Like Every Other Training Center....

...Ours began in our back yard with Olli and Mac Daddy.
Here are a couple of pre-monsters (two years of Crossfitting ahead of them) helping out with the SFCF set up.


Reminder: Bring in your clothing donations to Coach Kevin!



Coach K

Clean Out Your Closet

The end of the year is a perfect time to clean out your clutter and create some space in your home. If you have been Crossfitting diligently for the past year, odds are some of your clothes no longer fit or have become a bit snug (big muscles of course). So, in this season of giving, gather the clothing you never wear, the clothing that no longer fits and all the clothes you should have never bought and donate them to a great charity, The Raphael House. They'll know what to do with the clothing and it will go to families who are really deserving.

If you would like to contribute, please bring your donation (in a bag please) to one of the following classes:

Thursday 12/6 @ 7pm
Saturday 12/8
Tuesday 12/11 @ 6am
Thursday 12/13 @ 7pm
Saturday 12/15

All donations will be delivered by me to The Raphael House. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Coach Kevin

Terrible Two's--Happy B-Day SFCF!

Two years ago today, SFCF had our first workout ever. It was a scaled and chopped version of Fight Gone Bad that many of our regulars would now consider a solid warm up for the real workout. Some of our athletes like Aneel Nath, joined us in our first week of training (and should be considered a founder). But, there are only five regulars that were there opening day.
Do you know who they are?

Hellboy was there: AKA Hellinor. Below is her first day.




This is Ell deep into a couple of years.



FresYES!


Congrats to all of our athletes that make up our incredible community.

Coach K

Exposure

Quite often, the prescribed weight in a workout appears to be both too heavy and with too many repetitions to even be possible. These working weight/volumes will continue to feel out of reach unless you begin to regularly expose yourself to them in workouts. For example, many of our prescribed workouts that include deadlifting are written and appropriate at 225lbs. Clearly, if an athlete is never exposed to that weight, then a workout involving 45+ efforts is simply unreasonable. Much in keeping with Coach Bozman's practice theme, we're talking about simple exposure here. Being exposed to large weight/volumes has to start somewhere. Get started with your own exposure.

Check out the kids getting their 225's on. This hundred kilo effort was buried somewhere in between rowing and wall balls, and prescribed in safe, small doses. If you pick up that 225 often, pretty soon it feels like 135lbs. Almost like 225 is the new 135.

Weaknesses?

We all have some...some we know about, some we have yet to find out about. One of the key aspects of our programming is confronting your less than perfect areas on a semi-regular basis. Next time you're asked to raise that dreaded wall-ball or squirm out a few more pullups (or insert 'favourite' movement here) remember that it is an opportunity to round out your skill set. He who has the weakest weaknesses is worst off.

Stay Strong,
-Boz

The Super Squat

For the uninitiated, there is a very old and storied training regimen called the "The Super Squat Program." In the traditional interpretation, the athlete would perform a 20 rep squat 3 times per week for 6 weeks, increasing the load each week by 10 pounds. This routine in conjunction with a copious consumption of calories (milk was a very popular choice) would produce incredible muscle and strength gains. It is an unbelievable physical and mental strain to squat a load 20 times without rest and requires a tremendous amount of intestinal fortitude and an iron will. While the program is by no means Crossfit, the stimulus of a 20 rep squat has its merits in building a bigger engine. And since we are Crossfitters and not bodybuilders, we do 21...

Check out Coach Boz going after 235# X 21 repetitions!

Strong work!

-Kevin

Nice Rack!

The Front Squat is a fantastic movement for leg and hip development, no doubt, but a nice rack also delivers excellent postural awareness. Often when front squatting a hearty 'elbows up!' will be tossed your way. This is not just an aesthetic cue! Driving the elbows up forces the muscles surrounding your thoracic cavity into action, helping to tighten your posture and give your hips something to drive into. Work for a nice rack!

-Boz

Johnny Utah err, Elmo "Daddy" Taddeo

A new definition of "Fitness"



SFCF is very proud to welcome the newest Taddeo into the family.
Gang, meet Daniel Thomas Taddeo.

Big love to you guys!

Little Coach "G"

Pillar of Strength

Overhead lifting requires a tremendous amount of midline strength and stability, without which we either fail in the attempt and/or expose ourselves to possible injury. Athletically, when we shoulder press, push press, push jerk and overhead squat it is requisite that we remain "tight" under the load in order to effectively move the load as well as protect ourselves. You cannot effectively transfer power from the ground to overhead if you are soft in the middle. It is obvious to the athlete in exercises such as hollow rocks, L sits and knees-to-elbows what we are after, but less apparent and even more critical to the execution of the aforementioned overhead exercises. One cannot have distal mobility without proximal stability. Thus, when your coach is cueing you to "tighten up," draw your abdominals into your spine and squeeze your shoulders down and back. The overhead lifts serve to teach us complete integration of the upper and lower extremities, thus making us more efficient in our everyday lives.





Want to see how stable you are overhead? Try the Silly Ball overhead for time. (a swiss ball filled with water) Coach K holds the house record @ 1:01.



Nice work JD and Coach K!


-Kevin

Unilateral Overhead Diesel Kitty

Dumbells are a ruthlessly effective way to correct postural and functional imbalances.
Many sports require the athlete to load one side of the body more often than the other. Seeing strength, mobility, and coordination differences between different sides of the athlete is more intuitively clear in sports like soccer and rowing, but still show up in nearly everyone. Using unilateral loading like dumbells, forces the body to generate an independent, unilateral motor program and movement solution and thus prevents one side of the body from piggy-backing on the other. Making these unilateral movements overhead and under metabolic load compounds their value.

In the photo above, Kitty is demonstrating excellent overhead positioning and good lower extremity mechanics, even in the middle of a hard workout. Thus, she is "diesel". Or she is said to be "dieseling" the workout. (Thanks Coach Kevin for the language lesson.)

Movin' Fast

The new year is almost upon us. Think back to the beginning of this year. Where were you then? Where are you now? Where would you like to be at the end of the year? Don't wait until New Year's to re-evaluate your goals...that's for the chrome gym and bran muffin types.

Also, start spreading the word: December 1st we start our new class schedule. Monday-Friday 6am, Monday-Thursday 7pm and Saturday as usual. Tell your friends!

See you at 6,
-Boz

Happy Thanksgiving

A BIG thanks to everyone for coming out and making the annual Turkey Day Chipper the biggest SFCF workout ever! Be safe today, enjoy your loved ones and have that extra piece of pie, you've earned it!

From all of us at SFCF, Happy Thanksgiving!

Coach Kevin

A for Effort

What we do is hard. There are times when one arrives for a workout with less than a perfect mindset. This is fine, but remember that the benefit of your action is directly proportionate to the effort you put forth. Approach every set and movement as if you will do it better than you did last time, even if your max of the day is not your personal best. Nobody becomes a monster by simply going through the motions. Want it enough to do it well!

This canvas is an opportunity. What do you see?





On a lighter note, have a great Thanksgiving and remember to keep your M-Quotient high! (M-Quotient= Lbs edible/Persons in attendance)

-Boz

Pathfinder

You are the first generation. You are virtually Crossfit Athlete Zero. You are part of a great experiment, and many of the implications of your training will be hidden from you. But not the impact that your training will have on the generation of athletes behind you.

You are the new baseline by which they will measure progress and performance.
Even the Little Coach.


Coach K

An Act of Discipline

"First we form habits, then they form us. Conquer your bad habits or they will conquer you." -Rob Gilbert


This week marks the start of the holiday season and for more than a few of us, the holiday consumption. Work places become veritable bakeries with sugar cookies and sweets; office parties are frequent, alcohol consumption is commonplace and late-nights are the norm. Throw on top of that the stress of shopping and traveling to visit family and it no wonder most of us spend the first week of the New Year recovering from a sleep-deprived, sugar-induced coma. Time to brace yourself.

My piece of advice is this: develop an act of discipline to learn moderation. Don't undo the past year(s) of Crossfitting in the next six weeks, only to have to regain the traction you have built. Don't be the New Year's resolution cliche. Develop good habits now.

On a personal note, my weakness is chocolate. I can think of very few things that are as satisfying on a visceral level. But, what I've learned is a taste holds me over without the regret the whole bar brings. I created a daily act of discipline. Every couple of weeks, I purchase a really good quality dark chocolate bar and every night, I eat one square. That's it. I eat with hormonal intelligence everyday and Crossfit religiously and that one square satiates any desire I have to consume recklessly. I don't have to have a piece everyday, but knowing it's there is enough.

So, as we enter this season of temptation, think of an area of your personal habits that need tightening-up and approach it with a sense of purpose and intention. Make a plan, set a schedule, sort it out.

Coach Kevin

The Heart of the Matter

Being "Crossfit" means many things. It may mean you are strong, flexible, powerful, or fluent in many different skills or movements. But above all else, being Crossfit means that you are metabolically fit. This means that you are well practiced (I'd say comfortable but no one is ever really comfortable) working at high intensities. It means you have sufficiently conditioned yourself to be able to buffer the hate that is concurrently generated at the high work outputs that we value. We hold that diverse capabilities are important, but at the heart of what we love most, work capacity is king.


Check out the Saturday monsters laying down the base layer.

CrossFit My Kitchen: How to Hard Boil an Egg

Proper nutrition is paramount to athletic performance, post-workout recovery and overall health and longevity. One of the biggest challenges I find is always having quality protein readily available when I'm in a hurry and need nourishment. My solution: Hard Boiled Eggs. Portable. Resilient. Perfect.

WHAT’S IN AN EGG?
Eggs are rich in nutrients and are a very affordable component of a healthy diet. They contain, in varying amounts, almost every essential vitamin and mineral needed by humans as well as several other beneficial food components. In fact, egg protein is of such high quality that it is a standard against which other proteins are compared.

I have heard many clients comment about how they would eat more hard boiled eggs if they weren't such a pain to peel or they didn't smell so bad. Here is a recipe to produce the perfect, non-smelling, easy-to-peel, hard boiled egg. Enjoy!

Things You'll Need: (Recipe is for 12 eggs)

1. 12 Eggs (I use organic, cage free)
2. Large pot and lid (3 or 4 quart)
3. Push Pin
4. Ice



Step 1: Place pot of water on stove under high heat; cover and bring to roaring boil.

Step 2: While water is coming to a boil, puncture one end of each egg with a push pin. (I find leaving the eggs in the carton and puncturing the tops is the easiest way to go about it)



Step 3: Once water boils, gently place eggs in pot and set timer for 12 min; recover pot with lid.

Step 4: Carefully drain water, recover pot with lid; gently shake the eggs in the pot to crack the shells.



Step 5: Dump 1-2 trays of ice over eggs and fill pot with cold water. Let stand for 5-10 minutes.



Step 6: Slide egg shells off your perfectly hard boiled eggs. Refrigerate for future use.



Bon Appetit,
Coach Kevin

Representation

Congrats to Diane who attended her first Crossfit Certification in Santa Cruz this weekend and absolutley CRUSHED her previous Fran time with a 6:06. Impressive showing!



Also, if there is a time during the week that you would like to see another class, let your coach know. We are currently considering expanding the class schedule. Your input helps!!

See you soon,

Coach A

Saturday Class Format Change

Hey Gang,
Just want to make sure everyone is aware of the new schedule for Saturday mornings.

Starting this Saturday, November 10th, we will be implementing our Level II classes starting at 7:45am.

Regular Level One open classes will move to an 8:30am start time.

Level II classes are our attempt to continue to meet the needs of, and challenge our regular crossfitters that have developed solid proficiency in the core movements of CF programming. Level II athletes can complete regular Crossfit WOD's at prescribed training weights and work volumes. Level II programming is invitation/try out based.

We want to continue to challenge our veterans with higher skill based workouts that require basic strength, technique, and work capacity competencies.

If you think you may be in between levels, train with us regularly, and we have not spoken to you about advancing your programming, come to the Level II class for a try out.

It is a fantastic sign that our athletes are arriving at a place where they need more difficult workouts!

Nice CFSF!

Coach K

Strangely Familiar

It's often easy to forget from whence we came. Many of our athletes have made such dramatic athletic progress that they remember little about who they were when they started with us. Think about your capacities a year ago. Two years ago?
It was just about two years ago that we drove up to where CFSF now stands and saw potential. Two years ago this week, we started clearing the two inches of dirt that covered our now hallowed grounds.
Where did you start? How far have you come?



Not pretty, but she's got it when it counts.


Where the military saw a tire rack, we saw 42 beautiful feet of pull-up bar.

Coach K

Raise High the Roofbeam Carpenters

Shelter is back for the winter! Now CFSF athletes can choose to deadlift in the rain or under cover! Twelve hundred square feet of space is plenty of room to dirty dance with winter-time Pukie!


Coach K

Then we will fight in the shade....

Bernard Lauper, not afraid that the evening's workout blotted out the sun.
The Tuesday crew tackled some high volume deadlifting. Nice work gang!

coach K

Inspiration

Here's Aaron, doing what he can with his situation. No excuses, but still training smart.



We all have periods of our lives that are 'less smooth' than we would like, but these are not opportunities to rest on our laurels. Everyone has weak areas of their fitness, but chances are injury isn't what's keeping you from facing them...

Stay Strong,

-Boz

OK to fail.

Part of the potentcy of Crossfit is the fact that our athletes have an unspoken agreement about failing in front of each other. That is, each time an athlete trains within our community, there is the real possiblity that they are going to blow up, want to tap out, snit (abandon the workout), or quit. Or, they are simply going to suck that day. The system works because everyone is training under the same looming possibilities.

This tacit failure policy is both necessary and vital for real progress to be made because it allows that we can take chances with our comfort zone. We can risk our ego and test our capacities within the safety of a group of athletes with the very same things at stake.

Wonder why a Crossfit community is so tight. They risk a part of themselves every day, and in front of people doing the same thing. Publicly and consciously choosing discomfort is an integral part of increased intensity, and increased results. Training as a group is both public risk and public self actualization. Crossfitters are monsters of self efficacy. And it is not by chance.


The Saturday Crew safely on the other side.

Going Away

We have an athlete leaving from the Old Guard. Geoff has been around since the beginning, but he'll be leaving us to pursue a new life in England...you know, fish, chips, cup 'o tea. We'll miss you, Geoff.



I'm thinkin' field-trip...

-Boz

Movement Preparation

Not being properly warmed up prior to high intensity exercise is a crucial mistake.
Failing to perform solid movement preparation before Crossfiting is the equivalent of shooting a high pressure fire hose at a dry sponge.
Check out the kids at Team 6 laying the ground work for a hard workout.

Pleaese do yourself a favor, don't be a dry sponge.

Coach K

They're not going to stretch themselves....

Just a friendly reminder that good body stewardship doesn't end when you get into the car at the end of the workout.
Be nice to your posterior chain. Stretch those hamstrings!

coach "your mother" K

Friends From the North

Had a few visitors from up north drop by today. This is Rob and Nicki from Chico, owners of Nor-Cal Strength and Conditioning (www.norcalsc.com).




Hope everone's week finished as nicely...

-Boz

Friday Fun

A little change of pace this Friday morning...



Don't forget Saturday open time tomorrow (2:30-4:30) if you can't make it in the AM.

Happy Friday!

-Boz

What you Want

A question today was posed: "What if I don't want to be a weightlifter?". The response was blunt to the outside observer: "Maybe you need to find a different program".

Now this may seem a bit harsh, however let's examine what we're trying to achieve...Do we show up in the dead of morning or after a hard day of work to get stronger? How about faster? How about more efficient, or mobile? Or able to endure crushing workloads? Of course the answer is yes. Do we settle for being competant in one area at the expense of others? Of course the answer is no.

Roughly everything we do can be broken down crudely into four categories: Weightlifting, Track drills (sprinting, jumping, throwing etc.), Gymnastics, and for lack of a better term, Mono-structural Endurance Activities (running, rowing, swimming, cycling). Now, if we have these modalities available to us that can cover the gamut of fitness we're seeking, why would we choose not to use and embrace these tools?

Perhaps the term weightlifting might put you off, but we want it. But it doesn't stop there. We don't limit what we want to be. We want to be weightlifting, sprinting gymnasts with horse-like lung and work capacity. Mediocrity is not an option. Want it all.



Stay hybrid,
-Boz

Extension

Check out Scott's leap. Nice extension!



The PM crew edged out the AMs in a classic battle of the titans (held 13 hours apart). Next week look for team 6 to take it's crushing revenge!

-Boz

Hand Off

One of the most crucial concepts an athlete can learn is how to 'hand off' power from the hips to other areas of the body. This is found in nearly every sport or athletic activity. Here's Ollie practicing his 'Hand Off':



See you in the AM
-Boz

Labor Day

Some days it's not about setting the land speed record. Some days it's not about smashing previous totals. Some days it's enough to come out and say "I'm here, but I did so many damn deadlifts on Saturday, today's gonna be rough". Great to see so many of you out despite the holiday!

-Boz

Monday Monday

Surprisingly, nobody was interested in waking up at 5:30am on Labor day. As such, class on Monday the 3rd will be held at 8am instead of 6am. Hope to see you all there!



Here's Matty T. making the best of his situation. We just recieved a few emails from Matt. He says he'll be back state-side soon. We're all looking forward to seeing you, Matt!

See you in the AM,

-Boz