July 2009

Connor showing us what powerful leg- and hip drive is all about

Eating Fish is Good for You

If you don't want to take my word for it, perhaps this NY Times article will convince you.

The study points to the strong effect omega-3 (the fatty acid found in fish, or even better, fish oil!) has on brain function. In this study, those who ate more fish reduced their likelihood of developing dementia as they aged.

So take your fish oil already!

Tomorrow's WOD (7/24/09)

We're going to go a little off the beaten path tomorrow, and incorporate something of a back-off day (at least in terms of metabolic demand, certainly not from a strength-development standpoint, though) from the two taxing WODs that we've done the last couple of days. Think of it as active recovery, as well as like selecting from a Chinese food menu (it all depends on your appetite).

Do any or all of the following after warming up:

A. Work up to a 1-rep-max weighted pull-up
B. Work up to a 1-rep-max weighted dip
C. Work up to a 1-rep max snatch
D. Work up to a max-height box jump (I got this one from an entry on Dutch Lowy's blog)

Finisher: Two all-out 500m rows with as much rest in between as needed.

Just so it's clear, you don't have to do A through D. You can do one of them, two of them, three of them, or all four.

Also, for those of you working on developing pull-ups, dips, and full-ROM push-ups, this is the perfect opportunity for you to work the progressions for said exercises.

And if you're still in the mood for something longer, just remember a few things:

* You never know what's coming in the next cycle.
* The intensity of the effort is what produces results (whether we're talking performance or appearance), not the duration of the effort.
* If these words I've typed still don't convince you that you don't need more, your trainer can come up with a workout for you (but hopefully you won't want or need one).

Tamara taking an innovative approach to cooling down at the recent CF Games

There's an article from Mark's Daily Apple about the benefits and appropriateness of strength training for women that's been making the rounds on various CF Affiliate blogs, most recently Nabil's CF Sweat Shop blog.

I thought I'd post a link to the article here as well, in case any of you haven't already read it. It really is worth the read.

Here's an excerpt:

Seriously, though: men and women should work out the same way. That is, provided they have the same goals of developing functional strength, promoting lean body mass over adipose tissue, and improving health, both men and women are best suited to lifting heavy, hard, and with great intensity. Hormonal differences and diet will alter how this lifting program affects you and how much hypertrophy occurs, but the end result is the same: an increased strength to body weight ratio, which is vital for true Primal health and fitness. You’ll increase musculature, but it’s not going to be superficial, bloated muscle. It’s going to be muscle that makes sense, fat-burning muscle that fits your body and fits your genes. After all, you’re just providing the right environment for your genes through proper diet, adequate sleep, normalized stress levels, and – now – the right kind of movements.

I encourage everyone to read the full article here.

Tomorrow's WOD (7/22/09)

Deadlift Ladder

Starting with 10 deadlifts in the first minute, every minute on the minute, increase the amount of reps you do by one (e.g., 10 reps in the first minute, 11 reps in the second minute, 12 reps in the third minute, etc.). Go until you can no longer get the target number of reps within the minute.

The ladder has a fifteen-minute cap. If you get all of the target deadlifts at the 15-minute mark, a final tiebreaker set will be performed: a max-rep set beginning the very next minute. This will be untimed; you'll simply go until you can no longer do a rep (or there's a rest of more than a couple seconds at the bottom).

This will be scored by the number of rounds (plus partial rounds) you get, as well as the number of reps you get in the tiebreaker set, if it comes to that.

Prescribed loading: 225# for men, 155# for women. If you're scaling, pick a weight that you estimate would allow you to stay in the game for ten minutes.

Our beloved Robinski

Robyn, a long time CrossFitter and CFO member, was recently certified as a Level 1 CF Trainer, and is now coaching the 9a.m. class on Monday and Wednesday. In addition to her new training role, Robyn is also helping out as our Office Manager. If you have any membership questions or concerns feel free to contact her here.

What 3 things could we provide that would make being a CFO member better? Post to comments.

Tomorrow's WOD (7/23/09):
"Lynne Ain't Squat"

5 rounds for max reps:

Bench Press at BW
Pull-Ups
Back Squat at BW

Rest 3-5 minutes between rounds.

[Compare to 9/10/2008]

Brandon crying for his mama

Neuroendocrine Adaptation:

“Neuroendocrine adaptation” is a change in the body that affects you either neurologically or hormonally. Most important adaptations to exercise are in part or completely a result of a hormonal or neurological shift. Current research, much of it done by Dr. William Kraemer, Penn State University, has shown which exercise protocols maximize neuroendocrine responses. Earlier we faulted isolation movements as being ineffectual. Now we can tell you that one of the critical elements missing from these movements is that they invoke essentially no neuroendocrine response.

Among the hormonal responses vital to athletic development are substantial increases in testosterone, insulin-like growth factor, and human growth hormone. Exercising with protocols known to elevate these hormones eerily mimics the hormonal changes sought in exogenous hormonal therapy (steroid use) with none of the deleterious effect. Exercise regimens that induce a high neuroendocrine response produce champions! Increased muscle mass and bone density are just two of many adaptative responses to exercises capable of producing a significant neuroendocrine response.

It is impossible to overstate the importance of the neuroendocrine response to exercise protocols. This is why it is one of the four defining themes of the CrossFit Program. Heavy load weight training, short rest between sets, high heart rates, high intensity training, and short rest intervals, though not entirely distinct components, are all associated with a high neuroendocrine response.

-From Crossfit "Foundations" read here:Download file">

Tomorrows WOD 7/24/09:
Rest Day

Post your random thoughts to comments.

Many of us from CFO had the great privilege to participate in Kelly Starrett's Chasing Performance seminar today at San Francisco CrossFit. It was a great time; Kelly is an engaging lecturer, to be sure. And one of CFHQ's luminaries was on hand for the entire seminar as well (I guess K-Star is pretty good). Most importantly, though, every one of us walked away with a great deal more knowledge about the impact mobility (or lack thereof) can have on performance.

Look for some strategies on opening up hips and shoulder to make their way into group classes at CFO very soon!

Got any problem areas? Post 'em to comments so that we can suggest some strategies for managing them.

Tomorrow's WOD (7/26/09)

A. Overhead Squat 3-3-3-3-3 Reps

Rest 5 minutes

B. For Time:

50-40-30-20-10 Double-Unders
25-20-15-10-5 Kettlebell Swings @ 1.5 pd/1 pd

Alternate between double-unders and kettlebell swings (50 d-u, 25 kbs, 40 d-u, 20 d-u, etc.).

Looking for a way to use that fruit that's past its prime & attracting fruit-flies? Bake it! Baking ripe fruit allows the natural juices to come out and caramelize creating a super sweet yet healthy treat. You can do this with just about any fruit that has a skin. Today, I used pears.

Here's how:

1. Slice the fruit in halves or quarters and remove any seeds and stems.
2. Place a layer of fruit in a casserole dish or Pryex container skin side down. Use something that is deep enough to contain all the juices--cookie sheets won't work.
3. Top each piece with small pat of butter (optional).
4. Sprinkle fruit with cinnamon or apple pie spice.
5. Bake at 325 degrees for approximetly 20 minutes.
6. Let cool & enjoy!

You can enjoy these alone as dessert or eat as a snack atop cottage cheese and slivered almonds.

Tomorrow's WOD (7/27/09)

5 Rounds for Time:

Run 400m
15 Power Cleans @ 135#/95#
15 Pull-Ups

"If you don't see change, it's because you have not made change." a wise dude


Studs of Steel: Lance, Daniel, Nabil

Adapted from Precision Nutrition:

1. Eat every 2-3 hours.

Now, you don’t need to eat a full meal every 2-3 hours – some of them can be smaller snacks. But every few hours you should be getting a dose of good food (see rules below).

2. Include lean protein in each meal and snack.

Complete, lean protein generally is food that was an animal or comes from an animal. Things like chicken, beef, fish, dairy, and the like.

“Lean” means low fat. So you want food high in protein but low in fat (e.g., leaner cuts of meat, low fat dairy, etc.).

Are you getting protein in each meal?

3. Include vegetables in each meal or snack.

One of the best and easiest things you can do to improve your health is to include veggies in each meal or snack you eat – every 2-3 hours.

Psychologically, that’s a big change for most people. But it makes such a difference physically that it’s well worth it.

Note: We will be having a Veggie Preparation Seminar this fall taught by Lance V. who will help us learn how to make delicious veggie side dishes!

4. Save carb-heavy meals for after exercise.

This includes things like things rice, pasta, potatoes, etc. You can eat them all – but wait until after you’ve exercised. Plenty of research shows that the body is better able to process carbohydrates in the 3 hour period following a bout of intense exercise.

5. Include a good balance of healthy fat in your diet.

For a long time, dietary fat was vilified in the media. The truth is that dietary fat is absolutely essential! There are 3 types of fat: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Eating all three kinds in a healthy balance can dramatically improve your health, and actually help you lose fat.

Your saturated fat will probably already be covered. Most foods containing lean protein also contain some saturated fat, and that’s okay. You can even toss in some butter or coconut oil for cooking.

Your monounsaturated fat should come from mixed nuts, olives, and olive oil.

Your polyunsaturated fat should from flax seed oil, fish oil, and mixed nuts.

Tomorrow's WOD (7/30/09):

A. Split Jerk 3-3-3-3-3 Reps

Rest 5 Minutes

B. For Time:

Run 400m
50 Wall Ball Shots @ 20#/14#
Run 400m

Have a nutrition goal? Post it to comments. Need help getting your nutrition on track?

We will be holding a Community Day on August 15th (Saturday) at 11a.m.. Please let all of your friends, neighbors and co-workers know about this FREE class intended for those who are curious about CFO and want to know more about what we offer. There will be a team WOD that utilizes a couple of foundational moves.

Tomorrow's WOD (7/28/09):

"Religion"

Complete 5 rounds for max reps:

Squat Max Reps (225#/155#)
7 Burpee Box Jumps 20"
Rest 1 Minute

[from CF Football]

A few of the new items you'll see around the gym

Over the last couple of days, we've been busy restocking the gym with reinforcements!

We've added the following:

* Two flat benches (for Brandon to do curls on)
* Five 45# bars
* Five pairs of 45# bumper plates
* One pair of 15# technique plates (the sprinkled donut ones)
* Four pairs of lock-jaw clamps
* Three pairs of muscle clamps
* Nine medicine balls (perfect timing with the addition of the wall ball targets all around the gym)

Have fun with the new toys!

Tomorrow's WOD (7/29/09)

Rest Day

Connie showing the correct top position of the deadlift

A big thanks to Steve for posting the link to a Men's Health article on saturated fat.

Although some of the article will be old news to those of you who've sifted through Good Calories, Bad Calories (by Gary Taubes), it's nonetheless nice to see such an article printed in a popular magazine as well.

Some of the key excerpts:

* Ronald Krauss, M.D., won't say saturated fats are good for you. "But," he concedes, "we don't have convincing evidence that they're bad, either."

* Now here's the saturated-fat connection: Dr. Krauss found that when people replace the carbohydrates in their diet with fat--saturated or unsaturated -- the number of small, dense LDL particles (the bad cholesterol) decreases. This leads to the highly counterintuitive notion that replacing your breakfast cereal with eggs and bacon could actually reduce your risk of heart disease.

* Men, more than women, are predisposed to having small, dense LDL. However, the propensity is highly flexible and, according to Dr. Krauss, can be switched on when people eat high-carb, low-fat diets or switched off when they reduce carbs and eat diets high in fat, including the saturated variety. "There's a subgroup of people at high risk of heart disease who may respond well to diets low in fat," says Dr. Krauss. "But the majority of healthy people seem to derive very little benefit from these low-fat diets, in terms of heart-disease risk factors, unless they also lose weight and exercise. And if a low-fat diet is also loaded with carbs, it can actually result in adverse changes in blood lipids."

* When people on low-carb diets have been compared head-to-head with those on low-fat diets, the low-carb dieters typically scored significantly better on markers of heart disease, including small, dense LDL cholesterol, HDL/LDL ratio, and triglycerides, which are a measure of the amount of fat circulating in your blood.

I highly recommend reading the article!

Tomorrow's WOD (7/31/09)

"Linda Got Clocked"

4 Rounds for Max Reps:

1 Minute of Deadlifts @ 1.5 x BW
1 Minute of Bench Presses @ 1 x BW
1 Minute of Squat Cleans @ .75 x BW
Rest 2 Minutes after Each Round

The benchmark workout Linda is normally performed for 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps for time. So when it's normally done, the reps are fixed and the time is variable.

This version of Linda, which we're calling Linda Got Clocked, fixes the time at one minute per exercise, with two minutes of rest after each round. It's a four-round workout, which means you'll perform four sets of each exercise by the time you're all done, and will have done 12 minutes of work. The amount of reps done in the workout is variable; it all depends on how much output you're able to produce.

Let's put the challenge out there right now: The normal Linda has you performing 55 reps of each exercise. Who's going to get 55 reps or more of each exercise in the four rounds of Linda Got Clocked? That's an average of 14 reps per exercise per round.

And in an effort to reward balanced performance among the three exercises, anyone who gets each of the three exercises to total 55 reps or more will get 30 bonus reps added to his or her final score.

Tomorrow's WOD (8/1/08):

Weighted Pull-Ups 3-3-3-3-3 Reps

How's it going for you now that we're off the HQ WODs? Bigger? Faster? Stronger? Post the temperature of your fitness now that we are doing CFO-based programming.

This years Firefighter Combat Challenge has been set for Saturday July 18, 2009 at the World Famous “Saddle Rack Bar” in conjunction with “The Great Rotary 18th Annual Chili Cook-Off.”

The Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge brings together hundreds of firefighters from across the country to compete in what is known as "the toughest two minutes in sports."

Annually, the competition draws more than 3,000 firefighters from more than 600 national and local fire departments to battle for challenge superiority. Typically, the competition requires firefighters wear full bunker gear and a Scott Air-Pak while completing a rigorous course comprised on five events: five-story stair climb with a 45-pound hose, hose hoist, forcible entry/Keiser Force Machine, hose advance, and victim rescue.

Justin McNulty Training to defend his teams 2008 Firefighter Combat Challenge Title

Come out to support Justin and his team! Bring your family and friends to this years competition which includes the Chili Cook-Off, live Music, kids activities and great raffle prizes. All money raised will support the Tri-City Rotary Clinic, Washington on Wheels, HOPE Project Mobile Clinic and the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation.

There's a whole gang of us going to support Justin and his team (see white board for details). Post to comments if you'd like to join in and carpool to Fremont!

Tomorrow's WOD 7/2/09

Power Clean 3-3-3-3-3 Reps

Work up to a heavy set of 3.

Rest 5 Minutes

5 Rounds for Time:

10 Good Mornings
10 Knees-to-Elbows

Journey in the correct finish position of a clean: standing tall with the bar racked on her shoulders, out of her hands, and with her elbows forward

San Francisco CrossFit Article

SF Weekly published a not-so-flattering piece on San Francisco CrossFit a couple days ago.

If you've ever trained with Kelly or any of the other SFCF coaches, please go over and leave a comment on the SF Weekly article regarding your experience, so that we can add a little balance to this piece.

***Friday-Sunday Schedule Reminder***

Just a quick reminder, we're running a limited schedule this Friday and Saturday. Sunday will be back to normal in terms of weekend scheduling.

Friday, July 3: 9am, 10am, 4pm, 5pm
Saturday, July 4: 9am, 10am (no 4pm)
Sunday, July 5: 9am, 10am, 4pm (normal weekend schedule)

Tomorrow's WOD (7/3/09)

As a 2-person team:

20 Rounds for Time:

5 Pull-Ups
10 Push-Ups
5 Thrusters @ 135#/95#

One person does the pull-ups and push-ups while the other does the thrusters for five rounds. Then they switch for the next five rounds (the person doing the pull-ups and push-ups now does thrusters, and vice-versa). At the conclusion of this workout, each person will have done 10 rounds of pull-ups, push-ups, and thrusters.

Happy 4th of July to everyone! Our weekend schedule:

Saturday, July 4: 9am, 10am (no 4pm)

Sunday, July 5: 9am, 10am, 4pm (normal weekend schedule)

Tomorrow's WOD 7/4/09

Tabata Deadlifts @ 225#/155#

Rest 5 Minutes

3 Max-Rep Sets of Strict (Dead-Hang) Pull-Ups

How many of you plan on coming down to spectate at The Games?

Tamara showing some awesome extension overhead

With less than a week left before competition kicks off at this year's CF Games, speculation about the workouts is running rampant.

There have been some serious upgrades to the Ranch, not the least of which relates to equipment.

From a recent CrossFit Journal article titled, "Let the CrossFit Games Begin":

The equipment presently at The Ranch reads like an affiliate owner’s wish list:

15,000 pounds of bumper plates
30 rowing machines
50 barbells
40 plyo boxes
50 med balls
12 GHDs
50 sets of dumbbells
15 squat/press stands
25 sets of rings
50 sandbags
60 kettlebells
50 jump ropes
20 sets of parallettes

(Thanks to Brandon for tipping us off about the CF Journal article.)

So let's see what kind of fortune-telling skills you have. Which pieces of equipment will come into play at the Games? How likely is the GHD? For sit-ups or for back extensions? What about boxes? What about racks/stands?

The questions could go on and on...you get the point.

Chime in and make your workout predictions, Nostradamus.