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:

Are you a nut butter fiend?  One tablespoon turns into three or four….or an entire jar in a day? You know who you are…read on.

Yes, it’s true. Nuts contain a lot of phytic acid, AKA phytate, AKA IP-6, AKA the storage form of a plant’s phosphorus, and antioxidant to the seed in times of oxidative stress (PDF). When something that contains it is eaten, phytic acid binds to minerals like zinc, iron, magnesium, calcium, chromium, and manganese in the gastrointestinal tract, unless it’s reduced or nullified by soaking, sprouting, and/or fermentation. Bound minerals generally cannot be absorbed in the intestine, and too many bound minerals can lead to mineral deficiencies. Animals who produce phytase – the enzyme that breaks down phytate – can thrive on phytate-rich foods. Rats, for example, produce ample amounts of phytase and can handle more dietary phytate without exhibiting signs of mineral deficiencies. Since humans produce around 30 times less phytase than rats, phytate-heavy diets might be problematic for humans.

Check out the full article here

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Wednesday’s WOD

A.) Push Jerk
3-2-1-1-1

B.) As many rounds as possible in 9 minutes:
6 Ring Dips (Advanced:  2 Muscle ups)
9 Single Arm KB Squat
12 Situps

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:

If you’ve been eating paelo for some time now, you probably have a good idea of what is considered paleo, and what isn’t.  But if you are relatively new, you may have a few uncertainties.  This flow chart should help clear things up, if not, feel free to bring any of your questions to JB, Rene or myself!

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Saturday’s WOD:

8:30 & 9:30am

Hero WOD:  “White”

5 Rounds

3 Rope Climbs
10 Toes to Bar
21 Walking Lunges w/ 45# plate held overhead
400m Run

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10:30am

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

B.)
50 Double Unders
200m Double Medball Carry
50 Air Squats
200m Double Medball Carry
50 KB Swings 53/35

results:

For those of you that think eating paleo is just too expensive, OR for those that have read Rob Wolf’s book The Paleo Solution, but now need some help with actually implementing the paleo diet into your daily life, check out this great e-book, The Paleo Diet Budget Grocery Shopping Guide.

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Tuesday’s WOD:

As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes:

7 Pullups (Advanced  – 3 Muscle Ups)
10 KB Swings 53/35 (Advanced – 70/44)
13 Wall Balls

results:

While desserts and other food items that are made “paleo friendly” will be absent of things like gluten and high fructose corn syrup, don’t fool yourself into thinking that you can eat these regularly if you are trying to improve your body composition, or want nutritious food that supports optimal performance.  Check out the excerpt below from a recent post on the Robb Wolf site.

Okay, so yep, this person is eating a seemingly paleo friendly diet – but he or she is likely not seeing earth shattering results.  Why?  Well, like they say – “You can paint a turd gold, but it’s still a turd.”  A cookie is always a cookie, a pancake is always a pancake, and sugar (whether it be honey, agave, or coconut nectar/sugar) is still sugar; and the body is going to treat it as such.  Now, don’t get me wrong, ingredients matter too – gluten, dairy, and soy free are important, and it’s perfectly okay to indulge and enjoy a ‘treat’ – sometimes.  The problem comes in justifying a paleo snack or sweet as a daily, totally innocent (like meat and vegetables) food, while expecting to see major body composition and/or health improvements.  Nutrient density matters.  Steak and vegetables are going to do a lot more for you nutritionally than any bar, cookie or ‘healthy’ paleo treat.

Read full post here.

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Tuesday’s WOD:

403m Run

20 Deadlifts 145/105
20 Box Jumps
20 Pullups (Advanced 5 Muscle Ups)

15 Deadlifts
15 Box Jumps
15 Ring Dips (Adv. 4 Muscle Ups)

10 Deadlifts
10 Box Jumps
10 Pullups (Adv. 3 Muscle Ups)

5 Deadlifts
5 Box Jumps
5 Ring Dips (Adv. 2 Muscle Ups)

200m Run

results:

Aaron C. breaking in his first ever Prather Ranch Beef Burger.

Now that many of you have probably started hammering away at your new 40lb Prather Ranch Beef box, I thought it would be appropriate to post about some of the benefits of grass-fed beef. Beyond the superior “deliciousness” of grass-fed beef when compared to grain-fed, there are several heath advantages to eating grassy beef. Check out this post from CrossFit Vancouver:

1. Protein advantage:

Pasture/grass/range fed beef  – 77% protein by total energy

USDA Choice (+) beef             – 48% protein by total energy

USDA Choice (0) beef             – 40% protein by total energy

low price tag ground beef        – 20% protein by total energy

2. Omega 3 advantage – 3/6/9 ratio – this means a lot – plays a gigantic role in the treatment of coronary heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, arthritis and other inflammatory and auto-immune diseases and cancer.

3. Saturated Fat- in GrassFed -1/3 to 1/10th that of the feedlot crap depending on cut.

4. ALA & CLA content – great reducer of systemic inflammation – compare grass-fed 39mg/100g ALA to 12mg/100g ALA of grain fed. CLA is a proven cancer fighter and lean muscle-building tool.

5. Slaughtering- Feedlot cows are slaughtered in 24months or less, happy cows on pasture take 4 years before they meet their maker.

6. Triacylglycerol- Feedlot Meat has excessive triacylglycerol accumulation.   Commercial feedlots confine cattle and feed them high-starch grain diets which absolutely need to be hopped up on hormones and antibiotics just to get to slaughter.  It’s the meat at the supermarket that is half the cost of grassfed and finished beef.

7. Vitamin E – 4 times higher in pastured meat, Riboflavin – up to 10x.  Vitamin A and E are essential nutrients known for their antioxidant properties.

Check more out at http://www.grasslandbeef.com/Page.bok?template=beef.html

You know fish oil has become a popular product when Rogue Fitness has their own line.  Fish oil has recently grown in popularity due to research showing the benefits of Omega-3′s have on reducing inflammation (think cellular level, not inflammation from something like a twisted ankle), and therefore reducing the risk of cancer, etc.  Check out this post from Robb Wolf that stresses the importance of limiting the things which can cause the inflammatory response (linolenic acid), rather than simply trying to load the body with fish oil to fix the problem.  Unfortunately this means reducing the amount of Justin’s Almond Butter, in favor of something like coconut.

Just a heads up if you are going to read the Robb Wolf post, N-3 stands for Omega-3 fats (these are the good ones), N-6 stands for Omega-6 fats.

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Monday’s WOD:

403m Run
21 Single Arm KB Squat (53/35)
21 Toes to Bar
21 Pushups w/ hand release
21 Single Arm KB Walking Lunge

200m Run
18 reps of each exercise above

403m Run
15 reps of each exercise above

results:

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

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

Mark Sisson’s top 6 Anti-Inflammatory Foods

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

Read full description of the foods from the article here.

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Monday’s WOD:

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

9 Deadlifts
25 Wall Balls

*Perform 75 double unders at some point during the workout

results:

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

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Legitness of the Week

Back Squat x 3 PR’s
Melia 110

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

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

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Friday’s WOD:

20 Minute clock
403m run then,

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

OR

ADV Alternate
3 Muscle Ups
15 Box Jumps
20 Wall Balls

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

results:

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Thursday’s WOD:

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

3 Rounds of:
25 Pushups
25 Double Unders

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

results:

As there have been several studies and news clips on the Paleo Diet recently, scientists, medical doctors and nutritionists are now starting to embrace the benefits of eating Paleo. In this video clip, a medical reporter from CBS San Francisco, Dr. Kim Mulvihill, decides to be a Guinea pig for a study showing how a modern-day Paleo diet compares to a popular statin drug on cholesterol and blood sugar levels. The results are pretty awesome, yet not surprising to many who have believed in the Paleo Diet all along. You can catch the entire 4-part story here.
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Legitness of the Week

- Admir and Kelly dominate the “Muddy Buddy” relay in San Jose!
- Patrick participates in “Amazing Grace” at CrossFit Solano!
- Nabil passes his CrossFit level 1 certification exam!
- Rene gets CrossFit Level 1 certified!
- In just 2 weeks, Nabil goes “Rob Kern Mode” and fixes the pullup rack, the rope hanger, his new iPhone, paints the box jump platforms, and patches up the holes in the Sweat Shop!

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Friday’s WOD:

A.) Santch
1-1-1-1-1

B.) Clean and Jerk
1-1-1-1-1-

C.)
As many rounds and reps as possible in 9 minutes in the following ladder:
2 Ground to Overhead (135/95)
2 Pullups
4 Ground to Overhead
4 Pullups
6 Ground to Overhead
6 Pullups etc,
etc.

results:

Thursday’s WOD:

Alternating Tabata

KB Swings (53#/35#)
Toe-to-bar
—————-
Sumo Deadlift High Pull (95#/65#)
Burpees

*20 seconds of work, followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 sets*

results:

Long time friend and Sweat Shop member, Aaron Thorne, has been building his very successful catering company, Hiroshi’s Catering, over the past few years.  His ideas are as fresh as the ingredients he uses, and while his sushi far surpasses anything I’ve had in restaurants, he also makes other types of cuisine.  One of my favorites, however, was when he delivered a large platter of sushi, ceviche and wonton chips that we took with us as we drove down to Half Moon Bay for the weekend.  As we ate the food while sitting on our balcony overlooking the water, I couldn’t think of a better way to enjoy these tasty items!

More about Hiroshi’s Catering:

Hiroshi’s Catering is a local, organic, sustainable catering company serving the greater San Francisco bay area.  The ever changing menu is based on the Californian culture specializing in Japanese Cuisine with innovative and traditional items.  Without exception only produce organically grown in California is used.  In addition to that Hiroshi’s only uses proteins (Beef, Chicken, Pork, Fish and Eggs) that are organically pasture raised .  With regards to seafood, the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sea Food Watch is followed and only sustainable choices are used.  Hiroshi’s Catering strives to be a green business in every sense and enjoys educating their customers.

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Monday’s WOD:

4 Rounds
1 minute of each exercise – Max Reps

Back Squat (Rx’d Men 100% Bodyweight, Rx’d Women 85% Bodyweight)
Ring Dips
Pullups
Box Jumps
REST 3 minutes after completing entire round

results:

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Sunday’s WOD:

9am

15 minute AMRAP:

5 Squat Clean (135/95)
7 Burpees
9 KB Swings

*10 Wall Balls every 3 minutes

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10am

A.) 2 minute clock
300m Row
Max Reps Knees to Elbow

B.) Snatch Balance
1-1-1-1-1-1

C.) 10-1 & 1-10 of:
Push Press (95/65)
Burpees

results:

My go-to guy for nutrition, Nathan, from CrossFit Adventure, recently did a post on raw milk.  I personally have found that my body doesn’t like dairy too much, so I’ve cut out milk entirely, however, if you do drink milk, you should definitely try raw milk for it’s far superior nutritional content (over pasteurized milk).

Excerpt from post:

I never get sick of saying it – The closer to nature you’re eating, the better. More and more research is pointing in this direction. Where are all of the articles that prove otherwise? Show me the research!!

IN THE NEWS: KIDS WHO DRINK RAW MILK HAVE LESS ASTHMA, ALLERGIES
A large European study has found–once again–that children who drink raw milk have less asthma and allergies. This is not big news to WAPF members, but the really big news is that the findings were publicized in a September 13, 2011 Reuters Health press release, with worldwide circulation.  Of course the article contained the usual warnings about the dangers of raw milk when we have no records of raw milk killing a single child, while asthma is a life-threatening disease that kills thousands of individuals each year. In the U.S., more than seven percent of adults and even more kids have asthma, causing millions of visits to emergency rooms and doctors’ offices every year.

Read full post here.

Don’t forget to watch the CrossFit Games on ESPN2 tonight!

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Tuesday’s WOD:

A.) 2 Minutes Max Reps Double Unders

B.) 15 Minutes to find 1 Rep Max Clean

C.) 6 minutes, as many rounds as possible:
10 KB Swings
5 Burpees

results: