Rainier CrossFit

clearly

Mandy's beautiful OHS. You've come a really long way in a short time.

We often talk about a full range of motion- that each movement has a start and a finish, a top and a bottom.  The bottom of the squat is when the crease of the hip is below the knee. When a marble placed on the knee would roll back toward the hip. With the Opens coming up quickly, it's your job as an athlete to show your judges that you CLEARLY, WITHOUT A DOUBT meet the standards of the movement. Anything in the grey area won't count.  It's not your judges job to decipher- it's your duty to display it clearly.

So what are the CrossFit Opens?  They are a world wide, open-to-everyone, CrossFit competition.  CF will announce a workout, complete with movement standards, for participants to complete. You do it, in front of a judge who makes sure you're  meeting (in our case- exceeding) standards. You submit your score, and each week for 5 weeks you're ranked among the tens of thousands of CrossFitters based on your score. 

The Opens are designed for 2 things: to flesh out the top competitors and invite them to Regionals, AND to allow a competition where almost everyone can participate.  Anyone even the slightest bit competitve should create a profile and beginning February 1 you'll be able to register as an athlete.

EVERYONE can participate. The more the merrier.  Create your profile here.

get off your ....

I don't think DJ could *sit still* if he tried.

Here's your Sunday reading from Lifehacker:

How Sitting All Day Is Damaging Your Body and How You Can Counteract It

Do you sit in an office chair or on your couch for more than six hours a day? Then here are some disturbing facts: Your risk of heart disease has increased by up to 64 percent. You're shaving off seven years of quality life. You're also more at risk for certain types of cancer. Simply put, sitting is killing you. That's the bad news. The good news: It's easy to counteract no matter how lazy you are.

 

Mt. Rainier Snowshoers!

We're leaving out of Paradise which is the south entrance to the park by Ashford and Elbe.

Carpools - caravan leaving RCF at 7:55/8:00 am. Meet at RCF then or the Jackson visitor center at 10am.  It's $5/person to get in the park and $4 for snowshoe rental.

They say to wear boots/gloves/hats. There's a pretty good chance of rain tomorrow too- which may be snow there so waterproof is a good idea. The kitchen sink principle applies- bring it all.

it's all in the single

I still maintain that the jump rope was fun when we were 7.

Trouble with your double unders?  Look at your single. 

How's your bounce? easy, relaxed, on your toes? 

Where are your arms? Are your shoulders relaxed, elbows in close, and hands slightly down and in front?

What propels your rope? It should be your wrist and not your elbows or shoulders. 

Can you vary the rate? fastfastfast, slow--slow--slow?  This is a good drill to work on timing.

Without a solid single those doubles are going to be difficult, inefficient, and frustrating.

 

hi-five

After a couple of near misses Evan and Lisa make contact.

Burpee hi-fives, twisted wall ball, anchor chain drags. Whats the most "unusual" thing you've done in a CrossFit gym?  (Why yes, I did leave that wide open) What's been your favorite?

Go read this- It's from Lis so you know it's worth a few minutes.

Tough Love

See, success in one path, or many paths, is not easy. It’s not enough to have a gift, or a talent, or a skill set. Not enough to have  drive, persistence, and dedication. You need to bring it all — and at the right time. So a good coach can be a big old pain in the ass. They’ll bug you to hit the right points, the right speed, the right bar path. They know if you have the talent and the heart and the gumption and the soul — and they want to see you bring it all. Their job is to to help you reach your potential. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it. In the end, you’ll both be better people because of good coaching, whether it’s in the gym or in school or the home or whatever. Good coaches have many names: friend, parent, partner. They’re in more areas of your life than you realize. Anyone helping you to be better is coaching you, whether you think of them in this light or not.

  

What d'ya bench?

We used to tell our football players that if they were laying on their backs pushing weight away from them they'd probably just gotten their @ss kicked...

Not everyone bench presses- but according to IronMaven

Everyone Squats

"No we don't need to squat a house, but we do need to learn how to lower & raise our bodies, within the context of gravity, in an effective manner. Start with a sit to stand from a chair, then progress to a med ball squat. Learn to hold the bottom position and feel it. Feel the floor; learn to push it away. Then if appropriate, use a Hexlite bar, weighted vest or barbell to increase the resistance. Teach the basics and then give the patient movement problems to lift and solve."

group high five

Congratulations to Andrew, Aaron, Seam, Danielle, Emily, and Marisa for a job well done over the weekend. I know Saturday was a really long day but I'm glad you guys returned and had such a good time on Sunday!

We are 4 weeks away from the CrossFit Opens, the first step in qualifying for the CrossFit Games. The second step is of course Regionals- with the big date announcement happening yesterday. Our NorthWest Regional will be Memorial Day weekend - May 25-27 with a set-up day on Thursday the 24th.

A couple of changes to the Opens this year- it's 5 weeks long instead of 6 and the WOD's are announced on Wednesday instead of Tuesday. 

Registration for the Open is rumored to be starting on Wednesday, Feb 1st.

The sport of Fitness

 

The Sport of Fitness Has Arrived – And It Just Might Save Us All… from CF West

Today was a special day for CrossFitters everywhere. National exposure. National recognition. (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, watch the above video which played on network television today). The sport of fitness has truly arrived – and for the naysayers out there, for the people that thought CrossFit was a fad, for the people that thought it was too hard, not scientific, too small of a niche, not “for everyone”, overly-randomized, dangerous, or, just plain silly. Well, I’m sorry to report to you, we’re here to stay.

And mind you, the sport of fitness has arrived because our nation, our world, is dying for it – literally. This is not a marketing campaign, not a convoluted attempt to sell more “widgets”. This movement, this community, this “thing called CrossFit” is a response to a way of life that is wreaking havoc on our planet and killing more people than any disease or war we’ve ever seen. CrossFit, in my opinion, is one species’ survival mechanism finally kicking in; it is Homo Sapiens’ effort to combat laziness, mal-nutrition, and apathy. It is our last ditch effort to derail this trainwreck consisting of obesity and disease. For thousands of years, across cultures, mankind has celebrated, studied, and developed the sacred trilogy of “mind, spirit, and body”. With CrossFit, we are reclaiming the third which has been sorely forgotten in the past century, and if nothing else, is our god-given right as living/breathing animals on this planet. Fight for your right.

And for the naysayers? Well, as for your wish to hold on to a simpler, easier, and more comfortable way of life – your fate will be your just reward.

A healthy gut

The many faces of the post WOD recovery position

Let's talk digestion! Here's your Sunday reading.

It's All in Your Gut! How to Enhance Mood, Immunity and More Through Digestion 

If you have ongoing digestive or immune issues, it is possible that you may have an undiagnosed gluten sensitivity, which is common for many people. Gluten-dense foods can interfere with digestive capacity and have also been found to contribute to the onset of inflammatory conditions, autoimmune disorders, neurological and behavioral illness, skin diseases, osteoporosis, chronic fatigue and a host of other degenerative conditions. A growing population presenting such symptoms have tested negative for gluten intolerance or Celiac disease, an autoimmune condition where any intake of gluten damages the lining of the small intestine. However, after following a strict gluten-free diet for even as little as a week or two, their symptoms clear up dramatically.

taking names

Betty- getting stronger, faster, more flexible. Kicking @ss and taking names.

"Maximum strength capacity reaches a peak sometime around the 2nd or 3rd decade of life and by the fifth decade begins a gradual decline. The good news is that 20 weeks of resistance training in older adults can result in a 1 kg increase in lean body mass. This is in contrast to a 0.18 kg annual decline that often occurs with a sedentary lifestyle beyond 50 years of age.Remarkably it is never too late to improve muscle function. Significant strength adaptations have been shown in subjects aged 85 to 97. Procrastination however is not recommended as it is expected that early intervention will translate to better outcomes."

Follow the link to Lifelong Exercise and Strength Training in Older Adults It had a couple of really interesting pictures that everyone should see.