CrossFit Verve

Thursday 120517

CrossFit Verve — Thu, 17 May 2012 03:13:40 +0000

21 – 18 – 15 – 12 – 9 – 6 – 3 reps for time of:
Dumbell hang power cleans
Dumbell push press
Dumbell lunges

Post load and time to comments.

Beautiful smile and a beautiful girl!

CrossFit Kids Comes to CrossFit Verve 6 weeks, 6 classes, Big FUN!

When: May 19th – June 26th Saturdays at 1:30pm – 2pm
Where: CrossFit Verve
Who: Your kids ages 5-12
Cost: $80
Sign-up: Online with MBO, (under online store, series and memberships, CrossFit Kids) and show up on Saturday!

Any questions? E-mail info@crossfitverve.com

Why take fish oil?

Humans evolved on a diet with about a 2:1 ration of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids. Today the average ratio is 10:1. We get a tremendous amount of omega-6 in our diet because it is prevalent in the vegetable oils used in so many of our processed foods. The oils with the highest ratios are safflower and peanut, but others used extensively by the food industry include soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, sesame and corn oils. Oils high in omega-6 have been shown to be harmful to our health because it promotes the development of heart disease, skin cancer, and diabetes and it contributes to inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and asthma. Omega-6 also prolong and contribute to the muscle and tendon inflammations prevalent in athletics.

Omega-3 fatty acid, on the other hand, counteracts the negative health consequences of omega-6. For the athlete, the benefits are a greater release of growth hormone during sleep as well as improved aerobic metabolism. Omega-3 also reduces muscle soreness and speeds recovery.

Both plant and animal foods contain omega-3 fatty acids. The amount in plants is small and must be chemically altered by the liver to make it usable. Animal foods however provide a more readily available source of omega-3, because it’s structure need no further modification in the human body.

The active ingredients in omega-3 that are responsible for it’s beneficial effects are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Check your labels and make sure that your fish oil contains these two ingredients.

-adapted from “The Paleo Diet for Athletes”, Loren Cordain, PhD

Wednesday 120516

CrossFit Verve — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:48:11 +0000

Four rounds for time of:

Run 400m
21 Toes-to-bar

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Dan with a little air under his toes.

Are You Your Own Worst Enemy?

CrossFit fucking hurts! Now I don’t mean in the sense that we’re getting injured all the time, rather I mean that the expression of efforts equates to a very uncomfortable sensation in our bodies. What’s interesting is that this self induced sensation is what affords us such a desirable outcome – an increased work capacity across broad time, modal and age domains.

Many times, the biggest obstacle isn’t the load, the duration, or the movements… it’s what’s between our ears that limits our potential. Our thoughts and words set the stage for our actions and habits, which ultimately create our character and define our destiny. With that in mind, how often does your thoughts and words take a turn for the worse… before the workout has even started?!?

I’m not going to pretend that this is something that I have mastered. In fact, I’ve trained myself to read the details of a WOD and state “That’s going to suck!” Right off the bat, I’ve set the tone for negative self talk to creep into my mind and affect my workout. I then mope around, thinking negative thoughts about what’s in store. In Man’s Search For Meaning, Victor Frankl said, “Between stimulus and response, there is space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

In the realm of CrossFit workouts, you can (and should) monitor your thoughts and words at a few very specific times. A half hour before your workout, begin to forge a positive mindset for the events to come. During the workout, use positive thoughts and words only! After the workout, reaffirm the positive thoughts and words you used during the workout to set the tone for your next workout.

Here’s a couple of tools you can use to stay out the dark. Use memories and anchor points of past athletic achievements that make you happy to feed your positive energy. Also, use positive affirmations like “I CAN do it!” or “Keep pushing!” Refrain from using phrases that contain negative connotations, such as “Don’t stop” or “Never quit”. Remember, your efforts are always successes on your path to fitness. Walk away from each WOD with a positive mindset and affirmations.

Tuesday 120515

CrossFit Verve — Tue, 15 May 2012 03:51:44 +0000

1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1

Clean & jerk

Compare to: 120128

Amy, happy about clean & jerks today

Building a Capacity

We’ve all done it – jumped into something blindly with both feet without testing the water first …and we’ve all gotten burned because of our eagerness. Surely, this sort of enthusiasm is admirable, yet we don’t encourage it due to the potential for injury.

Take for example the GHD sit-up or the butterfly pull-up. Without fail, athletes that have attempted workouts incorporating the GHD sit-up have found themselves undeniably crippled. Others have pieced together fragments of a butterfly pull-up and completed a workout utilizing their new skill and paid the price with tenderized flanks.

The lesson that we’d like to impart in this little note that when you are learning a new skill, build a capacity over time. Sometimes the stimulus elicits a response that you weren’t expecting. But a wise approach to learning new skills would be to start with a relatively low dose of the stimulus and see how your body reacts. As you get stronger and your body adapts to the stimulus, then think about adding intensity to the equation.

Remember: having to recover from a mistake costs you time away from the gym and doesn’t make you any fitter. Building a capacity over time makes you stronger and smarter.

Monday 120514

CrossFit Verve — Mon, 14 May 2012 07:24:13 +0000

As many rounds as possible in 15:00 minutes of:

9 Thrusters, 115#/75#
1 Legless rope climb, 18′

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If you never fail during a max effort, you aren't really testing your abilities.

BIG Fun for kids!!!

Our children are little weeds that need to be watered everyday. Some feed their little weeds with sugary snacks and video games. Here at Verve, we feed our little weeds with encouragement and challenges everyday. Children need to be out and about in our wonderful world. Enjoying the sun getting their Vitamin D. Jumping and landing on hard surfaces to fortify the Calcium in their bones. So what a better way than to include them in the same activity that you love… Crossfit.

Verve is starting a Crossfit Kids program that will help your child on the field and in the classroom. “BIGFun” stands for Broad, Inclusive, General, and Functional. This training allows kids to participate in classes that develop functional strength for everything they do in their active lives. At the same time to have as much fun as possible. Verve kids will be based off the same 10 general skills that the adults use. Cardio/Respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, power, speed, flexibility, agility, accuracy, balance, and coordination. We were all young once, remember how awkward you were with your ever changing body? Verve Kids will help these young athletes excel with a combination nutrition, monostructural conditioning(running, jump rope), gymnastics, and weightlifting(super light). Which all will lead to the ability to excel in any specific sport they choose.

Our goal is to get you kids off the couch and get them involved in physical activities that will benefit them physically and mentally. CrossFit will help your youngster in other sports that they enjoy also by not specializing. CrossFit will work on both their anaerobic and aerobic capacities.

We are going to have a 6-week trial run of the Kids program starting May 19th. The class will be 30 minutes long at 1:30pm on Saturday’s. Please show your interest and your enthusiasm on the comments page.

Sunday 120513

CrossFit Verve — Sun, 13 May 2012 03:00:00 +0000

Four rounds for time:

Run 400m
10 Burpee up and overs, 5′

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Time to call "Super-Verve"-->each one of you!

Todays classes are Outside WODs at Commons Park. Meet us at 18th and Little Raven for some jumpin’ fun in the sun……and maybe some coffee afterward.

We all had such a good time at the Rockies game that now Verve is lookin’ to go enjoy some fun at the Roller Derby on Saturday, May 19th. Who wants to join us?

Saturday 120512

CrossFit Verve — Sat, 12 May 2012 03:00:43 +0000

Five rounds for time:

15 Medicine ball cleans, 20# (14#)
30 Double unders

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We love your attitude and enthusiasm Heather--Welcome!

Only 1 class today at 7am sharp. Don’t be tardy, come earn the rest of your weekend fun and get to Snooze before the crowd hits!

Friday 120511

CrossFit Verve — Fri, 11 May 2012 03:30:06 +0000

Three rounds on the 6:00 minute interval:

Run 800m

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Michaela with elbows high and outside.

Maintaining a high level of performance is dependent on several things, namely nutrition, physical activity, and sleep. When you ignore one of these or one of them is insufficient, your weight will suffer. The amount of sleep you get directly effects staying at a healthy weight.

Hormones in your body respond to the food that you ingest. One of those hormones is cortisol. Cortisol comes from the adrenal glands located on top of your kidneys. When you do not get enough sleep the adrenal glands release cortisol and travels to your brain and triggers it to think that your body is hungry even if you have already eaten.

When you sleep, your body replenishes the growth hormones in your body. When you do not get enough sleep, growth hormone levels are reduced, which in turn reduces the body’s ability to grow new muscle. We know limitations will happen in life that affects your sleep schedule such as your night life, work, babies… But try and make your sleep a priority in order to keep that healthy weight and to continue to break those PR’s.

We’ve been discussing sleep cycles and apps recently at Verve, what’s your favorite sleep aide? (And whiskey doesn’t count!)

Today our Outside Moms class will meet at Commons Park at 18th and Little Raven. Bring your stroller and be prepared for some kid-friendly fun.

Remember, Saturday classes will be condensed to a single 7:00AM class at Verve, so you can get your WOD on and then get to enjoy a yummy post-workout breakfast.

On Sunday we’ll host our normally scheduled 10am and 11am WODs, however they will both be at Commons Park (18th and Little Raven.) So come enjoy fun in the sun, and maybe grab some coffee afterward!

Thursday 120510

CrossFit Verve — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:44:13 +0000

Shoulder press 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3

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Jeff and the "mantis" air squat.

The Stone Cutter

There was once a stonecutter, who was dissatisfied with himself and with his position in life.

One day, he passed a wealthy merchant’s house, and through the open gateway, saw many fine possessions and important visitors. “How powerful that merchant must be!” thought the stonecutter. He became very envious, and wished that he could be like the merchant. Then he would no longer have to live the life of a mere stonecutter.

To his great surprise, he suddenly became the merchant, enjoying more luxuries and power than he had ever dreamed of, envied and detested by those less wealthy than himself. But soon a high official passed by, carried in a sedan chair, accompanied by attendants, and escorted by solder’s beating gongs. Everyone, no matter how wealthy, had to bow low before procession. “How powerful that official is!” he thought. “I wish that I could be a high official!”

Then he became the high official, carried everywhere in his embroidered sedan chair, feared and hated by the people all around, who had to bow down before him as he passed. It was a hot summer day, and the official felt very uncomfortable in the sticky sedan chair. He looked up at the sun. It shone proudly in the sky, unaffected by his presence. “How powerful the sun is!” he thought. “I wish that I could be the sun!”

Then he became the sun, shining fiercely down on everyone, scorching the fields, cursed by the farmers and laborers. But a huge black cloud moved between him and the earth, so that his light could no longer shine on everything below. “How powerful that storm cloud is!” he thought. “I wish that I could be a cloud!”

Then he became the cloud, flooding the fields and villages, shouted at by everyone. But too soon he found that he was being pushed away by some great force, and realized that it was the wind. “How powerful it is!” he thought. “I wish that I could be the wind!”

Then he became the wind, blowing tiles off the roofs of houses, uprooting trees, hated and feared by all below him. But after a while, he ran up against something that would not move, no matter how forcefully he blew against it – a huge towering stone. “How powerful that stone is!” he thought. I wish that I could be a stone!”

Then he became the stone, more powerful than anything else on earth. But as he stood there, he heard the sound of a hammer pounding a chisel into the solid rock, and felt himself being changed. “What could be more powerful than I, the stone?” he thought. He looked down and saw far below him the figure of a stonecutter.

- Chinese story, Author unknown

Simple as the story may be, it is amazing how we get caught up in wanting more then we currently have. Maybe life would be easier if only, fill in the blank. If I could lift more, run faster, do more push-ups, if overhead squats were easy for me etc… It is in the journey that we are able to find our true strengths. Be happy with where you are right now and proud of where you are going.

Classes for this Saturday have been changed from the Outside WOD due to weather concerns. We look forward to giving you all a fun WOD at 7am before you get your weekend fun started. Please sign up here.

Wednesday 120509

CrossFit Verve — Wed, 09 May 2012 04:06:10 +0000

As many rounds as possible in 8 minutes:
5m/10m/15m Shuttle sprint
5 Snatch, 95#(65#)
15 AbMat sit-ups

Post rounds to comments.

Focusing through the pain

A Case for the 11th Fitness Domain: Self-Confidence
Written by CrossFit Invictus Athlete Justin NahamaWhat do Steve Jobs, Michael Jordan, Chris Spealler and Kris Clever all have in common – aside from being generally awesome and having a huge fan base? While these individuals, like each of us, differ in background, strengths, weaknesses, shape and size, they all share at least one common characteristic: the ability to maintain self-confidence in the face of adversity or “failure.” While self-confidence is not one of CrossFit’s 10 fitness domains/general physical skills, I full-heartedly believe it is an integral part of the foundation for success in our quest to improve personally, professionally and athletically.

Webster’s Dictionary provides four definitions of the noun “confidence.” The key definition for our purposes is “a feeling or consciousness of one’s powers, or of reliance on one’s circumstances.” This definition taps into the driving force behind self-confidence: we are in the driver’s seat. Failure is a relative term. Unfortunately, we often use the term failure and disappointment interchangeably. When you hit the bottom of your third thruster with twelve more ahead of you during the second round of Fran, that little voice in your head will usually start whispering something to the effect of “you suck.” Likewise, that inner voice whispers similar sweet nothings if your professional work is not up to par or your 15-month-old son does a reverse swan dive off the couch (I caught him…). While disappointment is part of life (and actually quite healthy if you are setting challenging goals, see George’s article on goal setting), characterizing disappointment as failure is unnecessary. It is the kryptonite to maintaining self-confidence.

I can make one guarantee based on my personal journey: not everything in life can be completed unbroken. At some point, everyone will drop the bar. Whether it is in the gym, at work or at home, it will happen. The opportunity for negative self-talk will invariably ensue and you will be at a crossroads. The easy and tempting path is to honor that negative self-talk, which is a road peppered with self-indignation and excuses. “I missed a few weeks of training, I can’t go back.” “I need another minute before I pick the bar back up.” “I ate terrible while I was traveling, I’m done with Paleo, ice cream has some protein in it.” Sound familiar? This path is a one-way ticket to a decrease in confidence and self-worth. Moreover, this path will, with very few exceptions, spill over into other areas of your life and impede your overall happiness, health and well being. By no coincidence, one of the examples Webster’s provides of using “confidence” in the proper context is “He lacked the confidence to succeed.”

The other, more challenging path is one ripe with opportunity. Can you acknowledge that you, and you alone, are in the driver’s seat? Can you silence that inner voice and genuinely believe that each “failure” presents a new opportunity to dig in and overcome that obstacle? When you get kicked to the ground, do you get up because you have to, or because you are hungry to regroup and move on to the next challenge? Are you happy with complacency or do you seek out the “difficult-difficult” challenges (see article on difficult-easy). The decision to take control and maintain our self confidence in the wake of any shortcoming will play a pivotal role in our ability to succeed in the future. I submit that this skill or “domain” is equally as important as learning the proper mechanics of a deadlift or clean.

A common misconception equates physical appearance with confidence. Those who buy into this media-fueled notion are deeply misguided. Anyone can wear flashy clothes, a fancy watch and buy the latest (expensive) Crossfit gear. But even the most expensive clothing, an extravagant Rolex and the lightest Inov-8’s will do little to appease that inner voice when an individual falls short of a goal or is genuinely challenged. During a partner WOD where one partner works while the other endures some form of physical stressor (holding Kettlebells, etc.), I want the guy/gal with heart and confidence, not cool shoes.

A former professor of mine who has served for decades as a federal judge in Boston put it quite simply. During a trial advocacy class, the judge was discussing confidence in the courtroom. He shared an example of how he taught his grandkids to maintain their confidence in the wake of “parental adversity.” When his grandkids would spill something at dinner or fight over a toy, he would say “WHOGAS!” (pronounced “who-gas”) in a playful voice when the kids looked to him for reassurance. His grandkids picked up on the underlying message, learned their lesson and trudged forward. While the judge’s son and daughter-in-law always thought that WHOGAS was a silly word to make their kids laugh, the judge never shared that WHOGAS was short for “Who Gives A Sh*t?” The point of his story was simple, but well received. When you drop the barbell or spill the drink, in the gym or in life, you have to ask yourself WHOGAS. Is breaking up your thrusters (because 155# is the new 135#, which was the new 95#) or disappointing your boss really a bad thing if you can use it as an opportunity for growth? Learn from the experience and trudge ahead. Within adversity or “failure” lies the opportunity to get stronger.

Success stories of individuals with an uncanny ability to maintain self-confidence in the face of adversity are woven throughout history and deeply engrained in our evolving Crossfit culture. Michael Jordan’s unforgettable “failure” commercial illustrates the point perfectly. Similarly, Steve Jobs 2005 commencement speech at Stanford crystallizes the importance of maintaining self-confidence. Can you imagine the internal monologue that went on after being fired from a company you literally started and invested your life in? Was missing a PR on today’s WOD really that bad…

In the Crossfit arena, I can only assume that Josh (Bridges 2nd place male finisher of 2011 CF Games) was not mentally high-fiving himself after the second event at this year’s Games. (Hopefully the Navy and Marine Corps will integrate a softball throw into their basic training since apparently it is a useful tool for gauging overall fitness….) Regardless, Josh stood his ground, maintained his self-confidence, crushed the remaining events and wound up on the podium. Josh eludes to the importance of self-confidence in his October 31st article by providing insight into his strategies to deflate that inner voice and “break through the mental barrier.”

As another example in the Crossfit arena, Kris Clever, whether she liked it or not, became the face and inspiration for countless female athletes after winning the Games in 2010. Like Michael Jordan in a playoff game, the Crossfit community silently expected perfection every time Kris competed. While Kris clearly deals brilliantly with pressure, at least on the surface, I guarantee she chooses the right path when confronted with adversity. Kris’s continuing ability to perform is a true testament to her willingness to maintain her self-confidence despite countless challenges. I had the privilege of attending my Level 1 certification course with Kris a few years ago. After paying our dues to Fran, Kris had the same infectious smile on her face that she shared from the podium the past several years and will continue to display in the future.

In conclusion, confidence is an unwavering belief in yourself, regardless of external or internal criticism, when you are confronted with adversity. The critical question the next time you “drop the barbell,” whether it involves a project at work, the gym or your young son ignoring gravity, is how will you let it affect you? When your moment comes, stand your ground, believe in yourself and success will follow.

Tuesday 120508

CrossFit Verve — Tue, 08 May 2012 03:27:32 +0000

Five rounds for time:

9 Hand release push-ups
15 Double kettlebell swings, 48kg(32kg)
21 Double unders

Post time to comments.

Game faces!

What can happen in one weekend, or is it really years if hard work?

I woke up today swollen from the nights consumption of gluten and full of emotion. What an amazing display this weekend. As I think back over the last three days I have many favorite moments. Some of the best ones involve watching our team work together to accomplish a common goal. They made me so proud and so happy all weekend long. Mad props to our eight athletes, competing or not whom all contributed to our Verve team having and 8th place finish overall. Their best finish was in event 1 with a 4th overall in a time of 5:17. Their biggest challenge proved to be Event #2 with a 15th place finish in a time of 22:34. They had victories and struggles, but what made me the proudest was their attitudes and commitment to helping each other. Regardless of the outcome each and everyone of them had a smile on their face all weekend long and did whatever they needed to in order to make the team the best it could be. I know this contributed to their success, no matter the challenge at hand, they took it on with courage, stuck together and charged forward. Each athlete had a struggle over the course of the three days and each team mate had an opportunity to pick up the slack where needed. Whether it was Beth and Chris on their gymnastics , Anna and Nat on their strength, or Sara and Francis on their speed. Each athlete was able to shine and each athlete faced obstacles they couldn’t have completed without each other. They were so MUCH fun to watch!

As far as the support and volunteers were concerns, it never cases to amaze me how wonderful all you people are. We had so much help and so much love surrounding us that I felt like we were hogging it all and the rest of the world wasn’t getting any. It means the world to all of us, the team and individuals that you take the time out of your lives to cheer, support, mobilize, set-up and humble each of us as you do. Thank you so much for all your support.

Emmalee Moore finished 4th place overall in Women only 1 place outside of qualifying for the World Games. When I think about Emmalee I’m always just so proud to know her. I didn’t get to see any of her workouts, but I think I’ll trade that to be alone side her. She is so humble and has an ever present positive attitude. Her spirit was obvious when she WON event #6, where she linked her 7 muscle ups showing she is not only one fit beast, but she will be going to the games in the future.

And so the season has come to an end for me and while it is bitter sweet, I am very happy. CrossFit competitions show us what we are capable of and brings us closer to each other. I never believed a few years ago I could have done half of what I did this weekend. If the weekend does anything, I hope what it does is show people their potential. No matter the age, no matter the injuries and no matter your current fitness level, you can heal and do so much more then you ever thought possible, if you choose to. In 2008, the women’s deadlift was 185# for 15 reps, at that time that was the heaviest weight in the world to me. Not to mention the shocker of a final wod of a 105# 30 rep squat clean and jerk. I had never even put 105 over my head let alone 30 times, going into that WOD and low and behold, I did it. CrossFit competitions continue to do that to us, push our limits, take us out of our comfort zone, show us what we can do. If someone had asked me to program a 1 armed dumbbell snatch workout 3 weeks ago and inquired about a weight I should use for 40 reps, 70#’s would have been the farthest from my idea of doable. But I did it. I get better every year, because I’m pushed further. That’s the allure, the addiction, to find your potential, to push beyond what you think is possible for yourself. So thank you all for being a part of this experience.

For those who went, competed or volunteered, what was your favorite part of the weekend?

Congratulations Matt on winning your third SouthWest Regional. You inspire us all! Stay tuned to watch his performance at the CrossFit Games 2012 in Carson, CA.