Solo/Off Day - "Control & New Rule"

Everyone for themselves today. I think I’m going to go for my CrossFit Total today.

CONTROL

We’ve all watched the CrossFit WOD videos where the participant finishes their last rep, throws the weight down in the floor and walks off to sit down and recover, and we all identify with them. When you’er exhausted, you usually just want to get that damned weight off of you and recover, the quicker the better. We know, though, that they’re usually using rubber weights on concrete floors, in a gym that has dozens of olympic bars and a culture that permits dumping the weight in the floor. Unfortunately, though, we Wellness Center members sometimes forget and let the weight slip out of our fingers before its reached the floor or come down out of a deadlift too fast and made a loud BANG that can be heard through the gym.

We’ve almost all done it, I know I have, several times. I’m not singling anyone out here. I’ve seen almost every one of us do it at least once. From our strongest men to those just getting started.

Unfortunately, though, the Wellness Center weights are almost all steel, and the floors are almost all tile underneath a thin layer of carpet. Dropping the weight is damaging to the floor and the weight, and displays both lack of control over the weight and lack of respect for the establishment. If we damage the equipment in the wellness center, we will be disallowed from having CrossFit in it, and we’ll be doing power cleans with big freakin rocks out on the lawn in the 95 degree heat.

NEW RULE(s)

When we do Deadlifts/cleans in the open area in the gym, if metal plates are to be used, either put the bumper plates on and don’t use any steel plates that are larger in diameter (45lb plates,) or get some of the rubber mats out of the freeweight area. Also, when deadlifting, the descent of the weight to the floor should look EXACTLY like the ascent, only in reverse. It is natural and permissable for the weight to come down faster than it went up, but not so fast that it collides with the floor loudly. Again, this displays lack of control over the weight and greatly increases your potential for injury (from the exercise and the staff both.)

When using dumbbells, SET them down in the floor in a controlled manner, do not drop them. If the weights or your hands are sweaty and slippery, stop and dry them on a towel.

The only time we should be dumping weight in the floor is to avoid injury.

Crossfit total:

Justin - Squat: 275 Press: 145 Deadlift: 275 CFT: 695

(I missed 295 twice. Got 300 up last week. Guess I'm still recovering from working around the house this weekend.)