In honor of the United States gaining their independance from the cigarrette smoking French, CrossFit Sweat Shop will be closed this Saturday July 4th.

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Monday’s WOD:

first obtain a baseline 403 meter run at 90% effort

then:

10 Pullups
15 Thrusters
403 meter Run

compare 403 meter run to baseline, for every second over you must perform:

 2x as many reps of body weight squats
1x as many reps of pushups

when pushups are complete 3 minutes rest begins

REPEAT for a total of 3 Rounds

results:

For some, trying to eat healthy can seem complicated and overwhelming.  Try following some of these tips to improve your nutrition.  Compliments of Atomic CrossFit:

• Enjoy eating paleo. Enjoy what you eat. If you are unhappy with what you are eating you are unlikely to continue to keep eating that way, and once the nutrition is gone, staying fit and healthy becomes much harder.
• Pre-cook food and cook more than you need. Spend a few hours at the beginning of the week and cook big batches of food. This will allow you to minimize the amount of time that you have to spend cooking during the week.
• Check the labels. Even it’s organic and has added probiotics, the portions of macro-nutrients are still important. Shop where fresh food is abundant; invest in a healthy future.
• Rather than cutting yourself off from all of those foods which you enjoy that aren’t 100% paleo friendly, simply eat smaller amounts and be moderate.
• Do not keep junk/unhealthy food that you know you shouldn’t eat, in the house. For most people, if it is in the house they will eventually eat it.
• Do not run out of food. This is horrible; you will end up eating out or munch on cereals. Do not let it happen to you.
• Try planning out your meals for 5 days or a week. This comes easily to type one personalities, for the rest of us it can be a nuisance. Though this has the benefit of ensuring you know what you need in the house for the week, and eliminates that time wasting period during which you try and figure out what you should cook for dinner.
• Keep a handy meal replacement shake/can of tuna in your car/office/desk/bag for a paleo friendly snack in case plans change.
• Learn to use spices; this will do wonders for you and will offer variety and different flavors to your meals.
• Avoid soda, pasta and bread. Let us know how you’re doing after two weeks.
• Eat lots of vegetables; try and eat a good variety with many different colors. .

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Friday’s WOD:

Deadlift
3-3-3-3

rest 5 minutes, then:

5 Rounds:
5 Deadlifts
10 Burpees

results:

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Saturday’s WOD:

Row 400m

then 6 Rounds of:
8ea. Single Arm KB Squat
12 Situps
8 Pullups
8 Ring Dips

finish with (1) 403 meter Run

results:

Mike S. in front of his “drink board”

Not only has Mike been crushing the workouts lately, he now even bikes to and from the gym in the morning.  Each time Mike bikes to the gym (it’s about a 15 minute ride one-way), I give him a 4,500 meter credit towards his total rowing meters owed.  Who said drinking Coors Light can’t turn you into an elite athlete?!!

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Thursday’s WOD:

300m Row

then 3 rounds of:

12 Clean & Jerks
12 Pullups

finish with (1) 300m Row

results:

Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it’s produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.

According to Nathan, this movie is a must see.

It is only playing in select theaters, fortunately one happens to be in Pleasant Hill, Century CineArts @ 2314 Monument Blvd. 

Showtimes

Trailer

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Wednesday’s WOD:

21-15-9
Shoulder Press
Knees to Elbow

Run 403m

21-15-9
KB Swings
Wall Balls

Run 403m

21-15-9
Summo-Deadlift High Pull
Box Jumps

results:

Last night Jamie from ClubSport dropped by to visit the Sweat Shop for the first time.  Literally 10 minutes later, after some quick instructions, Jamie nailed his first muscle up! 

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Tuesday’s WOD:

2 Rounds

250 meter Row
10 Burpees
12 Overhead Squats
10 Ring Dips

403 meter Run
10 Burpees
12 Overhead Squats
10 Ring Dips

results:

By now most people understand how important all natural and organic food is.  However, people will often use cost as a reason why not to purchase organic.  Pictured above are a few items I recently received from my friend Ben, sole owner, and general manager of Faulkner Farms.  Actually, it’s not a farm in the traditional sense… Ben just has a vegetable garden at his house in Clayton, along with 2 or 3 chickens (the different breeds of chicken lay different color eggs).  My point is that if you want organic vegetables you can always just grow them yourself for a tiny fraction of the cost to purchase them in the stores.  Growing your own fruits and veggies also allows you to maintain complete control over the products used to cultivate the crops, so you can keep it as pure as you like.  And although raising chickens may be a bit more responsibility than you want, a vegetable garden is not only an easy way to produce your own food, it can also be relaxing and therapeutic…. just don’t let your crops dies, then it becomes stressful and traumatic.

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Monday’s WOD:

As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes:

3 Squat Cleans
6 Pullups
9 Pushups

inspired by CrossFit Football

results:

There are a few things you can do to surely get noticed in Walnut Creek.  Driving a car that is more than 3 years old is one of them.  Presenting this salad at a summer cookout could be another one.  Although it may seem a little bizarre at first sight, this is a perfect “salad” for a summer gathering. 

Ingredients:

Frozen Chopped Spinach
Olive Oil
Gorgonzola Cheese Crumbles
Fresh Blueberries
Fresh Strawberries
Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

It’s pretty simple.  Saute the spinach with the olive oil (or butter), add salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat, mix in the vinaigrette dressing, cheese, and fruit.  This was a side dish to my tuna burger (which you can see in the bottom left corner of the picture), it would also go great with an herb seasoned grilled chicken breast.  As for the spinach, you could use fresh spinach leaves, but then again you could also buy a car that is way out of your price range and be upside down in 3 years.  Question the norm.

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Friday’s WOD:

Qualifier WOD:
500 meter row
30 Burpees
10 Reps Shoulder to Overhead (men 155#, women 85#)

Alternative Workout:

4×4 Repeats (400 meter row, immediately followed by 403 meter run)

(4) 4×4’s Rest exactly 3 minutes after each one

results:

I just wanted to say I am SUPER impressed by everyone who did the qualifier WOD on Friday.  Many of you who aren’t even interested in being on the team still put in a tremendous effort!  The support from others in the gym was great as well.  John and Helen even performed the workout 10lbs. heavier (which is the weight used for the NorCal Qualifiers, back in May of 2009).  Helen, who did the exact same workout at the CrossFit Qualifiers in May improved her time by nearly 2 minutes, from 7:15 to 5:24, that’s a 25% increase in power!  Both John’s super fast time of 4:17, and Helen’s time of 5:24, would have placed each of them in 11th place in all of Northern California for that workout!  Great work you guys.

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Saturday’s WOD:

Track Workout at Las Lomas

It ended up being a couples team workout consisting of weight plate thrusters (thanks to Coach Miller for letting me in the weight room), 200 meter runs, walking lunges, sand bag carries, sandbag swings, and partner carries among other things.  Sara K. and her husband Tim rolled through the exercises with ease.  Aaron and Levi got points for cutest couple.

Nathan and I showcasing his new boardshorts.  He claims they give him more “mobility” and allow him to move faster and stronger through the workouts. 

Post to comments your thoughts on performance enhancing clothing.

Reminder - This Saturday class will be held at the track of Las Lomas High School (1460 South Main Street in Walnut Creek) 9:30a.m.

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Thursday’s WOD:

compare to 5/4/09

20 Deadlifts
403 meter Run
10 Weighted Pushups
20 Pushups
20 Pullups
10 Deadlifts
25 KB Swings
20 DB Thrusters
10 Burpee - to - Knees to Elbow
70 meter Walking Lunge
403 meter Run

results:

clarification: Mike shown in results is Mike S. from “Mike’s Drinks”, not Mike B. from the 6am.   Mike S. crushed this workout looking super strong and smooth on his runs!

The t-shirts have arrived and they are available for purchase at the Sweat Shop.  Men’s shirts, which are a slightly “slim” fit will make your CrossFit body look even better and come in three colors (Red, Carolina Blue, and Chocolate).  The women’s shirt is a nice fitting Bella brand shirt that comes in Ocean Blue and Berry.  Both men’s and women’s shirt are really comfortable and breathable shirts that can be worn to workout in, or just hanging out in jeans or shorts.  The inaugural edition CrossFit Sweat Shop shirts, designed by myself, feature the legendary Connor Banks, son of Mike and Lones, and can be purchased for $25.

Check out You Name It Promotions (located in Oakland) for screen printing or really any promotional needs.  They did an AWESOME job with my shirts, great prices, and super quick, my shirts were at my door less than a week after I submitted my order!

Reminder - This Saturday class will be held at the track of Las Lomas High School (1460 South Main Street in Walnut Creek) 9:30a.m.

The Muscle-Ups keep coming!  Performance props to Cameron for getting his first Muscle-Up on Wednesday.  Also Kate, who does the Youth Performance Program, got a new PR on her Squat Clean, now at 115 lbs.  Not only does this top the current record for females in the Youth Performance Program, but this is also the current best for ANY female at CrossFit Sweat Shop!

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Wednesday’s WOD:

4 Rounds

3 Strict Shoulder Press
3 Push Press
3 Push Jerks
Max number of Pullups (as many as you can get before you have to let go of bar, or put your feet on the box)
Max number of Squats in 90 seconds

Rest exactly 3 minutes between rounds

Score Pullups and Squats for each round and total for the workout.

results:

This weekend the entire parking lot of the CrossFit Sweat Shop complex will closed while they re-surface and repaint. 

Therefore, the Saturday 9:30am session (this weekend only) will be moved to the track at Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek. 

1460 South Main St. Walnut Creek 94596

Enter the school from South Main St. and there will be a parking lot on your right. Park there and it’s a short walk over to the track.
View Larger Map

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Tuesday’s WOD:

403 meter Run
21 Pullups
30 Squats
9 Pushups

403 meter Run
15 Pullups
20 Squats
15 Pushups

403 meter Run
9 Pullups
10 Squats
21 Pushups

results:

I’ve registered CrossFit Sweat Shop for the 2009 Affiliate Cup competition taking place during the CrossFit Games this July in Aromas, California.  The Affiliate Cup competition is a team workout event.  Each affiliate can register only one team consisting of 6 members (minimum 2 females).  There will be 1-3 workouts on Friday July 10th at the CrossFit Games in Aromas.  The workouts will likely not be announced until a day or two before the competition.  Each affiliate then chooses the 4 team members that are best suited for the workout at hand.

If you are interested in being on the team we’ll be doing a workout on Friday to determine who gets the six spots!  All CrossFit Games competitions include some pretty heavy weights, so this “qualifying” workout that we’ll do on Friday (which was one of the workouts at the NorCal Qualifiers back in May of this year) will also contain some relatively heavy weight.  Scaling for this workout is an option and doesn’t necessarily take you out of contention, but it will affect the final decision.  Even if you don’t want to be on the team you can still do the workout.  If you want to compete for a spot, but can’t do the workout on Friday, contact me and we’ll setup a time for you to do it.

Here is what the qualifying workout will be:

Row 500 meters
30 Burpees
10 Shoulder to overhead (push press, push jerk, whatever.. just get the bar to a full overhead, locked out position) (155lbs. for men, 85lbs. for women)

10 minute time limit

If you are interested you can check out the video on the movement standards

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Monday’s WOD:

500m Row

then 5 Rounds of:

8 Burpees
10 Summo Deadlift High Pulls
15 KB Swings
10 Box Jumps

finish by completing 70 Meters Walking Lunges

results:

Lauren demonstrating an excellent squat during last Friday’s squat clean workout.  Let’s review:

Feet approximately shoulder width apart, toes slightly pointed out.  Check.
Weight on the heels.  Check
Crease of hips at or below level of knee.  Check!
Active strong core with lumbar curve and upright torso.  Check.
Elbows high with barbell resting on deltoids.  Check!

Awesome work Lauren!  Aside from being a talented “squater”, Lauren is also hosting a cooking seminar this Wednesday evening at ClubSport.  The class is from 6:30pm-7:45pm and is open to both members and non-members of ClubSport for a small fee.  The meals will be prepared free of gluten, soy and pasteurized dairy products.  If you aren’t able to make it this week, there will be another class next Wednesday, same time, that will cover different recipes.  You can email Lauren for more information at laurenmorelli[AT]hotmail.com 

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Friday’s WOD:

Squat Cleans
5-5-5-5-5

Ring Dips (weighted if possible)
5-5-5-5-5

Saturday’s WOD:

Run 403 meters

then 5 rounds of:

10 Power Snatch (barbell) or Squat Snatch (dowel rod)
20 meters Walking overhead Lunge (same barbell or dowel from snatch)
15 Wall Ball (men 20#, women 14#)
15 Knees to Elbow

finish with (1) 403 meter run

results:

Several people have asked about the equipment I have in my gym and where I purchased it from.  Fact is, I am fortunate enough to have a good friend who is ridiculously talented.  Daniel Hester, who is an engineer on the Bay Bridge retrofit project, designed, built, and installed the pullup bars, squat racks, bumper plate holder, as well as the barbell holder at CrossFit Sweat Shop.  It was great to be able to tell him exactly what I needed and have him custom build my equipment.  For instance, I told him I wanted a bumper rack with wheels so I can move it if need be, the next day he sent me a drawing which was exactly what I had in mind, a few days later the rack was done!  Aside from CrossFit Sweat shop, Daniel has also constructed equipment for CrossFit Oakland’s new box.  Daniel has even built equipment for individuals who workout at home in their garage gyms.  His quality of work exceeds much of what I see from large manufacturers, and it’s really helpful that he being a CrossFitter (a top level one at that) understands the needs of an individual or a gym owner, and the demands that will be placed on the equipment.  In addition to being extremely talented, Daniel is also the most genuine and down to earth guy I know.

For more information, contact Daniel at hesterfabrication@gmail.com

Daniel during the 2008 CrossFit Games in Aromas, CA.

If you enjoy the equipment, post your praises to Daniel in the comment section.

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Thursday’s WOD:

Front Squats
5-5-5-5-5

Pullups (weighted if possible)
5-5-5-5-5

Reminder:  Sports Performance Classes, Mon.-Thurs. 10:30am beginning Monday June 15th

Check out Kate hitting a PR of 105 lbs. on her squat clean today.  Olympic weightlifting movements, such as the Clean, have been shown to have a dramatic effect on increasing an individuals explosiveness.  No matter the sport, an increase in explosiveness will improve on the field performance by improving acceleration quickness, agility, and vertical jump.

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Wednesday’s WOD: 

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes:

15 KB Swings
12 Walking Lunges w/ KB
5 ea. Single Arm KB Push Press
8 Ring Rows

results:

If you’ve ever done a CrossFit workout in a Globo Gym you are probably quite familiar with the strange looks you get.  Fact is, most people in your typical gym have never seen or done anything like CrossFit, and when it comes to their fitness levels, it shows.  However, the CrossFit training method is no longer just an underground sub-culture of hardcore workout fanatics.  CrossFit is now being done across the world!  Check out this video (windows version / quicktime version )  from South America.  Not only are they doing CrossFit, it is a CrossFit sanctioned qualifying event to see who will move on to compete in the CrossFit Games, being held next month right here in California.

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Tuesday’s WOD:

compare to 4/7/09

Row 250 meters

2 Rounds of:
15 Hang Clean and Jerks (DB’s or Barbell)
15 Knees to Elbow
10 Burpees
20 Walking Lunges

rest 3 minutes
REPEAT (2 Rounds)
rest 3 minutes
REPEAT (1 Round)

results:

Before you say it, I know what you are thinking, “Tuna with raspberry chili sauce…. whaaaaaa??!!”  And perhaps you are right, this isn’t a dish for the mild mannered or unadventurous…. no, this is a culinary Christopher Columbus, a Neil Armstrong of Tuna preparation!

Ingredients:

Frozen Raspberries
Chili Pepper Sauce
Fresh Broccoli
Mango Chunks
Tuna Patty
1 can solid white tuna - drained
1 egg
2 Tablespoons of ground flax seed meal

Directions:

Preheat pan over medium high heat.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil.

Drain tuna.  Combine tuna patty ingredients in a small bowl, smash it and whisk it with a fork.  Add salt, pepper and other seasonings to taste.  You should be able to then form the mix it into a patty.  If it is still too flimsy, add a bit more flax seed meal.  Form a patty and throw it in the pan.  Cook for about 4-5 minutes on one side (or as soon as it is firm enough to flip, think pancakes).  Flip it over and turn heat down a bit.  Cook for another 3-4 minutes.  Next, add frozen raspberries to pan, no need to even defrost them.  Add a tablespoon of chili pepper sauce to berries.  Now place the patty on top of the berries while they are still in the pan.  Let it sit for 2 minutes or so, berries will defrost, heat up, and turn into a nice sauce.  Remove patty, top with sauce, serve w/ mango chunks and some broccoli.  Enjoy.  And here, all this time you thought you had discovered something amazing when you were just making tuna sandwiches.

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Monday’s WOD:

(compare to 4/20/09)

(1) 403 meter run

then 5 Rounds of:

20 Thrusters
20 Situps
15 Pushups
10 Box Jumps

then finish w/ (1) 403 meter run

results:

Doing CrossFit is tough.  Doing CrossFit while pregnant, even tougher.  Katherine is not only doing CrossFit while currently 5 months pregnant, but she’s even improving on repeat workouts, despite the weight gain!  Above is a picture of Katherine during today’s workout, which was no mommy & me workout done in the park.  Aside from a boat load of pushups, situps and step ups, the workout also consisted of 100 thrusters and a half a mile of running (which Katherine ran, not walked!).  All this and Katherine improved upon her time on the same workout from 6 weeks ago.

I’m super impressed!  Awesome work Katherine, keep it up.

Post props to Katherine in the comment section.

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Friday’s WOD:

4 Rounds

10 Deadlifts
15 Box Jumps
10 Pullups
15 Wall Balls

results:

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Saturday’s WOD:

Team Workout

First teams of 4 and 5 people carry (2) Dynamx Balls (14 and 20lbs.) for a one mile run.  Upon returning to the Sweat Shop, each person completes

4 Rounds

10 Pullups
10 Box Jumps
15 Pullups
35 Meters Burpee & Broad Jump (my apologies

Midway through a workout when your muscles are screaming at you to stop, are you able to push through, or do you listen to that voice and slow down? 

Click here for a really good post from CrossFit Motor City about that “signal” we get from our muscles that says, “we are tired, please stop.”

Please note, this is referring to pain associated with fatigue, not with an injury.  Be able to distinguish between the two.  Listen to and respect the signals you get from pain.  Be insubordinate to the signals you receive from fatigue.

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Thursday’s WOD:

Cindy
(compare results to 4/13/09)

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes:

5 Pullups
10 Pushups
15 Squats

results:

So aside from making you irritable, less productive, and just generally unpleasant to be around, lack of sleep can have effects on your body composition. That’s because getting less than 7 hours of sleep during the night will elevate your levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. Here is some information on cortisol and how it affects the body.

Cortisol is a stress hormone. Your body produces cortisol in response to stress, physical, mental or emotional. This can include extremely low calorie diets, lack of quality sleep as well as common daily stresses such as job pressures.

What does cortisol do?
Cortisol is part of the fight or flight response. Faced with a “life or death” situation, cortisol increases the flow of glucose (as well as protein and fat) out of your tissues and into the bloodstream in order to increase energy and physical readiness to handle the stressful situation or threat.

Is cortisol related to abdominal obesity?
Yes. There is a link between high cortisol levels and storage of body fat, particularly “visceral” abdominal body fat (also known as intra-abdominal fat). Visceral fat is stored deeper in the abdominal cavity and around the internal organs, whereas “regular” fat is stored below the skin (known as subcutaneous fat). Visceral fat is particularly unhealthy because it is a risk factor for heart disease and diabetes.

Is cortisol is bad for you?

Chronically elevated cortisol levels may have a variety of negative effects. Cortisol is catabolic and elevated cortisol levels can cause the loss of muscle tissue by facilitating the process of converting lean tissue into glucose. An excess of cortisol can also lead to a decrease in insulin sensitivity, increased insulin resistance, reduced kidney function, hypertension, suppressed immune function, reduced growth hormone levels, and reduced connective tissue strength. Chronically elevated levels of cortisol can also decrease strength and performance in athletes.

How can you lower your cortisol levels naturally?

-Avoid very low calorie diets, especially for prolonged periods of time. Low calorie dieting is a major stress to the body. Low calorie diets increase cortisol while decreasing testosterone.

-Avoid overtraining by keeping workouts intense, but brief (cortisol rises sharply after 45-60 min of strength training)

-Get plenty of quality sleep (minimum of 7 hours for most adults, some will require more)

Chrousos, G.P., The role of stress and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome: neuro-endocrine and target tissue-related causes. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 2000

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Wednesday’s WOD:

Run 400 meters
Perform as many Thrusters as possible
Run 800 meters

This workout has a 12 minute time limit.  You must finish the final 800 meter run before the 12 minutes expire.

Start with a 400 meter run

then perform as many Thrusters as possible with the remaining time.  However, leave enough time to run (1) 800 meter run before the 12 minutes expires.  You decide how many thrusters you do and how much time you leave in order to complete the 800 meter run.

Score is the number of Thrusters completed.  Your score is “disqualified” if you don’t make it back before the 12 minutes expire.

The concept of this workout was created by Mike M., trainer/owner of CrossFit Oakland.

results:

Performance props to Helen for getting her first muscle up and being the first female at the Sweat Shop to get a muscle up!

Ethan, age 13, has been absolutely crushing it in the gym these past few weeks.  In preparation for football this fall, Ethan has been participating in the Sports Performance Program and has seen some huge gains.  In addition to increasing his strength, explosivness and “quickness off the line”, Ethan has also starting linking together up to 8 kipping pullups at a time!  Strong work Ethan, keep it up.

***Sports Performance Classes Begin June 15th***

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Tuesday’s WOD:

300 meter row, then 4 Rounds of:

8 Back Squats
10 Summo Deadlift High Pulls
8 Burpees
12 KB Swings

after completing 4 rounds run (1) 403 meter run

results:

Here are some ways to identify whether or not you have a qualified trainer.

• Bosu Ball - These, along with similar unstable devices were developed for the rehabilitative setting.  Individuals who are recently post surgery or injury (ACL, MCL, ankle sprain etc.) can benefit from the use of these unstable devices.  The instability of these balls places considerable demand on the stabilizing muscles around an unstable joint.  This movement also increases proprioception (the unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation arising from stimuli within the body itself).  And because there is a relationship between balance and “core strength” people now believe any exercise done on a Bosu Balls force you to “use your core more” thus the exercise is better, and it will yield a strong, sexy, six pack!  Wrong.  Unless you are joining the circus, or other occupation where balancing on a round ball is necessary, or if you are performing physical therapy for a recently injured joint, Bosu balls are virtually useless.  Ground based strength movements have a far greater impact on core strength/stability due in part to the fact that these movements force us to maintain mid-line stability under large loads much like we would in daily activities.  Back squat, dead lift, overhead squats are three of the best!  A bicep curl, regardless if it is performed on a Bosu ball, is still a completely useless exercise.  If your goal is to increase your core strength, increase your fitness levels, and/or change your body composition and your trainer suggests an exercise on the Bosu ball, I suggest you find a new trainer.

•   Nutrition - If your goals include losing body fat, increasing lean body mass, or improving your strength and overall fitness, nutrition is KEY.  If body fat reduction is one of your main goals, nutrition will play a far greater role in achieving this goal than exercise.  If your trainer does not ask about the types of food you are eating, give you nutritional guidance, and continually educate and motivate you to make healthier nutritional decisions, you should without a doubt find a new trainer.  If you pay a trainer to help you achieve a better body and they are only addressing the importance of exercise, they have failed miserably as a professional… do not pass go, do not collect $200.

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Monday’s WOD:

Front Squats
5-5-5-5-5

Pullups (weighted if possible)
5-5-5-5-5

Performance props to Jennifer for getting her first unassisted pullups.  She actually did 3 consecutive, dead hang pullups!  Lones was also ripping out unassisted pullups.  And Sarah G. was stringing together consecutive kipping pullups like a pro.  Awesome job ladies!

Post props to comments, along with your favorite Bosu Ball exercise.