There are under 2 weeks left to register for CrossFit Ventura’s Second Annual “Battle of the Boxes” Team Challenge that will be held on Saturday, November 13th. There are still spots available, so gather your team and register by CLICKING HERE. We’ve included details below about the competition. See see action from last year’s team competition, check out this VIDEO. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at info@crossfitventura.com or by phone at (949) 290-6926. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Affiliate teams will be made up of 4 athletes (2 men and 2 women) who train at the same affiliate. Affiliates can register as many 4-person teams as they want. The day will include three (3) Team WODs (TBA the week prior) that can be scaled if needed. If, after forming your teams, you have 1-3 athletes who would like to compete, but can’t find a 4th member, send me an email with their first and last name and we will put them on a list to form a “Hybrid” team. We will be limiting the number of participating teams to 24 total teams. Each team member of the winning team who performs all 3 workouts as prescribed, will win spectator tickets to next year’s CrossFit Sectional Qualifier.   
 
As you all know, the potlucks are always a HUGE success at our competitions, so we will have another potluck after this event. Each affiliate is responsible for coordinating a potluck of their choice to be shared with everyone at the event. CFV will provide the grill and keg of course!
 
So what should you do???
 
Each individual team should elect a “team captain.” The “team captain” should then pay for & register his/her team by CLICKING HERE (it is up to the “team captain” to collect the $$$ for his/her team). The cost for the event is $80 per team. The deadline to register for this event is Sunday, November 7th. THERE WILL BE NO TEAMS ACCEPTED AFTER NOVEMBER 7TH. After the “team captain” has paid for and registered his/her team, he/she will then need to email us the first and last names of every person on their individual team along with the team’s designated “team name” by Sunday, November 7th 11:59 p.m PST. TEAM MEMBERS CANNOT BE CHANGED AFTER NOVEMBER 7TH. 
 
Friends and family are also welcome to observe and cheer!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:
10 Rounds for Time:
15 Deadlifts (135#/95#)
15 Push Ups

Campbell proving that push ups are a great bodyweight exercise...of sorts.

I found this the other day and of course as a health practitioner and someone that makes a living in the fitness industry, was appalled as usual.  This is an incredibly good read on just why the situation in our country is what it is.  (And it’s really not good.  Santa Barbara is not the best representation of the U.S.)  Who every thought that companies producing the highest rates of disease causing food would have an input into the ADA?
Here’s a snippet of the ARTICLE for you.

“Latest figures confirm the ridiculous: three out of four of you (Americans – tb) will be ‘overweight or obese’ by 2020. To gauge perspective: there are now more ‘fat’ people than ‘white’ people in America. Perhaps our bigots of the future will swing their hatred away from ‘race’ to the slim and healthy.
The shrinking minority are, indeed, the shrinking minority.
Stupid? Welcome to a population who know less about what they put into their mouths than they do about, well, take your pick…celebrities or cars or American Idol or iPhones? Animals have the intelligence to know what to eat and to never get fat (except the ones fed by humans). Yet that simple challenge, gaining nourishment without destroying the body, is beyond your capabilities?”

Please read the whole thing, forward to anyone you think might be interested and post your thoughts to comments.

Today’s Workout:
1,000 M Row for Time
7 Minutes Rest
Followed by:
21-15-9
Thrusters (95#/65#)
Ring Dips

Broken neck? No problem.

Take a look at the above photo folks; it’s a great illustrator of a concept that we have embraced in the CrossFit community.  “Do what you can.” Phil has some severe limitations placed on him physically at the moment.  He can’t do much Olympic Lifting, cant do pull ups or gymnastics, can’t run, burpee, overhead squat, do muscle ups etc etc.  This list goes on and on of the things that Phil can’t do at the moment.  We don’t care about that list.  At all.  What we care about is the list of things that Phil can do within his limitation.  He can do a lot of lunges, a lot of bodyweight squats, flutter kicks and other movements. 
If you are injured then it is prudent to everything in your power to heal that injury.  That might mean that you take time off completely or, like Phil, you stay active with the community and just do what you can.  

Today’s Workout:
3 Rounds of:
5 Minutes Max Handstand Pushups
2 Minutes Max Pull Ups
1 Minute Max Squats
1 Minute Rest

The weighted sit up - a favorite of Danette!

   
  How many of you have heard this from us?  Go slower to go faster.  If you have it was most likely during double unders or the first round of Fran.  It’s an mind bottling concept is it not?  Eric was the first one to tell me this during a workout that had a ton of double unders in it and it makes perfect sense. Missing a double under costs you a lot more time than taking a fraction of a second off of each individual rep – and making the rep.
   One of the differences between a beginning CrossFitter and an advanced one is that the advance CrossFitter knows when to push and when to hold back.  “Wait, what?!  We’re not supposed to go completely apeshit from the beginning of the workout until the end of it?!  I thought this was CrossFit.” (if Fielding had internet access his head would have just exploded.)  Don’t confuse effort with timing.  Effort is great, but correct timing is better.  If the goal of the workout is get through it as fast as possible, then anything that slows you down, even “too much effort” is a detriment. 
    Next time you have a multi-round workout, try to spend the first round as relaxed as possible and see what happens.  Have thoughts on going slower to go faster?  Please post to comments.

 Today’s Workout:
Snatch Deadlift:  (up to 115% of 1RM Snatch)
3-3-3
Hang Squat Snatch
3-3-3
Overhead Squat
3-3-3

Coach Takano and his crew of merry CPC'ers.

With 35 years of experience under his belt, I tend to listen when Coach Takano speaks about Olympic Lifting.  This Saturday we were extremely fortunate to have one of the country’s best coaches right here in our own little gym, giving us tips on our snatches and clean and jerks. 
We learned about the value of a good rack, about genetic conditions, about who needs dance lessons and who needs to just get stronger.  More importantly, I think that everyone walked away with a heightened understanding of the nuances of the Olympic Lifts and specific areas of their lifts that they can improve.  For me it was invaluable and from the feedback that we’ve gotten so far, I wasn’t alone.
Thank you very much to Coach Takano who took time away from his own athletes to come up to CPC and lend us a hand.  For those of you that weren’t able to make it, keep an eye out.  We will definitely have Coach T up here again and hope that all of you will be able to take advantage of this incredible opportunity.  Those who were in attendance, please post your thoughts on the day to the comment section.

Today’s Workout:
Front Squats (135#/95#)
Knees to Elbows
12 – 1
1 – 12
(Round 1 = 12 Front Squats, 1 K2E)
(Round 2 = 11 Front Squats, 2 K2E’s)

…and some days you’re the statue.  Please post to comments anything that you see wrong within this video. (Claw can you translate for us?)

Today’s Workout:
Find your Thruster 1RM in 20 Minutes
Followed by
Within 5 Minutes:
Perform a 500 M Row and then do
Max Knees to Elbows in the remainder of the 5 Minutes

When Savannah first walked through our doors, we’d only been open for a few months and came face to face with a new situation when she asked about our program – and then asked the biggie, “Will you need to get my Mom’s signature on this form – I’m only 17.”
The room went ever so slightly silent as Eric and I pondered an answer.  We’d never had someone under 18 as a member before and weren’t really sure what to do.  I specifically remember asking Eric after Savannah left if training someone that young was something that we wanted to undertake at that point.  His answer said it all, “Well, she had the stones to walk in here off of the street and give it a shot, so there’s something to her.  I would never have done that at 17.”  He was right, there was something to her.
For the next few months we didn’t really see or hear that much from Savannah, she spent most of her free time here at the gym hanging our with River in the locker room and keeping to herself…but then something happened.
Slowly, Savannah came out of her shell and started peppering us with questions.  How can I make myself better, faster, and stronger?  How can I change my nutrition?
Instead of hanging out with River she was hanging out with the group although I’m sure it’s not easy being the only one who doesn’t know who Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd are.  It’s not easy being the only one that can’t meet at Union Ale for a cold one.  It’s not easy being 17 in a gym full of people in their late 20’s and 30’s. 
That being said, nothing that is worthwhile is easy and Savannah has proven, not only to herself, but to us as well that her training has been worthwhile.  She’s been in the top spot at the end of the day for a number of the workouts and has become an integral part of our little community.

Savannah, today we raise our non-alcoholic glasses and toast to you!  Congratulations on all of your success – on all of the progress that you’ve made here with us and at Brooks.  We look forward to watching you continue to develop both as an athlete and a photographer.  Salut.

Today’s Workout:
5-5-5 Weighted Push Ups
Followed by:
3 Rounds For Time of:
10 Hang Power Cleans (135#/95#)
20 Push Ups
30 Sit Ups
40 Squats

I loved this list the first time that I read it as it speaks truly about CrossFit and women.  The battle wages on for us as promoters of this great sport as Eric, Jeff and I would like to reiterate for all of you ladies out there who are on the fence about whether or not start a CrossFit program, “You will not wake up one morning with 50 lbs of extra muscle that was not there the night before and no idea of how it got there.  I’m still waiting for this phenomenon to happen for myself and so far after a number of years, it has yet to work out for me.  You are correct though, walking on a treadmill and doing step aerobics will definitely keep you safe from any major bodily changes in either direction.  But hey, some people were simply born to make manifest the beauty of plain old mediocrity.  CrossFit women were not.”  

 Today’s Workout:
”Nicole”
AMRAP 20 Min
400 M Run
Max Pull Ups

Augie pulling for dear life!

What do you like to eat before a workout?  Got this question yesterday by one of our 7am’ers and I had to think about it.  When I was a die-hard 6am, my pre-WOD meal consisted of a glass of NO-Explode (and the 7 subsequent trips to the bathroom) and half of a Balance bar since that was about all that I could keep down at that hour. 
Nowadays, before our 7:30am Saturday workouts both Eric and I will have 2 eggs and some fruit and that’s about it.  We’ll usually eat at about 6:45am and that’s not really enough time to let all of that food digest.
There’re a million theories on what to eat, if at all, before a workout.  My rule of thumb is this, especially for you early morning people – eat something.  Yep, just make sure that you have something in your system before you come in.  If you’re working out in the later part of the day, then yes, about an hour before the workout I’d recommend a small meal consisting of the trifecta – protein, fat and some carbs (preferably from veggies).  If all that you can get down is a protein shake, so be it.  If it’s an apple on the drive from work, that’s ok too.  What we don’t want to hear past noon, ever, is “I haven’t eaten all day.”  If so, please go home and eat and come back for a later workout. 

There’s no “official right answer” on this one, so please post what you like to eat before your workout to the comments section.  

Today’s Workout:
Snatch Practice 10 Minutes (no giggling)
Followed by:
1 Deadlift (75% of your 1 Rep Max) every 20 seconds for 10 minutes.

Take a look at this really unique video matching up competitors.  It’s a great way to compare styles.  This is the last week to sign up for Coach Takano’s Olympic Weightlifting seminar this Saturday, as well as the time that we open up the roster to members from other gyms.  Get signed up folks, it’s an afternoon that you don’t want to miss.

Today’s Workout:
AMRAP 5 Min:
10 Pull Ups
10 KB Swings
5 Minutes Rest
AMRAP 5
8 Squat Cleans (95#/65#)
8 Push Presses (95#/65#)
7 Minutes Rest
700 M Run (Beach and Back)