Fitness is earned. AUGUST 2012
Krista CrossFit AKRON ATHLETE
Targeted Supplements to AID your WOD.
Get it at The Box.
The Team
Contents
Founders Josh Felber Brian Parana
Coaches Jamie Grigas Jason Elrod Nate Napolitano Cindy Virdo
Media Coordinator Katie Middendorf
Wassup? Words from BP
4
Coach’s Tip
6
Games & Soxy Highlights
7
Welcome On-Ramp Grads
8
Team Member Bio
10
Featured Member
11
Whole Life Challenge
12
Upcoming Events
16
Nosh on This
17
CFAN Grand Opening
18
What We Saw This Month
20
Intern Coaches Hannah Whitman Eric Wilson JP Lytle Dustin Shaffer
A Little Something to think about… Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. -John Wooden Contact us @ 330.664.9671 or crossfitakron@gmail.com. For more information on CrossFit Akron, go to www.crossfitakron.com
Wazzup? There are exciting times and CrossFit Akron is forging ahead. Continued growth and development are mainstays for this box. One of the best things that we are doing right now is adding to our community. This means more CrossFitters to join our crew. Look out for these new members to become some of your good friends and fellow WOD partners. What's on the top of the list... The opening of CrossFit Akron North. Jason is in full swing with his box. He's already wrapping up his first OnRamp class and rolling those athletes into WOD classes. Each week, look for Jason to continue his growth and development. As he grows, our events and challenges will grow too! Look for a combined effort in the next three events with both CFA and CFAN participating in the 31 Heroes WOD, the Men's Lift Heavy Sh!t and the Women's Strong Is The New Skinny events. New Coaches! That's right, our interns have arrived. Congrats to JP Lytle and Eric Wilson for passing and completing their CrossFit Level 1 certification! The best part is, they have completed the majority of their requirements for their mentorship program with CrossFit Akron. They will be joining the coach team shortly in September. You can look forward to having two coaches in each class. Dustin is slated to take his CrossFit Level 1 certification in September. He will be joining our team shortly thereafter. More coaches means more eyes, ears, and people looking out for you! In Beta Testing now... Are you looking to step up your game, redefine yourself, strive to be better? These innate qualities to become better lies in all athletes here at CrossFit Akron. We are developing new ways to reach your goals and reach the top of your potential with approaches. A few athletes have gone through this newly beginning program and have experienced great change. CrossFit Akron presents Success Coaching. If you are interested in learning more about our Success Coaching program, please contact brian@crossfitakron.com Pursuit of Excellence... As our box grows, our coaches develop, and CFA expands into the new location, we strive for excellence. Seeking out the best for our athletes, we are redefining what CFA will look like, feel like, and will become as we move into our new space. While out at the CrossFit Games, we were able to see the newest and greatest in the CrossFit community. These new technologies and developments we saw out in California will allow us to push forward, continually look out for new upgrades, better programming, and better service. New Building update... Due to the City of Akron, our relocation has been held up. Permits for building the new space have caused the delay. The construction company and Testa are working diligently to secure these permits as quickly as possible. We anticipate November 15 as our launch date. As the time grows closer and plans unfold, we will keep you up-to-date as possible on this exciting move. Look out for visual renderings, blueprint of the space, and any other cool features we can show you. CrossFit is about challenge and overcoming difficulties in the WOD and in life. Raise Your Standards... —- Brian. "I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece. I challenge you to join the ranks of those people who live what they teach, who walk their talk." Tony Robbins
RECOVERY.
Sometimes after a workout, you feel like you've recovered but at the cellular level you haven't fully recovered yet. This formula reenergizes your cells by increasing your ATP levels (Adenosine Triphospatethe energy powerhouse of the cell). Within an hour after the workout, mix yourself up a dose of Recovery Formula. Then, either eat real meal or take another dose about two hours later. The purpose is to re-energize your tired muscles and help them recover, protect against joint injury and decrease the negative effects of free radical oxidants. Recovery is 2/3 whey concentrate derived from a grass fed, free range cows, which are never treated with antibiotics or bovine growth hormones and 1/3 essential amino acids for recovery.
Fortified.
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Don’t let Brian be the only wise-guy in the box.
GET YOURS. Ask your coaches and pick it up the next time you’re in.
Post WOD Recovery Tips WODS are hard.
We all know that. You' ve seen it a million times, someone glued to the mat for 5 minutes making sweat angels (guilty ) after a WOD, but is this really the best approach to a quick recovery? Jason Elrod After watching the Games athletes complete 3 WODs back to back I noticed CFA North COACH *& something. None of these athletes laid down, in fact they did the opposite OWNER and moved around. This lead me to rethink my own strategy and do a little research on the best methods for recovery. I was happy to find that I already incorporated all these strategies except the first lol (this sprawled out position has often been referred to as the "Elrod" position due to my frequency in it), but no longer. This leads me to my first tip for recovery:
1.Keep moving after the WOD. This is my new resolution, no more "Elrod" position! Active recovery like walking, a slow jog or row will help keep blood flowing and move around all the arterial lactate or lactic acid (the byproduct of that high intensity WOD you just did) so it can be reabsorbed your muscles. This will help with fatigue and soreness, I promise.
2.Post-wod nutrition is crucial! I cannot overstate the importance of taking in quality nutrients after a demanding WOD. Wait a minute, aren't they all demanding? So this means this should always be part of your post workout recovery routine. It is key to get an easily digestible protein source in us immediately after our workout as well as a quality carb (veggies are great). I personally use the SFH recovery whey protein. It is the cleanest protein on the market and provides everything my body needs to recover, repair and reload. For carbs I stay away from fruit if possible and normally have a veggie loaded salad or some sweet potatoes or squash. Fructose (the sugars in most fruit) is primarily used to replenish glycogen (our stored fuel source) in the liver and not in the muscles which have a much greater capacity. Taking advantage of our bodies efficiency in processing calories will not only lead to quicker recovery but have us fueled up for our next WOD.
3.Be a fish. I cannot over state the importance of hydration or the negative effects of dehydration. Dehydration is the first step in the injury cycle. It can lead to electrolyte imbalance, poor performance and a slow recovery. Hydration is also key in avoiding fatigue. Our bodies our mostly water so for our systems to work efficiently we must be hydrated. Water transports nutrients to the cells and moves waste out. With out water we cannot form the structures of proteins and glycogen which again are crucial to recovery. I personally have added a Nuun drop (we carry these at he box) to my daily routine and the difference is noticeable. I feel like my muscles are more supple and my energy level has actually increase. I thought I was walking around completely dehydrated, now I know I was. I
I hope these tips help, if you use them I guarantee they will. Happy WOD-ing! -Coach Elrod
2nd Fittest Woman in the World! Betsy Finley drove her way to a 2nd-place finish at the CrossFit Games. We can't be more proud of her for the hard work and determination that she made throughout her training and competition. Betsy put in many labor intensive hours of training to prepare for her return trip to the CrossFit Games. She would often do 2 WODs in one day near the end of her training. Not to forget her team of qualified coaches and therapists. Not only was she working with all of the CrossFit Akron coaches, she got regular weekly massages, adjustments, active release/ muscle activation therapy sessions as well. Throughout each event, Betsy gave her best! You could tell in her effort and how she felt after the events were over. Each workout started with a warm-up with Brian and Josh. We all went over what needed to be done for each WOD to place the best in each. We went through the different movements making sure her form was spot on. Following warm-up, Betsy would meet her judge to talk about standards for the WOD. It was then game time, then she would enter the competition arena fully prepared to go all out. Following the competition, we would talk about her performance and also get an ice bath. The ice bath was essential to allowing for quick recovery.
Josh, Brian, Jamie, Mike Byun & Paul Gonzales Went. Why you should go too. It's the big showdown, the World Championships of CrossFit! What better way to celebrate CrossFit then at this wonderful event. This is truly the fittest crowd around, six packs everywhere, I'm not talking about beer either. It was a showcase for vendors as well. Many well-known vendors such as Reebok, Rogue, Again Faster, Rx Jump Ropes, and many more were here to show off their best goods and services. On day 1 of the CrossFit Games, you should've seen the impressive lines of CrossFitters out to buy shoes, shirts, and gear to help improve their WODs. Paleo was in full swing as the food vendors offered up grass fed burgers, wild caught fish, and plenty of avocados to go around. Every meal tasted amazing there, it was very easy to keep your nutrition habits because they didn't offer french fries and pop. The stadium is where they held most of the main events. The whole CrossFit Akron crew had great seats that were a couple rows from the bottom. This allowed for optimal viewing and entertainment. They ended each day with the men's and women's final event of the day. You could feel the energy in the stadium as the crowd cheered for their favorite athlete. At the end of the competition Annie Thorisdottir and Rich Froning Jr were crowned the Fittest Woman and Man on Earth.
Next July, plan the CrossFit Games into your summer!
Welcome on-
New faces you’ll be se
Ashley Sedorvich
Cindy Wiles
Kirsten Beverly
Nora Fleming
Russ Ensign
Sam Bartlett
David Moats
Dot Rapp
Tim Marks
Lauren Co
Seyi Am
Donald Ha
Angelas Journey Through On-Ramp
astic about it. I’ve been a runner for a few years now and I felt I w in my hips and core to be a faster runner without injuries. I also wa ter:-)
When I started OnRamp, these were my goals. In just six classes what it really means to be fit. I’m so glad they really focus on n plan. The coaches at CrossFit Akron are awesome! I love the chological/mental hurdles we face when making daily decisions th David Rosenblum
I really like CrossFit Akron because there are a variety of people when I first attempted to jump rope :-) The coaches are always v fitness/life goals.
-ramp grads!
eeing around the box:
Marissa Marangoni
Liza Englert
omer
Isaac Hall
mele
Tim Windham
Mike Palumbo
Susan Moen
arris
Dante Roulette
Jessie Wilson
Ken Rocco
…
Coming into OnRamp I already had friends who were doing CrossFit and were really enthusiwas in decent shape for being a mother of three. I knew I needed to do some strength training anted to loose a few pounds and become leaner to increase performance and of course look bet-
s, I feel CrossFit Akron has convinced me to reach for even higher goals and taught me nutrition and I feel better than I ever knew I could just by eating according to the Whole Nine e White Board chats! I always took away a few words with me to help with some of those psyhat ultimately change our life. This is the part of CrossFit that I did not expect.
e, with a variety of goals, at all different fitness levels…and they didn’t laugh at me too much very encouraging and really want to see everyone grow, master new skills and achieve their
TEAM TEAM--MEMBER BIO: Eric Wilson Eric is in his senior year of college at Malone University, graduating this spring with a degree in Exercise Science along with a Coaching minor. He was recently certified as a CrossFit L-1 Trainer and CrossFit Football Trainer. Eric played football for the last 16 years, and this fall will be his last season as an athlete. This season will also be his toughest season as he is just now fully recovered from having hip arthroscopy surgery performed on both of my hips. Additionally, Eric played many other sports including baseball, wrestling, BMX, track and basketball before he decided to focus on just football while in college. Eric credits his family for helping him develop into the talented, focused man this he is. “I have a very loving family made up of my parents, my grandparents, my 4 brothers and my sister. Oh and I can’t forget about my wiener dog Gizmo!” He had so much fun and learned so much during his internship through school that I did not want it to end there so I started the mentorship program. I truly believe training is the profession that I am meant for: Obesity is way too common here in our beautiful country and as one of my professors always says "it is our generations responsibility to fix it". CrossFit is awesome. I have been an athlete my entire life and have been witness to many different types of training. CrossFit incorporates all of those types into one fun class session. I do not think its possible to get the amount of work you get done in an hour of CrossFit training in any other type of training. I can honestly say I am in the best shape of my life already and I am only 2 full months into lifting after recovering from surgery. Last and most importantly is the community that we have here at CrossFit Akron. I have met some awesome people and made some great friends in my short time here. I'm excited to continue and see what we all can achieve together.
Run The Bird With Us. CFA will have 2 Relay Teams participating in the Akron Marathon this year. Last year our relay team placed 10th! Let’s rally and place in the single digits in 2012.
You in? REGISTER HERE.
Featured Member: Tommy Kazias First of let me start by saying my road is a long one (pun intended), and every day I find a new goal to strive for. I am still a ways away from meeting my primary goal of losing 85 lbs I have accomplished more than I ever thought possible in these few months at CFA. As it stands right now I have gone from 260 lbs to 220 lbs with 10 more to go to meet my vacation goal.I am stronger than I have ever been. I dropped from a size 42 pant to a size 38. I have quit smoking. Quit eating candy. Quit drinking soda (which was really really hard for me) and have adopted full on the paleo style of eating ...
Tommy BEFORE CrossFit Akron
How have I done it so far?....I've become very strict with myself. Allowing no room for error. As a truck driver I am on the road 60 to 70 hours a week with only being home Friday through Sunday . Friday, Saturday and Sunday I spend at CrossFit Akron putting in as much time as my schedule permits. When I’m at home I stay as active as possible from taking hikes with my dog to running errands. If I'm moving I'm working towards my goal. While I'm out on the road I do my best to work out. Whether I'm using the travel WODs from the CFA journal making up my own or when I have time taking advantage of other Crossfit boxes hospitality and jump in on a WOD when they'll let me. I always try and make sure I'm not getting lazy out there. My diet has also played a HUGE part in my progress. Before CFA I lived on the truck stop and take out diet. Easily taking in 5000 to 10000 calories. Since the day I signed up at CFA however, I have never looked back. follow the nutrition plan fully and work hard every day to not sway...every Sunday I spend hours preparing my entire weeks worth of meals and snacks. Yeah it gets boring at times and I eat a lot of cold chicken and veggies but the way I feel ... how good I feel ‌ I wouldn't trade for the world. I also owe a lot to the CFA coaches and members who have helped every step of the way. The coaches here actually care about whether or not I reach my goals and hold me accountable every step of the way. girl is also a huge part of my success in reaching goals because she took the plunge into this lifestyle with me. Together we are giving up all of our bad habits and living a healthy lifestyle. Without my coaches. Fellow members. My girl. And the support of friends and family I never could have made it this far and there will be a lot more to come from me.
CrossFit Akron didn't just change my life. They saved my life. And I look forward to the years ahead reaching further goals and learning what I'm really capable of accomplishing. Thank you Tommy Kazias
Contact us @ 330.664.9671 or crossfitakron@gmail.com. For more information on CrossFit Akron, go to www.crossfitakron.com
Whole life challenge
What is the Who
We are so gl
250+ CrossFit affiliates around the world will hold an 8-week intensive health & fitness challenge created to calibrate your entire being towards a no-
holds-barred, take-no-prisoners, no-excuses, gettin’-everythingout-of-it lifetime of physical & mental excellence. PHEW!
The challenge winner will have to succeed in 3 areas: PERFORMANCE: IMPROVE YOUR ABILITY TO WORK AND PLAY! You will do a baseline workout on Day 1 and measure your improvement in performance on the Finals
ACCOUNTABILITY: You will be challenged not just to show up as the winner, but to play the game every day! Nutrition habits, workouts, mobility, fish oil - your daily choices can make or break this challenge for you! You will also have the chance to earn bonus points every week by participating in bonus challenges and sharing your experiences with others.
All participants in the Whole Life Challenge will receive: *Access to the Whole Life Challenge Worldwide Scoreboard. *Pre-game huddle -- a meet-up cre-
Day of the challenge.
ated by CFA to cover the basics of how
BODY TRANSFORMATION: We want you
home and kitchen, shopping, preparing
to be lean & mean. This challenge wouldn’t be complete without knowing what impact it had on your body. You will be measured at the beginning and the end to see just how much your hard work paid off.
to set your
self up: preparing your
food, and strategies. *Access to the WorldWide community and forums to see what thousands of other people just like you are experiencing, learning, and discovering every day.
ole Life Challenge?
lad you asked!
*Access to The Whole Life Challenge blog with support, tips and recipes as
CHALLENGE STARTS: SEPT 15th
well as an opportunity to communicate with coaches and other participants on a daily basis.
CHALLENGE ENDS: NOV 10th
*Online profile to record & track before and after photos along with other vital stats. ATHLETE REGISTRATION BEGINS AUG 15th www.wholelifechallenge.com (website live by Aug. 15)
CASH AND PRIZES FOR MULTIPLE WINNERS. Athlete registration - $45
Get yours at the BOX.
UPCOMING EVENTS Kids Camps: Jul 9– Aug 3, Aug 6– Aug 31 31 Heroes Workout Aug 4, 11a. Lift Heavy Sh!t: Men’s Lifting Challenge Aug 11, 11a at CrossFit Akron NORTH. POWER HOUR: Goal Development Aug 14, 8—9p—Register EARLY! It sold out last time!! Register for the Whole Life Challenge! Available Aug 15. More Details to come! Strong Is The New Skinny: Women’s Challenge Aug 18, 11a Labor Day 5K 9/3 at 9:30a. More Details to come!
THE PREMIER 10-MILE RACE IN NORTHEAST OHIO 10-MILER AND 5K SUNDAY August 12, 2012 Brush High School, Lundhurst, Ohio Give-Aways Awards Refreshments Water Stops Register now at www.perfect10miler.com
NOSH
ON THIS
PALEO FRIED GREEN TOMATOES Katie Middendorf (Snorz)
I have to admit, I love the movie almost as much as I love to eat them. When last summer rolled around and I realized they were no good because of the cornmeal, I was so disappointed, but only for a moment! I’ve scoured the many paleo-friendly culinary websites and resources and have experimented with various recipes. It’s not rocket science, but there should be a balance, and I think I found it. Here is my version. Try them out and let me know what you think! 2 big green tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick (thick cut is key here). *If you don’t have any in your yard, Dunkler’s Farm Market is selling them by the quart right now!* 2 eggs, beaten (3 if the tomatoes are really, really big). 3/4 cup almond meal or flour (you may need less or more depending on how big your tomatoes are) *I prefer meal because it lends to that crunchier texture that cornmeal has, but either is just fine. 1 very generous T garlic powder (I like garlic, scale back if you wish) 1 T of your favorite seasoning—I use Old Bay if I don’t have any of my own combos hanging around. Few pinches of salt, freshly ground pepper pinch of cayenne 2-3 T. oil (I typically use coconut) 1. Place your eggs in a bowl and beat them. Set aside. 2. Place the almond meal, garlic powder, salt, seasoning, cayenne, and pepper in a bowl and stir with your fingers to combine. Set aside. 3. Put a few tablespoons of oil on your favorite pan (I'm partial to my cast iron skillet). Bet the pan hot (medium high heat). 4. Start dipping. Dip slice of tomato, covering each side into the egg, then the flour mixture. Deliver it directly into the hot pan. Once you have filled up your pan with a single layer of tomatos. Sit back and admire for a moment. 5. Let the tomatoes cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side. I like mine a little more brown so I had my heat up a bit higher but you should be good with medium high heat. If it looks like the oil is disappearing, add a little more! 6. Once the tomatoes are done, place on a paper towel lined plate to soak up the extra oil and repeat the process with any remaining slices. Serve immediately! They taste great alone or with a condiment of choice. I dig in with some homemade horseradish catsup. Yum. Enjoy!
Try it. Take a Pic. Post it. Let us know what you think! Share other paleo-recipes! We wanna see what you have cookin’! Send them to katie@crossfitakron.com
GRAND OPENING EVENT Sept. 22, 11a COME PLAY IN OUR NEW 5500 SQUARE FOOT FACILITY FREE WODS, FOOD, MASSAGES, PRIZES MASTER PULLUPS ON OUR 7’X24’ MONKEY BARS OR HANG OUT IN THE ATHLETE’S LOUNGE. CROSSFIT AKRON NORTH IS AN AUTHORIZED REEBOK DEALER
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Thoughts? Ideas? We’d love to hear them. We appreciate your input, suggestions and ideas! So please be sure to share them with us. If it’s related to the newsletter, shoot Katie an email at katie@crossfitakron.com
What we saw last month...