A great read that is similar to the BSF way of thinking!

Bench Row

OHS practice with kettlebells
Find 1 RM Bench


WOD
3 rounds
30 reps at 65%1RM Bench Press
500m row

time component not as important as trying for an unbroken set of 30 and high intensity on 500m row(within 15secs of PB)

Presses Plus

Warm Up

Handstand practice, Lsit Practice and dips

Press 5-3-1

Max effort body Row x 3

3x 400m sprint.

Cool Down

Dubious Main Page rep scheme

1-10-1-20-1-30

Warm up wil progressive warm up o first attempt.
then
I took the guys through 1@95%, 10@ 70%,1@90%,20@ 60%, 1@ 85%, 30@ 50%

The singles looked a little easy so when I did it after they left I worked up to a 1 RM
1@100%,10@ 70%,1@95%,20@ 60%, 1@ 95%, 30@ 50% This was hard and felt good.

WRT rep schemes etc I fel you cant really honestly comment on them unless you have tried them so we gave it a hit. The singles really put the endurance sets into perspective ie. the drastic contrast made the long set feel pretty easy until you were at least half way.

Great session.

'Rach'

5 Rounds
Max reps Swing (american)
Max reps Double Unders

Rest 2 mins from last finisher

Score unbroken sets but do at least 20 reps each round

Rest Boxing Day

Today is a chill out day. But I might go for a five fingered jog as I have some serious panetone to burn off.

Tomorrow at 3PM will be a WOD Glen is in :)

I am pretty Keen to try Scotty A's "Rachel' 5 rounds of max swings,max double unders.

But I am open to requests.

A 12 days of christmas variant.

For the first round of christmas a trainer gave to me 12 Stinking Squats.

For the second round of christmas a trainer gave to me 12 Stinking Squats and 11 sucky Sit ups.

For the third round of christmas a trainer gave to me 12 Stinking Squats, 11 Sucky Sit ups and 10 Pesky Push ups

For the fourth round of christmas a trainer gave to me 12 Stinking Squats, 11 Sucky Sit ups, 10 Pesky Push ups and 9 bo-dy rows.

For the fifth round of christmas a trainer gave to me 12 Stinking Squats, 11 Sucky Sit ups, 10 Pesky Push ups, 9 body rows and 8 Double unders.

For the sixth round of christmas a trainer gave to me 12 Stinking Squats, 11 Sucky Sit ups, 10 Pesky Push ups, 9 body rows ,8 Double unders and 7 walking lunges.

For the seventh round of christmas a trainer gave to me 12 Stinking Squats, 11 Sucky Sit ups, 10 Pesky Push ups, 9 body rows ,8 Double unders, 7 walking lunges and 6 knees to elbows.

For the eighth round of christmas a trainer gave to me 12 Stinking Squats, 11 Sucky Sit ups, 10 Pesky Push ups, 9 body rows ,8 Double unders, 7 walking lunges,6 knees to elbows and 5 bloody burpees.

For the ninth round of christmas a trainer gave to me 12 Stinking Squats, 11 Sucky Sit ups, 10 Pesky Push ups, 9 body rows ,8 Double unders, 7 walking lunges,6 knees to elbows,5 bloody burpees and 4 putrid pull ups.

For the tenth round of christmas a trainer gave to me 12 Stinking Squats, 11 Sucky Sit ups, 10 Pesky Push ups, 9 body rows ,8 Double unders, 7 walking lunges,6 knees to elbows,5 bloody burpees,4 putrid pull ups and 3 Big Box Jumps.

For the eleventh round of christmas a trainer gave to me 12 Stinking Squats, 11 Sucky Sit ups, 10 Pesky Push ups, 9 body rows ,8 Double unders, 7 walking lunges,6 knees to elbows,5 bloody burpees,4 putrid pull ups,3 Big Box Jumps and 2 Hand Stand Holds.

For the twelfth round of christmas a trainer gave to me 12 Stinking Squats, 11 Sucky Sit ups, 10 Pesky Push ups, 9 body rows ,8 Double unders, 7 walking lunges,6 knees to elbows,5 bloody burpees,4 putrid pull ups,3 Big Box Jumps, 2 Hand Stand Holds and 1 800m run.

Cyclic low carb

When on a very low or low carb diet, and depending how adapted to it you are and what type of training you are doing, a cyclic low carb protocol may fit slightly better.

This is simply following your standard low carb diet for which you feel comfertable with, and keeping on this for around 4-7 days. At whatever time at the end of the cycle you start getting real craving for some carbs (not just because you saw a piece of cake in the fridge), you feel really down or low on energy, you have a top up. This is not really a cheat meal and shouldnt be looked at as such or you will just choose all the wrong foods. This is a higher carb day in which you can add more starch and fruits/veges to your meals for the whole day. Keep the options paleo (its NOT a cheat) or you will wind up feeling worse than before with the resulting insulin spike. This can reload your muscles and liver with glycogen and keep you going for another week or so. The exact amount is again going to depend on you and your carb tolerance. What works for one person may be to much for another and just make them drowsy and bloated. Work on around 200-300g total carbs for that day (smaller peaple at lower end of scale) and see how it goes. If you feel better the next day and can continue to work out at a good intensity then keep around that same amount or even try a bit more. If you simply feel bloated, tired and wake up starving the next day then it was to much.
This would easily replicate low carb periods of hunter gatherers with bursts of carb up days when finding a stash of fresh fruit or tubers.

This isnt for everyone and is simply another tool you can use to make YOUR diet work for YOU. Those with a large training volume/intensity or stressful days plus working out may find this useful.

Brett LOVES this idea as it gives him a chance to smash the pasta at the wog-fest every week :-). BSF is flying now!

Happy Christmas all, and remember: a whole turkey/ham (inc' skin) is still low carb paleo

Deads

Warm Up

Max effort 500m Row x 1

3x3 dead lifts

Work out
15 - 12 - 9 - 6 Heavy Swings
15 metre sprint
30 - 24 - 18 - 12 Sit Ups

So it is 15 Swings short sprint, 30 sit ups,short sprint 12 swings short sprint 24 sit ups and so on until done.

22 Dec 09

Warm Up

Hand stand practice

Presses 3x3

For time: 5 Rope climb ascents and 75 Push ups
All partitioning structures are viable ie. 1 rope climb 20 push ups or max push ups 1 rope climb 5 times and then do the balance or 75 push ups and then 5 rope climbs - the possibilities are endless.

Monday at BSF

Warm Up

Front Squats

Strict Chins

AMRAP in 9 mins

5 Bar Dips
7 Body Rows
9 Box Jumps

The Last Sunday before Christmas

Glen are you in? 3PM at mine.

Pre workout eating

Depending when you usually do your workout, some time may have passed since you last ate, and if you work out in the morning, it could be around 10 hours or so ago. That said, the need to eat before a workout is extremely individual, and what to actually eat is just as personal.

From the top I would initially recommend not eating before a morning work out. This is a natural status and actually promotes heightened senses and work capacity (so you can catch that meal!). Not eating in the morning and working out means your insulin levels are going to be at their lowest, and fat release for energy will be in full swing. This will also enhance the Growth Hormone (GH) effect of the workout. Being able to do this however will depend on your daily diet ie, low carb, high fat, paleo?? Give it a try one morning and see how you go, you may need to add a bit of extra fat to your meal the night before to keep you going.

If you cant possibly train properly without having something to eat (and you have tried to do so) then there's a few things you can try. Firstly have a bit of fat to give you some calories in the stomach. This can be nuts, nut butter, avocado, coconut. This will keep insulin down and keep the body relying on fat for energy. A bit of protein in the mix may help, but just watch the insulin reaction from the protein (around 5-15gm and no dairy). This can be from an egg, left over meats, or protein powder if need be.

Lastly for harder sessions or competitions, or if you have tried everything else, throw in some carbs. This should be basic, easy to digest stuff such as fruit, mashed sweet potato, or pre-cooked left overs. Again keep the amount low, up to a whole apple or half a large banana. Promoting digestion and raising insulin increases stimulation from the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS- 'rest & digest') and reduces the body's ability to perform physically.

As I said at the start, this is very individual and you will simply have to make small changes and see what works for you. Follow a snack idea for a week, seeing how it affects your performance through out that time with the different WOD's that come up. If you felt worse than before, go back and try something else. Make sure you have finished eating around 30 min before your workout to at least give you body a chance to digest the simple items you had. Even just having a small handful of nuts 5 min before the workout may affect you as the whole sensation of eating (look, feel, taste, chewing etc…) will stimulate the PNS, digestion and insulin.

----------------------------------------

I like the idea of doing a nutrition talk some time in January. Thinking of covering the basics of paleo/low carb and why, to give all BSF, CFNQ, Spartan, & any other interested parties a heads up on what they can do to improve health and performance while training. Will be a good place to introduce Primal Plate to the world! What do you think?

'Shitty diet will cock block fat loss straight out of the gate'

If you want to look good nekkid you need to clean up your diet.

I recommend anyone training here should make an appointment to see Steve Berry at Primal Plate to help him clean up their diet.

Train to get fitter and be able to do stuff.I can help with that.

Eat well to lose weight and stay healthy for the rest of your life.

Please understand that no amount of beating the piss out of yourself with exercise will undo the poor food choices you make. I battle with this one constantly.

Food for thought.

Sun/Mon WOD

Sun Crew

5 rounds
200m Run
12 Thrusters 50kg
12 Pull Ups C2B

Mon Crew

5 rounds
200m Run
12 DB Thrusters 10kg/7.5kg
9 Pull ups

10 - 15min range.

So we are are up and running!

Business cards are on their way I think they look cool.

Chris is training Mon, Tue and Thurs with Errica and I at 6AM, I am taking Monday night, Wed morning, wed arvo and the odd friday morning at CFNQ.

And tonight I introduce a bit of Brock St to the girls from Spartan Physical Training Institute.

Dude coming this morning to cut concrete in the laundry/bathroom so it is on like Donkey Kong!

What I am UP to :)

Brock Street is up and running as a Personal Training/very small groups (still working out the best numbers).

I will be collaborating with Spartan Physical Training Institute to give some of their crew a bit more of a strength bias.

I will be moonlighting as a trainer again at CFNQ especially when there are some larger groups that want to train or tall blokes that want to jerk.

Exciting times and lots of training with people

Pat Barber instructing butterfly pullups.MOV

Me hanging with the Manimal from Santa Cruz

Brock Street’s Back Alright!!(sung to Backstreet boys tune)

Brock St is officially open for business here is the scoop –

Cost: $10 per person per session

Payment via cash into an honesty box (keep track of yourself) located in the garage.
First month is free! If you don’t like it after a month then vote with your feet but please give me a month.
Talk to me on this, I would rather people were training than missing a day because of cash issues.

FYI Cost is to cover the following costs:

Insurance, registration and continuing education
CrossFit Affiliation (as soon as income justifies it)
Another Rower and GHD

Service: Small group sessions of no more than 5 people. I will try to put similarly advance individuals in with each other.
I may train in with the group depending on the level of supervision required, the size of the group and the equipment required. My workout will be second to the delivery of the service – I promise.
I will film the group and may post images or footage on my blog. YOU must let me know if you are not cool with this so I can avoid posting you.

Disclosure: Let me know at every session what injuries you have especially if they are new. Initially I will need to know about old injuries too but I will eventually get to know you and your limitations.

I am able to work around your injuries provided I know about them.

Method: I am a massive fan of the concept of “Mechanics, Consistency, Intensity”
To that end you may have to work out with nothing more than a broomstick until your mechanics are consistently good – then we will add intensity via weight and speed.

I want to increase your work capacity and make you fitter. Please don’t expect me to use body fat scales or do bicep curls. With increases in fitness the body composition issues will sort themselves out as you get fitter – trust me.

Every weekday session will be an individualised training stimulus session while weekend sessions are a chance to compete either at CFNQ on a Saturday morning or at BSF on Sunday.


Brock St on Sundays: Nothing Changes – it is free but the honesty box will be out if anyone wants to donate 5 – 10 dollars they are welcome. Essentially I want people to come and have a fun hit out against likeminded crew.

Quality Control: Let me know if you don’t like something, please. I am keen to discuss anything about the way that I train you eg. “Stop teasing me about my haircut”, “Get some more bumpers” “The warm up is boring” I need to know what is going on in your head.

Brockstfitness.blogspot.com: Please check out and chat on the blog it will help keep you connected with what is happening under the house. Steve Berry of Primal Plate posts there so there are some great nutrition articles and he is a great resource.

My Commitment: Basically while I am committed to getting anyone who trains with me results I am also a full time employee at the university. Sessions will for the most part be early morning and late afternoon/evening. Ideally when this bad boy takes off it will be a full time gig and we will all have a gym to play in all day every day.

If all of the above is to your liking I look forward to receiving emails and phone calls to organise training times please pass this info on to anyone who may be interested.

Brett Fforde
0416014607
brett.fforde@jcu.edu.au

Brock St is back - WODs from the Weekend

I was away at the O Lifting Cert with Coach Burgener on the weekend, it was really good(wasn't it Robin). Now I am hooked on Weightlifting again!

While I was a way Errica smashed out some WODs:


Saturday, 28 November:
7 rounds:
10 deadlifts
10 burpees

Errica: 15.33
Sarah: 17:36

________________

Sunday, 29 November:
For time: (I got this deadly workout from Southern Cross CF) 500 mtr row 10 Pullups 20 Pushups 30 GHD situps 40 Squats

Errica: 7.10
Chris: 7.25

This week we are cracking on with BSF taking people on as clients stay tuned for more details!

Been busy & new direction

I have been flat out with 2nd work at the moment but I am officially half way!!

I can't wait for December as Brock St will look to grow members at a rate of one per month. December is covered and is the pilot month all things going to plan we will have 2 enrolled in Jan.

Slow and steady...

Stay tuned for more info.

Paleo Supplements

The subject of supplements could very well take all day to discuss as it's something that needs to be continually looked at with every new bit of info that comes out. From the start though, as a nutritionist and naturopath, I certainly do advocate the use of certain supplements for most people or for specific conditions.

Protein:
I'll start with the most basic supplement, and this was the point of the question anyway. Protein supp's are different in that it is a macro-nutrient (most are micro-nutrients) thus provides energy and Amino Acids that the body can use for… almost everything! The need for protein supp's depends on your daily diet however. While following a paleo diet you are more than likely getting enough protein from your meat/egg/cheese (if applicable) intake. Use the zone block calculations to get roughly the amount of protein you should be getting per day, slightly more than this will be fine. Amino acids (AA's) then work in a cyclic fashion around the body much like fat, while some proteins are being built, others are being broken down or destroyed and the AA's taken back up to be re-used. So as long as you're daily protein needs are met by food somewhere along the course of the day you really don’t need extra protein shakes. When you are talking specifically about pre/post workout nutrition, Robb Wolf has done an awesome post on this so I won't repeat anything here, just read it HERE. Basically I would say that most people would be better either not eating straight after a WOD and having a meal within an hour or so, or having a protein + fat post-WOD shake. The other time I could see it put to good use is if you have to skip a meal or have fasted. You could use a protein supp to make up the missed protein either as a meal replacement, or if you are in a hurry or travelling, or between meals after a fast if you can't stomach all your flesh in that shorter time frame. I sometimes throw a little bit of vanilla protein (high quality whey) into my daughter's milk/yoghurt in the arvo if she hasn’t eaten enough through-out the day, but don’t tell her that…

Fish oil:
Been covered, but very important so I thought I'd just mention it again

Anti-oxidants:
Mentioned on the Grok doesn’t supplement article due to the free-radical scavenging effects, reducing oxidative damage. This is something I've been debating about for a while and probably for a while yet. While the theoretical benefits fit the physiological basis of how anti-oxidants work in our body, there is not a great deal of evidence to show supplementation works. A couple of studies show they are neutral or even damaging in the long run, ref HERE. The second study is by the Cochrane Collaboration which is a reputable independent foundation, and is a major Meta-Analysis of heaps of studies using anti-ox supplements. Just read the first few pages for the down low, ref HERE. Though for every study done that shows no benefit you could find one that shows it cures cancer (or similar). Remember that vege's contain a lot of other compounds, not just a few vitamins that we recognise.

There are a lot of opinions by biochemists/professors etc in the paleo field that say the body's own anti-ox system is very efficient and when you remove grains/vege-oil/sugar, increase N-3/vit D/sat fats, and reduce inflammation, that this is enough. Running predominantly on fat for fuel is also cleaner than using extra oxygen to burn carbs. Further on this new models are showing that certain amounts of free-radicals are protective and stimulate the body's anti-ox systems and other physiological effects.

Against that argument I believe that vege aren't what they used to be and don’t contain the amount of nutrients/anti-ox that they used to due to industrial farming/picking/storage/transport..etc. So a low dose anti-ox may be useful, such as a basic multi vit & min (broken in two over the day), some vit-C (.5-1gm), and zinc. I also try to get anti-ox from specific foods such as fresh tumeric, purple onions, garlic, chilli which we use regularly, and occasional green tea and very dark chocolate (80% or more).

Probiotics:
These are very useful and supplementation on occasion can help a lot of people. As stated on the article, grok ate a lot of dirt and with it a lot of bacteria. We live in a very hygiene obsessive environment with everything having to be perfectly sanitized, especially around kids. This doesn’t give kids/our immune systems a chance to fully develop a 'symbiotic relationship' with certain organisms. Even Helicobacter Pylori co-evolved with the human stomach and is thought to be an immune regulator. The gut flora is virtually a second immune system and weighs around 2kg worth of squizillions of bacteria with around 500 species. This plays a massive role in overall health and needs to be looked after, many peaple coming to a nutritionist or naturopath have gut problems. Eating fermented foods such as traditional set yoghurt, miso soup, tempeh (traditionally fermented soy), Kefir (fermented dairy), Sauerkraut (fermented cabbage), or other fermented vege's can all significantly improve gut bacteria numbers. On the other hand, courses of anti-biotic's, vomiting, diarrhoea, and excessive stress can kill the bacteria, and a standard high grain/carb diet doesn’t really help to increase numbers. Supplements can help here after a bout of illness/prescription drugs/physical or mental stress to replant the seeds to let bacteria re-populate the gut. Depending on the condition different strains will do different things, though a general supplement with a range of species can help most people.

Other supps:
There are plenty of other supplements that can help many people depending on their specific presentation such as iodine, Co-Q10, niacin, specific AA's, tissue salts and an array of herbs and their extracts. Vit D3 should be taken by most people as well, at around 2-5000iu per day. Personally I also take half a standard Calcium tablet and a Magnesium tab at night. Both to help regulate calcium balance on a low calcium diet, and for rest & recovery.

Paleo foods, snacking and ketosis:
Matt, this is a rather long topic as well so I'll be brief (the questions are little vague too); if you would like a bit more specific info on something, just ask.
Portion size and excess calories are still going to make a difference even on paleo foods. While following a low carb paleo approach you are going to be in a position of storing less fat and using more for energy, but CALORIES STILL COUNT. Even on very low carb you can still store fat if you are eating way too much food, though this is unlikely to happen due to the satiety factor of lower carb, higher fat diet. Snacking should not really be necessary if eating the right ratio of carbs:fat, as you should be relying on fat as your main source of energy throughout the day and so your meals should not give you a big rise then drop in blood sugar, making you hungry between meals. I would even recommend against it for a few reasons HERE in my zone post (2nd last paragraph).

Is being is a regular state of ketosis beneficial? I don’t think anyone actually knows the answer to that, however being in or near ketosis most of the time is clearly preferred by the body and is therapeutic to certain clinical conditions such as epilepsy. The heart and brain function more efficiently on ketones (ref HERE) and as stated above offers a cleaner fuel to the body than sugar. Keeping the carbs around 50gm/day or below you will pretty much be completely in ketosis, but from 50-150gm per day will still get you fat burning and ketone body production. I would recommend this to almost everyone, as a low carb state is what our bodies where designed for. Some people feel better with slightly more carbs and others with less, so it's up to the individual. The only thing that would change for a sedentary person to an athlete is the amount of total calories consumed, while the amount of carbs may vary slightly.

Have fun with that, bit of reading for everyone, I better get back to my work…

Sunday session at my place on Sunday -

we will do something from the recent daysof crossfit crew

Fish n Flax

Hey all, I'm back, though just a little bit dumber from attending yet another army course. Found all your questions so I'll hit them one at a time:

Quality:
Most fish oil in Australia is of a good purified quality. Though little in the way of contaminants such as heavy metals are going to be found in farmed fish oil supps, they are all screened anyway. The level of purification will then simply effect the amount of EPA/DHA per tablet. E.g your standard tab from the chemist has a total of 300mg EPA/DHA per 1000mg tablet, others can have up to 1100mg per tab, though these are more expensive. High quality oils from wild caught fish have more EPA/DHA and some vitamins such as A & D, and can be better tasting. Nordic Naturals is probably the best brand and comes from, Norway. It offers liquid oils which has 1375mg EPA/DHA per serve, and concentrated tablets. Other standard brands from the chemist/health food shop all seem to be fine.

Effect:
As discussed in the first fish oil post, there are a ton of effects which primarily boil down to the effect on eicosanoid production. Check the last post for a ref that briefly describes a whole list of proven effects. Are the effects significant? Well depends how you look at it, I would say that reducing chronic inflammation and therefore the main cause of many chronic diseases is very significant. But these are un-measurable to most people not in a lab, which is why, though popular, supping fish oil is still not completely mainstream nutrition. I can assure you the effects will be apparent over a period of time when less illnesses are present, reduced recovery and perhaps the most significant for performance is an increase in VO2 max, due to greater viscosity (or fluidity) of the blood.

As far as giving it to your young child, there is no harm in that at all. I give my 3 1/2 year old 2 tabs in the morning and 2 in the evening and have done so for over a year. She also likes tuna, smoked salmon and fish whenever we give it to her. For an infant still being breast fed, eating fish at other times and with the mother on fish oil, supping may not be necessary as breast milk contains a lot of N-3. Once feeds stop you can add 1-2 tabs per day.

Flax:
Using flax seeds as a source of N-3 is a bit of a tradition among nutritionists as it also contains some vitamins and minerals, as well as a bit of N-3. However if you are trying to reach the 1-3gm per day of EPA/DHA for just a maintenance dose, flax is not a good option. The N-3 in flax seed oil has shorter carbon chain than EPA or DHA. The process of turning these fatty acids into eicosanoids requires elongation of the chain among other changes. As the chain in flax seed oil is already shorter this severely restricts the conversion stages and very little of the N-3 actually ends up getting stored in the cells for eicosanoid usage later on. The conversion rate is around 6% total usage and women are slightly more efficient at the conversion than men, not enough to make a difference though (ref). The ration of N-3/6/9 in flax is unimportant in its usage; in fact, supplying N-6 with the N-3 will simply slow the conversion down even further. N-9 is mono-unsaturated fat (oleic acid, such as that in olive oil) and has no effect on the N-3:N-6 balance as it does not follow the same metabolic pathway. Remember we are trying to reduce N-6 as much as possible/practicable, and increase N-3 intake. There will always be ample N-6 in our diet as it is present in many foods, especially animal products (which we should be eating a lot of), so there is no danger of not getting enough N-6 at all.

Flax also turns rancid very quickly, so if you are going to use it, store the whole seeds in the fridge and only get out the amount you wish to use. Grind the seeds (in a coffee grinder or proceser) and use immediately. Pre-ground seeds from the shop are probably rancid already or will do as soon as you have opended the pack for a few days, try get those vacum sealed in a foil container from the health food shop. Store these in the fridge as well..

To help the fishy reflux try storing your fish oil tabs in the fridge and take the tablets half way through a meal (with not to much water). Or high quality liquid oil such as Nordic Naturals has a good rep for not having any aftertaste/repeating.

Allrighty, thanks for the questions, I have one of my own:
Trying to think up a good name for my nutrition business. I have a few options or any other contirbution would be great.
- Primal Plate
- Naturally Nutritious
- Evolution Nutrition

No Sunday Session this week

I am a bit stressed out over my November project and I am nursing a strained Rhomboid - Again.

Hopefully chuck up a session next week at my place.

Stinking Stopwatch

The stopwatch is without a doubt our greatest tool and greatest hurdle.

With it as a tool we can turn any workout into a measure of power.

For this same reason it can become a tremendous hurdle - short cuts, gaming, less than optimal technique appear due to the stopwatch in my opinion.

To that end it is important as an athlete(and as a coach) to remember Coach Glassman's basic tenet of Mechanics, Consistency, Intensity.

Crossfit Crew's program is helping me to rediscover intensity that I was starting to lose through gaming WODs to get better times, The programming schedules heaps of strength and rest which I think are vital to consistently good mechanics.

Yesterday I shaved nearly 3 mins of my Deadlift Burpee WOD time by focusing on making each and every deadlift solid(this was my metcon rest) and going continuously (at least that was the plan) on the burpees.

Still enjoying the experiment.

Crossfit Crew experiment

Today I did the 4th WOD as per Crossfit Crew's programming this is the start of a month long trial that I am confident I will enjoy for a number of reasons:

1. It is awesome to not do your own programming! I just log on find out the WOD and worry about where I am going to fit it into my busy day. This could be achieved by following .com too but I like crew's programming for the reasons below.
2. Ross Blake is really into his programming - I met him and he is passionate about making his program get the most for his athletes. This guys was a professional Triathlete for a number of years so has heaps of cred in my opinion.
3.He is inspired by OPTs programming which I always admired but never felt comfortable following.
4.Rosko's program seeks intensity as defined by time taken(average power), unbroken sets(periods of high power output followed by rest - interval training)and uses some proven strength and conditioning concepts like linear progression in strength an O lifts as well as Tempo training and super sets.
5.Unlike .com I like that the programmer is going to read the results I post to comments and be able to critique the WOD I did.

Check out Rosko's great WODs here. and reading them in conjunction with OPTs FAQ may help.

I am back lets hit up a Sunday session

This Sunday I have a plan kick off at 3PM -

Firstly movement prep : Dynamic ROM drills to get us ready to attack a session I am hoping everyone can contribute a favourite of their own..

Secondly Press comp : 3 attempts of max load over head with strict press

Last Metcon Race : 10 reps strict Pull ups,
10 rounds of;
- 1 Turkish get up Right hand
- 1 Bottom to Bottom Burpee
- 1 Turkish get up Left hand
- 1 Bottom to Bottom Burpee
10 reps strict Pull Ups
For Time!
Using a 16kg KB so if you could bring a 16 if you have one that would be cool as I only have 2 if you are bringing someone who goes lighter I only have one 12 and one 8.

Finish up with stretching and foam rolling and talking it up.

Fish oil supplements

Just a quick one, and thanks matt for the question

The amount of fish oil taken will, as usual, depend entirely on the individual's goals. By the way- when I refer to the amount of fish oil I mean EPA/DHA combined, meaning for the usual 1000mg fish oil tablet that contains 180mg EPA/120mg DHA this equals 300mg fish oil. Higher potency tablets or purified fish oil contains more EPA/DHA per 1000mg. The benefits of fish oil are well documented, and here is a good summery of a lot of study's from Pub Med.

For an overweight person on the average modern diet with metabolic syndrome may need to take upwards of around 10g fish oil per day (that’s around 33 standard tablets). This is purely from anecdotal clinical experience from the likes of Robb Wolf, Loren Cordain and others. This doesn’t mean it has no basis; 1000's of successful patients in place of clinical trials of this sort are a pretty good bet. This would have to be done at least over a few months to make a real difference to metabolism. The half-life or turn-over of N-6 fats in the cell is around 18-24 months, so permanent change in fat ratio, cell structure and metabolism can take a while. Some people may experience slight GI side effects from such large doses and so have to tone that down until they reach a point were symptoms disappear.

For a lean athlete with no signs of insulin resistance or other metabolic problems, a dose of 1-3g daily can be sufficient as a maintenance dose. This can be upped a few grams if suffering an injury or inflammatory condition. Dose also requires N-6 intake to be under tight control, as intake will compete for metabolism and storage in the cells against N-3. If you are not quite following paleo to the letter and your N-6 intake is a little high, you will need to increase fish oil intake to compensate.

Question for Steve Anyone?

Matt had some good ones, I have one - how much fish oil should we supp?

Come on keep him busy.

Its like a party!

I though I would post to get a few things out in the air about Sunday workouts at my place:

1. If you come it is to do a workout with some cool people chill out and then talk shit(I live for two way discussion on training and exercise - there is no right or wrong only different in my opinion).

2. It is not a structured class - I will decide the WOD but warming up and working weaknesses after is a free for all if you want to try something let me know my toys are there to be played with.

3. Most importantly don't spoil the fun of it for anyone else, it is not a structured class, crew may cheat - hang shit on them if you think you can do it in a friendly way, or help them out if they ask you to.

So basically there are no trainers/trainees everyone just turns up and has a crack - for FUN :)

These are my rules, not previously laid down so now it is done.

Sunday at 3PM

Run Squat WOD as seen here will be the order of the day tomorrow at 3PM.

It will probably be hot! You are warned!

Berry highlighted an excellent post to me found here this is in my/our(taking a bit of liberty here Steve) opinion the way to eat for optimal performance and health if you are a non athlete who does CrossFit because he/she enjoys the competition and wants to stay fit and healthy.

Now we just need a similar post from Steve showing what he eats in Tvl to achieve the same effect.

See yall tomorrow :)

WOD at my place at 3PM

We will have a session this Sunday for sure. Hopefully get Glen, Dan and Rob.

I am thinking of something Michael-ish

Front Squat from Pins

I am feeling pretty good again and I think I owe a fair chunk of it to foam rolling my ITBs - holy shit that is a painful process but I feel awesome for it.

Did an easy session today Warmed up then did Dead Front Squat singles (as per video of someone else doing it!) 80kg three times preceded by 77.5,75,72.5 and 70kg so a 7 x 1.

Then after a bit of a rest I did a light DB Isabel (17.5kg DBs) 3:01

Now some more foam rolling!!

Can you zone out of the Zone, part 2

The ratio of N-6 to N-3 fats has far reaching metabolic effects on the body. While the amount of N-3 has reduced due to eating less fresh seafood/fish, the amount of N-6 has increased dramatically due to the push for "heart-healthy" vegetable oils to be used for cooking, in margarine, dressing oils and in most packaged foods. This ratio has traditionally been around 1:1 - 2:1 (6:3) but now ranges any where from 10:1 - 30:1 depending where you look. They can affect many aspects of our physiology but most are ultimately related to their effect on Eicosanoid production.

The intricate details of eicosanoid production and use aren’t perfectly understood, and Sears (of the Zone) version is slightly different to others I have seen. Basically: When N-6 and N-3 fats are digested and absorbed, they are metabolised into GLA for N-6 and EPA for N-3, then stored in the membranes of all cells (the process is a little more complicated but that’s the gist of it anyway). The proportion in the membrane is roughly equal to the proportion in long term diet. So when the body needs eicosanoids it liberates the activated acids and metabolises them further, but the enzymes used do not distinguish between N-6 and N-3, so proportion in the cell will determine which eicosanoids are made. N-3 can offset production of GLA into arachidonic acid (AA) by competing for the same enzyme system. Eicosanoid family's include Prosataglandins (PG), Prostcyclins (PGI), Thromboxanes (TxA), and Leukotrienes (LT). Some of these are made using the cyclooxygenase (COX) metabolic pathway. These have varying actions and interactions, some of which are directly opposing and/or suppressing. AA eicosanoids such as TxA-2 and PGE-2 are predominantly 'bad', promoting vasodilation, platelet aggregation, inflammation, cellular proliferation and immune depressing. 'Good' eicosanoids are the opposite, while a lot of those from EPA (N-3 derived) are essentially neutral or involved in long term healing.

So balance of these two Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's) is, well, essential. N-3 supplementation through fish oil can help balance this out. Problem is that it seems that at a certain level of intake, tissue 'saturation' of N-6 can occur, meaning that once past a certain threshold of calories as N-6, intake over and above this does little to affect cell membrane levels. This means that as AA in the cell increases, EPA and DHA decrease proportionally. Increasing N-3 can help but it would seem that reducing N-6 to below 4% calories is more important (ref here).

How does all this relate back to the zone. Well as usual insulin and glucagon have a big influence over the enzyme activity and metabolism of ingested EFA's. Excess insulin stimulates the enzyme systems responsible for the metabolism of DGLA and AA into 'bad' eicosanoids. How can we control insulin? As we have seen, through a low carb diet.

Inflammation can also be controlled easily with paleo. Reducing grains, starch and simple sugars as all are inflammatory, as is the elevated insulin they stimulate. High fructose corn syrup should also be avoided at all costs. Promoting good gut flora through Probiotics and prebiotics supplements when necessary, such as during illness, antibiotic use, excessive toxic load (drugs, alcohol, environmental toxins). Supplements of Vit D, C, Fish oil, K or whichever combination, as well as vegetable antioxidants (from vegetables, der). Reducing total N-6 intake is very important as found above, but this should come naturally on a whole-foods paleo diet. Curcumin, the active constituent in Tumeric (a root herb) can inhibit the COX pathway to reduce inflammation, especially when taken with black pepper to protect its activity during digestion. Saturated fat is also recommended against by the zone diet due to claims of inflammation, but this has not been exclusively proven, especially by the method mentioned by the zone and Sears, claiming toll-like receptors are stimulated by sat' fat, causing inflammation. (ref here, here and here)

Lastly the meal frequency recommended to keep you in the zone is questionable. Claiming that the hormonal and eicosanoid balancing effects are where of after 4-6 hours and you shouldn’t space out meals further than 5 hours, to keep you in the zone. This is very contrary to evidence of traditional cultures fasting for 12-24 hours at a time throughout our evolution, and the physiology of the body shows that we can function perfectly when fasted as we are using fat for fuel and obviously insulin will be low at this time, so I don’t see that as an issue. Snacking all day just constantly stimulates insulin keeping it at a raised level as our body is constantly in digestion mode, even if the meals are zone balanced, that’s still more insulin than not eating at all (especially when as mentioned even 40% is to many carbs for many people and will stimulate even more insulin).

In the end the Zone diet is a great starter for those wanting to square away their diet and improve performance. The benefits of which I don’t believe are restricted to the zone however and can be easily done on a diet from Zone proportions of 40% carb if you are training very high volume/intensity (above and beyond Crossfit 3 - 1 cycle), down to very low carb of 50g/day (this will all depend on your goals and training). Reducing or eliminating vegetable oil from all sources and supp'ing N-3 is vital, in addition to adapting to a reduced carb diet to ensure all metabolic processes are running smoothly. This is where Robb Wolf's motto of quality over quantity wins every time: The benefits of weighing and measuring, blocks, snacking and staying in the zone can be accomplished with quality paleo foods with no measuring. The physiology discussed on the zone lectures with Dr. Sears (in the CF journal recently) is all true, but not just applicable to a diet that follows a 40/30/30 split and good N-6:3 balance. To many cultures follow drastically different (yet all paleo) diets with no sign of the 'silent killer' inflammation or heart disease or diabetes etc... As with any diet, care must be taken to ensure adequate intake of all nutrients, especially when on very low carb, but the health benefits are obvious, with the mountain anecdotal evidence of paleo showing up around Crossfit and all over the net.

Heavy Fran

Today we did heavy Fran(Fi and I) I managed sub 15 mins - it was a bit horrible.

Tomorrow is Nate at the Box at 0900 Steve, Glen hope you guys can make it.

Hurray for Scotty A being in the RAAF now!

Can you zone outside of The Zone

The primary Crossfit prescription for diet has been to follow the zone. It's all over the main site and the majority of affiliates. The zone provides a macronutrient intake that is supposedly the ideal ratio that was garnered from a 1985 New England Journal of Medicine that compared HG groups and came up with the ratio of 3:4 (PRO:CARB), or 0.75. Maintaining this balance of Insulin and Glucagon in every meal, plus maintaining a good N-6 to N-3 ratio, is the key to the zone. The protein:carb ratio bell curve shows that to much carbs will stimulate excess insulin and promote fat accumulation, and not enough carbs/high protein will promote excess glucagon and increased cortisol release. In the middle is the "Zone".

The first issue there straight away is the seemingly standard thought that a low carb diet is high in protein. Protein intake averages around 20-30% of hunter-gatherer diets and should not exceed 35% or risk of 'protein poisoning' occurs. The majority of calories on a low carb diet are therefore from fat. HG tribes have been known to discard lean meat or even whole kills if the meat is to lean and there is nothing else to make up calories with, such as tubers, berries or another source of fat. So 'excess glucagon' should not occur on a balanced low carb diet. The release of cortisol in response to glucagon is also limited, and simply serves to stimulate many of the same responses as glucagon, especially gluconeogenisis. It is not at muscle wasting proportions, especially when you have plenty of fat flowing around being used for energy.

Controlling insulin levels is done well on the zone, but can be even better on even lower carbs, especially those with a 'broken' metabolism and the majority of the population showing some signs of insulin resistance. Drastically reducing fructose is also important in achieving this.
The macro-nutrient intakes of HG diets vary greatly depending on geographical location, from almost zero carb of Eskimos living of frozen fish, caribou, and other large game, to the high carb Kitvian and some Indian tribes. Okinawans in Japan live on sea vegetables, seafood, rice (easily digested) pork, lard and some soy. During certain times of the year the Masai live on fresh milk, blood and meat, and their warriors can take down a lion with a spear. In fact the average carb intake of HG's is around 20-40%, the very top range of which is the zone.

The one thing all these cultures have in common is the fact that their diets are made up of purely whole foods, minimal/no grains (or at least gluten free), low fructose, adequate protein and fats from animal sources and always a good N-6:N-3 ratio. So is there a certain ratio that the body prefers to optimise hormonal control? Possibly, but unlikely considering the wide range of niches humans have occupied and thrived on such different ratios while displaying little to no signs of modern diseases and inflammation regardless of ratio followed, until they start eating modern foods and following a modern lifestyle.

As far as health and longevity is concerned humans have evolved to eat nutrient dense diets i.e. meat and fat/low carb. A keto adapted individual can physically perform extremely well, especially in endurance. When talking metcons though, a bit of glycogen replenishing beforehand may give you that extra perk, especially if performing multiple workouts in one day. If you don’t want to be the next CF games champ though and long term health is as much a priority as immediate performance, then maybe slightly lower carb is preferable. I personally am still making PB's in all metcons after following a very low carb diet for around 6 months now. Referring to a diets ability to produce ATP and mitochondrial function, this is not specific to a certain macro-nutrient ratio; this is simply from eating the right foods, reducing inflammation and a good EFA balance. In fact a low carb - high fat diet increases the amount of mitochondria in the cells to increase beta-oxidation of fats for energy.

So to summarise:

1. Insulin control can be achieved and maintained easier on a low carb diet, ensuring all other hormonal processes stay in check.
2. Humans can thrive on a variety of different ratios as long as the foods are in line with our genome.
3. Performance can be improved when keto adapted and extra carbs can be used for recovery (depending on goals) or before a major event.
4. Weighing and measuring meals is not necessary for good performance if hormones are already under control through diet, but can help the perfectionist or for absolute accuracy for a top performer.
5. This is certainly not to say that the zone doesn’t work, just that it can be done as well or better through a personalised application of Paleo.

I'll get into inflammation, EFA's and Eicosanoids, which is the heart of the zone, soon.
Any thoughts??

Feeling good

Last week I was a bit down but managed a few little WODs of note:
Friday 30 24kg KBsnatch each arm without putting it down(alternated 5 each side)
Saturday FGB PB 296
Sunday Worlds most evil situp 50-40-30-20-10 coupled with 60kg cleans 10-8-6-4-2
20:55 to Steves 18:30.

Check out this You tube of the sit ups we did with 12kg KBs in each hand:

here

Motivation

MY motivation has been low this week as I went to the Chiropracter and found out my left Sacro Illiac Joint is bullshit tight and that all my heavy lifting may be exacerbating the problem.

So this week I have rested up and stretched heaps, been doing HSPU challenge and I am up to day 14 today without missing a day. Swam on thursday and did Fran on Saturday and Helen with 32 today - a little stupid but I am stretching it out and start vigourous 4 weeks of manual therapy on my SIJ tomorrow arvo.
Fingers crossed he can fix it up for me.

It is almost another argument for the variety main page programming encourages - maybe if I wasn't focusing on upping my deadlift I wouldn't have gotten a flare up - interesting.

Massive shout out the the Berry who absolutely smoked "Daniel" (take that out of context if you will) yesterday and then backed up with an awesome sub 9 Helen this morning.

Lazy post

Thought I would link to a great Ross Enamit article that continues some of the discussion topics we have had going on the blog.

Sunday sesh thanks to CFX

3 PM

AMRAP20
Run 200m
3 Snatch 60kg
6 Muscle Up

Glen, Dan,Steve hope to see you here Chris I would pass given your neck at the moment, rest up.

Bone-nachos

So you get your cooked chook from the shops, take it home and happily tear it apart with your fingers to suck out all the best bits of meat and fat from the carcas. Then what? Left with the empty shell (becuase you threw out the dirty, wheat-filled stuffing didn't you) the usuall option is to throw it out. Well when conventioanl wisdom rants on about getting 27 servings of dairy per day for calcium and "bone health", what do you think is an even better source of calcium?


Thats right: Bone


With all the evidence against dairy, milk in-particular (lactose, caesin, inflammation, insulin stimulation etc.), and the rather simple conclusion that paleo man wasnt milking wild animals, where do you think a lot of their calcium came from.

Well here is a great way to get all that tasty bone into your day. Bone broths, slow cooking meat on bone and such are probably more 'normal' ways to to plate up your bones with greater calcium return due to using much larger amounts of bone (especialy for stock/broths) but here goes...

Once you have removed most of the flesh from the carcas, pul it apart into the biggest sections and lay it out flat on a cutting board. Use a meat tenderizer to smash the all the larger bones open, and at least crack the smaller ones, though they will just become soft and edible whole anyway. Place this in an oven proof dish lined with foil. Drizzle olive oil all over and a drizzle of water as well. I then sprinkle some chilli powder, paprika and cumin over the top.

Then place another sheet of foil over the top of the dish to seal it. Place in oven for around 50-60 min. From there take the top foil off, cover with cheese, then replace in oven with the grill on. Grill for 5 min or so untill cheese is melted. Perfect.

Add some avocado and sour cream and enjoy. Most of the bones should still have a bit of crunch, but easily chewed.

Now, quick calculation of say 150 grams of bone, with calcium making up 40% of bone, gives us 60gm of calcium + ~200gm from cheese = 260gm of calcium

True, most of this is from the cheese, so whats the point you say, well the bone calcium is highly absorbable in the form of calcium hydroxyapitate plus comes with other minerals such as phospherous, potasium and sodium.

Requirements for calcium levels have also been worked out on a grain rich diet, full of anti-nutrients such as gluten, fibre and phytates. Every test conducted to determine RDI's would have used a test population with exactly the same problems (anti-nutrient filled diet) and even encouraged to follow a "healthy whole grain diet" by the testers so as they could test mineral requirements when following a "balanced diet".

As these leach minerals from your GI tract, grains also cause gut inflammation and weaken cell bridges, causing 'leaky gut' and further adding to mal-absorption. Celiacs and those with auto-immune disease (and commonly irritable bowel symptoms) have a much higher incindence of osteoporosis, interesting! So, those on a grain free diet are going to need lower levels of most minerals. Besides calcium and magnesium content looks like it was over-estimated back in the day anyway. Check here and here. Just like cholesterol, calcium has quite a good self regulating system depending on dietary intake, and we all know what a crock the cholesterol theory turned out to be. Good amounts of protein are also improtant for calcium absorption, so dont listen to the old story that protein causes calcium difficiency. This has been proven plenty, but check here for an example.

So, enjoy your crunchy nachos, get plenty of dark green vegetables, some nuts, fish with bones, butter, cream, and...er...bones, for healthy bones

Even more deads

152.5 singles - seven times, first one is last warm Up at 140 then first 152.5 is the worst one of the lot.

I was(and still am) tempted to buy some chains to help me through my deadlift rut but realised I haven't really exhausted linear progression yet and buying something cool is unlikely to miraculously increase my deadlift.

Daniel

Awesome WOD:

50 Pull Ups
400m Run
21 Thrusters
800m Run
21 Thrusters
400m Run
50 Pull Ups

Dan and Glen nailed it in 20mins plus a tiny bit, Me in 24:16 and reek in 32:16.

The thrusters shut me down and Walrus running was in play :)

Did that evil complex again!

This morning at CFNQ (North Queensland not Never Quit) we did the Thruster, Hang Power Clean and SDLHP WOD.

I did it at 45kg and was within 3 reps of the score I got a few weeks ago with 42.5kg - pretty happy with that but I still maintain that the WOD is one of my least favourites, it is too easy to leave the bar on the ground in the SDLHPs.

Tomorrow Pull Ups Thrusters and Run - Daniel!

Elizabeth and Deads

Back from being an intern at my first level one cert which was quite an experience.
I have been busy/injured(stupid calf) and last night was the first good session since the weekend.

I did some deads while waiting as I did last week again at 150, I did a set of 3, 2,1,1

The form in the multiples slips a bit but I am happy with the first reps - next week I will start getting to know 152.5 intimately. I got greedy after my set of three and went to pull 160 off the ground but she put me in my place:(.

Then did Elizabeth Rxd in 16:44 and felt like death but I think it is comparable to other times I have done for that WOD.

170 by 31 Dec09

150 x1 three times.

The most horrible complex?

Did a good session with Craig, he was late so I worked deads and pulled three singles at 150kg with tight form.

Then he turned up and we did the AMRAP in 20 of 42.5kg 5 Thruster,7 Hang Clean, 10 SDLHP. I PBed with 8 full rounds.

That thing is hideous.

Back Squats

5 x 5 @ 90kg

then I did 3 sets of 10 step ups (30cm step) with 80kg - they were interesting.

Legless Fran with bells ?

21-15-9

double 1.5pd KB Push press
Pull Ups

9:40

the KBs reduced effective range at the bottom but increased stability requirement at the top, and they were hard (21) 11-4-3-3 (15) 5-5-5 (9) 3-3-3 all pull ups were unbroken.

Ryan wrecked my wrists,Fight gone bad went alright...

Tomorrow there are two workouts in my head but DU/Thrusters may rear its ugly head again or we will do CFXs WOD from today, depend how many show up.

1400 at my place - number 12 next to the park. 0416014607

WOD is going to be find 1RM in 15 mins post warm up, then...

21-15-9 Deadlifts at 55% of found 1 RM coupled with 42-30-18 Push ups rounded out with a 300m run.

Then talk shit until Errica says I need to get ready for the Carbathon.

Random Comment after coaches Journal article on Crossfit Psychology

I saw this and thought it fit perfectly into the last couple of thinking posts about why do we crossfit and how crossfit are you? Keen to hear comments.

From Colin in the comments:

"Does anyone else find almost the opposite phenomenon at play when thinking about/doing CrossFit; does the fact that the WOD will crush you every single time no matter how much you strive and improve instill a certain resignation to being less than master of the domain?


I certainly experience this - I cannot name many CrossFit experiences which have left me feeling like I've overcome anything at all (PR's included) - my attitude is that all I've done is made myself slightly less average but that I'm so very very very far from 'crushing it' that I've no business kidding myself that I've achieved anything significant.


Being an inherently competitive person this is often times driven by the fact that 1,2 or a great many more (usually the latter) people have beaten me at a given WOD (probably an unhealthy association I know).


I'm intrigued to think that I am the only person in the CrossFit world who is consistently disappointed with my WOD performances (even PR's) - not because I didn't do well compared to my old standards (often times I do) but because there is so much further to go that I feel inadequate during even my best performances."

DT

Did DT with Dan and Reek, man he can move! 11mins for DT I posted 16:13 @ 67kg which is half the time it took me to do it with 70 last time.

Training with fitter individuals than yourself is one way to ramp up your intensity!

How Crossfit are you?

I was inspired for this post by the combination of a stupid facebook quiz, Months of thinking on this topic and some questions after todays WOD at CFNQ.




Crossfitness or indeed fitness as defined by a work capacity over broad time and modal domains lies on a spectrum or scale as do most things where you sit on this scale has to do with a number of factors 3 of which I think are the most important they are:

Training Age and Quality
Crossfit Training Age and Intensity
Psycological Factors

Training Age is important because regardless of your genetic heritage(which is arguably another factor) someone who has been training for significantly longer than you has potentially acrued a level of improvement in the qualities of fitness you desire and there is no short cut to this investment of hard work over time.

This leads to quality. Only quality training really counts toward your training age in my opinion I have yet to see firebreathers who after 10 years of 30 min walks thrice weekly convert to crossfit and tear up a Fran. I have seen AFL/Soldiers, Long distance Runner/Soldiers, Rugby Players, SERT Policemen, Special Ops Soldiers and recently a fernwood fitness trainer devour crossfit workouts without really converting to crossfit. (It could be argued by the particularly zealous Crossfitters out there that these individuals already trained Crossfit but didn't know it but I find that argument too obnoxious and arrogant to pay more heed)

Crossfit Training Age, I think in light of the previous stanza it is important to note that I believe Crossfit is the only training methodology for anyone who comes to the realisation that they will benefit from being pretty fit at most things rather than very fit at one thing.

The question is often asked what sort of athlete transitions best to crossfit? and the answers vary but none of the answers should sound like a recommendation to stop crossfit see if you can become a state level triathlete and then start crossfit again.

To illustrate my point imagine to twins trained as triathletes since birth then one is introduced to Crossfit at 15 and the other at 20 it is fair to guess that the athlete who stayed with triathlon for the extra 5 years will own his twin at triathlon comps but get beaten by him at anything else.

Lastly Crossfit is often see by some as a badge of superiority - it is not. If you are lucky enough to have your definition of fitness more sorted than a specialist that you know then that is the extent of your superiority it is quite possible that a non crossfit trained specialist could own you on a given WOD.

It would be a challenging and pointless exercise to try to matrix the training age of long term Crossfitting housewife to a longterm elite sportswomen turned crossfitter but I believe they would exist on the same continuum just not at the same training ages.

Psychological factors = Mongrel
You have got to want it and to be happy going to that dark painfull place... not everyone has this I am not sure it can be taught.

Thats all for now please post to comments and I will edit this so it makes more sense when I am less excited.

Hard session

I did the 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 WOD
Front Squat(63kg) and GHD Sit Up
19:45 and it was hard!

Glad to work out again after about 3 days off.
Now what for tomorrow?

Sunday WOD

Today was the first Sunday session after a while of not having them.

WOD was: find your 1RM Power Clean Errica and Kimmie got 36kg, Chris 65kg, Steve 75kg and I nailed a PB 90kg.

then we did 15-12-9 Power clean 70% of 1RM and Clap Push Ups(normal Push Ups for the girls)

Steve 4:12
Brett 5:05
Kim 5:28
Errica 5:30
Chris 5:38

That was good Fun.
Tomorrow rest for sure!

Fran PB

Got home, the girls were working out so I was inspired to chuck up a Fran.

Did it with 40kg and paced myself;

21 Thrusters, 21 Pull ups, 5 Thrusters,5 Thrusters,5 Thrusters,10 Pull Ups,5 Pull Ups, 5 Thrusters, 4 Thrusters, 9 Pull Ups

6:15! PB by 14 secs

Starting Strength

I did the SS workout today and in prep was thinking what I was going to do after it to garner some intensity for the morning.

3 work sets of 5 reps at 100kg was spot on for intensity! I struggled with reps 3-5 on each of the 3 sets.

If it is hard - it will work.

I only managed 5 reps, 4 reps then 3 reps on press at 60kg.

I managed a double on the deadlift at 140 and backed it up with another single, still way of the single set of five I should have done.

But I am pretty sure I have a strained hamstring (not from this morning, it has been bothering me for a fortnight)so it is time to start working around it!

10.5km Strand Run

50:20 which is a PB for that distance I am sure.

I got beasted by a fair few folks though.

Definetely went out too hard too early my pace dropped off at the 6 km mark and I got passed by heaps of crew :(

Still a good morning.

Mongrel

The picture above is a dude I trained with once but didn't get his permission to post his photo so I cut off his head.

This bloke is new to crossfit but is... no word of a lie... an Animal!

In my mind he epitomises the concept that intensity breeds results. Previous training was body building centric(as evidenced by arms like my thighs) but no doubt would have been done with some severe intensity.

As a result this guy did 30 MU on his first attempt and can match it with the heavy hitters on a regular basis.

The point of this post is that while I am convinced Crossfit will produce elite fitness, great fitness can be achieved via any training method if one gets some mongrel into them whenever the train.

Fat Free...

First of all let me say thanks to Brett for letting me contribute to his blog, which I hope I can help a few peaple out regarding their diet.

Cooking with Fat:

As we know when cooking flesh, we subject it to a certain amount of heat for a certain period of time, and most times this includes the fats/oils we have added to the pan or meat. Depending on the specific profile of the fat this can cause structural damage to the fatty acid chain, oxidising it, and increasing its risk of damge once inside the body.

The most stable fats to use are saturated fats, these are solid at room temperature and can be heated to a relatively high heat without change in structure (its smoke point). Monosaturaed fats are next, such as olive oil, and majority polyunsaturated fats should not be subject to high heat at all.

A good saturated fat source for cooking is of course butter, but longer cooking time with butter can burn the sugars and proteins still present. An extremely stable source is beef tallow and lard. These are made using the rendered fat from beef fat or pig fat, repectively. Dripping and lard available at the supermarket in nutritionaly void as it is so highly processed and an be hydrogenated depending on the source.

Heres a quick guide to home made beef tallow (or lard) that I have used to make an excellent cooking medium:

Obtained about 500g kidney fat from the butcher at riverside gardens that only has local grassfed cattle.

Remove any pieces of flesh or blood vessels then cut it up into very small cubes, or alternately you could throw it in the food processor for a few seconds. Layer it out in a large oven safe dish. Have oven pre-heated to 120'c (for fan forcred).

Place the tray in and leave for around 2-2:30 hours. The fat will melt out of the fat tissue and pool at the bottem. Do not leave in so long that the remaining tissue (now crackling) burns.

Remove and drain the dish through a seive to get the clear fat, squeeze out any remaining oil from the soft crackling.



Place the oil in the fridge which will turn white and solid. This can then be broken up or simply cut of whatever you want to use in you cooking. The crackling can also be added to fried foods for extra taste and 'crackle' and will provide a bit more fat to dishes as some will still melt out of it. Or you can eat it on its own with some paprika and lightly salted.

There you have it, some easy to make cooking oil that tastes great, wont oxidise under most cooking conditions and nutritionally sound with a good n-3/n-6 balance and vitamins E and D.

Did I mention I got the fat from the butcher for free...

If anyone has anything they'd like to ask or post on please comment, I'm here to help.

Relentless Walrus

66mins for 11 km!

I ran this morning to suss out if I would enter the 10.5km or the half marathon.

I think after this mornings plod and my after effects a 10.5 is on the cards.

When i get home Muscle Ups for strength!

Wed morning Fun

Warmed up with 800m in 4 mins, Catalyst Athletics Dynamic ROM warm up, 800 in 3:22

Then procrastinated setting up for Cindy!

Did Cindy and got 19 rounds and 3 pull ups.

Then worked Push Jerk finishing with two singles at 80kg.

All in all a good morning!

Saturday Session at SXF

This pic is of the last session I have done, I am recovering from the flight from Perth and have a little hammy issue that I am going to rest a bit.

I should be back on the Wagon tomorrow :)

New DL PB

First a set of 3 at 140kg - felt pretty good so I had a crack at a single PB and success at 155kg.

I am not super happy with the form of the single but it went up.

Context

Spot the difference between a good and a bad front squat?

Did a DT variant at the CFNQ box yesterday and 60 hang power cleans later my traps are feeling it. Hoping to hit some deads later today.

Feet are torched!

ran for 45 mins in five fingers on cross country track and my feet are telling me about it! Too big a jump from 800m to 7km(dumbass) or the plus side everything except the underside of my feet still feels fine.

30 MU for time 9:01 no PB but not bad. - Something to chase Steve.

Gear is ready and waiting for you.

Another PB(sort of)!

BFA this morning 63,100(feet held because stomach feels like it has had a chainsaw through it still from 150 GHD sit Ups)and 9:16 massive PB now I am chasing sub 9 and 8:50 to be exact which is the fastest I have ever run that stinking mile and a half.

More running tomorrow and Sunday(for chocks) - watch this space for running overtraining injures :( and Deadlift withdrawl symptoms.

Yesterday and Today

Yesterdays Workout is taking its toll!! 150 GHD Sit Ups never leaves me feeling spritely the next day.

This morning I did a Lynne which felt flat but actually turned out to be quite on par(well slightly under) with the one we did with Scott and Craig end of last year.

Pretty happy with that.

Dredging through some old forum stuff and found conjugate periodisation and it sparked my interest. Pre Lynne I did a pyramid 3,5,7,9 reps of Press at 40kg using the 'dynamic method'.

http://danjohn.org/ii15.pdf

Cookie Cutter Program

Crossfit is a cookie cutter program - by definition a Cookie Cutter program is the same for everyone regardless of individual differences or circumstance.

The reason Crossfit is a CCP is because it is training everyone to increase their work capacity across broad time and modal domains by was of using functional movements carried out at high intensity.

So for crossfit to be accepted by someone it is first paramount that they see the goal of crossfit as their goal instead of just reducing body fat or looking better.

My contention is this, that individual modification of Crossfit is possible to achieve what individuals want whether it is strength predominantly or cardio performance. The likes of Crossfit Strength Bias will probably not facilitate an even improvement in all elements of fitness but will still facilitate an increase in all elements with a bias to strength improvement, there is always a trade off.

As Trainers it should be remembered that everyones goals are different and it is rare that someone is going to have goals that align perfectly to those of Crossfit(exceptions being Military/LEO and Athletes in a GPP phase of their periodisation. Some people want to lose weight(Crossfit with a bias to longer Metcons and a focus on diet), some people want to be stronger(CFSB or Rutmans MEBB), some want to be faster at running for an upcoming fun run(CF supplementing a roadrunners type program).

Everyone is different
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This morning was largish - warmed up with a 500m row, 800m run and about 100 DU but not unbroken.

3 sets of 5 Front Squats at 80kg which is about 85% of current 1 RM (fith reps were all struggles)

5 rounds of 30 GHD Sit Ups/25 Hip Extensions in 18:30ish not a PB

Ran to work in the volleys - approx 5km at 6 min kms but the longest distance i have covered in these shoes yet and no injuries touch wood!

Commando inspired PBs

Coming off the back of a nail biting, crossfit filled rest day I was pumped so this morning I managed:

71 Continuous Double Unders in my Warm Up (PB)
1 RM OHS of 65kg(PB)
WOD time of 26:44 (PB)

I did the Pull up WOD 3 Weighted,5 Strict and 7 Kipping for 10 rounds.

Resting

A short WOD yesterday and nothing but following the Crossfit Games today.

Check out the updates on CFNQ comments if you want.

I am thoroughly sore in a good way.

Day of joy!

For whatever reason I was dumb enough to take Cheng's time as a challenge at a WOD I know I am pretty average at and it owned me! I have been flat all day(possible signs of overtraining).

So rather than rest I took the opportunity to jump on the payback train with two WODs I knew I could perform at :

1st WOD 1715hrs CFNQs Tanya Wagner WOD: 50 DU then 3 rounds of 7 C2B Pull Ups and 5 60kg C&J followed by 50 DU

Owned it - I could have been better on the C&J if I was STRONGER and enjoyed putting myself through pain more but I did two beautiful sets of 50 DU unbroken and 3 sets of Chest bruising pull ups no worries all done and dusted in 5:06 my ego needed it.

Trained a client and noticed I still had my 33kg bar set up for Randy so I gave it a red hot go.

Pacoing plan was for a 6 min effort 12 in about 45s then rest the remainder of the min...ambitious much?

12 Power Snatches in 45 seconds twice and then that pacing strategy grew old then 26 in the next 3 minutes gave me 50 at 5 mins(I was starting to worry I might not catch berry but..) a set of 9, an 8 and two 4s had me done at 7:35!

I wish I hit my WODs with the same intensity that I hit the stairs to log on and see if I beat his time!

Filthy Fitness

What is Fitness?

Beside the obviously rigorous definition offered by Coach and Crossfit fitness can definitely be classified as a subjective variable especially when used conversationally. If asked if you are fit many will defer to the negative while conjuring images of Commando Steve, Speal or even the person who last beat you by more than 20secs on a workout. So conversationally fitness is relative to the yardstick that you hold the person whose fitness is under discussion.

This discussion comes about because my perceived fitness failed to hit the mark tonight.

An E-pen friend Cheng from SouthernXfit did filthy fifty in 26:05 and said (without having ever worked out with me) "you probably have me on this one".

I replied that my current PB was 28:10 but that I would give it a hit out tonight - now I believed the hype that Cheng had slung my way so I was ready for a 2:30 PB to show him he was right - Unfortunately that didn't eventuate I got a 28:50.

So I am pretty happy with tonights hit out but I am bit disappointed I couldn't live up to the hype.

Are you fit?

new 2.4 PB

Ran a 9:54 2.4 this morning volleys and all.