Is it ok For Kids to Lift Weights?
Short answer: yes! Linked below is a great article that dispels some common myths surrounding weightlifting and kids. Check it out!
Archive for the ‘Advice’ Category
Joint Health
Check out this interesting article from CF West Santa Cruise on joint health. Just another reason why range of motion is key!
Also, watch this video of Nicole Carroll doing a 15 rep BW overhead squat. A perfect example of what strength combined with flexibility can do for you. Do you think she has healthy joints?
The Protein Debate
As you all know, Derek and I are huge fans of the Paleo Diet: meat, veggies, fruit, nuts, seeds. Pretty simple, and we have had a ton of success with it.
Recently, I have been getting a lot of questions regarding Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s book, The China Study. Dr. Campbell makes a strong case for a vegan/extremely low animal protein diet in his book- one that has plenty of folks questioning what foods they should be eating.
First off, the fact that people are truly scrutinizing what they are eating is a huge move in the right direction, regardless of the ultimate choices they make. That said, what choice should YOU make?
One of the basic principles that we operate by at CFCDA is constant improvement. Use what works, discard what does not. We know paleo works- but is it better than a vegan diet? We think so. Read up on the point/counterpoint article linked below, between Dr. Loren Cordain (author of the Paleo Diet) and Dr. T. Colin Campbell, and decide for yourself!
Thanks to The Performance Menu and Robb Wolf for making this available to us!
quickness.
Check out the linked video below, and note a few things.
1. Erin reaches full extension before she drops below the bar (if you freeze it at the right time, she is completely off the ground, shoulders shrugged, butt cheeks pinched). This is what we are looking for when we say “finish your pull”.
2. The bar path nearly perfectly vertical
3. She is extremely fast to pull herself under the bar
4. Erin EXPLODES out of the hole. In fact, she comes out of the bottom with so much force, she actually leaves the ground again. Hard to see, but she is actually using the whip of the bar to get out of the bottom.
This is how Erin Karcshner, international-level weightlifter, snatches. Watch closely, and do your best to pick up some tricks!
I will see if I can figure out the correct sequence of keys and clicks on this contraption in order to have the video embedded in the post. Arrrgh
Deal! Fish! Costco!
Through the 28th, Costco has wild Alaskan salmon on sale for $8.99/lb PLUS $5 off every package at the register. Go forth and forage.
Excellence
“It’s not inherited talent that determines how good at something we will be, but rather how hard we are willing to work.”
Words to live by! This article from the Harvard Business Review is a great synopsis of several books which touch on the topic of performance, and how it is practice, not genetics, that build champions- on the field, in the lab, in the boardroom. The author, Tony Schwartz, not only packs a TON of great thoughts into his piece (the six keys of being excellent are, well… …excellent) but also suggests a stack of reading on the subject if you are so inclined.
Check it out. Let me know what you think, either at the gym or via the comments section.
Six Keys to Being Excellent at Anything
It’s All In The Hips
Check out this post from awhile back- it’s an oldie but a goodie.
Power comes from your hips. It doesn’t matter if you’re jumping, punching, running, or throwing. It can be seen in the “hip pop” of the kettle bell swing, and the “dip drive” of the push press. It is critical during the second pull of a clean. Unfortunately, many of us have some degree of hip dysfunction that reduces power and stability, limiting our overall athleticism. This is called Muted Hip Function.
MHF can be seen during a push press when the legs compensate for the hip’s failure. When this happens, there is no angle created at the hips during the dip. The knees will bend excessively and pass too far over the toes, compensating for the lack of hip angle. You can feel this happen when the weight is shifted from your heels to your toes during the dip, and your center of gravity goes backward. The stress is shifted from the glutes and hams to the quads, putting shear forces on the knees. You are limiting your power to what can be produced by your knees.
Photo courtesy of www.crossfit.com
So what can you do to mitigate MHF? Practice the push press with a PVC. Once you feel that good dip drive with equal angles at hips and knees, do it with the bar. Slowly work up with the weight and focus on driving through your heels and sticking your butt out slightly during the dip.
Check out these 2 pics from CrossFit NYC. Post to comments which one has MHF.
For more info on hip function, check out this great post on The Fitness Spotlight, “Developing Hip Function.”
Best of 2010
Hey everyone, Christina and Derek of Lucky Monkey brought this to our attention:
Until February 23rd, The Inlander is conducting their annual Best of survey. You can vote by clicking here, or copying the following link to your browser:
http://www.inlander.com/bestof
You’ll have to sign up for an account, and answer a handful of questions. Question #10, on the first page (“Best Health Club”) is where you can vote for us- make sure to specify “CrossFit Coeur d’Alene”, not just “crossfit”.
While your at it, vote for your fellow CrossFitters and help out their businesses! As mentioned above, Derek and Christina own the Lucky Monkey Trading Co. downtown- you can vote for them on page 4, under “Best Clothing Store” and “Best Jewelry”. Some other local businesses and people that have ties to CrossFit Cd’A: Mountain West Bank (Kmarc, Stein, Toni), H.I.P (salon-April is a stylist there). I am sure I am forgetting some, so post any suggestions to the comments section.
Cholesterol
Seems like there’s more to this cholesterol stuff then just HDL’s and LDL’s… like C-reactive protien… or LDL particle size. Next time you get a blood panel done, let me know. I have a list of other things you can check that should give a much clearer picture about your health.
The Second Pull
Here we have footage of two very good lifters, in slow motion. The key point that I want you guys to take away from this is the second pull- the explosion of the hips as the bar passes between the knee and hip (it is all over 3 seconds in). Most of you are to the point where you are developing your oly lifting skills- you have gotten the first pull (off the ground) and some of you are getting the third pull (under the bar) dialed in. This second pull that you can really see here is key to moving big weight, and not coincidentally is usually the hardest part of the lift to wrap your head around. We will keep working on this in the gym!
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