Weekly Roundup * August 7th – 13th, 2022

weekly roundup

Here’s what’s going on this week at the gym!

Week of August 7th – 13th, 2022


Birthdays

August 7th

Mike Trout – An American baseball player. An eight-time MLB All-Star, Mike Trout is widely regarded as one of the best Major League Baseball (MLB) players of the current generation and one of the best young players in baseball history.

Announcements

This Friday is our monthly bring a friend event, “Gains & Games” night.  It will start at 6:30pm.  This is open to everyone!  If you’re looking for something fun to do, please join us, whether or not you are able to bring a friend.  If you are planning on coming, please click here and let us know what food you are able to bring.

School starts August 24, so that means we will be back to our fall/winter/spring schedule starting on Monday, August 22.  The schedule will be:
5am, 6am, 8:30am, 4:30pm, 5:30pm
If these class times don’t work with your schedule, please let us know and we can talk about different options that you have.

One of our members is helping to plan the Synergy 5k on Thursday, August 18th at 7pm and it sounds like a blast!  Click here to read more about it.

 If you would like to get on a team for the Mountain Madness 50 Miler, reply to this email.
The teams can be:
-Team of 2, with each of you running 25 miles.
-Team of 4, with everyone running 2 legs each with each leg being anywhere from 4-8 miles.
-Team of 8, with each person running 1 leg.
Let’s all participate and represent Vernal Fitness!


InBody Scans

All Vernal Fitness members are eligible for a complimentary InBody scan each month. Aside from tracking our performance in Wodify, body composition scans are the best way to track progress and measure results.


PROGRAMMING OVERVIEW

August 1 – 6

This will be the final week of our Pause Front Squat, and our Push Press cycle before we re-test both movements next week. Each of these should feel heavy and will ideally be performed with no failed reps.

Our deadlift cycle will shift its rep scheme from 4×5 to 1×5 + 3×3. This is designed to allow you to continue to build in weight but prioritize form over all else.

This week also begins our 8-week interval-based cycle based on classic CrossFit benchmarks to prioritize intensity. Week one is a spin-off of “Diane.”

Monday

Good quality pull-ups.

Strict pull-ups are an option here as long as they don’t result in the need for prolonged rest breaks.

Working at 85+% of max HR can make the body more efficient at buffering lactate and using carbohydrates.

It might also improve mitochondrial efficiency and density meaning we’re creating a more powerful and efficient machine!

Tuesday

Today is day 1 of our eight week interval training cycle. The goal is to teach our bodies how to go really fast and recover just as quickly! 

The work rest ratio today means that you can complete reps at higher intensities than you would if this was a normal three round WOD or Diane.

This is great practice for pushing the pace and working at a higher heart rate and also provides an awesome opportunity to practice quick recovery between rounds to churn out consistent power through all three rounds!

Wednesday

A great mix of aerobic capacity and skill work today.

Approach the row at a fast consistent pace (60-80% of max HR) and scale T2B as necessary to remain as aerobic as possible until the workload is done (or time runs out).

Thursday

Short and tough – this one should be done as close with as few rest breaks as possible!

Approach this WOD at approximately 80% of max HR

Working at this intensity will help you extend your ability to use fat as a fuel at higher intensities and will help to become better at buffering lactate.

Spending time at intensities like this will help us to go faster, for longer on future workouts!

Push the pace on the burpees knowing you only have to do two rounds! Weight selection should allow you to cycle through at least 6-8 clusters early on before taking micro breaks to re-grip or re-set.

Friday

Approach this longer run-based chipper with the goal of consistent, moderate intensity. 

Weights and pacing can be adjusted with each exercise to allow this pacing goal to happen. 

Longer moderate intensity WODs like this have great carryover to body composition changes and can help to control blood pressure and reduce the risk of Type II diabetes.

Saturday

Pick a partner who is evenly matched to your goals for today’s WOD!

Devise a solid game plan and stick to it for as long as possible – trading off reps in small numbers will allow each of you to keep moving with more speed and movement quality for a longer period of time than trying to do large chunks.

Scale movement standards and weights as necessary to allow you to keep moving when it is your turn to work!

Full workout descriptions and notes are available to all members of Vernal Fitness & Nutrition. For more info, email us here.


Dehydration

August will have some hot days ahead and staying hydrated will go a long way to improving our fitness and overall health.

From a physical standpoint, our body requires water to function properly; without it, we would struggle to –Deliver oxygen throughout the body
-Maintain healthy skin
-Regulate body temperature
-Flush body waste
-Prevent kidney damage
-Perform strenuous physical tasks and more

Water Loss

Dehydration not only affects us physically but cognitively as well. For example, studies have shown that even a 1-2% drop in body water can negatively affect coordination, problem-solving, and attention to detail in the hours after a workout.

How much water do we lose from sweating?

If you want to keep things simple, the average person sweats approximately 0.8 – 1.4 liters per hour during exercise.

To get a bit more precise, this formula can help determine sweat rate:
1. Pre-exercise weight – post-exercise weight = sweat loss
2. Multiply sweat loss by 16 to convert your loss to ounces
3. Add in any ounces you drank during exercise
4. Divide sweat rate by 60 to get your sweat rate per hour.

If your workout was less than one hour, multiply by the duration. Here is an example for a 180lb athlete in a 60- minute class who drinks 10 ounces of water:
180lbs – 3lbs = 177lbs.
3lbs x 16oz = 48oz
48oz + 10oz = 58oz
58/60 = .96 oz/min
This athlete’s sweat rate comes out to .96oz per minute or 3.6lbs per hour (2% of their body weight).

Signs of Dehydration

– Dark colored urine
– Dry mouth
– Headache
– Muscle cramps
– Lack of energy
– Feeling dizzy
– Cool, dry skin

Electrolytes

We don’t just lose water when we sweat – we also lose electrolytes. Electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride, etc.) are essential to physical activity because they regulate fluid balance in our bodies.

Here is a quick guide that may help you determine what your body may need in certain situations:

Sodium: muscle cramps, loss of appetite, dizziness
Chloride: changes in PH, irregular heartbeat
Potassium: muscle weakness, mental confusion
Magnesium: muscle cramps, nausea
Calcium: muscle spasms

Understanding which electrolyte your body can be deficient in pre or post-workout can be tricky. Luckily some products provide a broad spectrum of electrolytes to help keep us regulated. Along with drinking water for rehydration, supplementing with electrolytes may be helpful. 



Recipes

Clean Simple Eats makes eating healthy, easy!  Here are 5 shake recipes found on their blog (and tested by yours truly 😋) that are so good!

Almond Joy Protein Shake

Makes 1 serving
345 calories / 11.5F / 34.5C / 25.5P

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 serving CSE Brownie Batter Protein Powder
2 Tbs. old-fashioned rolled oats 
60g frozen banana slices
1 Tbs. cocoa powder
1 Tbs. unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 Tbs. OffBeat Midnight Almond Coconut Butter or natural almond butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. coconut extract
6-8 (120g) ice cubes

1. Add all of the ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a cup and enjoy!

Snickers Protein Shake

Makes 1 serving
240 calories / 7.5F / 26.5C / 19.5P

3/4 cup fat-free milk
1/2 serving CSE Brownie BatterChocolate Peanut Butter, or Caramel Toffee Protein Powder 
30g frozen banana slices 
2 tsp. OffBeat Sweet ClassicSalted Caramel Butter, or natural peanut or almond butter 
1 tsp. cocoa powder
6-8 (120g) ice cubes

Toppings: 
2 Tbs. spray whipped cream
1 serving Walden Farms Caramel Syrup  

1. Add all of the ingredients to a high-powered blender. Blend on high until smooth.

2. Pour into a cup. Top with whipped cream and caramel syrup. Enjoy!

Hulk Power Shake

Makes 1 serving
350 calories / 13F / 34C / 25P

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 serving CSE Simply Vanilla Protein Powder
80g frozen banana slices
15g avocado
1 Tbs. OffBeat Butter of choice or natural almond butter
1 cup spinach 
1 tsp. ground cinnamon 
10 ice cubes

Optional:
1 serving CSE Super Greens Mix

1. Add all of the ingredients to a high-powered blender. Blend on high until smooth.

2. Pour into a cup and enjoy! 

*Add one serving of CSE Super Greens Mix for an immunity boost or to increase your daily veggie intake!

Orange Julius (Post Workout)

Makes 1 serving
250 calories / 1F / 33.5C / 26.5P

1/2 cup unsweetened cashew milk
1/2 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice 
1 serving CSE Simply Vanilla or Peaches & Cream Protein Powder 
1 serving CSE Super Collagen Mix 
30g frozen banana slices 
6 ice cubes

1. Add all of the ingredients to a high-powered blender. Blend on high until smooth. 

2. Pour into a cup and enjoy after a workout! 

Cinnamon Roll Shake

Makes 1 serving
350 calories / 12F / 34.5C / 26.5P
 

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup nonfat, plain Greek yogurt
3/4 serving CSE Simply Vanilla Protein Powder 
50g frozen banana slices 
2Tbs. old-fashioned rolled oats 
1 Tbs. OffBeat Cinnamon Bun Butter or 3 Tbs. Neufchâtel cream cheese
1 tsp. coconut sugar 
1 tsp. ground cinnamon 
6-8 (120g) ice cubes


1. Place all the ingredients into a high-powered blender. Blend on high until smooth. 

2. Pour into a cup and enjoy!