"Nate"
Complete as many rounds in twenty minutes:
2 Muscle-ups
4 Handstand push-ups
8 Kettlebell swings, 32kg (24kg)

Post rounds to comments and BTWB.

Chief Petty Officer Nate Hardy was killed Sunday February 4th during combat operations in Iraq. Nate is survived by his wife, Mindi, and his infant son Parker.

Last week, while amidst the pain of the "Smalls" hero WOD, some kind, amazing coaching tried to coax me to "find my happy place," but I have to say all that came to mind were inappropriate retorts and negative self-talk.  I had to tame my brain immediately and focus on, "lay-down, get-up" and keep moving through my burpees.  You see, I love to strategize my workouts, to work the numbers to keep me moving, to find the "fun" part of the "fun—>suck–>fun" cycle we have in CrossFit.  But really, let's be honest, my happy place would involve either heavy deadlifts or sleeping an extra 2 hours in a dark, air-conditioned room without the worry of listening for a toddler.

Point is, that sometimes CrossFit teaches us to accept suffering.  That's right, accept that it will hurt for a while and we will survive. No, I'm not talking about sustaining an injury and working out through it.  It's the mental and emotional breakdown from working through weaknesses, when we are tired, out-of-breath, when our body says, "stop and rest."  It's accepting that we are stronger than we think and training our body to work hard is worth it in the end.  This acceptance to stay in the "suck" part of the cycle, or the "pain-cave" and work through it is never more appropriate than during these Hero WODs such as last week, yesterday, and today.  These are heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice and don't get the opportunity to come home, to fight again, to love again, or to accept what tomorrow has for them.  

So, this doesn't mean that you've got to batter and break your body, or even do these Hero WOD's Rx'd–I didn't even do that WOD last week as such, but it was just as tough and meaningful to me.  What it means is to find the challenge in what's in front of you, tell yourself you'll overcome it, and get to work grinding it out.  You'll be thankful you did, albeit afterward.  

"Badger"

Complete 3 rounds for time of:
30 squat cleans, 95(65)#
30 pull-ups
Run 800 meters

Post time to comments and BTWB

Crossfit is not a delicate sport. Our own bodies are a testament to the rugged work we do. We have torn hands, bruised shins, rope burned ankles, and sore/ achy muscles. As we get beat up by our workout so does the equipment we use. Just as is it important to take care of ourselves, it is also important to take care of the equipment that gets us through the WOD. A few items have found themselves the worse for wear, completely to be expected. However some of these items were found in this state of disrepair long after they got that way. Equipment breaks. Equipment that gets used breaks. Equipment that gets used the way it was intended and with great frequency, breaks. Life goes on and things get replaced. The key is for the trainers of Verve to be aware of it so we may replace it quicker. Should something break while in your care, or if you go to use something and find it broken please let a trainer know. We strive to have a clean gym filled with the best toys. We want you to have access to as much working equipment as possible, if we don’t know we can’t do anything about it, and that’s really just sad for you.

Although we are knowing rough on our equipment it is still important to take as much care of it as possible. We want to increase the life span of our equipment for as long as possible. Some things to think about: returning all barbells, dumbbells, and kettle bells to the ground with control. Tossing or dropping these items from a height above the waist cannot only damage the equipment but also the flooring . . . any maybe anyone whose shins happen to be in the neighborhood of your bouncing barbell. The safety of ourselves and our fellow athletes is important in this matter too.

A few additional reminders for continued success in your training, “Ok, well don’t you think that the Samsonite people, in some crazy scheme to make a profit, made more then one black suitcase?” If you purchased a jump rope or wrist wraps or some other item that happens to be the same as the item purchased by your WOD buddy, may we recommend you put your name on it. Almost nightly we find equipment floating around after classes are done with no knowledge of whom it belongs to. To avoid lost items tag it with pride. If you are missing something a good place to look first is the Goodwill bin at the front of the gym. Anything we find unnamed we put there. The bins are emptied with their contents donated to Goodwill on the 15^th of every month.

Lastly, are you an AA, Adhesive Addict? Do you search for tape on the reg? Do you believe the great white roll has magical powers? We try to supply you with tape however it gets used at the discretion of every member of this gym, hence it's appearance is not guaranteed. Starting next month we will have 2 options for you for purchase, rock tape and white tape. These will be part of the inventory, you can purchase these by filling out the "retail check out sheet" up front. 

Your take home message:

Take care of the equipment and it will take care of you.
If it breaks, let us know. The sooner the better.
Rogue turns a profit, so put your name on it.
No name = Goodwill. Goodwill goes bye-bye on the 15^th, so check it out.
Adhesive Addicts can soon rejoice.

Happy WODing. Smooches.

"Nancy"

5 rounds for time of:
400 meter run
15 Overhead Squats 95#(65#)

Post time to BTWB

Before I get into my post about delicious Paleo Snacks for the summer, I wanted to take a moment to just say how damn fit everyone at Verve is.  It's amazing to see some of the transformations that have been made and you guys are all kicking ass.  Keep up the great work.

Now to the snacks.  I personally am not super strict with my diet as many of you know, but I realize that most of you are and have more will power than I do.  I do however read blogs and sites that cover healthy eating, even though I don't follow what they say, the information is definitely worth passing on.  Problem for me is there is always a good amount of either prep work or cooking work involved and neither of these are things I'm that good at.

This list is surprisingly easy to prepare and cook.  Ever tried bacon and guacamole sandwiches?  Even I can make these.  Simply smother some guacamole between two pieces of bacon and boom….a health delicious snack.

Some of personal favorites from the list are:

• Prosciutto wrapped asparagus…yep you guess it…wrap grilled asparagus with prosciutto and devour.  
• Bacon roasted brussels sprouts…bacon makes everything good.
• Bacon wrapped dates…see above comment.

​​The entire list has something for everyone and a lot of them are very friendly to the lazy or cooking illiterate.  Check out the list HERE and let us know what other tasty treats you have recipes for.  

As many reps as possible in 15 minutes of:

7 Power cleans, 155# (105#)
7 Knees to elbow
7 Handstand push-ups
30 Double-unders

Post rounds & reps to comments and BTWB

Injuries: Roadblock or Detour?

 Let us image ourselves at a point in our athletic career when we are constantly reaching and achieving our goals, if not completely blowing them out of the water. We are finally making those neurological connections and the transition in the muscle up has now been knocked off our “things to dominate” list. Now we start to make even loftier goals, when unexpectedly we have found ourselves side lined with an injury. My question to you now, in the peak of your performance, is this injury going to be a Hoover Dam sized road block or just an extra mile out of the way detour to those lofty goals, cause remember, you still have goals. Injuries can without doubt be devastating, not just physically but mentally as well. For any one who is active, whether for personal health, profession, or sport, you now have to worry about dealing with a body that isn’t working the way you want it to.

  In an article called “How to Overcome an Injury” by Carrie Cheadle, M.A. (click here to read full article), it states that there are two main “mental skills” that need to be embraced in order to deal with over coming your injury. “One of the most difficult and yet most important mental skills to focus on when you are injured is focusing on what you CAN do versus focusing on what you CAN’T do. When you are injured you can become consumed with all of the things you can no longer do. When you are injured, you are still an athlete. It feels like you aren’t because a piece of your identity has been taken away. You are no longer able to do what you are passionate about. Once you are injured, your “sport” is now your rehab and recovery and you need to shift your focus to that performance. You can become an elite athlete when it comes to recovering from your injury.” I once had an athlete tell me they were not going to log any of their times/ weights until they were back to where they were before they were injured, WHAT?!?! I ask you this, how will you know the progress you’ve made when you don’t even know where you started? Your performance during your recovery is just as important as your performance before your injury.

 “The second most difficult yet most important mental skill when it comes to overcoming an injury is managing your stress. Long-term psychological stress suppresses your immune system, it slows down your bodies ability to heal wounds. Stress hits us hardest when we feel like we have no control over a situation, like when we sustain an injury. Focusing on what you CAN do helps you feel more in control and feeling in control can lower your psychological stress. Decide to be the best you can be at your recovery. Stick to your rehab, rest when you need to, stay positive, keep moving forward, and most important – reach out for support when you need it.”

 When you find yourself injured acknowledge it, denial is not just a river in Egypt. Seek medical evaluation and find out your limitations/ restrictions. Bring that information to your friendly neighborhood Verve trainer and start working on a rehab plan, and then let’s rock that plan like we did our muscle up transitions!! Injuries do not need to be a roadblock that stops us dead in our tracks of athletic progress, they can be merely a detour. The end goal is the same, we just need to take a different, and little longer, path to get there. 

Quick reminder:

For time:
21 Deadlifts, 225# (155#)
50 Squats
21 Push press, 135# (95#)
15 Deadlifts, 225# (155#)
50 Squats
15 Push press, 135# (95#)
9 Deadlifts, 225# (155#)
50 Squats
9 Push press, 135# (95#)

Post times to comments and BTWB.

Hello CrossFit Verve!

Been wondering what that empty refrigerator in the front of the gym was for? Well, we are very happy to say that the fridge is no longer empty! We filled the refrigerator with meals this afternoon (Tuesday). 

Our company is called Noble Savage, and we are preparing Paleo quality meals in 40/30/30 proportions (Carbs, Protein, Fat- by Calorie contribution). 40/30/30 is the intent of the Zone diet. Every meal we serve is in this exact macronutrient proportion.

Most meals will come in two sizes- single serve meals and family size. Single serve is based off of 4 zone blocks, and family size is based off 10. Four-block meals will cost between $9 and $12.

The vending refrigerator uses RF ID cards that you can pick up at the refrigerator. You can set up an account right at the machine using a smart phone, or you can take a card with you and set it up later. What is a vending refrigerator you ask? It is a regular commercial refrigerator that we have added some vending technology to. Here is how it works.

Step 1: Pick up a Noble Savage RFID card (we have some at the refrigerator).

Step 2: Go to our website, www.noblesavagefoods.com, and click on “activate card.”

Step 3: Set up your account according to the instructions (don’t worry, you only do this once).

Step 4: Load your account with whatever amount of money you wish. If you end up with an odd amount remaining on your card, you can still make a purchase, and our system will just charge your card for the difference between your balance and what the meal cost.

Step 5: Once you have set up your account and loaded your card, all you do is wave your card in front of the refrigerator. Since it works via RFID, you don’t even need to take it out of your purse or wallet.

Step 6: The refrigerator recognizes your card and opens the fridge. Feel free to look at all of the delicious items wehave painstakingly prepared for you. Yes, just you. Well, to be fair, Luke said we had to let him have some too. If you pick up an item and put it back, nothing happens. No hotel minibar mishaps here.

Step 7: When you close the door, the fridge uses scales underneath all of the items to figure out if you removed something (could be one item, two of the same, or several different items in different quantities), then displays what you just bought on the screen and relocks the fridge.

Step 8: Scurry home or on to the office, heat up your meal according to the instructions on the package, and enjoy!

Please protect your RFID card! People can use it to open the fridge and make charges to your account if you leave it laying about. Not that anyone would do that (Clancy), but please do be careful with it.

We have posted a video of Jake doing a demonstration of the fridge on youtube, please check it out here:http://youtu.be/57OFDgeN1H0

We want you all to know that we really want your feedback! We are honored to be placing our first refrigerator at Verve. We sincerely appreciate both your patience, and any suggestions you may have for improving the experience. Please send all of your comments to info@noblesavagefoods.com.

Complete as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:
15 ft Rope Climb, 1 ascent
10 Ring dips
20 Wall balls 20#(14#)

Post rounds to BTWB.

Did you know that June 5th was World Environment Day and food waste was the central theme?  In developed countries 1.3 billion tons of perfectly edible food is wasted each year.  Just one quarter of that wasted food could feed the hungry the world over.  The USA is a big contributor as you probably figured, wasting, according to some sources, as much as 40% of our food annually.  Food waste also contributes heavily to landfils.  You want a dollar amount?  How about $165 billion lost annually.  

A few small changes can make a big difference.  Click HERE for the full article and list.  Here’s the ones I found most helpful and easiest to follow.  

Shop Smart.  Have a list and a plan for what you’re buying.  Plan out meals in advance so when you go to the store you buy only what you know you’re going to need for the meals you are going to make.

Buy Exactly What You Need.  Similar to the shop smart, but if your recipe calls for two carrots, don’t buy a whole bag.  

Monitor What you Throw Away.  For one week write down everything you throw away.  This data will lead to better buying decisions.

Designate One Meal a Week as a Use It Up Meal.  Check what you have in the fridge and cabinets and make a meal out of it.  Whether it’s leftovers or if you overbought for another recipe, put it together for a meal.

Lots of additional tips can be found at the link above.  Do you have any good tips?  Respond to the comments section and share your ideas.

For time:

100 pull-ups
100 kettle bell swings 24kg (16kg)
100 double unders
100 overhead squats 95# (65#)

Post times to comments and BTWB 

Yo, what’s the deal with rhabdo? (part 2)

We have previously discussed what is rhabdo (short for rhabdomyolysis) and defined some commonly used terms (eccentric vs. concentric movement). I used an example of how someone may get rhabdo with the kipping pull up. That again is only one example. There are other causes as well as several risk factors that can bring about the dreaded rhabdo. Those include, but are not limited to, severe trauma, burns, heatstroke, seizures, viral infections, alcohol/ drug use, some prescription medications such as statins for high cholesterol, and, of most concern to us in the Crossfit community, intense muscle exertion.

So how do we, as much as we possibly can, work to prevent rhabdo in our athletes? One way is scaling. Crossfit is infinitely scaleable. Scaling does not mean you are weak, less of an athlete, or somehow inferior. Scaling is a tool used to help you grow as an athlete, increase your strength and capacity, and keep you safe. If you are new to Crossfit fresh from the foundations program, you may be given fewer rounds, reps, or weight. If you were once a collegiate athlete and find yourself de-conditioned and getting back into working out, you may be given fewer rounds, reps, or weight. If you are recovering from an injury along with the above you will get modified movements to support your rehabilitation. All of this can, and should, be done at an intensity level relative to your abilities.

There is, however, the possibility of over scaling and, in doing so, yet another way to get rhabdo. I will use the pull up as an example. There are WODS that literally contain hundreds of pull-ups, i.e. “Angie”. An athlete who has never done more then 50 total pull ups in a WOD before decides they are going for all 100 today. They grab their blue band and at 3,2,1, go they’re gone. Somewhere around pull up #40 they have dropped down to sets of 2 pull-ups at a time and they are no longer getting their chin over the bar, so they grab a green band. The green band helps then start moving through again but the new pull up momentum is short lived. The athlete again is doing pull ups in sets of two but neither one is to chin over the bar. So the athlete grabs the blue band and adds it to the green band and the cycle continues. This is called progressive scaling. This athlete has gone to failure at every scale used to get through a volume of work literally double anything they have ever done. This is a recipe for rhabdo. This athlete was right to grab a band for their scale, but this is a case where this athlete needed to be scaled on their reps as well. Muscles fatigue during workouts, it’s okay to adjust a scale or add one during a workout to account for this, but as athletes we cannot go to total muscle failure and progressively scale through it. There is a recent post written on a Crossfit discussion board about progressive scaling along with “Top 10 ways to avoid giving a client rhabdo”. It is directed towards the Crossfit trainer, however it is a good read to understand why trainers do what they do, click here to read it.

Should you unfortunately get rhabdo, here are a few signs and symptoms: 1) pain out of proportion to the amount of soreness you would expect, often coming on much faster than you would expect after a workout, and often accompanied with weakness, 2) swelling of the body part involved, either with or without pain, 3) decreased urine output or darkened urine the color of tea or coco cola. If you have any of these signs and symptoms you need to get to a doctor and determine its extent and treatment.

The moral of the story . . . don’t mess with rhabdo, it’s no joke. And wasps nests, don’t mess with those either, it wasn’t in the story but its just good advice.

For time:

Run 1600 Meters
Row 2000 Meters
Run 1200 Meters
Row 1500 Meters
Run 800 Meters
Row 1000 Meters
Run 400 Meters
Row 500 Meters

Post times to comments and BTWB.

Lifestyle Choices Can Affect Our Genetic Make-Up  ~ Luke Palmisano

Many times in my life I have told myself all the things I cannot do. I can’t deadlift “x” amount of weight.  I can’t run “this” fast.  I can only be so strong, because my body is what it is.  I am born with a certain type of body, with certain strengths.  To an extent, this is true.  I can’t ever be a defensive tackle in the NFL, because I can’t even imagine what I would have to do to my body to be able to weigh close to 300 pounds, while at the same time running a 4.8 40-yard-dash.  Probably some mean conconction of steroids and methemphetamines.  

That being said, we never want to think that we cannot affect within our body how our genes areexpressed. 

David Rakel, MD, is the director of integrative medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. He speaks of the term “epigenetics,” which could be defined as what empowers people to take control of their health by making choices that may override their genetic code.  Rakel says behavior and environment can affect how those genes are “expressed,” that is, how the information in a gene gets translated into proteins.

How may a gene express itself? If left unchecked, it may express itself in ways that it normally would for people in your family. If cancer is common in your family, that is how your genes may tilt toward expressing themselves.  Same with strokes, hypertension, diabetes, ect. So what does that mean for us?

A 2007 study by Dr. Steven Schroeder of the University of California-San Francisco concluded  the largest influence on the risk of death in America is attributed to personal behavior, such as smoking, obesity, and stress.  You could define what we put in our body as creating the “environment” our genes exist in.  Not just for us, but for future generations.  How we feel, and what we put into our bodies will affect our health.  Tests on lab rats showed that mothers who have the gene that increases the risk of diabetes, but who ate healthy foods (evidently fed garlic, beets, and onions), not only stayed healthy themselves, but influenced the expression of those genes in their offspring.  

So if we choose to be happier, more forgiving people, and choose to eat our fruits and veggies, evidence is beginning to show that this will leave a mark on our code that can be passed on.

Moon
Seven rounds for time of:
10 right arm dumbbell hang split snatch 40(25#)
15 ft Rope Climb, 1 ascent
10 left arm dumbbell hang split snatch 40#(25#)
15 ft Rope Climb, 1 ascent
Alternate feet in the split snatch sets

Post time to BTWB.

Well it’s here, or just about here anyways.  Summer.  Summer means many things, nice weather, outdoor fitness activities, Rockies games, barbecues, etc.  I know most of us have our diets pretty dialed in, but we’ll be hanging out with our friends and family who just don’t quite get the importance diet plays to overall health.  We try not to judge but inside I know we’re all thinking how can he eat that or how many of those did he just eat?

Did you know that food can be just as addicting as drugs?  New research suggest that there are strong similarities between drug addictions and food addictions.  The insight comes from addiction expert Francisco Leri.  In his study presented at the Canadian Association for Neuroscience, Leri’s findings showed how foods how in high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and taste enhancers stimulated similar reactions in rats brains such as hard drugs like cocaine.  So how does this relate to humans?  Leri suggests that like cocaine, people may try it, but only certain people become addicted.  The same holds true with food.  Many people may eat food high in sugar, taste enhancers, and high fructose corn syrup, but not everyone is obese, which illustrates that not everyone has the same addictive traits.

Another study involving mice reported similar results.  Mice were fed a diet of not so good food, think twinkies in human food, for six weeks.  After the six weeks the mice were put back on a health diet, think kale in human food.  The mice experienced severe withdrawal symptoms including anxiety and intense cravings.  The researchers also noted that the food withdrawal symptoms brains of mice closely resembled the mice brains that were going through cocaine withdrawal.

In a human study, researches measure the brain activity of 48 healthy women who were showed a picture of a chocolate milkshake and then tasted the milk shake.  Women with a higher potential to develop food addiction show heightened anticipation in the brain upon seeing food, yet their brains did not recognize satisfaction after trying to fulfill the cravings.

The takeaway is that researches are now finding that food addiction can be just as powerful as hard drug addiction.  Just another reason to control what we put in our bodies.

Power clean 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

Post weights to BTWB.

Verve Athlete Profile: Charles  Scheuber

Where are you from?

I’m from Denver born and raised.

How long have you been CrossFitting?

I’ve been Crossfitting for 7 month now. I played collegiate baseball which made for an easy transfer to Crossfit.

What is your favorite workout?

Hero WOD’s are my favorite when ever I can show my love for my country and honor the people who died protecting us just is so awesome. 

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I enjoy playing any sport that will keep me active. I also enjoy getting into the wilderness and getting a little rugged. 

What is one of your best/favorite goals you have accomplished since you started CrossFit? 

 My greatest goal that I have achieved so far was when I snatched 200 pounds.

Anything you would like to add?

The Lord is my rock who gives me strength and I glorify His name in everything that I do.

It’s great to have you as a part of Verve Charlie and we look forward to seeing some ridiculous numbers this year!