Benchmark Monday 10/7/13
Barbell Work
15 minutes to work up to a heavy single of the following complex:
1 Hang Snatch + 1 High Hang Snatch + 1 Overhead Squat
WOD
“Cindy”
20 Minute AMRAP of:
5 Pull-Ups
10 Push-Ups
15 Squats
Basics
Half “Cindy”
10 Minute AMRAP of:
5 Pull-Ups
10 Push-Ups
15 Squats
Decide
Today we will start a series of 10 blogs about changing nutrition habits for the better. On our nutritional page we’ve listed 10 steps to eating better, click here and you will know what I am talking about. Today, we’ll dive into the first one. Decide. There is a multitude of diets, plans, advice, books, research, etc… out there on nutrition. It is VERY overwhelming for those of us who thought, food was food. At CrossFit Frontier, we believe nutrition is fundamental to all that we do in the gym, and how can we expect top results on the WOD board if we are not investing in the food we throw in our faces?
You must, however, make a decision. What are your nutritional goals? Where are you now? Where would you like to be 1 month from now? What about 6 months? A year? 20 years? These are all good questions, and we must remember that we’ll be eating food for the rest of our lives. There are a few camps we believe in when it comes to nutritional recommendations but there is no “one is better than the rest” or “one size fits all” with these options. It’s, which one matches your goals best?
Paleo
Paleolithic eating, also known as eating Paleo, or the caveman diet is the most popular recommendation from CrossFit athletes and their coaches. It comprises of eating lean meats, veggies, some fruit, nuts and seeds. The idea behind this recommendation is that our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate for millions of years the same foods (look at the list above) and our genome is designed to metabolize and use these foods. We need them. It was only recently in the last 10,000 years that we started growing and harvesting our own foods. Our bodies are still ancient, not much has changed in what our bodies need, yet we’ve introduced grains, alcohol, refined sugar, dairy, and even invented our own foods such as high fructose corn syrup and the Doritos Locos taco (I know, it’s A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!). More information on Paleo eating can be found here.
Quick Facts:
1. Gluten free
2. Refined sugar free
3. Dairy free
Zone
The Zone diet is a popular diet in the CrossFit world as well, especially if you Paleo-Zone (Paleo foods, Zone quantity), but we will only be talking about the Zone diet itself. A good read about this diet can be found here, it’s one of the first CrossFit Journal articles on eating. The Zone diet is good for people looking to loose weight fast but it’s not likely people will keep this up post that big event (wedding, vacation, reunion, etc…) because of all the weighing and measuring. Basically, there’s a predetermined number of “blocks” set to protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake for each person based on their build. This diet is also good for those that just can’t give up that bagel in the morning or the P B & J snack in the afternoons. There is definitely a food quality component to it but the emphasis is definitely less strict than Paleo.
Quick Facts:
1. Based on blocks, weighing and measuring
2. Less strict on quality
Primal
Primal often gets confused with Paleo because they come from the same camp but vary slightly. Both have the philosophy that we are genetically predestined to eat certain foods but with Primal there is less emphasis on eating lean meats and whole fat dairy is used in small amounts because of the beneficial properties to them. Primal eating promotes the use of ghee (clarified butter), cream, pastured butter, and other dairies which can be a luxury at times. A good resource about eating primal can be found here.
Quick Facts:
1. Gluten free
2. Refined sugar free
So, if you’ve picked your area of inquiry, you are off to a good start. Stay tuned for the next few steps as we break them apart and explain them better. Take this time to read up on the area of choice, cook, and experiment. Be sure to ask your coaches any questions you may have as well! Remember, there is not right or wrong here, it’s all about your goals. What are you striving for? Why are you wanting to change your nutrition? And as always, you can adapt what you pick at any time to meet your needs. 
Written by:
Just Paleo