Here are lots of reasons why you should not compete, as well as the things I love most about competitions

With the CrossFit Open right around the corner, as well as a different local CrossFit throwdowns popping up just about every weekend, there are a lot of CrossFit gyms posting blogs about “Why You Should Compete”.  However, if you have done CrossFit competitions, or have ever even thought about doing a competition, here are some reasons why you should definitely NOT compete.

1.  You probably won’t know what the workouts are until the day of the event, so practicing the workouts is out of the question.

2.  There is a good chance you’ll have to do an exercise(s) you are not good at.

3.  Lots of pressure to perform well, on the spot.

4.  If you do not finish at the top, your weaknesses will be clear to you, as well as others.

5.  Pre-competition anxiety.

6.  You may be required to do something that you have never done before and unsure if you are even capable of doing.

7.  There will likely be someone competing that is older, younger, skinnier, fatter than you, or has been doing CrossFit for less time than you have, and they may absolutely DESTROY you.

8.  Regardless of external circumstances, at the end of the day you have to take full accountability for your performance.

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Legitness of the Week

JB 210 consecutive double unders – New Sweat Shop Record
Ryan K. gets his first Muscle Up!
Rob P. gets his first Muscle Up!

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Friday’s WOD:

A.) 8 minutes to reach 2 Rep Max Weighted Pushup

B.) 3 Rounds
403m Run
5 Muscle Ups
15 DB Thrusters 45/25

results:

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Thursday’s WOD:

A.) 2 Cleans on the minute for 15 minutes
*increase in weight at minute 5 and minute 10

B.) 21-15-9
Plate Thruster 45/25
Burpee w/ lateral jump over plate

results:

Yesterday was Giana’s 5th birthday and it is already apparent how the media is affecting her development.  I can only hope that as she grows older she will be have a variety of healthy things that give her a sense of value, identity, and worth, rather then simply how she looks.

Check out this trailer to the movie Miss Represenation, written, directed and produced by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of former SF Mayor Gavin Newsom.

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Wednesday’s WOD:

A.) Push Press
3-3-3-3-3

B.)  4 variations of:
10 Burpees
30 Situps
40 Squats
50 Double Unders

results:

Newer research shows that that some of the most common illnesses such as cardiovascular disease can be caused by inflammation. Furthermore, inflammation from rough bouts of training can put a big damper on your body’s recovery. Besides fish oil, there are other good natural anti-inflammatory foods. Check out this post from Mark’s Daily Apple on some healthy foods that reduce inflammation.

Any discussion of a concept as nebulous, multifaceted, and confusing as inflammation must integrate the question of context. Inflammation itself is highly contextual – as I’ve discussed in previous installments, there are times when inflammation is a good thing and times when inflammation is a negative thing. There are also times when anti-inflammatory actions, drugs, or foods are negatives, even though “anti-inflammatory” has a positive connotation. If you blunt the post-exercise inflammatory response with an anti-inflammatory drug, for example, you also run the risk of blunting the positive effects of that workout.

Mark Sisson’s top 6 Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Wild Fish Fat
Pastured Animal Fat
Red Palm Oil
Cruciferous Vegetables
Berries
Turmeric

Read full description of the foods from the article here.

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Monday’s WOD:

403m Run
————
12 Deadlifts (275#/175#)
30 Wall Balls

9 Deadlifts
25 Wall Balls

*Perform 75 double unders at some point during the workout

results:

Respect at the Sweat Shop is earned through hard work and integrity, not by having the fastest time on the whiteboard.  If on more than one occasion you’ve ever done fewer than the prescribed number of reps in a workout I can GUARANTEE that James and I are aware of it.

It’s one thing if you are doing it because you realize mid workout that you are in over your head, you are exhausted, and you don’t think you’ll be able to finish before the next class comes in for their workout.  In this case, reduce the amount of weight (if there are exercises that involve external loads), or move up to a pullup band that offers more assistance.  If there are only body weight movements, the only option may be to reduce the number of reps; that’s fine, just make note of it so that if you repeat the workout in the future you accurately track your progress.

If you are doing fewer than the prescribed number of reps (even just cutting 1 or 2 reps), for the sake of having the fastest time, you should be ashamed.  I read something recently from a CrossFit blog post that said, “No one cares about your time except you.  Everyone cares if you cheat.”  In your attempt to gain the respect of some by having the fastest time, you will very likely lose the respect by all for lack of integrity.

Check out this excerpt from a post from CrossFit Hollywood:

I love my job. I love seeing people make incredible transformations. I love seeing people hit PR’s. I love helping people achieve things they never thought possible. I love the fact that our athletes are great at fundamentals and that that greatness gives CFHW a solid reputation around the Crossfit community. What I don’t love is when someone’s ego gets in the way of me loving my job. Your ego has no place inside a Crossfit gym, and definitely not inside CFHW. No matter how bad-ass you think you are, there will come a time where you will have your ass handed to you by someone far superior to you. What sense, then, does it make to let your ego get in the way of your training? The whole reason you are at the gym should be to improve yourself, not to have bragging rights. Here are some ways that your ego gets in the way of improving yourself:

Read full post here.

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Monday’s WOD:

20 Pullups
20 Box Jumps
20 Toes to Bar

30 Overhead Walking Lunge w/ plate 45/25

20 Toes to Bar
20 Box Jumps
20 Pullups

403m Run w/ plate 45/25

results:

Watch the video from the CrossFit Journal here (Windows / Mac)

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Saturday’s WOD:

9am
403m Run
then 3 Rounds of:
25 Air Squats
20 Box Jumps
15 Pushups with release
10 Toes to Bar
5 Burpees

*complete (2) 70m sled push 100/65 at some point during workout

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10am

A.) Deadlift
5-5-5-5-5

B.) 20 DB Squat Clean to Overhead 45/25
200m DB Farmer’s Carry
20 DB Squat Clean to Overhead

results:

This Sunday at the Sweat Shop 9:30am – 11am we’ll be having:

1.) Open Gym – come and get your Sunday workout on!

2.) Fleet Feet of Pleasant Hill will be holding a trunk sale at our gym.  Lots of shoe styles have been coming out lately for CrossFit and minimalist running.  All shoes will be 20% off!

2.) Sac Town Throwdown team tryout workout:

The qualifying workouts are:

1) 750m Row

2) 10 minutes to reach heaviest 1 Rep Squat Clean to Overhead

3.) 3 Rounds of:
15 Wall Balls
15 Pullups
30 Double Unders

then, 15 Front Squats (185#/125#)
403m Run

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Friday’s WOD:

15 minute clock:
800m Run then,

1 Ground to Overhead 95/65
1 Burpee

2 GTO
2 Burpees

3 GTO
3 Burpees

etc., etc.,

results:

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Thursday’s WOD:

A.) 15 minutes to work up to 1 rep Snatch

B.) 15 minutes to work up to 1 rep Clean & Jerk

C.) 5 minutes:
800m Run
Max Reps Burpees

results:

Ryan K. going deep.

I’m sure you all at some point have gotten tired of Nabil or I telling you to go down in weight. We don’t do it to make you feel bad, we don’t do it because we are holding you back, we truly want you to grasp the movement of the lift. Often times during strength days, many of you base your success on lifting the heaviest 1-rep possible. Although a 1-rep max is valid measure of strength at that moment, lifting something heavy one time does not necessarily mean you have completely grasped the movement or have attained the strength to repeat it on multiple occasions. This is why we like to incorporate days with reps of 3, 5, and sometimes 7-rep max attempts. Although we admire your eagerness to want to push big weight, we’d rather see you actually grasp and be comfortable with a lift. Here’s another awesome post from CrossFit South Brooklyn on why shooting for the heaviest 1 rep is a little over-hyped.

From the post.

Think of a 1RM not so much as a measure of strength capacity but as an act of strength performance.  Veteran lifters will speak of owning a weight versus hitting a weight.  Owning a weight means that you can get under a bar just about anytime you want and move that weight (assuming a proper warm-up and having not done back-to-back hero WOD’s that week). Hitting a weight is a much less reproducible feat.  It means that on a day where you felt good, were well rested, timed your eating properly, had your weight belt sitting just right, heavenly bodies were aligned properly, and you managed not to mess anything up,  you were able to squeeze out a higher weight than ever before. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a weight that you have only hit once isn’t something that you can just do on command.  It’s an act of strength and will; repeating it doesn’t just happen.  No sprinter expects to hit a PR every time they run a given distance, not in competition and especially not in training.  There is no reason to just assume that every time you get under a barbell you’re going to PR.

We should also consider that not every one’s best event in lifting is the 1RM.  Consider again, sprinting.  All sprinters are fast, that’s why they are sprinters.  However sprinters have different specialties, some are better in a 60m dash, others are better at the quarter mile.  If we took a random group of sprinters and tested their best times at a series of distances, say 60m, 100m, 200m, and 400m, we would probably find that the rankings would look very similar across the events: the faster runners would tend to do well at all of them.  However, you would also expect to see some shuffling of rankings based upon the individual strengths of the sprinters.  Some are better at accelerating, some run the turns well, some finish well, etc. To bring this back to lifting, imagine a group of powerlifters from the same weight class.  If you tested their 1RM, 3RM, and 5RM squat you would see something very similar:  The strongest lifters would tend to be at the the top of each ranking, however you would also see some move up or down the leader board as the reps changed based upon their individual characteristics. This is relevant to us because the better you are at an event, the 3RM versus the 1RM for instance, the more likely you are able to reproduce your best effort.  We should test our strength at 3RM’s and 5RM’s for precisely the same reason that Track and Field tests more than just the 100m dash as a measure of speed.

Read full post here.
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Wednesday’s WOD:

A.) Front Squat
5-4-3-2-1

*Score is sum of total weight for each set.
*Only allowed 1 attempt per set.
*Failed set results in a “0″.

B.) 7 Minute clock

50 Pullups
*Start with 5 burpees and perform 5 burpees every minute until finished with pullups.

results:

Sooner or later you are going to need to learn how to use it.  It’s only awkward in the beginning.

Check out this post from CrossFit South Bay

In many of the activities we participate in as CrossFit athletes, our grip strength can be a major advantage or set back. Cleans, snatches and deadlifts all rely heavily on our grip strength. In addition, combining these movements with kettlebell swings or pull-ups is a recipe for grip fatigue. Thus, as CrossFitters, we are always looking for ways to be more efficient in longer workouts, as well as increasing our ability to pull heavy (deadlift, clean, snatch), and the hook grip is a great way to do that.

Read full post here.

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Tuesday’s WOD:

4 Rounds
403m Run
15 Wall Balls
12 Ring Dips
9 Power Cleans 155/105

results:

What is CrossFit? In my opinion it’s the most effective approach to overall fitness that can be modified to fit anyone’s current fitness level. And it’s super fun!
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Monday’s WOD:

A.) Overhead Squat
7-7-7
*score sum of 3 sets

B.) 30 KB Swings (70/44) in 1 minute, then REST for 1 minute
*5 total work sets
*if unable to complete 30 in 1 minute, you must drop down in KB weight for next set

results:

While we are about to begin the CrossFit Games season, starting with the CrossFit Open in February, there is more to CrossFit than lifting weights and doing CrossFit competitions.  From what I have heard, Tough Mudder is a fun and challenging way to test your fitness outside of the gym.  Last year the event was at Squaw Valley, this year they’ve moved it to Diablo Grande, which is off I-5, about an hour and a half away from here.  While the event isn’t until Sunday September 23rd, they have already opened up registration.  And while you will still be able to register after January 31st, the price will continue to go up as the event gets closer, not to mention I’m sure it will eventually sell out.  I’ve setup a Sweat Shop Team to compete on Sunday and have requested a 9am start time, lets get as many Sweat Shop members and friends as possible and get ready to have a good time!  For those that don’t want to wait until September to compete, there is a Tough Mudder in SoCal Feb. 25th and 26th that Admir will be participating in.

Click here to register for the CrossFit Sweat Shop Tough Mudder Team for the Sept. 23rd event in NorCal! password is: crossfit

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Saturday’s WOD:

9am

“Dude Where’s My Car?”
10 Burpees
15 Power Cleans 135/95
600m Run (locate JB’s truck)
30 KB Swings 53/35
25 KB Squats
600m Run (back to Sweat Shop)
20 Pullups
12 Power Cleans
10 Burpees
8 Power Cleans
200m Run

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10am

A.) Strict Press
3-2-1-1-1

Weighted Pullup
1-1-1-1-1

B.) 3 Rounds
10 Thrusters 95/65
5 Burpees
200m Double Medball Carry

results:

Sad that your fantasy football league is over? Don’t be! Join the next big thing! Fantasy Paleo!

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Legitness of the Week

Back Squat x 3 PR’s
Melia 110

Deadlift x 3 PR’s
Joe S 270
Dana 250
Rob P 345
Nina 175
Garth 125
Amy 195
Carolyn 165
Joel 375
Jin 325
Cassie 235
Kasi 220
Bill 275
Jim D 300
Dustin 255
Jeff 315

- Nabil, Rikus, and Helen represent the Sweat Shop competing at the OC Throwdown!
- Patrick represents the Sweat Shop at the Garage Games at Lalanne Fitness!
- Justin, Charlie, and Matt crank out muscle ups with ease on Friday’s WOD!

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Friday’s WOD:

20 Minute clock
403m run then,

As many rounds as possible of:
6 Ring Dips
6 Pullups
15 Box Jumps
20 Wall Balls

OR

ADV Alternate
3 Muscle Ups
15 Box Jumps
20 Wall Balls

*Must complete (1) 70m Sled Push (135#/90#) and (2) rope climbs before time expires.

results:

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Thursday’s WOD:

“Showcase Showdown”
3 Rounds of:
15 Pullups
15 KB Swings (53#35#)

3 Rounds of:
25 Pushups
25 Double Unders

*Must accumulate 1200m of running at any point during the WOD.

results:

Next Sunday, January 22nd we’ve got a lot going on at the Sweat Shop!  For starters we’ll be holding our qualifier workout to see who will be competing on the two teams (each team consists of 2 guys and 2 girls) that CrossFit Sweat Shop will be sending to the SacTown Throwdown on February 11th & 12th.  We are also encouraging other Sweat Shop members to come and take their crack at the qualifier workouts, even if it’s just for fun (feel free to scale if needed).

The qualifying workouts are:

1) 750m Row

2) 10 minutes to reach heaviest 1 Rep Squat Clean to Overhead

3.) 3 Rounds of:
15 Wall Balls
15 Pullups
30 Double Unders

then, 15 Front Squats (185#/125#)
403m Run

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During the same time, Fleet Feet of Pleasant Hill will be set up at our gym selling a variety of the shoes CrossFit athletes love, such as the New Balance Minimus as well as Innov-8′s.  Best of all, shoes will be 20% off their regular price!

We’ll also be holding Open Gym during this time, so if you want to come and do a workout other than the qualifier WOD, come on down!

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Wednesday’s WOD:

A.) 2 Minutes Max Reps Double Unders

B.) Back Squat
3-3-3-3-3

C.) Alternating Tabata
Knees to Elbow
Burpees

results:

Patrick at a recent CrossFit competition

Morning or evening workout, pre or post workout, Patrick always has a positive outlook.  Having made, and continuing to make big improvements, Patrick’s hard work and dedication serves as a great inspiration to beginners, and seasoned CrossFit athletes.

Name: Patrick Thompsen
Age: 30
Occupation: Personal Trainer, formerly Accountant

Deadlift 455
Clean & Jerk 255
Crossfit Total 955
Front Squat 295
Grace 2:22
Sweat Shop Mile 6:07

Q. How long have you been doing CrossFit?
A.  I started in late August of 2010

Q. What were you doing for exercise before CrossFit?
A.  I used to do a lot of typical global gym workouts at 24 Hr Fitness (Chest mondays, back tuesdays, arms wednesday & friday, legs thursday, etc.) then got into doing running in 2009 and did a couple of half marathons and a full marathon before finally doing Crossfit

Q. How did you begin training at CrossFit Sweat Shop?
A.  I tried doing crossfit with friends at 24 hr fitness at first, but realized it was difficult with not having some of the equipment needed or having annoying members doing bicep curls in the squat rack, so I stopped trying to do Crossfit. I was then in a tough spot after leaving my job in August of 2010 and was trying to utilize the opportunity to try to be more fit with the time off. I’ve inquired in the past to Nabil about coming in via email and wanting to do Crossfit but never really committed because of work or some other dumb excuse but once I realized that I had this window of opportunity to start training at the Sweat Shop I said to myself “let’s do it, you ain’t got much going for you right now” and got my butt handed to me in the alternating tabata workout that day.

Q. What has been the most significant benefit/change since you’ve been
doing CrossFit?
A.  1) I’m in the best shape of my life 2) My strength numbers have gone up exponentially 3) I definitely have a more positive outlook in life.

Q. What is your favorite exercise or workout?
A.  Heavy met-cons, anything w/cleans, box jumps, toes to bars, and squats (back/front/ohs).

Q. What is your least favorite exercise or workout?
A.  Barbara, I will never date nor will I ever name my future daughter Barbara because of this workout haha

Q. What is your favorite healthy meal/snack?
A.  Meatloaf (using Prather Ranch beef of course), cashews, blackberries

Q. What is your favorite cheat meal/snack?
A.  SF Creamery (I thank my coaches for this one haha)

Q. What do you enjoy most about training at CrossFit Sweat Shop?
A.  The coaches who believe in me and at times kept me honest when I kind of fall off the wagon at times (i.e. overtraining). Without them I don’t think I would be the athlete that I am today. All of the members who I generally love to workout with, whether its the breakfast club or the 5:30 class, I enjoy catching up with them and just knowing that each one of them is giving over 100% percent effort in their workout which also pushes me to work that much harder in my workouts. It’s almost this feeling when I step into the Sweat Shop that its like a family atmosphere and I can feel real comfortable being myself around everyone. It’s something that I look forward to every time I’m driving towards the Sweat Shop.

Q. Now that you’ve been doing CrossFit, what’s one thing you could never
A.  see yourself doing again? (workout, nutrition, lifestyle, etc.)
I can never go back to my old isolation workout ways and eating tons of carbs (pasta, bread, grains)

Q. What is your proudest achievement?
A.  Actually a couple of things I’m proud of this past year: Doing multiple crossfit competitions, driving down to SoCal by myself and staying at a motel for a whole week to volunteer for the Crossfit Games which was such an awesome experience, and switching careers from accounting to personal training.

Q. What advice would you give to someone who is hesitant to try CrossFit?
A.  Just try it, not only will it make you fit physically, but it will make you that much stronger mentally.

Q. What is your most sought over goal?
A.  To get to Regionals in 2012 either as an individual or on the team and just compete every day in life (slogan from a few of the shirts that I’ll wear when I work out)

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Tuesday’s WOD:

A.) Deadlift
2-2-2-2-2

B.) 403m Run
15-12-9
Summo Deadlift High Pull 95/65
Thruster 95/65
finish with (1) 200m Run

results:

Super important topic that I originally posted about in Feb. of 2010.  I figured now is as good a time as any to re-post it.

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Posted last month in the Huffington Post, Gluten: What You Don’t Know Might Kill You, by Dr. Mark Hyman, is a great overview of gluten, and the health problems that are associated with it.  Until about a year ago I’ve always eaten bread, cereal, baked goods, and pasta, without noticing any adverse side effects.  However, after eliminating gluten from my diet, I now experience some pretty dramatic feedback (in the form of GI distress) each time I slip up and have even a small amount of food that contains gluten.  To determine if you have a sensitivity to gluten, simply eliminate it completely for at least two weeks.  Then “treat” yourself to a nice whole-grain sandwich, some pizza, a burrito wrapped in a flour tortilla, cereal, pasta, baked goods, or food battered with bread crumbs or similar.  Make note of how you feel in general (sleepy, lethargic, etc.), as well as any other digestive “issues” you may experience.  Enjoy!

“The findings were dramatic. There was a 39 percent increased risk of death in those with celiac disease, 72 percent increased risk in those with gut inflammation related to gluten, and 35 percent increased risk in those with gluten sensitivity but no celiac disease.

This is ground-breaking research that proves you don’t have to have full-blown celiac disease with a positive intestinal biopsy (which is what conventional thinking tells us) to have serious health problems and complications–even death–from eating gluten.

Yet an estimated 99 percent of people who have a problem with eating gluten don’t even know it. They ascribe their ill health or symptoms to something else–not gluten sensitivity, which is 100 percent curable.”

Read full article here.

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Monday’s WOD:

“Brunch at Val’s”

6 Rounds
5 Squat Cleans 165/115
7 Burpees
9 Chest to Bar Pullups
200m Run

results: