Blog Archive

Here is a blog from Jordy on his experience in the Paleo Challenge, maybe some of his tips will help you over the festive season that is upon us AND get you involved in our next Paleo Challenge, Spring 2014.

Dashie

I decided to take part in the paleo challenge with no intention of finishing among the leaders. I was just looking to tighten up a bit and do a bit of a post summer detox. I felt like I already exercised very intensely, ate pretty well and understood recovery. In addition, I work a lot, love to go out and be social (get my drink on ’til all hours) and don’t really love to sleep. The combination of these factors didn’t exactly foreshadow a success story.

The one variable which I felt would be the easiest to change would be the amount of sleep that I was getting. For years I had gotten by on 5 or 6 hours (sometimes far less,) of sleep nightly. I love listening to podcasts and reading sources pertaining to health and nutrition and while a lot of the ideas regarding nutrition differ, virtually everyone agrees that to function optimally, most people require 8 or 9 hours of sleep a night. Getting to bed earlier enabled me to wake earlier and eat a proper breakfast, make a healthy lunch and snacks and plan my day. I could not believe the effect this one simple change made in so many different areas of my life. I felt much more organized and at ease starting off my days in this fashion, rather than my past practice of waking 20 minutes before work, chugging a protein shake and running out the door.

I made some small revisions to what I was eating such as severely limiting wheat, fruit and milk. I have heard Lucas Parker use the phrase “paleo plus,” when describing his diet and I think that is a term that works for what I employed during the challenge, as well as now.  I ate a few foods that aren’t paleo but that I feel I tolerate well such as oats, lentils and cottage cheese. I tried to keep most of the meats grass fed, eggs free run/organic and fish wild. Going into the contest I felt that my food choices had been pretty sound but my macronutrients and calories could be manipulated to allow me to lose body fat while preserving lean mass. Most of the changes that I implemented revolved around manipulating my carbohydrate intake, meaning I generally only ingested carbs two hours before a workout and an hour or so post workout. So essentially I had to earn carbs. I also ditched the practice of guzzling a high glycemic protein shake immediately post workout and waited until I got home to eat a meal of real, whole foods.

I would strongly recommend giving a paleo style diet a try as well as entering a diet challenge. I did not feel like I was missing out at all and I learned a lot about what fuels my muscles and brain perform best with. There is a wealth of information out there such as podcasts, blogs and Dashie/T Bear,  so take a bit of time to educate yourself and you may be surprised how a few small changes can affect not just your performance in the gym but also add to the overall quality of your life.

Wednesday Lesson Plan

Pre-Warm-up: Coaches choice – warm up hips/hamstrings/achilles – 10 minutes

Warm-up: Death by 10 meters (as requested by Kimmy)

Instead of the beep test, we’ve got another indoor running beauty! It’s kind of like the burpee ladder – it’s starts out easy, and the better you are, the more work you’ll do.

In the first minute, you run 10 meters and then rest. In the next minute you run 10 meters twice. In the following minute, run 10 meters 3 times. And so on. You keep going until you can no longer make the 10 meter runs corresponding with that minute.

Tech: Warm-up the workout movements – 10 minutes

Workout: Double Under Nasty Girls

3 rounds:

50 Double Unders
7 Muscle ups (or 7 ring rows and 7 ring dips)
10 Power Cleans (135/95 lbs)

At CFV many people, believe it or not, don’t read the daily content and simply skim down to see the daily workout. So if you are reading this, thank you. If you’re not then I may be wasting my metaphorical breath.

I was just wondering why that may be?

For those who do read the post consistently I ask a favour of you. Please post your thoughts to comments on how you think we can make our daily content better and how we can generally provide information to everyone at CFV more clear and concise. Whether it’s a large calendar at the front of the gym, introducing events and sharing information in the circle question, or any other suggestions you may have that will make your experience at CFV better.

Or if you think we are doing an awesome job, give some props in the comments section.

Be aware that we do have a new website coming soon, that is much more visually pleasing and is just overall much better.

Also, make note of our Christmas hours posted below.

Thanks guys,

Tom

Tuesday’s Lesson Plan: LAST SNATCH TECH DAY – NO PRESS-OUTS. PERIOD!

Part 1: WARM-UP: 10 minutes

Coaches will put you through a snatch warm-up, going through the components of the day:

a). Dowel Dislocates x 30
then grab a barbell
b). Overhead Squat x 10
c). Pressing Snatch Balance x 10
d). Heaving Snatch Balance x 10
e). Snatch Deadlift x 10 (focus on proper body position here)
f). 3-Position Snatch x 5

Part 2: SNATCH BALANCE (Heaving) – 15 minutes

5 sets of 3

Part 3: 3-POSITION SQUAT SNATCH (High Hang Squat Snatch-Hang Squat Snatch-Squat Snatch. You must complete all three lifts before putting the bar down.)  -15 minutes

Warm up the 3-position snatch for 5 minutes and then hit the 7-minute EMOM

7 minute EMOM – 3-position Squat Snatch (Every minute on the minute, you will do one High Hang Squat Snatch, followed by a Hang Squat Snatch, followed by a Squat Snatch).

Finisher Workout: As we approach Christmas, people get sad when we don’t get your heartrate up and make you sweat. So instead of the snatch deadlifts to finish, do this instead:

3 Rounds UNBROKEN:

15 HEAVY KB SWINGS (2 pood/1.5 pood)
15 WALL BALLS

*The goal is to do this unbroken (in less than 4 minutes). Scale your load properly.

Please see below for the Xmas Hours for 2013/2104 Festive Season.

Tom here,

A few weeks ago I introduced my specialty program Weakness 101. I made the point that classes are an awesome place to grow as an athlete and a place to learn to do to things you may have never once you thought you can do. I also suggested that classes are a tough place to learn how to master the more difficult movements of CrossFit.

The individual needs for each student differs depending on their current strengths and weaknesses. Having a program tailored to ones self can do wonders, all you need to do is trust the person programming and put in the work. I speak to many people on the floor during class daily about the movements they wish they could do, and about the weights they wish they didn’t have to scale. Now, I love to coach people through these movements (HSPU, MU’s, Snatch, C&J), but I will admit its hard to do in a class that includes a lengthy workout (I consider anything longer than 15 minutes lengthy). With the overall wants of our community in mind, I understand that these types of workouts are what the majority of people want.

My training is structured; to a degree mind you. I have focuses and I have weaknesses just like anyone else. I am far from the athlete I one day aspire to be. I focus on the things I am poor at knowing that the benefits I can gain from working on my weaknesses far outweighs the gains to be had by working on my strengths.

If you just want to come to class, get in a workout, chat with the people in said class and call it a day, all the power to you. That is 90% of the CrossFit population and more than 95% of CrossFit Vancouvers clientele. CrossFit has done a wonderful job at getting people active and healthy. With that in mind, if you are looking for a little more out of CrossFit, whether as a sport or as a hobby, then a shift in focus is generally required.

If you want that shift, come see me, or email me at or thomassarosi@gmail.com or find more info here: http://www.crossfit.ca/what-weakness-101-is-all-about/

Mondays Lesson Plan:

Keeping up with the theme for December we have two small workouts from local competitions.

Warm Up:

• 20 high hang squat cleans
• 20 front squats
• 20 push press
• some core work (coaches choice)
• front rack mobility (2 min each side)

Technique: 

This complex is event 3 from the Taranis Winter Challenge. Jeremy Meredith won this event with 265 lbs for the men and Tara Green won with 180 lbs for the women.

Warm up the complex, then coaches set the clock.

Athletes have 5 mins to reach a max weight in the following complex.

3 Deadlifts

3 Hang Cleans

3 Cleans

*Note: the cleans can be any style

Workout: 

This workout is event 1 from the BC Summer challenge. Winning times were 3:48 for men by Nate Beveridge, and 4:53 for the women, for our very own Emily Beers.

8 min time cap.

Option #1: RX’d

21-15-9

Burpee Box Jumps 24/20

Pull ups

Option #2: this for folks who struggle to do at least 12 pull ups in a row or feel that may not finish option #1 in less than 8 minutes.

15-12-9

Burpee Box Jumps 24/20

Pull Ups

Saturday Lesson Plan:

Warm-up: With a dowel, warm up your shoulders with the following:

20 shoulder dislocates
20 Reverse shoulder dislocates
20 Cuban Presses
30 second dead hang hold (on the bar)
20 straight-legged sit-ups

Strength: 1 Turkish Get-ups EMOM for 12 minutes – As Heavy as Possible (AHAP)

Workout:

With a partner, one person working at a time:

30 HSPU (shoulder press as progression)
60 KB Swings
50 weighted sit-ups (45/25 lbs)
80 Burpees
50 weighted sit-ups
60 KB swings

20 minute time cap

Sunday: Have fun with our narrow-hipped duo of Chest and Tom

See Anthony for your insoles now! He donated these for the challenge this year and we would love to hear your feedback Jenni, Richy and Hallie.

Here is what Tbear had to say:

“The ProKinetics insoles have allowed me to connect with the ground more efficiently by giving me better overall pressure contact where I needed it. I wasn’t quite aware that the positioning of my body weight was less than optimal until going through the proper assessment with Anthony and Emile at Origin Athletics. I am recovering from right knee pain and have no doubt that these insoles will place me on a better path to eliminating upstream pain and discomfort.

The customized set-up done by Anthony and Emile was professionally done and I received and learned techniques that will not only improve my posture but also help me achieve better efficiencies in many of our functional CrossFit movements. The 500 plus individual point feedback pressure pad and corresponding screen provided the best feedback tools I’ve seen to get fitted correctly for insoles and the corresponding insert support pieces within them.

I continually wear them and switch them easily between many of the shoes I own.

Thanks a lot guys.”

TBear

http://shop.originathletics.com/