Marcus Filly

Split Squat is King

marcusfilly — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 21:58:15 +0000

Once a week I’m going to try to highlight an exercise and attempt to explain to you guys why it is important to your training. In these posts I’ll be talking about how and why I implement it in my training and why you should too. To start this series off I’m talking about the Bulgarian Split Squat. I was introduced to this movement many years ago by my cousin Bryon. He has been a student of Charles Poloquin for years and Charles utilized this single leg exercise in many of his basic strength programs. For years I then forgot about the movement. In college my strength coaches didn’t implement the split squat in our training and subsequent years of CrossFit didn’t have me doing it either. However, last year when I attended the OPT CCP assessment and program design modules I was reminded of the power of this exercise.

Single Leg Strength – a basic definition of this for my audience is the athletes ability to produce balance, coordination, power, and strength while balancing on one leg.

You single leg strength doesn’t get tested in a double leg movement like the squat. In fact many athletes with imbalances in strength from left to right can go for years without realizing it if they do not implement single leg protocols in their training. Having balance between your legs and hips is essential to preventing injury. If you have imbalances and you are struggling to see improvement in your double leg strength it is possible that the imbalance is holding you back. Single leg strength is also very important for running since every stride you take is a single leg effort.

In a recent video I made for a remote coaching client I explained how to perform the Bulgarian Split Squat.

Mastering the split squat can take some time. This movement is extremely demanding on the hips and glutes. Start off slow and then build up. Recently I did a workout with split squats and pull ups. This combination I have found to build great overall strength for athletes and create a very intense metabolic effect on the client.

A1. Bulgarian Split Squat; 30X1 for 6-8 reps; rest 45sec; 4 sets

A2. AMRAP Strict Chin Ups; rest 90sec; 4 sets

Often on the strict chin up sets I will spot the athlete past failure and keep them working for 1-3 reps beyond complete failure. Go heavy and hard on this workout and tell me how you feel. First 3 times I did this I threw up ….. who ever said weight training isn’t hard.

When doing my Strength Assessments on clients I test an 8 repetition max in the bulgarian split squat at a tempo of 30X0. What is important when administering this test is that you must ensure that the athlete does not pause between reps. We are looking for the heaviest set of dumbbells that they can hold on to while performing 8 perfect reps. Here is a video of my attempt at reaching a benchmark of 8 reps with 70lbs in either hand.

One final note. Strength coach Mike Boyle has recommended the split squat as a great therapeutic tool to help prevent and rehabilitate back injuries. If you have ever suffered from low back injuries like myself, then perhaps a dose of split squatting is for you.

Happy Squatting

OPTathlon

marcusfilly — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 22:01:17 +0000

Team TJ's with OPT

The week after the first ever OPTathlon. James Fitzgerald organized a great event last weekend that brought together a community of fitness enthusiast. We gathered down in San Diego for a two day event that included lectures, socializing, and a fitness competition. The first day was full of current and cutting edge talks about health and fitness. We heard from doctors as well as business coaches about how to take what we are fitness professionals are doing to the next level. I walked away with some great ideas and inspiration for the months to come. I’ll review one of the topics in more depth in a coming post. I have some great insight on the topic now that I have experimented with it myself.

Day 2 was all about competition. Learning about oneself through the experience of physicality is very special. For the first time ever I approached a day of competition with the mentality that the events of the day were going to be an exploration of my physical, mental, and emotional abilities. Every part of me got tested yet I didn’t allow the anxiety of the day hold me back. Instead I learned something valuable about myself as a competitor that I’ll take with me as I move forward. Being surrounded by amazing athletes has been the norm at CrossFit competitions in the past. I’ve also been surrounded by teammates at those competition. Every time I’ve competed as an individual I’ve always looked at my fellow competitors and found other individuals to measure myself against. In some ways this is a benefit because it allows me to see what is possible and set mini goals for myself throughout the day. What I came to realize last weekend, however, is that this same comparison has kept me from reaching my potential in competition in the past. I used to set a ceiling of potential by watching other top performers. Their scores would dictate what I would set as my goals. I would typically aim for just below what they had accomplished because I considered myself a lesser athlete than them.

Last weekend in a moment of self realization I came to find out that I’m capable of so much more. I watched a fellow competitor compete in an event that by my estimation suited his strengths. When he delivered a score of 8 rounds and 7 reps I was sure that was going to be the best score of the day. I told myself that I wanted to just get 8 Rounds. Just before going out to compete I told myself that I just wasn’t going to stop no matter what. Even if 8 wasn’t in sight I was going to keep trying. The result for me was a final total of 9 rounds and 3 reps, just a few reps shy of the best score on the day. Suddenly 8 rounds seemed like nothing. My perception of what other athletes can do relative to myself is totally messed up. I’m my own athlete and the performance of another great athlete doesn’t teach you anything about what your body and your engine is capable of. This sport is about understanding ourselves, pushing our own limits, and seeking betterment in each opportunity we have to test and train.

One of my biggest accomplishments on the day was that I set a new personal record in the clean and jerk at 308lbs. I caught myself throughout the day being upset that I didn’t do more since some of my fellow competitors did. I was letting my mind travel down that path again. I also set a personal best in the 3k run. But I couldn’t just be happy about it when I saw that several of my fellow competitors beat me by large margins.

Competition is a motivating thing. However, through the wrong lens it can drive you mad. It can take one extremely happy and fulfilling moment and turn it into something that haunts you for days. That isn’t why I compete and I will take this lesson forward with me into future competitions. I did some amazing things at the OPT Bash, but I allowed my perceptions of what other athletes could do influence my performance. That is the lesson to take away from this weekend. Overall another great experience being part of the Big Dawg community and competing in the sport of fitness.

Labor Day and Training Thoughts

marcusfilly — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 13:41:53 +0000

It is Labor Day Weekend. I’ll be working on Labor day but there is a different feeling in the air on three day weekends. Something about knowing that the majority of Americans are going to be relaxing on Monday makes my normal one and a half day weekend feel longer and more special. Maybe it was because I spent 8 hours on Saturday shifting from gym to gym to get my 3 workouts done, or maybe it was because I spent Sunday at the Sleepy Hollow annual basketball tourney out in the sun watching my mentor/friend/boss TJ. All in all it was a great weekend of relaxing and hard training. I commented at least twice this weekend that I really start to feel like a professional athlete on Saturday and Sunday because typically we have multiple training sessions to get done and my entire focus is on resting, recovering, and refueling for my athletic events. It is pretty sweet.

When reviewing an athletes training program and lifestyle in a recent post, James had this to say in a thread on his membership site. “From what i see, his limiters are his lifestyle, and sleep debt now allowing high volume of work – like 30-40 hrs per week needed to be a top end CF’er..” This sparked a little discussion about what it takes to be a top end CFer and James followed up with, “this as well as a full time sponsored contract, place to train alone as well as private coaching is what is needed in this sport of fitness going forward..”

Some further thoughts that were laid out in this discussion was the notion that in order to be a top level crossfitter there will be a sacrifice to health. That truly competing at a high level in an aerobically demanding sport you will touch on periods of injury, sickness, and less than optimal health. Of course this begins with your definitions of health and high level fitness but I tend to agree with James on this one.

Where do I sit in this whole discussion and how does this change, if at all, my approach to my training and the coming year. My feelings are that to excel in sport you must make your performance your number one priority. My priorities are many in life. My family, business, clients, friends, health, and sport all are important to me. Balance has been my goal since starting in this industry of health and wellness and has become even more important since opening a gym in June 2011. I also have dreams of reaching very high levels of fitness in the sport of CrossFit relative to the athletes of this sport both in my region and worldwide. In short that means that I want to be better than most people at CrossFit. It is a motivating thought and at this point in my life a potentially rewarding goal. For the first time since I entertained the idea of competing in CF my desires are being matched with hard, healthy, and balanced training that is supporting my progress. Do I have 30-40 hours a week to train, a corporate sponsorship, and a private coach? No, no, and no. Will my answer to any of those questions ever be yes? I’d like to think that anything is possible.

In the immediate future these discussion make me more focused on creating a professional environment around training as much as possible. The focus has to be on creating the best environment to succeed. Surround myself with great athletes that make me better. Set aside the necessary time to train and recover. Couple hard training with a light and fun atmosphere. Seek out great coaching and be open to new ideas and methods.

To come full circle on my opening thoughts I think Labor day weekend was so fun for me because I spent two days feeling like I did everything that I just mentioned. Today is Monday, Labor Day, and the day has a little work in store, a relaxing hike, some great friends, and hopefully a little Vitamin D therapy.

Some Training Highlights from the Weekend.

Saturday -

Part 1 – Swim 500m for time (8:40)

Part 2 – Build to a 1 rep max in the Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch – 235

Clean & Jerk – 300 (personal best)

Clean – 315 (personal best)

Part 3 – For time

250m Row
25 Burpees
250m Row
25 Burpees
250m Row
- 4:40

Sunday

Back Squat 255×10, 335×5, 375×1

AMRAP 10min
5 Clean and Jerk (95#)
5 Burpee Pull Ups (8′)
20 Unbroken Double Unders
-9 rounds + 4 C&J

Happy Labor Day
- MF

Training for OPT Bash

marcusfilly — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:47:31 +0000

With the weightlifting meet behind me I am setting my sights on the OPTathon at the Big Dawgs Bash in San Diego. This will be the first OPT Bash and it looks to be a great event. It will be a gathering of friends and fellow Big Dawgs. James Fitzgerald is the owner and visionary behind Optimum Performance Training (OPT). He made his mark on the CrossFit community in 2007 when he became the first man to win the CrossFit Games. I caught notice of him in my early days of following crossfit.com. Since then I have attended several of his coaches seminars and I have followed his programming almost exclusively for the last 16 months.

This October they are hosting a gathering of friends, fellow coaches, and athletes of OPT in San Diego. In addition to hearing talks from James there will be speakers on a variety of topics, social time, and a full day of athletic competition. So my training is focused currently on getting ready to show my best stuff at the Bash. It should be a great weekend.

Training Highlights from this Week -

3 rounds for time: (4:30)

25 KBS – 2pd/1.5 pd

25 box jumps – 20″/14″

*Fun workout with the team

B. Power Snatch x 1/Snatch Balance x 3 – 80% x 4 sets; rest 90 sec (196lbs for all sets)

C. 5 x (1-5 CTB Chin Up ladders) for time (3:58)

6 sets:

5 tough thrusters

10 burpees AFAP

Row 25 sec @ 90%

1. 155/145m/1:02
2. 165/145m/1:03
3. 175/146m/1:03
4. 185/145m/1:05
5. 195/144m/1:07
6. 200/143m/1:12

Until next week. Train hard and rest well.

-MF

Redwood Empire Weightlifting Meet

marcusfilly — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 23:11:37 +0000

As you know by now I competed in my first ever olympic style weightlifting competition last weekend. Without really know what I was getting myself in to I signed up for a local meet. It was an all day event and ended with some great lessons learned and many firsts in my life.

I learned what it was like to compete in a new sport. Not being a specialist in the Olympic Lifts took some of the pressure off. I wasn’t competing against anyone except myself. My goal was to try to calm my nerves enough on game day to a point where I could perform to my potential. I fulfilled my goal and was able to make 6 great attempts at the Snatch and Clean & Jerk.

My opening lift in the Snatch was 102kg (224lb). I was nervous and a little shaky but was successful. My second lift was at 106kg (233lb). More comfortable than the first lift I felt very confident and made my attempt. My last lift was at 110kg (242lb) and an attempt at a personal best. By far my best lift of the day I walked off the platform feeling fantastic.

When the clean and jerk opened I came out at 125kg (275lb). I’ve made this several times and felt very confident with the weight. However, when I stood up from my first clean my legs got very wobbly. This is the case sometimes when the bar lands in the wrong place for me on my shoulders. Something happens and my legs get very numb and I lose balance. On any training day I would have dropped the bar, but not today. I got some air, listened to my coach, and made the jerk. My second attempt was at 131kg (288lb) and this lift felt much stronger. The clean was better and the jerk felt more confident. However, I got called for pressing out my right elbow and was denied a good lift.

I was frustrated. It was my first time not being rewarded for getting weight over my head in the clean and jerk. It also rattled me a bit since my goal at the beginning of the day was to attempt a 300lb clean and jerk. Without a 288 on the board I wasn’t sure what to do. My coach suggested just going for a big one and I was totally game. So they loaded up 137kg (301lbs) and I got set. Mentally I was all there. Physically I made one of the best cleans of my life. It was a grinder but successful. Then I made a great move on the jerk and had the lift in my grasp. It was then that my lack of experience caught up with me as I tried to recover too quickly on my jerk and lost my balance. My warrior cry as the weight starts falling down sums up my emotions at the end of the competition.

It was a successful day that couldn’t have happened without the support I got from my coach Jasha, my fans, and my teammates that were up on the platform with me. Looking forward to more experience and testing myself in new areas going forward.

3 Hard Training Days

marcusfilly — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 22:22:57 +0000

8/20

A. Jerk Cluster – 1.1.1.1 x 6; rest 4 min (245, 250, 255, 260, 265, 270)

Vehicle Push – 45 sec @ 100% sprint/push effort

Rest Walk 4:15 x 5

Leg Less Rope Ascent – 15′

(15 for time) – 10:40

8/21

A. Back Squat Cluster – 2.2.2 x 4; rest 3 min (315, 325, 335, 345)

B. 1-5 Hang Squat Snatch Ladders in 5 min @ 80%; 115#/80# (2 + 1rep)

C1. 7 Ring HSPU; rest 10 sec (all sets unbroken)

C2. 14 back extensions; rest 10 sec (all sets unbroken)

C3. 21 double unders; rest 2 min x 5 (all sets unbroken and 70sec each approx)

D. 200 walking lunges for time (3:48. Stumbled on number 131 but otherwise unbroken)

8/23

part 1:

AMRAP E-ROM HSPU

Run 400 m @ 90%

rest walk 5 min x 5

(9/1:13, 7/1:17, 6/1:20, 6/1:24, 5/1:20)

AMRAP Triple Unders in 1 min

1 min rest x 4 (16, 13, 12, 16)

rest 3 hours

part 2:

A. Clean and Jerk – 3 on the minute for 6 minutes @ 75% 1RM (215# – felt very hard)

B. Power Snatch – build to a tough single in no more than 4 sets (205, 225(x-missed))

for time: (11:44)

row 500 m

15 squat clean thruster – 155#

row 500 m

15 squat clean thruster – 155#

row 500 m

At the start of the weekend I was extremely excited about my training. James had some really fun stuff planned. Pushing a car, some heavy lifting, and rope climbing. I was going to have a chance to redeem myself after a poor showing in the legless rope climb two weeks ago. I really got after the training hard. A friend visiting from out of town was a really good motivator. Saturday and Sunday went great and I felt absolutely spent. Monday was a needed rest day and Tuesday was meant to be back to training. I hadn’t given much thought as to how I was going to taper myself this week before my upcoming competition. But when I woke up on Tuesday I knew I was only half filled. My tank was still pretty low from the weekend. Body hurting and Tuesdays training looked hard. It didn’t disappoint.

Several days of rough training and matched with hard work days I felt pretty crummy. Not feeling very confident in my ability to recover before the weekend I decided to take both Thursday and Friday of before lifting on Saturday. I’ll update you guys on how things go this weekend in the meet.

On August 24th – dead tired and sore I had the following lifts

Snatch – 231

Clean and Jerk – 275

*my hope is to at least put these numbers up over the weekend, maybe even more!!!!

Training Week – August 14

marcusfilly — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:16:58 +0000

After returning from Tahoe and sitting in the car for 7 hours I really wanted to move my body. I didn’t have the mental focus to do a 2k row for time as was prescribed by my coach so I decided to work the Olympic lifts. With my competition two weeks away I felt like I needed some more reps with these two moves. Here are the highlights from Sunday and the rest of the week that followed.

August 14

Build to a heavy Snatch – 225lbs

Build to a heavy Clean and Jerk – 285lbs (personal best)

August 15

Front Squat x 3reps – 300lbs (personal best)

August 16

Back Squat 6 sets x 2 Reps @ 30X0; rest 2mins between sets – 345lbs for all 6 sets

Build to a Heavy Clean – 295lbs

August 17 – OPT “Will” Training

30 man makers – 35/25#/h (5:01)

rest 5 min

50 Double Unders, 10 burpees, 40 Double Unders, 10 burpees, 30 Double Unders, 10 burpees, 20 Double Unders, 10 burpees, 10 Double Unders, 10 burpees (4:11)

rest 5 min

50 KBS – 2pd/1.5 pd (4:03)

Row 350 m

rest 5 min

Max Cals – AirDyne – 3:30 (67)

August 18th – Double Day

Part 1 -

150m Sprints x 10 sets; rest 3mins between efforts

*my times ranged from 21.3 sec to 22.5 sec

Part 2 -

A. Deadlift @ 55% – 8 sets of 3 reps; rest 30 sec (225lbs)

B. High Hang Power Snatch – Build to a tough single (205lbs)

C. Touch and Go Power Snatch – 10 reps x 3 sets (115, 135, 135)

3 Rounds for Time @ 90%

10 KB Snatch R

10 KB Snatch L

15 Toes 2 Bar

Rest Day tomorrow. I’m ready for that.

Training on Vacation

marcusfilly — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 23:06:28 +0000

My girlfriend Megan and I have been talking about getting away for a weekend or longer for almost 6 months. This was before the CrossFit Open started. Six weeks of competition didn’t leave much time for a get away. Then when we qualified for Regional competition training became the priority. Then we opened a new gym and qualified for the CrossFit Games in July so vacation was off the table.

With the Games behind us and the gym up and running pretty smoothly (as smooth as possible in the 2nd month) it was time to get away for a couple days. We planned a trip to Lake Tahoe and booked some flights to the East Coast to visit her parents in September.

Lake Tahoe was great. We got to stay in a great place with a view of the entire lake. Hot tub on the back deck looking at this.

Lake Tahoe

Fit people as we are, Megan and I just had to stay active on our vacation. We road our bikes to Squaw Valley from Tahoe City for a round trip total of 20 miles. It was a nice warm up for our 3 hour hike to High Camp at Squaw Valley. Two thousand feet up and many wrong turns made. As wiped out as I felt I had a workout in mind to do that afternoon when we returned. With a little encouragement from Meggerz I made it happen. This is what went down.

10 min Max Reps Ground to Overhead with Stone (73 reps)

2 min Rest

10 min Max Reps Handstand Push Ups (78 reps)

2 min Rest

10 min Max Reps Double Unders (592 reps)

With my goals for the coming year to be very competitive during the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Open I know I need to keep my training consistent for a long time. That means doing workouts when I might not want to. Tahoe was a great example of my body being uninspired to workout but still managing to get the motivation together. Having people to support you makes all the difference. Thanks Megz for pushing me to finish that workout. I would have most certainly skipped out and called my hike enough had she not been there.

Competition

marcusfilly — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:38:30 +0000

: 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games – Deep Breath Before Battle

My earliest memories of competition go back to when I was about 8 years old. I was playing soccer in the Mill Valley Rec soccer league. I don’t remember much about the actual games or what it felt like to play but I remember vividly the feeling I would have when I would climb into the front seat of my dads car after the game and spill my guts about how it all felt. I could recall every moment of the game, every turn, pass, shot, and bit of excitement. My dad would listen intently to every last thing I had to say. He was always my number one fan as an athlete.

A bunch of years have gone by since those first days out on the soccer field. My competition resume got a bit longer in the proces. Many more years were spent playing baseball, golf, and more soccer. In high school I participated in the Northern California State finals in all three sports. I put my hat in the ring to try and qualify for the US Junior Amateur Golf championships and missed qualifying by 2 strokes (+2 to par after 36 holes). Competition go capped off in 2005 with my last Soccer game for the UC Berkeley Mens Soccer Team. By that time I was finished. Soccer in college was a tremendous opportunity for me. It opened doors, gave me a physical background that I utilize to this day, and helped me stay focused on my studies. But when it was over I wasn’t sad. I was relieved. I could finally move on and spend my energy focusing on other things.


Final Chipper Event at the 2011 NorCal Regionals

Fitness truly took over my life from then on. I needed to feel like I felt when I was playing at the highest level of soccer. I needed to be strong and fit. So my quest to find that fix was on. Fast forward a few years and CrossFit entered my life. A fitness program that had all the elements. A way to train myself to be as fit or fitter than I ever was as a competitive athlete in college. But CrossFit has given me something more. It presented me with an opportunity to compete again. This time I didn’t know what was drawing me back to competition. My last experience in college definitely wasn’t motivating me. I had since put soccer behind me and didn’t miss it anymore. CrossFit competition seemed to be calling me back because it felt like an opportunity for me to challenge myself. My first experience competing in CrossFit was almost 2 years ago. Since I’ve been fortunate to compete on the biggest stage there is. The CrossFit Games in both 2010 and 2011 taught me different things about myself. Most importantly they confirmed that competitions in fitness are in integral part to my personal development. I’ve learned things about myself that range from relationship lessons, to lessons in ego and personal will. For those reasons alone I’m committed to another year of competition and finding opportunities to compete whenever possible.

HSPU at NorCal Regionals 2011

Next up on the list of competitions will be the Redwood Empire 2011 Olympic Weightlifting Event on August 27th. I’ll be competing in the Snatch and Clean & Jerk events. This will be my first time competing in this sport and I’m excited and nervous all at the same time. I’ll be documenting my training on this blog for this coming year of competitions and provide you with details on my preparation, performances, and post competition reflections.

Stay Tuned…

: 270lb Clean and Jerk

“Will” Training 8/9/2011

marcusfilly — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:46:29 +0000

This was my third day back training after the games. I can tell that my body is still recovering from the months of training to the games. I was very sore from the weekend workouts. More than expected and just feeling a little tired despite great sleep and nutrition. But training must go on.

Workout for today from OPT is as follows.

A. Power Clean – 2-3 x 5; rest 2 min

- 245/250/255/260/265 (3 reps each set)

B. Clean Pulls @ 120% max clean; 2,2,2,2,2; rest 90 sec

- 345 all sets

C. Bench Press Close Grip @ 30X1; 2-3 x 4; rest 2 min – 80%

- 225/225/230/230 (felt light and fast)

5 sets:

10 CTB chin ups

Airdyne 20 sec @ 90%

30 double unders AFAP

rest walk 3 min b/t sets

Unbroken on all sets but set 4. I wore a 25# weight vest for this session and had set times of 60/56/56/71/61 seconds each. The weight vest made the double unders very challenging.