Shirts & Hoodies:  Our latest run of Intrepid Barbell shirts and hoodies are in and ready for purchase.  Men’s tees and Ladies tanks are a charcoal comfy tri-blend fabric.  Our hoodies are also a charcoal color but a cotton-poly mix, very soft and warm.  Stop in and get one for yourself and your fellow Intrepids as a gift!

Protein:  Protein supplementation can an important element for recovery, maintaining lean body mass, and helping to minimize the damage should you miss a meal. We sell both single serving packets and 2lb bags of your favorite Stronger Faster Healthier protein in the Pure, Recovery, and Endurance In-Race blends. Protein is something that just about everyone can appreciate. Visit the SFH.com website to learn more about each blend and which is best for you and your loved one’s needs.

Fish Oil:  Fish oil is far and away one of the most useful supplements one can take. Helping to balance out our Omega 3 to Omega 6 fattty acid ratio and playing a major role in helping our bodies manage inflammation, fish oil is something we can and should take everyday. We offer the highest quality and most concentrated fish oils on the market. With five flavors of SFH fish oil in liquid form in 6oz and 10oz sizes as well as Pure Pharma lemon flavored capsules for those who prefer pills or those who want a better option for traveling. Visit the SFH.com and the PurePharma.com sites to learn more about both.

Vitamins & Minerals:  Other supplements we carry are Vitamin D and Magnesium. Vitamin D is a crucial “hormone” that many of us are deficient mostly from lack of direct sunlight exposure. Our SFH 10oz Fish oil bottles also have Vitamin D, but we also carry Pure Pharma Vitamin D capsules dissolved in coconut oil for those who prefer pills.  Magnesium and Zinc are very helpful for maximizing recovery as well as a helpful sleep aid.  We carry Pure Pharma Mineral capsules containing a highly absorbable form of magnesium so digestive issues are minimized.

Energy Bars:  We carry Rx Bars in all four flavors and Oh My Bars in all 6 flavors.  Both are excellent snacks as well as pre/post workout fuel.  Always are a great stand-by to have in your gym bag, car, office, or when traveling.

Jerky:  Large Primal Pacs are carried in the Intrepid store.  Grass-fed beef, dried mango and cranberries, as well as almonds and macadamia nuts make a great salty, savory, and sweet combination.  Whole 30 approved for those looking to stock up for the upcoming Intrepid nutrition challenge.

Bands:  Great to have a set of bands at the home or office for stretching, practicing pull-ups, or just for other rehab/prehab exercises.  We carry Iron Woody Fitness Bands from purple to black.

RPM Jump Ropes:  Yes the same RPM ropes that many of you got to sample when they visited the gym a few months back.  We have a few left in stock so get them for yourself or your fellow CrossFitter who is looking to take their double unders to the next level.

Trigger Point Rollers:  TP Therapy makes fantastic products to help one perform maintenance on their own bodies.  We carry the most versatile products they offer:  the Quadballer, the Cold Roller, and the Grid Foam Roller.  You have likely used or seen each of these in the gym, as we have all available for use as well as for purchase.  Just ask your coach to help you figure out which is best for you or the person you’re shopping for as it’s hard to go wrong with any of them!

WOD 12.23.13

A. Angie Any Which Way (Time Cap of 30 Minutes)
Complete the following in any order:
100 Pull Ups
100 Push Ups
100 Squats
100 Sit Ups

B. Angie (Time cap of 30 Minutes)
100 Pull Ups
100 Push Ups
100 Squats
100 Sit Ups
**Must be able to do 20 kipping pull ups in a row to attempt WOD B

Looking for a way to easily add some healthy fat into your diet?  Coconut butter or, as some distributors call it, coconut manna is about as easy as it gets.  Whole Foods and similar markets may stock it in the coconut oil section, and we use the Whole Foods here in El Segundo.  The texture is smooth and creamy, and reminds me of almond butter.  I use it in a similar fashion for dipping apples and pears, or drizzling on bananas and sweet potatoes.  When the temperature is above 73 degrees the coconut butter is easily spreadable and just may require some mixing to help stir-in the oil that separates to the top from sitting for too long.  If you forget to mix in the oil, it’s no big deal the spread will be very dense and difficult to spread easily.  If the temperature is cooler, the coconut butter remains pretty solid and difficult to spread, but a short time in the microwave or placing the the jar into warm water will help regain its spreadability.  You may even try experimenting with using the solid state butter like putting shavings into a bowl of strawberries or blueberries.  Perhaps even add it into smoothies for a creamier texture.

The downside to coconut butter…well it’s not cheap by any means as it typically averages $8 or higher for a jar.  Look to save a little money by making your own, especially if you plan on using it often.  A high powered blender like a Vitamix is a necessity as both Nom Nom Paleo’s post and the video below highly recommend it.  Looks easy enough, and you can make as much as you want, oftentimes at a fraction of the price.

WOD 12.16.13

Power Clean 3×3

50 Wall Ball Shots (20/14)
50 Ring Push Ups
25 Thrusters (135/95)
25 Handstand Push Ups (25# plates)

On Saturday, we held our first Weightlifting competition.  Although we had a small pool of competitors we were impressed with the lifting as many achieved Personal Records (PRs).  We were also impressed by the amount of spectators that came out to support our lifters and be a part of the action.  A big thanks goes out to Kevin E. and Recluse Photo for volunteering his time to take some amazing pictures that can be found on his site here.  For those of you who weren’t able to stick around for the results here were Saturday’s top lifters:

Top Intrepid Women:

1. Kathy (123.52 Sinclair)
2. Tina (118.44)
3. Ning (116.99)

Top Intrepid Men:

1. Michael H. (212.97 Sinclair)
2. David P. (190.99)
3. Jeff M. (182.48)

On Sunday, we had two teams WOD Series Partner Competition: Kristen and Cristina in the Intermediate Female category and Ruth and Holley and the Advanced Female category.  It was a long, cold day of workouts and a tougher day for Cristina and Kristen but both showed their true Intrepid spirit giving their best efforts despite battling injuries even if it meant doing double unders and wallball shots on one leg! Ruth and Holley excelled with the four workouts and took home silver placing second overall!

Upcoming events here at Intrepid include a Nutrition Challenge beginning in January, our Strongman clinic on Jan 11th (sign up here), the 2014 Winter Shakedown Team CrossFit competition at CrossFit Rep Scheme in Feb, an in-house partner CrossFit competition in the spring, and the 2014 CrossFit Open begins in March. If interested in participating in any CrossFit or Weightlifting competitions please let Ruth and I know so we can keep you posted on upcoming events.

WOD 12.09.13

Bench Press 3-3-3

AMRAP 8:
8 Strict Pull-ups
16 KB Swings

Happy Birthday, Christiaan! And congrats for winning the Intrepid Survivor League!

This Saturday we’ll be holding our first Olympic Weightlifting competition in our current facility.  It has been a long time coming and we’re excited at the interest we’ve seen so far.  This competition is not a USA Weightlifting sanctioned meet and therefore singlets are not required, but encouraged for those looking into weightlifting competitively.  We’ll otherwise be running Saturday’s event as much like a real Weightlifting meet as possible.  Revisit Ruth’s recent post “Weightlifting Meet Rules” for another refresher on what to expect on Saturday.  Please make sure you’ve registered using this link and remember all the proceeds are being donated to USA Weightlifting as our athletes are already preparing for the 2016 Olympic Games being held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Women will weigh-in at 9am and begin lifting soon after.  Men will weigh-in and lift once the ladies are completed.  We’re still looking for volunteers to help with things like bar loading and entering data into a spreadsheet, and yes volunteers can also lift.  Overall top male and top female lifters will be determined using the Sinclair coefficient.  Remember, you’ll have three attempts in the snatch and then three attempts in the clean and jerk.  For those of you still on the fence just think of it as your WOD for the day and come in to do some heavy lifting that may or may not be PRs.  It also helps us as coaches see what you need to work on the most to continue your progress as an athlete.

Also, our annual Holiday Potluck Party will take place immediately following the Weightlifting Meet this Saturday right here in the gym. Nothing works up an appetite like throwing around heavy weights! We’ll put a sign up board by the office to see what everyone is bringing. We’ll also be taking our holiday picture at the party so clear your calendar!

WOD 12.02.13

Front Squat 3-3-3

For Time:
12-9-6
Overhead Squats (145/103)
GI Janes (Burpee Pull Ups)

A wonderful gift idea for this holiday season is the Marc Pro.  I’ve received a number of questions about it so I decided to re-post my original article from March describing the unit, how it helps, how it’s different, and how you can get a sizable discount.  Read the post below and take advantage of Marc Pro’s payment plan breaking up amount equally over 12 months with 0% interest.

I was first introduced to the Marc Pro device via Kelly Starrett’s controversial MWOD post on icing, where he discusses how icing may not be the ideal option to reducing inflammation.  The overall application to an average Joe may be debatable (see Marcus’ post here), but few will debate that the Marc Pro mentioned in the MWOD post actually does facilitate recovery.  Read a bit more on how the device works straight from Marc Pro here.

One of the most asked questions I hear is how does the Marc Pro differ from infomercial devices or the electrical stimulation devices often used by health professionals known as a TENS units?  Here’s the answer straight from the Marc Pro FAQ page:

What is the difference between Marc Pro and a TENS unit?
TENS is an acronym for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. TENS are inexpensive medical devices that attempt to mask pain symptoms by interfering with nerve signals; they have no rehabilitative, recovery or conditioning benefits whatsoever. Marc Pro activates a cascading series of physiological effects through a specific type of muscle contraction that lead to enhanced recovery and conditioning.

The process begins with the contractions and the activation of Nitric Oxide (NO), which dilates blood vessels and leads to increased flow delivering more oxygenated blood and nutrients to the area. The lymphatic and venous systems also require and benefit from localized muscle activity. Because of this, using the Marc Pro after physical activity helps move the related waste and deoxygenated blood away from the fatigued area(s). This exchange of nourishment and waste, without stress or fatigue, accelerates the recovery of the muscle.

Marc Pro is popular amongst professional sports teams, but they are now branching into the CrossFit world where recovery is a highly sought after quality.

I had the opportunity to demo the Marc Pro at the 2013 Winter Shakedown where I felt it really helped me recover in between the three tough workouts.  Ruth also has benefited from regular use of the Marc Pro to battle her pregnancy induced carpal tunnel syndrome.  Many of you had the opportunity to demo the Marc Pro yourselves this past Saturday as Marc Pro reps were in attendance supporting our Charity: Water Fundraiser & Open House event.  If you weren’t in attendance, or didn’t stop by the Marc Pro tent don’t fret, as they’ll likely pay us a visit from time to time to allow Intrepids to demo their device.  Also, the gym recently purchased two units and both are available for use in the Intrepid Store area.  You must use your own set of electrode pads.  If you received a set from the Marc Pro vendors bring them in or keep them with your gym stuff just in case.  If you don’t have your own already, a set of 4 pads are available for purchase for $9 in the Intrepid Store.  Average sessions range from 15-30 minutes so please be courteous of others if anyone is waiting behind you, and as of now they are available on a first come, first serve basis.  Sweat and oil can inhibit the contact between the pad and your skin, so clean the application area as best as you can to maximize the contraction and to help the longevity of your pads.  Aloe vera gel can also be used to increase the intensity of the contraction as well.  They offer unlimited support via telephone and the internet to those who purchase to help with any questions or issues you may have.

We are pleased be partners with Marc Pro and offer a %5 discount to anyone entering the Promo code:  IntrepidA.  If that wasn’t enough, Intrepid members are eligible for an additional $100 credit onto your membership account to use towards your next monthly membership or a private session with your favorite coach.  Just provide your receipt and we’ll take care of the rest.

     
We wish a very Happy Birthday to Kevin R. (left), Ruth (right), Rachel (not pictured), and Benjamin (Tina’s son, not pictured)!

WOD 11.25.13

Press 5×3

4 Rounds:

10 Unbroken Chest to Bar Pull-ups (Women: 7) *
12 Box Jumps (24/20)
14 Pistols
100m Sprint

*10 Burpee Penalty for dropping off bar

Today marks Alicia’s Birthday. What makes Alicia so special that many of you may not know.

Here are the top 10 facts and reasons Alicia is a special person:

10) She’s a natural public speaker.

9) Alicia is a great dancer, especially Salsa!

8) She’s loves to camp and be outdoors

7) She’s a cool customer in even the most tense and stressful situations. She’s just a natural leader.

6) She is originally from Mexicali, Mexico. From what i understand it is one of the hottest places on earth!

5) She’s a mountaineer! (That’s right folks with her own ice ax and crampons!)

4) She climbed Mt. Rainier during the winter months. Half the mountain was a sheet of ice and I saw a lot of people turn back, where she just kept going with her ice ax.

3) She went to Roosevelt High School on the east side of LA. Back in the early 90′s this wasn’t the easiest school to attend to say the least. She got accepted to Berkley when she was 16 and later moved onto Stanford. To this day Roosevelt teachers still call her to speak and mentor other students.

2) Wonderful to see the way she takes care and raises our son. She has a natural glow when Mason is around.

1) She’s an amazing mom and makes Mason and I extremely happy every day!

I send birthday wishes to the love of my life. To a wonderful woman, wife and mother. Mason and I love you. Have the best day!

WOD 11.18.13

Snatch 3-3-3

3 Rounds for Time:
5 Clusters (135/95#)
10 Pull-ups
10 Burpees

Weightlifting in the United States is experiencing somewhat of a resurgence in large part to the CrossFit community who are exposed to the lifts through their CrossFit workouts. However, compared to other nations like China, Russia, and many eastern european nations, weightlifting is a staple of the athletic culture of the country. As Greg mentions in the trailer posted below, Weightlifting is viewed in those countries how football, basketball, or baseball are watched here in the U.S. It wasn’t always this way, however. During the 1950s and 1960s the United States was a powerhouse in Weightlifting but for reasons too numerous to go into here, Weightlifting popularity declined in the U.S. while other nations embraced it.

Greg Everett, owner of Catalyst Athletics, is not only an excellent coach but one of Weightlifting’s biggest proponents. Through his creative use of the internet, social media, and printed publications, he has become a valuable Weightlifting resource to coaches and lifters around the world. Ruth and I have had to honor of working with Greg and we can say that he’s done so much to help us improve both as lifters and coaches. We are excited to help spread the word that Greg is close to releasing his latest project, a movie entitled American Weightlifting: The Documentary. The movie tells the story of American Weightlifting from its roots, through its glory days, to where it is now. The movie includes interviews with some of the best and most experienced coaches and athletes around the country, as well as footage of some of America’s brightest lifters doing what they do best, lifting weights. The official release date is this Friday, November 16, 2013, but you aren’t likely to find it in any theaters, only by purchasing the digital download or the DVD itself on the Catalyst Athletics site. See the trailer below for a glimpse into the documentary:

See the movie, sign up for Weightlifting classes, sign-up for the Intrepid Invitational on Dec 7th, and before you know it you’ll be dreaming of lifting, watching way too many Weightlifting videos, and developing giant quads and callouses on your thumbs. You’ve become a Weightlifter. Even if you aren’t looking to become engrossed in the Weightlifting mystique, you can still…

by checking out the movie or the gear (pictured above) here.

All of us here at Intrepid Athletics thank our Veterans for their service and contributing in some way to the freedoms we enjoy today. Thank you for all you do or have done in service to this great country.

WOD 11.11.13

Bench Press 3×5
Rahoi

U.S. FBI Supervisory Special Agent Gregory J. Rahoi, 38, of Brookfield, WI, assigned to the Hostage Rescue Team, based in Quantico, VA, was killed on December 6, 2006, during a live-fire tactical training exercise at Fort A.P. Hill, near Bowling Green, VA.

He is survived by his parents, Natalie and Richard, sister Teri, and fiancee Paula Paulk.

AMRAP 12
12 Box Jumps (24/20″)
6 Thrusters (95/65)
6 Bar Facing Burpees

Birthdays are a natural time to look back and see how much progress we’ve made in achieving our CrossFit goals. So I’m sure Ning won’t mind if I take this opportunity to review what improvements she’s made with respect to some of the Dos and Don’ts revealed on her last birthday.

2012: Don’t use so much chalk that you start asking, “Can inhaling chalk dust give you cancer?”
2013: See picture above.
Verdict: No progress

2012: Do balance your left and right arms when doing wall ball shots, or else you will find yourself gradually moving across the wall to one side.
2013: Ning now only occasionally favors her left arm when doing wall balls. However, now she sometimes favors her right arm instead.
Verdict: She’s no longer a danger to the person to her right, so I’ll declare this Progress

2012: Don’t perform a handstand push-up negative by slamming your head down into the abmat as fast as possible.
2013: Ning no longer slams her head on HSPU negatives. Ning now does full HSPUs by first slamming her head down into the abmat as fast as possible.
Verdict: Partial Progress

2012: Do yell “Hi everybody!” upon completing your first complete rope climb to the ceiling. Even better, do it with a huge grin that makes everybody look up at you and smile in return.
2013: Now that you’re doing rope climbs, make sure you Don’t leave any skin exposed. The rope will find it.
Verdict: Her rope climbs have progressed, but I think her skin would call this No progress

2012: Don’t tell the trainers about which movements you hate, or what your nightmare WOD would be. Anything you say can and will be used against you.
2013: Ning now understands the trainers so well that she’s no longer happy that there’s a rest period in a WOD. She knows it means that you have to run fast.
Verdict: Great Progress

There you have it: Ning’s exceptional ability to focus on achieving her goals has resulted in a great deal of progress in the past year! But, like all of us, she still has some room for improvement (again, see picture above). Happy birthday to my favorite little WOD scout!

Be sure to sign up for the 2013 Intrepid Invitational Weightlifting competition on Saturday, Dec 7th here for $20 entry fee.

Also, reserve your spot for the Jan 11th Strongman Workshop by signing up here for $40.

WOD 11.04.13

Deadlift 1×5

Not For Time WOD
3 Rounds:
5 Good Mornings
10 Front Squats
5 Weighted Pull Ups (45/25)

If you attended one of our Nutrition seminars or read Marcus’s “Enter Sandman“ post on tips for getting to sleep, you may have heard about the benefits of taking magnesium to help wind down for the evening and improve sleep quality. However, the benefits of magnesium go way beyond just improving your shut eye. Ask knowledgeable strength coaches around the country or do a little research and you’ll find that magnesium is typically one of the top five supplements recommended for athletes (a quick aside:  fish oil, protein powder, and vitamin D also make the list).  Research has estimated that upwards of 85% of Americans are deficient in magnesium, and those who lead an active lifestyle may be in even greater need. Magnesium deficiency is so rampant in large part due to factors such as poor dietary habits, depleted soil, and fluoridated or filtered water.

Here are a quick summary of why you should seriously consider taking a magnesium supplement:

• 60% of the magnesium in our bodies is found in our bones, in combination with calcium and phosphorus. Magnesium improves bone mineral density – and not getting enough magnesium may interfere with our ability to process calcium. (Whole 9)
• A higher intake of magnesium resulted in lower fasting blood sugar and lower fasting insulin levels. (The Journal of Nutrition)
• Magnesium supplementation increases testosterone in athletes (Biological Trace Element Research)
• Magnesium is important to athletes because it regulates heart rhythm, allows muscles to contract and relax properly, reduces blood pressure, and is necessary to produce ATP (the main source of energy in our cells) which must be bound to a magnesium ion in order to be biologically active (CrossFit Invictus)

Not all magnesium supplements are created equal however.  According to CrossFit Invictus post “Top 7 Supplements for Athletes” by Michele Vieux, look for magnesium “supplements based on amino acid chelates, such as Mg glycinate and Mg malate are much better tolerated by the digestive system and much more absorbable by the body the other (cheap) forms of magnesium such as Mg oxide or Mg carbonate. This is best taken post-workout on an empty stomach. Sedentary individuals need 600 mg a day and larger athletes in heavy training mode could do up to 2,000 mg a day.”  Take too much of a cheaper version of magnesium and run the risk of experiencing unpleasant laxative side effects…yikes.

We just stocked the Intrepid Store with Pure Pharma Mineral capsules which contain high concentrations of amino acid chelate based magnesium as well as zinc to complement the benefits mentioned above and more.  We also carry Pure Pharma Fish Oil and Vitamin D capsules, so check out the Intrepid Store next time you’re in!

WOD 10.28.13

Back Squat 3×5/Wendler

5 Rounds for Time:
1 Rep of Bear (185/123)
10 Chest to Bar Pullups
240m Run

OR

5 Rounds for Time:
6 Unbroken Thrusters (95/65)
8 Pullups
240m Run

Exciting times in the Weightlifting world right now.  Yesterday marked the beginning of the 2013 World Weightlifting Championships being held in Poland.  The women’s 48kg lifters lifted yesterday with China taking Gold, North Korea taking Silver, and Mexico taking Bronze.  By the time you read this, today’s 53kg women and 56kg men sessions are already underway.  Follow USA Weightlifting on Facebook or Twitter for the latest updates on when the US lifters are competing and the live stream link.  Also, the site All Things Gym posts updates, videos, and photos from the event.

Also, in Intrepid Weightlifting news, we are excited to open more Weightlifting classes beginning next week Monday, Oct 28th.  Here is a weekly rundown of our new Weightlifting class schedule:

• Mondays:  7:30am and 7pm (Group 1)
• Tuesdays: 6:30am and 6pm (Group 2)
• Wednesdays:  7:30am and 7pm (Group 1)
• Thursdays:  6pm only (Group 2)
• Fridays:  6:30am only (Group 2)
• Saturdays:  9am only (Both Groups)

Here’s how it will work.  The majority involved in our Weightlifting class also participate in our CrossFit program.  Those folks receive the reduced rates ($75/month for unlimited, $125 for 10 class punch card, and $15 for a single class) and we ask you pick at most three days out of the week to attend the Weightlifting classes.  If Mon, Weds, and Sat work better for your schedule, you’ll follow Group 1′s program.  If a Tues, Thurs(pm)/Fri(am), Sat schedule is more amenable, you’ll follow our Group 2 program.  This helps keep you from overtraining as well as making programming workouts more effective.  Again, these changes won’t take effect until next week so start thinking what works better for you.  If, however, you’d like to make your primary focus just weightlifting your rates will be similar to what you’re paying for your CrossFit membership as you won’t be doing both.  Full-time lifters will have a more individualized program and be asked to make 4-5 workouts per week (not on the same day). Conditioning will likely still be a part of your program, just toned down somewhat compared to our CrossFit workouts.  Email [email protected] or chat with Ruth or I if you’d like to try weightlifting more full-time.

Finally, the 2013 Intrepid Invitational Weightlifting competition is set for Dec 7, 2013 right here at the gym.  Entry fee is $20 and the money will cover the prizes for the winners, and the remaining proceeds will be donated to USA Weightlifting to support our weightlifting athletes preparing for the 2016 Olympic Games.  For scheduling purposes, the morning Kids’ classes will go on as planned at 8am and 8:30am, but the CrossFit, Weightlifting, and Teens classes are all cancelled.  We’ll start the women’s weigh-ins at 9am, men’s weigh-ins right after.  Lifting will begin around 9:30am with the women’s snatch, and the men’s session will follow once the women have finished.  After the men snatch we’ll begin the women’s clean and jerk, and again the men’s clean and jerk will follow once the women’s session is complete.  Registration is now open and you can register here.  More details on the rules and flow of the competition will follow in a later post.  For now, register online, and keep training hard!

WOD 10.21.13

Front Squat 3×3

For Time:
30m Walking Lunges

5 Rounds:
6 Toes to Bar
10 KB Swings

30m Walking Lunges