Rest Day

Another rest day?  Nah, head out the the Colorado State Patrol and cheer on your fellow athletes in the finals.

Post thoughts to comments.

Chris Gubbels at the Mountain Sectional. 

Rest is for the wicked.  Be wicked and come watch the Mountain Sectionals.

 
Happy noon class.
 

5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 minute intervals of:

3 Dumbell squat clean & press, 40#/25#

6 Toes-to-bar

9 Burpees

Inspired by Burpees for Blakely, by CrossFit Roots.  Rest 1:00 between intervals.

Post rounds completed for each interval to comments.

  
Matt aka MJ, started Verve 6.2009, Luke 12.2008, Ware 8.2009.

 
Mas started in 11.2008, Jimmy 8.2009.  

 
Gerson started with Verve in 1.2009, Doug 12.2008.

  
Dan aka DanY started in 11.2008, Andy 10.2009, Josh 1.2009.  

A big congratulations goes out to the 10 male athletes who will be representing Verve this weekend at the Mountain Sectionals.  I have chills as I type this I'm so proud. 

Competition can sometimes bring out the demons in our minds.  I challenge all of you men and women to fight any negative or doubting thoughts this weekend.  Stay focused, it is easy to get wrapped up in the competition.  The difference between a gold metal and last place can be as simple as focus.  What can make a good athlete a great athlete is knowing what to focus on.  Be mindful to push out any negative or doubting thoughts that creep in this weekend.  Replace those thoughts with an immediate image of you succeeding.  Do not underestimate the power of your thoughts, take control of them and use them as a tool in your own personal victory.  Focus on YOUR game and what you know YOU can do.  Choose your thoughts.  Have fun, laugh, smile and remember to stay cool ice cold, because you are a part of team Verve.  

 "Jackie"

1000m Row

50 Thrusters, 45#/33#

30 Pull-ups

Post time to comments.

Tiffany started Verve 12.2008, Sara started Verve 12.2008.

   
Anna started 10.2008, Catherine started 5.2009, Emmalee 11.2008.

   
Courtney started 5.2009, Robyn 9.2009, Joylyn 11.2008.

Congratulations goes out to our eight women athletes who are competing this weekend in the Mountain Sectional CrossFit Competition.  We are so proud and excited to cheer you on.  Go forth and embody excellence.

Post thoughts to comments.

Ten rounds for time:

15 Deadlifts, 135#/85#

15 Push-ups

Post time to comments.

David snatchin' after sundown. 

The Zone Meal Treasure Chest

A sound nutritional plan sends markers of health in the right direction and prevents sickness.  A solid meal should make you feel more focused and full of energy, in addition to satisfying your hunger.  In other words, you should feel "in the Zone."  Being in the Zone is simply finding the right combination, quality, and quantity of marconutrients and timing the meal well – resulting in a beautiful harmonious balance of hormones.

This ideal meal is not going to be the same for everyone.  By following Zone parameters for your body composition, you've only started your path to wellness.  A Zone meal for one person may not be ideal for everyone.  For instance, when I have a meal consisting of 4oz sliced turkey, 2 apples, and 12 almonds – I know that this meal will leave me hungry.  Yet, if I have 4oz sliced turkey, 2 cups of steamed broccoli, 3/4 of a cantelope, and 12 almonds – I feel like dy-na-mite!

What I'd like you to do is create a little treasure chest (a shoebox would do) of Zone meals that make you feel great.  This meal should also have a time of day associated with it, i.e. breakfast, post workout, late-night snack…  As you build a menu of Zone treasures, your ability to live in the Zone becomes easier and easier.  This will result in long life of perfect performance, balanced hormones, and high levels of energy.  Okay, totally exaggerating, but you get the idea.

Monday is the last day for the Paleo Challenge – did you use your cheat day or are you going to make it 30 days?

"Grace"

30 Clean and jerks, 135# (95#)

Compare to August 18th, 2009.

Post time to comments.

Minjas in training.  

Three rounds for time of:

25 Unbroken kettlebell swings, 24kg/16kg

25 Unbroken wall ball shots, 20#/14#

Post time to comments.

Tiffany Skidmore lets us in on her secret to getting ready for sectionals.  

The workouts for the 2010 CrossFit Games Mountain Sectional have been posted. This week we're going to take the time to discuss both workouts and generate a plan of attack with each athlete.  If you're available, please stop in at 8:30pm tomorrow night to break down both of these workouts.  Setting your mind at ease by having a game plan will lead to better performance.  This discussion is open to all Verve athletes, as this is an excellent opportunity to learn how to maximize power output over broad time and modal domains.

The 7am ladies getting down with some deads. 

Cookie: "Annie"

Paleo Potluck TODAY!!!

Sarah Levenhagen is hosting a Paleo Putluck at her house from 2pm – 5pm. Check Thursdays comments for address and phone.

In three minutes, complete the following:

Row 500m 

As many kettlebell snatches as possible

Rest 3:00 and repeat for a total of four rounds.

Post number of Kettlebell snatches to comments.

Noel working hard in the enduro/stamina WOD.

LATE NOTICE:

TODAY at 1pm we will have an hour that you can come in and work on skills.  Cherie will be there to assist and give coaching tips, however you are responsible for warming yourself up prior to say jumping on a set of rings.  You can also come in if you have nutrition questions, concerns or the likes.  If you've been dying to work on a skill, get in here and work on them.

For time:

Five cycles of:
10 Weighted lunges, 75#/55#
10 Push presses, 75#/55#
10 Good mornings, 75#/55#

21 Burpees

Three cycles of:
10 Weighted lunges, 75#/55#
10 Push presses, 75#/55#
10 Good mornings, 75#/55#

15 Burpees

One cycle of:
10 Weighted lunges, 75#/55#
10 Push presses, 75#/55#
10 Good mornings, 75#/55#

9 Burpees

Weighted lunges are performed in a stationary position (i.e. not walking lunges) with the bar on the back with each step counting as a rep.  The push press from the back is counted if full extension is reached.

Compare to: November 20th, 2009

Post time to comments.

 
Easy way to get in veggies!

Bone Remodeling

Did you know that your skeleton is brand new every ten years?  It's true, bone is living tissue and is continually going through a remodeling process.  Just like when our home becomes old and we remodel the kitchen, when our bones become old the body replaces it with new bone.  This process is called remodeling.  In this process there are two big players; osteoblasts and osteoclasts.  Osteoclasts remove bone or are more commonly thought of as the vehicle that steals calcium from the bones, to use where it is needed in the body.  Osteoblasts deposit new bone or take absorbed calcium and deposit it to form new bone.  A bone remains dense when osteoclasts are removing bone from the inside and osteoblasts are depositing bone on the outside at a balanced rate.

One big factor in keeping this system in balance is stress.  Remodeling and the formation of additional bone can modify the strength of bone in direct response to the amount of stress that is applied to it.  Stress to the bone increases osteoblast activity in the bone tissue.  A removal of stress decreases osteoblast activity. Stress is defined as load bearing.  Does it feel heavy, if yes then you might be able to call it stress.  This is why swimming is not in the top running for sports for your grandma should pick up.

Calcium and Bone Health

In the US calcium intakes are one of the highest in the world.  However, the US also has one of the highest rates of bone de-mineralization (osteoporosis or muted osteoblast activity, increased osteoclast activity).  Bone mineral content is dependent on not just on calcium intake (where we focus our attention), but on a net calcium balance (intake – excretion). 

Excretion is initiated by MANY factors, however they are mostly diet and exercise related.  Calcium needs to maintain a base level in the blood.  If you go below the base level you die.  No joke!  This is probably why the human body was designed with one big calcium storage (the skeleton) to keep these levels in balance.  You see calcium is not only used to make bone, but it initiates muscle contraction (this includes the heart), blood clotting and the release of neurotransmitters.  It's pretty darn important, imagine ANY of those functions being blocked.  No calcium in the blood, muscles stop contracting, heart stops, you die, nuf said.

Dietary calcium excretion from bone is dependent on acid/base balance. All foods upon digestion ultimately must report to the kidney as either acid or base. When the diet yields a net acid load, the acid must be buffered by the alkaline stores of base in the body. Calcium salts in the bones represent the largest store of alkaline base in the body and are depleted and eliminated in the urine when the diet produces a net acid load. The highest acid-producing foods are hard cheeses, cereal grains, salted foods, soda (diet included), meats, and legumes, where as the only alkaline, base-producing foods are fruits and vegetables. Because the average American diet is overloaded with grains, cheeses, salted processed foods, soda and fatty meats at the expense of fruits and vegetables, it produces a net acid load and promotes bone de-mineralization. By replacing hard cheeses, cereal grains, and processed foods with plenty of green vegetables and fruits, the body comes back into acid/base balance which brings us also back into calcium balance. Diets containing high acidity contribute to the development of osteoporosis and renal stones, loss of muscle mass, and age-related renal insufficiency due to the body's use of calcium to buffer pH.

What promots calcium intake and bone density? Eat your veggies and lift weights.

Reference: Anatomy & Physiology eighth edition, Seeley, Stephens, and Tate, 2008.