Paradiso Crossfit

Deadlift 5-5-5-5-5-5-5

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The checklist for performing a proper squat or deadlift is extensive.  For the new CrossFit athlete there is a lot to learn, digest and remember.  This program is about long term health and, for many, reversing years of bad habits.  In a journal article about muted hip function, or lack of control over the extension of the hip, they state that it will take an athlete 3 to 5 years to fully develop the hip's explosive capacity without any signs of disfunction.  Don't get frustrated when you can't get something right, or cannot perform a workout as prescribed!  Our best athletes have been doing this for years.  No one walks into this gym and performs well without an extensive athletic background.  No one.  None of this is easy.  Keep working hard, focus on your foundational movements and keep learning.  Here are a few deadlift videos to remind you of how much you need to remember before picking up that bar:)

The Set up, parts 1, 2 and 3, Back Angle, Anatomy, etc.

21-18-15-12-9-6-3 rep rounds of:

135 pound Sumo deadlift high-pull

Pull to inverted hang and lower as slowly as possible

On SDHP's, pull the bar to make contact under the chin. On pulls to inverted hang, keep arms, trunk, hips, and legs as straight as possible, both up and down. This is not for time.

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Effortless....

I've had more and more requests for nutritional information.  My intention is to get our nutrition blog up to speed with all things nutrition, but for now we will just be focusing on sharing recipes and ideas for eating well.  Let me know if you would like to contribute as a guest blogger!  (its on the left side nav bar now too:)

We have written on nutrition numerous times, but here are two basic articles I like to start people with: Zone meal plans and the Paleo diet.  Please read and comment!

In the fitness industry, there is much talk about functional movements.  Everyone agrees that if something is functional then it is undoubtedly important and should be the staple of your regiment.  It becomes problematic when 'functional' is asked to be defined and the given definitions are as varied as the fitness disciplines.  

CrossFit has several criteria, with one very important one, that characterize and define functionality:

• Natural - there is nothing contrived or artificial about standing or sitting properly (squatting) or manipulating external objects (weightlifting), or controlling your body (gymnastics.)  These movements were around hundreds if not thousands of years before CrossFit, and you would be doing them in your everyday life anyway.  We just provide biomechanically correct technique and instruction.
• Safe - given proper technique, these movements do no harm even at post maximal loads.  Done with progression at sub maximal loads, they are the best things going.
• Essential - functional movements are abolutely necessary for independent living.  If you do not have full command of primary movers, do not have powerful hip extension, cannot stabilize your midline under load, you will be dependent on others for activities of daily living.
• Compound/multi-joint - functional movements are not isolation movements.  In nature and training, our bodies move and act as a single unit.
• There is a definitive wave of muscular contraction from core to extremity.  Notice most of our movements start at the hip/legs/lower back and move outward.
• They elicit enormous neuroendocrine response. 
• Finally and most importantly, functional movements are singularly unique in their ability to generate Power.  Only when we have movements that can be expressed in terms acknowledged and accepted by cardinal realms of science, and only when these expressions can be measured, can we further our understanding of human performance. 

Functionality and Wall Ball (because we know you love Wall Ball) by Greg Glassman

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"Kelly"

Five Rounds for time of:

Run 400 meters

30 Box Jumps

30 Wall Balls

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April 27th 2008, at Lincoln Middle School in Santa Monica, Martina and Peter experience "Kelly" for the first time.  This same day I meet Zeb, Mike and Sherwin.

I'm going to reminisce this evening and peruse the plethora of posts from the past year and a half.  Let me know if you find anything humorous or contradictory!

Also, check out this Wall Street Journal article.

guest post:  Mike Heayn

"Griff"

For time:

Run 800 meters

Run 400 meters backwards

Run 800 meters

Run 400 meters backwards

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We are alive and constantly growing!  After Mike read the guest post from Suver, he felt compelled to share his story as well!  Zeb and I are not the only ones with ideas to share, so feel free to contact me with any ideas or information.  Enjoy Mike's post...

About 6 months ago I read a book called "Born to Run." First, for any who have not read the book, I highly recommend it, even if you are not a runner. However, as entertaining and informative as "Born to Run" was, it was a superfood the main people of the book - the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico - ate called Chia seed that intrigued me.

Chia seed comes from the plant, Salvia Hispanica, which is a member of the mint family. About 1/6 the size of a peppercorn, Chia seed is small, but mighty!  Able to absorb several times its size in water, the seed forms a gelatin state, which sounds gross. However, I have found the benefits of Chia seed substantial.  If you Google "Chia seed benefits," you will encounter a slurry of websites explaining all the benefits of the seed. I encourage you to read a few of them.

Approximately a year and a half ago I injured my foot, breaking it along the 5th metatarsal, which is the bone attached to your pinky toe. The break was not that painful and felt like a severe sprain, the part that concerned me was the lack of healing, which was remedied with acupuncture. Of course after I broke my foot I continued to train, which lead me to over train my right shoulder. This was not highly intelligent and lead to a diagnoses of shoulder impingement.  After my foot and shoulder healed - I did not train for over 6 months and went through 6 months of physical therapy. Once I returned to the gym, I had a renewed sense of vigor, excited to "attack" the next WOD. To make a long story short, I would rest and come back to the gym with the same shoulder problem.  In my absence I learned about moderation and now begin a workout with the mindset of overall long term health, instead of short term gains.  However, if chewing on frog egg looking seeds 9 tablespoons a day does not appeal to you, definitely try Fish Oil or try them both. Either way, do whatever it takes to keep on training and staying healthy so you can Crossfit for the long term.