Oly lifting Clinic Coached by Gary Valentine

Dates and Times:  Sunday July 17th at 8am 

CFL we will have a Four hour Oly lifting Clinic Coached by Gary Valentine, 

In this session you will learn how to improve your Snatch and Clean and Jerk, he will use video so that you can see what your doing and how to change it.

It's $155 per person check made payable to CFL. As of right now there are only a few spots left.  Email Jen@crossfitlegitimus.com for more info.

Here is a little background information on Gary:

2003 World Masters Olympic Weightlifting Champion and Team Connecticut Head Coach Gary Valentine was born May 6, 1957 in Stamford, Ct.  After receiving his Masters Degree in Exercise Science from the University of Connecticut  in 1983, he began a 24 year career in the field of Cardiac Rehabilitation. He held the position of Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Wellness Programs at Griffin Hospital in Derby Connecticut until August 2009, when he formedValentine Strength,  LLC., a strength and weightlifting consulting firm offering seminars and private instruction in Olympic Weightlifting.       Since 2002, he has been Adjunct Professor in Exercise Science at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT., teaching courses in Clinical Exercise Physiology and Resistance Program Design to Exercise Science and Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program upperclassmen. .

      With Lifetime best lifts of 123kg (271lbs) snatch and 165kg (363lbs) clean and jerk at age 42, Coach Valentine has 17 Connecticut State Championships to his credit, and various Regional titles since 1980. Gary has competed very successfully as a Master's (over age 35) lifter. He is pictured below at 46 years of age with  the 152.5 kg clean and jerk (336 pounds) that, along with 117.5kg snatch (258 lbs), won the Gold Medal at the 2003 Master's World Championships in the 105 kg (231 pound) heavyweight division.

      In 2002 he won the 5th of his 6 Pan American Masters Championships, setting a then World Record in the Clean and jerk with 153 kg. In 2006 he set the Pan American clean and jerk record with 154 kg. He also has won 9 Masters National Championships. Additionally, he has qualified 3 times for the U.S. Senior National championships, the highest National Competition in the United states - all while over age 40!
      Gary continues to compete in Open and Masters Competitions, while coaching Team Connecticut, and serving as Meet Director for the Connecticut Weightlifting Championships, held on the first Sunday of August each year.

What's Happening?

A lot is happening at CFL.

We are on to week 3 of the Paleo challenge and we have seen some great results so fare.

Earlier this month Izzo and Brian headed over to CrossFit Relentless to attend the CrossFit Oly certification held by Coach B.

We both learned so much and had a great time meeting new friends and learning some great technique that we can pass along to all of you.

This past weekend Spencer, Jillian, Brian, Mollie, Paul and Mary all went over to Litchfield to run the Litchfield Hills Road Race.  This was a 7+ mile run that was held on a very hilly course.  We had great support from our friends and we encourage anyone to give this fun race a try next year.

Last night we enjoyed some great food from Cross Cuisines that may help some of you with your challenges on the Paleo diet.  Check out her FB page and give it a try.  The food was delicious and seems pretty reasonable.  http://www.facebook.com/CrossCuisines?sk=wall&ref=nf

So break open you calendars this is what is going on the rest of this month and into July.

June 23rd:  Several of us will be heading over to Hartford to run a 5K.  See the website for details.  This is a fun run that welcomes anyone.  We usually stick around and enjoy some live music by the river afterwards.  See the link for details and let Brian know if you are running so we can meet up at the starting line.
http://www.hartfordmarathon.com/Events/X-Treme_Scramble_Series.htm

July 2nd:  MURPH  9:00am followed by a cookout at Izzo's house.  Anyone is welcome to give this workout a go and we welcome anyone from other boxes who want to attend.

July 17th:  Gary Valentine will be hosting a 4hr lecture on Olympic lifts.  Cost is $150.00 and we only have 5 slots left.  See Jen for details.  We highly recommend this course to everyone in the gym.

July 29th and 30th:  Life as RX event in Hartford.  We will have individuals competing and some helping out with judging and organizing.  Check out the page and save the date to support your fellow CrossFit peeps.
http://www.asrx.com/ustour/hartford/

That is all for now.  We have a busy summer.  I you have any events you would like to see added to our calendar just let us know.


B

Week 2

It's Week 2 of the 30 Day Challenge, and the gym is full of some crazy energy and results.  

Now that you’ve made it through week one you have identified some key areas of improvements that needed to be made in your daily diet and life. 

This week should have allowed you to look at yourself and realize what is important to you and identify your values of how serious you want to take this challenge. 

Setting intentions is quite different than goal making.  You may set a goal to win this challenge but your intentions at any specific moment might change.  I like to call this mini goal setting.

This has helped me through all aspects of competition.  You can’t simply put out some crazy goals and not have a plan to make it work.  The old saying of taking one day at a time works for me.  Or in this case it might be one meal at a time.  

When walking into a party with a delicious looking birthday cake you must set your mini-goal realistic to your values and intentions.  “Hey I am going to go in this birthday party but I am not going to eat the cake” or “I am going to have a drink but not have any beer”.

Cultivating right intentions does not mean you abandon the final goal.  You mini-goal during a specific moment might not be the most advantageous way to reach your final goal.  But guess what, you made it though that emotional rollercoaster of that specific moment.  It is up to you to realize this and make better intentions next time prior to entering a moment.

We are all really proud of what is happening and the results we are seeing.  Anyone can make it work for a week.  It is up to you to challenge yourself in the coming weeks to really see true results.

By Brian Smith

Weekend Extra Stuff!!!

Saturday June 4th, 8:00am-9:00am  Max's final lecture in our Performance Endurance Series

Programming the Endurance Athlete

· Are you a newly minted endurance athlete? Do you know how much should you be running, swimming, biking or weightlifting per week? What is the value of general physical preparedness vs. sport specificity? Do you believe that the only way to get faster is to do more? This lecture will review the realities (and fallacies!) of endurance training and provide a blueprint for you to follow in your own training.

Sunday June 5th, 4:00pm  
Our very own Jen Lownik will be hosting this event at CFL.  Contact her if you are interested in attending.  Special price for CFL members.  
jennifer@im-safe.com

Think about the women you know. Now consider one in four will be assaulted or attacked during their lifetime. You can put the odds in your favor by learning how to effectively Strike Back℠.

Today, women are looking for realistic defense programs that can be learned quickly and more importantly remembered under stress. This non-martial arts workshop is like nothing you’ve seen before and is a method you will not forget. If you can remember “stop, drop and roll” you can learn a method of defense that can get you out of just about any situation.

GSB (Girls Strike Back℠) is specifically designed for women ages 13 and up. In 90 minutes you learn some of the most effective techniques women can use to defend against a realistic assault. This is not the old worn-out advice you already know like “kick him in the groin” or “carry your keys and walk aggressively.” Rather, women learn how to use their most powerful weapons (their legs) against a male attacker.

Girls Strike Back℠ Workshops are designed for women of all ages and physical abilities. Here women learn a holistic approach that teaches them to use ALL of their feminine assets to level the playing field. Here you will learn how to overcome a challenge from a common street encounter or social encounter to bullying — anywhere an unwanted approach occurs.

This initial program can stand alone or can be followed with three additional sessions that reinforce a system of self defense. Upon completion women leave with the knowledge and confidence to defend themselves against the most common types of attacks.