Thursday 01 Apr - Split Jerk 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

Massive improvements from everyone tonight. It is really great to see everyone working hard on their flexibility and range of movement.
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Tomorrows WOD, as posted, is 1 Rep Max Split Jerks. It is time to get right under that bar and go heavy!!

Wednesday 31 Mar - 7 Rounds For Time - 3 Front Squats, 21 Pushups


Nobody reminded me to take photos tonight so I had to post one of me!!
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Great work tonight guys. Awesome form on the KB swings. I have posted everyone's weight and times to comments. Please watch this front squat demo [mov] [wmv]as an intro to tomorrow night's Front Squat session.

Tuesday 30 Mar - 3 Rounds For Time - 40 Double Unders, 30 Box Jumps, 20 Kettlebell Swings

Rhi demonstrating explosive power with a box jump.
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Great opportunity to practice our Double Unders tomorrow and start swinging kettlebells.
To record your results from tonights Thruster and Cone Run WODS go to yesterdays comments. I have recorded my results as an example.

Doing What You can - CrossFit Darwin



"What I need is someone who will make
me do what I can."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I like this idea. To do what you 'can' do you need to 'see' what is achievable and have a roadmap to get there. Doing what you 'can do' means doing what you are capable of, realising your potential. Why would you want to do this ? because the advantages we are born into make it close to immoral do anything other than achieve our fullest potential. These achievements don't have to be athletic but the habits of thought and action developed in athletic training translate remarkably well into any endeavor. Developing the mental fortitude to 'practice perfectly' and endure suffering makes you a stronger person in all facets of your life. as Mark Rippetoe says "strong people are harder to kill then weak people, and are more useful in general." But this is no easy path. I read the other day an advertisement to get fit 'without stretching yourself'. Nothing in the world comes without hard work. Jon Gilson of Again Faster says that "competence lies on the other side of slogging failure". Does this get acknowledged anywhere else in the fitness industry ?No one wants to talk about whats going on inside your head. The fitness industry is primarily concerned with how you look or how little or much you are going to suffer. Words, just words, like 'cardio', 'fatburning', 'body pump', 'low impact' and my favorite 'muscle lengthening' are being shouted from the rooftops, but it ain't no roadmap. So what is a roadmap ?

Constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity is CrossFit Darwin's roadmap. If you know nothing else this describes; my programming (constantly varied), the types of exercises (functional, those we have performed since birth designed to move large loads long distances quickly) and the way I am to approach them (high intensity). High Intensity brings me back to suffering for gain. Greg Glassman says 'performance is directly correlated with intensity. Intensity is directly correlated with discomfort'. You can achieve or you can comfortable, not both.

So we have have a road map which we will investigate in more detail in coming months, now; Want to see what you can do ? look around and absorb others achievements. Not just athletic ones, look at Steve Willis of Commando Steve fame and 4th place at the 2009 CrossFit Games ... a genuinely self made man, true he has natural physical abilities but he has translated his physical training mantra 'No excuses' to the rest of his life. Think life is tough ? have a look at the CrossFit Level one certifications being conducted at the 'Warrior Transition Battalion' in the US for amputee war veterans. The only limits on you are the ones you have imposed, nothing else.

So where do I fit in ? Making you do 'what you can' is a powerful concept. It has implications of coercion and force which sit uncomfortably in modern society. An alternative is the encouragement and support of others, at CrossFit Darwin we use only two types of communication; 'information' and 'encouragement'. This type of support is vital but there is another darker force which United States Marine Corp's Colonel P.B McCoy calls the 'virtue of shame'. There is no more powerful motivating force in human performance. Fear of shame is what stays men in battle. S.L.A Marshall reflects on this in 'Men against Fire' when he says 'When a soldier is .. known to the men who are around him, he .. has reason to fear losing the one thing he is likely to value more highly than life - his reputation as a man amongst other men." (forgive the gender specificness from Marshall's 1947 text) We don't talk about the virtue of shame much, we don't need to, but we use it, this is why we do the WOD as a group and record the results. We don't need to express thoughts that would shame others, we express encouragement and information but the fact that we are there and our opinion is valued enables the virtue of shame as an internal improvement mechanism. Know its there and use it.


I am not running a CrossFit affiliate to make money - I am making better human beings. Don't hate me when I ask big from you, I am only making you do what you can.

Weekend WOD

Annie easily presses 20kg overhead.
Saturday Morning WOD
12min AMRAP
7 Thrusters
5 Burpees
60m run
Saturday Afternoon Fundamentals WOD
60 Overhead Press
I have posted all results to comments below.

Equipment? Check!



What is that picture? That, Darwin Crossfitters, is a pallet of new equipment, arrived today, just in time for our 0800 Saturday morning park WOD. Are any of you guys going to turn up in the morning? Let me know by hitting the comments tab below and leaving a yes, no or maybe response.


Good work tonight Rhiannon and Andrew with the squat session. Tomorrow we will learn how to press weight overhead.

CrossFit Darwin Fundamentals 2


CrossFit Darwin fundamentals two kicks off on Friday at 6 pm at Kahlin Oval. On Saturday, there is a skills session focused on cleans at 0800 - 0900 followed by a WOD 0900 - 0930 we will finish of with some foam rolling after that. All Saturday's activities are at Kahlin and are free.

In so far as the box goes it looks like it will be operating in the week after Easter ,watch your email for updates !!

I know for some people that CrossFit is simply an effective an efficient fitness methodology and that's cool. There is an extraordinary amount of thinking and science behind the methodology and it is a fascinating showcase of a cross disciplinary thinker, CrossFit founder, Greg Glassman. Once the box is open I will be inviting one of the other level one trainers in Darwin to talk more about the CrossFit methodology for those of you who are interested. In the interim here is the link to the seminal CrossFit journal article "What is fitness" , drum roll please. Enjoy.

Graduation Day

Smiles all round from the first group to graduate from the CrossFit Darwin Fundamental Sessions.

Now we can squat, press, lift and clean, and are ready for some CrossFit Workouts.
I have posted everyones time for our WorkOut of the Day (WOD) under the comments tab below.

Feel free to add further comments. Let me know how you are feeling. Sore? Pumped? Exhausted? All of the above?
The next fundamentals course will run this Friday, Saturday and Sunday 6pm-7pm at Kahlin Oval Cullen Bay. This course has to be done before you can become a CrossFit Darwin athlete and participate in the daily group WOD's. If you are interested in doing the fundamentals or would just like to know more email me at kelly@crossfitdarwin.com

Fundamentals 1 Day 2

Fundamentals Session 2 done and dusted.


How much fun are Double Unders? I think I saw some future Buddy Lees in the making tonight? Not heard of Buddy Lee? Click the link below and check out his skipping style!!


Good work on the presses tonight

Tomorrow we learn to lift.


Buddy Lee Power Jump Double-Under

Fundamentals One



Well it's official. Darwin Crossfitters CAN SQUAT!

Fantastic effort from CrossFit Darwin's first ever fundamentals group.

The CrossFitjournal provides an excellent article as follow on reading at:


Tommorrow we will learn to press.

Welcome to CrossFit Darwin

CrossFit Darwin opens on 22 Mar 10. I am starting slowly with a small group conducting a fundamentals program from 22 - 24 Mar 10 starting at 6.00pm at Kahlin Oval. Fundamentals classes teach the nine basic movements which underpin all CrossFit training. Teaching these 9 movements takes three 1 hour classes and they must be completed as a prerequiste to conducting a CrossFit Darwin workout of the day (WOD).

Please feel free to browse the website which describes my approach to CrossFit. The schedule will be reviewed as I gauge interest and participation. I conduct training at two locations, Kahlin oval in Cullen Bay and the Fannie Bay foreshore. Please email me on kelly@crossfitdarwin.com or drop in and watch a fundamentals session or WOD if you would like to know more. Trust me, I am happy to talk to you about CrossFit for as long as you would like.