I would like to take this time to wish CHRIS a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Aside from Chris being the love of my life, he has also been a mentor to me in regards to CrossFit and nutrition. He has changed my life in more ways than you can imagine. I know I am not alone in this, as many of you have expressed the same sentiment. Chris was born to be in the fitness field and help people lead healthier lives. Not a day goes by where Chris isn't trying to reach out to someone to make a positive change in their life. Whether it'd be through nutrition or through their physical well-being, Chris genuinely cares about people. He cares about every single one of his students like they were family and truthfully to US you are ALL family. Please raise a glass and let's toast to the man who made his dream of "LaLanne Fitness" a reality and turned it into a place that we can all call home. We love you Chris. -Maribel



Happy Birthday Chris!!

The TOP 50 CrossFit exercises! by Chris LaLanne

Workout of the Day
"Kelly"
5 Rounds for time:
400m Run
30 Box Jumps (20")
30 Wall Balls (20#/14#)

PALEO RECIPE
"Flourless Cashew Cookies" by Cindalous Kitchen Blues
1 c. unsalted raw cashews
1/2 c. mixed nuts
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
3 small dates
1/4 c. shredded coconut
1 organic carrot, shredded
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. natural brown sugar (optional)
Add the nuts to the Vita-Mix and blend them on high for about 90 seconds until they form a thick paste. Add everything else and blend again on high for about 1 1/2 minutes or until well mixed. While blending, press the ingredients to the bottom of the blender using your Vita-Mix damper.
Coat a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. I used a spatula to remove the nut batter from the Vita-Mix and then scooped the batter into a large mouth bowl. Form cookie patties in your hand and drop them onto the cookie sheet. Bake the cookies at 350 for 15-17 minutes. Let cool.
In preparing these cookies, we realized that the batter would also serve to make gluten free, dairy free cookie bars similar to Lara Bars(coming to LLF soon!)

"Another candle in your cake? Well, that's no cause to pout, Be glad that you have strength enough to blow the damn thing out."-Anonymous

CrossFit is a combination of general conditioning, olympic style weightlifting, gymnastics, free-weight and body-weight exercises. Our program is based on The 9 Foundational CrossFit Movements: Air Squat, Front Squat, Overhead Squat, Press, Push Press, Push Jerk, Deadlift, Sumo-Deadlift High-Pull and the Medicine Ball Clean. The OLYMPIC lifts including the SNATCH, CLEAN and JERK, are also practiced each week. The SNATCH has many different variations including; Squat Snatch, Power Snatch, HANG POWER SNATCH (see below) and the Hang Squat Snatch. We support O-LIFTING for ALL levels! This is an explosive movement that requires coordination and takes lots of practice. Our first step is the The "Burgener" Warm-Up.



Check out CYRIL 's solid mechanics as he "pulls the elbows up high and outside, like a scarecrow."

Workout of the Day
10 Hang Power Snatch #95/65
50 Double-Unders
8 Hang Power Snatch
40 Double-Unders
6 Hang Power Snatch
30 Double-Unders
4 Hang Power Snatch
20 Double-Unders
2 Hang Power Snatch
10 Double-Unders

PALEO RECIPE
"Island Smoothie"
2 Tbsp Tahiti (sesame seed butter)
1 medium ripe banana
1/4 protein powder
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup papaya
1 cup water
4 ice cubes

"I won't accept anything less than the best a player's capable of doing...and he has the right to expect the best that I can do for him and the team!" -Lou Holtz

The most recent addition to the LALANNE FITNESS coaching staff is JOAN! Not only is she a great athlete, finishing in the TOP 15 at the 2009 CrossFit Games NorCal Regional Qualifier, she has a great attitude and is well on her way to becoming a great coach. What makes a GREAT CrossFit COACH? Maribel, Jenny, Mike, Scott, Joan, John and myself uphold professional standards, that "raise our game" in the field. Thanks to Andy Petranek and John Burch of CFLA, we're in pursuit of excellence. The following criteria are what make this coaching staff and our student athletes better every day!



Joan checks on "Big Matt" going overhead!

What makes a GREAT CrossFit COACH?

1. Teaching
• Effectively instructs and articulates each movement.
• Focuses on key points and avoids over emphasizing subtle nuances.
• Uses the CrossFit progressions for teaching the more complex movements.

2. Visual perspicacity
• Keenness of mental perception and understanding; discernment; penetration
• Has an excellent ability to discern both gross and subtle form faults.
• Does not miss things and knows what to look for in each movement.
• "The Hawk" - have a mental check list, move around, look at everyone, try to catch everything and pounce on it.
• Without the ability to "see" your training will be sub standard.

3. Presence, voice, command
• Speaks loudly and clearly at all times, modulates voice well, is confident, engaging, commanding.
• Talks just enough to be effective and not at the expense of keeping people moving.
• Demonstrates training as a performance: Be the big YOU (authentic but big), Modulate voice and presence for effect.
• Side note: Training as marketing. You are “on.”...READ MORE

Workout of the Day
Push Press
5, 5, 5, 5, 5

PALEO RECIPE
"Grilled Asparagus"
1 cup water
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
1/4 cup of your favorite smoky BBQ sauce
In a large skillet, bring water to a boil; add asparagus, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes or until almost tender; drain and pat dry. Place some aluminum foil on the grill, place the asparagus over it. Grill uncovered over medium heat for 2 minutes, turn over once. Baste with barbecue sauce. Grill 2 minutes longer, turn and baste once more. Enjoy!

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -Mohandas Gandhi

You... ARE WHAT YOU EAT and your diet is the most important piece of the fat-loss puzzle. Poor food choices will make you unhealthy and overweight. Avoid high-glycemic-load, processed foods such as deli meats, cereal, milk and soda. These foods will increase insulin production (the “fat storage” hormone) and increase your appetite, causing you to over-eat. Think about the quality of food you are eating versus the quantity, as the “calorie theory” does not factor in the hormonal and enzymatic effects of food. Processed foods have little nutrient value (i.e. empty calories). The most common processed foods you should avoid include processed meats, cereal grains, legumes and dairy products. Humans are not adapted to consume these foods and eating them can lead to chronically elevated levels of insulin, also known as hyperinsulinemia. This condition has been linked to multiple diseases and health concerns including, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, mental heath problems as well as autoimmune diseases. The healthiest, most nutritious foods for men, women and children include high-quality proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables and good fats such as seeds and nuts.



Our producer, JULIAN gets fired-up at the "prelims" of the LALANNE FITNESS OLYMPICS!

Workout of the Day
2 minutes each for max reps of:
Med Ball Cleans
Double Unders
Pullups
Row (cal)
Thrusters #30

PALEO RECIPE
"Banana Nut Shake"
1/4 cup vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup water
4 ice cubes
1 banana
1/4 cup raw almonds
Place ingredients into a blender for 30 seconds. Enjoy!

"There's a way to do it better - find it." -Thomas A. Edison

If your goal is to live a long and healthy life, learning to cook is an important skill to develop. As the old saying goes, “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he’ll eat for life.” The ability to prepare your own meals will allow you to eat the healthiest and freshest foods possible. Cooking your own meals is also a pleasurable part of your health process and it allows you to know precisely what is going into your body. There are several utensils that you may need to prepare the recipes I provide on this website, a high quality chef’s knife, a pairing knife, non-stick skillet and a blender will get you started.

The following is a sample of what I do when I'm spending 'An Hour In The KITCHEN': (All of this is happening simultaneously)

*Boiling pot of water, used for steaming one batch after another of a variety of fresh veg (for example, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, chard, spinach, brussels sprouts, asparagus).

*In the oven, I'll be cooking yams in a glass dish with water, along with some plain chicken breast, perhaps, or maybe some fresh black cod or salmon... READ MORE



ALEX gets deep on the rings!

LF OLYMPICS - FLICKr SLIDESHOW

PALEO RECIPE
"Grape and Avocado Salsa"
1 1/2 cups seedless red grapes, chopped
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 tbsp chopped yellow bell pepper
2 tbsp chopped sweet onion
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp garlic salt
Black pepper
Place the grapes, avocado, red pepper, yellow pepper, onion, and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Season with lime juice, garlic salt, and black pepper. Gently fold the ingredients together until well mixed. Refrigerate 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

"These are my new shoes. They're good shoes. They won't make you rich like me, they won't make you rebound like me, they definitely won't make you handsome like me. They'll only make you have shoes like me. That's it." -Charles Barkley

"In October of 2006, Greg Glassman gave me the most important lesson of my life. It has nothing to do with barbells or pull-ups, sweat or pain. In fact, it has very little to do with exercise at all. His words, paraphrased and non-profound: The pursuit of excellence is rewarded. Simple and axiomatic, it would be easy to dismiss this lesson as self-help drivel. Yet put into action, it is the most powerful thing on the planet. It’s taken me two years to appreciate its potency, and ten short months to see its effects. I’ve pared it down for my own use, coining a three-word phrase that reminds me that today is not just another day: Better than yesterday. Today is an opportunity to run faster than ever before. To lift more weight. To make better videos and write better articles. To create better athletes. To make every client happy. To embrace the fact that yesterday’s efforts were nothing more than an unsatisfactory attempt at an uncompromising ideal. You've got to reject where you are before you can get where you're going. “Better than yesterday” is hard"... READ MORE



Kelly P. celebrates great success!

Workout of the Day
For time:
Swim 500m
50 Push-Ups
100 Squats
50 Push-Ups
Swim 500m

PALEO RECIPE
"Vanilla Dream Shake"
1/4 cup vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
4 ice cubes
Place ingredients into a blender for 30 seconds. Enjoy!

"Great success, HI -FIVE!"-Borat