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February 28, 2007
Take a Trip on the WABAC (wayback) Machine
Thanks to the efforts of the INTERNET ARCHIVE, you can check out what CrossFit.com looked like at the beginning, wayback in 2001.
OC: Original CrossFit Website.
And here are all the archived pages for CFO.
Posted by Max Lewin at 11:03 AM | Comments (1)
February 27, 2007
F.U.E.L. Seminar
3 Block Zone Meal: Sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, steak and shitake mushrooms!! Yum! Yum!
F.U.E.L.-Feeding You Energy for Life!
March 17th, 2007
12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The costs are as follows:
$60.00 for CFO Members and Affiliate Members
$75.00 for non-CFO Members
We will be offering information on changing body composition (both weight gain and loss) and the appropriate micronutrient and macronutrient ratios to facilitate increased athletic performance.
There will be no “diet” or faddish ideas discussed: we will provide you with sensible, balanced and scientifically sound concepts for lifetime fitness and health. However, as you might expect from CrossFit, there will be some ideas that fly in the face of conventional wisdom, and are light-years ahead of conventional thinking about food.
Some of the topics we will cover:
Strategies for healthy eating in the real world
Foraging in the urban jungle
How to eat “in the Zone”
Fat is not the enemy
Real World Eats
The real deal on carbs
Real women eat real food
Top Fuel eating for serious athletes
Adult Beverages 101
Paleo/Zone (the ultimate fuel for athletes)
Hormonal effects of food
Disease prevention with food
We will be providing lunch so please RSVP no later than March 10, 2007
510-595-9348
Posted by Nicole Okumu at 11:57 PM
February 26, 2007
CFO Takes on Cindy
We captured this footage during our 10:00 a.m. class this past Sunday. Everyone put in a phenomenal performance. We got to witness the Assassin put up a a score of 20. Sadly, he's left us for the big waves of Indonesia on a surfing safari.
And congrats to the women of CFO who are becoming regular kipping pull-up specialists.
Way to go, everyone!
Posted by Mike Minium at 11:29 PM
February 25, 2007
Berkeley All Blues Oly Lifting Clinic
CrossFit Oakland had the wonderful pleasure of hosting the Berkeley All Blues Women's Rugby Club this weekend for a two-day Olympic lifting clinic.
Thanks to each and every All Blues athlete who participated. The positive attitude, willingness to learn, and athleticism that everyone brought to the table made our jobs easy. We're looking forward to having you back for a second go-round!
We've added a link to the Berkeley All Blues website under "Friends" on the left-hand frame of our page. It would be great if CFO members could get out there and support the All Blues (including our very own Candace Hamilton) this year as they strive to take back the National Championship (they were unseated as national champs for the first time in nine years last season and are hungry to reclaim the title).
Posted by Mike Minium at 8:41 PM | Comments (1)
February 24, 2007
Strength Program Inital Results
The Mighty Strength Program has come to a close (pending Carlo's and, possibly, Leo's results). The effect of specializing was very interesting for us as CrossFitters. We ended up, as Mike put it, "Bigger Fatter Stronger". Much stronger in fact, but, as expected, deconditioned. So now we find out if we can keep our greatly improved strength and regain, or improve upon, our previous conditioning level.
| Name | Squat | Press | Deadlift | CFT | Bench | CFOT |
| Carlo 1-10-07 | 230(PR) | 105 | 280(PR) | 615 (PR) | 135 | 750 |
| Carlo | xxx | xxx | xxx | xxx | xxx | xxx |
| Chad 1-10-07 | 170 | 100 | 290(PR, 2x bw) | 560 (PR) | 125 | 675 |
| Chad 2-24-07 | 200 (PR) | 110 (PR) | 300(PR, 2x bw) | 610 (PR) | 150 (PR 1x BW) | 760 (PR) |
| Leo | 195(PR) | 130 | 275 | 600 (PR) | 190 (PR) | 790 |
| Max 1-10-07 | 235 | 145 | 365(PR) | 745(PR) | 230 | 975 |
| Max 2-24-07 | 300(PR) | 165 (PR) | 395(PR) | 860(PR) | 245 | 1105(PR) |
| Sam 1-10-07 | 250(PR) | 95 | 365 (2x bw) | 710(PR) | 180 | 890 |
| Sam 2-24-07 | 275(PR) | 105 (PR) | 395 (PR) | 775(PR) | 195(PR) | 970(PR) |
Overall Strength Increases:
Chad: 11%
Max: 12%
Sam: 8%
Overall Bodymass Increases:
Chad 145 > 148 (probably all lean mass)
Max 186 > 194 (of which 5.5 lbs was lean mass)
Sam > 177 > 185 (mostly lean mass)
More to come, plus footage of some of our more interesting (painful) moments, such as the "Mile of Misery."
Sam was held back a bit by a peculiarity in his pressing strength, but overall we were all very satisfied with our newfound "strengthiness". Now back to the regularly scheduled WODs.
Post opinions on periodization vs. "straight" CrossFit.
Posted by Max Lewin at 5:43 PM | Comments (7)
February 23, 2007
It's Fun When It's Fun, Too
The video pretty much sums it up: CrossFit Oakland is a fun place to train with a great community. We thought we'd give you a little taste of what goes on during those late afternoons when nearly everyone's gone home or back to work.
And kudos to Shira for being such a great sport (she actually did get double muscle-ups but we didn't get it on camera).
Post to Comments your funniest CrossFit experience(s).
Posted by Mike Minium at 11:49 PM | Comments (5)
February 22, 2007
The Heavy Overhead Squat
The overhead squat is the ultimate core exercise, the heart of the snatch, and peerless in developing effective athletic movement.
This functional gem trains for efficient transfer of energy from large to small body parts, the essence of sport movement. For this reason it is an indispensable tool for developing speed and power.
The overhead squat also demands and develops functional flexibility, and similarly develops the squat by amplifying and cruelly punishing faults in squat posture, movement, and stability.
The overhead squat is to midline control, stability, and balance what the clean and snatch are to power, unsurpassed.
- From The Overhead Squat
CrossFit Journal Issue 36
What is the most challenging part of an overhead squat for you? Post to comments.
Posted by Nicole Okumu at 10:47 PM | Comments (14)
February 21, 2007
50 Lb 14 Ft Rope Climb at CFO
Go Mike Go!
Post ideas for other challenges.
Posted by Max Lewin at 12:46 PM | Comments (9)
February 19, 2007
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES!
Carlo Cardilli February 2007
Weight 180 lbs
Deadlift 310 lbs
Squat 255 lbs
Carlo Cardilli May 2006
Body Weight 202 lbs
Deadlift 225 lbs
Squat 185 lbs
Post your CrossFit testimonials to comments.
Posted by Mike Minium at 11:47 AM | Comments (14)
February 18, 2007
Collaborative artwork at CFO
"Chad The Mousebarian" By Evelyn Rodas. Hearts by Anon.
Posted by Max Lewin at 8:16 PM | Comments (2)
February 17, 2007
Got Kips?
It took Scott (who happens to be on an impressive fitness trajectory) approximately seven days to go from zero to super-crisp kipper! Now the sky's the limit and his first muscle-up is not far in the distance. Excellent work Scott, your gains are inspiring!
Post your kipping status/experience/advice to comments.
Posted by Nicole Okumu at 6:25 PM | Comments (17)
February 16, 2007
It's All About the Skills
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You've heard us talking about it for weeks; now the day is finally here.
This Saturday and Sunday will be our skill assessment tests, based on the Skill Assessment Guidelines we've put together (with a huge assist from CrossFit North, who created the document from which we worked and on which we based most everything).
Here's what will be happening:
Saturday, Feb 17:
Squats
Static Hang/Rope Climb
Sit-Ups
Wall Ball/Thrusters
400m Run
Sunday, Feb 18:
500m Row
Pull-Ups
L-Sit
Knees-to-Chest
Kettlebell Swings/Kettlebell Snatches
Medicine Ball Cleans/Snatches/Cleans
Rest up and get some!
Posted by Mike Minium at 11:05 PM | Comments (11)
February 15, 2007
THE 300 March 9th
Anyone up to see this CrossFit-powered movie?
Posted by Max Lewin at 7:27 PM | Comments (6)
February 14, 2007
Coming in March!! CrossFit Kids
What is CrossFit Kids?
CrossFit Kids is the principal strength and conditioning program for many young athletes, and the primary P.E. program for many home schools and charter schools.
Healthy living requires that our kids push, pull, run, throw, climb, lift, and jump effectively and safely regardless of whether or not they play athletics. Our program is designed for kids to improve coordination, power, strength, flexibility, and balance in a fun and supportive environment.
About the class:
Dates: March 17th - May 18th, 2007
Every Saturday 11:00am – 12:00pm
10% discount for siblings
Ages 5-12
10 weeks long
Limited to 12 kids
FREE issue of CrossFit Kids Magazine-click here:
Download file
For more information or to register for the class please contact us:
info@crossfitoakland.com
Posted by Nicole Okumu at 2:53 PM | Comments (4)
February 13, 2007
New Stuff!
This place is really starting to look like a CrossFit gym.
The top photo is a picture of one of our two new showers (and the water even works, as you can see).
The bottom photo is a picture of one of our five new IronMind Vulcan Racks. These racks rule! They can be expanded wide enough to hold the bar outside the collars so that those of you long-limbed types with wide overhead squat grips can rack the bar without worrying about mashing your hands.
Post to Comments anything else we should add to the gym.
Posted by Mike Minium at 10:36 PM | Comments (15)
February 12, 2007
Chain Training
We are pulling into the final two weeks of our strength training program, which I am thinking of renaming "StrongMan/Woman" training or something like that. The results for the three of us who have stuck with it, Me, Chad and Sam have been amazing. We are repping close to, or more than, our original one-rep max in the bench and overhead bench press and are making gains in the DL and squat.
Over the next few weeks we will be doing a few strongman (strongperson?) type exercises:
10,000 lbs overhead from the floor anyway, anyhow for time.
Carry 100 lbs one mile, anyway, anyhow no drop for time.
Tire Flip
On the 25th we will be retesting our CFT and CFOT. I expect about a 5-7% increase. Repeated twice a year for 5 years in addition to regular CrossFit training, this protocol would yield world-class strength and outstanding fitness, or at least that is the theory.
Here is an example assuming 5% increase each time and no additional strength gains otherwise:
Initial CrossFit total 600 (this is a bit more than Chad's initial score)
year one session one: 630
Year one session two: 661
Year two session one: 695 (this is about where Sam started)
Year two session two: 730 (this about where I started this session)
Year three session one: 766
Year three session two: 805
Year four session one: 845
Year four session two: 887
Year five session one: 931
year five session two: 978
Year six session one: 1027 (just to see what it would take to get over 1000)
Post ideas for gender-neutral names for strength program
Posted by Max Lewin at 9:00 AM | Comments (7)
February 10, 2007
F.U.E.L Seminar May 26th!
CrossFit Oakland will be offering a F.U.E.L seminar (Feeding You Energy For Life) on Saturday, May 26th from 12 to 2:00p.m.. Lunch will be provided!
The costs are as follows:
$60.00 for CFO Members and Affiliate Members
$75.00 for non-CFO Members
Please RSVP no later than May 21st to reserve a space
You can also sign up on the white board at CFO
We will be offering information on changing body composition (both weight gain and loss) and the appropriate micronutrient and macronutrient ratios to facilitate increased athletic performance.
There will be no “diet” or faddish ideas discussed: we will provide you with sensible, balanced and scientifically sound concepts for lifetime fitness and health. However, as you might expect from CrossFit, there will be some ideas that fly in the face of conventional wisdom, and are light-years ahead of conventional thinking about food.
Some of the topics we will cover:
Strategies for healthy eating in the real world
Foraging in the urban jungle
How to eat “in the Zone”
Fat is not the enemy
Real World Eats
The real deal on carbs
Real women eat real food
Top Fuel eating for serious athletes
Adult Beverages 101
Paleo/Zone (the ultimate fuel for athletes)
Hormonal effects of food
Disease prevention with food
RSVP here: info@crossfitoakland.com
Posted by Nicole Okumu at 4:48 PM | Comments (5)
February 9, 2007
B E N CH
This video illustrates the concept of full body tension as it relates to the bench press.
Posted by Max Lewin at 11:03 PM | Comments (1)
February 8, 2007
Athletes Embrace Size, Rejecting Stereotypes
Athletes Embrace Size, Rejecting Stereotypes
By JERÉ LONGMAN
Published: February 8, 2007
NORMAN, Okla., Feb. 5 — The University of Oklahoma tells women’s basketball fans a lot about Courtney Paris, the Sooners’ 6-foot-4 center. They know that she ranks third in the country in scoring, second in rebounding and that her dream job is to be a novelist. That her best friend is her identical twin and teammate, Ashley Paris, and that her father, Bubba Paris, won three Super Bowls as a lineman for the San Francisco 49ers.
Deborah Cannon/Associated Press
Courtney Paris is one of the top scorers and rebounders in the country.
But one piece of information about Paris is not made public by the university: her weight.
The weights of male athletes are widely publicized by college teams, but 35 years after passage of the gender-equity legislation known as Title IX, and 25 seasons after the National Collegiate Athletic Association began sponsoring women’s basketball, the weights of amateur female athletes are almost never published, in basketball or any other sport.
Even as women are embracing their size and power, projecting the notion that a wide body can be a fit body, the idea of weighing female athletes is under vigorous debate. Some colleges weigh their basketball players regularly to guard against rapid weight loss or gain. Some weigh them infrequently, others not at all.
“It’s a sensitivity about eating disorders,” said Jody Conradt, the Hall of Fame coach who has led the Texas Longhorns for three decades. “We’re dealing with a population that is vulnerable because it’s a Type A personality, driven, the people that want to be perfectionists.”
Female athletes still face the same enormous societal pressures that other women face to remain thin and to possess a body type that many find unrealistic, especially for sports. Some experts believe athletes feel even greater pressure, given the assumption — also debatable — that they can improve performance by lowering their weight and percentage of body fat. Thus, many become vulnerable to what is called the female athlete triad: eating disorders, interrupted menstruation and osteoporosis.
The N.C.A.A. recommends that women not be weighed on a regular basis, said Dr. Ron A. Thompson, a psychologist and eating-disorder therapist in Bloomington, Ind., who consults with the collegiate association. He said he opposed making weights public and the practice of weighing female athletes. Lining athletes up for weigh-ins is a form of “public degradation,” Thompson said.
“Weighing doesn’t accomplish anything, and it can cause undue anxiety and even trigger unhealthy weight-loss practices,” Thompson wrote in an e-mail message.
The touchy issue of weight received prominent attention recently when the professional tennis star Serena Williams faced questions about supposedly being out of shape before the Australian Open. After she won the tournament, she faced criticism for appearing to weigh more than a listed 135 pounds.
Williams has led an “in-your-face redefinition of what a strong woman should look like,” said Donna Lopiano, executive director of the Women’s Sports Foundation. Basketball and tennis courts provide an oasis of freedom for female athletes, she said, although she added that “90 percent of their lives is not lived in that oasis” and that women’s sports have “been burdened by a stereotypical view of women.”
Thompson said he tried to assist female athletes, not by focusing on their weight, but on their eating and how it is related to their emotions. Many teams have nutritionists and psychologists available. The trend in college is moving away from weighing athletes, Lopiano said. But colleges are left to make their own decisions.
The female basketball players at top-ranked Duke are weighed once a week, Coach Gail Goestenkors said; they are not given a target weight, but are monitored to guard against quick weight gain, she said. Ohio State’s players are also weighed regularly, Coach Jim Foster said, adding, “It’s a medical issue; putting your head in the sand is not an attractive alternative.”
At Tennessee, players are neither weighed nor measured for body-fat percentage, said Jenny Moshak, the university’s assistant athletic director for sports medicine. Instead, players are monitored for performance in such areas as speed, flexibility, vertical jump and weight lifting.
“Far more detrimental things occur when you try to micromanage body shape and size,” Moshak said.
At Texas, players are weighed and tested for lean mass two or three times a year, but always privately by sports-science experts. Coaches of women’s teams are not permitted to weigh players, set target weights or initiate a conversation about weight.
Some Oklahoma players are weighed up to twice a week during preseason, the strength coach Tim Overman said. During the season, they are weighed and tested for percentage of body fat about once a month, Overman said, adding that too much attention paid to weight loss during the season can lead to calorie deficiency and fatigue.
Courtney Paris’s father weighed more than 330 pounds when he was in the N.F.L. He was cut by the 49ers in 1991 when he failed to make their weight limitation of 325 pounds. Overman said he wanted Courtney Paris to lose about 15 pounds, from 240 to 225, so that she could lessen the stress on her body while extending her stamina and the length of her career.
Paris, a 19-year-old sophomore, said she did not generally care if people asked about her weight, saying, “It’s not like I can hide who I am.” She said she was proud and glad to be in game shape, but “being in shape and being conditioned well are things I really have to Yet, it is not universally believed that lowering the weight and percentage of body fat of fit athletes will enhance their performance, said Thompson. Some studies indicate improvement, while others do not, he said.
If Paris lost weight, “she might not be as strong or she might be distracted by trying to maintain the weight loss and might not perform as well,” said Thompson, an Oklahoma graduate who said he did not know Paris.
Perhaps never have so many influential centers played on so many commanding teams in one season. Alison Bales, a 6-7 center for Duke, leads the nation in shot blocking, while 6-9 Allyssa DeHaan of Michigan State is second. Sylvia Fowles of Louisiana State, is 6-6 and anchors the country’s top defense; 6-5 Jessica Davenport of Ohio State can play in the post and beyond the 3-point line; and 6-4 Candace Parker of Tennessee can play any position and has transformed the dunk from a novelty shot to a statement of authority.
“There are more centers of different types across the country than I’ve ever seen,” said Sherri Coale, Oklahoma’s coach. “You have graceful, powerful, fundamental, thick, long — all shapes and sizes. To me, that’s the greatest evolution in that position.”
And there is no more dominant center than Paris, who averages 23 points and 16 rebounds a game. Last season as a freshman she became the first collegiate player, man or woman, to collect at least 700 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocked shots in a season.
“She’s a female Shaquille O’Neal,” said Kim Mulkey, who coached Baylor to the 2005 national championship. Kurt Budke, the Oklahoma State coach, said, “She’s the best player in the country.” Because Paris has soft hands and a ravenous anticipation for rebounding, nearly 25 percent of her points have resulted from offensive rebounds — often from her own misses.
“She’s got much better hands than Terrell Owens,” said Foster, the Ohio State coach. “She’s not going to lead the league in passes dropped.”
Paris represents the evolution of a position that has grown more essential as players have become more skilled in the post and comfortable with their size.
Female players today have professional role models in the Women’s National Basketball Association, undergo sport-specific weight training, practice regularly against male scout teams and wear baggy uniforms that allow them to be less self-conscious than athletes like volleyball players, gymnasts and swimmers who participate in more revealing outfits.
“We’re women who are not apologizing for being bigger and being different or for being athletic,” Paris said. “It’s more acceptable in society. For my generation, it’s really not a big deal.”
Her twin sister, Ashley, a center-forward at Oklahoma, said that their mother, who is 6-1, told of slouching as a girl, and of buying shoes that were too small, in an effort not to stand out.
The difference today, at least in basketball, is that big women are more secure in being and playing big, said Goestenkors, the Duke coach. She said that Bales, the Blue Devils’ center, proudly wore three-inch heels, which made her 6-10, while the team was in Cancún, Mexico, in December. Bales said a photograph of her in heels on Duke’s Web site had elicited several grateful messages from tall girls or their parents.
“Before, tall girls were all soft and finesse and didn’t want contact,” Goestenkors said. “Now it’s strong, physical, bring on the contact. Courtney epitomizes that.”
Growing up in Piedmont, Calif., Courtney Paris developed her skills against four older brothers, who ranged from 6-4 to 6-8.
“Courtney and Ashley had an opportunity to see their father, who was big and winning championships, and have seen their brothers go off and play ball,” Bubba Paris said in a telephone interview. “In their mind, being big is good; it benefits you.”
That was evident Sunday when Oklahoma overcame an early deficit against Oklahoma State by inserting Ashley Paris in the high post to pass to her sister in the low post. Courtney scored 41 points, 2 below her career high, and grabbed 19 rebounds in a 78-63 victory.
“I think people have fallen away from the stereotype that big means slow and tall means clumsy,” Ashley said.
Posted by Max Lewin at 1:28 PM | Comments (8)
February 7, 2007
Open Sesame!
How do I get into the new CrossFit space?
1. Get your very own gate opener ($15 deposit).
2. Walk in through the partially open gate.
3. Ring the doorbell at least 3 times to be sure it's been heard (located to the left of the gate if you are facing the building).
4. Call our direct number 510-595-9348.
5. Last resort: bang like crazy on the side of the warehouse!
Posted by Nicole Okumu at 10:42 PM | Comments (1)
February 5, 2007
The New Place
Looks like there's a nice little post on us on the Community Blog from the National Site.
CFO's new box.
You're probably sick of the pictures of the new place, but too bad. Our place is just too cool to do anything else other than show it off!
And we have 5 new Vulcan II Racks to go with our five new lifting pods on the way!
Posted by Mike Minium at 11:58 PM | Comments (11)
February 4, 2007
The Core
During most WODs you will hear us make reference to core stability and the importance of initiating movement from a stable trunk or "core" as we are so fond of calling it.
..."belly button to the spine"
..."tight core"
..."tighten it up"
..."initiate X movment from the center of your body"
Familiar sounding, eh? We thought it would be useful to give you a bit more information to give context to the shouting.
The core, consists of all the muscles in your abdominal and lower back areas. This includes all the abdominal muscles (rectus abdominus, internal and external obliques, transverse abdominus and intercostals) as well as the muscles associated with the spine (the erector spinae group) and the hip flexors (iliacus and psoas, collectively known as the iliopsoas).
These muscles all work in harmony to provide stabilization for your body and to transfer power from the legs to the upper body and vice versa. The core muscles also function to keep your insides in, where they belong!
Weak core muscles contribute to all kinds of problems in the body, the most prevalent of which is lower back pain. By strengthening the muscles that help support the spine and improve posture, you can dramatically decrease the symptoms of lower back pain.
In other words, if your core is weak, nothing else can be strong.
check out this amazing use of core strength:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxahEjt6dG4
Posted by Nicole Okumu at 4:16 PM | Comments (10)
February 3, 2007
Adult Swing
Our adult playground is open for business.
Post ideas for fun tricks and workouts incorporating them.
For ideas check this out: Monkey Bar Gym
and this: More Monkey Bar Gym
Posted by Max Lewin at 10:10 AM | Comments (14)