4 Things Women Should Be Doing in Their Fitness Training—But Aren’t

March 16, 2011 by Leave a comment

This is a good read.  Crossfit methodology & training comes to mind when I read this! 

4 Things Women Should be Doing in the Fitness Training – But Aren’t – By Chelsea Bush, US News, Wed, Feb 23, 2011

If your workouts consist of doing light weights and steady-state cardio, you might be in for some bad news: These things alone won’t likely get you the results you’re after, say experts. To increase your fitness level, burn fat, and improve muscle tone, you’ve got to step up your game.

Here are four things women tend to skip that can deliver serious results.

1. High-intensity training.

All that time coasting on the elliptical at a comfortable pace probably hasn’t done much for your body, says Panama-based trainer Belinda Benn, creator of the Breakthrough Physique home fitness system. In fact, the biggest mistake women make in their training is not exercising with enough intensity, she says.

High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is typically a 10- to 20-minute workout that alternates short, intense bursts of activity with moderate-exertion recovery periods. “High-intensity interval training  is the best way to improve your overall fitness, burn fat, and stimulate your hormones for a stronger body,” says Benn.

How to tell if you’re training hard enough? Look to your body for clues, Benn says. Good indicators are sweating, increased heart rate, and lactic acid production (i.e., feeling the “burn”) during exercise. Moderate muscle soreness for up to a few days post-workout is also a good sign. “If you feel nothing,” Benn says, “you probably didn’t work out hard enough.”

2. Heavier lifting.

For most women, a typical weight-training session equals light dumbbell exercises, says Toronto-based strength and conditioning specialist Craig Ballantyne, creator of the Turbulence Training Program. But doing fewer reps with more weight—say, 8 reps per set with a 15-pound dumbbell, instead of 15 reps with an 8-pound one—will burn more fat, he says. Lifting heavier will also increase your strength and muscle definition.

Start by swapping out your normal weights for slightly heavier ones, and gradually work your way up.

3. Upper body workouts.

Women tend to store body fat around the waist, hips, and thighs, so that’s where they typically focus their exercise efforts—neglecting their upper bodies, Benn says.

But you can’t spot-reduce fat, and sticking with what’s easy can stunt your progress, says Benn. Because you may feel weak while attempting pull-ups for the first time, Benn suggests doing the hard stuff at the start of your workout, “when you’re freshest and feeling mentally strong.”

“Focusing on underdeveloped muscles will improve the contours of your body,” Benn says.

4. Training with a barbell.

Think barbells are synonymous with back-breaking chest presses? Not so. “You can do a tremendous workout just with a barbell,” Benn says. “If you’re holding a bar rather than using two separate weights, it forces you to get your body  in sync.”

Barbells are great for both upper- and lower-body exercises. Balancing one across your shoulders while doing squats, lunges, or walking lunges helps develop posture and balance, Benn says.

If you’re flirting with a barbell for the first time, go as light as you need to. Even 10 pounds is a good start.

Bonus tip:

If you’re worried you’ll bulk up with any of these exercises, consider your body type. Benn says women generally fall into two categories: those who build muscle easily, and those who don’t. If you build muscle easily, she suggests emphasizing high-intensity exercises. If you develop muscle slowly, you’ll benefit from spending more time on heavy lifting.

Chelsea Bush writes for AskFitnessCoach , a site that promotes a down-to-earth approach to fitness and weight loss. 

Filed under CrossFit Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How often do we hear “Suck it up buttercup”?!!!!!!!

March 15, 2011 by 1 Comment


on 14 March, 2011

I  got this post from Whole9 and find it very interesting.  I know there is a lot of us in our box that struggle with the idea of resting and don’t get that our body needs to recover.

Read this, I enjoyed it and liked very much the end when it says our bodies don’t get fitter during training, but they do while recovering and the two things  must go together.

The Path of the Buttercup

**Note, this is a revised version of the original Buttercup post, originally written for the Urban Gets Diesel blog.**

The subjects of rest, recovery, over-training and injury are hot topics in any health-minded community.  Debating, “Should I rest or push through it?” is never-ending, and a quick Google search, message board scan or poll of the coaches in your gym will provide you with rationale to back up whatever decision you choose to make.  A while back, a popular fitness message board entertained this discussion, with one participant writing, “It always seems to me that pain and discomfort are inevitably handled the wrong way by most people. Either you are like most of ‘us’, and you’re really tempted to (and often do) train through it.   The (other) kind of people…are the kind that use pain or discomfort as an excuse to give up the program all together. So why is it that we all deal with discomfort in different – but wrong  – ways?  Those that need rest often don’t take it, while ‘they’ use it as an excuse to throw their hands in the air and give up.”

What the author was proposing is that both groups – the hard-core, elite athletes and the recreational, less committed exercisers– handle over-training in the opposite fashion. “We” push through the pain, even when severe, while “they” choose to bail under only mild duress. From this, it sounds as though the motivation for both sets of actions – pushing through and bailing – are polar opposites. Upon thinking about it further, however, we propose that both groups are, in fact, doing the same damn thing.

Two Sides of the Same Coin

People naturally choose the path of least resistance. For the non-athlete, a little bit of pain (usually in the form of delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS) is an easy excuse to abandon their program altogether. For those who aren’t committed, aren’t motivated, aren’t excited about hitting the gym, skipping their workout (or a week of workouts) requires the least amount of effort, and is quickly justified to themselves and others. “Better safe than sorry” is far easier to tell yourself than, “Suck it up, buttercup”, despite the fact that moving around is often helpful for general muscle soreness.

After you gain experience with training, however, you’ll know the difference between DOMS and over-training, being beat up and being injured.   Where you go wrong is ignoring that difference, and continuing to train through more serious conditions. See, YOUR path of least resistance is for you to ignore the pain, weakness or illness and simply push through it.   Wait, hold on… that doesn’t sound easy!  That sounds like you’re toughing it out and taking the harder route.  Sounds like it, maybe… but it’s not.  Your path - ignoring the signals your body is trying to send you and pushing through anyway - is easy for two reasons.

Your Path of Least Resistance

First, by pushing on (even when you know you shouldn’t), you can then maintain your Training Plan. The alternative  is to take an unscheduled rest day (gasp!), and deal with the consequences of having to abandon The Plan. So you will ignore pain in your shoulder if it’s push jerk and pull-up day, because, well… it’s PUSH JERK AND PULL-UP DAY. And if you miss that, then when are you going to make up that workout? Because you can’t skip deadlift day. Or squat day. Or met-con day. Maybe you could do two workouts on Saturday, but even you know that doesn’t sound very Smart. So given all of these competing, confusing, seemingly unsolvable issues… it is easier just to stick to The Plan and train through the pain.

Just as significant is the fact that unplanned rest can be even more mentally taxing than your physical training. Spontaneous and unwelcome days off can wreak havoc on your constitution. We heard one gym-goer describe it like this: “Often (extra rest) can far surpass actual physical discomfort or pain. I know I need to rest, but my brain says – you are a wuss, you should just suck it up and do the workout, all the cool kids are doing it”. Successfully making it through an unplanned rest day is, for most, an exercise in mental discipline. You feel weak, lazy, chubby, slow. You feel like a quitter, a slacker, a tourist in FitnessTown. And that little voice inside your head can be pretty persistent… which makes it even easier to just say, “Screw it, I’m going to the gym anyway”.

But look… that course of action is no different than the other side of the coin, where the non-athlete would abandon the entire week’s efforts because of one day of discomfort.  The “difference” is often erroneously perceived because it appears as though you are so dedicated that you can will yourself to train through anything. But pretending your over-trained, injured or sick status simply doesn’t exist is taking the lazy way out… and in essence, no different than giving up entirely.

You Don’t Get Fitter By Training, Right?

Improvements in fitness don’t come while you’re training… they come while you are recovering from training.  And just like your actual exercise, recovery is an active process, and requires serious effort. You have to devote time and energy to my recovery – you have to get enough sleep, eat enough high quality food, drink enough water, stretch, foam roll and care for your muscles. You can’t just sit back and expect it to happen all by itself – yet that is what you are trying to do, every time you decide to blindly follow Your Plan despite being over-trained, ill or injured. So the next time you’re thinking about taking the lazy way out, remember this – your recovery deserves just as much attention as your physical training, and demands just as much mental discipline. Which means that, “Suck it up, buttercup” may just need to be the mantra for your next REST day, too.

Filed under CrossFit, Front Side

You Need Protein for a number of reasons!

March 15, 2011 by Leave a comment

You need protein for a number of reasons:

It’s required for good skeletal health; contrary to what many vegetarians will scream, animal protein doesn’t leach calcium from the bones, leading to osteoporosis. In fact, inadequate protein intake is a huge risk for the debilitating bone disease.

It provides amino acids, which play multiple roles in the human body. They act as building blocks for most bodily structures, including hair, organs, skin, and muscles. Using amino acids, we build new tissue and repair damaged tissue. Lifting weights “damages” muscle tissue; we repair the damage with amino acids. Amino acids also act as precursors to hormones and neurotransmitters, like serotonin (the amino acid tryptophan) and dopamine (the amino acid tyrosine).

It’s good for quality of life, especially in the later years where folks are more susceptible to skeletal muscle wasting. You try keeping up with your grandkids while experiencing severe systemic muscle atrophy!

It’s good for satiety. Younger and older men eating 1g protein per kg of bodyweight had greater satiation than similarly aged men eating either 0.75g/kg or 0.5g/kg, and they reported a superior ability to stick to an eating plan

Filed under CrossFit, Paleo Info & Discussions Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hydration Reminder

March 14, 2011 by 2 Comments

I wanted to remind everyone the importance of hydration throughout the day.   I’m only bring this up as it has been lacking in my daily routine.  Lately, I’ve noticed my WOD intensity and stamina a little under funded so to speak.  I have also been experiencing some light cramping in my calves and hamstrings from time to time during and at the end of my WODs!   This is key indicator that your body is lacking fluid.    Looking at my journaling and thinking about my daily habits, I realized, I was lacking water intake, especially between 9am and noon and 1pm and 4pm.   I am working hard to remedy this in my own routine and challenge you to do the same.   I do start off each morning with 2 – 8 oz to 10 oz glasses of H20!  I think this is a good habit to get into for everyone.  For me thought, it’s after that intake that I fall way short.  Moving forward, I will try to have 2 more glasses of H20 around 10am, 2 at lunch (which I already have), and 2 around 2 to 3pm.     I also have a pre workout drink that has 160z of water about 20 min out from my WOD so I’m covered there.  I also keep a bottle of water near by my station for hydration during my WOD.   This is also a good habit to get into.   While I don’t always hydrate during my WODs (some are too short to stop and drink something during), I do hit the bottle right after each WOD.  I also take a post WOD drink that has 16 oz of water in it.   Just wanted to bring this issue to the forefront again.   So, drink up my friends!

Filed under CrossFit, Paleo Info & Discussions Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Update: How Lactic Acid Prevents Fatigue

March 11, 2011 by 5 Comments

Stumbled upon this interesting article on competitor.com on Lactic Acid and fatigue.  Seems contrary to traditional thoughts on this chemical build up (during heightened physical activity)  with in the body regarding fatigue?  Very interesting.   Enjoy.

Sports Science Update: How Lactic Acid Prevents Fatigue

Two new studies demonstrate that much-maligned lactate is benign at worst and beneficial at best.

Written by: Matt Fitzgerald

It happens sooner or later every July. I’ll be watching television coverage of the Tour de France on Versus and either Paul Sherwin or Phil Liggett will make some reference to “massive lactic acid buildup” causing a particular cyclist to bonk. In these moments I doubt that the masses will ever get the memo that everything they were once taught about lactic acid is wrong.

The old line on lactic acid is that 1) it is a byproduct of anaerobic muscle metabolism at high exercise intensities, 2) it causes fatigue by making the muscles more acidic, 3) it cannot be used directly by the muscles as fuel, and 4) it causes post-workout muscle soreness. The new line on lactic acid is that 1) the muscles don’t produce it at all, but instead produce its close cousin, lactate, 2) lactate is not a byproduct of anaerobic metabolism but an intermediate product of aerobic metabolism, 3) about 75 percent of the lactate produced by the muscles is used aerobically within them as fuel, 4) lactate does not cause fatigue by making the muscles more acidic but actually prevents fatigue in a manner I’ll explain in the next few paragraphs, and 5) lactate has no relationship to muscle soreness whatsoever.

A new study out of Aarhus University in Denmark provides evidence for point #4. Before I discuss it, though, let me first say this: muscles work kind of like batteries. They run on electricity and, like batteries, they are most powerful when they are highly polarized. When you start exercise, there is a large disparity in the strength of the positive electrical charge between the interior of the muscle cell and the extracellular space outside it. This allows electrical signals sent to the muscle cell from the brain through nerves to pass through the cell membrane easily and induce strong contractions. But as high-intensity exercise continues, potassium ions steadily leak out of the muscle cell into the extracellular space, causing a depolarizing effect. As the charge difference between the inside and outside of the muscle cell decreases, electrical currents have a harder time getting in and muscle contractions become weaker.

Now, it so happens that the accumulation of potassium ions and the buildup of lactate during high-intensity exercise are highly synchronized. This suggests that the two processes are somehow linked. Researchers at Aarhus University wanted to figure out how these two processes interacted, so they designed the following experiment.

Leg muscles were removed from rats and place in fluid baths with electrical currents hooked up to them. By measuring the strength of these muscles’ contractions in response to a consistent amount of electrical stimulation, the researchers were able to determine the effects of different things they added to the fluid bath on the fatigue state of the muscles. The two things they added, both separately and together, were potassium ions and lactic acid.

What did they find? They found that extreme acidification alone caused the muscles to lose contractile power—that is, it caused them to fatigue. They found that adding a bunch of potassium ions to the fluid bath also caused fatigue. But when potassium ions and lactic acid were added together, the muscles function just as well as they did when neither substance was added.

What does this tell us? It tells us that, far from causing fatigue in the exercising muscle, lactate production actually prevents fatigue by counteracting the effects of depolarization. To draw an analogy, depolarization is like the drain on your cell phone’s battery that happens while you use it. Lactate production is like plugging your phone into a charger while you use it. It counteracts the drain.

While I have your attention, I’ll tell you briefly about another new study involving potassium ions and lactate. As you know from experience, the harder you run, the harder you breathe. The physiological mechanisms that cause you to breathe harder as you exercise harder are complex and not fully understood. Researchers at the University of North Carolina recently set up an experiment designed to determine if increased ventilation during exercise was related to the accumulation of either potassium ions or lactate in the blood.

The researchers had a group of triathletes hop on exercise bikes and ride at incrementally increasing intensity until they were exhausted. They did this on two occasions, once with normal muscle glycogen levels and once with low muscle glycogen levels. Since lactate comes from glycogen, the purpose of having the triathletes perform the test with low glycogen levels was to reduce lactate production at higher exercise intensities. Since potassium ion accumulation would be unaffected by reduced glycogen, this protocol allowed the researchers to separate the effects of potassium ions and lactate on breathing.

What did they find? The relationship between potassium ion accumulation and breathing intensity was consistent between the two trials, whereas the relationship between blood lactate levels and ventilation differed. This finding suggests that lactate accumulation is not a major trigger of increased breathing intensity during exercise.

The verdict is in: lactate is not guilty on all counts.

Filed under CrossFit Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Training Volume and Specific Energy

March 10, 2011 by Leave a comment

Training Volume and Specific Energy by Matt S @ CFE

CrossFit is intense. CrossFit + CrossFit Endurance is intense, with added volume. One of the downsides to a training regimen like CFE is that it can accelerate overtraining.

Overtraining means you have outstripped your body’s ability to recover between bouts of work. As a result you can become overly sore, have low energy, lose sleep, become moody, lose your appetite and generally fall into a downward spiral of feeling like utter crap. If left unchecked you can develop symptoms that seem similar to Mononuecleosis, and in the extreme case, become bedridden for up to several weeks (if you have ever gotten to this state, you know you don’t want to ever do it again — MattS).

We want you to be proactive with your recovery and make sure you listen to your body day to day. One concept that can help you is called: Specific Energy, i.e. – your relative ability to accomplish work in a given time, in this case, 1 day.

Now, the generic Rx for CFE is to CrossFit 4-6 times per week, and 2-3 CFE WODs per week — Max!This assumes you have to do CFE WODs on the same days as CrossFit WODs, that you get adequate rest and recovery between each WOD and also assumes that your CrossFit WODs are in the 5-15 min range. So extra Murph and Angie length WODs will start to drive up the volume just as much as any additional CFE WODs.

When you wake up in the morning and you’re staring at two WODs that day. We want you to first take account of how you feel, and your Specific Energy for training that day. Did you sleep well? Have you been eating well? Are you stressed? Any major soreness? If you have more than a few of these issues that day, more training volume may start putting you under, since your Specific Energy is lower than normal due to inadequate recovery.

…So what should I do if I’m starting to go into the Red on Specific Energy?

Reduce Your Training Volume 

  • Go Green or Blue level on your CF WODs (no need to beat the hell out of yourself if you’re still recovering)
  • Delete your CFE WOD (remember CrossFit is the program, CFE is the supplement)

Take Rest Days

  • Don’t be afraid to just ante up and delete a few days off from CrossFit when you need it
  • Active rest days (with core work and stretching/foam-rolling) work wonders as well

We get better by recovering from hard efforts. We fall into overtraining with too much exercise volume, too intense a training program, or both. Stay proactive, and make sure you are recovering!

Here is another good article on Overtraining & Under-Recovery, [Link].

Filed under CrossFit Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matt From SFH visits CFBF and Discussed the Need for Post WOD Nutrition!

March 8, 2011 by 1 Comment

Matt Aporta from Stronger Faster Healthier paid a visit to CrossFit by  BodyFit.  It was great to visit with Matt and get his insight on all the SFH products.   He discussed the need to oil up and also discussed the need for post WOD nutrition in the form of protein and amino acid uptake.  Be sure to visit the SFH website to review all the supplements they offer to fuel your body before and after  WODding.  Any questions feel free to email or message Matt from the site.   There is tons of information on their site!  Jump over there and check it out!   Thanks Matt for stopping by, hanging with our group, and WODding with us!   It was insightful and fun!  Now all you CFBF’ers get your fish oil and post workout shake on! 

Here’s a great read from Crossfit Endurance on the importance of post WOD nutrition.  Enjoy!   Be sure to post up any comments or questions you have!  

Post WOD Nutrition.

Refuel to Maximize Recovery: 

Let’s take a take a look at Overtraining, Specific Energy and the idea that you need to recover from your training or you’ll be digging yourself a deep hole on your recovery.   

One of the major components to your recovery is Nutrition.  How and what are you fueling up with?  When we start bringing the overall CrossFit training volume up, by adding on heavy WODs — Nutrition needs to start playing a larger role in your daily life.  

 So let me cut to the chase… If you are not eating something within 30min Post-Workout, especially on days you have CrossFit and/or CFE — you are leaving added recovery and performance on the table! Short intense CrossFit WODs may not dip heavily into your muscles glycogen reserves, but add to that stress a 20-30min CFE WOD earlier in the day or a heavy WOD and you’re starting to look a little haggard. It helps to have a Nutritional boost to get you through.

A rough Formula for Post WOD fueling  to Maximize Recovery would look something like this:

Carbohydrate + Protein snack (i.e. <200 Cal) in a 4:1 Ratio with little to no Fat, take within 30 Minutes of hard effort, then try to get your next meal down within 2 Hours.

This can be either Liquid or Solid food. Liquid sources are fast absorbing and can be easier to prepare, put down and absorbed. However Liquid foods will always provide for a larger insulin spike which is arguably beneficial post workout. Solid food can be the cleanest foods if you are on the track for a Paleo lifestyle, but aren’t always convenient.

Carbohydrates Sources:

  •  Sweet Potato or Yams are the top dog!
  • Coconut Water is a fantastic liquid base (some top choices – Zico, O.N.E., VitaCoco)
  • Starchy Veggies like Carrots can get you by if you don’t like Sweet Potato
  • Limit your Fruit intake on very heavy days (Fructose has been shown to favor liver, not muscle glycogen)
  • Avoid Simple Sugars (Sucrose, Fructose, Stevia, etc… especially HFCS)
  • Complex Carbohydrate powders can be used (i.e. Maltodextrin) but there are better choices (see above)

 Protein Sources: 

  • Lean Meats (i.e. – Chicken, Turkey, Bison, etc.)
  • Whey Protein Isolate powder is great for Liquids (some top choices – SFH)
  • If avoiding whey but you want a liquid snack, try Branch Chain Amino Acids (ex. Link)
  • Make sure to check the ingredients if using powders (avoid simple sugars and odd ingredients you can’t pronounce)
  • Milk is a powerful tool, but unless you are shooting to be a Mass Gainer — avoid it!

 Here are some of my example Post WOD snacks (MattS): 

  • 1/2 Sweet Potato/Yam (steamed, cooked, mashed, sticks, all-good!) and 2oz Grassfed Beef Jerky
  • “Easy Day” Shake (1 can of Coconut Water, 1/2 scoop of Whey Protein Isolate, 1 tsp of BCAA Powder and Cinnamon)
  • Sweet Potato Shake (1/2 of a small Sweet Potato - Steamed/Pureed,1 can of Coconut Water, 1/2 scoop of Whey Protein Isolate, 1 tsp of BCAA Powder and Cinnamon)

Although we are all about maximizing your recovery, here is another good overview from the Living Paleo Blog which delves into PWO foods skewed to either Mass Building or Body Comp [Link].

Filed under CrossFit Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Big Picture and the “WHY”

March 6, 2011 by 1 Comment

From the first day I started CrossFit over 3 years ago, I have honestly never contemplated or asked myself why I do CrossFit?  Even after a long grueling Hero type WOD, I have always seen the big picture for myself that CrossFit offered.  I have simply continued CrossFit because I absolutely fell in love with people, the format and the overall concept.   The high intensity, functional movements and variance of the program has always kept me coming back, hungry for more.    While I’ve lagged in my workouts from time to time and in the past doubted my training, “why I’m doing this to myself” has honestly never crossed my mind,  not even during the most grueling of WODs.   I ran across this article a couple of days back, and it got me to thinking for the first time…  “why do I do this to myself?”   My conclusion…  well it’s more complicated, that just saying I do this to myself because I love the prople or I love CrossFit!   What I found, after asking myself the question, is, there really is no single reason that I can put my finger on.   There are many reasons that are intertwined together that make CrossFit what it is…   my passion and my life!    

While I think I’m not alone in this thought process, I can see many people struggling with this question, especially in the middle of a grueling WOD or beat down.   For those who need to find a why or two, I offer this great article from  CrossFit MoMMy  Maybe her insight will help you find your inner peace with your own “why do I do this to myself “?    I do know, that after reading this article, that I need search deeper within my self and find a ”why”!   I know that during the next TNT or grueling WOD, when that question crosses my mind, and I know it will now, I will have a mental response from myself!   Enjoy the read and work on the why’s for yourself while I continue to search for mine!   

CrossFit MoMMy, Where the Workout of the Day is a break from the rest of the day!

After a particularly hard work out, a dear friend wondered aloud, “Why do we do this to ourselves?”

Usually I’d have some pithy answer handy, that would make us both laugh, but I had nothing. I felt tired, sore and broken…both mentally and physically. I gave her a half-hearted smile and said, “Because it is better than the alternative?” (The alternative meant feeling old, unhealthy and stagnant.) I’d lived the alternative most of my life and had no plans to go back, but at that moment, I was beginning to question my future with CrossFit.

“Why was I doing this to myself?”

I thought on this question long and hard and it took me several weeks to find the answer. I made a list of pros and cons and in the end; I had to strip my experience of both to see what was left. For me the “bad” was my ego and that inner-voice telling me I suck, it was the whiteboard, the scrapes, rips and bruises, and the “good” was a great group of CrossFit friends and a stronger, healthier body.

But what if I removed the “good”, would I still want to participate?

In the end the simplified answer was, “Yes, because I enjoy it.” Plain and simple, I enjoy the challenge and being fit helps me enjoy the rest of my life more. But I won’t lie, having people around who support me makes the experience a helluva lot better. In fact, some days it is all that gets me through the door.

I’ve also made a point to track my progress better and set attainable goals. And let me tell ya, there is nothing better than reaching a goal you have worked your tail off to achieve. It took me nearly 16 months of ring rows, jumping pull-ups, big bands, small bands and one teeny, tiny band to get my unassisted pull-ups. But when it happened, I was so proud I jumped around the gym like a fool!

However, after my initial joy, I got a little quiet, a little embarrassed even. I mean it took me 16 months to do something others were doing in 4 months.

What did I have to be so proud of?

The next time I was in the gym, I grabbed the pull-up bar with silent excitement and did another pull-up. I was doing the happy dance in my mind and then something nice happened, a small sort of kindness that finally cleared my head. Someone I’d been working out with for months, someone I looked up to, she noticed too…she knew I’d been working on pull-ups forever and she let me know how happy she was for me. That small act of kindness lifted my spirits and nearly broke my heart at the same time. It was just what I needed.

So, to finally answer your question, my dear friend, “Why do we do this to ourselves?”

Because it IS better than the alternative and if you look at your experience honestly, you already know the answer. When the workout kicks your behind and you feel like you want to quit, you won’t and I will be happy for you and in that crazy, scary, wonderful CrossFit sort of way, you enjoy the challenge too.

Going strong and I am not done yet,
MM

Filed under CrossFit Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Lethal Combination!

March 4, 2011 by Leave a comment

Tired of the same old exercise day in and day out?  Doing a few arm curls, leg extensions, then heading to the cross trainer or treadmill got you bored stiff out of your mind?  Running in circles on a tread mill, for and hour, day, after day, after day?  Same old Diet got you down?  Come have some fun with the CrossFit by BodyFit group!  Everything we do is fun, functional, varied and scalable! 

 Try this Lethal Combination!  

    and   

CrossFit by BodyFit offers Elite coaching, education about real nutrition, consistent educational improvements, clinics, seminars, guest instructors, events, lectures, and the opportunity to change your life.  

Everyday in life we run, we jump, we push stuff, we pick things up, we lift things over our heads, all we do at CrossFit by BodyFit is take all these movements and put them into a fun and effective exercise program!  

Big box gyms charge $24.95 a month and offer NOTHING listed above except a large space to do a few arm curls, leg extensions, work a few machines and run the treadmill or ellipticals.    Move over to the fun side of life!

Filed under CrossFit, Paleo Info & Discussions Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Meal of the Day – Check it out!

March 4, 2011 by Leave a comment

Be sure to check out the new meal of the day tab at the right hand side bar just above the CrossFit by BodyFit Icon. This tab will provide a new paleo style meal recipe each day! Meal of the day is provided by thefoodee project! Another great tool of your use! Enjoy!

Filed under CrossFit, Front Side, Paleo Info & Discussions Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

← Older posts

Newer posts →

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 45 other followers