2010 NorCal Sectionals – John can’t get enough of the russian shower, and I can’t get enough of this picture

Just about everyone that has worked out at the Sweat Shop has likely experienced it.  You finish a workout and for quite sometime after your body is noticeably warmer than before.  This can even last for a few hours after completing a workout.  For the longest time people have believed that after exercising, the body continues to burn calories at a much higher rate than before.  Recent studies have shown that simply is not the case.  These studies focused primarily on body temperature during and after exercise, and it’s relationship to caloric expenditure, with the findings demonstrating no increased caloric expenditure post exercise.  I feel like this is an excellent example of the complexity the surrounds weight loss or gain.  Rather than a simple equation of calories in, versus calories out, the hormones in our body certainly must have a greater effect on our weight and body composition.  Anyone who has ever given 100% during a workout, while watching how slowly the calorie count ticks away on the rower, surely must agree that there is much more to the once thought of simple equation of calories in versus calories out.

Here is an excerpt from New York Times article:

The effect is very dependent on how hard you exercise. “If you go out for a walk, your temperature does not go up much,” Dr. Charkoudian said, but if you run hard for an hour or so, you can have what seems like a fever, a temperature of 100 degrees or so.

It’s an effect that Glenn Kenny, a professor in the School of Human Kinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa, spent years investigating. He built a million-dollar machine — the only one in the world, he says — that can measure minute-by-minute changes in the body’s heat loss.

It looks like a giant can. The subject sits inside and, if exercise is being tested, pedals a recumbent bicycle. The device can detect the amount of heat dissipated by the subject’s body at every moment of exercise and at every moment of post-exercise rest under different conditions — warmer or cooler air temperatures, more or less humidity.

Read full article here.

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Friday’s WOD:

9:00AM

800m Run
15 Squat Clean to Overhead (115/75)
15 Pullups

403m Run
12 Squat Clean to Overhead
12 Pullups

200m Run
9 Squat Clean to Overhead
9 Pullups

__________

10:00AM

A.) Back Squat
5-5-5-5-5

B.) 3 Rounds, 2  1/2 minutes to complete:

each round begins with 200m run, then:
Muscle Ups for REPS (Round 1)
Handstand Pushups for REPS (Round 2)
Double Unders for REPS (Round 3)

*constantly running clock
*4 Double Unders count as 1 rep

results:

J.B. with the old heating unit, a “multi-use” item that is now for sale

By now many of you have probably experienced the joy of walking into the Sweat Shop on a cold day and being welcomed by the tropical warmth of the new heating unit.  Although some of you may think we heat the gym to what may feel like Tanzanian climate, simply because we have a new heater, there is actually a logical reason for attempted contribution to global warming.  Check out this excerpt from a Bill Starr article on warming up, and don’t forget to thank us when you hit a new PR while basking in the warmth of the Sweat Shop…..get your Bermuda shorts and Hawaiian shirts, it’s gonna be a warm winter!

Warming up is just what the name implies: doing an exercise that helps to elevate your body’s core temper- ature. This needs to be done before anyone proceeds to more strenuous physical activities. An effective warm-up routine need not be complicated. Just the opposite, in fact: the simpler the better.
Warming up activates the enzymes responsible for the many chemical reactions that occur during physical exercise. The body’s energy system depends on those enzymes and, until they’re released, the energy system will not function properly. This is why an athlete feels sluggish at the beginning of a workout if he’s failed to warm up properly. In addition, a warm-up routine helps the body deliver more oxygen to the muscles. Hemoglobin is responsible for transporting oxygen to the working muscles, and it’s able to do the job more effectively when the muscle fibers are warm. The slightly higher temper- ature creates a positive pressure between the muscles and bloodstream, allowing more oxygen to go where it’s needed. An elevated body temperature enhances the entire cardiovascular system by helping the arteries, veins and capillaries deliver nutrients and carry away waste products more expeditiously.  One of the real pluses of warming up that is frequently overlooked is that it also benefits the nervous system. Research has shown that a higher core temperature clears the way for the body to be able to read and receive nerve impulses. This is of particular importance to anyone doing high-skill exercises in his or her program, such as Olympic lifters and those who include power cleans, power snatches, high pulls or any other dynamic exercises in their weekly routines.

Read full article here.

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Wednesday’s WOD:

A.) 2 minutes Max REPS Box Jumps

B.) Squat Clean
1-1-1-1-1

C.) 3 minutes Max Row for CALORIES
2 minutes Max REPS Pullups
1 minute Max REPS Wall Balls

results:

Here is an excellent article from the New York Times on a 91 year old track star, the benefits of high-intensity training, and the aging process.  It’s definitely an interesting read, even for the Sweat Shop members that are still in their 20′s.

Read full article here.

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Saturday’s WOD:

9:00am

A.) 2 minutes Max Reps
Burpees and/or Pullups

B.) “Walking Grace”
-carry barbell or dumbbells along 403m Run course
-along the way perform 30 Clean & Jerks
-Rx’d Barbell 135/95
-Rx’d Dumbbell 45/25
*if you choose dumbbells, Cleans must have a full squat

____________

10:00am

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

B.) 2 minutes Max Reps
Burpees and/or Pullups

C.) 1 Mile Run

results:

Nik – overhead squat with dowel – age 9

JB and I have been working with young kids for many years now, first at Velocity Sports Performance, now at CrossFit Sweat Shop.  We’ve seen the benefits strength training has a youth, whether they are involved in athletics or not.  Unfortunately, many people still think strength training is unsafe for kids, or that it stunts their growth.  Here’s an excerpt from a New York Times article:

Back in the 1970s, researchers in Japan studied child laborers and discovered that, among their many misfortunes, the juvenile workers tended to be abnormally short. Physical labor, the researchers concluded, with its hours of lifting and moving heavy weights, had stunted the children’s growth. Somewhat improbably, from that scientific finding and other similar reports, as well as from anecdotes and accreting myth, many people came to believe “that children and adolescents should not” practice weight training, said Avery Faigenbaum, a professor of exercise science at the College of New Jersey. That idea retains a sturdy hold in the popular imagination. As a recent position paper on the topic of children and resistance training points out, many parents, coaches and pediatricians remain convinced that weight training by children will “result in short stature, epiphyseal plate” — or growth plate — “damage, lack of strength increases due to a lack of testosterone and a variety of safety issues.”

“We are urban dwellers stuck in hunter-gatherer bodies,” said Lyle Micheli, M.D., the director of sports medicine at Children’s Hospital Boston and professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard University, as well as a co-author, with Dr. Faigenbaum, of the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s 2009 position paper about children and resistance training. “That’s true for children as well as adults. There was a time when children ‘weight trained’ by carrying milk pails and helping around the farm. Now few children, even young athletes, get sufficient activity” to fully strengthen their muscles, tendons and other tissues. “If a kid sits in class or in front of a screen for hours and then you throw them out onto the soccer field or basketball court, they don’t have the tissue strength to withstand the forces involved in their sports. That can contribute to injury.”

Read full article here.

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Friday’s WOD:

“Cindy, to Deads, and back to Cindy”

As many rounds as possible in 7 minutes:
5 Pullups
10 Pushups
15 Squats

7 minutes for sets of 5 rep deadlift:
Score SUM of 3 heaviest sets

As many rounds as possible in 7 minutes:
5 Pullups
10 Pushups
15 Squats

*clock is constantly running, no rest between each portion of workout

results:

Here’s an excerpt from an excellent article by Andrew Weil M.D. on why plants are much better than pharmaceuticals.  It also exemplifies the often misguided Western approach of taking things for face-value and over-simplifying, for the sake of productivity, and thus, profitability.

For four decades, I’ve been skeptical of a prevailing belief in Western medicine: when a plant shows bioactivity in humans, we must attribute that effect to a single, predominant compound in the plant. We label that the “active principle,” isolate it, synthesize it, and make a pharmaceutical out of it. Then, typically, we forget about the plant. We don’t study any of the other compounds in it or their complex interactions.

Read full article here.

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Monday’s WOD:

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

Thruster
Pullup
KB Swing

results:

Pinch grip pumpkin deadlifts to build grip strength

Once your grip fatigues or fails it doesn’t matter how much more “juice” you have in your legs or elsewhere, if you can’t hold onto the bar, rope, kettlebell or dumbbell, you’re done.  Ever try to do pullups on a fat bar, like those found at playgrounds, and you are stumped when you are only able to do half the number of pullups?  Or perhaps you’ve used one of the 15KG bars at the Sweat Shop, and noticed how the same amount of weight feels lighter because the diameter of the bar is smaller and you are able to get a better grip.  A strong grip is not only important in the gym, but is used everyday, regardless of gender, occupation, or any other factors.  Expect a greater emphasis on grip strengthening exercises and workouts at the Sweat Shop.  Check out this article from the CrossFit Journal.

“Although we CrossFitters do our share of both heavy slow lifts and Olympic lifts, where grip plays an important role, grip is probably not something many of us actively focus on training. But grip strength is no less important to us than to full-time powerlifters, Olympic lifters, strongmen, or grapplers. In fact, the nature of our broad training approach means that we have a greater need for healthy hands and multi-dimensional hand strength than most sport-specific athletes. We are also exposed to more potential hand and forearm injuries. Those CrossFitters in law enforcement and combat duties and sports are already aware of the importance of a strong grip and may want to give this training area even more emphasis. This article is an overview of grip strength and will suggest ways to add hand and forearm strength and conditioning work to your training, complete with a sample weekly workout plan at the end.
There are three broad categories of grip strength: crushing, pinching, and supporting….”

Read full article here.

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Saturday’s WOD:

9:00am

5 Rounds

40 Double Unders
30 Box Jumps
20 KB Swings
10 Toes to Bar

__________

10:00am

A.) Deadlift
3-3-3-3-3

B.) 400m Row
10 Deadlifts @ 70% 3 rep max
30 Pullups
10 Deadlifts @ 70% 3 rep max
30 Burpees

results:

Aaron swings a kettlebell at the Lyon St. stairs last fall

Great health is about more than just exercise and eating right.  A recent post from Mark’s Daily Apple address this to some detail.

Excerpt:

But my journey didn’t stop at diet. It wasn’t enough. My physical activity had to change, too: resistance training; sprints; hikes, walks, and other long, easy movements; and a marked de-emphasis on Chronic Cardio.

Then I started thinking about sunlight. I’d always felt better when I had a bit of a tan going, and sunny days are invariably happy days, so maybe there was something happening to our physiology. Maybe it wasn’t just “psychological.” This suspicion was confirmed by the production of vitamin D in our skin in response to sunlight. Hmm.

This really got me thinking. Sunlight, nutrition, exercise – what do they have in common? They’re all environmental factors. Bear with me. You’ve got to think about these things a little differently that usual; the classic connotation of “environment” refers to one’s physical surroundings; stuff like trees, buildings, forests, the composition of the atmosphere, or climate. But really, if you’re going to be technical about it, environment refers to an organism’s temporal, physical, spatial, cultural, nutritive, hormonal, and psychological surroundings. Anything that affects or impacts an organism’s physiological or emotional development can be said to be an environmental factor.

Check out the full post here.

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Wednesday’s WOD:

3 Rounds

constantly running clock
1 minute at each station

5 Burpees
Power Cleans for REPS

5 Burpees
Wall Balls for REPS

5 Burpees
Pullups for REPS

5 Burpees
Box Jumps for REPS

REST 2 minutes after completing entire round

results:

photo courtesy TomC

CrossFit is both a training modality and a sport. As a training modality, we can improve the real-world physical capacity of folks from any walk of life. As a sport, we can compete for fun, or we can compete for the title of “fittest.” The CrossFit Games are the world championships of our sport, so we title the winners the Fittest on Earth.

Using a single CrossFit workout as a sport is pretty simple. Put the names up on the whiteboard. Allow scaling, which is a form of handicapping, or not. Pre-register any excuses, or not. Set the terms of the workout and go. The winner is he or she who finishes first, with the most rounds and reps, or who lifts the most weight.

Combining multiple workouts into an integrated CrossFit competition is more complicated. Because every workout is different, combining them in a fair way is rarely a simple, straightforward process. We’ve been experimenting with this in the Games for four years now. This article is a philosophical look into what it means to test fitness as a sport.

Read full article here.

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Tuesday’s WOD:

“Nate”

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes:
2 Muscle Ups
4 Handstand Pushups
8 KB Swings

results:

Posted yesterday in the New York Times, here is an excerpt from an interesting article regarding exercise and anger.

“What the results of the study suggest is that “exercise, even a single bout of it, can have a robust prophylactic effect” against the buildup of anger, said Nathaniel Thom, a stress physiologist who was the study’s lead researcher.”

Read full article here.

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Wednesday’s WOD:

“Inspired by Hiroshi”

15 Burpees

then 2 rounds of:
15 Squat Cleans
15 Ring Dips

finish with (1) set of 15 Burpees

results:

Cameron bowing down to the exercise gods.  Depressed?  Not a chance!

Even though the workouts are tough, most people can testify that they feel much better, both mentally and physically after a challenging workout.  A Chicago CrossFit was recently featured in an article about the effects of exercise on depression symptoms.

Kevin said he generally works out five days a week, alternating between aerobic activity and strength training. He stays dedicated, even exercising during vacation in order to avoid feeling “vulnerable to depression.”

Check out the article and video, here.

 **PLEASE NOTE** This Saturday, June 19th 9:00am class only

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Friday’ sWOD:

5 Rounds

4oom Row
403m Run

REST 4 minutes between rounds

results:

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Saturday’s  WOD:

“Helen”
3 Rounds
403m Run
21 KB Swings
12 Pullups

results:

 CrossFit NorCal Sectionals – photo by Tom Campitelli

More and more college athletes are using CrossFit to not only stay in shape, but to break records!  Here’s an article about a track athlete named Hallie Kuhlman who is breaking records as a freshman at Sharon Springs in Kansas.

Kuhlman fought shin splints nearly all spring, but her work in the weight room kept her fit. Ayers, who has won three state football titles, latched onto the CrossFit program several years ago. The program features intense workouts with little rest periods. It starts with heavy Olympic lifts and then ends with what Ayers calls a “finisher,” about 10 minutes of dumbbell swings, pull-ups, squats, lunges, hops and other exercises done as quickly as possible.

Read full article here.

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Thursday’s WOD:

As many rounds as possible in 18 minutes:

7 Deadlifts
7 Box Jumps
7 Pullups
7 Burpees

results:

In less than one year CJ has made quite a transformation, and although the training has played a primary role in improving his strength and overall fitness, CJ’s drastic reduction in body fat is a result of his change in dietary habits.  Ask him about it the next time you see him in the gym.

Here is an excellent article published in the CrossFit Journal that explains how controlling hormone levels is the key to modifying and/or maintaining a healthy body composition.

Many researchers have promoted numerous health benefits for low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets, despite a disturbing lack of evidence to support their view.  In 1960, the American Heart Association jumped on board and decided low-fat diets are a healthy option.  The result is that, four decades later, the majority of the North American public believe the purported benefits of this diet are absolute fact.

The fact is that the food we eat elicits hormonal responses that determine how energy is stored in the body (i.e., in the form of body fat).  Basically, energy intake is not independent of energy expenditure, and the type of calories you eat does affect your energy output.  Energy intake and energy expenditure are dependent variables.  Sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and easily digestible carbohydrates drive an insulin response and insulin drives fat storage.  Dietary fat, or even calorie quantity, is not the main culprit at all.

Read full article here.

**REMINDER**  This Saturday, May 22nd there will ONLY be ONE CLASS held at 8:30am due to the Co-Ed Run Event.

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Tuesday’s WOD:

2 1/2 minutes to complete:

15 Overhead Squats, then one of the following exercises for REPS:
Burpees
Box Jumps
Double Unders
Row (calories x 3)
Toes to Bar

-15 Overhead Squats will be performed each round, however, the exercise that is being performed for reps will change each time until all 5 rounds are complete.

REST 2 1/2 minutes between rounds

results:

Emily, perfecting her art skills while her dad, Bill, trains at the Sweat Shop

It’s great that people like Rachael Ray are working to get school lunches healthier for kids, and I understand it has to start with something, but if a key point is switching to whole wheat pasta for the macaroni and cheese, perhaps it’s best that if you have children, have them take a lunch that you prepare for them.

Ms. Ray, 41, who grew up in Ms. Gillibrand’s former Congressional district in northeast New York State, has made school nutrition something of a personal crusade. She has helped the New York City school system develop a healthier menu, creating a chicken taco dish for cafeterias using a whole wheat flatbread, roasted chicken and a ratatouille-style stew. Her latest coup was persuading the city’s schools to use whole wheat pasta in macaroni and cheese.

Read full article here.

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Monday’s WOD:

As many rounds as possible in 7 minutes:

7 Pushups
9 Knees to Elbow
11 Squats

Immediately followed by 9 minutes to score your 3 heaviest sets of 5 rep Deadlift

Immediately followed by as many rounds as possible in 7 minutes of:

7 Pushups
9 Knees to Elbow
11 Squats

results:

John receives a Russian Shower after completing his final workout during the NorCal Sectionals 

Everyone has heard that recovery is just as important as the exercise itself.  Unfortunately, most of us don’t give it more than a passing thought.  Recovery encompasses much more than giving yourself at least one or two days off from working out during the week.  Proper nutrition, adequate sleep, and stress managment, are all critical parts of recovery.  Putting an emphasis on comprehensive recovery isn’t just for those guys and girls who train hard, five days a week.  It’s just as important to someone who is committed to reaching their goals, even if they are only able to train two times per week.  Below is an excerpt from an article written 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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Friday’s WOD:

Every 2 minutes complete:

70m Sprint
5 Pullups
7 Thrusters
3 Burpees

Repeat for 10 Rounds

results:

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Saturday’s WOD:

4 Rounds
3 1/2 minutes to complete:

403m Run
15 Box Jumps
As many PUSHUP and SQUAT reps as possible (alternate between the two however you choose)

REST 90 seconds between rounds

resluts: