CrossFit Santa Cruz

The Power of the Hips

Andrew gets some air while Olivia med ball cleans.

Our hips are capable of generating more power than any other part of our bodies. From core to extremity, they are responsible for initiating many of the movements we practice daily in CrossFit. The clean and the thruster both are powerful hip movements. The thruster involves a push of the arms, whereas the clean requires a pull with the arms. The powerful opening and closing of the hips is what gives you the power to drive that weight over head in the thruster, or that split second of weightlessness when you are fully extended in the clean, so you can pull under and drive it up. Regardless of whether you are pushing or pulling the weight with your arms, your hips are what is generating the power.

Workout:
5 rounds for time of:

12 hang squat cleans (95 pounds for men, 65 pounds for ladies)
12 ring dips

Oatmeal:
I saw the oatmeal discussion on the comments yesterday and thought I would post my recipe instead of a meal plan today. I have never soaked oatmeal overnight, but it sounds like a really good idea and I’ll have to try it next time as I bet it's way faster. Thanks for that tip Danielle!

Use John McCann's Steel Cut Oatmeal. I get it at Trader Joe's or Shopper's Corner.

Pour 1/2 cup of oatmeal into 2 cups of boiling water and stir. As the oatmeal begins to thicken, turn the heat down to low and let simmer, stirring frequently. About 20 minutes in, when the oatmeal is becoming soft and thick, add vanilla extract and pumpkin spices to taste, 1/2 an apple sliced up, 2/3 of a sliced banana and 1 cup of Pacific brand low fat almond milk. Simmer and stir until it is the consistency you like. The whole thing adds up to about 9 carb blocks. I usually pour it straight into 3 measuring cups to create 3 equal 3 block portions. I eat one portion hot and put the other two into Tupperware after it cools, and then refrigerate. I like to add my fats for the meal on top in the form of toasted pecans pieces from Trader Joe's (6 g of the pecans is 3 blocks of fats at the 1.5 g fat measurement per block), but keep in mind that there are fats in the almond milk (4g per cup) and the eggs if you eat whole eggs on the side as your protein. I like using the almond milk in the oatmeal because I can count it as a carb instead if a protein like in the case of milk. It makes the oatmeal way creamier and sweeter! If you are really craving something sweet, sub raisins for some of the fruit. Check the label for the exact amount as you don’t get very many!

Guess Who?

It's been less then two weeks and already this zoner is seeing amazing results! Who could this studdet be?

Workout:

Run one mile for time
rest as needed
20 RM back squat
rest as needed
Run one mile for time

Find a weight you can back squat 20 but not 21 times. Who can limit their rest to three minutes and hold a sub 6:30 mile?

Today's Zone Meal Plan:

Breakfast: 3 blocks
2 blocks of slow cooked oatmeal with 1 block of banana and 3 blocks of toasted almonds mixed in. Also add vanilla and cinnamon
3 blocks of poached eggs

Lunch: 3 blocks
Sandwich made of 1 3/4 blocks of bread, 1 block of spicy pepper hummus, 5 slices of cucumbers with the remainder of a 1/4 block portion on the side, 2 blocks of rotisserie chicken and 1 block of pepper jack cheese melted inside
6 cashews on the side

Snack: 2 blocks
2 blocks of 2% Fage yogurt with 2 blocks of unsweetened apple sauce mixed in

Dinner: 3 blocks
3 blocks of lean steak rubbed with salt and pepper and grilled, with 3 blocks of Hannah's pesto on top
1 block salad with balsamic vinegar
1 block of steamed broccoli
1 block of fruit salad for dessert (blueberries, raspberries and strawberries)

Snack: 1 block
1/2 zone bar

CrossFit Laguna Beach

Jimi and Madeline Letchford are opening their new gym, CrossFit Laguna Beach this Saturday, May 31st! If you live in the Los Angeles area please check their site for details and stop by the new gym to show your support. Congrats on opening the new box guys! Way to stay focused and make it happen!

Workout:
5 rounds of:

15 rep pushjerk
15 24" box jumps

Post weight of push jerk & time to comments

Dinner last night was a really good example of how to eat well and stay in the zone on a day that I might normally go way over the top! This was a 4 block meal between dinner, dessert and wine! It looks like I'm a little over in fats, but after figuring out the fat content of the fish, it actually evens out to exactly the right amount of fats!

Arugula Salad with Pesto Vinaigrette (1/3 block of carbs and 2 blocks of fat)
1 1/4 cup arugula
1/4 cup tomato
1/4 cup artichoke hearts
1/2 tbsp dressing*

*Pesto Dressing: 1 tbsp is counted as 5 fat blocks
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 clove garlic
3 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Toast pine nuts until lightly brown. Process pine nuts and garlic in a food processor until minced. Add basil, parmasan, and lemon juice until finely minced. With processor on low, slowly pour oil in at a steady stream until well blended. Add salt and pepper.
(This pesto would be great on eggs or even on steak!)

Salmon marinated in sweet and spicy sauce (4 blocks protein, 2/3 block carb)
6 oz (weight after cooking) of salmon grilled on the BBQ

4 oz of wine (1 block of carbs)

Dessert: Mocha Cake with Mocha Cream Cheese Frosting
Per serving, this cake counts as about 4 blocks of fat and 2 blocks of carbs.

Human Squat

Hollis squats Nicole!

Workout:
Complete 5 rounds of the following:

run 400 meters
10 x bodyweight bench press
2 rope climbs

NOTE: Who can run a sub 1:30 400 meters and climb the rope without legs for all 5 rounds?

Today's Zone Meal Plan:

Breakfast: 3 blocks
Scramble with 2 1/2 blocks eggs, 1/2 block of smoked salmon, 1/2 block of sautéed asparagus, 1/4 block of sautéed mushrooms, 1/4 block of fresh tomatoes (use 3 blocks of olive oil to sautee veggies before)
1 1/2 blocks of slow cooked oatmeal with 1/2 block of strawberries on top

Lunch: 3 blocks
Egg salad made of 3 blocks of chopped eggs, 1/4 block of chopped radishes, 3 blocks of mayo, spicy mustard and salt and pepper. Put the egg salad on top of 1 block of toasted bread with a small piece of lettuce
1 3/4 block of orange

Snack: 2 blocks
1/4 block of celery, 1/4 block of green peppers, 1/4 block of raw cauliflower dipped in 1 1/4 blocks of your favorite hummus dip
3 blocks of olives

Dinner: 3 blocks
3 blocks of pork chops
Sautee 1/4 block of onions, 1/2 block of spinach, 1/4 block of sliced mushrooms and garlic in 3 blocks of olive oil
1 block salad with mixed greens, cucumbers, and apple
1 block of corn

Snack: 1 block
1 block of apple with 1 block of peanut butter on it
1 block of Fage yogurt

Team Fun

The Trevor Win'E Memorial Day Fundraiser at CrossFit North Santa Cruz was a success yesterday. For more pictures from the 10 am heat, click here. Thanks to all of you who participated and to our hosts at CFNSC! It was great seeing everyone from all the gyms working out together again!

Workout: “Trevor”

As a four person team, complete for time:
300 pull-ups
400 push-ups
500 sit-ups
600 squats

Only two people on each team can be working at the same time. Complete all reps of one exercise before moving on to the next one.

Today's Zone Meal Plan:

Breakfast: 2 blocks
1 block of fried egg (in minimal amount of spray olive oil)
1 block of skirt steak
2 blocks of sliced avocado
1 block of orange
1 block of unsweetened applesauce

Snack: 1 block
1 block of Fage 2% yogurt with 1 block of strawberries in it

Lunch: 3 blocks
Tuna fish salad made of 3 blocks of canned tuna (canned in water), 1/4 block of chopped celery, 1/2 block of chopped apple, 3 blocks of mayo, spicy mustard, salt and pepper. Make an open faced sandwich on 1 block of toasted Ezekiel bread.
1 1/4 blocks of blueberries

Snack: 2 blocks
2 block salad (romaine, cucumbers, apples, strawberries, peppers) with 2 blocks of hard boiled eggs and 2 blocks of avocado on top

Snack: 1 block
1 block of Silken (5 oz!) tofu with minimal soy sauce on top

Dinner: 3 blocks
3 blocks of store bought rotisserie chicken
1 block of broccoli
1 block salad sprinkled with balsamic vinegar and 3 blocks of avocado on top
1/4 block of celery dipped in 3/4 block hummus

Rest Day

Heather "resting" after a workout the other day!

Happy Memorial Day Everyone! As a reminder, we are closed today in support of The Trevor Win'E Memorial Day Challenge. If you are not doing Trevor with us today at CrossFit North Santa Cruz, you should take a rest day and chill out! If you are dying to move around or just want to do something other than think about not eating, do something fun and light like going for a swim in the ocean (if it's warm enough!), a bike ride along the cliffs or go up the UCSC and use the track. There is a pull-up bar station up there and you can do squats also between laps!

I think you all are getting the picture on how to measure blocks for the Zone diet, so this week, I'll still post my meals but just in block measurements. I will add "p" for protein, "c" for carb, and "f" for fat. Being only the start of week two, I'm still aiming to eat mostly foods on the favorable food list. I am also keeping my fats at 1 x the normal amount for now.

Today’s Meal Plan:

Breakfast: 2 blocks
2 blocks of poached eggs (p)
1 block of strawberries (c)
1 block of orange (c)
3 blocks of avocado (f)

Snack: 1 block
1 block of string cheese (p)
1 block of apple (c)
1 block of almonds (f)

Lunch: 3 blocks
Sandwich made of 2 1/2 blocks of Ezekiel bread (c), 1 block of cheese (p), 2 blocks of deli turkey, 3 blocks of avocado, 1/2 block total of cucumber and lettuce (c) and spicy mustard

Snack: 2 blocks
2 blocks of Fage 2% yogurt (p & f) with 1 block of blueberries (c), 1 block of blackberries (c), and a drop of vanilla extract and a sprinkle of cinnamon

Dinner: 3 blocks
1 block total of salad greens, tomatoes and cucumbers (c) with 1 block of hard boiled egg cut in (p), 1 block of grated cheese (p), 1 block of deli turkey (p), 1 block of chick peas (c), 1 block of grapes (c) and 3 blocks of olives (f) with balsamic vinegar on top

Snack: 1 block
1 block of grapefruit (c)
1 block of string cheese (p)
1 block of cashews (f)

Enjoy your day off and see you tomorrow!
-M

Is It Mental?

Collin does Helen as one of her workouts to measure her progress with the zone diet.

Today is day seven for most of you who are doing the Zone Challenge at CrossFit Santa Cruz! How many people think that some of the difficulties we face on the Zone are mental blocks? I think about half of them are! Once I create a realistic goal, a plan to get it accomplished and I give in to the kinds of changes I have to make, half of my battle is won. Not to say that it is easy to do. It simply makes it more realistic when dealing with some of the physical battles such as cravings.

Personally, I am having a new experience with the Zone diet. Usually I am a big sugar craver and that never goes away. I have to admit that the last thing I ate the night before I started the Zone last Monday, was two old fashioned donuts and a glass of milk! Although I like to justify my indulgences by telling myself that I eat fairly healthy to balance out these carb binges, my performance goes down the toilet and I don't feel too hot after I fall off the Zone. Now, after sticking to the zone strictly for a week, I am starting to crave protein rather than carbs, which is a first! I now enjoy a healthy salad, a piece of salmon or a hard boiled egg as much as my last donut! Hard to believe, but true. The effects of the zone will sneak up on you without you noticing. It's not usually until I fall off the Zone that I realize that I must have been feeling really good on it because all of a sudden, I feel sick, sluggish and I get sore when I workout. I'm not renouncing sugar forever and I don't even know if this will last. I'm simply saying that right now, today, I feel like my body is becoming more balanced.

Hang in there everyone, you are doing great!

Meal Plan for Today (while on the road):

Breakfast: 3 blocks
3/4 cup low fat cottage cheese with a whole banana cut into it and 9 almonds

Lunch: 3 blocks
1 piece of Ezekiel bread with the crusts cut off (1 block) with 1/4 cup hummus spread on it and 4 1/2 oz of deli cut chicken on top
1/2 apple
A few almonds (the hummus I bought has a good amount of fat in it, so I don't add too much fat to this meal)

Snack: 2 blocks
2 oz of string cheese
1 apple
coffee with 1 tbls of 1/2 & 1/2

Dinner: 3 blocks
1 cup of celery sticks with 1/4 cup of hummus to dip it in
3 oz of grilled chicken breast
1 1/2 cups of strawberries

Snack: 1 block
1 oz string cheese
1/2 cup of blueberries
3 almonds

When you are on the road, you can either eyeball your food proportions, or bring a measuring cup for the food you put together yourself. I get a few different kinds of meats from the deli in 1/4 pound (4 oz) measurements.

-M

Workout:

Four rounds of:
400 meter sprints with a two minute rest between each round

Practice your handstand holds

Motivated!

Richard is determined to continue his CrossFit training regardless of the cast on his leg! Now, that should be motivation to us all! Often times, injuries force us to concentrate on weaknesses that we would otherwise never focus on. Is there anyone out there who got stronger due to an injury?

Friday's benchmark Zone workout was “Tabata This” for all of you who missed it.

Workout: "Tabata This"
Do a full Tabata round of each of the following, allowing 1 minute of rest between each set of exercises:
Row for calories
Squat
Push-up
Pull-up
Sit-up

A Tabata is an interval workout made up of 8 rounds of 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest. Your score for each exercise is only as good as your highest consistent score in each of the eight rounds. For example, if you get 10 reps on seven rounds and only 9 reps on one round, your score is 9. Only move on to the next set of exercises after you have completed a full round of Tabatas at the last one.

My Zone Meal Plan for Saturday:

Breakfast: 2 blocks
14 grams of Fage 2% yogurt with 1/2 apple and 1 kiwi cut into it

Snack: 1 block
1 oz of string cheese
1/2 an apple
Double Americano with 1/2 tbsp 1/2 & 1/2 (Americanos seem to be the CrossFit Coffee of choice!)

Lunch: 3 blocks
3 oz of grilled chicken on a 1 block salad with 3 tbls of avocado added in, and balsamic vinegar
1 orange

Snack: 2 blocks
1 slice of Ezekial bread (got that one from Danielle. I cut the crust off to make it 9 grams.) with 1/4 cup of hummus on it (check the label of the brand you get for carb measurement)
3 oz of deli meat on the side

Dinner: 3 blocks
4 1/2 oz of grilled salmon with lemon
1 block zone salad with balsamic vinegar and a 1/2 apple cut into it (I like the small salads now because it makes me feel like I am eating more food!)
1 cup of strawberries

Snack: 1 block
4 oz wine (A nice weekend treat!)
1 oz of cheese
3 almonds

Fran or Helen?

Deb and Chelsea do Fran.

Your choice yesterday was to do either Fran or Helen as another benchmark workout that we will repeat in six weeks to gauge how the Zone is affecting us all.

Workout: "Fran"
For time do:
21-15-9
Thruster (men use 95 pounds, ladies use 65 pounds)
Pull-ups

or

"Helen"
3 rounds for time of:
400 meter run
21 Kettle bell swings (men use 24kgs and ladies use 16kgs)
12 pull ups

My Meal Plan for Today:

Breakfast: 3 blocks
A scramble made of 1 whole egg, 2 egg whites, 38 grams of smoked salmon, and 1/2 chopped tomato
Fruit salad made of 1/4 apple, 1/3 banana, 1/4 orange and 3/4 cup strawberries with 3 tsp toasted, slivered almonds on top

Lunch: 3 blocks
Tuna sandwich made of 3 oz of canned tuna (the kind packed in water), 1/4 of a chopped apple, 1/2 cup of chopped celery, 3 tsp light mayo, spicy mustard (use as much as you want because it has no carbs, protein or fats!) and salt and pepper on 1 piece of toasted wheat bread
1/4 cup of sliced strawberries on the side

Snack: 2 blocks
1 apple thinly sliced with 2 oz of cheese melted over the apples
2 macadamia nuts (woo-hoo, 2 whole mac nut!)

Dinner: 3 blocks
4 1/2 oz of fresh white fish, seasoned with salt, pepper, and lightly with lemon (a whole lemon should actually be counted as one block)
1 cup of steamed asparagus spears
1 large artichoke (make dip by mixing 3 tsp of lite mayo and balsamic vinegar)
1 cup of steamed cauliflower with balsamic vinegar drizzled on top
For dessert, eat 3/4 cup of frozen blueberries

Snack: 1 block
1 zone muffins from yesterday

Zoned Out

These zoners found their max dead lifts as their benchmark workout yesterday.

Amy warms up for her max lift.

Workout:
1-1-1-1-1-1-1 dead lift

Row 1000 meters for time

Find your 1 rep deadlift max and then row 1000 meters for time.

Right now as I sit here typing, my house smells like a bakery. I love to bake and one of the hardest things for me on the zone is not being able to make all the sweets I love. Thankfully, however, there are a few recipes out there that are zoned just for us! Because I had vanilla protein powder instead of chocolate, I made the blueberry muffin variation listed at the end of this recipe. I've never tried the chocolate cherry one, so let me know how it turns out if you try it. As for the blueberry ones, I will bring them into the gym today and you all can try them out or take them home for a snack. Each one is a one block zone perfect snack. They are a little flat and small for a muffin, but, at least it's zone!

I'll list this recipe today and return to the meal plan tomorrow. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cherry Muffins
Grind old fashioned oats in the blender or shop for oat flour in natural foods stores. Make a double batch if you want extra portions for the freezer.
From “Zone Meals in Seconds”
Prep: 20 minutes Yield: 4 (4 block) servings
Cooking: 20 to 24 minutes

Ingredients:
Dry:
1 1/3 cups oat flour
4 (1 ounce) scoops chocolate flavored whey protein (amount providing 84 grams protein), scant 1 cup
2 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin or apple pie spice
1 tablespoon non-aluminum baking powder
1 tablespoon grated orange rind (optional)

Wet:
4 whole eggs or 8 egg whites
Two tablespoons and two teaspoons fructose powder or syrup
2/3 cup applesauce
5 1/3 teaspoons canola oil
1 cup frozen pitted sweet cherries, coarsely chopped

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 12 muffin tins with non-stick spray and set aside. Sift dry ingredients into 1 1/2 quart mixing bowl, adding orange rind if desired. Stir; set aside. Combine all wet ingredients in blender except the cherries. Cover and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Or, whisk in mixing bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir until evenly mixed, scraping bottom of bowl to incorporate flour and remove lumps. Do not over-mix. Gently fold in cherries. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups, evenly distributing it. Bake in preheated oven until firm to the touch, golden on top and around the edges, and a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean, about for 20 to 24 minutes. Allow to cool, then run a knife around edges to release muffins. Cover and refrigerate. Use within one week or freeze.
Variations
Divide batter between 16 muffin tins, filling any empty tins with water. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until muffins test done. Each muffin will contain 1 protein, 1 carb, and 1 fat block—perfect for snacks.

Use plain or vanilla whey protein powder instead of chocolate and substitute 1 cup fresh or 1 1/3 cup frozen blueberries for the cherries.