The Four Elements of Efficiency
October 13, 2008
The Four Elements of Efficiency:
Perfect Form
This refers to the quality and preciseness of the primary element of the movement. In the case of a Kettlebell swing, the primary element is hip extension. Because the hip joint and the knee joint are connected directly via the femur, they must move at the same time or in “Bone Rhythm”.
Dynamic Postural Alignment
Once perfect form is established, then dynamic postural alignment can be developed. Dynamic postural alignment refers to the posture or positioning and mobility of all the joints in the body in reference to the prime mover. An example would be letting your neck create a sharp angle during the kettlebell swing. This compression in the cervical spine will actually make you weaker as a result of the “Arthrokinetic Reflex”. The spine must remain long and open throughout movement. Read more
Gabriela Martinez — Taking Charge!
September 25, 2008
Congratulations to Gaby Martinez. She competed in a 13 week “Biggest Loser” contest at her work. The object was to see who could drop the largest percentage of body fat. Gaby narrowly missed a first place win and finished in a close second.
Gaby started CrossFitting with us several weeks into the competition and her favorite workout quickly became “Fight Gone Bad”! She surely is a glutton for punishment! Read more
Top 10 Tips for Developing Functional Flexibility
August 24, 2008
Here are the top 10 tips for developing functional flexibility:
- Do not stretch ligaments!
- Hit your intended target every time you stretch. Don’t stretch your lumbar spine when your intended target is the hamstrings!
- Develop your Dynamic Joint Mobility (control of a joint through its entire range of motion), Dynamic stretching (active stretching that occurs during movement. For example, leg swings and overhead squats), and Static stretching (statically held position designed to improve flexibility in static positions).
- Perform Dynamic Joint Mobility first, Dynamic Stretching second, and Static stretching last (should be done last to avoid injury during workout due to destabilization of the joints).
- Try to bridge the gap between your active and passive flexibility. This reduces chance of injury.
- Develop functional flexibility by improving your strength in full range of motion functional movements, such as those used in CrossFit. Functional flexibility differs from “Contortionist Flexibility” because it demands strength throughout the entire range of motion.
- Mild to excessive thirst
- Fatigue
- Headach
- Dry mouth
- Little or no urination
- Muscle weakness
- Dizziness
- Lightheadedness
Hydration: How Much is Enough?
August 6, 2008
Those of you who have had the “pleasure” of participating in a group class that I have coached know that it irks me when one of our CrossFitters stops in the middle of a short workout like “Fran” or “Helen” to get a drink of water. I always politely inform the offending (and oftentimes unsuspecting) CrossFitter that they will not get dehydrated in a 10 minute workout!
If your workouts last 30 minutes or less you should be able to just hydrate before and after your workout and be okay. Only if your training sessions are over 30 minutes in duration should you also be drinking water during your training session.
Signs and Symptoms of Dehydration
Low levels of dehydration do have physiological consequences. A loss of 2% bodyweight (just 3lbs for a 150lb person) causes an increase in perceived effort and is claimed to reduce performance by 10-20%. A fluid loss exceeding 3-5% bodyweight reduces aerobic exercise performance noticeably and impairs reaction time, judgment, concentration and decision making – vital elements in all sports, from pole-vaulting to football. A particular issue for boxers is that dehydration increases risk of brain injury. Read more
Working Wounded
July 2, 2008
It is inevitable that anyone who trains hard regularly will eventually experience an injury. It is easy for someone who is typically very active to get depressed or down when they are out for a long period of time with injury. It is important, however, to view the injury as an opportunity to develop a new skill or improve an old one.
For example, while you are healing your shoulder, you can take the time to develop a one-legged squat. This new skill will benefit you greatly after your injury has healed, and it may be something you would not have developed if it wasn’t for the injury!
The most common training injuries are chronic, nagging injuries that start small and get worse if they are not addressed. Here we will identify the three most common CrossFit related injuries, and what to do about them.
1. Torn callous from pull-ups (or concrete bear crawls).
This can be a frequent occurrence and can disrupt your pull-up training volume.
Most of the time this can be prevented by
a) using the correct grip on the bar for high rep pull-ups and/or
b) gradually increasing your pull-up volume.
Using a monkey grip (mostly fingers and less palm) is easier on the hands than full palm grip for high rep pull-ups.
Treatment options: I personally prefer to put super glue around the perimeter of the flap of skin that is torn. This usually allows me to do pull ups the next day, and it generally holds for 3-4 days. When the skin flap comes up, you can just trim it and sand it down. This is great because the new skin typically grows in during that time. Read more
Stop Letting Your Food Get You High!
July 2, 2008
Have you ever been around someone who acts like an “addict,” needing a fix whenever they go without food too long? Or they might see, smell and think about sweets like chocolate cake throughout the entire day. Have you ever been that person? Many of us can relate one way or the other but many of us tend to dismiss the fact that the same hormones regulated by drugs can also be impacted by the food we eat.
According to Wikipedia “Dopamine has many functions in the brain, including important roles in behavior and cognition, motor activity, motivation and reward, sleep, mood, attention, and learning. Dopamine is commonly associated with the pleasure system of the brain, providing feelings of enjoyment and reinforcement to motivate a person Read more
Perfecting the Warm Up (and Down)
June 16, 2008
The “perfect” warm up and warm down should include the following components in the following order:
1. Dynamic Joint Mobility and other neural warm up drills to get the nervous system and body communicating clearly. Most warm ups neglect this and go straight to elevating the heart rate.
2. Dynamic Movements that increase in skill required which ultimately mimic the athletic activity that is going to take place.
3. Athletic Activity – This is when your workout or sport is performed. If you are just doing skill practice or some heavy lifts, then you can even repeat 1 and 2 between sets to help fine tune your movement. If you are doing a WoD for time, then not so much! Read more
The Golden Rules of Sleep
June 16, 2008
Along with exercise and proper nutrition, sleep is essential to your training program. Follow these rules to stay healthy and energized and to encourage muscle growth:
Rule 1: Sleep 9 hours uninterrupted per night. (Including weekends)
Rule 2: Establish a routine. Set up your pre-bed routine and be in bed around the same time every night.
Rule 3: Build a sleep chamber devoid of light, noise and other distractions (2 year-olds). The best sleeping environment is a quiet, dark, and cool room. Read more5 Ways to Maximize Fat Loss
May 11, 2008
1. Eat FAT to lose FAT
The more fat you intake, the more efficiently your body uses fat for fuel. If you are a carb loader, then you will get more efficient at using carbs for fuel. The problem with getting more of your caloric intake from carbs or protein is that you have to be careful to keep your blood sugar levels stable or you may spike your insulin. A large enough Insulin spike depletes the blood sugar, leaving you with a low concentration of blood sugar, thus creating a craving for more carbs so that you can be in homeostasis (balance) again. More carbs = More Fat Storage
Eat just enough protein and carbs to meet your nutritional requirements (read Enter the Zone), and support additional caloric demands with more Omega 3 fatty acids. Read more
What Can I Have For A Snack and Still Stay in the Zone?
April 24, 2008
Question:
What can I have for an “easy” snack and still stay in the Zone?Answer:
On the Zone, every meal and snack should provide 40% of calories from carbohydrate, 30% from protein and 30% from fat – 40:30:30 ratio. If you are on the Athlete’s Zone, your fat will constitute a higher percentage.
Try dividing your plate into three parts to make the Zone easier to follow: Read more
