Saturday, May 29, 2010

That was really fun

I don't know about you, but I had a great time this morning and I feel great! This was a fun WOD that ran well together, I though, but I think it somehow could have been made slightly more difficult. Not sure how though...

Good to see all of you too!  I was beginning to miss you morning athletes.  And no, we haven't sold the studio to Ashley...not yet anyway.


Circuit of 3
Each group sets up their circuit simultaneously. 
1-2 athletes per exercise
The pace setter determines when the group switches exercises.  
Each athlete must complete all the exercises before moving onto the next circuit. 
Perform circuit one time only.


Circuit #1
1a. Pace Setter - 30 Thrusters 95/65
2a. 2 pood KB swing
3a. BOSU 180 plyos


Circuit #2
1a. Pace Setter 30 cal row
2b Thusters 115
3c. Towel pull ups

Circuit #3
1a. Pace Setter 30 burpees
2b. 1.5 pood KB flip squat
3c. 20b Ball cleans
This was actually yesterday, but I just liked this pic of 'Charlie's Angels'.  Nice work, Angels. 


Thanks to Ashley too for really stretching us out afterwards also.  I felt much better post workout, compared to my usual 'dine & dash' workouts.  I am definitely stretch deficient, and I hope that I am not rubbing off on the rest of you athletes.   Static stretching after the WOD is always the most beneficial to improve range of motion about the joint, reduce DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) and alleviate some of the anxiety we build up in the WOD by bringing us back down to the earth.  I feel a peace in my soul when I stretch, especially when I breath properly throughout the movements.  


Friday, May 28, 2010

And the winner is.............

Well, surprise, surprise!  KBaehr! Look at these numbers.
JV = old12/new17.5 -  bench press old105/new120 - back squat old 230/new 270 - push press old115/new120 - Deadlift old250/new 300 - total poundage old712/new 827.5
1 point for every pound and inches on vertical jump:
827.5-712/712 = 16.22%
Max points for food journal






Chipoltle!


Spify certificateWOD Book
No pic of the gift certificate for Nike shoes

Honorable mention to Jonas, Melinda, Peter, Brad, Atlanta and Scott.  Everyone had improvement to their total poundage & vertical jump over the past 6 weeks.
Melinda 523.75-625/523.75=19.33% increase!
Peter 1051.5-955/955 = 10.1% increase!
Atlanta 545-504/504 = 8.1% increase!
Brad 823.5-777.5/777.5=5.91% increase!
Julie Flood Deadlift 207.5 - 251!  20% increase



Thursday, May 27, 2010

Deads and other stuff

Here are a few pics from the last week.  
Shelly is practicing the clean & jerk at CrossFit Fort Vancouver.  She looked remarkably well.


This Is Judy. Judy is kind of a legend as the first lady of weightlifting.  I'm pretty sure she could still lift way more than Chuck could.  Not kidding. 
And Peter Torelli!  Here is his big lift with 355#! a 55lb improvement or a 18.33% increase in 6 weeks!

Jonas, that's the best pic of you, ever.
This was a 90 sec, max rep effort of 265lbs.  I believe he ended up with 27 reps.  

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Fred Flinstone Had It Right

Should you wear shoes?

Ok so imagine living with your hands strapped up in cotton wool and living your whole life without being able to use your hands. Can you just imagine how irritating this would be as you would not be able to pick things up properly. In fact this is like wearing air system shoes all day long, where you are not able to spread your toes and feel the ground that we walk on. All the nerve endings, motor sensors, joints and bones in our feet are protected and very rarely see daylight at all.

But if you go far back to cave men and women times where we first evolved over thousands of years ago  we survived perfectly well without having our feet strapped up in colorful air system shoes on our feet. There are many modern day examples of how barefoot training can help aid physical performance.  Even Zola Budd the marathon runner favored barefoot training when she ran marathons, and there is research to show  that running barefoot ensures correct body mechanics.

 In his book "Take Off Your Shoes and Walk" foot Doctor Simon J. Wikler D.S.C., states that,
"Practically all shoes worn daily by men and women in our Western civilization have little relation to the shape of the human foot - Most adults' foot trouble would either not exist or would be much less bothersome if properly-shaped shoes had been worn during childhood or, better yet, if those people had gone barefoot"

So what are the benefits of barefoot training anyway?

Enhanced running efficiency
Laboratory research has shown that running barefoot results in a 4% increase in performance.  It is seen that the arches of the foot are allowed to move more freely without the need for air system shoes!

Stronger muscles in your feet and legsWhen running barefoot on hard surfaces, the runner compensates for the lack of cushioning underfoot by plantar-flexing the foot at contact, thus giving a softer landing (Frederick, 1986). Barefoot runners also land mid-foot, increasing the work of the foot's soft tissue support structures, thereby increasing their strength and possibly reducing the risk of injury (Yessis 2000, p.124).When running barefoot on hard surfaces, the runner compensates for the lack of cushioning underfoot by plantar-flexing the foot at contact, thus giving a softer landing (Frederick, 1986).

Greater agility and balance It is claimed that footwear increases the risk of such sprains, either by decreasing awareness of foot position provided by feedback from plantar cutaneous mechanoreceptors in direct contact with the ground (Robbins et al., 1995), or by increasing the leverage arm and consequently the twisting torque around the sub-talar joint during a stumble (Stacoff et al., 1996).  Siff and Verkhoshansky (1999, p.452) reported that running shoes always reduce proprioceptive and tactile sensitivity, and that using bare feet on the high-density chip-foam mats in gyms preserves proprioceptive sensitivity. Robbins et al. (1989) considered that behaviors induced by plantar tactile sensations offer improved balance during movement, which may explain the preference of many gymnasts and dancers for performing barefoot.

Greater flexibility in your leg musclesGoes without saying really. If your feet aren't strapped up all day in comfy shoes then they are going to be able to move freely whoch will help your feet and legs get better range of motion-thus increasing flexibility.

Improved circulation
The motion you get from your unrestricted foot when walking barefoot activates a number  of muscles in people's feet and legs, which in turn helps to pump blood back to their hearts. This motion may not be as effective if your foot is confined in a shoe, especially if it's a poor fitting shoe. This muscle action prevents the pooling of blood in your feet and legs, reducing the stress on the entire cardiovascular system and reducing blood pressure. This is why going barefoot is recommended to prevent deep vain thrombosis.

Decreased ankle sprains
It is claimed that increased awareness of foot position from direct contact with the ground (Robbins et al., 1995) may decrease risk of ankle sprain - and/or the reduced leverage and consequently twisting around the ankle (sub-talar) joint from going "barefoot" minimizes the risk of spraining the joint during a stumble (Stacoff et al., 1996).

Better proprioception
The modern running shoe and footwear generally reduce sensory feedback, apparently without diminishing injury-inducing impact-a process Robbins and Gouw (1991)  described as the "perceptual illusion" of athletic footwear. A resulting false sense of security may contribute to the risk of injury (Robbins and Gouw, 1991).  Yessis (2000, p.122) reasoned that once the natural foot structures are weakened by long-term footwear use, people have to rely on the external support of the footwear, but the support does not match that provided by a well functioning foot.

Increases biomechanical performance
The arches of the feet are shock absorbers for the foot. They store energy and return energy to the gait cycle. Similarly, the natural arches of the spine are designed to perfectly store energy as the body "derotates" during the gait cycle (Gracovetsky 1988, 1997, 2001). Wearing shoes that have arch supports prevent the arches from functioning properly and heels cause chaos  to posture as they compromise energy storage and change the sdhape of the spine which cause back problems and neck problems.

Improves balance and  prevents falls
The feet provide significant sensory feedback to the brain and are therefore significant in balance and efficiency when running or walking. But , (Chek 2004) sees the most common cause of death in people above 65 years is falling.  25% of elderly people who fall and fracture a hip, die within 1 year of falling.

So, like I said...Fred Flinstone had it right.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Chuck CrossFit Sectional Experience


CrossFit Sectionals
I’m 36 years old and I feel like I am almost in the best shape of my life. I am stronger than I ever have been, and probably healthier than ever. I think I had a stronger aerobic ability and stamina/local muscular endurance when I was boxing, but this came at an expense of strength & power. This past weekend, I and 63 others were put to test to find out how our bodies could handle a saga of shit over two cherry days amongst the fittest athletes in the northwest. Long story short, I forgot my bitch-a-way-cream.
I wasn't planning on going to sectionals  Afterall, I finished 28th in regionals and they only accepted the top 20 finishers.  You can imagin my surprise when I got an email 1 month prior to sections that read "Congratulationes!  Vente a Washington para Sectionales!"  "OH NO!"  I yelled.  I was in near adrenal failure by the time the games kicked off lastSaturday morning. Shelly and I left Portland at 5 AM Saturday morning and arrived to the Pullayulp fair grounds two and a half hours later. Speeler, Jerome, Widman, Dan & Alicia Staton – there they all were, ready to kick some ass and take names. Everyone was sporting their flair from their respective CrossFit affiliates; hoodies up, ipod and headphones on, walkin’ like they got shot in the leg. Though looks can be intimidating, I didn’t meet anyone with an ego that smelled like rotten eggs. Everyone was very respectful, polite and courteous
I was slightly nervous for the first WOD, which was 3 rounds of 10 135 lb overhead squats and 50 double unders for time. I wasn’t too concerned about the double under because I’m a boxer, and I like to jump rope. What I didn’t count on was trying to do 50 double unders after completing 10 135 lb overhead squats. I looked like Maggie Simpson trying to walk a tight rope. That didn’t go so hot. I think my time was about 7:52 and Speeler scored 2:36. That was slightly disappointing for me, but after all, I was just going for fun.
I was really looking forward to the second WOD which was called something like Assmaster Deadlifts. They were performed with a 2” diameter deadlift bar, which I really liked. You could choose from different weights, 263, 303 (roughly) and 363 (roughly) and had 90 seconds to perform as many reps as possible. My goal was 32 with 263 and I completed 29. Not shabby. Jerome performed 36 with 303. It was nothing less than amazing.

Everyone was waiting for the end of the second WOD because then the judges would tell us what day 2 would consist of. “Okay,” says Kurtis, the main organizer and host. “ Get here in time to get your chip.” “Yes!” I shout out. I was so excited to run, because that’s what one of my strengths are. “Listen up, the second WOD:

30 calories row

30 95lb thrusters

20 1.5 pood kb swings

3 20’ rope ascents


20 calories row

20 115lb thrusters

20 1.5 pood kb swings

2 rope ascents


10 calorie row

10 135lb thrusters

10 1.5 pood kb swings

1 rope ascent

Everyone started cheering about the WOD once Kurtis announced it and all I could think was “What the hell are you cheering at? You guys are nuts! You should be crying instead of cheering.” I think that’s what separates me from THEM.

Shelly and I then go out to Red Robin for dinner where I ordered the salmon burger wrapped in lettuce and the chicken wrap, wrapped in, well...a wrap.  I was starving. 
So, the next morning.  The chip is on, I’m at the starting line, the bell rings and I bolt out of the starting gate. I lead for about ¾ a mile, which I was pretty happy about. The first mile was completely up hill, and when I say up hill, I mean up hill. I’m aint talking about no little incline like the on ramp at Corn Pass to the 26. I mean like Helvetia/Skyline. 1.5 miles uphill. Holy crap I was sucking wind. I had to stop twice at power walk for 30 seconds. I could hear people approaching me as I was walking too, trying to pass me. I couldn’t let them overtake me so I pulled up my big boy underwear and started hoofing it asafp. I finished somewhere are around 36 out of 64, I again, I was pretty happy.

At this point, my legs and lungs are toast, like Dave's Killer Bread, really overdone toast.   I literally gave everything in the run. I had not an ounce more. Once the run was over, I though long and hard about dropping out and not continuing the second WOD. Shelly said “Hey, you’re Chuck MaFuckin’ Gonzales and you have to represent! You better get it together!” As encouraging as that sounded, it didn’t really help the burning in my body. I pretty much napped, replenished and stretched for the next 3.5 hours. I couldn’t believe I was going for the next WOD. All I wanted to do was get through the first set. They begin to announce our names and out we go into the arena.
I strap into the rower, the bell rings and I’m off. “Not so bad.” I say to myself. Then the 30 thrusters. “Huh, this feels like about 65 lbs.” I say to myself. I thought I would be able to climb without feet on the rope, but there was no such luck. I crawled my way up there three times with legs. The KB swings went smoothly enough and I was off to the second set.

While it was no walk in the park, I made it through the second set. I could feel the calves twitching, desperately trying to tell me that they were ready for bed. Nope, too bad. Fight through it, I tell them.

Then, the inevitable approached. The big Pink Floyd Brick Wall came riding in on a fucking thundering stallion with sword and shield brandished in a CrossFit shirt that said “unFuckWithAble”. He was right.
Once I was on my third set of rowing, I think I was moving slightly faster than Betty White in a Victoria’s Secret outlet store. My legs were shot and had nothing left. The entire arena was silent, I couldn't hear anything except for the hooves which were fast approaching. I finish my 10 calories then make my way slowing to the 135lb bar that’s just looking at me, laughing hysterically. “You’re going to pick me up 10 times?” The bar says to me. “Well, I didn’t come this far for nothing.” I reply. “Who the hell is this psycho?” My judge thinks to herself.
I surprise myself and complete the first 5 unbroken. I could hear my calves taking talking to me again. “Come on guys, we’re almost done.” I say. Rep #6: I explode up with the bar….zing!!!! “Screw you Dad, we’re going to bed!” My calves scream. I yell like a little girl and drop to the dirt. All I could think of was Lindsay’s advice she gave me once of “toes to nose!”. That’s what I did. Then, I heard the cold voice of Kurtis on the overhead PA system: 1 minute remaining! I knew I wouldn’t complete the WOD in time, but I could complete the thruster! By God I was bound to finish my thrusters.

I manage to pick myself up from the dirt. I walk to the bar and say to my calves “Listen, we can do this the hard way, or we can to this the easy way. But either way, we have to get it done, and we have about 30 seconds to do it.” I put my hands on the bar and the crowd goes wild. I clean it to my shoulder, squat & press. I can hear the crowd cheering louder. Three more! Two more! With 3 seconds left and Kurtis counting down on the overhead, I’m at the bottom of my squat with the bar on my shoulder. I force my legs to fire and get my ass up. Two seconds left! With every last bit of strength in my body, I push the bar up, lock out the elbows, then I hear “….one. Time!”. I got my thrusters and the crowd goes wild. I thought the crowd went wild, anyway.

"Is this real life?"  I say to my judge.  "I can't feel anything."  "Is this going to be forever?" 
"I have two fingers."  Drool, drool, drool, pouring down my face. 
I’ve gave high fives to everyone I could reach, especially to Tom from CrossFit Breakthrough. Tom was cheering for me and I remember making eye contact with him on one of my ascents up the rope. I was so fatigued and just hung there, 15' up, until I could muster the effort to reach the 20’ mark. I looked over and there he was, looking at me and nodding his lead, like – “Pull it out of you kid, dig deep, focus, you can do it.” Thanks Tom.   And thank you to Rainer CrossFit for being exceptional hosts and organizing an amazing.  I know that these things can be a logistical nightmare sometime, but you really made it look effortless.  Thank you hosts and thank you athletes for being formidable.  Thank you Jerome, Todd & Dan for constantly being gentlemen.     
I’ve been a ravenous best ever since Saturday. I just can’t seem to eat enough food. I’m literally starving 20 minutes after I eat. In fact, it’s 10:30 PM right now and I think I’m due for some of our new CrossFit burgers.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Great work this week, everyone.


 (above - a functional day of propioceptive training with the stability ball, dumbells and the BOSU (not shown)).  The kids (below) are some of my favorite times to instruct in the gym.  Our KidFit program is packed with little ones who make me feel great, no matter what kind of day I'm having.  I hope to one day be as strong as little Gabby.  Great job everyone!!!!! And remember, no fast food and exercise for 45 minutes EVERYDAY!!! 

We would like to thank everyone who kicked butt at the studio this week.  The Strength Challenge people are so much stronger and the MetCon peeps just keep getting better and better. 
Thank you to every excited person whom signed up with us this week to kick off a healthier 'you'!

Billy Barton
Shirley Ott
Zack Metnick
Trish Lux
Lodie Landis
We look forward to having you in class and doing our best to be YOUR premier strength & conditioning facility.
 CRAWL, CRAWL, CRAWL!!!!

Also, please be sure to check out our new summer events calendar.
Outdoor events with Pacific Personal Training
We're really excited to travel around with all of you this summer and see the sights in Oregon.  

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Dinner Review of Newport Bay

Tonight, Shelly, the boys and I were at Washington Square having some mind-numbing veg-out time. It was getting pretty late and we knew that there would be no way we would be in any shape to prepare a square meal by the time we got home. After reviewing our options of Subway, Spparo's & Newport Bay, the choice was pretty clear.
We were seated quite promptly at Newport in an area with enough room for the boys to make an utter mess and wiggle uncontrollably. The drinks were well priced and really good (had a pinot noir). The apitizer we had (peel and eat shrimp) were not only seasoned and cleaned with the proper pooer scooper, but they were pretty well priced at about 8-9 dollars.


The big surprise was the dinner, however.  We knew that we would eat a lot of food between the four of us, so we ordered this family dinner special they had on their menu.  It was wild Alaska salmon with asparagus and the menu showed it was enough to feed 3-4 for $39.  We thought it was a good idea. 
It turned out to be enough to feed about 8 or 9 people.  There were two HUGE salmon filets and about 5 different bunches of broiled asparagus wrapped in a slice baked ham.   I think we ate about 3/4's of just one side of one filet and 3 bunches of asparagus. 
 
The server was about the nicest person whom has ever waited on us, anywhere.  She was knowledable, great with the kids and made us feel like real guests.  Shelly and I are often so disapointed with guest services we receive when we go out (which is really rare), and I think that's what I was expecting.  Newport Bay gave me the 'wow factor' tonight and I'll definitely go back to that location again.  I just hope that they deliver again.   

CFT's



Jeff was such a trooper to help Andrea bring it home!
KBaehr, I forgot how much weight is there.
Linds, this is America.  Use the pound next time.

'Best Smile 2010' Jflood.  Lock it out!!!!!225 Donna!  Huge leap!Go Boyeee!Quote of the week: "Kiss my ass!"  H. Hady. "Shit, Shelly" WOD.  Ouch.  The beautiful Shelly.  I love working her out. One of my fav pics of the box.  So dynamic.  This is the quietest they will be all week outside of sleeping. 

Friday, May 7, 2010

Very important this Saturday: The H3 Project

Some of you may know that Chuck's personal vision and one of the main reasons we created the studio is to manifest vision of The H3Project: Ending hunger and homelessness in Hillsboro.

Tomorrow, the USPS is accepting non-perishable foods to be set in yellow bags that you should have received in the mail.  If you have not received a yellow bag, please bring your non-perishable food items to the studio for the classes tomorrow for us to deliver the the USPS.

Your help is very appreciated and the vision cannot be reached without you,

Thank you,
ShellChucker, Corp.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

CrossFitter pics this week.


I love the Bosu and I don't think we use them nearly enough. 
Rod was to only one who represented yesterday. Way to show up me and Jonas.  You rock, Rod.  
(side) I wish I had traps and shoulders like Melinda.  (below) And, it's only 90 libbys on Jonas' back. I think Melinda should have just stood on his back instead.  
Good to have Kristin (below) back in class from Hawaii.  And it seems now that fried chicken really is the answer for cancer.  JFlood in 100 words.  




Look at Derek's nice little sweat angel.  One of my favorite pics.   Nice work Derek.  That's awesome.  


"Shit, Shelly!"

This was a lung buster today, which was appropriately names for it's creator, Shelly Gonzales, because that's the first thing we all said when we looked at this WOD on the white board. 

"Shit, Shelly!"
5 rounds
200m sprint
95lb SDHP
10 wall balls

3 min break
5 rounds
200m sprint
10 push ups (clapping if you can)
10 pull ups

I (Chuck) was toast.  We'll, wheat free, gluten free toast, that is.   

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

What do you and Tiger Woods have in common?


Choices!  Every day we are faced with choices that effect us both physically and emotionally.  Even down to the small things.  Ever have to choose which route to take:  Mapquest's suggestions or the correct one? That's easy though, right?  How about some tougher ones.  Like the decision you made to become healthier.  The problem here is having too many choices. 

The Way Things Use To Be: There's a new show that just finished up its first season.  I don't get into a lot of shows but this one is great.  I'm talking about Spartacus on 'Starz'. Throughout the show, you get to see how gladiators trained at the time of Spartacus (c. 109-71 BC).  The only weights they had were logs and large stones.  Some ancient Greek athletes started with using a small calf.  As the calf grew, they continued to lift it and get stronger.  You see, they didn't have 5 Globo Gyms to compare prices or home treadmills and ellipticals to buy. All the food they had was what the earth gave them.  The industrial/processed revolution hadn't happened yet.

The Way Things Are Now:
I believe the problem started in the early 80's.  Gold'sGym and a few others were around. Then, starting in 1983, we started to see the likes of 24 Hour Fitness and Bally's. The list has just grown from there. All of them trying to sell the cheapest membership and let you use all the shiny equipment they have. Now you're choosing not only where to work out but what to use. It's not just the gyms either;  there are hundreds of diets out there to choose from too. There are celebrity diets, detox diets, diet pills, low carb., the cookie diet (true!) and more! Those are just the diets. What about all the other choices? We have hundreds of fast food restaurants, frozen foods at the grocery store, aisles of canned food and so on!
Plus, trying to make all these choice will drive us crazy.


Since We're Not The Greeks, What Do We Do?:
We may not be living in the same era but we can still make the same choices.  We know that when we put a little more effort into making our food at home from scratch with fresh ingredients that we not only enjoy it a little more but feel better about it.  You know, because it doesn't come with any of the guilt that makes us say, "I'll just work it off tomorrow".  But, what about our physical activity?  It's not just the "where" but the "how" and "can I commit to it".  Don't stress about the "where" It can be ANYWHERE.  Just remember, it can be as simple as a log and some rocks. The "how"? Just pick it up and move!  If your heart rate is up, you're doing a good job.   Now, the "commitment". There are plenty of days that I don't feel like doing it.   It would be easy to not do anything but I'm always reminded of an interview I saw when I was about 12 years old.   Karl Malone, a 19 year vet of the NBA, 14 time all star and #2 on the all time scoring list was known for and asked about his work ethic in the weight room. He responded simply by saying that it was the days he does it when he doesn't want to that made the difference. I think that worked pretty well for him.

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