Archive for November, 2009

« Older Entries

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Workout of the Day:
Bench Press
5-5-5
and then,
As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:
5 x Dumbbell Renegade Rows
10 x Ring Dips
15 x Toes to Bar

Linz J. of Cynergy CrossFit - on loan from CrossFit Invictus

Linz J. of Cynergy CrossFit - on loan from CrossFit Invictus

The Front Door, The Ultimate Milestone
Written by Lindsey Johnson – an East Coast Member of the Invictus Family
(Editor’s Note – Lindsey’s article appeared on the Cynergy CrossFit website on November 24, 2009. It makes a great point that is often overlooked. As we are hosting more and more On-Ramp sessions for new members, remember how intimidating your first day was and please make an effort to walk over and introduce yourself to any new person you haven’t met.)

We all remember our big fitness milestones, first pull up, first muscle up, first triple digit lift, first WOD as RX’d, first WOD period….
In reality I think the most important  milestone, one that goes unnoticed by most, is getting in here in the first place.  It’s much easier to make excuses, stay home, sleep late, make dinner, cart the kids around, take care of the day-to-day which weighs on us so heavily.
The challenge is getting up, getting here, getting through the front door.
After some time that challenge isn’t so much of a challenge, many of us, do it with ease or even look forward to it.  But remember that first time?  You had never been to CrossFit, maybe you had never worked out, maybe you had a been a bootcamper of sorts, but never tried CrossFit, maybe you were a “globo gym hero” but new to this type of fitness.  Whatever it is/was, we all started somewhere.  We all faced that challenge.
I was inspired on Saturday by a new member to our box, coming in to meet Cindy for a foundations class; she walked in and she stood over by the door watching…
Watching: the Saturday morning “hooligans play around” after the WOD, doing muscle up work on both the bars and the rings, climbing the rope, doing handstands and generally having fun.
I remembered what that felt like, for me, being the “new kid”, feeling totally out of shape and out of place and thinking “what the hell am I doing here”.  I remembered my first day, I was at CrossFit San Diego, and I knew no one in the class or at the gym.  I waited by the door like so many of us do, observing those around me, wondering if anyone is going to say hi, wondering just how “in shape these people are” and what they will think of me when I can barely get through the workout that lies ahead.  I remember thinking, these people are going to think I am such a loser I should just leave… NOW.  I remember waiting… It was terrifying.
Then the workout started and it wasn’t so bad, it was harder than anything I had ever done, but the people were super nice, encouraging and positive.

I thought to myself Saturday and remembered that first time; watching this “new girl” standing in the corner, waiting to get her ass handed to her by one of our favorite people, this girl has guts… good for her!

The strength of spirit it takes to get past all of those things that make you want to turn around and walk away, the strength it takes to get  through the front door…
In the spirit of our front door changing in a few days, I’m wondering what got you through the front door?

Whatever it was, we’re glad you’re here and you’re a part of our family.

Tags:
Posted in Workout Of The Day | 6 Comments »

Monday, November 30, 2009

Sunday, November 29th, 2009

***FOX HAS RESCHEDULED THE LIVE FEED – Monday’s schedule will be normal, no 5:00 a.m. session.***
Workout of the Day:
Front Squats
5-5-5
and then,
Rounds of 21, 15 and 9 reps for time of:
Front Squat (use 70-75% of today’s 5-RM)
Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
(Take barbell from the floor if you are capable of doing so.)

Lizzle rockin' some great looking push-ups

Lizzle rockin' some great looking push-ups

Eating on the Road
Written by Mark Riebel

We’ve posted several times on how to fit in a workout here and there while traveling, but we haven’t addressed how to fuel yourself when you’re away from your own kitchen.  Getting in the workouts is great, but if you’re putting crap in your body’s fuel tank, you’re really just taking one step forward and two steps back.  Seeing as how I just made a five day drive out to San Antonio and was temporarily residing in a luxurious extended-stay hotel, I figured I could offer a few thoughts and tips for those of you who find yourselves traveling regularly.

I’m being completely honest when I say that eating when you are away from home is far from ideal.  I spent somewhere around 24 hours in the car over those five days I meandered my way east, and I was staying in a lot of places that definitely weren’t the most Paleo-friendly, but it really wasn’t too hard to make it work.  Again, it wasn’t ideal or perfect, but it got me by.  Here’s what I did.

First, my dad and I packed a bag of food to take with us.  This is the easiest way to eat the things you’re looking for that match with your dietary goals.  We packed a few bags of jerky, nuts, apples, grapefruit, grapes, and some dried fruit and nut mix from Costco that I’m convinced was also made with crack based on how much of that I ate.  The paleo police would have ticketed me for the jerky (It’s not paleo.  Neither is lunch meat, sausage or bacon.  Hello, salt!), but I think it’s better than stopping at a gas station for a few chili cheese dogs of questionable origin.

I wouldn’t recommend trying to pack all of your food on a cross-country trip as this makes logistics quite a bit more complicated, and seeing as how I thoroughly pickled myself from eating so much jerky, so I eventually stopped at some restaurants.  Most restaurants these days are more than happy to do some substitutions for you so you can stay on the right track.  I had a few burgers with no buns, steaks and pieces of chicken with double veggies instead of mashed potatoes, and of course salads with some meat added are always a great choice.  Most places will have olive oil and vinegar too instead of the typical dressings which have about a 99% chance of containing high fructose corn syrup, which is in damn near every processed food these days (just read the label).  They can often go light on the salt for you as well.

Then there’s the option of finding a hotel with a kitchen.  Sure, my ‘full kitchen’ really meant I had to buy all cookware, utensils and plates, but at least it gives me a break from eating out and saves me some cash since I can go to a local grocery and pick up some wild-caught fish, organic veggies and fruit and make up my own meal.  I enjoy eating out as much as the next guy, but not for four or five meals a day.

There’s plenty of ways to make traveling and eating work, they just take a little bit of forethought.  What are some things you’ve done to eat well on the road?

Tags: ,
Posted in Workout Of The Day | 10 Comments »

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Friday, November 27th, 2009

Workout of the Day:
Handstand Holds
Perform three sets for max time upside down;
and then,
For time:
Row 1000 Meters, followed by five rounds of:
10 Pull-Ups
20 Push-Ups

Below – some dork and four amazing fitness models.

Posted in Workout Of The Day | 3 Comments »

Friday, November 27, 2009

Thursday, November 26th, 2009

Workout of the Day:
Clean (Power or Squat)
3-2-1-1-1
and then,
Complete five rounds for time of:
5 Power Cleans (use 80-85% of your 1-RM)
100 Meter Run
Rest exactly 60 seconds
(The rest is not optional, it is vital to this workout that you recover between sets.)

The crew at Father Joe's Thanksgiving 5k

The crew at Father Joe's Thanksgiving 5k

Low Glycemic Food – Part Two
Written by Calvin Sun

In part 1 of our discussion on Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load, we discussed how these values are determined and the differences between the two. Unfortunately, the GI and GL rating system is not without fault. One of my biggest issues with people who advocate food choices based on GI and/or GL values is that there’s is no regard for food quality. Agave nectar, for example, is a sweetener that is both low-GI and low-GL, yet is highly deleterious to your health (see here for a few examples).

Despite what many diet book authors would love for you to believe, GI and GL are not the ideal criteria for selecting nutritious foods. There are many limitations to GI and GL, which are discussed thoroughly in this excerpt from NutritionData.com’s section on GI/GL:

  1. Scarcity of GI data
    Although methods for determining Glycemic Index have been in existence for more than 20 years, GI values have so far only been determined for about 5% of the foods in ND’s database. Seemingly similar foods can have very different GI values, so it’s not always possible to estimate GI from either food type or composition. This means that each food has to be physically tested. GI testing requires human subjects, and is both relatively expensive and time-consuming. The fact that only a very limited number of researchers currently do GI testing compounds this problem. Food manufacturers continue to introduce thousands of new foods each year. Since GI testing is neither required nor common (at least in the U.S.), this problem is likely to get worse rather than better.
  2. Wide variation in GI measurements
    The Glycemic Index table shows a single value of GI for each food. In reality, though, the measurements are not so precise. Reported values are generally averages of several tests. There’s nothing wrong with that methodology, but individual measurements can vary a significant amount. For example, baked Russet potatoes have been tested with a GI as low as 56 and as high as 111! The GI for the same fruit has even been shown to increase as the fruit ripens. This amount of variation adds a great deal of uncertainty to GI calculations.
  3. GI values affected by preparation method
    The Glycemic Index gets even trickier when you take into account the changes in value that occur in response to differences in food preparation. Generally, any significant food processing, such as grinding or cooking, will elevate GI values for certain foods, because it makes those food quicker and easier to digest. This type of change is even seen with subtle alterations of the preparation, such as boiling pasta for 15 minutes instead of 10.
  4. GI values affected by combination with other foods
    While tests for Glycemic Index are usually done on individual foods, we often consume those foods in combination with other foods. The addition of other foods that contain fiber, protein, or fat will generally reduce the Glycemic Index of the meal. The GI of this “mixed meal” can be estimated by taking a weighted average of the GI’s of the individual foods in the meal. However, this averaging method may become less accurate as the total percentage of carbohydrate decreases. Therefore, foods like pizza often create a higher glycemic response than the simple weighted average of the ingredient GI’s would predict.
  5. Individual differences in glycemic response
    The rate at which different people digest carbohydrates also varies, so there are some individual differences in glycemic response from person to person. In addition it has been shown that one person’s glycemic response may vary from one time of day to another. And finally, different people have different insulin responses (i.e. produce different levels of insulin), even with an identical glycemic response. This fact alone means that a diabetic can not rely completely on the Glycemic Index without monitoring his own blood sugar response. (This, of course, is a limitation of any food index, and not a specific limitation of GI.)
  6. Reliance on GI and GL can lead to overconsumption
    It’s important to remember that the Glycemic Index is only a rating of a food’s carbohydrate content. If you use GI and GL values as the sole factor for determining your diet, you can easily end up overconsuming fat and total Calories. See example below…
  7. Example – How the Glycemic Index can encourage overeating
    Apples have a GI of 38, and a medium-size apple, weighing 138 grams, contains 16 grams of net carbohydrates and provides a Glycemic Load of 6. This is a low GL, and most would consider the apple to be a very appropriate snack. But now look at peanuts. A 4-oz serving not only weighs less than the apple, but has a much lower GI (14), and provides an even lower GL of 2. Based on Glycemic Load alone, you would have to believe that the peanuts were a better dietary choice than the apple. But if you take a look at the Calories contained in these two foods, you’ll see that the apple contains approximately 72 Calories, while the peanuts contain more than 500! Those 400+ extra Calories are NOT going to help you lose weight.

GI and GL ratings are unreliable to say the least. There are far better ways to determine if a food is good for you; amino acid profile, essential fatty acid balance, and micronutrient content are among a few.  Despite the numerous metrics we can consider, I default to the nutritional prescription outlined in Coach Glassman’s “World-Class Fitness In 100 Words“. Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.

Posted in Workout Of The Day | 6 Comments »

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

***SCHEDULING REMINDER – We will be closed on Thanksgiving Day (running Father Joe’s Thanksgiving 5k), but open for sessions at 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday.***

Workout of the Day:
Run 5k with friends and family for a local charity

Don't over-serve your dingo (or your dingo's favorite aunt) this Thanksgiving.

Don't over-serve your dingo (or your dingo's favorite aunt) this Thanksgiving.

I am Blessed
Written by C.J. Martin

I am thankful for the unyielding support and love of my friends, family, and dingo. One year ago yesterday, I received the keys to a dilapidated shell of a building in Little Italy and began the process of leaving a lucrative career to follow my dreams.

Invictus - Thanksgiving Day 2008

Invictus - Thanksgiving Day 2008

I have never been alone in this pursuit. A year ago today my family and several friends stood by my side swinging sledgehammers and levering crowbars. We had only four days to perform a complete demolition of the building before construction crews would arrive to start transforming our box into what is now Invictus. I could have done none of this without a lot of help, and it was there in spades. In the year since, nothing has changed. My friends and family are still by my side supporting my dreams, and through their participation, guaranteeing my success. I have no shortage of people and events for which I can be thankful this Thanksgiving.

What, or who, are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Posted in Workout Of The Day | 12 Comments »

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

***SCHEDULING REMINDER – We are open regular hours today, closed on Thanksgiving Day (running Father Joe’s Thanksgiving 5k), and open for sessions at 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday.***

Workout of the Day:
Jumping Squats
5-5-5
(Work up to 50% of your 1-RM back squat. Pin the bar to your traps to keep it from crashing down on you when you land. If you’re having discomfort, wrap a towel around the bar.)
and then,
Complete rounds of 20, 15, 10 and 5 reps for time of:
135/95 lb. Jumping Squats
135/95 lb. Overhead Anyhow (from behind the neck or front rack, either is fine)
200 Meter Run
Robb Wolf in CrossFit Invictus Shirt

A Sad Development for the CrossFit Community
Written by C.J. Martin

The Black Box Summit was a high point in my CrossFit career. As I wrote about on Monday, it collected some of the brightest, most successful coaches I have had the pleasure of meeting and learning from. Unfortunately, the fallout from the Summit is becoming one of the lowest points in my involvement with the CrossFit community.

To give proper context, let me start by explaining how I fell in love with CrossFit, and what I understand CrossFit to mean.

My coaching career started when I was 14 years old. I was a martial artist, and one of the great things about martial arts is that talented students are given the opportunity to teach regardless of their age. I lived and breathed martial arts. I read everything I could get my hands on, but nothing resonated with me more than Bruce Lee’s Tao of Jeet Kune Do. His philosophy, to employ what is most effective and discard that which is not, struck a chord with me.

Fast forward 15 years when I found myself as a lawyer who snuck in an uninspired workout once or twice a week. A colleague introduced me to some website called CrossFit, and it was love at first sight. As I understood it, CrossFit was/is the Jeet Kune Do of fitness – taking the best of everything fitness-related and throwing out the tired methods. I once again found myself absorbed in my hobby. I read every CrossFit article I could get my hands on. I would finish the monthly CF Journal just hours after it was distributed. Once I burned through the CF materials I would search out other sources of information on strength and conditioning methodology. But of everything I have read, nothing has impacted or guided me more than two articles penned by Greg Glassman.

The first, “Scaling Professional Training,” set’s forth the principle by which I run my business. In that article Coach Glassman explains that “the most effective business plan comes from achieving excellence and letting the market bring the money to you.” It makes running my business simple, all I have to do is ask myself whether a proposed change would help me provide the members of my community with a better training experience. If the answer is yes, we’re doing it.

The second, “What is Fitness,” concisely sets forth the most compelling prescription for fitness I have ever seen.

  • World Class Fitness in 100 Words – Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports. ~ Greg Glassman

I believe in these principles with all of my heart. What saddens me is that recent events have made me wonder whether the organization that I love dearly, CrossFit, is still as committed to these principles as I am.

Sunday evening, nutrition expert Robb Wolf was fired from the CrossFit Nutrition Certifications. Robb has written about the ordeal here for those interested in learning more. Robb’s description of the events are consistent with what I observed as a participant of the Black Box Summit.

Robb never attacked the “Zone Diet,” he explained that in his experience athletes saw tremendous benefits on an unmeasured diet that focused on food quality, and if quality alone was not optimizing performance he would begin weighing and measuring food to further improve an athlete’s results. Robb’s suggested best approach to nutrition is to “eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar.” Apparently this prescription is no longer acceptable to CFHQ, and Robb is no longer welcome.

Robb was not the only expert targeted by HQ staff. Greg Everett, a phenomenal resource for all things related to Olympic weightlifting, was also treated extremely rudely for offering up criticism of the way certain exercises are instructed and performed at CrossFit Level 1 certifications. Other extremely intelligent coaches have been quietly pushed to the fringes of the community or have opted to leave the CrossFit community for suggesting that CrossFit return to its roots of incorporating strength or skill work followed by a short, intense conditioning workout. The CrossFit I fell in love with would have embraced these ideas and used them as an opportunity to evolve as a program. That is not happening.

(Why do I say “return to its roots?”, because that is what is described in “What is Fitness” – “One of our favorite workout patterns is to warm-up and then perform three to five sets of three to five reps of a fundamental lift at a moderately comfortable pace followed by a ten-minute circuit of gymnastics elements at a blistering pace and finally finish with two to ten minutes of high intensity metabolic conditioning.”)

I love CrossFit, and all of my friends and colleagues in the CrossFit system, but my commitment is to ALWAYS strive for excellence in providing my clients with the best facility and program within my capability. I hope that will always be under the CrossFit banner, but this past weekend’s events shook the foundation of what I believe CrossFit to be. The “open-source” model that I fell in love with has become hyper-sensitive to criticism and slow to evolve. I hope that changes very soon.

Tags:
Posted in Workout Of The Day | 18 Comments »

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Workout of the Day:
Ring Dips
Perform three sets for max reps. Rest three minutes between sets.
and then,
Three rounds for time of:
25 Burpees
100 Meter Farmer’s Carry (2 x 32 kg/2 x 24 kg)
Paleo Scallops Recipe from CrossFit Invictus San Diego

Paleo Scallops Recipe
Written by Mark Riebel

“Breaded” Scallops and Steamed Artichokes with Paleo mayonnaise dipping sauce

Always on the lookout for more interesting paleo cooking, here’s a great concoction I put together recently that fed me and my girlfriend really well.  First, here’s your shopping list:

1 lb. wild sea scallops (these are pretty large and a pound is 12-15 of them)

1-2 cups almond meal

2 artichokes

2 omega-3 eggs

Olive and/or coconut oil

Mustard seed or just some Dijon mustard

Black pepper, dill, cayenne pepper, garlic, or any other spices that you like

Start off by steaming the artichokes.  Fill up a large pot with about 1-2” of water, put the artichokes in, cover and boil.  Feel free to add some spices before you steam them; we used garlic and black pepper.  These will take about 25 minutes to get tender, so you can make the rest of the meal as these cook.

I don’t want to steal the thunder of Scotty Hagnas and crew by publishing the paleo mayo recipe here, but it’s a simple blend of olive and coconut oil, egg, mustard and other spices with none of the odd chemicals that are in regular mayo.  Help support him and pick up both volumes of the Paleo Cookbook over at Performance Menu.  They’re well worth it.

Lastly, take your scallops and dip them in the omega-3 egg which you whisked in a bowl earlier.  This helps to get the “breading” to stick.  Pour some of the almond meal on a small plate and roll the egg-washed scallops in it until covered.  Heat up a frying pan with some coconut or olive oil on low to medium heat.  Toss the scallops in, put a cover on it, and cook for about 6-8 minutes, flipping once in the middle of the time.  If you haven’t cooked scallops before, they’re pretty easy to overcook, so lean towards the 6 minute side if anything.  They turn from a pale-white to opaque white when they’re done.  We threw some curry paste in the pan too for a little variety, but feel free to play around with the seasonings.

Your artichokes should be about done now, so pop each one on a plate and split the scallops between the two.  The mayo goes great with the artichoke and will keep for several days afterwards for use on whatever else you’d like to put it on.  We also paired it with a bottle of Merlot, but if you want to stay strict paleo, go with water or tea.  Enjoy!

Tags:
Posted in Workout Of The Day | 14 Comments »

Monday, November 23, 2009

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Workout of the Day:
Deadlift
3-2-1-1-1
(Your lift shall be considered a failure if you fail to maintain proper posture throughout the movement. We are looking for you maximum effort with technical perfection.)
and then,
Three rounds for time of:
10 Handstand Push-Ups
15 Deadlifts (use 60-65% of 1-RM)
20 Pull-Ups
Black Box Summit

The Black Box Summit – Leaders in the CrossFit Community
Written by C.J. Martin

I just wrapped up the final day of the first ever Black Box Summit. My head is spinning. There was so much great content presented that it’s hard to get my mind around it all.

The Black Box Summit was a three-day event offering presentations by a collection of folks who have served as mentors for me and many others. The presenters, pictured above, all have at least five years of experience in the CrossFit community (some have many more). They have demonstrated their excellence both through financial success in running affiliates and through the development of their athletes. They are phenomenal coaches and generous teachers willing to share their experiences in finding success.

Jeremy Thiel and Carey Kepler, founders of CrossFit Central, hosted the event. I have never met a duo that is as motivated and focused on achieving goals as these two. They are single-minded in their pursuit of excellence, and their business shows it. Central has more than 500 clients in their various programs. They have frequent community events and have fostered a family-like environment that every affiliate (in my humble opinion) should strive for. They have also cranked out some darn impressive athletes. In addition to Jeremy (who finished third at the 2008 Games, and in the top 16 in 2009) and Carey (who finished third at the 2009 Games), Central also sent Crystal McReynolds and Lance Cantu as individual competitors, and an affiliate team that placed second in the affiliate cup competition.

Michael Rutherford (Coach Rut) has been a driving force for increasing the importance placed on strength development in the CrossFit community. His Max Effort Black Box (MEBB) has changed the way that many successful affiliates program. The MEBB template includes a strength/skill movement followed by a relatively short, higher intensity conditioning workout. Sound familiar? It should. MEBB, along with Wendler’s 5-3-1, Jeff Martin’s Strength Bias program, and some Westside Barbell principles, are the sources that I have relied on to develop our strength programming methodology.

James Fitzgerald (better known as OPT) might be the human incarnation of Yoda. I haven’t had the pleasure of spending much time with James, but the guy is brilliant. In a room full of amazing strength and conditioning coaches, he was a shining star. He has spent 16 years in the fitness industry perfecting his craft, and in that time he has probably read more than everyone else in the room combined. He is completely focused on helping individuals achieve their maximum potential. He reminded all of us that there is no one correct approach, but rather that every individual will have different needs. As rational as that sounds, it is a somewhat novel concept in a community that is used to throwing a WOD on the board and starting a stopwatch. You are going to hear a lot more about this guy as he blew everyone away this weekend. I am booking a flight to Calgary to learn more from him. It should also be noted that OPT’s crew at CrossFit Calgary took fourth in the Affiliate Cup in the 2009 Games.

Greg Everett and Aimee Anaya of Catalyst Athletics should be familiar to many of you as they provide a ton of helpful content and instructional videos that we link to frequently. They are pupils of Coach Burgener, and have developed several elite Olympic weightlifters at Catalyst Athletics. They authored the authoritative text on Olympic weightlifting, and continually provide high level content through the Performance Menu. On top of all of that, they coach some pretty badass CrossFitters, like Jolie Gentry, Jocelyn Forest and Tamara Holmes.

Robb Wolf and Nicki Violetti are my heroes. Everybody knows that Robb is the nutrition guru for all of us in the CrossFit community. Less well known is that Nicki is the business guru. Robb and Nicki have done more to help me figure out how to run a business than anyone. When I have felt lost, they have been there to give me heaping, generous amounts of their time and resources to get me back on the right track. How do they know what’s best? They have tried it all. Robb helped start the first CrossFit affiliate, and CrossFit NorCal is the fourth affiliate. They have been in business six years and had some downs before settling into some amazing peaks. They figured it all out because they’re really freaking bright, and because they had the confidence to make a few mistakes to figure out what worked best. In addition to their business acumen, they are producing unbelievable athletes out of Chico, California. Their affiliate team finished third in the 2009 Games (despite two male competitors fighting through significant injuries).

Dutch Lowy has been one of my greatest friends and influences in the CrossFit community. Dutch’s evolution as an athlete and a coach has driven mine. He has shared with me lessons he has learned that have completely changed my views on coaching. He has been the inspiration for incorporating more strength/skill work and shorter, higher intensity workouts in our program. The results speak for themselves. Every time we test our athletes they are setting new marks that seemed unrealistic in the past. In addition to what Dutch has done for my professional development, he has been equally important as a friend that has urged me to slow down for long enough to appreciate my successes and to gain a better perspective on how best to improve and proceed. For that I will be forever grateful.

To all of the individuals mentioned above, THANK YOU! You all are an inspiration, and your love of the CrossFit community is apparent in your generosity in sharing your knowledge.

For those of you that couldn’t make it to the Black Box Summit, soak in some of the videos posted on www.sicfit.com.

Tags:
Posted in Workout Of The Day | 6 Comments »

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Friday, November 20th, 2009

Workout of the Day:
3 rounds of 1 minute of work of the following:
Jumping squats #45 bar
Push press (#75 men, #55 women)
Hang power cleans (#95 men, #65 women)
Burpees
Knees to elbows
Rest 1 minute after each round

Score = total number of reps

Happy Birthday Lil' Katie Niiiiiice!

Happy Birthday Lil' Katie Niiiiiice!

Posted in Workout Of The Day | 6 Comments »

Friday, November 20, 2009

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

Workout of the Day:
Bulgarian Split Squats (or Split Squats)
5-5-5 (each leg)
and then,
Five cycles for max rounds in three minutes of:
3 Pull-Ups
6 Box Step-Ups (18″/12″ box – use 60% of today’s 5-RM in front rack position)
9 Box Jumps
Rest one minute between cycles, and start next cycle where you left off. Count total number of rounds completed.
(To correctly perform a step-up, maintain a vertical posture – shoulders over hips, knees and ankles – and drive your top heel into the box to power the step-up. Do not jump or drive off of the ground with your back foot. Alternate legs.)

Everyone is doing their post-WOD essential stretching, right? Just look at how much fun it is.

Everyone is doing their post-WOD essential stretching, right? Just look at how much fun it is.

PRs? Plentiful.
Written by C.J. Martin

It was benchmark time again at CrossFit Invictus – another test of whether our programming is benefiting our athletes. Every individual will have their own circumstances that will impact their performances on any given day, but when all but a handful of our athletes are moving in the right direction and reaching new PRs, all is well. Here are some of the highlights from Tuesday’s “Helen” PR list:

  • Sean E. – 7:50
  • Shane – 7:52
  • Jim H. – 8:06
  • Katie Mac – 8:10
  • Jeff C. – 8:26
  • Dani – 8:39
  • Nichole – 8:47
  • Boozebag – 9:21
  • Meryll – 9:41 (a 4-minute PR)
  • Thom – 9:50
  • Barry – 10:09 (a 2-minute PR)
  • Helen S. – 10:23
  • Bassem – 10:25
  • Kristie – 10:28 (a 1-minute PR)
  • Josh Y. – 11:16
  • Krazy K – 11:52 (PR with heavier KB)
  • Tiffany – 12:12 (a 2-minute PR)
  • Jen – 12:17 (a 6-minute PR!)
  • Alfred from Miami – 7:15 (down from 7:52!)

Congratulations to everyone who PR’d on their Helen effort.

If you did not reach a new PR, or if you feel like you are slumping in any aspect of your fitness, schedule some time with one of our coaches. Even a 30 minute assessment can make a world of difference.

Tags: ,
Posted in Workout Of The Day | 1 Comment »

« Older Entries