September 14, 2009
090915 Tuesday
Holley does broad jumps faster than light.
Olympic Weightlifting Warm up: Overhead squat, 3 sets of 8. Start light and add weight if you feel comfortable.
Workout: 7 rounds for time of:
10 Sumo-deadlift high-pulls (95lbs men, 65lbs women).
10 Ring dips.
Record total time.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Article from the "Life Spotlight": If running is so natural, why are 80% of runners suffering from some kind of injury right now?
". . .But what are we also seeing? Running injuries on the rise (especially knee pain)….so much that there is whole industry that just caters to those running injuries including 100s of special running shoes, all sorts of knee braces, expensive custom shoe inserts, and what seems to be an orthopedic surgeon on every corner.
Seriously, if running is naturally this destructive then why aren’t some other nations that spend their life running daily in wheelchairs for life?
Doctors and other people treating runners with injuries are quick to blame muscle imbalances, inflexibility issues, or even some “genetic” (the biggest cop out in modern medical treatment) disorder to your foot. While some of the issues may be true, the question becomes how do you fix or prevent them.
The biggest question however may just be what if our modern attempts at making a “better way to run” was in fact just taking us in the other direction? What if we are doing this to ourselves? . ."
Click here for complete article.
Video highlighted in the article:
Posted by Jeremy Jones at 3:50 PM | Comments (32)
September 3, 2009
090904 Friday
+++All usual classes canceled on Monday. Special 8am class on Monday, Open gym from 12:00 - 3:00 for those looking for a later workout.+++
Stavros, post 1/2 Marathon (Santa Rosa Inaugural) last weekend (he sure looks happy doesn't he?) Click 'continue reading' below to see his account of the race.
Workout: As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes
- Burpee Broad jump 60' (15 four foot tiles - the short way or 10 tiles the long way)*
- 10 handstand push ups on paralettes (shoulders to hands, no partial reps. Put feet or knees on a box if necessary to get full range of motion)
*See video below at 6:00 for description. Feel free to launch yourself forward on the push up portion after you squat down.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Burpee Info:
The Burpee from Patrick Cummings on Vimeo.
(Video from Jon Gilson at Again Faster)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
LABOR DAY BBQ - OPEN HOUSE!
Come to our Barbecue on Monday! We'll supply the grill, you bring any meat and beverages you might want. Bring your family and friends. It will be a blast!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Yesterday I ran my first Half-Marathon. It was during the inaugural "Santa Rosa Marathon" that took place in downtown Santa Rosa.
Up until the race, I had never run more than a 10k, and those were at then end of Olympic Distance Triathlons. I signed up for this race with a group from Local 1401, our firefighters union. Going into the race, I did not know what to expect, or how my body would feel compared to a triathlon. I figured it would be similar effort and timeframe as any Olympic tri. In preparing for the race, I pretty much stuck to my standard 3-sport training schedule. The last couple weeks heading into the race I spent a bit more time running, a handful of 30-50 minute runs, and some interval/sprint work.
Race day came quickly, and without rest. The night before at work was chaotic, and surprise, I only got a couple hours sleep before race day (that seems to ALWAYS happen). I ate a bit more than usual pre-race, maybe too much, but oh well. I had some Peet's and water and headed to the race. There were roughly 600 people racing and we lined up according to "pace", I jumped in between the 6-7min and 8-9min. One of my main goals was not to "take the bait" in the beginning of the race. Meaning, stick to my strategy, start at a comfortable pace...and if I feel good at halfway point, speed up. The pace I was aiming for was 7:30 miles, and my race goal was 1:45 overall time.
The gun went off and we started running. Of course tons of people flew out of the gate...I definitely felt tempted, but stuck to my plan. Mile #1, 7:41, felt good and loose at the end of it, ramped up just a bit. Mile #2 felt good, still getting loose and finding stride, 7:33. At Mile #3, the pack thinned a bit, which was fine with me, 7:34. We were on pavement, running next to Santa Rosa Creek. Mile #4, feeling better and they had the 5k distance marked, I crossed at 22 or so, good pace, 7:22 for the mile. Mile #5 I ran with a couple of guys, we chatted about CDA Ironman Triathlon, and how they were both going to do it next year...they weren't interested in keeping a 7:30 pace though, so I said cya, 7:31 that mile. Mile #6 felt good also, 7:28. I was comfortable so far at this distance, I was used to running this far at the end of a triathlon. I didn't feel fatigued and my body felt fresh. Mile #7 things changed a bit, a bug flew in my eye, I couldn't get it out and it threw me off a bit, managed a 7:42. I needed to get back on pace for Mile #8 so it took some concentration and found some people to chase, 7:30 for that one, back on pace! Mile #9, I started to feel the fatigue setting into my legs, knees, and feet. Still wasn't breathing that hard though, 7:28. At this point, I knew I had a few miles left, and no more than a half hour of running. I decided to push a bit harder. Racers in front of me were slowing, and I was catching people, which charged me up. Right around this point, I knew I had a chance at sub 1:40 overall time, I wanted to go for it. Mile #10 took me 7:22, my fastest pace yet. Mile #11 was tough, the course was on gravel and it really started to hurt my feet, there were a number of switchbacks this mile, didn't feel that great, 7:30. Only 2 miles and change left, time to PUSH. Mile #12 took some mental effort, as well as pushing myself, I passed a handful of racers and gained some momentum, 7:07, by far my fastest. Mile #13 , I don't remember that much about it, except that I was hurting, and pushing hard, 7:12. The 1/10th took me 39 seconds. I crossed the finish line in as close to a sprint as I could, feeling tired but strong. I stopped my watch and looked up.
My total time was 1:37.43
I am VERY happy about that time, I felt comfortable pushing for a 1:45, but when sub 1:40 was in reach, I knew I had to grit it out. It was worth the pain. The finish put me 36th overall (out of 500 1/2 marathoners), and 5th out of my age group (the winner of my age group finished in 1:14...WTF!?).
I'm definitely more "beat up" than after a triathlon, it's the day after and my left leg, ankle still hurt. It was great to see others from my department on the course, and to have my buddy Jan run the last couple miles with me, and then see Jaz and the kids at the finish line. Good times! I can't see myself doing many more of these, unless they're at the end of a triathlon, same goes for a full marathon. But, I'm very glad I did it!"
-Stavros
Posted by Jeremy Jones at 3:12 PM | Comments (18)
June 30, 2009
090701 WEDNESDAY "Happy Birthday Stav!"
Happy Birthday Stavros! (and No, he is not 400 - or 40 for that matter).
Olympic Weightlifting warm up.
Workout: 4 rounds for time.
Run 400m
Rest 2 minutes
Post 400m times for each round to comments.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Article (I guess I better post it because I had a bunch of people email me! Don't get me wrong though, I do like it when people email me good articles. -jj):
Can you get fit in 6 minutes a week?
“. . .There was a time when the scientific literature suggested that the only way to achieve endurance was through endurance-type activities,” such as long runs or bike rides or, perhaps, six-hour swims, . . . Gibala and his colleagues had a group of college students, who were healthy but not athletes, ride a stationary bike at a sustainable pace for between 90 and 120 minutes. Another set of students grunted through a series of short, strenuous intervals: 20 to 30 seconds of cycling at the highest intensity the riders could stand. After resting for four minutes, the students pedaled hard again for another 20 to 30 seconds, repeating the cycle four to six times (depending on how much each person could stand), “for a total of two to three minutes of very intense exercise per training session,” Gibala says.
Each of the two groups exercised three times a week. After two weeks, both groups showed almost identical increases in their endurance (as measured in a stationary bicycle time trial), even though the one group had exercised for six to nine minutes per week, and the other about five hours. Additionally, molecular changes that signal increased fitness were evident equally in both groups. “The number and size of the mitochondria within the muscles” of the students had increased significantly, Gibala says, a change that, before this work, had been associated almost exclusively with prolonged endurance training. Since mitochondria enable muscle cells to use oxygen to create energy, “changes in the volume of the mitochondria can have a big impact on endurance performance.” In other words, six minutes or so a week of hard exercise (plus the time spent warming up, cooling down, and resting between the bouts of intense work) had proven to be as good as multiple hours of working out for achieving fitness. . ."
Click here for complete article.
Posted by Jeremy Jones at 10:00 PM | Comments (71)
April 21, 2009
090422 WEDNESDAY
Diablo CrossFit gets a new freezer (and the bullies at the gym try to stuff Darren in it).
Workout:
SoCal Regional Qualifier No. 2
3 Rounds for time of:
450m Run (run the wide loop on the way out and on the way in to add the extra distance)
30 Overhead Squats x 95#men, 65# women, or less in order to do the squat with proper depth
Post time to comments (and where you would have placed by clicking here for men's rankings and here for women's rankings).
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Article from "Mark's Daily Apple"
Did Humans evolve to be long distance runners?
". . .Most anthropologists would agree we didn’t evolve to swim. We learned how to make our way through water without drowning and we do it pretty effectively for a land mammal. That doesn’t make it natural or adaptive. Similarly, I say we learned to run marathons when we had the luxury of unlimited carbohydrates. That doesn’t make it adaptive or natural. . ."
Click here for complete article.
Post thoughts to comments.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Videos:
Found these on CrossFit One World today (I couldn't find them on Monday when we did jerks).
Posted by Jeremy Jones at 3:51 PM | Comments (30)
March 28, 2009
090329 SUNDAY
Need extra weight to deadlift? Filip and Jordan are for hire.
Workout: For time.
Run 800m
30 chest to bar pull ups
12 strict handstand push ups
Run 800m
20 chest to bar pull ups
8 strict handstand push ups
Run 800m
10 chest to bar pull ups
4 strict handstand push ups
Use parallettes to allow your head to go past your hands if possible.
Post time to comments.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Article:
CrossFit is dangerous? What about marathons and triathlons?
". . . Statistics show that for every million participants in these 26.2-mile running races, there will be four to eight deaths.
The rate for triathletes is far higher - 15 out of a million, the new study shows. Almost all occurred during the swim portion, usually the first event. . ."
Click here for complete article.
Post thoughts to comments.
Posted by Jeremy Jones at 9:43 PM | Comments (21)
March 26, 2009
090327 FRIDAY "Elizabeth"
+++Oly and Muay Thai Canceled Tomorrow! (10am and 3pm class as usual)+++
Jan (center, in red) leads a group of cyclists back from one of his Saturday rides. The riders leave every Saturday at 7:45am from the DCF parking lot.
Workout: "Elizabeth"
For time.
21 - 15 - 9 reps
135lb squat cleans (sub 95, 65 or even a medicine ball if form work is needed)
Ring dips
Post time to comments.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Article:
Another nail in the coffin for high fructose corn syrup: "Fructose metabolism in the brain increases food intake and obesity"
". . .M. Daniel Lane and co-workers at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore have now pulled together work, largely in their laboratory (many papers beginning in 2000), dealing with the role of malonyl-CoA in the signaling system in the brain (specifically the hypothalamus) that has inputs into the higher brain centers that determine feeding behavior, most notably appetite. Two papers in the journal PNAS in 2007 and 2008 showed that glucose and fructose act quite differently in the brain (hypothalamus) - glucose decreasing food intake and fructose increasing food intake. Both of these sugars signal in the brain through the malonyl-CoA signaling pathway and have inverse effects on food intake. . ."
Click here for the complete article.
Post thoughts to comments.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Events This Saturday!:
- Diablo CrossFit Ladies Night starts at Manora's, then moves over to the Holy Cow across the street. Email Yvonne if you'd like to attend.
- Don't forget to sponsor one of our 'Stair Climbers' climbing the Bank of America Building Tomorrow to raise money for Lung Cancer research.
- Also (for those of you not going to the San Francisco climb), CrossFit Oakland is hosting a fund raising event for the 4 Oakland Police Officers killed last weekend (Sgt Mark Dunakin, Officer John Hege, Sgt Daniel Sakai, and Sgt Ervin Romans), The event will go from 9a.m. to 11a.m at CrossFit Oakland.
Please post to comments if you wish to go (so we can arrange a carpool).
If you can't make it and would just like to donate some money. We are collecting at the gym. Just give a check or cash to any trainer and we'll make sure it gets to the families of the fallen officers.
Posted by Jeremy Jones at 8:41 PM | Comments (29)
March 2, 2009
090302 TUESDAY
+++Bike rides and Trail Runs every Saturday! See below for details.+++
On Friday, Diablo CrossFit had close to 20 people do "Murph" as prescribed. With more than 5 20lb weight vests, I never expected there to be a time when there would be a line for people waiting to do "Murph" (Bryan, Jesse, Craig-wearing a weighted belt, Shannon-raising the roof, and Holly).
Workout:
30 muscle ups for time.
If you cannot do a muscle up, perform 90 "chest to bar" pull ups and 90 "shoulders touching rings" dips. Partition the reps as needed.
Post time to comments.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Article:
Unhappy children end up Un-well in later life.
Researchers found those described as "miserable" or "unhappy" by teachers were five times more likely to be off work through ill-health in middle age.They said these children were also likely to be more prone to depression.
Click here for complete article.
Post thoughts to comments.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Saturday Bike Rides and Trail Runs!
With the help of our resident Triathlon Guru: Jan Maynard, Diablo CrossFit is going to be helping host and organize training for Triathlons for those DCFers who are interested. It is also a fun way for us to get some additional variety in our training by doing some swimming, cycling, and running outside of the gym.
Bike Rides
From Jan:
"This will be a weekly ride leaving from DCF at 8:00 sharp try to be there by 7:45. All levels welcome. It will be a "no drop ride" meaning you will not ride alone. We will start with shorter rides and work are way up in mileage through out the next couple months so that everyone can become comfortable riding in a group. If there is rain in the forecast please check the DCF web page the evening before in case the ride is canceled due to torrential down poor. Be safe and wear proper bike attire (helmet).
This week we will be riding up to the turnout on Cummings Sky Way. This ride has a couple of easy to moderate climbs and once you get on to Alhambra there is very little car traffic. There is no water at the turn around so make sure that you carry enough water and nutrition to get you trough a 2 hour ride. It is 25 miles round trip from DCF. Please email Jan directly if you are interested in coming out so that he has a idea of who is coming. See you all out there."
Click here for a Google map of the route
Trail Runs
From Jan:
"We will meet at the corner of Stage dr. and Reliez Valley Rd. at 2:45 and the run will start at 3:00pm. The loop is 6 miles of very hilly running, I will be keeping the group together. This run will likely take 1:30 min to complete and is 90% on trail. There is water 3 1/2 miles into the run. I will be running rain or shine every Saturday that I am in town. Any one that can run close to 6 miles are welcome, your pace doesn't matter."
Click here to see the trail loop.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The "Tri for Fun" is a series of Triathlons in the Pleasanton area that many beginner and intermediate Triathletes enter. Some of you might remember that Stavros entered last year and fairly well (with little to no 'Triathlon' training).
Here are the details:
Tri for fun #1 6/20/09
Tri for fun #2 7/18/09
Tri for fun #3 8/15/09 http://onyourmarkevents.com/TriForFunInfo.htm
Tri For Real 9/20/09 http://onyourmarkevents.com/TriForRealInfo.htm
Post to comments if you are interested in the weekly rides, trail runs or doing some Triathlons this year.
Posted by Jeremy Jones at 10:44 PM | Comments (23)