Energy Systems

Have you ever wondered why workouts are programmed the way they are? Lets take a tabata workout for example. Whats the purpose in mind? Well we will be taking an in-depth look at the 4 energy systems available in this article. ...

If we look at an energy system standpoint we will find that the ATP-PC provides us with short term energy. This is used between 0-20 seconds for explosive movements. Some say it can be extended to 30 seconds, but if you look at sprinting specifically the acceleration decreases at 20+ seconds. This primarily utilizes and can resynthesize the ATP stores when rest is included. To isolate this system one should rest for a ratio of about 1:16 (work to rest).

The next is anaerobic glycolysis which ranges from 30 seconds to about 120 seconds. This system continues to burn carbohydrates and can be targeted in workouts such as Fran. Fran is an example since this should be achieved in about 2 minutes and not 10+ minutes. This workout should be scaled appropriately to utilize this system. To target this system a rest interval should be about 1:8.

The next is aerobic glycolysis which extends from 2 minutes to nearly 4 minutes. This primarily utilizes glycogen for fuel. An AMRAP (As Many Reps Possible) in 3 minutes will target this. This can be targeted with a ratio of 1:4 (work to rest).

The last is the aerobic/oxidative system which can sustain activity from 4 minutes to however long a duration might take. A 5k for example will utilize this system. Rest for this duration should be short until the total work is accomplished.

We hope this gives a simple idea of how we utilize our energy systems for various activities.

Holiday Eating/ Strategies For Dieting

With the holidays coming up and thanksgiving only being a week away most of us will be with friends and family. This means theres a high chance that we will be eating all the food that comes with the holiday as well. You must be thinking "but how do I stay on track and not indulge in too much comfort food?". Well in this article we will be covering a few ways to prevent the holiday munchies from engulfing you.

We recommend fueling for your performance, but we realize that it is the holidays and in reality we are not perfect. This is why we included an option/ Idea for those who want to eat a little holiday food as well. This article will provide a few ways to stick to a diet, as well as other methods.

If you are traveling to a different location for thanksgiving day dinner and you know there won't be any healthy food, meaning food that doesn't meet your diet/lifestyle. A way to go might be food prepping the day of or night before. This will allow you to be with friends and family while still being able to eat the food that is right for you.

Another option which is not as ideal could be to eat a small meal prior to traveling to dinner. This will settle our appetite and in return lead us to eating less food at a different location.
If you are eating a home and you do have some lean food still available, but still want to eat some stuffing and pie. Maybe limit your intake and eat a little more veggies, protein, etc than the pie, stuffing, etc.

Another possibility is that if you know you are going to eat something that is not that healthy, such as pie, maybe think of either reducing the size by half or using a smaller plate. This will allow you to eat something that you enjoy, but limits the amount you will be intaking. This is an option if you know you are definitely going to eat something that doesn't meet your diet/lifestyle.

We hope these ideas might help for the holidays, but remember the important thing is to spend the time with loved ones. We hope everyone has a happy thanksgiving!

Have You Thought About Competing?

"Have you thought about competing?" I'm sure you've probably heard this from a friend or family member at some point during your fitness history. For many it could be intimidating or even in all honesty it could be a little scary to compete for the first time. The great thing about competing is that there are various events throughout the year that take place. Plus lets say if you need to usually scale movements, a scaled division might be perfect if available for that competition. From multiple day events to single meets there is a perfect one for you. Lets take a look at some possible events that may be available:

Multiple day events:

CrossFit Open:
5 WOD's released over 5 weeks
Cost - $20
Every year starting at the end of February and ending in March, CrossFit releases a new WOD that athletes will be able to do at every affiliate or at home, to see where they stack up against other CrossFitters in the world.

Kill Cliff Granite Games:
3 day WOD event
With multiple divisions such as Teens, Womens, Mens, and Masters there will be heats that run through each day that consists of WOD's and a floater.

Single day events:

Olympic weightlifting meets:
These are usually a single day event consisting of multiple athletes attempting to establish a max lift in either the Snatch or Clean & Jerk.

Battle of the Boxes:
1 Day event
Consists of 3 WOD'S and 2 floaters.
This event hosted by CrossFit MOB tests the fitness capacities of multiple teams from various CrossFit affiliates. This event is held in April allowing teams to compete.

Battle of the Badges:
1 Day event
Consists of 3 WOD'S and a floater.
Hosted by CrossFit MOB, this event is held to honor Jessica Ridgeway and her family by bringing the community together for a great cause. This event is a team event and makes use of heats. This is held in October.

Turkey Challenge:
2 day event
Consists of 3 WOD's and a floater.
This type of an all day event requires an athlete to not only be ready for one workout, but multiple throughout the day. This event specifically makes use of teams and individuals with the pro, open, and master divisions.

Colfax Marathon:
2 day event
Date: May 20th, 21st
Starting from Sports Authority Field runners will run a max distance of 26.2 miles and finish at the Denver Zoo.
The events are:
5k, 10k, 10 miler, half marathon, marathon
*This event purely consists of running with no obstacles included. This can be done as a relay team or as an individual.

Spartan Race:
2 Day event
Distance: 8-10 miles
Date: May 14th, 15th
Divisions: Elite, Morning, Afternoon
Releasing in waves of 250 athletes every 15 minutes, this race tests your stamina as well as strength with obstacles that require, but not only limited to; climbing over, crawling under, pulling, pushing, and carrying objects.

***We listed events that are available for multiple days, but are typically only done once by athletes. This is different than a competition requiring athletes to compete across multiple consecutive days.

As you can see there are various types of events in which you can compete in. From a CrossFit style event, to a long distance run, or a weightlifting meet, and even an obstacle course there is always an event that meets your abilities.

There are essentially two big parts to every competition/ event and those are the athletes and the volunteers that make it possible. The volunteers play such a huge role in setting up and enabling the "fun" to go as smoothly as possible. From setting up, to judging, recording, maintaining the area, to even helping clean up after all the excitement is over, a volunteer shows how crucial their support is.

If you decide to take part in competing or even lending a helpful hand, there will always be a spot for you. We listed only a snapshot of many events that are held throughout the year. We hope this article may inspire you to test your fitness in a positive and fun way!

Common misconceptions and the benefits of Youth training

Have you ever heard the sayings "you have to wait till you're 13 to lifts weights" or even that "weight training is dangerous for kids" as well as "weight training will stunt a youth's growth". Well I have throughout my life. For many of us we have most likely heard a similar thing curving us away from using weights or exercising in general as kids. We heard it from our teachers, coaches, and parents.

 

The point of when I started questioning these ideals was during college. My personal fitness  program offered an in depth look at all aspects of fitness ranging from nutrition, mind body applications to even youth and adolescent training. What caught my attention was that even though these chapters of our text books were short compared to the rest of the manuals provided by NASM and ACE there were benefits listed  regarding youth fitness training. This of course includes weight training as well. Another big or even prominent advocator for youth training is CrossFit. This is apparent with their push for CrossFit classes at a local box near you.

 

The myth of a child resulting in not growing normally from weightlifting is false. In fact it can help improve their ability to accelerate and decelerate their own body effectively. This in return helps them become safe and strong with great movement mechanics. Furthermore the early adoption of exercising can help define their future and guard against obesity, diabetes, and other negative conditions.

 

A program such as CrossFit that introduces the 3 main modalities such as gymnastics, weightlifting, and conditioning can reinforce excellent movement patterns. The goal is to provide a fun, safe, and interesting class for them. If they are participating in sports, they will notice the transferability of movements learned in these type of courses. One of the big things that many trainers look out for is the growing pains in adolescents and the awkward movement patterns generated from this. Since a teen for example can grow a few inches in just a month or less. Their proprioception will in result be changed, but their understanding of the movements will not. They may need specific training to adjust to their recent body growth however, this just further shows how important it is for an adolescent to have a coach. I recommend checking out "Game Ready Fitness" if you are in the Thornton/Westminster area. Coach Mary and Coach CJ are experienced leaders and are ready to help young individuals find their athletic potential. Feel free to contact a coach at: gamereadyfit@gmail.com

Game Ready Fitness (Youth Sports Performance)
Class Schedule:
Tuesdays: 7pm
Thursdays: 7pm
Saturdays: 10am
Sundays: 10am

 

http://www.ptonthenet.com/articles/myths-and-facts-about-youth-training-3953

 

Take a look at the link above to see another article regarding youth fitness. For a further in depth discussion on this topic, feel free to check out our latest podcast episode below.

 

http://www.podcasts.com/level-up-711ac0ce6/episode/Episode-3-Talking-Fitness-w-Coach-Mary-807a

Why To Mix Up Our Programming

When we do various things most of us want the ability to specifically measure results. Take fitness for example, CrossFit defines this as work capacity across broad time and modal domains. In other words how much work can you do with varying movements and time limits. There are bench mark workouts such as Fran, Cindy, Elizabeth, and Diane that test our fitness with different movement stressors. The goal is to improve our weakness being pullups, squats, or even building muscle in the hamstrings, glutes, rhomboids, or even the lats. Please note that this differs with every person because we all have different goals and backgrounds in fitness.

For most of us CrossFitters that do the program, we tend to only stick to doing the WOD's everyday. This happens and is not a negative thing, but we do like variation right? The point that I am getting to is recommending to try out a different class every once and a while to see how you perform. Take our BFIT classes for example. This high intensity, core stengthening, and weightlifting program offers a new take on defining our fitness. BFIT consists of a mixture of full body movements and isolated strength building exercises. The program is scalable and can be tailored to everyone's limitations or abilities. The added benefit is that this energetic class is non intimidating compared to that of CrossFit.

The reason why this program may be beneficial to try is that it tests our skills in a different way than CrossFit does. This is achieved with different pieces of equipment that are utilized such as the dumb bells in place of the barbell. BFIT aims at improving our oxygen utilization while providing shorter duration interval style workouts that last between 50 to 60 minutes.

The importance of mixing up your modalities of fitness is key to finding and strengthening our weaknesses. Try testing this recommendation out to see how you perform and don't forget to tell us what you thought.

Slam Ball Uses and Technique

Relief method for frustration or just a just fun way to train. The slam ball can be applied to various methods such as slams, carry's, throws, and lifting. The purpose of the slam ball is to utilize power generated from our hips (core) and transferred to the extremities. In the next section we'll go over the technique for the slam ball movement.

 

For slam balls the technique starts with the start position. The ball should be placed between the feet. Feet just wider than hip width. Feet slightly turned out. Now from this base of support think of squatting down with the chest up and a flat back. This should replicate the Clean starting position. From here grab the ball with extended arms and proceed to stand up out of the squat with hips and shoulders rising at the same time. At this point we will reach a full extension of our hips thus creating the power to lift the ball efficiently. From here we will shrug and high pull the ball to either catching in the racked position or pressing the ball directly to overhead without pausing in between. Once the ball is overhead we will actively slam the ball to the ground between the feet. The ball will make a bounce and can be caught on the rebound. This catch will allow us to utilize the momentum already generated to our advantage. From here we will simply repeat.

 

For carry's the best way is to rest the ball on the shoulder will running or walking. If the ball is held in the racked position we will fatigue our biceps and erector spinae (located in the lower back). Fun tip: to take the oblique's and the rectus abdominus try walking a distance with the ball on the shoulder. Something mid weight will promote more of a calorie burn since we can cover a longer distance with a medium-heavy weight.

 

For throws we must reach a full extension of the hips to generate the most power. For throws we can go by using a heavy or light weight. For a backwards throw a heavy weight can be utilized since we can use the squat set up position.

For a forwards and side/rotational throw a light to medium ball should be used. This is due to our ability to maintain form and not compensate by using muscles not primarily intended to be used.

 

Finally the lifting applications can be used for movements such as the clean and jerk, snatch, and bench pressing (one or two balls).

 

Keep in mind if you need a quick calorie burn or just a way to vent some steam, the slam ball is a great option to use.

The Hang Clean

For us CrossFitters were pretty used to doing various exercises such as the clean or hand stand push ups, but when it comes to whole movements such as the full clean or snatch there are versions that can be targeted. These "versions" are movements such as a drop snatch, a tall clean, and the hang versions for both. In this article we will cover the hang clean technique and why/how it can be useful to train in.

 

To begin a hang clean can be seen as taking a barbell or weight from knee height directly to the shoulder into the racked position. Sounds simple right? Well there's a actually very specific technique that we all train to be able to use the least energy as possible and move the most weight. This movement starts with the hang. The hands should be thumbs distance away from the thighs when standing. The finger technique in the hang is best used with the hook grip. Meaning clamping the thumb with the index and middle finger around the bar. From here our feet should be under the hips with a bent knee, weight in heels, flat back and in a hip hinge position. This should look like your shoulders are over the bar and the bar is at the knees with the glutes sticking back. From this position we simple will extend our hips and knees at the same rate with arms extended. Once we reach a full extension we will start to shrug and high pull the bar close to the body reaching chest height. At this point we will "pull" or "drop" ourselves under the bar into the racked position. This is where the bar is resting on our shoulders with the elbows up high in front of the bar. In this catching position we can maintain control on the bar using a couple fingers to allow the elbows to be raised. At this point in the catch we should be in either a full squat where our hips are just below 90 degrees or in a power position. This power position will mimic about the same position as the setup for the hang. We should catch with the feet in our squat position (just wider than hip width), weight in heels, knees tracking over the toes, glutes back, feet turned out slightly, and a flat back. After you have reached this catch position, simply stand up.

 

Benefits:

The hang clean can help us practice our pull under the bar and will be less than our full clean 1RM (1 Rep Max). If someone has a mobility issue getting down to the ground into the setup position, the hang can allow that athlete to train the same movement, but just at a greater height. This movement can also allow the seasoned athletes to practice the hip drive/extension to pull a greater amount of weight to the chest level.