Much of the benefit that we get out of what we do in the gym comes from doing the things that take us outside of our comfort zone. We find that we get better the more that we face things that make us a bit uncomfortable.

Carlie has taken on every challenge we’ve thrown at her in the short few months that she has been with us and you all have seen the kind of performance output that she has displayed. You’d never know it by talking to her though since she is as humble as she is powerful. That humility is in fact so great that she was hoping to let her birthday pass without any acknowledgement from her CECF family.

Sorry, Carlie but we’re going to take you outside of that comfort zone and wish you the happiest of birthdays nonetheless! We’re proud to have you as a part of our team and look forward to your continued development as an athlete. Have a great one!

ANNOUNCEMENT! WE WILL BE CLOSED ON MONDAY IN OBSERVANCE OF LABOR DAY. Have a fun and safe long weekend.

WOD – 9.3.2010

2 Minute Defense
5 Rounds:
1 Power Clean
3 Hang Squat Cleans
2 Jerks
Sprint 200 feet.

Rest 2 minutes. Rinse and Repeat. Post total time to comments.

2 Minute Defense Demo [wmv][mov]

In yesterday’s workout, some of you may have experienced the feeling of coming out of the gate fast and hard like a thoroughbred. However, by the 10th and final round, you may have felt more like a three-legged turtle. Sometimes we can benefit from the full throttle approach to a workout but many times that quick start can result in a slower finish with time wasted while resting too much. At times, gaming a workout can allow us to finish the prescribed work more quickly and efficiently ending in a greater power output.

CrossFit One World owner, Freddy Camacho makes a compelling argument for this notion in his debut as a SicFit contributing blogger:

The Tactical CrossFitter

WOD – 9.2.2010

“Helen”
3 rounds:
400 m run
21 kettlebell swings (35/53)
12 pullups

OPT = Power output! “Helen” by OPT – video [wmv] [mov]

One of the nutritional guidelines we teach our athletes as they begin our program is the Paleo diet. Robb Wolf has long been a proponent of this lifestyle and has traveled the world for the last few years giving seminars on its benefits. He’s been able to reach many people through his seminars but is now hoping to cast a wider net with his message as he releases his new book, The Paleolithic Solution, later this month. The video above is preview of his new work.

WOD – 9.1.2010

Dumbbell Snatch 5-5-5 (each arm)

10 Rounds
30 seconds wallball
30 seconds box jump
1 minute rest

Perform this with a partner. One partner works for 1 minute while the other rests and then switch places at the top of each minute so that the entire workout will last 20 minutes.

Below is a guest post from kettlebell athlete Jen. Many times, when someone begins a fitness quest, they tend to become fixated with reaching a certain number on the scale. This fixation can easily become an obsession and that person can lose sight of the bigger picture. Through sharing her story, Jen encourages you to forget what the scale says and focus on the positive changes you can see in the mirror and through performance.

WOD – 8.31.2010

Row 1000 meters
21-15-9
Knees To Elbows
Push Press
Burpees

Max reps ring pullups X 2

Today is a bit of a test. For the past few months, we’ve added some extra strength work and today we’re going to see how far our experiment has taken us through the test that is known as the CrossFit Total.

There are a few guidelines for performing this workout:

Warmup using the table on the whiteboard (in the gym) before performing your first official attempt. The first attempt would be a weight you know you can do for a heavy set of three. The second attempt would be a weight you know without any doubt that you could do for a single, having just done the first attempt. And the third attempt is the weight you want to do, based on your performance on the previous two attempts.

Squat

The press is also done from the racks. The bar is held in both hands in front of the neck, taken out of the rack and walked back away from the rack. No contact with the rack is permitted until the bar is replaced in the racks. Once the stance is assumed it cannot change until the lift is completed. The starting position must be upright, with the knees and hips fully extended and the chest up. The bar must be in contact with the top of the shoulders or the chest, whichever individual flexibility permits. After the starting position is correctly assumed, the bar is pressed overhead until the elbows are completely extended, with the bar in a position directly above the ears. Once this position has been attained, the bar is lowered back to the front of the shoulders and walked back into the rack and replaced.

Deadlift

The deadlift is performed with the bar on the platform or floor. The lifter assumes a position facing the bar, with the bar parallel to the lifter’s frontal plane. The bar is gripped with both hands, and pulled with one continuous uninterrupted movement until the lifter is standing erect with knees and hips fully extended, the chest up and shoulders back. Once this position is attained and the bar is motionless, the bar is lowered under control with both hands back to the ground. The bar may not be dropped.

A full description of the CrossFit Total can be found in this free pdf download from the CrossFit Journal.

WOD – 8.30.2010

“CrossFit Total”
Back squat, 1 rep
Shoulder Press, 1 rep
Deadlift, 1 rep

Sadly, American farms are looking less and less like this.

Inspired by a sobering post by Marcus at CrossFit Intrepid yesterday, today we’ll offer a few links about the many benefits of grass-fed beef. Although we are not as fortunate as our neighbors in the northern part of our state that boast a large number of farms and ranches producing grassfed meat, eggs and dairy products, we can still buy a few varieties of grass-fed meat at some local markets. Locally you can find it at Henry’s Marketplace (Temecula Pkwy, Winchester), Trader Joe’s (Winchester), and Sprouts Natural Market (Winchester) just to name a few. If you know of any other spots where you can pick up grass-fed beef, go ahead and post them to comments.

Further Reading:

John Robbins – What about grass-fed beef?
Dr. Michael Eades – Another reason to eat grass-fed beef

WOD – 8.27.2010

Weighted Box Step-Ups (resist the assistance of your back leg when stepping up as much as possible)
10-10-10

3 rounds for time:
200m Run
30 Kettlebell Swings
30 Box Jumps

From MilitaryTimes.com:

Army Sgt. Keith A. Coe

Died April 27, 2010 serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom

30, of Auburndale, Fla.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; died April 27 in Khalis, Iraq, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an explosive device.

‘Coe Daddy’ served as the family prankster

Keith Coe and his brother, Matt, had a rough childhood and didn’t always get along. But that didn’t keep them from being close friends later in life.

As kids, Matt would say, “Let’s go to Blockbuster and get a movie.” Keith would reply, “Let’s get on top of Blockbuster and make a movie.”

“He kicked the crap out of me for the first 11 years of my life. You know, big brother stuff,” Matt Coe said.

Keith Coe also was the family prankster, the man known to his soldiers as “Coe Daddy” who worked extra hard to make sure the men reporting to him couldn’t outdo him.

The 30-year-old from Auburndale, Fla., was killed April 27 in Khalis, Iraq. He was assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

Keith Coe got into some trouble with the law and spent time in jail, but made a complete turnaround when he was released, his family said. He met his wife at a restaurant the pair worked at, and they capped off their marriage with a Hawaiian-themed wedding, said his grandmother Dawn Jones. Of course, grass hula skirts had to be part of the deal.

Among those surviving Coe are his wife, Katrina; two sons, Killian and Keith Jr., and a daughter, Klover.

WOD -8.26.2010

“Coe”

Ten rounds for time of:
10 Thrusters
10 Ring push-ups*

*sub parallette pushups or hand-release pushups