More Sunday morning fun and games this week, kicked off with a trial run of the “Over/Under” game*. Involving two teams jumping over boxes, and climbing under low-hanging PVC tubes, it amused (me) and “warmed up” (them) in equal measure.

The "Over/Under" game...hard to explain in pictures.

We followed this with my “warm-up of the week”: a 10 minute ladder of kettlebell swings and goblet squats. Five of each in the first minute, six in the second, all the way up to 15 of both in the tenth (and final minute). It is hard to understand the complaining that accompanied this workout…

Kettlebell swings and goblet squats...less fun after 10mins

Thoroughly warm (!), intrepid CrossFit Londoners tacked today’s challenging WOD of:

• 5x Rounds of Cindy
• 10x Dumbbell clean & jerks
• 5x Rounds of Cindy
• 10x Dumbbell clean & jerks
• 5x Rounds of Cindy

Sam and Marissa on the pull-ups

One round of Cindy is 5x pull-ups, 10x push ups, and 15x squats. Outstanding effort from everyone!

Also a big CrossFit London welcome to Marissa (and husband David) who dropped by from California to train with us this morning. They join the ranks of our visiting CrossFitters in the gallery, here.

More pictures – as usual – on the CrossFit London Flickr site, here.

* Giving it an official sounding name draws the attention away from the fact that I made it up on my ride in to the gym today…

The Olympic Lifts (Clean & Jerk, and Snatch) are some of the most explosive, technical and exciting movements in the athletic arena.

According to CrossFit founder, Greg Glassman, the value of the lifts outstrips their much-promoted development of strength and power. Those who struggle to learn the clean often suffer from a lack of sufficient speed, flexibility and ability irrespective of how much strength they possess. Refinement of the moves call for exacting standards of coordination accuracy and balance which often outstrips the ability of most strength specialists.

His observation that directly proportional to the load you can clean (for example) are the benefits in terms of strength, power, accuracy, flexibility, speed, accuracy, agility and balance; amazing gains from a single movement.

However his second, unique, world-changing, visionary observation was that your cardiorespiratory endurance and stamina are directly proportional to the reps and loads you can clean.

Greg also goes on to state that you don’t need to be able to do the lifts super-well to get super-benefits.

This is a complete exercise which incorporates a “super-useful” core to extremity motor recruitment pattern, along with learning how to generate and transmit large and sudden forces.

We incorporate the olympic lifts into our day-to-day CrossFit programming, as well as offer specialist masterclasses for those looking to learn and develop their skills.

Our Olympic weightlifting masterclasses are led by Andrew Stemler and Steven Shrago and are worth 4 CPD points if you are a member of the register of exercise professionals at level 2 and above. They are , however, aimed at ordinary people, just like you.

We regularly practise the lifts as part of our weekly class structure, and for certain, they are practised every Friday as the substantive part of those lessons

Crossfit London UK staged another of their phenomenally successful Olympic lifting masterclass 2. The sessions are led by Commonwealth Gold-medalist Giles Greenwood assisted by Foz Rahman and Andrew Stemler.

The sessions focus on the elusive “double knee bend” and add an extra layer of skills to those learned in the i-Course or the  Crossfit London UK Olympic lifting level 1 masterclass

Danielle prepares to clean

After 3 hours of intensive coaching, and despite bruised legs from all the thigh-bouncing, all the participants were cleaning and snatching like pros.

Class of 2010

You know when you just can’t find the right tool for the job? You look for ages, and then end up having to perform some sort of McGyver-esque fudge using a broken screwdriver, a wire hanger, and some electrical tape?

No?

Just me, then…

Anyway, today was kind of like this.

Sure, we cracked on with some Clean & Jerks (3-3-3-1-1-1) as folks strived to build on last weeks 3 rep max, with a brand new one rep max. Fun times were definitely had learning the split jerk (and its cousin, the inadvertent split clean). And there were some terrific efforts and brand new 1RMs set in every session.

But, there was something not quite right with the WOD:

AMRAP 12 minutes

• 5x Handstand push-ups
• 10x Box jumps
• 15x Hip extensions

You see, we don’t have enough space for lots of GHD machines in the gym. So how to perform the hip extensions…?

0630 – Band pull-throughs

This was interesting. It definitely lit up the hamstrings, glutes and hips. But there is something about pulling a band right up inside your crotch that just isn’t…cricket.

1730 – Band pull-throughs

Theory confirmed. Exercise more hilarious than useful.

Band pull-throughs: Quite amusing

1830 – Hip bridge

Class ended up looking like something out of a 1980′s aerobic video. Hip trusts on the floor are no more dignified than pulling band through legs.

Hip bridge: Still not quite right...

1930 – Kettlebell swings

F*ck it. Let’s just change the workout…

AMRAP 12 minutes

• 5x Handstand push-ups
• 15x Box jumps
• 25x Kettlebell swings

Kettlebell swings: Now we're talking!

Seemed to have the desired effect.

Who programmes ‘hip extensions’, anyway…grumble, grumble…

Full House! What a busy first class. Was great to see so many faces.

After a bit of who-ha over who was who and if members could jump in (its always better to book as it avoids disappointment)

The class kicked off with some clean & jerk practise followed by 5,5,5,3,3,3

Some neat cleans from Trev and Efe along with an impressive poundage from Phil! Top Marks boys.

The girls did good also!

WOD for today was bodyweight Lynne Max push ups and Max pull ups (3 min break – 3 Rounds)

Pulling Faces!

Boy that 3 minute break sure feels smaller after the first round!!!

Cor blimey, guv’nor. Talk about a WOD that looks simple on the board, but just sucks when you go at it!

• 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Clean & Jerks
• 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 ‘Dead hang’ pull-ups

That means in round one, you do 10 C&Js and 1 pull-up, round two is 9 C&Js and two pull-ups, and so on.

Ruairi in a rare photograph without his tongue sticking out

Splendid work from all in somewhat ‘slippery’ conditions in the gym this evening. More photo’s on the CrossFit London Flickr page.

Well, the i-Course was going well; we were a good way through the cleans, when disaster struck…the building was plunged into darkness (semi-gloom really, but that doesn’t sound so windswept and exciting!), and nothing we could do would get the lights back on again…not swearing,  not moaning, not blaming shody workmanship, so…leaving the calm, and very cool Sally Dixey teaching the kettlebell swing and snatch in the bracing outdoors of Gales Gardens in Bethnal Green (but at least the all day rain held off for a few minutes), the intrepid Andrew Stemler dashed off in his (yet to be washed) car and got hold of a jolly bright light, and saved the day…hoorah!

A fantastic well done to Steven, Kate and Twyla for entertaining the troops during the lunch time, with rousing songs and face painting, while nervously waiting for the emergency lighting to appear…phew!

The afternoon was fantastic with a few of the attendees getting muscle -ups…wooo hoooo. Lots of shadows too!

Brian's first muscle-up

It was a bit cold , so thanks to all the attendees who tolerated cold butts for most of the day…

i-Course attendees, February 2010

This course is such fun you you still learn in the pitch black (this really is a fearful fib). But this is typical British spirit…( not the  invading other peoples countries and nicking their natural resources, thing) but jolly well getting on with stuff.

Chin Chin, pip pip!

Book your space on the next “guaranteed to be  a bit lighter” i-Course, by hitting the “Getting Started” button

http://crossfitlondonuk.com/getting-started/

Notice that the Crossfit London neck scarfs are back…. big time!

Today’s WOD consisted of five sets of five clean & jerks. This is a physically and psychologically tough exercise as we not only have to drive a lot of weight off the ground, but we have to dive underneath it as well.

Great job by everyone as usual; lifts are progressing very well.

I managed to forget my usual camera, so resorted to firing off some video using my iPhone. Video quality is a little rubbish, but some of the lifts are beginning to look very good!

Sunday 7 March 2010, 12.30pm to 4.30pm

Led by Commonwealth gold medalist Giles Greenwood, assisted by Andrew Stemler.

Do you want to boost your Olympic weightlifting training through the roof? Fancy some accessible, do-able, high performance lifting tips but don’t have access to regular tuition or an international level trainer? If so this is the masterclass for you.

This 3 hour masterclass assumes that you have a basic snatch and clean and jerk. This would normally mean you have attended an i-Course, or a similar introductory session.

Put it this way, the session will probably warm up with some Snatch Balances: if you don’t know what they are, this will probably be too advanced, but, if you do, or you’ve had, say, three hours of tuition, with a few hours of practice, you are probably ready. If you have lingering doubts ask by, emailing Andrew.

The session is predominantly skill focused, so you will train with loads that suit you.

Women always welcome.

Check out the photos from the last masterclass on facebook

All this for just £35… wow, get two places.

BOOK YOUR SLOT BY HITTING THE GETTING STARTED BUTTON

The CrossFit London Olympic Lifting Masterclass I, 1430-1730 October 15, 2011

REPS 4 CPD Points

With Andrew Stemler and Steven Shrago

For more information on how to book a place on this course, click on “Getting Started“.

We will teach you how to clean & jerk and snatch – from scratch! In just three hours!

Until now the olympic lifts have been seen the  secret hidden weapon of advanced athletes, now we will show you how easy these moves are to learn and once we have given you the basic progressions, we set you up with the drills to help you develop and move to mastery in your own time.

You will learn the moves with a bit of lightweight plastic tubing so that you can understand them, without having to worry about dropping heavy weights on your head.

We will also ‘fix’ your squat (we’re kind of nice like that) and give you the drills to continue to make it, er, more marvellous?!

Andrew and Steven are very humorous(!) and kind (what?), but really know their stuff; you won’t have to worry about being a normal person.

We are simply there to help you learn, in a fun, safe environment. We have taught hundreds of people these moves over the past few years. Feel free to check out some of our previous masterclass photos on Flickr.

Note: If you are a member of the Register of Exercise Professionals at level 2 or above, this masterclass awards you 4 CPD points.

But, we should stress that anyone can attend these masterclasses to learn.

The workshop costs £45.