North Scottsdale CrossFit

It's not about the people.

From the Art of Manliness:

The Right Kind of People

By: Edwin Markham

Gone the city, gone the day,
Yet still the story and the meaning stay:
Once where a prophet in the palm shade based,
A traveler chanced at noon to rest his mules.
“What sort of people may they be,” he asked,
“in this proud city on the plains o’erspread?”
“Well, friend, what sort of people whence you came?”
“What sort?” the packman scowled; “why, knaves and fools!”
“You’ll find the people here the same,” the wise man said.
Another stranger in the dusk drew near,
And pausing, cried, “What sort of people here
in your bright city where yon towers arise?”
“Well, friend, what sort of people whence you came?”
“What sort?” the pilgrim smiled, “Good, true, and wise.”
“You’ll find the people here the same,” the wise man said.

Workout of the Day

Part One – Find your 1-RM Clean in 15 minutes or less
(power or full – get as much as you can from ground to racked, standing position);
and then,
Part Two – Complete the following for max reps:
Two minutes of Wall Ball Shots (20/12 lbs.)
60 seconds of Rest
Two minutes of Kettlebell Swings (24/16 kg)
60 seconds of Rest
Two minutes of Box Jumps (24″/18″)
60 seconds of Rest
Two minutes of Rowing (for calories)

Helen Challenge Finals!

It was a rambunctious group here this morning for our Helen Finals!  We had two preliminary heats with students who weren't a part of the challenge, and then two heats for the finals!  Heat two judged ROM and counted reps for heat one and vice versa (kind of).  Everyone hung around to see the finals and the On Ramp class got to see folks push themselves to their limits!  Will and Kevin went first after drawing heat one out of a hat.  Will had beaten Kevin by one second in December (9:14/9:15) and they had the top two times of the prelims.  We knew this was going to be epic. 

The pace was fast from the get go, and the pattern was set.  Will would pull ahead on the run, but Kevin would catch him using the butterfly kip on the pullups.   The question was, over three rounds, would Kevin be able to make up enough time on the pullups to overcome the time he gave away on the run?  Will was leading each round after the run going into kettlebells.  In the end, Kevin ended up winning the heat in 8:27 to Will's 8:39.   Will improved his time by 6.31% and Kevin improved 8.64%

Matt was out with a stomach bug and Mike couldn't do pullups due to a shoulder injury, so Scott was competing primarily against himself in heat 2, though Mike acted as his 'rabbit.'   Scott had come off a bit of a vacation going into the challenge and had laid down a 11:30 time in December.  Everyone felt like he was the odds on favorite to win most improved.   He really pushed it and the whole gym was cheering for him as he finished up at 9:34, a whopping 16.8% improvement and enough to take home the cash prize for most improved!  Congratulations to all the participants and great work on your individual improvements!

Workout of the Day

"Helen"

3 rounds

400m run

21 kettlebell swings (53/35)

12 pullups

for time.

What do I need to do to get stronger?

I'm really glad that I am getting this question so often.  It means your priorities are straight, that you know that everything is really derivative of max strength.  A stronger athlete will have a better time on the filthy fifty all other things being equal, because each rep is relatively easier.

So you want to get stronger.  Great.  How? 

Step 1: You have to stop guessing on your training weights. 

If you come into the gym, look at the board, and then decide in your head what you will do, you are guessing.  You don't know what each workout prior has been, or how your performance was.  Neither do I.  I'm your coach, not your personal trainer.  YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE for logging your workouts. 

Once you have a brief history of your workouts, you can see what weights you use for what exercises for what reps.  Then, and only then, will you have the opportunity to make sure that every workout you progressively load your muscles.  This is the definition of a Personal Record (PR).  On our strength workouts, you can slowly increase the weight each lift until you start missing.  That is why we have fractional plates, so you can make the jump from the 25# plates to the 35# plates over the course of weeks and months.  You don't just jump 20# on a press.  You have to work up gradually, and the only way to do that is if you know where you are.

So, start utilizing your Success Journals!!  Or bring in your own composition book from Walgreens, I don't care, but you have to track your workouts, and the best way to do that is on paper, so you can easily see what you have done previously.   I commend Gina, Jenna, and Kate for updating the comments so they can look back and see what they've done (notice only the ladies do this!) but I do recommend having a physical paper trail.  It's a lot easier to see your progression at a glance than loading up a number of webpages.  

You have to have a place for comments, rather than just the numbers as well.  Whether weight felt easy, heavy, or pass-out heavy.  And on met-cons, how it felt so you have an idea of proper scaling next time.  This cannot be overemphasized.

YOU MAY KEEP YOUR JOURNALS AT THE GYM.  Feel free to keep them on the left column of our cubbies.  Try to individualize yours so you can tell at a glance which is yours (I was partial to ESPN the magazine covers and full page photos in college, but I'm a huge dork).   Eliminate the barriers to this.  Buy a notepad or bring in your journal and keep it at the gym where you use it.  If it is at home, how does that help?

Once you have done this, we can move onto step two.

 

Workout of the Day

4 rounds for Max reps

60 second kettlebell swing

60 second rest

Run 400m in 120 seconds

60 seconds double unders

60 seconds rest.

Post reps and weight for kb.

Squash!

Whipped Kabocha
1 Kabocha squash, peeled and cubed
Olive Oil
8 slices fried bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup toasted crushed walnuts
2 tbsp butter
salt and cinnamon to taste
Drizzle of honey
small handful of dried cranberries

Cut the top off of the squash and cut in half.  Scoop out the seeds and cut in quarters.  Using a vegetable peeler, take the peel off of the quarters and then cube.  Toss the cubed squash into a glass roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake at 400 for 30-45 minutes or until very tender.  Let cool, and then place cooked squash in blender, add juices from pan, butter, honey, and seasonings.  Blend/whip the squash and place in serving bowl.  Mix in crumbled bacon, crushed walnuts, and dried cranberries.  Serve with a little more butter and honey to taste!

I served this with green beans and pork loin.

From Norcal Strength and Conditioning

Workout of the Day

Three sets of:
Front Squat x 10 reps
Rest 2 minutes
Ring Rows x 12 reps (slow and controlled, rigid plank)
Rest 2-3 minutes;
and then,
As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:
10 Pull ups
15 Wall Ball Shots
200 Meter Run

Define your terms

"I'm going to go workout at the gym."  

Have you ever heard someone say that and then wonder, "are they really going to workout, or are they going to just spend time there?"  and "What do you mean by 'gym'?"  Of course, you know what they mean.  They mean lots of machines clogging up the space, people milling around to see  and be seen.  Basically the opposite of CrossFit.  And you realize that when you say the same thing, you mean something completely different.  Do we need new words? 

What do you say when you are going to go CrossFit?

 

Workout of the Day

5 rounds for time

5 push jerk (155-185/105-135)

10 pullups

CrossFit Games 2010 Affiliate cup information! Who's in?

From the CF Games Site:

You can now REGISTER for the Affiliate Cup team competition at the various Regional events.

Only the team captain should register right now. You don't need to know the names of all your team members. Once the team is registered, an email will be sent to the captain with a special link to be forwarded to the rest of the team. Each team member must follow that link to officially register with their personal information and electronically signing the waiver.

Teams will have 4-7 members, with a minimum of two men and two women, a maximum of six athletes, and one optional non-competing coach.

Cost: $300/team. Each team member will be able to assign a guest spectator at sign-in.

Lots of great info at the site including athlete profiles!

Workout of the Day

3 rounds

Deadlift x 5 reps

Rest 2 minutes

Bench Press x 5 reps

Rest 2 minutes.

Stop.

And then

6 suicide sprints every 90 seconds

Check the new Nutrition Section

Hey ya'll, this is your last day before the Paleo Challenge officially begins!  Check our new nutrition section where we will be posting all sorts of great stuff from around the web as well as your experiences.  Kim has kicked us off and has already enjoyed baked Kale a la Mike B!  We want you guys to share your favorite recipes with each other, so drop those as well as pics on our FB page and let's get ready to roll!   This is also our last week before the Helen challenge finals on Saturday, so make sure your running is up to par!

 

Workout of the Day

Filthy Fifty

50 box jumps (24/18)

50 jumping pullups

50 kettlebell swings (35/18)

50 walking lunges

50 knees to elbows

50 push press (45/33)

50 back extensions

50 Wall Ball

50 Burpees (20/15)

50 double unders

For Time.

Paleo Seminar Today!

Don't forget to come learn all about the guidelines for the Paleo Challenge today!  10am at the gym!

Via CrossFit Football

 

Paleo Snack for The Power Athlete - Canned Salmon, Avocado, Olive Oil, Tomato and Red Onion

I don't know how that goes together in a meal, but enjoy shotgunning that olive oil!

Workout of the Day

“Tag Team Cindy”
Teams of two must complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
5 Pull-Ups
10 Push-Ups
15 Squats
Only one team member may be working at any given time.  The resting partner must care for the team’s kettlebell, which may not touch the ground during the workout (you cannot sit down or kneel either). Carry the biggest Kettlebell baby you can handle.

Paleo Challenge Seminar tomorrow!

Tomorrow is our first Paleo Challenge Seminar!  It will be immediately after class at 10am and should last no longer than an hour.  See you there!

From NorCal Strength and Conditioning:

Chicken Tortilla Soup (tortillas optional!)

 

1 32 oz carton Organic Chicken Broth
1 14.5 oz can crushed or diced tomatoes
1 package “Just Chicken”....or 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken
1 package frozen red, green, yellow bell pepper slices
Season to taste...(chili powder, Lawry’s seasoning salt, garlic salt, smoked paprika....be creative!)

Toss in the crockpot and set on low for 5-6 hours.  I added avocado...and if you so choose....crush a handful of tortilla chips on top, and a sprinkle of grated cheese.  Enjoy!

Workout of the Day

Snatch (Or Overhead Squat if your OHS isn't solid)

3-3-3

Press

3-3-3

10x50 yd sprints  (30 seconds rest between each effort)

Paleo Challenge Details

You can read the In-Depth Details here.   We will be holding a one hour Paleo Seminar Saturday morning at 10am at the gym, and Monday Night after class at 6:30pm.  We will introduce the Paleo Diet, give resources, answer questions about the diet and about the challenge.   First things first, make the first change.  Don't worry about being perfect.  I expect (and you should too) that you will make mistakes, and give in to cravings.  That's okay.  We are performing an experiment on your body.  How will you feel and perform when you change how you eat?  How will you look? 

At these seminars we will take the before pictures, so come prepared for that.  If you are just looking for information, you can stop by, you don't have to participate in the challenge if you don't want to.   I will view this challenge as a success if you make one sustainable change, be it eliminating sugar, or minimizing grain intake.  Over the course of your life, it will make a huge difference.  

New Classes!  We will be adding a Monday morning 6:30am class, a Monday afternoon, 4:30pm class, and a Wednesday afternoon 4:30pm class.  As always, check the schedule for the up to date schedule.  Thanks for coming and allowing us to add classes to better serve you!

Stuart always puts his best into the workout of the day, and it shows!

Workout of the Day

3 rounds of

Front Squat x 6

rest 60 seconds

max knees to elbows (strict, no kipping or swinging)

rest 60 seconds

Then,

Five rounds of

3 pistols (each leg)

6 burpees

9 pullups

For Time.