The first step of the day. Sliding out of bed and putting my foot on the ground. Do I feel okay, sore, or – holy crap I did some heavy squat cleans yesterday and my legs are jello? Next, I have to get down a flight of stairs to get my hands on my lifeblood a.k.a. coffee. Am I walking normally, one-step at a time, or sideways down the stairs? These are things that happen to me. And if you Olympic lift, back squat, deadlift, front squat, lunge, overhead squat, box jump, wall ball, or otherwise tax your legs – this may be you the day(s) after your workout.
10 Best Stocking Stuffers for CrossFitters
‘Tis the season for giving!
Whether you are in need of last minute ideas for stocking stuffers for your favorite CrossFitter or Weightlifter, or you need something cool for that White Elephant Party at your box, this list won’t disappoint!
And while you’re at it…get yourself something too! Something really nice.
Enjoy Thanksgiving Without Losing Your Gains!
Whether you’re home with family or hanging with friends via “Orphan Thanksgiving”, you get to spend the day doing three of my favorite things – eating awesome food with loved ones while watching football. What’s there not to love about this wonderful November day?
Stick Me, Freeze Me, Crack Me, Squeeze Me
I’m 46. I sit at a desk all morning, I attend CrossFit OldTown at lunch, then I sit at a desk all afternoon. It is a perfect blueprint for stiffness, soreness and post-workout pain. Which keeps me on the constant lookout for relief in addition to my daily mobility from Mobility WOD. I have tried so many ways, and I will pretty much try anything. Maybe you’ve tried some, or all of these. Perhaps there are even some that I haven’t yet thought of. So let’s review.
- Yoga
Of course I need yoga. It is the opposite of the workouts that I do, no doubt it could help. I’ve tried yoga; but it never takes. I am so completely inflexible that I easily get frustrated and don’t enjoy the slow struggle for progress. And while yoga is all about working at your own pace and to your own abilities, I cannot help but get caught up in how my neighbor’s downward dog is looking vs. my own. I assure you, theirs is better. So despite the promise of improvement over time, I cannot commit. Yoga is the aspirational equivalent of cleaning out the attic. Maybe tomorrow. - Thai Massage
There is a guy at our gym that moved away and got trained up in the art of Thai Massage.3 Tips to Surviving Airport Food
With the holiday season quickly approaching, many of you will find yourselves faced with the dilemma of the desire to stay healthy (and for some of us, completely paleo) and facing the dreaded situation of eating airport food. Check out these tips on how you can plan ahead to survive airport food during your next trip.
- Tip #1: Bring Your Own Food
Out of all the tips in this blog, this one is my favorite. Why? Because when you bring your own food with you, you have complete control over what you’re eating and tasting. Plus, it’s one of the cheapest options out there! All you need to buy is tupperware containers with secure lids to ensure that nothing leaks in your carry-on and you’re good to go.
Meet BoxJump 3.0
It’s been quite a while since our last post, but it’s great to be back!
January was an exciting month for us with the release of version 3.0 of the BoxJump app for iOS following 7 months of enhancements to version 2.0.1, and we wanted to take a second to highlight those changes as the Open gets underway today.
Don’t Fight Your Inner Fat Kid
I don’t trust people who don’t like chocolate.
I can’t trust them because I’ll never be able to understand them.
As a Level 1 Trainer, I preach the benefits of clean eating to our athletes at CrossFit Chamblee in Atlanta, GA every day. But I have a dirty little secret: I love chocolate. I want to eat it all the time. In fact, I adore all kinds of sweet and sugary indulgences. There are moments when the only thing that will satisfy me is a rich, creamy, insulin-spiking (read: glorious) cupcake.
Unfortunately, for those of you like me, you know that just staring at said cupcake has the potential to add five pounds to your thighs. Sigh.
If you struggle to eat cleanly on account of a serious sweet tooth, take heart – it’s not only possible to satisfy those cravings, “intelligent indulgence” will actually help keep you on track to achieving your larger health goals.
Competing Every Day is Holding You Back
Quick, pull up this month’s social media account of choice. Now, glance through the activity of your family, friends, coworkers, and hundreds of remote acquaintances. If this article has any truth to it, you’re seeing a totally unrealistic perspective on their lives, the best moments of their week, month, or year and not much else. Our online personas are idealized versions of ourselves, the people we want the world to see.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Athletes are the worst offenders out there. We’ve all done it – you quietly reject that embarrassing tag from Saturday night, only to upload the full-length, timestamped video of your 5:30AM Tuesday Fran PR a few seconds later. Everything is under control here people!
That said, at least your Fran video has a good chance of inspiring someone else to make fitness a priority in their lives. When I look at the social media pages of my friends from the gym, I see a lot of smiles and accomplishments, and those are great endorsements for our sport.
Unfortunately, I see just as many photos showing what can only be described as “the aftermath.” You know the poses I’m talking about – that one where the Athlete might as well have a chalk line around them, that one with the adorable sweat angel, or that one of the athlete feeding the bushes out back.
Is Functional Fitness For You?
It’s been just over two years since I walked into a gym for my very first WOD, and if you’re anything like I was in the weeks and months leading up to that day, you may have some conflicting feelings toward the functional fitness movement.
One of these might be curiosity – you aren’t getting the results you’d like from your current fitness efforts, you’ve read our CF Primer, and you’ve seen what the sport has done for friends, so why not you too?
On the other hand, hesitation – it’s a “cult,” or so claims your opinionated (but not-that-fit) colleague whenever the subject comes up over lunch. I’m often told that functional fitness is great for some but “not for me,” and while Athletes would argue that our needs differ not by kind but by degree, obviously the best fitness program in the world is useless if you don’t stick with it.
So how might you think about whether a functional fitness program is great for you?
Drop In Like a Boss
Fitness is a big part of my life, but I’m not Rich Froning – I don’t spend my days at a box crushing WODs and eating almond butter from a tub. I’m a CPA with a job in Corporate Finance, which means I sit in a cushy Aero chair looking at spreadsheets instead. I try to hit a WOD at lunch to break up all that excitement, then I settle back into my Aero for the rest of the afternoon.
And I travel. Between our offices in other cities, vacations, and the odd conference, I take 30-40 trips a year. Most are just for a day or two, but if you’re an Athlete spending time on the road, you’ll recognize this familiar choice:
- Hit the hotel bar (or order room service) and forget your fitness routine altogether
- Brave the streets on foot, dodging traffic to get a few miles under your belt
- Attempt a “travel WOD,” in your room or the (likely sub-par) hotel fitness center
- Tackle the logistical and various other issues and drop-in at a local box
I almost always choose to visit an area affiliate if I can make it work. From NYC to Paris to Cape Town, Vegas, Cancun, and lots of places in between, I’ve gotten in some great WODs, met some amazing people, and even learned a thing or two.
- Tip #1: Bring Your Own Food
