Sean and I just got back from a four day babymoon at a wonderful resort just south of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  Majahuitas Resort is a wonderful eco-conscious haven nestled in a quiet cove accessible only by boat.  It boasts darling rustic casitas all with ocean views, amazing cuisine, and most importantly, no internet, phone, or television connections.  We were forced to unplug for the longest continuous period of time since I could remember.

At first I was worried we wouldn’t be able to hack it.  No emails, no facebook updates, and no way to ‘decompress’ by zoning out and catching up on my favorite shows.   However, we quickly got used to the simpler life, enjoying rocking in the hammocks, paddleboarding and kayaking over tropical fish, hiking in the jungle, and meeting some wonderful new friends.

What was most interesting, though, was their innovative way of using dozens of candles after sunset to provide light in the casitas, bathrooms, and even enormous chandeliers.  There were NO artificial lights (except the flashlights provided and emergency lights in your rooms if you chose to turn them on).  We found ourselves losing track of time and being able to sleep well over 8-10 hours each night, which is hard for us even on days that we would try.

It reminded me of Marcus’ post about the importance of “red” lights over “blue” lights in their influence on sleep cycles.  Of course, once again, I’m writing this before bed while simultaneously checking emails but I do have a newfound appreciation for the need to unplug from the world electronically, appreciate the beauty of a sunset, and enjoy connecting with friends in person and not over text or facebook.   We plan on trying this more often, if even just over a weekend while at home: no phones, internet, Xbox (yes, that includes Call of Duty), candles only after sunset.   Hopefully we’ll feel as recharged then as we do now.

WOD 03.20.12

RDL 5×3

Helen
3 Rounds:
400m Run
21 Kettlebell Swings
12 Pull Ups

CrossFit Virtuosity recognizes that most people are on the road visiting family and spreading cheer around the holidays and put together “12 Days of Christmas Workouts”

They leave no room for if’s and’s or but’s and even have a scale of times/reps to shoot for. Print our their PDF and take it with you or bookmark it on your handy dandy fancy phones and take some time out of your busy caroling and WOD it up!

Day 1: Tabatalicious

For each of 16 intervals, complete 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest alternating between air squats and push-ups. Count total number of squats and push-ups completed.

Good: 60/32, Better: 110/56, Best: 160/80

Day 2: Yay, Burpees!

100 burpees for time.

Good: 17m, Better: 12m, Best: 7m

Day 3: Up And Run

3 rounds for time:
Run 400m
50 sit-ups

Good: 12m, Better: 10m, Best: 8m

Day 4: Ab-ish

5 rounds for time:
5 push-ups
10 sit-ups
15 air squats

Good: 11m, Better: 8m, Best: 5m

Day 5: Know Jack

250 jumping jacks for time.

Good: 6m, Better: 4m, Best:2m

Day 6: As Fast As You Can

10 rounds:
30 second sprint
60 second walk

Day 7: Jump Start

50-40-30-20-10 reps for time:
Tuck jumps
Sit-ups

Good: 16m, Better: 12m, Best: 8m

Day 8: All Together

For time:
100 jumping jacks
75 air squats
50 sit-ups
25 burpees

Good: 10m, Better: 7m, Best: 4m

Day 9: Arms & Legs

5 rounds for time:
10 push-ups
20 walking lunges

Good: 16m, Better: 12m, Best: 8m

Day 10: Go-Stop-Go

For each of 8 intervals, complete 20 seconds of sit-ups and 10 seconds of rest. Count total number of sit-ups completed.

Good: 64, Better: 96, Best: 128

Day 11: Cardio Heaven

3 rounds for time:
200m sprint (about halfway around a city block)
25 push-ups

Good: 14m, Better: 10m, Best: 6m

Day 12: The Finisher

400 steps walking lunges for time.

Good: 20m, Better: 15m, Best: 10m

Doing Things Right

Air Squats [Video]
Begin standing upright with your feet hip width apart and toes pointing slightly outwards. Keeping your weight in your heels (they should not leave the ground,) shoot your butt back and down as though you were sitting down onto a chair. Use the muscles of your lower back and abs to maintain an arch in your lower back. Stop when the crease of your hips drops below knee level. Make sure your knees are directly over your toes (not skewing in or out.) Stand up. That’s one!

Push-Ups [Video]
Begin in a “plank” position with your arms completely straight and your torso a rigid line. Bend your arms and lower yourself until your chest is touching the ground. Push yourself up from the ground keeping your torso straight and rigid the entire time (use your abs!) until your arms are straight once again. If you can’t do a push-up like this, put your knees on the floor and do ‘em that way (still keeping your torso rigid!)

Burpees [Video]
Begin standing. Bend your knees and place your hands on the ground in front of you. Jump your feet back to the top of a push-up position. Complete a push-up. Jump your feet forward to your hands. Jump up in the air and clap your hands above your head.

Sit-Ups [Video]
Start sitting upright with your feet flat on the ground and knees bent. Lie down onto your back with your shoulders touching the ground. Sit back up again until your torso is completely vertical.

Walking Lunges
Start standing. Take a big step forward and bend your knees such that your back knee touches (or almost touches) the ground. Make sure your torso stays vertical (don’t lean forward.) Stand back up by pulling through your front heel (don’t push off your back foot too much.) Swing your back foot directly into the next step.

Tuck Jumps [Video]
Begin standing up straight. Jump up as high as you can, tucking your knees into your chest while you’re in the air. Get your knees as close to your chest as you can. Extend your legs to land.

WOD 12.26.11

Gym is closed, but don’t let that stop you! We will be open regular hours tomorrow.

Many of us are planning on travelling this holiday season and working out can oftentimes take a back seat. Using myself as an example I use every excuse in the book while I’m on the road: “I didn’t sleep well”, “I slept on my back weird”, “I think I’m coming down with something”, but mostly “I don’t think the gym has the equipment I’ll need” or “They might not take kindly to the sight of weights being jumped around or the sound of plates clanging as they’re lowered”.  Whatever the excuse more often than not I’ll talk myself out of getting a workout in, even if I’m not feeling 100%.  You’ve likely read about our previous travels over the holidays to “Globo” gyms here and here, but this year I encourage all of you to see your travel as an opportunity to mix up your training a bit, especially if you’re limited on equipment. Every great athlete appreciates a change of pace or the opportunity to work some new movements/modalities into their training to keep things fresh among many other reasons. While on the road this year, or even while Intrepid is closed, use it as an opportunity to try something different in your workouts, but just make sure to get off your butt and do something active if you can’t make it to a gym.

One way that I’ve found works well for me while I’m on the road is Olympic Style Lifting with Dumbbells, introduced to me by my college Strength and Conditioning Coach Allen Hedrick. During college all the athletes thought he was coming from left field with many of our workouts, but as I’ve learned and tried more both as an athlete and coach, I’ve come to appreciate not only the value of Olympic lifting but also the benefits of using “odd objects” such as dumbbells in a strength and conditioning program.  Here’s Coach Hedrick’s take on the advantages of dumbbell training:

• Dumbbells require more balance than training with barbells or machines. This increased balance requirement is of value in terms of enhancing athletic performance, a significant consideration in fitness programs, and can lead to greater muscle fiber recruitment.
• Dumbbells require more muscular control than barbells, enhancing kinesthetic awareness.
• Dumbbells allow unilateral training (training one limb at a time), which can provide the opportunity for emphasizing greater movement specificity in the training programs of athletes and greater program variety for bodybuilders and those training for fitness.
• Dumbbells promote greater recruitment of the stabilizing muscles, enhancing joint stability and hypertrophy.
• Some exercises can be performed with a higher degree of safety with dumbbells than barbells. For example, when performing step-ups.
• Finally, dumbbells provide greater variety in the training program. Greater variety leads to less opportunity for physiological and psychological staleness in the training program, enhancing the opportunity for continued growth.

Dumbbells challenge one’s midline stability in ways much differently than a barbell and I think the case can be made that they’re almost equally important for this very reason. And for this reason the amount of weight used will be much less than what would be used with a barbell and dumbbells should definitely not completely take the place of barbell lifts, simply supplement them.  Very seldom outside of the gym will one ever be lucky enough to lift something as balanced as the barbell so it pays to be able to support, move, and catch loads efficiently and in positions that aren’t balanced from one side of the body to the other. Since most gyms now-a-days have at least dumbbells available, I’ll introduce you to some new ways you can use dumbbells to not only to improve your explosivity and mid-line stability, but also help keep things fresh in your training.  And don’t worry if the dumbbells don’t progress very high in weight where ever you might end up for a workout, as you’ll see it doesn’t take much to really challenge yourself.

In his T-Nation articles Olympic Lifts and Dumbbells: A Winning Combination and Advanced Dumbbell Training, and also in this NSCA Journal article entitled Power Training with Dumbbells written by one of his former assistant coaches, Coach Hedrick breaks down a variety of dumbbell movements. I’ll only touch on the clean here in this post and try to cover the snatch and jerk in a future post if there’s interest, but please check out his T-Nation articles or other NSCA articles if you’d like to read more about the topic or others he’s written on.

DB Clean
This movement can be performed from the hang position or the mid-shin position if one wishes to simulate the height of the bar when performing Olympic lifts with a barbell.  Your feet should be more or less under your hips in a comfortable jumping stance.  Start tall with a dumbbell in either hand by your sides.  Dip to initiate the jumping action by pushing your butt back and flexing your hips.  Don’t lock your knees straight but make an effort not to bend the knees much.  Keep your chest up and keep the dumbbells along the sides of your legs ensuring your shoulders stay ahead of the dumbbells and the dumbbells don’t drift forward as you dip.  Once the dumbbells reach about knee height or slightly higher, explode upwards like you’re jumping making an effort not to pause at this bottom position.

Start Position (Hang version)

Once you reach triple extension (full extension of the hips, knees, and ankles) forcefully drive your elbows up to the ceiling keeping the dumbbells close to the side of your body. The elbows should be kept high above the wrists as you pull the dumbbells upward alongside your ribcage with the idea of pulling them to your armpits. As you pull keep the dumbbell oriented in the same position as it was in the start with your palms facing your sides. As you reach the peak of your pull, and as you fatigue and/or increase in weight, the upward pull with your arms not only generates more height in your pull but should also pull you down to meet the dumbbells at the height your were able to “jump” them.

Extension & Pull (1-arm version)

In my experience, the catch is the trickiest part of the DB Clean and can make or break the attempt. Our catch position is very similar to that of its barbell counterpart, however the ease of the transition is much different using dumbbells. The main reason is that when using a bar the spin of the bar and the ability to momentarily loosen one’s grip facilitates the transition to the rack position. However, we do not have the same luxury when using dumbbells. You have to maintain a firm grip on the dumbbell and rotate it as one unit with the arm as you rotate your elbows from the high and outside position of the pull, under the dumbbell, and finally in front of your body so that the tips of your elbows are pointing at the horizon and the dumbbells have settled on the meaty portion of your shoulders or your deltoids. When its all said and done the dumbbell has rotated roughly 270 degrees, and it’s this rotation that makes the DB clean more challenging especially if the dumbbells are large and bulky. However, if you master the transition with dumbbells you will probably never have much on an issue whipping your elbows around on a barbell clean. You might find it more comfortable to allow the plate of the dumbbells to rest on your delts rather than holding the dumbbells like Michael in the picture at the top of the post (in his defense he was performing thrusters and that position was more ideal for that particular movement than the one I’m describing here). The clean can be caught in the power position or a partial front squat, or in a full depth front squat which typically allows heavier weights to be used.

Catch (2-Arm Version in Power position)

Catch (2-Arm version in Full Squat)

The DB Clean can also be performed using one arm at a time to further challenge your midline stability. The difference being as you reach your triple extension and begin the high pull, only one arm will pull while the other keeps the dumbbell by your side (as pictured in the pull section above). The catch will resemble the photo below with one arm in the front squat rack position while the other dumbbell remains by your side.

Catch (1-Arm Version)

I honestly wish I could find a video to show you how all the pieces mesh together but I couldn’t find one I felt was worthy of posting. In the T-Nation article they included a video that gives you the gist of the movement but please don’t mimic her movement as you see it. Stick to the points I laid out here, and sooner than later Intrepid will have dumbbells of its own and you’ll likely see more dumbbell movements like the clean in the future, so start practicing now.

WOD 12.14.11

Deadlift 1×5/Wendler

“DT”
5 Rounds
12 Deadlifts
9 Hang Power Cleans
6 Push Jerks

Those of you who have transitioned into a healthier lifestyle may at first find it restricting. You may feel your list of available (approved) ingredients have diminished. The truth is there are plenty of delicious options for you to spice up your menu, but you do have to do some digging. During our trip to Park City, we found two little gems that will expand my culinary horizons: Mountain Olive Oil Company and F’n Hot.

Mountain Olive Oil Company is a tasting bar and a mecca for foodies.  We were initially overwhelmed with the kegs of oils and vinegars all available for sampling.  We didn’t know where to start until the really nice salesperson gave us a few of their bestsellers to try.  We got to sample (and purchase) infused olive oils such as Tuscan Herb, Harissa, and Herb de Provence and balsamic vinegars infused with dark chocolate, espresso, and cherry.  Each oil or vinegar was so flavorful and yet so different it can transform your roasted veggies, salads, marinades, or even desserts.   We ended up buying a few bottles, which we’ll happily find a way to serve at our Holiday Party on Dec 10th!

At first, F’n Hot looked like your run of the mill tourist hot sauce shop until we walked in and saw their IFNH (It’s F’N Hot) signature products:  Habanero Garlic Sauce (rated 3/10 on their hot scale), Red Savina Ghost Crush Hot Sauce (8/10), and Naja Jolokia Wasabi Hot Sauce (13/10!).  They also sell wing sauce with real butter!  What we liked best about their hot sauces were the purity of their ingredients.  No canola or soy oils, HFCS, etc.  Unfortunately, the website doesn’t post the ingredient list, but I’m hoping that’ll change in the future.

Both of these stores sell their products online and offer very reasonable shipping rates.

WOD 11.29.11

Deadlift 1×5 Wendler

AMRAP 8:
12 Sit Ups
8 Kettlebell Swings
20 Double Unders

Today’s post is Balinese inspired since Ruth and I are enjoying our time in Bali surfing and learning about Balinese culture. Bali is world renown for its artistry in wood carving, stone carving, and metal working (just to name a few), but what is it that really makes it stand out over others we’ve come across? I’m convinced it the Balinese artists’ attention to detail that truly makes their work unique. The extra time spent on perfecting their craft and their artwork can be appreciated no matter what your culture or background.

It is with this spirit that we encourage everyone of you to strive for attention to detail in your movement and lifting technique. I’ve posted before that perfect practice makes perfect and how this is the philosophy that we strive to instill in all Intrepids. Spend the extra time working to perfect your movement and actually give a damn by paying attention to detail because in the long run this makes the difference.

WOD 08.24.11

Back Squat 3×5 or Wendler

“Jackie”

• 1km Row
• 50 Thrusters (45/33# bar)
• 30 Pullups

As you read this Ruth and I are a few days into our trip in Bali and have adjusted to the 15 hour time difference.  As many of you can attest, jet lag is a bitch and the first days traveling were tough.  We arrived in the afternoon and we did the best we could not to take a nap right away, waiting to sleep until our normal bedtime. I honestly think this really helped us shake the jet lag faster than our previous trips. Our situation reminded me of my jet lag post I did when Ruth and I returned from our trip to Greece. It offers some tips and suggestions on ways to cope with jet lag. For those of you who tend to travel across time zones pretty regularly, what helps you beat the jet lag? Post to comments.

Our recent trip to Greece was excellent, with one exception…the long flights.  A 10-hour flight to London plus a 4-hour flight to Athens was a lot to bear.  In all Los Angeles and Athens are separated by 9 time zones which led to my first real experience with jet lag.  I’ve traveled back and forth from the east and west coasts of the U.S. without too much problem, but a 9-hour difference means that Ruth and I were having to go to bed around mid-afternoon LA time and wake up when we’d usually find ourselves just getting to bed back in LA.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), jet lag is, ”a temporary disorder among air travelers who rapidly travel across three or more time zones. Jet lag results from the slow adjustment of the body clock to the destination time, so that daily rhythms and the internal drive for sleep and wakefulness are out of synchrony with the new environment.”  Also, Mark Sisson of Mark’s Daily Apple writes that jet lag is, “an “unnatural act” and shouldn’t be dismissed as merely a nuisance. The truth is that changing three, four or nine times zones in as little as half a day can wreak havoc on all your delicate internal “wiring” and hormonal systems and can leave you exhausted or sick for much of your trip.”  Ruth can attest to this as she caught a cold that dampered the first part of the trip.

So what causes it and what can we do to combat the ill effects of jet lag?  According to the CDC, our body’s intrinsic clock resides in the suprachiasmatic nuclei at the base of the hypothalamus, which contains melatonin receptors. The body clock receives information about light from the eyes and is also thought to receive input via the intergeniculate leaflet that carries information about physical activities and general excitement. The hormone melatonin is manufactured in the pineal gland from tryptophan, and its synthesis and release are stimulated by darkness and suppressed by light; consequently, the secretion of melatonin is responsible for setting our sleep–wake cycle. The body clock is adjusted to the solar day by rhythmic cues in the environment known as zeitgebers (time-givers). The main zeitgebers are the light–dark cycle and this rhythmic secretion of melatonin.  When these cycles are out of whack we may experience symptoms like:

• Poor sleep, including delayed sleep onset (after eastward flight), early awakening (after westward flight), and fractionated sleep (after flights in either direction).
• Poor performance in both physical and mental tasks during the new daytime.
• Negative subjective changes, such as increased fatigue, frequency of headaches and irritability, and decreased ability to concentrate.
• Gastrointestinal disturbances (indigestion, frequency of defecation, and the altered consistency of stools) and decreased interest in and enjoyment of meals.

Mark Sisson gives some tips on ways he’s learned to minimize the effects:

• The cardinal rule of avoiding jet lag (once you have arrived at your destination) is to go to bed only when it’s the normal bedtime at your arrival destination and to awaken when it’s normally time to get up at your arrival destination. The biggest mistake people make is to take a nap upon arrival to take the “edge” off. Never nap during the day at your travel destination no matter how short a nap you think you can take. Keep yourself busy and do whatever it takes to stay awake until it is bedtime in your destination. Take a shower or go for a walk, and avoid heavy meals or alcohol. If you are just dead tired, then at least try to stay awake until 7:30 or 8 PM.
• The #2 rule is to use the supplement melatonin to help you reset your internal clock and to allow you to fall asleep more easily. Melatonin is a natural hormone produced by the pineal gland to begin the sleep process. It releases every twenty-four hours when you are in your normal routine at home. While I am generally against interfering with natural hormonal systems, the “unnatural act” of crossing time zones requires an equally unnatural act of supplementing the hormone melatonin to reset your internal clock. Take 3-6mg (I use 5mg) of melatonin one hour before you plan to fall asleep. I recommend using it each of the first two nights, then taking a half-dose the third night and taking none the remainder of the stay.
• It’s important to manage your sleep during the flight as well. On flights lasting longer than five hours, try to get some sleep during the trip. When traveling east, I always look for flights that leave late in the day. I treat those long flights as a short night and a short day, since the flight will eliminate several time zones en route. The fact that I might only get a few hours sleep during the flight is mitigated by the other fact that I won’t have much daylight left when I arrive, so I’ll be reasonably tired when nighttime rolls around. I treat long flights going west as a very long day (or a very long night, depending on when I leave). If it’s a long day flight, I take enough of a nap to take the edge off and to be able to stay awake until bedtime at my destination. If it’s a night flight going west, I sleep as much as I can, knowing I will likely have a full day at my destination.
• Don’t use sleeping pills to sleep on the plane. They will not provide quality sleep and can interfere with your adjustment upon arrival. Get one of those neck pillows you see in the airport stores. They help cradle your head while you sleep and prevent sore necks. Drink lots of water on the plane and try to avoid alcohol. Walk around a little when you’re not sleeping or if you can’t sleep and stretch a little in the galley area.

WOD 08.27.11

800m run
30 Ground to Overhead
800m Run
*Courtesy of CFIV

During my trip this summer to Zion National Park (also see Ruth’s post about Zion), I chose to stay in the nearby city of St. George. When I travel I like to explore outside of chain restaurants to see what kind of unique offerings they may have. Thankfully with the advent of Yelp mobile, you can usually get pointed in a better direction than without. On my trip, I was really craving a good steak and when I saw the listing for Gun Barrel Steak and Game House, I was sold. (Okay, it did help that the reviews were generally positive.) Oddly enough, my mom had stopped here months previously on a trip and told me about this place where she got an elk chop but I had forgotten the name.

The setting is much like a rustic log cabin lodge and as I mentioned, elk is on the menu. For the less adventurous, they have plenty of beef, chicken and fish choices to try. However, those who are excited by the “game” part of the restaurant’s name will be rewarded by venturing outside the common cow for bison or elk. I choose to go for the mixed grill plate which is definitely for the larger appetite (hint: Sean). The offerings seem to change, but mine came with an elk chop, a buffalo BBQ rib and a large cut of buffalo prime rib. For sides I went with the vegetables and sweet potato which comes with a very not paleo — but quite tasty — maple butter.

Since St. George is just outside of Vegas and on the way to many ski resorts in the state of Utah, many of you may find yourself nearby. If you do, I strongly encourage you to give Gun Barrel a try!

WOD 2.3.11

Make Up Day

Most of you know I travel on a weekly basis for work.  Generally, I pack enough food for my trips to maintain an as paleo as possible diet but on occasion I like to venture out and try the local cuisine.  Recently I travelled through Kansas City, Missouri for the first time and being the BBQ lover extraordinaire I had to try some Kansas City BBQ. 

After some research, I decided on Smoke Box BBQ.  I came in for lunch and ordered the burnt ends (charred ends of a smoked brisket) and the pork ribs.  Both were fairly tasty though I really enjoyed the burnt ends.  The style of bbq sauce in Kansas City is typically thick and sweet which is a bit much for me so I ordered the sauce on the side.  Speaking of sides, if you’re trying to keep things paleo, your only option is the garden salad.  Otherwise, they have lots of non-paleo options (potato salad, steak cut fries) great for cheats.  So, if you’re ever in Kansas City, make your way over to Smoke Box BBQ.  It’s definitely worth a visit.

Rest Day 01.23.2011

There are quite a few Intrepids who found themselves travelling over the holidays to partake in the merriment with family and friends.  While on holiday, some of you were able to drop in to another box and tackle their posted WOD and others attempted our WODs at globo gyms and attracted curious stares from the treadmill hostages. 

However, what do you do if you find yourself in a city where there is no box to be found and you are relinquished to the sad hotel “gym” that consists of a treadmill, a stationary bike and a TV?  Numerous times I have found myself in cities where I am faced with only the equipment shown above.  Other times, I’ve been lucky and had dumbbells and a pullup bar to work with.  On the other hand, CrossFit prepares us for the unknown and the unknowing.  It allows us to adapt to our situations and environments and therefore eliminates the need for specialized machines in order for us to get in a good workout.    

You can still get your sweat fix with bodyweight movements (airsquats, push ups, sit ups, BURPEES!) that you can string together to create a WOD.  You can make use of a park bench or retaining wall to do boxjumps.  If you don’t have a jumprope with you, you can do lateral jumps over a speedbump.  You can work on a skill like holding an L-sit on a railing, between 2 desks or going down an escalator (it’s actually quite fun!).  Practice your handstands in your hotel room.  Eva T, one of the OG’s of CrossFit, also has a list of bodyweight WODs on her site http://skievat.blogspot.com/. 

Alternatively, you can always ask one the trainers to sub the movements in our posted WODs in order to follow our programming.  Have fun, be creative and share your “WODs”.

REST DAY 01.09.2011

Festive little carb bombs!

Announcement: Due to the blizzard conditions on the East Coast, Ruth and Sean’s flight has been delayed until Tuesday. We will be canceling 5pm classes on both Monday and Tuesday while Stephanie and Jacob cover things. Thanks so much to all of you for your understanding and thank you to Steph and Jake for stepping in on short notice!

One of the more frustrating things when following a Paleo diet is getting your doctor on board. Ruth previously detailed her search for a primary physician and I’ve talked about my own negative experience with a typical doctor. The overarching problem as Ruth mentioned is that these doctors have been indoctrinated to believe that the food pyramid is gospel, low-fat is healthy and carbs should form a substantial portion of everyone’s diet. Thankfully, more scientists and nutritionists are coming to realize the error of their ways as shown in the article “A Reversal on Carbs” last week in the LA Times.

Most people can count calories. Many have a clue about where fat lurks in their diets. However, fewer give carbohydrates much thought, or know why they should.

But a growing number of top nutritional scientists blame excessive carbohydrates — not fat — for America’s ills. They say cutting carbohydrates is the key to reversing obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

“Fat is not the problem,” says Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. “If Americans could eliminate sugary beverages, potatoes, white bread, pasta, white rice and sugary snacks, we would wipe out almost all the problems we have with weight and diabetes and other metabolic diseases.”

The full article also discusses the specific ways in which excess carbs wreak havoc on your system, which I’ve touched on before with clips from the movie Fat Head. Luckily, Hulu.com is now featuring Fat Head for free in its entirety. I would highly suggest checking it out, as it presents the technical discussion of insulin mechanism in VERY simplistic terms using cartoons and other clips. Instead of being dry and boring, it is actually quite entertaining. If you have any questions after viewing it, please feel free to either email me or post them to comments. I look forward to discussing the movie with those who watch it!

WOD 12.27.10

Back Squat 3×5

Then, 4 rounds for time:

• 10 Push Presses
• 15 Good Mornings
• 20 Situps