12/1/14

Trainers Day 22392Today’s Schedule:
  • 6AM – CANCELLED
  • 12PM – CANCELLED
  • 5:30PM – CrossFit
  • 6:30PM – CrossFit
  • 7:30PM – CrossFit
About our New Yoga Class w/ Melissa DiLeonardo

Details: Sunday, 12/7/14, 12:30PM – 1:30PM
WHY YOU NEED YOGA…and why you should come to my yoga class at Hardware CrossFit. –Melissa DiLeonardo
“There is no way I could have played as long as I did without yoga.”
-Kareem Abdul-Jabar
I am happy to be a new member of the Hardware CrossFit community. It’s been great to meet so many new and friendly athletes! (You know how to make a person feel welcome.) As mentioned on Facebook, I am a Registered Yoga Teacher and Certified Personal Trainer. I have been talking to George about yoga at Hardware CrossFit.
The benefits of yoga and a regular yoga practice can help improve your flexibility, overall wellness, and aid in injury prevention. Quite honestly, YOU NEED YOGA. (Especially if you love CrossFit.)
CrossFit programming focuses on functional movements that are constantly varied and executed at a high rate of intensity. Although WODs change daily, CrossFitters rely on certain skill sets. As with all sports, certain movements repeat/appear week-to-week. This repetition combined with a lack of proper stretching and mobility work pre-and post-WOD can create physical imbalances over time. Other imbalances are not derived from your workout. Our individual postural habits and movement patterns outside the box can also contribute to lack of mobility, poor alignment in the shoulders and hips, and/or a deconditioned core.
Why do you need yoga? There are multiple answers to this question.

  • Whether you sit at a desk or work on your feet for 8 hours a day, you probably need to improve your body awareness – strengthening weak areas and supporting/rehabbing areas of overuse. Yoga can create a more balanced body. Yoga poses (Asanas) are designed to help release muscular/joint tension, strengthen your core, and counter natural deficiencies (overuse, dysfunction, etc.).

 

  • Yoga means union (mind and body). This union is created via the breath. Centering and controlling the breath is as vital to yoga as it is when attempting a heavy back squat or doing Fran. Breath control focuses the mind and helps your body breathe more efficiently when undergoing physical challenges. This improves blood circulation and can increase your energy levels, concentration, and lung capacity.

 
 

  • Yoga and breath work (Pranayama) can give you a chance to disconnect. In this busy world, filled with endless technology and communication, opportunities to enjoy stillness are limited. Sitting still and staying focused/present can be harder than running a 5k. Studies show taking time to be still, to unplug or disconnect from the external and focus on the internal, can lower your blood pressure, reduce anxiety, sharpen the memory, balance the nervous system, and even strengthen the body’s immune system.

 

  • To simplify: If lunges, overhead squats, good mornings, and general relaxing are difficult for you, yoga can help.

WHY AREN’T YOU DOING YOGA? I often hear: I am not flexible enough for yoga. Unfortunately, the solution to being inflexible is to work on stretching and releasing muscular tension (i.e. YOGA). You are flexible enough for yoga; like anything worth doing it just takes time. Similar to learning how to string double unders or raising a one rep max, you have to practice. And “practice” means more than 5 minutes of work with a lacrosse ball or band before class. You also need to learn how to scale (a.k.a. modify) poses to fit your body. Every pose is not identical on every person. Proper instruction can teach you how to make a difficult pose attainable and effective. Try to not compare yourself to others…leave your ego at the door. Will there be things you can’t do? YES, but that’s not the point. The point is to move and feel better.
SO…NOW WHAT? Let’s have a class.
DATE: SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2014
TIME: 12:30-1:30 pm (after open gym)
ADDITIONAL INFO: Please bring a yoga mat or full-sized bath towel + an additional small or large towel (and/or yoga strap)
 
I would love to get feedback about your interest and availability for the class. Take a second and share your thoughts or questions. You can post to the blog or email me directly: [email protected]. You can also learn more about my work via my website melissadileonardo.com. I hope to see you on 12/7!
 

Strength:

Back Squat:

  • Every 2 minutes, perform 8 unbroken squats @ 5# heavier than last week (or 70%1RM)
Conditioning:

3 Rounds of
1 Minute AMRAP of

  • 10 Wall balls (20/14)
  • 10 Pull ups

Rest 60 seconds (between rounds)
then,
3 Rounds of
1 Minute AMRAP of

  • 10 KBS (70/55)
  • 10 Burpees

Rest 60 seconds (between rounds)

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