Started as a maverick gym in Santa Cruz, CrossFit has spread worldwide, becoming the principal strength & conditioning program for police academies and tactical op's teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, & hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide. Why? Because CrossFit works...FAST.
CrossFit delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. CrossFit's specialty is not specializing. Daily life, like many sports and professions, (and even combat) requires broad levels of fitness. CrossFit's program is designed for universal scalability making it the perfect application for any committed individual regardless of experience. The needs of Olympic athletes and our grandparents differ by degree not kind.
Click Here and Here for two great articles if you think CrossFit is too hard for you or beyond your ability.
To find out more about the principles and belief behind CrossFit, click here.
++"" HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH ""==
On a recent visit to Disneyland I had this thought, yes even on vacation I couldn't stop thinking about CrossFit and all the fitness industry, anyway I was thinking that any person in the fitness business should go to Disneyland for a day and see what America's population looks like.
There you get to see people from all over the Country and you get to realize that we are loosing the battle for fitness and health, from little kids to young adults and to older people the average person is overweight, by a lot. I was amazed by the percentage of FAT people I saw in there, and don't let me started on the quality of the food you get in those amusement parks, burgers, churros, caramel apples, you get the idea. CrossFit is spreading fast across the Country and we are making people aware of the problem and giving them a solution, but I wonder if we are fast enough, to reverse the course of things.
It'll be nice if big corporations like Disney and other amusement parks owners would offer some healthier food choices in their establishments
.
Check what UK MacDonald's CEO had to say about kids obesity: Read this article
If that's what they think then we sure are in big trouble.
+++REMINDER: The Shed will be closed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for the CF Games. Anyone who would like to meet us there will receive a free workout.+++
Sheriff Bryan had to stop by and give Jorgy (above) and Rick (below) speeding tickets. . .
For doing "Fran" in sub 3 minutes and the "Filthy Fifty" in sub 14 minutes!!! F-ing Strong work guys!
Load up on your good cholesterol to avoid Alzheimer's
The researchers found that people with low levels of HDL were 53% more likely to suffer memory loss compared with the people with the highest levels of HDL.
=="" LISTEN TO YOUR TRAINER""==
A good description for this picture would be PAIN, lot of PAIN.
Anyway the reason why I posted this picture is because I wanted to talk about what happens during a WOD in class and why us trainers yell at you to correct your form. Beside been one of the fun things to do as a trainer, it's also to make sure you guys get the max out of your work-out with out getting hurt, so when we tell you to land with all the foot on top of the box as you jump, it is to avoid your leg looking like this, after your half placed foot, slipped off and you shin had a nice encounter with the sharp border of the box.
So next time you are in class and we are on your face to fully open those hips, to get your chin over the bar, to keep you back arched on your deadlift, as you're dying to finish the WOD and a "F**K YOU!!!" is coming to mind, remember it's for you're own good, to make you a better, stronger and injury free athlete.
Lose your Breakfast with Luca:
Jackie:
For time
Row 1000m
50 Thrusters 45#
30 Pull Ups
This is a benchmark WOD so if you want to end up on the board, this is one of them, give all you got, and post your time.
Filed Sunday, June 29 in Articles, CrossFit Nation, Workouts.
+++DCF CLOSED THIS WEEKEND! FRI, SAT, SUN (we will all be at the CF Games).+++
Mark (behind the camera) and Jimmy (on the left) got to go to CrossFit One World this weekend to get their Level I certifications. CF All Star, and generally all around nice guy, Adrian Bozeman from CrossFit San Francisco (center left with horns) is one of the trainers who dishes out the info (and the pain) at the certs. And Toby the rowing phenom from Sacramento's Fourth Power Fitness (making me look like a midget) on the right.
Workout:
Newbie WOD
400m run
10 pull ups
20 push ups
30 sit ups
40 squats
The researchers noted a significant inverse association between coffee drinking and the risk of primary liver cancer. They found that the multivariable hazards ratio of liver cancer dropped for each group that drank more coffee. It fell from 1.00, to .66, to .44, to .38 to .32 respectively. "The biological mechanisms behind the association of coffee consumption with the risk of liver cancer are not known," the authors point out.
I know that a bunch of the coaches at DCF are glad to see information like this. -jj
SHIRTS ARE IN EVERYBODY:
Pricing is as follows
$15 CASH for a shirt in the Shed or for pick up
$20 to have a shirt shipped out to your house
If you would like to pre-order a sweatshirt talk to me, we will have those around September- October time for the cold weather.
Sunday SEAL Training
"A Nice Day at The Beach"
Carrying your stuff from the car to the beach (400 Meter Farmer's Walk)
Tanning on your towel and checkin out the chicks (5 minutes of Sit Ups)
A nice dip in the water (Row 5 minutes for Meters)
Beach Volleyball (5 minutes of Wall Ball for reps)
Digging a cool sandcastle moat (5 minutes of Virtual Shoveling)
Post Reps and Weight to Comments
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As Nate will tell you all, Intermittent Fasting is a very good way of losing body fat and improving muscle growth. This is a great link from Travis (the weird guy hanging from the rings with a smile on his face) How to start intermittent fasting/
Filed Thursday, June 26 in Coaching and pointers, CrossFit Nation, Nutrition, Videos, Workouts.
Nikala (on right) is halfway through the burpees on the "Filthy Fifty" recently. Nikala just moved down to San Diego, and we expect her to show the SoCal affiliates how we do it at The Shed.
The future of Diablo CrossFit, Jax and Olivia, working on their stretching routine
It's a great thing to bring your kids into the gym, they start thinking about it as normal, they get the idea that working out is a cool thing, something for them to do, beside playing video games and watching T.V. It doesn't matter what the age, they don't have to lift weight to be working out, young kids can jump, run, do wheelbarrows, jumping jacks, anything to get their bodies moving and as they grow up they start with some exercises like light dumbells work, push-ups, squats, you name it, and they are more likely to stick with it into their older years.
So next time your kid s are bored because there's nothing to do this summer bring them to the gym and have some fun with them, it's a great bonding experience too.
"Team DCF" at the CrossFit Unlimited Challenge on June 22nd (nice horns guys).
Group shot of all the attendees:
Stud Rodil (standing on right of top picture) wrote a pretty good breakdown of the event in the comments section on Monday, but I'll copy it onto the extended entry also (with Stav's and Mikes comments as well).
"In honor of Randy Simmons, 51, a 27 year LAPD veteran and SWAT team member who was killed February 6 in the line of duty. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Simmons' wife and two children. "
I get emails every day from people who are changing their lives for the better by following the guidelines I outline on this site. But many are looking for more of what the Primal Blueprint has to offer. That is to say, they want a comprehensive break down of the elements that make up the Blueprint; a Primal primer if you will.
In this extended article you will find the basic building blocks needed to discover the Primal side of your life. What does this mean? It means learning and understanding what it means to be human. It means using this knowledge to help you make important lifestyle choices. It means modeling your life after your ancestors in order to promote optimal health and wellness. And, most importantly, it means taking control of your body and mind.
As some of you may know I have a Primal Blueprint book in the works. If this article intrigues you be on the look out for a much more thorough explanation of how we can learn from our past to shape and mold our future . . .
THE ASIAN SQUAT
The Asian squat by many considered dangerous and damaging for the knees.
Try to tell that to this guy and to the population of Asia, which must have the highest level of knee problems in the world, considering that they squat like this all day, to eat, to talk, to rest and yes to use the bathroom.
The Asian squat differ from the regular squat, mainly by how far low your body goes, all the way to were your thighs are touching your calves, and your feet are flat on the ground, you want your torso up-right, you hips under your shoulders and a nice natural spine curvature.
Unfortunately not everyone is limber enough to get that low and to get there without losing they spine's curvature, you can try this at home or at the gym:
grab a hold of a door post and use it to balance yourself while you are lowering your body into the squat, go as low as you body will let you and then hold that for few seconds.
Do this everyday and try to get lower each time until you are able to look like the guy in the picture.
Your body will thank you and your Clean, Snatch and Front Squat will dramatically improve.
Filed Sunday, June 22 in Articles, Cool stuff, CrossFit Nation, Healthy Lifestyle, Workouts.
Carry Overhead Squatting the Slosh Pipe.
Carry will be representing DCF at the CrossFit games. If you aren't going to make it to the games, make sure you wish her luck (and stay out of her way when she's training, she'll run you over).
Workout: Rotate through each exercise, add weight each round as needed.
Vitamin D evidence
"Studies increasingly are suggesting the value of vitamin D – often known as the sunshine vitamin, because that’s one way you can obtain it – in everything from bone metabolism to maintaining muscle strength, immune function, reducing hypertension and possibly even playing a role in prevention of cancer and autoimmune disease. "
"About 5.3 million Americans have heart failure, a progressive, disabling condition in which the heart becomes enlarged as it is forced to work harder and harder, making it a challenge even to perform normal daily activities. Many people with heart disease or poorly controlled high blood pressure go on to experience a form of heart failure called congestive heart failure, in which the heart's inability to pump blood around the body causes weakness and fluid build-up in lungs and limbs. Many people with heart failure, who tend to be older, have been found to be deficient in vitamin D. . .
The new heart insights add to the growing awareness that widespread vitamin D deficiency—thought to affect one-third to one-half of U.S. adults middle-aged and older—may be putting people at greater risk of many common diseases. Pharmaceutical companies are developing anti-cancer drugs using vitamin D analogs, which are synthetic compounds that produce vitamin D's effects. There's also increasing interest in using vitamin D or its analogs to treat autoimmune disorders. . ."
-7 DB Circuits of:
5 Dumbbell Deadlift
5 Dumbbell Hang Clean
5 Dumbbell Front Squat/Push Press (aka-Thrusters)
30 Box Jumps
Loading equals 45% of bodyweight. New students should adjust down load and/or rounds of dumbbell work.
Video and review of the generic "Dumbbell Bear" can be found on Coach Rut's site HERE
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Coach Rutman's DVD's are chock full of good info, covering everything from unlimited dumbbell training tips, workouts, food, warm ups, and so much more.
(Don't worry about buying from them, their safe. Robb and Greg know that I'll throw dumbbells at their heads when they are not looking if anyone has any problems - and not one of the rubber coated ones either -jj).
Filed Friday, June 20 in Articles, Cool stuff, CrossFit Nation, Testimonials, Workouts.
Anne joined the DCF crew less than a year ago (left). This year she decided to run in the Camp Pendleton Mud Run on June 7th (right). Can you see a difference?
In the next week or so you can expect a full testimonial from Anne, and where those 50 lbs went.
Personally, I think we are going to find out who the world's greatest athletes in the world are on July 5 and 6th at the CrossFit Games. . . But this article is interesting none-the-less (although I don't know about their judge selection). -jj
World's Greatest Athlete? From the Wall Street Journal
"We gave the performance stats and achievement records of 79 male athletes to a panel of 5 judges, and asked them to rank the competitors based on six criteria: speed; vision and reflex; stamina and recovery; coordination and flexibility; power, strength and size; and success and competitiveness. The final category examined success—records held and victories—as well as competitiveness, based on the sport's popularity."
Filed Thursday, June 19 in Articles, Cool stuff, CrossFit Nation, Events, Workouts.
Rodil gets his burpee on in the hot hot Shed. GET SOME!
Workout:
"Fight Gone Bad"
Move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. We've used this in 3 and 5 round versions. The stations are:
The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of "rotate," the athlete/s must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.
Don't forget to go to the CrossFit Unlimited Competition this Sunday, starting at 10am in Milpitas. DCF will have a few people competing and we "donated" a few of our favorite workouts that they are going to put in the hopper.
"Health on the Run: How to stay healthy while traveling"
One of the challenges we face in trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, is what to do when traveling. How do we eat healthy when we’re limited to airport food and business dinners? How do we keep up our exercise routine when we’re on a plane most of the day or in meetings?
Filed Wednesday, June 18 in Aging, Articles, Healthy Lifestyle, Sleep, Workouts.
++== 8:00 AM CLASS CANCELED TODAY!! ==++
Jimmy and Brian dominating with the 20lb weight vests.
Workout:
5 rounds:
1 minute max reps weighted pull ups (20lb vest or 45lb dumbell)
1 minute max reps OHS (65lb or 115lb)
200m sprint timed
1 minute rest
Add up total reps for the pull ups and OHS, add up all the seconds from the sprints. Divide reps by seconds for score. Post total reps, total seconds, and score to comments.
Another key study finding is that men with more robust rest/activity rhythms had much lower mortality rates. Having greater levels of activity during the day and/or lower levels of activity during the night (better sleep quality) are characteristics of robust rhythms.
According to the results, when bedtimes were restricted to five-and-a-half hours study subjects consumed more energy from snacks. The carbohydrate content of ingested snacks also increased for this group.
The authors concluded that factors such as longer exposure to an environment with unlimited access to food and changes in reward seeking and motivation may underlie the increased consumption of snacks associated with recurrent bedtime curtailment.
The researchers found that bright light lessened cognitive deterioration by a relative 5 percent, reduced depressive symptoms by a relative 19 percent and diminished the gradual increase in functional limitations by a relative 53 percent.
Melatonin reduced the time to fall asleep by a relative 19 percent and increased total sleep duration by 6 percent, but adversely affected caregiver ratings of withdrawn behavior and mood expressions. The addition of bright light improved the adverse effect on mood. In combination with bright light, melatonin reduced aggressive behavior by a relative 9 percent.
Sorry for the second posting with my photo on, but I wanted you all to meet Chad.
Chad is the owner ofCrossFit Lethbridge , I met Chad at the Olympic seminar in Portland, beside been a nice guy and a great crossfitter, one thing I wanted to share with you all about him, if you remember last week J.J. reminded us all of the fact that half of a year has passed and to check our goals for the year, well if you think your goals are to hard to reach, if you're thinking, to hell with my goals, I just set them to high, think of Chad his goal is to beat OPT at something.
Talk about one hell of a mountain to climb, but after talking to him for the W.E. I know his going to do it, he's got the determination, and the discipline in him to do it, and that what you need to have, consistency, drive, discipline, the knowledge that it's going to be hard but if you keep at it you'll achieve any thing you set your mind into, so 5 and 1/2 months to go, keep working hard and make your wishes come true.
Lose your Breakfast with Luca:
Even if I'm not going to be at the gym you can still lose your breakfast at home with this WOD:
As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
5 Push-ups
10 Sit-Ups
15 Squats
Add one rep to each movement each round, keep a pen and pencil close you may loose count
Post Times and Comments.
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Talking to Dr Garret Smith a Naturopathic doctor from Arizona, DoctorAsTeacher.com, he gave me these two sites to check for supplements, in particular cod liver oil, and liver pills, he swears by them, look them up.
The address for the CrossFit Games site is 275 Dunbarton Rd, Aromas CA 95004, but Mapquest and Google maps have send you to the wrong side of the Freeway (The correct side is the eastern side).
Long,Lat coordinates are: 36.841238, -121.631807
Here is a map from the San Jose Airport to the actual site:
If you'd like to get directions from your house, click here and change the starting destination to where you'll be leaving from. For example it is approximately 1 hour and 36 minutes from The Shed.
Google is so damn thorough (and a little scary), they even have a 'street view' of the site!
"To determine how ghrelin affects mood, Dr. Zigman and his colleagues restricted the food intake of laboratory mice for 10 days. This caused their ghrelin levels to quadruple. As compared to the control mice, which were allowed free access to food, the calorie-restricted mice displayed decreased levels of anxiety and depression when subjected to mazes and other standard behavior tests for depression and anxiety.
. . .Until modern times, the one common human experience was securing enough food to prevent starvation. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors needed to be as calm and collected as possible when it was time to venture out in search of food, or risk becoming dinner themselves, Dr. Zigman said, adding that the anti-anxiety effects of hunger-induced ghrelin may have provided a survival advantage."
I definitely feel more focused and less stressed when practicing regular "Intermittent Fasting" bouts (16 - 20 hour fasts, approx 3 times a week). I also wonder if the hormone ghrelin plays some part in the greatly increased lifespan that caloric restriction provides. For example, the single greatest factor agreed upon when talking about people living past the century mark is stress - or lack thereof. -jj
Filed Sunday, June 15 in Aging, Continued Education (books, etc), Cool stuff, Healthy Lifestyle, Nutrition, Workouts.
*** TUES. 8AM CLASS CANCELED, MUAY THAI CANCELED THURS & SATURDAY *** (Luca is getting a much needed vacation).
Quote of the week: "I would say 'that the only easy day was yesterday', but I know that I won't be sore from yesterday until tomorrow."
Workout:
Power Snatch 1 rep
Overhead Squat 2 rep
Start at a moderate weight (50%-70% of your approximate OHS max), add increments of 10 lbs (if you can power snatch more than 95) or increments of 5 lbs until failure. Back off one increment and perform as many OHS as possible with that weight.
