Many people start doing CrossFit with the goal of 'losing weight'.  Our standard response is "WHY?".  What exactly does this 'weight loss' mean to you?  How do you know when you've accomplished that goal?  How much should you weigh?  How much bodyfat do you carry?

Fortunately, we live near a research university with the tools to answer all of these questions.  PEAK Fitness at the University of Utah does Body Composition Testing for only $25 ($20 for UofU staff and students). 

The test is simple.  You wear tight-fitting clothes, usually a swimsuit or sports bra and lycra shorts for women and lycra shorts or Speedos for men.  The technician weighs you, then you sit in the Bod Pod.  It reminded me of the egg from Mork & Mindy for those of you old enough to remember the show. 

The Bod Pod is the gold standard for body composition testing

The Bod Pod determines how much air you diplace and then calculates your percentage of bodyfat compared with lean mass.  It only takes about 5 minutes total.  The Bod Pod is considered the gold standard for bodyfat testing, on the same level as hydrostatic weighing with the benefit of not getting wet.

I recently had my bodyfat tested and adjusted my fitness goals as a result.  I feel empowered knowing EXACTLY what I should weigh.  As I get closer to my goal, I will have the test done again to adjust for any increase in lean body mass.  This allows me to set REALISTIC, POSITIVE, MEANINGFUL and SPECIFIC goals for body composition. 

 If you have a goal of 'losing weight' we STRONGLY ENCOURAGE going to PEAK Fitness and getting an accurate picture of where you need to be.  This will help you and your coaches formulate a better plan for your specific situation.

Visit PEAK Fitness for more information

All testing is done by appointment. Please call 801-585-7325 to schedule your test.

CrossFit Mount Olympus selected Stacy as Mount Olympian of the Month for July!!  Congrats 'Peedie Smudge'!!!

First and foremost, Stacy lives what we preach at CrossFit Mount Olympus--we push ourselves in the gym so we can be better people outside in body, mind and spirit. 

Stacy reached a long-time goal this month and ran the Farmington 5k in 29:55, breaking 30 minutes for the first time!  Stacy has been unable to run in the past due to knee problems, but CrossFit has given her the strength and confidence to enter a number of races and improve each time.  She is beginning CrossFit Endurance training now, so watch out.  Stacy celebrates her 20 Year high school reunion this summer and is just beginning to hit her stride!

Stacy trusts her coaches, even when they ask her to do movements and workouts that make her uncomfortable.  By doing so, she managed to continue training through some nagging injuries.  A quick learner, Brandon commented during our Griff workout last Saturday that he had to look hard for anything to correct in her running form. 

Stacy proves you can be both petite and strong!

 During the day she is an executive assistant at the University of Utah and has a gift for putting anything she touches in order.  She and Jeremy are actively trying to adopt children right now, so if you know anyone looking to place a child they can do no better than Stacy!

Stacy brings a wide range of admirable qualities to CrossFit Mount Olympus, most notably she is a classy lady.  Follow her example for elite fitness and a first-class personality.

Saturday we will be running a 10k at 6am!   We will join thousands of our fellow Utahns to celebrate Pioneer Day.  If you need to, run a 10k on your own.

You can still register at Energy Solutions Arena on Thursday from 4-9pm and Friday from 11am-6pm. 

Cost for the 10k is $38 and the 5k walk is $20. 

Parking

Those running the 10k will want to park in the areas surrounding Research Park at the University of Utah.  We recommend arriving early to find the best parking locations.  Those participating in the 5k walk can park at the Park Place by the Arena as well.  Buses will return runners to Research Park.

Reward

We have a prize for the best photo at the race wearing a CrossFit Mount Olympus shirt!!  Post your photos to the Facebook page. 

Friday Fireworks

Friday we will watch the fireworks in Bountiful at Mueller Jr. High.  Let us know if you're interested.  A wod may break out, you never know!!

Do you ever wonder who are the fittest people in the world?  This weekend you can find out!  Watch the CrossFit Games streaming LIVE all weekend long!

Hopefully the hard work pays off for the Utah athletes:  Chris Spealler and Eric O'Conner of CrossFit Park City plan to make a strong showing, and Tommy Hackenbruck of Ute CrossFit hopes to improve on last year's 2nd place finish!

8am on Saturday we will meet at the Highland High School track (2166 South 1700 East) for some fun track work.  Park in the lot south of the school on 1700 East and come down the stadium stairs.

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Feel free to bring friends and family.  You've NEVER done a workout like this! 

Yes, there will be running!!

Born to Run:

A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

by Christopher McDougall

A salesman at a local running store told me they have seen an upswell of people asking for minimalist shoes and Vibram Five Fingers after reading Born to Run.  He said, "We haven't seen an interest in running like this in my lifetime.  People are talking about running."

Christopher McDougall is a former Associated Press war correspondent who began a quest with a single question--why does my foot hurt?    McDougall's situation mirrored my own, which quickly caught my attention.  After age 40, he decided to become a marathon runner despite weighing 230 pounds, exactly the same as my bodyweight at all three marathons I have run.  I know the pounding 26.2 miles puts on a body that size, not to mention the hundreds of miles required by a traditional long, slow distance training program. 

His results parallel injury profiles of many runners, "I'd ripped my hamstring (twice), strained my Achilles tendon (repeatedly), sprained my ankles (both, alternately), suffered aching arches (regularly) and had to walk down stairs backwards on tiptoe because my heels were so sore," (p. 8). Such a set of injuries represents that of a normal runner.  In any given year 80% of all runners will be injured, regardless of running ability and body type (p.9). 

While on assignment in Mexico, McDougall encountered a story about the Tarahumara tribe of Mexico.  A physiologist studied the Tarahumara  in 1971 and concluded, "Probably not since the days of ancient Spartans has a people achieved such a high state of physical conditioning," (p. 15).  In addition to uber-fitness, they maintain a Utopian society.  "In Tarahumara Land, there was no crime, war, or theft.  There was no corruption, obesity, drug addiction, greed, wife-beating, child abuse, heart disease, high blood pressure, or carbon emissions.  They didn't get diabetes, or depressed, or even old: fifty-year-olds could outrun teenagers, and eighty-year-old great-grandads could hike marathon distances up mountainsides.  Their cancer rates were barely detectable," (p. 14).

Thus begins a quest for the secrets of the Tarahumara.  McDougall encounters a collection of one-of-a-kind characters most fiction writers would be hard pressed to conceive.  Along the way, he observes and records what makes human beings run well. 

The bottom line--our bodies already know how to run properly, and we can relearn it.  Even more, we are designed to run.  "We run when we're scared, and we run when we're ecstatic, we run away from our problems and run around for a good time," (p. 11).

Recommendation:  Read it before your next race!

Born to Run teaches a number of lessons for any runner:  nutrition, shoes, technique--it's all in there.  Even better, it reads like a story.  Get Born to Run and read it. 

The adventure-sports coach who finally fixed McDougall's running problems sums up why the Tarahumara live so well, "The Tarahumara aren't great runners.  They're great athletes, and those two things are very different."  What is the difference?  "Runners are assembly-line workers; they become good at one thing--moving straight ahead at a steady speed--and repeat that motion until overuse fritzes out the machinery.  Athletes are Tarzans.  Tarzan swims and wrestles and jumps and swings on vines.  He's strong and explosive," (p. 211).

That description fits very neatly with our goal of creating the world's fittest people. 

Two disparate articles I read recently got me thinking.  The first was an article from the New York Times blog, where a physiologist explained that most of the research done on "athletes" failed to include female participants.  Thus, some of the wide-sweeping claims we hold as fact may only be true for HALF OF THE POPULATION!  

Researchers were surprised to discover that women respond to carbo-loading and protein intake after a workout differently than men.  More surprising is how many of these studies failed to include female participants.

While working on my undergraduate degree I attended a lecture by psychologist Carole Gilligan, author of In a Different Voice.  Gilligan observed that prior to 1982 there was a profound absence of women in medical and psychological studies that defined our view of what is a human being. 

Watch the following interview with Carole Gilligan about her research.

Many are surprised to discover that more women than men do CrossFit.  Knowing much of the research has ignored women, we want to know, WHY DO YOU DO CROSSFIT? More importantly, WHAT DO YOU WISH CROSSFIT MOUNT OLYMPUS DID OR DIDN'T DO?

Just a reminder about this weekend's schedule:

Saturday, 03 July

• 8:00am-Beginning CrossFit
• 9:00am-Advanced CrossFit

Sunday, 04 July

• No Classes, as usual. 

Monday, 05 July

• No morning classes
• 4:30-6:00pm-All Level CrossFit

Monday we will be doing one of the infamous CrossFit "hero" workouts.  Come in Monday to find out which one! 
 

"If mediocrity and slow and steady is for you, then this is not."--Brian Mackenzie, founder of CrossFit Endurance.

Are you ready to take your endurance training to the next level? 

Let one of our certified Endurance coaches show you how CrossFit can improve your times dramatically by developing strength and stamina with incredibly difficult workouts.

Read the article about CrossFit Endurance in Los Angeles Sports and Fitness Magazine.  (Click to download a pdf of the article.)  If you come away as excited as we did, we'll see you soon!