Dutch Lowy

I stole this post from Sage Burgner (the more shorter beautiful version of coach B). She wrote it for CJ at Crossfit Invictus. Sage teaches an olympic weightlifting class on wednesday evenings that i hear is picking up some loyal followers.
I am totally in line with what Sage says in this article. She is young but wise beyond her years. Enjoy.

Why Olympic Lifting is Good for CrossFit
Written by Sage Burgener

I recently decided to take a little break from the competition aspect of Olympic weightlifting and focus more on becoming a better all-around athlete. In order to do so, I took on Crossfit. Olympic lifting definitely set me back in fitness when it came to doing anything more than one snatch or one clean and jerk. Doing anything as simple as walking to the refrigerator to eat a spoonful (or three) of delicious cashew butter had me in severe oxygen debt. So, I decided something needed to change. That’s when CrossFit really came into my life.

The point of this post is not to bash the fabulous sport of Olympic weightlifting, but rather to brag about it. Now that my focus has shifted more to becoming a better CrossFit athlete, I have started to realize the benefits of having experience with Olympic weightlifting. I have started to realize how much the movements of the snatch and clean and jerk transfer over to almost every other movement in my CrossFit workouts.

Because Olympic lifting is such a technical sport, I have been able to understand the concept of using my whole body as opposed to muscling my way through the CrossFit exercises. This enables me to save energy, and saving energy will, in the future, help me improve my times and scores. Olympic lifting has also helped me to gain a sense of body awareness. This comes in handy for movements that require rhythm and coordination such as kipping pull-ups and box jumps.

Most importantly, Olympic lifting has helped in my journey to becoming the best all-around athlete that I can be by instilling in me mental strength. I am not saying that I am mentally strong by any means, but I have been able to feel what it is like to completely fear something, and yet still complete the task. I have felt the rush of butterflies right before a hideous workout, and I have experienced the constant struggle of telling myself not to quit when I thought I could not go on any longer. These are all things that CrossFitters experience EVERY workout. The mental strength that is required for CrossFit workouts does not necessarily exceed that of Olympic lifting, but it is definitely on a different level. I look up to and admire each and every CrossFitter for pushing themselves everyday to their absolute limit and for putting their bodies through constant pain with the goal of becoming a better athlete. So, having those experiences of overcoming the barrier of mental toughness in Olympic lifting has helped immensely in my pursuit of becoming as mentally tough as my fellow CrossFit friends.

In conclusion, don’t shy away from the scary technical aspect of Olympic weightlifting – because you sure wouldn’t shy away from a scary CrossFit WOD. Learn to love the sport and learn how to master it, and watch it help you in your CrossFit endeavors.

The Crossfit Games are gonna be fun. I have gotten many, many questions about them and what i am doing to prepare. Here is the answer as i am less than 2 weeks out from our qualifier.

I have been doing a hybrid of o-lifting and Crossfit. Running as little as possible (although i ran a mile today) and focusing my metcon training under 15 minutes. I train when i feel like it and relax when i don’t. I am doing what i enjoy and enjoying what i do. I know this is not what Crossfit preaches but i am going to be honest with you…If i did shit i hated everyday just to get better at crossfit, i would never workout! It is worth it to me to do what i enjoy and keep training. This doesn’t mean i do easy stuff or things that are enjoyable. I love to be challenged and there is something about Crossfit workouts that suck you in. Its like being addicted to a drug.

In addition i feel that what i enjoy will allow me to achieve a high enough fitness level to not only compete in the games but do anything else i want. What do i do??
I lift heavy shit and do metcons usually shorter than 15 minutes. I usually lift everyday. followed by something i either saw on someones site or got from a buddy. I don’t have a set program. More than likely if i did, i wouldn’t follow it anyway. I don’t like being told what to do.

The last thing i want to add about my training is that i am committed to Crossfit style training and really want to win. I will not, however; jump off a cliff if i don’t win. I have been competing in something for just about 23 years and feel satisfied with what i have accomplished. I truly think the future of the Crossfit games is going to be driven by the coaches ability to develop an athlete.

My games predictions…
I think number one for the next 3 years possibly 5 will be a new comer. If the new comer doesn’t win… Speal will. He is legit. Strong and Fast.
I am not even going to guess about the events but the qualifiers are very interesting. We will see if they chose their tests appropriately by the athletes they send.

What do you think? Do you know the dark horse?? Who is he?
Ladies feel free to post your thoughts as well.

Thrusters are great.
I have been Crossfitting for the last 4 years. For Crossfit i am a veteran. Something i have just recently decided is that thrusters are great. If your goal is fitness, Thrusters are great. I am going to say something really bold but i will stand behind it 100%. If i could have one movement to get me more fit… It would be a Thruster. Let me explain:

Everybody hates thrusters. They are miserable but why?
In one movement they can move a relatively large load an insanely long distance and very quickly. You can lift large loads, light loads and moderate loads. Light loads (65 lbs) will give you a sufficient amount of muscular endurance as well as a huge kick in the nuts metabolically. Moderate loads (fran weight) will Fuck you up! Add this to any workout or just do it as a workout (100 thruster for time) and you will have a workout that people are terrified of! Heavy Loads (135-155lbs) will give a new experience during a metcon. Its that inadequate pathetic feeling of not being able to lift a weight over your head after about 5 reps. Max Loads (anything over 155 lbs) will make you strong. Not in a powerlifter immobile kind of way but in the way you want to be. A way that will allow you to move large loads long distances quickly.

Anybody agree? Disagree? Thoughts?

I have to give a shout out to my boys at Crossfit Football. They are embarking on a journey that i feel Crossfit should have undertaken long ago. They are proving that you can focus your workouts to a common goal.

I really like their ideas. They have a pretty good linear strength progression as well as a focus on heavier shorter workouts. I had the pleasure of seeing their programming and am excited for it to be tested by everyone. Something you have to remember as you give these workouts a try is that they are designed to specific time domains and power output. If you are taking 30 minutes to do something just because you had to do it prescribed i think you are missing the point. I better reel it in before i get too far off on a tangent.

The point is, these workouts are legit and i feel a really fucking comprehensive program. Hopefully we will get to see some of the big guys do these workouts so you will know what it is like to move heavy weight fast. I am excited to see how this thing develops.
Keep an eye on it… I am.