Throughout my research and coach training in fitness, sports, exercise, endurance training, strength training, nutrition and much more, I have come across various tidbits of knowledge that either sparks further research, a shake of my head or a little “hmph, I had no idea.” thought.

 

Here are just a few to spark your own reactions.

 

(in no particular order)

* The standard push-up uses 64% of your body weight, while the modified push-up (bent knees) uses 49%.

* 1 original glazed Krispy Kreme donut (49g): 190 calories, 100 calories from fat, 11g of fat, 5g of saturated fat, 90mg of sodium, 21g of carbohydrates, 10g of sugar, 2g of protein. “The only animal by-products used in our doughnuts are eggs (whites and yolks) and dairy products (including milk, butter, yogurt, whey, nonfat milk and nonfat whey). We use vegetable shortening (palm, soybean, and/or cottonseed and canola oil) for zero gram of trans fat per one serving of doughnut. All monoglycerides and diglycerides are vegetable based. Enzymes are also present. The lecithin we use is soy-based. We also use wheat in our doughnuts, including bran, germ, gluten, starch and flour. All ingredients are Kosher, but not all stores are Kosher.” – From www.krispykreme.com  Compare this to 1 serving of spinach.

* Doing only ab exercises won’t give you abs. These isolation exercises don’t burn enough calories to reduce fat. Try CrossFit instead :). We know this, but here is the research: Southern Illinois University study –  14 sets of ab exercises, 5 days a week for 6 weeks. Participants didn’t lose belly fat or shrink their wastelines.

* Did you know this about seeds?

- Chia Seeds: Calcium, fiber and magnesium. Add them to your fruit and protein shakes.

- Pumpkin: Immune booster of magnesium and zinc.  Eat them raw or roast them.

- Hemp: 1 ounce has 11 g of protein. Smoothie additive  or in a stir-fry.

- Sunflower: Roast these fun seeds and enjoy the benefits of antioxidants manganese, selenium and vitamin E. Add them to a trail mix or on a salad.

* Fish oil (omega-3s): Reduces inflammation, either caused by training or stress.  An Ohio State University study found that when participants took 2.5g of fish oil every day for 12 weeks, their anxiety levels dropped by 20 percent. Kids can benefit from fish oil too.

* Anger management. When anger takes a hit to you, take a deep breath to reverse the body’s response and slow your heart rate. Breathe in for a count of 10 and breath out for a count of 10. Continue for 10-20 breaths.

* From MayoClinic.com: The main benefits of stretching are thought to be:

• Improving athletic performance
• Decreasing the risk of activity-based injuries

Stretching can help improve flexibility. And better flexibility may improve your performance in physical activities or decrease your risk of injuries by helping your joints move through their full range of motion. For instance, say your Achilles tendon is tight and lacks flexibility. If you do a lot of hill walking, your foot may not move through its full range of motion. Over time, this can increase your risk of tendinitis or tendinopathy in your Achilles tendon. Stretching your Achilles tendon, though, may improve the range of motion in your ankle. This, in turn, can decrease the risk of microtrauma to your tendon that can lead to overload and injury.

Stretching also increases blood flow to the muscle. And you may come to enjoy the ritual of stretching before — or better yet, after — hitting the trail, ballet floor or soccer field.

* Functional movement is the ability to produce and maintain a balance between mobility and stability along the kinetic chain while performing fundamental patterns with accuracy and efficiency. Muscular strength, flexibility, endurance, coordination, balance, and move- ment efficiency are components necessary to achieve functional movement, which is integral to performance and sport-related skills.

* “The greatest known adverse health effects of phytic acid is that it binds divalent minerals (iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, manganese etc.) making them unavailable for absorption or poorly absorbed in the gut.  Vegetarian diets high in phytic acid from legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds) frequently result in mineral deficiencies and impairment of health.  In a typical modern day “Paleo” diet (contain some nuts), these mineral shortcomings  are of little concern because meat and seafood (including shellfish) are rich sources of iron and zinc, whereas fresh fruit and vegetables are excellent sources of magnesium and manganese.  Only when nuts and seeds become the dominant daily caloric source would potential mineral deficiencies appear.” – Dr. Loren Cordain

 

* How to create a warm-up. There are many ways to create a warm-up and like anything else there are various opinions on those variations.  In my experience, warming up is essential and helps to not only prepare the body for the upcoming workout, but it can also improve range of motion and reduce injury. I always start with 2 minutes of a monostructural movement such as rope skips, running or rowing. Nothing intense, just slow and steady to gently increase the heart rate. Then I will hit the foam roller for a few to address any soreness from the previous workouts. Tactically, I then want to ensure I target every joint and major muscle group. Shoulders, knees, hips, ankles, elbows and spine. Warming up before and cooling down after a workout.

* Perspective. I’ve talked to you all about this before.  Here is one place where someone else is talking about it. From Performance Menu, Dec. 2011.  “In her work at the Performing Edge in Toronto, Dr. Hays helps athletes break out of self-limiting patterns and gain some perspective, helping athletes recognize that “their performance in that particular moment is not the full definition of them; there are other aspects of them that are also really important and can be valued.” It’s easy to forgot in the heat of the moment, but there are a whole lot more elements and aspects of your life than just your sport.”

 

Learning to coach and learning to train is fun. I may be a coach, but I am also coaching myself.

 

“Another person’s choice is nothing more than another alternative for you to consider.” - Dr. Shad Helmstetter

 

Empower yourself to do the same. Share your own knowledge.  We all benefit from learning from one another.

 

 

CrossFit Raleigh and Christmas Fitness Birthday Celebration

Sunday, December 18 @2pm - Sparians Bowling Alley – Suite 120  141 Park at North Hills Street, Raleigh, NC 27609 (919) 803-3718

It’s free, so bring your game face and let’s bowl!

 

Many of you have asked, “Can I run a 5k?” or “What do I need to do to train for a 5k?”  There are a couple of answers that can be provided. One involves a follow-up question. “What are your goals with the run?” To simply answer the two questions, “Yes, you can run a 5k if you have been CrossFitting 4-5x a week for 2 months. And to train for a 5k, continue CrossFitting.”  If your goal is sport-specific, meaning you want to achieve a specific goal related to time, then a more sport-specific training program (i.e. a 5k run program) can be added to your current CrossFit training.

 

From CrossFit Endurance

 

How am I going to become efficient at running if I am not running long distances? CrossFit avoids this to avoid third wave adaptations (see below) so as to produce athletes that are “generalists” rather than specialized in one area. By CrossFitting you will retain the generalist approach. While completing focused anaerobic endurance training you will develop the third wave adaptations necessary to become efficient at your sport/s.

Third wave adaptations occur through repetitive exposure to movements. It allows the body to become extremely efficient at movement. In endurance training the traditional belief is that the more you run, the more efficient you will become. This is not correct. Studies show that running economy will be improved more through anaerobic training than endurance training (Explosive-strength training improves 5-km running time by improving running economy and muscle power. J Appl Physiol. 1999 May;86(5):1527-33.).
Stamina replaces LSD or aerobic training!

 

To read more go here.  Grab Coach Chennelle, Coach Will or email us to learn more about endurance training or triathlons.  Let’s get racing!

 

In Their Words…

What type of sport-specific training did you do to prepare for the City of Oaks race? Meaning, did you do any distance running prior to and if so, how much and when?

Barden: I did absolutely no distance running before the race. I was simply attending crossfit five days per week. While the endurance required to run just the 10k was taxing the body in a different way, I did not find it terribly difficult.

 

Jen. B: I did not train specifically for this race with running. My only “training” was 4-5 classes / week at CFR!  I felt “ok” about it because I have run half marathons before and I knew mentally what to expect (which is a huge part of it for me).

How did you feel during the race?

Barden: From miles 1-3, I was fine and exhilarated. 3-5, I began to breakdown a bit but did not stop. And the final mile, just the thought of finishing such an awesome feat was motivation enough!

 

Jen B.:  During the race I felt really good up until the 10 mile mark. That’s when my leg muscles were feeling exhausted and I could feel my body slowing down a lot. I knew that quitting was not an option so I kept going.

 

 

Any thoughts during the race about your training? Did it prepare you as expected?

Barden: “Keep going dammit!” I did stretch for about 20-30 minutes before. Hamstrings and quads mostly, I probably could have done more with hips as my butt eventually started hurting.

 

Jen B.: I decided to sign up for the race the day before. Of course I wished I had at least a few “long runs” under my belt but hadn’t made the time to work them into my schedule.  Since I did not specifically train for running a 31.1 mile distance, I wasn’t as prepared as I would like to have been. However, I feel strongly that my training at CFR was great preparation for a race like that. Having that “strength and endurance” piece to get you through is key! I have run half marathons in the past where my only training was running and they were difficult. It’s not just running that prepares you, it’s your pshycial strength and endurance that gets you through. For my next 13.1 mile race I will train by continuing to crossfit, adding a long run during the week, and some additional sprint work outside of CFR (and hopefully not wait until the last minute to sign up!).

 

How did you feel immediately after? Include personal feelings here in addition to physical.

Barden: I felt great afterward! A little spacey and hungry perhaps.

 

Jen B.: After crossing the finish line, I was pretty dazed and out of it.  All I could think was [in robot voice] “must get water and bananas.” I felt relieved it was over and proud that I had finished!

 

The day after, how did you feel, muscle-wise?

Barden: The day after was rough. My right knee experienced limited range of motion. I hobbled around work all day. It cleared up later in the evening with a little rest and continued, slow movement of the joint.

 

Jen B.: I was extremely sore. My legs, especially my calves and hamstrings, were shot. In past 1/2′s where I’ve trained, my recovery was a lot quicker and by the next day I was good to go. If I learned anything from not training (i.e. running), it’s yes, I can run a half marathon by simply crossfitting regularly which is amazing to me! However, if I want to make the last few miles easier on myself and my recovery quicker…then I need to add in some long distance running to get my legs ready (and sprint work to better my time).

 

How has the recovery process been?

Barden: Other than the knee for about 12 hours, great!

 

Jen B.: It’s been long, about 2 days of extreme soreness. Today is Day 3 I feel so much better!

 

 

What did you do to aid in recovery?

Barden: Very little… I probably should have done more, e.g. icing of knees, elevation, ibuprofen, etc.

 

Jen. B: Fluids / Protein / Epsom Salt / Stretching / Staying active.

 

 

Resources: Testimonials from CrossFit Raleigh athletes!

CrossFit Endurance

 

 

Upcoming Dates

 

• Special Hours of Operation for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

• Wednesday, Nov. 23 – NO 6:30 p.m. class

• Thursday, Nov. 24 – NO CLASSES

• Friday, Nov. 25 – 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. ONLY

• Saturday, Nov. 26 – 9:30 and 10:30 a.m.

• Sunday, Nov. 27 – NO CLASSES

 

CrossFit Goals Seminar 

Monday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m.

 

Nutrition Seminar

Topic: The Zone

* Understanding food as fuel
* The hormonal response to food and what the roll of each food
* Quality & Quantity (Paleo & Zone)
* Block explanation & assigning Block amounts
* Supplements ( fish oil)

Nutrition Lectures are Wednesday, Nov. 16th, and again on the Monday, Nov. 21st at 7:30 p.m. (Same topics discussed at both days/times, approx. 45 mins in length)

 

“The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds.” – Henry Rollins

 

Hello fellow CrossFit Raleigh athletes.  Some things have come up over the last week as we have added weight to the 1 rep maxes and we want to be sure you are good to go with the program. Here are some topics that have been brought to our attention.  Keep in mind, that there are different goals when programming strength components. Our goal at CrossFit Raleigh is to keep you safe, maintaining strength gains and building proper technique so that you can continue to train and make consistent gains during your progress.

 

Five biggest things: 

1. Is adding 5 or 10 lbs. too much?
2. I’m hitting multiple reps in my last set of AMRAP, is that ok?
3. Should I be going to failure?
4. I don’t know what my 1 RM is, how do I figure it out?
5. Stalling out on a lift. Getting to the point where you are unable to hit the rep scheme for the lift.

 

Comments/Assessment:

 

1. This is athlete dependent.  If you get to your last set and you can’t complete the minimum reps, just maintain your previous 1 RM. The goal here is to be able to break previous rep records without injury and with success.  If you get to your last set and can only get 3 reps, but the minimum is 5, are you really achieving a successful lift? You definitely will not if you try to get the last 2 reps in while rounding your back.  Improper form is not the goal and the only thing that is happening as a result is injury – not progress.
2. Multiple factors exist when assessing an athlete based on this AMRAP.  We aren’t using this set as the ABSOLUTE gauge for how many reps you can get at the weight in order to determine your 1 rep max.  There is a systematic response when the body pushes through multiple reps at a particular weight that is different from one weight/rep scheme to the next.  So, with that being said, if an athlete has increased their deadlift by 10 pounds this week and is hitting 15-20, this doesn’t mean that their 1 RM was incorrect.  Think of it in reverse, the last time you did the 5+ AMRAP, did you hit 20 reps?  Probably not. It is possible, but likely not. The program is doing what it is intended to do and that is to make strength gains. At this point, just because you hit multiple reps beyond the minimum required (in this case 5), does not mean that your 1 RM needs to change.  Allow yourself to continue with the 1 RM, while making strength gains. When the next mesocycle comes along they will be ready to add another 5-10 pounds.  Additionally, hitting these multiple reps builds confidence heading into the heavier weight. Don’t underestimate the power of confidence.  Would you rather say, “I couldn’t hit my five reps. What is wrong with me?” or “Guess what. I got 15 reps on my last set.”  I will take the latter – most of time when you say that, you are smiling with pride. The goal is progress. Overestimating a max may not lead to progress.
3. Do not go to failure with poor form. Make the last rep a good rep, but it should be very challenging. Remember, you are learning to know what it feels like to grind out these AMRAPs and to recognize bad form when it is ready to rear its ugly head. If you go to failure in poor form – you risk injury  and will not be able to train. Not our goal or yours.
4. First, it is much better to underestimate than to overestimate. Do a set of 5 reps, adding incrementally until the last set of 5. So in the working sets that would be 3 sets of 5, with the last set being an AMRAP. Grab the attention of a coach when you are preparing for your last AMRAP set. This way the coach is able to see if you are maintaining good form throughout the lift and not just doing the reps. This is important because if you deviate from proper form you will know it, the coach will know it and can call off the lift. As an inexperienced lifter with the movement, you haven’t been exposed to the feeling of going at max effort while maintaining good form. That’s where a coach can step in and help you out. We want to teach you when to stop and how to recognize when to stop.  So, say you got 8 reps at 90 pounds on the strict press. You can estimate a 1 RM as being approximately 105-110 pounds. This is of course not absolute.  Use the max lifts chart in the WOD book.  Under the 8 RM column, scroll down to 90 pounds (88 lbs.) and then follow that to the left to the 1 RM column to find the 1 RM.  Again, this is not absolute.  If you use this number for the next strict press day and find that you cannot achieve the reps, then just lower your 1 RM by 5-10 pounds.  Remember what the goal is – strength, not injury.
5. At some point as an athlete you will stall out on your progress.  If after 3 mesocycles, you cannot go up in weight, go back down in your 1 RM.  This will likely happen at cycles 5-7. If during the cycle an athlete worked up to say 185×10, an estimate 1 RM would be 245. 90% of that would be 220. Use that number to work back up through the cycles as was done previously.  Still making strength gains and progress. This should not happen in the first 1-3 mesocycles. If it is, the 1 RM was overestimated.

 

And remember, not every lift day is going to be a top-notch performance and some days will be better than others. Just do the lifts to the best of your ability. Do the work and come back the next day to train for a better day.  Continue to build on the previous experience. Remain confident and enjoy the progress.

 

 

• A couple of reminders, next Sunday, we will be open for a class.  Sunday, Nov. 6, marks the first official Sunday WOD!  CFR will be open for one WOD every Sunday starting at 10 a.m.  Start planning your training schedule now.  Sundays will be special WOD days.  We will either do a longer hero/girl WOD or make it a specialized Olympic lifting day.
• Special Hours of Operation for the Thanksgiving Holiday.
• Wednesday, Nov. 23 – NO 6:30 p.m. class
• Thursday, Nov. 24 – NO CLASSES
• Friday, Nov. 25 – 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. ONLY
• Saturday, Nov. 26 – 9:30 and 10:30 a.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 27 – NO CLASSES

“City of Oaks Marathon”

• This is also a half-marathon, or 4-person relay marathon (yep, you can split it up into sections with a four-person team).

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is no effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

 

Yep, that pretty much sums it up.  We stumble everyday. Others who never try, never know the stumbles we take to earn the successes we celebrate.

We drop the bar during a hard lift. We pick it up to do better the next time.

 

We set goals high and do the best we can to reach them. And although the road or “WOD” may be hard and we may fail along the way, we continue to press on, for the goal is greater than the smaller failures during the journey.

 

Does not reaching 100 burpees and 100 thrusters in 20 minutes mean you did not achieve a goal? It depends on how you look at it.   Did you quit or did you fail? If you didn’t quit and you did the best you could do – never giving up, then you achieved the goal. As you know at CrossFit Raleigh, our goal is to be better than yesterday, to do the best you can do on that day. Failure … that’s all relative. Failure to hit a rep because you’ve exhausted yourself and on that 95th Thruster, your legs gave out – that’s failure in the best way. You have maximized your effort. You have pushed yourself to the furthest limit. You did the best you could do. That is what your goal… never give up and never allow a failure or a stumble to keep you from continuing forward towards your goal.

 

LOOKING AHEAD….

31 Heroes WOD

Saturday, Sept. 3 – 9:30 a.m.

Instead of a regular WOD day, we will host this special WOD at 9:30 a.m.  This will be the only WOD for the day. We have no idea what the WOD is, so we will have to make plans as information arrives.  There will be no 10:30 a.m. WOD, but we will likely run heats for this special 31 Heroes WOD, so everyone can participate, which means we will be at the box through the 10:30 a.m. class time.  Show up at 9:30 a.m. to support everyone and in return, CFR athletes will stick around to support you!  Check out the website here to learn how to register, donate and get a shirt for the event.

 

 

LABOR DAY

We will be open for two classes ONLY on Monday, Sept. 5 – 930-1030a and 1030-1130a.

 

Fight Gone Bad 6

Saturday, Sept. 17 – Noon 

Location: At the box.

- You must sign up at the box. We have to schedule the heats.

- Also you must register online to participate and help raise money for the foundations included in the event. See below for instructions. Everyone can get a few bucks from a friend right? Every little bit helps.

And here we go looking forward to another big event – the coaches at CFR are expecting a big turnout for this one!  Every CFR athlete should participate.  Fight Gone Bad 6 - we’ve been talking about FGB and we’ve done it at the box.  This time, it’s for real. This 1 day, 1 workout, 1 purpose WOD will take place on Sat., Sept. 17 at noon.  Location  is TBD…. but we are hoping for a big event!  Let’s show the world that CFR cares about raising money for the charities: Special Operations Warrior Benefit, Camp Patriot and CrossFit Kids Foundation. Not only is this event benefitting our military and future firebreathers, but it is just plain freaking AWESOME!  CrossFit Raleigh will be putting up some prizes as well for the top male and female performances (total score – not sure what the heck that is? Be sure to click the link above and watch this video).

 

Register with the CrossFit Raleigh team today and put the date on your calendar!

Link to register with CrossFit Raleigh for FGB6.

The coaches have been noticing that some folks are determining that certain workouts aren’t for them. We’ve addressed this by not posting the WODs until later in the day, not at the start of the day. However, I did a little experiment over the last couple of weeks to see if posting the WODs at various times would make a difference in attendance.  Well, as you could have guessed based on this post, that it has.

 

We shall call this “cherry-picking”. For those of you who aren’t sure what this might entail, I shall explain it briefly. The term “cherry-picking” according to Merriam-Webster means to select the best or most desirable.  Of course that “selection” is different for everyone.  However, the use of cherry-picking is the same. Person 1 may decide that doing “Fran” 21-15-9 of Thrusters and Pull-ups isn’t the most desirable WOD for today, so they choose not to come perform the workout. While Person 2 decides that “Fran” is the most desirable so they choose to come in to WOD.

 

By selecting not to come perform Fran, Person 1 has made the choice to avoid an uncomfortable workout. This may not always be the case. However, 9 out of 10 times, the likely reason for not attending the WOD is that it is not desirable for that person.  What is really being addressed by not participating? Only calling out that you are choosing to avoid something. That “wanna” factor that was addressed in a previous post has disappeared.

 

As a CrossFit Raleigh athlete, you should tackle every WOD the same – with all out, foot to the floor, eyes on the prize, no-holding back determination, to do the best you can do on that day regardless of the task at hand.

 

So ask yourself, why you are really deciding not to participate in the WOD today. Is it because you deem it as “hard”, or that it is a weakness of yours? All excuses. Attack your weakness and you will get better at it.  To be better in general, simply recognizing that you are turned off by a certain movement, is a step in the right direction. Now that you have done so, attack it! You will only get better with practice – that means practicing that movement or the technical pieces of it. Sitting at home and avoiding it, should make you upset. Upset that you aren’t giving yourself enough credit, the actual chance of getting better at it.

 

Your coaches are here to guide you. If things look scary, we are here to help you and so are your fellow CFR athletes. We all have weaknesses and we all have strengths. Use your strengths to help someone else’s weakness and we all become better.

 

 

Looking ahead…

 

31 Heroes WOD

Saturday, Sept. 3 – 9:30 a.m.

Instead of a regular WOD day, we will host this special WOD at 9:30 a.m.  This will be the only WOD for the day. We have no idea what the WOD is, so we will have to make plans as information arrives.  There will be no 10:30 a.m. WOD, but we will likely run heats for this special 31 Heroes WOD, so everyone can participate, which means we will be at the box through the 10:30 a.m. class time.  Show up at 9:30 a.m. to support everyone and in return, CFR athletes will stick around to support you!  Check out the website here to learn how to register, donate and get a shirt for the event.

 

 

LABOR DAY

We will be open for two classes ONLY on Monday, Sept. 5 – 930-1030a and 1030-1130a.

 

Fight Gone Bad 6

Saturday, Sept. 17 – Noon 

Location: At the box.

- You must sign up at the box. We have to schedule the heats.

- Also you must register online to participate and help raise money for the foundations included in the event. See below for instructions. Everyone can get a few bucks from a friend right? Every little bit helps.

And here we go looking forward to another big event – the coaches at CFR are expecting a big turnout for this one!  Every CFR athlete should participate.  Fight Gone Bad 6 - we’ve been talking about FGB and we’ve done it at the box.  This time, it’s for real. This 1 day, 1 workout, 1 purpose WOD will take place on Sat., Sept. 17 at noon.  Location  is TBD…. but we are hoping for a big event!  Let’s show the world that CFR cares about raising money for the charities: Special Operations Warrior Benefit, Camp Patriot and CrossFit Kids Foundation. Not only is this event benefitting our military and future firebreathers, but it is just plain freaking AWESOME!  CrossFit Raleigh will be putting up some prizes as well for the top male and female performances (total score – not sure what the heck that is? Be sure to click the link above and watch this video).

 

Register with the CrossFit Raleigh team today and put the date on your calendar!

Link to register with CrossFit Raleigh for FGB6.