Open WOD 13.2 dropped on Wednesday night and we’ll be tackling it as a gym on Friday.  We will also perform 13.2 on Saturday at 10am.  If you are planning on training Friday and performing the WOD on Saturday, more about you may do 4 RFT: Row 500m, page Run 400m.  This option is only for Open athletes.   13.2 is a perfect CrossFit tester.  It looks light and easy, but as a I say – BEWARE EASY!  Because the weight is light, the reps add up fast.  Proper positioning, especially on the deadlift and the box jump will be essential.  You will load up your low back and hamstrings as you transition throughout the deads and jumps, and as you pass the halfway point, it gets tough.   To me, 13.2 looks like what a WOD to open the Opens should be – light, unassuming and highly accessible. I...Read more

Time for some leader boarding… CFO is in 56th place after 13.1 (there are 154 teams).  This is a huge improvement over last year, patient where we finished in 96th place in the burpee WOD, page which really hamstrung us.  The way the scoring broke down, health Jen, Janet and Alison turned in the top female scores, getting us points on the board.  Great job ladies!  Janet is on 10th place in her age division in NorCal!  Whoa.  Robin Cadmus is in 13th place in NorCal in here age category – amazing work!  Nick, Chance and I turned in the top male scores with Paul and Louis close behind. I would not consider 13.1 a WOD that favored us.  Looking at it practically, we are competent lifters, but not great ones…yet.  We don’t have a female heavy hitter when it comes to snatching…yet.  We’ve seen big lifts over the past...Read more

100 Man-Ass Pounds and One Full Year at the Worst Gym Ever.  I hope your sarcasm meters are turned fully up for this one.  if not, capsule turn your sarcasm meter up to 10.  I find many similarities to the programming he’s describing and what you see at CFO.  And some of the complaining 😉 Yes, sometimes it feels like we are at war with your legs.  Sometimes, it feels like we are at war with your shoulders.  Yes, piling weight on your back hurts.  Oh, and loading a bar in the front rack hurts too.  And everything hurts your poor little wrists.  And yes, the lifts are tough, and may frustrate you.  This is the path, and the path is hard.  But there are few things in life as satisfying as becoming stronger and more competent.  As Mark Rippetoe said, “Strong people are harder to kill, and more useful...Read more

13.1 once again highlighted the importance of working the Olympic Lifts. 5 CFO Males hit lifts at 165, sick but they all have Snatches over 200#.  One female hit lifts in the 100# class, and her Snatch is 123#.  To make these heavier lifts under fatigue, your technique had to be spot on or you had to be incredibly strong.  Or a nice mix of the 2. Now, we don’t get better at WODs like 13.1 by doing a lot of ugly Snatches while tired.  We get better by drilling the movement, breaking it down, finding our weaknesses, becoming more efficient and moving forward.  We will continue to develop these skills, but it takes time. I contacted Charles Shipman at Be Strong Athletics to come to CrossFit Oakdale to hold a 1 day, 8 hour Olympic Lifting Seminar.  Charles is a member of California Strength (formerly the Donny Shankle/Jon North...Read more

13.1 is in the books.  Just so you guys know – that was no freaking joke!  Tons of work, order highly technical and long – if you did that, you have a true test of fitness under your belt.  We’ve had a few highlights, and I wanted to share on of my favorites.  In our final heat on Sunday, Trevor and Vanessa were working next to each other.  They both approached the 135/75 bar around the same time.  Both athletes knew this was going to be a significant test (Vanessa had nailed 1 75# Snatch on Thursday, Trevor’s PR was 130).  Vanessa had a couple of misses before she nailed a 75# Snatch.  The gym went nuts!  Moments later, Trevor pulled a perfect 135# Snatch, stood up with it to our cheers, and slammed the bar down.  It was so cool…   Another moment.  Denny just missed finishing the 135#...Read more