010715 Sparks Will Fly

Being uncommon. What does this entail? What is common? 

I love asking these introspective questions to see where I fit on the spectrum of ideology and in this case, 'commonness'. Certainly we can assume that being uncommon is far deeper than the clothes that you wear or an outside appearance choice. No it is something bigger. 

And it can be assumed that it is not the way you talk or what language you choose to converse in. The world is much too big of a place to look at it through that way. It has to be something even more grand. 

Being uncommon, seems to be a devotion of sorts. A deep seated devotion to yourself and ideals. Like our own DNA, we are unique even though we may come from the same tribe. Yes! Uncommon is steadfast conviction to ones beliefs and actions. Those that are unique to you and you alone.

Finally, Courage! Courage has to be the window for the world to view into your Uncommonness. Without courage those beliefs and actions will hide in the shadows and cower to a more imposing stream of social consciousness. You will drown without courage. You will sink without courage. 

So be courageous you Warriors! Stand for those things that you hold dear and just watch how the world around you will become more beautiful because you will have found yourself.

Baseline:

5 Minute AMRAP @65-70%

30 Air Squats

5 Wall Walks

10 Slam Ball

Skill Development:

3 Rounds for Quality

:30 Ring Support Hold Top

10 Strict Toes To Bar

:30 Ring Support Bottom.

WOD:

4 Rounds,

Try to match or beat your previous round.

500m Row

20m Overhead Walking Lunge 165/115

*Rest 3 Minutes Between Rounds

300615 Simplicity

Human movement is dynamic, exciting, and many times very graceful. Physics and strength set those parameters. When we are training for the General Purpose athlete who can survive anything thrown at him/her.. mastering basic movement patterns and developing musculature necessary to support movement is paramount. 

Think like a scientist and for Gosh sakes get out of the gym and USE these strengths that you have worked so hard to develop! Be the ballerina you always wanted to be! Be the hero that you always looked up to... it is all possible with a strong base of fitness.

Baseline:

6 Minute AMRAP for quality not speed

5 Thurster 45/35

5 Pull Up Strict

5 Burpee Bar Touch

Strength and Efficiency:

EMOM 15

3 Back Squats @70% of your 3 RM.

*yes this will hurt

WOD:

100m Sprint +10 C2B Pull Up. Rest :45.

200m Sprint+ 10 C2B Pull Up. Rest 2:00

300m Sprint+ 10 C2B Pull Up. Rest 3:00

Repeat for a total of 3 Rounds.

 

290615 ATP and your performance


 What makes you stop cycling during a high rep workout? Why do your legs and lungs burn during a sprint? 

The answer lies in how your body utilizes and metabolizes oxygen. Just like your physical inspiration and exhalation through the lungs, the cells within your body breath and replensh themselves in the same way. When you stress your organs and muscles during an intense bout of exercise, the cells within your body increase their respiration rate just as you do. But not only do they 'breathe' but they also consume a large amount of glucose in order to produce ATP (energy). Just as you consume and then dump excess, the cells consume oxygen and 'dump' hydrogen ions thus making the amount of Hydrogen in your blood and muscles rise as you preform more work. When your acidic levels rise  (too much hydrogen) it is said that your pH rises (precent hydrogen). What you feel when this happens is a burning or soreness inside your muscles that can last for mere moments or sometimes days! So how do you, CrossFitter, delay the onset of that acidosis and go harder longer? 

Well it is done in two ways. 

1) Build your VO2 max through aerobic training.

2) Frequently test your Latate Threshold.

In our gym, the types of workouts vary greatly. Some days you are doing a 7 minute workout and others it can be 20. In the 20 minute range you are training your aerobic (with oxygen) capacity and coupled with the different exercises we get to train your body to not hit its 'threshold' but to continue for long durations without stopping. The Latate Threshold training is when we go balls to the wall on a sled drag or a 'Fran' type workout. This training helps raise our cells capacity to efficiently utilize oxygen under duress. By constantly testing this, we burn many calories and teach our body how to sustain a greater workload at a faster pace (we become more FIT)!. So feel the burn and love the struggle. You body is learning how to adapt every day to whatever is thrown at it. If you are picking and choosing your workouts, then there is probably something you are running from and it will show in your varied perfromance. Come often and give all you have to each Workout, you will develop into the Elite Athlete you want to be.. I promise.

Baseline:

8 Min Quality AMRAP

12 KB Standing Toe Touches (alternate at 6) 35/25

4X 10m Sprint Starts

12 Push Ups

Strength Work:

Deadlift 

3-3-3-3-3

WOD:

5 Rounds For Time

10 Hang Power Cleans 155/115

10 Burpees

 

250615 Gymnastic Benchmark

Preparing the shoulders for a day of going overhead is vital. I have used many different methods over the years to unlock and activate the shoulder and T-spine area for maximum flexibility and strength. One way that I have adopted to couple 'stability' into the mix is with the use of a Turkish get up. During the warm up it will help develop the focus necessary to engage for a period of time and also help your CNS become acquainted with the stress involved. Follow along with the TGU complex for strong shoulders and a focused mind.

Note that for the HSPU test today you can scale the difficulty to your own ability for a baseline. For instance, if you are just learning the HSPU I would scale all the way back to seated DB press and up to Box HSPU.

Baseline:

5X TGU complex L, 5X TGU Complex R

1) Arm Extension over head/ rolling to stomach for Should girdle stretch,chest stretch

2) 2X SIT up

3) Roll To Hand

4) Bridge Up and Hold :03

5) Swing Leg Through to lunge Position

6) 2X KB Press

7) Come to standing, once there, preform 1 KB CLean and Press

8) Windmill Stretch reaching to foot with free hand.

9) Come down smooth, hitting all the positions, dont rush!!

Strength: 

5 Sets of 1 Power Clean + Split Jerk @ 75%

Rest 1:00 betwen

Gymnastic Skill Test:

1) Max Rep Strict Deficit (4"/2") HSPU

2) Max Rep Kipping Deficit HSPU

3) Max Rep Strict HSPU

Rest 3 Minutes Between Attempts.

WOD:

3 RFT,

15 Overhead Squats 135/95

30 GHD Sit Up

45 KB SWing 53/35

230615 Oxidative Stress

All Oxygen consuming organisms suffer from a common kind of biological stress called oxidative stress. This process is caused by free radicals. Simply conceptualized is to look at an oxygen molecule and imagine it with one extra electron attached to it. What these nasty buggers do is bounce around in their unstable state and destroy or damage good cells that it comes in contact with. This same oxidation process is what happens when you observe metal rust over time and why your apples turn brown when left out. The same thing is happening inside you right now!!! OMG!

Since the 1970's about, I'm not too sure since I came along late in that decade, the Science community began to rally behind ANTI-oxidants like Vitamin C and Beta-Carotene as a logical fix to counteract all the free floating radicals that are kicking mitochondria ass. By dosing ourselves with powerful nutrients it was thought to also protect our Telomeres, those tails which hang on the end of our cellular DNA. When Telomeres break down, shorten or wear out then our cells age quickly, die and Cancer can move in. So the science went. 

BUT THEN... the Science of the 90's came. Experiments and test groups showed that there was no long term data to support the supplemental anti-oxidant theories. Boom. No lifespan lengthening, no increased cancer reduction... WHAT!! Thats' right. Vitamin C is still pretty much the only supplement that is still given the nod but if you think that you are going to beat cancer with your breakfast cereal, it seems that you are out of luck. 

The cool thing is that the tried and true theory behind physical exercise seems to still be the best way to lengthen your life and kick cancer to the curb. It seems that some oxidate stress is good for you. When you exercise your muscles are damaged (a la biological stress) and because of this stress your body builds immunity and strength to combat it. Just like immuninzations which work by introducing pathogens into the body in small doses for your body to develop solutions to the problems they cause. Exercise seems to do the same thing. Exercise produces enzymes that you cannot supplement through diet which have an incredible effect on sweeping up all the free radicals that are in your body. 

So get your CrossFit on People!!! Antioxidants seem to be irrelevant to aging and some disease. Keeping you cells and DNA powerful for the long haul takes good old fashioned work! When you exercise there is also a good possibility that you have a lower stress level which as we will discuss later is truly the cause of an early grave. But for now, get you WOD on and live to be 120!!!

Baseline:

3X

15 Hip Extentions

20m Handstand Walk or :30 Handstand Hold 

Skill Development:

EMOM 15 Snatch Complex

Power Snatch/ Squat Snatch/ OHS

WOD:

"Diane"

21-15-9

Deadlift  225/135

Handstand Push Up

120615 Grace

There are a few different ways to skin this cat but one thing remains constant. Intensity. This benchmark is beautiful in its monostructural majesty. Scaling the weight down makes this workout accessible and gives you an idea of where you are in your ability to move large loads, long distances, quickly!

I enjoy this workout immensely and love to push my threshold a little further each time I try it. Compare your score with the previous score back in February. 

Baseline:

2X 10 Band Pull Uparts/ Band Pass Thru/ Banded Overhead Squat

3-5 Sets of 3 Reps  Snatch Squat Press. Ascending load each set. Hold the top of the the press for two seconds before bringing down. 

Skill Development:

3X AFAP to get heartrate Up

20 Deficit Push Ups on Plates

10 Broad Jumps

Snatch Prep: 

3 Reps , ascending in weight for a total of 5 Reps. Dont be afraid to squat a few. You will have to get under the bar at some point.

WOD:

"Grace"

30 Snatches for Time 135/95

100615 Tough Mudder this weekend!!

If you are looking to get outside and do something you may never have done before, there is a Tough Mudder in Tahoe this weekend. At each event I speak to folks about challenging themselves to LIVE their lives and do something for the First time. This is your opportunity to not only use your fitness but also to use your teamwork skills as well. 

I hope that over the years I have prepared you to accomplish the mission, whatever it may be, and to do so with your teammates in mind. CrossFit training is practically made for Tough Mudder. You will be able to do everything and lead the way for the folks who are either not as confident or may lack the mental strength to carry on. 

Plus there is beer. I know you suckas love that. The venue is one of the most sought after in the US, with faithful mudders flocking from all over the world to run this course. And its in your own backyard. 

Got the kids? No problem. One of the coolest things is the Mini-mudder course for the little ones. It is worth checking out. The course is badass. 

I hope you all sign up and get out there this weekend. You will be able to see exactly why I come home so friggin stoked after each event. The stories, the people, the camraderie. DO IT!

Baseline:

3 Rounds for Quality,

:30 Ring Support Top Hold

:30 Ring Row Hold

:30 Superman Hold

:15 Rest between each element.

WOD:

Tough mudder Prep wod,

25 Min AMRAP

800m Run

25 See the Lights 25/15

10 Chest To bar pull Ups

090615 Boosting Testosterone

There is a lot of chatter around the sports science world right now about Testosterone levels in Women athletes. Here are the claims: 1) Should baseline Testosterone levels be set for both men and women in sport. 2) Should women who have naturally higher baseline Testosterone levels (subjective inference), be allowed to compete agains women who do not. 

The science and sport world are always trying to put the right block into the right holes to even out the playing field.. and that is cool. WE as a society like to see good matchups and we LOVE to mock and accuse those super athletes for cheating. Simple. Well let's tackle this first problem and that is setting levels of testosterone for both sexes as a standard. My opinion, fuck no. These scientists need to get out of the lab and onto the field. We have weight classes in wrestling, we have height disparity in Basketball (kinda). Sport is sport. For thousands of years athletes have taken the field or mats or courts in their respective sports and the best have always risen to the top. Hell, the Reebok CrossFit Games is predicated on this premise. No matter the size, shape, ability, the best will rise to the top if the tests are broad and inclusive. Moreover, when you deal in standards of physiology, there are ethical bridges you have to cross and may burn. By putting testing standards on athletes like this would further disillusion the sports and the fans; not to mention the human being who is judged. 

Not to say though that testosterone cannot be manipulated and supplemented by athletes who intentionally cheat. That is a nono. I get that side of the argument, BUT... This brings us to our second point about naturally higher levels in some women precluding them from competing in the sport. 

Let's look at track and field sports. Distance runners have an entirely different training regiment and metabolic firing rate than say a 100m hurdler does. The Hurdler is clearly functioning in the glycolytic pathway where the 10 or 5k runner is aerobically charged. It doesn't take a genius to see that the training regiments will have an impact on overall Testosterone and hormone levels. I mean, Just look at the size of the athletes!! Testosterone can rise in a more explosive and strength mode of training and can go way down for distance runners or normal exercisers who enjoy a nice jog or a few laps in the pool. Once again, I say let the sport sort itself out. You will have specialists who crush certain things and then you will have the heptathletes who are going to be great all around. They should all stand side by side and test each other. Makes it interesting for me as a spectator and the sport gets better in the long run. 

This year at the 2015 CrossFit Games Regionals I saw Neil Maddox take his shirt off. I have seen it many times before as I have competed against him over the years. Every time I see him, I am absolutely blown away. He is truly a specimen of human perfection. Truly. He trumps me physically in his stature ( slightly shorter which is better in CrossFit) and he out weighs me by probably 30 pounds. I don't go cry foul, I fucking bust my ass and see if I can keep up with him. And you know what? I don't care when he beats me because I did my best and he was better at the tasks we were assigned to do. That is sport. If you don't like it, go run a 5k and get your medal at the end. Just know that there are always going to be people who are going to be better than you, it is your choice to try to be better or make excuses why you couldn't. 

Testosterone calibration is too intrusive and it crosses the ethical line for sport. As long as its fair enough and supplementation has been ruled out... Let's see it. Humans are becoming amazing, let's let it ride and see where it goes. 

Baseline:

With partner,

3X

30 KB Box Step Ups

20 Box Jump Overs

200m Run

Partition reps as you see fit.

Strength:

Back Squat 

4X5 @ 85%

WOD:

5 Rounds For Time

9 HSPU

5 Squat Clean 225/155

050615 "Christine"

I will not be programming the weekends for the time being, as the weather is perfect for outdoor activities and competitions. If you are looking for fun please go and support the Good Times GRID team at the Nor Cal Amateur GRID comp in Pleasanton on Saturday!!

Baseline:

800m Run

10mX 

Marching High Kicks

Elbow to Instep

High Knees 

Buttkickers

Broad Jumps

Lateral Plyo Steps W/ Arm Swing

Banded Mobility:

Lat 

Bully

Pitchers

Squat/Hip

Skill Development:

Snatch 1 Rep,  EMOM 9 @ 85%

Snatch Deadlift 3 Reps, EMOM 7 @105% of snatch

WOD:

"Christine"

3 Rounds for Time

500m Row

12 Bodyweight Deadlifts

21 Box Jumps 24/20"

040615 CrossFit Rules!!

Are you guys fired up on CrossFit? I sure as hell am. Every day I wake up totally stoked on the opportunity to challenge you and test myself with the best fitness method ever, Couple that with living our healthy lifestyle and we have a lot to be thankful for. 

CrossFit is unlike anything that has come before it. No, it is not reinventing the pull up, setting world records on olympic lifting, but what it is doing is changing lives. Daily. CrossFit is the most open sourced and peer reviewed method of training and education that I have ever studied. Beyond that, this sport has united the world through garage gyms, parks, internet, and everywhere one of us sees another crossfitter (and its hard to miss us) and gives that smile of acknowledgement. Special.

You have all accepted the challenge and proven to yourself that your health is worth working hard for. CrossFit gives you the emotional backing and physical education unrivaled by anything else in fitness. You are a piece of the movement, the family that is forging a new path in this country. Thank you and get fired UP!!

Baseline:

5 minutes on A.A. Bike

3X

5 Pull Up Negatives +:03

5 Ring Push Up Negatives +:03

12 KB SDHP 53/35

Skill Development

Weighted Pull Up

5-5-5-3-3

After Each Set, preform a max set of Ring Dips.

WOD:

85 KB Swing For Time For Time @ 53/35

EMOM 9 Wall Ball

Cool Down:

35 Hip Extentions

030615 "Flavor Faker"

I heard a very interesting piece on NPR about the flavor of your food and its nutritional value. Plant and animal science has developed efficiency in all food products and the processed food science has developed all the taste. So today we are really in a battle for what we KNOW is good for us and what our gustation THINKS is good for us.

The scientist reported that there is more DNA associated with your sense of taste than there is for any other in your body. Evolutionarily speaking this makes perfect sense. If you were primal man and you came upon some badass plant or animal and said, "I wanna Eat That!" then you body better develop sense enough to determine whether it would kill you or not. Thank your ancestors for being the guinea pigs...

Additionally your gustation (sense of taste) has a built in gauge for telling your body how good a food is for you. Nutrition used to be intrinsically tied to flavor; think natural plants that were used for food, medicines, and natural supplements by our ancestors and primal peoples. Today our factory farming has left food utterly tasteless. Chicken tastes like cardboard, Vegetables are flavorless, and fruits are picked long before maturity, stunting nutritional advantages. 

Food Scientists have picked up where nature is now falling short... big time. Think of how many types and flavors of Doritos there are??? A ton. The chemical compounds created in a lab and poured onto or stuffed into our processed food is a trick to our senses. Our body is amazing at sensing what is going to be good for us;  When you open a package, letting your nose explore, it will sense that the flavors of the processed food is more appealing than that of its whole food counterpart. 

Additionally the term NATURAL is really a farce. Natural compounds are apparently low cost compounds like pine needles and lawn clippings which have chemical likeness to things like Vanilla and Peaches. The FDA looks at the chemical composition of the Pine Needle 'Vanilla' concoction as having identical compounds to REAL vanilla to Boom! The food companies are allowed to slap and "ALL NATURAL" label on the bag! So buyer beware. What you think you are consuming is probably not what you are consuming. 

Once again, Farmers Markets are a true key to proper Nutrition and better health. Food Grown at farmers markets has a higher likelyhood of having less pesticides, non-GMO, organic, better flavor and more nutrients. Don't let a false sense of flavor and price dictate your food shopping. Health is a buy in program. You have to buy into it through proper choices in order to maintain proper order and function. You get out what you put in, PERIOD.

Baseline:

2 Rounds

250 M row

5 Wall Climbs

250m Row

30 2ct. Mtn Climbers

Strength:

Strict Press

3X5 @ heaviest for the Day

.(..work up to heavy set of 5 THEN do the 3 sets)

3X10 Front Squats @ Press Load

WOD:

3X 3:00 AMRAP

400m Run (HAF)

Shoulder to Overhead 155/105

Rest 3 Mins between Rounds

Score is Total STOH.

020615 "Prize Fighter"

Maximal Effort is expected every day you step into the Training Room. Period. To accommodate for this, It is my job to set you up for success. A varied and complete programming model ensures that you as an athlete will reach you max potential each training day. 

So what does maximal effort really look like? Well, it is as dynamic as the programming. I am refering to virtuosity always in both the mental and physical realms. Physically you should preform all movements with 100% accuracy and at a pace where you must consciously focus on each rep in order to do so. Mentally, a maximal effort refers to the challenge of FEAR. Fear grips you when you are crushing a backsquat set and you feel your body begin to waiver under the load. Fear is the voice inside your head telling you that it is ok to stop just because it feels uncomfortable. Maximal Effort requires you to push the boundaries of your limits. My job is to provide the environment to do so. 

You don't give a sub-maximal effort to your marriage. You don't raise your kids half-assed! So why should you even think that the training grounds should be any different? This is where we learn the values which we live by OUTSIDE the gym! That character will sustain you and it is infectious in the greater population. 

Do your BEST.. Its all that I ask. In everything you do. Your BEST will make us all BETTER.

Baseline:

400m Jog

20m X

Plyo Steps

High Knees

Butt Kickers

Fig 4 Drills

Skip with Arm Swing

Carioca

Foot Work Drills

Skill Development:

8X :20 on :20 Off

ODD: Chin Over Bar Hold

Even: Hand Stand Hold

Rest 2 Mins

3X :60 alternating W/ 1 minute Rest

A)3 Legless Rope Climb

B) 15X Deficit Push Ups

WOD: 

For TIme

150 Double Unders

50 Box Jump Overs

35 Knees To Elbow

12 Hang Power Clean 185/125

010615 "Speed Up"

Hyperinsulinemia is a metabolic derangement that can result from consuming too many carbohydrates. The recent (an not so recent) studies pointing to disease pathways begin with the constant spiking of blood sugar.

The list of diseases caused by hyperinulinemia ranges from colorectal cancer, alzheimers disease, coronary artery disease, and of course obesity. Though frightening, many continue to consume without the knowledge or care to do anything about it. The problems are rarely acute but gradual, affecting the individual over the course of years not moments. 

The bright side of knowing what we know about this disease is that mitigation of risk is accomplished by knowledgeable food choices. Choosing carbohydrates with a low "glycemic index" will help. Low Glycemic index foods function to deliver nutrients to the body without causing high fluctuations in blood sugar. The link above has a guide for you to use.  It is no surprise that more 'whole' foods make the list of low glycemic choices. It is also a shocker for many that those foods which I am advising you to eat, also have a shorter shelf life than their high glycemic counterparts.

Processed foods are integral to the high glycemic problem and a host to metabolic disease because in this country, processed food is usually low quality food pumped with sugar to give it appeal. Please refrain from eating sugar laden foods. Please! 

Disease= "Ain't Nobody Got Time For Dat" . So watch what you are putting into your body because you may not feel it today but your gut is keeping tabs on how you treat it!

Baseline:

3 Rounds

200m Run

20 Samson Lunges

12 Ring Push Up 

Strength:

Back Squat 

A) 4X4 @ 85%

or

B) Establish New 3 RM From 4/16

WOD:

7 Minute AMRAP

40 Bar Facing Burpees

20 Overhead Squats 120/105

10 Muscle Ups

300515 "Beverley"

One Lives in the Hope of Becoming a Memory. -Antonio Porchia

I cannot begin to imaging the loss of parent. The life that gave you life, the soul that imprinted upon you and nurtured your being. I can speak of death or passing of a loved one. I know the pain that you alone feel, for it is the loss undoubtedly your own to bear for as long as you keep the memories alive. 

Together we can mend and brighten up that part of the heart that still remains here with us, which hopefully can bring light to an unusually dark time. We are unique in that we have each other to lean on in this situation. For driven into solitude we are left with nothing but despair and without the windows of each others spirit we would live in the dark. 

We are behind you Titus. If you need anything please do not hesitate to ask. That is truly what friends are for.

http://www.youcaring.com/memorial-fundraiser/support-the-titus-family-in-their-time-of-grief/356199

Copy and paste this URL to your toolbar and make a donation in honor of the Titus family.

"Beverley"

For Time

53 Push Ups

53 Jumping Pull Ups

53 KB Swings 35/26

53 OH Plate Lunges 45/25

53 Knees To Elbow

53 Push Press 45/35

53 Front Squats 45/35

53 Burpees

53 Sit Ups

53 Double Unders