Click here to view the embedded video.

Remember how at Regionals you kept asking “How do I get arms like that?”  Here’s a plan.

It has now been more than ten years since I became a part of the community of people who were working toward changing the mainstream approach to nutrition and health.  More than ten years ago in rural New Hampshire there were moms talking about procuring real milk, [...]]]> Click here to view the embedded video.

It has now been more than ten years since I became a part of the community of people who were working toward changing the mainstream approach to nutrition and health.  More than ten years ago in rural New Hampshire there were moms talking about procuring real milk, cream, butter, lard, grass fed meat, nutrient-rich, properly grown vegetables and seasonal fruits.  There were moms cooking pastured sausage with blueberries for breakfast for their kids instead of cereal and toast.  At that time, it was considered virtually unimaginable that the cover of mainstream magazines would show content suggesting that the Food Pyramid wasn’t the best idea.  This week Newsweek’s cover contains shows an article by Gary Taubes reviewing the new HBO program Weight of the Nation.  Newsweek’s article does not portray Taubes as fringe any more.  Far from it.  What a long decade it has been, and what a terribly sad amount of people, children and adults, have suffered waiting for this information to be accepted.

About five years ago I became a part of the CrossFit community primarily because of it’s emphasis on good food and evolutionary-style movement.  It has been extraordinary to witness the growth of people eating real food with meats, fats and vegetables at the heart of their plate.  Heartbreaking to me, however, is the disdain that is manifested so often in the CrossFit world for people who are not yet eating Paleo and training hard.  The following passage from Gary Taubes’ Newsweek article is important:

“If The Weight of the Nation accomplishes anything, it’s communicating the desperation of obese Americans trying to understand their condition and, even more, of lean (or relatively lean) parents trying to cope with the obesity of their offspring.  Lack of will isn’t their problem.  It’s the absence of advice that might actually work.  If our authorities on this subject could accept that maybe their fundamental understanding of the problem needs to be rethought, we and they might begin to make progress.”

In tomorrow’s post I will highlight the fundamental differences in mainstream thinking on obesity and the concepts that Gary Taubes has worked hard to bring to the forefront of the conversation on obesity.

Sometimes I think you all forget to make the most of the resources you have.  Inside your gym you have [...]]]> CrossFit Competitor breakfast for 10: 3 dozen eggs, 4 dozen banana/almond pancakes, 1 quart sweet potato hash with apples, onions and maple syrup, 2 lbs sauteed spinach and, of course, 1lb bacon.

Sometimes I think you all forget to make the most of the resources you have.  Inside your gym you have coaches who are very interested in your personal goals and in the process of getting you to those goals. I know we often have impromptu conversations about these sorts of things, but Chris and I would like to make this process more official so that we can respond well to your needs. In the next couple of weeks Chris and I are planning our summer schedule and summer offerings.  We’d like to know where you all are as athletes and as individuals with personal fitness goals, so that we can make sure we are creating an environment that facilitates you reaching those goals.  Please take advantage of the fact that Chris and I approach this gym, and you, as a goal-oriented process.  Tell us what you want, we’ll tell you what would help you get there, and we’ll make sure we have the support system you require.  Chris and I are offering each of you 30 minutes of our time.  For free.  We’d like to offer you the chance to sit down with one of us and discuss where you are at and where you would like to go.  There is a schedule book on the counter in the gym.  Next time you walk in the door grab me or Chris and put yourself down for 30min with either him or me.  We will be available beginning Monday May 14 through Monday May 28 for these 30 min consultations.

Good Monday morning everyone.  We are still here in rainy Denver, but we will soon be on our way to Tucson.  Lots of videos and pictures to come.  This picture is when we checked in, long long ago on Thursday afternoon.  So much has happened since then!

This was a big experience for [...]]]>

Good Monday morning everyone.  We are still here in rainy Denver, but we will soon be on our way to Tucson.  Lots of videos and pictures to come.  This picture is when we checked in, long long ago on Thursday afternoon.  So much has happened since then!

This was a big experience for the CrossFit Works competitors.  They showed that they are all amazing people who can do amazing things, but we aren’t super surprised about that of course!  Three days and some of the best CrossFit athletes in the world.  Inspiration, motivation and we all learned…you can never be strong enough.  It will be a summer of getting strong, stronger and more strong.  Strength is King in CrossFit.  King.

This weekend would not have been the same without the support (moral, logistical and otherwise) of Jen Betro.  When you see her, congratulate her on a weekend well done, and then after her, the competitors.  Also ask Leslie about her personalized Reebok shoes she won for doing the most hand stand pushups in one minute of any woman there this weekend.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Krista Scott-Dixon, creator of stumptuous.com.

Ms Dixon is the author of one of my top five favorite fitness blogs and THE BEST regarding women and fitness.  She recently wrote a great post on her blog inspired by her speaking gig at a Paleo conference. I hope you check it out, right here. Here is a little excerpt form it to get you wondering.

“All are welcome in this house that strength built.

I mean the strength that moves the barbell and the strength that tries to move the bar and the strength that gets you to go near the bar in the first place when you are bowel-loosening scairt and intimidated as shit in that small grimy weight room full of grunting furry manpeople who smell like cheese and wet dog and old sweaty leather.

I mean the strength of putting one foot in front of the other. Or simply standing still when the winds of life are shoving you backwards like a schoolyard bully.

I mean the strength that sometimes looks like madness. The strength that sometimes looks like baby-weakness. The strength that is a tiny nugget of steel inside you. The strength that is compassion big enough to cuddle the world… even if you don’t yet know it is there, and certainly cannot yet turn it on yourself. The strength that 2 million years of evolution have given you, in your standard-issue package of human DNA.

I mean the strength of getting up off the floor and trying again. I mean the strength of having a good cry in the fetal position, drowning yourself in slithery snot and shame, and then uncurling, wiping your nose, and getting on with it.

Here, we do not build altars to shamed starvation; to the stimulant-addled; the sodium-depleted; the surgically caricatured and Photoshop-glazed puff pastries that pass for images of “fitness”.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Chris Spealler (we get to watch him this weekend in Denver!!) does 106 pullups and begins with the butterfly.

Very cool.  A few members of the 5:30am class slept in on Monday (not that’s not the cool part, but I totally understand!!), but [...]]]>

Click here to view the embedded video.

Chris Spealler (we get to watch him this weekend in Denver!!) does 106 pullups and begins with the butterfly.

Very cool.  A few members of the 5:30am class slept in on Monday (not that’s not the cool part, but I totally understand!!), but they don’t want to miss the chance to set their “Helen” benchmarks.  Let’s make that happen for you.  Also, very impressive yesterday was Lucy working carefully on performing the kip motion of the pullup.  Lucy’s predicament is that she is sort of a natural “butterflier” with the kipping pullups.  This is not a terrible thing, but it does have some drawbacks and it is extremely wise and impressive that she wants to master the more traditional form of kipping pullup.  I’ve written before about the risks of the kipping motion especially for people who lack the strength to perform any strict pullups or chin ups.  If a person lacks the upper body strength (muscular and tendon) to perform strict vertical pulls then kipping pullups are not a great idea.  There is a ton of stress placed on the shoulders and elbows in a poorly controlled kipping pullup.  In particular, since women often have extensive shoulder joint mobility they have the real potential to wrench their shoulders into positions beyond what is required or wise in the kip.  The safest kips (and most energy efficient) are the smallest and tightest.  Use the hips not the shoulders (kind of like that old saying “lift with your legs not your back”).  In order to use the hips in the kip you have to have pretty good trunk strength (there’s your hollow rock stuff).  It’s a whole cycle really, weak mid line leads to over dependence on the shoulders in the kip and over dependence on the shoulders leads to overuse of the shoulders and overuse leads to….you know what.

This one’s a Vimeo, so I can’t make it look as pretty, but this is the best video for learning a safe traditional kipping pullup in existence.

Robb Wolf teaches the kipping pullup, safely and correctly,

Back to Lucy.  She is strong enough to do strict pullups, but fell easily into the butterfly motion.  Butterfly pullups are on everyone’s mind because most Games CrossFitters use them because of the extremely fast cycle time.  But, we aren’t all headed to the Playoffs if you know what I mean.  You can be a wildly amazing CrossFitter without butterfly pullups.  Dervishly fast pullups may not be worth the wear and tear on your very useful shoulders.  If you have a chance to see Chris G. in his workouts you will notice that while he is beautifully adept at the butterfly (although I give David Bui the Grand Champion award), he rarely uses them in his daily workouts.  He will reserve them for when extra seconds mean enough to him to take a physical risk.  Now really back to Lucy.  Lucy is at an advantage.  When she begins preparing for competition in the CrossFit division of her age, some years down the road (notice I avoid the use of that word that begins with “M”), she will have, easily at her disposal, lightening fast butterfly pullups.  Until then, so that she can train wisely and safely for years, she can use the traditional kipping pullup.  It’s worth persevering Lucy, even though it feels like going a little “backwards”.  Nice work on your “Helen” yesterday!