Some of our folks in the morning and lunch classes…

Signing in for classes
As a member of MBS, we want you to get the best experience possible, whether that be through the coaching, programming, or the community environment we provide. As you put your trust into us to provide that experience, we ask that you help us by signing in prior to your WOD. By signing in, you are confirming your attendance at the class which gives us reliable information on which classes are attended and how often. It also shows us that your billing and contact information is up to date.

If you haven’t claimed your Front Desk account yet, you must click this link https://mbs.frontdeskhq.com/welcome. , and enter the email you have on file with us. (If the email you enter doesn’t work, it may be another email you entered when you filled out your waiver. Email dan@mbscrossfit.com with any problems). You will be emailed a link to verify your email, then you will be asked to verify profile info. Add a picture to your profile and your done!

WORKOUT OF THE DAY

LIFT
Deadlift, WP 3’s
warm up sets = 5×40, 5×50, 5×60,
work sets = 3×70, 3×80, AMRAPx90%

CONDITIONING
AMRAP 5 minutes:
7 Thrusters 95/65 lb.
7 Pushups

Rest 3 minutes

AMRAP 5 minutes:
7 Front squats 95/65 lb.
7 HSPU’s

Score is total reps for both AMRAPs.

LEVELS
L3 - Rx
L2 - 5 reps at rx weight/movement
L1 - 5 reps and modified weight/movement

Happy Halloween!!

Make sure you wear your costume to the WOD! Lets see which class can come up with the best costumes! Which class will have 100% in costume as well? We had a blast with this last year and this year should prove to be no different.

Workout of the Day

LIFT/SKILL
Make up day (if you missed Monday or Wednesday, please make up your back squat and/or press 5RM)

If you didn’t miss your BS or PR, work a split jerk up to 2RM

HAPPY HALLOWEEN WOD
For time:
10 Power clean 135/95 lb.
31 box jump 24/20″
10 Power clean 135/95 lb.
31 wall balls 20/14 lb.
10 Power clean 135/95 lb.
31 burpees
10 Power clean 135/95 lb.
31 toes to bar

LEVELS
L3 - Rx
L2 - 7 PC, 21 others at rx weight
L1 - 7 PC, 21 others at mod weight

OLYMPIC
Clean and jerk, 6×1 @ 90%

Lots going on at MBS in the upcoming weeks. Keep an eye the blog, and our Facebook page to stay updated!

Tomorrow 10/31: Halloween WOD
Get ready for a frighteningly ghoulish workout and COME IN COSTUME! Best costume will be rewarded.

November 16th: Gabby Loya #44 fundraiser WOD
Come and support MBS’ own toughie of an athlete, Gabby Loya as we raise funds to help her and her family.
Click here for Facebook event page.

November 17th: Precious Miles 5K run to benefit A Precious Child Charity.
100% of all race registration proceeds will benefit A Precious Child, Inc. This 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is devoted to making a positive impact in the lives of disadvantaged and displaced children and families in Colorado by improving their quality of life.
Click here to register.

November 23rd & 24th: 4th Annual MBS Turkey Challenge.
Registration is closed, but we still need help with judging and volunteers!
Click here to volunteer.

Workout of the Day:

LIFT
1. Press, WP 3’s
warm up sets = 5×40, 5×50, 5×60,
work sets = 3×70, 3×80, AMRAPx90%

CONDITIONING
FGB style - 1 minute at each station with no rest between. One minute rest after full rotation. Repeat for 3 rounds.
S1 - Row for calories
S2 - Pushjerk 115/75
S3 - Pullups or MU’s
S4 - Plate lunges (in place) 45/25 lb. or Pistols

Score is total reps of all stations for all three rounds.
Post scores to www.beyondthewhiteboard.com

Get to Know your Coaches: Coach CJ

To know him is to love him. CJ is part goofball, part hard ass whip wielding coach, part teddybear and part bonafide badass athlete.

How long have you been CrossFitting?
About 2 1/2 years now

What made you decide you wanted to be a coach?
I found myself helping out some of my peers here and there, found I enjoyed it. So after talking with Pat, I got my level 1 and here I am.

Favorite movie?
Oddly enough, The Count of Monte Cristo. It runs the full gambit of what I look for in a movie.

What’s your favorite non CrossFit sports activity?
Summer - hiking, winter - snowboarding

If you could live anywhere other than Colorado, where would it be?
Tough one, but probably out east in Charleston, SC

Tell us a little about what you do at your other job.
I am a Systems Engineer/ Administrator for a healthcare based tech company. My position involves everything from physically unboxing and racking server hardware, to configuring and troubleshooting the operating system and user requests.

Any coaching pet peeves?
My biggest peeve is seeing athletes (mainly newish ones) afraid to fail, or playing it safe. Don’t get me wrong, we all like to succeed at what we undertake and there is a time and place to go with what you know and play it safe, but how can you know your limits when you don’t ever venture out of your comfort zone and hit them to see what they are? I’ve seen athletes many times look at a bar and say “I can’t lift that”, or at the rings and proclaim “I am nowhere near close to having my MU”, and I tell them “Have you tried? How do you know if you haven’t tried it?” Hell, I fail at stuff all the time, not because I enjoy failure, but because I like to know my limits, then surpass them.

You served your country in the Army. Tell us a little about that and thank you for your service.
Ah yes. I served 3 years (94 - 97) as a U.S. Army Ranger out at Ft. Benning, GA. I served with the same unit that was over in Somalia (book/movie Blackhawk Down) so a lot of the guys portrayed in the book/movie I knew in real life. Lot of jumping out of planes, shooting, and blowing stuff up. I was also trained as a sniper, so I got that going for me.

If you could only do one WOD every time you worked out for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Pint-o-Guinness EMOM??? As bad as it sucks, Fran baby. I figured out if you just do it fast enough that you finish before your body knows what you’re up to, its not so bad!

You’ve been participating in… and KILLING IT at a bunch of different competitions lately. What tips would you give to someone doing their first competition?
Why thank you. For the most part they have been fun, but they can be a little mentally draining too. I would say to someone going to their first one that it’s ok to be nervous, you will feel the anxiety leading up to every WOD, hell I still feel anxious before each one. I’d like to say that its just like doing a regular WOD, but the lead-up is a bit more intense than that, but once you hear the 3-2-1 GO you just tell your brain to shut up and git ‘er done. Just remember that yes, a competition is pitting you against other athletes, but when you are out there on the field of battle, each WOD is about competing within yourself. Doing your best, then squeezing out that little bit extra, don’t worry what everyone else is doing. Most competition WODs I have done I can’t really remember who was going at the same time competing against me, I just do what I need to to get the job done. And always remember, if you’re done before your fellow athletes, go cheer them on and help them out. That is, to me, one of the single biggest things that sets CrossFit apart from other sports, we compete against each other but we also take care of each other.
Oh, and if your first competition is a two day event (i.e. Sat/Sun) plan on taking that following Monday off. Trust me on this one.

Halloween costume contest this Thursday. Wear your favorite costume to the WOD!!!

Hand Care Tips

Workout of the Day:

LIFT
Power or squat snatch, 3-3-3-3-3 working up to a 3RM touch and go.

CONDITIONING
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Power Snatch (115/75)
Toes to bar
30 Double unders between round

*LEVELS
L3 - Rx
L2 - 10-8-6-4-2 reps at Rx weight/movement
L1 - Full reps at mod weight/movement
*L3 is our advanced CF athletes that are familiar with their 1RM maxes
and can do most workouts as prescribed.
L2 is for our athletes with at least 6 mo experience but are still mastering the proper form and strength in movements.
L1 is for those folks with less than 6 months and are still working on form and conditioning.
By modifying the reps/load according to your skill and ability level, you are going to get more out of the workout.

OLYMPIC
Snatch, 6×1 @ 90%

One of the things I enjoy about CrossFit is the satisfaction I have after breaking an old personal record (PR). Some PR’s are more fun than others – deadlift, or any heavy lift for that matter are my personal favorites. Max pullups or a 400 meter run time would come a reasonably close second. Since nearly everything we do at CrossFit is measured, it is easy to track your progress. As long as you are recording your workouts, you can quickly tell if you just did more in your squat than you ever have before, or more Rx’d pullups than your last workout. The sense of accomplishment gained from knowing you just broke a PR is not only satisfying but it builds confidence and momentum to continue training and breaking PR’s. Guys and girls, take PR’s seriously. Be happy as hell when you get them…even something as simple as graduating from the red band to the blue band is a PR, or being able to finally rack the barbell in a “front rack” position for the front squat can be written down as a PR.

Want to get the most out of your squats today??? Try this mobility before you come in for the WOD. Come in 10 minutes early and work on those hips!!

 
WORKOUT OF THE DAY

LIFT
1. Back squat, WP 3’s
warm up sets = 5×40, 5×50, 5×60,
work sets = 3×70, 3×80, AMRAPx90%

2. KB Single leg deadlift, 5×3 each leg

CONDITIONING
Tabata Mashup
MB squat cleans 20/14 lb.
Lateral burpees over MB

Tabata is :20 of work followed by :10 of rest repeated for eight rounds. In a mashup, you alternate from one exercise to the other until eight rounds have been completed on each. Score is total reps of both exercises for all 16 rounds.

Gymnastics: Who Cares?

Take a look at the CrossFit Pyramid of Fitness and you will find Gymnastics as the foundation of Weightlifting and Sport. Applied correctly, gymnastics training primarily involves whole body movements which force the body to perform as an integrated unit, over a wide range of specific training stimuli. Therefore, by developing your gymnastics you establish functional capacity for body control and range of motion. Simply refer to our beloved Olympic gymnasts, the hyper-strong and ever-powerful athletes performing amazing skills with grace and ease. Watching them begs the question – are they as powerful as they appear to be? The answer is a resounding YES! And they collect this superior strength and power primarily through bodyweight conditioning.

The best training, in any field of endeavor, resides heavily in simple, basic, fundamental instruction. A lack of commitment to fundamentals will doom any training program and dilute the efficacy of both athlete and coach.

No other modality targets and trains more of the ten general physical skills than gymnastics and as stated in the CrossFit Journal article “What is Fitness” from October 2002, “the traditional gymnast has no peer in terms of development of these skills.”

-excerpts from “Gymnastics: Building the Foundation”

Workout of the Day

WARM UP

2 sets stairs, 10 jumping jacks, climb across pull up rig without letting go
then,
10 leg swings (each leg)
10 straddle to v-sit
10 straddle to pike sit
hold center splits 30 seconds
then,
lines: RDLs, inchworms, broad jumps, animal walks, cartwheels, handstand walks

SKILL

Fundamentals:
Tabata hollow holds
Tabata tripod holds

CONDITIONING
Double Dipper Chipper
2 Rounds For Time: 20 minute time cap (1 second penalty per rep not completed)
20 double unders
20 wall runs (shoulder touches)
20 toes to bar
10 hollow rocks
10 cartwheels
10 pistols
5 candlesticks
5 bar pullovers or attempts (low bar), (strict), (long hang)
5 bar or ring muscle ups or glide or long hang kips (or attempts)

Workout of the Day:

BENCHMARK
8:00 AM and 9:00 AM
“Running Fran”
21 Thrusters
21 Pullups
Run 400 meters
15 Thrusters
15 Pullups
Run 400 meters
9 Thrusters
9 Pullups
Run 400 meters

10:00 AM FREE WORKOUT
same WOD

Friday Fotos!!!

I don’t know of many gyms that have the luxury of getting to post such high quality photos of their athletes doing what they do. Huge thanks to Ken for sharing his special talent with all of us. If you want to see more of his pics…maybe even a pic of yourself, you need to be a friend of MBS CrossFit on Facebook. Sorry if your not a FB’er for whatever reason…we’ve just found it is the easiest photo album for us to upload to.

CF Competition Season Wrapping Up
Well, nearly. We still have the Turkey Challenge in just 4 weeks!!! And, a few of our athletes are doing the FRCF Weightlifting meet on November 9th. For all of you that competed this summer, I’m glad you did. Regardless of your placement or how well you thought you performed, you are better for it. Competing, at any level, promotes growth, teaches you lessons, and makes a stronger YOU! I’m thankful to have a gym full of athletes that are willing to compete. Also, I’m extremely thankful for the men behind the scenes, like Ken, that take pics, judge, volunteer, and help put events together. If you missed out this summer, there are plenty more competitions to be had. Stay tuned to this blog and our FB page for your next, or first, competition.

We are still looking for Turkey Challenge judges and volunteers. If you’d like to be a part of the team, sign up here.

WORKOUT OF THE DAY

LIFT
Deadlift, WP 5’s - add 10#’s to your training max (not 1RM) from last cycle
warm up sets - 40×5, 50×5, 60×3
work sets - 65×5, 75×5, 85xAMRAP

CONDITIONING
“JT”
21-15-9 reps for time:
HSPU
Ring dips
Pushups

15 minute cuttoff.

LEVELS
L3 - Rx
L2 - 15-12-9 reps
L3 - 6 rounds of 5 reps each

Embrace the Suck

I’ve heard a lot of people say… “I suck at CrossFit because I can’t do __________”. Insert whatever your goat is… handstand pushups, pull ups, muscle ups….

Since when is our value based on what we physically can or can’t do? These skills are just that, SKILLS, that require dedication to practice, repetition and study of form.

Shouldn’t we be embracing the things we suck at… drawing them in closer, even making friends with them? Only then can we put in the work and practice to be better at them. Slowly chipping away until we get it right.

Let me suggest to you why you ROCK at CrossFit: Because you keep trying, because you stay late to cheer on the last guy or maybe sometimes you ARE the last guy, because you give words of encouragement to other athletes, because you won’t quit, and because of your desire to be better. In fact, you’re a freaking CrossFit warrior for getting your butt kicked and coming back for more! So there.

Workout of the Day

LIFT
1. Front squat, 5-5-5-5-5 up to a 5RM
2. Press, WP 5’s. - add 5#’s to your training max (not 1RM) from last cycle
warm up sets - 40×5, 50×5, 60×3
work sets - 65×5, 75×5, 85xAMRAP

CONDITIONING
AMRAP for 6 rounds:
:30 of Wall balls 20/14 lb.
:30 of Pullups
:30 of rest

COMPETITION CLASS
Snatch practice. Work up to a 1RM, then do 6×1 at 90%

Get to Know your Coaches: Coach Amanda

How long have you been crossfitting?
I started CrossFitting in October of 2008 so 5 years ago.

What made you decide you wanted to be a coach?
Before CrossFit I had never done any sort of physical activity. When I found crossfit my coaches pushed me, I lost a ton of weight and I was doing things that I never thought possible, 35# was really heavy for me. I changed not only on the outside but on the inside. It was such an amazing experience for me that I wanted to share it. I wanted to be a part of someone’s journey like my coaches were a part of mine. So here I am and I love it!

Dog person or cat person?
I cant pick, I like them both.

Favorite movie?
“Under the Tuscan Sun”

What’s your favorite non CrossFit sports activity?
Golf… does that count? I find it extremely relaxing even though I suck!!!

If you could live anywhere other than Colorado, where would it be?
I wouldn’t. When I was in the Navy I had the pleasure of experiencing quite a few different places. This is home!

If you weren’t a CrossFit coach, what other career field would you be in?
I would be in the medical field. I enjoy helping people.

You have served our country in the Navy. Tell us a bit about that… and thank you so much for your service.
I was in the navy for just under 4 years. I was an air traffic controller on the USS Abraham Lincoln and then stationed at NAS Whidbey Island. Which is where I was introduced to CrossFit!

Any specific coaching pet peeves?
YES! I really get frustrated when people shake their head no in the middle of a WOD. I feel like it is self defeat, wether you say it out loud or not that simple gesture can make a difference.

You’re also the MBS CrossFit Certified Nutrition consultant. What got you interested in nutrition?
My dad was extremely overweight, I remember being 10 in a mcdonalds refusing to eat because I was embarrassed of him. I was ashamed of myself for years because of this, until I realized that I can make a difference if I had a little knowledge. So I started going to school for it.

So, what’s the nutrition guru’s diet like on a normal day?
I try to make good choices all day long. Minimal to no processed food, chocolate and alcohol on rare occasions and clean whole foods as much as possible.

What’s the number one thing you could tell someone to improve their diet?
Eat your food, don’t drink it. Often times people don’t really realize how much sugar or calories they are consuming with no satiety.

Workout of the Day

LIFT
Power clean + Hang power clean + push jerk, 5×2 working up to your workout weight. Keep weight lighter and work on bar speed.

CONDITIONING
With a partner, AMRAP in 20:
12 Deadlift
9 Hang power cleans
6 Push jerks

Rx is 155/105 lb. or about 60% of 1RM power jerk.

LEVELS
L3 - Rx
L2 - 9/7/5 reps
L1 - 7/5/3 reps

*By modifying the reps/load according to your skill and ability level, you are going to get more out of the workout.
L3 is our advanced CF athletes that are familiar with their 1RM maxes and can do most workouts as prescribed.
L2 is for our athletes with at least 6 mo experience, but are still mastering the proper form and strength in movements.
L1 is for those folks with less than 6 months and are still working on form and conditioning.

OLYMPIC
Technique and reps
5-5-5-1-1-1-1-1-1 of:
Power clean and press
Squat clean and jerk
Squat snatch

You will start with 5 clean and press, then do 5 squat clean and jerk, then do 5 squat snatch. Go up 5 lbs, and do another set of 5 of each. Go up another 5 lbs. and do another set of 5 of each. Then, you will go to 6 sets of singles, adding 5 lbs. after each round. If you start at 95 lb., you will end up at 135 for your final round.

Sellers squatting.

My Experience with the Paleo Diet - by Pat Burke

How is your molecular foundation? I am reminded of the importance of nutrition every time I get run-down, tired, and ultimately sick. You’ve probably seen this Hierarchy of Athletic Development picture before…but just in case, here it is:

Nutrition’s role in the development of an athlete is to “lay the molecular foundation” for fitness and health. In simple terms, it means that you must feed your body high performance nutrition if you expect high performance results.

I was introduced to the paleo diet by doing a 30-day nutrition challenge…

Roughly six years ago Janelle and I did our first nutrition challenge alongside about 20 of our first members of MBS. We had just attended a Robb Wolf seminar and were stoked to see what would happen if we stuck to a diet of “meat, vegetable, nuts, and seeds”, aka Paleo Diet. Previously, we had been eating according to diet plans found in Men’s Fitness and other garbage magazines. Well, if you’ve done one of the 30-day challenges, you know how it goes…it sucks. Getting off caffeine, no rice, bread, pasta, cheese, milk, or SUGAR!!! To be honest, we probably accidentally cheated more than once because it’s actually very hard to be 100% free of processed food. You have to know where to shop, what ingredients to avoid…the food companies do a pretty good job at disguising sugar and their additives.

The results of our first challenge were mixed. It was physically frustrating because I was occasionally tired, moody, and lost weight that I didn’t want to lose over the course of the 30 days. Some of our members experienced weight loss that they were looking for (5-10 lbs. average) and they were very happy. But, on the positive side, we all noticed that, especially toward the end of the challenge, we felt better, had a more positive mood, sleep was better, skin was clearer, and we breathed easier in the high intensity workouts.

The larger role that the nutrition challenge played was that I learned how to take charge of what goes in my body and to be very serious about it. For example, you SHOULD care if there are 15 grams of sugar in each serving of your barbeque sauce and the serving size is only 2 tablespoons. Without being selective with what goes in your body, you are likely to be putting a bunch of junk in it that is making you feel sick, gain weight, or have bad performances in your workouts.

Since doing our first paleo challenge, we did one more seriously, and another couple where we fell off the wagon…Eventually, we’ve learned that we don’t need/require the structure of being 100%. It’s hard to be perfect paleo all the time, even just 30 days. But, through doing the challenges, we’ve been able to identify how to shop, where to shop, how to prepare our food according to our daily schedules, and what exceptions we can make to the diet that don’t seem to have a noticeable effect on our health (ie cream in our coffee and butter are my everyday cheats that I’m not willing to give up). We’ve also learned how to play with our food quantities according to our goals. For example, I know how to eat a 100% paleo diet without losing weight…it’s not easy, but it can be done.

Sacrifice is a part of life. If you want a good paying job, you have to sacrifice 4 years and go to college. If you want to be good at something, you sacrifice your time and practice that skill. If you want to be healthy, you have to make the sacrifice and learn about eating better. Nutrition is key to living a happier, healthier life.

By the way, Coach Amanda is happy to help you out with your nutrition. She can do private consultations by appointment, or just point you in the right direction. Email her at amanda@mbscrossfit.com for more info.

Also, a big shout out to the folks that are currently doing our Fall Nutrition Challenge…only two more weeks to go!!!

WORKOUT OF THE DAY

LIFT
Back squat, WP 5’s - add 10#’s to your training max (not 1RM) from last cycle
warm up sets - 40×5, 50×5, 60×3
work sets - 65×5, 75×5, 85xAMRAP

CONDITIONING
For time:
30 KB weighted box step ups ea leg, 24/20″ with 72/53 kb
30 Box jumps 24/20″
30 KB goblet squats 72/53 lb.
30 KB swings 72/53 lb.
30 Burpees

Cashout with 30 KB Russian twists 72/53 lb.

LEVELS
I’m going to post these “levels” on a few workouts this week. Basically, L3 is our advanced CF athletes that are familiar with their 1RM maxes and can do most workouts as prescribed. L2 is for our athletes with at least 6 mo experience, but are still mastering the proper form and strength in movements. L1 is for those folks with less than 6 months and are still working on form and conditioning. By modifying the reps/load according to your skill and ability level, you are going to get more out of the workout.
Try to modify reps before modifying weight
L3 - Rx
L2 - 20 reps
L1 - 15 reps and lighter weight

Gymnastics is back! Come in Sunday at 10 am!

Workout of the Day

SKILL

3 rounds for flexibility:

15 shoulder passes
7 skin the cats
hold bottom of dip for 20 seconds
5 bridge ups and roll out

CONDITIONING
For time:

Handstand Walk for 50 meters
10 ROUNDS:
5 clapping push-ups
10 V ups
15 jumping lunges
Handstand Walk for 50 meters

Friday Fotos…

Kyle getting under the bar.

James weighted pullup

Jason with an awesome rack

Gianni reaching the top of the rope.

Julie weighted pullup

Lumberyard Throwdown this weekend
The final competition of the season until the Turkey Challenge is this Saturday at CrossFit Nocoast. Please come out and cheer on our athletes. Here’s who is competing, good luck guys!

Elite women - Coach Amy, Coach Janet, Amy P, Karen, and Tiffany B
Masters men - Coach CJ, Ken!
Masters women - Steph Lohmuller!!
Open men - Jason Sellers, Matt Strong, Mike “Archie”, Scott N “preacher”
Open women - Sara Stilson

For workouts, heat times, and more info, visit: http://www.nocoastcrossfit.com/#!lumberyardthrowdown/cvrg

Workout of the Day

SKILL
Max height box jump, 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

**Work in groups of 3-4 per set of boxes. That way you can support the boxes when they get stacked so high.**

CONDITIONING
In 20 minutes:
400 meter walking lunge
then AMRAP
15 KB swing
25 Double Unders

Do the 400 meter walking lunge from the back of the gym to the 400 m mark. Full, large steps and the knee barely kisses the ground or is just an inch above.