Catalyst Athletic and Crossfit

Welcome Knights!

"Helen"

Three rounds for time:
Run 400 meters
1 1/2 pood Kettlebell X 21 swings (or 55 pound dumbbell swing)
12 Pull-ups

St. Mary's will be at Catalyst Gym this morning at 9am.  They're learning how to clean, squat, deadlift, and bench press - staples in the football life.  They're going to flip tires, jump onto and over stuff, push and pull sleds, and swing kettlebells.  Want to play college ball?  Better have a good clean; your pec deck numbers don't count.  Biceps curls?  Good for getting food to your mouth faster.  Smith machine squats?  They make your quads look great on the bench.

Welcome, Knights.  Get ready to turn a corner.

Want to get YOUR football / hockey / wrestling / gum-chewing team into Catalyst for a free skills session?  Call us: 256-1344, or email chris@catalystgym.com.

WOD 022709

For time:
21 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters
18 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters
15 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters
12 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters
9 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters
6 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters
3 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters

NOTE: Catalyst Gym members have the unique privilege of having a Reverse Hyperextension machine available.  These suckers aren't found in many places.  Sub reverse hyperextension with light weight for the Hip-Back Extension if you choose.

Brian Mackenzie running drills from CrossFit NorCal on Vimeo.

WOD 022609

Walking lunge 100 ft.
21 Pull-ups
21 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
18 Pull-ups
18 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
15 Pull-ups
15 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
12 Pull-ups
12 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
9 Pull-ups
9 Sit-ups
Walking Lunge 100 ft.
6 Pull-ups
6 Sit-ups

Read, "The Toning Problem: Why Women Are Missing Out When It Comes to Weight Training

LAST *FREE* INTRODUCTION TO CROSSFIT BOOT CAMP THIS SATURDAY!  CALL 256-1344 TO REGISTER!

CROSSFIT INTRODUCTORY GROUPS CONTINUE IN MARCH.  COST IS $60 (plus gst) and INCLUDE 90 MINUTES OF INSTRUCTION, YOUR FIRST CROSSFIT 'WOD,' AND FOUR CROSSFIT GROUPS ($112 VALUE!)

WOD 022509

Push Jerk 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

From the world of research: Physical fitness improves spatial memory, increases size of hippocampi

One of the things I love best about Catalyst Gym: it's a crowd of individuals.  There are no Ken dolls (mass-produced drones doing the same workout forever.)  Everyone here has a good story.  Last night, coaching Bench Group, the Gym hosted a bodybuilder, an auto mechanic, an Olympic Lifter, a couple of new Crossfitters (looked like she beat him!) and a pro MMA fighter.  When a new gymnast client arrived at noon yesterday, she opened the door to find a martial artist and a local business owner, crashed on the floor after the WOD, and wondered what she'd gotten herself into.  Yesterday at 6am, we had two oilmen bumping shoulders with a senior football player from St. Mary's, a Crossfit Coach, our female Deadlift Champ, and a new Crossfit star who was up early so she didn't wake her two little kids before she drove to work.  Three snapshots of very different crowds, brought together by Catalyst and Crossfit.  

The MMA fighter, by the way, was Brent Fryia.  That's him headlining on March 14. Ray Gowlett's pretty mug is up front on the poster (second from the left.) Come to the Gym, do Murph, and then head to St. Ignace to watch Brent and Ray fight!  Sounds like a great day!

Catalyst GO! Newsletter - March 2009

This issue of the Catalyst GO! Newsletter is sponsored by Spreadshirt! Click to save on Catalyst Gear!

Happy Murph Month!

March 14 - 9am - Murph Challenge. Get signed up today! 3 'Open' Classes - Male, Female, and Pro. Personal Trainers from other gyms welcome in the 'Pro' category! No entry fee!

What's Murph? Simple. A mile run. Then, in any order, 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 squats. And another mile run. Outdoors. For time. Partition the pullups, pushups, and squats as you like. ANYONE can finish this event, and the more competitive will go for a personal best time.

News:

Our Family Fun Day event at SSMGC was a riot - 71 kids and parents bouncing around, trying equipment and having fun! I know the kids enjoyed it ("Dad, can we get a foam pit at our house?") but it was also fun to see a couple of adults jump in, and we saw Joe's first muscle-up on the Speith Anderson rings!

Save $$$ with our new Personal Training Packages!

Our Rates:

$55/session (1 hour session with an Elite Personal Trainer; includes homework and food plan)

Prepaid Package of 10 sessions - $500 (save $50!)

Prepaid Package of 20 sessions - $900 (save $200!)

$40/session (half hour session with an Elite Personal Trainer; includes homework)

Prepaid Package of 10 half-hour sessions - $350 (save $50!)

Prepaid Package of 20 half-hour sessions -$600 (save $200!)

Train with your buddy or spouse!

$70/hour session (1 hour session with an Elite Personal Trainer; includes homework for the pair)

Prepaid Package of 10 sessions - $650 (save $50!)

Prepaid Package of 20 sessions - $1300 (save $100!)

*add 5% gst to all prices, please.

Make a commitment to yourself - save money! Keep yourself healthy and working hard - save money! Keep yourself out of the overcrowded healthcare system - save money! Be happy and pain-free - save money!

Get the best help available. Get a Catalyst Elite Trainer, and watch your life take off!

Groups:

March 5 - Baseball PreSeason Training Camp. We're very lucky to have Kai Tuomi (Washington Nationals draft pick) helping with this group. Tyler Belanger (Graceland) is the lead Trainer, and we have signups from out-of-town already. Learn exercises specific to your position, get closer to a scholarship, and get a 2-month membership to Catalyst Gym to go with your workout plan and food guide!

Introduction to Crossfit Group - Saturday Mornings at 7:30am. Learn all the fundamental movements of human activity: squatting, standing, pressing, pulling, lifting a load to the waist, and lifting a load from floor to overhead. Learn a perfect squat, get started on your road to pullups, and get basic instruction in the clean, jerk, and deadlift! $60 includes 90 minutes' expert instruction, 'Fran,' and a 4-punch Crossfit card (net cost: $0!) to get you started. Location: Industrial Park Gym.

Crossfit Schedule and Rates:

RATES:

DROP-IN RATE: $16

4 SESSIONS: $52

8 SESSIONS: $80

16 SESSIONS: $128

SCHEDULE

Queen St. Gym: MWF at 7am, Noon, and 7pm

Industrial Park Gym: 7am,9am,Noon,6pm, and 7pm

Sunday Morning Salvation - FREE for gym members; every Sunday morning at 9am. Work to perfect one lift or exercise each week.

Commentary:

Sebastien Wetzel is to be featured in the Crossfit Journal. Sebastien competed in our January Virtualmeet (he's hoping to compete in the Special Olympics someday) and caught the attention of the Crossfit Journal staff. As part of his ABA training for autism, Sebastien uses our Personal Trainers and Crossfit to practice linking tasks together, learn complex movements, and focus on task-related goals.

This has been a very popular month for article requests; following a brief write-up on the Zone Diet, we were asked to publish an overview of Insulin.  As soon as we had that up, the queries started flying for an article comparing Crossfit to P90X, the infomercial-based exercise program.  Our Invest In Yourself article series kicked off in February (one new one to come every month,) and as always, ourGym Site had people talking.  Chris spoke at St. Mary's College about football offseason training on the 18th, and was given a very flattering introduction by Coach Marty Smith.  Coming up soon: watch for the long-anticipated rollout of our online Trainer software; check the site for details on a new personal training program that we'll be the first in Canada to offer; and look for our Workplace Safe Lifting and Ergonomics seminars.  All are pretty exciting, and all represent the major strides that our little Sault Ste. Marie company is making in the fitness world!

Chris did 3 interviews last week, and we'll have text transcriptions of all three on our site soon. The Childhood Obesity interview, especially, will be of interest to parents.

Also for parents: the Canadian Child Fitness Tax Credit. Click the link for information. You've earned it; claim it!

Catalyst Kids - eligible for the tax credit! - starts March 28! Get signed up now - spots are filling up!

As always, more information is available by calling our Personal Training Centre at 253-0011 or our membership-based Gym at 256-1344.

$70/hour session (1 hour session with an Elite Personal Trainer; includes homework for the pair)

Prepaid Package of 10 sessions - $650 (save $50!)

Prepaid Package of 20 sessions - $1300 (save $100!)

*add 5% gst to all prices, please.

Make a commitment to yourself - save money! Keep yourself healthy and working hard - save money! Keep yourself out of the overcrowded healthcare system - save money! Be happy and pain-free - save money!

Get the best help available. Get a Catalyst Elite Trainer, and watch your life take off!

WOD 022409

Blame Whitney.

30 Front Squat (95lbs)

20 double-unders

10 pushups

5 rounds.

Crossfit Vs. P90X

What's the difference?  Well, a lot. Some say, not much.  They have a lot in common, and they're closer to one another than, say, the average gym-goers 'routine' of machines and cardio.

First off, neither of these methodologies are unique.  Both draw from a wide variety of more original sources.  In Crossfit's case, it's gymnastics, weightlifting, sprinting, powerlifting, and kettlebells; in the case of P90X, it's Yoga, bodybuilding, and martial arts.  All good stuff.  

It could be argued that Ross Training (www.rosstraining.com) was the original, but really, this stuff has been around for centuries.  Gym Jones is a tougher version still, but is closer to Crossfit than P90X.

Similarities:The beauties of both P90X and Crossfit: they incorporate whole-body movement.  They expose the user to new horizons (like Yoga and Martial Arts.)  They both decry the current trend in fitness toward machines, opting for primarily bodyweight exercise.  They rely as much on the exercises as they do on the coaching (critical for a good experience in either P90X or Crossfit, and a major difference from the GloboGym model.)

Differences: P90X mixes bodybuilding techniques (Day 1: chest and back) with other disciplines, like Yoga and Martial Arts, to maximize    .  It should also be noted that P90X is largely geared to improving physique, while Crossfit is targeting overall fitness improvement.

Crossfit, meanwhile, uses compound movements from gymnastics, martial arts, weightlifting, and powerlifting, as well as sprinting and running, to maximize the hormonal response to exercise.  Workouts are scalable from a rank beginner to a very elite athlete.  Workouts are constantly changing, involve big movements that demand focus and constant attention to form.  It's easier to 'grow up' with Crossfit, because mastery of many exercises requires years of practice, though the basics can be learned over a weekend, or picked up along the way.  

Crossfit, being open-concept, is constantly getting better.  Certifications are now available in both basic coaching practices, intermediate skills, and very advanced practices.  Members (hundreds of thousands worldwide) bring individual expertise to the table and that adds to everyone's experience.  For example, we saw the need for a easy-to-use tracking system, and we built it, spending tens of thousands in research and development, only to offer it back to the Crossfit community for free.

Food: P90X - operates in 3 phases.  The first is low-carbohydrate; the second is balanced (but low fat,) and the third is high-carbohydrate, low-fat.  This is a good reflection of the current opinion of mainstream public thinking, but isn't exactly up to speed with more advanced training practices.  In fact, with even less-cutting-edge media (Men's Health, Oxygen) taking up the battle cry of moderate carb, moderate protein, and lots of healthy fats, I was surprised to see a low-fat diet in such a progressive exercise prescription.

Crossfit advocates the Zone diet to most practitioners, and a growing percentage use the Paleo Diet.  There's no 'official' line on nutrition, or prescribed diet, but the Crossfit community is incredibly helpful on this point.  There's a Crossfit nutritional certification now.  The basic premise is to optimally prepare yourself at the hormonal level to deal with both the tough workouts and the physical demands of life.  The workouts themselves demand that you're eating properly: you don't want to tackle 'Fran' on an empty stomach, or experience a blood sugar crash during 'Murph.'

Differences in practice: With P90X, trainees watch a video every day that takes them through a workout.  It feels a bit like an infomercial (also the program's primary marketing strategy,) but if that does it for you, then great.

Crossfit posts a daily workout (the WOD, or Workout Of The Day) on its website (www.crossfit.com) every morning.  It usually posts a picture of a Crossfitter or group doing something wild, a couple of articles, and interesting links to Crossfit affiliates.  Then you have the discussion board, where Crossfitters around the world post their daily results.  Most people also read the affiliate blog for more articles of interest from international affiliates.  Of note: every single Crossfit affiliate (there are more than a thousand now,) has their own blog.  Some do the prescribed WOD, some not.  Every one posts articles and video, most every day.  Many of the WODs are named so that practitioners can gauge progress (for instance, your 'Fran' time may decrease, indicating an improved work capacity.)

Philosophical Differences: Crossfit chooses to change its focus daily without forewarning its practitioners.  This, they argue, helps Crossfitters put out their maximal effort every day, because they don't know what's coming next.  It's tougher to save energy for training days at which you're more likely to excel, and thereby increase skill in only one area.  Our own research - an independent two-year study on exercise adherence - confirms this notion.

Crossfit is also a lot more fun.  Knowing that tomorrow is 'Yoga Day' doesn't do much to excite an exerciser on the third time through the DVDs.  How many P90X folks are up at midnight on the P90X website, chatting to others about 'Chest and Triceps' day tomorrow?  Few.  At Crossfit.com?  Thousands are hitting 'refresh' to see the WOD before they go to sleep.

However, each are great at moving people toward the stated goals of the program.  Crossfit's goal is to improve work capacity (fitness) on a broad scale; P90X is built to help people lose body fat.  Where physique improvement comes as a byproduct of improved fitness with Crossfit, P90X targets that goal singly.

Scientific Differences: P90X relies heavily on the research behind 'muscle confusion' - the concept of every-changing demands on muscle tissue.  By minimizing adaptation to exercise, you  get more from it; we agree.  We love change.  

Crossfit cites research, reviews research, and publishes its own scientific Journal every month.  Its discussion boards are a constant spot for debate on dozens of topics daily.  Workouts are based around scientific evidence, and though founder Greg Glassman may argue with some high-level coaches, he's definitely among the elite and can speak to other scientists on their level.

Catalyst's own study on exercise adherence in 2006 showed that intense, constantly-varied workouts can produce the best adherence rate (you'll like it better, so you'll do it more.)  That's what led us to Crossfit in the first place.

Community Differences: Crossfit's biggest strength, arguably, is its community.  It's an open-source group, where anyone is free to post anything related to the WOD.  There are over a thousand affiliate gyms, each with dozens or hundreds of Crossfitters, and hundreds of thousands doing Crossfit on their own in basements, garages, parks, and streets.

Price differences: Crossfit, at its core level, is 100% free.  Skill acquisition, coaching, and gym access is not.  Some may practice Crossfit for 30 years without instruction beyond the expert coaching offered in the Crossfit Journal ($20/year) or for free on the main site and affiliate site.  

P90X - 3 easy payments of $39.95.  Note: the definition of 'easy' depends on your income, I guess.

Verdict: We like P90X.  We like exposing people to different methodologies.  We like the variety and balance.  We think people can do worse; it's probably better than 95% of the programs out there.

But we like Crossfit better.  We chose Crossfit because it matched our own philosophy and research.  Crossfit feels like a sport.  Most Crossfitters eventually become as lean and toned (and more muscular) than P90Xers, but it comes as a side effect to a much-improved level of fitness, not as an end in itself.  We also like the incorporation of true strength training, which is hard to instruct on a DVD, and lends itself to all kinds of liability that no one outside of the open-source community can afford.  If you were to train with P90X founder  Erwin Sean Caravana, maybe there would be more skill-based lifts; we can't know for sure. Details about Caravana are hard to find; is he a Trainer, or just the business brains?  Or Cleans and squats with heavy weight, though, force a metabolic change that you just can't duplicate with biceps curls, lunges, and shrugs.  P90X also feels a bit too 'sound stagey' to us - lines, even in the 'making of' videos, seem rehearsed.  It's well done, but watch a Crossfit video compared to a P90X infomercial, and note the realism: you can't fake THAT.

 

Further Reading: No Ceiling, Is CrossFit For Runners?

WOD 022309

Push Press from james hobson on Vimeo.For time:
Row 500 meters
115 pound Push press, 21 reps
Row 500 meters
115 pound Push press, 18 reps
Row 500 meters
115 pound Push press, 15 reps
Row 500 meters
115 pound Push press, 12 reps

WOD 022209

Front Squat 3-3-3-3-3

WOD 022109

This is from Crossfit Northeast England: Karabelle.  Not related to today's WOD:

"Joshie"

Complete three rounds for time of:
40 pound Dumbbell snatch, 21 reps, right arm
21 L Pull-ups
40 pound Dumbbell snatch, 21 reps, left arm
21 L Pull-ups

These are squat not power snatches.

Results from the 2/7 Virtualmeet OLY Meet: Chris finishes one place behind Luc due to age/weight formula.  neither lifter put out their best, though, so watch out in April!

Covering ALL The Bases

What are you best at?  Chances are, that's your favourite thing to do.  There's an obvious self-fulfilling paradigm there: if you like it, you get better at it.  As you get better at it, you like it more.

Doing the CAT Testing with the other coaches a few weeks ago, it quickly became obvious that our strengths and weaknesses were poles apart.  In other words, if my 1000lbs Crossfit Total netted me 8 out of 10 on the Strength portion, my aerobic test was likely all the way at the other pole (i.e. 2 or 3.)  There weren't very many scores in the middle.

It's natural to stick to the things at which you're best, but true growth and physical progress comes from improving our weaknesses.  Think about it: it's much easier for me to improve a skill at which I'm less than great (ie running,) that to add another 10lbs to my deadlift (already more than 2.5x my bodyweight.)  Which will improve my overall fitness?  Conversely, a lifelong runner will typically find more joy in watching their squat strength improve than trying to shave 5 minutes from their marathon time - the payoff is nearly immediate due to their relative inexposure to the lift.

Yes, at some point, these elements of fitness are mutually exclusive.  The world's top lifters are NOT running marathons.  However, the  overlap between elements is far greater than you may think.

For instance, the world's fastest runners (sprinters) are also excellent jumpers and weightlifters, due to the similar demands placed upon them by their sport.  Those who score high in agility necessarily do better than average in flexibility also.  The correlation between two distinct physical capacities cannot be overlooked in training.  

We teach our runners to deadlift.  Hip extension power is the primary determinant of speed in running, even at ultramarathon distances, given a flat surface.  We teach our powerlifters (who appear slow, by comparison,) to move weight quickly, because the neuromuscular overlap means greater success in their sport.  We teach weightlifters to become more flexible.  We increase the anaerobic AND aerobic capacities of hockey players, because they're intermingled.  

For this reason, it's useless to compare different fitness pursuits against one another.  Yoga is great.  So is pilates.  So are martial arts, running, cycling, bodybuilding, weightlifting, Powerlifting, wrestling, and pole dancing.  But do any develop all physical attributes concurrently?  No. 

It's a tough challenge.  However, to be a well-rounded human, you don't have to spend equal time working on all 10 elements individually.  Training at those points of overlap is key.

For instance, high-intensity anaerobic training will improve your aerobic capacity (until you reach a very elite level.)  Likewise, training in explosive movements will help your back squat.  Improving your coordination score, if done properly, will boost your agility levels to new heights.

What do we all this combination of movements?  Crossfit.  Crossfit is the broad application of basic human movement, done in a fun and intense way.  On any given day, you'll be improving on a broad foundation of fitness.  You'll be able to run a mile.  You'll be able to pick up something heavy and lift it overhead without fear of injury or failure.  You'll be able to address and overcome a very demanding physical task in a short time.  And you'll smile, say thanks, and come back again tomorrow.  You'll start to become addicted; you'll check our site first thing every morning to see the WOD.  You'll feel guilty on mandatory rest days.  You'll annoy your friends with your talk of faster Frans and pain-free Angies.  You'll post odd status updates on Facebook.  And little by little, you'll improve.  You'll notice your heart rate climbs more before the workout, with anticipation, than during the workout.  You'll move more weight.  You'll run 5km nonstop.  You'll relish the challenge of a workout that, not long ago, seemed ridiculous to consider.  You'll call the gym to see what time Clint scored on Murph that day.  You'll hit 'refresh' a few times on the Crossfit site at 11pm, just to see the next day's WOD, and then lose sleep thinking about it.  And someday, you'll read an email just like this, and you'll laugh, and then you'll be a Crossfitter.

WOD 022009

"MURPH"

1 mile run

100 pullups

200 pushups

300 squats

1 mile run

...for time.

Don't miss our Murph Challenge March 14!  This is your last chance to practice your rep strategy!  

Get signed up now - you won't want to miss this one!

“Have you ever been on a bike trail, enjoying the day, biking fast and having fun, when you fly by two massively overweight ladies with their seats too low, knees hitting their chins, biking at the speed of a turtle on tranquilizers? How do we know they’re riding for fitness (besides the fact that they don’t look like they’re having fun)? They have the same look on their faces as all the folks on the treadmill-stairclimber-elliptical machine at every Globo gym.

One of the things that I’ve been noticing for a while - is that CrossFit attracts people that are not afraid to behave like children: learn and dare to try new things, make mistakes, smile and have fun while pushing to the limits at the same time.”

READ THE REST

Insulin

Here's a great read from Crossfit Again Faster (a terrific blog): Disturbing Counsel.

Insulin is your internal UPS. When you eat, and your blood glucose level rises above 90 mg/dl, the pancreas kicks out insulin to start moving blood sugar and other nutrients around. Without insulin, you couldn't digest food; you could literally eat all you want, and none of it would reach the muscle cell, and you'd starve to death. Insulin, obviously, is a critical hormone.

Unfortunately, insulin is an equal-opportunity dump truck. It doesn't care what gets dumped where; it just looks for a big 'VACANCY' sign and fills accordingly.

When blood sugar's rising too fast or too high, the pancreas overreacts a bit. Insulin pours into the bloodstream, pushing blood sugar and amino acids,etc. anywhere possible. Unfortunately, this results in a blood sugar crash, because insulin doesn't know when to stop. So a few hours later, you're tired and hungry again. Long-term, your muscles become resistant to these insulin waves. That's diabetes, friend: the resistance of muscle to insulin.

How can you moderate the insulin response? Well, dull the sharp spike in blood glucose with proteins and healthy fats. Your blood sugar level won't rise as quickly, and the pancreas will release insulin in a controlled, orderly fashion. You can also cut back your total intake of carbohydrates (which are just complex or simple sugar molecules.)

This all sounds like a bunch of chemistry so far, so let's talk about how insulin levels affect YOU.

What's your typical breakfast? Cereal? Well, with enough milk, your blood sugar levels shouldn't rise too quickly. Not bad, but consider the type of cereal you're eating. If it's too sugary or processed, blood sugar levels will still rise too quickly; you'll secrete too much insulin, leaving you sleepy and hungry. Think that only kids' cereals are this way?

Here's a good story: Corn Flakes were invented by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (yep, THAT Kellogg) to reduce sexual desire and cure the 'epidemic' of masturbation by lulling the eater into a lazy, unmotivated state. Graham Crackers were invented by Rev. Sylvester Graham to do the same. They weren't aware of the mechanism, but knew that carbohydrates would lull the eater into sedation. Kellogg, by the way, had a lot of other great ideas, including inflicting genital pain on kids to discourage overactive sexuality later.

One of the main reasons that diets don't work (at least, not for long!) is because they usually don't address the hormones behind the storage of fat and the insulin spikes associated with processed food. While most diets now recognize the value of 5-6 small meals per day, few acknowledge the goal behind frequent meals: controlled insulin levels. Instead, they choose to restrict carbohydrates, or proteins, or fat, or total calories. Take Weight Watchers, for instance: if you ate 6 small meals per day, and some of those meals were solely carbohydrate, your blood sugar spikes would make you store carbohydrate as fat. Likewise, on a strict Atkins diet, insulin levels are too low, and the protein isn't effectively used as energy. You CAN use protein for energy (gluconeogenesis,) but it's an inefficient process, especially without insulin to help.

Why the obesity epidemic? Why the skyrocketing rates of Type II diabetes? Look at our dinner plates. At least 2/3 is carbohydrate. A pasta dinner is ALL carbohydrate. What chance does your pancreas have to control insulin output? None. Look at the FDA: they're not only responsible for regulating intake of foods, but also selling crops. And which crop gets all the government funding support? Corn, full of fructose and a major insulin overstimulant. Corn is in everything: pop, bread, virtually any food containing fructose...even protein bars. What diet does the government recommend for avoiding heart disease? Low-fat (read: high carbohydrate.) What do doctors recommend for Type II diabetes - a totally reversible condition? Drugs. Not exercise (to raise insulin sensitivity in the muscle) or a balanced diet, but medication.

Clearly, no one is going to control insulin for you. It's up to you. This is why most Crossfitters follow the Zone diet (www.zonediet.com) - balanced protein and carbohydrate intake, moderate healthy fat intake. It's both beautiful in its simplicity and challenging enough to hold your attention. No, it's not controversial. It's even kinda boring. But it works.

If you don't want to listen to Dr. Sears, or buy his book, try this: eat protein at every meal. Eat denser carbohydrate sources at the same amounts as the lean proteins, or vegetables at double the volume of lean proteins. Eat a bit of fat at every meal. Here's a good starting point: eat a piece of lean chicken breast about the size of your palm. Eat a little pile of rice, about the same size. Eat a few almonds. If you feel sleepy an hour later, cut back on the carbs a bit next time, and try it again. Better yet, trade the rice for about twice the amount of salad.

Raise your insulin sensitivity with exercise: intervals, weights, and aerobic. Burn that diabetes candle at both ends. But keep it in check. You'll live longer, be smarter, and enjoy life more.

Shirt Sale - Get Ready For The Murph Challenge!

Murph Challenge is March 14!  Get your Team Green Gear and represent!

WOD 021909

For time:
50 Ring Dips
Run 400 meters
50 Push-ups
Run 400 meters
50 Handstand push-ups
Run 400 meters

Push-ups are honest push-ups. Handstand push-ups are "nose to floor".

WOD 021809

With a continuously running clock do one pull-up the first minute, two pull-ups the second minute, three pull-ups the third minute... continuing as long as you are able.

Use as many sets each minute as needed.

Post number of minutes completed to comments.

FOOTBALL

...is coming back.  Soon.  

Chris will be at St. Mary's College this morning, talking to their players about REAL strength training.  Want to see what they'll see?  Download the synopsis and workout template Download OFFSEASON FOOTBALL TRAINING .

Want a great illustration of the industrial-style workout?  Watch this video.  It features two approaches to training in the offseason.  On the one hand, there's hard work, chalk, and  improvement.  On the other, there's chest-bumping, fashion advice, and a lot of talking.

The industrial gym featured: Joe Defranco's.  A great resource for football players.  Defranco literally wrote the book on combine preparation.

Want to read more about the Westside template?  Click here.

WOD 021709

Squat Clean 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

Right: Joe Scott, long-time Crossfitter, gets his first muscle-up at SSMGC yesterday.  Like Chris, Joe found out that rings at the Gym Club have a little more, uh, spring to them.  

Thanks Lisa and Kim at SSMGC!  We had a great time at Avery's Family Fun Day!  

WOD 021609

Clean and Jerk - 2000lbs for time

Snatch - 2000lbs for time

Keep a continuously-running clock, and report the total time required.

Note: We're open for Family Day!  See us between 6am and 12pm!  

Family Affair: The 9am Crew does Jones Crawl on Saturday.

Jones Crawl from Chris Cooper on Vimeo.

WOD 021509

3 rounds for time of:
Row 500 meters
21 Burpees
Run 400 meters

WOD 021409

Today's WOD:

Seven rounds for time of:
95 pound Sumo-deadlift high-pull, 10 reps
10 Ring dips

9am GROUP ONLY:  JONES CRAWL

TEAMS OF 3 - One pushing/pulling sled, one doing pushups in rings, one doing pullups.  The original was called, "Louder Than 11" at Gym Jones.  Read around their site; interesting stuff.  These are the guys who REALLY trained the actors for the movie, "300."  This was their workout below:

WOD 021309

"Fran"

Three rounds, 21-15- and 9 reps, for time of:
95 pound Thruster
Pull-ups

Game on!

There are dozens of 'Fran' videos out there.  These are two of my favourites.

The Fastest Show on Earth. The first sub 2 minute "Fran" from gregg arsenuk on Vimeo.

Personal Training Rates, March 1 '09

Save $$$ with our new Personal Training Packages!

 

Our Rates:

$55/session (1 hour session with an Elite Personal Trainer; includes homework and food plan)

Prepaid Package of 10 sessions - $500 (save $50!)

Prepaid Package of 20 sessions - $900 (save $100!)

 

$40/session (half hour session with an Elite Personal Trainer; includes homework)

Prepaid Package of 10 half-hour sessions - $350 (save $50!)

Prepaid Package of 20 half-hour sessions -$600 (save $100!)

 

Train with your buddy or spouse!

$70/hour session (1 hour session with an Elite Personal Trainer; includes homework for the pair)

Prepaid Package of 10 sessions - $650 (save $50!)

Prepaid Package of 20 sessions - $1300 (save $100!)

 

*add 5% gst to all prices, please.

 

Make a commitment to yourself - save money!  Keep yourself healthy and working hard - save money!  Keep yourself out of the overcrowded healthcare system - save money!  Be happy and pain-free - save money!

 

Get the best help available.  Get a Catalyst Elite Trainer, and watch your life take off!

WOD 021209

"TABATA THIS"

:20 on, :10 off for 8 rounds of each:

Squat

Jerk (55lbs)

Pullup

Situps

The clock keeps running.  Don't take more than the standard :10s break between exercises.

This stuff WORKS, folks.  Here's the citation for the original research on high-intensity interval training using the Tabata method.

History: the original 'Tabata Machine' was sold in the 1980s in Playboy, Fortune, Forbes, and some others.  It was also picked up and sold en masse by Tony Robbins as he toured in the early days.

3 More Weeks of Free Crossfit Boot Camp!

Hurry!  Free Weekend Crossfit Boot Camp ends March 1!

Free Boot Camp is a 90-minute introduction to Crossfit.  You'll learn basic techniques in the Squat, Deadlift, Press, Push Press, Jerk, Clean, and Pull-up exercises (yes, you CAN do pull-ups if you're taught properly!)  

Instructed by head coach Chris Cooper, the Free Boot Camp explains Crossfit methodology, puts you on a solid footing to start the Crossfit program, and gives you some insight into why Crossfit is a rapidly-expanding favourite of so many folks in the Sault.  It's fun, it's simple, and you'll get to do "Fran" - a Crossfit standard - at the end.  

Wanna sign up and give it a shot?  256-1344.  Get in under the wire!

Beginning in March, the Free Boot Camp will be replaced by the Crossfit Essentials Course, which will run from 8-9am on Saturday mornings.  The course will be spread out over two consecutive Saturdays, will go further in depth, and will cost $60 (plus gst.)  Those who complete both Saturday sessions will receive a Crossfit punch card for 4 Crossfit sessions, meaning that the net cost of the Essentials Course is still zero.  

Why the change?  Well, we're committing our best coaches to ensuring that you get a productive and safe Crossfit experience.  We're asking you to commit to finishing the Essentials Course, and try Crossfit for a few sessions.  You'll love it; we promise.  

Below is a sample of what you can expect at a Crossfit Essentials Course:

Teaching The Clean from Leonid S. on Vimeo.

WOD 021109

45 Double-unders
135 pound Squat clean, 45 reps
45 Ring Dips
45 Double-unders

WOMEN AND STRENGTH

Ladies: you've got to lift weight to be fit.  Your grandmothers toiled: not at a boardroom table, but in the fields, the sheds, over the fire.  They didn't worry about osteoporosis; they were exempted by their work ethic.  You have no such luxury.  Our culture does not provide you with daily challenges of physical strength.  Where once physical toil built the muscle on which a high-powered, fat-decimating metabolic furnace relies, you're now left with no choice but to lift weights in the gym.

One preponderant myth in the fitness industry is that you'll get BIG lifting weights.  Getting 'BIG,' just like getting 'SMALL,' does not happen by chance or accident.  For a woman, becoming large and muscular relies heavily on hormonal supplementation and the precise dedication to gaining weight.  It won't happen unless you WANT it to happen.  This lady below, for instance, did not occur because a woman seeking to tone up her midsection accidentally did too many reps, or moved beyond those safe little pink dumbbells.

Being strong has its own benefits beyond the aesthetic, of course, but if your goal is based on personal appearance, rest comfortably in the knowledge that a woman who carries some muscle appears much lighter than she may actually be.  A fit woman walks taller, carries herself differently; her strength goes far beyond the physical.  We all know women are tougher than men; why are you scared to be strong?

Below: some Crossfit girls doing Cleans and Snatches.  

Bantam-Midget Baseball Dryland Starts March 5!

It's been a long, slow winter.

Your glove has been packed away for too long. It's ready.

Baseball is waiting.

Get Ready NOW. What's on the line?

A spot on the team.

A spot on the field.

Playing time. Experience. Scholarships. Your future in the sport.

No matter what your position, you need to be training with the best. Need one good reason? Your competition IS. You'll be competing against athletes who train year-round in state-of-the-art facilities with professional strength and conditioning coaches like us. They're competing for the same spots on the same College rosters as you. Today, while you're doing your own thing, they're in the gym. They're doing cleans. They're throwing. They're squatting. They're getting stronger, faster, better. They're getting closer to that dream.

6 Weeks - $129

Thursdays at 6:30pm - Industrial Park Gym

Coach: Tyler Belanger (Graceland alum)

Assistant: Kai Tuomi (Nationals Draftee)

Strength Training, Conditioning, Food Plan, Position-Specific Drills, 2-Month Membership to Catalyst Gym.

Get Better. Don't Wait.

253-0011 to sign up.

Catalyst Kids starts March 28!

Catalyst Kids starts March 28 at 9am!

Catalyst Kids is fun, inclusive exercise, focusing on basic bodyweight exercise, and delivered in a game-style format.

Our goal: teach kids that movement is FUN. We'd like to introduce your kids to playful exercise that they enjoy and will seek out later in life. We'd like to give them skills that will help them in sport, in fitness, and in play down the road. And we'd really like it if they learned to love exercise for its own sake.

Catalyst Kids is a 45-minute group activity built around challenges. We use obstacle courses, our climbing wall, lots of mat activities, medicine balls, pvc pipe, gymnastics rings, tumbling mats, and jumping boxes!

It's a challenging workout, but kids see it as a game. Workouts are built around games like tag, obstacle courses, and other 'playground-style' favourites with our own bit of flavour. Remember Capture The Flag, King of the Mountain, Red Rover...? Like that, but with cheerleaders. I know what you're thinking: how can I sign up WITH my kid? Yeah, me too.

Our focus is inclusion and fun. Things can become competitive, but never to the exclusion of any kid.

Our coach: Lisa Proctor. Elementary school teacher, gymnastics coach, holder of a BSc in Kinesiology, and all-around fun-lovin' gal. Our facility: Catalyst on Queen St.

Roll out the mats, dust up the climbing wall, and chalk up: it's time to exercise like only a kid can!

6-week Group - $60 (plus gst.)

(ages 8-12 only. Sorry, we'll add more groups, including those for younger kids, as we go. I know, I know....)

TO REGISTER: 253-0011. We're only taking 8 kids. Get yours on the list!

WOD 021009

Deadlift 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

WOD 020909

"Cindy"
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats

OR

"Mary"
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
5 Handstand Push-ups
10 One legged squats, alternating
15 Pull-ups

CINDY IS great practice for our "Murph Challenge," March 16.  Are you registered?  Hurry - it's filling up quickly!

WOD 020809

Complete three rounds for time:

Run 800 meters

20 “Toes-to-bars”

Deadlift BW, 21 reps

Exploit Your Weaknesses

What makes you great?  You, specifically?

Yes, you're great.  At some things, especially.  So what's holding you back on the others?

Let me get this old cliche out of the way: you're only as strong as your weakest link.

In a life that sometimes may feel out of your control, there are always actions you can take to make things better.  One of those is to strengthen your weaknesses.

There are things we KNOW we're good at.  There are things we KNOW we're not good at yet.  There are also things - unknown to us today - at which we won't be good in the future.  Fortunately, there are things ahead of all of us at which we can be great.  All we have to do is start preparing now.

Step #1: Take an honest inventory of your skillset.  Is your spelling mediocre?  Is your squat only 'deep enough' at the YMCA?  Is your grammar on par with a sixth-grader?  Are you pre-diabetic?  Better take action.

Step #2: Assess just how good - or bad - you are.  Ask for an extra evaluation at work.  Submit an article to an editor in your field of interest.  Book an appointment for CAT Testing.  Get some blood work done.  Swim across a lake - no, scratch that one.  You don't want to score 75% in a life-and-death struggle.

Step #3: Determine the straightest line to your goal.  Take lessons.  Get coaching.  Read.  Filter.  Repeat.

Step #4: Measure progress.  Start over with the NEXT weakest link.

What's going to improve you more, overall: whittling your particular penchant for sub-Amazon purple-tipped three-antennaed butterflies, or learning how climate change is destroying rainforests?  Adding 1/8 of an inch to your biceps, or learning how to do 5 pullups without stopping?  To shift your picture, you can't just change your focus; you've got to broaden your lens.  You've got to zoom out occasionally.  You've got to put it in 'landscape' mode.   You've got to gain context.

This is going to require some humility on your part.  You can't make progress against your own failings if you're arrogant.  The blustery 'Big Benchers' from other gyms, generally, don't come to our Bench Group twice.  Those who do excel.  We've had more than one case of a 20lbs gain on a new guy's bench press in one session.  THIS is what's possible when you pay constant attention to your weakest links.

The Japanese use a concept called "Kaizen" to describe the continual act of self-improvement.  Click the link to read about it.  

On Saturday the 7th, Catalyst Gym members traded 90 minutes of sleep for huge improvements in their Cleans, Jerks, and Snatches.  The video is below.  Watching isn't as good as being there was, but it WILL help.

Nick Zossimas OLY Seminar -Unedited from Chris Cooper on Vimeo.

Sarah MacGregor (local chick and Crossfitter in absentia) who trains at Crossfit Ottawa just started the Paleo Diet.  This is her blog.  Send her some support!

And this, friends, is one of my all-time favourite videos.  Sebastien Wetzel, age 15, in his first powerlifting meet.  Sebastien's hoping to qualify for the Special Olympics.  The meet was our Virtualmeet Push/Pull on January 23.  

Sebastien - Breakthrough! from Chris Cooper on Vimeo.

WOD 020709

Meet Nick.

Nick is intense.

Nick walks to the Gym from Sault College 3-4x per week.

At night.  At -35 degrees.  In the rain, even.

Nick likes to train to 1970s funk music.  And Nick's stronger than you are.

Today, Nick's coaching the Clean, Jerk, and Snatch.  8:30-10am.  

Entry by punch card.  Well worth your time.

Nick's  club in Toronto: Toronto Weightlifting

Today's WOD:

Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
Row 250 meters
Sumo deadlift highpull 95 pounds, 21 reps
Pull-ups 15 reps

Invest In Yourself

 

Last night, I opened an envelope from my financial advisor.  If you've received one of these, you know the next part already.  My loudness almost woke up my kids.  

Unlike our anatomy, our savings and investments should improve with time.  I don't know much about that, but I spend a LOT of time with human bodies, and there's one thing that's true of all of us: we're on a downward slope.  Rage, rage as much as you want, but you're not going to be as strong when you're 70 as you are now (unless you're weak now.  Maybe you are.  If so, keep reading anyway.)

The investment you're making through exercise and good dietary practices are slowing that decline dramatically, though.  Consider the largest problems faced by our elderly: Type II Diabetes (not only avoidable, but reversible), heart disease (largely avoidable,) and bone/muscle injury due to lack of use or misuse (completely avoidable.)  

 

You've read the headlines: health care is declining faster than the TSX.  Your savings are back at 2003 levels.  Do you REALLY believe that we'll have the same health care system 10 years from now?  How about 20?  What if you injured your back at work TODAY: what kind of advice would you get at the hospital?  A referral to a physiotherapist, or a prescription for OxyContin?  Advice to take time off work, get bed rest, and take drugs?  My point: would the advice help you avoid the problem in the future?

 

Chances are, you're going to have to work longer than you'd planned.  Maybe 5 extra years.  Are you going to be able to handle 5 more years?  Will you emerge healthy enough to enjoy retirement, or will you be so far into the twilight that you'll have to scrape to finish?

Sure, you may live long enough to still have a long retirement.  Or you may live long enough to suffer through long illness.  Maybe you'll be too ill to travel.  Maybe your final years will be spent in hospital.  Maybe, instead of fulfilling your dream of giving birth to triplets at age 72, you'll require your own medical care.

 

Exercise is cumulative.  One bout is fun, but won't help long-term.  You need to compound the interest yourself.  You need to be investing, every day, time.  You need to be paying ATTENTION.  Time is now the most valuable asset you have: invest it wisely.

By the way, learning new stuff is also great.  Study as much as you work out.

WOD 020609

Shoulder press 1-1-1-1-1 reps
Push press 3-3-3-3-3 reps
Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5 reps

Below: Mitch Fryia demonstrates The Push Jerk and Split Jerk at Catalyst last summer.

TOMORROW: OLY Lifting clinic with Nick Zossimas!  

Nick will demonstrate and coach techniques in the Clean, Jerk, and Snatch.  Want to improve your performance at sport or Crossfit?  These lifts are critical!  Want to bring those lifts up?  Technique is the key, not strength!  

Nick will start his clinic at 8:30 at Catalyst Athletic.  Fee: Crossfit Punch Card (it's cheap!)  No advance signup necessary!

Following the 8:30am clinic, we'll be hosting a mini-OLY meet for those who'd like to make a few attempts at a PR.  Luc and Chris will submit their lifts to Virtualmeet for an international panel of judges to (hopefully) give them the White Lights.  

WOD 020509

Five rounds for time of:

2 pood Kettlebell swings, 25 reps

25 GHD Sit-ups

25 Back Extensions

25 Knees to Elbows

RESULTS FROM OUR 1/23/09 VIRTUALMEET (PUSH/PULL) ARE OUT!

Virtualmeet Results

WOD 020409

"Lynne"

Bench Press - bodyweight for max reps

Max Reps Pullups

5 rounds for max reps.

From last night's Strongman Group: Eisler goes for the record on the chinup challenge.  Dave scored 100 on Nicole last week; will he make it?

Eisler Goes For The Pullup Challenge Record from Chris Cooper on Vimeo.

Why Wood?

First-time visitors to our Industrial Park Gym (Catalyst Athletic and Crossfit) are sometimes taken aback. There are few machines.  The plates are multi-coloured, huge, and have rubber edges.  There's a twelve-foot-tall set of monkey bars.  There's a giant tire, a shiny keg, some thick ropes, and rock music.
In the middle of it all, though, is shiny wood: 3 platforms, 10 feet long, of heavily-polished cherry.  And they're not there for decoration.
These are Olympic platforms, made specifically for the OLY lifts: Cleans. Jerks.  Snatches.  Stand on wood, drop on rubber.  Drop from overhead, drop loudly, drop often; doesn't matter.
The OLY lifts are unmatched for developing explosive, ground-force power.  Done correctly, they'll improve speed and explosiveness like no other lifts.  But if a weight won't go up, it's gotta go down - and it's coming down fast and hard.
Unlike other lifts, OLY lifts require a high rate of speed.  They're also impossible to spot.  You can't jump in and catch a jerk gone wrong; you can't help a lifter who's going to drop a clean.  And when a snatch doesn't make lockout...well, it's coming down hard.  As it should.  Dropping a weight you can't lock out is the safest thing you can do!

And it's all okay!  It's fine! You SHOULD expect to drop weights if you're working hard!  Occasionally, during Crossfit workouts, you'll want to move quickly between exercises, and delicacy will not be top of mind.  In the most advanced training facilities in the world, PEOPLE DROP WEIGHTS!  Regularly, loudly, repeatedly...and safely.  

Wood is nicer underfoot - it gives a satisfying 'squeek!' when your feet jump into a split jerk.  There's a nice 'clap!' when you drop into a snatch.  And sometimes, when you sit down faster than you'd intended, it's nice to have a bit of slide under your butt.

Yes, we're the only facility in Northern Ontario that uses OLY Platforms.  That's a little disorienting for some folks, but they'll sure be grateful when they make the NCAA or NHL or the Crossfit Games and they see what's in store! 

Below: Arkansas State, Phoenix Coyotes, New Mexico State, Oregon State, San Diego, and West Texas.  Notice: Platforms galore.  Space.  Power Racks. Bumper Plates. Few machines. Success.  These are folks who know what they're doing, can afford the best available, and use the best science out there. 

     

These are what GYMS look like.  These are where CHAMPIONS train.  These are where athletes become BETTER athletes.  This is where you need to be if your goal is to be among these elites.  Can you do cleans at your gym, or do you get into trouble?  Can you deadlift, or are you risking your membership?  Can you drop a weight from overhead - or do people scream?  Can you even chalk up? 

WOD 020309

BACK SQUAT 5-5-5-5-5

Pictured: Sarah MacGregor (Crossfit Ottawa by way of Catalyst) shows some sweet bruising after a clean and jerk clinic on the weekend.  Yeah, Sarah!

February RUNNING GROUP!

It's been a long winter. Mike's ready to melt some sidewalk with his new RUNNING GROUP!

Unlike our other running groups, this group doesn't have a distance-based goal. Instead, the goal is to shake off the cobwebs, rage against the last dark days of winter, and jolt out of the slumbering winter.

Fast runs; intense, fun workouts; new challenges! Let's roll!

February 16 - 7pm - Mondays for 6 Weeks

$89 (plus gst)

Runs leave from Catalyst on Queen Street.

Register: 253-0011.

WOD 020209

30 MUSCLE-UPS FOR TIME.

SUB: 120 PULLUPS AND 120 DIPS.