Administrative Announcement

Quick administrative announcement.

Byers is now URBAN. Yep, the name change bus pulled up, opened its doors and let off the coolest last name on the planet - one which I am reclaiming as my own. So get on the bus, people... because now it's Urban Gets Diesel. Need some help wrapping your head around this one? Here's a handy primer.

What: Uh, try and keep up. It's now "Urban Gets Diesel."
When: Effective immediately, so please use "Urban" for all future links, references and general giving of props.
Where: For now, I'm keeping the same web address. I'll be registering Urban Gets Diesel soon, though. The transition will be seamless, as soon as I figure out how to be all geeky and forward my page and stuff.
Why: Don't you worry your pretty little heads about that.
How: Done and done - I waved my Moxy-Boss wand and it is so.

Finally, as a request, if you've got my page linked on yours, please change my name and/or the site title when you get a chance. (I mean, Robb Wolf has already done it, and he's a busy, busy dude, so...) As always, thank you for your cooperation, consideration and continued readership. This bus couldn't do it without you.

Big Ups - Dallas vs. The Koffin

**Special shout-out... Happy Birthday, Dallas!**

Here is the final installation in the CrossFit 603 "Big Ups" series. As some background... we traveled from Sacramento to San Francisco CrossFit with our friends Matt and Donna of MaD CrossFit to meet Adrian Bozman (Coach Boz) and take the Koffin's lunch money. When we arrived, Boz told us the creator of the Koffin - Larry Gallagher himself - was on site building some plyo boxes. How. Cool. Is. That?

The Koffin is essentially two big boxes, the top of which slides down over the bottom. They've built peg holes into both pieces, with brackets that slide into the holes from the outside. You raise and lower the top to adjust the height, and hold it in place with the brackets. At its highest, the Koffin measures 58"... just shy of 5 feet. It's... tall. And until we got there, only four people in the whole world had managed conquer its highest setting. (The requirements of "conquering" the Koffin are simple - jump from the ground, land with both feet on the box and stand all the way up at the top. They don't care if you run, skip or pas de bourrée your way up to the thing - just get UP there.)

I don't want to give anything away, so I'll let you watch the video to see how it all transpired. A big thank you to Coach Boz and San Francisco CrossFit for their hospitality, and to Larry Gallagher for some damn fine craftsmanship.

Big Ups - Five Oh Edition

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Maine Man Detained Outside Local CrossFit Gym, Charges Still Unclear

By Melissa Byers
Chief Correspondent, The CrossFit 603 WORD

CHICO, CA (AP) – A Maine man found wandering outside a local CrossFit gym was held for questioning after alleged “mischievous conduct” involving a California Highway Patrol vehicle, although the police admit they are still not sure what charges technically apply.

According to a the California Highway Patrol (CHP), on Tuesday, September 6, 2009, Dallas Hartwig (a resident of Brunswick, ME) was taken in for questioning for allegedly disturbing the peace and endangering the welfare of a police cruiser. Mr. Hartwig was accused of repeatedly jumping on the roof of the vehicle, causing a public commotion and damaging state property.

One witness (who wished to remain anonymous) described the event. “There was this guy just, like, stalking this cruiser. It was weird, he kept walking up to it, bouncing up and down and then sprinting around the parking lot.” She described the suspect as a white male, 6’ 4” tall, with dark hair, wearing a light blue t-shirt and black board shorts. “He was just hanging out looking sketchy, and then he suddenly just, like, JUMPED on the car. Just jumped right up on the roof. From the ground. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Police immediately reclaimed their cruiser and detained Hartwig for questioning. However, further inspection of the vehicle showed no damage whatsoever, weakening the department's case. A CHP officer who asked not to be named added, “Uh, we’re not really sure what he did was illegal. Truth be told, we don’t know what the heck to charge him with. There’s always ‘criminal mischief’… but that’s just something we made up to use when we can’t think of anything better.” The officer goes on to say, “I’ve seen the video... it was pretty cool, actually. I wonder if I we can swing by my house on the way to the station so he can show my kids. They’d love it.”

Hartwig was released without being charged after several hours of questioning and a lesson in box jumping for members of the CHP Ball-Busters, the department’s co-ed recreational basketball team. Upon his release, Hartwig refused to comment, saying only, "I'm coming for you, Boz."

Later in the week, a suspect matching Hartwig's description was recorded jumping on a Sacramento city cruiser, leading the CHP to put out an all-points bulletin for his arrest. A CHP representative stated, “The guy’s got ups, that’s for sure, but he’s got half the force running around the parking lot trying to jump on their cars. It’s like Jackass, only with tasers and guns. Loaded guns. Someone’s gonna get hurt.”

Melissa Byers
The CrossFit 603 WORD

Big Ups - Fun With Lu Edition

About two months ago, CrossFit 603 got really into jumping on stuff. Or over stuff, or across stuff... jumping, in general. Dallas set his sights on San Francisco CrossFit's Koffin, and I set my sights on, well, anything over 24", because that was as high as I've ever tried to jump. (I'm not a good jumper. No, I'm a TERRIBLE jumper. It's an evil, evil Goat.) So we've been practicing, hitting 60.5" box jumps (Dallas) and 34" car jumps (me - see blog header).

Fast forward to last week, as Dallas managed to jump his way across two states on our Affiliate Tramp through Oregon and California. We enlisted the help of Lu Crenshaw, owner of CrossFit Allegiance and our shared CrossFit Crush. Seriously - Lu can out-up me by 10"... and she's only 5' 3" tall. So she was all too happy to jump around with us for a couple of hours on a Sunday morning.

Everyone loves a good montage, right? Here are some successful (and not so successful) jumps shot during our morning of fun at XFA. Also, in case you were wondering, tires are not soft, people - as you may be able to tell by the look on my face after some of those fails. Hey, we should all be working our Goats, right? (Even if our Goats make us look awkward and uncoordinated in front of hundreds of blog readers. At least my socks are cute.)

Stay tuned later in the week for the "Big Ups - Five Oh Edition"... and the final results of Dallas v. The Koffin.

Affiliate tramping - NorCal edition

Good morning! I spent all of last week in Oregon and northern California, affiliate tramping and working on some fun and exciting new projects. We went to visit Matt and Donna Dyson (MaD CrossFit) before their big move to New Zealand at the end of the month, and ended up doing a whirlwind tour of the area. I put 4" on my box jump (and a whole host of bruises on my shins) with Lu Crenshaw at CrossFit Allegiance in Medford, OR, worked the box squat and snatch with Nicki Violetti at NorCal Strength and Conditioning (Robb Wolf's joint), nailed some pretty 93# cleans from the high hang at CrossFit East Sac and watched Dallas jump on the Koffin at San Francisco CrossFit.

More on all of these shenanigans later in the week - I'm trying to shake the effects of a red-eye, a time change and a momentary lapse of good judgment (when I told Dallas I'd go 30 days caffeine-free with him). In the meantime, congratulations to all you 30 day-ers who are still holding strong. There are still people jumping on the bus, so keep posting to comments and keep encouraging, supporting and inspiring.


Mischief at CrossFit NorCal... stay tuned to see what brought the CHPs.

Go green

Here's a blanket statement that I feel extremely confident making, right here, right now, in a public setting. You need to eat more vegetables. Yes, you. ALL of you. Today's post is all about going green - green, leafy vegetables, that is.

The "CrossFit dietary prescription", Dr. Loren Cordain's Paleo Diet and Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint all have one thing in common... after the number one recommendation - "eat meat" - comes the second most important edict - "eat vegetables". Everyone knows vegetables are good for you - but why, across the board, is there so much focus on the green leafy stuff? Here's a short (obligatory, if not boring) list, to reinforce what we already know. Nothing here should be a surprise, and it's all taken from Dr. Cordain's FAQ.

• Nutrition. Fresh vegetables are high in beneficial nutrients, such as soluble fiber, antioxidant vitamins, phytochemicals, and low-glycemic carbohydrates.
  
• Insulin sensitivity. Most veggies are of a low-glycemic index, meaning that they cause slow and limited rises in your blood sugar and insulin levels. (An we all know how important it is to get your insulin situation in check.)
  
• Health. The nutrients in vegetables not only promote good health, but exclude all of the "traditional" carb ingredients (refined sugars, grains, salt, and processed additives) that frequently cause weight gain, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and numerous other health problems. In addition, the high soluble-fiber content of vegetables will improve most diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Alkalinity. Because vegetables are alkaline in nature, they promote a healthy acid/base balance. Diets too heavy in acidic foods can contribute to a host of health issues, including inflammation, osteoporosis, kidney stones, hypertension, stroke, asthma, and insomnia.

So assuming we're all on board with the Science-y reasons you should eat copious amounts of vegetables every day, the obvious question is... why aren't you? The excuses I am given are endless, but can be summed up in a few categories:

1. I don't like them
2. I don't know how to cook/prepare/eat them
3. Fruit is both easier AND tastes better
   

Let's tackle these one at a time. First, I don't care that you don't like them. Sometimes, grown-ups have to do things we don't like because it's for our own good. Eating vegetables is one such thing. Do you think I'd rather eat a bag of spinach with my eggs instead of fresh berries covered in coconut milk? No contest. But I eat the spinach because it's the best choice, and contributes more positively to how I look, feel and perform. Suck it up, people. You are no longer allowed to tell me you don't like (fill in vegetable here), because for every vegetable that you don't enjoy eating, there are 17 more out there that would do you just as good. Which brings me to point #2...

Learn how to shop for, prepare and cook vegetables properly. There are probably a whole HOST of vegetables out there that you do, in fact, like... if you only took the time to seek them out and learn how to cook them. So do your homework. Talk to your local Farmers' Market vendors, call that friend of yours who would know exactly what to do with all that rutabaga or surf the web and let Emeril, Oprah or that hot Italian lady from the Food Network show you what's what in the produce section. Experiment. Try new things. Put the effort in, because if you're going to comply with point #1 (eat them, even if you don't like them), wouldn't it be easier if you DID, in fact, like them?

And finally... fine. I can't argue with the fact that fruit DOES, in general, taste better. Who wouldn't take a fresh mango over, say, mashed cauliflower? But... if you refer back to point #1, end of discussion. So let's address the "fruit is easier" part. Sure, fruit can be eaten raw and on the go, but so can vegetables. Carrots, snow peas, sugar snap peas, red/yellow/green pepper, cucumber and celery are just as portable and crunch-able as fruit. Try swapping out that side of fruit with your lunch with carrots or a red pepper... same crunch, same sweet taste - it's like sneaking in your vegetables when your taste buds weren't looking.

Please understand, I do have some sympathy. For those of you who are REALLY having a hard time getting your vegetables in, I'm willing to make some concessions. If you MUST dip your veggies in hummus, salad dressing or some other non-compliant dressing, I'm okay with that. In this case, the benefits (you eating your vegetables) outweighs the potential negative consequences of the dressing. Just be smart about it, and use as little as possible to satisfy your taste buds. I'm also okay if there isn't as much variety here as there should be. If you're like my friend Brandon, and I can get you to go from NO vegetables at all to carrots and green beans every day... I'll take it. I'd prefer that he branches out a bit more, but for now, I'm just happy he's eating SOMETHING green.

And for those of you about to blast me for recommending snow peas and sugar snap peas (technically legumes, and not okay on a strict Paleo diet)... if you try to tell me "Grok wouldn't eat those", I will literally come to your house and kick you in the shins for missing the bus. As Dallas says, "Green beans, sugar snap peas and snow peas are far more 'pod' than 'bean'." And, again, if those are the only vegetables you'll eat, then I am more than happy to give you my blessing. They're VEGETABLES, people. How bad can they be for you?

Finally, in a last ditch effort to get you to eat your greens, I'm busting out my secret weapon... Melicious' Sunshine Sauce. This spicy Thai dressing is 100% Paleo compliant, easy to make, doesn't need to be refrigerated and one of the Top Three Most Delicious Things To Ever Come Out of My Kitchen. Mix up a batch - it's easy to scale the recipe - and slather it over every one of your vegetables. I guarantee it will make even the most hard-core veggie hater fall in love.

Now I'm off to Google "rutabaga", because while it's a really fun word to say, I'm not entirely sure what to do with it now that it's sitting in my refrigerator.

Welcome home, Karl

I'd like to take a minute to welcome Karl Schirrmacher home from Iraq. Karl is a Staff Sergeant in the Army and recently returned to his wife, family and friends in California safe and sound.

We're glad you're home, Karl.