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May 31, 2007
Life Academy-Part 1- The Girls
The Extreme Fitness Challenge is a post session program developed by Candace Hamilton and Preston Thomas for the Life Academy of Health and Bioscience (http://www.smallschoolsfoundation.org/life).
Over a three-week period, student athletes are running, biking Angel island, kayaking, playing basketball, volleyball, and softball and competing in the Life Academy Triathalon (June 9). As a part of the athletes General Physical Preparedness, they are learning the fundamentals of CrossFit and working with CFO to develop individual training plans to help them achieve their fitness and nutrition goals.
CrossFit Oakland is honored to be a part of such an amazing program, and we encourage anyone who is interested in planning, teaching, or helping out in any way for next year's program to contact Candace.
Stay tuned for Part II- The Boys Plyometric Energy Jumps!
Posted by Nicole Okumu at 5:12 PM | Comments (2)
May 30, 2007
General Physical Preparedness
"Optimal physical competency is a compromise, a balancing act; a compromise between not only conflicting but perfectly antagonistic skills. The manner in which you resolve this conflict defines the quality of your fitness and is the art of exercise prescription."
--Coach Greg Glassman, Co-Founder, CrossFit
"Unfortunately, many of today's athletes ignore the importance of GPP. This problem runs rampant across the sporting world, not just with combat athletes. In essence, all athletes can benefit from improved GPP.
"After all, if you were able to work harder and more frequently, you would realize improvements in all aspects of training, not just strength and conditioning, but also skill work. Have you ever worked through a vigorous strength or conditioning routine, and then felt 'flat' during the following day's sparring session? Improved GPP would enable you to quickly recover from the previous day's workout. You would enter the ring feeling fresh for the sparring session."
--Ross Enamait, from his book Infinite Intensity
[Ed Note: Ross is referring to combat athletes in his quote, but the applicability to all athletes is evident.]
"Develop the capacity of a novice 800-meter track athlete, gymnast, and weightlifter and you’ll be fitter than any world-class runner, gymnast, or weightlifter."
--From CrossFit Journal #2, "What is Fitness?"
The Bottom Line on GPP
There's often a great deal of confusion surrounding general physical preparedness (GPP) in general, and CrossFit's brand of GPP in particular. This post is an attempt to stimulate conversation over what GPP is, and hopefully in the process, clear up any misunderstandings over what we do and how we train our athletes.
When defining a word or concept, it's often useful and highly instructive to discuss what something is not before jumping into what it is.
GPP is not training for a set of skills germane only to a particular sport or physical activity. We'd no sooner adopt the training program of a marathon runner than we would a sumo wrestler (both have relatively narrow, highly specific needs for their sport of choice), assuming GPP is the goal of the training program, as it is here at CrossFit Oakland. GPP is not about putting your eggs in one basket and focusing on a single aspect of training, or a single general physical skill such as endurance, stamina, or strength.
GPP, and specifically CrossFit's brand of GPP, is about, quite simply, increasing an athlete's work capacity across broad time and modal domains (thanks to Coach Glassman for coining this phrase). This means that one can do well in any endeavor, whether it's of long duration, short duration, high power, or low power (although what's the point of being good at low-powered activities--they're so boring!), and whether it involves one's own body, external objects (e.g., barbells, dumbbells, and throwing implements), or any combination of these two modalities.
Problems occur, though, when athletes and coaches try and fuse GPP with sport practice. What happens is that both aspects of training suffer. This type of fusion usually results in ill-conceived concepts such as practicing the swing of a (tennis) forehand while using the cable pulley machine. Not only is the use of the cable pulley a colossal waste of the athlete's time, adding little if anything to his off-court strength-and-conditioning base, the carryover to actually hitting a forehand on the tennis court is nonexistent, and can even cause the tennis player's forehand skill to erode.
(As an aside, the reason the scenario above doesn't work for the tennis player is because swinging a tennis racket weighing between 12- and 14-ounces and swinging a cable pulley, which offers significantly more resistance than a tennis racket, cause different neuro-muscular firing patterns; thus there's no carryover and it can actually be detrimental to the development of a forehand.)
It's far better to keep GPP and sport practice separate. Use the GPP program to allow the athlete to become supremely conditioned and, at the same time, free the athlete up to devote more time to practicing his or her sport.
Post to Comments any thoughts you have on the purpose and benefits of GPP training.
***Gymnastics Clinic Postponed***
We've canceled the Gymnastics Clinic that was scheduled this Saturday, June 2. We're looking to reschedule the clinic for some time in mid- to late June but we need at least 10 participants to make it happen. Stay tuned for a future post or two on the new date and time for the clinic.
Posted by Mike Minium at 9:52 PM | Comments (5)
May 29, 2007
Final Call: Gymnastics Clinic June 2
This is the final call for the Gymnastics Clinic with Roger Harrell that we're hosting at CFO this Saturday, June 2 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. We'll be covering tumbling and acrobatics, hand balancing, and ring work over the 3-hour period.
The cost of the clinic is $75. We need a final count by the end of day on Wednesday, May 30. You can confirm your spot by posting to Comments on this entry, by sending an email to info@crossfitoakland.com, or by calling us at (510) 595-9348.
Posted by Mike Minium at 9:55 PM | Comments (1)
May 28, 2007
How is Your Midline Stabilization?
It is probably clear to most of you who did today’s WOD why midline stabilization is an important element of the overhead squat. Actually midline stabilization is essential to most core to extremity, multi joint, functional movements CrossFit exploits to produce some of the most profound workout experiences. The key to midline stabilization is understanding how to use your muscles and connective tissue to hold your spine, hips and head inline irrespective of your body orientation, standing, squatting, pulling or pushing. The clip above illustrates how midline stabilization allows these athletes to support and control significant weight overhead while completing an overhead squat to finish the snatch.
Post your favorite overhead squat issue to comments
Posted by Franklin Okumu at 10:37 PM | Comments (2)
May 27, 2007
Joe's Girls
Christal, Patricia, Melanie, Jenny, JoAnne, Joe, Robyn, Aminta, Rita, Sharon, Monique and Andrea
Joe is our hero! Not only has he weathered the estrogen influx like a champ, but he also pushes himself to such intensity that it can't help but rub off on all of the troopers in the 6AM class! Just one example of this below:
****REMINDER****
We will be running a weekend schedule tomorrow--Memorial Day--
9 and 10 am only
Also, if you are planning on taking the Gymnastics Seminar with Roger Harrell on Sat, June 2nd--11 to 2, please R.S.V.P to:info@crossfitoakland.com. The cost of the seminar is $75.
Posted by Nicole Okumu at 1:54 PM | Comments (6)
May 26, 2007
Epigenetics and Physical Activity
The double helix
Epigenetics, which roughly translates to "in addition to changes in genetic sequence," is a relatively new field of study (it was actually first bounced around over a century ago but has only recently picked up steam in terms of scientific research) that suggests that certain genetic signals, or switches, can be turned up or down based on lifestyle behaviors.
From an article titled "Code 2" by Anne Mcilroy:
"Scientists are still deciphering what has been described as the second genetic code. They know, Dr. Szyf said, that a number of chemicals in our bodies act like dimming switches and determine whether every gene in each cell produces a lot of a particular protein, very little or none of it."
You may be wondering, if you're still awake after reading the first part of this entry, what this has to do with anything related to your fitness goals.
Well here's the kicker, again from "Code 2":
"As for our modern lifestyles, exercise is good, but not just for burning calories. It may reprogram our genes, Dr. Szyf said.
"Fat may do more than add extra body weight and clog arteries; it may also switch a number of genes on and off that in the past were helpful in preparing humans for a long winter without much food.
"Epigenetics may revolutionize medicine, said Dr. Szyf, and it also could change the way we think about daily decisions like whether or not to order fries with a meal, or to go for a walk or to stay in front of the television. You aren't eating and exercising for yourself, but for your lineage."
So what does this mean? Besides being a radical change in the way traditional science has viewed the role of nature vs. nurture, this means that you control, to a certain extent, how strong the "good" signals are going to be and how much you can dim the "bad" signals (at least those where physical activity--CrossFit--plays a role in amplifying or dimming the switches).
And not only does it affect you, but it can potentially affect your children and their children (science has a little ways to go, proof-wise, with this, though).
The full text of "Code 2" is reprinted below, and here's the link to the article, along with a few more:
http://www.organic-center.org/science.healthy.php?action=view&report_id=68
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2006/114-3/focus.html
https://notes.utk.edu/bio/greenberg.nsf/0/b360905554fdb7d985256ec5006a7755?OpenDocument
A Primer on Epigenetics
October 2006
Globe & Mail (Toronto, Ontario)
March 11, 2006
"CODE 2"
By Anne Mcilroy
Scientists are rewriting the laws of heredity as they learn more about a mysterious second genetic code that turns our genes on and off.
The traditional idea that we are the passive carriers of our genes is being challenged by the notion that we are their custodians. Our lifestyles -- what we eat, how much we exercise, whether we smoke -- may play a role in a chemical switching system that activates or
deactivates our genes. There are signs that our behaviour may program sections of our children's DNA, and that how we live may even affect our grandchildren's genes.
"It introduces the concept of responsibility into genetics," said Dr. Moshe Szyf, a researcher at McGill University in Montreal and a pioneer in the field of epigenetics, the study of genetic changes that don't involve mutations in DNA.
"It changes the whole way we think about inheritance."
If DNA is the hardware of inheritance, the epigenetic operating system is the software, controlling the 30,000 genes that carry instructions for the proteins that make up our bodies and keep them running.
Scientists are still deciphering what has been described as the second genetic code. They know, Dr. Szyf said, that a number of chemicals in our bodies act like dimming switches and determine whether every gene in each cell produces a lot of a particular protein, very little or none of it.
They suspect this chemical switching system can be affected by diet, the air pollution we inhale, whether we smoke, and the stress we endure. It may be a mechanism through which our environment affects our genes.
In mice there is proof some of these changes can be passed down from generation to generation. There are signs this may be the case for humans, as well, if the environmental changes affect genes in sperm or eggs.
A recent study found that found men who started smoking before puberty are more likely to have overweight male children. Dutch women who went hungry in the Second World War gave birth to small babies, but their children also had small babies, even though they had enough to eat.
There is also evidence, at least in rats, that a mother can turn genes on and off in her offspring. Mothers who lick their pups activate a gene that restricts the production of the stress hormone cortisol. As a result, their babies are more laid back.
Canadians scientists in Montreal and Hamilton are now doing an unprecedented experiment in humans, and want to find whether a mother's behaviour affects similar genes in young children. They should have preliminary results by the fall.
A recent study in Spain found that as identical twins get older, they become genetically less similar. They start out with the same genes, but as they age, the switches that control their genes start to look different. The changes are barely noticeable in three-year-old twins, and most pronounced in elderly twins, especially those who have spent less of their lives together.
This helps explain why, in the Spanish study, a 35-year-old woman developed breast cancer but her identical twin didn't. It may also explain why when one identical twin develops schizophrenia, it is estimated that the other one has only a 50-per-cent chance of developing the mental illness.
Pamela Spiro Wagner started hearing voices the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Carolyn Spiro, her identical twin, became a psychiatrist. She was on call at a Boston hospital when her sister was admitted in a catatonic state, one arm extended into the air.
"This can't be my twin," she recalls thinking at the time. The two wrote a memoir, published last year, called Divided "Minds: Twin Sisters and their Journey through Schizophrenia."
Identical twins can look less similar as they get older, and often act very differently. Epigenetics may help explain why.
Connie Millar, 31, says she began noticing more physical differences between herself and identical twin Kendra four or five years ago.
The sisters share a home in Welland, Ont.
"My hair is nice and full," Connie said. Kendra, younger by 11 minutes, conceded her hair is little thinner.
"Hers is more curly."
Their noses are a little different. Connie's turns up a little more, Kendra said. Connie weighs about 30 pounds less than her twin, and likes to curl and dance and go to the racetrack. Kendra is more of a homebody, and is fascinated by royalty.
Darrick Antell, a plastic surgeon in Manhattan, began doing face lifts on identical twins so he could compare the two surgical techniques. But he found that one twin was always an older version of the other. Smoking, sun exposure, diet and the amount of stress they had endured took a toll on their faces. But some of the differences were not so easily explained. One set of twins lived together, but one smoked and the other didn't. The smoker had much more grey hair than his twin.
"I think there is more at work here," said Dr. Antell, who has performed plastic surgery on more than 30 sets of twins, more than anyone else in the world.
But epigenetics may help explain more than the differences between people who are genetically identical.
Scientists are also looking at many common diseases to see if they might be caused, at least in part, by problems with the switching system that activates and deactivates genes. In Canada and around the world researchers are looking at the role epigenetics plays in various kinds of cancer, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, lupus and other illnesses.
Genes seem to play a part in all of these diseases, but not always the starring role. One patient with Alzheimer's can't recognize the faces of their loved ones, while someone else with the same gene linked to the disease is lucid at the age of 90.
The difference is not a mutation, or a change to the four chemicals -- known as nucleotides -- that make up the long strings of DNA in our chromosomes that we inherited from our parents. The problem may be an aberration in the operating system that controls which genes are turned on and off, and how much protein they produce.
In a number of kinds of cancer, a gene that suppresses tumour growth appears to get turned off, Dr. Szyf said. He and his colleagues believe they have discovered a way to turn it on again, with one of two epigenetic cancer drugs now being tested in clinical trials by the Montreal company MethylGene.
They aren't alone. Researchers say dozens of new epigenetic cancer drugs are now being tested around the world, almost all attempting to turn on genes that stop the growth of tumours. One, azacitidine or Vidaza, has been approved in the United States, but not yet in Canada. So far, however, it is not a miracle drug. It appears to help 16 per cent of those who take it.
Dr. Szyf is also exploring what role the switching system plays when cancer metastasizes, or spreads from the original site to other parts of the body.
He is also interested in the role gene switches play in behaviour, including suicide. He is working on epigenetic profiles of men who committed suicide, studying cells from their brains to see if there is a pattern in the genes that are turned on or off. So far, he has studied cells from 14 men who killed themselves, and says the preliminary results are promising.
Arturas Petronis, at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, is working on the epigenetic profiles of both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, which used to be known as manic depression. He is studying the brain cells of people with those mental illnesses who died, and comparing them with cells from the brains of people who didn't have either disease. He is looking for a pattern of on-off switches that is distinctive in schizophrenia and in bipolar disorder.
There is no evidence that lifestyle factors -- like drug use -- play a role in switching genes on or off in people who suffer from mental illness. Neither is there proof that lifestyle causes epigenetic changes that lead to other diseases, like cancer. But it may that be that smoking, for example, alters the activity of genes in lung cells.
Dr. Petronis characterizes the epigenetics explanation as a promising theory, one that may answer many perplexing questions about cancer and other diseases.
But first, he and other researchers caution, many mysteries need to be solved. No one knows how the switches in all our cells are controlled. Also unknown is to what extent changes in them are passed down from generation to generation.
Some researchers, however, believe epigenetics holds enormous promise for treating disease. It may be possible -- eventually -- to turn genes on or off, to increase or decrease the production of protein that is part of a disease. It may prove easier than conventional gene therapy, where new genes are inserted into a patient's genetic code.
"Epigenetics will completely change the face of medicine," Dr. Szyf predicted.
It also may change the way we think about pollution, or the chemicals in many products we use every day.
A number of scientists suspect that heavy metals, pesticides, diesel exhaust and tobacco smoke and other chemicals in the environment may be interfering with the human genetic switches. They fear that endocrine disrupters, the so-called gender-bender chemicals, may somehow be switching genes on and off, resulting in fish with both male and female sexual organs and male alligators with shrinking penises.
Michael Skinner a professor at Washington State University, briefly exposed pregnant rats to high levels of two endocrine disrupters, and insecticide and a fungicide. He and his colleagues found that their male offspring had lower fertility and sperm production for not one, but four generations.
Dr. Syzf said that in the future, chemicals should be evaluated not only for whether they cause changes to DNA, but whether they affect the amount of protein a gene produces.
He is working on a way to do this, and said the first step is to identify the sites in the genome that are most vulnerable to these changes.
Scientists are also intrigued about the role epigenetics may play in evolution. Switching genes on and off may be a way for animals, including humans, to adapt to the environment more rapidly than the glacial speed allowed by evolution, which depends on relatively rare mutations to DNA.
"You inherit DNA, but it doesn't tell you if you are living in a rich or a poor environment. If it is rich, you don't have to store fat, don't need to be anxious," Dr. Szyf said. "But if you are going to be thrown in a ghetto, that is a different thing."
Take the mother rats that don't lick their pups much. They tend to be at the low end of the rat social hierarchy, and as a result lead more stressful lives. It is probably a good thing that their pups produce more cortisol -- a stress hormone -- and are more uptight. Cortisol makes rats less aggressive, and less likely to get into fights they can't win.
Researchers in Montreal have found that the boys in neighbourhoods with high crime rates who don't get in much trouble tend to have higher levels of cortisol than boys who join gangs or steal cars. Their higher stress level seems to make them more fearful, and less likely to engage in risky business.
As for our modern lifestyles, exercise is good, but not just for burning calories. It may reprogram our genes, Dr. Szyf said.
Fat may do more than add extra body weight and clog arteries; it may also switch a number of genes on and off that in the past were helpful in preparing humans for a long winter without much food.
Epigenetics may revolutionize medicine, said Dr. Szyf, and it also could change the way we think about daily decisions like whether or not to order fries with a meal, or to go for a walk or to stay in front of the television. You aren't eating and exercising for yourself, but for your lineage.
Loosening the strands of DNA
Flicking genes on and off.
It would mean chaos -- and probably death -- if every gene in every cell of our body were active at once. Brain cells would get clogged with the proteins the kidneys, liver, heart, lungs and skin need to function, and vice versa.
The body needs a way to orchestrate our genes -- especially when an embryo is developing. Scientists are learning more about the chemical switching system that determines what genes get turned on or off, and when.
Most genes carry instructions about what cells they will be used in, says Tom Hudson, a researcher at McGill University in Montreal. But they still need to be activated or deactivated.
Scientists know that for easy storage, the DNA in cells is tightly wrapped around blocks that are called histone proteins. Think of string around a grapefruit, says Michael Meaney, a McGill researcher who found that mother rats can turn a gene on in their pups by frequently licking them.
For a gene to work, and make a protein, the string has to loosen, or the grapefruit has to move or change shape. So far, scientists know of at least five ways this happens, and are exploring how the different chemical reactions that turn genes on and off may be linked. The process they perhaps understand the best is called methylation, in which chemical tags are added to the DNA, tightening the string around the grapefruit so that a gene is silenced, or partially silenced.
Scientists are now mapping these tags, much as they mapped the human genome. They are marshalling resources for an international effort, similar to the human genome project. So far, scientists have mapped the differences in 25 genes that suppress the growth of tumours, says Manel Esteller, a Spanish researcher who did an experiment that showed identical twins become less genetically similar as they age.
They say the human epigenome project will produce profiles of diseases, a map that would show which genes are turned on or off in people with various forms of cancer, as opposed to people who don't get the disease.
Canadian researchers are working on their own on similar epigenetic profiles of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other diseases.
It most cases, it seems that epigenetic changes are not passed from parents to their offspring. Scientists aren't sure how -- but genes seems to be wiped clean after a sperm fertilizes an egg.
But they are intrigued by the notion that some changes may be passed on from generation to generation, and may be influenced by our diet or behaviour.
There is proof this sometimes happens in plants, yeast flies and mammals. Researchers in Australia and the U.S can get yellow mice to have brown babies if they feed them nutritional supplements like folic acid and vitamin B12 during pregnancy. But genetically identical yellow mice not given the supplements had yellow babies.
All of the animals had the same gene that helps determine fur colour, known as the Agouti gene. But in the mothers who were fed the dietary supplement -- and their babies -- the gene had extra chemical tags attached. It was methylated, and produced much less of the protein that colours mouse hair.
It has not been proven that changes to the epigenetic switching can be passed from generation to generation like this in humans, but there are signs it may happen, especially as it relates to diet. Swedish researcher Gunnar Kaati and his colleagues have looked at records from 1890 to 1920. They found that boys who matured in times of plenty had grandchildren with a higher rate of diabetes.
Copyright Copyright 2006 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc.
Posted by Mike Minium at 8:05 PM | Comments (2)
May 25, 2007
How are you using your horsepower? Part 1
Both of these films demonstrate application of raw horsepower to sport, the point is that one is more functional than the other. So as all of you work through all these max weight WODs please note at CrossFit we are more interested in functional applications of strength not demonstrations of maximal attainable strength with a loss of functionality.
Today’s WOD
1-1-1-1-1-1-1
Deadlift
Post your loads to comments
Feel free to post which application of horsepower you think is more functional.
Posted by Franklin Okumu at 9:13 PM | Comments (5)
May 24, 2007
Yet Another T-Shirt Voting Post
It's been a while since we discussed this topic.
We've narrowed it down to six finalists, based on your votes:
Namaste, M@therf*cker
The cure for the common workout
Prepare for the Apocalypse
There's fit. Then there's Crossfit.
No mirrors. No machines. No egos.
We will Clean, Jerk and Snatch your Ass!
Please vote for your favorite slogan (one and only one slogan). Also, if you'd like to order a t-shirt, include your t-shirt size and the style you'd like to order (e.g., standard t-shirt, girly t, etc.).
Also please keep in mind that although we love the Namaste, M'fer slogan, it's probably not the most publishable of slogans.
***Reminder 1***
The FUEL Seminar is tomorrow from 12 to 2!
***Reminder 2***
We'll be running our weekend schedule on Memorial Day (Monday, May 28) and running classes at 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. only.
Posted by Mike Minium at 11:30 PM | Comments (14)
May 23, 2007
Welcome Jolie Gentry-CrossFit Oakland Trainer!
We would like to welcome CF Trainer, Jolie Gentry to CFO. Besides being an amazing CF athlete, Jolie is also a certified Pilates Instructor, ACE Certified Trainer, and a SWAT Fitness Specialist (Jolie is also a SWAT Team member). Jolie also teaches CF at: http://www.crossfitoneworld.typepad.com/
****Please note that we will be running a weekend schedule on Monday, May 28th (Memorial Day)*****
AND
Last chance to sign up for our Nutrition Seminar being held Saturday, May 26th from 12 to 2p.m. R.S.V.P. at info@crossfitoakland.com
What did you think of the new Skills Day/Active Rest Day at CFO? Be honest, we love the feedback!
Posted by Nicole Okumu at 3:28 PM | Comments (3)
May 22, 2007
Mike M. Post-Cert
Mike, Apres-cert, some years ago.
Posted by Max Lewin at 2:30 PM | Comments (3)
May 21, 2007
Congratulations to Kandace
Kandace after today's WOD of pull-ups, dips, and squats
CrossFit Oakland athlete Kandace Martin is extremely busy these days. Not only did she just graduate from UC Berkeley at the tender age of 21, she's already been accepted into Berkeley's Ph.D. school-psychology program (set to begin in the Fall of 2007). On top of that, she's getting married on June 30.
Congratulations on everything, Kandace!
Posted by Mike Minium at 10:29 PM | Comments (5)
May 20, 2007
Caffeine Fueled Yaziv!
Today's WOD:
"Nancy"
Five rounds for time of:
400 meter run
95 pound Overhead squat, 15 reps
Post time and observations to comments.
Posted by Nicole Okumu at 7:49 PM | Comments (2)
May 19, 2007
The Face of Intensity Part lll
Tom of CrossFit Oakland and the OFD works out at FireFight Gone Bad.
Please check out the CrossFit national site for information on tomorrow's workout, specifically the Overhead Squat.
Posted by Max Lewin at 1:21 PM
May 18, 2007
Having Fun With Wheelbarrows & Piggyback Rides
Tamara showing how it's done by doing a wheelbarrow walk and then lugging around Lucas for a piggyback ride.
Just an FYI...tomorrow's skill work will revolve around the following four exercises:
Hang Snatches
Pistols
Handstands
L-Holds
Posted by Mike Minium at 11:43 PM
May 17, 2007
Gymnastics Seminar with Roger Harrell
Adult Gymnastics: Why We Should All Do It
by Roger Harrell
"Most people over 25 believe that they are too old to start gymnastics. Many people believe that 15 is too old to start gymnastics. This is a ridiculous notion. 15, or 25 might be too late to start gymnastics if the intent is to become an Olympic competitor, but it is never too late to gain the benefits from practicing this sport. Gymnastics will improve performance in any other sport, as well as improving overall fitness and functional strength to a level that most people never attain."
Roger Harrell of CrossFit Marin will be conducting a Gymnastics Clinic at CFO on June 2, 2007 from 11 to 2 p.m. The cost will be $75/ person. Please post to comments if you want to reserve a spot.
Drills and Skills Articles:
http://www.drillsandskills.com/articles/
An interview with gymnastics coach Roger Harrell on gymnastics' contribution to generalized fitness:
http://www.crossfitlive.com/
Todays WOD:
Push press 3-3-3-3-3-3-3 reps
Post weights to comments.
Posted by Nicole Okumu at 6:38 PM | Comments (3)
May 16, 2007
Skill Development & Testing
Aaron the kipping demon
We've decided to change things up a bit for the workouts that are national site rest days. We're devoting these days to skill development and testing.
We want to spend a lot more time developing skills such as handstands, cleans, snatches, etc., as well as circling back and refining the fundamental movements that form the foundation of CrossFit (squat, shoulder press, push press, deadlift, etc.).
We'll also use these rest days as an opportunity to test you against our Skill Level Assessment Guidelines.
Finally, these days will be punctuated by a brief, intense workout lasting around 10 minutes in length. We're really looking to pump up the intensity and use this final workout as a finisher.
We'll be rolling out this new concept with the very next national site rest day, Saturday, May 19.
Post to Comments the skills you'd like to develop or further refine.
Posted by Mike Minium at 8:46 PM | Comments (12)
May 15, 2007
A New Crossfitter-Brian Green
Brian Green
Look out for this guy! Brian has been training at CFO for a little over two months and is making huge gains...he is steadily making progress and we expect that as the fire in his belly grows he'll be tearing things up! You can find him most mornings at 9a.m.
Posted by Nicole Okumu at 7:27 PM | Comments (7)
May 14, 2007
Workout In the Park: Stay Tuned for the Next One!
Posted by Max Lewin at 7:10 PM | Comments (5)
May 13, 2007
Franklin Gets Certified
Franklin and Greg Glassman at Golden, CO
Franklin got his Level 1 certification this past weekend in Golden, CO. Way to go, Big Papa!
Today's WOD:
15-12-9 reps:
155-lb Hang power cleans
Muscle-ups
Post your workout results and congratulatory remarks for Franklin in Comments.
Posted by Mike Minium at 11:23 PM | Comments (7)
May 12, 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 5:52 PM | Comments (1)
May 11, 2007
Park Workout Tomorrow, Saturday 5-12-07
Please join us this Saturday at 9 and 10 AM for a workout in the park. We will be across from Gold's Gym, 600 Grand Ave, Oakland CA, at the pull-up bars pictured above.
Posted by Max Lewin at 2:00 PM | Comments (4)
May 10, 2007
Burpees for a Cause
CrossFit Oakland recently partnered with Krav Maga Gym in San Francisco to raise money for Home Away From Homelessness. At CFO alone, we were able to raise ~$500, due to the efforts of those doing the burpees and to those who donated.
The workout was max number of burpees in 30 minutes.
Well done and thanks to everyone who contributed!
Posted by Mike Minium at 11:45 PM | Comments (1)
May 9, 2007
Posers
Nicole, Mike, Melissa, Tim, Brian, Jeralee and Vanessa at the Pose Clinic
Dr. Romanov on running faster
We will be having a FREE Pose Clinic at Piedmont High Track in June. Sign up on the whiteboard if you want to participate!
Today's WOD:
CrossFit Total. Post your CFT to comments.
Posted by Nicole Okumu at 2:04 PM | Comments (13)
May 8, 2007
OK, Yeah, Sure, But How Much Can He Snatch??
Amazing feats of balance,strength and coordination.
Posted by Max Lewin at 3:47 PM | Comments (2)
May 7, 2007
T-Shirt Slogan Voting
OK, so we've decided to kick it to the membership. Cast your vote for the best CFO t-shirt slogan. The one with the most votes will be our new slogan (and the person who came up with the slogan will get a free t-shirt). And of course, because we don't wanna deny any last-minute epiphanies that come to you, write-in votes are legitimate.
Vote away, people!
See the link below for the full list of slogans.
Here are the entries listed in the order they were posted:
There's fit. Then there's CrossFit.
Flat on your back in 20 minutes or less.
Thank you. Come again.
Brutal. In a fun kind of a way.
Ask me about Fran, Mary and Helen.
The cure for the common workout.
Fran sucks; Angie blows!
Got Snatch?
Nice Rack.
"Faster. Higher. Stronger."
Namaste Motherf*ckers
You think I look good now, you should see me in my singlet
Get your ass kicked at Crossfit Oakland
Blow your WOD at Crossfit Oakland
It's a GOOD pain!
Burpees, snatches and muscle-ups, OH MY!
3..2..1.. GO..
"It is not all about Jerks and Snatches.. we also have Burpees!"
More Fit Than a Barrel Full of Monkeys
For Mates, Blokes & Sheilas
Push, Pull, Run, Jump
Uphill In Both Directions
Black Tie Optional
Coach Mike Says RIP YER PANTS
Full Body Support
Tear It Down to Build It Back Up
Workout to Exhaustion Collapse in Better Shape
Workouts Even a Gymnast Can Do
Building Tough Cookies One Batch at a Time
Blowing Chunks 'Cause We Like It
Bad Monkey. Good Workouts!
It Burns... Exceed Your Limits
Meet Ya at the Monkey Bars
Push, Pull, Run, Jump
Prepare for the Apocalypse
There is always something that could hurt more- Joe P
-- Some of the best jerks around!
-- Take this medicine ball and call me in the morning
-- If you only knew...
-- Think you don't sweat?
-- Some of the best jerks around!
-- Take this medicine ball and call me in the morning
-- If you only knew...
-- Think you don't sweat?
-- Oxygen debt, stomach upset, and lots of sweat
"No excuses. No limits."
"Get your snatch on"
"Get your burpee on"
"Boot Camp on Steroids"
"A kick-ass workout"
"No whiners allowed"
"It's all about the snatch"
"Wimp-free zone"
Crossfit: The Pleasure is in the Punishment
Crossfit: Pain Never Tasted so Good
Crossfit: Where Form Follows Function
Crossfit: The Biggest Hurt you'll ever Love
Crossfit: You Call that Strong??
Crossfit: The Anti-Gym
Crossfit: Leave your Ego at Home
Crossfit: The Cure for the Common HGH
Crossfit: I don't Care how you Feel...
Crossfit: No Brain, No Pain
Crossfit: First, Second, Third, Dead F***in' Last
Crossfit: No, it Doesn't ever get Any Easier
Crossfit. This is gonna suck.
Go big or go home.
Crossfit Oakland, sucka!
Crossfit; whatchu got?
Got Pukie?
Crossfit. Some people just don't get it.
This ain't no 24 hour fitness (could that be a lawsuit?)
Crossfit. The end is near. Be ready.
Come with me if you want to live.
Three rounds for time...
Got kip?
Where the jerks and snatches are.
"Don't let the dog shit!"
"Are you CrossFit or Sissy Fit?"
"Tabata this!"
"What is your limit?"
"CrossFit- A healthy Torture"
"Are you fit? Prove it.."
"!"
"It is not for you, Buttercup!"
"We will Clean, Jerk and Snatch your Ass!"
In Between Purgatory and Hell
No, It Just Feels Like Hell
It's Torture Plain & Simple
Sorry, the Gym Has No Mirrors
CrossFit: Funk Town Fit (one of Oaklands many nicknames is Funktown)
CrossFit: Leave it All Here
CrossFit: Take no Sh*t, only leave it
CrossFit: Town Taxes (another nickname for Oakland is "The Town")
CrossFit: Times Creation
CrossFit: How Fit? CrossFit!
CrossFit: How Fit? Funk Town Fit!
CrossFit: If you like my Snatch, you should watch out when I Jerk!
CrossFit: Drop it like a squat.
CrossFit: Town True
CrossFit: Not S&M but...
CrossFit: Where the Rubber Meets your Skin
CrossFit: Oaktown Funk
CrossFit: Oaktown Style
CrossFit: Oakland Style (or Styze)
CrossFit: "...but you ain't messin' with no Crossfitters (you know the kanye west song, Goldigger)
CrossFit: Knock, Knock...Pukie's here
CrossFit: So a guy walks into a gym...
CrossFit: Hmmm...pain or pleasure
CrossFit: Hmmm...Pain or pleasure, ok, both
CrossFit: The Non-Conformest
CrossFit: Oaktown Funk
CrossFit: Oaktown Style
CrossFit: Oakland Style (or Styze)
CrossFit: "...but you ain't messin' with no Crossfitters
CrossFit: Knock, Knock...Pukie's here
CrossFit: So a guy walks into a gym...
CrossFit: Hmmm...pain or pleasure
CrossFit: Hmmm...Pain or pleasure, ok, both
CrossFit: The Non-Conformist
Posted by Mike Minium at 8:32 PM | Comments (28)
May 6, 2007
The Deadlift
Defending The Deadlift: An Interview with Coach and Powerlifter Eric Cressey :
What are the unique benefits of deadlifting?
First, I’d say that (along with box squats) it’s the single-most effective movement for training the posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, adductor magnus, and lumbar erectors). The posterior chain is of paramount importance to high-level performance; watch the best sprinters run, and you’ll see that they seem to just “float”—and it’s because they’re running with their hamstrings and glutes. In contrast, watch a guy who runs with his quads, and you’ll see that his hips are bouncing up and down; there’s a lot of wasted movement. The glutes and hamstrings are all fast-twitch fibers with a lot of strength, speed, and size potential—potential you’ll never realize without deadlift variations.
Second, strengthening the posterior chain with closed-chain movements like deadlifts also reduces injury risk. Weak hamstrings are a serious risk factor for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, patellofemoral pain, and a host of other problems at the knee, hip, ankle, and lower back. Conversely, leg curls simply won’t get the job done, as they don’t require co-contraction of the glutes and hamstrings, are open-chain, and occur in a fixed line of motion. Our body is far smarter than some piece of selectorized equipment.
Third, deadlifts enable a lifter to train hip and knee extension together without learning the full Olympic lifts, which have a big learning curve.
Fourth, deadlifts enable a lifter to use more loading, thus ensuring that more motor units and, in turn, muscle fibers will be recruited all over the body. The more fibers you recruit, the greater your stimulus for growth. And, if you’re looking to shed body fat, the post-exercise oxygen debt will be larger from recruiting more muscle mass, meaning that your metabolic rate will be really jacked up for longer after the end of your training session.
Fifth, you can train deadlifts several different ways. Light weights (~30% 1RM) with high velocities develop speed-strength, mid-range loading (45-70% 1RM) develop strength-speed, and circa-maximal weights enhance maximal strength. Pulls at 90% can have tremendous benefits in terms of both power and maximal strength development.
Sixth, deadlifts are quite possibly the best exercise for enhancing rate of force development (RFD)—also known as explosive strength. This refers to how quickly you can develop tension in a muscle, and is obviously of tremendous importance to athletic success. Movements that are initiated from a dead-stop are superior methods of enhancing RFD; box squats and Anderson squats are great as well. Olympic lifts can be tricky in this regard, as the first pull is actually somewhat slow compared to what you’ll see in a speed deadlift; Olympic lifters are more interested in setting themselves up for the second pull.
Seventh, as noted earlier, deadlifts have a better functional carryover to real world performance than leg curls, glute-blasters, and all the other silly machines out there.
Eighth, deadlifts are unparalleled in their ability to wallop loads of muscle mass on your upper back. The better my pull has gotten, the bigger my upper back has grown—and by accident! It’s actually gotten to the point that I’ve had to bump up a weight class because my upper back, hamstrings, and glutes have grown so much from pulling that I have been forced to do so!
Ninth, deadlifts train supporting grip like nothing else. If you can’t grip it, you can’t deadlift it.
Tenth, believe it or not, deadlifts can be a tremendously valuable corrective training exercise if coached correctly. I’ve used them in the correction of IT [iliotibial] band friction syndrome, lower back pain, lateral knee pain, groin pain, and a host of other torso and lower extremity problems. The secret rests with the proper execution of the exercise.
A Rather Long Analysis of the Deadlift by Mark Rippetoe:
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:_BJcbOrK0-0J:www.crossfit.com/journal/library/51-2006_AnalysisofDeadlift.pdf+anatomy+of+a+deadlift+crossfit&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
Posted by Nicole Okumu at 9:07 PM | Comments (1)
May 5, 2007
Who Am I?
Post guesses as to who these "CrossFitty" hands belong to.
Saturday 070505
Power Snatch 3-3-3-3-3-3-3 reps
Sunday 070506
Complete as many rounds as you can in twenty minutes of:
135 pound barbell Thruster, 7 reps
Weighted pull-up, 50 lbs, 7 reps
Posted by Max Lewin at 7:51 PM | Comments (2)
May 4, 2007
Caption Contest
Lucas, Jonathan, and Scott at the CFO Grand Opening Party.
We managed to get our hands on this photo of Lucas, Jonathan, and Scott hamming it up in front of the camera.
Let's see who can come up with the best caption for the photo.
Today's WOD:
How many rounds in 20 minutes?
65-lb thruster, 15 reps
21 jumping pull-ups
Post number of rounds completed to Comments.
Posted by Mike Minium at 11:49 PM | Comments (8)
May 3, 2007
Frank's First Rope Climb!
Last chance to sign up for Saturday's (5/5) POSE Clinic being held at CFO from 9 to noon. The clinic is $75.00 for CFO members. Let Mike or Nicole know if you want to get on the list...
Also, for all of you participating the Burpees for A Cause Fundraiser (benefiting Home Away from Homelessness's Summer Rafting Trip), we will be meeting at CFO at 5:30 p.m.--as many burpees as you can do in 30 minutes!
Today's WOD:
3 Rounds:
400 m Run
12 DB Snatches Each Arm
15 Box Jumps
1 Rope Climb
Post times to comments.
Today's amazing bonus video that has nothing to do with CrossFit:
Posted by Nicole Okumu at 6:09 PM | Comments (7)
May 2, 2007
Dips The Hard Way!
Posted by Max Lewin at 3:21 PM | Comments (16)
May 1, 2007
Can You Do This?
Kathleen demonstrating some nice flexibility and balance while performing the feet-together, hands-together version of the overhead squat.
Today's WOD:
Push Press 3-3-3-3-3-3-3 Reps
Post loads to Comments.
Posted by Mike Minium at 11:06 PM | Comments (2)