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.