Every 2:30 x 5 rounds:
1 Shoulder press

Every 3 minutes x 5 rounds:
1 Push press

Every 3 minutes x 5 rounds:
1 Push jerk

Post loads to comments and BTWB

It’s getting hot. The sweat production has increased exponentially. And the workouts still require that we spend a descent amount of time outside. As the temps rise and the bodily fluid puddles grow folks will naturally start talking about being hydrated. Here is an article diving into some hydration myths that may help you out this summer:

Top Five Hydration Myths Busted By Hilary Achauer

With warmer weather comes talk of hydration—unfortunately, most people don’t have the facts about hydrating while exercising.

Sandra Fowkes Godek holds a doctorate in exercise physiology and is director of the Heat Illness Evaluation Avoidance and Treatment (HEAT) Institute at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. She specializes in thermoregulation, hydration and electrolyte replacement in football players, and she’s worked with top athletes at the NFL level.

Fowkes Godek busts five common hydration myths you’re going to hear from “experts” in the coming months.

Myth 1: Urine Color Is an Accurate Measure of Hydration

The idea that you should strive for clear urine is mistaken, Fowkes Godek said.

“Urine color is a delayed response, (and) when you are exercising, sweating and drinking to replace the fluids … your body is in constant flux, so it’s hard to use it as a really good measure in those cases,” Fowkes Godek said.

She also pointed out things you ingest—such as vitamins—can change the color of urine.

The bottom line is if your urine is almost clear, you are over-hydrated.

“That’s just as dangerous as the other way around,” she said. “Twenty years ago, we used to say, ‘Drink until you pee clear.’ Well, that’s not normal!”

Myth 2: Once You Feel Thirsty, You’re Already Dangerously Dehydrated

“That’s not true,” Fowkes Godek said. “Once you feel thirst, you are still normally hydrated.”

Just as many people have lost touch with the feeling of hunger, Fowkes Godek said many people ignore their thirst and, as a result, don’t truly understand what thirst feels like. If you’re someone who always has a bottle of water in hand, Fowkes Godek said the first sensation of thirst is not a danger sign.

The other side of the coin: Stop drinking once you are not thirsty. The body is well equipped to let us know when we need fluids.

“If you are thirsty, drink. If you are not thirsty, don’t drink,” Fowkes Godek said.

Myth 3: You Need Sports Drinks to Replace Electrolytes

Most sports drinks, such as Gatorade and Powerade, contain small amounts of sodium and carbohydrates. They are designed to be palatable; they are not designed to replace sodium.

“The problem with sports drinks is people think they are putting enough electrolytes back in, and most cases they are not putting (in) anywhere near the amount of electrolytes they might need,” Fowkes Godek said.

“Sports drinks, for the majority of people, don’t even put back half of the sodium they lose in sweat,” she said.

If you’re concerned about sodium loss during exercise, Fowkes Godek advises eating a meal or snack with water when you’re done working out. Doing so will replace sodium without risk of over-hydration. Typical sports drinks can’t restore blood-sodium levels because they are not salty enough. The trouble begins when a heavy, salty sweater attempts to replace fluids by drinking sports beverages, which causes blood sodium to become increasingly diluted. To replace 30 g of sodium, for example, an athlete would have to drink 65 L of sports drinks—which would cause hyponatremia.

Exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH) occurs when blood-sodium levels become diluted and fall below 135 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L). Hyponatremia can cause mild symptoms such as irritability and fatigue or more extreme symptoms including nausea, vomiting, seizures and comas. Brain swelling—exercise-associated hyponatremic encephalopathy (EAHE)—can cause death.

If you drink a special high-sodium beverage to replace electrolytes, it’s essential to pair that drink with carbohydrates. Gatorade’s carbohydrate content is 6 percent—not enough to facilitate sodium absorption. A true sodium-replacement drink is anywhere from 10 or 12 percent carbohydrate.

“Without a carbohydrate, the majority of the salt you put in your stomach ends up in the toilet within two hours because your body has a protective mechanism against a (mass) of salt,” Fowkes Godek said.

Myth 4: Any Level of Dehydration Negatively Affects Performance

The biggest problem with this statement is the word “dehydration,” Fowkes Godek said.

We’ve come to think of dehydration as an illness or a condition, but it’s really a verb.

“It’s a process of losing body fluid—the opposite of rehydration,” Fowkes Godek said.

If you are well hydrated, it’s normal to experience dehydration. The impact of dehydration on athletic performance depends on the hydration level before the exercise or competition. If you start exercising and are well hydrated, you can easily lose 3 to 4 percent of body weight with no ill effects. Even if you start exercising and are at the lower end of hydration, you still have a ways to go before performance suffers.

“If you start an exercise bout and you are very thirsty, you can probably lose about 2 percent and still not see any performance detriment,” Fowkes Godek said.

Many athletes find over-hydration leads to cramps and negatively affects performance. Bottom line: Pay attention to your body’s signals, and if you aren’t thirsty, don’t drink.

Myth 5: You Can’t Drink too Much Water

“You can drink too much water, and you can drink too much Gatorade, and you can drink too much Pedialyte,” Fowkes Godek said.

If you flood your body with fluid of any kind, you risk EAH.

Fortunately, it’s easy to avoid EAH:

Drink when you’re thirsty. Don’t when you aren’t.

“Fight Gone Bad”

3 Rounds for reps:
1:00 Wall ball, 20#(14#)
1:00 Sumo deadlift high pull, 75#(55#)
1:00 Box jump (20″)
1:00 Push press, 75#(55#)
1:00 Row for calories
1:00 Rest

*Score is total accumulated reps for each round.

Post reps to BTWB  

If you took a look at the weather forecast for the week, you know it’s going to be close to triple digits towards the end of the week.  This time of year hydration is super important, especially when you combine the weather with how hard we work inside the gym.

Make sure you are consuming enough water and consider adding in some electrolytes to your water to help replace all the electrolytes we lose when we sweat.  

Below are a few excerpts from an article that talk about electrolytes, what they are, how we get them, and why they are useful.  For the full article click HERE

What are electrolytes, exactly?

Electrolytes, which are found in sports nutrition products as well as whole foods like bananas and sweet potatoes, are minerals that have an electric charge. Once they’re in your body, they have two primary jobs: They balance the amount of water in your body to help your cells function properly, and they spark nerve impulses. “These impulses allow muscles to contract, which keeps the heart beating and the body moving,” explains Allison Childress, PhD, RDN, CSSD, a professor of nutritional science at Texas Tech University. 

They also help us stay hydrated. When we sweat, we lose water along with electrolytes like sodium, potassium calcium, magnesium, phosphate, and chlorine. Without enough of these minerals in your body, you won’t be able to retain the water you’re chugging during workouts or on a hot day, which could lead to dehydration.

“In healthy people, our bodies generally do an outstanding job of maintaining fluid balance,” says Ritanne Duszak, RD, a Philadelphia-based running and triathlon coach. If you’re adequately hydrated (read: you’re not thirsty, and your pee is clear or pale yellow) and are eating normally, your electrolyte levels are probably fine. “For the vast majority of people, your regular diet is going to be the best source of electrolytes,” Duszak adds.

That said, there are a few exceptions. We lose electrolytes through sweat, so if you’re active for extended periods (an hour or longer) or are in a hot or humid climate, you might need to make more of an effort to replenish your stores, Childress says.

There’s more great information in the article, so click the link featured earlier, for the best sources of food and beverages high in electrolytes. 

For time:
75 Back squats, 135#(95#)
*At the top of each minute, including 0:00 perform 35 double unders.

Post times to comments and BTWB

We would like to give a huge thank you to OUTWOD for coming to Verve this weekend and throwing down. And thank you to everyone that came to participate and donate in support of the LGBTQ community.

And the biggest thank you goes out to the dream team that is Danielle and Amelia. Thank you for putting the event together and running the show. You ladies are awesome!!

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Verve has one solid community of people. Not sure what I’m talking about? Haven’t had the chance to hang out with these fine folks? Well your next chance to join in the shenanigans, build friendships, talk shop, compare Fran times, exchange paleo recipes. . . and just partake in this community of like minded CrossFit freaks will be this Saturday, June 30th, @ 3pm.

Where: Rino Beer Garden patio
3800 Walnut St
Denver, CO 80205

Who: Verve members, family, and friends

Why: Why not? It’s summer and the patio is open for business! RINO Beer Garden has invited us for some fun times including 2 free drinks and some free appetizers, so let’s show them how awesome our community is at supporting local businesses.

Rino Beer Garden would love a headcount, so if you can, please RSVP on the Facebook event page and let us know who all is coming. Click here to RSVP.

For time:
1,000m row
30 DB snatch, alternating, 40#(25#)
30 Push-ups
750m row
20 DB snatch, alternating, 40#(25#)
20 Strict handstand push-ups
500m row
10 DB snatch, alternating, 40#(25#)
100′ Handstand walk
250m row

Post times to comments and BTWB

As many rounds and reps as possible in 20 minutes of:
5 Chest to bar pull-ups
10 Wall ball shots, 20#(14#) to 10′ target
15 Kettlebell swings, 53#(35#)

Post rounds and reps to comments and BTWB

Alright it’s time to take a poll, raise your hand if:

• You have ever torn your hands in a workout
• You have torn your hands so bad in a workout they bled
• You have torn your hands in a workout, they didn’t bleed but you got to rip away some solid chunks of skin
• You have torn your hands in a workout and did not stop working out, hence you continued to touch things around the gym with your torn hands
• You have scraped your shin in a workout
• You have scraped your shin so bad in a workout it bled
• You have scraped your shin on a barbell in a workout and did not stop working out, hence you started leaving a solid ring of blood on a barbell
• You have sweat in a workout
• You have sweat so much in a workout, there is an actual puddle where you were performing the workout
• You have left visible sweat on a piece of equipment other than the floor during a workout . . . . . . 

Now raise your hand if:

• You left the gym without cleaning any of these things up
• You didn’t know it was your responsibility to clean these things up

This post is not meant to be a shaming post. I really don’t believe in shaming someone, especially if the someone has not been told the ins and outs/ etiquette that I am referencing above. This post is actually meant to do just that. Inform the new and veteran alike about some expectations we have at Verve regarding cleanliness and sanitation, and what your role as a member is in all that.

I think almost everyone knows that we would love for you to put away any equipment that you used, and put it away in it’s appropriate spot. But before you put it away, or if what you used it permanently affixed and cannot be put away, before you leave your workout area, we would love it if you cleaned it off of all your bodily fluids. We like to think of ourselves as a family, just not that kind of family. 

Stuff happens in the gym. Hands tear. Shins bleed. Dry hands get the world’s smallest nick and bleed like a murder scene. There has been pee. Yeah, I said it. Pee happens. Spit happens. Sweat MOST definitely happens. We get it. Just please clean it up. Because, if you were not aware of this, when you are done, someone else is coming in right behind you. And they were planning to use the same equipment. You wanna hear something gross? How about hoping up to do a pull-up and coming off the pull-up bar with a hand full of blood. . . that’s not yours. Or grabbing a barbell and finding dried blood where you were about to put your hands. Goo. It’s icky. Stop the ick. 

Yes, we regularly clean the gym. But we would appreciate your help with this kind of cleaning. It’s super simple, if you broke skin (even if there is no blood present) wipe down EVERYTHING it touched. And if it leaves behind a puddle that even you would not want to touch, wipe it up. We have Clorox wipes all over the gym as well as spray bottles with something a little stronger. Let us know what you need and we will get it to you. 

Remember, sharing is caring. Except for bodily fluids. 

Every 2:00 x 4 sets:
5 Strict pull-ups

Then, 5 Rounds for time:
15 GHD sit-ups
5 Ring muscle ups

Into
100-meter double kettlebell front rack walk, 53#(35#)

*The time ends after the completion of the kettlebell walk.

Post time to BTWB

I’m keeping the blog short today so that everyone will read it!

We’ve been informed that tomorrow all of Larimer St will be shut down and there will not be any parking available on the street.  For those of you that come in via Larimer, you’ll have to plan an alternate route to get to Verve today.  We would recommend you come down Walnut if you are coming from downtown and use the overflow lot that is pictured above.

For those of you that come off the highway, you should still be able to get to Verve via Downing and use our normal lot but you’ll have to pull in the entrance that is off of Downing as you won’t be able to turn onto Larimer.  

We aren’t exactly sure what time they road work will begin, so the early morning classes might not be affected but the other classes in the day might be.  

Of course this all could be delayed so we’ll do our best to update our facebook page with the latest road closures, but plan ahead if Larimer street is you usual way of getting to Verve.

For time, 2 Rounds of:
10 Snatches, 175#(125#)
12 Bar facing burpees

Into, 2 Rounds of:
10 Snatches, 115#(75#)
12 Bar facing burpee

Post times to comments and BTWB

OUTWOD is this Saturday!! We start @ 10am!!

OUTWOD is a workout designed for anyone and everyone to participate. So it is highly encouraged to bring friends, family, and neighbors to join in the fun. 

This event comes with a registration fee of $30. This registration is a donation. OUTWOD hosts events throughout the year and uses these registration donations to raise money for a variety of charities and organizations aimed at supporting the LGBTQ community.

Get registered online, help donate, and then get ready to get fit with friends in support and celebration of the LGBTQ community. Stick around after for a fun social event at a nearby watering hole. 😉 Get signed up on line by clicking here. 

Because we are hosting this event, Verve’s regular Saturday schedule will be slightly different:
8am- Verve WOD
9am- Verve WOD
10am-11:30am- OUTWOD
11:30-12:30pm- Open Gym

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It’s time for a fun summer Verve social event!

When: Saturday June 30th @ 3pm

Where: Rino Beer Garden patio
3800 Walnut St
Denver, CO 80205

Who: Verve members, family, and friends

Why: Why not? It’s summer and the patio is open for business! RINO Beer Garden has invited us for some fun times including 2 free drinks and some free appetizers, so let’s show them how awesome our community is at supporting local businesses. 

Rino Beer Garden would love a headcount, so if you can, please RSVP on the Facebook event page and let us know who all is coming. Click here to RSVP.

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
Row 250 meters
25 Kettlebell swings, 35#(26#)
Run 200 meters
25 Ab mat sit ups

Post times to comments and BTWB

Verve wishes all you dads out there a very Happy Father’s Day!! We love your hard work in and outside if the gym. You are role models to your families about health, happiness, strength, and dedication. We hope you have an amazing day!

For time with a partner:

Partner 1 rows 500 meters
then
Partner 2 rows 500 meters

Then:
2 Rounds of
50 Synchro wallballs 20#(14#)
200 Meter kettlebell farmers walk 70#(53#)

*Accumulate the distance with one person working at a time.

*Synchro is bottom of the squat at the same time and hitting the target with the ball at the same time.

Post to BTWB

STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

There are so many ways that you can dress up this delicious vegetable-like fruit (yep, it’s technically a fruit). This recipe comes to us courtesy of paleomg.com and adapted to zone/paleo.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs ground breakfast sausage (8P)
• 2 Acorn Squash (CHO varies)
• 4 T. dried cranberries (4CHO)
• 4 eggs(4P)
• garlic
• salt and pepper

Directions:

• Cut Acorn squash in half and scoop out seeds. Spray acorn squash with little coconut oil and place face down on baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees until squash is soft.
• While the squash is cooking, cook breakfast sausage over skillet.
• Once acorn squash is done cooking, remove from oven and let cool.
• Remove insides of squash and measure out 4 cups of acorn squash and place in same skillet as sausage.
• If you have remaining acorn squash, spoon out into tupperware bowl and it is the perfect veggie dish for later in the week or paired with any meal for your CHO.
• In skillet mix together sausage, acorn squash, salt, pepper, little fresh garlic and any other spice of your choice. Once all ingredients have cooked down together, add 4 T. of dried cranberries.
• Evenly add back the acorn squash/sausage mixture to your 4 acorn squash skins.
• Make a little spoon indent in the middle of acorn squash and crack one egg into squash.
• Place back in oven for about 15 minutes until you get the desired egg-cooked preference.
• One of the acorn squash halves = 3P, 3CHO, 0F

For time:
30 – 20 – 10
Doulbe kettlebell front squats, 53#(35#)
Calorie Row (Women’s calories = 21 – 15 – 9)

Post times to comments and BTWB

11 Things That Are Considered Normal at CrossFit But Never Appropriate Outside The Box, Courtesy of Fitness Repetition

CrossFit is not just some fitness program—it is a way of life. It has a culture of its own, and this can be depicted in the way the people who do this behave.

The people form a community inside every box, use a unique kind of language, probably eat the same kind of food, wear the same type of clothes, and thrive on a particular level and manner of social interaction.

But sometimes, what CrossFitters actually consider “normal” inside the box is entirely inappropriate when being practiced in the outside world.

Check out the list below of 11 examples of things that CrossFitters do in the box that do not translate well to the rest of the world.

1. Walking around with chalk handprints covering various parts of our bodies- At CrossFit all this indicates is that the workout involved a tight grip. In the supermarket it looks like Casper has been grabbing at your backside.

2. Sudden loud grunting- During lifts, other heavy movements, or a particularly difficult WOD (workout of the day), grunting is a sign of power and strength, walking down the street and grunting may lead to many people briskly crossing to the other side.

3. Throwing yourself on the floor- Hand in that big report at work this am? Immediately fall to the floor. While we may do this maneuver post-workout at Crossfit, I would love to see your boss’ face if you applied this technique in the office.

4. Discussions concerning any of the named workouts- 

“How long did it take you to do Fran?”

“Not as long as it took me to do Murph! But we all know I do Karen faster than Grace.”

Enough said

5. Telling people about how you just peed a little- While I personally think the world would be better off if we could all announce this bodily reality without judgment, trust me when I say the response will be more favorable to another CrossFitter after those 200 double-unders than to the stranger sitting next to you on the bus.

6. Expecting everyone to clean- After your party Saturday night, this is a far-fetched thing to expect. At your box, entirely reasonable.

7. The constant discussion of bacon- Bacon is Paleo, and delicious, and while we all love to discuss the various ways and quantities in which we consume it, others may find this entirely repulsive.

8. Casually saying things that sound vaguely sexual- 

“Make sure you get deep enough with your thrusters.”

“I prefer the snatch, but I also love jerking.”

9. Suddenly and aggressively tearing off your shirt- While the taking-off-of-the-shirt mid-workout is common at most gyms, and in my opinion it signifies that things are starting to getting real, I would not recommend this action during a PTA meeting or while you’re waiting in line at Starbucks.

10. Sporting the patented double-under whip marks- I will always find the inadvertent kinkiness of double-unders highly amusing.

11. Simply talking about CrossFit in general- We all know that the first rule of CrossFit is to never shut up about CrossFit, but it seems that unfortunately most people outside of your box do not want to hear about it. But hey, you know that all of your CrossFit family would love to discuss ad nauseam how awesome being a CrossFitter truly is! From the inspiring body transformations to the endless fodder for jokes that CrossFit brings, please indulge these aspects of our culture, just try to keep your audience in mind! Happy WOD-ing!