Dumbbell squat snatch, right arm x21 (men: 40lbs; women: 25lbs)
Strict pullup x21
Dumbbell squat snatch, left arm x21 (men: 40lbs; women: 25lbs)
Strict pullup x21

2 rounds

* The CrossFit Genesis Running Group will NOT meet today. The next session will be on February 18th.

From the vault: Old school CrossFit Genesis members ready to start the Helen Challenge May 8, 2009.

Elite strength and conditioning is a lot more than moving large loads, over long distances, quickly.  Add in the skills, techniques, nutrition, rest, and whatever else motivates you to be your best and you’ll soon find that attaining optimum functionality can be a daunting task.

On top of all that, have you ever thought of what your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones are going through AFTER you’ve pushed, pulled, jumped, or ran?  What you find may surprise you.

Adhesions (essentially scar tissue) occur naturally whenever our bodies experience trauma (injuries, surgeries, CrossFit WOD’s).  But seriously, the break down of muscle tissue is what we’re after when strength training.  It’s one of the only ways we’ll ever get stronger.  It’s when these muscle fibers repair themselves that we can become exposed to the build up of fascia tissue, and potentially limited in a variety of ways.

Breaking down the fascia tissue is beneficial in relieving long-term muscle soreness and preventing muscle tissue, bones, tendons, and/or ligaments from binding together (becoming glued).  Foam rollers and lacrosse balls are two great tools to use to become unstuck via some self-myofascial release.

Myofascial release and stretching are two of the methods we talk about when addressing the mobility aspect of strength and condition.  Breaking down the muscle via moving large loads over long distances quickly is important.  Preventing these same tissues from “sticking” together after the fact is a must if you want to see the greatest benefits from your hard work.

February 3, 2012 WOD

Deadlift

2 sets of 4 repetitions

Then:

Deadlift x 9 (155lb, 100lb)
Hand release push up x 12
Box jump x 15 (24″, 20″)

AMRAP in 15 minutes

For most of us, the Helen Challenge is well under way.  (Side note: if you haven’t done your baseline, the makeup is Saturday at 9:30am.)  Competitions like Helen give us a specific focus and a deadline. It’s a great source of motivation – we look to what’s ahead and push ourselves to be better for it. And many of us will achieve HUGE progress over the next 2 months, not just on “Helen” but in all of our fitness.

I think another great source of motivation comes from looking BACKWARD. When I first started CrossFit, every time I repeated a workout I saw myself improve by 25% or more.  It was an incredible feeling to see myself improve by so much and it fueled me to keep going. After over 5 years, I’m still improving, it’s just by smaller increments. But I still take great pride in every personal best, knowing how hard fought it was. These “unplanned” milestones bring me almost as much joy and motivation as the big ones like the Helen Challenge.

Today is a chance for one of these “unplanned” milestones, the Baseline Workout.  It’s the first workout most people do at CrossFit Genesis, so it’s a great chance to look back and see how much you’ve improved. Don’t forget, it’s also how you qualify for the White Band Test on February 18th.

What kinds of unplanned milestones have you had in your training? In your life? Do big milestones like this (planned or unplanned) motivate and inspire you?

Nehal Patel is getting the hang of the butterfly kip and muscle-ups will be close behind, 2/1/12

February 2, 2012 WOD

Overhead squat
3 sets of 5 reps

Then:

“Baseline”

Row 500m
Air squat x 40
Situp x 30
Pushup x 20
Pullup x 10

Yesterday we touched on the subject of “Letting Things Slip“.  It appeared pretty obvious that for most of us, food is the first thing to go. We are all human. We have emotions. We hurt, we celebrate, we stress, and we comfort. We do this with food. So deeply rooted are our connections with food, that this can be the biggest challenge and obstacle in reaching our goals of healthy living. Since we have a universal theme to our struggles, and we are a community that supports each other, why not put our heads together to find a solution.

I don’t have the answer. I wish I did. I know what doesn’t work. I know that turning to food first when dealing with any emotion, happy or sad, stress or celebration, isn’t the answer. Yet I continue to do it. I know that planning ahead and seeing my food simply as fuel is a better approach. I know I should eat as if someone is watching- not in secret. I know that being mindful of my food choices and the environment in which I eat, putting my food on a plate- not eating from a box or carton, sitting down to eat at the table- not in front of the T.V. or computer, typically leads to better choices. But how do we stay on this path? Do we need someone or something to hold us accountable? Is it realistic to think that someone or something will be there for us forever to keep us from derailing down the road? Or do we just worry about making good choices today?

Let’s help each other here by sharing what works for you.

Weekly Recipe

Sausage Stuffing

1 lb bacon, chopped
1 bulb fennel, diced
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
4 carrots, peeled and diced
10 mushrooms, diced
1 T coconut oil or butter
2 packs cooked chicken apple sausages, diced ( I use Trader Joe’s but Aidelle’s is another option)
1 bunch kale, chopped
2 T all purpose seasoning ( I use Costco Organic No-Salt Seasoning)
2 t sage
celtic sea salt & pepper to taste

In large skillet cook chopped bacon until crispy then remove bacon from pan. Add onions, fennel, celery, and carrots to pan with bacon fat- season with salt, pepper, all purpose seasoning and sage and saute until veggies are almost fork tender, then add mushrooms and cook a few minutes more. Remove veggies, set aside. Add coconut oil or butter to pan and brown diced sausage. Add veggies back into pan with sausage, and stir in kale, just until slightly wilted, stir in cooked bacon, taste and re-season if needed- enjoy!

I created this recipe as a side dish for a “Thanksgiving” style dinner, but was even better the next day with fried eggs! The key is to dice everything fairly small and about the same size so you enjoy all the flavors together in each bite!

February 1, 2012 WOD

Double-under x 20
Power clean x 8 (men: 115 lbs; women: 80lbs)
Pullup x 6

As many rounds as possible in 20 min.

I’ve been feeling great lately – setting big PRs, lots of energy and strength, etc. All the things that come with being in a good CrossFit routine and eating well.

As I was thinking about this today, a little voice on my shoulder said, “watch out, this is when you get cocky.”  You see, at times like this, I start to think I have a superpower: invincibility. It kicks in when everything is going well.

When my invincibility superpower kicks in, I start to let things slip. For me, the first things to go are stretching (No time today!) and sleep (I can stay up just one more hour!) I’m doing great, so I feel like I can afford to lay off on some things while pushing just as hard on everything else. Inevitably, it all catches up with me in a variety of ways.

Realizing these are my challenges (and admitting I’m not REALLY invincible) helps me take steps to remain focused on them.  That could mean simply keeping a journal of my stretching and sleep. Or setting goals for each. Perhaps even pledging to pay everyone at CrossFit Genesis a dollar if I don’t sleep or stretch enough!

Do you have a tendency to let certain things slip? What are they? When are you most likely to slip?

Amanda Buccina put her kip to good use, 1/18/12

January 31, 2012 WOD

“Freddy’s Revenge”

Push jerk x 5 (men: 185 lbs; women: 105 lbs)
Burpee x 10

5 rounds

* Reminder: The Personal Defense Readiness Seminar is tonight, so there will be NO classes held at 5:30pm or 6:30pm.

“Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better.”
- King Whitney Jr.

* Who is King Whitney Jr? I did a relatively quick Google search and found little. Anyone up for a little research? If you find anything, please leave a comment below!

Mitch Clark rising above box jumps, 1/17/12

January 30, 2012 WOD

Squat clean
5 sets of 3 reps (beginner/intermediate)
2-2-1-1-1 (advanced)

Then:

Run 800m
Rest approx. 4 minutes
Run 400m

Row, 1 minute (for calories)
Box jump, 1 minute (20″)
Push press, 1 minute (men: 75 lbs; women: 55 lbs)

4 rounds

A tough and determined Beth Clark, 1/16/12

“Christine”

Row 500m
Deadlift x 12 (bodyweight)
Box jump x 21 (20″)

3 rounds

* Reminder: The CrossFit Genesis Running Group has changed it’s starting time: now  meeting at 9:30am every Saturday!

Patrick and Dominic prep'ing for team competition, 1/21/12

Some of my favorite foods, in no particular order:

• Pizza
• Ice cream
• Donuts
• Cookies
• Cakes (and all derivatives, cupcakes, pancakes, cheesecake, etc)
• Bacon cheeseburgers
• Candy (fruity hard candy over chocolate based, but who am I to discriminate)
• Randazzo family canoli’s (and all pastry derivatives)

How many of these favorites have I had over the past month?  NONE!! And it wasn’t that big a deal.

Like a lot of people, I decided that a month of strict Paleolithic nutrition was in order to detox from a prior month of no holds barred holiday indulgences.  There was that initial feeling of loss, but it was quickly replaced with a much greater sense of excitement, which I’ll touch on later.  The point is that this time around, I wasn’t as obsessed with my 30-day journey as I have been in the past.  What’s the deal?

One big change is that I inadvertently replaced one pleasurable experience for another (keep it clean people!!).  Instead of obsessing about nutrition, I’ve been brainstorming all types of 30-day journeys aside from eating and exercise.  I’ve shared some of these brainstorms with close friends and the conversations that developed were nothing short of AWESOME!!  Hmmmm, really great conversation taking the place of Krispy Kreme’s, I might be on to something!!

I started pondering whether or not the same pleasure sensors affected by the indulgent foods were similarly affected by thoughts (brainstorms) and interactions (conversations).  There’s some interesting literature on the effect positive thoughts and actions can have on endorphin production.  Exercise is a good example.  Maybe I was getting the same type of “high”, without the high glycemic carbohydrates?

So rather than focusing on what I wasn’t going to eat, I re-focused on activities and goals that I wanted to ACCOMPLISH.  I quickly became excited about accomplishing my first 30-day journey, so that I could move on to the next adventure!!

Instead of something (food) being taken away, I was adding experiences that no one could ever take away!  AHA!!!

Now to keep things realistic, I have no intention of avoiding my favorite foods forever.  Even the best paleo/primal trailblazers have their vices.  I read somewhere that Mark Sisson enjoys the occasional Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia with crème de cassis (I’m an Americone Dream man myself).  The lesson for me was that you can visualize, act, and create a future that is more compelling than food.

Hana Brissey has come a long way, in a short time!!! Watch out Leaderboard!!

January 27, 2012 WOD

“Helen”

Run 400m
Kettlebell swing x 21 (53lb, 36lb)
Pull up x 12

3 rounds for time

*It’s not too late to sign up for our first challenge of the new year.  Come in and get your baseline time!!

What does it mean to have a brand? Usually when we think about brands, we think of businesses. Apple means cool devices. Starbucks means a consistent cup of coffee anywhere in the world. Toyota means reliable cars. But what about personal brands?

Similar to the way a name of a well-known business makes us think of certain things, a person’s name brings to mind certain qualities: positive, hard-working, happy, giving, loud, etc. This is a personal brand. What are the things people say or think about you when you leave the room.  Have you ever given any thought to what your personal brand is?

I think a personal brand is important because it impacts how people see us and treat us, even influencing the moods and actions of those around us. Some people inspire those around them. Or act so negative that they bring people down. If I’m going to have an influence on this world, I’d like it to be a positive one.

Some might argue that you should be who you are, people can take it or leave it. Can you change your personal brand? Should you? Do YOU try to convey a certain brand?

The CrossFit Genesis Running Group has moved to 9:30am on Saturdays. Photo from 1/7/12

January 26, 2012 WOD

Overhead squat
3 sets of 5 reps

Then:

Handstand pushup x 15
One-legged squat x 30

3 rounds, with a partner