40# PR on Back Squat and PR Cindy!

A couple days ago, I did Cindy with Dai, Christie and some friends at Fitness Town. I hadn't done Cindy in over a year and wanted to get 20 rounds. I was close and pr'd but didn't quite get there.

Score = 18 rounds + 9 reps

Today, I tested my 1RM in the back squat. My previous record was 265lbs. I thought 275 would be good but I hit it easily, so I went for 295. That went up slower but I still made it so I decided to try and break 300 and put on an extra 5# per side. 305 seemed like it took forever to go up but after about 3 full seconds in the concentric phase, I got it! Woo hoo! Hitting 300 was one of my goals I set for myself after the regionals, so it looks like I can cross that off!

Back Squat = 305

Thanks to Max and Lorne for the scream hype.

Skill Guidelines

What I need to work on for 2011/2012

Level 0
- Handstand holds

Level 1
- 5k run
- 400m run
- L Sit
- overhead squat
- snatch
- clean & jerk

Level 2
- 500m row
- 2k row
- push ups
- dips
- pistols
- muscle ups
- back squat
- press
- weighted dip
- weighted pullup
- bench press

Level 3
- 100m run
- pullups
- handstand pushups
- box jump
- deadlift

Level 4
- standing vertical jump

Long Ass Aerobic Workout (LAAW) The new Long Slow Distance (LSD)

Today's WOD

First I established a 1RM Close Grip Bench Press/Power Clean
205/205 = 1.0

My 205 Power Clean is a 20# PR. Last time I tested was in January 2011. Yes!

Then...

10 rounds of
500m row
15 burpees

Time was 37:42 (probably spent over a minute screwing around with the computer/monitor). Feels good to test this engine cause I suck at it! Whoo!

The 2011 Reebok Crossfit Games Recap

So the 2011 Reebok Crossfit Games are officially over! What did we learn this weekend? Here are some of my thoughts

- I predicted 4 out of the top 5 women and I was really close to putting Rebecca Voigt in 5th which would've made me 5 for 5. I predicted 2 of the top 5 men. I predicted both winners (Annie and Rich). I predicted that Crossfit New England would be one of the two teams that could possibly win. Bottom line - I'm the Nostradamous of Crossfit

- Too bad Mikko Salo was out so early. It was such a tragedy. For him to finish that first workout from having his eardrum blown out shows great courage. If he had competed, I don't think he could've beat Rich but he would definitely have top 5 potential.

- Big Congratulations to Crossfit Taranis (3rd place team) and Angie Pye (10th place women), for representing BC!

- Rich and Annie have a legitimate chance of repeating next year being the first 2 repeat champs. I haven't felt like this for the past winners ever.

- The only man who has a chance at giving Rich a run for his money is Josh Bridges. He is LEGIT. In fact, IMO, he was the most impressive this weekend.

- I thought the programming for this year's games was the best programming ever. It truly spanned broad time and modal domains. I felt that it truly represented the fittest man and women in the world. The only error they made was the softball throw, they should have put a shotput throw in place, it would have been a better representation of upper body power/core to extremity power. Softball throw was too biased to those with that skill already.

- I am already excited for next year!!!

2011 Reebok Crossfit Games Predictions!!!

Hello fellow crossfit dudes and dudettes! The 2011 Reebok Crossfit Games are upon us! In T-Minus 1 day, approximately 50 men and 50 women, along with 40 some-odd teams will battle it out for the claim to be the fittest man, woman, and team in the world!

With the announcement of the individual 1st event which includes a swimming portion, and the 2nd and 5th events which includes multiple skills tests, the programming for this year's games are off to a fantastic start! This year's Games has the potential to be the best test of fitness out of all the prior games. With that in mind, it's time for some predictions. You can't have a competition without some predictions from Phatty himself.

Teams:

I believe it's going to be a battle between Crossfit Invictus and Crossfit New England. (I know, not really going out on a limb here). My underdog pick is Crossfit Taranis from Victoria, BC to crack the top 10. BC represent! Woot! woot!

Individual Women's:

1. "Iceland" Annie Thorisdottir - this is a last second change, but I believe Annie is prime to take it this year upsetting Kristin Clever's chance to be the first repeat champ.

2. Kristin Clever - It's going to be close between Kristin and Annie the whole weekend but there can only be one winner!

3. Samantha Briggs

4. Julie Foucher

5. Michelle Kinney

This year's Camille award aka relative newcomer darkhorse to make a name for herself: Angie Pye


Individual Men's:

1. Rich Froning Jr. - no need to explain this choice

2. Mikko Salo - ditto

3. Dan Bailey - He has some weaknesses ie. gymnastics so he could fall, but I think his strengths will pull him up

4. Ben Smith - I like this pick here because not many people have him in the top 5

5. Chris Spealler - hard to choose between Speal, Austin, and Josh Bridges here but Speal has the experience and best overall skillset out of any athlete

This year's Austin Malleolo award aka relative newcomer darkhorse who nobody is talking about: Joseph Weigel

How are the Canadians gonna do? Those 2 guys from Eastern Canada are gonna be near the bottom, Lukas Parker has a chance to crack the top 15-20. Jeremy Meredith will end up 20-25. Both very respectable showings!

p.s. I think either Mikko Salo or Matt Chan will take event 1. See y'all tomorrow!

Crossfit Power Rankings July 2011

Crossfit Power Rankings are based by the most recent performance by the athletes in past Games, Regionals, and the Open. More weight is given to the bigger the stage of the performance.

Men:

1. Rich Froning Jr.
2. Graham Holmberg
3. Chris Spealler
4. Matt Chan
5. Mikko Salo
6. Dan Bailey
7. Austin Malleolo
8. Ben Smith
9. Jason Khalipa
10. Josh Bridges
11. Daniel Tyminski
12. Joseph Weigel
13. Nathaniel Schrader
14. Philip Kniep
15. David Stowe
16. Mikko Aronpaa
17. Patrick Burke
18. Gabe Subry
19. Pat Barber
20. Nick Uranker

Women:

1. Kristen Clever
2. Annie Thorisdottir
3. Jessica Parmanian
4. Julie Foucher
5. Samantha Briggs
6. Michelle Kinney
7. Becky Conzelman
8. Rebecca Voigt
9. Stacie Tovar
10. Camille Leblanc-Bazinet
11. Angie Pye
12. Elyse Umeda
13. Lisa Shiu
14. Amy Dracup
15. Christy Phillips

Get Rid of Western Disease Once And For All

Patty's Great post, informative and concise on gluten. See original here.

Ok bear with me here….I might get some terms a bit off and some dates have a tolerance, but I am going to paraphrase why Gluten sucks so bad for your health.

After hanging with my old pal Robb Wolf for 4 days it has become apparent that there is a chemical war going on between our bodies and the nature of grains to defend themselves.

Now Robby correct me where I have Pattersonized this too far. (see comments section)

In short: It is not the fat that is trying to kill us…..nor are the high glycemic foods 100% the culprit, nor is it necessarily sugar or starch.

The worst part of our diet comes from grains and more specifically a protein in them called gluten.

Here is how it all started: We have evolved for over 4 million years. We have subsisted on a hunter gatherer diet consisting of game meats, fish, seasonal fruits and vegetables, nuts and tubers. It has only been the past 5,000 years or so that grains were introduced into our diet. Cultures that switched to grain as a major source of nutrition shrunk by over 6 inches and lost over 25lbs of lean body mass.

The tallest people on earth in the late 19th century were plains indians (5 ‘ 11″ average ht) who lived on a hunter gatherer diet. By contrast the average height of a US calvary man was 5’4″. Also Hunter Gathers showed no sign of Cv disease, type II diabetes, various cancers, Alzheimer’s and a host of other gnarly diseases that are killing us in record numbers.

The difference……grains

Why? Think of the goal of every living thing on earth………..especially think Tbear.

It’s goal is to procreate. Now also recognize that every living thing has some sort of mechanism to defend itself from being killed so it can pas on its genes (Try to get the remote from Tbear when there are females present and you shall see)

Clams have shells, roses thorns, snakes have venom (Tbear has skinny wrists, but watch out for the elbows). Grains have gluten and its purpose is to beak down your gut and kill you.

Stop eating gluten (none….zip….zilch) for 30 days and see what happens. Talk to Tbear or check Robb’s site for what to eat in combination with zero gluten.