20 push presses (75/55)
20 overhead squats (75/55)

5 rounds

This WOD is going to lead to some sore shoulders. The weight is light, so consider scaling the rounds if you think 100 reps of each exercise might be too much.

Dynamic Effort Bench Press and Deadlift

Dynamic Effort means using submaximal weight (50%-60% of your one-rep max) and trying to move it quickly, with speed and explosiveness. Think about trying to make the bar jump, either off the floor or off your chest.

8 to 12 sets of 2 or 3 reps. Work in small groups using similar weight and rotate through, with little rest between sets. Spend 15-20 minutes on each, bench and deadlift. Some start on bench, some start on deadlift.

Then…

10 burpees
10 box jumps

AMRAP in 8 minutes

Here’s a video of the Westside Barbell folks doing dynamic effort box squats. The same principles apply to dynamic effort bench and deadlift. There’s a part 2 and part 3 of this video series as well.

Kelly Starrett thinks ibuprofen and other NSAIDs are bad news.

No good coach should allow their athletes to take ibuprofen at anytime. Even if they are hung over.

Click here for the whole thing.

Thanks to Bryan Kemper for passing along this awesome post from a weightlifting forum, written by Glenn Pendlay.

As weightlifters, or those that use weightlifting movements in training, squat deep, and worry more about lifting more weight than about how defined our arms are (I would guess this describes most on this board)… what did we used to complain about?

1. No place to train with bumpers and chalk.
2. Getting hassled about dropping weight
3. “Trainers” at the local globo gym telling us squatting deep was gonna ruin our knees.
4. Girlfriends not wanting to squat because she is afraid she will get “bulky”
5. For the competitive weightlifters among us, getting asked “how much ya bench?” after telling someone you are a weightlifter.
6. Trying to explain what a snatch is to someone, usually ending with a pantomime then the words “you know, like they do in the Olympics”
7. If you ever tell someone, hey you should try it its fun, being told “oh no, I could never do that”
8. Being surrounded in any gym by folks that think eating red meat or fat is the enemy of good health or a good looking body.
9. Curls in the squat rack.
10. Pink dumbells.

So with Crossfit you get…

1. 2000 + more gyms around the country with bumpers and chalk.
2. Most Crossfitters would think you were weird if you DIDN’T drop weights.
3. They may debate where to put the bar on their backs, but they all squat deep.
4. Crossfit girls squat heavy and are proud of getting a rounder butt from it.
5. Most Crossfitters don’t bench press, they might ask you how much you squat instead.
6. Most Crossfitter’s snatch, those that dont certainly know what it is.
7. Crossfit is filled with people people who not only want to try new things, but are willing to work hard to learn and won’t be put off by falling on their butt a few times.
8. Crossfitters, as a whole seem to be proud that they not only eat meat, but are able to eat GOOD (meaning eat a LOT) and still look good because they train so hard. A couple cookouts at Crossfit boxes remain the only two times I have seen women bragging about how many ribs they ate. And not fatties. Young, in shape women.
9. Crossfitters are the ones who will make fun of YOU, if YOU do curls in the squat rack.
10. Crossfitters only use pink kettlebells.

There’s more, too. Click the link and scroll down to comment #36.

Anyone recognize the BAMF wearing the blue shirt in the picture on the CrossFit Endurance site today? Not the big picture at the top, but the smaller picture below, the one accompanying the WOD for Wednesday Jan 25.

20 pullups
30 situps
20 kb swings (55/35)

3 rounds

Click this link if you want to see why you — no matter how young or old, fit or out of shape you are — should be doing CrossFit.

This is great stuff.

With each WOD it’s helpful to think about two things, what the programmers are looking for, the programmed stimulus, and what you wish to accomplish that day in that particular WOD. Using this WOD as an example, top CrossFitters (men and women) will do this as Rx’d and just fly through in a sprint. It’s perfectly OK to scale your weight in order to do this really fast, to experience what this does to your body. On the other hand, you may be interested in soldiering on and doing it as Rx’d, taking 3 or 4X what it takes the superstars and getting a Strength/Endurance stimulus. Also cool, if that is more consistent with your goals.

When asked if you should scale these to get similar times to predicted, or if you should do them as Rx’d even if it takes a long time, Coach always answers the same way.

Yes. 3-2-1…Go.