Blog Archive

We are all beautiful. It can be our imperfections that make us so unique and gorgeous. Love yourself with unconditional abandon.

Since 1967, once a year in the small Italian village of Soragna “The King Nose” contest is held. Legend holds that Italy’s most beautiful nose was born here. The festival is a celebration of natural beauty.

Noses are judged on 3 criteria.

1. Olfactory ability.
2. Sexiness (judged by a female jury)
3. Actual size.

Check out the video. Luigi, who is dethroned after 13 years, has a hard time giving up his throne. Betting he got some serious social status for his natural beauty.

The longest nose in the world is owned by Mehmet Ozyurek and lines up at 8.8 cm from bridge to tip. That is over 3 cm bigger than mine and I have a sizable beak!

One Love,

Sheppy

Today’s Warmup:

A thorough dynamic-sprint warmup

Today’s Workout:

Anaerobic/Alactic Ball Run

In teams of 6, one member working at a time

90 meter Ball Run (20/12Lbs)
4 trips each

10 minute ‘rest’ – during which, attempt a max rep set of hollow rocks X 3

90 meter Ball Run (20/12Lbs)
4 trips each

Coaches, in the event you can’t make 6 person teams, start each new round 2 minutes apart. Budget 30 min for this workout.

No Leaderboard today.

Andy

I know I’ve put this post and article up before.  I just think its so very important.  Both that you have the right shoes for you and that you read the CrossFit Journal.

Nothing pains me more than a new CrossFitter coming into our gym with a brand new $150 pair of running shoes with an overbuilt post.  Hell the whole thing is overbuilt.

Lon Kilgore has written an awesome article about different kinds of athletic shoes and how to rate them for your use. He is an excellent writer. From his choice of subject matter to his ability to communicate scientific ideas to the lay person (me) I believe he is one of the Journal’s most prized assets.

Read the article here. Rate Your Shoe – Dr Lon Kilgore

I really liked how he compared the bar path on squats between weightlifting shoes and running shoes. Very telling.  Think about this next time you are trying to do a lift in your Nike Free’s.  Try doing your power lifts in stocking feet. Sheppy bets you would notice a huge difference AND an increase in lifting ability.

He even put a rating system for your shoe in the article. A scientist to the end.

This is just a sample of the excellent journalism and material made available to us by the CrossFit Journal. They also use lots of video in the publications. Its only $25 a year. Guaranteed huge bang for your buck.

Sign up for the CrossFit Journal here.

I DO have to say here that if you are considering moving to a more minimalist shoe then do not make the jump all at once. so if you are in one of the overbuilt shoes I mentioned above then try something int he middle before you move to a Vibram or Innovate.

All together now… MUAH!!

Sheppy

Today’s Skill/Strength Element:

Snatch Deadlift w/ 3 second lower to the knee, 4 reps, 5 sets

Today’s Workout:

21, 15, 9

Power Snatch (105/70lbs)

Ring Dip

Andy

Those of you that have been around CFV for a while have read us blog about Long Term Nerve Potentiaton. It “is a long-lasting enhancement in signal transmission between two neurons that results from stimulating them synchronously”.

What does that mean? It is the mechanism by which we learn at a cellular level. Cool eh?

I want to talk to you today about Procedural Memory. I tried to paraphrase the definition but I think Wikipedia said it quite well:

“Procedural memory is memory for the performance of particular types of action. Procedural memory guides the processes we perform and most frequently resides below the level of conscious awareness. When needed, procedural memories are automatically retrieved and utilized for the execution of the integrated procedures involved in both cognitive and motor skills; from tying shoes to flying an airplane to reading. Procedural memories are accessed and used without the need for conscious control or attention. Procedural memory is a type of long-term memory and, more specifically, a type of implicit memory. Procedural memory is created through “procedural learning” or, repeating a complex activity over and over again until all of the relevant neural systems work together to automatically produce the activity. Implicit procedural learning is essential to the development of any motor skill or cognitive activity.”

Here is a very cool video on Lexi Thompson’s repeatable golf swing.

Hopefully you’ve all heard me discuss the importance of repetitions long in the number all being uniform good technique. I once did 50 pull ups in a row and they were all the exact same. Think about trying 75 wallballs in a row (a great goal for all of us). If every rep is wildly different from the previous I’m probably not going to get past 10. How do your double unders work when you look like the Tasmanian Devil attempting them? Its all about feel.

For those of you who struggle finding repeatable efficient rhythm in any of our movements I urge you to believe you have the physical and neurological ability to learn and retain your sought after movement pattern. Open your heart. BELIEVE!!!

Knowledge is Power.

Muah!

Shep

Ps. That video is a bit out of date. Tiga Tiga Tiga Woods is the World’s Numba 1 golfer now.

Today’s Skill/Strength Element:

Heavy Weighted Step Ups, 5 L/5 R, 4 sets

Today’s Workout:

45 Front Squats (95/65Lbs)
35 Pullups
25 Shoulder to Overhead (95/65Lbs)

Andy

Most of us like a thrill here and there.  Being neck deep in a pr Fran is always fun.  Perhaps try that double black diamond this time.  Hell I might even be in overhead waves as you read this.  Maybe getting barrelled right now! (Ok its doubtful on the last one but one day I hope)

Ever wonder what the most dangerous places in the world are?   Well Cracked Magazine has tabulated “The Top 5 Most Spectacular Landscapes on Earth (that Murder you)”.

5. Tsingy National Park – Madagascar
4. The Boiling Lake – Dominica
3. The Bolton Stride – Yorkshire
2. The Afar Triangle – Just East of the African Horn
1. The Corryvreckan Maelstrom – Scotland

My favourite is Tsingy National Park in Madagascar. It basically a stone forest of razor sharp edges – A “Bio Fortress”. There are parts of it never travelled by human kind because its so dangerous and inaccessible. Its full of never found life forms. Neato!

As much as I like this article and its content I have to poke fun at Cracked for making a list of deadly landscapes that has water as two of them. Tee hee!

Mucho Amore,

The Shepherd

Today’s Skill/Strength Element:

A1. Shoulder Press, 5 reps, 5 sets

A2. Weighted Strict Pull Ups, 2 reps, 5 sets

Today’s Workout:

1 Mile Run

Andy