Upper East Side

By Coach Brandon Renert
Today we start our new 8-week training cycle, which will consist of 6 weeks of training, a week of testing, and a week of de-load. Each cycle includes specific strength and skill movements on certain days. This upcoming cycle will entail:

Monday: Low bar back squat
Wednesday: Push press
Thursday: Clean variation
Friday: Front squat
Saturday: Snatch variation

There will also be a skill focus on handstand push-ups for this cycle.
Remember, everything we do in CrossFit is empirically driven so work hard, record everything, and PR.

On low bar back squat:
The barbell back squat is the single most important lift we do as CrossFitters, yet it is all too often performed incorrectly. We also often focus on the less than optimal type of back squat. The latter is the issue I would like to address. CrossFit boxes as a whole (with the exception of a select few) have abandoned the traditional low bar back squat for the more sport-specific high bar back squat. It seems, from my perspective, due to CrossFit becoming a sport and the direct correlation that high bar back squat has to improving Olympic lifts that all too many boxes have lost focus on what is truly important.

We have all come together as CrossFitters to improve our overall fitness. That is the first and foremost goal. A very, very small percentage of us will ever compete at any level. We come to form a community, make friends, have fun, and get fit. Having said that, the low bar back squat is the lift that most CrossFitters should be using.
There is no barbell movement that is as essential and commands as large of a neurological and muscular response as the LBBS. It requires every muscle in the body to work and work together in harmony the way evolution has created us to move. The primary movers are the muscles of the posterior chain, focusing on the hamstrings and glutes — but rest assured, everything is in play. It is also the safest movement when performed properly. It is how we were constructed to move, as well as the only lift that provides equal tension on the knee, actually preventing knee problems (squatting to parallel is mandatory). So embrace it, get strong, and we will all enjoy the fruits of our labor!

Notes:
* Congratulations to Kathryn S., David B., Leigh-Ann P., and any others in the EVF community who participated in the NYC Marathon yesterday. It is an amazing accomplishment and something to be very proud of.
* Happy Birthday to EVF community members Mark B. and Jesse R.
Videos/Links:
Mark Rippetoe on the Low Bar Back Squat: http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Squat_Videos
The Evolutionary Epic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRjGX8ms01o
Karate Fail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RonL5QYTmpk

11.3.14
Warm Up:
3rds NFT:
10 Ring Rows
15 Air Squats
20 Hollow Rocks

Strength:
A1: Low Bar Back Squat 6×4 @ 80%
A2: Bent Over Kettlebell Rows – 10/12 per arm

Conditioning:
In 12 Minutes:
5 Wall Ball
5 Knees to Elbow
10 Wall Ball
10 Knees to Elbow
15 WB
15 K2E
20…….