If after watching the video above &/or reading the book ‘Born To Run’ and you fancy trying out a pair of Vibram Five Fingers – then click here to find out where to buy them at the cheapest prices.

If you are interested in knowing how to correctly do a Pull Up, then CrossFit has kindly created a helpful article – click here to read it. Or click here to view a demo video from the CrossFit ‘Exercises & Demo’ section (wmv).

When it comes to functional training one of the best bits of training equipment to have is a simple sandbag. Training with sandbags provide a unique fitness experience and helps develop amazing grip strength.

One of the reasons sandbags are great for training with is because they are inherently unstable, so your body – especially your core is constantly struggling to maintain balance and keep control of the weight. If you are lifting a barbell then the centre of the weight is always the same. But with a sandbag the load can shift unpredictably– so your core is given a tough workout keeping it in the desired position.

When lifting a sandbag, compared to any other fixed weight such as a barbell or kettlebell – you will find it much harder to lift due to the instability. Compared to many other weightlifting equipment a sandbag provides a much more intense workout. Not only will it improve your balance, it will also boost your strength.

There is a huge variety of workouts that you can do with sandbags – which makes them a perfect piece of equipment to have for doing CrossFit. Movements can include deadlifts, shouldering & cleaning, squatting, holding, carrying, pulling or throwing.

Training with a sandbag will help you shred fat, gain a toned physique, stimulate functional muscle gains and give you unstoppable endurance. Strongmen and athletes have been training with sandbags for centuries. They are one of the oldest, best & most proven functional training equipment available. Also, they are easy to stow away or transport – ideal if you are on the road with work or going on holiday.

Josh Henkin of Sandbag Fitness Systems is an expert in sandbag training. He has developed ideal sandbags for training with. You can make your own sandbag, but over time it is more likely to rip of be damaged.

The benefits of sandbags supplied by Sandbag Fitness Systems are:

• Strengthen the stabilizing muscles in your shoulders abdomen, low back and hips so that you can injury-proof your body
• Develop vice-like grip-strength and hands of steel
• Burn fat at unparalleled rates by performing a series of Sandbag Exercises that I call ‘Power Circuits’
• Break through training plateaus by training outside of the usual “Groove” of barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells
• Supercharge your cardio training by performing some specialized Sandbag conditioning drills
• Uniquely-designed by a strength coach so one-arm lifts like Snatches and Presses can be performed
• Easy Access to inside of bag makes it a ‘snap’ to change the weight of the bag in under 30 seconds
• Virtually indestructible Double-reinforced stitching to preventing ripping and to extend bag life
• Achieve greater variety of exercises and comfort due to the bags unique design with special handles
• Top of the line canvas prevents skin tears unlike other bags on the market
• Specialized high-quality construction prevents sand leakage and allows you train in commercial gyms without worry
• Sturdy snaps along the zipper to seal the bag and keep sandbag training clean and safe

View the videos below of Josh Henkin demonstrating workouts with a sandbags

Sandbag Fitness Systems | Josh Henkin

5 Best Core Sandbag Exercises | Josh Henkin

Click here for a list of UK retailers that supply sandbags – including sandbags (Ultimate Sandbag) by Josh Henkin of Sandbag Fitness Systems (Ultimate Sandbag).

You can also order sandbags and training DVD’s, Book’s and eBook’s direct from Sandbag Fitness Systems in the USA. Click here to visit the store.

Sometimes you will not have access to any equipment and/or you won’t have space for the equipment e.g. small apartment, college dorm, hotel room, etc. Under these circumstances you have no excuse not to exercise. Even if you only have a very small area to traing you can still do one of the most effective training there is available – bodyweight circuits.
You can combine a variety of body weight drills e.g. burpees, pus ups, squats, planks, walking lunges, etc, to produce a workout which is extremely physically demanding.

Bodyweight exercises are great for anyone to get in great shape no matter whether you have limited time or problems with having a training area. If you have a 10×10 space and some determination you can get very fit.

Apart from the CrossFit website an excellent source for specific bodyweight exercises is Craig Ballantyne’s Turbulence Training . Craig has a page full of free videos. Checkout out the video of a sample workout below:

“The Crazy 8 Body Weight Circuit”

This is a great bodyweight workout, because it just takes 20-30 minutes and you can do it in a small area e.g. bedroom, hotel room, etc and you don’t need any equipment.

1. 60 Jumping Jacks: Done as fast as possible, but make sure you do full jumping jacks.
2. 15-20 Spiderman Pushups: I’m just doing normal pushups until they become too easy. Typically it is a breeze for me to do 40+ pushups, but it is much tougher when you do these with zero rest in between jumping jacks.
3. Walking Lunges: I take 20 steps total. This is the easiest part of the workout in my opinion.
4. Spiderman Climb: I do a total of 20 of these (10 per side) I really feel these in my abs and obliques.
5. Wall Squat: Do for 45-60 seconds. This hurts! Don’t rest your hands upon your legs, since it makes it easier.
6. Planks: Do for 60 seconds. Tough after doing all these other exercises without rest.
7. 5 Burpees: Make sure and do a full pushup at the bottom and explode as high as pssible at the top into a jump. I’m still kind of uncoordinated with these…probably because I’m “smoked” at this point!
8. High Knees: Done as fast as possible. Do 50 total. I just count when my right leg hits the ground for 25. It is hard to count both legs for 50 since you are going fast. You will be dying about 1/2 way through.

Notes: Each exercise is done back-to-back with no rest in between. Even though you’ll want to have a rest, immediately start the next exercise. After this 8 exercise circuit is completed, rest for 60 seconds. Use this time to drink some water if desired. The 60 seconds will feel much shorter e.g. 10-20 seconds. Repeat the circuit 1 more time. Don’t add in the 3rd circuit until you think you are fit enough.
Also, some people who are new to CrosFit may be very unfit. They may be intimidated by using CrossFit equipment and struggle with simple bodyweight exercises such as press ups. If this is the case the Turbulence Training can be a good place to start your journey to becoming fit, and to give you confidence to start attempting workouts woth CrossFit equipment.

To help you get started with Turbulence Training bodyweight exercises, download the 3 pdf’s below will will give you lots of sample workouts:

The article questioned the efficacy and health benefits of low-fat diets, was seen as defending the Atkins diet against the medical establishment and became extremely controversial (Taubes himself has stated “Even though I knew the article would be the most controversial article the Times Magazine ran all year, [the reaction] still shocked me”). The Center for Science in the Public Interest published a rebuttal to the Times article in their November, 2002, newsletter. According to Taubes, “The CSPI is an advocacy group that has been pushing low-fat diets since the 1970s.”

In 2007, Taubes published his book Good Calories, Bad Calories: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom on Diet, Weight Control, and Disease, (published as The Diet Delusion in the UK). This aims to examine how a hypothesis became dogma and claims to show how the scientific method was circumvented so a contestable hypothesis could remain unchallenged. The book uses data and studies compiled from dietary research from as early as the 1800s.

Gary Taubes has been mentioned in numerous CrossFit articles. The diets followed by many Crossfitters e.g. Zone Diet, Paleo Diet, etc are suppported by much of the information that Taubes reveals.
Taubes’ hypothesis is that the medical community and the federal government have relied upon misinterpreted scientific data on nutrition to build the prevailing paradigm about what constitutes healthful eating.

Taubes makes the case that — contrary to the conventional wisdom — it is refined carbohydrates that are responsible for heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer and many other maladies of civilization.

Taubes includes information and studies which indicate that physical exercise increases appetite to a degree that makes it an inefficient tool in weight loss. He tracks the origins of commonly accepted dietary advice and aims to show that information that is filtered to the public often contradicts scientific evidence.

Although Taubes has no formal training in nutrition or medicine, his book was praised as “raising interesting and valuable points” by Dr. Andrew Weil and Dr. Mehmet Oz who both appeared on the same program.

 
Diet Delusion is a fascintating book which should be read by anyone who cares about the type of food they put in their mouth.

Check out his lecture by Gary Taubes video below (approx 1hr 12 mins – but worth watching).

The kettlebell goes way back, it first appeared in a Russian dictionary in 1704 (Cherkikh, 1994). So popular were kettlebells in Tsarist Russia that any strongman or weightlifter was referred to as a girevik, or ‘a kettlebell man’.

Kettlebell workouts are intended to increase strength, endurance, agility and balance, challenging both the muscular and cardiovascular system with dynamic, total-body movements

Common kettlebell lifts:

Kettlebell swing
This conditioning movement is performed either one-handed or two-handed. The kettlebell swings at arm’s length from between the legs to approximately head-level, with the legs, hips, and lower back providing the motive force.

Kettlebell snatch
Similar to a traditional snatch, the weight moves from a lower position to over the head with the arm extended.

Kettlebell jerk
A competition lift, like the kettlebell snatch, this lift culminates with the weight overhead at arms’ length.

Why are kettlebells superior to many other fitness equipment?

• The kettlebell is the ultimate in conditioning the body for extreme decelerations. Think of all the sudden stops and direction changes on the football field. If you have not conditioned yourself to handle these forces, you will perform sub-par and run a high risk of injury. Traditional strength training, even the Olympic ‘quick lifts’, does not address this issue as the weight is either dropped or treated to a slow negative. As Brett Jones, RKC Sr. put it, “You cannot swing a barbell between your legs.” You could try it with a dumbbell -at least until the sheer width of it takes your knees out. The compact kettlebell can be dropped from the lockout between your knees and way behind you where it will impact load your hips.

 

• This dynamic loading sets up the hip muscles for a powerful contraction. The kettlebell is the definitive tool for developing the hip thrust, the power generator in all athletics. Be it a jump, a kick, or a punch, when expertly performed, it comes from the hip.

 

• The kettlebell will make your back resilient. Unique Russian exercises condition your back from every conceivable angle, statically and dynamically. One would have to take up powerlifting, yoga, strongman, gymnastics, and a couple of other things to half way imitate the benefits of kettlebell training.

 

• Kettlebell’s offset centre of gravity maximizes shoulder strength, flexibility, and health. Most Russians have never heard of ‘rotator cuffs.’ Save for combat wounds, shoulder injuries are virtually unheard in the Russian armed forces. They train and test their personnel with repetition one-arm snatches with a 53 lb. kettlebell rather than pushups.

 

• The kettlebell is an outstanding grip, wrist, and forearm developer. A thick and smooth handle combined with the ballistic nature of many exercises loads the grip like rock climbing. Bottom up cleans and similar leverage drills unique to kettlebells take care of the wrists.

 

• The position of the handle allows dynamic passing of the kettlebell from hand to hand for a great variety of powerful juggling type exercises strongly endorsed by the Russian Federation State Committee on Physical Culture. These drills develop dynamic strength and injury-proof the body in many planes unlike conventional linear exercise.

 

• The kettlebell will give you infinite freedom of lifting. It has been said that kettlebells to traditional free weights are what barbells and dumbells are to machines. Taming a kettlebell is akin to medieval sword, spear, and battleaxe play, liberating and aggressive.

 

• The Russian kettlebell is a complete, no-compromise, extreme hand held gym. “We train with kettlebells in case civilization is temporary,” stated the Philadelphia Kettlebell Club, “…don’t rely on anything you can’t carry.”Source: RussianKettlebells.com

 

Sooner or later a CrossFit WOD will include Kettlebells. If you have never used them before then you can learn how to safely lift them by viewing the ‘exercise & demos’ section on CrossFit.com.

However, it is highly recommend that you receive training from a CrossFit affiliate coach or an approved kettlebell coach. Two respected certifiers for kettlebell coaching are the RKC and UKKA.

Pavel Tsatsouline’s Certified Russian Kettlebell Instructors (RKC) of which there are a few in the UK – the most highly rated of which is Rannoch Donald RKC  who is based in Edinburgh, Scotland. For more information on Kettlebell workshops with Rannoch visit:  http://mainpage.simplestrength.com/

• RKC Instructors – Scotland
• RKC Instructors – England, Wales & Northern Ireland
  
• RKC Instructors – Republic of Ireland
  
• UKKA (United Kingdom Kettlebell Association)

To view a list of recommended Kettlebell equipment suppliers click here.

If you want to have a healthy balanced nutritional diet, then eggs are a fantastic food to include in your weekly diet. Sadly there has been a lot of ignorant reporting on eggs e.g. nonsense such as eggs will give you high cholesterol, etc, which has resulted in many people thinking eggs are an unhealthy food, especially egg yolks.

Humans have always eaten eggs – they are part of our natural diet. Our ancient ancestors i.e. hunter gatherers would have eaten wild bird eggs if they were lucky enough to find some. Eggs would have been a seasonal food, so hunter gatherers would not have eaten them every day. With this in mind, the recommend amount of eggs to eat is approx a maximum of 6 per week.

Eggs are good for your health. Recent scientific studies show that an egg a day has no significant effect on your blood cholesterol level and does not increase your risk of heart disease. Eggs are a relatively high in fat (62% fat, 34% protein) – but this is a healthy type of fat that you need to have in your diet. A healthy diet must include a certain amount of fat. Anybody following the Zone Diet, which is the recommended CrossFit diet, will know the importance of including fat in your diet.

They’re low in calories with only around 80 kcals per medium egg – so they are great, especially combined with vegetables and salads as part of healthy balanced meals.

Eggs contain many vitamins. In particular, they are source of various B vitamins and are especially rich in vitamin B2 riboflavin, and vitamin B12.  Eggs are also a rich source of vitamin D and they also contain vitamin A.

Eggs contain many essential minerals and trace elements, including phosphorus, iodine and selenium and iron and zinc are present in smaller amounts.

Only eat the whites??

One myth that has been doing the rounds for a number of years is that eating egg whites only, and discarding egg yolks is the healthy diet alternative. Rubbish!

Egg whites are quite low in nutritional value. Yes, the white part contains approx 50% of the eggs protein, most of which is sodium. Protein from eggs is the best type you can eat. However, the nutrients in the whites are almost zero.

The healthiest part of the egg is the yolk. This contains nearly all the vitamins and minerals that your body needs, except for vitamin C. So stop making omelettes made from egg white only!

What type of egg should I buy?

You can purchase a variety of eggs including free range, organic, omega-3 fortified, caged eggs, etc. We recommend you use eggs which are as natural as possible e.g. free range & organic. Ultimately, which ones you choose to but will depend on your budget, but whatever you do just make sure you are buying & eating eggs.

When browsing the egg shelves at a supermarket, it can be confusing as to which type is best for you. Below is a summary to help you decide:

Free Range eggs
Eggs from birds that are permitted to roam freely within the farmyard and only kept in sheds or henhouses at night. However, not all countries have legal standards defining what free range means. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has no standards and allows egg producers to freely label any egg as a free range egg.

Many producers will label their eggs as cage-free in addition to or instead of free range. In the UK, free-range systems are the most popular of the non-cage alternatives, accounting for around 28% of all eggs, compared to 4% in barns and 6% organic.

Free range does not imply in any way that the hens were fed any better than in factory farms. The “free roaming” does not provide the main feed supplies, which means that free range hens can be fed the same animal derived by products or GMO crops, as in factory farming. This is also the main reason why free range eggs are cheaper than organic eggs.

Data from reliable research is scarce however some small studies suggest the nutritional content of eggs from genuine free-range hens (hens that forage daily on a grass range) is superior to eggs produced by conventional means. These studies report higher levels of Omega 3 and Vitamins A and E, and lower levels of total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and Omega 6.

Organic eggs
Organic egg production is the production of eggs through organic means. In this process, the poultry are fed organic feed. The poultry must have access to the outdoors and are in a cage-free environment. Organic egg producers cannot use antibiotics except during an infectious outbreak. Only natural molting can occur within the flock; forced molting is not allowed. Organic certification also means maintaining of high animal welfare standards, which prohibit any cutting off of beaks or wings without anaesthesia, methods common until today in poultry industry.

Those are: organic hens are fed organic feed – which is the main factor in improving taste, nutrition and health benefits of the eggs; it is prohibited to feed animal by-products or GMO crops – which is not discontinued in free range environments; no antibiotics allowed except in emergencies (in opposite to free range, which implies usually the same levels of antibiotics as factory farming); guaranteed animal welfare standards in organic farms, which also improves the quality of both the eggs and the meat – low stress levels lead to superior quality of animal products.

In opposite to all other methods of raising hens, including the free range method in most cases, the organic certification requires a humane treatment of the chickens. The widely criticized beak cutting and “trimming” of wings without any anaesthetics, which lead to many deaths among the so treated birds, are strictly prohibited in organic farming. Also any other mistreatment of the chickens is definitely banned and would immediately lead a farmer to losing his organic certification.

Nutritionally organic eggs are the most healthy as they are the chickens that produce them are not pumped full of man-made chemicals by the farmer. Instead they have a more natural diet, producing a better egg.

Omega-3 Fortified
Omega-3 eggs are eggs that are produced by hens fed a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are crucial to take into the body since the body doesn’t produce them. They are thought to be crucial for overall good health and are said to help prevent cardiovascular disease. Eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids is thought to lessen the risk of blood clots that could dangerously block arteries that connect to the heart.

Omega 3 fortified eggs are more like the wild bird eggs our ancestors ate, as they have high levels of omega 3 fatty acids.

Omega-3 eggs have three to six times the amount of omega-3 fatty acids than regular eggs. Yet, a serving of two omega-3 enriched eggs still has less than half of the omega-3 fatty acids found in a 3 ounce (85 g) portion of salmon. However, many people don’t care for fish, or choose not to eat it, so by eating omega-3 eggs, they do get some omega-3 fatty acids in their diet. Also, some people are allergic to fish and fish oils and cannot get omega-3 fatty acids into their bodies by ingesting these foods. Some liquid omega-3 egg products do contain fish oil to increase the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in the product.

These enriched eggs are nutritionally superior, and are available at many supermarkets and health food shops.

Caged eggs (also known as Battery eggs)
Caged eggs are laid by hens that are kept in tightly packed cages and not allowed to roam free. Most commercially sold eggs in the UK are caged eggs unless labelled otherwise on their packaging.
You won’t actually see any eggs displayed as ‘caged eggs’. Instead these are your bog standard eggs that you will see selling for the cheapest prices. Sometimes they have the misleading title of “Fresh Eggs”….
A battery hen spends her short life crammed into a small wire cage with several other hens. The floor is made of wire mesh. She has nothing to scratch at. Under EU law, the minimum floor space each bird is allowed is less than an A4 sheet of paper.

A barren battery cage prevents a hen from carrying out her natural behaviours, such as foraging for food, laying her eggs in a nest, roosting, stretching her wings and dust-bathing. This causes her extreme physical and psychological stress.

The UK government has publicly declared its support for the ban on barren battery cages coming into force in 2012. Growing numbers of consumers have already demonstrated their willingness to pay more for eggs from free-range hens.

Research has shown that the risk of salmonella is likely to be higher in intensively produced eggs in comparison to free-range or organic produced eggs

The nutritional value of caged eggs are the lowest, and contain the highest levels of man mad chemicals.

Cage Free eggs
Due to public opposition to battery cage confinement, many egg producers are switching to cage-free systems. While these systems generally offer hens a higher level of animal welfare than do battery cage systems, the mere absence of cages doesn’t necessarily ensure a high level of welfare.

Most cage-free hens live in very large flocks that can consist of many thousands of hens who never go outside. However, unlike battery hens, cage-free hens are able to walk, spread their wings and lay their eggs in nests. Cage-free egg producers who obtain certification under the better welfare standards programs must provide perching and dust-bathing areas for the birds as well. These advantages are very significant to the animals involved.

Cage-free hens are spared several cruelties that are inherent to battery cage systems. But it would nevertheless be a mistake to consider cage-free facilities to necessarily be “cruelty-free.” 
So, while cage-free does not mean cruelty-free, cage-free hens generally have better lives than those confined in battery cages. The ability to lay their eggs in nests, walk and spread their wings are tangible benefits that shouldn’t be underestimated. It is a step in the right direction.

The type of eggs you purchase is up to you, and your personal finances will be a factor in your decision. We would encourage you to only buy Free Range/Organic – they are more expensive, but long term they are best for your health & conscience.

How should I cook my eggs?

Eggs are one of our best sources of cholesterol. The way they are cooked determines the level of oxidized cholesterol, which can damage the cells lining your arteries and increase your risk of developing atherosclerosis and heart disease. Cooking at high temperatures e.g. a griddle, results in more oxidized cholesterol than slow cooking i.e. poaching, hard-boiled eggs. If you have the choice avoid fried eggs.

Here are 5 ways to cook your eggs:

Boiled Eggs

Serves: 2
166 calories per portion

Ingredients:

• 2 Large eggs
• Water for boiling
• Pinch of salt
• Buttered toast cut into soldiers to serve (optional)

Method

1. Place egg in a small pan. Cover with at least 2.5cm (1″) of cold water, add a pinch of salt and place the pan on a high heat.
2. When the water is almost boiling, gently stir the egg and set a kitchen timer for one of the timings below:

3 minutes for really soft boiled yolk and set white
4 minutes for slightly set yolk and set white
5 minutes for firmer yolk and white
6 minutes for hard boiled with lightly soft yolk
7 minutes for firmly hard boiled
3. Reduce heat slightly to keep water bubbling but not fast boiling and stir the egg once more.

4. Once cooking time is complete, remove the egg from the pan with slotted spoon, place into egg cup and serve immediately with hot buttered toast soldiers.

Cooking Tip

To prevent egg cracking, make a small pin prick in the shell at the rounded end to allow the steam to escape.

Alternatively, a much easier way to make boiled eggs is to use an ‘egg cooker’, such as the Princess (1908) Egg Cooker as offered by Amazon.

•  Unique stainless steel food steamer and egg boiler in one appliance
• Ideal for boiling 1 to 6 eggs
• Fully automatic, adjustable for number of eggs and desired hardness
• Comes with special rack for changing appliance into food steamer
• Ideal for steaming vegetables, dim sum and bapao rolls
• Healthy cooking with no loss of vitamins
• With indication light, warning signal for when the food is ready and measuring cup

Poached Eggs

308 calories per portion
Serves: 1

Ingredients:

• 1 Large egg
• Water for boiling
• Pinch of salt
• Dash of vinegar
• Warmed, buttered muffin or toast to serve (optional)

Method

Fill a large pan with 5cm (2″) of water. Add a pinch of salt and a dash of vinegar to help set the egg. Bring the water to a gentle boil. Crack the egg onto a plate and then tip it into the water. Set a kitchen timer for one of the timings below:

3 minutes for a completely runny egg yolk
4 minutes for a slightly set yolk with a runny middle
5 minutes for a firm egg yolk

When the cooking time is complete, carefully remove the poached egg from the boiling water using a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper to drain. Serve immediately on a warmed, buttered muffin or slice of buttered toast.

Alternatively, a much easier way to make poached eggs is to use a customised egg poaching pan e.g. Clearview Kitchen Craft Stainless Steel 4 Cup Egg Poacher Set:

• 18/10 stainless steel
• The heart of a healthier cooking range
• Developed to keep abreast of the move for people to adopt a healthier lifestyle
• Distinctive packaging and features the ‘at the heart of healthier cooking’ strap line
• Designed to attract the consumer concerned with eating well and feeling good
• 15 year guarantee
• Dishwasher safe.

Scrambled Eggs

174 calories per portion
Serves: 1

Ingredients:

• 2 Large eggs
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp milk (optional)
• Low Calorie Cooking Spray

Method

1. Gently beat the eggs together with salt and pepper. Add 2 tbsps of milk to the eggs for a softer result.

2. Spray some cooking spray in a non-stick pan over a medium heat. When sizzling, add the egg mixture and stir with a wooden spoon.

3. Continue to stir the eggs for 1-2 minutes, scraping the egg off the base of the pan as it sets.

4. When most of the egg has set, remove the pan from the heat and continue to stir for 30 seconds until fully scrambled.

SMOKED SALMON SCRAMBLE

For luxury scrambled eggs add 2oz of chopped smoked salmon and 1tbsp of cream to the basic recipe.

Omelette, Classic recipe

163 calories per portion
Serves: 1

Ingredients:

• 2 Large  eggs
• Pinch salt and pepper
• 1 tsp cold water
• Low Calorie Cooking Spray

Method

1. Gently beat the eggs together with salt, pepper and a teaspoon of cold water.

2. Warm a medium frying pan over a high heat and spray with a thin coating of cooking spray.

3. Pour the egg mixture into the centre of the pan and cook over a high heat for 1-2 minutes.

4. As the egg begins to set, use a spatula to push the set egg towards the omelette centre.

5. Continue this action until the entire egg mixture is set.

6. Cook the set omelette for another minute, then loosen the edges with a spatula and fold the omelette in half.

7. Tilt the pan and slide the omelette onto a warm plate and serve immediately on its own or with a crisp green salad.

Egg, Fried recipe

180 calories per portion

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

• 1 Large egg
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil OR 25g (1oz) butter with 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• Buttered toast
• Grilled bacon and tomatoes to serve (optional)

Method

1. Place 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil or 25g (1oz) of butter with one tablespoon of vegetable oil in a small frying pan and place over a medium heat.

2. When the oil is hot, use a knife to crack the shell and tip the egg, straight into the hot fat. Cook over a low to medium heat for 1 minute or until the white is set.

3. Tilt the pan slightly and use a teaspoon to scoop the surplus hot oil/fat over the top of the egg until the yolk is cooked to your liking – around 1½ – 3 minutes.

4. For over easy eggs, carefully slide a spatula underneath the cooked egg and flip over to cook the yolk for 1 minute.

5. Once cooked, lift the egg from the pan using a spatula and place onto kitchen paper to drain excess fat. Serve with a slice of buttered toast or rashers of grilled bacon and tomatoes.

Cooking Tip

To prevent the egg sticking to the pan during frying, sprinkle a little salt on the hot butter or oil before adding the egg to the pan.

Now stop reading this post, get yourself some eggs and starting making some eggcellent healthy meals. If you know of any good egg recipes then add it to the comments section at the bottom of this post….

In a recent Crossfit Journal Jeff Tucker has explained the importance of gymnastics in Crossfit. Click on the URL below:

http://journal.crossfit.com/2009/06/why-gymnastics.tpl

CrossFit maintains that proficiency is required in each of 10 fitness domains: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination, and accuracy. CrossFit says it increases work capacity and speed in these domains by provoking neurologic and hormonal adaptations across all metabolic pathways. The program’s weightlifting component includes complex, compound movements with heavy loads. CrossFit also uses kettlebells, gymnastics rings, pull-up bars and many calisthenics exercises. CrossFit may call on athletes to run, row, climb ropes, jump up on boxes, flip giant tires, and carry odd objects. They can also bounce medicine balls against the floor or a target on a wall.

Workouts

CrossFit workouts typically call for athletes to work hard and fast, often with no rest. Many CrossFit gyms use scoring and ranking systems, transforming workouts into sport.

CrossFit adaptations include programs tailored for children, seniors, football players, military special forces candidates, triathletes and martial artists. Most CrossFit gyms also offer “Boot Camp” or “Elements of CrossFit” introductory classes for beginners.

History

Greg Glassman, a former gymnast[citation needed], created the CrossFit training methodology in the 1980s. The program gained the attention of various military and law enforcement agencies. In 1995, Glassman was hired to train the Santa Cruz, CA police department. The first CrossFit gym opened in Santa Cruz in 1995. The CrossFit website, launched in 2001, now includes an extensive video library of exercise demonstrations and a very active discussion forum. The number of CrossFit-affiliated gyms has grown from 18 in 2005 to 1,000 on March 2, 2009. According to Canada’s Business News Network, CrossFit is “one of the fastest growing fitness movements on the planet.”

CrossFit’s affiliate model rejects franchising and requires few start up expenditures. CrossFit headquarters certifies CrossFit trainers, approves applications for gyms to become affiliates and publishes “The CrossFit Journal”, but does not share in revenue from membership fees. Affiliate owners pay either $500, $1,000 or $2,000 annually for affiliation and are then free to develop their own programming, instructional methods and membership fee structure. CrossFit says this de-centralized model, somewhat similar to open source software projects, allows best practices to emerge from a diversity of approaches. Monthly membership fees generally range from $85 to $300, with $150 a fee often charged. Many affiliates feature small group classes that allow for individual coaching. Classes often include a warm up, a skill development segment, and a high-intensity timed workout that lasts 10 to 20 minutes.

Some Crossfit athletes perform the “Workout of the Day” posted at the CrossFit website and never visit a CrossFit gym. Others formulate their own workouts based on CrossFit’s principles.

In 2007, the United States Marine Corps began a shift in its physical training program. The emphasis is moving away from aerobic training and toward more combat-oriented “functional fitness training” by incorporating CrossFit principles. Many U.S. and Canadian police and fire departments, U.S. Army Special Forces and the Canadian Forces now base some of their physical training on CrossFit principles.

CrossFit is also being adopted by a growing number of high school physical education teachers and by teams at both the high school and college level.

If you are interested in starting CrossFit then click here find out how to begin.

Check out the video below featuring CrossFit founder Coach Greg Glassman, who explains Broad, General, Inclusive Fitness:

Therefore, if you are going to do CrossFit then you must not continually follow the same fitness routine day in, day out. You should mix up your workouts – from number of reps, duration and type of of exercise i.e. whether this involves using weights or no weights or a combinations. As a result, when doing CrossFit you will be using a wide variety of equipment reanging from a barbell to a climbing rop to a kettlebell to numerous other peices of equipment. Variety is ket to your CrossFit workouts.

CrossFit equipment is functional and simple. Click here to view a range of CrossFit equipment that you can train with. CrossFit Equipment UK aims to help you find the cheapest prices for the best CrossFit equipment. We aim to research and list the best CrossFit UK suppliers online.

(See CrossFit Journal, September 2002, “The Garage Gym” for information in fitting out a world class strength & conditioning facility in your home or garage.) Whether you will train at home or in your back garden or garage the CrossFit equipment you should start with at the bare minimum is a barbell with weights, a kettlebell and a Pull Up station. After getting these basics you can start adding to your CrossFit equipment:

• Olympic bar
• Olympic weights
• Pull Up station
• Kettlebell
• Jump box
• Concept II rower
• Gymnastic rings
• Paralettes
• Medicine Ball
• Dumbells
• Climbing rope
• Dip station
• Skipping rope
• Glute-ham developer