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Kristi wants her friends to know she does do work when she's here - hard work!!
Remember those essays we had to write when we were in school? "What I did over vacation". Well now kids have powerpoint presentations, blogs, and video submissions:
Scheduling note: we will have one 10am WOD today and close for the rest of the "regular" day. We'll be back at about 8pm for a Hasta 2010, Hello 2011 party and midnight WOD. Laurie's manning "El Margaritaville Machino". Melon, perhaps?
Arron plays with the 230# stone like a bear with a beehive.
Probably our most FAQ, certainly after Mt Rainier's Strongest Man and Woman 5, was "How do you make an Atlas Stone?" We filmed a series of how-to videos last winter and here it is a long time later and I still haven't edited them. So if you're truly interested, here is part 1 and the link to parts 2-10. Part one is 12 minutes, the rest are just a couple minutes in length, filmed over the course of a week.
Kurtis is happy to answer stone questions. The first one will be "Why does the 230 in the picture look different than the ones in the videos?" That answer is because we don't allow a strongman tool called "tacky" on our stones. Our stones are poured concrete - which by itself is a little too slick for our liking. We took ours to Line-X and had them coated in black. They look grey because of all the chalk on the black coating.
The rest of the series can be found here: http://vimeo.com/rainiercrossfit/videos
Isn't there a term for someone who always crashes pictures?
BINGO! If you had 5 in a row on the Bingo board last week, it's been highlighted and noted. If the square you needed was filled here's your chance: for the rest of this week you can knock people out of their spots by bettering their score. Cross them out with the blue sharpie and add your own, new, higher score. I'll tally the new "bingo's" on Saturday. Every Bingo gets entered into a drawing for RCF gear and training.
Total, utter chaos! Thanks to the 18 kiddos who made the nerf wars so fun. We'll do it again, we promise. Pictures later today!
Need to clean up your eating? Check out The Whole 30. It's coming in January.
43 of you crazies prep for a single 10am WOD. Yup, CrossFitters are crazy - a good crazy.
I can tell from the website stats that a ton of people are looking to CrossFit to get their New Years resolutions of "weight loss" "get fit" or "get stronger" needs met. I like to borrow the term "resolutionaries" from another long-time CF gym. Know that our gym may seem fuller because everyone will be back from vacations, family gatherings, etc but we won't be overrun by resolutionaries.
We will start our next On Ramp and welcome up to 16 people who are serious about fitness, willing to work hard, and who will forego comfort and routine as they begin to transform into a "crazie" like us. On Ramps will run from 6-7am and pm. There are a few spots left in both groups but both groups are about sold out. If you're checking us out at the insistence of a CrossFit friend and you're serious about joining us, click the "On Ramp 18" link on the right side of the blog to reserve your spot.
Today at 11am - NERF GUN WARS. Bring guns, bullets, and kids. We're turning the real crazies loose for an hour or so - until they're worn out, shot-up, and finally quiet. ahhhh.....
"Pictures or it didn't happen". Dawn climbs ropes now, here's proof!
For those of you afraid of slipping on ice (it's going to snow again, right?), naturally klutzy, or perpetually worried about mild brain trauma - here's your answer. A helmet embedded in a stocking cap. Warm and Functional. Did you get one for Christmas?
In case you got a Nerf gun for Christmas, we're having NERF GUN WARS form 11-12 noonish on Tuesday. Bring your guns, bring your bullets. Goggles and helmets are optional! Bring the kids and their nerf guns and let them go crazy. We know they're driving you nuts.
Could it be mistaken for burpee day?
And now for unnecessary censorship:
Charlie Brown: (shouting in desperation) Isn't there anyone out there who can tell me what Christmas is all about?
Linus Van Pelt:
Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you. Lights, please. (A spotlight shines on Linus.) "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you this day is born in the City of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men'". That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.
see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKk9rv2hUfA
It's Christmas Eve and our thought are with everyone who is away from their families this Christmas.
A U.S. Crew’s Urgent Flight Into the Afghan Desert
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WILSON, Afghanistan — Beneath the blanket, the veiled Afghan woman slid her feet along the stretcher toward her hips, causing her knees to rise. She was in labor, with contractions two minutes apart, seeking a comfortable position in a military helicopter as it rushed over the desert below. Her baby was in a breech position, lodged in the birth canal.
The woman’s face could not be seen. The crew did not know her name, nor that of her husband, who was sitting nearby. The soldiers knew this: She had been in labor almost nine hours, and the intensity with which she clutched Specialist Charles J. Williams, a flight medic, suggested worry and pain.
“She’s clamping on my hand like she’s about to tear it off,” the specialist said into his helmet’s microphone.
“Oh, she’s in pain,” answered Sgt. Patrick E. Schultz, the senior flight medic. He looked at a monitor showing her vital signs. “How much longer?”
From the cockpit, Capt. Amy L. Bauer, an Army pilot, replied: “Seven minutes.”
For an American Black Hawk crew and an Afghan woman in a life-threatening labor, a fast and roaring flight this month was a tour of separate worlds and of both the promise and the difficulties when these worlds meet.
The poverty and absence of medical services in Kandahar Province are nearly total, especially away from the agricultural zone and highway running along the Arghandab River. A woman in the arid outskirts who faced a dangerous delivery that local midwifery could not resolve usually had few choices beyond a bumpy ride over a rocky track and the hope of reaching the city of Kandahar before she and her baby died.
Since last summer, there has been another possibility. American helicopters and medical evacuation crews have been positioned in small outposts along the river, deployed beside NATO and Afghan soldiers fighting the Taliban.
The helicopters have been assigned away from the airfield at Kandahar to reduce flight times for wounded troops to reach modern trauma care. But a patient is a patient. Afghans with ordinary but often grave conditions — victims of heart attacks, accidents or advanced illnesses — often seek help, too.
We could totally human power the ark.
This weekend we'll gather (hopefully) with friends, family, and loved ones. Who's in charge of feeding the crowd? If it's you, I hope you've had time to explore some new recipes to share while keeping the old favorites. Sweet Potato Galette, anyone? (just leave out the sugar and flour and add more butter!)
Robb Wolf gives us 8 herbs and spices you should know.
We'd love to hear what you're cooking up this holiday - share in comments! (Extra credit if it's Paleo...)
Say hello to John and his wife Kathryn- they joined us last week.
The NYT urges readers to seek advice before they lift weights. We say just join a good CrossFit gym. So much more than "advice" going on here - and stay off of "leg strengthening machings".
Before You Lift a Weight, Get Some Advice
It seems unfair when people get hurt while trying to do something good for their bodies. But that is exactly what happened to nearly a million Americans from 1990 to 2007 when they sought to improve their strength and well-being through weight training — exercises done with free weights or on gym equipment called resistance machines.
To be sure, these injuries are less common than, say, those linked to running, cycling or competitive sports. But a national study, published online in March by The American Journal of Sports Medicine, revealed that these mishaps are on the rise and that they spare no body part, gender or age group.
The study covered 25,335 people aged 6 to 100 who were taken to emergency rooms with weight-training injuries. The research team, from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, said that worked out to nearly one million such injuries throughout the country, an increase of 48 percent from the beginning of the 18-year study period to the end.
Jack was busted trying to whisper sweet nothings to the rope in hopes that it would be kind to him. Might work better to chalk up and attack it with fury...
Speaking uf attacking with fury - someone has finally decided that BMI's are POS's and worthless information to boot. Read on:
BMI: Why Body Mass Index Isn't The Best Measure Of A Healthy Weight
The next time you happen to catch a Minnesota Vikings game, take a look at Adrian Peterson, the team's 6'1, 217-pound running back. Now ask yourself: what kind of physical characteristics would you attribute to him? Athletic? Lean? Fit? All of these certainly sound like valid answers to us -- but his clinical classification might surprise you.
By any normal standards, Peterson is one of the fittest men on the planet. But by our country's system of measuring body fat, he's overweight. If you're like most people, you've probably heard of the 'body mass index,' or, as it's more informally known, BMI. It's a popular formula used to not only gauge if a person is overweight or obese, but also how great their risk is for future health problems.
Lisa coaches, cheers, counts, and watches over Zach as he finishes the Saturday Suck for their "team".
I asked a question on FB on Sunday - Do you push yourself harder during team WODs so as to not let your partner down? Let me ask one more: what motivates you to really work hard? Is it the person right in front of you that you're trying to catch, the person behind you who you're trying desperatly to stay ahead of, your old time, someone else's time on the board or something else? We'd love to hear it.
A Saturday Suck without electricity but certainly NOT without power. Nice job on a team WOD everyone!
New Google Graph Reveals Centuries of Dicks, Pimps, and Hos (waste some of your Sunday here)
Tell me whats good, bad or ugly in each pic. The pictures are in no particular order. Post thoughts to comments.
Sluggish? SIx Ways to Refuel your Energy Everyday
Are you working longer hours, attending more meetings, taking shorter vacations, answering more emails and eating lunch at your desk, if you eat lunch at all?
Does demand in your life just keep getting higher, so you're struggling more and more just to keep up? Are you utterly sick of hearing the phrase "do more with less?" Does the word "unsustainable" sound about right?
Human beings aren't meant to operate like computers — at high speeds, continuously, for long periods of time. We're designed to be rhythmic, and to intermittently renew. Here are the six strategies we've found work best:
Any way you slice them, ring dips suck. Not many of you guys have listed them as a strength. Speaking of strengths, I need to make more copies but there is self-assessment skill sheet that we use to take a look at strengths and weaknesses. I'll leave them on the counter - feel free to take one, fill it out, and then begin to work on your weaknesses. Think of it as "play"
Play is becoming a dinosaur in the lives of children in 21st century America. According to studies, school-age children's playtime decreased by 25 percent and older children's playtime by 45 percent between 1981 and 1997. Unstructured outdoor activities also declined by 50 percent. Between school, homework, organized youth sports -- which is no longer real play -- music and dance lessons, and other structured activities, children are just too busy to play these days. Children have also lost the ability to play. With increasing frequency, children's play now involves sitting in front of a video-game console, television, or computer, which isn't play at all.
The kb snatch - only marginally easier to learn than this:
The backward roll to support. It's on the Bingo board for those of you who have already mastered the muscle-up. This was the best video I could find but this kid needs desperately to pick up his laundry. That's the mom in me talking
Casey really just wants Gretchens boots. I bet he'd trade the peanut butter for them.
Remind you of you? Time for A Blackberry Addict's Accidental Intervention
So off we went. While Paco's paws pattered along the pavement, my paws instinctively groped the crevices of my pockets searching in vain for my Blackberry. Second red flag. Apparently, I had become Linus and the Blackberry, my blanket. After four or five empty-handed attempts, I surrendered. I simply looked up and continued walking. It had been a while since I walked uninterrupted and my eyes started to absorb the full extent of my surroundings: people walking by, interactions taking place, the shapes of buildings, etc... And while I had to suppress the pangs of envy watching others tap away at their devices, a few people were actually looking right back at me. And with that came an occasional smile or nod hello. This wasn't an earth-shattering, revelatory moment; it was just pleasant. I had forgotten what it felt like to truly "own" my time. No longer was I subject to the whims (read: updates, tweets, e-mails, chats) of others, and it was allowing me to interact with live, in-the-flesh humans in the most basic way. This short 30-minute walk belonged to me, Paco and the neighbors, and to us alone.
I'll give a WOD book to whomever causes me to spit the most coffee on my keyboard. This is not a democracy, the decision rests solely with me!
Do you snore? Do you sleep near someone who does?
"Almost half of the adult population snores at least occasionally. Snoring occurs when air flows past relaxed tissues in the throat, causing them to vibrate. Nasal congestion can also contribute to the racket.
“We laugh and joke about snoring,” said Dr. Nancy A. Collop, president elect of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, “but it can be pretty annoying and disruptive to couples.”
The cue I use to make sure your rope lock off is secure is "step on your laces". Another useful 'tool' in rope climbing are the neoprene sleeves. They'll help save the skin on the outside of your ankle. We keep a stack in the lower right hand cubby. Throw it in the dirty laundry after you use it and they even get washed :)
The upper right hand corner of the Bingo Board is to try a new Paleo recipe. I made the Bison chili (but I used beef) from The Primal Blueprint last night. Super easy, super tasty, and perfect for a rainy December night. It wasn't new, exactly - Amie made it on Halloween. If you try something new and you like it, please share the recipe or the source with us - I'll bring some copies and do the same!
Most of you have heard the story - the story of that guy who launched himself off of the top runng of the baccar ladder and missed the crash pad. Well, turns out that guy was just trying to make sure we didn't forget him so when he showed up last week for a quick visit we sure were happy to see Jimmy.
We say it often - if you've ever trained with us, you're family. Family is welcome in our home always. Please stop by and say hello if you're ever back in the area!
Speaking of family - if you have a few minutes to waste and you need to cement those laugh lines just a little deeper - check out Awkward pregnancy photos Happy Sunday!
While not a workhorse in our CF stable of exercises, the bent-over row has a place as an assistance and strengthening movement.
Get some sleep - your heart may thank you.
"Turns out that sleep factors in big time: a new study shows that poor sleep may worsen heart health by increasing inflammation. Chronic inflammation has gained a lot of attention in recent years due to the associations found between this bodily process and an array of illnesses and disease. While inflammation is a normal physiological process and part of our immune system, when it runs amok it can wreak havoc on our cells and tissues. This explains why inflammation can play a major role in heart health, as it can lead to restricted blood flow and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke....
Read: How Your Sleep Habits May Be Damaging Your Heart
There are a couple of things about this article that jump out at me as untrue or misdirected. Makes me question the whole article, although adequate sleep will never be a bad thing.
Just to answer a few of the FAQ's- you're trying to get "bingo"s. 5 in a row across, down, or on the diagonal. Complete the task in the square, add your name and your score. There are a limited number of spots available in each square so once a square is filled it's out of play. In the picture above, the 'balance' square has been filled (and it was funny to watch). So there is limited opportunities (move quickly) and as we get more filled up the chance to "thwart" other will arise. Take it or leave it! Keep working and claiming squares - the people closest to a "blackout" will be eligible in the prize drawings, too.
mother-daughter ab-mat sit ups.
So by now you've probably noticed the jar of peanut butter that is Casey's constant companion. I'll admit, he swiped it out of the food donation boxes so I should thank whoever donated the Skippy. I don't feel too bad about the theft since we added quite a few jars of the gooey goodness ourselves. But back to the Skippy - He claimed it with one well placed scoop of a finger and well, marked that peanut butter territory as "claimed". You may think that it's pretty funny how he carries it around and shows it to you like its his own masterpiece, we think it's pretty funny too. To top that, we think its hilarious that he sleeps with it. Yep, all warm and cozy in his bed with him. That's some spoiled PB. Wonder if Santa will bring it gifts?
Seems we're not the only family with a kiddo who makes their own rules. Read: The Rules of Language for an Autistic Child.
By the way, we've learned to enjoy the very innocent and child-like joys of Casey. Feel free to laugh about this - we do!
"If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane" Jimmy Buffett
yes.
The Facebook experiment- yesterday we posted the WOD on our Facebook page. Let us know if you like to see it there. The reson we don't post workouts before they occur is that we don't want people cherry-picking their favorites and avoiding what they don't like. If we notice this happening we'll stop posting any advance notice again.
The "All I want for Christmas" challenge is up. It's BINGO this year so check out the board and plot your stategy. You need 5 in a row up, down, or diagonal. There are limited spaces for each task so get on this quick! RCF gear and training are at stake.
We are looking for a used fridge/freezer in good working order and clean. If you're getting rid of one please let us know!
On December 7th 1941, on an otherwise peaceful Sunday morning on a beautiful Hawaiian island, the first wave of Japanese airplanes left 6 aircraft carriers and struck Pearl Harbor a few minutes before 8 AM local time.
In two waves of terror lasting two long hours, they killed or wounded over 3,500 Americans and sank or badly damaged 18 ships - including all 8 battleships of the Pacific Fleet - and over 350 destroyed or damaged aircraft. At least 1,177 lives were lost when the Battleship U.S.S. Arizona exploded and subsequently sank.
Read Five survivors keep history alive at Pearl Harbor
Saturday's first group takes their thruster weight for a little parade.
Brain Health: How exercise can stimulate the birth of new neurons
It took decades of research to persuade scientists to give up their long-held belief that new neurons could not be formed in the brains of adults, but there is no longer any doubt about it. It is now well-established that strenuous physical exercise stimulates the birth of new neurons in part of the brain that is critical for memory, the hippocampus. The molecular and cellular details explaining how exercise stimulates the birth of new brain cells have been worked out now in great detail. Immature non-neuronal cells in the adult brain (glia) respond to protein growth factors that are generated in the body during robust physical activity. These growth factors stimulate the mother cells to spawn new neurons in the hippocampus. Amazingly, these nubile neurons then migrate through brain tissue to find their proper place in the neural circuitry. Even more remarkable, new research proves that the new neurons are then able to wire themselves into the existing network of connections to boost performance in memory, just like adding RAM chips does for a laptop. But why? Why should pumping muscles build more brain cells?
This is the question addressed by Gerd Kempermann and colleagues at Stanford, the University of Zurich and Dresden, Germany, in their recent paper published in the journal "Frontiers in Neuroscience." To understand the answer, you are going to have to suspend reality for a moment and imagine that rather than spending your day engaged in intellectual stimulation in front of your computer, you are instead living in the wild like our caveman ancestors.
We're all used to pressing overhead on pressing from a push-up position. It's the same press, just from a different orientation.
Do you grow a garden? Or try, in our short, cold growing season? Ever wished you'd leaned how? Our kids just might.
"Many times have I found myself watching the hyperactive chaos of schoolyards during recess and thought, If we could harness that energy, we wouldn't need fossil fuels. I recently learned that this very idea is being tested—appropriately, if hard to believe, by second-graders. They attend the Academy for Global Citizenship (AGC), a public charter school in Chicago. After a recent unit on renewable energy, the class came up with the idea of an energy-generating playground, with swings and see-saws converted into generators.
The energy-generating playground will be built on the school's large parking lot, and projects like it are why the Academy is running out of parking spaces. The lot is being converted, project by project, into a classroom-sized greenhouse, a green-roofed chicken coop, a wind turbine demonstration project, and a garden, the produce from which is used in the three organic meals cooked each day from scratch in the school's kitchen..."
Happy Sunday. 19 shopping days left. And YAHOOOEEYYY DUCK FANS!!! We're going to the BCS Championship game on January 10th!!!
I apologize for the quality of these pictures but I think you'll be able to see what I'm about to talk about. Check out their feet - Phils feet are under him as his chin is over the bar. Craigs are way out in front. The cause? Phil uses his hip during his pull-up and as he 'snaps' his hips forward, it drives his feet underneath him and this is his chin-over-the-bar finish position. Craig, on the other hand, is struggling to string the kipping pull-ups together. He isn't using his hip and instead is just relying on arm pull to get his chin above but not over the bar. Once we get his hip in on the action, his pull-up will seem much easier and the rhythm of the push-away and relax will position him better for the next pull-up. I have both of these guys on video which I'll post soon (hopefully tomorrow) so we can see this in action.
Welcome Back to Jack. The evening crew has missed their whipping dog.
So when I say food porn what do you think of? Heres one version:
Food porn. Some love it. Some hate it. Some celebrate it like a third wave feminist declaring sex on screen as an all-inclusive empowering party of the senses. The question is: like porn porn, do you know it when you see it?
At last night's Piglet Party hosted by food52, former New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni led a panel discussion about food porn with restaurateur Frank Falcinelli of Frankie's and Prime Meats, Eater.com co-founder Ben Leventhal (and now-editor of NBC's Feast), and Smitten Kitchen's Deb Perelman.
The panel tried (successfully, to a degree, but this is tricky stuff) to (a) define what food porn is, and (b) decide whether it is good or bad. Everyone seemed to agree that food porn involves extreme close-up images of food in a raw state about to be eaten, emphasizing its juicy inner-workings, exploring its nooks and crannies, often with steam rising.
Perelman suggested the example of "an extreme macro-close up of caramel dripping down the side of a pot," to which Bruni responded, "a suggestion of fluid and dripping. That's a pretty literal definition." The precise subject matter -- uncooked pink pork flesh, peeled purple heirloom carrot, intertwined spaghetti noodles -- doesn't seem to matter. Food porn is defined by the way in which the photo is shot.
I call anything really tasty, like "when Harry met Sally" tasty "food porn". Its about the experience, not the photography in my book. Post your thoughts (and favorite food porn) to comments.
Rachel challenged coordination, agility, balance and accuracy - with a healthy dose of entertainment on the side.
So you've all heard it - the rightmost column - coordiantion, agility, balance, and accuracy - what do they have in common? Improvemt over on the right side takes practice. Practice as in doing it many, many, many times. Your brain and body, the neurological connections, need to do these things over and over again to improve. It's not an organic change in the body, it's not something that could be revealed during an autopsy like low body fat, high muscle mass, or a heathy heart. Thats the leftmost column. The right column is the connectivity and motor part. How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice.
(The middle column, power and speed, they are a combination of both training (left) and practice (right))
Josh back squats 405 for 3 and sets his sights on upcoming raw powerlifting competitions.
You may have noticed that I've started putting scores up on the new leaderboards (about time, right?). If you have a time or a score thats worthy of being there but isn't, let me know. I don't have all of our times recorded. The 2 rules: 1) it had to happen at RCF or at a competition where we were present to witness it and 2) it had to be RX'd.
And now: a little of more of what we've known for a while....
Low fat diets could increase heart disease risk, say nutrition experts
Chair of the Harvard School of Public Health’s nutrition department Dr. Walter Willett takes this even further.
“If anything, the literature shows a slight advantage of the high fat diet,” he said. “The focus on fat in dietary guidelines has been a massive distraction…We should remove total fat from nutrition facts panels on the back of packs.”
He added that while the pervasive dietary guidance given to consumers has been to eat fats sparingly, to load up on starch and eat non-fat products, “the food industry quickly realized sugar was cheaper than fat and laughed all the way to the bank.”
“It was really the type of fat that was important,” he said. “If you replaced saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat there was a reduction of risk.”
Happy December - you have 24 shopping days left :)
