Don't Run: Sprint!

3/4/10

5K

“CF Lite”

2.5k

Don't Run: Sprint!

 

If you've been doing long, slow cardio, such as jogging, cycling, or swimming, for awhile without losing much weight or becoming much leaner even though you keep increasing your workouts, there is a simple explanation: too much cardio actually makes you fat. Excessive cardio increases stress hormones and down regulates the hormones, such as growth hormone and testosterone, that preserve muscle. In additon, elevated stress hormones make you insulin resistant, which leads to overeating as well as to eating foods that contribute to insulin resistance, such as sugars and starches.

Despite their appearance, many joggers and cyclists are not really lean. They may be slender because they have little muscle mass, but their body fat percentages are often surprisingly high.. In contrast, sprinters are lean and muscular with low body fat percentages. They have high human growth hormone (HGH) and testosterone levels--good for both females and males. Think back to the last track meet you saw. Who would you rather look like: the sprinters or the distance runners?

Read the Benefits of Sprinting

A CrossFit Start Up Guide: Part 2

110609

100m Farmers Walk (55lb/35lb)

21 Push Ups

21 Jumping Pull-ups

21 Dips

21 Walking Lunges (35lbs/20lbs)

15 Push Ups
15 Jumping Pull-ups

15 Dips

15 Walking Lunges (35lbs/20lbs)

9 Push Ups

9 Jumping  Pull-ups

9 Dips

9 Walking Lunges (35lbs/20lbs)

100m Walking Famer (55lbs/35lbs)

A CrossFit Start Up Guide: Part 2

New to CrossFit and not sure where to begin? If so, then welcome. This series will address the primary concerns and focal points for a starting CrossFit athlete, orienting your use of resources throughout the entire CrossFit.com universe.

In this second part of A CrossFit Startup Guide, Todd Widman builds on Part 1 to focus your entry into CrossFit workouts and fitness in general. Gone are the promises of easy and comfortable results. The best CrossFitters educate themselves both about movement and fitness broadly, as well as about their own individual strengths and weaknesses.

Of course, the best way to begin CrossFit is with a great trainer who uses his or her vast experience to guide you through the various phases of your fitness quest. This series is not intended to equal that. It cannot. Instead, we recognize that not everyone has access to such a trainer, and this will help those folks get the most out of the vast resources available on CrossFit.com.

After a review of the broad goals of CrossFit and fitness in general, Todd explains the importance of intensity; both its need and danger. The three movements covered are the front squat, push press, and deadlift, including many references to the great articles and videos already published throughout the site. Finally, there is the first part of how to scale these workouts intelligently for maximum results.

This article is less about how to do the movements and more about how to use the website to educate yourself and develop your fitness.

Click HERE to read further, courtesy of CrossFit Inc.