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As Prescribed Volume 13

Feb 2018 - Volume 13

Community and The Open – Coach Dell

One of the biggest aspects of CrossFit for me is the community it creates! For many of us, when we walk in the door we are already smiling, looking forward to an hour of fitness with friends. Some days, when work follows me to the gym, I just want to put my head down and grind out a tough WOD, maybe not smiling but certainly feeling better when it is done. Even on those days, our community is there, supporting, cheering, and just making the day better.

While working out together is great, we also try to plan several activities outside of the gym. If you have ideas for outings or hear about something fun that you’d like to share, send us an email or post it on our FB members group!

The next 5 Fridays will be an opportunity to bring our community together to celebrate the CrossFit Open, along with thousands of other CrossFit gyms around the world! For us, the Open is just another workout, but it is the community aspect that really makes it special! It is not too late to sign up, and even the newest athletes will be able to scale the workouts and participate.

Here are some FAQ’s about the CrossFit Open and our Friday Night Lights:

  1. What is the Open?? Go to https://games.crossfit.com/article/2018-reebok-crossfit-games-season-schedule and read more!
  2. What if I just want to do the in-house version? Fine! Pay your $20 to Ripcord and get your name on the white board!
  3. How do the Ripcord Teams work? We will make random yet balanced teams. You can sign up anytime and we will add you to a team.
  4. How does the scoring work? We will use a scoring system where RX reps get more points than Scaled reps, which get more points than further scaled reps.
  5. What if I’m not able to even do the scaled version of the WOD? No problem! We will find a scale that works for you and your points will count for your team.
  6. How does a Team earn points? There will be a theme each Friday, for example, Team Color. Each team member who shows up in their team color costume gets an extra point. Performing the workout in the costume earns another point! At the end of the workouts on Friday night, we will have a team challenge where teams can earn bonus points.
  7. What if I can’t make it on a Friday? You can do the WOD during open gym on Saturday mornings, just be sure to coordinate with a judge! If you are traveling, you can often drop in with another CrossFit gym and do the Open WOD with them. If you do this, just send us a picture of your scorecard!

Coaches Corner

Coaches Corner with special guest

We like to share knowledge with our members, helping them to better understand and grow as athletes. Below is advice on injury prevention from a member who has been doing CrossFit for several years. I’ve watched him put in the work necessary to make the changes he has made!

Less Pain, More Gain – by Ethan Manon

I’ve noticed people complain of shoulder and elbow pain frequently and thought I would use this opportunity to share my trials and tribulations of dealing with both. DISCLAIMER: I’M NOT A COACH THIS IS JUST WHAT I’VE GATHERED THROUGH EXPERIENCE AND BEING HARD HEADED.

Before I became the prototypical adonis you see before you today I once was nothing more than two bad shoulders and two bad elbows. For my first three-four years of CrossFit I dealt with constant pain in those joints. It got so bad that I couldn’t even push open a door, I had to use my hip. Between chiropractor and massage appointments I was spending close to $600 a month just so I could open a door without pain. These appointment definitely helped but even though I was getting excellent care, I wasn’t changing my basic routines and habits that were the root cause of all the pain. This is a brief list of what I learned and what I do that have helped me remain (for the most part, I still have some minimal elbow tendinitis) shoulder and elbow injury free.

1. Listen to your body and realize when you are overdoing it. This was a big problem for me, trying to fight through pain. The pain will win every time, maybe not today or tomorrow, but it will eventually. If something is hurting, not muscle pain, but joint pain, you are doing something wrong. Stop, scale, reduce weight, go back to basics and fix your form. Ask a coach, they will help you. Everything I’ve done to fix myself has been on advice from our current coaches…especially Jeff, Jake, and Ryan.

2. Stretch Stretch Stretch Stretch Stretch Stretch Stretch. I’m not talking about once a week stretching, stretching needs to be part of your daily routine. It takes time and commitment but it will help you achieve the proper form and positioning to prevent the pain from happening in the first place. I stretch my shoulders, biceps, triceps, elbows, forearms and wrists every single damn day. I personally have found that while rollers and mobility balls are good for sore muscles and knots, nothing helped like good ol’ fashioned static stretching, especially with banded distraction. Minimum 90s. This is the change I made that had the biggest impact. Being more flexible has allowed me to execute movements with much better form and loading.

3. Exercise your core religiously. NOT YOUR ABS, YOUR CORE. That means the front, the back, and the sides. This made a huge difference for me with shoulder stability. With a strong stable core you’re not as wobbly and your shoulders/elbows/wrists aren’t overcompensating to keep your ass off the ground. You should maintain a tight core through pretty much every movement, especially pull ups. If you’re just hanging all loosy goosy from the bar, you’re doing it wrong and contributing to your pain.

4. Check your Ego, Doing it right and slowly is better than doing it heavy,painfully and quickly. Take your time to work through progressions and if that elbow or shoulder starts to hurt…take a step backward until it can be done pain free.

5. If you’re thinking to yourself “My shoulders are tight and sore” and today’s workout focuses on shoulders….take a break or modify it. Don’t just do it for the sake of doing it.

This is a very brief summary of my 3+ years of debilitating shoulder/elbow pain and recovery. I’d be happy to go into more detail with anyone who asks.

News and Upcoming Events

Athlete Highlight

Member Highlight – Mark Newell

  • How long have you done CrossFit? 
    • One year
  • What is your favorite CrossFit movement/WOD/lift? 
    • I like GHDs, wall balls and deadlifts. Murph is a special experience as well.
  • What is something that most people at the gym wouldn’t know about you
    • Although I am not very good at it, I do enjoy playing chess.  When I was teaching high school math, I took the opportunity to teach chess to some of my classes. Our son Sam and I have some good matches.  I also enjoy playing ping pong with our son, Eli, who wins most of the time.  He likes to keep track of his winning streak but I do occasionally pick up a win here and there to keep me motivated.
  • What is a fitness goal you have for the upcoming year? 
    • I want to be able to do double-unders and a bar muscle up.
  • What is a hobby you have that is NOT CrossFit related?
    • Anything with bicycles. I like to road bike, mountain bike, cyclocross (like cross country running on a bicycle) and randonneuring (long distance cycling with checkpoints every 20-40 miles)
  • What advice would you give someone who is afraid to try CrossFit? 
    • You have quality coaching that enables you to workout safely and push yourself. You learn how to scale each movement so that you can personalize each workout to what you need. A different workout is scheduled each day presenting plenty of variety that you do not have to create. You have a welcoming and supportive culture with the camaraderie of a great group of people.  Each person is working together on his or her own path to fitness.  I find that I push myself and gain more benefits in this environment versus working out by myself.
  • Tacos or Pancakes?
    • Tacos!

Something Tasty

Easy Bagel Recipe

Recipe found here:      https://www.skinnytaste.com/easy-bagel-recipe/

I found this recipe after several of the nutrition groups I follow on FB were raving about it and I decided to give it a try. These are my new obsession!! They are so easy to make and have turned out wonderful each time! Now I’m just waiting on my everything bagel seasoning to get here!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup (5 oz) unbleached all purpose flour, whole wheat or gluten-free mix*
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder (make sure it’s not expired or it won’t rise)
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (use less if using table salt)
  • 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt (not regular yogurt, it will be too sticky)
  • 1 egg white, beaten (whole egg works fine too) for the topping
  • (optional toppings: everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic flakes, dried onion flakes)**

DIRECTIONS:

OVEN METHOD:

  1. Preheat oven to 375F. Place parchment paper or a silpat on a baking sheet. If using parchment paper, spray with oil to avoid sticking.
  2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk well. Add the yogurt and mix with a fork or spatula until well combined, it will look like small crumbles.
  3. Lightly dust flour on a work surface and remove dough from the bowl, knead the dough a few times until dough is tacky, but not sticky, about 15 turns (it should not leave dough on your hand when you pull away).
  4. Divide into 4 equal balls. Roll each ball into 3/4-inch thick ropes and join the ends to form bagels. (or you can make a ball and poke a hole in the center then stretch it slightly)
  5. Top with egg wash and sprinkle both sides with seasoning of your choice. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 25 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before cutting.

AIR FRYER METHOD:

  1. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk well. Add the yogurt and mix with a fork or spatula until well combined, it will look like small crumbles.
  2. Lightly dust flour on a work surface and remove dough from the bowl, knead the dough a few times until dough is tacky, but not sticky, about 20 turns (it should not leave dough on your hand when you pull away).
  3. Divide into 4 equal balls. Roll each ball into 3/4-inch thick ropes and join the ends to form bagels.
  4. Top with egg wash and sprinkle both sides with seasoning of your choice.
  5. Preheat the air fryer 325F degrees and set for 11 to 12 minutes. Transfer in batches without overcrowding and bake 11 to 12 minutes, or until golden. No need to turn. Let cool at least 10 minutes before cutting.

Read more at https://www.skinnytaste.com/easy-bagel-recipe/#0alEDLmuRwLYp84Q.99

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