Blog Archive

When the CrossFit Games were launched in 2007, few thought it would be the spectacle it is now 7 years later. Most of us have heard the story of how it all started in Dave Castros backyard in Aromas California. Ask Andy, Kermit or TBear and they will tell you about the grass roots days of the Games.

I came into CrossFit as the Games were taking a turn from cult fitness weekend gathering to legitimate worldwide competition. In 2011 the Games were a whole new spectacle. More event, events that were new and different, some might even say gimmicky, but they were cool and fun. Fast forward to today and The Games are a full time job. Anyone with a desire to compete invests anywhere from 15-40 hours a week in training. Even getting to the Regional level anymore is a feat in itself.

There is now a new kid in town. That kid is the National Professional Fitness League or NPFL. The NPFL is in its inaugural season. It is a league that consists of five professional fitness teams. These teams will perform weekly races with events looking similar to that of CrossFit team events. Don’t get confused here though, they are not doing CrossFit.

When I first heard of this start up I laughed a little. I thought the idea of a prolonged “CrossFit” season was going to scare people away. Folks who aspired to be at the Games would’t want to disrupt training to do a race every week for 5 months. Would they?

It appears legit, and by that I mean legit Games athletes are signing contracts with NPFL teams. This week Sam Briggs, 2013 CrossFit Games champ signed with the L.A. Reign. Not just Sam, but other elite athletes are signing with teams. Which makes me start to wonder if this once giggle fest idea has become a legitimate summer sport.

The season is set to start August 2014. Rumours are it will be nationally televised.

What I want to know is

1. Would you follow a pro fitness team the same way you follow the Canucks or Seahawks?

2. Do you think having athletes of Games caliber competing in non CrossFit sanctioned teams is going to tarnish the CrossFit Open, Regionals and Games season?

3. Do you give a shit at all?

Share your opinion and let me know your thoughts on a professional exercise team.

Tom

P.S. Heats for the comp this weekend are the following. Slight Heat changes. We will be collecting the $20.00 entry fee throughout the day, please bring cash.

Heat 1: Event 1: 8:45 Event 2: 12:45 Event 3: 1:45

13. Robert-Caitlin-Laura

12. Janel-Kim-Jane

11. Jennine-Sarah-Morgan

10. Sean-Chrsiti-Steph

9. Marylyn-Wendy-Leanne

8. Fabi-Gabriel-Alex

7. Stephen-Connor-Marco

Heat 2: Event 1: 9:15 Event 2: 1:00 Event 3: 2:15

6. Geoff-Fernando-Rebar

5. Darren-Adam-Mike

4. Landon-Bill-Richy

3. Noah-Sean Ang-Cam

2. Meagan-Woodchuck-Kermit

1. Colter-Dan-Ryan

Friday:

W/U:

Coach’s Choice

Skill/Str:
Take 15 min to work up to a Heavy Squat Clean Thruster

W/O:
30 Squat Clean Thrusters (135/95)

Saturday: 

W/U:
Coach’s Choice

Skill/Str:
40 sec As, Ts, and Ys
20 sec Rest
40 Wall Angel
20 sec Rest
40 sec Ring Bat Wing
20 sec Rest
3 Rounds

W/O:
In Teams of 2, trading off rounds:
10 Goblet squats
10 Box Jump w/ Step down
10 HR Push Up
Rounds in 20 min

Sorry for the late post guys, my bad. 

Emile and I were joking today about how some workouts we see programmed around the world wide web are often pretty ridiculous. We laugh and joke but the truth is there a ton of pretty “bad” workouts out there. I put bad in quotations because it is a subjective thing. What I see as a bad workout many might feel is a good one. 

My criteria for a “good” workout is the following.

1. less than 300 reps

2. there is a push, pull or hinge 

3. there is a skill element of some degree, lifting or gymnastics

4. shorter than 20 mins

Not to say I am right, this is simply my opinion.

The reason I make this point is workouts can be tough and challenging without making you feel like a truck hit you. If I took you out to the parking lot and beat you with a baseball bat, you may feel sore but that doesn’t mean you had a good workout. The saying “But it didn’t feel like a workout” bothers me as coach a little bit. Strength and skill workouts should leave you feeling mentally tired or fatigued in different places than a hard met con would. 

Just saying, a workout doesn’t have to be gut wrenching to have an effect. 

Tom

W/U:
Coach’s Choice

Skill/Str:
Deadlift 3 X 3

W/O:
Row 30 sec
Rest 2:30
5 rounds
Coaches budget approx 20 min

Compare with Oct 25th

CrossFit Vancouver will be sending a team to the Canada West Regionals. The event runs all weekend May 9-10-11. 

The event will have our very own Emily Beers competing as an individual athlete, she qualified in 14th overall. We also have a team competing who qualified in 27th overall. 

If folks are around that weekend then come on out and cheer on everyone competing. There are events running all weekend but there will be a more informative schedule released in the next week or so. The top athletes from all over western Canada will be throwing down with a shot to the Games on the line. 

If you are super keen, they are always looking for volunteers as well to help move equipment, set up signs and take concession. More info on the Games site. 

If you are attending and CFV or Em are warming up for a workout keep eyes pealed on Lucas Parker and Tyson Takasaki who both represented our region last year at the Games. Also watching The Centaurs of Hybrid Athletics is always pretty cool too. 

I hope to see a sea of blue and white cheering our crew on. 

See you there guys. 

Tom

Today’s Workout :

1 Mile Run

‘Rest’ 20 min.  Work on the skill aspect of one of your goats.

1 Mile Run

Total Run time for your leaderboard score

Hey all,

Just wanted to throw one last opportunity out there to anyone who wants to sign up for our second CFV in House Competition. 

Workouts have been announced, but they are reposted below as a reminder.

If you want to compete, make sure your name is on the small whiteboard between the WOD and the garage door. If your name is not on the board, you are currently not competing. You may sign up solo and we will assign you to a team or you can sign up with a team. Cost is $20.00 per person. You have until Thursday night to sign up. 

We initially decided to charge a fee this time around to raise funds for LANYAR.

When we set up this competition we were unsure of how our regional team would fair. As it turns out we qualified a team in 27th place. So we will be sending a team to compete in the Canada West Regionals May 9, 10 and 11. The funds are now going to go to send the team to Regionals. (registration alone is $400.00)

To give back to the community and to LANYAR, we have decided that if any member of Charlie’s youth at risk program would like to join a team, they can do see free of charge or better yet submit an entire team of Warriors. I would like to send a shout out to Geoffery Last who volunteered to donate his own money to register a team of LANYAR members. We appreciate your support for the kids. 

Nutts Cup is around the corner and we will have another in house Comp in June. Both events will raise money for LANYAR. I apologize for the sudden switch but the members of Comp Team have been paying a premium for the program this year so I feel that asking them to give more when they are representing our entire gym over and entire weekend is a far cry. 

Thanks guys,

Tom

Comp Workouts are. 

1. Heats are 8:30-8:50-9:30

16 mins to perform

8 200m ball runs
then, with time remaining each person will find there max weight of the following complex
3 deadlifts
3 hang cleans
3 power cleans

This workout is two data points, the run and the complex.

2. Heats are 12:30-12:45-1:00

9 min Cap. One person working at a time.

80 Overhead lunges 45/25
60 Burpees
40 T2B
then with time remaining accumulate max points
5 points per bar muscle up
3 points per chest to bar pull up
1 point per pull up

3. Heats are 1:30-2:00-2:30

Fight Gone Bad Follow the Leader

2 Rounds
30 Wall Balls 20/12
30 Sumodeadlift High Pulls 55/35
30 Box Jumps 20″
30 Push Press 75/55
30 Calorie Row

Each partner must complete two rounds, partner 2 cannot begin until parter 1 has completed their second set of wall balls, same goes for parter 3 following parter 2.

Got Bar Muscle Ups?

Today’s Skill/Str:

Front Squat 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1

Second wave ( 3, 2, 1) should be slightly heavier than the first wave.

Today’s Workout:

6 Bdwt Front Squats

6 Lateral Hop Burpees

5 rounds

Stretch out. There  will be more squats on Friday

Attention! Holiday Weekend Class Schedule:

Friday April 18th: Closed

Saturday April 19th: 10am and 11am

Sunday April 20th: Closed

Monday April 21st: 10am and 5pm

Thursday’s WarmUp:

1 Length Walking Lunge with a Mobility Focus
10 2 for 1 Wallballs
1 Length Walking Rest
4 Rounds

Thursday’s Skill/Str Element:

A. Power Box Jump, 1.1.1 reps, 4 sets
B. Speed Squats, 4 reps @ approx. 55% of 1RM, 4 working sets

*Each rack will get a timer to time each set.  An athlete’s first set should take no longer than 6 sec.  If 4 reps take longer than 6 sec, reduce the amount of weight on the bar.

**We’ll use the stop watches measure a Critical Drop Off (1 second for this workout), and manage neural fatigue.  So, if an athlete drops 1 full second from the first set to any subsequent set after that, they will discontinue the speed squat portion of this workout.

Thursday’s Workout:

Bring Sally Up – Back Squat

Leaderboard score is barbell weight, if successfully completed.
Compare with Nov 28 2013 (Month of Sheppy).

Saturday’s  Warm Up:

Coach’s Choice

Saturday’s Workout:

In Teams of 3, Trading off rounds:

15 min AMRAP

3 Power Clean (135/95)

6 Push Up

9 Box Jump

5 Min Rest

15 Min AMRAP

9 Reverse Burpee

6 Pull Up 

3 Ring Dip
 

I have a dear friend who is struggling with weight gain, cycle irregularity, and general fatigue—even though she follows Paleo, does Crossfit, and has twice completed The Whole 30 Challenge.

So what IS the deal?
Are some of us just genetically designed to have these issues? Or, are we somehow setting ourselves up for failure?

The mysterious ‘Adrenal Fatigue’… (Full Article HERE)
The adrenals are two walnut-shaped glands that sit atop the kidneys. They secrete hormones – such as cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine – that regulate the stress response.

But these hormones play other crucial roles, many of which are directly related to thyroid health.

‘Weak adrenals can cause hypothyroid symptoms without any problem in the thyroid gland itself. In such cases, treating the thyroid is both unnecessary and ineffective, and addressing the adrenals themselves is the key to improving thyroid function.’
(credit: Chris Kresser blog)

Stress is broadly defined as anything that disturbs the body’s natural balance (homeostasis).  Including but not limited to: anemia, blood sugar swings, gut inflammation, food intolerances (especially gluten), essential fatty acid deficiencies, environmental toxins, and of course, chronic emotional and psychological stress.

All of these conditions sound the alarm bells and cause the adrenals to pump out more stress hormones.

Crossfit anyone?

Fatigued Squad

I’m not one of those athletes who train to the extent that menstrual irregularity comes into play.  (I’ve done this once, during basic training…and it feels weird.)  But over-training can definitely affect your homeostasis and stress you out.

Because the adrenals affect every system in the body, symptoms of adrenal stress are beautifully nonspecific. Awesome.

Some of the more common symptoms are:

• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Decreased immunity
• Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep and waking up
• Mood swings
• Sugar and caffeine cravings
• Irritability or lightheadedness between meals
• Eating to relieve fatigue
• Dizziness when moving from sitting or lying to standing
• Gastric ulcers

Great. Now what?

Well, let’s start with a Simple Thyroid Test.

And then, move into balancing the Adrenals.

General guidelines for adrenal health:  (credit: Chris Kresser blog)

• Avoid or at least greatly minimize stimulants
• Stabilize blood sugar (via a moderate or low-carb diet)
• Practice stress management and relaxation techniques
• Have fun, laugh and make pleasure a regular part of your life
• Avoid dietary causes of inflammation (refined flours, high-fructose corn syrup and industrial seed oils in particular)
• Ensure adequate intake of DHA & EPA

Hmmm…. maybe not like that.

So, HAVE FUN, eat well, maybe drink a little less coffee, and take your fish oil.

I’m only getting started here….
Like the Terminator, ‘I’ll be back’.

~Squad

W/U:
Coach’s Choice

Skill/Str:
A1. Lean and Loiter, 45 sec, 4 sets
A2. Alt Rope Pull Up (L1,2,3,4, or 5) 6 reps, 4 sets
A3. No Money (w/4 sec pause) 6 reps, 4 sets
A4. Ring/Archer Push Up, 6 reps, 4 sets

W/O:
100 Burpee
200 Double Under
Mix and Match

‘Ass Face’ — a term I made up to harass my older sisters as they used Preparation H on their faces to help with wrinkles and puffy eyes

Yup, Prep H. On the face. That stuff smells like old fish. I suspect from the shark cartilage in there. Good for reducing swelling on the skin… bad for encouraging make-out sessions! (If you’re considering this trick… read THIS first.)

I’ve recently found a new ‘natural’ beauty product that has inspired some questions….

Picture this:

Lovely Cream

Which is a strange texture and smell combination of these:    (no joke)

Jet Puffed

Swamp water

Mmmm…. wanna make out with this?

Post to comments the strangest / best thing you have ever tried as an anti-aging trick… sugar and lemon juice scrubs… mayonnaise hair masks… carrot oil… you name it.  (I’m new to this…)

Andy?  What keeps you so young??? 

~Squad

Warm Up:
Coach’s Choice

Skill/Str:
Groove Workout Movements

Workout:
4 Thruster (95/65lbs)
8 Hang Power Clean
12 Sumo Deadlifts
Rounds.Reps in 20min

Pace yourselves.

Afghan here with a long overdue thank you to the community!

On Feb 10th, Family Day weekend, a ton of you came out to take part in a memorial workout for my brother-in-law ,Wes Van Dorn.  We had two classes of over 30 people with both the main gym and the shallow end rocking.  It meant a lot to me to have so many people come out in support!

Many of you came with cash in hand and donated it for me to make a contribution to an Education Trust for my nephews Jaxton and Maddox.  Even others sought me out afterwards to make a contribution.  I thank you all for your generosity!  The total donation made in the name of Crossfit Vancouver was $1,100.

A big thanks to everyone that came out, donated, or took it upon themselves to take this one on at another time!  Thank you for letting me share with you about the unfortunate circumstances that befell Wes.. it helped me grieve and process what I was and am going through, and it meant a lot to my sister to see people taking on a tough workout in honor of Wes.

I’d also like to recognize and express my appreciation to all the gyms in the lower mainland and a few around the world that adopted this into their programming on short notice.  Being able to reach out to you all and see you carry a post about Wes and the workout for your communities was very helpful in a trying time.

Love, Afghan.

Monday’s Workout:

Warm Up:
Coach’s Choice

Workout:
Row 1 mile (That’s about 1600 m y’all!)
‘Rest’ 20 min – work on the skill aspect of one of your goats
Row 1 mile

Total row time for leaderboard

I’m the kind of guy, who even before the “complimentary” service, got his hair cut about every 2 weeks. High self care maintains a healthy work ethic and reduces the risk of burn out.

The relationship between you and your stylist becomes very special; in my case I get to crawl into bed with mine. They manage to process more feelings than the average therapist, give you an open space to vent, and send you out the door with a winning look. They aren’t that many places you can drop off your emotional baggage and come out gleaming with confidence.

There are experiences that leave you scarred for life, or at least the few weeks until your hair grows out. That fairy god mother can easily turn into the butcher. The emotional connection to hair astounds me sometimes; people who wear hats are inherently crazy (see: Alice in Wonderland). Anything that grows out of the origin of consciousness must be handled with care and compassion. Once you find your wizard of hairkraftmenship, you’ll preach to the masses.

The magnificent Simona Heger has been doing my hair since I made out with her on a couch and woo’d her over a series of romantic rendezvous. I may not pay cash, but if I didn’t have other services to trade, I would gladly front the bill. When you find a pair of skilled hands, you wash, rinse, and repeat. She is always taking new classes to build upon her already vast skill set. Aside from being a stunning example of what a beautiful woman can be, she puts your desires into a reasonable goal with a whimsical twist. Each hair follicle has a personality, and she knows how to work it. As co-owner of Hairkraft Studio, she and her astounding team provide a comfortable environment to build lasting moments and lustrous new looks. It’s no big ghastly salon, so you feel pampered in a cozy nook off main street.

If you think you can just slap a hat and get at it, you’re wrong. There may be some novelty attached to scruffy bed head. There may even be attraction to ratty long locks. Those strands connect directly into the head; don’t be surprised if that look reflects on how bat shit crazy someone is. Fluff those feathers and get some allure into your life; you’ll attract more money, women/men, and be among the stars.

Men’s Cut, Women’s cut, Washes, Styling, Blowouts, Updos, Colours, Highlights, Colour Correction, Chemical Treatments, Bang Trims, Neck Trims, A Braid Bar, and Style Nights.

Simona Heger
[email protected]

[email protected]

Big love,

Chesty

Thursday’s Lesson Plan

Warm Up:

20 sec Push Up, 1 rep, 3 sets
KB/DB Windmill, 3/3 reps, 3 sets
SA Ring Row, 6 Reps, 3sets
Paloff’s Press, 6/6 reps, 3 sets

Skill:

Quickly build Bench Press to 85% of workout weight

Strength:

A1. Lean and Loiter, 45 sec, 4 sets
A2. Alt Rope Pull Up (L1,2,3,4,5 or 6) 6 reps, 4 sets
A3. No Money (w/4 sec pause) 6 reps, 4 sets
A4. Bench Press, 3 reps, 4 sets

I’d like to give one more shout out to all of you who attended my More than Mobility Seminar. The past 5 weeks allowed me to ramble in my zone, share my knowledge, and ruffle a few feathers. With sensational assistance by Cj Castro, I was able to transfer many of my “no brainer” approaches to regaining functional mobility. I have more clinic and program ideas in the works and look forward to making those available in the near future. Preparing the body for action is one of my specialties.

Sheppy always speaks about developing yourself in here; specifically he refers to becoming “like a Cheetah”. The great thing about them cats is they can nap for hours on end, wake up, do three half ass stretches, and take down a lean evasive Antelope. Unfortunately, when we attempt a similar routine, some of us end up a little more like Chester the Cheetah, making the best of a bad situation.

Who are you?

I could give you shit for snorting that line of Cheetos before stalk the task at hand; instead, let me give you a few reasons to up the priority on greasing the gears:

• Raise Body Temperature to at Least 102 Degrees to Spread Out Molecules
• Reduce Muscle Viscosity
• Reduce Muscle Stiffness
• Increase Muscle and Soft-Tissue Pliability
• Increase Speed of Contraction
• Increase Oxygen Utilization
• Increase Nerve Transmission
• Increase Muscle Metabolism
• Increase Blood Flow to Muscles, Tendons, Cartilage, and Ligaments
• Increase Delivery of Oxygen and Nutrients to Muscle and Soft-Tissues
• Activate Neuromuscular System, Endocrine System, Energy Systems, and Individual Muscles
• Improve Coordination and Reaction Time
• Address Tissue Length and Quality
• Reduce Post-Exercise Soreness

The individual nature of body composition, genetics, hormonal timing, and personality, separate us. Some folk can prowl around for years and take down herds of antelope; they were made for it. The rest either take what they can, get selective with their experiences, or posture up. Regardless of the advantages/disadvantages you have, increasing the quality of your preparation will lead to greater, more valued experiences. It will also leave all the other antelope talking, for years.

Athletic prowess, let’s begin.

Chesty

Wednesday’s Lesson Plan

Warm Up

Coach’s Choice

Workout:

30 sec WallBalls (20/14/12lbs)
30 sec Rest
30 sec Power Snatch (75/55lbs)
30 sec Rest
30 sec Box Step Up
30 sec Rest
30 sec Push Press (75/55lbs)
30 sec Rest
30 sec Row (cal)
1:30 Rest

6 Rounds

Coaches, schedule 35 min for this workout.
In the event of a large class, start athletes at different stations.