CROSSFIT PACIFIC COAST from Crossfit Pacific Coast on Vimeo.

The CrossFit Credo:

1)     I will do my best.  My best will vary from day to day, from hour to hour, from minute to minute but in that minute I will do the very best that I can.
2)     Lactic acid is my friend.  The wind is my friend.  Anything that opposes me is actually helping me to become stronger.  If I had no opposition, I would be weak.
3)     If I can run, I run. If I have to walk, I walk.  When I am forced to crawl, I crawl and then I rest to fight another day.
4)     I fear no man, but I fear my workout.  If I don’t fear my workout, it isn’t hard enough.
5)     I may puke. I may cry.  But I will never quit.  Ever.
6)     I never cheat.  There is no honor in cheating.  What joy can there be in a victory that I did not earn?
7)     The workout missed is the opportunity missed.  I will not cheat myself of the opportunity to become a better athlete and person.
8)     I understand the value of the push up, the pull up, the sit up, the squat and the deadlift.  Just as there are a million ways to make chicken, so too are there a million ways to squat, sit up, pull up, push up and deadlift.
9)     I will give everything I have and then I will find more within myself.
10) I don’t complain.  Complaining is for crybabies.  There are 11,232 babies born in the US everyday.  I will leave the crying to them.
11) I will bite off challenges, spit out results and beg for more.

What are you going to do?

 Today’s Workout:
3-3-3-3-3 Deadlifts
4 X 12 Burpees
       200 M Run

This week’s Sweet Cheeky Goodness: 

Roasted Salmon with Orange herb Sauce

• · 1 large orange, unpeeled, sliced
• · 1 large onion, halved, thinly sliced
• · 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• · 6 3-ounce skinless salmon fillets
• · 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• · 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• · 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
• · 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• · Additional unpeeled orange slicesPreheat oven to 400°F. Place orange slices in single layer in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Top with onion slices. Drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until onion is brown and tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 450°F.
  Push orange and onion slices to side of baking dish. Arrange salmon in center of dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and 1 1/2 tablespoons dill. Spoon orange and onion slices atop salmon. Roast until salmon is opaque in center, about 8 minutes.
  Meanwhile, mix orange juice, green onions, lemon juice and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons dill in small bowl.
  Transfer salmon to platter. Spoon onion alongside; discard roasted orange slices. Pour orange sauce over fish. Garnish with additional orange slices. 

from Bon Appétit September 1999

Brett counting the remaining L-Sit seconds!

Yep, it’s almost that time again.  Our resident Paleo scheduler (KJ) stopped into the office yesterday to let us know that the most appropriate time to hold our next Paleo Challenge would be from June 1st to July 2nd.  These dates have been chosen using an ancient calendar technique called “letslookawesomeforkjandlisa’scombinedbdaybeachparty”.  I know, it’s a mouthful, however, it’s now written in stone. 
Gather your lean meats, fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds!  Discard your sugary, alcoholly, inflammatory foods and prepare yourself for the healthiest month of your life!  The last time that we held a Paleo challenge the results were amazing, amazing enough that a fair number of the participants are still eating in a paleoesque manner today.  Who’s planning on doing this with us? (Yes, you have a whole month to prepare and the challenge conveniently ends in time for the 4^th of July) Please post to comments if you’re in. 

Today’s Workout:
1 Set of Max Handstand Pushups
3 Minutes Rest
In 8 Minutes complete the following:
500 M Row
50 Double Unders
Max Pull ups
(Your score for the workout is the number of pull ups completed)

Guess what?  The 2010 CrossFit Games have moved to SoCal!  Many of you have heard the stories of us camping in a big field in Aromas, of spending the weekend in the tent city living among hundreds of other CrossFitters, of communal bbq’s, crunkbat competitions and the like.  Well times have changed and the inevitable has happened.  The CrossFit Games – the Mecca of CrossFit – have outgrown the city of Aromas and this year’s Games will now be held down in Los Angeles at the Home Depot Center.  Gone may be the days of camping in the dirt but the spirit of the games has not changed.  People will still show up to see feats of strength and athleticism never seen before.  People will still stand shoulder to shoulder with others who share in the same passion to cheer for the last man and woman standing.  If you’ve never been to the Games, Eric and I recommend it highly.  You will literally see people do things that you once thought were impossible – and you will see this over and over again.  Take the opportunity this year to go folks, who knows where the Games will be next year!

Today’s Workout:
Tabata Sit Ups
1 Minute Rest
Max L-Sit
Tabata Push Ups
1 Minute Rest
Max Handstand
Tabata Squats
1 Minute Rest
Max Squat Hold

Shepherd Farm Organic Awesomeness

Many of you had questions as to exactly what 25$ a week would get you as far as the Shepherd Farms organic fruits and vegetables delivery would go.  Jasper came by on Thursday and dropped off a sample box for us and although the contents will be changing week to week, this is what this week’s box had had in it:

-         1 bunch of carrots
-         6 eggs
-         1 bunch of chard
-         1 bag of spinach
-         1 bag of lettuce
-         1 bunch of kale
-         4 avocados
-         2 lemons
-         1 bunch of beats
-         3 artichokes
-         2 baskets of strawberries
-         2 heads of lettuce

Not bad for a week’s worth of food huh?  Probably not bad for two people for that matter.  So far we’ve gotten 3 people to drop off the application and check but we need 12 orders to get this delivered.  If you’re worried that it’s too much food for one week but you’re still interested, let us know and we’ll try to get you teamed up with someone else.  Otherwise, let’s get this started!

 Today’s Workout:
800 M Run
21 Squat Cleans (135#/95#)
800 m Run
15 Squat Cleans
800 M Run
9 Squat Cleans

CPC - a great place to nap with a dog.

One of the more frequent questions that Eric and I get is, “What should we be doing on the days when we’re not here?”  This is a very good question and one that has two distinct answers.
Firstly, the only way to get in shape for and stay in shape for CrossFit is to do CrossFit style workouts.  That’s a fact.  We post the workout of the day here on the site so if you’re elsewhere or can’t make it into the gym there are a ton of workouts on here to choose from.  There are also a whole host of other CrossFit gyms that do their own programming.  The websites for CrossFit Ventura, CrossFit Los Angeles, and CrossFit Goodland are all great places to check for workouts if you’re somewhere on your own and don’t have access to necessary equipment that our workout calls for.
Secondly, do what you love.  If you love to surf then surf your brains out.  If you love to rock climb, do yoga, run, swim, paddle, etc, then please do them.  CrossFit was designed to enhance your performance in every other physical activity that you do and we love to hear stories about people who’s jiujitsu, snowboarding, volleyball etc have all gotten better from the work that they’ve put in here at CPC.  Do something you love because life is short and there may come a day when you are no longer physically capable to do so.  Do something you love because the experience is like putting an energetic deposit into your savings account – it will be there for you to pull out next time that you’re stuck in traffic, at the doctor’s office or not feeling well.  If that thing that you love happens to be CrossFit, then come on in. 

Today’s Workout:
15 Presses (95#/65#)
45 Box Jumps
30 Push Press (95#/65#)
30 Box Jumps
45 Jerks (95#/65#)

15 Box Jumps

Kate in the preferred post workout position!

This past Sunday I had the good fortune to sit down to dinner with a few old-school CrossFitters as well as a few friends from acupuncture school and a one person who was both.  When the waitress came around I knew to order water with no ice for the acupuncture people.  Why?
According to Chinese Medicine, cold paralyses the stomach and forces heat that should be used for digestion to be used as a means of heating up the ingested water.  Per Paul Pritchford again, “Drinking water with meals dilutes the digestive juices.  However, a small amount of warm water – four ounces or less – is acceptable.  In general, drink water or herbal teas ten to twenty minutes before the meals and at least half an hour after fruit meals, two hours after a meal rich in starches and plant proteins such as grains and legumes, and four hours after a meal containing meat, eggs or dairy products.”
(Ice cream however, if eaten after a hard week of training, has been proven by some random study somewhere to be beneficial to all aspects of one’s health.  I swear it.) 

This week’s Sweet Cheek Awesomness:

Today’s Workout:
3-3-3 Front Squats
Followed by:
1 set of Max Push Ups

The truth.

How many of you have read a particular book and then said to yourself, “That has truly changed my life.”  The book The Gift of Fear has had the greatest impact on my life over any other that I’ve ever read.  Immediately after finishing it, I grabbed a pen and paper and wrote the author Gavin de Becker a personal letter telling him how amazing the book was and that I had given copies to my sisters and to most of the other women in my life.  This was the first, and so far the only, letter that I’ve ever written to an author.  In response, Gavin answered me with a job application and the next 5 years of my life were spent working for him.  This book should be required reading for every high school student, especially for women. 
Gavin spends hundreds of pages dissecting violent situations, domestic assaults, sexual assaults, and attempted murder.  Before you get turned off thinking that this is just another set of true crime stories, it is not.  What he goes on to do which is of profound importance, is to then go back with the actual victim and breakdown exactly when they had a “feeling” that something wasn’t right with their particular situation – and why they ignored that feeling.  Why was that nice man hanging out in the lobby of the victim’s apartment building at midnight and why does he offer to help with her groceries?  More importantly, why did she let him?
We’ve all had those, “something just doesn’t feel right here” moments and I’m sure that we’ve all also ignored them, hopefully not to the level of peril of the victims in the book. 

Please, please, please read the Gift of Fear (link) , it literally can save your life.  Anyone else have a book that they’d recommend?  Please post to comments.

 Today’s Workout:
20 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (95#/65#)
400 M Run
30 Burpees
400 M Run
40 Wall Balls
400 M Farmer Carry

The last photo taken before we got scolded for chicken fighting...:(

With some recent controversy surrounding the use of agave as a sweetener, I thought I’d share some of Paul Pritchford (author of Healing With Wholefoods) thoughts on another option, Stevia:

 “Stevia Rebaudiana, a small plant that grows throughout Latin America as parts of the southwestern United States, is becoming much sought-after for the sweet leaves and flower buds.  It has been used for a hundred years as a sweetener in South America and now has wide commercial value in Japan, where it is put in everything from soft drinks to soy sauce.  With thirty times the sweetness of sugar, yet with negligible calories, this herb is expected by Japanese researchers to be the main natural sweetener in the future.
   Because stevia is a whole herbal food, it contains other properties that nicely complement its sweetness.  A report from Hiroshima University School of Dentistry indicates that stevia actually suppresses dental bacteria growth rather than feeding it as sugars do. Other studies have shown a beneficial relationship between stevia and the regulation of blood sugar levels.  For instance, no signs of intolerance appeared in 24 cases of hypoglycemia.  Similar results occurred with diabetic patients.  In fact, no harmful effects have yet been reported.  Japanese and Latin American scientists have discovered other attributes of stevia, including tonic, diuretic properties; stevia also treats mental and physical fatigue, harmonizes digestion, regulates blood pressure and assists weight loss.”

There you have it folks.  Anyone have experiences using stevia that they’d like to share?  Please post to comments. 

Today’s Workout:
AMRAP 20
5 Overhead Squats (135#/95#)
10 Double Unders
15 Sit Ups

Augie's hands after a glorious 100 Pull Ups!!

I’ve been CrossFitting for close to three years now. And these years of CrossFit have contained the most physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging physical activities that I have ever taken part in. I’ve pushed myself and been pushed by others well past what I thought was humanly possible. I’ve experienced visions to which no human should ever be exposed (a la Matt Crossley short-shorts) and witnessed Festivus-type feats of strength that have left me in awe of my fellow athletes.
But this is not a post on the amazing majesty of Crossfit. This is not another tear-jerking post on why we CrossFit. This is not a post on the miracle of Bacon.
This is about RISK and FAILURE.
Risk – noun – 1. Exposure to the chance of injury or loss; a hazard or dangerous chance
Most of us took a risk in signing up at CPC. Not because of some type of danger that CPC presents (although our rabid guard dog may be an example of inherent risk), but because we were stepping out of our comfort zones. We traded a gym environment with plasma tv’s and spin classes for one with no mirrors and Olympic lifting. We traded our couches for box jumps.  We swapped X number of years of inactivity for intense physical activity.
We took a risk by entering a foreign environment, with a bunch of hardcore fitness enthusiasts. And then the trouble really started. Box jumps? Kettlebell swings? Snatches? What the hell are these things and why the hell am I going to put myself at risk doing them?
You put yourself in this position, because you wanted to test yourself.
You wanted to push your limits.
You wanted to take the risk.
“To win without risk is to triumph without glory.” Pierre Corneille
Before I continue I should say that there is acceptable risk (increasing your rounds of Cindy by 2) and unacceptable risk (increasing your Push Press weight by 50 kg on your second lift after no warm up). And I’m guessing your intuition will tell you when you are applying unacceptable risk. At least I hope it does. ‘Nuf said.
Anyways….You joined the gym. You started on the 12” box and it sucked but you moved to the 18” box. You slowly moved up from the 8# medicine ball to the 14# medicine ball. And made the shift from jumping pull-ups to the black/green/blue band. And went from PVC lifts to the bar to X amount of weight. And it sucked and it was hard work and you wanted to kick Malzone in the nuts for programming back-to-back 100 rep workouts. But you kept plugging away.
And then you stopped progressing.
Why?  You had taken the risk, conquered your inabilities, and were satisfied with your results.  The workouts felt good and you sweat hard and you tried your best. But you just couldn’t seem to take that next step to dropping your Fran time, increasing your strung together kips, throwing the Rx’D weight on the bar.
Why?
Failure.
Or better put: fear of Failure.
Failure – noun – 1. an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful; lack of success 2. nonperformance of something due, required, or expected.
Let’s face it, we work out in a competitive environment with competitive people. And the environment can make for a serious headf-ck. You walk in the room, look at the previous classes scores/times and feel defeated. “I can’t do that,” you think. Or maybe you think, “If I do that as Rx’D my time is going to suck”. Or maybe, “I can do it, but I’ll DNF, so why bother.” Or maybe, “I’ll do it at a lower weight and it won’t be as hard.” Huh?!?!?!?
Listen people: failure is a part of life. Not performing to expectations is a part of life. “But,” you whine, “I don’t want to fail. I want to be great at everything.” Guess what? No one is great at everything. Well, Mikko Saalo, Tanya Wagner, OPT, and Jolie Gentry are great at everything…or at least 98.3% or everything. But we’re not talking about them. We’re talking about YOU.
“Failure happens all the time. It happens every day in practice. What makes you better is how you react to it.” Mia Hamm
Failure IS an option. Failure is oftentimes the best option.
Why can it be the best option? Because failure is motivating. Failure drives you to perform better. Failure makes you work hard so you won’t fail again. Failure forces you to take a long, hard, sometimes ugly look at yourself. And sometimes you won’t like what you see. But it will force you to try again, until you do like what you see.
So take the risk of increasing your weight, even if it is only 5 pounds. Try to hold that handstand for the extra 5 seconds, even if you only get to 3 seconds. Jump off the pull up band and do kips, even if they are one at a time. Take the chance. And maybe fail.
Then get up, dust yourself off, and try again. And again. And again. Next thing you know your weight will jump 5-10kgs. Your handstands will be for 30 seconds. You’ll be cranking out kips at 15 per set. But only if you try…and maybe fail.
Failure IS an option. Just don’t tell yourself that it is the ONLY option. Work hard. You might surprise yourself.

Today’s Workout:
“Fran”
21-15-9
Thrusters (95#/65#)
Pull Ups

The crew with Coach Takano!

Our thanks go out to Coach Bob Takano for coming up to Santa Barbara and running the fantastic Olympic Lifting Seminar on Saturday.  For those of you who are interested in Coach Takano and his training programs, please check out his website at www.takanoathletics.com.  The seminar was absolutely awesome and we are truly blessed to have someone with Coach Takano’s experience and teaching ability come to our little box.  Congratulations to all of you that stepped up and took this seminar, we’d love to hear what your thoughts were on it.  Please post to comments. 

Today’s Workout:
Press 5-5-5-5-5
3x 1 Min Max KB Swings
      1 Min Max Knees to Elbows
      1 Min Rest