Established in 2008, CVSC is Cache Valley’s premier training facility with services ranging from personal training, program design, athletic team conditioning, HyperFit group classes and more.
We'll keep this one simple. Nutrition is not just important, it is KEY in reaching your fitness goals. This post from Robb Wolf discusses in depth what sort of post-workout nutrition you should be aiming for. Its a bit of a read, but very worthwhile if you are serious about fueling yourself appopriately to your goals.
Should one use carbs post workout or not? If so how much, and when? Like a great number of situations, how we manage our post workout nutrition depends on where we are and where we want to go. If you have followed my previous ramblings you might be familiar with the orientation I use for most of my decision making: How does a given decision affect Performance, Health and Longevity. Similarly, how does a given decision affect how one looks, feels and performs? Given all this I’m going to tackle post workout nutrition (PWO) first from the perspective of shoring up health, then performance, then longevity.
via Post Workout Nutrition: High Or Low Carb?
And if you are more of a visual learner check out his Paleo Troubleshooting Guides
Todays mobility is courtesy of Kevin Cornell at Cal Strength. If you're suffering from patellar tendonitis or just struggling with getting full depth in a your squats - these mobility drills/stretches might help you get those ATG squats pain free.
Everyone does it. Its perfectly natural.
Comparing yourself to others.
Its how we often judge our performance on a workout, did we do better than so-and-so? How is her Fran time? What is his 1 RM Deadlift?
The atmosphere in CrossFit group classes naturally encourage friendly competition and measurable progress with whiteboard scores and PRs. But often, instead of letting those things inspire and excite us, we let these numbers define and discourage us.Zach Erick at Invictus put it this way,
"If you’re the type of person that has to have the fastest time on the board, and is heartbroken when someone else beats you, ask yourself these questions the next time you leave the gym: What do you really want, and are you willing to sacrifice time/money/relationships/personal joy to get it? If you don’t have any intentions competing on the professional level, then why does it matter if somebody beat your time? I understand if you leave a workout upset with yourself because you feel that you could have pushed harder, but if you truly gave everything you had during a workout then there is no reason to second guess your abilities."
via Comparing Yourself to others | Invictus
We are all a work in progress. The PRs are just icing on the cake, but the work between those are what make you a better athlete, a better person.
Our minds want to quantify and organize things, so instead of using others as the measuring stick for your success, focus internally. What have you done recently that you couldn't do before? Have you been more consistent? What has improved for you in the last 6 months, year, 2 years?
We are all different and that is a beautiful thing; embrace it and make positive goals that improve your weaknesses and enhance your strengths. Seek to make improvements that bring you personal joy, not public praise and you will not only take control over your happiness, but you will find greater satisfaction in the journey.
1. How did you find out about Crossfit?
I had heard about Crossfit over the last few years from several sources but what got me really interested was my friend Jen Levy. When I saw her after not having seen her for 6 months, I made an appointment for the newbie Saturday class the same week and never looked back!
2. What is your favorite Crossfit exercise or WOD?
I enjoy doing band pullups and knees to elbows. My favorite WOD was the Quad Killer at the Old Main Hill. It was super tough but so much fun!
3. How long have you been Crossfitting for?
I have now been Crossfiting for 18 months and have never once been bored or thought of not coming back. It also helps that CVSC is such a neat community of people. I absolutely love it!
4. What do you do for a living?
I am a software developer who sits at the computer 8 to 10 hours a day. I am a proud “Nooner” and that break to Crossfit in the middle of the day is perfect for me physically and mentally. There’s nothing that works better for giving your mind a break than only thinking about the next burpee!
5. What are your hobbies?
I like to read and enjoy foreign movies. I mostly enjoy spending time with my two awesome daughters.
6. What are your goals?
My goal is to get stronger every day. I would like to be able to do more than one dead hung pull up in a row!
7. Why do you Crossfit?
I have been fairly active throughout my life but I have to say that I have never felt this good. It is never boring because WODs are always different. It is empowering to see how little by little one makes so much progress. This empowerment translates into all facets of your life.
8. Any advice for future CrossFitters?
My advice to future Crossfiters would be to try it and hang in there! The WODs are tough but you feel so good after you are done, you will only want to come back for more!
Here is an interesting nutrition post courtesy of The Poliquin Group called,
"Why Fat Is GREAT For You: Seven Tips For Eating Fat So You Lose Fat"
Often maligned and villanized as the cause for obesity and heart disease, good fats are actually essential to good health and body composition. Its important that you are getting the correct kind and that it is in conjunction with a non-inflammatory diet of low grain, whole food. The article covers several good sources of fat to include fish, coconut oil, avocados, grass-fed butter and more...
OMEGA 3's help you burn fat
"...Eating the omega-3 fats will raise energy expenditure, leading you to burn more calories than you would otherwise. For example, a study of overweight men found that when they increased their omega-3 intake from 0.43 g/day to 2.92 g/day, they experienced a 51 percent increase in the amount of calories they burned after eating. "
"The fats highlighted here will improve insulin sensitivity, decrease inflammation, enhance cellular health and gene signaling, and support hormone balance. But they can't fix the damage that you do if you eat lots of carbs, trans-fats, or processed foods.
Today we're featuring a post from Girls Gone Strong written by Molly Galbraith: "Deconstructing the De-Load".
In it she breaks down what a deload is and the importance of cycling them into your training. When you are training hard its important that your recovery (nutrition, sleep, mobilizing) is also aggressive and sometimes your body just needs time to fully recover. These deload periods are integral in building long-term health and strength gains, reducing injury and shouldn't be skipped.
Galbraith says:
"If you’re not sure whether to de-load or not, below are common indicators that it’s probably time for a de-load:
Keep in mind that the list above is not exhaustive. And unless you know your body really well, it’s probably best to plan a de-load every 5-8 weeks and not to wait until you are completely destroyed to give yourself a break."
Check out her post for more information on what types of deloads are commonly seen. Our programming incorporates deloading and if you pay attention, you will see that some weeks or days are light and/or short compared to what you expect. A good training program will integrate periods of deloading and active rest days. But if you are still finding you suffer from problems from the list above, consider taking a more aggressive deload and take a few days out of the gym to allow yourself full recovery and assess your nutrition and mental and physical stress. Deloading is not weakness, its part of the pathway to strength.
The Spine!Courtesty of Dan Pope of fitnesspainfree.com
On his post "The Correct Way to Mobilize your Thoracic Spine with a Foam Roller" he covers the importance of good spine mobility & a few videos demonstrating how best to do it! Read up on his post & watch the videos and try them out the next time you hit the gym!
"The point of rolling your thoracic spine is usually to get a bit more thoracic extension and help improve your efficiency with overhead lifts. Remember that your shoulder joint only really achieves 165 degrees of overhead flexion and in order to get that big weight overhead we need to get that last 15 degrees from our thoracic spine. Thoracic spine extension is also a major player in shoulder health so we better get this hammered down."
Via FitnessPainFree
1. How did you find out about Crossfit?
I had heard about it from multiple people, but it was really my husband, Brady, that started looking into it and all the gyms available for us in Cache Valley.
2. What is your favorite Crossfit exercise or WOD? I enjoy the workouts that are circuit style, moving from one movement to the next. I feel that I get a good all over workout by doing so many movements in one workout. I also really enjoy workouts that include lifting a lot of weights.
3. How long have you been Crossfitting for? My husband and I have been coming to Crossfit together since August 2012, so just over a year.
4. What do you do for a living? I work at Bear River Association of Governments (BRAG). I do low-income assistance for families in crisis situations with their housing and utilities. I also coordinate the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program in Rich, Box Elder, and Cache Counties. I coordinate volunteers that are IRS trained to do basic tax returns for families.
5. What are your hobbies? I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I love to travel, especially to warmer places then Cache Valley! Summers are full of hiking and camp fires. Winters are full of cuddling in blankets with a good book. I like to give of my time to help others through volunteer work in the community and my church.
6. What are your goals? My dream is to someday be a mother. I love kids and would love to have the opportunity to raise them in a good home.
7. Why do you CrossFit? I Crossfit because I love the variety of cardio and weights. I’m able to do workouts with the group that I never would have been able to come up with on my own. I may not always love how I feel during a workout, but I love how I feel after. I sometimes feel that I have been pushed to the extreme and it is good to know what I can accomplish.
8. Any advice for future CrossFitters? Just do it! Make sure to eat healthy and drink a lot of water to keep hydrated. How you eat definitely effects how your workouts go. Be consistent. Once you start, try to stick to a good workout schedule.
1. How did you find out about Crossfit?
I first heard about Crossfit from one of my co-workers. Her kids own the gym up in Preston. So I started looking into it and we decided to give it a try.
2. What is your favorite Crossfit exercise or WOD? Anything with power cleans and deadlifts. Or anything that takes the breath out of ya.
3. How long have you been Crossfitting for? We have been Crossfitting for just over a year.
4. What do you do for a living? I am an Insurance Agent for the Logan Insurance Agency.
5. What are your hobbies? I love playing golf and softball.
6. What are your goals? Currently my main focus is on starting my own business. I would really like to get my mile and 5k times down. I also want to increase my upper body strength.
7. Why do you Crossfit? I first started Crossfit to lose weight. Down 70lbs!!! But now I do it to challenge myself and to improve my overall fitness. Crossfit has made it so I can do more things in my life. Before Crossfit I never would have signed up for the runs that Jodi and I have done. I couldn't even run 200 Meters without feeling like I was going to die. When I first started Crossfit I would look at the whiteboard and question whether or not I would even be able to finish the workout. Now when I look at the whiteboard I know it might suck but I know I will be able to push through. I love the workouts that kick the crap out of you and make you feel like you might pass out. They make you feel like really accomplished something that day.
8. Any advice for future CrossFitters? Take it one WOD at a time. You might not fully notice the results immediately but they are there. Listen to the trainers and talk to them about any concerns or injuries you may have. They will help you work through anything. All the trainers at CVSC know what you need to improve yourself. They are awesome. Set reasonable goals and try to exceed them. Make the most out of the time you have here. I am going to miss this place.
