Below is an excellent video on injury and recovery.  In sport and in life, this web injuries happen.  Fitness is both preventative and rehabilitative: your fitness protects you from injuries, stomach and will help you recover from them.  It’s cool to watch Zach Krych hit PR’s after a catastrophic injury, but the most important part of the video is watching him do what he can with his limitations.  Zach back squats with casts because that’s what he can do.  He slowly builds his strength and confidence (a huge part of injury recovery) slowly, but steadily.   Injuries, just like developing fitness, can be scaled and worked around.  As coaches, we are usually aware of issues you may have, but make sure you communicate injuries and limitations so we can adjust the workouts to your ability.   [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj-gyl-e4y0&w=420&h=315] Love the music!   Workout of the Day 3 RFT 10 Deadlift...Read more

The Fuzz from CrossFit Invictus.  Lots of great (some familiar links) and videos here.  If video of the interior of the human body bothers you, search be warned.  I think “fuzz” is a good description for what we feel as we develop our fitness.  Some times, click you may develop pinpoint soreness: like in you calves after a ton of double unders, web or in your traps after lots of heavy cleans, or after “Angie” when you can’t straighten your arms!  This type of soreness may hinder your ability to complete tasks for a day to two because you’re so uncomfortable. More often, I get the “fuzz”.  Sometimes it’s worse than others.  For me, the benchmark WODs like, Fran and Angie, where the reps are high and you go (relatively) fast, I experience a whole body tightness.  I have described it before as feeling like my body is shrink wrapped....Read more

Self-Taught Raquetball Player Is in a Class by Himself from the New York Times.  Fascinating story I had never heard of: complete dominance from a self taught player.  In a time when kids are specializing in sports more, buy and starting to specialize younger, # sale with dedicated coaching, this story is even more of an outlier. 20 step story of a typical CrossFitter.  This list is fun, but I have some qualms with it, especially #9.  Ripping your hands is not “cool”.  It does not feel cool. Take care of your hands! A Trick to Getting Your Kids to Eat Their Veggies: Serve Them Less from the Atlantic (my favorite magazine).     Workout of the Day 25 Kettlebell Swings Run 200m 50 Kettlebell Swings Run 400m 75 Kettlebell Swings Run 800m Men 1.5pd, Ladies 1pdRead more

Tonight  I am proud to announce the winners of the Paleo Challenge. I don’t want to be that mom who thinks everyone should get a trophy, ambulance because you should only get one if you put in the hard work. There was hard work done here over the past 4 weeks. 14 people signed up for this challenge, and they are now down only in inches and weight. Collectively,we have lost over 40# and over 50″! Eating Paleo is all in the preparation. All of the foods are whole foods, and easily accessible in grocery stores, yet the average American wouldn’t hit the Raley’s in search of lunch. The challengers took on eating: Meat, poultry, fish and eggs, low starch veggies, little fruit, some nuts and seeds, & good fats.  No dairy. No grains. No legumes. There is strength in community and what strength we had! A Facebook page was...Read more

CFO sent 2 teams to the CrossFit Combat Fitness Valentine’s Couples Challenge in Fresno on Saturday.  This was a fun, salve low key event that raised money for a ministry in Haiti.  Alison and I finished 1st, sick and Tricia and Bob W. finished 8th out of 20 teams. It’s no secret that I love CrossFit competitions: you put yourself “in the arena”, you push yourself harder than you thought, and you learn SO much about yourself.  This was my second team/couples event, and I have to say, I like team events even more than individual.  It’s more fun, as the camaraderie is palpable: you really want to work hard for your team.  At the same time, it you have a weakness, or get tired, your teammate can pick you up.  It’s like all the things that are great about CrossFit, and all the things that are great about team...Read more