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Posted by Andy Petranek :
Friday, May 04, 2012
With a week left before Regionals, it's time for our team to ease back from training and rest up for the main event - next weekend in Pomona (for details, click here). Team CFLA is going in again as a major underdog, qualifying as the 28th of 30 teams from the Open. Lets see what sort of finish we can muster up this year! Big shouts out to our A team - Shirley, Lacie, Annita, Lindsey, Logan, Danny, Zach; and B Team - Hacker, Will, Ricky, Matilla, Jonesy, Lamar, Niki, Scott, Kevin B, Sam, Stanwyck, Lauren, Anne, Munoz, Danette, Steve W, Nina, Welch, Keith, Courtney, Angie, Tomas, Julia, and anyone else I might have left out that has helped us get where we are today. As you can tell, it really does "take a village". And last but not least, a big shout out to Kenny Kane - Team CFLA's coach... who's helpin' to keep this whole thing together. No matter how you guys do next weekend, we're all proud of you... especially in the way you represent CFLA!
Regionals are NEXT weekend... This video should put EVERYONE in the mood. It's GO TIME!
Big shout out to Travis Gates for the awesome video!
Friday's Workout
“Jackie”
For time:
1000 m row
50 thrusters (45)
30 Pull-ups
... and coming Monday
30-20-10 rep rounds for time of:
Overhead Squats (115/75)
Push ups
Pull ups
Posted by michael stanwyck :
Thursday, May 03, 2012
A woman in the market was sampling special sweets one day.
Being a sweet lover, I approached.
"They are organic!," she told me. "They don't use white sugar!," she bragged.
I stopped her. "I hear where your heart is," I told her, "and I thank you. But I don't eat sweets for my health.
I eat sweets for a much deeper reason.
Sweets are for my soul."
"If they are 'better' sweets, my brain says 'eat more!' and sweets are not for my brain.
If they are 'better' I may become a glutton.
If they stay sweets I stay a saint.
I don't eat sweets for my body. That is not what they are for.
They hold a special place for me and I keep them there.
They have a place in my life that need not be altered.
I don't love sweets for my body.
I love sweets because sweets sweeten me.
Today's Workout
Skill work:
Snatch Balance
-- then --
4 rounds
10 pistols (total)
20 push ups
10 hollow rocks
0:20 handstand hold
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
Getting started is a hard place. Beginnings are rough for most of us - whether it's beginning a project, working out, or a new way of eating. We all have our little voices that rationalize why it's just better not to start.
If you have those little voices, if you're thinking about starting something, but haven't started yet - this video is for you:
Today's Workout
Back squat - work up to a heavy set of 5 in 30 minutes
-------------------
“Cookie”
2K row
Posted by Andy Petranek :
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
When I started adventure racing, waaaaay back in 1995, I did it for two reasons that have the look and feel of one... fun and adventure. I had no expectations, no idea how I would do, no idea how I would pay for it (I wrote a $10,000 check to get my team in, but didn't really have that kind of money), didn't even know how to do many of the outdoor skills required of me in the race. All I knew is that it was going to be fun, exciting and an incredible adventure.
When I retired from my short "professional" adventure racing stint ('99-'03) in 2003, things had changed for me. I was bored with traveling to the same courses year after year, I knew all the how's, when's, why's, what's, and who's of every location, every race, every season. I knew all the strategies, I knew how to cut all the corners, I knew how to train, what to wear, how much to drink and eat, when to wake up in the morning, how to pack my bike in the my well worn travel case. And, more importantly than all that, I had an expectation. I expected to win, or at least to be in the top three. So not doing so led to me feeling disappointed, like it was a waste of time.
One of the things that I LOVE about CrossFit is that even after 8 years of doing it, it doesn't get old or boring. There is always something new, fun and different to learn, something I'm not as good at as someone else, something that makes me want to get back into the gym and train again the next day. For me, the ONE thing that has had the ability to "taint the water", is my own expectation (judgement) of my performance. For CrossFit to continue to be fun, exciting and an adventure for me, I have to constantly remind myself to let go of the outcome. If I keep showing up, the outcome will come, in spite all the things in my head that might say otherwise (why aren't you rx'ing the weight, why haven't you pr'd in a year, why didn't you qualify for the games as a master in your first year of eligibility, you should be faster, you really suck at Olympic lifting, why are guys 40# heavier than you doing more muscle ups than you, you should be more flexible, you should spend more time training in the gym, you should be able to run a marathon barefoot, you shouldn't be getting beat by so-and-so, you should be on the leaderboard in EVERYTHING, etc).
So now, I continue to train for fun, adventure and excitement, but I also train to keep my mind from poisoning the well, training to continue to let go of the outcome, expectation, judgement. When I'm succeeding, I'm looking forward to tomorrow and having fun today... that is a big win for me. And I'm finding THAT to be as big a challenge and as much "fun" as any other training I've ever taken on!
6 am!
Today's Workout
Complete as many rounds as posible in 20 minutes of:
300m Run
200m Farmer’s Carry (50-55# dbs/35# dbs)
10 Dead Hang Pull Ups
Posted by Andy Petranek :
Monday, Apr 30, 2012
If you didn't think I was a geek before, now you most certainly will. When I buy an appliance or product that is supposed to work in a very specific way, I always go to great lengths to ensure I got exactly what I want. That often includes ordering multiple versions or types and returning the ones that don't meet my standards. Many of you know that I did that with our robot vacuum cleaner at the gym testing both at great lengths before finally deciding that Roomba was the way to go (winning out over Neato).
Now it's happened in the area of juicing. After my post last week about getting re-started juicing, I've got an update for you regarding the best juicer for the job. I wrote my last post after juicing two times with the new juicer, the Omega VRT-350hd. I remind you, this one is the latest technology, a vertically oriented, low RPM juicer that looks great, takes up minimal counter space and creates quality juice. Compared to the Breville, I was impressed, and could taste the quality difference in the juice it made.
Over the next several days, as I added diversity to my juicing recipes, I found out a few things:
1. Carrots almost always result in a "jam" - the motor stops and you have to switch it to reverse to unjam it (not a problem, just a fact).
2. Celery, a staple of my juices, with it's long, stringy fibers that run the length of the stalk, clog up the pulp ejection port. This leads to other problems - veggies and fruits that go in after the celery tend to not juice completely resulting in a high moisture content pulp or in pulp remaining stuck in the auger/juicing chamber. Even when I cut the celery into small pieces, though better, it was still a problem.
3. I don't understand why, but beets are a problem. Don't get me wrong, they juice fine, but the final product contains small bits of beet pulp, just enough to be really annoying. They get stuck in your teeth and I found them to make the experience of drinking the juice slightly gross.
4. Apples. Really? Apples. Yes... a problem. Well actually, only a problem if you juice them after juicing high fiber vegetables like kale, chard, spinach or celery that start to get the ejection port clogged. When that happens, apples do not juice well - lots of remnants remain stuck in the auger and juicing chamber. Nor do they juice completely with the pulp coming out with a high moisture content.
So... that being the situation, what's the solution you might ask? When I bought this juicer, I was agonizing over deciding between two juicers. I ordered the Omega VRT simply because it looked cooler and took up less space on the counter. From the reviews and videos I read and saw, it seemed equal to the other I was considering. I couldn't have been more wrong! Last Wednesday I ordered the Omega J8006 Commercial Masticating Juicer
and put them to a head-to-head test. Here's what I found.1. ALL the problems I was having with the VRT were solved with the 8006! Yes, ALL of them. No jamming. No issues with celery, kale or chard fibers clogging up the ejection port. I don't even have to chop up the celery into small pieces. No pulp in the juice - zero (even without the included additional strainer). And no problems with apples, regardless of the order I fed them in.
2. On top of it juicing fruits and vegetables, it also makes nut butters. I haven't tried this yet, and from what I've seen in videos, it's not the easiest thing to get right.
3. The VRT is easy to clean. The 8006 is even EASIER!!
4. The 8006 is $80 cheaper than the VRT!
5. The ONE drawback to the 8006 is the size of the feed chute. It's really small. I have to cut things up much smaller than I did with the VRT, which takes a bit more time and attention.
Conclusion: For me it was simple. The Omega J8006
wins, hands down! After juicing only four times with my new 8006, I re-packaged the VRT, printed out the return labels, and took it off to UPS. No brainer. I wish the feed tube were the same size on the 8006. In my opinion, that would make it perfect. But for now, it will do. It makes fantastic, pulp-free, high quality juice, is easy to clean, operates at low RPM, is relatively inexpensive... what more could you ask for?
Jonesy, en-route to a 5RM at 225 lbs!
Today's Workout
21-15-9 rep rounds for time of:
Power Cleans (155/105)
Box Jumps (32/24)
Posted by Andy Petranek :
Friday, Apr 27, 2012
Have you thought about it? You see people all over CFLA mobilizing, stretching, rolling around on foam rollers and lacrosse balls to increase their ROM (range of motion). Have you ever asked yourself the question why? I mean really... do you stretch just because you've heard it's good for you, or because for the couple of minutes you do it twice a week actually do feel good (when you're done)? And what, exactly, should you be able to do with the flexibility you gain? Once you've gained some, how do you know how much is enough? Do you look at someone that is "really flexible" in the gym and think that you should be able to do that (splits, pancake, etc)? Or is there some number in a book somewhere that gives you the "right" answer for each joint in your body?
Is it possible that it's much simpler than that? Could your ideal ROM be determined by your functional ability to perform various functional movements... like the squat, deadlift, or overhead press? And, if you're competing at higher levels in CrossFit or need more ROM for specific movements in your sport, those movements dictate your requirements? If so, then it's probably slightly different for everyone. Can you squat easily? If not, what holds you back? Can you bend over with an arched back and slightly bent knees and pick something up off the floor without losing your midline stabilization? If not, what holds you back? You'll find your own answers, and those will help you determine where to put your efforts for the 5 minutes you spend each day mobilizing.
In the video below from the mobilitywod, K-insightfullyfunctional-Star discusses this topic - insightful to hear the thoughts of a guy who's treated ROM issues in tens-of-thousands of athletes. Watch it. Worth it!
Today's Workout
Five rounds for time of:
20 Renegade Rows (40/25)
200 m Run
10 Dips / Ring Dips
