Workout:

Row 500m
rest 3 minutes

4 rounds.

Post times for each 500m to comments.

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FUNDRAISER!

Rocco's Pizza and Beer for a Purpose:

Download Flyer Here: Download file

From Michelle Rooney:

For those of you who don’t know, I sit on the board as a medical advisor for a local non-profit melanoma foundation, SCARF. SCARF was founded in honor of Sherri Tennant, a nurse who worked with us at Diablo Valley Oncology. She was an amazing and courageous woman who unfortunately lost her battle with melanoma in 2006. SCARF’s mission is to educate the community about prevention and early detection of melanoma. Rocco’s pizzeria is hosting a fundraiser for SCARF on Thursday, October 23rd. All you have to do is either dine in or order take out from Rocco’s anytime on the 23rd, mention SCARF, and 25% of the net proceeds go to our NPO. I will be there most of the evening, eating pizza, probably drinking beer, and pretending to watch the world series…I would LOVE to see all of you. Please bring family and friends!

I know we are promote "Paleo" dieting and "The Zone" but this is for a good cause. . . besides, if you scrape off all the toppings and don't eat the bread, pizzas aren't that bad for you. And Beer is always 'good'. -jj

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Article:

Take your medicine. It is good for you even if it tastes good.

Post thoughts to comments.

Workout:

Deadlift 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3

Warm up with lighter loads first. Go for your 3 rep max. Post loads to comments.

Video - Coach Glassman introduces the Deadlift:

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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

Post time to comments.

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Click here for the 'Ask Coach Rip Forum' (Thanks CF NYC for the link)

Workout:

Sadly, it looks like we have another Hero Workout from CrossFit.com

Canadian Army Master Corporal Erin Doyle, 32, was killed in a firefight August 11th, 2008 in the Panjwaii District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. He is survived by his wife Nicole and his daughter Zarine.

"Erin"

Five rounds for time of:
40 pound Dumbbells split clean, 15 reps
21 Pull-ups

'split clean' video can be downloaded here.

Post time to comments (and we better go extra hard on this one, he is flashing our 'sign' in the picture).

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From "The IF Life": Are Diet Sodas Making You Gain Weight?

Many may say that weight gain is caused because of increased cravings and the sugar response of the brain from the artificial sweeteners (which may or may not be true). But if you start to see that weight gain around the face and center of the body (stomach especially) then there is another issue at heart. In fact if you are showing any signs of fatigue, headaches, muscle/join pain, loss of motivation….then you could be suffering from adrenal fatigue. . .

Click here for full article.

Post thoughts to comments.

"Ryan"

Five rounds for time of:
7 Muscle-ups
21 Burpees

Post time to comments.

Each burpee terminates with a jump one foot above max standing reach.

"Moody, an eight-year veteran, was headed north on Marina Bay Parkway at 8:05 a.m. Saturday, answering an officer's call for more help during an assault call, when he lost control of his Ford Crown Victoria police cruiser and slammed sideways into a light pole near Regatta Boulevard"

Full article here

In honor of our local hero, those people who cannot do muscle ups, we will dub this scaled version:

"Bradley"

Five rounds for time of:
21 pull ups
21 dips
21 Burpees

Post time to comments.

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From Keith Wittenstein "The 100-Day Pull Up Challenge"

Bryan, Shannon, Darren, Stav, Mo, Carry, Craig and Jeremy will all be competing in the "Big Girls Don't Cry" Challenge at CrossFit Unlimited.

The event is Sunday the 19th, and we expect all available DCF regulars to make an appearance, so mark your calendars now! REPRESENT!

Workout "Jackie":

For time:

1000 meter row
50 Thrusters (45 lbs)
30 Pull-ups

Post time to comments.

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Article:

Air pollution linked to appendicitis

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.

Post thoughts to comments.

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Video:

Ankle exercising with Dick Harzell and the Jump Stretch Bands:

Workout:

For time:

Run 800m
100 push ups
Run 400m
100 sit ups
Run 200m
50 push ups
Run 100m
50 sit ups

Post time to comments.

Afterward, Strict Press working up to max single.

1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1

Post loads to comments.

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Article:

Research team discovers brain pathway responsible for obesity

. . . The research stems from recent explorations into the problem called metabolic inflammation, a by-product of too much food or energy consumption. Unlike the classical inflammation typically observed in infections, injuries and diseases such as cancer, the metabolic inflammation seen in obesity-related diseases is much milder, doesn't lead to overt symptoms or cause tissues damage.

"Metabolic inflammation is a chronic, low-grade condition consisting of inflammatory-like responses at the molecular level. It has many downstream consequences," says Cai. "It causes cellular dysfunction, which can decrease the regulation of several physiological processes, including metabolism." . . .

Post thoughts to comments.

Workout (from the CrossFit Mothership):

Five rounds for time of:
Deadlift, 15 reps (135lb, 95lb)
Hang power clean, 12 reps (135lb, 95lb)
Front Squat, 9 reps (135lb, 95lb)
Push Jerk, 6 reps (135lb, 95lb)

Post time to comments.

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Article:

Duke researchers show reading can help obese children loose weight

The Duke researchers asked obese females ages 9 to 13 who were already in a comprehensive weight loss program to read an age-appropriate novel called Lake Rescue (Beacon Street Press). It was carefully crafted with the help of pediatric experts to include specific healthy lifestyle and weight management guidance, as well as positive messages and strong role models.

Six months later, the Duke researchers found the 31 girls who read Lake Rescue experienced a significant decrease in their BMI scores (-.71%) when compared to a control group of 14 girls who hadn't (+.05%), explained Alexandra C. Russell, MD, a fourth-year medical student at Duke who led the study and presented the findings at the Obesity Society's annual scientific meeting. . .

Post thoughts to comments.

Tom hasn't been around the gym lately because he has fell ill, and is in the hospital. Our thoughts and prayers go out for his speedy recovery. We can't wait to have you back at the 6am class!

Workout:

For time

15 weighted pull ups (45lbs men, 25lbs women)
Row 500m
15 weighted ring dips (45lbs men, 25lbs women)
Row 500m
15 weighted pull ups (45lbs men, 25lbs women)
Row 500m
15 weighted ring dips (45lbs men, 25lbs women)

Post time to comments.

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Article from 'The IF life'

Is your exercise keeping you fat?

One of the things I covered in my biggest workout mistakes post is the fact that many people work out way too much. What I mean by this is when you do activities for the sake of a goal (say losing fat), and you think more is better…..well you can actually be doing more harm than good. I have consulted with so many people who are not getting results just based on their level of exercise activity is too much for them. Once they finally get that under control then they start seeing results again. Remember it’s all about quality of what you do, not quantity. Let’s look at the real problems and solutions for people of all goals. . .

Post thoughts to comments.

Workout: "Kelly". . .

but instead of 30 reps box jumps and 30 reps of wall ball, we are going to do 33 reps of each because it is her birthday.

5 rounds for time:

Run 400 meters
33 box jump, 24 inch box
33 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball (10' target men, 8' target women)

Post time (and birthday congratulations) to 'comments'.

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Article:

New study proves that pain is not a symptom of arthritis, pain is the cause of arthritis.

Pain is more than a symptom of osteoarthritis, it is an inherent and damaging part of the disease itself, according to a study published today in journal Arthritis and Rheumatism. More specifically, the study revealed that pain signals originating in arthritic joints, and the biochemical processing of those signals as they reach the spinal cord, worsen and expand arthritis. In addition, researchers found that nerve pathways carrying pain signals transfer inflammation from arthritic joints to the spine and back again, causing disease at both ends. . .

So as I see it, stay active and take your fish oil to prevent pain and inflammation in the first place. -jj

Post thoughts to comments (and no jokes about Sarah's age and arthritis).

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GYMNASTICS WORKSHOP THIS WEEKEND!

From Roger Harrell and Andres De la Rosa and CrossFit Marin:

The gymnastics seminar on Sunday September 21st was a lot of fun and we had a great time! We wanted everyone to experience a little of what it’s like to be in a real gymnastics program so it was a bit of a whirlwind, especially since we actually got in at least a little bit of all the events. This time the format will be a little bit different. . .

Click "Continue Reading Below for Details".

Workout: "Push Up Annie"

Complete 50-40-30-20-10 rep rounds of the following exercises for time:

Double Unders
Abmat Sit ups
Push ups

Post time to comments.

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Article:

Performance Standards and Form by Mike Minium at CrossFit Oakland

. . .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. . .

Full article here.

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Video - recently featured on The IF life:

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).

Workout:

Overhead Squat 5, 5, 5
Front Squat 5, 5, 5
Back Squat 5, 5, 5

Add weight each set. Finish all Overhead squats before moving to Front Squats. Finish all Front Squats before going to Back Squats.

Post loads to comments.

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Article:

During Exercise, The Human Brain Shifts Into High Gear On 'Alternative Energy'

"Now that we know the brain can run on lactate, so to speak, future studies should show us when to use lactate as part of a treatment," said Gerald Weissmann, MD, Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "From an evolutionary perspective, the result of this study is a no-brainer. Imagine what could have or did happen to all of the organisms that lost their wits along with their glucose when running from predators. They were obviously a light snack for the animals able to use lactate."

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.

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Article from Scott Kustes at Modern Forager:

Eight ways to lower your testosterone

. . .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. . .

Full article here

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CrossFit One World does "Century Gone Bad". I am so jealous.

(Video may not be WSFS. . . I guess it depends how your work feels about people doing pull ups, drinking beer, and yes, vomiting.)

Craig really loves the box jumps on Fight Gone Bad

Mark's family ask him why he thinks this is "fun"

Email us if you have pictures from the event you'd like to load on our "Flickr" site.

Workout:

5 rounds for time,

10 power cleans (135lb men, 95lb women)
15 ring dips
400m run

Post time to comments.

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Article:

Half bar of dark chocolate a week is enough to promote heart health

By studying the participants recruited, researchers focused on the complex mechanism of inflammation. It is known how a chronic inflammatory state represents a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease, from myocardial infarction to stroke, just to mention the major diseases. Keeping the inflammation process un-der control has become a major issue for prevention programs and C reactive protein turned out to be one of the most promising markers, detectable by a simple blood test.

. . . people having moderate amounts of dark chocolate regularly have significantly lower levels of C-reactive protein in their blood. In other words, their inflammatory state is considerably reduced." The 17% average reduction observed may appear quite small, but it is enough to decrease the risk of cardio-vascular disease for one third in women and one fourth in men. It is undoubtedly a remarkable outcome".

Chocolate amounts are critical. "We are talking of a moderate consumption. The best effect is obtained by consuming an average amount of 6.7 grams of chocolate per day, corresponding to a small square of chocolate twice or three times a week. Beyond these amounts the beneficial effect tends to disappear".

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.

Workout: "Fight Gone Bad"

1. Wall-ball, 8 ft target (Reps)
2. Deadlift high-pull (Reps)
3. Box jump (Reps)
4. Push-press (Reps)
5. Row (Calories)

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

Post score to comments.

Video: Fight Gone Bad Explained at CFHQ

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Article:

Hamstrung by Keith Wittenstein Crossfit Virtuosity

"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."

Read the rest here: http://crossfitvirtuosity.com/blogs/articles/244-hamstrung

Workout:

Back Squat
Weighted Pull up

5,5,5,5,5

Alternate between exercises. Add weigh each round (if possible).

Post loads to comments.

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Article:

Caffeine experts push for warning labels on energy drinks warning of health risks.

A regular 12-ounce cola drink has about 35 milligrams of caffeine, and a 6-ounce cup of brewed coffee has 80 to 150 milligrams of caffeine. Because many energy drinks are marketed as "dietary supplements," the limit that the Food and Drug Administration requires on the caffeine content of soft drinks (71 milligrams per 12-ounce can) does not apply. The caffeine content of energy drinks varies from 50 to more than 500 milligrams.

Post thoughts to comments.

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Fight Gone Bad Fundraiser Tomorrow 11am to 2pm - Don't forget to donate even if you can't make it!

Diablo CrossFit Team Website (click here)