The 100 Push Up Challenge

Thanks to one of our members Lorna and i believe the guys from Thames CrossFit a handful of us have entered into the 100 push up challenge.

This means 100 push ups to be completed every day for the next 100 days! Strating on Monday 24th October and ending on January 31st 2012. A total of, if my maths is correct.....10,000 push ups.

Why, you may ask? Well, why not? Its just that the more you get into CrossFit the more you realise that you keep agreeing to take on silly challenges just because they are presented to you and because you can! Are you going to be better for it? Well im sure you arent going to be any worse!

The push ups can be completed in any number across the day, just as long as you get 100 done at some point in the 24hrs. WODs count too.

We have a nice number of us starting off now:

Lorna, Dave, Holly, Nero, Steve, Matt, Oli, Jan, Rick , Purv, George and Adam so far. Any more takers????

If you start now you only have 500 to catch up on. Haha! It can be done.

Cant wait for the xmas day, boxing day and new years day ones!

Bring it on!

September Paleo Challenge Results!

So our second 30-day paleo challenge in association with Plan P has come to an end and everybody has been weighed in and measured up!

And just like in June the results have been fantastic! A big well done to everyone that completed the 30-days. I think there may have been a few wobbles this time round if the talk in the box is to be listened too but the results are still plain to see!

A paleo diet and CrossFit training is a potent combination to melt away fat, increase muscle and leave you feeling faster, fitter, stronger and leaner.

Its been fantastic to watch our guys and girls improving so much with their lifts, their skills and their fitness over the last few months and to see the newcomers to the paleo diet taking to it and learning its principles is great. Myself and Holly are in this business to change peoples lives and i think the feeling you get when you complete the 30-day challenge is enough to convince you that what we keep blabbering on about is the truth! :)

Eating paleo is not an easy concept to get your head around initially as it cuts out a lot of things that most people have considered a staple part of their diet for all of their lives; potatoes, rice, pasta and bread. Just what are you meant to have with your meat and vegetables at dinner time? Or lunch without sandwiches? Are you crazy?!

However, it takes perhaps a week to 10 days for you to realise that you can live without those items and not long after that to fully feel the benefits of not having them in your diet. You have more energy and your energy levels are more balanced across the whole day without having the highs and lows associated with big sugar spikes. This is not to mention the longer term health benefits that a wheat and sugar free diet brings.


Okay so lets get down to it!

This time around we had 10 people complete the new Plan P guide. And here are the results:

Total weight lost:                   22.4kg
Total body fat % lost:            12% (on 6 participants)
Total waist inches reduced:    15.25
Total hip inches reduced:       10.75

(I dont want to give out individual results and names on the blog but if you would like more exact details then they will be available down at the box.)

Another amazing result and a new batch of members feeling all the better because of it!

Averaging that out comes to 2.2kg and 2% body fat lost per person in 30 days which, if continued like that until Christmas, would mean a drop of 9kg and 8% body fat! Imagine how good you would be feeling about yourselves then! Of course, not everyone wants to lose that much weight. The remarkable thing about paleo is that you only lose the excess fat that you are carrying. The stuff you don't want. If you are eating adequate amounts of protein and calories you wont start losing precious muscle. That's not how it works. And I'm sure the vast majority of people could do with a 5-8% drop in body fat!


This was achieved at the same time of course that everyone saw good increases in their strength and fitness levels, a fact that is recorded in a personal diary of achievement that every member keeps and fills in after every session. We can see the exact progress you are making and importantly for you it acts as a great motivational tool. 

If you would like to know more about the next Plan P challenge, CrossFit or simply want to see the place where our members are seeing so much success then give us a call, drop us a line or come down to the box and say 'hi'. We are a friendly, community driven gym where top quality coaching and nutrition advice are combined to really make a difference to your life.


http://www.crossfitconnect.co.uk
http://www.planp.co.uk
http://www.cavemansnacks.co.uk

Olympic Lifting Series - Part 1 - The Snatch

The Snatch is probably the hardest lift to learn in all of CrossFit and indeed weight lifting. Its fast, explosive and needs a hell of a lot of cordination, balance and midline stability in order to keep that bar in the correct position overhead.

Sometimes when people come to the box they have no experience of the Olympic lifts and perhaps dont even know what they are. This video is intended for our members to recap what they have learnt in class and to watch in their own time to see just exactly what it is they are aiming for.

It is by no means a full instructional video of every teaching point but should be used as a reference guide after we have taught you at the box.

Always seek professional guidance when learning complicated movements such as the Olympic lifts. It will save you time in the long run and keep you from developing bad habits!


Part 1 - The Snatch