The Battle For Mile High - Blog

The Colorado State Fitness Expo and The Battle For Mile High

Thu, 25 May 2017 18:28:49 GMT

When Jeff Wheeler had the idea to create the largest fitness expo in Colorado, some didn’t believe it was possible. Putting Bodybuilders, MMA fighters, Ninja Warriors and CrossFitters under the same roof?!?!?! Kind of sounds a real life Mad Max, Beyond Thunder-dome scenario right? But Jeff has a knack for getting people together for a common goal and that’s one of the reasons we like him! His philosophy is directly in line with the ideology of Axistence, and that is “Everything works, nothing works forever and there’s always room to improve”. No matter what fitness system you’re involved with, there is always room to learn and grow.

Often with the afore-mentioned methodologies, you have some of the “My style is better than your style” mentality. However, on July 8th and 9th, every one of these fitness flavors (and many more) will come together in one of the largest venues in the state, The Colorado Convention Center!

The goal is to introduce the Denver community to as many types of fitness as possible. It’s very easy to get caught up in one form of exercise and start to think it’s the end-all-be-all. That’s why this Expo will have a little taste of everything. From Ninja Warrior & MMA to Parkour & Slackline, to Bodybuilding and of course, CrossFit!

Attendees will have the pleasure of watching experts in each of these fields do what they do best and learning more about each one of them. Over the 2-day span, the entire event will also be streamed live via FX, CNBC Sports and Spike TV!

So what exactly is the “Battle For Mile High”?

The Battle For Mile High is a fitness competition from within the CrossFit community where up to 400 athletes from around the nation will have the opportunity to showcase their skills in one of the coolest venues in the country! This year we’re looking forward to seeing who will be crowned the Fittest in Denver!

Battle For Mile High Details:

Where: The Colorado Convention Center
When: July 8th and 9th, 2017

Prizes:
$15,000 Prize Purse
400 Athletes
42 Prize Packages
24 Places
8 Divisions
4 Workouts
2 Days
1 Overall Box Prize

PLUS, through the "Back to the Box" initiative, we're donating 20% of your registration BACK to your box!

If you’d like to register for the event, volunteer or you’d just like to know more about it, please check out the event page HERE!

Prepping for Battle: Consistency Gets Results...So Why Aren't You Consistent?

Mon, 15 May 2017 07:00:00 GMT

You want results. You've heard us say time and time again, that "Consistency gets results" right? Then why is it that you're having trouble being consistent?

Imagine you have the best program on the planet. Maybe it's the program that Angelina Jolie used for Tomb Raider or the one that Brad Pitt used for Troy. What do you think will happen if you follow it half ass? Think you’ll get the results of Angelina or Brad? Nope, you’ll get half-ass results… Even a bad program followed consistently will yield a better result than an amazing program followed poorly.

When it comes to starting a new training program, we need to place as much of an emphasis on the psychological as well as the physical. Everyone likes to focus on “What exercise do I do?” or “What foods should I eat?” But those are only good questions if you’re actually going to follow through… Why is it so hard to follow through? You KNOW it’s a good idea to exercise. You KNOW it’ll give you the confidence you’re looking for. You also know that NOT doing it won’t change a damn thing, so why are you still having a hard time??

The answer is often 1 of 3 things, or a combination of all of them. We either:

Lack the education
Lack the self-control
Lack the environment

I like to use the metaphor: The Rider, the Elephant and the Path. I wish I could take credit for this but alas, I borrowed it from the awesome book “Switch” by Chip and Dan Heath. If it’s not on your shelf yet, do yourself a favor and pick it up.

The Rider
The Rider is our analytical, controlled and rational side we all have inside of us. For example, you probably know & understand that trans fats are awful for you. If something has trans fats in it, you shouldn’t eat it. You also know that calling your ex after 6 or so beers isn’t a great idea either. Nothing good will come from either of those situations (in the long term anyway); Simple logic right? Well, those things are simple enough for the Rider. The rider responds to data and logic.

The Elephant
The Elephant on the other hand, is the emotional, automatic and often irrational side we ALSO have inside of us. We know those trans fats are terrible for us. If something has trans fats in it, we shouldn’t eat it. It’s an absolutely rational thought. Buuuuuuutt, what if we’ve had piss poor sleep, we woke up late, we missed breakfast and now there’s a birthday at work and Susie brought in maple glazed donuts! What if it’s 2am and we’re 12 beers deep and cruising social media only to see our ex with some chump? Try telling the Elephant not to send that text message. You get the picture.

When the rational rider and the emotional 6 ton elephant disagree, guess who wins?

The Path
Ultimately, the Rider and the Elephant will be the things that directly impact our decisions. However, the last piece of the puzzle is the Path. Even if the Rider and the Elephant are in agreement, they still need a little guidance on how to get to their destination. When the Rider and the Elephant move together on the same Path, change can come easily. The Path could be as simple as preparing meals ahead of time or deleting your ex’s number from your phone. It could be planning how to respond in social situations. You know, like when Lil Jon appears out of nowhere and wants you to do some SHOTS, SHOTS, SHOTS, SHOTS, SHOTS!!!!!!….WHAT? YEAH! OK!!!!

How you’ve planned and prepared will put you on the right “Path” to success. When you know that it’s Jonny’s Cakeface’s birthday and there’s going to be treats in the office, have a protein shake ready and drink that first! Shape the Path by keeping protein powder in your drawer at work or in the break-room. The Rider knows it’s a good idea and the Elephant will be more satisfied. When you have a Path (Think of it as a plan), both the Rider and Elephant can work together much easier.

So how can you apply this to your training at Axistence??
The key word in the question is “Training”. At Axistence Athletics, we create programs, we don’t write workouts. It’s much easier to skip a workout than it is to skip a day of your training program, especially if you have a specific goal that your training program is leading up to. You all came in here with a goal and the program set forth will allow you to achieve that goal. For a small percentage of the population, the drive to achieve comes from the Rider. The Rider knows that training consistently will yield the results they’re looking for. These are the folks that thrive in fitness competitions, be that bodybuilding, CrossFit or even Obstacle Course Races (OCRs). These folks make up about 1 to 5% of the population. Their Rider creates the Path and their Elephant happily goes along for the ride.

For us mortals, it’s our Elephants and our Paths that could use some work. Let’s start with our Elephant. If he's not on board, we might as well be pissing in the wind. If you’re not emotionally connected to your goal, your Elephant won’t budge. So ask yourself WHY. WHY do you want this? Now ask yourself again, WHY. Do it again? Are you getting different answers? You should be.

Here’s what I mean in an example:

Goal: I want to lose 20lbs

WHY? Because I want to feel better
WHY do you want to feel better? Because I don’t feel good with this extra 20lbs.
WHY don’t you feel good with an extra 20lbs? Well, I tried to do the Incline and I actually had to turn around half way through because I knew I couldn’t make it.
WHY do you want to do the Incline? Because I want to be able to take my kids with me on hikes and show them all the cool shit that Colorado has to offer and I want to be an example to them.

Boom! You’ve found your WHY. You don’t want to lose 20lbs to feel a little better. You want to do it because you want to be a good example for your family. Now your Elephant is listening.

You know and understand that eating better and exercising is paramount to you achieving your goal right? Both your Rider and your Elephant are on board. Now what does your Path look like?

At Axistence, one of our goals is not only to shape the Path for you but also to give you the education to appeal to the Rider. We don’t just want you to eat your veggies but we want you to be aware that they’re full of phytonutrients and antioxidants that will help you perform to your max potential in the training center. We don’t just want you to do 20 minutes of step-ups to watch you sweat. We want you to do 20 minutes of step-ups, developing the mental toughness and leg endurance you’ll need on the mountain. We want to fuel your Rider with knowledge.

We’ll also ask you those (sometimes not so fun) WHY questions. If you’ve ever sat down for a 1 on 1 goal setting session, you know that these can get a little emotional. That’s ok. We’re trying to find out what motivates your Elephant. If you want to tell us that’s awesome, but if not, as long as YOU know your WHY, we’re cool with that too.

After the Rider and the Elephant are on board, it’s time for us to help you shape your Path. All you have to do is show up and the training program is set forth. The COMMUNITY will help you along the way when things get tough. The ADVENTURE will fuel your spirit...

Through our core values of Education, Community and Adventure, we hope to be able to speak to the Rider & the Elephant as well as help you shape your Path so that your goals are met with as little resistance as possible.

Still trying to figure out how to help get the Elephant on board? Looking for more education for your Rider? Would you like more accountability so you stay on the Path? Email us and let’s set up a time to sit down and help develop the plan that will help you achieve the results you’re looking for! In the meantime, download our free eBook on Training for Adventure.

Cheers to crushing goals my friends,
Ryan Humphries
Co-Founder BushCraft CrossFit

Prepping for Battle: Just How Important Is Sleep?

Mon, 01 May 2017 07:00:00 GMT

Anyone who's stepped foot in our training facility has probably heard us ask the question "How much sleep did you get last night?" We're not asking this question for our health, we're asking it for yours. It just so happens that sleep may be the #1 contributing factor to whether or not you're reaching your goals. That's right, the #1 factor determining whether or not you lose those last 10lbs or whether you hit that 500lb deadlift. Exercise is important, as is your nutrition. However, you could be spinning your wheels in the gym and in the kitchen if you're not taking care of yourself in the bedroom…wait, that didn't come out right. Whatever, get your mind out of the gutter and let's dig into the importance of sleep.

We've all heard that we should probably be getting somewhere between 7-9 hours of sleep per night, but why? What exactly is so important about sleep? In the first part of this post I'll address the importance of sleep on a biological level and in the second part I'll lay out the groundwork for how you can begin to improve your "sleep hygiene". Ready, Set, Sleep!

You've probably heard a friend or co-worker say something like "I function just fine on 5-6 hours of sleep". Perhaps you've uttered that sentence before? Quoting the classic movie "Office Space", 5-6 hours of sleep is kind of like the "minimum amount of flair". It's up to you if you want to do the bare minimum... Sure, it's possible to function on less than 7-9 hours per night, but if you choose to do that, you're sacrificing more than you think.

Research:
Check out this excerpt from the Sleep Foundation.

"Studies have found a relationship between the quantity and quality of one's sleep and many health problems. For example, insufficient sleep affects growth hormone secretion that is linked to obesity; as the amount of hormone secretion decreases, the chance for weight gain increases. Blood pressure usually falls during the sleep cycle, however, interrupted sleep can adversely affect this normal decline, leading to hypertension and cardiovascular problems. Research has also shown that insufficient sleep impairs the body's ability to use insulin, which can lead to the onset of diabetes. More and more scientific studies are showing correlations between poor and insufficient sleep and disease." www.sleepfoundation.org

That article didn't even mention anything about athletic performance. Check out the study Stanford conducted on athletic performance and improving your sprint time and free throw accuracy! If you'd like to nerd out a little more on the positive effects of sleep/the negative effects of not sleeping enough, then check out the links below on the following subjects (If you don't have time to click and read the studies, don't worry, I've provided a "Takeaway" section with the most important aspects of the studies).

Lack of sleep and weight loss/gain

Takeaway: On average, we need about 7.5 hours of quality sleep per night, (Breus) says. “If you are getting this already, another half hour will not help you lose 10 pounds, but if you are a five-hour sleeper and start to sleep for seven hours a night, you will start dropping weight.”

Michael Breus, PhD, author of Beauty Sleep and the clinical director of the sleep division for Arrowhead Health in Glendale, Ariz.

Lack of sleep and depression

Takeaway: The relationship isn't exactly clear on depression and sleep deprivation, but usually where you find one, you'll often find the other. "Sleep deprivation can impair mood, and impaired mood can result in impaired quality and quantity of sleep.”

Mark Mahowald, MD, director of the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center in Hennepin County

Lack of sleep and hormone imbalances & metabolism

Takeaway: "Lack of sleep could be a risk factor for chronic diseases, including obesity and diabetes."

medscape.org

Lack of sleep and inability to learn

Takeaway: "This discovery indicates that we not only need sleep after learning to consolidate what we've memorized, but that we also need it before learning, so that we can recharge and soak up new information the next day."

Matthew Walker, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at UC Berkeley

Lack of sleep lowers testosterone

Takeaway: After only one week of decreased sleep (5 hours per night), testosterone levels dropped by 10-15%. "As research progresses, low sleep duration and poor sleep quality are increasingly recognized as endocrine disruptors,"

Eve Van Cauter, PhD

Ok, so hopefully we're all in agreement that sleep is important no matter what your goals may be. So how can you improve your sleep? What if you're only able to get 6 hours per night? Is there a way to maximize the amount of quality sleep?

In the second part of this post, I'll address the ways that the average human can improve their sleep and maximize the benefits of this crucial part of your day.

*** I am not a doctor, nor am I a dietician and I cannot prescribe any form of supplement/medication. However, the things I'm about to write about have been shown to increase sleep quality and quantity. Before using any supplement, please talk to your doctor.***

Improving your "Sleep Hygiene"
1) Minimize the amount of "Blue Light" before you go to bed.
During the day, humans are meant to be awake. We need vitamin D to survive and if we were nocturnal, we'd all have rickets. Humans are supposed to be awake when the sky is blue and asleep when the sky is dark. When your eyes see blue light, a signal is sent to the brain to suppress melatonin (the hormone that anticipates the onset of darkness). This wasn't an issue 100 or even 50 years ago because we didn't have electronics at our fingertips. Fast forward to the land of the touchscreen and we're all looking at TVs, laptops, tablets and smart phones that emit, you guessed it: blue light. At exactly the time when your brain is telling your body to go to bed, your eyes are getting a mixed signal from the blue light telling your brain to suppress the melatonin. This is a recipe for interrupted sleep. Want to nerd out on blue light? Check out this study from Harvard.

How to mitigate the blue light: Shut off all electronics at least 30 minutes before bed. Try to read or mediate before bed instead of scrolling Facebook. If falling asleep to the TV is the norm then this may not be easy, but it will be worth it. Depending on how far down the rabbit hole you'd like to go, you can also invest in a pair of orange glasses. Sure you'll look silly but they'll keep the blue light out. However, studies are mixed on the effectiveness of this application. If you absolutely must work on your computer, you can download an application like Flux. I use this app daily and as the sun goes down, the screen will adapt to the time of day. Pretty neat.

2) Take a cool shower before bed.
While we sleep, our core body temperature is lowered and it takes only a small decrease in body temperature to tell our bodies it's time for bed. I'll admit that this sounded like a terrible idea when I first read about it. However, after experimenting and tracking my sleep habits for a couple months I can say that this definitely decreases the time in which I actually fall asleep. Start with a warm shower, then slowly turn the dial down to where it's just cool enough. You don't necessarily want to do an ice shower, as this will make your core body temperature drop, but then quickly rise trying to acclimate.

3) Minimize alcohol before bed.
Believe me, I was a sailor and I can tell you firsthand that there's always an excuse for a drink. However, if maximizing sleep is a goal of yours, cut the booze before bed. Yay day drinking!! Although you may "pass out" early from drinking, the quality of your sleep will be interrupted due to the sympathetic nervous system which doesn't return to baseline until the alcohol is out of your system. Your body won't be able to secret the growth hormones needed for repair, and you'll likely wake up to go to the bathroom as alcohol is a diuretic.

4) Black it out!
I'm referring to the light sources in your room. The darker the better. Just because the light isn't blue, doesn't mean it's not disrupting. You can get "black out" curtains for your windows or use an eye mask, but keep those little flashing lights to a minimum.

5) Get the Stress out of your life!
Of course there will always be some sort of stressors in our lives, but there are things we can do to mitigate our body's response. You may have heard of Corstisol, the "stress hormone". High concentrations of cortisol can negatively affect your sleep, not to mention make it hard to lose weight. Cortisol levels can be controlled by decreasing stress. In fact, just eating carbs and protein post-workout will decrease cortisol levels significantly (Perhaps you've heard of the post-workout window??). Mediation has also been shown to decrease cortisol.

These 5 Hygenic sleep aids are awesome, but if you'd like to go even deeper, check out The Sleep Judge:
http://www.thesleepjudge.com/different-ways-technology-affects-sleep-quality/Supplementation…...

Vitamin D3: Over half of the modern world is vitamin D deficient and Vitamin D deficiencies can lead to sleep disorders. Recommended dosage: Between 2000 to 10,000IU
ZMA: John Berardi, PhD of Precision Nutrition recommends ZMA for those with difficulties getting to sleep. Recommended dosage: 2-3 capsules
Holy Basil: I first heard of Holy Basil from the Robb Wolf Podcast. Robb and Greg mentioned it in relation to adrenal fatigue. Holy Basil is thought to lower cortisol levels and although supplement data is often mixed, the reviews on webmd lists Holy Basil at 4.9 stars out of 5 for effectiveness.
Phosphatidylserine: John Berardi of Precision Nutrition recommends PS for the lowering of cortisol and for recovery. It's a little pricier than some of the others but it seems to have some legit studies behind it. Recommended dosage: 600 to 800mg
Valerian Root: Ryan Andrews of Precision Nutrition writes that Valerian Root can help sleep quality. Often times on a low calorie diet or a very low calorie diet (VLCD) sleep patterns become interrupted. Supplements are often used to combat this.

Summary
If you're putting in work in the gym and the kitchen and still not seeing the results you're looking for, check your sleep. Make sleep a priority in your life and everything else may fall into place. Your productivity, sex drive, fat loss, muscle gain, mood, and recovery: All of these things may be positively affected by getting adequate sleep.

Until next time, lights out folks,
Ryan Humphries
Co-Founder BushCraft CrossFit

Battle for Mile High Q&A: Why is CrossFit so Popular?

Sat, 29 Apr 2017 07:00:00 GMT

Love it or hate it, it cannot be denied that CrossFit is the most popular and profitable brand that the fitness industry has ever seen. CrossFit has exploded in just over the last decade from 1 to over 12K affiliate gyms. This happened for many reasons, the biggest 4 of which are outlined below.

1)  Results. Constantly varied, fully functional movements applied at a high intensity = results. When you combine things like barbells, kettlebells and gymnastics with running, rowing and swimming in a safe, efficient and progressive manner, it's almost impossible not to get results.

2)  Accountability. The best indicator of whether someone will be successful in a healthy lifestyle change is his or her immediate social network. If your friends are into something that has made a positive impact on their lives, chances are, you will be too, and you’ll stick with it. CrossFit gyms tend to create their own community of like-minded individuals seeking to make positive changes to their lifestyles. You won't find many big box gyms hosting nutrient dense potlucks. (You will however find some gyms serving bagels and pizza...talk about job security!)

3)  Competition. Although when asked, most people will say they’re not competitive, those same people always want to know where they stack up. For example, if we give our gym members the task of doing as many pushups as they can in two minutes, the first thing they want to know is “Is that a good number?” Wait, I thought you weren’t competitive? Most people just want to be “strong & healthy”. Thanks to the last 70 years of strength and conditioning research, coaches can now tell you exactly what strong & healthy looks like on paper and with a barbell.

4)  Controversy. People love to talk smack, especially if they don’t know much about a subject other than what they’ve seen online or read in the headlines. With articles out there like “Can CrossFit Kill You?” and “CrossFit’s Dirty Little Secret”, it’s no wonder that people are talking about it. Nobody ever asked if Jazzercise was going to be the death of you.

CrossFit isn’t leaving the building anytime soon. But before anyone starts to naysay something that they don’t fully understand, I suggest they find a quality CrossFit gym in their area and try it out for at least a month. Why a month?

As a society with an “I want it now” mentality, it's easy to try 10 different things to attempt to get 1 result, only to say that none of them worked. The reality for most folks is that their fitness level didn’t drop overnight, nor did those 10 lb. of fat around the midsection happen in the last month. To really make some positive changes, its going to take some dedication and some serious work in both the gym and the kitchen.

If you’d like to start getting healthier, whether that’s losing body fat, increasing muscle mass or both, then awesome! Congratulations, you’ve taken the first step that most Americans haven’t even thought about.

The next thing I would recommend is finding a gym that fits your needs. CrossFit or otherwise, a good gym/community can be the difference between success and failure.

Next week we’ll be posting an article on what to look for in a CrossFit gym. In the meantime, if you want to start preparing your kitchen for success, check out this article on nutrition here.

See you in a few weeks folks!
Ryan Humphries
Co-Founder BushCraft CrossFit

Prepping for Battle: The Paleo Diet-Should You Eat Like A Caveman? (Washington Post Rebuttal)

Mon, 17 Apr 2017 07:00:00 GMT

You may or may not have seen the recent article in the Washington Post about the Paleo Diet. As much as I love mainstream media's take on diet (insert sarcasm here), I felt this needed to be addressed a bit further than what the Post had to offer. Check out the original article here.

Before we get too deep into Paleo-this, Paleo-that, I'd like to start off by saying we are not doctors, nor are we dietitians. We promote a "Nutrient Dense/Toxin Free" form of eating at Axistence Athletics. For more info on exactly what that means check out this past article here.

Many of the arguments made in this article have been beaten to death. Robb Wolff has gone above and beyond with this topic and also has a great rebuttal here.

The article starts out by briefly mentioning how modern diets rely too much on processed foods and how the Paleo diet makes a case for simulating a diet more along the lines of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. So far, so good. Then they start quoting a few health professionals who seem to have a differing opinion (totally cool...except they're wrong).

Below I'll outline the main points in which the article tries to "debunk the Paleo diet" and allow for the truth to be told. Here goes!

The health professionals quoted in the article attempt 5 different ways to skew the perception of the Paleo diet. I'll address each one below.

1) “There was no one single Paleo diet; there were many,”

True. This is covered in every Paleo text. In fact, nobody is claiming there is "One" Paleo diet, we're simply saying that the processed crap of today didn't exist back then, and the focus of the hunter-gatherer's diets was exactly that (what they could hunt and gather). So essentially plants and animals.

2) "It was unusual for hunter-gatherers to live much beyond reproductive age, he says, and “it’s hard to be healthy when you’re dead.”

False. Early man/modern hunter gatherers didn't/don't have access to things like flu medicine, vaccines and antibiotics. Besides that, the chances of being eaten or dying from the elements was far greater. Because of this, many of them died before they were teenagers. The average life span of a hunter gatherer is usually projected at around 35 years of age. Of course when you have half of a population dying before the age of 15, and the other half living into their 70s and 80s, you wind up with an average number in the 30's. There are plenty of current tribal cultures where people live well into their 80s with no issues of cancer, diabetes, heart disease or stroke.

3) "Paleo diets forbid milk."

False. This is an issue that has been beaten to death in the Paleo community, yet the "headliners" won't let it go. Here's the gist of it. We did NOT drink milk until about 10k years ago because we hadn't domesticated cattle. So it is true that dairy was NOT a source of nutrients prior to that time, hence diets in the Paleolithic era were devoid of milk. Once we became an agricultural society, we planted seeds and drank milk. For the first 3k years, most humans were lactose intolerant. Then, approximately 7K years ago, something interesting happened. SOME humans managed not to turn off the gene for lactose absorption (also known as lactase persistence). Usually, humans will absorb lactose from the mother until about 3 years of age, then the gene shuts off. About 7K years ago in Northern Europe, for some reason this gene remained active. Today, about 9/10 descendants from Northern Europeans possess the gene for lactase persistence. Every Paleo author has covered this for several years but apparently nobody cares.

4) “We know that hunter-gatherers in the Middle East were eating grains,” Lieberman says, because archaeologists have found remains of wild barley they were gathering, along with the mortars and pestles they used to grind this grain into flour. Not every population ate grains, Lieberman says, but those who had them available certainly did. “Whether they were healthy was beside the point,” he says.

Ummmmmm, "Whether they were healthy was beside the point"????? Seriously? I'm going to have to argue that since the entire point of this article is about health, then "whether they were healthy" IS NOT BESIDE THE POINT! Sure, some hunter-gatherers eat/ate grain. However, it is/was not a "staple" of their diet, nor is/was it the same grain we're producing in mass quantities today.

5) “At this time, there is not enough research on the Paleo diet and its potential impact on health over time.”

False. By making the statement above, the USDA is saying that "We don't have enough information on nutrient dense foods and the toxicity of our current foods (of course they do have this information by the way) to make an informed decision on whether or not the Paleo diet is healthy. Also, keep in mind who's saying this: The United States Department of Agriculture...who's job it is to sell the public on grains and milk...

Whether you call it Paleo, Primal or Nutrient Dense-Toxin Free, every health professional can agree on a few things:

Processed vegetable oils are harmful and should me eliminated or at least heavily moderated in the diet.
Dairy isn't for everyone. Some folks do really well with it and some don't. To find out, its best to do a personal experiment.
There is far too much sugar in the American diet.
Besides fiber (that can be derived from veggies, and is technically not a nutrient) wheat does not contain a high amount of nutrients, but it can potentially cause a host of other issues like insulin resistance, irritable bowel syndrome, celiac, and allergies.
Religion, Politics & Nutrition: Don't confuse me with the facts, because in my heart I know I'm right. Anyone who wants to tell you their opinions on those subjects, most likely doesn't want to hear yours...

In the end, I don't care what anyone eats. But personally, I feel better eating a diet similar to what I think a hunter-gatherer may have eaten :)

Eat well my friends,
Ryan Humphries
Co-Founder BushCraft CrossFit

Prepping for Battle: The Top 5 Foods that are Sabotaging Your Results.

Mon, 03 Apr 2017 07:00:00 GMT

You may be able to tell throughout the course of this post that I’m just slightly annoyed...
Everywhere I look I see magazines and blog posts on:
- “Top 5 Absolute worst foods you can eat”
- “The Top 5 foods that you should NEVER eat”
- “The Top 5 foods you should never eat AFTER 8pm”
- “The 5 foods that are making you fat!”

These headlines sent me on a wild goose chase to see if I could in-fact find these dangerous foods that were surely the root cause of the obesity epidemic in this country. So I spent more time than I should have researching these “TOP 5” terrible items.

I agree with the majority of the things mentioned in these articles and many of them showcase the same things: Soda, Processed foods & Trans Fats. We should all know by now that those 3 are a few of the worst offenders for sure.

However, here are 3 of what I found to be the funniest ones from 'Fitness Magazine':
"Maraschino Cherries, Frosting & Jarred Tomato Sauce"

Yeah America, those three are the root causes right there, all those damn maraschino cherries, frosted toppings & tomato sauces, just put them down and the problem will be over… Surely it’s not the ice cream & cake that the cherries & frosting are sitting atop of, nor could it be the pasta that the tomato sauce was mixed with could it?

These headlines are misleading and worse yet, they often don’t solve anything. They're simply there to fill space on the magazine cover. Eliminating a few random foods isn’t going to get results. Not only that, often these publications are also trying to sell you something.

When people ask us questions about nutrition, the truth is never the easiest answer, which is why it's so hard to hear. However, if you'd like a little truth, I’ve created a list of the most likely offenders that you’ll encounter in your daily life. I’m not saying to NEVER eat these foods again, or that they’ll kill your puppies. However, the foods listed below could very well be sabotaging your results in the gym. The less you see them in your diet the better off you’ll be.

I know some of you out there enjoy training at our facility for the leather couch, the bongos in the waiting room, the cargo net or perhaps our luxurious bathrooms, but most of you like the training center because of what it delivers: RESULTS.

If you’re not seeing the results you think you should, your diet is most likely to blame. (Side note, before you fix your diet, FIX YOUR SLEEP. Aim for at least 8 hours a night for maximum recovery & growth hormone release.)

So here they are:

THE NO NONSENSE TOP 5 FOODS THAT ARE SABOTAGING YOUR RESULTS!

#1) Soda
If you’re still drinking soda and wondering why you’re not losing fat then you do NOT have your priorities straight. Yeah, its delicious. It's also a wonder I don’t have Type II Diabetes from the 64oz I used to slurp DAILY as a high school kid. From a historical perspective, sugar is extremely hard to get in nature. Sure, you could argue about things like honey & maple syrup but ain’t nobody got time for dat. Even those things have some nutritious properties. Soda is pure liquid sugar. If you looked for that amount of sugar in nature, it would take about 8 feet of sugar cane to give you the amount that’s in 1 can of coke.

Instead, try iced teas. Oh that’s not sweet enough for you? Sounds like a first world problem. The quicker you get over your sugar addiction, the faster your six-pack will arrive. Toss the artificial sweeteners while you’re at it, but that’s a whole different article…

#2) Margarine
We didn’t think we even had to mention margarine anymore with all the headlines about how absolutely awful it is for you, but after some research on “The Top 5 Worst Foods” this one makes the list almost every time so we suppose its worth a spot on ours. If you love your arteries, then please STOP EATING MARGARINE. Avoid anything that lists “Trans Fat, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil or Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil” on the ingredients list. If we want to go deeper down the rabbit hole, do your best to stay away from these oils:

BAD OILS:

Canola Oil
Peanut Oil
Soybean Oil
Grape seed Oil
Sunflower Seed Oil

GOOD OILS:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Coconut Oil

#3) Any type of processed flour products (junk food):

White Bread/Whole Wheat Bread
Bagels
Pasta
Toaster Pastries
Hot Pockets/Lean Pockets
Cereal
Crackers

Yep, I just called bread junk food, whatcha gonna do about it? Sure there may be a few grams of fiber in there, but who cares, if you’re eating veggies like you should be then you’ve got all the fiber you need. These household favorites are not helping you out in any way. Most people do not possess the necessary enzymes to break down the amount of carbohydrates currently in their diet. Both white bread & wheat bread will cause your blood glucose levels to spike, and send your body into storage mode. They both turn to glucose, just at differing rates. This can be a good thing post workout, but we definitely need to re-consider those tasty pastries for breakfast (even if they are only 100 calories).

Your genes don’t enjoy sudden glucose spikes, and they aren’t accustomed to them. Think back to the 8 feet of sugar cane that it would take for 1 can of coke. Your body doesn’t know what to do with all of this excess sugar. Those muffins could will be easily converted to a muffin top.

#4) Anything Fried

French Fries
Deep fried onion rings (most appetizers)
Pizza Rolls (these fall under processed garbage) but they’re worth mentioning again
Fried Chicken

Why? Well, its what these things are fried IN that’s the problem. Going back to the margarine issue, there are good fats and bad fats. The oils used in most fast food restaurants are highly inflammatory and will do you absolutely no good whatsoever. Capiche?

Here are a few fats that have been used for 1000s of years and are still used around the world in areas where people have little to no heart disease, obesity, cancer, diabetes & other first world problems.

GOOD FATS:

Olive Oil
Coconut oil
Avocados
Nuts/Seeds
Butter (From Grass-fed cows)
Lard (From pasture raised pigs)
Any fat from an animal that ate what it was supposed to eat…

#5) Juice

Apple Juice
Orange Juice
Juicy Juice
Sunny D
Any other juice you can think of

Why? Again, back to the sugar issue. Juice is like soda with added vitamin C. We’re seeing type II diabetes in infants now and do you know why? I’ll give you a hint, it wasn’t that they were ordering extra deserts when they dined out. Their parents are giving them juice when they should still be breastfeeding!

Juice is un-natural. It could take 3 or more apples to make one glass of juice. Rarely would anyone sit down to eat 3 apples and if they did, at least they’d get the fiber and extra nutrients. When you’re drinking juice, you’re essentially drinking sugar.

If you absolutely positively gotta have that juice then please do so during or immediately post workout. Anytime other than that will likely lead to you being a little extra…juicy :)

****BONUS!****
#6) Starchy Carbs anytime but post-workout…
Sad but true, I saved this one for last. After you workout, your body would really like to replenish its glycogen (the storage form of carbohydrates). When you give your body potatoes, rice, quinoa, yams, pumkin or squash it’ll love you for it. However, once your glycogen stores are filled, what do you think happens with those excess carbs? Well, your blood sugar will spike, leading to a corresponding spike in insulin which will put your body into “storage mode”. If you’re working out, then feel free to have some of the above mentioned starchy carbs. However, if your goal is specifically fat loss, then on non-workout days, try to keep your carbs coming from veggies and a little fruit. Keep your lean proteins high and your good fats to a moderate amount.

Good luck my friends. Until next time, stop eating sh*t and give your body the nutrients it deserves. You work hard in the gym, now just try to work a little harder in the kitchen.

Ryan Humphries
Co-Founder BushCraft CrossFit

Prepping for Battle: Nutrient Dense, Toxin Free (Part 3 of 3) "Eat Healthy, Denver!"

Mon, 20 Mar 2017 07:00:00 GMT

So you've read parts 1 and 2 of our Nutrient Dense, Toxin Free blog. Oh you haven't? Well, I suggest that you go do that before finishing the 3rd installment. If you don't read those first, its kind of like skipping to the last episode of Breaking Bad.......just, yeah, don't do it.

Cool, so we've already established the following:
(assuming you don't have a known allergy to any of the foods below)

Just Eat Real Food (JERF)

Vegetables
Fruits
Wild Caught Fish
Grass-Fed Beef
Free Range Chickens & Their Eggs
Humanely Raised Pork
Nuts
Seeds
Root vegetables (Things that grow underground like sweet potatoes, yams, white potatoes, beets, carrots etc.)
Dairy Products (If well-tolerated)
Fermented Foods (Kimchee, Sauerkraut)

Question: Hey man, those things are super pricey! Can't I get anything cheaper?

Answer: Its true that quality food isn't as cheap as processed garbage. However, the choices listed above are the "best case scenarios". They're also way more sustainable than conventionally grown and raised food so you're doing the planet a favor as well. But, if your'e on vacation and not sure whether the eggs at your hotel are "free-range" that's no excuse to opt for the bagel and jelly. Just eat the damn eggs and stop thinking so much about it. If you can afford the top quality product, then do so. If not you'll still see results with the non-hippy versions of the above mentioned foods. (Remember, we're not doctors nor are we dietitians so we can't exactly tell you to go eat any specific type of food). But seriously, if you like eggs, eat eggs.

Eat Right for Your Body Type (Somatotype)

Ectomorphs (the skinny kid who wants to put on some muscle)
Endomorphs (the broad and thick individual who's usual goal is to lose weight and gain strength)
Mesomorphs (those we love to hate... these folks are naturally athletic and don't really have a hard time putting on muscle or losing fat, they just need to work hard)

Fuel Appropriately for Your Level of Exercise

It's very easy to lose focus of why we're training in the first place. If your goal is to lose weight or build muscle, that's cool but we want you to start thinking about things in a slightly different light. Think about your goals in terms of performance. Think about building the best "you" possible. What would that person look like? How much could/should they be able to dead-lift? How fast could they run? Can they do a handstand or climb a rope? Do they just look good naked or can they actually perform well under pressure?

If we are training our bodies to perform better in all aspects of life, we need to make sure we have enough fuel in the tank. Way too often we see men and women under-eating in hopes of weight loss. Its true that there are a lot of people who just eat way too much....however, a lot of those folks also don't work out, nor do they have any performance goals in mind.

If you're busting your ass in the gym 3-4x per week and your goal is weight loss then grab your calculator.
Take your bodyweight and multiply that number by 12-14. That's the number of calories you should be eating per day. For example, If you are a 160lb gym member coming to the gym 4x per week and your goal is weight loss, you should be eating approximately 1920 to 2240 calories a day.

(160 x 12 = 1920)
(160 x 14 = 2240)

If you're exercising 5-7x per week, multiply that number by 14-16

(160 x 14 = 2240)
(160 x 16 = 2560)

We're not huge fans of counting calories, however, measuring where you are in your daily intake can be very beneficial if only for a week. MyFitnessPal is a fantastic app that will let you track your calories and your percentages of carbs/fats/proteins. Unfortunately, it assumes that everyone is an ectomorph and it wants you all to have at least 50% carbohydrates in your diet. You need to adjust your ratios based on your body type (See Part 2 of this blog).

So in a nutshell, there is no one size fits all approach to fat loss or muscle gain. It depends on your body type, your goals and your exercise level. Get at me if you want nerd out on nutrition. My EMAIL.

Ryan Humphries
Co-Founder BushCraft CrossFit

Prepping for Battle: Nutrient Dense, Toxin Free (Part 2 of 3)

Mon, 06 Mar 2017 08:00:00 GMT

FAT LOSS TIP! Chew your food SLOWLY. Chewing your food slowly can be one of the best ways to actually cut down on eating (if overeating is a problem for you). Its also better on your digestive system. Shoot for 30 times each bite :) Of course nobody can sell chewing slowly so the media never talks about it. Ok, lets get into the good stuff!

Politics, religion and nutrition.... Anyone who wants to tell you their opinion on those subjects most likely doesn't want to hear yours...

That being said, what we're writing isn't an opinion. We're giving you facts backed up by years of data. The program we follow for our nutritional needs and our clients closely resembles that of Precision Nutrition. If you're at all interested in your diet and how to make it work for you, we highly recommend that you check out www.precisionnutrition.com. They're rockstars when it comes to this stuff.

In part one of this series, we talked about eating REAL FOOD. We like the term JERF (JUST EAT REAL FOOD). What does that mean? Well, if it had a mother or you can eat it raw, then it's probably nutritious and should be included in your diet.

Don't be fooled by "Organic, Non-GMO, No Antibiotics, Gluten-Free, Non-Dairy". Here's a few things that fit that description: Snake Venom, Sugar, Rat Turds....you get the point. If the product has to tell you how good it is for you, then its probably a marketing scam. Grass-fed beef liver is the most nutrient dense food on the planet but you don't see it at the checkout counter do you?

Ok ok, so you understand now that we need to JERF. Good. Now what? Well, that depends on your body type, your fitness goals and your current exercise regimen.

Lets start with body type, also called "Somatotype". We've got 3 main types: Ectomorph, Mesomorph and Endomorph.

The Ectomorphs are naturally thin and have a hard time gaining size. They often thrive in endurance exercise, and can generally get away with eating more carbohydrates than most.
Goals: Gain size and strength
Excellent Carb Tolerance: > 55% of total calories

The Mesomorphs are the ones we love to hate. These guys and gals have been athletic since they day they were born. They have a moderate tolerance for carbs, but if they don't stay active they can tend to put on a little extra weight.
Goals: Increase or maintain athletic performance
Moderate Carb Tolerance: 40ish% of total calories

The Endomorphs are generally broad and thick and they thrive in absolute strength workouts. They don't seem to do too well with carbohydrates, but can tolerate a much higher fat and protein ratio than the others.
Goals: Lose body fat and increase strength.
Poor Carb Tolerance: 25ish% of total calories

Not everyone fits perfectly into one of these categories and as you see it's completely individualized. So now that you're eating REAL FOOD, you can begin to toy with your carbohydrate ratios. Keep in mind, we are NOT doctors NOR are we dietitians and we can't tell you what to eat. You must experiment with your diet to find out what works for YOU!

The other big piece of the puzzle is exercise but we'll just chill on that till the next episode.... Next week we'll look at how much you're actually exercising (not how much you'd like to exercise). Be honest with yo'self!

Until then, eat REAL FOOD, play around with your carbs, and CHEW YOUR FOOD SLOWLY. Shoot for 30 chews each bite :)

Ryan Humphries
Co-Founder BushCraft CrossFit

Prepping for Battle: Nutrient Dense Toxin Free (Part 1 of 3)

Mon, 20 Feb 2017 08:00:00 GMT

I don’t know your goals, I don’t know your body type, and I don’t know your activity level. I am not a doctor nor am I a dietician, therefore I cannot prescribe any specific diet nor do I want to. Ain't nobody got time fo dat! However, what I do want to do is shed some light and bust some myths on the topic of nutrition in this 3 part series.

By the end of these blog posts, I hope that all of our readers will understand just how individualized a nutrition plan can be but also how simplistic. This post in particular is intended to get the right foods on your plate. We can talk about calories till the grass-fed cows come home but unless those calories are coming from nutritious food sources, any other conversation is pointless.

At Axistence Athletics when our clients ask us how they should eat, we like to use the phrase “Nutrient Dense, Toxin Free”. Whether you’re Paleo or Vegan, Ornish or Atkins, we think pretty much anyone can get behind those 4 words. Essentially all we’re saying is that folks should try to choose the most nutrient dense sources of their calories and try to avoid toxic ones. Makes sense right?

So what does “Nutrient Dense” mean? In this case, when we say “nutrients” we’re talking about vitamins and minerals (technically speaking these are called “micronutrients” for those of you taking notes). Nutrient dense foods have the highest concentration of vitamins and minerals per calorie. If it had a mother, or you can eat it as it grows in nature, chances are it’s got some pretty decent nutrients. For an extensive list of nutrient dense foods click here:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-shopping-list/#axzz2ycS00lpb

What are considered “toxins”? When we say “toxins” we’re referring to anything the body recognizes as foreign. These may contribute to low level, chronic inflammation or they may invoke an all out immune system response like hives. Depending on your genes and your immune system, what’s toxic to you may not be toxic to me. A great example is a shellfish allergy. Shrimp can be a great source of micronutrients and protein, but if you have a shellfish allergy it could be your last meal. The above link is great list of “toxin free” foods (unless of course you know you're allergic to one of them, please do the common sense thing and choose life over nutrient density).

Of the 7 billion people on the planet, the 2 largest food allergies are wheat and dairy. Do you have those allergies? Maybe. Like I said, I’m not a doctor nor am I a dietician. The best way to know if you have an allergy to a food is to eliminate it for 30 days, see how you look, feel and perform. Then reintroduce that food back into the diet and see if there’s a noticeable change. If you take milk out of your diet for 30 days and put it back in only to find that you’ve missed the flavor, chances are that you have the necessary enzymes to breakdown lactose. Congratulations. If, on the other hand, you reintroduce it and your bubble guts come back with a vengeance, chances are you don’t do so well with dairy. For your sake and for your friends, this would be something you may want to moderate in the future....or at least time properly for the most enjoyment.

In part two, we’ll talk about how to eat for your body type but before we do that we need to make sure you’re eating REAL FOOD! Here’s that link again:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-shopping-list/#axzz2ycS00lpb

Eat with a purpose,
Ryan Humphries
Co-Founder BushCraft CrossFit

Prepping for Battle: Bro, do you even lift odd objects?

Mon, 06 Feb 2017 08:00:00 GMT

This is not just a catchy tagline, but a question you should be asking yourself. You show up at the gym 3-5 a week and put in a good effort, your movements are constantly varied, functional and intense. You have a solid strength program laid out, 5 x 5 back squat on Monday, deadlifts on Thursday and bench press and weighted pullups every day in between. Any day you're touching a barbell is a good day! How well has all of that barbell training carried over to your daily life? "Oh dude, I'm stronger, looking jacked and feeling confident as hell!" Cool, how about coming over and helping me move into my new apartment next week?

"Hey man, I can't get a good grip on your couch. Do you have any chalk?"
Objects you come across in your daily ventures aren't perfectly balanced with a 1.1" diameter knurled area that your hand can perfectly form around to maximize pulling capacity. Tasks you need to complete in life (not necessarily everyday) are a little more complex and cumbersome than that iron gift of physics bestowed upon us by the late Bulgarian astrophysicist, "Dr. Apollo Barbelshevik." Take that couch for instance. You can deadlift 525#'s for a 1RM, and can rep 405 solidly. How much does a couch weigh? Maybe 100#'s if it has a recliner on both ends and an internal beer cooler in the armrests. So why then does moving day suck so much for even the beastliest of lifters? It's because your training program has holes in it.

Enter Sandman....err I mean, Strongman.
Strongman competitions have been around for years as an extreme fringe sport only entered in by robust men named Magnus. The paradigm is shifting, strength is becoming sexy and more and more "average" people are lifting barbells and training like grownups. Good. Let's take that one step further and start training like strongmen. No, you won't become a fat, hairy, bearded man...unless you want to (or already are). The myth of the strongman, much like the myth of women bulking up from lifting weights is false. Unless you are a genetic freak with more IGF-1 receptors than hair follicles and a 5,000 calorie a day diet, adding strongman lifts once or twice a week to your regular training cycle won't turn you into this. To further remove the stigma and misogynistic feel associated with the term "strongman," we here at Axistence Athletics will start calling it, "Field work." We define field work as any type of odd object lift, carry, throw, flip, push or pull that you could emulate with items you might find in and around your basement, garage or local junk yard. Tires, rocks, axels, sleds, kegs, logs, cinder blocks, sandbags, transmissions, yokes and anything else your imagination can come up with. Just make sure that the object isn't rusty (or at least make sure you've updated your shot records before attempting to use rusty objects).

Working the field.
Two of the best training adaptations you can gain from field work are increasing your ability to deal with cumbersome objects (hard to grip/unbalanced loads) and increased efficiency of neuromuscular pathways due to time under tension (carrying things for a long period of time). When most people lift weights, they immediately put them back down again. How often do you pick something up around the house without moving it anywhere? So why then wouldn't you train picking up an object, carrying it to a different location and putting it down? Let us revisit the couch scenario. When you pick up that <100# couch, what do you do with it? You carry it. Sometimes long distances, up and down stairs, until you arrive at your destination. If you're training to be better at life, you need to start training this way!

Do it, do it now!
Add in some field work into your training regimen two times a week. Here are a few ideas for implementing field work into your current routine.
1. Use field work as a metabolic finisher:
Add in a few rounds of sled pushing after you finish your normal workout.
ex) 6 Rounds of 50ft Sled Push w/60sec rest in between rounds.
ex) 2 min A.M.R.A.P. of sandbag ground to shoulders.
ex) Carry two 45lb plates a total of 500ft (rest as needed).
2. Substitute one of your normal lifts for an odd object lift:
Instead of using that barbell for Fran or normal strength work, why not use a sandbag?
ex) Fran: 21-15-9 Thrusters (75lb sandbag) & Pullups
ex) 5 x 3 Atlas Stone Deadlifts

I'm not telling you to ditch the barbells completely, just think about new ways you can add fieldwork into your routine and fill in those gaps in your current training program!

Lift weird my friends,
Dan Jimenez
Co-Founder of BushCraft CrossFit