Warm Up Light

Warming up slowly with light weight, as Susan is doing here, is important when lifting a one rep max. Not only does it keep you from hurting yourself by slowly warming up your body, it also trains your brain to be comfortable with movements at light loads, so that mentally you are confident and don't think twice later about a heavier attempt. It’s amazing how often our brains can get in the way of what our body is capable of doing!

Workout:

3 rounds for time of:
20 Back squats at bodyweight
Run 800 meters

YOU ARE ALL INVITED TO BBQ WITH BURGENER THIS SATURDAY AT CROSSFIT SANTA CRUZ CENTRAL AT 5PM. BRING SOMETHING TO Q AND A SIDE DISH! CFER’S FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTY WILL BE THERE! CONTACT JAMA TO COORDINATE WHAT TO BRING, 831-431-0518.

Crazy Strong

I don't have a picture of it, but, Patrick got an overhead squat PR of 225 pounds yesterday! This is him looking solid at 185 pounds.

As if that wasn't enough, he also got a front squat PR of 305 pounds!

Workout:
Complete 7 rounds for time of:
21 Squat cleans at 50% bodyweight
Row 500 meters

Week Five

Heather warming up for a heavy deadlift day.

We all need to go heavy. Maybe sometimes more than we want to. It's easy in CrossFit to get caught up on the fast-paced, metcon workouts. But going heavy and often is something we all need to do. Avoiding heavy days will only be detrimental to your overall CrossFit achievements and preparedness for life in general. On the flip side, there is no advantage to only going heavy with no metcon! As Greg Glassman says, in CrossFit, “our specialty is not specializing.” Watch Coach Glassman's lecture on Broad, General and Inclusive Fitness wmv, mov

Workout:
Deadlift 5-5-5-5-5

Rest as needed, then practice your handstand holds.

Week Five Zone Check-In
Wow, can you all believe that we only have two more weeks until we complete the Zone Competition? I can't believe we have come so far. Great work everyone, way to stick to it and support each other. I think by now, everyone understands that being in the Zone is most importantly a mind frame of living a healthy and balanced life. It's easy to sometimes stray away from that balance (or what I like to think of as my equilibrium, my starting point where I am most centered and healthy) and back towards being less balanced. By now, we are all getting an idea of what we personally need to do and how we need to live to be healthier, more fit and hopefully happier, more often. Stay strong until the end everyone. The more you resist those craving, the easier it will become to kick them completely! Let us know how it's going for you as we enter Week Five.

Happy Father's Day

Two of our heavy hitters, Leif and Casy, kettlebell swinging during a recent workout. These two aren't Dads, but Cary, Leif's Dad does come in and CrossFit with his son! Happy Father's Day to all of you Dads out there!

Workout:

6 rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
25 burpees

Simple and Yummy

Sometimes I get tired of the typical three eggs with fruit for breakfast. I also often find that the usual snack of an apple with two pieces of string cheese and 6 almonds doesn't fill me up enough. Something that has really helped me lately with getting maximum fullness out of each block, is to cook up a few days worth of one protein and add that into all my meals until I run out of it. Maybe a little repetitive, but better than eating apples and cheese or Zone Bars and always feeling hungry. I grilled up a bunch of jumbo prawns with a spicy rub on it the other day, and have been using them in everything I eat over the last few days.

Shrimp Scramble: 3 blocks
Scramble:
1 whole egg (1 block of protein)
3 egg whites (1 1/2 blocks of protein)
3/4 oz of grilled shrimp cut into small pieces (1/2 block of protein)
2 tbsp of avocado (2 blocks of fat)
2 cups of raw spinach (1/10 block of carb)
1/3 tsp olive oil (1 block of fat)
1 clove of garlic minced
Heat the olive oil and garlic in a pan. Add the spinach and cover with a lid, turning down the heat so the spinach wilts a little. Beat the whole egg and egg whites together in a bowl, adding in the shrimp, avocado and seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the egg mixture to the spinach in the pan and mix together. Cook like a scramble.
Serve with 1 piece of sprouted wheat bread (3/4 block of carb), and a sliced apricot (this apricot was really big so I counted it as 2 blocks of carb)
If you are in a hurry, leave out the garlic and spinach and just throw everything into the pan and scramble. You will be a tiny bit low on carbs, however.

Quick Shrimp Sandwich Snack: 2 blocks (takes about 4 minutes)
2 1/4 oz grilled shrimp cut into small pieces (1 1/2 blocks of protein)
2 pieces of sprouted wheat bread (1 1/2 blocks of carb)
2 tbsp of avocado (2 blocks of fat)
1/2 oz of grated cheese (1/2 block of protein)
Spread the avocado on both sides of the bread. place the shrimp on top of one piece of bread, sprinkle the cheese over the shrimp, place the other piece of bread on top and put in the toaster oven or in a sandwich grill until the bread is browned and the cheese is melted. If you don't have a toaster oven, toast the bread first in a regular toaster and then put the whole sandwich in the microwave until the cheese is melted. You can also make this quick snack with leftover chicken breast or steak for a little variation. Eat with 1/2 a block of fruit if short on carbs.

Workout:
Overhead squat 3-3-3-3-3

Younger Kippers

Can you imagine learning to kip when you were this young? Nicole can do one kipping pull-up at a time and sometimes more, and Natalie has the movement down and is so close to getting her chin over the bar! They both have worked hard for it over the past year, spending lots of time on the bar.

Workout:

For time:
Row 1000 meters
15 Pull-ups
Row 500 meters
25 Pull-ups
Row 250 Meters
35 Pull-ups
Row 75 meters
45 Pull-ups

Have a great weekend everyone!

Drink Plenty of Water

The dull pounding of a head ach yesterday reminded me that I need to drink more water as the heat kicks up and the summer weather arrives.

About 60-70% of our body weight is made up of water. Among other reasons, drinking plenty of water is essential in flushing toxins out of our vital organs and for keeping our energy levels high. It is important to replenish all of the water we loose during the day through sweating, breathing, and other bodily functions. While the food we eat can account for roughly 20% of our water intake, there is no better way to hydrate than to drink water. Don’t wait to get thirsty to drink water, as it’s too late if you are feeling parched; you are already dehydrated. There are many theories on how much water we need to drink, but the bottom line is that it varies daily and per person depending on weather, exercise, food we eat, other liquids we drink (coffee, alcohol, etc.) and our overall health. As a general rule, drink enough water so that your pee is clear! I aim to drink a gallon of water a day. In the winter it’s a little lower and in the summer, it’s more. You will notice that drinking enough water will help maintain energy levels, keep away the headaches, keep your skin smooth and soft, and your body functioning properly.

Workout:
Four Rounds for Time of:
50 Thrusters (men use a 45 pound barbell, ladies use a 33 pound barbell)
35 Knees to Elbows

Young and Strong

Chris at the bottom position of the handstand push-up, with his head touching the ground, and Jacob at the highest point, with his arms locked out. These guys are both great athletes and CrossFitters.

Workout:
Run 800 meters
21 Wall balls
15 Dips
Run 400 meters
18 Wall balls
12 Dips
Run 200 meters
15 Wall balls
9 Dips
Run 100 meters
12 Wall balls
6 Dips

New Favorite Zone Snack: 1 block
1 cup of celery sticks (1/2 block of carb) with 2 tbsp of hummus (1/2 block of carb and 1/2 block of fat) to dip them in.
1 hard boiled egg or 1 oz of cheese on the side (1 block of protein, both of which usually are a high in fat)

I don’t worry about adding another 1/2 block of fat in because eggs and most skim cheese tend to have a little over 1 block of fat.
Make sure you buy a hummus that is low in fat and that you measure it out properly according to the serving size on the label.

Weekend Fun

Sunday's class was very busy and fun. I think Hollis had three different workouts going at once to accommodate all the people who showed up. At CrossFit, one of our biggest rewards as your Coaches is seeing you make CrossFit a part of the way you live your life by coming in consistently to work hard. Thanks for making us a part of your weekend.

Steve's Club in Camden, NJ is an inspiring CrossFit site that you all should check out. Steve does amazing work, bringing CrossFit into the lives of the young people who make up his Club. He often personally picks many of them up to make sure they get their workout in. As we all know, in CrossFit, the community that is created is as important as the workouts, and Steve has built a strong one with his young students. A few of Steve's athletes are coming out to the CrossFit Games this July, so check out his site to see you how you can help make that happen for them.

Workout:
5 Rounds:
12 Deadlift (Men use 225 pounds, Ladies use 155 pounds)
12 Ring Dips
400 Meter run

Self-Taught Kipper

While hanging out after Sunday's workout, Olin jumped up on the pull-up bars and attempted to kip. Surprisingly, after only a few months of CrossFitting, he almost had one! With a few technical pointers and about five minutes of practice, Olin impressed us all with six consecutive kipping pull-ups that were textbook. I don't think any of us can take credit for teaching him because he really did it on his own. Olin, your gains in strength, flexibility and coordination are amazing! Keep up the good work!

First he gets a good swing going.

Then he brings his knees up during his forward swing.

Next, he follows through with his hips by popping them forward and up.

Lastly, he ends with his chin well over the bar!

Workout:
Start at 1 pull-up on the first minute and add 1 more pull-up each minute for as long as you can.

ZONE CHECK-IN: Week Four
So, I just wanted to share (although lots of you saw me do it) that I took a big time Cheat Day on Saturday. It made me feel sick even before I finished and very hung-over the next day, but, I eat all the crazy things I was craving. After three weeks of healthy eating, my body rejected the sugar and extra food that I subjected it to on Saturday and as much as I wanted to enjoy it all, it didn't feel as good as I wanted it to. I've decided that it's probably better to cheat one meal at a time, rather than a whole day at a time! It feels good now to know that when in the Zone, my body is so finely tuned that straying too far from being balanced is not a good experience. Eating bad things will never be as rewarding as it used to be, if I stay in the Zone.

How is everyone else feeling about week four? We are half way there! Zoning should be a way of life now. You all are putting phenomenal work into this. We are truly impressed with how supportive everyone is being of each other and the gains are obvious in those of you who are sticking to it. Let’s get through our six weeks together, stay as strict as you can and you will see results!