WOD:27July2011

I want to personally thank everyone who has CONSISTENTLY shown up day in and day out while I have been absent. For your dedication, I reward you with a brutally hard work out. I know...I am too nice!

4 Rounds for time.
10 Jumping Pullups. Strict as possible. Lower SLOWLY and CONTROLLED
20 Burpees
30 Kettle bell swings
40 Situps
50 Squats

Keep up the great work! The highlight of my day is coming home and seeing a picture of the group and seeing all the chatter! So keep ME motivated and post some pics afterwards!

-Cam

WOD:20July2011

We need it to get through a rough morning, we need it as an afternoon pick-me-up. Its benefits are amazing and 56 percent of people take in the benefits everyday. Coffee is by far the the most popular beverage in the world, besides water. For those of you drinking it just for the pick-me-up may be surprised to know that coffee is actually a very healthy drink. That doesn't mean go crazy and get a venti, vanilla soy, double shot, decaf, no foam, extra hot, peppermint white chocolate mocha with light whip and extra syrup. Part of dieting is sensibility. Keep is simple, stick with black coffee. Coffee has unfortunately evolved to this sugar laden, fat contaminated caloric monster of a drink. At most, honey or whip cream should be all you put in your cup to really help you enjoy the positives without canceling them out with crappy additives. Its health benefits include lowering the risk of diabetes, parkinson's disease and colon cancer. In fact at least six studies show that people who drink coffee regularly are up to 80 percent less likely to develop Parkinson's.
Where do the benefits come from? Caffeine. New batches of Parkinson's medications now include doses of caffeine related substances due to this research.
Caffeine is also a very useful tool for boosting athletic performance. Caffeine stimulates the brain and nervous system and tells them to do things differently, telling your body to ignore fatigue and recruit extra muscles.
Coffee sounds perfect, but its not for everybody. In some people it can cause nervousness, hand trembling and rapid heart rate. Pregnant woman, heart patients and people at risk for osteoporosis should stay away or limit their coffee intake.
So, drink up and enjoy the healthy benefits of a fresh cup of coffee as well as the morning pick-me-up.

WOD:
Deadlift 5x2
Then:
21-15-9
Deadlift
Jumping Pull-Ups
GHD sithups, Toes to bar, knees to elbows etc...

-Cam

WOD: 19July2011

Life is tough. Especially as the work place becomes more fast-paced. We are
expected to physically and mentally be prepared to keep up with the demands
at work as well as at home. It sucks. Stress in small amounts is good. It
keeps us on edge, sharpens our mind and trains us to occasionally perform
well under pressure. But c'mon! I have bills to pay, work to do, dinner to
make, clothes to wash, dog to feed and I have blog to finish. If only there
were a way to make it easier.

There is. Just effin' relax.

Stress in large amounts can be extremely detrimental to your health. Stress
has been linked to obesity, sleeplessness, depression, heart disease,
digestive problems and autoimmune deficiencies. Sometimes people have to
take a minute a prioritize what's on their plate. Eat your meal, then if
you have time, make dessert. That simply means, take on the most important
tasks, then if you have it in you, take care of the smaller tasks. If your
overwhelmed give it the ol' surfer boy attitude and say "whatever, it can
wait until tomorrow, bro."

Too often, I personally find myself stressing about things that aren't
exactly life threatening issues. If I'm late paying my cable bill, will the
world collapse in upon itself? No, at the worst, I will be forced to get up
and go outside. Oh! The humanity!

Another example. Would you rather your kids be 15 minutes late for school,
or would you rather them go to school hungry?
But, hey! At least there on time. Opinions may differ on this, but I don't
think missing 15 minutes of American school amounts to anything more than
what they could learn on Spongebob Squarepants in 5 minutes (did you pay the
cable bill?)
Feed your kids, they learn better with a full stomach
anyway.(http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/85094.php)

With all this being said, there is some stress that cannot be avoided or
disguised with laughter. Divorce, death, injury, illness retirement, and
being fired are huge examples that really do effect our livelihood. For
these, I recommend seeking professional help, talking to family and friends,
or join a group or gym. Vent these frustrations, talk about your feeling.
Don't be ashamed. Everyone has gone through the same thing that you are
going through.

A lot of things in life that we worry about aren't really that serious. We
have to understand the trivial tasks can be pushed aside temporarily, while
bigger priorities are dealt with. As Elbert Hubbard said, "Don't take life
too seriously, you'll never get out alive."

-Cam

WOD:
3x400 Meter Run: Rest 2:00 After each run.
Then:
5 Rounds:
30 Box Jumps
20 KB Swings
10 Burpees

WOD: 18July2011

I used a picture of Zach Morris and Alyson Hannigan because the REAL Zach and Alyson don't have a Facebook, Sooooo I did what I could with what I had.


Today, we have the sad duty of saying goodbye to two of our knowledgable coaches. Zach and Alyson have been helping out from the get go and over the past month they have made coaching a lot easier and they will be missed!

In honor of the help they have selflessly provided to the group, I saw it fitting that we do a workout out custom built by them. Here it is, blame them, not me!

As Many REPS as possible in 12 minutes. (Its a two man team workout)

One team memmber does Wall-Balls while the other does overhead walking lunges for 20 meters. Switch positions when team-mate returns. Every minute on the minute, its 5 burpees.

The score is the number of wall-balls completed. If you are confused, we will cover it more in depth this evening. Make sure ou all thank Zach and Alyson BEFORE you start this workout, because afterwards, you will not be able to formulate clear thoughts or sentences.

WOD: 15July2011

Top: Before Picture Bottom: 6 weeks later. Courtesy of Orange Coast CrossFit. Read the whole story at http://orangecoastcrossfit.com/crossfit-for-women/

Sit down, we need to have a little chat. See, when you step up, take fitness seriously and dedicate yourself, your body, well, it...ummm goes through changes. Sure they may seem new and weird, but its just part of becoming an healthy adult.

You are hitting a new type of puberty, for brevity's sake, I will call it "New-berty"

What does that mean? Well, Think back to your old daily workout routine. Think how it made you feel. Now, think of how you felt the day after "Fran" or "Cameron's Jacked G-Ma". You are sore in places you didnt even know had muscles Not even that, you are probably going to bed earlier, eating more, and if you are in the later stages of "New-berty" you are probably doing normal household chores "for time".

This is a verbatim conversation I had with myself while baking a meal:

"Mmmm, combine all ingredients and bake at 350 Degrees for 25 minutes....F*ck that, If I jack the tempurature up to 450 degrees, I can finish it in 15 minutes! 3-2-1...GO!"

While you are going through "New-berty" it is VERY important to "Listen" to your body. You are eating more for a reason, so make sure its high quality, paleo-esque foods. (Lean meats, fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds.)

You are sleeping more because you are working more. We should all be getting 8-9 hours of sleep in a cool, blacked out room. So pull down those massive "panic room" Italian shutters and put the cell phone/computer/TV away!

If the body be feeble, the mind will not be strong. ~Thomas Jefferson

WOD:
Strength
3 sets of 5 reps: Shoulder press

Rest~10 Minutes

100 Pushups
100 Situps

Go to failure on each exercise: if you make it to 25 on the pushups and fail, switch to situps until failure, back and forth until you finish all reps. Focus on PERFECT form!

WOD 14July2011

Today, Forrest Gump would be proud. (I know its an old reference, but there hasnet been a decent movie about running since "Forrest Gump")

In best Forrest Gump voice: "Today, I just feel like running."

WOD:
Run 1 minute, rest 1 minute, run 1 minute, rest 50 seconds, run 1 minute, rest 40 seconds, run 1 minute, rest 30 seconds, run 1 minute, rest 20 seconds, run 1 minute rest 10 seconds, Run 1 minute, rest 20 seconds, run 1 minute, rest 30 seconds, run 1 minute, rest 40 seconds, run 1 minute, rest 50 seconds run 1 minute and thats it.

It will be tough, but its necessary. This week we have had some strength (yesterday), explosiveness (Fran) and this workout will test another dimension. Endurance. Lets get after it. We will meet up in the same spot for a light warmup and then we will be moving to the track. The runs should be tough (about 75-90 percent effort.) I would like to see everyone run for the entire minute, on ALL the minutes, and if that means by the 8th or 9th minute you end up doing the shuffle, so be it.

See you there!

Cam

WOD: 13July2011

It's someones BIRTHDAY! Happy Birthday to Melissa Payne, dedicated client and an overall INTENSE person! Haha, We will include the mandatory singing of "Happy Birthday tonight in out warm up!

WOD:
5 Rounds for time:
7 Push Press(HEAVY)
14 Pushups
21 KB swings

Everyone is doing a great job so far, let's keep it up for the next month!


Cam

WOD:12July2011

Fran-Tastic! Today, you have the pleasure (or misfortune) of meeting one of my favorite CrossFit "Girls" Her name is Fran and she is, quite possibly the worst woman you will ever meet. I have had several encounters with her, the last of which was 2 minutes and 30 seconds of absolute agony and misery. After we exchanged greeting, she left me in a sweaty heap in the corner of the gym.

It looks very simple on paper. 21-15-9 reps of this couplet: Thrusters and pullups. Hell even the word "Couplet" is kinda cute. But looks can be deceiving. This workout is meant to be an all out gasser that should make the lungs feel as if they are on fire. Zac, Alyson and I will be there to make sure that with the intensity being up so high, the form stay within the 80 percent acceptable range. We dont want any injuries. Pullups will be regular, jumping or kipping. What ever way you can get your chin over the bar.

This workout will definitely test your mental strength, but in order for that to happen, you MUST push yourself to your absolute limits.

WOD: Fran
21-15-9
Thrusters
Pullups

Rx'd weight for men is 95lbs, women 65lbs. We will scale as necessary.

WOD: 11July2011

Reminder: This week we will work out Monday-Friday. Who's excited?

Today we will be doing handstands. Intimidated yet? It's common, but thats fine. Gymnastics can be frustrating, humbling, challenging and all of the above. With CrossFit it is important that we all remember that stepping outside of our comfot zones should become the normal thing to do. Become comfortable with the uncomfortable.

Gymnastics is a crucial skill that helps with just about all of the 10 Physical skills:


1. cardiovascular/respiratory endurance
2. stamina
3. strength
4. flexibility
5. power
6. speed
7. agility
8. balance
9. coordination
10. accuracy

As time goes on, the workouts may seem to become more and more "uncomfortable" but remember, fitness isn't easy. Its called WORKing out for a reason.

WOD:
10 minutes of skill building: HANDSTAND
then:
5 Rounds for time:
20 Backsquats
20 Meter handstand walk

*Today I will begin collected money for T-shirts! The cost is 27 bucks. (I am not making any profit! They are printed on HIGH QUALITY American Apparel T-Shirts.) I figure if you are going to put your brand on something, you might as well make it as high of quality as you can!

-Cam

WOD: Friday 08July2011

Learn this pose, perfect deadlift setup. Practice it. Seriously, stand up. Do it. "ANGRY GORILLA!"

Happy Friday to everyone! There is only one good way I can think of to go into the weekend: With Hamstrings "smoked" more than the salmon I buy at Emisfero!

Deadlifts
3 sets of 5 reps (3x5)
The way this will work is we will warm everyone up to a weight they are comfortable to start out with for 5 reps, then add weight accordingly. Ideally, on the last set you should be just about to failure on the last one, and chances are, you will lose form on the last rep or two. This weight that you finish with will be your 5 rep max. Write it down!

After this we will all rest up for about 5 to 10 minutes, and "jump" into the next workout, which ironically enough has "box jumps".

I will dub this workout "tendine del ginocchio affumicato" Translated: Smoked Hamstrings

4 Rounds
100m SPRINT (That means all out effort, you can rest when you get to the tire.)
25 Box/Tire Jumps

Looking forward to seeing you all out there this evening. I could not be more pleased with everyones enthusiasm and energy! Keep it up. You are all part of a communtiy here on Vicenza, lets all work together to change the way people think about fitness!

WOD: 06July2011

Image courtesy of: CrossFit.com

CrossFit Vicenza, this is "Helen". Helen, this is CrossFit Vicenza. Play nice!

"Helen"
3 Rounds for Time
Run 400 Meters
21 KB swings
12 Pullups

This is another one of the benchmark workouts for CrossFit, so be sure to record your times and any "Scaling" that you do.

This video will give you an idea of how to attack "Helen"

WOD for Tuesday 05July2011

First off, I want to say Happy 4th of July! It may be a day late, but the meaning is still there. Lets take a moment to be thankful for the freedoms we have as Americans.....



Ok, Let's get down to business. I know a lot of you may have indulged this past weekend. Am I mad? Hell no! Why? Because, I did the exact same thing. I celebrated American Pride by eating an ass-load of food, a lot of it being of the "junk" variety. I am paying for it today...and so will you.

Face it, we live in a fast paced world and we demand fast results. What if I told you that in as little as 4 minutes a day you could get a six pack, complete your masters degree and raise your kids? Surprised? Yea, me too because thats all false.

But in as little as four minutes a day you can improve your fitness, making it easier to acheive that six-pack, clear your head so you can hit the books and give you more energy to chase after the kids. Sounds interesting, eh?

The Tabata Protocol is an intense (we LOVE intense) workout regimen that can be done with just about any exercise. Tabata is the last name of the researcher that developed this interesting method for training that increases anaerobic and aerobic pathways at the same time. It basically means that you can increase strength, power and speed at the same time you are increasing you VO2 Max. How does it work?

You work for 20 seconds and rest for 10. COntinue this until four minutes has passed. Sounds simple? Well, tonight we will find out for sure.

Tabata Intervals:

Burpees
Squats
Situps
Pushups

Your "score" for each exercise is the total number of reps.

This will be a total of 16 minutes of work, as we will do each exercise for four minutes with no breaks in between exercise. Example: On the last set of burpees, we will rest until clock hits 00:04:00 then start the Squats. I ask that everyone brings a piece of scratch paper and a pencil. We will record reps.