Our resident race expert, Amelia B

For those of you doing the tough mudder this coming weekend who weren’t able to make it to Amelia’s Tough Mudder Strategy Talk (tsk tsk), here’s the outline she made with some key tips and prep points for the race. Take a minute and look over this as Amelia is quite experienced when it comes to obstacle races; you’d be foolish not to. If you see her around the gym be sure to thank her as well. She was wiling to take time out of her busy schedule to put this together which is greatly appreciated!

Amelia’s contact info and blog are at the bottom, if you have more detailed questions feel free to reach out to her (in relation to these races). Now read up and get ready to run your best race ever!

Obstacle Course Racing 

Gear

• Shoes: Entirely acceptable to run in an old pair of running shoes (there are places to toss them afterwards), but a good pair of trail running/mud shoes won’t get weighed down and will provide much better traction.
  • Recommendations: Salomon Speedcross 3; inov-8 x-talons, mud claws, bare grips, trailrocs; La Sportiva Crosslite. Trail running shoes such as Brooks Pure Grit, Cascadia or Saucony Peregrine are a nice “in between” shoe.

• Clothes: Compression gear, spandex. Anything that doesn’t retain water and get bogged down.
  • Recommendations: Cheap is the name of the game here – expect rips and holes.

• Gloves: Split of opinion on this. I generally find that gloves don’t help grip for any obstacles, but others swear by them.
  • Recommendations: Mad Grip ($10 on amazon); cheap gardening sticky gloves

Obstacle/Course Tips

• Rope Climbs: Don’t try to climb like a Crossfitter here. There will be knots – use them.
• Barbed Wire Crawls: If it’s clear, roll, don’t crawl. Saves your knees and energy.
• Walls: I find it easiest to grab the top, and use your feet to “climb” the wall. Or, help each other. Unless you are racing in an elite heat, help is always allowed.
• Electroshock: Use your arms to part the wires so you’ll get hit there first. Protect your head (and mouth).
• Monkey Bars: Wipe your hands in dirt to get some grip, and try to find the least muddy set. Hook OVER the bars as much as possible.
• Rings: Find a rhythm in your swing. Slow and steady will get you across.
• Tyrolean traverse: Go on top, not underneath. Hook your top leg and use your arms to pull.
• Tire flips/drags/etc: Use your legs; keep your back out of flips. Find a rope that’s long enough to hoist over your shoulder for the drags.
• In general: If you are not a runner, don’t be afraid to walk. Well over 50% of the people out there are walking the course, especially if there are hills. Just be courteous if it is single track and runners are trying to pass.

What to bring on race day:

• Trash bags: Your clothes will be muddy – throw them in, and deal with them when you get home
• One or two full size towels, and a hand towel: There will be “showers,” but for drying off
• Change of clothes; extra warm clothes
• Nutrition: For a race longer than 5 miles, I’d carry a gel or two with me. Bring post race snacks, bars, etc.
• ID (for race check in), camera/phone, cash, a Sharpie and car keys: They will have waivers and race numbers if you forget yours.

Check out these races

• Tough Mudder (10-12 miles) (May 18^th/19^th)
• Warrior Dash (3 miles) (June 15^th & 16^th)
• Spartan Race
  • Midwest Super (8-9 miles): July 20^th and 21^st
  • Wisconsin Beast (11-12miles): October 8^th and 9^th
  • Superhero Scramble: August 24^th
    • Villian Option (13 miles)
    • Super Villian (26+ miles)
    • Men’s Health Urbanathlon (13 miles): October 19th

Resources

• http://mudandadventure.com/ (calendar of races; reviews)
• http://www.obstacleracingmagazine.com/
• http://mudmanreport.blogspot.com/ (race reviews)
• http://www.travlete.com/

My contact info

amelia.boone@gmail.com

http://raceipsa.blogspot.com

For those of you who know Brady, you know this guy is a beast when it comes to heavy lifting and crushing metcons. For those that don’t him, be sure to jump in a class the next time you see him rolling foam next to the CrossFit space gearing up for yet another bruising workout. Pre and Post-WOD, Brady is an all around pleasure to have in the box, bringing in a positive attitude each and every day, and cheering other athletes on even after class has ended. And when it comes to the WOD itself, Brady always gives the leaders a run for their money, if not dominating the leaderboard himself. We had a chance to catch up with this Atlas Featured Athlete in this month’s Fireside Chat:

ACF: What’s your favorite CrossFit WOD?
BH: I love high rep chippers or 3-4 round WODs. I think the workouts where you know there is an end to the movements makes it a lot easier mentally to hang onto the bar for a couple more reps. I also like to be a meathead and do the 3-5 rep heavy squats, cleans, push press, bench and have really started to do the Every Minute on the Minute (EMOM) cleans and snatches which have helped both of those lifts a ton.

ACF: What do you consider your best skill and/or best lift?
BH: Squats and cleans are probably the things I can consistently do well.

ACF: What do you consider your worst skill and/or worst lift?
BH: Where do I even start with this list?! What I love about CrossFit is that there is always a new movement or rep scheme that makes me question if I actually have any strengths. The workouts give just the right amount of success and failure to make me want to always come back. Also, I am so slow at sit-ups and I don’t know why, I have got to be the slowest person at sit-ups in the entire gym.

ACF: What’s your favorite Paleo meal?
BH: I tried Paleo for lent one year and lost about 20 pounds. Some people probably think that is a good thing; well let me tell you, it was honestly an awful experience. Eating Paleo while hungover is an even worse experience. That being said, I eat pretty much the same thing for breakfast (eggs and fruit) and dinner (Chicken and veggies) almost every day so I guess those are Paleo. Lunch is never Paleo; I crush sandwiches for lunch.

ACF: On the flipside then, what’s your favorite cheat meal?
BH: Pizza, ice cream and Maker’s Mark. Consumed in any order.

ACF: Love it. Let’s switch things up. What attracts you to CrossFit?
BH: Variety is the spice of life! The constant variety in the workouts, the high intensity and the group classes are what make these workouts so attractive to me. It’s also pretty cool to look at all these movements that I physically couldn’t do 2 years ago that are now strengths. It is also incredible to see how quickly others at the gym improve. I always tell people the toughest part about CrossFit is just getting to the gym, once you’re there you’re guaranteed a great workout.

ACF: Agreed. When did you first start CrossFit?
BH: November 2010, I think. But I was secretly following the Atlas blog and seeing if I could even do the workouts before I came in to the original box (which is still my favorite box).

ACF: You mean the one in the basement on Orleans and Erie?
BH: Yes, that one.

ACF: What’s your athletic background? Did you play any college or high school sports?
BH: I played college soccer at Vanderbilt. Another reason I love CrossFit is because I always loved the insanely hard workouts in college and don’t have the ability to push myself that hard when I’m alone.

ACF: Vanderbilt … nice! Did you party with Jay Cutler?
BH: (laughs) … No comment.

ACF: So what’s your view on the CrossFit Games?
BH: They show me how bad I am at CrossFit! That being said, I love watching the Regionals and the Games. The work capacity that those people have is absolutely insane. Overall, participating in the Games is a good measuring stick for what you suck at.

ACF: Based on your experience now over the last 3 or so years, what’s your advice to new CrossFitters?
BH: Don’t be afraid to miss lifts, use lighter weights or ask for advice. The whole point you are in the gym is to improve yourself. The people at the gym will be supportive of your effort and encourage you until the workout is complete.

ACF: That’s awesome advice. What’s your favorite time to workout and why?
BH: Night for sure. Those morning people are insane. However, it’s great to get up and workout before work in the summer sometimes. When it’s cold out though, there is no chance I’m getting out of bed to walk to the gym in the cold.

ACF: If you had to choose, Metcon or Strength?
BH: Strength obviously, again I love being a meathead.

ACF: Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram?
BH: Twitter is amazing, Facebook is a necessary evil and I don’t get Instagram. I also just discovered Snapchat this past weekend, wtf is that?!

ACF: You knew this was coming … what’s your favorite local watering hole?
BH: I probably go to Benchmark more than any other bar, but 90% of the time I go out is in River North.

ACF: Haha, well I think the same goes for about 90% of members as well! Thanks for your time and see you next time in the box!

Look for Brady next time you’re in and introduce yourself. He’s a veteran with a lot of knowledge, great work ethic, and brings the heat in each and every WOD. Big shout out to Brady for the positive energy he brings to the box each night, and keep crushing it!!

We hope you enjoyed this month’s version of Fireside Chat with our Featured Atlas Athlete. Stay tuned for more new and exciting conversations that may be coming your way soon!

Atlas is proud to share Casy M’s Paleo Prime products!
Look for them in the coming weeks!
Trust us- they are good. Seriously good.

Before I get into telling you why I eat Paleo and why I am working to create my career in promoting this lifestyle, I will give you an idea of how fixing my diet and my approach to fitness changed my life. I say “fixed” because what I was doing was ineffective and then it became effective.

Two and a half years ago I was getting tired of working out to not be fat and I was tired of not ever seeing results from my efforts and was tired of dieting attempts based on calorie restriction. I was (still am) a junk food lover but finally concluded that my formula of out-exercising my bad diet habits was an exhausting, losing battle. Realizing that what I was doing was ineffective, I started searching for a better way. I found Crossfit and the Paleo diet right around the same time and things changed. One parallel I draw between Crossfit and Paleo is efficacy. I found dramatic improvements in athletic performance doing CrossFit, while finding weight loss, energy and a general good feeling by eating Paleo. I was able to think about working out in terms of specific goals: getting faster, stronger and more skilled. To me, those reasons are so much more motivating to get to the gym than a need to work off calories. For me, eating paleo is not a diet but rather a way of eating that I know to be healthy and sustainable.

The idea for Paleo Prime came from the lack of good paleo packaged food options combined with a pre-existing desire to start a food business.  I was already making Paleo snacks to share with friends and saw an opportunity to develop them into products that can be packaged. My professional background in product development and food science helped make Paleo Prime a reality. The products are designed to satisfy the nutritional needs and food cravings that come up in our daily lives, especially when we are on the go.  The products stand out as “different from the rest” because of their taste, quality and simplicity of ingredients. To me, these qualities are more important than the “paleo” designation.

The most fun I had in this process was the ingredient selection. For example, I found an amazing source for dried berries from an orchard co-op in Michigan. The ability to talk directly with the ingredients’ producers and to visit the agricultural sites reinforces a direct connection between the source and the final product. I hope to develop more of these direct relationships in the future because I believe it will lead to the best products.

I am extremely excited to share these products with Atlas and the broader community. I developed three amazing Paleo snacks that are launching this May online at paleoprimefoods.com and at various local retail locations. These three have met strict criteria for tasting great and using simple high quality ingredients. Here is the lineup:

1. Paleo Prime Bar – Cacao Protein:  The Prime bar is super-packed with nutrients and is perfect for pre or post workout fuel. A 2.5 oz bar has 15 grams of protein (from egg white protein), Omega-3’s from flaxseed, fat from coconut oil and plenty of potassium from dates, sunflower seeds and coconut. 100% cacao and dried blueberry are high in antioxidants. Not only will you enjoy eating this bar, you will be getting the perfect amounts of what you need to perform your best.

2. Paleo Prime Granola – Berry Crunch: A delicious Paleo granola that bursts with flavor simply because of the ingredients are so good! Berry crunch is packed with dried berries, nuts and seeds all lightly roasted with flavors of honey, vanilla, and cinnamon. This is the perfect on the go or between meals snack that is strictly Paleo. Beware, it is hard to stop eating it once you start!

3. Paleo Prime Cookie – Vanilla Blueberry: A uniquely delicious Paleo treat. Flavors of almond, blueberry, vanilla and honey. So simple, yet rich and indulgent. (This is my daughter’s favorite!)

I hope you take the opportunity to try eating Paleo and to try these products. I am dedicated to making the best of whatever I put my name on and would love to hear any feedback you may have. I look forward to being a part of your Paleo journey.

Casey McMillin
CrossFitter/ Dad/ Entrepreneur/ Paleo Prime Foods Owner/ Product Designer
paleoprimefoods.com
facebook/paleoprime
@paleoprime

Here’s a quick recipe from Coach Brendan to add to the Paleo Test Kitchen:

Last month I wrote a post on the importance of grip strength, for this post I decided to focus on something a little more fundamental. Squatting.

As a coach I try my best to have a sense of what we as a box need to be working on. I’ve been pushing muscle ups quite a bit over the past few weeks/months, and it’s starting to pay off for a lot of you (Jen W NEARLY got her first this Sunday after the clean and jerk ladder, so I’m expecting her to get a full one this week). After watching everyone at the clean and jerk ladder yesterday, I’m realizing we need to be doing more squatting. And not just front, back and overhead squats, I’m talking squat cleans and squat snatches. Too many of us are still trying to pull the bar up onto our shoulders, instead of pulling ourselves under the bar. When you reach triple extension, your arms should still be straight. Both the clean and the snatch are powered by your legs, NOT your arms. Here’s a few examples of good triple extension with arms straight.

When you try to pull the bar up onto your shoulders, you engage your arms too soon, and slow the speed of your elbows. This then causes you to be less likely to catch the bar in a good position on your shoulders, and ultimately can cause you to miss the lift. Most of us aren’t comfortable dropping under the bar to catch it in a squat because we don’t practice that way, or squat enough likely. Training with only power cleans and snatches is not going to give you the best results, and skipping days with squats isn’t going to help much either. Yesterday I set a 20#PR on my C&J, and it could of been 25#, but I can’t front squat 275# (I was able to power clean 270#).  You SHOULD be able to squat clean more than you can power clean because you don’t need to get the bar as high, but like me, I’m going to bet that’s not the case for most of you (this ultimately is my fault as a coach, my apologies). So be prepared for a heavy dose of squatting in the coming weeks, of all types! You will likely need to go down in weight on your cleans and snatches for a little bit, but if you’re willing to put your ego aside, and focus on technique, the results will come soon enough.

-Coach Brendan

YUMMY!!!!

HEY GANG!  Disclaimer I didn’t actually measure any of these ingredients BUT this was THE best paleo cake I have ever made SO……..

About:

2 Cups Almond Meal

6 eggs (enough to get the mixture moist and completely saturated.)

1/4 cup of honey (I have no idea, just tasted the mixture and added honey until it tasted good )

Generous sprinkle of  Cinnamon. (sprinkle more on the top of the mixture prior to baking.)

1/2 cup to a cup of coconut flakes.

Handful of crumbled pecans.

Essentially I mixed the dry ingredients together, mixed the eggs together, stirred the two until smooth. Dumped the mixture into a ghee (clarified butter) greased baking dish. Drizzled honey, sprinkled cinnamon, and pecan crumbles on the top. Then baked in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes, until the center was firm.

EAT THIS WARM WITH GHEE OR BUTTER!

Michael Schaefer was a beloved member of the Atlas community before his untimely passing. Please join us in honoring him at this fundraiser!

Today’s WOD may not be your favorite, but you should still do it. Here’s Coach Tyler’s take on why.

I don’t like chocolate or hot drinks.  For most people this is a foreign concept but something I’m open about.  I’ve been able to live a long a fruitful life without such creature comforts because thankfully they are not that good for me to being with.  Put another way, for some innate reason I’m luckily averse to that which would detract more than it adds to my bodies ecosystem.

Ultimately, this is what fitness is all about; maximizing those tendencies that promote health and fitness while limiting those that would stunt it.  This applies to diet, exercise, sleep, time management and in a macro sense to the good health of any system or program be it business, social or otherwise.  At its core what I’m talking about is sacrifice.

To get into shape, to be fitter or look better whatever your metric requires sacrifice.  You go to bed early to get up early to bust your ass in the gym.  You skip meals, add meals, choke down kale and eschew burgers all in an attempt to build and refine the machine that is your body.  Sometimes its easy, as in the case where you don’t like chocolate or coffee to being with.   Other times intermittent fasting can have you seeing spots.  We all have our little challenges, which brings me to today.

To be fair programming is a thankless job, as you simply cannot make everyone happy all the time.  To wit, numbers for a wod like today are notoriously bad.  This is to be expected.  Perhaps I am in the minority when I say, “Kill that noise.  That’s loser talk.  You want camaraderie?  Join the Mason’s.”

It is that and ONLY that which we don’t want to do, which we do not like and would otherwise be unwilling to do that will test us, force our limits and spark improvement in ourselves.  Do you know what doing things your way has gotten you?  Everything you have, and nothing more.  You’re here because you saw something more challenging, gnarlier and more motivating than ever because otherwise you wouldn’t need us.  You’d be out running a 5k without provocation or restraint.  You wouldn’t ask for permission or expect adulation.

Running sucks, but so does apartheid and child slavery.  Suck it up Buttercup.  So the next time you check the wod online and groan or complain or make other plans just remember that in our community you get only what you earn.  With your time.  With your effort.  With your callused hands and your bleeding shins and what you sacrifice.  Not just because you want to or it suits you but because there’s no other way.

-Coach Tyler

Sign up on the sheet by the chalkboard in the main entrance OR by emailing Nicole@atlascrossfit.com.

Hey Folks!

A new challenge is upon us, so for some members the next six weeks will consist of strict diets, a lot of working out and some fun teamwork.  Some of us have done this before and know what to expect, while for others, this is their first time.   That being said, I figured it would be a good idea to post some links that can make life a little easier during the next six weeks.  To those of you competing, good luck, have fun and enjoy!

10 tips when eating pale0
Paleo Diet Lifestyle
Recipes