Welcome to Plates To Plates!

Plates To Plates is a fitness based website incorporating daily workouts, nutritional recipes, and maintaining a positive mentality. As a personal trainer and fitness enthusiast, I believe strongly that improving all of these aspects leads to a better, and more enjoyable life. 

Crossfit workouts are posted daily and can be found on the Daily WOD page. These workouts are programmed specifically by Plates To Plates and incorporate speed, power, technique, aerobic training, gymnastics, and mobility into each week of training. Any athlete looking to improve they're overall fitness goals can, and will benefit from following this programming. More information about the programming, terminology, and even demonstrations can be found on the Philosophy page.

Recipes found on the website are typically grain, gluten, soy and dairy free, following the Paleolithic diet. These recipes are extremely delicious, and since we're no expert cooks, they usually are extremely easy to make.

Athletes, nutritionists, Crossfitters, and in general, everyday people, will be able to relate to all material posted. Make sure to subscribe to the Daily WOD page to get your daily workouts sent straight to your email!

Rest - Why You Need It To Get Stronger!

It isn't new to the world of fitness that proper recovery for athletes and their training is extremely important, in order for muscle tissue to repair and reduce the chance of injury. And typically it is said that during a week of training, at least one day should be a dedicated rest day. However, some newer principles are being brought forth, dedicating an entire week for recovery. This 7 day period (also known as a "de-load week") is made to prevent over-training, and to properly allow for full muscle recovery, to essentially increase strength and overall fitness.

This article written by Jeff Barnett, perfectly explains the importance of a de-load week and why anyone who is involved in strength training should apply it to their routine. Give it a read, and get educated on the importance of recovery!

Link: http://www.tonygentilcore.com/blog/the-deload-week-and-why-you-should-use-it/

Recently at my facility, I’ve been getting a lot of questions from my athletes regarding deload weeks.  Specifically, what is a deload week and how they can incorporate it into their training?
A deload week is simply a week spent recovering from exercise. Rest is not just a break from going to the gym. It’s an absolutely essential part of training! We are all familiar with rest days. Why not extend the concept further to a rest week? After all, your body has no respect for how long you think it should take to recover.
Only reality matters: how long does your body actually need for recovery? Consistent training eventually builds a deficit that cannot be repaid in a single rest day. A deload week is a chance for your body to recover from that deficit. The deload week allows your body to catch up – to repair connective tissue and restore testosterone/cortisol ratios. Muscle can recover more quickly than connective tissue. A deload week keeps tendons and ligaments healthy. If you chronically develop tendonitis, then scheduled deload weeks are definitely part of the solution.
- See more at: http://www.tonygentilcore.com/blog/the-deload-week-and-why-you-should-use-it/#sthash.CE7Fj3fz.dpuf

Recently at my facility, I’ve been getting a lot of questions from my athletes regarding deload weeks.  Specifically, what is a deload week and how they can incorporate it into their training?
A deload week is simply a week spent recovering from exercise. Rest is not just a break from going to the gym. It’s an absolutely essential part of training! We are all familiar with rest days. Why not extend the concept further to a rest week? After all, your body has no respect for how long you think it should take to recover.
Only reality matters: how long does your body actually need for recovery? Consistent training eventually builds a deficit that cannot be repaid in a single rest day. A deload week is a chance for your body to recover from that deficit. The deload week allows your body to catch up – to repair connective tissue and restore testosterone/cortisol ratios. Muscle can recover more quickly than connective tissue. A deload week keeps tendons and ligaments healthy. If you chronically develop tendonitis, then scheduled deload weeks are definitely part of the solution.
- See more at: http://www.tonygentilcore.com/blog/the-deload-week-and-why-you-should-use-it/#sthash.CE7Fj3fz.dpuf

Recently at my facility, I’ve been getting a lot of questions from my athletes regarding deload weeks.  Specifically, what is a deload week and how they can incorporate it into their training?
A deload week is simply a week spent recovering from exercise. Rest is not just a break from going to the gym. It’s an absolutely essential part of training! We are all familiar with rest days. Why not extend the concept further to a rest week? After all, your body has no respect for how long you think it should take to recover.
Only reality matters: how long does your body actually need for recovery? Consistent training eventually builds a deficit that cannot be repaid in a single rest day. A deload week is a chance for your body to recover from that deficit. The deload week allows your body to catch up – to repair connective tissue and restore testosterone/cortisol ratios. Muscle can recover more quickly than connective tissue. A deload week keeps tendons and ligaments healthy. If you chronically develop tendonitis, then scheduled deload weeks are definitely part of the solution.
- See more at: http://www.tonygentilcore.com/blog/the-deload-week-and-why-you-should-use-it/#sthash.CE7Fj3fz.dpuf

Recently at my facility, I’ve been getting a lot of questions from my athletes regarding deload weeks.  Specifically, what is a deload week and how they can incorporate it into their training?
A deload week is simply a week spent recovering from exercise. Rest is not just a break from going to the gym. It’s an absolutely essential part of training! We are all familiar with rest days. Why not extend the concept further to a rest week? After all, your body has no respect for how long you think it should take to recover.
Only reality matters: how long does your body actually need for recovery? Consistent training eventually builds a deficit that cannot be repaid in a single rest day. A deload week is a chance for your body to recover from that deficit. The deload week allows your body to catch up – to repair connective tissue and restore testosterone/cortisol ratios. Muscle can recover more quickly than connective tissue. A deload week keeps tendons and ligaments healthy. If you chronically develop tendonitis, then scheduled deload weeks are definitely part of the solution.
- See more at: http://www.tonygentilcore.com/blog/the-deload-week-and-why-you-should-use-it/#sthash.CE7Fj3fz.dpuf

Weekend Motivation

This is a great read not only for people who do Crossfit, but also for anyone who has passion for their health and fitness. This article, written by Logan Gelbrich, is extremely relatable and perfect to help motivate yourself to keep pushing forward. Give it a read!


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Sustainable Motivation

This beautiful beast we call CrossFit is the perfect storm of so many elements that, in my opinion, were always missing from the fitness industry. The connotation shift that happens when folks take on CrossFit for the first time could very well be the most important adaptation CrossFit yields.
OK, fine. Loosing 60 pounds is pretty damn incredible. Getting off of blood pressure medicine is more than remarkable these days – It’s miraculous. Adding fifty pounds to your back squat training CrossFit is cool, too. I still hold firm, however, that the most critical change folks experience in CrossFit is a mental one.

When people realize for the first time that fitness doesn’t have to be what they thought it was, their lives will be changed forever. It’s this very mind shift that is at the root of what I call “sustainable motivation” in CrossFit.

Two very specific elements contribute to this sustainable motivation that are missing from 99% of fitness conquests. The first is that everything is quantified. Whether it’s a time or task oriented session, the numbers in CrossFit are what hold everyday men and women to the accountability that governs a competitive athlete’s training sessions. These numbers become the first part of  what make this sustainable motivation possible because there is always room to improve. These numbers shed light on a linear progression with no end. The look-in-the-mirror-standard of most fitness worldviews is muddy and full of wretched ideas like “maintenance,” which we all understand as “plateau.” CrossFit has none of that. CrossFit has “Better than Yesterday.” Those very words create an endless feedback loop that will change anyone’s life by definition, no matter where they’re starting from.

The second piece of CrossFit’s ability to last in the lives of its athletes is arguably just as critical as the first.  This critical component is that CrossFit is FUN! Folks that have ridden the roller-coaster of fitness and all of its peaks and valleys (mostly valleys) didn’t see that coming. Exercise (that works) can be fun?

What the…?!

And, because this stuff is fun, we can imagine sticking around for a while. There is community. Hell, you can call it camaraderie, even.  Continuing to show up for something this rich in intensity and workload is made possible, in large part, by the fact that one can have a good time doing it.
Who would have thought?
Any training regimen is only as good as one’s ability to comply with it. If there’s a better training program out there, but you aren’t willing to comply, what use is it? CrossFit is the perfect storm not just because it yields incredible real life gains, but also because lots and lots of people will actually do it. It’s my opinion that because it’s got this built-in sustainable motivation that folks will be willing to do it for a long time, too.

Logan Gelbrich

Categories: Crossfit Blogs, Crossfit Box 101.

Tags: CrossFit Community, CrossFit Fun, CrossFit Lifestyle, CrossFit Motivation, CrossFit Training, Logan Gelbrich

By Logan Gelbrich

Weekend Motivation

For anyone who has been training, whether for a specific sport, personal achievements, or for general health and fitness, you'd know how hard it can be pushing yourself to your absolute limits day on and day off. And most of us who do so, have had those days where you get to the point of just wanting to give up, and quit. But we don't. We've already experienced the pain of working while our muscles ache, the mental exhaustion from completing a long and tiring workout, the battle against doubt to get that one last rep. We've all been there, and we've all managed to get by. And each time we do, we become a stronger and better person. Don't let yourself forget how far you've already come, and what limits you've already had to break in order to gain that feeling of pride and being triumphant. 

Remember: 

"Giving up on your goal because of one setback is like slashing your other three tires because you have one flat."

Monday Motivation

"No matter how slow you go, you are still lapping everyone on the couch. It doesn't matter if you finish dead last, because that is still better than did not finish, and trumps did not start."

Weekly Advice: The 90 Minute Sleep Rule

We all know how important it is to get a proper amount of sleep at night and by doing so, can provide many health benefits, such as metabolic and energy regulation, improved memory, weight loss, and decreased stress. However, what many people do not know is that the point in time at which you awaken from your sleep, is as important as how many hours you've been asleep for.

You've probably noticed at least one time where you've managed to get a sufficient amount of sleep over the course of the night, yet upon waking up, you still feel extremely sluggish and tired. This may be due to waking up at the wrong point in your sleep. During the time your body is asleep for, your brain moves through several cycles of sleep. Starting with light sleep, deep sleep, dream sleep, and then back into light sleep, where one of these cycles lasts approximately 90 mins. So in order to have the best chances of feeling refreshed when awaken, is to wake up during the end of a cycle, where your body is naturally closest to its normal waking state.

So how do you time this properly? Take the time at what point you'd like to wake up, and count backwards in 90 minute intervals until you reach a time at which you'd like to fall asleep, or visa versa. This will increase the chance of you waking up each morning feeling energetic, and ready to take on the day. Try it out!

90 Minute Rule