Coaches Anna, Courtney, Eric and Colby are registered for the 2014 CrossFit Team Series.
See what we did there? AC… EC… like the band… Get it?
Get your team together (2 ladies, 2 fellas) and register for the open-style team challenge.
Team Series Overview:
The series will consist of three separate competitions, each featuring multiple workouts. The first set of workouts will be released the week of August 28. Once announced, teams will have four days to submit their scores.
For the series, teams will consist of any two men and two women who perform the workouts together. Teams may include members from different gyms. There will be three divisions: Rx, scaled and masters. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top 10 teams in the Rx division once the series is complete. Registration is US$100 per team for all divisions and US$500 for sponsored teams.
Complete 32 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest where the first 8 intervals are pull-ups, the second 8 are push-ups, the third 8 intervals are sit-ups, and finally, the last 8 intervals are squats. There is no rest between exercises. Post total reps from all 32 intervals.
This is a fairly common question – What shoes should I wear when I am squatting?
Oly shoes will have a tremendous effect for those with poor ankle mobility, allowing you to keep a more upright torso. And when it comes to the Olympic lifts, this is ideal.
Chuck Ts will allow you to really sit-back and engage the posterior chain, which is ideal for pushing some heavy weight on your Back Squat. But your torso angle won’t be as upright.
So, which one is it? Well, as usual, the answer isn’t exactly black and white. Here is what I have found works best for me:
Oly shoes for my Front Squat, Overhead Squat or any Olympic Lift.
Chuck Ts (or other flat heel shoe) for Back Squats, Deadlifts, and just looking cool in general.
Reebok Nano’s or the Warrior Prequel 2.0 when it’s time to hit a WOD with an all-around shoe.
It really will come down to your goals – is a really heavy back squat what your aiming for? Or are your more concerned with crushing the Oly lifts?
Experiment with both and see what works best for you!
Next Foundations Program begins on Monday, August 11 at 7pm. This class will meet Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays during each week, with a limited number of people per class. There is a total of six (6) classes that will need to be completed in order to then sign-up for membership.
During the Foundations course we are going to want to know a little more about you. We will be conducting assessments in order to understand you, your personal goals, current health, concerns or up and coming competitions. Once we have some understanding of your needs, we can help you achieve your goals. Additionally, you will receive a comprehensive understanding of the CrossFit program.
We’ll introduce, refine and technique and discuss range of motion requirements for the following movements: Squats: air squat, front squat, overhead squat, back-squat Presses: shoulder press, push press, push jerk Power movements: deadlift, sumo deadlift high pull, ball clean Olympic movements: clean and jerk, snatch Gymnastics: pull-up, push-ups, burpees, ring dips, muscle-ups, Handstands, l-sits etc. Other common movements: thrusters, wall ball, kettlebell swings, rowing, box jumps, jump roping.
Please understand that all movements have modifications and we are happy to work with all abilities.
Next Free Community WOD is Saturday, August 30 at 8AM. Sign up on MBO. If you’re looking to try CrossFit Verve out for the first time, here is your chance. Come join us and learn about constantly varied functional movements done at high intensity. The workouts are scaled and modified to each athlete’s level and performed at the highest intensity that the individual can sustain with good form and proper technique.
Community WODs are open to our members to bring family and friends or athletes looking to check out Verve. Different WOD each class, not the WOD for the day.
The rowing crew after completing their 40 minute time trial thanks to Maddie and Elevation Rowing!
GAINZZZZZZ!!! Where have mine gone?
When we first start CrossFit, PR’s are not hard to come by. Snatch, Cleans, Back Squats have monthly increases of 10 to 20 pounds. Man does it feel good! The world can’t stop us. If we continue at this rate Rich Froning better watch out, we will be at the Games within our first year of starting. What many of us have realized, one to two years into our journey, those PR’s are harder and harder to come by. I recently read an article by Catalyst Athletics about this very topic. Below is the portion that I took the most away from. You can read the full article here.
PROGRESS…TWICE AS HARD FOR HALF AS MUCH!
Enjoy these PR bonanza days, because anybody with long-term experience in weightlifting knows exactly what I’m gonna say next…
You’ll hit a wall at some point. As my coach used to say, “You start reaching a point where you have to work twice as hard to make half as much progress.” This is the best statement I’ve ever heard to describe those time periods when the PRs start to get fewer and farther between.
When you reach this phase, your frustration will get pretty hot. I recommend that you find something you can hit regularly. A punching bag would work, or maybe a small child who doesn’t show much potential.
(I’m just kidding, don’t hit things. I’ve done plenty of that and it doesn’t help.)
A lot of people want to start changing everything when the progress slows down. They think, “What I used to do isn’t working anymore, so I need to do something different.” Sometimes this might be true…but sometimes it isn’t. When your PRs start getting higher and harder to beat, it doesn’t necessarily mean your program is wrong. You can easily get sucked into a pattern where you’re constantly changing how you do things, and that’s not good. You keep wanting to rearrange your technique or routine because the previous change didn’t lead to any improvement. Before you know it, all you’re doing is jumping from one rock to another. Having good coaches and actually LISTENING to them can make this a lot easier.
I once heard a coach say, “Everything works, but nothing works forever.” I disagree with both parts of that idea. There are some things that clearly don’t work, and there are also things that definitely work forever. Trying to become a better Olympic lifter by using all the newest strength fads you read about on the internet doesn’t work. Mastering the technique of the full competition lifts and improving your squat strength works forever.
Here’s a little thought about making progress. Have you ever chopped down a tree? It didn’t topple to the ground the first time you hit it with the axe, did it? Nope. You had to keep swinging and whacking at it, over and over and over. It took a lot of blows to knock that damn thing down, but you finally did it. You might have had to make a few adjustments while you were doing it, like changing the angle of your axe swings or adjusting your grip on the handle. But it basically came down to simply putting in a lot of effort over a long period of time. That’s how weightlifting works, jack.
Key points here:
#1 – Trust the programming! Don’t’ try to switch things up to much. Mechanics, Consistency, and Adaptation will lead to better lifts.
#2 – CELEBRATE THE CRAP OUT OF THE PR’S YOU DO ACHIEVE!! Ring that bell, ride your imaginary pony and enjoy the fruits of your hard work.
VERVE UDPATE:
Tomorrow starts our Verve Community Class @ 8am. This class is taking the place of the Intro Class. This is a great class to bring your friends and family who have been wanting to check out Verve or CrossFit. An added bonus is the workout changes each class and you can join your friends and family and still get your WOD-on too. Next Foundations Class starts August August 11th.
3 rounds for time of: 20 Burpees 10 Handstand push ups Run 400 meters
Mr. and Mrs. Colby Knepp
Here’s a little throwback blog action for ya …. One of my favorites from Coach Luke, Circa July 2013.
Signs That You’re Overtraining ~ Luke Palmisano
It seems like an oxymoron; we train in a extremely intense environment and drive ourselves to exhaustion within a workout to make ourselves… fitter? Stronger? Really? Well, the short answer is, yes. That is, to a point.
Think of it this way: The gains in fitness you receive from workouts take longer to show up, but are longer lasting. The deterioration we see due to fatigue are more intense, and more visible, but fade faster. In reference to the gains we see, a good illustration of that is the sickness/wellness/fitness continuum that is used in CrossFit. According to the continuum, we use measurable health markers to define if someone is “fit,” or “sick.” It takes time (sometimes considerable time) to see a person who is sick, and watch them become fit. However the opposite is also true. If you took the fittest persons at your gym, or at any competition, and suddenly started feeding them less than optimal food choices and stopped allowing them to workout, would they become sick overnight? Certainly not. They have built themselves a hedge against being sick.
As we have seen, however, that although fatigue has a shorter life within our bodies as compared to the gains we see from fitness, fatigue has been seen to build up to the point where the deterioration we see from it overtakes the fitness gains we may have anticipated from our workouts. Therefore, we need to cognizant of what our bodies are telling us. If the cumulative effects of training are causing us to go backward in our goals, action is needed to save our bodies from burnout. Here are some indicators that you can use:
Resting heart rate. This is your heart rate when you wake up in the morning. Ever checked it? If not, get in the habit. After 3 weeks, you have a baseline. Significant changes (+/- 5%) indicate that you may need some time off; something is happening in your body.
Weight. +/- 2% change in your body weight within a day may indicate something strange is happening. Take your weight after checking your resting heart rate, and before your first bowel movement.
Urine shade. This indicates hydration, or lack thereof. Something to consider: If you are a active person, or high level athlete, water may not be enough. You may need to add electrolytes to your fluid intake to truly rehydrate your cells.
Sleep hours. I know, I know. Who has time for sleep?? How about this: sleep as much as your life will let you get away with. Sleep effects are cumulative. If you are tired all the time, a nap may be in order!
Sleep quality. This may involve lowering caffeine intake, late P.M. water intake, or simply getting into a bedtime routine.
Appetite. Are you losing it? You may be over-doing it with your training.
Muscle soreness. Extreme muscle soreness or a period of days indicates that your body may not have the time to adapt to the volume you are giving it.
Mood state. Can you sense something being “off” mood-wise? It could be because of your training.
Immune status. The immune system is one of the first things to go if you are taxing your body beyond what is can handle.
Previous days performance. If you did poorly on a WOD yesterday that you should have crushed, take note. If this happens a few days in a row, this could be a sign that you need to take a day off.
All these together are signs that you may be over-reaching in your training.
Maybe Snooki will make an appearance for the Wedding WOD???
WE ALL NEED TO GO LONG AND LOW SOMETIMES.
Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting in on a seminar given by Chris Hinshaw that discussed ways to train to build a resistance to fatigue and increase your endurance. At first, I was intimidated because I thought he would just tell me to run….. run a lot. I am not one who finds pleasure in running nor have I ever gotten the elusive “runners’ high”, but I thought it would be good to share any knowledge I gained. Needless to say, my mind was blown! The information that Coach Hinshaw shared was nothing that I had heard before but was everything I needed to hear. I would like to share some key points with you to make you a ninja against fatigue and just be better all around!
CrossFit is AWESOME!! I LOVE IT. We build the mechanics, then focus on consistency, and once we hit intensity, only HIGH intensity will do for us. Well, there are many benefits to sprinkling in some long duration, low intensity (LD/LI) work to your repertoire, whether it is on a rower, an air dyne, or running. Here are a few of the benefits:
BENEFIT #1
– At long duration/lower intensity, the body utilizes more fat as an energy source as opposed to carbohydrates at higher intensity. The layman’s’ explanation would be, your body doesn’t want to tap into those glycogen stores unless it has to, because those glycogen stores are limited. At LD/LI, your body recognizes this and optimizes fat utilization.
BENEFIT #2/3/4
– Training at longer duration/lower intensity can improve your heart’s efficiency. LD/LI forces more blood into your left ventricle, which over time increases the size of you heart wall, which increases the amount of oxygen-rich blood your heart can pump to the muscles. When that blood gets to the muscles, the mitochondria of the muscles use that oxygen for energy. LD/LI helps to increase the size of these mitochondria. Bigger mitochondria = more surface area to receive that oxygen into the muscles. More oxygen getting into your muscles = they don’t fatigue as quickly. That may have gotten a little “sciencey”, but just know that more oxygen pumping through your system means good things!!
There are many other benefits to LD/LI such as decreasing blood pressure, reducing stress levels, in creasing thresholds, and reducing LDL blood cholesterol levels but the key is not everything has to be debilitatingly crushing. Sometimes we just need to get out and smell the roses at an easy pace.
VERVE UDPATES:
Tomorrow, August 2nd @ 2pm. Verve’s In-House Olympic Weightlifting Meet. Join us to cheer on your gym-mates in their first Oly Lifting comp. – Please note WALNUT ST. will be closed for the Color Run, so please plan your timing accordingly.
Wearing the weight belt, top pictures show it too low and it wedged in the hip crease as the hip is flexed. Bottom pictures show the belt worn higher, across the natural waist, without impact to the hips during flexion.
The weight belt, unlike our favorite pair of jeans, does not come in “low rise”, #whatsupwiththat
By Courtney Shepherd
Lifting heavy is a part of CrossFit. The Olympic lifts (snatch and clean & jerk) and power lifts (back squat and deadlift) act as great bench marks to see the increase in our strength. As we get more comfortable with the lifts we begin to look around and take note of everyone’s accessories as they lift. We see people bust out the knee sleeves, the weight belts, the sweat bands, the wrist wraps, the special shoes, etc, etc, etc. We start to ask ourselves “Do I need those accessories? Will they help me lift more? Will they help me lift better?” All valid questions, today I would like to address only one of those accessories, the weight belt. It’s an item that Verve has made available for the use by it’s athlete’s but unfortunately it’s an item that can easily be used wrong. I once had it explained to me as such, “a dry erase marker is a great tool when it is being used to write on a whiteboard and transfer knowledge. But if I take the same dry erase marker and start jamming it into my eye, and I am no longer using it the way it was designed, it now becomes a tool capable of causing injury.” If used inappropriately, the weight belt has the potential to be more harmful than helpful.
How does a weight belt work? Well let’s first address how it doesn’t work, it is NOT designed to support your back. It is NOT designed to stabilize your back. The belt is not meant to be worn when your back hurts or feels tight from previous work in an attempt to “save it” or “prevent it from getting hurt”. A weight belt acts as a surface for your abdominals to brace against during a time of increased intra abdominal pressure.
“To use the belt effectively, you need to use the Valsalva maneuver. This involves take a large breath of air into your belly (not your chest), and trying to exhale forcefully with a closed throat. This will push your belly out into the belt, which will help increase the pressure build up around your entire midsection.” (1)
The goal is not to tighten the belt as much as possible but rather to create the tight feeling through the Valsalva technique. The next question then, is when should I wear a belt? A weight belt is not creating a stabilized midline where none exists. It does not create core strength, the athlete needs to already possess it.
“If you are lifting correctly, your midsection should be strong enough to support itself through the vast majority of tasks you put it through. You may be limited in how much weight you can lift, but you are not in any significant danger of injury without it. The belt really comes into play when you need the extra support to get after heavy weights.” (2)
Breathing hard against a belt is a skill that needs to be practiced prior to heavy lifting. If you are new to using a belt, bring it out during the warm up sets of a heavy lifting day. Continue to use it through the heavy lifts. On days of light weight, high volume (meaning lots of repetitions), leave the belt behind. This is the work our midline should be able to handle on it’s own.
We got the why, we got the when, now how about how do I wear a weight belt? A good starting place is around the natural waist, allowing the belt to go across the small of your back. It is not meant to be worn low on the hips or across the hips/ hips bones. When there is flexion at the hip, i.e. squatting, deadlifting, the belt should not get wedged in our hip crease. On the flip side, we do not want to wear it so high that it presses against our rib cage. The belt should not worn to it maximum tightness but rather with enough room to place one finger between your belly and the belt. This room is where we will press our belly against when creating our intra abdominal pressure.
There are an abundance of cool tools and accessories used by athletes to aid in lifts. If you have a question about when you should or even if you should be utilizing them ask a trainer, they will gladly point you in the right direction. If you are unsure how to use any of these cool accessories, again, ask a trainer. Accessories can be incredibly helpful but if used improperly, can have the opposite effect.
Death by 10 M sprints: Minute 1 (1) 10 M sprint Minute 2 (2) 10 M sprints Minute 3 (3) 10 M sprints *Go as long as you can complete the ascending 10M sprints, once you’re unable to complete the sprints, rest 1 minute and contine for another 5 minutes.
Skilz class being coached on the air squat by Courtney and Jay.
Baked “ziti” *Modified to be Paleo and Zone Quantities from Everyday Paleo Italian Cuisine
Ingredients:
32 oz (2lbs) butternut squash peeled and cut into ¼-inch thick and approximately 2-inch long pieces, about the size of a piece of ziti pasta
1.5 lb mild and/or hot italian sausage – casings removed or buy bulk
2 tsp avocado oil
1.5c yellow onion, diced
1-28oz can San Marzano whole tomatoes
3-4 tbsp garlic cloves
¼ cup + ½ tbsp full fat coconut milk
1 tbsp fresh oregano
1 tbsp fresh thyme
2 tbsp fresh basil
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Optional – parmesan and sliced mozzarela cheese (non-paleo/zone version)
Preparation:
1)Preheat oven to 3500F.
2)In 9” X 13” baking dish, evenly spread the cut butternut squash.
3)In a large soup pot or large deep skillet heat the oil over medium heat, add the sausage and onion and cook together until sausage is browned and crumbled.
4)Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
5)Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer, breaking up the tomatoes with your spoon.
6)Add the coconut milk, oregano, thyme, and basil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
7)Stir well and bring to a simmer for another 5-7 minutes.
8)Pour the sauce evenly over the butternut squash.
9)Bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.
10)If desired sprinkle with a layer of parmesan and then a layer of mozzarella on top of the dish and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted
In teams of two: 42 Thrusters, 95# (65#) While partner holds chin over the bar 30 Handstand push-ups While partner holds top of deadlift, 225# (155#) 18 Cleans, 135# (95#) While partner holds ring support
Some peeps working on their aerobic capacity. #hinshaw
REMINDER… We are hosting the Vervepool party at the Exdo center from 2pm to 5pm.Flipflops and sandals are optional… The ability to have a good time… is not.
“Are you not entertained?!?!” If you have not heard, the 2014 Reebok CrossFit Games are in full swing. There have been some epic workouts completed so far, and many more to come. You can live stream the Games on ESPN3 If you do not have ESPN3 like most of us; beg, borrow, and use your unknowing friends that do have it. Trust me, it will be worth it. You can also see the archives on Youtube if you search for crossfit games 2014
So many PR’s. All of your hardwork is paying off!! Get ready to test more today!
RUNNING DOESN’T SUCK by Max Shank
Here’s what you need to know…
• The anti-running movement has gone too far when it says that running is stupid or that it will eat up all of your muscle.
• The weight-lifter-who-moves-like-garbage and bashes running is becoming a tiresome cliché.
• Short distances like 10-40 meters, 40 to 100 meters, and 100 to 800 meters, in addition to hill sprints and shuttle runs, all have varying benefits ranging from increases in GH and Testosterone to increases in leg strength, coordination, and bone and soft tissue integrity.
• If the endurance nutballs would start doing repeats of 400-800 meters at high effort, they might forget what a thruster is.
The fact that there’s been a revolt against “jogging” as a fitness modality is terrific and I’m happy we’re moving more towards the center. However, one thing that’s gone too far is this whole idea of how running is stupid, or will somehow eat up all of your muscle. I’ve even heard trainers tell people that running is the worst thing you can do to stay in shape.
Now I’m all for the execution of “jogging” in general, but to make a blanket statement that all running is worthless is extreme. Running sucks? Really? Seriously? Humans are literally built for running. As far as the hierarchy of things you need to do for survival, running is right smack dab at the top of the list, next to keeping your heart beating at all times. Frankly, the weight-lifter-who-moves-like-garbage and bashes running is becoming a tiresome cliché.
Running offers several benefits including, but not limited to:
• Increase in growth hormone and Testosterone production • Increase in leg strength • Increase in coordination • Increase in bone and soft tissue integrity • Prevention of injuries
Now when I advocate that you run, it’s not for 26 miles, but for varying distances up to 800 meters at a time. Here’s a short list of the different modalities I use and their benefits:
Super Short (10-40m)
This distance is used primarily for increases in leg strength and power and hormone production. Repeat up to 10 times with full recovery in-between, twice per week.
Medium (40-100m)
This distance is an extension of super short distance, which can be used for repeats (conditioning) or for building leg strength-endurance. Repeat up to 8 times with near full recovery.
Long (100-800m)
This distance is an anaerobic nightmare. It’ll challenge your mental toughness, your legs, and your guts to not spill out of you. If half of the endurance nutballs would start doing repeats of 400-800m at high effort, they might forget what a thruster is. It has similar benefits to the shorter distances listed above but it emphasizes conditioning and anaerobic endurance over power and strength. Repeating this distance 4 to 6 times is probably plenty for most of us.
VERVE UPDATES:
TOMORROW Saturday, July 26th – VERVE Pool Party. Break out the man-kini and the floppy hat and enjoy some good drinks with friends!
CATCH ALL OF THE GAMES ACTION LIVE @ VERVE THIS SATURDAY 10AM – 1PM AND SUNDAY 9AM – 1PM
Saturday, August 2nd @ 2pm- VERVE OLYMPIC LIFTING MEET – A fun, laid-back environment to do your first meet with some awesome prizes. If you are not participating, come and support!!
