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At the Box
Summer has come and gone and here we are once again facing a nice wet winter…What better way to spend it than training indoors with good friends and tough workouts.
Do not wait for New Years to make that resolution, do it today!
If you have specific goals then ask a coach for some guidance, we will help you any way possible.
We are extremely grateful for the community we have and are super proud to call you all friends and fellow athletes. As you all know these WODs are tough and it helps when your Bro or BFF is suffering beside you. Cheers to you all for your awesomeness!!
Lots of happenings coming up as well, keep your eyes on Facebook and BSC site for info on upcoming events.
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We are super excited to introduce a new full time coach, Christian Stricker!
Christian comes to us from Salem with a few years coaching under his belt. Christian has a lot of great info and will be a great resource for you. Make sure to introduce yourself and help us welcome him to BSC.
We have had some athletes compete at some local throwdowns and they all did amazing…some 1st timers and some more experienced, they all did great!!
If you ever want to try out a competition please let us know and we can help you get ready for it.
As always our door is open for you all to chat, ask questions or whatever you need, don’t hesitate ever. Cheers!
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Time to give more than sweat!
December 8th, 2013
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Beaverton Strength and Conditioning is proud to host its 4th annual Wising on a WOD!
This event is a great way to be involved in the community! All the procedes go to Make-A-Wish® Oregon to support their on-going mission to serve children with life-threatening medical conditions living in Oregon and Clark County, Washington.
CrossFit is all about community and what we can do when we come together, so let’s come together as an CrossFit community and help the children in our state that are battling life-threatening illnesses on a daily basis.
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Athlete of the Month - Craig Whitelock
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Craig joined BCF in April of this year and has been hitting it hard ever since. You cannot deny that Craig works his ass off and goes for it every day. Craig’s enthusiasm is second to none and his positive attitude is infectious.
I personally enjoy the banter Craig and I share…most would call it sh*t talking, but we enjoy it. It helps us get fired up to work harder. If you hear us going back and forth, don’t worry, it’s just a normal exchange.
Craig has recently competed and did great and is always that guy that will show up when others are competing and help cheer them on.
I look forward to helping Craig along his journey and all the banter that will go with it.
Great work thus far Craig…TRAIN HARD!!
-Mike
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There are a precious few doors in Life, that when you walk through, positively and unimaginatively change everything.
When I walked through the "Garage" door in March I was looking to get stronger and improve my cardio. I had already lost 70 pounds after 8 Kidney Stones, 2 Heart malfunctions( it didn't like beating consistently), and the 3cm Tumor on my Thyroid was removed in May of 2011. My life had returned to somewhat "normal". I was ONLY on 6 prescriptions now, was back into Martial Arts, Hiking, and Skiing, but wanted to return to the levels that I had enjoyed in my "younger" years. I had driven by BCF several times and finally decided to give it a shot.
Mike and Bryan greeted me enthusiastically as I strolled my fat, weak ass body, through the door. I knew the moment I saw what was going on in the "Box"(reminded me of Gold's in the 70's) that the "shit" that everyone was doing, was going to work for me. WTF is CrossFit I asked myself after having committed to one year for Mike et al to get me back into the body I had in my 20's.
The "Deep Dive" had begun. I had no clue as to all of the "extreme" claims being leveled against the sport by those who don't know the first thing about what we do, and never felt intimidated by anything we were asked to do. The emphasis has always been on form and correctness of movement. It took me a couple of months to completely accept the philosophy, the work ethic, the pain, and come in every day as prescribed. I knew that the only effective way to recover from years of sickness and inactivity was to approach it incrementally. "I may not be able to do that today, but I may be able to by the end of the week" was/is my outlook. Can't is a word that disappeared from my lips. Elephants can be eaten. I'm living proof!
What I immediately found out is that the PEOPLE of CrossFit make this possible. Open, friendly, accepting, encouraging, inspiring, tough, strong, fit, FUN people. I am awestruck by the women in our Box. You ladies rock it and our culture says you shouldn't do such extreme sports activities!! You're changing yourselves and our culture for the better. Age and Sex don't matter. Nor should they.
The biggest inspiration that I have around here is a gentleman named Mark, who comes in in the afternoons to work with Rich R., so that he can fully recover from an injury/disease that kills or leaves most people paralyzed. He never utters a bitch about anything. Just tries to improve his life every day now that he has another shot. Thank you for your example Mark.
Ah ha moments are coming with time in the Box. I think the biggest one for me is to always take what you're given in a WOD. This sport is tough enough without my "I've got to Rx" ego getting in the way. Another Aha- Progressions work fantastically if you practice religiously and on occasion try to Rx to gauge where you are. Then on that "day" your mind correctly instructs your body to put everything together and suddenly you have a new skill to add to the toolbox.
Without a doubt, the single most influential 2 hours I have spent at the Box were listening to Marcus present the Science/Anthropology regarding Nutrition and Hydration. I weighed in at 198 that am six weeks ago, down 91 from the peak, and have lost another 16 pound Kettlebell since going Clean! More importantly, my body fat, as measured monthly by Bioimpedance, is now below 9%.
Today, Levothyroxine is the ONLY pharmaceutical that enters my body. Unfortunately I can't actually survive without it. My problem, not anyone else's.
My Goal: The same as many old farts- qualify for the Games in the 50-54 category in 2014. I need that vacation to Southern Cal badly!
A short term goal: linking 10 DUs would be awesome. Perhaps next week?
Best Regards,
Craig Whitelock
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The Happy Mapping of Arms
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Are you unable to do a pullup? Does your front rack kinda suck? Do push-ups hurt your shoulders? Do overhead squats end up on the ground? Are your shoulders always tiiiiiiiiiiightuh? I might be able to shed some light on the situation.
The next couple of months I am going to go into a bit of detail about the proper function, structure and size of the arm. I am going to use the bodywork technique, Body mapping as the platform to help us out.
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The body map idea is simple and profound. You have a map of your body in your brain and it is easy to gain access to. If I say, “Where are your hip joints?†or “Where does your arm connect to your structure?†I will always get an answer. Sometimes the answer is accurate, sometimes it’s a little off and sometimes it’s not even close. In any case we always move according to how we think we are structured. When there is conflict between the map and the reality, the map will always win in movement. Always. It’s inevitable because the map is what shapes our experience but we can change it with some conscious effort. I have found that the reason a lot of people have chronic tension in their shoulders and upper back it often due to an inaccurate body map. When we correct these mismappings, then movements that involve the arms become easier, you get stronger and will carry less tension. Sound good?
<<<<The whole arm includes the scapula and collarbone.
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I am breaking the arm up into several bite-sized pieces over the next few months in order to cover it properly and allow ample time for digestion and assimilation of the information.
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An arm includes a collarbone, a shoulder blade, an upper arm bone, two lower arm bones, a wrist, and a hand. The collarbone and shoulder blade are of importance here, because their inclusion in the arm means there are four arm joints, not three as many people assume.
The only place that the arm structure joins the torso at a joint is where the collarbone meets the sternum. At that joint the movements that are available, are raising the shoulders or bringing the shoulders forward or pulling the shoulders back or dropping them.
A correctly mapped arm and an incorrectly mapped arm. >>>>>>
Which one do you have?
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If you place your fingers along your collarbone near the sternum and make those movements you will see what I mean. The collarbone is moving in relation to the sternum. The action at that joint can be clearly felt because the collarbone lies just under the skin. If you place your fingertips on the collarbone near the end where it joins the shoulder blade and do the movements of raising your shoulders, bringing your shoulders forward, dropping your shoulders pulling your shoulders back, you will find your fingertips moving with the collarbone in swoopy circles. If you then place your fingertips on your upper shoulder blade as you do those movements you will learn how much the shoulder blade moves, and how good it feels to let it move. The accurate mapping of the joint of the collarbone with the sternum is critical for free upper torso and arm movement. If that joint is not mapped, it is not used. It is held rigid and does not contribute its share of movement when it is needed, as in pullups, pushups, overhead presses, rowing, wallballs…basically any movement that involves the arms. This forces a disproportionate amount of movement onto the second arm joint, the joint of the upper arm with the shoulder blade. That disproportion is a source of strain in activities that require repetitive use of all four arm joints.
Do you want to have smoother moving, stronger, mobile arms and be able to do mad pullups and overhead presses? Start by finding that joint where the collarbone meets the sternum. It’s called the sternoclavicular joint. Explore the movements from the paragraph above often throughout the day. When you wake up, when you shower, when warming up before a WOD. Whenever you think about it. It is a crucial piece in moving your arms efficiently. Remember, the arms begin at the sternum, not the shoulder.
If you have any questions about what the heck I am talking about, grab me when you see me at the box. I love showing people who are interested in moving more efficiently. Next month we will cover the second joint of the arm. Where it belongs in relation to the side of the body and it’s role in what’s called humeroscapular rhythm. Get excited about this one!
To contact Rich, either give him a call at
503-939-2524 or email him at rroskopf@beavertoncrossfit.com.
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Predator Conditioning
by Chris Shugart of T-Nation
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Cardio vs. Conditioning: There is a Difference
We could start here by listing all the studies about the drawbacks of long duration cardio and running. Then we could list all the studies that show the benefits of shorter, high intensity conditioning sessions.
There would be lots of fancy acronyms and PubMed links. You'd feel smart reading it, but most likely you wouldn't apply any of it. Plus, that would be boring. So let's make the distinction between cardio and conditioning like this:
• Conditioning prepares you for battle. Cardio makes you really good at running slowly away.
• Conditioning fires up the metabolism. Cardio extinguishing it over time.
• Conditioning makes a man look good naked. Cardio makes a man look good in lavender skinny jeans and not much else.
• Conditioning builds legs of steel. Cardio builds legs of an underfed seabird.
• Conditioning makes you lean and hard. Cardio makes you small and soft.
• Conditioning gives you an upper body made of stone. Cardio gives you an upper body made of twigs and Jell-O.
• Conditioning makes you better at any physical activity. Cardio makes you good at cardio.
• Conditioning is sex. Cardio is cuddling and a chick-flick.
• Conditioning is testosterone. Cardio is cortisol and estrogen.
• Conditioning is pecs. Cardio is man-boobs.
• Conditioning is Westside Barbell. Cardio is Planet Fitness.
• Conditioning relieves anxiety, boosts all-day energy and fires up brain function. Cardio increases anxiety and cortisol. (Runners are only happy when they run. The rest of the time they're assholes. True story.).
• Conditioning is fun. Cardio is fun when it's over.
• Conditioning is for hunters. Cardio is for Bambi's mom.
• In short, conditioning is for predators. Cardio is for prey.
That was fun. Let's move on.
To read the rest of this article, check it out online!
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Can't figure out what to get the CrossFitter in your life?!
We have the perfect gift... the Olympic Weightlifting Seminar with Kevin Cornell,
January 18th and 19th
2013 Arnold Classic Champion Kevin Cornell is offering a seminar at Beaverton Strength and Conditioning to athletes interested in learning or improving their Olympic lifts. Session will consist of instruction in proper form, interactive training to improve technique and demonstration of drills and variations for the Olympic style movements including the snatch and clean & jerk.
For more information, contact Mel at 503-828-5136 or
mgriffin@beavertoncrossfit.com
Happy Holidays! |
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Trainer's Talk by Doctor Bondi, Ph.D
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Why does my protein powder stick to everything?
Recently, a friend of mine who started using Progenex commented on the how he enjoyed the product but noticed that the protein powder was stickier than other known whey proteins. Thus I decided to write this article from a view of a chemist and for the sake of popularity I will use Progenex as my reference (though plenty of other brands can apply to the following). If you were to look at the nutrition label of the Progenex Recovery formula, you would notice that the first and main ingredient is “hydrolyzed whey protein isolate†(5).
This differs from many store bought protein powders which typically contain a non-hydrolyzed whey protein isolate. Essentially the difference is that while the cheaper formulations provide unaltered proteins, the hydrolyzed protein is broken down into smaller amino acid chains, which are easier for the body to metabolize.
Though Progenex is not the only provider of hydrolyzed whey protein, it is the most popular amongst the crossfit community. The growth and popularity of Progenex can be attributed to sponsorships by both athletes of the crossfit games and professional sports.
Obviously Progenex has kept a tight lid on the manufacturing process used to formulate their powder; however from a chemist’s perspective the overall process is not that difficult. In general, in order to break down protein chains, the protein can be treated either using an enzyme (4) or by heating the protein under either strongly basic (3) or acidic conditions (2). Basically the hydrolysis process breaks the “links†that connect simple amino acids which form the more complex whey protein isolate. The concept of why hydrolyzed proteins are more beneficial than their non-hydrolyzed counterparts is that the smaller amino acids result in an increased uptake of protein during digestion. A greater efficiency of protein absorption after your workout means larger muscle gains.
Now back to the observation of stickiness in the Progenex powder; it is likely that after the hydrolysis of the whey protein, spray drying is used to generate the product in powder form (1). This process uses low molecular weight sugars, like sucralose or fructose, both found in the Progenex formula to act as a surface stabilizer to help isolate the broken down protein powder. A secondary theory of the sticky behavior could be due to residue left over during an acid or base treatment to hydrolyze the whey protein which results in amino acid salts. The residue is essentially moisture bound to the broken down hygroscopic (attracted to water) surface of the hydrolyzed protein. Thus at the end of the day, this sticky behavior regardless of being attributed to spray drying or residue, is indicative of hydrolyzed whey protein isolate. Finally this characteristic should not be viewed as a bad thing but instead more of proof you are getting what you paid for, easily digestible protein powder.
References:
(1)Adhikari B, Howes T, Wood BJ, Bhandari BR. The effect of low molecular weight surfactants and proteins on surface stickiness of sucrose during powder formation through spray drying. Journal of Food Engineering 94: 135-143, 2009.
(2)Ballin N. Estimation of whey protein in casein coprecipitate and milk powder by high-performance liquid chromatography quantification of cysteine. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 54: 4131-4135, 2006.
(3)Cheison SC, Brand J, Leeb E, Kulozik U. Analysis of the effect of temperature changes combined with different alkaline pH on the β-lactoglobulin trypsin hydrolysis pattern using MALDI-TOF-MS/MS. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 59: 1572-1581, 2011.
(4)Penas E, Prestamo G, Gomez R. High pressure and the enzymatic hydrolysis of soybean whey proteins. Food Chemistry 85(4): 641-622, 2004.
(5)ProgenexUSA.com. Progenex recovery nutrition information. Available at http://www.progenexusa.com/products/1-recovery.aspx.
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