CFHQ

Rest Day

or

Make Up Day

or

CFSS WOD

10 minute Partner AMRAP

200m Run

Kettlebell Swing 35/25 lbs.

While one partner runs the 200m, the other swings the 'bell.  Score is cumulative reps for both partners.

If you look to the right of this column you'll see at the top of the sidebar a new feature. Chace has managed to upload some of our massive collection of photos to Picasa.  Take a minute to wonder through the a few months of pictures and pick out your favorites.

SUNDAY CLASS WILL BE AT 11AM

Five rounds for max reps of:

2/3 Body Weight Thruster

Pull-ups

Score is total reps for each exercise in all rounds.

Shameless self promotion: There will be Friday afternoon classes. 4, 5 and 6 p.m. I promise that it will be fun, informative and exciting! 

If you are especially sore (and after this week who wouldn't be?) don't be put off by coming in.  We can set-up a workout that'll work for you. Or do some light aerobic and mobility work that will help you get back into fighting shape quicker.  One of the logical fallacies of training is that often the quickest way to alleviate soreness is to train some more.  So come on in.

Linda

a.k.a

"Three Bars of Death"

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Reps for time of:

Deadlift 1.5 BW

Bench Press BW

Clean .75 BW

It's been awhile since I've featured another blog on here but Sage Burgener has a great write up about improving your goats.  Sage is Mike Burgener daughter.  Mike is Crossfit's olympic lifting subject matter expert and as such Sage has had a bar in her hands since she could walk.  If you'd like to visit her blog check it out here Strive to be fergilicious. Be warned it is very, very pink.

"So as I was cleaning my house today, I remembered the thousands of times I have been asked how to improve flexibility on the OHS.  I am STOKED (for the old folks out there, stoked means "so excited") that people ask me this because alls it means is that they want to get better at the best movement in the whole entire world! 

The solution is simple: DO MORE OVERHEAD SQUATS.

Whether you are cleaning the house, rearranging furniture or threatening your kids by tossing them over your head to prove your insurmountable feats of strength, you can always be practicing your overhead squat position.  Its one of those things where stretching your shoulders, loosening up your hip flexors, improving your ankle mobility, etc will ALL benefit you, but you really just have to DO the movement as much as possible to really get better at it.  Your body has to get used to finding the right muscles to fire and finding its balance. The only way to do that is to allow the body to feel the movement as much as possible. (AMAP)

 I know its a foreign movement being down in a squat with your hands out wide and heavy weight in your hands. Its anything but comfortable. But like everyone says.. "get comfortable with being uncomfortable". 

You should be able to OHS anything from a pvc pipe to a toyota camry, but when someone is struggling getting in the overhead squat position with a pvc pipe, I usually put a LITTLE weight in their hands (like a 15-33 lb bar) and that generally allows them to sit a little more comfortably in the squat position (if they stay tight and keep the bar back behind the ears allowing their body to support the weight) because something is weighing them down. However, like I said, your goal should be to squat a pvc pipe and a heavy weight exactly the same. Kapeesh?  

So, if your heels come off the ground in a squat, if your shoulders are so tight that the bar wont go back behind your ears, if your torso leans way far forward when trying to get into the OHS, know that these are all common flexibility issues.  Work on flexibility on the side, but for the most part, grab your swiffer and get your booty overhead squatting!" 


Shameless Plug: Don't Forget about Friday afternoons. We're open 4, 5 and 6 p.m.  I personally guarantee fun and excitement!

-Paul Siegel

J on cleans.
6 o'clockers running through the chipper.

"Tabata This!"

Tabata Row
Rest 1 minute

Tabata Squat

Rest 1 minute

Tabata Pull-up

Rest 1 minute
Tabata Push-up

Rest 1 minute

Tabata Sit-ups

Tabata is a interval protocol of 20 second of all out work followed by 10 second of rest repeated 8 times. So for this you'll row for 20 seconds and rest for 10 for eight times. Then moving on to the other exercises. For more info google Tabata and you'll see plenty to read about. If you'd like to read the original study take a look here.

I've long been a proponent of healthy local eating and one of my main objections has always been the sometimes exorbitant cost. Which is why this article in the Atlantic piqued my interest. Apparently wal-mart has taken a stand on organic and looked to get some of the lucrative market share. With their enormous buying power they have encouraged local farms and brought organic to the masses. In the article they carried much the same quality as Whole Foods and other resources. I haven't looked into my local wal-mart to see if any of this is true. But it could be an excellent resources for cheap eats.

-Paul Siegel

***********
For those who are looking into the locavore thing and want to buy direct from the farms, a CSA(Community-Supported Agriculture) is a great option. A CSA typically works as a subscription between consumer and farmer/group of farmers that entitles you to a weekly(produce)/monthly(meat) share of the harvest. Some you will commit to a six month period, others you can purchase week by week. A list of local CSA's can be found here, provided by Georgia Organics. I have shared a weekly CSA basket with my sister in the past, and the food was great, fairly cheap, and I enjoyed having my produce chosen for me. It forced me to try some new things and get creative with my cooking. I have not yet participated in a meat CSA, but am looking into, as it is the most cost effective way to get grassfed beef and sustainable pork.
A couple of choice CSAs:
Moore's Farm and Friends - This is the CSA I have used in the past. They also have an online store to buy additional produce/meats that can be picked up with your CSA.
Riverview Farms - Both meat and produce CSAs. This is the meat CSA I am thinking of doing, they supply many restaurants in the Atlanta area, and the meat is outstanding.
Nature's Harmony Farm - There is a waitlist for their meat CSA, but sometimes they are overstocked and sell by the cut. You can also get pastured eggs, chickens, and raw milk from the farm.
Carlton Farm - They don't have a CSA, but sell pastured (grassfed) raw milk, cheese, eggs, and honey. Sometimes they will have ground beef and other cuts. They drop off right by the post office in Dunwoody on Wednesdays from 10-11AM. I purchase from them often.

-J

Jason hitting yesterday doing great with muscle ups

Krissi and Carl trading licks on the 24inch box jumps

Go Roger!

CFHQ Rest Day

or

Make-up Day

or

CFSS WOD

3 rounds for time of:

Run 800m

20 SDLHP (75 lbs/53 lbs)

30 Abmat sit-ups

Yesterday's killer of a WOD was the last workout in the 2009 Crossfit games. Not something I've explored alot on here, but I'll fill you in with what I know.

The Crossfit games have grown expontentially since they first emerged in 2007. This year brings in a much more thorough qualification process drawing from a world wide base of extraordinarily strong individuals and teams. Crossfitters around the world are currently gearing up for Sectionals, Qualifiers and eventually the 2010 Crossfit games in August out in Aromas, California.

This weekend the Georgia sectionals are happening up at Stone mountain. It's $25 a day for spectators with workouts on both Saturday and Sunday. Go here for more info. There is some space left for teams but you'd really have to be on the ball to get ready and be in for this one.

In the individual competition 15 men and 15 women will go on from here to the Dirty South Qualifiers in the coming months. This will gather all the southeastern sectional winners for a final selection of four men and four women who will go on to Aromas. We'll keep you all updated with info about that one.

The original pursuit of the games was to ascertain who is the fittest man and women in the world. Crossfit has done this through constantly varied and usually brutal workouts. And the results have been unpredictable. 2008 was an unknown former globo-gym bodybuilder from California who had to scale his first Fran. 2009 brought a reticent Finnish fireman, who mainly trained on his own. 2010 promises to be as open a field as can be expected; there is absolutely no certainty with who will win. And that, my friends, is very exciting.

-Paul Siegel

Chace sharing some dance moves while everyone's trying to work on their snatch.

Noah crushing a the wallball / L-pullup WOD

2009 Games Chipper:

155/ 105 lbs. Squat Clean, 15 reps

30 Toes to Bar

30 Box Jumps 24"/20"

15 Muscle Ups

40 lbs./25 lbs. Dumbbell Push Press/Push Jerk, 30 reps

30 Double Unders

135 lbs./ 95 lbs. Thruster, 15 reps

3o Pullups

30 Burpees

300 ft. Walking Lunges with 45 lb./ 25 lb. plate overhead.

There is a time in any workout where the sheer amount of work to come ahead of you seems overwhelming or impossible. Today's workout looks like it definitely has that potential. I have come to think of this as merely a distraction. When this happens I remind myself that the most work I can do at any one time is one rep so I focus on that one rep, and then I do another and another for however many I have to do. And eventually I'll have finished the workout.

1 RM Snatch

Ten Minute time limit, not including Warm-up

Is it interesting to think of the difference between those who exercise and those who consider themselves athletes. An exerciser is aimless in their goals and exercises. They read Muscle and Fiction constantly bouncing from program to program looking for little gains but never committing fully to any program. And ultimately they give up what little advances they've made.

An athlete treats their health as a serious undertaking. Carefully planning and testing protocols and ultimately putting in the time and hardship to accomplish their goals. I would urge all of you to consider yourselves athletes, you have ( or should have set) goals and you put in many many hours of very hard work. Treats yourselves as such. Keep a weather eye on your recovery and nutrition. Sleep and take time off when you need it. Read and learn from many sources. Treat it all with skepticism. Have a plan and stick to it!

-Paul Siegel

Sunday class will be at 11:00

Patrick demonstrating a freestanding handstand.

Quiet before the storm.

CFHQ

Rest Day

Make Up Day

0r

CFSS WOD

There will be no skirling irade today. Rather I'd like to purpose a joke with no specific intention towards fitness or what not.

Two muffins were sitting in an oven, one muffin looks over to the other and says "Is it hot in here or is it just me?" and the other one says "Oh my God! A talking muffin!". Here, in the same vein, is my favorite collection of pirate jokes. You're welcome.

-Paul Siegel

Chris finishing an excellent Push Press on Day 2.

Alicia on Day 2

Cassandra on Day 2

Jessica finished her on-ramp this morning. Expect to see her in normal classes very soon!

5 rounds for time of:

500m row

135 lbs. power clean 12 reps

95 lbs. thruster 15 reps

please try and come on time, and if at all possible early, this one may take awhile.

This next part is addressed to those of you who are not doing a strict paleo/zone lock-down. If you are please disregard the below.

We ask for at least an 80/20 effort in regards to the diet. Which means that 80% of the time your diet is clean and healthy, that other twenty precent can be allocated to moderate indiscretions. Perhaps a few chips at lunch, an extra glass of wine every now and then. Bear in mind we are not asking you to be pinched abstentious hair shirt zealots. We are asking you to watch your diet and be healthy, but we also ask you to live normal lives. And normal lives involve an occasional carb intake, an occasional beer and even perhaps a little bit of sugar.

After these lapses we do not expect you to come and submit to penance, to "work off" extra calories (but really to expunge yourself of guilt that is unwarranted) even if it was that easy. If you ere, which is after all a human fault, enjoy it and move on.

-Paul Siegel

Birdie, Wade and Andy
at the end.

Objects may appear smaller than they actually are.

For time:

50 Wallballs

25 L-pullups

40 Wallballs

20 L-pullips

30 Wallballs

15 L-pullups

20 Wallballs

10 L-pullups

Wallballs are 20/14 lbs.

Today is the approximate mid point of the Gut Check Challenge. We'd like everyone to check-in in the comments with how they're doing. Let us know, what you like about,what you've noticed about yourself or your workouts and any recipes you really like.

-Paul Siegel

Watch till the end.

Rest 60 seconds between sets

2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2

I'd like to offer up a little thought I read the other day: It has taken you many years to get out of shape, do not expect a quick return to health. Often it is exactly proportional to how long you've been out of shape to how long it takes you to return to optimal fitness.

CFHQ

Rest Day

Make Up Day

-or-

CFSS WOD

In effort to balance the serious with the light ( at CFSS we try to do all things with moderation) and because Valentine's Day was yesterday I present The Oatmeal's 6 Reasons Bacon is Better than True Love. May not be Work or Family Safe.

Watch the above video and check out the comic, consider and post thoughts to comments.

Saturday 2/13/2010

Deadlift

5-5-5-5-5-5-5

We are closed Saturday due to the weather.

Sorry.

Go make a snow angel.

Sunday class will be at 10AM.

The winter olympics start tonight, and to get you excited about that here is a profile on the entirety of the Mexico ski team. Read more about him here.

21-18-15-12-9-6-3

135 lbs. Sumo Deadlift High Pull

Pull to inverted hang and lower as slow as possible.

Workout is not for time.

SDLHP standard is pull to chin. Try and keep your body as straight as possible on the pull to inverted hang. On both the raise and the lower try and keep your body, arms and legs as straight as you can. This is not a timed workout but it is a good bit of work, work quickly and efficently but with enough rest to ensure solid reps and keep an eye on the clock.

Remember the Paleo Potluck tonight! Church of the Atonement, 7:30 pm. (find directions here). If you'd like to come please bring something strict paleo (No dairy, no grains, no legumes) if you haven't gotten the Evite and replied let us know down in the comments if your coming and what you're bringing. Unfortunately due to the weather we've thought it best to push this back one week to the 19th same time, same place.

We will be open this afternoon for 4,5 and 6 pm.

Just to re-enforce the goodness that is Paleo check out This is why you're fat. It's sort of like watching a train wreck, you want to go get help, but you can't look away.

We are still open this afternoon despite the inclement weather.

-Paul "breathin's too easy" Siegel

Name the maker of this Sweat Angel.

CFHQ

Rest Day

Make Up Day

or

Complete for time:

5 Manmakers

20 Pullups

10 Manmakers.

15 Pullups

15 Manmakers

10 Pullups

20 Manmakers

5 Pullups

This blog post is partially inspired by a little experiment I have been conducting and a conversation Nate and I had today.

As many of you know I am something of a meathead. I enjoy the heavy lifting much more than the huff and puff workouts. Although it should still be noted that I do some of the mainsites workouts in an effort to be as well rounded as possible. But I program my own lifts and workouts because I enjoy the experimentation and pursuit of my goals.

I have read and studied quite a bit and noticed that through out the history of weightlifting belts have been used, from the earliest strongmen to today's raw powerlifters. I believed, and did research to support, that a belt would make you stronger, safer, than not using one. I bought a belt and used it, currently I am seeing the expected gains with perhaps less injury.

How does the belt work? A belt provides something for the abdominals to push against. What you are doing is taking a fixed volume and compacting it, but taking the internal thoracic volume and giving it something to push against. Thus creating higher internal pressure and thusly allow the body to support a heavier load. A belt does not: Put your abs to sleep, if anything they work harder; Protect you lumbar spine, you can still round the back in a belt, look at any strongman doing stone work; keep you from being strong, far from it, the ability to support and move heavier loads which will make you stronger without the belt and thus able to move more weight over broad time and modal demains.

This is an important distinction: a belt will help you support heavier weights, But it provides no lift or help to any load. It is an important distinction that the belt provides no help. Anything my legs cant move, they still cant move after I take the belt off. Indeed, it may be more dangerous to my back without the belt. Not so for knee wraps or a squat suit which when properly used can add up to 100 pounds (or more) to a raw squat. A belt cannot add anywhere that much, but the gains from the support and safety of a belt will be carried over, which is not so with a squat, bench or deadlift suit.

In Crossfit there is an illiberal dislike of equipment. Belts are eschewed; but most of the male 2009 games competitors used them. This then begs the question what is considered illegal equipment and what isn't. Take pullups for example. Chalk will let you stay on the bar longer and do more pullups. Same could be said for the bar: an even, level surface from which to pull can be considered an advantage. But that too one side; Let's look at shoes. Weightlifting shoes are out as being almost tantamount to using a belt. But then again so are running shoes, as the shoes adsorb shock and let you go further than if you were running barefoot, not to mention protecting your feet. And with that said the same could be said for clothes, anything except going naked would be considered help of some sort. If anything the area of equipment is a nebulous and grey area, for each person to consider and judge what is right for them.

But this reductio ad absurdum sort of argument serves no purposes. Many of you are not interested enough in weightlifting to have need to every consider using a belt. But those of you who are, must make a choice in using one. In my justification of using a belt, I have used Total as my testing ground reserving Totals for non-belt use, and my use elsewhere is tempered by the whims of the day and the workout. It was a careful and considered opinion. And I believe that it has made my press, deadlift and squat stronger which was what I was after. In this case the equipment justified the end product. If I can get stronger, safer with one piece of equipment I have absolutely no problem using a belt. But I draw the line at something that provides some external help.

Post opinions and diet to comments.

-Paul "I Love to Squat Heavy" Siegel

Lucy on box jumps.
David doing the same.

"Kelly"

Five rounds for time of:

400m run

30 Box Jump, 24"
30 Wallball 20/14 lbs.

If you didn't recieve an Evite for the Paleo Potluck let us know and we'll get you one.

So if you've read yesterdays post then you'll have set some goal within a reasonable time frame. What we have to do now is to organize a cohesive plan to get to those goals. With things like HSPU or pull-ups it is possible to incremental approach these. By doing more and more pullups (or negatives my favorite way to improve any body weight movement) or by steadily lowering the height of the standard for handstand pushups.

For muscle-ups, double unders and weightlifting it is often constant exposure which allow those rarely seen and difficult movements to become relatively easy. This is perhaps some of the most frustrating skills work you can do. We are asking you to deliberately do something which you hate. So what I am asking you to do is now that we have a goal, let's develop a simple plan to get you to that goal.

-Paul "Rowboat" Siegel

Dig, Russ, Dig!

Curtis in the transition for the snatch balance.

"Griff"

800m run

400m run backwards

800m run

400m run backwards

We changed some of our Class times!

We have added 6 a.m. on Thursday mornings and 4,5 and 6 p.m. on Friday afternoons. Jonathan has his classes at 10 a.m. all through the week and I will be handling 4,5 and 6 p.m. on Fridays with Chace coming in at 6 p.m.

There has been a proposed Paleo potluck for Friday evening. If you'd like to come reply to the email or post here with what you'd like to bring.

There is a profound difference between training optimally and training maximally. I would argue that we train for optimum performance with maximally effort on workouts. Now that we've got our diets inline, it is important that we organize our recovery and our workouts for optimal performance.

The first part is setting goals. I'd like your goals to be concrete and with a definite time frame. A concrete goal with an end date is something I'd like to dead lift 405x5 by my birthday. I'd like everyone to either post a concrete goal with a date to comments or tell us in the gym tomorrow.

-Paul Siegel

155 lbs. Thruster, 5 reps

5 muscle ups

400m run

Thanks to Roger for pointing this out to me. The video and yesterday's comments make an interesting (and salient) point: Paleo is more expensive. Think of it this way: imagine your body as a car, would you feed your BMW, your Rolls Royce or your Maserati low grade leaded? Or would you put the best gas you can afford in. So that that car will last as long as possible. In this way we pay a little more to live a lot healthier and a good bit longer. But, there is no denying that unless your buying in bulk or hunting and harvesting your own food paleo can get a little pricey. How have you worked around this?

-Paul Siegel

****************************

Eat Your Yolks People

I still hear many folks talking about eating egg white omelets, and I want you to know you are throwing away the most nutritious part of the egg. The yolk of an egg contains half the protein available in the egg, all the vitamin D and A and other micronutrients, and over 3/4 of the calories (you are essentially throwing away 3/4 of the money you spent on those eggs). What about all the cholesterol and saturated fat you say?

Studies have showed that regular consumption of eggs (6 or more per week) does not increase risk of coronary artery disease or stroke compared with non-consumption. This study shows an actual slight decrease in risk from consuming 1 egg per day over non-consumption. The reasons for this may be varied, but one possibility is that one compound in eggs limits the absorption of cholesterol, another factor may be that data shows that dietary cholesterol intake has minimal effect on changing blood cholesterol levels and ratio (HDL:LDL). I will delve more into cholesterol and saturated fat intake in posts this week, but I hope this has convinced you to stop throwing away dietary gold.

Someone was asking about Paleo-friendly protein powders, and technically speaking no protein powder is Paleo, due to the highly processed nature of these things, but again it's a gray area. Many Paleo people still take whey protein; it's a great, cheap option. But if you are trying to avoid dairy products, you could go with either hemp protein or egg protein powder. FYI, the egg protein is pretty tough to stomach.

When it comes to cost of living Paleo, I have heard of lots of people doing it on a shoe-string budget. The important thing to remember is that many of the costly items are the ideal, you don't have to be eating grass-fed to be Paleo, you would just probably be healthier if you did. Another thing to consider is if you have any preprocessed, prepackaged foods in your pantry/fridge, then you are over-paying for those calories. No one can argue that buying bulk rice, beans, or potatoes is the cheapest source of calories, but most of us aren't doing that.

-J

Yes Sam, we all know it's hard to take Nate seriously.

On-Ramper Sandra getting that triple extension.

7 Rounds for time of:

95lb. Power Snatch, 7 reps

95lb. Snatch Balance, 7 reps

95lb. Overhead Squat, 7 reps

or

"Cindy"

Performance testing is officially over! Although, if you missed Cindy yesterday then come in today and make it up. Thanks

Week one of the Paleo is coming to a close and we are ecstatic with how well everyone is doing with their diets. There has been a few set backs with some of you. Others are having a hard time dialing in exactly what you are eating; but overall we are off to a great start. We have heard many cases of improvement already, whether it is weight loss or just overall improvement of well being. We want to know how you feel about your first week. Post something to the blog, let us know how you feel, what are your thoughts on paleo, have you experienced any changes(good or bad)? Get on the comments page a fill us in on your first week.

Sunday we will be closed for HQ Rest Day.

Day 5

"Cindy"

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:

5 Pullups

10 Pushups

15 Squats

Dont forget we are open this afternoon, from 4-8.

Normally I leave the nutrition stuff to Jonathan but I read something tonight that struck my interest:

"Whether it begin life as a fat-free bagel, a quarter cup of sugar from the sugar bowl, a canned soft drink, a bowl of fettuccine, a baked potato, or a handful of jelly beans, by the time your intenstinal track gets finished snipping the links of those starch and sugar chains, it's all been reduced to...sugar. Specifically, to gluocse. And in the end there's very little metabolic difference between your eating a medium baked potato or drinking a 12-ounce can of soda pop. Each contain about fifty grams of easily digestible and rapidly available glucose. It may suprise you to know that the potato might even be slightly worse in terms of the rise in blood sugar that follows it." Protein Power Lifeplan, Eades and Eades, pg. 156 lifted from The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Kieth.

Digest and post thoughts to comments along with how your first 5 days went.
-Paul Siegel

Day 4

Run 5k

For day 4 of testing, tomorrow, we will be down at columns drive all day. We will be there from 6am to 11am and 4pm to 8pm. The gym will not be open, we will all be meeting at columns drive.

Directions from the gym to columns drive are, take Roswell rd. north and turn left on to Johnsferry drive. As soon as you cross over the river, turn left on to Columns dr. Go to the end of the street and park in the gravel parking lot, we will wait for you at the beginning of the trail. Also make sure to bring $3 for parking.

If that's not clear look here for directions

For sake of effiency, if you are not ready to go 15min in to the hour, you will have to wait untilthe next hour.

If you have any questions, e-mail nate, nate@crossfitsandysprings.com call the gym, 404-250-9993, or contact Chace directly at 678-662-8208.

We will be at Columns dr., rain sleet, or shine. So, dress accordingly.

Sisters from different misters. Congrats on making the record board Noah(10:53) and Jordon(8:20) for Helen.
Record attendence yesterday, thanks to everyone who showed up for testing. Enjoy your rest day.

Day 3
Rest Day

Gym will be closed except for special appointment.

Today as a rest day would be a good day to stretch out, foam roll, etc. You would be well advised to ice any particularly painful areas. Another area to think about now that you've gotten you're diet in control is whether you're getting enough sleep. Rest is all important to what we do in here. An intelligent workout plan, for any activity, takes into account what you're not doing just as much as what you are doing. There are some out there who can tolerate 8 or more days of working out. But to us mere mortals there is an combination that works well and with a little experimentation you will find it.

-Paul Siegel

For day 4 of testing, tomorrow, we will be down at columns drive all day. We will be there from 6am to 11am and 4pm to 8pm. The gym will not be open, we will all be meeting at columns drive.

Directions from the gym to columns drive are, take Roswell rd. north and turn left on to Johnsferry drive. As soon as you cross over the river, turn left on to Columns dr. Go to the end of the street and park in the gravel parking lot, we will wait for you at the beginning of the trail. Also make sure to bring $3 for parking.

For sake of effiency, if you are not ready to go 15min in to the hour, you will have to wait untilthe next hour.

If you have any questions, e-mail nate, nate@crossfitsandysprings.com call the gym, 404-250-9993, or contact Chace directly at 678-662-8208.

Nutrition Links:
Just one today, for all those that won't give up the peanut butter:
The Peanut Manifesto

Also, I edited the post from yesterday, it was supposed to say 0.5-1.0g per 10 lbs. of body weight. Hope no one slammed down a half bottle of fish oil yesterday.

Lindsey Kinning from CrossFit Ventura, California droppin in and showing us how they do it on on the west side.

Day 2 of Performance testing

"Helen"

3 rounds for time of:

400m run

21 Kettlebell Swings 1.5 poods (55 lbs. Dumbbell)

12 Pullups

Business:

If you want to participate in the challenge we need your $20 by tomorrow at the latest. We are also breaking the performance challenge into two parts. Those of you who have done crossfit for longer than 6 months and those of you who have done crossfit less than 6 months.

Musings:

Why should you do Performance testing? And I mean a standardized system of consistent broad testing like what were doing oddly enough. It shows you ultimately what's working and what's not. It is the same "Black Box" theory that we've talked about before. It is a blind testing that shows results from one period to the next. What we do with this data is more significant. We can extrapolate important clues about what works for you. More sleep, less carbs, more fat are general prescriptions but the more data we collect (and your food log, workouts and general feelings are data) the better we can help you to achieve your goals. Be careful in recording your workouts, be vigilant about your food logs and there is no reason any of you shouldn't see results from this challenge.

-Paul Siegel

Nutrition Updates:

I saw a question on the blog yesterday asking about fish oil dosing, so I will give you guys some info on all aspects of fish oil today. First, read The Definitive Guide to Fish Oils from Mark Sisson. This will touch on the general benefits of supplementing with fish oil, and also links to studies showing correlations between fish oil supplementation and reduction in many health issues. Then, read Fish Oil Guide Follow-Up, this will cover many of the questions you are sure to have. For those of you that don't want to read any of the links I post, here are the basics:

1. Supplement with fish oil to reduce systemic inflammation (among other things) due to your out of whack omega-6(pro-inflammatory) to omega-3(anti-inflammatory) fatty acid balance (average American diet 20:1, we want 2:1 or lower).
2. Dosage depends on body weight and how crappy your diet. The top end is recommended anywhere from 0.5-1g EPA/DHA per 10 lbs. of body weight. Note: You CANNOT make up for a crappy diet by supplementing with fish oil. If you eat fatty fish 3+ x per week and only consume grassfed, organic meat sources, and no vegetable oils, then you may not need to supplement.
3. Start off with a low dose, like 2-4 pills per day then up the dosage after several days. Remember, too much of a good thing usually turns out bad, fish oil thins the blood which after a certain point is dangerous. I take about 6g of EPA/DHA daily sometimes less.
4. EPA/DHA is the most important component of fish oil supplements (most usable omega-3 fats for our body), so make sure you look for this on the nutritional label. A bottle may say 1g fish oil per capsule, but the EPA/DHA content per capsule is only 0.3g per capsule, and also beware that sometimes the serving size is 2 capsules.
5. You can get cheapish fish oil from Costco, but I would recommend this Enteric Coated version as it has about 0.6g EPA/DHA per capsule, where the other Kirkland kind has about 0.3g.

That's it. I am not one to notice specific effects from supplementation, but some people have reported amazing results after starting fish oil. Experts across the dietary spectrum agree that there are many benefits to fish oil, so go buy some.

6p.m. is appearantly the place to be.
I really dont know.

First Day of Performance Testing

"Total"

1 rep max, Back squat

1 rep max, Press

1 rep max, Dead lift.

Strict limit of 3 attempts at 1 rep max on all lifts. Score is max weights. Standards: Back Squat is below parallel. Press is shoulders to overhead without bending knees. Dead lift is ground to standing.

Hours of Operation

In an effort to make sure absolutely everyone can make these test where extending our normal operating hours. Morning hours are 6-10 a.m., beginning on the hour. Evening hours will be from 4-7, starting on the hour. These hours will be for everyday this week including Friday and Thursday. Thursday we will open at 6 a.m. and Friday we will have afternoon classes. We are planning on being closed Wednesday. Watch this space for more info. If none of these hours work for you , send Nate an e-mail and we will work to accommodate you.

-Paul Siegel

Paleo Updates:
How have the first couple days been? Have you noticed any differences yet in the way you are feeling?
After some research, I have discovered that cashews are not legumes (always check your sources), and coffee beans aren't beans. Technically, both have to be roasted as to not be somewhat poisonous, so maybe not so Paleo, but better than other things you could be eating/drinking.
If you guys have any questions for me, my email is: jonathan.limbird at gmail dot com. Not often at my computer these days, but will try to be expedient.
Nutrtion Links:
Gluten: What You Don't Know Might Kill You - Recent studies show that degrees of gluten intolerance, not just full-blown allergy, cause health problems
Big Fat Lies with Gary Taubes

Watch this video for homework. Explains how we got to the current USDA dietary recommendations and how they are failing us.