Nick from Cascade CF dropped in for “2 Minute Defense”:
Huge PR’s today! Laura got her first pull-up! (2 actually) She has been progressing for a year to this point and it was hard fought and well earned. Lots of people PR’d their clean and/or jerk. Jeremy D. joined the big boy club with a 405# deadlift PR!
Day 2 of work on the new gym made big progress thanks to the help of Zach (the Wizard behind the curtain), Matt, Mark B., Jeremy D., and Rob! It’s taking shape, looking like a CrossFit box and by the end of the weekend will hopefully have all the major stuff knocked out for an equipment move sometime next week. Moving for time!
23 million Americans have it. 53 million are pre-diabetic. I heard this on the news today and it was totally disturbing. Do the math, after the latest census we have a population of roughly 300 million in our country. This means approximately 1 in 4 Americans are either pre-diabetic or diabetic. We are trending towards 1 in 3! This “disease” (not Type 1 but Type 2) is completely preventable and totally avoidable simply by eating correctly. You are what you eat. Yet our “healthcare” and government authorities and “experts” continue to tell us all the wrong stuff to eat and focus on the wrong fixes (Don’t get me started on the food pyramid). This “disease” is costing us $174 billion a year. Billion! Last year my mom was diagnosed as pre-diabetic and went to her doctor referred nutritionist. This person then gave her a list of foods and recommendations that were high glycemic, insulin spiking garbage and encouraged her to eat the wrong things. Now that was a long series of phone calls home.
Jack Lalanne figured all this out quite a while ago. Watch this and wonder how we can still have aisles of processed and cleverly marketed fake foods killing us one Ding Dong at a time.
Tonight I went with Mark, Jeremy, Kim, Matt, and Rob to Imperial CF for a nutrition lecture with Todd Widman (of CrossFit HQ). It was the third time I have attended his lecture and each time I find myself learning more about Paleo, Zone, the importance that nutrition plays in your health and the effects of the crap that is continually pushed, sold, marketed and fed to our kids and loved ones.
Take a deep step forward with your foot at a 10 to 15 degree angle from your body (not in a straight line in front of you)
Front knee remains behind the toe in the lunge position
Rear knee gently “kisses” the ground
Airplane arms are optional!
Pull-up challenge:
Try this post WOD and let’s see who can get the most in the box. If you don’t have a pull-up for for max bar hang (total seconds) or max chin over bar hold (total seconds).
Quote of the day: ”The only way you can hurt the body is to not use it. Inactivity is the killer, and remember, it’s never too late.” ~ Jack LaLanne (RIP)
I program a special WOD for my wife’s birthday and this is the thanks I get:
Nothing like a brutal birthday WOD to kick off the week. This one is looking like it’s becoming “epic” and earning quite a reputation.
The CrossFit Games Open begins March 15th! For those wanting to compete in the Open Sectionals read on and get ready for some fun.I’m hoping we get more info soon but plan on a few things: we will “opt-in” as an affiliate for our peeps, we will give those competing all the opportunity to do the WOD’s and we will be in the new space come hell or high water.
Stop the Slop Challenge:
Stick with it! Turn in your nutrition logs! Email us or bring them in we need to see them. For those using btwb.com keep it up. We are checking them.
Got an iPhone, iPad, or an Android? Do you eat paleo but feel stumped on what to order when you are out? If so you may want to try this app for finding restaurants and choosing menu items for making them paleo-ish: paleogogo.com
Monday is a two-fer birthday WOD for Michelle and Cathy! “Newbies” scale # of rounds to two and load, “Standard” scale load on both movements, “Advanced” scale barbell load, “Smells Elite” category goes as RX’d. However you choose to go, go after it!
M and Moe sharing a laugh:
Upcoming Events:
Tuesday 1/25: Nutrition Discussion with CFHQ Trainer Todd Widman
If you are in the “Stop the Slop” challenge so far use this to take the time and go learn and get re-energized!
Several of us in the box are planning to go to Imperial for this. Let us know if you are in. It’s worth it!
Saturday 2/5: The Sat WOD(s) will be a field trip to Cascade CrossFit for a WOD. Time will be from 9am until everyone is done. You can come later depending on your schedule. They will be hosting SnoValley CrossFit, Sculptor CrossFit, and us for a community building workout. We will program and run the workout in advance here in the box to allow you to get familiar with it. There will be no cost and all levels are encouraged to come and REPRESENT!
Cool video from Jim C. with a message that applies to many sports and CrossFit:
Just another day at Camp Awesome. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the weights and bodies were flying. Everyone helping one another and skills being developed, refined and strengthened. The mood for Sectionals training was focused and very fun. The way it should be. The main class was just the same. Saturday mornings are my favorite as group after group rolls in and hits their workout and the gym is buzzing pre-WOD with conversation, laughs, coaching and tunes. Once it starts it is like any other day and everyone pushes themselves through and encourages each other but afterwards the Saturday mood is just a little more relaxed. Usually people stick around and work on skills, have fun or just chat. It almost always ends with the coaches getting coffee. Like I said, Camp Awesome.
Zumba Warm-ups with Michelle:
Ninja or Monkey with Matt?
Slop Stoppers:
Searching for Paleo recipe ideas? Try looking on Rob’s CrossFitDad.com site. Rob gathered 52 Paleo Recipes off Facebook from a post on Rogue Fitness’ page the other day. He posted a recipe for Paleo Sloppy Joes that won him a T Shirt and then he complied everyone’s entries. If you pick one you like share it with the group so we can all try it. Tonight Michelle is making the Pina Colada Chicken & Calypso Confetti Cauliflower that Laura shared recently.
Coaching Tip:
The Ring Push-up with Jeremy O.:
Stabilize yourself on the rings in the push-up position with arms fully locked out.
Lower your body in a plank so that your shoulders dip below your elbows
Ideally the rings touch the inner part of the upper pec.
Squeeze the rings together as you push up in a plank.
Ensure you open the elbows and lock the arms out at the top.
Great video below on the mindset and approach to scaling. Just because you can do one of something doesn’t mean you can suddenly do a whole WOD with them. All movements, range of motion and exercises can be scaled or subbed. Weight, load, and workouts too. It takes consistency and experience to progress to “RX’ing” a WOD; earning a RX once doesn’t mean you will then RX them all. Remember: WOD’s can and will be programmed to find and expose weaknesses. Common sense prevails, build your technique and work capacity first!
Tony Budding from CFHQ on scaling, GHD Edition – video [wmv] [mov]
Notes:
9am Sectionals Athletes Training; 10am Regular Class
Please do you best to put things away where they are supposed to go! While the corner by the rowers may seem to be a logical spot to you to put your med ball or jump rope, that’s not where it belongs. Dumbbells and kettlebells may seem better organized by randomly grouping them in any weight order or stacking method, but really it isn’t. Most importantly, keep the PVC’s in the bucket when you are done and not in places like the bathroom. While it’s arguably functional to practice with the PVC while taking care of business, we actually don’t encourage that type of efficiency!
This is how we will make everyone sign waivers from now on:
* EMOM complete 4 burpees; with remaining time in each minute complete:
20 Thrusters (95#/65# Barbell for all movements) 20 Sumo Deadlift High Pull 20 Push Jerks 20 Overhead Squat 20 Front Squat
* To start complete 4 burpees before moving onto the barbell exercises. Stop every minute to complete 4 burpees and only move on to the next barbell movement after completing 20 reps. Athlete may rest only after completing 4 burpees for the minute.
For a WOD description and comparison to the last time we did this see previous results. The crux of this WOD is you start in a hole and have to dig yourself out as the sand keeps pouring in around you.
Nadia endured the AF WOD Solo! Not only that she rocked it:
We are almost 2 weeks into our “Stop the Slop” Nutrition and Performance Challenge! The efforts at better reps and better eats are going to pay off. Believe it and stick with it! Your coaches have been reviewing food logs, fielding questions, and hearing very similar experiences. These topics range from weight loss, body comp changes, recipes, falling off and climbing back on the wagon, energy swings, and more. It’s all good to talk about and all things that have happened to those who have cleaned up their diet before. If we haven’t given you feedback on your logs yet keep documenting and we will follow up.
Stay strong, don’t reinvent the program and don’t “okay” each cheat meal or slip. Simply acknowledge it, get strict and test your willpower. Watch the video below and imagine how much willpower USA Weightlifter Zach Krych must have to come back from such a devastating injury. Think about how much discipline and “never” quit attitude this guy must display. If he can do that then you can give up bread, beer, and pasta and eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Oh and drink plenty of water.
Read Lindsay’s insightful and humorous email she sent us about her recent “Faileo” Weekend and the “aha” moment she had. If you have fallen off the wagon, take Lindsay’s advice and climb back on and drive that damn wagon off into the sunset!
“What I Learned When I Fell Off the Wagon”
“Hey Guys,
What I’m about to say is mildly shameful, and certainly an admission of guilt. This past weekend was the first time I ventured out of my Paleo bubble since my husband and I have made some major life changes. I started a new job, we both started Crossfit (he re-started; I was brand new) and both made the choice to eat (and live) cleaner, healthier and more simply, with the most recent declaration coming in the form of our “Stop the Slop” challenge.
My guilty admission? The slop stopped me. I had a near-total failure of a Paleo weekend.
However, I say near because, while I ingested an obscene amount of inflammatory factory food, I learned a valuable lesson. And as I traveled home last night, I thought that maybe this lesson would be good to pass on to my fellow Slop-Stoppers.
My lesson: In the midst of my Paleo nose-dive, my new “way of life” was affirmed. I had a moment of clarity. For the first time in memory (maybe ever), I looked into an everyday, run of the mill pantry and didn’t find a single thing that was worth eating. I recalled what I had consumed in the last 2 days (broccoli cheddar soup being one of the worst offenders) and felt total shame. In that moment, I realized the difference between food and fuel. If I had looked into that pantry 3 months ago, I would’ve grabbed that box of Smart Start cereal or that whole grain bagel and peanut butter jar and told myself “Great choice! Healthy choice! One point for Team Lindsay!” Tasty? Yes. Wholesome? Duh, yeah. Now…well, I know better. After rummaging through my friends’ fridge (and not finding a single piece of fruit or vegetable) I found a lone banana on the kitchen counter and ran away with it.
This Faileo weekend could derail me and send me into a deep fried potato bender. I could drown my missteps in a pool of maple syrup or at the bottom of a Coke can. But I don’t want to. I want to be better than that. It isn’t failure that defines you; how you chose to recover from it defines you. So I am choosing to use my cheese and sugar whiplash as motivation to not only get back on the wagon, but to drive that damn wagon into a fiery red sunset.
