FITBOMB

The Swiss Army Knife of CrossFit Equipment

2012-02-12T16:26:00.000-08:00

Jeff Tucker of CrossFit Gymnastics is about to start selling one of the most versatile-looking pieces of CrossFit equipment I've ever seen: The Iron Beam. More info here.

It goes without saying, but I want one.

What Does It Take To Turn the Heads of New Yorkers?

2012-02-11T22:08:00.000-08:00

Another Reebok CrossFit video filmed in New York City:

I'm sure the handstand walk across the street turned some heads, but it looks like most New Yorkers didn't bat an eye when they passed elite CrossFitters doing kipping pullups on construction scaffolding or air squats on the sidewalk. (I liked watching them jump over each other -- it looked like fun -- but Manhattanites are used to seeing that sort of thing done with more panache.) Folks probably just assumed that these firebreathers were participating in an afternoon bootcamp exercise program. And who could blame them, when they're accustomed to encountering much more eye-popping spectacles around town?

Here are a few examples.

No Pants Subway Rides:

UFOs:

Grocery Store Musicals:

Flying People:

This Guy:

What CrossFit WOD do you think would stop New Yorkers in their tracks? My vote's for Amanda:

Friday's Workout

2012-02-10T23:30:00.000-08:00

Strength Skill:

Front Squats (5-5-3-3-3)

I paired up with the Terminator today, but I couldn't match the weight he was squatting. I couldn't even match my own PR of 205 (set over a half-year ago). In my last set, I eked out a few reps at 195 pounds, but ended up dumping the weight. New goal for this cycle: 215 or bust.

Surprise! No metcon today -- just lots of barbell work, which I loved. This was perfect for me; my metabolic conditioning's already pretty decent, but I'm nowhere near as strong as I'd like to be. I was excited to see a WOD pop up on the schedule at CrossFit Palo Alto today that prioritized strength and form over speed.

In place of the metcon, here's what we did:

5 rounds (not for time):

4 strict presses
3 push-presses
2 push jerks

I eventually made it up to 105 pounds, but this workout was harder than it looked. Just because the clock wasn't ticking didn't mean I wasn't getting fatigued by all the pressing and jerking.

Speaking of fatigue, I'm passing out as I type this. Not kidding. Must. Sleep. Now...

Wednesday's Workout: Three-Quarters Nicole

2012-02-08T21:53:00.000-08:00

A fun one today.

Strength Skill:

Weighted Ring Dips (5-5-3-3-3)

The right side of my neck felt pinched this morning, but after grinding out a few ring dips, the tightness went away. I didn't go super-heavy today, but in my final set, I managed to eke out a few reps with a 44-pound kettlebell dangling from my weight belt. My goal is to get to 60 pounds by the end of this cycle.

Metcon:

AMRAP in 15 minutes of:

Run 400 meters
Max rep pull-ups

As soon as you drop off the bar, you have to run another 400 meters before coming back to do more pull-ups. To derive your score, add up the total number of pull-ups completed. In other words, this is a shorter (15-minute instead of 20-minute) version of "Nicole."

I love pull-ups, but running's not my strong suit, so I decided to employ a bit of strategy. When well-rested, I can usually string together close to three dozen pull-ups in a row, so my plan was to treat the running as active recovery, and to save my all-out effort for the pull-ups. It seemed to work; by conserving energy during the run, I was able to stay on the bar longer, and complete more reps in each set. Plus, I ended up running less, too -- I did the 400-meter run just 4 times.

Results:

First round: 32 pull-ups
Second round: 20 pull-ups
Third round: 15 pull-ups
Fourth round: 11 pull-ups

Total: 78 pull-ups as RXed.

Still, there's room for improvement. The Terminator beat me by two reps at the very end, when I dropped off the bar with just a few seconds to go in the workout. My cyborg friend was losing his grip, too, but managed to adjust his hold on the bar and rip out a few more pull-ups before time was called. I should've hung on, but didn't.

Next time...

Brief Jerky

2012-02-08T07:52:00.000-08:00

Just in time for Valentine's Day: Edible meat underwear.

Comfy!

Note: The author says these are "Paleo panties," but they're actually less than Paleo, given the use of soy sauce and Slim Jims(!). Try this recipe instead.

Photoshop, Tanning Beds, & PAM

2012-02-06T21:36:00.000-08:00

Interesting.

But what explains this photo?

Monday's Workout

2012-02-06T21:24:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday, y'all.

Strength Skill:

Snatch (5-5-3-3-3)

I did my best to pick up where I left off a couple of weekends ago at the Catalyst Athletics Oly lifting seminar, but I'm already rusty. Something tells me I need to grease this groove more.

Ideally, I'd like to get the point where snatching's like second nature, but right now, I still find myself running through a lengthy mental checklist before each rep. Hook grip? Check. Feet in pull position? Check. Knees back? Check. Elbows turned up? Check. Back arched? Check. Deep, tight breath? Check. It's a bit exhausting even before the weight leaves the ground.

Metcon:

For time:

21 kettlebell swings (24kg / 16kg)
21 burpees
21 wallball shots (10' target, 20lbs / 14 lbs)
15 kettlebell swings (24kg / 16kg)
15 burpees
15 wallball shots (10' target, 20lbs / 14 lbs)
9 kettlebell swings (24kg / 16kg)
9 burpees
9 wallball shots (10' target, 20lbs / 14 lbs)

Ouch. This looked easy enough when Tim wrote it on the whiteboard, but by the start of the final round of burpees, it felt as though someone had poured hot lava in my shorts.

Result: 8:05 as RXed.

5 Super Bowl Snacks I Won't Be Eating

2012-02-04T22:59:00.000-08:00

1. Cookie Dough Dip

2. Velveeta Fudge Squares

3. Jack-In-The-Box's Bacon Milkshake (especially given that there's actually no bacon in it)

4. Buffalo Wing Cupcakes with Blue Cheese Frosting

5. Domino’s Three Cheese Mac-n-Cheese Pasta Bowl

UPDATED: Okay -- one more: Buffalo Wing Soda

Wing Bowl XX

2012-02-03T22:38:00.000-08:00

It's the Friday before the Super Bowl, and you know what that means, right?

WING BOWL!

Yep -- it's the annual Super Bowl for competitive chicken wing eaters! Held at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center, the Wing Bowl is one of competitive eating's showcase events, with thousands of spectators in attendance, including "the Wingettes, the name given to the bikini- and lingerie-wearing young women who make up each eater's contingent of supporters."

More than 125 Wingettes, a record for the event, competed to be declared "Wingette of the Year." Nicole, a pretty brunette, won the title and a 2012 Harley Davidson Sportster motorcycle. Also attending the event as featured Wingettes were adult film actresses Jenna Jameson and Mary Carey.

Clearly, the Wing Bowl is totally legit!

The winner? The legendary Takeru Kobayashi, who downed 337 wings in 30 minutes:

(I love how the reporter assumes that the native of Japan isn't accustomed to eating chicken wings. For the record: (1) people in Japan eat chicken wings, and (2) Kobayashi will eat just about anything.)

I was actually rooting for Bill "El Wingador" Simmons after watching Errol Morris' insanely great mini-documentary on the wing-eater on NYTimes.com. (Check it out here.) Sadly, El Wingador placed a distant third, having eaten just 251 wings. (It was, however, a PR for him.) I guess practicing swallowing a baseball-sized sphere of a hundred-plus Tootsie Rolls didn't pay off for Simmons.

Personally, I'm still waiting for this to happen at one of these events:

Friday's Workout

2012-02-03T22:14:00.000-08:00

I've been dragging all week, but I was looking forward to class this morning. The reason: Handstand push-ups.

Strength Skill:

Handstand Push-Ups (5-5-5-5-5)

Handstand push-ups are fine, but what about doing 'em from Olympic rings? After Tim demonstrated ring handstand push-ups, a bunch of us attempted ring HSPUs . Kyle gutted out a rep, but the rest of us failed miserably. I gave it a shot, and managed to get myself into the starting position without snapping my neck in two. But even after trying so hard that my eyes felt like they were going to blast out of my skull, I couldn't achieve liftoff.

Looks like I have a new goal to work towards...

Metcon:

For time:

100 air squats
1K row
800 meter run

Cardio. Gah!

Before the workout began, I already knew how it was all gonna go down: I'd kick ass at the air squats, I'd do okay on the row, and I'd completely suck at the run.

Lo and behold: I wasn't wrong.

I quickly ripped out the air squats, and was the first to finish and get to the erg. As usual, the rowing was...unpleasant. But I kept a decent pace, and successfully avoided looking at the monitor (I hate being reminded of how slow I'm going) until I was over a hundred strokes in. I was the second person off the erg -- but as I stumbled out of the gym to start my run, I couldn't get my legs to do more than shuffle. Within seconds, a few of my classmates passed me from behind. Damn. I found little solace in correctly predicting the outcome of today's WOD.

Result: 10:29 as RXed.

The Project That's Taken Over My Life

2012-02-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

I've been a little neglectful of this blog lately. The reason? I've been cranking like crazy (and I mean CRAZY) on M's special side project: a Nom Nom Paleo cooking app. Read all about it here.

The project started off as a lark. M had been approached about writing a cookbook, but we were really intrigued about the possibility of doing something a little different.

"What about an iPad app?" she wondered.

From there, we've gone down the rabbit hole, and we're not out yet. Together, M and I have developed, written, edited, and photographed countless recipes, and our sleep has gone down the toilet. Currently, the user experience/interface and design is locked, and the content is pretty much done. Programming is underway -- and since that's done by the app company we hired, my gut is that I'll have a bit more time to yak away on this blog again.

The investment of time (and money!) has been huge -- but I'm confident that the end result will be well worth it.

Anyway, if you're anti-Paleo or anti-Apple, don't worry: I'll be back to the farting yoga videos again soon enough.

Wednesday's Workout

2012-02-01T23:02:00.000-08:00

This morning, when I craned my neck from the pillow to peer at the alarm clock, the display read: 5:09 a.m.

Crap. I'd overslept by almost an hour, and the 5 a.m. class was already underway. I should've just gone back to sleep, but what the hell -- I was already awake, so I threw on some clothes and headed off to the gym.

The penalty for being 25 minutes late to class? Burpees and Shake Weight. The burpees were a decent way to warm up. The Shake Weight: Not so much. I think I would've preferred the Tug Toner:

I had enough just time to practice a set of pistols with the rest of the class before the metcon began.

3 rounds for time:

50 double-unders
21 overhead kettlebell swings (24kg / 16kg)
12 pull-ups

My Buddy Lee rope has gone to jump rope heaven (it snapped in two, as did M's), so I grabbed one of the speed ropes at the gym. Unfortunately, the one I used today was fraying, and the jagged steel cable kept snagging on my shoelaces. After tugging it away from my laces a few times during the metcon, I ended up with an untied shoe -- which meant having to stop in the middle of the workout to bend down and tie my shoelaces.

After the first round of double-unders, I settled into a rhythm -- and although I had to put the kettlebell down a few times to catch my breath, I finished with a decent time.

Result: 10:14 as RXed.

I was pretty out of it this morning, though. It felt like I'd been shot out of a cannon. Diving right into a metcon (albeit a quick one) less than a half-hour after waking was probably not among the smartest things I've ever done.

Monday's Workout: Fight Gone Bad

2012-01-30T23:11:00.000-08:00

I've been sick for the past few days (hence my absence from the gym on Friday), and was hoping to ease into the week with a nice little 5 a.m. workout.

No such luck. On the menu today: Fight Gone Bad.

Rotate through five stations, spending one minute at each:

Wall ball shots (20lbs / 14lbs), 10 foot target. Each rep is scored as 1 point.
Sumo deadlift high pulls (75lbs / 55 lbs). Each rep is scored as 1 point.
Box jumps (20″ box). Each rep is scored as 1 point.
Barbell push-presses (75lbs / 55 lbs). Each rep is scored as 1 point.
Calorie row. Each calorie burned (according to the monitor) is scored as 1 point.

Rest one minute, and then repeat the five stations. Rest another minute, and then repeat all the stations again, for a total of three rounds.

The first time I did FGB was in September of 2010, when I eked out 209 points as RXed. It was ugly.

A year later, I attempted FGB again, and improved slightly, with 229 points as RXed. It was just as ugly the second time around.

But while Fight Gone Bad is certainly a grueling ass-kicker, it's really not much worse than any other grueling ass-kicker we've experienced at the gym. The difference is the nervous anticipation. We know months in advance that the Fight Gone Bad fundraiser is coming, so we end up psyching ourselves out. For a week before last September's FGB at CrossFit Palo Alto, I spent a few minutes each day working on my wall ball shots and push-presses in the hopes that the extra practice would pay off. I was excited about FGB, but I was also nervous about it.

A while back, Freddy Camacho wrote about "that anxiety you get when you first read what the workout is. We often experience what I like to call 'The Dread.' Nervousness, anxiety, making up excuses on why you don't need to work out that day...'The Dread' can kick your ass."

I suppose that points to another reason why I prefer going to the 5 a.m. class: The workout doesn't get written on the board until it's time to do it. All the subsequent classes eyeball the metcon as soon as they enter the gym, and I imagine they think about it as they warm up and complete their strength skills practice -- especially if the workout's particularly heinous. In contrast, those of us who show up at 5 a.m. are always surprised; after the WOD's revealed, we have just enough time to set up our equipment before the workout begins. We don't have the time to dwell on "The Dread." There's barely any "Dread" at all.

(Besides, we're barely awake enough to comprehend how challenging a workout's going to be until we're in the middle of it.)

Today, we jumped right into Fight Gone Bad without a second thought -- and it was great. Yes, it still whupped my butt. But even without practicing sumo deadlift high pulls in my garage all week, and despite still recovering from a cold, I set a new personal best.

Result: 239 as RXed. But before I get too carried away with myself, I should point out that a good number of my fellow 5 a.m. nutjobs beat my score this morning, including the Terminator, who competed in the NorCal 40s yesterday, where he finished in 13th place out of dozens of athletes. He found out we were going to do FGB today, and despite having completed 7 crazy WODs yesterday, he still showed up at 5 a.m. this morning. Clearly, the man is insane.

Bacon Tampons

2012-01-27T10:07:00.000-08:00

Who knew you could stop nosebleeds with "bacon tampons"?

From LA Weekly:

Four doctors at Detroit Medical Center in Michigan treated a child who had a rare hereditary disorder that causes prolonged nose bleeding by using what they called a "nasal tampon" made out of "cured salted pork," the Guardian reports. The so-called bacon tampon "stopped nasal hemorrhage promptly, effectively, and without sequelae [negative consequences]," they write in the January 2012 issue of the Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology.

[Source]

Empire State Building WOD

2012-01-26T07:46:00.001-08:00

Where to next?

I Don't Remember Being This Awesome In Eighth Grade

2012-01-25T22:37:00.000-08:00

She's 13 and holds 8 weightlifting records. Plus, she CrossFits. And eats Paleo.

In addition, she wears "BACON" socks by Gumball Poodle (which, incidentally, also made Nom Nom Paleo's socks).

In contrast, my eighth grade year was devoted to sticking baseball cards in protective plastic sheets and fighting the good fight against acne.

Wednesday's Workout

2012-01-25T22:14:00.000-08:00

Interesting.

Instead of our third Wednesday of pistols, we were treated to a longer metcon today. Over the past couple of weeks, the coaches at CrossFit Palo Alto have been deviating from the routine; rather than strictly adhering to the template of a three-week strength skill cycle followed by one week of longer metcons, everything's getting blended together. It's not random, but it's definitely getting more varied.

On today's menu:

In 6 minutes, run 400 meters, then as many rounds as possible of 5 pull-ups, 9 kettlebell swings (24kg / 16kg), and 13 squats.

Rest 1 minute, then repeat the cycle.

Rest 1 more minute, then repeat the cycle once more.

Score = Total number of rounds and reps.

The pull-ups went by in a flash, and my short little legs pumped out the squats in quick succession. In fact, I loved everything except the running; try as I might, I couldn't get my feet to turn over as fast as I would've liked. Still, this WOD was sufficiently Cindy-like to put a big smile on my face, even when I was flat on my back post-workout.

Result: 10 rounds + 14 reps as RXed.

Monday's Workout

2012-01-23T23:23:00.000-08:00

Holy moly, I'm tired. Forgive the brevity of tonight's post; I'm drifting in and out of consciousness at the moment.

Strength Skill:

Thrusters (5-3-3-1-1)

I love max effort work. Despite some lingering achiness from the weekend, the thrusters felt good.

Metcon:

Total cumulative reps (and calories on the erg):
Tabata calorie row (6 rounds)
Rest 30 seconds
Tabata ring push-ups (6 rounds)
Rest 30 seconds
Tabata shuttle runs
Rest 30 seconds
Tabata ring rows (6 rounds)

Again: I'm tired. This workout may have had something to do with it.

The running and rowing were fine. The ring push-ups and ring rows? Ha!

Total score: 184 as RXed.

Passing out now.

Catalyst Athletics Weightlifting Seminar: Day 2

2012-01-22T23:07:00.000-08:00

The boys spent the night at their grandparents' last night, so we weren't awakened at 7 a.m. this morning by shouting and running down the hall. Instead, we had the rare luxury of sleeping in...until 7:15. Yes, sleep is paramount, but there was no way we were going to be late to Day 2 of the lifting seminar at Catalyst Athletics. After M whipped up a quick breakfast, we packed our lunches and hitched a ride with Kristen to the gym.

As the rest of the CrossFit Palo Alto gang trickled in, we got loose and stretchy.

And then it was time to get started. We did a quick review of the snatch progressions we learned yesterday, and then dove right into jerks. I was eager to learn how to split jerk today; the only time I'd ever attempted it before was about a year-and-a-half ago, and I had no idea what I was doing. If I remember correctly, I promptly fell over and was told to stick with power jerks.

Before getting to split jerks today, however, we went through a number of progressions -- push presses from behind the neck, push presses from the rack position, tall power jerks, jerk balances -- all of which we got to practice until we found our groove.

And before lunch, I found myself split jerking. Yes, it was with an empty bar, but simply sticking the technique made me feel accomplished. I did my best to get the bar overhead with aggression and confidence, and with a few pointers from Greg, Aimee, and Steve, I successfully performed my first split jerks.

After lunch, Greg covered various clean progressions until we were cleaning from off the floor. And by mid-afternoon, we were cleaning and jerking with weight.

Graeme and I paired up all weekend, which was awesome; he has exacting form, and I picked up a lot just by watching him lift. The trainers frequently stopped by to scrutinize our technique and to offer encouragement and guidance. I was amazed by their ability to instantly diagnose and adjust my sloppy form with just a few words and cues.

Despite using light weights, we probably ended up doing hundreds of reps over the course of the weekend. With fifteen minutes left before the end of the day, I was spent. But what the hell -- I decided to do one more.

It was ugly as sin. But hey: I didn't fall over. Progress!

Catalyst Athletics Olympic Weightlifting Seminar: Day 1

2012-01-21T23:25:00.000-08:00

I’ve been looking forward to the Olympic weightlifting seminar at Catalyst Athletics for months.

It wasn’t until 2010 that I first encountered barbell snatches, cleans, and jerks. When I started working out at CrossFit Palo Alto, I was lucky to have Tim -- an experienced Oly lifter -- patiently coach me through various progressions until I was able to perform these movements safely. But we do a lot more than just Olympic lifting at our 5 a.m. classes, and I was eager to devote an entire weekend to honing my form and getting better at this stuff.

As luck would have it, we live less than 15 minutes away from Catalyst Athletics -- home of Greg and Aimee Everett, two of the most insanely accomplished and knowledgeable Olympic lifters and coaches in the country.

Greg’s the co-founder of The Performance Menu, and the author of Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes & Coaches -- THE book to buy if you’re at all interested in learning to lift. I’ve had a copy of it on my nightstand for over a year. (It’s not just that I’m a slow reader; the book is incredibly comprehensive and packed with information.) In addition, Greg is Robb Wolf’s co-host on the Paleo Solution podcast; if you’re a listener, you know he’s one hell of a smart, engaging, and dryly funny guy.

As for Aimee, she’s not just an inexplicably huge fan of Britney Spears and Tori Spelling -- she also happens to be the 2007 U.S. Women's National Weightlifting Champion. M and I have spent entire mornings watching Aimee’s videos on YouTube before picking our jaws back up off the floor. From my recent correspondence with Aimee (I helped design some graphics for her new business), it was clear to me that I’d like her a lot. After all, she has the same (gross) sense of humor and potty mouth as my wife. (Which also explains why M is always doubled over laughing when she’s tweeting back and forth with Aimee.)

A few months back, after listening to Trish’s glowing report about her experiences at the last Catalyst weightlifting seminar, I couldn’t wait to sign up. Ultimately, a dozen of us from CrossFit Palo Alto -- including M and me -- registered for the two-day workshop.

With our kids spending the weekend at their grandparents and a key deadline met for M’s soon-to-be-released Nom Nom Paleo project, we were free to spend a super-romantic weekend lifting barbells. (Did I mention that as of today, M and I have been together for 19 years?)

The first day of the seminar was singularly focused on learning the various progressions to a full snatch. After we warmed up in the morning, Greg took us through a couple of static stretches to help mobilize our ankles and hip flexors.(My favorite: “Russian Baby Makers.” They make my hips hurt so good.)

We then spent a good portion of the morning on establishing a proper squat position, maintaining even weight distribution across the feet, breathing, and other basics. It was fantastic to have the opportunity to focus on each of these techniques, and to practice them until our muscle memories kicked in. Although we covered a ton of stuff, it all clicked into place like little LEGO pieces, one brick building upon another.

The importance of the hook grip was drummed into me yet again. Without it, you can’t maintain full control of the barbell during the second pull of the snatch (and clean). Tim has repeatedly reminded me to use the hook grip, but I haven’t consistently done so because, well...it’s uncomfortable. But as Greg pointed out today, it’ll never feel comfortable until and unless I stick with it for a while, so I guess I’m just going to have to suck it up like a big boy (and ice my hands until they get the hang of this painfully awkward grip).

The rest of the day was a blur as we worked on progression after progression: Overhead squats, snatch balances, muscle snatches, snatch deadlifts. We worked to establish our mid-hang positions, and I learned a number of useful cues from the Catalyst coaches, including my favorite: “J-Lo butt.” (Aimee was telling me to stick my butt out more -- and keep my knees back -- at the start of the second pull.)

At the end of the day, we got some plates on the barbells and practiced snatches from the floor. The name of the game was good, solid form, and although I was beat, I did my best to suck less than usual. I was a bit wobbly and only managed to snatch 40kg, but I ended the day with a big smile on my face and a lot of tips to incorporate into my training.

I soaked up as much as I could, but I have a feeling I’m not going to retain as much as I’d like. Today was like drinking out of a fire hydrant -- but boy, was I thirsty.

I can't wait 'til tomorrow.

[UPDATED: Day 2 recap is here.]

Wednesday's Workout: Shoot Me Now

2012-01-18T20:55:00.000-08:00

Pistols and Annie -- a lethal combination.

Strength Skill:

Pistols (5-5-3-3-1)

Still working on my left leg. I think I'm going to start from scratch, and try to move through all the progressions from my left side until it can do everything my right can do.

Metcon:

"Annie" - for time:

50 double-unders
50 Abmat sit-ups
40 double-unders
40 Abmat sit-ups
30 double-unders
30 Abmat sit-ups
20 double-unders
20 Abmat sit-ups
10 double-unders
10 Abmat sit-ups

Just a few months ago, I finished Annie in 9:11, and it felt great. Today? Not so much.

I wish I could blame my crappy performance on my jump rope. Before the WOD began, I pulled my Buddy Lee rope out of my gym bag and saw a big crack in the middle of the plastic cable. M's Buddy Lee rope snapped in two last week, and it looked like mine was about to do the same. I quickly wrapped some athletic tape around it and got in position for the start of the workout, but realized that my rope wouldn't unwind. It was coiled around like a curly fry.

To be perfectly honest, though, my jump rope wasn't the problem. I know this because my first, third, and final sets of double-unders went entirely smoothly. With the exception of a hitch in my step early in my first set, I went unbroken on all of those rounds.

So ultimately, the rope wasn't to blame for my frustratingly awful second and fourth sets of double-unders. For whatever reason (mental? physical?), I couldn't rip out more than a few at a time, and kept snagging my right foot on the rope. The more I tripped, the more flustered I got, and the more flustered I got, the more I tripped.

Result: 10:20 as RXed. Yup -- I lost over a minute on my Annie time.

Ugh.

Moderation and Personal Responsibility Have Worked Out Well For Paula Deen

2012-01-17T15:52:00.000-08:00

“The worst, most dangerous person to America is clearly Paula Deen. She revels in unholy connections with evil corporations and she's proud of the fact that her food is fucking bad for you. I would think twice before telling an already obese nation that it is okay to eat food that is killing us. Plus, her food sucks."

-Anthony Bourdain

Remember when I wrote about the speculation that Paula Deen is secretly diabetic? Speculate no more!

This morning, the 64-year-old Deen announced to Al Roker that she has Type 2 diabetes, and admitted that she’s been hiding this secret for three years “because I had to figure out things in my own head.”

Deen appears to have been waiting for an opportunity to monetize her diagnosis. She’s inked a deal with Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical giant that provides her with diabetes medication. Deen announced today that she and her family are going to start appearing in ads for the company.

But aside from pushing drugs, Deen’s not planning to make any dietary changes, other than curbing her sweet tea addiction.

When asked about whether she will make a change in how she cooks on her show, “Paula’s Best Dishes,” Deen didn't give a direct answer, instead encouraging viewers to practice moderation.

“Here’s the thing, you know, I’ve always encouraged moderation,” she said. “On my show, you know, I share with you all these yummy, fattening recipes, but I tell people 'in moderation... You can have that little piece of pie ...'"

"I have always eaten in moderation," she said. "You know, people see me on TV two or three times a day and they see me cooking all these wonderfully Southern, fattening dishes. That’s only 30 days out of 365," she said. "And it’s for entertainment. And people have to be responsible. Like I told Oprah a few years ago, honey, I’m your cook, not your doctor. You are going to have to be responsible for yourself."

Oh, yes. Moderation and personal responsibility have worked out REALLY WELL for Deen. After all, thanks to diabetes, she's landed a lucrative deal with Novo Nordisk! She can still eat "that little piece" of Savannah High Apple Pie as long as she gets free insulin and Victoza injections from a pharmaceutical company! And best of all, she can continue to reap the benefits of peddling ridiculously unhealthy food while admonishing her fans to "be responsible for yourself" and gobble down pills! WIN-WIN!

Let’s be real: Type 2 diabetes can be prevented. Regularly chowing on sugar -- whether in the form of Twinkies or Deen’s Deep-Fried Cheesecake, causes insulin resistance and keeps glucose in the bloodstream -- which in turn forces the pancreas to crank out even more insulin to deal with the blood sugar, which in turn causes more insulin resistance, and on and on. The vicious cycle doesn’t end as long as we continue to poison ourselves with sugar. Taking drugs doesn’t fix the underlying problem; it just manages the symptoms.

(Want more information about the sugar-diabetes connection? Read this article over at Mark’s Daily Apple, or check out my Paleo guide.)

I don't think Deen's "the worst, most dangerous person in America," but she can’t simply be dismissed as a kook with a taste for gross food, either. She has a large following, and is prominent enough to influence hordes of television-viewing home cooks -- many of whom are the primary food gatekeepers for their families. By announcing that diabetes can and should be handled with drugs rather than dietary changes, Deen’s made herself the willfully oblivious poster child for America’s diabetes problem.

[Source: MSNBC, Nom Nom Paleo]

Anybody Can Do Anything

2012-01-16T23:14:00.000-08:00

I love working out at CrossFit Palo Alto before the sun is up. I love getting stronger and faster. I love learning new skills. I love the competition, and watching elite athletes go beast mode at the Games. But the thing I love most about CrossFit are the people who do it, from my fellow 5 a.m. nutjobs to Maddy at Saratoga High School, who DOES. NOT. QUIT.

"Anybody can do anything" indeed.

Monday's Workout

2012-01-16T23:04:00.000-08:00

It was freezing cold this morning, but I got warm fast.

Strength Skill:

Thrusters (5-5-3-3-1)

I paired up with Jay today, and managed to work my way up to 135 pounds (my bodyweight). Still, I didn't match my previous PR -- and I think I had a bit left in the tank. I guess we'll see how much I can put up next week. Jay's looking strong, too -- it was his first day back in a while, but he got a lot of weight overhead.

Metcon:

4 rounds for time:

250-meter row
10 Games-standard push-ups
10 box jumps (20")
10 deadlifts (225lbs / 155lbs)

A few months ago, I decided to stop pushing myself to go RXed on heavy, high-rep deadlift WODs. Back in August, I cranked out close to 50 deadlifts at 245 pounds during a metcon, and literally saw stars. I wrote that I was "damned proud" of finishing the workout in under 25 minutes -- but that was before my back seized up. And then in October, after chasing a deadlift PR, I tore a muscle in my lower back. I love deadlifts, and I want to work at getting at them, but right now, I need to be smart about this. I can still challenge myself with a gut-puncher of a workout without going RXed and possibly putting myself out of commission -- right?

Well...I can't say I wasn't tempted to put 225 pounds on the barbell today. I think there's something wrong with me.

Thankfully, I snapped out of it. I put on 165 instead, figuring that the rowing would be bad enough.

And it was.

On the plus side, I got through everything unbroken. On the minus side, I still felt like I'd been hit by a truck afterwards.

Result: 9:54.

"The Sport of Fitness Has Arrived"

2012-01-14T18:42:00.000-08:00

Football fans: Watch for the new Reebok CrossFit commercial during the Giants-Packers NFC divisional playoff game tomorrow.

You've got to hand it to Reebok -- the company's throwing itself into its partnership with CrossFit. AdAge just ran a piece on Reebok's new marketing campaign for CrossFit, and it's full of interesting tidbits. The ones that jumped out at me:

In April, Reebok's opening "a combined gym and store location on Fifth Avenue in New York."

Reebok plans to "outfit shipping containers as mobile CrossFit gyms and deliver them to 50 locations around the world, as a means of encouraging people to try CrossFit."

"The Sport of Fitness Has Arrived" campaign will be Reebok's main marketing push for 2012, [Reebok marketing VP Viktoria] Wallner said. It will also highlight other Reebok products, such as RealFlex, ZigTech and EasyTone." (EasyTone? As part of "The Sport of Fitness Has Arrived" campaign? Really?)

What do you think? Awesome? Or worrisome? And how long before Kenny Powers adds his two cents about the sport of fitness not being a "real sport"?

[Source: AdAge, CNBC]

Friday's Workout

2012-01-13T23:39:00.000-08:00

There’s something to be said about doing a hundred medicine ball cleans. And that something is: “Ouch.”

I’m getting ahead of myself.

Strength Skill:

Handstand Pushups (5-5-5-5-5)

I love these. That is all.

Metcon:

AMRAP in 10 minutes;

20 medicine ball cleans (20lbs / 14lbs)
20 Abmat sit-ups

This looked easy. It wasn’t.

I felt great through the first couple of rounds -- but by the time I was midway through the third round, my quads were on fire. The lactic acid was searing my thighs from the inside out. Keeping my legs bent through 20 sit-ups was impossible -- I had to kick them out a few times to relieve the burn.

I felt like this guy:

Mark and I did the WOD next to each other, and we fought to a draw through the first four rounds. He whipped through the cleans, and I sped through the sit-ups. We took breaks at the same times, and when I saw him reach down and pick up his med ball, I knew it was time to pick mine up as well.

My plan was to try to sprint past him in the final round, but I ran out of gas, and Mark somehow managed to pick up speed and smoke me by 8 reps. He’s a beast, ladies and gentlemen.

Result: 5 rounds + 2 reps as RXed.

After the workout, Tim asked, “how was it?”

My response: “That felt just like a 2K row.” And I hate 2K rows.

Vegan Bodybuilding?

2012-01-11T23:08:00.000-08:00

Our buddy Kevin pointed me to a recent piece in The New York Times about vegan bodybuilders. According to the article, the website veganbodybuilding.com has "more than 5,000 registered users," and vegan bodybuilders have been a "steady, small presence" in the International Natural Bodybuilding Association for years.

This is fascinating. Bodybuilding's not my thing, so I can't profess much knowledge about bodybuilders' diets -- but developing muscle on a vegan diet can't be easy.

“Is it possible to be a good bodybuilder and be a vegan? Yes,” said Jose Antonio, the chief executive of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. “But is it ideal? No.”

Vegan bodybuilders may face challenges getting sufficient amino acids, found in meats, Antonio said, adding that although protein can be found in vegetables and nuts, they must be consumed in greater quantities to get the same amount as their counterparts in meat. “The amount of rice and beans you need to eat would fill up a Mexican restaurant,” he said.

Other nutritionists and bodybuilders have argued that a disciplined vegan diet, consisting of things like hemp-based protein supplements, peanut butter, nuts, vegetables and legumes, can yield similar, if not better, results than a meat- or dairy-filled diet. Carefully monitored, vegans can get the same amount of protein with less fat or toxins, they argue. (For a midafternoon snack, [bodybuilder Jimi] Sitko sometimes eats 10 bananas.)

What? Rice? Beans? Peanut butter? And just how does eating 10 bananas provide a bodybuilder with "the same amount of protein with less fat or toxins"?

Of course, there are a good number of athletic folks who say they're thriving on vegan diets (see, e.g., the Old Spice Guy, Mike Tyson, elite ultrarunner Scott Jurek, the folks in the vegan and vegetarian CrossFitters' Facebook group, etc.). While I'm sure many of them choose veganism primarily due to ethical or environmental beliefs (which I won't bother to address again here, other than to point to Lierre Keith's book) -- some also attribute their fitness and athletic successes to veganism itself. But isn't it just as likely (if not more) that these athletes have accomplished their physical achievements despite their veganism? I wonder how much better they'd perform if they started eating some animals.

On the plus side: More meat for me, I guess.

Wednesday's Workout

2012-01-11T22:07:00.000-08:00

Strength Skill:

Pistols (5-5-5-3-3)

The same old story: I can crank out endless pistols on my right leg, and fall on my ass when I attempt 'em on my left -- unless I'm clutching a kettlebell as a counterbalance. I've always figured that this points to a strength imbalance, but after chatting with the Terminator this morning, I'm starting to think that a lack of flexibility in my left ankle could also be contributing to my utter suckitude when it comes to pistols on my left side.

More to work on, I guess.

Metcon:

5 rounds for time:

9 one-armed dumbbell deadlifts (each arm) (45lbs / 35lbs)
6 one-armed dumbbell snatches (each arm) (45lbs / 35lbs)
3 one-armed dumbbell overhead squats (45lbs / 35lbs)

This looked simple enough. As I warmed up, I found that the deadlifts and snatches were definitely doable with 45 pounds. But then I tried to squat while holding a dumbbell overhead with my left hand. That, my friends, was not easy. Feeling the strain across my back as my torso twisted on the way down into the hole, I knew I wouldn't be able to handle the RXed OHS weight. Instead, I went down to 30 pounds.

It was probably a little too light for me. I ended up whipping through the workout without pausing at all (except briefly to switch hands when necessary) -- though the Terminator still smoked me as usual. While the workout was more difficult than I'd originally anticipated, and the overhead squats remained the most challenging, I think I could've gone a tad heavier. C'est la vie.

Result: 7:14.

Monday's Workout

2012-01-09T22:40:00.000-08:00

Let's get right to it.

Strength Skill:

Thrusters (5-5-5-3-3)

I stuck with relatively light weights today -- I'm no Danny Nichols -- but I was happy to work on my form. It's been a half-year since we worked on thrusters as a strength skill, and I certainly need the practice. I'm feeling a little rusty. Maybe I'll spend some time this week working on thruster mobility. Then again, maybe I'll just get more sleep.

Metcon:

"Helen" -- 3 rounds for time:

Run 400 meters
21 overhead kettlebell swings (24kg / 16kg)
12 pull-ups

I hung back on the first 400-meter run, figuring I'd conserve some energy for the later rounds. Big mistake. Even though I got through all the kettlebell swings and pull-ups pretty much unbroken (until the final round, when I lost my grip on the pull-up bar with a few reps remaining), I didn't PR. We've done Helen many times before, so I should've remembered that this WOD's a relatively short one; there's no point in leaving gas in the tank.

Even worse? I've made this same mistake before.

Result: 10:15 as RXed. Faster than my previous Helen time, but slower than my PR. Hopefully, I'll remember to go all-out from the start next time.

Tired. Must. Go. To. Sleep.

Seven Signs of the Foodpocalypse

2012-01-08T22:25:00.000-08:00

1. Darth Vader Burgers -- soon available in France and Belgium!

2. Chicken & Waffle Wings -- because how else are you going to eat chicken and waffles in the car?

3. Bacon Soda -- swine plus sugar water equals yum!

4. Mountain Dew -- it dissolves rats!

5. Dulche de Leche Cheerios -- they're "naturally flavored" with caramel!

6. Chocolate Covered Totino's Pizza Rolls -- because why the hell not?

7. SPAM Mints -- for hot dates who love Hormel products.

Not everyone's trying to eat healthier this January, I guess.

Friday's Workout: Feeling Chipper?

2012-01-06T23:13:00.000-08:00

A long chipper today -- and I almost managed to complete it as RXed. But almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, and not CrossFit.

For time:

100 air squats
80 overhead kettlebell swings (24kg / 16kg)
60 walking lunges holding a bumper plate overhead (45lbs / 35lbs)
40 toes to bar
20 headless horsemen - a variation on kettlebell palm presses) (24kg / 16kg)

The air squats felt fantastic. I got through all of them unbroken, and quickly transitioned to the kettlebell swings.

The swings felt a little less awesome. Swinging the 24-kilogram kettlebell, I managed to only get through 25 reps before having to take a breather. After that, I didn't manage more than 15 swings in a row before having to set down the kettlebell and wheeze.

The walking lunges were exhausting. After the squats and swings, my legs were like jelly, and my brain turned to mush, too. I was keeping track of my lunges by counting backwards from 60, and with 12 left, Tim asked me which rep I was on. I tried to do the math in my head: 60 - 12 = ?

"51," I sputtered. "Uh, wait, no -- um, 48?"

The toes-to-bar weren't horrible, but then came the headless horsemen. I'd performed this movement in a WOD once before, back when I had a bad back. I didn't try the RXed weight of 24 kilograms that time, and I didn't think I could do so today -- especially after fifteen minutes of an ass-kicking chipper. On the other hand, all that stood between me and the completion of an RXed workout was 20 one-armed ground-to-overheads. How hard could that be?

Pretty hard, it turns out. I couldn't do it. After several attempts, I think I managed just one completed rep at 24 kilograms with my right arm, but I used my left hand to support the handle of the kettlebell. Clearly, the quest for RX today was going to be futile, so I traded in my kettlebell for a lighter one (I had a 16 kilogram kettlebell on standby) and finished the WOD. So close, and yet so far.

Result: 18:49.

No More Sugarcoating

2012-01-05T21:30:00.000-08:00

The Georgia Children’s Health Alliance is running an ad campaign against childhood obesity called Strong4Life, which recently ignited a firestorm of controversy.

The print ads depict glum-looking overweight kids with captions like "He has his father's eyes, his laugh, and maybe even his diabetes," "Fat kids become fat adults," and "Fat prevention begins at home. And the buffet line."

And the videos in the ad campaign are equally stark and in-your-face, like this one:

Some folks have reacted with outrage, arguing that the ads will backfire because they "might actually make people feel worse" about being overweight. (This quote's from Marsha Davis, child obesity prevention researcher from the University of Georgia’s College of Public Health.)

As the L.A. Times pointed out, the Strong4Life Facebook page is filled with comments from horrified parents like this one:

"Horrible! As a 42 year old woman who struggled with anorexia as a teen and now a mother of a 6 year old girl who is taller and thicker than the average children her age and gets picked on by all ages including adults with inappropriate comments you have no idea obviously of the damage this will do with the ad. You will hurt more than you help. Self esteem is built with smiles and no pointing."

Others say that the ad campaign fails to offer any solutions -- other than to shame kids into losing weight.

But the Strong4Life campaign has responded with cold, hard statistics. Children are getting fatter -- and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one-third of American kids today are overweight or obese. Georgia ranks second in the U.S. for childhood obesity, with over 1 million overweight kids.

Strong4Life's position is that the fight against childhood obesity needs to start with awareness. As Linda Matzigkeit, senior vice president of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta told the Atlanta Journal Constitution, “We felt like we needed a very arresting, abrupt campaign that said: ‘Hey, Georgia! Wake up. This is a problem."

The organization’s research found that 50 percent of people surveyed didn’t recognize childhood obesity as a problem. What’s more, 75 percent of parents with overweight kids didn’t acknowledge their child as having a weight issue.

I agree that an awareness campaign isn't enough -- pointing out a problem does no good without offering concrete solutions. But as a first step, perhaps a cold splash of water in the face is exactly what's needed here. After all, the whole "self esteem is built with smiles" thing clearly isn't working.

Then again, without parents injecting their kids with mega-doses of self-esteem, we'd be bereft of awesome reality shows that feature pint-sized beauty queens from Georgia:

The video above is kind of scary-awesome. (Emphasis on "scary.") My favorite line: "A dolla makes me holla, honey-boo-boo!"

What say you? Are these ads unduly harsh and cruel? Or just what the doctor ordered?

Wednesday's Workout

2012-01-04T22:05:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I faced a barbell-intensive WOD at the gym, so I was half-hoping we'd get one thrown at us this morning. Note to self: Be careful what you wish for.

5 rounds for time (or AMRAP in 20 minutes):

15 deadlifts (135lbs / 95lbs)
12 hang power cleans (135lbs / 95lbs)
9 front squats (135lbs / 95lbs)
6 jerks (135lbs / 95lbs)

There was no way I was going to attempt over 200 lifts at my bodyweight, so I opted for the women's RXed weight.

As the WOD began, I wondered whether I should've put more weight on the bar; the deadlifts and cleans felt light, and I was getting through the sets unbroken. But a few minutes in, all thoughts of adding weight were banished. Ninety-five pounds was plenty for me, thankyouverymuch -- especially since I couldn't let the barbell come crashing down from overhead. (Our class was once again reminded that we aren't allowed to drop our weights -- our neighbors need their beauty sleep.)

The cleans were the most challenging for me; with my hands in a hook grip, I had trouble readjusting my fingers on the bar without lowering the bar (ever-so-gently) to the floor. Also: My forearms were on fire. By the fourth round, I was seriously lagging.

Result: 18:13.

(But it was fun.)

A Resolution Is Just A Fancy Word for "Goal."

2012-01-02T11:31:00.000-08:00

According to USA.gov, the ten most popular New Year's Resolutions are as follows:

Drink Less Alcohol
Eat Healthy Food
Get a Better Education
Get a Better Job
Get Fit
Lose Weight
Manage Debt
Manage Stress
Quit Smoking
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
Save Money
Take a Trip
Volunteer to Help Others

More than half of them are health-related, which tells you that: (1) People know they're in piss-poor shape, and (2) they know something has to be done about it. But the problem, it seems, is that folks aren't sure how to achieve their goals. According to University of Minnesota psychology professor Marti Hope Gonzalez, research indicates that 80 percent of those who make New Year's Resolutions fail to keep them past February -- only to start over again the following January.

Ten years ago, a study published in American Psychologist termed this cycle of futility the "False Hope Syndrome" -- a phenomenon "particularly common among those who resolve to lose weight" due to “unrealistic goals and a misunderstanding of [their] own behavior.”

So what's the answer? How can we set goals and actually achieve them?

My thoughts:

Be reasonable. All goals -- not just resolutions -- should be S.M.A.R.T: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Simply saying that you want to "get healthier" isn't going to give you any metrics by which you can track progress or hold yourself accountable. Instead, set milestones and deadlines to check up on your incremental progress. And don't go crazy with unattainable resolutions -- otherwise, you'll rob yourself of the satisfaction you'll feel when you hit your goals.

Focus on behaviors and actions, not results. A resolution like “I wanna drop 30 pounds” or "I wanna deadlift 3 times my bodyweight" offers you no path to success. Instead, make a checklist of concrete, doable actions that’ll put you in the right direction -- like "I'm cutting sugar from my diet for the next 21 days" or "I'm signing my ass up for a 100-burpee challenge."

Do some research. So what if Gwyneth Paltrow eats nothing but twigs and does hundreds of reps of 3-pound lifts? And who cares if Rich Froning subsists on a diet of chocolate milk, protein shakes, and peanut butter and jelly? Blindly copying others won't transform you into a skinny movie star or the Fittest Man on the Planet. Before you set a goal, consider whether it's something that's actually likely to do you (or others) some good.

Tell people about your goals. It's all too easy to let yourself off the hook. If no one knows about your goals, no one'll get on your butt about sticking to them. But if you're serious about your resolutions, yell it from the mountaintops. (Or, more realistically, Facebook.) You don't have to be annoying about it, but make sure your support system of friends and family are aware that you're marching towards a goal so they can: (1) help you; (2) understand why you're not eating bread all of a sudden; (3) kick your ass if you try to give up. Plus, I've found that one of the greatest motivators is peer pressure (a.k.a. public shaming.)

Make it fun. If it's not enjoyable, it's not sustainable. Want to know why people don't stick to super-restrictive diets? Because they feel deprived. And why don't folks keep going to the globo-gym after January? Because endlessly climbing a StairMaster in slow motion is mind-numbing. So devise ways to keep things fun and interesting -- whether it's by using a kick-ass iPhone app to track your weight loss progress or by joining a running group.

Lastly, don't save your resolutions for January. Who says you can only set personal goals once per annum? Keep setting short- and long-term goals for yourself throughout the year, and work to methodically check 'em off the list.

Go to it, people.

Monday's Workout: Gunk Removal

2012-01-02T09:51:00.000-08:00

When the alarm clock went off this morning, I pulled the covers over my head and debated whether to go to the 5 a.m. class. My entire body is still aching from Saturday's Murph-fest; my chest, back, arms, and thighs feel like they've been whacked repeatedly with a blunt instrument. On the other hand, there's nothing like a good, hard workout to get me mobilized again. In Tim's words, "it'll get the gunk out."

So off I went.

Not surprisingly, even the warm-up was painful today. My squats and push-ups were hilariously awful, and brought out soreness in places that were entirely new to me.

And then Tim wrote the workout on the board.

5 rounds for time:

Row 500 meters
Run 400 meters

Oh, hell to the no.

My rowing is bad enough when I'm fresh, so I knew I was in for a smackdown. And I was right. The first few rounds were tolerable, but by the fourth round, I was toast. My quads were out of juice, and my arms refused to pull. I got through the final two rounds, but I was running on fumes. I certainly got the gunk out -- but I did it sloooowly.

When I shuffled back from the final 400 meter run, I didn't melodramatically collapse to the floor (as per my usual practice) -- mostly because I wasn't sure I'd be able to get back up again.

Result: 22:36 as RXed.

New Year's Murph

2011-12-31T22:39:00.000-08:00

For weeks, I'd been looking forward to revisiting Murph, the CrossFit "Hero" WOD named for a Navy lieutenant killed in Afghanistan. I've done Murph twice before -- on New Year's Day and Memorial Day this year -- and developed a special love for this grinder of a WOD:

For time:

1 mile run
100 pull-ups
200 push-ups
300 squats
1 mile run

The one-mile runs must bookend the workout, but the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats can be broken up in whatever manner you choose. I've typically done 20 rounds of Cindy -- 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 squats -- and intended to do the same today.

CrossFit Palo Alto was packed this morning for New Year's Murph -- so much so that the 9 a.m. session had to be split into two heats so that there'd be enough pull-up bar space for everyone. I was in the second heat, and paced impatiently while the first wave took off running.

When I finally got going, I took off on a dead sprint. The first mile felt great; I hadn't exercised in a few days, and I enjoyed stretching my legs. Likewise, my six or seven rounds of Cindy flew by without any problems. My pull-ups and push-ups were fast and fluid, and I was cranking out air squats as fast as I could.

My pull-ups and squats remained strong throughout the workout, but my push-ups broke down sooner than expected. I'm used to being able to get through a good 10 to 12 rounds of Cindy before my arms turn to jelly, but before I was halfway through the WOD, I hit a wall. Suddenly, I couldn't perform more than a handful of push-ups at a time, so I ended up changing my approach. Instead of doing 10 consecutive push-ups in Cindy-like fashion, I started breaking them up: 5 push-ups, then 15 air squats, then back on the ground to finish the push-ups.

I need to be more like this little guy:

When I got back on my feet to complete my final one-mile run, my dead arms dangled loosely at my sides. The last half-mile was painful -- I had a side stitch (which I never, ever get), and stopped to double over a few times. Ugh.

Result: 41:30 as RXed -- three minutes slower than my previous effort. I still love Murph for its bodyweight-focused movements, and I had a fantastic time working out with some of my favorite people at CrossFit Palo Alto -- but I'm a bit disappointed in my time.

Thankfully, there's always next year. And next year starts tomorrow.

Wednesday's Workout

2011-12-28T07:49:00.000-08:00

Another fun one today.

Strength Skill:

Overhead Squats (3-3-3-1-1)

I missed last week's OHS practice, so I was looking forward to today's session. Overhead squats are quickly becoming one of my favorite full-body movements -- it demands flexibility, strength, and stability, and forces me to stay mindful of proper posture. And although we don't do overhead squats very often, I've seen progress every time we revisit them, which makes me want to come back for more.

Plus: I got to wear my new Reebok Olys today while squatting -- and it's all about the shoes. (By the way, they actually felt a bit too spongy for my taste; I think I'm going to remove the inserts to see if that helps.)

Before today, I think my heaviest overhead squat was 105 pounds. But I was feeling pretty good this morning at the gym, and ended up with a new PR of 125 pounds. It was on my last set, and there wasn't enough time to shoot for more. Still, I felt like there was still a little left in the tank, and I really wanted to try overhead squatting my bodyweight. After class (and CoffeeWOD), I came home and did it in my garage, cranking out a 135 pound OHS. Yay for me.

Metcon:

20 Russian (chest-high) kettlebell swings (32kg / 24kg)
20 knees-to-elbows
1 lap of badger crawls
15 Russian (chest-high) kettlebell swings (32kg / 24kg)
15 knees-to-elbows
1 lap of badger crawls
10 Russian (chest-high) kettlebell swings (32kg / 24kg)
10 knees-to-elbows
1 lap of badger crawls
5 Russian (chest-high) kettlebell swings (32kg / 24kg)
5 knees-to-elbows
1 lap of badger crawls

In CrossFit Palo Alto parlance, a badger crawl is a modified bear crawl using bent (rather than straight) legs and arms. (I know some folks do bear crawls with bent legs and arms already -- if that's the case with you, then badger crawls are synonymous with your version of bear crawls.) For today's WOD, each lap of badger crawls consisted of going down the length of the gym and back.

I discovered that I can scamper pretty quickly when on all fours -- probably because I have short, stubby legs that keep me close to the ground. The badger crawls were also a welcome respite from the forearm-numbing swings and KTEs.

Result: 5:58 as RXed.

Reebok Oly Shoes: First Impression

2011-12-27T22:43:00.000-08:00

It's been a few days since my Reebok CrossFit Oly shoes arrived, but I haven't yet worked out in them.

Part of me doesn't want to even put them on -- I'd rather just look at them lovingly, and keep them in mint condition forever. But that's just my inner nerdy baseball card / comic book collector talking. The other part of me can't wait to get these suckers on my feet and into the gym.

This afternoon, I broke the shoes out of the box and gave 'em a good once-over.

The Reebok Oly shoe feels a lot lighter than most other weightlifting shoes, owing largely to a heel made of injected thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) rather than wood. I'm guessing the triangular indentations in the heel cut the shoes' weight even further, though I can't say I'm a huge fan of the resulting zigzag design. (It reminds me too much of the barfy-looking outsoles on the Reebok Zigs.)

That said, the vamp of the shoe is extremely soft and flexible. The tread/score lines on the front of the sole underscore the emphasis on free forefoot movement. Combined with the lightness of the shoe (mine weighed just 13.8 ounces -- yes, I checked), I'm guessing these suckers'll do just fine in a WOD that pairs Oly lifts with box jumps or double-unders.

My pair fit well right out of the box -- and not just because the shoe features a nicely-padded collar and a snug heel counter. Reebok appears to have fixed the sizing problem it had a few months ago. (As you may recall, the yellow Nanos sold at the Games ran about one size too big.)

Another issue I had with the prototype Nanos were that the laces were too short. Reebok appears to have addressed that concern as well:

Actually, this photo shows both pairs of laces -- red and black -- that came with the shoe. The red ones are snazzy, but I think I'm going to stick with the black ones.

And let's not forget about the custom-fitting U-Form shoe lining. As with the Nanos, you can bake the Oly shoes in the oven at 200°F for 3 minutes and then put them on. As they cool, the lining of the shoes will mold to the shape of your feet. This may be the closest thing to a perfect-fitting weightlifting shoe on the market.

Mine are now baked and ready to go.

By the way, it's a little thing, but I love that the little U-Form tab on the sides turn red when the shoes have been baked. (They turn black again once the shoes cool down.)

I know that not everyone's sold on plastic heels over wood ones, and I'll probably stick with my wooden-heeled Adidas weightlifting shoes when I'm focusing on my lifts. But for CrossFit WODs that combine Olympic lifts with jumping around or hanging off a pull-up bar, this flexible, lightweight shoe certainly looks promising. I'll report back once I've had a chance to test drive them a bit more.

[Previously: My review of the Reebok CrossFit Nanos]

Multitasking

2011-12-26T23:10:00.000-08:00

When she wasn't stirring a pot on the stove today, this is what M was up to in the kitchen:

Monday's Workout

2011-12-26T23:07:00.000-08:00

It's good to be back in the gym -- even if it was at 5 a.m. the morning after Christmas. But don't look at me like I'm crazy; I wasn't the only nutjob at CrossFit Palo Alto before the crack of dawn despite not having to work today. Four others showed up for class (and for CoffeeWOD afterwards).

Okay, maybe we're all crazy.

Strength Skill:

Deadlifts (3-3-3-1-1)

I had a shot at matching my previous PR today, but failed to hoist the bar off the ground. I could've given it another yank, but although my back's feeling fine these days, I thought better of it. Good thing, too -- I needed the gas in my tank for today's metcon.

Metcon:

3 rounds for time:

50 double-unders
30 air squats
15 pull-ups

This looked easy when Tim wrote it on the whiteboard, and for the first round, it was. Most of our metcon workouts are designed to be 10 to 15 minutes long, but after flying through the initial round set of double-unders, air squats and pull-ups in 2 minutes, I thought to myself: I have a shot at finishing sub-7.

But in the second round, I had to take breaks after every dozen double-unders or so, and my pull-ups weren't unbroken. It took 3 minutes to finish that round.

Still, it was the last set of double-unders that did me in. My forearms felt numb from the one-two punch of pull-ups and rope-flinging, and my feet began snagging on the slowing rope. It took a whopping FOUR minutes to complete the final round.

Result: 9:14 as RXed.

A-Team Oly Shoes

2011-12-23T22:18:00.000-08:00

Look what came in the mail while we were in Mexico:

Reebok CrossFit Oly Shoes!

I'm going to have a hard time wearing these without this running through my head.

Thursday's Workout: Family WOD

2011-12-22T21:28:00.000-08:00

On this warm Mexican morning, "Death by Burpees" sounded like a good idea.

Here's how it works: Start a timer, and with a continuously running clock, perform one burpee at the start of the first minute, two burpees at the start of the second, three burpees at the start of the third minute, and so on. You're done when you can't finish your required number of burpees in a minute's time.

Once again, the kids decided to work out with us. Big-O went full-on beast mode...

...as did Lil-O.

M got through 10 solid rounds of burpees before tapping out.

I managed to eke out 15 rounds before collapsing.

The last time I did "Death by Burpees," I failed to complete fourteen rounds, so I was pretty happy about today's PR.

So happy, in fact, that I decided to indulge in some heavy-duty taco consumption.

Mmm...tacos...

Link Dump

2011-12-21T19:58:00.000-08:00

I was going to post about my workout today, but that would require that I actually work out.

Instead, I've just been hanging out with the family and eating insane amounts of meat while on vacation here in Cabo (and plugging along on some extracurricular homework for Nom Nom Paleo). I did, however, gather a bunch of interesting reads for you to chew on:

This op-ed piece in The Atlantic's been making the rounds. Three longtime vegetarians and vegans discuss how they came to understand that eating meat and other animal products is not only healthful, but also ethically and environmentally sound. Read it here.

According to the New York Times, coffee can boost your athletic performance by "enabl[ing] more forceful muscular contractions and delay[ing] fatigue.” CoffeeWOD, anyone?

You should already be reading all of the sites featured in Outside Magazine's list of the blogosphere's top ten fitness blogs -- especially MobilityWOD, Conditioning Research, and RunBlogger.

Is Bob Harper really going to be putting his "Biggest Loser" team on a CrossFit-focused training regimen next season? I might actually have to start watching the show again.

Serious Eats recently posted Pat LaFrieda's video responses to readers' meat-related questions. Good stuff -- especially if you're interested in butchery.

I enjoyed the crap out of this post on Lift Big Eat Big: "10 Excuses For Not Exercising & Why They Are Horsesh*t."

Health Tip of the Day: Do not eat cocaine out of your brother's butt.

Bye for now.

Monday's Workout: Cabo San Lucas

2011-12-19T21:06:00.000-08:00

We're in Cabo San Lucas for the week, and we're planning on eating like rabid wolves this week, so to kick things off right, the entire family decided to work out on the balcony this morning (minus the three-year-old, who was wandering around somewhere, munching on a scrambled egg and playing with his LEGOs).

M got cranking on her double-unders...

...and air squats...

...while Big-O got his mobility on.

I wish I could squat as comfortably as he can.

I decided to dash off a quick home-brewed WOD:

50 double-unders, and then 5 rounds for time of:

5 handstand push-ups...

(Whoops -- nip slip.)

10 pistols...

...and 15 sit-ups.

As you can see, Big-O decided to go rip off his shirt and join in the fun.

Result: 9:13. I cooled down with another 50 double-unders.

And then we proceeded to eat, swim, and do a whole lotta nothin'. (We did eat some worms, though. M'll do all the food-related play-by-play over at Nom Nom Paleo.)

Don't you love it when people bore you to death with their vacation photos?

Friday's Workout

2011-12-16T23:05:00.000-08:00

I know you've been waiting with bated breath, so before I conk out, here's a quick recap of today's WOD.

Strength Skill:

Strict Pull-ups (5-5-5)
Kipping Pull-ups (10-10-10)

I enjoy pull-ups, so this was a pleasant way to start the morning. At Tim's suggestion, I finished by practicing some chest-to-bar pull-ups. They felt a little awkward at first, but got a lot easier once I wrapped my thumbs around the top of the bar.

Metcon:

2 rounds for time:

22 see-saw presses (45lbs / 30lbs)
Run 400 meters
22 box jumps (24" / 20")
Run 400 meters

Back when we last did this workout in August, I wrote that 35-pound dumbbells were too light for me. So today, I hoisted a pair of 40-pound dumbbells -- and ended up finishing almost two minutes slower than I did a few months ago.

Ugh.

Result: 13:06.

Wednesday's Workout: Balls to the Wall

2011-12-14T14:00:00.000-08:00

Medicine balls. Why'd it have to be medicine balls?

But first:

Overhead Squats (5-5-5-3-3)

These felt great this morning. It's been a few months since we last practiced overhead squats, but I felt strong and stable through my midline. I kept it light and easy today, but I'm hoping to establish a new PR later in this cycle.

Metcon:

50 double unders
21 wallball shots
21 medicine ball cleans
21 medicine ball sit-ups
15 wallball shots
15 medicine ball cleans
15 medicine ball sit-ups
9 wallball shots
9 medicine ball cleans
9 medicine ball sit-ups
50 double unders

The first set of double-unders flew by. The final set? Not so much. And in between, the wallballs kicked the snot out of me. I wasn't bothered by the med ball sit-ups, but the cleans were tougher than I expected -- probably because I was still reeling from the wallballs.

It's a good reminder that something as simple as a stuffed ball can be a brutally effective training tool.

Result: 11:42 as RXed.

Reebok's E-Commerce DNF

2011-12-14T09:43:00.000-08:00

Say what you will about Reebok, but you can't say it doesn't own up to its mistakes.

The Reebok CrossFit Facebook page lit up this morning with complaints from folks who tried desperately to buy the newly-offered Oly shoes before they sell out, but failed due to system issues on Reebok's end. Some apparently spent hours on Reebok's site, trying in vain to purchase the shoes. (I was able to get through without any problems, but it looks I was one of the lucky ones.)

The silver lining for Reebok? The demand for its CrossFit shoes is off the charts. Clearly, there are plenty of us who need shoes to match our Kool-Aid mustaches.

Monday's Workout

2011-12-12T23:50:00.000-08:00

I'm a little exhausted. Work has been crazy, and the holidays (and multiple birthdays in our family) have ratcheted up my stress levels. Vacation's still a week away, and my to-do list is as long as my arm. To top it off, M and I have been insanely busy cooking up some Nom Nom Paleo-related stuff. But I'm keeping my priorities straight: Come Monday morning, I'm at CrossFit Palo Alto.

Strength Skill:

Deadlifts (5-5-5-3-3)

My back's feeling fine, but given how I felt just a few weeks ago, I was much more tentative than usual. Rather than shooting aggressively for a new PR, I started light and stayed light, lifting just a fraction of my personal best. I'll eventually work my way back up, but for now, I'm going to play it safe, and settle for watching my classmates set new benchmarks. (Jake's new deadlift PR: 405 pounds!)

Metcon:

Row 500 meters
50 air squats
40 Games standard push-ups
30 overhead kettlebell swings (24kg / 16kg)
20 pull-ups
10 toes-to-bar

Despite my antipathy for the erg, the 500-meter row wasn't too bad. I quickly settled into a steady rhythm, and finished with enough pep in my step to get through the air squats unbroken. (High five!) The push-ups proved to be a bigger challenge; try as I might, I couldn't string together all 40 in a row. I had to break the last 15 or so into mini-sets of a few at a time.

The kettlebell swings weren't any easier, but I was determined to blaze through 'em. After 20 or so, I desperately wanted to drop the kettlebell, but didn't. I hit my goal of 30 swings in a row -- but as I grabbed the pull-up bar, fully intending to crank out the last two exercises, I realized that MY GRIP STRENGTH WAS GONE.

As a result, the pull-ups took a bit longer than usual, and so did the toes-to-bar. My forearms were on fire by the end of the WOD.

Result: 9:07 as RXed.

Later in the day, I popped into a local health center for a much-needed massage. My masseuse spent a good chunk of time on my forearms, kneading them with her (insanely strong) hands and knuckles.

"Your hands and wrists and forearms are all knotted up," she said. "You're spending too much time at the computer. Try doing some exercise -- it might help."

Haw, haw.

The Single Best Thing We Can Do For Our Health?

2011-12-12T07:16:00.000-08:00

A fun and engaging video about the benefits of exercise:

Still, I'd argue that sleep is paramount...

[Source]

Friday's Workout

2011-12-09T23:10:00.001-08:00

Ouch.

For time:

30 thrusters (135lbs / 95lbs)
Run 1 mile

"Go heavier than your Fran weight," Tim called out as we got ready. "Challenge yourself. These should be heavy enough that you can't go unbroken for more than five reps."

So I did as he said -- but just barely. Instead of my Fran weight of 95 pounds, I threw two teeny-tiny change plates on the bar and went all the way up to 105. Hey, as far as I'm concerned, Fran is enough of an asskicker.

I got through the first eight thrusters just fine, but as expected, the rest came in sputtering mini-sets of just a few reps at a time. And certainly, I wouldn't have won any points for style or technique. But I got through 'em, and the run in the frigid morning darkness was almost an afterthought.

Result: 13:52.