You are hereJune 2010
June 2010
Power Position vs. Squat Position in Olympic Lifts
Receiving the bar above parallel
A lot of you had questions about the optimal height to receive the bar on the cleans we did today. I thought I'd post the following from Greg Everett, owner of Catalyst Athletics. I think it's one of the most succinct descriptions I've read recently regarding how high to receive the bar in a clean (or snatch). Basically, the heavier the load, the deeper the catch. Doesn't get any simpler than that.
(And don't forget: If you're looking to receive technical instruction on the Olympic lifts, our CrossFit Oakland Olympic Weightlifting class meets Mondays and Wednesdays at 7pm and Saturdays at 11am. Come check it out!)
From Greg:
Power vs. Squat
There is a lot of confusion surrounding the differences in executing a power snatch or clean vs the full squat variation of the lift. Here's the good news - There's really no difference. The mechanics of the lifts are identical - the only difference is the height at which the lifter receives the bar and arrests downward movement. For a lift to qualify as power, the athlete must stop with the thighs above horizontal. It doesn't matter how high the bar is turned over and either fixed overhead or racked on the shoulders; if the athlete continues into a squat or any depth below horizontal thighs, it is not a power snatch or clean.
Now here's the important part: Every snatch and clean should be turned over and secured overhead or on the shoulders as quickly and as high as possible (with warm-up weights, this will obviously have to be controlled somewhat because the weights are light enough to muscle snatch or muscle clean). This idea can be best illustrated by thinking of a lifter's progression when warming up a lift. At 50 kg, the bar will be pulled and received quite high, and the lifter will immediately continue down into a squat. At 70 kg, the bar will not travel quite as high, but it will still be received well above horizontal, and the lifter will ride it down to the bottom of the squat. At 90 kg, the height will again decrease, and the distance the lifter sits into the squat will be reduced even more. As maximal weights are approached, the bar may be secured overhead or on the shoulders with the thighs right at horizontal (and rarely lower).
In all cases, however, it's critical to understand that the bar is received above the bottom position and the athlete squats with the weight to some degree. One of the most common mistakes beginners make is trying to "catch low". This creates problems like incomplete pulls, the bar crashing on the lifter, disconnection between the lifter and the bar, reduced ability to absorb the downward force, less opportunity to correct instability, and more difficult recoveries.
Athlete Spotlight: JP!
JP on a mission
Our Athlete Spotlight this week turns to shine on a charming, witty, gracious and handsome man, JP. You can't help but be blown away by John, he's like the next James Bond or something. There is simply nothing JP can't do. You see what he can do in the gym - super-human lifts done with pristine technique, but did you know he also hangs out in that back room (behind the medicine balls) a couple of nights a week? John is an instructor in a martial art called Sayoc Kali, "a tactical martial arts system strongly focused on edged weapons survival and use." You can find out more information here.
When not hanging out at CFO helping out with Community Days, smoking WODs and throwing knives at BOB, John sells software, is a regular contributor to the blog and forums, and educates us all in right-wing politics. It is always a great day when JP is in the house, heckling trainers, captivating the masses, and making big weights look like tiny twigs.
Reflections on JP in comments.
Name: John Perrings
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 215
Age: 36 going on 22
Q: How long have you been a member at CFO?
A: 2 years? I'm not good with dates...
Q: What is your day job?
A: Truth Telling (I sell software on the side)
Q: What is your athletic background?
A: Dungeons & Dragons (level 60 half-elf Paladin/Magic User)
Q: What is your favorite strength move?
A: Power Cleans
Q: What is your favorite met-con?
A: Power Cleans for time
Proudest achievement: 295lbs Power Clean, sub 3-min Grace
Most desired goal: 315lbs Power Clean
Rant or Rave: I love Power Cleans. I also love TomC, dragons (see athletic background above), and Mini's dance moves.
Meaningful Stats: I don't know the exact time (I forgot my stopwatch the day I did it), but my 150 GHD situps for time is pretty legit.
CrossFit Games Accommodations
Happy Birthday to CFO superstar Tamara Holmes! Birthday wishes to T in comments.
The lobby of the Embassy Suites in El Segundo...very LA
We've negotiated a deal with the Embassy Suites in El Segundo for the CrossFit Games July 16-18. The hotel is about 15 minutes from the Home Depot Center in Carson (depending on LA traffic, of course).
In order for the group discount to work, we need to get 10 rooms. When you make a reservation, give them the discount code "CFO". Be sure to use the initials, not CrossFit Oakland.
With the group rate, the cost is $125/night. For those of you who stayed in the Embassy Suites in Santa Clara for Sectionals, you know that the rooms can sleep between two and four people, depending on your level of comfort with fellow bunkmates. And $125 divided by 4 people is pretty cheap for a weekend stay in LA.
Make sure you're 100% committed to booking the room, however, since cancellation fees will be applied if you back out.
Here's more info on the Embassy Suites in El Segundo:
Paleolithic Solution Seminar at CFO August 7
The paleo pyramid
Robb Wolf will be coming to town to give his Paleolithic Solution Seminar on August 7, right here at CrossFit Oakland.
The seminar will run from 9am to 5pm and will cover a wide variety of topics related to eating for performance, health, and longevity.
For more information on the seminar, go here: http://robbwolf.com/nutrition-seminar/
To register for the seminar, go here: https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/asp/home.asp?studioid=10601
The cost of the seminar is $195.
Fish Oil Purchase
I'm going to be placing the order for the bottles of fish oil very soon (see Connie's post here for reference). I need to collect everyone's order before I can place the order, however. If you're paying by check, make it out to CrossFit Oakland. The cost is $35.
Athlete Spotlight: ???
Nice overhead lockout!
Don't we all just love a good mystery? I know I do!! So kids, in an effort to keep you all awake during these compelling posts, we have thrown out a little riddle to solve... Who could it be? Check out the pic and Q & A and take your best guess.
And when you do figure it out - as I know you will - give proper props in comments.
Hint: This one is a true gem (not really fair - I could say that about any one of you...)
Name: ???
Height: Closer to Daniel than Connor
Weight: Closer to Lee than MJJ
Age: It’s been a while since I needed to show my ID to get a drink
Q: How long have you been a member at CFO?
A: 2+ years
Q: What is your day job?
A: I’m in a helping profession
Q: What is your athletic background?
A: High School wrestling,
Q: What is your favorite strength move?
A: Bench press
Q: What is your favorite met-con?
A: Does not exist
Q: What is your proudest achievement?
A: Can't decide between breaking 700 on my cf total or showing up for 2+ years.
Q: What are your goals?
A: 750 CrossFit Total, achieving some degree of competence in Oly lifts, improving my metabolic conditioning, but #1 goal…going to that “dark place”
Rants: Paucity of Hollywood plates (if you can’t lift heavy you should at least look like you can), gravity and people who talk about cults as if they’re a bad thing.
Raves: Mike (and Nicole and Franklin) built an exceptional, supportive community - too many people to thank. It actually changed my life (mostly for the better). I’m in decent shape, lost some weight, eat “cleaner" and feel better than pre-CF.
Important Stats: Member in good standing of Bench Press and Muscle-Up Clubs.
Stimulus, Recovery, and Progress
Connie exerting an adaptive stress upon herself.
Lifting weights will not make you stronger, but recovering from lifting weights will. This seemingly simple statement is an important concept to understand if you are to improve your performance. When you exercise, you exert a stress on your body. If that exercise is to be effective in driving progress, it must be sufficiently intense to disrupt homeostasis, but not so intense as to injure you. Provided the appropriate dose of stress is applied, you will first suffer a decrease in performance, followed by a period of recovery where performance begins to improve. Once recovery occurs you will not, however, return to where you started. Instead, you will experience a period of increased capacity termed supercompensation. It is important to note that you will not realize this improved performance without sufficient recovery. In fact, if you continue to apply stress in the form of exercise without allowing for recovery, you will suffer performance decreases that can potentially be long lasting.
Free Community Day Workout Saturday June 12 at 11am!
The Community Day crew from April
We'll be holding our next free Community Day workout on Saturday, June 12 at 11am.
No experience necessary. This one-hour class is designed to be fun and scalable to all ages and fitness levels. It includes a warm-up, instruction of basic movements, a great workout utilizing these movements, and a cool-down.
This is the perfect opportunity to be introduced to CrossFit training and is a ton of fun at the same time. Friends and family are most welcome, so mark your calendar and spread the word!
Coffee Alternatives
Trying to kick your coffee habit or looking to cut back? If so, then this post if for you! I don't drink coffee anymore but when I weaned myself off I sure wish I had something to make the process a little easier. Here's a list of my top 3 caffeine-free coffee alternatives.
#1 Dandy Blend. To me, this stuff tastes almost identical to coffee and smells like it, too! I know of a few hardcore coffee drinkers that have recently weaned off their coffee and are now loving the Dandy Blend. It's bitter like coffee with a slight hint of sweet. It's made from "totally soluble extracts of roasted barley, rye, chicory root, dandelion root and beetroot." It's a powder that you just mix with hot water so it's fast and easy to make. Dandelion and chicory root both have a lot of medicinal qualities. They are both bitter digestive stimulants and can act as mild laxatives. Herbalists have found them particularly useful in increasing bile flow aiding in metabolizing fat and cholesterol and detoxification. These herbs are also highly alkalizing, which is definitely important for those drinking a lot of coffee. This stuff is amazing!!
#2 Teeccino. This is another good coffee replacement made from a blend of grains, nuts, herbs and dried fruit. Teecino is brewed like coffee and is even sold in foil bags, making it a favorite among coffee-drinkers who like the whole ritual of making that first pot of coffee and having the aroma fill your house.
#3 INKA. This is also an instant, caffeine-free roasted barley, rye, chicory and beet root, coffee-like beverage minus the dandelion so it doesn't have the same bitterness found in Dandy Blend or regular coffee, however it is much cheaper.
Personally, I feel that a good cup of joe is not all that bad for you as long as it's kept in moderation. I've found that it's usually what you put in your coffee (Splenda, creamers, etc.) that's the real culprit. And besides, according to some sources, coffee is the top source of antioxidants for Americans [J. Vinson of the University of Scranton, 2006]. If this sounds like you then by all means, drink up!
Post your favorite coffee alternatives to comments.
What IS it...??
A couple of scary-big boxes showed up at CFO yesterday and inside was a creature simply labeled "Prowler". I was a bit intimidated, but worked up the courage to look it up in the dictionary, for what is more frightening than ignorance? Here is what I found:
Prowl-er (prou-ler) Noun. 1. a person or animal that prowls. 2. a person who goes stealthily about with some unlawful intention, as to commit a burglary or theft.I also observed the following behaviors being demonstrated on and around the beasts:
What is this contrivance and what does it mean for the poor folks at CFO?
Post ideas and/or suggestions for use to comments.
Addressing Muscle Tightness and Injury
I have heard a lot of people complain about pain lately--pain in the shoulder, knee, back, and neck. I often tell them to stretch, roll around on the ball, or have an ART session or sports massage. The next time I see them, they say the pain is still there but they haven’t done anything about it.
If you are going to be an athlete, you may experience muscle soreness, pain or even injury on occasion. If you are going to proceed as an athlete, you must address these issues properly when they arise.
First you must determine what the problem is. If you have felt (or heard) a loud pop that was followed by pain while performing an exercise, you may have done something that no amount of stretching, icing and resting can fix. If so, you need to go to the doctor. On the other hand, if you have a nagging soreness that comes and goes, you may be able do something about this. For example, if your shoulders hurt while you are performing an overhead squat, it probably means that you need to increase your flexibility in your shoulders.
The same goes for movement performance. If you are unable to do a movement correctly with full range of motion without pain, you need to invest some time in stretching out the muscles in that area on a regular basis and working the movement without a lot of weight.
Here is a simple treatment plan for your problem area:
- Determine what the problem is--(talk to a doctor, physical therapist or coach)
- If applicable, treat the problem with proper myofascial release, stretching, in and in certain cases ice and rest
- Incorporate prehabilitation exercises into your warm up routine to prevent the problem from recurring
Fitness is no accident. It is a combination of the work that you do in the gym, proper nutrition, rest and appropriate stretching. If you really want to excel in the gym, take your training seriously and address the issues you may be having in your body.
Next week: prehabilitative exercises for the knees.
Got Glutes?
Did you know that the gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the body? By some standards it is also considered the strongest muscle in the body.
The glutes are made up of three muscles--the maximus, minimus and medius. Together they are responsible for extension of the thigh, lateral rotation and abduction. They also are partially responsible for keeping the torso upright and single leg balance.
Most glute issues do not come from having tight glutes, rather they stem from having weak glutes. Sitting for prolonged periods of time can cause glute deactivation. This can lead to tight hip flexors, knee and ankle problems.
This week, I would like to go over a few glute stretches. Next week we will cover some glute strengthening exercises (If you have problems squatting, it may be due to weak glutes!).
This stretch you can do anywhere! Sit on the edge of a chair with your feet hip distance apart and upright posture. Bring your left foot to rest on top of your right knee. Try not to let your hips shift as you do this. Press your left knee towards the floor while keeping your back as upright as possible. Hold 30 seconds and switch sides.
There are three more stretches!!!
No-Sugar Challenge Check-In
Sugar: The Bitter Truth
Dawn asked me to post on the No-Sugar Challenge, so that everyone could chime in on a few matters.
Before that, though, I'd like to recommend watching the video above (at 90 minutes long, you better break it up into manageable pieces). We posted this video a few months back, but anyone who's joined the gym recently may not have had a chance to watch it.
On to the No-Sugar Challenge. In no particular order, please weigh in on the following in comments:
- Whether or not you're still in the challenge
- Where you want to go for the celebration (if anywhere)
- Main challenges thus far
- How you feel thus far
- Any lessons you've learned
- Any credence to lend to TomC's concise nutritional theories
Move Over Cheerios!
We are almost a week into our month long sugar-free challenge! I want to give all the participants major props for their hard work; the first week is always the toughest.
While most of the feedback has been positive, I have heard a few gripes here and there from some of you, particularly about breakfast foods. It seems that many hearts are being crushed as you begin to discover that your favorite fiber cereal and yogurt are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup or that the ketchup you cover your eggs in every morning is also high in HFC. Shockingly, sweeteners are even added to most OJ and other naturally sweet juices! If you haven't already, you might want to start looking closely at your food labels to see just how often sugar is showing up in our foods.
Bring Balance to your Breakfast
As you may have noticed, sugar cravings are often the strongest in the morning and night when energy is low. If you eat the right kind of breakfast or eat regular, balanced meals, then you'll be able to keep your blood sugar balanced throughout the day and not have to reach for sugar. Adequate protein and fat are essential to a balanced, stick-to-your-ribs kind of breakfast. Here's a list I've put together for those of you struggling to transition to a sugar-free breakfast. Let me know if you have any other ideas to add!
- Smoothie: frozen berries or 1/2 banana with coconut milk or regular milk, high quality protein powder and ice. Try adding nut butter or green powder.
- Eggs (yolks included of course) scrambled with veggies (frozen is okay) with nitrate free bacon or ham (with no sugar added).
- Plain yogurt or cottage cheese (full fat if it's organic) with chopped apple, cinnamon, and chopped nuts
- Ham (sugar-free) and cheese melted on toasted gluten free bread/organic corn tortilla topped with a sliced tomato and avocado.
- Try dinner for breakfast. Don’t be afraid to eat foods that you might have at other meals for breakfast.
- Chia Seed Pudding (see recipe below) with sliced banana or strawberries and a side of eggs. I can't get enough of this stuff!
Chia Seed Pudding
serves 2-3
Ingredients
1 14oz can full-fat coconut milk
3 Tbsp chia seeds
Vanilla bean extract (add to your own liking)
Cinnamon, sprinkled on top
What's been the most shocking sugar discovery so far? Post these and other breakfast ideas to comments.
CrossFit Games Accommodations
The LAX/Manhattan Beach SpringHill Suites
We've finally decided on a hotel for our trip down to LA for the CrossFit Games and wanted to let all of you know about it.
We'll be staying at the The LAX/Manhattan Beach SpringHill Suites. These suites are set up in much the same way that the Embassy Suites were in Santa Clara, when we stayed there for the NorCal Sectionals.
Here's information on the rooms: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/laxhw-springhill-suites-los-angeles-lax-manhattan-beach/
Each room sleeps three comfortably (one king or queen bed and a pull-out sofa bed). And there's a free breakfast served every morning.
The cost is $104/night, but with a AAA discount, we got the price down to $99/night.
Tightening It Up
Flo and Ilya plotting mischief, no doubt
The past two weeknight classes (Friday of last week and today) have been large, to put it mildly. The energy that comes from large classes is a great thing, and one of the many benefits of group training (it's quite possibly the primary benefit, in fact). We don't want the energy that comes from classes of this size to change or diminish in any way.
That being said, the workouts are running long, well past the hour mark, and this has a nasty spillover effect for subsequent classes, greatly reducing the training experience of all involved. This is our fault and as such, we'd like to make some changes to the structure of our workouts. Some of them may seem small and cosmetic, but it's our hope that they'll benefit all who train with us.
Our workouts are currently scheduled on a 3 days on, 1 day off format, and they're generally programmed as follows:
Day 1: Strength + Short Metcon (Part A/Part B)
Day 2: Strength + Short Metcon (Part A/Part B)
Day 3: Metcon
The changes we're making affect the first two days of the cycle, since the third day is generally pretty easy to manage in terms of time.
Here are the changes:
- For Part A/Part B workouts, the general warm-up that happens at the beginning of the class will be cut down to approximately 10 minutes. This will give you a little more time to get into empty-bar warm-up sets (or bodyweight progressions if we're doing stuff like muscle-ups) and get primed for the strength portion of the workout. If there's special stuff you need to do prior to working out, we suggest showing up 5-10 minutes early to be able to include that stuff in your repertoire.
- For the strength portion of the workout, we're changing the workout structure to 3 work sets. For example, instead of the old notation of Bench Press 5-5-5-5-5 Reps, we're changing to Bench Press 5-5-5 Reps. This may seem like a notation change, but it's deeper than that. The reason for the change is that 3 work sets is adequate for the overwhelming majority of folks who train here. There will, of course, be some warm-up sets that happen prior to the work sets (I highly recommend starting with empty-bar sets). We definitely don't want you going into a strength workout cold.
- As an aside, I recommend that people who are new to strength training do the work sets at the same weight (known as sets across) for all 3 sets, and then occasionally test their rep max for that exercise. If you're looking for a black-and-white rule, it could be this: Test your rep max for each exercise every tenth time it comes up (9 workouts in a row using 3 sets across, followed by 1 workout testing your rep max). I realize as I'm typing this rule, that this is very clumsy wording on my part, so ask me for an in-person explanation of this point (including some amazing whiteboard usage) if you want additional information.
- Most of the Part B workouts will be in the 10- to 15-minute range, which means that we need to be finished with the strength workout by 40 past the hour in most cases, so that we can set up properly for the second workout, explain the standards, talk about scoring the workout, or whatever else needs to happen to adequately prepare.
We'll be keeping a close eye on these changes to workout format, and believe that these small changes will produce a great training effect and a way better training experience at the same time.
Athlete Spotlight: Hannah!
Hannah showing off her badges of honor
I am thrilled to announce that this week's spotlight is the very lovely Hannah! Hannah is just one classy babe. Serene, charming, funny, and if you take the time to listen, incredibly wise -- not to mention knock-your-socks-off gorgeous.
Let's face it - many of us came to CFO looking to improve our fitness, etc., but also to upgrade our aesthetic appearance. Hannah is one of my favorite CFO stories because when she walked in the door she was already the ideal beauty. Over the past year it has been fascinating to me to watch her get stronger, fitter and just plain tougher. How do you improve on perfection? Well, just look at Hannah for that answer. And in her personal dealings with people it becomes quickly evident that she is even more beautiful, strong and tough on the inside. I've certainly gotten some invaluable advice eavesdropping on her conversations at 6am.
As an athlete Hannah is dedicated and very disciplined. She will literally beat herself bloody to get the job done and then come back for more. And if you have not seen her kipping pull-ups yet, you are missing out on pure artistry and grace. Hannah has recently become engaged and I think we can all agree that Davey is a very lucky man.
Post congratulations and Hannah appreciation to comments.
Name: Hannah Love
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 135
Age: 36
Q: How long have you been a member at CFO?
A: A little over two life altering years.
Q: What is your day job?
A: Acquisitions Editor at UC Press and mom. I prefer the latter job to the former, but when I don't show up at work, I'm told I won't get paid. The nerve.
Q: What is your athletic background?
A: Danny Staton, my best friend when I was younger, used to make us play The Six Million Dollar Man and Woman (you know, based on the show with Lee Majors and LIndsay Wagner). We both had bionic super powers (of course) and so we would have to run around the neighborhood leaping things and climbing walls and saving things from harm. It was pretty athletic.
Q: What is your favorite strength move?
A: Complaining about Mike's workouts. (It's exhausting).
Q: What is your favorite met-con?
A: Talking during warm-up. It's really hard to talk fast in a whisper while the coach is trying to explain things. You have to keep starting and stopping in the middle of your sentences.
Q: What is your proudest achievement?
A: Getting through the first six months of CF. I was very hard on myself in the beginning and a few times I went home in tears, swearing never to return. Davey would tell me I didn't have to go back, but if I wanted to be there, I was going to need to figure out *why*. It was a Yoda and Luke Skywalker moment. In six months, I got a kipping pull-up and then I did 100 of them for one of those crazy girl-named workouts. It was a breakthrough to learn that I could push myself like that. And my hands were all bloody, which I thought was pretty cool.
Q: What is your most desired goal?
A: Pull-ups with a forward facing grip and a handstand push-up.
Rant or Rave: I never imagined myself in a place like CFO. I had no athletic confidence and worse than that, I ran obsessively (25-30 miles a week), and believed that I was keeping thin because of it. Of course, I wasn't really building any strength, and compared to what I eat now, I wasn't really eating enough to call it eating! I couldn't do a pull-up, a push-up, a rope climb, a box jump, or even one jump rope. I was terrified of people watching me work out (ok I still am), but I couldn't deflect the overwhelming sense of community, support and encouragement that was/is in abundance at the gym. And so I was hooked. (Also, Mikey kept saying "good stuff, Hannah," and I think it's cool when he says that). I won't bore everyone with too much mushy mush stuff about how CF has changed my life, etc, but it has. I am 100% confident that it is the people at CF that make it what it is. I'm sure I would have given up a long time ago, or lost interest, had I been at a different gym.
Important Stats: Stats are not my strong suit. Let's just say I've done pretty well (for me) at a few things and still want to improve on lots of others.
Expansion of CFO Olympic Lifting Program
Jo Ann Arnold, CFO's Olympic Weightlifting Coach
Our Olympic weightlifting program has expanded and is now running three days a week. The new schedule is as follows:
Monday 7pm to 8:30pm
Wednesday 7pm to 8:30pm
Saturday 11am to 12:30pm
Please note that the Sunday afternoon session has moved to Saturday morning at 11am.
Nice Piece on Team CFO and Team SFCF on Games Site
Bad Brad laying down the law
It's that time of year...Games season! And our team was fortunate enough to be profiled on the CF Games blog, along with our sister gym from across the bay, San Francisco CrossFit.
Check out the article here: Affiliate Epic Matchup 2: CrossFit Oakland and San Francisco CrossFit
Athlete Spotlight: Mune!
Mune smiling after crushing today's "Farmer" WOD
The subject of this week's Athlete Spotlight has been the focus of more than a little chatter lately. Her name is on everybody's mind, especially on squat days.
"Did you see how much she lifted?" "That is like 5 times her body weight!" "Does she compete?" "Those are some beastly numbers on the PR board - who is that guy, 'Mune'?"
That's no guy - that is one lovely lady, our very own afternoon MUNE! Mune is one tough and positive athlete. She always has a smile on her face and except for the occasional eye-roll when she has to run and do pull-ups (I'm with you, girl!), she never complains and always hits the WOD hard, throwing up that Rx'd weight like someone twice her size. Mune has a great sense of humor and loves a good joke or even a Bad Brad comment now and again. If that isn't impressive enough, just ask her to do the splits for you.
Mune also belongs to CFO's ever-expanding Hella-Hot Nurse Club. Strong, beautiful and altruistic. Doesn't get much better.
Post Mune praise to comments.
Periodization in a CrossFit Context
We discussed the mechanisms that are at work in the balance between making progress and overtraining last week. A trainee must work hard to provide the stimulus to improve, but improvement will not occur without sufficient recovery. Given that everyone does a variation of the same workout and that workouts are programmed on a four day cycle, only one of which is rest, what is the best way to continually move forward while avoiding stagnation or performance regression?
When Mike programs his workouts, he necessarily aims high. The workouts are designed to provide a stimulus significant enough to challenge the fittest people in the gym. Add to this a demanding three on, one off schedule and the tools are provided to make great gains as well as to burn out. Enter periodization.
Run, Rosy, Run!
Rosy's inspiration for running the race
Photographic evidence that Rosy actually finished the race
Let's give it up for Rosy, who this past weekend ran a half-marathon in San Diego in honor of fellow CFOer Jacques. She and her Team in Training running partner, Ginny, pictured above, finished the half-marathon in 2:32, which is not too shabby for a first time. And by the looks of the photo, it looks like Rosy had a blast.
Props to Rosy in comments for not only finishing the race but for running for a great cause.
Knee Pain
Last week I talked about muscle tightness and/or pain you may be having in your body. I did get a few questions about this, so I thought that it would be helpful to review the prehab/rehab plan for those of you with nagging soreness in your knees or IT band. (Note: this plan does not treat meniscus or ligament tears.)
This plan is simple and should take no more that 20 minutes a day. Spend 10 minutes using the foam roller or ball on your lower body. Spend the next 10 minutes stretching out the muscles you have just rolled. Throughout the day, stretch your calves and quads--at least 3 times, even if it is only for 30 seconds each.
In January, I posted two great videos on foam rolling your lower body. Watch them and then foam roll all of the areas covered in these videos. Then do the following stretches. After doing this routine for a few weeks, add in exercises that will strengthen the weakness that may be leading to your pain (if your knees move inwards when you are squatting, you need to strengthen your adductor muscles; if your weight moves towards your toes when you squat, you need to stretch the quads and calves and strengthen the glutes).
Here is a series of stretches for your lower body:
Quadriceps stretch:
Kneel in front of a wall. Lift one leg so that the knee is pressed against the wall. The lower leg should be parallel with the wall. Bring the other foot in between your hands so that it is flat onto the ground. If you are feeling a lot of stretch in the front of the thigh (of the leg that is on the wall), move the back knee away from the wall (as Daniel has). Then take your hands off the ground and bring your torso up so that it is also parallel with the wall. Hold 30 seconds and switch sides.
Strength and Its Uses
Freddy making 115 pound thrusters appear like a much lighter weight.
Strength is defined as the ability to apply a force generated through muscular contraction against an external resistance. It is also one of the ten general fitness skills that CrossFit adopted from Jim Crawley and Bruce Evans, makers of the Dynamax medicine balls that provide countless hours of enjoyment to CrossFit trainees everywhere. Of the ten skills presented in the linked article, strength and flexibility, or more generally mobility, form the foundation on which those other skills rely. In order to be a successful athlete you must be both strong and able to move your joints through an appropriate range of motion.
Sugar Challenge: 3 Days Left!
Just to put things in perspective for you.
We're in the home stretch of our sugar challenge--only 3 days left! Major props for those of you who made it to the very end! Between the graduations, weddings, and summer bbqs, this challenge has truly been a test of mental fortitude. You can all thank Dawn for the timing of this one! As our sugar-free month comes to a close, I'd like to open up some discussion about how this went for you.
For those who stuck it out: Did you find it easier to stay on track knowing that others were suffering with you? Or that your money was on the line? How did you feel about the length of the challenge? Is 30 days too long or just right? Anyone going to keep going or are you counting down the minutes?
For everyone else: What made you give in to the sweets? If you were to do the challenge again, what might you do differently, if at all?
Any suggestions for future food-related challenges? A few of you have offered up the following:
- Low sodium challenge
- No wine, beer, or alcohol challenge
- Strict paleo eating challenge
Let the festivities begin! How will you be rewarding yourself come July 1st?
Share reflections to comments.
More on Glutes
Mike at the bottom of a pistol
Last week, I went over stretches for your gluteal muscles. This week I would like to introduce a few exercises that will help you strengthen and activate your glutes. (If you are constantly hearing from the coaches to get your weight back onto your heels when you squat, these exercises are for you).
Undeniably, the squat is the best exercises to activate and strengthen the glutes. But not all of us can squat 3 days a week without getting bored, and for some squatting more will not necessarily make your glutes stronger or engage more. You may need to create a new neuromuscular connection with different exercises.
CFO Pool Party July 25
Members of the recently completed CFO On-Ramp class
We're excited to announce that we'll he holding a CFO Pool Party at the Hiller HIghlands Country Club (Bad Brad's club) on Sunday, July 25, beginning at 12pm. For those of you who've been with us for a while, you'll know that this is the same club where we've held our Christmas party the past two years.
This will be a great opportunity to chill out by the pool, eat some good food, and recognize the hard work that everyone on Team CFO has put in leading up to the Games. And we may just have a souvenir to bring back from the Games as well, depending on how the weekend goes.
As with all of our social gatherings, friends and family are most welcome. And Robyn will be performing back flips into the pool.
Hiller Highlands Country Club website: http://www.highlandscountryclub.info/
Please RSVP in comments so that we can get a rough headcount.
Fish Oil Share?
Since the cow share was such a big hit and we all seem to be good at sharing, I thought why not go in on another essential food: fish oil! Most of you are already supplementing with omega-3s and aware of its powerful health-promoting properties, so I won't bore you with another long post on why you should take fish oil.
I recently learned of a great deal on a super high quality cod liver oil made by Green Pasture. In my opinion, this stuff is the BEST tasting fish oil around, not to mention it has an excellent reputation for purity (I'm not being paid to say this)! If you're someone who gags at the thought of taking fish oil, like I used to, you should definitely give this stuff a try. The difference is in the flavor. Green Pastures has a variety of flavors but Cinnamon Tingle is by far the best. It contains organic cinnamon oil, organic stevia leaf, and a bit of cranberry seed oil and goes down easily without the fishy aftertaste.
Cod Liver Oil vs Fish Oil
Cod liver oil contains more than just the Omega 3 type essential fatty acids you're getting from fish oil. Cod liver oil offers vitamins D and its partner vitamin A (they work together) to provide the support your body needs for a strong, robust immune system.
After speaking to a representative, I learned that Green Pasture's Blue Ice fermented cod liver oil is produced in small batches using ancient traditional extraction methods at very low temperatures ensuring that all the vitamins are preserved in the process. It's regularly independently tested in small batches to international purity standards, so you can be sure that you're getting the highest quality oil.
To learn more about this visit The Weston A Price foundation website or call (402) 858-4818 and speak to the owner of Green Pastures himself, Dave Wetzel.
The Cost
Here's the deal: if we buy 3 to 5 bottles we get 5% off, 6 or more 10% off, 12 or more we get 20% off! The 20% discount+ shipping comes out to roughly $35 a piece (regularly $44/bottle).
Please place your order in the comments section of this post. Let's try to get a final count by Wednesday 6/16 so I can place the order asap.
July 4 Weekend Schedule
Maria posing for the camera while Heather works hard for her pull-ups
Hear ye, hear ye, here's the schedule for the July 4 weekend.
Saturday, July 3: Normal weekend hours: 8am, 9am, and 10am group classes; 4pm Strength Saturdays.
Sunday, July 4: Gym is closed. No group classes.
Monday, July 5: Weekend hours: 8am, 9am, and 10am group classes.
Photos of Team CFO in Action
In case you missed the link in comments from the previous post, our very own TomC was on hand last Saturday to take some photos of Team CFO while they got put through the paces on a pretty rough workout. Enjoy:
Programming and Prather Particulars
CFO's very own man in black
Changes to CFO Programming Template
There are a number of you training on rest days (using them to work on strength or skill development) or doing alternate day workouts. As such, I thought I'd let you know about a couple changes I've made to our current programming template.
To give credit where credit is due, I must acknowledge the following three primary influences on the programming template changes I've made:
Change 1 to Programming Template
Our old template for a 3-day on, 1-day off cycle was as follows:
Day 1: Strength/Short Metcon
Day 2: Strength/Short Metcon
Day 3: Metcon
Our new template will still be 3 days on and 1 day off, but the template needs to be taken out two cycles to see the first change I'm making.
Day 1: Squat/Short Metcon
Day 2: Press/Short Metcon
Day 3: Metcon
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Pull from Floor/Short Metcon
Day 6: Pull/Short Metcon
Day 7: Strength/Skill
Day 8: Rest
Let's now take a look at the pool of movements we'll be cycling through for days 1, 2, 5, and 6.
Day 1: Back Squat, Front Squat, Overhead Squat
Day 2: Shoulder Press, Bench Press, Handstand Push-Up
Day 5: Clean, Snatch, Deadlift
Day 6: Weighted Pull-Up, Muscle-Up, Rope Climb
The addition of the strength/skill day on day 7 of the template will allow me to monitor overtraining (which is something I'm observing more, and will probably devote a post to) and prescribe workouts that will better allow for recovery.
Change 2 to Programming Template
For the strength moves on days 1, 2, 5, and 6, we'll be staying with them for three straight weeks. The old template had us swapping out squats every week (e.g., if we were doing back squat this week, next week we would be doing front squat in the old template). This means that you'll be shooting for PRs for three straight weeks on the same strength move. We will likely vary the reps, too, although fives will still form the foundation of the strength training we do for most movements.
I implemented both of these changes in the previous cycle, which means we'll be sticking with back squat, shoulder press, clean (Tuesday's strength movement), and weighted pull-ups (Wednesday's strength movement) for the next three weeks.
The metcon workouts will continue to remain constantly varied (basically just like they already are), with the only caveat being that they'll be designed as best as possible to not interfere with the strength movements in the coming cycle. And expect to see more of our friend the Prowler!
Prather Ranch Update
I know you all desperately want to place another order for a cow share (I'm right there with you). But Prather currently has some supply issues. I've been told this will be temporary, and at the end of the month I'll be checking in with Scott again. As soon as there's a cow for us to share, we'll place the order.
Athlete Spotlight: Biggie!
Biggie showing us just what brown can do for you
This week's Athlete Spotlight goes by many names. Some of you know him as Bad Brad, Biggie, or any number of other more colorful monikers. Brad has been a fixture at CFO for as long as I can remember and it is really not quite the same the rare times that he does not pull up on his motorcycle to grace us with his presence.
Most of us know Brad as that guy who yells profanities at himself as motivation prior to going for a PR or that rather disturbing fellow on the forum who refers to himself in the third person or the best-dressed pimp in the palace (see photo). But he is also one of the most generous people to ever grace the gym floor. Brad is responsible for, among other things, the venue for our past few Holiday parties and upcoming pool party, the occasional (fully-stocked) luxury box at an A's game, water bottles, coolers and t-shirts, competition track suits, that large green tent that goes with us to all competitions and events, the slushy machine, the new gym timer at the roll-up door and of course oodles and oodles of complimentary adult beverages. And not once has Brad been asked to provide any of it -- it just shows up as needed.
As an athlete, Brad is a curious mix of one who pushes himself in relentless pursuit of some skill or goal and also one who picks up calls on his mobile during an intense met-con. You never know which guy will show up, but either way, he gets the job done with style. He is consistent both in his attendance as well as his unwavering support for his fellow CFO-ers. He always stays to the bitter end of any workout in order to lend encouragement until each and every one of us has finished.
By the way, he didn't want me to mention it, but I am just so proud: If you have a chance, check out the forum post he just put up titled: "I can no longer accept the violence in Oakland" and read about yet another side of Bad Brad that might just force us to come up with a new nickname for him.
Post your own words of encouragement to Brad (as well as nickname ideas) in comments.
Name: Bradley Gerard Gilliatt
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 175#
Age: Almost 44
Q: How long have you been a member at CFO?
A: August 07, a couple of days before Funny Socks (aka Michael A. Gardner, my good buddy!)
Q: What is your day job?
A: I work many hours a day in marketing for Pernod Ricard USA. It’s a nice combination of suits/ties and t-shirt/jeans. Every time you drink Absolut, Jameson, Malibu, Kahlua, The Glenlivet, Seagram’s Gin, Beefeater, Martell, Presidente, Chivas, Ballantine’s, Hiram Walker, Plymouth Gin, Fris……..you are contributing to my annual bonus. Thank you.
Q: What is your athletic background?
A: I love playing all sports, but there’s only one sport I’ve ever been good at – downhill skiing. There was a time when I could ski the bumps like Johnny Moseley (except for the aerials) and I’ve only been beat downhill once. Back then I could party til 2am (I did, actually still do) and then ski all day. Anyway, I can’t ski like that anymore, and now it kind of bores me. So for the past five seasons or so, I just go once or twice a season.
Q: What is your favorite strength move?
A: Shoulder Press, cuz I rock it out. I can SP more than Tamara (by a lot) and I think the same as Brandon. Maybe I should be on the Games team?
Q: What is your favorite met-con?
A: The ones where Daniel Hester gets all sweaty and then vomits. Those are the best!
Q: What is your proudest achievement?
A: I remember my first pull-up! I was so so so happy about that. So dang funny. It was basically a dead hang, but my feet/legs were going back and forth like a little fish trying to swim upstream!
Q: What is your most desired goal?
A: To complete Murph rx. And I’m disappointed I haven’t.
Rant or Rave:
Rave – obviously I love CFO. Great owners and trainers and staff….and pretty cool people. (Except for Manwell, that dude gives me the hebejebees)
Rant – I heard something from two women (both foxy) this week which bummed me out. They said CFO can be a very intimidating place. Super fit people, moving quickly, throwing weights around, me with my shirt off, etc. I just want to say to all perspective CrossFitters –- don’t be intimidated. There will always be someone stronger, faster, weaker, slower and fatter and fitter than you. Half the battle in life is showing up. So do it!
Important Stats: I did a 10:16 rx'd Fran the other day, hungover, tired and Dawn yelling in my ear. I’ll beat 9:06 on my birthday, Sept 6th. If I don’t, I’ll have a treat for everyone!
Cheers!
PS – if you want to know about my new cause, please go to http://www.oakland-stoptheviolence.org (and thank you).
