Making Time || Coach Miguel Garza

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Three years ago, I was preparing for Regionals, pulling two-­a-­days and eating for all sorts of Gainz (carb back loading, it was awesome). I woke up thinking about training, and went to bed recapping the day of training. Life was awesome, I really didn’t have many worries besides staying healthy, working out, coaching and prepping meals…er eating Chipotle.

I was living a life perfect for maintaining my health and pursuing fitness the best way I knew how. My perspective was narrow, and because of this, I was the narrow­minded jerk. I didn’t understand why other athletes and members didn’t have time for the gym, meal prepping, or exercise generally.

Fast forward to today and I’m lucky if I get to do 3 workouts or classes in a week. My fitness is no longer measured by my Fran time, in fact I don’t really measure my fitness at all. I’m not any less in love with CrossFit, and I’m not over continuing to pursue fitness competitively, but circumstances have changed.

A year ago, I started Must B Nutty, a grain­free Mexican food company with my sister Veronica Garza. Since then, my life has been turned upside down; I now wake up at 6am daily (Wes knows this isn’t normal). I honestly don’t know how any of you parents out there have kids and maintain sanity. While I’m still trying to figure out how to make a busy life fit into maintaining my health and fitness, I’ve found these 5 things to be very helpful in making sure I can make the most out of the gym:

1. Prioritize your time​­ – I learned this from my good friend, mentor and CFA member David Kline. I now make sure and schedule a time slot in my calendar reserved for the gym. When I prioritize this and put it in my gmail calendar, it just makes it that much easier to wake up at 6am and workout with the crazies (Jillian, Dayna, “Janss” ­ wifey, Bradley, Page, LaShitz, TOW Matt, Lane, Steven, Jose and Mr. T) at 6:30.

2. Be Intentional -​­ This applies to many different things. For me it means that I have to be intentional about showing up and listening to the coaches.

3. Become a morning person -­ ​I know not all of us can be morning people. Believe me, I used to hate waking up any earlier than 8am. Now it’s become a habit and if I can get a workout in before e­mails come flooding in, life is better. I can control when my day starts, but rarely when it ends.

4. Sleep well, eat right -​­ I’m a big believer in controlling what you can. For me this means getting the best sleep possible and eating as well as I can (insert Must B Nutty shameless plug here). I can’t always plan or meal prep, but I make the best decisions I can within my control. First sleep, then eat quality foods. Not always simple, but refer back to #2 (Be Intentional).

5. HAVE FUN ­ ​Most of our lives are filled with stress, and the exercise we do adds more stress (Refer to Train Adapt Evolve for good nuggets on this). Therefore, I suggest while you’re at the gym you should work hard and HAVE FUN. You’re surrounded by a community that will lift you up on bad days and cheer you on for showing up. Make friends with the other members, and make the most out of your time. Smile always.

These 5 tips are what I’ve used to help me get into the gym more often and make the most out of my time. I’d love to hear of any tips you folks out there have on how you get it done.

Show up, work hard, have fun, and sleep well.

– Coach Miguel Garza

Like A Girl || Stacey Magnesio

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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?

stacey2 (2)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 stacey3 (2)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

 

 

Free Paleo Talk with Dr. Marc Bubbs || April 23 @ 6:30 pm

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!

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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 Pt. 2 || Coach Tim Garland

clock

 

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

Ring Muscle-Ups || Coach Mark Grande

 

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.

 

1

2

 

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.

3

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

Meal Prep || Coach Ben Wells

Hello All,

Preparing meals for the week is the most frequent issue I hear from athletes when it comes to eating healthy and nutrient dense meals. With that being said, I hope I can provide some helpful tips I have picked up along the way in order to save you time, money, and in the end achieve your fitness goals.

First, you must take the time to do some recon. Google is your best friend so utilize it. Typing “Paleo Recipes” or “Paleo Cookbooks” will provide you countless recipes that are bound to suit any palate. Allow yourself anywhere from 30-60 minutes in your weekend to figure out your meal plans for the following week.

In order to determine what I have time to make I make a mental checklist:

How busy is this week going to be?
Do I have anytime to cook a healthy meal during the week?
Is there variety and color (in vegetable form) in all my dishes?
Is there enough protein and starch?
What is locally in season?
Which do I buy bulk?

When you plan meals in the beginning, start off small, not extravagant so you don’t overwhelm yourself. Also, the fewer “appliances” needed to make your dishes come together the better!

With the following recipe, once prepped, you just get your portion in the morning, heat it up & go!

Breakfast Casserole of Champions

This is the kitchen sink of breakfast dishes. Anything you have left in the refrigerator can be thrown in. Obviously adjusting the size is completely up to you. I eat all of this within 5 days. With my workout and general work schedule throughout the week I need larger portions in order to keep me fueled throughout the day. Preparation is roughly 15 minutes, but could be shortened with the purchase of pre-cut veggies. If you are interested in investing in a huge time saver get yourself a Salad Shooter, especially for sweet potatoes.

Ingredients:

24 Eggs
2 Green Bell Peppers
2 Tomatoes
1 Large Onion
1 Jalapeno Pepper
1 Serrano Pepper (optional)
1 pound Pork Sausage
1 Sweet Potato (if more complex carbohydrates are needed)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Add sausage to pan on medium heat. While meat is cooking, chop all veggies and sweet potatoes. Beat eggs in large bowl with salt & pepper for taste.
3. Combine all ingredients (meat included) and mix together.
4. Grease 13×9 glass dish and pour egg mixture in.
5. Cook for 60-70 minutes or until a knife stuck in the middle comes out “clean” not runny. The middle takes longer to cook so be patient.
6. Let sit for 10 minutes before eating or allow to cool completely for 2-3 hours and portion out breakfast for the rest of your week.

Fresh salsa or Cholula really brings this dish to the next level.

You are welcome for the extra sleep time you are now able to get since your breakfast is already done!

-Coach Ben

CFA Welcomes New Coach || Nole Steketee

noleFrom CFA Management:
CrossFit Austin is proud to introduce the newest member of our Coaching Staff, Nole Steketee.  We originally brought Nole on as a Coach for CrossFit Valor back in the days of our dual ownership and now we are thrilled to have him joining the CFA Team down South! Many of you already know Nole from watching him sweat it out with our Competition Team. Nole joins our team with years of professional and athletic experience! We’ll let him tell you more about himself… but we’re excited to add another seasoned and experienced coach at CrossFit Austin!  Be sure to welcome Nole to the community next time you see him!

About Nole: Nole graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and holds his CrossFit Level 1 Training certificate.  He started CrossFitting in 2011 and has been coaching for a little less than 3 years. When Nole isn’t coaching or sweating with CFA’s Competitive Team you can probably find him Paddleboarding Town Lake, or enjoying an afternoon on the golf course.  During the daytime Nole also works as a Software developer, creating Android apps for concert festivals and events all over the country.

A message from Nole: “I stumbled upon Crossfit while searching for an alternative to long grueling Triathlon training sessions.  The constant variation in the workouts was exactly what I was looking for.  I believe that the greatest aspect of Crossfit is the fact that it is not only training for our body, but also training for our mind, developing the belief that we can overcome any obstacles we may face in our everyday lives.  The thing I love most about coaching Crossfit is gettting to witness the way a simple thing like working out can have such a dramatic effect on someone’s self esteem and confidence, and getting to feel like I was a part of the process.”

“If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.” -Bruce Lee

Contact Nole: nole@crossfitaustin.com

Spring Cleaning Competition – Benefiting Gingercare

shortspringcleaning{Register Here}

Spring Cleaning
Clean and Tire Flip Contest
Hosted by CrossFit Austin
Benefiting GingerCare

[What]
Spring Cleaning will feature two individual events.
1. 1 rep max Clean
2. Max tire flips in 1:00.

Each athlete will be scored and ranked in each workout according to total weight lifted, Sinclair Formula (weight lifted relative to body weight),  and total tire flips completed. The athlete’s with the lowest overall rankings in their respective divisions will be declared Champion!

[When]
May 9th, 2015
9 AM – Noon

[Where]
CrossFit Austin
8708 S. Congress Ste. C300
Austin, TX

[Registration]
30 Male Spots Available [20 Rx, 10 Scaled] 30 Female Spots Available [20 Rx, 10 Scaled]

We will also be offering a Mens and Womens scaled division with lighter tire flip weights.

[Entry Fee]
$60 – A portion of the proceeds will be donated to GingerCare. We will also be accepting free will donations for GingerCare online and at the event

[About GingerCare]
GingerCare specializes in matching homeless pets with the elderly in a mutually beneficial relationship that allows for stimulation and companionship amongst both, all while providing the necessary medical care for the pet. This is to include regular visits by a veterinarian or technician whom helps to assist and educate the client in caring for their pet. When the client can no longer properly care for the animal, GingerCare aids in the intake process in order to prepare the pet for a new home.

{Register Here}

Welcome back to your regularly scheduled programming!

Happy Friday CFA! I’m here to post a quick note about our upcoming programming. We are now officially one week post open so we will begin our new training cycle on Monday (yay!).

Below you’ll find our tests for the coming week, and I’ve also included some specific scaling guidelines. We will also have a “Team Test” this cycle so find yourself a group of 3-4 people to take on Saturday’s test with you (its an old school doozie). Just a quick refresher on how our training cycles run:

10 Weeks Total

Week 1: Test Week
Week 2-7: Training
Week 8: Retest Week
Week’s 9 & 10: Transition weeks

Test Week

Monday 4.6
Test Day 1

A.1 RM Squat Clean
*Weight Recorded

B. 3 Rounds
5 Muscle-ups
10 Power Clean to OVHD @ 135 / 95
50 Double Unders
*15:00 Time Cap
*Time or reps recorded

 **Scaled Version**

3 Rounds
5 CTB Pull-ups (jumping, banded, kip or strict choose the option that is most challenging but can be completed MUST BE CHEST TO BAR)
10 Power Clean to OVHD (Choose a weight you can complete in 1-2 sets / round)
50 Double Unders or 75 DU & Singles combo or 100 Singles

Tuesday 4.7

Active Recovery Day

A. E202
BB Step-ups x8/leg x 5  @ 45/35

B. Floor Press x4-6×4 Rest :90

C. 3 Rounds
:30 Hollow Hold
:30 Plank Hold
:30 Farmer Hold
:30 Rest

Wednesday 4.8

Test Day 2

A. 3 RM Deadlift
*weight recorded

B. 10-1
Wall Balls 20/14
Power Snatch @ 75 / 55
*Time recorded

**Scaled Version**

B. 10-1
Wall Balls (Choose a weight you can do 10 consecutive UB Wall Balls with)
Power Snatch (Choose a weight you do 6-7 Consecutive UB reps with)
*Time recorded

Thursday 4.9

Active Recovery Day

A. 5 Rounds for Quality
5 Goblet Squats
5 Hollow Rock
2 TGU / Side

B. 20:00 For Quality
600 M Row
400 M Run
20 Russian KBS @ 24/20

Friday 4.10

Active Recovery Day

A. Hip Power Snatch + Hang Power Snatch x2+1×5 by fee

B. 4 Rounds for quality
6 Front Squats @ 135/95
8 Push-ups
100 M Sled Drag

Saturday 4.11

Test Day 3 – Team Test

20 Calorie Row
30 Burpees
30 Two-arm DB GTO @ 45/35lb
30 TTB
100 FT Walking Lunge @  45 / 25 lb plate

*Complete Congo Style, each teammate jumps onto the rower as soon as the teammate in front of them is off and must wait for the teammate in front of them to complete the next movement before they can move on.

**Scaled Version**

20 Calorie Row
30 Burpees (Scale to no push-up burpees)
30 Two-arm DB GTO (use a weight you can complete in 4-5 sets)
30 TTB (Complete on Rings or Complete 30 abmat sit-ups)
100 FT Walking Lunge (use a weight that you can keep extended over your head throughout the 100 FT)
*Complete Congo Style  Teammate jumping onto the rower as soon as the teammate in front of them is off.

Lastly just a quick note on all the goblet squats, russian swings, hollow rocks, and pushups you’ve been seeing. This is intended to improve our fundamental movement patterns (squatting, hinging, pushing, & bracing) the goal is to do these perfectly and with a great sense of purpose. Just like you have to practice dribbling in basketball, and putting golf you must practice the fundamental elements of CrossFit. It’s important not to just “do” these things, but try for perfect movement quality. Were playing the long game here folks, the better you move in fundamental movement patterns the more efficient you will be, the quicker you’ll pick up more complex movements, and the less likely you are to injure yourself in the gym.

Enjoy this next training cycle, and remember “If you don’t grind, you don’t eat.”

-Coach Wes

The Power of Community || Coach Erica Cuellar

The Power of Community

As the 2015 Open comes to an end, I can’t help but sit back and think of how wonderful our community is and what makes it so special. This year, I had the opportunity to sit back and observe the Open and what I witnessed was quite impressive and an honor to see. I saw our athletes stepping out of their comfort zone, grinding it out, and leaving everything they had on the workout floor all while their counterparts stood there, cheered them on and pushed them to work harder. This made me realize how lucky we are to have built the community we have.

In all honestly, when asked what’s my favorite part of CrossFit, the first thing that comes to mind is the community. I have experienced the last four years of my CrossFit journey with some amazing individuals, both members and coaching staff, and I suspect my experience wouldn’t be as great without them. I’m sure I’m not alone in this, and I’ll bet that the majority of you will say exactly the same thing. There’s just something really special about our box!!

 

When I think of our CFA community and what it means to me, the only thing that comes to mind is FAMILY. I truly feel that we share a bond with one another that is impossible to describe.

 

  • We all walked in terrified the first time we stepped foot into the gym.
  • We walked out feeling accomplished and stronger.
  • We embrace the suck together.
  • We celebrate each other’s successes and victories.
  • We have a built-in support system.
  • We have a mutual respect for everyone.
  • We are committed.
  • We are dedicated.
  • We are FAMILY!!

 

It’s all these wonderful things that make us unique. We happen to be an amazing group of everyday people, all fighting to achieve different goals such as getting healthier, getting stronger or just staying physically active. And, no matter what your goals are or if you are a competitive athlete or a beginner, at the end of the day we all come in to work our assess off as a family. Don’t forget to do the small things that make us special – work hard, have fun, greet and cheer on everyone in your class by name and give a high-five or fist bump to everyone at the end of class -saying job well done.  Remember, it is you guys, the CFA members, that make this place special.  Keep fighting! Keep focused! Keep being you! Keep the Circle of Awesomeness AWESOME!

Love,

Coach Erica