tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12687702057372440712024-02-06T21:23:28.170-05:00Constantly VariedChris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.comBlogger168125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-48306876454390197662012-11-05T07:57:00.003-05:002012-11-05T07:57:53.663-05:00We've Moved!<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the reasons I haven't been posting (besides a busy season at work) is that I've been moving content over to a new space. It has the same content as this blog, but has a nicer interface, separate section for photography, and better viewing on cell phones. I am shutting this site down, so go and bookmark the new one. Also, if you signed up for email subscriptions here, you'll have to re-do it on the new site! </span><div>
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<a href="http://www.cpconstantlyvaried.com/"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Constantly Varied (www.cpconstantlyvaried.com)</span></a></div>
Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-84607874063849251392012-10-01T14:31:00.004-04:002012-10-01T14:31:58.331-04:00Yoga for CrossFit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZlVhIzqPjeetHJWppQo4PHGRs0SRNQQdZ-grbi06JwQQRoXKltzZvQJ3I4Hw8f75g6Hmr5TjSb2FiRHduTUlgz9BpiGRLpQttqxwnFp2w8nkDUytdwIiSwl0WXk6OdN47LF20T0Hg2J9r/s1600/crossfit-vs-yoga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZlVhIzqPjeetHJWppQo4PHGRs0SRNQQdZ-grbi06JwQQRoXKltzZvQJ3I4Hw8f75g6Hmr5TjSb2FiRHduTUlgz9BpiGRLpQttqxwnFp2w8nkDUytdwIiSwl0WXk6OdN47LF20T0Hg2J9r/s400/crossfit-vs-yoga.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out this Lululemon blog article about <a href="http://www.lululemon.com/community/blog/yoga-for-crossfit/">Yoga for CrossFit</a>. I found it <strike>searching for Luon tanks and sports bras</strike> randomly and I agree with Holmberg's quote of needing to keep your hip, ankle, and shoulder flexibility in check. Having had a taste for the yogi world, I can tell you it's not easy, so I give kudos to all of you gumby girls and boys out there. Check out my "<a href="http://chrispconstantlyvaried.blogspot.com/2011/11/power-yoga-for-crossfit.html">Power Yoga for CrossFit</a>" post for more moves you can use to keep your CrossFit body limber. </span>Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-43842695221546503262012-09-26T08:42:00.000-04:002012-09-26T08:42:24.582-04:00My First CrossFit Workout<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyj2GFp6vZdMPDzcrTGcGE4fal4gb6ZWb6Ah9KkntkZJwcQpxI9GVenhImcScvtouI6icnpgG7vDMXuqvdNT3Igz7aIEMkb_APLqy5M30ssr-XMiZ85AzxgfS5X4-QwtHWMJV5e7m06mb6/s1600/noob-silly-kid-demotivational-posters-1303588865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyj2GFp6vZdMPDzcrTGcGE4fal4gb6ZWb6Ah9KkntkZJwcQpxI9GVenhImcScvtouI6icnpgG7vDMXuqvdNT3Igz7aIEMkb_APLqy5M30ssr-XMiZ85AzxgfS5X4-QwtHWMJV5e7m06mb6/s320/noob-silly-kid-demotivational-posters-1303588865.jpg" width="309" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I recently went back and looked at the first workout I ever did that was CrossFit related. It was the mainsite workout on January 31, 2008 and I scaled every single movement using <a href="http://www.crossfitbrandx.com/index.php/forums/viewforum/16/">CrossFit Brand X Forum.</a> The Rx'd workout is in black, my scaled version is in red:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Three rounds for time of:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">225 Deadlift, 15 reps <span style="color: red;">(95lb. deadlift, 10 reps)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">15 Handstand push-ups <span style="color: red;">(10 hspu's on 3ft. box)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">95 pound Thruster, 15 reps <span style="color: red;">(65lb. thruster, 10 reps)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My time? </span><b id="internal-source-marker_0.9772991614881903" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: center;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.9772991614881903" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;">12:42</span></b></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had decent bodyweight strength to do pull ups, but anything with weight was awful. My notes after the workout were: </span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span></b><b id="internal-source-marker_0.9772991614881903" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First time ever doing CrossFit, trying to get in a good workout routine. Never liked doing big lifting but after feeling my lower back during dead lifts, can see the value in them."</span></b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">People see me now and think I've always been decent at CrossFit. This clearly shows that I had a lot of work to do, but putting in the time and effort has paid off. Don't get discouraged if you're just starting off with CrossFit or if you've plateaued. Focus on building strength through linear progression and you'll see good things. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>Do you remember your first workout? What was it? Did you scale?</i></b></span></span></div>
Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-14677864558662589472012-09-18T06:56:00.001-04:002012-09-19T17:23:36.273-04:00Outside Magazine - Superman Push Ups<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> If you happen to pick up or subscribe to <a href="http://www.outsideonline.com/">Outside Magazine</a> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(October issue)</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, you'll find me on the last page in their "Parting Shot." Outside is one of the two magazines I subscribe to (Backpacker being the other), so I was pretty stoked when the editors wanted the picture in their 35th anniversary edition.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday I went to the grocery store and bought a few extra copies to have on hand. The cashier looked at me and said "You know you're buying three of the same thing?" I said, "Yep."</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWmQCJiLccjsEIv_8Q2p83QFb4Ayekmcj1a1KBS3T9SWxPKs1Q1ThyphenhyphenHtjbNlGMSv9wGqoNSPjwQUQWRNo9ez239w9jjkjTpTHYmXikqqiwzPwGmCb34EEqUtoONA2VsKcnPkEegYCPrM8N/s1600/20120909_215705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWmQCJiLccjsEIv_8Q2p83QFb4Ayekmcj1a1KBS3T9SWxPKs1Q1ThyphenhyphenHtjbNlGMSv9wGqoNSPjwQUQWRNo9ez239w9jjkjTpTHYmXikqqiwzPwGmCb34EEqUtoONA2VsKcnPkEegYCPrM8N/s400/20120909_215705.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">caption: "CrossFit coaches Tim Pappas (left) and Chris Plentus doing jumping push-ups at New Jersey's Wildwood Beach."</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the video of me learning how to superman push up from fellow CrossFitter Mike years ago:</span><br />
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Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-71658356622635483992012-09-12T17:07:00.002-04:002012-09-12T17:30:00.747-04:00Get Your Caffeine Fix - Coffee to Go (La Colombe and Chameleon Cold-Brew)<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just like there are republicans and democrats, there are coffee drinkers and non-coffee drinkers. I'm a coffee drinker. (you can guess the political affiliation...be careful, as I didn't mention libertarian!) To give you an idea of the type of tolerance to caffeine I have, I usually get a Starbucks venti black eye. This means 20oz. of drip coffee with two shots of espresso, black. I don't get this everyday, but if I had the funds, I would. We did invest in a legit espresso machine, so I'll make two shots to drink on my way to work. Curiously, I don't feel withdrawal or incredibly tired if I don't have coffee (recently for Labor Day, I decided to not drink coffee for 5 straight days and I was fine). Anyway, while I've seen flavored and sugary to-go drinks like Starbucks' bottled frappuccino, and instant coffee like Starbucks Via packets (incredible invention, especially while backpacking), I haven't seen much in the way of portable, ready-made black coffee. Until now. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My good friend and health coach, <a href="http://www.laurapappashealth.com/">Laura Pappas</a>, gave me a bottle of <a href="http://lacolombe.com/products/pure-black-12-pack">La Colombe Pure black coffee</a>. Here's a description of it from their website: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Steeped for 16 hours in stainless steel wine tanks, free from oxygen, pressed and filtered twice, PURE BLACK is a bottled celebration of the culinary flavors of coffee - cocoa tones and sweet goodness. We recommend pouring PURE BLACK over ice.</i></span></span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKqulxlr8Gt-tQIY2Wa_3axjAlSiSsGbE5AWHgjmeD3sKlPayelnkig0XUWeA0ixsXZkBxvFgfIOQAlJiC_Jyay4mTMLVBT9ytG8wyTPUbWvaAemCrCFRfplA3Ty8J_jNvYg6rsAj7y0s/s1600/20120909_085430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKqulxlr8Gt-tQIY2Wa_3axjAlSiSsGbE5AWHgjmeD3sKlPayelnkig0XUWeA0ixsXZkBxvFgfIOQAlJiC_Jyay4mTMLVBT9ytG8wyTPUbWvaAemCrCFRfplA3Ty8J_jNvYg6rsAj7y0s/s400/20120909_085430.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">La Colombe review: I drank it cold from the refrigerator and man, that's good coffee! I like my coffee dark and robust; this certainly was. I'm not sure what the caffeine content was, but after taking a few sips, I decided to add some fat to it which should help transport that caffeine a bit quicker to the system. I put some <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/constant-20/detail/B001UUVKFS">Nanak Pure Desi ghee</a> and <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/constant-20/detail/B0015C0S4K">Now Foods MCT (medium chain triglyeride) oil</a> in it and then used our handy <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/constant-20/detail/B004ZD820I">Cuisinart Immersion blender</a> to mix it all in. Since the coffee was cold, the ghee took a few passes through to get totally mixed in. (<i>Note: all of those links lead to the products in my Amazon store. The cost is the same to you, but I get a few pennies if you buy something from there). </i></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">coffee + ghee + MCT oil = buttery smooth coffee with a kick</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The La Colombe bottled coffee was good enough that I would get it again. Laura picked it up from Whole Foods, but then later found it could also be bought from their website in packs of 2 or 12 bottles for $6 or $24 each, respectively. Shipping is $8.86 for UPS Ground (to Philadelphia area at least). </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGoQ-8adXVg4zwq61IMxJNdI-t-GEvQLQnTCuZdmEldwI0-tqDt8v8k1FEQyey22DFRAOCiy7kwfefFqtkin-1T7yW3zvYe3OCmuw2XvKcUQDnTRLalO0hlFoox4aXWPmVVxuiOQBb_dgY/s1600/yours_banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGoQ-8adXVg4zwq61IMxJNdI-t-GEvQLQnTCuZdmEldwI0-tqDt8v8k1FEQyey22DFRAOCiy7kwfefFqtkin-1T7yW3zvYe3OCmuw2XvKcUQDnTRLalO0hlFoox4aXWPmVVxuiOQBb_dgY/s1600/yours_banner.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After posting some pics to Facespace and Twittagram, my buddy John P. sent a pic of <a href="http://www.chameleoncoldbrew.com/shop/">Chameleon Cold-Brew</a>, another bottled coffee. Here is their description from their website:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chameleon Cold-Brew is handcrafted in Austin, Texas by a small group of dedicated coffeenistas and entrepreneurs. We brew each batch low and slow for more than 24 hours at a controlled temperature to produce a super smooth, extra caffeinated concentrated coffee with less acid than traditional hot-brewed coffees. We only use 100% organic, Fair Trade Arabica coffee beans and filtered water. The rest is up to you. Enjoy Chameleon hot or cold, black, undiluted in small amounts or mixed with your favorite flavors, creamers, or other additions — and it’s perfect for drinking at home, at the office or on the go. You can find Chameleon Cold-Brew in the refrigerated section of select grocers in convenient and recyclable 16oz and 32oz glass bottles.</span></i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More than 24 hours? Wow! Pricing is $30 for three 32oz. bottles, or $22 for four 16oz. bottles. John said that he got it at Wegman's, so I'm not sure what their price is. He also said he got the small bottle (I'm assuming he meant the 16oz. bottle) and that "it holds 4 servings. You're supposed to dilute with equal parts water." Which means that with one 16oz. bottle, you actually are getting 32oz. of regular coffee it seems. Or if you're like me, 16oz. of strong-enough coffee. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">In searching for the Chameleon Brew, I came across this <a href="http://www.energyfiend.com/the-caffeine-database">caffeine database</a>. It says that a 32oz. bottle of Chameleon Cold-Brew has 2160mg of caffeine in it, or 67mg per fl. oz. To give you some perspective on just how kick-you-in-the-pants strong this is, espresso comes in second with 51mg/oz. Yowzahs! So for $30, you're essentially getting a liter of jacked up espresso.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have yet to try the Chameleon Cold-Brew, but I look forward to it. I am also waiting to see what other companies pop up selling ready-to-go black coffee. I like that these two companies use organic, fair trade beans and filtered water, plus they were both started with only a couple of guys in Philadelphia and Austin, respectively.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i>Do you know of other coffee-only products that are great to just grab and go? Post to comments and the world know. </i></b></span></span></div>
Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-58282162618964385822012-09-06T16:12:00.004-04:002012-09-06T21:27:57.964-04:003 Tips to Help You Set a Deadlift PR<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Coaching the deadlift is one of my favorite things to do (behind coaching the clean and jerk). Deadlifting is about speed, power, and mental toughness. Plus, it's just COOL to deadlift. As I've said before, I really like that CrossFit introduces strength training to women (REAL strength training, not 5lb. dumbbell strength training) and deadlifting is really empowering for the chicas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last night I coached three classes where the WOD was to find a 1RM on the deadlift (sumo or conventional). Out of 37 people, 24 of them PR'd. I know you might be thinking that they were all new and therefore, any number would have been a PR. Out of those 24 people, 18 of them were experienced CrossFitters with previous numbers to beat and the 6 who were new drastically exceeded expectations. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Some examples of PR's: </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>-110lbs. female member: going from 118lbs to <b>165lbs</b> deadlift</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>-new member in her 50's who never lifted weights before: pulled <b>213lbs</b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>-female member with a goal of 200lbs (already a 10# PR) but then continuing to <b>225lbs</b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>-a three-year CF veteran setting a <b>30lb+ PR</b>...and then later his wife set a <b>35lb PR</b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>-two experienced CrossFitters setting <b>70lb PR's</b> (380lbs and 475lbs respectively)</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looking back through workouts, the last time a 1RM deadlift came up was three months ago on 5/23/12 in a CrossFit total workout. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are some tips that are common for deadlift technique: Flat back, weight in the heels, externally rotate the legs (knees out), take the slack out of the bar, etc. I won't go over those here, but I will talk about three tips that I gave members last night:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>1. GET PSYCHED UP!</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some days you got it and some days you don't. But on deadlift day, you better have it. And if you don't, then fake it. No one PRs on their deadlift in a blah mood. You have to get pumped up and either get excited, angry, or both. Think of something that either made you really happy or something that made you really mad. Yeah, pull an Adam Sandler and go to that happy place. Now go lift the bar. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For people that have their form down, I'll have them jump up and down like a boxer before a match. Either tuck jumps, little hops, or slapping their thighs, I think this primes their body to explode out of the bottom of the deadlift. Like I said, I only do this with people who have good form b/c I don't need them jumping up and down and then quickly getting on the bar in a hunchback.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once they are on the bar and ready to go, I kneel down to the side and YELL at (sometimes with) them. Usually it's something like "Let's go!" or "Speed!" (see #2, or "Commit to it!" (see #3) but I generally find yelling helps get that athlete's adrenaline pumping. 99% of the time when I'm coaching, I don't yell, but on 1RM deadlift day, I do. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>2. SPEED OFF THE GROUND</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rudy Nielsen of <a href="http://www.outlawcrossfit.com/">Outlaw CrossFit</a> once had his members do an experiment. Instead of conventional deadlift programming, he had his members do heavy cleans. Then he tested their deadlift. Almost every single person PR'd. Why? Because they were so used to coming off the floor with the speed necessary for the clean that when it came to deadlifts, they used that same speed to set PR's. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last night I told folks to go FAST off the ground, even in light sets. When you watch someone deadlift at or near a PR weight, they move slowly. But you better believe that their EFFORT is fast and furious; it's the tremendous weight that's slowing them down. So many members technically got a "PR" last night, but were moving so fast that I told them to slap on 10's, 15's, etc. They looked at me like I had two heads, but the fact is that they were not anywhere near their TRUE 1RM.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The oh-so-important caveat is that you need to still have proper form coming off the ground. Going fast off the ground only to have your back round or jerk the bar erratically is not going to help your cause. There's a difference between a professional drag racer and a teenage kid looking to impress his girlfriend at a stop sign. Newbies, stick with honing your form for now. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>3. COMMIT TO THE LIFT</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If newbs should ignore #1, then they should pay attention to #2: Commit to the lift. This means STICK WITH IT and don't give up easily. This happens a lot with coming off the floor in a deadlift. Too many times I see people grab the bar for 0.2 seconds and then give up. They haven't even tried! If you tell yourself to commit to the lift and keep pulling for four or five seconds, you just might surprise yourself. I've had deadlifts that look like their going nowhere, and then just like a long train getting started, the barbell suddenly clears the ground and picks up steam on the way to a PR. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This might also happen if you stall at thigh-level and are trying to lock out with open hips. As long as your back isn't compromised, stick with it and see where the lift goes. If the going gets tough...well, you better keep going!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think an underlying theme here is also the mental aspect of deadlifting, especially committing to the lift and getting psyched up. Believing in yourself and going for that PR is no easy task, especially when you just did a heavy single (or set a PR already). But if you can get psyched up, focus on speed from the floor, and commit to the lift, you're on your way to a PR. </span><br />
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<br />Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-45534313049781944912012-08-30T14:07:00.001-04:002012-08-30T14:07:19.189-04:00CrossFitting with Friedreich's Ataxia - Kyle Bryant<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4;">Kyle Bryant joined </span><a href="http://www.crossfitkop.com/" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4;">CrossFit King of Prussia</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4;"> in early April this year and right away caught my attention. Not because he came in supported by a walker, nor subsequent times when he rolled in on his wheelchair, but because of his good-natured smile and incredible work ethic. As a coach, I always hope that people coming through our doors will be the positive, upbeat personalities that CrossFit typically attracts. Kyle fit this role to a T. Although I was not his coach for the intro workout he did, I remember Kyle introducing himself to me after he was done working out and I was finishing up coaching a class. A strong handshake and quick smile later, I knew Kyle would be a valuable asset to the KoP community. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mike Donofrio of <a href="http://www.crossfitgeneration.typepad.com/">CrossFit Generation</a> documented Kyle's journey with Friedreich's Ataxia in the below video. As you'll learn in the video, FA is a fairly rare disease that breaks down muscle mass, including the heart. Kyle is a spokesperson for the Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA) and has biked across the country to raise awareness. The hope is that this video will also continue to raise awareness of FA and how it affects people. As an example of Kyle's positive nature, after he was finished with the CrossFit for Hope workout, he exclaimed, "That was definitely the gnarliest workout I've ever done!" </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kyle, post CF for Hope workout - GNARLY!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The video is featured on the <a href="http://journal.crossfit.com/2012/08/kyle-bryant.tpl">CrossFit Journal</a> website, but it can also be found on CrossFit's Youtube channel. I love the fact that OG Miranda Oldroyd (who recently went through a severe car crash) left this comment on the CF Journal:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"I am just sitting here bawling! This is so inspirational! Kyle, thank you SO MUCH for being so fearless and refusing to give up in your own life. This needs to be shown A LOT...there are too many people out there making excuses!" - <span style="line-height: 1.4;">Miranda O.</span></i></span></div>
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Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-88784066968741424152012-08-29T22:37:00.002-04:002012-08-29T22:37:19.565-04:00Kindle Books in Amazon Store<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just got a really nice email from a reader (who had a paleo-related question which I will answer on the blog) and one of the things he mentioned was that I needed to update my Amazon Store and asked if I could include a Kindle version. When I first added books, I thought the Kindle version was automatically linked to the hard copy...not so. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So now I have Kindle versions of most of the books in there. If you happen to buy something through my Amazon store, it's the same price to you as if you had searched for it on you're own, but I get a small percent of the sale for the referral. I'm not making a living off this by any means, but hey, I'm also not getting paid to write this blog either, ha!</span><br />
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<a href="http://astore.amazon.com/constant-20?node=1&page=5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Constantly Varied Amazon Store</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For T-shirts, "BOOM TIME" or "I eat 100% Paleo, 80% of the Time" head to my <a href="http://constantlyvaried.spreadshirt.com/">Spreadshirt Shop</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have any ideas for T-shirts or things to add to the Amazon store, post to comments</span></div>
Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-87928221444650877562012-08-28T22:00:00.002-04:002012-08-29T15:05:23.497-04:00Shoulder Update<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As some of you may know, I hurt my shoulder back in June at the CrossFit ACT Garage Games doing a weighted sit up. See my <a href="http://chrispconstantlyvaried.blogspot.com/2012/06/crossfit-act-garage-games-recap-and.html">recap</a> if you want to know more. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most people would think a weighted sit up would involve holding a plate across the chest and doing sit ups. Not there. There, we held 45# plates at an arm's length, touching in front of us and then laying back and touching above our head. However, on one of the reps, I felt something *crunch* in my right shoulder as I tried to bring the plate up from the ground. I ended up finishing the workout, but there was clearly something wrong. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I spent the next month icing and not using the shoulder. I know, I know, <a href="http://www.mobilitywod.com/2012/08/people-weve-got-to-stop-icing-we-were-wrong-sooo-wrong.html">recent important people in CrossFit land have now come public with their aversion to icing</a>. But I digress. Even if I wanted to do pull ups or presses overhead, I couldn't. Range of motion was ok overhead (not so much reaching behind my back), but supporting any load, especially hanging from a pull up bar, was awful. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I finally broke down and saw a doctor after a month of no progress. I wasn't in denial that I was hurt, but I had hurt my other shoulder two years ago and figured that rest would have been the first thing ordered. Anyway, the doc ordered an X-ray, but it showed nothing, so we went with an MRI. The voicemail he left me said, "when you had that injury, it looks like you <i>tried</i> to dislocate your shoulder, it tried to slide out of your socket. Looks like there is a cartilage defect in there and there's a tiny tear in your sub scapula. Best bet is to see a surgeon and get your shoulder scoped, get an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthroscopy">arthroscopy</a> so they can clean up whatever they can in there." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So that's it. I basically tried to rip my shoulder out of it's socket. That's what's going to happen when you have 45# at the end of a 2ft. lever a.k.a. my arm. The former engineer in me remembers moment arms and torque and how this should not be tested on humans. Instead of that movement testing abdominal strength, it found the weak point of my shoulder socket and tried to rip it out like you would take the leg off a rotisserie chicken. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you've ever been injured before, you know that it can take you out of commission not only for that particular area, but even take you out mentally from wanting to work out. This is definitely the case for me, as even back squatting with a regular bar is impossible b/c of the shoulder ROM needed. (Yes, I've used the safety bar and it's worked, it's just not the same) It's amazing how many movements depend on the shoulder. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So my appointment is middle of September. Unfortunately I don't have any cool X-rays or MRI images to share (at least not yet), but I will update you on how things are going. I've never been to the hospital for myself; no broken bones, no stitches, no major illnesses. (I did get a cortisone shot for my other shoulder for some bursitis) So I guess I'm making up for lost time by most likely needing a minimally invasive surgical procedure done. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If anyone has any experience with this kind of thing, I'd love to hear from you. One of our members at KoP already sent me a blog that I need to take a closer look at. Either way, you can be pretty sure that I won't be icing the dang thing! </span><br />
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<br />Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-41984926462052102162012-08-24T15:29:00.001-04:002012-08-24T15:30:09.914-04:00Ask Chris: Why Power Cleans?<span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Chris - there is a video on the main site showing Orlando and Hogan going through the Games clean ladder - neither of them squat cleaned (some partial at the end). I would have expected full squat cleans over power cleans - any thoughts why they would pick one over the other? - Sam</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">There are three reasons why I will answer this old question from July 12th:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">1. I like olympic lifting and talking about it</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">2. this is a short question with a somewhat short/simple answer</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">3. I know that Sam is not on social media like facebook, so he hasn't seen me post about this video in the past and can only see my communications via this blog. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">When this mainsite demo video went up, I was excited to watch. Unfortunately as you can see, Rob and Katie both power clean towards the end of their respective attempts. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">At first, this is a smart decision. Power cleans require more pulling with the hip and less squatting, thus saving the legs. For these two, the first set of bars are so light that not only do they not HAVE to squat clean, but it's smart to power clean to save the legs. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Towards the heavier weights, however, they still are power cleaning. I see this as two possible factors, with the latter being the more likely. First, their CNS (central nervous system) has already been wired to power clean and therefore, their bodies are just going through the same motions of what they have already performed. Perhaps they are even a little fatigued to the point of not wanting to squat. However, the second reason is that they are brute strength strong and are so used to power cleans their entire life. Squat cleaning is hard to do when you've power cleaned for 15+ years of your life as a power athlete (think football) or used it as accessory work (think powerlifter/strongman). When you are big and strong enough to power clean most things, that is going to be your tendency. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">When this video went up, I commented on facebook that although it was awesome to watch, their form was awful. I didn't want people to look at their wide feet (3-4ft across) and think this was acceptable in any oly lifting gym. You should land in the same exact place in a power clean as you would a squat clean. Think about that for a minute. You should land in the same exact place in a power clean as you would a squat clean. After all, isn't a power clean just a tall squat clean without going below parallel. Well, it should be, anyway. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ThTJLOk1PCB86y8GZu1RlkwVau7SKXIQXoHYwzxyUTORUdYH-WbBaaQaHk1ywB4xPMH8yGDGIma7gEuOKOzcZO0OTGFNC3TI7FgiikZeA9HEZp6RgjbIRQwzbqwE9sKJlxu56B-WQyte/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ThTJLOk1PCB86y8GZu1RlkwVau7SKXIQXoHYwzxyUTORUdYH-WbBaaQaHk1ywB4xPMH8yGDGIma7gEuOKOzcZO0OTGFNC3TI7FgiikZeA9HEZp6RgjbIRQwzbqwE9sKJlxu56B-WQyte/s400/images.jpg" width="286" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">It took a long time to actually find a picture of a proper power clean on the interwebs. There are plenty of incorrect ones out there, but I had to go to a trusty source for all things oly lifting: Catalyst Athletics. These guys know their stuff (Greg and Aimee Everett). Here is Aimee in a proper power clean position. Notice how far apart her feet are: NOT VERY! She could very easily squat in this position. Amazing high elbows too. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Rob and Katie went wide because they weren't comfortable squatting, but they had to meet the bar low (the wider your legs, the lower your torso). They probably could have each moved to the next bar, if not two bars higher if they squatted. (Despite my criticism, they both would still kick my ass in power or squat cleans)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">So when you're power cleaning, give yourself the squat test: catch it in a power position and see if you can squat down. If you can't, you haven't landed correctly. </span></span><br />
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Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-91305398722331661162012-08-05T13:04:00.000-04:002012-08-19T16:26:36.454-04:00CrossFit Girls: Looks Causing Controversy<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7HEWF5K5fpRsb1cejJjBS_Rijfl9E_ueoEYCrXdCjLdAxgvuazZV72qOgAu8JDyrabHR4MYl_RTnbRNpwvUK2q3FQpD37GAXcMl-l3Qx97wWW5ooAORB5WX9RVTLkaezn4zUATQde_tVK/s1600/BellaClayton_ToplessTireOverhead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7HEWF5K5fpRsb1cejJjBS_Rijfl9E_ueoEYCrXdCjLdAxgvuazZV72qOgAu8JDyrabHR4MYl_RTnbRNpwvUK2q3FQpD37GAXcMl-l3Qx97wWW5ooAORB5WX9RVTLkaezn4zUATQde_tVK/s400/BellaClayton_ToplessTireOverhead.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Bella Clayton. From <a href="http://www.crossfit.com/mt-archive2/008364.html">CrossFit.com</a></i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGwv-sCvHz2NO02M7lEhXlgfcql7ipqnCa7QZHMDaznX6oV3lzy13G099zcUJAsTdD-SWJiot1P0ZMInj0WO4u42vKhd-CgaVtybSYGPi6KshW5UPMg9Q3t7E5y5ZgVxmQWu2unF9TSGBb/s1600/bryanbridges_overheadski.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGwv-sCvHz2NO02M7lEhXlgfcql7ipqnCa7QZHMDaznX6oV3lzy13G099zcUJAsTdD-SWJiot1P0ZMInj0WO4u42vKhd-CgaVtybSYGPi6KshW5UPMg9Q3t7E5y5ZgVxmQWu2unF9TSGBb/s400/bryanbridges_overheadski.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Pamela Monger. <a href="http://www.crossfit.com/mt-archive2/008536.html">From CrossFit.com</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whenever a picture like these pops up on CrossFit.com, inevitably there is a flurry of comments either criticizing or defending the athlete(s). "Is this really necessary, I don't want my kids to see this stuff" to "If you got it, flaunt it!" are generally the two ends of same stick of comments. During the 2012 CrossFit Games, one of the most controversial commercials was Reebok CrossFit's "Turning 7's into 10's" which is embedded below. (interestingly, it is not on their Youtube channel)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And on 8/3/12, this was the mainsite WOD demo video featuring Andrea Ager, Jackie Perez, Rita Benavidez, and Erin Cianciolo. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I'm not here to make judgement either way, I do think it's changing people's definition of beauty/sexy/desireable/insertadjective. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Strong is the New Skinny"? Ok. Defined legs and sinewy arms over <a href="http://chrispconstantlyvaried.blogspot.com/2012/02/skinny-fat-cortisol-and-why-cardio.html">skinny-fat</a>? Definitely. It's no longer about being skinny. It's no longer about low bodyweight (which never made sense to me), but now it's about being strong. Now it's become socially acceptable, and dare I say attractive, for girls to have muscle and more importantly, DO STUFF like lifting weights over 5lbs. For many of the girls pictured, they can back their looks up with performance. On this blog, I consistently get people searching for "Camille Leblanc-Bazinet pictures" but she also came in 6th at the 2012 CrossFit Games, 8th in 2011, and 9th in 2010. CrossFit has received both praise and criticism for showing her more than 2010 CrossFit Games winner Kristan Clever.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEs3EvmjdB3nJc48R35Mc6YdbDUMj_V_Um9YXGHFVqPNhUMOArwFOIFbExirulW4meQKypxOLSh4L_Biflyf_bTvBv-n1fN68927l6B7hHDnvySCoZV9jc2muwVdsCiap10450fGlcyETs/s1600/Games2010CamilleHellInRun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEs3EvmjdB3nJc48R35Mc6YdbDUMj_V_Um9YXGHFVqPNhUMOArwFOIFbExirulW4meQKypxOLSh4L_Biflyf_bTvBv-n1fN68927l6B7hHDnvySCoZV9jc2muwVdsCiap10450fGlcyETs/s400/Games2010CamilleHellInRun.jpg" width="351" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Camille Leblanc-Bazinet at the 2011 CF Games. From <a href="http://www.crossfit.com/mt-archive2/007040.html">CrossFit.com</a></i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While perhaps controversial, these images, and videos won't stop. In fact, I fully expect them to increase in frequency as CrossFit continues to grow and Reebok is more and more involved. But I think there is an important distinction between how someone looks and how they perform. Yes, in general form follows function, but there are also going to be girls (and men) who simply LOOK more attractive than others, usually with a pretty face. Us regular folk need to focus more on what we can DO, rather than what genetics may have handed us. No matter how hard I try, I am not going to look like Channing Tatum (and certainly not dance like him), but I CAN keep getting stronger/faster, etc compared to MYSELF. In other words, I am going to take whatever genetics gave me, and make the best of that situation. Essentially, I want you to <b>be your best self. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Where do you stand on images and videos like these? </i></b></span></div>
Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-51886220624540565152012-08-04T22:58:00.000-04:002012-08-04T22:58:04.088-04:00London 2012 - Weightlifting Highlights (So Far)<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since weightlifting doesn't get nearly the coverage it deserves, here are some highlight videos that I found on the interwebs (which are surprisingly hard to find)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Want to feel bad about your lifting? Check out 58kg (127.6lbs) Li Xueying of China winning gold with a 108kg (237.6lbs) snatch and 138kg (303.6lbs) clean and jerk. Her clean and jerk and her total were both Olympic records. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe class="strobemediaplayback-video-player" frameborder="0" height="320" scrolling="no" src="http://mrpopat.com/embed.php?id=29099&wth=500&hgt=320&autoplay=false" type="text/html" width="500"></font></p><p><font face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br></font></p><p><font face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In the 62kg (136lbs or less) field, gold medal winner Kim Un Guk of Korea with an Olympic record 153kg (336.6lbs) snatch.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="text-align: center;"><font face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><iframe width="475" height="267" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/R_NW_bFTOZw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lu Xiaojun (77kg) of China with a 175kg snatch, bettering his own world record by 1kg. Four years ago in Beijing, the only gold medal that the Chinese did NOT win was in the men's 77kg men's category. This year, Xiaojun made sure he was not the weakest link. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">26 year old American Kendrick Farris (has helped coach at many a CrossFit box) with a 200kg (440lbs) clean and jerk for 10th overall in the 85kg group. He would later fail at 208kg attempt. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">24 year old Ilya Ilin (97kg) of <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;">Kazakhstan</span> of lifting a world record 233kg (512.6lbs) clean and jerk and making it look EASY. (He also snatched 185kg or 407lbs) The next best clean and jerk was by Anatoli Ciricu of Moldova at 226kg (497.2lbs)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/xsmbf6_ilya-ilyin-233kg-clean-press-418-kg-new-wr_sport" width="480"></iframe><br /><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xsmbf6_ilya-ilyin-233kg-clean-press-418-kg-new-wr_sport" target="_blank">Ilya Ilyin 233kg Clean & Press(418 kg New WR)</a> <i>by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/richardmcdonaldmma" target="_blank">richardmcdonaldmma</a></i></span></div>
Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-38620671030976459982012-08-03T11:39:00.000-04:002012-08-03T11:39:28.578-04:00Attending the CrossFit Football Course<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the span of nine days, I attended the CrossFit Kids Course, visited eleven colleges (for my day job), and attended the CrossFit Football Course. Needless to say, it was an exhausting, yet worthwhile week. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started following <a href="http://www.crossfitfootball.com/">CFF</a> about two years ago and saw great strength gains. I would follow it in waves because it doesn't include as much gymnastics and full oly lifting since it is designed for power athletes (football, soccer, really any sport). Because I had been following it for awhile, I was excited for creator John Welbourn and crew to come in and preach their ways. For those who don't know, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Welbourn">Welbourn</a> was a professional NFL offensive tackle and guard for 10 years with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. He also competed in the 2008 CrossFit Games. Yeah, he knows his stuff. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Jason Lyons on floor press</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The course was very hands on which most people appreciate in these courses. We went over the back squat, deadlift, floor press, power clean, and jerk. During these movements, we would coach each other while the trainers walked around to critique. Luke and Ben led us in a lot of mobility work which was unexpected, but I think left me sore more than the workouts! (we did one each day) One topic that doesn't often come up in CrossFit world is "change of direction." In most sports, athletes are changing direction all the time. We spent some time going over sprint mechanics and change of direction drills which was both interesting and useful. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Luke teaching the power clean</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although we had sessions on programming and nutrition, I think many attendees had a lot of questions pertaining to both topics. Unlike the CF Kids Course where most attendees were CrossFit coaches, there were a good amount of high school sport coaches here that had not heard of paleo or AMRAPs. Taking some time from the mobility work and moving it to more FAQs during programming and nutrition would have been useful. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>John Welbourn - LARGE</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall, I think the biggest benefit of CFF is actually DOING it. Admittedly, a lot of the cert information can be found on <a href="http://www.crossfitfootball.com/">CFF</a> and John's blog Talk To Me Johnnie (<a href="http://www.talktomejohnnie.com/">TTMJ</a>). But if you're looking to get specific questions answered or get warmup/mobility drill ideas, then the course would be useful for you. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>CFF attendees and trainers</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks to John, Ben, Luke, and interns Chris and Cali for sharing their expertise and inspiring us to get strong!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-63184391743012683752012-07-22T23:41:00.000-04:002012-07-23T09:47:41.736-04:00Attending the CrossFit Kids Course<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend a <a href="http://www.crossfitkids.com/">CrossFit Kids</a> course held "home" at CrossFit King of Prussia. CF Kids is exactly what it sounds like: a fitness methodology to use with kids, ages 3 to 18. Since we hold multiple kids classes, plus <a href="http://www.stevesclub.org/">Steve's Club</a> at KoP, this was a very useful course for me to attend. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>the instructors, demo kids, and attendees</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The four highly-qualified instructors included <a href="http://journal.crossfit.com/2012/02/toddwidmaninterview.tpl">Todd Widman</a>, <a href="http://crossfitagoge.com/">John and Kelly Brown</a>, and <a href="http://www.crossfitkop.com/">Aimee Lyons</a> who took care of the 40 or so attendees. (Sidebar: I "grew up" watching old school CrossFit videos with Todd in them, so I was super stoked for him to be leading the course. A true OG.) For the weekend, we sat in lecture for about half the time and spent the other half working in small groups coaching each other on the movements and progressions for pre-school through teen age kids. (It's not easy talking in "little kid" voice to adults, but we did it!) The counselor in me liked learning more about the neuroscience and psychological side of CrossFit Kids while the CrossFit coach in me appreciated the time to practice instructing and learning new cues for movement. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>kid-sized pull up conraption</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You'll have to attend a cert if you want to get all the dirty details, but I do want to share the main theme of the weekend: Pairing fitness with fun. And not just any fun, but BIG FUN. Kids don't want to "workout"...they want to PLAY! And the more we can blur those lines of "workout" vs. "game" vs. "skill work," the better. I think this can be applied to adults as well! Our adults like CrossFit because to them, it's play time! After "Fran," they may wonder why they even showed up in the first place, but they keep coming back because it's fun. (even if it's in a masochistic, self-loathing, I'm-paying-to-hurt-really-really-bad way) If we can establish a fun, healthy way of working out for kids, there's no way they're going to the land of LA Fitness when they grow up. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1LYwqn-EMUpYEWMhdm3eUh3ofZTbQwDJg14pGgTbNnmdhu2oab81iIHorLaBxYFkknPThHU8hRSqOknN9kDXW0JW-AKzJzVJuGFuKZeySM3iHTzkl0pLvPAa9701iLumQxnKlNV41AS8D/s1600/20120722_092814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1LYwqn-EMUpYEWMhdm3eUh3ofZTbQwDJg14pGgTbNnmdhu2oab81iIHorLaBxYFkknPThHU8hRSqOknN9kDXW0JW-AKzJzVJuGFuKZeySM3iHTzkl0pLvPAa9701iLumQxnKlNV41AS8D/s400/20120722_092814.jpg" width="400" /></i></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>One of KoP's awesome kids demo'ing the movements</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you to Todd, John, Kelly, and Aimee for providing great instruction and supervision, and thank you to group 4 for giving great feedback to hone our coaching skills!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Next weekend, I'll be attending the <a href="http://www.crossfitfootball.com/">CrossFit Football</a> course, also at KoP, so I'll let you know how that goes!)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFU_FWe3v3VD8S9sXU6EEc7MG0QnLjJCPGsE2O-eTYFuGhcij39F57CCV7ouCgTR-CvWUpDzqX60pjC6YxaPZGO3DwIOnJDdRPXw5Mo_pkl5HZb4RCUGLzbiQ-_nJKpQMiuExmRLV_KU5O/s400/20120722_164631.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></i></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>me, Megs, and JZ with the instructors + Chloe</i></span></td></tr>
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<br />Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-56456185825737281032012-07-17T12:04:00.000-04:002012-07-22T18:13:57.375-04:00What Old Ladies at the Pool and Leonardo DiCaprio Have to Do with CrossFit and Paleo<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I was a teenager, I was a lifeguard at a swim club. I would notice that when the older ladies would slowly go down the steps, waving their hands right at the surface of the water as if to warm it up. They took their time getting in while little kids would jump right in, giving no thought to whether the pool was hot or cold that day. Go ahead and keep that in mind, we'll come back to that scenario later.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">photo from:
<a href="http://www.art-prints-on-demand.com/a/breeden/twoladiesgettingintoaswim.html">http://www.art-prints-on-demand.com/a/breeden/twoladiesgettingintoaswim.html</a> </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Recently, I got this message from someone I knew in college. I was an RA and he was one of my </span><span style="background-color: white;">residents who ended up transferring so I literally haven't seen him in years, but of course social me</span><span style="background-color: white;">dia has kept us connected. Here's the message: </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"Yo- thanks for the posts about paleo. I had been reading about it on your FB and was inspired to try it myself. I've lost 35 pounds since march. Keep spreading the good word." </i></span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As someone who doesn't get paid for blogging, I never know who is reading this stuff and more so, who is actually implementing it in their life. My hope in starting this blog was to put information out there for people to pick up if they wanted. I've learned enough to not throw this stuff down people's throats (although admittedly if someone gets me talking about CrossFit or Paleo and I've had a couple glasses of wine, well, all bets are off). So instead of an evangelical approach, I take a more passive by blogging and then waiting for people to get more information. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">("spreading the good word" perhaps?)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I need them to have buy in. Whether it's for CrossFit or Paleo or both, the only thing that will motivate a person is SELF-motivation. Of COURSE I want everyone in the world to be healthy and stop drinking soda and cut the crap out of their diets. But what good would it do if we tyrannically yelled at people for doing such things? It would only make them feel worse instead of educating them on why they might want to do such things. And at the end of the day, you can only hold hands for so long. Self-motivation allows individuals to make decisions for themselves and keeps them accountable for their own reasons, not mine. You know, the whole "teach them to fish, not give them a fish" thing.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is this Inception? You bet. Inception (2010) was all about planting ideas in people's minds, but making them own those ideas. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b style="line-height: 18px;">Cobb</b><span style="line-height: 18px;">: </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">What is the most resilient parasite? Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm? An idea. Resilient... highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it's almost impossible to eradicate. An idea that is fully formed - fully understood - that sticks; right in there somewhere.</span></i></span><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Saito</b><span style="line-height: 18px;">: If you can steal an idea, why can't you plant one there instead? </span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b style="line-height: 18px;">Arthur</b><span style="line-height: 18px;">: Okay, this is me, planting an idea in your mind. I say: don't think about elephants. What are you thinking about? </span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><b style="line-height: 18px;">Saito</b><span style="line-height: 18px;">: Elephants? </span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><b style="line-height: 18px;">Arthur</b><span style="line-height: 18px;">: Right, but it's not your idea. The dreamer can always remember the genesis of the idea. True inspiration is impossible to fake. </span></i>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="line-height: 18px;">(quotes from IMDB.com)</span></i></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>How I look when people tell me they eat "healthy"</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The caveat is that this buy in, this self-motivation, needs to take top priority over anything else. You can't just "kinda" want to get strong. You can't just "sorta" want to get in shape. You have to want it more than chocolate chip cookies, more than "oh I'll just do half reps", more than "just one slice" of pizza. You have to truly look inside yourself and figure out what exactly it is that you want and give it your all to get to that goal. Anything less will mean failure, or at best, mediocre results. And I'm not saying that coaching is unnecessary. A lot of people need guidance and information. But that first step towards health and wellness needs to be a commitment from within. Once that's established, effective coaching can take place. Or, for those more self-reliant and independent, they can take it on their own. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the case of my former resident, he decided for himself that he was going to give this thing a shot. I don't know why, but clearly there was enough self-motivation to make big changes in his life and he was able to lose 35lbs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are reading this blog, chances are you already drank the CrossFit or Paleo Kool-Aid...great! Keep talking it up and giving real life examples since we all know the best form of advertising is word of mouth. But also realize that people will get into this stuff when they feel ready. Just like the old ladies at the pool, some people need to wade into this plethora of information while others can just dive in. It doesn't make either party better or worse, it just means they're doing what's right for them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What kind of person are you? Do you wade or dive? </i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGt81BSyW8MsBjAlSoTbdeMEh83ZGc-w5n2vX7DMSyqiyAgkVNp88sZiekhZHdSVhJUMovhqrh8ru83sMgDxZ5SNiZ0_2Y7K39UIFdh7ar-kQddvaBZCgbCXtTy410yT7hmTL7eN2gppxX/s1600/motivation2.296133250_std.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGt81BSyW8MsBjAlSoTbdeMEh83ZGc-w5n2vX7DMSyqiyAgkVNp88sZiekhZHdSVhJUMovhqrh8ru83sMgDxZ5SNiZ0_2Y7K39UIFdh7ar-kQddvaBZCgbCXtTy410yT7hmTL7eN2gppxX/s400/motivation2.296133250_std.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-80011477904961596682012-07-09T11:11:00.000-04:002012-07-09T11:11:01.947-04:00Garlic Butter<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the recipes Ditty and I made last week involved making our own garlic butter by heating up...you guessed it: garlic and butter. It's an easy way to change things up and I really like on a microwaved sweet potato, although there are probably a thousand other ways to use it. Be sure to use pastured butter like Kerry Gold (we get it at Trader Joe's)</span><div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">about 2 tbsp of butter and 1 tsp of garlic (I don't measure, but I bet you were wondering)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">microwaved for about 20-30 seconds</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">added a new kick to the sweet potato</span></td></tr>
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</div>Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-36486961198896912452012-07-06T10:24:00.004-04:002012-07-06T10:24:54.045-04:00Green Socks<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Picture of the day on <a href="http://www.crossfitfootball.com/page/index.php?menu=blog&page=blog&hide&id=45641">CrossFit Football's website</a>...The outfit was for our Festivus celebration at KoP back in December, hence the green socks. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm amped for this cert later in July, plus it's being held at KoP! If you're interested in the cert,<a href="http://www.crossfitfootball.com/page/index.php?menu=certs&page=schedule1"> here's the info. </a></span></div>Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-60236270077375799402012-06-28T16:09:00.000-04:002012-06-28T21:13:31.106-04:00Reader Testimony: Bob W.<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out Bob W., a client at CrossFit King of Prussia and a different man from 8 months ago! Below is his story and details of his workouts and nutrition. I've edited some things for format and emphasis, but the content is all from Bob. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Bob W. Pre-Paleo and Pre-CrossFit</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Name: Bob W. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Age: 31</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Height: 5'10"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Weight before: 250 (10/22/2011)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Current weight: 195</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Hey Chris,</span></i><br />
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<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are some details about what I have been doing/eating/lifting over the past 8 months. For a solid timeline, I joined my "globo gym" for my 31st birthday, October 22nd 2011.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started "Paleo-ish" once around Christmas 2011, gave up on it fairly quickly, then started back on it pretty strictly around February of this year. The last 3 months or so I have been pretty much 95% paleo.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I first joined the gym my workouts were pretty traditional. I did some TRX with a trainer, jogged on an elliptical as much as I could, and lifted weights at a low weight/high rep interval. At that point I was just trying to get active again and start to even be READY to get back into shape! My knees hurt, I couldnt do much, it was pretty bad.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My diet before was the big issue obviously. My portion size was giant and I ate crap. Not fast food so much, but just a ton of pasta and hoagies and heavy sauces. I was a carb-a-holic. Typical breakfast was sometimes a breakfast sandwich or similar, lunch was usually cheesesteaks or hoagies, dinner was pasta and meatballs etc. Obviously I didnt eat this stuff everyday, but it was a majority of the time and in far too big proportions. In addition, a few years ago, I stopped drinking alchohol pretty much cold turkey. You might think that I would lose weight from that, but I think my body was so used to elevated blood sugar levels that a major sweet tooth developed when there hadn't been one before. I ate a lot of ice cream and cakes and cookies. I also ate whatever my kids were eating, which tended to be processed chicken fingers, mac and cheese, etc. I bet I put on 10lbs a year for the fours years after my oldest son was born.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My diet now is pretty on point. I eat an omlette with two omega-3 eggs and some eggwhites plus some kind of vegetable almost every morning. When its not that its cold fish/chicken/steak from the night before with a veggie or handful of berries. Snacks are jerky, some nuts, maybe and organic plain greek yogurt (I know, I know) on workout days. Lunch is typically a big piece of meat/fish grilled up with vegetables. I've found a number of paleo-adherent condiments to keep it interesting. Dinners are again a big protein with a big salad (lemon juice and avocado oil dressing is the bomb) and MAYBE a sweet potato. I always add good fats like avaocado etc. If I need something sweet later, its usually a small spoonful of organic "no sugar added" peanut butter with some berries. A couple weeks ago Sara grilled me some bananas and drizzled a little high quality melted 90% cacao chocolate on them, it was awesome. We eat a TON of shellfish and seafood. I go grass-fed and natural when I can, although its not 100% feasible with the quantities of food a family of five eats. We already drop $400/wk at the grocery store so I take what I can get! There are enough websites and cookbooks for paleo eaters right now that its pretty easy. Luckily my family has been super supportive of this and they actually eat much better now too. They often have a bread/rice/pasta dish which I just pass on, no big deal. I take a multivitamin, probiotic, and BCAA'a and I work outside so I get a lot of excercise during the days and lots of sunshine. I'm working on sleeping more, thats my biggest failure.</span></i><br />
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<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My workouts now are dynamic, fun, and a work in progress. I do CF KoP 2-3x per week in additon to recently adding a couple strength days (Wendler 5-3-1, body weight accessory work). When the weather is right and I want to run I'll do CFE (CrossFit Endurance), main site WOD's, or just tabata/HIIT sprints for 12 minutes max. I am able to do all this either at 6AM or after the kids (ages 5, 4, 1.5) go to bed so I don't take away from our time together. In addition I work 50-55hr weeks and my wife works weekend nights. Beyond that I'm in Grad School!!! <u style="font-weight: bold;">If I can do this literally anyone can.</u> For my birthday this year I am getting myself one of those Rogue garage gym packages with bumper plates for my garage so I can lift heavy whenever I get time. Oly lifts have become my favorite, I love how technical they are. I hung a pullup bar in a doorway off my living room and I dont walk under it EVER without doing 5 chinups. I call it "muscle-toe"!</span></i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Basking in his leaned out (sunburned) glory?</i></span></td></tr>
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<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The main resources I have used to make these changes are, not to be too cocky, but my own dedication and determination. That coupled with equal parts love and support from my wife and kids. This whole thing has been as much for them as me. I'm am a better dad and husband now, happier and more vibrant. Physically my body has NEVER been more well rounded. I'm stronger, faster, leaner, more flexible. I could not do a pullup 8 months ago now I can do 12 strict dead hang in a row. I'm SOOOOO close to a muscle up. This allows my body do do basically whatever my mind tells it to, which is HUGE with young kids and an active lifestyle. Mentally I'm happier, clearer, sharper, more focused. I'm confident I can do whatever I put my mind to. I don't want to totally discount the whole "long duration cardio and light weight/high rep" scheme becasue it got me started on this path. In addition I was eating a more traditional low-fat whole grain heavy diet, with which I did in fact lose weight. I'm pretty sure that at that point anything I did to sweat and eat less would have been an inprovement, but still I don't want to slam the methods that got me going. <b><u>What the CF/paleo transition did for me was switch me physically and mentally into the next gear, and make my changes less of a "diet" and more of a lifestyle. </u></b> I'll never gain that weight back (may never lose anymore either, don't care, I want to get stronger and faster and leaner and more powerful!!) becasue I am more mindful and aware of my body everyday now. I am aware of how incredible I feel when I give my body lots of what it was designed to take in and nothing it wasn't. I am aware of how great it feels to work my body the way a hunter/gatherer worked, in short burst of explosive effort followed with plenty of rest and recovery. My family is actually eating and living better becasue of it. It really has made a huge positive impact on my life!!</span></i><br />
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<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There it is, the brief version! If you need anymore details or pictures I have tons of both, don't hesitate. Also remember that you did my "on ramp" and KoP and, while I was avoiding sugar etc before, your blog really got me going and interested in Paleo its overall benefits and effects. I have you to thank in a big way for all this!! </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> -Bob</span></i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Bob and his motivation</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bob's story is all too familiar, at least in the beginning. Family man whose high carb, high sugar diet caught up to him, even with working outdoors and having a workout routine at the globo gym. His story aligns with the idea that how you look is 20% physical activity and 80% what you put in your mouth. (some would even say 10/90 or 0/100!) So no, being on a treadmill for an hour or even doing high intensity exercise won't matter if you don't change your nutrition. The fact is, when people cut out pasta and bread and sugar, not only do they lose weight, but that "puffiness" in their faces goes away too. That's the inflammation going away, and yes, I had it too (see <a href="http://chrispconstantlyvaried.blogspot.com/2011/02/fat-face.html">"You've Got a Fat Face"</a>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> A chief complaint from people is that they can't afford a CrossFit membership. Bob shows that you can get a great workout in by just doing some sprints, modified workouts at a globo gym, and when you can afford it, get to a CF gym for solid coaching. I love that Bob is now into Oly lifting and his clever re-naming of mistletoe for his pull up bar. And I agree with him on not getting down on the cardio/typical gym routine, because frankly it's better than nothing! <span style="background-color: white;">Bob shows that despite a busy work schedule AND going to grad school AND having 3 kids, it IS possible to hone in on your workouts and nutrition. But the motivation has to come from within and it always helps to have the support of loved ones. He does this for himself, but more importantly he does it for his wife and kids. No doubt he is and will be an amazing role model for his kids to brag about to their friends. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">If you have a testimony to share or if you'd like a nutrition or fitness consultation, email me at <a href="mailto:chris@crossfitkop.com">chris@crossfitkop.com</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-54585124896926505812012-06-27T11:40:00.001-04:002012-06-27T12:40:09.690-04:00Ghee: What Is It? Why Should I Use It?<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You may not have heard of ghee (pronounced with a hard "g" and silent "h") before, but when it comes to Paleo/Primal cooking, you'll find it's a staple in many kitchens. Let's take a closer look at what it is, why it's good for you, and how you might use it. </span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WHAT IS GHEE?</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Take grass-fed butter, heat it up to evaporate the water and let the milk solids settle to the bottom. Remove said milk solids and voila, you've got ghee. It was traditionally used for cooking in many south Asian countries such as India, Nepal, and Pakistan, but now has moved into Paleo kitchens around the world. You can actually make your own ghee like <a href="http://nomnompaleo.com/post/15235810877/d-i-y-ghee">Nom Nom Paleo</a> does, but I prefer to save time by buying it from <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/constant-20/detail/B001UUVKFS">Amazon</a>. Typically ghee is a solid at room temperature, looking just like butter. These pictures are right after I got it shipped to me in some hot weather, so it's a liquid here. Since the water and milk solids are not present, ghee can be stored at room temperature for months! For more on the amazing history of ghee, head over to <a href="http://whole9life.com/2011/11/pure-indian-foods-ghee-whole30-approved/">Whole30</a>. Did you know traces of ghee have been on pottery from 6,500 B.C.?!</span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WHY SHOULD I USE GHEE?</span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ghee is primarily saturated fat, and by now we should all <a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/saturated-fat-healthy/#axzz1z0PL2ihD">love and cherish saturated fat</a> from grass-fed animal sources. Also, since 99.9% of the milk solids have been removed, many people allergic to casein and lactose do perfectly fine with ghee. I'm not sure if I believe in a perfect food, but this is darn close! </span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WHAT WOULD I USE GHEE FOR?</span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I use ghee most of the time for cooking, especially saut<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">é</span><span style="background-color: white;">ing, frying, etc. Basically if a recipe calls for vegetable oil to coat a pan, I use ghee. You really ha</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ven't lived if you haven't coated a pan with ghee and then fried your eggs in it. (Ok, well, maybe if you've fried them in bacon grease) I also use olive oil and coconut oil on occasion, but ghee just tastes so darn good (like buttah!) plus it has a higher smoke point due to the lack of milk solids and water. You can also use ghee in any application you would use butter. Sometimes if we have run out of Kerry Gold butter, I'll put ghee on my baked sweet potato. Or I'll even put it in my </span><a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/coconut-oil-and-ghee/#axzz1z0PL2ihD" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">coffee with coconut oil</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">! And I'm not gonna lie, I've been known to just drink ghee straight out of the container. The possibilities are endless!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/constant-20?node=1&page=3">Buy ghee from my Amazon store</a></u></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-60116328259814087172012-06-26T22:00:00.000-04:002012-06-27T11:55:23.866-04:00CrossFit A.C.T. Garage Games Recap and Pics<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This past weekend, Ditty and I had the opportunity to compete in the CrossFit A.C.T. Garage Games at CF A.C.T. in Saddle Brook, NJ. As part of the Garage Games series of CrossFit events, this was a "minor" competition where athletes could accumulate points towards the series. Although "minor," there was serious competition, with several athletes having competed in their respective Regionals as individuals. Going into this, I had not trained these specific workouts, even though I knew them. I just wanted to use the competition to stay "alive" and keep the motivation burning to train. As you'll read below, there was one, maybe two workouts that I probably would have wanted to try beforehand. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>CrossFit A..C.T. Garage Games crowd watching a demo</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were three main workouts and a fourth for the top ranked at the end of the day. With a Rx'd division and scaled division, here were the workouts and how I did:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>WOD 1:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>AMRAP 7 min</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1000m row</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Max reps squat cleans 135/95 (scaled 95/65)</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">I was split on how I felt about this one. I don't like rowing, nor does my short stature and light weight really lend to any stellar performance on the erg. However, I do like squat cleans. I didn't think about any kind of numbers before the weekend until the night before when my buddy, Dan, asked. He was going for 20, so I thought that was a good number. That's exactly what I hit. I got off the rower around minute 4, and had 3 minutes left. I did sets of 3s and 2s for the most part. Looking back, this is a workout that I might have benefited from practicing. Although I felt like I was moving pretty well, there wasn't much fire in me to push into the mid 20's...plus, I wasn't counting during the WOD. Out of 73 competitors, 20 reps tied me for 45th with a bunch of others. Top score was 33 by Ian Berger, Regionals qualifier.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><i>Heat 1 ready to go </i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4F7CcVBhJmP4TiOU7Bs1KL-tPyxmwoCzZtvkG7y0oXDB3YRcC9OxWf9sHzY65dqTkzQ59BiQfFDLBwbY64MnXsTsP4kAoLJb3rACv08nc4sXeLGzyxDmewWUwm7Cwmh4nsgk9PJj_I7TF/s1600/2012-06-23+CrossFit+ACT+Garage+Games-8948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4F7CcVBhJmP4TiOU7Bs1KL-tPyxmwoCzZtvkG7y0oXDB3YRcC9OxWf9sHzY65dqTkzQ59BiQfFDLBwbY64MnXsTsP4kAoLJb3rACv08nc4sXeLGzyxDmewWUwm7Cwmh4nsgk9PJj_I7TF/s320/2012-06-23+CrossFit+ACT+Garage+Games-8948.jpg" width="213" /></span></i></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Kacie H. from CF Apex on cleans (ended up 2nd overall)</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>WOD 2</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>AMRAP 5 min</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>10-7-3</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>OHS 115/75 (scaled 95/65)</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>weighted sit ups 45/25 (scaled 25/10)</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>SDLHP 115/75 (scaled 95/65)</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overhead squats are my nemesis, but I felt ok going into this one. The CrossFit Open in 2010 was a disaster when I went to do 120# OHS's. Since then, especially this year, I have been working on my OHS's and I was happy to get all 10 reps strung in the beginning. Unfortunately, the weighted sit up got the best of me, or rather, my shoulder. The movement called for athletes to sit in a butterfly position and hold the plate in front of their feet, then swing it up and over the head behind you where you would lay down and touch the ground with the plate with extended arms. Then you had to violently sit up with the plate in extension to bring it back in front of your feet. On my round of 7 sit ups, my right shoulder gave out and I felt a *crunch* as my torso wanted to move up from the ground, but my right arm (and weight attached to it) wouldn't let it. I eventually used momentum to get the plate up and continued with the workout, but not nearly at the same intensity. I ended up with 57 reps, just 3 reps shy of a full round, and good enough for 59th place. Top score was by Ian Berger again, with an amazing 104 reps.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVFmrnT2G_t3R0mO8KJltVcAf3_xri3KnulT_U3gs_KHlRWRoGU5T0Qo2MXcu13J9oi7OXC26ZrnRXAbDZ_jiPOuNnAZoz8tE8kI_mjCLHTiXFTnr0a07y6L1S_7TjsVlzjQGy0zHtg0c/s1600/2012-06-23+CrossFit+ACT+Garage+Games-9016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVFmrnT2G_t3R0mO8KJltVcAf3_xri3KnulT_U3gs_KHlRWRoGU5T0Qo2MXcu13J9oi7OXC26ZrnRXAbDZ_jiPOuNnAZoz8tE8kI_mjCLHTiXFTnr0a07y6L1S_7TjsVlzjQGy0zHtg0c/s400/2012-06-23+CrossFit+ACT+Garage+Games-9016.jpg" width="266" /></i></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">me on OHS</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6Ja1BsQa-vzft09s1vCy_mcTJV786u3wJ60eAr6t_VruWYnlR93F8MHe9hSF9KXydIasgZJ7P_uLYDUgXc2pTpEgdSEB5WZW_b6IN9101pPyRYQb_GQ6Qb6VSudreJp3gDQ3rDKXFj_-/s1600/2012-06-23+CrossFit+ACT+Garage+Games-9172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6Ja1BsQa-vzft09s1vCy_mcTJV786u3wJ60eAr6t_VruWYnlR93F8MHe9hSF9KXydIasgZJ7P_uLYDUgXc2pTpEgdSEB5WZW_b6IN9101pPyRYQb_GQ6Qb6VSudreJp3gDQ3rDKXFj_-/s400/2012-06-23+CrossFit+ACT+Garage+Games-9172.jpg" width="400" /></i></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">the dreaded weighted sit up</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Ditty on OHS</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>WOD 3</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>AMRAP 10 min</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>10 T2B (scaled k2e) (later changed to burpees)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>25 double unders (scaled 75 single unders)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>10 thrusters (95/65) (scaled 65/45)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Going into this workout, my shoulder was definitely feeling a strain. It was tough for me to be in an overhead wide grip position (for instance, holding a snatch over head), but I felt ok about this third WOD because everything was in a vertical plane to my torso. A surprise came when Bill, head of CF ACT, announced a change in format. Instead of toes to bar, it was going to be BURPEES. The reason was that there was only a corner of the gym with pull up bars, and it wouldn't be fair to the guys at the other end of the gym. As Bill announced this, you could hear a sea of groans ripple through the crowd. I was fine with either and was just hoping for an equalizer for the big guys who took WODs 1 and 2. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The workout was certainly a lung burner. I kept a solid pace on burpees and dubs felt great. I knew the thrusters could slow me down, so I tried to string as many as I could. I didn't feel my shoulder during the workout which could have definitely slowed me down. In the end, I got 5+ rounds for 231 reps; good enough for 11th place.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwRserMYUq3QOS1i6XG3eEBBSTYayEaDUjwof7LRSSTY5aPjrLGYzcoL_ylYZiiHiynICX7J0OV3YozoKPnd6HUicq8xmX2IzDhi2CSeMgUWkSAmnYxGn0tZtez2vRfkLF1sAdkA3_chh/s1600/2012-06-23+CrossFit+ACT+Garage+Games-9238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwRserMYUq3QOS1i6XG3eEBBSTYayEaDUjwof7LRSSTY5aPjrLGYzcoL_ylYZiiHiynICX7J0OV3YozoKPnd6HUicq8xmX2IzDhi2CSeMgUWkSAmnYxGn0tZtez2vRfkLF1sAdkA3_chh/s400/2012-06-23+CrossFit+ACT+Garage+Games-9238.jpg" width="266" /></span></i></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Kurt M. of CF Apex on du's</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMXb_eLUYdv8PfFemWkkxv0xi4WpoPNRvVasGy4kYb9Cisu21ZEnvnui1_rAqwrTknVPKkOvVY6pzzY2Bj_HgmK6SQXkxMJ8u-iEWp-x7PhmC89jcotiVzdwqlry4Zoy8DNsEgGbCSBpJ/s1600/2012-06-23+CrossFit+ACT+Garage+Games-9355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMXb_eLUYdv8PfFemWkkxv0xi4WpoPNRvVasGy4kYb9Cisu21ZEnvnui1_rAqwrTknVPKkOvVY6pzzY2Bj_HgmK6SQXkxMJ8u-iEWp-x7PhmC89jcotiVzdwqlry4Zoy8DNsEgGbCSBpJ/s400/2012-06-23+CrossFit+ACT+Garage+Games-9355.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dan M. of CF Soar on thrusters</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall, I got 39th place out of 73 Rx'd guys. The top five went on to compete in a 4th workout that <strike>I actually don't know what it was because we had to leave early</strike> I later found out was a 10 min workout: 15 hspu's, "Grace" (30 clean and jerks 135/95), and max c2b pull ups for women, or max muscle ups for men. The top three guys happened to all have competed at Regionals as individuals, so these were no slouches. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In terms of the programming, I had mixed feelings. I liked the first workout and would have kept it. Although rowing and cleans are almost the exact same movement, it's a good workout and test of metabolic conditioning with strength endurance. Plus, the time domain is just right for a competition. As for the second workout, I might be biased because of my injury, but I thought the weighted sit up was just silly. To put that much torque on a joint that is already fragile is asking a lot. If they wanted weighted sit ups, we could have held the plate against our chest. I also thought the time domain was too similar to WOD 1. Instead of a 5 minute workout, program a max effort movement, such as a box jump, deadlift, etc. The third workout was a good lung burner, and I'm glad they changed the T2B to burpees. Not because I like burpees (I don't), but because T2B and a weighted sit up from before would have been very similar movements. This similarity among workouts didn't stop there. In all three workouts there was a barbell squat of some sort (squat clean in WOD 1, overhead squat in WOD 2, and thruster in WOD 3). While I'm all for squatting, I think there could have been better variety. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRoIuDAs7XNT_7Z0cFGG2M7I9XCfdMBOFbUqWBSvWH9X0z4NfFr5Mnrk-JZyuRLvVZ8QM23hMJHyXeD9Hc2mnxAai51amDxKAi8EoEiMSlYfXbEJIi_7cXgLE_jZldsuE_4BZx0nr8t3dk/s1600/2012-06-23+CrossFit+ACT+Garage+Games-9136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRoIuDAs7XNT_7Z0cFGG2M7I9XCfdMBOFbUqWBSvWH9X0z4NfFr5Mnrk-JZyuRLvVZ8QM23hMJHyXeD9Hc2mnxAai51amDxKAi8EoEiMSlYfXbEJIi_7cXgLE_jZldsuE_4BZx0nr8t3dk/s400/2012-06-23+CrossFit+ACT+Garage+Games-9136.jpg" width="266" /></i></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Karyn Marshall (the first woman to ever clean and jerk 300#) on OHS at 56 years young</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I realize there are limitations in programming a competition, so as much as I wrote my criticisms, I didn't come away with hard feelings. In fact, there were a ton of great things about the day: Overall,</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I thought the actual day ran extremely smoothly. Announcements were clear, heats were organized, and even the scoring system was updated live so we could all check our scores and rankings. The judges and staff ended up working basically all day, and having been in their shoes, I am grateful for their time and hard work. And at the end, t</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">he cream still rose to the top, as evidenced by the top 3 in each category. By no means do I feel like I was even close, and that's a good thing. I can walk away with more competition experience and drive to get stronger. Not to mention making more friends, as we sat next to a bunch of athletes from CrossFit Apex, another PA affiliate that we often cross paths with and had competed side by side at the Mid-Atlantic Regionals. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm also proud that Ditty did this, as I know it was out of her comfort zone, but I think she did awesome!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you haven't done a competition, get out of your bubble and do one. Whether it's CrossFit, Olympic lifting, a 5k, tough mudder, thumb wrestling...whatever it is, it will make you a better person. </span></div>Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-82686113957042104292012-06-21T20:30:00.000-04:002012-06-21T20:30:45.695-04:00Liver: Better Cold?<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A short post, as tomorrow Ditty and I head up to my old stomping grounds to compete in the <a href="http://www.thegaragegames.com/act-games-wod-list/">CrossFit ACT Games</a> in Saddle Brook, NJ on Saturday. Considered a "minor" event in the Garage Games scoring system, it should be a good way to get that competitive fire back from Regionals without going crazy. One of my resolutions was to do more competitions, so this is the first in awhile that isn't related to the Open or Regionals. I'll be sure to update you once the dust has settled. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back to the topic at hand. You may have read my <a href="http://chrispconstantlyvaried.blogspot.com/2012/01/liver-paleo-superfood-you-should-be.html">Liver</a> post...if not, be sure you do after this. Anyway, people, including myself, are always coming up with more palatable ways to get down the superfood and tonight I found a way that will probably work for me from now on. I included a recipe in the old post for pate, or even not blending everything together and eating the liver like steak. This is similar, but instead of eating it hot, I ate it COLD.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">artery-clogging, heart-attack-causing, delicious bacon grease</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did this tonight because something was cooking in the microwave and I was too impatient. So I ate the liver cold with solid bacon grease slathered on like butter. I'll tell you what..it was GOOD! The grease had a more substantial taste, so everything tasted more like bacon than liver. So if you're looking for the simplest way to cook liver, do this: cook your bacon first and leave the grease in the pan. Once cooked, take the bacon out and put the liver in (sliced). Let it cook until just about firm and then take out. Put everything, including the grease, in a container and put it in the fridge overnight (or a few hours). Then, enjoy whenever you want. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And if at any point you thought "but isn't that bacon grease going to clog your arteries?" then you need to watch this. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="267" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/v8WA5wcaHp4" width="475"></iframe></span></div>Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-38332022868396831302012-06-19T21:15:00.001-04:002012-06-19T21:29:32.671-04:00If You Give a Mouse a Cookie...He'll Want to Be Lean and Strong!<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I was a youngster, let's say around three years of age, I believed in Santa. I bet most of you did. That Christmas Eve, my parents and I set out cookies and milk. Or as I referred to them, "tooties and murr." There's a VHS tape (If you know what that is, I know you were born before 1990) of me standing by the dining room table and just staring at the tooties. I had already had one, and it was time for bed, but I still wanted another. Behind the camera, my dad asks, "Chris, what is it?" I respond, "Tooties." "What?" "I want tooties." "It's time for bed, Santa's coming." "But I want tooties!" Needless to say, I lost that battle.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">People are greedy. Especially CrossFitters. When I ask CrossFitters, whether new or old, what their goals are, they usually respond something like this: "I want to get bigger and stronger. But I also want to lean out. And I want to be a fast runner. And I want 10 muscle ups. And..." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Wait, what? </b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's not that I don't understand where they're coming from. They realize that to get better at CrossFit, they need to be stronger and that usually includes being bigger with added muscle mass. But at the same time, they don't want to gain weight and instead want that shredded look or to be "toned." Plus, they want to get better at running, gymnastics, etc. They want more than one tootie, and as the phrase goes, if you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to want a glass of milk. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The problem is that trying multiple strategies usually leads to a net result of zero and frustration. They may start strength training and reducing metcons, but also cut calories thereby cutting protein, fat, and carbs, thereby reducing their recovery and ultimately, their strength gains. Do you see where this is going? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here's my advice to you. Figure out what you REALLY want, and go for it. Can you deal with putting on some belly fat because you are upping your calories and possibly drinking dairy to get stronger? Or can you tolerate your deadlift/squat/bench numbers going down because you are in a leaning out phase? Or even worse, NOT fall prey to the sexy metcon because you know it will drive cortisol up and therefore, body fat? With any of these decisions come consequences, for good and bad. You need to decide what you TRULY want and dedicate at least three months to it. Not a week, or two weeks, or even three. Three months. And even then, some people would say it should be longer. That number is ultimately up to you and your goals, but the point is that you can't fiddle around with something short term and expect long term results. Because if you give a mouse a tootie...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-39418598047705594412012-06-14T11:41:00.000-04:002012-06-14T11:41:16.275-04:00CrossFit for Hope Fundraiser: Greater Philadelphia recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On June 9, 2012, various affiliates on the Greater Philadelphia region gathered in Manayunk, PA to perform the "Hope" fundraiser workout:</div>
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3 rounds of 5 stations, 1 minute of work performed at each station:</div>
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power snatches, 55/75#</div>
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box jumps, 24"</div>
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thrusters, 55/75#</div>
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chest to bar pull ups</div>
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Among the affiliates represented were CF 215, CF King of Prussia, CF Manayunk, CF Explode, CF Go Hard, CF Center City, CF Generation, and CF Delaware Valley and many more. It was a fantastic way to celebrate the CrossFit community and raise money for St. Jude's Hospital. Thank you to Micah from 215 for setting this whole thing up. </div>
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Here are some of my favorite pics from the event that I took, plus the whole slideshow of pictures at the end. </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Where did you do the "Hope" workout? How did it feel compared to Fight Gone Bad?</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Laura from KoP mid-snatch</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgwkPuRTIUN7m6sz0fJ79Ctmx_QpRqgdUV22Ky9uPRuNT1mDoWfUHmcNBfLGHdsdDcJoVwxi-IyA7UhQLYMl64K0ZUtGYyx5eJwJN7gJUKCwlfc_GKg7kmj7zHFJAPMe-MgQCiiuf2F0f/s1600/7186169401_ca07c2e39c_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgwkPuRTIUN7m6sz0fJ79Ctmx_QpRqgdUV22Ky9uPRuNT1mDoWfUHmcNBfLGHdsdDcJoVwxi-IyA7UhQLYMl64K0ZUtGYyx5eJwJN7gJUKCwlfc_GKg7kmj7zHFJAPMe-MgQCiiuf2F0f/s400/7186169401_ca07c2e39c_c.jpg" width="285" /></a></span></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Kyle from KoP with a modified db snatch</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr8TDhHaUqdKD8_SWGbqpADeYZHh7f1IgC7p6iwuekE7WDhKRf0vu4smnqz_npDWiFvFQNV1gb2GOd2gGyXn6ClYkibGrXVcDH7t-nM5atZoDOczgB-SriRDlX1G97_7EA1pQ4D_IsyDZ8/s1600/7186183329_7f19bb8359_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr8TDhHaUqdKD8_SWGbqpADeYZHh7f1IgC7p6iwuekE7WDhKRf0vu4smnqz_npDWiFvFQNV1gb2GOd2gGyXn6ClYkibGrXVcDH7t-nM5atZoDOczgB-SriRDlX1G97_7EA1pQ4D_IsyDZ8/s400/7186183329_7f19bb8359_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Kyle and his coaches aka "pit crew"</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-zDqRhW9zybfAUjg7h_wE8UQfk9PCPzZml3G0rxzvtVD1H6-OynI9hyPu2Kn8GQIDFrcg877fjnG6f1OYUND6P70rm-gpvD4tCo4bESObL6xxKMrevt8bVuBOym3YHKZztMfm-C9luPg/s1600/7186213507_2eeb0501e7_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-zDqRhW9zybfAUjg7h_wE8UQfk9PCPzZml3G0rxzvtVD1H6-OynI9hyPu2Kn8GQIDFrcg877fjnG6f1OYUND6P70rm-gpvD4tCo4bESObL6xxKMrevt8bVuBOym3YHKZztMfm-C9luPg/s400/7186213507_2eeb0501e7_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">burpees!</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjneam2c4WR2aD7KHO0RPWKOjShedq_cGnAybPQ12_9-Ea03008PnW9dYSdsIIp0KkewhpR4TjLexPkj43-y-lIavA-UPD47Kqk29fsaEnrIqV94ABz7fi0zskq98HHLT4_6_alWFaBgoC5/s1600/7186212407_18d76cd464_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjneam2c4WR2aD7KHO0RPWKOjShedq_cGnAybPQ12_9-Ea03008PnW9dYSdsIIp0KkewhpR4TjLexPkj43-y-lIavA-UPD47Kqk29fsaEnrIqV94ABz7fi0zskq98HHLT4_6_alWFaBgoC5/s400/7186212407_18d76cd464_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Perrin from 215 on box jumps</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBX0qmWLrgXpmCf4ZD9r4TZ9uiR3-zKzIQDEcBwb49gO-_Ll3Y78bZNhlwrr_EeB8Ek0Qp-1t3SQLd6yUjQZe9WmjRLd4PEYtZAK7BLBKqNsf7kX3YTIyItUDZNNgbo_Te7SYAOwV6uNW2/s1600/7186210569_b898cd00f8_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBX0qmWLrgXpmCf4ZD9r4TZ9uiR3-zKzIQDEcBwb49gO-_Ll3Y78bZNhlwrr_EeB8Ek0Qp-1t3SQLd6yUjQZe9WmjRLd4PEYtZAK7BLBKqNsf7kX3YTIyItUDZNNgbo_Te7SYAOwV6uNW2/s400/7186210569_b898cd00f8_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Los from 215 keeping it cool</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimiB-EJ75Pk56qJzHYIfWcr-LTE4IcLCrcf4zmdiCoiIDxKqfdbfDefQcKE3_B7SLnt0jYgEm1pSL_pQh69frL-AsBzRNPlz97NGMW0jeXDiTYaWj7t_DiSqDi8zp4q-vFm2Yy86SQCF1k/s1600/7186180033_88bc209ed8_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimiB-EJ75Pk56qJzHYIfWcr-LTE4IcLCrcf4zmdiCoiIDxKqfdbfDefQcKE3_B7SLnt0jYgEm1pSL_pQh69frL-AsBzRNPlz97NGMW0jeXDiTYaWj7t_DiSqDi8zp4q-vFm2Yy86SQCF1k/s400/7186180033_88bc209ed8_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Megs from KoP keeping it close</i></span></td></tr>
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<br /></div>Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-1081468747540271392012-06-13T12:20:00.002-04:002012-06-13T12:20:36.325-04:00CrossFit and the Need for Strict Pull Ups<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Franco Columbo and perfect pull up form</span></i></td></tr>
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<u><b>CONFRONTATION </b></u><br />
Let me ask you a question. Be honest. Can you do a pull up? I don't mean a kipping pull up. I mean an honest-to-goodness, no kip, strict pull up. If you're a CrossFitter and are saying something to the effect of "no, but I have kipping pull ups," then we need to have a chat. </div>
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<u><b>KIPPING vs. STRICT</b></u></div>
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One of the staples of CrossFit is the kipping pull up. While it can be a movement which generates a lot of power and be an efficient way to move your body from point A to point B, it is not a pull up. I repeat, it is NOT a pull up. Yes, it's a way to get your chin over a pull up bar and generates more power, blah blah blah... I even say this stuff as a CrossFit coach, because while it is true, there is STILL a clear difference between a kipping pull up and a pull up. Unfortunately, a lot of CrossFitters have become complacent and are perfectly content with their kips, usually on bands. This doesn't make sense since the kip itself is an assist to the pull up, and/or it's a <i>transition</i> to something else (e.g. bar muscle up) Doing it with bands means you're doing an assisted assisted pull up. It also means you're now head of the Department of Redundancy Department. </div>
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Some of you might be angry or defensive right now. This post is not meant to belittle your accomplishment of the kipping pull up, but rather, it is meant to spark a fire in you to get stronger. Because here's the deal, being stronger is better not only for performance, but for safety. With a huge range of motion in the kip, the shoulder girdle better be strong or it's going to suffer from injury at some point. And let's face it, if someone walks in with strict pull ups, I can teach them to kip in 10 minutes. However, I can't get someone with only kipping pull ups to do a strict pull up in the same amount of time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEito2RCdm9HxYmD7aWdYDGN9E3UfgNoyRrXesMiNB6kj8070QlH8UUxMQ9wLAFavouEv5aaiqoMasrlAFf1WdcN-VWcCSO6kKccqBVvbeCLW0QF6fbgqbhJtUCUU5q-Wzj2bh3zQTtO_rfG/s1600/IMG_1538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEito2RCdm9HxYmD7aWdYDGN9E3UfgNoyRrXesMiNB6kj8070QlH8UUxMQ9wLAFavouEv5aaiqoMasrlAFf1WdcN-VWcCSO6kKccqBVvbeCLW0QF6fbgqbhJtUCUU5q-Wzj2bh3zQTtO_rfG/s400/IMG_1538.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Kevin B. of CF KoP on a chest to bar pull up</span></i></td></tr>
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<u><b>PULL UP vs. CHIN UP </b></u><br />
As a side note, I differentiate a pull up from a chin up as the former with a pronated grip (palms facing away) and the latter with a supinated grip (palms facing towards). Since you most likely kip with a pronated grip (unless you're OG firebreather Greg Amundson), it would behoove you to work on the pull up. However, if you would like to work on your biceps, the chin up is an excellent exercise. (what, no bicep curls??)<br />
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<b><u>PULL UP PROGRESSIONS</u></b><br />
So what do you do now? For one, you need to see the bands as a good way to assist your <i>strict</i> pull ups. If a workout comes up with pull ups, resign yourself to doing strict pull ups (yes, you will probably need to use a thicker band to get that chin over the bar.) This is where you need to leave your ego out and get on the path towards being a badass. What if the WOD doesn't have pull ups? I tell people to come to class early or stay late and do 3 sets of 5 strict pull ups with bands. The bands you use should make you struggle on that 5th rep to get your chin over the bar. do 3 sets of 10 reps of ring rows (or body rows) before or after a workout. This is a movement where you setup gymnastic rings (or TRX straps) about chest height and lean back with a flat body, fully extending your elbows and then pulling yourself back towards the rings. You can make this movement progressively harder by starting further and further forward. Once you can do all three sets fairly easily, move your feet forward. In addition to the ring rows, you can also do negative pull ups. Get on a box and jump up to chin-over-bar and slowly lower yourself down. You may simply fall straight down at first, but don't be discouraged. Working negatives is easier than starting at the bottom, however, don't do high reps (more than 3-4 sets of 5). This eccentric movement (lowering of the body) can wreak havoc on your muscles if done at high, intense reps.<br />
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[Another thing to consider is weight. Yes, it's harder to do a pull up if you have excess body weight. There are plenty of articles on this blog and other more-qualified sites to discuss losing weight, but this probably plays a big factor with many of you]<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-hsZnwOva5cGU1-V2P4PNCrYpbFnXOclkVbjDT6-hrdZOUBswseQiZFsbImSEaF0KaVb_nnx7ruEcgNT2JdI14BU73uGz_JcAcXUNk9k4FRFKS5kYhgHJaz9H7YCZ5FAnmsEgGYg7432-/s1600/pullupic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-hsZnwOva5cGU1-V2P4PNCrYpbFnXOclkVbjDT6-hrdZOUBswseQiZFsbImSEaF0KaVb_nnx7ruEcgNT2JdI14BU73uGz_JcAcXUNk9k4FRFKS5kYhgHJaz9H7YCZ5FAnmsEgGYg7432-/s400/pullupic.jpg" width="370" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">anatomy of a pull ups (engage the lats and retract the scap!)</td></tr>
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<u><b>TIPS ON FORM</b></u><br />
While you're doing any of these movements, make sure you retract your shoulder blades (like you're trying to pinch an penny
between them) and are engaging your lats (muscles under your arm pits). Doing so will make you stronger in the right places and create a stable shoulder girdle. (the whole dang point of doing these!) The ultimate goal is to have more than a few strict pull ups. I'm vague here because some people will eventually have 15+ strict pull ups while others have 4-6. For my goal of getting you not only strong, but also SAFE(r) from shoulder injuries, "more than a few" is something you should interpret for yourself. From there, you can play around with variations such as chest to bar, weighted, L-sits, wide grip, narrow grip, one armed, etc. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupShk7FlGGhymOvoqTuBaE2odQUe-VFMSY7KxNwK6h7mKY3GPrXtFVzXxpaApue5wRkVrBYLeaEBLNe47SdWIDndsVRrqGQOEMSUhCkCEqkJJjueXHOnx2z9QNyEGnlrRpax1DwWqlnG2/s1600/L+pullup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupShk7FlGGhymOvoqTuBaE2odQUe-VFMSY7KxNwK6h7mKY3GPrXtFVzXxpaApue5wRkVrBYLeaEBLNe47SdWIDndsVRrqGQOEMSUhCkCEqkJJjueXHOnx2z9QNyEGnlrRpax1DwWqlnG2/s400/L+pullup.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>me with an L-sit pull up variation</i></span></td></tr>
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<u><b>GOING BACK TO WHERE YOU STARTED</b></u><br />
As you are working on your strict pull ups, also work on tightening up your kip form. Too many people flail about and have extremely loose midlines and no hollow body. This is usually due to lack of shoulder and lat strength. What SHOULD your kip look like? Just check out the video below from gymnastic guru Carl Paoli and the following vid for progressions. <br />
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Carl Paoli demonstrating proper Kipping Pull Ups: <br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" hspace="0" id="embedFrame" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://gymnasticswod.com/content/00047?size=medium" style="height: 270px; width: 480px;" vspace="0"></iframe></div>
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<a href="http://gymnasticswod.com/content/kipping-pull" target="_none">Details at GymnasticsWOD</a></div>
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Carl Paoli on Kipping Pull Up Progressions:</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" hspace="0" id="embedFrame" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://gymnasticswod.com/content/v00060?size=medium" style="height: 270px; width: 480px;" vspace="0"></iframe></div>
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<a href="http://gymnasticswod.com/content/kipping-pull-progression" target="_none">Details at GymnasticsWOD</a></div>
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<u><b>LINKS</b></u><br /><a href="http://robbwolf.com/2011/05/24/the-paleo-solution-episode-81/">Robb Wolf's podcast about Kipping Pull Ups vs. Strict (skip to 24:54)</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.cathletics.com/articles/article.php?articleID=91">Pull Up article - Catalyst Athletics</a><br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=241012849274036">Perfect Pull Up - Ido Portal</a><br />
<a href="http://www.elementcrossfit.com/index.php/blog/1006-the-road-to-pull-up-domination">The Road to Pull Up Domination - Element CrossFit</a><br />
<a href="http://www.crossfitbrea.net/2012/04/get-strict-with-your-pull-up/">Get Strict with your Pull Up - CrossFit Brea</a><br />
<a href="http://www.crossfitvirtuosity.com/articles/get-strict/">Get Strict - CrossFit Virtuosity</a> </div>
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<br />Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268770205737244071.post-43712195812545004122012-06-04T21:51:00.002-04:002012-06-04T22:00:42.696-04:00Why Iceland Women are Ridiculous CrossFitters<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In case you haven't done so, go check out my recap of <a href="http://chrispconstantlyvaried.blogspot.com/2012/04/visit-to-crossfit-reykjavik-and-iceland.html">our visit to CrossFit Reykjavik and meeting Iceland Annie</a>. If you have, read on.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lIUowtUcDoVUa7bPdozAHTI6rnqkWbg23V925vAWPhJI2zO98jXWYDLX3R0E0jnG-Sm4HvuXKZ-rHusjGpOkhhPz0Ghr8yvIik9xPfvI48X92KQdqcLT_zOAWWn-NhVh_DzEzHamLmbU/s1600/Games2012_EUR_WomensQualifervid_rotator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lIUowtUcDoVUa7bPdozAHTI6rnqkWbg23V925vAWPhJI2zO98jXWYDLX3R0E0jnG-Sm4HvuXKZ-rHusjGpOkhhPz0Ghr8yvIik9xPfvI48X92KQdqcLT_zOAWWn-NhVh_DzEzHamLmbU/s400/Games2012_EUR_WomensQualifervid_rotator.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">from crossfit.com: Davidsdottir, Thorisdottir, and Helgadottir (l to r) all qualified for the CrossFit Games</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few months ago, an article came out about the Icelandic women and how they absolutely DOMINATED the Europe region during the Reebok CrossFit Open. (see "<a href="http://games.crossfit.com/article/icelandic-advantage">The Icelandic Advantage</a>" by Jane Holgate) The top 3 women out of all of Europe are from Iceland: Annie Thorisdottir, Katrin Davidsdottir, and Thuridur Helgadottir swept the top spots. Hjordis Oskarsdottir followed closely in fifth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Guess what. During the European Regional Competition in May (yes, ALL of Europe was a <i>region</i>), the top three repeated: Annie first, Katrin second, and Thuridur third. Hjordis came in eighth. Astounding consistency and showing of fitness for a country the size of Ohio.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The above-mentioned article cites 3 main reasons why these Icelandic women dominate the scene: genes, mental fortitude, and culture. Emma Keen, a non-Icelandic athle<span style="background-color: white;">te said in the article, "<span style="line-height: 18px;">“I think their general attitude to their well-being is much more serious than in the UK where a lot of people's expendable income here is spent on alcohol and socializing and begrudge £30 gym membership,” Keen says. “The Icelandics think nothing of spending a lot of money to benefit their health.”</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">[Warning: this has absolutely no scientific steeping, but purely speculation and observation. So for you geeky scientists that need proof, you can look elsewhere.] </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">I absolutely think culture has a lot to do with it. I saw evidence of it during our trip to Iceland. Besides visiting CF Reykjavik and working out with their team going to regionals, here's why.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">In one of the hotels we stayed in, we were flipping through channels and came across this Icelandic game show that pitted high schoolers against each other in fitness skills. Even though it was in Icelandic, seeing these young teenagers doing push ups, dips, max holds from a bar, and other movements was unlike anything that you'd see State-side. It was clearly a normal thing for these high schoolers to be involved with physical fitness in more than just a "40-minute-walk-around-the-track" PE class. Anywho, here are some screen shots of the events. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">obstacle course involving monkey bars, cargo nets, and other activities</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVq_Ro-ZS4Z1ifteO0IEX2WREygmhf2BVSHY7SlQeRhwymYB4TfiCuiTEgJ7DvubJQM-iRmlo4_iVY47-BPdSEsQu2FrdBreKBuMaNCbg3CbAqHOtZS1x4KVTxMPTyMBg31rck-EUFwF1j/s1600/IMG_5575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVq_Ro-ZS4Z1ifteO0IEX2WREygmhf2BVSHY7SlQeRhwymYB4TfiCuiTEgJ7DvubJQM-iRmlo4_iVY47-BPdSEsQu2FrdBreKBuMaNCbg3CbAqHOtZS1x4KVTxMPTyMBg31rck-EUFwF1j/s400/IMG_5575.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">lifting "stones" - looked like rubber balls filled with sand</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsEh4C4m6iaTBcM2gIxaUfGzJgNz6ByeK7Lb9TTLYjj2VdxyQIa5MYFhuXytUMMD7RcHi2yRFngtYCM2HFgyS3_Bu-HgHVXHVg1VGl7OBmiwrsSKg6uQjSCzMiUNtRylva5UHnU99ZaN5/s1600/IMG_5576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsEh4C4m6iaTBcM2gIxaUfGzJgNz6ByeK7Lb9TTLYjj2VdxyQIa5MYFhuXytUMMD7RcHi2yRFngtYCM2HFgyS3_Bu-HgHVXHVg1VGl7OBmiwrsSKg6uQjSCzMiUNtRylva5UHnU99ZaN5/s400/IMG_5576.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">this was the biggest difference between Iceland women and American women: max DEFICIT push ups</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYIZojMO1Is-JhLkEZ6jhV01RjqEYskLR4lYggg39BF8noC47wXzmLGJQV81Tpxv02Kb0SZNXwfRgAK63HoMx1nZF30rej8swCcQj2XJ_V0dH_zj9AHIA32InkmnKItoUtf6_pUjQklpN/s1600/IMG_5577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYIZojMO1Is-JhLkEZ6jhV01RjqEYskLR4lYggg39BF8noC47wXzmLGJQV81Tpxv02Kb0SZNXwfRgAK63HoMx1nZF30rej8swCcQj2XJ_V0dH_zj9AHIA32InkmnKItoUtf6_pUjQklpN/s400/IMG_5577.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">boys held their own in a max dips contest</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQAMbIrE1Wz4SmQOVnKaWhbMOoq023-b-AcSwTlsMNSJz_SssEddcKpIe0pP6kJy4ZBCZzVlRfAOFIIQj3cEplHfut9Pen1Ku7q6Sir6twEavmUciSGW0VP7jOsoHxIFnUspNw-g7avcw9/s1600/IMG_5578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQAMbIrE1Wz4SmQOVnKaWhbMOoq023-b-AcSwTlsMNSJz_SssEddcKpIe0pP6kJy4ZBCZzVlRfAOFIIQj3cEplHfut9Pen1Ku7q6Sir6twEavmUciSGW0VP7jOsoHxIFnUspNw-g7avcw9/s400/IMG_5578.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">max hang = mental fortitude</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I did say why the Iceland <i>women</i> are ridiculous CrossFitters. Why not men? My theory is that </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">while the teenage boys were in the competition, they were doing similar things that other males across the world do. In the US, it's socially acceptable for a guy to be doing dips, push ups, and pull ups. If you are a female and you do these things, then good on ya, but let's be clear you are probably above average in terms of strength.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Do you think the US could ever get to this point? Would this even be something you would like to see? Working in education, I see gym classes being cut left and right to give more classroom time, so </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I think the attitude of Americans would have to change a great deal for fitness to play a bigger role.</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>Chris P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00541717780115506753noreply@blogger.com0