Week in Review and Photo Albums Workout for April 13 2012
“Lumberjack 20″
20 Deadlifts (275lbs)
Run 400m
20 KB swings (2pood)
Run 400m
20 Overhead Squats (115lbs)
Run 400m
20 Burpees
Run 400m
20 Pullups (Chest to Bar)
Run 400m
20 Box jumps (24″)
Run 400m
20 DB Squat Cleans (45lbs each)
Run 400m
Are you tracking your scores somewhere?
Week in Review and Photo Albums
Week in Review – check out the news from this week!
Level 1 Essay Contest - Explain what CrossFit means to you and why you want to attend the Level 1 Course at CrossFit Roots
Look Good Naked Challenge Registration - Get all the details for the spring nutrition challenge HERE
The Cool Cruel Summer Series - get ready to vote for the workouts you’d like to see!
Photo Albums
March at Roots - CrossFit Open WODs 12.3, 12.4, 12.5, Spring Fling, Barbara, and more!
In-House Olympic Weightlifting Meet - LOTS of photos from the in-house weightlifting meet.
Essay Contest. Workout for April 12 2012
EMOTM for 20 minutes:
1 squat clean
2 front squats
Essay Contest.
CrossFit Roots is pleased to announce that it was asked to host the CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Course on June 30 – July 1, 2012. We are very excited to host this two-day seminar.
The CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Course serves a number of purposes. The CrossFit website describes it best:
The Level 1 Trainer Certificate Course introduces the mechanical, conceptual, and theoretical foundations of CrossFit. Additionally, there will be “break out’ sessions for demonstration and practical application of the 9 Foundational Movements. The lectures, demonstrations, presentations, and breakouts all serve to indoctrinate participants with CrossFit’s conceptual underpinnings, while the workouts serve to reinforce/drive home the application. Events rotate approximately hourly for the duration making for two long days.
The Level 1 Certificate Course serves many different people – it is for the individual who would like to learn about CrossFit for the first time, the individual who has had a life changing experience through CrossFit and wants to gain a deeper understanding of the method, foundation, and movements, and for the individual who would like to take their first step toward coaching athletes.
Now, for the exciting news!
CrossFit Roots has FOUR spots to award to Roots athletes who would like to attend this course. To enter to earn a spot at the Level 1, submit an essay to us by April 30th.
Level 1 Essay Question:
Explain what CrossFit means to you and why you want to attend the Level 1 Course.
Submission Guidelines:
- This contest is open to current Roots members only
- All essays must be submitted in hardcopy form in a sealed envelope to CrossFit Roots by April 30th
- This is an anonymous essay contest. Do not label your envelope. You will receive instructions on how to label your envelope when you bring it to the shop to submit.
- Essays must be hand delivered. Do not mail your submission, we never read mail delivered to the shop
- All essay submissions are due by close of business on April 30th
- No late submissions will be accepted
Essay submissions will be reviewed by a team of individuals including coaches and non-coaches.
Essay contest winners will be announced on the blog on May 7th, 2012.
Post questions to comments.
Looked Good Naked Sign-up. Workout for April 11 2012
Deadlift
1-1-1-1-1-1
then
Squat Clean and Jerk, 30 reps
(155/105)
Welcome back Patrick!
Looked Good Naked Sign-up.
Sign-up for the Look Good Naked Challenge opens today.
Read below for an overview of the challenge. For ALL the in-depth details, click here.
Here’s a quick overview of the challenge:
- Strictly Paleo with a Paleo/Zone option
- Before and after indicators including mobile hydrostatic body fat testing
- 40-day challenge
- Food log monitoring guidance and feedback on an every 2 day basis
- Resources including weekly meal plans and shopping lists
- Required shop attendance
- Awesome prizes for challenge winners (male and female)
- Monday, April 16th – mobile hydrostatic body fat testing and Challenge Meeting at 7:00 AM or 6:00 PM (mandatory)
- Thursday, May 31 – mobile hydrostatic body fat retest, prizes awarded, and challenge end at the May Cool Cruel Summer Benchmark WOD evening event!
Cool Cruel Summer Series and WOD Voting. Workout for April 10 2012
Front squat 1-1-1-1-1-1
then
4 rounds:
10 OHS (135/95)
10 pull-ups
Welcome to prowler season! Meredith visits from SoCal. Welcome back!
Cool Cruel Summer Series
The last Thursday of each month this summer! Kick-off is May 31st!
This summer, from the months of May though August, join us at the shop on the last Thursday of each month for the benchmark series, wings and salad, drinks, socializing, and fun under the summer sun.
What is the benchmark series? It’s a series of four CrossFit benchmark workouts voted on by Roots members. The voting occurs in four different categories to span the many different aspects of CrossFit including everything from strength to gymnastics movements, short to long time domains, to AMRAPs and for time workouts. Voting will take place via an online survey the first week of May.
Do the series for fun and to set new PRs or join in for the points series edition where we’ll keep track of performances to crown the Cool Cruel Summer winners at the end of the four months.
And what summer series would be complete without wings, wine, and maybe some PaleoPong? Mark your calendars for the summer workout and party series now!
Benchmark voting begins in a few weeks. Similar to last year, we will offer categories of workouts to vote for. All workouts will be a CrossFit benchmark, Girl, or Hero WOD.
So, let’s hear from you, what workouts do YOU want to see in the voting? Post to comments.
Not sure what all the CrossFit benchmark, girl, and hero workouts are exactly? Click here.
Announcing the Spring 2012 Look Good Naked Challenge Workout for April 9 2012
High bar Backsquat
1-1-1-1-1-1
then
Row 300 meters
20 Wallball shots, 20 pound ball
10 Pull-ups
Compare to 3/6/12
Weekly food preparation is part of healthy eating habits. The alternative is to buy pre-made food. Both options work. Here, 2.5 hours of food preparation on a Sunday made all breakfast, lunches, and 1/2 dinners for the week.
Announcing the Spring 2012 Look Good Naked Challenge
You asked for it and it’s here! The Spring 2012 Look Good Naked Challenge starts Sunday, April 22nd with a week of prep work beginning April 16th.
Hears a quick overview of the challenge:
- Strictly Paleo with a Paleo/Zone option
- Before and after indicators including mobile hydrostatic body fat testing
- 40-day challenge
- Food log monitoring and guidance
- Resources including weekly meal plans and shopping lists
- Required shop attendance
- Awesome prizes for challenge winners (male and female)
Read below for a thorough outline of the challenge dates, overview, and structure. Post to comments any questions.
Sign-up for the challenge opens Wednesday, April 11th and is limited to 30 people. The registration link will be posted online.
challenge overview
- This spring’s challenge was designed to be a perfect starting point for individuals who have not yet explored the world of Paleo eating. In addition, we designed the challenge for Paleo veterans who are moving in a great direction with their Paleo efforts but need to look at some fine tuning.
- The challenge will be 40 days in length
- The challenge focus areas are: before and after indicators (hard numbers!), accountability in food consumption and logging, and consistency in shop attendance. Each area will be measured or tracked throughout the 40 days.
- The challenge will crown a male and female winner. Read below for prize information!
challenge calendar
- Wednesday, April 11th – challenge sign-up made available on MBO
- Monday, April 16th – mobile hydrostatic body fat testing and Challenge Meeting at 7:00 AM or 6:00 PM (mandatory)
- Sunday, April 22nd – challenge begins
- Thursday, May 31 – mobile hydrostatic body fat retest, prizes awarded, and challenge end at the May Cool Cruel Summer Benchmark WOD evening event!
challenge structure in relation to overarching themes
- Indicators (before and after) - pictures, body fat percentage and lean body mass, weight. We have arranged for a mobile hydrostatic body fat truck to come to Roots before and after the challenge (see challenge calendar above for dates)
- Accountability – daily food logging and coach monitoring, notes/feedback in log on 2-3 day basis, email communication for questions and guidance
- Consistency – workout 5x/week. Four of those workouts must be WODs (no specialty classes). Fifth workout can be another WOD, a specialty class, or an outdoor activity.
- Includes the before and after hydrostatic body fat testing ($60) and bi-weekly coach food log monitoring, feedback, and guidance.
Post questions to comments.
Saturday Classes at Roots Workout for April 7 2012
18 minute AMRAP:
Prowler push (180/140)
Farmer’s Carry (180/100)
Double kettlebell front squat
Burpee
Char during Barbara on Friday. Rockin' it!
Vote for Saturday Classes!
Click here to go to yesterday’s post where we asked folks to post to comments their Saturday class time votes.
Saturday Class Time Survey Workout for April 6 2012
“Barbara”
5 rds for time of:
20 Pull-ups
30 Push-ups
40 Sit-ups
50 Squats
Vote for Saturday Class Times
As spring and summer roll into effect we wanted to survey the group to see what times folks are most interested in Saturday classes.
Please post your vote in the Comments section like so:
1. a
2. b
3. a
SATURDAY CLASS SURVEY
1. What is your TOP class hour pick for a Saturday? PICK ONE. No write-ins.
a. 8:00am
b. 8:30am
c. 9:00am
d. 9:30am
e. 10:00am
f. 10:30am
2. I come to Saturday classes 2 or more times per month:
a. yes
b. no
3. I have signed up for a Saturday class and then been too hungover to attend.
a. yes
b. no
Thank you for participating in the survey!
The Alternative to Sickness, Disease, and a Dismal Life Workout for April 5 2012
4 rounds max reps:
1 minute each:
push jerk (95/65)
muscle-up*
power clean (95/65)
T2B
1 minute rest between rounds.
*if you can not yet to muscle-ups, practice transitions in warm-up and do dips in the workout
Ladies, manicure season is here, but beware! Be sure to allow proper dry time after your manicure before involving yourself with any hook grips. Grrrrr.... 
The Alternative to Sickness, Disease, and a Dismal Life
Hopefully the last few days of posts got you thinking (or renewed your thoughts) on the impact your nutrition can have on your health. We painted a pretty grim picture of the current state of nutrition in America.
The average American consumes 70% of their diet from refined sugars, cereals, grains, refined vegetable oils, alcohol, and dairy products. Research has strongly associated the modern Western diet with the current epidemic levels of obesity, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer, and inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.
So what’s the alternative?
It is our experience at CrossFit Roots, both personally and professionally, that a Paleo style of eating is the first step in the journey to health. It yields the greatest results for athletes in a host of areas including athletic performance, physical appearance, cholesterol levels and other blood indicators, mental clarity, and inflammation-related diseases and problems. In addition, athletes find it enjoyable to eat this way. That’s right, enjoyable.
Below is information on the Paleo style of eating. We understand that food and the way people eat is a very personal thing, almost like a religion. We invite you to learn about the way many of our athletes eat. We are always willing to share our own experiences and results from eliminating certain food groups and transitioning to a Paleo diet.
What is Paleo?
The Paleo way of eating mimics the way our ancestors ate during the Paleolithic Era before the invention of agriculture. In short, this means we eat meat, vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar. Read on for a description of what you can eat in each of these food areas.
MEAT
You can eat any protein from a source that once had a face and a soul. You should consume meat with at least 2 meals per day. Make sure your meat is not contaminated with sugar, soy, or processed sweeteners. It’s more common than you think, so get in the habit of reading labels! While you are at it, learn to recognize the sneaky ways that food companies disguise sugar.
VEGETABLES
There are so many to choose from! Get creative and learn to cook a vegetable you’ve never tried. Non starchy vegetables should be a standard in your meals – even for breakfast.
FRUIT
The Paleo way of eating encourages fruit consumption; however, consider the origin of the fruit you consume – the geographic location as well as the way it was grown. Sugar, whether in a banana or a Snickers bar, is still sugar, the only difference is in the quantity of sugar in each food item. Consume fruit in moderation.
NUTS & SEEDS
For some of you, the elimination of calorically dense and nutrient deficient foods will require some level of effort to replace the calories you need to thrive. Nuts are packed with fatty acids, enzymes, antioxidants, and lots of vitamins and minerals, especially potassium and magnesium. Be aware that, while they are a great part of the Paleo equation, it is possible to over-consume them. We will talk more about this later, but for now, think “moderation”.
FATS
Fat is good for you and supports the brain! It is also a great source of fuel in the Paleo diet. Slowly, your body will make the transition from utilizing carbohydrate to utilizing fat for energy. Fat triggers our sense of being full. Fat is an essential part of many of your cellular and hormonal processes. There’s no room for fat phobia in the Paleo world!
Have you tried this way of eating? What was your experience? Have you not yet tried this way of eating and are hesitant to do so? Post to comments.
How We Got Here – State of US Health Continued. Workout for April 4 2012
Row 2K
then
Front squat
3-3-3-3-3
How We Got Here – State of US Health Continued.
Yesterday we dove into some of the how the state of health and fitness in the US came to be so dismal. Today we want to share with you a bunch of resources for you to explore the topic some more. Here are a few of our favorite resources, from books, to articles, to blogs, to videos. Enjoy.
What additional resources would you like to share? Post to comments.
Articles
What if it’s All Been a Big Fat Lie
Books
Good Calories, Bad Calories
Why We Get Fat
Protein Power Life Plan
Blogs
Everyday Paleo - this woman has it down. And she has 4 kids so we don’t want to hear “it’s too hard.”
Inherent Appetite - our very own Shane Upchurch, coach at Roots, delves into the world of clean eating. The recipes are 99% Paleo;)
Dr. Eades - a blog from the author of Protein Power Life Plan
State of US Health Workout for April 3 2012
High bar back squat
3-3-3-3-3
then
5 rounds:
200m run
7 hang squat snatches
Americans have purchased over 100 million diet books in the past 30 years. That's a lot of trees.
State of US Health.
Yesterday, Dizon sent us a recent 60 Minutes report titled Is Sugar Toxic? The new research presented by Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Dr. Robert Lustig states that American research institutions have concluded that sugar is a toxin – a poisonous substance.
You can read the article here.
If sugar is a toxin, that would mean it is in the same category as alcohol, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and cocaine, to name a few. That’s exactly what researchers are trying to convey – in the same way your parents told you that smoking was bad, they should have also added sugar to the list.
Next Monday we release the details of the next food challenge. As always, it will be based on a quality approach to food (with some added twists to look at quantity). We thought we’d take the next few days to review the current state of health and wellness in the US as well as ways to avoid becoming a statistic.
Here is the Theoretical Hierarchy of the Development of an Athlete. It’s CrossFit’s full view approach to the development of any athlete:
The Theoretical Hierarchy of the Development of an Athlete first appeared in the CrossFit Journal in October 2002.
What’s the base of the pyramid? – NUTRITION.
Many people start CrossFit to address the exercise component of their health and fitness but ignore the nutrition component. The fact is; however, that fueling habits play a massively underestimated role in how we feel, perform, and look.
Before we delve into our approach to nutrition and fueling let’s look first at the current state of health and wellness in America and how we got here.
In the 1950s a scientist named Ancel Keys published a study showing the relationship of fat consumption to heart disease. He collected data for his study from several different countries but could not draw a definitive correlation between the two. But you can’t publish a study that doesn’t draw a clear conclusion so he tossed out the data that didn’t agree with his hypothesis (really) and published data that showed that a diet high in fat was directly related to an increase in heart disease. No joke! This is not paleo paranoia or conspiracy theory, just bad science. Don’t take our word for it; check out the blog tomorrow where we’ll list a few great resources to learn more.
Keys was an influential figure at the time and marshaled support from various government agencies including the FDA and the American Heart Association. His recommendations eventually reached the public ear and molded the dietary beliefs and habits of an entire generation. In the late 70s and early 80s the United States began the low-fat, high-carb craze. The thought was that a diet low in fat and high in carbohydrates was not only good for you, but that it would also prevent heart disease. Then what happened?
In response to growing consumer demand and anticipated demand for low fat foods, US food makers began to crank out food products with little or no fat. Only, there was a problem; fat tastes good. When the fat was removed from products such as crackers, cookies, peanut butter, and ice cream; food makers found that they had to add exorbitant amounts of sugar to the product in order for it to taste good to the consumer. So not only did we decrease the amount of fat in the American diet, we drastically increased the amount of sugar. The addition of large quantities of sugar (real and fake sugars) in the American diet fueled the rise of Type II diabetes.
Check out these facts:
- 65% of adults in the US are overweight or obese;
- 30 million Americans take cholesterol lowering medication
- 50 million Americans have hypertension;
- 11 million Americans have Type II diabetes;
- Diet related chronic diseases are the single largest cause of mortality (death) and morbidity (severe illness) in America;
- Refined sugar consumption in the US has increased 30 pounds/person/year since 1970.
To further the problem, the Food Pyramid was introduced in 1991 recommending that the foundation of our diet be grains (high carb / low fat). The recommendation to eat large quantities of cereals, breads, crackers and other refined carbohydrates as the majority of our calories steered us solidly down the path of insulin response destruction and unexplainable fat storage. In fact, both obesity and diabetes began a sharp increase within a few years of the introduction of the Food Pyramid. Yikes!
It’s no secret that obesity is directly related to diabetes (Type II), as well as a host of other diseases; and that diabetes is directly related to heart disease. As a society, we are obsessed with how we look in the mirror. We define fitness as a six-pack of abs and the ability to wear small sizes of clothing. The problem with these gauges is that they overlook the long-term health effects of the way we eat. Being “thin” or working out to balance overeating does nothing to prevent the onset of heart disease, Type II diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer, or stroke. The food you put in your mouth does.
Since the incorporation of the food pyramid and the high carbohydrate/low fat recommendations our nation has become sicker, weaker, and largely pathetic. The deadly quartet – obesity, heart disease, hypertension, and hypertriglyceridemia – are all linked to Type II diabetes which results from the long term ingestion of a high carbohydrate / low fat diet.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
- 70% of the American diet is made up of processed grains and sugar;
- Children today are the first generation to have a life expectancy SHORTER than their parents’ generation;
- 31% of children in the US are obese;
- Modern Americans live principally on three varieties of plant foods: corn, soy and wheat – of which all three convert to SUGAR once eaten;
- 57 million Americans are pre-diabetic;
- Americans have purchased over 100 million diet books in the last 30 years, but it hasn’t helped much…
