Just a few days left in 2011.  Start thinking of what you'd like to achieve in 2012.  Want to hit up a competition?  We'll help you get there!  Set a new deadlift PR?  You got it.  Want to move from 'regular' WODs and try your hand at 'Beast Camp'?  Heck yes! 

The world is your oyster.  

WOD - Friday - 12/30
Hang Power Snatch 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1

WOD - Thurs - 12/29
Pay what you owe, work your 'goat', or REST

Cookies.  Pie.  Eggnog.  Potatoes.  Tamales.  Cheesecake.  OH MY!

Ahh those delicious Holiday treats!  We all ate them, and we all loved them!  While we certainly relished in all those carb and sugar filled delicacies over the weekend, most of us felt their negative effects while attempting to get through the WOD today.  Call it a 'junk food hangover'.  

The nasty feeling was enough to convince some of you to hop back on the Paleo/Primal/Zone eating train as of today, while others are holding out and enjoying their treats until the official start of the New Year.  Whether you're ultra-motivated and cleaning out the pantries now, or waiting until the ball drops on Saturday to start your New Year's resolutions, we have just the challenge to get you motivated and back on the healthy eating bandwagon.  Get ready - January 9th begins our official '30 Day Challenge'.  See the main page for more details.  We can't wait for you to see how quickly your body changes, and how much better you feel! 

What a great way to kickstart a whole 'new you' in the New Year.  

2012 is going to be great!

WOD - Wednesday - 12/28
Complete as many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:
400M Run
5 Deadlifts (as heavy as possible)

We hope you and yours had a wonderful holiday weekend!  Looking forward to seeing everyone's smiling faces and full bellies back in the gym this week.

The above video gives great instruction on handstand pushups - well worth a watch, and includes the progression from handstand pushups on the box all the way through kipping pushups.  Additionally, there's demonstration of  handstand pushups with the aid of bands. The band assisted handstand pushups are great for those who would like to get the feel of a free-standing handstand.  

The key with the handstand pushup, like most moves in our gym, is maintaining form and staying tight through the arms and core.  Work the progression, touch that head to the floor, and you'll be rocking handstand pushups prescribed in no time.  For those who have achieved handstand pushup glory on the wall - try your hand (pun intended) at kipping handstand pushups, or freestanding.      

See you in the gym!

WOD - Tuesday - 12/27
"Blake"
Four rounds for time of:
100 foot Walking lunge with 45lb plate held overhead
30 Box jump, 24/20
20 Wallball shots, 20 /14
10 Handstand push-ups

You didn't think he delivered all those packages without training, did you?!

This WOD is going to be a fun one!!

Are you a grinch or do you gush over the holidays?  This workout will determine if you and your partner have been naughty or nice this Crossfit season.  Prepare to laugh, cry, harness your inner holiday honey badger, and make the prettiest sweat angels CFV's floor has ever seen.  The best part of this WOD is that you get to share all the fun with another elf!  If you perform well, perhaps you'll even make it to the 'Reindeer Games'!

NOTE:  CFV will be CLOSED DECEMBER 24th (Saturday), DECEMBER 25th (Sunday), and DECEMBER 26th (Monday) for the Holiday.  Possible 'Open Gym' hours on Monday - more info to follow.  Merry Merry!  Happy Happy!  Enjoy your weekend festivities! 

WOD - Friday - 12/23
"Ho-Ho-HOMIE!"
With a partner, get through as many CFWODS as possible in 30min.  You can break up the work anyway you want but you must go in order:

Fran
21-15-9
Thrusters 95/65
Pullups
Diane
21-15-9
Deadlift 225/155
Handstand Pushups

Elizabeth
21-15-9
Clean 135/95
Ring Dips

Isabel
30 Snatches 135/95

Grace 
30 Clean & Jerks 135/95

Karen
150 Wall Balls 20/14

Annie
50-40-30-20-10
Double-Unders
Situps

Griff
800M Run
400M Backwards Run
800M Run
400M Backwards Run

WOD - Thursday - 12/22
Pay what you owe, practice what you suck at, or REST.

*Beast Camp -  Class is on!*

The Holiday season definitely isn't the EASIEST time to be Paleo/Primal/Zone.  No matter how hard we try to stick to our regular 'Crossfit approved' eating habits, once Halloween rears it's sugar laden head, it's a slippery slope down the path of delicious tasting destruction.  

I'm here to tell you that it's OK.  

That's right - you read that correctly - it's OK!  The Holidays are times to gather with loved ones, enjoy life, and be merry.  Part of this enjoyment includes all sorts of sweet treats and meals that we normally don't eat  - handmade goodies that come around only once a year, starting in November careening through December, until we resolve to "eat better" on January 1.  

Now you're probably thinking 1 of 2 things after reading the above.  1.) WTF!  Has Crossfit Vallejo lost their mind?! It's ok to eat sugar, bread, eggnog, cookies, latkes, beer, champagne, and giant mounds of cheese?!? THAT'S NOT PALEO!!  2.) SWEET!  Crossfit Vallejo HAS LOST THEIR MIND!  Eat as much sugar, bread, eggnog, cookies, latkes, beer, and cheese as I can stuff in my pie-hole!  It's not Paleo and they said it's ok! 

Whether you fall into thought pattern 1 or 2, here's what I recommend.  Don't be hard on yourself or feel guilty for eating holiday cookies, drinking some eggnog here and there, or inhaling Mom's famous bread filled Tur-ducken.  Allow yourself these special treats, within reason.   THAT BEING SAID - PAY ATTENTION TO HOW THESE 'TREATS' MAKE YOU FEEL AND PERFORM.  Don't waste time feeling guilty for eating 16 pumpkin-strussel-candy cane magic cookies, or after a night of  honkey tonkin' and too many drinks with friends you only get to see once a year.  DO spend time reflecting on how your body feels AFTER eating 16 cookies and drinking the booze.  The best time to do this is often while in the middle of a workout. 

Chances are, if you've been eating or have eaten Paleo/Primal/Zone, your body is acutely aware of the difference between 'clean' eating and Holiday indulging.  Now, noting the difference, ask yourself how you'd PREFER your body to perform and feel the majority of the year.  Most likely you want to perform at your peak, which generally occurs when you're eating 'clean' (hint: not the sugar, eggnog, cookies, etc.).  

There you have it - you know how you WANT to feel and you know how you WANT to perform.  You know if you WANT to drink 4 glasses of rum eggnog, you can, but it will likely affect your performance, and that may or may not be ok with you - you're the captain of your ship!  The beauty is you get to decide - just don't waste time polluting your Holiday fun with a feeling that makes you feel 'less than' or 'bad'.  Spend time enjoying the Holidays and special treats, while noting their role in your performance.  Correct your treat consumption based on where you want your performance to go.  If you find that treats make you feel and perform crappy, but you don't want to give them up, take positive action - reduce your consumption or look for Paleo substitutes!  Often they taste just as delicious without knocking down performance.  

Do you want 16 Holiday cookies, or do you want a new deadlift PR in December?  You decide.  No guilt necessary.

WOD - Wednesday - 12/21
Max rounds and reps in eight minutes of:
4 Handstand push-ups 
8 KB Swings 53/35
12 GHD situps

*Beast Camp - REST DAY*

Stretching prior to and after a workout is a lot like flossing the pearly whites - most of us know we should be doing it a lot more than we actually are.  While not flossing results in stinky breath, gum disease, and overall grossness, not stretching doesn't seem that bad, right? 

Eh. 

Some people swear they perform 'just fine' without warming up or adding static stretches to their routine - I argue that many of these same people would find their athletic performance improve drastically with the addition of a few basic stretches performed consistently over a period of time.  The key here, like flossing, is CONSISTENCY.  Flossing 100 times the day prior to visiting the dentist, in effort to make up for months of neglect, doesn't always yield the best results.  Similarly, a Couch or Sampson stretch tossed in with an occasional third world squat, one or two times a week, does not a flexible and strong muscle make!  

If there's one stretch you should add to your warm-up routine, guaranteed to deliver results, it's the Couch stretch.  If you aren't already familiar with this bad boy, take a gander at the following short video: 

Ask any coach or long time CFV member for help if you're not familiar with this stretch - we will happily assist you.  Most people are EXTREMELY tight through the hip flexors due to sitting all day on the job.  This move is just the stretch to loosen up these muscles and release the 'potential' strength that's been hiding in those lil ole hips.  

WARNING - this stretch is likely to feel VERY uncomfortable/tight if you haven't been doing it regularly (think bloody gums after not flossing for a while) - initially, try 30 seconds on each leg, in both the downward position, then the upright.  After a week, work your way up to a minute in each leg position, and then 2 minutes.

Integrate this stretch CONSISTENTLY into your warmup routine for a minimum of 2-3 weeks.  It's a small change that requires minimal time commitment.  Most of you will see positive changes in your squats, box jumps, kettle bell swings, as well as overall hip mobility and strength.  You may even find that you just don't 'feel right' without doing a couch stretch prior to a WOD, or after sitting in a chair all day.

What have you got to lose?  After 2-3 weeks of consistent couch stretching (be honest about the consistent part), if the stretch hasn't delivered any changes for you - that's ok!  Like those lucky people who never floss and somehow don't get cavities, you may just be blessed with flexible muscles and hips that don't require much stretching.

For the rest of us, stretching (and flossing!) should be performed on a daily basis for optimal performance and health.  

Remember, it's the small consistent changes that often yield the biggest results.

WOD - Tuesday - 12/20
Overhead squat
1-1-1-1-1
Front squat
1-1-1-1-1
Back squat
1-1-1-1-1
Try to increase the load on each of the sets

Congratulations to Joe, Alice, Les, A.J., Lauren, Marvin, and Gary for 'Honey-Badgerin' the heck out of the Capoot Fitness Challenge held at Crossfit Solano on Saturday.  Competitors, you completed the each of WODs with an immeasurable amount of HEART - you gave EVERY ounce of energy to the challenges placed in front of you, and left all you had to give on Solano's gym floor.  You should be proud not only of your respective athletic performances, but also proud and honored to be part of a community that rallied together to raise over $4,000 for Officer Capoot's family.

A big thank you to those who journeyed to Crossfit Solano to cheer on competitors.  Thank you for donating your time, money, and shouts of encouragement.  Additionally, huge thanks goes out to our friends at Crossfit Solano for organizing and hosting the Capoot Fitness Challenge - it was an honor to DO WORK in remembrance of a true hero, a man who did so much for Vallejo and Solano County, Officer James Capoot.  Officer Capoot, you are missed.

If you were unable to make it to the Capoot Fitness Challenge, you can still help.  A memorial fund has been created by the Vallejo Police Officer's Association on behalf of James Capoot's surviving wife and three daughters.  Donations to Officer Capoot's memorial fund can be made as follows:  

Officer James Capoot Family Trust
C/O Vallejo Police Officer's Association
(Sergeant Mark Nicol)
P.O. Box 4218
Vallejo, CA 94590
(707) 644-3913

Great work everyone!

WOD - Monday - 12/19
"Lumberjack 20"
20 Deadlifts 275/185
Run 400m
20 KB swings 53/35
Run 400m
20 Overhead Squats 115/85
Run 400m
20 Burpees
Run 400m
20 Pullups (Chest to Bar)
Run 400m
20 Box jumps 24/20
Run 400m
20 DB Squat Cleans
Run 400m