Power Yoga for CrossFit

A few weeks ago was my first foray into a yoga studio. Although our CrossFit gym has had yoga instructors come in to do classes at our box, I had never ventured into yogi territory before. After seeing a Google coupon for a Stillpoint Yoga Studio class package, I took the plunge and got a great deal. K and I ended up going to a "power yoga" session taught by Stillpoint's founder, Jack Forgosh. Besides sounding badd*ss, I didn't know what to expect from power yoga. Naturally, I googled it and found information on the reliable(?) site, About.com: "The term 'power yoga' came into common usage in themid 1990s, when several yoga teachers were looking for a way to make Ashtanga yoga more accessible to western students. Unlike Ashtanga, power yoga does not follow a series of poses. Therefore any power yoga class can vary widely from the next. What they have in common is an emphasis on strength and flexibility." Strength and flexibilty? Sign me up!

Shirt from Whole9.

The actual class had seven clients in a heated room that made for a steamroom effect that loosened us up like playdoh. (It also made for a sweaty, slippery mat; probably because I got it for $10 at Marshalls) The class lasted an hour, which is good because most other classes are 90 minutes and I'm not sure if I (or my slippery mat) could have lasted that long. Since I had a tiny bit of experience with some yoga moves, I caught on pretty quickly to the repeating movements. There were a few that I simply couldn't do "as prescribed" but I "scaled" by using a strap to hold on to my foot in order to get a good stretch. 

Lots of people think CrossFit is about strength, and while this may be true, I think it's about strength expressed through efficient movement. Correct positioning could make the difference between a failed lift and a PR. Therefore, the biggest reason I bought this package was for the opportunity to work on flexibilty. Much like our clients need the structure and supervision of CrossFit to workout, I wanted the structure and supervision of stretching. During the hour-long class, we moved quickly from positions like downward dog to warrior to eagle. Many positions involved stretching of the hamstrings (great for someone who sits at a desk during the day) and I found myself applying the yoga positions to CrossFit. Below are some examples:

Chair pose - lumbar curve engaged? SQUAT.

High plank to low plank poses - elbows in, slow lowering? PUSH UP.

Warrior pose - front knee over ankle? SPLIT JERK.

    

Corpse pose - laying down on ground? POST WOD COLLAPSE.

Some CrossFitters tend to beat down anything that isn't CrossFit, and while I don't see myself going to daily yoga classes, I do see the practicality on working out kinks and flexibility weaknesses. As much as I'd like to dedicate an hour each day to stretching, the reality is that very few people have the discipline to do that. Going once a week to power yoga won't work miracles, but it will keep me conscious of the fact that I have a lot to work on (namely shoulder, thoracic, and hip flexibility) and hopefully encourage me to create a routine. Jack is also great at giving verbal cues and making you realize what you should be feeling in each movement. If you're in the King of Prussia area, go check out Stillpoint.

Side note: Another great resource for stretching that's directly related to CrossFit is the MWOD (Mobility WOD) from Kelly Starrett. K-Star is the renowned CrossFit guru when it comes to all things PT and mobility related. If you are looking for a free resource for mobility and stretching, this is the site for you.

Is flexibility getting in the way of your CrossFitting?

What are your problem areas?

Top 5 Questions (and Reactions) About Eating Paleo

As a CrossFit coach and nutrition nerd, it's sometimes hard to take a step back and look at things from an outsider's perspective. For instance, I had always heard of the infamous question from women "Won't lifting weights make me bulky?" but it wasn't until recently that I actually got that question. (the answer is a resounding NO) Similarly, I can sometimes take for granted questions about diet, nutrition, and paleo. There are some folks who know their stuff and others who simply have no clue what's going on. 

looks like pasta? nope, spaghetti squash

It can be confusing to hear about the Paleo diet since it goes against all conventional wisdom. And I'm not just talking about "magazine" conventional wisdom. I'm also talking about "stuff you hear from most doctors" conventional wisdom. However, through research and self-experimentation, we know that this stuff WORKS and this is why I cringe when I hear someone wants to lose weight, but is doing 5 metcons a week, restricting their calories, and sticking to whole grains and low-fat. NO BUENO! There have recently been a lot of discussions about nutrition at our box, so I thought I'd compile a "top 5" list of common questions from paleo newbies. Here we go:

1. What do you mean "calories don't matter?" I need to lose weight!

99% of clients that walk through our door want to "lose weight." I ask them to clarify that statement since I could theoretically cut my arm off and "lose weight." What they really mean is that they want to get rid of their excess body fat. So while a few people have come in wanting to improve performance, most priorities have to do with looking good naked. 

In order to do this, you need calories! Ok, I admit, if you have 6,000 calories a day, you will probably gain weight. But restricting your body to 1200 calories a day is just a bad idea. Your body doesn't realize what you WANT and all it KNOWS is that it's starving. So it preserves body fat as an emergency response. How many people do you know that have been on Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers for years? Fat loss should NOT be hard and definitely not take that long. Focus more on QUALITY of food and less quantity. If you eat real food that grows and dies (protein in the form of meat, fish, or fowl; fat in the form of meat, coconut, avocados or some nuts/seeds; and carbs in the form of vegetables or some fruit) then you are pretty good to go!

buy real food and 90% of your battle is won

2. Isn't fat bad? I don't want to get fat or have a heart attack!

This is probably my biggest pet peeve question when it comes to paleo/REAL food eating. It seriously disturbs me that there are millions of people out there that think eating fat will make them fat. Is fat calorically dense? Yes. Will eating a steak with fat in it make you fat? No way! Nor will it contribute to CVD (cardiovascular disease). You NEED fat and cholesterol for brain health, bone/joint functioning, and overall well being. It is hormonally NEUTRAL unlike sugar and carbohydrates which spike insulin levels which in turn signal the body to STORE excess sugar/carbs as fat. There is just too much to write about this, so check out these links for in-depth reasons how and why fat is not bad and in fact, it is GOOD for you: Mark Sisson on Saturated Fat; clip from Fat Head the movie

I love fat!

3. How do I get my calcium? I need strong bones!

 Similar to fat, dietary calcium is not always the same as bone calcium. Also true for calcium supplements. Studies have shown that supplements actually create calcium deposits in the bone in concentrated areas instead of the desired effect of spreading out along the bone. To get good bone health, eat calcium rich foods such as kale and more importantly, do load bearing exercises such as back squats and impact exercises such as box jumps. Get good vitamin D (either from the sun or supplement) and don't be so neurotic about your bones!

did I make it? what do you think??

4. But what do I do about breakfast? I need my cereal!

I think it's really funny when people find out about the paleo diet and comment that it doesn't give you a lot of choices, but then they eat the same cereal every single morning. What the...?! The biggest paradigm shift here is to think about breakfast as just another meal aka another lunch or dinner. If you love breakfast for dinner, how come you can't have dinner for breakfast? Steak and eggs are one of my favorite, or if I'm at work, I'll heat up some chicken sausage or leftover meat from the night before. Fruit is fine, but not too much. And depending on how compliant you are with the quality of food and body composition, intermittent fasting (IF) could be a great way to reset the body's insulin sensitivity (plus it's a sneaky way to restrict calories over time without the detriment of a program like Weight Watchers). If I were a politician, my campaign would be MEAT FOR BREAKFAST! .....or something like that.

breakfast, lunch, or dinner? if you can't tell, that's a good thing!

5. What about eating out/birthday parties/etc.? I need to let loose!
This is a sticky one, but for most people who can control themselves, eating a "non-paleo" item every once in awhile will not be the end of the world. I wrote about the 80/20 rule as one of my original posts, and for the most part, my stance has stayed the same. I think you should basically not PLAN a cheat day or cheat meal, but if it just happens to come up, then just don't go crazy and eat half a birthday cake. If you are going out to eat, don't eat the bread and order a slab of meat (steak is always a good go-to) and some veggies. Order a burger without the bun. I also think that as your body becomes accustomed to eating clean, it reacts worse when you go off the rails. This creates a natural aversion to ordering pasta for your dinner or having pizza and beer at a party. On the other hand, there are some people who just should NOT stray. Just like drug addicts or alcoholics, even just a bite of a cookie could send that person 100 steps backwards and create an avalanche of food disaster. You need to be the judge of how strict you want to be and what your goals are. Most people do fine with a 30 day challenge which allows them to see the full benefits of going Paleo. (fat loss, energy gain, better complexion, etc) Only after that would you maybe consider looser guidelines for your way of living. 

chicken, green beans, and apples with non-paleo glaze on them

What other common questions do people have when starting or learning about Paleo? 

How has your views of Paleo evolved over time?  

Robb Wolf: Fish Oil Revision

reversing direction on the fish oil

First, if you want the basics of fish oil, check out my first post on this topic: The Low Down on Fish Oil. Then read this.

With new data and studies coming out frequently, scientists and experts do the best they can with the information they have at that time. Back in the day, Robb Wolf and similar paleo enthusiasts recommended balancing the n-6:n-3 (omega 6 to omega 3 ratio) by loading up on n-3. That is, if you are inflamed, take a butt-load of fish oil as a catalyst to move your fatty acid profile to a cleaner ratio. Unfortunately this turned out to be an ineffective way to turn things around. In order to truly become healthier (lipid profile, exterior looks, etc) people need to cut down on their n-6 intake. Yes, this means cut down on those almonds you CrossFitting fiends! Fish oil is still fine to go with, but taking massive doses is not going to turn the boat around as nicely as nixing the nuts, nut oils, etc. One of the reasons I respect Robb's work is that he is the first to say when he needs to revise his stance on things. This goes for fish oil now, but also for dairy in the past. The following blog article is lengthy and can get sciency, but worth the read.

Fish Oil by Robb Wolf

Questions for Chris: Eggs and A New Perspective

Q: How to hard boil eggs

A: I'm assuming you're asking "How do you hard boil eggs?" Well in that case, check out this post I did awhile back - At Home with Chris P. - Hardboiling Eggs

Q: Does eating a lot of eggs increase cholesterol or risk for heart disease?

A: No. First of all, dietary cholesterol is different than blood cholesterol. Secondly, even if it were, high blood cholesterol does not cause CVD (cardiovascular disease) and subsequently myocardial infarctions (heart attacks). If there IS a number to be concerned about about it, it would be your triglycerides, fasting blood sugar levels, and small dense LDL particles. These are more closely associated with the bad stuff.

Q: Hi Chris, I'm interested to hear your feedback on the article by Gillian Mounsey entitled "A New Perspective" that was posted on Aimee's blog with the 7/27 wod.  - Joe

A: For those that have not read the article, here it is: A New Perspective. Now, I'm not going to claim I know Gillian Mounsey very well. I do know she has been a "famous" CrossFitter in the past and I totally respect her athletic achievements. While her article can seem like CrossFit is bad for people, I think you need to read it with...perspective. 

This is a world class athlete with a clear need for competition and high standards. She grew up being a "natural" athlete and went through phases of gymnastics,  bodybuilding, CrossFit, and now strength training in the form of barbell lifts and olympic lifting. She paints a picture of CrossFit that is a program which runs people into the ground with high volume exercises where form is not the priority. Unfortunately I have to agree with her; but only to an extent. 

I do think that many people become addicted to CrossFit and the "unknown and unknowable" workouts stimulate that part of the brain that says "Yeah, let's do this crazy workout so I can look better naked AND tell my friends what I did." This is why I wrote my recent article on "Obsession with Epicness." It's not smart to run yourself into the ground day after day and expect to A.) get stronger and/or B.) think it's healthy. That's just fracking ridiculous logic.

The bottom line is that people need to be smart with training. And if you're not smart enough, then find a smart trainer. Like I said, I respect Gillian's accomplishments and her history, but a lot of the negative aspects of CrossFit were her own doing (or her coach's) If she didn't learn proper form, or decided to do a ridiculous workout with heavy weight and high reps, etc. then that was her decision. At the end of the day, no one forced her to Zone, lose form during Grace, or do 150 pull ups/150 burpees after a CrossFit hiatus. Those were her decisions. It's pretty clear that she either sets high expectations for herself or feels like others expect big things from her.

I think one of the benefits of CrossFit is that it introduces movements that normal people would never encounter. I see soccer moms deadlifting and backsquatting and this would have never happened if it weren't for CrossFit.  Gillian talks about the benefits of barbell squatting, pressing, etc. and I am confident that if it weren't for CrossFit, many women (and men) would not be doing these things at all. If CrossFit needs to be the gateway towards strength training, so be it.

If there is anything to take from her article, it's to focus on form first and not let your ego get in the way of smart training. Programming is important too. Instead of every day being a grind of 30 min+ workouts, you should be strength training and be ok with untimed workouts. Not everyone is looking to compete like Gillian. She needed a focus and she found it in olympic lifting meets. I think everyone will go through an evolution of training, but if you can establish a solid focus on form and strength training, everything else will fall into place. 

More reading: 

"The Novice Effect" by Mark Rippetoe

The Gluten Bell Curve and Why It's Better to Lie

You've probably heard of a bell curve. It's a figure used to explain that the majority of a population are "average" while there are a few outliers at opposite ends of the spectrum. You can use a bell curve to describe various things: grades in a math class, height of a group of people, etc. You could also use a bell curve to describe tolerance. Let's take the sun, for instance. The average person can tolerate a moderate amount of sunshine, while a few people can tolerate a great deal of sunlight (typically dark skinned people) and a few people can't tolerate much sunlight at all (very fair skinned people). This makes sense, but what's funny (actually, sad) is that when it comes to food and drink, people are generally more accepting of people at the EXTREME end of things. Allow me to explain. 

Have you ever been at a bar with people and decided not to drink? People look for a reason why. And more so, you might feel the need to give an excuse. "Oh, I have to get up early tomorrow," "I drank a lot last night,:" etc. even if you do, they look at you funny because it's socially expected to drink and not doing so is not "normal." However, if you said you were a recovering alcoholic, people back off and let you do your thing with your water and lemon. 

Same thing happens with bread, pasta, and other gluten-laden things. It's more acceptable to say you're celiac than it is to just say you don't want to eat bread, pasta. etc. To me, this is absolutely ridiculous. Knowing that gluten wrecks havoc on the human body, (whether you are diagnosed with celiac disease or not), why isn't it socially acceptable to just choose not to eat grains? 

Let's go back to the bell curve. I do think there is a spectrum of tolerance when it comes to gluten. Some folks simply cannot have it or else it sends them over the edge (think celiacs) while a small percentage of people can probably can tolerate a decent amount. What the middle of that bell curve (majority of people) doesn't realize is that gluten can affect and aggravate things such as ADHD, schizophrenia, rheumatoid arthritis, infertility, depression, and a plethora of other diseases. You might be saying, "Well, I don't have any of those things." Ok, tell that to a 14 year-old who smokes and says she doesn't have lung disease. Yet. In other words, just because there isn't an immediate reaction to gluten doesn't mean it's harmless. 

What's the end message? Try taking gluten out of your diet for 30 days. It's only a month! At the end of that 30 days, I bet you will have seen changes. (weight loss, less puffy face, less inflammation, less achy joints, etc) If you are truly itching for some gluten at the end of 30 days, go ahead and have it. I'll bet you have some adverse side effects (stomach ache, achy joints) Personally, if I have beer, even just a glass or two, I wake up with very swollen glands. You'll slowly, but surely realize that you're better off without it. 


And if you're in a situation where you just don't want to eat that birthday cake or dinner roll, maybe it's better to lie and just say you're celiac. You're 70 year-old self will thank you. 

P.S. All real food is gluten free, but not all gluten free food is real. 

Resources for the skeptics:

"Why Grains are Unhealthy"

"Type 1 Diabetes: The Gut Connection" - (read this if you believe you believe non-celiac people are fine to eat gluten)