Functional Belts

     Howdy howdy! Glad you've decided to come back, and become "enlightened" through the blog. This may not be a spiritual process that I'm taking you through... but I'll try not to bore you anyways.

Or maybe not

     Alright folks, today we're going to talk about a revolutionary tool, and one that we rarely see around the box. That is... The weight belt



Ta-da

      It seems there is some misconceptions about the weightlifting aide. I've seen people in the Globo-Gyms wearing this while doing bicep curls... yea, not so much. You will see the use, and benefit, from this mainly from Olympic and Power Lifting. The weight belt can be worn, and should only be worn at short intervals lifting maximal or submaximal loads.

     The purpose of this great piece is to 1) prevent hyperextention of the back (mostly for Press or Jerks); and 2) to increase inter-abdominal pressure providing more support for your lower back (great for Deadlift and Squats). The weight belt will also give you a better understanding of body awareness. But it's not all grand.

     Like everything, there's some drawbacks. For one, extended use can cause and elevation in blood pressure. So like I just said, this should only be used when attempting those max load lifts, and then be removed while resting. Also, constant use of the weight belt can cause decreased strength in your abs (after you worked so hard to get that six-pack).

     In my opinion, when used correctly, the weight belt's benefits far outweigh the few disadvantages. So take the time to learn about things like this, and you will be increasing your fitness day by day (or just continue to read the blog). I'll leave you with that folks. Move loads, cover distances... and do burpees. Have Fun!


Crossfit Regionals 2010 from Samer Abou-Zaki on Vimeo.

3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's Strength/WOD:


Strength:

1 rep max weighted pullup
- 45 lbs
- 53 lbs
- 63 lbs
- 70 lbs
- 80 lbs (PR)
- 85 lbs (f)
- 90 lbs (f)
- 70 lbs
I wanted to get that 90 lb PR, but it just wasn't happening. Still... I got 80!


WOD:
Every minute for 30 minutes:
3 Chest-to-Bar Pullups
6 Chest-to-Deck Pushups
9 Squats
I really wanted to try to take on Chelsea, which is same time but 5-10-15 of everything, but I've never been able to go for the full half an hour. I figured I could make the movements a little more difficult, but scale back the reps. Worked out ok, felt like I could have gone for another 1/2 hour. Oh well, I got to do Murph on Tuesday (Damn you Kevin).


Paleo Challenge Day 13/30
Still been going well, and haven't been cheating. At this point, cravings have diminished to barely anything at all... almost half way!