I Declare...

Rack...

“It is the confession, not the priest, that gives us absolution”

I haven't really been racking my brain or anything quite so tawdry when it comes to the last post I will make this year. But I have questioned a way to exit this 2010 with hopes of a delightful 2011 in mind. I figured I would divulge one of the most important lessons I learned this year. Take it or leave it. 

Here's What I Learned About Myself:

I'm a Liar. In fact, those of you out there most likely to express how you never tell a fib are most likely the biggest liars in society. I'm not really talking about intentionally misleading people or outwardly lying to others, although there are multiple forms of lying, from lying by omission, and a million other tactics that are lying without really admitting to yourself that you are actually missing some of the truth.

No, I'm not talking about a "your ass looks good in those jeans" lie when it does not. I'm talking about lying to myself...the worst lie of all. Once you're comfortable with this one, lying to others is like second nature. And some of you reading this now are already balking at the text. You're the biggest liar of them all. Failure to admit it to yourself means you're weak. And the worst part about it is, if you're $%&#ed up-your hypocritical ass can't do shit for anyone else.

I learned this year that I lie to myself when I say everything in this world is spectacular. While to some measure it kinda is, to another I am eliminating the natural blessing of overcoming the suffering that is inherent today. Trying to dress up every day, and turning everything into a false positive was a behavioral tactic I used incorrectly in the past, and this year I came to learn that it is worthless and, in fact, leads to a much less rewarding life.

I'm not saying complain about all the woes of the day. I'm saying recognize them. Not selfishly hand them off so others can solve your shit for you. I'm suggesting taking inventory of the difficult when the difficult comes, and targeting every item until you eradicate the obstacle. Reveling in your own victory, and waiting for the next obstacle. It's our ability to overcome that makes us great, not our ability to make everything a fake source of comfort. As Buddha said-Life is suffering-we suffer because we are addicted-we are blessed with the ability to overcome anything-we overcome by daily actions meant to single handily leave us empassioned about life, not obsessed with things in it.

I lie to myself when I leave one conversation without divulging 100% of the truth, no matter how offensive it may be, not giving the person hearing it enough credit to man up and take the Gods honest truth. I lie everyday I write something and change my sentence six times because I need to reach everyone....some don't want saved...noone likes help...people need led. I lie whenever I sit and can stand. I lie whenever I have and others don't. I $%&*ing lie when I can and don't while there are people who would and really can't.

 For that I will no longer paint that happy face on shit that ain't happy. I will allow the sickening feeling to take hold, for I am to blame, and only I. I will welcome this feeling as it, literally, disgusts me to have done less when I most certainly can do more. I will not package my faults so that I am comfortable with some kind of psycho babble BS as it most certainly is entirely my fault. I will wallow in this reprehensible behavior because I hate it. I will call it what it is, because meeting the negative head on, staring at the last monster of the year makes sure I can recognize that monster's face when it shows itself next year.

I will break myself down everyday this year to ensure I can reach my daily potential. So that when I am looking up from the 6' dirt walls of my last, I will see the rain drops and relax leaving this joint knowing I have done everything I was made for, not just what was comfortable.

I will look in the mirror and stoically tell myself some people just don't understand, get-it, or want it. This is fine. These people are placed in my life as my test. A test of my resolve, my commitment. And if they aren't my test of will they are another's, and I will not let them affect me or change me no matter their supposed virtue, or implication to future activity.

What I learned about you:

Somehow, whatever I learned about myself, was taught in some way by others. Somehow, I don't feel like I'm unique, here or anywhere. Somehow I believe you're just as tired of resolutions as I am. Somehow I believe your ready to "Declare"......

"11am NYD WOD"

TBA..

New Years Eve Debauchery: Ten Steps To Avoid A Hangover....

Jen...

“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.”

I could take the roll of "Paleo Preacher" this holiday season. I could stand on my CF pulpit, red faced and pissed off screaming the dangers of alcohol and processed food like it's the apocalypse. Or, I could follow suit with our recent experiments and provide knowledge to help you experience, if nothing else, the least hangover pain if any, the quickest recovery, and the least deadly after effect on the body if you decide to get a little destructive this NYE.

Why Hangover:

Every drinker has a million cures, and a million hangovers to prove they don't quite work. We know what it feels like, but why did we get there in the first place?

Hangovers actually have a more formal name-Veisalgia-or Norwegian for "uneasiness following debauchery". Nice huh? I won't go into the symptoms we experience, as Im sure you know, but the reasons are slightly more complex. And if we know why, maybe we can prevent the outcome.

Consuming alcohol blocks the bodies production of Vasopressin. Without Vasopressin the kidneys send water directly to the bladder eliminating the bodies absorption of that water. Hence the reason after you pop the cork you piss all night. In fact, you will eliminate more than you take, making you dehydrated.

Once dehydrated your body will try to hydrate tissue by pulling water from places like the brain essentially decreasing the size, pulling on the membrane making your head hurt.

Obviously if your dehydrated all kinds of other maladies arise including electrolyte displacement or imbalance, therefore creating even more issues.

There are by-products of the fermentation of Alcohol called Congeners. Different drinks have different stuff in them, thus why some are worse than others. For instance, dry reds have less sugar, yet more Congeners. So less sugar, more toxin. Whereas Bourbon, and dark's may be a little worse, Vodka and Gins may be a little more acceptable.

This is also the reason why combining different drinks can be so detrimental.

10 Steps To Freedom:

1. The day before, start drinking tons of water. If your already at a gallon you should be cool, as you do not want to dilute your electrolyte balance early. 

2. The day before, start salting your food more than you normally may.

3.The night before.Take 600mg magnesium prior to bed, preferably with 11mg or so of Zinc. A super B-complex, and Vit-C.

4. Upon arising kill at least 1 liter of ultra cold water, and maintain your liquid content through the day, adding electrolyte content to the water. Not lots, a few pedialyte's will work, or a few health store packs.

5. Wod-fasted. Then have your normal post workout shake. And here's the kicker-fast for the rest of the day until your one and only meal. 

Alcohol is an energy substrate so it will metabolize first. The more you eat, the more will be left in the tank as the body will immediately burn away the toxin before it gets to the calories from food. This is especially true when it comes to carbohydrates, so if you cannot fast the majority of this day away, stick with only protein and fat for now.

6. About an hour before you begin knocking it back-eat. Try to keep it no-carbish, and heavy on the fat, and protein, this way at least you can metabolize the alcohol faster since there will be no sugar/carbs to contend with.

Pair this meal prior to your drunkfest with 300mg magnesium another B-complex and Vit-C tab of 2000mg or so, and try to include Kale or some other green leafy veggie with tons of potassium. Yes I could have said Banana's but they have all that BS fructose remember, and fructose will not help replenish the glycogen that will be lost, and the liver already has a lot to do.

7. If you can remember, drink another liter of water before you retire, and sleep in the tub so you don't drunk piss the bed.

8. Immediately upon awakening rock down a few Emergen-C paks in a glass of coconut water with about 300mg more of magnesium, and another B-Complex.

9. Eat a breakfast rich of fat and protein like normal, while of course, eliminating the carbs.

10. Drink the below as your drink of choice during you NYE shindig. It's given to us from Robb Wolf, and seems to work nicely.

"Norcal Margarita"

2-Shots of Tequilia

1-Juice of a Lime

Soda Water To Taste.

Citric Acid blunts some Insulin release, and the Soda Water delivers the alcohol to the system faster making you get rid of it faster.

By far and away this is not all you could do. There is like a thousand remedies form "hair of the Dog That Bit You", and charcoal as a filter in pill form. Whatever works.

Give these techniques a try this New Year's Eve and see if you come out better for it next year. Post to comments your own remedies you swear by.

Strength:

Rest

For Time:

5-Power Cleans 95/135

5-Hang Power Clean 95/135

5-Jerks 95/135

15-Toe To Bar

3 Rounds

Post time to comments

Knowledge: When Less Is More...

Heather and Kara...

Mindy and Jen...

“America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between.”

The conversation began, as many others do. "Have you read X (plug in generic title)". "Yes, it's currently #1 on the times best seller list and".....Before I can finish I'm interrupted with. "He eats X (plug in random non-Paleo food") with eyes that seem to say, If he says I can, and you-who are not a New York Times best selling author (YET), why should I listen to you?

Anyone who knows me knows I dig to read. I usually have several titles going at once from philosophy, diet of course, fiction, even anthropology. I am consumed with a quest for more knowledge. But does that knowledge make me more intelligent, or just know more?

The story above is one of like several I will be confronted with in a week, sometimes days even. Such is the price you pay for the business I'm in. But all that philosophy leads me to philosophize. Is the reason we are gaining knowledge to help others, be better, impart more to society, and ultimately gain wisdom, or so we can find something somewhere that reads the way we want it to-reinforcing our bad behavior.

With such conflicting information available to us today there is no doubt we attain worthless information form time to time. Information which may cloud our judgement, and send us down the wrong paths, but if the reason we were attaining that knowledge in the first place was pure, most of this should pass like the worthless piece of shit it is.

If I sit down to be enlightened by the Pali Canon (kinda like a Buddhist bible) with the main goal being to become more comfortable with the current bad behavior I am committing, as opposed to changing the behavior entirely. You are not only molesting a beautiful text, but you are negating all possibility of wisdom gained simply because you began the journey with only the easy way out in mind.

If you search diets all over the internet until you stumble on the Twinkie Diet (its real) then you bring it to guys like me in hopes I can validate what they do, or at least argue against it poetically, your reason for gaining that Mis-knowledge is jaded as are you, and you may be sitting deep in the waters of too much. This is one of those times you need to detach from the input, and just read between the lines, and use common sense.

RBL (reading between the lines):

For instance "Studies Show" is the biggest load of shit ever. Everyone has a study up their ass, and just about everything was "studied" so somebody could profit. If you do not read the original abstract, and attain the data, it is worthless. Here is an example;

-Studies show three milligrams of Nicotine increases fat burning by 20%- 

Ok, but what if the control group lost .25 pounds, and the nicotine group lost .30 pounds (20% more) is that really worth downing nicotine at all. Which has been proven to be addictive at over 2mg. Nope.

Are you picking up what I'm putting down. 

Another version below is a far fetched specious reasoning of a study not reliant on percentages may say something observational, that takes into account no variables.

Tigers are not in the ocean. The ocean has salt- therefore tigers must hate salt.

That sound %$#%ing ridiculous, and we are feed bullshit like that in much subtler ways all the time, while on a quest for knowledge.

Everything Is A %$#&ing Lie:

The solution to all this jargon is to disbelieve everything you read, and experiment with everything you want to work, or that sounds reasonable. Or simply, find someone who has-like me. It damn sure isn't to scour the ends of the earth in hopes of finding the holy grail of shit eating fantastics, or shake weight certifications-bring it to me, and have me put some kind of blessing on it so you feel justified in making such bad decisions. 

The next time something goes against the grain, but you love it, try it and document your results. The next time something looks to good to be true, it is. The next time studies show....$#%@ off.

Strength:

Rest

For Score:

-Dips

-Box Jumps

-Db Squat Cleans 35/55

1 minute each station

5 Rounds

Post total reps achieved to comments.

Why We Do It This Way: A PCF Guide To A Day Of Training...

Mindy, and Heather...

“The critic has to educate the public; the artist has to educate the critic.”

Recently, I received a few questions and observations about why we (PCF) do what we do in each class. More than one person seemed to share this view which took me aback. I, actually, pride myself on teaching the "why" just as much as the "how". Apparently, and to my sorrow, I failed to do this properly.

Personally, I perform an activity much better if I am aware of why I am doing it. Some of us are not like that. Our summit is, simply, the sunrise atop the mountain. For me and others like me, though, the "how" is just as important...in fact, even more important.

I, actually, believe that in most circumstances the majority of trainers I coach, as well as athletes, become bored with my over-explanation of exactly "why" we are participating in the activities that comprise our PCF day. Apparently, I have missed an item or two, so here we will discuss why tomorrow will look like it does when you arrive to WOD, and how that may very well may change from day-to-day...because change is progress, and stagnation is death.

Roll/Your Business:

When class time hits you find yourself with four minutes on the clock. This four minutes is meant to unglue some of those tissues that gear us up through the day, or even during WODs. Self-Myofacial Release works wonders to release adhesion's, neural tension, and general tightness that can lead to a compromised range of motion among other things. Limited range of motion means either compensation from other areas, or a prefatigue-esq action, both of which are a breeding ground for injury.

This manual therapy section could cover some greater detail, but I don't feel the need. If the above is not enough reason to whip out a foam roller, or trigger ball at least once a day, I really don't know what is.

Our four-minute class intro could also be used for specific acute "-itis-es", or general tightness you have. This is personal stuff you should be working to improve continuously, and we have found that forcing you to work tight hips or shoulders out ala Mobility WOD every day can make you better at life.

Activates:

A minute or so is then dedicated to some sort of "hip reminder". It's not that these muscles ever shut down, it's that we simply fail to operate in proper positions all day, or succomb to bad ones (sitting) and need to be reminded of the best and brightest joints and muscles we have: the glutes, and hips. Functional movement lends itself best to compound movement that inherently moves large loads quickly over long distances. Doing this with hips and ass seems to be the cats meow. Watch big squatters, sprinters, or Olympic Lifters, and then you will know why this minute is so important.

Also, these activates may teach better positioning for things to come, essentially making sure we are, again, free from injury and ready for success.

Dynamics:

The following 10-15 minutes are comprised of Dynamic Warm-ups. So before we move the body, we move the body. Simple right? These warm-ups should address the movements and workout structure on the board for the day. For instance, tons of overhead usually means more shoulder therapy. Very quick ultra-intense "Franish" WODs usually garner warm-ups 3-5 times longer than the WOD itself due to the amazingly high intensity required. More "Murph"-style WODs may find a decrease in warm-up time since the intensity of that particular WOD is lower. Remember...short=intensity=results. Long is made doable and survivable because of the short WODs (more later).

Generally, your moving joint by joint until everything has been addressed to respond to the physical demands of the day.

CNS:

Immediately jumping into a WOD is great on rare occasions. If you're getting hunted by a cheetah you will not have time to roll, and if you're getting mugged you can't pause to stretch. But most of the time, ramping up your central nervous system somewhat before you really turn on the juice delivers a much more productive workout later.

WOD: 

Either a Met-con stand-alone, strength training, or a combination of the two will follow the Warm-up. While this will always be varied, the teaching that accompanies it will remain. We spend great amounts of time teaching and learning from each other, and will always spend time ensuring the movements are as spectacular as they can be per athlete - whether it's their first or 200th time performing it. You may not end up at the top of every class, but you will always be instructed the best way we know how, and even that will always improve.

Hopefully, these days look varied to you. For instance, scaling and adjusting weights and schemes to make sure the desired effect is achieved. If staying RXD took 25 minutes, but the RXD prior to class was to be sub-8minutes, we - or you - scaled incorrectly. 

As well, we hope this "constantly varied"concept sits well with the aerobic divas wanting the same 20 minute or more  workout everyday to feel accomplished. As stated above, we become better because of the short WODs. Longer WOD's are an exercise in suffering meant to shore you up mentally, which is good on occasion, but also meant to give you a breather from the shorter gassers where most our life should be spend if we want to get better at anything or any time function, including ultra endurance. Spending time with beater long WODs too often is essentially just asking for under recovery, fat retention, and joint discomfort 

What's short? Varied forms at eight minutes and under seem to be spectacular in stimulating disgusting amounts of fitness health and fat burning.  So much so, in fact, the Cooper Institute has changed their previous stance on improving cardiovascular health from long endurance games, to short anaerobic bouts of intensity. Hence why CF applied correctly works so well, and daily Murph's certainly due not.

The real item is, anyone can sweat and feel like they did something twenty five minutes in. But it takes those of us really wanting to change and be better to experience the benefits of the short. If you stopped when you could have gone. If you got done, and said "that wasn't so bad". There is no one to blame but yourself. And there is a huge difference in killing a three minute WOD in three, or stretching it to four so you just don't feel that bad. 

In light of what we know today, I feel we do our best to present the CF beauty. This isn't the only way, or even the best.  It is one expression, and I can assure you is that this expression, as is our diet expression, is incredibly different from what was expressed three years ago.  I am happy to look back at our mistakes, and see how far we have come, and cannot thank those enough who have come with us along the way. This change is, simply, a sign of improvement; a sign of truly living up to the charter of CrossFit which begs us to always employ what works best, never settling for good enough.I hope three years from now I can look back at today and think we were amateurs at the way we did things. I hope all are willing to learn and adjust with us along the way.

I can guarantee beyond a shadow of a doubt we will never conform simply to sell memberships, or fit the market. We will always employ well-studied, tested learnings to ensure our athletes live up to their utmost potential, and are just better.  I, personally, will sacrifice everything to make sure no stone is left unturned, and no athlete is ever taken for granted. The trainers alongside me feel the same. This is PCF's creed - our Standards and Practices.

The best thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from.  If PCF's way doesn't seem like a good fit for you,take a look around.  There may be somewhere else that is. In the meantime, we will continue to Practice our profession, always changing, adapting, and improving, never forgetting the reason we are here...to make you better.

Strength:

Five attempts for max reps of:

.5 Body Weight Push-Press

For Time

50-Push-ups

100-Pull-ups

100-Swings 35/55

25-Handstand Push-ups

Post total reps, and time to comments.

I Want A HSPU...

I Want A HSPU...

“We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.”

Our latest video concoction finds us performing movements meant to help achieve the ever elusive Handstand push-up. On our beloved CrossFit pyramid we find gymnastics below weights below sport. The ability to move your body through every realm efficiently comes in handy when we want to lift heavy things, hit people hard, or save a damsel in distress.

To simply keep trying HSPU in hopes of getting them is weak sauce. If today your head was 6" from the floor, and next month its the same 6", stop. Take a page from Westside Barbell and lace in extra workouts to specifically target weak points.

Enter Auxiliary:

Auxiliary WODs need not be for time, or be long in duration. They need be easy to recover from and specific enough to fix the issue, essentially fixing the broken link in the chain. When athletes, or anyone wanting to get better at any event imaginable, they usually do more of it. Hence the extra WOD theory. Simply make sure these extra tactics are brief, motivating, and specific as hell.

For instance, in the video above we specifically target the triceps as a weak link in our HSPU. Therefore we target that area specifically with lifts meant to remove other pieces, and make that offending agent better. 

Concentric/Eccentric:

As the video states; we employ very little eccentric, or lengthening as this tends to add to soreness, and lack or recovery. Whenever possible we will severely limit or drastically reduce the time under the eccentric portion so we can train more ofter-concentrically or shortening.

Set-up:

Whatever you do, stick to it. If it hinders your WODs, back off, or better yet lessen a WOD here and there and take the time to fix up your weaknesses. If you feel good, be very leery of adding more; better to leave with energy motivated to try again than to leave frustrated and overtly sore. 

Also, it bares reference to ponder on the fact you most likely are poor or at least less efficient at several items. Good, me to. If you thought you were stellar your wrong, even our games champion has stuff to better. I suggest focusing on one thing at a time, give it a goal date, test before and after then re-address.

Employ these auxiliary tactics as necessary but with the goal of targeted weakness training, not bias. Bias training means we are willing to sacrifice one area in favor of gains in another. While there is a reason for this, I am not RXD that here. Simply working the shit you are not cool at, while at least staying just as good, hopefully moving up the ladder on everything else through proper programming.

Strength:

Rest

For Time:

5-Power Snatches 75/115

9-Burpees

4 Rounds

Post time to comments

ReComp Revolution...

Download Revolution

“For me, insanity is super sanity. The normal is psychotic. Normal means lack of imagination, lack of creativity.”

One week until another year stomps it's way into the history books. On week to meet every goal we made this time one year ago. One week to invent the new us we hope to see one year form now.

A year ago you very well may have had the life changing betterment of starting CrossFit. Many of you did, many of you still are. Maybe yours was sectionals, regionals, teams, or games. Many of you did, many of you will again. Maybe it was drop the freshman fifteen, or that pudgy baby weight that strangely hung on until your forties. Some even may have dawned bikini's atop a stage of judges. Maybe one or more describe you. Maybe you wish one did.

Join The Revolution, And Tell Your Friends

This year don't make a resolution. Revolt. Use this and any other public forum to sound off against behavior unbecoming of humanity in general. The flyer and program above clearly focus on exercise and nutrition, but it has a much broader scope. Merely scratching the surface of the problem will not cure it. Cutting deep enough to bleed the infection out, will make sure you no longer fall into the same pits that may have stopped success this either this year or years prior.

Set-em-up:

There are way too many "set a goal how to's" all over this world wide web. Just know what you wanna get. Stronger, leaner, healthier, prettier, smarter, more accountable, more spiritual. Then write it down. Look at it constantly. And attach the deadlines. Google one of the top doggers in this arena to help if you are lost on how to do this.

Home or Abroad:

Anyone, and everyone is meant to use Recomp-Revolution over the next five weeks to make changes in their current lives. Simple find a consistent algorithm to measure the desired markers, and continue to hold yourself accountable by re addressing those measurement you don't need a hematologist for. Post results to Facebook.

Get Those Pics and Baselines:

Pics are really for you. Posting to Facebook helps others. You will never be as regretful as ending a challenge of such magnitude without taking before pictures. The optimal items are so valuable from a scientific standpoint its unimaginable. Lets say your so far gone your outward appearance only recomps by 8 pounds. Say a four pound muscle gain, and a four pound fat loss. Eight pound recomp which is still great, but all the sudden your triglycerides plummet, and your blood pressure decreases. Wouldn't that be a sales pitch to you and yours to continue this little charade 

Start logging your food:

Fat Secret is one of the easiest sites to track your food everyday. Its not that this is always going to be necessary, just for the next five weeks. That way if we hit a snag, I can take a look and give you instant feedback. Just stay diligent and log it for five weeks.

Follow Something:

As far as setting a baseline of WODs it really is irrelevant what benchmarks you use, it just depends on what happens on the the other end. If your goal is not leanness, watch your strength. If it lie more in the realm of aesthetics, just make sure you don't sacrifice all your strength to get there.

PCF will test a few Key strength lifts come January 5th, just over a month later, we will test them again. Follow ours, or anothers, just find something to hold every level of achievements accountable.

Today:

Right now for all to see, so w can re-post this very blog as often as we like and always re-visit it to see how we traveling at any stage of this year. Write any three promises, or goals or whatever you will have in any area of life this year, then attach a deadline. Then post to comments. At least this year you won't be alone. This year that dream will end in reality.

Strength:

Five Attempts for max reps of:

Body-weight Deadlift

For Score:

Alternating Tabata of:

-Thrusters 55/85

-Jumping Pull-ups

-Double Unders

Post deadlift reps, and total tabata reps.

Dead Butt Syndrome...

Mindy...

Tunnel Vision...

“People create their own questions because they are afraid to look straight. All you have to do is look straight and see the road, and when you see it, don't sit looking at it- walk.”

Our Saturday ganked special comes from none other than the "Times". Read one runners dilemma of "ass shut down", how just running, as we know, is just waiting for injury. And how those speical little activaties that burn your hips at PCF everyday already make sure this will never happen to any of us.

My butt, unfortunately, is dead.

“Dead butt syndrome,” the sports medicine doctor said to me after making me go through a series of circus-act contortions that involved swiveling my hip in all directions. His voice was very serious, his tone stern. I wondered if I should start making funeral arrangements for my rear, maybe a New Orleans-style blowout parade?

Hold the tuba. My butt’s not really dead. It can’t be revived with defibrillator paddles, but it can be fixed.

The technical name of the condition I have is gluteus medius tendinosis — an inflammation of the tendons in the gluteus medius, one of three large muscles that make up the butt. It’s a very isolated and painful injury that knocked me out of marathon training in January with stabbing pains in my hip. It’s a symptom related to what running experts hammer at: the need for cross-training and strength training. I was running so much that I told myself I didn’t have time for the exercise machines or weights, so I have no one to blame but myself.

I’ve been running for five years, but I’d never heard of the problem. I ran it by a friend, a former track coach at the University of Pennsylvania, and he was baffled too. I haven’t seen any coverage, though the doctor said it’s fairly common with runners who train for half marathons and beyond. It took him five minutes to figure out the problem.

“A new thought in running medicine is that almost all lower extremity injuries, whether they involve your calf, your plantar fascia or your iliotibial band, are linked to the gluteus medius,” said Dr. Darrin Bright, a sports medicine physician with Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and medical director of that city’s marathon. “In the last five to 10 years, we’ve just realized how much of an important role the gluteus medius plays in stabilizing the hips and the pelvis in running.”

If you think of the pelvis as a cup, the muscles that attach to it, including the three gluteal muscles and the lower abdominals, interact in an intricate choreography to keep the cup upright when you run or walk. If these muscles are strong, the cup stays in place with no pain. If one or more of those muscles is weak, the smaller muscles around the hip take on pressure they weren’t designed to bear.

The cup still stays up, but at a price. First come muscle tears and inflammation, followed by scar tissue in the muscle. If left untreated, this process becomes a cycle that keeps feeding into itself.

“For people who have persistent pain, it’s healing gone wrong,” Dr. Bright said. “That gluteus medius isn’t firing the way it’s supposed to. You’re getting an inhibition of the muscle fibers. It’s kind of dead.”

Some of us run through the pain, which is what I did. And many compensate by adjusting their strides in a way that impedes the gait and can lead to problems in the quads, hamstrings, Achilles tendons, heels, knees, calves, ankles, feet or toes.

“Whether they’re recreational weekend runners up to the elite marathoners, the majority of runners I see have weak gluteus medius and gluteus maximus muscles,” said Dr. David Webner, a sports medicine doctor at Crozer-Keystone Health System in Springfield, Pa.

For about 70 percent of his patients, physical therapy that stretches the muscles in the hip and leg and strengthens the gluteus muscles, along with a temporary reduction in the mileage and intensity of running, resolves the problem. Deep tissue massage, which sends more blood to the area to break up scar tissue, along with strength training may also help to break the cycle of inflammation and scarring.

More advanced approaches include ultrasound guided tenotomy, which uses ultrasound to identify the affected muscles and then “poke little holes in the area of the scar tissue,” Dr. Webner said, or platelet-rich plasma therapy, which involves injections of centrifuged blood products and is what Tiger Woods underwent after knee surgery last year.

Fortunately, I didn’t need to take it that far. I’m lucky — the pain has ebbed with physical therapy and changing one of my weekly runs to a cross-training workout.

“Those runners who do multiple types of exercising are less prone to have weakness than runners who do just running,” said Dr. Webner. “Triathletes who come into my office don’t have as much weakness as just solo runners.”

So I’m biking. I row. I sweat through elliptical workouts at the gym.

And I no longer have the feeling that a pin is stabbing my hip every time I drive. I can sit for more than a half hour without pain. And last month I ran the Amish Bird-in-Hand half marathon, and felt no more discomfort than you’d expect to endure running 13.1 miles through the hills of Pennsylvania Dutch country.

To keep my rear alive, I must be vigilant about continuing to strengthen my lower abdominal and gluteal muscles. Last week, I slacked off and the pain came creeping back.

Is it annoying to have to focus so much on these muscles to run? Absolutely. But if it’ll revive my butt, it’s worth every leg lift and crunch.

Strength:

Rest

For Time:

Rest

Twas The Night Before CrossFit...

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the box

Not a Cfer was stirring, not even in tall socks

The bands were hung from the bar with care,

In hopes that new CrossFitters would miss the blood that had been there;

CFer's were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of meat and nuts danced in their heads;

And mamma in her lululemon, and I in my knee wrap ,

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,

When out on the platform there arose such a clatter,

Like Someone Hitting PR after PR like it just didn't matter.

Away to the window I flew like Grace Fast,

Not to miss out, or get even get the slightest gassed.

The moon on the gloss of a new kettle-bell

Gave the presence of WOD's we all know to well

When, what to my bloodshot eyes should appear,

But a small army of CrossFitters all full of cheer,

With a stopwatch in hand, and Coconut water to boot,

I knew in a moment this would be a hoot

More rapid than thrusters, those reps did appear

And of course you can bet, no shortage of beer

"Now, one! now, two! now, three and four!

Yelled all trainers now more lively than before!

To the top of the bar! to the top of the rope!

Nothing could stop them not even the Pope"

As many came before, many shall come after,

When they meet with an obstacle, it never seems to matter.

So up to the white board their names did fly,

And just remember, there's no such thing as a tie.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard the scream time

As if someone stroking out, or reaching their prime

As I drew in my head, to see who shouted,

I was meet with our winner, not to be re-routed

He was dressed in boards shorts, and covered in chalk,

And his tattoos were all sweaty; some started to gawk

His bucket of food he slung on his back 

And he looked like a science project about ready to yack.

His eyes -- how ferocious, his callouses, how bloody

Just like everyone else-seemingly muddy!

His arms were cramping his lungs on fire,

But this is just another WOD, our hero does not tire

The promise of more to come, loomed heavily above

But what the hell we have time; theres no reason to shove

He had a broad face and abs of steel,

Like it had been some time since his last cheat meal.

He was sliced and diced from fran, and helen

Man those minutes pay off, much more than treadmillin

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He only said "bro", while returning to work,

As he started in on a PR split jerk,

And laying his fingers hook grip with care,

We couldn't help, but with one final stare;

He sprang to lockout with every bit of his might,

making us proud to be CrossFitters this night

Merry Christmas Form Practice CrossFIt.

CrossFit Rules: Traveling Abroad...

Betsy...

“We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, climb over them, or build with them”

Many of us have or are soon to depart form our current surroundings in favor a demographic more holiday esq. Or at least filled with folks we want, or are required, to spend our holidays with. And the avid CrossFitters we are, we may reveal in that scenery change as a way to jump in on a WOD at another box. In the event this holiday present of CrossFit comes our way, are there specific "on the road" CrossFit rules to follow?

First Contact:

Hopefully before you strolled in you called and informed some folks of your arrival. One of the most fun things about CrossFit is the way we all do it a little differently. Maybe the box you are visiting needs a baseline WOD before. Maybe they are sticklers for paperwork. Maybe they have class spots reserved. 

Whatever the case, it simply is pleasant to receive a preemptive notification a few new folks may join in during this celebratory season. Since were not order takers, or day pass whores like big boxes we value the time with each CrossFitter local and abroad. Warning calls make sure we get the most time learning from you, as you from us.

Leave early:

Like much earlier than you rightfully think you should. Seriously I have been to tons of other boxes and like 90% they take a compass to find, including ours. Hell we took down our sign to make it even more of an adventure because strictly finding PCF feels like an accomplishment.

On of the most disrespectful things you can do to those willing to dedicate their time to you, is be late for that dedication. I would aim at arriving at least 40 minutes early. That way if your sketchy GPS like mine plays tricks on you, you will still have time to meet and greet, fill out waivers and settle in like one of the extended family.

Don't Say-But They:

If you have been to 6 affiliates all of which let out of towers catch a free WOD, but number seven charges $25, pay it happily. Again everyone does it differently, and just because we may not charge for a day on the road, doesn't mean its wrong to. Our part of this little burg generally doesn't get a lot of tourists, but CrossFit Miami Beach is a whole other animal. Pay to play, or don't play.

Buy A Shirt:

Sadly PCF has awesome shirts, well that's not sad that's cool as shit, but its sad we never have inventory. If you arrive at a foreign box it best to leave with the memory tattoo stamp of approval otherwise known as a t-shirt. Most already reveal in their closet of CrossFit attire, but its like getting that passport stamped after worldly travels, its just cool to have.

Take a Picture:

Some don't have Wall-Balls. Some are missing ropes. But every box has a camera. Make sure some local bystander snaps a shot of you at the very least being there. Then ensure they email, or post it somewhere where your normal CrossFit family can see you spreading the love nationwide.

PR:

Take advantage of that extra adrenaline from the new surroundings. It never fails when we have folks in from out of town, they get Muscle-up #1, or a butterfly kip, or PR a deadlift. This is not coincidence, or voodoo magic. Its simply being out of your comfort zone ready for anything. Hormones are Blah, blah, blah, its really that you wanna strut your stuff on the bar, so do it proudly.

Make us Proud:

I have had multiple emails from other boxes appreciating the level of CrossFitters we have sent out. Its not that they were stomping "Fran" times, or picking up small cars, its that they acted with "CrossFit Courtesy", and ultimately with the CrossFit mindset-its about everyone not just me.

Take Notes:

Once you stop leaning and trying new things its time to start dying. If the box your attending does new and fun things, bring them home with you. I personally love seeing how others run the show, and learning from each other is what makes this little gem so amazing.  

So if your heading out this holiday do so carefully and happily, its about having fun with friends not pressurized trips and obligations. Find a box you have yet to attend follow their rules, and the regular virtuous CrossFit rules and hopefully make this holiday another to remember.

PCF Hoodies are in, pick yours up today!!!

Strength

Rest

For Score

"Frosty"

Three Minutes each name

"Randy"

75-Power Snatches 55/75

2 minute rest

"Grace"

30-Clean and Jerk 95/135

2 minute rest

"Fran" 

-Thrusters 65/95

-Pull-ups

21/15/9

2 minute rest

"Annie"

-Double Unders

-Sit-ups

50/40/30/20/10

*When the clock begins you will motivate through the WOD with a three minute limit. If you complete,call time as normal, and wait until the next WOD. If you fail to complete the WOD in the three minute limit, simply log where you left off at as your score, and rest until the next.

Post times, or which rep you left each workout.

In One Year....Your Dead...

Maggie...

Matt and Robin...

“Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work.”

 As years end rears it's head yet again we are filled with rampant feelings of kindness, selfishness, consumerism, loneliness, contempt and anxiety. All in a season when we should be the most freed, relaxed, at ease, and giving. What if this was the last of those seasons you would ever have?

Over the next few days blogs, papers, and articles will be a mess with titles like "How To": Make New Years Resolutions That Stick, Live Up Yo Self Promises, or Make This Your Best Year Yet . This is all well and good. PCF's blog will jump on the bandwagon as it seems to be a good time of year to simply re-evaluate, log goals for accountability CrossFit and life wide, and don't forget offer a Re-comp Revolution Challenge yet to be unveiled for the new year. Might as well take advantage of the motivation while we have it right?

But wait a minute, isn't 2011 the year Nostradamus said would be our last? Wasn't there a movie laden with disaster after disaster starring none other than the amazingly talented John Cusack? Did the Mayans not predict the end of this great 5000+ year cycle to end precisely on December 21 2012?

I guess it would depend on who you talk to and who benefits if we believed it, but the sensationalism holds true. Next week will find us at the end of 2010. Giving what some believe to be our last full year on earth. What if they were right? What if your were blessed with this knowledge a whole year in advance? Would that change your upcoming resolutions? Would you be more like to keep them? Would you party your ass off waiting for the end with a finger to the sky, and bottle in your hand?

We will have a chance to make a 2011 goal or two in the near future, but take the time to ponder this judiciously, void of religious doctrine or cultural sentiment. Yes I'm aware the Mayans may have meant it as just a begging of a new age, not Apocalypse. But what if we took it as our last year to change the game, and what if you were the only one who knew, but couldn't tell anybody?

I'm not fluffing you up all ready for your big screen debut of grace, or blowing smoke up your already smoke stacked ass. Im posing a level of determination brought on by a stopwatch, and every tick brings you, those you love, and strangers closer to their end unaware of their pending doom...or glory.

Would you pair this level of knowledge and determination with unrelenting effort to save as many souls as you could? Would you show folks you cared like they were dying tomorrow...because they are. Would everything else get the sound muted? Everything except your consciousness of just how finite yours and others remaining time was?

Now ponder on all the things you would do, and realize if you did do them this year, this 2011, how much better you and yours could have it. How much better the world could have it. Ponder what you would do, but below, post the one thing you would stop doing now if this was your last year on earth? 

Strength:

Rest

For Time:

For Time:

3-Muscle-Ups

18-Sumo Deadlift High pulls 65/95

30-Sit-ups

3 Rounds

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