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.
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
+++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.
+++ 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. . .
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 . . .
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. . .
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.
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 . . .
Our very own Stavros and Darren are down fighting the fires in LA (as well as DCFer Julie D, and others - not shown obviously). Stay safe down there everyone!
Workout:
As Many Rounds as Possible in 20 minutes:
5 Handstand push ups (head below your hands at the bottom if possible)
10 knees to elbows
20 double unders
Post rounds and fractions of rounds completed to comments.
Darren Scored the best of the DCFers with a 12:32 (the top scorer Donny Shankle got 12:08, and he had completed a form of the course before). You can also see DCF'er Chris W watching in the background.
And yes. . . you might have already seen the trophy at the Shed. You are looking at the 2008 RAW Center for Strength Hotdog eating champion - Jeremy Jones. CrossFit prepares you for everything.
And here is a video of the final "eat off" of two hotdogs as fast as you can (to break a 3-way tie):
Here is also a bonus Video of California Strength's Martin Pashov Cleaning and 'nearly' jerking 200 Kilos (440lbs) after a brief warm up (i.e. he did it as a quick demo). Martin is lifts in the 105K weight class (230lbs)
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. . .
And unfortunately from CrossFit.com we have another Hero Workout (not to be completed the same day as the Deadlifts):
SO1 Joshua Thomas Harris, 36, drowned during combat operations, August 30th 2008 in Afghanistan. He is survived by his parents Dr. Sam and Evelyn Harris, his brother Ranchor and twin sister Kiki.
"Mr. Joshua"
Five rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
30 Glute-ham sit-ups
250 pound Deadlift, 15 reps
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.
. . .Why does this matter? It matters whether you care about competing or whether you don't.
If you care about competing, then you want to make sure that you're on a level playing field and that the competition is fair. If I were to challenge someone to a 400m run and then run 300m while my competitor runs 400m, then our performances aren't really comparable (to say nothing of the fact that I cheated). In the same vein, if I challenge someone to max number of push presses in one minute, and then proceed to do push jerks while my competitor does push presses, then once again, our performances are not comparable. It's apples and oranges. I wanna level the playing field.
If you don't care about competing, but you do care about making improvements in the movements we do, then you'll want to take note of our movement standards as well. If you have it as a goal to squat 250 lbs, you'll want to know what the correct bottom of a squat is so that you can get it. If you load 250 lbs on the bar and then go down into a half-squat and come back up, then you really haven't done a squat. . .
Mike really lays it out nice in this article. I couldn't have said it better myself. -jj
Dr. Ron Rosedale talks about common cholesterol myths. (The video is a little quirky, as it is an audio discussion pasted over some film footage, but the talking points are great).
Donna hitting the 8' mark during her fight gone bad wall ball.
Workout:
Workout: "Elevation"
In 20 minutes, try to accumulate as many feet of "Elevation" as possible using the following exercises. Next to each exercise is the number we used for distance at the SHED. If you are doing this at on your own, you may change the values to what you have to work with. We also gave two different scores based upon height (over 6 foot is on the left, under 6 foot is on the right).
Rope Climb: 6 foot and up = 11 / 6 foot and under = 12
Muscle Up (bar or rings): 5 / 4
Pull Up: 2.5 / 2
Ring Dip: 2 / 1.5
Box Jump (same for both heights): big box = 3, med box = 2, small box = 1
Step ups (same for both heights): big box = 1.5, med box = 1, small box = 0.5
Post total number of "Feet" accumulated in the 20 minutes.
. . .For those wondering what role testosterone plays in the body, here are just a few of the irritations brought about by this hormone: enhanced libido, increased energy, increased production of red blood cells and protection against osteoporosis. And who would want all of that stuff? Not me! Read on to learn the ways you can make sure you keep your testosterone levels as low as possible, ensuring a lack of sex drive and low energy levels. . .
+++MUAY THAI CANCELED TODAY! CLASS AT 10am STILL ON!+++
The Event starts at 11:00am and will go to approximately 2pm. Bring your friends and family, this event is open to the public!
Ramon takes a quick breath while doing box jumps. Remember that it is usually a good idea to rest on top of the box as opposed to on the ground. This makes the starting rep of your next set easier.
In this workout you 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. This event calls for 3 rounds. 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.
1. Class A: Standard Men = 75 lb PP and High Pull, 20lb Wall Ball and 20in Box
2. Class B: Modified Men/Standard Women = 55 lb PP and High Pull, 14lb Wall Ball and 20in Box
3. Class C: Intermediate = 35 lb PP and High Pull, 8lb Wall Ball and 20in Box (step ups are okay)
4. Class D: Beginner/Kids = 15lb PP and High Pull, 4lb Wall Ball (can be lowered 2in from standard height) and 10in Box
"Probably the most common condition that hinders athletic performance is tight hamstrings. Short tight hamstrings impede athletic performance in one simple but important way: they restrict the closing of the hip joint, i.e. they limit the anterior tilt of the pelvis. This restriction on the movement of the pelvis results in the muscles of the lower back taking up the slack. The negative impact is twofold: 1) the range of motion of the hips is restricted which reduces the power that can be produced by the hips; and 2) the lower back is put into flexion and thus susceptible to injury."
And for those of you who haven't been around long enough. . . it is time to choose your three benchmarks to be completed before the end of the year. The requirements are that you choose at least one for each category:
Then work as hard as you can to achieve that goal by the end of the year.
Post them here if you haven't got them listed on one of the older posts already. Do it now. It is important that you do it publicly. We will encourage and help you.
You have got to the end of the year to get them done, so don't cheap out and pick easy stuff. Go big, but realistic. You will be amazed what you can accomplish with a deadline (as opposed to a 'resolution')
Darren Rosten with Tony Budding at the CrossFit Cert at CrossFit One World (Jeremy and Jax Jones visiting Sunday afternoon on the right).
Darren was paying close attention to Adrian Bozman's lecture on CF programming (seriously, I had to get his attention so that he would give me the horns for the photo).
Darren repping the horns in the middle again. You can also see old DCF regulars Burton and Charmane (Char is on Burton's shoulders) as well as Dustin Joseph in the crowd as well (all in the center pic). We hope to see you all again at the Shed soon!
Workout: "Grace"
135 lb Clean and Jerk, 30 reps for time.
(Power cleans and push presses allowed: i.e. "overhead anyhow")
Post time to comments.
Video: Crossfit Signature Workout Grace... 135 lb Clean and Press performed in Austin TX
“I say to you, this morning, that if you have never found something so dear and precious to you that you will die for it, then you aren’t fit to live.
You may be 38 years old, as I happen to be, and one day, some great opportunity stands before you and calls upon you to stand for some great principle, some great issue, some great cause. And you refuse to do it because you are afraid.
You refuse to do it because you want to live longer. You’re afraid that you will lose your job, or you are afraid that you will be criticized or that you will lose your popularity, or you’re afraid that somebody will stab or shoot or bomb your house. So you refuse to take a stand.
Well, you may go on and live until you are ninety, but you are just as dead at 38 as you would be at ninety.
And the cessation of breathing in your life is but the belated announcement of an earlier death of the spirit.
You died when you refused to stand up for right.
You died when you refused to stand up for truth.
You died when you refused to stand up for justice.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
From the sermon “But, If Not” delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church on November 5, 1967.
Copied directly from the the Fight Gone Bad III website, you can find out rules, weights, scaling, how to get a shirt, and how to win our gym $2500 in equipment!
Fight Gone Bad III Fundraiser "Rules of Engagement"
* The CrossFit workout will be 'Fight Gone Bad'. In this workout you 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. This event calls for 3 rounds. 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. The stations are:
1. Wall-ball, 8 ft target (Reps)
2. Deadlift high-pull (Reps)
3. Box jump (Reps)
4. Push-press (Reps)
5. Row (Calories)
* To compete in the workout, all participants must complete each of the following:
1. Register with their local CrossFit Affiliate Center by Wednesday, September 24, 2008
2. Register with Athletes for a Cure at http://athletes.kintera.org/crossfit08 by Wednesday, September 24, 2008
3. Raise $150 or more in pledges by 5 pm PDT on Saturday, September 27, 2008
4. All donations counting toward the awards must be received by 5 pm PDT September 29, 2008.
* The four divisions are:
1. Class A: Standard Men = 75 lb PP and High Pull, 20lb Wall Ball and 20in Box
2. Class B: Modified Men/Standard Women = 55 lb PP and High Pull, 14lb Wall Ball and 20in Box
3. Class C: Intermediate = 35 lb PP and High Pull, 8lb Wall Ball and 20in Box (step ups are okay)
4. Class D: Beginner/Kids = 15lb PP and High Pull, 4lb Wall Ball (can be lowered 2in from standard height) and 10in Box
Awards
* Any participant who raises $150 or more will receive an official event T-shirt.
* High Score Individual Awards: Highest score in each division (male and female)
o Top 3 national scorers in each division will receive a Custom Sterling Silver, Hand-Stamped Dog Tags set with the winner's name and facility on one tag and their score, location and FGB III on the other tag, with a sterling chain.
o Each facility must designate one male and one female as their potential high scorer in each division. These will be the participants in the scoring division.
o Facility owners of the winning high scorers will also receive Custom Sterling Silver, Hand-Stamped Dog Tags.
o To be eligible for the individual scoring award the facility must submit an uploaded YouTube video of the designated scorer's September 27th FGB no later than 7 days post event, and email the link to FGB3@athletesforacure.org. Winners will be judged by an anonymous panel of Crossfit judges. Any potential winner who fails to meet the Crossfit standards for FGB will be ineligible for awards.
* Highest Fundraising Facility Awards
o More than 25 participants: $2500 gift certificate to Bigger, Faster, Stronger
o 25 participants or LESS: $2500 gift certificate to Bigger, Faster, Stronger
o If a smaller club raises more funds than the larger highest fundraising facility, we will grant them the entire $5000!
o Any owner of a facility that raises more than $10,000 will also receive Custom Sterling Silver, Hand-Stamped Dog Tags.
* Last year’s highest fundraising facilities were:
o More than 25 Participants: Petranek Fitness- $35,872.69
o 25 Participants or Less: CrossFit Boston - $28,795.00
From left to right: Brian Nesmith, Jeremy Jones, Jax Jones (being held), and the great Dan John at the 2008 Highland Games in Pleasanton.
Dan imparting some wisdom upon Jax and I:
And this is me enjoying some Haggis:
Workout: "Manual Labor"
Perform as many rounds as possible in 30 minutes of:
100m Farmer Carry (45lb dumbbells for men, 25lb dbs for women)
20 Sledge Hammer swings (16lb sledge for men, 10lb sledge for women)
20 Virtual Shoveling over 1' barrier (45lb bar +45lb plate for men, 25lb plate for women)
50m tire flip (men - large tire, women - smaller tire)
50m sled drag (tire sled on asphalt, men - 53lb, women - 35lb)
Post rounds and fractions of rounds completed to comments.
080831 SUNDAY "FGB Fundraiser team website is up!"
Jasmine nailed her first kipping pull up last week (you can see by the expression on her face that it took a lot of concentration).
Workout:
Perform 1 thruster the first minute, 2 thrusters the second minute, 3 thrusters the third minute and so on until you can no longer complete the number of thrusters in the allotted minute.
The carcinogen affected the activity of some 2,200 genes in the animals' esophagus in only one week, but 460 of those genes were restored to normal activity in animals that consumed freeze-dried black raspberry powder as part of their diet during the exposure.
Below is a link to the Diablo CrossFit Fight Gone Bad Team web page. People wishing to participate at The Shed should register on the 'Athletes for a Cure' website and sign up for the DCF team.
Do it right away so you can invite lots of your friends and family to contribute to the cause. Spectators for the fundraiser are encouraged and there will be prizes and food as well as the event itself.
Make sure you mark your calendar on Saturday, September 27th!
Everyone needs to thank Dave (second from left) for getting DCF a nice new digital timer/clock. No more mini stop watches for class. It should be easy for everyone to see where they are at every class workout.
Hardway Bryan, Carry, and Rhodes throwing some DCF horns while wearing their 20lb weight vests before Murph.
(and below is Carry completing "Murph" as prescribed - all 100 pull ups and push ups with the 20lb weight vest on - not to mention the 2 miles of running and 300 squats).
"The majority of Slow Food Nation events will be held in two locations— San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza and Fort Mason Center. For those on a budget, Civic Center Plaza is the place to go. In the center of the plaza is the Victory Garden, a beautifully designed edible art project that serves as the anchor for a bustling marketplace of sustainable food vendors. Throughout the weekend, a free stage will feature a variety of dance, music, poetry, and theatre performances.
But the heart of the Slow Food Nation weekend will be found several blocks away, at Fort Mason Center, home to 15 Taste Pavilions. A collection of food demonstration and tasting centers, the Taste Pavilions will showcase a wide range of American food and drink — from heirloom hams to handmade ice cream. Admission is $65 for adults ($45 for 21 and under) for a four-hour lunch or dinner tasting experience."
"Consistency is possibly the most important part of an exercise program. Even if you use the best exercise program in existence (i.e. CrossFit) and give 100% effort when you work out, if you're only doing it once a month it will have little effect on your overall health and fitness. Additionally, you must have consistency before intensity. If you are not consistent enough to get to the point where you can add intensity, you are really missing out on results..."
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27th FIGHT GONE BAD FUNDRAISER!!!
We plan on having another barbecue, as well as hosting the fundraiser so mark your calendars.
We are recommending that everyone wishing to participate get "sponsored" by their friends, family and co-workers. The 'average' donation rates will be $0.10 per point up to $1.00 per point. Hopefully we can get some forms made for you to recruit people.
Details Here.
Please leave a comment below if you wish to participate.
The mechanism of leptin's glucose-lowering action appears to involve the suppression of glucagon, a hormone produced by the pancreas that raises glucose levels. Normally, glucagon is released when the glucose, or sugar, level in the blood is low. In insulin deficiency, however, glucagon levels are inappropriately high and cause the liver to release excessive amounts of glucose into the bloodstream. This action is opposed by insulin, which tells the body's cells to remove sugar from the bloodstream. . .
Dr. Yu said the research team hypothesizes that leptin combats diabetes not only be suppressing glucagon's action on the liver, but also by boosting the insulin-like actions of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1), a hormone that promotes growth and mimics insulin.
"One of the things that happens when a child gets type 1 diabetes is their growth is stunted until they're given insulin," Dr. Unger said. "The same is true with these mice. However, we found that if you take a diabetic rat that's not receiving insulin and make it hyperleptinemic, it almost catches up growthwise."
Whether you are doing Gymnastics, Olympic weightlifting, Crossfit, or manual labor, your hands take a beating. Your hands and wrists are susceptible to carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, strains, sprains and all sorts of trauma. Doing some or all of the following things can help keep you injury-free and prevent your training from getting derailed. . .
Last time, we started looking at the physiological effects of fasting. I first looked at it from the perspective of energy production. As we saw, fasting has several effects on hormones, such as glucagon, epinephrine, and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). These hormonal effects allow the body to tap into its stored energy reserves so you can keep on trucking. Today, I want to look at a few additional hormonal effects. Part of the problem we run into is that studies thus far have been done on long-term fasting of multiple days, whereas we’re more interested in the short-term effects of Intermittent Fasting. So we’re going to have to do some educated theorizing. . .
. . .If we look at growth hormone (hGH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF), we also see increases during fasting. As Robb pointed out, these two hormones “are crucial in actions such as tissue repair, hypertrophy, DNA repair, lypolysis, and, to some degree, strength.” That seems to bode well for those of us engaged in intense activity and could explain why so many people report improved workout recovery while IFing. And while IGF has been linked to some forms of cancer, animals tested on IF protocols have shown increased IGF levels, but decreased levels of disease. . .
Well, yes, I've lost 50 lbs and 3-4 clothing sizes, so buying a new wardrobe has been fun. . .
But not having to go to a chiropractor for back and neck pains is even better.
There's pain in Crossfit, for sure, but the kind you earn and feel good about...the pain of accomplishment. See, it's not just about looking cute, it's about feeling amazing.
Feeling lighter, faster, more agile...getting my reflexes back!
At 37, I thought my aches and pains and slowness were from getting old. Nope, it's from carrying around what is the equivalent of kindergardener, all the time. Now, at 38, I feel healthier and fitter than when I was in my 20's, and my 19 year old daughter can barely keep up.
There are many things I love about Crossfit but the first thing is that there are no limits.
You think you've hit a limit and you come back a week or 2 later and you go even further or faster. I told people I did 600 squats total the past week and they looked at me like I'm insane...and I'm thinking "I could have done more".
The other thing I love most about Crossfit is that I'm never alone.
I've taken classes at other gyms and there can be 50 people in a room, but we weren't working together or helping each other or challenging each other. Not so with Crossfit...whoever is there that day is cheering you on and pushing you, or they may be the person you are trying to beat...total interaction.
Anyway, thank you JJ, for introducing me to a better living...and to being better to myself!"
As you know, I’m a big fan of intermittent fasting, but this is an area of it that I’ve never really looked at. I’m going to break this into several posts because there’s a lot going on here and I don’t want to burden everyone with a novella. Today, we’ll look at how the body handles energy production during the fasting period, a good starting point given that, when you get down to it, an energy source and water are the only two requirements for the body to operate. . .
+++DON'T FORGET ABOUT OUR "FRIENDS AND FAMILY" DAY ONE WEEK FROM TODAY, PLEASE POST IF YOU ARE COMING AND WHAT YOU CAN BRING+++
There comes a time in every CrossFitter's life when you've gotta ask yourself: "What the HELL I AM I DOING?!" (For Dan, this came fairly early as he completed the Filthy Fifty as Rx'ed his first time! - NICE WORK).
You can see by Dan's expression that he is very happy with his decision.
An innovative study appearing in the August issue of The Journal of Sexual Medicine examined, for the first time, if noseless bicycle saddles would be an effective intervention for alleviating deleterious health effects, erectile dysfunction and groin numbness, caused by bicycling on the traditional saddle with a protruding nose extension. Results from this study may be useful for the estimated 5 million recreational cyclists to alleviate perineal discomfort and maintain sexual health. . .
Now is the time to bring all your friends and family to The Shed. Bring anyone who will come, especially the people who are on the cusp of getting started.
It is also going to be a going away party for Trainer Rick H. He is leaving us to go to school in San Jose (although secretly I think he might be trying to 'transfer' to CF unlimited or Jason Khalipa's affiliate - i.e. he has a man crush on him).
. . . I tell you that story to tell you this one. One lady had not heard of the French Paradox, so I explained it as, “the nonsense notion that it’s the red wine that protects the French from disease due to their high-fat diet.” One girl asked, “And why is it nonsense?” in a humorous way. I replied, “We can go there if you want, but this isn’t really the place.” Anywho, we moved on with the discussion of wine and the beverage industry as a whole. But let’s discuss the French Paradox. . .
I'm not eating much, I'm hungry, and I'm not losing weight.
If you've ever tried to lose weight, you've probably been in that dilemma before. What gives? It's time to take a look at what you're eating, rather than how much. You'll be surprised by how many calories some "small" meals contain. Let's compare a typical day of meals and see where you are missing out. . .
"More research is needed to determine the causes of early obesity including "information on family history and the dietary and exercise habits in infancy,"
Exercise habits in infancy!? That is just ridiculous. How about the dietary habits of the parents! -jj
This month's (Issue 43 for August 2008) Performance Menu has a great article on POSE running. Be sure to check it out! (Click the link on the right --->)
