Archive for November, 2010

Compete…it’s good for you

November 30th, 2010
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Healthy competition can bring out the best in us and help us reach our top fitness performance.  Talk to anyone who has competed in some form of competition and they’ll probably tell you about the pr (personal record) they set.  Think back to the “Battle of the Ages”, I think every single one of those guys pr’d on several lifts and found themselves doing things they had never done before…Just ask Justin about how many pistols he nailed that night…previous successful attempts = 0.  Healthy competition will push you to your limits.  It is what we all train for, to show our friends, loved ones, and the complete stranger right next to us what we’re made of, that we are strong and we will not give up.  Muhammad Ali once said, “I hated every minute of training, but I said, “Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.”"  Regardless of where your name may fall on that final ranking, you will have accomplished something that has helped you grow as an athlete and as a human being.

If it is the fear of  competition that is holding you back from an event like the NLI, Sectionals, or OC ThrowDown, let it go.  It is never a good idea to take too much counsel from your fears.  Let them keep you humble but don’t let them run your life.  Harness all of that time and energy wasted on fearing the unknown and put it towards something else.  CrossFit is already a part of our lives and for many of you it is time to step it up…you have nothing to lose…you may even like it!  Lee Evans, who once held the record for fastest man in the world (400m), said competition was like, “the seasoning you put on a good meal to bring out the flavor so you can really enjoy yourself.”  You come here day in and day out, giving it your all, you know how to Get It Done!

Eustress is the good type of stress that stems from the challenge of taking part in something that you enjoy but have to work hard for. Eustress pumps you up, providing a healthy spark for any task you undertake.  Most of us doing CrossFit have various levels of competitiveness and recognize the the thrill of  having fun with others who share the same interest…although our definition of “fun” can be pretty twisted sometimes to an “outsider”.  Take the OC THrowDown as an opportunity to grow as an athlete and give it a whirl.  Or in otherwords, as the no bs Muhammad Ali would say, “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” Go ahead…click on the quote…you know you want to! ~Kiki

Announcements:

Christmas Party Update!!  Due to popular demand we are changing the date.  The PaRtY will go down on December 11th @ 8pm.  Meet at The Alley in your ugliest…I mean loveliest Christmas sweater ever…you know the one with flashing lights.  If you don’t have that special sweater you are welcome to come as an elf, reindeer, or even Santa…but no ho, ho, ho’s please!  Costume or sweatshirt, it’s up to you but that’s your ticket in for drinks and appetizers!

OC Throwdown – We opened up a few more spots for men’s elite and intermediate categories.  Once they are gone, they’re gone and we will have reached out max capacity for those categories.  We’ve got some amazing athletes signed up and will begin spotlighting them soon!

This Saturday is the NLP Invitational Competition at the O.C. Fairgrounds. Don, Ryan, Rich, Andre and myself are all competing. Please come support us, yell at us, and push us to break our limits and bring home some trophies! We could use all of the support. And like Kiki said above, “CrossFit is already a part of our lives and for many of you it is time to step it up…you have nothing to lose…you may even like it!” It’s time to come and get pumped up and excited for the THROWDOWN!~Ron A.

WoD

5 Rounds of:

50 Double Unders

20 Knees to Elbow

Overhead walk (135/85) (30 Yards)

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Pushing past the Pain

November 30th, 2010

Ronnie Teasdale enduring the pain of the erg on his way to a second place finish in last years OC ThrowDown.  I remember talking to him before the comp about his background and training and I asked him how long he had been doing CrossFit. He said “about 4 months”. Watch out for this guy in 2011.

And that is one of the secrets of elite athletes, said Mary Wittenberg, president and chief executive of the New York Road Runners, the group that puts on the ING New York City Marathon. They can keep going at a level of effort that seems impossible to maintain.

“Mental tenacity — and the ability to manage and even thrive on and push through pain — is a key segregator between the mortals and immortals in running,” Ms. Wittenberg said.

You can see it in the saliva-coated faces of the top runners in the New York marathon, Ms. Wittenberg added.

“We have towels at marathon finish to wipe away the spit on the winners’ faces,” she said. “Our creative team sometimes has to airbrush it off race photos that we want to use for ad campaigns.”

Tom Fleming, who coaches Stefan and me, agrees. A two-time winner of the New York marathon and a distance runner who was ranked fourth in the world, he says there’s a reason he was so fast.

“I was given a body that could train every single day.” Tom said, “and a mind, a mentality, that believed that if I trained every day — and I could train every day — I’ll beat you.”

“The mentality was I will do whatever it takes to win,” he added. “I was totally willing to have the worst pain. I was totally willing to do whatever it takes to win the race.”

But the question is, how do they do it? Can you train yourself to run, cycle, swim or do another sport at the edge of your body’s limits, or is that something that a few are born with, part of what makes them elites?

Sports doctors who have looked into the question say that, at the very least, most people could do a lot better if they knew what it took to do their best.

“Absolutely,” said Dr. Jeroen Swart, a sports medicine physician, exercise physiologist and champion cross-country mountain biker who works at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa.

“Some think elite athletes have an easy time of it,” Dr. Swart said in a telephone interview. Nothing could be further from the truth.

And as athletes improve — getting faster and beating their own records — “it never gets any easier,” Dr. Swart said. “You hurt just as much.”

But, he added, “Knowing how to accept that allows people to improve their performance.” Keep reading here.


WoD

“Two Timer”

Complete the following benchmark workouts as follows. Elizabeth will start at 2o minutes past the hour. No matter your time, the next workout Jackie will begin at  45 minutes past the hour. Each workout is scored separately.

“Elizabeth”

21,15,9

Clean (135/85#)

Ring Dips

(Notes: Clean is a classic full squat clean. You can power clean but you must lower into a full squat at some point during the lift. Ring dips are biceps to top of rings. Each rep begins at top of movement with FULLY locked out elbows.)

“Jackie”

1000m Row

50 Thrusters (45#/35)

30 Pullups

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Back at it!

November 28th, 2010

Josh Snider from CF Inferno showing great intensity at last years OC ThrowDown.

The 2011 OC ThrowDown is shaping up to be one heck of a contest. As of now we have 8 CrossFit regional competitors registered for Men’s Elite; Max Fernandez, Ronnie Teasedale, Nathan Holiday, Paul Gregow, Mark Mcsharry, Bryan Wadkins, Gary Baron (NorCal), and Ben Hopkins. The competition is looking fierce!  The Men’s Elite and Intermediate are sold out but we are working on getting a larger venue so be sure to put your name on the waitlist and we’ll add you as soon as we can. Go here to register.

Save the Date – OCC Christmas Party December 10th @ 7pm.  We will have confirmation of the time and venue tomorrow and will post it on tomorrow’s blog.  Definitely going to be a great time!

WoD

A. Press 3-3-3

B. 5 sets for total working time:

10 Push Jerk (135#/85)

10 Burpees

25 box jumps

Rest 1:00 bw rounds

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Have a Great Thanksgiving

November 24th, 2010

Elite mens heat battle it out for that coveted claim of “Fittest Man in Orange County”

Today we will have 6, 7am, and noon classes.  We will also have a class Friday at 12 noon.

According to Merriam Webster′s Collegiate Dictionary, an athlete is “a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring strength, agility, or stamina.

The CrossFit definition of an athlete is a bit tighter. We define an athlete as “a person who is trained or skilled in strength, power, balance and agility, flexibility, and endurance. The CrossFit model holds fitness, health, and athleticism as strongly overlapping constructs. For most purposes, they can be seen as equivalents.

There are three metabolic pathways that provide the energy for all human action. These “metabolic engines are known as the phosphagen pathway, the glycolytic pathway, and the oxidative pathway.The first, the phosphagen, dominates the highest-powered activities, those that last less than about ten seconds. The second pathway, the glycolytic, dominates moderate-powered activities, those that last up to several minutes. These are the “anaerobic pathways. The third pathway, the oxidative, dominates low-powered activities, those that last in excess of several minutes. This is the aerobic pathway.

Total fitness, the fitness that CrossFit promotes and develops, requires competency and training in each of these three pathways or engines. Balancing the effects of these three pathways largely determines the how and why of the metabolic conditioning or “cardio that we do at CrossFit.

Favoring one or two pathways to the exclusion of the others and not recognizing the impact of excessive training in the oxidative pathway are arguably the two most common faults in fitness training. Time domain matching of task or sport to training is the first step to effective, legitimate strength and conditioning.

WoD

A1. Deadlift 7-7-7-7

Rest :10

A2. 15 Burpees x4 sets

Rest 2:00

B. 3 Rounds for time

-10 barbell rollouts

-15 Knees to elbows

-25 Situps

Pain was their body’s way of telling them that they’d pushed themselves to their limits — which was exactly where they were supposed to be.

-Ernest Shackleton

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Head to head in the final heat of the day at the 2010 OC ThrowDown.

Announcements~

  • Registration for the 2011 OC ThrowDown opens TODAY at 12 noon. GO HERE TO REGISTER.
  • ALL women’s tank tops are on sale for $10!!
  • We will be CLOSED Wednesday 5, 6, and 7pm, Thanksgiving, and Friday 6 and 7 am.  I will repeat, Wednesday evening, all of Thursday, and Friday morning we are closed.  HAVE AN AWESOME THANKSGIVING with friends and family!
  • Tangerine Fish Oil is back in!  Grab a bottle before Thanksgiving to help combat your depression that will follow from the pumpkin pie sugar crash.

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Save the Date

November 21st, 2010

Introducing the flyer for this year’s OC Throwdown

We are excited to announce…Registration for the 2011 Orange County CrossFit ThrowDown will open at 12 noon on Tuesday November 23th!!  There are 125 spots this year and from all of the emails I’ve received this past month, I am sure they will fill up quickly!  We will be sending out an email to previous competitors with information on how to register and we will also post the info right here on Orange Coast CrossFit’s blog.  The website for the OC Throwdown is scheduled to be ready this week.  We will keep everyone posted!

Schedule for this week:  We will be CLOSED on THANKSGIVING and on the following friday the 26th there will not be any AM classes.

WoD

Round 1:

Max Thrusters in 3:00 (135/85)

Row 500m

Rest 5 minutes

Round 2:

Max Power Snatch in 3:00 (105/75)

Row 500m

Rest 5 minutes

Round 3:

Max Double Unders in 3:00

500m Row

Each round will have two scores: total reps in 3:00 and total time to complete each round.

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Training vs. Development

November 19th, 2010

Rich Bordner is one of the hardest working people I have seen. He just keeps coming and getting better.

Tomorrow, Saturday November 20th there will be only one class at 8:30am. This is due to the Box Battle with CrossFit South County and NLP. Anyone is welcome to come and compete or watch. Directions can be found here.

A great post from a great athlete and a great friend of OCC, Jake Lay whose Marine Corps flag flys proudly above our rollup doors.

Training vs. Development

I heard an idea from my Dad, a business consultant, about the difference between training vs. development. While he did not invent this concept, it certainly applied to what he was doing in his work, and it struck a chord with me as it applies to Crossfit:

“Training is an event. Development is a process.”

Training is time defined. It may involve reading a book, taking classes, attending seminars, or information sessions. It has a scheduled start, end, and sequence of events.

For Crossfit, our WOD’s are our main source of “training.” They each have a definite beginning, and a definite end. There is a concrete set of moves and acts to fulfill the requirements of the WOD. They begin at regular times and we incorporate our training into our lives at these regular intervals. However, if all we do is show up, run around, swing kettlebells, sling chalk, whack ourselves in the shins with jump ropes and do what is necessary to complete the WOD, we have missed our chance to “develop.”

Development is broad term. For our purposes, it can be defined as sustainable positive behavior change. This may sound like motivational mumbo jumbo, but development in Crossfit terms can be very simple yet apply on many levels. On a personal level, we should strive to develop positive exercise techniques that can be sustained. This may be developing the effortless kipping pull-up, executing full range of motion thrusters, or mastering the art of the fluid, textbook burpee. We can develop these skills through daily addiction to perfection of our craft.

While we develop ourselves, we have to contribute to the development of the Crossfit “team” concept as well. Justin harped on this website that we are “thick as thieves.” A high energy, positive vibe makes a world of difference to the individual and the OC Crossfit Box as a whole. It also creates connections and accountability to the guy/girl next to you. Positive energy attracts other people with positive energy and creates a snowball effect that fosters development of each individual as part of the whole. Eventually, the collective “whole” matures into a group of highly developed individuals.

Our goal every day we set foot in the OCC Box should be to train our asses off. As we do this we have to make another step in our own personal development, contribute to the development of the crossfitter bustin’ ass next to you, and make OC Crossfit a force in the Crossfit Community.

A quote relayed to me, by a crusty old coach of mine via British novelist Rudyard Kipling:

“For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.”

-Jake

Announcements

~ There will only be 1 class tomorrow. It will start at 8:30 am.

~This Saturday, November 20th, head down to CrossFit South County for a great WoD @ 10am.  Anyone interested in carpooling please post to comments.

~Chris K is having a BiRthDaY BasH Saturday evening.  So come grab a WoD in South County, clean yerself up, and then head to Chris K’s to get all durty again!  Beer Pong, Flip Cup, and other games of genius will all be going down starting at 5:30pm.  His address will be posted on the white board.

WoD

A1. Front Squat 5-5-5-5

Rest :10

A2. Box Jump 12x (box + 3 plates) x4

Rest 2:00

B. 3 Rounds of:

12x SDHP (115/75)

30x Wallballs

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Weight lifting Shoes…Do it

November 17th, 2010

A pair of Nike Romaleos…just one example of a great lifting shoe.

The Nature of Force When Weightlifting

Just as there is a certain movement pattern that goes on in the body when you’re aiming to shoot a basket or sprint across the field, there is also a pattern of movement that occurs when you’re executing the various weight lifting exercises you’ve decided to include in your program.

When you stop to think about it, there is going to be an extremely high amount of force coming down on the body, all of which is supported through the feet. If those feet do not have the proper cushioning and padding they need to handle that force, you will not get the full benefits of the exercise and you may even wind up injured.

The main problem with lifting in a regular running shoe is that these are very padded on the soles, which causes the body to really ‘sink’ into the shoes whenever you’re aiming to lift a heavy weight.  While this may all seem fine to you, it’s going to reduce your ability to generate force and press up against the weight, since the padding is already absorbing so much of the tension.

In addition to the reduced ability to generate force, another major issue you have working against you is the fact that since you’re so cushioned, you’re also more likely to roll over when the weight is overhead.  An ankle roll while doing a heavy press would be the worst case scenario, so this must be avoided. Since weight lifting shoes will have less of a soft cushioning surface, they will decrease the chances of this happening. The cushioning in running shoes is perfect for when you’re doing ongoing repetitive activities such as running, but for the nature of weight lifting, not what you’re looking for.  If you don’t have the money for weight lifting shoes at least try a flat shoes like Converse.Weight lifting shoes also have a strap that is designed to secure the foot into place to prevent it from moving forwards in the shoe, causing the toes to get jammed into the front.

For those of you that have trouble squatting to the proper depth, the increased heel height will allow the ankle to have better positioning for greater range of motion.  So if you find that your heels come up when attempting to reach full depth, weightlifting shoes will help with that by giving your heel a flat raised surface to connect with.

Finally, you will find that the soles of the shoes are made from rubber, which is ideal for both support as well as traction purposes. It’s vital that you feel firmly planted into the ground with your shoes, so if this was not the case and you felt like you were slipping, problems would arise.

If you do have some money that you can afford to invest in a good pair of weight lifting shoes it would be well worth it. The difference it can make in your lifting technique and how much weight you are able to significantly lift will be dramatic, especially if you’re currently lifting in worn out running shoes.

Annoucements

~This Saturday, November 20th, head down to CrossFit South County for a great WoD @ 10am.  Anyone interested in carpooling please post to comments.

~Chris K is having a BiRthDaY BasH Saturday evening.  So come grab a WoD in South County, clean yerself up, and then head to Chris K’s to get all durty again!  Beer Pong, Flip Cup, and other games of genius will all be going down starting at 5:30pm.  His address will be posted on the white board.

WoD

AMRAP 20

30 Second HandStand Hold

30 Second Squat Hold

30 Second L-Sit Hold

30 Second Chin Over Bar Hold

If you are not able to do a full L-Sit bend your knees slightly until you can lift yourself from the floor.

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Why Fitness?

November 16th, 2010

Our good friend Lamarr Smith of CrossFit Next Level Performance…looking a lil soft. You would never train with a fat trainer right? So come on Lamarr!! lay off the sweets and get into the gym! You gotta set an example for your members.

Two years ago I opened the door to this place because I wanted to have a place to create elite fitness. Not just drop a few pounds, that’s what LA Boxing is for. But a place to develop a fitness that is extraordinary and absolute. We have that. Orange Coast CrossFit is equipped with every tool needed to complete every single CrossFit workout as Rxd. That means that we can deliver the CrossFit programming pure to our athlete’s without substitutions. At OCC we are PURE CrossFit and I am very proud of this.

So why Fitness? Why spend all this time on improving our the physical domain. Coach Glassman says that the gym is a “testing ground for improving the will” and I agree with him. He goes on to say that, “CrossFitters see physical education as a primary vehicle for teaching virtues essential for achievement. For us, the world of physical challenge and achievement have become metaphors for harvesting life’s riches and battling its plagues…For CrossFitters, highly developed human performance is art and personal participation in these art, at all skill levels, is a transcendent experience.”

Here is the full article here. One that I printed out a few years back and have been drawn back to many times. Check it out!

WoD

A. Power clean 5-5-5 (keep hands on the bar at all times, no more than a 2 second pause at the floor. This is not 5 singles!)

B. Complete as many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:
400 meter run
5 Deadlifts

(Deadlift weight is up to each athlete. Go as heavy as you can. Aim for 4+ rounds. Below are some of the top CrossFit athletes results for todays wod.)

Rob Orlando 405lbs, 5 rounds + 3 deads.
Tim Burke 405lbs, 5 rounds + 300m.
Pat Sherwood 405lbs, 5 rounds + 100m.
Kevin Montoya 345-415lbs, 5 rounds.
Rebecca Voigt 285lbs, nearly 5 rounds.
E.C. Synkowski 195lbs, 4 rounds + 300m.
Dave Lipson 500lbs, 4 rounds.

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Sweet tooth…

November 15th, 2010

Sugar is BIG business. The average American consumes an astounding 2-3 pounds of sugar each week. In the last 20 years, we have increased sugar consumption in the U.S. 26 pounds to 135 lbs. of sugar per person per year!

These past couple weeks we’ve been getting the “What should I eat?” question.  What we put into our bodies is extremely important and directly correlates with our output.  If we put peanut butter into a brand new vehicle, that thing isn’t going anywhere!  Same goes for our bodies…if we’re eating fast food and things that never go bad, like twinkies, then we are in trouble!  Think about it, if there is something that has been sitting on the shelf for six months and still has 5 more years of shelf life, how can we expect our bodies to process that?  Almost everything we eat should be able to go bad and/or die.  CrossFit has kept it simple with the following:

What Should I Eat?
“In plain language, base your diet on garden vegetables, especially greens, lean meats, nuts and seeds, little starch, and no sugar. That’s about as simple as we can get. Many have observed that keeping your grocery cart to the perimeter of the grocery store while avoiding the aisles is a great way to protect your health. Food is perishable. The stuff with long shelf life is all suspect. If you follow these simple guidelines you will benefit from nearly all that can be achieved through nutrition.”

Sugar is probably the hardest thing to kick as it is practically in EVERYTHING!  Dr. David Reuben, author of Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Nutrition says, “…white refined sugar-is not a food. It is a pure chemical extracted from plant sources, purer in fact than cocaine, which it resembles in many ways. Its true name is sucrose and its chemical formula is C12H22O11.

It has 12 carbon atoms, 22 hydrogen atoms, 11 oxygen atoms, and absolutely nothing else to offer.” …The chemical formula for cocaine is C17H21NO4. Sugar’s formula again is C12H22O11. For all practical purposes, the difference is that sugar is missing the “N”, or nitrogen atom. …Refining means to make “pure” by a process of extraction or separation. Sugars are refined by taking a natural food, which contains a high percentage of sugar, and then removing all elements of that food until only the sugar remains. Studies show that “sugar” is just as habit-forming as any narcotic; and its use, misuse, and abuse is our nation’s number one disaster.

We know that glucose and vitamin C have similar chemical structures, so what happens when the sugar levels go up? They compete for one another upon entering the cells. And the thing that mediates the entry of glucose into the cells is the same thing that mediates the entry of vitamin C into the cells. If there is more glucose around, there is going to be less vitamin C allowed into the cell. It doesn’t take much: a blood sugar value of 120 reduces the phagocytic index by 75%. So when you eat sugar, think of your immune system slowing down to a crawl.

Here are a few helpful articles.

The Reclassification of Sugar as a Drug

Juice as bad as soda

This article gives a decent list of names for sugar on ingredients lists.  Disclaimer: Not a fan a stevia or any other “wonder” subsitute! Nor do I think “taking it slow” is the best idea because there will never be an easy time to “quit”.  Some good explanations under the comments sections why sugar substitutes are not okay!

Also on a side note, just because something says all natural or organic does not mean it is good for you.  I once had a friend who ate a ton of cookies from Trader Joe’s all the time.  She thought because they were all natural and organic that they were a-okay…NOT.

What are your thoughts?  Also any tips, such as recipes, for the newbs who are just starting out? – post to comments

WoD

Press 1-1-1-1

Push Press 1-1-1-1

Split Jerk 1-1-1-1

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