Sunday, January 31, 2010

Even more reasons to strength train

REMINDER: 8:30AM AND 3:30PM CLASSES MEETING TODAY AT BRACE PARK

6:30PM CLASS MEETS AT THE CHURCH

Exercise: In Women, Training for a Sharper Mind



Published: January 25, 2010 

"Older women who did an hour or two of strength training exercises each week had improved cognitive function a year later, scoring higher on tests of the brain processes responsible for planning and executing tasks, a new study has found.


Researchers in British Columbia randomly assigned 155 women ages 65 to 75 either to strength training with dumbbells and weight machines once or twice a week, or to a comparison group doing balance and toning exercises. 

A year later, the women who did strength training had improved their performance on tests of so-called executive function by 10.9 percent to 12.6 percent, while those assigned to balance and toning exercises experienced a slight deterioration — 0.5 percent. The improvements in the strength training group included an enhanced ability to make decisions, resolve conflicts and focus on subjects without being distracted by competing stimuli.

Older women are generally less likely than others to do strength training, even though it can promote bone health and counteract muscle loss, said Teresa Liu-Ambrose, a researcher at the Center for Hip Health and Mobility at Vancouver General Hospital and the lead author of the paper, which appears in the Jan. 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine."



What are your thoughts on this? Have any of you (men included) experienced this? 


WOD
5 RFTO:
20 AbMat Sit Ups
20 Burpees (w/o push up)
20 Push Ups
100 Jump rope

Thursday, January 28, 2010

More Fun

REMEMBER: 
5:30AM CLASS MEETING AT STONEHURST PARK
8:30AM CLASS MEETING AT BRACE PARK
3:30 AND 6:30PM CLASSES MEETING AT THE CHURCH.

Here's a photo of me and some of the kids I taught boot camp to for the last six weeks!
What an amazing experience.
Thank you to my 6:30pm class for helping me "get the job" and to my 8:30am and 3:30pm class for understanding when I needed to miss a few days. 
Here are 10 of the 270 kids I taught.

All right! Yesterday's "Crazy" WOD was a hit. Here a a few highlights:
 
Sean Carrying Ryan


Here's what Ryan actually looks like

FRIDAY'S WOD

CrossFit Benchmark
"Barbara"
5 Rounds for Time of:
20 Pull Ups
30 Push Ups
40 Sit Ups
50 Squats
(we are doing it "old school" sans breaks)


Good Times


Gotta love it! These are all TEACHERS from our brand new 3:30pm class. 
WELCOME TO ALL OF YOU.

Upcoming Changes/Events

NO 8:30AM OR 3:30PM CLASS TODAY, THURSDAY, JAN 28
 
ATTENTION ALL 5:30AM BOOT CAMPERS!
FRIDAY'S 5:30AM WORKOUT WILL BE HELD AT STONEHURST PARK

9901 DRONFIELD AVE, SUN VALLEY, 91352 IS THE OFFICIAL ADDRESS, ALTHOUGH PARK IS IN SHADOW HILLS.

FROM GLENOAKS, MAKE A RT ONTO SUNLAND BLVD.
PASS LA TUNA CANYON RD
LEFT ONTO STONEHURST
LEFT ONTO ALLEGHENY
PARK
WE WILL BE MEETING AT THE PICNIC TABLES THERE

8:30AM CLASS WILL BE AT BRACE CANYON PARK
3:30PM CLASS WILL MEET AT THE CHURCH
6:30PM CLASS WILL MEET AT THE CHURCH

FROM NOW ON, THE EVENING CLASSES WILL MEET AS FOLLOWS:
MONDAYS AND FRIDAYS AT THE CHURCH
TUESDAYS AT BURBANK HIGH SCHOOL
WEDNESDAYS AND THURSDAYS AT STONEHURST PARK

WOD
"Crazy"
Come find out what it is!

 











Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Diane



6:30PM CLASS WILL BE MEETING AT THE CHURCH TONIGHT...BECAUSE WE CAN.

WOD
"Diane"

21-15-9

Deadlifts
Handstand Push Ups

or headstand/handstand and deadlift skill work


 

Monday, January 25, 2010

TUESDAY CLASSES INDOORS

3:30PM AND 6:30PM CLASSES MEETING INSIDE AT NEW HOPE COMMUNITY CHURCH.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Ever Wonder.....

...what your Coach does on her weekends?


This weekend I competed with my coaches and Team CrossFit Academy (where I train) at a CrossFit Olympic Weightlifting Event hosted by Josh Everett. Our team won first place overall. Additionally yours truly won first place in her weight class.


Here I am at the bottom (pic one) and the top (pic 2) of the Snatch.




Photo #3 is after having Cleaned the bar from the ground and stood up with it.  I am now preparing for the Jerk, which is pictured in #4.

I did not learn this overnight. Indeed, I am still a novice and am one of the lightest lifters on my team. But I decided to attack my WEAKNESS, which was strength. As a result, I am now stronger.  

Go figure.

Cleaning and Jerking as well as the Snatch are also excellent ways to increase accuracy, agility, balance, coordination, flexibility, stamina, speed AND strength.


Practicing these movements OVER and OVER have made me an overall better athlete, stronger AND a faster runner. 

How can that  be?


The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research did an 8 week study on max load strength training with cyclists and definitely concluded that not only did their strength, force development and work efficiency improve over the control group, their "time to exhaustion at...maximal aerobic power improved by 17.2%."

That is huge. In 8 weeks, by adding max loads (at only 1/2 squats) this is what occurred. Do you see how strength training can improve your running?


During our Weightlifting team practice, we not only work on our Snatch and Clean and Jerk technique, we also do lots of squatting and lifting with heavy loads.



Don't think you need strength training?  

Think again.

REMINDER
NO 8:30AM OR 3:30PM CLASS ON MONDAY OR THURSDAY THIS WEEK.

TUESDAY 5:30AM AND 6:30PM CLASSES WILL MEET AT BURBANK HS UNLESS IT RAINS. 
8:30AM AND 3:30PM CLASSES WILL MEET AT BRACE CANYON PARK UNLESS IT RAINS.


IN CASE OF RAIN, CHECK THE BLOG ONE HOUR BEFORE CLASS TIME FOR LATEST UPDATES.


WOD
FRONT SQUAT
TEST FOR MAX


FOLLOWED BY:
TABATA SQUATS
 

Post thoughts, ideas, beliefs, fears...whatever.




Thursday, January 21, 2010

Ready for Anything?

REMINDER: NO 8:30AM OR 3:30PM CLASS TODAY. 6:30PM CLASS WILL MEET INDOORS AT NEW HOPE COMMUNITY CHURCH GYM.


Here are a couple of upcoming races you should all check out. Please respond to comments to let me know which of these you plan on racing.
For those of you training for the Camp Pendleton Mud Run in June, you should run the 5K or 10K at the Rose Bowl AND the Mud Run in April to prepare. 

 


WOD

"POWDER"
3 RFTO:
30 PUSH UPS
10 OHS W PLATE M 45/W 25
20 WALL BALL SIT UPS
15 DEADLIFT M 185/ W 130
50 JUMPROPE




Post Thoughts, Plans, Ideas...anything! to comments.