Heavy Thrusters

• Thursday, June 30th, 2011
• by amy

190# thruster, by a woman (who isn't Jesse's size!).  Remember, there's always some little woman who's warming up with your 1 rep max.

Not quite 190 lbs - yet!

Upgrading

• Wednesday, June 29th, 2011
• by neil

Have you ever considered increasing the number of times you come in to see us each week, but weren't sure how your body would react, or if the scheduling worked?  Well here's your chance to find out!  Talk to one of your coaches, and we'll get you set up for a week to try it out - free!  We've heard people asking if it's better to come in on consecutive days or to stick to every other day.  In general the answer is yes, the more you can get your body used to handling the extra work load, the better.  Just like starting CrossFit, it is an adjustment for your body, but you will rapidly see the gains!

A race to the finish!

Weightlifting Shoes

• Tuesday, June 28th, 2011
• by amy

VS Athletics, a track and field and weightlifting supplier, has an awesome deal right now on their weightlifting shoes.  They're regularly $85, and they're on sale right now for only $40!  That's right, less half the regular price.  If you've been thinking about getting a pair, now is the time!  Take advantage of this stellar offer, and act quickly!!  With this price, these shoes are going to fly off the shelves!!

Yeah, this is an ad from the company, but it shows some good footage and explains why weightlifting shoes are really good for, well, weightlifting!

Kids camps

• Monday, June 27th, 2011
• by amy

The first of the CrossFit Kids Summer Camps begins today.  The elementary age kids are up first - and we are sold out and excited!  The camp runs from 10am -12pm all week.  So those of you who attend the 9am class, be prepared to be stampeded off the floor!  Coaches will keep a sharp eye ion the clock top make sure class finishes on time, and as always you are welcome to hang out in the lounge and watch the kids get started.  Just be prepared to switch places with the kids right at 10. 

Space is still available in the middle school camp, which runs from July 25th - 29th.  Pass it on to anyone you know with a middle school age children.

Here come the campers!

Fresh seafood and a recipe…

• Friday, June 24th, 2011
• by Carol

Did you know that you can buy fresh seafood each Thursday in Blacksburg?  The Indigo Farms Seafood ladies park on Draper Road just off of Airport Road each Thursday from 10:30 am until 1:30 pm bringing our community fresh catches directly from the coast (look for their silver pickup truck with the huge fridge on the back).  They offer any number of catches each week along with fresh shrimp, scallops, beef and poultry.  You can get onto their email list and see what they have each week.  Plus, they are super-cool and fun to get to know!  Stop in next week and check them out.  They have other times and locations in Blacksburg and beyond - visit their website here for more information...

On the menu for this weekend is a recipe that I have been wanting to try from the folks at Health Bent...Paleo Seafood Balls with Homemade Tartar Sauce...yum!  I will be shopping with Indigo Farms today to get the shrimp and white fish.  Most of the other ingredients are pretty simple and we usually have them ready to use in our house...check out the recipe and give it a try - you could sub in any kind of seafood and they would probably be darn good!


 

Ice Ice Baby!

• Thursday, June 23rd, 2011
• by amy

As an Athletic Therapist, I spent lots of time advising athletes about the benefits of ice.  Using ice is a great way to reduce pain and put a stop to the inflammatory process, yet few, both high school athletes and more "seasoned" veterans, embrace it!  Don't criticize it ... use it!

A great tool to have in your arsenal is ice massage.  It's just what is sounds like ... a massage with ice.  Simply place a dixie cup filled with water in the freezer, and you have a block of ice.  Peel some of the paper away, and you've got a little handle to hold that block of ice.  It's important to keep the block of ice moving over the desired body part, as you don't want to cause any damage to your skin.  While you should believe me when I talk about the benefits of ice massage, check out this post in Competitor about a chat with CrossFit's own K-Star (mobility WOD Jedi Master).  Just keep in mind that it's going to be messy, so plan accordingly.  Adding some BioFreeze or Flex-All can add a nice analgesic effect, although it adds to the mess!

Another fabulous tool to have in your arsenal is contrast baths.  Going from hot water immersion to cold water immersion, numerous times, can definitely do some good.  Check out this old post from John Welbourn about recovery, contrast baths (use showers as I'm pretty sure you don't have the luxury of access to a training room with numerous whirlpools), hangovers, and performance.

Any guess as to the player Welbourn references in said article?  All NFC East fans know him, especially Washington Redskins fans!

Coming and Going

• Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
• by neil

Yes, we know it's the farthest door from the parking lot, but please us the door to the lounge to come and go - the extra few steps won't hurt your Fran time!   The screens will stay in place, you won't have to crawl over the boxes that will be in front of the door  - and you will keep your coaches happy!  Thank you.  And one more thing - using those doors to sneak in so you won't be late for class will be an additional 10 burpee penalty!

Determination!

The Opera

• Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
• by amy

Brilliant explanation from John Gilson of Again Faster ...

He asked what was so special.  What we’d done.  After all, front squats and pushups already existed.  So did rowing.  We just added a stopwatch.  Who, exactly, do we think we are?

The answer, as indignant as the question, is simple: innovation does not result from original parts, but from original thoughts.  Creating new processes is at least as valuable as creating new pieces.

Greg Glassman took highly athletic movements, combined them into ever-changing combinations, and set the chrono to go.  The new parts were few and far between, the movements borrowed from track and field, gymnastics, and weightlifting.  Stolen, the detractors would say.

Continue reading ...

Post Opera rest!

The Big Man on the Sax

• Monday, June 20th, 2011
• by neil

For those of you who are old enough, especially if you grew up with their music, the death of Clarence Clemmons on Saturday was sure to hit you.  Bruce and the E Street band gave us some of the soundtrack of growing up, and The Big Man on the Saxophone tied it all together.  So today, we are doing the workouts on honor of Clarence Clemmons...RIP and keep blowing your horn!  Doing Fran to The Boss just seem right!

Simple and seasonal…

• Friday, June 17th, 2011
• by Carol

My sister brought us a huge bag of homegrown Red Russian Kale last weekend - a powerhouse of leafy green goodness packed with vital vitamins and minerals - check out the nutritional facts here.  Look for some at the Blacksburg Farmers' Market...several growers have plenty in the morning...visit them tomorrow in the a.m. for the best selection.  Cherries, greens and strawberries are all in abundance right now, as well.

Sauteed Kale with Garlic and Lemon:

Give the cleaned kale leaves a rough chop(de-stemming optional - we tend to go for the whole leaf/stem).  Heat a cast-iron pan with olive oil, quickly saute 4 or 5 cloves of minced garlic and add kale.  Toss for about 2 or 3 minutes over heat and drizzle with fresh lemon juice.  Saute for another minute and serve as a side dish or as a bed for a tasty meat concoction (we pressure cooked stew beef with tomatoes and garlic)...Oh so good and a happy Friday to all!


A solid day's worth of vitamins and minerals...