The road to the CrossFit Games begins in two weeks and we want you to participate in the world-wide competition! Just go to games.crossfit.com and create a profile. The cost for participating is $20 (which goes to CrossFit HQ, not to CF 818) and you'll be able to compare your scores to athletes around the world.

CrossFit 818 will be validating scores from each of the five weeks of workouts, and we'll also be arranging 'box hops' to join our friends at CrossFit High Voltage and CrossFit Pasadena for some added atmosphere and camaraderie during this great competition.

It doesn't matter if you're a beginner, everyone can participate! Look out for more information on how to register and join the CrossFit 818 team in your email boxes soon!

Today's Workout
AMRAP 4 minutes of:
10 push press (75/55)
10 box jumps (20")

rest exactly 2 minutes

AMRAP 4 minutes of:
20 double unders
10 lateral burpees

Posted by Zareh.

As most of you have seen, the 2011 CrossFit Games was a weekend long competition that aired on ESPN with the world's best male and female CrossFitters vying for the title of Fittest On Earth. The road to the 2012 Games begins with the CrossFit Games Open on February 22nd and will involve five weeks of workouts. Everyone is able to participate and compare their scores with CrossFitters locally and around the world. 

Look for more information about how CrossFit 818 will participate in the CrossFit Games Open and how you too can be part of the competition! Until then, enjoy a little taste of last year's Open competition. The top legitimate score reported was by Josh Bridges (2nd place finisher at the 2011 CrossFit Games), who scored 600 reps (16 rounds, 9 Deadlifts, 12 Push-ups, and 3 Box Jumps.

Today's Workout
2011 CrossFit Games Open WoD #2
AMRAP 15 minutes of:
9 Deadlifts (155/105)
12 Push-ups
15 Box Jumps (24/20)

Posted by Zareh.

(Courtesy of http://hbmag.com/dangers-of-dehydration/)

The human body can only exist for 5-7 days without water, thus dehydration must be taken seriously. Just exactly what does dehydration mean?  Medically, dehydration is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition in which the body contains an insufficient volume of water for normal functioning. To operate efficiently, most people say the body requires about eight large glasses of water per day, based on an estimate of fluid loss during a normal day. Even more water is needed during hot weather, periods of illness and when exercising. Many people simply do not take in this amount of water, preferring instead to get their intake of liquids through coffee, tea, sodas, beer or wine.

The problem is that most of these drinks have a diuretic effect which forces the body to eliminate more water than it is actually taking in – causing dehydration. In fact, some believe there is an epidemic of chronic dehydration in the US due to our caffeine and alcohol consumption.

Some symptoms of dehydration include:

Feeling dizzy and lightheaded • producing less urine and darker urine • anger, impatience • tiredness • flushed face • irritability • anxiety • depression • snoring • insomnia • short attention spans • cravings for coffee, tea, and alcohol (all diuretics).

The two most common signs of dehydration, a dry/sticky mouth or feeling thirsty – are not actually the first signs. When these 2 symptoms occur you are already dehydrated. In chronic dehydration a person may suffer from problems such as gastritis, heartburn, arthritis, headaches, depression, weight problems and even premature aging.

Dieting can also sap your water reserves. Beware of diets or supplements, including laxatives and diuretics, that emphasize shedding “water weight” as a quick way to lose weight. Losing water weight is not the same thing as losing actual fat. Remember, drinking water does NOT add calories to your diet and is great for your overall wellbeing.

So what can we do to keep healthy and hydrated? Well, the good news is that these conditions may be alleviated or cured simply by drinking more water. People with normal heart and kidney functions should slowly increase their water intake by drinking two glasses of water one-half hour BEFORE each meal. Then two more glasses of water one to two hours AFTER each meal. Drinking water with a meal dilutes your ability to digest your food.

However, don’t overdo your water intake, which can also be dangerous. Rehydration needs to occur over time, not by overloading your system. The essential thing to remember is “little and often.” A small glass every hour throughout the day is far more beneficial enabling you to utilize the fluid appropriately instead of rejecting it through overload.

As an athlete staying hydrated is extremely important and by the time you're at the gym it is already to late! So drink enough water and watch your performance and health improve drastically!

If you missed the 2011 CrossFit Games, they are going to be aired on ESPN2 starting September 14th at 5pm!

The 2011 CrossFit Games are in the books and last year's 2nd place finishers in both the men's and women's divisions are this year's CrossFit Games Champions. Rich Froning, Jr. and Annie Thorisdottir dominated 10 events over the past three days to win $250,000 each and the title of "Fittest on Earth". For those of you who had the opportunity to see these incredible athletes compete, I hope you got an appreciation of the work and dedication it takes to make it to this point. While there were several events that we cannot replicate at the gym, we will certainly be trying out a few of these challenging workouts in the coming weeks in order to offer everyone a chance to compare themselves to the best in the world.

Sound off on your experience this weekend in the comments!

After the rope climb cost him the 2010 CF Games, Rich Froning, Jr. dominated this year's rope climb event on way to winning the title!

The 2011 CrossFit Games begin tomorrow! While many of you are planning on attending, for those of you unable to make the trek for any reason, fear not! The Games will be covered on ESPN3 here all weekend long!

Please remember that the gym schedule has been altered for this weekend's festivities: Friday we will close after the noon class, so there will be no afternoon/evening classes! Saturday morning's 10:30am class has been cancelled (8:30am and 9:30am will be conducted as normal), and Sunday the gym is closed!

Make sure to speak with Coaches Armen or Chris if you're interested in attending one of the three days! Get fired up!

2010 CrossFit Games Women's Champ Kristan Clever doesn't quit!

One of the great aspects of a fitness program that incorporates intensity and timed workouts is how it naturally fosters competition between athletes. That natural competition has evolved over the past four years into an international competition sponsored by Reebok with a $1,000,000 in prizes! The CrossFit Games are taking place from July 29th-July 31st at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. While we will be very likely keeping the gym open for classes during those days, we are certainly open to taking a CrossFit 818 field trip to the Games. Anyone who is interested in attending, please let us know!

My personal favorite to win it all this year: CrossFit Games 2009 Champion, Mikko Salo.

Today's Workout
1 RM Bench Press
then...
Tabata Mash-up
Push-ups
Squats

Posted by Zareh.

....and we're the place to get your workouts and times judged and validated! Give us a call, shoot us an email, or drop-in and do some work! The first workout is posted today on CrossFit's main site. Think you're in great shape? Think your fitness regimen is up to snuff? Come prove it! Put your work capacity to the test against the best in the world!

Also, our first day of classes were awesome and we had a full house for the 5:30pm class. Looking for the best place to achieve all of your fitness goals? Your clear choice is CrossFit 818!

Today's Workout
"Nicole"
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
Run 400 meters
Max rep Pull-ups

Score is total number of pull-ups completed.

Posted by Zareh.

Get excited! The CrossFit Games are the Olympics of CrossFit and the competition is kicking off with a 6-week Open, involving six workouts over six weeks! The workouts can be submitted by online video submission or athletes can participate at registered affiliates at which their workouts will be officially judged and their times/scores will be validated. The first workout will be announced on March 15th, so if you're in the 818 area and you want to get your workout on at a spacious, new CrossFit box, come to CrossFit 818! This year's CrossFit Games has a $1,000,000 prize pool with $250,000 going to each of the men's and women's winners!

We'll have more information and details on what the process will look like in the next few weeks.

Posted by Zareh.