WOD's
Thursday 3/03
by Amy Hudson on 03/02/11
8 min AMRAP:
5 Deadlift @ 185/115
7 Burpee
9 Box Jump 30/24
Paleo Goes Prime Time
The Paleo Diet, along with Robb Wolf and CrossFit were featured in a segment on Nightline. Our favorite part of the segment is the interview with the nutritionists. The Paleo or "caveman" diet is the waking nightmare of any registered dietitian. Regardless, the segment was pretty well done, and had a nice mention of CrossFit too... without any mention of Pukie! Anyway, give it a watch and share it with your friends. Enjoy!
Wednesday 3/02
by Amy Hudson on 03/01/11
We're about half way through the food challenge. How are things going? We have 13 members in our Daily Plate group, but it looks like about half are logging food. I know it seems tedious, but it is helpful to see what your food intake looks like at the end of the day.
In other related weight loss / nutrition news, I love to watch "The Biggest Loser." Not because it is chock-full of useful fitness advice; it's not, or because of the dissemination of relevant nutritional information; all you have to do is watch any nutrition related challenge to see that's not happening on the Ranch. I watch TBL like a football team would watch game footage of a rival team; it's like homework. This is what we are up against as a fitness community-- the mentality that a low fat diet and half a day on an elliptical is the only way to lose weight and to be healthy. There is also the added bonus of getting to make fun of trainers Jillian "who needs kettlebell technique" Michaels and Bob "a bowl full of sugar to start your day right" Harper.
However, a recent study indicates that all is not well in TBL world, at least for past season participants. It appears that the standard method of a low calorie (1000-1200 Kcal/ day) paired with extended bouts of exercise will lead to a slower metabolism in the long run. This concept isn't new, but it's nice to see a study done specifically on the show's contestants. Check out http://www.weightymatters.ca/ (the post is from the 22nd of Feb) for more info.
Tuesday 3/01
by Amy Hudson on 02/28/11
Three rounds for time of:
Run 800 meters
Rest 2 minutes
He's Back!
Robert came back today from his vacation in Korea. Looks like he will be hanging out for the next six weeks before he reports to basic training. Welcome back Rob!
Over the weekend, we watched a documentary called "Fat Head" by comedian(?) Tom Naughton, who goes on a 30 day fast food diet with the intention of losing weight. It's meant as a response to Morgan Spurlock's "Super Size Me." The first half of the film is a critique of "Super Size Me," mainly focusing on the angle of self responsibility and self control. I didn't have a problem with "Super Size Me" so this portion of the movie just seemed to nit-pick. However, I had read many positive reviews of "Fat Head," so I stuck with it. Once Naughton got (mostly) over his "Super Size Me" rant, the film actually provided some very useful information about how the Standard American Diet (SAD) of low fat/ high carbohydrates has been shaped over the years and how it is slowly killing us. Worth a watch, though I recommend skipping the first 30 minutes or so, or you can watch clips of the pertinent stuff here.
Monday 2/28
by Amy Hudson on 02/28/11
Deadlift 3-3-3
Then...
Three rounds for time of:
275 pound Deadlift, 10 reps
50 Double-under
Saturday 2/26
by Amy Hudson on 02/25/11
Team WOD.... see you then!
It looks like everyone was very receptive to the idea of lowering the box jump scale to up the intensity. Hopefully, you felt the difference in being able to string several jumps together at once instead of chugging along one at a time. These kind of modifications translate into better box jumps in the future and a more intense workout now.
Friday 2/25
by Amy Hudson on 02/24/11
"Jack"
Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
10 Push Press @ 115/75
10 KB Swings @ 53/35
10 Box jumps @ 24/20 inch box
One Step Back, Two Steps Forward
One of the things I love about CrossFit is the constant opportunity for improvement. We are always striving to go faster, heavier or to have better technique. In order to improve these skills, we have to push that envelope where technique intersects with intensity. You may remember the "Technique Vs. Intensity" talk from Intro 2; the one with the shooter example. Finding that line is really the key to seeing improvement in performance. However, it's not just a matter of doing something as fast as possible or, on the other hand, just being able to do a movement.
A few months ago I wrote about a WOD I witnessed while visiting a gym for a seminar, you can read about it here. Long story short, someone was doing a workout prescribed who really had no business doing so. They got to the point of losing any benefit of intensity because it took them half an hour to do what should be, at most, a 10 minute workout.
For your next WOD, look at the movements and think about what scale you can do, now ask yourself if you do it well. For example, today's WOD is push presses, kettlebell swings and box jumps. The female prescribed height for the box jumps is 20". While I can do 20" box jumps, they are slow and time consuming-- I don't do them well. Instead, I'm scaling down, way down most likely, and will do a height where I can string together several jumps at a time. This is a two-fold benefit in that I will keep my intensity high, and will build a better box jump technique and confidence that will translate to a higher box.
Thursday 2/24
by Amy Hudson on 02/24/11
30-20-10 Wall ball 20/14
10-20-30 Pull up
No Joy in Soy
As
many of you already know, we are not fans of soy. We don't eat anything
with soy in it, and tell people to avoid it whenever possible. For
those of you unfamiliar with why we are anti-soy, here's a quick recap:
- 99%
of soy is genetically modified. True, there is no proof that GMO foods
are any less healthy or a danger to your health, but it's still creepy.
- Soy
contains enzyme inhibitors that block the absorption of protein. These
inhibitors not only block the protein in the soy, but also blocks the
protein in the other foods you may be eating at the same time.
- Soy is rich in "antinutrients," like phytates, which latch on to trace minerals like calcium, magnesium and zinc, blocking their absorption in the intestines.
- Using protein powder with soy isolate in it?
Want to know how they isolate the soy? They soak it in hexane, a
petroleum-based solvent, which is a byproduct of gasoline production.
Hexane separates the oil from the protein and ta-da, you have two cheap
"food" products. The Sac News and Review wrote a pretty interesting article on hexane treated soy and supposed "organic" snack bars.
- Soy
is a phytoestrogen--no bueno for either of the sexes. Guys obviously
don't want any extra estrogen floating around their system than what
their body creates naturally. However, neither do women. And the truth
is we are exposed to estrogen through hormone "enhanced" meat and
chemicals that mimic estrogen, like in plastics on a regular basis. This
bombardment of estrogen can lead to estrogen dominance or adrenal
fatigue, which can cause all sorts of problems ranging from chronic
fatigue to certain cancers.
Is This the Most Dangerous Food for Men? Men's Health
Soy They Say, Sacramento News and Review
Tuesday 2/22
by Amy Hudson on 02/21/11
Good job to everyone who came in Monday. Fight Gone Bad is a tough WOD and we saw many people go RX'd as well as some red numbers on the board. Congratulations to Arlene, Gerald and Cheryl for doing FGB prescribed for the first time. And a blog high five to Lori and everyone else who did their first fully prescribed WOD today. Everybody pushed themselves today and it was so much fun to see. Video footage to come...
Monday 2/21
by Amy Hudson on 02/20/11
For the WOD today make sure to get there on time, it would be bad to have to fight for your spot in the class.
Check out our Facebook page for our new t-shirt designs!
Friday 2/18
by Amy Hudson on 02/17/11
"Amanda"
Three rounds, 9-7- and 5 reps, for time of:
Muscle-up
Squat Snatch @ 135/95
Carbohydrates and Weight Loss
Carbohydrates, like fruits and vegetables, are an integral macronutrient in maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle. They are a valuable source of vitamins and minerals and certain organs require carbs to properly function. However, carbohydrates are sugar. At the end of the day, whether you are eating cake or kale, the body breaks those carbohydrates down into simple sugars for absorption. This is why it is important to be conscious of the quantity of your carbohydrate intake.
Here is a handy chart from MarksDailyApple.com.
This is just a chart and isn't going to work for everybody, but if you are trying to lose weight, hopefully this will help you to help dial in your numbers. Just make sure you are also eating enough protein and fat.
Remember the Paleo diet macronutrient ratios should fall into something like this:
Carbohydrates 10-30%
Protein 20-30%
Fat 40-60%
So, if you are aiming for 100g of carbohydrates a day, and let's suppose you're aiming for the higher end of the carb ratio of 30% of your diet, you should be eating approximately 116 grams of protein and 133 grams of fat.
More is Less
Also, though it might seem counter intuitive, eating more carbohydrates can actually make you hungrier sooner. Remember how all carbs are sugar? Well, if you eat a large quantity of carbohydrates, your blood sugar levels will increase, causing an insulin response to lower that blood sugar level, making you hungry again. Many people opt for vegetables throughout the day, which are typically much lower in carbohydrates by volume and save fruit for their pre/post WOD meal.
So the bottom line is be aware of the quality and quantity of your carbohydrate intake, especially if weight loss is one of your goals. For those of you who are using Daily Plate to track your food right now for the food challenge, does your current intake match your goal?
Thursday 2/17
by Amy Hudson on 02/16/11
3 rounds each for time:
7 Thruster
200m row
Rest 3 min
It's Not 1984, but We're Banning Words
You may remember the novel 1984, in which an oppressive government continually redefines or abolishes words altogether. So bust out your gray utilitarian jumpsuit, 'cause were doing the same here. We'll start with the letter "C" and expand if we need to. The following shall never be uttered in the box again*.
The "C" words:
Calories
Core (when referring to the abdominal area)
Cardio
"Core" will be replaced with "Midline" and "cardio" will be replaced with "metabolic conditioning" or "met con" for short. "Calories" will not have a single word or phrase to replace it, since the effects of food on the human body are too complex to measure with one, narrow measure.
*The banned words can still be used in an ironic way, but can only be said in a Valley Girl voice. Example: "Oh muh Gawd! I burned sooo many calories while doing cardio on the elliptical and reading Cosmo, now I need to do some crunchies so I can work on my core."
Okay, obviously we're joking (a little), but these are three words that either have little relevance to our goals, like calories, or have been overused by the traditional fitness industry so that they no longer have a specific meaning.
As always guys, our goal is to keep this place fun and inviting so there won't be too many super harsh penalties, unless you totally deserve it that is. Stay tuned for our next group of banishments... which may or may not include such gems as the shake weight and shape ups (don't try them you'll totally put us out of business).
Wednesday 2/16
by Amy Hudson on 02/15/11
Weighted pull-ups 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps
Then...
10min AMRAP:
200m run
Max Pull up
Thursday 2/24
by Amy Hudson on 02/15/11
30-20-10 Wall ball 20/14
10-20-30 Pull up
No Joy in Soy
As many of you already know, we are not fans of soy. We don't eat anything with soy in it, and tell people to avoid it whenever possible. For those of you unfamiliar with why we are anti-soy, here's a quick recap:
- 99% of soy is genetically modified. True, there is no proof that GMO foods are any less healthy or a danger to your health, but it's still creepy.
- Soy contains enzyme inhibitors that block the absorption of protein. These inhibitors not only block the protein in the soy, but also blocks the protein in the other foods you may be eating at the same time.
- Soy is rich in "antinutrients," like phytates, which latch on to trace minerals like calcium, magnesium and zinc, blocking their absorption in the intestines.
- Using protein powder with soy isolate in it? Want to know how they isolate the soy? They soak it in hexane, a petroleum-based solvent, which is a byproduct of gasoline production. Hexane separates the oil from the protein and ta-da, you have two cheap "food" products. The Sac News and Review wrote a pretty interesting article on hexane treated soy and supposed "organic" snack bars.
- Soy is a phytoestrogen--no bueno for either of the sexes. Guys obviously don't want any extra estrogen floating around their system than what their body creates naturally. However, neither do women. And the truth is we are exposed to estrogen through hormone "enhanced" meat and chemicals that mimic estrogen, like in plastics on a regular basis. This bombardment of estrogen can lead to estrogen dominance or adrenal fatigue, which can cause all sorts of problems ranging from chronic fatigue to certain cancers.
Is This the Most Dangerous Food for Men? Men's Health
Soy They Say, Sacramento News and Review
