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Jump rope and Sit-ups. Sounds fun. It was fun. 'Annie' is another all-time classic CrossFit workout that can drink serious amounts of fuel.

'Annie'
50-40-30-20-10 reps of:
Double-unders (*singles)
Sit-ups

John- Rx  7:39
Liz- Rx  12:08

Holley- Rx  22:26

Tammy- Rx  19:21

Russell- Rx  12:25

Todd McK- 13:44*

Eric- Rx  11:38

Alice Anne- Rx  13:48

Erin- Rx  11:08

Lindsey- (40) 10:04*

Emilee- Rx  37:39

Todd- Rx  13:31

John M- 14:02*

Jordan- 9:57*

Lex- Rx  12:02

Shannon- 17:20*

Sharon- 20:28*

Teresa- Rx  13:40

Fletcher- (40) 9:57*

Ashley- (40) 13:20*

Ryan- 8:30*

Britt- 11:25*

Abby- Rx  9:33
Richard- Rx  6:38
T- Rx  11:00
Kathryn- Rx  8:16

Good job everybody. Super fast finish Richard, and way to hang tough Emilee! Did you get payback? The good news is that most of us are getting the Doubles. There are fewer singles subs than ever. Thanks for your hard work, and congratulations on getting those Doubles.

For some this was the first time jumping rope in several years. Don't worry. It won't feel as awkward ever again, and you too will be getting Doubles before you know it. Practice.

The Sit-up:

Criteria for the Sit-up is easy- full abdominal flexion through full abdominal extension. What hasn't been discussed is what exactly constitutes full flexion and extension. Full flexion requires that the lower back leave the ground. At the top, our spine should be around 30 degrees from the floor.

Full extension also has a clear range. For full extension of the spine an arch of between 15-30 degrees is required, and not possible without the use of an Abmat.

We do "Janda" sit-ups at CFSF, and do not anchor feet. This is not only more difficult than anchored sit-ups, but also engages more abdominal musculature, minimizing the role of the hip flexors. Opening legs and placing the soles of the shoes together further diminishes hip flexor contribution to the movement.

Arms may be crossed over the chest or held straight out in front of the body. Our requirement for full-range at CFSF is simple: shoulder blades on the deck on the bottom, and arms touching the legs on the top. If you need to touch the ground above your head on the negative, and touch the ground between your feet on the positive to ensure full-range movement that's ok. However, this added movement is extraneous, inefficient, and a contributing factor to momentum.

Momentum diminishes the role of the rectus appreciably, forcing the abdominals into an isometric contraction  as momentum is picked up by the hip flexors, never allowing the abdominals to dynamically contract under a load.

The Sit-up is, by definition, a compound movement with more than one joint moving. There are two pivot points, one below the bottom of our rib cage, and the second just above our butt, or exactly where the Abmat comes into contact with our back.

The movement begins with the external obliques until the rectus takes over where the back flattens out as with flat floors. Rectus gets assistance from internal obliques as the pivot point changes. The pelvis is still being stabilized by the Abmat as the spine reaches full flexion (30 degrees). The hip flexors finish the movement by rotating the pelvis another 10 degrees.

When performed correctly, the Sit-up is a safe and effective tool to increase core strength and endurance. When performed incorrectly, the Sit-up can cause lumbar shear, or the lateral deformation expressed as the ratio of the lateral displacement between two joints lying in parallel planes to the vertical distance between the planes. Bad bad.

Keep your butt on the ground the entire time. Do not allow it to bounce up and down. This bouncing not only increases momentum, but friction as well, causing the infamous "butt burn".

Arrival time at CFSF:

We encourage you to arrive early to class. This is your time to work on what you want to work on. Strength, mobility, skills, extra runs, or rows- anything is fine as long as it doesn't interfere with any wods in progress. Please do not begin the structured warm-up until your class time has arrived. We will do this as a group. 

Puppies- mandatory attendance for the weekday rest day skills classes either at 0600, or 5:15. Wednesday, 6-12 is the next class. Be there puppies.

Thanks very much for another great day at CFSF. Thanks for all the super strong efforts and fuel.

Buy in, and cash out.

CFSF