Thursday, April 29, 2010

Hip Hip Hooray!

LIFE IS FREAKING AMAZING! EVERY DAY IS A GIFT. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR BELIEVING IN ME AND HELPING ME TO ACHIEVE THIS DREAM.

Here's a great video to remind us yet again what life is all about.


NOW LET'S GET DOWN AND HAVE SOME FUN!

ALL OF SHANNON'S FRIENDS, ALL OF CROSSFIT SURVIVAL'S FRIENDS ARE INVITED! We are celebrating our first year in business!
WHEN: TONIGHT, FRIDAY, APRIL 30
TIME: 7PM UNTIL WE GET TIRED OF HAVING FUN
PLACE: JACQUE'S HOUSE, 8520 WYNGATE, SUNLAND, CA 91040

BRING SOMETHING PALEO, SOME GLUTEN FREE BEER OR JUST YOURSELF.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

RACE HARD, HAVE FUN

FOR ANYONE CARING TO ORDER A TEAM CROSSFIT ACADEMY MT. WILSON TRAIL RACE T-SHIRT, THE DEADLINE IS SATURDAY, MAY 1. 

If you have not done so, join our Yahoo Group at http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/crossfitsurvival/ There is an order form there under files for shirt orders, as there are a number of colors and styles to choose from.

SUPPORT OUR FRIENDS AT TEAM CROSSFIT ACADEMY!
 YESTERDAY'S WOD RESULTS
ALLRIGHT! NOW IT'S TIME TO CELEBRATE. 
CROSSFIT SURVIVAL/TEAM SURVIVAL IS CELEBRATING ITS ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY WITH A BIG BASH AT JACQUE E'S HOUSE THIS FRIDAY NIGHT!!!

Let us eat, drink and be merry in celebrating a wonderful year together. Here is to many more. 
Salute!

It will be a PALEO Potluck (for you newbies that's Meat and Veggies, Nuts and Seeds, Some Fruit, Little Starch, No Sugar) and BYOB.
WHERE: Jacque's house--8520 Wyngate St, Sunland, CA 91040
TIME:  Anytime after 7pm (come after the Friday night class).
RSVP ASAP: Sandra 818-795-5195
You know a party with these crazy people has got to be FUN!
 WOD
Backsquat Test for Max

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Celebrate Life

Keren suggested we do an Amanda WOD. Great idea! So, until an "official" one comes along, here's the WOD posted yesterday on the mainsite (www.crossfit.com). I added in pistols for obvious reasons. I figure we'll do it today in her honor. We'll do it today to remind ourselves that life is short and precious and we are lucky for each day.

Additionally, here is a link to a video clip from last year's Games featuring Amanda. Check it out. You can see what last year's  Games were like. No more.

In case you haven't heard, the CrossFit Games are going BIG TIME this year and will be held at the Home Depot Center right in our backyard. NO EXCUSES! Everyone can go now.

There isn't any VOLUNTEER information yet on the mainsite, but if you want an amazing experience and are tight on cash, I highly recommend volunteering for the Games. You get a free backstage pass to the action. You'll work your ass off, but you'll have a helluva lotta fun.

WOD
20 Pistols
30 Handstand Push Ups
40 Pull Ups
50 Dumbbell Swings
60 Sit Ups
70 Burpees

Monday, April 26, 2010

Farewell

I received news today that one of our extended family of CrossFitters, Amanda Miller died on Friday at the age of 24 of Melanoma Cancer.
I did not know Amanda personally, but I knew her. Like all of you, she was a CrossFitter. That is the common bond that binds us all together.

We all know what it means to be a CrossFitter. It means you are tough, you don't give in, you want more out of life, you believe deep inside you deserve it, and you're willing to do what it takes to achieve your goals--no matter how difficult.

I had the pleasure of watching Amanda compete in last year's CrossFit Games. She wasn't easy to miss--a young, tough, sassy redhead with a pair of pistol tattoos pointing right straight to somewhere. She definitely attracted a lot of attention.

And although she didn't make it to day two, she did make it to day one. And that my friends takes a lot of guts, balls, hard work, sweat equity and sheer determination--all wrapped up in a then 23 year old package of Calamity Jane meets Exene Cervenka.

If you want to be reminded of the beauty of life, read the last few posts from her blog here. It is heartwrenching, but damn if she wasn't a fighter to the bitter end.

RIP Amanda Miller

WOD
10 x 100M SPRINTS
90 SECONDS REST BETWEEN

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Ragnar Relay in Vegas Anyone?

How about a CrossFit Survival team for the upcoming Ragnar Relay in VEGAS? We need 12 runners, 2 people to drive the vans and 3 volunteers to help out with the race.  We need to book soon to make this happen.

The Las Vegas relay is 195 miles. Each team member runs 3 legs ranging from 3-8 miles. Stronger runners choose the more challenging routes, weaker ones the less so. This is a FANTASTIC experience you will never forget.

Who's in?
Thank you Jacque for helping to man the fort last week. Salute!

WOD
5 ROUNDS FOR BEST TIME
ONE MINUTE REST BETWEEN ROUNDS
20 THRUSTERS (M95/W65)
100 YARD DASH
20 BOX JUMPS 

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Meat and Potatoes

Back to Basics

AMRAP in 20
12 Push Ups
12 Sit Ups
12 Squats

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Old Timey

NOTICE:STAY TUNED FOR UPDATED RAIN INFORMATION. 
IF IT'S RAINING, 8:30AM AND 6:30PM CLASSES WILL BE CANCELED.
STAY TUNED FOR 3:45 INFO AND TEXT MESSAGE UPDATES ON OTHER CLASSES.


Today's WOD is a throw back to some of the WODs we used to do when Team Survival first started out almost a year ago.

WOD
  4RFTO:
15 Sumo Dead Lift High Pull (M75/W55)
15 Toes to Bar
15M Bear Crawl
15 Box Jumps
400 m Run

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Fun and Games

Great turnout for the NUTRITION TALK on Saturday! 
Now begins a new SIX WEEK long fat loss challenge.

1. Ensure you get your measurements from Shannon this week.
2. Enter these stats at www.zonediet.com under "calculators" (You will need to join their emailing list for access.)
3. Calculate your body fat.
4. Decide whether you are going to do Paleo, Zone or Paleo/Zone for the next month and stick to it.
5. Take your measurements weekly to ensure you are doing well.
6. At the end of week 2 and week 4, report your stats to Shannon if you want to play this game. She'll let everyone know who is in the lead at the beginning of the following week.
7. Besides losing body fat, the winner will be recognized on our blog and will win a $25 gift certificate toward classes and/or merchandise at CrossFit Survival. 
WOD
AMRAP IN 20
400 M FARMER'S WALK 1/2 BW
10 BURPEES
ADDITIONAL 10 BURPEE PENALTY FOR EVERY TIME YOU PUT DOWN WEIGHTS DURING FARMER'S WALK

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Nutrition, Mud Run Practice, and a New GAME!

NUTRITION TALK TODAY AT SHANNON'S HOUSE 10 AM
1306 N Avon St, Burbank, CA 91505

CAMP PENDLETON MUD RUN TRAINING SUNDAY 9AM
Meet at La Tuna Canyon Parking Lot
Wear your boots and utes (camouflage pants); bring a weight vest if you have one. Open to everyone whether you are competing or not.

MONTH LONG BODY FAT LOSS GAME!
Stay tuned for details....

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Perseverance Pays Off

I've featured Jenny before with a before and after pic, but I am compelled to do it again. Why? Because Jenny exemplifies what happens when you just show up, do the work and don't quit.

 Sure, Jenny's weight loss is remarkable. It has been a bumpy hard road for her. She started with Team Survival back in June of last year.

But to me, what is more remarkable is how far she has come as an ATHLETE.

When Jenny arrived, she had debilitating exercise induced asthma. We got rid of the gluten, and the asthma all but disappeared. Jenny works hard at staying gluten free.

When Jenny arrived, she couldn't do a single sit up nor a true push up--even from the knees. And even though she regularly finished last, she still showed up.  Now she freely does push ups from the toes and sit ups are a breeze.  She is rarely the last one to finish last in the class anymore.

Although running still isn't Jenny's strength, she still has decreased her mile time from a 19:04 to a 14:11. She has also run several 5Ks.

But the coolest thing to me has been to watch her grow as a weightlifter. Jenny had a natural talent for weightlifting from the get go. She currently holds all of CrossFit Survival's female weightlifting records with a 255 lb deadlift, a 185 lb back squat, a 165 lb front squat, a 100 lb shoulder press and now a 95 lb snatch.

Jenny has found a new passion in weightlifting, and it shows!  And it happened all because she kept showing up and giving her best.

What an inspiration!

There have been quite a number of women and men who've given our program a try and who have quit within a week.  There are two things all of those folks have had in common 1) they were all very deconditioned, 2)  they all quit.

Imagine where those folks would be today if they had followed Jenny's lead and just persevered.

GREAT WORK, JENNY! CROSSFIT SURVIVAL IS PROUD TO HAVE YOU ON OUR TEAM!

Post acknowledgements and accolades in comments.

WOD
10 rounds for time:
10 Deadlifts (135/95)
10 Push Press (65/45)
from CrossFit Apex
Bob Takano, a renowned Olympic Weightlifting coach has a wonderful free newsletter he publishes monthly. Here is an excerpt from the most recent newsletter. His website address is listed below. I sincerely encourage any of you who are serious about CrossFit to subscribe to it. The more you can learn about Olympic Weightlifting, the better an overall athlete you will be.
Case in point, at Team CrossFit Academy, where I train, ALL of the athletes who made our affiliate cup team are also on their Olympic Weightlifting team. And with the exception of one female runner, all of their fastest runners are also weightlifters.

 Think you don't need to learn these lifts? I guess it depends on whether or not you care about athletic excellence.

"KOBE BRYANT CREDITS OLYMPIC LIFTS FOR HIS SUPERB CONDITIONING

A recent interview with Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant that appeared in Men's Fitness revealed that he credits Olympic lifts with being the majority of his off-season weight training that provides him with the conditioning to excel at the professional game. He list snatches, clean pulls, deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts and back squats as the key exercises. Kobe feels that these movements allow him to play many minutes per game at a very high level.

Kobe's affinity for the Olympic lifts is no surprise since the first person he hired after being drafted out of high school by the NBA was the then Philadelphia '76ers Strength and Conditioning coach, Joe Carbone, a former nationally ranked Olympic lifter. This is how Joe came to be in Los Angeles, and eventually joined my weightlifting club. I coached Joe to his best finish ever at the Nationals in 1998. You can hear Joe's thoughts on training pro athletes in the interview at the Takano Athletics website. Check it out by going to
www.takanoathletics.com and click the downloads."

WOD
Burgener Warmup 
Snatch Test for Max

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Thirty Something

Team STP came in 30th out of 210 teams, so....

WOD
For Time:
300 m Sprint
30 Jumping Pullups
300 m Sprint
30 Hanging Knees to Elbows
300 m Sprint
30 Broad Jumps
300 m Sprint
30 Walking Lunges
300 m Sprint
30 Cartwheels
300 m Sprint
30 Box Jumps
300 m Sprint
30 Sit Ups
300 m Sprint
30 Ball Slams
300 m Sprint
30 Burpees
300 m Sprint




Monday, April 12, 2010

Sprint Day

WOD
12 X 200m repeats
20 seconds rest in between
5:30am and 6:30 pm classes meet at Burbank High School
3:45 class meets at Hansen Dam, the Osborne entrance


An Annual Event

ATTENTION: DUE TO THE THREAT OF RAIN, BOTH THE 3:45 AND 6:30PM CLASSES WILL BE MEETING AT NEW HOPE COMMUNITY CHURCH--10438 ORO VISTA AVE. IN SUNLAND. ENTER ONE BLOCK EAST FROM ELDORA ST.

CrossFit Survival had two teams in the Irvine Lake Mud Run--the Mud Frogs and Team STP. We had so much fun we all decided there and then that this will be an annual event for us.
 We STILL do not know how we did compared to other teams in the open competition...guess we'll have to wait until the results are posted to find out.
One thing is for sure. Next year, we're going to have at least FIVE teams going!
WOD
2 from the VA, DC, WV Sectionals
AMRAP in 3 mins
Clean and Jerk 185/115



AMRAP in 12
20 OHS 115/75
2 laps around court



Thursday, April 8, 2010

Congratulations!

Welcome to CrossFit Survival's newest Level I Certified Instructor, Jacque Elzea!! There is now a 50 question test to pass in order to become certified. Jacque said it definitely challenged her, and she knows of at least one person who failed.
She was not that person.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Everyone congratulate her for a job well done!

Great PR's last night in the front squat! I love watching new people overcome their fear of weightlifting. Check out some of the photos.

Ana's first day of front squatting!
Lily has the proper focus.

Dave has beautiful form.

Jenny holds our record for female heaviest Front Squat at 165.
Allright!

WOD
"Friday Fun"
Once again, I am harkening back to some of the silliness we used to do on Friday nights. Come prepared to play. Show up to find out what it's all about.

Post congratulations and comments.






Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Better Hurry

The Mt. Wilson Trail Race is all but sold out. As of yesterday, there were only 24 slots left....so if you want in, you'd better act NOW. 

The Irvine Lake Mud Run is SOLD OUT!! Our team of 5 goes off at 10:05. We need to arrive no later than 8:30. Meet at Shannon's house by 6:45 sharp. We will go have breakfast then drive to the location.  Click here for what to bring. Team STP is ready to RUMBLE!


ANNOUNCEMENT: As of May 3rd ALL 5:30AM classes will meet at the park (except Tuesdays) until further notice.

WOD
Front Squat 
Test for Max

Followed by: Max Squats, Push Ups and Sit Ups in 1 minute.

Post mud run stories or thoughts to comments.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Old School

CrossFit Survival, as most of you know, started out as Team Survival Fitness Bootcamp last year. As of April 27, 2010, we will celebrate our ONE YEAR anniversary!  Look for some amazing changes happening, as we groove more into offering the entire gambit that CrossFit has to offer!

 
I have been blessed to have so many wonderful clients. Indeed, it has been a real pleasure to watch all of you go from fledglings to young guns to full-fledged athletes who compete and win.

I sincerely hope we will continue to work together for many more years. Thank you to all of you for entrusting me with your training, bringing your families and giving your best.

Here's to bigger and better things to come!

Who is this guy? This is one of our best during his first week. He couldn't do a squat nor a push up from the toes. Who'da thunk?
WOD
5 ROUNDS FOR TIME:
100 M DB TOSSES (M30/W20)
50 M BEAR CRAWLS
25 SIT UPS
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Monday, April 5, 2010

Run Baby Run

Check out this photo. Recognize anyone? This is the featured photo at the top of www.pcc5k.org. This was Keren, Charles' and Jenny's first 5K. How about that?

What does it take to excel? Excellent training is the obvious answer; excellent nutrition and recovery as well.  But what about mindset?

Have you ever noticed that on the day's you "just don't feel like it" your performance generally isn't up to par?  Could it be because you telling yourself that and thus manifesting it in the physical universe?

I always talk about the importance of good technique, but what about mindset? How important is that?

Tommy Kono, former Olympic Gold Medalist and World Champion for 8 years consecutively is featured in this month's Performance Menu--published by Greg Everett, co-owner of Catalyst Athletics and author of Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes and Coaches

Mr. Kono has a new book out, his second, called "Championship Weightlifting". It covers the mental and psychological side of Olympic weightlifting and expounds on the approach to
overcome the barriers that hold us back from progressing. In Championship Olympic Weightlifting, per Kono, 50% is mental, 30% is technique and 20% is power.

That bears repeating: 50% is mental, 30% is technique and 20% is power.

Think about that.

Whenever you PR, what is your mindset?
When you've excelled during a WOD, do you recall what you were thinking?

I'd bet money you DECIDED you were going to do well and KEPT that thought in order to achieve that. I'd also bet money than when you've done poorly, you were feeling sorry for yourself or "not up to it" or believing that you "couldn't".

Changing your mind requires practice, just like learning to deadlift does, but it can be learned.

Start practicing empowering beliefs now. Remember, every action was preceded by a thought.

Practice believing your are becoming a champion, and soon you will be one.

WOD
MACKS (from www.crossfitendurance.com)
20:10 ==> Run all out efforts for 20s, followed by 10s rest, until 2

miles are completed.

Exciting Days Ahead

8:30AM CLASS CANCELED DUE TO RAIN
CHECK THE BLOG FOR DETAILS REGARDING THE 6:30PM CLASS. 

UPCOMING HAPPENINGS:
Saturday, April 10, 2010 Irvine Mud Run. Details regarding carpooling etc. will be emailed to all team members by Thursday, April 8.

Sunday, April 11, 2010 Victory For Victims 5K in Balboa Park. Wendy Schmaeff is collecting donations, so if you're not running, donate!

Saturday, April 17th, 2010 Mt. Wilson Trail Race Training followed by NUTRITION TALK, 10am at Shannon's house.

CONGRATULATIONS TO JOYCE, SHANNON, KEREN AND SANDRA FOR REPRESENTING CROSSFIT SURVIVAL AND TEAM CROSSFIT ACADEMY AT THE SANTA ANITA DERBY DAY 5K THIS PAST WEEKEND!! SALUTE!
Joyce 23:01 7th Age Group
Shannon 23:18 7th Age Group
Keren 24:27 14th Age Group 
Sandra 24:48 18th Age Group

WOD
600 m Run then
2 Rounds of 30 deadlifts (155/105)
30 Wall Balls (20/10, 16/8)
30 CTD Push Ups




Friday, April 2, 2010

Main Site WOD

Turns out what we're doing today is the same as the mainsite www.crossfit.com

Complete 32 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest where the first 8 intervals are pull-ups, the second 8 are push-ups, the third 8 intervals are sit-ups, and finally, the last 8 intervals are squats. There is no rest between exercises.
Post total reps from all 32 intervals to comments.  Check the mainsite to see how you compare to others.
NOTICE TO ALL RACERS FOR SATURDAY:
The Master's Race (for all of us old fogies over 40) begins at 7:45 am. The rest of you start racing at 8:15am. If you are racing, meet up near the starting line at 7:15am for team photo. For more information regarding the course, the kiddie race, etc., click here.

WEAR RED TO SUPPORT TEAM CROSSFIT ACADEMY OR A TEAM CROSSFIT ACADEMY RED SHIRT IF YOU HAVE ONE.

If you are planning on staying for the horse races afterward, they do not begin until 12 noon.