Happy Birthday Sonia! You’ve made so many gains this year, can’t wait to see what the next year holds!

Here’s a post from Sonia’s husband, David.

The holiday season is here and many of us will be travelling, visiting friends and family and away from the gym. I had a few people ask me about doing workouts while they’re on the road, so I thought I’d offer a few resources. One great option is to find a CrossFit gym to drop into where ever you are staying. The community aspect of CrossFit is one of the things that makes it so great, so don’t be shy about dropping in for a workout. While there’s no place like home, sometimes it’s fun to get exposure to the culture of other boxes.

If you can’t make it into a box, you’re mostly limited to body weight and endurance type movements. There are tons of travel wod websites available with different different versions of the same movements. If you have a pull up bar available to you, your options open up quite a bit. Also, if there is a spare dumbbell around you can use it to add a little weight to some of those body weight movements. The one thing I suggest you bring with you is your jump rope. If you are still perfecting your dubs, this is a great time to work on them and incorporate them into all of your workouts (just make sure you’re rolling your feet and calves). Below are a few of my go-to workouts on the road:

- 100 burpees for time (I usually break this up with a run every 20 burpees or maybe 10-20 sit-ups every 20 burpees depending on the weather)

- “Annie” 50-40-30-20-10 dubs, sit ups

- Tabata anything, usually I do air squats (rest on the bottom of the squat if you really want to feel the burn  )

I like to incorporate movements that aren’t done as often, such as tuck jumps, jumping jacks or broad jumps (better yet, burpee broad jumps), this helps me get out of the burpee, sit up, push up, squat routines I can get into while I’m travelling. Another pointer is to be set on the workout before you get started and commit to it. If you’re doing the WOD in a hotel or at your house, usually no one is there to hold you accountable. So if you decide to do 8 rounds of 10 push ups 10 sit ups 10 squats, then commit to all 8 rounds and try to avoid being tempted to call it good after round 5.

Here are some links to some Travel WOD ideas, apparently there are even some travel wod apps out there:

http://reebokcrossfitone.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Travel-WODs.pdf

http://www.thetravelingwod.com/p/traveling-wods.html

http://www.crossfitsteelecreek.com/about/the-workouts/100-travel-workouts/

http://www.travelwodsapp.com/

Happy Travel WODing!

The Intrepid family just got bigger! Congratulations to James and his wife Evelyn on the arrival of their baby girl Caelyn and congratulations to Jeanne and her husband Clement on the arrival of their baby boy Walden, who will go by Wallie (or Jeanne’s little “Wall Ball”)!

Caelyn

Walden

WOD 12.19.13

Skills Day

Intrepids ready to brave the cold at last December’s Spartan Race in Malibu

I recently discovered that Lululemon has a blog (as long as I’ve been an addict, I’m surprised it took me this long to find it). After this recent cold spell and after spending a day competing in the cold air up at CrossFit Fast, a recent Lulu blog post on lip balms for the winter months caught my eye. One of Lululemon’s bloggers tested out 10 common lip balms and put them to the test. She came up with a rating system and posted her top 5. She based her ratings on 5 topics, packaging, texture, longevity, scent and hydration. She then rated these topics 1 – 10, with 1 being “you’re better off not wearing it at all” and 10  being “change nothing about this balm.” Her top 5 are listed below, you can find the ratings and additional comments on the blog post. I added some comments below and included any environmental working group rating I could find on the product. If you’re unfamiliar with the EWG ratings, see Ruth’s post here.

1. Alba Lip Balm in Pineapple Quench

- This she gave a 6.2 and the EWG rating was a 2 (low)

2. Burt’s Bees – Classic Beeswax Lip balm

- She gave this a 7.8 rating and has an EWG rating of 1 (lowest)

3. Hurraw Balm in Vanilla Bean

- This got a 6.7 rating and did not have a rating on the EWG website

4. Avene Cold Cream Lip Balm

- This received the highest rating at 8.2, but has an EWG rating of 6 (high end of moderate)

5. Nuxe Reve De Miel Lip Moisturizing Stick

- She gave this a 7.6 and has an EWG rating of 4 (moderate)

My personal preference is the Burt’s Bees, it has never let me down and I love the cooling feeling when you apply it. What’s your preference for keeping your lips moist during the cold spells?

WOD 12.12.13

Mobility:

Foot, soleus, peroneus

Skills:

Pistol, Jump rope

I read a great article on the breaking muscle website the other day called “Why Athletes Need to Understand the Concept of Torque.” If you understand the concept of torque, not only will it improve your movements, more importantly, it will make you safer. Let’s begin with a basic definition, torque is the tendency of a force to cause or change the rotational movement of a body. I like the example used in the breaking muscle article where they explain the concept of torque using a heavy door. If you push on the heavy door near the hinge, it is difficult to open, however if you push the side opposite the hinge, the door opens easily. There are also some good graphics in the article if you are having an issue grasping the concept. So what does this have to do with your safety?

The body is essentially made up of a bunch of pulleys and levers, which require the application of torque to function. In order to make these systems function, you want to apply the minimum amount of torque at precisely the right moment to accomplish the required amount of work. When that torque is applied is the most important time for your muscles to be active and generate force to support the joint/ligaments/fascia that are experiencing the strain. One of the most common injuries you hear about that results in a tear as a result of lack of muscular support during a time of greatest torque is an ACL injury.

As you can imagine, this is why we focus so much on body position in certain parts of your lifts or even body weight movements. We want you to be in the most effective position for your muscular system to support your joints at the points of highest torque. Take the push up for example, we encourage you to keep your arms at a 45 degree angle (more like an arrow) as opposed to a t-position so that when you’re at the bottom of the push up exerting the maximum amount of torque on the shoulders, your joint is in the best possible position for your muscular system to support the joint.

I encourage you all to read the full article, they do a pretty good job of simplifying a somewhat complex physics problem.

WOD 12.05.13

Skills Day

Also, I have to make reference to the infamous Brian Napoli Thanksgiving post…it should never be forgotten!

WOD 11.28.13

90 Double Unders
80 Kayaks
70 DB Snatches (35 per arm)
60 Sit Ups
50 Ball Slams
40 Burpees
30 KBS
20 Pull Ups
10m Handstand Walk (sub 10x15yd bear crawls)

I came across an Again Faster Equipment article that was republished recently about tips for training smarter. When I read through it, I was pleased to find that they covered topics that we regularly cover on this blog. They make 10 great points about ways to train even smarter, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to reference some more in-depth posts we’ve had on each topic. Personally, I go back and reference these topics regularly, but this is a great opportunity to have them all referenced in once place.

1.) Keep a training log. Write down times, loads, recovery levels, and general observations. This will allow you to measure your progress and improve your training regimen. To know when you’re going, you’ve got to know where you’ve been. – How diligent are you in your note-taking? Do you just write down your lifts and the wod, or do you keep details about cues that helped you out, or something your trainer told you to keep working on, or a stretch you did that was really beneficial. All of that stuff can help make you better in the future when you go back to the last time you referenced that lift or wod and will help prevent taking any steps backwards.

2.) Active recovery is ten times as beneficial as sitting on the couch. Take fish oil, use protein supplements, ice sore muscles, and do basic joint mobility exercises. Give your body the things it needs to grow, repair, and change. A Lamborghini without fuel is just a pretty hunk of metal. – Couldn’t agree more here. Just because you have a day off or every Sunday off, it doesn’t mean you have to be a couch potato. Even if you’re enjoying those Sunday NFL games, grab your foam roller and lacross ball and get some recovery work in while you watch the game. Also check out the recovery category of our posts.

3.) Read constantly. Learn something new about training every day. There are countless resources available via the internet, and some of the best advice you ever receive will be absolutely free. Just look around. – I think this goes for all aspects of life, but when doing this, be aware of who is providing the information and the quality of the information  you are reading.

4.) Seek out the experts. Someone always knows more than you, and more often than not, they’re willing to share their knowledge. When you contact someone, be polite and demonstrate that you’ve put some effort into finding an answer on your own. You’ll get the answer you need, or you’ll be pointed in the right direction. – No one usually needs a reminder to ask Marcuspedia!

5.) Develop mobility. Assuming that mobility will come without dedicated practice is a sure way to remain stiff. Obtaining a full range of motion in your joints and connective tissue will increase your training potential tremendously, and make everyday movement more graceful. – We post regularly about different mobility techniques. This should be the number one topic in this post, it is the one way to keep improving and stay healthy no matter what you’re doing for activity.

6.) Measure your progress against the best in the field. Human potential is absolutely staggering, and knowing what has been achieved by premier athletes will allow you to set your sights high. Do not accept mediocrity. – I like this for the athletes that are looking to compete at an elite level, but if your goal is just to make it into gym everyday, then just track your own progress and make sure that you continue to see progress.

7.) Every once in a while, put yourself through a very trying physical experience. Climb a mountain, jump out of a plane, sprint until you can barely stand up. You’ll always know more about yourself and your limits after you’ve pushed the envelope, and you’ll be that much more mature for the experience. – Oh yeah! Who doesn’t love new experiences, just ask our resident activity experimenter, Jake.

8.) Acknowledge your weaknesses. If you don’t face your shortcomings head-on, they will remain your shortcomings. There is very little wisdom in pride. – This one is self explanatory and very important to have on this list and the one that applies to life outside the gym.

9.) Publicly declare your goals. If everyone knows what you’re trying to achieve, they will be in a better position to help you, and you’ll be more committed to the effort. – Goal board anyone?!

10.) Go faster!

WOD 11.21.13

Mobility:

Skill:

I have been following Carl Paoli and Gymnastics WOD on Facebook lately, and one of the WODs really caught my eye included one-arm push ups. It’s one of those skills that was easy as a kid, but every attempt I’ve made lately has left me flopping to the floor. The nice thing about the Gymnastics WOD website is that he always adds links to the progressions for the movements he posts, so of course I gave this one a try.

I learned that the one-arm push up is much more about the core than it is about arm strength. You set up your feet much wider than a normal push up to help prevent your body from rotating to the side that isn’t supported by an arm, but otherwise you are depending on your core’s ability to fight rotation. When I tried the progression, I found that both sides were equally challenging, and that I still needed some support on each side to prevent my core from allowing the unsupported shoulder from falling to the ground.

This is a fun one that you can try from anywhere and a great new way to work on core stability. Try the progression for yourself! One-arm push up progression with Carl Paoli.

WOD 11.14.13

Mobility:

Skill:

I recently listened to a podcast on the bulletproof executive blog on cholesterol. The topic of cholesterol has been covered a couple of times on the Intrepid blog, but we can all use a refresher from time to time. I learned a lot from the podcast which you can listen to here, and in the near future I’ll summarize what I learned in a future post (or two, there was a lot of info).

One of the major takeaways from the podcast for me was that most people aren’t getting enough fat into their diet. Fats play such a crucial role in so many processes in your body, and there are great scientific explanations for how it’s involved in those processes, but that’s not the purpose of this post. The goal here is just to get you all thinking about fat and its role in your diet, so I decided to keep it simple. I did a Google search of the “role of fat in the body,” and it turns out that while most nutrition and health websites still get the diet stuff wrong, they can’t ignore the fact that fat is an essential part of your diet. While some of the information was a little off, I was still able to collect a decent sized list of high level processes in the body that fat is involved in:

- Anti-inflammatory
- Vitamin absorption
- Vision
- Kidney function
- Reproductive function
- Cellular development: brain, nervous system, thyroid, skin care/hair/nails, bone growth & repair

While it was easy to find information about what processes in the body fat is involved in, finding good information about good sources of fat is hard to come by. Also, finding convenient ways to sneak it in to your daily routine can be challenging. We have a lot of foodies in the gym, and a lot of us are pretty conscious about what we eat. Let’s see if we can all help each other out, what are the ways you get extra fat into your diet? I’ll go first, here’s what I’ve tried to increase my daily fat intake:

- bulletproof coffee in the morning (except I no longer use coconut oil, I now use upgraded brain octane oil)
- adding an extra yolk to my eggs in the morning (tastes much better)
- at least half an avocado with every meal
- nuts instead of fruit for snacks
- coconut butter on everything (so tasty!)
- an extra serving of fish oil

WOD 11/07/13

Mobility:
Hamstrings
Glutes

Skill:
Axle Bar Familiarization
GHD Sit-ups

#tbt

I recently discovered a weightlifting blog called The Training Geek. What drew me to the post was the title of a blog post, “15 Things A Weightlifter Should Have In Mind.” My first reaction was, 15 things!? How can you think about 15 things? That’s way too much on the brain. However, there were some good points made, including that you shouldn’t have too much on your mind while weightlifting. This guy likes to focus on the physics and the mechanics of weightlifting, which jives with my inner geek thought processes. I also like that he’s interested in finding the latest cues and techniques as the sport continues to grow and improve. Here’s a collection of things a weightlifter should have in mind, check out the entire list and his lifting diagrams at the bottom of the blog post.

1. Speed. Weightlifting movements are dynamic. Think of moving fast and you will move fast.

2. Efficiency. Moving efficient means using adequate (not excessive) effort to fulfil your purpose (i.e. moving a heavy-ass inanimate object off the ground).

3. Patience. Hitting positions is key to allowing efficiency to occur. So getting to the right positions require patience to hold your posture till the right position is hit.

5. Legs. The ones that do all the work in the movements are the legs.

8. Speed is developed from the start to overcome inertia. Creating momentum from the start is critical.

11. Weight distribution should always be within your feet and as centered as possible. (Think back to my area of base post)

13. Control/Composure. The more frustrated or tensed you are or the more you have in your mind, the lesser the ability to think properly and focus on the right things (stick to two things).

14. Lift how your body allows you to lift. Leverage is dependent on your body segments and the levers they create. Not how you set up or move like Dmitry Klokov or Lu Xiaojun.

Today’s WOD requires a costume, so if you show up without a costume, there will be a 50 burpee penalty prior to the WOD. We’ve added a 7p class today, but there will not be a yoga class.

This Saturday’s potluck/clothing exchange will take place at 900 Cedar St in El Segundo, just dial the Dickmeyer/Doucette code and we’ll buzz you in. It will be in the pool house, so there will be room for gathering inside and outside. There is also a pool and hot tub, so if weather permits, bring your suits! Be sure to sign up for what you’re bringing on the board on the office door at the gym.

WOD 10/31/13

Halloween

80 Squats
60 KBS
40 Toes 2 bar
30 Weighted pistols (53/35)
20 Push ups
10 Muscle ups/bar muscle ups/pull overs (sub, 15 strict pull ups)

Image courtesy of games.crossfit.com

In case you haven’t heard, CrossFit has put together an invitational to stack USA Games athletes up against other Games athletes from all over the world. Based on a complex statistical analysis, CrossFit management selected 3 men and 3 women from the USA and the rest of the world to represent each team. The USA will be represented by team captain, Rich Froning, Jason Khalipa, Ben Smith, Talayna Fortunato, Lindsey Valenzuela and Valerie Voboril. Team USA will be coached by Matt Chan. The World will be represented by team captain Sam Briggs, Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, Kara Webb, Chad Mackay, Frederik Aegidius and Albert-Dominic Larouche.

The invitational will be taking place in Berlin at the Tempelhoff Airport on October 26th. The event is sold out, but  there is an opportunity for all of us to follow the event online. The event will start at 10a PST and will be approximately 75 minutes long. It will be available on the Eurosport website in 20 languages, and you can get to it by following this link to The Box. Rory McKernan and Annie Thorisdottir will be this year’s hosts for the event.

If you remember, a similar even took place last year, but it was just Team USA vs Team Europe. Team USA ran away with the title 20 points to 6. There were three stages and each stage had 3 events where a male and female athlete would represent their team. It seemed like a close race after stage 2 with a score of 7 to 6, but Team USA ran away with stage 3 to clinch the title. Let’s hope USA can pull it off again this year!

Renee and Colleen are running a 10K this Sunday at the VA. It’s at 10K or a 5K and registration is $40. The event is organized by the Hirshberg foundation, which raises money to fight pancreatic cancer. Fun note: it’s a costume run! If any of you are interested let Colleen know and a group can carpool there together.

WOD 10.24.13

Mobility:

Skill:

For those of you that were in class on Monday, you experienced a relatively high volume (per round) toes to bar workout. I was really excited and impressed to see a lot of people had recently figured out T2B and were battling through all 45 of them without giving in to knee raises. I also noticed many of you have starting stringing together kipping pull ups without an extra swing. It’s very exciting to see how far so many of you have come with this movement. While I’m happy to see everyone’s hard work paying off, I did see an alarming number of no reps on the toes to bar, so I would like to clarify what’s considered to be a good movement, so no reps don’t become muscle memory. I learned this lesson the hard way in a competition soon after I learned to string my kipping T2B, so hopefully this spares you all that experience.

Fortunately with the popularity of CrossFit, all I had to do was do a Google image search of toes to bar and I found hundreds of images to choose from to show you all the movement standards. Now the first part is easy and people generally get this one right. The toes much both touch the bar and they must touch at the same time. During one of the Open WOD movement standard articles, Julie Foucher gives a great demonstration of how this should look.

Now to the second requirement where I see most people failing to meet the standard. The second requirement is that your toes cross the vertical plane of the bar you’re hanging from. Again, Julie Foucher clearly demonstrates this on the CrossFit Games site as well.

When I see a failure to meet this standard, most of you are getting your hips open, but you’re still well in front of the bar. In the image below, the two guys on the left in the white shirts that I have circled in blue, both have their hips all the way open, but as you can see, their hips haven’t passed the vertical plane.

If you find that you struggle to get your toes past the vertical plane because of shoulder mobility limitations, I suggest first that you work on your shoulder mobility and second that you bend your legs at your knees to point them back behind you so that your toes cross that vertical plane as the guy in the red shirt in the image above is doing. If you’re uncertain if you’re doing the movement correctly, have someone watch you and make sure you’re practicing the movement properly. If you find that you can’t get it right, talk to one of your trainers so we can help you out. Like I posted about last week, only perfect practice over and over again will make you better.

WOD 10.17.13

Mobility:

Skill: