The WOD will take place at Key Box Beach, a drive on beach just 1 mile past Dewey Beach, Delaware, on Saturday, August 29th. We are extending the invitation to all of our members, as well as their family & friends! The more the merrier!
The workout itself will consist of mostly bodyweight movements in a partner/team style workout in the sand & water. It will be a great way to get a Saturday morning sweat in before you enjoy a little hair-of-the-dog!! Directly following the workout, we plan to BBQ & spend the day at Key Box Beach enjoying the end of summer with family & friends!
We will plan to meet at Key Box Beach at 9am (you can access a Google Map here). If you are not driving on, you can get dropped off, or park at Key Box Beach and walk on. The WOD will kick off at 10am, with the festivities to follow. Stay updated by joining the Beach WOD event page on Facebook and check out the food & drink signup sheets, either online on the event page or at the front desk at the Riv.
Please come out & close out the summer with us down in Dewey!! Look forward to seeing you all there!
Ready to compete? The SuperFit Games are coming to Delaware, hosted by CrossFit Riverfront on August 8th. Teams of two can register in the following divisions:
Male/Male RX
Male/Female RX
Female/Female RX
Male/Male Novice
Male/Female Novice
Female/Female Novice
We are also looking for volunteers! Volunteers will receive a free lunch and t-shirt.
There will be a $10 spectator fee at the door; kids 16 and under are free.
Do you lululemon? The athletic apparel company is “elevating the world from mediocrity to greatness… Creating components for people to live longer, healthier, fun lives.” Using high quality, innovative fabrics and tailoring, lululemon athletica fits and performs so well you’ll almost forget you’re wearing it.
You don’t have to take our word for it— our friends from lululemon athletica will have all of the latest and greatest gear for men and women available to purchase from 8:30am-10:30am this Saturday, June 20th at the box. Come check it out!
Only credit cards can be used for purchases at the showcase. If you miss the Showcase, make sure to check out the lululemon athletica store at the Shoppes of Brinton Lake. Our coaches were there recently heading a mini-WOD for early morning shoppers, followed by a 10-minute yoga mobility session with Jen of Beautiful Mind Strong Body and some delicious post-workout fuel from Kettlebell Kitchen (the only time I’ve ever asked for seconds and thirds of brussel sprouts).
Here are some photos from that event; stay tuned for events to come!
Hit a PR plateau? Getting gassed early on in a running WOD?
Have you taken a good look at your breathing?
Most of us don’t breathe as deeply as we could— or we should. Take a breath in: if you find your chest rising, but your stomach isn’t, you’re not engaging your diaphragm or using your lungs to their fullest potential. (Compare that to the breathing of a young child, and you’ll see that both their chest and belly rise and fall as they breathe in and out.)
Shallow breathing can affect heart rate, increase stress and weaken your core over time, cumulatively affecting performance during a WOD.
How do you know if bad habits— poor posture, subconsciously sucking your stomach in— have affected your breathing, and what can you do to improve your breathing technique?
We recently welcomed Physical Therapist and Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist Jon Herting, DPT, CSFS, HFS, USAW from The Training Room for a short seminar on breathing for performance. In one short hour, he had us work through some exercises that provide breath biofeedback, and provided us with plenty to think about and work on when it comes to optimizing our breathing.
Here are some takeaways:
The majority of us have poor posture, especially when we sit at a computer all day. When we do think about posture, we tend to overcompensate. Keep your ears over your shoulders.
Due to the stress of our everyday schedules, we spend a lot of time in “fight or flight”— triggered by the sympathetic nervous system. The additional stress of a tough WOD really gets that fight or flight response jumping into the red zone. Working on breathing techniques outside the box and implementing them during a workout can help pull us back into the “rest and digest” zone— powered by the parasymapthetic nervous system— more quickly. (When I played basketball, we were told to close our eyes, lace our fingers together and put our hands on our head when we had a moment to rest. This opened up the chest and diaphragm and helped bring our heart rate back down.)
When you breathe, you should be thinking about filling your core like a cylinder; 360 degrees around. This maximizes the amount of oxygen you’re taking in— important, high quality air transfer happens in that last third of your lungs— and engages and trains your diaphragm for a stronger core.
If you’ve hit a plateau and suspect your breathing technique could use some improvement, let your ego go a bit and step down in weights while you work on your breathing. Once your breathing game is on point you can start building up again. Your stronger core will help you bust through that plateau!
During a workout, try to breathe in and out through your nose, ideally for a three count in, nine count out. More efficient oxygen transfer means you don’t have to work as hard for each breath, conserving energy for your other muscles. Also, concentrating on your breathing during a tough chipper can have a calming effect, helping to lower your heart rate and keep you focused. Aim to stay in the parasympathetic zone as long as possible so you don’t burn out as quickly (physically or mentally).
Checked out the fitspo on Instagram lately? Most of us know that to get a sweet six pack takes a lot of work and equal dedication in the kitchen. What you might not know is that really defined ab muscles beyond the traditional washboard could be a sign of dysfunction, due to the way the muscles are being engaged from your breathing.
There are different breathing techniques for different applications: the optimal breathing strategy for a sprinter won’t be the same as one for a long distance runner.
For biofeedback on our own breathing, we tried the following exercises:
Lying down on your back, place feet on a wall so that your thighs are at a 90 degree angle with the floor. Have a partner place their fingertips on your stomach and try to breathe so that your diaphragm rises to meet their fingers. Repeat with their fingertips at your lower back, and on your sides.
Child’s pose (kneel; lower so forehead touches floor; drop arms by your sides so fingertips are by your heels). Feel your breath make contact with your legs.
Lie facedown with your face resting on your hands; feel your breathe press your belly against the floor.
Practicing proper breathing at home will not only make your respiratory system more efficient, increase stamina and strengthen your core; it can reduce tension, re-energize you, and help you to think more clearly. Try it out and tell us how it goes.
Have breathing questions? Want Jon Herting to come back for another seminar? Let us know!
It’s that time of year! The 2nd Annual Battle at the Board takes place Saturday, June 13th at the Starboard Restaurant in Dewey Beach. This event pits teams from CrossFit Wheelhouse against teams of Rivermonsters, with all proceeds benefiting the B+ Foundation to fight childhood cancer. We would love your support:head on over to our ‘Make a Difference’ site to make a donation.
All are welcome to come watch the competition, which will take place rain or shine in the parking lot of the Starboard.
We will only be holding two classes this Memorial Day:
RivFit version of Murph 10:30-11:30am
CrossFit Murph WOD 11:45am-1:15pm
Memorial Day is more than BBQs and the unofficial start to summer: it’s a time designated to remember and honor those who have died while serving in our armed forces.
As a CrossFit family, we especially honor and remember Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy (“Murph”). A Penn State alumnae, Lt. Murphy was killed during Operation Redwing, a recon mission in Afghanistan. Murphy left his position of cover to find a clear signal so that he could communicate with headquarters and request support for his four-man team, exposing himself to fire from the larger Taliban forces that had surrounded them. He died on June 28th, 2005, at 29 years old. Lt. Murphy was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor— the first in the U.S. Navy to receive this medal since the Vietnam War— as well as the Purple Heart and Medal of Honor.
Murph, like all of CrossFit’s Hero WODs, is intended to be difficult and intense so that we remain mindful of the physical and mental hardships our troops endure to protect and preserve our country’s freedom. The RX workout is 100 pullups, 200 pushups and 300 air squats sandwiched by a mile run, in a 20 pound vest or body armor. Partition the pullups, pushups and squats however works for you.
For many the best strategy is to break up the reps into 20 sets of 5 pullups, 10 pushups and 15 air squats (20 rounds of Cindy); more advanced athletes can try 10 rounds of 10, 20, 30. If you’re not used to the volume replace the pullups with ring rows. Overexertion and burnout can be a concern for WODs of this length and intensity— be smart, perform small sets and take breaks when you need them.
Times vary widely based on experience; runners who can complete a sub-8 minute mile should shoot for under 40 minutes. Beginners can expect to take 70 minutes or more.
Eat well the day before: plenty of fats and protein will keep you fueled throughout the WOD. The weather looks beautiful for this Monday, warm and sunny! HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE starting NOW and get some solid nights’ sleep.
Recover post-Murph by enjoying the rest of the day with loved ones. Hydrate, eat, and we’ll see you at the box Tuesday!
Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers out there!!! We are having our normal 9:00am Yoga and 10:30am Strongman.
CANCELED: 11:30 WOD AND OPEN GYM ANYTIME AFTER 11:30 AM.
