Here - CrossFit Thin Blue Line

April 2013
Vol. 1 Issue 3
Welcome to CrossFit Thin Blue Line’s Newsletter for the month of April! As a result of your feedback on our member surveys, we are on a mission to keeping you updated with events, important box information, Paleo life, and all things CrossFit. Should you have any feedback or suggestions on the newsletter please contact Jeremy. Coaches’ Corner: CF Fashion? With spring and summer fast approaching, CrossFit boxes around the globe will all be experiencing an influx of new members, as well as older veteran members getting amped up for the newfound freedom to go outside after being cooped up in the confines of the indoor space for the last 4 months. But along with this freedom, there is a large problem that often gets swept under the rug: the dirty little secret of CrossFit, but one that most people refuse to discuss or acknowledge. This writer, however, (anonymous of course) has decided to lift the veil of secrecy and address this issue. The issue being: CrossFit Fashion. It is clear from examining the rank and file of CrossFit boxes all over the world, that certain athletes just don't have fashion sense. So what we as owners of CFTBL have done, (and we have been around the Country to see many boxes), is put together a "Do and Don't" fashion list that we think will not only help you, but also the poor sap next to you who might get caught in a picture with your horrible fashion statement, or worse yet, seen outside by the public at large leading people to think you both have no sense of style. Here goes: DO: •
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Wear the CFTBL shirts Have a great pair of NB, Nike or Reebok sneakers Match your apparel with like brands and colors Wash your clothes so you don’t smell like yesterdays WOD Shower PRIOR to arrival Wear bright colors or new styles so we can identify our original athletes Have matching socks Feel free to express your style with headbands, hats, custom jump ropes or WOD books Have a tan DON’T: •
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Wear 2008 Spartan/Tough Mudder/Warrior Dash TShirts. Those are CF warm-­‐ups so save the bragging for your beer parties Do all your shopping from Crossfit Reebok Overstock Men, no tank tops. Its 2013 not 1993. Also can we lose the knee high CF socks when its 98 outside? Take your shirt off like you are Demi Moore from Striptease. Just casually take it off if necessary Wear an entire Reebok CF outfit when you still can't do an air squat NEVER EVER get a CF tattoo or we will cancel your membership Easy on the cologne or perfume. It's a CF box not Saks 5th Avenue Sweat all over the equipment, or worse yet, a fellow CrossFitter working out next to you Your cooperation in these matters is appreciated! Reebok Crossfit Open: The Road to the Games The road to the Reebok Crossfit Games has begun with the Crossfit Open. The Open consists of five workouts over five weeks. Each athlete must register online and each week, complete the chosen workout at a participating CrossFit affiliate, or submit a video of the performance to the CrossFit Games website. A new workout will be announced every Wednesday, and the athlete has until Sunday to complete the workout and submit their score. Their score will then be validated by the affiliate manager and posted, allowing the athlete to view their ranking. At the end of the Open, the top 48 men, 48 women, and 30 teams from each region will be invited to compete at the second stage of the CrossFit Games Season: The Regional Competition. This year, our box has 34 total members participating in the Open. Participants include 1 owner, 4 coaches, and 29 members. 26 of these members are first time participants! In our Northeast region, there are 261 total teams participating in the Open, with approximately 4300 women, and 6300 men. What has been the most challenging for our participating athletes so far? Let’s find out! “The most challenging for me is the total reps which are testing my endurance
levels. I have a new appreciation for the games.” – Lisa Penfield
“The fear of not knowing what is coming with each new workout, and wondering
how my skill level will match up with each one. Fear of the unknown.” – Yisel
Lopez
“The most challenging part is not being able to see how well everyone else does
in person. I’d love to witness everyone at our gym during the Open. The second
most challenging part is beating Bob Harper in every wod for the next 5 weeks!”
– Andy Alejandro
“The challenge for me is to see how hard I can push myself, both physically and
mentally. The Open has been a humbling experience that has now taught me
what I am capable of in my every day workouts if I push myself.” – Tara Irwin
"Participating in the CrossFit Open is a gratifying and humbling experience,
exposing strengths and weaknesses of both mind and body. I am very grateful
to enjoy a new level of kinship with all those who compete on this level,
especially my friends at CFTBL.” – Dave Anderson
60B Progress Drive Manchester, CT 06042 860-­‐281-­‐1874 crossfitthinblueline@gmail.com www.crossfitthinblueline.com www.manchesterbjj.com Paleo Recipe Of The Month: Green Apple Coconut Treats Summertime BBQs & Paleo It’s a very easy place to slip up, since barbecues are fun and often a large group of people with different eating habits and preferences. Nobody wants to feel like a burden on the host; telling them “Oh, I can’t have that, or that, or… well, I’ll just have another hamburger pattie”, etc. And nobody wants to be the guy saying “can you make sure my vegan veggie patty doesn’t come into contact with any beef residue on your grill”. With that in mind, here are some tips for maintaining your Paleo-­‐ness (clinical term) through barbecues: (Courtesy of paleomg.com) Ingredients: • 1 green apple cored and diced • ½ cup Coconut Cream Concentrate or homemade Coconut Butter • 3 tablespoons coconut oil • 2 teaspoons cinnamon • Pinch of salt • 2 extra t ablespoons coconut oil, for cooking Process: 1.
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Place a medium skillet over medium-­‐high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to the pan. Once hot, add diced apples and begin to cook down, making sure they do not burn. Once apples are soft, add the cinnamon and a bit of salt. Now you need to get the coconut oil and coconut butter soft, so place both in a bowl and into the microwave for about 30 seconds, then mix with a spoon. Then add the sautéed apples to the bowl with coconut butter and coconut oil and mix well, adding a bit more cinnamon. Use a spoon to scoop out 1-­‐2 tablespoons of your chunky mixture into a silicone liner in a muffin tin. Repeat until mixture is gone. If you do not have silicone liners, use paper (they may just stick a little). Place in fridge for at least 20 minutes before eating. Store in the fridge because they may want to melt! Makes about 9 discs. 1.
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bake for 20 minutes or until done 2.
Enjoy As the warm weather is slowly approaching, so are the thoughts of summer BBQ’s. If you, too, are moved by the nostalgia from the smell of a grill, that nostalgia likely includes foods that aren’t Paleo approved. So, no more buns. No more ketchup. No more bags of Doritos. 1. Always bring a side dish. Meaning, literally, bring an additional dish with you for eating without the buns. You may not have finger food like other people, so be ready to fill up your plate with everything Paleo instead of opting for the bun and burger wrapped in napkin. 2. Bring a figurative side dish. A bag of chopped veggies, sweet potatoes, or other Paleo goodness. There’s a good chance people are going to be spooning up BBQ beans, potato salad, and bags of chips. If all you have is a hamburger patty on your plate, those are going to be pretty tempting. Be prepared with side dishes. 3. As always, think ahead. Prepare. The worst case scenario would be to show up unprepared and hungry. Take the extra ten minutes to make something that’s Paleo approved. (Courtesy of paleoplan.com) You Know You’ve Gone Paleo If… •
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You walk into a sushi restaurant and ask the waiter, “What do you have that doesn’t contain soy, rice, or tempura”. “Grocery shopping” takes place at more than three locations in one day, and multiple times a week. You have coconut milk, coconut flour, coconut oil, coconut wraps, coconut butter, coconut aminos, shredded coconut, and coconut flakes in your pantry. You cheerfully have four cooking projects underway at 7:30 on a Saturday morning Your dog takes pills with almond butter instead of peanut butter. You bring your own salad dressing to restaurants. Grocery shopping takes an hour longer than usual, because of all the label-­‐reading. New Member Welcome! Amy Disalvatore, Colombo Disalvatore, Jane Karger, Nick Pescosolido, Lynn McCormick We are very excited to have you as a member and look forward to helping you reach your fitness goals! CrossFit “Movement of the Month” Clean and Jerk Preparation: Stand over barbell with balls of feet positioned under bar slightly wider apart than hip width. Squat down and grip bar with over hand grip slightly wider than shoulder width. Position shoulders over bar with back arched tightly. Arms are straight with elbows pointed along bar. Execution (Clean): Pull bar up off floor by extending hips and knees. As bar reaches knees vigorously raise shoulders while keeping barbell close to thighs. When barbell passes mid-­‐thigh, allow it to contact thighs. Jump upward extending body. Shrug shoulders and pull barbell upward with arms allowing elbows to flex out to sides, keeping bar close to body. Aggressively pull body under bar, rotating elbows around bar. Catch bar on shoulders while moving into squat position. Hitting bottom of squat, stand up immediately. Execution (Jerk): Adjust grip if necessary. Position chest high with torso tight, keeping pressure on heels, dip body by bending knees and ankles slightly. Explosively drive upward with legs, driving barbell up off shoulders. Drop body downward and split one foot forward and other backward as fast as possible while vigorously extending arms overhead. The split position places front shin vertical to floor with front foot flat on floor. The rear knee is slightly bent with rear foot positioned on toes. The bar should be positioned directly over ears at arms length with back straight. Push up with both legs. Position feet side by side by bringing front foot back part way and then rear foot forward. Return: Lower barbell to shoulders. Then bend knees slightly and lower barbell to mid-­‐thigh position. Slowly lower bar with taut lower back and trunk close to vertical. The advanced athlete may unload (drop) bar from completed position. This technique may be practiced to reduce stress or fatigue involved in lowering bar as prescribed. Use rubber weightlifting plates on weightlifting platform if this unloading method is used (unless floor demolition is desired). March Member Spotlight – Sophia Shaikh It is with pleasure we introduce Sophia Shaikh as the March member of the month. Here is a little more info on Sophia: Why did you join CrossFit? My sister and husband had been CrossFitting for a year before I joined. My sister endlessly tried to convince me to join. In my heart, I felt I could never do it. I was so out of shape after having four children and truly believed that my lack of coordination, which has always been my althletic downfall, would be my CrossFit undoing. My son joined the children’s ju jit su class and I would sit at Hillard Street three times a week watching everyone at CFTBL. The coaches looked so encouraging, the members looked so supportive of one another, and the opportunity was present. I had to join, why sit there when I could be working out? What were your main goals? In the beginning – to not quit. To see it through. To not let myself get the best of me. And then my goals were more tangible; get off the black band, to not modify my push-­‐ups, to finally get double unders etc. I was also trying to bring sexy back. I feel like I am on my way. What has been your favorite moment at CrossFit so far? I have had so many favorite moments. Almost breaking the slosh pipe. The time I threw up. Missing the box while trying to perform a graceful box jump and having a seven inch scar on my leg to prove it. I really have enjoyed so many fantastic team WODs that have brought me close to other members, seeing myself accomplish things I never dreamed were possible, and watching CFTBL grow. Describe your first WOD, how did you do? How did you feel? My first WOD was with Sarah Feeney and it was terrible. It involved a lot of push press with a 35lb bar and it took me forever to finish while the rest of the members watched me. I asked Sarah if I could stop, but she said no. This memory still haunts me.
How has getting in shape changed your life? CrossFit has helped me keep up with my kids and gives me more energy during the day. It also helps relieve stress and makes me a more pleasant spouse. Just ask Amir about the days I miss the WOD, and take it out on him. Additionally, I now use my superior muscle mass to intimidate other Attorneys in Court. What activities do you do for fun? Knitting, Baking lots of non paleo snacks, spending time with my kids, Cage Fighting and doing laundry. What CrossFit accomplishment are you most proud of so far? Being able to RX many of the WOD’s After a hard workout, what is your favorite meal? I love to get a protein shake from Emerald City Smoothies. Also, anything from the Cheese Cake Factory.