OFFICIAL Eat Right & Get Fit Challenge

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Tue Jul 16, 2013 1:10 pm

Shirley wrote:The gym I go to at lunch is a hole-in-the-wall, cheap place with lots of old free weights and it's full of competitive power lifters. I've heard them several times talking with each other about lifting from the heels instead of toes. Most of them even have special weight-lifting shoes (with flat soles). Hearing them, I have tried to use my heels instead of toes, but it's tough. Apparently, you actually get more power when you do it correctly from your heels (although that's not really a concern for me with the weight I'm lifting).

Oh ever since I've started lifting it has been with my heels. The thing is, however, I feel like I'm going to fall backwards on my ass with every rep. I even try to actively lift my toes off of the ground (through my shoes, mind you) so that I attempt to stay on my heels as much as possible. But the odd thing is, I fell into the habit of using more of the forward portion of my foot, just before the toes, instead of the rear.

So within 2 seconds the dudes at this new Crossfit gym noticed immediately. And they noticed because the bar traveled out too much and I have to lean forward in order to catch it. Even after doing this a year, I'm still amazed that I'm learning things I didn't really notice before.

And I have a pair of Oly lifters too. They help me get lower in my squats and stabilize my ankles, but with a raised heel it feels like I'm even more on toes than with a flat shoe. I wear them, but I don't notice too much of a difference in power or technique. Maybe I'm just doing it wrong.

Denis · Post by **Denis** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 11:44 am

Last October I waddled into my doctors at 273 pounds. Finally under 200 yesterday

Just walk, man.

Post by **Sabo** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 12:15 pm

Awesome, Denis. Well done!

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 12:27 pm

Awesome, Denis. Congrats.

I got my bloodwork results back, and my cholesterol and triglycerides are in markedly better shape than I've seen in decades. Physical exam is on Friday. Wonder if my attractive, young, female GP will remember to do the prostate check?

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 1:49 pm

That's fantastic, Denis.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 2:19 pm

Holy shit, that's awesome. Good job, man.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 2:21 pm

Bravo!

testy boxcar · Post by **testy boxcar** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 2:29 pm

Awesome work!

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 7:05 pm

Johnnie wrote:Not really hip extension. It deals more with driving from the heels. I always have a tendency to go up on my toes which forces the bar forward and, by extension, me to go forward to catch the bar.

Now the bar travels much for vertically, but I worry I won't have the ability to get power behind it. Doing cleans with a bar without weight is simple and helps the mechanics, but we'll see how it goes when I do 135 or something.

You're not driving from your heels at the start? Your heels are going to come off the ground if you're doing a power clean correctly -- the concept of triple extension.

Also, you're not going to want to go from a bar to 135. Hell, I think I was doing singles at 135 when I was doing them. They're so fucking technical that a 3x jump in weight is going to mess you up.

If you have some more detail, I'd love to hear it. Because I'm a little perplexed about what you said they told you.

Shirley wrote:
The gym I go to at lunch is a hole-in-the-wall, cheap place with lots of old free weights and it's full of competitive power lifters. I've heard them several times talking with each other about lifting from the heels instead of toes. Most of them even have special weight-lifting shoes (with flat soles). Hearing them, I have tried to use my heels instead of toes, but it's tough. Apparently, you actually get more power when you do it correctly from your heels (although that's not really a concern for me with the weight I'm lifting).

No matter who you are, what weight you're lifting and what you're doing, you should always want to keep your heels on the ground and drive through them if you're doing an exercise where your feet are planted on the ground. (So, olympic lifts excluded, basically)

Not only are they the source of your power, you're also going to put your knees in a compromised position when squatting from your toes. I'm guessing you're referencing back squatting?

That's also why if you're serious about lifting, you shouldn't be doing so in running shoes -- you want trainers at the very least and something with a stable and relatively flat surface, unless you're buying Olympic lifting shoes. A lot of deadlifters simply wear Chucks. I just don't wear shoes.

Denis · Post by **Denis** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 10:13 pm

Regarding the heels thing, you can accomplish a lot by changing your approach to stairs too. Try taking stairs using your heels only. Sorta levitate your toes barely off of the stair as you step up, don't hyperextend your foot/ankle. After a flight of stairs or two, you will feel some sh*t burning in your leg that you've never used before in the area around your knee.

I'm lucky to work in a pretty big hospital where the nursing floors are up on the 5th and 6th floors and my office is in the basement. Helped immensely on my damaged, unrepaired mcl region. Try it.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Thu Jul 18, 2013 4:13 am

Brontoburglar wrote:You're not driving from your heels at the start? Your heels are going to come off the ground if you're doing a power clean correctly -- the concept of triple extension.

Also, you're not going to want to go from a bar to 135. Hell, I think I was doing singles at 135 when I was doing them. They're so fucking technical that a 3x jump in weight is going to mess you up.

If you have some more detail, I'd love to hear it. Because I'm a little perplexed about what you said they told you.

I paid some serious, serious attention to my form yesterday doing snatches. I realized that I've been all mid foot this entire time. I think I'd do that to compensate for my historically horrible grip strength. Despite doing hard labor on planes all those years, my hands are really, really weak. When I set up and actually "planted" my heels, I felt as if I was leaning back and I'd ever-so-slightly lurch forward and then I'd realize what I've been doing wrong.

Also, I've noticed that driving through my heels, getting off the ground, and landing rattles my teeth and messes with my head. I'm going to be buying a mouth guard for this.

As for how I've been trained and what I've been told...when I started it was "heels, heels, heels," but I just never realized I've been mid foot until a completely different coach (One here in Germany, not Korea) saw me catch the bar a little too forward. The way it would land in the rack position along with the way he could see the front of my foot push off was all that he needed to determine I've been doing it wrong. Once he said to concentrate on the heel drive using just the bar and the bar stayed much, much closer to my body, it was relevatory. It made me realize this entire time that I could never clean 200 lbs because I couldn't get that far forward to catch the bar. I have the mass and strength (I get mixed up as a trainer sometimes because I look the part), but never the correct and proper technique.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Sat Jul 27, 2013 2:20 am

This cracks me up:

howard · Post by **howard** » Sat Jul 27, 2013 10:30 am

Hey, I get out of bed. At least most days.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Mon Jul 29, 2013 1:55 am

The CrossFit Games completed this weekend.

You can watch all the events here: http://games.crossfit.com/series/2013-c ... on-us-only" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Don't want to spoil the winners, so watch if you want. Or don't. Your choice.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Mon Jul 29, 2013 9:03 am

Ran on Saturday. God my legs/knees hurt today.

rass · Post by **rass** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 10:18 am

I signed up for a beach run that could end up being as long as 5 miles (they will adjust the course if conditions, presumably tides?, require it, ). I'm not sure if I should run it barefoot or in shoes. Anyone have advice/experience. Not that it's my primary concern, but the race star starts at 9AM so hot sand shouldn't be an issue.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 11:53 am

rass wrote:I signed up for a beach run that could end up being as long as 5 miles (they will adjust the course if conditions, presumably tides?, require it, ). I'm not sure if I should run it barefoot or in shoes. Anyone have advice/experience. Not that it's my primary concern, but the race star starts at 9AM so hot sand shouldn't be an issue.

What type of sand is NJ beach sand? I would say shoes, just because of rocks and who knows what else.

rass · Post by **rass** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 12:33 pm

Brontoburglar wrote:
rass wrote:I signed up for a beach run that could end up being as long as 5 miles (they will adjust the course if conditions, presumably tides?, require it, ). I'm not sure if I should run it barefoot or in shoes. Anyone have advice/experience. Not that it's my primary concern, but the race star starts at 9AM so hot sand shouldn't be an issue.
What type of sand is NJ beach sand? I would say shoes, just because of rocks and who knows what else.

This beach (unless they imported/dredged up some pebbly shit when they replenished after Sandy) should be a nice, fine sand. I'm in the middle of breaking in a new pair of running shoes, so I guess I could just wear the ones I'm phasing out to keep the new ones from being permanently be-sanded. That was a concern on the shoe side, along with the shoes becoming uncomfortably filled with sand during the race.

testy boxcar · Post by **testy boxcar** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 1:23 pm

i wouldn't wear shoes unless you're running on packed sand near the water.

howard · Post by **howard** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 2:32 pm

I would wear shoes. And I would run on the packed sand near the water.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Fri Aug 16, 2013 1:19 am

I'm guessing the sand is going to be hot? You gotta wear something. The most broken in pair of running shoes you can find is my preference.

The peroneal tendon in my left ankle is permanently shot and 'pops' at random, various times. Running in sand barefoot is a non-stop popping fest for me, so I avoid it completely. And despite my leanings towards being more minimal these days, shoes that give a 'barefoot' feel would screw with me. So I'd go with the running shoes.

But your feet, so YMMV.

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Aug 16, 2013 5:55 am

Thanks for the words guys. I think I'm leaning towards shoes. I can always take them off if for some reason things get uncomfortable.

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Sun Aug 18, 2013 12:07 pm

howard wrote:I would wear shoes. And I would run on the packed sand near the water.

Exactly. And what do you call those bicyclist type shoes that are all synthetic mesh and whatnot? Super lightweight. And you won't have a cracked mussel shell driven into your flexor hallucis longus.

This guy recommends any ol' shoe: http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-ge ... sand-.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

DaveInSeattle · Post by **DaveInSeattle** » Tue Aug 20, 2013 4:17 pm

I was able to join a pretty high-end gym here on their "summer special" deal. $140 for 3 months.

Since they have free child care on site, there are tons and tons of hot moms there. The advantages of not working and being able to go to the gym at 930am.

Post by **Shirley** » Tue Aug 20, 2013 4:41 pm

AussieDave wrote:I was able to join a pretty high-end gym here on their "summer special" deal. $140 for 3 months.

Since they have free child care on site, there are tons and tons of hot moms there. The advantages of not working and being able to go to the gym at 930am.

Yeah, we belong to a fancy gym since it's close to home, but I usually only go at night. Mostly dudes. One time, however, I had the day off from work and went in the morning - holy cougar! What a difference. The gym was filled to the brim with milfs in yoga pants.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Tue Aug 20, 2013 6:16 pm

Shirley wrote:
AussieDave wrote:I was able to join a pretty high-end gym here on their "summer special" deal. $140 for 3 months.

Since they have free child care on site, there are tons and tons of hot moms there. The advantages of not working and being able to go to the gym at 930am.
Yeah, we belong to a fancy gym since it's close to home, but I usually only go at night. Mostly dudes. One time, however, I had the day off from work and went in the morning - holy cougar! What a difference. The gym was filled to the brim with milfs in yoga pants.

We belong to a fancy gym, and there is little to no eye candy. I miss the old NYSC in Hoboken. Everyone between the ages of 21-35 or so, mostly skewing to the mid-20s. Abnormally high levels of hotness.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Fri Aug 23, 2013 7:18 am

The fit hotties at a CrossFit gym are a big reason to go. And all military affiliated gyms are free to those with access to base. So win/win.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Thu Aug 29, 2013 9:29 am

Dan Bailey is a fucking machine. (Bronto, you're gunna hate this video because I'm sure you're a stickler for form/technique when fatigued.)

rass · Post by **rass** » Sat Sep 07, 2013 10:41 pm

howard wrote:I would wear shoes. And I would run on the packed sand near the water.

That is exactly how I and the majority of the runners ended up handling things. I did my best to pass anyone near me going barefoot. I finished up just over 43 minutes (it was a full 5 miles).

My seven year old daughter was the third girl to finish in the 14 and under 1 mile run, so at least we had that going for us.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Fri Sep 20, 2013 1:43 pm

Fairly certain this is Jennifer Selter. She's teaching you what an ass to grass squat looks like.

Or she's just showing off because she's quite the narcissist.

Edit...on second thought, she's "butt winking." Still ass to gress, however. Regardless, here's a photo of Miranda Oldroyd squatting more than me.:

Post by **Shirley** » Fri Sep 20, 2013 1:55 pm

I'm not familiar with those fat plates. How much is that?

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Fri Sep 20, 2013 2:06 pm

They look like Rogue plates. A set of, I believe, 45s, 35s, and 2 sets of 10s on a, presumably, 45 lb bar. So 245 total.

But I can actually back squat 275, so not more than me, but she weighs like 135-140 and I weigh 190. So yea.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Fri Sep 20, 2013 5:48 pm

she and I have the same shoes. that's nice

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Mon Sep 23, 2013 9:13 am

Brontoburglar wrote:she and I have the same shoes. that's nice

But does she have a matching hat?

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Mon Sep 23, 2013 9:22 am

The Sybian wrote:
Brontoburglar wrote:she and I have the same shoes. that's nice

But does she have a matching hat?

it's black, it goes with everything

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 12:45 pm

Lads. Ever tried one of those self-cleansings? Often called a "detox"? Like this or this.

I've been poking around for info. From what I've learned, those cleanses last about 12-14 days. Makes sense; a detox from alcohol or nicotine is a similar duration. Granted, those methods (above) can be summed up as simply being sensible. I don't need to lose weight but I do want to seriously cut down on salt(s), caffeine, sugars, etc. I do not, however, really know what is acceptable/unacceptable as far as numbers go. F'r'instance, how much salt is too much? How much is not enough?

The diet Steve Nash uses is interesting. The thumbnail sketch is it eliminates all sugars except for naturals (fruit, etc).

The problem with just about every one of these cleansing methods that I've read is that they typically are selling some silly homeopathic remedy in the form of supplements made out of tree bark and panda cartilage. As someone who thinks that homeopathy is complete bullshit, I'm not interested in loading up on dehydrated koala sperm as a sugar replacement. Eat this this and this and don't eat that that and that and take these drops five times a day. There's always drops. Or pills. Vitamins make perfect sense to me. Lamb placenta not so much.

Anyone know of a method/program that lays things out numerically? As in . . . for your body weight, you should have no more than X amount of Y per Z; you do require A amount of B over a period of C. I like the idea of trying a self-cleansing, just to see how it feels. And a number of my friends are doing it (women, mostly) and seem to have great results. Granted, this is British Columbia and you probably have to chant ooooohmah ooooohmah ten times a day while embracing a redwood, so I may be living in an obscure sample group and it is difficult to tell how physically/mentally "clean" they have become because they're completely nuts to begin with. Yet I like the idea of eliminating huge percentages of salt/caffeine/sugar but don't want to simply cold turkey all of that. Not at once. I can see that resulting in vicious headaches. Surely there is a proven and successful method to put one's self through a cleaning, right? Anyone know of one?

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 12:54 pm

Scottie wrote:Lads. Ever tried one of those self-cleansings? Often called a "detox"? Like this or this.

I've been poking around for info. From what I've learned, those cleanses last about 12-14 days. Makes sense; a detox from alcohol or nicotine is a similar duration. Granted, those methods (above) can be summed up as simply being sensible. I don't need to lose weight but I do want to seriously cut down on salt(s), caffeine, sugars, etc. I do not, however, really know what is acceptable/unacceptable as far as numbers go. F'r'instance, how much salt is too much? How much is not enough?

The problem with just about every one of these cleansing methods that I've read is that they typically are selling some silly homeopathic remedy in the form of supplements made out of tree bark and panda cartilage. As someone who thinks that homeopathy is complete bullshit, I'm not interested in loading up on dehydrated koala sperm as a sugar replacement. Eat this this and this and don't eat that that and that and take these drops five times a day. There's always drops. Or pills. Vitamins make perfect sense to me. Lamb placenta not so much.

Anyone know of a method/program that lays things out numerically? As in . . . for your body weight, you should have no more than X amount of Y per Z; you do require A amount of B over a period of C. I like the idea of trying a self-cleansing, just to see how it feels. And a number of my friends are doing it (women, mostly) and seem to have great results. Granted, this is British Columbia and you probably have to chant ooooohmah ooooohmah ten times a day while embracing a redwood, so I may be living in an obscure sample group and it is difficult to tell how physically/mentally "clean" they have become because they're completely nuts to begin with. Yet I like the idea of eliminating huge percentages of salt/caffeine/sugar but don't want to simply cold turkey all of that. Not at once. I can see that resulting in vicious headaches. Surely there is a proven and successful method to put one's self through a cleaning, right? Anyone know of one?

I think most cleanses are idiotic and dangerous, but those make a lot of sense and allow you to actually eat food, so I am intrigued. The lack of coffee worries me a bit, but I've kicked caffeine before, and the headache only lasted a day or two. Though I did wake up at 4:00am unable to fall back to sleep and kept thinking "if I just drink some coffee I'll be able to sleep." I have friends (all female) that swear by their cleanses and coffee enemas, the details of which made me never want to sex them up again. As far as salt intake, I recently read that the average American eats 40 times the salt they need, so i wouldn't worry about not getting enough salt.

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 1:03 pm

The Sybian wrote:I think most cleanses are idiotic and dangerous, but those make a lot of sense and allow you to actually eat food, so I am intrigued.

Yeah, exactly. Completely agree. There surely is some decent method for largely ridding one's self of toxins without doing more damage than the toxins themselves. The two I linked above read more like diets or lifestyles than anything else. That's what caught my eye.

Ah, coffee. Ah, tea. I know I dramatically over-indulge in each. At any given moment, there's surely more caffeine in my blood stream than hemoglobin. But the older one gets, the harder it hits. So it has to be sensibly reduced, too.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 1:14 pm

The Sybian wrote:coffee enemas

♫ ♫The best part of waking up is Folgers up your butt!♫ ♫

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 1:36 pm

Johnnie wrote:
The Sybian wrote:coffee enemas
♫ ♫The best part of waking up is Folgers up your butt!♫ ♫

Can we get a gold star up in here?