[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO0OS0kBDVs&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

On the one hand, watching this video made me laugh because of the blatant ignorance and lies. On the other hand, I find this video disgusting because the blatant lies were paid for by the British National Government.

Some things that I thought about while watching this video:

1. Saturated fat, when stored in the fridge would be ROCK solid, not liquid.
2. The fat was liquid in the fridge, but solid at room temperature. I would suggest having the serviceman take a look at the fridge.
3. Some saturated fats, like coconut oil and butter, will actually be a liquid at room temperature. Last I checked, my internal temperature is much higher than room temperature and therefore would result in the fat being liquid.
4. Just because something clogs the drain doesn't mean it will clog my arteries.
5. The fat isn't being injected directly into our blood. This little process called digestion is being completely ignored.

What do you think about ads like these? Do you even pay attention to them? Post all thoughts to comments.

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The Garth Show does the unthinkable last Friday night at Snug Harbor. Contrary to what others may tell you, Brittany's birthday dinner is NOT sufficient justification for joining the masses in their Filthy Grain Eating habits!

**Disclaimer** No grains were consumed during the taking of this photo.

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I urge everyone who is participating in Fight Gone Bad IV to get one of these limited edition, CrossFit Fire shirts. Like our "Get Sexy" shirts, these too will be American Apparel and have a retro fit to them. All orders and monies ($20 per shirt) are due to Wild Bill by the end of class Saturday, September 5th. Remember, if you are participating in FGB IV and show up without a shirt, fellow CrossForters may shame you mercilessly FOREVER. Ok, that probably won't happen, but you should still get a shirt!

CrossFit Fire - FGB IV - Front

CrossFit Fire - FGB IV - Back

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The following are several excerpts from the first ever CrossFit certification held in December, 2002. These were all taken from Coach, and CrossFit founder, Greg Glassman's lecture on anaerobic vs aerobic training. For those of you with a subscription to the CrossFit Journal, the video can be seen in its entirety here.

What are the chief drawbacks of anaerobic exercise? Discomfort. Compared to anaerobic exercise, aerobic efforts are fun.

I know guys all day long who want to get up in the morning and jog on west cliff. Take their dog and wife. They think jogging is fun. NOBODY thinks 1,000-meter efforts on the rower are fun. If you do, you are a liar. Or, you are rowing poorly. Or, you’re starving mad. I would venture to guess that even the seriously mentally ill would not think that is fun. Even guys who like to get beat up at bars wouldn’t think that is fun.

I have always believed that a good anaerobic athlete could put his hands in his pockets and walk up to a 5 gallon plastic bucket full of water, stick his head in, and drown himself; not pull out. That is the kind of will power that is required to endure anaerobic efforts.

We don’t advertise that aspect of our program much; it doesn’t draw a lot of people through the door. But it is true. If you can give me good 1000-meter efforts on the rower, good 800-meter efforts out on a track, if you’re that kind of guy, if you can thoroughly exhaust these anaerobic pathways with a smile on your face, then you are the real deal; to the extent that you can engage in this and not give up. You will also become supremely fit. Because you are working out in a high power range where the intensity is great and that focus is where all the results come from.

We aren’t looking to make you comfortable. What we are looking for is to turn men into steel. And that is done with higher intensity work. And it is only fun when you stop. It is only fun to the extent that we have camaraderie and support. It is fun in the acknowledging that we are improving. It is fun in the community that it builds in knowing that you have done what you have done. It is a very cerebral kind of thing.

Over time, your capacity for it will increase. Your tolerance for the discomfort will increase. It does become better. All the while it gets worse and worse because you go harder and harder. It is really amazing.

Does it ever get easier? No, it gets harder as you perform better. It never gets uneasy.

Coach concludes this segment of the lecture by telling a story about a guy named TJ. At the time, the Glassmans were working with the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to assess their current fitness standards. They needed a volunteer for their demonstration so they used TJ; the fittest amongst all police officers in the state according to the standards at the time. Long story short, a CrossFit style WOD absolutely crushed the guy. That leads into Coach's final thoughts:

Sure, you’ve got a big bench press, you’ve got a fast mile, but how you hold up when those stressors are combined, that is critical. Keep your 500-pound bench press. Keep your 4:00 mile. Give me the capacity to bench moderately heavy at screaming high heart rates and come away with a clear head and a strong body and the capacity to do it again. And do it again. And do it again.

How well? Just better than anyone else. That’s all. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be better than the others.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you agree with Coach? Is this an accurate description of what we do at the Fort? Post your thoughts to the comments and enjoy this beautiful Monday.

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3k4rhVdYpU&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

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For everyone who is interested in participating in a couple of rowing events this winter, there will be 3 additional rowing WODs posted on one of the whiteboards at the Fort every week. Complete 2 or 3 of these WODs each week based on how you're feeling. I don't want anyone to run themselves into the ground with this though so please pay attention to your recovery and listen to your body.

I'll leave it up to each of you to decide when you are going to get these WODs in (i.e. before/after class). However, I think we would all enjoy it more if we could coordinate some specific times. I know Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:00pm would work for the guys being there is a ladies class going on at that time, but I am open to other ideas as well. Saturdays or Sundays are another opportunity for us to all row together. Please post your thoughts to the comments.

From September 15th - October 15th, Concept2 is hosting an online rowing challenge. CrossFit Fire has a team in the challenge and I invite ALL of our members to join in. All you have to do is register with Concept2 and then log all of the rowing that you complete between the dates above. There will be individual prizes as well as team prizes.

Head on over to the Concept2 website and register for your own online logbook. Once you are registered, you will be able to join the CrossFit Fire team and participate in the challenge.

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If you go to your doctor for an annual check-up it is more than likely that a blood sample will be drawn so that your Total Cholesterol, HDL, and Triglyceride levels can be checked. From these results, your LDL level will be calculated. This won't tell you much about your health though. As we already discussed, your lipid panel can give some insight, but additional testing will be needed to truly determine if you are at risk.

Here are a handful of tests that will tell you if your current lifestyle is healthy:

• A1C - average blood sugar over a 2-3 month period, much more telling of insulin issues than a single glucose reading
• C-Reactive Protein - marker of inflammation and inflammation is a definite sign of trouble ahead
• Cortisol - measures stress / adrenal fatigue
• Lipoproteins - directly measure LDL and include particle size A & B testing
• Testosterone (free or bio-available) - low testosterone may be an indicator of increased coronary risk
• Thyroid Panel (TSH, free T3, free T4) - hypothyroidism is common and may increase TC, LDL, and triglycerides
• Vitamin D - normal blood levels protect against heart disease and cancer
• Vitamin Deficiency - ensure that your diet is meeting all of your  needs

Be prepared for a fight if you request additional blood tests. Most doctors will question why you want these additional tests performed on your blood and may even refuse to do so. They like to argue that they only test when symptoms are present. I would recommend finding a new doctor as your health counts on it. It is an absolute shame that the majority of general practitioners don't take preventative medicine seriously. Having the above tests done on a regular basis (annually?) could give you a heads up long before anything becomes a life threatening problem, potentially saving the insurance companies millions of dollars down the road.

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