“McGhee”
Complete as many rounds in 30 minutes as you can of:
275 pound Deadlift, 5 reps
13 Push-ups
9 Box jumps, 24 inch box
Corporal Ryan C. McGhee, 21, was killed in action on May 13, 2009 by small arms fire during combat in central Iraq. He served with 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment of Fort Benning, Ga. This was his fourth deployment, his first to Iraq. Ryan was engaged to Ashleigh Mitchell of Fredericksburg, VA. He is survived by his father Steven McGhee of Myrtle Beach S.C., his mother Sherrie Battle McGhee, and his brother Zachary.
Open Gym
-or-
Suggested WOD
AMRAP with no rest between rounds
5 min AMRAP: Calorie Row
4 min AMRAP: Box Jumps (24/20)
3 min AMRAP: Hang Snatch (65/45)
2 min AMRAP: KBS (1.5/1)
1 min AMRAP: HSPU
A. Back Squat
5 RM
B. 4 rounds
10 Front Squats 9135/95)
10 Lateral Barbell Burpees
REMINDER:
We are closed this weekend so that we may host a CrossFit Level 2 Course.
We do this so that we can guarantee you have the best Trainers in the area available to you. This Weekend we add another L2 to our Team.
A. 1RM Curtis-press
B. 21-18-15-12-9
Walking Lunges
Pull-ups
Sit-ups
A. For time
500m Row
50 Push-ups
500m Row
50 Thrusters (75/55)
500m Row
50 Burpees
500m Row
50 Double unders
500m Row
50 Push-press (75/55)
500m Row
50 Air Squats
10:00 am WOD ONLY
I thought this would be a good article to follow up on yesterday’s knowledge bomb at the 10:00am WOD.
Other articles to follow will include subject matter such as:
Show up ON TIME.
Range of Motion. It’s more than a suggestion.
“My schedule changed, I can’t train anymore.”
Here’s a hard truth; CrossFit is not easy. If you want to get something from your training you have to show up, pay attention and do work. That's it. That’s all it is. Our schedule begins at 0530 five days a week. It’s not a schedule conflict. It’s a lack of commitment to yourself.
Check out this article for a place to begin:
Research in the Real World by Lon Kilgore
Reviewed: Bacon NT, Ryan GA, Wingo JE, et al. Effect of magnesium carbonate use on repeated open-handed and pinch grip weight-assisted pull-ups. International Journal of Exercise Science 11(4): 479-492, 2018. Available here.
Gyms have a love-hate relationship with chalk.
Trainees love to use it, but the people responsible for cleaning gyms hate it because a widespread dusting of white powder extends well beyond lifting areas even if a concerted effort is made to restrict its use to a portion of the gym. It takes time to sweep and mop it up.
Everyone “knows” chalk is used to improve their grip on barbells, pull-up bars and other equipment. Go to any CrossFit, weightlifting-friendly or powerlifting-friendly gym and you’ll see people applying chalk (aka, magnesium carbonate, magnesium alba, gym chalk and gymnastics chalk, among others) to their hands, thighs, shoulders, T-shirts at the front of the shoulders or the back, the backside of their shorts and so on. Frequently, liberalness of application approaches a bath of chalk.
We’ve all been told that using chalk increases the friction between bar and hand, thus making the grip more secure and slippage less likely. But do we actually know chalk does what we think it does? No research has been performed on chalk use and gripping a barbell. Actually, fewer than a dozen papers address chalk, and the majority relate to rock climbing. A new paper by Bacon and co-workers is also focused on rock climbing, but it does examine a very common gym exercise: the pull-up.
The paper itself was very small scale, with only nine subjects. Its authors conjectured that chalk use would increase the number of pull-ups completed using an assisted-pull-up machine loaded to 50 percent of body weight. Two conditions were tested: fingers wrapped over the top of climbing holds and fingers pinched on the climbing hold from below. A limitation: The use of climbing holds rather than a pull-up bar does restrict our ability to apply the findings to the common gym exercise, but a nugget of utility can be found.
As we are biased to believe, researchers discovered chalk use appeared to allow the completion of more repetitions in both conditions:
Subjects completed roughly 23 repetitions with the top grip and chalk versus about 19 repetitions without chalk.
Subjects completed roughly 14 repetitions with the pinch grip and chalk versus about 9 repetitions without chalk.
Kudos go to the lead author, an undergraduate student, for investigating an interesting but under-researched topic.
If we cautiously generalize the findings to lifting, chalk use appears to be beneficial for higher-repetition lifting. The singular focus on repetitions, however, limits these experimental findings—along with those in the earlier work of Kilgas (1)—in that they explored the effects of chalk on endurance-based grip. As such, the findings might not extrapolate to high-force-related grip performance on lifts such as heavy deadlifts, cleans and snatches.
We can find a bit of direction on single-effort lifts from a relatively carefully controlled comparison of the effects of chalk versus no chalk on bar grip (2). The study examined slide control of a vertically held steel bar, and the resulting data showed that chalk improved the ability of subjects to apply enough grip force to limit downward slippage of the bar. Although a barbell is held horizontally, this paper does provide evidence that chalk can be beneficial to grip performance on single efforts.
Science aside, 100 percent of CrossFit gym owners would prefer that chalk stays off the floor. (Colleen Baz/CrossFit Journal)
But not every one of the few papers on the topic demonstrated positive results.
Chalk is widely accepted as a means to reduce the incidence of blisters and calluses. This might or might not be supported with research. In one of the few papers available, chalk use appeared to increase palm-surface temperature on gymnasts using the parallel bars, with the researchers concluding that blister formation would be reduced if the athletes did not use chalk (3). It should be noted that this is conjecture only as the paper did not actually assess blister formation.
If we go back to an even earlier study, Li and associates examined various substances’ effects on coefficient of friction of the hand against various stone surfaces (4). While chalking produced negative effects, the researchers' data suggested application of chalk, then removal of chalk, would enhance coefficient of friction and improve grip. Caked chalk on the palm essentially acts as a lubricant, with the chalk particles moving easily over themselves and the skin. By first applying chalk to absorb moisture and oils from the hand, then removing the chalk, friction between stone (possibly steel) and skin is optimized. This does provide some evidence to support the annoying habit of those who encase their hands in ludicrous amounts of chalk, then clap them hard, thus removing most of what was applied and making a mess.
Something few people consider is that gym chalk use can increase the particulate matter in the air inside a gym by about 2,400 percent over that seen outdoors, and about 14 percent of particulates inhaled when in the gym are retained in the alveoli (5). Although gym chalk does not have an established toxicity and has not been researched in this respect, it would be prudent to reduce chalk accumulations by regular cleaning and by advising trainees to use only enough to dry the hands. The action of chalking should not be an excuse to take frequent breaks, chalk should not be caked thickly, and chalk should not be wasted by creating plumes of airborne particles through theatrical chalking that increases respiratory risk.
References
Kilgas MA, Drum SN, Jensen RL, Phillips KC, Watts PB. The effect of magnesium carbonate (chalk) on geometric entropy, force, and electromyography during rock climbing. Journal of Applied Biomechanics 32: 553-557, 2016.
Yamaguchi T and Hokkirigawa K. Magnesium carbonate and rosin powders stabilize sliding motion between rubber-gloved human hand and grasped cylindrical bar. Journal of Advanced Mechanical Design, Systems and Manufacturing 9(3): 1-10, 2015.
Pusnik I and Cuk I. Thermal imaging of hands during simple gymnastics elements on the wooden bar with and without the use of magnesium carbonate. Science of Gymnastics Journal 6(1): 67-72, 2014.
Li FX, Margetts S, Fowler I. Use of ‘chalk’ in rock climbing: sine qua non or myth? Journal of Sports Science 19: 427-32, 2001.
Alves C, Calvo AI, Marques L, Castro A, Nunes T, Coz E, Fraile R. Particulate matter in the indoor and outdoor air of a gymnasium and a fronton. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 21(21): 12,390-402, 2014.
About the Author: Professor Lon Kilgore is a longtime contributor to the CrossFit Journal and the fitness industry in general. He might be best known for his work with Mark Rippetoe as concept originator, co-author, illustrator, and book designer for “Starting Strength” and “Practical Programming” (first and second editions). He also co-created the Basic Barbell Training and Exercise Science specialty seminars offered through CrossFit in the mid-2000s. After a 20-year professorial career in higher academia, he currently creates and delivers vocational-education courses through the Kilgore Academy and works as a writer and illustrator.
Cover image: Matt Palmer/Koda CrossFit Norman
Make your own decision but KEEP IT IN THE BUCKET!
Happy Thanksgiving!
There will be a 10:00am only WOD today and tomorrow.
A. OHS
1 RM
B. “Groundbreaking”
For time;
50/35 calorie Row
35 Lateral Barbell Burpees
50 OHS (115/80)
A. Deadlift
5-5-5-5-5
B. “Annie”
50-40-30-20-10
Double unders
Sit-ups
Please note that in observance of the Thanksgiving weekend there will be a 10:00am WOD only on Thursday and Friday.
A. 7 min EMOM
2 Squat Cleans + 1 Split Jerk @70% 1 RM of Split Jerk
B. 4 rounds
20 KBS (1.5/1)
20 Pistols
20 Box Jumps
“Isabel”
For time
30 Snatch (135/95)
A. Open Gym
-or-
“Blitz”
5 rounds
20/14 Cal Row
10 Power Clean & Jerk (115/80)
A. Push-press
5-5-5-5-5
B. 7 Rounds
7 Burpee Box Jump-overs
7 Thrusters (95/65)
7 T2B
A. Front Squat
2 RM
B. 12 min AMRAP
16 Front Rack DB Lunges (50/35)
4 Man-makers
16 Ring Dips
This year Veteran’s Day coincides with the Armistice that ended The Great War.
Remember all who served.
"Bradshaw"
10 rounds for time of:
3 Handstand push-ups
225 pound Deadlift, 6 reps
12 Pull-ups
24 Double-unders
U.S. Army First Lieutenant Brian Bradshaw, 24, of Steilacoom, Washington, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based in Fort Richardson, Alaska, died in Kheyl, Afghanistan, on June 25th, 2009, from wounds suffered when insurgents detonated a roadside bomb near his vehicle. He is survived by his parents, Paul and Mary, and brother Robert.
“Whip”
AMRAP in 21 minutes
11 push-ups
5 Squat cleans 155/105
10 Box jumps 24/20 inches
Open Gym
-or-
Suggested WOD
A. Weighted pull-up
1 RM
B. 10 min AMRAP
7 HSPU
1 Rope Climb
A. Bulgarian Split Squats
5-5-5-5-5
B. For time
21 Hang Power Clean (135/95)
21 Bar facing Burpees
100 Double unders
15 HPC
15 Bar facing Burpees
75 Double unders
9 HPC
9 Bar facing Burpees
50 Double unders
Reminder that we are closed this weekend to host a CrossFit L1 Course.
Election Day
Each class will vote for one of the following WODs
A. 5k Row for time
B. 30 Muscle-ups for time
C. “Karen”
150 Wallballs for time
