- Tuesday, January 17th, 2012
- by amy
“The Jackie”
For time:
1000m Row
50 Thrusters
30 Pullups
**THIS CHALLENGE IS OPEN TO EVERYONE**
The CHALLENGE: How FAST are you AND how much can you IMPROVE in 4 weeks?
Qualifying Day: Wed/Thurs January 25th/26th – All Classes
Finals Day: Sat February 25th
Entry Fee: $30 ($20 goes for prize money)
Prize: Win the pot!
Winner: Prizes for both most improvement and fastest times!
Prelims: Wed/Thurs January 25th/26th, All Classes
Finals: Sat February 25th
Men’s Categories Women’s Categories
Beg 15 pound barbell, 2x jumping Pullups Beg 15 pound barbell, 2x jumping Pullups
Int 35 pound barbell, red band Pullups Int 25 pound barbell, blue band Pullups
Adv 45 pound barbell, unassisted Pullups Adv 45 pound barbell, unassisted Pullups
“The Jackie”
How the Challenge Works
1. GET REGISTERED – get your name on the list and pay the $30 entry (remember, $20 goes back in the “kitty” for prize money).
2. SET YOUR BASELINE - Wednesday and Thursday January 25th and 26th are the prelims. Set your baseline “Jackie” time. This will be the time off of which we will calculate your improvement.
3. TRAIN – CrossFit for 4 weeks with the intention of improving your “Jackie” time.
4. SHOW UP for the FINALS – Saturday February 25th. Go for YOUR best “Jackie” time!
** PRIZES will be awarded for:
• Most improvement - 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in women’s and men’s divisions.
• Fastest times - 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in women’s and men’s advanced divisions.
Rules:
• You must choose the category you are going to compete in and STAY in that category for the finals
• Rankings for TIME:
o There will be one master list ranking participants based on time
o Your TIME rank will be based on your performance within your category.
o Categories will be listed in the order Advanced, Intermediate, Beginner. This means that all Advanced category finishers will be ranked above all the Intermediate category finishers, who will be ranked above all Beginner category finishers.
o For example, if you compete in the Intermediate category, the best ranking you can have is one below the lowest in the advanced category. So if there are 6 people in the advanced category, your ranking, if you are the fastest intermediate, is #7.
• Rankings for IMPROVEMENT:
o There will be one master list ranking participants on percentage improvement.
o This list is NOT categorized. Your category has no bearing on where you finish on this list.
o For example, if you compete in the Intermediate category, and you have the highest percentage of overall improvement, you would be ranked #1.
- Monday, January 16th, 2012
- by amy
We're half way through the month of January, which means we're half way through Gluten-Free January. How are things going for you? Are you struggling? Are you feeling any different (better I would think)?
We've teamed up with Annie Kay's to provide you with some great gluten-free products. Annie Kay's has made up some special coupons just for us at CrossFit Blacksburg. These coupons are in the "window," and are available to everyone. The coupon is $5 off a purchase of $25 or more. Pick yours up before they're all gone! Thanks so much to Paula at Annie Kay's!!
We've installed some hooks for keys below the retail sign in sheet. We figured we needed some place for you to stash them since we rearranged the lounge. Also, take a look at the new House Rules in the lounge. My favorite is #12!! It makes me happy!
- Friday, January 13th, 2012
- by Carol
60 Day Challenge - Day 60!! You're finished!! Did you make it?!?
From our good friends, the Schwartz family...we miss you guys and we like your soup!
Chicken and Pumpkin Soup with Jalapeno pesto- 11 servings
Pesto:
1 c. fresh cilantro
1 c. fresh parsley
1/2 c. pine nuts, toasted
5 cloves garlic
4 jalapeno peppers
1 tsp. lime juice
1 lime zested
1/2-3/4 c. EVOO
Rough chop parsley and cilantro. Add all ingredients in blender, start wit 1/4 c. olive oil gradually adding as needed to reach pesto consistency.
Soup:
7.5 c chicken broth
1/4 c. finely chopped jalapeno (or more...)
1-16 oz can pumpkin (or butternut squash puree if in season)
1 can coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste
precooked rotisserie chicken, skinned and shredded
1. In large stockpot combine broth, onions and jalapenos. Cook about 5 mins until onion is soft.
2. Add pumpkin and chicken, mix well and simmer 5-10 minutes.
3. Add remaining ingredients, DO NOT BOIL after coconut milk has been added.
4. Serve with corn tortilllas in bottom of bowl if desired and pesto on top.
Delightful!
- Thursday, January 12th, 2012
- by amy
Our series of Supplemental training classes starts up again next week. We are changing the focus from the strength bias we did in the fall to a mix of Olympic lifting and CrossFit Endurance. There will again be four supplemental classes per week - two for Olympic lifting and two for the CFE.
The Olympic lifting classes will be heavily focused on improving your skill, which will in turn improve your PR for the clean & jerk and the snatch. There will also be some accessory work or a short workout to finish the class.
CrossFit Endurance is designed for athletes wanting to improve their overall endurance levels, and those training for marathons, triathalons and the like. CrossFit Endurance works in conjunction with your regular CrossFit workouts, so to get maximum benefit from the classes, you should be keeping up with your CrossFit WODs. Classes will focus on drilling proper running mechanics, rowing form and workouts ranging from intervals to time trials.
The schedule will be updated on the website for next week's classes. Tuesday 5:30 am & Saturday 8:00 am will be the Olympic classes; Thursday 5:30 pm & Friday noon are the CFE classes. Cost will vary by membership level. See one of your coaches. First class is free to try it out. These supplemental classes are also open to non-members, so if you have a friend who wants to improve their race results, or get better at the Oly lifts, send them our way!!
- Wednesday, January 11th, 2012
- by amy
This is a great blog post from Phil Mancini of CrossFit Genesis in Roseville, CA.
Embarking on a new path can be intimidating, especially for the first time. A simple way to ease the fear is to remind yourself why you’re taking the journey in the first place, and to commit yourself to not getting lost along the way and winding up back at your starting point.
That’s not to say that there won’t be some scary moments. New paths offer new challenges and obstacles that we’ve never seen or experienced before. But that’s the point. Without overcoming obstacles and pushing ourselves, we’ll never progress and become our best self.
The good news is that the scary part of CrossFit lasts around 10 minutes. The workouts are short AND intense, and we’re uniquely designed to handle this type of physical activity. Being scared is fine, we all get butterflies from time to time. But that message is telling us that we’re about to CONQUER something scary, and the rewards of that can’t be measured by a workout time.
- Tuesday, January 10th, 2012
- by amy
60 Day Challenge - Day 57 - ALMOST FINISHED!
So, what's for dinner?
Last night we had a yummy meat loaf that was super easy to make, topped with a homemade tomato sauce. Add to it some steamed green beans that were sauteed in some fat with lime juice and cilantro, and some sliced orange sweet pepper, and you've got yourself a yummy meal! Of course I forgot to take a picture, but here's the one from the website where I found the meat loaf recipe.
I talked to two athletes today who have not only gone gluten free this month, but are going strict paleo. One has lost 10 pounds, and the other 5. WOW!! It's amazing what cleaning up and training hard will do for you! Don't be a hater or doubter, just join in on the fun and see great results!
Super yummy, super easy!
- Monday, January 9th, 2012
- by amy
We've been fielding a lot of questions lately about going gluten free, and how many people are feeling bad/week/lacking energy. While weight loss/gain/management isn't always influenced by calories in/calories out, you need to keep up your caloric intake to sustain your level of activity.
If you're cutting out a big portion of your diet (bread, pasta, tortillas, etc), you need to replace those calories. If you don't, you're not going to feel very good, and you'll perform even worse! What do you replace that gluten with? Why veggies, of course! You might also want to consider increasing your fat intake. Both fat and carbohydrates are fuel sources for your body. Keep up those levels to feel good and full of energy!
Totaling scores after the a big team wod!
- Friday, January 6th, 2012
- by Carol
60 Day Challenge - Day 53
Yoga Dude gave us this recipe over the holidays - these burgers are outstanding and easy to make! Tweak the recipe to suit your tastes.
Jalapeno Burgers:
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
4 small jalapenos, seeded and chopped finely
1 shallot, chopped
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
Salt/pepper to taste
Cooked strips of bacon for a topper
Head of purple cabbage - peel off large leaves and steam - these are the "buns" for the burgers.
Mix all of the ingredients together and form burgers. We grilled ours but you could cook them on the stovetop. I also mixed up a green salad with balsamic vinegar and put the salad on top of the burgers...delicious!
Yep - that is bacon on top!
- Thursday, January 5th, 2012
- by amy
60 Day Challenge - Day 52
We're 5 days in to the Gluten Free January Challenge. How is it going for you? Are you struggling with anything? Getting cravings for some of the things you used to eat on a regular basis? Have you caved in to any of those cravings in a weak moment?
Remember the KISS principle - keep things simple stupid! Don't overcomplicate things. Eat a quality protein at each meal, and fill the rest in with veggies. That's all there is to it. Also, we do have our FaceBook page for the challenge - don't be afraid to use it to ask questions, or as an accountability tool.
We are looking in to carrying some new products at the gym. VitaCoco is a yummy coconut beverage that's a great post workout beverage. We stumbled upon Nicole's Nutty Goodness while traveling down to South Carolina. It's a bar that's similar to Lara Bars, but are completely vegan, raw, and about 90% organic. And when we can get our hands on a freezer, we'll be carrying local, grass fed ground beef from Griffin Farms! Yummy!
Also, starting today, we're going to be raising the price on the eggs to $4.50/dozen.
- Wednesday, January 4th, 2012
- by amy
... And what are you going to do about it?
While this is completely anecdotal, I haven't had a flu shot since 1994, and I haven't had the flu since 1999. Since "cleaning" up my diet in 2007, I have had very few colds. Neil is rarely sick, and he's never had a flu shot. The girls do get sick every now and then, but they don't get the Mac Daddy illness that so many kids get. Martha did get what I figured was the swine flu a couple of years ago, but thankfully, she's none the worse for wear!
Eat clean, and your immune system will get stronger. My personal opinion is that if you limit pain reliever/fever reducer use in yourself, and more importantly, in your kids, you/they will be healthier overall.
Here's an interesting article from Dr. Joseph Mercola about flu vaccinations. I realize that Mercola is somewhat controversial, however he does bring up some good points that are worth digesting.
I want you to be educated, thinking adults with regards to your health and fitness. Exercise and nutrition are obvious aspects of that. There are other aspects that need to be considered. Just sayin'.
When you do notice any congestion at the onset of an illness, your best bet is to eliminate all sugar and dairy. Both bacteria and viruses (or vira if you're a Latin geek) feed upon sugar, therefore you should limit their food source. Dairy is a known mucus thickener, and you certainly don't want your mucus more thick than it needs to be while ill!
Here are a couple of other links that promote healthy flu treatment. Give it a whirl ... what have you got to lose?
