I was born an “average” athlete … always have been all my life. Good, but never the best. But I am an amazing academic student. Through studying CrossFit and training with some of world’s premier coaches, I learned how to coach and train CrossFit safely. Through CrossFit, I have been able to progress my own fitness far beyond what most people think is possible. Far beyond my own expectations. I am in the best shape of my life at 43 and I owe much of that success to correctly training in the CrossFit methodology. And to my friends and coaches in the Sand & Steel Community.
My certifications and degrees include: BioMedical Engineering - Johns Hopkins University. Juris Doctorate - Rutgers, CrossFit Level 3, CrossFit Powerlifting, CrossFit Gymnastics Coach, Yoga Teacher, Catalyst Athletics Oly Coach, M|WOD Mobility Specialist, certified RR running coach, FRC and Kinstretch Instructor. I've trained over 3000 members and more than 200 personal trainers over my 10 years coaching.
CrossFit brings me such joy and vitality to my life. I teach so I can share this knowledge and experience with others. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Welcome to Sand & Steel!
-Coach Paul
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Question: Are Vegetables Better Raw, Juiced, or Cooked? Answer: It depends on the vegetable, specific diet needs, and the cooking method. Some cooking methods are better than others. For example, …
Reading on forums like bodybuilding.com, you’ll find a huge range of numbers. I’ve seen some recommendations as high as 200 grams per day. How much does a Sand & Steel …
Sprouted grains, rice, and beans have recently become a focus of many health food makers. In Whole Foods you’ll find germinated barley, in Trader Joes Ezekiel bread, and Sprouted Brown …
GoPro Hero3 vs Olympus TG-860. When it comes to getting the right video or picture during a mud run, like the Savage Race, Tough Mudder, or Warrior Dash, you have a lot of options. For less than $300, I rounded up the top two contenders. We’ll posting footage from both from our October 10, Savage Race Run, so check the blog for more sample footage.
Why Artificial Sweeteners Will Sabotage your Weight-loss
By Julia Deupree
According to a 2012 Gallup Poll 1, nearly 1/2 of Americans drink diet soda on a given day. Diet soda has long been touted as a “healthy alternative” to regular soda because the absence of real sugar decreases the a
mount of calories consumed. The diet “health craze” goes beyond just sodas – consumers are quick to buy products marketed as “Sugar Free” and Diet thinking they are healthier for their waist lines than the sugar laden competitors. But is diet really healthy? Let’s look at some facts:
Origin Nutrition Topic 41: Late Night Snacks? Good or Bad?
The Broscience:
No Carbs after 7:00, because your metabolism slows down. Take this Article by Dirk’s health with recommends not eating late at night because your metabolism slows down.1 Notice the lack of citations to authority.
The Truth:
The premise behind this broscience is false. Metabolism during the REM cycle in healthy individuals is often higher than resting metabolism.2 Plus, it has been clinically demonstrated that eating carbs before going to bed helps people fall asleep.3
Onnit Equipment Now Available Sand & Steel Fitness is selling Onnit Kettle Bells, Maces, and Club Bells. Onnit features premium grade finishes. This particular collection is immensely useful for building …
Recipes for Late Night Snacks So you’ve been reading the Origin Nutrition blog and you know that it’s OK to eat at night? But what are you going to make? …
*NEW* RSVP for our Obstacle and Mud Run Seminar
September 29th at 2:00pm
Current Team Members
Paul
Lisa
David
Tranise
Angela
Obstacle and Mud Running Training Schedule:
Week 1. One Mile run ➤ 50/50 setups ➤ 5 x 20 pushups and dips ➤ Four 100 yard dashes ➤ final one mile run.
Week 2. Sand Bag Run
Week 3. Kamagon Run
Week 4. Vipr Run
Week 5. Infinity rope, farmers handle carry, slam ball carry and slam, Jacobs ladder.
Obstacle Course Mud Run
As of September 2, 2015, Sand & Steel will be having a new class in preparation for the October 10th Savage Race.
Link to register for the Race.
Click to Register for Maryland Race. Use coupon code SANDSTEEL15 FOR 15% OFF
Link to register for the Class.
Costs for the Savage Race increase as time goes on, your total cost with the discount right now is $87.00. Heat time is 12:00, make sure you select “Sand & Steel Fitness” as your team name.
Sand & Steel Tank Tops
We offering our tank tops at a special price of $15 for members that have registered for this race.
If you’ve been wanting to run a mud run for a long time, but have some anxiety about preparation and training, then this is your opportunity to join a team, make friends, and make it a memorable experience.
Our class, “Intro to Mud Running” will teach you how to prepare for a Mud Run as well as train you to run it. By the time the Run comes (October 10, 2015), you’ll be in prime shape to run it.
When dealing with complicated topics like nutrition and fitness, the internet can be a scary place in terms of finding accurate information. For example, I found these two recipes on two highly respected food websites.
3 ripe bananas
2 cups rolled oats
1⁄3 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup apple sauce
Newsflash internet recipe makers … bananas contain 19 grams of sugar per serving. And raisins — a whopping 25grams. Cranberries? More sugar. Applesauce? Unless it’s unsweetened, it is laden with sugar.
So can you make Sugar Free Oatmeal Cookies?
Yes, but to make them taste good, you need use spices instead of sweeteners. Here’s my favorite recipe:
10 Reasons Why More Vegetables Will Increase Weight Loss
One of the biggest objections I hear to eating vegetables is that they take too much time or that it’s easier to take a multi-vitamin. Multi-vitamins are great, and we actually have some very specific ones we recommend. But they are a supplement not a replacement for many reasons. Here’s ten reasons why vegetables are better than your multivitamin
Eating more vegetables almost always causes you to lose weight, but that happens for a variety of reasons.
The vitamins and minerals in vegetables makes metabolism more efficient, which in turn raises metabolic rate. Vegetables also contain flavonoids, which help improve metabolism.
The soluable fiber in most vegetables dampens the glycemic load of most carbohydrates, which reduces blood sugar spikes.
The insoluable fiber helps you remove toxins and bacteria from you GI tract helping your excretory system to be more efficient.
Vegetables have a very low calorie density, which causes them to fill you up. If you aren’t hungry, you are much less likely to make bad choices.
Vegetables (for the most part) are a safe-don’t-even-worry-about-it diet food. Being on a diet always involves counting macros and calories to some degree… but if you’re reaching for the greens, you know you don’t have to worry.
Most vegetables have a “negative calorie balance” meaning that it takes more calories to extract the nutrients than the foods have.
What’s the Best Exercise for Developing a Strong Chest?
Bench Press. That’s the answer. Yes Dips, pushups, ball pushups, flys, etc. are good too. Nothing works faster or better than bench press, but it’s also a source of frequent injury. Be deliberate and slow on increasing weight. A tear in the tendon of clavicullar head of the pectoris major is more common than you think. Be patient with raising the weight, just be cause you can lift the weight, doesn’t mean your tendons can.
I have been suffering with Muffin Top Syndrome, and recently hurt my stomach doing situps. When I saw a doctor, he diagnosed the pain as Hitatis Hernia. What can I do to get rid of the muffin top without re-injuring myself.