I'm Manny! I have a piece of paper that says that I am proficient in anatomy and physiology... the nice people from the NSCA gave it to me. I also paid CrossFit a nice hunk of money for my Level 1 certification (now they want me to take a test!). I am currently a trainer at CrossFit Westchester, co-owner of Invictus Wrestling Club, an elementary phys. ed. teacher, and I eat a low-carb Paleo diet. I'm a "practice what you preach" kind of guy. I use myself for my own fitness and nutritional experiments. Before I forget, I graduated from SUNY Corltand with a Health Education degree. SWEET.
Sorry for the late post, I actually wasn't busy. I have no excuses, I was being a complete bum. Quick note: we have been a little off the strength bias for this week because of the wrestling tournament I am bringing my team to. For my outside readers, all of my crossfit athletes are also in my wrestling club, Invictus Wrestling. Anyway, we have a cool dual meet tournament in bumblefuck CT. It should be a good experience for the kids and I am very excited to see what my boys can do. Thankfully we have almost a full line-up this time. And our line-up looks pretty tough from top to bottom. Will update on Monday! BReeZe.
135lbs. Thrusters Weighted pullups (20lbs Dumbbell or vest)
On Tuesday, I posted an article about amino acids and how supplementing them is very beneficial for the athlete. Yesterday, my fellow coach and genius wrestling fanatic friend attacked me with a very intriguing question. If you read the last paragraph of the article, the author describes how excessive protein intake will hinder recovery because it will signal for the hormone glucagon and cause a process called gluconeogenesis. Last time I checked, gluconeogenesis ONLY occurs if your body is in need of glycogen. So in the low-carb diet scenario, this theory of excess protein causing gluconeogenesis thus converting your amino acids into glucose for the muscles, liver, and blood is correct. However, there does not need to be an excess amount of protein for this to occur. Your body's priority when recovering is to replenish glycogen stores when they are low, therefore there does not need to be protein in excess for this to occur. I believe the author was talking about excess protein causing gluconeogenesis in a carb rich environment. If this is the case, I will confidently say that he is either inaccurate or not explaining his theory fully. Excess protein will not cause gluconeogenesis to occur in a carb rich environment. If glycogen stores are full, then the body has no reason for this process to occur. Now what happens to the excess protein? Does it turn into fat? Technically, protein cannot turn into fat by itself. Protein must have a carbohydrate source, glucose, to convert into fat. The carrier is glucose-6-phosphate to be exact. To sum up the scenario of excess protein in a carb rich environment, the answer is it will attach to a carb source and turn into fat.
The whole thing with excess protein is generally a gray area. What defines excess protein? Especially to the athlete. Protein has more jobs than just repairing and rebuilding muscle tissue. Repairing cells, being burned for energy, aiding in the production of ketones are just a few of the many other jobs proteins/amino acids have at the cellular level. As always...
Stay classy,
Coach A.
New CrossFit Westchester logo. Redesigned website coming soon! www.crossfitwestchester.com
5 rounds, max load: Burpee Deadlift, 5 reps Burpee Power Clean, 5 reps Burpee Front Squat, 5 reps Burpee Clean and Jerk, 5 reps
Thanks JVH Sports Performance for the idea!
The workout is not for time, just max weight. Keeping your hands in contact with the bar, perform a burpee before each lift. Hand are only allowed to re-grip. Video below is a demo-ish.
Amino Acids, Training Stress, Hormones, and Muscle Tissue
By Joseph Regan
During low calorie diets and intense training regiments, amino acid supplementation becomes extremely important. Amino acids are chief components of proteins that are synthesized by living cells (nonessential) or are obtained by the body through diet (essential). A dietary protein source that contains all the essential amino acids is called complete proteins. Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and milk are examples. The proteins in vegetables and grains are called incomplete proteins, because they do not supply all the essential amino acids.
When athletes follow reduced calorie protocol to qualify for particular weight classes, i.e., wrestlers, boxers, MMA, amino acid supplementation becomes incredibly important. Amino acids account for a large percentage of the energy to fuel training and competition. As the athlete’s training volume and load increase, so does the stress hormone cortisol. When cortisol is elevated, the anabolic hormone testosterone will significantly decrease. This hormonal imbalance will allow cortisol to eat away at muscle, adversely affecting cellular energy metabolism, facilitating body fat accumulation. This imbalance also has detrimental effect on mood, i.e., Central Nervous System (CNS). Cortisol also supports fat storage via activating storage receptors and ruining insulin sensitivity. This affects how muscles can accept amino acids and other nutrients.
During training and calorie deficit, breakdown of muscle tissue will increase cortisol levels, which will have an adverse effect on performance. Losses of muscle mass and secondary lowering of metabolism can occur if volume and intensity get high enough. I preach to my athletes all the time about management of their CNS. Strength athletes rely on their nervous system to support success. Focus must be on training the brain, not just muscles, i.e., plyometric work.
Recovery becomes premium: when it comes to strength, peak power, and speed. The CNS must be repaired before the muscles. Amino acid supplementation greatly benefits the athlete. Amino acids ingested before workouts can compete with serotonin and its precursor tryptophan for entry into the brain. It is the serotonin action inside the brain that facilitates the sensation of fatigue. Amino acid supplementation pre-workout can blunt the pain response in the brain, allowing athletes to train more efficiently.
If ample amounts of amino acids are supplemented about 30 minutes pre-workout, amino acids have a sparing effect on muscle protein, thus allowing the body to use stored fat as fuel. Amino acid loading around training boosts fat burning by virtue of activating metabolism. Amino acid loading mimics the consumption of food, as far as the brain is concerned.
Regarding post-workout, amino acid supplementation will increase insulin enough to promote anabolism. Ingestion of food post-workout drives the blood away from muscle and is diverted to gastrointestinal tract (GI) for digestion. This feeding practice will most certainly hinder the recovery process, and digestion will be suboptimal. Hard training athletes do not have time for digestion. This is not time efficient, which is vital during competition, when time is of the essence.
Excessive protein consumption post-workout can cause a release of the hormone, glucagon, which antagonizes insulin release. Conventional wisdom tells us that insulin is anabolic post-workout. Insulin is most certainly anti-catabolic post-workout, as it diminishes post-workout protein breakdown. If glucagon is released, the body will now convert the excess protein into glucose (gluconeogenesis). So take in too much protein post-workout and say goodbye to that favorable amino acid ratio. Those aminos are now carbohydrates!
Joe Regan is a sports nutritionist for many top athletes, especially wrestlers. Though I do not know him personally, I have heard great things from his athletes regarding nutrition. Check out his website for sports nutrition info. www.peakprogress.com
For time: 100 Pull-ups 100 Push-ups 100 Sit-ups 100 Squats
Check out this sweet article I found on CrossFit Football on booze and how it effects body composition and stuff... it's pretty sweet --------> Alcohol, fat loss, and muscle growth
Run 400 meters Rest precisely the time of the previous run
Thanks CF HQ!
I would have posted a more difficult WOD, but since I will be in Buffalo, there will be no classes. This is something you can easily do at home, plus its a killer. Anyways, I murdered FRAN! That's right, I not only crushed my PR but did so without puking! I have been saying I was going to do Fran for weeks now and finally grew the balls to do it. Lately, well since I have been more consistent with my Crossfitting, my performance has been at an all time best. I have been crushing previous PRs. Cindy +3 rounds, shaved over 8 minutes on Linda, and now killing Fran 40 seconds faster. Now one thing that is pretty amazing is how my work capacity has gotten to where it is now. What has been different from last year and the year before till now? Lets take a look. I train less, averaging 3-4 days per week, I don't go balls to wall on every WOD like I used to, and I rarely if ever hit any oxidative type workouts. If someone were to present this to me, I would have assumed that their performance would have had a huge dip. After pondering for several minutes I have a few leads as to why my performance has been spectacular. Main reason: Paleo diet. I have worked hard on dialing in my nutrition and it has definitely paid off. I'm leaner, stronger, and my metabolic conditioning is the best its ever been. It is truly amazing how your diet impacts your performance, people really do not understand. Some other minor reasons why my performance has been up as of late include: supplementing with BCAAs, training less, and not killing myself all the time. The BCAAs have definitely helped with muscular fatigue. Training only 3-4 days a week has left me fresh and ready for the next WOD. Note: I only have two real rest days per week, I wrestle on my non-crossfit days. Lastly, my training intensity has kept that "burn out" feeling away. This was something that has come along many times since I have been CrossFitting. I now only go at "full intensity" when I feel like it, otherwise I go hard, just not to the point that I want to puke. Off to Buffalo I go, make good decisions this weekend! BReeZe!
Double Unders (x3 single, if you cannot do a double under)
Deadlift, 135/185lbs.
Ball Slams, 20lbs ball
Burpees
Take a 30 second rest in between rounds. Each rep is 1 point, add up reps to get final score. This is a "gone bad" style WOD... I think I'm going to call it "Good girls, Gone bad!" (after a cobra starship song).
NO CROSSFIT CLASSES ON FRIDAY! I'll be at the Empire State Games in buffalo coaching my two athletes to glory. So, some time last week I checked myself into caffeine rehab. Here are some physiological and mental updates since I have taken it out of my diet. For the first few days physically, I felt sluggish and lethargic, but performance did not suffer as much as I had anticipated. Mentally, I did feel a little "blah" but depression was not an issue. This was a big surprised because I was a mental wreck last time I stopped using caffeine. My guess is because since I was at a much lower dose of caffeine this time around, the mental dependence was not as big. As of the moment I feel great without caffeine, my energy levels are good, and performance is still awesome. I'll admit that I did take in some caffeinated beverages Friday and Saturday night and let me tell you, WOW. I was banana sandwiches both nights, I even danced bachata! My advice to caffeine addicts: do yourself a favor and make caffeine an occasional thing. I recommend caffeine for athletic performance, however, using it everyday diminishes the effect. Your body gets a quick tolerance to caffeine and does not enjoy being without that stimulating feeling. BReeZe!
Stay classy,
Coach A.
Jacob "The Serial Killer" Berkowitz... Check out that face!
30 Pushups (hand release at the bottom) 21 Overhead Squats- 45/95/135lbs.
Thinking about trying the Paleo Diet? Trust me its not a fad diet, there are no bars, supplements, or other B.S. On a marketing aspect, the only thing that exists are books to educate you on what it is and how to go about it. If you still think it is just another fad diet, ask yourself what is so bad about eating things veggies, lean meats, seafood, and healthy fats? I think the answer is pretty obvii... The easiest way to start is by cutting out processed foods by each meal. Here is an example of what you diet may look like and this is how you could change it. Breakfast: Bagel, oatmeal, or cereal. Pretty safe to say most people have one of the three. Lunch: Sandwich of some sort. Dinner: Pasta, rice, potatoes w/ meat. As you can see, this is a typical American diet which is rich in shitty carbohydrates. Besides jumping right on the Paleo bandwagon, ease yourself in. Start with replacing one meal per week with a Paleo friendly meal. For example, you can change your breakfast to a bacon and spinach omelet. Wake up 15 minutes earlier and stop complaining. Week after you can replace lunch with a turkey salad with olive oil. Dinner is the easiest to replace. Chicken, steamed veggies, and an avocado. Ideally you want every meal to consist of a protein source (meat of fish), veggies, and fat. If you focus your diet on those principles you should be just fine. Snack on nuts, fruits, and nut spreads like almond butter. My favorite snack is bananas and almond butter, its crack. Believe it or not you will lose bodyfat, despite a high fat intake. Google it because I do not feel like explaining it, maybe another time. Just so you know, there will be a 2-3 week dip in energy and performance due to your body making a "metabolic shift", meaning its change from carbohydrate dependency to fat, a more preferred source. After that time period is over I guarantee you will feel amazing. Trust me, Coach A would not steer you wrong!
Sprint 40 yards 6 Power Cleans 95/135/185 lbs 12 Knees to Elbows
Thanks CF Football!
I would like to wish good luck to my Invictus Wrestling/CrossFit Westchester athletes, Dave and Eusebio, this weekend as they are competing at the Empire State Games. It is going to be a great experience for both, there should be some great competition up there!
Goal of CrossFit: produce well-rounded athletes, "our specialty is not specializing". My vision: not only make a well rounded athlete, but a damn powerful workhorse. Will my athletes have as good endurance as a CrossFit athlete? Probably not. Will my athletes be able to lift large loads across distance faster? HELL YES. Why? This is a question a few people in the CrossFit community are having trouble understanding. Don't get me wrong, I love producing athletes who are capable of doing things that require hitting different modal domains, but my job is to prepare them for sport. So it is IMPERATIVE that there has to be some specialization. Since I train wrestlers, there workouts must be based around heavy explosive movements with workouts typically lasting in the duration of around 10 minutes. Anything outside of that domain is generally not helpful for these explosive athletes. Wrestlers, the most bad-ass athletes on the planet, do not hit aerobic pathways in competition. Umm... so why have them train in a domain that is rarely if ever hit? Pointless. Instead, lets get their bodies prepared for the 6 minutes of sprint work, which is pretty much what a match entails. Hate to say this: CrossFit is not the answer to everything and if you think it is then you are uneducated and ignorant. If your goal is to get bigger and stronger, stop running 5ks and lift a heavy barbell for Christ sake. All and all learn how to structure programs based around your or your client's goals using the CrossFit methodology: constantly varied functional movements performed at a high intensity! All day eurry day!
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of: 5 Handstand Push-ups 10 One legged squats, alternating 15 Pull-ups
Here is a little explanation of the Paleo diet written by my bff Sarah Johnson. Check out her blog! Sarah's blog
Why do you do Paleo? What is Paleo? I thought whole grain was good for you?
…WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?!?!
Ever get these questions? Yeah.. me too. Here’s a write-up I put together for Albany CrossFit explaining, in the simplest way possible, the what’s, how’s, and why’s of the Paleo Diet. Let me remind you that, although I have attended the CrossFit Nutrition Certification, I am not an official expert on the topic, nor is it my profession; I research and read about the Paleo Diet as a hobby and am very passionate about it as it relates to CrossFit and maintaining overall health. This was designed for people new to CrossFit and Paleo nutrition (obviously!).
CrossFit’s Love Affair with Paleolithic Nutrition: What it is, How it Works, and Why it Rocks Our World Sarah K. Johnson
Paleo Diet defined. First, lets define “Paleo Diet”. The Paleo Diet (which should actually be termed Paleo lifestyle) is the “optimum diet for the human animal, based on the nutritional requirements established during its evolutionary path to its present form (the modern homo sapiens). The biologically appropriate diet” (Wiss 2010).
And… what does this mean, exactly? This means removing all foods that are products of agriculture or animal husbandry (i.e., dairy, beans/legumes, grains, sugar, potatoes, and processed foods). Ultimately, this diet consists of meats and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar.
What are the goals of the Paleo Diet? The main objectives of the Paleo Diet is to keep the human body’s internal environment well-balanced and clear of processed and pro-inflammatory food sources (see above). When followed correctly, this program will successfully encourage fat loss, maintain insulin sensitivity, lower LDL’s and blood pressure, cure and prevent diabetes… yes, really. And the list goes on.
But, aren’t grains good for you? You may believe that whole grain is “good for you” due to the amount of fiber per serving.. indeed, fiber is good for you.. but, you can acquire this fiber from A TON of other sources that DO NOT contain the anti-nutrients found in grain (i.e., Lectin and Gluten). For example, fruits and vegetables are actually MORE nutrient dense than grains, regarding the fiber, vitamin and mineral amount per serving. Turns out you don’t actually need that empty calorie rich whole grain bagel every morning to get your fiber.. let’s define what those antinutrients were, again:
→ Lectin. A protein that binds to insulin receptors, the lining of our intestine, and a contributor to leptin resistance. Leptin resistance predicts an exacerbation of features related to metabolic syndrome independently of obesity. Lectin is also found in beans, utilized as a protective chemical to deter herbivorous insects and animals (and.. well, us!)
→ Gluten. When ingested (via grains such as barley and wheat), gluten stimulates a physiological response similar to that of a virus. This immune response triggers an attack on the protein and, consequently, the surrounding tissue. Not only does this induce inflammation, but also has the potential to exacerbate or set off many health problems throughout the body (see celiac disease).
Why no dairy? Although dairy has some benefits, it also has a fair amount of lactose per serving. Lactose is a milk specific sugar that can range from 11g to 14g per cup of milk. Not only does this have the potential to spike insulin levels, but also stymie fat loss.
What is insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance? Produced by the pancreas, insulin is a hormone in charge of regulating the body’s energy and glucose metabolism. This means that, when any food is digested (with special emphasis on sugary foods or highly processed carbohydrates), insulin is released to lower blood sugar levels and return the body to homeostasis. When the body becomes insulin resistant, however, muscle, fat and liver cells are less receptive (or less sensitive) to insulin. This results in the overproduction of insulin due to a diet HIGH in refined sugar, carbohydrates, and overall processed garbage (and of course does not help if you’re genetically predisposed). Ultimately, insulin resistance goes hand in hand with decreased insulin sensitivity and, consequently, metabolic disorders such obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and increased rates of heart disease can occur.
Is the Paleo Diet “Low Carb”? The Paleo Diet is as carbohydrate rich, fatty, or sugary as you design it to be. One can eat too much fruit, and have too much sugar; too much bacon or avocado, and have too much fat. However, by default, yes, it is lower in carbohydrates than the average American diet because it does not include foods such as breads, pastas, or other processed carbohydrates. Carbohydrate sources come exclusively from fruits and vegetables.
OK.. Anything else? Yes, one more thing: remember to take Fish Oil. Rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids (i.e., EPA and DHA), this supplement reduces inflammation (i.e., joint pain) and LDL’s, in addition to being imperative in maintaining brain and cardiovascular function. It is recommended at .5g per every 10lb of body weight.
This is a goodie: is milk good or bad for us? The debate goes back on forth. The media says milk is without a doubt awesome for us. Milk mustaches, celebrities, everyone is drinking milk! So its definitely good for us right? Well, not necessarily. Lets take a deeper look into the pros and cons of milk and how they relate to the athlete. Cons: lactose sugar is known to spike insulin levels, high amounts of saturated fat, causes digestion problems, and that's all I can think of at the moment. Pros: good source of protein, calcium, and vitamin D. Milk is obviously nutritiously dense, which reaps many benefits. Lets talk about the bad stuff. Lactose sugar and spiking insulin levels is no bueno. Period. Now saturated fat is an interesting issue. Sure there's skim milk, 1%, etc. but, why is saturated fat the culprit? It clogs our arteries, duh. Take a different look on saturated fat. Why does it clog our arteries and cause disease in the first place? I've got an interesting take on this one. Please correct me if I am wrong. A lot of this myth has to do with the elasticity of our veins and arteries. Most Americans simply lack the proper amount of nutrients to support the bodies basic functions. Example, vitamin C helps with the production of collagen, collagen makes your veins and arteries more elastic, thus increasing blood flow. Get where I am getting? If not, here is an easy explanation: If your intake of nutrients was suffice (like the vitamin C example) then you would not have a problem with saturated fat clogging your arteries because the elasticity will help it flow right through. What does this have to do with the athlete compared to the average person? To the average person, who is Paleo of course, milk and diary is not needed nor recommended because of lactose sugar. Paleo dieters want nothing to do with insulin spikes. Paleo eaters get plenty of calcium from veggies and do not require as much calcium as the typical American because of the less acidic diet Paleo eaters consume. Athletes, however, can benefit greatly from diary. Sure we want that insulin resistance, but we can sacrifice it for the athletic benefits milk has. If you are an athlete or looking to put on some size, whole milk is very high in calories. Even better, if you are a Paleo eating athlete I wouldn't worry about the saturated fat because your vitamin and mineral intake should be suffice. On top of that, milk increases the much desired hormones for muscle building. Figure this, drink 4 cups of milk post-workout. You will be getting in 600 calories and 32g of protein! Try the gallon of whole milk per day diet if your looking to mass up. All and all I believe the benefits of milk outweigh the cons. Note: I am still an amateur in this field. What are your thoughts??
Make up day if you did not do your CrossFit Football Total, otherwise:
Find 1 rep max for strict press.
5 rounds for time: 1 Press 90% of 1 RM 1 Strict Pull Up 1 Press 90% of 1 RM 3 Strict Pull Ups 1 Press 90% of 1 RM 5 Strict Pull Ups * Thanks CrossFit Football*
Check out the CrossFit/Invictus athletes ripping shit up on youtube. Just search either Invictus Performance or CrossFit Westchester. Today should be wonderful. I am cleaning the rust of off the olympic plates I just bought off of some weirdo on craigslist. I got them for a sweet price, so I can't complain. Ideally, I'd like to sell the 535lbs of iron plates and purchase some hi-ten rogue bumper plates. They are so legit, except they bounce excessively and can nail you in the face if your an idiot. It's late, I'm going to bed. See ya!
*Best of three attempts of each exercise. For the long jump, you will need chalk to mark the start and finishing points and something to measure it. The vertical jump is going to be done by seeing what is the highest box they can jump onto. If you only have a 24" box, just stack weights until the athlete cannot jump any higher*
This is the last test for the week. After this, will be make-up days for the athletes who need to do a set of tests. It is very important that we do these tests because they measure all of the physical areas of fitness that we are aiming to increase. I made all of the tests, except for the CrossFit Football Total, which I am planning to modify. My goal is to make a standard set of tests that will accurately measure strength, power, speed, and muscular endurance. The tests are designed to measure these physical areas in not only your upper and lower body, but also your core. I know the tests aren't perfect, but it is a good start. As I learn and grow as a coach, I will find more and better ways of testing these areas. There's a rumor that someone wants to open up his own training facility :)
Stay class,
Coach A. Front Range CrossFit in Denver, CO. If only it had a wrestling mat in the center! Thanks CrossFit Football for the image!
This whole week is just going to be testing different physical areas. Yesterday, I decided to go with the CrossFit Football Total over the regular CrossFit total for obvious reasons (I only train athletes). It will be interesting to see how my athlete's do with bodyweight movements. The squats and sit-ups I set a time limit of one minute because we can pretty much do those exercises for minutes on end. As you build up stronger more powerful legs and core, you will be able to bang out more reps faster. There is no time limit from the upperbody movements because its pretty damn hard to bust out reps after a minute of continuous movement. Get it? I am currently digging up some research on the pros/cons of milk for the athlete. Milk is not included in the Paleo diet, as cavemen were not sucking the teet of cows quite yet. There is a lot of back and forth blah blah on milk, which has baffled me for a little while now. Hopefully I will have that done sometime this week.
Stay classy,
Coach A.
My little intro lesson to my 5th graders on the Paleo diet haha
*Perform a single maximal effort for the lifts listed above. *After warm-ups, 3 attempts are allowed. *Total must be done in the specified order. *Combine all 4 lifts to create CF Football Total
Another great weekend! Now back to business. For a little while now, I have been completely off pre-workout supplements. I even limited the amount of coffee I drank per day. Between the two, I would say I was consuming around 500mg of caffeine per day to function. As most of us know, you build a tolerance to caffeine and you can do so quite quickly. I now find myself in a very similar situation. I only drink 1 big cup of coffee per day and the stimulating effects of caffeine are starting to fade. I have two options. One, I up my caffeine intake and chase this "high". Two, I cut off coffee for a little while to lower my tolerance. Last time I did my caffeine rehab I was pretty dull and miserable for about 2 weeks. I had a legit physical addiction to caffeine. It not only effected my performance, but it got me into an almost depressing mood. I felt lethargic, unenthusiastic, and had very poor mental clarity. Today was my last cup of coffee, so tomorrow starts my journey. I predict this caffeine clean out will not be as bad as the previous one, since the dosage is much less than half of what I was consuming before. Readers, be prepared for a boring week or two. For caffeine addicts, do yourself a favor and check yourself in, permanent damage to your adrenal glands are never a good thing!
Stay classy,
Coach A.
This has nothing to do with fitness, but it is too damn funny:
Ever hear the saying, "duck tape fixes everything"? Well, I have a theory. Duck tape and PVC pipe can fix and make anything. Its true. If you break something tell me a little duck tape and some handy dandy plastic isn't going to fix it in a jiffy! Another fix is a low carb paleo diet and crossfit. Now those two combined will fight away most diseases, illnesses, and all of the other common reasons why we are perishing away. Think about it. Heart disease is the #1 killa in the U.S. Low-carb paleo diets and crossfit both have been proven to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and promote a more active lifestyle. I think it amusing when I hear people tell me that either low carb or paleo diets are "unhealthy". What is so unhealthy about eating veggies, getting more then enough vitamin and minerals, less sodium, more good fat, more protein, and just eating the foods that we were programmed to eat? News flash: we don't need grains or processed carbs for life functions. Period. We'll get them in low glycemic foods and if glycogen stores are too low, a neat process called gluconeogenesis will convert amino acids into glucose. "Red meat is bad". As long as your diet is rich of all the essential vitamins and you crossfit, you'll be benefiting from delicious red meat. Lets use a low carb diet and crossfit in context.
Person A is obese: Low carb paleo diet and crossfit.
Person B broke his leg: duck tape and pvc pipe to cast the leg. Low carb paleo diet and crossfit to heal like Wolverine.
Person C has a lot of unprotected sex: With a perfect immune system, believe it or not, your body can actually fight off many stds, including AIDS. Research it! LOW CARB PALEO DIET AND CROSSFIT will promote the most badass immune system (and supplementing with vitamin C ).
Enjoy your weekend! I won't be around my computer this weekend, again. I have a graduation party to attend, where I will be meeting up with my college buddies! Make good decisions ladies and gentlemen :)
10 Deadlifts 10 High pulls 10 Front squats 10 Cleans
This is not for time. Choose a light load, work on clean technique. Make sure you are hitting triple extension on those high pulls!
I lied again. I do not have a summary of yesterday's post. I have not had my daily fix of caffeine yet, so my motor has not started. Another scorching day out; how many of you worked out outside? I did. It was glorious. The main page WOD looks awesome; I'll be doing that today. Be sure to check out Chris Spealler's video on the main page. In my opinion, he has got to be the best CrossFitter pound for pound. The man is 140lbs. crushes any bodyweight WOD, competes with the big boys on strength bias WODs, and pretty much dominates anything that gets in his way. Not to mention he is a humble individual. On another note, I found a cool article on how to avoid caffeine crashes. Pretty random but I have been pondering why I almost never get caffeine crashes. It makes perfect sense after reading, How to Avoid the Crash of Caffeine. In a nutshell, if you add a little fat to your caffeinated beverage it will prolong the effects because caffeine is fat soluble (as well as water soluble). My buddy had told me about this before, so I figure I'd dig up some more info. I am assuming since my diet is very high in fat (around 45-50% of my daily intake), the one cup of coffee I have per day not only makes me banana sandwiches, but stays in my system a crap load longer. SWEET. Dumb vegans haha
Max reps: Bench press 225lbs. *You get 3 chances to perform the test. *Rest as needed between efforts. *If you can not bench 225 lbs, then you can scale with 135 lbs or 185 lbs accordingly.
100 Pull Ups
*Complete 100 pull ups for time using a kipping pull up, a strict pull up or any other way you can from an open shoulder to your head over the bar.
I still have not turned the "on" switch in my brain on yet, so bare with me. I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend, I know I did. I ate like a typical American and now feel like garbage. It has been awhile since I have taken in such heavy loads of carbohydrates for an extended period of time, so my body is paying the price right now. My stomach feels twisted, I feel slightly disoriented, and overall just tired. Today seems like a perfect day for some intermittent fasting to "reset" my body. Regarding training, something that I think is worth talking about is listening to your body. When you're thirsty, you drink, when you're hungry you eat, when you're tired, you sleep. Seems like common since huh? Why is it that when our bodies are completely battered, we continue to train at high intensities? Now, I am a big advocate in pushing yourself beyond your limits and developing mental toughness. But, when is it appropriate to draw that line between mental toughness and stubbornness? Punishing your body day in and day out can lead to things like over-training, burn-put, and injury. CrossFit and other intense regimens are like candy to the workout enthusiasts. It is what makes us feel good, gives us that workout high at the end. It is what champion athletes strive for. But is going balls to the all 5-6 days per week, multiple times per day making you better? In my opinion, it is flat out stupidity. Personally, my body cannot handle 5 days of intense CrossFitting in a row. I have played around with this several times. My results were not up to my standards and I was losing interest in going to the gym. Ironically, my programming now is based off of a 5 days on 2 days off program. This is mainly because of lifestyle and convenience. However, if you have been paying attention to my workouts I only structure 3 days of real intense movement. The other 2 days are lighter, less intense, skill oriented days. The nature of the program is to save you from yourself. If you follow the program as is, you should be not only improving every physical domain, but do so minimal injury, no burn-out and without a hint of over-training. Over and out!
I apologize for the early afternoon post, I forgot my laptop at my apartment. I just finished torturing my Rockland athletes, with a sweet deadlift workout. Now I just need to get some more equipment! Here is a list of things I plan on making: 20lbs. medicine balls, rings, parallets, 24" boxes, fat bars, and weighted vests. Its actually pretty easy and extremely cost effective to make your own stuff. Plus its fun and you feel pretty damn cool after. For most of the stuff all you need is pvc pipe, duck tape, and google. I've already made a set of parallets and gymnastic rings, which I carry around in my trunk along with my Kan Jam set. If and when I open up my own training facility, most of the equipment is going to be built. Screw buying it new. Waste of money, in my opinion. Some neat equipment that I do plan on purchasing this summer includes: pushing/pulling sled, resistance bands, and a sledgehammer. I really want to get a flip tire, but I don't know if that will be feasible. The rents simply do not have room to store that big thing. I have been meaning to post an article on ketosis and insulin resistance, but I am digging up a few more things to make sure my facts are correct. Hopefully by Monday, if my brain is functioning, I will have something intelligent to say. Check out how spastic I am on the rings during the workout I did yesterday!
7- Ring pullups 7- Muscle ups 7- Ring dips 7- Ring pushups
There's no way I'm waking up earlier to post and I won't be near a computer until the evening. So I figured this would be the best time for me to post something, since I'll be pretty busy all morning and afternoon. This is going to be one of my many random posts. Note, some future posts may be completely irrelevant to fitness/nutrition/sports. I would love for a globo meathead to read this. This post is dedicated to the globo meatheads who really don't know a thing about fitness. Before I start, if your SOLE purpose of going to the gym is to look good, then bodybuilding is probably your best bet. On the other hand, why just look good and not be able to do functional tasks efficiently? Bodybuilding does very little for your strength, coordination, balance, muscular endurance, stamina, accuracy, power, cardio, and agility. Why body build and just settle for looks when you can have looks and be awesome at life by hitting all modal domains (CrossFit)? I feel bad for all of the people at the globo gyms doing bicep curls, leg extensions, and other exercises that retard one's muscle. I guess one half of that population is uneducated and the other half is ignorant or just lazy. Now back to the things I hate:
1. Bicep curls- cause ZERO hormonal response, thus pointless. Do some pullups. O wait, you don't want to work hard... 2. Women who don't weight train because they don't want to get bulky- If 75% of the men in the gym aren't jacked, what on earth makes you think you will? Women generally do not consume enough calories nor have the proper amount of hormones to get bulky. 3. Leg extensions- Can you please tell me when you will ever use JUST your quad? Have fun retarding your muscle. Good job sport. 4. Grunting for no reason- put down the dumbbell chief, rack on 400lbs on your deadlift. Now you have permission to grunt. 5. Improper goal setting- saying you want to lose 20lbs. is not a goal. It's a statement. I want to lose 20lbs. in 3 months is a goal. See the difference? 6. Big meatheads- Bet you can't jog a full mile. I win. 7. "Know it all people and trainers"- there is no "one size, fits all" approach to training. I never claim to know every thing. I am constantly working to find out and absorb new information. Leave your ego at the door. 8. Hypersensitve people- you are the reason why our freedoms are slowly being restricted. Stop complaining. It is irritating and I do not have the patience for your kind. 9. STRAPS- if you can't hold the weight, then you can't lift it. Be a man and work on your grip strength. 10. Gloves- they're for gardeners. Rock your callouses with pride. 11. Partial squats- Going above parallel is detrimental to your knees as they act as shock absorbers when pausing above the parallel plane. Going below parallel puts less stress on the knee because it will further engage your hamstrings and glutes to stop the weight. 12. Laziness- overall, these people just piss me off...
