Home Gym? Its a Good Option to Have

There are many advantages to owning a gym membership or belonging to a CrossFit Box. I think its a great way to stay consistent and motivated. You meet new friends who will expect to see you there, which will keep you working toward your goals. A home gym is a great option to have as well, which I will get too, but don't pass up on your gym membership. I think its a must to have BOTH options.
Gyms and health clubs provide options for meeting new people. Many of these facilities tend to have sociable environments since most people are there for the same reason, giving everyone something in common. You may find the group fitness classes especially friendly, as they generally focus on a specific activity, such as kickboxing, dance or core work, and attract like-minded people. Cardio exercise machines at the gym will help you to burn calories and fat. Harvard University reports that activities such as running a 10-minute mile, which can be done on the treadmill at the gym, will burn approximately 300 to 450 calories in 30 minutes, depending on your height and weight. And strength training will help you build lean muscle mass, as it tones and sculpts your body, which will help boost your metabolism. The weight-training machines at the gym can simplify your workout while also letting you target whichever area of the body you would like. For example, the leg press will strengthen and tone your quadriceps and glutes, the lat pull down apparatus will strengthen your back, the chest press will work your chest and the front of your shoulders and the overhead press machine will work the front, top and side of your shoulders. (LIVESTRONG)

Grandview CrossFit

Grandview Crossfit

CrossFit as I mentioned earlier is another great option. You will get coaching during every single workout and the workouts are planned out for you daily (WOD= workout of the day).  I'd highly recommend checking out a CrossFit gym close to you. These workouts are great because you know exactly how long you will be there. The CrossFit WODS are intense and will push you to your limit and not to mention if you like competition you get to compete every workout.

The HOME GYM, if you don't have one you should look into dedicating a room or area in your house to workout. A home gym is a great option to have especially if you get too busy and working out at home is your only option. Having a home gym can also save you money if your budget is tight. Some gym memberships can get fairly pricey. At a gym, you can exercise only when the gym is open, and you can be limited by crowds. Working out at home gives you flexibility. You can work out in the morning, in the evening, or on alternate mornings and evenings to make the best use of your time. In many gyms, the equipment choices were made based on cost rather than effectiveness. As a result, you will find equipment that is not effective and does not work well with human anatomy. This equipment is dangerous for muscles and joints. In a gym, your resting time is largely determined by other gym members. Your choice of exercises or equipment depends on what is available when you are working out. All of this rarely fits with the program you have set to meet your objectives. Circuit training, which is indispensable for athletes’ weight training, is next to impossible in a gym. Working out at home grants you this freedom (Human Kinetics).
The good thing about CrossFit is you can do a good majority of the movements at home: Burpees, Jump Rope, Air Squats, Chest to Deck Push ups ect... You can also get a get a set of dumb bells and a kettle bell and you'll be able to get even more extensive with your home workouts. It can get a little tricky when you need a barbell and rubber weights, you need the correct amount of space and good rack to do it the right way. This is where a good gym comes into play. However, with proper planning and the correct weights you can have a great set up for your home gym. SO……with all that being said, would the Bowflex SelectTech 552 adjustable dumbbells pair make your life easier?

What so many people don’t realize however is that you really don’t need all that fancy (and expensive) gym equipment to build up your muscles. Dumbbells are one of the oldest and most effective type of bodybuilding equipment. They are able to, even when used without any other equipment, build up virtually any muscle in your arms and legs.
But once you start looking at dumbbell equipment, you will soon learn that they aren’t all created equal and that some can actually hamper your workouts rather than improve them.

What are the Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells?

The Bowflex SelectTech 552 are a set of adjustable dumbbells. Unlike traditional dumbbells where you must add or remove weights one a time by means of a screw on washer, adjustable dumbbells like the Bowflex SelectTech 552 stops that common problem where you need to stop your sets for longer than you’d like so you can adjust the weight. This can mess up your routine and your momentum, which can negatively affect muscle gain.

I recommend checking out this site first before you buy anything for your home gym

 http://dumbbelladvisor.com

Holidays Are Coming, Get Your RUN On

Running is a great way to relieve stress and clear your mind. There are plenty of races coming up with the holidays right around the corner and not to mention the weather is still decent. I'm excited for the Turkey Trot! There is nothing better for you then running. It works your whole body and its great for your heart. You still need to incorporate weight training but cardiovascular exercise will do wonders for you.




If you've taken to many rest days/off days then get back out there! Getting out there and running will enhance your life, I have no doubt about that.

Born to run

Humans are born to run. Have you ever heard of persistence hunting? Our ancient ancestors did it to survive. Every critter on the African savanna could outrun us over short distances, so we’d just keep chasing them until they ran out of gas, then walk up to some poor, totally exhausted impala we’d been chasing for several miles and then stab him into steaks.

IF YOU TAKE NOTHING ELSE OUT OF THIS ARTICLE THEN TAKE THIS POINT, I stand by this statement 120%. It doesn't matter how busy you are you can find 20min to get a workout in…a hard workout that is. Push yourself and make it worth your while! You will thank yourself when you get home. 

YOU CAN MAKE THE TIME

If all you have to do is step out your front door, it saves a lot of time from having to travel to a gym. Beyond that, running is a sport that makes it “easy” to get a bigger bang for your buck. In other words, the harder you train, the more calories you burn per mile. If you’ve got only 20 minutes, you can go out and push right to the wall the entire time and get one helluva workout that is the equivalent of 40 minutes of slower running. (ask men)

We've all been there: Despite exercising and watching what you eat, the elastic in your running shorts seems to be as tight as your hamstrings. "Ninety-five percent of the runners I work with want to lose some weight," says Cassie Dimmick, M.S., R.D., a sports dietitian and running coach in Springfield, Missouri. "For good reason: The leaner you are, within reason, the faster you go." Getting lean requires the same trait that makes you get up at 5 a.m. for a five-miler: discipline. You need to be vigilant about your diet and consistent with exercise so that you maximize calorie burn, increase muscle mass, and decrease body fat. Luckily, it's easier than it sounds when you employ these tactics from dietitians and coaches. Get ready to lose! (Runners World)

Here is a interesting article/blog I found with regards to running. I highlighted the first 10 points but you can see the rest at http://www.nomeatathlete.com/50-lessons-running-streak/

It incorporates the advantages of running as well as some life lessons….worth the read.

50 things I’ve learned during my 50-day running streak

1. I finally understand those “Running is Cheaper than Therapy” t-shirts. The difference in my mood before and after my run is so noticeable that my wife has several times suggested (on certain, grumpy mornings) that I make today an early run day. And rightly so.

2. You can dramatically lower your breath rate (and as a result, your heart rate) if you learn to breathe through your nose and focus on taking more steps per breath.

3. If you don’t have the same trigger for your run every day (waking up, lunchtime, etc.), it’s easy to forget, and find yourself running at dusk to keep the streak going.

4. On that note, running hills right after dinner is a terrible idea.

5. You can go from zero motivation to full-on, can’t-think-about-anything-else mode in only two weeks or so. The key, for me, was inspiring reading and using the tools of habit change to get started.

6. The 10% rule really doesn’t matter much.

7. Hiking up hills can be a much better exercise than struggling to run up them, especially if you’re training for a trail race where you’ll have to hike.

8. You’re more likely to feel the steep downhills than the steep uphills the next day, so be mindful and step lightly.

9. I will really miss my Green Silence when I can no longer get them (they’re being discontinued).

10. You don’t need music to run. I used to think I did, but paying attention to your breathing is far more interesting.

Portland, Oregon
With 100 miles of trails (most just a 5-minute drive from center city), clean air, and a mild climate year-round, Portland is a haven for runners

I couldn't post a blog about running without mentioning Portland, OR. I visited here once during the summer for an AAU basketball tournament (recruiting for VCU). The summers here are amazing, the weather was perfect and not to mention the scenery was amazing. I had a great run and I'm actually looking forward to getting back to Portland if I get a chance. It's an awesome City and a great city for running. (The University of Oregon is about an hour and 50 min south of portland)
"Runner's World Names Portland America's Best Running City" There you have it, if you get a chance to go definitely check it out….and bring your running shoes.

Highly recommended check this out! Get your RUN ON!

RunSaver

http://www.RunSaver.com

Run, walk, and race registrations discounts.

If part of your training motivation requires hundreds of other people around you, at least save money when you register. RunSaver offers discounts up to 50% or more.

Throwback…Reebok Pumps, they are back!

Remember the Rebook Pumps? They were the hottest shoe on the market when they came out. I had to have a pair. They featured new technology, they looked awesome and not to mention Dee Brown wore them when he won the 1991 Dunk Contest with his crowd pleasing dunk. These shoes had starter jacket star appeal and I know you had a starter jacket....Well, The Pumps are back and they will go fast get yourself a pair. "Throwback style"

History:

The Reebok Pump is a line of athletic shoes that was popular in the early 1990s. It was the first shoe to have an internal inflation mechanism that regulated a unique fitting cushion in two versions: the lower tongue; and also in the upper to provide locking around the ankle.

Reebok Pump Omni Lite "Pumpkin":
The Reebok Pump Omni Lite resurfaces with a supernatural, and ominous glow. Set to drop 10/25.

Reebok Classic gives a treat to sneaker heads this Halloween with the introduction of the Pump Omni Lite “Pumpkin”. The latest treatment to the iconic silhouette features an aggressive twist on the OG colorway with added glow-in-the-dark underlays to help you stand out both day and night.

Limited pairs of the Pump Omni “Pumpkin” will hit stores 10/25 at key retailers Jimmy Jazz, Villa, City Gear, Karmaloop, Pick Your Shoes, and reebok.com for $120. These will go faster than free candy this Halloween so get ‘em before they’re gone!

Reebok Pump Omni Lite "Pumpkin" Arrives October 25

Reebok Kamikaze II Mid - "Acid Rain":“Trick or treat, check my feet.” The Kamikaze is back and this time it’s glowing! Set to drop 10/25.

Reebok Classic serves up an electrifying colorway of the Reignman’s kicks just in time for Halloween – the Kamikaze II Mid “Acid Rain”. Originally known for its aggressive, eye-catching design, the Kamikaze II Mid is back with an all over glow-in-the-dark upper that is sure to give sneaker heads goose bumps all over again.

Limited pairs of the Kamikaze II Mid “Acid Rain” will be available on October 25th at Finish Line, Foot Locker, Jimmy Jazz, Villa, Shiekh andreebok.com for $100.

Reebok Kamikaze II Mid - "Acid Rain" Arrives October 25 

ddddddddkkkkk

What is Paleo?

So what is the Paleolithic Diet? Is it legit, does it work and can you maintain it. I like the ideas that support it and I think it has an important place in your lifestyle. I'm not saying stick to this 100% or you will fail, but incorporate the ideas and philosophies into your everyday life and you may see some good results. There are also a few other options I will mention as well. Bottom line, if you stick to something that works for you and you enjoy doing it then you will be successful! Whatever you are doing you won't be perfect everyday but all you can do is strive to be….consistency is key.

The BEST is yet to come. Consistency is the key!

Basic Definition: The paleolithic diet (abbreviated paleo diet or paleodiet), also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet, is a modern nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various hominid species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic era—a period of about 2.5 million years which ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture and grain-based diets. In common usage, the term "paleolithic diet" can also refer to actual ancestral human diets, insofar as these can be reconstructed.
Centered on commonly available modern foods, the contemporary "Paleolithic diet" consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, eggs, vegetables, fruit, fungi,roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, potatoes, refined salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.
First popularized in the mid-1970s by gastroenterologist Walter L. Voegtlin, this nutritional concept has been promoted and adapted by a number of authors and researchers in several books and academic journals. A common theme in evolutionary medicine, Paleolithic nutrition is based on the premise that human genetics have scarcely changed since the dawn of agriculture, and modern humans are genetically adapted to the diet of their Paleolithic ancestors. Therefore an ideal diet for human health and well-being is one that resembles this ancestral diet.
Proponents of this diet argue that modern human populations subsisting on traditional diets, allegedly similar to those of Paleolithic hunter-gatherers, are largely free of diseases of affluence. They assert that multiple studies of the effect of Paleolithic diet in humans have shown improved health outcomes relative to other widely recommended diets. Supporters also point to several potentially therapeutic nutritional characteristics of preagricultural diets. (wikipedia)

Here's a great point from nerdfitness.com (really cool site by BTW) and I'd agree with him on his statements as I'm sure many of you will as well. He states, "You see, I hate counting calories. I don’t like keeping track of how much I’ve eaten or obsessing over how many grams of a particular nutrient I’ve had. Not only do I hate counting calories, but I know that calories are really only half of the battle, as they’re not all created equal – 400 calories of Doritos do NOT affect your body in the same way as 400 calories of high-quality vegetables and protein.
Fortunately, if you can expand your horizons and remove certain types of food from your diet, you can stop worrying about counting calories FOREVER (sorry, the Count – ah ah ah). I’d love to suggest a particular type of eating that doesn’t require counting a single calorie AND allows you to eat until you’re no longer hungry. Oh, and it can help you lose weight, build muscle, and get in the best shape of your life. " I used to count calories in college and when I was training for baseball. Its very time consuming and personally I think it takes the fun out of things. Maybe its ok to do it every now and then just to get a feel of where you are but I think there may be better options. I like to incorporate Paleo philosophies and VI. Thats been my choice of late. I enjoy making shakes in the morning and its something I can take with me on the road. www.markminor.myvi.net

SO HERES THE DEAL ON PALEO…..

The CrossFit dietary prescription is as follows from Crossfit.com:

Protein should be lean and varied and account for about 30% of your total caloric load.
Carbohydrates should be predominantly low-glycemic and account for about 40% of your total caloric load.
Fat should be predominantly monounsaturated and account for about 30% of your total caloric load.
Calories should be set at between .7 and 1.0 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass depending on your activity level. The .7 figure is for moderate daily workout loads and the 1.0 figure is for the hardcore athlete.

What should I eat?
In plain language, base your diet on garden vegetables, especially greens, lean meats, nuts and seeds, little starch, and no sugar. That's about as simple as we can get. Many have observed that keeping your grocery cart to the perimeter of the grocery store while avoiding the aisles is a great way to protect your health. Food is perishable. The stuff with long shelf life is all suspect. If you follow these simple guidelines you will benefit from nearly all that can be achieved through nutrition.

What should I avoid?

Excessive consumption of high-glycemic carbohydrates is the primary culprit in nutritionally caused health problems. High glycemic carbohydrates are those that raise blood sugar too rapidly. They include rice, bread, candy, potato, sweets, sodas, and most processed carbohydrates. Processing can include bleaching, baking, grinding, and refining. Processing of carbohydrates greatly increases their glycemic index, a measure of their propensity to elevate blood sugar.

*Caloric Restriction and Longevity
Current research strongly supports the link between caloric restriction and an increased life expectancy. The incidence of cancers and heart disease sharply decline with a diet that is carefully limited in controlling caloric intake. “Caloric Restriction” is another fruitful area for Internet search. The CrossFit prescription is consistent with this research.
The CrossFit prescription allows a reduced caloric intake and yet still provides ample nutrition for rigorous activity.

Heres a book with great reviews and has a lot of good information regarding athletes and the Paleo Diet. About the authors: 

LOREN CORDAIN, PH.D., a world-renowned scientist and the leading expert on the Paleolithic diet, is a professor in the health and exercise science department at Colorado State University. He is a member of the American Institute of Nutrition and the American Heart Association, among other organizations. His work has been featured on Dateline and the Wall Street Journal. He lives in Fort Collins, Colorado.
JOE FRIEL, M.S., is founder and president of Ultrafit Associates, LLC, an association of elite endurance coaches. His books include The Cyclist’s Training Bible and The Triathlete’s Training Bible. He lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.

As I stated before stick to something that works for you and that you will enjoy doing. I'm not saying stick to something easy, anything that is worth doing will take some work and conscious thought. Weight watchers is another good option and is very popular. 

If you are interested in The Adkins diet I would refer you to this forum which is very informative: http://www.lowcarbsite.com

You will be able to obtain all the information necessary to decide which option is best for you.

NHL Season Is HERE- Hard Core Training (And All the Reebok Gear You Need)

Hockey Fan? Hockey is a bad ass sport. I didn't play hockey but I have totally respect for the athletes that play it…..It's intense, you need to be in top cardiovascular shape and it takes extreme skill. I always enjoyed roller hockey when I was younger but Ice Hockey is a different level.
Anyway, Reebok CrossFit FirePower Head Coach George Savard headed to Denver Colorado in fall 2012 to coach NHL athletes John Tavares, Matt Duchene and Max Talbot through the training movements featured in the commercial. Here’s a look at the behind-the-scenes footage of making the commercial.

Now that hockey season is in full swing, get your NHL fan gear from Reebok, the official NHL sponsor. With gear from all 30 NHL teams, and the Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, and Minnesota North Stars, Reebok’s got all of your favorite teams covered, past and present. With headwear, tees, hoodies, jackets, and jerseys, you’ll stay warm on and off the ice. Get your official Reebok NHL gear today! You can also click the links below.

Hartford Whalers NHL Hoodie	Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Tee	Chicago Blackhawks NHL Jersey

Dallas Stars NHL Structured Cap	Los Angeles Kings NHL Long Sleeve

Hockey and CrossFit…….

PRO HOCKEY PLAYER COMPETES WITH CROSSFIT PLATEAU

For most competitive CrossFitters, balancing work and training schedules is a challenge. For Emmanuelle Blais, there is an added element of balancing an elite hockey career.

“It’s hard, but it’s fun,” says Blais, a former member of the Canadian National women’s ice hockey team, who is competing at Regionals this weekend with CrossFit Plateau.

The 25-year-old has played for the Montreal Stars in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) for the past three seasons. In that time, she’s won two Clarkson Cup Championships (the women’s equivalent to the Stanley Cup), adding to the two NCAA Frozen Four Championships she won with the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs while completing her bachelor’s degree.

“When I was done with the Team Canada program, my friend really wanted me to try (CrossFit). At first I was kind of scared – it looks crazy when you watch it on TV,” she says. “But, I tried it and I just fell in love with it – the people at the gym are so fun.”

A relative newcomer, Blais says when she started CrossFit just 11 months ago, she didn’t initially intend to become a competitor in the sport.

“In the first workout, I didn’t want to compete. I was just searching for a place where I could find different things I didn’t have anymore with Team Canada,” she says. “Talking with people, they thought I could compete. At some point, I just got excited, and here I am.”

Blais quickly found herself balancing CrossFit, working in accounting, and playing hockey all at the same time. (http://games.crossfit.com/article/pro-hockey-player-competes-crossfit-plateau)


NHL Star Does CrossFit

Design Shoes To Your School

IU

VCU

Mizzou

UT

Oregon St

Reebok's Custom Nano Speed Shoes

Step up your sneaker game with one of the most versatile shoes out there! Customize a pair of Reebok CrossFit® Nano Speedshoes, available now on YourReebok in both men’s and women’s sizes! This shoe is supportive enough for workouts that include barbell movements and its lightweight design allows you to run comfortably right after finishing those heavy reps!

The goal of the Reebok CrossFit® Nano Speed is to provide a sturdy, flexible, supportive, flat soled running trainer that lives up to the CrossFit® badge. The Reebok CrossFit® Nano Speed shoe exceeds our goal. By building a stable low profile midsole for lifting and moving heavy loads, this training shoe provides a responsive running platform. By building a full protective outsole with built-in Metasplit grooves, you get greater traction and flexibility. By creating a mid-foot DuraCage to keep you on the platform, overlays are eliminated for increased forefoot comfort and response. There are plenty of running shoes that you can do CrossFit® in, but we made the FIRST CrossFit® shoe that you can run in.

Head to YourReebok today to design a custom pair of the Reebok CrossFit® Nano Speed shoes and crush your workout with style like no other!

Design Shoes to your School

Northwestern

Ole Miss

Competition and the Fear of Failure

Whether its in business or athletics competition is all around us. It's something you will face everyday. Competing is one of the greatest things in the world. The challenge that competition provides is unmatched anywhere else. The feeling you get after making a sale or winning a competition is a feeling of bliss. Once you obtain it, you want it again and again. I'm not just referring to competition in sports, there are many benefits when competition is present. Competition creates innovation through better products. Competition creates cheaper prices. Competition also creates variety. Americans love to compete. More Americans strongly agreed than any other surveyed country’s residents that they like situations where they compete. Praised in various contexts, competition is the backbone of US economic policy. The US Supreme Court observed, ‘The heart of our national economic policy long has been faith in the value of competition. The belief in competition is not only embodied in the antitrust laws. Every US executive agency, for example, is legally required to have an advocate for competition. (Journal of Antitrust Enforcement)

If you are human you will also experience fear and doubt, its normal everybody does…but how you handle that fear and doubt makes all the difference in the world. As Woody Hayes used to say, "Fear makes cowards of us all." Learn to be bigger then your fears. Fear is your friend, use it to motivate you. The fear of failure is what drives everyone to work harder and push themselves to be the best they can be. No one likes to lose. I love this quote from Michael Jordan, "Fear is an obstacle for some people, but it is an illusion to me." MJ is arguably the greatest athlete in team sports history. Mentally he believed he couldn't lose.
These statements below from Michael Jordan might be some of the best advice I have ever read. Read this, understand it and use it to your advantage.
"I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot. Why? Because when you think about the consequences, you always think of a negative result.
Some people get frozen by the fear of failure. They get it from peers or from just thinking about the possibility of negative results. They might be afraid of looking bad or being embarrassed. I realized that if I was going to achieve anything in life I had to be aggressive. I had to get out there and go for it. I don't believe you can achieve anything by being passive. I'm not thinking about anything except what I'm trying to accomplish. Any fear is an illusion. You think something is standing in your way but nothing is really there. What is there is an opportunity to do your best and gain some success. If it turns out my best isn't good enough, then at least I'll never be able to look back and say I was too afraid to try. Failure always made me try harder the next time.
That's why my advice has always been to "think positive" and find fuel in any failure. Sometimes failure actually just gets you closer to where you want to be. If I'm trying to fix a car, every time I try something that doesn't work, I'm getting closer to finding the answer. The greatest inventions in the world had hundreds of failures before the answers were found.
I think fear sometimes comes from a lack of focus or concentration. If I had stood at the free-throw line and thought about 10 million people watching me on the other side of the camera lens, I couldn't have made anything. So I mentally tried to put myself in a familiar place. I thought about all those times I shot free throws in practice and went through the same motion, the same technique that I had used thousands of times. You forget about the outcome. You know you are doing the right things. So you relax and perform. After that you can't control anything anyway. It's out of your hands, so don't worry about it. " 


If your athletic career is over and you still want that thrill of competition then I encourage you to try CrossFit. There's no hiding its a pure gut check. I have always enjoyed fitness and weight training, 2nd of course to actually playing a sport, but what drew me to CrossFit was the aspect of weight training and competition combined in one. Not only is CrossFit a killer workout and you will get in good shape but you literally compete every day!! "Biological competition creates survival of the fittest, which makes an ecosystem where only the genes of the most fit creatures are passed on. This makes the species stronger as a whole. " (askmen.com)
The video below explains CrossFit and the history behind the competition.

Get All The CrossFit Gear You Need to Compete; Click Here

LET'S RECAP:
SO WHO'S YOUR BEST FRIEND???
I'm sure you would name a person very close to you, someone you trust and have known for awhile…. No no no no no no, no, your best friend is a guy named Frankie Fear. You see Fear is a fighters best friend you know, it ain't nothing to be ashamed of, you see Fear keeps you sharp, it keeps you awake you know what I mean it makes you want to survive, you know what I mean. But the thing is you gotta learn how to control it alright, cause Fear is like this fire alright, and it's burning deep inside, now if you control it Tommy, it's gonna make you hot! Or if you see if this thing here controls you... it's going to burn you and everything around you up. That's right.
Check out the scene below from Rocky 5. As the quotes state, never-mind the overacting and hand gestures LISTEN to what he has to SAY. Some of the truest words ever spoken.






Are you into biking? Well, here is a great example below of mind over matter, that I used from PsychologyToday.com website. Its a clear example of how your mind can manipulate you to become successful. You can do things that you never thought were possible. As I stated above let the competition and fear of failure propel you into action, use that fear as motivation and convert that into extreme energy and pure focus!!

CASE STUDY

Participants in this study completed a 2,000-meter cycling course five times. They were instructed to aim for their quickest possible times, watching their progress on a virtual racecourse. During their final trial, participants were told that they would be racing a competing cyclist behind a partition and could view their competitor's avatar on their screen. In fact, the participants were racing their own previous best time.
Out of the 14 cyclists, 12 performed significantly faster—1.7% faster—than their previous best time when they believed they were facing an opponent. Despite their exhaustion after this intense series of exercises, lead researcher Jo Corbett found that "only in the last race, when they were unknowingly competing against themselves, they were able to race even harder."
Corbett reasons that such head-to-head competition specifically provides enough motivation to instruct our brain to delve into this anaerobic energy reserve.
He explains, “Whenever you do exercise you’re likely to think ‘how much am I willing to hurt myself?’ and there’s usually a point which holds you back because you don’t want to do yourself irreparable damage. But when racing someone head-to-head the athlete’s brain can manipulate this signal and keep on going.”

Put yourself in the right position. Feed your body what it needs to be successful and compete at the highest level. Your diet is one of the most important aspects in helping you reach your goals. Below is a great link to a natural health forum about vitamins, supplements, nutrition, exercise.

http://www.natmedtalk.com

Baseball and CrossFit Training

'

October and baseball the perfect match. The final 4 teams are left, who will make the series? I'm pulling for Detroit since my Indians and Rays are out but it was a great run for both teams... So let's get down to the point. Will CrossFit training help your athletic performance or more specifically your baseball performance?

The definition of CrossFit is "Constantly varied, high-intensity, functional movement." 

The answer is YES OF COURSE IT WILL and I'll explain. Strength training and baseball have come a long way. If you're not weight training as an athlete you've missed the boat. I think almost everyone will agree with me on this. "Jose Canseco is a bad example of how you should get strong since he admitted to steroid use but he is a good example of what muscle can do for you in baseball. Even at his size he wasn’t too bulky to keep him from being the first player ever to hit 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in the same season."-Graeme Lehman, MSc, CSCS

The CrossFit training method can be a very valuable tool for the baseball player. Weak players will get stronger, fat players will become leaner, and athleticism will improve. CrossFit, with its multi- jointed functional movements, will prove to become more popular in professional baseball in the near future. CrossFit teaches us to be prepared for whatever comes our way, which is important because not every game goes as scripted. Players need to adapt. Routine is the enemy. If a baseball player is adequate in all three of CrossFit’s fitness standards, he will have a better chance to be injury-free and perform to his best ability throughout the 162-game regular season— plus playoffs! CrossFit-style workouts can be done anywhere, which is important for big-league ballplayers. We spend 81 games on the road during the summer. No matter what stadium we play at, we can certainly find a place to get our work done due to CrossFit’s adaptability. Whether it’s on the field, the concourse or in the weight room, we will find space. (Florida Marlins strength and conditioning coach Paul Fournier)

Athletes have become bigger, faster and stronger. I've always loved the training involved when it comes to sports but you need to have the skill that goes along with your sport. There are people that are strong that can lift a ton and then there are athletes who are strong that can push a lot of weight. There's a difference. You need to have the skill prior. Just doing CrossFit won't make you a Division 1 athlete but if you have the athletic ability prior and then you enhance that with CrossFit training then there's a chance you can make something happen. I trust that makes sense. With that being said I really believe in the workouts performed at CrossFit. They push you to your limits physically and mentally. When you work out at CrossFit there's no waiting around or guessing when you're doing a WOD.

For Example:

-You know the exact workout

-How long you have to complete the WOD 

-The amount of rounds that needs completed

 All you need to do is warm-up, figure out the WOD and get after it. "You can go all out and you don't have to think about what lift you will do next or how much rest should you be taking in between sets. " -MM….you can quote me on that 

WOD

In your current weight training and conditioning for baseball you are already probably doing a good majority of the CrossFit movements. The Squat, hang clean, shoulder press, front squat just to name a few….but what you may not be doing is combing them all or a few into a workout for a set # of rounds or time. When you perform a CrossFit style workout you will increase your strength and conditioning at the same time! Isn't that the goal. I think this makes perfect sense, especially when you only have a certain amount of time to train during the day (especially in college). Furthermore, when you have a full team in the weight room it will build team unity and everyone will be on the same page. Not to mention, its very easy to track your progress:

-Log your weights used 

-Log time it took to complete

This is an easy way to track each athletes performance. There are different Apps and computer programs you can use that will make this process simple. Bottom Line, THERE IS NO HIDING. CrossFit will help get the most out of each athlete physically and mentally.  

Heres are 2 examples below of CrossFit baseball workouts more on the CREATIVE side.

Example 1 

IN TEAMS OF 3, each member tries to get as many runs as possible for their team in 20 minutes.

1st Base: 10 Hand Release Pushups
2nd Base: 10 Squats
3rd Base: 10 Burpees
Home Plate: 10 Pullups (20 JPU's)
100 meters separates each base!

(CrossFit Elijo)

Example 2

TEAMS OF 4-5 ATHLETES 15 min AMRAP

Team with the most runs at the end of the 15 minutes wins
Get a hit by completing three forward rolls
WL to first base and perform 10x 4 count mountain climbers
WL to second base and perform 10x tuck jumps (good ones..bad ones get you 25x squats!)
WL to third base and perform 10x K2E or “K2”eh”” which is “almost/kind of” to elbows.
WL toward home plate, but you must “slide” in by performing 5 burpees to score the run.
Call out the name of your team each time you cross home plate and the coaches will give you a run.
(CrossFitrebels.com)



College and Professional programs have been adding CrossFit into their training regimens for sometime now which I think is a great idea. CrossFit promotes a full body workout. It will also help you gain better balance and control which is needed when you play baseball. More importantly the stronger and more flexible you are the less likely you will get injured. Baseball seasons are long and if you can stay injury free you help your team. Paul Fournier of the Florida Marlins states, "My role is to improve Florida Marlins baseball players athletically or enhance performance, but it’s also one of injury prevention. You can certainly understand the importance of keeping healthy players on the field, and isn’t a “fit” player a healthier player? I feel the answer is yes, especially if we are using the definition of fitness that CrossFit has provided." 

CrossFit is a vigorous workout that combines weight training, aerobics and gymnastics all in one so that you become fit in every area of your game. The goal is to be functionally fit: to push every aspect of your body to the max so that you’re healthy, strong and in shape. Not just so you can lift a ton of weight or run a minute mile, but so you’re fit to do anything that life throws at you. (Askmen)

Here is a quote below from the UC Riverside Baseball Team, who has incorporated CrossFit in their workouts. I took this from the CrossFit Journal. 

"Following Fall Ball we moved into a three-days-a-week strength and conditioning program consisting of heavy cleans, squats, and CrossFit storms. My bread and butter as a strength coach is Olympic lifts, squats, and hill/bleacher sprints. When I began using CrossFit three years ago, I was worried that I might be sacrificing some of my athletes’ clean and squat numbers for the broader fitness they would gain from CrossFit. I was willing to make that sacrifice because I believed so much in the general physical preparedness foundation that CrossFit delivers. I was happily surprised that our strength and power numbers have actually gone up using hybrid programs like the ones I describe in this article."

Get active and stay active. Work hard on the field and in the weight room. Don't Cheat Yourself. You only have so long to play so make it worthwhile. Put yourself in the best position to be successful. Control what you can control. 

My alma mater Indiana University has one of the best weight rooms in the country. Indiana University's 25,000-square-foot strength and conditioning center, built in 2009, is among the biggest in the nation. Indiana's baseball team made the College World Series in Omaha this past season. 

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Rope Climb! Get a Grip and Hold On

This is a great exercise and after you learn the correct technique anyone can do it. Rope Climb will test you mentally and physically.  I just picked up on this workout recently and I feel I was missing out. You will come across the rope climb often in your CrossFit workouts and even if you're not currently in CrossFit you should mix this into your workout regimen. SO FIND A ROPE AND GET YOUR CLIMB ON.

So why should you climb rope? First of all, if you’re not including rope climbing in your workout routines, you’re missing out on one of the best forearm and grip workouts around.

Climbing rope is also a core component of building functional strength. Every man should be able to physically save himself, and rope climbing trains many of the same muscles you’d need to pull or lift yourself to safety. (artofmanliness.com) There are 3 or 4 techniques you can use to climb. I'll just focus on 2 of them. The kipping rope climb is a more advanced technique style which I'll explain in a later post after I get it down. Focus on these two techniques explained below.
I initially started out with the wrap or "stripper pole" style. This is the most secure of the techniques but it's also the slowest method. First you jump up with your arms extended, letting the rope either fall between your thighs or to the outside (I’ve seen both). From there you single wrap the rope around one of your legs and across the top of your boot. The boot of the unwrapped leg clamps down on the other boot, trapping the rope. You can now support your weight without using the power of your arms and hands. Pics are from www.artofmanliness.com

The next rope climb technique is what I call the clamp. This is going to be your fastest way to the top of the rope. The key here is jump up as high as you can and grab the rope…..with your arms extended bring your knees as HIGH AS POSSIBLE then wrap the rope around the outside of your right or left foot (whichever you choose). Next, use your opposite foot to sweep underneath whatever foot you chose and clamp the rope. Repeat this process all the way to the top. 

Check out the video below: 
Jason Khalipa of NorthCal CrossFit explains both of these techniques.

SHIN SKINS

Its important to note when you know you are going to have a
rope climbing session you should:
-Wear high socks
-Wear pants or tights
I like to use Shin Skins. These are pretty popular and work great for me.
You can get these at Rogue Fitness, just click the link to the right. 

Overhead Squat - Balance and Flexibilty is Key

It doesn't matter what sport you are playing or if you are just trying to stay in the best shape possible, stretching does wonders for you and the overhead squat is a critical movement that you need to perfect. It showcases your flexibility core strength and balance.

The CrossFit journal states, "The overhead squat is the ultimate core exercise, the heart of the snatch, and peerless in developing effective athletic movement. This functional gem trains for efficient transfer of energy from large to small body parts – the essence of sport movement. For this reason it is an indispensable tool for developing speed and power." 

I'm focusing on the overhead squat in this post but from playing football, basketball and baseball I can't stress enough how important your flexibility is especially when dealing with athletics. You want to create dynamic flexibility which will improve your mobility and performance. “Weight training can make you tighter if you perform movements incorrectly or overload them in a way that inhibits range of motion. However if you use loads that allow you to complete and get stronger through the entire range of the lift you will gain dynamic flexibility. And while this may not get you significantly better at touching your toes (I’m still struggling to see why this is so important to people) it will allow you to improve your mobility and performance in the gym and on the court, track and field." (Men's Fitness)

I remember my sophomore summer when I went to IMG academy in Bradenton, FL to train for baseball, the first test they did in the weight room was the overhead squat (with no weight on the bar). They wanted to test our blance and flexibility right from the get go. The overhead squat was new to me at the time but ever since then I have developed the movement and feel pretty confident when it's called upon in our WODs. Once developed, the overhead squat is a thing of beauty – a masterpiece of expression in control, stability, balance, efficient power, and utility. Get on it (CrossFit Journal). 

The key I believe to the overhead squat is balance and flexibility. You need to keep your arms locked, the weight perpendicular to the floor and push your head through. It's essential that you stabilize and hold this position as you drop into the squat position. The second the weight comes too far forward or too far behind you will lose your balance. Again, stability is the key and keep your arms in the locked position. Move up in weight slowly, gain confidence as you add on plates. The limiting factor is how you get the weight overhead. Usually you'd snatch the weight then over head squat, if you can do this you will gain the most benefit.

Here are seven steps to perform the overhead squat as defined through the CrossFit Journal:

1. Start only when you have a strong squat and use a dowel or PVC pipe, not a weight. You should be able to maintain a rock-bottom squat with your back arched, head and eyes forward, and body weight predominantly on your heels for several minutes as a prerequisite to the overhead squat. Even a 15-pound training bar is way too heavy to learn the overhead squat. 
2. Learn locked-arm “dislocates” or “pass-throughs” with the dowel. You want to be able to move the dowel nearly three-hundred and sixty degrees starting with the dowel down and at arms length in front of your body and then move it in a wide arc until it comes to rest down and behind you without so much as slightly bending your arms at any point in its travel. Start with a grip wide enough to easily pass through, and then repeatedly bring the hands in closer until passing through presents a moderate stretch of the shoulders. This is your training grip. 
3. Be able to perform the pass-through at the top, the bottom, and everywhere in between while descending into the squat. Practice by stopping at several points on the path to the bottom, hold, and gently, slowly, swing the dowel from front to back, again, with locked arms. At the bottom of each squat slowly bring the dowel back and forth moving from front to back. 
4. Learn to find the frontal plane with the dowel from every position in the squat. Practice this with your eyes closed. You want to develop a keen sense of where the frontal plane is located. This is the same drill as step 3 but this time you are bringing the dowel to a stop in the frontal plane and holding briefly with each pass-through. Have a training partner check to see if at each stop the dowel is in the frontal plane. 
5. Learn to find the frontal plane with the dowel from every position in the squat. Practice this with your eyes closed. You want to develop a keen sense of where the frontal plane is located. This is the same drill as step 3 but this time you are bringing the dowel to a stop in the frontal plane and holding briefly with each pass-through. Have a training partner check to see if at each stop the dowel is in the frontal plane.
6. Very slowly lower to the bottom of the squat, keeping the dowel in the frontal plane the entire time. Have a training partner watch from your side to make sure that the dowel does not move forward or backward as you squat to bottom. Moving slightly behind the frontal plane is O.K., but forward is dead wrong. If you cannot keep the dowel from coming forward your grip may be too narrow. The dowel will not stay in the frontal plane automatically; you’ll have to pull it back very deliberately as you descend.
7.  Practice the overhead squat regularly and increase load in tiny increments. We can put a 2.5-pound plate on the dowel, then a 5, then a 5 and a 2.5, and then a 10. Next use a 15-pound training bar, but only while maintaining perfect form. There’s no benefit to adding weight if the dowel, and later the bar, cannot be kept in the frontal plane. 

* Important: Having the right lifting shoes will do wonders, they allow you to stay firm and balanced on the ground. Not having the right gear can hinder your progress. Put yourself in a position to be successful. 

 GET YOUR SHOES HERE!!