FREE CLASS for YOU and a FRIEND till the end of OCTOBER!

Roughly 6 weeks from today, a select group of LALANNE FITNESS students will be tested, similar to the NAVY SEALS hell week (see video below). They will be pushed to their physical limits over the course of 5 days. Each day they will face one of the most challenging workouts of their life. HELL WEEK is not for the beginner student. This event is for intermediate to advanced students only. If you are brave enough to test your limits and would like to participate, please send an email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) explaining why you believe you're ready to go through this torturous experience. This will not guaranteed you a spot. Space is limited and names will be drawn at random!



Will you be ready for HELL WEEK II?

Workout of the Day
"Short-backwards EVA"
Run 400m
30 Pull-Ups
30 Kettlebell Swings (2 pood/1pood)

PALEO RECIPE
"Simple Shrimp Cocktail"
shrimp:
2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
1 lemon, halved
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
24 extra large tail-on raw shrimp (more if you are using smaller shrimp)
cocktail sauce:
1/2 cup Heinz chili sauce*
1 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon horseradish
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
1/2 clove garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
To prepare the cocktail sauce, mix all the cocktail sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. Have a large bowl of ice water ready and set near the sink. To a 8-quart pot of water, add the Old Bay, lemon, granulated garlic, garlic, chili powder, and salt. Bring to a boil. Add the shrimp to the pot and when the water returns to a boil, the shrimp should be done! The shrimp should be bright pink. Immediately drain and place the shrimp into the ice bath to cool for 2 minutes. Peel the shrimp (leaving the tail-on.) Drain and serve with the cocktail sauce.

"If you worried about falling off the bike, you'd never get on." -Lance Armstrong

FREE CLASS for YOU and a FRIEND till the end of OCTOBER!

Fitness can be like many other things in life in that we often take the path of least resistance. Gravitating towards things that we're good at, avoiding the stuff we suck at. This keeps us clear of facing challenges, while at the same time, keeping us from becoming better athletes. CrossFit is a program that forces you to be uncomfortable and overcome these challenges. My job as a coach is to help you face your weaknesses and figure out how to improve and get better. The "Handstand" is one skill that can be challenging for many students and a position that is symbolic of the CrossFit method, literally TURNING your fitness program UPSIDE-DOWN.



What's your weakest link?

Workout of the Day
Four rounds for time:
Run 400m
-90 seconds rest between rounds

PALEO RECIPE
"Cashew Chicken Wraps"
2 chicken breast, cooked
2 omega-3 eggs, scrambled
1 onion, chopped
1/2 head lettuce leaves
1/2 cup cashews, crushed
Garlic clove, minced
Olive Oil
Oregano
Sea salt
Black pepper
Sautee garlic, olive oil, onion, oregano in skillet before cooking chicken breast. Add chopped chicken breast scrambled eggs, cashew. Salt and pepper to taste.

"The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do, well."-Henry W. Longfellow

KEVIN is our "Student Athlete of the Week." He has made loads of progress over the past year at LALANNE FITNESS. His commitment, motivation and willpower were tested at many points along the way but with the help of his fellow classmates and our supportive community, he's living a healthier happier life.



Kevin has made a ton of physical and psychological changes with the help of CrossFit. Here's a recent experience he shared on our forum... " While I'm in better physical shape than I was a year ago, I think the psychological aspect of CrossFit was what got me to the top so fast. Going up past Vernal and Nevada Falls, plus the long, hard slog up Quarter Dome were painful, but in the back of my mind I kept saying, "This is just like doing a bunch of squats or box jumps at the Brickhouse on a typical weekday. If I can get through that, I can get through this." The pain just seemed to melt away after that and I was able to push myself onward and upward."-Kevin

The TOP 100 Paleo Diet foods! by Chris LaLanne

Workout of the Day
Five rounds for time:
25 Kettlebell Swings (1.5 pood)
25 Knees to Elbows
25 GHD Sit-Ups
25 Back Extensions

PALEO RECIPE
"Homemade Trail Mix"
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup hazelnuts
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup banana chips
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dried bluberries
Mix in large zip-lock bag. Enjoy!

"Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth."-Mike Tyson

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