Rainier CrossFit

Ahh, Regionals

I got a chance, a few quiet minutes, on Sunday to sit back and take all this in.

I was watching, hiding away really, up in that alcove above the bathrooms - the one with the speakers in it. I could barely hear myself think (it was incredible loud up there) but over the music I had a peaceful moment and remember thinking "we did this".

In October, when the search for a new venue started, I never imagined 5500 people attending an event that we organized. Every detail was planned, from traffic patterns, equipment staging, where to put the banners so they wouldn't get in the way of the cameras. 

I knew we'd need a boatload of volunteers to make it happen, working long, tireless, thankless hours. I knew there would be last minute changes, glitches in the plan, and unforeseeable events. How do you plan for the unknown and unknowable? In the gym, sure. In event planning - not so much.

The part that I didn't plan for, and the part than makes me sit back and relect every year - are the NorthWest CrossFitters. You guys are polite, well behaved, and enthusiastic. You are the epitome of spectatordom, a pleasure to spend a weekend with.

The only group more impressive than the spectators are the volunteers. For some berries with almond butter and a t-shirt you guys bust your asses for days on end to make this happen. There isn't a better group of humans on the planet than our regional volunteers. (and I'm super proud of all the RCFers who were leaders among the volunteers.) The highest complimant was when the Games staff started hand picking you guys to help in LA in July. What an honor!

I'm sorry to say that I don't get to spend much time with the competition itself. I miss most of the glory moments, don't see the winning efforts, and only hear stories of the on-field heroics. I do know that the athletes are amazing and inspiring and for the most part just happy to be here.

So we'll take a couple of months off - and plan Mt Rainier's Strongest Man and Woman 7 on August 11th - and then we'll get started on Regionals again. We already have a list of new ideas for next year, ways to engage the spectators, entertain the little ones, and create a celebratory environment that highlights the best athletes in the NorthWest. 

It's our goal to put on a stellar competiton. Collectively, we all do just that. Athletes, volunteers, spectators - HERE"S TO YOU!!

bottoms up

Bottom-to-bottom Tabata's -- the very definition of evil.

Read (and watch) If I Can Conquer Myself from our friend Patrick at Again Faster

In a recent interview with the Combative Corner, Dr Yang, Jwing-Ming said, "The hardest obstacle today [in teaching] is finding committed students. It's not easy to find a student who is able and willing to sacrifice or compromise things such as their job, families, or social lives to sincerely dedicate to training."

I know you have extras

The kids area - a safe place included within our gym to keep our kids close by and out of the way of swinging kettlebells.

We have a huge group of kids of all ages here. Probably pretty safe to assume we all have a huge pile of books that they've outgrown too. Lets have a kids book exchange. I'll bring in some tubs, labelled by age (roughly) Bring in what you no longer read and take something new. Whatever is left over I'll donate to our techers, our classrooms, or our libraries. Watch for the tubs!

Peer coaching

We have a lot of people ask us if we're hiring coaches or how to go about becoming a coach at RCF. The process begins with being a member of our community, being in the trenches with the groups, gaining respect as someone with solid knowledge and the ability to coach, relate, and bring out the best in people.  We can teach you common cues, but our coaches need to possess much more than that.  It takes time, can't be written in a book, and can be frustratingly slow.

Read: Breathe. Pause, Recover.  From CrossFit Lisbeth

The trouble with karma is that it takes so long to arrive sometimes …

We want everything NOW.

Justice? Now. Results? Now. Oh, and forgiveness now and maybe some total memory loss too, when we’re on the wrong side of the finger-pointing.

Just like we want our pull-ups NOW, and then our butterfly pull-ups, and now our new levitating butterfly pull-ups. (There’s no such thing. I’m just f***ing with ya. Don’t email me for tips.)

Anyhow, the point here is that the answer is to have patience in the gym and in life, but that’s sooooo damn boring. Telling people to have patience is like telling them to like vegetables. (Oh, wait, we’re CrossFitters. We like vegetables, even the famed dreaded Brussels sprouts. Turns out that if you roast them with bacon, they’re delicious. Although this might be true of almost anything. Roasted bark with bacon — recipe coming to your Paleo blog soon!)

So, the trick is not to think of it as patience. It’s just breathing. Pausing. Recovering. Taking a moment to gather your strength. It’s not waiting, it’s not lingering, it’s not stupid downtime that you hate so much like the fact that you have to sleep every night and miss fantastic things happening in the world. You were born to act and make shit happen, not sit on your ass like some fool letting life pass you by!

Oh wait, that was just me again. Never mind.

But, seriously, you have to learn to breathe or you’re going to pass out. You have to learn to pause, to have patience, to rest, or you’re going to burn out. Don’t be in such a rush all the time. Be smart. Stop. Learn. Listen. Maybe even do nothing — absolutely nothing — once in a while. It’s not going to kill you, or derail your plans for world domination. It’s actually going to help. Keep working hard, but sometimes learn to just breathe. Everything will come in due time. Or it won’t. And life will go on …

 

RCF IS CLOSED TODAY AS WE *RECOVER* FROM THE WEEKEND!

 

The Finals

If for some reason you're sitting around today with nothing to do, read on. Then come hang out at Regionals with us!

What is Gluten Sensitivity? An Easy Explanation To Avoid All the Confusion…

What is the Difference Between Gluten Sensitivity, Intolerance, and Celiac Disease?

The difference is very big and it may just surprise you.  Watch the video below to learn more on this, and to learn more about a TRUE gluten free diets Vs. Traditional gluten free diets…

It's kind of a long video but full of good information. Watch it here.

 

Now get off your butt and come down to the fairgrounds!

RCF IS CLOSED TODAY AS WE HOST THE CROSSFIT GAMES NORTH WEST REGIONAL

 

Wonder

After you become part of our community of friends at RCF you'll wonder two things: why you waited so long and what your life was like BRCF - before Rainier CrossFit.

We said goodbye to Blaine and Alyssa this week and wish them much luck on their move to Colorado. We got together for one last group picture and had to figure out a way to make sure neither of them were touching the floor.

On Ramp - it's our beginners program (much copied, never duplicated) designed to slowly and methodically bring oyu up to CrossFit speed, begins Monday June 4th. It will be our last offering until the fall.  We don't offer On Ramp very often anymore because we limit the number of beginners in our gym at one time.  It helps us maintain the high standars of coaching that we'e offered for years.

To find out more about On Ramp, go here.

If you're ready to begin your CrossFit journey you can sign up here.

From Vern Gambetta's blog:   Coaching that Matters

The coaching that matters is not the technical, tactical and training nuances; coaching that matters is what some call the intangibles. The ability to say the right thing at the right time. To be firm and fair. To let the athlete know the boundaries of what is acceptable and unacceptable performance and behavior. The ability to connect and communicate. Technical expertise is a given at the highest levels of coaching, what matters and makes the difference is so-called emotional intelligence. It is understanding the human element. Great coaches are not great by chance. I read where the great soccer manager Jose Mourinhno speaks to his players as a group in the language of the country where he coaches and when he meets with the players individually he speaks the players native language. Think about that. He sets a level of expectation for the players to know the culture and language of the country they are playing in and he connects with each player individually. If you want to be a great coach get beyond X’s and O’s, GPS data and heart rate variability and learn to connect with the athlete on a human level.

 

RCF IS CLOSED TODAY AS WE PLAY HOST TO THE CROSSFIT GAMES NORTH WEST REGIONAL

North West Regionals!

Come cheer on Brenden at the CrossFit Games North West Regionals today!  We're in the Showplex at the Puyallup Fairgrounds.

Here's all the info: http://games.crossfit.com/region/north-west/schedule

RCF IS CLOSED TODAY AS WE PLAY HOST TO THE CROSSFIT GAMES NORTH WEST REGIONAL

The next thing

Can you read Emily's shirt? It says "pick up the bar" and she's says it was taunting her the entire workout.

While the CrossFit Games NorthWest Regional is about to go into turbo mode, there's one thing oyu can do in this calm before that storm- sign up for CrossFit for Hope

CrossFit for Hope is this years FGB style fundraiser workout encompassing most CrossFit Gyms nationwide. All (100%) of the money raised will go to St Jude Childrens Reseach Hospital to combat childhood illness.  We'll be participating, with CF Lynnwood and maybe some others, on Saturday June 9th. Sign up to participate, donate to our team, or plan to come cheer. In any capacity, you should be part of this!

set it up

Tomorrow's the big day for Regional set-up

If you're around to help, we're meeting at RCF to load flooring at 7am, meeting the semi at the fairgrounds at 8am, the forklift will unload as we stand around and watch until about 9, and then it's GO! time.

Athletes will be onsite to register between 3 and 6pm, and then we'll all go home.  No one will sleep well and we'll be back at it for long days the next 3 days.

Here's a fairgrounds map, if you need it. We're parking in the BLUE lot, right off of the Meridian Street South Exit, walking in through the BLUE gate, and we're in the Showplex, which is building 20 on the map.

If you're delivering something and need to drive in to the venue, use the service gate off of 5th Street SW. They'll be expecting us all day. If you're NOT delivering, please park in the blue lot and walk in.

If you haven't RSVP'd to help but you decide to stop by anyway, thats fine. We'll put you to work.

If you're an athlete arriving for the weekend and you want to check out the venue, you're more than welcome!

**RCF IS CLOSED FOR THE NEXT 5 DAYS***  We're sorry for the inconvenience to our members but the honor of hosting one of the 17 world-wide regional events isn't something you say "no" to when CFHQ asks! It means they put a lot of trust in us to do things right and we count on you guys to make it happen. We couldn't ask for a better crew.

 

because of us

Welcome Eric!  (one way I can tell that Eric has recently joined us is that he still smiles for the camera. Most of you just completely ignore me now)

Wonder if the decline in coke consumption is because of all of the hoardes of CrossFitters giving up artificial.  Let me explain something, I'm from California where it's not "soda" or "pop". It's coke. All of it. Do you want a coke? Sure. What kind? Rootbeer.

The End of Soda? from The Atlantic

If the New York Times is to be believed, the soft drink business is facing a moment of truth. This week, the newspaper reported that beverage industry titans Coca Cola and PepsiCo have increasingly been forced to rely on the sales of alternative products like bottled water, tea, and sports drinks to make up for the flagging sales of their sweet and fizzy standbys. Since 1998, American per-capita consumption has dropped 16 percent.

"What began as a slow decline accelerated in the middle of the last decade and now threatens some of the best-known brands in the business," the paper reported.

Could it be? Are we truly witnessing the first stages of soda's demise, the early signs of decay in America's 200-year love affair with soft-drinks? And if so, does that mean trouble for drink makers? 

 

smarter?

How Working the Muscles May Boost Brainpower from The NYT

The researchers were especially interested in the possibility that the action starts outside the brain – and specifically in the muscles. “We wondered whether peripheral triggers might be activating the cellular and molecular cascades in the brain that led to improvements in cognition,” says Henriette van Praag, the investigator at the National Institute on Aging who led the study.

The implication, she continues, is that exercise may need to be aerobic if it’s going to substantially affect the brain. “You probably need to increase blood flow, which mostly occurs during endurance training,” she says. Also, in animal studies, AMPK production has been found to increase principally after running. Of course, “it’s very hard for us to study weight lifting in mice,” Dr. van Praag says, so it’s possible that other types of exercise might improve AMPK production and cognition too, she says.

Conga line

Dragging 225 pounds of anchor chain is a *terrific* way to finish a workout.

Grab your Sunday morning coffee and read on.

Coffee Drinkers May Live Longer from The NYT

Your morning cup of coffee may start to taste even better after a major government study found that frequent coffee drinkers have a lower risk of dying from a variety of diseases, compared with people who drink little or no coffee.

Previous studies have offered conflicting results on the relative benefits or harms associated with regular coffee consumption. While coffee contains caffeine, a stimulant that may temporarily increase heart rate and blood pressure in some people, coffee also contains hundreds of unique compounds and antioxidants that may confer health benefits. Further confusing much of the research into coffee is the fact that many coffee drinkers are also smokers, and it has been difficult to untangle the relative health effects of coffee and cigarettes.

 

meet Mr Bench

So I asked yesterday what tool you could use to correct the "knees forward of the shoes" position.  Meet Mr. Bench (not Kurtis)  

With the toes of your shoes slightly under the bench, squat.  You'll be surprised how it changes your squat. The first thing you'll notice is that your balance seems gone and that you have to reach way forward in order to not fall over backwards. After a couple more tries you'll figure it out. Grab the bench and give it a try.

Tomorrow is MIMOSA SATURDAY -- don't miss it!

where are your knees?

Kurtis's normal squat. (He's lost a little bit of his lumbar arch because his hamstrings are tight and he hadn't stretched) Look where his kneecaps are in relation to his shoes.

In this one I asked him to shove his knees forward of his shoes.  Can you see the difference in his shin angle? Many other things have gone to crap in this second squat - his eyes have dropped, his back is round, his weight has shifted forward off his heels, and those knees have shot forward of his shoes.

What tools would you suggest we use to make his second squat look more like his first? 

Way Back Wednesday

Remember this? It was the 2007 "CrossFit Championships" at CFNorth (Now CF Seattle)

Who can name all those faces?  Kurtis, you don't count.

MIMOSA SATURDAY!  This Saturday we'll be having mimosa's in addition to our regular Saturday Suck as a way to say goodbye to Alyssa :(  Come by for some bubbly, a hug, NO TEARS!!, and a bruiser Saturday Suck. RSVP here.

HELP!

To qualify as an "L" pull-up the feet have to stay above the hips for the duration of the movement. It's a pretty rough standard.

We are looking for more Thursday set-up help at Regionals next week.  We'll be meeting at the fairgrounds from 9-6 and could use help all day or any parts of the day. If you're available please email me and we'll get you the details of the day.

 

you loved them

Handstand push-ups are everyone's favorites

Regionals are 10 days away and we're putting the finishing touches on planning. We can always use more help setting up *everything* on Thursday.  If you're available, even for a couple hours, let me know and I'll get you on the email list for set-up.

 

 

Power (lifters)

Brandon, Dilan, Elliot, Mateo, Payton, and Reagan all rocked the squat this morning and now prepare for the bench.

Did you compete in anything as a teen? Were you as cool, calm, and collected as this group?

the labrador warm-up

Ember helps Brenden prepare for regionals. (She has the fastest time)

I still need a few more volunteers (mostly in traffic control / people flow positions for all 3 days of Regionals. If you signed up as a volunteer but were one of the many we didn't assign to a job let me know.  I'm about to start randomly asking people from the registration system.  I only need a few people for each day!

Did you see the announcement about the Volunteer Appreciation Party Saturday night at Regionals? If you're a volunteer we want to say "Thank You"!  Plan to join the rest of the volunteer crew on Saturday May 25th from 7:30 to 9:30.  10 Barrel Brewing is providing the beer, Reebok has brought in a caterer, and there will be wine and other non-alcoholic beverages.  We look forward to being able to celebrate the volunteers who make Regionals happen!

as high as you can

The evil boxes were back. Katy made it look easy.

For the first time since the Opens Jackie did rx box jumps in a workout and SUSIE GOT HER FIRST EVER RX BOX JUMPS!!  Way to conquer that fear, ladies!  (I missed it but apparently there was some huge grinning going on back there)

Were currently taking pre-orders for Stronger Faster Healthier.  If there's any magic sauce you'd like let us know.  We'll order next week.  

SAVE THIS DATE!!  RCF's Strongest Man and Woman will be on Saturday, August 11th this year!  We're moving back to sunny, summer weather!!  Bring on the strongest CrossFitters in the region!!

Guess who?

 

need a hint?  Not this guy, but close:

Dan just happens to be in Georgia where Andrew is getting tossed out of airplanes (and having a blast!) He sent the above pictures.  So proud of our friends in uniform!

Five of our teens are competing in their first ever powerlifting meet this Saturday in Lynnwood.  If you want to come cheer them on hit me up for details.  If you can't come, make sure to with Aiden, Brandon, Elliot, Mateo, and Regan the best of luck and super-strength on Saturday. (Use the FB page!)

just one more

We've all been ^^^ here.  What's your internal dialog when you need to pick up the bar and get just one more?

Read: Alone At The Bar from CrossFit Lisbeth

I spend a lot of time alone at the bar.

Not the one with glasses of happy juice and tales of crazy nights, followed by mornings with fuzzy teeth and crumpled-up dollar bills in your pockets.

I mean the iron one, with bearings and whip and faded sheen. The one you can hold in your hands and load with your burdens and hopefully still lift to your chest and then over your head, before you drop it and all falls away from you. Only for you to pick it up. Again … and again. The path to strength lies this way, in these knurls and collars and cold steel and memory — muscle memory, heart memory, life memory.

Both are places of pain, I suppose. With one you pay now, and with the other, you pay later.

Both are places we go to forget. To forget our emptiness, our aloneness, our essentially solitary path through this life, no matter how many people surround us or how much we fill our days. We spend so much time with bars.

But one bar can save. One has saved. While the other continues with her empty promises, her Siren calls, her whispers that never quite become the something more she teases about. She is a beautiful temptress who will break you in ways the other bar never could.

 Spending a lot of time alone at the bar can be really good for you, as long as you choose your bar wisely …

 

from one end to the other

From power cleans over there to muscle-ups over here - thats a lot of travel.

Congratulations to everyone who completed their CrossFit L1 trainier course with us over the weekend. Your picture is on the mainsite, here.  A big shout out to Jonathan and Courtney!

Regionals is in 3 weeks and I've had a few more volunteer positions open up.  If you're available and not yet assigned to something and can help out for a little bit email me.  I'm mostly looking for people to stand around and control traffic - like only allowing athletes in to the athlete areas.  Nothing technical!

If you ARE a volunteer watch for a big announcment this week and save Saturday evening. There will be a volunteer appreciation social on Saturday from 7 to 9pm with some great sponsors, food and drinks. WE LOVE OUR VOLUNTEERS!

 

a little sad

Sam's not the only one who's a little sad about Blaine and Alyssa's big move.

Your Sunday reading: How Vegetable Oils Replaced Animal Fats in the American Diet from The Atlantic

Oddly enough, the company to thank for the fact that America now eats so much vegetable oil has never produced much in the way of food. Thanks to Procter & Gamble the United States boosted the production of a waste product of cotton farming, cottonseed oil. To ensure a steady, cheap supply for soap production the company formed a subsidiary in 1902 called Buckeye Cotton Oil Co. Before processing, cottonseed oil is cloudy red and bitter to the taste because of a natural phytochemical called gossypol (it's used today in China as male birth control) and is toxic to most animals, causing dangerous spikes in the body's potassium levels, organ damage, and paralysis.

An issue of Popular Science from the era sums up the evolution of cottonseed nicely: "What was garbage in 1860 was fertilizer in 1870, cattle feed in 1880, and table food and many things else in 1890." But it entered our food supply slowly. It wasn't until a new food-processing invention of hydrogenation that cottonseed oil found its way into the kitchens of America's restaurants and homes.

 

The newest Level Ones

This weekend CrossFit Level1 seminar is underway.

If you've completed the CF-L1 what was your favorite part?  If oyu haven't - do you want to?

Since yesterday when I shared our intention to particpate in CrossFit for Hope our team has raised $700.  I put our goal as $1700 since that is 1/1000 of what CrossFit is trying to raise for St Jude. Thank you Annette and Lisa for your donations.  What we need now is for you guys to sign up to participate.  You can do that here: http://hope.crossfit.com/

"Hope"ful

CrossFit for Hope is coming up Saturday, June 9th.

It's a FGB style workout being done at CrossFit affiliates and by CrossFitters worldwide in hopes of raising 1.7 million dollars - the operating costs of one day at St Jude Childrens Research Hospital.

We are so incredibly lucky to live in the shadow of Seattle Childrens. If there was ever a need, our kids would be cared for by some of the worlds best very close to home. Our family has received top quality, cutting edge care there and while it's a place I wish I would never have to visit again (we'll be there again in 2 weeks. So much for that pipe dream) it's still nice to know it's there if I ever need it.

I'd imagine the community that researches and treats childhood diseases is a small one and there are many ties between our own Childrens and St Judes.  Its for this reason we've chosen to be part of CrossFit for Hope.

Join our team. Join in our efforts - both physically and in fundraising. Save the date. See you on the 9th.

 

Today is my parents 44th wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary to Rick and Susan.

 

*not* cheating

Opening your hands, allowing the bar to rest on the "shelf" of your shoulders, and letting your fingers "babysit" the bar -- all signs of a proper front rack position.  No, it's not cheating.

There's a partner stretch to help you get your elbows high.  Ask me and I'll show you, and I'll try to get some pictures of it and post it here. It's a good one.

Elbow position in the front squat is important for a reason you maybe haven't though of--  If your elbows are near your knees as you descend into the front squat and if they hit each other in the bottom, the bar, which was resting on your shoulder is now trapped between your forearm and your chin.  Your forearm length won't change and that knee/elbow collision will cause a chain reaction resulting in that bar smacking your chin, breaking your teeth, breaking your wrist, if it slips forward it could get your nose.  All bad (painful) things easily avoided by getting your elbows up and away from your knees. 

THATS one reason we harp so loudly on ELBOWS UP!!

exactly.

Guess how much the bars closest to us weigh?  I'm going to tell you they weigh 35# and 65#.  Now lets say Carol (in the blue top and black pants mid pull-up) is doing Fran.  It's about time Carol does Fran as prescribed. She kicks Fran's a$$ in 2:25.  HOLY CRAP CAROL!!!  Erase the leaderboard, Carol has just topped it.  But she hasn't. She accidentally picked up the 35 pound bar for her 15 round.  Sucks.  Disaapointment abounds.  Would have been an RCF record **if only she would have paid attention to how much the bar weighed.**

Guess what, the workout wasn't Fran. It was Regional workout #4. There were no 65# thrusters. There were lots of squats. and pull-ups. and shoulder to overheads. But no Fran.

Where am I going with this you ask?  You know and record the amount of weight you use. Thats how you know if you're getting stronger.  You know and record your Fran time, thats how you know if you PR.

HOW DO YOU KNOW YOUR BODY IS GETTING THE NUTRITION IT NEEDS IF YOU DON'T KNOW AND RECORD WHAT YOU'RE EATING???

In order to really know what you're eating, you have to do 2 things: either cook it yourself or be sure of whats in it and somehow quantify it.  Enter "weigh measure record"

It's May. It's on.

Start today!

Sydney shows that kettlebell who's boss.

The May weigh-measure-record challenge starts today.  Be sure to track everything you put in your pie hole. It's nearly impossible to know where to go or how to get there if you don't know where you're starting from.  This isn't about being perfect, selecting all the right foods, or avoiding beer.  It's about have=ing an accurate record of what you actually eat. Don't guess- weigh and measure.  Don't tell yourself "I'll remember".  WRITE IT DOWN.  Jackie bought a new, cute notebook just for this. Sounds like a perfect idea.

One block = 36 calories of CHO
                   28 calories of PRO 
                   27 calories of FAT 

Some links that will help you--

CFJ #21 has the block chart we use: http://journal.crossfit.com/2004/05/zone-meal-plans-crossfit-journ.tpl

A block chart based on CFJ21 with added foods: http://www.mitymous.net/weights/zoneblox.htm

Block calculator: enter your food and amount and it will tell you the blocks. http://www.formulazone.com/Help.asp?TID=MDSearch

Block food log: www.zonediet.com/Portals/0/Resources/Food-Journal-2012.pdf

 

Tomorrow night kicks of our Wednesday Night Lecture series.  We'll be covering a variety of topics over many of the Wednesdays in May. Take a look at the whiteboard (far left side) for more information.