OPT workout

Training:
A. Build quickly to a tough but not 1RM in the Power Clean - take no more than 7 minutes; rest 60 sec ONLY after last set before B
B. 1-10 CTB chin up ladder for time; rest 60 sec before C
C. AMRAP DB Burpees in 2 minutes - 25/15#/h

Video of part B.

1-10 chest to bar pullup ladder; time= 1:40 from Joseph Warren on Vimeo.

Video of part C.

2 min amrap 25lb burpees from Joseph Warren on Vimeo.

New phase!

So after 5 days rest, Im back at it.  I did some light stretching, jogging, and rowing for active recovery, but I also ate like crap.  And I felt it today.  It felt like I was going to meet pukie a couple times which has not happened in a looooong time.  I guess its time to get back on track with nutrition and start hitting it hard again.  I need some huge gains this cycle and plan on committing to it 100%.  I meant to film todays workout but forgot the camera.  I will try to post more videos from here on!

New PRs!

So I knew a bunch more PRs were coming.  I recently PRed in the squat clean and the clean & jerk.   I also was only 10lb off my best bench press ever dating back to college when I was about 10lb heavier playing football and lot more of a power lifter then.  Last night I felt my best ever during a Fran and improved by 56 seconds from the last time I did it.  Here is my first time attempting chest bar Fran.  I feel like I even look a lot more out of shape and pale.  Below is the video of my PR in Fran.  Such a huge improvement!!!

Joey "PosterBoy" Warren Fran from Joseph Warren on Vimeo.

Wihout goals, there is no direction... the path to death!

From the book Deep Survival from Laurence Gonzales

  – Just as you can become lost in the woods, you can become lost in business or in a relationship: “If he'd been able to reason more clearly, he could have understood that he was not on the correct route. But logic was rapidly being pushed into the background by emotion and stress. So, by the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other, he was about to cross over from mild geographical confusion to a state of being genuinely lost. The stages of getting lost resemble the five stages of dying described by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, the psychologist who wrote On Death and Dying: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.”

NEW PR!

I will try to post every time I get a new PR, hopefully there will be many more!

200lb snatch

Untitled from Joseph Warren on Vimeo.

Afterward I rowed a 1k

t= 3:03.7

2010 Training Goals!

Here is what I want to accomplish in 2010 in terms of fitness.

I want to improve on all weaknesses and commit to them, mainly my maximal strength; Backsquat 2x BW and deadlift 2.5x BW whcih equals 355lb squat and 455lb deadlift. Commit to every workout 100%. I will leave nothing behind every day and focus on being as prepared as possbile through nutrition, sleep, and a positive mentality; run a 18:30 min 5k I will not give up when it gets hard. I want to keep moving in every workout, and I want to move faster; Sub 2:25 fran

Post Turkey Day Workout!

So going into a big Holiday I am always a little nervous with how much I will eat and if I will be able to control it. My body is not used to a sugar overload, gluten, dairy, and large quantities as I have gotten my diet under control to optimize my performance. So going into Thanksgiving I thought I would splurge a little but stay under control. Well that was not the case to say the least. I finished my first plate before many people were even half way. My second plate was probably the biggest on the table and finished that in no time. I went back to the kitchen knowing I was topped off and picked at few more things. After that I needed to stay moving so I wouldn't think how full I am so I did all the dishes. That took a good 45 min, and afterward dessert was served. By this point I thought Im in this deep I should just get it all out tonight. I indulged in apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Within about 5 min I got really uncomfortable and had sharp stomach pains. I immediately ran to the bathroom and threw up. No joke I ate until I puked.  Pretty embarrassing! Anyway lesson learned. I need to be more careful when indulging like that and take it slow, especially when my body is not used to it. I felt the same guilt as when you have one too many shots of alcohol and get really sick and are so hungover the next day you cannot move. I asked myself now was that worth it. Simple answer NO!

Anyway, from having that guilt for two days, I knew I needed to push myself as hard as ever in a workout and get back on track. Surprisingly I felt great, probably had a lot of stored energy haha.  No more splurges like that for a while.  Did this one with some friends to help push me. So here is the workout:

15-12-9-6-3 rep rounds for time of:
95lb power snatch
burpees

t=4:26

Day 8 Joey "Poster Boy" Warren 4:26 Rx 11/28/2009 from Matthew Morales on Vimeo.

11/24 WOD:

A1. bench press @ 50X1; 6-8 x 4; rest 90 sec
A2. snatch grip dead lift with straps @ 41X1; 5-7 x 4; rest 90 sec
B1. dips @ 4010; 6-8 x 3; rest 75 sec
B2. GHD Raises @ 2020; 10-15 x 3; rest 75 sec
C1. db ext rot @ 3010; 8-10/arm x 3; rest 60 sec
C2. toes to bar; 18 reps x 3; rest 60 sec

Loads/Notes:
A1. 185x8, 195x 8, 205 x 5, 205 x 5- very fatigued for last two sets, couldnt get 6 reps
A2. 245 x 7, 255 x 7, 265 x 7, 275 x 6- no straps yet they are on their way, had to readjust grip a few times - last 3 reps my back started to round

B1. 10lb x 8, 30lb x 8, 30lb x 6 - done on bars
B2. x15, x 12, x12- very difficult for me

C1. 20, 25 x 8, 25 x 8
C2. no kip x 18, kip x 18 (28sec), no kip x 18, kip x 18 - kipping are very easy, no kip is little tougher

Just completed another competition. Everytime I feel better and more prepared for any workout that comes my way. Here is the last workout in a 4 part event. The workout was:

50 walking lunges
20 clean & jerk 135lb
30 ring dips
25 ball wall toss
30 GHD situps
30 KB swing 53 lbs
75 double unders w jump rope

My time:8:40

OPT Championship series #2 WOD #4 from Joseph Warren on Vimeo.

How to become a genuis?

You must clarify your goals, gain knowledge through spaced repetition, preserve health, work steadily, minimize stress, refuse interruption, and never resist sleep when tired. This should lead to radically improved intelligence and creativity. The only cost: turning your back on every convention of social life.” - Wozniak 

Have you ever committed this much to something and seen what the outcome is?

Working hard!

Not much activity on here lately, been very busy getting our new Crossfit gym opened which will finally be happening tomorrow.  With that I have been writing most of my thoughts on our gym's main page website crossfitcadence.com, so check that out.  I have still been working our very hard, maybe too hard with how busy I am with everything else (may be taking a toll on my personal relationships, sorry Tay, you are very supportive of me and everything I do).  I am probably working the hardest I have ever worked in my life.  We will see how it pays off in my next competition on November 14 & 15.  Stay tuned and lets see where it goes.

Here is a clip of one of the greatest efforts I ever put forth during a workout.

Fight Gone Bad - 422 from Joseph Warren on Vimeo.

Max Pullups

Max Pullups- 52 reps from Joseph Warren on Vimeo.

Full extension and chin breaks vertical plane of bar

Snatch 135lb x 3 from Joseph Warren on Vimeo.

How does this look?

I think my hips may rise initially too fast and I need to maintain the smae back angle until the bar is above my knees

As Fast as I Can Move!!!

The elbows should be slightly higher on sumo deadlift highpull

No fractioning from Joseph Warren on Vimeo.

Get better everyday!

"On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain: either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow." 
Friedrich Nietzsche 

August 25, 2009 DailyOm.com

Healthy Body, Healthy Spirit
Scorpio Daily Horoscope
Exercise and physical activity could invigorate you today. It might be that by moving your body you are able to stretch the reaches of your mind and refresh every aspect of your life. Getting out in nature and feeling your feet connect to the solidity of the earth could ground you in the present and infuse your life with the joys of simply being. Finding time to do something physical, whether it is a yoga practice, tai chi, or a form of aerobic exercise could help strengthen this feeling of connection. If you can, you might also use your physical practice to inspire your spiritual one by paying attention to the thoughts you tend to have when your breath increases. Doing so could strengthen the bond you have between your body and your mind, making your practice a moving meditation.

Today's Workout:
high hang clean x 1/ hang clean x 2/ squat clean x 3 - 135,155,175,185,195
slow tempo pull ups x3 - 45lb, 50, 55, 60, 65

metcon:
3 rounds
Amrap chin ups
Amrap air squats in 60 sec
rest 1 min

Moral in every workout!!!

I have been keeping up with all my workouts, and taking much more with them than previous. I have been trying to keep in tune with how the workouts feel and learning and experimenting. I used to focus on best time and beating the guy next to me. Lately I want to know how I can make each workout fit my needs. I feel i need more strength and endurance, so to work on these I have been focusing more on them in the workouts. If during a workout, there is a strength component I will focus on that part, and solely on that part. We will see if this will help me gain strength. To workout on endurance, on workouts monostructural dominant (primarily endurance), such as today I experimented with going balls out right off the bat. I was gassed immediately, and it probably hurt my time. Did it help me better my endurance, probably because I reach my max heart rate really early testing my work capacity for the rest of the workout. So does this have efficacy in training, yes, in competition, no, because I will not get best time. Both are good ways to train. I think it is good to try to increase work capacity by going balls out, but it is also good to practice strategy. I am playing around with both ways of training and learned a valuable lesson today. Mix it up! Both ways are good. Crossfit is a constant psychological game.

Today's wod:

400m run

10 muscle ups

150 double unders

10 MU's

400m row

10 muscle ups

Back training again!!!

So i am going to follow a workout program implemented by James Fitzgerald.  I will try to follow that religiously as I do not want to stress about the workouts for a while.  It will be good for my mental state so I am not always in competition mode.  I will plan on having periodic competitions to test myself.  This will give me periods where I increase the intensity leading up to the competition and then back off to start all over again.  The workout will also offer me an opportunity to try new and different workouts and be part of a different community as it is coming all the way from Calgary Canada.  James Fitzgerald has been training for a loooong time and it looks like he knows his stuff.  He writes down all the work/ rest intervals,  nutrition, and intensities of each workout.  He takes the thinking out of the work, so I can just focus on the work.  He has produced many elite crossfitters, including himself.  I am hoping to become more fit, eat more healthy, and gain knowledge from following this Canadian community.

My workout today:

3 sets:

12 x SDHP: + 2 min row:
(135,135,115) (wanted more explosion on last set)

 570m, 565m, 570m

3 sets:

12 x 70lb KB + 2min run 

approx. 450m

20 x pushups, 20 x box hops 24" (tap n go), 20 anchored abmat sit ups

4:20

OPT training today!!!

Today I did a variation of a workout from James Fitzgerald "OPT" blog, one of the best Crossfitters out there.

Work up to 1 heavy rep of snatch balance 195lb

rest 5min

2 L-sit rope climbs

rest 5min

1 round "Bear Complex" 155lb

rest 5min

2 L-sit rope climb

Post workout nutrition

1 banana (30g carbs)

4oz roast beef (28g protein)

1 hour later balanced meal of carbs, protein, and fat x 2-3

Heres some good post workout nutrition (sweet potato), trying to get in a lot of carbs on competition day. 

Crossfit Games 2009 Finished!!!

So the Games are over!!!  I'm ambivalent about the results.  I felt great, all my training paid off as ran 7k very hard and recovered an hour later to have a PR on deadlift (405lb), then continued on with two more workouts, my energy was great, and most important I had no injuries and no cramping muscles which was prevalent with some of the athletes after the grueling day of workouts.  I feel good about my performance although I hoped that I would have placed higher than 55th overall at the end of the day.  I was frustrated because my strategy going into some of the events probably didn't turn out to be the best and I had a few slip ups that did not allow me to place higher than I did.  There was a lot of controversy with some of the events and if they were a true test of fitness or just a skill, but I am ok with them because I had plenty of opportunity to do well and show what I've got.  I feel good about it all because I am nowhere near my peak!

“Be patient and tough; some day this pain will be useful to you.” –Ovid

Inspiration from the female winner of Norcal Qualifiers at Crossfit West Santa Cruz 

Last Workout!!!

 Here are my last two workouts before going into this weekends 2009 Crossfit Games.  I will give myself 3 solid days of rest with some warmups to stay lose so I can go into the weekend feeling the best I have felt in the last 2 months.

yesterdays workout:

Hill run for time: 14 min

todays workout:

1000m row 90% effort time:3:29

practice double unders

WOD:

30 air squats

20 push press 115lb

10 muscle ups

30 air squats

10 push press 115lb

5 muscle ups

30 air squats

time: 4:15

Inspiration going into the Games!!!

"If your will is ready, your feet become light."  - Joe Clark

Check out this interview

Joe Clark Interview on Flocasts

Formula for Success

Here is the formula to have great workouts every week and remain healthy and injury free!!! Eat nutritious meals in between workouts, sleep 7-8 hours, take a rest day every two to three days (active recovery), perform myofascial release and stretch, lay off the drugs as in motrin and advil (and other recreational drugs), use cold treatment as needed (ice cup, ice bath, ect) and take fish oil.  To read more in detail check out this link from Crossfit Invictus down in San Diego. 

How many of the recommendations do you do every week? 

Daily OM.com

June 9, 2009
An Enlivening Force
Cultivating Inspiration

We all know inspiration when we feel it. It is a force that enlivens us and activates us to do something—we might dance, sing, paint the house, or envision a new career. We might call an old friend or plan a trip abroad. Whatever the case, doing what we do from a place of inspiration makes all things seem possible. Inspiration sometimes comes out of nowhere, landing unexpectedly in the midst of your life and lifting you out of your habitual mind and into a higher level of seeing. However, we can be more intentional with our relationship with inspiration than just waiting for it to come to us. There are many ways to cultivate its presence, from journaling to scrap booking to visiting with a particularly interesting friend. Finding what inspires you and consciously cultivating it will give you access to new ways of thinking and energy you didn’t know you had. 

Some people find that frequent trips into nature inspire them. Others have a box full of objects—a seashell, an old photograph, or even a collection of rocks—that does the trick. There are as many ways to find inspiration as there are people looking for it. If you already know what inspires you, find a way to incorporate it into your life on a regular basis. If you aren’t sure what inspires you, or if it has changed, take some time to think about it. When was the last time you felt the spark of your imagination? When was the last time you acted on an impulse that felt totally right? When we are in the presence of what inspires us, we hear our inner guidance more clearly and we have the energy to follow its cues.

What inspires you? 

My inspiration comes from friends, family, and hard work (Crossfit)

Becka's Bars from Crossfit Norcal

Check out this healthy and economical way to make energy bars,  great to snack on at work, on the run, or before a workout.  I will try to make them soon and let you know how they turn out!

Becka's Bars from Crossfit Norcal

Modern Health Guidelines Disparity in Views

How can there be so much discourse on health guidelines? Especially looking back the last five decades, one can see the varying views on what to eat from low-fat diets to low saturated fat to high carbohydrate diets.  Here are two articles that describe how research can be skewed and manipulated and cause a devastating health epidemic as seen in the US.

Modern Diet-Health Epidemiology: a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy? Part I

Modern Diet-Health Epidemiology: a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy? Part II

Shoulder Impingement

Here is a link to a video about how to treat and prevent shoulder impingement.  Kelly Starret is a PT and works closely and specifically with Crossfit.  He has other great videos in the Crossfit Journal on working with injured athletes rehabilitation exercises.

Crossfit Journal

Different way to gain strength!!!

Watch this video from Catalyst Athletics on different styles of weight training. They emphasize olympic lifting but still incorporate some Crossfit metabolic conditioning and different training techniques from kettlebells to lifting kegs and water-filled sacs.

Catalyst Athletics Video

Deadlift

Cleans

Check out this article on the proper positioning for the Clean and terminology:
The Scoop and second pull

Notes: 

Regoli: Good first pull (deadlift) but continue to straighten the knees and work on the scoop and the second pull) (re-bending the knees, getting the spine upright to explode the bar straight up and drop under it).  Watch your elbows and how slow they are compared to Chelsea's and Joey"s.  See how your elbows end directly under the bar, they should be in front of bar in the rack (front squat) position.  You are catching the bar with your hands which is harder the heavier you go!

Chelsea:  Looks good!  Keep upping the weight and make sure you get that first pull (deadlift) to the top of the knees and you explode (scoop) the weight up and get the elbows around.

Joey:  Needs work on the first pull and keeping the chest up a little bit on first pull (deadlift) and then dropping under the bar while staying back on heels.  TO work on this you can practice heavy deadlifts (or pulls) and front squats (or drop squats).

Crossfit Workout:
"Dianne"
21-15-9
275lb deadlift
handstand pushups

Crossfit Football Workout:
15-10-5
315lb deadlift
20 yd sprint
pull ups

Crossfit Cadence Workout:
push press 5x3 (30 sec rest between sets)

21-15-9
135lb deadlift
burpees
box hop

Maddi Taylor Lucas showing how to "Crossfit"

Good workout Maddy!!!- 5 1/3 rds in 20 min of: 250m row, 12 box hops, 12 JPU's

Paleo Diet and Exercise in a nutshell

Zone Meal

Roxanne is going to take the plunge and give the Zone diet a try.  Here is her first meal consisting of : arugula, 1 tomato, cucumber, 2 oz chicken, 1 oz feta, 2 Tbs avocado, and 1/3 Tbs olive oil = 3 block meal.  

Looking good so far!

When you see Roxanne, wish her luck! 

Here ya go Matt; a little air time for being my first follower

Shout out from Robb Wolf

Check me out on Robb Wolf's blog where he posted my email I wrote to him about how his diet helped me. http://robbwolf.com/?p=537

People always ask "what should I eat" and expect a simple answer.  It takes more than a minute to educate on nutrition and find what each person is willing to do to change their diet.  If you want a one liner on what to eat, here it is: "eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar."  This is basic a paleolithic diet.  If you want to be more precise by measuring and accounting for exactly what you eat, you can use the zone diet.  All these resources can be found under the nutrition tab on the right side bar.

Here is the long response of what to eat with my experience:

I have been tweaking my diet with all of this for about three months now as there are many variations.  Following the zone diet will help you lean out as I lost about 8 lb (not intentionally) from doing so, which may have been too lean for me.  I leaned out even following the athlete zone diet which ups your fat intake to replace all the calories you burn from exercise.  I increased my fat intake 5 times the normal amount and still remained light.  This shows that I metabolized a lot of fat for my energy source, not carbs, proving you do not need carbs for energy ( but it does take a transition period for your body to switch). I lost some weight due also in part to the paleolithic aspect of my diet where all my calories came from wholesome natural foods such as meat, vegetables, fruit, and nuts (and obviously no alcohol!). I simply was not consuming enough calories (at least to maintain the body weight that I wanted in order to lift heavy weights).  I did no gluten (breads, pastries, pastas), no grains, no beans, and no dairy.  My energy level  felt great and my recovery each and every day was awesome.  After every workout I felt like I was going to die and by the next day I was ready to go again.  Also before all this I had tendonitis in my shoulder which hurt for about 6 months.  During this diet in never hurt again (this paleolithic diet claims to reduce inflammation). I suggest to give it a try!!! 

So whats next:  After my competition I splurged all week (a bacon, avocado, blue cheese 2/3lb burger, milk shake, french fries, cake, beer, deep fried shrimp, brownies, gelato, and maybe more.).  I felt very sick and my inflammation was back in my shoulder.  Now I am not blaming my diet completely because I think a large part of my sickness and shoulder was due to the fact that the competition workout was the hardest workout of my entire life, but my diet was not helping me in any way that week.  So now I am going to go back to a gluten free paleolithic diet, but maybe not so strict for a few weeks as to give myself a little break.  Now for me to gain a little weight, I am going to put dairy back into my diet, and maybe a larger quantity than normal to get a large initial weight gain, and then back off when needed.  Lets see how it goes!!!

Monday's 1030am C-sport Class: MedBall slam downs, KB swing, MedBall toss, overhead squat - in between sets run to top of street about 300m.

Looks a little like Crossfit and a lot of fun. Everyone's form looks perfect... at least in this photo. Nice squat Roxanne!!!

Any class may have many, some, or no elements of crossfit training. The more different components of exercise you incorporate into your program, the better your fitness results.

Fran (first attempt chest to bar)

Crossfit Norcal Qualifiers

Heres a video from the past weekend in Aromas where I placed 4th in the northern California Crossfit Competition and qualified for a spot in the 2009 Crossfit Games July 10 in Aromas which will host 75 athletes who qualified from every around the world.

MIA

Sorry I have been MIA the past month, I blame training for the Crossfit Norcal Qualifiers. Now that they are over and I qualified for the 2009 Crossfit Games, my work is cut out for me. I will continue to update this blog with my training and information for my clients. As I have taken the past week off to recover from the brutal Sunday WOD #3 (http://games2009.crossfit.com/regionals/super-secret-norcal-sunday-workout.html), my training will begin again on Monday. I plan on following the Crossfit Football WODS, in order to gain strength so I never get hit with a 315lb deadlift unprepared again. I will keep you updated on how the Football WODs go for me!

Joey Warren

Crossfit Wod:
Walking lunge 100 ft.
21 Pull-ups
21 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
18 Pull-ups
18 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
15 Pull-ups
15 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
12 Pull-ups
12 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
9 Pull-ups
9 Sit-ups
Walking Lunge 100 ft.
6 Pull-ups
6 Sit-ups

Scaled Wod:
replace pullups with jumping pull ups

My workout:
Heavy "Grace"
30 reps for time 155lb clean & jerk (2:59)

21-15-9 ring dips + 3x10

Crossfit WOD:
Rest Day

My Workout:
3RM push jerk (190)
5 rounds
5 reps Deadlift (275)
10 reps burpee
(4:29)

Jackie
1000m row
50 squat thruster 45lb
30 pullups chest to bar
(7:26)

1000m hill run

Gary Taubes nutritional article in the Nw York Times What if it's all been a big fat lie?

Crossfit WOD:
Nancy
Scaled WOD
1-5 rounds
Run/jog/walk 400m
Squat with dumbells overhead/at shoulders/at sides/no weight 15 reps
My Workout:
Clean & Jerk 1RM
21-15-9 Back Squat (205lb) & handstand pushup (4:54)
500m row to 21 ring dips, 400m row to 15 ring dips, 250m row to 9 ring dips

Here is a great link to nutrition for athletes. It also gives a good review of the paleolithic diet and anyone who follows these nutritional guidelines can become healthier. www.crossfitfootball.com/page/index.php?menu=nutrition&page=nutrition

Crossfit WOD:
Three rounds for time of:
21 L-Pull-ups
15 ft. L-rope climb, 3 ascents

Scaled Wod:
3 Rounds:
21 jumping pullups
10 sec hanging L-sit
15 horizontal recline rows

My Workout:
5RM Deadlift
5RM Shoulder Press

10 rounds
3 wieghted pullups with 45lb
5 strict pull ups
7 kipping pullups
(22:25)

Crossfit Wod: rest day

My workout:

5 rounds for time

9 hang squat clean 155lb

15 pushups

400m hill sprint

(18:28)

3x30 GHD situps

Crossfit Wod:

5 rounds for time:

30 glute-hamstring sit ups

25 back extension

Scaled Wod:

1-5 rounds of:

20 sit ups and/or 10 sec L sit

15 back extensions

My workout:

PNF stretch 

What is crossfit?

from crossfit journal 19

It is a strength and conditioning system built on constantly varied, if not randomized, functional movements, performed at a high intensity.

Constantly varied means that your body will never become accustomed to a particular workout and you body will adapt in various and broad  energy and metabolic systems.  This is unlike just weightlifters who become good in the phosphagen and glycolitic systems or anaerobic, or the runner/endurance athlete who because specialized in the oxidative or aerobic system.  Functional movements are any exercises that can transfer over to better real life movements or activities such as squat, deadlift, and kipping pullup as opposed to non-functional such as hamstring curl machines, leg press, and lat pull down.  These are isolation exercises that do not transfer to real life activiites becasue they do not train coordination, balance, agility, total body movements in a single effort.  These exercises are isolation exercises typically performed on machines and may be good for body builders.  But remember we want to be good at more than just body builders limiting ourselves to that one energy system.  And we will never have a scenario in real life where we sit down and weight to the back of our heels and push down as in a hamstring curl machine.  We can strengthen our hamstring by running, hiking, jumping, squatting, all of which most of us do in our everyday lives, or at least te healthy people do.  Lastly crossfit is performed at a high intensity, which scares a lot of people away.  Remember this is intensity relative to the individual.  Intense for one individual might be to walk 50 steps, then do 5 squats while another individual will sprint 50 m and than do 50 squats for 20 minutes.  To each is own.  But i promise if you consistently exercise at an intensity that is high for you, in functional movements and constantly varied across multiple and broad domains, you will get good results.

Crossfit Wod: "Nicole"

Scaled Wod: substitute jumping pullups or horizontal recliine rows for pullups. 

My workout: 

5x5 back Squat

5x5 push jerk

push jerk x 21

run: 800mx1,400mx2,200mx2,100mx1

Sunnyvale Catalyst Athletics Nutrition Seminar

I went to a nutrition seminar last Saturday presented by Robb Wolf. Check out his website much good info on nutrition. (www.robbwolf.com) He has a PHD, in biochemistry specializing in fat metabolism.  The seminar focused on nutrition for crossfitters and the main objectives were to enhance health, performance, and longevity.  Some main points to take home from the seminar were to follow a zone paleolithic diet and stay away from gluten, legumes, and dairy.  A zone diet is one that is in proper proportions to keep your hormone at proper levels and a paleolithic diet is a "caveman" diet where all your foods come from whole natural foods that our ancient ancestors could have eaten.  These foods are lean meats (chicken, eggs, steak) for protein, most vegetable and fruits (broccoli, apples) and fat in the form of nuts and seeds (almonds, avocado, olive oil).  Here is a simple nutrition plan; eat meats, veggies, nuts, seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar.  In a paleo diet, carbohydrates come from no starchy or refined carbs because these raise your insulin levels dramatically.  With consistently high levels of insulin, this has been shown to be the cause of many diseases form diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.  Insulin is the culprit of many of the American diseases and not FAT intake.  Eating all your carbs from veggies and fruits will significantly improve your health.  For all of you worried about saturated fat and cholesterol check out the article titled Meat, Global Warming an Markets in the meat consumption link under nutrition in the right side bar. This shows you do not need to worry when you eat grassfed meat in the paleo diet. Which brings me to the next "do not eat" item; gluten.  Gluten is mainly in wheat, spelt, rye, oats, and millet.  These are such things as oatmeal, pasta, bread, and pastries.  Robb wolf claims he has seen much improvement in health, performance and longevity in individuals who follow a gluten free diet which is also why you want to eat grassfed meat and not meat that is fed from grains.  Also abstaining from legumes could improve your health because both gluten and legumes can be toxic that brings about an immune response that affects sleep and recovery.  The last item in your diet is dairy.  Again it is something you should stay away from because of the linkage to raising insulin levels.

Now these are all things that you may want to try to incorporate into your diet and each affect everybody differently.  So see how it affects how you feel and your performance on workouts. I am going to not eat gluten for the month.  I will let you all know how it goes.