Offseason training

[Brendan Wylie-Toal]

Hey guys.

With all the (awesome) talk about training these days, you should really think about signing up for GUPA's Open League.  With Thom's help, we're now providing 1hr of training after the games. You'd normally pay a pretty penny for the training alone, but Thom's generously offered to run it for free. 

It runs Sunday 7-10, and you get 2 hours of Ultimate followed by 1 hour of training. Hit Havercroft up for registration details.

[TB]

Anyone who has asked anyone the following question: what can I do to get better this off season?

Answer: play in the open league.

--
Thomas Black

[Andrew Ling]

Is there a second chance to sign up for Open League?

I don't come back to Waterloo until January

[Matt & Emily Havercroft]

There should be a second open league that will start late January.  Registration for this will likely open in Mid- December.  I'll be sure to send an email out when the date is decided.

Cheers,

Matt

[Thomas Wendelboe]

Hey Guys,

This is just a brief update / recap regarding the off season training. This past Sunday I introduced some concepts and an approach to strength and conditioning meant to guide both our training sessions and your own individual programs. We began our session with a discussion of the neutral/home position and I then tested everyone's ability to maintain stability in a performance based default through deadbug holds. The results were expected, if a bit disappointing as many struggled to maintain a stable neutral position for even sixty seconds. I would  caution you against bilateral spinal loading (back squatting) until you are able to accumulate 4 minutes of near perfect deadbug in three attempts or less. Luckily there is an easy fix: more deadbugs. I recommend that everyone try and accumulate four to five total minutes as part of their warm up routine. It is a great tool for assessing mobility and developing stability.

The deadbug hold formed the basis of our session as we explored various ways to stress the position and practiced maintaining a neutral / stable spine while moving dynamically. Mimicking the upper body position of the deadbug hold we moved on to a simple hamstring stretch. This is another simple tool you can/should include in your pre-workout warm up. Next week we will progress through some variations of this dynamic stretch. Following our hamstring stretch we went back the ground and attempted to move explosively while maintaining stable posture with single leg glute raises. Our focus here was to keep trunks in the deadbug "home" position while moving explosively. We finished this portion with some alternating tabatas. While the science behind the tabata has been grossly misused, there are many free apps for phones and the like that make the twenty seconds on, ten seconds off interval easy to incorporate in your own training. The single leg glute raise is another dynamic warm up tool I would recommend for your warm up routine. 

After a sufficient warm up, we discussed the defensive stance (universal athletic position) in relation to off season training. This was primarily focused on the squat. Unfortunately, many of you were unable to safely move through the required range of motion while maintaining full body posture and position. If you were unable to bring your hip crease below your knees while maintaining a toes forward stance and a solid trunk, I would again caution you against bilateral spinal loading. After our brief discussion of the squat we moved through a movement that anyone may load - the reverse lunge. We completed a number of reps with each leg. This is a great movement as it may be loaded with dumbells in the hand, or in the front rack position - both of which will be less taxing on an underdeveloped body. 

Our session finished with 5 minutes of burpees. This is a mental test as much as it is a conditioning tool. One of the primary goals of this test was to work on communication while maintaining intensity. To accomplish this, we partnered up. One person worked while the other counted/judged/and most importantly encouraged. While we initially started out quietly, people were beginning to come alive during the second round. We all know how important sideline support is during a game of ultimate. This is something we will work on throughout the year. You will find a spot for your number under "personal bests." It is something we will return to in a few months. 

Next week will have quite a bit of mobility. If you didn't make it out last week, I highly recommend you try and come this week. We will go over a number of movements - both dynamic and static - that will aide in both performance and injury prevention. 

Regards,

Thom

--
Thom Wendelboe, MA
PhD Candidate, University of Waterloo
CrossFit Level 1

[Everett Walls]

"brief"

[Matt Snow]

For those who weren't there, can you provide a video of your version of the deadbug hold?

[Thomas Wendelboe]

Here: http://powerathletehq.com/blog/2013/06/12/movement-demo-dead-bug/

HOWEVER, I would recommend coming out next Sunday. I have seen very few people put themselves into that position without cueing. Furthermore, even fewer people are able to maintain posture once position is stressed.

Thom

[Matt Snow]

Completely agree. Just wanted something to work on until Sunday.

[Peter McLachlan]

Thanks for posting the video. Since the Academy is regional not everyone can make it on to Sunday sessions. They sound great though.

p