A little over a year ago Matt Calcutt saw our sign out on Soscol Ave and happened by. Matt lives in Truckee with his wife Tina, and works at Squaw Valley as ski patrol. He has over 20 years on the job there, so he has the liberty to work when the snow is fresh to throw dynamite, rescue skiers in distress, and of course ski the powder. When not found at Squaw on snow days he is in the back country, living it up!

Turns out Matt and I are from the same tribe as he has spent plenty of time in boats on rivers,  so we hit it off on the whitewater front as well as the CrossFit arena. He used to paddle a C-1, like the picture below shows, which is where you sit on your knees and use a paddle with one blade. In order to keep the knees in working order he decided kayaks were the way to go. He graduated to a two bladed paddle and we can no longer say “half the paddle and twice the man!”

Matt’s other job is as a CHP officer. He is a medic, and flies around in a helicopter with Pilot Dave Power (of the 6AM class) and chases villains and saves lives. He is stationed down here in Napa, which is why we get to have him with us at Wine Country CrossFit.

Matt also works out at CrossFit Blizzard when at home in Truckee, and his gains are substantial. In a year he has gone from doing jumping pull-ups to kipping pull-ups. His overhead squat was 22#, and is now #125. He does most workouts as prescribed, his deadlift is up to #390, and his CrossFit total is 805.  His goal in starting CrossFit was to lose weight and get stronger as staying fit over 40 was proving harder than expected. The “forced” group workouts and continual PR’s keep him inspired, and he reports  the greatest inspiration is continuing to maintain and improve in sports and outdoor activities despite the aging process.

He participated in the last Paleo Challenge, and though he didn’t win (he was .1% body fat point behind winner Gary Awai), he was certainly the biggest loser in every other way. During the 45 day challenge his total cholesterol dropped from 265 to 223, his LDL from 203 to 166, his triglycerides from 92 to 79. A regular sufferer of gout, he had no attacks and reduced his waistline. He cut out the beer entirely, minimized the other alcohol by 50%, ate tons of meat, and never felt better!

Thanks for working out with us Matt. Your quiet presence and progress is an inspiration to all.

-Beth

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Press – 3×5

21-15-9
Slam Ball (50/25)
Burpees
Wall Balls (20/14)

A few thoughts from Coach Emilie!

Anyone else been getting the winter blues? I know – until just a few days ago we were having beautifully gorgeous sunny days, so what am I complaining about? But, if you’re at all like me, chances are you’ve been stuck inside at your desk, typing away at your computer. And with the sun rising so late and setting so early, it’s dark when I leave for work, and it’s dark when I get home! I get to a point where I despair and feel like I’ll never see the sun again! And it’s not just in my head – Seasonal Affective Disorder is a real condition that affects between 4 and 6 percent of Americans! But what I have come to find out is that if I take just a few minutes during the day to get outside and go for a walk, I get the hit of sunshine that I need to literally brighten my spirit. With the rain starting now, it may be a bit tricky to get out at the right time, but you don’t need hours of sunshine to get happy. I know that after only 5-10 minutes in the beautiful outdoors I start to feel much happier and healthier. Mark Sisson had a great “Dear Mark” post on the subject earlier this month. Check it out to get the down-low on SAD, and ways to counteract it and GET HAPPY!

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Front Squat – Find 1rm, reduce to 85% and complete 3 sets of 5.  On the third set, complete as many reps as possible.

Strict Pull Ups – 3x max reps

Ab work of your choice – 3 x sub maximal reps

In April we posted a blog about the criminality of sugar, and whether it should have the same warning signs as alcohol and tobacco. We referenced an article by Gary Taubes from the NY Times, which is a very good read. Today we reference Mr. Taubes’ new book Good Calories Bad Calories. Read an except here, and pat yourself on the back for doing the Paleo Challenge.

-Beth

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Press – find 1rm, once found, push press 3×5 with same weight

5 Rounds:
15 KB Swings (53/35)
10 Walking lunges carrying bell

A few months ago I wrote a blog that accompanied this picture. It said that we carried and sold these plastic bottles of water for people who forgot their water bottles at home, but we encourage you to bring or pick up here a metal bottle, put your name on it and hang it at the gym.

And then I saw a one hour documentary called Bag It! This short film educated, entertained and informed me about the devastating impact plastics have on our earth, and what we as individuals can do to make a difference.  I already bring my own bags to the grocery store, and use a metal water bottle, etc. But the next step that occurred to me is doing away with the plastic bottles at the gym. So, out they go! We will finish those we have on hand, and then we will no longer have them for sale for $1 in the little fridge. There will be some paper cups on top of the water cooler for those in need, but we REALLY want you to bring in a metal bottle, or purchase one from us and put your name on it so you are READY for hydration. In the meantime we’ll show Bag It! sometime this fall in the gym. Hydrate or die!

-Beth

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Floor Press find 1rm then lower weight to 85% of 1rm and perform 5 reps (with as much rest as needed between sets.)

10x100m run on the minute

I always thought that CPR was something I did on someone else in need, until I saw this. Please forward to your friends.

What  are you to do  if you have a  heart attack While  you are alone. If  you’ve already  seen this, It  means people  care about  you. The  Johnson City  Medical Center  staff actually Discovered  this and did  an in-depth  study On it  in their ICU. The  two  individuals  that  discovered  this then did An  article on it,  had it  published and  have had it  incorporated  into ACLS  and CPR  classes. It is  very true and  has and does  work. It is  called cough  CPR. A  cardiologist  says it’s the  truth. If  everyone who  gets this  forwards it to 10  people, You  can bet that  we’ll save at  least one  life. It  could save  your life!

-Beth

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Deadlift, find 3rm

Double Tabata:

Pull Ups

Box Jumps (34/28Rx)

Do you recognize this pretty purple picture? Bags that look like this sit on the shelf in the gym, next to the red cash box and T shirts. Bout time I told you about it:

Mila seed is a powerful plant based source of Omega 3′s and fiber. People give me stuff all the time to carry and promote in our gym. I always listen to what they say and try the product. Most times it is not in alignment with what we do here so you don’t hear about it. An acquaintance gave me some Mila last fall, and I accepted it with my usual skepticism. After months on my counter I tried it during a low energy period, and I actually noticed a difference. I had greater mental clarity and more energy. I took note. I now take it regularly, and it helps with my workout recovery, aches and pains, and energy. Mila is gluten-free, trans-fat free, sugar-free, high in fiber and protein, and can be deliciously combined with many foods. Loaded with omega-3s, fiber, antioxidants, protein and phytonutrients, Mila is great for your heart, bone, prostate, breast, and gastro-intestinal support. With its supreme biological properties, Mila is a plant based Omega 3 product for weight management, but it is also widely consumed for anti-aging, prenatal care, and mental health.

For more info about this great source of Omega 3′s click here. For personal test driving, pick up a bag in our gym.

For your health,

Beth

PS We will again be at the Chef’s Market tonight, so come on by and test yourself in our obstacle course. All ages welcome!

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Deadlift, find 5rm

AMRAP 10mins:
2 Deadlifts @ 80% of 5rm
10 Plyo Push Ups

Plyo Push Up – Perform a plyo push up by placing one hand on a 45 lbs plate and the other on the ground, perform an explosive push up that allows you to transition the hand on the ground to the hand on the plate and vice versa.

I’d like to think that everyone at the gym is pretty good about the subject of sleep, but then again I’m not peering in your windows at night to check and make sure you are asleep (most of you anyway).  I found this great little article from the NY Times that talks about the need for sleep in relation to cognitive function:

How Little Sleep Can You Get Away With?

But we’re CrossFitters, we don’t want smart, we want fast and strong!  Well, I’ve got you covered there too.  Below is a blog post from San Francisco CrossFit to shame you into sleeping more:

Sleep Check!

If this subject is of interest to you, or you feel your sleep may be sub par, I have required reading.  Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival just might unlock the keys to getting the 8-10 hours your body needs.

-Ryan

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There will be a 1pm Open Gym/WOD make up on Monday afternoon.  If you can’t make a regular class, come join me for Jackie

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Monday’s WOD:

“Jackie”

“Jackie”

Row 1Km
50 Thrusters (45/35)
30 Pull Ups

Compare 4/13/10, 1/24/11

I don’t want to see you in the gym!  There, I said it.  I want you to get out of here!  I want you to go home, stretch, maybe walk or jog, but I don’t want you in the gym!

I have a quick poll for everyone.  How long has it been since you have taken a break?  At Wine Country CrossFit, we work you guys hard, really hard, and our bodies need adequate rest to rebuild themselves.  This rest needs to come in a few different forms.  First, as we often preach to you, it needs to come daily.  You need to be getting a solid 8-10 hours of sleep per night, and you need to be sure that your training routine isn’t putting so much stress on your system that it starts to falter (this is why we don’t do CrossFit every day).  Beyond that, rest needs to come in longer stints too.  Personally, I try to take a week of for every 4 or so weeks of training.  Let me tell you, it works!

Recently, two of or rockstar female athletes (I’ll let them identify themselves if they wish)gave it a try, if they wanted to or not.  One came to me and said that she wanted better quicker results in the Paleo challenge.  She was crossfitting 4 days a week, and running solid distances on the side almost daily.  I asked her how she felt, and she said that she felt “fine, a little tired now and then, but fine”  We cut the running way down and gave a little more rest.  You know what?  She came back and started KILLING IT!  Her WOD times dropped, she started lifting heavier, and Rx’ing things that she couldn’t have before.  All from a little rest.  She has blogged about it here Raquel’s gettin’ her Paleo On.  (Whoops, I guess I just spilled the beans on who that person was)

The second athlete came with a much different set of circumstances.  This young lady was killing it as it was.  Setting PRs, Rx’ing her WODs, making the men in the gym jealous of her deadlift etc.  Much like the Leo that was showing itself in Raquel, this athlete was driving hard hard hard all of the time.  Unfortunately, her rest came in the form of an injury.  Not in the gym, but due to an automobile accident.  Well, after a complete week off, and some chiro visits, this athlete came back stronger than ever, and you know what?  She approached me to tell me how much better and more energized she felt.

It works for me, it worked for them, and I promise it will work for you too!  If you feel like your energy could be better, or you’re extra sore, or you can’t get your mind off the next work out, chances are that you are overtrained.  Get out of the gym.  Go on a little CrossFit holiday, work on your mobility, maybe some skill work, and take a walk, otherwise just relax.  I know you’ll come back and hit the WODs harder and stronger than ever!

Here is a bit more info on training load.  This guy is an ultramarathoner who trains 10 hours per week and is among the top in the world!

http://www.gotrimax.com/TriMaxBmac.htm

-Ryan

P.S. Don’t forget, we have our Paleo Potluck at 6pm on Friday (tonight) to celebrate the end of our Paleo Challenge.  This event is open to all WCCF members and their friends and family, you do not need to have participated in the challenge to attend.  Bring a dish to share, a chair to sit on, plate and utensils.  Fun will be provided!

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Friday’s WOD

Complete 4 rounds:

Each round consists of 6 cycles of the following:

DB Hang Power Clean
DB Front Squat
DB Push Press
DB Lunge RT
DB Lunge LT

*Do not set the weight down during the 6 times through the cycle.
*Rest as needed between rounds.
*Go up in weight each round to perform the heaviest round possible.

You guys know that we’re always right, right?  Down this virtuous path that your coaches lead you, we make no mistakes, and live life 100% by every rule that we preach…. okay, maybe not.

There have been quite a few new studies that have come to light recently regarding the taking of high dosage fish oil over time.  Unfortunately, these studies don’t have a lot of good stuff to say.  In other words, we need to taper down the fish oil a bit.  There are new recommendations for dosages to both keep inflammation low, but also to avoid long term downfalls.  Chris Kresser (we like this guy) at the healthy skeptic has a good summary of it here.

You can find the new dosage guidelines here.

So there, I said it, we were wrong, don’t get used to it though!

-Ryan

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Make-Up WOD

There will be an open gym/make up WOD at 1pm Monday afternoon.  If you can’t make it in to a regularly scheduled class, come get yer swole on at 1!

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Monday’s WOD:

“Elizabeth”

21-15-9

Squat cleans (135/95# Rx)
Ring dips

Mandatory 17min cutoff.

Compare to
12/20/11

ACL injuries on the rise, and the consequences of knee surgery are lifelong!  Be sure to take care of those knees!

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/19/133025140/for-young-athletes-knee-surgery-opens-door-to-pain?sc=fb&cc=fp

-Ryan