WOD

Got to CF early so I could work some olympic lifting. I want to keep my lifts up.

Clean and Jerk: 135x5, 185x3, 225x1, 225x1, 235x1, 225x1, 235x1

Then the WOD was a real burner:

3 rounds, total reps = score

1min 50# DB bench press

1min 55# Kettlebell swing

1min Box jumps (taller box)

1min Rest

Score = 264

Bench was obviously the lowest, box jumps obviously the highest, kettlebells somewhere in between. Really pushed myself and am happy with my score.

Got an invite for an interview with a law firm I would cut off parts of my body to work for as I left the gym, so I was high from the WOD and excitement at the same time :)

A great day!

Body Part Splits... (Video)

I did over 300 squats within 20min 2 days ago... and then a set of Tabata jumping squats with a 45# barbell yesterday. The "fitness" community outside of Crossfit would say,

"But, JO, you're not supposed to do legs two days in a row. No wonder you're scrawny as f*ck!"

In Crossfit, as in the athletic community, we don't do body part splits. We train the body as a whole, because that's how it is meant to work. The bicep is not designed to do a bicep curl, because it is never designed to work in isolation. Neither are the hamstrings, quads, triceps, or any other muscle in the body for that matter.

The body is designed to push, pull, run, jump, throw, swim, climb, swing, punch, kick, you name it. None of these movements will ever require any muscle isolation.

Additionally, isolation movements move a small weight a short distance, as opposed to compound movements that move a large weight a long distance. You do more work doing compound movements, they are safer, and more effective.

So why did this method of training "spawn" in the first place?

The theory is that isolation movements were invented by the globogym/bodybuilding community. Yes, I said invented, because they are not natural movements: somebody invented the bicep curl and lateral raise, nobody invented the squat (that's just how you sit down). Isolation movements worked for them, because the reality is, back in the day it was much more common and accepted to be on some kind of anabolic agent. People still do isolation movements today, but not as often while "on something," and thus the movements become far less effective. People who do isolation movements are still "huge" a lot of the time, but this is because they do big lifts as well (bench, squat, dead, etc... everybody, even the biggest globogym junkie, knows that these are the moves that get them big.)

Anyways, the point of this post was not to knock isolation movements, but to talk about body part splits, which are equally as ludicrous.

So here's a video by CFHQ trainer Pat Sherwood discussing them.

"But, JO, we KNOW about 'growth cycles' stimulated after exercise, and that we need to rest a couple days after working out a certain muscle group in order to get huge."

I guess somebody forgot to tell Olympic weightlifters that. Check out the legs on Pyrros Dimas as another example, and visit Mike's Gym, a USA regional weightlifting center, for an idea of what Olympic weightlifting programs look like.

Lots of legs, right?

Edit:::

Just to be clear, doing 1RM backsquats everyday of the week is not an effective way to train. Our bodies need variety, and muscles do need rest, in order to grow and become stronger. However, don't be afraid to use the same muscles a couple days in a row if that's what the workout requires.

One Word: Overdose

(Box Jumps during WOD)

I couldn't be happier back in a class drinking the Kool Aid. I should have taken today off but the WOD just looked like a good burner:

For time:

21-15-9 of:

45# BB seated (on the ground) shoulder press

45# Good morning

Box Jumps

Time: 3:33

I was aiming for under 3mins but the transition to and from the ground was time consuming. Other than that I just blasted through it.

I did over 300 squats yesterday so my legs were fried, but this WOD wasn't too leg intensive, until Keith decided to give us an extra hit at the end:

Tabata 45# Jumping Squats:

20sec Jump

10sec Rest

8x

Total Reps: 68

I was in pain the whole time. I had trouble walking after. I am still in pain. This was an overdose. I took too big of a hit today.

In other news, my friend Roz joined me today! Roz is a natural athlete. She did box jumps, back extensions, shoulder presses, and the entire class as well as anybody there. It was a pretty funny sight, us navigating our way through the NYC subway stops struggling up and down stairs, in and out of cars. I hope that Roz got just a little hit of the crack to get hooked, and that she'll join us again soon, because it was great having her there.

Date With An Old Friend

(HSPUs with the boys on Saturday)

Cindy:

# of Rounds in 20min:

5 Pullups

10 Pushups

15 Squats

Old PR (2 years ago): 16.5

Today: 21+5 Pullups+5 Pushups

I'm not that happy with my performance. I was going for 25. I think my arms are still fried from JT on Saturday, but I just didn't feel the met-con either. Couldn't really get out of first gear, I blasted through the first three rounds and then hit a brick wall and had to partition every set of pushups and squats.

But I am happy to be back in the CF classes where I can really push myself. Only option is improvement.

WOD

(Yesterday, first class at CFV working through "JT")

2nd day at CFV. Open gym today so I just went in and tool'd around.

Snatch: 95x5, 135x3, 155x1, 165x1, 165x1, 165x1 (not enough plates to go higher!)

Then...

Clean and Jerk 135x10 fast for fun. This was really easy, I wasn't even breathing heavy at the end.

Then...

3x

CJ 135x5+~70m sprint + regain breath

Then...

1x

Snatch 95+~80m sprint

The Converted

Click here to read a great story about a woman's conversion into the Crossfit community (via).

"Is Crossfit a cult? Yeah. But it's a good cult." - John Welbourn

WOD

First day at Crossfit Virtuosity. I am really excited about the programming offered here and the variety of classes. I'm happy to be back in a Crossfit class, and the old school I was going to was just too inconvenient.

Modified "JT"

21-15-9 of...

Handstand Pushups

Ring Dips

Pushups

Time: 11:30something, but I forgot to do the last 9 dips and pushups. I did them 6min later in about 30sec but still doesn't count!

This WOD is brutal. By the time you get to your first set of ring dips, you have nothing to push with. Pushups are even worse, I was doing sets of 4 from the get go... and it only gets worse.

Last 9 HSPU were singles. I don't anticipate being able to straighten my arms for a while.

My Debate With A Vegetarian

I posted an article about why vegetarian diets are unhealthy the other day. Naturally there has been some debate. I said that I welcomed all counter-arguments, and in fact I did recieve a couple.

However, the two chief counters I recieved (one from graham [see comments of Deadpool] which I think has been dealt with, and one from a person I consider a good friend who I'm going to keep anonymous) consisted purely of bald, conclusory assertions with no citations to authority.

Below is a copy of the chat transcript from a couple days ago with my friend. He delivered his argument in a respectful manner, and thus it merits a respectful response which I have attempted to provide. This response deals more with reasons why humans are "designed" and supposed to eat meat, and that they did in fact eat meat, as opposed to reasons why vegetarian diets are unhealthy.

It's interesting, because I have yet to recieve any counter-argument telling me the "merits" of a vegetarian diet. I've only recieved opinions on why my article was not good, or why eating meat isn't necessary or is bad: again, nothing about the health of vegetarian diets.

Anyways, my friend has been a "raw vegan" for a while now and this is what he had to say:

im on the first paragraph where you get into the "meat" of it (pun intended) and you say our bodies arent designed for digesting solely grains, which i agree with. BUT, humans are not carnivores, it only takes one look at our jaw structure including teeth, as well as our intestinal tract. humans have longer intestines vs meat eaters and we dont have longer teeth meant for tear through flesh, furthermore we arent designed to hunt down animals, who do we have the most in common with in the animal kingdom? the apes. the apes are some of the strongest and smartest creatures (along with elephants) and many other docile animals. Cows and all other farm animals are inherently herbivores and it's through maintaining these natural diets that they remain completely healthy without disease. So what happens when you put them on an un-natural toxic diet such as feeding them flesh? They begin to manifest "human" like illnesses such as cancer, heart disease.. the list goes on. Years ago, domestic animals like cats and dogs never had cancer other diseases of the like, yet now they do because we treat them just how we treat ourselves... unfortunately.. I've only just read that first couple sentences, so, more to come :):)

These are probably some of the typical arguments a vegetarian diet enthusiast would put fourth. Here's a copy of my response:

"humans are not carnivores, it only takes one look at our jaw structure including teeth, as well as our intestinal tract."

I never said we are carnivores, we are omnivores. Also it's interesting to note that site is on a vegetarian resource.... and yet dispells the "unscientific myth" that man is only a plant eater.

The best part of the article is the conclusion, that "

humans are classic examples of omnivores in all relevant anatomical traits. There is no basis in anatomy or physiology for the assumption that humans are pre-adapted to the vegetarian diet. For that reason, the best arguments in support of a meat-free diet remain ecological, ethical, and health concerns."

"humans have longer intestines vs meat eaters and we dont have longer teeth meant for tear through flesh"

Again, we're not carnivores here. You can't compare us to something like a lion. Same thing with teeth; however, let me know if you've ever had trouble tearing meet or the flesh of a bone or eating a steak. Humans have teeth which can cut (incisors), pierce and tear (canines), and chew (molars). I know this is cooked, and it does make a difference, but not so much that such an argument would be all-telling.

Let's have a look at another species that you will almost certainly agree is nothing but carnivorous: the vulture (who we share more similarities with, to come). While they have a razor sharp beak, they have no teeth to chew with, and still are exclusively meet eaters. We don't need to look like a lion or a sabretooth tiger to be capable of ingesting meat. The fact that we ate it for the vast majority of the time that humans have been in existence isn't something that really can't be argued with. In fact, our ancestors even found ways to preserve meat without refrigeration. To argue that they didn't eat it just doesn't make sense!

"furthermore we arent designed to hunt down animals"

http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba18/BA18FEAT.HTML#roberts

We have the ability to stand upright, something that virtually no other species has. this let's us run, jump, and throw at the same time. We figured out a way to adapt regardless of the fact that we don't resemble lions or sabretooth tigers.

But back to what i said about vultures. Humans weren't primarily hunters in the early day, but were scavengers, like vultures. What do vultures do? They don't kill zebras, they circle around until the lion's done the work and then they swoop in and reap the rewards. Humans did the same thing, until they figured out how to hunt. but, as i understand it, we were primarily scavengers.

However, we absolutely know that our ancestors did eat meat regardless of where they got it from.

"who do we have the most in common with in the animal kingdom? the apes. the apes are some of the strongest and smartest creatures (along with elephants) and many other docile animals."

You didn't make an argument here but i assume you were going somewhere with the fact that "what do monkies like, bananas!!!!"

The only problem is, the species that "we evolved from, chimpanzees, actually did eat meat. "Our closest relatives among the apes are the chimpanzees (i.e., anatomically, behaviorally, genetically, and evolutionarily), who frequently kill and eat other mammals (including other primates)." Same site as before.

This article discusses British primatologist Jane Goodall's observations.

"Cows and all other farm animals are inherently herbivores"

End of sentence. We have a completely different digestive system from that of cows. We're talking evolution [by natural selection] here, and guess what: cows aren't hunters (no sh*t!), and they only had the option to sit around chewing (expletive deleted) grass all day. so what did they do? Survival of the fittest; the ones who could digest grass lived, those who didn't peaced out.

"and it's through maintaining these natural diets that they remain completely healthy without disease. So what happens when you put them on an un-natural toxic diet such as feeding them flesh? They begin to manifest "human" like illnesses such as cancer, heart disease.. the list goes on."

Again, completely different digestive system. This is a logical fallacy. And there's nothing unnatural about eating meat... I think you may have meant "not exclusively plant."

"Years ago, domestic animals like cats and dogs never had cancer other diseases of the like, yet now they do because we treat them just how we treat ourselves..."

We treat them just like ourselves only in the sense that the average pet food is predominantly carbohydrates. The source is usually something like corn or rice. And this is the whole point of the raw feeding method which is much healthier for domesticated animals. Raw fed dogs have much, much healthier coats, teeth, and a longer life expectancy than those raised on the (expletive deleted) garbage we feed them today.

"unfortunately.. I've only just read that first couple sentences, so, more to come :):)"

Bring the heat, brother! Nothing wrong with a little spirited debate. I know that you are doing what you're doing because you think it's healthy, and I admire your aims. But that doesn't mean I can't completely disagree with the methodology.

***

I asked him how he could live without meat, and he said:

"i know i know meat. you mean the stuff that clogs your arteries right?"

"False. inflamation caused by carbohydrates clogs your arteries [not meat]."

"well now jordan that just goes against common sense."

That doesn't mean it isn't true. Again, common sense tells us that Cheerios are healthy, right?

Here's a study by Dr. Loren Cordain which discusses how "hunter-gatherer societies, who consume the majority of their energy from animal food, have been shown to be relatively free of the signs and symptoms of CVD."

***

I want to be clear: I have nothing but respect for this individual. They are a friend and I truly do admire their aims and know that they are doing what they believe is best, just like all vegetarians who do it for health reasons. But hey, some people still think Cheerios are a healthy, right?

Paleo WOD!

OK, the pics have arrived. Here are a couple shots from the creative WOD I hit when I was in Cali.

I basically just did whatever. Some sprints, some box jumps onto stumps, hill runs carrying the chunk of rock, clean and jerks, front squats, thrusters, and deadlifts.

One thing I did was I took two slabs of stone, maybe 60m apart from eachother, and I did 5 thrusters, 5 burpees, sprinted to the other, rinse, repeat. I lasted 2 rounds in the hot sun before I started getting dizzy. This makes you appreciate the rockstars in Aromas even more.

These WODs are a blast to do. They are something different, and really bridge the gap between training and reality. Be creative on vacations, there's always something you can do!

Somebody Called Me A "Muscle Man" On Facebook...

"also, you need only look at the muscle-man picks atop your blog to know what perspective you speak from when food's concerned.

i remember how obsessed i was with fat and protein absorption when i was weightlifting, and it definitely puts you in such a place as bias can't escape."

The person who posted this, clearly, is not a regular reader of my blog, because they have no idea the kind of training that I do or the definition of fitness I strive to achieve. (Although, I will still take it as a compliment that somebody thinks I am muscular!)

I strive for a definition of fitness that is "broad, general, and inclusive." (Greg Glassman). My goal is to increase my "work capacity across broad times and modal domains." (Id.)

My goal is not to be a "muscle man" or a meat-head, but it just so happens that you can't be fit without being strong; at least according to the definition of fitness that I follow. My goal is to be a "fit man." And unfortunately, mother nature does not discriminate when it comes to fitness (you need to be well-rounded).

"i remember how obsessed i was with fat and protein absorption when i was weightlifting, and it definitely puts you in such a place as bias can't escape."

I happen to know the person, personally, who wrote this, and I must have missed this "era." I would love to know this person's PR's on real lifts (deadlift, squat, clean and jerk, snatch, etc...), as well as their 400m 20# sprint and Fran times, and maybe their 500m row just for diversity's sake. For that matter, I want to know this person's numbers in as broad an array of tasks as they can accomplish.

At a conservative estimate that I'm pulling out of the air, 9/10 times a person who eats a diet with solid animal and protein fat will be more "fit" according to the definition I use, which is complete and expansive, than somebody who doesn't. The remainder of the times, it will be good genetics, not diet, that is the deciding factor, and I argue that person would be even more "fit" if they ate differently.

The person who wrote this could just as easily say, "But, JO, you have no f*cking idea the kind of training that I do EITHER!!! So STFU already!"

I'd counter by saying that it only takes one look at the person to have a pretty good idea. I don't mean this in a disrespectful way, and I'm sure the person who wrote it would very quickly admit that their heavy lifts are not too high, and that their 400m 20# sprint time leaves a little to be desired. I imagine they will be proud of their 5k, however, and if that is how they choose to define fitness, so be it (or maybe they don't consider themselves fit, who knows!). If I am wrong, hopefully the person calls me out on it and shuts me up!

"also, you need only look at the muscle-man picks atop your blog to know what perspective you speak from when food's concerned."

This is precisely the point. Like I said, people come to this blog because they are interested in the way I workout and the way I eat. That's why it's called "JO's Blog of Pwnage." Clearly it works for me, and some people see what I do and want to emulate it.

I feel confident in posting the following, with regard to the person who made this comment, or anybody else who labels me as a "muscle man" and nothing else:

1. People would rather have me on their side in a fight than you (even without my martial arts background)

2. If we were to line up, school-yard style, and have picks for any sport not too technique-dominant, people would pick me before you

3. I can carry more bags of groceries into a house at once, and more quickly than you can

4. If you and I were ever similarly situated in a car accident, I would suffer less injuries than you

5. If someone were trapped inside of a burning building, they'd rather have me run in, pick them up, and pull them to safety than you.

5b. Or as my friend Dave put it, "what happens when you have kids and your kid chases a ball into a busy street? You're going to have to sprint as fast as you can, pick them up, and get them to safety." This isn't easy without strength and metabolic-conditioning, aka well-rounded fitness.

But these things don't happen on a regular enough basis to consider, right? If that's the attitude someone wants to have, then that's their choice.

But I guarantee that if another day like 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina were to come around, when someone is trapped under a 300lb piece of debris or two, people would rather have me come to the rescue than you.

Be Deadpool: Why Vegetarian Diets Are Unhealthy

/* A quick note on bias

This is JO's Blog of Pwnage, not the New York Times. I write what I write here because I believe in it. I am ADVOCATING certain viewpoints. Of course there is going to be bias anytime anybody is advocating anything, that's the whole point; you're trying to convince others of something, and the logical way to do that is to focus on the points that support your side.

The goal of this article isn't to lay out the pros and cons of a vegetarian diet vs a balanced diet. It's to lay out what I think is right, and why I think it's right. If you want to read it, do it. If you don't want to, don't. If you disagree, post and post why. Clearly I believe in certain things, and I'm going to advocate the shi*t out of them. Just because it's biased, doesn't mean what I've posted isn't true. I wouldn't be advocating something I didn't believe in, and anything that I didn't believe wouldn't benefit anybody who reads it.

Also, I'll probably only respond to counter-arguments if I feel like it. There's more than enough debate already out there by much more qualified people than you and I, even in the few links I've posted. My goal isn't to contribute anything new here, just to draw people's attention to a certain viewpoint.

With that said, please read on... if you want ;) */

They'll thank you for it later when they're happy and healthy.

Vegetarian diets are unhealthy... and here's part of the reason why (read from the experts below for a more comprehensive explanation).

Vegetarian diets are primarily based on carbohydrates.

Grains (bread, pasta, whatever) are likely going to be a common sight in vegetarian diets. Grains are not only bad because our bodies are not "designed" (not in the intelligent design sense, but the evolutionary) to eat them (more on this to come, it's a big topic), but also because they usually have a very high glycemic index. This means they will spike your blood sugar levels quickly, and therefore spike your insulin levels quickly.

Have a look here, the higher the worse. Notice how whole wheat bread (healthy... right?) and basically everything else under "bread" has a higher glycemic load than "chocolate bar" and are very close to "soda" (which is, for all intents and purposes, drinking pure sugar).

I realize that many, if not most, vegetarians will base their diet on fruits and veggies as opposed to grains, so the above may be a little unfair. However...

Fruits and veggies, although healthy for you when "used properly," are still carbohydrates.

Fruits are a mixed bag, but still pack a pretty solid glycemic load.

Vegetables have a lower glycemic index than fruit or grains, but they are still carbohydrates.

For a more complete, yet less useful for purposes of this article, GI, go here.

So for starters, you're more or less eating a pure carbohydrate diet.

Secondly, you're not getting enough protein. Remember, we need protein with a face. ***Thanks J-Brown for pointing out that tofu does count. However, it will be much more difficult to "meat" your protein quota just eating tofu. Remember, beans and nuts do not count. They don't illicit the same hormonal response in our bodies.

Thirdly, you're not getting any animal fat. If you want to burn fat, you need to eat fat. Fat does not make you fat, carbohydrates make you fat by illiciting an insulin spike (which tells your body to "store, store, store" nutrients as fat), whereas fat is a wonderful energy source.

As the movie Fat Head put it, "Mother Nature is not stupid." She surrounded animal protein, real protein, in fat, because our bodies are designed to run off of protein and fat.

So to make a long story short, all vegetarian diets are, by nature, going to be primarily carbohydrates with no proper protein or fat.

Tell all your vegetarian friends about Syndrome X. Hyperinsulinemia, the condition that occurs when your body secretes too much insulin, causes hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, coronary artery disease, obesity, and abnormal glucose tolerance. And when you eat carbohydrates, you secrete insulin.

I think you can put 2 and 2 together...

So please, do your vegetarian friends a favor and shove some meat loaf down their throat.

EDIT::

Here are a couple quick links to some articles by people who have some more expertise than I do.

The Naive Vegetarian by Dr. Barry Groves. Probably should have just linked to this, since what do I know?

Biological and Clinical Potential of a Palaeolithic Diet by Dr. Loren Cordain (yes, our ancestors ate meat...)

What About Vegetarians? by Robb Wolf

Plant-animal subsistence ratios and macronutrient energy estimations in worldwide hunter-gatherer diets (via Robb Wolf with some other great articles, especially Boothe's)

My Escape From Vegan Island by Mark Sisson

Fat by Mark Twight

WOD

Deadlift: Find 1RM and hope it isn't horrible...

Numbers: 135x12, 225x8, 315x1, 365x1, 405x1, 425x1 (-40 PR)

Very very happy with this. Last time I did deadlifts I struggled for 365. 405 was easy, 425 was a little hard, but hurt my back quite a bit. I couldn't keep my back flexed, and the little bit of arch caused a lot of pain where my injury is. Lesson learned, might need to stick with under 405 for now... Regardless, I am happy my strength is there.

Then, courtesy of the SuperCool Random Number Generator:

AMRAP in 20min:

5x 95# Push Press

10x Pullups

15x Situps

Rounds: 17

Also very happy with this. I imagine I maintained about 70% power for the full 20min with no real break. Push press and pullups unbroken, had a hard time getting rhythm for my butterfly until the last couple sets for some reason. Situps feet anchored and mostly 8+7 with a couple 15's or 10+5 when I had the juice.

Totals = 85 PP, 170 PU, 255 SU in 20min. Not bad!

Live From 35 000ft on VX Flight 25

I'm currently on board a Virgin America flight from SFO to JFK after a nice vacation with my family in California.

Virgin is great because it has in flight wifi, allowing me to blog from the skies, and also a little computer thingy in every seat that lets you order whatever it is your heart desires.

So I was scoping the drinks section and noticed that they had absinthe.

Yes, absinthe.

So I did what any sane person would do and ordered it right away.

45min later and I'm feeling pretty funny. I'd say it was about 2 shots worth, but at 35 000ft on an empty stomach, that stuff hits hard.

So, my good friend Lianda Swain, expert on natural health and being good looking in general, suggested I write a drunken blog post.

Instead of actually doing any work myself, I thought I would provide you with a couple useful links on the effects that alcohol has on our bodies.

So here you are, enjoy!

Alcohol and Insulin Sensitivity: Remember, we never want a decrease in insulin sensetivity. Type 2 diabetes is what happens when our insulin sensitivity gets too low.

How Your Body Metabolises Alcohol

I'm GOING, going... BACK, back... to CALI, cali...

I am currently in Cali on vacation with my family. I am going to try and finish the Deadpool/Vegetarian article while I am here, and also get a couple more "unique" WODs in.

Stay tuned.

Snatch 'n' Dip

WOD:

Clean and Jerk x3: 135, 185, 205 (Current PR)

Back Squat x3: 225, 275, 285 (PR for 3)

+

21-15-9 of 95# Snatch and Dips for time.

Clean and Jerk felt standard, didn't feel a PR in me today, a little harder than last time I got 205x3.

Back Squats felt GREAT! Considering my back is still mangled, and I felt like I had even more in me. This is maybe the 3rd time I've done heavy back squats since return from injury.

Met-con was absolutely grueling! I got that same sensation from when I first got into Crossfit: "How the fuck am I going to finish this?"

It took me a little over 5min I estimate based off of how many songs played through (1.5).

Snatches were 11+10, 8+7, 5+4. Dips were broken more but less rest in between.

ALL HIPS for the snatches, very little arm action, I was flying when I was on the bar.

Overall a good ass kicker, feels good to be back.

JO's Programming

I am going to start my own programming. CA has brought my strength back up to a respectable level, now I want to do more met-con as well.

The basis for my programming will be as follows:

- Everyday I will train one olympic lift and one power lift

- Everyday I will perform a met-con burner, that will not necessarily be short

- My olympic and power lifts will not be random, I will plan them carefully so as to maximize strength gains. I will pick the strength exercises after I see what the met-con will be, so I don't ruin my met-con.

- My met-con burner will be generated randomly. I have put 50 exercises into a random sample generator, and everyday before my WOD I will select 1, 2, or 3 samples for the program to pick. I will then take the exercises it gives me and generate some form of workout

Today's Movements:

Met-Con:

Exercises = Hanging Leg Raises, Squat Clean and Jerk, Deck Squats

So naturally, I am not going to do Clean and Jerk today for strength.

Strength:

Snatch will be good to warm up with for the met-con and get the hips working, I'll do that today for my olympic lifting. Since there is no upper body pulling in the met-con, I will do weighted pullups for my power lifting.

Today's WOD:

Snatch: 95x5, 115x3, 135x3, 155x3 (PR), 160x3 (PR)

Weighted Pullups: 0x10, 70x3, 90x4 (PR)

5 Rounds of:

5 Hanging Leg Raises

10 Clean and Jerk 95#

15 Deck Squats

EDIT::: The met-con was a disaster. I finished the first round fine but my lower back felt very, very, very tight. I DNF'd after the second round. My lower back felt like it was seizing up. I don't know how I can fix it, maybe some massage therapy is necessary, but I may need to be more careful with my pick of weighted lifts in met-cons if I don't want to be DNF'ing every other WOD.

Random "Side Effects" of a Paleolithic and Low-Carb Diet

In this article, I'm going to go over some of the less touted effects that the Paleo diet has had on my life/body. The Paleo diet is well known for disease prevention and general health, not as much for the effects I'm going to discuss today. That's why I'm calling them "side effects," but they are absolutely not just collateral effects.

For anyone unfamiliar with the Paleo diet, watch this video.

1. Teeth/Mouth

It's well-touted that the Paleo diet has a positive effect on our teeth. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors all had healthy, strong teeth, and didn't have toothbrushes or toothpaste to clean up with.

Let me give you my own personal experience. As a child, like many of you, I drank a lot of pop and ate a lot of junk and refined carbohydrates. I also grinded my teeth in the night. As a result, when I was in my early teens my teeth became incredibly sensetive. Often, so sensetive that I couldn't chew any hard food with my back teeth, I had to kind of nibble on it at the front of my mouth to break it down. Sometimes for days on end. NOT good.

Around two years ago when I went Paleo, this pain went away. Nothing bothers my teeth anymore, not even after I cheat. After I would go out drinking before, my teeth would be sore for days, but not anymore. My dentist has told me that he is "shocked" that I have no pain, because the enamel in my back molers is almost entirely eroded away. He says he is surprised I can even eat.

Another thing I've noticed since going Paleo is that my breath is good all the time. Even when I'm hungover (like now), I don't have that horrible after-bender-booze-breath. I used to not go ANYWHERE without gum in my mouth. I was constantly chewing gum. If I accidently drove to school without a pack in my pocket, I would drive home to get some or stop at a store. It was bad. But now, nothing. Even if I don't brush my teeth in the morning it's still "neutral."

"Ewww, JO, you don't brush your teeth?? You're disgusting!!!"

Relax, I still brush my teeth twice a day, but I really don't know if it's necessary. The foods you eat on a Paleo diet actually seem to have a "cleansing" effect. For example, I always eat almonds/nuts before my other food. Often little chunks get stuck in my teeth, but then after eating my meat and fruits/veggies after my teeth are perfectly clean. Try it yourself. Eat some almonds, see how much junk is in your teeth, then eat an apple and see how clean they are.

Good breath and healthy teeth? Check.

EDIT::: When I say it may not be necessary to brush twice a day, I don't mean everyday. I don't have that kind of expertise. I just mean you can probably get by just fine if you miss a day or a brush every now and again (which you can anyways, even on a non-Paleo diet, but your teeth will still seem totally clean on Paleo).

2. Skin

You've all seen the commercial for Accutane right? "People say I eat too many chocolate bars" yeah? The doctors say that diet has no effect on acne, and it's all hormonal right?

"JO, I don't wanna hear about your gross face and bacne. And you're not a dermatologist."

I know I'm not a dermatologist, but listen to my story.

I've always had a little problem with pimples. Never really bad acne like some, but when I was in my early teens (surprise) and all those hormones started raging, I'd usually have at least one or two noticable pimples on my face. My back was quite bad for a couple of years (it still isn't perfect), to the point where it was almost embarassing to take my shirt off.

Big facial pimples went away after a couple years, but not little blackheads, nor the junk on my back.

A year ago, last summer, was the first summer I'd had while eating Paleo. And I noticed something. My back was clear. Like, completely. I was sweating like a beast doing Crossfit and often wouldn't be able to shower for 45min after a workout due to the school's location. You'd think sitting in all that sweat I'd have bacne like nobody's business right? Nope.

During my injury, I slacked off a bit with my diet. I was eating out more, cheating a couple times a week, etc... I noticed it. My back got bad again. Now that I'm back hardcore Paleo, guess what? Clean back.

Diet has nothing to do with it? That's what the dermatologists will tell you. But they also wouldn't have a job if everybody ate a clean diet, and wouldn't be able to sell you Accutane. I don't think that dermatologists have bad intentions and are conspiring, quite the opposite, but this is just how the profession views the "problem;" as being unrelated to diet, which quite simply, can't be true.

3. Energy

When I went to the chiro to get my back fixed, and he found out he was in law school, he asked me:

"JO, how many cups of coffee a day? Three? Four?"

"Zero."

"No coffee? What's your drug?"

"Diet and the gym. And maybe a cup of green tea if I want to feel like a ninja."

I made it through first year of law school without one cup of coffee. I don't drink coffee. I have more energy than most people I know. I wake up naturally around 7:20am everyday without the use of an alarm clock, and I feel good and ready to conquer the day.

Eating a low-carb, Paleo diet will greatly increase your energy levels at all points of the day, and there's not much else to say. If you feel tired and lethargic and worn out and exhausted, try going Paleo. I promise in a couple of weeks you'll feel fantastic.

4. Gas

Like gas? Didn't think so. Nobody does.

I am a guy, in case you didn't know, so I know a thing or two about nasty gas.

I'm not going to get into the details. Go Paleo, say goodbye to gas. Passing gas will become the exception, not the rule, and you'll be surprised if it ever smells bad. No more Immodium or Gas-X, no more embarassment. Again, don't take my word for it, try it yourself.

Of course there are an infinite number of more significant benefits of the Paleo diet, but you can find those with a quick Google search. I wanted to write this to give you some real, tangible, "bonus" effects of the Paleo diet.

What are you waiting for? Go kill a pig and roast it.

JO out.

PR's!!!

BW: 164 (-3 PR, -6 Goal)

I felt good today, like I had lots of energy and strength. Going into the gym I was pretty confident I'd get a 170 snatch and my old PR of 235 clean and jerk.

Snatch: 95x3, 115x3, 135x2, 155x1, 170x1 (Old PR), 175x1 (NEW PR 1), 180x1 (NEW PR 2)

Clean and Jerk: 135x3, 185x1, 205x1, 225x1, 235x1 (Old PR), 240x1 (NEW PR)

45# Pullups: 12 (PR or -3 PR, can't remember...)

45# Dips: 10 (-2 PR)

I did split snatch and on 180 I caught the bar with my knee touching the ground it was so low! I did split cleans for 235 and 240. 235 was harder than 240. I feel like I had 245 in me, but 2 PR's were enough for one day.

I think the big difference for me has been really focussing on JUMPING as high as I can at the beginning of the jerk. Also, I have been taking 3-4 deep breaths in between the clean and the jerk. The cleans have felt easier too. I think my old PR for just clean is 250. 240 clean felt easy, since I came back I haven't once been worried about failing a clean in a lift, only the jerk. So I am feeling pretty good right now!

The interesting thing is I have NOT plateaud since I have been doing Catalyst Athletics. Having said that, I was injured and just recently got back lifting heavy. It'll be interesting to see if I can keep adding 5lbs or so to my lifts every couple of weeks.

I'm gonna rest tomorrow since I need to get a haircut after work, and probably saturday since I am drinking heavily tomorrow night. Expect a new article on one of the days, I'm happy to take requests.

Love, peace, and hairgrease, JO.

Almost Back

BW 166 (-1 PR, -4 Goal)

Snatch: 95x3, 115x3, 135x3 (easy)

Clean and Jerk: 135x3, 155x3, 185x3, 205x3 (old PR, but felt much easier)

Back Squat: 135x5, 225x3 (just wasting time waiting for buddy)

My olympic lifts are feeling amazing. I can't wait to break some new PR's in a couple weeks. Maybe 215x3 or 240-245x1 for CJ. Snatch, maybe 175 soon. My technique is improving a lot.

5 Rounds:

10x Box Jumps

10x Kettlebell Swings 45#

10x Pullups

(I made it through sprinting, all sets unbroken)

I dragged my buddy Dan to the gym (incredible athlete from University of Florida, made it to state championships wrestling in high school, played in the world championship for baseball) today. Dan is jacked from "bodybuilding" but I don't give him a hard time about it, because it's worked for him. He still does isolation movements, but was warming up with 225# bench for 10 reps.

I got him to do the met-con burner with me, and obviously he struggled, but made it through. He wasn't using his hips for the KBS which slowed him down a lot and his arms burnt out, and he was unable to do the pullups every round, but a very solid effort considering he hasn't done any met-con in ages, nevermind a Crossfit WOD. If he did Crossfit for a couple months he would be a freak, no doubt.

Finished off with:

45# Dips: 10, 5

Only because Dan went and did some more bench after the met-con... freak.

Substitutions

WOD I was supposed to do today:

1x Power Snatch
1x Power Clean and Jerk

4x:
5 box jumps
10 kipping pull-ups
30 sec rest

But I went out last night, drank some Smirnoff Ice, and didn't get to sleep until 4:30am, so here is the WOD I am doing instead:

WOD: 1lb of bacon, not for time.

40g protein, 50g fat (20g saturated, 20g monounsaturated, 10g polyunsaturated).

WOD

BW: 162

Snatch x3: 95, 115, 135

Clean and Jerk x3: 135, 165

Back Squat x2: 225, 275 (PR = 275x5)

45# Pullups: 12, 6 (PR = 15)

45# Dips: 8, 4 (PR = 12)

Hanging Leg Raises (Toe to Bar): 10, 10

According to CA this is supposed to be an "easier" week for some recovery. I made the WOD a little bit harder than it was supposed to be. I am feeling my strength and explosiveness really coming back now. I did regular snatch and CJ today, not split, and my hips are flying under much faster now, and I can feel myself getting a really big hip extension.

I am still being careful with back squats. I can feel my injury a little when I go heavy, but it doesn't hurt. We'll see what happens. I love doing heavy back squats...

I'm thinking about giving this a shot though, just to keep things interesting and really test myself:

Attack Cardio with Vinnie Jones from Vinnie Jones

It's All In The Hips; Why Powerful Hips = Healthy You

Old Chubbs really did say it best in Happy Gilmore:

"It's all in the hips... It's all in the hips..."

"But, JO, what exactly do you mean by that? I do lots of things in my daily life that don't involve powerful hip extension or flexion."

You may think so, but in reality, pretty much anything you do in life is going to require some hip action: from the mundane to the athletic. By training your hips to become strong and powerful, you'll not only be a better athlete in every way shape or form (really, any athletic movement is going to require powerful hips), but you'll also be able to continue performing day to day tasks until your ripe old age, and avoid ending up in one of these where you are unable to care for yourself or your family:

Below are a couple of of relatively average everyday activities that require the use of the hips, which you may not think do at first:

Picking Stuff Up:

Anytime you need to bend over and pick something up from the ground, you're going to be "closing" or "flexing" your hips. Guess what? To stand back up, you're going to need to "open" or "extend" your hips. Whether it be a load of laundry for your family, a box of files at the office, a bag of groceries you put down in order to open a door, an infant or pet that needs attention, you name it. If you want to pick it up, you're going to need some hip action.

Getting Off The Toilet:

This applies to getting off a chair, sofa, out of bed in the morning, or whenever you need to stand up after sitting down. Again, the closed hips are circled. If you want to get off the toilet, you're going to need to extend those hips.

"But, JO, this isn't a big deal. I can install one of those metal handles like grandma and grandpa have in the bathroom so that I can pull myself up after I take a ____!"

Yeah, you absolutely can. But what happens if you want to, you know, leave your house? What happens if you're out and about and nature calls, and you need to use a public restroom which isn't as well outfitted for your "handicap"?

And still, you need to get in and out of the car, right? Out of chairs and beds?

What about travelling? Don't you want to take what's left of your 401(k) and explore the world after you retire? Think of all the places you need to sit down and stand up.

If you want to be free and enjoy life, make sure you can at least get off the toilet by yourself.

OK, now let's get on to some more athletic movements. Don't even think about being able to do any of these without at least some hip strength, and don't even think about being able to do any of these well without powerful hip strength:

Running: Like running? Yeah me too. Like running fast? Yeah, me too, even more.

Notice the hips. Everytime a leg is lifted up the hips close. Everytime a leg is shot down into the ground to create and transfer momentum, the hips extend: powerfully. The faster and more powerfully a person can flex/extend their hips, the faster they're going to be able to run.

Golfing: Like playing golf? Yeah that's what I thought. This is a bit of an easy one, because we already knew from Chubbs that it's all in the hips (well, for putting at least).

Like any athletic movement, a golf swing begins in the core (hips) and finishes with the extremities (arms). You generate the power from your hips, and transfer it eventually to your arms, and then to the ball.

Try hitting a golf ball without using your hips and see how far it goes. You'll be lucky to make it off the teeing area.

You can apply this exact concept to other "swinging" techniques, such as hitting a baseball, throwing a football, or swinging a tennis/squash/racquetball racquet.

Don't consider yourself an "athlete"? How about playing fetch with a dog or catch with your kid. The ball isn't going to go too far if you don't have strong hips, and it will be a pretty... "subpar" game if that's the case.

Punching: The first thing we tell our students is that power in a punch comes from the hips, and not from the extension of the arm. Again, core to extremity: begin with the hips, transfer to the arm, and finish in your attacker's face.

"But, JO, I'm not a fighter and I'll never need to punch anything."

You never know when you're going to need to punch something. I'm not going to get into the concept of self-defense here, but you never know when someone is going to attack you. Sometimes it may not be as simple as giving them your wallet, they may want something else like your body or your life, at which point you're going to need to take action or become a victim.

You won't be taking much action without powerful hips.

"JO, I'm still not convinced I'm going to need powerful, strong hips on a day to day basis. Isn't there some activity you can show me that will really drive the point home?"

Of course there is.

And no, I'm not talking about cuddling/spooing.

Want to keep having sex as long as possible (I mean age wise, but I guess this applies to duration as well), nevermind being good in the bedroom? You better hope you've got some healthy, strong hips.

Bare with me (pun intended), what are some of the "action words" associated with sex? "Thrusting," and "pumping" are a couple that come to mind, because really, that's all that sex is. Women, before you think this doesn't apply to you, if you want to do anything except the "blowup doll" (lie there not moving), you better have some decent hips as well. See Exhibit A below:

Not going to be too much fun for anybody unless you can use your hips, will it?

There are an endless amount other activities that require the use of the hips. Jumping, climbing, tackling, skiing, dancing, and biking to name a few. Truly, you'll be hard pressed to find a natural movement that doesn't require the use of the hips.

So if you want to live a full, active, and healthy life, and avoid being sent to a nursing home because you can't take care of yourself, make sure you train those hips. I'll leave you with some pictures of exercises that train the hips, and some that don't:

Clean and Jerk: Trains incredible speed and power in the hips. Notice the flexion and powerful extension at numerous points during the two movements.

Squat (Front, Back, or Air): The quintissential movement to train your hips. The most natural thing you can do: sit down and stand up, with or without weight. Air squats will keep your hips healthy, but if you want strength and power, you're going to need to go heavy.

Deadlift: Along with the squat, one of the most natural and basic ways to train hip extension. Translates well to life, because anytime you need to pick something up, you're doing a deadlift.

Kettlebell Swings: Perfect for training real drive and thrusting action in the hips.

Kipping Pullups: Great for training hip speed and power, requires a big extension followed by quick flexion.

There are many more, but these are a good start. For fun, let's take a look at some traditional "bodybuilding" movements and see how many of them are isolation movements that don't train the hips:

Bicep Curls: No hips. Isolation movement.

Shoulder Shrugs: No hips. Isolation movement.

Tricep Extension: ...

Pec Flies: ...

Calf Raises: ... I'm sensing a pattern...

Tricep Pulldown: ...

Leg Extension: ...

Hamstring Curl: ...

Benchpress: No hips. (The benchpress is still a compound movement, and a good tool for strengthening your upper body's pushing ability; however, there aren't too many situations in life where you're supported on a bench pressing something straight up and down.)

You'll be hard pressed to find any sane person doing any of the above motions outside the gym.

And there you have it. Go out and train those hips, so that you can be happy, healthy, and most importantly, an animal in the bedroom.

Love JO.

Getting Back...

BW: 164lbs

WOD:

1x Snatch

1x Clean and Jerk

3x:

80m Sprint (Incline 3, Speed 10)

10 Pullups

10 Burpees (Touching Bar)

Snatch = 170 (Split, PR)

CJ = 230 (Split, Split, -5 PR)

My olympic lifts are both getting back up there. I feel like I have 175 Snatch (new PR) and 235 (Old PR) CJ next week.

This met-con was a burner. I haven't been huffing and puffing so hard in a while... Burpees really take it out of you. I was going extra hard because I noticed a hot girl watching me, always good motivation ;)