I love bashing crossfit though

12/12/2012 12:27:31 PM

I got a crossfit groupon for really cheap a while back. So far, I'm less than impressed - I just don't understand what (if any) philosophy is behind their workouts. Monday's WOD was 25 minutes of 4 DL @ 1.5x BW, 4 med ball squat+cleans, and 4 burbees every minute for a total of 100 DL, 100 med ball squat+clean, and 100 burbees in 25 minutes. I don't mind pushing myself, and maybe there is some benefit to a workout such as this, but it just struck me as a really stupid workout. Especially since most people's form was complete crap by the end.

[Edited on December 12, 2012 at 12:59 PM. Reason : .]

12/12/2012 12:59:18 PM

Yes jbrick, basically condense your feeding window into 6-8 hours and fast for 16-18 each day. You're asleep for 33-50% of it anyway.

Although you really can't use cream in your coffee that spikes your insulin and starts the fast all over so you aren't benefitting as much. If you can't drink coffee without cream I would suggest green tea or caffeine pills as an alternative. Splenda I have no idea, I don't drink coffee so never looked into its effects.

I drink so I can't cut off my fast at 7 pm so I prolong it later than lunch usually.

[Edited on December 12, 2012 at 1:05 PM. Reason : a]

12/12/2012 1:02:03 PM

^^Again, back snap city.

Snap snap snap snap snap snap. One way ticket to snap city. lol these guys are hilarious...

12/12/2012 1:15:19 PM

^^^ was that in Raleigh?

12/12/2012 1:19:18 PM

^Yep, at Crossfit Invoke.

Another thing I find frustrating is the judgement (for lack of a better term) that I feel for going slower to try and maintain proper form. Occasionally a coach will come by and ask me why I am "taking it easy". Meaning why do I do 4 controlled reps instead of cranking out 4 as fast as possible.

[Edited on December 12, 2012 at 1:24 PM. Reason : Another thing.]

12/12/2012 1:20:38 PM

Don't you know form and technique get in the way of speed and eliteness?

12/12/2012 1:28:36 PM

You do have the ability to ignore the coach.

The hierarchy should be form, consistency, and then intensity. There are a few places that seem to get that backwards, but this is NOT limited to CF Gyms.

12/12/2012 1:53:40 PM

Ideally the coach should be giving you useful advice, not stuff for you to ignore. I do believe they say part of the fee is for "coaching".

12/12/2012 1:59:41 PM

Yes, but there's also a degree of of personal responsibility. Ignoring a cue to keep your back flat is different than ignoring a cue to go faster. If you cannot go faster without compromising form, then don't.

12/12/2012 2:02:42 PM

I understand. It's not clear to me that most of the other people doing the workout do, however.

12/12/2012 2:03:56 PM

If I'm going to pay someone for coaching, I want them to have at least a basic understanding of what they're doing. Crossfit is severely lacking in that.

12/12/2012 6:23:41 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndAN1zPhxpo

is this crossfitting?

or this...looks about right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k0NTB2DTGs

[Edited on December 12, 2012 at 6:29 PM. Reason : ??]

12/12/2012 6:28:33 PM

14-16 hour fasts should be basically free. Eat at 8-10 pm. Don't eat again until lunch. Most of that is sleep time. Basically do that every day without even trying.

Eating the protein is the trick.

12/12/2012 11:40:19 PM

Protein is important, but the real trick is ensuring a calorie deficit and strength training to stimulate protein synthesis!

12/13/2012 6:14:38 AM

how long is the fasting + alcohol consumption experiment intended to last?

12/13/2012 10:05:50 AM

Until I reach single digits body fat.

Got blasted last night first time I've drank since Saturday though.

Tonight will be back at it. Free dinner/drinks at a nice place for year end. Going to be tricky. Think I may just eat the steak, box the carbs to go for a refeed day and drink.

12/13/2012 10:57:20 AM

Quote :

"Although you really can't use cream in your coffee that spikes your insulin and starts the fast all over so you aren't benefitting as much. If you can't drink coffee without cream I would suggest green tea or caffeine pills as an alternative. Splenda I have no idea, I don't drink coffee so never looked into its effects."

Thanks. Can anybody add to this? I just got some green tea K-cups for the office Keurig...but I still can't drink it without one Splenda packet.

As for the cream...I did some internet browsing and one article said that a little creamer was okay as long as it doesn't go over 9 carbs...or something like that. I looked at my fat free creamer label and it's something like 4 or 5 carbs a serving...and I definitely use less than a serving.

I'm not up for taking caffeine supplements. I need my morning routine of coffee (or possibly tea, now).

And with the fasting...is it something you have to do on a consistent basis? I think I can swing 4 or 5 days during the work week...but I'm not skipping breakfast brunch on the weekend.

12/14/2012 11:00:36 AM

There isn't really a set amount of calories that "breaks the fast" that applies to everyone, and it's not like "breaking the fast" shuts off fat burning and goes back to storing fat. It's a sliding scale. Most things I've read say that 40-80 calories is enough to slow down fat loss.

Coffee with splenda is basically nothing. The thermogenic effect is going to outweigh the insignificant amount of calories in it.

Don't overthink it. You don't have to fast every day, and you can do a normal 3 meals a day/breakfast on the weekend thing, whatever. It still comes down to calorie intake and macronutrient breakdown. The point of IF, in my opinion, is that you can think less about food and meal planning, which frees up time for other things and reduces stress.

[Edited on December 14, 2012 at 11:45 AM. Reason : ]

12/14/2012 11:45:03 AM

are these fasting diets recommended by medical professionals, or just bro-science gym-rats? (no offense)

[Edited on December 14, 2012 at 12:32 PM. Reason : ]

12/14/2012 12:32:25 PM

12/14/2012 12:51:39 PM

^ you know what they say... "chest and curls gets the girls"

12/14/2012 1:00:30 PM

Quote :

"Don't overthink it. You don't have to fast every day, and you can do a normal 3 meals a day/breakfast on the weekend thing, whatever. It still comes down to calorie intake and macronutrient breakdown. The point of IF, in my opinion, is that you can think less about food and meal planning, which frees up time for other things and reduces stress. "

Word. That's what I was thinking.

12/14/2012 1:00:49 PM

Yeah you don't have to fast every day. It will be easier to maintain it if you fast at least 4-5 days a week though so that your body is used to it and you don't get hungry during it.

Everyone is going to have days where they miss due to commitments, social events, etc.

12/14/2012 1:18:28 PM

Parents are in town shopping today so were going to go to lunch to break the 17 hour fast I'm on right now.

Going to use this as my refeed day and crush carbs since its Day 6 of the diet.

Weighed in at 173.3 and 21.7% body fat which would indicate 1.1 lbs of fat loss this week if those numbers are accurate.

Holiday dinner I had ribs as an appetizer, 10 oz filet, broccoli, 5 red oaks, 3 glasses of red wine, 8 bud lights, 4 rusty nails. Afterwards we went out drinking and I had a few beers and a shooter of something.

Wednesday I had about 10 beers half lite beer, half heavy beer.

So losing over 1 lb of bodyfat in 6 days is pretty solid given the holiday festivities. Will try to increase compliance this week to drop 2 lbs of body fat though. Mirror gains are noticeable because I squeezed in two lifting sessions this week and today will be my third. No cardio unless you count after the holiday party as cardio.

12/15/2012 11:02:00 AM

^you had ~20 drinks and then went out drinking? At 173 lbs? How did you not die, are you an alcoholic?

12/17/2012 12:47:08 PM

YUP.

12/17/2012 1:12:47 PM

Would you have a seizure/withdrawl symptoms if you didn't drink?

I can't imagine the long-term expense of that kind of drinking. Just the cost of drinks alone is a bit tough to fathom. And then the medical expenses associated with drinking?

12/17/2012 1:59:21 PM

I didn't have to pay it was a holiday dinner.

I can drink a lot, but those drinks were spread from 5 pm to like 11 pm after dinner. The beers at the bar were until at least 1 am or so, so this was over the course of a long time.

Yeah I get withdrawal symptoms mostly just anxiety if I dont drink for a few days.


Anyway, let's lose weight!

12/17/2012 3:04:44 PM

Red Oak has 175 calories (x5) = 875 calories
Bud Light has 110 calories (x8) = 880 calories
Rusty Nail ~240 (x4) = 960 calories
Red Wine ~125 (x3) (based on average restaurant pour) = 375 calories

At the bar ~ 1000 + more calories (based on multiple beers, liquor, shots)

So I am going to listen to tips on strict fasting rituals from an individual who plowed 4000+ calories in drinks alone, in one night. (not to mention the 2500+ calorie steak meal)

Here is a tip, quit the ridiculous binging and you can probably get under 20% body fat even without the fasting.


[Edited on December 17, 2012 at 8:57 PM. Reason : .]

12/17/2012 8:55:52 PM

There were nowhere close to 2,500 calories in my dinner. Maybe 800 or so.

And alcohol has a high TEF and I consumed less than 10g of carb/fat that day prior to the evening. That's my point, if you're gonna drink you have to be smart about your diet.

It was a year end holiday party, I'm not goings to not enjoy myself and have a few drinks. I still lost fat last week because I did well adhering to my diet for the most part. Ok ill admit the red oak wasn't the best choice. Neither was the rusty nail but that's just my drink of choice with cigars.

Again, you have to be disciplined to lose weight. It's a marathon not a sprint.

12/18/2012 10:00:47 AM

2013 FACE ALCOHOLIC FASTING BLOG CHALLENGE

this is the best thing ever

12/18/2012 10:17:26 AM

^^You graduate highschool? You realize it's no longer cool to talk about drinking shitty shots and cheap beer after you turn 20 right?

Quote :

" Again, you have to be disciplined to lose weight. It's a marathon not a sprint."

No it's actually very easy. Just don't drink a bunch and eat clean.

Actually wanted to give the paleo/primal diet a shot to what it's all about. On the 5th week. Feel better than I've ever felt in my life. Losing a noticeable amount of weight and still maintaining the muscle while basically eating as much as I want. NO MORE COUNTING CALORIES!!! My cheat days now consist of fruit and a couple more glasses of red or some cider.

Also I think some of my allergies have gone away. I've had a long suspicion I may have slight gluten allergies and this may have confirmed it.

Anyway +1 for the all you can eat and lose weight diet.

12/18/2012 10:29:22 AM

he is going to lose weight doing what he is doing. imo, its just the difference between attaining beach body status and skinny-fat status

12/18/2012 10:31:55 AM

Eh when someone comes in here over confidently discussing how much beer they can drink and still lose weight that hints towards a self-confidence issue.

Not to mention:

Quote :

"Neither was the rusty nail but that's just my drink of choice with cigars. "

You've got to be pretty trashy to ruin a nice single malt by adding Drambuie and lemon to it and putting it over ice. I take it the cigar was a black and mild?

[Edited on December 18, 2012 at 10:36 AM. Reason : s]

12/18/2012 10:35:48 AM

Cheap beers? I probably accounted for a $200 tab myself. Those beers are at least $5 apiece , dinner $50, scotch $10-12 apiece, cigar like $15, wine prob $55 a bottle, appetizers $15, sides $7? Didn't even mention the +1 I brought so go ahead and add another $100+ cigar was a padron, I don't recall what type I had a lot of drinks and I'm not an aficiando

I'm burning fat off, this has nothing to do with bragging about drinking. I'm showing you how to lose fat while drinking.

And my strength gains are going up significantly still right now. I added 10 lbs to my 10 rep dumb bell press already. Beginners can gain a lot of strength fast.




[Edited on December 18, 2012 at 11:24 AM. Reason : a]

[Edited on December 18, 2012 at 11:26 AM. Reason : a]

12/18/2012 11:22:45 AM

12/18/2012 2:28:14 PM

Oh I got a Vitamix over the weekend at Costco. Anyone have any green smoothie recipes? Been making my own almond milk, butter, and flour. This thing is epic.

12/18/2012 2:31:47 PM

you're going full mode caveman eh

12/18/2012 4:57:48 PM

How hard was it to make almond milk?

12/18/2012 5:17:11 PM

^^if full mode caveman means the highlight of my weekend was getting a kick ass blender than yes!

^not hard at all. I used a cup of almond and some water. Once it's all blended up if you want the consistently similar to what you'd buy in the store then you have to do a little straining otherwise it's a little thicker than normal milk.

Almond butter was easy too. It's amazing how much oil is released from almonds once blended. A 3 pound bag of almonds for $9 at costco goes a loooong ways.

12/18/2012 10:47:43 PM

I've been thinking about getting a heavy duty blender, but I scoff at the price everytime.

Maybe after the new year, when I start my cut.

12/19/2012 6:47:46 AM

yeah i've done almond butter before - it's super easy. i've heard almond milk isn't hard to make at all - i'll have to look into it

12/19/2012 8:13:28 AM

Yeah you need some type of strainer (a nut bag heh heh) to filter out the thicker particles so it's similar to the consistency in the store.

12/19/2012 11:26:29 AM

Do you need to blanche the almonds first? Or you buy it skin off? I ask this, because almond skin can be tart. Although I don't really know the appropriate word to describe this.

12/19/2012 11:28:00 AM

That's what I initially thought but I made it with regular raw almonds with the skin on and it turned out fine. I don't know where all the brown went but it turned out all white. I'm assuming if you got them blanched the end result wouldn't be as thick but you can always just filter it. I hear roasting the almonds for ~10 or so minutes at around 350 adds to the flavor if you're making almond butter. Don't know what that would do to the milk though.

12/19/2012 11:51:23 AM

Although remember Almonds/nuts are high in omega 6's which you should limit and balance out with omega 3's!

12/19/2012 12:54:11 PM

Do you guys think its possible to get from ~25% BF to about ~12% BF (or less) from now till July? Starting from 200lbs, goal is 170ish. I know all about Dieting and macros and such, just want to check if it is a realistic goal. I work at UPS and thats what I will be getting most exercise (as far as losing calories, planning 1k calorie deficit) and will be doing a 4-day split lifting workout.

12/21/2012 12:49:32 PM

Sure, it could be done. That's, what...30 lbs in ~24 weeks? ~1.25 lb a week? You aren't going to put on any muscle at all, and you're probably not going to feel that great towards the end of the cut...but it can be done.

You probably want to reduce training frequency during a cut like that; lift 3 days a week, then you can have 4 days of deficit eating.

12/21/2012 1:00:23 PM

I hate to disappoint all the drinkers hoping to lose weight in this thread but I got caught up in one of those "December to Remember" campaigns and embarked on a pretty epic bender the week before christmas. Probably hit 150 total drinks in one week going out trying to take advantage of the girls who get depressed during the holidays. Pretty good results overall and i think ive lined up enough so i can settle down and live like a normal functioning adult while i embark on my weight loss journey.

Just one of those things you have to get out of your system before starting any rigorous diet/exercise plan. Also I ate like shit at the holiday parties and didnt take my own advice on protein loading before the parties. It was just too complicated with the travel, different parties, etc...

The good news is i didnt eat dinner any nights of the drink-a-thon so i didn't really gain any weight, but i definitely lost some strength/muscle so I'm sure there was some fat gain.

I've decided to stop drinking on Mondays to increase my fat loss. I'm also trying to start watching some sports sober so Tuesdays and Sundays are on the table. Pretty sure Wed/Thurs/Sat are a lost cause and Fridays are situation dependent as always.

Let's get the 2013 thread going!

[Edited on December 30, 2012 at 5:58 PM. Reason : a]

12/30/2012 5:56:54 PM