Onward & Upward: “Supplements”

It’s Transition Week!  AKA a week between training cycles intended to allow time for our bodies to recover from the previous cycle.  You will notice that loads are lighter than usual, intensity should be dialed back and we are focusing on different energy systems to give our central nervous system a break.

As an athlete, it’s important to recognize that ‘Transition Week’ is only a piece of the recovery puzzle.  While we generally think that we are building hard earned muscles inside the box, the reality is the process of muscle recovery and muscle building occurs between the time you’ve left the box and the time you return.  It is imperative that you have a strong recovery plan in place, through the form of supplementation, food and rest.

While food should always be your primary source for nutrients, supplements play an important part in providing the right building blocks for muscle repair and growth due to their fast rate of absorption.  We personally take Fish Oil, Magnesium and Vitamin D daily to aid in our recovery.  Together these supplements do everything from maintaining heart health and immune function to reducing fatigue.  Here’s a run down of each of them:

OMEGA 3s (FISH OIL)

Fish oil is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids which offer numerous health benefits including keeping your heart, brain and eyes in good working order. Most importantly, fish oil decreases inflammation in the muscle and enhances body composition. Inflammation in the body is not only damaging for ones health, but severely impacts your ability to recover, lose fat and build muscle. By getting the optimal percentage of your dietary fat from fish oil, you will reduce muscle inflammation and improve oxygen delivery, allowing your muscles to recover faster.

MAGNESIUM (with ZINC AND VITAMIN B6)

Not only will magnesium allow you to sleep like a baby through its ability to relax muscles, but it is another critical supplement to help speed up recovery. Incorporating magnesium into your diet will help you improve muscle function, maintain electrolyte balance and reduce fatigue. Combining magnesium with zinc and vitamin B6 will have an even greater reaction in the body, as they have extremely high immune system values.

VITAMIN D3

While we naturally get Vitamin D from the sun, 57% of the American adult population is deficient.  Vitamin D is involved in so many physiological functions and maintains our health in so many different ways that, once you start to count its benefits, you might begin to wonder if there’s anything this vitamin doesn’t do. It helps us absorb calcium – which, in turn, affects bone development and growth, nerve signaling, immune function, blood pressure, and even muscle strength and mass, especially as we get older.

Take some time this week to reflect on your recovery plan.  Are you getting adequate sleep, proper nutrition and supplementation to support your body’s recovery?  If you are interested in adding these supplements into your recovery plan, let us know!  We stock Puori and SFH supplements.  We personally prefer the 30-day supply packs of O3, M3 & D3 from Puori simply for the convenience factor!

Onward and Upward: “Zottman Curl”

Still have that nagging elbow pain that won’t go away? It can prevent you from even picking up your coffee cup if it is really aggravated and will keep you out of the gym for days at a time. You may have noticed we introduced the Zottman curl over the last cycle, but I want to explain one of the reasons we use this exercise and why you may be able to supplement training with  few extra sets before or after class.

The type of pain I described above often occurs as inflammation due to overuse of the forearm muscles. The symptoms of “tennis elbow” can be mitigated with ice, but your goal should not be to deal with the symptoms.

Prevention is always the best measure and there are exercises you can do that will act as a rehab and prehab. Here is the best exercises you’re probably not doing for your elbow health. Adding this exercise in to finish your workout is a great way to combat elbow pain.

The Zottman Curl:

The Zottman curl is one of the best and most efficient exercises that you should be doing if you care about performance in grip heavy workouts with rope climbs, kettlebell swings, and deadlifts. This is also a great movement to prevent elbow pain from occurring.

You won’t need much weight to start (especially if you’re rehabbing an injury). These curls are extremely humbling and are very challenging on the biceps and extensor muscles in your forearms if performed correctly.

Start with a pair of dumbbells and a supinated grip. Perform a bicep curl and pause in the top position or :01-:02 with your biceps fully contracted. Slowly rotate your hands into a pronated (palms down) position before lowering the weight. In the bottom position rotate your palms back to a supinated position before performing your next rep.

Pro tip:
Performing these from a tall kneeling position on both knees will help you activate your core and glutes simultaneously and prevent you from cheating on the curl.

Perform 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps of this exercise with a light to moderate load. You should be able to perform these curls at the beginning or end of your workout 2-3 days each week. Give the Zottman Curl a try and bulletproof those elbows.

Onward and Upward : “Bucket List”

This blog was originally posted back in January of 2014. We wanted to share this again, as we have had many people join our community over these last 7 years who might not know our origins. Our backstory from when C2 was originally created in our home garage in 2013. Many workouts and community events have occurred since then, but our mission remains the same: To serve each and everyone of you to the best of our ability each day.

Enjoy….

 

I remember the moment I met Mike.  For those of you who haven’t heard our story, let me fill you in. Mike and I lived in the same apartment complex with a small community workout center.  I went there everyday, sometimes twice, to run on the treadmill (I know, I know…) After seeing each other there a few times and then being introduced by a mutual friend, Mike decided he would run with me.  A few months and 20-something pounds later, he could not keep up the “I like to run” front, and finally asked me out on a date. (Just for the record, Mike hates to run and hasn’t run with me since!)

 

Three years and many hours spent in globo-gyms later, we were married.  Shortly after,  we created a bucket list together. On it we listed places we wanted to travel, children we hoped to have, and near the top was owning a gym. And now, eight years after creating that list together, we are thrilled that CrossFit Cornelius is not only a check off our bucket list, but a shared passion and life dream.

 

As we open our doors for the first time to our new community of athletes, we think it’s important to create a bucket list for our box, our community and our future. We plan to revisit this list often, checking things off and adding new goals.
So, here goes.
  1.  As owners and coaches, we hope to inspire others to work hard and reach goals that they set for themselves, inside and outside of the box.
  2. We will build a box that represents all that we love and believe in, and where our members will always be our number one priority.
  3. Create and facilitate an inclusive community of athletes, from all walks of life, who empower and support each other to reach their goals.
  4. Build a box that people can’t wait to get to everyday.
  5. Never, ever stop learning. Our coaches will constantly research and take part in certifications and seminars to deliver the best CrossFit experience possible to C2.  We will also host seminars in the box for our members on nutrition, Olympic lifting, endurance, etc.
  6. Make memories and laugh a lot.

 

To be continued…

 

As you read C2’s bucket list, we hope it will inspire you to revisit or create one of your own.  We can’t wait to see what 2014 has in store for each of you and we can’t wait to help you reach your goals!

 

#onwardandupward

 

-Kristin & Mike