Black Box Fort Worth

We don’t talk much about Crossfit in the gym but the reality is, Crossfit is how i got into weightlifting and when done responsibly, can be a very powerful tool on someones path to reach their goals.

There is good and bad about Crossfit. I am not going to talk about that either today, rather, i want to highlight some BlackBox Members that you may not know. This weekend is the South Central Regional competition down in San Antonio and the African Regional in Joberg, South Africa. These competitions are meant to test for the fittest on the planet. While that topic can be debated (and should be) the reality is that the people competing have gone through very extensive preparation and have worked their asses off to get where they are. It shows in their training and in their lifestyle as all three of these BlackBox members are also gym owners and coaches.

The one you may be the most familiar with is Candice Ruiz. She is a Fort Worth local and a Crossfit Games veteran. She has been to the finals on California the last 3 years and is looking good for another showing this year. She has been training hard at BlackBox 4 days a week for the last 3-4 months and the progress shows in a big way. I am excited to see her get after it this weekend.

Chelsea Lewis is also top level competitor and has the fight of a champion in her. She lives in and works in the Woodlands where she also owns and coaches at a gym. She has made frequent trips to FW for training sessions and the progress we have seen over the last couple months has been fantastic. She has a knack for winning and this is in no way due to luck or chance. I expect big things out of her this weekend!

Mona Pretorious is my African Weightlifter turned Crossfitter (temporarily). Mona had a chance to go to the olympics last year but some politics and failure to qualify kept her at home for London. Not to worry, we have shifted focus to being competitive in Crossfit. She is naturally gifted in this and more importantly mentally tough. Her strength will help with the events but her heart will pull her through and I look forward to having her in Fort Worth and watching her in California.

I will be in San Antonio this weekend watching Candice and Chelsea at the South Central Regional and Following Mona on while she competes in Africa. It should be fun! You can keep track of their progress Here: Crossfit Games.

Workout:
Heavy KB swings x 6
Heavy Thrusters x 4-6
Followed by:
1000m row
50 thrusters
30 pullups

I know this is a bit late, but i wanted to update everyone on the meet results. Joe hit a Meet PR snatch and an all time PR Clean and Jerk or 94 kg.
I also hit a PR Clean but missed the jerk… 150kg.

Workout:
PP+Jerk x 2+1
GM x 8
Followed by:
10×15 sec sprints
Run, Row or Bike

BlackBox had a great showing on Saturday at the 2013 Lock and Load weightlifting meet.  We had lots of PRs and lots of hardware to take home.  I will wait to confirm PRs but i know Kris hit one in the snatch with 40kg and Anthony hit one in the snatch and Clean and jerk with 87 and 110.  Thanks to Kyle for coming up to support us and his programming over the last couple months.  I know it was hard and hurt a little but the hard work paid off in the end.  This week its back to work on technique with a deload from squatting .  Thank you also to Katie for the pictures and food that got us through the day.

A couple weeks ago we talked about the feeling of hunger and why that is important to overall normal hormonal function.  We also talked about how it is easily reset with a little vigilance and the noticing of your feelings.  Today i want to talk about how you feel relative to exercise.

We all exercise for difference reasons.  Some of you to look good, some to feel good, some to perform well.  Each of these will come with their own challenges and based on your goals, its likely you aren’t doing everything you can to reach them.  I’m not trying to pick at you, but lets be honest, we all need a good reality check every once in a while.

Exercise should feel good.  It should feel good to move your body through full ranges of motion, challenge your muscles with load and increase your heart rate and get your breathing rates up.  This should give you a good feeling after completing exercise and allow for some positive physical changes.

There is an issue, However; if exercise is something you HAVE to have to feel good.  If its something that enhances the good feelings you already have then its good, BUT if you exercise because its the only thing that will make you feel good then maybe its time to re-evaluate your exercise routine and lifestyle.

The release of feel good hormones during and after exercise allow us to continue to function after a hard training session but they also make us feel good.  The problem is that these hormones are not unlimited and there is a down side to reaching out to them too often.

The result is a dampening of these hormones at other times during the day which gives you the feeling of working out as a necessity to feeling good.  If you find that this is the way you look at exercise rather than a source of enjoyment or a step towards your goals then maybe its time to re-evaluate your training routine and lifestyle.  Want to talk about it? Come see me or one of your other coaches at BlackBox.  We love talking about Exercise and Lifestyle!!

Workout:
KB Snatch x 6
KB OVH Lunge x 6
Followed by:
3 sets
400m run
12 burpees
8 pullups
rest 5 min

Weightlifting:
Day 1:
Sn PP+OHS x 2+2
Sn Drop x 3
Sn Grip GM x 6

Day 2:
Jerk Step Through x 4
Jerk x 3
Jerk Dip x 3

Day 3:
Cl Pull Unders x 3
Hip Clean x 2
Clean Recovery x 3

Workout:
Super Set
Wt Step Ups x 6
Wt Pullups x 6
Followed by:
5 sets
Renegade rows x 8
Med ball throws against wall x 8
200m run

A month ago your BlackBox coaches went to Paleo FX down in Austin. There was alot of buzz in the fitness portion about Heart Rate Variability (HRV). HRV is a reading of the variability of your heart rate. Its not a heart rate but rather a measurement of the variations between beats.

HRV is important because as stress on the body increases, your HRV decreases. This allows you to measure your stress with a single number. As that number goes up over time, you are doing a couple things:

1. Training according to how your body is able to recover.
2. minimizing outside stressors such as work or emotional stress, sleep quality and quantity, nutritional hazards.
3. improving your aerobic base and creating a more efficient aerobic system.

Workout:
Super Set
Single Arm KB Clean and Jerk x 6-8
Single Arm OVH squat x 6-8
Plank 3x max time
Followed by:
5 min KB snatch test