Posts Tagged ‘CrossFit’

Walsh putting work in at the 2011 OC ThrowDown.

Name: Mike Walsh

Age: 27

Occupation: Sales Representative

Hometown: San Diego

How long CrossFitting: September 2009

What were you doing before CrossFit: Doing the whole 24 hour fitness thing, thinking I was killing it. You should have seen me on that treadmill. I was explosive baby! (yea right!)

Favorite WoD: Flight Simulator (8:36)

Favorite lift: Clean (245#)

Best achievement: 2011 OC ThrowDown 3rd Place. Beating Justin in the Flight Simulator. Nailing my first kipping pullup which now seems so easy but back then was a real achievement.

What is your diet like: Monday thru Friday is Paleo 100%  of the time. Weekends Ill be honest its more like 80/20.

Best thing about Orange Coast CrossFit? Camaraderie among the members. The people make up the gym hands down. It all stems down to the training that is offered by the trainers, Justin, Matt, Kiki, Derek, and Jennifer. There is an energy that is infectious here and it all adds up to some super awesomeness.

Hobbies outside of CrossFit? My gorgeous girlfriend Olga, hikes, going to the beach, travelling, and my amazing sneaker collection!

How long before you started seeing results: When I first started I saw body composition results within 3 weeks. Strength wise, stamina, and overall fitness and conditiong I started seeing substantial results within 2 months. I am still improving everyday. I am still getting stronger and fitter today over a year and half later. My benchmark times are going down and my lifts are going up.

Advice to new members: Stick with it. I think alot of new members get intimidated quickly because they are doing alot of things they have never seen before. This is totally different than the 24 Hr. Fitness regime. CrossFit really is a lifestyle change and to achieve that you need to stick with it and be consistent. Give it at least 2 months of coming 3-5 times a week and it really will change your life. Thats just working out. You feel better. CrossFit translates to the real world so well. Its made me more responsible and want to achieve certain goals. Its carried over to all aspects of my life (business and personal.)

Last words: I really owe the gift of CrossFit to Olga who dragged my fat ass into the gym and called me out saying that 24 Hr. was for wussies. I resisted at first but am so glad I made the decision to join. It has made me stronger, fitter, and a better man across the board. I have a CrossFit mentality now! I want to thank Justin and his awesome training staff for providing the most kick ass gym in the OC.

Workout of the Day

For time:

Row 1K

Dumbbell snatch, 50 reps (40/30)

Run 800m (holding 45# plate men, 25#plate women)

Dumbbell snatch, 35 reps

Run 400m (holding 45# plate men, 25#plate women)

Dumbbell snatch, 20 reps

(These are one-arm squat snatches, alternating arms.)

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Back to work!!

March 13th, 2011

Adam Call looking LEAN, and putting up some smokin times on the WoDs!

The Paleo Party aka “Meat Fest” was super fun. Thanks to everyone who came out and joined us on Friday night. Some killer Paleo dishes that were on tap.

Congrats to everyone who competed in the Paleo Challenge. I can tell you right now that EVERYONE lost pounds of unwanted fat and added some nice lean muscle tissue. We will release the results of the Paleo Challenge winners on Wednesday.

CrossFit Open Qualifiers start tomorrow. The Open Sectionals are a series of 6 workouts that take place over 6 consecutive weeks.   Anyone can take part in this competition.  Anyone can do it.  Everyone should do it.  It is a cool test to see where you actually rank in the greater CrossFit community.  ATHLETE that wants to participate in the Open Sectionals has to register on that website.  I don’t know the exact date that registration will close, but I expect that it will be prior to the announcement of the first workout.  This registration will cost $10 FOR THE ENTIRE OPEN SECTIONAL COMPETITION. We will be doing the workouts as a group every Wednesday for the next 6 weeks. To enter the competition simply…

1. Go to: https://games.crossfit.com/

2. Click “Register”

3. Click “Register as an Athlete”

4. Enter your email address, create a password, check the boxes, and click “sign up”

5. Enter your billing info. (the whole season costs $10) and click “review order”

6. Make sure everything is correct and click “submit order”

7. Feel free to upload a photo and add any personal info. you wish

8. Click “Athletes and Teams” near the top right and select “Find Teams”

9. Search “Orange Coast CrossFit” and then select “Join”

10. Take a deep breath. You did it!

Workout of the Day

A. Back Squat 3-3-3

B. AMRAP 15

Back Squat 5x (Use 75% of your best set of 3)

Pushups 15x

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Spring is HERE!

March 10th, 2011

Sheree going overhead while Elvia looks on. These ladies are warriors. 4-5x per week at the 6 or 7pm class. Putting in the work.

Paleo Challenge has officially ended! We had 30 members go the distance: 7 weeks of Paleolithic eating combined with Hard Core CrossFit training. The results have been astonishing! Members are looking shredded and WoD times have been falling. Attendance has been rad with 60-70 names up on whiteboard per day consistently. Vibes in the gym are rocking! Spring is here and summer is just around the corner.

To celebrate the end of this Paleo Challenge and to kick off Spring 2011 we are having a party. Join us tonight starting at 7:30 pm SHARP! at 3714 Park Lane, Newport Beach, CA. If you have not yet RSVP do so HERE! Remember all members at OCCF are invited! Come out and meet fellow Orange Coast CrossFitters and get to know that guy/gal who you sweat with a little better. Make sure to put your name on the whiteboard at the box and BRING SOMETHING TO EAT! Dont be the guest that shows up empty handed! We look forward to seeing you all there.

WoD

WoD #2 from the 2010 Southwest Regional (Results for men, and women.)

5 Rounds for time:
5 Muscle-ups Men / 2 Women
10 Power Cleans 135# / 85 #
200m Run

(coach will measure out with the measuring wheel 100m and place a cone. Athletes will round the cone and then head back to gym.)

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Today’s PR

February 4th, 2011

Adam Quick looking strong here, with Katie and Meaghan looking on. Consistent 6am warriors.

I often see our members get down on themselves for not squatting, lifting, running, rowing as fast as they have ‘before.” “Yea it was good, but its still 10# off my PR. Don’t fall into this trap. You CANT PR EVERYDAY! That’s why its a PR, a personal RECORD. Often times I will say when I am briefing a class, go for TODAY’s max. Give it your all for today’s WoD or lift. Dont stress if its not an all time PR. What is important is that its the best you have for today. After all you cant ask anymore of yourself than to give 100%.

Sometimes the “Pot will be hot” and that’s the time that the new PR will be there. Other times its just not. Don’t stress over it. There are two many factors in play to realistically pinpoint why your not firing on all cylinders. (ie. not enough sleep, poor eating that day, sore from previous workouts, etc.) Tom Brady is not always having his career best game. That’s impossible right? But Brady works with what he has that game and still gets the job done. Start approaching your WoDs like that. Recognize where your at and have an open mindset and be OK with what your body is giving you for this lift or workout. I think you will find that you will begin to let go of your expectations of yourself and have a great workout regardless of what the clock says or how much weight is on the bar. Not everyday is a PR day….and that’s OK!

WoD

OPT 3

Max 3 rep Front Squat

Max 2 rep Snatch (No more than :05 on ground bw reps

Max set of pullups

(Score is total weight from bs and snatch plus number of pullups.)

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Classic CrossFit

February 1st, 2011

Our good friend Peter Danenberg post “Smoking Gun” at this years 2011 OC ThrowDown. In a sport that favors shorter and lighter competitors, Peter’s 8th place finish among a STACKED mens elite field was IMPRESSIVE. At over 6″4 and 200+ pounds Peter shows that TRUE GRIT and GUTS can take you places.

Here at Orange Coast CrossFit we pride ourselves on sticking to what we call “Classic CrossFit”.  There are several reasons why we do this.

First and foremost, it works!  Body fat dropping, muscle and metcon building Classic CrossFit is a proven technique.  We have seen the results from CrossFit over and over again here at OCCF.  Some people are stuck on cardio, others are in love with strict weight lifting…we pride ourselves on being the best at both…right in the middle, balancing both elements to create an effective kick ass program!  CrossFit is a well balanced test of true fitness.  There is a reason why The CrossFit Games have coined the term, “Fittest on Earth”, because it is true.  If I can back squat like an ox but run a 17 minute mile or, on the other hand, run a 5 minute mile but fail at a 60 lbs back squat…then can you really call that true fitness?  I think one of the reasons why CrossFit is so popular is because the first time someone completes one of these workouts, they are lying on the floor thinking one of two things –  They’ve gotta get back in here and try that again because they are confused about what the hell just happened and want another crack at it OR they swear CrossFit off for the rest of their life claiming that we are crazy.

Community!  We love being surrounded by other CrossFitters because they are freakin cool.  We have a common work ethic, idea of fitness, and language…WoD, DNF, For Time, AMRAP, Paleo, MetCon, WallBall, “I’ve got my butterfly down”, and pukie…just to name a few.  We love to support one another through a WoD or entire competition.  If you are reading this now and you yourself have never done CrossFit but you know a CrossFitter, you have probably heard some of this terminology.  Or you have thought, “Why do they always talk about CrossFit?!”  Well I’ll tell you why, because it is HARD as hell most of the time…fun yes, but grueling too.  When you experience something like CrossFit, you want to share about it.  You are, as I call it, “CrossFit Drunk” or “Spreading the CrossFit gospel”.  We do really cool workouts in here and when our members walk out the door they’ve got so many damn endorphins  flowing through them they can’t help but chat about it.  Which brings me to my next point.

Endorphins – Getting that dose of endorphins is worth the WoD.  Endorphins or “endogenous morphine” are endogenous opioid peptides that function as neurotransmitters.  They are produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in vertebrates during CrossFit, excitement, love, and orgasm.  We are, in a way, addicted.

There are several more points I’d like to share but I realize that writing more than one paragraph jeopardizes anybody actually reading this.  So if you’ve got any reasons of your own as to why you CrossFit, post ‘em to comments!!

~Kiki

Annoucements~

Be sure to sign up in advance for classes.  Once a class is full … it is full.  The only exception to this rule is if it is a body weight workout.  We are working out the kinks with our competition team training schedule and appreciate your patience while we figure out what works best for everyone.

WoD

5 rounds

2min work/3min rest

When the 2min timer begins, the athlete performs 20 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (95/65)

In the remainder of the 2 minutes they row as many calories as possible.

Rest 3 minutes.

Score is total calories rowed in the five rounds.

Coaches notes: Split group into two. One group goes first. Second group goes after first group has finished their first round of work.

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OC ThrowDown competitor working the prowler in Floater #1

I CrossFit for the sake of CrossFit.  It is my sport.  Had I found CrossFit earlier on while I was rowing at UCLA, it would have made a huge difference as an athlete in that particular sport.  Justin and I went bowling with some friends last night and the discussion came up how CrossFit has made us better at our hobbies such as, snowboarding and surfing.  If you ask Max, I think he’ll tell you that it’s even made him a better bowler since he was throwing strike after strike.

I firmly believe that CrossFit will make you a better athlete in any sport.  ”CrossFit is not a specialized fitness program but a deliberate attempt to optimize physical competence in each of the ten recognized fitness domains. They are Cardiovascular and Respiratory Endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Power, Speed, Coordination, Agility, Balance, and Accuracy.  The CrossFit Program was developed to enhance an individual’s competency at all physical tasks. Our athletes are to perform successfully at multiple, diverse, and randomized physical challenges” (CrossFit.com)  Those ten fitness domains crossover into so many activities and situations we find ourselves in on a regular basis both in and out of the box.

If you are part of another sport outside of CrossFit, have you seen a difference since adding CrossFit into your training? Post to comments.

WoD

Hopper Deck

(Somone from morning sessions please post the wod to comments)

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CrossFit Chaser

January 10th, 2011



Yesterday we were reading about the upcoming 2011 CrossFit Games… ain’t gonna lie, it got me excited!

We come into the gym, find their name on the board, and say to ourselves, “Gotta beat that number.”  Or maybe they come to OCCF at the same time as you and as they just pass you on the WoD you find yourself fighting for that extra hustle to move a little faster, just to beat… your chaser!  We all have that person we chase whether their times are found online or in-house.

A chaser, whether they chase you or you chase them, is a great thing to have.  What’s even better if you are friends and are able to support each other.  Every member here at OCCF is a potential friend who will be there to cheer you on or push you a little harder.

Yesterday we did CrossFit Total.   It was an opportunity for us to enjoy each others company in between sets.  And although you weren’t going directly head to head with each other, you still helped your work-in partner out by paying attention to theirs lifts and cheering them on to help them get that PR.  A little extra support always help get those extra lbs up.  Thanks to all of the the CrossFit Chasers out there that force us to go a little harder.

Announcements~

~OC ThrowDown is around the corner.  Volunteer meeting Thursday @ 6pm.

~Paleo Challenge coming up!

~Back to Basics workshop January 22nd @ 10am

“WoD”

A. “Isabel”

30 Snatches for time (135/85)

Rest 10:00

B. “Karen”

150 wallballs for time

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Fat does NOT equal Fat

December 19th, 2010

It’s been a popular misconception for a long time now that ingesting fat will MAKE you fat.  Unfortunately, this is not true and anyone subscribing to this theory is doing themselves a huge disservice.

Did you know that if you starve your body of fats, it will start to hang on to fat even harder, which makes it even harder for you to lose the fat on your body.  Don’t kid yourself.  Dietary fat is not the same as body fat.  Nowhere even close.

That being said there is a huge difference between the types of dietary fat you can choose to consume.  Some are very harmful while others are highly beneficial.  The trick here is to avoid hydrogenated oils and trans fats at all costs.  As a matter of fact, the main rule of thumb is to avoid anything that’s ‘processed’ and try to stick with oils and fats that are as close to their natural state as possible.

Here’s a list of good fats: avocados, nuts & seeds, coconut oil, organic unpasteurized butter & cream, fish oil, salmon & other fatty fish, and olives.

Often time when a package says “low-fat” it is loaded with sugar or man made chemicals that help with taste and texture.  Your food should be real.  Avoid processed food.  This weekend I watched the “McDonald’s Experiment” on you tube and was disgusted that after 3 months, those french fries never went bad.  How can our body process that?  It can’t.  What our body can process is real foods…meat, fish, veggies, nut & seeds, and some fruit.
Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/dietary-fat-is-not-bad-for-you-1667030.html#ixzz18cjzFd7L
WoD

“The Smoking Gun”

Seven rounds for time:

4 Burpee deadlifts (60% 1RM C&J)

3 Burpee power cleans  (60% 1RM C&J)

2 Burpee squat cleans (60% 1RM C&J)

1 Burpee squat clean & jerk (60% 1RM C&J)

Your hands may not leave the bar and your chest must touch the bar for each burpee.

TDC

Part 1: The Smoking Gun

Rest 5+ hours

Part 2: 5 sets:
Row 250 m
9 burpees
35 double unders
rest 90 sec
(rest 10 min)
5 sets:
35 double unders
9 burpees
Row 250 m
rest 90 sec

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Holiday “Gifts”

December 13th, 2010

So it’s the Holiday Season … and you may be receiving some unexpected gifts if you aren’t careful.  A new pair of love handles might be a gift coming you’re way if you go overboard with the Holiday Parties, dinners, and family get togethers.  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying to not celebrate but just don’t throw away 12 months of hard work for one month.  If you choose to party a few days in a row learn from our vets (Andre, Kos, Olga, Walsh, and the ring leader Philip) …come in anyway.  I watched several members suffer their way through the Filthy Fifty but they all got it done!  Now if you are seriously hung over then do not come in because your body and mushy brain need to recover.

December/January can be sneaky because we wear more layers than usual but we both know that it doesn’t last long!  Be sure to get your WoDs in this Holiday season.

WoD

A1.Back Squat 5-5-5-5-5

Rest :10

A2. Ring Dips AMRAP x5

Rest 3:00 bw sets

B. ”Grace”

30 Clean and Jerks for time (135/95)

ThrowDown competitors

Same as group, then spend 10 minutes post wod working on one of your goats.

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Max Fernandez, 2010 OC ThrowDown Men’s Elite Champion.

We’ve all been there…half a** CrossFitting.  Eating like crap, training 2 or 3 days a week, and wondering, “Why am I not seeing results??”  Well there is a formula for CrossFit Success and is goes like this – Eat Healthy, which also includes laying off the booze, and train consistently.  It is not rocket science.  It is HARD WORK, DISCIPLINE, and DEDICATION.  Those three words will take you places.  I understand that we all have our own genetic dispositions and respond differently to fitness in general but the whole point is to be fit and if you come here and throw it down, you will be fit.  There is no way you can come here regularly and NOT see results.

Yes the WoD always wins but, you will get faster, you will get stronger, and you will grow not only physically but mentally as well!  I suppose I should add that CrossFit is more than just diet and fitness, it is family.  Day in and day out we come together and share a common interest.  We sweat together and sometimes it feels like we die a lil’ together.   I say there are two ways to become instantly close with someone…you either cry together or CrossFit together!

Come Join the OCC Family…we don’t bite…well not often anyway. ~Kiki

Announcements:

Awwwwwww yeah!!  Christmas PaRtY 2011 is this Saturday at 8pm.  Rally at the Alley in your ugliest Christmas sweater, cutest elf costume, or sexiest Mrs. Clause get up!  It’ll be great to spend time with you all outside the box!

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out The ThrowDown website: www.octhrowdown.com

WoD

A. Shoulder to overhead anyway, anyhow, (155/105) 30x and every time you drop the bar, you do 5x burpees.

Rest 5 minutes

B. 5 Sets for time.

-30 total alternating Russian step ups unweighted – 24″ box

-10x Ring Dips

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