June 2010

Archive for June, 2010

How and Why Your Crossfit Goals May Change Over Time

Posted in Crossfit Philosophy, CrossFit Workouts, Lifestyle on June 30, 2010 by Crossfit Sioux Falls

CrossFit is NOT your typical gym. Way to go Shelly!

For those of you that have been CrossFitting for a while now (over 6 months or so) this story will sound very familiar to a lot of you. Basically what happens is you come into CrossFit with your initial goals i.e. lose weight and tone up…well at least 97% of you:-) and what happens is you learn what CrossFit REALLY is and what is can REALLY do for you and your health. You stop with your traditional FITness goals and start treating FITness as a sport (the way it should be treated).

Read this and she how she is changing mentally and emotionally…ENJOY!

Below is from http://www.crossfitwest.com
________________________________________________________________________________
Q-Leah, can you talk a little about the transformation of your mindset towards CrossFit since you started? For example, when you first started, was it just to lose weight and get in shape? Has that changed over time? If so how?

A-I definitely started CrossFit in order to lose weight and try to be more healthy. I generally felt overwhelmed by my weight-how high it was, how long it had been that high, and how unsuccessful I had been at making any lasting changes. I had started back at an “exercise plan” a couple months before I joined the box, and that consisted of lots of time on the elliptical and 2 days a week working with some nautilus machines. I had a nagging feeling that I actually needed some big time, significant help. I knew I needed something different, someone who would really take an interest in my progress and success, so much so that he would push me to work much, much harder than I was currently working. I had no idea where to find such a person, so Anna recommended CrossFit. My goal when I started was pretty simple, but it was massive-to lose 110 pounds. That was daunting to say the least.

With a goal like this, it was a bit frustrating to start CF and gain back the 10 pounds that I had lost from all that elliptical work, but I was far more interested in what I was now doing at the box, and I was way more sore and worn out from it. I figured all this struggle must be worth something, so I kept it up, started Paleo, and have lost 55 pounds over the last year.

If my goal in all of this had not changed at all, this number would be frustrating, not exciting. If I was still first and foremost concerned about hitting that 110 pound goal, I would be nice and tired of all this, wishing instead that I could just lose 10 pounds a week like they do on The Biggest Loser. But I am not frustrated and discouraged, I am thrilled. I never imagined how great it would feel to be only half way to that goal. I never imagined that my goal would actually change, that I would be happy to change my goal to 85 pounds and add so many other goals in the meantime.

It is most often these additional goals that keep me going. The weight loss can be slow and even non-existent for weeks at a time. I really had to break away from thinking that I HAD to lose a certain amount each week, or that weight loss was the most important thing. I had to learn to broaden my goals to include heavier lifts, faster times, and seeing (and really appreciating) progress in other movements. I had to learn to celebrate the progression of struggling through pushups on my knees to now struggling with regular pushups, and going from jumping pull ups only to the blue band, and then the green, and then the violet, or stepping up on the 12 inch box to finally being able to jump onto the 20 inch box.

I always know that I have so many goals that I can add to my list , so amazingly enough, I find that I think more about these new goals than the one I started with, the weight loss. Don’t worry, I am not kidding myself, I know I have more weight to lose, but I am now confident that I know what I need to do to get it done, and that it will happen. I probably get more stressed out about ever trying a HSPU again…

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

So CFSF, how have your goals changed since you started???

If you could give some advice to some that is new to CFSF…what would it be???

Post to comments.

4 Comments »

Become Flexible/Mobile…It’s Vital to YOU and Your Goals

Posted in Crossfit Philosophy, Members on June 29, 2010 by Crossfit Sioux Falls

Casey is a Master and helping you become more flexible and improve your mobility

YOU don’t come to CrossFit to become more flexible and improve your mobility…right? Let’s be honest…you come because you want the HARDCORE…kick *ss WODs! But what if I told you that because you’re not flexible and or YOU lack mobility it is holding you back from attaining YOUR goals? Because it is!

CrossFit defines ‘FIT’ness as becoming competent in 10 General Physical Skills: Strength, Cardio, Stamina, Power, Speed, Co-ordination, Accuracy, Balance, Agility, and FLEXIBILITY/MOBILITY…guess which one of those has the greatest impact to limit the other nine???

A few things come to mind on why YOU must improve your flexibility and mobility:

–Improve YOUR Performance: KStar likes to put it as “BEST FIT”: a biomechanical ideal position from which maximal force can be produced and sustained…huh? If you are tight you cannot perform to YOUR physical and athletic potential.
–Become Pain FREE: No matter who you are; your body desires to be pain free…all the time. The problem is we are imbalanced; the way we move, sit, stand, slouch, bend, etc… creates those imbalances. If you have any type of pain something is wrong and YOU need to take care of it…ALL THE TIME. Like in a regular routine, everyday and multiple times a day.
–Injury prevention: In a nutshell, if you can move properly without limitation, chances are you won’t get injured very easily.

Why we don’t stretch???

Because it’s boring, it takes TIME out of our day, and it doesn’t get you lean and ripped (when actually it really does; and we will address that in a later blog:-)

The CFSF Solution?

Starting next week we will be incorporating a “Stretch of the Week”. We will post at least one Flexibility/Mobility related move on the blog and it will be plugged into every class’s warm-up for the entire week. The more you come to class the more you will be able to learn, try it, and DO IT!

So CFSF If you have issue: tight back, hamstrings, shoulders hurt, chin splints, calves, it’s hard to squat all the way down, do you need recovery ideas (are you wayyyy to sore), etc…etc… Then let us know and we will address it in future posts.

3 Comments »

CrossFit Sioux Falls – Athelete of the Week

Posted in Members on June 28, 2010 by Crossfit Sioux Falls

Congrads to Brandi Holt!

Brandi has been CrossFitting since January of this year and boy has she increased her performance all around. Every week we see her getting faster, stronger and working harder.

Brandi, thank you for all you do and bring to the CFSF community. We appreciate you!

10 Comments »

Hope you have a Big Trunk, Cuz I need to put my Bike in it.

Posted in Lifestyle on June 25, 2010 by Crossfit Sioux Falls

See happy biking will make you

For you Crossfitters who already put their bikes away, you might as well get them back out as soon as you can.

Many of you probably have seen a bike roaming around the Crossfit gym, so I got the brillent idea of informing all of you the benefits you will receive while riding your “motorless transportation”.

First things first, for those who think riding bikes in actually pretty easy, you are wrong. Learning how to ride a bike actually has a formula that makes no sense to me at all ( Inertia forces + gyroscopic forces + the effects of gravity and centrifugal forces = the leaning of the body and the torque applied to the handlebars of a bike). But once you learn how to ride, it is one exercise you will never forget.

Riding bikes is not only difficult to learn, but once mastered, you will be able to reap all the benefits from it. There are 6 benefits of riding bikes that I have found that I believe will make you change from car to bike.

1. Good Cardiovascular Exercise- you will be able to improve your fitness level just by riding your bike for 30 minutes a day.
2. Kind to the joints- bike riding is a free exercise that is pain free. If you got knee problems, no need to worry. Just make sure you adjust the seat, so your legs get a full range of motion.
3. Strengthen leg muscles- think of it as a crossfit WOD. It might look easy, but once your finished, you realize you were way wrong.
4. Tones the Gluteus Muscles-by expierence of riding my bike, my gluteus maximus is already starting to show and feel wonderful benefits:-)
5. Strengthen Abdomen-by staying upright on the bike, you have to find a balance between you and the bike, so that balance strengthens your core muscles.
6. People checking you out- i know this one by experience, but there are a lot of passengers and drivers who just stare at you. I came up with a conclusion that there are two reasons for this. One, they idolize you for riding your bike, and two, you might be just by extremely good looking.

By: Cody B

6 Comments »

Challenges…Why Do them?

Posted in Crossfit Philosophy, Lifestyle, Members on June 24, 2010 by Crossfit Sioux Falls

This weekend marks our 1st “Nancy” Challenge.

What is the “Nancy”?

5 Rounds: 400 meter Run + 15 Overhead Squats

Overhead Squats are regarded as one of the hardest and most CHALLENGING exercises throughout our CFSF community.

So why would you CHALLENGE Yourself???

If you want to make the most out of your health, fitness, career, weave these two words into the fabric of your approach to life: “Challenge yourself.”

You will never fulfill even a fraction of your potential by sticking to the safe and comfortable. Because the safe and comfortable never forces you to rise to the occasion. It never offers the resistance that strengthens your mind and muscles you didn’t know you had.

Think about it…why do most people LOVE CrossFit? Because it’s the constant challenge. Every WOD you have the opportunity to PUSH Yourself to levels you never thought possible. Think of this “Nancy Challenge” as your next BIG opportunity to throw yourself in a situation where you will be FORCED to stretch yourself.

And guess what???

The more you challenge yourself and succeed, the greater your confidence in your ability to do it again next time. Challenge doesn’t just help you grow your skills and knowledge; it helps you grow your belief that you can in anything and everything you do in life 🙂

Want To Get Faster, Smarter? SLEEP 10 HOURS…

Posted in Crossfit Philosophy, Nutrition on June 23, 2010 by Crossfit Sioux Falls

In regards to CrossFit training, all you have to do is show-up consistently and we’ll take care of the rest.

However, when it comes to nutrition and recovery, two very important factors impacting your CrossFit performance… the ball is in your court. As we all know, eating natural, unprocessed foods while following The Paleo Diet guidelines will take care of your nurtitional needs. In order to make progress, get faster, stronger and leaner, SLEEP is by far the most important factor of all.

If fact, the link between sleep and physical perfromance is more profound than we think. Researchers showed that up to 10 HOURS of sleep made football players faster. They also looked at how sleep can affect a childs test scores, brain development and early learning.

Take home message: Never underestimate the power of a good nights sleep!

Found from: http://www.lalannefitness.com/index.php/P14/

1 Comment »

Welcome Aboard MBooms!

Posted in Events, Members on June 22, 2010 by Crossfit Sioux Falls

We are excited to announce that Mary E. BOOMsma is our latest addition to the decorated staff of CrossFit Sioux Falls.

Her CrossFit Resume speaks for itself:
-She was a member of our 2010 CFSF FTS Affiliate Team
-She is a member of CFSF PaleoHolics
-She is certified with his CrossFit Level 1
-She is certified with her CrossFit Olympic Weightlifting
-She is a student of CrossFit and is always finding ways to improve herself and is one of the first to lend a helping hand with anyone that wants to take their fitness and CrossFit to the next level.

Read her story below…

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Over the past few years I have not been happy in my career or my life, I felt like I didn’t have a purpose and for those of you who know this feeling it’s not a good one. I go to work in a cubicle with grey walls, grey floors, no windows, it’s not the most enlightening experience that I’ve ever had. And to be honest…..it’s just not me…I don’t’ like sitting I like being able to help and talk to people. Last year I was sitting in my Vice President’s office and he asked me what my passion was….the first thing that popped out of my mouth was “Not This!”thank goodness he wasn’t upset. I then proceeded to tell him that I’ve always wanted to be around people and help them succeed and help them be happy in their life….. because I wasn’t.

In May my good friend (and current CFSF member), Amber Frerichs, text me and said she thought she found something that I would love…Cross Fit. I gave it a try and my first WOD was 10 rounds 10 squats 20 burpees! I couldn’t walk the whole week and I loved that feeling, I was hooked!

From that first step into the box I found people that were positive and great to be around and without even knowing it my life became better, happier and more positive…Because of all of you! CrossFit has become the platform for a better life for myself. Normally people try to kick you when you are down and the people at Cross Fit Sioux Falls help you up and cheer you on to the next step. Only after being at Cross Fit a month I knew that this is what I wanted in my life. Here is my chance to actually do what I’m passionate about…help people succeed and believe in themselves.

When I attended my Cert in Arizona in December I felt the same camaraderie with all the people there. There were people from Australia, London, Canada among others, all there for the same purpose. The trainers that were there were amazing. I got to meet the 2007 Female winner of the Cross Fit Games Jolie Gentry and the ever famous Josh Everett. (if there are some of you who don’t know who he is look him up you will be amazed) All six trainers were excellent and willing to help. It was great to watch them do WOD’s over their lunch….these are the best of the best and I was in awe of the amount of weight and speed they were capable of. I was sad to be leaving after day 2. I had an amazing time and would do it over and over again! It was well worth it! I’ve never been so proud to be a part of something as I am Cross Fit!

I am now given the opportunity to help you succeed with your goals. I want to take everything that I’ve learned from Chris, Annie and the rest of the staff and be able to train and perform at their level and provide you the knowledge and expertise you all deserve! CrossFit allows you to push yourself to the limit. You can accomplish things that you never thought you could! It gives you the strength not only physically but mentally in your personal and professional life! It’s a great feeling to have so many people around you accomplishing goals that they thought were out of their reach and to be a part of that is a dream of mine.

Another goal I have set for 2011 is to participate in the Cross Fit sectionals in hopes to qualify for the games. When this is accomplished I will continue my education and try for my level 2 Cert in hopes that in my future will be HQ trainer.

My promise to Cross Fit Sioux Falls and it’s members…..to always pick you up when you fall down, encourage you to be the best you can be, be proud of all that you have accomplished in the future and thus far and to achieve your fitness goals that you never thought you could attain! You are stronger than you give yourself credit! Be proud of how far you’ve come!

15 Comments »

CrossFit Sioux Falls – Athlete(s) of the Week

Posted in Crossfit Philosophy, Members on June 21, 2010 by Crossfit Sioux Falls

Good Lookin Oly Group

This is the most AOW’s ever this week!

We would like to congratulate all the coaches and the students that attended the Olympic Lifting Certification this past weekend. Kudos to Hali Watson, Korena Chester, Tracy Kuipers, Matt “FTS” Byers, Chris P, Browny, Mary Booms, Casey, Cody B, Annie and Chris Mello. Also, our former ROCKSTAR CrossFitter’s Garrett Strating and Nate Hart.

Personally I feel it was the best cert I have been too. It had every component you need to educate, motivate and learn the skillz to successfully coach athletes and members of any level. To let all of you know this is an unusually LARGE attendance to a CrossFit certification from a single affiliate.

We are so proud of everyone who attended and have NO DOUBT this weekend we raised the level of coaching and excellence at CFSF.

A special thanks to the Olympic Lifting Coaching staff as we were very impressed with the entire weekend. A BIG THANK YOU to Coach Mike Burgener.

Look out everybody the bar has been raised significantly!

Everyone who attended the cert please post your thoughts and feedback about this weekend to the comments.

And CFSF please post your congratulations to the group.

7 Comments »

This Saturday’s Park WOD

Posted in CrossFit Workouts on June 18, 2010 by Crossfit Sioux Falls

Warmup:
-1X–Run around ‘the bowl’
-3X– 25 mountain climbers, 20 side lunges, 15 inverted burpees, 10 Hindu pushups (sweeping pushup)

WOD:

Teams of 2, each team lines up facing the hill…
For Time:
-100 pushups
-200 situps
-300 squats

**One partner does the reps, the other partner is the pace-setter who runs up and down the hill one time. When the pace setter returns from the hill run, they will pick up where the rep count was left off by other partner (continuous count).

**For example, Chris and Casey are partners…3, 2, 1, Go!…Chris starts on pushups, Casey runs the hill. When Casey returns from the hill run, he switches with Chris. Chris left off at 26 pushups, Casey starts at 27, 28, etc. while Chris runs up and down the hill once. They continue to switch off reps and hill runs until the reps are complete, then go on to situps, then squats

We encourage you to:
-bring a water bottle, towel or mat
-stopwatch or some type of timer
-a chipper Saturday morning attitude
-camera to take fun action shots

Post teams and time to the comments

CrossFit Chicks ARE HOT!!!

Posted in Crossfit Philosophy on June 18, 2010 by Crossfit Sioux Falls

Read this article by Louis Hayes from the CrossFit Journal:

BEYOND THE BODY

CrossFit chicks are hot.
Ever hear that saying? Well, it’s true. And here’s why: Being “hot” has a lot more to it than physical appearance. Plenty of women and girls have all the physical componentsand gifts of the cover girl but simply “aren’t hot.”And then there are those magnetic ones who might never be a runway model but are irresistible.

Click on this link and read more on Why we are as HOT as we ARE!!!!

Click to access CFJ_hayes_chicks.pdf