Quick and Dirty

Chalk up with Ryan Fischer

By Stephanie Kewin

Scrap what you think you know about Ryan Fischer and digest these factoids: At 12 years old, Ryan Fischer was a world-ranked BMX racer. He qualified for the US Olympic Team Trials in skeleton and bobsled.  And, naturally, he is a certified helicopter pilot. All things considered, Ryan Fischer—the owner of CrossFit Chalk in Costa Mesa, Cali—sets the bar high.

Finishing top five at Regionals and top 20 in the Open the past three years, Fischer’s well-known intensity is matched only byhis work ethic. One of his goals when he started CrossFit was to be a more well-rounded athlete. Says Fischer, “CrossFit has definitely changed my mindset in terms of what I think I can do. I spent a good portion of my life focusing only on being strong. And, well, I was pretty strong,but now I am even stronger plus I can run close to a five-minute mile during peaks of my training.”

For Ryan, even stronger means he’s packing a 315lb clean and jerk, 270lb snatch, and 500lb back squat—statsrivalling some of the best CrossFitters in the world.Whilethese numbers are anything but average, Fischer is like so many of us in that he credits much of the good in his life to finding fitness. “My life in general has forever changed since my introduction to the CrossFit methodology. CrossFit has given me everything I have: my career, my obsession for better fitness, the love of my life (we met in a CrossFit box), my friends; and it will probably feed my children someday. I couldn’t be happier.”

Fischer’sCrossFit coaching methodology is simple and succinct: “Everyone learns at a different pace. When a movement is being coached it must be broken down to its simplest phase.This is where keywords really open up a new athlete’s eyes. Every class, go over the movements as if nobody knows them.See the same faces? Go over a competitor tip or two. People need a leader. They are there to be told what to do. As a coach, you need to take charge, be confident, and teach a class in such a way that every person feels as though they are getting one-on-one attention.”

Quick and Dirty WOD
3 Rounds (2min rest between)
5min AMRAP:
10 unbroken power snatch 185#
20 HSPU
Max metres on the rower in remaining time

“For the average CrossFitter this workout is a little advanced, but for a competitor, it’s a great mix of movements and capacity. Snatch is a popular movement that all competitors should be comfortable with, especially at heavy weights like #185. HSPUs happen to be the separator for most competitors at the regional level, so those are always crucial as well. And the row at the end is just a good way to test your mental capacity and conditioning. Short, sweet, and painful.” – Ryan Fischer

Scaling
Scaling a workout like this wouldn’t be too bad. The first option would be to lower the weight on the snatch and scale the reps on the HSPU. The second option would be to lower the weight on the snatch and do wall climbs instead of HSPU. Maybe pick a number like 7 for the wall climbs. I really like wall climbs as a scale for HSPU because I feel members get a better workout and their arms get a little more strength training out of it rather than the traditional upside down push-up on a box that most people do.

Snatch Tips
Always try and keep your shoulders in line with the barbell. Drive your legs through the floor. Keep your feet flat as long as possible. Sweep the bar into the hip pocket. Jump.

Handstand Push-Up Tips
Keep your hands the same width as all your pressing movements. Don’t always kip. Every once in a while throw some strict ones in there.