CrossFit Vernon will be closed this Saturday the 4th for the CrossFit Total at CrossFit Kelowna. If you wanna come test your limit strength then come on out, if you wanna come hangout with a great group of people, show up, or if you just want a place to knock back a few beers and watch some lifting that’s OK too. Either way, show up, it’ll be badass. BBQ and drinks after – BYOB

Monday the 6th we’ll be open for two classes at 5 Pm and 6 PM then On-Ramp at 7 Pm.

As we all know, when the zombie invasion happens only the strong will survive. Urkel might have you believe that it is in-fact a book hardened intellect that will guide you through this turmoil, but he would be sorely mistaken. Finally somebody took all those government granted dollars and spent them somewhere worth while. Eat your hearts out book-worms,  Strong People are Harder to Kill. Basically this study shows that in EVERY SINGLE scenario, strong people die less often. From cancer to car accidents to common illness, the strong survive. Think about that next time you consider getting “toned” for summer, it could save your life.

With that, MAKE SURE you attend the CrossFit Total this weekend at CrossFit Kelowna. It starts at 10:30 and you can find it from the website AND it’s gonna be AWESOME!

WOD
21-18-15-12-9-6-3
SDHP 75#
Push Jerk 75#

Continuing on our quest for ultimate health here are a few more ways to healthify (is that a word?) your life!

Sleep – Get more of it. Pretty simple. 7-9 hours a night. If you’re tired, sleep more. Do your best to improve the quality of your sleep. Have a comfy bed and eliminate any and all sources of  light in the room (TV, computer, nightlight, even the moonlight). Set the temperature in your house to your ideal sleeping temp and hunker down like a bear gettin ready for hibernation. Some of the benefits of a good nights rest: Improved mental acuity, enhanced recovery, a more positive attitude, and reduced risk of illness.

Grains & legumes – This is where things may seem a little more “extreme” in your eyes. Grains and legumes, put quite simply, are fuckin’ you up. Gluten and other Lectins are like Chadd Graham behind the wheel of an M1 Abrams loose in your GI tract. Swerving all over the place, smashin’ into things, blowin’ shit up, and just generally wreaking havoc. This damage and chronic inflammation leads to all sorts of conditions such as auto-immune and heart disease. On top of this grains and legumes are comparably “empty” carbohydrate sources. The nutrient density in vegetables is many times higher. And if you’re worried about your child’s brain development, fruits are as good of a carbohydrate source as grains and legumes but pack a much higher vitamin punch. For more go HERE.

Dairy – Dairy is in somewhat of a grey area. It is estimated that 25% of people are lactose intolerant, this number rises with different demographics such as Asians and Natives. This kind of resistance to an entire food group is evidence enough that something isn’t quite right. Though you may not be lactose intolerant there is a good chance that dairy is harming your body in some form, whether it’s the lactose itself or just the insulin repsonse created by dairy. I would recommend this be the last thing on your list to change. When everything else is feelin’ good, skip dairy for 3 weeks and then have it again for a week. See how you feel and go from there.

There it is, your 6 step program to becoming a healthier CrossFitter. Take all of these in stride and if need be, slowly incorporate each step into your life.

WOD
4 Rounds for time:
50 Squats
Run 400m

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) – This trash is found in EVERYTHING! And it is just that, trash. Probably the most harmful product in our lives, this guy is responsible for an epidemic rise in Type II Diabetes and linked to liver disease, heart disease, cancer, and auto-immune disease. Just type High Fructose Corn Syrup into Google and you’ll find a myriad list of resources citing its ill-effects.  If you follow one bit of advice from this guide it better be to eliminate HFCS from your diet. HERE is a good starting point for your quest to HFCS enlightenment.

Start taking Fish Oil – Despite all the arguments on diet/health (low carb, low fat, vegan, South Beach, Paleo) and what’s best there is one thing that EVERYONE seems to agree on and that is that everyone should be supplementing with Fish Oil. Basically what this boils down to is Omega3:Omega6 ratio. An ideal O3:O6 ratio would be 1:1. Too bad we are hangin’ out in the 1:20 and even as high as 1:30 range. In short Omega6 = bad, these are found in vegetable oils, soy bean oil, margarine, and grain fed animal fats, they are PRO-inflammatory and need to be balanced with ANTI-inflammatory Omega3s. Go to your local health food store (in Vernon I prefer Nature’s Fare) and hunt down the fish oil product with the highest EPA and DHA, ideally anything over 1,000 mg. Buy this and take 3-6 tablespoons or 8-12 capsules a day. For a definitive guide to fish oils check out Mark’s Daily Apple

Make it yourself – That’s right, you’ve probably heard this one before but it really is that important. No more buying bread from the store, no more instance pancakes (think about HFCS), no more Kraft Dinner. If you wanna eat it, make it yourself. Throw out all those old convenience items and start cookin’! I’m not a supporter of bread/pasta/grains but if you just can’t live without them then make sure you’re making it all YOURSELF. Include lots of vegetables and freshly prepared meat in your diet and you’re well on your way to a healthier lifestyle.

Pt. 2 tomorrow.

WOD
3 Rounds for time:
10 Thrusters 135/95
10 Burpees

HERE is a link to an article talking about genetically modified canola found growing wild in Dakota. More on genetically modified foods can be found HERE and HERE.

WOD

21-18-15-12-9-6-3
DB Push Press 45/25
Squat Jumps

Haven’t got much to talk about today, except that more of you should be coming in on Saturdays for the one hour lift session. Many of you can do all the movements and lifts but an hour dedicated to making the small tweaks that prevent injuries and maximize training potential can go a long way.

WOD

I’ve seen a few variations of this workout floating around lately and it looks plain awesome so without further adieux the Ascending Deadlift/Cindy mashup.

Perform 1 deadlift followed by 1 round of Cindy, then 2 deadlifts followed by 1 round of Cindy, then 3 deadlifts/1 round of Cindy, all the way up to 10 deadlifts/1 round of Cindy.

Weight for deadlifts is 225 for males and 155 for females.

If you’ve been around CrossFit for any length of time chances are you’ve heard this question or even answered it yourself. Fran for those of you who don’t know is a short couplet workout of 21-15-9 reps of barbell thrusters and pullups, the all mighty standard in CrossFit it seems. But this post has nothing to do with Fran or even another benchmark workout. This post is about Totems. Wait what??? Totems. People are always interested in what your benchmark score is, and how you stack up against them. The problem is that nobody is wondering HOW you achieve such awesome workout scores. Enter Totems. Everyone needs one of this little jewels, it’s what takes you to that next level when you just can’t possibly go any further, it’s that extra overhead walking lunge, or your fourth consecutive sub 1:30 500m row. A Totem is whatever it is you think of when all the chips are on the table. There was an interesting post on The Strength Shop about Matt imagining a burning building and the kind of effort he would put into saving everything and everyone from that building. This is the kind of effort CrossFit demands every single time you show up, it is what defines our methods from conventional ones. So whether it’s a burning building, the last round of a fight, or some hot chick down the street, have a Totem, it’s the next step in your training.

WOD

“Kelly”
5 Rounds for time:
Run 400m
30 Box jumps
30 Wallballs

Competition works hand in hand with goal setting. Giving your training a purpose. Though setting goals is important, the only thing holding you accountable is yourself. Competition on the other hand is inherently a S.M.A.R.T. goal PLUS accountability. CrossFit is full of competition and because of our wide ranging programming we can prepare for almost ANY competition. From Olympic weightlifting to powerlifting to highland games and strong man, CrossFitters are ready for anything and lets prove it! The CrossFit Total in Kelowna next weekend and the Winter Challenge in Victoria this November are the perfect stage. Set your goals, make it to competition and test yourself.

WOD

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

2-4-6-8-10-12-14-16-18-20

Man-makers

Double-Unders

Our bestest friends over at CrossFit Kelowna are hosting a CrossFit Total this September long weekend. If you’re not familiar with the CrossFit total, it’s a one rep max of the back squat, standing press, and deadlift. Anyone looking to test their strength or just hang out with a great crowd should show up. There will be food and beverages afterwards. For more information go HERE

WOD

5 Rounds for time:
10 Front squats 135#/95#
10 Ring dips
10 Toes to bar

Last year CrossFit Taranis in Victoria had a mid-season CrossFit competition. It was a big success and this year aims to be even BIGGER! Everyone should consider entering it. If you haven’t been a part of a CrossFit competition, it’s one of the most amazing things ever, the community and support is something that seems to have been lost on a lot people these days. For more information go HERE

WOD

4x500m Row
Rest as needed between efforts.