Kasi during last year’s Memorial Day BBQ/Mazzei Throwdown.  Clearly she is carrying drinks for others as she would never have more than two drinks at once for herself!

Matt and Jessica will be hosting a BBQ at their place this Sunday at 1pm.  Directions to their place can be found at the gym.  If you plan on attending bring enough meat for yourself to go on the grill, I’ll bring plenty of beer, and I’m sure Jessica will have some cupcakes for dessert.  Bring your bathing suit too.  Leave your olympic lifting shoes at home.

In observance of Memorial Day, we will be holding just one class at 9:30am on Monday.  Saturday and Sunday will be regular class schedule.  Below you will find the same information, in a vertical format, rather than horizontal.

Memorial Day Weekend Schedule

Saturday – Regular Schedule
Sunday – Regular Schedule
Monday – 9:30am Class Only

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Monday’s WOD:

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

B.) Weighted Pullups (Advanced:  Weighted Muscle Up)
2-2-2-2-2

C.) 10-1 Pushups, ALTERNATING with 1-10 KB Swings

results:

Photo via The Shoppe Denver

I’ve said it before, but the guys and girls at CrossFit H20 say it even better.

From CrossFit H2O in Medford, MASS

You cannot out-exercise a bad diet.

All the “Hero” WODs in the world aren’t going to make much of a difference if you’re going home and eating cookies and drinking soda or eating pasta, sandwiches, and cereal for that matter. While exercise will help you lose a few pounds and feel better, it won’t keep diabetes and arthritis at bay, the way eliminating processed carbohydrates from your diet will. 

Now is a good time to check in with your fitness goals. If you’ve been CrossFitting for several months but haven’t seen the performance increases, strength gains, or body composition changes you’d like to see, it’s time to take a look at your diet. Are you eating quality protein at every meal and snack? Are you bringing snacks with you to work so that you don’t have to rely on the garbage stocked in vending machines and convenience stores? Have “open meals” turned into weekend-long carb and sugar binges?  

For many of our athletes, participating in the Devils of the Western Diet yielded life-changing results: fat loss, reduction in headaches, joint issues, g.i. problems, minutes off their WODs, etc. For those of you who have taken part in the Challenge, we hope you see a whole foods diet as a lifelong commitment, instead of a quick, 8 week “diet”. For newer members who haven’t had the chance to participate, we will have another Challenge later this year. In the meantime, you can find information and resources on our Nutrition page.

Your coaches have experience with the Paleo Diet, the Zone Diet, Paleo for vegetarians, and more. Likewise, Allison, our in-house nutrition counselor is also here to offer her expertise and pragmatic advice. She is here the first Tuesday of the month from 5:30-6:30pm. Please seek our support if you are at a loss with your nutrition! We can even match up people in unofficial “Challenges” if the imposed structure will be useful.

At every meal and snack you have a choice of what to put into your body. Make your hard work on the barbell worth it, by fueling yourself with vegetables, meat, fruit, and healthy fats. Showing up for class is fantastic – now let’s maximize your chance for success by examining your nutrition choices.

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Saturday’s WOD:

8:30 & 9:30am

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Front Squat 135/95
Pullup

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10:30am

A.) Back Squat
3-3-3-3-3

B.) 403m Run
400m Row
30 KB Swings
25 Pushups

results:

Team Event #1, deadlifts and handstand pushups, earlier today at the NorCal Regionals

**No class this Sunday, we’ll be heading down to watch NorCal Regionals.  Saturday is regular class schedule**

The NorCal Regionals are going on this weekend in San Jose!  Come watch some of our friends from local CrossFit gyms competing for a spot to the CrossFit Games, including Mike and Lones’ son, Brandon, from CrossFit Oakland, as well as Melia’s daughter, Erica, from CrossFit Santa Cruz.

The event is being held at the Santa Clara Fairgrounds, in San Jose, see complete venue information, including directions, here.  There are workouts going on today, Saturday, and Sunday.  Many of us, including myself will be going down on Sunday morning to watch.

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Legitness of the Week

Push Jerk x 1 PR’s
Donna C. 125
Michelle 90
Larry 185
Cameron 215

Deadlift x 2 PR’s
Sean 345
Jason F. 230
Edna 120
Nina 200 x 1
Kendall 100
Garth 175
Katie 220
Patrick 455
Kyle 365

Ryan D. 8:20 “Helen” Rx’d – Sweat Shop Record
Jason Frink – BEAST MODE

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Friday’s WOD:

5 Rounds
7 Overhead Squats 135/95
8 Burpees
9 Toes to Bar
100m Farmers Carry w/ plates 45/25

results:

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Thursday’s WOD:

“Helen”

3 Rounds
403m Run
21 KB Swings 53/35
12 Pullups

results:

Ryan will be happy to know that after a hard day of work with his dad, he now has a 6:30pm class to come and lift more heavy weight!

Starting next week we’ll be having a 6:30pm class on both Tuesdays and Thursdays.  This class time will be especially refreshing when the summer heat hits us!

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Tuesday’s WOD:

A.) Max Effort 800m Run

B.) Deadlift
2-2-2-2-2

C.) Half Tabata

Sumo Deadlift High Pull
Pistol

Burpee
Wall Ball

results:

Sleep is one of the most important aspects of health, yet at the same time, it is the most neglected. Check out this Sleep Infograph on some ways to improve your sleeping habits.

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Monday’s WOD:

4 Rounds
10 Front Squats (165#/105#)
20 Toes-to-bar
40 Double Unders

results:

Kasi at last year’s FemmeFit.

Barefoot running and minimalist shoes have gained a ton of popularity over the years. It’s probably gained the most notoriety with the boom of CrossFit. The good part of this is that more people (I hope) are actually thinking about what they put on or don’t put on their feet for exercise. The bad part, however, is that the power of a fad can consumes us and makes it tempting to buy stuff because it either looks cool or simply because others are doing it. Here is a great post from CrossFit South Bay on how your anatomy and running style should determine your shoe of choice.

From the post:
There are 3 general types of landing during running…rearfoot, midfoot and forefoot. Research has supported that rearfoot, or striking the ground with your heel first, puts a lot of stress on your joints. Especially your knees. Rearfoot running also forces the muscles around the front of your shin bone to work really hard to slow down your foot as it hits the ground….possibly leading to injuries such as shin splints. Running where you hit the ground with your midfoot or forefoot first has been proven to decrease the above mentioned injuries. Hence the creation of the minimalist and barefoot shoes because these shoes are meant to help you transition into more of a midfoot/forefoot running form. The shorter, quicker strides that come with barefoot running styles such as Pose have also been shown to decrease the forces from the ground into your body. Which sounds like a great thing to me.

So what’s the debate??

The problem is that foot injuries are arising with people who switch to the new and improved way of running by changing their form, shoe and/or both. The most common injuries seen include damage to the achilles tendon and stress fractures to the foot. So why are these injuries occurring? A lot of it is because people aren’t allowing their bodies to transition into the new type of running with new shoes. So the body is over loaded with new stresses to areas of the body that may not be ready to handle the change so quickly. The US military will be coming out with a general guideline for changing your running form (which I plan to share with you as soon as it comes out), so keep an eye out for that.

Read pull post here.
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Sunday’s WOD:
50 toes-to-bar then
 3 mile run

results
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Saturday’s WOD:

8:30 & 9:30
403 m Run
30 Wall Balls
30 Box Jumps 
30 Push-ups
—————
20 Kettlebell Swings (53/35)
20 Single Arm Kettlebell Squats
20 Knees-to-elbows
——————–
15 Single Arm Kettlebell Walking Lunges
15 Pull-ups
15 Burpees
403 m Run
——————
Perform the following at any point during workout:
(2) 15 ft Rope Climbs (1) 200m Double Medball Carry
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10:30

A.) Clean
1-1-1-1-1

B.) 4 Rounds

Here’s to the coolest and most fit couple I know! Some beloved Sweat Shopper’s couldn’t resist a shout out!

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Legitness of the Week

Thruster x 1 PR’s
Rikus 240
Patrick 240
Helen 135
Carolyn 100

Push Press x 3 PR’s
Donna C. 115
Nina 85
GARTH 120
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Friday’s WOD:

A.) Push Press
3-3-3

B.)
5 Rounds
5 Deadlift 275/185
10 Burpees
compare 11/8/11
results:

Thursday’s WOD:

A.) Overhead Squat
3-3-3

B.) 2 Squat Snatches on the minute for 15 minutes

results

Although he has has world-class speed, Joe absolutely despises workouts with sprinting and running.

Many people associate sprinters as those who only run track and field or are in sports that require shorts bursts. Many people who don’t play these sports or never engage in activities at a high intensity think sprinting is unnecessary. During CrossFit, we are always sprinting! A sprint doesn’t just need to be a 100m dash or 50 m swim sprint, you can sprint in several different ways. Think about those last 15 burpees you do to finish a WOD, or going unbroken on a set of box jumps. Believe it or not, if you do CrossFit, you sprint! Here’s a great post from Mark Sisson’s blog, on why all methods of sprinting are essential to your training. Props to Patrick on the find.

From the article:

Last week, I covered a glaring deficit in the lives of most modern people: the lack of walking. And it’s not just the “normal” people who aren’t walking enough; two thirds of those readers who took the poll get fewer than five hours of slow easy movementeach week. Since everyone walks at least a few hundred steps a day, people are generally aware – among even the general population – that people just don’t walk anymore. They might not think that’s a true problem, but they’re definitely aware of it. Today, I want to discuss another glaring (in my eyes) deficit in our modern lives: the lack of sprinting.

At first glance, this might seem ludicrous. Sprinting? Sure, it’s a cool thing to do, and it’s good for us, but do you really expect everyone to line up at a track and sprint all out for 100 meters? Besides, is sprinting really essential, the way walking is essential? Because let’s face it: running at top speed for 10 to 15 seconds is an unrealistic expectation for most people, especially older folks. Many people just aren’t physically able to do it.

Sprinting isn’t just running really, really fast, though. When I say sprinting, I’m simply talking about intense movement at the highest speed you can safely muster. Sprinting can be running, obviously, or it can be on a bike (and in fact, many of the sprinting studies use cycling). It can even be aqua sprinting, or running in a pool. Some people push the prowler, a weight sled loaded with hundreds of pounds, as their sprinting. They aren’t moving very fast, but they’re trying to – and that’s the key. Are you moving at the fastest, safest possible speed, given your physical limitations and the demands of the environment (weights attached to you, grade of the hill you’re ascending, your bum knee, etc.)? If yes – even if that manifests as an exhausting uphill walk – then you are sprinting.

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Wednesday’s WOD:

4 Rounds
10 Hang Squat Cleans
2 Rope Climbs
20 Box Jumps

results:

You typically won’t hear a lot of “Oh yea, I’m just hitting a few sets of Jeep Pushes.” at your typical globo gym.

Waltzing through the Sweat Shop (garage) door for the first time, I was excited to get yet another humbling CrossFit workout. I had sampled a few gyms and had always loved the challenge of pushing myself to the max. Coming into CrossFit as an endurance athlete, I thought I was in tip top shape and this “CrossFit stuff” would be easy…WRONG. So wrong. I immediately got hooked on what I like to call “the post WOD high.” The feeling of accomplishment, pride, pain, and sheer exhaustion wrapped up in a sweaty little box. After being a CrossFit vagabond for a month or so, I shuffled into CrossFit Sweat Shop and there, I immediately felt a connection to the members and coaches. No longer did I want to go JUST for the sake of a workout, but to be a part of something more. (So cheesy). It was then that I realized THIS is what CrossFit really is. It’s not just an hour of your day and that you torture yourself, it’s a community. It was then that I decided to get CrossFit certified. Nabil and JB were truly an inspiration in pursuing my goal of becoming a CrossFit coach, and amazing mentors along the way. As my first blog post (YAY), I just want to say a huge THANK YOU!!! Thank you to Nabil, JB and all the members that were welcoming and inspiring from DAY 1. This has been a life changing experience and I am truly blessed to be CrossFit vagabond no more. Thanks Sweat Shop family.

Much Love,

Rene

How has being a part of the Sweat Shop community affected you and your life? Please share. 

Post to comments below. 

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Tuesday’s WOD:

A.) 1 Power Clean & 2 Jerks on the minute for 10 minutes

5 Minute rest:

B.)  12 minute clock

1 Mile run then:

Max reps pull ups (Adv. Muscle ups)

& Clean and Jerks 135#/95#

results: 

This is a reminder that Kevin Cornell, who trains both Helen and Rene at California Strength in San Ramon, will be at the Sweat Shop this Wednesday at 6:30pm.  Check out details from last weeks post, here.

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Monday’s WOD:

“Rise & Fall of the Danderson Empire”

4 Rounds
403m Run
10 Pullups
20 Puhsups
30 Air Squats

results:

 While Aaron T. may get less than optimal amounts of sleep, he strategically limits his CrossFit workouts to 2 per month.

If you are constantly feeling tired and worn down, even after taking some “rest days”, or your workout performances are showing a decline, despite consistent workouts, these could be signs of a potentially serious issue.  Those of you that are frequently subjected to stress (emotional and/or physical), or continually getting less than optimal amounts of sleep, should take note.  Check out the excerpt below, and full post, Diane Sanfilippo, a local nutrition consultant, recently wrote about adrenal fatigue.

You hear the expression thrown around a lot if you’re in the health and fitness community or reading books, blogs and listening to podcasts on health-related topics. It’s very common that we, as everyday Americans and athletes/CrossFitters even moreso, experience varying levels of restful sleep, energy, digestive function, immunity and the ability to recover from exercise. With so many stressors in our daily lives, not to mention the things we add on top as pleasure that are actually stressors, it’s no wonder we’re in a bit of a pickle when it comes to achieving healthy endocrine balance.

Read full post here.

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Sunday’s WOD:

“El dia dispues”
Teams of 2 complete the following

200m Team Sled Push
100 Double Unders
1 Monkey Bar
400m Double Medball Carry
1 Rope Climb
Team 800m Run
1 Rope Climb
400m Double Medball Carry
1 Monkey Bar
100 Double Unders
200m Team Sled Push

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 Saturday’s WOD:

8:30 & 9:30

2 Rounds
403m Run
15 Deadlifts 225/155
403m Run
15 DB Thrusters 45/25

*perform (2) 70m sled pushes at some point during workout

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10:30am

A.) Thruster
1-1-1-1-1

B.) 3 Rounds
75 Double Unders
200m Double Medball Carry
6 Burpee Pullups (Advanced = 6 Muscle Ups)

results:

Steph imitating her Dad’s famous “tender” pose.

When you do CrossFit, being sore is inevitable. However, most of the time we can prevent or reduce the extent of soreness or injury by staying religious to a couple of things. Here are some tips:

1.) Pre-WOD Mobility
Simple stretches and running around before the workout is great, but to prevent some stiffness, you really need to get to the specific tissues around the joints that are being moved around the most (shoulders, hips, knees, ankles). Although we now incorporate mobility during the class, it’s a plus if you can get on your rollers or LAX balls at home or show up 5 minutes early to class. Watch this video for some easy pre-WOD shoulder mobility exercises.

2.) Get off the ground after your workout
Is Chief Banks the only smart one at the Sweat Shop? Although he is a genetic cyborg and a freakishly strong physical specimen, you are all capable of joining him in his post-WOD cool downs. Watch this video by Kelly Starrett for an explanation on why laying down after the WOD is a huge mistake.

3.) Ice Bath
Yes, they suck but it can do wonders for reducing soreness the next day. The best time to take an ice bath is sometime after your workout. When you workout hard, your muscles tear and are actually “injured” in a way. The typical response to injury is inflammation and the best way to reduce inflammation is icing. Furthermore once finished, the body sends a rapid signal to reheat the tissue, and sends nutrient rich blood for repair. The ice bath only needs to be about 10-15 minutes.

4.) Tissue Work
Deep tissue and active release therapy are all great ways to get out the knots when you are sore. Check out some of the Sweat Shop’s connections:
Paynton and Paynton Chiropractic
Interaction Sports Rehab

5.) Eat your anti-inflammatory foods
Besides fish, out check out others here.

6.) Don’t take so much time off
The worst thing you can do after a hard workout is just sit on the couch and wait out your soreness. Soreness can last for several days and simply waiting until you are no longer sore at all to train will just make you sore again and the cycle will continue for an extended time. Furthermore, if you simply don’t workout for a long time, it is probably not a good idea to partake in a high-rep metabolic conditioning workout until you are back in shape. Let us know when you have taken some time off that we don’t know about!

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Legitness of the Week

Front Squat x 1 PR’s
Mike B. 205
Charlie 205
Donna C. 155
Lones 155
Rene 175
Sean 255
J.B. 265
Helen 180 (Sweat Shop Record)

Patrick ties the Sweat Shop “Fight Gone Bad” record with 369 reps! 
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Friday’s WOD:

“Fight Gone Bad”
3 Rounds
Complete as many reps as possible in one minute for each exercise:
Row (calories)
Wall Balls
Sumo Deadlift High Pull (75#/55#)
Box Jumps
Push Press (75#/55#)

results:

Thursday’s WOD:

5 Rounds
15 Back Squats
20 KB Swings (53#/35#)
Max Reps Pullups

-Rest 3 minutes between rounds-

results

Before you dismiss this video simply because you are not obese, watch on.  It’s important stuff for everyone.  There is also a more detailed 90 minute version available from one of his earlier lectures.

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Wednesday’s WOD:

A.) Front Squat
1-1-1-1-1

B.) 2 minutes max reps Toes to Bar
2 minutes max reps Wall Balls
REST 2 minutes

1 1/2 minutes max reps Toes to Bar
1 1/2 minutes max reps Wall Balls
REST 1 minutes

1 minute max reps Toes to Bar
1 minute max reps Wall Balls

results:

Could Admir’s multiple daily triple shot espressos be his secret to success, or is it his path to this?

**Starting this weekend, the Sunday class time will now be at 11am.  While we’ll still meet out of the box on occasion to do trail runs, etc, the Sunday 11am class will meet at the Sweat Shop unless noted otherwise.**

As a daily coffee drinker myself, I can attest to the mental and physical benefits it brings.  I’m also not an idiot and realize as with an addictive substance, people can easily rationalize why something isn’t that bad for them, or even why something is actually good for them and necessary to their survival.  I also imagine anything that can make you feel so good when you have it, and so bad when you don’t have it, can’t be that good for you.  One good point this post brings up is that without caffeine, it’s much easier to get more sleep, and possibly better quality sleep, which could help eliminate the need for caffeine.

Excerpt from Breaking Muscle – Energy Drinks and Performance: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Caffeine is the most widely used drug in the world. It’s cheap, legal, and socially acceptable. In the United States ninety percent of adults consume caffeine on a regular basis. More than thirty percent of all U.S. adolescents use energy drinks to get caffeine and as high as forty percent of junior elite British athletes use these same drinks.

But what are the effects of energy drinks? Some nutritionists liken the ingestion of a sugar laden caffeinated drink as a possible ground zero for a diabetic lifetime.

Read full post here.

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Tuesday’s WOD:

A.) 7 minutes to reach 2 rep max weighted pushup

B.) Snatch Grip Deadlift
3-3-3-3-3

C.) 3 1/2 minutes 403m Run
then max reps plate thruster 45/25

2 1/2 minutes 200m Run
then max reps overhead walking lunge w/ plate

1 1/2 minutes 70m Run
then max reps lateral burpee over plate

results: