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.
Here's some pointers from a recent Catalyst Athletics article written by Mike Gray.
A lot of us struggle with getting in mobility, and rarely does anyone have 30 minutes to sit on a foam roller pre or post workout. And frankly, that may not be the best use of your time. Mike has a few suggestions to make it as 'unpainful' and efficient as you can. Even incorporating it into your workout or workday.
I recently came upon an article from Eric Stevens writing for BreakingMuscle.com "What Oregon and Colorado Can Teach us About Fitness"
According to Men's Fitness Portland,OR came up 1st as the 2014 "Fittest City in the Country" followed by Denver, CO. He writes what makes these two cities winners & what elements we can emulate in our own community to make health a trend. They include:
-Community Based Fitness
-Fitness is Contagious (as is obesity- in a sense)
-Functional Fitness Beats Aesthetic Fitness
-Eat Locally Grown, Whole, Raw Foods
-Commute to Work by Biking or Walking
He writes:
"Your community is important, and that includes your friends and family as well as the society at large. Habits spread like a virus, both good and bad. In order to curtail the spreading obesity rate, failing health of our children, and inactivity of all of us, we must combat these issues head on. The antidote is collectively rejecting that these trends are in any way natural. What is natural is moving everywhere every day, eating whole and nutritious foods, and instilling good habits in our children."
Many of these are already great local trends in Cache Valley, UT. And with the Cache National Forest at our doorstep, an already young and active demographic and a growing trend of cyclists, we are easily set to be the next fittest city.
Read the full article here.
1. How did you find out about CrossFit?
I found out about Crossfit from my two nieces who had been going. (Ashley and Jenny) Ash's sister Wendy was a trainer and so strong!
2. What is your favorite Crossfit exercise or WOD?
My favorite WOD was not Filthy Fifty! At first I didn't love any WOD but within a few months I was glad to be working hard and getting stronger. I enjoyed Murph and I also enjoyed learning double unders. Wall Balls are still low on my list.
3. How long have you been CrossFitting for?
I have been Crossfitting since July 2009--the longest that I have stayed with any one workout!
4. What do you do for a living?
I am a rancher and a mom. Not necessarily in that order--except during calving season.
5. What are your hobbies?
My hobbies are riding horses, and spending time with my family, quilting, cross-stitching, running, reading, and cooking.
6. What are your goals?
My goals are to be better and stronger every day in every aspect of my life.
7. Why do you CrossFit?
I Crossfit so I can be strong enough to keep up with my kids, my hired man, and continue to enjoy my ranch life!
8. Any advice for future CrossFitters?
My advice for future Crossfitters is to start and then keep working! Don't be discouraged. The workout is not the enemy, your bad habits- both eating and fitness- are and you will be better for any effort, so why not make it your best effort! Enjoy the ride, you are worth it
This cool rainy day is making me antsy for summer days. Lets kick off the positive summer thinking with an amazing recipe for Paleo Burgers from PaleoOMG with parsnip fries and red onions & avocado mousse.
For this months mobility post we're going for a simple 5 way fix for shoulders from Kelley Starrett of Mobility WOD. Take 10 minutes with a band before your next workout and see what a difference it makes. The 5 Way Shoulder | Feat. Kelly Starrett | Ep. 47 | MobilityWOD - YouTube.
1. How did you find out about Crossfit?
Through Taylor Richards-Lindsay, a friend of mine and previous trainer at CVSC.
2. What is your favorite Crossfit exercise or WOD?
I love anything with pull-ups and doubles. And used to be burpees before I got pregnant, now those take FOR-EV-ER!
3. How long have you been Crossfitting for?
5 years.
4. What do you do for a living?
I recently quit my job as a mental health therapist at the end of 2013 to stay home full time with my daughter, Claire, and soon to be baby boy, who has yet to be named:) I also volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center in Logan (Center for Pregnancy Choices) and am blessed to get to know some amazing women (and men) in our community and share resources.
5. What are your hobbies?
I enjoy biking and skiing, gives me a little something extra to do for each season. I also enjoy reading, baking and experimenting with new cooking recipes.
6. What are your goals?
My goals seem to change since I've started CrossFit. Like most people, I started out with the goal to lose weight and get into shape. As I started weight lifting I had goals that centered around my 1 RM on different lifts. But like many, work and family take precedence and my goals have changed, especially since I've quit working, Currently its to keep healthy during pregnancy and to show my daughter the benefits and fun to working out and being active.
7. Why do you Crossfit?
There are two major reasons I CrossFit: 1.) The people at CVSC. It is such an awesome community and I've made such amazing friends. This is why I keep coming back day after day, month after month, year after year. 2.) Continuation of being in shape. I like how being active and healthy feels. I like the feeling of knowing I can complete these workouts and learn new skills and get better at my weaknesses. I grew up on a farm and am not afraid of physical labor, but I am and have been for years, in the best shape of my life.
8. Any advice for future CrossFitters?
The advice I have, the soreness you get when you're new doesn't go away for good, but it gets better. You start to enjoy it and its a little reminder you've worked your hardest and you're continuing on this journey of getting healthy, so don't quit. AND ask questions. The terminology is confusing and no one knows it at the beginning.I'm honored to be chosen for the athlete profile and give a HUGE thanks to you and the other trainers for teaching me more than just what it takes to get in shape. Add to that discipline, dedication, having a great time and meeting remarkable people along the way.
For the frequently discussed & often debated subject of Post-Workout Nutrition, here's a nice list from the Poliquin Group. It includes The Forty Best Tips To Speed Recovery From Your Workout.
Don't get too caught up in the list of supplements here, but focus on the quality and quantity of the foods you eat ALL DAY. Nutrient timing is a moot point if you are eating junk food for 3 meals and hitting that protein shake 10 minutes post workout. Success in the gym comes from what you do the other 23 hours of the day. Some highlight items include:
2: Ensure hydration.
3: Eat high-quality protein and fat at every meal.
11: Eat cruciferous veggies with every meal
24: Eliminate sugar it causes the largest insulin spike of all foods.
36: To reduce muscle pain on the days after a damaging workout, do a moderate intensity concentric-only workout.
39: Sleep!
Number 39 is a secret weapon with immediate reward, try it. Read the full list here.
Its not always obvious based on the faces of those pushing through a workout at CVSC but exercise makes you happy, its science. For many that is tied to the community of friends that are made here and the positive physical changes in your body but the very act of exercise releases positive feelings.
In an article from Fast Company: What Happens To Our Brains When We Exercise And How It Makes Us Happier
"The first 20 minutes of moving around, if someone has been really sedentary, provide most of the health benefits. You get prolonged life, reduced disease risk — all of those things come in in the first 20 minutes of being active.”
So get moving and get happy.
What is mobilizing?Often you hear people use the terms 'mobilize' and 'stretching' interchangeably. But these are two different things, and both important to maintaining good range of motion, recovery and avoiding injury. As Kelly Starrett explains:
"Stretching only focuses on lengthening short and tight muscles. Mobilization, on the other hand, is a movement-based integrated full-body approach that addresses all the elements that limit movement and performance including short and tight muscles, soft tissue restriction, joint capsule restriction, motor control problems, joint range of motion dysfunction, and neural dynamic issues. In short, mobilization is a tool to globally address movement and performance problems."
The body is amazingly efficient at working with what its got, whether that be someone surviving on a diet of processed food or an athlete competing/training through minor injuries. Your body compensates and oftentimes with only tale tale signs of a problem, leading someone to falsely assume their in good health until a serious accident or illness occurs. CrossFit Athlete Jenny LaBaw wrote about this in her article 'Mobilizing vs Stretching' saying
"I have found through my own training in the last year that if I'm having some performance issues (non-skill related) it is 99.9% of the time a mobility issue. If I'm coming forward on my squat, my calves are usually bound up. If I'm having stability issues with my lumber on my deadlift, my hips are a bit impinged. Athletes are strong and our bodies find ways to continue to do these movements over and over without proper mobility and that ends up compromising something else, and that something else and so on and so on...which results in poor movement patterns and ultimately injury."
The intent is not to become paranoid about injury but rather to be vigilant about your health through good diet, exercise and mobility. Use your workout journal to keep track of not only your workout or diet but also how you feel, note pains and stiffness, talk to your coach if your have a nagging discomfort. Oftentimes, these can be curtailed or prevented with a daily routine of mobility work.
Regardless of your level of activity, sitting at a desk all day or an Olympic-level athlete training 5x a day, to reap the benefits of mobilizing it should given a time priority into your daily routine. For some people that is when they're at the gym, arrive 15 minutes early and devote yourself that time, stay late and do the same. If thats just not possible, take 5-10 minutes in the morning while your coffee is brewing. Or maybe you have a favorite tv show you watch, use the commercial breaks to hit some great couch stretches, as demonstrated below. Thanks to Kelly Starrett of Mobility WOD for this one.
http://youtu.be/IioW8A3fgW0?t=1m28s
"CrossFit is a core strength and conditioning program.We have designed our program to elicit as broad an adaptational response as possible. CrossFit is not a specialized fitness program but a deliberate attempt to optimize physical competence in each of ten recognized fitness domains. They are
1. Cardiovascular and Respiratory endurance
2. Stamina
3. Strength
4. Flexibility
5. Power
6. Speed
7. Coordination
8. Agility
9. Balance
10. Accuracy"
- Greg Glassman from "Foundations" CrossFit Journal
The 10 fitness domains are well-known among CrossFitters as the parameters with which 'fitness' is measured and what cumulatively create a well-rounded athlete. When it comes to competitive CrossFit, serious weakness in any of these domains will prevent an athlete from excelling very far in a competition. Most of us can easily identify which of these are our strengths or weaknesses, but whom has the perspective to see they lack in what Invictus Athlete Justin Nahama calls the "11th fitness domain", self-confidence?
"What do Steve Jobs, Michael Jordan, Josh Bridges and Kris Clever all have in common – aside from being generally awesome and having a huge fan base? While these individuals, like each of us, differ in background, strengths, weaknesses, shape and size (see picture of Josh and Aja), they all share at least one common characteristic: the ability to maintain self-confidence in the face of adversity or “failure.”
Many are quick to point out their 'goats' in gymnastics or weightlifting or cardio but do we realize that our negative self-talk may be our biggest weakness?
"Whether it is in the gym, at work or at home, it will happen. The opportunity for negative self-talk will invariably ensue and you will be at a crossroads. The easy and tempting path is to honor that negative self-talk, which is a road peppered with self-indignation and excuses."
Read Justin's full article here and remember that keeping a positive perspective, a strong mental fitness, will carry over to our personal & professional life in life-changing ways. Like all the muscles, you must exercise this skill to become better. Take the challenge to actively engage only in positive self talk for a week and see what strength can be gained.
A Case for the 11th Fitness Domain
