CrossFit Oakland

learn the fundamentals. who cares if you can squat 300# if it's not in correct form.
I really liked the quote (I think from Glassman) that says focus on intensity, not score. There will always be someone stronger and faster than you, so just focus on improving yourself.
keep your calluses down!

I'd like to elaborate on "keep your callouses down."
Callouses on your hands - the kind that develop with your kipping pull-ups can get think enough and eventually protrude enough so that they are in danger of getting ripped off leaving a problematic wound. Mini explained that the solution is a callous razor. Finally got one today after searching three drug stores. Turns out Longs puts them in cosmetics rather than footcare! Anyway, I found that with a little patience I could whittle down the high parts of the callous without harm to the rest of my hand - the reason is the razor has a guard that pushes regular skin down and out of the way. Your mileage may vary.

I'd like to elaborate on "keep your callouses down."
Callouses on your hands - the kind that develop with your kipping pull-ups can get think enough and eventually protrude enough so that they are in danger of getting ripped off leaving a problematic wound. Mini explained that the solution is a callous razor. Finally got one today after searching three drug stores. Turns out Longs puts them in cosmetics rather than footcare! Anyway, I found that with a little patience I could whittle down the high parts of the callous without harm to the rest of my hand - the reason is the razor has a guard that pushes regular skin down and out of the way. Your mileage may vary.

female - buy Lulu Lemons tights

male - try not to get distracted by above

Credit to Lau for the suggestion of the callus razor.

He's the one who turned me onto it. Now if only I had kept up with my own callus care!

you can always use a dremel tool. Got that tip from Jeff Martone.

I wear a kashmir loincloth underneath my shorts for every workout. This has been my secret to success, as evidenced by my rank in the CFO Throwdown.

> who cares if you can squat 300# if it's not in correct form

There are a few ideas here. Firstly, you probably won't be squatting 300 lbs without some semblance of correct form. Even naturally strong people would probably injure their backs squatting incorrectly with those weights. Secondly, being able to squat 300 lbs would be of great benefit to CrossFit programming. Just coming off Rippetoe's Basic Barbell Cert gave me a new appreciation for the role of strength in the development of power. If you are not strong, you will be unlikely to be powerful, and power is the currency of CrossFit. Remember, strength is the ability to apply force over a distance (work). Power is work per time. You need to be strong to squat. You must be powerful in order to clean.

So, what would I suggest to CrossFit newbies?

1) Embrace pain and suffering. CrossFit workouts hurt and if they don't, you are not doing them correctly.

2) You can shave your callouses. You can shave your legs and you can shave your head, too. Once you can do enough pullups, your hands are going to tear. It's going to hurt and it will look real bad. Get used to it and learn to enjoy saying, "Sorry, I can't shake your hand because I tore the sh*t out of them on the pullup bar." Quite honestly, when your hands are dripping with blood after Eva, you will feel good about your injuries. Welcome to the cult.

3) Get strong. The reason Steven crushes Fran in 2:40 is not due to his graceful kipping pullup. It's because he's so strong that every 95 thruster is only a small fraction of his 1 rep max thruster.

4) Eat pure cane sugar and nothing else. The Zone Diet is a lie and protein is unnecessary. No fat = healthy diet. Also, stop drinking water.

What am I going to do in order to get better at CrossFit? I rarely suffer aerobic failure on workouts any longer. It's more an issue of strength and muscular failure. I'm weak. It's time to start squatting, deadlifting, and pressing all the while drinking a lot of milk.

1. Never say "I can't" - it makes you sounds like a whiny little girl... Try every movement at least once, then scale or sub if necessary. You'll be surprised what you can do if you just imagine yourself doing it.

2. Regarding Torn Hands: I have been dreaming (literally) of getting pullups for almost a year now and last Friday while practicing them, I tore open both ring fingers. I am so proud that I could just spit - been showing them off all over Piedmont. They are a big hit ;)

3. Completing the WOD is an amazing accomplishment - no matter how you have to sub, scale or slog to get through it. As long as you are giving it your all.

4. If it doesn't hurt you are sandbagging (right, Mike?)

5. Lululemon is not required attire, it just seems like it...

6. It IS a cult.

Consume at least a gallon of Muscle Milk a day and find a reliable HGH and Deca Durabolin dealer.

the above lulu comment was not made by brad.

It was made by me, "anonymous".

Also find someone that has quality supply of the cream and the clear especially since balco went under due to the recession

I propose a new spelling for today's workout:

"Hell-en"

This one makes me feel about as badly as any in the CrossFit arsenal.

Ignore what Tom says about sugar...we need to Eat very very well. Make sure you consume enough calories during the day before a work out and also a 1-2 blk snack about 1/2 to one hr prior to a work out. Drink about 1/2 liter water 20 min prior or so. If you are having pain or not sleeping in the middle of the night, you need to cut way back or stop using that muscle group until you are sleeping normally again. I have heard from athletes over and over the tell tale signs of early tendon issues: I hurt at night when I sleep, or lay on it...so rest it! Train something else. Just scale it: That is the ultimate beauty of Crossfit!

> Ignore what Tom says about sugar...

How could you say such a thing? I'm deeply offended. My work is based upon evidence...

The idea of "macronutrients" is silly. There is only one macronutrient and that is sugar. Kinda like "One ring to rule them all." Sugar should be consumed in large quantities (think 3 to 4 cups at one sitting) at all times. It is good for everyone and has a restorative effect on the body.

If sugar, especially in the form of high fructose corn syrup, was not really, really good for us, why would it be in almost every processed food? Yeah! Take that! Irrefutable proof right there. I will expect an apology this evening.

Most athletes tend to push too hard, not take it too easy, so my advice (as a new CrossFitter myself) is this:

When you first discover CrossFit, it is easy to get excited and push harder than your body is actually ready for, and get injured.

Remember, you have the rest of your life to CrossFit, no matter when you start. Force yourself to scale seriously, for at least a month, with a gradual ramp up, so your body gets used to the motions and your bones, muscles and connective tissues are adapted to the things you are asking them to do.

Listen to your body. You will be more fit in the end if you don't have to stop doing pullups for a month because you tweaked your elbow kipping too soon...

ARGH! I just watched one of the videos on the affiliate blog, and the form was terrible on some of the lifts and everyone was like "yeah, good job!" One guy did this huge deadlift, but just dropped it after he stood up with it. REP DOES NOT COUNT! Ahh, I hate when people don't control the bar back down from a deadlift, or bounce the bar off the ground doing multiple reps. DOESN'T COUNT! Form people. Form. That's the advice I'd give to a newbie. Get the form down. Don't cheat the rep for faster time. You're only hurting yourself.

haven't done Helen in over a year. PR by over 2 minutes!

10:41. - next time going for sub 10:00. The runs kill me. I hate running.

Rock those battle scars Robyn!

amy: last night i woke up due to pain in my elbows...