BLACK RIVER CROSSFIT JUNE 2018
BLACK RIVER CROSSFIT 2.0 and challenge ourselves. We haven’t always got things right and we have learnt a lot along the way, but what we have ended up with is a BRC turned 5 years old this May. We can’t community that inspires - a group of people believe how quickly the time has gone! As who give their all for themselves, and for each most of you are aware, we are moving up the other, every single time they walk through road in Observatory and plan to be up and those doors, who push one another to be running from 1 August this year. The new better, to break limits and to live fully. A group address is 8 Lytton Street, and there is plenty of people who love and support each other of parking on Scott Road right outside the box. through fitness and through life. Friends that The new space will also feature our very own have become #family. For that, we cannot “Oorah” smoothie and coffee bar, which will thank you enough. Our community speaks be run by MINT athletes Cheryl and Andrea. volumes for our brand and we are so proud to Guaranteed to keep you peaking throughout be a part of this BRC family. the day! What we love most is your consistent determination to better yourselves, your struggle for incremental improvements and all the personal achievements you never thought you were capable of. Your successes are our successes and we cherish each and every one of them.
It’s your daily grind that inspires us, where you show up and work hard, pushing yourself a little further each day.
A common phrase in CrossFit is that “suffering builds community”. This couldn’t be closer to the truth. Thank you for suffering with us, thank you for cheering us and others on when we needed you to and thank you for entrusting us with your fitness. We don’t take this We would like to take the opportunity to thank responsibility lightly. everyone who has supported us over the years and played a part in making BRC such a We are excited about continuing this journey special place. up the road and look forward to the adventure it will bring for all of us. We promise lots of When we opened our doors in 2013, we set out laughs, great coaching and facilities, to create the kind of fitness environment that incredible coffee, inspirational PB’s, (mostly) we loved so much ourselves. One where we good music and like-minded people who will could leave our stresses at the door, sweat it push you to be the best version of yourselves. out alongside our friends and constantly test RAUN, LEON & TEAM BRC 1
MEMBER OF THE MOMENT similar initiatives. What has the impact of your improved fitness been on your work? THIS MONTHS MEMBER OF THE MOMENT IS Being in a highly stressful environment I feel a ANTHEA MAY! BE SURE TO GIVE HER A HIGH 5 lot stronger mentally and physically, Our IN YOUR NEXT MORNING CLASS… company adopted a model to develop people called my best and it is based on coaching and Tell us a bit about your life before CrossFit and developing people and every day I experience what led you to choose CrossFit to form part of the benefits of being coached by giving your weekly training routine? feedback and helping me be a I was inactive until I was introduced to
CrossFit. I was exposed to CrossFit for the first time when my company Adidas in an endeavour to promote a culture of fitness and healthy living introduced employees to
CrossFit classes. I immediately liked the CrossFit exercise regime. Subsequently
Adidas started a competition where the employee who attended most of the CrossFit classes would win a membership to CrossFit classes. Since I really enjoyed the CrossFit classes I attended most of classes and hence won the competition. This was the start of my weekly exercise routine. Now I cannot envisage my life without CrossFit.
How has your health/ fitness improved since joining BRC?
My energy and fitness levels has improved dramatically. I lost approximately 13 kilograms better athlete by being around people that is in a couple of months and started eating encouraging and believing in your abilities. I healthier. now even feel more positive in my work environment and hence the exercise You initially started CrossFit in the weekly contributes to a better work atmosphere. Adidas staff class – was it tough to make the transition to the regular classes? Talk to us about what you like to see on the whiteboard when you arrive in the morning vs Initially it was very difficult to stay motivated, what makes you want to turn around and get but compliments from my husband about my back into bed…movements/ types of workouts joy and excitement about the classes etc.? increased my resolve to stay the course. Juggling family and other commitments was Anything with running and lunges doesn’t like not easy, but my family and I managed to work me hahahaha out a routine to allow me to attend the CrossFit classes. How do you use your fitness and health outside the gym? It is awesome the Adidas/ Reebok have taken the initiative to support the training of their My fitness journey became a lifestyle for me staff – we wish more corporates would have and my family, My kids tell me they love the new me, we go running together and we
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entered the reebok warrior race they say I’m JUNE COMPETITIONS up to doing a lot more things that I would not have done in the past. We encourage as many of you as possible to enter competitions. There are generally How do we get more people involved in the options to suit all athletes, they allow you to BRC? Often, we find people are intimidated and connect with other members from the box and hesitant to get going with CrossFit – any community and they present opportunities to advice? improve your fitness. Most of all, they are FUN! By telling people CrossFit is for anybody This month, BRC members took part in the doesn’t matter your fitness level everything is following: scalable and the only person you are competing against is yourself. Make it personal and if your goal is to be better than LAST MAN STANDING you were yesterday you will make great strides. Look at me I’m living proof and the Black River sent two teams to LMS this year, bonus is that I lost 13 kg. which was held in Pretoria at the Harlequins Sports Club. LMS has beginner, intermediate What about CrossFit and BRC specifically do and advanced categories and caters to over you enjoy the most? 1 000 athletes from around the country.
The people the family connection, the coaches and how they inspire us daily.
In keeping with Coach Nic’s rapid fire quiz tradition, below are some questions, answer them based on the first thing that comes to mind:
Row or Assault bike? Assault Bike Reebok vs Adidas gear? Both Heavy back squat or a 5km run? Heavy back squat Long Metcon or Short sprint workout? sprint My best memory of CrossFit is: feeling that sense of achievement after you have struggled with something like box jumps and all of a sudden, it’s a no brainer. Matty, Maré, Anande and Ryan dominated their workouts, finishing just outside of the top 20 My future CrossFit goal is: working on improving my pull ups out of 130 teams. They can normally be found in the corner of the gym from 18:00 – 22:00 on Lastly, what does CrossFit/ Black River mean week nights doing long AMRAPS. The four of to you? them are headed to the games in August and the thin Pretoria air was just what they needed Its and endless journey of self-discovery with to supplement their training. likeminded people who wants to see you succeed against all the odds. Every day I attend Andrea, Cheryl, Leon and Raun dominated the a session I prove to myself I can do all things workouts for small gymnastic athletes and the through Christ who strengthens me. girls used the competition to advertise their
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new training gear range MINT, which drops not enough to get the Wild Cats over the line at later this year. the end, narrowly missing out on first spot to the Avengers. Highlights on day 2 included: Leon was also able to smoke the rope climbs, which has proved tricky for him and Rich Tambe’s 50 strict handstand push ups Froning in past years. So all in all, a great tour Mark and DJ dominating in sync with mates. Get involved next year! Charl and Monique on the rowers Saint, Michelle and Tao busting out their PANTHER REGIONALS DB snatches MINT Hand stand push ups Panther regionals 3.0 kicked off on youth day Maré on the barbell snatches weekend this month and it was our biggest and best yet with 5 Rx and 2 scaled teams All in all, a fun weekend spent expressing our competing. All WODS were based on the fitness and making new friends. CrossFit Regionals WODS which took place over the 3 preceding weeks. Awards:
Scaled winners: Runaways (Trev, Charl, Michelle, Mike & Jenn) Rx winners: Avengers (Jamez, Maré, Ryan & JD) Best athlete: Jamez – lead the Avengers charge all weekend. Great individual performances, had a whatsapp group live within minutes of the team announcements, gave the “inches” speech twice and rocked his baby between events. Rookie of the regionals: Charl – for taking the rower to 3 000 and abusing the assault bike It was amazing to see so many new faces out Best lunges: George at the exchange on the dance floor having a good time. Friday students party kicked off with a dirty Assault Bike/Partner Deadlift combination which left the legs feeling The Panther games is scheduled for a bit wobbly and definitely did not agree with 24/25 August and will have both scaled and Rx Christoff or Leon. This was followed up with a options again. Look out for the sign-up details, Thruster/Burpee relay where Matty was able which will be posted shortly. to show why they call him the “people’s champ”. This man was so fast over the barbell CLASH IN THE NORTH that children were crying. Roxie, Zack and Raun headed to Tygervalley Saturday saw a switch out - David for Jimmy shopping centre in the Orange Free State for and Westy for Zack. It was clear that Westy had Clash in the North 2018. This is an awesome an immediate effect on the female athletes local competition with Mens, Ladies and Mixed who, at one stage, were all sitting in a circle categories. around him as he told them stories of his latest fishing adventure. The trio dominated the mixed division, with 4 top 3 finishes and an overall 2nd place out of 41 Day 2 featured hand stand push ups, overhead teams. squats, sleds, running, pull ups, C&J’s, rowing and snatches. 3 event wins out of 4 events was 4
BRC is hosting a level 1 certification this month, which is being attended by Roxie, David, Charl and Mike so don’t be surprised to see them making you run to the stop street in the near future. If anyone is interested in getting into coaching, please come and speak to either Raun or Leon. RECOVERY STRATEGIES
Coach Luke shares some important insights.
What are recovery strategies and why do we The programming was tough, but lots of fun need them? and competitors were treated to air bikes and ski ergs. Highlights of the weekend included We all know how to train and like to push hard Zack’s rowing prowess and Roxie getting her during our workouts. However, we tend to first pull-ups in a competition. Lowlights neglect the ‘recovery’ side which is probably included 4 minutes of front squat which the most important aspect of our training. precluded 10 minutes of DB walking lunges Recovery has been the big ‘buzzword’ in and box step overs. Eina! strength and conditioning circles for quite some time yet continuous research keeps on Lots of learning, lots of laughs and a first trip improving these recovery techniques and past Canal Walk for Zack. practices. To maximise performance, an optimal balance between training and CIN are hosting another competition towards recovery must be attained. This will help to, the end of October at Tygerberg High School dissipate psychological and physiological which we encourage you to get involved in. fatigue and to ‘peak’ in performance. Russel – Keen. Delayed onset muscle soreness GOODBYE AND HELLO (DOMS) is a form of exercise- induced muscle damage which is characterised by stiff, painful Black River CrossFit says a sad goodbye to coaches Mark and Brent this month. Both have muscles. It occurs about 24 hours after the bout of exercise and can been amazing additions to the coaching team. A great business opportunity has lured them last several days. away from Cape Town for the time being, however I am sure this is not the last we will see of them. We wish both of you the best for Our bodies function at a homeostatic level. this new adventure. When we exercise, we disrupt this homeostatic equilibrium. Therefore, recovery is needed to James and Jimmy join the coaching team from bring our bodies back into balance so we can June on an ad hoc basis. Both are CF L1 bounce back stronger and recovered, this certified and are passionate about advancing process, overtime is called your fitness. supercompensation. There are many basic techniques which aid this process and should James is well known in Pinelands for his form the foundation of your recovery strategy. unbelievable music playlists and so make an Good nutrition, quality sleep and hydration are effort to attend one of his Friday morning the most critical of these and if not followed classes. properly, will result in inadequate recovery. I
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call these first-tier recovery strategies. These This is probably the least practical method out are non-negotiable and should form the there. There are many theories as to how the foundation of your recovery routine. However, CWI mechanism works for recovery: I will be exploring some second-tier recovery strategies in this article. Reduces the formation of oedema and pain sensation after exhaustive physical Massage exercise. The hydrostatic pressure may facilitate Massage is probably the most effective, tried- the transport of fluids from the muscle and-tested way of promoting recovery. It helps to the blood and therefore eliminate to increase blood flow and reduce muscle metabolites. oedema (swelling caused by fluid build-up) in the tissues. According to research, massage Vasoconstriction due to the cold therapy decreases DOMs for up to 72 hours temperature may reduce the blood flow after exercise! A 20 to 30-minute session is to the damaged tissue which diminishes recommended immediately (or up to 2 hours) the inflammatory reaction which in turn after exercise. may reduce the feeling of pain.
Foam Rolling Exposure to cold water alone also has a direct pain relieving impact. Practically, the current This form of self-manual therapy aims to research recommends 11-15 minutes in 11-15- reduce myofascial tightness and aches in the degree water. This proves to be the optimal muscle tissue. The manual manipulation of this conditions to stimulate this regeneration tightness increases blood-flow to the area process and maximise the anti-inflammatory allowing the muscle-tissue to soften and benefits to reduce DOMS. stretch. Some research claims that this technique reduces the sensation of DOMS Compression garments following exercise, however, there is a lack of consensus over these claims. This a newer form of recovery treatment that has been gaining a lot of traction from the big sporting brands. It is proving to be quite effective. The external pressure created by wearing tight clothing is believed to reduce the intramuscular space where swelling occurs. Therefore, this helps to prevent swelling (and consequent soreness) and improves circulation, helping to remove metabolic waste from muscles and stimulate the supply of oxygenated blood to help the muscle tissue repair and rebuild. While research still needs to be done in this area, especially with regards to the specific tightness of the compression wear, a good place to start would be to invest in a pair and put them on before you go to bed, Practically, if you feel the benefits of foam- after an intense workout that day. rolling, 3-5 sets of 20-30 repetitions is what the current guidelines advise, although Active Recovery (AR) research is lacking in this area. This method has similar effects to CWI on Cold Water Immersion (CWI) DOMS but no impact on perceived fatigue. AR strategies usually consist of aerobic-type, whole-body activities (e.g. tempo runs, 6
cycling, rowing and swimming) performed at most out of your workout and ensure that your loads between 30% and 60% of your maximal body adapts and recovers from a session, a heart rate. It helps stimulate blood-flow post-recovery workout strategy is essential to throughout the body which reduces metabolic build into your routine. waste and helps relieve muscle tension and pain through increased oxygen flow. This References: method and its effects on DOMS has been Dupuy, O. et al (2018). An Evidence-Based Approach proven effective for over 30 years in the for Choosing Post-Exercise Recovery Techniques to research field. AR should be done for at least Reduce Markers of Muscle Damage, Soreness, 15 minutes after your exercise session for Fatigue, and Inflammation: A Systematic Review with optimal effect. Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in Physiology, [online] Volume 9, Article 403. Van Hooren, B. (2018). Do We Need a Cool-Down Static stretching After Exercise? A Narrative Review of the Psychophysiological Effects and the Effects on This has been a standard strategy used Performance, Injuries and the Long-Term Adaptive throughout the world but contrary to popular Response. Sports Medicine, [online] Volume 48, pp. 1575-1595. belief, stretching does not help with recovery. Halson, S L (2013). Recovery techniques for athletes. Static stretching post-exercise decreases Sports science exchange, [online] Volume 26, No 120, blood flow and might even lead to an increase pp. 1-6. in DOMS. While stretching does increase Stein, K (2017) Recovery modalities: An update on the science. Professional baseball athletic trainer’s parasympathetic activity (rest and relaxation) society. [online]. which can be beneficial after a workout, from a recovery point of view, it doesn’t help – the BROADCAST YOUR BUSINESS research is quite clear. Whole Health TCM by Dr Laverne Conclusion Lindenberg The consistent theme in each approach is to improve blood circulation to help remove metabolic waste in the muscles and increase oxygen and nutrient supply for faster tissue repair and regeneration. Overall, massage recovery proves to be the most effective at reducing DOMS, perceived fatigue and inflammation. CWI proves to be effective in managing perceived fatigue and reducing inflammation, however, practically, compression garments are probably the most useful and accessible. At the end of the day, while there is still lots of research to be done, don’t underestimate the placebo effects of these techniques as they can be quite powerful. Our bodies are unique and will respond differently to various approaches so find a modality that works for you.
However, it’s important to lay down a solid foundation. The first-tier of recovery strategies; sleep, nutrition and hydration are Tell us about what your business does? crucial. The second-tier recovery strategies (mentioned above) will give you that extra 1- Whole Health TCM is a Chinese medicine & 5% that you are chasing. If you want to get the Acupuncture practice owned and operated by 7
myself, Dr Laverne Lindenberg. I am a general problem or condition becomes intolerable and practitioner in my field with a special interest very difficult to treat. in working one on one with people to find the underlying causes of chronic conditions, and Marketing and the misrepresentation of health then treat or manage these with sustainable products can create expectations of quick fixes relief as the goal. and miracle cures. Health and medical care is rarely that simple. Becoming sustainably well What is the story behind it – when did you start often requires a change of mind and life. Not a it and how long have you been in operation for? small challenge at all!
I move to Cape Town from Pretoria to study Has CrossFit helped you in any way to be a Chinese Medicine in 2007. better leader/ entrepreneur/ employee?
After graduating I started a private practice in Though not a member myself, I can clearly see Blouberg in 2015. Early in 2018 I decided to the benefits for my husband where CrossFit expand my practice to the Southern Suburbs provides intense physical training in a by starting a one day a week practice in Tokai. supportive team environment. This is an excellent counterpart to his mostly sedentary How many people do you employ? and mentally intense professional work.
Currently I employ myself. Any special offers to the BRC community of members (Nudge nudge, wink wink)? Are you confident about the future of South Africa? What makes you excited about the BRF members can enjoy a 20% discount on the future of your business in this country? first consultation and treatment.
If you are able to look for opportunities where Where can we find more details about you others anticipate problems, think differently business – facebook page, website, twitter, and keep trying new things you have what it insta, post office, verimark? takes to start a business and keep it going even in tough economic times. FB: @WHTCM
There are numerous opportunities in South Web: http://whole-health.co.za/contact-us Africa for entrepreneurship and South African communities tend to be very supportive of MARK YOUR CALENDER local business. Please take note of the following important It is immensely rewarding (albeit scary at dates coming up: times) to work for oneself, knowing that you are a contributing member of your community. 16 July: Nutrition talk at the box with Leon and Andrea. What are some of the major challenges you face in your business? 21 July: Member event – golf at the river club mashy course. Please let Mo know Continuity of care. This is more of a if you are interested in joining us. professional challenge but it can impact on 1 August: First WOD in BRC 2.0. We will business. also host a workout during the CF We often forget that our health is one of the Games broadcast, have a braai at the most valuable things we have. And we tend to box and watch some of the events. put off taking care of ourselves until the 24/25 August: Panther Games.
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