Workout of the Day:
Three sets of:
Thrusters x 15 reps as quickly as possible
(Use weight used on March 4, 2010 – if you missed it, pick a weight that is a struggle for 15 reps, but doable under 60 seconds.)
Rest 90 seconds between sets;
and then,
The Burpee-Wall Ball Challenge
Teams of two will play five two-minute rounds for max reps of:
Wall Ball Toss and Burpee
(Teammates will stand shoulder-to-shoulder. One partner will perform a wall ball toss off the wall to their partner and immediately perform one burpee. Teams will repeat for as many reps as possible, counting only those reps in which the ball clears the 10-foot target and is caught before touching the ground. There will be a two-minute rest period between each of the five rounds.)

A Thank You to Role Models of Our Community
Written by C.J. Martin

Jeff and Mikki Martin, co-founders of CrossFit Kids and Brand X Martial Arts in Ramona, are two of my favorite people.  They represent the very best qualities of our amazing community.  They are generous with their time and knowledge, humble and genuine.  Their focus on providing a comfortable environment for families and kids has been something that we have tried to emulate to the best of our ability at Invictus.  They make their gym feel like home and community to all who walk through the doors.

We are lucky enough to live within day trip distance of Brand X, and we took some time away from our schedules to take a whole crew of folks up to Ramona to play at Brand X.  As usual, we were greeted and treated like family.  Jeff gave us some great coaching advice and opened up his home to our crew to play around.  Everyone got in a great workout, and we got to watch Jeff and Dan do a workout that would have killed me for sure.  In sum, it was a great day that exemplified all that is great about our fitness community.

Jeff and Mikki, thank you for being such amazing leaders in our community, for your generosity, integrity and kindness.  You are an inspiration.

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Workout of the Day:
Three rounds for time of:
400 Meter Run
15 Dumbbell Thrusters (35/25 lbs.)
20 Push-Ups
30 Jumping Lunges (Split Jumps)

This woman can teach you to snatch anything - even a Swiffer!

Why Isn’t Sage Coaching You?
Written by Michele Vieux

I don’t think a lot of you realize how lucky you are to have the opportunity to learn Olympic lifting from Sage. Just Google her name and see what pops up.

She would never tell you this herself, but she is one of the most highly-regarded Oly coaches around. She has been lifting since she was four-years-old and has been coaching adults in the Olympic lifts since she was a pre-teen. She now travels around the world as a head coach at the CrossFit Olympic Lifting Certifications and we have her here, on staff, at Invictus!

I have had many Invictus members share their amazement in this after they return from travels and visits to other CrossFits around the country. Go to any other box around the world and tell them that you are from Invictus and 98 percent of the time, the first thing they will say is, “Wow, you have Sage!”

There is always room to improve your Olympic lifts. They are very technical and even Olympians need improvement so don’t think that just because you have already taken the On-Ramp or have participated in Sage’s class that there isn’t more to learn.

The clinics allow her to work with you on your specific needs on a more personal level than is possible in the large group setting. Not only will you improve your snatch and clean & jerk, all other movements and skills will improve when you learn how to more efficiently move weight around you.

Sage is my coach. Sage is CJ’s coach. Sage should be YOUR coach. There are still a few slots left in the two-week Olympic lifting clinics at 9:30 and Noon and I encourage you to seize this opportunity (especially if you are in the LGFGPG Challenge).

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Workout of the Day:
Five sets of:
Deadlift x 3 reps
(Your set ends immediately if you fail to maintain proper posture throughout the movement. We are looking for technical perfection for three reps.)
Rest 30 seconds
30 seconds of Pull-Ups (as many as possible)
Rest 3 minutes;
and then,
Five rounds for time of:
10 Kettlebell Swings (32/24 kg)
200 Meter Run

Are You Even Chewing?
Written by C.J. Martin

I am as prone to rushing from task to task as anyone.  And unfortunately, my food intake is at times treated just like a task that I have to finish so I can move on and get something else done.  This is not good.

I have become more and more aware recently of the importance of slowing down to chew and enjoy my food.  This might sound silly, but when was the last time you sat down with no television, music or any other distraction and truly enjoyed your food?  I am guessing that more than a few of you are guilty of eating while multi-tasking.  In which case, you probably are not thinking too much about how well you chew your food.

The Weston A. Price Foundation website has a very good, concise explanation of why proper digestion is aided through slowly and thoroughly chewing your food, so I am borrowing from it with gratitude:

“Chewing your food thoroughly begins the digestive process, breaking food into smaller particles and mixing it with saliva and amylase. The smaller the particles of food swallowed, the better broken down it will be in the stomach and the more surface area for nutrient absorption will be available in the small intestines. If you really want to get the most out of your food, not only do you have to make good food choices, but you have to be able to break down and effectively absorb the nutrients from your food. It doesn’t make sense to invest extra time and money into preparing quality food, if you eat it quickly and forget to chew it. So, as you learn to relax and enjoy your food, really focus on completely breaking it down before swallowing, and pause before taking another bite and, most importantly, don’t forget to breathe!”

For six other tips to enhance digestion, click here.

If proper digestion isn’t reason enough for you, perhaps feeling more satisfied and less hungry will convince you to chew a bit more.  Our good friend Wayne sent me an article that ran in the New York Times discussing a recent study showing that subjects who ate a serving of ice cream over the course of 30 minutes produced more hormones (peptide YY and glucagon-like peptide-1) making them feel full and satisfied than those who ate the same serving over the course of 5 minutes.

Now, nobody should be surprised by this.  Anyone who has been to an all-you-can-eat buffet or a big Thanksgiving dinner knows that if you don’t pile it in quickly, you’re not going to have room for that second or third plate.  Nonetheless, the study (which has some problems, like the fact that it was only conducted on 17 males) supports what we already know – if you slow down and chew your food, you will feel more satisfied and will almost certainly ingest fewer calories per sitting (see this study of 3000).  So chew for at least a few extra seconds at each of your meals today, and try to make it a habit going forward.

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Workout of the Day:
Five sets of:
Push Press x 2-4 reps
Rest 60 seconds
Knees to Elbows x 8-12 reps – strict, no kipping or swinging
Rest 2 minutes;
and then,
Rounds of 21, 15 and 9 reps for time of:
115/75 lb. Push Press
Pull-Ups
(take the push press from the ground, not a rack)

Happy Birthday Michele!!!

Happy Birthday to the Queen of the Haiku
Written by C.J. Martin and the Invictus Coaches

As will become painfully clear when you scroll down a few lines, none of the Invictus staff can craft a haiku even close to as well as Michele.  She does with ease what many of us cannot do after hours of brainstorming and attempts.  But as many of you know, that is true not just of her haikus, but also of much of what she does at Invictus.  Michele intuitively understands better than perhaps any athlete or coach I have met that fitness must be fun in order to be effective; and her ability to create a positive, healthy environment is unparalleled.  Underlying her charisma is a genuine love for helping others; it shines through and is instantly apparent to all who walk in our doors that she has their best interest in mind.

Michele, thank you.  Your impact in creating a culture of fun and humility at Invictus has been profound.  I am blessed to have had your friendship, guidance and coaching over the past several years.

And now for our amazing attempts at birthday haikus for Michele!

3, 2, 1, dodgeball!
lucha libre mask made fitness fun
created community

Friends laugh together
shared ideas change lives
undying gratitude
- by C.J. Martin

An ode to Michele
Her snatch is oh so pretty
Yay birthday woman!
– by Mark Riebel

Michele loves to cook
bacon is her favorite
hungry she can be
– by Calvin Sun

Screaming, yelling, laughing
Strong, sincere, devoted and kind
A coach, a friend, Michele
– by Jim “Pops” Martin

A Tribute to the Masterful M
Fittest woman in the world
Creamsicle inventor
Magician in the kitchen

1-2-3 moves in a year
Elevators are for sissies
Crop-dusting, not cool

Talents, there are many
Heart of gold
Friend for life

M, Happy, happy birthday! You truly are one in a million. Amazing athlete, incredible cook, business woman, optimist, but above all a phenomenal friend. I hope it is a perfect day.
– by Dantelope (aka, Dani Dufrene)

M-Dawg: coach and cook,
would be ghost writer of blogs,
friend to all she knows.
– by George Economou

Oh crispy kale,
Date syrup deliciousness
God, I love to cook!
– by Nuno Costa

Strong, fast, fun she is
a sister I never had
she is amazing.
– by Katie McLaughlin

Do you have a haiku, funny story or comment that you would like to share with Michele?  If so, please post your note to comments and wish her a very happy birthday!

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Workout of the Day:
Five sets of:
Power Cleans x 3 reps
Rest 90 seconds
Ring Push-Ups x 12-15 reps
Rest 2 minutes;
and then,
Three rounds for time of:
Deadlift x 12 reps (with weight used for power cleans)
Run 400 Meters

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation Stretching – Hold and Relax
Written by George Economou

This post has been a long time coming. Too often an athlete has asked how PNF stretching works after they’ve seen seemingly miraculous gains in mere minutes. A common response: “We’re tricking your muscles.” While that’s true, the intent of this post is to get you to understand how that trickery is occurring.

Flexibility, much like strength, isn’t solely based on the physical mechanics of a muscle – how the tissues and fibers are connected. For example, if you were to do a dissection of my “tight” hamstrings, you may find that the muscle tissue is plenty long enough to accommodate a straight-leg-raise to 90 degrees while lying on my back…but that’s simply not the case. So if the muscle is long enough, why can’t I do it? As it so happens, my brain isn’t functioning at optimal levels; or rather, there’s a miscommunication between my muscles, my brain, and everything in between – the neurological mechanics.

Within the muscles you have sensory receptors known as muscle spindles. The role of the muscle spindle is to sense when a muscle is under a load and prevent that muscle from being ripped to shreds because of that load – it forces a contraction. This function is critical to keeping your muscles safe, but it can compromise certain movements. Take the deadlift as an example; my hamstrings are so tight that in order to prevent injury while under a load, my lower back is forced into flexion.

Static stretching will assist in lengthening the muscle over time, but it won’t necessarily address the issue of your muscle spindles firing overtime. Time to introduce a new variable to the flexibility equation, the Golgi Tendon Organ (GTO). Within the tendons connecting muscle to bone exist the GTO. The GTO’s mission is to prevent a tendon from tearing itself from bone or muscle while under load – it forces a muscle to relax.

Let’s go through a quick example, hamstring stretch with rope assist.

-Lie on your back with legs locked out and extended. Wrap a loop around one foot and pull that leg towards you. As the muscle stretches, muscle spindles in the muscle send a signal to alpha motor neurons in the spinal cord saying, “My muscle is being stretched, what should I do???” To which the alpha motor neuron responds, “CONTRACT!!!!!” And you reach your stretch limit. Hold this position of your stretch limit for approximately 10 seconds.

-Count 3-2-1 and contract against that stretch by trying to press your heel towards the ground. The rope you’re holding prevents your heel from actually making any progress. Hold this contraction for approximately 5 seconds. During the contraction, the frequency of signals from the muscle spindle to alpha motor neurons decreases, which is why some of you may lose the stretch sensation. As the contracting muscle pulls on the associated tendons, the GTOs send impulses in relation to the force of contraction. The impulses sent by the GTOs inhibit the alpha motor neurons, basically saying “Hey there muscles, it’s ok to relax, because you’re going to rock my tendon’s world if you don’t.”

-Once you release the contraction, pull your leg a little bit closer. Upon releasing the contraction, there is slack in the muscle that you can take up, increasing your stretch limit and repeating the cycle.

-Repeat this cycle 3-4 more times and hold the last stretch for 20+ seconds to affect some long-term change in your muscle.

While the gains made during PNF stretching are significant, they are not as persistent as we’d like. Consistency is the name of the game if you’d like to see any lasting effects. While the coaching staff makes great attempts to stretch at least one major muscle group after each session, it’s up to the individual athlete to devote some time to their maintenance and recovery. We’ll teach you the techniques, and provide the reminders, but the hard work is up to you.

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