We frequently get visitors or new members who tell us they don't want to get "big". For some reason, weightlifting = this or this in their minds. First off, those are bodybuilders, who primarily focus on exercises that target individual muscles and do them in rep schemes that promote hypertrophy. They eat tremendous amounts of protein and regularly spike their insulin levels to promote even more muscle growth. They supplement with steroids, testosterone, and human growth hormone. CrossFitters, on the other hand, focus primarily on exercises that target large groups of muscle, and perform them in rep schemes that promote increased work capacity. We generally eat a paleolithic diet consisting of meats, vegetables, some fruit, and good fats. We supplement with fish oil and grass-fed whey protein. You won't get "big" unless you train to get big, but that doesn't mean you can't be strong... Just ask Mike! (And check out Geoff's 200lb. power snatch on our Facebook page while you're at it!)

Mike power cleans 185lbs. and makes it look easy!

Today's Workout
AMRAP 12 Minutes of:
1 - KB Swing, 1 - Pull-up
2 - KB Swing, 2 - Pull-up
3 - KB Swing, 3 - Pull-up
continue to add 1 to each movement each round
*at minutes 3, 6, and 9 stop and run 200m, then
pick up where you left off.

Posted by Zareh.

The Six Weeks to Summer Challenge is nearly over.  Summer is basically here, your after pictures must be taken between this Saturday (5/26) and next Wednesday (5/30), the Helen final is taking place in 9 days, and official winners will be crowned then.

So what are you gonna do with yourself when the challenge is over and suddenly there isn't some external competition to keep your engine burning and your motivation high?  Here are my suggestions:

Pick a project

Want to have a better overhead squat?  Maybe you want to squat deeper in general?  Or get better at push ups?  The beauty of CrossFit is that there are so many different things to work on at any point, but that can get a little overwhelming if you look only at the big picture.  One way to keep yourself motivated and still mentally in the game with your workouts is to give yourself short term goals.

Pick a project to work on, whether it's to improve your front rack position on the clean, or get better at double unders, or finally get those pull ups, and put aside an extra 20-30 minutes every day where you work on it.  

If it's something skill related (double unders, muscle up, kipping pull ups, Olympic lifts, rowing, etc) your best bet would be to practice it every day until you get comfortable or develop the skill necessary.  Some of these skills are harder to develop than others and may require to to reach out to one of the coaches for some guidance...good!  That's what we're here for.

If you wanna open up those terribly immobile shoulders some of you carry around or work on getting more comfortable in the bottom of your squat or maybe get rid of that nagging pain in your wrists when you work out, that's simple too: work on it every day.  How?  Check out one of my favorite sites: www.mobilitywod.com.  It's run by CrossFit genius/hilarious human being/mobility genius Kelly Starrett and it has resources to help you with basically anything mobility related.  Just hit up the search function and type in what you're looking for: shoulders, hips, glutes, and even movements you want to be better at.  Want some guidance on what exactly to look for?  Ask one of the coaches...that's what we're here for!

Enlist your friends form CF818

You get to workout with some of the coolest CrossFitters around, people who are just as dedicated as you are, and people who can help you with living a fit lifestyle.  The best part about this is it won't really require any work as you already chat with your peers about your dinner last night, how you felt during the last workout, and the things you're working on.  All you have to do is engage the people around you and they will get invested in your success.  Even better, you can help them out with your own success and knowledge.  Turn them onto some cool fitness blogs, or new Paleo recipes, or training methodologies...wait, you don't know where to look?  Well, here are a few of my favorites:

CrossFit Los Angeles (one of the first CrossFit boxes in the world, where I used to train, great blog posts)

70s Big (the science, art, and culture of weightlifting, and how to get bigger, stronger, and better)

Sweet Cheeks (the Paleo recipes of two fun loving friends in Santa Monica)

Fit Chic LA (the personal blog of your very own Annie Mello)

CPM Fitness (the personal blog of your very own Chris Mello)

There are others out there, but that's a great place to start.  Read some of the posts, discuss them with your fellow students or with the coaches...once you get other enrolled in your journey, you start building momentum that's really difficult to stop.

Today's Workout

15 min Amrap
250m Row/200m Run
15 Ring Push-Ups
20 Goblet Squats 24/16

Posted by Armen.

Monday night was the last meeting for our Paleo Posse Challenge. The topic was one of my favorites, "Life After the Challenge". Those that complete these types of Paleo challenges see some incredible results, not only
physically but mentally and emotionally. The common fear is that we will fall back into our old ways now! The structure, accountability, and the group will not be there when the challenge ends.....Or will it???

The BIG concerns are, "How do I stay on a roll?" or "I'm afraid I will fall back into my old ways." What can I do?!?! Here are 5 steps, when followed, will help you not only survive and stay on track, but THRIVE!

Role model: Being a role model is one of the most fulfilling things you can do in your life. When it stops becoming about you and your pursuit of the perfect body, and starts becoming about others you begin to act with purpose. And if your purpose is to help others, you find you end up helping yourself more than you thought was possible.

Education: Education feeds motivation. Knowledge is power! And when you continue to increase your knowledge you will began to empower yourself and begin to become unstoppable. Armen, Annie, Z and I were all CrossFit students and in your shoes at one point in our lives. We became so motivated and so inspired that we continued to do something about it and that has lead us to the position that we are in today. When you can plan you day, week and year with informative blogs (like this one:-), pod casts, books, audio programs, seminars and
certifications you can become wise beyond what you thought you had in you. 
 
Associations: "The books you read and the people you meet will determine where you are in five years."  -- Charlie 'Tremendous' Jones.

Do you ever notice how easy it is to eat healthy when the people around you are health conscious? How about the opposite? 

If you want to be a millionaire? Hang around rich people.

If you want to be ripped? Hang around other FIT people.

CrossFit is so successful  for a lot of us because it surrounds us with others that are just as motivated (or more), have similar goals and want the best for themselves. It is waay too easy to adapt to what the people around
you are doing. So be careful who you associate with, it makes a BIG difference.

Bring it back to what you know: We all have areas in our lives where we are experts and successful. The hard part about staying motivated is... staying motivated! Especially when it is something new and out of your comfort zone. When we get stagnate, drained, fatigued and we feel like stopping or giving in to our old self...STOP, DROP and revert to what you know. For example, I received an email from one of our athletes last week:

Need some secret sauce. What can I do better? more off? eat better? workout less? more? differently? Feel stagnant. Don't like this mortality stuff. 

He was at a point where he was frustrated with everything. It was more about having a tough week with everything vs. what his actual question/frustration was. My response was to take it back to what you know. Being successful in FITness is using the same success principles as in finances, relationships, career, etc... His career is as a financial professional. So I asked him...

How would you treat your business growth? You are not going to make a million dollars over night, especially in the beginning! How would you tell someone to grow their portfolio? Treat your goals in CrossFit with other things in your life that you know (financial) and then translate it. That is your answer.

Success principles: This one springs off the last one. Whatever makes you successful in one area of your life, can make you successful in all other areas of your life. If you are dedicated to your work/career, then you can be
dedicated to your health and FITness. If you are consistent with certain habits in some area's in your life than you can be in other areas of your life. It just takes you making it a priority, focusing on it daily, and with time it will
transfer over to your goals.

What I recommend is coming back to this list every quarter and grading yourself on the development of each point. 
 
Keep up the awesome work posse!

Today's Workout:

“Over & under”
Complete five rounds for time of:
• 5 overhead squats (135/95)
• 5 handstand push-ups
• 50 double unders

Post by Chris.

The most common misconception in regards to eating healthy that I hear in my line of work is " I can't afford it" or "It's too expensive for me to eat that way". So what if I could create guidelines for you to not only make it inexpensive, but help you actually save money by eating healthy.

Here are some great tips that I have learned along way, that really make the wallet happier:

First, look for coupons, if you are not a coupon cutter no worries. Grab a coupon flyer when you walk into the store, look through it quickly and see what you need that is on special.

Second: Get the store brand i.e. whole foods brand, Hyvee brand, Ralphs, Trader Joes, Target, etc... They are usually much cheaper and taste just as good if not better, but you are just not paying for the Logo!

Third: Always, always, did I say Always, get the in store specials. Like Protein bars that are ten for ten, or waters 5 for 5. Buy one get one free. 9 out of 1o times when I go through the meat section there is discounted meat that has an expiration date of two days from now or the next day, and if I am not planning on using it I will just put it in the freezer.

Fourth: Buy in Bulk (sometimes)....Bigger is not always better! But, I have come to find out what items are cheaper when you buy them at your local Sams or Costco. Peanut butter, salsa, eggs, almond milk, nuts, jerky, larabars. You have to watch for fruit, veggies, and meats (sometimes they are a lot cheaper other times not at all). The only problem sometimes is storage, but if storage is not an issue this is the way to go!

Fifth: Don't buy things already done for you, like pre cut veggies, pre cut fruit, kabobs, etc... buy them separately and take the extra time to cut them and your bank account will thank you!

Chris is always amazed when I come home now, and tell him how much I spent, and what we saved. He is a HUGE eater (in fact I have never seen someone consume so much), and our grocery bill used to be astronomical; but not anymore. It has now become a fun game for me entitled "how much can I save"..... Chris would laugh at me when I would go to certain stores and hold off on certain items because I knew I could get them cheaper at a different location. Last night at the check out I had my him guess how much we had saved.... our bill was $43.23 and our savings was $36.65. We almost saved as much as we spent. The proof is in the pudding ladies and gentlemen. Try these tips for yourself and see how much you can really save!!!Six and Last: Shop on the outside of the store and do not go down the aisles. What we as Americans spend the most money on is PROCESSED FOOD. This food does absolutely nothing for us, and is putting a huge hole in the wallet. The outside of the store is where all the nutritional goodness is placed, so don't stray and your wallet will thank you!

3...2....1.... Shop!!!!

Today's Workout
1RM Clean
then...
In 12 minutes:
30 Box Jumps (20")
10 Push Press (85/53)
20 Box Jumps
20 Push Press
10 Box Jumps
30 Push Press
With remainder of time complete-
AMRAP Burpees
Score is total number of Burpees

Posted by Annie.

Most of you know by now the visceral negative reaction I have to athletes using the word "can't" in my gym. As a coach, I can correct inefficiencies in movement to help you move more weight better and faster than you could before. I can program a series of workouts that can help address your weaknesses and turn them into strengths. I can help evaluate the current state of your nutritional intake and help you optimize it so you can achieve all of your goals. What I am powerless against is your most powerful weapon: your own mind. I cannot coach "can't".  

Your mental state and preparedness before a workout or even a single complex movement can mean the difference between success and failure. Visualize yourself succeeding. Picture yourself going through the movement. Above all else, train yourself to utterly believe that what you are about to do is not only possible, but inevitable to occur. Your mind is your most powerful weapon when it comes to your fitness... use it!

Today's Workout
For time:
800m run
30 Snatches (115/75)
800m run

Posted by Zareh.

As all of you probably know, I suffered a serious leg injury in January (tears to multiple muscles in my calf). Coming back from that injury has been a difficult (and ongoing) process, but I've had the support of my family and friends both in and out of the gym. Sometimes it's hard to put recovery into perspective, so I found an older post about it and the concept bears repeating:
Injuries are an intrinsic part of sport. Whether through a poor decision of the athlete or a freak, unpreventable occurrence, most athletes will have some sort of injury at some point in their athletic careers. While we hope that these injuries are relatively minor in scale and scope, there will be times that an athlete has to work through a "devastating" injury. The hardest part of these injuries are all the people telling you that you'll never be the same or you'll never be able to do this or that ever again. The voice of doubt begins to worm its way into your skull, and all of a sudden, you're not sure if you want to put in the hundreds or even thousands of hours of work to try to get back to where you were, only to fail. Crush that voice early and often! Tell naysayers that if they are going to say "nay!" rather than focusing on the positive, you'd rather not talk to them at all. Realize that being dealt a specialist's hand is an opportunity to work on some things you may not have worked on as diligently before your injury. Most of all never ever ever give up.

What were some of the challenges you've overcome during a recent injury?

Today's Workout
"Helga"
4 rounds of:
AMRAP 4 minutes-
Run 300m
[Rnds 1 & 3] Max Kettlebell Swings (53/35)
[Rnds 2 & 4] Max Pull-ups
*rest 1 minute between rounds

Posted by Zareh.

June 2nd is the final of the Six Weeks to Summer Challenge and there are a few very important details you're all going to need in order to succeed here.  So let's begin:

Saturday June 2nd, regular classes will be cancelled.  In the morning (specific time to be announced later), we'll begin running the finals heats for Helen.  All the scores will be updated into my super awesome spreadsheet of wonder and the most improved will be revealed.  Now how do you go about winning and where do the before/after pictures fit in?  As mentioned earlier, the before/after pictures play a large part of determining the winner, but in a different way from the last Paleo challenge we did.  Last year, the coaches picked the top 3 and had the gym collectively vote on them.  This year, the coaches are going to pick the best before and after pictures and the most improved from that group will be the winners.

Here's how it works: the pictures/logs/etc are the buy-in to being considered one of the most improved winners.  We, the coaches, will pick the pictures we find to be the most compelling transformations and those people will be the finalists.  From those finalists, the 4 winners of the Challenge will be the ones with top most improved Helen times.  You will not know if you are one of the finalists or not.  Only when we reveal who the 4 winners of the Challenge are will anyone know that those 4 people were finalists.

Don't forget that there are also prizes for the fastest male Helen time as prescribed and fastest female Helen time as prescribed as well as a Spirit of the Challenge award.  Winners can win more than one prize.  

You must take your after pictures between Saturday May 26th and Wednesday May 30th.  After Wednesday May 30th, the Challenge is closed.

After all the Helen heats are finished, the winners revealed, and prizes given out, it's time to celebrate!  Our very own Bryce Rademan owns the very delicious Spitz Grill (Home of the Doner Kebab!) and has kindly offered up their Little Tokyo location from 3PM to 7PM on June 2nd for a little afternoon party for all the 818ers and their friends.  There will be a Facebook event where you can RSVP and if you don't have Facebook you can RSVP to one of the coaches.

There will be food (paleo and non-paleo) as well as libations for your enjoyment.  Let's get together and celebrate both the winners of the Challenge, all the participants, and every other fabulous member of the CrossFit 818 family.  The party is open to every single one of you, whether you participated in the Challenge or not and I highly highly highly highly recommend attending.  As far as you night owls go, the party at Spitz may officially be over at 7, but I'd be shocked if it didn't continue late into the night either at Spitz or one of a dozen bars in the area.  

Ask one of the coaches or email me at armen@crossfit818.com if you're confused!

Today's workout

5 rounds for time of
10 Squat Cleans (115/75)
400m run

Posted by Armen.

As summer is fast approaching a lot of us are working very hard to achieve our goals (beach body perhaps:-) . Its time we discuss something very simple, sometimes overlooked, but MANDATORY to get you to your goals and beyond…JOURNAL every WOD every time!

I have to admit I have been guilty of not journaling every WOD I do at certain points in my CrossFit career, but over the last few months I have been back on my journaling and the results have come climbing back. And I can tell you from experience I am kicking myself for the times I slacked off, because I have lost some very valuable info.

We all do CrossFit because we desire to take our fitness to the next level and in order to “Take it to the Next Level” you must have YOUR journaling habits in place. The great thing about CrossFit is that it is 100% measurable. No guess work, no 'not feeling stronger' or 'I'm having a FAT day', it's all about the numbers!

A lot you are guilty of “NOT JOURNALING”. When you forget, get lazy, not “FEEL” like it, or don’t want too; then you are GUILTY as charged.

If and when you feel like you any of those characteristics next time look at the people who are journaling, most every single person that is, is probably BETTER than you at CrossFit currently. So if you copy the habits they do, then you will get their type of results.

Why do this? There are a ton of reasons. The main benefits include:

- Accurate tracking of progress through logging work out variables. I don't think you want to waste your time with your results. Sometimes you may find a time or weight that you thought was your current personal record (PR), but it turns out that you could’ve done much better. Without consistently adding weight each time you perform a lift or finishing faster each time you do a certain WOD, you really won’t get any better. 

- Effective and precise planning of future work outs (knowing how you performed previously will eliminate guesswork). This one springs off the last one. It is 100% objective, no excuses, nothing wishy washy, just accurate data you can’t argue. We want results and we want results NOW! When you are NOT tracking your numbers you are in danger of delaying the actual thing you are coming here for in the first place. 

- Heightened motivation and intensity through striving to beat previous bests. (boy do we know about that…) It is easy to get in our heads and downgrade our results or the work we have put in. It is also just as easy to be focused, committed and motivated to hit our numbers. When we set out to beat our old best and have clear measurable numbers to go after than you will give yourself the internal drive to be stronger, faster and better. On the flip side, nothing is more motivating then seeing how far you have come mentally and physically. Don't miss out on the some of the best accomplishments you can and will have by neglecting to write it down!

- Increased focus and efficiency through having a clear, written plan. When we know what we are expected to do in advance it will help us remove the distractions and allow us to focus on the task at hand. It will allow us to not give ourselves a chance to talk our way out of doing what is expected of us.

-Pay it Forward and Get it Back. With more and more athletes starting at our box. You can be the model of excellence by your journaling example. The more you raise the bar on your FITness, the more everyone else will follow your lead and in return will present to you a more intense, motivated, positive group of athletes to help you improve your results. 

Check out what a good journal looks like...

Your goals and improved results are at your fingertips…LITERALLY!

Keep working hard!


Today's Workout:

For Time:
150 Double Unders
*400 M Farmer Carry (AHAP)*
150 Double Unders
*3 Burpees for every drop*

Post by Chris. 

Sometimes I have a tendency to get stuck in a rut. I go off the path that I know I should be on and start heading down a path I need to get off of. 

Why is this??? 

Do I not have faith enough in myself, am I scared, lazy etc??? Or have I just not set the bar high enough for my life? At the box we have been talking about raising the bar and setting a standard of excellence not only for yourselves, but your clients as well.

When I have a client walk into the gym I set the bar high from the start. This way the expectation is know right from the get-go. 

This can really carry over in many if not all aspects of your life. Keeping things tidy and organized, not settling, getting more educated in the field that you are in, being diligent with your sleep, eating, and working out. I know this may sound like a lot but if we plan out our day and set the expectation than there is no room for failure.

I have began to really set expectations for my life and it has really made a difference thus far. I no longer watch tv, I read. I have been keeping a tidy space, and now I am working more diligently. I am preparing my meals, my sleep, my workouts, and my life and in just two weeks my attitude towards life and my wellness in general has been fantastic.

So I challenge you Crossfit 818'ers... start raising the bar and it will lead you towards great things!

How are you going to raise "your" bar?

Today's Workout:

A. Find 1RM Deadlift

B. 3 rounds for time:
21- KB Swing (70/53)
21- Box Jumps (20/14)

Post by Annie. 

It's sometimes very easy to forget to take things one at a time: one day at a time, one workout at a time, one round at a time, one rep at a time, one breath at a time.  Next time you find yourself in the middle of a vicious workout (today's workout certainly qualifies), come back to your breathing, then focus on your movement.

Make your movement as perfect as possible; don't cut your range of motion short just because you want to do faster, don't "miscount" your reps just because you want to finish faster.  Instead commit to making the next breath count and the next rep perfect...especially if it's something you've done a million times (if you've done it a million times, why would that suddenly give you permission to start messing it up?), especially if it's something  simple.  Take it one breath and one rep at a time.

Today's workout

"Tabata Angie"

Using 20 sec work intervals w/ 10 sec rest breaks, complete:

100 pull-ups
100 push-ups
100 sit-ups
100 squats

Posted by Armen.