March 1, 2010
February 28, 2010 by hillarieaton · 9 Comments
Now that the Sectionals are all said and done, we are going to have some fun doing variations of the WOD’s!
Josh T. keeping his elbows high on his Thrusters.
WOD
12,9,6,9,12 rep rounds of
Thrusters 95/65
Pull-Ups
After each round you will run 250 M.
Rest and Recovery After Exercise – Improve Sports Performance
After Exercise Rest – Why Rest Days Improve Sports Performance
Most athletes know that getting enough rest after exercise is essential to high-level performance, but many still over train and feel guilty when they take a day off. The body repairs and strengthens itself in the time between workouts, and continuous training can actually weaken the strongest athletes.
Rest days are critical to sports performance for a variety of reasons. Some are physiological and some are psychological. Rest is physically necessary so that the muscles can repair, rebuild and strengthen. For recreational athletes, building in rest days can help maintain a better balance between home, work and fitness goals.
In the worst-case scenario, too few rest and recovery days can lead to overtraining syndrome – a difficult condition to recover from. To continue reading click here.
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“Don’t waste life in doubts and fears; spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour’s duties will be the best preparation for the hours or ages that follow it.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
February 27, 2010
February 26, 2010 by hillarieaton · 3 Comments
Don’t worry we would never just leave you high and dry on your workout, here is a WOD you can do at home!
Everyone that came to the announcement of the challenge winners.
WOD
For time:
50 Burpees
75 Flutter Kicks (2 count on each leg)
100 Push-Ups
150 Sit-Ups (since most of you don’t have your own AbMat, use a firm pillow or a rolled up towel)
Click here to learn how to do the Flutter Kicks
“The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win.”
Roger Bannister
February 26, 2010
February 25, 2010 by hillarieaton · 33 Comments
We thought it would be fun to get a little taste of what Rebecca will be doing in the competition, so the WOD today is the second one she will do on Saturday!
Rebecca, making sure to get full hip extension on her Box Jumps!
WOD
5,4,3,2,1 Rep Rounds of:
Deadlift 265/175
Overhead Squat 115/75
200 M Sandbag Carry LG/SM
We will scale as needed!
Zoe and Lexi, excited for CrossFit Kids!
CrossFit Kids Today at 3:30!
WOD Brandon’s Special!
10 ways to be a better CrossFitter
1. Have fun – Whether it be in CrossFit or your favorite sport or shopping with grandma, make sure you try and have fun. Honestly, you can do CrossFit just about anywhere with anyone or by yourself. You choose to come to CFD for a reason. You work hard all day, make the time at CrossFit be the one hour a day where you can be yourself and let loose.
2. Show up on time – Actually show up early and leave late. Foam roll, stretch and get rid of all that junk in your lower back and shoulders. Showing up late will only cheat you out of a sufficient warm-up. Without a good warm-up, your chance of injury increases exponentially. If you show up early you have two options, cheer on the class that is finishing or start warming up.
3. Don’t whine – It’s okay to cry, just make sure that we can’t see or hear you and remember to clean up your tears when you’re done. Maybe the song that comes on isn’t your favorite, in the immortal words of Josh Everett “If you need music to motivate you, go find something else to do”. Be careful of asking me to change the song, we might just put on Miley Cyrus’ Party in the USA on repeat. We are your coaches, not Mix Master Mike. You have a task to accomplish, so do it. Yes we know that every workout is hard and we know that you hate running and we know that the bar hurts your delicate hands, but there comes a time when we have to nut up or shut up…or both. CrossFit is constantly varied, so the odds are that you will see some workouts you hate. That’s why it’s CrossFit and not alltheshityoulikeFit. When you come to CrossFit, be ready to work. Come prepared to face all those pains and things you hate head on. Accept the suck.
4. Give it all – More than strength, speed, flexibility or endurance, effort is what matters most. I don’t care if you’re Joe Thruster with a sub 3 minute Fran, if you half-ass a workout, you’re a pussy. Grandma doing jumping pull-ups and thrusters with a PVC kicked your ass because she gave everything she had just short of a stroke. Times and weights matter, but they fail in comparison to effort. Keep pushing yourself to your most extreme limits. I don’t care if you have a 500 lbs or 50 lbs deadlift as long as you put forth the effort and don’t sandbag.
5. Listen to your coach – We are here to help you get more fit and accomplish your goals. When we say things like “you’re lifting with your back, use more hips” don’t act surprised when your lower back is sore. When we tell you that the foam roller works, we aren’t just being sadistic. We tell you to rest because you need rest, just as we tell you to get in the gym more because you need to be in the gym more. If you want to get better at something, you have to practice it. Plain and simple. Yes there are some of you who are naturally good at some things, but why not get better? Why not be the best? Our goal is for you to accomplish your goals.
6.Fail sometimes – The unique thing about CrossFit is that the only way to achieve excellence is through failure. The strength portion of our workouts are designed to where you may fail at a set. If you don’t fail you aren’t trying hard enough (see #4). CrossFit is an environment where no one will laugh at you or put a permanent letter in your file for dumping an overhead squat. Don’t be afraid to fail, there’s always next time. Pushing yourself to fail is more of a mental thing than it is a physical thing. We have conditioned ourselves to think that failing is bad and therefore don’t push ourselves in fear of failure. Take that fear away and see what you can accomplish.
7. Eat good food – The short answer is eat Paleo. If you don’t want to eat Paleo, just eat meat, some fruit, vegetables, little startch, no sugar, no grains no dairy. If you’re low on energy, then you’re not eating enough. I remember a lot of people starting off on Paleo complain of low energy then proceed to tell me that they didn’t eat anything all day because they didn’t know what to eat. Is it that hard to eat meat and vegetables these days? I ate ice cream every day and pizza every other day. If I can do it, you can too.
8. Count it – Tracking your workouts matters. That’s why we have log books for you. When you don’t count the reps on your workout, you lose valuable information that will keep you accountable for your progress. Make sure to record as much information as you can. Write down what you ate for the day. Everyone has those days where they ate like crap and had a crappy workout. Those are the hardest days to write down, but those will provide you with the best motivation to get better.
9. Be nice – CrossFitters are notorious for making fun of people who go to globo gyms (present company included). People achieve their personal fitness goals in their own ways. Some may like the pace of a spin or pilates class and some may like the intensity of CrossFit. Instead of pointing out their propensity for douchiness on the elliptical, try introducing them to CrossFit. You’ll get a better reaction and won’t come off like a jerk. You were once that guy on the hacksquat machine or that girl on the eliptical. If someone made fun of you and then said CrossFit was the way to superior fitness, you would tell them to go F themselves.
10. Get involved – CrossFit is more than just an hour of working out. We are a family and you can get as involved as you like. Just like anything else, you get out what you put in (TWSS). There are many opportunities for you to get involved and if you have any suggestions, we would love to hear them!
Article by CrossFit South Bay, Edited for CFD
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“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”
John Wooden
February 25, 2010
February 24, 2010 by hillarieaton · 12 Comments
For time:
100 Air Squats
25 Pull-Ups
50 Walking Lunges with 45/25 plate
25 Push-Ups
100 Air Squats
25 V-Ups
50 Walking lunges with 45/25 plate
25 Handstand Push-Ups
Girls Lacrosse Team
To Run Better, Start by Ditching Your Nikes
Before the Nikes, before the breathable, antimicrobial running shorts, before the personal fitness coaches, heart rate monitors, wrist-mounted GPS and subscriptions to Runner’s World, you were a runner.
And, like all children, you ran barefoot.
Now, a small but growing body of research suggests that barefoot is the way adults should run, too. So, many runners have been shucking off the high-tech trainers in favor of naked feet — or minimalist footwear like Nike Free, the Newton All-Weather Trainer and the glove-like Vibram FiveFingers.
“People have been running barefoot for millions of years and it has only been since 1972 that people have been wearing shoes with thick, synthetic heels,” said Daniel Lieberman, a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University.
To continue reading, click here.
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“Habits… the only reason they persist is that they are offering some satisfaction… You allow them to persist by not seeking any other, better form of satisfying the same needs. Every habit, good or bad, is acquired and learned in the same way – by finding that it is a means of satisfaction.”
Juliene Berk
February 24, 2010
February 23, 2010 by hillarieaton · 4 Comments
Mando, making sure to get full lockout on her presses.
WOD
Strict Press 3.3.3.3.3
Then you will complete
3 rounds:
7 Push Press at the weight of your 3 rep max Strict Press
10 Burpees
Just in case you wanted to read the article that Shay mentioned on yesterday’s post, here it is!
Your Fitness Future Foretold:
20 Predictions for the New Year
By Tom Venuto
Happy New Year! In this article, I’m going to predict your future and forecast exactly what kind of results you’re going to get in the next 12 months. Sylvia Browne, step aside… I’m pretty good at this.
Several years ago, a public relations firm in New York City asked me to write an article for one of their publications about fitness trends and predictions for the coming year.
It turned out that my “crystal ball” was pretty darn accurate. I nailed most of the predictions I made about aerobics classes, yoga, core training, “holistic” approaches, online personal training technology, the baby boomer market, increasing obesity and many other subjects.
I do confess, it wasn’t that difficult, because instead of just guessing, I actually did some research on industry statistics and I also had some “inside insights” because I’d been a health club manager for so many years and was privy to fitness business trends.
This year, instead of making predictions for the whole fitness industry, what if I could take out my crystal ball again and predict with 99% precision exactly what kind of results you will achieve with your body by the end of the year?
Well, no problem, I can do that too!
I would claim that I have some kind of “gift” for this, but to be honest, you and I don’t need to be psychic to make predictions like these.
There are two things you can always count on: (1) Nature’s laws of cause and effect, and (2) human nature.
On that basis, here are my 20 fitness predictions for the new year:
I PREDICT that if you can reach into your pocket on any day this year and pull out a card or piece of paper with all your body and fitness goals written on it in vivid detail, the odds are 95 to 1 in favor of you achieving every one of those goals before the year is out.
I PREDICT that if you focus your thoughts on your goals and how you are going to achieve them, all day long, you will reach your goals so fast this year, it will make your head spin.
I PREDICT that if you focus your thoughts on health woes and body fat problems and if you think about what you don’t want, all day long, your problems will get worse than ever this year.
I PREDICT that if you made a new year’s resolution, but you didn’t turn it into a specific, written goal with a deadline and a strong reason why you must achieve it, you will freely abandon it the moment the going gets tough.
I PREDICT that if you can tell me all the reasons why achieving your health and fitness goals are important to you, you will be motivated from within to stick with it when the going gets tough.
I PREDICT that at times, the going is going to get tough.
I PREDICT that if you can tell me today what is your life purpose and what is your lifelong vision for your body and your health, you will still be as motivated and driven at the end of the year as you were at the beginning.
I PREDICT that if you don’t have long term goals and a “big picture” vision for your life that you will lose your New Year’s enthusiasm and motivation in a matter of months or even weeks.
I PREDICT that the way you see yourself in your mind’s eye today will be an exact reflection of what you see in the mirror at the end of the year.
I PREDICT that if you have a setback that seems to get in the way of you reaching your health and fitness goals and you tell yourself “this just is temporary; this too shall pass,” then it will pass and it won’t set you back.
I PREDICT that if you believe the way your body looks today is out of your control and you feel helpless or powerless to change, you won’t even make much of an effort this year.
I PREDICT that if you accept complete responsibility for the way your body looks today and you believe that you have the power to change, that you will take action and keep taking action, even through the tough times.
I PREDICT that if you’re unhappy with your physical condition and you say, “it’s not my fault” or you blame it on genetics, hormones or age, then your body will look pretty much the same at the end of this year as it did on New Year’s day.
I PREDICT that the more you have patience, a long term perspective and the ability to postpone immediate gratification, the more likely you are to be a success one year from now.
I PREDICT that the more you seek “miracle pills” or “quick fixes,” the more likely you are to be a failure one year from now.
I PREDICT that you will be tempted by many quick fixes this year.
I PREDICT that if you hang out with losers and negative people this year, you will become just like them.
I PREDICT that if you hang out with winners and positive people this year, you will become just like them.
I PREDICT that you will run into more negative people and losers this year than positive people and winners.
I PREDICT that if you recruit just one friend or support partner that stands behind you and the lifestyle changes you want to make this year, you will double your chances for success. If you surround yourself with numerous support partners, you will become virtually unstoppable.
So how does your future look for the year ahead?
Based on my “predictions,” if it doesn’t look as bright as you’d like it to be, then don’t worry, because a prediction is not predestination.
You can’t do anything to change the past, but by changing your thoughts, attitudes and actions in the present moment, the future is yours to create.
Your friend and coach,
Tom Venuto
February 23, 2010
February 22, 2010 by hillarieaton · 11 Comments
Jerry M. practicing his moves on the rings!
Announcement: There will be no Saturday WOD’s this week due to the UT/NV Sectional competition. Don’t worry, we will still give you something to do!
Happy Birthday Jerry Moon! Post Birthday wishes for Jerry to comments.
WOD
3 Rounds for time of:
10 Power Clean and jerks 135/95
30 knees to Elbows
Shay’s Take on the Nutrition Challenge
Shay, after the challenge.
Shay, before the challenge.
I knew of the crossfit workout and philosophy before ever doing my first WOD and knew that I was going to love it. However, I had never heard of paleo until Becca explained it to me this way; “you can basically eat anything that’s green or had a face.” Simple enough and I know I needed to radically change my eating habits. I couldn’t think of anything more radical than paleo and crossfit. “The Challenge” has been the perfect catalyst to making monstrous diet changes in my life.
Of all the many benefits that just a one month commitment to paleo and doing 3-4 WOD’s/wk has brought about in my life, one stands out: Regularly being asked to do things I don’t want to do and doing them. Every time I come to a WOD, I am asked to do things that are uncomfortable; yeah, even painful! This singular experience, doing things that I don’t want to do, knowing that the sacrifice will yield better fitness. Knowing that I will “Look good in the buff”, I will have more energy, I am more and more confident, now permeates all other parts of my life. I have learned now over the weeks of the challenge that I can make myself do things that I don’t want to do. For me, this has been a game changer. Not only for my fitness and nutrition goals but in all aspects of my life. This attitude and willingness to consistently do things that I don’t want to do to achieve my desired goals now positively impacts all aspects of my life.
In an article written by Tom Venuto titled, “Your Fitness Future Foretold: 20 Predictions for the New Year” he predicts with 99% accuracy what type of results you will achieve with your body by the end of the year. In one of his predictions he states; “I predict that if you recruit just one friend or support partner that stands behind you and the lifestyle changes you want to make this year, you will double your chances for success. If you surround yourself with numerous support partners, you will become virtually unstoppable.”
The CFD Rockstars, and I don’t mean just the trainers, but all of you who come week in and week out just kill it! It is all of us that embody this and positively affect each other. As we surround and support each other we become more and more unstoppable! Hat tip to all the Rockstars I get to train with, I salute you. And mucho amor to the CFD players for the opportunity to participate in the first, in what I hope to be many challenges. Shay
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“It’s only 150 Wall Balls!”
Shay
February 22, 2010
February 21, 2010 by hillarieaton · 8 Comments
Barry,Jayne, Jason A, and Brandee working on their rowing skills!
WOD
Five rounds for time of:
Row 500/Run 400 meters
7 Thrusters 135/95
Click here to improve your rowing technique!
A Study Finds Mental Benefit of Fish Oil
Fish oil pills may be able to spare some young people with signs of mental illness from a progression into fully developed schizophrenia, according to a preliminary study of 81 patients in Austria.
Click here to read the article
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“Great Teachers constantly reevaluate what they are doing.”
Saturday Feb 20th 2010
February 19, 2010 by Nick B · 3 Comments
Imagine with me for just a minute. You are given a choice of only one exercise to do for the rest of your life. What would you pick? I would pick the burpee. As much as it sucks in a workout, the burpee is by far the greatest bodyweight exercise of all time. When done right, the burpee is a full body workout. Better yet, you need no equipment whatsoever. Have you ever made the excuse that you can’t make it to the gym so you can’t workout? Do 100 burpees. You don’t even have to do them “for time.” To continue reading click here
- Squat
- Kick out to plank
- Chest to the ground
- Push-up to plank
- Kick legs up back into a squat
- Jump at least 6”
WOD in TEAMS OF TWO
Friday Feb 19th 2010
February 18, 2010 by Nick B · 13 Comments
Post Birthday wishes in comments.5 Rounds
7 Deadlifts heavy
21 Double Unders
CrossFit Kids today at 3:30p.m.
The UT/NV Sectional WODS will be posted soon click here for updates! 1 week and 1 day to go. Come watch! They lowered the price from $50 for both days to only $25. If you can only make it for 1 day it’s only $15!!!
Almond Ecrusted Snapper Recipe
The Pussification of America by Zach Even-Esh. Weak Bodies have become common place and the age range is REALLY starting to stretch. Did you ever think there would come a day when a 6 year old would say he / she doesn’t want to play? Did you ever think that running 2 minutes would exhaust someone? I NEVER imagined such days would come, but they have come and they are HERE. Click here to read entire article.
Thursday Feb 18th 2010
February 17, 2010 by Nick B · 9 Comments
Samantha and her challenge experience
For time:
10 rounds of
14 wall balls
7 pullups
15 second L-sit hold. Watch the clock and hold on the bar in either the tuck/1 leg out or alternating/or full L-sit position.
Developing the L-Pullup Part Ia (CFJ Preview) [wmv][mov]
Developing the L-Pullup Part Ib (CFJ Preview) [wmv][mov]
“30 days I thought to myself…can I do it? Well, come to find out I can and what an amazing experience/positive change in my body! I have tried every fad diet, cleanse, and fasting gimmick on the market but nothing worked as well as the Crossfit Draper Challenge. After making the decision to accept the challenge, the one thing that I worried about giving up was my soy chai from Starbucks; it was what got me through each and everyday for who knows how long. Through self discipline and sheer determination, I managed to let go of the soy chai and alot of other things that I used to eat. I decided that if I was going to do the crossfit challenge I was going to give it 100 percent, not only with the eating part; but to the extra workouts and doing it right! The first 10 days I struggled. The nutrition part was difficult. I wanted to eat things that I couldn’t and temptations were constant because the two girls that I nanny love to eat out! I also felt that I had less energy during the WOD’s, but as the program progressed my body adjusted to the new diet, I began to have more energy than ever before. I noticed that my clothes were starting to fit better and that I was getting increasingly stronger, within the first 15 days. I was amazed that I had to go out and buy all new workout pants because I couldn’t get through a WOD without having to pull my pants up many times! I noticed that my moods began to stay the same and I was loving the way my body felt after every meal. I had set a goal of losing 3-5 percent body. That seemed like a very high percentage but I was bound and determined to do it! I loved the new diet and was eating lots of fruit, veggies, chicken and Greek yogurt. I found that I was only shopping around the outside of the grocery store and never going down the middle isles; which made me happy because I was only buying fresh food! This challenge had a huge positive impact on my life. I lost 7 percent body fat and 2 inches off my waist. I have never felt so good about myself. I started looking in the mirror and liking what I saw and that has not happened in a long time. This challenge was hard, but once I made it through the first 10 days it almost became a habit. I enjoyed feeding my body good food and working out extra after each WOD! I even found myself being the last one in the gym after WODs. I will continue eating the way I was on the challenge but allow myself a few cheats and my soy chai!!! I appreciate all the support from the Crossfit Draper team and could have not made it through without them! I love my Crossfit family!!!
CrossFit links
