Can't keep these young bucks down...

Nick

The new gear is in and is fresh as eva.... get it while you can!  The back of both shirts say "Bye Hater."  The is nothing on the back of the sweatshirt, only the logo on the hood.

Congratulations to Aryeh who just completed a half marathon snow shoe race this past weekend!  The trail was 3 miles up and 3 miles down by 2.  Great job Aryeh!!!

There has been a tone of information out there on Agave.  This has almost been dubbed the miracle sweetner for all you paleo eaters.  However, how much do we really understand about this food.  It seems that Agave is not the miracle sweetner it has been billed to be. When someone discuses the glycemic index, this relates to how blood sugar is effected when ingesting food and ultimately how insulin reacts to blood sugar. There are more than a few ways to spike insulin, one of them is through taste. Insulin spikes in response to a taste of something sweet. While agave might be low on the gylcemic index it is still sweet and composed of Fructose that has been linked to many other problems.

"Agave...most especially, that it has a relatively low glycemic index. A large body of research shows that foods with low glycemic indexes, such as vegetables, beans and high-fiber foods in general, tend to be healthier for us than foods that quickly raise our blood sugar. But in the case of agave nectar, you have to ask, why does this sugar have a low-glycemic index? And the answer is that agave nectar is made largely of fructose, which, even though it has a low glycemic index, is being implicated in many long-term health problems. With the exception of pure liquid fructose, agave nectar has the highest fructose content of any commercial sweetener. It’s worth knowing that all sugars, from white table sugar to high-fructose corn syrup and even honey, include some mixture of fructose and glucose. For example, table sugar is 50% fructose/50% glucose and HFCS is 55/45. Agave nectar is a whopping 70% to 90% fructose..."  Read more here...www.bottomlinesecrets.com/article.html

Quote of the day

"If any man seeks for greatness, let him forget greatness and ask for truth, and he will find both."Horace Mann

Sectional Update

We are gonna post updates each day on events for the sectionals.  Keep checking back for details.

Please remember to bring some cash if you plan on purchasing food at the games.  There will be many vendors selling gear, LuLu Lemon, BSC (compression clothing), Shoe Mart (inov-8's, vibram 5's, etc.. shoes), Heather Bars, Freak Food, and Again Faster.  I am sure that most of these vendors will have means for credit cards, however just in case I would have some cash on hand.

Skill review before the WOD..

Quote of the day

"The ultimate is not to win, but to reach within the depths of your capabilities and to compete against yourself." Billy Mills

For some more CFM Endurance team news, Chris Zak PR'd his 5K time this past weekend by 30 seconds!  Chris has his eyes set on Lake Placid and his training has picked up a notch.  Awesome job Chris!!

Quote of the day

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."  Winston Churchill

Kim and Robin

We never let the conditions be an excuse...

The sectionals are 2 weeks away and starting next week those who are participating will need to start tapering.  Some things that I would suggest leading up to the big day; make sure you are getting enough sleep, you should really have your nutrition dialed in, make sure you are drinking 60% of your bodyweight in water (ounces), starting next week we will be hitting up something heavy on Monday to elicit a neuroendocrine response (testosterone overload) by Saturday, we will then taper off a few other days to have everyone ready to roll on Saturday.  Everyone should work on the mental approach to the athletic event, visualize yourself being great.  You should all be mentally preparing yourself to dominate and crush your weaknesses.  So much of an athletic event relays on mental preparation, start preparing yourself physically and mentally to be your best. The day is drawing closer and we will have a meeting for those who are going to compete.  I hope everyone at CFM will be able to stop by and support all of our members who are working out. 

The new CFM Shirts and hoodies will be in this week!  If you want to prepay please see Jocelyn on Monday.

Quote of the day

Friendship... is not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything.   Muhammad Ali

Anthony is getting diesel...

the game plan

When you know that you just went to that place that very few go....

The CrossFit Sectionals are fast approaching.  In two weeks there will be some of the best athletes coming to CFM from Mass, R.I., Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire.  The gym will be closed during the weekend of March 20-21.   I highly encourage all members to swing down and check out the event.  There will be many amazing athletes from CFM competing and many more watching.  If you are around that weekend you should check out the spectacle.  If you have interest in volunteering please contact Amanda at info@crossfitmilford.com.

Be in the now of every situation, every moment, every experience, and every second of your life.  Nobody wants to go through their life as a robot, shuffling with the crowd as they get moved into their next chapter.  So often we stop and say how fast the time is moving, how you don't even remember the morning because we are all so busy.  Busy is good, busy happens, but don't let the motions of life stop you from experiencing life.  Live for yourself, find enjoyment in each situation, and be who you want to by.  Experience the life you have, be receptive, take a second to stop and realize what is transpiring, be in the now. 

Quote of the day

"A person starts to live when they can live outside themselves."  Albert Einstein

We have lots of new toys coming to the gym for your "enjoyment."  Within the next 2 weeks there will be a lot of moving and shaking going on as we prepare for the sectionals.  We are loaded with excitement as we prepare CFM for the amazing event.  The CFM coaches are having a professional development day next Saturday to improve our coaching ability for all of you.  We are always striving to provide our members with the best coaching around and the best facility around.  We have already started to make a few changes that you will see starting next week, as far as having extra coaches around for the busier classes.  We are going to be adding a 3:30 pm class for those that get to the gym earlier.  I feel so blessed to be able to do what I do with all of the amazing members each day, and for that reason we are always pushing to provide each of you with the best facility around.  We are even breaking down a wall for another 2,000 feet...... just kidding : )

Make sure you get to class on time.  We have changed our whole warm-up routine and it is vital to your fitness and longevity that you arrive on time.  Get to the gym early, if your schedule permits, and start getting a sweat going.  At the desired class time the Coaches will get everyone started on foam rolling, dynamic movements, and W.O.D prep skills.  We are going to the next level folks, and I can't wait to see everyone progress even more. 

If you lift weights, have you ever wondered whether you're doing it right? Specifically, are you lifting enough weight? According to a study done by the University of Michigan, many of us aren't. Researchers took beginners (both men and women) through a series of moves, allowing them to choose their own weight. After assessing their 1 rep max (the general standard for choosing weight), they determined that most chose a weight well below what was needed to stimulate muscle growth.

Are you guilty of going too light? If so, you may not be seeing the results you'd like. Learn more about why lifting heavier weights could change your entire body.

Why Lifting Heavy is the Key to Weight Loss

You know that losing fat involves increasing your metabolism. What you may not know is that muscle plays a huge role in raising metabolism. A pound of muscle burns about 10-20 calories a day while a pound of fat burns 5 calories. That means any growth in your muscle tissue is going to help you burn more calories all day long. In fact, strength training has all kinds of great effects on your body like:

• Increasing resting metabolic rate so you burn more calories, even while at rest.
• Making you lean and slim--muscle takes up less space than fat so, the more you have, the slimmer you are
• Strengthening bones and connective tissue, which can protect your body from injuries in daily life
• Enhancing balance and stability
• Building confidence and self-esteem

However...this only works if you're using enough weight to stimulate that muscle growth. In other words, if you can lift the weights you've chosen (for most exercises) more than 16-20 times, you might not see the kind of fat loss you would if you increased your weight.

So, why don't we lift more weight? For some, lifting weights is scary, especially if you've never done it before. The machines...the dumbbells...the people who seem to know what they're doing...it's enough to make anyone skip weights altogether. Aside from that, there are other fears that invade our minds, such as:

• It feels weird. The goal of weight training, if you didn't know, is to lift as much weight as you possibly can (with good form!) for the number of reps you've chosen. In daily life, we typically don't push ourselves to fatigue in anything we do, so this idea may not only feel foreign, it may feel downright miserable. That's one reason it's best for beginners to gradually work towards that.
• Fear of injury. Because our muscles burn when we challenge them with resistance, people often feel they're injuring themselves when they lift. And injury can be a real fear for beginners since injury can occur if you max out before your body is ready for it. Taking it slow while still challenging your body will help protect you from injury.
• Confusion. When you haven't lifted weights before, you may not know what's too heavy and what's too light. It may take some time to get a feel for your body and what it can handle.
• Fear of getting bulky. There's still a tired old myth running around that men should lift heavy and women should lift light to avoid getting big and bulky. Women hear this: Lifting heavy weights will NOT make you huge--you simply don't have the testosterone levels to build big muscles. Lifting heavy weights WILL help you lose fat.
• Fear of pain. The other thing about lifting weights is the psychological factor. The discomfort level associated with training to fatigue is pretty high...if you haven't lifted weights before, you may not be able to overcome that discomfort enough to lift as heavy as you're capable of. Again, this is one reason it's best to err on the side of caution (if you need to), while always working towards more challenge and more weight.

These fears often keep people lifting the same amount of weight for weeks, months or even years. Most of these fears are unfounded, if you take time to ease into a weight training program and work (slowly) towards the muscle fatigue that will make your muscles grow. (from about.com)

Quote of the day

"All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible."  T.E. Lawrence

Reppin Pittsburg to the fullest....

bring the thunder to that bar

Ask Jimmy what he looked like 6 months ago....

We are getting ready to start our "Get Fit for Life" challenge.  This will start April 1, so I want everybody to really start thinking about their goals and where they want they life to go.  This challenge is for everyone and it will last for 2 months.  This challenge will get you eating properly and work to improve your health.  We are not looking for visible abs, we are looking for life change and health improvement (if the abs come along... cool).  There will be weekly check ups with a coach assigned to you and there will 2 monthly meetings group wide.  There will be a facebook page for the group to stay on top of each other and constant emails with your assigned coach.  There will be a $30 entry fee for the challenge.

This Sunday the CFM Endurance team will be running in the Sam Rock&Roll in New Haven CT.  This is a St. Patricks celebration run for fun and don't be afraid to rep a costume!  The race starts at Todd's Place, to register go here..www.jbsports.com/WPLR5K.htm

It is official folks, Tony Blauer is coming to CrossFit Milford on May 22, 2010.  This will be a one day seminar will teach people of all backgrounds how to protect themselves in real life situations.  This seminar will be an awesome opportunity to learn from one of the leaders in the industry.  Tony's system is called the S.P.E.A.R System... The S.P.E.A.R System (Spontaneous Protection Enabling Accelerated Response" is a scientifically researched & medically reviewed personal defense measure that exploits the body's natural responses to violence and danger.  This survival mechanism, dubbed: Startle-Flinch Response has been scientifically integrated into a series of neuro-muscular drills that teaches individuals how to convert their instinctive reactions into protective and combative tactics.

 If you don't already check out www.marksdailyapple.com/..... DO IT!!

Quote of the day

Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.  Albert Einstein

We went over lots of information on how to keep the shoulders properly positioned to lift a heavy load and how to warm-up the body in accordance with the movements.  Are sit-ups and squats preparing you for a full snatch?  No, but coupled with other mobility movements you will all be ready to go for each day.  The goal is to keep you healthy and keep getting you stronger so fitness is achieved with each year.  There is no.. "i am too old for this."  There is only... " I can do this."

We all know Jay Cedor, and if you have not had the pleasure of attending the 8 am class, then you may not.  Jay is an amazing athlete and veteran who works his tail off each day in the gym.  Jay has been coming to CFM for about a year and has made amazing strides, not letting anything get in his way.  Jay never throws out excuses or complaints and always has a smile on his fact.  Jay has Multiple Sclerosis, but you would never know when you see or talk to him.   Jay is a no excuse athlete and proves that each day.  Each year Jay does a "Walk for MS" which is held in Westport CT.  His team is called the Jay Walkers.  I am asking for CFM members to aid in this cause.  The event is Sunday April, 18th, 2010, and is a 2.5 or 5 mile walk.  All money raised goes the support of those living with MS in CT.  Go to www.nationalmssociety.org/walkMapRegion.aspx to donate or register for the team.  Search for Jason Cedor and his team name will appear.  From there you can register to walk or donate.

Quote of the day

"Practice as if you are the worst, perform as if you the best."  unknown

KStar is showing us all how to be better coaches and get the most out of our athletes

Jocelyn and I spent the day yesterday at the Black Box, CrossFit NYC listening and learning from Kelly Starret.  Kelly was the 27th CrossFit Affiliate and owns San Francisco CrossFit.  Kelly teaches others how to be better coaches dealing with mobility and recovery.  I must say that this was one of the best certifications that I have ever attended.  I learned such a great deal about prepping the body and different issues to look for in order to prevent injury as well as getting the body in the proper position to reach your fullest potential.  We will be implementing these issues as fast as today and you can bet you will all notice some change in your performance.  So often we fall short of what we are truly capable of achieving due to lack of flexibilty, poor body position, or simply not knowing how to stay contracted while breathing.  My mind was spinning with new ways to warm up, cool down, and just get the body prepared for the stress of the daily workout.  I learned so much in the 7 hours that I spent with him that I am already planning my trip out to San Fran to do some training with hm and BMack. 

We are in the process of setting up official swim times with a swim coach for the CFM Endurance team and anybody else at CFM that wants to learn how to swim.  Stay tuned for that and I will have more information for everyone with the next week or two. 

Quote of the day

The world is your school.  Martin H. Fischer