Four rounds for max reps:

Body weight floor press
Pull-ups
Body weight back squat

Rest 3:00

Post total reps to comments.

Robyn getting elevated while Cecily plans how to destroy the bar.

Wooo doggy!!  We found a way to have your next ho down with some root’n toot’n good BBQ!  This recipe gives you that tangy taste without that added sugar.  You can use this BBQ sauce with pork or beef ribs, so go out and wrangle you up a tasty protein and have a grand ole time.  Yeee haaawww!!

Ingredients: 
The protein of your choice, I used beef short ribs from Costco, 1oz per 1P
12oz can of tomato paste  -6C
2cups of beef broth  -freebie
4 cloves of garlic chopped  -zilch
2Tbls of cumin
1Tbls of chili powder
1 1/3Cups of finely chopped onions  -2C
3Tbls of dijon mustard  -nada
2Tbls of apple cider vinegar  -nope

Preparation:
Place all of the above ingredients in a croc pot and let it cook on low for 8 hours.  That is it folks! Set it and forget it. Go to Verve and get your WOD on, then come back home to the good stuff.  The BBQ sauce will be 1C per cup.   

Sweet potato hash:
4 sweet potatoes diced  32C
Sprinkle cinnamon to taste
Sprinkle cayenne to taste
2Tbs of Olive oil  18F

Pre-heat the oven to 400F.  Cut the sweet potatoes in small cubes and place them in a pyrex dish.  Coat with oil and sprinkle the cinnamon and cayenne.  Mix together and place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.  

Split this hash into 1/3Cup for 1C and .5F

Do not forget about the nutrition talk on Wednesday night at 7:30.  

Deadlift 

3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3

Post loads to comments.

CrossFit Open is over, as the numbers roll in, what are everyones experiences?

"Nancy"

Five rounds for time of:
400m Run
15 Overhead squats, 95#/65#

Post time to comments. 

The CrossFit Open come to a close… what did you think?

Three rounds for time of:

100m Run 
50 Push-ups
100m Run
50 Sit-ups
100m Run
50 Squats
100m Run
50 Good mornings, 45#

Post time to comments. 

Coach Nicole (Roots) & Coach Emmalee getting judged during 11.5.

Timing Rules Explained:

During our nutrition workshops we discuss the timing of your meals and associated rules.  Let's review.

First and foremost, you must eat five meals a day.  By planning ahead, scheduling your 5 meals (3 meals and 2 snacks) will make your day more structured and ensure that you are able to stay in the Zone by feeding your lean body mass the fuel it needs to run efficiently.  Relate this rule to starting a campfire and putting wood in the fire as needed (5x/day).  We're not talking about a bonfire here, rather just a simple fire to keep the camp warm and occasionally cook with.

Second, don't let more than 5 waking hours pass between meals.  To avoid becoming hungry or fatigued, you'll need to fuel your body every 5 hours with a balanced meal of high-quality protein, vitamin and mineral rich carbohydrates, and hunger-quenching healthy fats.  Think of this as adding a log to the campfire.  Without adding wood from time to time, your fire will certainly go out.

Start your day off on the right foot by eating within an hour of waking.  It's critically important to feed your muscles right away, as you've essentially been fasting for 8 hours (your are sleeping for 8 hours right?).  Before you take a shower or brush your teeth, put a pan on the stove and crack some eggs, slice some berries in a bowl and add some nuts.  Then, go about your day… fueled up!

Don't forget the importance of a post-workout snack (snack #1).  I mean, this is why you're reading this blog anyway right – you are a CrossFitter?!?  After torching your body with a sub-5minute Fran, you need to begin recovering right away.  A balanced meal of protein, carbs, and fats will satisfy not only your hunger, but also replenish glycogen stores, speed recovery of damaged muscle tissue, AND help maintain insulin sensitivity.  Without getting all caught up in the science of PWO insulin secretion – let's just say that you need to eat within 30 minutes of completing a WOD.

Lastly, don't forget to eat within an hour of bedtime.  Now, I don't mean eat your last snack while starting 2001: A Space Odysseybecause that would mean that you're not actually going to bed for like… an eternity.  Eat right before bed – your starving muscles depend on it.  Without adding a log to your fire before slipping into your sleeping bag, your fire will go out part-way through the night.

By the way… the campfire is your metabolism (in case you didn't catch the analogy).  Stay tuned for more campfire analogies.  And to review… 5 meals a day, no more than 5 hours between meals, PWO meal within 30 minutes, breakfast within 1 hour of waking, and bedtime snack within 1 hour of bedtime.

Hear more about the Zone, Paleo nutrition, and optimizing nutrition for performance at our Nutrition Workshop May 4th at 7:30PM.

5K Run 

Post time to comments.

"Beat the Streets" Fundraiser and WOD May 14

We get TONS of requests to fundraise for causes.  While there are a million great causes, this one really touches our heart as a supreme one!  

CrossFit Verve is teaming up with Steveʼs Club for the “Beat the Streets” fundraiser.  Steveʼs Club is a foundation that Steve Liberati of Paleo Kits created to help at-risk youth get involved in fitness, sports, and other positive outlets instead of drugs, gangs, and violence.  

How Can WE Help Kids Beat the Streets?

1. Do our annual BEAT THE STREETS Fundraiser on May 14!

• Suggested donation Workout of the Day (WOD) of $25.

2. Invite your friends and family (to do the workout with you!)

• Perfect WOD for beginners, elite athletes, friends, family, co-workers!
• No experience is necessary, instruction will be provided that day  

3. Create a team (teams of 3, with at least 1 female)

• Competitive Division – the WOD must be done as prescribed and will be judged accordingly.
• Social Division – still must be a team of 3 but anything goes; be creative!
• If you don't have a team, you can just show up and you'll be matched with one.

4. Donate online or at the door.

• Proceeds go to help establish new Local Steve's Clubs across the country. 
• Steve's Club National Program is a 501(c)(3), and all donations are tax-deductible
• Donate online: HERE

5. Do the workout, win prizes, feel good about helping the community!

• National prizes for Top Affiliate Fundraisers and Top Team Finishers.
• Local prizes from the community and the Affiliate host.

This will be a team workout compiled of 3 athletes (at least 1 female per team).   You can participate in either the social or the Rxʼd division.  If you are doing the Rxʼd, the WOD will be judged and prescribed.  You can participate on as many teams as you like that are in different heats.

CrossFit Verve will be hosting this event as the workout of the day on Saturday the 14th of May. We will be taking donations that will go to Steveʼs Kids.  If you wish to donate and not participate in the team WOD, see step 4.  

Get excited to get involved, form a team of three or come solo. KIDS are welcome to join in on the fun.  If you would like to be a part of this event, email info@crossfitverve.com so we can put you in heats.

Three rounds for time of:

15 Jumping squats; 45#, 33#
30 Sit-ups
3 Rope climbs

Post time to comments. 

Spring Salad

Spring time is upon us and I wanted to make a salad that had my favorite protein, bacon!  This salad can be made prior to going to your next BBQ and share with others.  

Ingredients:
12oz of grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken  12P
2 hard boiled eggs  2P
3 strips of bacon  2P
2 cucumbers chopped  2C
5 cups of chopped romain lettuce  0.5C
4 cups of spinach  1C
2 apples chopped  4C  
Salad Dressing
3/8cup of lemon juice  .5C
1Tbl and 1tsp of olive oil  12F
2 cloves of minced garlic  Freebie
1/4tsp of dry mustard  Freebie

Cook up the bacon and boil a half dozen of eggs and save some for later.  Pull out that good old grill and cook up some chicken breasts for this meal and for leftovers.  Chop and combine all of the veggies in a bowl sans chicken.  Prepare the salad dressing and drizzle on top of the bowl of vegetables.  Toss the ingredients together and get all of mixture covered in the dressing.  Weigh out 3oz of chicken and place it on top of 3.5 cups of the salad mix and enjoy!  Top off with a little grapefruit.  

This recipe will make four meals at 4P, 2C, 4F 

Complete as many muscle-ups as possible in 30:00

Post reps to comments.

Ben Dutton working his muscle-ups with his spotter.

Are gymnastics movements the bane of your CrossFit existence?  Can you lift heavy weights and move a long distance quickly, but struggle with even the simplest bodyweight exercises?  Carl Paoli of GymnasticsWOD.com, San Francisco CrossFit and Naka athletics will be presenting a one day seminar on freestyle gymnastics at CrossFit Verve.  Coach Paoli will lecture and put you through practical sessions on how gymnastics will improve your agility, mobility and versatility for everyday WOD’s.    

Coach Paoli was an elite gymnast in Spain for 15 years, he moved to San Francisco to pursue an education in marine biology.  He is going to share his knowledge with you and give you pointers on: rope climbing, handstand push ups, backflip and pistols.  Come and join us and take home some valuable information that can get you to the next level in CrossFit. If you need more information or are interested click here to register.  Space is limited.

Five rounds on the 3:00 interval for max reps of:

400m Run 
Power snatches, 95# (65#)
Rest 1:00

You must complete one 400m run each round and your score for the round is the number of power snatches you complete with the remaining time.

Post time to comments.

Grimm and Dombey, dumb thrustin' fun! 

CrossFit Games WOD 11.5

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 20 minutes of:
5 Power cleans; 145#/65kg, (100#/45kg)
10 Toes to bar
15 Wall balls; 20lbs to 10' target, (14lbs to 9' target) 

Post time to comments.

Get ready for WOD 11.5 FUN!

As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:

4 Ring dips
6 Supine ring rows
8 Burpees

Post time to comments.

Wrede killing 11.5.

Stress… Pressure… Nerves.

Sometimes we come into Verve to get rid of them. This gives us a chance to take the stress of jobs and daily life, put it on the back burner for a while and do something healthy for our body. But does coming in and seeing a certain WOD or movement on the whiteboard ever create stress? Does the thought of doing a workout with a judge and people watching/cheering only take the fun out of it for you?

Your body reacts to this stress. Your breathing rate increases, your heart beats faster. If you're not careful, this tension can cause your body to want to get your task done as fast as possible. This isn't always bad if it's a workout for time, right? Maybe, maybe not.

Why do some athletes find success under pressure, while others can't seem to break? In a study published about the experiences of athletes during their greatest moment in sports, "….more than 80 percent of [them] said they felt no fear of failure. They weren't thinking about their performance. They were immersed in the activity, in the zone. The probability of achieving the outcome you want increases when you let go of the need to have it." –The Mind Gym, by Gary Mack.

So when the time comes that you see a movement that's a "goat" for you, you see a workout that plagues you, or when you are in front of a crowd, ask yourself what is the worst that can happen? You are supported by trainers and athletes that are always rooting for you to do your best, but will give you a pat on the back and high-five no matter how it goes down. That you are putting yourself through this pressure in the short-term everyday so you can live an awesome, active, long life ahead of you. That you've put in that hard work and training, so it's time to let it shine. Remember a time when that pressure has worked for you, and focus on your task. Only let everything and everyone else come into focus when you yell, "TIME" with your last breath and collapse, knowing that you're only getting better and stronger day by day.

Stress gets a bad rap, let it bring out the best in you.