For time:
Run 1.5 miles

Post times to comments and BTWB

Want to get up off the toilet by yourself when you’re 80 years old? Start squatting below parallel when you’re 30 years old. Trust me. By Courtney Shepherd

A few days ago I was accused of being mean. That’s right, you heard me, mean. Following a workout an athlete came up to me and said, “Dang girl, you’re mean today.” You would think I might be upset, or at least concerned about what it was I did to this athlete to earn the distinction “mean”. Well I’m not upset, and I know exactly what I did. And I’d do it again.

I relentlessly made this athlete, along with an entire class, for 20 whole minutes, squat below parallel. Yeah, that happened.

Now, I hope at this point you realize that, while this really was said to me, that it was said with humor. This athlete may have disliked me in the moment for lovingly reminding them often to get lower in their squats, but they know my constant nagging is out of a desire to see them get stronger, healthier, and live a longer, more productive life. Wait a tic. What’s that you say? Squatting below parallel isn’t just something CrossFit Games made up to help establish guidelines for a “no rep” during a workout? Nope, they sure didn’t. (Yes, I realize I’m having a conversation with myself. . . publicly, for all you to enjoy) Long before the Crossfit Games came to light CrossFit was teaching the air squat as one of it’s foundational, functional movements. A point of performance for this movement is that the hip crease gets below the knee crease, also known as getting below parallel.  Why does CrossFit teach it this way? Because that is what life demands of us. Life demands at times that we set our butt down on something that is lower to the ground, and I’ll be darned if at some point in time later life asks us to get our butts up. We want to be able to do this without the help of someone or something else. So CrossFit is preparing us for life. 

The squat is my favorite foundational, functional movement because you see it in so many other things. You see it in the thruster, snatch, clean, overhead squat, wall ball, and more. We do a workout with 150 wall balls in it, and after it kicks our butt we rack our brain trying to figure out how to get better at wall balls, but very few of us will actually say, “I bet if I worked to improve my squat I would also improve my wall balls.” I’m not talking about throwing weights on a bar and squatting our brains out. I’m talking about sitting back in our heals, driving our knees over our toes, and keeping our chest upright as we squat below parallel. Taking time to perfect the air squat translates to those sexier movements we all want so bad, like a heavier snatch or clean. 

The squat is also my favorite for it’s presence in everyday life. My Nana use to live in an assisted living facility. When I would visit, I couldn’t use her private bathroom because it had a 2 foot booster seat on top of the toilet. The facility put this there for my Nana because she had long ago lost the ability to sit down and stand up without assistance. She lost her functional ability to squat. CrossFit was not in my life at a time I could have helped make a difference in my Nana’s. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t wish it would have been. I would have loved to have visited Nana and done silly things with her like sit down and stand up, now do it holding this phone book. She wouldn’t have known it at the time but she would have been working on doing squats with a little bit of weight. She would have been doing CrossFit. 

I know it seems “mean” to hear my obnoxiously loud and raspy voice booming across the room, “get lower in that squat for me”, but I obviously don’t see it as mean. I see it as keeping you healthy and functional, so that when you are 80 no one puts a 2 foot booster seat on your toilet and it freaks out your grandkids. 

In short, you’re welcome.

*Stay tuned this Saturday for a huge list of upcoming events at Verve. They are pretty sweet.

*Don’t forget, this Sunday at 12pm is the 3rd installment of the Basic Self Defense Course.

Partner workout:
Partner 1 runs a 400 M Run
Partner 2 starts in on:
100 KB swings 53#(35#)
100 Box Jumps 24″(20″)
80 Burpees
80 Dumbbell Power Cleans 40#(25#)

*When Partner 1 finishes the run, partner 2 will run 400m while partner 1 picks up where partner 2 left off. This switching on and off will continue until all reps are finished. All reps at one movement must be finished before moving on to next movement.

Post times to comments and BTWB

What’s the story morning glory? What’s the tale nightingale?

*Saturday morning Community WOD at 8am. This is an opportunity for Verve athletes to bring their bestest buddies for a free intro workout. Verve athletes can show off their home away from home, while Verve trainers introduce new athletes to some foundational CrossFit movements and answer tons of CrossFit questions. Don’t know anyone at Verve but still want to check us out? Come on down and get to know us!!

*Saturday Open WOD 15.2 re-do will be from 1:30pm-2:30pm. Get to Verve around 1pm to start warming up.

*Sunday morning yoga at 8am. Wanna get bendy? Sign up on MBO to reserve your spot and bring your own yoga mat. 

*The Basic Self Defense Course is this Sunday at 12pm. 

*Sunday Open WOD 15.2 re-do will be from 2pm-3:30pm. Doors will not open until 2pm, bring your own judge.

*Teton Waters will be back at Verve with their truck full o’ meat Saturday March 21st, 12pm-2pm. 

Open WOD 15.2
Every 3 minutes for as long as possible complete:

From 0:00-3:00
2 Rounds of:
10 Overhead squats, 95#(65#)
10 Chest-to-bar pull-ups

From 3:00-6:00
2 Rounds of:
12 Overhead squats, 95#(65#)
12 Chest-to-bar pull-ups

From 6:00-9:00
2 Rounds of:
14 Overhead squats, 95#(65#)
14 Chest-to-bar pull-ups

Etc., following same pattern until you fail to complete both rounds

Post reps to comments, BTWB, and your Games registration page.

Notes: (Click here for official Games site)
Each 3-minute section begins from the standing position with the barbell on the floor and the athlete standing tall. Using a ball, box or other object to check for proper depth is not allowed. Every rep counts in this workout. You will enter your score as the total number of reps. See the scorecard for assistance in calculating the rep total.

Time Bonus
This workout begins as a standard 3-minute couplet of 2 rounds of 10 overhead squats and 10 chest-to-bar pull-ups (6 of each for scaled versions). If you complete all the reps (2 complete rounds) before the time cap you will rest until the 3 minutes are up before beginning the next segment. In the second segment, minute 3 to minute 6, you will attempt 2 rounds of 12 overhead squats and 12 chest-to-bar pull-ups (8 of each for scaled versions). If you complete all the reps (2 complete rounds) before the time cap you will rest until the 6 minutes are up before beginning the next segment. In the third segment, minute 6 to minute 9, you will attempt 2 rounds of 14 overhead squats and 14 chest-to-bar pull-ups (10 of each for scaled versions). If you complete all the reps (2 complete rounds) before the time cap you will rest until the 9 minutes are up before beginning the next segment. You will continue in this pattern for as long as possible, adding 2 reps to each exercise each round for every 3-minute segment you complete.

Your workout is over whenever you do not complete 2 full rounds of the couplet within the time cap, and your score is the total number of reps you complete.

For example, if you complete the first 2 rounds of 10s (40 reps) in 2:30, you will rest until 3:00 before beginning the rounds of 12s. If you then complete 1 full round of 12s plus an additional 10 overhead squats (34 reps) by minute 6, your workout is over. Your score will be 74 (40 reps from the first segment plus 34 reps from the second segment).

Equipment
• Pull-up bar
• Barbell
• Collars
• Plates to load to the appropriate weight for your division

For each workout, be sure the athlete has adequate space to safely complete the event. Clear the area of all extra plates, people or other obstructions.

*The official weight is in pounds. For your convenience, the minimum acceptable weights in kilograms are 43 / 29 kg for Rx’d, 29 / 20 kg for Scaled, Masters and Teens, and 20 / 15 kg for Scaled Masters and Scaled Teens.

Video Submission Standards
Prior to starting, film the plates and barbell to be used so the loads can be seen clearly. All video submissions should be uncut and unedited in order to accurately display the performance. A second person with a stopwatch should be in the frame throughout the entire workout. Shoot the video from an angle so all exercises can be clearly seen meeting the movement standards.

Workout 15.2 Variations

Rx’d
(Rx’d Men, Masters Men 40-44, Masters Men 45-49, Masters Men 50-54, Rx’d Women, Masters Women 40-44, Masters Women 45-49, Masters Women 50-54)

Every 3 minutes for as long as possible complete:

From 0:00-3:00
2 rounds of:
10 overhead squats (95 lb / 65 lb.)
10 chest-to-bar pull-ups

From 3:00-6:00
2 rounds of:
12 overhead squats (95 lb / 65 lb.)
12 chest-to-bar pull-ups

From 6:00-9:00
2 rounds of:
14 overhead squats (95 lb / 65 lb.)
14 chest-to-bar pull-ups

Etc., following same pattern until you fail to complete both rounds

Scaled
(Scaled Men, Scaled Masters Men 40-44, Scaled Masters Men 45-49, Scaled Masters Men 50-54, Scaled Women, Scaled Masters Women 40-44, Scaled Masters Women 45-49, Scaled Masters Women 50-54)

Every 3 minutes for as long as possible complete:

From 0:00-3:00
2 rounds of:
6 overhead squats (65 / 45 lb.)
6 chin-over-bar pull-ups

From 3:00-6:00
2 rounds of:
8 overhead squats (65 / 45 lb.)
8 chin-over-bar pull-ups

From 6:00-9:00
2 rounds of:
10 overhead squats (65 / 45 lb.)
10 chin-over-bar pull-ups

Etc., following same pattern until you fail to complete both rounds

Masters
(Masters Men 55-59, Masters Men 60+, Masters Women 55-59, Masters Women 60+)

Every 3 minutes for as long as possible complete:

From 0:00-3:00
2 rounds of:
10 overhead squats (65 / 45 lb.)
10 chin-over-bar pull-ups*

From 3:00-6:00
2 rounds of:
12 overhead squats (65 / 45 lb.)
12 chin-over-bar pull-ups*

From 6:00-9:00
2 rounds of:
14 overhead squats (65 / 45 lb.)
14 chin-over-bar pull-ups*

Etc., following same pattern until you fail to complete both rounds
*Masters Women 55+ do jumping chest-to-bar pull-ups

Scaled Masters
(Scaled Masters Men 55-59, Scaled Masters Men 60+, Scaled Masters Women 55-59, Scaled Masters Women 60+)

Every 3 minutes for as long as possible complete:

From 0:00-3:00
2 rounds of:
6 overhead squats (45 / 35 lb.)
6 jumping chest-to-bar pull-ups

From 3:00-6:00
2 rounds of:
8 overhead squats (45 / 35 lb.)
8 jumping chest-to-bar pull-ups

From 6:00-9:00
2 rounds of:
10 overhead squats (45 / 35 lb.)
10 jumping chest-to-bar pull-ups

Etc., following same pattern until you fail to complete both rounds

Teens
(Teen Boys 14-15, Teen Boys 16-17, Teen Girls 14-15, Teen Girls 16-17)

Every 3 minutes for as long as possible complete:

From 0:00-3:00
2 rounds of:
10 overhead squats (65 / 45 lb.)
10 chin-over-bar pull-ups

From 3:00-6:00
2 rounds of:
12 overhead squats (65 / 45 lb.)
12 chin-over-bar pull-ups

From 6:00-9:00
2 rounds of:
14 overhead squats (65 / 45 lb.)
14 chin-over-bar pull-ups

Etc., following same pattern until you fail to complete both rounds

Scaled Teens
(Scaled Teen Boys 14-15, Scaled Teen Boys 16-17, Scaled Teen Girls 14-15, Scaled Teen Girls 16-17 )

Every 3 minutes for as long as possible complete:

From 0:00-3:00
2 rounds of:
6 overhead squats (45 / 35 lb.)
6 jumping chest-to-bar pull-ups

From 3:00-6:00
2 rounds of:
8 overhead squats (45 / 35 lb.)
8 jumping chest-to-bar pull-ups

From 6:00-9:00
2 rounds of:
10 overhead squats (45 / 35 lb.)
10 jumping chest-to-bar pull-ups

Etc., following same pattern until you fail to complete both rounds

4 Rounds for time of:
25 Hip extensions
Run 400m

Post times to comments and BTWB

21 Habits You Need to Break to be a Better CrossFitter– By BOXLife Magazine and brought to you by Robyn Kunick-Bosch

I recently had a lot of time to read, peruse the interwebs and think. I’m talking lots of time and lots of thinking! Following the Change Your Habits, Change Your Life Challenge here at Verve, I came across this article. Right off the bat I read habitual behavior usually goes unnoticed in the person doing it. Because of this, breaking a bad habit can be all the more difficult. Sometimes it takes a little help from friends and family to see bad habits you might have formed, if you are unable to identify them in yourself.

The article shows 21 bad habits that could be keeping you from becoming a better CrossFitter. We all want to be better CrossFitters or else why would we do this, and according to Reebok’s new commercial (which I love) better humans, maybe not all of us have the same goals, but we do have goals!

I have picked out the few that resonated the most with me. Click here to check out the full article to see what hits home for you.

1) Placing too much focus on others

“Focusing on others instead of yourself can impact your performance in many ways. For one, there is no use in wasting energy getting down on yourself when another athlete does well on a movement you struggle with. Everyone has weaknesses and everyone has strengths. What’s important is that you feel good about YOU during the WOD. Ya dig?”

After completing no RX January, I was thinking that month was one of the most fun to coach because there was less whiteboard gazing and athletes trying to beat other athletes’ times. It was more fun as an athlete because everyone was completing WOD’s completely to their ability and skill level; insert thumbs up, fist bumps, chest bumps and high 5’s as the famous Luke Palmisano used to say!

2) Thinking that nutrition doesn’t translate to performance

“Oh grasshopper, it does. It so does. If your performance is not where you think it should be and you’re doing everything else right at the box—mobility, focusing on technique, attending class regularly—take a look at what you’re feeding your body, chances are some improvements could be made in that area.”

Are you surprised that this is in my top choices from the article, because you shouldn’t be. I’m a huge proponent with what we fuel our body. I love to follow a Paleo/Zone Diet, others follow modified versions of each, while some don’t follow a ‘diet’ or way of eating at all, like Clancy…he eats like 16 cookies everyday or so he tells people. We are all adults and know how fuel affects our performance. The more real, whole food and less crap we put into our body, the better our engine runs, thus better performances, and who doesn’t love to leave a WOD feeling like you’ve kicked your own ass! (At a workout, not literally people, this isn’t the movies).

3) Warming up poorly

A good warm-up should get blood flowing to your muscles and joints, provide a foundation for the movements to come in the WOD and provide you with an opportunity to focus on your goals for the class. If you’re half-assing the warm-up and talking throughout, how prepped—both physically and mentally—do you think you’re going to be?

I chose this habit because I am at fault with this, especially if it’s open gym or I am going to WOD by myself. I know it’s bad, I know I feel better during WOD’s when I’m plenty warm, but gosh darn-it sometimes I just need a little nudging reminder to take my warm-ups seriously.

Seriously go read the entire list of habits that will make you a better crossfitter, it’s totally worth your time.

Sincerely,

RKB

*15.2 Open WOD will be all day Friday. We have re-do sessions on Saturday 1:30pm-2:30pm, Sunday 2pm-3:30pm, and Monday 1:30pm-3pm. Please sign up for any of them on MBO.

*The Basic Self Defense Course is back this Sunday at 12pm. 

*Sign up on MBO for 8am Yoga this Sunday morning. 

5 Rounds for time of:
100′ Handstand walk
30 One-legged squats, alternating

Post times to comments and BTWB

So, what’s new chicken poo? Not much chicken butt.

*If you were not able to do Open WOD 15.1 on Friday, chance #2 will be today from 1:30pm-2:30pm. Please sign up on MBO. Please show up close to 1pm so you may warm yourself up and we will be ready to start the workout at 1:30pm. This does not mean open gym goes until 2:30pm, we expect those using open gym to be cleaned up and finished at 1:30pm. Please be respectful of our open gym policy.

*There is no Basic Self Defense Course this Sunday, it will back up again for round two on Sunday March 8th @ 12pm.

*Verve will have it’s first yoga class tomorrow with Molly at 8am. Please sign up on MBO and please bring your own yoga mat as none will be provided.

Gymnastics Skills Day:
Rope climbs
Handstand walking
Double unders

Then EMOM for 21 minutes, alternating exercises:
Minute 1- 1 legless rope climb
Minute 2- 10 meter handstand walk
Minute 3- 50 double unders

Post accomplishments to comments and BTWB

Who’s got two thumbs and loves the frog pose? Kinda this girl. . . that frog pose is hard. 

Verve is excited to introduce you to Kacey Kingry. Verve member and the other half of our amazing team yogi. Kacey and Molly have joined forces to bring their vast yoga knowledge and experience to Verve on Sunday mornings at 8am. Kacey not only brings her yoga background to us but if you have ever met her, you know she also brings her awesome enthusiasm for life, health, and internal happiness. 

“Do you ever feel like all of the accumulated experiences in your life bring you to a specific point where everything comes together? That’s how I feel in this moment.

I began teaching Group Exercise as a freshman in college. I’ve taught step aerobics, spinning, BodyPump, BodyCombat, BodyFlow, sculpting, toning, flowing, blah blah blah, you name it. About five years ago I got burnt out on the whole thing, and turned to yoga. In that season of my life, I was looking for healing, grounding, peace, and restoration; and I found it on my yoga mat.

In yoga, I found a place where I could exercise my body in a new way, and simultaneously open myself up to the goodness of life. Yoga is all about taking experiences in the physical body, lessons you learn about yourself while moving on the mat, and translating those lessons out into the world. In the stretch and the breath, we find a little more patience, a little more forgiveness, maybe even a little more risk taking, strength, and excitement. And physically speaking, I know from my own body’s story that whatever my goals are – to get stronger, leaner, or faster – that my body responds more quickly and easily when my muscles are pliable and forgiving. Yoga has helped to make both my body and my spirit better.

Coming to Verve a year ago ignited a passion inside of me that I honestly didn’t know existed. Moving powerfully, dynamically, and fiercely, learning new skills, and picking things up that I haven’t done since I was in junior high school, all of that, like yoga, has challenged me. And like yoga, CrossFit experiences translate into how we live our lives. “We expand and blur the margins of experience, so when life gets difficult we know that we have been here before, and we have something to hold on to. We can succeed instead of fail.” (Life lessons by David Tittle).

I Yoga and CrossFit actually have more in common than you might think, and in my opinion they complement one another perfectly. I can’t tell you how excited I am to bring the blessings yoga has brought to my life into yours. Let’s throw some heavy s#@t around, then hop on our mats and do the opposite. Can’t wait!”

– Kacey Kingry

Again, we at Verve could not be more excited to have these two amazingly wonderful, and strong women bring this new opportunity to Verve. Go out and get yourself a yoga mat, get signed up for class on MBO, and get ready to give your body and mind the TLC it deserves.

Hang power snatch
3-3-3-3-3

Post times to comments and BTWB

You’ve been asking for it. . . and now it’s here. CrossFit Verve Yoga!!!

Verve is super excited to have two of it’s own members bring their yoga knowledge and experience to the gym. Starting this Sunday March 1st @ 8am Verve will begin hosting a yoga “WOD”. These classes will be programmed and led by Molly Reynolds and Kacey Kingry. Both of these amazing woman have been leading yoga classes for quite some time and, beyond their experience, they also bring a lot of enthusiasm for health, fitness, physical well being, and mental well being. If you haven’t had the opportunity to meet these ladies during a class, here’s your chance:

“Yoga sort of fell into my life. I wasn’t searching for it, but it came exactly when I needed it most. Collegiate and professional water polo had always been my thing, but when we relocated to Denver in summer of 2009, things changed. I stumbled into a yoga class downtown and it just clicked. The quiet and very personal practice of postures and poses started to heal me and I found delight and joy (not to mention increased flexibility) in a daily practice. I found training in early 2010 at CorePower Yoga and earned my 200hr certification in hot/hot power fusion yoga. Power Yoga and Yoga Sculpt certifications followed quickly and by 2011 I also gained a spin certification allowing me to teach a 30/30 format. By the time I entered Verve in the summer of 2012, life had thrown me some curveballs and I was seeking a loud place to lift and drop heavy things. I wanted outside of my quiet mind. But I have always maintained my yoga practice. Now yoga is recovery, flexibility, a safety in the heavier things I do in my life. I don’t need yoga to heal me as much as I just need it to hold me together. It has translated well into my Crossfit workouts and has kept me healthy and injury free.

I enjoy teaching others. Whether it’s on the bike or on the mat or in the gym, we all need a place where we can be quiet or loud. Go fast or slow down. One’s practice is what THEY want it to be. And usually, you find what you’re seeking if you’re just open enough to take a look.”

– Molly Reynolds

These classes will be listed on MBO just like every other class. We continue to ask all athletes to sign up for these classes in advance to reserve your spot. Participants will need to bring their own yoga mat as none will be provided. Get excited, it’s a great class led by some great ladies. 

******The 10am-11:30am Open Gym time is CANCELLED tomorrow. This is to accommodate 65 5th graders getting their first intro to CrossFit. We apologize for any inconvenience.

4 Rounds for time of:
10 Sumo deadlift high-pulls, 95#(65#)
10 Push presses, 95#(65#)
20 Back squats, 95#(65#)

Post times to comments and BTWB

Are you overtraining? By Courtney Shepherd and several additional sources.

As we approach the Open I tend to notice an increase in some athletes presence at Verve. While I cannot read minds I can take a highly educated guess as to why this is. My guess is that there is a belief that “I need to get as fit and as ready for the Open as I possibly can right now”. There are several problems with that statement: 1) The Open is a reflection of training that has occurred throughout the year, 2) If you haven’t been training it throughout the year, the last few weeks cannot make up for what was not done previously, and 3) By trying to cram as much training as you can into these last few weeks you may be overtraining. 

Overtraining is a serious problem and can have very serious physical consequences. Overtraining is defined as “a syndrome occurring in athletes who train too frequently/in excess OR who may not allow for adequate recovery from intensive exercise.” The equation for training = work + rest, removing the appropriate rest leads to overtraining.

“You don’t improve while training, only once you have recovered from the session and your body has rebuilt itself slightly better. This, supposedly, is common knowledge, yet all too often I see people only worry about the work side of things and never about the recovery aspect. . . Every single training session you do adds stress to the body. While you may find it relaxing and enjoyable, you have added stress to an already stressed out system. The only way to overcome this is a better rest strategy, not more training.”

In an article by Andrew Read, in Breaking Muscle, titled “Overtraining Can Kill You“, the author discusses 3 stages of over training. He first states:

“Overtraining, in its early forms is often unrecognizable as a medical condition as no symptoms may appear. The only signs may be slight decreases in performance, injuries that never seem to heal, or a cold that simply won’t go away. It’s the accumulation of all the stress of work and training that contribute to these factors.”

The body goes through 3 stages of stress adaptation:

Stage 1– Diagnosing the early stages of overtraining can be difficult. Things may appear as slight back pain in a cyclist, a touch of ankle or foot problems in a runner, or as shoulder pain in a lifter. Usually during this time blood tests will still come back showing normal ranges, which can lead to further frustration as injuries continue or performances start to decline further. Interestingly, in this first stage of overtraining big gains in performance can be made afterwards if used correctly. Commonly called overreaching it is not uncommon for athletes to deliberately be pushed into the red zone so that after an appropriate recovery period they have adapted better and return faster and stronger. The problem here lies in the excitement of heightened performance. The athlete and coach usually end up continuing down this road, pushing more and more until, like Icarus, they burn out and come crashing back to earth. Symptoms of this first stage include: 

• Increased vulnerability to back, knee, ankle, and foot injuries.
• Abnormal hormonal output. Including changes to menstrual cycle in women.
• Reduced sexual desire.
• Mental stress, depression, and anxiety.

The important thing to do here is to recognize the early stages of overtraining and appropriately manage other factors such as diet, sleep, and lifestyle so that the work part of the equation is balanced. This may mean reducing your training volume and intensity in the short term.

Stage 2– This stage is most often seen by athletes who perform high volumes of anaerobic or strength work, particularly those who have high lifestyle stress. Strangely, a feeling of increased energy will be felt as the adrenal system kicks into high gear to cope with the extra demands. This will be shown in a restless, over-excited state – a feeling of not needing any sleep and of being able to go and go and go. The resulting high cortisol levels can lead to increased insulin, which reduces fat burning and increases fat storage. Maximal training intensities increase the insulin response significantly. This leads to a desire for more carbohydrate (also needed to refuel the work done at the higher intensities). The body’s growing intolerance of these, due to the heightened insulin response, however, will lead to the carbs being stored as fat, not as potential energy – further heightening the problem. While it may seem like this is an unwinnable position to be in, at this stage the entire downward spiral can still be reversed through changing diet and training and recovery strategies.

Stage 3- Chronic overtraining can lead to serious brain, muscle, and metabolic imbalances. These parallel chronic adrenal dysfunction and aerobic deficiency. Eventually the body becomes exhausted and many hormones are significantly reduced. The most notable side effect of stage three is severe exhaustion. Performance at this stage is likely at an all time low and many athletes retire at this point. Athletes in this third stage are seriously unwell, with high risk of developing chronic diseases of the heart, blood vessels, and other areas.

Reaching stage 3 constitutes a serious medical problem, one that takes much, much longer than a few rest days to recover from. If we listen to our body earlier on in our training and take the appropriate rest we can stay away from stage 3. The problem, however, may be that we don’t know when our body is talking to us and what signs we should be “listening” for. There are list of 10 physical markers that we as athletes can track on a daily basis. Paying attention to these markers can help dictate whether or not today is a good day to train or maybe it’s best if I stay away from the gym.  These markers should be trended, at minimum over 3 weeks to create a foundation for comparison:

1) Resting heart rate. Check it first thing in the morning when you wake up while still lying in bed. Note any change +/- 5%.
2) Weight. Check first thing in the morning, before using the restroom. Note any change +/- 2%.
3) Urine shade. There are 3 ways to describe it, Pale Clear Yellow/ Yellow/ Dark.
4) Hours of sleep. I know it’s hard but the goal every night is 8+.
5) Sleep quality. There are 3 ways to describe it, Deep Sleep/ Occasional Tossing & Turning/ Restless.
6) Appetite. There are 3 ways to describe it, Very Hungry/ Hungry/ Not Hungry.
7) Mood. There are 3 ways to describe it, Very Good/ Normal/ Bad.
8) Soreness. There are 3 ways to describe it, Not Sore/ Sore/ Very Sore.
9) Immune system status. Make note of any issues, cough, runny nose, etc.
10) Previous day’s performance. There are 3 ways to describe it, PR Day/ Normal Training Day/ Bad Training Day.

Noting a bad score in one of these markers is not bad, so you slept crappy. . . it’s the culmination of multiple negative markers that should make us take pause. If 2 or fewer markers are negative, keep training, you are good to go. If you have 3-4 negative markers, think about taking a rest day, proceed with caution. If you have 5 or more negative markers, you should rest until you feel recovered, this may include completely stopping your training program for a period of time. This is why it’s important to listen to our body early, not push through these negative signs. The more we push through, the longer the recovery may become. Remember, REST is a part of your training. Ignoring rest days, never deloading our bodies, does not build the gains we seek. Our bodies need to adapt to the stresses we put on it, these adaptations happen during rest. 

Click here and here for the complete 2 part article mentioned above.

*This Wednesday the 10am-11:30am Open Gym time will be cancelled. We apologize for any inconvenience.

*The Open starts this Thursday, the first workout will be Verve’s Friday WOD. Click here to register for the Open and click here to take the judge’s course.

10 Rounds:
Row 250m sprint
Rest 3 minutes

Post times to comments and BTWB

What’s the haps at Verve?

*Saturday morning is our 8am Community WOD. An opportunity for current Verve athletes to bring family and friends in for a free introductory workout. You don’t need to know someone at Verve to drop in, this is a class for anyone and everyone looking to see what Verve and CrossFit are all about.

*This Sunday we kick off the 1st of 4 Basic Self Defense classes. The class goes from 12pm-1pm and will be run by Verve’s own Kent Seidel, a 5th degree black belt. The course is free to Verve members, there are still spots available, you can sign up at Verve. Click here for all the details of the class.

*Open gym at 10am-11:30am on Wednesday February 25th will be cancelled. The gym will be filled with 65 5th graders getting their introduction to CrossFit. We apologize for any inconvenience.

*The 2015 CrossFit Games Open start next week, Thursday February 26th. If you haven’t signed up yet, click here and get ‘er done. Be sure to select Verve as your affiliate AND team. Don’t forget to sign up for the judge’s course while your at it, click here.  

5 Rounds for time of:
Row 1,000 meters
30 Kettlebell swings 32kg(24kg)
30 pull-ups

Post times to comments and BTWB

What does the Open mean to you?

The CrossFit Games Open starts next week. That my friends is crazy. Mostly because I can’t believe it has already been another year. So much has happened in this past year, and now’s the time, for me, that I get to put it to the test. Over the past few days I’ve talked with many of you and when I ask the question, “have you signed up for the Open?”, the most common response I get is, “not yet”. I can’t tell if you mean it or you’re just telling me that to get me to leave you alone. My hope is that you mean. . . but seriously. . . what are you waiting for? There is no down side to signing up for the Open. Are you going to come into Verve on Friday for the next 5 weeks and workout? Well then you mine as well get registered, cause you will be doing the Open WOD. The Open is a benchmark just like any other, I don’t know anyone who has said “I need to work out more and get more fit before I test my Fran time”. You just came in, did the WOD, logged your time, and BOOM, the benchmarking started. Over the years you have looked back and seen your times get better, the weights get heavier, and the pull-ups get easier. The Open provides the same ability to see the progress of your fitness over the years of your CrossFit journey. Don’t wait to get more CrossFitting under your belt, don’t wait until you feel like “I would be more competitive”, how will you know how far you’ve come if you don’t know where you started. The Open will be introducing a new “scaled” division as well. This too is in an effort to make the Open accessible to anyone and everyone. Your excuses are moot, your reservations are futile, sign up here.

If you are interested in a spot on the Verve Regionals team, there will be an additional workout each week that will need to be completed as written. This workout will be the daily workout on Tuesdays. These workouts will have a blend of movements more commonly seen at the Regional level, which includes more advanced gymnastics and heavier weights. Here is a list of common movements and weights a Regional aspiring athlete should be able to do:

Gymnastics (must be consistent in unbroken sets)
HSPU 15(10) *male(female)
Strict HSPU 10(5)
Muscle-up 5(3)
Chest to bar pull-up 12(8)
Pistols 25(25)
Rope climbs 5(5)
Handstand walk 10′(10′)
Toes to bar 15(10)

Weights (must be consistent in in unbroken sets of 5-10 reps)
Deadlift 275#(185#)
Snatch *squat and power 135#(95#)
Clean *squat and power 225#(135#)
Shoulder to overhead 160#(105#)
Thruster 135#(95#)
Overhead squat 185#(115#)

Any athlete interested in a team spot will need to have a score in all 5 Open WODs and all 5 Tuesday WODs. Based on the scoring of the 10 total workouts AND the athlete’s ability to perform the movements/ lifts listed above, the Regional team will be picked by myself and Clancy. Please email me if you have any questions or concerns, courtney@crossfitverve.com.

*Click here to take the Judge’s course.

*Wednesday February 25th the 10am-11:30am open gym will be CANCELED. Verve will be hosting 65 5th graders for some fun CrossFit Kids action. We apologize for the inconvenience.

*There are still spots open in the Basic Self Defense Course that starts this Sunday. FREE to Verve members. Click here for more info and get signed up at Verve.