–Epic low-fat pork rinds. I eat these a LOT. You can eat a whole bag and it has no carbs, 55 g of protein and 12 g of fat. They’re tasty and crunchy!

–Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries. No fat; not even very high in carbs. I like to mix them up when they’re in season and eat them by the cupful.

–Frozen mixed berries. Put a cup of them in a bowl, sprinkle with cinnamon and microwave for 30-60 seconds. Makes for an amazing treat!

–Pure protein bars. I don’t like to overdo it with the bars ’cause they’re essentially healthy candy bars … but who doesn’t like CANDY BARS??? These have a good macro ratio (better than most) with 20 g of protein and 17 g of carbs.

–Popcorn. I like to make it at home. I use avocado oil from Costco and put about 1/2 tablespoon of butter in the microwave (in a measuring cup like this one). It’s one of our go-to Saturday (and Sunday) treats that I always look forward to. If you want it done for you, get some individual-serving-size bags to keep you from overeating.

–Treats. I like to finish the day with some sort of treat after dinner. Usually, it’s two pieces of Dave’s Killer Bread (thin sliced) with Skippy on it. Sometimes if I really want to go wild, I’ll do one of these Justin’s peanut butter single packs in different flavors.

–Mind the macros. I’m always conscious of hitting my macronutrient numbers, which usually starts with protein. So I make sure I keep some high protein/low-fat options around like Sprouts pastrami, “Ascent” protein powder or the pork rinds above.

–If I need a quick and dirty source of fat, I take some liquid fish oil or macadamia nuts.

–For pure carbs, most fruit or dried fruit will do. Dried fruit is very dangerous, though—one handful can equal 3 apples.

–For the kids, I always keep little packs of apple sauce, lots of fruit, deli meat (Tiger loves salami), and a mixed-veggie tray we get from Costco.

–Go-to snacks: Epic jerky sticks or pork bags, Greek yogurt with fruit, avocado and balsamic vinegar. I always keep hard boiled eggs around and top with mayo and salt (also makes a cheap trip to Whole Foods instead of the hot bar). Celery and natural almond butter. For “purse snacks” for the family, I always keep Epic sticks and Marcona almonds from Trader Joe’s pn hand, and Jeffrey likes Rx bars. We keep pork rinds in the glove compartment!

Announcements

Summer of Skills:

Our next few skills sessions will be:

7/10: Running Skills with Jenny Maier*
7/17: Rowing with Lauren Nielsen*
7/24: Oly Skills (Jerk) with Nathan Loe*
7/31: Oly Skills (Clean) with Nathan Loe*
8/7: Oly Skills (Snatch) with Nathan Loe*

These are FREE for members.

*Advanced sign-up is required and space will be limited. Please sign up here.

Is there something you’re dying to learn more of? Please drop a line to [email protected].

Mark Freeman (of Freeman Technique, Cirque du Soleil, and Cal Gymnastics fame) will be running his clinics on Wednesdays at 5:45 a.m. Cost is $20 for members; $25 for non-members. Our regular 5:45-a.m. Group Coaching class will continue as scheduled.

Oakland Tri and Alcatraz Swim

Now that the Hero Challenge is done and dusted, the coaches are training for two upcoming events. More info to come, but the more the merrier! Give us a shout when you sign up!

1. The Oakland Triathlon: Sunday, August 18 (Coach Jay)
2. Odyssey Alcatraz Swim: Sunday, September 21 (Coach Heidi)

Outdoor Workout: Saturday, July 20

All athletes welcome, no CrossFit experience required. We’ll meet at Albany Middle School/Cougar Field. Classes at 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. FREE!

Workouts for the Week

Monday—TRAIN

“Rannie”
50-40-30-20-10
Double-unders
Sit-ups
400-m run after each round

A bit longer than the traditional Annie sprint, you’ll have to pace this to keep your double-unders together! This is a test of coordination and stamina. You should (hopefully) feel like this is all downhill after the 30s!

Tuesday—TRAIN/PERFORM

A. Back squat waves (TRAIN)
(on the 2:00)
8-6-4
65-70-75%

8-6-4
70-75-80%

You’re working up to something moderately heavy … backing off … then working up a bit heavier. Get tight and grease the groove in the early sets. Stick with these sets—the last 4 should be tough!

B. “Ballin’ Outta Control” (PERFORM)

2 Rounds:
50 wall balls (20/14)
25/20-cal row
at 10 min, start again.

10-burpee penalty on the spot each time you break the set of wall balls. TWO scores today—one for each round.

Staminaaaaa! Big test of muscle endurance, breathing, and efficiency. The more you wobble as you get tired, the worse this will get. Dig deep into the pain cave on this one and try to go unbroken on the wall balls for both rounds.

Let’s not use too much strategy here. Go for as many as you can. Let’s see what’s possible.

Wednesday—RECOVER

A. 3 Rounds:
40 s on/20 s rest
Row
T Push-ups
Walking lunges
Plank up-downs

B. 15-min AMRAP:
1 turkish get-up/side
Side shuffle 50′ right/50′ left
5 T2B

Work on stability in the TGU and scale T2B to something you can do in one set. Goal is to learn LINKING or practice these so you could do them in a workout.

C. Mobility

2 mins/side monkey bars of death
3 mins/side: scap scrub with LAX ball and slam ball or 25-lb. plate

Thursday—TRAIN

5 Rounds
1 min on, 1 min off
50-m farmers carry (53/35 per side)
Max plate hops in remaining time

2 mins to rest/reset

5 Rounds:
1 min on, 1 min off:
50-m sled push (sprint! Light)
Max slam balls (15/10) in remaining time

2 mins to rest/reset

5 Rounds:
1 min on, 1 min off
10/8 cal bike
Max burpees in remaining time

This one will be SPICY. Get the first part done AS FAST AS POSSIBLE (we are working on speed!) and push for a few reps of the slams, burpees or hops in the last few seconds. Sprint, rest, repeat.

Friday—TRAIN

A. Push press for load:
5 x 5 with 1-second PAUSE at top

Working on the lockout and the “reload” of the push press—that is, PAUSE for a breath at the top, control the position and the dip down. NOT a 5-RM, but a heavy, successful reload. This will help with solid barbell cycling under fatigue!

B. 15-min AMRAP:
10 pistols
15 push press (75/55)
200-m run

WOO WOO pistol practice!! We don’t get these often, and there aren’t a ton of them. Rest as needed before picking up the barbell to keep the 15 push press unbroken.

MissFit: Lateral box step-ups w/heel tap + 45/35 lb.

Saturday—TRAIN

In pairs, for time:
80 burpees

5 Rounds:
30 med-ball cleans
400-m run
30-cal row
30 KB swings

Cash Out: 80 Burpees

This is a fun little sandwich. Buy in with burpees, cash out with burpees. COMMUNICATE with your partner to make transitions fast. You do not have to split work evenly!! Perhaps alternate who rows/runs. Consider sets of 10-15 on med-ball cleans when fresh, and break them up more as rounds go.

Cap: 45 mins

Sunday—TRAIN (or REST DAY)

NorCal Classic Online Qualifier:

10-min AMRAP:
30 double-unders
10 snatches

*Add weight after each successful round.

Rx: (45/35) (65/45) (75/55) (95/65) (115/75) (135/95)
RX Insano: (75/55) (95/65) (135/95) (155/105) (185/125) (205/135)
MissFit: 15/20/25/30/35 # alternating DB power snatch; 60 single-unders

Another fun one from Larry Legend! Find a cadence with snatches when weights are light and try to stick with smooth, steady reps. Weights should start to get heavy in rounds 3-4, possibly taking you down to 2-3 sets to get through the 10. Stick with it! Should be fun!

The post Go-To Summer Snacks appeared first on CrossFit Hale.

Have you ever driven by CrossFit Hale and wondered what goes on inside?

Maybe you’ve seen friends post their workouts online in what looks like a foreign language and thought, “That’s way too complicated for me.”

Or maybe you’ve seen pictures of muscly men and women lifting barbells bigger than your sofa and assumed you wouldn’t fit in. It’d be too hard, too intense, too crazy for you.

But what would you say if we told you you’d hear more laughter than grunts in a class at Hale? 

That you don’t have to understand all the weird numbers on the board or how to do an exercise because our coaches are there to guide you every step of the way? 

That when we use barbells, everyone uses the weight that’s just right for them, whether that’s 10 lb. or 200?

Consider this our official invitation.

Check out what a class at Hale is like in the video above and stop wondering today. 

The post What Is a Class Like at Hale? appeared first on CrossFit Hale.

In this episode, Dee shares how CrossFit helped her get mentally and physically stronger after her mother’s death.

Dee: “Suck It Up and Drive On.”

Dee had been a cardio fanatic all her life, but when her mother passed away in 2013, she needed something different to distract her and help her process the loss. 

So she joined CrossFit Hale, despite never having picked up a weight before. 

“The first time you told me to jump on a box I looked at you like, ‘What?!’” she said to Coach Jay.

She’s faced many more challenges since then, from her first Murph to competing in the 2019 NorCal Masters competition, and says she’s only gotten better for it. 

“It was hard but it set off a trigger, I took it as a challenge,” she said of her first impression of CrossFit. “This is different and it’s difficult, but I want to learn how to do it.”

In this episode, you will learn:

• How embracing difficult things has made Dee better.
• How CrossFit has helped her improve her mental health and focus.
• The best piece of advice she’s ever received: “Suck it up and drive on.”

Links and resources for this episode:

• About CrossFit Hale
• NorCal Masters Competition

Thank you for listening!

Thank you so much for checking out our podcast!

Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below, or email us.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe via iTunes or Stitcher.

Subscribe via iTunes.

Subscribe via Stitcher.

Do you have a burning question you want answered? Click here and share it with us!

The post Living Better Podcast – Ep. 40 – Dee: “Suck It Up and Drive On.” appeared first on CrossFit Hale.

You don’t really appreciate the value of learning until you’re out of school.

Essays and exams kinda take the fun out of it.

Now that summer is finally here, we want to give you a list of our favorite books about fitness and life, with a couple of cool stories sprinkled in.

“Atomic Habits” by James Clear: The best book about habits ever written. It goes through the psychology and processes that hide behind all of our regular habits. If you struggle with consistency or procrastination, you gotta read this one.

“Grit” by Angela Duckworth: Talks about how developing grit (discipline) starts at an early age and how it impacts your life throughout your development. Also discusses how to develop it if you DON’T have it.

“Solve for Happy” by Mo Gawdot: Mo breaks down the story of his son’s death—the result of a medical mistake during a routine procedure—in a way that makes you relate to the pain while embracing hope. He reads the audiobook, and the emotion is palpable. I can’t recommend this book highly enough if you’ve suffered a recent loss.

“Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown: True story of a rowing team’s quest to make the 1936 Olympics. I’ve never been a rower, but this gets you inside one of the most team-oriented and mentally challenging sports in the world. The story is so well written that it feels like fiction. I won’t spoil the ending here, but suffice to say it’s the perfect summer read.

Guilty pleasures fiction: 

“Wayward Pines” by Blake Crouch and “Crazy Rich Asians” by Kevin Kwan: Not all reading has to be educational or thought-provoking. These two (and their sequels) are page turning, read-it-in-one sitting types of books. For me, these are the MOST satisfying type of fiction.

Wayward Pines is so good I don’t want to spoil it, but it starts with a secret service agent who wakes up in a small town not remembering who he is or where he came from … it goes NUTS from there.

Crazy Rich Asians is pretty much what is written on the cover … but the book is a great deal more detailed and interesting than the movie.

Reading is one of my great joys in life, both with Audible and on physical paper… I hope this list brings you some joy.

Do you have any great books you recommend?

Email me at [email protected] and tell me!

Coach “Bookworm” Jay

Announcements

Summer of Skills:

Our next few skills sessions will be:

7/3: (off for Hero Challenge)
7/10: Running Skills with Jenny Maier*
7/17: Rowing with Lauren Nielsen*
7/24: Oly Skills (TBD) with Nathan Loe*

These are FREE for members.

*Advanced sign-up is required and space will be limited. Please sign up here.

Is there something you’re dying to learn more of? Please drop a line to [email protected].

Mark Freeman (of Freeman Technique, Cirque du Soleil, and Cal Gymnastics fame) will be running his clinics on Wednesdays at 5:45 a.m. Cost is $20 for members; $25 for non-members. Our regular 5:45-a.m. Group Coaching class will continue as scheduled.

Hero Challenge: July 1-4

We’ll complete 4 Hero workouts in 4 days. It’ll be like the 12 Days of CrossFit, but shorter, sunnier, and perhaps a little heavier!

Check out the workouts below!

Guest Day at Hale: Saturday, July 6

All athletes welcome, no CrossFit experience required. Classes at 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. FREE!

Workouts for the Week

Monday—PERFORM:

“DUNN”
Complete as many rounds as possible in 19 minutes of:
3 muscle-ups
1 shuttle sprint, 5 yards, 10 yards, 15 yards
6 burpee box jump-overs (20 in.)

On the burpees, jump over the box without touching it.

WHAT!? New skill! This one will be heavy on the midline and POWER. Practice landing OVER the box with good footwork.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kielin Dunn, 19, of Chesapeake, Virginia, died on Feb. 18, 2010, while supporting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Dunn was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

His friends remember him for his passion and enthusiasm, which extended to athletic activities such as CrossFit and break dancing.

He is survived by his parents, Terri Dunn Campbell and Gary Campbell; sister, Nicole Campbell; and brother, Jonathan Campbell.

Tuesday—PERFORM

“DG”

Complete as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:
8 toes-to-bars
8 DB thrusters (35/25)
12 DB walking lunges (35/25)

We’ve done this one before! Simple, quick, and dirty.

U.S. Air Force Major Walter David Gray, 38, of Conyers, GA, assigned to the 13th Air Support Operations Squadron, based in Fort Carson, CO, died on August 8, 2012, from injuries suffered during a suicide bomb attack in Kunar province, Afghanistan.

He is survived by his wife Heather, daughters Nyah and Ava, and son Garrett.

The “DG” Hero WOD was first posted on CrossFit.com as the Workout of the Day for Thursday, December 26, 2013 (131226).

Wednesday–PERFORM

“Lumberjack 20”

For time:
20 deadlifts (275/185)
Run 400 m
20 KB swings (70/53)
Run 400 m
20 overhead squats (115/75)
Run 400 m
20 burpees
Run 400 m
20 chest-to-bar pull-ups
Run 400 m
20 box jumps (24/20″)
Run 400 m
20 DB squat cleans (45/35)
Run 400 m

This is a LONG chipper. If needed, pair up to take this one on! Just keep swimming!

On November 5, 2009, at 1:34 p.m., a terrorist named Major Nidal Hasan attacked fellow soldiers and civilians at Fort Hood, TX. He killed 12 soldiers and one civilian and wounded 43 others.

SPC Frederick Greene, 29, of Mountain City, TN, PFC Aaron Thomas Nemelka, 19, of West Jordan, UT, PFC Michael Pearson, 22, of Bolingbrook, IL, and SPC Kham Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, MN, along with eleven of the wounded were active CrossFitters in the 20th Engineer Battalion, home to Lumberjack CrossFit.

The “Lumberjack 20” Hero WOD was first posted on crossfit.com as the Workout of the Day for December 5, 2009 (091205).

Thursday—PERFORM

“Tommy V”

For time:
21 thrusters (115/75)
12 rope climbs
15 thrusters
9 rope climbs
9 thrusters
6 rope climbs

In honor of Senior Chief Petty Officer Thomas J. Valentine, 37, of Ham Lake, MN, who died in a training accident in Arizona on February 13, 2008.

The “Tommy V” Hero WOD was first posted on crossfit.com as the Workout of the Day for Wednesday, March 12, 2008 (080312).

Friday—RECOVER

A. Warm-up

15 mins for QUALITY:
50 single skips
30s/side box pigeon
10/side calf stretch
15 air squats

Hello, legs! Let’s recover from the last four days. Get ’em going!

B. Get Sweaty

15 min AMRAP:
50-m run
2 KB deadlifts
50-m run
4 KB deadlifts
50-m run
6 KB deadlifts

Etc.

Just moving today! Score is rounds completed (i.e. 8) + any additional reps (i.e. 57 for 50-m run + 7 reps).

Use this as recovery from the Hero Challenge. If this is your first day back, scale up to KB swings and move FAST!

C. Mobility

3 mins gut smash
2 mins/side glute smash
2 mins/side quad smash

Saturday—Guest Day

In pairs:
20-min AMRAP:
50 double-unders
20 MB weighted sit-ups
20 MB step-ups
20 partner push-ups

Share the work! Partner push-ups and sit-ups are done in tandem. For step-ups and dubs, one person works at a time. Simple, sweaty fun!

Sunday—TRAIN

Complete as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:
50-foot walking lunge
Max set of strict pull-ups
Max set of strict ring dips

Score is the number of pull-ups + ring dips.

Scale back to a TOUGH ring row (no more than 8-10 reps when fresh). Working on some strict strength today. Make each set count!

The post Hale Summer Reading List appeared first on CrossFit Hale.

Have you ever looked at your trainer flying on the rings or back-squatting your PR for reps and thought, “They are superhuman. I’ll never be able to do that.”

Well, guess what? They’re plain old regular human, just like you.

Did you know Coach Wendy “gets in her head” while weightlifting? Or that Coach Heidi spent her first six months of training falling on her butt trying to learn the overhead squat?

It might seem like they can do it all, but each and every one of them has a goal he or she wants to accomplish. In fact, one of the reasons CrossFit Hale coaches are so excellent is that they’re constantly learning and striving to better themselves.

Watch the video above to learn all about how your trainers deal with struggles, set goals and work on their own fitness—just like you.

The post Coaches’ Secrets appeared first on CrossFit Hale.

How Kenny lost 35 lb., gained a 450-lb. deadlift and stopped running from the camera.

Kenny Kicks Butt; Loses Gut

Kenny had been in great shape all of his life. He played football in high school and baseball in college.

But once he joined the working world, his fitness took a turn for the worse.

“Once I started working, I just started eating everything in sight, and I just lost control,” he said.

He’d make half-hearted attempts to hit the gym, but would usually pack up and go home after 10 or 15 minutes. He needed something more interesting than the treadmill.

Enter CrossFit. 

His first day at CrossFit Hale, Kenny watched someone doing double-unders. 

“‘Is the rope coming around twice?’” he asked himself. “I thought I was seeing things.” 

It wasn’t always easy, but he committed to training—even when he felt like he didn’t know what he was doing or when he finished a workout dead last.

Three and a half years later, Kenny’s the one rocking out the doubles—and a few other skills, too—and is down 35 lb. 

“Be patient, it will come,” he advised. “All you have to do is show up.”

Listen to the rest of Kenny’s story in Episode 39 of the Living Better Podcast.

In this episode, you will learn:

• How Kenny lost 35 lb. after joining CrossFit Hale.
• How he found balance with his diet.
• How fitness has transformed Kenny’s life in and out of the gym.

Links and resources for this episode:

• About CrossFit Hale

Thank you for listening!

Thank you so much for checking out our podcast!

Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below, or email us.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe via iTunes or Stitcher.

Subscribe via iTunes.

Subscribe via Stitcher.

Do you have a burning question you want answered? Click here and share it with us!

The post Living Better Podcast – Ep. 39 – Kenny Kicks Butt; Loses Gut appeared first on CrossFit Hale.

Human bodies are like cars: If you don’t move them enough, they get stiff, creaky, and develop lots of problems.

But even the best-cared-for car—or body—hits some bumps in the road. We get a few dings here and there, and with age and use, some parts need a little more TLC.

That’s where we come in.

Whether you’ve been sedentary for too long and have stiff, achy joints or you’re an active CrossFitter with the tight shoulders and hamstrings to prove it, a little mobility work goes a long way.

3 Ways to Relieve Lower-Back Pain

Relieve lower-back pain in less than 10 minutes per day with these 3 simple drills.

3 Ways to Relieve Knee Pain

Here are 3 simple drills you can use to help relieve knee pain and improve your performance.

3 Ways to Fix Your Shoulder

Our top 3 tips you can use to fix shoulder problems. Relieve pain and improve performance in just 10 minutes or less per day!

Warm Up Your Wrist—a Simple Way to Reduce Wrist Pain

Prepare your wrists for movement with these simple, 2-minute drills. If you have any wrist pain, this will get you ready, improve your mobility, and begin to resolve the long-term problem.

Keep On Trucking

If you’ve got just two minutes every day to do one or more of these drills, you’ll be well on your way to relieving pain, preventing injury and keeping yourself on the road for a long time to come.

Announcements

Summer of Skills:

Our next few skills sessions will be:

6/26: Improve Your Ring Skills with Wendy
7/3: (off for Hero Challenge)
7/10: Running Skills with Jenny Maier*
7/17: Rowing with Lauren Nielsen*

These are FREE for members.

*Advanced sign-up is required and space will be limited. Please sign up here.

Is there something you’re dying to learn more of? Please drop a line to [email protected].

Mark Freeman (of Freeman Technique, Cirque du Soleil, and Cal Gymnastics fame) will be running his clinics on Wednesdays at 5:45 a.m. Cost is $20 for members; $25 for non-members. Our regular 5:45-a.m. Group Coaching class will continue as scheduled.

Hero Challenge: July 1-4

We’ll complete 4 Hero workouts in 4 days. It’ll be like the 12 Days of CrossFit, but shorter, sunnier, and perhaps a little heavier!

Pace yourself a little more on this week’s training days. Be deliberate about practicing your skills. You’ll need ’em!

Guest Day at Hale: Saturday, July 6

All athletes welcome, no CrossFit experience required. Classes at 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. FREE!

Workouts for the Week:

Monday—TRAIN

A. Back squat 5×5

All sets at 80%. Just getting under some heavy weight. Focus on form and driving up into the bar each rep.

B. For time:
100 burpees
EMOM: 4 wall balls (20/14)

Find a strategy and stick to it.

Options:
GO SO HARD in the first 3 minutes (think 18-20 burpees), and then try to hold on …

OR

Maintain a steady pace and try to hit 12-15 per round and keep your breathing under control.

Either way, LEARN something about yourself today! Don’t let this be mindless suffering.

Tuesday—TRAIN

6 rounds for time:
15 deadlifts (135/95)
100-m run
-rest 30 s-
25 air squats
100-m run
-rest 30 s-

Rx+ (185/135)
MissFit (95/65)

Lift, run, rest. Squat, run, rest. Try to maintain intensity on your sets, and keep transitions short! Use your rest to catch your breath. This will be a big test of stamina. Plan to use a weight for deadlifts you can do unbroken for most, if not all, rounds.

Wednesday—RECOVER

A. 8 mins to get moving!
100-m jog
20-s side plank/side
10 bent-over KB row
Lizard walk

10 mins: Rope-climb skills

B. 15 min for QUALITY:
1 Rope Climb
3 Ring Dips
5-cal bike (AFAP)
Rest as needed to hit next round skill.

MissFit: Ring push-ups

Goal today is to work on rope climbs and dips under fatigue. Choose a scaling on one (not both) that’s DIFFICULT for you. If rope climbs, give yourself a target (legless, only 2 pulls, halfway attempt) that makes you FOCUS before hitting the rep. Bike cals and reps are low. GO HARD. Get RPMs as high as possible.

If you’re fresh from earlier this week, scale calories up to 10 and try for as many rounds and reps as possible

C. Quad Smash: 2 mins/side
Hip Flexor Stretch: 2 mins/side
Pec/Shoulder Smash: 2 mins/side

Thursday—PERFORM

A. 5-min EMOM:
3 power snatch—empty bar/PVC
–Stick your landing!!

B. 10 min EMOM:
2 power snatch

Work up to something heavy for the day. Take this part as “training.” Re-set on the ground between reps.

Make a few early, bigger jumps. As you near your max for the day, feel free to take a minute off before your next attempt.

C. “Randy”
For time:
75 Power snatches (75/55)

In honor of Randy Simmons, 51, a 27-year LAPD veteran and SWAT team member who was killed in the line of duty February 6, 2008.

The “Randy” Hero WOD was first posted on crossfit.com as the Workout of the Day for Wednesday, February 13, 2008 (080213).

Good technique will be rewarded-—the more efficient you are with footwork, the bigger dent you’ll put in the reps early on. Here are some options to break it up.

21-18-15-12-9
5 sets of 15
5 sets of 10, 8-8-7

Friday—TRAIN

For time, in partners:
200 double-unders
150 walking lunges
100-cal row
75 toes-to-bars
50 box jumps (24/20)
25 man-makers

HARD CAP at 40 mins.

It’s a long chipper today!! Little bit of grip and a tough finish with the man makers (Push-up, row, row, burpee, cluster). One partner works at a time. Again, take a skills focus into today. Scrappy, sloppy reps will NOT help you next week. Heavy on the “power” and midline. Get it!

Saturday—TRAIN

15-12-9
DB hang clean & jerks (45/35)
C2B pull-ups

MissFit: (35/20 + jumping pull-ups)

Bust out your tank tops. This is a QUICK, grippy sprint. Choose a weight for your DBs that you can put overhead 10 times when fresh. NO MORE than 2-3 sets as you work through these, and make rests FAST.

If not unbroken, aim for:
9-6
7-5
6-3 (or 9!)

Sunday—RECOVER

No Larry Special this week. RECOVER for the Hero Challenge!

A. 10 min for quality:
10 cal-row
5 breaths/side in Scorpion
Crab walk
20-s hang from bar

B. 5 rounds on the 3-minute mark:
200-m row
1 wall walk/10 plank shoulder taps
10 slam balls (25/15)

Remember, 40-50% effort today! You should have at least 30s-1-min rest between rounds, even at a casual pace. Goal is just to get moving and shake it out before the Hero Challenge.

Tomorrow, we throw down! Score is # of hrs of sleep you’ll get tonight! (Hint: 7 or more!! do it!)

C. 2 mins: barbell shoulder smash/internal rotation
2 mins/side: PVC/LAX ball first rib
2 mins: kitchen sink stretch

The post No Pain, MORE Gainz appeared first on CrossFit Hale.

They teach you to move.

They high-five you when you succeed and hug you when you struggle.

They make you do burpees.

They’re your coaches—but did you know that they’re human, too?

Many of them played sports before CrossFit, but not all. One is a scientist; two are former theatre geeks. One of your coaches once ate an entire large pizza by themselves.

Most were scared to try CrossFit at first—just like you might have been or might be right now—and every single one of them is passionate about helping people change their lives.

Check out the “Meet Your Coach” series on our YouTube channel to learn a little bit more about the people helping you get fitter every day.

The post Meet Your Coaches! appeared first on CrossFit Hale.

How Sarah Palmer DeFrank Rewrote Her Story

Sarah used to cry at her kitchen table after workouts. She thought she was no good, and couldn’t understand how it seemed so easy for everyone else.

That was more than three years ago, and today, Sarah is proud of what her body can do—she’s lost 60 lb. and gained 7 lb. of muscle, along with toes-to-bars and double-unders.

But the road hasn’t always been smooth.

In Episode 38 of the Living Better Podcast, Sarah shares how she changed the narrative of her life from depressed, overweight and unsatisfied to thriving physically, mentally and professionally—and how CrossFit helped along the way.

In this episode, you will learn:

• About Sarah’s tough past and depression after her mother’s death.
• Her struggles with inadequacy when she first started training.
• How she rewrote her story, lost 60 lb. and found happiness.

Links and resources for this episode:

• About CrossFit Hale
• Odyssey Open Water Alcatraz Swim

Thank you for listening!

Thank you so much for checking out our podcast!

Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below, or email us.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe via iTunes or Stitcher.

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Do you have a burning question you want answered? Click here and share it with us!

The post Living Better Podcast – Ep. 38 – How Sarah Palmer DeFrank Rewrote Her Story appeared first on CrossFit Hale.

In 2010, Mark Haub, a nutrition professor, ran an experiment to see if he could eat 1800 calories a day—with Twinkies and snack foods as the staple of his diet—and lose weight.

Turns out he lost 27 lb., and all of his key health indicators showed that he was getting healthier.

So, for July, we’re announcing the Twinkie diet challen—

Kidding.

Haub was almost apologetic it worked. He really doesn’t want people going out and trying the Twinkie diet.

But it just proves a basic hypothesis that doctors have been telling us for years.

Excess body fat leads to health issues, and to lose body fat, you need to eat fewer calories than your body burns.

Haub found that his cholesterol and other blood markers improved just by losing the weight, even though he was eating TWINKIES every day.

Eventually, he stopped because eating Twinkies 3 times a day sucks. It also takes a lot more discipline to limit yourself when your diet consists of snack foods.

But the bottom line is that it WORKS.

If your goal is to lose fat and get healthier, ANY diet will work!

Rule No. 1 of dieting is to eat fewer calories than you consume.

Rule No. 2 is to do it consistently.

Rule No. 2 is where things get hairy … 

It’s really hard to stick with a diet long-term.

Nutrition comes down to habits and behavior, so we come up with little tricks to help us stay on track.

Maybe you can get healthy if you …

Eat ONLY veggies.

Eat ONLY meat.

Eat ONLY between 12-8 p.m.

Eliminate gluten and dairy.

Have a green smoothie every morning.

People try these things, get results for themselves and a few friends, then they write books about their new diet revolution.

These diets become religion when tons of other people try it, then write blogs or show up on talk shows claiming their diet can solve all of the world’s problems.

But they’re not wrong …

Their diets DO work!

But if you understand the REASON they work, you can save yourself a lot of time …

Nutrition is all about behavior.

Your goal is to pick a plan that takes you forward toward your goals and is easy to follow for a long time.

Avoid the debates, keep it simple—just find something that works for you and stick with it consistently.

Coach Jay

PS – Obviously, everyone’s situation is different. We all have different goals, backgrounds, and health issues. We encourage you to find a plan that fits YOUR particular needs …

But ultimately, it always comes back to consistency. The perfect diet is useless if you cheat on it.

If you need help choosing your dietary weapon, Coach Wendy and Coach Tina are experts in behavior change. Email them at [email protected] for a free consult to help you sift through the noise to find something that works for you.

Announcements

Summer of Skills!

Our first rowing clinic was a hit! I saw many of you pick up some new cues and skills to help. Hopefully it made Thursday’s workout a little more fun!

Our next few skills sessions will be:

6/19: Improve Your Handstand Skills with Cullen
6/26: Improve Your Ring Skills with Wendy
7/3: (off for Hero Challenge)

Is there something you’re dying to learn more of? Please drop a line to [email protected].

Mark Freeman (of Freeman Technique, Cirque du Soleil, and Cal Gymnastics fame) will be running his clinics on Wednesdays at 5:45 a.m., starting JUNE 19. Cost is $20 for members; $25 for non-members. Our regular 5:45-a.m. Group Coaching class will run alongside.

Stay tuned: In the coming weeks we will have specialty courses on endurance, Olympic lifting, strongman, basic gymnastics, and more.

Hero Challenge: July 1-4

We’ll complete 4 Hero workouts in 4 days. It’ll be like the 12 Days of CrossFit, but shorter, sunnier, and perhaps a little heavier!

You’ll continue to see some Hero WODs sprinkled throughout the programming to get you prepped. This would be a great time to start working on some key skills—you may see some chest-to-bar pull-ups and other high-skill gymnastics, so get a jump on it!

Guest Day at Hale: Saturday, July 6

All athletes welcome, no CrossFit experience required. Classes at 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. FREE!

Workouts for the Week

Monday—TRAIN

A. Overhead squat for load:
5 x 3

Work up to a heavy 3 for today. You’re only as good as your positions on this one–full foot on the ground and strong shoulders will transfer over better to other movements, like the snatch. Stay tight, sit back, and hold on.

B. For time:
100 wall balls (20/14)

EMOM: 4 burpees

MissFit: 14/10

Breathe, and take BIG SETS on this one. Shoot for at least 20 reps in each of your first three minutes … get past halfway, and you can figure it out from there.

Tuesday—TRAIN

18-min AMRAP:
30 double-unders
10 front-rack lunges (75/55)
10 shoulder-to-overhead (press, push press, push jerk)

MissFit:
60 single-unders
Front-rack lunge 65/40
S2OH 65/40

The pump on this one should be pretty solid–try to keep the barbell work unbroken for each movement. Take a little extra rest before picking the bar up for shoulder-to-OH.

Wednesday—RECOVER

A. Warm-up

5 rounds:
45/35-lb. plate push
5 T push-ups/side
10 hanging shifts on bar

B. 15-min alt. EMOM:
Min 1: AMRAP strict pull-ups
Min 2: 10 HIGH box jumps (30/24)
Min 3: 250-m row

Score is the number of strict pull-ups. Aim for at least one big set each round, then hit singles as needed.

MissFit: Elevated ring rows

Good day to work on some higher-skill/strength movements. Stick those box landings and keep a reasonable pace. You’ll have to hustle on the row to have any time before the pull-ups, but don’t go TOO hard.

Choose a pull-up scaling you can do 5 of when fresh, but not 10. If you can hit 10 strict pull-ups, hold a weight between your feet.

C. Barbell arm smash:
2 mins/side biceps
2 mins/side forearm
2 mins/side triceps

Thursday—TRAIN

A. “Warm-Up Gone Bad”

3 rounds, 1 min each:
Bear crawl
Plate hops
Strict hanging leg raises
Bar pass-throughs
Burpees
Rest

By rounds 2 and 3, you should be hitting this at a good clip, but not going SO HARD. We’ll get you sweaty, but your primary focus today is learning and practicing the sumo deadlift.

B. Sumo deadlift for load:
5-5-5-5-5

5 sets of 5, all pulled as singles and CONTROLLED down to the ground. This means you REALLY have to get comfortable in the set-up. You’re not looking for a 5-RM. Just nail down the skill and find something heavy-ish.

Friday—TRAIN

3 rounds for time:
800-m run
30 KB box step-overs (53/35)
30 KB swings

MissFit:
KB box step-overs (35/26)
KB swings (35/26)

This one is a little bit of stamina, a little bit of endurance. Aim for a steady pace on your 800-m run and hopefully something you can maintain. The step-overs and KB swings are enough reps that you’ll need a breathing strategy. Keep moving!

Saturday—PERFORM

“David Markland”

5 rounds for time:
5 clean and jerks (135/95)
20 pull-ups
30 push-ups
40 sit-ups
50 air squats

MissFit:
Clean and jerk (95/65)
Ring rows

The clean and jerks should be the quick part! If weight is easy for you, go unbroken. This would be a good day to Rx the weight if you know you can do at least one. To scale: Complete in pairs.

Dedicated to Warrant Officer Class 2 David Markland from 36 Engineer Regiment who died in an IED blast in Afghanistan on February 8, 2010. This was WO2 Markland’s eighth operational tour of duty during his distinguished 20-year service.

Sunday—TRAIN

3 rounds for time:
15 power cleans (135/95)
15 thrusters
1000-m row

Again, a Larry special! This one is manageable as (but heavy, YES) prescribed for many of you. Scale down weight so that you can do the thrusters in 2 sets when fresh. Today is intended to be heavy, but if you just need to move and recover, scale back as much as you need.

(Header image: By Evan-Amos – Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14735063)

The post The Twinkie Diet appeared first on CrossFit Hale.