Without trunk flexion, you aren’t working the abs…. right?
At first glance, the GHD sit-up appears to rely almost soley on the hip flexors to lift the torso from the back position (hyperextension) of the sit-up. But rest assured, the abdominals are utilized for both midline stabilization and assisting the movement from hyperextension to flexion. Don’t believe me? Ask an athlete who appears to have some experience if he/she has ever performed the “GHD slither”.
While the hip flexors (rectus femoris and iliopsoas) are doing the vast majority of the work raising the trunk, the abdominals exhibit the the worst of the delayed onset muscle soreness. This is because the work being done by the abs is in isometric contraction (static stabilization). To avoid the slither, start by only lowering to a position parallel to the floor (horizontal). With a partner there to spot you, perform 10 or so reps and see how your body reacts. Increase the range of motion as you build capacity on the GHD, but always limit repetitions as you add ROM.
This is a very fancy term. I love fancy terms; they make me feel so smart when I regurgitate them. What does Delay Onset Muscle Soreness mean? It means your body feels really sore after a workout. Specifically, the period 48-72 hours after a workout. Why does this happen?
Basically, when we provide the body with a new, and unexpected activity, said activity works the body in ways it may not have been prepared for. Muscles that have not had to lengthen and contract in quite a while now have to do so quite a bit. Muscle tears ensue, as does soreness. The more intense the activity, the more intense the soreness. This explains how you may have felt after your first Crossfit workout.
This is not really a bad thing. It is important to discern between muscle soreness, and muscle pain that you feel from injury. Your body hurting from DOMS is from the body’s natural healing action. So don’t fret. That being said, there are ways to fight off DOMS in the future.
1.) Work out regularly. After a workout, the body reacts and adapts aggressively to prevent future damage and soreness. Muscles grow stronger.
2.) Do not take fish oil directly following a WOD. Fish oil is amazing, and we want to consume at least 3-5 grams a day. However, one of fish oil’s many fantastic effects is that it is an anti-inflammatory. The body’s muscular inflammation is a healing response. We do not want to inhibit it. Try taking your fish oil when you wake, or before you go to sleep at night.
3.) A proper cool down. No cool down = stiff muscles. Some of us are incredibly stiff to begin with. Not cooling down with any activity or stretching is a recipe for future injury, and contributes to DOMS.
Finally, remember: The worst thing you can do if you are suffering from DOMS is nothing. Be active, and the symptoms will subside much faster.
Sometimes we are lucky enough to meet people that inspire us. It’s not always easy to explain why they inspire us, but they do. Dan is one of those people for me. I’m not sure if it’s his infection and amazing attitude or his willingness to try anything, but I am alway happier after spending a few minutes or a class with Dan. He defies what we perceive as possible and for that, he inspires. Thank you Dan, whether you realize it or not you have given us all a gift.
What inspires all of you? Please post to comments and or link videos!
Nadim taking his friend the kettlebell for a walk around the block.
Hey Verve Peeps! The Colorado Sabertooths are a NEW indoor lacrosse pro team in Denver, featuring our very own KEVIN TAIT. They are an expansion team in the MILA. They only have 2 home games this season because they are new, but this is a great opportunity to check out a fun and exciting sport! The team is coached by Colorado Mammoth star and current Long Island Lizard Brian Langtry along with Mammoths John Gallant as the assistant coach.
The two home games are Aug 24th (Madison) and Aug 25th (Chicago). Both games start at 7:30pm at Pepsi Center. All concessions will be open and beer will be served. There is a Meet & Greet with the players after.
Tickets are $10 and can be bought directly from Kevin, at the gate OR we do have some here available at the gym! There’s a sign-up sheet on a clipboard at the front, please just fill it out and let us know so we can get your $ and give you your tickets! Come support Kevin in his athletic endeavors!
Imagine for a moment a large chili roaster absent of it’s chilies… you’ve seen them at the grocery stores. I’m going to ask you to write as many skills and drills that you can possibly think of onto individual sheets of paper, which we’ll throw inside the roaster. The only rule is that these skills and drills must be measurable, observable, and repeatable.
For example, I’d throw a 400m run for time in the roaster. I could also throw 30 muscle-ups for time and max distance handstand walk in the roaster. Others might think that a 1RM deadlift might be a good addition to the roaster. As many skills and drills as we can think of need to fill the roaster.
Now, with the roaster is full to the very opening, we can give it a turn and start picking tests of our fitness. CrossFit’s contention is that he or she that is the fittest will perform statistically the best across ALL skills and drills. Now that doesn’t mean that the individual needs to win any of the events. Rather, it simply means that the fittest athletes will perform well at all of the events in the roaster.
But wait, there’s one more thing to consider… what would you least like to see come from the roaster? 30 Muscle-ups for time? 5k Run for time… This exercise can also tell us alot about our weaknesses. If you fear seeing any skills or drills, your general physical preparedness would benefit from you attacking these weaknesses. Pursue a well rounded ability at any and all tasks by bringing your weaknesses up to speed.
Come and join the fun at the drive-in movie this Friday night, August 17th at 88 drive in. The address is 8780 Rosemary Street, Commerce City. Gates open at 7pm.
Showings are as follows:
Ice Age Continental Drift
The Dark Knight Rises
Ted
Bring lawn chairs, kids, coolers, and dogs. We can meet at the gym at 6pm and combine car loads. Price is $8/person. Post to comments if you’re going to make it!!!
Start by taking 10% off 1RM back squat, then add 20#
Back squat 75% x5 reps 85% x3 reps 95% x1 reps +
Then complete, three rounds for time:
9 Front squats, 185# (125#) 9 Parallette handstand push-ups
Post time to comments and BTWB.
The name is Bosch, Aaron Bosch.
We love to move our bodies in CrossFit. We use these functional, safe, natural movements to train our body at high intensity, constantly varied and we get results. We are sticklers for training movements through full range of motion, because, well, that’s what life demands! We want you to be able to get up off the ground when needed, or pull your body up over something when life gives it to you.
Another great way to build/maintain strength is through isometric exercises. These static holds maintain a single position without movement, and so they will only improve strength in that single position. Muscle length does not change, and there is no visible movement around a joint. These are a great way to improve core stability and rehabilitation for injuries without putting undue stress upon a joint.We implore you that position is key. Moving through full range of motion takes your body through a series of these positions. So spend time in handstand holds, wall sits, plank holds regularly throughout the week either in an interval format or accumulate a period of time and try to decrease your amount of attempts. All of our coaches can help you get in a good position, then 3-2-1-Go!
This Saturday, August 18th please join us for our next Swimming Workshops and WODs at Berkeley Pool.Sign up here! Free to Verve members, $10 for visitors. We’ll even have open swim fun time (read possible slackline challenge over water) starting at 11am. Then we’ll break out the BBQ’s and play in the park. Bring your families out for a good time!
I recently attended a Coaches Prep course in Boulder. This would be a course to help coaches transition to the highly anticipated Crossfit Coaches Certification, possibly coming within the next 3-6 months. The biggest import that I got from these two days was the need for attention to detail. The movements that we coach at Crossfit Verve (functional, multi-jointed movements) are so rich, you really can’t stop getting to know them. You simply keep peeling back layers to discover how you can further refine them. To do this, you have to know the movement, study it, and then be able to “see” it.
Seeing a movement can be a fairly ambiguous term. If you pick up a PVC pipe, put it on your shoulders, and jump it over your head, I could see that you were trying to do a push jerk. But it that all? If your hips don’t extend on your drive, do I see that? If your knees dip in on your dip, do I see that? If your mechanics are solid, can I “see” how maybe I can still improve that movement? That is our challenge as coaches. To constantly know, and see the movements better. As in any craft, the learning never stops. Attention to detail is very important to the coaching staff at Verve. We consider the pursuit of it our responsibility, and we hope it shows.
Start by taking 5% off 1RM bench press, then add 10#
Bench press 70% x3 reps 80% x3 reps 90% x3 reps +
As a team of two: 8 Stone to shoulder, 145#(100#) 8 Rope climbs 6 Stone to shoulder, 145#(100#) 6 Rope climbs 4 Stone to shoulder, 145#(100#) 4 Rope climbs 2 Stone to shoulder, 145#(100#) 2 Rope climbs
Post time to comments or BTWB.
Five trainers, a grass field, a couple of friendly teenagers to snap 15 pictures and NO trampoline. #usingtheirfitness
Injury prevention, listening to your body, and lessons learned from a common girl with a common body and common problems!
So… This is a topic I’ve been wanting to write about for a long time. Through a desire to be as healthy as I can and heal the ailments that have plagued me on my path, I’ve learned so much about the human body and what true health is. To me health is maintaining or increasing my quality of life as it relates to my physical self or psychological self. If I am injured or have pain, that is a direct contradiction to that definition.
Over the course of my quest I have; broken ribs, broken my wrist, broken my elbow, torn ligaments in my shoulder, herniated two lumbar discs, bulged a disc and tore a disc, recovered from two pregnancies, and random other “pains”. All of these things are not uncommon, if you take a laundry list of your injuries and issues yours may look just as long if not longer. So the issue with us human animals isn’t whether or not we will get hurt, it is how do we prevent it when we can, how do we listen to our bodies and how to rehab ourselves back to 100%.
When you feel something that just isn’t right. The absolute worse thing we can do is nothing. For instance, my calves get unusually tight and painful after running, box jumps or any jumping. It’s not an unbearable pain nor does it prevent me from doing any movements. It basically slows me down and irritates me (This is what I would call a warning sign). If I did nothing, it would either stay the same or get worse and cause a real injury. So that is not an option. The other no, no that we see a lot, is people just take two weeks or a month off of doing anything. Granted there are occasions where this may actually work just fine (like a stabbing wound), but it usually leaves people weaker then before the warning sign. When they come back they are actually more likely to get injured because they start right where they left off and the body is not primed or ready for that.
Here are some things to consider when you are feeling a “warning sign”:
Remember this above all else, Most Injuries need blood flow, that is how our tissues get nutrients to heal (Not in the case of the stabbing wound). There are MANY way to achive this blood flow.
Moving your body in a position of rehab is a great way to get blood to the area. When I injured my back I did 10 good mornings every single time I thought about it through out the day.
Mobility – including trigger point, LAX balls, mashing, rollers. This can even be done with a water bottle that’s been frozen, bands, dynamic stretching, pvc work etc. Many times regular mobility can fix a problem. You just have to be consistent and be mobilizing the right spots. For instance; if I trigger point roll by lower legs for 10 minutes before running or jumping, I have absolutely no issues with the tissue. If I was to do that everyday, I’d heal it and not just keep it at bay!
Talked to a coach – This can be helpful at any time, but know that they can help you to scale your WOD as to not further nag your injury. Or help you develop a plan with mobilization and movement progressions. Please keep in mind that all the trainers do personal training and are happy to take anywhere from 1/2 hour to an hour with you one-on-one to develop a plan to help you progress. This is especially helpful when coming back from and injury/surgery etc.
Go seek out side help- I do this regularly and when anything comes up that I know just isn’t right. I would much rather prevent and injury then spend months healing one. Not to mention the cost savings. As many of you know we regular use Dr. Jason Gridley for “tune-ups”. It is amazing what some dry-needling, electricity or ART can do for an injury. It doesn’t have to be him, but some knowledgeable outside help so that you know exactly what is going on!
If your injury is acute – The way that you treat a “warning sign” or “injury” in the first 48 hours determines your total rate of recovery. In other words, don’t treat it and it will take twice as long to heal.
In closing, all injuries have the capacity to heal. You have to believe that and do everything in your power to make that happen in order to have the best quality of life that you can have. When something is ailing you it is your responsibility to take action. So while frustration may over come you at times, f++k the frustration and get on with the healing!
For time: Run 1600 meters 150 Double-unders 30 Pistols Run 800 meters 100 Double-unders 20 Pistols Run 400 meters 50 Double-unders 10 Pistols
Post time to comments or BTWB.
Julia rockin' speed deads and getting silly strong.
Spending a fortune on food? Here are some tips to save some cash.
Waste not want not The average household wastes 15% of their food. That adds up to $15 for every $100 you spend on food. Consider using your leftovers in lettuce wraps, omelets, crock pot surprises or soups (veggies that are about to go bad are great to add to the crock pot and soups). Make your own stock out of your meat and veggie trimmings. Clean out your refrigerator, you’d be amazed at how this helps decrease waste. Take a day off from cooking, make your family forage to eat (no cooking, once a week) and find things you didn’t know were there.
Cook whole foods at home. At least decrease your going out to eat meals. Half of meals are reported to be eaten away from home. Packing your lunch can be a great place to start. While many people say they don’t have time, it takes just as long to “go out” and costs more per meal and you get less.
Make batches. If you’re going to make a nice lunch or dinner, why not make enough for another meal later that week? Don’t like eating the same meal twice in a week, freeze it. It cost significantly less to buy a little more ingredients for one meal then it does to buy all the ingredients for another. It also saves time.
Fight the urge to BUY. Keep a shopping list and STICK to it. More then 40% of purchases at the grocery store are impulse buys. Avoid shopping for food when you are really hungry.
Eat seasonally. Fruits and veggies are cheaper in there are in season. If you want something to do with the kids or are a stickler for free you can also “glean in season”. Call up local farmers and se if they take volunteers for picking and bring a lot of boxes! Here is a great place to start: Local Growers Directory. Many times memberships to CSA can be reduced for volunteers hours.
Fill your life with vegetables. Veggies are not only great for you but they ARE the cheapest carbohydrates around. Gobble them up and find a little extra in the wallet this month.
Snack on real food. Seems obvious enough but snack foods are a big budget drainer. Prepare real food snacks like celery and hard boiled eggs or make your own snack mixes with nuts and coconut. Homemade snack mixes are about 70% cheaper then store bought versions and you get to put in it what YOU want.
Folks it’s a big fat lie that eating healthy is more expensive. What’s expensive is laziness. Employ a few of the tips above and see an instant decrease in your ever growing food bill.
Saturday, August 18th @ Berkeley Park: Swimming Workshop and WODs at 9am, 10am, and open swim (playtime) at 11am. Cost is FREE to Verve members and $10 non-members. We’re moving it back west this time so we can enjoy some more cannonball contests AND barbecue at the park following the classes. We’ll have the slackline out, grills going, and multiple games ready for you. Please bring your families and be prepared to have fun! CrossFit Verve FUN in the SUN day. CrossFit Kids will also be held outside on this day at Berkeley Park so they can join the fun.
