Bueno Fitness

Get Right For Summer Nutritional Guide 2009

2009-04-20T14:08:00.000-07:00

GET RIGHT FOR SUMMER
Nutrition Guide
(v. 1, 16APR09)

“Meat and veggies, seed and nuts, some fruit, little startch, no sugar.
Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.”

Nutrition is NOT about numbers or types of the three macronutrients (Carbohydrates aka CHO, Protein aka PRO, Fat). It is about the hormonal response they put the body through. This is important for those who want to eat for performance, those who want to gain weight, and especially for those who want to lose weight.

When you ingest CHO the body breaks it down into glucose (aka sugar)- the body produces the hormone insulin which tells the body and its cells to store energy in. Too much storage becomes extra fat on your body. You know what “The Itis” or “Food Coma” is? That's the body getting fat. Stop doing that if you want to be healthy. It's not hot and you're not going to slim down or shape up.

When you ingest PRO the body breaks it down and produces the hormone glucagon. Glucagon tells the body and its cells to release energy. This is a good thing. Most people need to get more protein in. For you number people you should have half of your body weight in pounds in grams of protein. (ie. John weights 180lbs. He should have 90g of protein thoughout the day.).

Here's a great way to remind yourself how you eat (other than the quote at the very top): Look at your hand. You have 5 fingers: eat 5 times a day. This means three meals and two snacks. Or four small meals and one snack. Or five meals. Imagine your fingers dissapear. Memorize the size of your palm. This is generally the same size of protein you should have per meal. (My hand is about 4-5 oz, so I try to eat that much PRO per meal). Look at the inside of your hand. Do you have calluses? If not, you don't work hard enough. Get some.

So you've put down your protein for you meal. How do you finish it out? If you're using a normal 8-10” plate, fill the rest out (if you want) with vegetables and/or fruit. You can even have a little bit of CHO if you choose to (you had better just worked out!). Finish it off with some sort of FAT content to help keep you satiated.

When looking at products, read the label. If you're a calorie counter, cool. But it's not important to everyone. QUALITY over QUANTITY. Read the nutritional data. In order of importance, read Carbohydrate content (stay low), Protein content (get high), Sugar content (stay really low) and finally Fat content (stay relatively low). Read the ingredients. The less, the better. The more REAL foods, the better. High fructose corn syrup? Don't eat it. Sugar content per serving should be less than 20 grams. Why is America the most obese country in the world? Because we depend on the startches that are marketed towards us and most don't know any better. YOU do now. Did you know that the original food pyramid was funded by the grain companies? Where do you usually find the food pyramid posted? Cereals, breads, fucking “health” bars. They want you to keep buying their products. Foods that rot are good. Watch this: http://foundationfitness.blogspot.com/2009/01/these-french-fries-dont-die.html

Remember: mother nature is on no one's payroll.

WARNING: Truth is ahead. You've been warned!

If you're “too busy” to watch what you're eating or prepare the proper foods for yourself, your priorities are fucked up. Don't expect to see any results because you want to keep your comfort foods. You know what's comforting about eating well? YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT YOUR FUTURE HEALTH! Family history of diabetes? High blood pressure? High cholesterol? Heart attacks? I promise that with proper diet and exercise, these won't have to be a factor into your future. On a smaller scale, you won't be sick as much and you'll have more energy during the day. Who likes being energetic naturally? Who likes sleeping well and having a great day because you just feel good? I do. You should too.

The following is a list of foods to buy and eat. There are millions of different meal options you can come up with, and it's only six weeks. If you absolutely can't stick with anything after those six weeks, go back to the way you normally eat. I applaud your willingness to try, but I am so sorry that it didn't work out for you. I'll guarantee that if you eat more like that quote all the way at the top and become/stay active that you will have true health.

You can deal with it, I'm sure. On with the goodness!

MEAT
beef (Grass-fed if possible)
chicken (breasts, wings, thighs)
pork (chops, tenderloin)
turkey
eggs (my personal #1)
ground meats (beef, turkey)
sausage (italian, beef, chicken, pork)
fish
deli meats (fresh, roasted stuff, packaged)

VEGGIES
Obviously there are plenty of options, but here are my favorites:
asparagus
bell peppers
celery
cucumber
garlic
onion
spaghetti squash
spinach
sugar snap pea
sweet potato/yam (great for post-workout)
radish
romaine lettuce
tomato

SEED & NUTS – again, plenty of options. Go raw, the less processed, the better.
almond
brazil nuts
cashew
flax seed
macadamia
pecan
pine
pistachio
pumpkin seed
sunflower seed
walnut
peanuts

*peanuts are not nuts. They are legumes so they're starches! Stay away!

FRUIT
apple
avacado
banana
berries (acai, black, blue, boysen, currant, goose, ligon, rasp, straw, )
coconut
cherry
grape
grapefruit
kiwi
lemon
lime
melon
orange
peach
pineapple (and other tropical fruits)
pomegranate
pumpkin

STARTCH
quinoa
Irish steel-cut oatmeal
spelt
potato, sweet potato
corn tortilla

FATS/OTHER
yogurt (greek-style, plain)
fish oil supplements (fish oil in the warmer months, cod fish oil in the colder months)
avacado
butter (butter > margarine)
olive oil
nut butters (almond, peanut, cashew)
salsa
tomato sauces
cheese (cheddar, feta, provalone, swiss)
coconut oil
ice cream (go natural, like Bryers Vanilla)

STAY-AWAYS!/IFFY – high glycemic loads produce a high insulin response!
carrots, corn, bananas (good for post-workouts)
the majority of all startches: pasta, bread, cereals, “meal” bars, chips, crackers, etc.

SORRY! But if you want to have more energy and let your bodies systems run better so you can lose weight, build muscle, climb a tree, get right for summer, etc. then you have to cut down on these.

Anything that says “healthy” is probably not.

Expect future info on snacks, eating out, “fast food” options, dialing in exactly on how to lose weight, gain weight or eating for performance.

SQUATS & MILK

2009-03-02T21:34:00.000-08:00

Starting Strength program + Gallon of Milk a day = HUGE STRENGTH & SIZE

Why milk?

Mark Rippetoe on NPR

2009-01-09T22:08:00.000-08:00

Original article here (courtesy CrossFit mainsite)

What Would Rob Do to Lose 10 Pounds in 2009?

Up until my mid 20's, I was one of those lucky guys who could down a milkshake, burger, and fries and then laugh about how fast my metabolism could burn it away. I never quite made it to the Michael Phelps 10,000 calories a day plan, but I didn't really have to think too hard about staying in shape.

The pinnacle of my athletic experience came in 2003 when I ran the Rock and Roll Marathon in San Diego, California. Since then, it's been a slow slide down a few notches on my belt. It's not that I don't want to exercise; I just have a lot going on with my new daddy duties which makes it hard to figure out when to fit it in. Thankfully, my new pudge is nothing too alarming at this point. I haven't had to make any wardrobe changes yet, but I'd like to start this new year by trying to get into some better habits so I can hopefully reverse the trend.

Fortunately, my older brother, who is very into fitness and weight training, was able to point me in the right direction. He said the best person to talk to about getting in shape is Mark Rippetoe. Rippetoe has literally changed my brother's life. Big bro wound up canceling all of his muscle magazine subscriptions once he read about Rippetoe's training philosophy. I figure anyone that can do that is worth a call. Click above to hear my conversation with Rippetoe.

In my podcast next week I'll be talking over Rippetoe's tips with NPR's David Kestenbaum, but in the meantime if you have a comment on anything he said in the interview, feel free to post.

best fitness blogs

2008-12-16T21:30:00.001-08:00

http://www.gymjunkies.com/best-fitness-blogs/

great thread

2008-11-17T02:56:00.000-08:00

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_forum/sports_boxing_fighting_mma_combat/the_case_against_crossfit_?id=2569090&pageNo=2

This one deals with the argument of CrossFit being a "superior training program". I agree that it is not the end all of training, nor the best thing to do for specificity, but damn if it doesn't do a good job of getting to a certain level of fitness (see: GPP). It's the Jack of All Trades, master of none... but we'll see how the program evolves.

The Truth About CrossFit

2008-11-10T17:07:00.000-08:00

by Chris Shugart for T-Nation.com. Thanks to Dwinson for the heads up!

"The Truth About CrossFit"

"Was I in the right place?" I asked myself for the second time that day.

The little street near Southern Methodist University in Dallas was an incongruous blend of old houses and new bars teeming with college kids. It was 9 p.m. and the sun had set, making it impossible for me to read the street numbers. Finally I pulled over next to a bar called The Green Elephant to look at my directions again.

And that's when I saw them, a handful of men and women lunging down a long corridor holding Olympic bars over their heads. A well-built young man held a timer and appeared to be either encouraging them or yelling at them.

I'd finally found CrossFit Dallas Central, one of 650 CrossFit affiliate gyms.

Later I learned that the athletes — which included members of the SMU lacrosse team — were performing what the owner of the facility called a "single-movement mindfuck." This group was on their 28th minute of overhead walking lunges, the only exercise in that day's workout. The record was 400 meters in 20 minutes flat. The sweat poured.

Earlier that day, at 6:45 a.m., I'd had the same experience, driving around an industrial-warehouse district in Plano looking for building numbers in the dark. That time, instead of lunging lacrosse players, I was clued in by a man running by my truck wearing a weighted vest. I followed.

Ripping the vest off, he walked through a door with me close behind. CrossFit Plano was small but well-equipped with the standard markers of the "CF" gym: bumper plates, Olympic bars, kettlebells, dumbbells, gymnastic rings, climbing ropes, tractor tires, bands, Concept II rowers, medicine balls, pull-up bars.

The runner dashed into the next room and began to do kipping pull-ups. I learned later he was doing "Murph": a one-mile run in a vest followed by 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 body-weight squats, and another one-mile run, all done against the clock.

This "WOD," or Workout of the Day, was named after a Navy Lieutenant and CrossFit enthusiast killed in Afghanistan. Most other WODs are given girl names, like they used to do with hurricanes.

I was there to learn the truth about CrossFit, the training phenomenon dubbed "one of the fastest-growing fitness movements on the planet" by the Business News Network. Later, I'd do interviews with CF fans and critics, make phone calls, and read everything I could find online. But I'd start by driving to Dallas and doing CrossFit ... twice in one day.

This is what I learned. This, as I see it, is the truth about some of the most controversial aspects of CrossFit.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE!

Post-Workout Nutrition

2008-11-03T14:30:00.000-08:00

from Robb Wolf's site:

Jason had a great question that I receive fairly frequently:

Jason Arp
Jason@crossfitaddiction.com

Hey Robb I’ve been zoning for a little over a month now, body comp has never been better, I have no problems with energy throughout the day and I continue to PR on most things but performance has not taken off like you say it should. I feel like I’m losing strength, as weird as it sounds, even though I continue to PR a little I can feel strength decreasing (i.e. some exercise just aren’t as smooth and I’m hitting muscle failure quicker than I was a few months ago). I’ve read 42 Ways and most of your diet stuff on here. I know about moving most of your carbs to the PWO meal and moving the fat from the PWO and spread it out the rest the day (I’m sure you’re tired of explaining that alot). But I’m not sure what exactly in detail I should include in my PWO meal (other than yams and apples that you mentioned in 42 Ways). I feel that the PWO meal is very important bc I think recovery is the most important aspect of training. If it’s not too much trouble could you go into a little detail about exactly what foods are good to put into PWO and why? I greatly apprectiate it.

There are two things that need to be tackled here, the first is PWO food recommendations, the second is the strength issue.

PWO Meal

The idea of a PWO meal containing carbs (and protein) is to take advantage of a period of time in which the muscles are particularly insulin sensitiveve. We can fly nutrients into the muscle “under the radar” via a mechanism called “non insulin mediated glucose transport”. Amino acids are also taken in during this time and may play a synergistic role in both glycogen repletion but also decreasing inflammation that accompanies hard training. Said another way, you recover from exertion faster. So, what should ya eat? We actually want a starchy carb as our primary carb. Yams and sweet potatoes are great options as they are also highly nutritious. Fruit should be used sparingly in this meal if one is focused on optimized glycogen repletion as fructose refills liver glycogen first, and once liver glycogen is full we up-regulate the lipogenic activity of the liver and start down the road towards fat gain and insulin resistance.

I know James Fitzgerald (OPT) has used a mixture of mashed sweet potato and apple sauce for PWO meal…getting just a bit of hepatic (liver) glycogen repletion with the lions share going to the muscles. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top to enhance insulin sensitivity and you are set. Why do the mixture? Perhaps James will chime in on this but for me a simple answer would be palatability and taste. If you just received an ass-kicking, stuffing food down your pie-hole may not be that appealing. Something yummy could certainly make that easier.

Why not shakes? I’ve not found them to be superior to solid food, I have noticed they make people fat. A new paper just came out comparing milk & cereal (shitty food) to a PWO shake (also shitty food) and the milk+cereal beat the shake with regards to glycogen repletion. Go figure. I’d wager salmon and sweet potatoes would be even better…not likely to see that study!

The PWO window is most potent immediately after a WO and drops off to about 50% efficacy by 30 min, and pretty much back to baseline by an hour. If you train at night, just try to get that meal in immediately after training and keep an eye out for fat gain around the mid-section. If thyis happens, dial back your carbs.

Strength

There is a reality that getting really lean will decrease your absolute strength. We loose a bit of intramuscular fat that improves leverage and it just tends to take a little off the top end of things like squats and DL’s. You can still have great absolute strength and your relative strength will greatly improve…but if you are leanign out you almost inevitabley will see those top-end numbers come dwon a bit as compared to running just a bit heavier. Also, I’m assuming you are ramped up to a 5x fat, athlete’s Zone diet.

Five Worst Dietary Transgressions

2008-10-22T00:25:00.000-07:00

from The Modern Forager:

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine told me that my “body hates me” because I don’t generally eat pastured chicken. Because of the amount of food that I eat to support my body weight and activity level, it would be very expensive for me to eat $2/lb chicken everyday. So I grab antibiotic- and hormone-free chicken from the local grocery store at $.69-.99/lb on sale (wait until it’s about a week from going out of date, then stock up the freezer). While the chickens are fed grains, they are not pumped up on hormones. I can shore up the poor omega-3:omega-6 ratio with some extra fish oil, which I do.

In light of that conversation, I want to touch on what I consider to be dietary indiscretions that will make your body hate you.

READ MORE!

10 Marathon Tips

2008-10-20T11:33:00.000-07:00

Active.com's The Gear Junkie: 10 Tips to Make It Through a Marathon

'Tis the season to run your legs off. Each autumn, from St. Paul to Seattle, tens of thousands of runners wrap up a year of training with a 26.2-mile run. I ran my requisite annual marathon this past weekend, pacing at just under eight-minute miles in the Twin Cities Marathon to pull my best personal time to date at 3 hours, 27 minutes. Here are 10 quick tips--some highly personal, some quite unorthodox--on the gear, running techniques and nutrition I use to make it from the start line through 26.2 miles and to the end.

READ MORE!

CFT

2008-10-18T18:06:00.001-07:00

There's a CrossFit Total tomorrow at Local's Gym again.

Am I ready to compete? Will I not scratch multiple times again?

I hope so...

i suck

2008-09-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

i will be moving and writing at this blog from this point on.

time to organize everything and get on track. the last post really put me onto time management.

Time Management

2008-08-25T16:06:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I didn't check this out when I first saw news of this. Randy Pausch was a professor at Carnagie Mellon University in Pennsylvania who was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Here is the entire 1 hour 16 minute speech.

Tabata Sucks!

2008-08-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

Only when you're feeling like crap, hot as hell and lacking sleep.

I was waaaaaay off my PR of 67 today. I scored a 44.

I started with pushups. Probably should've done squats since it's my strong point. Ripped my left hand on the pullups, blisters on my right AND I came out of the gate waaaay too strong (first round=22) only to mess myself up physically and mentally during the last set (1). Boo!

Is there a reason it's so much harder for me to function in heat? I was raised in Washington so I love and thrive in the colder weather. This was like when I was down in Vegas- I had to pause throughout my workout because I was gasping for air. Taking shirts off don't do much there.

I also made a mix for today's "Tabata This!" that you can download here. It's more hip hop, of course.

)=

2008-08-13T17:20:00.001-07:00

I've neglected this site for too long. My laptop crashed a while back and I've been busy with running the Foundation CrossFit blog to put anything in here. I'll get back on this, I hope.

Quick updates:

I'm on my 6th week of the 20-rep squat program. I'm currently at 210lbs for twenty reps. It is some hard stuff. I'll be finishing up on my 10th week 09Sep08, the day before my 23rd birthday.
I was on a roll of PR's for a while. I have since hit some workouts and have not outperformed myself. It's ok though, I'm really satified with my progress. I need to figure out a proper programming.. I've only been going on a truely random template, making sure I don't repeat too many things.
My nutrition took a big fall. Enough said. I'll get to cleaning it up AFTER September. It's my birthday month and I'm going to party. The way I see it is I'm waaaaay healthier than most of peers. In high school and post-high school I didn't NOTHING. I didn't develop any bad habits. I have taken plenty of complete sobriety breaks. I don't go crazy, but I'm going to enjoy it while I'm young. Nothing crazy, but you only live once.

Gymagery

2008-08-08T01:09:00.000-07:00

dope site: http://gymagery.blogspot.com/

Yo

2008-07-08T23:50:00.000-07:00

So I did the Reset and lost 4 lbs. I feel a little more energetic and maybe that combined with the butterfly kips have helped me make personal bests in 5+ workouts. Sucky part is that I moved and am currently not eating as healthy as I can/should be.

Tonight I decided to completely re-do the 20 Rep Squat program because I slacked over and over and would miss weeks and try to make it up in weight which would mentally make me fail. SO I'm now doing "20-REP TUESDAYS". Every Tuesday my workout will be a 20-rep squat day, hopefully with a 5lbs increase every week until September 9th (the day before my 23rd birthday).

That gives me 10 weeks (including today) to stay accountable. By the 9th I should be squatting 235lbs for 20 reps, meaning my 1RM should be around 350lbs. And by then my deadlift should be over 400lbs. Both would put me between Advanced and Elite Levels of Strength according to this. It's going to be awesome.

After 30 minutes or so after doing the squats I decided to join the class in doing a CrossFit benchmark WOD

"ANGIE"
100 pullups
100 pushups
100 situps
100 squats

14:29 (PR by 2:30)

YEAAAAA. Laid the f*(& out!

And you know when you've ripped too much when a callus rips only to reveal another callus!

This was dope. No blood, no pain.

Do full squats!

2008-06-26T10:48:00.001-07:00

many professionals in the industry advise against full squats

millions of people all over the world disagree.

"Partial squats are never good. They neglect the hips and hamstrings. When an athlete stops above parallel, his knee joints are forced to halt the downward momentum, but once the athlete goes below parallel that stress is transfered to the more powerful group in the hips, hamstrings, and adductors. Full squats keep all these muscle groups proportionately strong."

Bill Starr - Strength Coach John Hopkins University Sept. 1997

Frantastic

2008-06-24T00:55:00.000-07:00

How many times do you think people have used that post title?

Anywho, I PR'ed today by 61 seconds.

"FRAN"
21-15-9 reps for time:
thrusters, 95lbs
pullups

4:23

Yeaaaaa.. And I just recovered from a brutal workout the other week. Why'd I PR again? Maybe it's because I'm on my first day of my 5-day Reset! I forgot to take pictures of myself as a "beforehand" so I'll hopefully remember it tomorrow morning.

Today:
Morning - AM Multivitamins, Strawberry Shake
Mid Morn - Iced Lemon Bar
Lunch - Vanilla Shake, 15oz can of Lite Sliced Peaches, Braeburn Apple, 5oz Black Forest Ham
Afternoon - Peanut Butter Bar
Dinner - Chocolate Shake + Hard Boiled Eggs (2)
Evening Snack - TenX Blast Antioxidant Bar, PM Multivitamins + Episodes 4 & 5 of Battlestar Galactica: Season 3

Easy as pie.

2008-06-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

Nutrition 101: The One Rule to Remember (from the Modern Forager):

EAT REAL FOOD.

Let’s keep it simple: Eat real foods, preferably in their natural state. I think it’s pretty easy to figure out what is “food” and what isn’t. A few things to remember:

Food grows and dies. It isn’t created.
Food rots, wilts, and becomes generally unappetizing, typically rather quickly.
Food doesn’t need an ingredient label (and probably isn’t in a package either).
Food doesn’t have celebrity endorsements.
Food doesn’t make health claims.

Let’s give some foods this simple test and see if we should eat them:

Broccoli - Most certainly a real food
Steak - Deliciously real food, straight off the cow
Oreo cookies - Hold while I read the ingredients. Are you serious?
Eggs - Bingo
Walnuts - Check
Spaghetti - I don’t recall seeing a spaghetti tree on my last hike
Pop-Tarts - Just seeing if you’re paying attention
Pasteurized/Homogenized Milk - Nope, not in its natural state
Raw Milk - Yep, real food, naturally

----

It's so easy, but today's society wants to make it so difficult. Stop playing into the hype! Real food will put you into the best state in your life.

The preparation begins

2008-05-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

I've become so ridiculously busy in the past couple of weeks, but because of that I'm going to go through with my Reset next week (starting Monday). Most people do it to lose weight. I don't need or intend to do that. My reasons are to clean my system out. Detox. I'm tired of being tired. Not smiling and being bubbly. It sucks especially when you need to be on top of you game because people look to you as a role model and for advice. I don't want to be a hypocrite. I guess, if anything, this just shows that EVERYONE (including the people you admire) slip up and need to restrategize and freshen up their gameplans.

One of the most important things with nutrition is getting the right amount of vitamins and minerals in your body. Ideally, you'd want to get that through the foods you eat. WE DO NOT EAT "HEALTHY". I'm guilty as well. Most of you know I'm not a huge supplement person (when compared to most meatheads whose daily meal plans look like a science experiment), but I do take some important ones:

Multi-vitamin. We don't get everything. Even when eating Zone/Paleo, I felt I didn't get everything that I should've. Maybe it was what groceries I had. Regardless, I caught up with everything else in that little pill.

Protein. This was my "quick meal". The best post-workout nutrition. Why? Because the body doesn't have to break it down as much, therefore the body absorbs it quickly and you really reap the benefits from exercise. Also, if I didn't eat (if i was hungry or not), this is something I could put down to keep "fueling my fire" (brownie points if you know what I'm talking about!)

Fish Oil. Healthy fats, peoples. Fats don't make you fat. Processed carbs, too many grains (!), bad fats (trans, LDLs, VLDLs), and lack of activity make you fat. Healthy oils such as this help protect cells (small picture) which of course help everything else function properly as well: joints, heart, brain, eyes, etc.

So those are my three. My good three. You can take everything else, but it's really about taking care of the body. We're so quick to help FIX things when the become a problem. We need to start PREVENTING it. Degenerative diseases are the #1 killer of people today.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

So you have the weekend to make the choice and I would love for some more people to join along the adventure with me. Let's be a team!

Slacking... big time.

2008-05-13T15:42:00.001-07:00

In the past month I've done really, really well with my workouts.

I've also done really, really well with slipping up when it comes to nutrition.

And so, in the ever-raging battle that is life I am going to partake in an adventure that will fix my ass up (figuratively/literally). I've done something similar in the past with so-so results, but I have a feeling this will be 100x better. It's also going to help with other aspects of my health: sleep & rest, energy levels and, most importantly, attitude.

Watch me and this blog; pictures and daily updates to come to track my progress and keep me accountable. If this works for me, I'm going to recommend that my clients and friends try this out too.

Here we go! (c) Mario

Yaay Burpees! (c) Coach Burgener

2008-05-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

50 burpees for time:
2:48

I was going to then complete the 100 burpee challenge, but I quit. )= Haven't been in the right mindset lately and it's really getting to me.

----

Scott wrote up an awesome article about the origin of one of my favorite sites/blogs:

"What does "Modern Forager" mean? How did I come up with that name?"

My First CFT

2008-05-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

Earlier today at Local's Gym, the local affiliates had a CrossFit Total Meet. The turnout wasn't that big, so we only really needed one rack. Coach Dave and Jesse ran the meet. Good times!

My technical total was 775 lbs and I weighed in at 145 lbs. I missed some lifts OOPS

Thanks to Dwinson for the picture edit.

Squat 275 - 295 - 305 (miss: stuck in bottom)
Press 135 (miss: toe lift) - 140 (miss: stuck) - 140 (miss: stuck)
Deadlift 315 - 325 - 345 (miss: toe lift)

Deadlift starting position

I have to stop lifting my toes up. I was wearing Converse Chuck Taylors if you were wondering.

833 is the goal according to this ranking chart in the CrossFit FAQ.

Jello Legs

2008-05-02T16:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Mikey and I did some MetCon because I needed to rest today in preparation for tomorrow's heavy lifts.

"Cindy"
amrap in 20 min:
5 pullups
10 pushups
15 squats

23 rds + 5, 10, 2 (PR)

Now I can't walk properly, my chest is tight and I can't raise my arms. This. Is. Awesome. In other news, the new May issues of the CrossFit Journal and the Performance Menu are out!

"Recognize that there is a benefit to not getting everything you want"
- Jason Dougherty, CFJ May 2008

I haven't been righteous with my nutrition lately

2008-04-30T19:25:00.000-07:00

Mikey and i each ate a Gordito's Grande Burrito last night.

Jesse from Local's told me NOT to stay strictly on that 20-rep squat program.. so I did some other heavy lifts!

Press
6-6-3-3-1-1-1

125 - missed 5th lift - 130 - 130 - 135 - 135 - 140 (NEW PR)

yeaaaa

So ready to do my own total this weekend. I'm heading in early and doing my stuff and then staying to judge and cheer folk on. I'm hoping to get a 290 lbs squat, 140 lbs press and a 325 deadlift (CFT = 755 @ 145 lbs)

Baskin Robbins 31 cent scoop night! CHEAT NIGHT FOR ME!

The Quest for 315

2008-04-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

I have a goal to squat 315 lbs by the last week of June.

The other day Dwinson and I were chatting online and he sent me a link to some training program about a 20-rep squat program. The main gist of it (as I understand) is that you get your 10-rep max on the bar and do ten reps. Then one more. Then another. Then another until you get to 20. They're also known as breathing squats because you end up breathing more and more in between reps. It is more of mental challenge than anything, but it separates the boys from the men.

Yesterday I tried it out, without knowing any of my maxes (because I've never attempted anything other than a 1RM). I ended up doing my real 20-rep set with 185 lbs. It was hard and I definitely became slower in those later reps and was screaming like a mofo, but I could've gone and done 10+ reps if I wanted to. I'm a little sore in the legs and glutes today, but I'm going to attempt a bigger one tonight with Adrian. If I do the math correctly it should go like this:

Starting today, I have 10 weeks until the last week of June/first week of July to hit a 1RM of 315 lbs. Let's say that the normal programming with this method calls for 6 weeks of training. If I do these workouts 3x/week then I should have 18 workouts ahead of me. If I am adding 5 lbs per workout then I will be moving a complete 90 lbs within those six weeks. If I start off the program with 195 lbs then by the end of the six weeks I should be squatting 285 lbs. Would four weeks be enough for me to jump another 30 lbs? I think that would be attainable given that I survive the first six weeks training mostly with the 20-rep squats. Apparently this program also builds a lot of mass. Hopefully I stay around where I'm currently at. I don't wanna outgrow my clothes and/or look funnier (short guy, big body)

Further Reading:

20-Rep Squat Routine [CrossFit.com Message Boards]
20-Rep Squats: The Brutal Path to Massive Gains! [Bodybuilding.com]
Super Squats (Book Excerpt) [Dave Draper]
High Rep Squats [Dave Draper]

Didn't know my legs could do that much

2008-04-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

Crazy, fun workouts are just how I like working out. Nate, Marc and myself went up to Lynnwood for the Hooverball Tourney, except the turnout didn't go as planned SO we were still able to "Surrender Our Sweat" with an extreme WOD

From Jesse Ward, Clan Cheiftan of Local's Gym:

Have like a "Choose your own workout", kinda like "Those Choose Your Own Adventure" books. It could be so rad. You can rest as you decide where to go next…..

Set 1:

# 1: 5 Rounds of "Chelsea". If you complete in under 5 minutes go to workout #5 if you complete in longer than 5 minutes go to workout #6.

# 2: Go to workout #6

# 3: Work up to a max military press. If under m:100 w:60 go to workout #7 between m:101-149 w:61-79 go to workout #8 if above go to #9

# 4: Perform 30 Suitcase Deadlifts with m:20kg w:12kg each side and proceed to workout #7

# 5: "Tabata" Squats if your lowest interval is below 10 go to workout #2 if it’s higher than 10 go to workout #3

# 6: Row 1000m and do 25 Push-Ups. Proceed to workout #4

# 7: Perform 1 Rounds of "Michael". If using rowing instead of running proceed to workout #10. If time under 8 minutes proceed to workout #11, if over #12.

# 8: Proceed to workout #6

# 9: Perform 1 Round of "Lynne" If your score under 10 proceed to workout # 6 is between 11 and 20 proceed to workout # 11 if over 21 proceed to luckey # 13.

# 10: Perform 3 Rounds of "Chipper" Proceed to workout # 14.

# 11: Find your maximum weight for 3 reps on front squats. Proceed to workout #14.

# 12: Perform 21-15-9 of 20" Box Jumps and Knees to Elbows proceed to workout #14.

# 13: Perform "Grace" proceed to workout # 14.

# 14: Race 500m, see who wins !!! Celebrate

Jesse, Nate and one of Jesse's members did #1, 6, 4, 7, 12, 14

Marc and myself went through #1, 5, 3, 8, 6, 4, 7, 11, 14

Brutal enjoyment, especially seeing as I just became better (minus the stuffy/runny nose)

Feeling Better

2008-04-16T12:20:00.000-07:00

For someone who warns people about needed to rest properly and blah blah blah about overtraining I AM A HYPOCRITE.

I was pretty sick for a while. I'm pretty sure it was a viral thing. I became better as soon as I dedicated a day of not doing anything. Weird how that works..

----

I did "Fran" yesterday with no weight because I have a pretty taxing week ahead of me. (GET IT?! OOOH!)

"Fran"
21-15-9 reps for time
thruster, 45 lbs
pullups

2:48

Now if only when I bring it back up to its prescribed weight of 95 lbs and keep that time I'd be really good..

Was Going to Write Something Similar

2008-04-07T17:45:00.000-07:00

from the Local's Gym / Lynnwood CrossFit blog:

What do you do on Weekends?

I had quite an interesting talk with a member today about how his "friends" were routinely derailing his attempts at fitness. How they wanted to party (which means staying up until 4:00am and getting drunk) and would be quite obnoxious to him when he says "no".

An example of "partying" which I loathe in all forms, quit while you’re young, get ahead.

So that got me really thinking, I wondered if this was a common thread? Do lots of my friends who workout here deal with this same derision from their other "friends", be it semi-monthly bunco parties or "having" to go with friends for a drink to celebrate a promotion or whatever.

Friend:

A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts.
A person whom one knows; an acquaintance.
A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade.
One who supports, sympathizes with, or patronizes a group, cause, or movement: friends of the clean air movement.

Are your "friends" supporting, sympathizing or patronizing you? Are they allied with you in your struggles? Or do they hold you back? Do they pressure you into curtailing plans to make yourself better?

Write a list, do this exercise. I suggest you remove people from your life who aren’t your friends. These people likely only serve themselves and waste your time, money and energy.

I’d like to get a discussion going, so please post back with comments, thoughts, reflections, cancellation letters

Thanks,
Jesse

----

After successfully teaching Dwinson how to do a muscle-up and missing out on Ipanema due to maintenance, we met up with Mike in Bellevue where I proceeded to take down 12 plates at Sushiland. Damn. Not good.

Not well

2008-04-04T19:07:00.000-07:00

I'm still hacking which means I should be resting and not working out.

I did 30 muscle-ups for time in my sleep last night if that counts for anything..

----

Ch-ch-ch-check it out- Brendan Gilliam's blog!

"It never ceases to amaze me how full of #?!% the fitness industry is. I don't want to talk about the ones who are obviously full of it, like the infomercial dorks trying to sell their piece of crap machines and dvds that are only good for laughing at. I want to talk a little about the guys who are actually highly regarded as elite strength coaches to the pros, and charge like $250 dollars an hour to get their time. They write books and articles for major fitness sites. They charge obscene amounts of money for them to speak at a seminar for a few hours. They claim to be the real deals of the industry, the no BS guys who have lived in the trenches for the last 15 years AND have like 20 different different letters after their names."

Along with being one of CrossFit's posterchildren, he owns and runs CrossFit North Santa Cruz, home of this badass wall painting:

Update: End of March

2008-04-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

After this past Saturday's RAINSTORM (or FIGHTSTORM as Adrian dubbed it) and scoring a 326, I ended up doing JT at 3am later that evening because I was awake and needed to release that energy.

Dwinson and I resting after box jumps

"JT"
21-15-9 reps for time:
HSPU
Ring Dips
Pushups

10:17

Sunday was a rest day. I was contemplating doing yoga and/or taking a nap when Tammy called me up and asked if I wanted to go to Banya 5 with her, Adrian and John. I took that call as a sign to relax and enjoy the spa. If you've never been before, Banya 5 is a "Russian-style Turkish bath house", which essentially has plenty of hot/cold modalities to refresh the body and spirit. Check it out sometime. I have half-off passes as well. Saw some familiar faces there and enjoyed some tea. I would do the contrast modalities- wet heat, cold plunge, dry heat, cold plunge, warm bath, cold plunge, repeat.

Two to three hours later we were all hungry and Tammy decided upon Snoose Junction Pizza in Ballard. We shared a Mushroom/Sausage/Ricotta pie. Good stuff. (It's the weekend. I can eat it)

Yesterday those three and myself did heavy squats:

Front Squat
5-5-5-3-3-3-1-1-1

135-145-155-160-165-170-185-205-215

I definitely could've gone heavier for everything, but slow and steady wins the race. That, and we were all sharing the same rack. I'm going to do some O-lifts today after training some folk

Massive superset

2008-03-29T02:54:00.000-07:00

Went up to Local's Gym/Lynnwood CrossFit with Adrian to workout with Jesse. Those two dudes decided upon Lynne. Warmed up and got to it in order of lightest to heaviest (YAY!)

"Lynne"
5 rds for max reps, no time component
Bench Press, BW
Pullups

Jesse 91, 245lbs
Adrian 113, 215lbs
Andrew 161, 145lbs

Completely felt "the pump" afterwards, sans sweat.

FOOD.

2008-03-26T01:48:00.001-07:00

I took a chicken breast and cooked it all the way through and then set it aside. I then added some peppers into the pan with olive oil until they started melting. Once that happened, I put the chicken back in and covered the entire thing with El Pato, a mexican enchilada sauce. Covered and cooked on med/low heat for about 25 minutes. Great stuff. Idea comes from Rob Wolf (Recipe 1 & Recipe 2).

Next one is a simple salad: romaine, tomato, turkey bacon, sausage and a lemon-olive oil dressing:

The next day started with my breakfast of "Grilled Grasshoppers". Spinach, onion, ground beef, olive oil and some eggs.

Lastly here is another breakfast: Asparagus, carrot, garlic, eggs, and turkey bacon!

These are my Zone/Paleo meals.

The Climb

2008-03-17T12:01:00.001-07:00

I beat my time from last year! I took my mp3 player up the stairs this year with a mix i made to give me status updates as I ran/walked up. Our team took 43rd!

Part of my team at the "Team Photo Area"

Next year I hope to run up even faster. Hopefully my cv will be up to par.

Heavy deads

2008-03-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

OH! MY BACK! Yesterday..

Deadlift
5-5-5-3-3-3-1-1-1

Andrew 225, 230, 235, 245, 255, 280, 290, 305, 325 (New PR)
Elizabeth 65, x, x, 75, 85, 85.5, x, x, x
Nate 95, 115, 135, 145, 145, 155, 170, 185x, 180
Tammy 65, 85, 95, 115, 125, 135, 145, 155x, 150

x = missed lift/no lift

I did Elizabeth (11:16, 115lbs) the day prior to the deadlifting. I woke up this morning with my right SCM/upper trap very uncomfortable. Then my back gave. Oh the joys of CrossFit.

Big Climb is on Sunday! Yet, I still need to register. If (WHEN!) I do, Nate and I will be battling to see who finishes fastest. Loser pays for the others lunch that day. GET READY NATE- I'LL BE HUNGRY!

----

Any requests for some tabata interval music? Next I'm going to try to make a Fight Gone Bad Mix..

Roxanne + Tabata This music

2008-03-10T19:57:00.001-07:00

My baby's back!

Roxanne
21-15-9 reps for time:
pullups
burpees
kb swings, 20kg
box jumps, 20"
push press, 95 lbs

Andrew 13:53
Adrian 16:12
Tammy 16:26

----

Here is a "Tabata This" alternative mix I made

Foo Fighters - All My Life
Queens of the Stone Age - 3's & 7's
Jimmy Eat World - Pain
Incubus - Light Grenades
System of a Down - Chop Suey!

ENJOY: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CFP4ACN1

Let me know what you think and give me music suggestions so I can cut up some more

Food as a drug

2008-03-10T05:08:00.000-07:00

Marc:

This video of Nicole shows what I was explaining to you in a more organized/less A.D.D.-like manner.

Any more questions, please ask.

Enjoy

Helen

2008-03-06T03:01:00.000-08:00

Breakfast:

Eggs, little bit of milk, splash of EVOO, onion, garlic, spinach and red bell pepper.

----

HELEN

3 rds for time: 400m run 21 kb swings 12 pullups

Tiff 19:25, 25lbs db
Sam 20:41, 8kg kb
Andrew 21:12, 24kg kb
Mike 22:26, 16kg kb

followed by a good old stretching session!

Congrats Mikey

2008-03-01T18:43:00.000-08:00

for his first ANGIE as Rx'ed

for time:
100 pullups
100 pushups
100 situps
100 squats

Andrew 16:59 (PR by 1:02)
Mike 25:07

post your times to COMMENTS fools!

Stair Climb

2008-02-28T23:27:00.001-08:00

Speaking of which (AHEM!) that was the workout we did today! We went to UW and used the area surrounding some of the tennis courts near the IMA

3 rds for time:
10 stair accensions
10 burpees

Andrew 14:37
Tammy 15:03
Mike 15:17
Nate 16:28
Sheena 17:20

Great jobs guys

Friends

2008-02-25T01:08:00.000-08:00

I'm constantly trying to get my friends to workout with me- not only because I do it for a living, but because I care about the well-being of others, ESPECIALLY of ones I truly care about.

So today I was finally able to get some friends to come try CrossFit out. We (of course) started skill-work with the basic squat, moved onto the plank and midline stabilization, pushups, situps, and finally pullups.

THE LADIES

amrap in 10 min:
5 pullups
10 situps
15 squats

Sam 5
Sheena 8 rds
Tiff 9 rds +5, 8

and then THE DUDES

amrap in 10 min:
5 pullups
10 pushups
15 squats

Andrew 14 rds + 5, 10, 14
Marc 11 rds + 5, 3
Mike 8 rds + 5, 4

Wonderful stuff. Grabbed some ingredients, headed back to my place and we all enjoyed some Muscle Milk shakes.

ps
I ripped my left hand!

(kinda) Zoning

2008-02-20T00:53:00.001-08:00

This past weekend Adrian and I drove 13 hours down to CFHQ for our first certification. Good times, learned a lot. We did FGB. My score was 245 as Rx'ed. The next day I didn't feel sore or anything. We did the med ball clean/burpee WOD. My reps were CLEAN and sexy, but it completely wrecked me and I feel like I have some minor rhabdo (!). Here's hoping that I recover tomorrow because I'm walking with a gangster limp. BTW, Tosh is gangster. He did at least 4 workouts in about a 24 hour span, probably PR'ing in most if not all of them.

This past week I've been attempting to get onto the Zone/Paleo diet. I've some good reading material- CrossFit Journal #21, A Week In the Zone, a vast number of blogs (Modern Forager, Robb Wolf, Scott Hagnas, etc) and some random cookbooks.

Yesterday I made this delightful dinner, inspired by a recipe from Robb Wolf.

my version:
1/2 lbs ground beef
3 chicken sausage links
1 bag stir-fry veggies
1/4 c marinara
1/4 c salsa

and then for today's dinner I made a salad from the remaining sausages along with some romaine lettuce, beefhouse tomato and a drizzle of olive oil.. and some freshly ground pepper!

I'm in need of Costco trip. Hopefully sooner than later. Getting of the crack is proving more difficult than previously thought.

Focus.

2008-02-14T01:08:00.001-08:00

Oh, fitness blog! I have shunned thee and for that I am saddened.

Well, here's to new beginnings.

TO DO:
1. Blog my workouts here, daily
2. Also, read at least 10 pages of a book daily
3. Watch my nutrition closely and not to fall off (I'm attempting to Zone). CUT SUGAR!
4. CFWU and 10 minutes of stretching randomly throughout the day, regardless if I'm training or not
5. Pick up on the running!
6. Sleep more often, and on time
7. Budget everything
8. Stay focused.

----

JACKIE
rd 1 completed at 7:48
rd 2 completed at 16:52
rd 3 completed at 29:38

I almost saw Pukie thrice.

Adrian didn't workout the other day

2008-02-08T04:34:00.000-08:00

and he had a beer before noon.

(Wed)
The dudes and I did the 75 OHS, 95lbs WOD (75 reps done in as few sets as possible). Mike used 45lbs. He got 5 rds and both John and I got 4 rds as rx'ed.

----

Today Sheena and I ran Greenlake. I tried what I've learned of POSE method thus far. The run was great- my knee didn't hurt (as much) and we finished in a very decent time. We both took one break during the run (due to a cramp and my knee uncomfortability) but it was dope. My calfs are done for. I didn't get DOMS. It was more like Immediate Onset Muscle Soreness. I walk like an old injured man.

Good times ahead though.

----

I think I'm going to take a page from Skip Chase of Mt. Baker CrossFit (WA stand up!) and have my clients agree to allow me to come by at any point unannounced to check their fridges and pantries. Sugar is some bad stuff that I've also been trying to cut myself.

My back

2008-02-05T11:50:00.000-08:00

Is murdering me.. and it's only been just over 12 hours since I did this little ditty:

21 deadlifts, 225lbs
42 pullups
15 deadlifts, 225lbs, dropped to 135 after the first 10 reps
30 pullups
9 deadlifts, 135lbs
18 pullups

12:11

I wasn't feeling strong during those deadlifts, but then again I haven't been paying attention to my heavy lifting for a while. This coupled with some terrible food choices this past week and lack of sleep (my buddy Dan is having some serious sleeping problems as well) aren't helping my health. I'm finding myself being a 'Debbie Downer' and it's not fun.

[article] UK & US Love Their Fast Food

2008-02-04T14:07:00.000-08:00

from the Modern Forager:

Organic Consumers latest newsletter included this article: Who Loves Junk Food the Most: U.K., USA, or Canada?

From the newsletter:

44 percent of Americans agreed with the statement while only 19 percent of the French agreed.

And taking the grand prize (from the article):

Forty five percent of UK respondents agreed with the statement ‘I like the taste of fast food too much to give it up’.

Wow! 44% and 45% respectively! That is an unreal percentage of people that cannot give up fast food due to the taste. It’s even more amazing to me because fast food isn’t all that tasty. It’s mainly a combination of salt, sugar, and a crispy texture - very one-dimensional food. It hits the spot if you’re so hungry, you’re going to gnaw your arm (or someone else’s arm) off, but I certainly wouldn’t consider it “tasty food”.

So congratulations Britain. You have unseated the USA as the most fast food loving nation, though only by a small percentage. Notice that the French don’t appreciate fast food quite as much, though it’s still 1 in 5. I suppose that’s the result of a rich food tradition that the United States doesn’t have.

Unhealthy

2008-02-04T02:08:00.000-08:00

It's 2 o'clock in the morning and I'm completely awake.

Not only that, but I just cooked some Alfredo. It's homemade and fresh from scratch, but it's all CHO and it's night. For whatever reason I was feenin for it.

Ah. I need focus for this week.

RAINSTORM II

2008-01-31T14:31:00.000-08:00

This Saturday I'll be holding RAINSTORM II at 11am at my gym.

It's free so come out for some metabolism-raising, fun times- and bring a friend!

No Bueno

2008-01-31T02:37:00.000-08:00

not feeling strong at all right now.

did "Mary" earlier and i was hesitant with the pullups. i finished with 9 rds. i thought i'd have at least 12 done.

that's what 2 weeks of unhealthy food and alcohol will do to a body

an excerpt

2008-01-28T15:58:00.000-08:00

"Eating alone will not keep a man well; he must also take exercise. For food and exercise, while possessing opposite qualities, yet work together to produce health... And it is necessary, as it appears, to discern the power of various exercise, both natural exercises and artificial, to know which of them tends to increase flesh and which to lessen it; and not only this, but also to proportion exercise to bulk food, to the constitution of the patient, to the age of the individual..."

Regimen - Hippocrates

yay insomnia

2008-01-24T04:08:00.000-08:00

i hate you!

note to self:

2008-01-23T03:29:00.000-08:00

buy new running shoes and start studying the POSE Method of running and ChiRunning

5k's all day!

Here's to the Big Climb! Team Foundation Fitness is about to own this

Ross E. the Beast

2008-01-17T13:02:00.000-08:00

one of my fitness heroes, Ross Enamait, put up a new training article and video up on his training website.

The Homemade Wheel

Free movement exercises are much better for midline stabilization than machines. F*ck an Ab Lounge or any other crunch machines.

STEP YOUR FITNESS GAME UP!

Personal Record!

2008-01-15T12:46:00.000-08:00

I completely destroyed my last PR of 8:47 with CrossFit's 'Diane' WOD yesterday

Diane
21-15-9 reps for time:
225 lbs Deadlift
HSPU

5:00

I'm both shocked and stoked about it. Feels good either way though.

I also wanted to share this article...

Myostatin Drugs 4x > Steroids, Without Harmful Side Effects?

GET BIG! GET BIG! GET BIG!

from my CF Boards thread

2008-01-11T06:16:00.000-08:00

i'm a bit late on starting this properly, but i thought hey! new year, new log! let's see if i can't stay on schedule.

as of 2008 0101 i am a 22 year old Filipino/Spanish male standing at 5'5", weighing in at 140 lbs (63.6kg). i don't eat poorly, but it's not that great either. (that statement is based on what my peers eat)

according to a Bod Pod test in late December 2007 my BF% is 6.7% meaning i carry 9.4 lbs of fat with a lean tissue weight of 130.6. the Bod Pod also concluded that my BMR is 1561. given that i have an "Active" activity level, then my BMR goes up to 2716. if i set my macronutrient ratios to 40/30/30 (CHO/Pro/Fat, respectively) then i should be eating

CHO 1086cal / 272g
Pro 815cal / 204g
Fat 815cal / 91g

i take a daily Centrum multi and a fish oil pill. on days i feel my immune system is weak (i carry stress and seem to get sick in the throat/neck area most) i will take anywhere from 500mg to 2000mg, which was recommended to me by a "wellness specialist".

sleep is my biggest "limit" (i don't like the word "weakness"). it's very hard for me to keep a set schedule. i am currently attempting to reset my circadian rhythm.

my occupation is being a personal trainer for my gym Foundation Fitness / Rain City CrossFit.

[ MORE HERE ]

Grand Opening Results

2008-01-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

The grand opening of Foundation Fitness/ Rain City CrossFit was a complete success. Although everyone who RSVP'ed didn't show up, others were there to fill the spots, eat the pizza and drink the beers.

My demo workout, which I shall dub 'Kill Grip'

3rds for time:
20 KB Swings, 16 kg
15 Pullups
10 C&J, 95lbs
5 HSPU

(the official version will be 5rds, 20kg kb, and hspu will be with the parallettes)

Afterwards we held an inagural workout which I have named 'Roxanne'

21-15-9 reps for time:
Pullups
Burpees
KB Swing, 20kg
Box Jumps, 20"
Push Press, 95lbs

I am very excited for the rest of the year. Foundation Fitness is now my full-time job and I can't wait to build our rep as a gym!

----

On the 7th Tammy, Mike, and myself did the hero wod 'Josh'.

For Time:
21 OHS, 95lbs
42 Pullups
15 OHS, 95lbs
30 Pullups
9 OHS, 95lbs
18 Pullups

Andrew 9:53
Tammy 15:?? M (45lbs, jumping)
Mike 10:07 M (45lbs, jumping)

i tore my hands up pretty nicely as well. didn't hurt so much at first because i didn't notice them, but during my cool down i looked at my hands and noticed the tears. the only other time i've ever torn was in high school gymnastics. i'm surprised that within my first year of CrossFit it didn't tear me up sooner!

----

Saturday there will be a CrossFit Total at Level 4 CrossFit Seattle. We will help run the event and hopefully I'll be able to compete as well!

Too bad I didn't prepare )=

Results will be posted Saturday night. Stay posted!

----

Here's a video of Cyril Raffaelli, a trickster/traucer/stuntman/martial artist. You may recognize his face. Click his name to see his profile on IMDB

----

Finally, here's an article about making your own vanilla extract!

3/4 Ain't Bad

2008-01-05T11:28:00.000-08:00

Last night I was determined to work out even if I had a coffee date with an old schoolmate (hi Kate!)

Sheena, Mike and myself warmed up, played with the C2 a bit and then went through some skills. Weird thing is we all finished our respective workouts at (nearly) the same time.

----

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 rep rds for time:
Push Press, 45lbs
KB SDLHP, 1 pood
KB Swings, 1 pood

Mike 10:30

----

21-15-9 rep rds for time:
DB Push Press, 30lbs
KB SDLHP, 8kg
KB Goblet Squat, 8kg
KB Swing, 8kg

Sheena 10:30

----

10-Min KB Swing Test (CF Style)

Andrew 208, 16kg

----

I still want to workout today. Maybe after the Seahawks game because I'm gonna have some people over.

GO HAWKS!

That's my landlord's name

2008-01-03T15:26:00.000-08:00

we finally got a C2 in the gym

"Christine"
500m Row
12 BW Deadlifts
21 Box Jumps, 25"

12:40, 145lbs deadlift

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T21:23:00.000-08:00

WELCOME 2008! What fun will we have this year?

from one of my favorite sites, Modern Forager:

----

Ten Things To Remember In The New Year

January 2nd, 2008 Scott Kustes

Given that the calendar just ticked over to January 1st, 2008, there are a lot of resolutions to eat better and lose weight. Here are ten things to remember as you embark on your health journey.

Junk food doesn’t exist; there is junk and there is food.
Similarly, real food has no nutrition label. Food products have nutrition labels.
If a label tells you how healthful the product inside is, it’s probably not. Don’t be deceived by marketing.
Sugar is detrimental to your body in more ways than you can count.
Organic/natural junk is still junk. Thirty grams of sugar from honey is not more healthful than 30g of sugar from other sources.
If you are wondering if you should eat more vegetables, the answer is yes. I don’t care how many you eat, you should probably eat more.
Similarly, you should probably sleep more. Turn off the TV and go to bed. Given the quality of most TV programming, you aren’t going to miss anything of importance.
Don’t let “I can’t afford organic” keep you from eating enough produce. Organic vegetables are best. However, eating conventional is better than not eating produce at all.
You’re human and you will eat something too sugary and too carby. Don’t stress; just get back on the wagon.
And finally: health is a lifelong journey, not a quick-fix. Find something you can stick with.

Anybody have any to add?

----

SPD = Seattle Police Department?

2008-01-01T15:22:00.000-08:00

Grant & myself went through our own strength training

Squat 5-4-3-3-3
Press 5-5-3-3-3
Deadlift 5-5-3-3-3

185lbs - 205lbs - 225 lbs - 250lbs - 255lbs
95lbs - 110lbs - 115lbs - 120lbs - 130lbs
225lbs - 285lbs - 315lbs - 320lbs - 320 lbs

Grant's back was still recovering from Elizabeth so he couldn't go on with the deadlifts (the eccentric phase was killing his back)

Happy Holidays

2007-12-25T19:37:00.000-08:00

I wish everyone a happy holiday season.

Remember, these are the times that we really need to keep our health-game in check with all the treats and meals you get to enjoy.

Just remember that we're all going to regret this come early January.

Official WOD 2007 1220

2007-12-20T21:00:00.000-08:00

"Run or Row 5k"

I rowed. My time was 21:54. Pretty good if ask me. Haven't done any cardio in awhile (I believe it to be my weakness) and after doing the 12 Days of CrossFit WOD I had to up it.

So here I go. "Slow and steady wins the race"

other benchmarks today - 500m 1:46 (Level II), 2k 8:30 (Level I), 6k 26:36 (Level I)

Boo!

and then I also did 7 rounds of 3 weighted pullups, 5 strict, and 7 kipping pullups

----

WORLD CLASS FITNESS IN 100 WORDS
Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.

Practice and train major lifts:
Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, Clean & Jerk, and snatch.
Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds.
Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast.

Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports.

my current BMR

2007-12-20T03:10:00.000-08:00

If, according to my Bod Pod results, my basal metabolic rate is 1600 and I take into account my "Active" activity rates, then my RDA is about 2700 kcal/day. If I am to go with a macronutrient breakdown similar to the Zone's CHO 30% Pro 30% Fat 40% then

Calories per Nutrient per Day:
CHO 810 kcal
Pro 810 kcal
Fat 1080 kcal

and if we take each macronutrient's kcal value (CHO 4g/kcal, Pro 4g/kcal, Fat 9g/kcal) then

Grams per Nutrient per Day:
CHO 202.5g
Pro 202.5g
Fat 120 g

Yesterday/Today I've only eaten probably around 2ooo kcal, but I had barely any protein today and I definitely feel it.

Someone please check my math to see if I did it correctly. I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about the exact numbers.

ps
My sleeping habits suck.

Update 1218

2007-12-18T19:50:00.001-08:00

So this past Friday Tammy, Dom, Joe and myself went over to Coach Dave Werner's Level 4 CrossFit Seattle (longest name ever) to do his infamous "12 Days of CrossFit" workout.

Imagine if the "12 Days of Christmas" song's scheme was turned into a workout.

A one hundred yard Sprint

Two Bear-crawls and a one hundred yard Sprint

Three second Handstand, Two Bear-crawls, and a one hundred yard

Sprint Four Clean & jerks, Three second Handstand, Two Bear-crawls, and a one hundred yard Sprint

Five Dive bomber push-ups, Four Clean & jerks, Three second Handstand, Two Bear-crawls, and a one hundred yard Sprint

Six Knees to elbows, Five Dive bomber push-ups, Four Clean & jerks, Three second Handstand, Two Bear-crawls, and a one hundred yard Sprint

Seven Kettlebell swings, Six Knees to elbows, Five Dive bomber push-ups, Four Clean & jerks, Three second Handstand, Two Bear-crawls, and a one hundred yard Sprint

Eight Hanging leg-raise, Seven Kettlebell swings, Six Knees to elbows, Five Dive bomber push-ups, Four Clean & jerks, Three second Handstand, Two Bear-crawls, and a one hundred yard Sprint

Nine Ring-dips, Eight Hanging leg-raise, Seven Kettlebell swings, Six Knees to elbows, Five Dive bomber push-ups, Four Clean & jerks, Three second Handstand, Two Bear-crawls, and a one hundred yard Sprin

Ten Squat-thrusts, Nine Ring-dips, Eight Hanging leg raise, Seven Kettlebell swings, Six Knees to elbows, Five Dive bomber push-ups, Four Clean & jerks, Three second Handstand, Two Bear-crawls, and a one hundred yard Sprint

Eleven Pull-ups, Ten Squat-thrusts, Nine Ring-dips, Eight Hanging leg-raise, Seven Kettlebell swings, Six Knees to elbows, Five Dive bomber push-ups, Four Clean & jerks, Three second Handstand, Two Bear-crawls, and a one hundred yard Sprint

Twelve Rocking pistols, Eleven Pull-ups, Ten Squat-thrusts, Nine Ring-dips, Eight Hanging leg-raise, Seven Kettlebell swings, Six Knees to elbows, Five Dive bomber push-ups, Four Clean & jerks, Three second Handstand, Two Bear-crawls, and a one hundred yard Sprint

Brutal, right? I want to be like Coach when I grow up.

Sadly later that night was Janelle's birthday party, so I did the not-so-good-thing-for-my-body act of drinking more that I should've.

It felt like I was wearing a 50 lbs weight vest until Monday morning.

Today I went to see Zack at Emerald City Smoothie to try out his new toy, the Bod Pod. He allowed me to take the tests twice and these are my results as a 22 year old 5'6" male:

TEST #1
Weight 141.3 lbs
Fat 7.4% = 10.5 lbs
Lean 92.6% = 130.8 lbs
Estimated RMR (BMR) 1551 kcal/day
With my 'Active' Activity Level 2699 kcal/day

TEST #2
Weight 141.2 lbs
Fat 6% = 8.4 lbs
Lean 94% = 132.8 lbs
Estimated RMR (BMR) 1571 kcal/day
With my 'Active' Activity Level 2733 kcal/day

I was very hesistant at first because my "BF%" is on the verge between "Ultra Lean" and "Risky". I talked to Zack about it and he reassured that I'm fine and should be very happy with the results as it's the lowest he's seen thus far. He's had the Bod Pod for about 2 months now. I'm just happy because it describes my rating as "Fat level sometimes found in elite athletes". YEAH BUDDY!

Met up with Adrian and we stopped by some of the local Firehouses and also the North SPD Precinct and let them know they need to workout with us! We also looked at the "Fight District"- hopefully you'll hear more about that sooner than later.

Around 1830 we had our weekly Tuesday workout (thanks to Tammy and Jessie who came out). I just finished up with 'Fran' (see Foundation Fitness) and although I PR'ed, my CNS is all fugged up now.. I'm shaking a bit. And by a bit I mean a lot.

Tomorrow at Noon, Adrian, Hunter and myself will be getting a good workout in. I still owe the weighted pullup WOD and the 400 m lunge WOD. Tomorrow HQ's WOD is a new Hero workout named 'Badger'. Rest in Peace Cheif Mark Carter

Tabata Interval Song Downloads

2007-12-14T13:19:00.000-08:00

A Tribe Called Quest - Scenario (feat. Leaders of the New School)

Linkin Park - Enth E Nd (feat. Motion Man & Kutmasta Kurt)

Linkin Park - H!gh Vltg3 (feat. Pharoahe Monch)

Souls of Mischief - 93 Till Infinity

Weezer - Buddy Holly

all hosted on Megaupload.

Sucking at Squats

2007-12-13T12:50:00.000-08:00

I was not in the right mood yesterday for a squat workout. Not even with our new rack.

Our new squat rack!

Regardless, Mike and I headed at it. I missed a lot of lifts and didn't feel strong at all. Mike persisted through and did very well for his first time going heavy. Halfway through my sets I decided to go with heavy Overhead Squats (article by Dan John), so I did.

Mike's butt-winking squat

Squatting 116kg/255lbs

OHS 5xBW (66kg/145lbs)

Now if I could get to Overhead Squatting my bodyweight 15 reps, I'd be in Level 4. But I had a very crappy time.

[video] Power Thirst

2007-12-10T23:44:00.000-08:00

UNCOMFORTABLY ENERGETIC!

[article] Cooked Fats Lead to Cancer

2007-12-03T00:56:00.000-08:00

Suprise, suprise- another piece of news stating the more processed (in this case, cooked in fats) foods you eat, the higher chance of disease

Cooked fats' linked to cancers.

courtesy BBC News

-----

Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.
- Jim Rohn

A big shot is a little shot that kept shooting.
- Anonymous

Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, this time more wisely.
- Anonymous

Don't ask for a light load, but rather ask for a strong back.
- Anonymous

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals.
- Anonymous

Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The secret to happiness is not in doing what one likes to do, but in liking what one has to do.
- Anonymous

Tell me and I forget; show me and I remember; involve me and I understand.
- Anonymous

Willing is not enough; we must do. Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
- Bruce Lee

"Use no way as way; use no limitation as limitation."
- Bruce Lee

"The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. It's your mind you have to convince."
- Vince Lombardi

"Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit."
- Vince Lombardi

"Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence."
- Vince Lombardi

"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor."
- Vince Lombardi

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will."
- Vince Lombardi

"If you'll not settle for anything less than your best, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives."
- Vince Lombardi

"It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up."
- Vince Lombardi

The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.
Vince Lombardi

A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools.
- Spanish Proverb

Wisdom is to the mind what health is to the body.
- Francois De La Rochefoucauld

He who enjoys good health is rich, though he knows it not.
- Italian Proverb

http://www.bblex.de/en/calc/index.php

http://www.gorilla-grips.com/

http://www.chekinstitute.com

http://www.crossfitnorth.com/articles/Athletic_Skill_Levels.pdf

New Look + Summer Pictures

2007-11-30T12:44:00.000-08:00

Like the new look? I might change it back to Black, but we'll stick with Blue for now. Big thanks to Francis for the photography. I'll be posting random pictures from the summer like I said I would

Jessie learning the KB swing

oops

2007-11-29T16:05:00.000-08:00

sorry Holly! here are your times

11/12 Fran
10:19 Thruster 35lbs, asst. Pullups

11/19 Dirty Thirties (Filthy Fifties mod)
32:07

GREAT JOB!

[video] B2B Tabata Squats

2007-11-29T11:45:00.000-08:00

this is awesome.

i'm going to throw these into my workout today. i'm doing the CrossFit Total and then hitting the squats hard WHILE RESTING IN THE DOWN POSITION!

yay i'm going to die

Bruce Lee

2007-11-28T00:54:00.001-08:00

Earlier today was the birthday of one of my biggest influences, Bruce Lee.

I paid my respects at his gravesite today. Felt strong during my workout too.

Rest In Peace.

2007-11-24T01:59:00.000-08:00

"Sometimes killing a fly with a sledge hammer is entirely appropriate. It doesn't make the fly any more dead, but the rest of the flies sure sit up and take notice."
- Major I. L. Holdridge, USMC, by way of Sgt. Frank C. Ollis, USMC

random quotes

2007-11-18T16:18:00.000-08:00

"It is not good enough to have muscle, you must use it!" - Pavel

"Eating alone will not keep a man well; he must also take exercise. For food and exercise, while possessing opposite qualities, yet work together to produce health... And it is necessary, as it appears, to discern the power of various exercise, both natural exercises and artificial, to know which of them tends to increase flesh and which to lessen it; and not only this, but also to proportion exercise to bulk food, to the constitution of the patient, to the age of the individual..." - Hippocrates, Regimen

"For strength and stability, it is necessary to have the feeling that the line connecting the navel and the anus is as short as possible" - Masatoshi Nakayama

"Machine training is often hyped as the thing to do for beginners because free weights are harder to control. The novice beginner must be taught from a base of mobility to progress to stability, just as an infant learns to stand by moving, staggering and exploring the environment"

and again, just because I love this quote

"You’ve got to drive the body to the last inch of energy then go on! You gain nothing by just going up to where your body says you’re tired. The body will build and grow only to fit the demands the mind makes upon the lazy body. If all you do is exercise until the body is tired, the body will get lazy and stop a bit shorter every time. You must go to the point of exhaustion, then go on. That way the body figures out, “We’ve got to build up more strength if that crazy mind is going to drive this hard!” If you always quit when you are merely tired, you will never gain. Once you let the body tell the mind when to quit, you are whipped for sure. You can not gain by listening to the body. We can become much stronger if we drive the body. We use about one-tenth of the available strength of our bodies and less than that of our minds. - General George Patton

[article] Nip Tuck

2007-11-08T23:44:00.001-08:00

lazy asses.

Six Pack Surgery

(o_O)

[article] Aerobics: The Aftermath

2007-10-19T00:47:00.000-07:00

an article in The New York Times, by David Sheff

"OLIVIA SIEMENS, in a shiny blue Speedo swimsuit and with goggles pinching her forehead, climbed out of the pool and draped a towel over her shoulders. Before she walked (stiffly) toward the women’s locker room at the Koret Center at the University of San Francisco, she complained: “Swimming is just about the only exercise I can do these days. I’m a fashion victim — the fashion of aerobics.”

Mrs. Siemens, 54, a jewelry designer in Berkeley, Calif., said she often took as many as six aerobics classes a week in the ’80s when, she said, “aerobics was new and everywhere and my friends and I all did it with a vengeance.” Sipping a drink from Jamba Juice, she added: “I was jogging in place with Jane Fonda. I did my jumping jacks and high knee lifts with Richard Simmons. I twirled my arms and punched the sky while hopping on one foot to the music of Olivia Newton-John. It was supposedly all about staying in shape, but look at me: I can hardly walk.”"

>>>>

READ MORE.

CrossFit Observations

2007-10-18T01:50:00.000-07:00

"CrossFit is in large part derived from several simple observations garnered through hanging out with athletes for thirty years and willingness, if not eagerness, to experiment coupled with a total disregard for conventional wisdom. Let me share some of the more formative of these observations:

1. Gymnasts learn new sports faster than other athletes.
2. Olympic lifters can apply more useful power to more activities than other athletes.
3. Powerlifters are stronger than other athletes.
4. Sprinters can match the cardiovascular performance of endurance athletes even at extended efforts.
5. Endurance athletes are woefully lacking in total physical capacity.
6. With high carb diets you either get fat or weak.
7. Bodybuilders can't punch, jump, run, or throw like athletes can.
8. Segmenting training efforts delivers a segmented capacity.
9. Optimizing physical capacity requires training at unsustainable intensities.
10. The world's most successful athletes and coaches rely on exercise science the way deer hunters rely on the accordion."

workout 1011

2007-10-11T16:24:00.000-07:00

Military Press - 1 rep (or 3 push jerks)
45lbs
95lbs
115lbs
125lbs
120lbs

Burpee Broad Jumps
20m x4

21-15-9 reps of:
KB Snatch (1 pood) L&R
L-Sit Pullups

Time: 15.11

workout for Matt & Shakira

2007-10-09T00:36:00.000-07:00

For Time:

100 Squat
75 Hip Ext
50 Sit Up
25 Push Up

post times to comments..

.. WELCOME ABOARD!

[discussion] Antibacterial Product Usage

2007-10-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

please read this article from one of the best health blogs around

READ THIS ARTICLE from one of the best health blogs on the internet, Modern Forager.

i've said it before. stop using so much antibacterial products because it doesn't allow your immune system to build up ANY immunity to everyday "risks" putting you at a greater advantage to fall ill.

yea. stop using that stuff.

workouts 1004

2007-10-04T18:23:00.000-07:00

first off, a quote.

"You’ve got to drive the body to the last inch of energy then go on! You gain nothing by just going up to where your body says you’re tired. The body will build and grow only to fit the demands the mind makes upon the lazy body. If all you do is exercise until the body is tired, the body will get lazy and stop a bit shorter every time. You must go to the point of exhaustion, then go on. That way the body figures out, “We’ve got to build up more strength if that crazy mind is going to drive this hard!” If you always quit when you are merely tired, you will never gain. Once you let the body tell the mind when to quit, you are whipped for sure. You can not gain by listening to the body. We can become much stronger if we drive the body. We use about one-tenth of the available strength of our bodies and less than that of our minds."

-General George Patton

now onto the workouts!

14:00 to 15:00

5 minute Treadmill warmup

75# military press x10
75# overhead squat x10
x2

65# snatch x6
50# db snatch x6 each
x2

80# single arm/leg sldl x6 each
x4

body hamstring curls x10
x2

rolling v-ups x30

2.5# external rotation @ 90degree abduction x 30

120# v-grip lat pulldown x 10

140# " "
x3

stretch

----------

17:00

CINDY

5 pullups
10 pushups
15 squats

as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes.

Andrew 17 rounds, 5 pullups, 7 pushups

Mike 16 rounds

workout 1002

2007-10-03T07:24:00.000-07:00

30 squats
bearcrawl 50m
60 oh bb lunges (me 45, holly 20)
30 pushups
handstand walk 25m (me)/walking sumo squat (holly)
60 oh bb lunges (me 45, holly 20)
sit up & back extention ladders (10-9-8...3-2-1)

Greenlake Workout 0925

2007-09-25T22:39:00.000-07:00

Run from "Base" to the Pullup Rings (near the Stadium) w/ random exercises along the way:

Squats
Pushups
Movement Patterns (high knee pull, short skip, buttkickers, lateral shuffles)
Pullups/Jumping Pullups
Good Mornings

we took it EASY

participants: Holly, Dave (NEW), Tammy, myself

workouts 0918, 0921

2007-09-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

0918

10 minutes:
1 pood KB swings
= 209 swings.

not good enough!

0921

CF Warm-Up
*OHS was w/ a 45lb olympic bar

plus Deadlifts @ 135, 185, and 225 for 10 reps each

workout 0918

2007-09-19T06:47:00.000-07:00

did some KB swinging! 210 swings in 10 minutes. not good.

went to greenlake and since i didn't see anyone, i longboarded around the lake

later, i put mikey through a workout that looked something like:

25 squats
30 kb deadlifts
30 kb sldl
20 dips
10 pushups
x 3 rounds
then
15 one-arm rows x4

greenlake tomorrow

2007-08-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

WORKOUT AT GREENLAKE!

6pm @ the North End west of the kiddie pool

BE THERE!

pictures from one of the summer tuesday workouts will be posted tomorrow!

GRAND OPENING: Level 4 CrossFit Seattle

2007-08-17T17:04:00.001-07:00

Sunday August 26, 2007

Level 4 CrossFit Seattle (formerly known as CrossFit North) is celebrating their completion of the new facility in Fremont on the corner of 8th and Leary Way.

come join the festivities as Coach Dave Werner explains his Athletic Skill Levels (1-4), try out your CrossFit Total (Back Squat, Military Press, and Deadlift), and a free introductory workout

i'm planning on going. who wants to come?

MORE INFO HERE

[article] The Endless Search

2007-08-13T19:21:00.001-07:00

from RossTraining.com

>>>>

The Endless Search
By Ross Enamait - Published in 2007

Have you ever pecked away at the keyboard, hoping a late night Google search would uncover a hidden gem among countless articles? You search high and low, hoping and hoping that you will find the missing piece to the puzzle. How can you improve your conditioning? What is the secret? Where is it hiding?

The endless search continues, until now of course… And before you close this article out of disgust, let me assure you that I don’t have the hidden gem, as it doesn’t exist.

Conditioning is a simple subject. I will not mislead you and pretend that I have a top secret discovery waiting to be revealed. There is no such thing, and never will be. The wheel has already been invented, so let’s not reinvent it.

Conditioning programs can be complex or crude in terms of equipment. It does not matter. The most important aspect to any conditioning program is you. You get what you put into it. Regardless of the workout or equipment that you choose, it is you who must put forth the effort. The tools that you choose are nothing more than a means to an end. Equipment will not change the equation for success, as the most important variable will always be you. Many athletes tirelessly search for new breakthroughs, yet never take the time to look at themselves. Will a new piece of equipment or new routine really change your work ethic? How hard do you train? How bad do you want it?

Think of the amazing athletes that have come before us. These athletes thrived on the basics, so perhaps the only real secret is that the basics do work. The best idea is not always a new idea, but rather a reminder to stick with what works and what has always worked. Often times, it is more useful to weed out bad ideas, rather than looking for new ideas, therefore leaving us with only good ideas.

Don’t waste time hoping for the latest and greatest system to be created. You will be waiting for something that never happens. Remember that old saying, “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.” Never abandon everything that has worked, in place of something that is new and unproven. Many new ideas are dreamt up as a way to differentiate the idea creator from others, but who is to say that a new idea can replace all of those successful methods that have come before? Perhaps the best program is not new, but rather a system based on proven techniques, some old and some new.

Man has exercised his body since the beginning of time. Every now and then, there will be new twists to old ideas, and even a few novel ideas that change the way we think, but the fact remains that exercise must not be complex or radical to be effective.

With all of the science and research available to us, it would make sense that all athletes are highly conditioned in today’s era. Unfortunately, this is not true. Athletes continue to fail because of poor conditioning. Fatigue still influences the outcome of many sporting events, even at the highest level of competition.

It has been said that knowledge is power, but knowledge without action means little. You may know how to train, but if you never apply your knowledge to action, your knowledge has been wasted. As Napoleon Hill once said, “Knowledge is only potential power” and as we know, most athletes fall far short of their potential.

Extraordinary athletes do not become extraordinary with an ordinary effort. The extraordinary push the envelope, surging past commonly accepted boundaries. They disregard those limits hypothesized by critics, and even fellow athletes. The extraordinary refuse to accept failure. They set high goals, often considered unrealistic, and never give up until achieving these goals.

We would all achieve much more if we stopped believing in the word impossible. The body is much more capable than most realize. Unfortunately, there will always be critics who spread doubt, perhaps to comfort their own lack of achievement. My advice to you is simple. Put the work back in workout. You are ultimately responsible for your own success. Time is limited, so don’t waste your time searching for something that you will never find.

Knowledge is important, and always will be, but don’t let your pursuit of knowledge stand in the way of action. While many waste time searching for secrets, there are others who stay busy training. That extra set, that extra exercise, that extra practice session, and the extra effort that you put forth each day when everyone else has packed up, is what will ultimately separate you from the rest.

Lewis Cass once said that “People may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do.” I keep these words in the back of my mind each day. Yes, I remain open to new ideas, actively pursue new research, and continue to experiment with new protocols, but regardless of what science reveals to us, the most important lesson remains fixed. Your success depends on your efforts, and only you can decide what kind of effort you put forth.

I understand the importance of knowledge, as knowledge guides action, but it is action that takes knowledge and makes it special. I don’t fault anyone involved in the endless search, but there must be balance between the time spent searching for new methods and the time spent applying proven concepts. I too strive to always improve my methods. Yet, no matter what I am testing or researching, I never stray too far from the fundamentals. Yes, we can always spice up the basics with a new twist here and there, and hopefully, every now and then we will in fact discover a new concept. If and when this happens however, don’t abandon everything in place of this idea. It’s useful to tune up the engine, but rarely will you need to replace it.

>>>>

read more.

Some Food For Thought

2007-07-24T10:05:00.001-07:00

• If your food has a wrapper or a box, chances are it isn't good for you.

• If your food has ingredients you can't say, chances are it isn't good for you.

• If your food makes a claim that it's healthy, chances are it isn't good for you.

• If your food comes pre-seasoned, chances are it isn't good for you.

• Lastly, if your food makes any claims about fat loss, chances are it isn't good for you.

The Slight Edge [excerpt]

2007-07-23T14:55:00.001-07:00

from The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson.

The Slight Edge and Your Health

Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.
- Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

They say "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach." I don't know about that, but I do know this: that is the way to his destiny!
Health is one of the great riddles of existence. The foundational importance of everyday health is one of the most commonly known truths of human existence, and at the same time, it is also one of the most commonly and blatantly ignored. Everyone knows that "if you don't have your health, you have nothing." Our language is brimming over with related figures of speech.:
At least you have your health.
You're only as old as you feel.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Of the three "self-evident, inalienable rights" that ring from the American Declaration of Independence like a trumpet fanfare-"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"- the first, without which the other two are irrelevant, is Life. And the most basic condition for the free, unencumbered experience of Life itself is health. There is nothing more basic than health- and there is no area of life where the Slight Edge is more vividly in operation, working either for you or against you.
That is perhaps your most important choice, day by day and hour by hour: whether to let your eating and physical activity build your fondest dreams- or dig your grave with your teeth. Hamlet wondered, "To be, or not to be?" You get to ask yourself that-and answer it-with every meal.

read the introduction to The Slight Edge.

"Buying Organic Without Breaking the Bank"

2007-07-23T06:20:00.001-07:00

from Yahoo!:

Buy Organic Without Breaking the Bank
by Kelli B. Grant
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
provided bySmartMoney.com

Organic foods may be healthier for you, but they can have a sickening effect on your wallet.

Produced without pesticides and other chemicals, organic produce, meat and dairy products can cost 50% to 100% more than their conventional counterparts, says Urvashi Rangan, a senior scientist and policy analyst with Consumer Reports' Greener Choices1. Despite those mark-ups, studies touting the health and environmental benefits of organic foods have made them more popular than ever before. More than 70% of consumers have at least one organic product on their shopping list, according to market research firm Hartman Group.

Here are five tips for going organic for less:

Set some priorities

You'll get the most bang for your buck by buying organic apples, beef and spinach. That's because the conventional counterparts to these foods are laden with pesticides and potentially harmful additives (see chart below). Produce like papayas, bananas and broccoli require less pesticide to grow, thereby retaining little to no residue after washing. (The peels on bananas and other tropical fruits further reduce your exposure).

Also, read the label. Seafood, cosmetics and cleaning products can be labeled "organic" without having to face the same requirements that the USDA imposes on vegetables and meat. "There is no system, no real oversight," warns Kimberly Stewart, the author of "Eating Between the Lines: The Supermarket Shopper's Guide to the Truth Behind Food Labels." You'll pay premium prices with no guarantees.

More from SmartMoney.com:

• Stopping Junk Mail is Easy, and Good for the Environment

• The 4-Cylinder Solution

• Weight Loss Web Sites

Consider your alternatives

Prices on organic meats, eggs and dairy products can be some of the most exorbitant. The culprit: A lack of the organic feed for the animals, says Stewart. So if you can't stomach prices for organics, consider antibiotic- or hormone-free foods. While the animals may have eaten regular feed, they meet the other half of organic requirements no hormones or antibiotics. At online grocer FreshDirect, a half-gallon of Horizon organic milk is $3.99, while the same size Farmland antibiotic-free milk is $2.19.

Organic goes on sale, too

Conventional discount shopping wisdom also applies to organic goods. Grocery stores frequently put organic foods on sale, so keep an eye out for coupons or discounts advertised in their circulars. Shop Rite's July 15-21 circular, for example, touts organic bananas for 69 cents per pound (the same price as conventional ones) and organic Stonyfield Yogurt at 10 for $6.99 (a break of 19 cents each off the usual price of 89 cents).

Also, buy fruits and veggies that are in season. Pricing becomes much more competitive during those times. At Whole Foods, a six-ounce container of raspberries is currently $3.49 whether you go organic or not. Meanwhile, a 16-ounce container of conventional strawberries is $2.99; for organic, just 50 cents more.

Turn to local farmers

Your local farmers' market can be a great place to buy organic food. That's because a combination of seasonality and competition helps keep prices down, says Rangan. At New York's famous Union Square Greenmarket, organic and conventional tomatoes were both recently $1.50 per pound.

Another option: community-supported agriculture programs, or CSAs. For a fee, you'll be supplied with fresh, organic produce on a weekly basis throughout the growing season. Quiet Creek Farm in Kutztown, Pa., for example, charges $600, or roughly $23 per week, for enough produce to feed three to four people. Depending on the week, you might get broccoli, peppers, zucchini, melons, strawberries, herbs or any of the other 40-plus organic items the farm produces. (To find a CSA near you, click here2 or here3.)

Consider generics

Supermarket chain Meijer has Meijer Organics, Giant Eagle has Nature's Basket and Publix has GreenWise Market. Many supermarkets are adding organic lines to their private labels, a move that allows shoppers to buy organic at significant discounts over big-name brands, says Teri Gault, founder of The Grocery Game, a program that helps consumers match manufacturers' coupons with store sales. At Safeway, a 20-ounce bottle of store-brand O Organics ketchup is $2.45, a steal compared with the 15-ounce bottle of Heinz Organic at $3.79. Considering price per ounce, you'll save 49%.

Read original article here.

Update 0715

2007-07-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

regarding this Tuesdays Greenlake Workout (@ 6pm) i have but one word for you: "Roadwork"

BE PREPARED!

and speaking of the outdoor workouts, how does Sunday around Noon work for everyone who can't quite make the Tuesday evening workouts?

Let me know!

[article] Processed Sugars

2007-07-13T08:10:00.000-07:00

from Paul Chek's website: A Sweet Challenge

A Sweet Challenge
by Rico Caveglia

Almost everyone loves the sweet taste of sugar. With 115 million tons of sugar currently being produced each year it seems we have quite a craving for the sweet stuff. So why do we crave it and why is it now commonly thought to be the food we most need to eliminate?

Why do we crave sugar?
When primitive man found something sweet in nature such as a berry, he quickly learned that it was safe to eat. It is nature’s way of letting us know whether something is edible or not, sweet is good, bitter is not. And of course now we know that most foods that contain sugar in their natural state such as honey and fruits are healthy for us.

We naturally gravitate to something sweet when we are really hungry because sugar digests very quickly and satisfies our hunger very quickly.

Studies have also shown that sugar acts similar to addicting drugs like morphine to produce opioids in the brain. Opioids produce the feelings of pleasure and satisfaction and thus can become addictive.

When food manufacturers figured this out they began producing sugar laden foods, especially foods for children. And of course sweet foods and candies are normally given to children as a treat, or as a reward, or just to quite them down. The result is most people are hooked on sugar when they are just a small child.

What’s wrong with eating sugar?
The average American now eats 158 pounds of sugar every year. If my math is correct that is an extra 800 calories per day from pure sugar, which equates to approximately a weight gain of one pound every 5 days. Wow, no wonder we have an obesity and diabetes epidemic in America.

If you do a search on Google about the harmful effects of eating processed sugars, you will find more than 6 millions links. That I would say, gives us a pretty good idea that sugar and all of the artificial sweeteners may not be so good for us.

In this short article I don’t have room to go into all of the many health problems sugar causes, or the details. I just want to point out a few of the primary problems resulting from excess sugar consumption:

Obesity. Too much sugar in the body can’t be processed or utilized so it gets stored as fat.
Diabetes. Excess sugar in the blood causes too much insulin to be released which eventually leads to hypoglycemia and diabetes.
Poor immune function. Excess sugar depletes vitamins and minerals stores in our bodies thus weakening our immune systems, contributing to degenerative disease.
Sugar also can disrupt our hormonal systems, causing allergies and many other malfunctions.
In addition sugar plantations worldwide have caused widespread destruction by ruining the soil and trees of their surrounding environment.
If you would like more information on the problems related to excess sugar consumption, read Dr. Joseph Mercola’s new book “Sweet Deception”.

What to do?
If you would like to greatly improve your health and energy levels and avoid serious problems in the future, the elimination of most processed sugars in your diet is essential. The best way of course is to eat mostly natural real foods and avoid most processed, packaged foods that contain added sugars. The following are most of the added sugars you want to avoid: white sugar, brown sugar, cane syrup,Sucrose,Glucose,Dextrose,Fructose,Sucanat,Turbinado sugar, Beet sugar, High fructose corn syrup,Maltose,Xylitol,Sorbitol,Mannitol,
Erythritol, Aspartame, Saccharin, Nutrisweet, Splenda,
Cyclamate, Sucralose and Acesulfame-Kneotame.

You basically want to avoid any sweeteners, especially the artificial ones which are made of toxic chemicals and can create a whole list of other problems. Remember most packaged foods contain sweeteners along with other additives that you want to avoid. Learn to read labels; there are many natural food products that do not contain additives and simple sugars.

What’s sweet to eat?
As always get your sweets primarily from natural sources like fruits. Raw honey, pure maple syrup, brown rice syrup, molasses, barley malt, Stevia and Agave are some natural sweeteners that are ok in moderation. It is not however necessary to eat any natural sweeteners as you get plenty of sugar from fruits, starches and grains in your diet.

Other Good Ideas
If you feel you are addicted to sugar, are obese, have diabetes or any serious disease, consult with a qualified health care practitioner such as a naturopathic doctor or nutritionist. They can develop a personalized program of detoxification and proper diet. The program in the book “Lick the Sugar Habit” by Nancy Appleton can also be very helpful for most people.

If you have school children organize your local PTA to get candy, sodas and all junk foods out of your school. Sugar overload is a major contributor to Attention Deficit Disorder and hyper activity among children. It’s our responsibility to take care of our health and of the health of our children, so take action and just say no to sugary processed foods.

It’s also important to be aware that everything that shows up in our physical body begins in our mental/emotional body. If you are addicted to sweets perhaps you aren’t allowing enough sweetness and love to come into your life from others. Take classes, read books or get some counseling on how to love yourself, love your life and create more fun and joy in your life.

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Read more.

2007-07-07T23:21:00.000-07:00

Update 070707

don't forget! every tuesday @ 6pm at the north end of Greenlake! Free group workouts! bring friends! and be ready to sweat!

new workout to try (a Filthy Fifties modification)

Dirty Thirty: Vaughn

KB Swings (1 pood)
Box Jumps @ 24"
Military Press @ 30#
V-Ups
Pullups
V-Ups
Military Press @ 30#
Box Jumps @ 24#
KB Swings (1 pood)

Children & Personal Trainers

2007-06-26T14:17:00.000-07:00

props to Shannon for this article from KOMO 4 Seattle

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By Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) - Nearly a million American youngsters, some as young as 6, rely on personal trainers to shape up, lose weight or improve in sports, according to figures from the nation's leading sports club association.

Many parents, worried about their children's weight and fitness, say working with a trainer motivates their kids and helps build confidence. So they are willing to spend the $40 to $60 an hour that trainers generally charge.

"We are seeing children that are out of shape where their parents realize the exercise program needs to be safe and effective," said Joe Moore, president of International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association. "A personal trainer is a good way to make sure that the criteria are met."

The Boston-based group's latest figures, from 2005, show that 824,000 children between the ages of 6 and 17 use trainers - a figure that accounts for about 13 percent of trainers' clients.

With many high school students not getting exercise at school unless they play a sport, more parents are turning to trainers to help their children stay fit, said Carla Sottovia, assistant fitness director at Dallas' Cooper Fitness Center.

More than one-third of American children are overweight and experts warn of future health problems ahead from diabetes to heart disease.

Kathleen Ballew decided her 7-year-old son, Jordan Sims, who will begin second grade in the fall, could benefit from some one-on-one time with a fitness professional. She had noticed he needed help with balance and coordination in soccer and karate. She'd also observed he was reluctant to do things kids normally do, like climbing on park equipment.

"I also just want to get him in the habit of making exercise part of daily routine," said Ballew, who described her son as just a little overweight. She fears it's something he'll have to struggle with as he grows up.

Since Jordan began working out at Baylor Tom Landry Fitness Center in Dallas with a trainer about a year ago, he moves more naturally and confidently, his mother said.

His trainer, Lauren Jacobson, works with about half a dozen kids under 18. She said she's noticed that training helps build confidence and a sense of accomplishment, along with helping kids get in better shape.

Zachary Edgerton, 18, who graduated this spring from a Dallas-area high school, has been working out with a trainer since his sophomore year.

He was in the middle of doing a makeover on his body after he began jogging as a 5-foot-2, 210-pound eighth-grader. By the end of his sophomore year, he'd lost about 60 pounds. Edgerton, who saw a trainer for a time during middle school, decided training was a good way to get more toned.

"I was done being a fat kid and I wanted to get in shape and feel good," said Edgerton, now 5-foot-7 and 165.

Dr. LeAnn Kridelbaugh, a pediatrician and nutrition specialist at Children's Medical Center Dallas, said that if parents have the resources for a personal trainer and their teen wants to do it, having a set appointment can be a good motivator to exercise.

"If you have the money and you feel that your late adolescent is going to get in shape and be more fit by using a personal trainer, I don't think that most pediatricians would have a problem with that," she said.

She cautions though that for children who have not yet reached puberty it's important that the trainer know how to work with kids whose bodies are still developing.

Kridelbaugh also points out that kids can get the exercise they need on their own by swimming, riding bikes, jumping rope or taking walks with their family. And something as simple as playing catch can improve coordination, she said.

"They can probably accomplish just as much with a motivated parent, playing games," Kridelbaugh said.

It's important that it be fun, she said.

Parents don't always find that easy to do, however. Kathleen McGowan said she's been impressed by the variety that her 13-year-old daughter's trainer puts into their workout sessions - something she doesn't think she would be able to do.

"It's unpredictable, which makes it fun," said McGowan.

After a recent fast-paced, 30-minute workout, daughter Katie McGowan's face glows with a wide smile and rosy cheeks.

"You're doing something to make yourself healthier and it's a really good feeling," she said.

The teen, whose twice-a-week training includes stretching and lifting weights, began working with a trainer this spring.

Katie McGowan said that before she began training, she occasionally worked out on a treadmill at home and sometimes played tennis. She also enjoys swimming.

Now, along with her training sessions and other activities, the soon-to-be eighth-grader stretches and works out a home.

Kathleen McGowan said the training sessions give her daughter's activities not only another dimension, but also add structure.

"I think it's made the whole concept of healthy living fun, as opposed to a chore," she said.

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Read the original article.

Weight-Loss Pills

2007-06-22T09:46:00.000-07:00

I don't know too many people who read blogs (including this one), but I regularly check out Ross En's blog and he recently put up this article. I'll add my thoughts about this all later.

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Weight-loss pills fly off the shelves in New York
June 20th, 2007 | Category: The Blog
It looks like pill makers will make a killing off the new non-prescription weight loss pill Alli.

Pills fly off the shelves

As stated within:

A pharmacist at Windsor Pharmacy in Midtown Manhattan, Maha Omar, said the store initially bought 10 boxes of Alli, but reordered about two dozen more on Saturday after initial demand was strong. The store has sold about 20 boxes, each of which includes a month’s supply.

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Now, we can all criticize the pill manufacturer for misleading the consumer to believe that these pills are the silver bullet, but can you blame them? These pill manufacturers are simply supplying the market with a product that is demanded by the consumer. Our society is lazy. Pill popping is here to stay. No one wants to work for anything.

******

This story reminds me of a trip to Walmart that I made last year. I needed to pick up a few 45 pound plates. I head to the exercise section and it looks like a ghost town. The free weights are covered in dust. I grab 4 x 45 pound plates and load up the shopping cart. I then head to checkout at the other end of the store. On my way, I pass by the vitamin and diet pill section. There are FOUR obese women all huddled around the diet pills. Each woman is trying to squeeze her way in to grab one of the last bottles. I wish I had a camera. These women are literally bumping in and off of each other, all trying to get their hands on a bottle of diet pills.

Meanwhile, the exercise equipment at the other side of the store is deserted. All you’ll see in that department is a thin coat of dust.

My trip to Walmart told me a lot about our world today. It’s a damn shame.

Ross

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read more

[video] Steve Cotter - Kettlebell Demo

2007-06-08T13:18:00.001-07:00

crazy.

Vertical Farms

2007-06-08T13:08:00.000-07:00

in the pursuit of living longer and healthier, we have to wonder what the future holds for us.

in a recent article i read, i was exposed to vertical farms or living skyscrapers. wonderful idea, amazing concept.

if i could, i would own one. and i'd put a gym in it.

read more:

http://www.verticalfarm.com/

http://nymag.com/news/features/30020/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_farms

[video] Rowing Technique

2007-05-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

check out this animation of one person's opinion on rowing technique

enjoy!

Indian Clubs

2007-05-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

Clubbells aka Indian Clubs!

great pictures and diagrams. now if i could only find one or two to play with..

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if the weather is decent this Wednesday (05/23) afternoon, expect a big group workout at Greenlake. more details to come

if interested, reach me at ABueno@gmail.com