As many of you know, I'm a big fan of open water swimming. The functionality of swimming is ideal for the CrossFit athlete and I intend on making it a consistent part of our program. Last week I threw the barbells in the truck and headed across town to my favorite spot... Aquatic Park! There was no shortage of tourists hanging out at Fisherman's Wharf to make this one of the most spectacular OUTDOOR WOD's to date!



Jaime, Alex, Patrick, Charles, Kurt, Kelly, Olivia, Kim and Alyssa showed-up to make it happen!

For many, it was their first time swimming in the bay. Here's what a few of them had to say...

FUN!!!! I loved it. It was hard, it was gruelling, and it was wet! -Olivia
Finally made it to my first Swim WOD and it was Great.-Kurt

Workout of the Day
Three rounds for time:
Swim 250m
30 Burpees
30 Thrusters (#95/65)

PALEO RECIPE
"Kona Local Marinade"
1/3 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon raw honey
2 tablespoons fresh ginger root, finely grated
Combine ingredients and marinate steak, chicken, fish or pork before barbequing. Baste with marinade during barbequing.

"In the beginning, any personal change isn't easy because you are asking yourself to confront your own self-made comfort zone. The real transformation to the new you, is one that will not only take time, but a healthy dose of perseverance. After all, no transformation is easy or everyone would have already made the shift."-Byron Pulsifer

This week's stand-out is NATALIE! She's by far the most motivated student at LALANNE FITNESS and well deserving of our "Student Athlete of the Week" award! Since we've introduced the Athletic Level Assesment, Natalie has "jumped in" to make sure she is doing what it takes to get to the next level. A strong deadlift and back squat, kipping pull-ups, rope climbs and ring dips are on her resume. Metabolic conditioning is no problem, it's these weight lifting and gymnastics movements that are making her more well rounded as an athlete... GO Natalie!



Natalie crossing another one off the list...the 1-Arm Handstand!

Athletic Level Assesment

Workout of the Day
"Nancy"
Five rounds for time:
Run 400m
15 Overhead Squats (#95/65)

PALEO RECIPE
"Banana Pear Ambrosia"
1 ripe avocado
1 pear
1 banana
1 tablespoon honey
Pineapple or lemon juice
Blender all ingredients until smooth. Serve in sherbet glasses.

"Some things don't always work out the way you plan. The main thing is to keep trying, do better next time, and deal with dsappointment if it comes."-Yogi Berra

GYM CLOSED TODAY! We are @ Kezar Stadium for the NANCY challenge FINALS from 8AM-12PM. Come out to support your fellow CrossFit classmates!

“How many blocks should I eat?” and “should I eat Paleo or Zone?” These are questions many of us have within the CrossFit community. My general answer is to read both "The Zone Diet" and "The Paleo Diet" so you've got an understanding of the principles behind them. Robb Wolf, a well respected nutrition guru within the CrossFit community offers his take on these common questions-Rob Wolf



A FULL HOUSE @ "The Brickhouse"!

Workout of the Day
Run 800m
100 Pull-Ups
Run 800m

PALEO RECIPE
"Appetizing Tomato Sauce"
¼ cup canola oil
8 minced garlic cloves
2 cups diced, yellow onions
1½ cups cored, seeded and diced green bell peppers
3 cups ripe tomatoes
1 four-ounce can of whole green chilies, pureed
¼ cup chopped parsley
5 cups beef stock (no salt added)
Black pepper to taste
In a 6-quart saucepan sauté the garlic, onion and green pepper in the oil until tender. Add the tomatoes, pureed chilies, and parsley and simmer until very tender. Add beef stock. Cover and simmer one hour. Uncover and simmer one more hour to reduce and thicken the sauce. Stir and pepper to taste.

"Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving." -Rosalind Russell

You get an EXTRA class for the next TWO WEEKS!

The men's rope climbing was one of eight gymnastics events on Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The final event in the gymnastics competition, rope climbing was held on 10 April. The rope was 14 metres long, suspended from a frame.-wiki

Rope Climb VARIATIONS



Kurt working on his "foot hold."

CrossFit TOTAL FLICKR Show!

Workout of the Day
"Elizabeth"
21-15-9 reps rounds for time of:
Squat Clean (#135/95)
Ring Dips

PALEO RECIPE
"Honey Dill Carrots"
Baby carrots
Honey
Dill
Steam baby carrots, then drizzle with just a bit of honey (don't overdo the honey, it doesn't take much). Add dill and serve!

"Excellent firms don't believe in excellence - only in constant improvement and constant change." -Tom Peters

You get an EXTRA class for the next TWO WEEKS!

CrossFit is a method of training that offers a chance to improve everyday! To be better than yesterday. Are you just going through the motions? or... do you barely get by with what's acceptable? Is every repetition perfect? Do you cheat yourself and the quality of your movement just to finish the workout faster? These are very real questions we should all consider when looking to improve on a personal level.



The photo above shows Charles, former student athlete of the week, doing burpees with a 4-foot "tuck-jump" on each rep. You might ask..."why is he jumping so high, if we're only required to get just a few inches off the ground?" Well, this is just one instance where Charles is going ABOVE and beyond what's expected! You can find him putting out more than he is asked to put out at every class. This is something that I really appreciate and respect as a coach. His desire to get the most he can get out of every moment at every class is inspiring. If you're lucky, maybe some of his MOJO will rub off on you too!

Workout of the Day
Thruster
3, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1

PALEO RECIPE
"Rabbit Roasted with Herbs"
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 rabbit (about 2 ½ pound, cut into 6-8 pieces)
Fresh ground black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, halved lengthwise and slivered
1 large, minced garlic clove
2/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth, salt free
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary or ½ teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons flat leafed parsley, chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the rabbit pieces in batches until golden, about 5 to 7 minutes per side, sprinkling with pepper. Place the browned rabbit into a shallow baking pan. Add the onion to the skillet and cool over low heat for 7 to 10 minutes to soften. Add the garlic and cook two minutes more, stirring. Add broth and raise the heat; bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Reduce the heat; add the rosemary and cook sauce for two minutes longer. Pour the sauce over the rabbit and bake for 45 minutes. To serve, place the rabbit pieces on a serving platter and pour all the remaining pan juices over the top of the rabbit pieces. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately. Serves four.

"Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others." -Plato

You get an EXTRA class for the next TWO WEEKS!

More than 15 years ago Dr. Sears started working with Greg Glassman, the founder of CrossFit, to integrate his Zone Diet with the innovative fitness programs Greg was developing for total functional fitness. At the time, the Zone Diet and the CrossFit training methods were both highly controversial since they challenged the basic assumptions of how diet and physical training should be done. Once Greg started introducing the Zone Diet concept into his training program, he immediately recognized the powerful synergism of the two programs.-Dr.Sears



MARK ends his CrossFit "TOTAL" with this 463 pound Deadlift... Here's WHAT A PR looks like!

Greg Glassman talks about The Zone Diet and Psychology!

Workout of the Day
As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
5 Knees to Elbows
10 Good Mornings (#45)
15 Ab-Mat Sit-Ups
Run 400m

PALEO RECIPE
"Beefheart"
1 Beefheart
¼ cup fresh ground pepper
4 large yellow onions, sliced as thinly as possible
2 garlic cloves very finely diced
Preheat oven to 250 F. Mix the garlic and pepper together.Using a sharp knife, cut down into the heart about one inch. Carefully cut in a spiral towards the center keeping the cuts one inch apart. Lay the heart out in one long strip. Spread the pepper/garlic mix evenly over the meat. It will be a very thin layer and does not have to coat the entire heart.The idea is to not have any clumps of the mix. Evenly layer the thinly sliced onion on the heart. Roll the heart back together, jelly roll fashion. Secure with twine. Put heart into a shallow pan and put into the oven. Using a meat thermometer to determine internal temperature, cook until: 1) rare: red center, 110 F, 2) medium rare: still red center, 120 F, 3) Medium: 135 F, 4) Medium well: a little pink in the center, 145 F, 5) Well Done: no pink at all, 160 F.
When internal temperature reaches desired level, remove meat from oven and cover lightly with foil. The heat in the center will continue to rise for another five degrees F. Times will be determined by the size of the heart.

"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living. "-Nelson Mandela