A benefit I can take from improving your squat form is that the lower you go, the more work you get. Getting low will give you more work which will end up making you stronger.

I would tell a classmate who falls short of 90 degrees to just work at getting lower each and every day. You won’t be able to get below that mark in just one day, but if you keep working at it you will eventually be able to get to it. Doing certain stretches that help your hips/glutes will help you get that lower squat.

My favourite component of yesterday’s workout would be the box jumps. I like box jumps because in my opinion, they show off your athleticism. I have always liked box jumps because the higher I go, the more excited I get.

I’d say the class struggled the most with the 8 burpees. I think this because burpees are a tiring exercise to begin with but to do 8 of them for three sets is quite tiring.

On days where you are tired or you can’t focus, you just need to try your best to lock in. Sometimes it is a good strategy to slow yourself down a bit to refocus. If you are tired you could try to use a different exercise that helps the same kind of muscle group.

I really enjoy hang cleans. I love them because I find they work your whole body instead of just using a certain group of muscles. I would love to master them in the future because I feel like it is a very useful exercise to do, and it is very beneficial if you do them properly. My one success when doing hang cleans is catching the bar in a full squat. My one area to work on would be to keep my back at a good angle and not to slouch over.

Like I said, hang cleans using a lot of muscle groups. Hang cleans help my training because unlike other exercises, they help my full body get stronger. A place outside of class where they would help me is at hockey. The lower body part of the exercise really helps my skating.

When training, we do multiple sets of the same exercise instead of just doing one set. We do this because when doing multiple sets, you are doing more work so it is more beneficial to you. Also, the more sets you do, the more tired your muscles get, so they have to use more effort to fit the bar each time. You only start to get stronger when your are tired. Therefore, we do multiple sets because if you do one, you are not getting enough work out of the exercise.

I personally don’t feel any different than I usually do. This is because I didn’t participate in the Crossfit baseline test because of injury.

My favourite part of the workout was the plate 8’s. It was my favourite part because plate 8’s are a pretty uncommon exercise. Therefore I do not do them often so I enjoyed doing them.

Notes:

Today I did not participate in the CrossFit baseline test. I didn’t participate because I cannot do a pushup or a pullup because of my wrist injury. In the future whenever I try this test I would like to beat my previous record of 4:07. Previously I went to fast on the rowing so to improve I will pace myself in that portion.

Notes:

In the 10 second skipping test, I got 28 skips. I expected to get higher but I believe I got a low score because I was skipping with two feet instead of alternating feet. To improve my results in the future, I will try to skip using alternating feet for more speed. For the skipping challenge, you are moving very fast for a short period of time and then you get a quick break. This is similar to a shift in hockey. Therefore, doing this will help me when playing hockey.

Notes:

In my opinion, ROMWOD’s are always helpful for your flexibility and can even be used as a cool down for your workout. Today’s ROMWOD helped me loosen up because I am still sore from yesterday’s class. Also, it helped me slow down my breathing and heart rate before the end of class.

Flexibility can help anything in sports. For me, my stride in hockey can be lengthened through more flexibility in my lower body. Also, in any running, full body flexibility helps you perform better.

Warm up / Preparation:

• Run to the steeple at the north end of the track
• As a group, complete the following:
• 10 c- skips
• 10 opener and 10 closer steps
• 6 spiderman steps with hip raise
• 5 squat hops
• 3 good mornings
• 5 unbroken inchworm push ups
• Run back to the north doors

Skill and bar work: deadlift and rack pull

• Skill overview: body position, range of motion, body position and proprioception, spotter location and responsibilities,
• Safety overview
• Range of motion, demonstrate proficiency with a light set of 8-10 reps (scale: rack pull not deadlift)

Workout: Complete 3 rounds of the following…

• 10 lunge steps carrying a weight (DB, plate, Rage Ball, etc)
• 10 triceps dips (you can use the rocks if we are outside)
• 200m run
• 10 squats holding a rage ball of your choice OR a bumper of your choice
• 10 plate 8s (5 each direction)

Core strength: 

• 10 jacknives – 60 second plank – 10 jacknives – 3 McGill crunch each side

Warm up / Preparation:

• Run 400m then skip (3 minutes combined).  Be sure to attempt double unders; keep working on this skill
• 10 A-skip + 10 C-skip
• 10 shuffle jacks (5 each direction)
• 10 backward lunge steps
• 10 frankenstein steps
• 2 x 20m acceleration (walk back rest)
• Shoulder ROM
• Stretch, rollers, etc

Mobility:

• Band work for shoulders: 1 hand external rotation x 5 each arm + 1 hand internal rotation x 5 each arm + pull-aparts x 10 + lateral raises x 10 + supine external rotation x 10
• Partner band work: lateral acceleration 2 x 5 each direction

Mid-week chipper:

Complete 50 reps of each of the following activities.  You may complete these in any order, and you do not need to complete one exercise before moving on to another.  The one requirement: do not stop moving until you have completed all reps of all exercises.  Work with a classmate to stay motivated.

• Double unders (scale = 150 singles)
• Squats with a DB of your choice in front rack position (form and skill work)
• Push ups (at least 20 MUST be flare push ups)
• Sit ups
• Calories on the rower (minimum requirement: row your age in cals)

Core strength:

We will complete this together at the end of class.

• McGill crunch x 6 – plank x 1 minute – leg flare x 15

Notes:

Absent.