Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Heeev Hoooo



Big phat Congrats! go out to J-boogie (175#)
& Da Machine (215#) for setting new PR's
on there Deadlifts great job ladies keep up
the good work athletes!

Skill Builder:
Work on Quadrupedal movement patterns
* Lope
* Alligator crawl
* Gallop
* Alligator-Gallop

Overhead squat

1-1-1-1-1-1-1

Post load of each round to comments.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Rest

Eat More, Weigh Less
Courtsey of CrossFit Rockwall

I'm not eating much, I'm hungry, and I'm not losing weight.

If you've ever tried to lose weight, you've probably been in that dilemma before. What gives? It's time to take a look at what you're eating, rather than how much. You'll be surprised by how many calories some "small" meals contain. Let's compare a typical day of meals and see where you are missing out.

Let's take a look at breakfast:
You go to Starbucks (because they're everywhere and you just can't avoid them, no matter what you do), and get a low-fat blueberry muffin. You think you're doing good because 1) it's "low-fat", and 2) it's blueberry (which you convince yourself counts for a serving of fruit). And you grab a skinny sugar-free latte. Because hey, it's 1) sugar-free and you remember my rants about sugar, and 2) it's fat free, and everyone knows fat is bad (I hope you picked up the sarcasm there). Now, if you're lucky and there was no line that was a 12 minute detour and cost $4.82. And that's not a whole lot of bang for your buck. I'd be willing to bet you're hungry well before your lunch break. And by the way, "low-fat" usually means "high-carb" (they just added more sugar to make it taste better).

Now, let's take a look at what you could have eaten instead: 1 egg and 1 egg white, 1 oz leftover salmon, 1 cup cooked broccoli, 1/2 cup cooked onions, 1/2 cup of blueberries and 1 peach.
Breakfast Choices



Calories: 510
Fat: 2.5g
Carbs: 99g (1 whole gram of fiber...)
Sugar: 67g
Protein: 13g
Nutrition info courtesy Starbucks Corp.
and Calorie-Count.com


Calories: 290
Fat: 9g
Carbs: 36g (with 10g of fiber!)
Sugar: none added
Protein: 22g
Nutrition info courtesy FitDay.com

You say you don't have time to cook in the morning? Try this: Have the onions cut up ahead of time (do it while you're making dinner the night before; hint: chop them small so they cook faster). Put a pan on the stove over medium heat and throw the onions in. Use a little olive oil if you'd like. While they are cooking, grab a bag of Steamfresh broccoli and pop it in the microwave for 5 minutes. Next, scramble the eggs and leftover salmon (if you don't have any leftovers, just add an extra egg). Measure your fruit (you can use fresh or frozen - as long as there is no sugar added) and put it in a bowl. When there are 2 minutes left for your broccoli to cook, put the eggs in the pan with the onions. When the broccoli is done, pour half the bag in a bowl (and the other half in Tupperware - you can use it tomorrow!) and put the eggs on top. You're done! You probably took longer deciding what to wear.

If you have an automatic coffee maker, you can have your (black) coffee too and everything you just cooked can fit nicely into Tupperware so you can take it to-go.

After you get the routine down, it won't take more than 6 minutes. That's half the time you'd spend in Starbucks. And it costs less too (I'll let you do the math). Now, you've got a much more balanced meal, with good fats (omega-3's), carbohydrates with lots of fiber and nutrients (you've already met your Vitamin C requirement for the day), and great sources of protein to keep you focused and full until lunch.

Now, moving on to lunch:


The office can be a hazardous place. Your co-workers ask you to lunch. They're going to Subway. You think "hmmm...sandwiches, I guess that won't ruin my diet too much." Not wanting to look lame, you go out to lunch with them. Your next great thought is "Hey - I forgot they have wraps! I'll get one of those - this will be a good, low-carb lunch after all." You pick the chicken breast wrap because you figure you can't go wrong with chicken. You get a water, but can't resist the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies at the checkout (but you "saved" carbs by getting a wrap, right?). Again, not a lot of food there. It cost you $6.77 and although they made your sandwich in an impressive sub-5-minute time, you probably ended up taking a 45 minute lunch.

What would be better? Let's see what 4 ounces of low-sodium deli turkey, a few walnuts/pecans, some raw veggies and a piece of fruit looks like. All can be picked up from the grocery store, ready to eat, in the same time it takes Subway to make your lunch.

Lunch


Calories: 620
Fat: 20g
Carbs: 86g (only 3g fiber)
Protein: 27g
Nutrition info courtesy Subway


Calories: 360
Fat: 10g
Carbs: 41g (with 11g of fiber!)
Sugar: none added
Protein: 32g
Nutrition info courtesy FitDay.com

Much more food on the right, isn't there? You'll be munching at your desk for a while, but will still save time by not leaving the office. And you won't be ravaging the office for snacks later in the day. The cost of the healthier meal rang in at $5.32, and if you bought the veggies pre-cut, it didn't take you any time to prepare. Now, you've knocked out your RDA of Vitamin A, K and most of your B-complex vitamins.

Snack time...


It's been a long day and you need an afternoon boost. You grab your Pria Bar, and considering it's only 110 calories, are convinced it's a good choice. It takes you about 10 seconds to eat, cost $1, and 5 minutes later your stomach has absolutely no recollection that you ate anything at all. The high carbohydrate content will spike your insulin, which will come crashing down by the time you leave work. That will, in turn, land you on the couch when you get home. So, what do you do? Cheese to the rescue! Although I'm normally not a huge proponent of cheese, in this case it leaves the Pria Bar in the dust. Pair some low-fat string cheese with grapes and celery and you've got yourself the pick-me-up you were looking for. Although you may spend an extra 50 cents on the healthy snack, you'll save 75 cents by not hitting up the vending machine. The 30 extra calories are going to go a long way.

Snack



Calories: 110
Fat: 3.5g
Carbs: 18g (only 1g of fiber)
Sugar: 9g
Protein: 11g
Nutrition info courtesy Nestle SA
(yes, the candy bar company...surprised?)


Calories: 140
Fat: 5g
Carbs: 14g (with 4g of fiber!)
Sugar: none added
Protein: 8g
Nutrition info courtesy FitDay.com

Finally....dinner.

Let's face it - cooking after a long day of work sucks. You're apt to grab the quickest thing possible to prepare for dinner. Lean Cuisine, here you come! Based on the genius product name, it's obviously a good choice, right? Not so fast. These frozen dinners are packed with mysterious ingredients and loaded with sodium to keep them from spoiling. The box touts "No Preservatives", but the ingredient list takes up an entire side of the box. Not only that, the amount of food in those things is measly. I'm pretty sure our cat could scarf down four of them without a problem. Except she wouldn't, because she's smarter than that. Healthy Choice's Sweet & Sour Chicken made it into the Top 10 Junk Foods in Disguise at Mark's Daily Apple, but, luckily, you picked a more practical "Grilled Chicken Caesar" entree. At 240 calories you seriously need more food than this for dinner. We're not birds, we're humans. So we should eat like one. And don't get me started on the taste. I picked out some chicken and one of the three pieces of broccoli in the meal and it tasted like the last time I threw up doing "Fran".

But, what can you whip up as easily and quickly as a frozen dinner? Keep your freezer stocked with individually packaged frozen fish - salmon and tilapia are great choices. The only trick here is remembering to transfer one to the fridge in the morning so it's thawed out for dinner. Cook the fish in a pan with some veggies (try 1/2 cup sweet potatoes, 1 cup celery and 1 cup onions along with some rosemary and thyme) and you'll be done in no time. This may have taken a little more effort than the frozen mystery meal, but soon you'll be making dinner in 15 minutes or less. And there's really no contest as to which one looks (and tastes) better. I swear, there were no camera tricks or editing to make the frozen dinner look so emaciated.

Dinner


Calories: 240
Fat: 7g
Carbs: 25g (only 3g of fiber)
Protein: 18g
Nutrition info courtesy Lean Cuisine


Calories: 330
Fat: 11g
Carbs: 35g (with 6g of fiber!)
Sugar: none added
Protein: 24g
Nutrition info courtesy FitDay.com

If you've stuck with me this far, you'll find that eating the on the "good side" will get you about 1100 calories, which is perfect if you are on the Zone at 11 blocks. You may need to adjust to get more blocks or add extra fat. But, it's just an example. The "bad side" yields about 1500 calories, which is not the reason these food choices are so poor. You'll find only 8 grams of fiber, yet well over 200 grams of carbs (mostly sugars). This is bordering on suicidal and just asking for all sorts of health problems down the road. The "bad side" also has under 70 grams of protein, will struggle to support your lean muscle. Additionally, eating excess carbs will actually make you hungrier during the day, and you'll be lured into munching on other high carb foods with no nutritional value. This will likely add at least 500 "empty" calories to your daily intake. Not real great if you're trying to lose weight.

If you can look at these pictures and honestly say the left side looks better, I would question your sanity. The most common excuse is "I don't have time to cook". Adding up all of the cooking in this typical day, you can enjoy all the meals on the right with one weekly trip to the grocery store and less than 30 minutes of effort each day. Not a bad price to pay for great health!

Monday, March 29, 2010

Clean it up


Arrrrragghhh!

For Time:
21-15-9
Cleans
Burpees

Sunday, March 28, 2010

No.. Not the legs!


Congrats to Suegeil on completing the
Mechanics Program
welcome aboard

Skill Builder:
Work on Handstands for 20 mins.

For time:
300 Air squats

Post time to comments.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Isn't it all worth it?


It takes a certain type of person...


To challenge themselves...


Physically..


And mentally..


Male..


or Female...


In a group...


Or by yourself...



But in the end isn't it all worth it?

For time:

100 Push ups
100 Sit ups

Post time to comments.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Rest


CrossFit is the Sh#%&t!!! Get Some!!

Are you ready!!
Our Paleo challenge starts Monday March 29th.
Good luck to all participating Athletes.

If you have any questions please call or email
Darren thanks again and good luck on your
journey towards elite health & fitness.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Metcon



4 Rounds for Time:
100 Jump Ropes
Run 400 meters
10 Body blasters

Body blaster – Do a Burpee under a pull-up bar. Grab the bar on the jump and perform one pull-up. After completing the pull-up, return to a dead-hang position and do one knees-to-elbows. This is one repetition.

Scale as needed

Post time to comments.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The Fabulous 40


Da Machine going overhead

The Fabulous 40
40 Push ups
40 Sit ups
40 Squats
40 Pull ups
40 Lunges

Rest 3 mins.

40 Dbl unders
40 Wall ball 14#w/20#m
40 Slam ball
40 Thrusters 15#w/25#m
40 Burpees

Post reactions to comments.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Say hello to Murph


Smoov, Lup, & Da Machine oh my!

Skill Builder:
NFT 3 rounds of:
5 DL
5 Hang power snatch
5 OHS
Use pvc,training bar, or regular bar

"Murph" is a CrossFit Hero WOD named after Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005. He was 29, of Patchogue, N.Y.

The workout was one of Mike's favorites and he'd named it 'Body Armor.' It first appeared on the CrossFit site 18 August 2005.

For time:
1 mile Run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1 mile Run

The pull-ups, push-ups, and squats may be partitioned as needed. Start and finish with a mile run. If a twenty pound vest or body armor is available, wear it.

Post time to comments.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Rest



Damn Dirty Grains: This Time it’s Personal
by Robb Wolf

Do you ever feel like you have something completely dialed? You know the issue inside and out, can argue it from every angle and… discover you were at best wrong, but more accurately, you were delusional. Such was my foray into vegetarianism. I mean EVERYBODY knew fat was bad, meat was full of toxins and the enlightened humane thing to do was to not eat critters. So my fare revolved around beans, rice and whole grains. I’m handy in the kitchen. I made it work.

The fruits of my labors included high blood pressure, horrible blood lipids and gastrointestinal problems that were eventually diagnosed as gastritis. I was a pudgy bloated mess who was dying from doing what I thought was right.

Concurrent to and actually preceding my downward spiral into vegetarianism, my mother had been battling a slew of health problems. Fatigue, lethargy, diffuse but intense bouts of pain. My mom had not been doing well for a very long time. Eventually a diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus were issued from a specialist. Immune suppressing drugs were prescribed in an attempt to cool the over active immune response that seemed bent on dispatching my mom. Along with the Lupus and RA diagnoses, an afterthought of a condition was also discovered: Celiac Sprue. In technical parlance, Anti-glidan enteropathy. My mom was experiencing a profound reaction to wheat, dairy and a long list of other problematic substances.

The autoimmune diseases I had heard of, but this Celiac Sprue was news to me. When I started researching the topic I got the feeling that the CS was THE problem and likely the causative factor in the other interrelated autoimmune conditions. What became clear was that humans were not designed to eat cereal grains. That obviously was a position that not many people were talking about and it seemed to be outright heresy at the time. I think that was late 1998 or early 1999. Suffice to say I was stumped. I knew the Standard American Diet had some serious problems but now it appeared all the rice, beans and whole wheat bread I’d been eating might actually be killing me. If vegetarianism was not going to work, what would? I thought about science, evolution… evolutionary biology… hunter-gatherers…I remembered hearing someone mention of the term “Paleolithic Diet” once. I put that term in a search engine (before Google… crappy returns) and found www.paleodiet.com . From there I found Art Devany’s website and things really started to make some sense.

If my meandering down memory lane was a bore, I apologize, but I do have a point and it does pertain to performance, health and longevity. Most of you folks who read this publication also likely participate in some form of high-level physical activity like CrossFit or Olympic Lifting. I think it is safe to say that the people who are drawn to CrossFit and its affiliated specialists are people who are looking for the BEST. The best training, the best performance, the best health possible.

That being the case, the question of nutrition inevitably arises and it is hoped that the best nutritional recommendations are made. For many communities, even beyond CrossFit, that nutritional answer of answers is the Zone. The Zone is the genius of Barry Sears and it is waiting with open, warm, non-judgmental arms, ready to bring you in regardless of your food preferences, so long as you partition your slop into the Golden Ratios of 40-30-30. It has been put forward that cottage cheese and a snickers bar can fit the bill for Zoners. Now obviously the Zone recommends “good” carbs like veggies and fruit, but if we are about Elite Fitness and the health that should be associated with that fitness, is an anything-goes Zone really the answer? Is that the best we can do?

Let me use an analogy here and let’s assume for a moment we are looking at fitness through the eyes of CrossFit and the four-part definition of fitness as described in the CrossFit Journal. Some of the key points of that definition are to create as broad an adaptation as possible and that segmented training produces segmented results. These concepts fit together in that if you are training in a segmented fashion you will be lacking in some breadth of adaptation. A bit chicken and-egg, but stay with me. Now we can make the argument that from a “fitness” perspective, things like Olympic weightlifting, sprinting and gymnastics yield enormous benefit, especially when compared to marathons, Pilates and Jazzercise. No arguments there, and I think no one would argue that an individual who O-lifted one day, did sprint work the following day and some gymnastics the day after that in some fashion that allowed for recovery… well, this person would be pretty “fit”.

According to the CrossFit definition of fitness, however, this individual would be segmented and it would not be hard to cook up a workout that would expose that segmented training. Interestingly, the exploration of that segmentation (CrossFit style, multi-modal training) would likely improve the game of this person in all of their activities as that very segmentation is likely limiting performance. Make sense? So this is why, from the broad, highly-refined definition of fitness that CrossFit offers we need to do both specialized skill work in the areas of O-lifting, sprinting and gymnastics, but also multi-modal work.

Back to food. Taken that this all-encompassing definition of fitness requires non segmented training and performance, we can infer that we indeed want a complete “fitness”, and since nutrition—the molecular basis of health—is the FOUNDATION of an optimized fitness regime, we should want the very best nutritional strategy we can find, especially if our definition of fitness includes ALL parameters of health. If that is indeed the case, then before we start slicing and dicing our food into exacting proportions we need to have the right stuff on the plate. Grains are not among those things. We can be apologists and try to be all things to all people, but much like the argument that too much power lifting or long distance running will hamper your overall fitness, so too will consumption of foods that are at odds with health. This is a long introduction to what is destined to be a longer paper on grains: what they are and what they do to us when we eat them, especially if they take a prominent role in our diets.

Anatomy of the Grain


You have likely heard terms like Bran, Kernel and Germ as they relate to grains, but I want to take a moment to cover what exactly these structures are and what they contain. This general diagram from the Linus Pauling Institute illustrates the normal grain constituents. Here is what we find in the grain:

Bran: The tough outer coating that contains proteins, vitamins and minerals. That’s the standard ADA position. (Eatright.org… what a damn farce. Keep your eyes open for that topic and others at our new blog…Sorry, back to bashing grains.) So the bran appears to be a bountiful harvest of nutrition. We will take that fallacy apart in greater detail later. For now just know that bran is also home to most of the antinutrients and gut-irritating protein constituents.

Kernel: This is where most of the nutritional action is, at least with regard to caloric content. This is where we find most of the carbohydrate in grains. If you have seen white rice you have seen the kernel.

Germ: This is actually the plant embryo and it contains a fairly dense source of fatty acids, mostly n-6, some protein and assorted vitamins and minerals. This is your average grain, and it is representative of grains ranging from wheat to rice to popcorn. A detailed understanding of grain taxonomy and structure is not my intent here, but it is important that you understand the components grains, as we will be talking about processing methods that may remove certain problematic fractions but inevitably leave others.

The Real Problems


Most of the problems related to grain consumption can be lumped into one of two categories: those related to hyperinsulinemia and those related to irritant/toxicant properties inherent to the grains. It is interesting to note that these properties of irritation and inflammation via hyperinsulinemia may be multiplicative with regards to deleterious health effects, i.e. one makes the other worse.

Did the food pyramid make all the Dieticians Chubby or did the Chubby Dieticians make the food pyramid?

Possibly the longest introduction for a paragraph you have ever seen but it is at the crux of the first problem with grains. Grains are mostly starchy carbohydrate, and starchy carbohydrate, when consumed in any amount, causes the release of a significant dose of insulin. The starch in grains can be subdivided into two basic forms, amylose and amylopectin.

Amylose is a long chain of glucose molecules and amylopectin is a highly branched, interwoven structure also comprised of glucose molecules. Think of amylose as a rope and amylopectin as adust bunny. Grains are made up of differing amounts of amylose and amylopectin, and this variation accounts for differences in the glycemic index of various grains. Starches are digested by the enzymes salivary amylase and pancreatic amylase. Amylase acts on the last glucose molecule in the polymer, whether it is amylose (rope) or amylopectin (dust bunny). I think it’s pretty clear that the rope has far fewer locations for the amylase to attack in the digestion process than the dust bunny does. The more locations for the enzyme to attack, the faster the digestion, the quicker the rise in blood glucose levels, and typically the larger the insulin release. Any type of processing (cooking, milling) breaks up both the varieties of starch molecules, thus facilitating digestion. Easier digestion means a greater insulin response. The making of pizza crust fractures the starch grains in such a way that the body produces more insulin in response to pizza crust than raw glucose! No one knows why, but the processing inherent in most grain products can increase the insulin response far above what would otherwise be expected. So grains can have a fairly wide-ranging glycemic index and thus insulin response and various forms of processing can greatly increase both those numbers and consequently their impact on our health. One of the fallacies that is still spewed forth by the likes of the ADA is that slow-releasing carbs (beans, whole grains) causes a flat insulin response and consequently do not pose a problem. This is true only if one is consuming grains as condiments, as in a tablespoon here and there. Eat them a cup at a time, and not only does blood glucose level rise dramatically, but it stays elevated for a long time. Research is pretty conclusive that the insulin spike is more detrimental than the lower level chronically elevated insulin, but the end results are the same: Syndrome X, AKA the Metabolic Syndrome (You always need multiple names for things in science and medicine to ensure that as few people as possible have an idea of what is going on). Grains, both processed and unprocessed, are a major player in metabolic derangement in that they are almost entirely carbohydrate and they are typically consumed in large quantities.

Now that we understand the relationship of grain consumption and the inevitable and deleterious rise in insulin levels, let’s look more closely at what Syndrome X is. The word Syndrome is defined as “A collection or group of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterize a particular disease or abnormality.”The signs and symptoms of Syndrome X include high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, high risk of stroke and heart attack… and a bunch of other stuff. Professor Loren Cordain wrote a paper that sheds some light on some of that “other stuff” Called “Syndrome X: Just the Tip of the Hyperinsulinemia Iceberg”. That other stuff runs the gamut from cancer to myopia, but many diseases that have been associated with Syndrome X and hyperinsulinemia are slowly being put under the umbrella of Chronic Inflammation. We know that we are onto something hot when Barry Sears has a new topic that allows him to re-hash his Zone offerings. The Anti-Inflammation Zone is his most recent contribution to the Zone book club.

[Just a small digression here, but I think we are going to adopt Barry Sears’s approach to rehashing material and combine that with the consistent subject lines of my Spam and we will start re-releasing the P-Menu with catchy titles like “The Anti-Penile Dysfunction P-Menu” or the “Better than Cialis P-Menu”. No new content… just a new topic to hang the material from.]

Anyway, inflammation has many factors, including antioxidant and essential fatty acid status, but one of the key contributors to the condition we call inflammation is insulin level. Here is a detailed look at what happens with elevated insulin levels (Scroll down to insulin dysregulation). The insulin and inflammation topic is absolutely huge and far beyond the scope of this article or publication for that matter. The main point is grains pack a potent impact with regards to insulin response and that can lead to a variety of problems.

Irritant/Toxicant

The next broad category I want to look at falls under the irritant/toxicant label. Let’s look first at antinutrients.

Grains are essentially a reproductive structure and contain not only a dense energy source for the developing embryo, but also a number of control mechanisms that prevent both predation and abnormal germination. Sequestering away key nutrients like calcium, zinc and magnesium prevents abnormal germination. One of the main antinutrients is a chemical called Phytic acid of which there are several varieties, all going by the general term “phytates”. Now the phytates are powerful chelators; that is they bind to metal ions very tightly. This is postulated to be the main reason why cultures that consume large portions of their diets as grains and/or legumes tend to be shorter than their westernized transplants. The Okinawan vs. Japanese story is clearly illustrative of this. Okinawans have historically been significantly taller than their Japanese counterparts. The diets of the two groups differed in that the Okinawans consumed more protein and most of their carbohydrates in the form of highly nutritious tubers and only a modicum of rice. Japanese Americans show a markedly different phenotypic expression than their rice and tofu-eating ancestors. Just look at Jeff Oji.

It is interesting to note that phytates are used in some alternative medicine circles as an anti-cancer agent. Apparently phytates exert some influence on the growth of tissues by removing metal ions such as calcium, magnesium and zinc that are important for growth. This seems like a nice closed system: feed people grains, let them get cancer from the elevated insulin levels then use grain extracts phytates) to try to treat their condition.

This antinutrient concept is found in all eggs including those of birds and reptiles. Avidin binds to biotin, which is an important growth factor for bacteria. Hide away the biotin and it’s hard for the egg to spoil. These antinutrients are so powerful that avidin has even been genetically engineered into some grains… to extend their storage. Avidin is destroyed with cooking but phytates are not. Bon appetite!

Another sub category of irritants/toxicants includes items such as gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat and other grains. It is also categorized under a huge family of molecules called lectins. Many of these lectins actually damage or destroy the gastrointestinal tract. In the small intestine we have structures called microvilli that interact with the food in our intestines.

Microvilli are covered with enzymes that help to digest and transport food particles into the blood stream or lymph. Certain proteins such as gluten found in wheat, rye and barley cause a severe autoimmune reaction in some individuals, which is called Celiac Sprue. Celiac is a full-blown autoimmune reaction in which the microvilli of the intestines are destroyed. This condition makes it nearly impossible to absorb fats, minerals and many vitamins.

Not everyone shows a full blown celiac response; however, irritation is present with virtually all grain consumption. This lower level irritation has been broadly labeled as “leaky gut syndrome” and is emerging as a primary player in all autoimmune disorders. The theory is that once the gut lining is damaged, large food particles are able to make their way into the blood stream. Once there, the immune system mounts an attack against the foreign, undigested food particles. These particles may have elements that are similar in structure to body proteins and thus antibodies are produced that have affinity for one’s own tissues. The seed of autoimmunity has then been sown (nice grain cliché, no?). This is something that has been kicked around for many, many years, but some other very interesting disease processes have been uncovered, like schizophrenia and congestive heart failure, which appear to owe their existence, at least in part, to leaky gut. Nay Sayers read (also: The Ignorant) frequently make the point that not everyone gets celiac. That is true, but across all species tested, grains cause gut irritation. Check PubMed. This knowledge has even allowed the design of experiments looking at gut permeability and autoimmunity.

It is worth mentioning that dairy is a potent cross reactor for celiacs. It is fairly easy to assay dairy and get high concentrations of grain lectins. It has also been noted that grass-fed dairy shows little or no cross reactivity in celiacs. I’m going to look at some of the other deleterious effects of grain consumption for animals later, but this is obviously a source of grains that most people would not have considered.

Just to completely beat this into the ground, let’s look at quinoa. Quinoa is similar to a grain in its carbohydrate content and layout as a reproductive structure, but quinoa is botanically a fruit, and if you remember your botany, is a dicotyledon, whereas wheat, obviously a grain, is a monocotyledon. Relevance? They differ phylogenetically at the class level. To put that in perspective, mammals are a class, as are fish, as are reptiles. This is a huge difference and denotes ages since a common ancestor. Despite that fact, quinoa still has a protein fraction that can cause problems with celiacs. What I take from this is nature found a similar answer to reproductive strategies with quinoa and grains, and not surprisingly, quinoa presents similar potential problems.I want to mention just a few more things here. Grains also have a highly addictive nature beyond the carbohydrate content. They contain opiate-like substances that can be very problematic. Not surprisingly, these opioid constituents can be concentrated in dairy. Makes one look at pizza in a new and frightening way.

Grains are not just bad for humans; they give livestock some serious problems as well, ranging from creating heat and acid resistant forms of E. Coli to completely altering the fatty acid and nutrient content of meat. Grass-fed meat should contain significant amounts of n-3 fatty acids, alpha lipoic acid, CLA, Vitamin E and loads of carotenoids. Grain fed meat is the protein version of cardboard.

You Have It!

So, there you have it! Likely more than you EVER wanted to know about grains. But considering that our mission with the Performance Menu is to provide the best possible information on how to feed, water and exercise your person to optimize performance, health and longevity, avoiding such thoroughness with the topic would be a dereliction of our responsibilities. We advocate a Paleo/Zone approach to nutrition and jazz that up with some Intermittent Fasting. We feel strongly that both anecdotal and scientific research supports these positions. Grains obviously play a major dietary role for many people, but I hope this exploration helps to clarify why they may not be a wise choice for optimized health.

Post reactions to comments.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Total




I wanna thank my athletes for coming out yesterday
Mimi aka Regulator, Manny aka Manny Fresh,
Jenna
, Chris, Dorothy aka D-Mos, and Julie aka J-Boogie
Great job on the WOD!


CrossFit Total:
The CrossFit Total is the sum of the best of three attempts at the back squat, the press, and the deadlift, the "three most effective lifts in existence for developing and testing functional strength."

Back squat 1 Rep
Press 1 Rep
Deadlift 1 Rep

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Painstorm


I love this clip! J boogie has come a long way
Get some girl! 3-2-1- Go!!!

For Time:

30 Chin ups
30 Hang power cleans to a push press (75#M/45#W)
30 KTB swings (55#m/25#w)
30 Ring dips
30 Perfect push ups
30 Dumbbell thrusters (25#M/15#W)
30 Slam ball
30 Box Jump
30 (Each Leg) Jumping Lunge
30 Chins

Post load & time to comments.

Friday, March 19, 2010

To hell & back


Nate doin his thing

Congrats! go out to Saana on successfully completing
the Mechanics Program (Photo coming soon)

3 Rounds of:
21 Knees to elbows,
1 - 1 1/2 pood Kettlebell swing, 21 reps,
21 Push-ups,
21 Pull ups
20" Box jump, 21 reps,
21 Back extension,
Walking lunge, 150 ft

Post load to comments

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Rest


Researchers are finding out that a lil bit of
laughter goes a long way Archer is hilarious
check it out sometime if you want to laugh a lot!

Laugh a lil bit

Post thoughts to comments.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Saint Patty's Day Massacre!



Congrats go out to Aliyah & Myrlande for
successfully completing the Mechanics Program
welcome aboard ladies!


For time:
Run 400
Thruster (75)
Ball Slams (30)
Rounds of 21-15-12-10


Post load & time to comments.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Somethin like a Phenomena

For Time:
Run 400m
20 Deadlifts
Run 400m
20 Hang power cleans
Run 400m
20 Front squats
Run 400m

Post load & time to comments.

The Crossfit Women Phenomena
When you talk to women about exercise or workouts, the pervasive fear is that of becoming big or bulky. It is therefore understandable that when a woman first hears of Crossfit and what it entails, she is apprehensive. Crossfit is a fitness system found at Crossfit.com that combines gymnastic movements, running, powerlifting, Olympic lifting, and some exercises most people have never heard of. Yes, that is right, power and Olympic lifts. The Crossfit workout of the day or WOD as it is called, commonly includes powerlifts such as the deadlift and back squat and Olympic lifts such as clean and jerk. Go to any Crossfit gym though and you will quickly find out that women not only do Crossfit, they excel at it. These women have discovered one of the best-kept secrets for women’s fitness. Let us look at some of the advantages of Crossfit.



Many would assert that Crossfit is a surefire way to produce what women do not want, bulk. The truth is that Crossfit methods in a drug free individual will not produce the competition-size mass seen in most bodybuilding magazines. What it will produce for women is functional lean mass and a reduction in body fat. Crossfit WODs not only produce outstanding results for women, they are scalable, quick, and functional.



To begin, all the WODs are scalable. Every workout can be scaled or adjusted to the individual. For example, the WOD "Elizabeth" entails doing twenty one repetitions of squat cleans then twenty-one ring dips, then fifteen repetitions of each exercise, then nine repetitions of each exercise for a total of 45 reps for each exercise. The workout is done as fast as possible and the weight prescribed by Crossfit.com is 135 pounds for the squat clean. The weight is for an average male. Therefore, the weight would be too much for an average female and this is where scaling is used.



If the WOD Elizabeth were scaled for a woman of average strength and size who was relatively new to Crossfit, the result would be the same rep scheme with lower weight. The squat cleans would be performed at 65 pounds and push-ups substituted for the more challenging ring dips. To scale down even further, lower the rep scheme to twelve, nine, and six. Lessen the weight for the squat clean to 45 pounds and instead of regular push-ups, complete the push-ups from the knees. By scaling, the workout becomes manageable and appropriate for a novice or beginner.



Crossfit WODs are quick. Of course, most people desire more free time. Finding time to exercise can be especially challenging to busy women and mothers. Compare a Crossfit WOD to the typical half hour or more of cardio or aerobics and then low intensity weight training. Crossfit WODs usually run between ten and thirty minutes. Total workout time is cut in half.



Crossfit is functional. Functionality is a glaring omission from many workout routines that women engage. Ask any mother of young children though, how many times a day they lift loads from the floor or a low position in the form of kids, car seats or laundry baskets. The deadlift and related lifts are training for this type of movement. How many times does a mother squat down during a typical day? Again, the point is that performing functional movements such as squats will only increase the ability to function in day-to-day life.



Women all over the world are finding that Crossfit, the fitness system that involves intense weight training, is just what they have been looking when it comes to toning and building lean mass. It is scalable to any fitness level, quick and efficient, and functional. For many women, this shift in the paradigm of women’s fitness is long overdue.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Alot of jump rope


The 6pm Crew

Skill Builder:
Cleans
3x3x3x3

For time:
300 Double unders

Anybody Can CrossFit!

Post time to comments.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Rest


Congrats to Joanne on successfully completing
the Mechanics Program welcome aboard!


A Mercola Minute

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Say hello to Candy


Theresa aka Lady T hits her first dbl under

Skill Builder:
Foam Roll Anatomy game
Where are these muscles and what do they do?
Iliotibial band, Vastus lateralis, Vastus intermedius, Vastus medialis

Five rounds for time of:

20 Pull-ups
40 Push-ups
60 Squats

Post answer to question & time to comments.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Overhead


Sista I goes overhead

Overhead Squat

3-2-2-2-1-1-1-1-1 reps

Post load of each round to comments.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Push/Pull


Smoov making hanstand push ups look easy

Skill Builder:
GHD sit ups & Hollow position
3x3 GHD sit ups and work on holding the
hollow position for at least 20 sec. 5 x

Handstand push ups: 15-13-11-9-7-5-3-1
L pull ups: 1-3-5-7-9-11-13-15

Post time to comments.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Rest


Ok first the Gazelle, then the Hawaiian chair,
then the Snuggy, lets not forget, The Shake
weight
Now This!! Coome Ooonn!!!
Waaakke Uuup!!!!!

Please post to comments on your
thoughts on this equipment.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Metcon


Few more weeks and we back outside baby!!!

"Cindy on Roids" AMRAP in 20 Min. of:
15 Pull-ups
30 Push-ups
45 Squats

Post number of rounds completed to comments.

Monday, March 8, 2010

400



Four rounds for time:
Run 400 meters
Rest 2 minutes

Post time of each round to comments.


Look great now feel bad later

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Midline


All my real live people throw ya hands up!


Skill Builder:
Burgener Warm up & skill transfer drills

Overhead squat

1-1-1-1-1-1-1

Post load of each round to comments.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Rest


Adela, Suegeil, Sista-J, Da Machine, J-Boogie
Tellin the tourist to get the hell outta Brooklyn!
Great Job on the WOD!

Last of the 3 part series You Know What'chu You Eatin? In the final installment will be looking at The Atlantic Salmon and Chicken



You Know What'chu You Eatin? Part 3 Salmon


You Know What'chu You Eatin? Part 3 Chicken

Friday, March 5, 2010

TGIF


Phat Happy Birthday Day! C-Byng & J-Boogie


Smoov gettin busy!


Skill Builder:

Foam roll out the kinks for about 15-20 min.

Lets take what Smoov did a little further!

GI Jane
100 Burpee/Pull ups
* Chest must touch the deck
* Chin must go over the bar

Post time to comments.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Tough as nails



Nothing can stop the Franken Thumbbb...!
Seven stitches later and still came to kick ass!
Get some J!

For time:

50-40-30-20-10
Sit ups
Back extensions

Post time to comments.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Hail to The Chief!


Congrats go out to Dorothy aka "D-Mos" for
successfully completing the Mechanics
Program
welcome aboard keep up the
good work!


Dr. Mercola is the man!


Eat'um up!

The Chief:
5 - 3 min. rounds with 1 min rest after each round
3 Power cleans
6 Push ups
9 Squats

Post load & number of rounds completed to comments.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Rest



IWCABTAMDAA the philosophy at work
These ladies will kick your ASS!

IWCABTAMDAA stands for Increased Work Capacity Across Broad Times and Modal Domains and Age. In case you don't know it yet, that is our ultimate goal with CrossFit. In simpler words, we want to increase our ability to do a lot of stuff (increased work capacity), no matter how much time we have (broad times), and no matter what kind of activity we are doing (modal domains) and Age (8 or 80). I think Robert Heinlein makes a good point in this quote:

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects"
courtesy of CrossFit college community

Is Soda The New...

Monday, March 1, 2010

Oh my achin legs


Get some Mike!

21-15-9 of:
Row 150m before every round.
Deadlift 95-125#w/150-225#m
Box Jumps 21"-24"

Post load & time to comments.