Friday, December 21, 2007

gym progress updates



The flooring is almost complete, and I should soon have the pullup bar in place. I'm hoping to start running classes for monday, and have a grand opening in the new year

Monday, December 17, 2007

12 Days of CrossFit



WOD from crossfit Seatle!

A one hundred yard Sprint

Two Bear-crawls and a one hundred yard Sprint

Three second Handstand, Two Bear-crawls, and a one hundred yard Sprint

Four Clean & jerks, Three second Handstand, Two Bear-crawls, and a one hundred yard Sprint

Five Dive bomber push-ups, Four Clean & jerks, Three second Handstand, Two Bear-crawls, and a one hundred yard Sprint

Six Knees to elbows, Five Dive bomber push-ups, Four Clean & jerks, Three second Handstand, Two Bear-crawls, and a one hundred yard Sprint

Seven Kettlebell swings, Six Knees to elbows, Five Dive bomber push-ups, Four Clean & jerks, Three second Handstand, Two Bear-crawls, and a one hundred yard Sprint

Eight Hanging leg-raise, Seven Kettlebell swings, Six Knees to elbows, Five Dive bomber push-ups, Four Clean & jerks, Three second Handstand, Two Bear-crawls, and a one hundred yard Sprint

Nine Ring-dips, Eight Hanging leg-raise, Seven Kettlebell swings, Six Knees to elbows, Five Dive bomber push-ups, Four Clean & jerks, Three second Handstand, Two Bear-crawls, and a one hundred yard Sprint

Ten Squat-thrusts, Nine Ring-dips, Eight Hanging leg raise, Seven Kettlebell swings, Six Knees to elbows, Five Dive bomber push-ups, Four Clean & jerks, Three second Handstand, Two Bear-crawls, and a one hundred yard Sprint

Eleven Pull-ups, Ten Squat-thrusts, Nine Ring-dips, Eight Hanging leg-raise, Seven Kettlebell swings, Six Knees to elbows, Five Dive bomber push-ups, Four Clean & jerks, Three second Handstand, Two Bear-crawls, and a one hundred yard Sprint

Twelve Rocking pistols, Eleven Pull-ups, Ten Squat-thrusts, Nine Ring-dips, Eight Hanging leg-raise, Seven Kettlebell swings, Six Knees to elbows, Five Dive bomber push-ups, Four Clean & jerks, Three second Handstand, Two Bear-crawls, and a one hundred yard Sprint

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

achieving the unobtainable

When you have reached your wildest goals, where do you go from there.
you may be in shock for a while that "holy shit I did that!!!"
If your below average performance is enough to make a mockery of even the best of athletes then what? if you Find a place where you are the best in the group of people, it means that you need to bring more skill to the table. There are always athletes that are better than you especially when we get to the sport specific plain. Challenge yourself to compete with that domain as well as others... re-establish goals and keep pushing forward in the same way. (Step by Step) Take a realistic look at yourself, and realizing that you will need to compete at a higher level is a very important choice to make during training progression. Surround yourself with the best and you will be the best. It's all to easy to hang around lazy people and become lazy with them.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Mental Endurance


Me and Chris G in New Mexico... WOW that seems like a long time ago... i can't wait to go back when I'm 40 and beat my time!

I would like to say that physical state has nothing to do with endurance performance, but I can't. I beleive that the mind is a very powerful tool, and that slight changes in mental preparation, can make dramatic effects in the outcome. Physical readiness will make it mentally less challenging if you don't have to push as close to your maximums.

I have ran many km's in training for endurance races, and they played an important role in mentally preparing me to know that I can complete further distances. The interesting thing that I've found is that the shorter high intensity workouts put me on the mental/physical edge of quiting much quicker and much more often that the traditional LSD (long slow distance) training.

Crossfit has really amped up my metal readiness. I really love the aspect of being prepared for the unknowable task. It's been my experience as a naturally good runner with a great running base, to have success getting faster at longer distance without a large focus on it and getting much stronger in the process.

"In the martial arts, the mental state should remain the same as normal. In ordinary circumstances as well as when practicing martial arts, let there be no change in the state of mind- with the mind open and direct, neither tense nor unfocused, calmly relax your mind, and savour this moment of peace." - Five Rings

Managing stress and disorientation over long periods without panic or confusion and the pressure of potentially failing is a skill to develop.

many athletes will lose track of a simple count during a high intensity workout....what other basic thought processes do you lose during a maximal effort?

something to think about....

Monday, December 3, 2007

mood and performance



Steve after his first full moon workout...look at the smile... I think he likes it!


I had a really good day today. I noticed that I was willing to try some stunts that I haven't done before at gymnastics. Being in a good mood makes me willing to try new things.(the daring I'm trying to build) The gym was empty and this gave me the freedom to have room to move and try stuff, without eyes watching, or as many.

I also know when I'm having a bad day that, I am more determined when I have a bad day, regardless of result. I can focus negative energy to do something great in some cases.

The more I zone and the more I progress closer to goals, the more I'm determined to get there.... if i feel myself as close to something watch out, because I will near kill myself to get something new.

How does your day to day affect your performance?

another day in the zone


Thanks Again for all that came out to the performance eating seminar, good luck zoning!

[] = block

blocks are totaled as Carbs/Protein/Fat as per the 9/7/3 standard

8am:
8oz water,
3 eggs = 3P[], 3F[]
1oz cheese = 1P[]
4cups spinach fresh = 1 C[]
1/3 cup onion = .5 C[]
1/2 cup tomato = .5 C[]
1 apple = 2C[]
15 cashews = 5F[]

total 4/4/8

11:30am:
8oz water
4oz cooked chicken breast
Large salad (romaine, celery, tomato, cucumber)
4TBS of salad dressing

1 cup of grapes

total 4/4/8

2:30pm
16oz water
2oz chicken = 2P[]
2 cups celery =1C[]
1/2 avocado =4F[]
pepper for flavour =0

2/3 cup rasberries =1C[]

total 2/2/4

4pm WOD:(heavy lift normally I have more water)
3/4 liter of water from pre/post workout

5:15pm
8oz water
4oz Chicken =4P[]
2 Cups broccoli raw =1C[]
2 cups cauliflower raw =1C[]
1 small banana =2C[]
8 macadamia nuts =8F[]

total 4/4/8


9:30pm
2oz cheese = 2P[]
12 crackers =2C[]
12 cashews = 4F[]

total
2/2/4


Days total
16/16/32

THIS IS A 2X fat Rx...

Post your day in the zone for all to see.... !

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

perfection


Post workout on monday!

The quest for perfection means that you will have to make some sacrifices to get yourself there. If perfection is a 400lbs deadlift, but your current state is a 100lbs deadlift, continually trying to lift 400lbs is way beyond your means. Taking small gradual steps to get to your goal, and being honest with yourself will be the best thing for long term success.

NEWS:
I have been hunting for my first location and I've quickly realized that perfection isn't going to happen. I'm fairly sure that I'm going to have a 90% solution. I've decided that a 90% solution now is better than looking for something that doesn't exist. I will give everyone an update when I know more.

I want to know what your looking for in YOUR gym.

Post personal fitness priorities, and times that you would like to train. feel free to post anonymously, the more that post the more I will have to work with.

I'm looking at making different classes based on fitness ability, so there will be a crossfit test to make it into each new level. thoughts????

Coach

Monday, November 26, 2007

Gourmet food in the zone



Many people that are successful zoners are committed to just eating ingredients. Simply having something for Carbs, Protein, and fat. This is a simple approach and will get you great result, but may leave you wanting more. Instead of going out to eat were oil,salts and many other things that you may or may not realize are being added into your food, why not either make nicer food for yourself within zone requirements. Or just step back to zone principles for the night (which is going to keep you closer to success)

With some fairly simple prep, this meal was made quickly,And as always I pre-cook my protein for the next day...

Ingredients:
Boneless skinless chicken breast
Pre-cooked spinach
Fresh garlic
olive oil
Feta cheese
plain yogurt

Instructions:(makes enough to stuff aprox 4 chicken breasts

carefully fillet a pocket into aprox 4oz chicken breasts.
In a bowl Mix finely mined garlic 1 large clove. Add and entire package of precooked strained spinach. Crumble a few oz's of feta into the mixture (more if you like). add a splash of olive oil, and 2 spoons of plain yogurt (yogurt being a substitute for mayo, and because mayo is mainly oil we add the olive oil)
Mix all together and season with pepper.
the pockets for the chicken will need to be covered, or pinned together. typically they will say to wrap in bacon. I chose to use more filleted chicken to cover the holes. pin them down with water soaked toothpicks so the pocket is, for the most part sealed. Turkey bacon would also be a good option.
cook at 375 for aprox 45-60mins or until chicken is no longer pink inside.

Serve with a Large salad and have some fresh fruit for desert.

Bon Appetite!

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

who do you want as your strength coach!

getting to a distance goal!


Me running the Bataan Death March in March of 2004. 43km with rucksack in New Mexico (500ft of elevation during the race, and 2 miles of loose sand) Read more about the race at www.bataanmarch.com


As of recently my fitness spirit has led me to obtaining a great 500m rowing time. (1:30... currently I'm at 1:34.8) There are many ways to train for a goal, but sometimes the way you track something or time it, can change the way you think.

for example
Standard: the way in which most people will time an even. Press Start and GO and then move and press stop when complete. this gives you an idea of how much longer than your goal it takes you.

Reverse: If you have a goal time this will give you a better example as to how much time you have left to complete the task. Set time to goal time and watch those seconds disappear. Track how far you have left and close that distance. (excellent on the track and dead simple on the rower)

Pace: If you have the luxury of running with someone that can make your goal time, give it a try and see how long you last. On the rower set your pace boat and try to keep up!

With all distance training, even sprints there is a method to the madness. They are tactical events and should be treated at such. Even though you have me beat from the line I will have more energy to pass you at the end. Negative splits, meaning that the second portion of the race is ran/rowed whatever faster than the first. This strategy will lead to drastic time improvements. Remember that the end of the race, is the important part to be ahead at.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

disease


Any diseases and conditions that cause illness in humans is nutrient related. They may include deficiencies or excesses in the diet. Obesity and eating disorders, and chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cancer, and diabetes are cause by intake. Nutritional diseases also include developmental abnormalities that can be prevented by diet.

Chinese medicine has been using natural methods to prevent disease for thousands of years successfully. I beleive in eating real foods, that are unprocessed to accomplish this task.

Why is this not commonly known information???? Large groups such as the FDA in the US have determined that diseases are to be cured by drugs, even though they themselves admit that ALL disease is caused my nutritional intake. Scurvy is the best example of this. I could go and eat oranges and be 100% cured from scurvy, but I would be prescribed Vitamin C..... now in this case I would say both are equal solutions. In many scenarios they are not. Side effects from drugs are typically unknown or considered acceptable.
Do you accept unknown side effects.

many times drugs usefulness are very ineffective are fixing problems. Cold medication is a perfect example of this.

There are no side effects to eating properly, only side benefits.

Any of my zoners out there post your experiences in how you feel day to day, or how about how long you have been on the diet and when the last time you were sick was (and how long it took before you were better).... It's amazing how simple this is and that the food that makes you perform better will make you lengthen your life, and prevent disease.

Eat and perform like a champion, live a long and full life!


Monday, November 19, 2007

Put yourself to the test!


Mixing testing weeks into your training can be a realistic wake up call. Many crossfitters use the crossfit north fitness standards sheet. This is a very interesting read and has been a great challenge for me to overcome my one dimensional athletic skills. The best part about being conscious of your short comings is that you can adjust your training to overcome these.

An example of this is that many people will feel that strength is their weakness and will add more strength days into their training (1 out of 3 days will be heavy lifting)
This strategy can be used for sport/works specific goals.

A big part of the testing is the attitude of setting personal records and not just saying I know I can do this or that. Do it.... and set a record! DON'T CHEAT YOURSELF

Fitness skills test sheet

Good luck, and feel free to post or tell me your results.
Set new goals based on test results!!!!!!!

Friday, November 16, 2007

logdriver

Logdrivers are hardcore... they exude many things that many athletes of today couldn't perform for 15 seconds and they do it everyday all day, and lets not forget they please their women completely!
keep that in mind if thats what your training for!

many men with naturally great grip strength usually share a common trait. Their daily life will involve a thick handled tools (sledge, axe...) Thick handled objects in training will improve your grip significantly. kettlebells, sledge hammers. Grip can be a common failure for many athletes and they aren't even aware of the weak hands being the failure.
Grip can be broken down into a few catagories:
crush grip, pinch grip, and support grip
working all of these into your training will unleash power you didn't even know you had. remember that because the muscles are very small relative to limbs, it will take a long time for the muscles to grow. be patient, tendentious can creep up on you if you aren't careful with training each equally.

if you don't have badass clauses then the chances of you having great grip strength in my mind is pretty slim. A grip workout when done properly can give you the same DOMS effect that an other workout will do....

cardio respiratory endurance, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, accuracy and toughness
are the 10 physical skills that we train to be a crossfit athlete.... use these to plan your individual training. Train hard and obtain the skills and at least then you can fall back on being a logdriver!

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Reading


There are many books on many subjects, many of which get lost in form rather than function. With crossfit training it can be difficult to seek out "expert" advice from specialist trainers. When talking with an Olympic lifting coach, the typical response to crossfit is that its interesting and has good principles but will ultimately slow the progress that one would make Olympic Lifting. YES it will but the sacrifices made by not training in one domain of fitness, allows the crossfit athlete to be better at all other domains than the one dimensional athlete. Making you ready for the unknowable task and making daily life, combat, and sporting an easier experience.

How do I interpret what I read. There are basic principles that crossfit follows. When a specialist info breaks these rules (for example to increase a maximal deadlift typically a powerlifter will widen the foot stance to shorten the distance the weight travels) this breaks 2 rules 1.) increase ROM 2.) athletic position is somewhere between hip and shoulder position for the feet, this is where we jump and run from, and we should also train from.
the goals are different. The power lifter just wants more Lbs lifted when the crossfitter wants more strength and more strength will be made , by increasing the work load .

Many times we will take the form from the expert or high performance athlete in that genre of sport. We will take the spirit of their best workouts , and then add crossfit principles by increasing the ROM and increasing the intensity.... the effect tend to be quite dramatic.

I personally have done 21-15-9 years before crossfit was around Greg Glassman did not invent that. What he did do, was remove the expectation of rest, making this dramatically different.

he also made up pukie the clown!

books that are well received in the crossfit world.

-Starting Strength - Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore
-Gymnastics and Tumbling - United States Navy (1944) review available on crossfit.com, in the free journals section
-Entering the Zone - Dr.Barry Sears

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

The Abmat

The Abmat is an excellent training tool. It's purpose is to put or back int he correct position and ensure full range of motion during a regular sit up. I don't feel like giving it all the hype like they do on television and say that you'll get a six pack from using it, so I won't. What I will say is that this WILL help develop abdominal power and co-ordination at a low cost. (or free I will mention at the end)
as with the GHD sit up we have learned that we don't need to bring our sternum closer to our pelvic bone to create great "core strength" or mid line stabilization. There is a powerful set of movements you can do by keeping your back in a flexed position during the situp.
Opening your hips into a butterfly position will be even more powerful.
All of these movements will enforce a FULL ROM which is often cheated without even knowing it during a regular sit-up. I have personally felt the power of these helping to alleviate daily back pain, in combination with some other movements.
By cushioning the lumbar, the Abmat forces you to rely solely on abdominal effort to move your torso through the full range of motion. The opportunity to engage your hip flexors for that initial “umph” at the beginning of the movement is gone. Instead, your lower abs alone are left to do ALL of the work.

If something is injured it will require rest time, but at some time you will need to SLOWLY and gradually strengthen it again, so that you can avoid re-injury.

for more information here is an article from backbuilder.com click here
this article is a great break down of the mechanics during both traditional and abmat situps.

Free abmat:
The thickness is aprox 2 inches at the max height. I found folding and rolling a towel to be semi effective. With time and numerous reps you will have to re-adjust the folding and rolling, But a great substitute for no money. My towel has pushed me to purchase these for the gym... I suspect people will be asking me for them after a couple weeks.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Nasty girls

3 rounds for time of:
50 Squats
7 Muscle-ups
135 pound Hang power cleans, 10 reps

Nasty Girls Video

Many people will tell me that the first crossfit video that they watched was "Nasty girls". Is it the title that draws the attention, or the performance in the video, or just the good music. It's inspiring to see women doing what most men can't do, I think.
The first time I did this workout I was just proud to finish it (muscle-ups being the toughest portion) Now although a tough workout, it isn't so much of a religious experience. I've been crossfitting for a while now and if I look back to when I saw this video the first time and thought OMG thats impossible, to now where I am competitive to the ladies times, I have come a long way.
Crossfit is a journey, that isn't an easy one. The only promise is, if you work hard you will get results. who would have thought!

Brand X scales it as such:
Big Dawgs:
as Rx'd
women 95#

The Porch:
3 rounds for time of:
50 Squats
14 Jumping Muscle ups
115# Hang power cleans, 10 reps

or

3 rounds for time of:
50 Squats
35 pull ups
35 dips
115# Hang power cleans, 10 reps

women 80#

Pack:
3 rounds for time of:
50 Squats
10 Jumping Muscle ups
95# Hang power cleans, 10 reps

women 65#

or


3 rounds for time of:
50 Squats
35 pull ups
21 ring dips
95# Hang power cleans, 10 reps

women 65#

Puppies:
3 rounds:
20 Squats
10 Assisted Pull ups
10 Assisted Dips
10 Hang Power Cleans 25-35#

Buttercups:
3 rounds:
20 Squats
10 Assisted Pull ups
10 Assisted Dips
10 Hang Power Cleans PVC-20#

Friday, November 2, 2007

Rubber mat moving!


WOD:
Move 5300lbs of 4x6 rubber mats up 3 fights of stairs and load them into a truck. Rest 2hrs Carry mats 50ft and stack them. for time.

Thanks Brad, and PJ I wouldn't have been able to do that alone!

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Foam Rollers:

Foam rollers are used to increase soft tissue condition and increase range of motion. Although it may look like it feels nice, this will hurt! This is an important thing to mix into your stretching routine.
If you tie a knot in a rope and then you pull on the rope the knot will only get tighter. With a foam roller, you will break up all those knots, adhesions, and scar tissue that tend to accumulate over time and not only will you improve range of motion (no more knots), but you'll also improve overall tissue quality as well.

trigger points occur when the muscle has been over stimulated. These point can cause pain or can be pain free until direct pressure is placed on it. Trigger points can often send referral pain to another point. An example of this is tennis elbow. The issue is the extensor muscles in the hand but the pain is felt on the outside of the elbow.

now because most of you aren't aware of all the accu/trigger points the foam roller will allow you to do some basic moves and because the trigger points are in a swollen state they will be the highest point and thus the foam roller will put all of the pressure you apply onto it. (This is the part that hurts) When you feel this, you will want to slow down the roller and then repeat the spot you are rolling on until, if possible it doesn't hurt. It may take multiple sessions to free up scar tissue and knots in certain areas.

there are many products that accomplish the same thing, but this has to be the most economical and easiest to accomplish (this is why I choose it) It must be obtainable!

The Stick is a short flexible stick with mini rollers on it. its more portable, but doesn't allow you to put the same pressure as a foam roller.

Migun Beds is a bed that has round jade stones that are heated and roll to accomplish the same task as the roller. Although it says you can lay on your front, I beleive it to be designed solely for your back and legs. This uses inferred which really helps with muscular recovery. The downfall is these beds are very expensive and I beleive to be limited in the capabilities and is a one size fits all solution (meaning that it doesn't adjust based on height, which is a policy that I'm strictly against) plus side because they are a growing company they offer free treatments in their locations once you buy your own sheets to put on the bed $10

Massage I don't think I need to describe how this works but lets be honest, this really depends on the skill of the RMT and as well how much time and money you can put towards your treatments. This is also why some people will say they are sore after a massage. (this is a good thing)

Fact: Soft tissue and range of motion are huge factors involved with human performance. look into it try it!

The skeptic


On the weekend I was talking with Tony Budding the crossfit media guy. He had mentioned when we were talking about Olympic lifts, that he out lifts Greg Amunston (who we all know to be imortal) by up to 40% on all lifts but deadlift, But even on heavy lifting CF workouts Greg will out perform Tony. (by 12 mins on Linda is what he said I think)
If Mark Rippetoe was asked he would tell you that an increase in max dead lift will make you better at what you do. For example a bicyclist would get faster because each spin is a smaller % of the work done in a deadlift. This is true, but to a point. For the novice athlete any gain in strength will assist, but when we move beyond a certain point of strength we are sacrificing other skills.

The lesson learned here is that heavy strength days are important part of our training, but absolute strength doesn't not equal absolute dominance. Crossfit defines fitness as the practical application of power across broad and modal time domains. So when Tony can out perform on single rep maxes, and Greg can and does outperform in all other ranges, who has the practical output of power?

Thursday, October 25, 2007

O-zone review


WOD: the 400m is run together and everyone is working in pairs, only one athlete works at a time each athlete does all 50 reps
Run 400m
50 wallball
50 KB swings
50 pushups
50 box jumps
run 400 m

The Ozone is a organic fast food place located @ 1426 fanshawe park rd close to fanshawe park rd and hyde park rd.

Their logo is real food fast. Upon entering the store there is natural wood tables and cabinets, with bright orange accent on the wall, the free standing chairs were transparent orange as well.. I found this quite distracting, and also plastic just goes against the feel of what I think they are trying to create. The feel of the crowd in the restaurant was that of the star bucks yuppie crowd. I am very anti-starbucks because A) I dont drink coffee and B) I think its a big giant corporation that makes passive moves to appear to be earth friendly to attract the un-educated donations and gain patronage of the customer that has more money than brains.

The only reason I went was because I saw a $2 of a combo coupon in the house and thought i would try, also curious as to how expensive it could be that they can knock $2 of the price.

the order: $6.99 1/4lb burger combo
1/4lbs burger
with spinach salad
and juice box to drink (250ml)

Burger:
the burger gets dressed the way you like it, but the toppings were a little meager and the "organic" Hienz catchup made me laugh. 1/4 lbs cooked is the right portion but not enough protein when weighed raw for 4 blocks. you do get your choice of whole wheat or white bun though... flavor of the burger was not bad... i would rather a hand made patty if i have to wait for it.
Side:
they had 2 or three types of fries and 3 types of salad ( ceasar, greek, spinach)
the had 4-5 types of dressing which all looked to me to be sugar shots. The spinach salad i had was so sad, it was just leaves with maybe 1 1/2 mushrooms cut on top of it. so the sweet salad dressing made up for lack of content.
Drink:
then we get to drink options... fountain pop or organic drink box.... i don't do pop, so i goto the drink boxes to find no less than 26grams of sugar in one box (I think I would rather have a kitkat at 22grams of sugar)

Service:
they took the order correctly and had a clean shop, but going to a "fast food" place I expect my food to be near instantly ready not to take my name and have a seat and then be called up when its ready... I consider this un-acceptable in this type of industry, I'm already sacrificing my health (shortening my life) why do I have to give you my time too!


Basically I think its sad that people would come to a place like this and think that it would be possibly a weight loss option, or that this will change their life in some significant way. Although I do beleive in organic products I don't beleive in organic pricing. When you buy organics at a farmers market they are usually equal prices, because its coming direct from the farmer. when it has this mass market name attached to it, people hold false value in the product. This is similar to paying more money to live closer to your neighbor. The fact is, that most food in the grocery store today, when tested would meet organic testing requirements, but the farmer has simply not paid to have the "organic certification" put on his food. Most farmer don't make more money selling organics, and haven't used the bad pesticides in years anyways. 10yrs pesticide free is organic.

Overall rating 2.5/5
they did have some healthy options, but the foods flavor was pretty weak overall. Doesn't organic culture boast better flavor? Sugars are available in almost all products given from them. and they make no real effort to be part of the healthy earth lifestyle that I would attach the word organic to. salad portion was small and lacked in vegetable variety. over priced!

remember organic just means pesticide free not necessarily healthy!

Meats and vegetables
Nuts and Seeds
Some fruit
Little Starch
NO SUGAR

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Olympic lifting with Mike Burgner


Coach Mike Bergner:
I had a great day of training with Mike. Even though I know the lifts I learned a lot about them. different words and drills create a deeper understanding. Being that I don't have any coach thats tough on me, I really liked getting back to the aching and sweating that I hesitate in doing to myself.

Olympic lifting is just the Clean and Jerk, and the Snatch... both movements start from the ground and end with the weight overhead and you standing straight up and down.

Monday, October 22, 2007

more on the kip (gymnastics)

there is an absolute translation to an efficient gymnastics kip and crossfit kip. Being that a girl that cant to 5 pullups (strict) but can kip, when shown a crossfit kip was able to do 12-15 pulls before she was out of breath and stopped, not out of power.

I think the best description is gaining speed in a horizontal plane, where its cheap and easy and then redirecting it upwards.

now for the gymnastics kip you need to have your toes by your hands for 1/4 of the swing and then kick out to redirect that force of the swing up.

Training this: starting off with a knees to elbow and then extend the legs up until toes touch the bar, then slowly lower to L sit and beyond and repeat... negatives will give the power need to hold.

alternate movement: hold L sit while swinging on the bar, this can be done on parallel bars as well, try to maintain the l sit as you swing, or even full pike.

happy kipping!

More from the community

http://www.kettlebellathletics.com/FreeKettlebellVideos.html

just a great video from a good guy. Jason from Crossfit Philly is a great guy and knows his KB's.
and remember if Bruce Lee did it, then maybe you should too. If you don't think so, watch Enter The Dragon! A great drill for anyone that even has the slightest possibility of ever throwing a punch.

Friday, October 19, 2007

kipping like a gymnast

Kipping like a gymnast:

Crossfit encourages kipping while doing pull-ups for the simple reason that the faster you move with a load the more "work" is being done.
and can even be used during a handstand push-up, to kip to the handstand.

work= (force)(distance)/time





1.) Kipping on a pull-ups is a good interim step, using hip power to drive the body above the bar.

2.) The next step would be kipping into a muscle-up, while still doing most of the pulling.

3.) The next being kipping to supported, on the rings. Starting hanging upside down and then moving completely based on the kipping motion to catching in the supported position (bottom of the dip) This is a dynamic move that the body will move at more than double the speed of a regular muscle up. (dynamic moves aren't meant to be done on "elite" home rings) the risk for falling or missing the catch is much greater while doing this move.

4.) The next move is doing an actual kip... this is performed on a highbar or the uneven bars. starting from a a basic swing the body folds in half at the forward part of the swing. at this point, the toes should fire toward the bars and can even hit the bar lightly. The the body straightens rapidly with the arms still straight and the body swings so fast the the momentum will bring you to the supported position of the muscle-up. WOW hip explosion at its best.

About half of the routines in the video start with kipping to supported.



3.5) Flexibility may limit the ability of the athlete to kip hard enough to get to supported. If this is the case start at the supported position lean forward onto the bar until the body is parallel to the ground. At this point you will need to fold the body in half rapidly while pushing off the bar. by the bottom the arms will straighten and the legs will still be as high as possible. Rapidly straighten the body at the peak of the forward swing as before. hip explosion with get you to the supported, any failure will ensure you don't get there. If the body doesn't straighten all the way there will be a falling portion and the falling motion will steal the momentum you need to get up. It will also add extra pressure onto your hands and may help make your baby soft hands tear.
USE CHALK LIBERALLY! or grips

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

History of 15 reps BW Overhead squat


The Overhead Squat


Dan John -
It's amazing what you get stuck with in life: about five years ago, I wrote a small article for a lifting magazine about the "Overhead Squat," also know as the Snatch Squat. (You can find it at www.danjohn.org/overhead.html) Since that time, this article hasbeen quoted, reposted, linked, referenced, and outright stolen so many times that it simply amazes me. Moreover, I gained this international reputation for being "the" Overhead Squat expert. So much so that when athletes come to train with me they are disappointed if they don't suffer through a difficult and painful session on mastering the Overhead Squat!

So, one article and I am branded for life. But, you know, if you are going to be stuck to something, the Overhead Squat is not a bad thing to have your name associated with for the next few decades or so. What is funny about the Overhead Squat is, well, it is that amazing. It really does deliver the "goods" for the athlete in any endeavor.

You want flexibility? Step right this way. A stronger lower back? Can't think of a better way to build it. You want this thing we call "overall body strength" but can never agree on how to get it? Overhead squats, my friend. It is the "one size fits all" of the lifting world.

For the record, I am renowned for my hyperbole on things, but in this case, I can say this: if you only did Overhead Squats, you could probably achieve the bulk of your athletic goals. I have trained athletes using nothing but Overhead Squats in the weight room for up to six weeks and have found that they not only improved on the athletic field, but also came back to increase their max lifts in such divergent lifts as deadlifts and bench presses.

So, what are they? Simply, with a wide grip on the barbell, you hold the bar overhead and perform a simple squat down and return to the standing position. Repeat. Simple isn't it? Well, except for this: the bar seems to have a mind of its own, this gravity thing seems to actually be working in a few new directions, and you seem to need to remember what bone is connected to what bone. Overhead Squats make you very strong by making you tense literally every muscle and system in your body!

Well then: how do you get the bar overhead? I get the bar overhead for Overhead Squats by snatching it from the floor. I gave my racks away a couple of years ago, so I take everything from the floor. However, when I go out to Juan Diego Catholic High School, I use their racks and push jerk them up with the snatch grip. I find I can add a lot of weight with the racks, but, for me, the amount on the bar is no longer much of an issue.

As to "how much," it is going to vary. I had a high school boy do close to 300 at a bodyweight of 215. I always used this weird formula I got from Coach Mike Weeks –the goal is to do 15 reps with bodyweight. It doesn't mean you do this as a workout!!! It is a yearly or seasonal workout to test yourself. My best snatch in a meet is 314 and the most I have ever done for a single is 315. I think most guys would agree that going "top end maxes" on overheads would not have a ton of value. I like to keep the reps in the 3's, 5's, and 8's. Doing two sets of five with the overhead three times a week is not a bad plan of attack. Don't miss, by the way, this is always bad with the Overhead Squat. If you do lose the bar, don't fight it; let it go and you will get pushed out of its path; fight it and things can go badly, badly wrong. Build up slowly and go deep.

I'm a big fan of overheads, but you need to be sure you know why you are going to add them. Seriously, they will help with any goal I can think of, but if you are going to start doing them, there is going to be a learning curve. Six months from now, they will pay off with better flexibility, better "support" structure (I know some people don't believe in ‘support muscles’, but I do), and great thigh, hip and lower back strength. If you are doing them for sports, I think you will find an immediate carryover.

So, how to add? One idea is based on what Pavel Tsatsouline recommends: do them EVERY day for two sets of five for two weeks. First set heavy, second set is a back off.

Another is to simply make one day a week ‘the overhead squat day’. Or, take a couple of weeks out and just do overheads three days a week. The few weeks of specialization will not retard your overall progress. Some guys act like a week or two of specialized work will kill them. That is bodybuilder thinking, "Oh no, I'm a quarter inch off my left bicep."

Another idea is just to toss them in and do them. It would be a great complement to your front squats. I often do overheads and front squats together. They really do seem to be a nice blend.

I usually teach athletes the overhead squat fairly early. Trust me, a kid who overheads with 95 pounds will find the back squat a fairly easy thing to learn. It is an odd thing about my coaching style: I don't teach discus throwers how to hold or release the discus. I use handled medicine balls and they do countless full turns and drills with throwing into walls or onto fields. So, they master advanced drills like "float-float-stings," three turns and a throw. One day, with nice weather, we go out to throw the disc. On the way down the hill, the new kid asks another, "How do you hold this thing?" An experienced kid takes two or three minutes to show how to hold and release the disc. So, now the young kid goes to ring with a mastery of the big picture that will make the implement go far. Doing it the other way, like most coaches, the athlete will spend the whole first year doing standing throws trying to make the discus fly right. There is no carryover at all to big throws.

If you teach a young athlete to overhead squat, the back squat and the front squat are a breeze. You don't even coach it, they pick it up by simply watching the kid before them. Teach an athlete to snatch, they usually pick up the clean. Show them the clean and jerk and they rarely need a great explanation of the bench.

I think we need to raise the bar high for new athletes and really demand a lot. I think the same about teaching, too.

So, dive in, so to speak, and just start doing them. You'll be glad you added the Overhead Squat to your regime.


Dan John is the Diocesan Director of Religious Education for the Diocese of Salt Lake City and a full-time "on-line" religious studies instructor for Columbia College of Missouri. Originally from South San Francisco, Dan came to Utah to throw the discus for Utah State University and never left. Dan has Masters degrees in history and in religious education, as well as intensive work at the American University in Cairo, University of Haifa, and Cornell. Dan has written articles for "Catechetical Update" and "Utah Historical Quarterly," as well as being a columnist for the Intermountain Catholic. Dan has been teaching for over twenty-five years.

At home, he is humbled by his lovely wife, Tiffini, whose middle name is not "long suffering" no matter how often it is repeated and his two daughters, Kelly and Lindsay. At home, Dan wins arguments with the dog, but not the cat.

Currently, Dan is ranked Number One in the world in the Highland Games,ages 45-49, broke the American Record in the Weight Pentathlon last August, holds numerous National Championships in weightlifting and throwing and maintains a full-time free internet coaching site.


Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Train your brain

Matt Fitzgerald - Runner's World
As any runner who's ever felt his legs turn into lead anvils at the end of a hard workout or race knows, running farther or faster all boils down to a battle against fatigue. And so you train to increase either the distance or the pace-or both-you can sustain without tiring. But hold on just a second: Fatigue might not be what you think it is. According to the latest exercise science, that dead-tired feeling could be all in your head. What's more, the way you've been training to prevent fatigue in your legs may not be the best way to train to prevent it where it really starts: in your brain.

Throughout most of the 20th century, the prevailing theory of exercise fatigue was the so-called "catastrophe" model. According to this theory, fatigue is an involuntary drop in performance caused by the loss of homeostasis (or balance) somewhere in the body. For example, due to lactic-acid buildup, the muscles lose pH balance and become too acidic to function properly, causing you to slow down. Or the muscles become depleted of glycogen (their primary fuel source), so there's no longer sufficient energy available to sustain performance.

But in the 1980s, a new generation of exercise scientists, led by Tim Noakes, M.D., of the University of Cape Town, South Africa, began to poke holes in the catastrophe model. First, they found that the common functional breakdowns-things like lactic-acid buildup and glycogen depletion-don't always occur as we tire. Studies, in fact, showed that fatigue often develops before the muscles reach a level of acidity that would cause direct muscle dysfunction, and that you can feel tired even when there is still muscle glycogen available in the working muscles.

What's more, these researchers also argued that the old catastrophe model couldn't account for the peculiar phenomenon known as the "end spurt" - you know, the guy who elbows past you in the last few yards of a marathon. If fatigue was always caused by direct physiological events within the muscles, then runners who began to slow down during the latter stages of a race couldn't possibly sprint the last 100 yards or so. "Athletes can often surge during the latter stages of a race, knowing that they won't have to continue once they cross the finish line," says Chris Abbiss, Ph.D., a biomedical and health-science researcher at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia.

In one 2001 experiment on end spurts, Australian researchers put a group of subjects through a 60-minute simulated time trial on stationary bikes. They interspersed six all-out sprints throughout the hour-long effort. The results showed that maximum power output began to decline in the second sprint, indicating a very early onset of fatigue. Maximum power continued to decrease through the fifth sprint, but then suddenly shot upward in the sixth and final sprint. If the fatigue that began to set in as early as the second sprint had been caused by a catastrophic loss of homeostasis in the muscles, where did the cyclists find the energy for the final surge?

Are We Done Yet?

As more research challenged the catastrophe theory of fatigue, an alternative emerged, suggesting that fatigue is a protective mechanism that the brain uses to prevent a catastrophic breakdown. Feedback signals from the body to the brain indicate the imminent likelihood of a physical crisis if exercise continues at the current intensity level. In response to these signals, the brain decreases muscle activation and produces feelings of discomfort and loss of motivation, resulting in reduced exercise performance. That is, your brain tells your body to quit working so dang hard.

The new, brain-centered model of exercise fatigue-called the "central governor" theory-also explains the end spurt. Proponents of this model believe that, throughout exercise, the brain continually reads feedback signals from the muscles, blood, and elsewhere in order to answer the question: "How much longer can my body go at the present work level before something terrible happens?" When the answer received is "not much longer," the brain reduces motor output to the muscles and generates those familiar feelings of suffering to reinforce the need to slow down. But when the finish line is within sight, your brain allows you to pick up the pace, knowing it will all be over with soon.

"The brain diminishes muscle activation during the middle of the race in anticipation of calling in a reserve toward the end," says Frank Marino, Ph.D., head of the School of Movement Studies at Charles Sturt University in Australia.

Studies involving simulated races (usually on stationary bikes) have shown that a decline in performance due to fatigue almost always coincides with a drop in electrical activity in the muscles. "This suggests that the brain reduces the drive to the muscles as a means of protection," says Marino.

The Power Of Thought

If fatigue really does start in your head, how do you train to delay its onset? By doing workouts that will convince your central governor that you're capable of achieving your goal times without suffering bodily harm. Such workouts should be highly race specific-simulating both the pace and distance of your goal event-so that your brain will be less likely to feel endangered during the race and won't put the brakes on motor output to your muscles, causing you to bonk.

The perfect example of a highly race-specific workout for a 5-K runner is an interval session of 5 x 1000 meters at 5-K race pace with a three-minute jog recovery between. Because the workout entails running 5-K at 5-K goal pace, it serves as proof to the brain that your body can handle the workload. If you're training for a longer race, such as a half-marathon or a marathon, you need to alter this approach by running only about half the race distance at goal pace, since not even the toughest elite could recover quickly enough from a workout totaling 26 miles of race-pace intervals.

Most runners can't jump right into demanding race-specific workouts without first developing the speed and distance components of race fitness individually. So start by doing one challenging speed workout and one challenging distance workout each week, along with however many easy runs you want. Early on, most of your speed training should be much faster and your distance training much slower than goal race pace. As your body adapts, your speed efforts should become longer and slower, and your distance efforts should become longer, then faster, until your workouts closely simulate the upcoming race experience. Once you've proven to your brain that you can complete these race-specific workouts, come the big day, it should respond to your efforts with a "been there, done that, no problem."

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Measuring success

Mike Murphy: A dedicated athlete and hard worker. Does 320 BW squats at the beginning of a WOD that started with max BW squats....


A common question is "I've been crossfitting for a while when can I expect to not be tired, as I go through the workouts?

Answer: Never.... well It's not that simple. As you do a benchmark workout there is always a way to increase the difficulty weather its the load being lifted or the time it took you to move the fixed load. These are a crossfitters measures of success. (ie the difference between a 10min fran and a 4 min fran) If a 4 min franner did a 10 min fran they would not be tired

Many people will talk about heart rate and V02 max and all sorts of other correlates of success. although these can aprox tell you about the athletes abilities they aren't a rock solid way. Does best V02 max mean that you are the fastest in the world? Obviously not. what does.... running a fixed distance the fastest does.. (work capacity)

Work capacity is the goal standard for crossfit, and for any serious athlete. Measure loads lifted, and time runs, measure jumps.... then do it all out of breath and time yourself!

Record results... having a training log will be the best way to judge improvement, because you will comeback to benchmarks and now you can set yourself a goal (always more than you did before)

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Weight Gazing


"Weight Gazing"

You've seen the weight gazers on the floor. They're the ones in the middle of a kickass Fran or a raging FGB who feel the need to pause and assess the apparatus they've just spent hard won reps lifting, pulling, or slamming. Why? Because they have fallen into the mental trap of weight gazing. Most commonly they're just coming off a metabolically demanding exercise, and they spend valuable moments pausing before engaging a strength component. In our Fran example, the gazer comes off the pull up bar and stops for 10-30 seconds before starting to negotiate the Thruster. Instead, our intrepid Crossfitter should grasp the bar immediately and crank out as many reps as possible, even if it's only one or two, to break the psychological pause of moving from one exercise to another. Once that positive feedback cycle of exercise / progress / exercise has resumed the athlete can start to accurately assess his or her rest needs. The trap of weight gazing is almost exclusively mental - of course we're tired, but we make negligible metabolic recovery by abstaining from that first rep.

straight from the general


You’ve got to drive the body to the last inch of energy then go on! You gain nothing by just going up to where your body says you’re tired. The body will build and grow only to fit the demands the mind makes upon the lazy body. If all you do is exercise until the body is tired, the body will get lazy and stop a bit shorter every time. You must go to the point of exhaustion, then go on. That way the body figures out, “We’ve got to build up more strength if that crazy mind is going to drive this hard!” If you always quit when you are merely tired, you will never gain. Once you let the body tell the mind when to quit, you are whipped for sure. You can not gain by listening to the body. We can become much stronger if we drive the body. We use about on-tenth of the available strength of our bodies and less than that of our minds." -General George Patton

Justin C gets his first Muscle Up today... welcome to the club....

and Fun WOD in the rain:

20 Turkish getups
10 second L hold single leg/per leg
5 hurdles 2 foot gymnastics jump (8ft apart)

elimination based on hurdles (if you fail 3 hurdles your out)
each rd do 2 less TGU's and raise the hurdles by 2 inches

rds are endless until you have a winner

we finished at 42.25inches on the hurdles...

I just flipped on the tube and they announced the mens hurdles height of 42".... WOW is all I gotta say.... they do 10 of the in less than 13 seconds
I had no idea that they got that high!

chicken theme

In the past couple days I've been sick. I've been having trouble controlling body temperature and dealing with leftover doms as well as whole body achiness. I decided that having a contrast shower was out of the question I turned to something that I've done for quite some time and thought it might be useful for those to chicken to try the hot/cold routine.

Epsom Salts
Because of the high magnesium content, epsom salts bath can be helpful anytime you are suffering from achiness and muscle strain. It helps to clear out released and unused lactic acid
(lactic acid being a fuel for your muscles)

Epsom salts can be found at your local pharmacy/grocery store. Use 2-4 cups in a full bath (for a severe case of doms more is better), The temperature for the bath should be is hot as you can take it. you must soak in the bath for a min of 20 mins (severe doms 30 mins +) without adding any bath solutions or oils or soap, as these will change the chemistry of the water. After the time is up wash or rinse as you please.

lets all remember that we don't get stronger during the workout, we get stronger as we recover. efficient recovery is very important.

I would say following the zone, sleeping a regular schedule and some form of recovery routine (epsom salts, contrast baths, stretching routines) far out weigh the power of many supplements on the market today.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

9 O'Clock Chickens


I'm not sure if every store does this or not but, I like the rotisserie chickens that sell for $9-10 that taste ohh so good and are already cooked for you. (because I'm too lazy to cook a whole chicken)

Anyways at 8:59 they are regular price, but in my store that closes at 10pm at 9:00pm they are $4.50.... I don't even have more than 4oz of it when its hot anyways. what a deal!
I get home and strip the chicken of its skin and then split it into its 4 and 2 block portions. this takes only a min or 2 with a nice digital scale and a tare feature on it. And at 50% savings it taste so much better.

of course this doesn't happen every day(because they all sell before then), but I've been able to get a 9 o'clock chicken on Fridays pretty regularly.

who said prepared food has to be pricey!

stripped from the bone I got 26oz from mine

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Ladies Night!

Tues Night is ladies night, if your not a girl invite one( 6-7pm) , if you are a girl invite 2!
or at least show them this article....

article from againfaster:

If I were feeling a little more lawless, I’d gather all the copies of Cosmo and Seventeen, douse them in kerosene, and strike a match. I’d throw in reams of print ads from Calvin Klein and watch with delight as Kate Moss’ stick-thin image was reduced to carbon. I’d add copies of Shape and Runner’s World until the flames reached toward the heavens, and then I’d crank call the editorial desk at Muscle and Fitness until they stopped publishing pictures of women on steroids.

I’d get the master tapes of America’s Next Top Model and dub over them with “Nasty Girls”, broadcasting the results on every television station in America. I’d skywrite “CrossFit.com” across the Boston skyline, and gently admonish the hoards of long distance runners trotting along the Charles River—with a bullhorn.

I’d take every woman with mass media-induced ideals of beauty, and I’d show them what it really means to be beautiful.

Beautiful women are strong and powerful. They are athletes, capable of every feat under the sun. They have muscles, borne of hard work and sweat. They gauge their self-worth through accomplishments, not by the numbers on the bathroom scale. They understand that muscle weighs more than fat, and they love the fact that designer jeans don’t fit over their well-developed quads.

They know that high repetitions using light weights is a path to mediocrity, and “toning” is a complete and utter myth. They refuse to succumb to the marketers that prey on insecurity, leaving the pre-packaged diet dinners and fat-burning pills on the shelf to pass their expiration date.

Beautiful women train with intensity. The derive self-image from the quality of their work and their ability to excel. They don’t wear makeup to the gym, and they wouldn’t be caught dead with a vinyl pink dumbbell. They move iron, they do pull-ups, they jump, sprint, punch, and kick, and they use the elliptical machine—as a place to hang their jump rope.

They spend their weekends in sport, climbing walls, winning races, and running rivers. They laugh as they sprint circles around the unschooled, turning the image-obsessed into benchwarmers. Beautiful women don’t care if they’re soaked in sweat and covered in dirt, if their nails are chipped or their hair out of place. They care only about quality of life.

Beautiful women are happy, healthy, and strong, and they’re right there beside me, tossing conventional beauty on the ever-growing flames of what used to be. Be beautiful.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Modified workouts


When doing a crossfit workout in the beginning of my own personal training I was demolished within seconds of starting quite a few of them. I quickly learned that I will need to scale down the weight and or type of movement I will be doing.

Lessons learned:
1.) when scaling down the weight/movement alternate from doing a heavy day to intensity day. There is a reason the loads are the loads for crossfit. So for example even though it will take you an extra 5 mins to do the workout add that weight to push your strength to a new level. If lung power is the problem and you find you have to always do less reps to get through something, then make sure to do all the reps regardless of time.
2.) Read the FAQ's on the main crossfit site to see adequate substitutions, Use Brand X modified workouts to give you an idea of where your at... feel free to mix and match based on ability.
Brand X modified workouts

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

sean sherk



it doesn't need an explanation, except that it is the fittest 155er in the UFC

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Power Breakfast


just for the guys and girls out there that are having a tough time thinking outside the box for a breakfast idea. here it is!

Rob wolf gave me an idea...

"Do y’all remember when Wilford Brimley was the spokesman for Oatmeal? Well…now he is a spokesman for diabetes supplies! All kidding aside, the question of breakfast, particularly oatmeal and the like is a constant, wearing down of our soul. Here is a simple experiment: Have a breakfast consisting of 3-4 scrambled eggs with spinach, olive oil and whatever spices you might want. See how you feel 4-5 hours later. The next morning have a bowl of oatmeal. Kick up your heals and add a banana, some brown sugar or some dried fruit. How ya feeling 5hrs later today tiger? If you do not have rock solid blood sugar for a 4-6 hour period after a meal you are taking in too many carbs and consequently releasing too much insulin. No worries though, Mr. Brimley can hook you up with extra insulin once you pancreas gives out." - Robb Wolf


there are different types of oatmeal, but its the quantity you eat and aswell the type.

here is my 4 block spinach N' egg special.... blows away my regular breakfast!

3 whole eggs
1 oz Cheese
4cups fresh spinach
1 cup sliced tomato
1 apple
spray on oil for frying pan
12 almonds

1 apple on the side

this is a 4 block meal with a little more than double fat quantities

fry up the fresh spinach until its all shriveled up
add tomatoes and cheese sliced
and mix eggs into it last stir it up, cook until eggs are ready.

feta cheese would rock this meal to a new level I'm sure!

POST YOUR BEST ZONE MEAL TO COMMENTS.... rate it on performance and flavour

Friday, September 7, 2007

Extra energy


Many athletes will have a new found surplus of energy because they aren't used to doing short and intense workouts... Part of this is not giving 100% during the workout....(something that takes a mental toughness most don't have) and the other is that they are simply used to doing things for a long duration of time.

Post work out energy: should and will be used to stretch!, do skill work, plan out your next workouts.

Especially when zoning this can be a factor, I find myself in a state of constant readiness. I'm willing to take on next to any task.

I'm going to tell you a secret right now!... You don't get stronger during the workout. It's the recovery process thats the magic time. So if you don't allow time to recover, you don't get better. For example a person that basically masturbates in the gym for 30-45mins 3 times a week with a proper diet and good sleep pattern, can perform better than a 5 day a week hard worker with a sleep issue and a poor diet.

Food will put you at a state of readiness... being prepared for the unknown is an awesome feeling.

Performance eating seminar 1 week away (only 2 spots left)

Thursday, September 6, 2007

A day with Coach D


Zone prescription of 1/1/2 C/P/F

1 Glass of water with each meal and snack... more on top of the pre-workout and after

0715: Breakfast; 4eggs, 2/3cup cooked oatmeal, 2 tbs raisins, 2 tbs 10% cream, 6 roasted almonds
4/4/8
0830: Grip training; 3x single rep smooth out negatives (#2), 3x single rep overcrush (#1), 5 reps Dynamic Thumb, 3x 12 reps extensor work(white band)
All exercises are repeated on both hands!

1030: Snack; 2 oz canned tuna, 1/2 avocado, 6 stoned wheat thins 2/2/4

1200: Lunch; 6 cups romaine lettuce, 1/2 cup sweet onion, 1/2 pita, 4 oz chicken, oil and vinegar dressing 4/4/12 ***** felt a bit drowsy before afternoon snack.... too much fat!

1445: Snack; 2 oz canned tuna, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 pita 2/2/4

1600: 3x warm-up (no time for WOD today), active stretching session

1800: Slightly late dinner: 4 oz Chicken, 2 cups green beans, 1 apple, 24 almonds

2130: Snack: 1 oz cheese, 3 crackers, 6 cashews

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Crossfit for life!

It's easy to get all hyped up into any program, see results and let them dwindle and then reminisce on how "I used to be able to do this or that".

Thing I do to keep myself in check.

1.) Update and continually check my short and long term training goals
2.) Keep the zone in check (a watch with 3 alarms/day will remind you of those pesky snacks that are easily forgotten)
3.) Have an upcoming competition that everyone you know knows about ! (people that have no idea what fitness is will tell you when you eat bad food, haven't worked out etc) or they may just nicely ask how training is going. a great reminder.
4.) compare myself to EQUAL athletes. through the online crossfit community and blogs its fairly easy to find an "online training partner"... or better yet a real life one... even if you can't train together all the time, a re-union will remind you that you are doing well or falling behind.
5.) re-educate: further crossfit reading, zone books, specialist books, and new training gear will always re-motivate to use and try new and old things.
6.) watch the crossfit video of the day before a workout, or just as a reminder that there are girls that whip me...(this keeps me up at night..j/k)
7.) access whole life (hours awake during day, sleep, food, stress etc... ) 7P's from Bravo 2 Zero "Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance"
8.) Record results from workouts and compare myself to my hardest competition (myself)

This is just a random smattering of things.. feel free to add your own tips/tricks to comments....

Friday, August 31, 2007

Adding explosiveness to your bodyweight excersizes


When doing bodyweight routines there is an endless amount of leverage we can put against our body when lifting/moving it.
To make something easier we limit the range of motion of the bodyweight exercise. (for example doing "girl" push ups in stead of having a full body extension.) This makes the lever or the force put against out arms significantly less.

To make it much more challenging we need to start by having a feeling of weightlessness during the movements and then actually become airborne during a movement. (for example during a clapping push up you are required to produce much more force to get that extra 6 inches of movement in the push up without any further pushing) the clapping is just a hand speed thing.

similar to the explosive lifts the way you create the force needs to be calculated, and thought about. Just like a deadlift, powerclean, or even muscleup. The force you create needs to be getting faster and harder as the movement goes into full extension. If you explode right from the ground although you may still lift from the ground you will have wasted most of your acceleration during the portion that you should have still been pushing, But on the other hand if you begin pushing slowly and get faster and faster throughout the movement until the fastest point of just leaving the ground you will have maximum height in which you can clap your self silly.

Similar to doing a sprint workout (which is a standing equivalent) you must make sure you are properly warmed up before doing explosive work, this typically means doing the same activity at a slower speed, and completing full range of motion movements (or form work) before hand.

To give example almost any exercise can be made explosive:
pullups---- clapping pullups
squats----- jumping squats
situps------ V-snaps
and the list goes on....

As a general guideline you should have the basic movement mastered before you add explosiveness to it. because the catch position can be dangerous for an athlete without the muscular power to contract and catch their full bodyweight.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Performance eating seminar


Coach D will be guiding all levels of athletes to maximize their potential through eating healthy. Using "Zone" principles to achieve goals. The zone diet is a life style diet, if you need to gain weight you will gain, if you need to loose you will loose, those with a health body composition will set new personal records in all aspects of fitness.
In 2.5hrs you will cover things such as reasons to choose the zone or any meal plan, GI, different levels of commitment to meal plans, weighing and measuring for your body, making a weekly meal plan, selection of foods, grocery shopping, fitness and nutrition and much more.... to finish with actually preparing a days worth of food for coach!

Cost $40

Limit 10 people (If you confirm and don't show up, you will be expected to pay the next time you come to train... zero tolerance) first come first serve!

RSVP with Coach D Directly by email/phone/facebook

Nicole Carroll's zone experience:

I never thought what I ate mattered. I was thin and muscular. My athletic performance was decent. I generally felt pretty healthy and happy. So I was skeptical about diet having any kind of real impact on anything. For my whole life I had been eating a lot of whatever the hell I wanted and seemed to be doing just fine. But I did have a sense that this wasn’t true for everyone and that as a trainer, people would be asking me questions about nutrition and diet. I knew CrossFit prescribed the Zone diet so I bought the books, read them, got my measly block prescription and tried the diet. The deal I made with myself was that for two weeks I would weigh and measure precisely. If after two weeks I wanted to go back to eating the way I was before I could. No guilt, just an experiment.

Four weeks into the Zone diet, I was stronger and faster than I had ever been. I had lost fat and gained muscle. My benchmark workout times decreased, and my pull-up numbers increased. I hit PRs in deadlift, back squat, and push jerk. I had more energy, recovered more quickly, and could push harder more often.


POST YOUR PERSONAL ZONE EXPERIENCES! or questions

Monday, August 27, 2007

heavy lift prescription

heavy lift prescription:

this is a prescription for a 5-5-5-5-5 strength workout
the first 5 sets are all warm up sets do weight almost as quickly as one can rack weight on the bar (except last set)
last warm up set and work set (5x5) take 2-3 mins between sets (as you become a stronger lifter reaching the intermediate advanced and elite level you will require more time for maximal lifts)

if the movements are new don't go for your 100% max on day one use some time to develop form.
use the warm-up to determine how much your going to lift if you don't already know.
take small jumps in weight in movements as to not reach a plateau small jumps will allow you to slowly gain more strength needed to add additional weight.

% of goal weight to lift
weight ---Reps-- Sets
45lbs -----5------ 2
40% ------5------ 1
60% ------3------ 1
85% ------2 ------1
100% ----5 ------5

Strength days a very important part of crossfit training!

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Grip!



Video is great for a laugh, but he is one of 5 men in the world able to close a number 4
also a champion arm wrestler who broke another strongmans arm with a spiral fracture during an arm wrestle (an amazing feat)

definitions: chopped and pasted from gripboard!

Crushing Grip - Closing difficult grippers
Pinch Grip - Lifting heavy things pinched between the finger and thumb
Thick Handles - Lifting heavy things by holding a thick handle
Bending - Bending nails or metal rods

Crush Strength and Grippers

The standard measure of crushing strength discussed is usually the ability to close Ironmind's "Captains of Crush" grippers. Closing the "#3" is a goal that many strive for, and takes a lot of training for most people to accomplish. There are a number of different gripper manufacturers,

Pinch Grip

Pinch grip is the grip used when we squeeze things between the thumb and the other fingers.

Thick Bar

In general, "thick bar" means lifting weights on bars at or over 2" in diameter. There are a number of variations - one or two hands, revolving or non-revolving bars, and thickness from 2" to 3", and smooth or knurled bars.

Bending

Bending generally means bending metal nails or section of rod into a U shape. There are a variety of techniques

Why have strong hands?
To lift any object your hands are always going to be involved. hands becoming fatigued is the reason most people cant lift heavier objects. (its not the legs that are tired, its the hands)
climbing to new heights as a rock climber, grip is the limitation.
doing the common uncommonly well, being that uncle that has a bone crushing hand shake!
doing repeated pullups or heavy deadlifts, grip is the limitation.
Strong wrists will be a side benefit of bone crushing strength. (allowing to support more weight for many movements)

How to get strong hands (and pain free)
This is the million dollar question. There are many different training aspects from doing crushes, and pinches and extensor work, so you wont get tendinitis. All of which need to be built evenly. The hand by its nature is always making multi-joint movements, but these movements mainly overworking crush grip can expose you to some risk of tendinitis. feel free to mix up the grip training in a similar way we run the benchmark girls with no real rhyme or reason except that you haven't done something in a while (meant its time to do it)

Friday, August 24, 2007

Certified Captain of Crush


Rules for Closing a No. 3 or No. 4 Captains of Crush Gripper
  1. The gripper must be an authentic IronMind Enterprises, Inc. Captains of Crush® Gripper.
  2. The gripper cannot have been modified or tampered with in any way.

  3. Chalk (magnesium oxide) may be used on the gripping hand, but rosin, tacky, etc. are specifically disallowed.

  4. The free hand may be used to position the gripper in the gripping hand, but the starting position can be no narrower than the width of a credit/ATM card, and the gripster must show the official that he has an acceptable starting position by using his non-gripping hand to slide the end of a credit/ATM card in between the ends of the handles. Once this is done, the official will give the signal to remove the card and begin the attempt. Any contact between the non-gripping hand and the gripper as the card is being removed will invalidate the attempt, and the non-gripping hand must stay at least a foot from the gripping hand at all times during the squeeze. Similarly, nothing may be in contact with the gripping hand or the gripping arm from the elbow down (for example, the free hand is not allowed to steady the wrist of the gripping hand or hold the spring, etc.). The entire squeeze must be clearly visible to the official: the gripper cannot be closed while blocked from view and then turned and presented as already closed.

  5. The gripper must be held with the spring facing up.
  6. The handles must touch completely.
Trainer @ 100 lb
No. 1 @ 140 lb
No. 2 @ 195 lb
No. 3 @ 280 lb (173 people in the world verified)
No. 4 @ 365 lb (5 people in the world verified)

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Tabata Strategy


Tabata Intervals consist of 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest. This cycle is repeated 8 times (for a total of 4-minutes). Although Dr. Tabata used a mechanically braked cycle ergometer, you can apply this protocol to almost any exercise. A few popular examples include hitting a heavy bag, sprinting, jumping rope, or performing bodyweight calisthenics (ex. squats and pushups).

After just 6 weeks of testing, Dr. Tabata noted a 28% increase in anaerobic capacity along with a 14% increase in V02Max. These results were witnessed by physically fit athletes. Many tests are conducted on de-conditioned subjects, which leads to results that are difficult to evaluate. Dr. Tabata's test was much more effective, as it produced a positive response on individuals who were already in shape.

This form of training is also effective for fat loss. Tabata Intervals will raise your body’s metabolic rate long after the exercise session is completed. You will continue to burn fat throughout the day. Many recent studies have confirmed that the powerful "after-effect" of interval training is much more effective (for fat loss) than low-intensity, continuous exercise.

As mentioned, the Tabata protocol can be applied to almost any exercise. The most obvious choice is outdoor sprinting. For example, sprint 20 seconds, then rest (walk) 10 seconds, and continue until you have completed 8 x 20 second sprints. Always begin with a moderate warm-up and cool down session.

when doing squats and other measurable exercises many people will count reps and set a goal within the 20 seconds of how many reps you can accomplish. This can only really be done after you have done a max effort version of the Tabata.... this will also be an easier way to track your progress than testing V02 max or any other or the correlates of success... I always test work capacity.

Add to comments something you would like to Tabata!