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At the beginning of the school year I wore a cute, sleeveless dress. One of my boys (athletic little fellow that does not have a filter) came up to me with a confused look on his face. He half stated, half questioned, “Ms. Mag, you have muscles?” I laughed out loud, and simply replied, “Yes Matthew. Girls can have muscles you know.” This sparked a 10 minute conversation among my students. As I listened to their conversation about girls and muscles, it made me realize that young girls are still being raised to think that strong is something that boys are, and skinny and weak is what girls should be.

It happens when I go to HEB too. I am just minding my own business, picking out the best head of broccoli and I feel it. Someone staring. Some stop and ask, “Do you lift weights?” In my head I am screaming… Good lord people! It is ok for women to lift weights and have muscles. But, instead I tell them a little bit about CrossFit and encourage them to try it sometime. And then, as I walk away, I flex my hamstrings .

So, has our society truly embracing the whole, Strong is sexy thing?

CrossFit has fully embraced it. At my CrossFit box, I am surrounded by women of all ages, at all different levels of athleticism, deadlifting more than their body weight, doing pushups and pull ups, or flipping tires that are bigger than a small car. We have women that have never dreamed they would be doing some of the things they are doing, like ring muscle ups or handstand pushups, or competing in an Olympic lifting meet. Some of them walk in carrying a baby on one hip or with a toddler in tow. This makes me smile because I know that these kids are growing up in an environment where it is ok for women to be strong and fit. They will grow up with the mentality that it is normal for girls to throw around weights with the boys.

Women are meant to be strong and live loudly and fully.  We are meant to embrace our innate beauty and be confident in our strengths and gifts.  We are each unique.  We are each meaningful.  We are each a gift. We are each blessed with one body, one chance at making each second of this beautiful existence count.   Being healthy, both physically and mentally, allows us to live a fully present life.

Being healthy means engaging in activities that make you happy and make your heart sing.  It means moving your body with joy at what it is capable of.  It means rejoicing at being strong enough to lift your child, to carry your groceries, to protect yourself in a parking garage, to have the energy to chase the waves on the beach, to feel good in your swimsuit, to swing the tennis racket or the golf club, to avoid aging in pain and living your last years in a hospital bed.

It is impossible to ignore the connection between what pop-culture has deemed beautiful and feminine (i.e. thin and weak) and women’s reluctance to lift weight and increase their strength, thus protecting their most valuable asset: their health. It makes me think back to the conversation that my students had, and how 10 little girls realized for the first time that they could be strong.

When something like CrossFit comes along, something that promotes women being strong and healthy and alive and vibrant and capable, it needs to be commended and praised.  It should be lauded for its contribution to fighting against the obesity epidemic in the United States, for publicizing strength and muscles and physical fitness.

Let’s “all” redefine the phrase “like a girl,” to stand for something strong and powerful.

 -Stacey Magnesio

Join us on Thursday, April 23rd @ 6:30 pm as we welcome Dr. Marc Bubbs! He will be giving a free presentation on his book The Paleo Project!

Dr. Marc Bubbs is a Naturopathic Doctor and Strength & Conditioning coach based in Toronto. He specializes in Sports Medicine and is the Nutrition Lead for the Canadian Men’s National Basketball Team. Dr. Bubbs is a renowned speaker and regular contributor to Loren Cordain’s PaleoDiet.com blog, PaleoHacks.com and Paleo Magazine. His book ‘The Paleo Project’ was released this month and he is visiting several crossfit boxes across North America as part of a promotional tour, as well as speaking at this year’s Paleo FX conference.

Dr. Bubbs will be presenting an interactive talk based on his book, which will help members of all levels individualize their nutrition and achieve their performance potential. In the talk Dr. Bubbs discusses:

• How to personalize the Paleo diet to upgrade performance and accelerate recovery
• The key hormones involved in creating an anabolic environment
• Benchmarks for achieving macronutrient intake
• How dietary insufficiencies can lead to symptoms of overtraining

He also covers the most common questions asked by athletes, such as:

• Should I supplement with whey isolate, grass-fed whey, or rice protein?
• Is drinking milk a good choice?
• How do I know if I’m consuming enough calories to support recovery?
• What are the best supplements I can take to improve performance?

Time is a Valuable Thing (cont.) >>> {Part 1}

Ever heard the phrase, “Time is money” , or “A dollar saved is a dollar earned”? I’m sure you have, and if you have not…you should consider spending few more hours with the old-timers in your life. Quite often, they spew good tidbits of information, no matter how cliche. Here, we can apply these phrases within the context of protein consumption.

Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. Traditionally, this is how we divvy up the bulk of our calories throughout the day. Similarly, in regards to nutrient timing, we are going to divide nutrient intake into 3 subdivisions:
+ Energy Phase
+ Anabolic Phase
+ Growth/Recovery Phase

In each of these three phases, one phase will bleed over into another while transitioning into that next phase.

The energy phase’s main goal is supply fuel to drive muscle contraction during your workout. Having the right mix of nutrients, namely carbohydrates and amino acids, will spare your muscle glycogen and help with muscular endurance as you exercise.

The growth/recovery phase is the longest of the three phases. You can expect this phase to start about 1-2 hrs post workout and continue on until our next workout.  During this phase and with plenty of healthy calories, our muscle enzymes help increase the size of our muscle fibers and the number of contractile proteins. It is during this time that we also restore our muscle glycogen which was spent in the workout, and will be needed going back into the energy phase.

Now, I went out of order so that we could finish with the anabolic phase. This is where we can save some money! And it is so simple once you understand timing. The micro-processes that happen at the cellular might be a bit more complex, but lucky for us, what we need to know to save money isn’t difficult.

Immediately after completing a workout, our muscle cells are exceptionally sensitive to the positive effects of insulin. Without any intervention, we have a window of up to forty-five minutes before our body starts to cycle over into the next phase (growth). This intervention comes in the form of…..Protein! Yeah yeah, you’ve all heard that before. But how many times have you not had a protein shake (or chocolate milk for some of you) sitting in the fridge at the gym waiting to start your recovery party right away? All too often, I say.  I see it all the time. I see you buy your protein, or have it one day and not the next. This window continues to shrink and we  continue to miss the benefits. Studies have shown that optimal potential for anabolic activity is 15-30 minutes post exercise. Our bodies even become insulin resistant several hours after workouts. So understanding this window, you can intervene and jump-start the repair of your damaged muscle proteins and begin to replace and stock-up your muscle glycogen stores.

Now remember, my purpose here isn’t persuade you to buy this protein or that brand. My purpose is to educate and hopefully save you money if you do take supplemental protein. Get the most bang for your buck, and remember to bring that shaker with you! Don’t wait until you get home and have to cook dinner to start your recovery. With Austin traffic, your anabolic window most likely go bye-bye before you turn your oven or stove on. Also, you should think of this recovery shake as an appetizer to get you home….not as a meal replacement.

-Coach Tim

The Ring Muscle-Up

Today’s blog post is all about the ever elusive muscle-up.  A muscle-up is an ADVANCED complex movement that requires technicality, stability, and patience.  First, I feel it is necessary for you to know yourself as an athlete. For example, the CFA coaching staff and I recommend that an athlete should be able to perform strict ring dips and chest-to-bar pull-ups prior to attempting ring muscle-ups. However, if you don’t have ring dips or C2B pull-ups that doesn’t mean you can’t practice the subtleties of the movement.  In fact, it would be very beneficial for a beginner or novice to practice muscle-up progressions to avoid creating bad movement patterns and reinforce neuro motor control (coordination, agility, balance).  I see far too often athletes attempting to “pull” themselves through the rings or excessively swing…which leads me to my do’s & don’ts

Do’s:

Reinforce proper movement mechanics in all facets of the muscle-up.

• If you feel “off” don’t keep practicing the movement because bad motor/movement patterns will keep you from efficiently executing the muscle-up
• Perform correct progressions several times a week to create good movement habits
• Try different types of the muscle-ups (strict, kipping, false-grip, non-false grip).  You may find that one technique works better for you or helps create better movement quality.
• Hip, Hips, Hips! Don’t pull yourself through the movement.

 

Create tension in the swing/kip

(Above)This is the ideal position for creating tension in the swing, allows increased upward momentum via the hips.  Do not let the lower back hyperextend or knees flex too much.

(Below)  NO!  This position represents lack of tension in the core, and will cause the athlete to swing via the legs thus neglecting or inhibiting the maximal upward movement of the hips.

The TRANSITION

• Success in the MU is highly dependent on a smooth transition into the dip position.
• The sit-up/pike phase of the transition occurs prior to ever reaching the rings which will prevent one from “pulling” through.
• Cues to think about: head over and through, violent sit-up

Don’ts:

• Break or lose tension in your core and posterior chain
• Kick with the legs
• Pull yourself through the rings
• Practice when fatigued
• Practice improper movement techniques/patterns

In all of its complexity, the ring muscle-up can be broken down into simpler movements that can allow any athlete to progress towards achieving their first muscle-up or stringing 10 in-a-row efficiently.  I will never forget the feeling a pure excitement the first time I got a ring MU, as I screamed and hollered for 10 seconds at the top of the rings!  I want nothing more than to see some of you all get your first MU and experience the jubilation.  If achieving a MU is a goal of yours, I strongly encourage the CFA community/athletes to get with a coach 1-on1 and attack the mechanics of the MU, as it will undoubtedly improve your performance.

Stay Strong and CFA On!

-Coach Mark