Have you taken a good look around you at North Shore CrossFit lately?  Yes, there are many new faces, but still so many familiar ones, as well.  A huge piece of what makes North Shore CrossFit so special is keeping it all in the family!  After a quick count, we have 32 “families” who train together at NSCF.  We see parents with their kids or married couples who work out alongside each other pushing each other to finish a workout or maybe even a little friendly competition going on.  Not to mention the large number of yet to be married couples that train at NSCF alongside each other and kids of parents who train at NSCF who get in to train during their offseason from youth sports with their parents.

We are extremely impressed by the desire to stay healthy and active as a family!  One of the keys to success in any exercise program is to have the support of your loved ones.  Keeping each other motivated with praise and reassurance that they can do it, even when they think they can’t.  Continuing to push each other to train weaknesses and dislikes because it will only make them better!  Convincing each other to get to the gym, even if they rather chill out in front of the TV with a bowl of ice cream!

That’s why the month of February will be February Family Fun Challenge at NSCF!

What is the February Family Fun Challenge?

During the month of February, we are challenging families* of NSCF to get into the facility and work out together as often as possible.  The family that works out together the most will receive a Superlicious Prize Package!  WHOA THERE…. no worries, we will have 2^nd and 3^rd prizes, as well.

What does a Family Constitute — *Families = Mom and kid(s), Dad and kid(s) Mom & Dad & kid(s), Brothers, Sisters, Brother & Sister, Uncle & Nephew, Uncle & Niece, Aunt & Nephew, Aunt & Niece, Grandpa & grandson, Grandma & grandson, Grandpa & granddaughter, Grandma & granddaughter, Married Couples, Engaged couples, Domestic Partners, Couples in a relationship living together.

What does NOT constitute a Family — BRO-mances, You and a friend you dated in the 4^th grade, Your Baby Momma’s Boyfriend, Your sister’s uncle’s cousin’s best friends father-in-law’s half-brother’s wife.  I think you’ve got the picture.

Okay, so what if you have REAL family that wants to come in and work out with you, but haven’t started yet… no time like the present!  For the month of February we are offering a $50 off coupon on our 5-week boot camp program to family members of existing NSCF Members.  HOLY SAVINGS Batman!  That’s a deal!  5 weeks of unlimited training, weekly check-ins, skill training, nutrition counseling and an awesome community of supportive friends to guarantee their success!

So what are you waiting for?  Grab your “family” and get to North Shore CrossFit TODAY!

Here are some of the families training right now at NSCF:

Dawn, Adam and Brian Brown, Kurt, Diane, Kim, Kate Frampton, Lew, Tracy, Liam and Jenna Conley, Tom, Chris, Kirsten Beard, George and Alex Toomey, Steve and Amanda Chase, Susie, Joe Rapuano, Sarah, Amos, Sam Wong, Kris and Ethan Ahearn, Gregg, Jane, Ian, Collin Spiro, Cheryl and Amanda Dubois, Zachary & Molly Cook, Anthony & Anthony Andriano, Jr., Billy, Christine, Henry, Charlie & Owen Barrett, Nyla Dubois & Isabella McNally, Stephen & Natasha Evitts, Sarah & Jake Duckworth, Kurt & Kelly Fieldhouse, Joe & Dominic Butera, Jennifer & Mia Flynn, Andrew & Liisa Hall, Don & Martha Hodgman, Chip & Diane Holm, Steve & Kristen Leblanc, Doug & Michelle Link, Jay, Melissa & James Peirce, Andy & Bekah Waterson, Gabe & Nancy Petino, Lara, Jack & Connor Wosepka, Adam Drolet & Sarah Zdanowicz, Aaron & Anna Seliger, Jon & Arian Parrelli, Jon & Brooke Park and of course Dave, Tara, Cody, Mackenzie and Cassia Picardy!

Why do the Clean and Press, variations of the Snatch, and the Clean and Jerk provide not only a complete workout but complement any training program?

Here Are Four Reasons:

First, the most surprising aspect of Olympic Lifting is its effect on the cardiovascular system. A few years ago, Doctor Michael Stone studied the cardiovascular benefits of Olympic Lifting. He was shocked to find the improvements made by this form of training. But why? It is a simple matter of the length of the movement of the bar.

In a wrist curl, the bar may move four inches. In a Clean and Jerk, the bar moves from the floor to overhead, upwards of seven and a half feet!  Every muscle in the body is used, including all the support system. A tough set of Snatches leaves the lifter heaving for breath, sweating in streams, and the heart racing. All this without even having to go the track!

Second, the human body is built in one piece. By lifting the bar from the ground to overhead, the entire body is called into act. As one begins the slow process of adding weights to the Olympic Lifts, the entire body compensates by getting bigger and stronger.

One of the first areas most novices to Olympic Lifting discover is the whole chain of muscles from the gluteus and the spinal erectors to the trapezius. Shirts begin to fit funny as the muscles of the upper back grow to accommodate the pulling movements. What muscles do the Olympic Lifts build? All of them.

Third, it is difficult to over train or go too heavy on the Olympic Lifts. Certainly, it is possible, but because of the movement from floor to overhead, there is little room for forced reps, overload techniques, or any form of cheating. There is no bench, no rack, and no supports.  A lifting partner can’t stick his hand on the bar and make you squeeze out an extra rep.

Olympic Lifting demands discipline in choosing weights within your abilities. But, the payoff is worth it. The feeling of hoisting bodyweight from floor to overhead for the first time remains a treasured memory years later.

Fourth, Olympic Lifting workouts don’t take very long. A solid workout of 5-4-3-2-1 or twenty singles can take less than half an hour. Working the entire body, as well as the cardiovascular system, the Olympic Lifts are very taxing.  It would be hard to imagine ten sets of ten with bodyweight in the Olympic Lifts.  It is hard to imagine one set.

If time is pressing, take a warm up weight and Clean and Press it for ten. Add some weight, and do five. Add some more and do three. Then, keep adding smaller plates and knock off as many singles as you can, until you can’t. Workout over.

Dan John

Read all about Rose’s story!

Rose mini member spotlight

 

Most athletes know that getting enough rest after exercise is essential to high-level performance, but many still over train and feel guilty when they take a day off. The body repairs and strengthens itself in the time between workouts, and continuous training can actually weaken the strongest athletes.

Rest days are critical to sports performance for a variety of reasons. Some are physiological and some are psychological. Rest is physically necessary so that the muscles can repair, rebuild and strengthen. For recreational athletes, building in rest days can help maintain a better balance between home, work and fitness goals.

What Happens During Recovery?

Building recovery time into any training program is important because this is the time that the body adapts to the stress of exercise and the real training effect takes place. Recovery also allows the body to replenish energy stores and repair damaged tissues. Exercise or any other physical work causes changes in the body such as muscle tissue breakdown and the depletion of energy stores (muscle glycogen) as well as fluid loss.

Recovery time allows these stores to be replenished and allows tissue repair to occur. Without sufficient time to repair and replenish, the body will continue to breakdown from intensive exercise. Symptoms of overtraining often occur from a lack of recovery time. Signs of overtraining include a feeling of general malaise, staleness, depression, decreased sports performance and increased risk of injury, among others.

Short and Long-Term Recovery

Keep in mind that there are two categories of recovery. There is immediate (short-term) recovery from a particularly intense training session or event, and there is the long-term recovery that needs to be built into a year-round training schedule.  Both are important for optimal sports performance.

Short-term recovery, sometimes called active recovery occurs in the hours immediately after intense exercise. Active recovery refers to engaging in low-intensity exercise after workouts during both the cool-down phase immediately after a hard effort or workout as well as during the days following the workout.  Both types of active recovery are linked to performance benefits.

Another major focus of recovery immediately following exercise has to do with replenishing energy stores and fluids lost during exercise and optimizing protein synthesis (the process of increasing the protein content of muscle cells, preventing muscle breakdown and increasing muscle size) by eating the right foods in the post-exercise meal.

This is also the time for soft tissue (muscles, tendons, ligaments) repair and the removal of chemicals that build up as a result of cell activity during exercise.

Long-term recovery techniques refer to those that are built in to a seasonal training program. Most well-designed training schedules will include recovery days and or weeks that are built into an annual training schedule. This is also the reason athletes and coaches change their training program throughout the year, modify workouts types, make changes in intensity, time, distance and all the other training variables.

Sleep Deprivation Can Hinder Sports Performance

In general, one or two nights of poor or little sleep won’t have much impact on performance, but consistently getting inadequate sleep can result in subtle changes in hormone levels, particularly those related to stress, muscle recovery and mood. While no one completely understands the complexities of sleep, some research indicates that sleep deprivation can lead to increased levels of cortisol (a stress hormone), decreased activity of human growth hormone (which is active during tissue repair), and decreased glycogen synthesis.

Balance Exercise with Rest and Recovery.

It is this alternation of adaptation and recovery that takes the athlete to a higher level of fitness. High-level athletes need to realize that the greater the training intensity and effort, the greater the need for planned recovery. Monitoring your workouts with a training log, and paying attention to how your body feels and how motivated you are is extremely helpful in determining your recovery needs and modifying your training program accordingly.

At North Shore CrossFit we stress the importance of recovery.  Stretching, foam rolling (self-myofascial release), massage and acupuncture.  North Shore CrossFit offers a full time recovery room.  We have our very own Dawn Adam-Brown as our Sports Massage practitioner and Ron Williams as our Acupuncture practitioner.  Be sure to take advantage of these services.

For those who have registered for the ROK-a-5K Road Race tomorrow, Saturday, July 16th at 7am.  Coach Steve would like for everyone to meet at 6:15am at Coach Paulie D’s house.  Address is 151 Willow Street, Hamilton, which is a short walk to Patton Park.  Coach Steve will begin warm ups around 6:30am.  If you asked Tara to pick up your race packet, please email Tara at tara@northshorecrossfit.com to let her know if you plan on picking it up at the gym today or at the race.

See you all bright and early … let’s get some NSCF!