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.