APEX PERFORMANCE CENTER

Why we do lifts

Crossfit’s  conception and belief is based on the fact that fitness is best demonstrated by a balance in 10 general physical skills:

Cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, accuracy.

An absence of any one or any two of those physical skills can result in, as Glassman says; “…loss of game, mission, life…”

Those required skills are necessary to not only balance our complete fitness, but also better prepare us for life’s routine (carrying bags of groceries, lifting/picking up and carrying our children, job-related physical duties) and life’s unpredictability (pushing a stalled car out of traffic,  helping a neighbor move heavy equipment/furniture).

Building a foundation of strength and power through Olympic and Power lifts will not only positively impact our metabolic chain, resulting in improved Crossfit performances, but it will also have a direct, constructive and encouraging effect in our daily lives.

If you have been intimidated by these lifts before and have avoided them, come in and let one of our trainers show you how to do them properly and you will soon realize how important these functional movements truly are and how they apply to your every day life.

                                                                                                                                    

July 1^st WOD

                                                                                                                                    

5 X 5 Squats

3 X 3 Deadlifts

                                                                                                                                    

Results from the Team Workout:

                                                                                                                                    

Mike/Alyssa:       6:47

Becca/Gonzo:      8:07

Carol/Chris:        11:54

John/Will:           12:11

Courtney/Sethy:  12:25

Klint/Brian:         13:20

BJ/Shawn:           19:04

Estella:    12:38

                         (2 rnds: 50 push-ups

                                      50 kb swings

                                     100 squats)

Chrissy:   20:21   

                         (50 push-ups

                           100 kb swings

                           150 squats)

                                                                                                                                    

Click here for Crossfit Endurance

Click here for Crossfit Kids

                                                                                                                                        

Vina doing an interesting variation of the push-up...next team wod idea??

Team Workout

Damon is enjoying some family time in Virginia beach for the next two weeks, so Becca and I will be free to torture....uh....have fun with some of our own workouts (while the cat's away...)!

We were both fortunate enough to attend the POSE running clinic up in Park City this weekend -hosted by Crossfit Park City; coached by Brian McKenzie - and although we walked on to the track with a bit of trepidation, we left the clinic 4 hours later with an incredible change in our running efficiency. Becca was one of the most improved runners of the group, leaving everyone rather impressed with how quickly she applied her newfound knowledge. Way to go Becca!

Crossfit offers a community of support which allows us to build friendships and bonds not easily attained in globo gyms.  To celebrate the teamwork we so often see at Wasatch Crossfit, we will do a team wod as follows:

A team of two must complete:

100 push-ups

200 KB swings

300 squats

Each team may have two different kettlebells.  No order is required.

Click here for Crossfit Kids

Click here for Crossfit Endurance

Becca after her bout with "Fran"!

Free Saturday WOD

Check the bottom of this post for the results of our challenge with Crossfit Utah Valley.  So many people were so close to getting Rx'ed on this workout.  For some it was pullups, for others it was the thruster weight.  Keep up the hard work and the prescribed WOD's will follow.

They're finishing the last step of resurfacing the parking lot so you'll have to park in the cul de sac or at Flipper's and walk over.  Come drink the Kool Aid!  This stuff is addictive and after a couple of workouts you'll know why.  Today was unreal, I PR'ed on Fran along with several others.  Nice job everyone, 25 of us did Fran this rotation.  A special thanks to everyone who cheered on someone else after they finished and helped them push through. 

I'm headed to Virginia Beach for the next two weeks.  You'll be in good hands between Becca and Maria with a strong dose of Gonzo yelling encouragement USMC style.  They're doing the programming so don't blame me for any brutal WOD's:)  If you get a chance to stop by CrossfitVB's website they're pretty hardcore on the 20 minute WOD's themselves and I expect to get worked out there.  Aldo's going to be out on Paternity leave, be sure to congratulate him next time you see him on the birth of his daughter which is supposed to happen sometime this weekend.

Becca shows how the hips are recruited for kipping pullups

28/June/2008 Saturday WOD

"Trainer's Choice"

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Fran Results - RX

Mike 3:17

Damon 3:25

Gonzo 4:01

Maria 4:02

DJ 7:20

Non Rx'ed

Alyssa       4:56 50#/JP
Josh           5:50  65#/JP
Will            9:50 Rx/JP
Jared         10:23 Rx/21 Pullups/JP
Tony           7:25 Rx/AP
Lorenzo      7:14 35#/AP
Sethy          6:52  35#/JP
Estela         6:41  40#/AP
Brian         10:39 75#/Rx
Sarah          7:37  30#/AP
Marty          6:50 45#/AP
Chris W       4:54 65#
Carol         10:22 45#
BJ                8:25 Rx/JP
Dane           6:26 55#/Rx
Shawn       15:30 55#-35#/Rx
Becca        48:15 Rx/34 Pullups/AP
Chrissy      6:42 30#/ Pushups
Sherry        6:42 35#/Ap
Priscilla     11:38 50#/Rx

Frantacular & Why WCF Women rock

All right, for all those people who took a rest day Thursday today's the day to get your Fran on.  That includes me.  I'll be at a baseball tournament all day and should Fran at either 4:30 or 5:30.  Nolan from Crossfit Utah Valley put up a 3:44 today which is a 30 second improvement for him.  My old goal:  3:44.  My new goal:  3:43.  Today several people got their first Fran as Rx'ed including Gonzo's first Fran at 4:01!  Maria would have went sub 3:45 if the freaking rack hadn't fallen over for the first time ever...3x!  Jared did all 21 pullups Rx'ed and is closing in on the prescribed Fran.  Be sure to head over to their blog and do some encouraging and smack talking.

We've got some incredible women at Wasatch Crossfit and what's amazing is that none of them came from an elite athletic background.  There have been a few women who have dropped in and expressed worry that the workouts seem intimidating or they don't want to be at the bottom of the group.  Come do our 4:30 class if this is you!  It's full of women who are mothers of multiple children or who started off weak or overweight and are now firebreathers.  Sethy did 22' box jumps in FGB, Becca's down 5 sizes in 1 year, Priscilla is the same size she was as a sophomore in high school 9 months after having a baby and stronger and fitter than ever.  Sherry is training for a Marine Corp Mom's challenge race and hasn't missed a day in 3 weeks.  Chrissy is coming back from a bout with cancer.  Anyone can do it and I guarantee you'll have fun and get results.
 
Estela shows what perfect hip extension is on a box jump

27/June/2008 Friday WOD

Fran if you didn't do it on Thursday.  If you did Fran then:

"Annie"

50-40-30-20-10

• Double Unders
• Situps

Post what you got to say to comments.  Sorry I don't have today's Fran's up yet, my camera phone died.  I'll get them up asap tomorrow. 

Crossfit Endurance Supplementary WOD:  Click Here.
Crossfit Kids WOD:  Click Here (Look who was featured yesterday, nice job Justin!)

Wasatch Crossfit Vs. Crossfit Utah Valley

Today's day 1 of the big competition.  It all boils down to one workout, the feared and admired Fran.  If you meet a Crossfitter from anywhere else in the world their first question will be "What's your Fran time?"  Why is that?  We all know that in Crossfit Fran is where we get a chance to prove to ourselves what we're made of.  Fighting to get 21 thrusters unbroken.  Then 15.  Finally the 9 set.  For me it's not physically the toughest workout but mentally it pushed me to my limits.  The good news is it wasn't that way until I got under 5 minutes so if you're not a super-kipper yet it probably won't be too bad.  Probably.  Let's do our best, cheer each other on, and have a blast!   If you check out the main site today's there's a newly minted Navy Seal doing this workout in 2:02.  His form's not as good as Speal's 2:02 Fran but it's still an unreal accomplishment.

If Thursday's your rest day (like me) then you'll do Fran on Friday and everyone else can do "Annie." 

Welcome back Jared!  It's good to have our big dawgs back in the mix.

26/June/2008 Thursday WOD   

"Fran"

21, 15, 9

Thrusters (95#, 65#)
Pullups

Post times, encouragement, & smack talking to comments.

Crossfit Endurance's Supplementary WOD:  Click Here.
Crossfit Kids WOD:  Click Here.

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Fight Gone Bad Results

Damon 375 rx
Aldo 303 rx
Chris W 286 rx
DJ 284 rx
Tony 273 rx
John 272 rx
BJ 259 rx
Priscilla 257 rx
Becca 253 rx

Scaled FGB
Estela 276
Lorenzo 276
Josh 268
Carol 238
Shawn 234
Sethy 230
Cody 207
Chrissy 205
Sherry 194
Vina 195 (2 rds)

The Worst Fight of Crossfit Utah Valley's Life

We had so much fun challenging Crossfit 801 that we thought we'd throw down the gauntlet for another Utah affiliate, CrossfitUV in Orem.  They're nice people but don't let that stop us from putting an a-whooping on them.  Here's how it's going to work...if you normally take a Thursday rest day then do that and you'll Fran on Friday.  If tomorrow's your rest day then go ahead and Fran on Thursday.  We'll tally it up Friday night and declare a winner.  As for today's workout...we're matching up with the main site and going with a little FGB action.  Be sure to check Crossfit.com after you workout and see how you match up with the rest of the CF world.  I've been chasing 400+ all year, today's my lucky day:)  If you've done FGB before set a goal, figure out what you have to do per round to hit it and then post it to comments before you workout.  Compare afterwards.  Here's Crossfit  Central doing FGB. 

More FFF action

"Fight Gone Bad!"

Three rounds of:
Wall-ball, 20 pound ball, 10 ft target (Reps)
Sumo deadlift high-pull, 75 pounds (Reps)
Box Jump, 20" box (Reps)
Push-press, 75 pounds (Reps)
Row (Calories)

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute.The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. On call of "rotate", the athletes must move to next station immediately for best score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

Add your points and post them to comments.

Crossfit Endurance's supplementary WOD:  Click here.

Crossfitkids.com WOD:  Click here.

Yesterday's WOD Results

Jared 185
Court 175
Damon 155
BJ 145
Will 145
Gonzo 115
John P 115
Brian 105
Will 105
Shawn 105
DJ 105
Becca 105
Estela 60
Sherry 50

Strength Matters

Crossfit barbell lifting coach Mark Rippetoe has a great quote "Strong people are harder to kill than weak people and are more useful in general."  Strength matters and the older we get the more we need it.  A study was recently released showing that traumatic brain injuries due to falling are a serious problem for our elderly population.  The first cause listed in the article - muscle weakness.  Don't let it be you.  Click here for the full article.

Nice job at lunch today, we had a full crew.  Welcome back Shawn & BJ, way to gut it out today.  We've got some new equipment on order, let me know if any of you have any special requests.

24/June/2008 Tuesday WOD

Snatch Balance 5 x 2
Snatch 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1

Here's a great video on the snatch balance. 

Crossfit Endurance Supplementary WOD:  Click Here.
Crossfit Kids WOD:  Click Here.

Yesterday's WOD Results
Aldo 6:49 Rx
Damon 7:00 Rx
Becca 7:06 Rx
Terry 9:03 Rx
Will 13:00
Alyssa 12:04 Rx
Priscilla 14:14 Rx
BJ 14:18 Rx
Jared 15:34 Rx
Chris W 11:15 55#
Shawn 18:48 50#
Estela 7:57 35#
Vina 9:22 35#
Carol 12:57
Sarah 15:40 35#/30#
Sherry 8:37 25#
Chrissy 10:15 25#
Drew 10:05 15#
Mike 4:40 Rx weight, ROM compromised due to medical 

New Respect for FireFighters

I wouldn't say I had a lack of respect before Saturday's "Firefighter Fran" but I will say the respect I have is at a whole new level.  I weighed in on their scale at 159# (I think it was light, I'm usually around 165#) prior to putting on the gear.  Getting "turned out" consists of boots, thick overalls and jacket, air tank, regulator, face mask, and helmet.  After putting on all the gear I weighed in at a hefty 205.  For the first time ever I heard the words 3, 2, 1, go and wished they started the count at 10 or 20.  Once the workout started I was almost immediately at the limits of my mental fortitude.  Every thruster I did banged the mask into my face.  Every pullup I did banged the air tank into the back of my head.  Plus it was Fran - we all know how that WOD sucks.  After feeling like someone stood behind me and choked me for 14 minutes while I soldiered on I was finally done.  Never been that happy to see the end of a WOD and never less eager to repeat it. 

Why do we do things like this?  Day to day life usually consists of challenges we've surmounted many times.  Get the kids off to school, return voicemails and emails, keep on career commitments.  It's a grind that requires stamina but it's a known obstacle.  There's something inside all of us that thrills to the unknown and possibly insurmountable challenge and that stands a little taller with quiet pride once we've scaled the mountain.  This weekend was possibly the first Crossfit WOD I've done and been a little bit proud of myself, I honestly didn't know once I started if I could finish.  Maybe we'll try it out at our place sometime.  Thank you to the folks at Viking Crossfit for letting me come play and for all the firefighters out there, thank you!

Decklan puts on "the strangler" and Justin tries some turned out thrusters

23/June/2008 Monday WOD

7 Rounds for Time

12 Sumo DLHP
12 Push Press

Men 75#, Women 55# - FGB Weights

Crossfit Endurance Supplementary WOD:  Click Here
Crossfit Kids WOD:  Click Here

BTW, check out our new June photo album, it's on the right.

Free Saturday WOD & World's Fittest Athlete is Crossfit

Thanks to Chris for the heads up on this article.  The Wall Street Journal recently convened a panelist of experts decide the world's fittest man and for once the experts didn't screw it up.  What put Decathlete Roman Sebrie ahead of Lebron James?  Versatility.  Click this link to check out the other criteria they judged athletes by which are curiously close to Jim Cawley's 10 aspects of fitness.

Come drink the Kool Aid!  Free workout today at 10 am.  Bring a friend and let them come see for themselves what Crossfit is all about.  Today's WOD will be led by Becca, I'll be at Viking Crossfit in Pleasant Grove for their grand opening.  I'm going to try out Firefighter Fran - Fran in full FF gear and on air.  Check out vikingcrossfit.com for an awesome video of FFF on their front page.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

21/June/2008 Saturday WOD

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:

Broad Jump 20 feet
10 Wall Balls (20#, 14#)
5 Pullups or 10 Jumping Pullups

Scale time to 10 minutes as needed.

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20/June/2008 Workout Results

Athlete/%Bodyweight/Put-downs

ChrisW 50% - 0
Maria 50% - 0 (1 lap)
Carol 33% - 0
Sarah 33% - 0
Damon 50% - 1
Bryan 50% - 2
DJ 50% - 2
Priscilla 50% - 4
Tony 40% - 6
Justin 33% - 6
Molosi 33% - 7
Terrry 50% - 7
Becca 50% - 8

The Hopper - Wear Sunscreen

In Crossfit we have 3 different fitness models.  The first involves the 3 metabolic pathways, next up are the 10 components of fitness, last of all is the hopper.  The hopper says that a Crossfitter is almost is good as most athletes in the things they specialize in, a lot better in the things we train, and because of our broad base of fitness we're also better in the things that neither of us do.  The Crossfit main site WOD today is as many rounds in 20 minutes as possible of ten 65 lb thrusters and ten pullups.  We're a little smoked from Tabata's so we're going to pull something we've never done out of the Hopper.  Here's our WOD:

Walk around the building carrying two dumbbells (farmer's walk) equal to 33% of your bodyweight.  Do one round of the main site WOD for every time you set down or drop the dumbbells.  If you're a total stud do 50% of your bodyweight and do 5 thrusters and 5 pullups for every time you set the weight down.

Our newest Crossfit couple tears thru Tabata's.  Welcome Chris & Carol!

20/June/2008 Friday WOD

See above.  I won't be able to make the lunch class today (all Mortgage First'ers will be at a company event) but you're welcome to come train at 4:30.  If you can't make 4:30 come at 5:30 pm.  If you can't make 5:30 pm see you Saturday!  Aldo will be there at 12:00 so feel free to come train.

Link to Crossfit Endurance supplementary WOD:  Click Here.

Link to Crossfit Kids WOD:  Click Here.

Yesterday's WOD Scores - All as Rx'ed
Tony:  83
John P:  80
Aldo:  77
DJ:  75
Chris W 73
Jared:  72
Will:  71
Vina:  62
Courtney:  58
Carol:  56
Sethy:  52
Estela:  50
Sherry:  36
Damon -rest day
Becca - rest day
Priscilla - rest day
Terry - rest day
Gonzo - rest day
Court - rest day
Maria - ???

SS Crew
Chrissy - 130# x 5 BS!  145# DL!  Two huge PR's.