Workout of the Day:
Four sets of:
Shoulder Press x 4-6 reps
Rest 90 seconds
Weighted Pull-Ups x 2-3 reps
(if you don’t have weighted, do strict; if you don’t have strict, work negatives)
Rest 90 seconds;
and then,
Three rounds for time of:
Handstand Push-Ups x 10 reps
20-Yard Burpee-Broad Jumps
400 Meter Run

Invictus . . . it does wonders for your hair.

Hot or Cold . . . What’s the Right Choice?
Written by Invictus member Rasa Dusa

Muscle soreness, stiffness and strains are the primary risks to obtaining the myriad benefits of superb fitness. The body’s primary response to these muscular strains and the first phase of the tissue healing process is the defensive mechanism of inflammation.

Inflammation is the body’s natural response in the tissue healing process. It can, however, be painful, can limit our movements and slow the tissue healing process, and at its worst, can compromise circulation, depriving our muscles of oxygen and causing cell death. So how do we mitigate the negative effects of inflammation, increase the tissue healing process and decrease the amount of time away from training?

Treating muscle injuries with heat or cold therapies elicit a wide range of positive cellular and vascular response within our bodies. But when is it appropriate to use cold, and when should you use heat?

Cryotherapy (cold) is most appropriate for any acute muscular injury causing inflammation and pain. In the acute injury phase (the phase immediately following an injury/strain) cryotherapy promotes faster tissue healing. The physiological response to cold includes vasoconstriction, a decrease in metabolic rate, and a decrease in pain transmission. The decrease in cellular metabolic rate leads to a decrease in the amount of oxygen required for a cell to survive in the area being treated. Therefore, there is less damage to the tissue and consequently a decrease in rehabilitation time. Cold application also suppresses pain transmission and acts as an analgesia which can allow pain-free exercise for the athlete. Cryotherapy may be used during all stages of the inflammatory response, ranging from the first day to as long as two weeks after injury.

There are several commonly used methods of applying cyrotherapy to injured athletes. These methods include, ice massage , cold or ice water immersion (Ice baths), cold sprays and ice packs. The cooling process includes three stages of cold response. The first stage is a cold sensation (0-3minutes), followed by a mild burning (2min-7min), and finally numbness or anesthesia (5-12min).

- Ice massage is commonly performed on a small body area such as the belly of the muscle, tendons or bursa or myofacial trigger points. For great tips on ice massage, review Calvin Sun’s January 19, 2009 blog post.

- Ice water immersion is indicated when treating a distal body part, large areas, and when circumferential cooling is preferred. Ice immersion involves placing a body part into a mixture of ice and water having a temperature range of 50 degrees F to 60 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.

- Ice packs are the mostly commonly used cryotherapy method. It is recommended that a layer of thin wet cloth be placed between the ice pack and skin. Then ice packs are to be applied over the injured area and secured in place for 15 to 20 minutes.

So when is heat appropriate?

Thermotherapy (heat) is appropriately used when the inflammatory reaction is beyond the acute phase. The introduction of heat during the chronic inflammation stages encourages tissue healing and assists athletes in regaining range of motion prior to physical activity.

Thermotherapy causes an increase in cellular metabolic rate and blood supply, and can serve to accelerate inflammation. With the rise in a cell’s metabolic rate, the cell’s demand for nutrients and oxygen increases. Blood flow will be increased to encourage the delivery of those nutrients necessary for healing and aid in the removal of cellular debris. However, the increase in cellular metabolic rate can also accelerate the rate of cell death, and thus slow the healing process.

For a physiological response to occur, heat must be absorbed into the issue, causing an increase in molecular activity. Methods of heating are generally classified as either deep or superficial. Deep thermotherapy involves microwave diathermy, shortwave diathermy and ultrasound. These forms of deep heat require specialized equipment and training. The most common superficial thermotherapies include moist heat packs, paraffin baths and warm whirlpools. Among the superficial thermal agents, moist heat causes a greater increase in the deep-tissue temperature than does dry. Additionally, moist heat can be tolerated at higher temperatures than dry heat. The easiest way to apply moist superficial heat is with a hot water bag or moist wet towel applied directly to the area in which heating is required, or simply jump in a hot tub.

Workout of the Day:
15 minutes to work up to and achieve a new best snatch;
and then,
As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:
15 Kettlebell Swings (24/16 kg)
15 Broad Jumps (6′/5′)
30 Double-Unders
(Do you have your own rope?  If not, please consider purchasing one that you can custom fit to your height and preference.  We sell them for $7.95 or $12.95 depending on which style you want.)

The Navy has its hooks in Richard for the SDAZ Sectionals weekend, so Richard tested himself and had fun competing at the SoCal Sectionals last weekend. Congratulations on getting in there and testing yourself Richard, we're proud to have you representing Invictus.

Get Some Rest – Part 2
Written by Calvin Sun

Yesterday’s post discussed the importance of getting good quality sleep as well as an adequate quantity of sleep.  Today we’ll explore some of the damaging consequences that can result from sleep deprivation.  Let’s start with metabolic derangement and move on from there:

Type 2 Diabetes
A study conducted at the University of Chicago found that suppression of slow-wave sleep, despite no change in total sleep time, resulted in marked decreases in insulin sensitivity. This is in turn can lead to reduced glucose tolerance and an increased risk for type II diabetes. Diabetes can lead to a variety of other health complications such as increased risk of myocardial infarction (heart attacks), high blood pressure, and stroke to name a few.

Obesity
In addition to diabetes, sleep deprivation has been found to be a risk factor for obesity. A study published in the journal Sleep found obesity to be correlated with inadequate sleep. Those who slept less had higher BMI values, probably because they were staying up late eating ice cream. In all seriousness, this does correlate with the previously mentioned study on diabetes, as the decrease in insulin sensitivity that results from sleep deprivation could contribute to unhealthy weight gain.

Impaired Moral Judgment
Another study published in Sleep found that sleep deprivation resulted in significantly longer response times for moral/personal dilemmas. Continuous wakefulness was noted as particularly debilitating when it came to decisions that required the integration of emotion and cognition. This is particularly interesting as many military service members are often deprived of sleep, especially those serving in combat zones.

Suppressed Immune System
Researchers at UCSD found that sleep deprivation resulted in decreased levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6). IL-6 is a cytokine that stimulates an immune response to trauma such as burns and tissue damage (such as that from exercise). The study concluded that decreased IL-6 can compromise the integrity of the immune system.

Irritability/Cognitive Function
Several studies over the years have found that sleep deprivation is strongly correlated with irritability, anxiety, cognitive impairment, and memory loss.

So now the important part . . . how do you ensure that you will avoid these consequences and maximize your sleep quality and quantity?  Here are a few suggestions for improving your sleep:

-Try to sleep before 10pm
-Avoid caffeine and other stimulants after 4pm
-Avoid using the computer, reading and watching TV in bed
-Avoid drinking too many fluids before bed
-Keep a consistent sleep schedule, even on weekends

Basically, not sleeping enough can make you sick, fat, amoral, and cranky. Or in other words, you won’t look good, feel good, or play good. Both quantity and quality of sleep are essential to proper rest and recovery. Most sources recommend between 7-9 hours of sleep a night. In addition to sleeping enough hours, many of our athletes have had success supplementing with ZMA. While the claims of increasing free testosterone are questionable, one consistent conclusion has been the increased quality of sleep experienced by users. This is purely anecdotal, but I think it might be worth a shot if you are sleeping enough every night and are on a regular schedule. Please keep in mind that this blog is not a substitute for professional medical advice and care. If you are concerned that you may have a sleep disorder, consult your doctor and not your coaches.

Workout of the Day:
Five sets of:
Front Squat x 3 reps
Rest 90 seconds
Ring Dips x as many reps as possible
Rest 2 minutes;
and then,
Three rounds for time of:
8 x Front Squat (use 85-90% of 3-RM)
400 Meter Run
(This workout is called “The Litvinov Workout” after Sergey Litvinov, a 196 lb. Olympic thrower who did this workout with 405 lbs. and kept his 400 meter runs around 75 seconds. Dan John wrote about it here, and in his new book “Never Let Go” – one of the best fitness-related books I have read.)

Get Some Rest
Written by Calvin Sun

It seems to me that sleep has become an inconvenience in our lives. We are all so busy with endless lists of obligations to work, school, friends, family, and so much more. We have become a society of overworked, caffeine-addicted zombies. As a result, most of us don’t sleep enough. And it’s not just an issue of quantity, quality is affected in that many of us are also stressed to the point where we aren’t able to achieve adequate amounts of deep sleep.

Sleep is not simply a continuous state of unconsciousness, rather it is a physiological process that occurs in cycles of approximately 90 minutes. Each of these cycles can be broken down into five different stages. The first four stages are considered non-REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep and the fifth stage is known as REM sleep.

Stage 1
The first stage of sleep lasts about 5 to 10 minutes and varies between drowsiness and light sleep. Muscle activity slows down, although you may see some occasional muscle twitching. Most are easily awakened in this state and will not feel as if they have slept.

Stage 2
The second stage is a period of light sleep where respiration and heart rate slows. Body temperature will also decrease slightly during this period. EEG readings will show larger brain waves and occasional bursts of activity.

Stage 3
Stage 3 marks the beginning of deep sleep, it occurs approximately 30 to 45 minutes after the sleep cycle begins. The brain begins to produce slower, high-amplitude waves known as delta waves.

Stage 4
Stage 4 is a very deep sleep. It is characterized by delta waves and is also known as slow-wave sleep. Physiologically, breathing is more rhythmic and muscle activity is limited. If you are awakened during deep sleep, you will probably feel groggy, confused, disoriented and may be unable to function normally for up to half an hour.

Stage 5 – REM
As its name suggests, rapid movement of the eyes distinguishes REM sleep from other stages of sleep. Brain activity during REM sleep is similar to that during waking hours. Intense, vivid dreaming occurs during REM and most of the dreams you can recall occur during this stage. Studies suggest that REM sleep is essential for processing and consolidating emotions, memories and stress.

While every stage of sleep is important, stages 3 and 4 – or slow-wave sleep, seem to be of particular importance. Several studies have shown that when deprived of sleep, there is an increased amount of slow-wave sleep the following evening. Many neuroscientists have suggested that this indicates there is a physiological “need” for slow-wave sleep as it may be the most “restorative” form of sleep. Sleep is still not completely understood as there is an abundance of on-going research on the subject. We do, however, know that sleep is essential to your health as sleep deprivation can result in a variety of undesirable conditions.

Tomorrow we will review some of the various conditions associated with sleep deprivation, and will provide you with a few tips for improving your quality of sleep.

Workout of the Day:
Five sets of:
Push Press + Jerk
Rest 90 seconds
Toes to Bar x 12 reps
(perform slow and controlled, without any kip, if possible)
Rest 3 minutes;
and then,
For time:
30 Burpees
800 Meter Run
20 Burpees
400 Meter Run
10 Burpees
200 Meter Run

This backdrop might be a cure for stress. Thanks to our friend Payton in Sitka, Alaska for the photo.

Stressed Out?
Written by Nichole DeHart

Headaches, muscle tension, digestive problems, irregular or rapid heartbeats, sleep problems, frequent colds and infections . . . these are all symptoms of chronic stress.

Stress can sneak in and rob us of the benefits from our hard work at the gym. If our stress levels are too high we actually end up working against some of our fitness goals. Yes, your workout log may be filled to the brim with your recent times and personal records but if your stress levels are too high you are not reaching your potential for optimal health.

Lets first define stress. Stress is “the state arising when the individual perceives that the demands placed on them exceed (or threaten to exceed) their capacity to cope, and therefore, threaten their wellbeing” (Martin, 1997, page 118).  Stress is not always a bad thing. Acute stress reactions are adaptive, but chronic stress states are harmful. We may have a stressor that knocks us out of homeostatic balance (like if we ever need to run from being attacked by a lion) but then our body reestablishes homeostasis with a stress response (when we do escape from being attacked by a lion).

The problem is that we now have hundreds of stressors every day. We have activated a physiological system that is designed to address acute emergencies and have, instead, turned it on for months, years. I mean, we have relationships to worry about, promotions, family issues, making the monthly bills (the list goes on).  But . . . we are literally worrying ourselves sick with chronic stress! 70 to 80% of all illness is stress related. Yep, stress inhibits the immune system. Remember those good guys, macrophages, who fight off pathogens in the body? Well stress makes those guys sluggish and therefore makes the immune cells less effective. Chronic stress can also lead to sleep problems, gastrointestinal disease, increased depression and creates cardiovascular effects (i.e. blood pressure).

These adverse effects from stress work against our goal of being the healthiest and fittest possible. Tomorrow we will take a look at how stress affects weight loss and what we can do to manage elevated stress levels.

Workout of the Day:
Pendlay Row
5-5-5-5
(Thanks as always to our friends at Catalyst Athletics for the great instructional videos.)
and then,
For max reps:
3 minutes of Burpee-Pull-Ups
1 minute of Rest
3 minutes of Anchored Sit-Ups
1 minute of Rest
2 minutes of Burpee-Pull-Ups
1 minute of Rest
2 minutes of Anchored Sit-Ups
(Keep track of burpee-pull-up and sit-up numbers separately and record both.)

Tausha of the 9:30 crew warming up for single-leg deadlifts

More On Recovery:  How Much You Sleep – Part Two
Written by Mike Hom

As we began discussing on yesterday’s post, your sleeping position affects your recovery, posture and a host of other factors that affect your overall fitness. We looked at the most common sleep position – the fetal position, but now let’s take a look at some of the other common sleeping positions and their potential affects on your well-being.

On Your Stomach (aka, “Freefaller”)

I can’t explain why, but it seems that more women than men prefer to sleep on their stomachs.  In any case, sleeping on the stomach does some amazing things to help get your body into dysfunction.  Let’s start with the spine.  This may be news to you, but sleeping on your stomach adds this kind of “reverse creep” where your spinal vertebrae experience added pressure as a result of forced extension.  Every time you breathe you add a tiny bit of pressure on your spine that, over time, could contribute to spinal degeneration.  Aside from that, this extension of the spine and some forced contraction of the erectors can cause your abs to relax (think antagonist muscle groups).  Do this long enough and you get a few things happening, including overcompensation of your hip flexors and habitual over-extension of your spine as a result of lazy abs.  Moving up the body to the head, unless you take pleasure in sleeping with your face in the pillow, most people sleep on their stomachs with their head wrenched in one direction.  Now I don’t know about you guys, but having my head forcefully turned to one side for more than 5 minutes leads to some extreme discomfort and gives me headaches.  Without going into details, wrenching your head translates down your neck and into your shoulder girdle and can cause all sorts of muscular and cervical spine dysfunction.

On Your Back (aka, “Soldier”)

Most health practitioners advocate sleeping on your back.  The reason is that sleeping on your back is most akin to standing in a neutral position.  I used to be a fetal position sleeper myself until I started having odd shoulder pains.  After reading up on sleeping positions, I trained myself to sleep on my back and I started to feel a lot better.  Your back is neutral; your skeletal structure is neutral.  The only real drawback is how your cervical vertebrae is aligned, depending on the type of pillow you sleep on and how many pillows you like to have below your head.  In any case, sleeping on your back is most preferable as your body is mostly aligned correctly.  I get it, though.  Some folks find sleeping on their backs uncomfortable and almost “unnatural” – not to mention the potential discomfort for those who snore (or sleep in the same bed with those who snore).

There are plenty of other sleeping positions that could be discussed, but the takeaway here is that putting your body in an odd posture is not conducive to good sleeping and can affect your training.  If you can sleep on your back, do it more often.  If you can’t, try harder to sleep on your back, or at the very least, to sleep on your back as much as possible.  I can’t guarantee you will have a better night’s sleep, but if you can get used to it, it will definitely help.

Happy snoring!

Workout of the Day:
Triple Jump Test - from a standing position, perform three consecutive broad jumps with no pause between them
Perform 3-5 attempts to find your max distance for the standing triple jump
and then,
Four rounds for time of:
8 Thrusters (135/95 lbs.)
400 Meter Run

I am not sure how to properly address the unfortunate news that CrossFit NorCal and Catalyst Athletics have been stripped of their CrossFit affiliate status – see Robb Wolf’s site. All I can say is that Robb and Nicki have been mentors to me, and they have likely had as much if not more positive influence on Invictus as anyone who doesn’t walk through our doors on a daily basis. Greg and Aimee provide amazing content and instructional videos that we link to regularly, and in the short time that I have known them, have been nothing but gracious and generous in sharing their time and knowledge. Regardless of whether these four are associated with CrossFit, Inc., they will remain at the top of the list of coaches I turn to for guidance on how to become a better coach. – C.J. Martin

More On Recovery:  How Much You Sleep – Part One
Written by Mike Hom

I will not be talking about how much you should sleep because I believe society has beaten that issue into the ground.  The general rule of thumb is 7-9 hours of sleep is optimal.  Do a search on sleep patterns and you will see certain populations advocating sleeping in approximately 90-120 minute cycles to go through the full gamut of sleep stages.  I personally feel best rested when I sleep an amount of time that is in multiples of 30 minutes.  This is purely anecdotal and, of course, differs from person to person.  But I digress.

As far as recovery goes, trying to get 9 hours of sleep is great, but not everybody can afford 9 hours of sleep in this day and age.  I am by no means a model of virtue when it comes to sleep.  I might even sleep less than CJ, but I don’t think either of us wants to “win” that honor.  Regardless, for those of us that fall into the category where sleep is at a premium, let me share something with you:  Your sleeping position affects your recovery.

This is nothing new, but let’s examine common sleeping positions and how they affect your general posture – which translates to how you move in your every day life.

The Fetal Position

Most people instinctively sleep in this position because this is the position we were in when we were chillin’ in Mom’s belly.  Let’s face it, it (usually) feels comfortable just out of habit.  But think about the position you’re in.  You’re sleeping on your side, which places a good deal of pressure on one of your shoulders for X amount of time you’re sleeping.  Consider how you’re hunched over.  That’s awesome for displacing your shoulder from proper glenohumeral positioning.  Oh yeah, and that fetal position is great to keep your spine in a somewhat flexed state.  Talk about posture “creep”!  Aside from that state of flexion, your spine generally bends out of neutral alignment, most notably at the cervical vertebrae and the lumbar region.  And finally, your hips will tend to rotate or tilt, depending on what side you typically sleep on, the firmness of your mattress, the positioning of your legs, and a host of other positional issues.

More tomorrow on sleeping positions. Notice how you settle yourself into bed tonight, and how you wake up in the morning. It could mean the difference between a great night’s sleep and a poor night’s sleep.

Workout of the Day:
“Chelsea”
Perform the following on the minute, every minute, for 30 minutes:
5 Pull-Ups
10 Push-Ups
15 Squats
(If you fail to complete a round within the minute, rest two full rounds before resuming. Record total number of rounds completed.)

Champs again! Invictus Team Speed - Josh E., Katie Mac, Sean E. - came through with a second place finish in the mixed team division.

Training with Injuries: The Psychological Reasons
Written by Mark Riebel

Not only do you have to face the pain that your injury physically causes you, but what can be more damaging for some are the mental challenges you’ll have to face. For one, there are the setbacks you face from just not being able to do what you used to do. It is easy to feel down when you watch everyone doing what you were once so easily able to do and you’re forced to do something else. It may make you feel a little like the kid who didn’t get picked for kickball and get you to dwell on all of the things you are now unable to perform because of your pain. But you’ve got to refocus and stop thinking about what you can’t do and instead look at what you can do. It’s not the easiest task, I know, but that’s what you’ll be better off doing. You busted up your right arm? Grab a dumbbell and do your WOD with the left. Can’t squat? I’ve been doing lunges, split squats and step-ups for the last four weeks or so. Sure, I really would rather be doing squats, but since I can’t, the modifications that I’ve done instead have allowed me to continue training my legs with the added benefit of ironing out any strength imbalances I have by training unilaterally.

Exercise will also help your mental outlook by causing a release of endorphins (your own natural pain killers) and put a big upswing on your general attitude. Any time over the past several months when I’ve been in a lot of pain, I knew that doing a WOD would make me feel remarkably better, and it always did. The increased blood flow to my tissues, mobility work, and overall pleasant feeling I would get from the workout (when it was over, of course!) did wonders for me. Yes, my workouts may have been more monotonous than if I were pain free, but doing what I could allowed me to maintain a decent level of fitness while still making improvements in the movements that I could do. This attitude will also help you because it is your refusal to be stopped by an injury. It may take a week, it may take a year or more, but if you never give up, you will heal.

To sum up, don’t let your bumps and bruises stop you. Find a way to work around and with them so you can get back on the CrossFit horse sooner rather than later.