For max reps during each round:

1:00 of thrusters, 65#/45#
1:00 of kipping pull-ups

1:00 rest

:45 of thrusters, 95#/65#
:45 of chest to bar kipping pull-ups

1:00 rest

:30 of thrusters, 135#/85#
:30 of deadhang pull-ups

1:00 rest

:15 of thrusters, 155#/105#
:15 of L-pull-ups

Swap plates quickly during rest periods, your total depends on it!

Post running total for each round and total for all rounds to comments.

Jim leaves no question whether he's reached full ROM. 

And now, another Fuel Page addition from Mrs. Godinez: Asian Fusion Chicken Salad!

Always looking for easy food to take on the road with you?  Well, here's one totally Paleo/Zone friendly, that you can throw into a bell pepper, lettuce wraps or however your heart desires.  It's super fast and easy, just grab the coleslaw mix in the produce section of your local grocery, throw it together with some leftover cooked chicken or turkey and season it to your palate.  We like to add five spice powder, or curry, etc.

Ingredients:
24 oz chopped, cooked chicken or turkey breast (24P)
2.25 cups coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage (2C)
2 scallions, white and green parts sliced
8 oz almonds (8F)
1 tsp grated fresh ginger 
1/2 cup canned, crushed pineapple, drained (2C)
Bibb, Boston lettuce or colorful bell peppers for your boats (1 bell pepper = 1C)

Preparation:
In a food processor, combine half the chicken, coleslaw mix, scallions, almonds, and ginger. Pulse several times until finely chopped.  Transfer to a large bowl.  Repeat with the remaining chicken, coleslaw mix, scallions, almonds and ginger.  

Add pineapple to mixture, stir to combine well.

Spoon 2/3 cup of the chicken salad into a bell pepper for a 3P, 1.5C, 1F meal, feel free to add more pineapple or almonds if you don't want them elsewhere in your meal! 

*You can also make this without the food processor, if you just chop up the chicken and almonds.  

For max loads:

Press: 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1

Push press: 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3

Jerk: 5 – 5 – 5 – 5 – 5

Post heaviest load for each movement to comments.

Joe Cruz, finished with foundations and finding his ju-ju in the group classes.

This week we are introducing a new CrossFit Verve trainer, Pat Sherwood.  Pat is by no means new to the game though, he's been an affiliate owner, trainer at an affiliate, trainer for CrossFit HQ, and CrossFit Games competitor.  We're super excited to have him, so please join me in welcoming Pat to CrossFit Verve!

Pat taking a trip down memory lane on THE o-course

"I found CrossFit in August of 2005. At that time I was 29 years old and considered myself in great shape.Then I did the CF Hero WOD "Murph". As I lay on the floor of my garage I wondering how the workout had taken me an hour to complete I knew I was hooked. I have been CrossFitting ever since and have never looked back. Before finding CF I was in the military for 7 years and broke my pelvis during a training evolution. My doctor told me I would never be able to do "normal athletic activities" again. That was in 2000. Now, ten years later and 34 years old I'm in the best shape I have ever been in. CrossFit is my passion and I look forward to improving other people's lives through its movements and methodologies."

CFHQ Trainer
CF Level 2 Trainer
CF Olympic Lifting Cert
CF Barbell Cert

*SCHEDULE ADDITIONS - We have ADDED three new classes to the week.  Tuesday and Thursday now have an 11:30am and a 12:30am (THIS MEANS NO NOON), Saturday now has a noon class.  These are a test run, please let us know what you think.

Three rounds, 15-12-9 for time of:

Deadlifts, 285#/195# (60% of 1RM)

Double squat wall ball shots, 20#/14#

A double squat wall ball shot is a standard wall ball shot with an air squat added while the ball travels to the 10' target.

Post time to comments.

Meet Pat Sherwood… you should see what happens when he gives 100%!  Stay tuned for more about Pat.

Deadlifting is as natural of a movement as walking.  Lifting objects off the ground is required by nature in order to complete tasks we face in our daily lives.  For example, try to lift two grocery bags off the floor without utilizing a deadlift.  What about moving a heavy rock to another spot in your backyard?  Because of this we recommend deadlifting regularly and deadlifting heavy.

Let's talk about the keys to a great deadlift.  When setting up the deadlift, there are a few elements to keep in mind.  First, set up with the barbell over your mid-foot – think about covering the knot in your shoelaces with the bar.  Second, grab the bar and set your back in good position.  This position will lock in the neutral S shape of your spine.  Now that your back is nice and flat, lift your hips to a position that puts your shoulders slightly in front of the bar. 

Once we are set up, we are going to execute the deadlift by driving through the heels, lifting the chest and hips at the same rate of speed as the bar moves up the shins.  As the bar passes the knees, we drive the hips forward strongly until we reach a standing position, where our shoulders sit slightly behind the bar.  From this position, we simply reverse the movement, delaying knees bend until the bar passes below the knee. 

"G.I. Jane"

100 Burpee pull-ups for time

If the pull-up bar is out of reach with a simple jump, you have two choices.  First, you can hang a band and assist your jump with a pull on the band.  Second, hang a pair of rings at a height just out of reach while standing on your tippy-toes.  Pogo stick can also be employed at your own risk.

Post time to comments.

Joylyn, Sarah, Gerson, Sheila, Sara and Stef during our ever popular 6:30pm! 

Five Rounds for time:

500m Row

7 Thrusters, 135# (95#)

Post time to comments.

Marsha using the hollow rock, during Clean & Jerk "Cindy". 

Deadlift 3 – 3 – 3 – 3

Followed by;

21-18-15-12-9-6 reps for time of:
Walking lunges
Ring dips
Sit-ups (tips to toes)

Post time and loads to comments.
CrossFit Verve introduces a new trainer, Joylyn Godinez.

Joylyn hopped over to the dark side as a Verve trainer, after two months of interning and completing her CrossFit Level 1 certification.  She has been an athlete here at Verve for over a year and CrossFitting even longer.  Here's what Joylyn has to say about CrossFit.

What is Crossfit all about to me?  It's become a community (I couldn't imagine my life without) of people, ideas and passions for fitness.  A commitment to making each day better than the last, growing stronger physically, mentally, emotionally, and personally.  When I was first introduced to Crossfit at the firehouse several years ago, I was immediately destroyed and hooked.   Although some days were pretty rough, some were great and I believe you are always better for trying.  When my husband and I joined the Verve family, we found a welcome home full of great training, information, and encouragement.  Armed with new nutrition knowledge, training and friends, we've made huge gains in our fitness and built a lifestyle based on our health.  We both love the Colorado outdoors, hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, and laughing at ourselves.  I presently have the Crossfit Level One Certification, and Gymnastics Certification, and I'm always looking to learn something new.   Crossfit has made my life healthier, more challenging and more fun, and I want to share every bit of it with you.  When I'm not at Verve, I'm a Firefighter/Paramedic at Mountain View Fire Protection District.  I'm pretty much a local kid with lots of family nearby, my fantastic husband and I have two rambunctious mutts named Darby and Doso. I also have a terribly embarrassing habit of crying (alot) whenever I laugh.

We are so happy to have her smiling and "crying" face training at Verve, welcome aboard.

For time:

1 Power clean & jerk, 155#/105#
1 Round of "Cindy"

2 Power clean & jerks, 155#/105#
1 Round of "Cindy"

3 Power clean & jerks, 155#/105#
1 Round of "Cindy"

……..

10 Power clean & jerks, 155#/105#
1 Round of "Cindy"

Post time and thoughts to comments.

What's better than a group of energetic women???  A group of energetic women head to toe in lululemon.  Meet the lulu crew.

Wow!  Have we ever gotten busy!  We are so happy that so many Denverites are taking control of their fitness and have decided that CrossFit Verve is their choice for attaining an elite level of fitness.  However, because of our choice to keep our class size small – ensuring you get personal attention in each and every class, classes are filling up fast.  That's why we've closed our membership to new members and have started a waiting list.

I know, this is a bummer for all your friends that want to join RIGHT NOW, but it benefits you – the athlete being trained.  In order to facilitate our current athlete's demands, we are going to add two additional classes per week and see what kind of response we get.  Starting next week we'll have an 11:30am and 12:30pm class on Tuesday and Thursday.  If these classes fill up to capacity, we'll consider adding them all week long.

Remember, when you sign up for a class – GO!  If you need to cancel, our policy is 12 hours in advance, so that your buddies have an opportunity to attend.  If you are having trouble getting into a class, sign up a little further in advance.  When you pay for a month, you have the ability to sign up for a whole month's worth of classes.  Again, be considerate of your CrossFittin' comrades!

We're so happy to have you guys!!!

Press 4 x 3 reps @ 80% 1RM, rest 1:30

Followed by one round for time of:

Row 1000m

Run 800m

Post time to comments.

Jake swingin' heavies!!!  Midline stability maintained – mission accomplished.

30 Muscle-ups for time.

Post time to comments.

Julian, our only member that lives in another state (MD).  

Why take fish oil?

Humans evolved on a diet with about a 2:1 ration of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids.  Today the average ratio is 10:1.  We get a tremendous amount of omega-6 in our diet because it is prevalent in the vegetable oils used in so many of our processed foods.  The oils with the highest ratios are safflower and peanut, but others used extensively by the food industry include soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, sesame and corn oils.   Oils high in omega-6 have been shown to be harmful to our health because it promotes the development of heart disease, skin cancer, and diabetes and it contributes to inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and asthma.  Omega-6 also prolong and contribute to the muscle and tendon inflammations prevalent in athletics.

Omega-3 fatty acid, on the other hand, counteracts the negative health consequences of omega-6.  For the athlete, the benefits are a greater release of growth hormone during sleep as well as improved aerobic metabolism.  Omega-3 also reduces muscle soreness and speeds recovery. 

Both plant and animal foods contain omega-3 fatty acids.  The amount in plants is small and must be chemically altered by the liver to make it usable.  Animal foods however provide a more readily available source of omega-3, because it's structure need no further modification in the human body.

The active ingredients in omega-3 that are responsible for it's beneficial effects are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).  Check your labels and make sure that your fish oil contains these two ingredients.

-adapted from "The Paleo Diet for Athletes", Loren Cordain, PhD

For time:

50 Double unders

30 Kettlebell swings, 32kg/20kg

35 Double unders

20 Kettlebell swings, 32kg/20kg

20 Double unders

10 Kettlebell swings, 32kg/20kg

Post time to comments.

One of these kids is not like the other… Josh later told us that his elbows were smashing into the rower behind him.

Wait… do that again

A kinesthetic awareness, which is the body's ability to coordinate motion, takes development.  Nobody can deny this fact.  Sure, there are athletically gifted individuals that are able to see a movement and recreate the movement.  But somewhere down the line, they achieved the ability to sense the position of their body parts and became able to move them appropriately on command.

To develop this sense, we recommend practicing a given movement slowly and under minimal load until your body performs the movement as your mind sees it.  For example, if you are having a tough time opening your hips during the kettlebell swing – train the movement with a 15lb dumbell while moving slowly and focusing on the complete extension of the hip with the wrists still in contact with the thighs.  Drill this movement into your brain with rep after rep, performed slowly and methodically.

Once your head has a wrap on how to coordinate driving the hips to extension with wrists still in contact with the thighs, try the movement with a 8kg kettlebell at speed.  Drive the hips open and sense the same feeling of driving your wrists off your thighs by violently extending the hips.  Good?  Now add more load… maybe a 16kg KB.  So on and so on.  You can use this method for all sorts of movements that require coordination(cleans, snatches, push press, push jerk, SDHP,…).  With time, complex movements will become easier to perform as you gain the ability to coordinate you body movements more precisely.