Chad, Walker, Dizon, Collin, and Ben competed in the Colorado Open this past weekend and did GREAT. The crew celebrated the weekend at the West End. It was also Piper and Ben's last night before returning to Seattle. We'll miss you guys!

Posture Post – Part 2

We’re all aware from last weeks post that, for the most part, our posture throughout the day could use a lot of attention.  Don’t worry, this has become the norm but we are going to start making change.  The rounded shoulders and head forward position used to describe Joe is actually so common that those in the body therapies industry have given it it’s own name, upper-cross syndrome. There are some other details to it but for the most part it stems from sitting for hours at a desk, hunched over, slumped shoulders, and head reaching forwards towards the computer screen.  Start looking around as you walk down Pearl and you’ll see it’s EVERYWHERE!

So what can we do?  Well, the first step is simply awareness.  The more aware we are about the positions our bodies are holding throughout the days the quicker we will begin to make positive changes towards those positions.  Of course that’s easier said than done because who really goes through the day thinking about their posture.  One solution is to set an alarm on your phone to go off once every hour.  When it goes off you check on your posture.  Are you sitting up straight, are your shoulders neutral, is your head neutral, etc.  Most computers will have a similar function you can use through whatever calendar program you use.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the iPhone has an app for this…and if it doesn’t, one of you programming savvy people should make it happen! (I only ask for a small percentage of the profit.)

Beyond awareness, there are some things we can do to take breaks from these positions and begin stretching these adaptively shortened muscles and relieving the stretch weakened ones.  Again, just take a few minutes every hour or so and try one of the following:

• Get UP!  Walk around, whatever, just do something besides sit!
• Doorway Pec Stretch
• Wall Angels
• Death Stretch.  Fast forward to 2:05.  You can do this in your desk chair! (knee butts up to back and seat of chair)
• Neck Stretches

Just 20-30 seconds of each stretch, each hour or two will make a huge difference.  For the wall angels start with 15 reps and try to work up to 30+.  Remember, these problems have developed over years so they will not correct in a matter of minutes or even days, but with consistency you will begin to see and feel a difference.

Afraid you’ll look silly doing stretches in your office?  Not as silly as your co-workers who walk around like hunchbacks all day.  Also, keep in mind that your body and mind are interconnected and so your posture says something about your mental health and visa versa; they each affect the other. Ever see a confident guy walking around with slumped shoulders and his head held down low?  No!  He probably walked around like superman with his chest out and his head up.

What does your posture say about you?  What do you want it to say?  Post to comments.

Karin makes it look easy and she earned it!

For Your Reading Enjoyment

Some great articles were sent our way!  Thanks to Hank, John, and Jake.  Thanks everyone for continuing to send us great resources and nuggets of info.

Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables

Paleo Diet: Smart Eating or Latest Fad?

US News and World Report: Top-Rated Diets Overall

Lauren and half of the Saturday Erg class. Think it's hot at Roots? Come try an erg class. It's SMOKIN'.

CrossFit on The Economist Blog

Virtual Contest, Real Sweat

Ben tags Walker in a team workout while Dizon waits for Hank. Julia observes.

Why We Overtrain

Before we bring all of this rest day business full circle and talk about how to apply it to your everyday life, let’s take one last post to examine the three main reasons I think people overtrain.

1. The “cool-looking” Workout
This scenario is fairly CrossFit-specific.  Athlete needs rest day – peaks at day’s post – sees cool attractive workout – goes online to see if there’s space (there is!) – reserves spot and bam, the product is 5-6 days in a row.

The temptation of the “cool-looking” workout is great, we know.  Thoughts such as, “that might not come up for a long time so I want to make sure I do it”, “I missed this last time so I HAVE to get it in this time”, or “everything has rep loads over 100 so it must be awe-some” flash through our head.

We know CrossFit is fun, addictive, and well, really fun.  It’s hard to choose NOT to come to the shop, hangout with your workout buddies, and sweat through a grindfest.  We get it, but remember that too many dives into the “cool-looking” workout trap will leave you overtrained and slogging through sub-optimal workout after sub-optimal workout.

2. Getting Ahead or More is Better Syndrome
The 2012 Regionals are just 395 days away and not a moment can be lost letting athletes across the Rockies gain an edge.  I must get stronger.   Oh wait, and better and gymnastics too.  And wait, my Oly needs some work.

CrossFit provides us with this wonderful array of exercises and movements to learn and perfect but it can also lead to a schizophrenic phase where an athlete tries to do everything all the time. Pick your battles and make them small, challenging, yet attainable, and then move one.  Don’t try to conquer the world on four different continents.   You know more isn’t better, that’s what CrossFit has taught you.

3. Burning Calories
If I don’t workout then I won’t have burned any calories today and if I don’t do that then I’ll surely get fat.  Stop connecting diet and exercise!  They are two separate pieces of a healthy profile.  Did you know that people actually GAIN weight when they are overtrained or under-slept?  That’s right.  So take a rest day and please please do frame your beautiful CrossFit workout in calories burned – stick with pounds lifted, time, and rounds!

So did we miss anything?  Are there other reasons why we overtrain?  Post to comments.

DISCLAIMER: By writing this post I am not saying that I have never overtrained.  I have; however, I paid the consequences.  We all need to be reminded about the downfalls of overtraining as it’s something that constantly tempts athletes, including me.

Ted goes overhead on max thruster day. This guy is full of surprises!

The Importance of Rest Days

On Saturday we discussed the reasoning behind CrossFit’s 3 on – 1 off programming schedule.  To catch up on the rest and recovery series, click here and read through to today.

“Coach, I can’t take a rest day, I saw we were doing (insert really-sexy-looking-cool-workout-that-just-can’t-be-missed here) and I HAD to come.”  OR “Sure, I took a rest day, a rest day from CrossFit that is, and I went for a 3 hour mountain bike ride instead!”

Sound familiar?

Below we’ll discuss the importance of rest days and why, if you don’t take them, you cannot progress.

Rest days allow for physiological and psychological benefits that are vital to athletic progress.

Physiologically, rest allows the body to learn from and adapt to the recent physical stress, repair muscles, rebuild, and be stronger and better adapted for the next physical challenge (in our case, a workout).  In CrossFit we believe in relative intensity and work to dial in our athletes’ workouts to an intensity level that hovers in the “hard but doable” realm.  The result is an adaptation that continuously tips the athlete toward stronger, more skilled, faster, you get the point.  But the CRAZY PART is that this adaptation takes place during the rest and recovery phase, not during the workout! Too much intensity or too little recovery blunts the adaptation creating an athlete that is headed toward plateau rather than continuous improvement.

Psychologically, and when viewed correctly, rest days give us a mental edge in workouts.  When an athlete embraces the time off they come back stronger and work harder in workouts.  I say “when viewed corretly” as many athletes feel guilty about their rest days and instead waste tons of mental energy worrying about not working our rather than reaping the benefits.

As athletes (and not just CrossFit athletes) we constantly chase performance and for many, appearance too.  We’ll do anything for a better run time, a faster Fran, or a heavier deadlift.  Change my diet?  Sure, tell me what I can and can’t eat.  Buy the right shoes?  Sure, where do I pay?  Take a day off?  NO WAY.

Rest and recovery includes true rest days as well as rest in the form of consistent quality sleep (and that means 7+ hours).  Think you can perform well on 5 hours of sleep a night?  Think again.  But that’s for another post!

To recap, take a long range look.  Sure, the removal of rest days will progress you quickly for 6 months to a year.  But it will catch-up to you.  Why not go for the 10 year plan?

Yeehaw! Jeff sends his love from the Steep Creek Kayak Race!

The Theory Behind CrossFit’s Three On One Off Programming

As many of your know, we follow the CrossFit mainsite.  The mainsite is CrossFit’s programming headquarters among other things.  From the very beginning the mainsite has always posted workouts on a 3 on 1 off basis with the idea a consistent and planned rest day is just as important as a fitness regiment.

So why the 3 on 1 off schedule?

It was designed with this thought process:

Day 1 - On day one you come in to the shop chomping at the bit.  You’re rested, ready to go, and you hit the workout HARD.

Day 2 – On day two you still feel pretty fresh but the delayed onset muscle soreness has not yet set in.  You feel almost as fresh as you did on day 1.

Day 3 – By day three you’re a little sore and a little tired BUT you know you have a rest day the following day. This in turn gives athletes a massive mental edge.  It allows them to push through, train hard, and work in a slightly compromised state by knowing that their body will have a full rest day to recover.

The phrase “earn your rest days” came out of the 3 on 1 off programming method. When athletes slog through 5 to 6 workouts in a row, their body (whether the athlete admits it or not) goes into a constant state of suboptimal performance.

It would be silly to think that this program would work perfectly for everyone.  Age, the individual, workout time, and other activities certainly play a role in determining what kind of workout routine is right for each of us.

Many athletes expressed yesterday that they find it hard to mix CrossFit and sports.  One method that has worked well for many athletes is to limit their “on” days to three in a row but let the on days consist of sport or CrossFit.

The bottom line is that YOUR BODY NEEDS REST DAYS.

On Monday we’ll discuss continuous improvement throught rest days.

DON’T FORGET TO SIGN-UP FOR BENCHMARK THURSDAY TOMORROW NIGHT FROM 5-7.  IT’S FRAN, MAN.

Push Jerk 2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2 reps

Constantly Varied – Environmental Factors

We use the following phrase to describe CrossFit – “constantly varied, functional movements, executed at high intensity.”  Constantly varied can refer to the workout type – for time, for rounds, for max load and it can refer to the exercises – barbell lifts, toes to bar, Oly lifts, running, box jumps.

One area that we often overlook in the constantly varied realm is environmental factors such as time of day, attire, temperature, and fueling. These too should be considered when adhering to a constantly varied program and should not be overlooked.

We all have our perfect scenarios in which we like to workout.  5:00pm, in our new Lululemon outfit, about 66 degrees outside with a nice cool breeze, and a great fantastic dinner waiting for us when we walk in the door at home afterward.  But life doesn’t always throw us perfect scenarios and in CrossFit we train to be ready for anything by training a broad range of exercises, workouts, and environmental factors.

So what does this mean for you? It means that the next time an environmental curve ball is thrown your way, step up to the challenge and know that you are improving your fitness by expanding your body’s preparedness for a wide range of scenarios. In addition, you’ll find fewer excuses why not to go to a workout!

If a 5:30am class is all you can fit in that day but you just hate working out in the AM, get to it.  If you don’t like working out in the heat but you can only make a 5:00pm class, suck it up and get to class!  If you’re kind of hungry but you forgot your afternoon snack, get to class and then go home and eat dinner – you will not starve.  You get the point.

Step up to the challenge and live the constantly varied dream!

Sugar – Demon or Angel?

Last week the NY Times published an article titled Is Sugar Toxic?

We’ll get on to the article in a second but I would like to point out that 13 Roots athletes emailed me the link. You guys are paying attention to your health and that rocks!  Thanks for sharing and please keep sending me interesting links!

Eric and I read the article in the car that day on a long drive – I was basically a live book on tape!  We finished the article and were revamped and recharged with our feeling that sugar is truly in fact, the devil.

But nutritional research and claims are never straightforward.  Scientists and nutritionists claim research as fact rather than hypothesis or in some cases a best guess.

So we present to you two articles.  Is Sugar Toxic and a rebuttal by Alan Aragon.

Is Sugar Toxic?

The Bitter Truth About Fructose Alarmism

What do you think?  Are you now repulsed by the thought of sugar or jumping for joy after reading Aragon’s rebuttal which in some ways frees fructose? Post to comments.

The heavy days make the wallball days so much more enjoyable! Lift heavy to put some more strength under those wallball shots.

Will Lifting Heavy Weights Make Me Bulk Up?

We get this question a lot and to be quite honest, it’s a very reasonable question.  The misperception that mass directly correlates to strength has caused many a college boy to drink their body weight in protein shakes to put on “bulk” while simultaneously causing females nationwide to fear anything more than a 10lb. dumbbell.  The result is overweight men who are not strong and waif like women who spend their days “toning” and who are also not strong.  Tragedy strikes on both ends.

The article Why Heavy Weights Don’t Bulk Up the Female Athlete is a must read for anyone, male or female, who has ever feared weight gain or dreamed about instant mass as a result of heavy lifting.

What has your experience been with lifting heavy weights?  Post to comments.

Choose a Benchmark Hero or Girl
3-2-1-GO!

Click here to see the Girl workouts.

Click here to see the Hero workouts.

Lynn can RUN! How did your legs feel trying to run after bottom to bottom Tabata squats? Post to comments.

The Girls and Heroes Workouts Explained

The Girls

You’ve often heard the coaches refer to benchmark workouts in class. In most cases, these workouts are titled with a girl’s name, such as Cindy, Fran, or Grace. CrossFit defines its training program as “constantly varied, functional movements, executed at high intensity.” With a constantly varied program (one where no two days are ever the same) it could potentially be difficult to gauge the effectiveness of the program as well as ones progress in all areas of fitness. That’s where the benchmark workouts come in to play. They are a variety of workouts that athletes should revisit on a recurring but spaced out basis to measure their progress.

Why girls names?

“According to the National Weather Service the use of “short, distinctive given names in written as well as spoken communications is quicker and less subject to error” than “more cumbersome” identification methods, so since 1953 storms have been assigned female given names.

This convenience and logic inspired our granting a special group of workouts women’s names, but anything that leaves you flat on your back and incapacitated only to lure you back for more at a later date certainly deserves naming.”  (CF Journal – Issue 13, September 2003)

Since 2003 many benchmark girls workouts have been added to the list. The “New Girls”, such as Annie, Nicole, and Eva, were named after some of CrossFit’s top female trainers.

The Heroes

The hero workouts are named after men who have died in combat or the line of duty at home and abroad.