11.30.09

5 ROUNDS FOR TIME OF:

7 L-Hold Pull Ups
14 Ring Dips
10 Burpees

L Pull ups = Perform a Pull-up with legs in the L-sit position. If you cannot perform an L Pull up then sub in a tuck sit pull up or regular pull ups and knees-to-elbows (ie: 7 pull ups then 7 knees-to-elbows)

POST WOD REFUEL

Male:
above 12% – 30g prot/20g carb
8-12% – 30g prot/40g carb
below 8% – 30g prot/60g carb

Female:
above 16% – 20g prot/20 g carb
12-14% – 20g prot/35 g carb
below 12% – 20g prot/50 g carb

CHICKS-R-BADASS OLY LIFTING SEMINAR

Ladies…this is for you…if you haven’t signed up yet, please do so on Facebook or at the gym!

CROSSFIT PEACHTREE SOCIAL!

Also on December 12th @ 7PM is the CFPT Social at Twisted Taco in Midtown! Please RSVP on Facebook. Look forward to seeing all of you there !

November 30, 2009 | Filed Under W.O.D. | 45 Comments

11.28.09

TOSS YUR TURKEY

In teams of 2 or 4 (depending on how many participants we have this morning), complete the following for time:

10 Burpees
Wheel Barrel Races
10 Burpees
Crab Walks
10 Burpees
Bear Crawls
10 Burpees
Leap Frogs
10 Burpees

All movements will be done as a team. You cannot move to the next exercise until all members of your team are complete. The distance = laps around the gym.

November 28, 2009 | Filed Under W.O.D. | 2 Comments

11.26.09

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We will be CLOSED Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Get outside and run, bike, hike or just play. Then be sure to come in on Saturday at 10AM to Toss Yur Turkey!

November 26, 2009 | Filed Under W.O.D. | 2 Comments

11.25.09

FOR TIME:

400 meter Walking Lunge

I found this description on Catalyst Athletics site : Step forward with one leg. Take steps long enough to keep your leading shin vertical, back knee gently kisses the ground. Short lunges are for perverts. Bring the rear leg forward into the next lunge. Keep the torso upright throughout the movement and avoid pushing off the lead thigh with the arms.

ELITE WOD @ 7PM

400M Weighted walking lunge/push-press

Four lunge steps, alternating legs, followed by 5 reps of push-press repeated through 400 meters. Rack and press from back, front, or alternate at will. Rest when and where needed but clock keeps running. Boys 45# / Girls 35# (thanks to Shana for this WOD).

PASSPORT CLASS @ 7PM

If you are new and have a Passport Book…this class is for you! Feel free to come in early and do the regular WOD and then hit up some foundations afterward.

WELCOME TO…

Veronica, Rob and Frank! We are super excited to have you at CrossFit Peachtree!

GOBBLE GOBBLE!

Just a reminder we are closed Thursday and Friday for Turkey Day. Take a rest day tomorrow, eat a turkey and then go for a run, hike or bike on Friday! Do something different and get outside. Then come in on Saturday and Toss Yur Turkey!

CHICKS-R-BADASS OLY LIFTING SEMINAR

Ladies…this is for you…if you haven’t signed up yet, please do so on Facebook or at the gym!

CALL TO ACTION

Many in the CrossFit community were affected by the tragic shootings at Fort Hood, but none as directly as one of our affiliates, Lumberjack Crossfit. Four members of that affiliate were killed.

CrossFit is launching a hero WOD fundraiser for our four fallen Soldiers. On December 5th, we are asking affiliates and individuals to do two things: participate in the workout (as a display of solidarity with Lumberjack CrossFit) and to reach out to family, friends, and strangers to donate whatever you can.

With the help of the CrossFit community, we can assist the men and women at Ft. Hood and Lumberjack CrossFit to raise money for the families of the fallen, and the future needs of the approximately 30 wounded.

The long-term needs of these families and the wounded are significant; many of the wounded are still in intensive care. Most will not fully recover from being shot multiple times at near point blank range with a .357.

Our community clearly has the ability and commitment to make a difference for these folks. Let’s turn out on the 5th and show our support by registering as a fundraiser now.

GARAGE GAMES 2010

Saturday February 6th and Sunday February 7th at Lake Allatoona (Woodstock, GA). Minimum $300 top prize to winning male and female. Check out the website.

This will be a great test of your skills for sectionals or an opportunity to get outside and do some WODs with other CrossFitters and meet peeps from our community! Come have fun and learn how improve your game for sectionals and regionals.

There will be three classes of competition, you DO NOT pick, they will pick for you: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.

The details you provide will allow them to place you in the category that best suits you. If you are a high level CrossFit athlete (could complete the WOD’s seen in prior CrossFit Games), then simply tell us that you are ADVANCED, and they will place you in that category.

November 25, 2009 | Filed Under W.O.D. | 38 Comments

11.24.09

FOR LOAD:

Shoulder press 1-1-1-1-1 reps
Push press 3-3-3-3-3 reps
Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5 reps

Shoulder Press/Push Press/Push Jerk tri-panel…[wmv]

Shoulder Press: Stance = Feet directly below hips. Grip = Hands just outside the shoulders with the bar in front, resting on the “rack” created by the shoulders. Elbows down and in front of the bar; elbows are lower than in the front squat

Execution & Key Points: Drive through the heals; keep the whole body rigid; tight belly. Bar travels straight up to locked out, with active shoulders, directly overhead. Move your head out of the way to accommodate the bar (bar path is straight).

Push Press:. Stance and Grip are exactly the same as the Shoulder Press. Execution & Key Points: Add velocity with the dip & drive of hip. Dip: perform and shallow dip with the hips where the knees push forward slightly, butt goes back and chest stays upright. Drive: extend the hip rapidly and fully. Press: press the bar to overhead with locked arms, get your “head through” at the top.

Push Jerk: Guess what, stance and grip are exactly the same as the Shoulder Press. Execution & Key Points: Dip, drive, press and dip. Dip: perform and shallow dip with the hips where the knees push forward slightly, butt goes back and chest stays upright. Drive: extend the hip rapidly and fully. Press and dip: retreat the hip downward & drive the body under the bar while rapidly pressing the bar overhead. Receive the bar with arms locked out overhead and stand up to full extension.

GREAT JOB TO…

Woodrow, James, Richard, Bowdre, Rob, Isaac, John, Frank and Veronica! We hope to see you back again very soon!

THANKSGIVING SCHEDULE

We are closed Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving. Take a rest day on Thursday and get outside and play on Friday. Remember, CrossFit is all about a broad and general fitness. Go for a hike or a run or go ride your bike. Have some hills in your neighborhood? Challenge your family to sprint some hills with you!

Then come in on Saturday at 10AM to Toss Yur Turkey! Please RSVP on Facebook and remember, this is the only WOD on Saturday. The 11AM Passport Class is STILL ON!

CHICKS-R-BADASS OLYMPIC LIFTING SEMINAR

Girls, plan on attending this Oly Lifting Seminar with Becka and a special guest, the seminar starts promptly at 10:30 on Saturday, December 12! Please RSVP on Facebook.

CROSSFIT PEACHTREE SOCIAL!

Also on December 12th @ 7PM is the CFPT Social at Twisted Taco in Midtown! Please RSVP on Facebook. Look forward to seeing all of you there !

CAFFEINE, ALCOHOL AND HEALTH

How Much Is Too Much?
Article by: Fitness Spotlight

Today, I want to look at what I consider to be a couple of minor vices, provided their consumption is “moderate”. Moderate…how’s that for a word that has a million meanings? One person’s “moderation” is another person’s “excessive”. So today, we’ll look at two very common “drugs” used by the general populace, myself included, and try to figure out what is a “moderate” intake that won’t cause any health problems for most people.

First things first, obviously there are many other sources of caffeine besides coffee, but tea has very little and you already know I can’t get with energy drinks. So for me (and most other healthy folks), my only real source of caffeine is coffee. Sure, I drink some green or white tea, but the overall caffeine content is low (we’ll discuss that further in a couple sections).

The Effects Of Caffeine: At its heart, caffeine is a stimulant. It causes an increase in three stress hormones: cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine. This basically causes a “fight or flight” response – elevated heart rate, increased blood pressure, decreased blood flow to the digestive tract, and a general energetic feeling.

Caffeine binds to adenosine receptors in the brain, decreasing the action of adenosine, as well as decreasing the release of GABA (Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid). When adenosine binds to receptors, it causes drowsiness. GABA inhibits nerve transmissions, so this decrease explains the jitters that comes with too much caffeine, as well as the extra energy boost you get from a normal amount of caffeine.

Caffeine also stimulates the secretion of stomach acid. Combine that with the effect of decreasing lower esophageal sphincter pressure and it could exacerbate acid reflux. Further, caffeine increases urinary calcium and magnesium loss.

The results of this study indicate that renal conservation does not fully compensate for the effect of caffeine on calcium and magnesium excretion. Regular consumption of caffeine may contribute to the causation of osteoporosis by promoting depletion of these two important minerals.

As you can see, this little alkaloid causes a host of effects in the body. It has broad reach in terms of waking you up. Somewhere in the chain of effects, it stimulates the release of dopamine, a “feel good” hormone, making you generally more upbeat, along with being more awake.

Caffeine Metabolism: The body metabolizes caffeine into three substances:

Paraxanthine: promotes the release of glycerol and free fatty acids into the blood stream (which likely causes caffeine’s performance-enhancing effects)
Theobromine: dilates blood vessels and increases urine volume
Theophylline: smooths muscles of the bronchi

Just like every other substance, caffeine has a half-life, or the amount of time it takes the body to eliminate half of it. The half-life of caffeine varies widely among individuals according to such factors as age, liver function, pregnancy, some concurrent medications, and the level of enzymes in the liver needed for caffeine metabolism. In healthy adults, caffeine’s half-life is approximately 3-4 hours. In women taking oral contraceptives this is increased to 5-10 hours, and in pregnant women the half-life is roughly 9-11 hours. Caffeine can accumulate in individuals with severe liver disease when its half-life can increase to 96 hours. In infants and young children, the half-life may be longer than in adults; half-life in a newborn baby may be as long as 30 hours. Other factors such as smoking can shorten caffeine’s half-life.

When it comes to “drugs,” it really doesn’t get much safer than caffeine. The effective dose is low (25-50mg) and the lethal dose is very high, between 150-200mg/kg of body weight. So unless you quaff 80-100 cups of the stuff in a short time frame, you’re not going to keel over. Of course, you could probably pull that off with concentrated caffeine pills, but you don’t need me to tell you it’s a bad idea.

How Much Caffeine Is In…

I mentioned that coffee is my only major source of caffeine (and also the main stimulant used worldwide). Let’s compare it to some other caffeine sources, just for grins. (Source: Energy Fiend)

Drip Coffee – 145mg
Single-shot Americano – 77mg
Green Tea – 25mg
White Tea – 15mg
So from that, you can see my point about tea. You’d have to drink 48oz of green tea to equal 8oz of coffee in terms of caffeine content.

How Much Caffeine Is Healthy? Going back to that bit about cortisol, it’s interesting that the body adapts to morning caffeine consumption by reducing the cortisol effect, but it doesn’t adapt to afternoon coffee and cortisol release remains high.

In contrast, 5 days of caffeine intake at 300 mg/day and 600 mg/day abolished the cortisol response to the initial 9:00 AM caffeine dose, although cortisol levels were again elevated between 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM (p = .02 to .002) after the second caffeine dose taken at 1:00 PM. Cortisol levels declined to control levels during the evening sampling period.

My thinking after looking at all this is that being a non-user is healthier than being a user. I’d never really dug into all of the effects of caffeine other than “energy” and “diuretic,” so this was all pretty interesting. So here’s my take on it all:

No more than 2 cups per day (that’s 6-8oz cups, not 12oz or larger mugs). Even better if you don’t drink it daily.
Keep your caffeine consumption to the morning. When I have coffee, I’m usually done by 10am.
Do not use caffeine to fuel an unhealthy, low-sleep lifestyle. This sets up a feedback loop of disrupted sleep, more caffeine to compensate, and even further sleep loss.
Cycle on and off. I go caffeine-free for a couple weeks when I notice that I’m getting immune to the effects of my 2 cups.

Basically, I doubt a cup or two in the morning is going to do any real damage. In fact, timed properly, it may increase sports performance, especially for endurance type activities. If you’re downing a pot everyday, you’re probably excessively stressing your adrenals, keeping your body in a constant state of stress (which we know we don’t need more of in our modern lifestyle), and possibly causing other health issues, such as immune system suppression and vitamin/mineral depletion.

Obviously, if caffeine is affecting your sleep, you’re doing something wrong. And it goes without saying that sugar in your coffee is not doing you any favors either.

Coffee Alternatives: While searching for info for this article, I came across a coffee substitute that supposedly brews and tastes just like coffee. It’s called Teeccino. Anyone ever tried it? If so, what are your thoughts? I’m thinking of checking it out to see what it’s all about.

Teeccino Caffeine-free Herbal Coffee is a delicious blend of herbs, grains, fruits and nuts that are roasted and ground to brew and taste just like coffee. I think part of the allure of coffee is the morning ritual of making it, smelling it, and drinking it. So perhaps this is a good caffeine-free alternative.

Decaffeinated coffee is another option, but I’m not sure about the process they use to take the caffeine out. I was looking at the Wikipedia page about the decaffeination process…some sound pretty benign, using just hot water or coffee oils. Others use chemical solvents. And I’m not sure how you figure out which method your favorite decaf uses, so I think I’ll either go with regular coffee or no coffee.

How Much Alcohol Is Healthy? What prompted me to write about alcohol again? Two things actually…first, it’s the holidays and there are a lot of parties and a lot of opportunities to indulge. Second, I’ve seen some talk that all alcohol does is cause problems from some members of the fitness community. So let’s quickly take a look.

I’m not going to go real in-depth with alcohol here. I’ve touched on alcohol three times before, so here are those three articles if you want a bit more information:

Does Booze Have A Place In A Healthy Diet?
The Detriments Of Heavy Drinking
More Information On Drinking

To summarize those three articles, alcohol is a substance that can damage your liver, cause short-term hypertension, decrease testosterone production, increase estrogen production, and cause vitamin deficiencies. But there’s a major caveat to that. You have to drink excessively to do that kind of damage.

Basically, there is a major difference between getting drunk and having a glass of wine with dinner. There’s a major difference between joining friends for a couple beers (and pizza perhaps?) and staying up till 4am taking Jagermeister shots and playing beer pong. And there’s even a major difference between throwing down once or twice a year (complete with waking up hating life and dragging through the next day) and going out like a frat boy every weekend.

Obviously, I don’t advise getting drunk, especially to the point of a hangover. But it happens, even to me. You get to hanging out with friends, things get a little loose, and the next day, you realize that you had about 3 too many. What I’m advising is exactly like what I advised with cheat meals…don’t do it all the time, and if it happens, get back on the wagon and don’t beat yourself up. If you’re hungover every Saturday or Sunday, you should probably re-examine your commitment to treating your body right though.

The holiday season is upon us, starting Thursday (at least here in the States) with Thanksgiving. The holidays are a time filled with family, friends, and parties. You’ll likely be drinking more, eating worse (and more), and sleeping less. In the interest of not blowing all your hard work, while still enjoying your holidays and the time with relatives and friends you rarely see, check out our Holiday Survival Guide. Don’t let the holidays be a 6 week backwards slide.

My Caffeine And Alcohol Recommendations: As you can see, I don’t think that you need to 100% give up coffee or alcohol to be healthy. I enjoy both and am unlikely to go completely clean from either. If you stick with the a low intake of both and pay attention to how you feel after having them, there’s no reason that you have to be completely ascetic.

So here are a few additional tips:

Don’t drink bad coffee. Skip the swill at work and find a local roaster. As with all other vices, make sure you really enjoy it. You’ll pay more, but it’ll taste much better. Better yet, get a good grinder and grind the beans from your local roaster at home just before you make the coffee. Good coffee for less money.

On that note, don’t drink bad beer either. If you are a beer drinker, find good microbrews with some flavor instead of the watered-down brews so many are convinced is “beer”.

Opt for wine or distilled spirits to avoid the gluten load of beer. When I drink, it’s typically a good bourbon like Woodford Reserve (hey, I’m from Kentucky…it’s in my blood), vodka (either an infused vodka with club soda or plain vodka with club soda and lime), or wine.

Pay more, drink less. Just to reiterate once again…whether it’s alcohol, coffee, chocolate, ice cream, or any other treat, spend more on good stuff that is more flavorful and more satisfying. I’d rather have 1 glass of Woodford Reserve on the rocks than 3 shots of Jim Beam.

While there’s no need for either caffeine or alcohol, there’s also no drawback to a little caffeine or a drink or two sometimes if they tickle your fancy. If you don’t drink either, there’s no reason to start. If you drink one or both, keep it reasonable and you’ll be fine.

And if you’re running around telling people that the lone glass of great single malt scotch is going harm them, you’re a) talking nonsense and b) probably just trying to make yourself feel better about your ascetic lifestyle by showing how much “better” you are than others and how “pure” your “temple” is. Get over yourself.

How much caffeine do you drink? How much alcohol? Do you think either one has a place in a healthy lifestyle?

November 24, 2009 | Filed Under W.O.D. | 48 Comments

11.23.09

F*$& ME!

21, 15, 9 Reps for time of:
Thrusters 95# / 65#
Burpee Wall Balls 20# / 14#

Thruster tri-panel…[mov][wmv]

Thrusters: Stance = Feet are shoulder width apart, toes angled out slightly and full extension at hips and knees. Engage your abs, making sure to keep a tall posture. Grip = The bar is racked on the shoulders, hands outside the shoulders, loose fingertip grip and elbows high, upper arm parallel to the ground.

Execution & Key Points: Keep the weight in your heels with your chest up. Initiate the squat by traveling your butt back and down…do NOT initiate the squat with your knees! Bottom of the squat is below the crease in your knees and the lumbar curve is maintained. Elbows stay parallel to the ground through the movement. On the upward movement, accelerate rapidly, keeping the bar in contact with the shoulders until the hip is fully open. Using that momentum, press bar overhead to full locked out position (getting your head through). To finish the movement, bring the bar back to the rack position.

POST WOD REFUEL:

Male:
above 12% – 35g prot/15g carb
8-12% – 35g prot/30g carb
below 8% – 35g prot/45g carb

Female:
above 16% – 20g prot/20 g carb
12-14% – 20g prot/30 g carb
below 12% – 20g prot/40 g carb

CONGRATULATIONS TO…

Congrats to JT and Rey on their Level 1 Cert this weekend!

THANKSGIVING SCHEDULE

We are closed this Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving! Plan on coming in Saturday at 10am for the Toss Yur Turkey Team WOD. Remember, this is the only WOD that morning!

CHICKS-R-BADASS UPDATE

The special guest is confirmed, the Oly Seminar will start at 10:30AM on Saturday 12.12.09. Please arrive ON TIME or before!

EVOLUTIONARY FITNESS

Article from T.Muscle

Dr. Art De Vany describes himself as a scientist/athlete. He’s competed in Olympic weightlifting, motocross, and even played minor league baseball. At 6′1″ and 208 pounds, today he carries only 8% body fat. Pretty admirable. De Vany barely had time to do this interview. He was headed off to Colorado to ride in the KTM Rocky Mountain Raid, an adventure motorcycling event.

Oh, did I mention Dr. De Vany is pushing 70 years old?

Yes, you read that right: 208 pounds, 8% body fat, bursting with energy… at age 68. Most 40 years olds today could only dream of being as fit as De Vany.

“I’m never sick,” he says, “and I can do anything I want to do. Everyone should or could be this way.” To help them along, De Vany is writing a book called Evolutionary Fitness. His ideas are interesting, thought provoking, and at times controversial. Sounds like good interview material to us.

T-Nation: Can you give us a brief overview of what you call “Evolutionary Fitness” and tell us what it means to diet and training?

Dr. Art De Vany: Evolutionary Fitness is a blending of the Stone Age with the High Tech. It’s based on the following premises…

1) That our genes are from the Stone Age and they encode both behaviors and human physiology for a hunter-gatherer body and mind.

2) That modern research on human performance and health benefit from an evolutionary perspective.

3) That the science of complexity opens a vision that integrates these ideas in a way that’s novel and insightful. I’m a complexity scientist and an athlete and I’ve read thousands of articles and books on fitness, health, metabolism, and evolution. So, I know the relevant literatures well and have implemented them in my own life for many years.

It’s easy to see where these insights go if you realize that any of your readers could have been born 100 thousand years ago and be fully capable of functioning in that ancient world. Likewise, a baby born 100 thousand years ago would be fully capable of functioning as a modern human.

We are genetically indistinguishable from humans from the distant past. But, we’re trying to live a life very different from what our genes “expect.” Our diets, our activity patterns, and the rhythms of our lives are very different now. It’s remarkable that genes and behaviors thousands of years old are so capable that they could function in either environment.

Many modern diseases are diseases of metabolism: Syndrome X, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and countless other diseases didn’t exist among our ancient ancestors. These diseases are produced by the clash of Stone Age genes and a modern life of chronic stress, routine patterns, little activity that’s challenging, and food that was never part of the long 3.5 million years of human existence.

All this means you should live more like an animal, a human one whose long existence on Earth was spent as a hunter-gatherer. Train, eat, and play, but do it in an intermittent and unpatterned way, just as wild animals do.

Read the rest of the article here…

November 23, 2009 | Filed Under W.O.D. | 54 Comments

11.20.09

DEADLIFTS

1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

If you are new and have not done deadlifts yet…you will be working on form and doing:

5-5-5-5-5

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Happy birthday to YOU! Happy birthday dear angry, old man Ray! Happy birthday to YOU!

GOOD LUCK!!!

Rey and Jenny T at your cert this weekend!

CHICKS-R-BADASS UPDATE!

The Chicks Oly clinic is starting at 10:30 now, please arrive on time or before as we are having a special guest appearance!

CROSSFIT: THE NEW TRUTH SERUM

Article courtesy of CrossFit Watertown

Thanks to Liz for sending me this article. I wholeheartedly believe that this is true…

I really thought about it last night: the Q word. Quitting. Stopping. Saying “No mas.”

Somewhere in the second round of “D.T.”, I thought “Just stop. It hurts too much. Say you’re too old. Too tired. It doesn’t feel right.”

In all the CrossFit workouts I’ve done over the last three years, none make me want to quit as much as D.T. I could deadlift until the proverbial paleo cows come home, but the hang power clean is my nemesis, and the push jerk is its brother. I’d rather full squat clean everything — and the push jerk wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t have to come back down. But it does. And it crushes me.

But who would I be if I quit? Who would I be if I just sat down and watched the others march deeper into the fight, the pain, the struggle — and I left them? How would I feel when they emerged on the other side — tired, but happy, and triumphant?

I would be a lesser person. And I can’t have that.

If I give up here, I’ll give up in other parts of life. If I fail to do my best here, I will fail when other people need my best.

CrossFit is like life: Either you’re someone who sees things through to the end, no matter how difficult or painful or hard — or you’re a quitter. Or a cheater. Or a liar. CrossFit can show your true colors in 15 mins with a barbell and a stopwatch.

The Japanese have an old belief that you have to see someone drunk to witness their true colors, but I think we have something better. Watch someone CrossFit: It’s the ultimate truth serum.

Decide who you want to be in life — and show that person to us on the gym floor. It really is that simple. Don’t just tell us the truth. Show us. CrossFit.

November 20, 2009 | Filed Under W.O.D. | 80 Comments