Sunday 2.7.10
Marko.
Sunday
1. Plyo Drills
Medball Throws 6 x 8
Single Leg Forward Hops 4 x 6
2. "Death by Clean and Jerk"
Big Dawgs: 135, 95
Pack: 95, 65
Pups: 65, 45
Begin by doing one clean and jerk the first minute, rest the remaining time. At the start of the second minute complete 2 clean and jerks, rest the remaining time. At the start of the third minute, complete 3 reps, and so on. Continue until you are no longer able to complete the prescribed number within the minute.
Scoring: These do not need to be squat cleans. Every rep counts, so if you finished 10 rounds and only got 4 in the 11th minute your score would be 10+4.
CrossFit Kids broad jumps...
The Evil of Agave
Written by Calvin Sun of CrossFit Invictus
Liquid Death
With the increasing popularity of the Paleo Diet, many people are turning to agave nectar as a sweetener in many of their favorite recipes. It’s understandable to see why people would think of using agave nectar as it doesn’t add any other flavors like many sweeteners and it tastes sweeter than sugar. Unfortunately, it’s not Paleo and it’s definitely not good for you. So imagine my surprise when I was walking through the aisles of my local Costco only to be confronted by a gigantic pallet of agave nectar. The labeling advertised it as a “low glycemic organic sweetener” and it must have worked because it was selling like there’s no tomorrow. Today, we’ll discuss some of the reasons why you should reconsider indulging in this sweet poison.
It’s a Refined Sugar
Don’t be fooled by words like “organic” and “natural” on the labeling. Substituting your usual sugar with agave nectar is far from making a healthier choice. A few weeks ago George noted that despite it’s appealing name, agave nectar is a highly processed and refined product. The fact that it’s manufacturing process is patented should probably be a big clue that it’s not as “natural” as they would like you to think. Let’s keep in mind the premise of the Paleo Diet, consumption of refined carbohydrates was an impossibility for Paleolithic humans.
Agave Nectar Makes You Fat
High-fructose corn syrup is the primary sweetener that you find in most sodas, “sports” drinks, and many other foods, and it contains about 55% fructose and 45% glucose. Agave nectar, on the other hand, contains about 90-97% fructose and 3-10% glucose. I guess marketers decided that agave nectar sounded better than “really freakin’ high fructose syrup.” Fructose is an isomer of glucose, meaning that both have the same chemical formula but different molecular arrangements. Because of their different molecular arrangements, fructose is not digested in the same fashion as glucose. This is problematic because fructose tends to promote a process known as lipogenesis (lipo- meaning “fat” and -genesis meaning “creation of”), in other words fructose consumption results in your body manufacturing fatty acids from carbohydrates. Far from ideal when looking good in a swimsuit is your goal.
Agave Nectar Might Kill You
According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, fructose consumption has been directly linked to obesity. Instead of being digested in the small intestine, fructose passes unchanged into the portal vein where it is directed to the liver to be processed. Once in the liver, fructose is broken down into components that readily form triglycerides. Subjects that were fed a diet that contained 17% fructose experienced a massive 32% increase in plasma triglycerides. High triglycerides are associated with metabolic syndrome which is indicative of increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
In conclusion, you should strive to eliminate all processed and refined carbohydrates from your diet. Agave nectar, table sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and even artificial sweeteners should be avoided (read my posts on Splenda here and here). You have to make an effort to read labels as refined sugar is in everything from sweet foods like sodas and ice cream to savory foods like deli meats and sauces. Of course, this is not to say that there aren’t any good uses for the agave plant. Fermented agave, for example, is a favored drink amongst many CrossFitters, but that’s a discussion for another day.
I didn't really believe it was paleo, as far as logical definition goes from the get-go. However, my final response to this is:
Whatever.
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After much thought, I second the Daigle.
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So Ben, Now I am confused. I noticed that heather bars uses agave nectar. Is this saying that you would have been better off using other sweeter to lesson the insulin spike. Although agave is low on the gylcemic index it has high content of fructose, does that cancel each other out or does that make it worse than sugar? Thanks for the info.
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There is NO agave nectar in the Paleo Heather bars. They original H-Bar was a "zone bar" with a perfect 40-30-30 balance. The new once only contain paleo ingredients.
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Polo!
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Yes - it's really fun at the pool in the summer - when all the kids keep calling your name ...
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Marko, looking a little meaner and fitter, probably because people like Bubba are making fun of your name, don't ask Bubba what his real name is.
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Nesbitt Ward Hagood IV
- and proud of it.... but don't ever call me Nesbitt
Marko's the Man
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For those of you on LinkedIn, I just started a group called CFNE network. Go to linked in and search CFNE, then add the group.
This is another way besides the CFNE business directory that CFNE members can connect and help one another.
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OK, so agave is out. How about Erythritol? Supposedly natural, no carbs, no glycemic spike, no calories. I know no sweetener is best, but is this one ok?
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Who friggin cares!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When is enough - going to be enough!
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Good point...Health, wellness, performance. We don't really care about these things.
Well stop sweating the small stuff and just eat the gov't food pyramid. Thanks for the comment "anonymous".
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Stevia to the best of my knowledge is the best sweetener to go with if you must.
Not schooled up enough on Erythritol to comment...
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It sounded too good to be true. Alas! Any good Paleo cook books anyone can recommend? I like to look up recipes on-lines, but it feels like a lot of "paleo" recipes have stuff like honey and agave in them.
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Anonymous,
I predict enough will be enough when we've decided that absolutely every substance we come in contact with is a carcinogen and the only way we can survive is to be bubble-people, and eat single-celled protein combined with amino acids which is grown inside the bubbles.
Balance your healthy lifestyle and fitness goals with sanity, as per the Melissa Urban "healthy/F-off scale" If you absolutely cannot live without it, eat it....just do so in moderation. If it stands as the last barrier to a goal as far as wellness and fitness though, then it might be time to get rid of it, at least in any appreciable amount.
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Well said Daigle. Great advice!
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I think this is pretty key... each of us have different goals and designs on what we want out of life, and it's important to think about this seriously as we make our day-to-day decisions. Blindly following along with the "accepted norms" of the rest of society makes you just that - blind. Conscious decisions and thoughtful choices in life make life better and worth living. Part of that is asking questions of ourselves and our peers to continue the learning process.
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Thought the Plyo Drills (med ball throws and single legged hops) were great today. This is all about movement and its great to challenge ourselves with something new. Nice Programming!
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Thought the Plyo Drills (med ball throws and single legged hops) were great today. This is all about movement and its great to challenge ourselves with something new. Nice Programming!
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