Blog Archive

I’m sure we have a lot of chocolate lovers among our community and let me tell you, I’m one of them. All kinds and shapes, pure or mixed, dark or milky.

Chocolate is also known for it’s very high antioxidant proprieties, or more accurately it is the Cocoa (Cacao bean), that chocolate is made of. That’s another reason why dark chocolate – with a high cacao content – is better for you.

But did you know that the chocolate industry supports Child Labour???

I was shocked while watching a documentary the other day. Children that should be in school are trafficked for money and forced to work becoming cocoa slaves. It’s a very sad truth.

Here is a piece copied from the CBC website about it:

“Chocolate is a multi-billion dollar global industry, but, nearly a decade after key players signed a pledge to eradicate child labour, little has been done to implement it. This special investigation highlights the continuing abuse children suffer in the production of chocolate, despite repeated promises of reform.

This film shows that the chocolate industry still supports child labour through its supply chain, that child labour is still rife in the fields and that the industry has made few moves to eradicate it or the child trafficking behind it.

Over 40% of the world’s cocoa is sourced from the west African region of Cote d’Ivoire, and the UN estimates that there are around 15,000 children working on the region’s cocoa farms. These include children as young as eight years old, many from neighbouring Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana, who are trafficked across borders and used as forced labour.

In 2001 the chocolate industry signed up to the Harkin Engel Protocol in which it promised “industry wide standards of public certification…that cocoa beans and their derivative products are free of the worst forms of child labour”.

Reported by Paul Kenyon for BBC.”

Click here to view the full documentary if you are interested.

I know that I will make better choices when buying chocolate from now on.

And you? What’s your opinion?

TUESDAY WOD

Remember that today’s wod is part of the fitness rating!

OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING TOTAL

– 1 Rep Max Snatch

– 1 Rep Max Clean and Jerk

Take as many attempts as you want, just make sure you are done at the top of the hour!

Add up you numbers and post your scores.

Have fun

Fancypants.

These are still being handed out. Please try and get yours ASAP.

Confirmed times that I will be around this week:
Tuesday: 11am-2pm & 5pm
Wednesday: 7am-9am & 5-7pm
I will also be around on other days I am just not sure of times.

If you have your Key Card please remember to SIGN IN!!
It is simple and quick, scan your card and boom you are done
Questions please comment.

Dash

Hello people!
Let’s start off another week with lots of fun

Our very dear Tony “Prof” Leyland together with our coaches input came up with a very comprehensive Fitness Rating spreadsheet for crossfitters. Filling in our scores will give us a rating that can be used:

a) to see where we stand in relation to the rest of the folks in the gym;
b) for the High Performance Center, Madlab and possibly other cool competitions we host.

So from now on every Tuesday we will post a WOD from the Fitness Rating so we can have our up-to-date ranking and scores instead of the last time you did it.

Click HPC Fitness Score to download it, then make sure you do them all and fill up your spreadsheet!

*** Please note the tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet – Intro / Male / Female – and fill in appropriately ***

And of course, I can’t end this post without commending everyone for the great Halloween Party .

Good times!

MONDAY WOD:

Murph

1 Mile Run
100 Pull ups
200 Push ups
300 Squats
1 Mile Run

Partition the pull ups, push ups ans squats as needed. Start and finish with a mile run.

Newbies can do the SMURPH version (half)

Happy Monday!

Fancypants

We constantly here that breakfast is the hardest meal for people on paleo. I for one find it the easiet meal to not cheat and I can constantly vary what I am eating. So myself and a few other paleo gurus (Brown Owl, Tbear, The Duronios…..) have compiled a short list for some simple breakfasts:

20 Different Breakfast that are clean (yes some of them will sound a little like a dinner meal but they are great in the morning and keep you full for most of the day)

1. Grilled Salmon and berries
2. Omelets and raw milk cheese
3. Veggie Frittata (you can add bacon, salmon or other meats also)
4. Paleo Pancakes
5. Paleo Scones
6. Bison Burgers with Zucchini
7. Smoothies
8. Paleo Nut Porridge
9. Steak and Eggs
10. Spinach and Butternut hash
11. Apple and Almond Butter
12. Paleo Banana Bread
13. Grilled Salmon and Asparagus
14. Sweet Potato Hash and Sausages
15. Ground Beef/Bison with eggs and Veggies
16. Cucumber and Pork Tenderloin
17. Bison Roast with Cauliflower surprise
18. Egg Cups
19. Stir-fry veggies (zucchini, peppers, kale, spinach) with pork
20. Primal Granola
21. Good old leftovers! (Lamb shanks are a fav!)

Check out Brown Owls Blog for some great recipes

Now remember to HYDRATE for tonight people! And remember NO CLASSES SUNDAY

Saturdays Team WOD:

In this order complete the following with only one person working at a time.
Run 1 Mile
75 Shoulder Press (45/35lbs)
100 Double Unders
200 Calorie Row
100 Double Unders
75 Toes to Bar
Together run 400 meters with a 20lb Ball (one ball per team)

Happy Halloween,
Dashie

There are about 10 pumpkins at the school that we need carved for Saturday! There are tools there so please come by and carve one!!!

Now for all those Paleo Enthusiasts here is a great article for you. I am sure there are many out there on Paleo that eat far too many nuts and here is why we shouldn’t

Go NUTS on NUTS

Now the next Paleo Challenge!
We are in the process of developing the next Paleo challenge. It is time to get serious before the festive christmas season arrives! I would love you to post in the comments if you are interested and/or if you have any ideas/things you want to see in the next challenge.

And now for Friday Funday!!!

TECH: Clean and Jerk

WOD: Clean and Jerks
10 Clean and Jerks (135/85)
550 Run
8 Clean and Jerks (155/105)
550 Run
6 Clean and Jerks (175/125)
550 Run

This is what we have to look forward to!

Get your tickets now! And there will also be pumpkins at the school that will need to be carved, please feel free to carve one! Also note there will be NO CLASSES on SUNDAY

Thursday:

Tech: Sumo Deadlift (aim for some heavy sets of 5)

WOD: TWENTY ONES
21,21,21
Sumo Deadlift (205/135)
Bulgarian Ring Rows
Hand Release Push Ups

Enjoy

V-SNAPS! Keep the Core tight and reach!!!!

Dont forget to get your keycards! Sorry that The Dash was not around yesterday she got pulled into a meeting.

And now for the Wednesday WOD:

WU:

False Grip Practice

Hang for 10sec –  rest for 20s x8

Tech – Handstand Walking

or “Wall Teaters” – progression to handstand walking

In teams of 2 (one person working at a time)- Count Rounds in 20min of:

10m Handstand Walk

15 Chest to Bar Pullups

20 Broad Jumps (use body height)

25 V-Snaps

Happy Jumping! Check out Stermadinks awesome Box Jump!!!!!

Great Hip extension to start now what…….

He is on the box but………..Does he make it?????

UHHHH-OHHHHHHHHH

YIKES

DONT pull a STERMADINK!!!!!!!

BOOYAH!

Thats right the Key Cards are finally ready to go! Dash will be around for the classes starting tomorrow and for the rest of the week, please be sure to see her before your class to get your key card and from now on SIGN IN to your classes! You can sign in 1/2 hour before and 10 mins after the class starts so please be sure to do this. There will be more information when you get your key card. Please do not take a key card from another coach or by yourself there is a method to Dashies madness.

Warm-up and Skill Work

Let’s warm-up and work your explosive power via the box jump.

10 Box Jumps at 20inch. Add a riser and continue to complete 4 to 6 jumps trying to explode out of the jumping stance and landing on the box as high in a receiving position as possible.

Work multiple reps at 32, 36, and 42 inches and right under that max BJ.  Get Jumping!!

Workout “in LAD we ThruST”
Thruster Ladder (Med light weight of 55 and 75lbs)

With a partner complete:                             By yourself

6 Thrusters in the 1st minute                       3
8 Thruster in the 2nd minute                       4
10 Thrusters in the 3rd minute                    5
12 Thrusters in the 4th minute                    6
14 Thruster in the 5th minute                      7
16 Thrusters in the 6th minute                    8
18 in the 7th                                                9
20 in the 8th                                                10
22 in the 9th                                                11

and so on until your unable to get all reps done within the minute.

Post the number of total thrusters completed if you were with a partner / 2. Post your number if you were by yourself.

T

Workout
I saw this WOD a while back on .com and thought of Marco and all those kids (including myself) who partake in weekend festivities and need that monday spill of sweat (sans the intrusive Monday barbell).

Hit this one on your own or partner up and get it done. Rotate through assorted progressions when and if you need assistance.

30 HSPU’s
40 KB Swings
50 Pull-up’s
60 Sit-ups (use dumbbells for anchoring)
70 Burpees

Skill Work – Prior to WOD
Shoulder Mobility and
Push Press (3,3,3,3) at 80%1RM

TBear

If you haven’t picked up a ticket for the Hallowe’en party yet for both yourself and your friends, do so pretty quick before ticket prices go up mid-week!! It will definitely be one of the most memorable nights of the year.

If you want to bartend, e-mail Sheppy: theshepherd@crossfit.ca

And we still need people to sign-up for decorating, clean-up and door duty – bartending and working the door is a great way to get to know people in the community if you’re new. Sign-up is on the bulletin board at the entrance.

Saturday:

Technique: Put 15 minutes on the clock and work on your double unders. Conquer those bad boys!

WOD: Hostile Takeover WOD #1

A few of us are heading to Seattle this weekend for the Hostile Takeover event. It’s a one day partner event (one man, one woman) with three workouts total. Today’s workout is the first event that we’ll be doing today, as well.

Post your scores to the comments, let us know how you did, and we’ll let you know how you and your partner would have done in Seattle. Our event doesn’t start until 1 pm, so it will be good to have you test drive this workout for us and give us some strategy tips.

The workout:

On a 16 minute running clock. 4 minutes at each exercise. Partner A works for 30s while partner B rests. Switch every 30s until the 4 minutes are up, and then move on to the next movement.

Air Squats
Push Ups
Box Jumps
Burpee Pull Ups

Sunday:

Technique: Overhead Squats (3, 3, 3)

WOD:

3 Rounds of:

10 OHS (135/95 lbs)
50 Double Unders

EUNICE