Home to CrossFit Paramount and Paramount Barbell Club
We have our own Paramount Coffee!!! We teamed up with Fulcrum, a local roaster, to provide our members with some great tasting coffee! All blends are whole beans at $13/bag (plus tax)
WARM UP Blend :: Medium Roast
TECHNIQUE Blend :: Medium-Dark Roast
MAX OUT Blend :: Dark Roast
This Saturday we celebrate 5+ years as a USAW Weightlifting Club!!! It all started with one barbell and one platform and now we have 11 olympic weightlifting barbells, 12 platforms and 1 competition platform. It’s so exciting to see not only the growth of the club but of the sport itself.
So grab a buddy and get your lift on with us!
Whether you want to simply check out the space, get in a training session, or go HEAVY/THROW-DOWN with some friends…all are welcome!
In conjunction with our 5-year Anniversary/Expansion of our Olympic Weightlifting Club, we are offering a free 1-hour class to introduce teens (ages 12-18) to Olympic Style Weightlifting from 9am-10pm.
This class will cover the basic techniques to learn the Snatch and Clean & Jerk
Olympic-style lifts are the cornerstone to building explosive strength and power for sports performance
as well as used in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting.
Limited spots available, so sign up today!!!
Here is another great article for some basic MEAL PREP TIPS!…
BASIC SHOPPING LIST –
– two different proteins (one lean like chicken/turkey/shrimp, one fattier like steak/pork/salmon)
– two veggie options (one green, one non-green/of color)
– two starch options (rice, potatoes, quinoa, etc)
– two fruit options
– avocado, nut butter, nuts/seeds
– olive or coconut oil
– “snacks”
HOW MUCH DO I NEED?! –
To decide how much of each item you would need, take the amount of protein you eat per meal and multiply it by 10 or 12 (2 meals per day for 5 or 6 days of the week). That is how much protein you would need to cook. If you are cooking for two people, you would obviously take that into account as well. For example, if you eat 4oz of protein at each meal, you would need a little over 2lbs (16oz) of protein – so about a pound of lean and a pound of fattier.
Vegetables are all dependent on how much you like to eat at each meal. The recommended serving size of vegetable is about 3oz (or 85g). So again, you would multiply that by 10-12 meals for the week. That would be about 30-36oz of vegetable between both your green and non-green options.
Starch is the option that would vary most, as this all depends on your daily carbohydrate intake. In my house, we go through a ridiculous number of carbohydrates. I eat around 250g per day while my boyfriend eats about 300g per day, so carbs are plentiful around here! I prefer potatoes as my lunch/dinner carb source while he could eat white rice until it is coming out of his ears. So, I find it easiest to buy the biggest box of Instant White Rice and a sack of sweet potatoes. Sometimes we don’t get through all of this in a week, but starches store very well and last longer than the above items.
My rule of thumb for fruit is one piece of fruit per day per person. If you are worried about your fruit going bad, choose options that would last well throughout the week like bananas, oranges, and apples.
PREPARATION –
My secret weapon of meal prep is 1) a good knife, 2) two cookie sheets, 3) aluminum foil. Get all of your groceries out, roll your sleeves up, and get ready to attack – this is going to be fast! Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
VEGGIES –
My “go-to’s” are usually Brussels sprouts and bell peppers so I will refer to those two. But remember, you can use whatever is your favorite! I encourage you to rotate your veggies weekly and try new ones whenever possible. Let’s begin by cleaning and cutting your veggies how you would like them. I like to half my Brussels sprouts and cut my peppers into strips. Once this is done, I cover the cookie sheet with foil (you’ll thank me later for this one), spray it with olive oil, and sprawl the veggies out there. I then spray the veggies with the olive oil and season them with salt, pepper, and a garlic/onion powder blend (you can season however you would like!). Set these cookie sheets aside until your oven is at 450. Once it is, cook your veggies for 20 minutes, and then turn the oven to broil for the last 5 minutes to brown them just a bit!
**If you get frozen veggies (just make sure there is no other ingredient added to them), this same method of cooking will also work, just add 10 minutes to cooking time**
STARCH –
Cooking rice and potatoes is very different, yet both are very simple. Let’s start with the rice. While your veggies are cooking, prepare the water. Once boiled, pour in the rice and let sit until soft.
When cooking potatoes, you have options. My favorite method is cubing sweet potatoes, spraying them with olive oil and throwing them in my Air Fryer for about 15 minutes! If you do not own one of those (get one!) you can easily throw them on another cookie sheet and stick that in the oven as well – they will cook for 20-25 minutes in the oven with the last 5 minutes on broil.
**PRO TIP: season sweet potatoes with paprika AND cinnamon for the most amazing flavor**
PROTEIN –
While your veggies are in the oven and your starch is in the works, get to your protein! Decide which method you want to use. My favorite method is an outdoor grill or a grill pan on the stove top. I don’t love protein oven baked, however, some people do. That is always an option as well. I would rather use my oven space for roasting vegetables and potatoes!
I recommend cutting protein up into cubes or strips. I like to do this for two reasons, 1) it makes cooking a lot quicker as smaller pieces of meat and fish will cook through faster, and 2) it gives you more options and variety when building meals later on! Once cut, you can season them however you would like and then they are ready for cooking. This is the piece of meal prep that will take the most attendance, so be sure everything else is in the works and under control before you start cooking your protein.
**PRO TIP: The crock-pot is also a great way to cook protein if you are able to start it ahead of time. You can put raw protein in the crock-pot with some great spices and leave it for a few hours. When you come back you will have a large amount of juicy, seasoned protein ready to eat!**
As you can tell, your entire meal prep time should take less than an hour if done right! Get as many things cooking and working at once and it will be quick and painless. This meal prep method usually takes me one hour from grocery bag to store in the fridge and I love it!
STORAGE –
Invest in Tupperware that is big enough to store your prepped food in bulk. Six large containers are ideal (two for protein, two for veg, two for starch). This will keep things neat in your fridge and will allow building a meal to be really simple! I prefer this method over breaking up the food into specific meals as it allows for more variety in meals throughout the week and prevents you from becoming bored!
BUILDING MEALS –
Because all the hard work has been done already, you now have the building blocks to meals ready to go in your fridge. Whether you need to pack a lunch for work, or are just coming home from a long day and don’t want to spend time cooking – you are ready! Simply take out your scale, pull out the components you want to use for your meal and measure out your portion appropriately! I love this kind of meal prep because although the components may be the same, I can create different dishes very quickly. Grab some tortillas and make tacos. Put your meat and veggies over potatoes and make poutine. You could even load some of the components on a flatbread and make a quick pizza!
WHERE IS THE FAT? –
So far, we have covered protein and carbohydrates, but have not spoken much about fat. The good news is fat is not something that we really need to “prep”. Fat is the tag along macro that is found as add on’s and toppings. Obviously, there will be some fat found in the protein source you choose. Avocados and nut butters are a great enhancement to any meal. Cheese or ranch dressing are some other fatty add on’s that can make any basic meal delicious, as well as oils and dressings which can also help you achieve some added fat in your meal.
**PRO TIP: I LOVE to put some nut butter on my sweet potatoes, I surely recommend giving that a try. **
SNACKS –
The above prep covers your “main meals”. But, it is a good idea to think ahead about snacks so that you are set with some great grab and go options. I like to keep fruit, RX Bars, Think Jerky, 100 Calorie Popcorn bags, Yasso Frozen Yogurt Bars, and Oh Yeah One protein bars stocked in my house. If I have extra time after my meal prep, I also like to measure out raisins and fruit into little baggies. Another great snack I have found really easy to build ahead of time is cottage cheese with strawberry or peach jam (I use the smallest size Tupperware for this and make 3-4 at a time.
There are so many ways to meal prep. The key is to find the most successful one. REMEMBER, the most successful one will be the method in which you can find time to execute on a consistent basis. I have spent some time sharing with you the most successful method of meal prep for me, I hope it will work for you as well!
— Nicole Capurso
Here are some examples of how to prep for multiple meal options in large quantities, without taking all day! (*Some food items below may not be what you are able/prefer to eat, but these are some general examples of ways to help you meal prep for the week)
**Pinterest is a great source for additional meal/meal prep ideas! Especially if you have a specific way of eating you prefer (vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, etc)
Here we go!
Have a large batch of rice cooking in the rice cooker
Have chicken, pork, steak, or fish cooking on the stove top, crock pot, or grill
Have a ground turkey, ground chicken, ground beef, or ground sausage in a skillet on the stove
Have veggies, potatoes, or yams cooking on cooking sheets in the oven (or air-fryer!)
Hard boil eggs in a pot on the stove
Have steel cut oats, quinoa, or pasta cooking in another pot on the stove
Separate lettuce or spinach into large bowls/buckets for salads — Add measured out toppings (nuts, cheese, crumbled up bacon, fruit, etc)
Prep smoothie items in individual bags ready to be blended (Greens, Fruits, Protein Powder, etc)
You can even pre-cook some bacon or turkey bacon in the microwave
Once all your food is cooked…
Divide your protein sources into manageable serving sizes
Divide your carb sources into individual containers for your serving sizes
Add any seasonings/sauces you like – this is where you can get creative with flavors!
Cut up fruit/veggies into serving sizes (4oz of strawberries, or 6oz of cucumber, etc)
Combine carb and protein sources (if you’d like!) Ex. Steak & Potatoes, Chicken & Rice, etc.
Or if you’d prefer to leave all your food in large containers and scoop out what you want for the day as you go along, go for it!
SNACKS! — Have grab and go foods/snacks to mix things up…
Fruits (bananas, apples, oranges, etc)
Grab & Go Veggies
Protein Bars
Rice Cakes/Popped Corn
Granola
Deli Meats
100 cal. snack packs (nuts, popcorn, etc)
Thank you EVERYONE for participating in our Open Competition! Congrats to Team Black! Both teams fought hard, but ultimately, Team Black finished on top.
Our New 6-Week Lifestyle Challenge is LIVE! Click here to learn more & register.
10 bonus points available if you register by March 31st!!!
Paramount’s Spring Into Summer 6-Week Lifestyle Challenge
Earn Points | Win Prizes | Make Progress | Smash PRs!
Starts Monday April 22 – Ends Monday June 3
Enjoy some added accountability and a little friendly competition to become fitter, faster, stronger, and summer-ready! No matter your goals, experienced or beginner, this challenge is for everyone.
Let’s do this together as a gym! #TeamParamount
Details:
Note: This challenge is only available to members of Paramount SC
Friday, March 29th at 7PM
🌟All are welcome…we’re excited to see you there!!🌟
Lots of Paramount Funtivities on the horizon!! Be sure to mark your calendars so you don’t miss out! Stay tuned for more details—coming soon.
First and foremost, let me start with a thank you.
Our Paramount family is amazing! What a thrill to participate in the Open each week, cheering each other on, pushing ourselves to our limits. Whether you were ‘officially’ signed up or not, or doing the Open Rx, Masters, or Scaled – I hope our weekly strategy posts brought you value.
That being said…
The Open may be over, but… due to changes in the 2020 CrossFit Games season format, we are actually going to get two shots at the Open this year.
With that in mind, you have roughly six months to work on any weaknesses that held you back in the 2019 Open.
After all, one of the most valuable parts of participating in the Open is that it reveals weaknesses. And no matter who you are – with the exception of Mat Fraser – you have holes in your CrossFit game.
As we head into April, it’s time to update the goal board with new 3-month goals. Be sure to add your name and set a goal or update your new 3-month goal!
Our awesome 19.5 crew capped off the last edition of Friday Night Lights with a pizza party celebrating another Open under our belts. Whether this was your first or fifth CrossFit Open, congratulations on your hard work and community spirit.
The Open teaches us as much about our character as it does our physical abilities. And that’s awesome! We’re exercising for fun, learning new things, and spending time with good friends. How incredible is that? If the Open Workouts identified areas where you could use more work, we’re here to help. As we head into April, it’s time to update the goal board with new 3-month goals. Be sure to add your name and set a goal or update your new 3-month goal!
CrossFit 19.5 workout has officially been announced, and we continue to follow the long-standing tradition of thrusters popping up in the final workout of the Open.
Ready? Let’s dig in.
Rx’d: (Ages 16-54)
Men use 95 lb.
Women use 65 lb.
Scaled: (Ages 16-54)
Men use 65 lb. and perform jumping pull-ups
Women use 45 lb. and perform jumping pull-ups
Teenagers 14-15:
Boys use 65 lb. Girls use 45 lb.
Scaled Teenagers 14-15:
Boys use 45 lb. and perform jumping pull-ups
Girls use 35 lb. and perform jumping pull-ups
Masters 55+:
Men use 65 lb. and perform chin-over-bar pull-ups
Women use 45 lb. and perform chin-over-bar pull-ups
Scaled Masters 55+:
Men use 45 lb. and perform jumping pull-ups
Women use 35 lb. and perform jumping pull-ups
For your full 19.5 workout standards and description, head over to games.crossfit.org.
This workout begins with the barbell on the floor and the athlete standing tall. After the call of “3, 2, 1 … go,” the athlete may perform 33 thrusters, then 33 chest-to-bar pull-ups. The athlete will repeat this couplet, performing 27 thrusters and 27 chest-to-bar pull-ups, 21 and 21, 15 and 15, and finally 9 and 9.
The athlete’s score will be the total time it takes to complete the entire workout or the total number of repetitions completed before the 20-minute time cap.
There is no tiebreak for this workout.
For additional help, visit WodPrep 19.5 Tips & Strategy Guide.
• Barbell
• Plates to load to the appropriate weight for your division*
• Collars
• Pull-upbar
*The official weight is in pounds. For your convenience, the minimum acceptable weights in kilograms are 43 kg (95 lb.), 29 kg (65 lb.), 20 kg (45 lb.) and 15 kg (35 lb.).
For each workout, be sure the athlete has adequate space to safely complete all the movements. Clear the area of all extra equipment, people or other obstructions.
Any athlete who in any way alters the equipment or movements described in this document or shown in the workout standards video may be disqualified from the competition.
Even though it’s the final week of the Open, make sure you are eating enough food to recover from this workout! If one of your goals is weight loss and you also want to do well in this Open Workout, direct your focus to eating enough calories to sustain optimal performance. These workouts are very demanding and attempting them on a calorie deficit isn’t the best recipe for success.
After a gnarly workout, you’re going to eventually feel hungry and your body is going to want food to begin the recovery process. This, however, isn’t an excuse to fuel up on burgers and shakes. Eating the right food is key to your recovery and performance!
The optimal method is to choose food that is high in volume, meaning you can eat a lot of it without racking up calories fast. This will help you stay full longer as well as provide extra nutritional benefits.
Examples of high-volume foods include: berries, melons, leafy greens, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini noodles, cucumber, spaghetti squash and protein sources such as egg whites, chicken, seafood, ground turkey, and other lean meats.
Let’s have some fun with this classic combo of thrusters and pull-ups! Finish strong everyone!!
—Coach Kayla
Kayla Jones
CFL2Tr., USAW-L1, Cert. Sports Nutritionist
Paramount Strength & Conditioning
Paramount is starting a new Friday Tradition: Paramount Weekly Wins (PWW), to help celebrate everyone’s weekly victories as a community. We encourage everyone to share any weekly wins you’ve had in our Paramount Facebook Community.
Examples
Example of a Post
PWW:
Hey ya’ll, I just wanted to share that this week I was able to fit into a pair of size ___ jeans after 5 years of trying. Since joining Paramount, I have lost 22 lbs!!!! So excited…
or
PWW:
OMG!!!!! I finally hit a 400lb Clean & Jerk this week. Huge milestone checked off. Thanks for all the support and hype up from the 5pm crew.
Really, we just want to be able to acknowledge and support our members as much as possible, not just from the coaches, but other members.
And as always, write your gym PR’s on the board!!!!
Any member who biked 5,000 calories in 6 weeks got a workout named after them and a plaque on the wall. We have three winners: congratulations Elizabeth Davis, Billy Bunn, and Thomas Reynolds. We look forward to completing these WODs!
CrossFit Open 19.4 is here, and it’s a great week for a first bar muscle up…. or maybe a pull-up, if you’re going after 19.4 scaled. In week 4 we have three movements, and some programmed rest. Let’s take a look at the workout, and then talk strategy, courtesy of WodPrep.
For Time (12 minute time cap, this includes 3 min rest!)
3 rounds:
Rest 3 minutes then…
3 rounds :
Looking for a complete breakdown of 19.4 workout standards? Head to the official 2019 CrossFit Games Open website.
Scaled needs to do pull-ups in the 19.4 scaled workout! Oh snap!
Like past 2019 Open workouts, the standards are going to stay the same here until we hit Masters 55+, where the BMU’s change to Chest to Bar pull-ups.
Post Workout Nutrition Tips — we’ve talked a little bit about what to eat…now let’s talk about when to eat it!
0-2 HOURS AFTER
This meal enhances your recovery for the next day and the earlier you can refuel, the better! The Open Workouts can be more challenging than your average day at the gym and your body won’t be recovering as quickly as usual. The sooner you’re refueled and kicking into ‘recovery mode,’ the more prepared you’ll be for the next workout. If your stomach isn’t up for a meal of real food, this is the ideal time for a post-workout shake to get those essential proteins and carbs, even if your appetite is low.
2+ HOURS AFTER
This meal is especially important during Open season because of the challenging nature of the workouts. It allows you to continue recovering from your earlier workout, and if it is one of your last meals of the day, it also prepares you for a good night’s sleep. This is important because certain recovery is specific to sleep! Recovery also ensures proper preparation for tomorrow’s workout. Now is the best time to fit in those essential macronutrients, micronutrients, vitamins and minerals that you didn’t eat around workout times, such as fats and more fibrous vegetables.
19.4 should be fun and fast! Get a game plan for your post workout foods and we look forward to seeing you at the gym!
Well, we knew it was coming…
Week 3 is officially that “separator” workout that we see each year.
Many of the athletes who were grinning after 19.1’s announcement are now contemplating their existence and/or sobbing.
There were a lot of predictions leading up to this that “strict gymnastics” would be making their appearance in 2019, and this has turned out to be correct…
For Time (10 minute time cap):
Men: 50 lb dumbbell / 24 inch box
Females: 35 lb dumbbell / 20-in box
With four movements, and two of them being upside down – there’s definitely plenty to dissect with this workout. So let’s hop right into it.
RESOURCES
WodPrep Complete Strategy Guide w/Mindset
Video: 19.3 Strategy & Tips
Onto Week 3…Let’s talk a little bit about FIBER!
Keeping your fiber intake on point throughout the Open will provide optimal energy and joint function during the workouts, along with faster recovery afterwards, getting you ready for the next one.
Fiber is essential because:
I would recommend about 10-15 grams of fiber for every 1000 calories you consume. High fiber foods include vegetables, fruits, and many legumes. You’ll also find fiber in some grains and many other packaged food products (such as bread, tortillas, energy bars, or even dairy products). Read your food labels!
Remember to stay hydrated, keep your protein intake up, and let’s have some fun lunging around and getting upside-down!
A repeat workout? Almost.
Anyone who’s been around for awhile now might remember the triplette 16.2. 19.2 is very similar, yet the time requirements have been changed.
Before breaking down each individual movement, let’s first take a look at the workout…
Beginning on an 8-minute clock, complete as many reps as possible of:
If completed before 8 minutes, add 4 minutes to the clock:
If completed before 12 minutes, add 4 minutes to the clock:
If completed before 16 minutes, add 4 minutes to the clock:
Stop at 20 minutes.
Workout Strategy for 19.2:
Let’s start with toes to bar. The key here is to remember that singles are perfectly fine. Singles might even be your best bet for not wasting a ton of energy right from the start.
Keep in mind, even if you can do large sets of toes to bar, I don’t necessarily recommend it. Smaller sets of toes to bar will help you to fly through your double unders, keeping you fresh and ready for the heavier barbell.
Here’s a WodPrep tutorial on how to learn TTB.
Scaled Athletes: Unlike what I just advised for toes to bar, singles are not a good idea for knee raises or ab mat sit-ups. If you’re going to do scaled, push for unbroken during this portion.
Double Unders:
When you step up to your jump rope, have the mindset of ‘whatever it takes’. Try to keep the rope spinning at all costs, even if it means having to go single-double with your jumping. Don’t let silly trip-ups throw you off, remain calm, and hold good form.
Check out this quick video on some of the most common double under errors:
Squat Cleans:
Unlike double unders, singles are going to be a very good idea here. Unless the weights are extremely easy you, I recommend trying out the ‘Rich Froning’ breath in between reps or smaller sets. It will help to keep you on pace while you reset.
What’s the Rich Froning breath? It’s explained further here:
One thing to note: control your dropping. It’s not energy-efficient to have to be chasing your barbell all over the gym. Keep it within your space, control your breathing, and get back on the bar!
Scaled: If you happen to be scaling 19.2 because of the TTB and DUs, this barbell weight might be on the lighter end for you. In this case, I would disregard the “singles” suggestion until the barbell gets heavy (>50% of your 1RM).
19.2: Set-up
Be smart with your set-up. If you can, have your jump rope ready to go in front of your TTB bar. DO NOT jump rope on a “crack” – explained here. At your barbell station, make sure that the plates are set-up in a way that it’s very easy for your gym pals to switch out the weight.
CrossFit Open 19.2: Masters
The Masters standards for both males and females stay the same until we get to the 55+ age categories. At that point, the squat clean weight is going to drop slightly. The toes to bar and double unders stay the same.
We recommend checking out games.crossfit.com for the various weights.
CrossFit Open 19.2: Scaled
Here is the scaled version of the 19.2 workout:
8-minute clock, complete as many reps as possible of:
If completed before 8 minutes, add 4 minutes to the clock:
If completed before 12 minutes, add 4 minutes to the clock:
If completed before 16 minutes, add 4 minutes to the clock:
Stop at 20 minutes.
19.2: Mindset Tips
This isn’t a sprint. The mindset here should be, ‘how fast do I need to go to comfortably make it to the next round?’
In most cases, this is going to mean single toes to bar to set yourself up to successfully get through the heavier cleans.
If you have done this workout in the past, this is a better time than ever to retest where you stand. Make the goal of hitting weights that you couldn’t hit last time this was programmed, or move through the double unders more smoothly.
Full 19.2 Strategy Video:
Enjoy the workout, and the spirit of the Open. Now let’s get to work!
Week two, here we go! This week’s workout has the potential to range anywhere from 8-20mins long. Regardless of how far you make it, this week’s nutrition tip applies to all!
PROTEIN is made up of building blocks called amino acids. They play a big part in the building of muscle in the gym and muscle recovery on your rest days. Eating enough protein is important for everyone, whether your goals are fat loss, muscle gain, or simply performing well in your workouts.
The repairing and renewing benefits of protein will definitely help you bounce back from the physically demanding Open workouts thrown at you week after week! Good protein examples include poultry, red meat, game meat, eggs, yogurt and protein powders.
WHAT ABOUT PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS? Whey protein and casein protein are the two most common protein powders and they’re digested differently in your body.
Whey is a great go-to right after your workout because it will be digested and utilized by your body quickly. If whey/dairy doesn’t agree with you, there are a variety of other supplements and protein sources out there.
Good luck everyone and remember to HAVE FUN!
— Coach Kayla