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.
. . .Vitamin A is probably most well-known from your mother’s admonitions to “eat your carrots, so you can see well.” One of the many roles of vitamin A is eyesight, but this vitamin is also key for proper gene transcription, immune function, embryonic development, bone metabolism, and (Teenagers take note!) skin health and acne prevention. Vitamin A also affects the production of growth hormone and testosterone. . .
2 partners working as a team. 1 person works out at a time, the other provides encouragement and counts reps. You'll want to trade off as soon as the person who is working out gets tired. Each athlete needs to get at least 5 repetitions in for each exercise each round (no "hogging the movements")
60 double unders (share the rope if you have to)
40 push presses with 95lb or 65lb barbell
100m walking lunges with 25lb dbs or 15lb dbs
As many rounds as possible in 30 minutes.
(If doing it by yourself, do half the reps/distance as many rounds as possible in 20 min).
. . .Consider, for example, a study conducted by researchers in Finland. They tested prisoners convicted of violent crimes and found that they had lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids than ordinary, healthy subjects. Why? Omega-3's foster the growth of neurons in the brain's frontal cortex, the bit of gray matter that controls impulsive behavior. Having enough of these fatty acids may keep violent impulses in check. Violent criminals may not be the only ones who would benefit from more fatty acids in their diet. In a recent double-blind trial, when omega-3's were given to people with a history of substance abuse, the symptoms of "anger" fell by 50 percent. . .
Date: Thu, Nov 27 Time: 8AM Meet & Greet we'll start up the hill no later than 8:30 Place: Lafayette, Hwy 24 & Pleasant Valley Road - Briones Park SE Parking Lot*
We'll be running to the top (and there might be a surprise or two thrown in for good measure), then walking (unless you want to run).
RSVP to the 'comments' link below so we know how many to plan for.
Bring:
Trail Shoes (if you got ‘em)
Water
Wrist stopwatch
*Directions: Hwy 24 to Pleasant Valley Rd Exit. North on Pleasant Valley Rd. ½ mile. Briones parking lot is on your left (no turns possible). Proceed on Pleasant Valley to stoplight at SpringHill Rd -make a U-Turn and entrance will be 100’ on the right.
Course Information:Running Map (click for course map)
This is a smooth crushed gravel 8’ wide trail with a 600’ net elevation climb over 1.13 miles. The 1st ½ mile is a gradual climb with some flat spots – a nice warm up. The 2nd half mile is laced with several steep pitches and deceptive “tops” forcing that extra push.
New York Times Magazine
April 16, 2006
Idea Lab
Does Eating Salmon Lower the Murder Rate?
By STEPHEN MIHM
Most prisons are notorious for the quality of their cuisine (pretty poor) and the behavior of their residents (pretty violent). They are therefore ideal locations to test a novel hypothesis: that violent aggression is largely a product of poor nutrition. Toward that end, researchers are studying whether inmates become less violent when put on a diet rich in vitamins and in the fatty acids found in seafood.
Could a salmon steak and a side of spinach really help curb violence, not just in prison but everywhere? In 2001, Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, a senior clinical investigator at the National Institutes of Health, published a study, provocatively titled "Seafood Consumption and Homicide Mortality," that found a correlation between a higher intake of omega-3 fatty acids (most often obtained from fish) and lower murder rates.
Of course, seeing a correlation between fatty acids and nonviolence doesn't necessarily prove that fatty acids inhibit violence. Bernard Gesch, a senior research scientist at Oxford University, set out to show that better nutrition does, in fact, decrease violence. He enrolled 231 volunteers at a British prison in his study; one-half received a placebo, while the other half received fatty acids and other supplements. Over time, the antisocial behavior (as measured by assaults and other violations) of the inmates who had been given the supplements dropped by more than a third relative to their previous records. The control group showed little change. Gesch published his results in 2002 and plans to start a larger study later this year. Similar trials are already under way in Holland and Norway.
What would it mean if we found a clear link between diet and violent behavior? To start with, it might challenge the notion that violence is a product of free will. "But how do you exercise that free will without using your brain?" Gesch asks. "And how, exactly, is the brain going to work properly without an adequate nutrient supply?" The belief that people choose to be violent may be irrelevant if the brain isn't firing on all cylinders. This may especially be the case for impulsive acts of violence, which are less a choice than a failure to rein in one's worst instincts.
Consider, for example, a study conducted by researchers in Finland. They tested prisoners convicted of violent crimes and found that they had lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids than ordinary, healthy subjects. Why? Omega-3's foster the growth of neurons in the brain's frontal cortex, the bit of gray matter that controls impulsive behavior. Having enough of these fatty acids may keep violent impulses in check. Violent criminals may not be the only ones who would benefit from more fatty acids in their diet. In a recent double-blind trial, when omega-3's were given to people with a history of substance abuse, the symptoms of "anger" fell by 50 percent.
Of course, omega-3's are widely hailed these days as a miracle substance, credited with boosting health in dozens of ways. But Gesch warns against what he calls "silver bullets." The state of the evidence, he says, "doesn't allow us to pinpoint which dietary fat is responsible for changes in behavior." In his new study, he will look into whether several interdependent nutrients may play a role.
Gesch further adds that we shouldn't expect nutrition alone to banish violent behavior. "The brain needs to be nourished in two ways. It needs to be educated, and it needs nutrients. Both social and physical factors are important." Simply throwing fish and vegetables at violent criminals is unlikely to have a lasting effect on its own.
Caveats aside, there's something that many people may find unnerving about the idea of curing violent behavior by changing what people eat. It threatens to let criminals evade responsibility for their actions. Think, for example, of the infamous "Twinkie defense," in which an accused murderer's lawyer suggested that junk food was partly to blame for his client's compromised mental state. More controversial, perhaps, is the brave-new-world idea of using diet to enforce docility and conformity to the rules, a sort of state-sponsored version of that timeless parental demand to children everywhere: "Eat your vegetables."
Then again, we already live in a society in which parents have resorted to drugs like Ritalin to quell unwanted outbursts and impulsive behavior. And when you approach it from that perspective, changing what people eat may not be so radical after all.
Stephen Mihm teaches history at the University of Georgia.
"Murph" on Veteran's Day. . . Can you name all the people in the photo? (no cheating by scouring flickr). Post ideas to comments.
Workout:
Run 400m
Rest 2 minutes
6 rounds
Post times to comments.
There are two ways to approach this workout. First is the "Fly and Die" method. In this method you go has hard as you can from the get-go, then just try and maintain the rest of the workout.
The second method is to pace your runs so that they all end up being within a few seconds of each other. With the last sprint or two being the shortest (but still within a few seconds of the other sprints if you paced correctly).
Compare to 080713 and even the 200m sprints on 081105.
Back at the beginning of July, Brett asked the question, “Is Cooking Manly?” The poll results were astoundingly lopsided: 95% yes, 5% no. It looks like a vast majority of us are convinced that being able to turn a heap of meat and vegetables into a delicious meal is a vital skill for a man to have.
Why then does it seem that so many men are unable to do something as simple as grilling a proper steak, much less doing something more involved like making a pot of soup (an exceedingly simple task)? Frankly, I know so many guys that would have trouble feeding themselves if a blizzard came through that it’s laughable.
Why do so many of us think it’s manly to cook, yet are unable to do so? Obviously the average male thinks it’s great to be able to slap a steak or some pork chops on the grill. But what about cooking in the kitchen? Is the kitchen the realm of women? Today, let’s look at some reasons that every man should be able to put together a meal, and by “meal” I mean meat AND side dishes, cooked on a grill, a cast iron skillet, or in the oven. . .
Just about 2/3 of the stuff currently in our little "Shed".
Workout:
With a continuously running clock, complete 1 pull up the first minute, 2 pull ups the second minute, 3 pull ups the third minute. . . until you can no longer complete the required number of pull ups in the allotted minute.
Post number of rounds completed and number of pull ups finished in the last round to comments.
A closer look at this controversial workout program
by Charles Poliquin
“The best program is the one you’re not using,” is one of my favorite axioms. I say this because I’ve never believed that there is one perfect workout system. The high-intensity training methods of the late Arthur Jones work…for a time. Strongman training works…for at time. And weightlifting and powerlifting methods work…for a time. Variety, whether it be correcting a lack of it or too much of it, is one of the keys to making continual progress with your training and achieving your goals. And that brings up the topic of CrossFit, Inc. TM.
If you Google the words “Poliquin” and “CrossFit,” you’ll find that there has been a considerable amount of discussion about my recent comments on another website about this method of training. Although my intent was to make a few general comments about what I thought of this method of training - and throw in a few wisecracks in the process - it’s obvious that a more in-depth discussion about CrossFit is in order. So, here it is. . .
081119 WEDNESDAY "Filthy Fifty" and Anne's Birthday!
Anne (left of Jamie and Ryan "aka DEATH") had one small request for her birthday. . . the FILTHY FIFTY! (and NO she is not fifty years old. . . she's something like 29 I believe - jj)
(Scaling option: The "Dirty Thirty" is another option for scaling - instead of just using reduced weights for the different exercises. If you don't think you can finish the full "Fifty" workout in 40 minutes or less, you should think about using this option).
Video: The most powerful person on Earth (unless you know someone with 261 "horsepower").
There you have it folks. . .don't eat processed food, and possibly drink melted butter, eat raw mutton, and have sex 15 times a day. . . and don't sleep from birth. Seems easy to me -jj
After eight years, the researchers found no difference among the groups in the incidence of heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure or angina. And taking the vitamins did not reduce the need for cardiac revascularization, a surgical operation to restore adequate blood flow to the heart.
. . .At sixteen, he made a visit to Wall Street, keeping an eye out for a "nice-looking, tall building," as he later recalled. He picked 43 Exchange Place, where he started at the top floor and worked his way down, asking at every office, "Want a boy?" By the end of the day, he had reached the third-floor offices of a small brokerage house. There were no openings. He returned to the brokerage house the next morning. He lied that he was told to come back, and bluffed himself into a job assisting the janitor, for three dollars a week. The small brokerage house was Goldman Sachs. . .
The freezer has ice cream and frozen pizzas, but it’s the pantry that harbors the usual carb suspects - chips, cookies, crackers, pasta, cereal and bread galore. If you’re not careful this cool and dark space could derail your best efforts to eat Primally. So follow these 10 easy steps and you’ll be well on your way to having a truly Primal pantry. . .
+++Workday Tomorrow after the 10am class. Come help make the Shed nice, clean and organized before the weather changes+++
+++Interested in a Thanksgiving Turkey Trot at Acalanes Park? Post it in comments. If enough people are interested you can expect a resurrection of our old tradition.+++
Meg shows hubby Darren how to do air squats correctly.
Workout: "Nate's Last WOD"
4 Rounds for Time
400m run
15 Pull Ups
15 SDHP (115, 95, or 65lbs)
15 Burpees
15 GHD Sit Ups
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. Because the body can create its own vitamin D, it is technically not a vitamin, but a pro-hormone, a precursor to the hormones the body needs to function. Vitamin D has no active role in the body other than to be converted to usable hormones by the liver and kidneys.
This vitamin (we’ll stick with vitamin since that’s how it’s known commonly) is responsible for maintaining blood levels of calcium and phosphorus, growing bone, and shoring up the immune system. Let’s have a look at a few of the issues that are caused by a vitamin D deficiency.
Stavros and Jeremy do "Jason" at CrossFit Santa Clara (Jason Khalipa's affiliate) while Issiah (aka "Zay Zay") cheers us on. We didn't beat Jason or "Andy" (17:54!) but DCF was well represented.
Workout: "The Chief"
Max rounds in 3 minutes of:
135 pound Power cleans, 3 reps
6 Push-ups
9 Squats
Rest 1 minute. Repeat for a total of 5 cycles.
Post rounds completed for each of the 5 cycles.
From CrossFit.com:
Each year in the United States Navy, a highly qualified and elite cadre of Sailors are selected and promoted to the join the ranks of Chief Petty Officer. Since 1893, "The Chiefs" have been relied upon by subordinates and superiors alike for their personal example, technical expertise and above all, their unique leadership capabilities. As the induction process for newly selected Chief Petty Officers is now underway throughout the US Navy, we thought it appropriate to inaugurate "The Chief" in honor and recognition of all past and present CPOs. Thanks to them and their families for their self-sacrifice, ability to adapt, tireless dedication to mission and devotion to country.
A study of almost 360,000 people from nine European countries found waist size a "powerful indicator" of risk.
Each extra 2ins (5cm) raised the chance of early death by between 13% and 17%. . .
At the extremes, men with waists exceeding 47ins (119cm) had a doubled rate of death compared with those with waists under 31.5ins (80cm), and a similar statistic was found when women with waists over 39ins (99cm) were compared to those under 25.5ins (64.7cm).
An increase in risk of death could be plotted every time the belt was let out by another two inches - for two people with the same BMI, every additional 2ins (5cm) on their waistband added up to a 17% increase in risk for men, and 13% for women.
+++FREE MUAY THAI WORKSHOP TODAY AT 430 PM! COME DOWN AND TRY IT OUT+++
Mountain, Tami, Emily and Julie all suffer under Sarah's (standing) tutelage.
Workout:
Strict press to failure
Push press to failure
Push jerk to failure
Use 135, 95, 65 or any weight at or near your 3 rep strict press max. Increase weight each round if needed. Rest between sets as needed. Do not rest the weight on the racks between exercises.
3 rounds. Post weight and reps for each round to comments.
Videos:
Greg Amundson demonstrates the Press, Push Press, and Push Jerk:
+++ NO SCHEDULE CHANGE - SO COME HONOR OUR VETS BY SWEATING IT OUT AT THE SHED+++
Sweat demon at The Shed courtesy of a CrossFit NSC shirt.
Workout: In honor of all past and present Veterans - "Murph"
In memory of Metal of Honor recipient Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005.
This workout was one of Mike's favorites and he'd named it 'Body Armor.' From here on it will be referred to as 'Murph' in honor of the focused warrior and great American who wanted nothing more in life than to serve this great country and the beautiful people who make it what it is.
First posted on CrossFit.com 18 August 2005
Run 1 mile
100 pull ups
200 push ups
300 squats
Run 1 mile
All completed with a 20lb weight vest for time.
Pull ups, push ups and squats can be split up and mixed as much as desired. The runs may not.
Post time to comments.
Scaling: You might try a "Half" Murph without the weight vest. (0.5 miles, 50 pull ups, etc) or even a Half Murph with the 20lb weight vest.
Video: Interview with Marcus Luttrell, best friend of Micheal Murphy and author of "Lone Survivor", a book about his personal story of Operation Red Wing - The operation where Lt Micheal Murphy lost his life.
Skip to 4:15 if you only want hear more about the heroic final actions of the Lt.
"Coach Greg Glassman has said, "We work with a cast of about thirty exercises where about fifteen account for 80% of the workouts. The cast of characters that comprise our routines are so potent in increasing strength from head to toe that regular exposure to any of them nearly guarantees improvements in the others. Improve your deadlift, bench, and pull-ups and your squat, dips, and rope climb will come up. The neuro-endocrine response of the major lifts is so potent that they alone will increase your strength measured by any other exercise so that seemingly infrequent exposures to some exercises is not a certain disadvantage." (powerathletesmag)
When I read this it made me think of something else I had read. "The Pareto principle (also known as the 80-20 rule, the law of the vital few and the principle of factor sparsity) states that, for many events, 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Business management thinker Joseph M. Juran suggested the principle and named it after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed that 80% of income in Italy went to 20% of the population. It is a common rule of thumb in business; e.g., "80% of your sales comes from 20% of your clients."
Greg Glassman is the founder of CrossFit, an exciting training protocol and way of life that is rapidly gaining popularity in a wide variety of sports. He also publishes the CrossFit Journal. I am excited to offer a free issue to all of the readers of Girevik Magazine, entitled "What is fitness?". It is an incredible read and will surely change and challenge your views on the topic. . .
Tabata Hill Sprints (count total trips up an down 70m hill)
1 min rest
Tabata Knees to elbows
1 min rest
Tabata Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (95, 75, or 45)
1 min rest
Tabata Hill Sprints (again).
A "Tabata" is an interval of 20 seconds of working out followed by 10 seconds rest, repeated 8 times (4 minutes total for each exercise). Each interval, a separate count of reps is used (except for the hill sprints). The lowest number of reps for any given round is your "score" for that exercise.
Post your "scores" for each exercise, and your total score to comments.
. . .When the records of more than 366,000 people who died between 2001 and 2005 were analysed, it revealed that even tiny green spaces in the areas in which they lived made a big difference to their risk of fatal diseases.
Although the effect was greatest for those living surrounded by the most greenery, with the "health gap" roughly halved compared with those with the fewest green spaces around them, there was still a noticeable difference. . .
(I live next to a park, so I guess I am covered. . .-jj)
"T-Nation" is a fitness and performance related site that has good as well as controversial information on it (it also sells supplements that I have first hand experience with). I check it regularly, even though they tend to take a fairly "anti-CrossFit" stance (sometimes I'd rather be behind 'so called' enemy lines than 'preaching to the choir'). It can also be NSFW depending on how your work feels about muscular men and women posing in next to nothing.
Post thoughts to comments. . . (and Click below for a comment from Mr. Shugart after the article was posted.
(I also wanted to say that Troy Dodson at CrossFit Plano is someone I have met, and I can confirm that he is a cool guy as well as a stud).
Posted on Nov 6th (about 2 days after the article was posted).
"Quick Note: I just had a great two-hour conversation with Greg Glassman. Wish it could have happened while I was preparing the article, as it would have added much to it, but good to talk to him personally regardless.
I was hoping to post much of our convo here, but we covered so many subjects that it would be impossible to pass along everything. Maybe I'll post a few topics later, as I did pick up a lot of interesting things. Or maybe Greg and I could do something in the future for the public: audio interview about what fitness really is, the CrossFit definition of it, etc. Just thinking out loud here.
For now, just wanted to let everyone know that we did talk, a little late for the article, but a good talk nonetheless. "
You might have noticed that the nutrition approach we recommend at CrossFit NorCal is a bit...oh, shall I say, contrarian? Where the USDA, AMA and the rest of the Government sponsored entities recommend grains and legumes as the base of the diet, we recommend lean meat, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
That’s crazy, right? aren’t we going to die from heart disease and cancer if we eat meat? How will we ever get fiber if we don’t eat grains!? I mean, fruit and veggies...what have they got to offer?! I’m being fecetious here, I hope you get that. I do understand our recommendations fly in the face of what we are told to eat from nearly every source you can find...what’s the deal? Well...the deal is, our nutritional approach, a diet the attempts to emulate that of our paleolithic ancestors, is without a doubt the best route to optimized performance and health. Big claim? Yep, but easy to back up. Folks start with us, tweak their food, then look, feel and perform better. Every measurable bio-marker such as cholesterol, triglycerides or blood pressure improve...depression resolves. It just works, because this is the way we are wired to eat. But hey, what the hell do I know? I’m just the crazy guy in the shed telling people to do weird stuff like sleep more, take fish oil and increase their protein intake. How could I possibly be right about this? Well...here are a few interesting things for y’all to consider . . .
Eric loves burpees. Especially when you have to jump 12" every time.
Workout - 5 rounds for time:
30 Double Unders
20 Kettlebell Swings (54lb, 35lb, 26lb)
100m Waiter Walks (see picture below), 54b, 35lb, 26lb dumbbell or kettlebell (should be the same weight as the kb swings). Alternate arms as needed, but no forward motion unless the arm is locked out overhead.
Post time to comments.
Dan John leads CFHQ through some waiter walks back in the day.
+++CPR CLASS THIS SUNDAY, 10am - 2pm, SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS+++
+++MUAY THAI CANCELED TONIGHT+++
Sometimes, all the chalk in the world can't save your hands. Emily laughed it off before taping up and going back in for more pull ups.
Workout:
"Disagreement Gone Bad"
With a continuously running clock perform each of the following exercises for one minute. At a call of 'rotate' each athlete will move to the next station. Count repetitions for all exercises, and the cumulative total is your 'score'
1 min Row (count calories)
1 min Box Jump (20inch, or 12in box)
1 min Medicine ball clean (20lb ball)
1 min push press (75lb, 45lb, or 20lb bar)
1 min rest
3 rounds total. Post score to comments.
If you do not have a partner to count for you, keep a running total for each round and write it down during the rest interval (i.e. 15 calories, then box jumps start counting at 16, 17, etc).
". . . MD and I feel strongly that we as a species have a genome that was molded by the forces of natural selection over the past few million years to operate optimally on the food that was at hand during those few million years. What was available? Mainly fairly high-protein, high-fat fare. There weren’t a lot of carbohydrates readily available until the advent of agriculture a few thousand years ago. For the time that we developed our ancestors ate meat, fish, insects, clams, reptiles and pretty much anything live they could get their hands on. This primarily protein and fat diet was supplemented with whatever fruits, nuts, berries, roots, shoots and tubers were in season. Work done by Loren Cordain shows that, based on the Ethnographic Atlas, modern day hunter gatherers get about 65 percent of their calories from animals and the other 35 percent from plants. Most researchers believe that Paleolithic man got more than that from animals because during Paleolithic times many more large animals roamed the earth than do today. In fact, Paleolithic man hunted many of these large animals to extinction. . .
Taking 3000 kcal as being the average (it’s probably on the low side) daily energy intake of our Paleolithic ancestors and looking at how much plant food would be required to obtain those kcal is an eye-opening experience. I ran just a few foods through the USDA nutritional calculator and found that it would take 48 cups of blackberries–that’s 3 gallons of blackberries–to provide 3000 kcal. I don’t know how many readers have ever picked blackberries, but I have, and I can tell you that picking 3 gallons takes a lot of time. And, much though I love blackberries, I couldn’t come anywhere near eating 3 gallons of them in a day. How about blueberries? 36 cups; over 2 gallons. Spinach? 103 cups. Celery? 111 stalks. Apples? 42. . ."
Contact jeremy@diablocrossfit.com if you are interested in going to our first CPR certification seminar at "The Shed". Our very own Stavros will be certifying everyone in Adult CPR, Child/Infant CPR, First Aid and how to use the AED.
We will be having it this Sunday from 10am to about 2pm. Space is limited, and there will be a small fee for going. So email me for more details -jj
. . .Phthalates fall into a group of chemicals called endocrine disruptors because they either mimic or block the action of human hormones. Phthalates interfere with the synthesis of testosterone. . .
Phthalates affect males more than females, at least in animals, because of the way sex organs grow. Developmental biologists say that up until eight weeks, fetuses have the rudiments of both male and female sex organs. After that point, those with a Y chromosome develop gonads that are supposed to secrete testosterone, after which the male hormone starts turning the fetus into a male. . .
Do you think that if it affects babies in utero that adults should be worried about their endocrine systems being harmed by these chemicals? -jj
The idea of a PWO meal containing carbs (and protein) is to take advantage of a period of time in which the muscles are particularly insulin sensitive. We can fly nutrients into the muscle “under the radar” via a mechanism called “non insulin mediated glucose transport”. Amino acids are also taken in during this time and may play a synergistic role in both glycogen repletion but also decreasing inflammation that accompanies hard training. Said another way, you recover from exertion faster. So, what should ya eat? . . .
"They say you have to walk before you can run. Similarly, if you want to be a fire breather, then first you have to be a good air breather. It amazes me that so little attention is paid to breathing. Breathing is so vital to life and to performance that I think it requires at least a minimum of attention. Breath is life. We can stop eating and exercising for long periods of time and survive. However, if you stop breathing for 20 minutes the game is over. As far as I know there are two involuntary activities that we can voluntarily control. The first is blinking the eyes and the second is breathing. Controlling your eyelids is perhaps useful to keep you awake while reading this little article but controlling the breath can have real exciting consequences for your training and your life."
I went from a very scrawny 163 to a much stronger, although chubby 180. My strength improved a bunch but I really do not consider 5×5 efforts “strength” work. Too much fatigue, too little neuro activation and specificity. That considered, I think I have a shot a really increasing my strength levels with some focused work in this area. . .
In honor of Petty Officer 1st Class Jeff Taylor, 30, of Little Creek, VA, who was killed in Afghanistan June 2005. (First posted 6 July 2005)
21 - 15 - 9 rep/rounds for time,
Handstand Push Ups (or leg assisted HSPUs, band assisted, or Dumbbell overhead press)
Ring Dips (or band assisted, fixed bar, or bench dips)
Push Ups (or knee push ups, or box push ups)
If your gym suddenly looks like a cross between a gymnastics studio and a Marine Corps boot camp, chances are it's offering CrossFit classes. This fitness craze that's swept the nation in recent years was developed by a former gymnast in Santa Cruz, California, named Greg Glassman. The grassroots movement started with Glassman's rudimentary Web site on which he posted a daily workout routine (officially known as the "workout of the day" or simply the "WOD"). A dedicated following of police officers, firefighters and military types soon discovered the workouts, and from there, the wave just kept growing. Now, CrossFitters (as devotees are called) number in the thousands, and gyms across the country are offering this intense workout program. . .
Our Halloween Party is just a few days away! Have you got your costume yet? I already know that Trainer Nate is going as a character from a movie that involves, bowling balls, painted toenails, and a very important rug.
A prize will be awarded to the first person to guess who he is going to be (and if you already know you are disqualified).
Post your costume to comments (unless you want it to be a surprise, then you should drop a hint).
There are days which we feel full of energy, happy, love life…and then sometimes there are days in which we may feel down, tired, depressed, or just uninspired. I think most of us would like more of days full of great energy and outlook, so what can we do? Well one thing is we need to see what in our lives is actually helping to give us that happiness, energy, positive outlook and also to see what is not. We need to become aware in our moments of positive and negative energies to see what is really influencing them. Only from that can we define what factors are important to us, and which ones we need to just let go of.
How do we do that? Well we keep an energy log/journal. Try it for a couple weeks and you may be surprised at the results. . .
I don't know about you, but the worst thing I love to eat is pizza. . . this looks like a good alternative! Now who is going to volunteer to cook this for the next party we have at The Shed? -jj
Yes, unfortunately group class will be canceled Friday October 31st in lieu of our Halloween bash at "Class" in downtown Walnut Creek. Enjoy appetizers, Drinks, and music at this DCF sponsored event. Costume contest and other games will be happening all night. So come join us for some fun outside the gym (doing something that many people meet pukie doing all the time).
Email: rsvp@anywhere-road.com to get on the guest list, and don't forget to post below if you plan on going.
. . .I always appreciate comments and questions that spur more explanation and discussion about the body’s functioning. Let’s take this one apart and have a look. Fat is always the best fuel to use at low levels of effort. We evolved to be very efficient fat-burners and even those of us at single-digit body fat levels have plenty to spare. Glycogen, as you remember, is stored glucose and is the body’s first-line energy stockpile of fuel for harder physical efforts and keeping specific systems (brain, red blood cells, kidney cells) running efficiently all day. . .
Tests on mice showed that reducing excess levels of the acid lessened animals' memory problems and behavioural changes.
Writing in Nature Neuroscience, the team said fatty acid levels could be controlled through diet or drugs. . .
Scientists from Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease and the University of California looked at fatty acids in the brains of normal mice and compared them with those in mice genetically engineered to have an Alzheimer's-like condition.
They identified raised levels of a fatty acid called arachidonic acid in the brains of the Alzheimer's mice.
"Feats of Strength" Mike at 10:30/1:00/3:30
"Super Bryan" at 11:00/1:30/4:00
"Jorgy" Josh at 11:15/1:45/4:15
"Stav" Stavros 11:15/1:45/4:15
"Super Shannon" 11:15/1:45/4:15
"JJ" Jeremy 11:30/2:00/4:30
"D-Roe" Darren 11:30/2:00/4:30
Many people think that cooking healthy meals has to be a difficult and time-consuming task. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. (And even if it was true, isn’t the extra effort worth it?) Others of you, meanwhile, are new to this whole Primal Lifestyle and are looking for quick and easy recipes to help you adjust to this new, healthier way of life! . . .
You may literally have to add it to your to-do list, but scheduling a good night's sleep could be one of the smartest health priorities you set. It's not just daytime drowsiness you risk when shortchanging yourself on your seven to eight hours. Possible health consequences of getting too little or poor sleep can involve the cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, and nervous systems. In addition to letting life get in the way of good sleep, between 50 and 70 million Americans suffer from a chronic sleep disorder—insomnia or sleep apnea, say—that affects daily functioning and impinges on health. Consider the research . . .
Jeremy goes in for some tire flips while Stavros provides encouragement (and Jamie and Jax yell from the sidelines).
Workout:
With a continuously running clock, perform 1 sumo deadlift high pull the first minute, 2 sumo deadlift high pulls the second minute, and continue adding one rep each minute until you can no longer complete the allotted reps in the minute.
The weight should be fairly heavy. If you are unsure about the weight, intermediate/advanced men should use approximately half their body weight, intermediate/advanced women should use about 1/3rd.
Post weight used and number of complete minutes and additional reps to comments.
I have been following the Palaeolithic lifestyle for nearly a year now. You may know it as the ‘caveman diet’, although this does not do justice to the concept.
The premise is that by eating what our ancestors ate and exercising as they exercised, we optimise our health and fitness. Since they ate like this and exercised like this for hundreds of thousands of years, natural selection dictates that our bodies will be designed to function best under those conditions. . .
Post thoughts to comments.
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The "Big Girls Don't Cry" Competition is THIS SUNDAY. Please post below if you are going to be able to swing by and cheer some of our own as we compete against other top CrossFitters! (There is also a few open slots, so let me know if you are interested).
"For those of you who don’t know, I sit on the board as a medical advisor for a local non-profit melanoma foundation, SCARF. SCARF was founded in honor of Sherri Tennant, a nurse who worked with us at Diablo Valley Oncology. She was an amazing and courageous woman who unfortunately lost her battle with melanoma in 2006. SCARF’s mission is to educate the community about prevention and early detection of melanoma. Rocco’s pizzeria is hosting a fundraiser for SCARF on Thursday, October 23rd. All you have to do is either dine in or order take out from Rocco’s anytime on the 23rd, mention SCARF, and 25% of the net proceeds go to our NPO. I will be there most of the evening, eating pizza, probably drinking beer, and pretending to watch the world series…I would LOVE to see all of you. Please bring family and friends!"
If you don't come to the Shed tonight, I expect you to swing by Rocco's and support such a good cause. If you do come to the Shed, I expect you all to have some post workout nutrition at Roccos. DON'T FORGET TO MENTION SCARF! -jj
I was involved in a discussion recently where the statement of “red meat causes colon cancer” was spoken. Figuring that to be a gross over generalization, I decided to do some sleuthing and see what the record shows regarding red meat and colon cancer. I meandered over to Google, typed in “red meat” and came up with a screen full of search results. Of the first five hits, four are irrelevant (a comic strip called “Red Meat” and a honky tonk band called…”Red Meat”) and the fifth is to Wikipedia. . .
"In the Palos Verdes Mall (Lunardi's and Rite-Aid) is RAW Center For Strength. They are having an open house, tomorrow (Sunday). I talked to the head trainer (Tom), and he welcomed us to come down for their "Fitness Competition". We'll have the opportunity to compete in such events as Push Press, Sled Drags, Tire Flips and Farmer's Walks. He said it would be similar to what we do in Crossfit, only HEAVIER! For example, they do their Farmer's Walks with 100 pound dumbells. Even if you don't want to do the competition, it might be nice to network with another group of trainers and oooh and ahhh over their pretty bars, racks and lifting platforms."
"I told him to expect us at 11:30am (which is when they have their strongman demo). Fitness competition is at noon, but we need to be there around 11:30am."
For those of you who don’t know, I sit on the board as a medical advisor for a local non-profit melanoma foundation, SCARF. SCARF was founded in honor of Sherri Tennant, a nurse who worked with us at Diablo Valley Oncology. She was an amazing and courageous woman who unfortunately lost her battle with melanoma in 2006. SCARF’s mission is to educate the community about prevention and early detection of melanoma. Rocco’s pizzeria is hosting a fundraiser for SCARF on Thursday, October 23rd. All you have to do is either dine in or order take out from Rocco’s anytime on the 23rd, mention SCARF, and 25% of the net proceeds go to our NPO. I will be there most of the evening, eating pizza, probably drinking beer, and pretending to watch the world series…I would LOVE to see all of you. Please bring family and friends!
I know we are promote "Paleo" dieting and "The Zone" but this is for a good cause. . . besides, if you scrape off all the toppings and don't eat the bread, pizzas aren't that bad for you. And Beer is always 'good'. -jj
Carry is getting ready for the "Big Girls Don't Cry" Competition a week from Sunday. What have you trained for lately?
Workout:
Sadly, it looks like we have another Hero Workout from CrossFit.com
Canadian Army Master Corporal Erin Doyle, 32, was killed in a firefight August 11th, 2008 in the Panjwaii District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. He is survived by his wife Nicole and his daughter Zarine.
"Erin"
Five rounds for time of:
40 pound Dumbbells split clean, 15 reps
21 Pull-ups
Many may say that weight gain is caused because of increased cravings and the sugar response of the brain from the artificial sweeteners (which may or may not be true). But if you start to see that weight gain around the face and center of the body (stomach especially) then there is another issue at heart. In fact if you are showing any signs of fatigue, headaches, muscle/join pain, loss of motivation….then you could be suffering from adrenal fatigue. . .
Maplewood, Missouri Firefighter, Ryan Hummert, 22, was killed by sniper fire July 21st 2008 when he stepped off his fire truck responding to a call. He is survived by his parents Andrew and Jackie Hummert.
Full article here.
"Ryan"
Five rounds for time of:
7 Muscle-ups
21 Burpees
Post time to comments.
Each burpee terminates with a jump one foot above max standing reach.
"Moody, an eight-year veteran, was headed north on Marina Bay Parkway at 8:05 a.m. Saturday, answering an officer's call for more help during an assault call, when he lost control of his Ford Crown Victoria police cruiser and slammed sideways into a light pole near Regatta Boulevard"
Previous studies have shown that air pollution may promote other disease states through inflammation, and the researchers said this was the most likely explanation for their finding. . .
. . .it was possible that air pollution had an impact on blood flow in the gut which in theory could make obstruction of the neck of the appendix more likely.
However, he said any impact was likely to be more longer term, with prolonged periods of air pollution possibly causing dehydration, which might raise the risk of damage to the appendix.
. . . The research stems from recent explorations into the problem called metabolic inflammation, a by-product of too much food or energy consumption. Unlike the classical inflammation typically observed in infections, injuries and diseases such as cancer, the metabolic inflammation seen in obesity-related diseases is much milder, doesn't lead to overt symptoms or cause tissues damage.
"Metabolic inflammation is a chronic, low-grade condition consisting of inflammatory-like responses at the molecular level. It has many downstream consequences," says Cai. "It causes cellular dysfunction, which can decrease the regulation of several physiological processes, including metabolism." . . .
