Totaler’s Group Shot
Thanks to Joy M for taking this batch of Total Shots and Dave T for Uploading/Camera Usage
CSA Pick-Up Tomorrow
Everyone participating in the Meat CSA is reminded to pick up their shares tomorrow between 6 and 8pm. Over 900lbs of grass fed, organic, local and sustainably raised meat will be dropped off tomorrow.
mignyc(AT)gmail.com
The Open Starts Tomorrow!
Tomorrow at 8pm Workout 13.1 in the 2013 CrossFit Games season will be announced. Team CFSBK is 93 strong, the 45th largest team in the world! (Out of 2,377 teams) Thanks to everyone who signed up for the Open, we wish you the best of luck over the next several weeks. This is a great opportunity to benchmark your fitness across the planet!
Olympic Lifting Camps
Spend 2 hours refining your oly lifting technique with Coaches Josh Wells and Shelly Hancock this week and next with our upcoming oly camps. Whether you are just starting out with strength training, struggling with the basics of the lift, or looking to polish your technique and understanding of these movements, you will come away with valuable insights and experience to benefit your training. Attendance will be capped at ten to allow for individualized instruction. There will be lots of barbell work as well as some theory and programming discussions. Sign up today!
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Josh Bridges Does the 2013 Games Chipper in 6:36 CrossFit
We Are All Related vsauce
hi! so tomorrow is the first day of the open… but it's still bench press day the rest of the day, right? and so if we come today we'll have the option of mon or wed, like we usually do?
I watched that Josh Bridges video yesterday — and it was amazing — but I'm not sure how fair it is to compare it to Froning's performance last year. I wonder how well he would do after several days of Crossfit Games WODs and without a year to prepare for it.
Also, my calves are still killing me from all those box jumps on Sunday. Oof. Looking forward to some AR today.
AND! The open! Really excited about it. Go team SBK!
Oooooo la la – everything hurts so good today and I love it.
Messed around with a rope climb on Sunday at OG and canned it after the first ascent – subbing 3 pull-ups on the rope from the floor in a WOD of 3 rounds for time, 3 climbs, 270 m run, 10 burpees. Arms were tingling going into yesterday's push press WOD but rocked it out w/ J. Bails at 65# (she dominated at 85#) in 9:31 and managed not to drop the bar on my cabeza.
Also, a big thanks to J. Bails for being such an inspiring and positive chica. I went into yesterday not having squatted for a bit b/c of the 1/2 and after messing up a couple of weeks ago by unexpectedly bailing at 125# – my head hasn't been right since. Yesterday, I knocked out 3×5 @ 115# with her awesome encouragement and pointers and breathed a sigh of relief that I wasn't mentally freaking out about getting stuck in the hole. I was stoked to be partnered with her yesterday because we've never lifted together – she's the bee's knees.
Big thanks to Shaye for putting up with my "slower than slow" partner WOD performance. Apparently my legs decided they were going to stop assisting with the push presses. 😉
That Josh Bridges' video is scary, the games' athletes this year are at another level
oh i'm clearly confused. ignore the above post. thanks.
asta you were a rock star last night! loved that you pushed through and finished.
@Asta – I put up with nothing! You did great! 🙂 That weight was heavy and you beasted it, you should be very happy with your performance!!!
105x3x5 = ughhhh so sluggish getting back after two weeks. I have residual Vegas damage.
Partner WOD was very fun, Asta was awesome!
Hey all — could anyone pick up my meat share and hold it for a couple days? I had to leave town unexpectedly for a family issue.
sameer -at- creativedestruction.com
Thanks
6am with McDowell and Jess. High bar pause squats at 185. Easy peasy. I'm feeling a nice stretch during the pause. Partnered with Mike for the WOD with push presses at 155: 9:33.
Just wanted to give a special rest day shout out to both Inka and Dr. Fiddler. I have been having chronic shoulder pain for months, and after only a few sessions with each of them (working on some of the same things, some different things) I honestly feel like an entirely new person. If anyone is on the fence about going in to see them, just get off that fence. It will absolutely be worth your while. And the convenient location can't be beat.
not to nitpick but did they have to open their hips on top of those box jumps?
Shawn, pretty sure the standard was just to get over the box to the otherside however possible.
Is it a prerequisite that you have to shave your body and go shirtless to participate in the Open?
K2H2: I feel the same way. It's scary how hairless all the big-name Crossfitters are. As a hairy man myself, I look up to Lucas Parker, the hair-covered, bear-like, bearded Canadian who stripped naked after the swim part of the triathlon at the Crossfit Games last year. That man is my hairy hero.
For those of you who dont follow basketball. Kobe Bryant has been on a tear this season–and is having one of his best seasons overall in years. I was watching a game the other night and his burst and explosiveness is as good as its been since his early days (Im from LA so Ive watched his whole career.)
Look what he attributes his play to though:
Kobe Bryant's Diet Helps Maintain Elite Level Of Play
By Trevor Wong
After most games, Kobe Bryant sits in front of his locker, burying his feet in a bucket of ice, while conducting post-game interviews.
Even after the media has dispersed throughout the Lakers locker room toward other players, Bryant will sometimes continue to sit at his locker, still icing those feet and those limbs that have allowed his body to play more than 52,500 combined regular-season and playoff minutes, and more than 1,400 games.
Kobe Bryant ices down his ankles.
Such is the typical post-game routine for the 16-year veteran when it comes to taking care of his body.
"Kobe is probably the most diligent athlete I've ever been around in terms of preparation," Lakers trainer Gary Vitti said. "He really takes his body and his preparation very seriously, both before activity and after activity."
Full-body ice baths to Bryant have become a normal habit for him as well, a part of his everyday lifestyle. He even goes so far to call it "The Tub of Youth."
The benefit of icing can reduce pain, muscle spasm in the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other tissues in the body, which is effective for reducing inflammation. Minimizing the inflammatory response is a key component to avoiding injuries, reducing muscle soreness and speeding up recovery.
"It's tough, but it's something you have to do," Bryant said. "When you're playing in the league for so long, you have to find ways to recover, you have to find ways to be committed to that and do that on a consistent basis."
Yet even in his 17th season, the Philly native acknowledges he is feeling healthier.
During the month of December, the Lakers shooting guard recorded at least 30 points in 12 of 14 games, including a stretch of 10 straight. He also became the first player in NBA history to score 30 or more points in six consecutive contests after turning 34 years of age.
"The guy is beating Father Time," Utah coach Tyrone Corbin stated before the Lakers hosted the Jazz in early December. "It seems like, if it's possible, he's continuing to get better."
Bryant finished the final month of the 2012 calendar year with averages of 33.79 points, 5.57 rebounds and 4.64 assists, all-time highs in each category for any month during his entire career. That streak also coincided with 10 straight games of 40-plus minutes.
"My wind feels even better," he said postgame after the Lakers 111-98 victory over the 76ers. "I feel like I can run all day long. A lot of that has to do with diet and being committed to it, and watching what I eat."
The advancements in sports science and medicine, particularly understanding the nature of eating and avoiding certain foods, have aided Bryant in changing his diet. Whereas some athletes might go through their usual offseason routine even as they age, Vitti said the 16-year veteran changed his habits beforehand.
Kobe Bryant stretches before a Team USA practice.
"Kobe never got to that point where he came in behind and had to figure it out," Vitti said. "He saw the future before the future came and he's already made the adjustment."
Part of that changed diet and those healthy eating tips come from Dr. Cate Shanahan, a team consultant who has her own practice in Napa Valley. Pasture-fed foods – pasture-grazed beef from a pasture-fed cow, eggs from a free-range chicken (not a cage chicken) – are just some of the main staples of Bryant's diet. Sugars, specifically anything with corn syrup, should be avoided, and the intake of carbohydrates has been scaled down, consumed in moderation.
"What happens is the athlete consumes one of these products high in carbohydrates and sugar, they get a spike of energy and feel really good," Vitti said. "Your body knows that, sends insulin and then they crash. As soon as they crash, they need another sugar fix, and they're yo-yoing up and down. If we get them off that stuff and get them into more of protein and the right kind of fats, then they'll have a higher level of energy without the lows or the dips."
More findings examine the ratio of high-density lipoproteins (HDL's) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL's), better known as "good" cholesterol and "bad" cholesterol, which can be monitored. The common thought was the ratio for of HDL's to be high and LDL's to be low. But according to Vitti, new findings are changing that perception.
"We're finding out now that a higher level of LDL's, which we thought was bad, doesn't necessarily mean it's bad," he continued, "because within that category, there are good LDL's and bad LDL's. Even though you might have an elevated level of LDL's, it might be the right kind of LDL's."
For example, eating fats, when they're the right kind of fats, can be packed with nutrients.
"What I've done really is just train really hard and watch my diet," Bryant said.
"All this fat free stuff and all these things we've been doing has been the biggest proponent of it," Vitti said. "When they strip the fat, they strip all the nutrients with it. We don't necessarily want to stay away from fats, but it has to be the right kind of fat."
Vitti acknowledges they have created, not only for Bryant, but also all their players, food groups that are red, yellow and green. The traditional food pyramid is not what they're preaching to the players. In fact, it's the inverse.
"The current science reverses the pyramid," Vitti said. "The base of the pyramid is on the top. We're not telling them to just eat fat – it has to be the right kind of fat. Pasture-grazed beef and products from that; you can eat butter, but it has to be pasture-fed. Not pasteurized, pasture-fed. There's a big difference. Milk from a pasture-fed cow, cheese from a pasture-fed cow."
Altogether, the shift in dietary habits is one of the reasons why the five-time champion has performed at such an effective and efficient level this late into his career. No guard in NBA history has averaged over 15 points in his 17th season or later, but Bryant ranks second in the league in scoring at 29.2 points per game, while also shooting at a 46.5 percent clip (as of Jan. 24).
"What I've done really is just train really hard and watch my diet," Bryant said. "I think that's the thing that catches guys most. They don't do self-assessing. They feel like they can go out there and do some of the things that they did when they were younger and eat some of the things that they've been (eating) and not accept the fact that what you put in has an impact."
Snatch- 95%x1x5 (225#)
1.Hit
2.Hit
3.HIt
4.Miss
5.Hit
This was one of the most mentally taxing oly sequences ive ever done.
HBBS@275#x2x6
WOD- Big Nick and I finished in 7:42. Did 12 rounds in 9:42
Just a note about LDLs. LDL is LDL, there is only one kind. Im not sure what medical textbook that information is coming from. I could be wrong, but i am def unaware of different "kinds" of LDL…
@Jake — was the trainer in the article perhaps referring to LDL density? I recall reading in Gary Taubes' book that LDL particles are relatively more/less dangerous depending on how dense they are, and that this all had something to do with triglycerides? Clearly I'm in over my head with this stuff, so I could be way off the mark…
Worked to 185 for the six sets of doubles yesterday. Really liking this high bar/pause combination.
Lots of time to think about yesterday's WOD, which was an utter mess. Scaling heavy shoulder workouts is something I don't do well — I tend to far underestimate the fatigue that multiple sets in quick succession or other movements in the WOD cause on my shoulders. It was a similar workout of ring rows/jerks/push-ups that threw me for a loop back in July; DT also was a mess for me.
The (huge) downside of the workout was that I was failing reps left and right, wasn't getting into good positions consistently when I was locking out, and slowing down my partner. My burpees also suffered. On several sets I had the whole, "are we really counting those reps?" dilemma. I'm a little disappointed in myself that I didn't either complete good reps more slowly or take 30 seconds to put together a 115lb bar.
On the flip side, there's probably a marginal upside in trying something and failing–yesterday was another dipstick that will hopefully get me to more responsible scaling next time.
DO was great support throughout, though–he knew I was having a rough go of it and tried to get me through as best as he could. (I knew it was my form was crap, DO–thanks for not going too hard on me!)
I definitely remember reading about "small dense LDL" in one of the Cordain or Wolf or Sisson books too. Something about the denser particles tending to promote atherosclerosis to a greater degree than larger particles. I'm also over my head on this stuff but I know it's out there.
First WOD post-strength.
High bar pause squats @ 190#
WOD w/ Christian Riess @ 135# 6:45
(Christian went rx)
+AR class
Felt GREAT. I loved Strength Cycle but it felt great to push myself and feel that exhaustion. I almost did the fitness low bar squats for sake of continuity post-strength but I'm real happy I went performance- like the pause squat a lot.
Planning to test my bench and clean at open gym Friday. Strength cyclers: wanna join?
New goal, post after all workouts, keep up with all of the 6 week check ins.
I stand completely corrected. There are two different kinds of LDLs. Pattern A and B. These correspond to a differences of about 5 nanometers, give or take. Studies show that while the composition of our LDL particles is largely genetic, diet and exercise can boost ones Pattern B concentration, which is theoretically advantageous. Please excuse the lowly medical student…
LBBS: 45×5, 135×5, 225×3, 275×5, 275×5, 275×5
WOD: 95# 9:30
Squats were pretty good, first time I've felt back in the groove. Don't anticipate any issues til we get back over 300#. Moved a little faster than I liked due to the time cap. Partnered with Josh, did 95# because we all know my shoulders will flame out around 40 reps of anything. Sure enough the last 2 rounds were a bitch on the burpees. Good one though, gonna feel it tomorrow.
@Shawn: I like how the article didn't mention Kobes' frequent trips to Germany #KNICKSTAPE
Noon Class with McD and Arturo today!
LBBS:
45×5, 95×4, 115×2
120x5x3
Chose to scale back a bit and do sets across at 120# (did 125# last wk) so that I can ensure I keep jumping up each week for the next 5 wks and don't fail any sets across. Felt good. Ready for lifting shoes!
WOD with the fabulously strong Lauren B!!
10 rounds total (5 each) for time):
5 Push Press @ 65#
10 burpees
did a few at 75# and it was quite heavy, so scaled back to 65#, knowing that I could definitely get that weight unbroken and keep it moving. felt solid.
50 strict burpees is a lot and they were VERY SLOW and painstaking for the last 2 rounds. was tempted to drop to my knees but glad I didn't.
LAX ball date after class for about 30 min. it was romantic. focused on lower leg and traps.
Two-a-day WOD again. Didn't go as well as last week.
BSQ: 132.5x5x3
WOD @53# with knee burpees
Then, bench 60x8x3 (failed last rep of last set but not sure how to note that)
Skipped the rowing and did 10 minutes of double under practice. Only got up to 15 unbroken today (19 is my PR).
Strength non-cycle…
Recovery squat: 225x3x3
Just to get the blood flowing. Felt good.
Bench: 197.5 for 12 doubles
I wanted to keep this moving but took more rest than intended as I did not want to miss. It gets pretty tiring. Overall just fine. Unfortunately it took over 45 minutes (after the warm-up) and I had started late so I really needed to get home and eat.
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Particle size. More recent paleo talk has led to more dismissive view of the particle size theory. Robb Wolf really hung his hat on that in The Paleo Solution but recently it has been revealed the type of test given actually skews the results from dense to light/fluffy so much as to render the measurement practically useless.
I haven't finished Kresser's course "The Cholesterol Action Plan" yet, but so far it draws a much more complicated picture than previously discussed in the Paleo sphere with oxidative damage to LDL, inflammation, lack of antioxidants and oxidative stress being pointed to as the primary players in heart disease. He doesn't say cholesterol doesn't matter, but it's sort of a co-factor and not a "cause". (whether it's high/low dense/fluffy)
That said, the basic idea is still that pastured butter and animal fat is good and industrial seed oils and heavy omega-6 intake are bad. (avoid polyunsaturated fats as they are more susceptible to oxidative damage, etc.)
I'm not a doctor but I play one at home.
This may help differentiate. I read this article in an issue way beck when I used to get Men'S Health mailed to my home:
http://www.menshealth.com/health/understanding-cholesterol-and-heart-disease
Also, shout-out to all the other CrossFit guys with sparse body hair.
I tried posting this earlier. Re: cholesterol
http://www.menshealth.com/health/understanding-cholesterol-and-heart-disease