Blog Archive

As many of you know I have an extensive dance background and I will be the first to give you a list of the injuries and general aches and pains that came from 20 years of ballet training. That being said there are many aspects of body awareness and mechanics that we do practice thoroughly in ballet that actually did have a positive effect on the efficiency of my movement patterns. One of these being the way we are trained to use our feet and legs to jump and more importantly land.

I came across a study done at NYU Langone’s Harkness Center for Dance Injuries on the biomechanics of jump landing comparing athletes to dancers. This was done to learn more about injuries of the of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in both groups. Overall they see less ACL injuries in dancers compared to other athletes most likely due to technique of landing from a jump that we learn from a young age. This is just one aspect of dance training that could potentially be adapted to help other athletes lessen the likelihood of this type of injury. That being said there are many aspects of other sports that dancers could adapt to lessen the negative effect of ballet on hips, ankles and many other commonly injured areas for dancers.

I know first hand that the fundamental movements we use in Crossfit have helped me to strengthen and balance my movement patterns in a way that injuries I thought would be with me for life are no longer an issue. We all want to be healthy and move in the most efficient way possible why not steal a page from someone else’s play book?

Take a look at the video below and form your own opinion!

-Twinkle Toes

Friday:

Warm Up: barbell flow

Skill: EMOM 7 min 2 hang power cleans

Workout: hurricane 25 min cap
3 rounds
800m run
21 power cleans 135/95

Coaching points: Pace the run so you can come in the door and bang off 7 cleans right away. Try to think about 3 sets of 7 for each round or break up as needed. That being said if you are doing more than 6 sets per round, the bar is to heavy my friends. 

Saturday:

Warm Up: elbow prep pec stretch scap stability

Skill: EMOM 20 min pick one of each and pick a number from 3-13

A. bent over row/strict pull up/ring row
B. pike push up/ring push up/handstand push up
C. push-up/dip/ring dip
D. hollow rock/v-snap/transition drill/muscle up
E. 30 sec plank hold/GHD sit-up/K2E-T2B

Workout: Russian Rampage 15 min AMRAP

300m row
30 sec rest
30 box jump overs 24/20
30 sec rest
30 russian kb swings 53/35
30 sec rest
30 russian twists 20/12
30 sec rest

Have a great weekend!

People are always talking about how intimidating it is starting Crossfit, and how daunting it is walking through the doors of CFV. The truth is, it is scary, but we’ve all been there! Here are a few things I wish someone told me when I first started Crossfit.

A few tips for CF newbies…..in no particular order.

Compete against yourself!
-Sure it is fun to compete against others in class or have that person you chase, but at the end of the day you are only competing against yourself, know your limitations, don’t compromise form and do sloppy Crossfit just to beat the guy/girl beside you. Think about progression not just winning. Leave your ego at that door!

 Ease into it!

-Most likely this is a new fitness regime for you. Do not come 5 days a week right from the get go, especially if lifting is something new to you, you will feel pain you’ve never felt before and your body needs to get used to it. Start with 3/week and work your way up. Do not train every day!

Ask questions!
-Don’t waste your time and money only to be left confused. Ask tons of questions, if you don’t know what a squat snatch is, ask! We don’t expect you to know the lingo right out of PT’s. If you are unsure of your progression, please ask. However, if you’ve been here two years you should probably know

Recovery
-I can’t stress this enough, I’ve definitely learned this the hard way. Take your rest days, eat well, sleep well and get back to it. Avoid injury by not overtraining and getting those rest days. Once you have progressed to more then 3 days per week, I suggest coming in no more then 3 days in a row with 1 or 2 rest days in between.

Check your nutrition!
-Log a week of your food intake and get your coach to have a look. Find out where you could be going wrong. Nutrition can have a huge impact on weight loss as well as energy levels.

Log, log, log!
-Track your results, when we ask what is your max shoulder press we’d like you to have a ballpark idea where you’re at, instead of a deer in headlights look.

Hand care and bruising
– Get right on the hand care, start filing your calluses and tape up for pull ups, toes to bar, etc.
http://www.tabatatimes.com/prehab-hand-maintenance/
http://www.crossfitinvictus.com/blog/how-to-tape-your-hands/
-You will get mystery bruises, deal with it, yes it sucks especially during tank top and shorts season, but it’s worth it ;). Ladies get some arnica and concealer!

 It won’t happen overnight!

-You will get some movements right away and others not so much, enjoy the process and BE PATIENT. If you have a goal to get your first pull up for example, work at it weekly, it will not happen overnight. Work on the movement you are trying to get every week. Ask a coach for drills to incorporate into your warm up. You gotta learn to walk before you can run!

Community
-Come to a community event, competition or party! This is one of the reasons I fell in love with Crossfit. The community aspect is amazing and keeps me coming back. The friendships you make in here are pretty unique and a lot of times life long. You work, sweat, and grunt alongside each other, may as well party together!

Top 3 things to buy when you start

1- Some flat light-weight shoes
2- A speed skipping rope
3- Foam roller and lacrosse ball

Been at CFV for awhile?

1- Try a specialty program
2- Sign up for a competition or volunteer!!!!

xo Meagan

Ps: Veterens- Post your tips to comments!!!

Warm Up:

6 rounds of
10/10 banded x walks
20 sec squat hold

Skill:

front squat
work up to challenging 3 rep.
then drop to 50%of that 3 rep for as many as possible

Workout: navy seal

12 min time cap

navy seal
1000m row
50 thrusters
30 pull ups

Coaching points:

Hit the row at about a 4:00 min pace transition onto the thrusters quick and rest only after a set has been completed. Break the pull ups as needed but avoid going until failure folks, it doesn’t work…

I went back to the Motherland (Costa Rica) in January to visit family and friends.The most FAQ I get is where should i go…Soooooooo here is Cabana Boy’s Top 5 places to visit in Costa Rica.

#1 Jacó Beach

Jacó is on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. Beautiful white sand, decent size waves and an awesome night life.

#2 Playa Samara

I hadn’t been to this beach in years. This is more of a calmer beach, Which is also on the pacific side. Waves are calm and a great amount of shade provided by a large amount of palm trees.

#3 Volcán Arenal

Out of the 6 active Volcanos in Costa Rica this is the only one I have seen erupt. It entered its resting period in 2010, so it won’t erupt again for a while. About 10 years ago this is what I saw(Not my picture, but what it looks like erupting). With Hot Springs surrounding the Volcano not only do you get a gorgeous view, but a relaxing one.

#4 Puerto Viejo

Puerto Viejo is in the province of Limón. Famous for it’s surfing this beach is on the Caribbean side. Boat tours, ziplinning and snorkelling are just some of the stuff to enjoy.

#5 Manuel Antonio

I’m a huge geek for nature, I’ve spent countless hours watching the BBC show Planet Earth and this place was like heaven for me. Quite a lot of different Monkeys, Insects and Animals all over in this National Park and of course a beautiful beach.

Of course Costa Rica has tons to offer food, wildlife, a rainforest, night life full of salsa dancing and sunshine. I’ve been travelled there over 15 times and I still haven’t seen it all and can’t wait till next January to be soaking up the sun and drinking beers

 Warm Up:

elbow prep
pec stretch
scap stability

Skill:

EMOM 20 min pick one of each and pick a number from 3-13

A. bent over row/strict pull up/ring row
B. pike push up/ring push up/handstand push up
C. push-up/dip/ring dip
D. hollow rock/v-snap/transition drill/muscle up
E. 30 sec plank hold/GHD sit-up/K2E-T2B

Workout: ben and jerrys

5 min EMOM

20seconds of burpees

rest 5 min

5 min EMOM

20seconds of double unders/skipping

Coaching points: 

This workout is all about efficiency of movements. Work for the entire 20seconds and don’t quit early. Score is number burpees total plus number of double unders or single skips total. 

Obviously our mood is not tip top when we are way backed up or the other end of the spectrum. That being said, CBC reports groundbreaking research is being conducted into the relationship between intestinal bacteria and mood.

Inside your intestinal tract exists a bacterial ecosystem. Like any ecosystem, maintaining the balance of its constituents is key to it functioning effectively. This is a challenge we all face.

Researchers have conducted numerous experiments with mice, their intestinal bacterial levels and their moods. Changes in the sociability of the mouse with intestinal fecal bacterial transplants were significant. The results were so compelling that experiments have begun using human test subjects. Again the evidence seems compelling to further continue researching in this area.

The higher sociability of mice seems to be linked to “increased levels of a naturally occurring chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is linked to reduced anxiety”. Reduced levels of BDNF were shown to be prevalent in less social and timid mice. How the whole process works is still up in the air though.

They’ve even changed the behaviour of mice and humans with Autism by running experiments feeding the subjects higher levels of Bacteroides Fragelis (mice can have autism?).

Bacteroides Fragilis.

Anyway you slice it, it seems as though keeping your intestinal bacterial ecosystem happy transfers to being less anxious and more social.

I’ve only given a short synopsis of the article. Read the complete piece here.

Have a happy gut and smile.

Shep Shep

Tuesday’s Workout

Warm Up:

5 rounds of
10 cuban press – barbell
10 behind the neck push press-snatch grip

Skill:

3 position snatch
3 times
floor-hang-pockets

Workout: Blue Balls Lagoon

Rx’d 

10 rounds
3 snatch 115/80
15 wall balls 20/12

COMP Team

10 rounds
3 snatch 135/95
15 wall balls 20/14

Coaching points:

Snatch weight should be a number where you are able to get your heart rate down and focus on the lift, use the wall balls to elevate your heart rate before the snatch. Focus on the 3 position we practiced in the skill sessions.