"You know exercise is good for you — but do you know how good? From boosting your mood to improving your sex life, find out how exercise can improve your life." Here are 7 reasons to exercise that the Mayo Clinic put out today... (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/HQ01676) Which one do you feel fits the change you have felt since starting your CrossFit program? But remember it all starts with nutrition...
This week I would like to have all our students pick some skill set to work on for the week. Double-unders, squats, pull-ups, L-sits, just to name a few that you can work on. Practicing these skills on a regular basis, will not only help improve your performance but will help improve your confidence in an area that you may feel weak or intimidated in. Turn this weeks practice into a regular ritual and you have developed a good habit to improve your life as well. Post the skill you are going to work on this week in the comment section so we can help keep you accountable.
Nice Clean Ball State..
Matt is working on a his Double-under skills...
Instead of picking a box to visit today, we decided to visit a sectional to give you a little taste of the games live and up close. This one looks like fun so bring your A game!
Andy Petranek has been in the CrossFit game since the beginning and he always has great blog post content and is constantly pushing the envelope in getting the information out to the people. As I was cueing breathing before a lift the other day to a group of students I was thinking in my head how to drive home the importance of that initial breathe and I turned to the internet and in this case Andy for a little inspiration and low and behold here was is blog.......
SQUISHY AT THE BOTTOM by Andy Petranek
Are you "squish at the bottom" of your squat? You know... You accelerate as you move down toward the floor and when you reverse direction, your chest and upper torso keep moving down while your legs, butt and hips stop and start moving up, causing your former "good squat position" to disintegrate. Or, your body looks like a piece of wet spaghetti as you go down in the squat and it's simply a miracle that you don't get smushed by the bar and weight as it tries to continue it's gravitational momentum down as you're trying to change direction and stand back up?
If this sounds like you, remember, a strong squat begins with your breath. It's your "12th man"... the thing that is responsible for maintaining tension in your torso, helping you to transfer the weight from the bar down into your legs, and transfer the force production from your legs back up into your shoulders. When you squat, you should NOT be breathing. Inhale, hold your breath, tighten your gut as if you were about to receive a punch. Then squat. Only release your breath after you're finished ascending.
By the way, if you don't believe me that you shouldn't breathe when squatting (or moving any appreciable weight for that matter), try to get your car/truck/suv rolling by pushing it - hard. Try it twice - once while holding your breath and once while exhaling. What do you find?
Emma is displaying some nice elbow positoning on the front squat!
Super Dave is fighting hard to keep is Elbow position on is way up to a 275lb Front squat!!
I was reading some posts on Mark's Daily Apple and came across this one from a few days ago. This opening paragraph caught my eye and I was compelled to continue reading. I personally use a aluminum bottle now.
I’ve made my stance on bottled water quite clear before, but I’ll go ahead and reiterate: bottled water is a joke. It’s completely unnecessary, unless you’re in a nation with unsafe water quality, and the plastic bottles make for excellent landfill fodder. You could reuse the bottles, but then you’ve gotta worry about the plastic leaching into your water, especially the more you refill and reuse them (and don’t ever stick ‘em in the dishwasher). Poor taste is one thing – I can’t expect a person to happily drink tap water that tastes terrible – but tap is perfectly safe to drink, especially if used with a simple filter. And if it weren’t, most bottled water wouldn’t be any better, since it’s often just repackaged tap (check the label or cap – if it says “from a municipal source” or “from a community water system” or anything along similar lines, it’s tap water). Sparkling water in glass bottles is justifiable (tap isn’t bubbly, after all, although you could make it so at home, and the glass bottles are definitely reusable (I like filling them with homemade salad dressings)
MY WISH IS SOMEDAY EVERYONE GETS A CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE THE GAMES!!!
Monday, March 01, 2010
In one way or another my wish would be that everyone gets a chance to experience the Games in some form at least once in there CrossFit life. This past weekend a few of us were able to experience CrossFit at a whole new level! The 2010 Utah/Nevada sectionals were amazing to say the least! Ari, Patric, Dario, Omar and myself were able to experience the sport of fitness at the highest level and we were humbled by the WOD and the athletes just the same! The experience was unforgettable and the memories are priceless. From Ari getting a PR, to Omar and Dario throwing up 235 & 245 over-head, and to Patric for getting three muscle ups to say a few! As a coach watching our students get after each WOD knowing that at times the task was going to be unbearable, and the hardest we have faced in a competitive atmosphere, and to see them just smile and say “here we go!” Humbling? Yes! Rewarding more than any of you will ever know! I want to Thank all of you for displaying all that Kaizen and CrossFit are all about!! We are all better today for participating this weekend! Now for myself, I have been fortunate to have found a great coach, true friend, and little brother in Eric to have taken a chance with me, to take on the task of making a difference in so many peoples’ lives. But this weekend his tremendous athletic ability was on display and words could not express how inspiring it was to see “YOUR” coach put on a show!! He won 2 out of 4 heats he was in and finished 13th to qualify for the CrossFit Regionals this May!!! I would also like to give all the athletes who participated this weekend a big shot out: Drew, Gil, and Jared for placing 1-2-3 respectively and to T.J., Billy, Shane, and all of the girls who competed and qualified for Regionals!
On a side note: Sherrie, Daman, Tommy and all the judges and volunteers who made this all possible THANK YOU again for putting on such a wonderful event!!
A Special thanks to Brian, Kade, Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Care Bear for your hospitality, driving, cooking, picture taking, and filming it was a big part of our success being able to relax and just handle business!!
Ari getting it done!
Dario focused on getting up 235 overhead...
Patric getting the muscle-up handled!
Omar getting ready to put up 225 on his way to 245 overhead...
SOMEBODY GET THIS VEST OFF OF ME!!!
Our boy Eric setting the tone!!
This weekend 6 of our family members will be in Utah competing in the the Utah/Nevada Sectionals for a chance to go to Regionals and the 2010 CrossFit Games! Eric, Patric, Ari, Dario, Omar, and myself will be competing at the highest level as far as CrossFit goes and I want to wish you all the Best!!! Do not forget to have fun and we will see you when you get back next week! If you would like to follow the athletes you can click here. (http://crossfitwfn.typepad.com/utnv_sectionals/) Plus we will have live updates on our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Las-Vegas-NV/Kaizen-Crossfit/1702687014930 as well.
Today's workout
10 DB squats
Lunge 53 feet
10 tuck jumps
Lunge 53 feet
9 DB squats
Lunge 53 feet
9 tuck jumps
lumge 53 feet
all the way down to 1.......
People ask me all the time about is there someone who can cook for me? Or I will get if it was prepared for me I could be more consistent. Patric sent us a link to Paleo Brands Inc. and here is an article to go with the link. So problem solved..... Just heat and serve!
"Orange County - Newport Beach - Paleo Brands, Inc. announces a new gourmet entrée and snack line that will launch on the Paleo Brands website on January 4, 2010. The ingredients for the food line mimic the evolutionary nutritional needs fueling humans for the last 2 million years with grass fed meats, wild caught fish, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats. Today's epidemic of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other degenerative diseases has been linked to our modern diet of processed foods. Although extensive research has shown that eating all natural, unprocessed foods the way our Paleolithic ancestors did provides the foundation for optimal health, the challenge has been in finding a way to make it easy, affordable, and convenient."
Kaizen means change for the better through a path of continuous improvement. There is no peak just constant gradual steps to a better you. Are you improving? Do you need help getting on the right track? Let us know. We are here for you and will do everything in our power to help you achieve your own personal Kaizen.
Today's workout
Db push press
3-3-3-3-3
-then-
3 rounds of:
10 db push-up rows #35/#20
10 box jumps
100m sprint
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If you would like to follow the athletes you can click here. (
