Recently posted on Yahoo News by LiveScience.com.

A new study finds obese people have 8 percent less brain tissue than normal-weight individuals. Their brains look 16 years older than the brains of lean individuals, researchers said today.

Read full article here.

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Friday’s WOD:

“I Love Tabata!”

20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest.  Alternate b/t the first two exercises until you complete 8 sets of each.  Then same format for the last two exercises.

Pullups
KB Swings

Pushups
Box Jumps

results:

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Saturday’s WOD:

800m Run
20 Pullups
20 Wall Balls
35m Single Arm DB Overhead Walking Lunge
10ea. Single Arm DB Clean & Jerk
15 Barbell Front Squats
20 Knees to Elbow
15 Burpees
(complete (1) 400 meter Row at any point during workout)

results:

CrossFit Sweat Shop: Walnut Creek, CA

photo: © Peter Menzel www.menzelphoto.com  from the book Hungry Planet: What  the World Eats

Here is an interesting piece from Time, on what families around the world consume in a week.  The family from China seems to have a decently well-rounded shopping list (aside from the soda and KFC).  And then there are the Americans, are we doomed?  Big thanks to Christina D. for sending me the link.  Lastly, there is a really good article about the food industry and in specific, meat,  in the August 31st edition of Time Magazine.  The article is basically a summary of the movie Food Inc. for those of you that may have missed it.  I’ll try to print up extra copies of the article and bring it into the gym.

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Sports Performance WOD:

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Deadlift @ 250lbs.
Hang Squat Clean @ Body Weight
Ring Dips

for time perform 10 Deadlifts, 10 Hang Squat Clean, 10 Ring Dips, 9 Deadlifts, 9 Hang Squat Clean, 9 Rings… etc
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Thursday’s WOD:

4 minutes to complete:
400 meter row, then as many Deadlift reps as possible.  REST 2 minutes, REPEAT for 3 Rounds.

REST 2 minutes

4 minutes to complete:
400m row, then as many Push Press/Push Jerks reps as possible.  REST 2 minutes, REPEAT for 3 Rounds.

results:

 Alex, calm and relaxed at the top of a Kettlebell Swing.

Alex’s strength is pretty impressive.  His technique is even more remarkable (front squats, back squats, overhead squats, cleans, and snatches), his background in track and field is evident.  And his ability to move such large loads with such efficiency is a product of his excellent form, concentration, and his focused, yet relaxed state.  Alex has been doing CrossFit for less than 2 months and in addition to the big strength numbers he’s putting up, he’s even gotten pretty good at his kipping pullups!  Next up, muscle ups and sub 403m runs! 

Strong work Alex!

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Wednesday’s WOD:

A.)
Back Squats
5-5-5-5-5

B.)
400m Row
20 Burpees
15 Box Jumps

score = Max Load A, divided by time B

results:

Check out the video of this little stud!

Whether it be learning a second language, or instilling good exercise habits, children are like little sponges.  Check out this summary from Science Daily that shows ‘Cardiovasucular Benefits Of Daily Exercise In School Childern Are Evident Even After One Year’.

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Tuesday’s WOD:

1 Cycle = 8 DB Thrusters, 8 Ring Rows or 3 Muscle Ups, 12 Situps

Perform 3 Cycles then (1) 403m Run, REPEAT for a total of 3 Rounds. 

results:

Last month I made a lengthy post about the importance of truly functional fitness for law enforcement officers.  (if you missed it you can check it out here) The same principals apply to firefighters.  Simply jogging and/or lifting weights will not prepare a fireman for the demands they will undoubtedly encounter on the job.  Lifting, dragging, carrying, and swinging heavy objects at high intensities are the things they should prepare for.  And just like police officers, the consequences for not being physically prepared are extreme, to say the least.

Check out this video of a news report about some Spokane, WA fire recruits who do CrossFit to prepare themselves for the tasks that lie ahead.

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Monday’s WOD:

25 KB Swings
10 Pullups
25 Wall Balls
25 Box Jumps
15 Deadlifts
15 Burpees
10 Pullups
10 Deadlifts
25 Situps
5 Pullups
10 Burpees

results:

Here is a summary of an article that suggests that large amounts of sugar intake can adversely affect one’s DNA.

The lead researcher, Sam El-Osta, from the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, told the Australian Associated Press that these harmful genetic changes or mutations could linger in the cells, perhaps having the capability of altering natural metabolic responses to diet. He also stated that chronic “poor eating would amplify the effect, with genetic damage lasting months or years, potentially passing through bloodlines … to one’s children.”

Read more from the summary here.

Usually I’m not one that’s big on Yahoo Health, but this actually comes from Johns Hopkins University.

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We now have a new category for those looking for more of a challenge when doing pullups.  “Rx’d” will still designate doing pullups without any assistance, while getting the chin over the bar.  “C2B” will designate doing pullups without any assistance while getting the chest or clavicle to make contact with the bar.  Unlike regular pullups where a certain height (chin over bar) must be achieved, C2B pullups REQUIRE that you make contact with the bar.  It doesn’t matter if you pull to your navel, if you don’t make contact with the bar… it doesn’t count as C2B.  Enjoy!

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Friday’s WOD:

400 meter Row

then 5 Rounds of:

9 Pullups
9 Push Jerks
9 Knees to Elbow

finish with (1) 403 meter run

results:

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Saturday’s WOD:

400m Run
50 Pushups
10 Squats

300m Run
40 Pushups
20 Squats

200m Run
30 Pushups
30 Squats

200m Run
20 Pushups
40 Squats

300m Run
10 Pushups
50 Squats

400m Run

results:

A triple bacon cheeseburger with deep fried patties as buns.

Sarah G. turned me on to this site about a year ago and it’s been a source of amazement ever since.  Check it out, you’ll be suprised as to what people are actually eating.

A few of my favorites:

Hot Dog and French Fry Pizza

Bacon Cinnamon Roll

There are still some of you out there that owe me food logs.  Please don’t let me see any of these foods in your daily log!

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Thursday’s WOD:

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes:

5 Deadlifts
10 KB Swings
5 Pullups
10 Wall Balls

results:

Props to Jim D. for doing all the pullups on this workout as Rx’d.  All it took was Jim practicing his kip one or two times just after learning it.

Lauren demonstrating good front squat postion: high elbows, body weight on the heels, upright torso, good lumbar curve. 

ALWAYS DO FULL SQUATS

Partial squats are never good. They neglect the hips and hamstrings. When an athlete stops above parallel his knee joints are forced to halt the downward momentum.

But once the athlete goes below parallel that stress is transferred to the more powerful groups in the hips, hamstrings and adductors.

Full squats keep all these muscle groups proportionately strong.

Bill Starr
Strength Coach
Johns Hopkins University
Sept. 1997

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Wednesday’s WOD:

A.)
Front Squats
5-5-5-5-5

B.)
3 Rounds
12 Burpees
9 Hang Power Cleans (60% of Max Load A.)

score = Max Load A, divided by time B

results:

Here is a video that does an excellent job demonstrating why we do front squats and how they are imparative to a solid Clean.

Aaron, Lauren and Don, letting out the stresses of the day during the 5:30pm class.

Some people have a few cocktails each night after work, others spend a few hours in front of the television, and then there are those that stop by the Sweat Shop for some short but effective workouts, before heading home to relax.  And in case you were wondering, CrossFit isn’t just for people that are in great shape (like these three), people of any age and fitness level can do it.  Regardless of what your body looks like now, if you make CrossFit, or any high intensity functional training for that matter, part of your daily routine, (along with some nutritional modifications) you can and will eventually transform your body

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Tuesday’s WOD:

3x (15 Summo Deadlift High Pulls / 9 Ring Dips)

15 Hang Squat Cleans

3x(12 Summo Deadlift High Pulls / 6 Ring Dips)

35 meters Walking Lunge

3x(9 Summo Deadlift High Pull / 3 Ring Dips)

25 Burpees

results:

Matt as he descends under the bar during a Clean.

Not only has Matt been working on his Cleans and Snatches to improve his explosiveness, he’s also been doing some cleaning around the gym.  Matt recently spent a couple of hours at the gym sanitizing the barbells, pullup bars, medballs, and rowers just to name a few.  Also, if you see Matt around the gym this week, be sure and wish him good luck as he is leaving for his freshman year at Sonoma State.

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Monday’s WOD:

10 Thrusters
25 KB Swings

9 Thrusters
25 Situps

8 Thrusters
2 Rope Ascents or 20 Ring Rows

7 Thrusters
25 Box Jumps

6 Thrusters
403m Run

Men/Women’s Rx’d Weight (135/85)

results:

John M. stepped up and decided to do the KB Swings w/ The Meatball (70# KB) instead of the 53#…and he still pulled in the top time of the day! 

Here’s a quick video for those of you that missed the Fran-Off Tournament, held at CrossFit Sweat Shop last weekend.

Check out Manwell and Angel’s transition on the barbell.  Pretty sweet.

Please note:  soundtrack contains explict lyrics.

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Friday’s WOD:

403m Run

you then have 3 minutes to complete as many Deadlifts and Burpees as possible.

REST 2 minutes
REPEAT for 4 ROUNDS

Score = Run time in minutes, divided by total reps for each round

results:

Props to Rob M., only his third workout at the Sweat Shop and he had the top performance of the day!

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Saturday’s WOD:

15 Single Arm Hang Squat Cleans (right)
15 Single Arm Thrusters (left)
15 Knees to Elbow
15 Box Jumps

15 Single Arm Hang Squat Cleans (left)
15 Single Arm Thrusters (right)
15 Knees to Elbow
15 Box Jumps

9 Single Arm Hang Squat Cleans (right)
9 Single Arm Thrusters (left)
9 Knees to Elbow
9 Box Jumps

9 Single Arm Hang Squat Cleans (left)
9 Single Arm Thrusters (right)
9 Knees to Elbow
9 Box Jumps

results:

Here is a recent meal that is nutritious and one that I found delicous and suprisingly satisfying.

Wild Sockeye Salmon
Wasabi cilantro sauce
Red Bell Peppers
Jicama
Mixed greens
Strawberries
White Nectarines
Vinegaratte Dressing

Eating a meal like this will leave you satisfied, but without the bloated and stuffed feeling you get from a meal that contains grains.  When you are preparing a meal, it helps to identify each of the macro nutrients.  I always start with the protein, then build the rest of my meal around that.

Protein:  Salmon

Fat: Salmon, wasabi sauce, dressing

Carbs: Strawberries, nectarines, bell peppers, jicama, greens

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Thursday’s WOD:

4 Rounds

8 Back Squats
300m Row
15 Box Jumps
20 Pushups

results:

I’ve requested a 2-3 day food log from several Sweat Shop members.  If your name is on the whiteboard (top right corner, you’ve been selected).  Proper nutrition is even more important than exercise when it comes to transforming your body composition.  By sharing your eating habits with me, I can help shed some light on the key factors that may be keeping you from reaching your asthetic and/or performance goals.  Here is a brief outline from CrossFit.com on proper nutrition.

The CrossFit dietary prescription is as follows:
Protein should be lean and varied and account for about 30% of your total caloric load.
Carbohydrates should be predominantly low-glycemic and account for about 40% of your total caloric load.
Fat should be predominantly monounsaturated and account for about 30% of your total caloric load.
Calories should be set at between .7 and 1.0 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass depending on your activity level. The .7 figure is for moderate daily workout loads and the 1.0 figure is for the hardcore athlete.

What Should I Eat?
In plain language, base your diet on garden vegetables, especially greens, lean meats, nuts and seeds, little starch, and no sugar. That’s about as simple as we can get. Many have observed that keeping your grocery cart to the perimeter of the grocery store while avoiding the aisles is a great way to protect your health. Food is perishable. The stuff with long shelf life is all suspect. If you follow these simple guidelines you will benefit from nearly all that can be achieved through nutrition.

The Caveman or Paleolithic Model for Nutrition
Modern diets are ill suited for our genetic composition. Evolution has not kept pace with advances in agriculture and food processing resulting in a plague of health problems for modern man. Coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, obesity and psychological dysfunction have all been scientifically linked to a diet too high in refined or processed carbohydrate. Search “Google” for Paleolithic nutrition, or diet. The return is extensive, compelling, and fascinating. The Caveman model is perfectly consistent with the CrossFit prescription.

What Foods Should I Avoid?
Excessive consumption of high-glycemic carbohydrates is the primary culprit in nutritionally caused health problems. High glycemic carbohydrates are those that raise blood sugar too rapidly. They include rice, bread, candy, potato, sweets, sodas, and most processed carbohydrates. Processing can include bleaching, baking, grinding, and refining. Processing of carbohydrates greatly increases their glycemic index, a measure of their propensity to elevate blood sugar.

What is the Problem with High-Glycemic Carbohydrates?
The problem with high-glycemic carbohydrates is that they give an inordinate insulin response. Insulin is an essential hormone for life, yet acute, chronic elevation of insulin leads to hyperinsulinism, which has been positively linked to obesity, elevated cholesterol levels, blood pressure, mood dysfunction and a Pandora’s box of disease and disability. Research “hyperinsulinism” on the Internet. There’s a gold mine of information pertinent to your health available there. The CrossFit prescription is a low-glycemic diet and consequently severely blunts the insulin response.

**Drink Board Update**

Kristina apparently had a fun week 1 in NYC going 9 drinks over her limit!  At 25 burpees per drink over her weekly limit, that’s 225 burpees added to her balance of 45!  Let’s hope she does better this week.

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Wednesday’s WOD:

Complete as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes:

3 Squat Cleans
6 Pullups
9 Pushups

results:

Yes, Brandon always “naps” with that look on his face.

It’s been 4 days since the Fran-Off and myself, as well as others from the Sweat Shop are still feeling the effects of Saturday’s high intensity workouts.  Now is a good time to brush up recovery.  Below is an exerpt from an informative article by Robb Wolf.  

As a CrossFitter you have likely been: fatigued, sore and generally beat up at one time or another, or perhaps continuously! This is a result of training. What will largely determine the results you obtain from training is a multifaceted concept, recovery. Adequate recovery allows for more training and ultimately improved performance. In some respects recovery is the Night to our exercise Day (this analogy will be more true than we can imagine). In exercise we release hormones, mount immune responses, cause inflammation and use things like glycogen and lipids for fuel. Recovery complements this process. Accelerating the things we want and mitigating the less desirable processes will provide more return on our exercise investment.

Read full article here.
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Tuesday’s WOD:

A.) For max load:

Overhead Squat
5-5-5-5-5

B.) For time:

20 Hang Squat Snatches
25 Pushups
35 meters Walking Lunge
403 meter Run

score = max load from workout A, divided by time from workout B

*scoring concept borrowed from Mini at CrossFit Oakland. 

results:

More Sweat Shop t-shirts have just arrived.  If you weren’t able to get the size or color you wanted the first time around, there are now plenty more shirts available.  The women’s shirt is a Bella brand, while the men’s is a Hanes ringspun cotton.  Men’s shirts are now available in 2XL.  Shirts are $25 each.

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Monday’s WOD:

“Fight Gone Bad”

(3) 5 minute rounds consisting of 1 minute at each station with 1 minute rest after each round.
Score as many total reps as possible

Wall Balls
Summo Deadlift High Pull
Box Jumps
Push Press
Row (calories)

results:

Big thanks to everyone who came out to the Fran-Off Tournament this Saturday.  An especially big thanks to Mike “MJ” Jenkins for developing and coordinating the entire event.  Athletes from as far as Sacramento came to compete in the two person, randomly drawn team event, with $1000 prize money!  I was lucky enough to draw Tamara Holmes (CrossFit Oakland) as my partner, and together we took 1st place!  Thanks for carrying me in the finals T!

Also big thanks to Tom Campitelli for coming out to photograph the event.  Check out all the photos here.

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Friday’s WOD:

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of the following:

12 KB Swings
6 Burpees
6 Ring Dips
12 Box Jumps

*leave enough time at the end to complete (1) 403 meter run without going over the 20 minute time limit

results:

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Saturday’s WOD:

“Fran”

21-15-9
Thrusters
Pullups

For those unfamiliar with Fran, the workout format goes as such:

21 Thrusters
21 Pullups

15 Thrusters
15 Pullups

9 Thrusters
9 Pullups

results:

Please help me in welcoming our newest “members” to the gym.

• 500lbs. of MHTY Bumper Plates
• 200lbs. of iron weight
• more kettlebells
• more dumbbells
• more Powermax bands for assisted pullups and dips
• 3 more Rogue Olympic Barbells
• A new “AC” unit

New equipment on the horizon: Bay door mounted pullup bar, more Dynamax Medicine Balls, more ceiling mounted rings for all the new members of the muscle up club, smaller plyometric boxes, Concept 2 Rower.

Post to comments your equipment requests. 

** Reminder ** Fran Off: Saturday morning 11am.   9:30am class WILL be held as usual. 

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Thursday’s WOD:

Deadlift
5-5-5-5-5

Strict Press/ Push Press/ Push Jerks
3/3/3 - 3/3/3 - 3/3/3 - 3/3/3 - 3/3/3

After warming up, alternate between one set of deadlifts (5 reps), and one set of press/push press/ push jerk (3/3/3).  Rest as needed between sets,(no rest during press/push press/push jerk)  continue until 5 sets of each exercise are complete.

The deadlift is possibly the most functional lift you can learn.  Learning to perform it correctly in the gym will undoubtely carry over into proper lifting technique in your daily activities.  Even if you’ve seen this video before, it pays to watch it again.  Many people are still having issues with their body weight shifting forward as the bar is lowered past the knees.  This error takes the hamstrings and glute muscles out of the equation which is something we want to avoid at all cost!  Keeping our hips back, shoulders over the bar, bar close to the body, and weight on our heels will put more of the load on our glutes and hamstrings, and less on our knee joint and low back.  Watch the video, then watch it again.  Then watch it a third time, because I know the first two times you couldn’t keep your eyes off of Brandon Banks, the creepo lurking in the background not able to take his eyes off of me.

Wednesday’s WOD:

5 Rounds

“4×4″
400 meter row
403 meter run

rest 4 minutes between rounds

results:

Performance props to Jennifer for setting a new 4×4 record for the females, as well as Don for crushing the guys 4×4 record and then going on to turn in 4 more sub 3 minute rounds.  Insane!

I often hear women say they are intimidated by the thought of training at a CrossFit gym.  Most of them believe it is a gym predominately for men and that it just involves lots of weightlifting and grunting. Many women, and men, feel like a traditional gym is a friendlier environment, and being surrounded by a hundred or so people gives them the illusion of being in a community of sorts.  Unfortunately for most, a trip to the gym ends up being an isolated experience among many other isolated individuals.  Headphones, televisions, and closed captions allow many to go through their entire workout without saying a single word to another gym goer. 

The experience at a CrossFit gym is the complete opposite.  Only one small class going at any given time.  Each class is lead by a trainer who coordinates the warmup, skill development, workout, and finisher (when applicable).  Even better is the interaction between members.  Men and women of all ages and all fitness levels workout side by side encouraging one another.  One thing you won’t find at CrossFit (which is rather prevalant at typical health clubs) are guys who are there just to pick up on the ladies.  Trust me, the challenging workouts ensure that the members’ primary goal is improving their fitness.  That’s not to say you won’t meet some nice people at CrossFit Sweat Shop, and if you choose to use your precious 4 minutes of rest between rounds of 400 meter row and 403 meter run to chat with a member of the opposite sex, go right ahead, just know that he or she may save their breath in order to smoke you on the next round!

Here’s another reason why you should stay out of regular health clubs.  Yahoo’s like this.

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Tuesday’s WOD:

Row 350 meters

then 4 Rounds of:

15 Wall Balls
15 Summo-Deadlift High Pulls
10 Box Jumps
15 Knees to Elbow

finish with (1) 403 meter run

results:

What:  Fran Off (16 teams of 2 compete in head to head match-ups for $1000 prize money.

When: This Saturday, August 8th at 11am

Where: CrossFit Sweat Shop - 1401 Autocenter Dr. Walnut Creek, CA

Requirements:$45 entry fee (paid in $1 bills)  Also, must be able to perform at least (5) CHEST TO BAR PULLUPS and thrusters at Rx’d weight, 65lbs. for women, 95lbs. for men.

Details: http://franoff.blogspot.com/

Why is Fran so popular/effective/tough?  Here’s why:  the rep scheme, the loads, and the choice of exercises allows one to move through the workout at an rather high rate of speed.  Most of the major muscle groups are taxed during these two movements and because of the short duration of the workout the intensity stays at an extremely high level.  The result is a mindnumbing workout that takes just minutes to perform (top performers can complete the entire workout in just over two minutes!) but can take an hour or more to recover from.

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Monday’s WOD:

Hang Power Clean
5-5-5

Squat Clean
5-5-5-5

perform all 3 sets of Hang Power Cleans first, resting as much as necessary b/t sets, then perform all 4 sets of Squat Cleans, resting as much as necessary b/t sets.

Here’s a video of a recent Saturday workout at CrossFit Sweat Shop that consisted of some exercises in the gym, then out onto the Contra Costa Canal Trail for a run with some suprise exercises along the way. The workout ended with more squat cleans and a few wall balls.

Fitness Tip:
Not everyone is fortunate enough to be a member at CrossFit Sweat Shop and have someone place dumbbells and kettlebells along their run path. But even without these devices you can always increase the effectivness of your run by sprinkling in some pushups, squats, or burpees. Another option is to plan your run so that it passes by a playground, there you can throw in some pullups and perhaps some plyometric jumps onto a park bench.

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Friday’s WOD:

Use 7 minutes to perform the following:

(1) 403m Run
1 set of max reps body weight bench press or pushups
1 set of max reps pullups

REPEAT every 7 minutes for a total of 4 Rounds.  You determine how long to rest between run, bench press/pushups and pullups.  However, the order must stay RUN, BENCH/PUSH, PULLUPS, and you must leave for the run every 7 minutes.

results:

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Saturday’s WOD:

Team Workout

teams of 4 complete the following:

120 Deadlifts
80 Burpee Knees to Elbow
(12) 403m Run
80 Single Arm KB Sotts Squats
200 Wall Balls

Mike B’s team finished 1st with a time of 17:22

Performance props to CrossFit newcomer Amy G. for completing (3) 403 meter runs and moving through more than her share of those dreaded Burpee Knee to Elbows.  Awesome work Amy!