Easy-E lifting some BIG weights

I don’t own a gym.

Sure, there are weights, rowers, barbells and medicine balls….but it’s not a gym. When I unlock the door, turn on the lights, and press play on the iPod, I’m not just opening a business, I’m setting the stage for CrossFit.

And you know what? CrossFit is so much more.

CrossFit isn’t your Fran time.

CrossFit isn’t how many consecutive pull-ups you can do.

If there’s one thing I have learned about CrossFit; it’s that first and foremost, CrossFit is a therapeutic release for adults.

Second to the therapy, is the physical strength and wellness of the body.

Third would be the community of encouragement that surrounds you each and every time you walk through the door.

In a sense, CrossFit is an essential nutrient to your body. We’ll call it vitamin “C”. A quick Google search returns the following result as the definition of an essential nutrient:

Any substance required by living organisms to ensure normal growth, development and maintenance.

For anyone who has tried CrossFit, I’m sure you’ll agree that it becomes an essential nutrient. If you go too long without your dose of vitamin “C” you’ll start to feel like there is something missing, am I right? This type of vitamin “C” can’t be replaced with jogging through Moraine Hills, or a trip to the globo gym to put yourself through a CrossFit type workout. You see, it just isn’t the same. It would be like renting a mouse costume, dressing up in your backyard, and trying to convince your kids you’re at Disney World. The magic just isn’t there.

The magic lives inside the place we call The Fort. It lives inside the people who walk through the doors and make it their therapy session.

The CrossFit magic is YOU GUYS and all the encouragement and positivity you bring with you every day.

Thank you for making CrossFit Sioux Falls so much more than a gym.

found from http://www.crossfitfire.com

Brad is in the Tabata Zone

Tabata training was discovered by Dr. Izumi Tabata and a team of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo.

Dr. Tabata discovered that this kind of interval training burns substantially more fat than aerobic training. On top of this four minutes of Tabata workout builds as much muscular endurance as forty five minutes of normal cardio training. In fact in the study the subjects increased their anaerobic capacity by over a quarter as well a substantial increase in their aerobic fitness. Something to keep in mind was that the the subjects were as fit as race horses before they started the trial, so the improvements were remarkable.

This makes it an very versatile program, you can use tabata for weight loss as well most improving performance in most aerobic and anaerobic sport.It will be the longest 4 minutes of your life but it will also be the most rewarding. Well at least if you survive it.

So why do we do it? Take a look:

a) Reduced body fat levels: Although Tabata training has been used for energy system work it was quickly found that it is a hugely effective way to strip fat from the body. The training is itself brief, but the knock on effects are increased calorie utilization through the day and more importantly, an increased rate of fat burning in the hours after training. While low intensity long duration work has you burning fat on the bike for say 45 minutes, Tabata causes you to increase the rate for fat burning for many hours after.

b) Ability to train: If Tabata teaches the mind and body one thing, it is the ability to increase intensity and maintain a lot of hard work; this is incredibly useful anyone looking to be in thier best shape possible, In my experience once a trainee has been exposed to Tabata they raise their game elsewhere in the weight room. Think you’re working hard on that final set of squats? Do a Tabata session and then think again.

c) Time pressure: Plans are all very good but they have to be able to fit into our hectic schedules. Tabata at anywhere between 3-7 minutes is just such a plan.

For those on the road traveling or working late mix in a Tabata.

Here is an idea: One full Tabata of Burpees and Situps, or Squats, Push Ups and Situps will be able to hold you over till your next WOD. Also check out the Tabata timer apps for your computer or cell phone.

By: Annie

Why CrossFit Ruined My Life: (found from http://www.crossfitverve.com/)

Dedicated to Greg Glassman, the man that ruined my life.

My WHOLE life I searched for a fitness that I couldn’t explain. I was always active, always “healthy”. I was a vegetarian for 16 years, because it was “healthy”. I ran, biked, climbed, surfed and lived a relatively balanced and happy lifestyle. Then I found

CrossFit and my life will never be the same….

Because of CrossFit, I will never eat Mung for dinner again (unless it’s a cheat meal). Mung is a delicious mixture of re fried beans, peppers, onions, cheese, and salsa cooked in a crock pot on low. I used homemade tortilla chips for dipping, cuz they are healthier then the store bought ones, right?

Because of CrossFit, normal everyday people just don’t look the same. When you are constantly surrounded by CrossFitters your perception of human anatomy is skewed. Too skinny is weak and too strong is slow.

Because of CrossFit, I believe all people are capable of amazing physical feats, when they don’t produce, I take it personally and have no tolerance for laziness.

Because of CrossFit, I will never be alone. There will always be friends I should spend time with, athletes I need train and new people I want to get to know.

Because of CrossFit, I may look amazing naked, however, damned if I can fit into normal girl clothes. Put me in yoga pants and I’ll knock your socks off. Send me on a mission to find a dress, pair of jeans or a feminine top and I’ll come home defeated. My wardrobe will forever consist of 90% t’shirts.

Because of CrossFit, I will spend at least half of my waking days lurking on websites, watching, learning, getting pumped up and being inspired. CrossFit.com will be the first site I look at every morning and the last before bed. Why am I mesmerized by people working out. Damn you CrossFit.

Because of CrossFit, my hands will never be soft and silky. They will forever remain rough and coarse. They have become hands of capacity and are not for looks or ginger caressing.

Because of CrossFit, I will never be able to separate my health and fitness again. They will always be joined as one, interlocked in an intimate marriage of understanding. I have no excuses.

Because of CrossFit, people think I work out all day, deprive myself of sinful pleasures and am generally unfun (because their definition of fun has become so incompatible with mine)!

Because of CrossFit, I will never be satisfied with my fitness. There will always be something to achieve, something to try and something to “get better at”, nothing I can’t do!

Has CrossFit ruined your life?

Carrie is Rockin her 1st Rx'D WOD

Prescribe (verb) – to lay down as a guide, direction, or rule of action.

The order of importance that was instilled into us at Level 1 Certification was proper technique and range of motion as the initial priority followed by adding load and intensity.

The saying “you must crawl before you walk” is never more true than in CrossFit. You must be proficient in the movement before you should attack the likes of “Diane” or “JT”.

As a trainer/coach I take a lot of pride when someone identifies a goal and I see them working on that movement in the warmup or after class is completed.

How many of you have seen FTS (aka Matty B) do pullups?

How long would you guess it took him working on butterfly pullups after class before he perfected his form?

Once or twice?

How about for several weeks pretty religiously…every single day??? He nailed it with his response in the previous post…it takes wrench time to reach your goals.

Having Rx behind your name on the whiteboard is a mark of honor. If you put in the time on technique and range of motion, you will see those initials behind your name on a more consistent basis. Wear that badge with pride…but make sure you earned it.

Check out this blog from Hyperfit USA from Ann Arbor, MI, and pay special attention to the topic of mechanics http://www.hyperfitusa.com/hyperfit_usa/2010/10/understanding-prescribed.html. If you didn’t catch Casey’s blog from last week and the subsequent response from FTS, scroll down and take a quick read. These 2 posts complement each other very well.

The last thing I want to address in this week’s edition is to cheer on your fellow CrossFitter. If you finish a WOD early and your neighbor is still battling to get done…throw some encouragement their way. You never know…that favor could be returned when your GOAT shows up and you need a little extra boost.

Make yourself better today!

Browny

Creating and Maintaining FLEXibility is all about consistency

Humans have 200+ bones and 650-some muscles in our body.

The way we move, sit, stand, WOD will beat those bones and muscles up in a major way. Muscles will become inflexible. An inflexible muscle is a clenched, contracted, restricts blood flow and limits optimal performance. And each day that goes by we will become more tight and stiff.

To solve the situation start with your tightest areas and spend 5 – 15 minutes a day (which we can ALL do). If you need help…ask your coaches. We are here to help.

To further educate yourself on mobility and flexibility go to the MobilityWOD blog site it will be located on our links under blog favs.

Related Blog: Got Fuzz???

Skill: (n) the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both.

Ability: (n) the quality of being able to do something, especially the physical and mental power to accomplish something.

I was thinking about the difference between these terms earlier this week after watching Chris demonstrate some rowing techniques. It made me think about the way we structure many of our workouts, specifically the skill time. Taking the time to learn and refine skills gives us the ability to make something happen; but notice the definition above, the skill must be learned in order for us to have the ability.

How many of you came to the box on your very first day with the ability to do pullups?

Double-unders?

A basic snatch?

Very few, if any of us, right?

I once had a coach tell me,

“99% of coaching is in practice and preparation, very little of what we do happens at game speed.”

This is especially true in CrossFit. If you were thrown into a WOD without being taught how to do anything, chances are you wouldn’t be very successful; so it’s important to take time to learn and refine the skills. If not to be better at CrossFit, then for safety’s sake at least. By gaining abilities, though, you will get much more than just a good workout.

I challenge you: every time you come to the box, no matter what type of class you are taking, make the goal to walk out with more ability than when you walked in.

Sure, to come in and do a brutal, exhausting workout is great. Anyone who wants to badly enough can do that, though.

What’s really worth your while, what will really give you a return on your time and effort, is gaining ability.

If you do this consistently, you’d be surprised by how far you’ve come.

By: Casey