2015.07.16

Al wasn't there, so he let us pick the WOD. Someone suggested something from a different box, so the class went with that. It was a slightly modified version of something they did, but it was the same basic idea. I'd suggest trying to do the pistol squats at least once before the WOD, so you can get a feel for how the movement goes.

As far as safety goes, it's mostly about balance this time around. Watch your balance for the pistols and for the hand stand push ups, since you're going to be in a position where you don't have both feet on the ground. Otherwise, it's just business as usual.

---

WoD
4 rounds of:

• 15 weighted pistol squats (left/right = 1)
• 12 platform handstand push ups
• 9 burpees

---

Cash Out

• 30 hollow rocks

---

Exercises

• Weighted Pistol Squats

  Grab a weight and hold it in front of you at about chest level. The weight should be several inches in front of you, since it's going to help you balance; don't hold it tight to your chest. It's up to you how much weight to hold, but the most I usually see is a 25lb dumbbell.

  From that position, bring one leg forward so that it is straight out in front of you and squat down with the other leg. Essentially, it is a one-legged squat with the other leg straight out in front of you (the "pistol" name comes from the fact that your body looks a bit like a gun). Your natural inclination may be to lean forward as you do this, but use the weight as a counter balance so that you don't feel like you're falling backwards. In the ilnked video the person holds his arms out in front of him, that serves as the basic idea.

  The goal is to squat so low that your lead leg is a few inches off of the ground, and your butt is close to touching the ground. Regardless of how low you go, though, keep your chest up so that you're not rounding off your back. Come back up to a standing position to finish the rep. Now alternate so that the other leg is the one in the air in front of you.

  You get credit for a rep after you've done a squat with both legs. In our short-hand, that's, "right/left = 2."

• Platform Handstand Push Ups

  Set up a platform with 5 risers on it. It doesn't much matter how tall you are, because you're not going to jump or squat with the platform.

  Kneel on the edge of the platform, so that you are facing the side of the platform (your body should be running parallel to the platform, not perpendicular to it). You want to be able to reach over to the ground easily, so you want to be close to the side. From that position, reach over and put your hands on the ground. You will naturally be bent over this way, and your butt should be the highest point of your body (the video has you put your toes on the platform, but we did it with our knees as the point of contact).

  From that position, slowly lower your torso to the ground. This will require your shoulders to control the descent, much the same way that they would in a handstand push up. The difference is that you don't have your legs straight up in the air. You want to gently touch your head to the ground and then come back up to the starting position for a single rep.

• Burpees

  It's a 5 step motion: 1) squat down & touch the ground, 2) kick your legs out into a push-up position, 3) do a push up, 4) jump back to the squatting position, 5) come up from squatting and jump 2 inches off the ground. Once it starts to feel normal to do this motion, you can start to make it a smoother motion by essentially dropping down into a push up position, rather than squatting and then kicking out your feet. It requires a little bit less energy, but it also requires more coordination and muscle memory.

  Scale down: Step back into the push up instead of jumping. Same goes for when you go back to the squatting position (step 4); step forward instead of jumping.

• Hollow Rocks

  Start by laying down on your back. Extend your arm and legs straight out (so that your body is completely flat), and then tighten your abs so that both your arms and legs are a few inches off the ground. One cue that can help is to exhale as you do this. Without releasing the contraction of your abs, rock forward and back on your butt. Do not let your hands or feet touch the ground. Forward and back is 1.

As always, have fun with it.