Ingredients:
4 5oz cans of tuna (packed in water)
2 5oz cans of baby shrimp
2 5oz cans of crab meat
10-15 limes (depending on size/taste)
1 large white onion
3 jalapenos
1-2 bunches cilantro
1 large tomato
6 cloves garlic
1 avocado (for garnish)

Start by chopping the onion, garlic and tomato into small chunks and place in a large bowl. Halve 10 limes and juice. You can add more lime juice as necessary. Pour the lime juice into the onion, garlic and tomato mixture.

Next open the cans of tuna, baby shrimp and crab meat and drain the water from each. Combine in bowl with lime juice, onion, garlic and tomato mixture.

Chop the jalapeno into small pieces being careful not to touch your eyes while doing so. Depending on how much heat your palate can handle, you can either scoop out the jalapeno seeds or leave them in for a good kick to your mouth. Add jalapenos to mixture.

Chop the leafy portion of the cilantro into small chunks and add to mixture. Add freshly ground sea salt and pepper to taste. Thoroughly mix all ingredients together and chill in refrigerator for at least an hour (maybe while you WOD perhaps). Slice 1 avocado for some nutritional fat and serve with the ceviche.

Makes 4-6 servings

WOD 07.31.10

3 rds:
25 Wallball Shots
25 Sit Ups (w/med ball OH)
25 Box Jumps
25 OH Lunges (w/med ball)
25 Burpees

The Sleeper covertly working his HSPU's in the back of the gym

At last, the day we’ve all been waiting for….well at the very least for Drew, Anna, and the Sleeper (ahem Michael). Today we will be holding the July Challenge: Max Handstand Push Ups in One Minute.

• All athletes will have one minute to accumulate as many HSPUs as they can and the winner will be determined by max weight pressed.

• There will be a winner for both male and female classes.

• Adjustments in weight will be made for any band use (by Marcuspedia).

• The width of your palms must be no wider than the distance from your elbow to your fingertips.

• No abmats will be allowed.

• Those who don’t have assisted HSPUs can compete for max handstand hold in one minute (measured in seconds).

Review these tips for handstands, HSPUs, and gymnastics in general.

WOD 07.30.10

Deadlift 1×5, 1×15-20

Handstand Push Up Challenge

c/o Foam Rolling and Stretching

By now, we’ve probably sufficiently beat into your head the idea that Paleo is about eating unprocessed foods as close to their natural state as possible. In other words, the foods you choose to eat shouldn’t have an ingredient list, and if they do, it should all be words you can actually pronounce. One item I’ve heard people talk about as “healthy” is turkey bacon. This is really a holdover from the “fat is evil, carbs are your friend” mentality which exploded in the 80s. I can’t help but cringe when I hear about one of our athletes eating that or other fake foods like margarine, egg beaters, etc. I recall seeing an article that CrossFit Balboa linked to over a year ago that spoke about real foods vs. fake foods. The original article was on the site Fitness Spotlight and I encourage you to check it out. Here’s a brief teaser:

If you want to know the source of your pork bacon, it’s either the belly, sides, or back (or the cheeks if it’s jowl bacon) of the pig. Close your eyes and you can imagine slicing into a pig and finding some uncured bacon right there for the taking. Now imagine cutting into a turkey and finding anything resembling a strip of bacon. In fact, just try to imagine which part of the turkey your meat is coming from. Yeah, I’m still trying to imagine it too.

Those crafty food scientists in Japan have even tried to make something pseudo-Paleo, although it’s definitely not even close. Check out the caveman on the packaging! They do get an “A” for effort.

WOD 07.29.10

Make Up Day

Thanks to Al Viquez and Cutting Edge CrossFit for posting a useful resource yesterday on rope climbing.  Beastskills.com is an excellent site to learn various gymnastics movements and progressions like handstands, levers, and rope climbs.  Many of you have asked about the various ways to climb the rope, and this video does a very good job at covering the 3 main techniques out there.  Incorporating rope climbing skillwork into your routine will help improve upper body strength, functional grip strength, and help you become more proficient at a valuable, possibly life saving, skill.  There’s currently only one rope hanging at Intrepid, but we plan on getting at least 2 more, so I’m no psychic or anything but I see rope climbs in your future.  Don’t be the dope who can’t climb the rope when it matters most!

WOD 07.28.10

Power Snatch 3×3

“Chief”

5 Sets:

AMRAP 3

3 Power Cleans

6 Pushups

9 Squats

Rest 1 mins b/n Sets

*compare to 5/18/10*

Scott & Jake during our Grand Opening

Grip strength is something that is often overlooked in programming, taking for granted that perhaps gripping a heavy bar in a deadlift or snatch is sufficient to develop it. Unfortunately your lack of grip strength will tell your body that an object is heavy and your body will respond by having a harder time lifting it, or not at all.

Take for example alternating your grip on a deadlift. When you transition from your heaviest warm up set to your work set, often times, we adopted a mixed grip, which causes the weight to feel so much lighter simply because our grip is better.

Today we will be working on our grip strength by way of Farmer’s Walks, which by the way is a Strongman event:

Photo courtesy of elitefts.com

WOD 07.27.10

Bench Press 3×5, 1×10-15

AMRAP 10
30 Kayaks
30 Double Unders
100m Farmer’s Walk

**don’t forget the HSPU challenge is this Friday!!**

What’s the best sports drink for during or post-WOD?

Sports drinks are a big business. Advertisers love to feature athletes drinking their beverages so people form a mental connection between the two. Who can forget the iconic “Be Like Mike” campaign?

Then there’s this more recent campaign, featuring my least favorite player:

The funny thing is that most people view the 2nd commercial and shake their heads at the thought of drinking soda after a workout. But aside from the carbonation, there’s not a lot of difference between Sprite and Gatorade. In fact, while they plan to change this year to a glucose-dextrose blend, Gatorade has been using HFCS as their energy source of choice… just like sodas. Further muddying the waters is the fact Gatorade is owned by Pepsi, while Coke owns Powerade. Yet oddly, many people reach for a Gatorade thinking that it’s somehow healthier than a can of soda.

So it should come as no surprise that the recommended drink of choice is plain ol’ water. Your body doesn’t need the extra sweeteners once you train your taste buds accordingly. Oh and the electrolytes? It’s pretty much nothing more than table salt. Unless you come into the gym dehydrated, you would only need electrolytes after three or more hours of extreme exercising. So grab a bottle (hopefully stainless steel) of H₂O, since it’ll get the job done better than anything else. Yes, even more than Brawndo — water is what plants (and humans) crave.

WOD 07.26.10

Back Squat 3×5, 1×15-20

Then, four rounds for time:

• 10 Toes to Bar
• 10 Ground to Overhead

Benign anonymous photo to avoid backlash

I saved the best- and most controversial- post for last in the hygiene series: Shampoo. Some of you have been shampoo-ing since before you could walk, and others (ladies) spend an arm and a leg on fancy expensive shampoos. Recently, I read in Mark’s Daily Apple about the (gasp) idea off going poo-less. Many people have been doing it for years, and feel that shampoo contains the word ‘poo’ for a reason: it contains chemical crap that is bad for us. Not only does it strip the natural oils from your scalp and hair, but it causes the over-production of oil resulting from dry scalp. This inevitably leads to your hair feeling greasy after a couple of days of no washing (think camping trips).

It’s a vicious cycle: shampoo-dry scalp-excessive oil production (ew!)-shampoo…Rinse and Repeat…

Here’s the skinny: According to MDA, “conventional shampoos are universally riddled with noxious but unregulated chemicals that have been linked to everything from endocrine system disruption to neurological and immune system damage. Among the biggest offenders, according to the Environmental Working Group, include the ubiquitous phthalates (remember the lotion post?), parabens (for preservatives), coal tar (for dyes and dandruff),  and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate/Sodium Laureth Sulfate (for lather and de-greasing power). Other risky chemicals include 1,4-Dioxane and methylisothiazolinone.”  Methylisothiazolinone (MIT), another shampoo ingredient, may also harm unborn babies.

What are your options?  You can:

1.  Shampoo less frequently:  This is like us saying only eat bread on Tuesdays… But I suppose less is better, though not best.

2.  Only use conditioner:  Unless your conditioner is free of the above contaminants, see #1.

3.  Find a “natural” product:  Almost as elusive as the holy grail, there are some products out there that are free of toxins, but end up costing quite a bit more than #4.  Even still, most “natural organic” shampoos are far from it.

4.  Go poo-less:  Transition to no ‘poo’ by using alternative natural products.  The first 2-6 weeks will be a transition period where your hair may feel greasy and gross. Think baseball caps, updos, and braids.

• Try a baking soda (1T to 1-2 cups water) mix to cut the grease. Mix well, pour slowly on scalp and gently massage your scalp with your fingers (NOT NAILS), starting with the area a crown would cover. Focus on the back and fill in the circle. Then finish with the temples and remainder of the scalp.

• Rinse with apple cider vinegar (same ratio), focusing on the ends and not scalp, to restore the pH balance. You can also use lemon juice which is milder and smells yummy!

• Be patient. If you haven’t noticed, I had been sporting braids quite a lot in the last few weeks. If it becomes unbearable, try cracking an egg on your scalp, massaging it in, and rinsing after a few minutes. I’ve found it really helpful during the transition period.

Here are some links to success stories:
Free the Animal
Mark’s Daily Apple Forum
The Mommy Files
MSNBC

I know this one is the hardest to consider, and summer may be the toughest season to experiment with this.  But, I have to say that my hair has felt thicker and had way more volume and body than before, even if I am still struggling with the transition period!  I know everyone has a line that they consider to be “too extreme” when it comes to going Primal.  I’m not here to tell you that everything in your bathroom cabinet is carcinogenic or toxic, but I do believe you should take steps to consider what the modern commercial market is pushing and why.  What does your body truly need to be healthy, happy, and hygienic?  Post to comments!

WOD 07.24.10

Run 400m
21 SDHP
21 HPC
21 Thrusters
Run 400m
15 SDHP
15 HPC
15 Thrusters
Run 400m
9 SDHP
9 HPC
9 Thrusters

*Courtesy of CrossFit Gotham

Steph rockin the pistols back in the park days

If you tuned in to the 2010 CrossFit Games, you would have seen pistols rear its ugly head not once, but twice, in the team as well as individual events. Often dismissed or overlooked, this one-legged squat does wonders for your strength and balance. Beast Skills posted an incredible tutorial on this movement. Here are some of his tips:

1. Keep your support foot flat on the ground. Hold your other leg just above the ground and imagine it’s in a full leg cast.

2. Sit down, allowing your shin to come forward, with the knee in front of the toes.

3. Lean your torso and reach your arms forward to keep your center of gravity over your foot.

4. Squat down until your hamstring touches your calf.

Here are some progressions we will work with to get to the full movement:

Single leg step ups: Step up on a box with the toes of your support leg raised so that you don’t push off and cheat.

Use a box: Set a box behind you and squat just until you touch (not sit) on it. Progressively use lower boxes.

Assisted: Use a hand (to hold your foot up), partner, doorway, or band.

Counter weight: Hold a light dumbbell in front of you.

Deck pistols: Squat down, rock onto your back and use your momentum to rock back onto a single foot and stand (this one takes considerably more coordination and flexibility).

Obviously, you need a moderate amount of calf, ankle, and hamstring flexibility to get this done. All the more reason to stretch! Incidentally, the day we did the pistols in the park, I wrote up “partner-assisted” pistols as the cash out. Steph looked at me, furrowed her brow, and asked,”Do we HAVE to use a partner or can I just do it myself?” Then, without hesitation, she flawlessly executes this graceful pistol!

Stephanie’s Pistol from CrossFit Intrepid on Vimeo.

And, with enough practice, you may one day attain a black belt in pistols and be as bad ass as Al Viquez.  He downed the beer at the bottom before coming back up, of course.

Advanced Pistols

WOD 07.23.10

Turkish Get Ups 2×6

Pistol Progressions

AMRAP 10
16 Kettlebell Snatches
8 Pistols

Scott#2 & Melissa, our newest wodding couple

For those of us who have experience playing basketball you may be intimately familiar with the practice of shooting free throws trying to become a better free throw shooter.  My high school coach often made us sink 10 straight shots before heading home, but for someone like me who struggled to find his stroke, this often meant lots of free throws and me turning the lights off in the gym as I left because I was the last one around. Just like how I felt working out at the Globo gym, I thought there might be a better, more effective, way to train. A recent study published in Nature Neuroscience confirmed my hopes and found that skill retention occurs better when practice structure is more variable and less rote repetition. Time.com takes the technical, scientific jargon and puts it into understandable terms.  The basic premise is that variability forces our brains to remain engaged and prevents us from going into auto-pilot which tends to occur when we simply perform one movement over and over again.

What does that mean for us at Intrepid?  It means keep doing what we’re doing. To improve our snatch or clean and jerk we don’t simply have you perform hundreds of lifts in a row like freethrows.    We break the movement into components which we drill in between reps of the whole movement. This might look like snatch grip deadlifts and highpulls between reps of snatch or have you perform a complex with 1 rep of each movement.  Varying the start (hang) and landing (power) positions also help us to better learn the whole movements.

Keep this study in mind next time you’re getting ready for your sports season and you’ll have more effective practice sessions and you’ll retain the skills better.

WOD 07.21.10

Power Cleans 5×3

3rds:

15 Overhead Squats

50 Double Unders

c/o 3×5 HSPU and 2×10 KB  Snatches

Mexican food is usually pretty easy to make Paleo-compliant. With that in mind, today’s selection is another local El Segundo eatery that features “beach mexican” food. Most of you may already be familiar with greasy spoons such as El Tarasco but this restaurant has a much fresher taste to their offerings. Beach Mex is located on Grand Avenue within walking distance of the gym and features the prerequisite tacos and burritos, but obviously those aren’t Paleo. However, their burritos can be served “unwrapped” to avoid the carb bomb tortilla. I’ve eaten here a number of times and have always found the staff very accommodating to even my level of finickiness.

Aside from tweaking the burritos to make them Paleo-friendly, you can get fajitas sans tortillas or one of their entree plates for a larger serving portion. I’ve noticed their vegetables and salsas to be extremely fresh and good tasting in addition to the note they grill in olive oil (instead of a cheaper soybean or other vegetable oil). Another nice touch is that their meat selection includes some fish choices. Of course the easiest Paleo items are the salads. Pictured above I ordered their Mahi Mahi salad with the dressing on the side:

Mixed greens with shredded red cabbage & carrots, topped with our blackened seasoned mahi-mahi fish, fresh slices of avocado & mango, jack & cheddar cheeses. Served tossed in our Cilantro Vinaigrette dressing

With their combination of convenient location and tasty food, I highly recommend you give Beach Mex a try. They have outdoor seating that is quite pleasant now that we’ve reached full summer weather. Oh… and if you ever go for a cheat day and are a fan of nachos, you MUST give their version a try — it’s absolutely gargantuan.

WOD 07.20.10

Press 3×5, 1×10-15

Then, for time (courtesy of CrossFit Football):

• 30 BW Back Squats
• 1000m Row
• 30 Burpees