’s, or as they say down by the border, “Don’t worry ‘bout the mule son. Just load the wagon.” Be warned though. Having a partner may make it seem like an easy one, but “just because a chicken has wings, don’t mean it can fly.” Still, with hard work, you’ll leave feeling on top of the world and deserve to think “the sun comes up just to hear you crow.”


Thanks Rip, but that’s about enough of the Texas talk. Clearly some translation is in order here. Since I have no idea what he was just talking about, I’ll translate a word that I tend to hear much closer to home. Not too often, but on occasion, someone will let the word “can’t” escape their lips. “I can’t squat that low.”, “I can’t lock out my elbows.”, and the famous “I can’t do that!” are just a few examples of under-confident statements that have been muttered in CrossFit boxes across our country. “Can’t” means that a task is physically impossible. When we say “can’t”, it usually translates to “I don’t want to” or “I am too nervous to try”, but these same people can disprove their doubt with a little more effort or willingness to take risks.

Sometimes the mind is far more powerful than we realize.


For the whole video click here: http://journal.crossfit.com/2012/07/cfj-greg-amundson.tpl


Whether you could use a motivational boost or not, take a look at Jacqui Pierce’s story. Then tell us what you "can't" do!



*Mark Rippetoe is an elite weight lifting coach that is in fact from Texas. Although he has be portrayed as being “cowboy like” above, he is not by any means to be confused with a true cowboy. That is unless there is any truth in the philosophy that “you are what you eat.” Rumor has it that Coach Rip eats cowboys, and any anything else that is considered to be tough, for breakfast.

Welcome back folks! I hope you enjoyed your weekend and are ready to rock some WODs.

A big thank you to all who came down to cheer on the CFLI Open team on Saturday! Even though it wasn't the most spectator friendly workout we've ever done, your support helped us to our best finish as a team thus far. We have 2 more weeks left for you to come down and see what it's all about....be there this Saturday at 6pm as LuRong Living hosts WOD 13.4.

Do you ever wonder how all the CF Games competitors make it look so easy? Take last year's final workout for example in the 2012 CF Games. Ya know when they did "Elizabeth," "Isabel," and "Fran"...Back to back to back...with brutally fast times on each one. Remeber that!? You better believe they were both mentally and physically ready for those. Athletes you better be to when you hit 13.3 tomorrow! Let's talk about it quick:

13.3 WOD:
12 Min AMRAP:
150 Wall Balls
90 Double Unders
30 Muscle Ups

Mental Prep: Walk into this thing with a game plan. Even if you don't have a double under or a muscle up under your belt be prepared when you get there. Doing 1 double under at a time an accumulating 20 extra reps might just move you up...oh I don't know a few hundred spots? Having 2 Minutes to focus on that deceiving muscle-up with a roaring crowd behind you might just get you up and over. You never know? However, you can't also assume that you will get to these movements either. Remember you have 150 Wall Balls first before you get there (aka- "Karen"-150 WB's for time). We noticed last year that the Wall Balls were overlooked because of these two technical skills that followed it. Have a game plan for the Wall Balls and get threw them. Whatever it might be: 10 sets of 15 reps, 15 sets of 10 reps, 150 straight!? Either way walk out of here with a win. A PR on Karen maybe? I'll bet you never have that kind of atmosphere on 150 Wall Balls again!

Physical Prep: You need to assess how you are going to put yourself into a good position to to succeed in this workout no matter what your goal is. No matter what movement you are doing this one will contain some heavy duty shoulder fatigue. There are many ways you can prevent some of this fatigue just by achieving good positioning and making sure your shoulders are ready to rock going into this (IE: Stretched hips, thoracic, and tricepts (yeah tri's) will help you keep a high torso for those Wall Balls and in turn lessen fatigue not only on the shoulders but on yourself overall. Know what you need to do before hand and get it done. Stretching sucks...But this workout is going to even more!
I'd watch this video if you want some good insight on the WOD and good ways to get prep'd for it.
The Supple Leopard Himself: K-Starr


Non-Competitors- Don't think I forgot about you! Everything I just said above goes for you as well day-in and day-out on every single WOD. Wait you mean you don't do all of that!? Say whaaaat?? Well I would put everything I just said into good use because today you get to try 13.2

It’s week three and the CrossFit Games Competitors are going to go “balls to the wall” on this one. No, seriously. The workout starts with wall balls. The good news is that if you have never done the benchmark “Karen” before (150 wall balls for time), now is your chance! That is exactly how 13.3 begins. Déjà vu any of you longtime members? You may remember that opening task from last years games. Then perhaps you recall the 90 double unders and 30 muscle-ups that followed. Well, you are getting a refresher, because we have another CrossFit Games Repeat WOD on our hands.

Feast your eyes!



CFG Competitors:
The movements will get progressively more technically advanced as the WOD goes on. If you have trouble with double unders or muscle-ups, today’s 3:30pm Open Skill class has your name written all over it. Likewise, all members of the CFLI Games team should try their best to attend out 7:30pm Strategy and Technique class tomorrow night.

There are resources all over the internet. Here are some to start with, but feel free to explore beyond our site alone.

Free CF Journal Entry:
http://journal.crossfit.com/2013/03/laurie-themuslceup.tpl

Watch Great Form in Slow Motion: (If you saw the CF Journal, notice the hips.)


Tips form a CF Veteran:



Non-Competitors:
You have seen functional movements, you have seen variety, but you have never seen intensity like this! Watch your CFLI friends hit physical human extremes in front of a screaming crowd of berserkers. Feel the surge as you witness others surprise themselves with mind-boggling PRs. Restrain from tearing through the caution tape as the tension in the room grows with each rep. So unless you have a trip scheduled this weekend for an underground Mexican cockfight, this will be the most alive you will feel this weekend. Admission is free and it is pretty much the most fun you can legally have.

So either we’ll be seeing you here at 6pm on Saturday night, or you can stay home and watch “Wife Swap” while you think about how much fun that you are missing out on!


Those Who Can’t Wait:
Saturday will be a blast, but nobody said that you couldn’t bring down the house on a Thursday. We have a good one ready for you today. It will be a great day to focus on full range of motion. There is a potpourri of super-fun movements waiting for you. Everything that we do is measurable with very defined standards. Be sure to do your full rep on every movement. You can scale your range of motion if needed, but make it measurable so that your ROM is the same with each rep!

When we scale a workout we adjust the rep range, time domain, load, movement(s), or sometimes all of these. We take these measures in attempt to make a workout more appropriate for our current level of fitness and experience. More appropriate, in this case, means creating a physical stress reasonably challenging to us as individual. The terms "reasonable" and "challenging" are equally as important in order to maintain the quality of the workout. One without the other would just be, well, wasting time.

We wouldn't want that now would we?



Here we go folks! The 3rd workout of the Open is being announced tonight! CFLI Open Team, don't forget this week we are back to our usual 6pm time slot for our throwdown. This week's event being sponsored by Progenex and is promising to be intense. Things are heating up in this competition!

Also, don't forget about the Open WOD Prep class on Friday night's at 7:30.... go in prepared!

We all have weaknesses that we need to address in terms of our fitness. In some cases, many athletes share the same barriers as others throughout the fitness world. We hear of people struggling with double unders, muscle ups, pistols, pull ups, overhead squats, back flips, and more. Sometimes training is required and sometimes practice is needed. In other cases, both training and practice are vital. In any event, these barriers prove to be incredible milestones once they are achieved.

If rope climbs, like many other athletes, happen to be your barrier, check out this free installment of the CrossFit Journal.

http://journal.crossfit.com/gymnasticstumbling/



Maybe handstand Pushups are your Kryptonite. San Francisco CrossFit’s Carl Paoli really knows his stuff. He is the face of gymnasticwod.com and is also part of CrossFit’s seminar staff. Take a look at his two-part series on the HSPU.

Try This at Home:


Try This at Open Skill:

So by now I'm sure you have heard, 20 brave soldiers (both men and women) shaved it all off in support of Childhood Cancer Research. Oh yeah, and this group effort also raised over $23,000 along the way! This is an unbelievable achievement by an extraordinary group of people. I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is the greatest community on earth! The CrossFit Long Island family does it again!!

Before:

After:

This is it! The Big St. Baldrick's Event is tomorrow! Come down to see some of your favorite peeps shave their head for an amazing cause. The team is currently closing in on $20,000 with 20 participants shaving their headpiece. PHENOMENAL! We'll see you there! Event Starts at 6:00PM.

A couple of quick reminders about tomorrow:
1. Open WOD 13.2 Kicks off at 3:00PM. We have nearly 40 athlete's coming down to rock out and set their place in the Northeast Region. Spectators welcome!

2. We will be hosting a St. Baldy's Bash tomorrow after our event. We encourage anyone and everyone to bring a dish and share with the rest. If you feel like having a night cap byob as well.

3. Our Bake Sale and Green Hair Extensions are the last opportunities to help with the cause during the event. Bring a few bucks and your sweet tooth or make your favorite cupcakes and lend a hand. Thanks!



* There are No A.M. Classes this Saturday due to the events we will be hosting here later in the day.




Post By Fogs

It’s Thursday morning and you know what that means. CrossFit Games Sectional WOD 13.2 was released last night. This time, you are going to need a motor! We are going face to face with a ten minute AMRAP that has generally manageable movements at low reps. So, shoot for nonstop motion. Have no fear, because there will always be time to rest when it’s all over. Here it is:



Non-competitors: Some of you missed out on an amazing event this past Saturday. You can ask your CFLI friends about 13.1, but be ready for a whole new level of disappointment after hearing the excitement that you decided to bypass over the weekend. Don’t get down on yourself too much because there is good news. This Saturday at 3pm, we will be doing it again with this fresh new WOD.



Stick around afterwards because we will have our St. Baldricks event at 6pm. I know that some of our coaches have put years of care and maintenance into their long flowing locks. This weekend, they and others, will sacrifice it all for the sake of children that live through struggle each day. Those being shaved, our volunteers, and all of our fundraisers have certainly put great effort into our cause. Hard work will be rewarded by knowing the effect of your actions.

Pat and Ian need your help. Sadly, they won’t be able to stay in and brush each other’s hair anymore. If anyone has any suggestions on ways to fill this nightly two-hour gap, please share them with us.

As For Today:

We need to call attention to one more somber note, please take a moment to watch this video on TENicide. If you have seen this video before, please don't turn away. Perhaps we all need a reminder of this ugly truth that occurs globally.



One of today’s prescribed weights is 65#. 10# plates are not designed to support falling 45# barbells. If you are using the suggested 65# weight, please use a 15# bar. TENicide is unfortunate and we need to stop this worldwide injustice. Let’s begin with us!

That's not just a random number, that's what our St. Baldrick's team has currently raised. $16,738.00! Outstanding. Only 3 days left until the big day. We currently have 20 participants registered to shave the head for the cause! TWENTY! Please welcome our two newest registered shavees:
CJ "Little Beastman" Accardi

Christine Cubi

Get over to their donations page and help them out!
http://www.stbaldricks.org/events/mypage/9615/2013

Other ways you can help with the cause:
Saturday:
1. Bring something for the Bake Sale. So far we have some tasty licks on the way but could always use more. Whatever you make we'll price it when you get here and put it on display for Saturday's big event. Every single penny from this sale will go directly towards the cause. So bring some cupcakes and your sweet tooth and let's give it one last big push to raise some money.
2. Bring a Dish for the Event:. After the shave off we'll be hanging out and mingling with the group. Food will be served but it is on a volunteer basis. Bring down your favorite dish for everyone to enjoy!
3. Green Hair Etensions./ We're selling them for $5 in the lobby. Again, all proceeds will go to the cause. Visibly show your support with a green hair piece for St. Baldy's and St/ Pattty's this weekend.

For all you Supple Leopards (and Non-Supple Leopards) here's a good video with a simple test and a basic test to get you prep'd for the deadlift. (If you don't know why I just called you a Supple Leopard you better get to MobilityWOD.com!)

"All human beings should be able to perform basic maintenance on themselves."
K-Starr



Post by Fogs

Before we discus today, reflect on how yesterday went for you. If you worked out with us, you know that we went pretty heavy with those kettlebells and the rep-count didn’t show any mercy to compensate for the heavier weight. Many of us scaled up to a kettlebell that was heavier than what we normally use. If you were able to manage a heaver weight without too much trouble then SURPRISE! That’s your new standard kettlebell.

Hopefully many of us learned a little about our limits and what we are capable of doing. Remember that you don’t need a coach’s permission to adjust how you scale the workouts. If things ever feel easy, it will be time to make a change or two. Only you can feel when you may not be working hard enough.




What happened to Fran?

So everyone is entitled to having a bad day every once in a while. That’s understandable. However, when “Fran” has a bad day, she can get pretty nasty. Not only will she raise her barbell weight slightly, but she will make you do chest-2-bar pull ups too.

In 2011, the CrossFit Games Sectional WODs were capped off with a “Fran” ladder. It was a brutal 7 minutes of thrusters and C2B pull ups. To make things even more challenging, every round increased by 3 thrusters and 3 pull ups. It was tough, and when the workout ended, we were happy that it was over. Oh, but it wasn’t over...

Everyone was hit by a curveball when CrossFit Games director Dave Castro announced that the final Sectional WOD of 2012 would be a return of the “Fran” ladder. Shock was heard around the world as people reacted to this surprise twist. As expected, we composed ourselves and charged into the fire for another epic sectionals finish. Surely this was the last we would see of this unforgiving event.

Now that 2013 is here, there is no way that the “Fran” ladder will be announced again. Right? Ok, you’re right. There in no way to guarantee that we won’t see it again. We can, however, guarantee that we WILL see it again. By the way, it’s happening today. So come join the ranks of athletes that have already done this short but grueling workout. Don’t miss out on the WOD so nice, they announced it twice!

Take a look!

What an awesome night on Saturday! This place was rockin as the CFLI Open Team took on the first WOD of the Open. There was enough burpees and snatches to last us a lifetime and everyone poured their hearts out. If you were wondering why we don;t just do the Open in class, well now you know. Our regular classes are always a good environment, but you cannot replicate that intensity. It was wild! 13.2 here we come!!

Here are a few annoucements about the upcoming week:

1) There will be no regularly scheduled classes this Saturday due to the afternoon/evening events.

2) The Open WOD will start at 3pm this week. Let's get after it again!

3) Our St Baldricks celebration will take place at 6pm right after the WOD finishes. Come down and watch the hair fly!!

4) We will be having a bake sale on the day of the event to continue to try and raise some last minute money for the cause. Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) if you can contribute.

5) There are green hair extensions available to show are involved in this great cause. The cost is $5 and all proceeds also go to the fundraiser.

I think that's it for now. Oh, wait, one more thing:

WE HAVE NOW RAISED $15,888 TO DATE! Unbelievable! What an amazing group!





The above photos are previews of the pics taken by Shaun Cleary on Saturday night. There will be a couple hundred more available in a few days!

The big Event is only 1 day away! We know a lot of you Open Team Members might be resting today, but that doesn't mean we don't have a kick ace WOD ready to go.

Here are a few more reminders:

1) Tonight's Open Lift session will not be for lifting, that time slot will be designated for Open WOD team only. We will be discussing strategy and going over some last minute tips for the WOD. This will be the format for the next 5 weeks.

2) The time for the event each Saturday will be 6pm. The first heat will kick off shortly after. This will be every week except next (week 2), which will be 3pm with the St. Baldrick's celebration later that night.

Each week's event will be sponsored by a reputable CrossFit/Health related company. There will be products available each week to learn about, sample, and/or purchase. Each sponsor will also be providing small prizes for the top male and top female performer each night. Here is the line-up:

Week 1 – 6pm – Brought to you by KillCliff Recovery Drink (www.KillCliff.com)
Week 2 – 3pm* - Brought to you by DoTerra Essential Oils (www.doterra.com)
Week 3 – 6pm – Brought to you by Progenex (www.ProgenexUSA.com)
Week 4 – 6pm – Brought to you by LuRong Living (www.Lurongliving.com)
Week 5 – 6pm – (Sponsor TBA)

"Why does 13.1 sound familiar? No...Wait...It can’t be! We’re running a half marathon?"

Settle down folks. It’s just the 2013 CrossFit Games Sectional WOD number 1. Everyone and their mothers know that by now. If you are participating, you’ll just have to reserve the effort that it would take to do that half-marathon, and cram it all into this week’s workout.

So, hybrids seem to be the cat’s pajama’s these days. We are starting to see them everywhere. We have hybrid cars, hybrid golf clubs, and now...hybrid workouts. That’s right! The debut CrossFit Games WOD for 2013 has been announced and it is a true marriage of the first two weeks from last year. Hot damn! If you’re out of the loop, let’s get you up to speed.

CFG 12.1
7 Minutes
Max Burpees

CFG 12.2
10 Minutes of Snatches
30 at 75/45 lbs
30 at 135/75 lbs
30 at 165/100 lbs
Max Reps at 210/120 lbs

Maybe WOD 1 was an advantage for those bodyweight ninjas. Still, they made up for it with WOD 2. Bring out the mongoloids! Wait though...What about the well-rounded athletes. I suppose some people performed well at both WODs, but there were an abundance of athletes that held a respectable competition position after bombing the second workout. So, how can we get the well-rounded athletes to rise to the surface? Hybrid! So, here it is:

CFG 13.1


Details, including masters’ standards can be found here:
http://games.crossfit.com/workouts/the-open

If you are not signed up for the open competition, clear your Saturday night schedule anyway, because there will be no better place to be than at CFLI for some mind-blowing performances. It’s going to be the bee’s knees for sure, so jot this down: Saturday at 6pm. We might very well need you down here just to help hold the walls up from shaking to the ground, but don’t be worried. We already called the national weather service and asked them to ignore any elevated seismic activity.

Today

See the Strength and WOD below!

P1s: It better look like the Bronx Zoo gorilla exhibit through that PR window. We want a taste of the Congo with all of those rigid midlines.



P2s: Get ready to unleash your inner-sumo.

As of now all classes are on. Please be cautious and don't drive if you do not feel comfortable. Check back for updates...

Okay okay so it's not really a secret...But it is double. Here's all the deets!
Saturday, March 16th CFLI will be hosting not one, but TWO BIG EVENTS:
1. The CrossFit Open WOD 13.2
2. Fog's Fighting CrossFitters St. Baldricks Shave Down

Normally our Open WOD's over the course of the next 5 weeks will take place at 6pm on Saturday's. For this day and this day only we will be kicking it off at 3pm. Heats will be set, game faces will be on, and times will be crushed NBD (that's no big deal for those of you scratching our head- yes, 1 more acronym to the list).
THEN
Our St. Baldrick's Fundraiser will then go down that evening at 6pm. The barber chairs will be set, the clippers will be out, and heads will be bald! Now, it's quite alright if you don't want to shave the domepiece. Some people never have and never will like getting a haircut:

That's quite alright. You are still able to volunteer or donate to the cause nonetheless.
http://www.stbaldricks.org/teams/mypage/81541/2013
Volunteers and Shavees just remember you are encouraged to raise at least $50.00 if you are in fact signing up for this phenomenally awesome cause. Otherwise, why sign up right? Right!

All members are more than welcome to come to both events! We'll be blowing the roof off with the 2nd WOD of the Open where you'll see everyone's guts spilled out on the floor followed by a Fundraiser where you'll get to see everyone's hair spilled out on the floor. It's going to be a ton of FUN!
We will have a set-up for food, drinks, the whole nine yards but it will be the same execution as the Christmas Toast. Bring a dish to share with others and help yourself to the spread as well. Anyone who wants to bring some grub there will be a signup sheet available shortly here at the gym.

I'm Ready! Are you?



Post by Ian

“When are we doing abs, bro?” We should focus more on midline stabilization than abs alone. We need the capacity to maintain a neutral spine while moving heavy loads. Therefore, a firm core leads to strong midline stabilization. If our movements produce power from core to extremity, then don’t you find it beneficial to have a rigid spinal region?

Midline stabilization is always important. When we take the barbells from the rack today, stay tight until that barbell returns to the rack. You don’t want to go soft on your fifth rep of a 5RM or halfway through a one and a quarter squat. Likewise, after hammering out 100 sit-ups, you may need to focus a bit harder on maintaining a supportive midline during your 10 minute AMRAP.

There is a reason that people use the term “hardcore” as a compliment. Maintaining a rock-solid core is not easy to do. So fighting to keep good midline position during your workouts will make you all the more impressive to yourself and others. To be “hardcore” you have to keep a hard core.

Attention Science Geeks!

If you like me and prefer to understand why our bodies work the way that they do, here is a great (but long) segment on the midline with K-Starr.



In a Rush?

Coach Greg Glassman has a Knack for keeping things simple. Here is a short and sweet display of Glassman’s take on midline stabilization.



Hardcore Homies:

The first WOD of the CrossFit Games Sectionals will be released tomorrow! Asses how you will rest/recover leading into out first Saturday night event. Also, it’s not to late to start monitoring the food that you put in your body. We want you at peak performance. Boy, oh boy...I don’t know how I’m going to sleep tonight!


Don’t be fooled by last week’s Games Site post. This doesn’t give you a proper “taste” of things to come!

Ah-gee-lay. It must be Italian.

Actually no, it's Agile (Ah-gie-ul), and it's important. Agility is one of the 4 Neurological Domains of Fitness and very important in athletic development. If you need a quick refresher on the domains of fitness here they are:

1) Cardiovascular/respiratory Endurance
2) Stamina
3) Strength
4) Flexibility
(These are considered "organic" skills that are improved by training)
5) Agility
6) Accuracy
7) Coordination
8) Balance
(these are referred to as "neurological" skills and are developed through practice)
9) Speed
10) Power
(these are organic and neurological and are developed though practice and training)

The neurological skills take a lot of practice, but are crucial to the development of an athlete. In order to get your brain and muscles to work together quickly and accurately, it takes lots and lots of repetition. Even the best athletes can struggle with simply coordination drills if it is out of their "element" sort of speak. When faced with coordination demands that are problematic, they must immediately become a training priority.

Hard skills take practice (double-unders anyone?). Will your life be dramatically affected based on whether or not you can do 1 footed box jumps or high hurdle hops? Probably not. But will the neurological development of these type of high skill movements and increase in balance, coordination, etc lead to improvements in movements like the snatch, muscle-up, and overall athleticism? You betcha.

Stay tuned for some fun skills and drills this week that will challenge you in these areas. Certain things may be frustrating, but don't freak out. Just take note of your areas of weakness and be sure to address them daily. Yep, daily. Those who have spent over 6 months trying to master double-unders know this to be true: if you only practice skills of high neurological demand on the days they come up in the lesson AND you happen to be training....progress is going to be S-L-O-W. The choice is yours!

"That Others May Live" is the slogan of the USAF Pararescue. It also happens to be the calling of a few members here at CFLI. In just a few days two of our very own, Mike Hartman and Tom Daly will be answering that call. With a washout rate of 90% the Pararescue is the elite of the elite- The "Supermen" of the USAF. When a Navy Seal, an Army Ranger or anyone else in distress for that matter is down you send one of these guys to go get them. Bad (wait for it) Ass. Fellas, you'll be missed but damn sure not forgotten. Go get em'. We're all proud of you guys.



The Open-32 people currently signed up to participate here at CFLI. Could there be more? Probably. To see who's looking to step up their game and maybe take the plunge yourself check out the roster of our team so far:
http://games.crossfit.com/team/552

St. Baldrick's- Fog's Fighting CrossFitters have currently rasied $11,176 for the cause! Remember, that cause is to fight childhood cancer and every penny counts. In doing so we're honoring two very special children who unfortunately lost the battle to cancer way before their time. We're also taking this opportunity to honor the people we personally knew and loved and also lost the fight. To see their faces or add a face yourself please check out the "Fog's Fighting CrossFitters" donation board in the gym. To donate or join the team please visit:
http://www.stbaldricks.org/events/mypage/9615/2013
---> Team Members! Please remember St. Baldrick's asks if you join the team try to raise at least $50.00. This does not mean YOU yourself needs to donate that money but in fact get people to help you with the cause you signed up for. People who reach this goal will be rocking some sweet St. Baldy's Tee's come the day of the event- Just two weeks from tomorrow! Thanks!



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