Thurs. Feb. 25

Fir Time:
50,40,30,20,10:
Pull Ups
Ring Dips


Strength:
Weighted Pull Ups
3-3-3-3-3

Wed. Feb. 24

15 Min AMRAP:

5 Overhead Squats (95/65)
10 Handstand Push Ups (sub press 3/4 bodyweight)
15 One Arm KB Swings (swing to eye level) (35/26)


Strength:
Bench Press
5-5-5-5-5

____________________________
from CrossFit Football


Paleo Meatballs

Ingredients:

4 lbs grassfed ground beef
Chopped celery and onions
5 whole eggs
1 cup almond meal
Dried oregano, sea salt, cracked black pepper, cayenne pepper

Directions:

Use you hands to form into large meatballs.
If you using a pan, place them in a pan with olive and cook till done.
Or place in pyrex dish at 350 degrees for 20 minutes
Or cover bottom of crock pot and cook till done.

For the sauce mix:

1 16 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste
Large handful of fresh basil
Chopped garlic cloves
Pinch of sea salt
Cracked black pepper

Finish:

If cooking by pan then once the meatballs are cooked cover with sauce.
If cooking in the oven or crock pot cover with sauce and cook till done.

Tues. Feb. 23

For Time:
20,15,10,5 of:
Power Cleans (135/95)
Weighted ABMAT (25/10) (hold plate at arms length, anchor feet on wall)

Strength:
Jerk
3-3-3-3-3

_____________________________________
History of the Paleolithic Diet

http://crossfitfootball.com/page/index.php?menu=nutrition&page=paleo

Mon. Feb. 22

5 RFT:
10 Wall Ball
10 Push Ups
10 SDHP (95/65)

Strength:
Snatch
1-1-1-1-1-1-1

_______________________________________
Pork Carnitas Recipe:
Pork shoulder
about 1 tsp of each spice:
garlic powder
onion powder
cumin
oregano
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 bay leaves
1-1/2 C low sodium chicken broth
olive oil

Trim pork of as much fat as possible. Cut into pieces, and season with spices. Brown meat in olive oil. In crock pot, put 1-1/2 C chicken stock, and the two bay leaves. Add pork and cook on low for 6+ hours! YUM… Shred pork before serving.

Fri. Feb. 19

For time:

30 Burpees
30 Box Jumps
30 KB Swings (53/35)
Run 1 Mile
_______________________________________
Congrats to AC Hassall, the winner of the Body Fat Challenge! He lost 7% of His Body Fat in 2 months. Dolla dolla bills son!

_______________________________________
Good article concerning cholesterol and stuff....

http://www.westonaprice.org/Cholesterol-and-Heart-Disease-A-Phony-Issue.html

Thurs. Feb. 17

With a continuously running clock, perform each of the following movements for a full minute. Score is total reps for the duration of the wod.

Push Ups
Lunges
KB Snatch
Push Press (45)
ABMAT
Flutter Kicks
Mountain Climbers
Pull Ups
Air Squats
SDHP (53/35)


Strength:
Squat Cleans
1-1-1-1-1-1-1

Wed. Feb. 17

7 RFT:

7 DB Push Press (35#M/25#W)
7 Pull Ups
7 Burpees
7 Box Jumps

Strength:
Deadlift
3-3-3-3-3
_________________________________________


LEAN CUISINE…

Article courtesy of Son of Grok

I am not sure what is meant to be lean on these things.

Lean in that the portions are so small?
Lean in taste and flavor?
Lean as in lean forward as your gut drags you around?

Whatever the reason, the Lean Cuisine name makes it sell. It is crazy how well these things sell.

I brown bag my lunch most days. I bring an insulated lunch bag with an ice pack to keep my lunch cold. It isn’t that we don’t have a fridge at work…. Its just that there is no room in it. The fridge AND the freezer are literally packed to the brim with Lean Cuisines. This is not an exaggeration… they are completely full with the little cardboard boxes. With the exception of an occasional egg-o waffle box or Marie Calendar pot pie, 90% of these cardboard boxes say “Lean Cuisine”. It is crazy.

Now I am not going to lie. There have been times in my life where I lived off little freezer boxes. Michellina’s and the generic cheapies were sometimes all I at 3 meals per day. They were cheap and easy to make. They were VERY cheap and VERY easy to throw in the microwave.

Occasionally when they were on sale I got the Lean Cuisines too. You know what? They were terrible! I think I once ate the cardboard box that it was in on accident because it indeed did taste as good as the meal. That and it doesn’t really matter how many of these gross little meals I ate, I was inevitably still starving afterwards.

Now on to the speed and convenience of Lean Cuisines. The simplicity of opening the box and tossing it in the microwave is completely negated at my work. Come lunch time, there is actually a line the forms at the microwave. People queue their food up and actually tell each other “Your turn” as they retrieve their heated plasticy cardboard contraptions. Considering that each meal takes 3-5 minutes or so to heat up, it can easily be 20-30 minutes before it is your frozen cuisines “turn” to get fried. Me? I whip out my lunch bag and dive into some delicious egg salad, nuts, pork rinds, veggies. No wait… instant delicious gratification.

Ugh and the smell of these things. It doesn’t even smell like food. During the Lean Cuisine Queue at lunch, an awful aroma fills the office. It is funny because sometimes I do bring leftovers that need reheated. Once I heat up my meatloaf etc., I usually get quite a few people coming by my desk asking what that “Delicious smell” is and also frequently get told “did you bring enough for me?” Funny, though Lean Cuisine appears to be bountiful enough for all, no one really seems to enjoy eating it.

Tues. Feb. 16

For Time:

Row 500m
50 KB Swings (53/35)
Row 400m
50 ABMAT
Row 300m
50 Tire Sledge


Benchmark WOD:
"Grace"
30 Clean & Jerk (135/95) for time

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrStzzZqKLA

Mon. Feb. 15

15 Min AMRAP:

10 Front Squats (95/65)
10 Push Ups
10 Pull Ups

Strength:
Back Squat
3-3-3-3-3
______________________________________________
Anabolic Almonds
*courtesy of http://www.anaerobicinc.com/

Fiber, healthy monounsaturated fats, protein… Yawn.

Yeah, yeah, you know almonds are good for you, but here’s something really cool:

In a study published in the International Journal of ORMD, one group of reduced-calorie dieters enriched their diets with almonds while another group ate the same amount of calories but consumed no almonds.

The result? The almond-eaters lost more body fat and more inches off their waists than the non-almond eaters. Remember, the study participants ate the same amount of calories.

This result may be partly due to the fact that the fiber in almonds prevents some of the calories from fat from being absorbed. “The fiber binds with a portion of the fat so that it doesn’t come into contact with the intestinal wall,” researcher Dr. Michelle Wien, explained. “It just gets flushed out of the body.”

So, almonds are sorta like that Orlistat weight loss drug and its impotent cousin, Alli, only, you know, without all the anal leakage and explosive shitting.

Dr. Jonny Bowden notes that epidemiologic studies universally show that those who eat the most nuts also tend to have the lowest levels of body fat. No, you can’t eat them by the handful all day long when in a fat loss stage, but the good fat, the protein, and the fiber content combine to make almonds super satiating (filling).

Long story short, make three ounces of almonds part of your summer lean-down or your next contest prep and you’ll lose more body fat than if you didn’t.

Sat. Feb. 13

Complete all reps of each movement before moving on to the next movement. Perform in any order you choose:

For time:

100 Pullups
100 Box Jumps
100 Wall Ball
100 Push Press (65/45)
Row 1000m

Fri. Feb. 12

5 RFT:

20 Air Squats
20 Ball Slams
20 ABMAT


From Mark's Daily Apple

Top 10 Health Scams


There are hundreds of scams for weight loss, health, disease cures, and fitness, but here are the current rotten stinkers:

10. Hoodia

The only kind that works must be eaten fresh. And it’s banned from export because it’s a protected flora. This weight-loss gimmick even comes with the #1 dead giveaway of scams everywhere: a heretofore undiscovered culture/tribe has finally, miraculously, revealed their secret, conveniently, to a white man who can’t wait to share this magical product with the world. Give me a break. That’s called a movie, not science. Here’s my expose.

9. Cellulite shoes

Again with the mysterious culture shrouded in lore. These don’t work – period. Though I do hear they help you fall and bruise your butt. Here’s a piece of my mind.

8. Cellulite creams

Sara frequently rants about this subject near and dear to many women’s hearts (or other parts). The best way to deal with cellulite – which isn’t curable no matter what the quacks like Mesunique claim – is to cut down on sugar, which stores itself in outer fat cells, and get some daily exercise. The more muscle and less fat you have, the smoother you look.

7. Colon cleansers

The colon is important, delicate, and needs to stay in top shape. That said, it does not have a brain, and your body does not store fecal matter for years on end just waiting to finally be emptied by some miracle cleansing product. What comes out is just buildup of a few days, and anything beyond that is, well, b.s. This myth was actually completely debunked by surgeons a century ago. I am in favor of probiotics, such as those sold by Natren (a great company) but extra fiber from psyllium or other “miracle” cleansers is totally unnecessary. So: hooray for fiber from fruits and vegetables.

6. Algae

Yes, this slimeball is abundant in protein. If you eat a truckload of it. Pay attention to serving size – often companies make claims about a product being extremely potent, but hope you’ll remain blissfully ignorant about how this potency relates to serving size. Supplementing with algae for aminos and other health benefits is about like relying on water for your vitamin and mineral needs. I like Perrier as much as the next guy, but I’ll stick with a multivitamin, thanks.

5. Male “enhancement” products

Guys, come on! Try enhancing intimacy and your skills instead.

4. Female “enhancement” products

Ladies, let it go. You don’t need these gimmicks – the folks selling them are just boobs (sorry). We men like you the way you are. If you still aren’t convinced, and don’t mind some PG-13 content, head on over to Bill Stieg’s blog at Men’s Health for the scoop on what we guys really think about the gals.

3. Bottled waters

Read my expose on mock waters. You cannot oxygenate or enhance water. You can’t penta it, hydro it, living cell it, or do anything else but drink it. Drink up, but don’t fall for the water hype.

2. Vegetable oils

Refined oils like canola, soybean and corn oil are free radical oil slicks that manage to get a bill of health from Uncle Sam. Lobbying gets the credit for that.

Avoid these oils like the plague, and go for healthy fats like organic butter, Smart Butter (rich in Omega-3’s), olive oil, avocado oil, or nut oils.

1. Alli (orlistat)

I’ve been ranting about Alli quite a bit. This ineffective, unproven, no-good OTC weight-loss pill offers nothing but side effects and oily spotting. Yes.

Sponsor note:
This post was brought to you by the Damage Control Master Formula, independently proven as the most comprehensive high-potency antioxidant multivitamin available anywhere. With the highest antioxidant per dollar value and a complete anti-aging, stress, and cognition profile, the Master Formula is truly the only multivitamin supplement you will ever need. Toss out the drawers full of dozens of different supplements with questionable potency and efficacy and experience the proven Damage Control difference!

Thurs. Feb. 11

4 RFT:

10 Muscle Snatch (65/45)
15 Box Jumps
20 Push Ups

Strength:
Press
3-3-3-3-3
__________________________________________

WHY CALORIE COUNTING IS BAD

Article courtesy of Natural Bias

Almost everyone knows that doing more exercise and reducing calorie consumption will promote weight loss. But if weight loss is this simple, then why are so many people failing miserably despite their desperate efforts? While it may be a result of laziness for some, it’s more often a result of calorie restriction and exercise being used inappropriately.

Despite how many people make drastic but temporary changes to lose weight, long term success is highly dependent on making less drastic changes that are permanent. It’s common for people to be overzealous with calorie restriction or exercise, and although it may initially be effective, these practices are eventually likely to lead to fatigue, a raging appetite that can no longer be resisted, compromised health, and an eventual return to old habits. This is why so many people regain the weight they’ve worked so hard to lose and continue to repeat this cycle until they eventually give up and choose to accept being overweight.

Would You Do This to Your Car?

Imagine a hypothetical scenario where you compromise on the quality of gas that you put into your car. You need to drive the car an extra 200 miles each week to prevent the impurities in the low quality gas from settling and causing buildup that can damage the engine. The extra mileage would accumulate to more than 10,000 miles per year and put a lot of unnecessary wear and tear on the car. The car would probably be ready for the junk yard much sooner than normal, and choosing to use lesser quality gasoline would obviously be a tremendous mistake. In addition, driving the additional 200 miles each week would waste a lot of time, even if you enjoy driving.

This scenario sounds ridiculous in regard to a car, but yet it’s exactly what most people do to lose weight. They regularly eat lesser quality food and end up trying to compensate by exercising frantically to burn calories. In the process, they put a lot of unnecessary burden on their bodies and waste a lot of time.

Frequent exercise causes the breakdown of body tissue which then needs to be rebuilt. This requires good nutrition and adequate rest. Most people who exercise for weight loss will also restrict their calories, but will do so without paying much attention to food quality. Between the calorie restriction, lesser quality food, and frequent exercise that is usually coupled with inadequate rest, full recovery will never happen and the body will gradually continue to break down. Eventually, the compromised health that this can cause may manifest as tiredness, irritability, poor concentration, and weakened immunity, all of which are symptoms of adrenal fatigue. Like the car that accumulates many unnecessary miles each year, your body will be ready for the junk yard well before its time. Although the human body is extremely resilient and can withstand a lot of abuse, there are much better ways to lose weight without testing this limit.

Not All Calories are Created Equal

Even dietitians and nutritionists are known to oversimplify weight loss to being a matter of “calories in vs. calories out” which basically means to consume fewer calories than you burn. However, this relies on the flawed assumption that all calories are the same regardless of the type of food that they come from. Fat, protein, and carbohydrates are each used for different physiological purposes, and although each of these macronutrients can often be broken down and reassembled as needed, this isn’t always the case and sometimes has negative consequences. Furthermore, how these macronutrients are processed can vary based on the individuality of one’s metabolism. In other words, 100 calories worth of protein will not be digested and utilized the same way 100 calories of carbohydrates would be, and the differences can vary by individual.

It’s absurd to think that eating 2,000 calories of carbohydrate per day would have the same physiological influence as eating 2,000 calories of all protein. Clearly, this is an extreme exaggeration, but so is the overstated simplicity of losing weight by creating a calorie deficit. Furthermore, many people are excessive with calorie restriction and it’s difficult to maintain consistent weight loss by doing this because the body will adjust to the decreased intake of nutrients and reduce metabolism to conserve resources. It’s also difficult to overcome the increased appetite that results, and when excessive calorie restriction is combined with excessive exercise, which is often the case, appetite will increase even more.

Although carbohydrates are our primary source of energy, fat is also important for energy production and is actually used by the body for long term energy storage. When necessary, protein can be used as a source of energy as well. As such, all of the three primary macronutrients can be used for energy, but carbohydrates can’t satisfy all of the needs that protein and fat do for the repair and development of body tissue. Clearly, our diets need to provide a balance of these macronutrients, and this balance should be based more so on optimal health and metabolic individuality than weight loss. Unless health issues are involved, weight loss tends to result naturally from a diet that promotes optimal health. However, partly as a result of deceptive advertising and food labels, many people are confused by the misconceptions of what a truly healthy diet really is.

Why Low Fat Diets are a Bad Idea

A gram of fat contains more the twice as many calories as a gram of protein or carbohydrate. As such, it’s one of the first things to be removed from the diet by someone looking to cut calories, especially given the popularity of low fat diets for both health and weight loss. Despite this, fat is very important to our health, and this has been made obvious in part by the increasing awareness of the benefits of essential fatty acids. Even saturated fat is necessary for good health despite the misconception that dietary fat causes heart disease. Furthermore, as shown by the important work of Dr. Weston A. Price, dietary animal fat is an important source of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K which are critical to good health and proper development.

Another important consideration regarding fat consumption is its role in energy production. People who eat less carbohydrate tend to rely more on fat as a source of energy which decreases the likeliness of it being stored as body fat. Ironically, most people who follow a low fat diet eat an excessive amount of carbohydrates to compensate, and as a result, can be much more likely to gain weight. While an excess of either carbohydrate or fat can cause weight gain, most people would be better served by reducing their consumption of carbohydrates rather than fat.

A Better Perspective on Losing Weight

As I mentioned earlier, it’s much better to lose weight by eating healthy than to compensate for poor eating habits with excessive exercise and calorie restriction. The first approach will allow you to lose weight while also improving your health and overall quality of life, but the latter approach is much more likely to improve your appearance at the cost of your health. Exercise can indeed accelerate weight loss, but it shouldn’t be necessary to do much more than what’s required to maintain good health. Calorie restriction can promote weight loss as well, but done in excess, it can also cause nutritional deficiencies and even prevent weight loss.

As you can hopefully see, the ideal situation is for optimal health to be the primary goal and to allow weight loss to naturally occur as a secondary benefit. This applies in regard to both diet and exercise. In fact, this is exactly how I lost 30 pounds in 3 months. I had no intentions of losing weight, and at the time, didn’t even know I had 30 pounds to lose. In addition, because I was at my worst stage of chronic fatigue, I wasn’t exercising much at all because I simply couldn’t do so without making myself feel worse.

A Healthier and More Simple Way of Eating to Lose Weight

Following a truly healthy diet can require a lot of dedication, but fortunately, it can also be very simple. The key is eliminating sugar and processed foods as much as possible which can automatically be accomplished by eating a diet based on natural whole foods. If necessary, this approach can be taken a step further by eliminating grain based foods, avoiding vegetables such as potatoes that are high in starch, and even being judicious with fruit consumption. After all, the sugar that our prehistoric ancestors obtained from fruit during the summer was one of the things that allowed them to gain the body fat needed to survive winter.

While this approach may sound like a low carb diet or a primal diet, I consider it to be nothing more than a common sense diet that promotes weight loss and good health at the same time. While this type of diet is low in carbohydrates relative to the typical modern diet, excessive avoidance of carbohydrates isn’t necessary and is even counterproductive for some people. What’s important to realize is that it’s difficult to consume too much carbohydrate from fruit and vegetables, and it’s also difficult to overeat in general when eating mostly natural whole foods. These are both factors that greatly contribute to healthy weight loss.

A great resource for more information on a rational and healthy perspective on weight loss is The Slow Down Diet by Marc David. Another great resource is The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson which is a detailed overview of a healthy lifestyle based on our evolution, much of which is geared towards weight loss.

Wed. Feb. 10

For Time:
10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 of:
Push Press (95/65)
ABMAT

Strength:
Weighted Pull Ups
1-1-1-1-1-1-1

"MORE"

Article courtesy of Again Faster.

There’s always something.

The bright lights. The Top 20 pop. Someone wanting to talk to you about the something about the time you did the thing.

Ignore them. Not nasty. Not with distain. Because now is the time, the moment when you concentrate on the task ahead, on the never-ending belief that what’s about to go down will go down, that you can’t be beaten.

Every ounce of psychic energy you’re about to bring to bear; it’s easy to disrupt, easy to kill. You have to protect it, feet on the ground, head down, focusing on the simple mental images of success.

Your next personal record, better than last time, better than ever, it’s right here in front of you, ready for the taking.
There is great power in the singular sight, the sole goal, the only reason you came here. Your next personal record, better than last time, better than ever, it’s right here in front of you, ready for the taking.

And now, you have to take it. Two words, three words run through your head, a tight, concise, pithy description of the end state, the moment right before the chest bumps and high fives and screams like a fifteen-year-old’s cracking voice.

When they try to distract you, jump in on your bar, talk about the suck, borrow your 5s, cure your stress, just stop. Look up, make eye contact, not angry but ready, and look back down. This isn’t about Community. Not now. This is about winning, succeeding, making yourself believe that what’s about to happen will happen, must happen, that nothing else can happen, the intellectual certitude followed by physical reality.

And then, get ready to go. Grip the bar. Chalk up, and remember that your momentary lapse in social nicety will be rewarded with what you wanted, the moment of apex. Your short, pithy phrase repeats until there is nothing else, no sound, no Top 20, no mats, no platforms, no nothing except a bar and a goal, the universe bent around you in a cocoon of now.

Don’t think heels down, chest up. Don’t think at all, because you don’t need to. You already did it, and miracle of miracles, what was supposed to happen happened. It’s over your head. It’s locked out.

And now, they fade back in. The sound of a volume knob slow marching to full blast, clapping, screaming, backslapping rah.

You can give in, or you can go back. Sit down, shut your eyes, and bring pithy back. Because it’s not over, and you can shut it out again. Accept that this is just a step and not the end, and it will happen all over again. Another record, not a defining moment, but an ephemeral glimpse at where you were, the shallow footprint of an athlete who’s moving forward faster.

Ignore them, and bring it. Because there’s always something more.

Tues. Feb. 9

For Time:
30,25,20,15,10,5 of:

Deadlift (135/95)
KB Swings (53/35)

Strength:
Front Squat
3-3-3-1-1
________________________________________
Good Article:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1247216/The-Big-Fat-Lies-Britains-obesity-epidemic.html

Email Working

My Gmail account is working again. Would everyone please email crossfitmt@gmail.com so I can add you back to the contacts list. Thanks.

EMAIL WARNING!!!!!

My email account got hacked. You may receive an email asking for money. Delete it. I'm trying to fix it now. Sorry.

Mon. Feb. 8

"Cindy"

20 Min AMRAP:
5 Pull ups
10 Push ups
15 Air Squats

Strength:
Deadlift
5-5-5-5-5

Fri. Feb. 4

7 RFT:

7 Thrusters 95# / 65#
7 Pull Ups
7 Burpees

*Be sure to let us know if any ladies are interested in the Ladies Optimum Class.


"Whey Protein"

Marks Daily Apple

Whey is a byproduct of cheese production. It’s that pseudo-clear liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained that used to be tossed aside as waste material. Today, we know that it houses an impressive array of proteins: beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin, and serum albumin. These are complete proteins, comprised of the essential amino acids central to protein synthesis and increased muscular hypertrophy. Our bodies can produce non-essential amino acids from lesser amino acids, but we cannot produce the essentials ourselves; we must eat quality protein sources. Whey is a naturally occurring, essential protein that satisfies the body’s protein requirements – hence its popularity.

Can Dairy-Sensitive People Use Whey Protein?
Whey contains trace elements of lactose, so the extremely intolerant may have problems digesting it properly. Because whey is, by definition, the stuff that separates from the casein when it curdles, it has even less casein (save for trace amounts), rarely enough to be noticeable to anyone but the most casein-intolerant. But that’s pure whey; whey protein powder has even less of both.

Lactose may pose a problem, but casein almost certainly will not.

Isolate vs. Concentrate vs. Hydrolysate
As for whey protein powder, you’ve got a couple options. Whey protein concentrate contains some fat and lactose, while whey protein isolate is pretty much pure protein with very little of the other dairy elements remaining. Concentrate is less processed and more whole, but has less protein. Isolate is about 90-94% protein, but it’s subjected to a more rigorous refinement process. Bodybuilders are drawn to the “purity” of whey isolate, lured by the moderately higher protein counts. Isolate is also considerably more expensive than concentrate, and the purported boost in beneficial effects on protein synthesis are overstated; drinking any kind of whey protein shake will have a beneficial effect on your muscle recovery and protein synthesis. Whey protein is whey protein, and concentrate allows you to get more for your money. Go with concentrate unless you’re terribly sensitive to dairy (in which case it might be a better idea to just eat a steak instead).

Whey hydrolysate is predigested whey protein that’s easily absorbed and virtually free of any potential allergens, but it’s (in my opinion) horribly overpriced. Whey in general is already highly bioavailable and easily absorbed by our bodies, so absorption is rarely an issue with whey. Hydrolysate is great marketing. That’s about it. The elite of the elite – those hulking magazine cover superheros with tanned, smiling faces atop straining, veiny necks – may have actual cause to maximize protein absorption, but you guys definitely don’t need to fuss over that stuff.

Is it Primal?
Whey protein falls into the 80/20 category. It isn’t strictly Primal (and certainly not paleo) in that it wasn’t available to Grok, but it can be an effective, occasional high-protein meal replacement with most – if not all – of the potential allergens mitigated or negated. It’s an analog, a bit like dairy itself. If you can’t handle any dairy, skip it (or try whey isolate) and take the time to prepare a meal. If you can handle dairy without a problem, a whey protein powder is a pretty good way to shuttle nutrients into your body, especially if you’ve chosen to go the post-workout nutrition route – which I usually don’t.

Going Primal means acknowledging both the limitations and the advantages of modern life. I wish I could laze around on the savannah for days following a successful kill. I wish I had ten hours of leisure time every day. The reality is that we’re a busy bunch of people, and if we’re truly serious about maximizing our quality of life, slamming down a quick protein shake so we can get to the office a little earlier might mean we can leave earlier, too, and get home in time for a date with the significant other, a hike at dusk, or an extra couple chapters on that great book we’ve been meaning to read. If that isn’t a feature of modern life that can help us follow the Primal ways more easily, I’m not sure what qualifies.

Thurs. Feb. 4

15 Min. AMRAP:

10 Wall Ball (20/10)
10 Push Ups
10 SDHP (75/45)

*There will be no Saturday Class due to a huge volleyball tournament at AGame. There will be no parking and the weather is supposed to suck. We'll resume class Monday morning.

Wed. Feb. 3

3 RFT:

20 Pull Ups
20 Push Press (95/65)
20 Toes to Bar or Kness 2 Elbows

"The Definitive Guide to Dairy"
Marks Daily Apple

I knew going in this was going to be a tricky one, because dairy, especially raw and/or fermented full-fat dairy, resides in a Primal gray area. The literature, the evolutionary reasoning, and the anecdotal reports all unanimously point to sugar, cereal grains and legumes, processed foods, and industrial vegetable oils as being net negatives on the human metabolic spectrum, but dairy is somewhat different. The other Neolithic foodstuffs we can rule out because the science condemning them is fairly concrete and they weren’t on the menu 20,000 years ago. Heck, they weren’t just off the menu; they were basically unrecognizable as food in the raw state. Dairy, on the other hand, is a relatively recent food chronologically, but it is most assuredly and obviously a viable nutritive source in its raw form. It’s full of highly bioavailable saturated fat, protein, and carbs – in equal portions. You could conceivably survive on milk alone (I wouldn’t recommend it, but you could technically do it; try doing the same with honey or raw millet). Milk is baby fuel. It’s literally meant to spur growth and enable a growing body. Our bodies definitely recognize dairy as food, even foreign bovine dairy. But is it good nutrition?

I don’t know. I’m not sure anyone really does, in fact, which is why I place dairy firmly in Primal limbo. And so, this Definitive Guide to Dairy may come across as being a bit less than definitive, but that’s only because I’m being honest: we simply don’t know whether dairy is suitable for regular human consumption. Whether you include or exclude it from your diet, the decision must be borne from a review of the available literature (Cordain v. Weston Price, for example) with an assessment of the potential risks and benefits, followed by a personal assessment of dairy’s effect on your body (try it, then strictly eliminate it, and note the differences). If you’ve been eating dairy your entire life, your body doesn’t know anything else. In that case, you’ll want to fully drop it for at least a month to get an accurate assessment. Remember – pre-Primal, you probably “felt fine” eating grains and sugar every day. You may have to take the same approach if you really want to figure out what dairy does to you.

You could listen to Dr. Loren Cordain and other strict paleos who adamantly oppose all forms of it. They offer a number of reasons why dairy doesn’t belong in the human diet – mainly lactose intolerance and casein intolerance. Yet, the truth is, lactose (a form of sugar) and casein (a form of protein) are both found in human breast milk, so each of us – and certainly every one of our ancestors – was not only able to tolerate but to thrive for some time during infancy depending on both of these “questionable” molecules. That’s the main thing that makes eliminating dairy a little less clear cut than eliminating grains and legumes. But let’s look a little closer at the intolerance issue.

Lactose Intolerance
The widespread presence of lactose intolerants, who still make up a majority of the world’s inhabitants, is somewhat compelling evidence that maybe dairy isn’t the ideal food many assume it to be. Worldwide, we see that most people aren’t adapted to lactose consumption after age four, when many of us lose the ability to properly digest lactose (actually gene expression for the enzymes involved in lactose digestion are down-regulated). Nevertheless, it would appear that among many people, most of whom can trace ancestry back to herding cultures, some adaptation has taken place that allows them to continue to effectively digest lactose throughout their lives. I would never argue that a lactose intolerant person should drink milk; if it makes you feel like crap, don’t eat it! At the same time, though, if that same person were to complain about getting enough fat in his or her diet, and olive oil and coconut oil weren’t cutting it, I would suggest incorporating some cream, butter, or ghee. Little to (in the case of ghee) no lactose to speak of, and you’d be hard pressed to come up with a better all-purpose cooking fat. Lactose intolerance won’t kill you if you ignore it. It’s actually pretty impossible to ignore rumbling guts, explosive diarrhea, cramps, and bloating, so I doubt the truly lactose intolerant will miss it.

Casein Intolerance
Casein is the primary protein in dairy. It shares structural similarities with gluten, a highly problematic grain protein that can shred the intestinal lining and lead to severe auto-immune issues. Bad, bad stuff, and a big reason why grains are so unhealthy. (And if you’re still not convinced that grains are unhealthy read this (PDF).) Now, paleo opponents of dairy say casein wreaks similar havoc on our guts, and it’s true that gluten intolerance goes hand-in-hand with casein intolerance. But is casein a primary cause of leaky gut, or does it slip in only after gluten has opened the floodgates? Once a floodgate is opened, any protein can enter and cause issues. And after all, casein is the primary protein in human breast milk…

Cancer
Cordain thinks milk leads to cancer, citing a fairly impressive array of studies that seem to suggest a link between milk consumption and various types of the disease. He fingers betacellulin, one of milk’s epidermal growth factors, as the causal agent. In the fetus and suckling newborn, betacellulin helps with growth and tissue differentiation. It’s completely essential for growing infants. In adults, Cordain says it passes cleanly into the gut, completely intact and free to enter circulation, where it can bind to receptors and enhance cancer cell growth. What Cordain doesn’t mention is conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which is also found in milk fat (especially raw, grass-fed milk, which is never included in any study) and has been shown to possess anti-cancer effects by inhibiting breast cancer cell growth and reducing the activation of insulin-like growth factor receptors (the same receptors Cordain identifies as sensitive to betacellulin). The studies Cordain cites as support of the milk-cancer connection are interesting, but their messages are muddled. As Chris Masterjohn points out, milk proteins mostly appear harmful only when separated from their natural fat. Low fat and skim milk appear to have associations with certain cancers (like prostate), while whole milk appears protective (of colorectal cancer) or neutral. It would be nice to see researchers take a good, long look at full-fat, pastured dairy’s effects on cancer rates. Conventional milk consumption probably isn’t advisable, but the jury’s still out on whether raw, pastured, whole milk is also problematic. We need more data.

Insulin Response
Milk is highly insulinogenic, more than most carbohydrate sources. We’re all aware of the dangers of chronically elevated insulin levels, but that’s also what makes milk such a popular post-workout recovery drink. If you’re insulin sensitive following a tough strength training session, milk’s insulin response can be an effective way to shuttle in protein and glycogen. I don’t do it myself, because I like to fast post-workout (and I don’t like the taste of regular milk) but some people swear by it. This is just speculation, but perhaps the potentially negative effects of milk are negated by the post-workout internal environment (starved muscles, depleted glycogen, insulin-sensitive tissue). Or perhaps those powerlifters are slowly but surely eroding their gut lining. To be on the safe side, maybe limit your milk drinking to immediately post-workout if you’re going to drink it at all.

There isn’t a whole lot of consensus on the subject. People with whom I normally agree on everything regarding nutrition have completely different takes on dairy. Some MDA forum goers report no ill effects, while others complain of joint pain and clogged sinuses from consuming even a single ounce of dairy. More than any other food, dairy seems to be entirely subjective. There is no “one size fits all” approach to it. To be on the safe side and to go “full Primal,” you would technically eliminate it completely, but that may be unnecessary for a relatively large number of people.

In a strange way, this entire blog is just a detailed, science-based map of my own personal journey augmented with anecdotes and experiments from others on similar, but slightly divergent, paths. Much of what I write is founded in science but based on my experiences, and this particular post is no different. When things are gray and murky and the science is unclear and far from definitive, I generally go with anecdote and personal, n=1 experimentation. Personally (and, in a way, this entire blog is just a detailed map of my own personal journey), regular dairy doesn’t generally agree with me. I don’t buy or drink milk. Having said that, I’m a big fan of heavy cream in my coffee and butter in my eggs (and on my steaks and vegetables). I like a nice thick yogurt sauce on lamb, and occasionally either Greek yogurt or fresh whipped cream with berries for dessert. I even have a bit of artisan cheese once in a while. It works for me. I don’t get cramps or gas, and I don’t get leaky gut symptoms from casein alone (gluten is another thing altogether). I’d say, on average, I consume at least one dairy item each day (usually butter), but that’s not a hard and fast rule.

As I mentioned in my book, I think there’s a continuum, a cascading scale of suitability when it comes to dairy. It’s not all created equal.

Raw, fermented, full-fat dairy is probably best.
Tons of traditional, fairly disease-free groups lived with dairy (just as tons of traditional, fairly disease-free groups lived without it), and they all included some form of fermented or cultured product. Cultured butter, yogurt, kefir, clotted milk, cheese – these are traditional ways of increasing shelf life, improving digestibility, and incorporating beneficial probiotics into the gut. Fermentation takes care of most of the lactose, and some posit that it may even positively alter the structure, function, and safety of casein.

Raw, high-fat dairy is next.
Raw butter and cream are minimally processed sources of good saturated fat. They’re free of most lactose and casein, and let’s face it: butter and cream just make everything taste better. If it’s essentially just pure, raw animal fat from grass-fed animals, without offensive levels of milk proteins and sugars, what’s not to enjoy? Ghee is another good choice, and though it technically isn’t raw, it is pure animal fat without a trace of lactose or casein.

Then raw milk.
I don’t advise regular consumption of raw milk, mind you, but if you can tolerate it (no stomach upset, no bloating, no gas, no intestinal issues) an occasional glass is probably OK as a sensible vice. Some farms will even supplement their raw milk with colostrum (the extra rich, “first run” milk that provides even more vitamins and nutrients), resulting in a lower-carb, higher-fat, higher-protein product. Look for that stuff if you’re thinking of buying raw milk.

Organic, hormone and antibiotic-free dairy (full fat, of course).
Bottom line: don’t consume non-organic dairy if you can help it. Avoid homogenized milk if you can, and try not to purchase pasteurized milk (organic or not) on a regular basis. If you’re out getting coffee or something, the regular half and half or heavy cream are fine, and Kerrygold makes a great pastured, pasteurized butter that’s available nationwide.

Other things to consider:

A2 Milk versus A1 Milk
Milk proteins are made up of different beta-caseins, which vary between cow breeds. There are two main categories of beta-casein: A1 and A2, each with different effects. A1 cows (Holsteins and Friesians) produce A1 beta-caseins, which release an opioid-like chemical upon digestion. This chemical, called beta-casomorphin-7 (BCM7), is a protein fragment that figures into the joint pains, digestive issues, and leaky gut symptoms that detractors typically blame on just casein. A2 cows (Jerseys and Gurnseys), on the other hand, produce A2 beta-casein, which has been vindicated. Raw, pastured milk tends to come from Jersey and Gurnsey cows; Holsteins and Friesians produce far more milk and so are used by conventional, factory dairy farmers. The Masai, for example, have A2 cattle.

Goat
Goat dairy is another option, with more fat (that’s never homogenized, even when pasteurized), less casein, less lactose, and fewer digestive issues. Structurally and nutritionally, goat milk is one of the closer corollaries to human breast milk, making it arguably more suitable for human consumption than cow’s milk.

In the end, is there a definitive stamp of Primal approval, or Primal disapproval? I just can’t go either way. Sometimes, the correct path is to admit that you simply don’t know. You can read all the blogs you want, pour over every comment, follow every link, and pontificate about every hunter-gatherer group on the planet, but if you don’t try things out for yourself – either by trying certain dairy products or by eliminating them and noting the effects – it’s all just speculation and hearsay. In the murky, milky world of dairy, it’s up to you to decide your ideal path.

Tues. Feb. 2

21,15,9:

KB Swings (53/35)
Box Jumps
Ring Dips

*Do CFT If you haven't already.

Mon. Feb. 1

CrossFit Total (CFT):

1RM:
Back Squat
Press
Deadlift

*You may have 2 warm up sets before you will be given 3 attempts for each exercise. Movements must be performed in the above order.

Back squat must be taken from the rack, reach below parallel and return to fully locked out hips and knees, then returned to the rack.

Press is a strict shoulder press, no body action will be allowed. Bar must start on the shoulders/upper chest, and must be fully locked out at the top in the frontal plane (head through hole, bar over spine), and return to shoulders and returned to the rack.

Deadlift will be taken from the ground to the fully locked out position (locked out hips and knees, shoulders behind bar), and you must stay with the bar back down to the ground (no dropping).

Total all 1RM for your CFT.

You will be able to choose to do your CFT on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. We will also be posting a WOD every day for those who choose not to do the CFT, or wish to wait until they feel comfortable with the movements before attempting the total.

WOD:
4 RFT:
50 Push Ups
40 ABMAT
30 Lunges (total)

Closing.

We are closing for the rest of today and tomorrow. See you Monday. Ice and snow are here.

Fri. Jan. 28

5 RFT:

5 Bear Complexes (hands cannot leave the bar until done with all 5)(95/65)
10 Burpees

http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_TheBear.wmv

http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_TheBear.mov

Weather Update!!!

If it is nasty tomorrow morning, I'm gonna post our open or closed status. I'll also send out an email to you all. Stay tuned....

Thurs. Jan. 28

Congratulations to Steve and Leslie Morris! Josie Faye Morris was born last night at 21:37 hours. One new member ready for fundamentals training!

30 Muscle ups for time, or:

120 Pullups
120 Ring Dips
*partition pullups and dips as needed.

http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFitJournal_TuckerMUProgressionPre.wmv
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFitJournal_TuckerMUProgressionPre.mov

Wed. Jan. 27

3 RFT:
10 Clean/Jerk (135/95), (Scaled 95/65)
30 GHD Sit Ups (1st come 1st served)/ ABMAT

Strength:
Press:
5-5-5-5-5

Tues. Jan. 26

“Fran”
21,15,9:
Thrusters (95/65)
Pullups

Strength:
OHS
1-1-1-1-1-1-1

Mon. Jan. 25

20 Min AMRAP:

5 Burpees
10 KB Swings (53/35)
15 ABMAT

Strength:
Back Squat
3-3-3-3-3

Sat. Jan. 23

"Fight Gone Bad"
3 Rounds, 1 Minute per station:
1. Wall-ball: 20 pound ball, 10 ft target. (Reps)
2. Sumo deadlift high-pull: 75 pounds (Reps)
3. Box Jump: 20" box (Reps)
4. Push-press: 75 pounds (Reps)
5. Row: calories (Calories)

... The clock will run continuously, total up calories and reps for all movements for each round (5 minutes), rest 1 minute between rounds. Total of all 3 rounds is score.

Now go grill some good food!

Fri. Jan. 22

(The black lab "Charlie" is jumping. The yellow lab "Rudy" is not jumping. Apply Charlie's technique to the jumping air squat.)
4 RFT:

10 Push Press (95/65)
10 Jumping Air Squats
10 KB Power Cleans (each arm)

Strength:
Squat Cleans
3-3-3-3-3

Thurs. Jan. 21

13 Min. AMRAP:
10 Push Ups (chest must touch floor and arms must lock out at top)
20 Lunges (each leg)

Strength:
5 Sets: Max Dead Hang Pullups

This is from paleochix.com

"Scale Tales"

What’s your magic number? You know the one…. the one that will put you on top of the world when it appears, the life-changing number that will transform you into a better person or help you find true love. But what will it take to get there? For most it means sacrifice and abusing the body. And maintenance… that’s a whole different ball of wax! Will your “success” at reaching that number be maintained until the summer wedding you are going to? Those are real questions you need to ask yourself.

I have lived by the number on the scale for most of my life. I was a chubby kid, chubbier teen and overweight young adult. Through self-deprivation and starvation I learned how to beat the number on the scale and dare that number to go lower. Anorexia turned me into a scale pro. I would gladly show you the digits any day of the week. I recall the day a 00 was too big for me, I also recall not being able to get pregnant, the horror I felt when i realized you could see me spine, being weak and out of breath and getting sick all the time. It was exhausting.

After the birth of my first daughter the battle started all over again. I found myself feeling like I was not worthy when my Weight Watcher leader would point out I hadn’t lost anything that week. I would use all my points at McDonald’s and would end up “forced” to eat veggies the rest of the day since the were zero points. Carrots and broccoli ? Really? I felt as if I was being punished instead of taking these good foods and running with them.

You all know what comes next – you lose that “last 10lbs” and treat yourself. A celebration of depriving yourself for weeks and months on end. The cycle then starts all over again. Why not be satisfied every day? The realization that Paleo is a lifestyle and not a diet changed that for me. I am never hungry, and I will never chase a number.

At almost 43 (next week!) I am 5′6″ and don’t know or care how much I weigh. I don’t weight and measure my food, so why would I weigh myself? I am in the 150-160 range and a size 6/8. I feel fantastic! By most doctor’s charts and according to my daughters’ Wii Fit I am supposed to weigh 140. While I may be overweight by some standards, I guarantee you I am not “under fit.” At 140 there is no way I could nail a 180lb backsquat, or pass people more than half my age on endurance workouts. It’s been 7 months since I started Paleo and I know I am leaner and stronger. I can see abs I never knew I had!

What I’m getting at is: DO NOT FIXATE ON A NUMBER!!! It doesn’t reflect who you are or anything about your level of fitness. Your health is measured by your fitness, not a number. If you are treating your body the way it was intended and working out, then your body will respond – you will feel strong, you will get lean and your body will reflect that.

The best part about that – it’s easy to maintain. We all have our occasionally cheats, but we get back up on the wagon. You don’t need to know you gained 3lbs over the holidays - you will FEEL it. You will know by then how treating yourself well daily feels.

So next time you feel the urge to weigh, instead think “HOW DO I FEEL?” How you respond to that and what you do next says more about who you are than any number.

Wed. Jan. 20

Run 1 Mile (3 building laps)
50 Deadlift (185/115)
40 Box Jumps
30 Handstand Pushups

Strength:
Deadlift
5-5-5-5-5

Tues. Jan. 19

3 RFT:
12 Thrusters (95/65)
18 KB Swings (53/35)
24 ABMAT

Strength:
Push Press
1-1-1-1-1-1-1

Mon. Jan. 18

"Mini-Murph"

1 Building Lap (530m)
50 Pull Ups
100 Push Ups
150 Air Squats
1 Building Lap

*you may partition the reps as needed.

Strength:
Front Squat
3-3-3-3-3

Good article from Mark's Daily Apple:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/zero-carb-diet/

Sat. Jan. 16

For time:
50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings (35)
Walking Lunge, 50 steps (total)
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double Unders

Fri. Jan. 15

Fri. Jan. 15

“Wet Helen”
3 RFT:
Row 400m
21 KB Swings (53/35)
12 Pull ups

Strength:
Push/Split Jerk
1-1-1-1-1-1-1

Thurs. Jan. 14

“The Chief”
3 Min AMRAP:

3 Power Cleans (135/95)
6 Push Ups
9 Air Squats
Rest 1 Min, repeat for 5 cycles, total rounds for all cycles is score

Strength:
Back Squat
5-5-5-5-5

Wed. Jan. 13

7 RFT:

15 DB Push Press
15 KB Swings (53/35)
15 Squat Thrusts (like burpees, but no push up, no jump)

Strength:
Deadlift
5-5-5-5-5


*Starting next Monday, we will be changing our afternoon class times to 4:30, 5:30, and 6:30pm. Warm up will begin 10 minutes before class. Be on time please.

Tues. Jan. 12

Congratulations to Luke McClanahan and Andrew Holmes for graduating USMC Boot Camp. Semper Fi!!!

20 Min. AMRAP:

20 Pull Ups
20 Air Squats

Strength:
Weighted Pull Ups:
3-3-3-1-1
(Start with Dumbell of choice, then add weight, use vest if desired)

Mon. Jan. 11

5 RFT:
10 Push Ups
10 Ring Dips
10 Sit Ups

Strength:
Press:
3-3-3-3-3

Some Paleo Recipes for Your Eating Pleasure. Thanks CF Evolution:

Easy Meat Breakfast
6 oz grassfed beef
onion, mushroom to taste
1/4 c organic salsa (Costco brand)

Throw the beef in a pan
and fry the beef til almost
browned.
Add in the chopped onions
& mushrooms.
Season with pepper.
Cook till browned.
Dump into bowl, pour salsa
on top, mix & enjoy.

Lunch on the Grill
9 oz grassfed burgers (about 3 burgers)
OR meat of choice
2 handfuls of veggie of choice: broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, whatever
1 tbs olive oil (for veggies)

Throw meat on grill + cook.
Wrap veggies in foil +
throw on grill too.
Put it all on a plate +
sprinkle olive oil over
veggies.
Season w/ pepper.

Stir-Fry
9 oz meat of choice
(beef, pork, chicken)
1/2 bag of frozen stir-fry veggies (that's what they're called)
Olive oil

Chop up meat into bite
size pieces.
Pan fry meat w/ water, oil,
or lemon (about 2 tbs)
over med heat.
Don't burn the meat/pan.
In separate pan, fry veggies
in 1 tbs water, oil, or
lemon, over low-med
heat.
When meat is cooked, add
to veggies. Mix it up.
Add more oil if needed or
lemon juice. Sprinkle w/
seasonings (Montreal,
garlic salt, pepper).
Don't let it get soggy.

Sat. Jan. 9

8 min AMRAP:
10 wall ball
10 ABMAT

Rest 2 min

8 min AMRAP:
20 KB Swings (53/35)
20 K2Es

Total rounds for score

Fri. Jan. 8

40 Pull Ups
40 SDHP (53/35)
40 Jumping Squats
40 Push Ups
40 ABMAT
40 Walking Plate Overhead Lunge (45/25)

Beginning with our first week in February, we will establish a CrossFit Total (CFT) for all members. What's a CFT you ask? Here you go:

The CrossFit Total is the sum of the best of three attempts at the squat, the press, and the deadlift. All three lifts are done while standing on the floor. They require minimal and inexpensive equipment. They are not technique- dependent to the extent of the Olympic lifts, yet they require technical proficiency beyond mere passing familiarity. They are safe when performed correctly, since they can all be performed without spotters—alone in a garage if necessary.

There is no time limit for each lift or for the length of the session in which they are all performed, but they must all be performed during one session—i.e., you cannot leave the area to rest or perform other activities between the three lifts.

Anyone in a position to attempt a legitimate CrossFit Total should be familiar enough with their capabilities on the lifts to have a fairly good idea of just what might be possible for a one-rep max (1RM). This number is what you warm up intending to do. A meet situation will involve three attempts, and this is a good way to determine a true 1RM.

The first attempt would be a weight you know you can do for a heavy set of three. The second attempt would be a weight you know without any doubt that you could do for a single, having just done the first attempt. And the third attempt is the weight you want to do, based on your performance on the previous two attempts.

I would like for every member to establish their total in our first week of business in Feb. We will have a white board dedicated to this endeavour, so we will be able to revisit this to track you improvement. This is a wonderful goal for determining strength and progress within that area of your fitness. If you would like to begin practicing for these movements, feel free to do so during your class practice/skills time.

Get ready to be held to strict standards for all of these movements. Full range of motion will only be counted. No partial squats, short deadlifts and crappy presses will count. The truth will be the standard.

Good luck....

SB

Thurs. Jan. 7

21,15,9:
Deadlift (225/135)
Burpees

Strength:
Push Press
3-3-3-3-3

*If the weather gets bad, I will post and email you all concerning closing.


From CrossFit Evolution


The Benefits of Crossfit
5 Self-Improvements from Crossfit Training.

1. Physical Health = Sickness and injury free
2. Mental Health = Stable and happy, motivated
3. Fitness = Accomplish anything, anywhere, at anytime
4. Appearance = Look good
5. Life = Enjoy it to the fullest: the people, the places, the moments

That may seem like a tall order for a gym, but not THIS gym. Every single member of our gym feels the benefits listed above. You are only required to do 2 things. You must show up for the training and you must always do your best. That's it.
Feel better, look better, perform better, BE better.
Improving Mental & Physical Health
Step 1: Moving from Sickness to Wellness.

I believe that most people do not realize that there is a scale that goes from sickness, to wellness, to fitness. And it IS in that order. Sickness can be defined as having a disease, a bacterial or viral infection, or simply not being absolutely perfectly well. How do you know if you are not well? For starters, do you take any medication? Are you over or under weight? Are you achy in muscles or joints? Does your back, neck, knees, or shoulders hurt? Do you have frequent headaches? Are you depressed? Do you just "not feel right"? If you make excuses for the way you feel everyday...then you ARE sick. And it's high time for you to get well.
To get from sickness to wellness will require some work on your part, let's face it, alot of work. If it was easy, then everyone would be well and our insurance premiums would be better. The most important thing you can do is to get started today, at home or wherever. Just get started. Evaluate where you are now and decide where you want to be.
Start by building on a strong foundation of better nutrition and basic exercise. Proper nutrition will go a long way to helping you feel better, deal with stress effectively, and assist your body's immune system. You may even find that you will sleep better and feel more refreshed. There's also a chance of having more energy and more enjoyment in life.
So, what nutrition plan? We always advocate Paleo, but for now, let's not get hung up on what, how, why. You already know what to do. Eat lean meat (includes fish, seafood, poultry), lots of veggies and fruits, and add olive oil. Unless you live in a cave, everyone has heard of this. Just focus on eating those foods MOST of the time. Just do your best and if you fall off track, just get back on. You also know what is bad for you. So eat less of that. Just do it.
Many of our members are on Paleo, and have had wonderful results. Keeping a logbook and being held accountable is effective. Proper diet can stabilize your mood, clear your thinking, relieve stress, fuel your workouts and your day, stabilize your weight, and help your body and muscles recover faster.
Now on to basic exercise. If it's been a while, start walking, anything, just start doing something EVERY day. There are enough hours in a day for you to get in 15-30 minutes of exercise. Stick to some bodyweight classics like push-ups, sit-ups, squats, lunges, running, and jump rope. Start in your living room, your yard, or even your local "I don't know your name unless I scan your card" gym. When you feel ready, increase the intensity of the exercise.
If you want more guidance and motivation, or want faster and better results, then come see us at our High-Performance gym. Check out our workout-of-the-day to see what's going on. You can just come in and start, you don't "need to get ready" for it. That is what scaling is all about. Doing Crossfit training here, allows you to commiserate, compete, and support others in an atmosphere of professional training in which the focus is on form, technique, and scalability, to each and every person. This means that the focus is on YOU and your performance.
Our high-intensity training, scaled to each individual, causes physical and mental adaptations quickly, that you will not expect. It is the beauty of this programming. Lots of varied, full body, functional movements that make you stronger, faster, and more powerful. The camaraderie and competition build strong character, friendship, and assertiveness.All of this will make you feel better physically and mentally.
Improving Fitness (Super Wellness)
Step 2: Moving from Wellness to Fitness.

On to the next step. You are not sick, you are well, but that is not enough. Many people say they are fit, in actuality, they are merely well. To be fit, is to be thriving and moving forward, progressing. If you are not progressing, then you are merely surviving. To move from wellness to fitness requires a commitment to nutrition and consistent bouts of intense exercise.
Your nutrition MUST be squared away. You need to be following a Paleo diet at the minimum. Want more? Put your Paleo food into Zone proportions, it'll drive you and your family insane (albeit temporarily) and give you the BEST performance and bodyfat results possible. Is it worth it? YUP. Is it a pain in the ass? YUP. Should I still do it? Only if you are willing to weigh and measure everything that you put in your mouth AND willing to write it all down in a food log.
Without that food log, tweaks can't be made. Tweaks are essential to breaking plateaus, switching from losing fat to gaining muscle, and to learn how your body works best. Members with the best nutrition success, all kept food logs diligently and shared them for feedback.
Taking exercise to the next level requires you to ask yourself what you want out of life. I call this "Mediocrity Vs Bad-Assity". Where do you want to be? Why settle for "okay", when you can be more and do more? Made your decision? Good. "Bad-Assity" is an attitude, a state of mind. It is a physically and mentally strong body that endeavors to accomplish great things.This is super wellness or fitness. It is the ability to do well at anything, at anytime, anywhere.
This requires consistent training at varying levels of intensity, but always with 100% of your best effort. This demands the learning and application of new skills and techniques. This results in new personal records and the aquisition of feats thought impossible (muscle-up anyone?). This is "Bad-Assity". This is Super Wellness. This is Fitness.
When you finally squash a workout that used to lay you out on the floor...the feeling of elation that comes from that moment spills over into the rest of your life. You will see life in a new way. You will be compelled to do more. You WILL be changed. That may sound like BS, but walk into our gym at anytime and ask anyone if Crossfit changed their life. Be specific, ask them how. I guarantee that they'll be more than happy to share.

Wed. Jan. 6

20 Min AMRAP:

5 Box Jumps
10 Wall Ball
15 KB Swings (53/35)

Strength:

Front Squat:
1-1-1-1-1-1-1
then
50 Reps of 50% 1RM

from CrossFit Evolution

"Life Is Not Fair: And You Don't Want it to Be"

Fairness. What does that mean, really. Most people think it is "the right thing to do"; justice for all; an equal distribution of goods, services, whatever; and that you should be fair to everyone. And we all know "life is not fair", but that phrase is always treated as an ending to some sad story of despair. And I am sick of it!

Doing the right thing, justice for all, equal distribution, and equality for all is just not reasonable or possible for all people all the time. Fairness is in the eye of the beholder. Fairness changes quickly as well. Why so much stock in a word, a morality, that is dependent on personal opinion and perspective? Because it sounds nice. That's it. People feel good when they decide that they are "fair" about something.

That one is fair does mean that one is just. To do the right thing is your perspective of it only and may not be the reality. Justice for all usually is just for some. Equal distribution as it relates to fairness is anti-capitalism... and don't get me started on that topic. Equality of people is good when we're talking about civil rights, but not good when we're talking about preferential treatment related to education or employment. I think people should be allowed in a certain college or hired for a specific job based solely on merit. Based on their intellect, their work capacity, their achievements...that's what I want to see. I want salaries to be dependent upon proven results and work done.

In society today, this is what "fair" translates to:

* Fair means everyone gets what they THINK they deserve
* Fair means everyone is equal
* Fair means balanced
* Fair means everyone gets their way and gets along

It kinda sounds "nice" doesn't it? Here's what's wrong with it:

* Most people think they deserve alot, when in fact they deserve much less

* If you deserve something, that means you're waiting and not acting. Achievers GET what they want by going after it, they don't wait for someone to tell them their worth. They didn't "deserve it", they earned it.

* Everyone is NOT equal. Duh!! Everyone is unique. The way we think, the things we like, our motivators, our goals, our skills, our background, our experience...etc etc. If I'm the most intelligent scientist on earth and I created a new form of cheap fuel... I do not want to be paid the same as the person who is less intelligent and not creating something of value. I believe in excellence and I believe in getting paid well for it.

* Balance means hearing both sides or having it all. That's a myth. You can't have it all, but you can make yourself think you do if you like. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. You will NOT balance them. You will get the strengths stronger and the weaknesses to not suck so much. That's it.

* What about a "balanced life"? Another myth. You find the things that give you the most joy and then spend the most time on them. Things you don't like, find a way to NOT do it or get around it. It's very easy actually. Instead of trying to make everything work, just enjoy life more by spending time on the things you like.

* No matter how fair you think something is, someone will disagree. Why? Because fairness is subject to change and is in the eye of the beholder. What is fair today, is not fair tomorrow.

Some CrossFit Evolution scenarios for thought:

* It's 6pm. There's 15 advanced members training and 3 beginners that just walked in the door. Is it fair to keep the advanced members waiting while the beginners take 15 minutes of the trainer's time? Is it fair to focus on the paying members and leave the beginners bewildered and lost? Is it fair to the owner that the lost beginners decided not to join because they didn't "get it"? What would be fair?

- As you can see, fairness is changeable and dependent on
one's perspective. You just can't be fair to everyone just like
you can't make everyone happy.

* You offer a discount to a large group of new joins, but after a couple months, half of them fall off. Is it fair to increase the price on the remaining new members? Is it fair for the business to just take a loss?

-Depends how you are looking at it right?

I ask that everyone keep in mind that when we make changes and adjustments to programming, number of classes, in-house policies, prices, and more... we do so in order to make it better for our members, for prospective members, for us, and for the business (not in that particular order).

Life is not fair.
I think if life was fair, then I would be very unhappy about it. I don't believe that anything is owed to me. If I want something more than someone else, then I will get it. If I am better, smarter, faster, whatever... what I want I will get it first.

If life was fair, it would be too easy. Easy means I would do less and think less. Doing and thinking less means I wouldn't push myself. Not pushing myself would lead to slow-moving and slow-thinking. I would stop growing and I would just age. There is no joy in that.

If Crossfit was fair, you would only improve in the things you are good at. You would never reach your potential. It's the challenge and the competition that makes you better. It's being forced to do what you can't do or don't want to do.

Life was not meant to be fair. It was meant to cause adversity, because that is what causes us to grow. It has always been that way and always will be. So, when people say "life is not fair", I have to smile, because I don't want it to be. It is what excites me, teaches me, and drives me forward. When something is not "fair", there is always an opportunity waiting to be found, there is always an action waiting to be done.

So whatever gets thrown at you, just take it and run with it. Don't let it knock you down. We like adversity. We like proving ourselves. We don't care about what's fair and what's not. We care about doing our best. We care about hard work and the results that prove it.

"The question isn't who is going to let me, it's who is going to stop me." -Ayn Rand

Tues. Jan. 5

"Grace"

30 Clean/Jerk for time (135/95)
*each rep counts from ground to overhead.
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/grace-off.wmv



Strength:
Overhead Squat
5-5-5-5-5
Muscle Snatch
3-3-3-3-3

NO EXCUSES 2010: PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

Article taken from CrossFit Evolution

Take responsibility for your actions and inactions. Even better, don’t be guilty of inaction. What’s an inaction? Every time you make an excuse to NOT do something, that you DO want to do, that’s an inaction. Stop making excuses and choose action. It won’t be easy, in fact, it may be the hardest thing that you’ll ever have to do. Why is that?

Because in today’s society, it’s easy to get busy and get lost in the “not-so-important” details of life. It’s easy to say “I’m too busy. I don’t have time. I don’t have the money. I’m not smart enough. I’m too old.” So many people settle for mediocre, average, and ordinary. Why aim so low, when life is so short? Your best years are probably right NOW.

Stop being a bystander to your own life, watching everything go by while it’s happening right in front of you. You alone control the direction of your life. You control your happiness. If not you, then who? The answer is anyone, anything, or worse… no one. Here’s how it works, in a nutshell. Instead of making an excuse, just say the truth: I don’t want to. It is a conversation ender, but why waste time (yours or someone else’s)? If it’s NOT the truth, meaning you really do want to do it, then it’s an excuse. Stop the excuses, and figure out a way to do what you really want to do.

Disclaimer: This doesn’t mean there are no repercussions for your actions and I assume that we know right from wrong and the differences between moral and immoral. Do not break the law or intentionally hurt someone.

2nd Disclaimer: Do not use your faith as an excuse either: “I am waiting for God to show me or bring it to me”, or “It’ll happen on it’s own if it was meant to be”. This actually may be THE biggest excuse used. I am not going to get into a religious discussion, all I will quote is an old proverb: “God put the bird on the earth. God put the worm on the earth for the bird to eat. But God did NOT put the worm in the bird’s mouth.” Religion and faith is beautiful, but stop using it as a crutch & excuse. There are many opportunities out there and many ways in which to achieve them, but first you have to pay attention and then you’ll have to go after it… just like that bird.

Popular excuses: I don’t have the money. I don’t have time. I’m too busy.
While this may be true, what it really means is that you don’t want to spend your money or time on that item/luxury/service. There is no right or wrong, just truth. Many people when faced with something that they want very badly, will find the money or time for said item. It usually involves giving up something else of lesser value. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

More popular excuses: I’m too old. I’m too overweight. I’m too weak.
Those excuses mean 1 of 2 things: 1) I’m too lazy to see this through, or 2) I have low self-esteem. Sorry, but it’s the truth, and sometimes it’s painful. Example: someone comes to a gym and says they want to get in shape. Followed by, this looks too hard for me. If you think it is, it is, because you either don’t want to work to get in shape or you don’t think you can do it. You came to me, so you must want my help. Trust that I want to improve you and not injure you. Why? Cause if you don’t improve, you can quit paying me. If you get injured, you can quit paying me also. And why would I want that??

I am not saying that the above excuses are not true, they are, but it goes deeper than that. If you want something, if it’s important, you will go after it. I want to get people fired up enough to realize that it’s high time they: 1) recognize what is important, and 2) do something about it and stop making excuses. Go after your dreams now, because you are getting older every day, and you only have a finite time on this earth to experience life. Take it to it’s fullest.

Let’s look past the ordinary New Year resolutions and into some extraordinary goals. It starts with being more specific and even better if you can set a time-line. Dream big and aim high, cause even if you miss your target, you’re still closer than had you kept your eyes closed. So, open your eyes and start living.

Mon. Jan. 4

"Angie"

100 Pull Ups
100 Push Ups
100 Sit Ups
100 Squats


*We will be posting two wod's per day. One will be a standard wod for the majority of the membership. The second will be a strength wod for those members who wish to focus on overall strength through barbell movements and heavier standard movements.

Strength WOD:
Dead Lift 3-3-3-3-3
*take 50% of 3RM and do 3 sets of ten with that weight following the 3x5

Happy New Year

Hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year. To kick off 2010, we are going to add some new classes on Wednesday's and Friday's. These classes are going to be called Warrior WOD's. Warrior WOD's are designed for current CrossFitter's or individuals that have a higher fitness level than your average gym rat.

These classes are free for current members, $10 drop in fee for guest. However, if you plan to attend be prepared to push yourself. These classes are not for the faint at heart. Warrior WOD's are going to be longer and more intense than our current CF classes. I am planning on having class at 3pm on Wednesday's and 10am on Friday's.

Check out the Endurance Blog or email Steve at crossfitendurancemt@gmail.com to learn more.