ALL HAIL THE DEADLIFT KING OF CPC: 531LBS

Those of you who have been at our gym more than a few weeks will know that “Deadlift Day” is like Christmas morning around these parts.  Why is the deadlift such a key component to our CrossFit programming?  As the good prophet Mark Rippetoe states:

“The deadlift is more functional in that it’s very hard to imagine a more useful application of strength than picking heavy shit up off the ground.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself.  Thanks Rip.

~Malzone

Today’s Workout:

5 Rounds For Time:

5 Press (95#/65#)

10 Push Press (95#/65#)

15 Push Jerk (95#/65#)

CrossFitters' Interpretation of the classic "Tea Party"

On Saturday afternoon, a brave group of CrossFitters threw caution to the wind and jumped into the deep blue abyss known as Los Banos pool in Santa Barbara, CA.  Our first H20 Seminar was a blast!  We worked on the basics of flotation and treading water as well as the finer points of swim stroke technique.  I witnessed some drastic improvements over a short period of time and provided numerous drills that will lead to efficient and fast swimming. 

So the big question here is…can Zombies swim? Well, my research has been inconclusive thus far.  But, what we do know is that A-Train, Keala, Lauren, Phil, Fielding, Jason, Justin, Zeb, Sean, and Diso can now feel that much more confident while anticipating the inevitable Zombie Apocalypse!

~Malzone

Today’s Workout:

 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 reps for time of:

Power Snatch (115#/75#)

Overhead Squat (115#/75#)

(10 PS, 10 OHS, 9 PS, 9 OHS, etc.)

Cabbage Rolls from the Cheeks!

Santa Barbara has some new cheeks and squeeks!  After a long day of moving and week of transition, our very own Alyssa ”A-Train” Dazet is finally here and getting settled in the Central Coast.  Although she’s recently had her whole world turned upside down, we’re confident that we CPC’ers will help Alyssa feel welcome here in Santa Barbara.  If you see A-Train, give her a big hug and welcome her to the family please.  Feel free to ask her any questions about Paleo friendly cooking and deadlifting – her two favorite topics.  Fresh from the Sweet Cheeks kitchen, enjoy some Cabbage Rolls.

Cabbage Rolls

1 bunch of large cabbage leaves
2 lbs ground beef
2 onions, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 – 14 ounce can sauerkraut, drained
1 – 6 ounce can tomato paste
3 cups water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil cabbage leaves for 3-5 minutes, just until soft enough to roll without ripping. Place 3-4 leaves in the bottom of a 9″ X 13″ baking pan. I used the smaller ones for this and left the bigger ones for rolling.

Brown the ground beef, onion, salt and pepper. Then roll a small amount of beef mixture into each cabbage leaf. You roll this the same way you roll a wrap sandwich or kinda like how you wrap up a present. I put a spoonful-ish of the beef mixture on one end of the leaf, fold over each side and then rolllllll it up!

Place the rolls on top of the cabbage leaves in the pan. Then sprinkle garlic over the top, cover with sauerkraut and cover everything with any remaining cabbage leaves. Mix the tomato paste with water and pour over the entire dish.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until tender when pricked with a fork.

Enjoy!

Today’s Workout:
“Fight Gone Tabata”
1 Full Tabata Set (8 x 20 seconds of work/ 10 seconds of rest) of:
Box Jumps (20″/18″)
Push Press (75#/55#)
Row for Calories
Wall Balls (20″/14″)
Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (75#/55#)
1 Minute rest between movements.

The Hook Grip.

Who likes the hook grip?  When I first learned this grip a few years ago I swore that I’d never use it since it all that it seemed to do was hurt my poor little thumb.  However, after talking to more and more serious lifters and reading about the benefits of using it I converted.  Yes, the first few weeks weren’t that much fun and my thumb hurt a lot!  Now though, I can’t think of a better grip to use, especially when taking weight from the floor and when doing cleans – where in the past I’d have the bar fly right out of my hand when my grip got tired.  We can’t recommend this tool highly enough.  The hook grip – use it. 

Check out this quote from Jim Schmitz of www.ironmind.com on the hook grip and a little bit of the history of its use. 

“The hook grip is where you push the palm of your hand tight against the bar, grab the bar by wrapping your thumb around it, and then grasp your thumb and the bar tightly with your fingers.  Most people can grab the thumb with the first two fingers while their other two fingers directly grab the bar.  This technique really helps you lift more weight off the platform, especially when you accelerate for the second pull.  The hook grip is the best grip you can have without using straps.

I don’t know who first used the hook grip, but I asked Tommy Kono—Olympic weightlifting champion in 1952 and 1956 and silver medalist in 1960—when he learned about the hook grip, and he said he used it in 1948 when he took up weightlifting.  He said he read about it in a book or magazine.  I’ve asked many other weightlifters who have been around for a long time, and they all said they don’t know who was the first person to use it, but that someone showed them and they usually can’t remember who it was.  I know I learned it in 1966 from Walt Gioseffi, many-time California state champion and record holder in the 1960s.” 

Today’s Workout:
”Karen”
150 Wallball Shots for time.  (20#/14#)

What’s going on this Saturday?  Well, there’re two very important events taking place.  First, our friends at Paradiso CrossFit and CrossFit Goodland will be coming down to take part in a Box Jump – and we’re hosting!  We’ll be throwing a big team workout at 10am that everyone is welcome to (this will be the only class of the day) and we hope you’ll all take part in.  The CrossFit community is second to none and this is a great way to meet some new friends – really cool people that you will be seeing for a long time to come at events and competitions.

Secondly, our H20 Seminar is taking place Saturday at 3pm at Los Banos pool and we still have a few spots left on the roster if you’re on the fence.  Hopefully, yesterday’s video showed you a few of the drills that you’ll be learning this weekend.  Saturday is going to be awesome and we look forward to seeing you all here! 

Today’s Workout:
5 Rounds For Time:
5 Deadlifts (275#/165#)
10 Burpees

CrossFit Pacific Coast: Swimming Drills from Crossfit Pacific Coast on Vimeo.

Check out these two great swimming drills hosted by our very own Eric Malzone!  Both of these drills will increase your efficiency and speed in the water, allowing you to swim further while expending less energy.  Want to learn more?  Come to our H2O seminar this Saturday at Los Banos Pool.

Today’s Workout:
6 Rounds for Time of 10 Unbroken Box Jumps (touch and go)
30 seconds rest between rounds.

Followed by AMRAP 15
4 Handstand Push Ups
10 KB Cleans Right Arm
10 KB Cleans Left Arm

A man and his paralette...

Eric gave a great class on Saturday, breaking down why so many of us run the way that we do and the injuries that are common from doing so.  We ran through a series of drills and by the end of the class you could already see a change in the way that everyone ran. 

If you’re considering making the move from a big squishy running shoe to a pair of Veebrams or going barefoot all together, here’re some tips from a recent Yahoo article.

If you’re thinking about shedding your shoes, consider these guidelines:

1. Barefoot training is not for people who are just starting to run or returning from a long layoff—it’s something to slowly incorporate into an existing running regimen.
2. If you have persistent or serious foot problems, consult your podiatrist first.
3. Ease in slowly. Paul advises starting with a few minutes on a flat, relatively forgiving surface once a week. Grassy fields, smooth roads, and soft trails qualify. Running on sand might be tempting, but barefooting newbies should stick to wet sand at first as the unstable soft stuff puts a lot of torque on your joints and is much harder to run on.
4. Listen to your body. “Barefoot Ken Bob” Saxton, founder of runningbarefoot.org and finisher of more than 70 barefoot marathons, says, “Luckily, your feet are sensitive, which is a good thing. Listen to them and they’ll keep you from doing something stupid.”

Today’s Workout:
3-3-3-3-3 Push Press
Followed by
4 x 400 M Run with 2 minute rest between them.

Bowers and Otsen enduring 90 seconds of sprinting!

What makes the difference between a good CrossFitter and a great one? Is it size, strength, speed or stamina? All of those are great attributes to have, but if I could put my finger on just one it would have to be skill. I’ve seen hundreds of guys in this sport that look like they were cut straight out of stone – 6 feet tall, 195 pounds, 4-5% bodyfat – and they’re getting crushed in competitions by guys half of their size. Is the smaller athlete just a freak of strength and stamina? Maybe, but more likely what is going on is that the smaller athlete has a far better skill level.
How much time are you spending on your skills? Do you practice double unders before and after workouts? If you get here early do you do sets of snatches with PVC? How well would you do in a competition if one of the movements was for you to walk on your hands for a certain distance?
Rest days are great, EVERYBODY needs them. Skill days are equally as important though – days or hours when you simply work on your skills with little to no weight. We all have weaknesses and I’d bet that the majority of them are skill based. Don’t forget the order of importance when learning athletically – skill first, then comes speed and intensity.

Today’s Workout:
Deadlift 3-3-3-1-1-1

Kate powering through WOD #2 at the Clash!!

Seth Godin writes a great blog that I check daily.  It’s filled with useful business ideas and his take on the world is also quite interesting.  Here’s a snippet of one that I really liked.  If you enjoy it, please check Seth’s blog HERE.

“Momentum is incredibly useful to someone who has to overcome fear, dig in deep and ship. Momentum gives you a reason to overcome your fear and do your art, because there are outside forces and obligations that keep you moving. Without them, you’d probably stumble and fall.
And yet…
And yet many of us fear too much momentum. We look at a project launch or a job or another new commitment as something that might get out of control. It’s one thing to be a folk singer playing to a hundred people a night in a coffeehouse, but what if the momentum builds and you become a star? A rock star? With an entourage and appearances and higher than high expectations for your next work. That’s a lot of momentum, no?
Deep down, this potential for an overwhelming response alerts the lizard brain and we hold back. We’re afraid of being part of something that feels like it might be too big for us.
Hint: it probably isn’t.”

Today’s Workout:
“Angie”
100 Pull Ups
100 Push Ups
100 Sit Ups
100 Squats
For time of course..

KJ - killing the front squat!! (I love her elbows)

What supplements do you take personally?  This is a question that Eric, Jeff and I get all of the time.  Although I can’t speak for them, after years of experimenting with just about everything that GNC sells, I’m back to basics.  I take a packet of Emergency every morning with breakfast to get an extra dose of Vitamin C as well as our SFH fish oil (chocolate preferred) and protein powder after a workout.  That’s it. 
Yes, I will make herbal formulas if I feel a cold coming on or have been around a lot of sick patients but to be honest, the above listed combo has kept me far healthier than I ever imagined considering how much exercise I’m doing and how many sick people I’m in contact with on almost a daily basis.  If I had to choose only one “supplement” to take every day it would be a no-brainer, and that’s the fish oil.  How much fish oil should you all be taking?  Great question.  Check out this FISH OIL CALCULATOR that Paleo Pioneer Robb Wolf put together for us.  It’s a great resource and something that you should all be familiar with. 

Today’s Workout:
Overhead Squat:
3-3-3-3-3

Followed by:
AMRAP 12
100 M Run
10 KB Swings
5 Burpees