For time:
21 Overhead squat, 95#(65#)
21 Sumo deadlift high pull, 95#(65#)
400m run
15 Overhead squat, 95#(65#)
15 Sumo deadlift high pull, 95#(65#)
400m run
9 Overhead squat, 95#(65#)
9 Sumo deadlift high pull, 95#(65#)
400m run 

Post times to comments and BTWB

Don’t fear the “No Rep”. Information brought to you by Courtney Shepherd and Coach Andy of CrossFit Incendia

Ladies and gentleman we are exactly 8 days away from the start of the CrossFit Games Open. Every week I’ve tried to post 1 blog talking about the Open and hopefully getting you all as prepared as possible for it. This week is no different. In the past several weeks we have asked for those of you signing up for the Open to also sign up to take the Judge’s Course. The course was designed by CrossFit to, as best as possible, create a consistent and even field of judging during the Open workouts. During the Open we will be hosting the WOD on Fridays. We will be judging our peers during these workouts. . . there is no getting around that part of the Open. Judging each other can bring anxiety, it’s hard to “no rep” your buddy. Maybe you feel bad, they look like they are working hard enough, mine as well give it to them. Or maybe you don’t want to make them mad, they have expressed many times how important the Open is to them, you don’t want to be the person who ruins it for them. Or perhaps you simply don’t know what does and does not count as a good rep or a bad rep.

I’m going to be blunt about the first two reasons previously mentioned. . . you need to get over it. It doesn’t matter how hard it looks like someone is working, if the movement is a chest to bar pull-up and the athlete is close but does not make contact with the bar with their chest, THAT is a NO REP. To give that athlete credit for something they are clearly not doing has a greater impact on the Open process beyond our own whiteboard at Verve. Secondly we have the athlete we fear ruining their Open experience with a no rep. The judge has ruined nothing. The athlete is in charge of earning EVERY SINGLE rep they perform. If at the end of the day they did not squat below parallel and were constantly no repped for it, that is the athlete’s problem for not squatting full ROM. It is NOT the judge’s fault for pointing it out.

The last reason I mentioned above, the situation where the judge does not know what is and is not good movement, is very easily fixable. Take the Judge’s course. It is $10, it takes a few hours, and is filled with information and examples that will give you the knowledge and some experience judging before the Open starts. It saves as you go, so you can take 10 minutes a day for the next week and get the course finished. Take the Judge’s course. Even if you have no intention of signing up for the Open, you may still be asked to judge someone in your class who is. Click here for the course.

An article was recently sent to me about judging and no reps (click here for full article). Not only about giving them but how to handle getting them. We do no one any favors by avoiding the no rep and we do ourselves no favors by arguing when we get them. 

“Embrace it. It’s going to happen. NO REP! Athletes are going to hear it. You’re going to get tired and your movements won’t always meet the standard. It’s called intensity and it’s ok. But how do you recover from a no rep?:”

1) Don’t blame your judge. Anger will only mess with your head and you need to focus on the rest of your workout. I will tell you first hand, the very best way to prevent any confusion is to perform about 3 reps of each movement for your judge before the workout begins so they can give feedback. You will both know what to expect from each other from the get go. If you think you’ve been no rep’d in error, refocus and continue each movement as if you were Rich Froning himself (when he’s not getting no rep’d). Remember that saying, “slow is smooth, smooth is fast.”

2) Don’t stress. “No rep” is not a dirty word(s?), it’s the truth. Try to think of it as a helpful cue from your judge who is holding you to the high standard you deserve to be held to in this sport. Have you ever been no rep’d by a coach? That’s how we show you that we care. A “no rep” is better than a “bro rep” any day. Take it, correct it and be better because of it.

“The judges course was tough wasn’t it? If you’re like me, you had to re-take a module or two. It’s strict business, but don’t worry, I just told the athletes not to get mad at you. Even still, how do you make sure The Open is a good experience for the athlete while doing right by the standards?:”

1) Talk to them. Without to many words, tell them what they did wrong… “no rep – get lower,” “no rep – stand tall at the top,” “no rep – touch the bar,” etc. If you gave feedback on thier movements prior to the workout, they would understand what you were looking for with minimal need for explanation.

2) Don’t give athletes reps they didn’t earn. Some athletes may be working really REALLY hard, but are not able to complete a certain rep. This is part of any competition at any level of fitness. Sometimes athletes run out of gas or are presented with a movement that is beyond their scope. They may have worked harder than most to even get close to a good rep, but “almost” still doesn’t count. No competitor wants to be given a courtesy rep they didn’t deserve. As frustrated as they might seem, it’s not at you. These are either moments when people learn something valuable about themselves as an athlete or moments when people rise to the occasion and do something they didn’t think they could. Do right by them.

Embrace this my friends. This is competition. While there is some stress, there is also a great deal of fun, and an even greater amount of accomplishment and pride. Take some of the stress and anxiety off your plate now. You spent an entire year preparing yourself physically, now is the time to prepare mentally.

**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. 

2 Rounds for time:
30 Handstand push-ups
30 Dumbbell weighted burpees
30 Toes to bar

Post times to comments and BTWB

“Given that Saint Valentine was a third century Roman priest who was stoned and beheaded, wouldn’t a more appropriate celebration of the evening be taking one’s steady gal to witness a brutal murder?”

– Sheldon Cooper, Big Bang Theory

I kid, I kid. Happy Valentine’s Day Verve!!! Remember Verve is closed this weekend for a Level 1 Seminar. 

If you missed the 7am Saturday WOD this morning you can meet Clancy at Curtis Park for an outdoor WOD at 9am and 10am. Curtis Park is located at 900 32nd St, click here for map and directions.  The workout at Curtis Park will be 10 x 100 M Sprints.  We will attempt to get all 10 in but plan on a healthy warm up before we even start.  Stop watches will be provided for your timing pleasure.  

You can meet Anna at Commons Park for more outdoor fun on Sunday at 9am and 10am. The best place to meet is at 18th and Little Raven, click here for map and directions.

You know what REALLY says “I Love You”? You and your significant other learning self defense tactics together. It’s not too late to get signed up for the Basic Self Defense course hosted by Verve and free to Verve members. Click here for more details and get signed up at the gym.

6 Rounds for reps:
:30 Double unders
:30 Hang power clean, 135#(95#)
:30 Ab-mat sit-ups
:30 Rest

Post reps to comments and BTWB

My shortest blog post ever. By Courtney “I write blogs like it’s my job” Shepherd

“You don’t have to PR every day. Some days it just feels heavy and that’s okay. You can’t let that bring you down and remember, what you see on social media is just the highlights from everyone else. Just their ups, not their downs.”

– Annie Thorisdottir

These words were some of the best I had read in a long time. And I read them at a time I needed to the most. I have not PRed a single thing in 2 1/2 months. With that said, I realize I injured myself 2 1/2 months ago and over the past 10 weeks I’ve progressed to returning to my regular activities, so we can argue there is a PR in there somewhere. However, for me personally, it’s been kind of a defeating 10 weeks. Things completely unrelated to my elbow injury got worse, like my mile time, I clocked the worst mile I’ve run in 3 years. That one stung a little bit. I’m sharing this info because with each non PR, with each repeated workout that comes with a time slower than the last, I have to remember, that DOES NOT equal failure. I think it’s something we all have to remember. Especially when we find ourselves working out next to others who are PRing, who are getting stronger, faster, and better, it doesn’t mean that we aren’t. We win when we come to the gym (yes, that rhymed). We are getting stronger, faster, and better when we show up and do work. Some of you challenged yourselves over the past 5 weeks to change your habits. Yesterday’s “Fran” WOD was a benchmark to see how well changing your habits helped change your performance. Not all of you PRed. Not all of you got to walk away with a satisfaction that your hard work paid off. But what I want you to know is that your hard work did pay off, you just didn’t PR today. And in the words of an elite Games athlete, that’s okay.

We cannot let our downs deter us. We cannot let our peer’s ups make us feel like we are doing something wrong. We are all on our own journey. We can’t PR everyday. But when we do PR, we should pretty much celebrate the crap out of it.

*Guys and gals, I highly recommend you take advantage and sign up for the Basic Self Defense Course that starts February 22nd. The course is 4 x 1 hour sessions being held at noon on Sundays. It is free to Verve members. It is encouraged you sign up with a buddy, can be same sex or mixed pairs. If you are flying solo, you will get a buddy when the course starts. Click here for even more details. Sign up by February 15th!!

*Verve is closed this weekend for a seminar. There will be a 7am WOD on Saturday and Sunday as well as outdoor WODs later in the morning both days. Sign up on MBO. 

“Fran”
For time:
21-15-9 reps of
Thruster, 95#(65#)
Pull-ups

Post times to comments and BTWB

It’s Game time people!! By Courtney Shepherd

We have finished up the “Change your habits, change your life” Challenge. Over the last 5 weeks many of you have worked hard to change the habits in your life or add habits to your life to help you achieve certain goals. Maybe those goals were about nutrition and weight loss or perhaps those goals were based on improved performance during WODs, no matter the goals, this is the week to see how big an impact those changes have made. The Body Fat Test is here today and tomorrow and this week will be filled with repeat benchmark WODs. If you are anything like me, you may have discovered that changing/ breaking/ creating a habit was a little bit harder than I thought it would be. That is why I don’t intend to stop with my efforts after this week. I encourage you all to go out and celebrate but when the celebration ends, continue to build on that framework you’ve already created. It was hard to get where you are now, don’t set yourself up to have to start over, keep it easy by keeping on.

Speaking of benchmarks, we are a mere 17 days away from the start of a benchmark that comes around once a year. The CrossFit Opens starts February 26th. The Open consists of 1 workout posted per week for 5 weeks. When you register for the Open, after you complete the weekly workout, you will enter your score, and doing so will help rank you amongst a worldwide community of CrossFitters. Some of you may be very new to CrossFit and wondering if it is even worth your time. . . I will tell you it is. Beyond the fun experience of the process to help crown the fittest man and woman in the world, it is a true test of your hard work. It is the opportunity to push yourself and be encouraged by your fellow Verve athletes and come back a year later to see your progress. Verve will be programming the Open workout on Fridays. You will have 9 opportunities to join a class on Friday and do the workout in the fun, competitive environment you are already use to (this will not include open gyms times). If you are unable to make it Friday or just simply don’t feel ready, we will be providing an additional time on Saturdays, from 1:30-2:30pm, to make-up the workout. We ask that you arrive prior to 1:30pm to get warmed-up, we will get started exactly at 1:30pm. If you happen to be unable to attend Friday and Saturday we are offering up a 3rd and final option to complete the workout, during open gym on Monday from 1:30pm-3pm. It is during these times that myself and additional trainers will be available to help judge or oversee the judging of the workout. If you perform the workout during these times, when you submit your score you may choose Verve as the affiliate it was performed at and I will validate the score. If you either cannot or choose not to do the workout during the aforementioned times, it will then be up to you as the athlete to video tape your workout and submit the videotape for validation of your score. There are very specific requirements that must be met when videotaping your workout, these requirements are explained when each individual workout is released, click here for examples of video submissions.

You can get registered for the Open by clicking here. After you finish registering we ask that you click here to take the judge’s course. As a registered athlete you will be needing people who have taken the judge’s course to help judge your workout, we ask that you prepare yourself to return the favor. The course costs $10, takes a few hours, and you can print up your certificate and drop it off in the office at Verve. Taking the judge’s course not only helps you feel more confident in judging your peer’s workout, but, and more importantly, it will help you understand the movement requirements when you perform the workout.

Get excited guys and gals, it’s CrossFit Games time!!

*The sign up sheet for the Basic Self Defense Course is out. The course is put on by Kent Seidel, a 5th degree black belt. This course is 4 x 1 hour sessions starting February 22nd, it is free to Verve members. You must be able to attend all 4 sessions. Spots are limited, get signed up by February 15th. Click here for full details.

 *Verve will be closed this weekend as we host a Level 1 Seminar. Get up early for the 7am WOD or sleep in and enjoy some outside WODs later in the day.

“Helen”
3 Rounds for time:
Run 400 meters
21 Kettlebell swings 24kg(16kg)
12 Pull-ups

Post times to comments and BTWB

Whose got two thumbs and is SUPER excited for so many activities? This girl.

*We have a community WOD today. Remember the purpose of the community WOD is to provide our dear friends, who are interested in CrossFit, an opportunity to try Verve while in the company of their buddies. The community WOD should be attended by Verve athletes AND a friend. . . let’s try not to fly solo at this event folks.

*Our next foundations starts this coming Monday (1/9/15). So hopefully your buddy liked us enough to come back again! Foundations is the starting place for anyone interested in joining Verve and starting their CrossFit journey.

*Verve will be closed next weekend as we host a Level 1 Seminar. Get up early for the 7am WOD or sleep in and enjoy some outside WODs later in the day.

*Body Fat Test will be here on Wednesday and Thursday. Links to sign up have been posted everyday this week.

*The sign up sheet for the Basic Self Defense Course is out. The course is put on by Kent Seidel, a 5th degree black belt. This course is 4 x 1 hour sessions starting February 22nd, it is free to Verve members. You must be able to attend all 4 sessions. Spots are limited, get signed up by February 15th.

*Get excited for yoga, coming to Verve at the end of February.

For load @ 0 minute:
6 Hang Power Clean
6 Shoulder to overhead
4 Hang Power Clean
4 Shoulder to overhead
2 Hang Power Clean
2 Shoulder to overhead

For time @10 minutes:
Complete 3 rounds:
Run 400 Meters
50 Double unders

Post loads and times to BTWB

What’s the haps peeps?

Well we are finishing up the 4th week of the “change your habits, change your life” Challenge. . . keep up the strong work. Make sure to follow up with your accountabilibuddy and put their name in the accountability box. 

This weekend is the Winter WOD fest. Verve athletes Michael Cain, Molly Reynolds, Meghan Barkman Law, and Lisa Whewell will be competing. If you would like to cheer them on Saturday’s events will be at CrossFit Eminence (864 E. 78th Ave. Thornton, CO 80229). Sunday’s events will be at the VMAC Pool (5310 E. 136th Ave. Thornton, CO 80241).

The Body Fat Test will be returning to Verve in February. Get signed up now:
Click HERE for Wednesday, February 11th ALL DAY
Click HERE for Thursday, February 12th AM ONLY

Have a wonderful weekend!!! Go Seahawks!!! (Just kidding Clancy. . . . sort of.)

For time:
40-30-20-10 reps of,
Pull-up
Kettlebell swing
Push-up

Post times to comments and BTWB

That’s very lovely compression apparel you are wearing today, however, where are the rest of your pants?
By Courtney Shepherd, with information obtained from Boxlife Magazine.

I’ve noticed a trend in CrossFit fashion lately. While I’m use to seeing women walk around in tight pants, I feel like some guys are jumping on that band wagon as well. I’m not talking about any old tight pants though, I’m talking about compression pants. There is more compression apparel out there than just pants. It started out with me wondering why NBA and NFL players had a sleeve on one arm. During the CrossFit Games I started to see sleeves on both arms, which turned into full compression shirts, and eventually men wearing tight pants. . . excuse me, compression gear. Now no one get all up in arms like I just said CrossFit invented compression gear. I don’t know where it started but since I practically live in a CrossFit gym that’s my main exposure to workout fashion. So my next question is why? Why are athletes painting themselves into such revealing clothing? 

Compression gear actually first made it’s way onto the scene in the medical community. That’s right folks, if we dig back into our memory banks of our grandparents wearing those tight, white, knee socks called Ted Hose. . . that is compression gear. 

In an article in Boxlife Magazine titled “Does Compression Gear Really Work?” by William Imbo, it states “Their design places pressure on blood vessels of the leg, constricting them. This then forces blood to flow through a smaller canal, which in turn increases blood pressure in the legs and forces blood to be pumped back up towards the heart instead of pooling in the lower leg. This type of compression gear helps circulation in patients with low blood pressure, treats varicose veins (swollen, twisted, and sometimes painful veins that have filled with an abnormal collection of blood), prevents swelling in the ankles and legs and even helps wounds heal.“

Seeing the success of compression gear in the medical world, sports designers began designing clothing for athletes that would replicate the same effects with the goal to improve performance as well as speed up recovery. 

“Since compression attire had proved to be so successful in people suffering with leg mobility, brands began by targeting runners—though of course this soon expanded to multiple sports and disciplines. The idea was to borrow the practice of pressuring blood vessels in order allow more blood oxygen and nutrients into the compressed muscle and help get rid of waste products (like lactic acid). The theory was that doing so would increase the working muscle’s capacity to produce energy, allowing the athlete to run faster.“

Since the mass production of compression gear and the aim of putting it in the hands of competitive athletes multiple studies have been done to show if there really is any benefit to wearing it. Many reports have shown an improvement in blood flow with wearing compression gear but “no significant improvement in running endurance.” One study even show “no general scientific indications regarding the benefit of compression garments in competitive sports.”

It’s not all bad news though, “there are some studies that lend support to the notion that wearing compression gear can help you recover post-exercise. Many reports showed that athletes simply felt less sore after exercise when wearing compression attire, and they believed they recovered better too. . . the study would appear to prove that wearing compression gear post-exercise does indeed help you recover quicker, thus allowing you to perform better on a day-to-day basis.“

So which is it? Does it work? Does it not work? Do I have to keep watching Ross work out in his hot sex pants?  

“The verdict on compression gear? That’s up to you. Some people will swear by their compression sports clothes and won’t train without them, despite the fact that most of the evidence on whether it does much doing a workout being inconclusive. However, if you do decide to perform a WOD in them, go ahead and leave them on for a while afterwards (or throw on some clean compression gear for a longer period of time) and see if you feel any difference when you return to the box, go for a run, etc.”

So I guess the answer is yes. 

Click here for full article.

**Don’t forget to sing up for the Body Fat Test when it makes it’s return to Verve next month.
Click HERE for Wednesday, February 11th ALL DAY
Click HERE for Thursday, February 12th AM ONLY

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
10 Burpees
1 Rope climb
40 Double unders

Post rounds to comments and BTWB

Here’s a little story I got to tell. . . . about Mechanics, Consistency, and Intensity. By Courtney “drops mad beats” Shepherd

Well folks, the last time I wrote a blog addressing Mechanics/ Consistency/ Intensity (MCI) I started off by saying it wasn’t my first MCI blog and it wouldn’t be my last. I’m here to keep my promise, while also saying, this still will not be my last. Most of the blogs I bring to your attention are spawn from experiences had inside Verve, be it my own follies as a coach or an athlete or from shared moments with some of you. Enter today’s blog and the actual story I really have for you. We recently snatched in class, working up to a 1RM power snatch followed by some lighter accessory work. During the heavier portion of the work I watched an athlete struggle with the movement as weight was added to their bar. The snatch is the MOST TECHNICALLY DEMANDING lift, so I do not look down on anyone who has issue with this lift. . . . I’m 5 years into CrossFit and I have issue with this lift. I do commend any and all who show up at Verve on a heavy snatch day and put in the effort to become more comfortable with this movement. However, back to my story, this individual and I spoke, several times, about their inefficiencies with the lift. I gave coaching cues and feedback to help mend these inefficiencies. This individual listened, but continued to add more weight to their bar. At some point in the class, this person approached me and told me they were stuck, they could not seem to move this weight anymore, something must be wrong. This person was quite accurate, something was wrong, their technique. They had reached the end range of the weight they could move using their inefficient technique. “No, that’s not it. I just lifted the weight before it and I only added 10#. How could 10# make that much of a difference?” ALL athletes reach a plateau in their lifts, most of these plateaus are due to inefficiencies in technique. That is why those who specialize in Olympic lifting continue working tirelessly on their technique in the Olympic lifts. Their training never ends. The difference is where their plateau is compared to that of a 4 WOD/ week CrossFitter who may only really see the snatch once/ week at best.

So again, back to my story, I expressed some of these sentiments to the athlete. The athlete continued to not fully agree with me, so I had them snatch in front of me. If I’m going to argue about the problem here, then I should probably see it. This athlete was trying to muscle snatch heavy weight. There was no comfort level with pulling themselves underneath the bar. It would not have mattered if they only added 2 1/2 pounds from their last lift, they had maxed out their abilities unless they started getting under the bar. This is absolutely something I wanted this person to now work on, I wanted them to spend some time taking some of my cues and putting them to use to build the skill of snatching. Before I finish this story let me stress that I did not want this skill to be built at their current or previous weight. Please, please tell me you get that is not a good idea or even a reasonable one. Mechanics is not refined with maximal loads, our body will not suddenly understand how to correctly perform a movement under heavy loads that it has never practiced or refined under light ones.

Enter the accessory work, power snatching at 50-60% of the 1RM recently attained. This my friends, is the perfect time to work on some technique. After urging the class to abandon their heavy loads in exchange for their lighter ones, I returned to the athlete to find 85# on the bar, their load for the accessory work. This was a problem because 85# happened to be 75% of the 1RM this athlete just got. When I pointed this out to the athlete my hope was they would simply say “oops, my math bad”, instead I got, “Seriously? I can lift this.” I am a passionate person, especially about CrossFit. I’m passionate about making the people that come into Verve happy, healthy, functional, strong people. I’m passionate about progress free of injury, which is why my answer to this athlete was “No you can’t lift it. You’ve just proven to me that this is a difficult movement for you. You have not earned the right to put that weight on your bar.” Harsh? Perhaps. One of my jobs is to keep everyone in this gym safe. Lifting heavy weight with improper mechanics is the exact definition of unsafe. Henceforthy me allowing this current lifting situation to happen would be me not doing my job. Aside from the part related to my job, I guess my question is why? Why do we find ourselves wanting to push to do/ achieve something to the point we would risk injury to say we lifted more? Where is the urgency? Or is it that we don’t see that this situation has the potential for injury? In the words of Dr. Kelly Starrett,

“Our bodies will put up with our silly movement and lifestyle choices because they have a freakish amount of functional tolerance built in. We shouldn’t however, make the classic error of confusing this miraculous genetic inheritance with a tacit rationalization for eating, sleeping, or moving however we please.”

CrossFit is defined as “constantly varied, functional movements performed at high intensity”. CrossFit’s mantra however is Mechanics, consistency, intensity. . . in that order. Before intensity we want to see that movements are performed mechanically sound consistently. This is why we drill movements with PVC, and after PVC comes light weight. As we are able to consistently maintain good form we can begin to add more weight or add complexity to movements, thus increasing our intensity. Trying to do this in reverse, putting intensity before consistent mechanics, has consequences. Those consequences include at their worst injuries, and at the least excessive soreness that causes us to have to take a rest day rather than return to the gym, or taking 20 minutes to do a 10 minute WOD thus compounding the loss of intensity.

I have been told several times by athletes, while demoing a movement, that I make it look easy. I’ve been doing CrossFit consistently for 5 years. I started off scaling WODs, I disregarded weight for form, I listened to cues/ corrections, I worked on weaknesses to make them strengths, I focused on my own performance rather than that of others. I can look back over the 5 years and see progress. I can see myself going from banded pull-ups to unbroken sets of 12 kipping pull-ups. I can see the technique of my spit jerk improve to the point that it allows me to lift the heaviest weight over head. I can see my improvement across the board. . . . can you? I’ve had people come to me and say they have been a member for years, they feel like by now they should see an improvement in their cardio/ respiratory endurance. I agree with them, we should see that, but I know why we don’t. Because the concern for an “RX” by their name trumps lightening the load, cutting some reps, and moving faster, getting a greater intensity from the WOD in order to build that endurance. The same goes for lifting heavy weight. Spending time lifting lighter weight with better form builds the adaptation to later lift more weight. Constantly lifting heavy weight with bad form will never lead to lifting more weight better. Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.

As you progress through your CrossFit career and you push yourself with new challenges, ask yourself “do I have the mechanics, do I have them consistently?” If the answer is yes then increase the weight, increase the reps, increase the rounds, and move at a level of intensity that matches your abilities. Then, and only then, will you be stronger then yesterday.

 *The body fat truck is returning in February for our re-tests, you can start getting signed up now. It’s available to those who are doing it for the first time too!!

Click here for Wednesday February 11th (All day)

Click here for Thursday February 12th (AM only)

Every 5 minutes for 25 minutes
Row 500 Meters
10 Thrusters @ 60% of 1 RM
10 Chest to Bar Pull Ups

Score is time per round.

Post to BTWB.

We all get sore from training.  It’s an unpleasant result from the type of training we put our bodies through.  High intensity workouts are going to lead to soreness.  You’re all familiar with DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness.  It’s that soreness that we feel 2 – 3 days after a really intense workout.  You know the feeling where you try to move your legs and they just don’t to or if they do move it’s the most excruciating pain you’ve ever felt.  So how do we alleviate this pain?  There are many tricks but if you have one that works for you stick with it and in fact, share it with the group so we can give it a try as well.

Here are a few tips from the Poliquin Group to help your reduce DOMS, more can  be found by clicking HERE and reading the article;  Nine Amazing Ways to Reduce Post – Workout Muscle Soreness.

Caffeine has been shown to have great results in recovery from DOMS.  Caffeine blocks central nervous receptors related to pain.  In a recent study, participants were given caffeine before doing a muscle damaging workout.  Another group was given a placebo.  The caffeine group reported much less soreness on day 2 and 3 after training, and soreness was completely gone by the end of day 3.  Research suggests that a pill may produce better results than a drink, but whatever your consumption choice, caffeine may help you feel less sore.

Eating or drinking antioxidant rich foods such as tart cherries or blueberry juice can reduce muscle damage and pain after training.  The fruits help flush out the waste products that are produced during hard training sessions.  Once you get rid of all the bad toxins and product created during an intense workout, your body can start the repairing process.  Avoid combining antioxidant rich foods with milk though.  The protein in milk can inhibit the work done by the antioxidants.

There are many additional tips to help you speed up the recovery process.  Click the above link and find a few that work for you and give them a try.  Be sure and let us know if you had success with any of them so we can share it with others that may have the same soreness you do.  

As many rounds as possibe in 12 minutes of:
10 Handstand push-ups
10 Chest to bar pull-ups
50 Double unders

Post rounds to comments and BTWB

Olympic lifting shoes: Wear or Wear Not? When or When Not? By Courtney Shepherd

We recently kicked off our 5 week challenge with some benchmark workouts. One of which was the CrossFit Total, finding a 1RM shoulder press, back squat, and deadlift. It was during the deadlift portion I noticed a few athletes wearing their Olympic lifting shoes. I made recommendations for them to change into more flat shoes. Each of these athletes gave me a look of “Really? Why?”. I would like to take this opportunity to tell you why wearing Olympic lifting shoes for something other than Olympic lifting is not ideal.

Olympic lifting shoes were created for the specific sport of Olympic lifting. Here is why:

1) Spreading the floor- Olympic lifting shoes possess straps, which allow us to push out against the side of the shoe with our foot, increasing hip activation. More hip activation will equate to a stronger pull or squat.

2) More stability- Olympic lifting shoes have a wooden sole with rubber on the bottom to prevent sliding. This means our feet will consistently be on a stable surface, unlike Chuck’s, which have a compressible sole. More stability means we will have a consistent platform from which to push.

3) Heel- Olympic lifting shoes typically have at minimum a .5” to a 1” heel. This heel allows the lifter to squat into a deeper position due to the increased range of motion for the ankle joint. The raised heel also allows the lifter’s chest to stay upright, even in the bottom of a deep squat with the bar held overhead or in the front rack (snatch and clean & jerk). *As a side note about the heel, this does not permit us to slack on our mobility of the ankle and hip, just because the shoe can help mask the issue. We should be able to squat without artificial support.

If we are in fact doing Olympic lifting or movements associated with Olympic lifting, i.e. front squat and overhead squat, then yes let’s strap on our Oly shoes. But what about those other barbell movements, our Power lifting moves? Should we continue to wear our Oly shoes? Because these shoes were designed for a specific sport the same benefits to wearing them do not exist when doing Power lifts (back squat, deadlift, sumo deadlift). Power lifting is a completely different sport. The same ankle mobility required in Olympic lifting is not required in Power lifting and the extra height on the shoe can actually be problematic during our deadlifts and back squat. Oly shoes create more distance to be covered in the lift as well as push us forward when we really need to stay back in our heels/ posterior chain. So basically we have taken the biggest muscle group we need to lift the heaviest weight we can from the ground, out of the picture. Also Oly shoes were designed for a narrower stance squat, so they may feel awkward when doing a wide stance back squat or sumo deadlift. For Power lifting a more flat, stable shoe is recommended.

Here is a common question I get, “what do I do when my workout has both Olympic lifting and Power lifting in it?” I would like to stress that from this point on I am merely giving my own two cents on the subject. When I am working with a barbell and there are a variety of lifts involved, I wear flat shoes. I don’t like having that extra lift when I’m pressing, deadlifting, back squatting, or quite literally anything other than Olympic lifts. I find I am able to transition well between Olympic lifts and Power lifts in flat shoes. I have seen some athletes switch out of their Oly shoes when the Oly lifts are done and put their flat shoes on for the rest of the workout. I have also seen Oly shoes worn for the entire hour. The choice comes down to what you are comfortable with. However, here is my final thought: When the WOD is the “Olympic Total”- Olympic lifting shoes. If the WOD is the “CrossFit Total”- flat shoes.

 *Swim WOD Saturday at Glenarm Rec Center, sign up on MBO.

*Urban Acrobatics Sunday. Harness your inner ninja, sign up on MBO to reserve your spot for $5.

*Want to understand more about the CrossFit Open and what to expect from Verve during the 5 weeks of the Open?? Meeting Tuesday the 20th at 8:15pm.