Highland Games in Alaska
CrossFit Portland athlete Jim McIntyre reports from Alaska:
The Highland games kinda sucked until I got through all the “skill” events. I was one of only 4 (out of 16) guys to turn a huge caber, and I did it twice. It was the biggest I had turned at 19′ 7″. Then was the farmers walk. The implements were as different as ours as possible. The handles were nice and small and I was able to get my grip locked in. I made exactly 300 feet for 4th place. There were some big dudes there. The winner was a fellow crossfitter. We decided that crossfit was great training for the walk because with crossfit you don’t stop when you get tired like most people train. So the training we did made a big difference. There is no way I would have turned that stick without the olys we have been doing. So thank you very much.
173 lb farmer’s walk for distance.
Travis 1-Week Update
If you haven’t already, checkout Travis’s “Buffy Factory” Diary. It’s been 1-week and you should see the results! Most of it is water weight leaving the body after coming off the inflammatory agents in processed starchy foods. Nonetheless, it shows the extra weight most of us carry around on a high-carb diet and how readily our bodies want to get rid of it when we eat a more natural diet.
We are busy getting the gym ready for tonight’s first WOD at the new location. Hope you can make it!
Final Workouts And We Moved!
Friday and Saturday were two special last workouts at the old location (I’m already calling it old) in the SE. Both had an element of anticipation for the unknown. Anticipation is how Scott, Rochelle, and I all feel about the new gym and we wanted to share our excitement with you 
Friday,
Load the truck with your thruster dumbbells and then follow the leader on a little fun run of unknown destination. We ended at the Brooklyn stairs where the dumbbells await.
8 Rounds
10 Thrusters
1 x up and down the stairs
Saturday,
Two teams – run a route back to the gym, teams start in opposite direction. Surprise along the way at the Cleveland HS track though.
Run to track
400 M Row
40 Kettlebell Swings
Rest
All out 400 M Sprint
Run to gym
Finally, we moved the gym and said goodbye to the first box. A BIG THANK YOU to all who attended the move party and it was fun hanging out at La Bonita afterwards for a much deserved refueling.
Travis’s “Buff Factory” Diary
Have you noticed the little picture of Travis over on the announcements and events column of our blog?
Travis has seen his abilities, strength, and stamina all increase at CrossFit Portland. He has also reduced his body mass 15+ lbs. We haven’t tweaked his diet until now. Travis is transitioning into a more natural, paleo diet and he has agreed to make his experience public.
Click on the picture of Travis to see his food log as it updates daily and support him in this transition!
Sue’s Birthday, 30 Muscle Ups
We celebrated Sue’s birthday with a personal workout all for herself. 30 Muscle Ups. She didn’t think she could do it in the beginning and surprised herself thoroughly Everybody was excited and cheered her on to number 30! A great accomplishment Sue.
Sue has a particularly interesting muscle up technique. Her left arm will always get over the rings first while the lazy right takes its time getting around the corner. A little bit past half-way into the workout, her form started to correct itself and both arms were turning over faster. Curious to see her future muscle ups after this milestone.
Sue workout: 30 Muscle Ups
Not Sue workout:
Accumulate handstand for 200 seconds.
Every time you get out of the handstand, 15 tuck jumps and run 200 M.
Jason spends time at vertical for over a minute
Hand Care Tips
Here are some hand care tips from our friends at CrossFit Eastside in Redmond:
Hand maintenance
Because the question of how to deal with hand callusing has been reoccurring lately, it is time to address it here. We are not promoting manicures. We are promoting maintenance to your hands, so that you can continue to be successful with your training–not tapping out because your hands are thrashed. Take care of business so that you can stay in the game.
Callusing is the body’s natural means for dealing with surface friction. In an effort to protect the dermis, a think mass of skin develops at frequently used contact points, most notably the pads at the top of the palms.
If you do not regularly maintain your hands (keep them semi-smooth on the surface, yet still deeply callused), you will end up tearing skin from your hands. It is only a matter of time.
Many methods exist for hand maintenance. We know people who use an electric dremel, on low speed, with a drum sander attachment. It is quick, taking about 5 minutes, and not as scary as it may sound–once you get the hang of it.
Another great, highly recommended tool is the Pedro callus stone. It works better than conventional pumice stones, and, with a proper soak prior to filing, will effectivley take down the roughness of your calluses and keep them from getting too thick–both of which are sure to lead to tearing on your next big pull-up, deadlift, or o-lift workout. File frequently.
What to do, though, if you do end up tearing the skin from your hands, despite our cautions about the importance of preventative maintenance? One option is to clip off the remaining skin flaps and keep the wounds clean. Of course, this is going to limit your pulling activities until your hands heal.
Another possibility is to use glue to mend the lesion–after thoroughly cleaning the affected area. Gluing down the edges of the torn skin can get you back to training while you heal. Gluing also allows the tender area under the abrasion to heal and toughen. As the skin beneath grows out, keep gently sanding the top level skin to keep the edges smooth. Eventually the glued top layer will have to be removed, but by then the newer layers of skin will be tougher. Ordinary Super Glue or Krazy Glue-type products (methyl-2-cyanoacrylates) can work for this, though they are not recommended because of concerns about potential toxicity. There are, however, medical-grade tissue adhesives designed and approved for human or veterinary uses (containing butyl, isobutyl or octyl esters rather than methyl alcohol) that would work.
Obviously, the best cure here is prevention. Get filing!
EVENTS
Hawthorne Hustle for Franny. Please go here to learn about the Franny Fund. Click here to sign up for the Hawthorne Hustle
On Ramp MW 7:30 pm, F 6:30 pm, starting September 13th.
ON Ramp TTH 12:00, Sat 11:30, starting September 14th. No class on Sep. 18th Register early by September 5th for the early bird discount
CrossFit Portland Around the Web
