You are hereDecember 2009
December 2009
CFO Apparel Sale
Phil looking fetching in one of our women's tees
In case you didn't already know, all CFO apparel has been marked down for the holidays. So if you've been holding out, waiting for that right time, now's your chance.
And from the Draw-Your-Own-Conclusions File...
I'm always skeptical of reports of studies, but at least I get to justify my coffee habit for another week, until another study comes out reversing the findings of the article below:
Coconut Cream Pie
I know most of you are up to your ears in dessert this time of year but I thought just one more dessert couldn't hurt. I want to share the recipe to my favorite dessert: Coconut Cream Pie from Cafe Gratitude. Cafe Gratitude is one of my favorite places to eat! There are a number of locations in the Bay Area but they recently opened a cafe inside Whole Foods near Lake Merritt in Oakland. The whole place is gluten-free and vegan--no dairy, no eggs, no animal products, unless you count honey. I know this may not be the most ideal restaurant for athletes, but it's a nice place to go for dessert or to get a fresh salad or vegetable side dish to go. The other really great thing about Cafe Gratitude is that the whole restaurant is organic. Cafe Gratitude also published a cookbook, which I also love, although it's much easier to go there and order from their extensive menu. Here's the recipe for my favorite dessert:
Live Coconut Cream Pie
Crust:
21/2 cups dry coconut flakes 1/4 cup well packed, chopped dates
1/4 teaspoon vanilla 1/8 teaspoon salt
Put coconut flakes, salt and vanilla in food processor. Add small amounts of date until crust sticks together. Press into a greased 9 inch pan.
Filling:
11/4 cups coconut milk 3/4 cup coconut meat
3/4 cup well packed, finely chopped dates 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 pinches salt 3 tablespoons lecithin
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons raw scented coconut butter
Garnish 3/4 cup dry coconut flakes
Directions: Blend coconut milk, meat, date, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Add lecithin and coconut butter and blend until well incorporated. Pour into prepared crust. Set in fridge/freezer until set (about 1 hour). Top with a layer of coconut flakes.
This pie is heavenly!
Share your favorite holiday dessert in comments.
On-Ramp Class Begins Tuesday January 5!
For those of you looking to get started with your training here at CFO, we're offering a new option (other than private intro sessions): On-Ramp classes.
We'll be rolling out our first On-Ramp session early next year, beginning on Tuesday, January 5. The On-Ramp schedule will be as follows:
Tuesday at 6pm
Thursday at 6pm
Saturday at 8am
On-Ramp classes will be an hour in length, and will be three days a week over a four-week period. The cost of the On-Ramp session will be $199.
Over the twelve sessions, you'll receive instruction on all of the foundational movements of our program. In brief, you'll learn how to squat, press, lift from the ground, and pull, among other things.
More info will follow on the curriculum in blog posts over the next week or so...stay tuned!
In the meantime, if you'd like to sign up for our January On-Ramp session, send us an email at info@crossfitoakland.com.
Reading as Recovery
The book cover from Andre Agassi's new autobiography, Open
Last week, I posted a video on paleo-style exercise and Robyn followed up with a nice piece on sleep (and alcohol's effect on it). We were both trying to convey the message that recovery is every bit as important for you as the work you put in at the gym, if not more so. You simply will not succeed in training if you do not set aside time for recovery.
Along those lines, I humbly suggest you use reading as a means for recovery (but not the only thing, mind you). And with that in mind, I recently finished reading Open, Andre Agassi's compelling autobiography. For full details, you can read any of the scores of reviews on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Open-Autobiography-Andre-Agassi/dp/0307268195
It's not my style to give spoilers, though, so let me just say that Agassi's biography gives us insight into the following:
- that sport is a wonderful metaphor for life (I know, it's a major cliche).
- that to become a champion (or the best in any field), you have to spend a LOT of time practicing (this was reinforced in Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, another must-read).
- that belief in self is probably the most potent force in determining outcomes in athletics (and life) and it applies to negative and positive outcomes.
So what book(s) are you reading right now? What book(s) do you recommend?
How Often Do You Eat?
Food is the first thing I think about when I open my eyes in the morning. After 9-10 hours of fasting it's normal and healthy to be ready to chow down. But not everyone has an appetite in the morning. In fact, I know plenty of people (CrossFitters, too) who can go almost the entire day without eating. They simply don't get hungry. Does this sound familiar?
Everyone's body is different, so what works for someone may not work for somebody else. That being said, if you're only eating 1-2 meals a day, you may want to consider eating more meals.
While eating more may seem counterintuitive for someone struggling to lose weight, eating 4-6 mini-meals will actually rev up your metabolism and may help you shed a few pounds. Eating this way is ideal for stabilizing blood sugar and avoiding those afternoon energy slumps. When you provide you body with a steady intake of food, especially healthy fats and proteins, you will experience improved energy and mood. This is especially important after a workout when your body is in repair mode.
So, what's your feeding ritual? Share what works for you in the comments.
January Changes
Before we get into some schedule changes that are going to happen in January, let's post the schedule through this weekend:
Wed 12/30: Normal class schedule
Thu 12/31: 9am and 10am classes only
Fri 1/1: 11am Community Day workout
Sat 1/2: 8am, 9am, and 10am (open gym)
Sun 1/3: 8am, 9am, and 10am (open gym)
January 2010 Schedule Changes
After much deliberation, we're making the following changes to group classes and open gym, beginning Monday, January 4. We'll update the schedule on our site before the New Year, so that these changes will be reflected.
9am Group Class: We'll be changing the 9am group class to MWF only. No more Tue/Thu classes at 9am for the time being.
Open Gym: We'll be canceling the morning session, and the afternoon session will be from 330pm to 5pm. The Saturday and Sunday open gym sessions at 10am will remain intact.
Tue/Thu 6pm Group Class: This hour will be reserved for our On-Ramp class for the near future.
Mon/Wed/Fri 6pm Group Class: The 6pm class and the Fundamentals class will be merged. The purpose of the Fundamentals class was to provide a bridge between intro sessions and standard group classes. Now that we're doing On-Ramp classes, the need for a Fundamentals class no longer exists, however.
CrossFit Games Registration
FYI...if you weren't already aware, registration for the CF NorCal Sectional qualifier opened up last week. This thing will likely sell out fast, so if you want to participate in the Sectional this year, go here to register:
http://crossfit.regsvc.com/crossfitgames2010
We are also looking for volunteers for the Sectional. If you're interested in that, follow that same link.
Dropping Acid, Part 1
Serge in his standard post-workout recovery state
I was recently reading an excellent article on acid/base balance in food by John Berardi. In it, he referenced an article written by Loren Cordain on acid/base balance that I'd read several years ago (it was published in 2005). The full article is in PDF format here: http://www.thepaleodiet.com/articles/Origins%20Paper%20Final.pdf
After reading Cordain's article way back then, I went through the exercise of calculating the acid/base balance for five of my meals over a week-long period. I'd recommend everyone do the same. You don't need to do it for every meal, and you don't need to do it forever. But going through the process of calculating whether your meal is acidic or alkaline is a useful exercise. I'll go over the mechanics of this calculation in part 2 of my post, which will appear this Thursday.
Acid/Base Balance Basics
Every food you eat registers as either acid-forming or alkaline-forming. Your goal for meals should be to be net-alkaline (or net-base).
In Berardi's article, he calculates a food's acidity or alkalinity by using a measure known as potential renal acid load, or PRAL for short. He credits some research scientists named Remer and Manz with developing this measure (in order to give credit where credit is due, here is the reference: Remer and Manz, J. Am Diet Assoc. 95: 791-797, 1995).
If a food has a positive PRAL value, it is acidic. If a food has a negative value, it is alkaline. And to repeat, your goal is to have your meals end up being net-alkaline (and I'll show you how to calculate this in part 2).
Here are some sample PRAL values (positive value = acid, negative value = alkaline):
| Food | PRAL Value |
| Lean Beef | 7.8 |
| Chicken | 8.7 |
| Cod Fillet | 7.1 |
| Whole Milk | 1.1 |
| Whole Egg | 8.2 |
| Wheat Bread | 1.8 |
| White Bread | 3.7 |
| Brown Rice | 12.5 |
| White Rice | 1.7 |
| Spinach | -14.0 |
| Onions | -1.5 |
| Carrots | -4.9 |
| Apple | -2.2 |
| Cherries | -3.6 |
| Oranges | -2.7 |
This is just a small sampling. A complete table can be found here: http://www.saeure-basen-forum.de/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=39&lang=en
As you can see from the table, fruit and vegetables are your base or alkaline foods and you want to therefore make sure you have plenty of them on your plate for every meal. Meat, grains, and just about any other food besides fruit, vegetables, and most fats are acid-forming foods (fat is neutral, neither highly acidic nor highly alkaline).
Enough numbers for now! In the next post we'll go over how to figure out where you are on the acid/base continuum.
Post questions to comments.
C'mon Get Higher!
One of the speakers at the Black Box Summit in Austin this past November was James Fitzgerald (a/k/a OPT). He presented a lecture labeled Pain and Higher Orders of Thinking. During his presentation he defines this higher order of thinking as "a connection between physical manifestations and your thought processes" and goes on to apply this definition to CrossFit -- both in his experience as an athlete and also as a coach and business owner.
Here is an outline of the orders:
Creative – Create Ideas
Director – Observe and judge
Sensory - Awareness
Automatic – Without intent
According to James, one should “Make it your goal to be aware of where you are in this continuum. Practice everything. Spend time in each order. Ultimately, move out of automatic and strive for creative (from bottom to top of model)"
CrossFit Oakland is an amazing place –- we all know that. But every situation has its challenges. CFO has not only been growing and maturing for over 5 years, but has gone through some significant changes in 2009. It just seems like an ideal opportunity to move out of Automatic and explore some of those other orders in an on-going attempt to better serve this smart, savvy, demanding (in a great way) and supportive community.
Will we hit the nail on the proverbial head with every new offering, schedule shake-up or social event? Probably not –- so please bear with us and remember the following:
- These changes are meant as improvements -- the quality of your CFO experience is the number one factor in decision-making
- They are not offered without careful thought and consideration
- They are not set in stone
- We hear you and your feedback is welcomed and appreciated
Challenge for you: Take a look at these so-called Higher Orders of Thinking and try applying them to your training, your career, your relationships, etc. and as always, post thoughts to comments
****************** REMINDER - HOLIDAY SCHEDULE *******************
Thu 12/31: 9am and 10am classes only
Fri 1/1: 11am Community Day workout
Sat 1/2: 8am, 9am, and 10am (open gym)
Sun 1/3: 8am, 9am, and 10am (open gym)
Great Rowing Technique Tutorial
I first came across this video and posted it on our blog a year or two ago. I thought I'd post it again, since employing proper technique on the rower is still just as critical as it is when it comes to cleans, squats, kipping pull-ups, and everything else we do at the gym.
Watch the video and think about angles of your torso, leg, and hip when you're rowing. Do you hold yourself in the same way while you're rowing? At the catch? During the drive? During the recovery? Rowing, much like the deadlift, is all about leverage. Leverage occurs when proper body angles are employed (among other things). It's physics and geometry.
Pay attention to body mechanics on the erg and get the most out of each stroke. You'll be helping yourself the next time a "rowing + x" metcon comes up.
FREE Community Day Workout on New Year's Day 2010 @ 11am!
Why do we hold Community Day workouts anyway? You might assume it is for marketing purposes, but that is not it. Really. In fact, we don’t actually gain many new members this way. Most of our members find out about us through other means, such as word-of-mouth and internet searches.
CFO holds Community Days mainly because we are so very grateful to have found CrossFit and for the amazing improvements in health and fitness that we have experienced as a result and we want to share this with those around us. We feel that the Community Day is a fun, free and less intimidating way for your friends, family, co-workers and others to try out something that could possibly change their lives forever.
Yes, I know this sounds hokey, but 'tis the season for hokey - I refuse to apologize. I will continue to be there every month as we host these events because I have a total blast doing them, but mostly because I believe the hype – this stuff works and the more we get the word out, the better off we will all be.
Friday January 1st, 2010 (New Year’s Day) @ 11am! Spread the word – and take it easy on the champagne!
Announcements & Reminders
Wendy dragging some serious weight around in Seniors Class
Prather Ranch Delivery
We'll be getting the 40-lb boxes of grass-fed beef from Prather Ranch delivered tomorrow night around 6pm. Please bring a check made out to CrossFit Oakland for $231.60 to claim your box.
Holiday Party
Many of you have been asking about bringing food to the party. By all means, please do! Bring your favorite dish, dessert, or whatever else strikes your fancy.
And don't forget to bring your White Elephant gift. Keep the price of the gift around $15-$20.
And in case you're interested in who will be tending the bar, we've brought in the pros:
6pm-630pm: Loren
630pm-7pm: Sam
7pm-730pm: Dawn
730pm-8pm: Robyn
8pm-????: Mini
CrossFit Total Tomorrow!
Franklin is one of the guys from the 9am crew going for a 1000 CrossFit Total
I'm postponing part 2 of my post on acid/base balance (I'm sure you're all torn up about it, too) so that we can focus on more weighty matters like the CrossFit Total (CFT).
For those of you unfamiliar with it, you get three attempts to establish a one-rep max in back squat, shoulder press, and deadlift (after warm-up sets, of course).
A bunch of guys are getting together at 9am in an attempt to get a 1000-lb CFT. Franklin will be among them, in what will be one of his final workouts at CFO before departing for Copenhagen. Rumor has it Brandon might even make an appearance at 9am.
So if you're not limited by one of those funny things known as a J-O-B, come on by and cheer Franklin and the rest of the crew on!
Holiday Party Schedule
Melissa getting into the swing of things
Thursday Schedule
As a result of our Holiday Party, we have a limited schedule tomorrow: no evening classes!
Here's the schedule:
Group classes at 6am, 9am, 12pm.
Open Gym 10am-12pm; 3pm-5pm.
Remember: The Holiday Party starts at 6pm Thursday night. All ages are welcome. See you there!
Map to Hiller Highland Country Club: http://bit.ly/2t6Udn
Closed Door Policy
Due to the chilly weather we've been having of late (for CA), we may find it necessary to close the roll-up door during the early morning hours and the evening classes. If you come to the gym during a scheduled group class and see the door down, please don't drive away! Just come in through the front door.
And we're also working on getting that overhead heater operational. Thanks for your patience!
CrossFit Total Wrap-Up
Lance in the correct finish position of an overhead press
Bravo to all who took part in the CrossFit Total today!
Here are the totals for everyone who participated, in no particular order:
| Michelle 270 | Nicole 385 | Wendy 297 |
| Bong 640 | Mune 190 | Karen 245 |
| Serban 585 | David 252 | Sean 560 |
| Kyle 820 | Vickie 170 | Bri 422 |
| Steve P 780 | Chuck 392 | Aubrey 640 |
| D-Sal 1030 | Michael J 655 | Stas 735 |
| Pete D 955 | Michael G 710 | Robyn 545 |
| Bad Brad 740 | Joe P 560 | Vee ?? |
| Lee ?? | Flo ?? | Candace 615 |
| Daniel V 890 | Melissa 545 | Summer 377 |
| Shauna 163 | Tamara 695 | Olivia 420 |
| Jenny 450 | Lydia 517 | JP 935 |
| Papa Brad 810 | Maria 340 | Kristin 374 |
| Patrick T 975 | Marc T 660 | Andrew B 1000 |
| CPeak 470 | Franklin 940 | Lance 845 |
| Connie 409 | Steve D 830 | Bentley 655 |
| Dave Sp 695 | Brandon ?? |
Congrats, Justin and Team NorCal!
The Firefighter Combat Challenge World Championships took place last week in Las Vegas. Justin, fellow CFOer and Piedmont firefighter, went down to the Worlds as part of Team NorCal, and they tore it up!
Justin set a PR in his individual run, finishing in 1:37. That's the video above.
Team NorCal ended up taking third place in the team competition, missing out on first place by about 2.5 seconds.
And then they went on to win the relay event.
Team Results: http://data.firefighterchallenge.com/FFCC/Content/2008/2018.htm
Relay Results: http://data.firefighterchallenge.com/FFCC/Content/2008/2019.htm
Props to Justin and Team NorCal in comments!
Holiday Schedule
Papa Brad, Franklin, and Patrick T
The holiday season is here, and with that comes our holiday schedule.
Observe:
Dec 24th
9am
10am
Dec 25th
9am
Dec 26th
8am
9am
10am
Dec 27th
8am
9am
10am
Dec 31st
9am
10am
Jan 1st
11am - Community Day
(Note: The gym will be open during normal hours Dec 28-Dec 30.)
Holiday Party Photos
Franklin and Nicole making the rest of us look WAY underdressed at last night's holiday party
A big thanks to everyone who showed up and made the holiday party a blast last night. And a big thank-you to Bad Brad for providing us with the great venue once again.
Here are some pictures from the evening, courtesy of Wave:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61925088@N00/sets/72157622931387380/
Free Diet Evaluation
As we approach the beginning of a new year many of you may be thinking about ways in which you can improve your overall fitness in the new year. Changing your eating habits, managing stress and getting better sleep are all ways to move towards a healthier you. Often the smallest changes can be the most rewarding!
This January I'd like to offer all CFO members a free diet evaluation to help jump start your new year's goals. This is a free 45 min. one-on-one consultation. Whether your goal is to lose weight or improve your energy, this is an opportunity to get some individualized support to help get you on track.
What to expect from your diet evaluation:
- A complete diet and lifestyle evaluation.
- Identify health concerns and establish realistic goals.
- Diet recommendations that are specific to your needs.
- Menu planning support including recipes.
- Handouts, on-line resources and book recommendations.
- Ongoing email support.
Send me an email by January 31st to schedule an appointment.
May the next year bring you happiness and health! Share your 2010 fitness goals to comments.
CFO at CF Sweat Shop for 5k Plus
The CFO Crew who competed in the CF Sweat Shop 5k Plus
While CFO was shut down for the CF Football certification seminar (which has been awesome thus far, as an aside), CFO took it to CF Sweat Shop to compete in Nabil's 5k Plus.
The workout was as follows:
1K run
5 Pullups (Women), 8 Pullups (Men)
10 Pushups (Women), 16 Pushups (Men)
20 Air Squats (Women), 32 Air Squats (Men)
REPEATED 4 Rounds
FINAL ROUND IS ONLY 1K RUN. NO pullups, pushups, or squats.
As is usually in these types of events, CFO represented. Brandon and Journey took 2nd place in each of their respective divisions. Strong work!
Photos of the event courtesy of TomC:
Joe DeFranco's "Agile Eight"
Franklin showing what a good deadlift set-up is all about: scapula over bar, bar against shins, back arched.
I'm always searching for solid, effective, and brief ways to get you guys warmed up and ready for action. Over the weekend I came across the Agile Eight, from Joe DeFranco. He outlines the eight exercises he has all of his athletes do before they train. It takes a grand total of 7 to 10 minutes. And if it's good enough for his athletes preparing for the NFL combine, it's good enough for the rest of us!
Check out the full article here: Joe DeFranco's Agile Eight
What Are You Cooking With?
Oils and fats are the basis of all of our home cooked meals. But did you know that some fats are incredibly delicate and and can become rancid when exposed to high heat? And with so many cooking oils to chose from, it's hard to tell which ones are appropriate for frying and sauteing and which ones should stay out of the pan. The following is a list of some commonly used cooking oils and fats and how to best use them.
High in Saturated Fat (these are solid at room temp)
Butter
Ghee
Chicken/Duck/Goose fat
Coconut oil
Palm oil
Since these fatty acids are primarily saturated, they are very stable and can withstand high heat. These fats are perfect for baking, sauteing and stir-frying.
High in Monounsaturated Fat
Almond Oil
Avocado Oil
Grapeseed Oil
Olive oil
Peanut oil
These fats are relatively stable at medium heat, but can become damaged at higher heats producing free radicals. If you want to play it safe, you can add these to cooked vegetables to enhance the flavor. Try drizzling olive oil over steam veggies. These oils must be stored in a cool, dark place.
High in Polyunsaturated Fat
Corn oil
Essential fatty acids (primrose, flaxseed, borage,fish)
Sesame seed oil
Wheat germ oil
These oils are extremely delicate and should not be used for cooking as heat damages these fats. It's best to reserve these for salad dressings or to drizzle onto cooked veggies. These oils must be stored in the fridge to avoid rancidity.
***Always look for unrefined, cold or pure-pressed oils. This means that the oils were extracted without the use of high temperatures or solvents.
Resource: Mary Enig's book, Know Your Fats: The Complete Primer for understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils and Cholesterol.
Paleo In a Nutshell: Exercise
This video, along with its Part 1 companion, have been making the rounds on CF blogs for a while. I first found out about the videos from Robb Wolf, and most recently saw the two of them posted on CF One World. Anyway, enough back story.
At its very core, the video is a slick, short argument for keeping workouts brief and intense. And if you train at CFO, you no doubt have experienced these types of workouts. Intensity is one of the three tenets of CF workouts (functionality and variety being the other two). What I like about the video is that it doesn't just emphasize exercise, but recovery from exercise. Recovery is one of the most often overlooked components of sound training, and one of the most important.
Post your thoughts on the video to comments. Do you buy it? Or not?
The CrossFit Football Crew
The CrossFit Football crew and the CFO crew
This past weekend was a great opportunity to learn from some outstanding coaches on their methods for creating strong, powerful athletes. Although the certification seminar was ostensibly about training football players and contact athletes (rugby, lacrosse, etc.), there was a ton of take-away stuff that is applicable to the general population as well.
Look for some new dynamic warm-up stuff, as well as some more cool-down and stretching stuff (done in group format; yes, that means everyone). And of course expect to see some more CF Football workouts thrown into the mix!
As an added bonus, we had the privilege of having Robb Wolf lecture on nutrition. Great stuff as well!
He knows when you’ve been sleeping…
Personally, I loved the “Paleo in a Nutshell” video on exercise and recovery. Sleep was mentioned a few times as a vital part of recovery from exercise. We all know that sleep is good and lack of sleep is bad. But did you know that alcohol has a very significant effect on your sleep? A small glass of wine or a hot toddy before bed will not do much harm, but any more than that and you will run into some issues. Having more than 1-2 drinks up to 6 hours before bedtime (can you say Happy Hour?) will certainly help you fall asleep easily, but until that alcohol is metabolized, you will most likely never reach the later stages of the sleep cycle.
Without experiencing these later stages you are not getting the physical rest or recovery benefits of sleep, such as muscle and bone regeneration and the production of HGH (Human Growth Hormone). In addition, studies show that sleep deprivation increases levels of cortisol (stress hormone that encourages insulin resistance and fat storage) and decreases levels of the hormone leptin (signaling hormone that tells the brain the body is satiated – affects appetite). So without the proper quantity and quality of sleep, you may be hampering much of the good of your clean eating and consistent training.
By all means, raise a glass of cheer this Holiday season, but try to enjoy responsibly. Your reward will be waking up to a better, stronger, healthier you.
Happy Holidays to an amazing CFO family!
*****REMINDER: HOLIDAY SCHEDULE*****
THU Dec 24th
9am
10am
FRI Dec 25th
9am
SAT Dec 26th
8am
9am
10am
SUN Dec 27th
8am
9am
10am
THU Dec 31st
9am
10am
FRI Jan 1st
11am - Community Day
(Note: The gym will be open during normal hours MON Dec 28- WED Dec 30.)
Traveling CFOers
John and Jen at Bremerton CrossFit
John and Jen earned their Thanksgiving turkey dinner by hitting up fellow CF Affiliate gym Bremerton CrossFit while they were away during the recent Thanksgiving holiday.
Now that's dedication!
Another Article on Paleolithic Athletes vs. Olympic Athletes
I ran across this article on CrossFit Football a couple of days ago. It's another opinion piece on paleolithic man vs. Olympic man. Apparently our long-armed forebears would've dominated modern Olympic athletes in most events, the exception being long-duration running events.
Enjoy: http://www.livescience.com/history/080806-human-evolution-olympics.html
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all!
*****REMINDER: HOLIDAY SCHEDULE*****
THU Dec 24th
9am
10am
FRI Dec 25th
9am
SAT Dec 26th
8am
9am
10am
SUN Dec 27th
8am
9am
10am
THU Dec 31st
9am
10am
FRI Jan 1st
11am - Community Day
(Note: The gym will be open during normal hours MON Dec 28- WED Dec 30.)
First Impressions
This being my first CFO blog post, I thought it would be appropriate to think back to my first CFO impression. After driving by the karate studio on Broadway for several months, I finally mustered the courage to walk in the front door. As I stood there looking around like an idiot worrying about how fat I looked in my jeans, a stunning brunette walked up to me and welcomed me warmly and offered me a free class upon my return.
That simple 5-minute conversation kept me from running out the door, it motivated me to come back and inspired me to work hard so that maybe one day I could look half as great as Nicole (not to mention that decision was to forever change my life).
Do you remember your first impression of CFO? Was it positive? Negative? Post to comments. And remember we can no longer rely on that stunning brunette to win over the hesitant and intimidated newbies, so when you see an unfamiliar face walk onto the training floor, introduce yourself and try make his or her experience the best it can possibly be.
Bill Starr Article
Bill Starr, strength training legend
Mark Rippetoe credits Bill Starr as one of his primary influences. As such, Rip has published an article from Bill Starr on his Starting Strength website. It's yet another article on the importance of strength in training programs. Read the article here.
Happy Birthday, Robyn!
CFO Trainer and Office Manager Extraordinaire
Birthday wishes to Robyn in comments!
Happy Birthday, Melissa!
Melissa jumping for joy
Birthday wishes to Melissa in comments!
