09.03.2010 22:25:24

John Meeks

Tabata Bells or Tabata "Wells"... I don't remember the exact order...

Tabata KB Swing
Tabata Push Press Alternating
Tabata Front Squat
Tabata SDHP...

Once you pick the kettlebell up.   You can't set it down until the end. 

RX'd 1 Pood.  Elite 1.5 Pood   Legendary 2pood  

This will probably not go up on BTW.  I tried to put it up twice and after 40 minutes of trying,  I got frustrated and stopped.   I will try again 1 more time.   Don't forget... pot luck tonight after class. 

09.03.2010 09:58:09

Bruce Fields

This is only my last lap. I'll have a a cut down verison of the whole thing shortly.

Enjoy because it was one of the hardest things I've ever done!!!

09.02.2010 19:06:52

John Meeks

Today... I would like everyone to make 1 more attempt at the goals that they have not completed.  You will then write on the board your name and the goals that you did complete.  They may not be the goals that you set but I feel like everyone has made progress on all fronts of strength, skill, and endurance.  Don't be disappointed in what you did, be proud of what you accomplished and learn from the process.   Accomplishing the goal was never as important as the process of setting, planning, and adapting that goal.   I have one more quote of my own for you....

"The goal that we want so badly but fail to accomplish is often not as important as the goal we accomplish but failed to set"- I am obvious not a philosopher but I like it.

REMINDERS: 

You should have a login for MindBody and you should be scheduling classes.
We now have classes on T/Th at 9am and a Level 1 class M-Th from 6:30-7:30.
We are cooking out after class on Friday... let me know if you want to attend.  It's a pot luck.

09.01.2010 21:32:05

John Meeks

Wod for today..

Lunge for 2 minutes.  After 2 minutes, sprint for 100m and then continue to lunge until minute 4.  Run 100m at Minute 4, 6, and 8 completing as many lunges as possible in between these  runs.  Score is the total number of feet lunged over 10 minutes.   Every length of the lifting platform is 48 feet. 

UPDATES...  6:30 Level 1 class starts tonight and we have the 9 am class tomorrow if you are interested in attending.   On Friday, we are planning to have a small pot luck cookout after class if you are interested.     Let us know if you would like to attend.

08.31.2010 20:50:25

John Meeks

Buy In  50 double unders
30-20-10 Push Press 75/55   and Abmat Situps
Cash Out  50 Double Unders

Shoot for a time under 12 minutes.

The Potential for a 40-MPH Man
By Tia Ghose  February 2, 2010  |  2:15 pm  |  Categories: Biology

The human frame is built to handle running speeds up to 40 miles per hour, scientists say. The only limiting factor is not how much brute force is required to push off the ground as previously thought, but how fast our muscle fibers can contract to ramp up that force.

“If you just find a way to rev up those contractile fibers for the muscle, then everything else from human biology and gait would allow us to be that fast,” said physiologist Peter Weyand of Southern Methodist University, lead author of a study published Jan. 21 in the Journal of Applied Physiology.

For years, scientists have sought to find the physiological limits of human running speed, and to understand why even the world’s fastest man, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, can’t outrun some animals. Bolt’s top speed of 27.3 miles an hour can’t match that of horses, dogs or the hopping kangaroo, which can travel at 35 miles per hour.

“The current best guess as to why we can’t run any faster is it’s something to do with the maximum force that our legs can impose or experience,” said zoologist Jim Usherwood of the Royal Veterinary College in London.

Earlier studies found that elite sprinters and average sprinters outperformed their mediocre counterparts in two ways: They were able to push harder on the ground in relation to their body’s weight with each step, and they were able to do that in a shorter period of time. For instance, Bolt generates almost a ton of force in his leg in the less than a tenth of a second his foot is on the ground, Weyand said. The force you can generate before leaving the ground is a function of the rate at which muscle fibers generate force multiplied by the time the foot touches the ground.

But the previous work didn’t reveal whether it is the amount of time the foot is pushing on the ground or the maximum force the leg is capable of that limits human running speed.

To get to the bottom of the human speed limit, Weyand and colleagues studied seven athletes, from an all-American track star to a dancer, as they sprinted forward, hopped on one leg and ran backwards on a turbo treadmill outfitted with force sensors. The team measured speed, upward force as each foot struck the ground, and the time the foot spent on the ground between strides.

The one-legged hop generated much more force in the leg than sprinting did, mainly because a runner has to jump higher in order to land on the same foot. Because the athlete’s legs were capable of generating more force than when they run, the amount of force can’t be what’s limiting the runners’ forward speeds.

The backwards run showed that the contact time with the ground was almost identical during each athlete’s fastest forward and backward runs, suggesting contact time was the limiting factor keeping them from going faster in any direction.

This suggests the only way to increase speed is to generate force more quickly during the limited time the foot is on the ground. The key to doing this is increasing how fast the muscle fibers can contract to produce force. If that were possible, Weyand’s team calculated that humans could theoretically run as fast as 35 or 40 miles per hour, based on our gait and the maximum forces our muscles can generate.

One option would be to increase the proportion of ultrafast 2X type muscle fiber, one of three types of mammalian muscle fibers. Studies have shown that athletes can slightly increase their 2X fibers by training intensely and then taking a break for a few weeks, he said.

But even if a training regimen could be designed to quicken our muscle fibers enough to achieve our full running potential, animals like cheetahs and dogs will still leave us in the dust. These animals outrun us not because they have faster muscle fibers, but because of their unique gait, the study concluded.

“When their forelimbs hit the ground, their whole spine just bends like crazy,” Weyand said. That allows them to keep their feet on the ground longer, building up force, while still maintaining a forward momentum.

Usherwood agreed with the basic conclusion of the paper, that “actually we can produce lots more force if we do all sorts of odd things like hopping on one leg. Just the biggest force you can cope with with doesn’t determine how fast you sprint.”

But he’s skeptical about the potential for a 40-mile-an-hour man. ‘The authors are playing a fun game, of ‘what if,’” he said. But even if our muscle fibers were faster, other limitations, like how fast we can swing our legs, are sure to kick in, he said.

Photo of Usain Bolt: antonhazelwinkel/Flickr

Citation: “The biological limits to running speed are imposed from the ground up” Peter G. Weyand, Rosalind F. Sandell, Danille Naomi Leoni Prime, and Matthew W. Bundle, Journal of Applied Physiology, Jan. 21, 2010

Read More http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/02/40-mph-human/#ixzz0yCP6oCdj

08.30.2010 19:34:21

John Meeks

We will now be offering a morning class on T/Th at 9am for those that are interested.  It will start tomorrow 8/31.  The Level 1 class will begin on Wed and will be from 6:30 to 7:30 M-Th.    You need to be here as close to 6:30 in order to join that class.  The open class will now be from 5:30 to 6:30 M-F.  

08.30.2010 17:40:48

John Meeks

Today's WOD

Daniel...

50 Pull ups /400m Run/21 Thruster 95#/800m Run/21 Thrusters 95#/ 400m Run/ 50 Pullups

08.27.2010 19:15:31

John Meeks

Skill:   HSPU and inverted burpees

We are taking a modified workout from the main site today because it is a good one...

50 jump touches  18"
40 Squats 
30 Situps
20 Push Ups
10 Pull ups

3 rounds for time.  If you get to the 3rd round in under 15 minutes.   You get to go for 5 rounds.  

Don't forget tomorrow after class.  Bruce is attempting a 1 mile 185# Dummy Drag for his Birthday WOD.  Come out and support Bruce at Grimsley High School at 11:30.   His goal is to complete in less than an hour.    We are also having a little get together for Bruce later on that night.  We will have more details tonight and tomorrow.  

08.26.2010 22:13:58

John Meeks

I am surprised I have gotten no comments about yesterday's wod and my less than focused behavior.  That's what happens when my ADD gets out of control due to lack of sleep.   I hope you guys enjoyed yesterday's wod.  I felt like it took many of you out of your comfort zone and that's exactly what you needed.  You can't train for the unknown and unknowable if I don't throw some unknowns at you.  

Whatever goal that you did not attempt to do last Thursday... attempt it tonight!!  Give everything you have to try to hit your goals early.  

Bruce wants me to warn everybody that he will not be there until around 5:10 tonight. I will be at my son's open house tonight.  

Starting Sept. 1st.-  We will offer a level 1 class from 6:30-7:30 nightly Mon-Thurs.  This will be a beginner class that will have a more organized structure and focus more on skill work.  Please let me know if you would like to attend this class.  All new people will be asked to attend this class in order to improve skill development before joining the open class.  

08.25.2010 21:37:30

John Meeks

Chrissy showing full extenstion and Carson on his way to full extension!

Brittany working on her jumping pull up while Christy locks out overhead with her shoulders activated

Chris showing us that a big man can still do a pull up and Patti demonstrating intensity!

Today's WOD   "The Gauntlet"

10 Box Jumps  30"/24"
15 KB Clean and Thruster  1.5/1
20 Tire Flip and Jump throughs
100 Feet Overhead Walking Lunge  45#/35#
30 GHD Situps
200m Sandbag Run 100#/50#