Meat Muffins

• Thursday, April 4th, 2013
• by amy

Our daughters found this recipe online and included it in The Paleo Mini Cookbook for our anniversary.  (I know, sniff sniff!)  Super yummy, super easy!

Paleo Mini Meatloaves

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground meat - mixture of grass fed beef and/or pork
• 1-2 t oil
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 6 oz. mushrooms, finely diced
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced
• 2 carrots, grated
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup+ coconut flour
• 2 t salt
• 2 t pepper
• 2 t onion powder
• 1 t garlic powder
• 1 t dried thyme
• 1/4 t nutmeg

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375*.
2. Heat a pan on medium heat, add the oil and fry the onions, mushrooms, and celery until the onions are translucent and some of the liquid has cooked out of the mushrooms.  Drain and set aside.
3. Place the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, add cooked veggies and use your hands to combine it well, but do not over mix.
4. Fill 18+ regular size muffin tins to the top with the meatloaf mixture.  Greasing the tins may be a good idea if the meat is lean.
5. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until internal temp reaches 160*.
6. Allow to cool and use a knife to loosen meatloaves from sides of the pan before removing.

New Lifestyle Category - Generosity, Support, and Kindness

• Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013
• by Jesse

What's up WLC'ers?!?!?  Less than two weeks left...can you believe it?  With the new month, comes the final lifestyle category - Intentional Acts of Generosity, Support, and Kindness.  It's been great bettering ourselves over the last 6 weeks, but now it's time to focus on those around us.  It can be friends, loved ones, or better yet, complete strangers.  Look at this as an opportunity to get outside of your comfort zone.  We all love staying within our tight knit circles hypnotized in our routines by our tunnel vision.  Let's push that aside and think about someone else for a change.  Try this on for size...strike up a conversation with someone you've never seen in class.  Think about it...when is the last time you introduced yourself to a new/unknown CrossFitter at CFBB?  We have new athletes joining the ranks daily.  How much better was your introduction to the CFBB community when complete strangers welcomed you with open arms during your first couple weeks?

These CFBB Ladies stuck around just to cheer on athletes during CF Games Open WOD 13.3...talk about SUPPORT!

Voodoo Floss

• Monday, April 1st, 2013
• by amy

Thanks to CrossFit Invictus and Michele Vieux for this post about Voodoo Floss ...

Voodoo Floss for One and All!
Written by Michele Vieux

The father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding always prescribed Windex as a cure all. Well lately, Voodoo Floss has been mine and I’ve been seeing great success with many people who have been curious enough to try after seeing me use it and hearing my story.

I had knee surgery ten months ago and had a rough recovery and was still unable to do many basic daily living activities even 8 months later. It was bad enough that I was scheduled for another knee surgery to go in and clean up scar tissue and debris. Luckily, I had the opportunity to work with Kelly Starrett, of MobilityWOD, a week before my scheduled surgery. After about 20 minutes with him and some Voodoo Floss, I could suddenly do all the things I hadn’t been able to for months. I kept up the flossing and cancelled my surgery.

Now that you guys have been seeing me, and others, Voodoo Flossing, I have been receiving a ton of interest along with questions on what it’s all about.

Out With the Old & In With the New
Voodoo Floss helps break up intramuscular junk to allow for greater mobility and blood supply to the area. By squeezing the muscle in a tight wrap then forcing it through ROM, friction between muscle fibers helps break up fuzz, scar tissue, lactic acid and other junk in those tiny places that foam rolling and lacrosse ball techniques can’t address.

Healing & Cleansing Power
When you release the band, a rush of blood washes through the muscle not only bringing it nutrients for growth and healing but also clearing out all that junk you just broke up. This is also true for injury recovery and can be used to aid the healing of strained tissue.

 

Stretching Those Hard to Stretch Places
To work elbows and knees and the little pieces within, wrap one band above and one band below the joint then do some squats or push-ups. When you put the joint through ROM with bands anchored on either side, they stretch everything in between which can greatly improve not only joint ROM but also pain, stiffness and tendonitis.

Good to Go vs. Probably a No No
Good: shoulders, arms, elbows, wrists, hands, thighs/hamstrings, calf, ankle, foot
No No: head, face, neck, chest, torso, abdomen, back, over knee cap (this one is your call but I don’t think it feels very nice)

Test and retest the ROM and/or do one side and compare it to the other the first few times you Voodoo so you can see what a difference it makes. After you’re a pro, you can wrap more than one body part at a time and come up with your own movements and motions with them on depending on your needs and what feels like it works best for you.

For more information about Voodoo Floss, check out MobilityWOD and hear the master of the floss himself describe and demonstrate its many benefits.

And thanks to Neil ... we wedded 18 years ago today.  It should come as no surprise that our anniversary is on April Fool's Day!  Happy Anniversary to the only man who could put up with me!!  :)

Savory Breakfast Casserole

• Friday, March 29th, 2013
• by Carol

Open WOD 13.4!  Get it done today!

Savory Breakfast Casserole from Paleoeffect:

2 small Sweet Potatoes

3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Sausages (we like Chicken and Apple, but pork is great too!)

½ Yellow Onion

4 Eggs

½ c Coconut Milk

¼ tsp Sage

Sea Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Wanna Get Better?

• Wednesday, March 27th, 2013
• by amy

Not to toot our own horn, but we do a pretty good job of coaching at CrossFit Blacksburg.  As the owner and head coach, I have very high expectations for all of our coaches - just because you've been to a weekend seminar doesn't mean you have what it takes to be one of our coaches.  While we do our best on the floor to help each and every athlete reach their goals, there is only so much time that each athlete has with a coach.

This is where skill sessions and private training can fill the gap.

Struggling with double unders, handstands, or pull ups?  Schedule a short 20 minute Skill Session with one of your coaches!  We've had numerous athletes take advantage of this offering, and the improvements have been quick and profound.

Want a more thorough assessment of your strengths and weaknesses, and a plan of attack?  Schedule a Goal Assessment meeting with one of your coaches.

Not seeing the results you expected from your nutrition?  Sit down with Carol for a Nutrition Assessment.

Need more personal attention to address some issues (and we've all got 'em!)?  Make an appointment for some private sessions with one (or a collection) of coaches.

We are here to make you Better Than Yesterday.  Sometimes it takes more than three hours each week!!

Get these new goodies while they're hot!

Athlete Profile: Trintje Laurel Marburg

• Tuesday, March 26th, 2013
• by Carol

ATHLETE PROFILE: Trintje Laurel Marburg

Hometown: (now- Blacksburg, VA; originally- Mendota, VA)

Occupation: Researcher

When did you first start CrossFitting? April, 2012

When did you first start training at CFBB? April, 2012

Favorite WOD: If Jared and Hope got together and had a baby I bet that would be my favorite WOD. Jesse- make that happen!

Least Favorite WOD: Anything short with lots of weights. But then again - it is a challenge so I have to like it to some degree.

Tell us about your sports & fitness background: I started my love affair with running when I was in 7th grade. We had a fight when I was 17, but got back together in my 20’s and have been inseparable since. I ran my first 26.2 in 2010 and have been a bit addicted ever since, but I like the idea of pushing endurance even further. I have one 50-mile under my belt and eventually will get that 100-miler. I also have been playing volleyball on and off of teams since 8th grade until present. Weights have never been my friend but learning to be stronger and smarter than them in CrossFit is awesome.

How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? I do massage and started having athletes from CrossFit coming to see me. I had no idea what it was, but they all seemed to love it and really be benefitting. Then, my friend Scott thought it might be the right way to get me introduced to weights as I realized that if I did not get stronger in my shoulders, my first ultra was going to be miserable. Then a girlfriend, Jenna, started it and also told me I would enjoy it and well, I finally gave in and gave it a try…..my friends were right! THANKS FRIENDS!

Take us back to your first WOD... what was it, and how did it feel? OH MY GOODNESS I was so lost! I just kept staring at everyone and wondering how they moved like that. However, I was not scared or intimidated - everyone was encouraging and ensured me that I too would get there. Oh, and hella sore afterwards!

What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CrossFit? (before/after)? Wow, that is a huge question. I have seen so much change. First off, my body composition had a measureable difference after only 3 months of CrossFit. I did a bod-pod before starting CrossFit and again after 3 months of CrossFit while continuing to run as much as I do. I was amazed- my weight had not decreased (which is something I actively work hard on NOT have happening), but my body fat had decreased by 4.2%!  For a woman of my size I consider that fairly significant- plus it must mean I gained a lot of muscle. I came to CrossFit with a bad shoulder. I actually had not used my left arm in about 4 years. I mean I never used it to do ANYTHING - I never carried anything with it as I was so scared it would pop out, get stuck etc. After a few months of CrossFit I was able to carry groceries with that arm the half mile back to my house. I was almost in tears when I realized what I had accomplished. My arm is functional, I am becoming capable of so many more things as my body wakes up and gets stronger. Beyond the physical aspect I have gained in CrossFit, my confidence in being able to take care of and conquer anything I put my mind to has soared. I have found that multiple times since I joined CrossFit I have hit points in my life where I am just exhausted or scared and just want to stop and somewhere in my head there is this WOD Laurel saying not to quit because you DO NOT QUIT in CrossFit. I have pushed myself past so many hard times in CrossFit that I know I can just keep pushing in everything else I do and believe me, after 47 miles of running up and down hills and through the mud- having that voice for the last 3 miles means EVERYTHING.

What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected? The dedication to waking up at 5am! I never realized I could be that excited about waking up early. Actually, I think the biggest unexpected amazing experience I have had out of CrossFit is the family atmosphere. I remember one time in a workout I was the last one still pushing through a WOD and everyone in the class, people whose names I did not know, just rallied around me cheering me on to push right through to the end. Everyone WANTS everyone else to do well, improve and achieve. And heck, they will also be there for a spontaneous workout if you need help moving house. That feeling of a supportive family in a gym is something I never even considered but don’t ever want to give up.

Please share with us any favorite CrossFit / CFBB moments: Moments when Jesse tells me to do something is generally the best since he is so matter-of-fact. One day we were doing a workout involving toes-to-bar and I was doing my knees-to-elbows as usual. Jesse looked at me and said “Laurel, can you not do toes-to-bar yet?”. I dropped down from the bar and said “Well, I am not sure, I have not tried.”. The look from Jesse was enough to get me back on the bar and try and lo-and-behold I could do toes-to-bar! I reflect on that time a lot and it has led me to discover other things I can do- like the one day I decided to just try if I could do a pull-up finally and voila! I could! You never know what you are capable of unless you try.

Any advice for people just getting started? Do not be scared and do not give up. It is gonna hurt- enjoy it- know that it hurts in a good way because you are really pushing yourself to become a better person. CrossFit is a family and as long as you keep trying, we will be there.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit? Well, a bit of a repeat here but  I love running, helping people get into running and provide support for training for races. I also love gardening, messing around on a pottery wheel, cooking, DJ’ing African and Reggae music (so if anyone is throwing a cra cra party and needs some beats you just let me know), playing and basking in the sunshine with my cats and educating people on gorillas and chimpanzees….




 

Road WODder: A CrossFitter’s Guide To Travel & Training

• Monday, March 25th, 2013
• by Carol

A word from Sara Hess...thanks Sara!

When travelling, there are a number of things to consider: what to pack, where to stay, what to do; but when you’re a CrossFitter, there’s usually one more consideration: where (or sometimes how) to train.

When I accepted a new job that would require 3-5 days a week of travel, my CrossFit training schedule was a top priority. How could I continue to train at the same intensity (and prepare for competition) when I don’t have CrossFit Blacksburg readily available? The answer is simple: PREPARATION.
Just like planning your meals, training while on the road requires pre-planning, preparation and communication.

PRE-PLANNING: When I build my travel schedule (usually a month at a time), I first look for a CrossFit gym in or near the city in which I am working (literally first. This happens before I book my hotel). When I find a gym nearby, I typically try to book a hotel near the gym.

PREPARATION: So now that I’ve found a gym, I need to find out if I can workout there. Almost every CrossFit gym’s website has a drop-in policy (NOTE: Some gyms DO NOT accept drop ins. But just because the website doesn’t have a drop-in policy listed doesn’t meant I don’t try to reach out to them anyway). Review their policy and decide if it is worth it to you. How long are you staying? What will it cost to work out every day you want to? What’s the gyms reputation? It’s also good to check out their Facebook page to see what their members are saying. Sometimes a city/town has more than one CrossFit gym to choose from. That’s when I rely heavily on their member’s posts. It gives you insight into who you will be training with.

COMMUNICATION: At this point, I have found a gym and know they accept drop-ins (again, some gyms do not. But even if they do not have a policy listed, I still reach out and ask the question). Now it is time to communicate with the gym. My emails typically look something like “Hi, I am a CrossFitter from CF Blacksburg (VA). I am going to be in the area for ___ days from ____ to ____ (dates). I’d love to drop-in and train with you guys on the following days: ______! I see your drop-in policy states _________,  do you accept checks or cash only? Looking forward to training with you, Sara.”

Some tips on why I choose to include the above information: I have found that gyms almost always have some secret drop-in policy that goes beyond what is on their website. I have yet to pay full drop-in fees. Every gym I have trained at has ALWAYS worked out a deal if I am training there for multiple days in a week (which is why I include the dates/days I want to train). I have also found that MANY gyms will let you train for free if (1) you are only training one day, or (2) you buy a shirt.

Now you can train! I do NOT recommend just dropping in and hoping you can train. Nobody likes surprises, and the gyms have been very appreciative of the advanced communication. It also gives the gym an opportunity to gauge the type of athlete they will be training for a few days. Some gyms have had me answer questions about my CrossFit experience, years training and certifications. Others just say “come on in!” Some have called me and talked, others have said “see you when you get here.” Being open and honest with them makes a great experience for everyone.

So what happens if (a) there is no CrossFit gym nearby, or (b) the gym doesn’t get back to you (this has happened to me once). I always, always, always travel with my jump rope. Fits in a carry-on, and double-unders have me working up a sweat in no time. I keep an eye out for travel-wod sites (a lot of gyms have hotel-wods posted on their websites). Personal Favorite: CrossFit Fully Involved (Pembroke Pines, FL). Or thetravelingwod.com. Both have a lot of bodyweight stuff that will challenge your metcon when done at a high intensity. If you’re lucky enough to land a hotel that has dumbbells, your options are endless: goblet squats, overhead squats, thrusters, press/push press/jerk, dumbbell swings (instead of kettle bell), etc. Also, let’s not forget that CrossFit began as an online fitness program. If all else fails, visit CrossFit.com for main site programming.

Traveling and CrossFitting is as easy as you make it. And it is fun, too! But preparation is key. Safe travels and Happy WODing!

Sara making it look easy!

Coconut Crusted Chicken

• Friday, March 22nd, 2013
• by Carol

13.3 today!  Come in and do it! WB/DU/MU...good luck everyone!

Join us on Saturday for two seminars...Running As A Skill from 1pm until 3pm and Myofascial Madness (with guest Rolfer, Chris Pohowsky) from 3:30pm until 5pm. Email us at info@crossfitblacksburg.com if you will be attending one or both and haven't signed up yet.

Thanks to one of our former clients, Scott B., for reminding us that Murph The Protector opens today at selected Regal Cinemas...check it out and get ready for Memorial Day Murph...

Coconut Crusted Chicken from Paleo Diet Lifestyle...

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts;
1/2 cup (or less) coconut flour;
2 eggs;
A splash of full-fat coconut milk;
1 cup (more or less) shredded coconut;
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Get involved!

• Thursday, March 21st, 2013
• by Carol

We have a few events this weekend that you can take part in...

On Saturday we will have two seminars...Running As A Skill from 1pm until 3pm and then Myofascial Madness from 3:30pm until 5pm.

Shoot us an email if you want to attend one or both...(info@crossfitblacksburg.com).

On Sunday, we will have regular PRE and Mobility classes.


Hi ladies!

Spring!

• Wednesday, March 20th, 2013
• by amy

While it's hard to believe, with our expected high of 50* and possible snow flurries tonight, today is the first day of Spring.  It's a time of regeneration and fun, new things.  This is the time to start planning your garden - flowers and/or veggie.

Gardens ... prior planning prevents poor performance (as with so many things in life).  Thought needs to go in to design layout, what plants you want to come up weeks or months later, and proper water and nourishment.  If you plant tomatoes, don't expect to harvest daisies!  Our bodies are the same way.  The work you do today might not be readily apparent this evening, or the next day, or even week.  We're much more like a slow cooker than a grill.

Plan what you want, and with patience and good execution, you're likely to get it.