Oh, the controversy!

Doesn't it make your head spin? No one, and I mean, no one can give you the straight goods on "stretching" (the hows and whens).

One of the only solid findings is that stretching before exercise makes no difference in performance and may increase probability of injury (read here for some summaries of why).

Other than that...anything goes...

Should I do dynamic stretches or static stretches? Well it depends.
I heard static stretching actually shortens the muscle? Not necessarily.
Well, I know to never do ballistic stretching? But why if your workouts are ballistic?
Passive, Active, PNF (Hold-Relax, Hold-Relax-Contract) Isometric...oh my!

Check out this interesting piece.
Stay loose!

Good, I love illusions!

Spin Class at CF. The last 2 Tuesdays, after the KB class, I've been seeing the folks roll in for Spin Class. It looks like a good crew and Jason, the instructor, is a nice fella, who, I'm sure, runs a good class.

So, maybe work it into your schedule. Or spread the word to bikers who are snow-iced in that CF offers a spin class (must bring a bike and trainer). Tuesdays 5:30pm. Woooooooo!

Steeler Super Bowl Support

A motivated group came out to support the Steelers. Thanks to CrossFit Pittsburgh for quick-hitting, high heart rate..."Keith." Lots o' fun!

There's a week off before the next Sunday workout. A special Valentine's tribute..."My Bloody Kettlebell." Feb. 15, 10 am. See posting on the whiteboard at CF. It's a long one! And there will be awards (oh, I hope it's a Whitman's Sampler). If you want to join the fun but don't know all the KB moves, feel free to substitute/scale.

Go Stillers!

Is that the guy?

From the paper! You know...the one riddlin' like Yoda about motivation, challenge, and Buddha bellies! Rock on Johnny U!
If none of those truths made sense, then take a look-see.

Super Bowl Sunday

Remember Sunday Feb. 1:

a) 10AM: CrossFit Pittsburgh Workout (They call it "Keith." It looks relatively short, but quite intense.).
b) 11AM: Dan Woodside, Registered Dietician
c) 6:28pm: Super Bowl...Go Steelers!

A little R & R.

Over-training, over-training. Why? Because working out, for many of us, is an addiction. The thought of not exercising...egad...it's like telling a crack addict to lay off the pipe for a few days. No dice!

So many of us have aches, pains, and little tweaks...and what do we say? "It'll be alright, it'll go away." Maybe, but most likely if we keep running, biking, swimming, and crashing around CF like a bunch of wild dogs, it won't.

What's the motive? Why the addiction?
Will we lose muscle? Will we get fat? Will we drop our VO2? Will we be sore next time? Will we not be able to keep up? Will we miss something? Why? Why? Why?

Here are some informative articles:

Runners World article on Recovery

Runners World article on Tapering

Bodybuilding.com article on Recovery (for some technical insights)

All this means...whatever. Our actions must align with our goals. If exercise fills a social need, then maybe we put up with tweaks and aches. But if our goal is to feel as good as we can feel, or to get a PR or to place in our Age Group in a race, then we best consider how over-training may be undermining that goal.

Upcoming Challenges

Well, things have gotten back to normal since Hero Week, so it's time to shake 'em up again. Two new Challenges are on their way:

Super Steeler-Style Sick Sunday: Sunday Feb. 1, 10am. Warm up your Super-Bowl Sunday with a wild workout. We'll scan the CrossFit Pittsburgh site for their sickest workout.


My Bloody Kettlebell Challenge: Sunday Feb. 15, 10am. Celebrate Valentine's 2009 with a special KB workout. Practice up on your KB moves. There will be running and sundry bodyweight exercises. Awards for fastest M/F, and anyone else who can finish it!