Archive for the ‘Advice’ Category
01/10/12 by Camille | Advice, Announcements, Blog, Nutrition | 23 Comments »
Over two weeks down!!! How is everyone feeling???? I have heard of some pretty amazing changes and I have SEEN a lot too! I can see it some of your faces, some of your energy levels, and the numbers you all are pulling are looking better and better! Stein got his first muscle up last week, Lianna got a PR on her deadlift yesterday, most everyone PR’d on Fran including Jon and me! Just imagine what is to come in the next 4 weeks!
What are some side effects you are experiencing? DON’T BE SHY! Have any more lingering questions/concerns/issues? Please vent below and have your coaches and peers help.
GOOD LUCK!!! Remember,money isn’t everything, but it will sure help buying a new wardrobe 
12/11/11 by Derek | Advice, Blog, Prehab | 8 Comments »
The Handstand Pee Up. You'll see it at the Games next year. Better start your prehab! Photo courtesy of www.fitbomb.com
If you haven’t already, check out Healthy Shoulders, Part I.
Now that we’ve got you thinking about your posture in regards to having healthy, strong shoulders, we’re going to delve a little deeper. I’ll try not to nerd out too much.
Everyone knows what your shoulder blade is, but how many people actually know what it does? Your shoulder blade, called the scapula, is a pretty cool bone. You can tell a lot about shoulder health just by how it sits against your ribcage and how it moves (or doesn’t move).
The scapula moves up and down, protracts and retracts, tilts forward and back, and rotates. If the controlling muscles are balanced and healthy, all these movements shouldn’t be an issue and you’ll have a healthy, strong shoulder. But if these muscles get weak, tight, or imbalanced (from, say, sitting at a desk), problems occur.
Go ahead and put your hand on one shoulder. Right on top there should be a little hard spot of bone. That’s part of your scapula, called the acromium process (circled in picture 3c below). Here’s the deal with the acromium; when you move your arm overhead, that thing needs to get out of the way. If it doesn’t, you’ll feel what’s called impingement syndrome (pic 3d). This is basically muscle tissue getting pinched between your acromium and humerus (arm bone).
Photo courtesy of the CrossFit Journal
So how the heck do I get it out of the way? A combo of scapular retraction, protraction, and upward rotation, duh. I know, sounds complicated, bear with me. Just look at the picture and imagine this; that scapula needs to rotate clockwise, while the bottom part tilts slightly forward, around the ribs. The top part also tilts back to create room. In picture 3d, none of this is happening. That person is just lazily lifting their arm overhead. In picture 3e, there is no impingement, because he’s actively “pinching the egg” to create room between the acromium and humerus.
The "ribs" you see are actually his serratus anterior muscles. They are contracting and rotating the scapula down and forward, making room for the humerus and helping stabilize the bar overhead. Photo courtesy of www.crossfit.com
Several things can cause an impingement. In addition to not actively engaging the proper muscles like we just talked about, most people have underdeveloped serratus anterior. To make matters worse, poor posture leads to tight pec minors (see pic of Spealer’s “ribs” to the left), which attach to the anterior (front) side of the scapula and pulls it forward, worsening the impingement. In other words, you can’t rotate the acromium out of the way with a serratus anterior, and it’s actually being pulled further in the way by your pec minor.
So, how do we avoid this situation? Prehab.
- Top: pinching the egg for retraction. Bottom: Pushing the arms forward for protraction.
To strengthen the serratus anterior, perform scap pushups. Start in a pushup plank and pinch the egg (retract). Without bending your elbows, push the floor away (protract). You’ll get maybe 2 inches of elevation. What you’re doing is sliding the scap around your rib cage. 3 sets of 20 reps is ideal. I like to do these standing with small bands (see pic to the right).
To lengthen the pec minor, you should stretch it and perform plenty of SMR (self myfascial release). My favorite SMR for the pec minor is placing a lacrosse ball about 2 inches below your collar bone, on the outer portion of the pec. Pin the ball against the wall while holding that same hand behind your back. The advanced version (more painful) involves placing the ball on top of a book or bumper plate to give it some elevation and lay on that sucker. Same spot, hand behind your back and head facing away from the ball. Move the ball around until you find the spot that causes pirate face, and focus there for 2-3 minutes.
A good stretch for the pec minor is the door stretch. You should be actively retracting the scap during this stretch.
These are just a few things you can do to prevent injury or rehab an existing one. If you are a desk jockey, this stuff is important. Since you’re already in a poor position all day, you need to reverse it. These prehab techniques can easily be added in to a typical workout. For example, in between each set of squats you could knock out 20 scap pushups with a band while you’re resting. And when you fall off the airdyne in post wod exhaustion, throw a lacrosse ball under your pec minor (you’re on the ground anyways, might as well be productive). Don’t wait for your coaches to make you do this stuff, take initiative. And whatever you do, don’t wait until you get hurt.
Keep in mind, even with all this prehab you still need to check your ego during the wod and put yourself in a good position. I said it in Part 1 and I’ll say it again; learn to “feel” when you get lazy. Stop, reset, and pinch the egg! This goes for nearly any movement involving your shoulders.
Hopefully you now have a better understanding of how the shoulder functions, and what you need to do to keep it healthy. This is just a slice of prehab techniques you can use, integrate them and watch your overhead position improve. And as always, ask a coach if you need more help.
For more shoulder prehab, check out these awesome posts from CrossFit Invictus for instructions on how to perform Y’s, T’s and W’s.
Y’s
T’s
W’s
12/04/11 by Derek | Advice, Blog, Prehab | 5 Comments »
Freeze! Right now. How is your posture? Are you hunched forward, with your shoulders slouching toward the computer screen? If you are, keep reading…
Hunching forward like that is termed Kyphosis, from the Greek word kyphos, meaning hump. More commonly known at CF CDA as FBBS (Facebook Back Syndrome) those confined to desks for 8+ hours a day are especially susceptible.
I know this post is titled “shoulder health,” so why are we talking about your posture? Because posture is where a good shoulder position starts.
There are several reasons why FBBS is bad. First of all, we are CrossFitters, and we carry ourselves with pride. Lions are the king of the savannah, you don’t see them slouched over, do you? No way- chest out, shoulders back, mane blowing in the breeze…that’s how a CrossFitter should carry themselves!
More importantly, you are setting yourself up for failure in the gym, both from a performance and injury prevention standpoint. Check out that x-ray picture, and put that dude in an overhead squat position- it just doesn’t happen, does it? His degree of thoracic flexion won’t allow him to get his shoulders in a stable overhead position. And if he somehow manages to get full depth with that 45 pound bar overhead, he is in a dangerous, shoulder impinged position. Think about this for a minute- those firebreather athletes that can OHS well over their body weight, what is their posture like? Probably not like x-ray guy. Look at how Coach Camille carries herself, and take into account her OHS at upwards of 125% of her body weight… this is not a coincidence. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her slouch- she is already in a good position before she’s even picked up the bar.
Good posture = healthy shoulders. Courtesy of www.crossfit.com
This phenomenon isn’t restricted to the overhead squat. If someone lacks the ability to fully open the shoulders they tend to compensate with other joints, usually the lumbar spine. The classic example is a strict press lockout with the ‘dirty stripper butt.” This is obviously not good.
Bottom line, if you’re slouched and doing CrossFit, you are putting your shoulders in a dangerous, compromised position. The good news is, with a little bit of body awareness you can fix it!
How do I fix this you ask? Most would say to “sit up straight.” While this sounds like it should work, it usually doesn’t. It’s hard to retrain something your body has learned over the years. I am a firm believer that the best way to retrain your body is through good movement. Here’s what you need to do:
When the WOD calls for movements that require a neutral spine position under load- KB swings, deadlifts and such- consciously use active shoulders. Think about pinching an egg between you shoulder blades (scapular retraction, see photo below) throughout the entire movement. When you feel the slouch creep in with fatigue, stop, take a few breaths, and reset. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of training yourself to “feel” when you’re in a good position. Think of “pinch the egg” to upper body movements as “weight on your heels” is to the squat. This applies to presses and overhead squats as well.
Know the difference between scapular retraction (pinching the egg), and scapular elevation (shrugging). There are few cases when shrugging is helpful in CrossFit (the pull under in the snatch and clean is one). The picture to the left is a good example of scapular retraction.
Here are a few passive things you can do to improve your posture:
Foam roll. Start on your thoracic spine with your arms straight over head. Breathe deeply and get about 10 slow passes while opening your shoulders as much as you can. Now, give yourself a bear hug and do 10 more passes. This is the first thing I do in the gym, every day.
Place a rolled up towel under your T-spine and lay on it, relaxed, for 5 minutes, twice a day. This is also a good way to de-stress.
Make a conscious effort to ALWAYS be in a good position. If you catch yourself slouching at work, fix it. Sit up straight and pull your shoulders back (pinch the egg!) If you catch yourself slouching again get up and walk around/stretch for a bit. This applies not just to sitting, but driving/walking, etc. Remember, you’re a Lion!
As always, if you have questions or need help with any of this stuff, ask a coach! This is only one aspect of what is required for a healthy shoulder position. Click here for part II.
11/14/11 by Derek | Advice, Blog | 2 Comments »
Anybody check the weather lately? Not a whole lotta’ sun ’round these parts this time of year.
Vitamin D deficiencies are very common in northern climates during the darker months. Low blood levels of vitamin D can lead to:
SAD (seasonal affective disorder and moodiness)
Heaviness in the legs
Chronic musculoskeletal pain
Fatigue
Hypersensitivity of the skin
Increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease
Cognitive impairment in older adults
Severe asthma in children
Cancer
The list goes on, just Google it…
So how can you get your dose o’ D? Well it’s pretty easy in CdA during the summer; our bodies produce the stuff when the sun’s UV rays hit our skin. Winter is the tough one. Time to supplement.
Research shows you can safely supplement 4000 I.U. of vitamin D per day. Costco has a good brand packing 2000 I.U. per pill at a reasonable price, be sure to check it out.
Check out vitamin Vitamin D3 World for more info, and as always, ask the trainers!
06/23/11 by Jonathan | Advice, Announcements, Blog, Featured, Nutrition | 5 Comments »
Here is a great post from Sarah Fragoso’s site, Everyday Paleo. Some athletes are easily discouraged in the first six weeks of a paleo/CrossFit lifestyle change because they are seeing pounds dropping off the scale like the contestants on The Biggest Loser. What they are failing to understand is that:
- Muscle weighs more than fat
- If you don’t have much muscle to begin with, you will build it quickly
- It is entirely possible to completely shift your body composition, clothing size, and appearance, AND NOT LOSE A POUND.
Number 3 seems to be the issue that most folks have difficulty with; and Sarah’s post on the subject has a great example of how it is possible. Check it out here:
Attention Scale Addicts
05/04/11 by Derek | Advice, Blog, Nutrition | No Comments »
One of the most comment comments about the paleo diet when someone first starts it, is “but it’s soooo expensive to eat healthy!” I hear some of you are starting a PALEO CHALLENGE… so here are some tips from the Peleo gods that might come in handy:
1. Buy in Bulk
2. Choose cheap cuts and buy bone-in
3. Eat organs regularly
4. Render your own tallow or lard
5. Buy whole or canned wild fish
6. Buy in season from your farmer’s market
7. Buy frozen fruits or vegetables
8. Participate in farmshares and CSA programs
9. Grow and pick your own produce
10. Preserve, ferment and freeze
11. Make your own dressings
12. Bacon ‘n eggs for breakies
13. Hunting and Fishing
If you want more details and specifics go to http://paleodietlifestyle.com/paleo-on-a-budget/. This is also a great site for other paleo advice!
03/08/11 by Derek | Advice, Blog, Featured | No Comments »
You’ve heard me say that before, right? The picture from today’s CrossFit.com post is the perfect explanation of this phenomenon: on the left she is overextended in lumbar spine, or what we call “soft abs.” This can lead to low back pain and is an overall weaker position. On the right she has maintained a neutral spine position, aka “nailing the ribs down.” This is a better position to press, swing, or lift.
All those hollow rocks pay off, right?
02/06/11 by Jonathan | Advice, Blog, Nutrition | 9 Comments »
The usual suspects- courtesy Paul Chek
GI health is a great indicator of overall wellness. Aside from the immediate feedback you get when eat some disagreeable food (Beano or Lactaid, anyone?), the best way to be sure your diet is dialed in is to take a look in the toilet bowl (before you flush).
Take a look at the line up of the usual suspects above. What your poo looks like can give you a clue as to how well (or poorly) the food you are actually eating meshes with what you show ideally be eating.
From left to right:
Sinker n’ Stinker – This guy is named as he behaves. He is like a smelly piece of black coal that sinks to the bottom of the bowl after an arduous attempt to squeeze him out with tremendous force. His appearance is due to an over exposure to toxins such as processed foods, environmental toxins and medical drugs.
The Swimmer – This guy is light in color and floats. He is a pain to flush. His appearance is due to a high content of undigested fat.
Bodybuilder – This dude is JACKED! He is typically big and round. He makes you strain to get him out of ya. If you pop a blood vessel in your eye ball when you poop, you’ve probably met this guy. His appearance is due to eating too many protein bars and shakes.
Pellet Man – Looks like rabbit poop. His appearance is due to altered states between peristalsis (the involuntary constriction and relaxation of the muscles of the intestine or another canal, creating wavelike movements that push the contents of the canal forward) and dehydration.
Diarrhea – “If you’re sliding into first, and you feel something burst… “, this guy needs no introduction. His appearance is due to your crappy (ha!) diet and your body’s attempt to purge you of it.
The Flasher – If you can identify what you’ve eaten by looking at your poop, you are being flashed! Undigested food particles making an appearance in your bowl is a sure sign that this guy has crashed your party. His appearance is due to food intolerance and an inflamed gut wall.
The Sheriff – This guy is what all of our poo strive to look like. He is well shaped (with a consistent contour), passes easily, light brown In color, smells earthy – not foul, yet he floats… but not too much. Mmmm.
So, keep an eye on your poo! Not only will it give you insight as to the efficacy of your diet, it will give you something to talk about at the dinner table.
02/03/11 by Derek | Advice, Announcements, Blog, Nutrition | 8 Comments »
I’ve had this chat with a few of the ladies recently and I found a great article from CrossFit Invictus that echo’s my comments exactly. In a nutshell:
-Spot reduction is BS
-Excessive cardio won’t get you truly lean
-Strength training coupled with intense interval/crossfit type training is the way to go for a lean, strong, sexy body.
Remember, muscle is a metabolically expesive tissue; you need it to lose those last few pounds of fat. And if it were easy to bulk up, I could do it! Check out the article here.
2008 and 2009 CrossFit Games competitor Crystal McReynolds. Not exactly bulky. Click here for more about Crystal.
01/08/11 by Derek | Advice, Announcements, Blog, Nutrition | 2 Comments »
In case you guys haven’t signed up for
Gluten Free January and are missing out on the great info being put out, here is the latest email from Matt Lentzner. Check out what he has to say, then see whats on the menu for our recipe of the week!
“Ever heard of “Leaky Gut”? I’ll admit it sounds a little ridiculous, but it’s real.
Technically, the inside of your stomach and intestines are still outside your body. Food is brought in, processed, the nutrients absorbed, and the waste passed out. Your digestive track is the most highly immune system protected area of your body. If you think about it, this is the most likely point of entry for any invaders or toxins.
The idea here is that when your small intestine gets damaged then it leaks. It’s not like a leaky tire, but more like a screen door with a hole in it. You want the fresh air, but not the flies. Get enough holes and the screen door is an open invitation for all the bugs in the world to come into your house.
It is like this with leaky gut. Bacteria, undigested food, toxins, get through the gut barrier and into your blood stream. This causes an immune reaction inside your body. Your body will assume it is under attack and produce antibodies for any foreign objects it encounters. Things get dicey when your body makes antibodies for proteins that happen to look like structures in your own body. This is called auto-immune disease. When you body’s own immune system attacks it’s own tissue.
It’s a real crapshoot. It varies from embarrassing hair loss (alopecia) to permanent nerve damage (multiple sclerosis).
Where does wheat and gluten fit into this? I’m glad you asked.
Gluten is a gut irritating substance. In other words it can damage your gut. If the damage gets bad enough then tiny gaps start to form in the intestinal lining. Next thing you know you have leaky gut. Of course some people are more sensitive than others, but I think everyone suffers from it to a greater or lesser degree. Even if your gut doesn’t actually leak, this constant irritation keeps your immune system on red alert all the time, making allergies worse.
Other stuff like aspirin, NSAIDs, and alcohol can also irritate the gut. So you want to take it easy on those things. But for most people the constant bombardment is coming from gluten. For many people it’s every meal of every day for their entire lives.
Eating gluten is like gambling except there’s no winners – only losers. And some people are gonna lose bigtime.”
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