Monday, November 7, 2011

We've got heat!

Thanks to Danny, his apprentice and the Sask Energy guy they dragged kicking and screaming into my yard, we now have heat in the garage.

Training this winter is going to be very very nice now. You probably can't tell but I am pretty damn excited about it.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

It's been a while!

Sorry for the hiatus in posting... I will really do my best to post at least a few times a week.

Some changes coming down the pipe. I am in the process of becoming an SWA Weightlifting Club.

What does this mean for all you current members? All good things.

For now nothing will really change for the current members. I will try to get those of you who are interested in the new WL club to join me up to 4x/week when I train the Olympic lifts. These WL practices will be closer to 2 hours.

Members of the club will need to be SWA members. It's just a little form to fill out and is $40/year. This will also allow you to compete at WL meets. I would love to have some more lifters to train with and to compete at meets. It's a lot of fun.

I'm still not sure how this will affect the membership price, but it will be in your guys' favour.

So bear with me as I transition into this new format.

I have yet to find a better training method to develop all around athleticism, speed, power, etc...

We'll chat more about in class and start trying out some of the workouts to see what you all think. I'm pretty excited about it! Looking forward to developing some competitive athletes! :) (and don't worry, you can have fun and compete at any and all levels)

Here are some videos of the last meet I was at. My dad only filmed most of my session. We didn't get any footage of the women or the lighter weight men.



Friday, September 16, 2011

Nervous or excited, it's up to you.

“You’re the one who put’s the labels on your nerves. If you’ve been cutting corners or slacking off then by all means, call it nervous. But if you’ve been training hard and putting in the work then it should be called excited.”

I can totally dig this... puts a new spin and perspective on being nervous. I will certainly keep this in mind at my upcoming weightlifting meet.

What can you spin differently with this.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Way to go!

Last night was the last class for this round of On-Rampers. Jay had a huge PR on his baseline, knocked a full 2 minutes off his time. Nice job!

Also of note, Sara has conquered her fear of the 20" box. She has a 23" box jump (looked pretty casual too, but it was a huge PR) and can handle the whole box now.

Great day overall!

Monday, August 29, 2011

No Class tonight

Just a reminder there is no class tonight as I will be stuck at work late. If it work for everyone we can maybe do a class on Friday instead. Otherwise, enjoy the short week. ;)

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

New On-Ramper!

Just wanted to say welcome to Gloria, our newest On-Ramper! Looking forward to getting you 4 into classes (as I'm sure Sara is also looking forward to it heh...)

Also want to give Sara a shout out for her 5 rep press PR after a week off for holidays! Way to go!

Oh, if you're into it, I have a twitter thing setup, going to try it out and see if it's cool or not...


Also our facebook page is here

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Improving your diet in 6 simple phases.

Notice I didn't say easy? The concepts of improving health and fitness through diet and exercise are very simple... but not very easy. I hope that makes sense.

Here is a 6 phase implementation strategy for cleaning up your diet to improve health, fitness and body composition from 70sBig.com.You can (and should) read the whole article here. Something you should know about the good folks at 70sBig.com, they are blunt, straight to the point, and don't pull any punches.

Phase I
- Stop eating processed food (condiments still fine, yogurt fine)
- Stop soda
- Limit milk (or drop it completely if you’re fat)


Phase II
- Cook more meat
- Improve the quality of carbohydrates (single-ingredient sources like oats, rice, whole grain stuff along with obvious tubers/fruit/veggie)
- Increase water intake


Phase III
- Increase fat intake (good oils, nuts, cream, butter, etc.)
- Get consistent with eating times
- Time food intake with respect to training


Phase IV
- Reduce the less natural carbs (like rice and noodles) and get them primarily from tubers, fruits, veggies
- Stop eating chemical sweeteners


Phase V
- Adjust macros for goals (long-term)
- Learn to adjust macros for body fat and weight changes (short-term)


Phase VI
- Tweak specifics for health (e.g. lowering carbs, sodium or fructose to decrease blood pressure)


You are not big boned, ma'am

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Nice work so far!

Just wanted to say good job so far to our new group of On-Rampers! 1 more class and the first week is in the bag! Keep up the good work and I'll see you all on Thursday!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Welcome On-Rampers!

Just want to say welcome to our intrepid trio of new On-rampers! They've been through the intro and are starting their 12 session On-Ramp tonight!

Monday, August 8, 2011

No easy answers

The fitness industry survives by promising immediate results and easy methods. Unfortunately that doesn't work. It's also not how I roll.

You need a few things in order to make gains and achieve goals. Effective programming, proper recovery (nutrition and sleep), and hard, consistent work.

There really is no secret, that's all there is to it.  Give it your all, set goals, track how you're progressing, and adjust as necessary.

Let's get it!





Workout of the day:
With 30 sec rest after each couplet:
30 KB swings / 30 DB push press
20 KB swings / 20 DB push press
10 KB swings / 10 DB push press

Pick weights that are challenging, but not so heavy that it might get sloppy/sketchy.

Monday, July 25, 2011

4th Annual SWA Cobweb Open

There is an Olympic Weightlifting meet coming up! September 24th in Moose Jaw at CrossFit Twenty.

If anyone has been toying with the idea of competing, or is curious about what is involved in an Olympic meet, this would be a great opportunity to try it out.

There is plenty of time to shift the focus of your training towards it if you're interested. Let me know!

Registration link for the 4th Annual SWA Cobweb Open

Friday, July 15, 2011

Solid week everyone

Just wanted to give some shout outs here on some of the performances this week.

Vickie has set another squat PR, 125x3, and over the last couple weeks has PR'd her press, bench and deadlift.

Sara pulled an easy triple at 185 on the deadlift, and has been super consistent coming out. Got up to 60lbs on the barbell bear, at the start she didn't think she'd make it past 45 so way to go!

Amanda has been doing very well too, pulled a triple at 185 on the deadlift (known 1 rep is 200!) And generally kicking ass. Knocked out the barbell bear at 65lbs, which is pretty awesome.

Really great work everyone, keep it up!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Iron and the soul

I've read this essay a few times over the years. It was originally published in Details magazine in 1994. I encourage you to read it, it's good stuff and brings to light some of the hidden benefits of strength training. Things like pride, confidence, self-esteem...


Iron and the Soul – By Henry Rollins
I believe that the definition of definition is reinvention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself.

Completely.

When I was young I had no sense of myself. All I was, was a product of all the fear and humiliation I suffered. Fear of my parents. The humiliation of teachers calling me “garbage can” and telling me I’d be mowing lawns for a living. And the very real terror of my fellow students. I was threatened and beaten up for the color of my skin and my size. I was skinny and clumsy, and when others would tease me I didn’t run home crying, wondering why. I knew all too well. I was there to be antagonized. In sports I was laughed at. A spaz. I was pretty good at boxing but only because the rage that filled my every waking moment made me wild and unpredictable. I fought with some strange fury. The other boys thought I was crazy.

I hated myself all the time. As stupid at it seems now, I wanted to talk like them, dress like them, carry myself with the ease of knowing that I wasn’t going to get pounded in the hallway between classes. Years passed and I learned to keep it all inside. I only talked to a few boys in my grade. Other losers. Some of them are to this day the greatest people I have ever known. Hang out with a guy who has had his head flushed down a toilet a few times, treat him with respect, and you’ll find a faithful friend forever. But even with friends, school sucked. Teachers gave me hard time. I didn’t think much of them either.
Then came Mr. Pepperman, my advisor. He was a powerfully built Vietnam veteran, and he was scary. No one ever talked out of turn in his class. Once one kid did and Mr. P. lifted him off the ground and pinned him to the blackboard. Mr. P. could see that I was in bad shape, and one Friday in October he asked me if I had ever worked out with weights. I told him no. He told me that I was going to take some of the money that I had saved and buy a hundred-pound set of weights at Sears. As I left his office, I started to think of things I would say to him on Monday when he asked about the weights that I was not going to buy. Still, it made me feel special. My father never really got that close to caring. On Saturday I bought the weights, but I couldn’t even drag them to my mom’s car. An attendant laughed at me as he put them on a dolly.

Monday came and I was called into Mr. P.’s office after school. He said that he was going to show me how to work out. He was going to put me on a program and start hitting me in the solar plexus in the hallway when I wasn’t looking. When I could take the punch we would know that we were getting somewhere. At no time was I to look at myself in the mirror or tell anyone at school what I was doing. In the gym he showed me ten basic exercises. I paid more attention than I ever did in any of my classes. I didn’t want to blow it. I went home that night and started right in.

Weeks passed, and every once in a while Mr. P. would give me a shot and drop me in the hallway, sending my books flying. The other students didn’t know what to think. More weeks passed, and I was steadily adding new weights to the bar. I could sense the power inside my body growing. I could feel it.

Right before Christmas break I was walking to class, and from out of nowhere Mr. Pepperman appeared and gave me a shot in the chest. I laughed and kept going. He said I could look at myself now. I got home and ran to the bathroom and pulled off my shirt. I saw a body, not just the shell that housed my stomach and my heart. My biceps bulged. My chest had definition. I felt strong. It was the first time I can remember having a sense of myself. I had done something and no one could ever take it away. You couldn’t say shit to me.

It took me years to fully appreciate the value of the lessons I have learned from the Iron. I used to think that it was my adversary, that I was trying to lift that which does not want to be lifted. I was wrong. When the Iron doesn’t want to come off the mat, it’s the kindest thing it can do for you. If it flew up and went through the ceiling, it wouldn’t teach you anything. That’s the way the Iron talks to you. It tells you that the material you work with is that which you will come to resemble. That which you work against will always work against you.

It wasn’t until my late twenties that I learned that by working out I had given myself a great gift. I learned that nothing good comes without work and a certain amount of pain. When I finish a set that leaves me shaking, I know more about myself. When something gets bad, I know it can’t be as bad as that workout.

I used to fight the pain, but recently this became clear to me: pain is not my enemy; it is my call to greatness. But when dealing with the Iron, one must be careful to interpret the pain correctly. Most injuries involving the Iron come from ego. I once spent a few weeks lifting weight that my body wasn’t ready for and spent a few months not picking up anything heavier than a fork. Try to lift what you’re not prepared to and the Iron will teach you a little lesson in restraint and self-control.

I have never met a truly strong person who didn’t have self-respect. I think a lot of inwardly and outwardly directed contempt passes itself off as self-respect: the idea of raising yourself by stepping on someone’s shoulders instead of doing it yourself. When I see guys working out for cosmetic reasons, I see vanity exposing them in the worst way, as cartoon characters, billboards for imbalance and insecurity. Strength reveals itself through character. It is the difference between bouncers who get off strong-arming people and Mr. Pepperman.

Muscle mass does not always equal strength. Strength is kindness and sensitivity. Strength is understanding that your power is both physical and emotional. That it comes from the body and the mind. And the heart.

Yukio Mishima said that he could not entertain the idea of romance if he was not strong. Romance is such a strong and overwhelming passion, a weakened body cannot sustain it for long. I have some of my most romantic thoughts when I am with the Iron. Once I was in love with a woman. I thought about her the most when the pain from a workout was racing through my body.

Everything in me wanted her. So much so that sex was only a fraction of my total desire. It was the single most intense love I have ever felt, but she lived far away and I didn’t see her very often. Working out was a healthy way of dealing with the loneliness. To this day, when I work out I usually listen to ballads.

I prefer to work out alone. It enables me to concentrate on the lessons that the Iron has for me. Learning about what you’re made of is always time well spent, and I have found no better teacher. The Iron had taught me how to live. Life is capable of driving you out of your mind. The way it all comes down these days, it’s some kind of miracle if you’re not insane. People have become separated from their bodies. They are no longer whole.
I see them move from their offices to their cars and on to their suburban homes. They stress out constantly, they lose sleep, they eat badly. And they behave badly. Their egos run wild; they become motivated by that which will eventually give them a massive stroke. They need the Iron Mind.

Through the years, I have combined meditation, action, and the Iron into a single strength. I believe that when the body is strong, the mind thinks strong thoughts. Time spent away from the Iron makes my mind degenerate. I wallow in a thick depression. My body shuts down my mind.

The Iron is the best antidepressant I have ever found. There is no better way to fight weakness than with strength. Once the mind and body have been awakened to their true potential, it’s impossible to turn back.

The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you’re a god or a total bastard. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds.

Monday, July 11, 2011

The C-word

I'm sure you've all heard it before, and this will be the one time I say it here... Core. I hate this word. It is somehow an all-encompassing word, yet very isolated. If you train it you will be fit and healthy and without ailment... yet it all boils down to doing thousands of reps of 100 different types of situps and various ab work... I don't get it.

Before it was the C-word, it was your trunk, and it went all the way around your torso. It is still there, and it's still your trunk. Its function is to stabilize your spine under loads.

I'm generally not a fan of isolation movements as a general rule. It has its place in rehabbing injuries, and also in advanced trainees who need to target a specific weakness.

If you have a weak, chronically sore back, you should certainly train your trunk musculature. This will allow you to better stabilize your spine, and avoid chronic pain. But doing 1000s of situps is not going to help, it'll further imbalance things and keep you jacked up.

Also, doing 1000s of different situps will not a 6-pack make. 6 pack "abs" are built in the kitchen, and are not going to help you get stronger or faster.

Anyways, just a bit of a rant today, and a little explanation in case you wonder why I never use such a common word.

WOD:
AMRAP in 15 minutes:
5 KB Clean and Press (each arm)
10 Goblet Squats

Friday, July 8, 2011

The basics of getting strong

Strong people are harder to kill and more useful in general. This is paraphrased from Mark Rippetoe and I fully agree. My buddy John fell off a ladder at work and wound up hurting his shoulder, it took a few weeks and he was back to full range of motion, and within a couple months back to normal. A weaker individual would have required surgery to fix it and probably would never have been back to 100%.

Even at work I hear complaints about back pain, see people who can't replace the jug on the water cooler without sustaining serious injury (or just plain can't do it at all). Hobbling around for the weekend with a cane because he had to make several trips up and down the stairs... This is unacceptable. These people are barely middle aged... WTF is life going to like for them when they are 60? 80?

Getting strong is where everyone will see an immediate improvement in quality of life, and it will also help you get better oomph out of your conditioning workouts. Here are the basics for getting strong.

Lift heavy things, eat more than you think you should, sleep as much as you can. Now obviously that is over simplified, but basically that's the jist.

If you're a newby to it, and still considered a novice (has nothing to do with time/experience lifting, but your ability to adapt) then you can just do something like 3 sets of 5 reps on the big lifts, increase the weight you use every workout. After a while you won't be able to adapt workout to workout like that and need to get into a program designed for weekly adaptations, but the overall premise is the same.

We dedicate a large portion of our class time to this, so don't dog it. This is where you make your money and will see the best return on your effort. Hit the barbell hard, it'll pay off big time.

 
185lbsx10 reps, notice how despite lifting heavy and being strong she isn't "big and bulky"?

Monday, July 4, 2011

What are you goals?

Are you training for a specific sport? Want to get stronger? Lose weight? Compete in a new sport? Want to build a better looking physique?

Do you know what your goals are?

If you don't know what your goals are you should probably figure that out. And just like lifting weights, and filing your taxes, there is a right way to set a goal.

SMART: Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. 


Your goal has to be precise, just saying "I want to be strong" is not specific. Saying "I want to squat double my bodyweight" is specific and will also mean you have achieved "strong" (at least some level of strong).


Measurable. Look at the above example, you can't measure "I want to be strong". You can measure double bodyweight.


Attainable. Is it something you believe you can do? If it isn't you will not create the changes in your behaviour and attitude necessary to attain the goal.


Realistic. A goal can still be lofty and be realistic.


Timely. Give yourself a deadline. (remember be realistic!) Without a deadline there is little urgency in achieving the goal. If you have a sports/fitness/strength goal, signing up for competitions are a GREAT way to add a deadline/time element to the goal.


Figure out what you goals are, explain them to me, and we will figure out what you need to do to get there. Remember, there are many ways to train, CrossFit rolls them all into one all around, general program. But we also do pure strength programs, Olympic Weightlifting programs, etc...

Monday, June 27, 2011

Next On-Ramp

Next On-Ramp will be starting in July. I'd like to fill this one up so spread the word! Lets get 5 bodies in the garage for it!

WOD:
6 Rounds for time:
3 Box Jump @80%
100m Sprint
5 Burpees
Rest 1 minute

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Theoretical Hierarchy of Destiny

Last post I talked about CrossFit's theoretical hierarchy of athlete development in a sport. Today I will talk about how that same concept of the pyramid, with the foundation and all the levels that build on it leading you to the top (your ultimate goal).



Just like your athletic endeavors build on a foundation of nutrition, this pyramid stands on a foundation of thoughts and words. What you say and what you think will ultimately direct your actions. Your actions turn into habits, which define you character and ultimately you destiny.

Much like athletic training, if you are not seeing the results you want, you need to look at your nutrition. What are you eating, because that fuels your training and your body. If you aren't where you want to be in life, you need to look at what your thoughts are, what words are you saying, because that fuels your actions.

Greg A is one of the original CrossFit Bad Asses, and also a SUPER nice guy. He was one of the coaches at my Level 1 Cert and taught me how to do muscle ups. Here he is talking exactly about this. (in fact I ripped him off with this post...) but it was just such a good video when I watched it that I had to share it.



Like paleo, and the training we do, it just makes too much sense!

WOD:
3 rounds for time of:
10 Hang Power Clean
15 K2E
20 Pushups
Run 200m

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Theoretical Hierarchy of Sport development

CrossFit has an athletic pyramid of sorts, outlining the theoretical hierarchy of development as an athlete in sports. It looks like this.


What is means is that the foundation for athletic excellence is nutrition. Without a solid foundation of good fuel, your performance will be less than it could be. After that it moves on to metcon, gymnastics, lifting and throwing and finally, your sport. 

The way I look at it, this pyramid isn't quite to scale, It looks like the lifting is half as important as conditioning, which I don't know I agree with, but I guess it depends on your sport. But what I can tell you is that nutrition and consistency are important.

Consistency in your nutrition, consistency in your training, consistency in your maintenance... if you have that, the rest will happen.

WOD:
"Fran"
21-15-9 reps for time of
Thrusters
Pull-ups

Monday, June 13, 2011

Will lifting heavy make me big?

This is a common question and concern I hear from trainees that are new to strength training. Most guys are hoping it will and most women are hoping it won't. Well the short answer is that they are both going to get what they want.

But how can that be? How can lifting heavy make men bigger and not make women bigger? It's quite simple really, lifting heavy will make you stronger. That's it. Getting bigger or not depends on whether you are eating to get bigger. There are also other reasons why men will get bigger by strength training than women will... testosterone! Women are not designed to build mass like men are. The huge bulky behemoths you see doing body building, WWE wrestling, etc... they supplement big time with vitamin S to get that big.

Just think, if it were that easy to get hyooge, there would be a lot more hyooge dudes walking around, and a lot less supplements on the shelves.

Get strong, don't worry about it.

Does she look big and bulky? That's ~175lbs (by my count) that she's snatching with a smile...
WOD:
3 Rounds for time of:
Run 400m
12 Deadlifts
21 Box Jumps

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Movement Standards

I read a pretty good article this morning from an affiliate talking about the movement standards at the Regional Qualifier for the CrossFit Games. The judges thought some of the standards were a little over kill and stupid, as did the athletes. But it wasn't up to the them to decide, the judges were there to enforce the standard, the athletes were there to adapt to, meet and overcome the standard.

Standards aren't there just to make your life miserable, or to be a jerk. They are there because range of motion (ROM) is key. If you aren't getting the right ROM you aren't going to get the right stimulus, therefore you won't get the right response or adaptation. You could very well be setting yourself up for injury by doing it incorrectly. Or perhaps the limited ROM is due to mobility issues that should be dealt with and solved instead of ignoring them.

ROM modifications might be due to an existing injury, and that is ok but on a case by case basis, if you have an injury that needs modifications that's something we would discuss. (I need to know!)

I know I have a tendency to be a little to empathetic to the suffering of CrossFitters, I know what this stuff feels like, I do it too. But don't get mad if I take reps away, or enforce a standard you might think is stupid. There really is a good reason for it, I'm not just being a jerk. It's for your own good and so forth.

WOD
21-15-9 reps for time of:
Burpees
Pull-ups

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Food Hangovers

They are real. I have a good one going today. Yesterday I won at "Chinese food buffet" and am suffering for it today.

A food hangover almost feels like a normal one, tired, gross tummy, grumpy/sad. Just all around not happy to be awake.

Why do they happen? Well if you've spent any time eating nice and clean (ahem... paleo) and then go on a wicked bender of dirty food. (fried gluten soaked in corn syrup sauce) you will wind up feeling terrible. Much like spending some time sober, and then crush a 40 pounder of tequila.

If you are unfamiliar with what we consider clean eating, please head over to our nutrition page, "Go/No-Go for lunch" and read up a bit. Any questions just shoot them my way.



WOD
"Grace"
30 Clean and Jerks

Another benchmark girl today, enjoy!

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

May 31, 2011

Way to go on your first benchmark WOD last night! You did very well and really pushed through. "Helen" is one of my "favourite" benchmarks, but it is pretty uncomfortable when done right. heh

Today we're going to look at more maintenance and preventative stuff. There are a couple things to keep in mind to avoid or deal with injuries. The biggest one is knowing the difference between hurt and injured. If you're hurt, let me know, we can work around it, tape it up, whatever it takes to keep training and not make it worse. Sometimes things hurt because they're pissed off that you're making them work after letting it get away with doing nothing for so long. This is generally OK as long as it doesn't get worse preferably it gets better).

If it is injury, or is going beyond the "hurts good" type of hurt you need to stop and assess it. Maybe it's something we can sub around, maybe it isn't. Maybe it needs to be taped, maybe not. But it's up to you to let me know when something is not right, something is hurting when it shouldn't, and when you need to sub, stop, or whatever.

I don't know what you're feeling, and it's my job to make you better than you were when you showed up, not worse. But if you're not keeping me in the loop on what's going on I can't do that. 

So be smart, keep me posted on what's ailing you and we'll make it better.

Sara getting some pull-ups


WOD:
5 rounds for time of:
5 Deadlifts
15 Push-ups
100' sprint

Monday, May 30, 2011

May 30, 2011

Here we go, first On-Ramp class is over and we're off and running with regular classes, and what better way to celebrate than our very first benchmark girl workout.

Don't be afraid, remember, CrossFit is scaleable to any and all levels. If this looks impossible and terrifying don't worry, you can handle some level of this workout. But trust me, she's a beauty.

Also, training is hard, it's hard on the body but doesn't need to ruin you. Stay on top of your business. www.mobilitywod.com. Don't make me sic K-Star on you. Find your mobility business and get to work on it in your free time. What's that you say? No free time? I hear ya... but for mobility and maintenance even spending 2 minutes in the evening will make a difference. Can you find 2 minutes? Just hit some during commercial breaks, you can find 2 minutes. Go to mobility wod, search for whatever is tight/bothering you, and hit it for 2 minutes.



WOD:
"Helen"
3 rounds for time of:
Run 400m
21 KB Swings
12 Pull-ups

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Update for Wed May 25

I've been slacking hard on keeping things interesting on the site, my bad.

On-Ramp 1 is coming to an end and we're going to be starting up some regular classes. It's looking like the standard class time will be 6pm. There may or may not be classes on the weekend. Class times will largely depend on 2 things. Thing 1 - When you guys want them, and Thing 2 - When I'm available. (Still work a regular 8-5 gig...).

So keep an eye on the schedule page, hopefully it won't take too long to solidify the class schedule. And remember, if I don't now you're coming, I might not be there! Even tho a class is on the calendar, you'll need to confirm that you're coming that day/time so I know to expect someone.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

SWA/CrossFit Closed, preliminary recap

I will write a more comprehensive recap when I'm not doing it from my phone but it was a great day!

Had a great time watching and lifting in my first Olympic Weightlifting meet. It was also combined with a CrossFit WOD for a combined score.

Made some good lifts, almost made a few others, and had a great time with the Saskatchewan CrossFit extended family and Weightlifting community.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Hey ladies!

For all you ladies worried about lifting heavy weights, and getting big and bulky? Check out 70s big on this fine Monday morning. They are dedicating every Monday to 70s Big ladies.

Read the whole article and watch some lifting videos here at 70s Big.com.

Lily is a consistent presence in her north Florida gym. I’ve seen her post online about hitting up squats, deadlifts, snatches, or clean and jerks on holidays — every day is just another training day for Lily. Her 145 pound frame holds a 40″ ass with ease, which easily passes the 38″ mark set for 70′s Big Females. It isn’t just for show; Lily brings her lunch pail to the gym to do some fucking work. Here is the second set of five of high bar squatting 185 for 10 reps. I’ll repeat that again: five sets of 185×10…40 pounds above body weight. And it’s not even hard.
The thing about Lily is that she’s training hard all the time. She doesn’t dabble just because someone told her to squat; she lifts because she loves it. She’s, yet again, proof that lifting and being strong not only doesn’t make a woman BIG, but she’s also proof that there are hardcore women that are lurking behind the scenes in gyms across the world…un-racking the bar one more time.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Intros

Don't forget you can contact us to set up your free intro. Sara and Greg did and they kicked ass! Great work you two, glad to have you on board!

Greg and Sara post their intro "Baseline" workouts.

Monday, April 25, 2011

First On-Ramp starts Monday!

Our first ever CrossFit On-Ramp will begin next Monday!

For those of you not "in the know" the On-Ramp is required for any and all who want to join the CrossFit classes. It is 4 weeks, 3 classes per week on Mondays, Tuesday and Thursdays at 5:30pm. Each class will run about an hour.

The On-Ramp is where new trainees learn the movements, gradually work up into the intensity, and develop the skills, habits and mindset necessary for success in the CrossFit group class environment. For most new trainees, these movements, and the intensity of the workouts, are totally new, and throwing them into the regular group class wouldn't be fair.

Cost is $70 for the 12 sessions, sign up now as space is limited! (maximum 8 trainees)

Kettlebell swings at the old CrossFit Kelowna

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Way to go everyone!

So last night being the 2nd last KB class of the 8 weeks I decided to re-test on the first workout you all did on Day 1. I knew everyone would improve on their times. Well you did not disappoint...

Everyone crushed it! Everyone took about a minute off their time, were doing overhead swings, and the squats were all nice and DEEP too! So you guys had increased the ROM big time over day 1, as well as finishing faster.

Not only were the times better, the ROM (range of motion) was vastly improved, but everyone recovered a LOT faster afterward, and I would seriously doubt that you're all as sore today as you were after that first class...

I'm proud of all of you, you've all come a long way.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Sign up... compete!

That's all it takes to really light a fire under your ass and focus your training. After we moved back here and I was back to training by myself in my garage, I lost focus. Coupled with all the stress of moving halfway across the country, and adapting to a new house, new job, etc... and my training fell apart.

I wasn't consistent, my nutrition dissolved into anarchy. It was a mess.

Once the Kettlebell classes started up and I had new people to share my training knowledge and experience with I found a new spark for training.

Then I heard about an Olympic Weightlifting and CrossFit competition in Moose Jaw. I thought about it for a few days, hummed and hawed about whether or not I should... Then I finally pulled the trigger and signed up.

Let me tell you nothing I've done has improved my focus, and my drive for training like filling out and submitting an online form signing up to compete. It's out there, you can go to their site and see my name on the list of registered competitors. There is no backing out now, time to put up or shut up.

Snatching

I enlisted the help of my friend and coach, Guy Greavette, back out in BC. He's an Olympic Weightlifting coach, and knows his stuff. He competed in the Olympics a few times, trained our lifters that went over to Beijing in the last Olympics and everything.

With him programming my workouts I can't cherry pick the things I like doing, while avoiding doing the hard things I might not like, but need to do in order to improve my weaknesses. I also feel like I can't quit and give up, say "it's too hard, I can't do that" because I don't want to let him down. He has a plan to help me reach my goals, all I have to do is bust my ass and follow it. If I can't be bothered to do that then I'm wasting his time and mine. And I'm not about to do that.

I'll let you all know who my training is going and how I do at the contest. If anyone else is interested in competing just let me know and we'll get it sorted out. Time is getting short tho, the contest is on May 14th in Moose Jaw (link under "events" on the right side of our site here...)

There are really kind of 2 events, a standard Olympic Weightlifting contest, 3 attempts each at the Snatch and Clean & Jerk, as well as a CrossFit WOD competition, As many rounds in 10 minutes of 100m sprints, power snatches and pull-ups.

You don't need to sign up for a lifting event, or a CrossFit event, or even anything "serious"... It could just be signing up for a 5k "fun run" or something. But the lesson here is sign up for SOMETHING. Put your ass on the line, set a goal, and do whatever if takes to achieve it.

My sister signed up for a 10k run and has been following my coaching without question (which is a shock because some of the things I've made her do were questionable... lol) and she has already hit her original goal of running 10k in an hour, and she still has time before the race to get faster.

If you're on the fence about signing up for something it's time to get off. Sign up. It's fun!

Monday, April 18, 2011

Confessions of a Recovering Cardio Junkie

By Ellee for the weekly 70′s Big Females installment

From 70s Big.

"I would now like to take this opportunity to humbly apologize to all the ladies out there. You have been fooled; I was, too. As a group exercise instructor, I never had a diabolical agenda to make you frail and weak. I was simply fed the same pernicious pseudo-fitness garbage that you were. The time has come for you to redirect the energy that you are putting into your current workouts in a way that is actually conducive to getting you the results that you desire. A life spent on those machines is filled with pointless and endless masturbatory pain. And you sure as hell will not be molding the ass you have always dreamed of! Find a good coach and a strong community of supporters that will encourage you along your journey to become a stronger woman."
 Read the full article here.

There you go ladies, get out of the mindset that endless hours of cardio is the only or best way to lose weight and shed some body fat. Or that lifting anything heavier than 3-5lbs is going to instantly balloon you up into a grotesque oversized body builder...

You want a leaner, firmer, tighter physique? Build some muscles, get strong, and your physique will reflect that.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Crossfit – Why Crossfit is the Best Way for Couples to Stay in Shape

 Saw this posted on the CrossFit Forum. It's a link to a website about the DINK (dual income no kids) lifestyle, but this particular article is relevant for all!
DINKs know that traditional workouts are not always the best for your long term health. While you can still burn calories and lose weight, countless hours on the treadmill means worn down knees and joints and no muscle gain.
Crossfit – Why Crossfit is the Best Way for Couples to Stay in Shape
Group of Crossfitters at competition 

Hours of bicep curls and single-joint movements that focus on only one body part at a time mean longer hours in the gym and less time to focus on new experiences outside of the gym.
Crossfit is the solution to less time in the gym, more calorie burning, a better physique and a better sex life too. Crossfit makes you better at…everything. Weighlifters will gain more speed and endurance, runners/swimmers get more stength and flexibility, and couch potatoes increase general health and fitness for everyday life.
In order to understand why Crossfit is one of the best workouts for DINKs, first, you need to understand what Crossfit is. Crossfit is continuously varied, functional movements done at high intensity.
Read the whole article here!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

So... what do I do next? or Life after Kettlebell class

Kettlebell class is ending soon (only a couple weeks left!) and as it stands right now I don't feel there is enough people interested in starting up and running a continuing class of Kettlebells only. So what do you do if you want more? Simple... check out my new class I will be running instead.

Starting at the beginning of May I will be starting up my first CrossFit On-Ramp course. This will be 3 classes per week, for 4 weeks. It is imperative that you are commited and able to make it to ALL of the classes, as the things we do in one class build on things we did in the previous class.

What is the CrossFit On-Ramp? Good question. CrossFit encompasses many disciplines of training and sport, and combines them into a constantly varied training program. We will still be doing all the things we did in Kettlebell class, and much much more. We will also be doing some gymnastics, powerlifting, Olympic Weightlifting, Running, Rowing, Medicine balls, odd object lifting, tire flips, rope climbing... all kind of great stuff. Every class will be different and challenging.

The On-Ramp teaches you all the basic (and not so basic) movements that you'll need to know to participate fully and safely in group CrossFit classes.

The On-Ramp will be limited to 6 people (maybe 8, I'll have to play that one by ear) and will cost $70 for the 4 weeks. After that we will have ongoing regular classes you can attend for a monthly fee based on how many classes you plan to attend.

The On-Ramp and regular classes will be done in my garage. CrossFit is what I was teaching in Kelowna for years, it is what I believe in, and it was what was flavouring my training in the Kettlebell class. If you enjoyed the Kettlebell class, but found you wanted more, or simply want to continue your training, this is the way to go. I promise it'll be more fun, and more effective.

See you all tomorrow!

Monday, April 11, 2011

You can do it!

This is a great story that a friend of mine out in BC shared on facebook this morning. He is also a CrossFit coach, and this is the story of a CrossFit athlete, who started out like pretty much everyone, just wanting to "get in shape" and "look better naked" but realized that she is in fact an athlete. (as we all are/can be).

Read the full story here.

I came into CrossFit as an adult to get rid of my pancake ass.  I certainly wasn’t looking to kick any.

But here I was a year into it, 16 pounds heavier, and competing in an event that requires coordination, athleticism, and gumption.  I had to be coaxed into it, but I was loving it.   Something about the Open forced me to huck my entire soul into the weekly prescribed workouts.  And going full tilt in a workout, in a competitive space – putting yourself fully out there – is exhausting, exhilarating, and awful in a way I can’t quite describe.  It’s addictive.  And as I stared at the prescribed workout on Tuesday, I felt unspeakably sad that it was all going to end, that I was going to have to drop out.
 Read the rest of the story here.

Friday, April 8, 2011

OPT and Matt Lalonde Nutrition Seminar @ CrossFit Regina - May 7th

It is called "The Science of Nutrition - The Basics" and is sponsored by OPT.

You don't want to miss this opportunity to come out and hear Matt Lalonde speak, in person!

Just a month away! This will be Lalonde's ONLY stop in Saskatchewan.

To register and for more information please click on this link:

http://optimumtraining.ca/events/item/opt-nutrition-series-the-science-of-nutrition-the-basics

Outstanding job!

Well done last night everyone. You all tried some of the basic (and not so basic) jump rope drills. Wendi actually nailed double unders first try! Saw some good rope sprints too and everyone was getting the basic bounce down. But everyone killed it when it was WOD time. Really impressed by the effort last night.

Monday, April 4, 2011

It's not about doing more or doing less

It's about doing what is appropriate. If some stimulus is showing a positive adaptation, it is logical to think that more of that stimulus will show an even greater positive adaptation. In reality that is rarely the case. In fact it can actually be counter productive.

Training stimulus creates stress on your body, your body responds to that stress and adapts in ways to allow your body to do that task without suffering stress. This means increasing strength, building stronger tissues, denser bones, greater cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary capacity, etc...

Stress also releases cortisol. Cortisol is good and bad, pretty much like all our hormones, in the right dose it is helpful, as it has a job to do, and in the correct dose it does it. Cortisol releases fat and sugar from stores in our liver to switch us on, give us a quick boost of fuel, giving us the means to overcome our stressor and survive. If you are over doing your training, and creating too much cortisol, you will be releasing too much from the liver and keeping your body high in insulin, storing fat, etc...

Cortisol will mess with sleep. Naturally speaking, you're supposed to be low in cortisol at night and high in the morning. That morning surge is supposed to perk you up out of bed and let you get started with your day. The lull at night lets you drift off to sleep. When you get too jacked up on cortisol you can't get to sleep at night, then you wake up and you're dragging ass so you pound coffee just to get by. Before you know it you're completely at odds with your cortisol and sleep cycle, which just stresses you out even more and keeps escalating the cycle.

This is when people see their mid sections getting/staying squishy, so they think "time to step it up and do more 'cardio'"... which creates even more stress, more cortisol, more squishyness in the middle, and even worse sleep patterns... And the cycle escalates until you simply give up.

So... What should I do about all this? First you need to set some solid training goals. A smart goal is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. (a topic for another day) "Getting in shape", "losing weight", "Getting stronger" are not smart goals. Once you have your smart goals we can devise a plan to achieve them. This plan will include the right stimulus to create the adaptations necessary to achieve the goal, and not wasting any on extra stuff that won't lead me to the goal and will just screw things up with extra stress.

Friday, April 1, 2011

For next week

I want everyone to buy a jump rope. Doesn't have to be fancy but try to get a light, fast, speed rope. Not a heavy, thick, slow rope. Something like this:





I think walmart might have some? It doesn't have to be fancy. To make sure it's long enough, here is the test. Stand on the middle of the rope with one foot. Pull the handles up side by side and even at the tips, to your shoulder. You want minimum for the handle ends to come to your arm pit, but even that is on the short side, top of the shoulder would be ideal.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Self Confidence, do you have it?

This is a great article I just saw posted on facebook by my friend and coach out in Kelowna, John Gillis.

Full article can be read here.

"First, you need to eliminate all negative statements aimed at yourself. No matter how bad you fail at something, never, ever refer to yourself in a negative way.
Understand this: Actions fail, individuals do not. In other words, you failed at something because of what you did or didn't do, not because of who you are.
Actions can be changed. Failure is a temporary state that can be turned into success by taking the right action. Believing this is the key to developing a winner's mindset.
Second, learn to disregard negative statements from others. Negativity surrounds us all. There will always be someone telling you that you can't achieve your goals.
They might say they're "only looking out for your best interests" and provide you with several "logical" reasons why you might fail. But no matter how right they appear to be, you must reject this or it will impede your ability to achieve your goals.
Negativity often comes from those closest to you. Sadly, those who've failed to achieve their own success often try to prevent others from achieving it as well. You must be able to completely disregard that negativity or it'll hold you back from your true potential."
I recommend you read the full article, it's good stuff.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Linear progression and instant gratification

One of the things I like best about linear progression strength training is the instant gratification. It's exciting! Every workout you get to do better than your last workout... Instant progress! (not to mention getting strong is great. Strong people are more useful in general and harder to kill)

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about I will give you the run down. Linear progression means you are a beginner or novice trainee. This has nothing to do with your experience, but has everything to do with your level of adaptation. If you can adapt workout to workout you are a novice. The best training program for a novice who can adapt that quickly is a linear progression.

Here is a basic program taken from Coach Rip;'s "Starting Strength". 2 workouts, A and B. You perform 3 a week on Mon, Wed, Fri. So week 1 is ABA, week 2 is BAB, etc... Workout A is Squat, Press, Power Clean. B is Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift. Work sets are 3 sets of 5, except deadlift which is 1 set of 5, and power cleans are 5 sets of 3.

Every workout session you add weight to the bar from last time. To find your starting weight, on your first workout you do sets of 5, gradually increasing weight until the bar slows down a bit, finish your 3 sets of 5 there and that's it. Next workout add 5lbs to that weight for your work sets. (work sets as described above do not include warmup sets).

That's where the "linear" comes in. If you make a graph of your progress, it will be a steady slope up. So every workout you beat your last effort. Every workout you see progress. It's exciting! And we have a few people now who meet on Mondays and Wednesdays to work on this.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

3.24.11

Warm-up: 5 TGU and 5 Windmills
Tech: Deadlift and SDHP
WOD: "KB Sasquatch"
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps for time of:
SDHP
Push Press

Training vs Exercising

How many of you are going to the gym for exercise? How many of you are training to improve your strength, conditioning, etc?

What is the difference you might be wondering? Well it's quite simple actually... Exercise hurts and is done for penance. You go to the gym, do 3x15 on 15 different single joint movements. This hurts, it burns, it's uncomfortable. But you're able to flagellate away all the guilt you have for watching too much TV, eating too much junk food, not eating enough veggies, not being active in your daily life, etc... Exercise is something you do because you'd feel bad if you didn't.

Training on the other hand isn't conducted in the same fashion. If you're training for strength you come in, do 3 sets of 5 on 2 or 3 lifts, stretch out and call it a day. You aren't going to be a wiped out sweaty mess on the floor, you're not going to be hobbling around for days, and you probably won't feel much "burn" from it. In fact, in the beginning you might not feel very "worked out" at all afterward. But guess what, that's ok! Because training has a plan, it has progress in mind. You get stronger, you put more weight on the bar and you start knocking goals off your list. Training is what you do because you feel great when you do! You get excited about it because you can measure your progress! Progress that goes beyond the number on the scale and focuses on performance markers instead.

Exercising or training also affects your nutrition. When you exercise you go on a diet. Right there that makes both of them unsustainable... It's something you're doing short term, to drop so many pounds/inches for a specific event, and then you're done. When you're training you're eating to support it. You eat in such a way that fuels performance and progress. It is sustainable because it's a shift in lifestyle towards being able to do things better.

I hope I'm getting my point across here, but think about it. Are you currently exercising or training? If you'd like to get off the hamster wheel and talk about training, drop me an email and we'll set up an intro. Serious training isn't for everyone, but if you've been exercising for a while and aren't happy with your results, perhaps it's time to start training.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Nutrition page coming soon

Alright folks, you've told me you're interested in my nutritional advice (which I can't take credit for, really it's Robb Wolf's advice bastardized by me...) but it is coming.

I will make a page with some general guidelines and provide a link to Robb Wolf's getting started guide.

I will also have a series of posts going into some of the finer details of the science behind the guidelines.

There will also be some changed to the site, more regular updates, and most likely some drastic design changes as well.

We're just getting started folks, and you're in at the ground floor! Isn't it exciting?

-----------------------------
Edit:
It begins! Check out the page "Go/No-Go" for lunch!

Friday, March 11, 2011

Day 8, also music suggestions

Don't forget your squats!

I'm also looking for suggestions for what you'd like to have as music during class. Give me some suggestions, otherwise you'll be stuck with what I like.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Day 6 Squat Challenge!

All right everyone, today is day 6, we call got caught up last night in class so you just need 6 today. Use this challenge as a means to perfect the air squat. Really work on getting the right depth and posture. If you struggle with the depth this is the perfect opportunity to work on it.

Break it up into sets small enough to allow proper form. (might not be as necessary early on as it will be later). This isn't a race, it is volume and practice.

Remember the basics, feet flat and drive through the heels, if it helps hold your toes up inside your shoes.  Keep your chest up and back arched (not rounded), keep your hands up high to help with this. Knees are out over the toes, not rolling to the inside, your femur should be in line with your foot. Sit back and down, get that butt back, and try to keep your knees from tracking too far out past the toes.

Take your time and do it right.


Look like this
Not like this



Sunday, March 6, 2011

100 Day Squat challenge?

It has come to my attention that Dawna has started a 100 day squat challenge. The way these work is 1 squat on day 1. 2 on Day 2, 3 on day 3... and so on. If you miss a day you make it up on the next day. for example you miss day 5, on day 6 you have to do 11 (5+6).

Who's in? I think she's even planned an event for the end, a get together for drinks and stuff.

As the coach I will do double, so 2 on day 1, 4 on day 2... etc.

Friday, March 4, 2011

2nd Class

Missed a few of you but we had a good time anyway! Everyone was sore but raring to go, love it!

Here's the recap:
Warm-up: running and burpees! (yay burpees!)

Reviewed: Squats, 2H swing and around the body pass

Learned: 1H Swing, Snatch high pull, Lunge Pass, Goblet Squat

WOD: 
3 minute KB Circuit
rest 1 minute
4 minute KB Circuit
rest 1 minute
3 minute KB Circuit

I am working on a handout for everyone outlining the type of fitness I'm teaching. (the method to the madness) as well as a basic primer on nutrition for optimal performance, body composition, etc...

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

First class in the bag!

Outstanding work tonight ladies! You all did very well. I hope I didn't scare anyone away, but still piqued your interest.

To recap what went down (in case you've forgotten/repressed it already)

  • Pre-warmup, what is it, how to do it.
  • Warm-up event, squats, pushups, situps, runs.
  • Tech/skill instruction: 2 hand KB swing, around the body pass

WOD (workout of the day):
2 Rounds for time of:
25 2H swings
20 Situps
15 Squats
10 Pushups
Run 2 laps of the gym

I'll see you all on Thursday! If you have any suggestions for music choices let me know, otherwise you'll wind up with what I like. mwahaha! Oh, and I hope no one is camera shy, as I think this site needs some action shots. (don't worry, I'm not about posting anything embarrassing, just stuff for bragging rights)

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Kettlebells are coming

Picking up the Kettlebells this weekend. Getting pretty psyched! One week people, are you ready?!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

We have a warm space!


Location confirmed! Classes will be at:

École Père Mercure
1881 99th St
North Battleford.

There is one thing, one of the Tuesdays in April will need to be moved to a Wednesday, but we will make sure everyone is up to speed on that in class.

Tuesday April 12 will be moved to Wednesday April 13, for those of you playing along online.


Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Class is filling up!

Response has been awesome so far! We have 9 people signed up already, and a bunch of people who have yet to, but are going to... keep it up people! If you are on the fence, or procrastinating, just do it, before it's too late and you need to wait for the next one!

Going to nail down a location today (I hope) and get the waiver/par-q uploaded. Stay tuned!

Edit: Par-Q/Waiver is uploaded! You can download or print it here.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Added online payment options

I've had lots of people want to know how to sign up and how to do the pre-order, well I added some paypal buttons to the right here. You can add whichever kettlebells you want to your cart, and even pay for the classes now (or wait until classes start, your call).


If you don't want to rock the paypal, that's cool. Just contact me and I'll get you all signed up and take the payment for the pre-order.

I will also upload a waiver/par-q form that you can print and have filled out for the first class, and will also have some available to fill out at that time.

It's shaping up to be a sweet class, so keep spreading the word!

Friday, February 4, 2011

Kettlebell class update

Have decided that it will be Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30pm.

Kettlebell Pre-order is happening Feb 15 so get in on that for this discount price:

8kg - $40
12kg - $45
16kg - $50


Otherwise talk to Flaman fitness, they can get them in from the Saskatoon store.

Location is still TBD, but am leaning towards St. Mary's gym.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Way to go!

Just want to say way to go to everyone for their hard work yesterday.

Rocked out some Tabatas and everyone did very well. Overhead presses, everyone pushed it real good, certainly testing the limits and pushing their boundaries. Need to make a note about Cherie and her 80lbs for 3 sets of 5 reps.

Also Vickie deadlifting 135lbs for a set of 5.  She didn't ask if she could do an extra set today. >:)

I'll have to start taking some pictures and stuff again, been slacking off there.

Monday, January 31, 2011

New class coming up

Here is the scoop folks. There is a new class in the works for us. We're talking Kettlebells. These old school implements will make you lean and mean. A great conditioning tool with a strength endurance and repetitive power flavour.

A typical class will consist of a warm-up, skill practice and instruction, and a conditioning workout. A class will run about an hour. Dress for it, bring a towel and water bottle. No constrictive clothing, you will be moving a lot and in new and exciting ways.

Ok on to the details.

Duration: 8 weeks
Date: Starts March 1, 2011. Classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays
Time: TBD
Place: TBD
Cost: $80 for 8 weeks, 2 classes per week, and you need to purchase your own Kettlebell ($40-50 depending on weight)

Stay tuned for more details as they unfold. We would like to place our Kettlebell order by middle of February, so contact me to sign up and pre-order your kettlebell.

Drop a note in the comments or contact me to sign up.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

First Post

Battleford's Fit Pit is just starting up. We've had a few ladies training since last fall but we're looking at adding some things, and doing some things a bit differently. Stay tuned for updates, posts, pics, and workouts.