In case you missed it, lots of fun photos from last weekend’s Community Potluck are up on Flickr!

Workin’ for the Weekend

By Chris Fox

Editor’s Note: The following is an adapted version of one of Coach Fox’s emails to this year’s Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge participants. We think it’s super useful for everyone, so we’re posting it here as some weekend motivation. Go get ’em!

I hope you had a great week and have something good in store for the weekend. While schedules vary, many of us find the weekend provides a natural ebb, a little break from the hustle and bustle, where we can take a breather and plan a bit for the week ahead. It’s been famously said that “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail,” and that “Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.” Seems pretty apparent that these statements hold some truth. Why then, do we expect different from ourselves? The reason the first few days and weeks of a challenge like the LFPBC generally go well is that we’re charged with energy and using it toward change. We’re food shopping, prepping, and exercising just like we said we would last year around this time. That energy can provide a great jump start towards change, and I hope you’ve found that to be true. That energy however, is finite. Your will power will eventually run out, you’ll be tired and hungry, and then what? Make it easier for yourself to make healthy choices so you don’t have to use up so much will power all the time. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself to “be strong.” Below are some strategies taken directly from former LFPB winners that worked well for them. Have some more ideas, or need some? Write ’em in the comments section!

• Keep healthy foods in your house and save “treats” for when you’re eating out.
• Make breakfast the night before so you don’t have to think about it in the morning.
• Create a large support network by telling people you’re trying to make changes, and asking directly for their support.
• Look online at restaurant menus and have your choices picked out ahead of time.
• Make novel plans with your friends or spouse that don’t (necessarily) involve food and alcohol.
• Buy a single serving size of a “red light” food when you have to have it that you would otherwise overeat.
• Instead of longer term outcome goals (lose 10 pounds, fit into my jeans from college, get my first pull up), focus instead on short term behavior goals (prepare a healthy breakfast tonight for tomorrow, buy vegetables on Sunday for the week, do 5 sets of 3 Banded Pull-Ups 3 times this week)
• Write your behavior goals down, maybe daily, and keep them where you will see them all the time.

We’re not superhuman, and neither are those who make it look like a healthy diet and lifestyle come easy. It takes work, there’s no way around that. Just as you use strategies to make your job or commute easier, experiment and find strategies to make healthy eating and exercising easier as well.

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Clean | Power Cleans, Front Squats, C2B Pull-Ups
The Mental Tricks of Athletic Endurance Wall Street Journal
YouTube Science Bros Will Get Your Ass to the Gym The Outline

Mid-Hang Power Clean

1-1-1-1-1

Work up to a heavy single for the day.

Post loads to comments.

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AMRAP 9 Minutes:
3 Mid-Hang Power Cleans 165/115
6 Front Squats 165/115
9 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups

The barbell should be challenging. Use a load that you can do an unbroken round when fresh. Scale the Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups to Chin Over or Jumping Chest-to-Bar as needed.

Post rounds, reps, and Rx to comments.

Better Know a Member: Kris Lee

Over the last few weeks, your trusty CFSBK blog has been bringing you Better Know a Member profiles from across our community of kind, interesting, wonderful members. Last week we heard from the WWTD woman herself, Mama Buckley. This week, let’s learn more about the man pictured above…

Name (and any nicknames):

Kristofer “Kris” Lee

Where were you born and where did you grow up?

Born and raised in the Bronx, NY.

How long have you been CrossFitting, and how did you arrive at CFSBK?

I have been CrossFitting since May 2014. I had finished graduating from basic combat training with the Army, and I wasn’t pleased with my overall physical conditioning. I could run and lift my body weight for the most part, but I lacked the strength I once had when I used to lift in college. I wanted to be more well-rounded. I Googled “CrossFit gyms in Brooklyn,” and CSFBK came up on top of the list.

Nightmare workout:

For Time:
100 Burpee Box Jumps.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, I DO NOT WANT TO SEE THIS PROGRAMMED.

Dream workout:

For Time:
30 Deadlifts at 225lbs
20 Front Squats at 185 lbs
15 Push Jerks at 155 lbs
10 Hang Cleans at 155 lbs
Run 1 mile

What are you up to when you’re not at 597 Degraw Street?

I’m currently getting ready to mobilize for a year long deployment in the middle east for the next 10 months. The opportunity just sprung up, and I volunteered to go. I also invest my money in the stock market and trade derivatives as well.

Favorite and least favorite lifts:

Favorite lift is the Clean and Jerk. What is there not to like about a lift that comprises the Deadlift, Squat, and Press in a dynamic movement?

Least favorite lift is the Bench Press. I suck at it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Any advice for new CFSBKers?

Those who just started may feel discouraged, sore, and unmotivated after realizing the degree of proficiency that some of the movements may require. Understand that it is a growing process, and showing up is more than half the battle. Now you just have to do it and try your best. I emphasize the word “bes”t because mediocrity should never be celebrated. I challenge everyone to be better than the person they were yesterday. The lifts will get heavy and WODs downright miserable, but you aren’t going to die. The only easy day was yesterday so get busy living, or get busy dying.

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Muscle-Up Work | Deadlifts, Muscle-Ups
Olympic Dynasties: Why Certain Countries Will Dominate the Same Events They Always Do CS Monitor
Finding Intensity in CrossFit Again Breaking Muscle

Ring Muscle-Up Work

Choose one of the following options based on skill/strength…

1) 4-5 Sets:
2-3 False Grip Ring Rows
2-3 Ring Dips with a 3 second down

Make the Ring Rows challenging. Be sure to pass through the bottom of a deep Dip. If you can’t perform a Dip, jump to support and lower down for a 3 count. Alternately, perform 6 Push-Ups with a 3 second down, followed by a 10 second Ring Support.

2) 4-5 Sets:
2-3 Low Ring Band or Leg-Assisted Muscle-Ups

Be sure to pass through the bottom of a deep Dip before pressing out.

3) DIY or:

Kip Swings, a few Dips, then…

3-5 Sets:
1 Strict Muscle-Up
1 Kipping Muscle-Up

Post work to comments.

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Performance
For Time:
12-9-6
Deadlifts 315/225
Ring Muscle-Ups

The barbell should be heavy. Scale volume on the Muscle-Ups as needed if you can’t perform sets of 2-5 reps when fresh.

Fitness
For Time:
15-12-9
Deadlifts 225/155
Ring-Dips

The barbell weight should be medium-heavy for you. Unbroken on the fast end but 2-3 sets is ok. Scale the Dips to Push-Ups as needed.

Post time and Rx to comments.

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4 Rounds Not for Time:
8e Split-Stance Static Goblet Lunges
8e 3-Point Dumbbell Rows
30-Second Hollow Hold

Post work to comments.

David presents Coach Lauren with the rare and coveted black hoodie at Saturday’s Community Potluck. Congrats, Snickers! 

Potluck Photos!

Photos from Saturday are now up on our Flickr account! Here are just some of our favs:

• Stella gets the karaoke started with The Pretenders.
• If it’s possible for Celine Dion to get more serious, well… let’s just say that shit got serious. 
• Mike and Karina perform a duet. They’ll be taking their Tom Petty cover band to a casino near you.
• Lynsey gets the audience involved. Need a Shania Twain impersonator? Lynsey’s got ya covered.
• Coach Keith takes us on a little trip down Thunder Road. He’s a beauty and he’s alright.
• “Fitness is Carned.” (No, that’s not a typo.)
• Adele and Ariel will survive. 
• The digital lighters come out. 
• Scaramouche Scaramouche, will you do the fandango? 
• Katie, Coach Jess, and Jess B. reenact the car scene from Wayne’s World. 

Thanks again to everyone who came out to make it a great night!

News and Notes

• Our Articles & Media page has been updated and somewhat reorganized to make it more navigable! There’s a wealth of excellent resources spanning many years of blog posts, so be sure to poke around!
• Part 5 of Coach KHarpz’s excellent series she’s writing for our friends at Beyond the Whiteboard is up! As the title suggests, “WZA: Shaking the Scaries” deals with her experience at Wodapalooza 2018. You don’t wanna miss this one!
• The blog is looking for some intrepid CFSBKers who have done the CrossFit Open in the past and would like to contribute to an upcoming feature. You’ll just be asked to write 2 or 3 sentences about your experience, so it won’t take up much of your time. Please email your blog editor at Josh [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com if you’re interested!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Rest Day
Have You Heard? This Guy Has a Cold. NY Times
Is the Open for Me? CrossFit Games

If you are anything like the CFSBK blog editor, you’re pretty haphazard when it comes to warming up a barbell lift. “Start at 50%? Sure whatever, that sounds good.” It doesn’t have to be that way! In this video, Coach David walks us through the proper way to warm up a lift. Watch it, absorb it, and put it into action the next time you lift! 

A Letter to New CrossFitters: Good Training Habits 

By David Osorio

Editor’s Note: The video above pairs nicely with a blog classic we haven’t reposted in a few years. The original version of this article appeared on our business blog, Inside the Affiliate.

Below is a short article we ask all our new members to read when they graduate from our Foundations program. At CFSBK, we believe it’s important to guide our members’ training perspectives early on. The sooner we can get folks thinking about how to make proactive, intelligent training decisions, the more likely they’ll optimize their time under our roof.

While it’s our responsibility as coaches to teach movement, program wisely, and generally take care of folks, it’s your job as an athlete to listen to your body, track your workouts, and maintain a mature perspective about why you’re doing CrossFit in the first place. For some athletes, this may be completely intuitive, but most folks walking through our doors will need to be taught even the most basic components of serious physical training. Many people pursue CrossFit because they want to lose some weight or a friend does it and it sounds fun—not necessarily because they’ve suddenly decided to eat, sleep, and breath CrossFit. (The obsession part happens organically, after they’ve been exposed to its benefits.)

With that in mind, the commercial fitness industry’s claims of quick fixes and supposed “secrets” to success may have influenced peoples’ perspectives and expectations when they arrive at our gym, and it behooves us to disabuse them of such false messaging. Messages such as the one below are part of a larger dialogue that CFSBK is constantly facilitating, with the aim of giving our members the most accurate and honest advice about what it takes to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Hopefully, all of you have already read this article. But a good refresher never hurt anyone…

Good Training Habits

While it’s our responsibility as coaches to teach you movement, program intelligently, and keep you safe, it’s your responsibility as athletes to develop good training habits. Here is an overview of three great habits that will significantly enrich your training experience.

1. Be Proactive With Your Movement Prep

Everyone needs to do a little personalized maintenance on their bodies. Even 10 minutes of DIY movement prep before class can go a long way in keeping you fit and pain free. After you’ve signed in and changed, take advantage of the time you’ve got and start moving.

Warm-up
Row an easy 300-500m on the erg. Get your heart rate up a little and try to get a light sweat going. We recommend holding 20 strokes per minute and rehearsing good form.

Stretch/Foam Roll
Many of us know where our tightest areas are—they’re the ones that make it difficult to squat below parallel or press a barbell overhead. Spend a few minutes mobilizing and doing some soft tissue work (foam roller/LAX ball, etc.) on your “problem areas.” If you don’t know where to begin, ask a coach what you should be prioritizing and we’ll help you out. We also regularly refer our members to out Active Recovery classes and MobilityWOD.com. This is great resource for folks who need simple, effective strategies to help them move better.

2. Log All of Your Workouts

Training without logging is like driving without a road map. You don’t know where you’ve been or where you’re going. Taking notes on each training session helps you track your progress and helps us make informed decisions about how to assist you in choosing weights and scaling movements. Each day should list some quantitative and qualitative notes about your training session. Here is an example:

Warm-Up:
3 rounds NFT
5 Snatch PP (22lb bar)
5 OHS
5 Muscle Snatches
10 Push-ups on knees

Move up to yellow bar

AMRAP 15 minutes:
Row 350m
12 Overhead Squats, 45lbs
4 Rounds + 320m

Kept rows at about 2:23 splits, felt hard but doable. Don’t shift forward during overhead squats…. Mid foot!

You can track your workouts in a journal or online. As coaches, we LOVE to read the details of your workout in the Comments section of CFSBK’s blog. It gives us a deeper perspective into your training and the programming in general.

3. Start Slow and Maintain Perspective

We take our training seriously at CrossFit South Brooklyn and with that comes with a good deal of responsibility. Our movement pool uses serious strength and conditioning exercises in order to develop broad, inclusive fitness. If we don’t treat these movements and workouts with respect, training plateaus and injuries are sure to follow. The best way to ensure your success and training longevity with us is by starting slowly and developing a rock-solid technical base. In fact, the first few months you start CrossFit, intensity should not be a significant concern. The movements are potent enough that just consistently performing them will create a favorable adaptation. After you feel really comfortable with most of our exercises and have a working knowledge of your weights, only then should you start ramping up the intensity.

Training with a lifelong perspective is incredibly important. Remember that you’re here to build yourself up, not break yourself down. Scaling workouts properly, listening to your body and checking your ego at the door will allow you to work out successfully for years to come. Most importantly, have fun with this stuff and enjoy the process.

News and Notes

• Tonight’s Jiu Jitsu Open Mat is cancelled. Callie is out of town!
• We’re always trying to get better at what we do. If you have a minute, head over to the Feedback page and tell us about your experience at the gym!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Barbell Overhead and Gymnastics Work
The First Pull of the Snatch & Clean: Slow or Fast? Catalyst Athletics
Making Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Into Super Bowl MVPs NY Times

Barbell Overhead and Bar Gymnastics Work

With a running clock…

EMOM x 10

Even Minutes: 5 Strict Presses
Odd Minutes: 5 Strict Toes-to-Bars

Rest 2 minutes, then…

EMOM x 10

Even Minutes: 5 Push Presses
Odd Minutes: 5 Kipping Toes-to-Bars

Rest 2 minutes, then…

EMOM x 10

Even Minutes: 5 Push Jerks
Odd Minutes: 5 Bar Muscle-Ups

The barbell comes off the floor and all sets should be heavy but unbroken. You may go up in weight each set as appropriate, or choose to perform sets across. Scale the Toes-to-Bars as needed to Hanging Knee Raises, and the Bar Muscle-Ups to either Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups (jumping if needed) or Jumping Bar Muscle-Ups. Scaling volume by cutting a rep or two on the gymnastics movements is also an option.

Post work to comments.

Meredith and Keith get ready to compete at one of last year’s Friday Night Lights events

The CrossFit Open: Where Grassroots Meet Greatness

By the time this post goes up, we’ll be just 16 days away from the announcement of Open Workout 18.1. So far 91 of you have signed for the Open. That’s awesome. We’re almost halfway to our goal of 200 CFSBKers registered. Can we make it to 100 by the end of the day? We can! Go here to register!

There are so many good reasons to register, and we’ve tried to convey some of those reasons on the blog over the past couple of weeks. But today we thought we’d throw it over to you guys to help us recruit more competitors. So…

Have you participated in the Open in the past, or do you plan to this year? Tell everyone about your experience! Why did you do it, and what did you learn? Why did you sign up this year?

News and Notes

• Schedule Change: Tuesday’s Jiu Jitsu Open Mat is cancelled. Callie is out of town this week.
• Don’t forget that we’re offering a new Strong Fit class on Tuesday nights at 6:30pm. Check it out tomorrow!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Overhead Squat | Burpees, Overhead Squats
Is Butter a Carb? Popular Science
4 Benefits of Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups BarBend

Overhead Squat

10-10-10

Bar is taken off the floor. Work up to a heavy set of 10. If you can’t overhead squat to full depth under load, then spend today’s lifting time working on flexibility in the position.

Post loads to comments.

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Toni and Katie got the karaoke off to a very Celine start. Thanks to everyone who came out to the Community Potluck last night!

TODAY: LFPB Challenge Lecture and Q&A, “Trigger Foods”

Partner WOD

In teams of 2 with one partner working at a time…
AMRAP 20 Minutes:
100 Calories Rowed
80 Dumbbell Push Presses 50/35
60 Toes-to-Bars
80 Dumbbell Deadlifts 50/35
100 Push-Ups

Scale the Toes-to-Bars to Hanging Leg Raises as needed. The Deadlift should be medium-heavy for you, something you could perform a set of 10+ reps of when fresh. DO NOT drop dumbbells from overhead on the Push Presses. Maintain contact on the handles until the dumbbells are on the floor.

Post rounds, reps, Rx and partner to comments.

Tonight, the bouncy castle returns! The Community Potluck starts at 7pm and will bounce on until around 10. We’ll have food (of course), board games, and karaoke.  See yesterday’s post for all the details! 

This Week at CFSBK in Review

1. Our new 8-week training cycle, which will take us through the end of the CrossFit Open, dropped on Monday. Don’t forget that you can always see what’s happening in group classes over on the Current Programming Cycle page!

2. Check out this very useful Ask a Coach video on how you should be balanced in the Back Squat, Overhead Squat, and Front Squat. Is there something you’d like to see us address in a future video? Let us know in the comments!

3. Well, well, well. It looks like we have a bunch of your stuff again. But we want to give it back! Check out our latest lost and found clean-out, and be sure to claim your possessions before we donate them to CHIPS in a couple of weeks.

4. “I don’t want to sell memberships. I want to be a coach, and I want to have community.” That’s our very own Captain Osorio making us proud once again in “A New York Decade,” CrossFit Journal‘s in-depth interview on his 10-plus years of running CFSBK. Just read it!

5. The next Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge Lecture and Q&A is tomorrow, February 4th at 12pm in the Annex. See the event page for details!

6. In another fun installment of Better Know a Member, we learned more about one of our Fit 55ers, Trisha Buckley. “Mama Buckley” is a super cool Park Slope native who reads tarot cards and inspires everyone in class. She might just inspire you, too!

7. Last but not least, REGISTER FOR THE DANG CROSSFIT OPEN! Our goal is to have 200 CFSBKers participate this year. We’ll have info about this year’s Open Intramural Team Competition very soon…

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Rest Day
Sweet Potatoes vs. Regular Potatoes Precision Nutrition
Olympic Weightlifting as Plyometric Training Breaking Muscle

Put on your Potluck faces ’cause it’s Potluck time! 

Tomorrow Night: CFSBK Community Potluck!

We’re excited to get everyone in house to break bacon and socialize together outside of classes. This event will simultaneously kick off the new year, support the Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge, and bring folks from all times and corners of the gym together. The fun starts at 7pm and will continue until around 10. This event is open to everyone and all are encouraged to come. Bring your friends and family!

Your dish doesn’t have to be paleo, but please try and keep the ingredients of your dish to within the guidelines of the Challenge: animal and vegetable proteins, veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, starches, legumes, whole grains, and dairy are all good to go. We’ll vote on the top 3 dishes, so bring your best recipe! You may, of course, opt to bring a healthy dessert that limits the use of sugars and refined grains.

• The gym will provide some alcohol, but feel free to bring whatever else you’d like. If you’re not drinking booze and want to bring a drink, seltzer is great, too!
• If your food needs to be kept warm, you’ll need to provide your own crockpot or other method for keeping it at serving temperature. We’ve got surge protectors and extension cords.
• We’ll provide notecards so you can label your dish and list its ingredients.
• When you leave please take everything you brought with you. Do not leave any pots, pans, Tupperware, utensils, etc. They will be discarded that night.
• There will be a raffle for one free personal training session with Coach David!
• In a CFSBK first, we’ll be doing karaoke! In case you want to practice beforehand, these are the YouTube channels we’ll be using: Sing King Karaoke and Karafun.
• THERE WILL ALSO BE A BOUNCE HOUSE (for kids).
• If you’d like to help out (and haven’t already been contacted) we’ll need some hands on deck putting everything away afterwards. If you stay until the end, we’d greatly appreciate some help cleaning up!
• We also need some volunteers to help set up before and clean up afterwards. To help set up, arrive by 6:30 PM! E-mail our Events Coordinator Danae M. at events [at] crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com to let her know you’re available.
• Let us know what you’re bringing by posting in the comments section of the event page!

Get your heavy-duty plates ready. We can’t wait to see you there!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Double-Unders, Power Cleans
From Crutches to Deadlifts Starting Strength
The Transformative Power of Boxing for Women Girls Gone Strong

WOD 2.1.18

At 0:00

In 3 minutes…
3 Rounds:
20 Double-Unders
5 Power Cleans 135/95

At 6:00

In 3 minutes…
3 Rounds:
20 Double-Unders
4 Power Cleans 165/115

At 12:00

In 3 minutes…
3 Rounds:
20 Double-Unders
3 Power Cleans 185/125

At 18:00

In 3 Minutes…
3 Rounds:
20 Double-Unders
2 Power Cleans 205/135

At 24:00

In 3 Minutes…
3 Rounds:
20 Double-Unders
1 Power Clean 225/155

The barbell load should begin at light-medium for you and end with a heavy Power Clean. Scale the Dubs to Singles as needed.

Post work to comments.

Better Know a Member: Trisha Buckley

Over the last few weeks, your trusty CFSBK blog has been bringing you Better Know a Member profiles from across our community of kind, interesting, wonderful members. Last week we learned about Corey B.’s comedic talents and exceptional bowling abilities. Today we’re very excited to get to know Trisha B., one of our dedicated Fit 55+ athletes, a little better.

Name (and any nicknames):

Trisha Buckley, and in many CrossFit circles, “Mama Buckley.”

Where were you born and where did you grow up?

I was born right here in Brooklyn, came home from the hospital to Berkeley Place. I was raised in a traditional Irish Catholic family. I’m the youngest of 4 and the only girl. I also raised my two daughters Emily and Bridget in Park Slope. Can’t take a girl out of Brooklyn!

How long have you been CrossFitting, and how did you arrive at CFSBK?

I have been CrossFitting for 2.5 years. I arrived at CFSBK a year ago when I asked my younger daughter, Emily, to find a CrossFit gym closer to home, one that would offer me a challenging workout and also keep an eye out on me to avoid injuries. She spoke with Coaches Fox and David and here I am… amazingly happy to be part of the Fit 55+ class.

Do you have any unusual rituals/superstitions or habits related to life or CrossFit?

With every workout I am challenged! I imagine myself as my Games athlete daughter, Emily Buckley. I imagine her for inspiration and try to mimic her technique, which at times includes a lot of grunting and heavy breathing! I was extremely happy to compete on a team with Emily a few months ago at Fight Gone Bad!

What’s your hidden talent?

I’m an astrologer and tarot card reader! Wacky, I know how it sounds, but it’s all about the cycles of life, and I am able to help people using this medium.

Ask me about that time I…

I hitchhiked and backpacked across the country a few times! It was a different time, and I would probably kill my own kids if they had even attempted to do it.

If you had to switch careers today, what would you choose to do?

Thankfully, I have reached an age where I happily left my corporate sales management job and only do what I choose to do: I read astrology charts and tarot cards professionally, and I provide child care for a very lovely family. I love kids! I find my days very rewarding.

What are you up to when you’re not at 597 Degraw Street?

Hanging out with friends, traveling, and making repairs/improvements to my very old house on 12th Street.

Any advice for new CFSBKers?

I encourage anyone even slightly interested in the 55+ Fit class to give it a go! We are all stronger than us think we are! If not now, then when? Start slowly, easily, learn how to do every part of the class with good form and just go from there. You’ll be amazed at the results.

News and Notes

• The Community Potluck is this Saturday night. In a CFSBK first, we’ll be doing karaoke! (David is getting soft.)  In case you want to practice beforehand, these are the YouTube channels we’ll be using: Sing King Karaoke and Karafun. Don’t forget to leave a comment on the event page to let everyone know what you’re bringing.
• The next Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge Lecture and Q&A is this Sunday, February 4th at 12pm in the Annex. See the event page for details!

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Observe, Measure, Repeat, and Improve CrossFit Journal
Dogs Are The Internet’s Favorite Animal The Outline

Stress, Cortisol, and Body Composition

By Chris Fox

Editor’s Note: The following is an adapted version of Coach Fox’s recap notes from this year’s 2nd Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge Lecture. We liked it so much that we’re posting it here for everyone to read. Enjoy!

What is stress?

Stress, as we’re discussing it, is a normal physiological response to danger, or something else that upsets your equilibrium. Your body’s response to it is to kick in the “fight or flight” response as it’s way of protecting you, and there is a wave of hormonal action associated with this response. This could be brought on by a challenging workout, almost getting hit by a bus, fighting with your boss, getting cut off in traffic, or worrying too much about things you can’t control.

What is cortisol?

Cortisol is a hormone released by the adrenal cortex, and it is a main “fight or flight” hormone. It’s often called a “stress hormone” because it’s released under times of stress. One of it’s main jobs is to facilitate something called gluconeogenesis, the breaking down of muscle tissue to create glucose for energy.

Is cortisol good or bad?

Both, really… but it’s not that simple. When released naturally in response to acute stress, it does the job it supposed to do and helps provide your body with the energy necessary to escape danger, and it’s pro-inflammatory action aids the healing of damaged tissues. In normal life, as humans evolved, these types of stresses would come on fast but also pass just as fast, allowing hormone levels to normalize. Nowadays however, it’s common for people to move from stress to stress, and spend too much time in “fight or flight”, thus maintaining elevated levels of cortisol. Chronic elevated levels of cortisol are associated with: decreases in lean muscle mass, increases in body fat, decreased auto immune response, among other things.

How can I manage stress?

Certain stresses can result in a net positive once the stress is dealt with and you return to homeostasis (a workout, learning a new skill, public speaking, etc.). Others acute stresses can be harmful (being eaten by a tiger), and chronic stress is particularly bad if we don’t turn off the stress response. We’ve all heard that things like yoga, meditation, and relaxation techniques help reduce stress, but you don’t have to become a yogi or a monk to work on chilling out. Here is a link from the good folks over at Precision Nutrition with more info on stress and strategies to manage your load.

You’ll notice that things like listening to music or petting your (or someone else’s) dog can also help! In short, although some stress is good, we need to be able to turn it off. Chronic elevated stress levels will hinder not only sport performance and body composition, but can have negative long term health effects as well. Experiment with some stuff to find your personal favorite way to relax.

This Sunday: LFPB Challenge Lecture and Q&A

The next Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge Lecture and Q&A is this Sunday, February 4th at 12pm in the Annex. In this 3rd lecture of the 2018 Challenge, we’ll discuss “trigger” foods. We’ve all got foods that we like that are also healthy for us, foods that are less than healthy that we can’t resist, and foods that fall in the middle. We’ll use the “Red Light, Yellow Light, Green Light” system to help identify which foods are which, and discuss what to do with that information.

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Rest Day
Pushing the Limits of Extreme Breath Holding New Yorker
The Workout That Saves Lindsey Vonn from Wiping Out NY Times