July 13, 2010
Wednesday - July 14, 2010
Stav takes the Silver medal in the Triathlon portion of the Firefighter Olympics on Sunday then Julie took the Silver medal for the CrossFit portion on Monday (deadlifting 355)! Stav went on to compete in the CF stuff on Monday along with Kevin and Julie. Kevin got a personal record on his deadlift of 35 additional pounds in the middle of 3 other workouts! Click "continue reading" below for Stavros' full report. Way to represent!
Workout: As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes.
20 Box Jumps (Advanced: 24", Intermediate: 20", Novice: 12")
200m Bumper plate Farmer Carry (Advanced: 45lb, Intermediate: 25lb, Novice: 25lb dbs)
20 Push ups
Log your results online by clicking here.
Article: Exercise Bulimia hard to detect.
Olympic Lifting with Charles Staley This month!
July 31st and August 1st! $200 for DCF members (email jeremy for coupon code), $250 for non-members.
This seminar is open to the public and we do expect it to sell out Click here to sign up!
Charles runs a very successful gym, is a Masters competitor and runs a podcast called "Iron Radio" that you can listen to on his site or you can download from itunes.
Recently he had some CrossFit gyms on his show to talk about 'small group training' and one of the interviewees was yours truly! It is episode 58, and you can find it on itunes or listen/download it here!. After reviewing the podcast, I guess I ended up talking more than a lot of the other gym owners. . . I guess I am not surprised.
From Stavros:
"I did the triathlon on Sunday and got a silver medal in my division, I think I was the 5th Firefighter overall to finish. I was 6th in my age-group and 38th overall in the entire race. Today, Kevin, Julie, and myself competed in the Crossfit Comp. Julie took a silver medal! Kevin did amazing, he PR'd on deadlift by 35lbs (I'll check with him to be sure). I won my heat on the last WOD, the competition was amazing. Jeff Leonard took silver, so that should let you know how tough it was. Good stuff."
Posted by Jeremy Jones at 8:47 AM | Comments (12)
June 10, 2010
Friday - June 11, 2010
Billy and his 'mom' practice "Mother and son Fran".
Workout:
For Time:
800m Run
100 Push-ups
400m Run
100 Sit-up
200m Run
50 Push-ups
100m Run
50 Sit-up
Post total time.
(Intermediate: cut push ups and sit ups in half, Novice: cut push ups and sit ups in half and do knee push ups)
Log your results online by clicking here.
Article: Training 'breathing' muscles may increase excercise performance
Sports Basement Tomorrow at 2pm!
Free food and drinks, Free workout at 3:00, 20% off your entire purchase. It doesn't get much better than that.
All DCF Athletes, friends and family are welcome. It turns out that Father's Day is NEXT weekend, so you'll be buying your Father's Day gift a week early (like every good child should), but you'll still get the 20% off. And wise spending habits are something every Father can be proud of.
Posted by Jeremy Jones at 6:13 PM | Comments (14)
May 12, 2010
Thursday - May 13, 2010
Shannon repping out overhead squats against some of the fittest women in CrossFit (and pretty much the world).
Workout:
Alternate between exercises, rest as much as needed between sets and go as heavy as possible.
Weighted Pull Up - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Weighted Ring Dip - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Record loads used for each round.
Metabolic Conditioning Workout: As many rounds as possible in 8 minutes of:
100 m Farmer carry - bumper plate 45 lbs
15 Wall Balls (Advanced: 20lb/10ft, Intermediate: 14lb/10ft, Novice: 10lb/8ft)
Record total rounds.
Log your results online by clicking here.
Video: Indian Rope Gymnastics.
(No, we won't be doing any of these moves in class for a long time. -jj)
Article: Minor variations in one gene may be associated with endurance running.
Last chance to sign up for the running seminar this weekend!
12 - 4 on Saturday. Click here to register! (If you hate running, you won't want to miss this!)
Video of the team's Tire Flip / log carry workout posted to 'continue reading' below.
Video from the Affiliate Cup workout at the 2010 Southwest Regionals
To give a little background. . .
The Judge was calling us out on squat height mostly (fully opening the hips at the top). He was only watching the tall shirtless guy on the end.
For the log presses, the standard was "the log must touch all four athlete's shoulders for the rep to count" (no the shoulders did not have to touch at the same time). We were accomplishing this, but the ladies had to come up to meet the log due to the differences in height. If the judge happened to miss that fraction of a second, he was forced to call a "no rep".
We do not blame the judge(s) personally for the mis-communication that gave us trouble. CrossFit lauds being good at everything, and always using the same movements or workouts can lead to people practicing and training "for" an event. To prevent this, it is the nature of CF events to be the "unknown and unknowable" and there is a slight difficulty when this implemented in earnest.
For example, this particular workout was not announced until the night before, and on the video broadcast (the workout was not "posted" anywhere). Having the workouts posted a day or two early allows people to get clarifications. There was also an issue with the teams not being able to practice with the logs that they had to use for the actual competition. They were given smaller logs to warm up with, which isn't really that bad, but there was no way to talk to some judges about what constituted a "good" rep by their own standards.
The athletes were briefed minutes before the event as usual, but there was obviously different interpretations of what was expected (between the individual judges as well as between the athletes and the judges). Without being able to demonstrate the movements for the judge ahead of time, there was no way to get clarification before the clock started. In the middle of a 10 (or even 20) minute workout, any mis-communication will impact the final result.
In my opinion (which is admittedly more than a little biased), our team put out a 'qualifying' effort, even though we had our top man D-Roe and top woman Shannon competing in the singles. Most of the top 8 teams who qualified had people who competed in the CrossFit Games last year and/or had athletes who qualified at the Sectional level a couple months ago.
As frustrating as it is, I personally don't see it as a "loss", just bum luck and nobody's fault. The good news is that we get a 2 month head start training for next year, and we get to relax and enjoy the 2010 CrossFit Games as spectators! (which can be a good thing. . . just ask Darren).
-jj
Posted by Jeremy Jones at 8:28 PM | Comments (21)
March 31, 2010
Thursday - Apr 1, 2010
Stavros at sunrise before the Oceanside 70.3 Half Ironman.
Click 'Continue Reading' at the bottom of the post to see Stavros' Race report.
Workout: Overhead Squat
3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 (that is seven sets of 3)
Metabolic Conditioning Workout: "Death by 10 meters Going Prone"
Start by laying chest down on the ground. The first minute stand up and sprint 10 meters. The second minute stand up and run 10m, lay down, then stand up and run 10m. The third minute stand up and run 10m and lay down three times total. Continue until you are not able to complete the allotted number of 10m intervals with the lay downs before the minute is up. Your chest must be on the floor at the start of each minute.
Record total number of rounds completed, plus any additional 10 m sprints completed as part of a partial final round.
Log your results online by clicking here.
Article from Slate.com: The War on Fat is Making Us Sicker.
". . .The link between carbohydrates and heart disease is also supported by LDL particle data. In a 2008 study published in Nutrition Research, researchers reported that subjects who followed high-fat, low-carb diets for eight weeks experienced a 46 percent drop in blood concentrations of small LDL particles, while those who followed a high-carb, low-fat diet experienced a 36 percent spike in them. What's more, processed carbohydrates lower "good" HDL cholesterol, whereas saturated fat increases it. . ."
Click here for complete article.
(Thanks to Rodil for finding that one. His good cholesterol could beat is 'very' bad VLDL cholesterol in a softball match even if 3/4 of them didn't even show up. -jj)
Race Report From Stavros:
"On Saturday, March 27th, I competed in the Oceanside 70.3 which was my first Half-Ironman triathlon. I signed up for this race in October, and have been training with it in mind ever since. Unfortunately, I ended the 2009 race season on a sour note. A poor race at the Tri-For-Real in September left me wondering if this was the right sport for me. I quickly put that by the wayside and began focusing on Oceanside. I knew I had to work to do on the bike, and so my “off-season” was spent on the bike trainer, and junction rides on Mt. Diablo, needless to say there wasn't much of a break in training.
Race day came quickly, as they always do, but especially this one. I was lucky enough to sneak in a race a few weeks earlier at the Stanford Triathlon. This helped in a few ways, I was exposed to cold saltwater, wore a full wetsuit (versus a “farmers” suit that I normally wear), and I was able to have some success and build confidence coming into Oceanside. I travelled down to the race on Thursday with a couple good friends who were racing also. We settled in to the hotel, then a short run to the expo to register and pick up our packets. First thing I noticed was what a big operation this race was. Two huge areas devoted entirely to sponsors and gear. Not to mention the full-fledged bike shop in case you needed some repairs. We scanned through the booths, picked up a few last minute things, then headed back. Shortly after that was dinner, then bedtime. Friday seemed to move quite a bit faster than the day before. I barely remember what we did, besides about an hour ride, then an ocean swim later to get acclimated. I'm glad I went in the water, it wasn't near as cold as I thought. I'd be fine in my wetsuit and double-swim cap. Friday night dinner was AWESOME! We found a place called “Capozzoli's” in Oceanside. It was an excellent Italian restaurant. I had meatballs over broccoli, spinach, and mushrooms...yum! Now the battle begun, trying to get to sleep at a reasonable hour. We got back to the hotel by 6:30 or so, and I had to dial in my bike. I filled water bottles, laid out GU's, taped on an extra tire, CO2's, quick fill, etc, also got bib numbers applied, clothing ready and a final check on the bike. Quick side note, I planned on riding a Zipp 404 wheel in the rear, but found out via the Zipp rep at the expo that the wheel was not safe to ride. Luckily we had brought a disc wheel, so I had that on my bike for the race, there would be a lot of firsts on race day! Now it was time to attempt to sleep. Let's just say it didn't happen quickly, or easily. I'm guessing I slept from 11:30 until 3:30, at best. Besides that, I was in and out of sleep. Oh well, who the heck can sleep the night before a race!?
Race day morning went pretty well, we got to the racks at about 6:20, which was just about as late as we could have. Luckily we did some asking around the day before and found out the racks were all marked, so we had a spot whenever we showed up. Some of the other athletes weren't too happy I wedged my bike in there after theirs, but we worked it out. Set up transition area, trying to keep it simple. Shoes, glasses, helmet, hat, minimal clutter. I put some extra GU's out in case I needed to grab them for the run. The first heat went off at around 6:40, which still left over an hour for mine to leave (7:48). My age-group, 30-34M, was the LAST to go in this race, and my heat was the last of the race. For me, this was a good thing. I'd be passing a lot of people during the race, versus getting passed all the time. I knew this would help with the mental aspect during the race. My goals were simple for this race; 1st goal- FINISH, 2nd goal- stay within my limits on the swim and bike, go for it on the run, 3rd goal- sub 6 hours. Being my first Half-IM, I tried not to have too many expectations, and to be honest...I had NO idea what to expect! They called for my heat to line up, and this was it, race time.
The 1.2 mile swim started about 100m into the middle of the marina. I lined up with about 100 of my closest friends, and waited for the gun to go off. It was surreal at that point, so much going on, music, cheering, swimmers finishing and exiting next to us before we even start. I had looked at the swim course the day before, and that helped on visualizing what was ahead, but nothing is the same as the actual race. The gun went off, and I slowly proceeded. They stated the water temp was 59F, but it felt great to me. The buoys were about 100m apart, and I just concentrated on loosening up for the first few, then getting into a rhythm out to the turn around. The biggest problem I encountered was running into people and spotting the route back in. The sun was glaring and made it hard to see where to go. I ended up following the rocks and that helped. Ended up following some feet for the last 200m or so to the swim exit. So many volunteers helping us out of the water, it was amazing. Made my way up the dock, crossed the timing mat and looked at my watch, 36:54 total time for the 1.2 mile swim, avg 1:54/100m. Not blazing speed, but middle of the pack and best of all, I felt great.
T1 was very long, we had at least a 200m run from the swim exit to the transition area. The carpet path was crowded with people, so I ran on the left and passed quite a few. I think my bare feet paid the price though. Got to my bike with the top off my suit off, peeled off the rest pretty quickly. Threw on my bib number, sunglasses and helmet. I opted for socks, given the length and weather, then put on bike shoes. Now it was off to the LONG run to the bike start. My rack was literally the furthest from the start, this made for another long run, total time, 3:52.
The 56 mile bike was the most intimidating aspect going into this race. I've had, to put it lightly, numerous bike issues in the past few months as I've tried to nail down a TT bike, and get it fitted/working properly. The good news is it all came together within the past couple weeks. I hopped on my Kuota Kalibur and got moving. I quickly slowed things down and got my bearings. I was amped from the swim and transition still, and needed to remember, I'd be on this thing for nearly 3 hours. I found a gear I liked, then shifted one gear up, to speed up my cadence and continue to loosen up. I quickly started passing people, with felt great. I also was going back and forth with some fellow age-groupers, which meant I was right about where I should be. Mile 10 came quickly, I was feeling good. I had set my timer to go every 20 minutes to remind me to eat and hydrate. I also had some salt tabs to go along with the other stuff. Mile 20 and 25 felt good, bike was cruising along, I was staying in the TT position except to eat/hydrate. This was already a HUGE success for me, normally I'm fidgety and uncomfortable, not today though. Around this time, I was feeling on the end of my left aero bar, and noticed bare wire. I thought to myself , “not normal”. I did a bit more feeling around and figured out that my front derailleur cable had shredded up, and was inoperable. Two things passed through my mind, first, at least I'm stuck in big chain ring! Secondly, I'm grateful for this Mt. Diablo big-chainring sessions (thanks Jan!), I would only let this be a minor hiccup, and couldn't spend much time thinking about it. There was no way to solve it on the race course, so time to let it go. Quickly after that, we hit the first hill. It was STEEP! I got out of the saddle for a bit, but then decided too much energy would be wasted grinding this out in a 53t chain ring. Time to get off the bike and run up the hill. So, I did that, and got some strange looks. Got to the top of the hill, not to tired, hopped on, and headed down. Lots of rollers, some good TT position and speed. Two more good size hills, not as steep though, so I stayed on the bike but was grinding out of the saddle, no other option. At one point the wind kicked up fiercely, and I just laughed about being on a disc for the first time. Luckily I have 185lbs to keep me grounded on the bike, otherwise I might have floated away (seriously, the wind was bad). The final 10-15 miles went well, a nice downhill that had the disc sounding like a locomotive. We came back into Oceanside harbor, down the short steep hill into the bike end, and into the transition area. Another long line of people entering, but my rack was near the back, which was a good thing for this portion. I was feeling great at this point, a bit tired, no major cramping, and ready to keep going. Total time for the bike, 2:50, which put me just about 20 mph/avg for the ride. I was very happy with that time.
T2 went incredibly smooth, bike shoes off, running shoes on, helmet/glasses off, hat on, and I was out of there! No need for food, I had 2 stuffed in my Tri jersey. Total time, 1:35.
The 13.1 mile run was two loops near the beach in Oceanside. The course was actually fairly hilly, and all on concrete, which my feet weren't to happy about. I went out nice and easy at a 7:45 pace on the first mile. Right about 1.5 miles, everything changed, my whole body tightened up and both calfs and quads started cramping. Uh-oh, I had to stop right away. I started to panic a bit, but quickly just stretched out and got back running. I knew I'd loosen up if I kept going, and I did at about mile 3. I started feeling much better and looted every aid station I could find! Water, gatorade, a banana, an orange slices, and especially those sponges, everything they had helped. I got to the first turn around and legs felt okay, not great, but I was still on a decent pace. My goal for the run portion was to be within 10 minutes of my half-marathon time of 1:37, I knew it would be a challenge to do that today, but I was going to give it my all. I reached the halfway mark and was starting to feel very fatigued. Luckily at that point I started running with another guy in my AG who was at a similar pace. We chatted small talk while we could to distract each other from the pain. We had 10k left, and were going to run it together. He was a great guy from Calgary, Canada. I may have talked him into joining FoMo! Anyways, at the last turn around, we had roughly a 5k left, and we were both gassed but kept pushing each other forward. It felt great to cross the bridge near the finish, and head down the straight away. We literally crossed the line at the same time, it was a cool moment for sure! I Total time for the run was 1:47, which was a 8:10/mile pace.
Total time for the race, 5:19. This put me in the top 1/3 in my AG, and top 1/4 overall. I was blown away when I crossed the finish line. I had doubts that I would be able to finish the race, much less meet my goals. It was incredibly encouraging as always to see all the Forward Motion racers out there sporting their colors and flying through the course! A huge thank you to the FoMo race club and my gym, Diablo Crossfit, for the unparalleled training environment. I'm resting up, soaking it all in, and excited for whats next! I would highly recommend Oceanside 70.3 for your first IM experience, it was amazing start to finish! The drive home was long, but a double-double and a shake from In-N-Out made it go by much quicker!"
Posted by Jeremy Jones at 7:41 PM | Comments (12)
March 25, 2010
Friday - Mar 26, 2010
+++ Gym Closed this Saturday and Sunday! (classes today as usual)+++
It's a Boy!!! Kai Jase Rosten. 7lbs 5oz. Congratulations Meg and D-Roe!
Workout: Deadlift
3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3
Metabolic Conditioning Workout: "DCF Newbie"
Run 400m
10 pull-ups
20 push-ups
30 sit ups
40 squats
For time.
'Advanced' option: DCF Newbie 'Double Down'
Run 800m
20 pull-ups
40 push-ups
60 sit ups
80 squats
Log your results online by clicking here.
Good Luck to the 44 athletes competing this weekend!
DCF has 4 people going down south for the California Oceanside Half Ironman (1.2mile swim, 56mi ride, 13.1mi run) If you are going to be down there, be sure to root for Dean (bib number 2429), Stav (bib no. 2784), Jan (bib no. 2652), Chris C. (bib no. 2778)!
We have 22 people running the stairs on Saturday in San Francisco. They raised
We also have 18 people competing at the CrossFit Sectionals!
The address is: 5000 Mitty Avenue San Jose, CA 95129
Map/Directions from the gym are below.
View Larger Map
Parking is VERY limited! (please carpool if possible).
Posted by Jeremy Jones at 6:24 PM | Comments (18)
March 6, 2010
Sunday - Mar 7, 2010 "Nicole"
Stavros was able to get 2nd in his age group and 29th overall last weekend at the Stanford Triathlon (which he did before returning to the second day of the CrossFit Running and Endurance Seminar!) qualifying him for the 2010 USAT Age-Group Nationals in Alabama! Click "Continue Reading" below to see his race report.
Workout: "Nicole"
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
Run 400 meters
Max rep Pull-ups
Record number of pull ups completed each round. Do not "pace" the pull ups. Go for maximum reps every round.
Log your results online by clicking here.
Affiliate Team Tryout Workouts Announced today! Check the whiteboard or email jeremy@diablocrossfit.com
Stavros' Race Report:
Stanford Triathlon, 2nd in AG, my first podium!
On Sunday, 2/28 I raced in the Stanford Triathlon, it was a sprint distance; 500m swim, 20k bike, 5k run.
As I woke up at 5am that morning, I asked myself...why was I doing a triathlon in FEBRUARY!? It had been raining all week and the weather had been crummy, not to mention the swim was in the icy bay water. This would be my first saltwater/ocean water swim. Luckily it looked to be protected by the marina (which it was). Fortunately for us, the sky was clear and blue that morning, awesome! I met up with John Fulton, Chris McCrary and Chris DuFour. We headed out and arrived at the race in plenty of time to pick up our registration packets, timing chips, and rack our bikes.
I then began the pre-race prep and getting my transition area ready. When we had arrives, I noticed there were a lot of racks and thought there would be plenty of room...but soon enough, the ALL filled up and it was tight quarters. I never though so many people would come out for a race this early. I heard something like 700 or so? Not sure about that though. I had everything laid out and decided to take a spin around the bike course to get loose. I rode for about 10 minutes, and then heard a huge POP! Yep, flat tire, about 15 minutes before I had to get my wetsuit on and I was 10 minutes (riding) from the start...awesome! Lucky for me a passer by quickly stopped, I loaded my bike and headed back. I had also thrown some levers & a tube last minute in my bag. I kind of just laughed when my tire popped..what else could I do? I got back, changed it quickly, ran over to the mechanic and pumped it back up, done deal.
Time to get the wetsuit on and head to the swim. They said you need shoes for the walk out there, but I decided to leave my shoes at the swim exit, since it was easily 200m from the exit to T1. That wasn't the problem, the issue was the rocky path out to the swim start with no shoes...OUCH! It was an open water start and required about a 100m swim out to the buoys. As I swam out, I realized how COLD the water was...much more than I thought it would be. This was the coldest water I have ever raced in, but I felt fairly comfortable in my suit.
My swim heat (39-U) started at 9:20am, and it was packed. The whistle went off, and we headed out for the 500m swim. I started on the right, near the buoy. I tried to find someones feet to pace off of, and keep the same pace. Getting used to swimming in a full sleeved suit was a bit different, my arms fatigued much quicker. Overall, the swim went okay, I finished in the front 1/3 pack. We were lifted out of the water onto a dock, which was a bit weird, then the long run to the transition area. I was glad I brought shoes to wear. I finished the swim in about 8:30 (1:42/100m pace), and arrived at T1 in 10:48 (3rd fastest in AG).
T1 went okay, my suit got a bit hung up on my heels. As I put my bike shoes on, the back got stuck under my heel and I had to take the shoe off, then put it back on. Total time 1:27, slower than I would have liked.
The bike course was 3 loops, 20k total. I was on my road bike, as I'm working on building up my TT bike. I got going and tried to get to a cadence and HR that I could maintain. The bike has always been a weak link for me, my main goal was to stay within my limits, and get to the run as fresh as possible. I was pretty successful in getting through the bike with gas left in the tank, and still push myself. Bike time was 33:58 (22mph avg/speed & 7th in AG).
T2 went a bit smoother, :53 seconds. Running shoes got a bit twisted, nothing too difficult. Then off to the good stuff, the run!
The 5k run was flat, but with some decent turns and a couple of turn arounds. I just focused on the runners in front of me, picking someone attempt to pass. This kept me going throughout the run, and I felt strong the whole way. There were mile markers, but I didn't have my watch dialed in, so I wasn't sure of my pace. I kept passing people though, so I knew I was having a decent run. Was able to put together a modest sprint to the finish. 5k run time, 19:22 (6:12/mi pace & fastest run in my AG!).
Total race time, 1:06, good for 2nd in my AG, not sure of overall finish. Definitely some positives to take from this race, and some things to build on. Overall, very happy with my first race of the season. It was also great to race with other FoMo studs (and studettes) out there. Fulton and McCrary both raced great and got 3rd in their respective AG's. Looking forward to my next race, which is a big one, Oceanside 70.3, my first Half-Ironman race. The butterflies have already started! Thanks for FoMo and Diablo Crossfit for the great training partners and environment.
Posted by Jeremy Jones at 6:27 PM | Comments (6)
January 28, 2010
Friday - Jan 29, 2010
Blue and red. Nancy and Len: 6am Domination.
Olympic Weightlifting Warm Up: Hang Squat Clean, light to moderate weight. 30 reps (break it up as much as you'd like, change weight as much as you'd like). Focus on really opening the hips then getting deep under the bar as low as possible.
Workout: "Sucking Wind"
For Time (perform the exercises in any order desired):
30 Burpees
40 Wall Balls (Men: 20lb, 10ft. Women 14lb, 8ft)
400m Run
50 Double Unders
500m Row
Record total time (Compare to October 7th).
Log your results online by clicking here.
Website: From Harvard University's Skeletal Biology Lab - Running barefoot or in minimal footwear.
Articles on the site:
1. Human evolution and endurance running
2. Foot and lower limb biomechanics when running in shoes
3. Foot and lower limb biomechanics when running barefoot or in minimal shoes
4. Biomechanical differences between forefoot and midfoot striking and heel striking
5. Tools to help assess potential benefits of learning to forefoot or midfoot strike
6. Transitioning safely to forefoot or midfoot striking in minimal footwear or barefoot
Click here to go to website. (Thanks to Mike E for the cool site. We know that his feet don't stink).
What do you think, should we change our name to "Regan CrossFit, or "Ronald CrossFit" if they change the name of Mount Diablo? (Click here to see an article about a man trying to change the name of our looming mascot).
This is the final three days of the January Challenge of the Month (row as far as you can in 20 strokes), as well as the Concept 2 virtual challenge. Log up those meters folks!
Posted by Jeremy Jones at 11:46 PM | Comments (19)
November 23, 2009
Tuesday - Nov. 24, 2009 "Mark Sisson Coming to DCF!"
+++Kipping Pull Up Clinic Today at 4pm+++
Mark Sisson Speaking Engagement at Diablo CrossFit!
If you don't know who Mark Sisson from "Mark's Daily Apple" is, you have been living under a rock (or at least not reading the articles I post!)
Mark will be coming to DCF Monday, December 7, 2009 at 7pm to do a free talk about the "Primal Lifestyle" and his new book "The Primal Blueprint".
Click here to see a flyer with all the details.
Click here to reserve your spot (we expect this event to fill up quickly!)
In case you are wondering what the big deal is, here is a picture of the author and his wife Carrie demonstrating what the "Primal Lifestyle" can get you.
Workout: "Nasty Girls"
3 rounds for time of:
50 Squats,
7 Muscle-ups (sub 3 chest to bar pull ups and 3 ring dips for each muscle up you cannot complete)
10 Hang power cleans (135lbs men, 95lbs women)
Record total time.
Article (in case you missed it from Mark's site): Just 'exercising' may not be enough to increase bone density, in fact, it can harm it.
". . .Then came a raft of unexpected findings, some showing that competitive swimmers had lower-than-anticipated bone density, others that, as an earlier Phys Ed column pointed out, competitive cyclists sometimes had fragile bones and, finally, some studies suggesting, to the surprise of many researchers, that weight lifting did not necessarily strengthen bones much. In one representative study from a few years ago, researchers found no significant differences in the spine or neck-bone densities of young women who did resistance-style exercise training (not heavy weight lifting) and a similar group who did not. . ."
Click here for complete article.
Posted by Jeremy Jones at 3:27 PM | Comments (24)
November 10, 2009
Wednesday - Nov 11, 2009 "Griff"
Kevin and his daughter do the the "DCF Newbie" together (She got 4min and change!).
Olympic Weightlifting Warm Up: Snatch Balance to Overhead Squat (essentially two squats per rep) 3 sets of 5. Use light (beginner) to moderate (advanced) weight.
Workout: "Griff" in honor of Veteran's Day.
For time:
Run 800 meters
Run 400 meters backwards
Run 800 meters
Run 400 meters backwards
Record total time. Scale down to 400/200 if you cannot run a 400 in less than 2.5 minutes.
(No reason to use judges today. Just run you heart out. Prepare to be judged by your peers again tomorrow).
Now go thank a veteran (or other service member) for defending our freedom!
Article: Study shows that young tennis players who don't play other sports are more prone to injury.
But a new Loyola University Health System study of 519 junior tennis players has found that such specialization increases the risk of injury. Researchers who analyzed 3,366 matches in United States Tennis Association junior competition found that players who specialized in only tennis were more likely to withdraw from tournaments for medical reasons, typically injuries.
Also, players who had experienced an injury or tennis-related illness during the past year were 5.4 times more likely to withdraw from a tournament for medical reasons. . .
Click here for complete article.
32nd annual "Turkey Trot" race at Briones park Sunday before Thanksgiving (by the Pleasant Hill Parks and Recreation department, not be confused with DCF 'Turkey Trots' of the past). 8.4 miles through Briones park.
Download the flyer by clicking here. . . and post to comments if you plan on going.
Posted by Jeremy Jones at 8:41 AM | Comments (20)
November 5, 2009
Friday - Nov 6th, 2009 "Happy Birthday. . . everyone!"
Meg H., Yvonne, Mel (one of the ChOM women leaders from last month) and Chris (one of the men's leaders) go for the new November Challenge of the Month: Supermans.
Workout: (it was Michelle R's birthday yesterday, Amy and Nick's today, this workout is for them, and all the rock'n Scorpios at the gym).
3 rounds for time:
10 sumo deadlfit high pull (men: 75, women: 55)
10 reps strict press (men: 75, women: 55)
Row 500m
Record total time.
Cycling and Endurance Event: "Conversations with Chris Carmichael" on Saturday, November 14th.
Chris was the personal cycling coach of Lance Armstrong, and he is doing a book signing and lecture at the John F. Kennedy University next week. We have flyers at the gym if you are interested in going (post to comments if you plan on going as well).
Challenge of the Month: November - "Supermans" for time
November's ChOM will be a static hold at the top of a back extension, arms extended held over a chair for consistency and judging (see photo above). The GHD machine must be set so that your quads are on the pad (like you are going to do a back extension).
No male or female categories. Maximum time, first and second place will win a prize. You are free to try as many times as you want during the month of November. Good Luck!
Posted by Jeremy Jones at 10:14 PM | Comments (36)
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.
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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.
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Burpee Info:
The Burpee from Patrick Cummings on Vimeo.
(Video from Jon Gilson at Again Faster)
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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!
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"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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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)
