I always get the question, what is CrossFit? And after 3 years as a CrossFitter and coach I still do not have a straight answer. When I first started out I would answer with "Constantly varied functional movements done at high intensity". But what does that even mean? Try to explain that to your average "Globo Gym" goer. Of course it sounds good coming from Greg Glassman's mouth so it must be a good answer. The question that I hate the most...Is "it like P90X"?
Yeh its just like it............... NOT EVEN CLOSE!!!!!!! The true question to that is what happens after day 90? Your magically going to stay fit for the rest of your life?, assuming you took those 90 days and used them to yor full potential? Very unlikely.
For those of you who have been doing CrossFit for a while now know that the What is CF? is a loaded question and there are a million and one ways to answer it. And for those of you reading this and who are new to CF might think we have no idea what we are talking about. The truth is this is the beauty part about it, we are constantly learning and adapting to new things.
You'll find out quickly that we aren't just walking into a gym to sit on machine to work one plain of motion of flexion and extension or watch T.V. while we "workout". Which to this day still boggles my mind that if you do choose to do cool bicep curls why a gym would ever spend an uber amount of money on a seated bicep curl machine. Your elbow joint does two things, flexion and extension. If you need a $3,000 machine to help you realize that..... Im going on a rant now. Back on subject.
I have learned that the answer to the question of what is CrossFit is that there is no answer. Its about always trying new things and challenging yourself. Learn from your experiences and build on them. As a coach I realize that I learn from coaching which in turn makes me a better CrossFitter.
I guess my point is is that CrossFit is a learning process and just like anything else good that comes in life we have to have patience and work hard for what you want to accomplish.
Good Things!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
A Day In The ZONE 101
So for those who are not familiar with the Zone it is NOT A DIET! It is an eating lifestyle. There are no quick fixes, magic pills and sorry no cookie diet or boxed food thats gonna do the trick either.
Its not that hard, use some common sense! Eat clean. Lean meats, fruits, vegetables and good fats. These are foods that you can get at any grocery store, and you might find yourself saving some money because your not buying all the junk that you might have been getting. It doesn't have to organic this and organic that either just make good choices.
Think of eating as a WOD. You wouldn't come in and half ass a WOD, so don't half ass eating. The two compliment each other.
Here is a quick breakdown on the Zone. The Zone focuses on your three macronutrients, Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats. Depending on you height, weight, body fat etc.will determine how many blocks of each macronutrient per day you can have. There is a great CF journal article on the Zone that gives a good easy breakdown with a chart that will fit you to you daily blocks.
For my personal blocks I am 18-20. It will vary a little from day to day depending on my energy output. So i break the 18 blocks in to a 4 block meal and a 2-3 block snack. When first starting out on the Zone I would recommend sticking to your given blocks. Once you have a good idea of your bodies needs from day to day thats when you can start to manipulate your blocks.
Here is what my day looked like yesterday.2/15/11
I did two workouts one at 10:00am and another at 5:00pm. So here you will see how I threw in a few more blocks than I normally would.
Breakfast 7:00am
2 whole eggs and three whites (fried) with a little mozzarella cheese on top.
1 slice of Ezekiel Bread (low glycemic index) with 1tblsp of Teddy Bear PB and all Natural Polaner Blueberry Jam
Green Tea with a little honey
Snack/Pre Workout 9:30am
1/2 cup of cottage cheese
One Red Pear
6 Almonds
Post Workout 11:15am
One scoop of protein powder mixed with 1cup of Gatorade
Lunch 1:00pm
Tuna Melt (1can of Tuna)tblsp mayo salt and pepper
Josephs Low Carb High Protein Wheat Wrap
5 oz. of raw green beans dipped in 2 tbls of hummus
Snack/Pre Workout 4:30pm
Homemade Paleo Pack
1 Oz. Beef Jerky From Trader Joes =)
3 dried White Peaches
9 Almonds
Post Workout 6:15pm
One scoop Protein Powder mixed with 1 cup Gatorade
Dinner 8:15pm
7 Oz. Chicken (Teriaki Style)
2 Cups Broccoli
Large Salad mixed greens and cucumber
1/2 Avocado
Snack 9:45pm
1/2 Cup Cottage cheese
1 Apple
6 Almonds
There you go that was a one day in the Zone.
I will post more about the Zone, Block breakdown etc. and i will also go more in depth about the 3 macronutrients, favorable and unfavorable foods.
Me, personally I am any where between 18 to 20 blocks per day of each nutrient. I will have a 4 block meal and a 2 block snack. My block variance will depend on my energy output throughout the day.
Its not that hard, use some common sense! Eat clean. Lean meats, fruits, vegetables and good fats. These are foods that you can get at any grocery store, and you might find yourself saving some money because your not buying all the junk that you might have been getting. It doesn't have to organic this and organic that either just make good choices.
Think of eating as a WOD. You wouldn't come in and half ass a WOD, so don't half ass eating. The two compliment each other.
Here is a quick breakdown on the Zone. The Zone focuses on your three macronutrients, Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats. Depending on you height, weight, body fat etc.will determine how many blocks of each macronutrient per day you can have. There is a great CF journal article on the Zone that gives a good easy breakdown with a chart that will fit you to you daily blocks.
For my personal blocks I am 18-20. It will vary a little from day to day depending on my energy output. So i break the 18 blocks in to a 4 block meal and a 2-3 block snack. When first starting out on the Zone I would recommend sticking to your given blocks. Once you have a good idea of your bodies needs from day to day thats when you can start to manipulate your blocks.
Here is what my day looked like yesterday.2/15/11
I did two workouts one at 10:00am and another at 5:00pm. So here you will see how I threw in a few more blocks than I normally would.
Breakfast 7:00am
2 whole eggs and three whites (fried) with a little mozzarella cheese on top.
1 slice of Ezekiel Bread (low glycemic index) with 1tblsp of Teddy Bear PB and all Natural Polaner Blueberry Jam
Green Tea with a little honey
Snack/Pre Workout 9:30am
1/2 cup of cottage cheese
One Red Pear
6 Almonds
Post Workout 11:15am
One scoop of protein powder mixed with 1cup of Gatorade
Lunch 1:00pm
Tuna Melt (1can of Tuna)tblsp mayo salt and pepper
Josephs Low Carb High Protein Wheat Wrap
5 oz. of raw green beans dipped in 2 tbls of hummus
Snack/Pre Workout 4:30pm
Homemade Paleo Pack
1 Oz. Beef Jerky From Trader Joes =)
3 dried White Peaches
9 Almonds
Post Workout 6:15pm
One scoop Protein Powder mixed with 1 cup Gatorade
Dinner 8:15pm
7 Oz. Chicken (Teriaki Style)
2 Cups Broccoli
Large Salad mixed greens and cucumber
1/2 Avocado
Snack 9:45pm
1/2 Cup Cottage cheese
1 Apple
6 Almonds
There you go that was a one day in the Zone.
I will post more about the Zone, Block breakdown etc. and i will also go more in depth about the 3 macronutrients, favorable and unfavorable foods.
Me, personally I am any where between 18 to 20 blocks per day of each nutrient. I will have a 4 block meal and a 2 block snack. My block variance will depend on my energy output throughout the day.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
From the Heart, more than a fitness program?
Once again... more than a fitness program?
CrossFit is a mentality, an attitude. It's something we have to learn, acquire, and earn. This doesn't happen over night, it's not a quick fix. CrossFit is a forged mental fortitude that can drive us to accomplish things never though possible. We take what we learn and apply it to real life. More than a fitness program.........?
Good things!
CrossFit is a mentality, an attitude. It's something we have to learn, acquire, and earn. This doesn't happen over night, it's not a quick fix. CrossFit is a forged mental fortitude that can drive us to accomplish things never though possible. We take what we learn and apply it to real life. More than a fitness program.........?
Good things!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Climb to the top!
So its 5:30 Am, I just got to CF and got everyone going on their WOD. Its super cold out but Its Friday!
Snow shoes are AWESOME! We bought some a couple of weeks ago and I have gone a bunch of times since. Yesterday (Thursday) Nate and I went out to Tri-River. We went off trail and tried something a little more challenging. Off to the left side of the trail, for everyone who has hiked or biked there before know there is a very large and steep hill. I went to EMS and got about 35' of climbing rope. At $0.95 a foot you cant go wrong. So what we did is one of us shoed up about 40' with the poles (which was a challenge in itself) and and tied off high to a tree, threw the rope down to the other and then roped up for the climb. Then we would swap, the other would then shoe up with the poles tie off throw the rope down and off we go... A climb to the top.
It may sound funny but even though we were only about 20min from civilization it felt like we were on some mountain in freakin Alaska or something lol. We were the only ones out there braving the elements.
CrossFit isn't just about being in the gym and hitting the WOD's. try new things and new sports all the time. Don't get confused either, sports aren't just football, baseball,basketball and soccer. Get out of the box and try something different. Never limit yourself and never stop exploring.
Good Things!
Snow shoes are AWESOME! We bought some a couple of weeks ago and I have gone a bunch of times since. Yesterday (Thursday) Nate and I went out to Tri-River. We went off trail and tried something a little more challenging. Off to the left side of the trail, for everyone who has hiked or biked there before know there is a very large and steep hill. I went to EMS and got about 35' of climbing rope. At $0.95 a foot you cant go wrong. So what we did is one of us shoed up about 40' with the poles (which was a challenge in itself) and and tied off high to a tree, threw the rope down to the other and then roped up for the climb. Then we would swap, the other would then shoe up with the poles tie off throw the rope down and off we go... A climb to the top.
It may sound funny but even though we were only about 20min from civilization it felt like we were on some mountain in freakin Alaska or something lol. We were the only ones out there braving the elements.
CrossFit isn't just about being in the gym and hitting the WOD's. try new things and new sports all the time. Don't get confused either, sports aren't just football, baseball,basketball and soccer. Get out of the box and try something different. Never limit yourself and never stop exploring.
Good Things!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
There is always a better way.
I'm going to keep this short,
There is always a better way to do everything. No matter what situation you may find yourself in from day to day. Whether it's good or bad, there is always a better way. It can be the way you attack a WOD, handle an argument with a loved one, or your everyday typical decisions.Take a step back and take a deep breath, everything is ok. Mentality can be powerful tool. Think about it.
Here is something that I came up with that we featured in this months News Letter at
"The Coaches Corner"
The "Will" of CF
1. I will get stronger
2. I will run faster
3. I will push harder
4. I will jump higher
5. I will become more aggressive
6. I will challenge myself everyday
7. I will be better than I was yesterday
8. I will persevere
9. I will encourage others
10. I am CrossFit
You can view the whole news letter by going to our website www.crossfitsouthcentralmass.com and click on the archives link.
Good Things! Good Night:)
There is always a better way to do everything. No matter what situation you may find yourself in from day to day. Whether it's good or bad, there is always a better way. It can be the way you attack a WOD, handle an argument with a loved one, or your everyday typical decisions.Take a step back and take a deep breath, everything is ok. Mentality can be powerful tool. Think about it.
Here is something that I came up with that we featured in this months News Letter at
"The Coaches Corner"
The "Will" of CF
1. I will get stronger
2. I will run faster
3. I will push harder
4. I will jump higher
5. I will become more aggressive
6. I will challenge myself everyday
7. I will be better than I was yesterday
8. I will persevere
9. I will encourage others
10. I am CrossFit
You can view the whole news letter by going to our website www.crossfitsouthcentralmass.com and click on the archives link.
Good Things! Good Night:)
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Finally Home
Ok so I came up with a new WOD (workout of the day) Pushing a shopping cart full of groceris through a snow covered parking lot. Not an easy task.
Speaking of Grocery shopping we had our first experience at Trader Joe's on Sunday. It was pretty cool! A little overwhelming at first just because they have so many different things there. But we made a few laps around the store and ended up getting some pretty cool new things. One thing that I am really excited about are my to go Paleo Packs. I got some Turkey Jerky and Buffalo Jerky all natural a great protein source. With that I got some dried fruit,mangos, apricots, and white peaches....wicked good And also a nice medley of nuts. So I was able to make 12,2 block snacks. Really easy to put together in ziplock bags. I keep them in the fridge at CF. Its nice to know that I always have a quality snack ready to go throughout the day.
All in all today was a great day. I had a really good day of eating 3, 4 block meals which were breafast, lunch and dinner and 4, 2 block snacks. One in between breakfast and lunch one pre workout and one post workout both are very important. Then Ill have one more snack before I call it a night. All meals and snacks were good quality Zone Blocks.
As always good clean eating fuels and complements solid WOD's. Todays was tough.
21 Deadlifts 225lbs
400m Row
18 Deadlifts 225lbs
400m Row
15 Deadlifts 225lbs
400m Row
12 Deadlifts 225lb
400m Row
I thought I did pretty well, I got 10:14 , It felt good.
It was nice Tom was able to make it out to coach us through it. Its always nice to have someone else chirping in your ear telling you "dont put that bar down" "pick it back up" "dont let up" It always gives you that extra push.
Well Im out, going to have my last meal for the night, grabbin shower then off to bed to wake up to MORE SNOW!!!
Gnight
Speaking of Grocery shopping we had our first experience at Trader Joe's on Sunday. It was pretty cool! A little overwhelming at first just because they have so many different things there. But we made a few laps around the store and ended up getting some pretty cool new things. One thing that I am really excited about are my to go Paleo Packs. I got some Turkey Jerky and Buffalo Jerky all natural a great protein source. With that I got some dried fruit,mangos, apricots, and white peaches....wicked good And also a nice medley of nuts. So I was able to make 12,2 block snacks. Really easy to put together in ziplock bags. I keep them in the fridge at CF. Its nice to know that I always have a quality snack ready to go throughout the day.
All in all today was a great day. I had a really good day of eating 3, 4 block meals which were breafast, lunch and dinner and 4, 2 block snacks. One in between breakfast and lunch one pre workout and one post workout both are very important. Then Ill have one more snack before I call it a night. All meals and snacks were good quality Zone Blocks.
As always good clean eating fuels and complements solid WOD's. Todays was tough.
21 Deadlifts 225lbs
400m Row
18 Deadlifts 225lbs
400m Row
15 Deadlifts 225lbs
400m Row
12 Deadlifts 225lb
400m Row
I thought I did pretty well, I got 10:14 , It felt good.
It was nice Tom was able to make it out to coach us through it. Its always nice to have someone else chirping in your ear telling you "dont put that bar down" "pick it back up" "dont let up" It always gives you that extra push.
Well Im out, going to have my last meal for the night, grabbin shower then off to bed to wake up to MORE SNOW!!!
Gnight
Im not quite sure....
Im not quite sure about a lot of things in life. Like one thing for example is this blog. Ive never blogged before Im not even sure if I know how to blog or if anyone really wants to hear what I have to say. O well, anyway I wanted to start this to get more into my everyday lifestyle, nutrition and mentality of how CrossFit has changed my life. Im sure once I start to write more and get different ideas this will turn into something pretty cool. Well thats all for now. I have to make a 4 block lunch before I go back to CrossFit (CF) for the evening in this wonderful New England weather. Ill get into that whole 4 block meal thing later.
C ya!
C ya!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)