In the end....what really matters?

There has been numerous professional athletes in the past few years that have made headlines because they tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, such as growth hormones, and steroids. Athletes obviously take these drugs to become "better" athletes, hit longer home runs, get faster-stronger etc... They get paid to perform. But is this really worth it?

Recently Crossfit added a 4th dimension of fitness...health. Now depending on who you ask this word has many definitions. A healthy individual is typically described as someone not sick. If you have no existing medical conditions that you are aware of, mobile and your physical body is in general proportions, most people would describe you as a healthy person. Well, this is the problem. Sure..you feel ok, eat ok, exercise sometimes and you arent sick, you may take high blood pressure pills or statin drugs for cholesterol but those conditions are easily "controlled" by your pills. Are you satisfied with being healthy in the present? Do you ever look into the future? 1 year...10 years...50 years?

I am trying to open your eyes to the fact that you should not and can not be happy with general wellness and satisfied with not being sick....you need to strive for low blood pressure, low cholesterol, low body fat, healthy body weight, strong cardiovascular system, healthy joints, strong muscles and start working your way to excellent health. Why? Your body ages with time, and certain things start to get harder, then we eventually die, all of us. We need to maintain and fight for great health because this is our life line.

Do you want to spend the last 10-20 years of your life in a nursing home lying in a bed starring at a TV 16 hours a day, hoping your children get bored enough to come visit you... all because you were unable to walk up stairs, get out of bed, go to the bathroom, and take care of yourself... And this is not directed to overweight people only, this is directed to anyone that has a significant chance of acuiring diabetes, heart disease, cancer, has a failing liver or kidney etc.. Don't you want to live an active life..a life where you can handle yourself physically...till the end...?

Medicine is keeping us alive longer and longer...Greg Glassman founder of Crossfit states " soon we will have people living to 150 years old and moving into nursing home at 75" Holy shit...what a life..

How do we accomplish excellent health? Increasing work capacity across broad times, modal and age domains...
Lets break this down..
Increasing work capacity- Ability to perform a physical task
Broad times- For a certain amount of time
modal and age domains- performing a variety of skills, drills and/or tasks at any age
Quoted from Crossfit.com
"Your ability to move large loads, long distances, quickly, in the broadest variety of domains is fitness. And the ability to sustain that fitness throughout your life is a defining measure of health"

I cant sum it up any better than that. Do you want excellent health...live a long high quality life, while wiping your own ass.... train hard, eat clean, sleep and love something.

Prevent what is preventable and the rest will fall into place

Snatch...

This is a 5lb pr. 170lbs.. Bwt 172.. Making progress

Albany 12.5 weeks

Diet Basics....

Trouble

I am going to try and simplify the proper diet that should be eaten everyday for the beginner athlete, elite or your average Joe, no matter what your goals are...

Crossfits saying is "meat, vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar".

Thats the secret.

So what does that look like in a typical day...

Bfast-

eggs, or some kind of meat

fruit or oats

nuts

Snack-

nuts

meat or

full fat cheese

Lunch-

Meat

vegetables

nuts *if you get sick of nuts throughout the day, cover your meat with some kind of salad dressing, organic, with canola oil (no soybean oil), or extra virgin olive oil.*

Snack-

Same as above

Dinner-

Same as above

Pre-bed snack-

peanut butter, nuts, or a glass of milk

Now...obviously this is over simplified but you get the point. You will have to tinker with your proportions based on your bodyweight, activity level, goals etc... but if you stay away from starches, alcohol, and combine protein-fat-carbs in all meals and protein-fat for snacks, you will be well on your way. Get a good 8-9 hours of sleep a night, and if your energy levels are low throughout the day, increase your monosaturated fat intake (nuts) and protein slightly. Your body will thank you.

Here is a list that simplifies your food choices for you

http://www.mitymous.net/weights/zoneblox.htm

Enjoy

Albany 13 weeks...

The video is a squat clean- overhead complex at 730am.
The complex is a squat clean, push press, squat clean, push jerk, squat clean, split jerk, 180lbs

bwt 172lbs

13 weeks....

Eat your fatty steak!

Provided below are a few articles related to saturated fat, including facts and myths. Read read read, then go eat a nice fatty steak and some eggs...

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/09/08/saturated-fat.aspx

*Read the article towards the bottom included in the link above, titled Nutritional Typing and The Truth about saturated fat.*

Did you know?

-IF THIS WAS RIGHT, WHY ARE WE FAT?
-The food pyramid above is wrong, completely wrong.
-The correct food pyramid should look like this..
SUGARS 0-1%...carb loading/overfeeding
GRAINS/PSEUDO-GRAINS 10-15%...based on goals, BF%, insulin sensitivity and activity volume
SEASONAL FRUITS 10-15%...activity and insulin sensitivity dependent
NUTS/SEEDS/LEGUMES 25%...oils & snacks
PROTEIN/VEGETABLES/WATER 45%...three meals/day

*Food pyramid courtesy of http://www.optimumtraining.ca/OPTSepOct07.pdf


-Garlic is one of the most potent antioxidants

-Onions are a great form of antioxidants and studies that cancer rates are lower in people that eat a good amount of garlic and onions in their diet

-Cinnamon- Helps reduce blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, and also helps lower your bad cholesterol (LDL)

- White flour foods and many starches are turned into sugar once your saliva hits them, so if you are eating a nice plate full of white pasta, you could be eating a snickers instead because it has very similar effects on your blood sugar and insulin levels.

-18-30% of americans are obese (depending on the state you live in)

-7.8% of americans have diabetes (and rising)

-58 billion dollars was the estimated cost in 2007 as a result of work loss, disability or pre mature death with people with diabetes.

-The best times to sleep are from 9pm-5am, your body starts to recover physically at 9 till about 2 and from 2-5 your mental recovery happens.

Thats it for now...any questions just ask...

Deceived again?

A Possible Cure for Diabetes Ignored by Big Pharma

Twelve years ago, Professor Irving Weissman discovered a treatment that could have saved the lives of thousands of women with advanced breast cancer. Pharmaceutical companies weren’t interested in developing the therapy at the time.

Though interest in his methods are finally being ignited, Weissman regrets the wasted time. In a set of lectures, Weissman repeatedly expressed frustration that while many of his discoveries in the field of stem cell research seemed to hold remarkable potential for life-saving treatments, commercial or regulatory hurdles have prevented his scientific findings from benefiting patients.

One example is Weissman’s research on type I diabetes, in which he demonstrated the ability to fully cure type I diabetes in mice using stem cells. But even though his experiments avoided political controversy by using adult stem cells, which do not come from embryos, Weissman ran into a road block when pharmaceutical companies refused to sponsor clinical trials.
Weissman believes that the pharmaceutical companies put profit over principle, preferring to keep diabetes sufferers dependent on costly insulin than to cure them once and for all.

-Article is taken from mercola.com-

Calling all athletes...May 23-24 Crossfit Games Qualifier

So you think your current program is working, you are strong, fast and have been training for years, well I invite you to participate in this years annual Crossfit Games Qualifier in Albany NY. You get a chance to compete againest some great athletes, gather with an awesome community and a chance to go to California to compete againest the worlds best athletes at the Crossfit Games. There will be 2 events held on saturday and 1 event on Sunday, all 3 events will be timed and the winner will be the athlete with the lowest time across all 3 events. The events will be announced Friday evening, so be prepared for anything. Whats your excuse?

3....2....1.... GO!

Why you cant solely rely on your general family doctor....

Well where do I start with this topic...Its a huge topic, its a topic that gets me fired up...ok lets start somewhere...
Doctors prescribe lots of drugs, many drugs...why? Well reason #1 (in no specific order), if a patient leaves his/her doctor without something in their hand, a magic pill, they get upset at their doctor and typically make a follow-up appointment soon after, because "he didn't do anything for them", and I know this from many conversations with practitioners. #2 87% of Doctors are compensated by pharmaceutical companies, scary, yes, well its true, read Detoxify of Die by Sherry Rogers (practiced environmental medicine for 32 years in Syracuse). #3 drugs make you feel better, everyone wants to feel better and fast..well let me explain something to you. Your blood pressure drugs, cholesterol pills etc etc..they are simply masking a problem, covering it up not FIXING the problem. Yes your blood pressure is lower on this certain drug X but it is simply a quick patch job. Your body is out of whack somewhere and not in homeostasis (maintaining equilibrium within all your cells, hormones etc). That is causing additional stress somewhere else within the body which can cause increase chance of disease etc.. #4 Doctors are not nutrition and/or exercise specialist. Sure they will tell you to go for a walk a few times a week and not eat as much sugar...well if that isn't fixing your problem, which it probably wont, they are not trained in providing additional information in these categories. #5 Look at your doctor, what size and shape is he? Some people will not agree with this, but I am a firm believer that is you do not practice what you preach then there is a great chance you are preaching the wrong shit.
I could go on and on but I will stop here...The point of this post is to not avoid your doctor, but instead get better educated yourself, challenge your doctor and his advice, it will benefit you in the long run. One thing that you need to realize is that if the Medical Profession was making good progress with cancer, heart disease and stroke then they would have done better than a .7% decrease in those rates in the last 30 years...I will end on that note.

Why do you workout?

Why do you workout? Is it to make yourself look buff and pretty, big arms and pecs or you wanna just lose that precious 10 lbs? If so stop reading here..

If you workout to enhance your athletic ability, become healthier, become a stronger human being, or because you enjoy the sport of fitness then you have to ask yourself, is my program effective? Let me ask you.. compare your personal records to last year, and to 5 years ago, to your current performance. Are you faster? Stronger? Leaner? Healthier? If you have not improved your performance and are just going with the flow each day at the gym, well let me open your eyes for you, YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING WRONG. I wont tell you that you are wasting your time because some exercise is better than nothing but wouldnt you much rather do something productive at the gym, and improve your performance? Dont you want to look back and say, damn 6 months ago i ran a 5k in 22 min, now I am sub 20 min. 6 months ago i couldnt shoulder press 95 lbs now i am putting 135lbs over my head. Results people, results.

Some of you may not understand what Crossfit is, some of you know what it is but may be afraid of a timer because it may damage your pride and ego, maybe you dont want to be different, you want to fit in at your gym be that cool Joe that has a good arm pump going but doesnt want to sweat, who knows what your excuse is...but all i want you do to is ask yourself, am i in better shape now than i was 6 months ago? 1 year ago? 5 years ago? If you have questions regarding this post and its meaning or you simply do not know where to get started, shoot me an email.

My loyal buddy- Rondax

No matter how cold the garage, loud the music, banging of weights, or length of workout, my buddy Rondax is there by my side, every workout everyday. During the workout he sits on the sideline and between sets he makes sure his Dad is still alive and when the workout is done, I find myself on the floor with him cleaning my face and laying by my side.

I relate his loyalty and dedication to me and those cold mornings alone in the garage to something very similar to the dedication it takes to become a great athlete, an athlete looking to push beyond all of their limits and one that wants to step into the world of elite.

1)Dedication no matter the circumstance,

2)Loyalty- to your program and a clean healthy lifestyle

3)Passion- to do what you truely makes you happy

Never Give Up....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vB59PkB0eQ

There should be a voice similar to this in your head when you are pushing through a set or a workout. If you feel you dont have much more to give...dig deep, block the pain and give it your best.. everytime.. and never ever give up.

The definition of functional.....

Wikipedia defines functional as "something able to fulfill its purpose or function."
When we talk about functional exercise we are describing a movement that should relate to something in the real world. Any movement that teaches us to pull, squat, climb, jump, throw, catch, row, or run is a functional exercise. Prime examples are pullups, squats, deadlifts, shoulder press, push press, push jerk, wallballs, running, rowing, jump roping, rope climbs, cleans, and overhead squats. These movements involve multiple functional joint movements, coordination, power and speed.
These movements differ in many ways from isometric movements. Any movement which involves a single muscle being worked at one time or an exercise performed with the support and stability of a machine. Do these movements help us in our everyday lives? Does a tricep kickback or a bicep curl relate to anything in real life? Does an eliptical machine make us faster so we can get away from an enemy someday? Does a smith machine help us build those stabilizer muscles so we are able to carry that 80 lb saltbag down a steep flight of stairs?
The next time you step foot in a gym, whether its your cold garage, a globogym or basement, ask yourself, "is this functional, is this making me a stronger person, a person that is going to be able help rescue someone someday, play tag with your son or daugther at any age or simply be able to move on your own at 85?"

Pasta, Breads, and Sugar, American Culture...

Most of us within the Crossfit community understand the negative effects that starchy foods and sugars have on our insulin levels which can lead to an increase in disease and physical well-being, but for the rest of the world the problem is lack of education regarding "real nutrition". Every morning I turn on the news and watch numerous interviews and advice sessions that are so misleading to the general public it makes me sick. There are thousands of diets and nutrition books on the market, most of which are junk. I watched the superbowl last night and the majority of the ads were for soda, chips, fastfood or alcohol, and some of these commercials were promoting their fundraising efforts towards childhood obesity and disease research. OPEN YOUR EYES PEOPLE. WHAT do we need to do to stop the rising percentages of cancer (24%), heart disease (26%) and obesity? What can an individual do that is confused, and frustrated with the numerous diets that have failed and the endless amount of useless information that floods their brains on a daily basis..? Start taking your life into your own hands, branch out from mainstream America, stop relying on your daily prescriptions to cover up your bodily problems, and start researching and googling words like paleo, zone, insulin and cancer, insulin and heart disease, read quality books such as Good Calories Bad Calories and Detoxify or Die. START taking care of yourself now and start enjoying life with more energy knowing you are a clean running machine...