810crossfit

Chili Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 cup pumpkin seeds
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder (this is a lot, feel free to adjust to your taste)
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt (adjust to your taste, I like things salty)
Place pumpkin seeds in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat
Stir frequently, for 3-5 minutes, until seeds make a crackling noise, some will even pop
Remove pan from heat and stir in olive oil, then chili powder and salt
Cool and serve
Makes 1 cup of spicy pumpkin seeds

State Of The Gym Address - 5/12/2013

 

Competition Reflection by Kameron Theede

Last week, one of our own CrossFitters, Kameron Theede, competed in his very first CrossFit competition in the Clash of the Casuals/Beginners Brawl and took home seventh place overall. His experience was one of a kind, as is any athlete's, and he was kind enough to share his answers to these four questions:

1. How did you prepare yourself for the competition?

2. How did you feel about your overall performance?

3. What do you feel you could improve on for next time?

4. How do you plan to go about achieving your goals of improvement?

 

 

Preparation

As every athlete knows, preparation is key before any competition. Without preparation one can become injured on account of their body's inability to keep up with such high standards. Training is key in getting prepared for a competition. Theede was well aware of this and trained at 810 CrossFit every day and focused on the box's programming. Additionally, he did a bit of  long distance running and rowing to increase his endurance. The day of the competition, Theede arrived early to find his "homeostasis" in a new environment. After comfortability was established, he stretched and ran to warm up.

Overall Performance

Looking back on the competition, Theede felt very good about his performance. He gave each of the four WODs his all, as well as discovering how much he was able to push his mental and physical capacity by completing four WODs in only a single day.

Improvement

Improvement comes with practice and time, so once weak points in an athlete's ability are revealed and realized, it is time for them to take the bull by the horns and strengthen their lacking areas. Theede believes that, although he placed seventh, next time he could improve his pace. He knows he is capable of moving quicker than he did. For his first competition, he was alright with his pace,
but he plans to make noticeable  improvement in that area for his next CrossFit competition.

Plan

Without a plan of attack, goals of improvement cannot be reached. After all was said and done at the Clash of the Casuals/Beginners Brawl , Theede plans to achieve my goals of improvement by continuing to train at the 810 CrossFit and pushing himself harder. He plans to step outside his comfort zone and move quicker, as well as taking rest as needed to allow his body proper recovery time.

 

Kameron Theede thoroughly enjoyed his experience at his first competition. His experience should provide encouragement to try out a competition. Great things happen only if you give them the chance to.

 

 

Special thanks to Kameron Theede.

 

Weekly Event Update

Here are all events (fundraisers/competitions/seminars) within a 4 hour radius of us.  If we are missing something please email Joe at joe@810crossfit.com so we can get it up!

• CrossFit Maven is hosting the Pure Michigan Invitational. This competition will be taking place in Rochester Hills, Michigan on June 22nd.This is a Michigan Athlete Only Event.  The goal of this competition is to find the fittest Michigan Man and Woman and to allow the best athletes in our state to compete on the same stage.  The event will test classic Crossfit movements over 4 WODs.  6 athletes will move onto the finals and compete in a knock-out style event.  At the end, only one will be left standing. Click HERE for details and HERE for registration!
• There will be a Level One Trainer Course at CrossFit Ann Arbor (HyperFit) on July 6th and 7th. Click HERE for details and registration.
• There will be a CrossFit Olympic Lifting Trainer Course at CrossFit Brighton in Brighton, Michigan on October 5th and 6th. Click HERE for registration and details.

These are NOT competitions, these are CrossFit Specialty courses designed to increase knowledge in a certain area. They will focus on a unique skill set and go further in depth with just that particular area.

• Nothing for now!

 

810'ers,

ONLY when you are ready in your CrossFit venture to dip into competition, this is your place to check for local events.  We will diligently work to have all competitions within a 4 hour radius of 810 CrossFit listed in this post.  Competition is fierce, it is aggressive, and it may or may not be for you.  Either way, no matter where you are in your CrossFit venture, 810 CrossFIt is designed for EVERYONE.  810 CrossFIt has a scope and sequence of turning you into another level of athlete.  We try to frustrate you.  We try to make it nerve-racking.  We test your perseverance.  The reaped benefits are extremely gratifying at 810. When or if you decide to enter into the competition domain, it will push you beyond what you thought was possible.  It will turn you into another level of an athlete.  It will frustrate you once again.  It will be nerve-racking, once again.  It will test your perseverance, once again. Lastly, it will be extremely gratifying.

Load Order of the Deadlift

Here is a great educational piece on the theory of load ordering and sequencing of the deadlift. We also prioritize spinal position first, then load the primary mover (hips).

Also pay particular attention to the mobility standard of the hamstrings. I know I have work to do, and I bet a lot of you do as well.

Thanks to mobilitywod.com
  

"Put one foot in front of the other and soon you’ll be walking cross the floor. Put one foot in front of the other and soon you’ll be walking out the door"

I would like to do a small series about finding motivation when you feel like you are in a slump. Even the most motivated of people can feel unmotivated at times. I know I loose steam when I feel like I have too much on my plate. My energy and motivation is zapped. Sometimes positive thinking seems like too great of feat. All is not lost. With baby steps, we can get started again. One thing you can do to get those feet moving in the right direction is to look at your goals. When you look at all of them at once, you might not be able to see anything. The picture is too big, and you could be trying to accomplish too many goals at once. If this is the case, choose one. Focus on it completely. Making progress and feeling successful could reignite your fires, thus allowing you to feel accomplished.

 

Next, find inspiration. This may be unique unto you. I find motivation by reading stories, journals, and blogs of others who have or are currently achieving amazing things. I admire their can do attitude, and I think a little rubs off.

 

Last but not least, get excited! I find that if I talk to others about what I'm trying to achieve and what I'm doing to get there, I can get excited about the process. That excitement helps to carry the energy forward and can keep it going.

 

Hopefully this can get the ball rolling for some of you. More to come on findsing motivation :)

Strawberry Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Prep time:   10 mins

Cook time:   30 mins

Total time:   40 mins

Serves: 9

 

Ingredients

• 2 bananas
• 2 eggs
• 3 dried dates, pitted
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seed butter (or other nut butter)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons coconut flour
• 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup strawberries, diced
• ¼ cup Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips (or dark chocolate chips)
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a food processor, puree bananas, eggs, dates, sunflower seed butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.
3. Then add flaxseed meal, coconut flour, baking soda and powder, and salt and puree once more.
4. Add mixture to a mixing bowl then fold in the strawberries and chocolate chips.
5. Line muffin tin with paper or silicone liners, plop mixture in the muffin liners, and bake for 25-30 minutes until cooked through. 
6. Makes 8-9 muffins.

State Of The Gym Address, 5/5/2013

 

 

Competition Reflection by Kalo, Moore, and Ivens

Last weekend, CrossFit 616 hosted a competition called the West Michigan CrossFit and Weightlifting Open. A few of our 810'ers, Jeffrey Kalo, Brendan Moore, and BrenAlex Ivens, made their way out to Grand Rapids and competed! After the competition, the three athletes that took on the challenge at CrossFit 616 were asked to reflect upon their competition experience. They were asked these four questions:

1. How did you prepare yourself for the competition?

2. How did you feel about your overall performance?

3. What do you feel you could improve on for next time?

4. How do you plan to go about achieving your goals of improvement?

 

Being that Kalo, Ivens, and Moore are different CrossFitters, each athlete's reflection on the West Michigan CrossFit and Weightlifting Open had differences, but they were also similar in some ways, as well.

 

Preparation

Preparation for an upcoming competition is important. Preparation does not  always mean boot camp, but it does mean working your body up to higher capacity in order to perform well. If your body is not up to the standards you have set for yourself, competing at the level you would like becomes difficult. For the three 810 CrossFit gentlemen, preparation methodology varied. Since it was Kalo's first competition, he was not sure how to prepare. Along with his weekly workouts, he had to make sure he was at his ideal weight for the weigh-in, so that took some focus. Like Kalo, Moore did not do anything outside of his usual routine to prepare for the competition. Outside of working out at the box during the week, he did a few drills and warm-ups before his first lift. Ivens did not do too much extra to get himself ready for the competition, but he believes the CrossFit Open and the programming at 810 CrossFit did the trick. Based upon the athletes' responses, it sounds like Kalo, Moore, and Ivens were pretty comfortable with their regular training and fitness regime as preparation for the West Michigan CrossFit and Weightlifting Open.

 

Overall Performance

With any competition comes feelings about your overall performance as an athlete. Kalo and Ivens were happy with their performances at CrossFit 616, but Moore felt that he could have done better. He believes there is definitely room for improvement. He expected to do better than he did at the snatch event; however, he was very satisfied with his 235 pound clean and jerk. As for Ivens, he was able to set a 20 pounds PR on his clean and jerk and took first place in one of the WODs. Kalo thinks that even though he did well, he could always do even better and plans to meliorate his performance for next time. If nothing else, the three 810 athletes were able to  walk away with new strengths and new weaknesses to work with, build upon, and use for their future fitness.

 

Improvement

It is good to see that Kalo, Moore, and Ivens all realize there is always growth that can be made when it comes to fitness. No matter how well a CrossFitter feels they performed in a workout, it could be exponentially better in one year if the proper training is put forth behind it. Kalo's main point of improvement is everything. He believes you must be ready for anything when it comes to competitions, so the only way to be ready for anything is to improve at everything. In addition to simply pushing himself harder, Moore wants to work on catching his cleans at the bottom of his front squat and getting stronger in the snatch movement. Ivens wishes to see his overall strength increase for next time, as well as working with his snatch. Now that improvement goals have been established for the 810'ers, they should be able to form a plan to reach them accordingly.

 

Plan 

Some type of plan is essential in improving. Kalo plans on working harder, Ivens plans on increasing his volume with adequate rest days and more sleep built in, and Moore plans on doing more cleans and jerks, front squats, snatches, and sprint-pace wods.

Jeffrey Kalo's, Brendan Moore's, and Alex Ivens' experience at CrossFit 616's West Michigan CrossFit and Weightlifting Open should not impose fear upon anybody thinking about trying out a competition, but it should motivate a beginner to get in the middle of the chaos and use it as a measurement to improve themselves and become a  better athlete. Great things come from competitions.

 

 

Special thanks to Jeff Kalo, Brendan Moore, and Alex Ivens.

Weekly Event Update

Here are all events (fundraisers/competitions/seminars) within a 4 hour radius of us.  If we are missing something please email Joe at joe@810crossfit.com so we can get it up!

• CrossFit Maven is hosting the Pure Michigan Invitational. This competition will be taking place in Rochester Hills, Michigan on June 22nd.This is a Michigan Athlete Only Event.  The goal of this competition is to find the fittest Michigan Man and Woman and to allow the best athletes in our state to compete on the same stage.  The event will test classic Crossfit movements over 4 WODs.  6 athletes will move onto the finals and compete in a knock-out style event.  At the end, only one will be left standing. Click HERE for details and HERE for registration!

These are NOT competitions, these are CrossFit Specialty courses designed to increase knowledge in a certain area. They will focus on a unique skill set and go further in depth with just that particular area.

• Nothing for now!

 

810'ers,

ONLY when you are ready in your CrossFit venture to dip into competition, this is your place to check for local events.  We will diligently work to have all competitions within a 4 hour radius of 810 CrossFit listed in this post.  Competition is fierce, it is aggressive, and it may or may not be for you.  Either way, no matter where you are in your CrossFit venture, 810 CrossFIt is designed for EVERYONE.  810 CrossFIt has a scope and sequence of turning you into another level of athlete.  We try to frustrate you.  We try to make it nerve-racking.  We test your perseverance.  The reaped benefits are extremely gratifying at 810. When or if you decide to enter into the competition domain, it will push you beyond what you thought was possible.  It will turn you into another level of an athlete.  It will frustrate you once again.  It will be nerve-racking, once again.  It will test your perseverance, once again. Lastly, it will be extremely gratifying.