CrossFit S3

So here it is, the end of week one S3 Paleo Challenge.  Let me just say, this has been tougher than advertised (much like some of last weeks WODS).  Having participated in a 60 day challenge earlier in the year, I really felt like this challenge was going to be a piece of cake.  Make that, a Paleo Muffin. This time around, adjusting to a more strict Paleo eating routine hasn’t been light and fluffy at all.  Living without sugar, bread, desserts etc this week wasn’t all that horrible but my performance in the box sure was. All week long I’ve felt tired and run down to the point of yawning. My yawning spells have even carried over into the 5:00 WOD where I would clean, jerk, yawn and repeat.  Beyond this constant yawning, my recovery times have been longer, my stamina has been decreased and my strength seems to have been zapped…… What’s up with this?  Whether you have felt as I have, or not, here is a Great article by Whole9′s Robin Strathdee, in preparation for an official Whole30® kick-off that speaks to this experience and tells you what else is around the corner.. Enjoy!!  As with any process that involves personal experience, your results may vary, but it’s my hope that this timeline will give you a hint (and a chuckle) at what you can expect.

Day 1: So what’s the big deal?

It’s 3 p.m. on day 1. You had a guilt-free plate of steak and eggs for breakfast, breezed through the morning with coffee and coconut cream by your side, and had a nice big salad for lunch.  Your body is telling you it’ snack time, so you grab a handful of almonds and an apple and head back to your desk to finish out your day.  You’ve got a slow cooker full of chili infusing your kitchen with a heavenly smell, and right now you can’t see why anyone thinks this is hard.
This delusion is somewhat akin to the first episode of any given reality show on which the contestants are herded together and forced to live in one house. At the end of the first episode, everyone can just tell they are going to be best friends for life. Those of us on the other side of the screen know better, though, don’t we? No one really believes this mess to be true, but everyone humors it… because how long can it last, really?

The truth is that you’re feeling empowered by making one good choice after another, all day long. And you should! Take note of that Rock Star feeling, stash it away and bring it back out when days get rough. Because rest assured that after a lifetime of suboptimal choices, things are going to have to get worse before they can get better.

Speaking of rough…

Days 2-3: The Hangover.

The alarm rings on day 2 and you pop out of bed expecting the same kind of Charlie Sheen winning feeling you had yesterday. Instead, you get the other side of Charlie…you know – the pounding-head-cross-eyed-can’t-see-straight side. You know you didn’t down a fifth of tequila in your sleep, so what the heck happened?!

Remember the pre Whole30 bender you went on? Pizza, cookies, Jim Beam, jelly beans (oh, the jelly beans)? Yeah. This is when it comes back to bite you in the butt. (And the head.)  And it is definitely true that the amount of suck you experience in this phase is directly proportional to the amount of crap you consumed before you began the program.  Especially if you consumed it consistently. This phase is especially hard for the habitual Diet Coke (and Diet Dr. Pepper here in my part of the world) drinkers. You know who you are.

Many Whole30ers report headaches, fatigue, and general malaise during this part of the program. This, my friends, is completely normal. Your body is working its way through a whole host of junk it stored from the foods (or food-like-products) you used to eat. This process lasts a day for some folks, but for others it can take a few days longer. Relax, drink a lot of water, and keep making good choices. And do your best to earn the sympathy and support from friends and family, because…

Days 4-5: Kill ALL the things!

Day 4 dawns and you tentatively step out of bed, expecting to feel like you took a strike from Thor’s hammer in the temple. Instead, your head is surprisingly clear. Your limbs all feel functional. This could be a good day! You walk into the kitchen and as you’re greeted by the smiling face of your significant other you are suddenly overcome…with the desire to punch them in the face for smiling this early in the morning.  Congratulations! You’ve made it to day 4.

Now, I have no clue why this phase happens, or why it happens here (and not on, say, day 14).* I just know that it happens. Often. Even experienced Whole30ers (myself included) go through this phase.  Every nerve is lit, temperance is non-existent and the only solution to the problem seems to be to Kill All of the Things.

This phase, too, will pass.  Beg your spouse, children, parents, co-workers, for patience and forgiveness – as nicely as you can (and no, “shut up and leave me alone!” does not count as nice). Take a deep breath and eat some sweet potatoes. I promise, you’ll feel better soon.

*It’s probably because your brain is never very happy when you tell it that it CAN’T have something, and take it out of it’s habitual and accustomed comfort zone. An unhappy brain is a stressed brain, an anxious brain, a fearful brain. No to mention your hormones are desperately trying to keep up with your new food choices, your gut is trying to heal, you’ve had a headache for the last three days, and you REALLY MISS YOUR DIET COKE. So yeah, maybe we do know why this is happening now…

Days 6-7: I just want a nap…

Okay, so its day 6 and you made it through the last phase without smiting anyone.  The thing is, today you don’t feel like you could smite anyone if your life depended on it!  It’s 10 am and all you can think about is crawling under your desk for a catnap.  As the day drags on, the surface of your desk is morphing, from hard wooden surface to snuggly warm pillow, right before your eyes.  You hit the gym, but only halfheartedly, unable to face the barbell with any kind of conviction. You crawl into bed at 8 p.m. only to drag yourself out eleven hours later feeling no more rested than you did the night before.

So what’s the deal?! Isn’t eating like this supposed to increase energy levels? Yes…in the long run.  Right now, you’re body is learning that it can’t rely on all those easy access energy sources it used to know and love. Gone are the days of cinnamon crunch muffins and Frappuccinos. Now your body is learning to efficiently burn fat and protein as its fuel sources, and that takes more effort – and some time.  If you can hold out just a bit longer, you’ll definitely reap the benefits. (Besides, you could probably use a day off from the gym anyway, right?)

To continue this timeline and find out about the Boundless energy that’s just around the corner & more check out : http://whole9life.com/2012/06/the-whole30-timeline/

I hope My Boundless Energy kicks in before Wednesdays Eva !!!  Adam C.

In honor of  Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the entire week of workouts will be “girl” benchmark workouts.  There will still be skills/strength aspects (Part A) for each class except for Wednesday. These are great baseline workouts!

The Nutrition Challenge is entering week #2.  Make sure to turn in your food logs before Monday 9PM!  Good luck and keep up the great work!!!!

Skill work for Monday will be the Turkish Get Up.  This is a phenomenal total body movement that requires strength, stabilization  coordination, and much more.  Here is a video with some great tips and helpful hints.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AWdpfbhCPI

Thank you all for continuing to support our growing community!  Should be a great week of work ahead.  Good luck!
Eric, Erin, and Tayls

THIS WEEKS WORKOUTS

MONDAY
Strength.Stamina

Not enough Wall Balls Jay?

Rest 3 Minutes Then:

50 Burpee Box Jumps (24/20″) for time

TUESDAY
Speed

A) Deadlift 5*5*5
B) “Annie”
50-40-30-20-10
Double Unders
Ab Mat Situps

Rest 3 Minutes Then:

4 Rounds of 250 M Row
*Rest 1 Minute Between Rounds

6 AM Crew ALWAYS brings it

A) No Part A.  ”Eva” will be enough
B) “Eva”
5 rounds:
Run 800 meters
30 Kettlebell Swings (2.0/1.5)
30 Pull-ups

*45 Minute Cap (This is a long workout.  Choose 3 or 5 rounds)

THURSDAY
Strength

A) Power Snatch 5*5*5
B) “Isabel”
30 Reps of Snatch (135/95)

Rest 2 Minutes Then:

50 Ring Dips For Time

Big man down! Vaidas forgot to catch the Wall Ball

A) 5 Sets of Max Time L-Sit Holds
*Rest 1 Minute Between Sets
B) “Cindy”
20 Minute AMRAP:
5 Pullups
10 Push Ups
15 Air Squats

SATURDAY
Team WOD: 8:30+9:30
Free Intro WOD: 10:30
S3 Conditioning: 11:00
Foundations: 12:00

SUNDAY
Foundations: 10:00
Open Gym: 11:00
Benchmark WOD (Girl-Diane): 12:00

I’m sure you’ve all went shopping by now and have all your Paleo cooking supplies ready. If not you may be stuck eating chicken, lettuce and raw nuts, which let me tell you, loses the fun factor after meal two.  Here are two recipes on the post this week. The first one is from “The Primal Blueprint Cookbook” that I mentioned last week. This recipe is a crock pot recipe (well, we use a crock pot, anyway) for “Primal Pot Roast”.  This recipe is beyond amazing! (when done our way, naturally). I would sell my left leg for it. Or maybe just the fatty part. Any takers?  So with that thought, let’s cook!

Recipe #1:
Ingredient List:
Seasoning rub:
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried crushed rosemary
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp coarse sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

(1) 4 pound beef or bison chuck (we have always used the beef)
2 tbsp ghee or olive oil (use the ghee!!!!!!! Sooooo delicious!!!)
1 cup water, beef or chicken stock. (we used beef stock)
3 large onions, thinly sliced

Directions:
Combine the first five ingredients in a small bowl. Rub the meat well with seasoning. For the best flavor let the roast sit out an hour or two at room temperature loosely covered with foil, or well-wrapped overnight in the refrigerator. (I recommend preparing it the night before and letting it sit all night in the refrigerator)

Preheat the oven to 350 (325 for bison).

In a dutch oven or large heavy casserole heat the ghee! or olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the roast on all sides, about two minutes per side. Remove the roast temporarily to a plate or platter. Remove excess fat that has accumulated in the pan (optional). Add water or stock to the pan and de-glaze by scraping and dissolving the brown bits on the bottom. Return the roast to the pan, cover it with the sliced onions and garlic, cover and bake in the oven for one hour.

Remove the cover, turn the roast, and continue to cook in the oven uncovered for another hour. Add more liquid if needed and stir the onions a bit after 30 minutes for even cooking.

Cover again and cook 1 hour more. The meat will be done when it is fork-tender. Remove the meat from the pot and let it rest loosely covered with foil.

Strain the sauce, de-fatting if necessary. Season sauce with salt and pepper if desired. If there is a shoulder bone remove it. Slice the meat. Separate it into chunks for serving. Serve the sauce over the meat after plating.

A few things we did differently: we used about 5 onions, not 3. Then after the roast was seared in the cast iron skillet, we took the roast out and threw the onions in there to cook a little and absorb the ghee and seasonings that were left in the pan. After this is when we added the stock and deglazed the pan. From here we put the roast in the crock pot and topped it with the onions and deglazed stock remnants. Put the lid on the crock pot and let it cook for 7-8 hours.

The next recipe is my husband’s creation. He’s the chef in the family. Move over Bobby Flay! If you are wondering if I come up with any recipes on my own, the answer is no.  I was passed over on the innate culinary skills. Oh, but baking! I can make a mean dessert!! But that would be cruel to post here J

So this next recipe can almost be thought of as a continuation of the pot roast. Any time you make anything in a crock pot you are left with all the yummy juices and seasonings….don’t waste these!! This is what we (and yes by “we” I mean my husband) do anytime we make something in the crock pot. If we had a chicken in there then we make a chicken soup. So for the pot roast recipe our soup will be seasoned more in the line of a beef soup.

Recipe #2:
Ingredient list:
(Use whatever veggies you like, but this is what we used) and in any quantity you want:
1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes
3 small bell peppers, chopped and seeds removed (we used mini red, yellow, and orange)
1 green avocado, peeled and pit removed.  Green, not black.  You want it to be firm since it’s going in a soup.
6 carrots
2 zucchini squash
2 yellow squash
1 large yellow/sweet onion
6 cloves of garlic
1-2 Tbsp of ghee
2-4 Tsp of ground thyme
2-4 cups of beef stock
Salt and Pepper
Left over drippings and onions from the roast added in a large pot.

Directions:
Heat large skillet over medium heat.

Add 1 tbsp of ghee and bring up to temperature.

Chop all vegetables (minus Garlic) to bite sized pieces.

Dice or mince garlic.

Sauté vegetables in ghee.  Start with the “harder” vegetables (sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, bell peppers) and work your way down to the softer vegetables (squashes, avocado, etc.).  You want to develop color in the vegetables and caramelize (but don’t burn!!).  The longer you can sauté and caramelize without burning, the more flavor you’ll develop.  Add more ghee as needed to keep things from sticking.  Make sure to use plenty of salt and pepper, depending on your taste.

Save garlic until the last to keep it from burning and getting bitter.

Deglaze the pan with a cup of beef stock, simmer for 30 seconds to a minute, scraping the bottom of the sauté pan to pull off all of the yummy bits.

Add contents of the sauté pan to soup base from the roast in the pot.

Add as much additional beef stock to get the consistency in the soup that you like.  We added the 3-4 cups and made it thinner.  Add thyme to your taste.  We like a lot and added another 4 tsp’s – trending more toward a French Onion Soup flavor.  Bring up to a soft boil, reduce heat and slowly simmer.  The longer you can simmer the more the flavors will combine, develop, and deepen.  Of course, season to your taste.  Does it need more salt?  More thyme?  Some heat (cayenne?)?  Go with what you like.

Note:  this will make your vegetables fairly soft.  If you like more crisp/tender, you can skip the part where you sauté them and just add them to the soup base.  However, it won’t develop the same flavor without that step.

Eat. Enjoy.

Next week is my birthday and this will be the first time in thirty (oooohhhhh, you thought I was going to say, didn’t you????) some-odd years that I have not had a birthday cake. It’s ok. You can stop crying for me. I’m (ok, I’m going to have Troy and the kids do it…..who makes their own birthday treats??) going make Juli’s (from Paleomg.com) Sugar Detox Pumpkin Cake in a Mug with Chocolate Whip and her Sugar Detox Carrot Cake Pudding. Yes, they are making me two desserts. Kind of helps compensate for the lack of butter cream frosting this year.  She created both of these desserts while on a 21 day sugar detox, and all ingredients are in our “four point foods” category. I’ll let you know how it turns out!

Ok, it’s time! Ready to start?  Here we gooooo!!
Christie

The Nutrition Challenge starts this week!  To all those participating, good luck and make sure to stay on top of things, be prepared, journal, workout, rest, and eat clean.  The entire gym will be cheering you on and many articles will be posted to help and support you through this 28 day challenge.

Recently we all have seen great progress with our members and are proud of everyone!  Keep up all the great work!  With this being said, we also want to make sure that progression is done in a safe, healthy scope.  Certain movements, skills, or lifts will occur at different rates depending on many factors.  Make sure to always keep things in perspective as important as it is to train hard, it’s even more important to train smart.

Here is a good double under technique section to follow up on last weeks double unders skill day:
http://journal.crossfit.com/2011/03/theposition1doubleunder.tpl

Thank you everyone!  Have a fun week!
Eric, Erin, and Tayls

THIS WEEKS WORKOUTS:

Monday
Stamina.Speed

A) 3 Sets of Max Push Ups
* Rx+= 3 Sets of Max Clapping Pushups
B) 3 Rounds:
800 M Run
50 Wallballs (20/14)

Tuesday
Strength

A) Deadlift 5*5*5
B) 8 Minute AMRAP:
8 Evil Wheels
10 KB Swings (2/1.5)
12 Standing Broad Jumps (6/4’)

Wednesday
Strength.Speed.Stamina

A) Rest Day For Skills/Strength Work
B) 30-20-10
Press (95/65)
Burpees
Pullups

Thursday
Stamina

A) Power Snatch 5*5*5
B) 4 Rounds:
1 Minute Max Box Jumps (24/20″)
1 Minute Max Air Squats
1 Minute Max Double Unders
1 Minute Max Row (Calories)
Rest 1 Minute
*Sub For Double Unders = Parallette Bar Hops

Friday
Strength.Speed

A) High Hang Pull 8*8*8
B) 50 Hang Power Cleans (135/95)
* 100 M Run Penalty For Each Drop Of The Bar
* Rx+= (155/105)

Saturday
Team WOD: 8:30+9:30
Free Intro WOD: 10:30
S3 Conditioning: 11:00
Foundations: 12:00

Sunday
Foundations: 10:00
Open Gym: 11:00
Benchmark WOD (Hero): 12:00

There is a lot of excitement with our upcoming Paleo challenge, and whether this is your first challenge or you are an old pro, most of us can use a little extra support. For the next month a few S3 members will be contributing to a blog that will hopefully help us all on our journey!

Success in any endeavor is going to start with preparedness, so that’s what I’m going to talk about this week. When my first challenge ‘crept up on me’ I did not have the right foods in my house. All I ate for the first week was chicken, romaine lettuce with balsamic vinegar and raw almonds. I’m not sure if I even fed the kids that week. I can’t recall. Anyway, week two I realized I had better find some recipes and go shopping for the right foods. Some things can be found in any grocery store, but I get 80-90% of the food I eat at Trader Joes. I started off at Earth Fare, and while they have more selection, they are more expensive. There are a few things that I have only found at Earth Fare (and I’ll note those) but for the most part it’s one-stop-shopping at Trader Joes.

There are a few basic foods that if you have on hand, you can whip up any Paleo meal quickly, and most of the recipes I have contain the majority of these ingredients. I recommend always having on hand:

GREAT ON HAND ITEM LIST:
Tomato sauce
Diced tomatoes (fire roasted and plain)
Onions
Garlic
Olive oil
Ghee (I can only find this at Earth Fare)…fry up some onions in this to add to anything and OMG!!!
Meat (buffalo, grass fed beef or chicken)….buy in bulk and freeze
Seasonings (Sea salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, roasted cumin, chili powder, oregano, rosemary, thyme)
Organic chicken broth
Cage free eggs
Coconut milk

I am definitely no chef, but I can follow a recipe, and so have found a few sources that are pretty amazing. I bought “The Primal Blueprint Cookbook” by Mark Sisson and have not made a recipe that I did not love!!! I also use the site nomnompaleo.com and live on the site paleomg.com. The recipes here are easy and the girl is hilarious! One work of caution: some of the ingredients used in these sources are not “four point foods”: raw honey, dark chocolate, raisins, etc. are not optimal foods for our challenge. Save these for November 5 th J. That said I will list 2 of my favorite and easiest recipes to get you going if you need somewhere to start. This first recipe is for goulash from Christina’s nutrition blog that was posted quite a while ago:

GOULASH RECIPE LIST:
1 lb grass fed beef
1 cup diced mushrooms
½ cup red peppers
½ cup onions
2 tomatoes diced
1 can organic tomato sauce
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 cups organic chicken broth
1 bay leaf
Paprika (go crazy with it)
-Brown your meat and place in a soup pot. Sauté your vegetables in olive oil and add to ground beef. Add the remaining ingredients and let simmer for 30 minutes.

This next recipe couldn’t be more simple…perfect, right? It’s for Egg Muffins (we eat eggs and egg dishes a lot for dinner)

EGG MUFFINS RECIPE LIST:
6 eggs
¼ lb cooked ground meat (seasoned how you like) or sausage….I have even used the already cooked chicken sausage from Trader Joes, even easier!
1 red pepper, finely chopped
Salt and paper to taste
-Preheat oven to 350. Grease 6 muffin tins, or even easier, use the paper baking cups. In a bowl, beat the eggs. Add the meat, red pepper and seasoning. Spoon into muffin tins. Bake 18-20 min or until a knife stuck into the muffin comes out clean.

DESSERT RECIPE:
And here’s a yummy idea when you’re craving something sweet:
-Take 1 cup of coconut oil and place in the food processor for a second or two. Add 1 cup almond butter, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut and a pinch of salt. Blend all together. You can add 3-5 Tbsp of cocoa powder if you are craving something chocolaty. This is great to eat a spoonful at a time, or on Paleo pancakes.

It’s going to be a great month!!

Also check out check out another Paleo Food List on what items should be used and what should not: PALEO FOOD LIST

Christie

In the last 8 weeks we worked on a progressive strength cycle involving the Back Squat, Press, and Squat Clean.  Most people saw a great increase in strength and/or technique especially for those who attended these lifting classes consistently.  This is clearly evident by some great Personal Records for those who attended the “Crossfit Total” class last Thursday.  Starting this week we will begin a new cycle of strength movements on Tuesday (Deadlifts) and Thursday (Power Snatch) over the course of  6 weeks.  It is highly recommended to track your weights and rep scheme over the course of the cycle and make sure that technique is priority above weight with all lifts.  We will also be adding a skill/strength/technique aspect to class EVERYDAY starting this upcoming week!  With the added value of the skills/strength component EVERYDAY (Part A), please make sure to progress thru class in a safe/timely manner as there is still the metcon component (Part B) that also needs to completed.

The Nutrition Challenge begins on October 8th!  This is right around the corner so if you plan on participating please make sure to have payment ready before the challenge begins, have any food related questions emailed and answered, attend the Pre Wod Challenge to earn points, have  a before picture taken, and be prepared!

If you have facebook, please try to take a look at our s3 page daily.  We try to post a new update everyday about what is going on with the gym, our members, events, and much much more.

Good article for progression to the handstand pushup.  Take a looks!
http://www.crossfitlondon.ca/wp/zero-to-10-handstand-pushups-hspu/

Thank you everyone!  Should be a great week as always!
Eric, Erin, Tayls

THIS WEEKS WORKOUTS:

Monday
Strength.Speed

Brian says “Dear God… Don’t let this kettle bell fall on my head!”

A) 200 double unders for time or 10 minutes max to work on double under skills

B) 12-10-8-6-4-2
Front Squat 90% of Body Weight
Handstand Pushups

*Run 100 Meters after each rep scheme is completed (after 12 hspu, 10 hspu, 8 hspu …… etc etc)

Tuesday
Stamina

A) Deadlift 5*5*5

B) 100 Meter Overhead Plate Walk (45/25)
50 Weighted Ab Mat Situps (45/25)
200 Meter Farmers Walk (2 Plates) (45/25)
1000 Meter Row
200 Meter Farmers Walk (2 Plates) (45/25)
50 Weighted Ab Mat Situps (45/25)
100 Meter Overhead Plate Walk (45/25)

* 30 minute cap part B

Wednesday
Speed.Strength.Stamina

Erin doing the “air robot” dance

A) 5 Sets Of Handstand Holds Against Wall (30 seconds-1 minute per set)
Rest 1 Minute Between Each Set

B) 15 Minute AMRAP:
3 Clean and Jerk (155/110)
6 Lateral Bar Hops
12 Hand Release Push Ups

Thursday
Speed

A) Power Snatch 5*5*5

B) 5 Rounds:
10 Pullups
20 Box Jumps (24/20)
30 Double Unders
Rest 2 Minutes Between Rounds

* Sub for Double Unders= 30 singles + 30 Jumping Knee Tucks
* 30 minute cap part B

Ryan is only in 8th grade! Watch out kid is going to be a beast!

Friday
Stamina.Speed

A) 3 Sets of Max Ring Dips
Rest 2-3 Minutes Between Sets

B) 35-25-15
Squat Cleans (95/65)
Knees to Elbows
Burpees

*Rx+ Challenge=Toes to Bar Sub for Knees to Elbows
*30 Minute Cap

Saturday
Pre Challenge WOD: 8:30+9:30
Free Intro WOD: 10:30
S3 Conditioning: 11:00
Foundations: 12:00

Sunday
Foundations: 10:00
Open Gym: 11:00
Benchmark WOD (Girl): 12:00

28 Day Crossfit S3 Paleo Challenge

Change Your Nutrition Challenge!
Crossfit S3 is challenging all members to a 28 day paleo challenge geared to change eating habits that will enhance your quality of health and fitness.  The goal of the challenge is to help break any bad nutrition habits over the course of the 28 days and show everyone what is possible with healthy nutrition, training, and rest.  Very similar challenges have taken place at S3 over the past couple years and anyone who has either participated or witnessed these events can tell you that this can change how people live and is incredible.  This is an individual challenge because it is necessary for the individual to want to change and to see if they are willing to commit over the course of 4 weeks.  We know this can be difficult, but with great support from the trainers, members, and family and when done right, the results are profound!

When: October 8^th 2012-November 4^th 2012

Entry Fee: $20 CASH DUE TO ERIC BEFORE THE CHALLENGE STARTS

Journal:  All meals, workouts, and rest days must be recorded in the excel document provided.  It is HIGHLY recommended to journal EVERY DAY.  Your weekly journal (entire week in full) must be emailed to Eric no later than 9PM Monday from the previous week with all fields completed.  A point will be deducted for each day you fail to turn in your weekly journal with 9PM being the cut off time each day. Every Thursday after the first week, a post will be made showing the current point totals of all members participating.

PALEO CHALLENGE S3 FOOD LOG

Nutrition:  Points will be determined by the quality of foods/drinks consumed daily presented in your food log that you provide at the end of the week.  Protein shakes can be used Post WOD ONLY, and the type of protein used must be approved. There are NO cheat days and NO alcohol consumption allowed for this challenge!  However, you can still earn points if you do not adhere to strict Paleo nutrition. With that said, know that you will not attain your best results if you choose to make exceptions.

Hunter Gatherer (4 points): Consume only meats, veggies, some fruit, nuts, seeds and water.  Anything clean and healthy.  No gluten, dairy, or sugar period.

Close to Hunter Gatherer (3 points): Mostly hunter gatherer with some little items that are non-paleo.  Examples include: cream in coffee, condiments, dried fruits, etc.

Mostly Paleo (2 points):  Did good most of the day but stumbled and had a small amount of non-paleo food.  Examples include: a bag of small chips, side of rice, container of yogurt, etc.

Not Great (1 point): 1 meal/drink was Non-Paleo.  Examples include: pasta, beer, juice, soda, pizza, ice cream, etc.

Bad Day (0 points): More than 1 meal is Non-Paleo.  Anything with gluten, sugar, or dairy in more than one meal.  Made more than one big mistake in the day.

A maximum of 4 points can be earned each day and a minimum of zero points.  28 points is the maximum number of points that can be earned per week.  These points will be determined by Eric based off the meals recorded in your food logs.  Anything you eat/drink/consume must be written in your food log.  Any questions of what items are acceptable must be emailed to eric@crossfits3.com prior to the challenge beginning.  Paleo links will be provided below with many paleo approved items, many non-paleo examples, and some “grey” areas.  If you are not positive, please double check with Eric before the challenge begins.

Workouts:  You will receive 3 points for each CrossfitS3 WOD OR S3 Conditioning workout completed (maximum 1 workout per day).  All workouts must be completed at Crossfit S3 to receive points.  Attendance will be taken off of our MindBody Scheduler.  If you do not register (that means register not just scan in) for classes, you will not get credit for attending the workout. A maximum of 15 points can be earned per week (5 workouts max per week). BE SURE TO REGISTER PRIOR TO CLASS IN ORDER TO RECEIVE WORKOUT POINTS!

Rest and Recovery:  You will receive 3 points for taking a rest/recovery day. Rest and recovery is a very integral part to the challenge and is necessary for many functions relating to optimal performance, enhanced mental focus, increased HGH production and much, much more.  A maximum of 9 points can be earned per week (3 rest days per week).

Points Summary:  A maximum of 49 points per week can be earned.  This takes into account individuals who work out 5 days/rest 2 days a week and individuals who work out 4 days/rest 3 days a week.  A maximum of 196 points can be earned over the 4 week challenge with the pre/post WOD scoring not included.

Breakdown point summary per week:
Nutrition: 28 points maximum per week
Workouts: 15 points maximum per week
Rest/Recovery: 9 points maximum per week

Pre/Post Performance WOD: A Pre-Performance WOD will be held the next two Saturdays (September 29^th and October 6^th) instead of the usual team WODs.  After the challenge is completed, a Post-Performance WOD will be on Saturday November 10^th.  The Pre/Post WODs will be identical and doable for everyone who enters the challenge!   It will be exciting to see how nutrition, rest, and training will improve scores. A scoring system will be set in place for everyone to push as hard as possible for both pre and post workouts!  There are points on the line in these workouts and could possibly determine the outcome of the challenge.

Before/After Pictures and Testimonial: A before picture (men without shirts and women with sports bra) prior to the first day of the challenge and an after picture on the last day of the challenge along with a testimonial explaining personally what the challenge meant to you must be submitted after the challenge by November 17^th, 2012.

Honor Code: This is a challenge with prizes involved.  With that said, all members participating must abide by the honor code for the challenge to be scored correctly and fairly!  If any foul play is determined, an automatic disqualification from the challenge will take place.  Please do not let it get to this point. This is supposed to be a fun 28 days!

Prizes:
1^st place: TBA
2^nd place: TBA
Special Recognition: TBA

Paleo Links:
http://www.robbwolf.com/
http://www.thepaleodiet.com/
http://www.everydaypaleo.com/
http://www.paleomama.com/
http://crossfits3.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/2012-Nutrition-Challenge1.docx

START GETTING READY AND PREPARED NOW! GOOD LUCK TO ALL !!!!!
Eric
eric@crossfits3.com

The 2012 Crossfit Games will be airing on TV over the next couple of weeks.   Here is a link to the schedule:
http://games.crossfit.com/article/espn2-tv-schedule

Over the past few weeks, we have noticed at certain times food on the floor,  the A/C unit running, and toys not picked up in the kids room.  After class is over, please make sure that the room is left clean and the A/C unit is turned off.  Thank you parents for making sure this will happen.

Glad to hear that everyone is supremely happy with the quality of food and service  for the meal deliveries!  If meals are not picked up before the expiration date, we will be forced to discard any meal not picked up due to food safety reasons.

Good luck to all those who will be getting prepared for the challenge and as always thank you EVERYONE!
Erin, Eric, Tayls

THIS WEEKS WORKOUTS:

Monday
Stamina.Strength

Run 800 Meters
20 Power Snatch (135/95)
Run 800 Meters
20 Power Snatch (135/95)
Run 800 Meters

Tuesday
Speed

8 Rounds:
12 Wallballs (20/14)
12 KB Swings (1.5/1.0)
12 Burpees
Rest 1 Minute Between Rounds

Wednesday
Strength.Speed.Stamina

Crossfit Open Workout “12.3″
18 Minute AMRAP:
15 Box Jumps (24/20)
12 Push Press/Jerk (115/75)
9 Toes to Bar

Thursday
Strength

“Crossfit Total”
1 Rep Max Back Squat
1 Rep Max Press (Strict)
1 Rep Max Deadlift

*3 Maximum Attempts At Each Lift

Friday
Speed.Stamina

2 Rounds:
800 Meter Run With A Slamball (30/20)
400 Meter Backwards Run
200 Meter Broad Jump
100 Meter Walking Lunge

Saturday
Team WOD: 8:30+9:30
Free Intro WOD: 10:30
S3 Conditioning: 11:00
Foundations: 12:00

Sunday
Foundations: 10:00
Open Gym: 11:00
Benchmark WOD (Hero): 12:00

Custom Fit Meal orders will be able to be picked up starting Monday.  Please ask Eric, Erin, or Chris to unlock the cooler and sign out for the meals you purchased in our log book.  This is the first week meals are being delivered and are real excited that all members have this option to help compliment their training with a healthy option of nutrition.

This week there will be some new faces who have completed the foundations program and many others currently in the process of completely the program!  Please make sure to welcome them, introduce yourself and support them on the road of health and training that lies ahead.

The 2012 Crossfit Games will be airing on TV over the next couple of weeks.   Here is a link to the schedule:
http://games.crossfit.com/article/espn2-tv-schedule

Here is a good read of keeping things simple and how it will lead to continued progress:
https://www.againfaster.com/en/blog/2012/07/19/progress/

Chris Taylor is registered for an upcoming MS Bike Ride to Myrtle Beach.  Please help Chris reach his goal as this is a great cause and charity to support.  To donate to the cause please follow the link below:
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/NCPBikeEvents?px=11362766&pg=personal&fr_id=18227

Thank you all for being apart of your healthy lifestyle and look forward to a fun filled week!
Erin, Eric, Chris

THIS WEEKS WORKOUTS:

Monday
Stamina.Speed

Pondering life…and the rower

21-18-15-12-9-6-3
Push Press (75/55)
Box Over Jumps (20/16”)

RX+= Push Press (95/65)

Tuesday
Strength

3 Deadlifts Every Minute On The Minute @ 75% of your 1 Rep Max
Then Mini Met Con After Lifting
10 Minute Amrap:
10 Deadhang Chinups
10 Plyo Pushups Over Plate
10 KB Swings (2.0/1.5)

Wednesday
Strength.Speed.Stamina

Is Adam resting or practicing his pistol squat?

“Grannie”

15 Clean and Jerk (135/95)

Then “Annie”:
50-40-30-20-10
Double Unders
Ab Mat Situps

15 Clean and Jerk (135/95)

Thursday
Stamina

25 Minute AMRAP:
20 Burpees
250 M Row
3 Bear Crawls
200 M Run

Friday
Strength.Speed

Welcome back Jim!

4 Rounds
3 Minute AMRAP:
400 M Run With The Remaining Time Left In The 3 Minute Period Max Rep Thrusters (115/85)
1 Minute Rest In Between Rounds

Saturday
Team WOD: 8:30+9:30
Free Intro WOD: 10:30
S3 Conditioning: 11:00
Foundations: 12:00

Sunday
Foundations: 10:00
Open Gym: 11:00
Benchmark WOD (Girl): 12:00

The cooler has arrived and anyone can now choose Crossfit S3 as a pick up location thru Custom Fit Meals.  The first purchase has a 20% off the total purchase promo code (use the code: cfs3).  Meals must be purchased by midnight Tuesday, September 11th for pickup the follow week on Monday, September 17th and Thursday, September 20th.  This is how the sequence will occur when ordering meals.  Order on Tuesday and pickup the following Monday and Thursday.  The cooler is in the kids/entertainment room at the gym and is where meals will be picked up.  With that being said to members with kids, please do not allow playing of any kind with the cooler.  The cooler is property and any damage could lead to the company removing it and its service out of the gym.  This is a great added value service to the gym and look forward to seeing this compliment all the hard work everyone produces!

The walls are about done if you have not noticed and the overwhelming feedback is the place looks great!  Thank you members for your patience this week due to the renovation.

Just a friendly reminder to clean your equipment used after the workout and place it back in the right location (bars, rings, mats, dumb bells, kettle bells, boxes, rowers, ab mats, wall balls, etc etc).

Thank you all for being prepared and giving it your best every time you walk thru the doors!

Eric, Erin, Tayls

THIS WEEKS WORKOUTS:

Monday
Strength.Speed

Back Squat 3-3-3

10 Minute AMRAP:
5 Power Cleans (155/110)
30 Double Unders

Rx+= Power Clean (185/135)

Tuesday
Stamina

25 Wall Walks
50 Pull Ups
100 Clapping Push Ups
200 Ab Mat Situps

*On 2 Minutes Every 2 Minutes Run 100 Meters

Wednesday
Speed.Strength.Stamina

Press 3-3-3

50 Thrusters (95/65)
50 Bar Facing Burpees
50 Kb Power Snatch Left (16 kg/10 kg)
50 Kb Power Snatch Right (16 kg/10 kg)

*Split up work anyway you want

Thursday
Speed

Run 200 M
Row 250 M
Run 400 M
Row 500 M
Run 800 M
Row 750 M
Run 1200 M
Row 1000 M

*FULL RECOVERY BETWEEN ALL ROUNDS

Friday
Stamina.Speed

Squat Clean 3-3-3

5 Front Squat (115/85)
10 Handstand Push Ups
15 Box Jumps (20/16)
10 Front Squat (115/85)
20 Handstand Push Ups
30 Box Jumps (20/16)
15 Front Squat (115/85)
30 Handstand Pushups
45 Box Jumps (20/16)

*Rx+= Front Squat (135/95)

Saturday
Team WOD: 8:30+9:30
Free Intro WOD: 10:30
S3 Conditioning: 11:00
Foundations: 12:00

Sunday
Foundations: 10:00
Open Gym: 11:00
Benchmark WOD (Hero): 12:00

Cooler is Coming!
We’ve ordered our Custom Fit Meals Cooler that will be arriving next week.  Coming soon are FRESH, Paleo/Whole30, primal and clean meals using free-range, all natural, antibiotic-free meats and lots of local/organic produce, delivered here at the gym. Start date for ordering meals will begin once the cooler has arrived.   Please do not try to order meals until the cooler is delivered and we are updated as a pick up location.  Also before ordering contact Eric as he will have a promo code to be used on your first initial order.   All meal plans will need to be ordered by September 11th at the latest and meals will be delivered the following Monday, September 17th. The ordering and delivery process will always occur in this sequence where meals for the following week must be ordered by Tuesday at the latest for the following Monday delivery.  If you’re always on the go and don’t have time to cook, but still want to eat healthy, check out this service.  It’s clean, affordable food from a NC company owned by a Cross Fitter.  The service provides convenience, great portions, and quality ingredients at a great price. Pick the plan that suits your lifestyle.  There are no contracts or commitments.   ORDER ON-LINE AND PICK UP HERE STARTING ON THE DATES DESCRIBED ABOVE.  CHECK OUT CFM’S MEAL SELECTION: http://www.customfitmeals.com/our-menu.

Holiday hours update for the upcoming Labor Day holiday: We will be open and offer a couple classes!  Cros3fit classes will take place at 9 am and 10 am and S3 Conditioning class will take place at 11am.   If you haven’t tried Coach Erin’s S3 Conditioning class, you have been missing out on some fun! Come in for the challenge .  Bring a friend with you for Monday’s class as it will be FREE to all S3 Family Members and non Members!!

Thank you ALL for continuing to signing in and bringing yourself prepared to give it your best day in and day out.  It’s great to be apart of and witness such a great group of people!

Erin, Eric, Tayls

THIS WEEKS WORKOUTS:

Throwing them like they weigh NOTHING!

Back Squat 3-3-3

25 Hang Power Clean (115/85)
1600 M Run
25 Hang Power Clean (115/85)

*Rx+= Hang Power Clean (135/95)
*Rx++= Hang Power Clean (155/110)

Tuesday
Speed

2 Rounds:
50 Ball Slams (20/15)
Rest 2 Minutes
50 Thrusters (45/35)
Rest 2 Minutes
50 Box Jumps (24/20)
Rest 2 Minutes
50 Sumo Deadlift High Pull (75/55)
Rest 2 Minutes

Kyle brings a friend

Press 3-3-3

20 Minute AMRAP:
20 Push Press (115/85)
20 Knees to Elbows
20 KB Swings (2.0/1.5)
Row 500 Meters

*RX+= Sub Toes to Bar for Knees to Elbows

Thursday
Strength

6 Rounds:
6 Deadlifts (255/175)
8 Handstand Push Ups
10 Dead Hang Pull Ups
12 Ring Dips

*Rx+= Deadlift (295/195)

Early AM Foundations LOVES the Rower

Squat Clean 3-3-3

“Death by 10 Meters”
* Every minute on the minute run 10m adding 10m each minute that passes.
* Two cones are set up 10 m apart. This entire workout is run as a suicide.
* Continue this until you can no longer finish the distance within the allotted time frame.
* Then Full Recovery

Then 50 Burpees For Time

Saturday
Team WOD: 8:30+9:30
Free Intro WOD: 10:30
S3 Conditioning: 11:00
Foundations: 12:00

Sunday
Foundations: 10:00
Open Gym: 11:00
Benchmark WOD (Girl): 12:00