With week 6 of the CrossFit Open coming to an end, the SoCal CrossFit Sectionals plan to wrap it up with a bang. This weekend in Aliso Viejo, Calif., over 300 athletes will be competing in hopes of getting their fastest times possible and qualifying for the 2011 CrossFit Regionals.
The CrossFit Sectionals gives the athletes the opportunity to compete in a game sized stage. Furthermore this competitive setting will serve as a preview to the CrossFit Regionals as it showcases some of the top competitors.
The Sectionals will be a full day event with the fastest heat going off at the end of the day. In addition to getting a good workout, or watching some great athletes getting a workout, there will also be vendors that serve the CrossFit community, food trucks, a beer garden, fundraisers and much more throughout the day.
So, if you are in the area, check it out! Free admission for spectators!
Good luck to all the athletes competing tomorrow! Shout out to my friend Gabriel Perez! Have Fun!!
Check out the leader board for some of the top athletes you may see tomorrow!
One of my favorite parts of the year is all of the holidays and it is not because of all the food, family or presents present on that day. Rather it is because of the workout of the day. In most workouts, you are tackling a standard workout of what seems to be an outrageous number of sets and reps all on your own.
However, at CrossFit Monrovia at least, you get to have a little more fun (but really, when is a WOD ever not fun?). Whether it is Christmas, New Years, Thanksgiving, Labor Day, a wedding announcement, Halloween or even Easter, these lab rats know how to create some of the greatest WODs around.
These WODs usually consist of a theme around the holiday being celebrated and are often in teams (it gets pretty competitive!).In the past some of these WODs have consisted of chasing down fed-ex which was really running around the block with a stack of boxes filled with weights, or pushing a two-ton truck across thestreet, Santa’s cookie and milk (downing an Oreo and glass of milk at the “starting gate”), a sobriety test (taking a shot of alcohol or apple juice followed by somersaulting to a beam,
walking across the beam, and ending with a 180 degree burpee), midnight fireworks (star-jumping over your teammates to make it across the room) and many more fun and kooky things.
What are you’re holiday workout plans? Thinking of trying something new, fun and maybe even a little crazy? Maybe a little Bunny Gone Bad (a twist on fight gone bad)?
People spend enormous amounts of time trying to find the best exercise, whether it is walking, running, squats, the butterfly stroke, jump roping or anything else that comes to mind.
Yet, if you ask a number of doctors and physiologist which exercise is the best, you are bound to get a variety of answers.
“Trying to choose a single best exercise is like trying to condense the entire field of exercise science,” Martin Gibala, the chairman of the department of kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario said to New York Times Magazine.
When pressed for an answer, however, Gibala suggested the Burpee, “one of the foundations of old-fashioned calisthenics,” (and of crossfit!!!)
A burpee consists of dropping to the ground, kicking your feet our behind you and dropping into a push-up, pulling your feet back in and jumping up as high as you can (while clapping your hands together overhead).
Gibala added that, “It builds muscles. It builds endurance; but it’s hard to imagine most people enjoying an all-burpees program, or sticking with it for long.”
I can attest to that as well as anyone who has ever done a workout consisting of burpees. Burpees are one of the most painful bodyweight movements if done correctly and at high-intensity.
However, many physiologists believe that other movements are the best form of exercise. Michael Joyner, M.D., a professor of anesthesiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. said to New York Times Magazine that, “brisk walking is far and away the single best exercise.”
However, Stuart Phillips, Ph.D., a professor of kinesiology at McMaster University and an expert on the effects of resistance training on the human body “nominates the squat; it activates the body’s biggest muscles, those in the buttocks, back and legs.”
Gibala suggested that one could make a strong case for high intensity training (H.I.T.). Not only is it adaptable to almost any sport, it also aids in reducing blood-sugar levels, and diabetes risks. Gibala also expects that it aids in weight control.
As a person with experience in a variety of exercises, I believe that a combination of each movement is most effective, as long as it is executed as a high intensity. However, I must also attest for the burpee, while I find this to be one of the worst and most painful movements, it is definitely one of the most effective movements, in that it requires the use of your ENTIRE body, from arms to your core, back, glutes and legs...as well as your lungs! Dare you to try it! :)
While diet and exercise are two very important aspects to living healthy. Every now and again, it is also very important to take a break and treat yourself.
In times of high stress, we often tend to forget about ourselves, and enjoying life--you know, that laissez-faire approach. My challenge to you today is to take a break, enjoy the sun, and get a free scoop of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream! That's right! FREE!!!
Being on a diet and going out to eat have always been a common problem. While eating paleo may seem impossible to do at a restaurant, it is rather simple. Below are some restaurants that make eating paleo super easy.
Paleo- A prefix that means "prehistoric" or "early or primitive" (as in Paleolithic).
Paleo can be most simply described as a way of life, just like crossfit. It is often referred to as the “caveman diet.” Paleo is a diet of simplicity; it contains only the basics and removes all foods that are processed, that we have become so dependent on. While paleo is rather a simple diet, it is also quite complex in understanding it, so for further information, I would recommend reading The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet, Paleo Diet For Athletes, and any other book you can get your hands on.
However, if you are looking for a lighter read, I am here to offer you the cliff notes version.
Furthermore, the paleo is a low carb diet. Fear not though, for you will be getting plenty of carbs from your fruits and vegetables rather than from breads and cereals. In addition, unlike most diets, eating paleo encourages the consumption of healthy fats, which can be consumed through foods such as avocados, olive oil and almonds. And finally, the greatest things about paleo, no scale or measuring device needed. Just eat when you are hungry, and focus on getting lean protein into your diet.
When talking about the college experience, often times one of the first things that comes to mind is the “freshman 15”. Most often this “freshman 15” is not restricted to your freshman year, but to your entire career as a college student; and what is to blame for this, your diet. As you get further and further into the year, especially around times of high stress such as midterm week and finals week, one of the first things we disregard is our diet. Instead of sticking to eating healthy and natural foods, we fall into the trap of midnight study sessions accompanied by pizza, soda and a bag of chips; something that is fast, quick and easy to eat, and on the go.
At most universities, a large majority of students eat at the cafeteria. In this video below, a couple of students explain why it is important to eat healthy, and their tips for doing so at the University of Portland Commons (aka the cafeteria).
With week 6 of the CrossFit Open coming to an end, the SoCal CrossFit Sectionals plan to wrap it up with a bang. This weekend in Aliso Viejo, Calif., over 300 athletes will be competing in hopes of getting their fastest times possible and qualifying for the 2011 CrossFit Regionals.
