pwr

Dont RICE, do METH instead

Didnt have anything ready for today so sending you over to this crossfit strength website to take a look at this article on healing injuries:

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/radical_methods_of_injury_rehabilitation

Check it out..

Tuesday was a rest day

Feb 1, 2012 11:17:13 PM

Estrogen - too much is not good

This post is a summary of an article by Charles Poliquin over at his site here:

10 ways to lower estrogen toxic load

First of all, this isnt a full review. As with all scientific topics, simply gaining your information from one source isnt good enough. Read around the subject. Google and Google Scholar are good friends. However, Poliquin is generally regarded as a pretty smart man who knows his stuff, even if he is quick to send you over to his online supplement store (which i have currently used for the first time, pretty happy with the shipping and quality, lets just see if they work)

Estrogen

Estrogen is a sex hormone that both men and women produce. Excess estrogen is an issue for both sexes, but since men produce, and need, much less, excessive estrogen in men is easier to think of as a "bad thing." There has been a large amount of research over the past 30 years on the ill effects of estrogen and other sex hormones, specifically in regards to cancer and obesity (see links below)

Kirschner et al 1981 (the raw science 1)

Kirschner et al 1982 (raw science 2)

Shozu et al 2003 (raw science 3)

Basically though, if you are an athlete, you want to avoid excessive estrogen as it slows muscle growth and development. If you are looking to lose weight or just become fitter, excessive estrogen will delay fat loss and potentially reverse it. If you are just a person who enjoys health, excessive estrogen is a predictor for breast,prostrate and ovarian cancer as well as obesity.

So how can we avoid excessive estrogen? We can do this by limiting our expose to chemical estrogen and we can improve the way our body functions in regards to the hormone. This includes more efficient processing and elimination, and the reduction of activities that would stimulate our body to synthesize the hormone. And now, a list to ease the mind:

1) Make your gut healthy by eating lots of leafy greens

2) Use a probiotic

3) Manage your insulin, go low carb

4) Supplement with Omega 3 or Omega 3 Pills

5) Eat lots of clean protein

6) Decrease body fat

7) Supplement with melatonin, zinc and green tea

8) Take B vitamins, especially if you take protein powders or eat high animal protein

9) Supplement with DIM, also found in low levels in broccoli and cauliflower

10) Magnesium as well

11) Vitamin E

12) The hated limitation of alcohol consumption

13) limit chemical estrogen exposure

Hope this helps with some tips on how to limit excessive estrogen in your body and stay on the path towards overall health.

Monday Training

Power

3x10 KB swings 24,32,40kg
Did 10 GHD hammies between each set

Clean + Jerk 2x10 24,32,40kg
Only dropped it after the 9th rep of the first set at 40. Aint easy though on the left hand

3 hang cleans + 7 jerks @ 70% + 2min row, 3 sets

Used 90kg based on 130kg 1rm clean and jerk from July
hit all the hang cleans, had to break up the jerks (did a combo of split and push jerks, just cuz)

All rows 550+ barely though

15m Farmers Walk
15m Bear crawl
15m OH carry
At 2x24, 4 sets, rest 45 seconds after each set

Jan 31, 2012 5:40:32 PM

Some videos for Monday No Funday

Envious:

hilarious

rediculous

in todays workout

If my Grandfather was a S&C coach instead of a Basketball Coach, i would picture him like this, sans funny acceent though

If you cant sit through Dr Yessis here dont worry. He is talking about a topic that GG (censored) couldnt get through either, and hes made millions off of it:

Sunday Training:

Max of the day 200kg
5x2 at 160kg

When I don't DL it goes to shit. Was able to pull an estimated 220-225 a month a go.

10 swings @ 40
1min run at 10% incline or row
2min rest
X2

10 DB pushpress 32kg
1min run
2min rest
X2

Rowers were taken so I tried to run 400m in 60 seconds

DB were hard as shit the first time, got 8 reps then drop so I did 12 reps the second time to make up for the softness

50 ring dips
10x5 with external rotation the whole time to keep the pain away

Back squat 135kg x 20
Was really focusing on knees out and big chest. Technique failed me after 15 reps so I dropped it. It was technique that limited me over strength.

Jan 30, 2012 5:52:45 PM

Chicken McNuggets

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/chicken-nuggets-how-bad-are-they

Most people know that chicken mcnuggets are nasty mcnasty. Just reading the above story makes me cringe.

continueing the california strength theme

Friday Training

Firebreathers WoD with Dell

20 Min Amrap

Buy in:

5 rnds

5 Deadlifts 150kg (330lbs)

10 Hurdle Ups 24"

15 GHD Situps

THEN in the remaining time:

4 Shoulder to Overhead 80kg (175lbs)

6 Pullups

8 Back Extensions

10 Steps Walking lunges with 2x24kg KB

Not sure exactly on the break down. I think i finished the first part in the 7 or 8 minute range. Dell was ahead by about half a round on that one. The AMRAP part, i know i completed 5 rounds, most likely completed 6 rounds + 4 S2O + 6 PU +8 BE...

a great wod programmed by lorna

Jan 28, 2012 10:32:07 AM

Non-Paleo Desires - Blue Berry Yoghurt & Rice Krispies

No, not combined. But since I have been sick, Ive only really been hungry for some of the comfort foods. Water Crackers, Sprite, Oatmeal, Chicken Noodle Soup, Rice Krispie cereal, Yoghurt etc.

Why do we (me) crave non-paleo foods when we are sick?

After talking to Bri, Clare and Lara, they felt that the ease of digestion of these white, simple foods are the reason why we crave them. Saltine Crackers are easy on the stomach, they dont have a lump of indigestible cellulose like vegetables or largely acidic like animal meat, so it is the food that we gravitate towards when sick.

But what about the notion that paleo foods are better for digestion?

I guess the take away message here is that paleo foods are better for healthy digestion. For a few days, the only stuff i new would digest well were the non paleo crackers and sprite. This isnt really a ground breaking piece of educational literature, i just found it interesting that in a time when my treasured digestive system felt as vulnerable as a gringo in overtown, i would require the foods i have tried so hard to eliminate from my repertoire.

"thats a 170 kilo push press by donny shankle..." dayum

note: the California Strength guys (bottom video) have a much less circular (more vertical) bar path on the 3rd pull then the Catalyst Athletics lifters. I try to lift more like the CS guys in terms of technique since my technique was refined by Pendlay (the CS coach). Thoughts?

Training!! Woooo + i felt better after, who would have thought

Workout: Strength
2x20 Squat @ 75Kg
3x10 Jump Squat
2x5 Tuck Jump

Then:
KB Swing:
15 reps @ 24Kg
15 reps @ 24Kg
10 reps @ 32Kg
10 reps @ 32Kg
8 reps @ 40Kg

Then:
Front Squat:
10 reps @ 75Kg
2x5 @ 80Kg

Then:
3x Front Squat @ 70Kg +
5x 30" Box Jump
Six Sets

no rest, but not for time.

Then:
20 Squats as per previous discussion @ 130Kg

Then:
Cool Down

Jan 27, 2012 9:55:11 AM

There are no rest days? To what extent

First of all, I have been sick since the weekend so no training and no posting since i really didn't want to be vertical at all. Lots of TV and cinematic adventures. However, to get something posted, here is a common saying:

THERE ARE NO REST DAYS

This saying can be taking to the extreme. Wodding for an hour or 2 every single day. Not good. This post will look at some suggestions I have had over what to do on your rest day. Options include:

Swimming (Dellus West, BSmitty, Steve P)

Breathing Exercises (Steve P)

100 Turkish Get ups (Mark Gough via someone...)

Running

The positives and negatives:

Swimming

The positives of swimming is that is low impact conditioning on a rest day and can be beneficial to grease up the body on a rest day in a low gravity environment. This allows your body to loosen up and hit ranges of motion not normally experienced on a rest day without many destructive forces. Negatives would be if you don't swim right, it is still possible to obtain an overuse injury. Also, since still is a type of training, there is a possibility that your body wont fully recover anyway

Breathing

There are some breathing apparatuses (apparati?) out there which help promote lung function. I haven't tried it yet but Steve says it has really helped him. Don't go to hard and pass out, but other than that, i am not too sure on negatives so comment on this if you have any thoughts

100 Turkish Get Ups

The TGU is a great exercise to get your whole body moving through a range of motion with resistance. When done right, TGU buildtremendous stability and aid in shoulder and hip function. However, it is a moderately difficult exercise so make sure it is done right if you are using it as a recovery exercise.

Running

Different movement, same story. You have to be able to run correctly to reap the benefits of using it as a recovery tool. Benefits include getting the body moving and warming up all those sliding surfaces but the repetitive impact is more prominent than in the other 3 exercises. Benefits of running are more psychological for me than anything else. Whether it is a morning run on South Beach or a dreary 5k through the Borough of Islington, my mind feels better afterwards, not so much my ankles.

Overall, rest days should focus on resting. If you can add benefits to resting by implementing any of these exercises, go ahead and give it a try. Keep in mind, that the more workload you do during the week, the more important it is to take part in a full rest day.

Jan 26, 2012 12:59:26 PM

Friday Firebreathers

6 People joined up tonight for a pretty packed event with Matt, Marene, Steggles, Gregg, Eloy and myself taking part in a quick one.

50 Air Squats
25 Push Press 50kg
50 Sit-ups
25 Front Squat 50kg
50 Cal Row
25 Deadlifts 80kg

then finish with 5rnds
5 KBS 40kg
5 Burpees

10:26

The AM session:

Warm-UP:
10 KB Squats 2x32kg
30m Lunge
10 Swings
10 Push press each arm
2 rounds

Strength:
Front Squat 1x15@50kg
Bulgarian Split Squat 1x15 each leg @50kg
Bulgarian Split Squat - 4x8 each leg @ 50kg

Back Squat 1x20 @ 125kg
3 big breaths between each rep
took 2min34 seconds to do that set. Thats crazy long time under tension. That is also my fran time which i find funny.

Finisher
6x40 Sled Pulls
Dead Hang Fat Grip Pullups

Jan 21, 2012 10:55:08 AM

Give "the easy" ones a shot

Those of you in at IACF and co, have you ever done the free 9am saturday wod? Have you done it recently? I guarantee that it will be a massive "mess you up" kind of workout cause you will be able to push yourself that much harder now. There is no reason why you cant do any of those movements for a minute each and then rotate. Same with CF Central London. When was the last time any of the regulars joined the elements for a wod? Those arnt easy. They are doable for everyone, which is their point, but the harder you go, the harder they become.

Last night, Jon programmed for me a conditioning finisher that is very similar to a lot of the stuff that we are doing with the elements program. 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off on a bunch of movements. Some holding the rest in a not so rest position. It hurt. A lot. Try what I did as a finsiher one time if you dont want to do an entire class. You dont need much equipment. Just something roughly 15-25/30-55lbs to press overhead. Even better if its dumbbells.

Thursday
Ride/Row 10 min @ easy pace to warm up

Row - 2316m, feet unstrapped at 5 damper

Then:
Barbell Complex:
6x Narrow Grip Snatch +
6x Push Press +
6x Front Squat +
6x Bent-over Row +
6x Straight-leg Deadlift +
6x Clean Hi-Pull
One Set each @ 40Kg, 50Kg, 60Kg

first one took 1:31, then 1:29, then 2:30 .

Fun stuff for sure

Then:

5x OHS @ 40Kg +
100m Sprint 8% incline +
5x OHS @ 50Kg +
100m Sprint 8% incline +
5x OHS @ 60Kg +
100m Sprint 8% incline +
3x OHS @ 70Kg +
100m Sprint 8% incline +
3x ... CONTINUE INCREASING WEIGHT UNTIL FAILURE

I managed 2 reps at 100kg, and the tried again and failed. First time overhead squatting since DWF over halloween. I am happy with it for that reason only.

Then:
4x 30/30 Burpee (“rest” in plank [on elbows])
Rest one minute
4x 30/30 Frog Hop (actual rest)
Rest one minute
4x 30/30 Push Press (“rest” in overhead hold)
Rest one minute
4x 30/30 Split Jump (actual rest)

yeah, this sucked.

Then:
Cool down

abs and Glute/Gastroc/Ham developer

Jan 20, 2012 9:04:44 AM

Running and Swimming

Running and Swimming are two favorite past times among the general populations. Pre CrossFit Games (#WSE) most (elite aka everyone) crossfitters felt that swimming and running were two things that really weren't a part of the programming for elitism. Well, not really to that extreme but there definitely was a lot of anti-running talk on the crossfit forums of old. Stuff like "I saw someone jogging today. They looked weak. I wanted to ask them what their fran time is." Yeah, stuff like that. The 2011 Games changed that with the swimming / intro of tri-athlete-esq events.

Are crossfitters really changing their habits? Not sure. However, you cant just jump right into two other sports if you haven't had practice with them. That's where CFCL's swimming coach comes into play in the form of Lee Forster and the CrossFit Endurance team lead by Jon Shelby. 2 guys that can teach all of our crew how to move our body over terrain or in water.

With the proper technique so that no repetititve use injuries occur, swimming and running are both great activities to add into the training program. Super Osteopath Dell classifies them as extra engine work with swimming especially good since it doesn't put a pounding on your body. Same with running. Long runs always help with at least clearing your mind. If you push the pace too, you also get experience on moving your body for an extended amount of time. Though not popular and few and far between, long wods do come up. If you have never done a 40min AMRAP or intend to, go for a 10k. At least then you will know what its like to move for that long.

I realize that this post doesnt have the most direction. Overall, adding proper technique to swimming and running just adds something else that you can do to keep you from getting bored and to add more variety to your training. Especially if you are training a lot and need to get out of the gym.