As Prescribed Volume 7

• Sept 1st – Community WOD at 5:30 pm and Pitch In to follow.
• Sept 4 – Open Gym 9 am – 11 am, no scheduled classes for rest of the day.
• Sept 9 – Open gym at 8:00 am, class at 10:00 am
• Sept 17 -1:30 pm – Gym CPR training for the first 20 people to sign up. $12/person. See sign up sheet at front desk!
• Sept 30 – PTA Ryan’s Low Back Pre-hab/Re-hab seminar, 11:30 am, details to follow in September Newsletter.
• Sept 30 – Brown County Trail Run 2:30 pm followed by pitch at the Koehlers. More details in the September Newsletter.

Member Highlight – Ethan Manon

• How long have you done CrossFit?
  • I have been doing CrossFit for just under 5 years.
• What is your favorite CrossFit movement/WOD/lift?
  • It changes from time to time based on what exercise I currently find interesting. I definitely prefer team WODs, having a partner helps motivate me and keeps things entertaining. If I had to chose a particular style of workout I would say low rep/heavy weight. I don’t like the high rep/low weight workouts, I’m too heavy to jump on a box 500 times in 10 minutes.
• What is something that most people at the gym wouldn’t know about you
  • Despite all evidence to contrary, I actually enjoy interacting with people…most of the time.
• What is a fitness goal you have for the upcoming year?
  • I want to be able to climb intermediate rock climbing paths at climbing gyms. Weighing 235lbs is not conducive to climbing so I’ve really been focusing on my grip and pull up strength. I’ve been working hard on the the pegboard, rock rings, and power balls because I think they train muscles groups to work in more adverse conditions.
• What is a hobby you have that is NOT CrossFit related?
  • Ice Hockey. I also enjoy a lot of outdoor activities, camping, kayaking, mountain biking, failing at climbing, etc. I think those activities help me maintain a healthy outlook on my gym training.
• What advice would you give someone who is afraid to try CrossFit?
  • First and most obvious don’t be afraid, most of us were terrible and out of shape when we first started. Secondly, pick a physical goal you’ve always wanted to try or achieve, like running a mile, doing a tough mudder/spartan race, lifting your body weight, etc. CrossFit will help you achieve that goal and push you beyond.  It can be tough to work out for the sake of working out, having a goal in mind can help you stay focused when you’re tired,sore, or the workout seems too hard.
• Tacos or Pancakes?
  • Gummi Bears!

MOBILITY ON THE FLY – Ryan Downs, PTA

Most people believe that you must dedicate thirty minutes to an hour to go through a session of foam rolling, lying on a lacrosse ball, and stretching those tight muscles to see any change in your mobility. I am here to tell you that is just not the case, instead you only need a few minutes at a time to make a change in your bodily mobility. You can do this while performing your everyday tasks at work, home, in the car, or even at the grocery store. I want to go over some of the most troublesome areas, and how you can start a mobility routine that will take up very little of our time.

First, let’s start with your ankles!  Many us have limited flexion in our ankles and this hinders the way we squat. Let me give you a few places where you can add in some ankle mobility drills.  My favorite place is at work. While working at your computer or anywhere you have a chair, stand up, place one foot in the chair, and sit into a one-legged squat with the foot that’s in the chair.  Key components are: drive the heel into the chair, push the knee over the toes, and let that sit for  to 2 minutes. Another place that you can work on ankle mobility is standing in the kitchen while cooking. Open the lower cabinet door and place the ball of your foot on the edge of the cabinet.   Do the same as you would do at work: drive the heel toward

s the ground and push the knee over the toes (standing, you can also keep the knee straight and get a stretch in a different area). You can also do the same while pumping gas, place the ball of your foot on the curb of the pump.

Second, let’s help fix those tight hip flexors (especially for those of us who sit all day).  For this, we can go use that desk chair again.  Start by standing next to the chair, and then placing one knee in the seat with your foot on the back of the chair (a standing couch stretch).  Keys to focus on: keep the hips square, and drive them forward while keeping the core engaged. Hold this for 1 to 2 minutes per side. Let me add that just because you don’t sit for long periods of time does not mean you are exempt from this…you still need to stretch your hip flexors.

Tip: if you do not have a chair, you can stand with your back to a desk or table and place the top of the foot on the edge of the table (butt kickers position).  Follow the same rules as before.

Next, we have the tight hamstrings. This can be done in a few different ways, some are more awkward than others.  The easiest way is with a lacrosse ball ($6 on amazon).  Sitting at work or at home, place the ball under the leg and find that tight spot.  Once you have found your spot, start kicking the leg in and out to floss the muscle over the ball.  This next one can look awkward, but if you’re like me, you care more about the way you feel than what others may think of you. While standing, place your foot on your desk, in a chair, the bottom bar of the grocery cart, or even on the top of your tire while getting gas. With your foot placed on whatever object you choose keep your leg straight, lean forward while trying to maintain a straight back, and enjoy that nice stretch or don’t but you need it anyway.

Last one (for now), we will go over the upper traps. Those muscles that give us all headaches from staring at a computer all day, or even looking down reading papers.  The simplest way to stretch these is to take your head and lean one ear towards your shoulder. To get a little more out of this, if you are stretching the left trap take your right arm and pull your head over to the right, trying to get the ear a little closer to the shoulder. For just a little bit more you can take the left arm and place it behind your back.  This stretch can be done anywhere, sitting at your desk, in the car while waiting for the red light to change, and even while lying on the floor after a wod and trying not to die.  As with all the others, 1 to 2 minutes is a good starting point.

I hope that this gives everyone an idea of how to incorporate mobility into a daily routine, and how to help get rid of some of those tight achy muscles that you may have.  I hope you will use some of this and begin to play with new things yourself.  As always, feel free to ask me or any of the coaches for advice on ways to help with those pesky aches and pains.

Easy Dilly Beans:

DIRECTIONS:

I modify the above recipe for whatever flavor profile I prefer! I’m not a huge fan of dill so play around with the spice rack! I also leave out the sugar since I don’t need the sweetness. The beans are an easy snack during the summer, especially if you like the vinegar flavor! – Dell