Workout aftermath...

Working in both the medical field as well as in fitness, I have multiple opportunities daily to want to slam my head into a wall.  Time magazine recently published an article questioning exercise’s efficacy with regards to weight loss.  Please enjoy the following quote; “In general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless,” says Eric Ravussin, chair in diabetes and metabolism at Louisiana State University and a prominent exercise researcher.   Really Mr. Ravussin?  REALLY?!  Oh wait, there’s a brilliant explanation as to why this is true, please read on – “The basic problem is that while it’s true that exercise burns calories and that you must burn calories to lose weight, exercise has another effect: it can stimulate hunger. That causes us to eat more, which in turn can negate the weight-loss benefits we just accrued. Exercise, in other words, isn’t necessarily helping us lose weight. It may even be making it harder.” 
Fascinating.  It all makes sense to me now.  Thoughts? Comments? Should we as CrossFitters be worried about getting fat since we work out harder than 99% of the planet?  Should I forward the article to the US Olympic Committee to warn their athletes?

Today’s Fat Increasing Workout:
50-40-30-20-10 Reps of Squats jumps. 
After each round also do:
25 Sit-ups
15 Double Unders

So Round 1 = 50 Squat Jumps, 25 Sit-ups, 15 Double Unders
      Round 2 = 40 Squat Jumps, 25 Sit-ups, 15 Double Unders.

Kjersti doing her first ever deadlifts - putting up #165!!

On Wednesday we saw some great deadlifting performances from you all!  Here’re some more tips to come back to for next time we go after this lift:

• Performing The Deadlift – Deadlift by pushing from the heels & bringing your hips forward. Not by pulling back with your lower back. If you deadlift correctly, you’ll feel most stress in your upper-back, glutes & hams.
  Shoulder blades over bar – Put your shoulder blades directly over the bar, shoulders in front of the bar. Your hips will be at the correct height.
• Keep the bar against your shins – Pull the bar up in a straight line. The closer the barbell to your shins, the better. No need to scrape your shins though!
• Push from the heels – Here’s a good trick – curl your toes up. This automatically puts the weight on your heels.
• Keep the bar close to you – Keep the bar in contact with your body during the whole lift, rolling the bar over your shins & thighs. The closer the bar, the less stress on your lower back & the more weight you can deadlift.
• Squeeze your glutes – Bring your hips forward by pushing from the heels and squeezing your glutes hard. This prevents pulling with the lower back.
• Lock The Weight – The deadlift ends when your knees & hips are locked. No need to roll the shoulders or hyper-extend the lower back.

Today’s Workout:

5 Rounds for Time: M-#75, W – #45
5 Shoulder Presses
10 Push Presses
15 Push Jerks

Zeb, locked and loaded.

Have you ever stopped a quarter of the way through a workout (such as Grace) and just stared at the bar, not at all wanting to pick it back up?  I sure as heck have.  I’m not sure if it’s truly a technical name or one that just gets thrown around gyms, but here we call it “bar shock”.  Bar shock is what happens when your brain realizes that picking up the bar again means more pain.  There’s currently only mild pain while staring at the bar, so your brain figures it’s just better to hang out here!  Unfortunately the only way to get through whatever set you’re doing is to pick that bar back up and get back to it – that’s why you’ll often hear “Just pick it up and do 1 rep” from your uber supportive coaching staff.  One way to avoid getting lost in the shock is to pick a certain number of breaths to take as a rest interval and then return once those breaths are taken.  Drop the bar, take three breaths, pick it back up again and repeat.  Have another method?  Post to comments. 

Today’s Workout:  
5 Rounds With a Partner of:
2 minutes on – 2 minutes off (one partner rests while the other works) to score as many points as possible.
Squats = 1 point
Push ups = 2 points
Burpees = 3 points

Val's shirt says it all!

I’m in the process of reading a great book called Spark (who’s sequel Crossley will probably end up writing), which outlines the neurological effects of exercise.  In the first chapter, Naperville High School, a small school in Chicago is highlighted.  In an age where physical education classes are routinely cut to make more room for “education” in the No Child Left Behind program, Naperville has implemented a program where every single student is required to run 1 mile, for time, with a heart-rate monitor on – every week!  The students are not graded on the time of the run, but on the level of their heart rate ensuring that the fastest students are not the only ones being rewarded.  What’s the outcome of taking these kids out of the classroom and onto the track?  On the standardized TIMSS tests (administered to school-aged kids around the world) Naperville took first place in Science – that’s number 1 in the world! In Math they took sixth, behind only Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan.  How’s the rest of the country do? As a whole, U.S students ranked 18^th in Science and 19^th in Math.  Never underestimate the power of physical movement.

Today’s Workout:
3-3-2-2-1-1-1 Deadlifts
Followed by 1 set of Max Push-ups

Maybe the surgery comes with a free Segway...

I was truly in shock when I saw this photo – I couldn’t believe that it was real!  So I started doing some research and found that yes, for an average of $2,500 anyone healthy enough to live through the procedure can get a “six-pack implant”.  Awesome.  A six-pack isn’t what we train for here, if it happens then great, but I’d be curious as to how this particular six-pack will help this gentlemen get himself out of a burning building, or pull his buddy from a wrecked car, or run, swim, jump, surf, ski, snowboard, wrestle at a higher level than before.  Real world, functional strength can literally be a lifesaver when you really need it – a six-pack, not so much.  Hopefully the gentleman pictured has a CrossFitting friend in case he gets himself into a bind. 

Today’s Workout:
2 Rounds For Time:
35 Squats
35 Pull-ups
35 Sit-ups
35 Lunges
35 Pull–ups
35 Squats

More Top Gun fun from the opening!

This Saturday, the 15^th we have our first ever challenge here at CrossFit Pacific Coast!!  What is a challenge?  It’s a time when we all get together and do the same workout (this time it’s Fran) and then spend the next 8 weeks training hard – and then come together again and do it again.  This is a great way to monitor just how much progress you’re making by doing the same benchmark workout and is also an opportunity to have an immediate goal - and of course, a lot of fun.  I highly recommend that everyone sign up for this challenge and come out and give it your all! 

Today’s Workout:
“Grace”
30 Reps for time of Clean and Jerk
M- #135
W – #95

Work hard - play hard! Happy Fiesta!!

Since today is an official Santa Barbara Holiday, Eric and I want to wish all of you an extremely festive Fiesta!!  Have fun, stay safe, and no drinking and driving what so ever!  You’ve all worked extremely hard over the past couple of weeks and have put up some excellent P.R.’s and even better personal efforts.  What we do here is far from easy and you’ve all shown up each and every day and given 110% – we’re extremely proud of you all and will see you bright and early tomorrow morning.  Enjoy the day – you’ve earned it!

Today’s Workout:
1-1-1-1-1-1 The Lift of Your Choice

Followed by:
AMRAP the shit out of some carne asada and tequila.

Run Faster with Less Effort!

Our first seminar is scheduled!  On November 14^th, Michael Collins is going to head up to CPC to conduct a POSE running seminar!  For those of you that are unfamiliar with the POSE method of running, it’s a highly efficient form of running using postural control and gravity as means to get from A to B in a much faster and more efficient manner than most people already are.  I’ve personally gone through Michael’s seminar in L.A. and found it to be extremely valuable.  Not only does Michael go over all of the drills and positions of POSE, but he will also do before and after video analysis of each of you.  November 7^th from 1pm – 5pm, mark it down! 

Today’s Workout:
30 Bar Complexes for time.  95#/65#
(Squat Clean to bar overhead to back squat to overhead to back on the ground)