Wednesday, December 29, 2010

We eat our own dogfood around here

In February of 2009, I had the privilege of taking part in fun little weekend adventure.

I used to work at uscrossfit and was offered the opportunity to participate in the "SEALfit Camp". It was a 48 hour long (straight, no sleep) test of human resilience. One had to have the courage to start and the commitment to finish; much like the BHIP program. Every "evolution" was a test.. a very punishing, brutal, and excruciating test. I won't get into too much detail about this as we all know what it's like to overcome hardship at this point, but here's a fun little video for you all to enjoy with yours truly getting his ass beat on numerous occasions.





check out more on these camps on the SEALfit website if you so desire. There have been several other classes to go through since, including a huge one with a lot of elite crossfit athletes that has been documented for crossfit for their journal.

enjoy

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

holiday jeer

Hope everyone is having a festive break and ENJOYING it. Hope everyone has had a chance to do some mobility work and maybe had a little/a lot of fun.

Please post any workouts you've done or anything else you did that others might be interested.

This week, keep doing the mobility work and if you want, you can do some death-by pyramids.

So you follow the normal death-by protocol in which you add an extra repetition or sprint on the minute every minute until failure.. Then you go back down the ladder subracting a rep on the minute every minute until you're back at 1.

Choose a different movement every day and do that. Then record the movement and your max reps. Also, feel free to post the links to the mobility wods you've done that you really like.


Enjoy

Monday, December 20, 2010

Rainy freedom

So I had a few workouts planned, but they all involved outdoor activities (sprinting and such). I figured I'll put them on the back burner for now.

We had some major breakthroughs these past couple of weeks. We learned to snatch and everyone has been doing really well. On the last day, Professor Will Newman had the biggest breakthrough I've ever seen. For those that have seen this guy training, it's inspiring. Theoretically, Will shouldn't be able to sit in chairs as his squat was basically nonexistent from the start. He wasn't the only one with this issue but his attitude sets him apart from most people. Any normal person (not in BHIP) would have simply gone to see their doctor or orthopedist and would have been placed on an extensive P.T. regiment ($$$). Then he or she would have been told that his hips are just locked up and old and the decrepitude can't be undone without intrusive treatment. At least a few cortisone shots, why not?

Will, by contrast, decided to just keep dealing with the frustrations of daily hardships. For a solid 8 months, Will kept trying to squat better and better. Looking for every millimeter of movement. We tried everything. We started getting creative with hurdles and poles. His unrelenting attitude made it very easy for me as an instructor, but noticeably hard for him. He just kept at it though. Finally, last Thursday, his his ultimately surrendered and opened up. He performed a loaded front squat as if he'd been practicing on his own for hours a day. Check it out: Back straight; head neutral; heels down; hip-crease dropped well below parallel. It was surreal. Che out the video on the FB page.

Anyway, Will is certainly not the only person who has had major mobility accomplishments. We see them every day with many of you. So in keeping with that spirit, I want everyone to visit this website: MOBILITYWOD and visit some of the earlier posts. These things are short and sweet and will do you a lot of good if you can find a few minutes for them. So every day, I'd like everyone to do one "mobility wod" and when the rain dies down, I'd like everyone to go for long walks. A nice hour-long walk every day. You don't have to do anything intense, just walk for at least an hour. Grab the dog, a kid, a friend, and some water and get outside. That's all I have for this week. Enjoy.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Does this ring a bell?

Update:
No one has any anecdotes, huh? No one? Really? No one has every conquered any fears or has been hesitant to take a big first step in their life? Maybe I'm just a huge sissy then. Personally, I constantly find myself in turmoil with fear and anxiety. I have woken up in cold sweat and breathless. Am I alone in this here?

Doubt it. If the biggest badasses in the world get studied by the largest navy in the world over how they manage their fear, then I think there is some universality to it.

Mark Twain said: "Courage is NOT the absence of fear, but rather the mastery of it."
We need fear to be courageous. To step out of our comfort zones and to conquer.

No pun intended with the "bell ringing"

Please watch these videos and discuss in the comments about your own experiences with fear, anxiety, and over-coming them.





Sunday, December 12, 2010

Santafit

It is awesome to have read and heard about improved mile times. Good job to all of you that laced up and threw it all out there. Well Done!

Here are some more for this week:

1.
6 RFT
30 Superman-Banana
30 Leg Levers
30 Mountain Climbers

2.
10 RFT
10m alt Walking Lunge/ Broad Jump
Same number of burpees as steps/jumps.

*Measure out 10 meter and move between the end-zones. If you took 6 lunges to get across to the other side, then you do 6 burpees before making the return trip.

Note: Looks like we are going to have a coupe of weeks off. Great time for feats of strength. Impress your loved ones with your hard-earned strengths. Wear your badges of courage (scars for some) with pride. Lead from the front!

There will always be doubters and naysayers, or as they are now called "haters" by the kids on the streets. They have no bearing on your course. People will tell you that your way is wrong and theirs is better. That you should eat this and not that, and do more of those and less of these. At the end of the day, each and every one of us must take responsibility for ourselves and our "fitness". We are all products of our own creation, at this point.

I constantly hear people telling me, "you're so lucky because you're fit.." Or "you're so fortunate that you don't have these health problems." Or the always-pleasant "god forbid you have to deal with this or that.." It is not a matter of luck or fortune, it is a matter of motivation. For those of you that follow poker: Is it surprising that the same handful of people always win the big games? Even gambling is exempt from luck. And as Louis Pasteur said: "Luck favors the prepared mind." If you strive to succeed, you improve your "chances" greatly. If you don't want to succeed and would rather be a victim of your own demise, then you may even succeed at that too. Your well-being is directly related to your motivation for success, whatever that success may be. Wellness is one of the few things in life that one cannot outsource or buy or steal; we can only dull misery with drugs. We work for wellness.

So, again, stand up for what you worked for and celebrate it. Flaunt it. Walk the walk and you won't have to talk. And of someone gets in your way, exhibit your strength for them appropriately.

Enjoy this warm week and keep thinking up workouts to do over break. Email each other. Post questions in comments or email them. Get creative.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Stay warm with these

Workouts:

1.
Death By Whatevs

Tabata Whateves

Same Death

Same Tabata

Compare and record.

2.
Run 1 MILE. ONLY 1 MILE! For Time!

* If you neglect to time yourself, then you have failed yourself. You have essentially failed to absorb the essence of the program over the last 7 months. Your performance should be of great interest to you. Anyone can go out and schlep a mile at ease. We have been TRAINING to do it faster and better. So why not be your best? If you reply with "I didn't time it" when I ask your mile time, I will hurt you (at least in my head, which sometime manifests into reality). Just sayin'.

Have fun!

WeightWatchers Faults Processed Foods While Profiting From Them

Just Breathe: Body Has A Built-In Stress Reliever

The Real Culprit in Overeating

Saturday, December 4, 2010

FREE!




Need I say more??? Watch this epic film. Twice. Then pass the link along to anyone you think might benefit from watching this.. EVERYONE

FAT HEAD ON HULU FREE

Monday, November 29, 2010

Finally solved huh?

The Obesity Riddle Finally Solved

A RIDDLE?!?! Hardly.. This article was published on 11/25, yet we've been barking this well-known idea, that was called "Banting" like 170 years ago, to you since MAY and have been practicing it ourselves for much longer than that. Darn scientists think they know everything yet their entire industry revolves around things they DON'T know. If only they'd open a couple books before trying to solve the "mysteries" of life..

I still think it's a bit off and the paleo way of eating wins by far, but it's a step in the right direction.

enjoy

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Hit the ground Running!

Like I've said before, fitness is residual and aggregate. Body builders need to worry about their "shape". We don't need to too much since not THAT much is going to change after a single weekend of binge eating in the bigger course of things. It's all about the big picture. Therefore, I will be imposing a strict 50 burpee penalty for anyone who utters the words "back in shape". We don't work for "shapes"; we work hard for performance. Shapes and aesthetics are a CONSEQUENCE of performance. What better way to improve your performance, and consequently, your shape than with a swift 50 burpees? I suggest you all spread the word, and I also suggest not testing me on this one, as I have remorselessly thrown burpees at very minor things before, as many of you can attest.

Aside from that, here's a couple more performance-boosting, sweat-producing, vomit-inducing, always fun, never boring workouts.

1. For Time:
50-40-30-20-10
-Double-unders/ Jumping Jacks/ 4x jump rope
-Sit ups

2. For Time:
Run 100m, 20 Burpees
Run 200m, 15 Burpees
Run 300m, 10 Burpees
Run 400m, 5 Burpees

Recover: Hang/Swing on Pullup Bar for 5 min. Stretch your shoulders and chest.


Remember to warm up well. Don't skimp on that.

Here's a couple more good reads about PERFORMANCE-NUTRITION (remember about aesthetics being consequential?):

PALEO BOOKS

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Additional Thought for Food

To follow up, some great additional food reads are:
The Paleo Solution, the Original Human Diet by Robb Wolf
Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

Some additional online sources are:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/
http://www.fathead-movie.com/
http://www.robbwolf.com/

Sometimes even science sucks.

I highly encourage everyone to always call B.S. on everything they see and hear. Apply your own wits and think things through before coming to your own conclusions.

I recently stumbled upon this article about eating whole grains. I simply disregarded it since you all know my stance on grains and carbs. But then I realized that perhaps it might help to discuss why I think this article is bunk.

The article feeds the fairly recent claim that argues whole grains, rather than highly refined grains,are good (better) for you. The idea there is that the whole grains take longer for your metabolism to break down and as such keep you full longer and, ultimately have a lower glycemic index than highly refined carbs (takes longer to become glucose in your blood). Also, because much of the grain remains intact (bran, endosperm, etc..) you supposedly get more nutrients for your buck while still keeping the calorie count relatively low. And since there are fewer fat-calories (which somehow are linked to human fat, in this case and many other pro-carb studies; of course there is no direct link but lets play along) then a caloric deficit (also not well shown to be a succesful method of aquiring fitness) will ultimately produce a leaner and more fit individual. Quite a nice theory indeed.

As we all hopefully know by now, all calories ARE NOT created equally and our bodies deal with them quite differently. Calories from sugars (carbs,starches, etc.) trigger insulin to be released into the blood. Calories from protein trigger glucagon to be relaesed to metabolize that. And fat is completely separate in it's metabilsm because it is hormonally neutral (for the most part) and has many uses in addition to fueling the oxidative pathways. So this is important to consider.

One of the argument presented in the article is lower visceral fat leads to lower risk of type-2 diabetes and metabloic disease. Lets think about this for a second. Insulin (triggered by glucose) is respomsible for storing "stuff" as fat in our bodies. Chronically high levels of insulin is also the cause of "insulin-resistance" which essentially is the precursor to type-2 diabetes. I know I just generalized two very complex issues, but sometimes, that helps. So basically, the two seemingly separate issues have one single factor. Now, some might ask, "well, why then are there skinny diabetics and fat people without any signs of diabetes?" Well, our susceptibilities are all different because our genetic predisposition seem to be different. Here's a source about fat cells that may help (good read). Perhaps some people max out their fat-cells earlier than others..

So if chronically high glucose is the major cause of all of these issues, wouldn't it make sense to address that issue rather on focusing on a related symptom? Here's an analogy: Smoking gives you bad breath and emphezema. Would it make sense to try and address the bad breath to treat the emphezema, or should we just address the real cause of BOTH of those issues; the smoking? Discuss.

I'm not going to get into too much economics here, but the carb-favoring study was funded by the USDA and General Mills and their intersts lie in creating wealth for the agricultural markets, which happens to be an enormous factor in the health of our economy, especialy during times of economic hardship.(the farm bill was created after the great depression along with the food pyramid, no surpises there).

Ironically, the study concedes that much more research needs to be done to find various missing links in their logic. Furthermore, no links to fat-loss and consumption quatitities of whole-grains were found. So why do people who eat whole grains solely have 10% lower visceral fat? I imagine that those who eat whole grains are probably just more health-minded in general and as such, have less body-fat as opposed to those who are not or CANNOT be health-minded because of financial circumstances.

Here's an actual study about auto-immune disease which will hopefully make you reconsider consuming any grains whatsoever as they are a major contributor to systemic inflammation.

Discuss! DO IT!

P.S. We'll have a little turkey-day leftover contest next week, where I will be the judge. Just kidding, kind of..

Monday, November 22, 2010

Preview of Tuesday's Workout

Commence Eating!

For those of you who only check the blog on Mondays, check out my previous post. A few good reads if you have the time and interest.

Tis the season to eat. So eat hearty and don't look back. Please do not hold back on ENJOYING yourselves and the time spent with families. True fitness is residual and aggregate; you will not lose it after a large meal and a few days of rest. In fact, you'll probably come back stronger. Personally, I took 2 weeks off from any lifting because my back was hurting, came back and lifted more than ever. SO fear not, you can have seconds, thirds, fourths, till you pass out. Just save me some leftovers, ;).

Also, "burning-off" yesterday's calories today is a load of nonsense, and many of you have already caught on to that. It's not like you have an over-filled fuel tank that needs to be burned off. Storage happens when your blood sugar remains high for too long. Like perhaps after eating a bunch of donuts and drinking a bunch of beer and soda (yes diet soda too) for a few days straight.

Anyway, here's a couple workouts for you all, and we'll probably post up more closer to the holiday for those that really want to get sweaty before the eat-a-thon. We do encourage you all to get creative about it and involve your whole family. So during the annual football game, losing team has to do 50 burpees. That sort of thing. Aslo, check out mobility WOD. Many of us need mobility work so please take some time to look through this link and do some of the exercises.

Workouts:

1.
10 Pushups,
1 minute each
30 sec down, 30 sec up
Rest about a minute between.

Then do 50 more pushups as fast as you can. Full Range of Motion!

Stretch and work on mobility, foam roller.


2.
150 Jumping Jacks
Tabata Situps
Tabata squats
150 Jumping Jacks

rest as needed.


Enjoy!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Get Smart(er)!!

First off, I just want to remind you all that I thoroughly enjoy what I do. The best part is when you guys come in knowing that it's about to get rough and you just smile about it and laugh. It's your attitudes that drive you and determine your success in whatever you do. Just ask the most successful people around; sports and any other end of the success spectrum. They'll all tell you that it's all about attitude. You have to have a positive attitude about things; it's really the only thing in life the YOU CAN control. Those of you who read "Mind Gym" by Gary Mack already know what I'm talking about. If not, I highly suggest you read it. I find myself reading that book continuously in a loop and get something new every time. It's great. Buy a copy, read it, make your friends read it. Do it!

Also, I was going to put up a bunch of articles, but then I checked a friend's site and he already posted about a million.. so I want you guys to browse and peruse them and write a litte commentary in the comments about ones you liked.. repost them on facebook, or share them any way you like. Be the expert. Anaerobic Endurance

Read these too:

FOOD MATRIX

Has a vegan diet been shown to benefit epilepsy, braintumors or parkinsons? No, but a ketogenic diet has!

Epilepsy’s Big, Fat Miracle

BOOM!

Monday, November 15, 2010

More fun

Hope everyone is well rested from a long weekend. Here's some more adventures for you all.


Workouts:

1.
100 Burpees for time.
(No need to be scared this time) If burpees are an issue, feel free to modify it. You can do pushups and another exercise of your choice. Do 100 of both.

2.
100 OverHeadSquats (full squats)

100 leg levers (on your back,legs together, up and down)

100 superman

100 2ct flutterkicks


Enjoy!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Workouts

Another week's worth:

1.
Run 2 miles tabata fashion

20 Sec ON::10 sec OFF until

full distance is covered.

Record total time.

*if you cannot run, Then Row 3000 meter in the same fashion.


2.
In as few sets as possible and for time:
50 pushups
75 situps
100 squats



So we've been doing the continuation program for a longer time than the actual BHIP program and yet we do way too much review in class. Please make sure you know what the names of the movements mean. You should know the difference between a deadlift and a sumo-deadlift, and a sumo-dead lift high-pull. You should know how to do ring dips and bench dips without an introductory workshop every time they come up. You must know the difference between a clean a front squat and a thruster. I'm pretty sure that 7 month is plenty of time to learn a handful of movements.

Thank you all for your hard work.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Rise of the MACHINES

So by now, pretty much all of you are familiar with my disdain for machines.. Some of you have even been scolded by me when spotted on a machine. The problem with them is that they don't work. If machines like treadmills and elipticals actually helped people acheive more than just a heavy sweat, we wouldn't have or need BHIP or any other such nonsense. Our lives would just be filled with machines. Why bother doing things that don't work, if machines did work?

The reality is that machines simply make things that reward strain less strenuous. Like running and cycling. As we make things easier, we reduce necessary stressors and replace them with comforts that inevitably lead to less-than successful exercise program. In short, machines suck because they make life easy. Done.

Enter the rowing ergometer, aka The Rower, aka, the rowing erg, aka the rowing machine. They are often hidden in the back of a cardio room, to be neglected and ignored. Why? Because they DO NOT make life easy. In fact, they do just the opposite. They provide a very good way of developing sustained, powerful hip extension (power-stamina: crucial for fitness)and can be used by nearly anyone (back problems excluded). The most common ones are the "Concept-2" ones. We actually have a handfull of them in the cardio room in the Wooden Center. Perhaps, if more of us took advantage of them, we might be able to buy a few more (demand drives supply, econ 101).

Please check out this link from the CONCEPT2 manufacturer. There are a bunch of nice links to tutorials and stuff.

also, please view this link to their "Workout of the Day" page. It's pretty cool. You can do different workouts.

So if you desire a little extra "cardio" or you missed a session or whatever, feel free to hop on one and substitute. And if you didn't get a chance to check out their workouts, you can actually program the thing to do a tabata on. 20:10 x 8 rnds. Ask the consultants to help you out if you want.

over and out, enjoy

DRINK UP

DRINK WATER

It's a link.. watch it

wmv version

Sunday, October 31, 2010

boom

This week's workouts:

1.
For Time:
10x
10 Broad Jumps
10 Pushups

2.
5 min max squats
4 min max situps
3 min max mountain climbers
2 min max pushups
1 min max burpee

Rest 1 minute between.
Record max reps


*note* Please treat these workouts for what they are.. Workouts. They are intended to make everyone stronger and better conditioned to move the body quickly and safely and sometimes even move more than your own body. I've personally had to drag/carry and pull other people out of various predicament. You don't always get tp pick the time, place, or person, but you get to choose to act. The more prepared you are in conditioning your own self, the more prepared you are to help someone else. Invest more in yourself, and you can contribute more to others.

Do not treat these workouts as a chore. If you didn't enjoy it, please let us know. Your feedback is how we program. We look at your performance improvements, but your sentiments are just as important.

Thank You All for your continued efforts.

Have a fun week!

Monday, October 25, 2010

fishy oil

7 Fish Oil Benefits Proven by Research

More Articles


Slurp the stuff up as you read this. I wear grandma was right when she told me this stuff would cure ANYTHING. Now I'm the one preaching it, but at least a bunch of nerds with microscopes are on my side too..

A stronger man (woman too) is a happier man (and woman).

Here's the sweat-storm workout for the week:

1.
12 Min Amrap

-10 Pushups

-50 Jumping Jacks



2.
5 x
30m Burpee Broad jumps
30m lunge walk

so burpee out 30 meters and lunge walk back to the starting point. Group up for this one especially



It's no surprise to me, and the others I hope, that those of you who are enjoying this the most are the same ones who are pushing yourselves to lift HEAVIER weights and going harder through the discomfort boundaries. You know who you are and so do I. You get what you put in, and you're getting a lot. It's inspiring to see.

Some, on the other hand, are sand-bagging. Taking heavy-lifting days in stride as if they don't matter, strolling around, dragging ass all over the place. It's bullshit. You're selling yourself short because it's just easier that way. Sure enough, you're going home dissatisfied with an empty feeling that someone got short-changed. That someone was you. Take responsibility for it and figure out what you want out of yourself. We, the coaches are interested in making you all FITTER (stronger, faster, powerful, resilient, mobile, etc). If that's not what you're interested in, then make that clear to yourself and we can move on from there; UCLA offer something for everyone. Just remember, nothing is more satisfying than putting it all out there on the line and pushing yourself to conquer a level of discomfort. Keep that in mind next time you're debating yourself on whether to add a little weight or breeze through and hope tomorrow brings you victory.

over and out

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

12n class is moving to the Pardee Gym. Don't want any of you sweeties to melt!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Another week, another opportunity to get healthier.

Here's the workouts for this week. I suggest using the the track and grouping-up.

1.
SPRINT for time:
50-100-150-200-250-300-250-200-150-100-50
Full Recovery (1-2 minutes)
*Scale accordingly to sustain proper (GOOD) form. Push yourselves!

2.
Do Friday.
Death March
400 Meter Walking Lunges
For time.
If you feel like stopping to rest, just keep lunging.




Those of you that are indeed committed are showing it, and we can tell. It is awesome! It's blatantly obvious as to who's in-it-to-win-it, and who's just floating by, coming to classes occasionally at convenience. Health and fittness is a life choice, just like careers and cars. You cannot be an observer and expect to get fit by osmosis. That's silly. You might as well throw in the towel early before you hurt your ego even more. Or, you can step up, stop making useless excuses (we don't really care either) and DO THE WORK. That's all you have to do. If you're ready, willing, and able, we want YOU. If not, step off your high-horse and get out of the way before life mows you down. Have fun this week!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Read.. then SQUAT!!

Read the article first:

SQUAT ALL THE WAY DOWN!


A little more incentive to get your butts down and dig for the depth. Practice makes Perfect. You might not feel your strongest in the right position, but it's the only way to get strong, especially in THAT position and through the full range range of motion. I'd really like to see people slowing down the workouts to get a little more depth. Especially on the independent workout days. You'll have plenty of opportunities to impress the stopwatch later on when your squat looks mastered. Until then, proficiency of skills and movements is the goal. Crawl --> Walk --> Run.

It's for your own good.

Watch this video

same vid, but in WMV

Monday, October 11, 2010

Be GREAT! Why not?

The Rusticles was nice and posted workouts for this week. I would not have been so nice. Wake up, people. It's your choice. Many of you are fading. Get back in the game. It's not too late. It's never too late. You did it for 3 months. Remember? That was not a fluke or a challenge for a designated period of time. It was you changing your life. So, forget the excuses. I've heard them all before and so have you. Reach out to your fellow BHIPsters (we'll be emailing the list of contact info for those who didn't mind sharing their info later this week) or not. You don't need anyone or anything to do this. You just need to stop making excuses and do the work. No more "trying." Just do it. Get out of your damn way and move your ass. Be GREAT! Why not?

boo friggity hoo

WORKOUTS:

1.
12 min amrap:
50m sprint
10 jumping squats
8 pushups

2.
2 x
-25 burpees
-30 lunges
-35 situps
-40 squats


Note: Due to the continuously reducing number of people attending and taking advantage of the workouts, we MAY stop putting them up. Perhaps an a la cart method might be better. We encourage those of you who continue participating and who do indeed take advantage of the weekly workouts to attend some of the other classes offered at The Wooden Center (IFT, IFT Barbell, Intro to Barbell, etc.) or start getting creative and come up with and share your own workouts. We WILL continue the coached workouts on tuesdays and thurdays. PLEASE KEEP COMING TO THOSE.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

statins and niacin … a concerted effort?

statins and niacin … a concerted effort?

You can, and SHOULD

Here's two musings from two different people about mindsets and motivation and such.


You SUCK as a Man

This article is not sugar-coated, but rather blunt. I like this one.






Excellence or mediocrity? It’s a mindset.

This one is a podcast and not very abrasive. Also good though.


Enjoy. Post comments.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Read these two articles!! Read em!


Low-Carb Wins


Saturated fat has nothing to do with heart disease, yet starches play a huge role.





So you thought you knew the truth when the advertisements preached low-fat as if it was a cure. Think again. The lesson here is not that eating one thing is better than another, but rather that it's important to be informed as a consumer instead of believing things in blind faith.

Doctors get paid to when you visit them, they want you doing that more. Pharmas get paid when you pop pills, they want you doing that more. Food companies get paid when you get hungry, they want you doing that more. Don't be a sucker.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Do More!

Here's yet another week's worth of workouts. Bear in mind that everyone is growing stronger and more powerful and faaster. As such, you must expect more out of yourselves. Better performance, stronger lifts, faster and more sustained sprints. You must get proactive about this. You are in the driver's seat; no one else. It will depend on you as to whether you want to dig deep and find comfort in discomfort to become better, or if you're in a good place and don't care to improve. Either way, success is a choice.

1.
10 x 50 meter sprints

1 work : 3 rest

Stay consistant!


2.
4 Rounds for Time
- 400 meters sprint
- 50 squats

*Scale accordingly


There is no such thing as "building lean muscle". It's all lean and you need more of it. -Rippetoe

Friday, October 1, 2010

Meeting place.

Unless otherwise instructed. We will always meet at the track. The next person to ask the fitwell consultants will pay a hefty toll. Something that rhymes with slurpees.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Workout LOCATION

Happy Hot Monday!
The workouts will be held on the track unless otherwise noted from now on. Please be sure to be hydrated and ready for the elements.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Body Movin', Getcho Body Movin'

Here's the goods y'all.

1. For time: In the following order without resting.

100 Over Head Squats (use a broom stick, check-out a body bar at the fitwell desk, I suggest going to home depot and getting your very own PVC pipe. You can even fill it with sand and put caps on the ends for an extra zinger. DO IT!)
100 Leg Levers (both legs together, 6 inches off the ground at the bottom.)
100 Supermans
100 2-count flutter kicks

2. for time:

10-20-30-20-10
-Walking Lunges
-Situps
30 Jumping Jacks or 50 jump ropes after each set of lunges and situps.

eg; 10 Lunges, 10 situps, 30 JJ, 20 lunges, 20 sit... etc..


enjoy and post thoughts, times, and other cool stuff to comments. Be well.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

How to Keep Feces Out of Your Bloodstream (or Lose 10 Pounds in 14 Days)

How to Keep Feces Out of Your Bloodstream (or Lose 10 Pounds in 14 Days)


Folks, this is why we keep telling you to clean your daily diet of ALL grains. Not just replace one grain with another, but ELIMINATE ALL GRAIN CONSUMPTION!! ALLLLL!!!! Unless you enjoy suffering and whithering away in lethargy and decrepitude. Read the article very carefully, then pass it on to someone else. Be the leader.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

San Francisco Crossfit: Two Words....Fuzz

San Francisco Crossfit: Two Words....Fuzz: "Look. You've got to take care of your tissues. This is probably second in importance only to the universal 'protect your crotch' law. Stre..."

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

HIP EXTENSION ANYONE?

Here's what I'm talking about when I say "hip extension". Throwing a huge reciever like a rag doll is a perfect example.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Location, Location, Location

Come and enjoy the great outdoors with us at the TRACK on Tuesday, 9/21 and Thursday, 9/23. Just please stay off the marked areas. We'll meet you by the monkey bars.

Solo WOD's 9/20-9/24 (but I hope you do them in groups!)

WOD #1--"The Slow Push"
Perform 10 Push-Ups Slowly
Take 30 seconds on the way up and 30 seconds on the way down.
Rest 1 minute between each push-up.


WOD #2--"Whatevs"
Death by Whatevs
You choose how you'd like to die. You could do Death by 10 Meters, Death by Burpees---whatever you'd like. Reminder: Death by Whatevs is done by performing 1 repetition in the first minute, recovering until the top of the next minute, and then adding 1 more repetition for every consecutive minute until you cannot complete the designated number of repetitions in that minute. For Death by 10M, you would start the clock and run one 10Meters. Rest for the rest of the minute. Then, run 2 x 10 Meters. Rest for the rest of that minute. And, so on.

Recover fully after you do your Death by Whatevs and then........

Perform TWO Tabata Whatevs.
Choose what you'd like to Tabata. Squats, burpees, push ups, sit ups, hollow rocks, superman/bananas, mountain climbers, broad jumps, etc. Recover fully in between each Tabata. Reminder: Tabata is 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of recovery x 8.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Go Heavy, or go home

9/16 Workout:

4x5 deadlift
3x2 Sumo Deadlift
3x1 Heavy deadlift

BE CONFIDENT WITH THE BAR!!!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Happy Thursday, 9/16! We're in Pardee Gym for today's workout. Track is almost up and "running"; so, hopefully, we can return to the beautiful outdoors next week. See you all soon!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

A little rinning, throwing, and jumping.. no biggie

Do you all like no knowing the workouts? Let us know.

The workout WAS:

5 RFT:
200m Sprint
20 Wall Ball
20 Box Jumps

WATCH THIS VIDEO!!!
Once again, I'm not making stuff up.. Keep your heels off the ground! Ditch your crappy, over-priced shoes and trust your feet, not the SALESGUY making money off of you. The more hurt you get, the more money he makes. Kaching!!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Do More!

1.

1 min Max Burpees, Rest 1 min,

2 min Max Squats, rest,

3 min max pushups, rest,

4min max situps, rest,

1 min max Burpees

REST

3 x 30 hollow rock, 30 superman



2.

RUN 1 Mile and ONLY 1 mile for time. AS FAST AS YOU CAN!!



Post Scores and times.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Read

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11772161

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/199867.php

http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Science-Nutrition/Professor-aims-to-dispel-diet-myths-with-calorie-controlled-junk-food-diet

Write me a report.

12 minutes of ouch

Workout for 09/09:

12 Minute AMRAP
5 Thrusters
7 Hang Power Cleans
10 Sumo DL High Pulls


Have a good weekend.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Lift high and carry

Workout 9/07:

20 Minute AMRAP
teams of 3-4
Overhead Walk
Kettlebell Carry
Dynamax Granny Swings

Count the swings

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Hello beautiful people! Happy Labor Day. We hope you all are ENJOYING it. If not, then I command you to fix that.

Everyone did very well yesterday. The range of motion is definitely a sight to behold, and be proud of on the coaches' end. Thank you all for coming out and pushing yourselves past your comfort zones every day. This is why we (the coaches) do what we do. Keep it up, it only get better.

Here's the workouts for this week:


1.
400 Jumping Jacks.
-Warm up really well. Do this in a group if you can. Count together, get in rhythm, and enjoy yourselves. Everyone should push each other.

2.
5 Pushups
10 Situps
15 Squats
On the minute, every minute for 30 MINUTES Max,
or until failure to complete all repetitions in a Minute.
Record final round. Push hard! Never quit! Never Submit!



** Also, we will no longer put up the workouts on the day-of. It seems like people enjoyed not knowing more, and this will keep people from cherry-picking the workout. Thanks for understanding!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

The bar likes overhead


Workout for 9/02:

15min AMRAP
Teams of 3-4
-Broad Jump Pardee
-Overhead Squats to dynamax ball (45/25)
-Slam Ball

Count total Squats

Monday, August 30, 2010

Taco Tuesdays

MEET IN THE WOODEN CENTER!!!! TRACK IS STILL CLOSED...


WORKOUT
20min AMRAP
Teams of 3
-Dynamax ball throw across Pardee
-Push-Press 65/45
-situps

Count The Situps



Note: As awesome as it is to see people working out at the Wooden Center, we need to discuss something. I know I've mentioned this a bunch of times already, but we DO NOT check out the abmats. They ARE NOT approved for checkout. Neither are the bars and bumper plates, or slam balls, or dynamax balls. It is a lengthy process and we just don't have the capacity to have those things to check out right now. So like I said before, either roll up a towel, or buy an abmat of your own for all of like 30 bones (as many of you did). And please don't go rummaging around in our storage areas. That is reserved for employees of the wooden centers to go into and we don't want to lose that. Also, please be mindful of where you workout. Some of the rooms may be reserved for classes even though they might look empty. So we can't really have people working out in areas not designated for independent workouts. Thank you all so much for your understanding, it is a pain, but we do have to work within the confines of what we have. Eventually, we'll have more space and facilities, hopefully.


http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/abstract/107/6/1771

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/08/muscle-memory/


Pain and Pleasure

Here's a couple workouts for you to do on your own this week. Please do these!

1.
Tabata Whatever:
20sec ON:10sec OFF x 8 rounds
Choose 3 different “things” to tabata.
(Pushups, situps, mtn climbers, burpees,squats, broadjumps, etc., get creative)
Record lowest reps for each one.


2.
100 Squats

5 Bruin-Walk Hill repeats Catch your breath between each SPRINT.

100 Squats



POST!

Thank YOU!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

lift heavy

workout for 8/26:


Deadlift
10-1-20-1-30-1

Tabata: superman-banana.




I had this thought. And let me tell you, it was a glorious thing, trust me, I don't have many of them. It seems like humans are supposed to go in two speeds: all-out, or dead stop. When we rest and relax, we try to be as unproductive and slow as possible. When we work or train, we try to be as fast and productive as possible (as necessary to optimize the return), (ideally, but for some reason people get away with half-assing things now.)

thoughts?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129420833&sc=fb&cc=fp

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129359637&sc=fb&cc=fp

http://www.naturalnews.com/001264.html

post thoughts and loads lifted to comments.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Track is Closed

So we'll meet at the Courtyard in the wooden center.

Workout 8/24:

For Time:
3-6-12-24-12-6-3
-Slamball
-Granny Toss (as high as possible with same ball)
1 Wilsom Plaza Stair Run after each set.


*The workout will take place at Wilson Plaza, but We'll meet at Wooden to get the balls.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

A break from Burpees

Here are a couple workouts for you all to do at your convenience. Hopefully the soreness from the lunges has faded enough.. If not, oh well, life goes on.

This week's solo workouts:
1.
12 min AMRAP
50m SPRINT
10 Jumping Squats
8 Pushups


(Thanks Margaret, for hunting this one down. Good find)


2. For Time:
50-40-30-20-10
-Jumping Jacks/ or 3x jumprope.
-Situps


** NOTE: Get hydrated before starting the workout. Get used to NOT getting drinks while working out. Wait till you're done unless you absolutely have to. By absolutely, I mean your tongue is getting glued to the roof of your mouth and you KNOW FOR SURE you're hurting. Be smart about it, use good judgement.

enjoy.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

OUCH. Things might get messy..

This is a short, yet furious one. Great little gag you can pull on your friends.. looks like nothing special at first, but boy, does it pack a punch. Great indicator of overall power.

Workout for 8/19:

FRAN
21-15-9
Barbell Thrusters 65/45 max
Pullups (assisted/rows if needed)


Done.



Monday, August 16, 2010

This is what separates us from the rest.

WORKOUT OF THE DAY, 8/17

For Time:
2-4-8-16-8-4-2
-Ring Pushups
-Ring Rows
8 Sumo Deadlift High-Pull (45/65lbs) after each set


So you'll do 3 Ring Pushups, 3 Rows, then 8 SDHP; 6 Pushups, 6 Rows, 8 SDHP; and so on.

See you all out on the track.

Post time to comments! Do it!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Because anything worth doing is hard.

Well, another week is ahead of us. Hopefully you guys get a chance and get together for these. I'm trying to keep you all outdoors as much as I can since the weather is nice and we have that privilege. Besides, fitness comes in very handy outdoors. Indoors entails too much comfort, and we don't like freebees.

This week's UNCOACHED workouts:

1.
For time:
Run 100m, 20 Burpees
Run 200m, 15 Burpees
Run 300m, 10 Burpees
Run 400m, 5 Burpees

Recover

Hang/Swing on Pullup Bar for
5 min

2.
I suggest doing this workout on Friday, if you can.

For time:
400m Walking Lunge

*Every step, the trailing knee MUST KISS THE GROUND. If it doesn't, then you didn't do a lunge, you merely took a step. Walk back and FIX IT!
Again, 400 meters is ONE lap around the track at Drake stadium.



My friend Rob Ord discussing the "pleasures" of training in the great outdoors:

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Weekends.

Your weekends are YOUR time. Please enjoy them! Do something AWESOME! Something worthy of bragging about. Learn to play a new sport. Go to the beach. Swim. Hike. Play. ENJOY!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

READ!! READ AGAIN!! BE INFORMED!!!

Here's a few studies I've been digging up. PLEASE READ THEM!! Pass them on. Post comments.


CHOLESTEROL:

MOST heart attack vicitims have LOW cholesterol


Statins benefit those with ALREADY LOW CHOLESTEROL
stop taking those pills. They're doing nothing... "The findings may also lead to a more important role for the blood test high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in assessing cardiovascular risk."


Japanese stroke clues: are there risks to low cholesterol? Worry more about your work capacity and let your body decide the rest.


FOOD:

Metabolic and physiologic improvements from consuming a paleolithic, hunter-gatherer type diet.
All This means is that we should eat the way we were designed to eat.


A Paleolithic diet confers higher insulin sensitivity, lower C-reactive protein and lower blood pressure than a cereal-based diet in domestic pigs.
I know we're not pigs, but this really highlights the importance of eating naturally and, this study also addresses the C-reactive protein (hsCRP)issue.

Rapid health improvements with a Paleolithic diet
For those of you that may have missed the showing of "FAT-HEAD". The body responds rather quickly if you let it.

fitdeck

These are the cards we used to warm up with today. They're a great tool for traveling with or using daily.

FITDECK

It's gettin' hot n' heavy

Thursday 8/12 Workout:

15 min AMRAP
30 x OH Lunge 35lb/25lb max
15 Ring dips*/ bench dips


* ring dips can be done either with rubber bands strung down from the ring support bar, or with toes on the ground, gently pushing to provide just enough lift to help the arms do the work.

Demo

Watch first

Then this one wmv MOV

enjoy and post rounds to comments.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Pull Up Assist rubber bands.

Many of you have been interested in pull ups. That warms my heart. The assist band are really the way to go to perfect the pull up. Don't bother with things like lat pull-down machines or bicep curls, they'll make those muscles strong, but they won't strengthen the MOVEMENT. The bands WILL.

We get our bands at Iron Woody Fitness. You can also get them at jump stretch or even at Amazon. Either way, get a variety soo you can use different levels of assistance for various different workouts. Those sites have lots of cool toys, but be sure to ask us before you spend money on things you'll never use.

Now get out there and tear it up!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Getting strong. Because it's better that way.

Strength is what separates us from each other. Everyone can remain weak and complacent; that's the easy way. Of course there is always someone else who can be counted on to do something that is "too hard". At what cost though? Why not be the one that others ask for help? Physical strength will help. In fact, the mentally tough and resilient, tend to also be physically tough and resilient and visa-versa. Many of you have already noticed the dramatic and unmistacable connection between the physio and psychological.

Workout for 8/10:

5 x 5 Deadlift
Go heavy, get strong.

rest 3 minutes

tabata SLAM BALL
8 x 20 seconds:10 seconds work:rest


* Note: NOON, and 5:30 will meet out in the courtyard of the Wooden Center. Thanks.

Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general.
- Mark Rippetoe


Post max loads to comments.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Location changes for tuesday, 8/10

The morning classes will meet in Pardee Gym, while NOON and 5:30 will meet in the courtyard of the Wooden Center. Thanks

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Weathered Veterans of BHIP

Here are the two workouts for you all to do:

1. Death By PUSHUPS: 1 extra pushup on the minute, every minute until failure to complete all pushups in a minute. (just like "Death by 10m")

----------------- Rest 3 Minutes ------------------------------

3 minute max squat
3 minute max situps
3 x 20 hollow rock, 20 superman

2 minute max squats
2 minute max situps
1 x 20 hollow rock, 20 superman

*Post your death round.






2. 10 x SPRINT 40m

1:3 :: Work:Rest

So if it takes you 10 seconds to complete a 40m Sprint, then you rest for 30 seconds before beginning the next effort. Try to stay consistent for all 10 sprints. Maintain good form. All-out efforts.

* Post your best and worst times.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Count this instead

Workout 8/05/10

HELEN
3x
Run 400m
21 Kettlebell Swings
12 Pullups


A few girls, being girls, doing this workout..
wmv/mov

We will surely scale the run and pullups as needed. We'll use the rings for rings rows, but definitely try to do the band-assisted pullups if you can.

This will be a good benchmark for your conditioning and strength. It's an assessment, so you'll want to go all out!

Enjoy. :)


We ain't lyin' to ya.. Cut the Grains.

POST THOUGHTS AND TIMES IN THE COMMENTS! THANKS!

Does it count?

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.
- Albert Einstein


Those of you who can in to get measured today, THANK YOU! The bean counters need these numbers so they can sleep better at night. But as we've discussed before, these numbers are pretty arbitrary for us, especially at this point. The scale doesn't know what you've gone through, over the last 12 weeks, to drop or gain weight. The scale gives no advice and doesn't criticize. It won't make you feel any better about yourself. All it does is tells you how hard gravity is pulling on you, and the tape measures merely illustrates how much air your torso displaces. A bunch of scientists decided that they needed those numbers as indicators to some bigger ideas. If those number mean that we can keep going with the program, then lets let them have it, but we know what we have to do. We must get stronger. We must do more pushups/pullups/squats/cleans/laps and not even break a sweat.

Tomorrow I want everyone to bring a little extra steam. Bring some extra of that stuff the scale can't count. The stuff that can't be measured in inches. Only in by another person who has seen the depths of what you have. Let's do it!! Get Pumped.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Transference

So the first 12 weeks were fun. We built a sturdy foundation based on proficiency of movements at higher intensities. We optimized our software a bit, if you will. We learned to breathe, range of motion, ACCURACY, balance, agility, Coordination.

Now our main goal is strength. We need to expand our skillsets to increase our strength; both mental and physical. We'll focus on physical in our workouts, and the mental will follow suit. Physical strength is probably the most important aspect of our health and fitness (Ripp, Starting Strength). With increased strength, we can venture into the land of power and stamina using precision and speed along with everything else we've covered.

We must continue venturing into the unknown and conquering it. That is how we will get stronger. Once we get stronger, everything else will improve alongside. I call it the Reagonomics of fitness: strength trickles down.

A stronger man is a happier man.
- Mark Rippetoe

Workout 8/3:

1-1-1-1-1-1-1
Clean & Press


Find your 1 rep max of your clean and press. Work into it. Warm up really well. Once you feel like you're at the upper limits of your maximal weight, use about 7 attempts to try and secure an official weight to record. Please note all loads lifted and failed attempts as well.



Check out the instructor. Love it!

Enjoy and post loads and thoughts to comments. Thanks

Monday, August 2, 2010

PLEASE POST

your times and loads in the comment section of the workout for others to view and compare. I feel this is important in order to maintain the community aspect of our accomplishments. DO IT!

Friday, July 30, 2010

Released into the wild!

Great job everyone! My how far we've come. We don't stop here though. We keep growing. Stronger, faster, better. As such, we'll keep developing the content and programs along with our performance and subsequent health improvements.

We highly suggest purchasing a jumprope and an abmat or here, or you can roll up a towel and put it under your lower back. Also, a dedicated stopwatch might be handy.

For now here's the workouts that you can do on your own/in groups/without coaches next week.

1. 40-30-20-10
- pushups
- situps
100 jumpropes/jumping jacks between each set

2. RUN
200m, 400m, 600m, 800m, 600m, 400m, 200m*
Recover the exact time it took to complete each round. So if 200m took 45 second to complete, then you recover for 45 seconds before begining the 400m run. Remember, the track is 400m around.
*Scale as needed to maintain form.
eg. 100m, 200m, 300m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m

Do these workouts on separate days, preferably between coached workouts. So, for example, you can do these on Monday or Wednesday, or Friday if you are planning on coming to the coached workouts. You can do these workout on weekends, or use them as guidelines to create your own. Just don't overdo it. REST!