trainermerle's blog

So today was an awesome time with a combination of rowing and squat cleans.  Definately looks alot nicer than it feels.  Someone this morning said rowing after the squat cleans felt like rowing upstream against white water rapids!  Everyone did great though, with some monster lifts on floor press.  A few pictures from the 9:30 AM Class

Instructions

1. Add the olive oil to a large skillet. Saute the garlic over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Cut the cod into 1 inch cubes, then add to the skillet and cook until all sides are brown.
2. Rinse and chop the kelp noodles. Add them to the skillet along with the tarragon, cover and cook on low for 30 minutes. Then, pour the liquid from the skillet carefully into a small container for use in the sauce.
3. Add the cashews, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, salt, pepper, and paprika to a blender. Cover and blend into a powder. Add the reserved pan juices slowly, blending into a thick sauce. You'll have to use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender periodically. Add the juices until the mixture reaches the desired consistency.
4. Add the sauce to the skillet, then mix well. Cover and continue to cook for 10 minutes longer, until the kelp noodles have become tender.
5. Zone info: 4 servings at 1 carb block, 4 protein blocks, 10 fat blocks. (9g carb, 28g prot, 15.5g fat).

The Beast of the East competition is now official. This will be the largest competition on the east coast.This contest is going to be promoted to every Crossfit gym in the Eastern time zone,that's over 20 states . We have rented out the Durham Fairgrounds in Durham ,CT  for October 2011. We have reached out to Rob Orlando,Jason Leydon and Jason Ackerman to help us put on a world class event. It will combine Strongman,Olympic lifting,Power lifting,Endurance and metcons.Two days full of grueling athletic tests to crown the Beast of the East! The rural setting will help give it the flavor of the early CrossFit games in the Aromas. Everything that made those games cool will be a part of this competition,the gritty farm setting,the top athletes battling for 1st place , tent cities popping up and hundreds if not thousands of screaming Crossfitters cheering everyone on. There will also be a large cash prize for the top 3 places of both men and womens divisions. The first place winner for men and women will each get $2000!

Registration will be open soon! Although the competition is a year away we want to make sure that this competition is perfect and huge so that is why we are spreading the word early. Stay tuned to the official Beast  of the East website( www.thebeastoftheeast.com ) for updates about the competition ! This is going to be HUGE! 

One of our own, Chris Talevi talks about his expierence in training for a triathalon.

Crossfit=Prepared for Anything.

As a fairly new crossfitter and an even less experienced triathlete I cannot say enough about the great experiences both programs have rewarded me with. I signed up for the Block Island triathlon during the winter and worked to train on a fairly tri-specific plan. However my fitness goals changed and overall strength and endurance training took up most of my time. I still ran and swam regularly but all in all I was not training for a triathlon at that point. Going to Block Island I was fairly nervous to see how much this would hurt me but deep down I was fairly confident in my preparation. Crossfit had given me a healthy introduction into working out through pain and my legs were finally recovering from Death by Wallball last week. I cannot say enough about how much Crossfit has added to my training program. The variety and complete involvement in the different facets of fitness is incredible. Crossfit has been filling in many holes in my programming including everything from flexibility, overhead work, Olympic lifting, etc. I have no doubt that everything I have done in the box has attributed towards functional progression. Not to mention the coaches and competitive environment have taken a lot of the monotony out of my training.

Furthermore, back to the triathlon, fortunately the swim was short and the challenge was moreso in getting through the rough surf without swallowing a gallon of salt water more than anything else(pretty sure I failed at that as well). Moving onto the bike I was curious how I would fare with almost zero seat-time over the last two months. Ironically the bike ended up being my strong suit because the hills on the Island were nothing compared to Connecticut (Wallballs, Squats, and Lunges helped). Little can prepare you for a 4+ mile run on the beach sand but it was not quite as bad as running across the Crossfit parking lot with 20lb balls overhead. I ended up surprising myself with a 4^th place finish in my age group and 51^st overall out of 370. Anyone who is thinking about doing a tri I highly recommend it. It was a great time and just another easy day of training. Any of the people who can make it though the WOD’s at Crossfit can do a tri so go for it.

So,today's class sizes are a little light today, but this is not surprising after a grueling Painstorm WOD yesterday!! We have kept this in mind and today is actually a great day to come in. After a good warm-up we are spending alot of time on stretching,foam roller,lax balls etc. and doing some skill work on the Pistol Squat variations and HSPU progressions. We are finishing with a 10 minute row in which you cover as much distance as possible. Here are a couple of pics from this am.

I also recently saw a recipe for some paleo pancakes that looks pretty good,so give it a try and see what you think. There are also several other variations out there for paleo pancakes so feel free to experiment and make your own variation!

Some of today's "tools"...a welcome sight for many !!!

Finishing with a 10 minute row,cover as much distance as possible.

This will make enough for 2 people.

2 whole eggs
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 apple, cored and chunked
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 pint fresh blueberries
coconut oil for cooking

Combine all ingredients, except blueberries, into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl and add blueberries. Heat a large pan on medium heat; add coconut oil and cook small pancakes 2-3 minutes on each side (these are hard to flip, so when they are ready, jab the spatula underneath fast)