Question of the day: How many couples workout at MBS?

2012 Tough Mudder

Shirley has set up the team for the 2012 Tough Mudder. Right now registration is $100, but it will go up to $180 if you wait too long. Follow this link to join the MBS Team.

Speed and accuracy.

Doing the Olympic lifts like the clean, snatch, and jerk require speed, accuracy, strength, and skill to perform. Fortunately, with enough time invested, you will be faster, stronger, and more accurate as an athlete because of them. Our strength program is an excellent way to develop your Olympic lifting skills.

Article: The 4 Best, and 3 Worst, Sweeteners to Have in Your Kitchen

Check out how we used the pistachio butter we got at the farmers market a couple weekends ago…

Basil & pistachio butter stuffed chicken

Ingredients

Pesto Butter:
6 oz pistachio butter
1 cup finely chopped basil leaves
4 to 5 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch coarse ground black pepper
Dash fresh lemon juice

Chicken:
Olive oil
8 thinly sliced chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

What makes a gym cool isn't the mirrors on the wall, or the equipment on the floor, it is the people that make everything! I found this great clip on youtube of some pretty big fellas lifting big weights. What is great about the video is that you can see that the gym environment is a big player in the success of the lifters. Yelling words of encouragement, pushing each other, and congratulating each other make training so much more fun. The benefits of lifting in this type of environment are not only that you will probably be more succesful in each lift or workout, but you will probably be more consistent in your training and see more results.

Check out this vid from last Monday's thruster workout…it is a little long and is mostly of the lunch and evening classes (sorry morning guys), but you can see some similarities between the two gyms - encouraging each other, congratulating on lifts, and great video commentating.

Body Fat Testing Tomorrow

Get your bodyfat tested for $49 tomorrow night from 4:00-7:00 PM at the gym. Hydrostatic testing is one of the most reliable forms of body fat testing, which can be used to find your lean body mass and help tune in your diet.

Testing will be done by www.bodyfattest.com. We have a sign up sheet in the front office. Please pay with check to reserve your spot.

Get some!!

Two sic handstands from Matt R. in Jamaica and Tracy in Moab.

Body Fat Testing next Tuesday

Get your bodyfat tested for $49 next Tuesday from 4:00-7:00 PM at the gym. Hydrostatic testing is one of the most reliable forms of body fat testing, which can be used to find your lean body mass and help tune in your diet.

Testing will be done by www.bodyfattest.com. We have a sign up sheet in the front office. Please pay with check to reserve your spot.

Leah shares her slammin' salmon cakes.

This recipe is awesome because it’s fun, different, and pretty easy. Plus it calls for paleo mayo which I am finding is really nice to have in the fridge for tuna or adding a little sauciness to the basic meat and veggies.

There are two points of contention in this recipe.

 1. The use of vinegar. I’ve read there are actually benefits to insulin response because of its acidic nature. Here’s another one. But there are also naysayers in the Paleo community. I’ve heard that because it’s fermented it’s not acceptable. I think the more critical issue is the acidity level. Loren Cordain recommends eating lots of alkaline based foods and staying balanced to keep your kidneys happy. After reading all this, did I take the vinegar out? No. But I munched on a bunch of cabbage prior to eating dinner and I am okay with that.

2. Raw eggs.  In short, healthy chickens equal healthy eggs. Good eggs are less likely to be diseased.  If you are fearful of salmonella, then don’t do the mayo.  I guess I like living on the Paleo Edge.

This recipe came directly from my favorite cookbook Everyday Paleo. I’ve used this blog/book for nearly every recipe in the last few weeks. I just like that the meals are all done in about 20 minutes, and that’s about the extent of kitchen attention abilities. I figure feeding Matt is about as equal to feeding a family of 5 so that works out well.

Salmon Cakes with Ginger Mayo
3 cans of wild caught Alaskan Salmon
3 eggs
4 diced green onions
1 tbsp dried dill
1/2 tsp ground ginger
a few shakes of red pepper flakes
about 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
a pinch of sea salt
about ¼ cup coconut oil
3 tbsps of fresh squeezed lemon juice
Shredded green and purple cabbage

Drain the water from the canned salmon and dump into a large mixing bowl.  Add the eggs, green onions, dill, ginger, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and salt and mix well.  In a large skillet heat the coconut oil over medium to medium high heat – make sure there is more than enough to cover the bottom of the pan.  You’ll know the oil is hot enough when it crackles after flicking some water into the pan – but do not get the oil so hot that is smokes.  Form the salmon mixture one at a time into patties or “cakes” and place gently into the oil.  Fry for 3 minutes on each side.  IMPORTANT – do not mess with the patties once they are in the pan.  Let them go for the full 3 minutes before you touch them or flip them or they will stick or fall apart.  Serve the patties over a bed of the shredded green and purple cabbage with a lemon wedge and the ginger mayo.

Paleo Mayo:
2 eggs
2 tbsps apple cider vinegar
1 tsp yellow mustard
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
2 cups extra virgin olive oil

In a blender or food processor place all ingredients except for the oil.  Cover and blend on low while you count to 5.  Continue to blend while you slowly add olive oil.  Once all the oil is in continue to blend while you again count to 5.  Booya, mayo!

Staying tight through abs, glutes, and legs creates a more stable handstand.

Develop your gymnastic skills with the GWOD (www.gymnasticswod.com), or look to www.crossfit.com for a library of instructional gymnastics videos to help you out. Of course, it will take some extra attention before or after your workout, but handstands are fun and addicting.

Body Fat Testing next Tuesday

Get your bodyfat tested for $49 next Tuesday from 4:00-7:00 PM at the gym. Hydrostatic testing is one of the most reliable forms of body fat testing, which can be used to find your lean body mass and help tune in your diet.

Testing will be done by www.bodyfattest.com. We have a sign up sheet in the front office. Please pay with check to reserve your spot.

Katrina getting STRONG!

MBS Hybrid Strength Program, AKA “Swoll Patrol”

Rich has been having a great time with the Hybrid Strength Program (HSP) the past couple of months. In case you've been living under a rock, or haven't had a chance to check it out, here's a quick rundown of the HSP :
 

- Classes are held Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00, 5:00, and 6:00 PM and Saturday at 11:00 AM.
 

- Primary lifts consist of Deadlift, Back Squat, and Bench Press and are done on a 4-week linear progression program borrowed from Wendler's 5/3/1 manual. This means you will be getting stronger every week!
 

- The olympic lifts are done in smaller rep schemes (3's, 2's, and 1's) and have more sets across (5-8 sets).
 

- Assistance lifts include Olympic lifting assistance exercises (snatch balance, OHS, push presses, etc.), along with strongman and gymnastic exercises (tire flips, hammer swings, rope climbs, kettlebell sets, etc.)
 

- Everyone, including athletes right out of On-Ramp can do the HSP!

Check out Cheryl getting her first pullups in the strength class!

Sara and Jamie in Fight Gone Bad 6 at MBS.

FGB briefing at men's retreat.

Fight Gone Bad 6 Recap

Thanks to everyone that participated in Fight Gone Bad 6 over the weekend. As we've mentioned in the past few weeks, this is the largest fundraising event that nearly every CrossFit on the planet takes part in. As of Sunday night, over $2.1 million dollars was raised by our community!

@ MBS

We had exactly 50 people show up and give your bodies to the bad fight. As a team we raised $2,770, which puts us in 211th place in the world…(donations are still being accepted through the end of the month). Jake Sutton was our top fundraiser with $315. He will be getting an MBS T-shirt along with his FGB shirt.

@ Flatirons Men's Retreat

While FGB was going on at MBS, several guys from the gym were helping run FGB at the men's retreat in Fraser, CO. We were lucky enough to bring nearly 50 men closer to God at 9,500 ft!

Our Top Scorers:

Male: MJ 400
Samantha: 341
Team Swoll Patrol: 1832

The Heart of An Athlete Can Change The World!

Join us today starting at 9 am as we participate in this annual fundraiser which benefits 3 wonderful causes. The first heat will start at 9am, and we will continue until all who want to have completed the workout. Donations will be accepted at the gym, or raise $150 or more get the sweet event t-shirt shown above. Put your game face on and be ready to leave NOTHING in the tank!

Fight Gone Bad 6

We are hosting the Fight Gone Bad fundraiser tomorrow at 9:00 and 10:00 AM.  If you haven't done this event with us before, we highly encourage you to come and try it out - it is a tough workout and benefits some great causes.

We will have modified versions for everyone to participate. Please register on www.FGB6.org so we can have an accurate head count. It is not mandatory that you raise money on your fundraising page, but we will accept donations at the gym Saturday.

We plan on running heats at 9:00 and 10:00. Plan on helping to count reps for a partner before or after your heat. If you would like to run in an earlier heat, please show up earlier to put your name on the board. See you all there!

Register with MBS CrossFit's team page HERE.

Here is a super easy lunch from Sean at the fire house:

Grilled Chicken with Beet and Sweet Potatoe Hash

-1 chicken breast grilled with garlic powder and salt for seasoning.

Hash:
-~2 tablespoons of coconut oil
-half of a sweet potato. Chopped
-1/4 of a large beet. Chopped
-1 whole green bell pepper
-more garlic power and salt for seasoning.

Sautéed hash in coconut oil until sweet potatoes got a little crispy on the outside. Washed it all town with a delicious Kombucha!

Fall Team Rowing Challenge

Aaron has set up a team for the Fall Team Challenge sponsored by Concept 2 (makers of our indoor rowers). The challenge runs from September 15th through October 15th.

All you need to do in order to join the team challenge is register for an online logbook and then join “MBS CrossFit”. All the directions for setting up your account can be found here.

MBS Kids know how to have fun on rings.

Today's workout:

“Meadows”
For time:
20 Muscle ups
25 Lowers from inverted hang
30 Ring handstand pushups
35 Ring rows
40 Ring pushups

You expect me to do what?? Honestly, probably not. This is a seriously complex workout that very few will be able to do as prescribed. Does that mean you shouldn't show up for today's workout.? Of course not! Here are a few modifications that will make today's workout a much better learning experience:

Mods for Muscle ups: banded transitions, ring dips, pullups, and/or pushups
Mods for Lowers from inverted hang: strict toes to bar negatives, knee to elbow negatives, situps
Mods for Ring handstand pushups: handstand pushups, pike pushups, barbell push press
Mods for Ring pushups: banded ring pushups, pushups on plates (chest to floor)

As always, we can modify repetitions as needed to allow the student to accomplish the entire workout. As you may remember from your early days of CrossFit, it is our goal to teach MECHANICS -> CONSISTENCY WITH MECHANICS -> INTENSITY. If a movement is new to you, or needs finer tuning of mechanics, we are more concerned with developing those mechanics before issuing the intensity piece. Above all, have fun!

Rowing Clinic today from 11:00 - 12:30

Aaron V. will be holding a rowing clinic during today's lunch classes. Aaron began rowing in high school and has since coached at several rowing clubs including Rocky Mountain Rowing Club in Denver. We are very fortunate to have his experience in our gym. No sign up necessary, just show up and work on your rowing technique!

Congratulations to Ernie as he and his wife welcomed baby Ava on Monday at 7.5 lbs!

CROSSFIT ON ESPN2 STARTING TONIGHT

Watch the 2011 CrossFit Games on ESPN2 for the first time ever! The 12-part series of 30min episodes will launch tonight at 6:00 PM. Four shows back to back for three Wednesdays in a row. Spread the word…tell your freinds and family to watch the “sport” of CrossFit!

CrossFit Games Coming To ESPN2 starting Wednesday, Sepetember 14th at 8:00pm EST - video [wmv] [mov]