Four rounds for time:
Run 400m
50 Air Squats
Post times to comments and BTWB
Verve athletes heat times for Sunday at Front Range CrossFit:
Eric Kiker: WOD #4 , heat 8 @10:20am. WOD #5, heat 8 @ 3pm
Jim Duwve: WOD #4, heat 10 @10:40am. WOD #5, heat 8 @ 3:30pm
James Whitmire: WOD #4, heat 14 @ 11:20am. WOD #5, heat 14 @ 4:30pm
Scotty LeFebvre: WOD #4, heat 14 @ 11:20am. WOD #5, heat 14 @ 4:30pm
Jeremy Black: WOD #4, heat 16 @ 11:40am. WOD #5, heat 16 @ 5pm
Front Squat
3-3-3-3-3
Post weights to comments and BTWB.
Getting To Know Jackie Homra
Where are you from? If not from Colorado, what brought you to Colorado?
Africa… Kidding. Born and raised here. When you live in such a beautiful state, why would you want to live anywhere else?!
Is Justin Bieber your favorite person? If so, why? If not, why?
Favorite person? No. Dave Morante is, don’t tell Kellie… But when it comes to my favorite singer? YESSSS!! I’m definitely a belieber! His songs make you happy and want to dance. I like dancing. And no I didn’t get to go to his concert in June. My sister’s inconveniently placed wedding was that day. I really did think hard about which meant more to me.
What’s your favorite workout?
Anything with double unders. That’s the one thing I’m good at. Also, I love a good body weight chipper. I will complain about it all the way up until we start, but once we get going and I can’t think due to hypoxia, I get in the zone. Plus, I’m convinced that one day I will walk out 20 pounds lighter after doing a chipper. That has yet to happen, but I’m going to stay positive on that front.
You’ve been coming to Verve for a couple of years now. What keeps you coming in our doors?
The trainers and all of my verve peeps. I think the cameraderie is what got me hooked in the beginning. I have a lot of friends. Plus I’m usually late so I can’t really go elsewhere, they would shun me. I love that the people here will cheer you on until you finish. James OG even got down and finished burpees with me one day. Even though he had just done a million burpees he finished out my set with me. Couldn’t ask for a better group of people to go through hell with me.
Can you lift more than Jeff?
What do you think? Of course I can. Truthfully though, he’s a cheater. I don’t know if you’ve seen his ghetto booty, but he can lift some heavy shit. He can deadlift/clean/squat a disgusting amount of weight just because he got him some baby makin hips. He’s a good motivator. We’ll do wods in his garage and he will make me add more weight than I initially wanted to.
Is there anything you would like us to know about you?
I collect gingers (you know, red heads). I’m in no way proud of this, but it’s just something that I’m good at. My best friend is a ginger and whenever I go out gingers just gravitate toward me. If there are any gingers in the gym, ie Amanda Parker, chances are I’m friends with them… They just love me. I think it’s because I don’t have a soul either so they feel like maybe they can confide in me…? Who knows the logic behind it.
What’s your favorite sport?
Well I don’t play any sports. Ask Jeff how coordinated I am. But I love watching the Broncos and Rockies.
If you could pick one place to live, where would it be?
Hmm… That’s a tough one. If I had to pick it would probably be Cinderella’s castle in Disneyland.
Who’s your favorite trainer??
Honestly, I love all of the trainers… Except Clancy, he’s his own rainbow. No, I love that little guy. He’s the only one that doesn’t get weirded out when I hand scissor him. Each of the trainers bring their own flavor and sass to the workout. It’s the one hour in my day that makes me happy because of you guys!
Jackie, the feeling’s mutual!
30m Overhead walking lunge, 65# (45#)
Then, 5 rounds of:
5 Deadlifts 245#(165#)
10 Toes to bar
Then, 30m Overhead walking lunge 65#(45#)
Post times to BTWB.
If you had to ditch your cell phone, tablet, or computer for a day; could you? I know most of us rely on our gadgets for work with emails and phone calls or for updating our awesome workout results on Facebook or Twitter, but did you know that the technologies that make our lives so much easier could also be leading to added stress and even causing us to lose sleep? According to a recent study people that use their cell phone a lot (defined as receiving and answering 11 phone calls or texts a day) are more likely to struggle with sleep issue. STUDY HERE.
The common argument is that these devices are how you stay connected with what’s happening in the world and with your friends and family. Did you know that although many people say staying connected via their phone or tablet helps them multi-task, it doesn’t boost productivity, in fact it’s simply a way to procrastinate and inhibits formation of short term memories. ANOTHER STUDY HERE
Experts aren’t saying that you need to ditch social media and smart phones and start writing letters again, but rather taking a break and unplugging is a needed rest break and a way to help combat stress. Think about how bad you panic when your phone doesn’t have a signal or when you get upset because your Twitter feed won’t load?
I for one check my phone and email way too much, and although it’s a difficult habit to break, after reading the article this blog is referenced from, there seems to be some merit to taking a break each day.
The article is on the longer side but a good read if you find yourself addicted to your smart phone and are interested in a way to unplug if only for a few minutes a day. READ ARTICLE HERE.
Just a little FYI, there is a road race that will be running down Walnut St on Sunday. There will be some road closings between 6 am and 12 pm. Larimer St will be open, but plan on a few extra minutes for your commute to Verve on Sunday morning.
“Olympic Total”
Snatch, 1RM
Clean & Jerk, 1RM
Post loads and PRs to comments and BTWB.
What a fantastic weekend with all of our Verve family. Our beloved home played host to our effervescent Matt Chan and the other well-respected CrossFit HQ trainers sharing their extensive knowledge with over 50 visitors during a CrossFit Level 1 Course. We had 14 Verve ladies compete at the Girls Gone RX competition in Thornton to benefit Barbells for Boobs, at which we had a TON of support from trainers, athletes, and family all day. Verve took over Mile High Spirits and had an EPIC social evening, followed by a gorgeous 5k run in sunny fall Colorado.
We return to the Olympic Total today to see how our recent strength targeting programming is paying off. Many of our ladies saw the pay-off on Saturday as they PR’d amidst the competitive atmosphere as well! Let us know what you’ve thought about everything!
On a different note . . . lots of discussion over the last week regarding the safety of CrossFit during pregnancy, or the education of rhabdo in the CrossFit community, or if CrossFit is dangerous. The discussions and opinions are widespread across the spectrum. We had an athlete ask us to use this opportunity to educate you all here on the blog. Did you know that we’ve been providing daily blogposts here for nearly 5 years? Daily!! We aim to provide you, our audience near and far with educational, inspirational, information everyday. And we believe in the importance of investing time in each of you near and far.
Want more information on Rhabdo? Well, in addition to discussing it in our Foundations Program we also discuss it regularly in our bi-weekly trainer meetings. We also have written about it here on multiple occasions as referenced here,
and here,
and here,
and here,
and here, and here. . . and here to name a few days.
We also discuss Risk vs. Reward in training and reference ways to improve your training, recovery and performance such as here. We discuss simple ways to get better and have honest confessions regarding checking our ego. We discuss returning safely from injuries and we drive home the important CrossFit progression of Mechanics, Consistency, Intensity both here on the blog and daily in our culture. Our training team meets regularly to evaluate each other, educate each other and improve how you move, perform and feel. We regularly seek feedback from our athletes and know that the journey to our best health and fitness requires daily dedication.
So let us know: What topics would you like to see us address? Are you reading us? Are you getting what you need from us inside and outside our walls?
Offsite 10am WOD at City Park. See directions below.
For time:
Run 5k
Post time to comments and BTWB.
It was an incredible day for all of our athletes competing at the Girls Gone RX competition in Thornton. PR’s were flying around and smiles abounded. Thank you to all the Verve family who came out to show their support or sent love from afar. It was heard and felt by all the athletes. We are one happy, damn hot family. Way to show it!
Meet us at the NorthEast corner of City Park. Plenty of parking near the ballfields East of the Denver Zoo.
View Larger Map
Congratulations to all the ladies that competed yesterday.
Booby Buccaneers: 8th place
Bonkers for Honkers: 23rd place
Hee haw hotties: 24th place
We care about your pair: 35th place
Twisted tatas: 66th place
For time:
400m Run
50 Push-ups
400m Run
50 Pull-ups
400m Run
50 Toes-to-bar
400m Run
50 Pistols
Post times to comments and BTWB.
How To Make Stress Your Friend
In a TED Talk I recently watch by Stanford University psychologist Kelly McGonigal, the question was posed of whether or not stress was bad for you. I would bet that most of us probably think that it is. In an interesting study however (performed on 30,000 people over the course of eight years), something different was found. In and during the study, the experimentees were asked a couple of questions:
Here is where the results of the study get interesting. Of those who said that they experienced a lot of stress throughout their past year of existence, mortality rates increased by 43%. That’s the bad news. But here’s the catch: that number only applied to the people who thought that stress was harmful to their health. The people who stated that they did not think that stress was harmful to their health had some of the lowest mortality rates of the entire study. Weird, right? Also found during the study that the belief that stress is bad for you added up to be the 15th highest cause of death in the Unites States!
So, the idea from Ms. McGonigal is to change the way you think about stress to change the body’s response to it. For instance, normally when we feel stress, for some of us, our normal inclination may be to suppress it. But what if you viewed it instead as a sign that your body is energized and prepared to meet the challenges ahead of you? That pounding heart? Yeah, it’s preparing you for action. Are you breathing faster? Awesome, your body and brain are now becoming more oxygenated. When people were taught to view stress this way, something interesting happened: Blood vessels stayed relaxed, and did not constrict. Normally, when people are stressed, their blood vessels constrict, which is why stress is often associated with cardiovascular disease. The state of the body, with heart rate elevated but with blood vessels not constricted, looked remarkably similar to the body when it’s in a state of joy!
The moral, in short, is that if you change your mind about stress, you can change your body’s response to stress. The idea is this: to view stress as your body being in an energized state, ready to meet the challenge that awaits you. Your body believes what you are telling it; you just have to give it the right message. Additionally, whereas many may bottle up stress, using stress to our advantage will move us to reach out to people, to seek support, and would, in theory, help us in our relationships. This has to do with the release of oxytocin during stress, which is a stress hormone (it’s is normally associated with moments of joy and closeness). So, next time you become stressed, try to think of it in a different light. The effects of doing, according to the science and research now emerging, may have great effects on your health.
The link for the video is HERE. It’s worth the 15 minutes to watch it.
Also, a reminder that the Verve Fall Power Rowing Challenge is officially under way.
And Verve nutrition hours are every Thursday from 12PM – 1PM and from 5:30PM – 6:30PM. Please schedule schedule 20 minute blocks of one-on-one time or drop in for a quick question.
Complete as many rounds in twenty minutes as you can of:
2 Muscle-ups
4 Handstand Push-ups
8 KB Swings 32kg(24kg)
Post rounds to BTWB and compare to 130621
New Verve Nutrition Office Hours! – Maddie Berky
Is that Paleo? Can I Zone that? Screw it – I’m eating a donut… Nutrition is something in which we are all intimately involved and yet, it continues to be one of the trickiest aspects of health for many people- because it’s confusing. Duh! We are constantly bombarded with images in the media of what we “should be eating”… and then we enter the doors of a Crossfit gym. The rules have all changed. Bacon is our friend. Whole wheat pasta is that mean girl at school who always pretended to be nice but really spent her time secretly destroying our entire existence. Jigga what?! Where do we orient ourselves amidst a nutritional world that always seems to be shifting? Where do we go once we feel like we’ve established a solid footing in this blast from the past, whole foods eating way of existence? Bam! welcome to Verve nutrition office hours: Thursdays 12 – 1 and 5:30 – 6:30PM.
Just so you know what you are getting yourself into, here is a little about me. I made the shift over to Paleo about 2 years ago. Everything changed when I started eating whole foods: my energy, my skin, my lack of hunger blackouts, but mostly the guilt that had been so acute in my relationship with food for years was absent. I was suddenly eating food that made me feel good. Subsequently, I have immersed myself into the holistic health world, and a little over a year ago I started my blog: paleogirlinthecity.com, as a vehicle to help people feel powerful – through the food that they eat, and the work that they do both in and outside of the gym. Health has always been multifaceted and extremely personal to me. It is not a one-size fits all equation and it is not binary – purely about food or purely about the number of hours spent in the gym – it’s everything, and it’s complicated, and it’s fascinating, and it’s coming at you live through Verve Nutrition office hours.
· Every Thursday from 12PM – 1PM and from 5:30PM – 6:30PM
· Questions about Paleo/Zone, pre/post WOD nutrition, etc.
· Schedule 20 minute blocks of one-on-one time or drop in for a quick question
Reminder that the Verve Fall Power Rowing Challenge is officially under way.
Here are the three categories to win (each is worth $75 Verve credit):
Classes must be signed in/attended on MBO and logged on BTWB or in a logbook to be checked at the end of the challenge.
Initial Test times/Sign-ups (Cost is $20/member and includes weekly email with rowing homework)
Saturday night is Verve Night out at Mile High Spirits. Mile High Spirits is located at 2920 Larimer St. We will be there from 7 PM on. Come celebrate with all your fellow Verve athletes.
Complex: Snatch Deadlift+Hang Snatch+Overhead Squat
then
EMOM 8 Minutes: 2 Snatches @ 80% of 1RM complex weight
Post weight to BTWB.
We’ve been running the competitors class for 9 weeks now and we’ve had a great turnout. Athletes are excelling in the environment and pushing each other to levels they didn’t know were there. If you haven’t come by the competitor class on Weds night or Saturday afternoon, please do. The class is open to all athletes and completely scaleable to all ability levels. We’ve just ended our oxidative build and will be moving more towards high skill gymnastics over the next cycle. If you are looking for extra help on those tough gymnastics movements, make sure you stop by.
Speaking of competitors class, there are some great local competitions coming up. The Lodo Open is on October 12. We had a bunch of Verve athletes participate last year and Zink and Addie won the partner division. The weights for the competition are all based on your body weight. This provides an equal playing field for all participants. For information about the competition, click HERE.
As discussed in a previous post, we will be having in an in house competition to determine our team for the Conquer Denver Competition. Most likely the date for the in house competition will be November 2nd. We are still finalizing the date, but it’s looking like the first weekend in November is the choice. The team needs 5 men and 5 women so if you are interested in competing on the Verve team plan on the first weekend in November.
Girls Gone RX is next weekend and we have a bunch of females competing. Show your support and go check out the Verve teams next weekend. We will provide more details later in the week with regard to heat times and participants. The same night, September 28th, we will have a Verve night out at Mile High Spirits to celebrate all the athletes that participated in Girls Gone RX. This will be a great opportunity to see all your fellow athletes outside the gym walls.
If you are participating in other competitions please post to comments. The Verve family always shows up so be sure to let us know where and when you’ll be competing so we can show the love.
Tabata row
Rest 1 minute
Tabata handstand push-up
Rest 1 minute
Tabata pistols (alternating)
Rest 1 minute
Tabata medicine ball cleans
The Tabata interval is 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 intervals. Tabata score is the least number of reps performed in any of the eight intervals. Unit for the row is calories.
Post times to BTWB and Compare to 120913
I was reading an older article on The Poliquin Blog and wanted to share it with Verve. The name of the article is: Thirteen Training & Nutrition Facts We All Agree On—And 13 Things We Don’t. I like these types of articles because they tend to get the conversation going since each person has their own point of view.
Click HERE for the full archived article.
Below are a few of the “Facts” and “Lies” that I found interesting.
Fact: You can build amazing abs with compound lifts (squats, deads, chins, clean, snatch, lunges, presses, pulls). You can showcase those abs by maintaining a low body fat. This is CrossFit. This is what we do on a daily basis and the reason why so many of you have amazing mid sections.
Fact: Whey protein rules for building muscle in conjunction with resistance training. It is “fast” digesting, making the amino acids available quickly for protein uptake into muscle for maximal gains. It has a superior amino acid profile of all protein sources, and it raises the most important antioxidant, glutathione, which is only produced inside the body to fight off disease. We talk about having something/anything after you workout to help in recovery and aid in muscle growth. Whey is a convenient option if you don’t want to bring real food to the gym.
Sotts press
5 – 5 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1
With a partner complete as many reps of the following barbell complex as possible in eight minutes:
Snatch grip deadlift, 95# (65#)
Hang power snatch
Overhead squat
Snatch balance
1 person works while the other rests, 1 complex per person.
Post loads and reps to BTWB
TODAY- Luke’s Goal Setting class will be at 1:30 pm. Come hear about how to set positive, realistic, and achievable goals for yourself. Sign up on MBO.
SATURDAY- Courtney is hosting a free Nutrition Lecture. All are welcome to attend and learn about eating for health and eating for performance. Sign up on MBO.
Genetic Endowments – By Chris slaughter
Every once in a while we see a “freak of nature” or someone who was born with a genetic mutation that was significantly favorable. Eero Mantyranta was a world champion cross country skier. He was born with bone marrow that overproduced red blood cells by about 65% compared to average humans. This gave him an incredible aerobic capacity. Donald Thomas was a high jumper and had super long Achilles tendons (similar to a kangaroo). He won the world championships in high jump after less than a year of training because he was genetically born with extremely long Achilles tendons which made his vertical leap unbelievable. Kenya and Ethiopian runners have a higher percentage of bodyweight at torso vs limbs (that’s why they look really skinny). Weight at the end of extremities has to move a big distance and that requires a lot more energy than moving small parts around and keeping most of the mass (the torso) not moving in relation very much. This is speculated as a physiological adaptation over centuries so that the body cools easily (think volume of limbs vs. surface area, a linear increase vs. squared) and it makes them incredibly efficient runners. Baseball players have much better than 20/20 vision (about 90% of them better than 20/15). When’s the last time you saw a baseball player wearing prescription glasses? It is also allowed for baseball players to have surgical procedures to drastically improve vision (and basically expected now). It’s also allowed by MLB to have surgery to entirely replace tendons in throwing arms.
The Contention of Level Playing Field
Is it fair to have genetic dispositions? Does fairness matter? Is that an intrinsic part of human competition or should the field be leveled? Think about it, everyone has the same level of neurological capacity, muscular and stamina capacity. Wouldn’t everyone finish and perform the exact same? It would come down only to who wanted it more. Genetics give us a base of who we are; and in some cases limit us. This is why people feel the need to turn to performance enhancers. But what if in basketball it’s now acceptable to surgically replace the Achilles tendon even though there is nothing wrong with it to give higher vertical jumps. What if in Olympic weightlifting, bones lengths are modified for optimum bar path. What if in CrossFit gene therapy is legally used to increase red blood cell count and hormone excretion levels to build muscle? What do you guys think?
Want a nice little snack post WOD today? Stop by Tender Belly @ 3200 Larimer St from 11:30-2:30 pm for some tasty treats at their food cart. www.tenderbelly.com
