Hi everyone. I know, I know... the blog came late today. It's kinda like Christmas being on the 26th of December. Listen, I got into work and our computers were down, and I just got out of a long morning meeting. I know this is nothing but excuses and I could have done this before I left for work this morning... but tomorrow's ramble will be much better. So... uh... do burpees.
Women Of The 2010 CrossFit Games from Boomer Alred on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's WOD:
Rest Day
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Ability
Good morning fitness fanatics! Glad you could join me in another fabulous ramble... that's right... I said fabulous, what are you going to do about it? With that out of the way, it's on to the important stuff.
So today we talk a little about our ability, which goes with the discussion we had about scaling a few days ago. I know there is this great drive we have to do everything as Rx. I'm not going to lie, it's a great goal, and par for the course. But, like we've talked about before, it may not be the best thing for us.
Let's take for example the "Hero WODs". These things are just tough, whether its Rx or scaled. They are programmed to destroy most human beings. Let me use, as an example, the Hero WOD Arnie, which is as follows:
with a 2 pood kettlebell:
So that sounds pretty bad, doesn't it? Look, I can swing the 70 lb Kettlebell. I can even go so far as to perform a Turkish get-up AND a one-arm Overhead Squat... albeit probably just one at a time. As much as I would like to tackle Arnie as RX, I damn well shouldn't!
Why am I scaling, even though I have the ability for Rx? Well, for one and most important, injury! A WOD like that would make me into 10 gallons of pain in a 5 gallon bucket. I could chip away at this WOD and others like it, but I don't see the benefit.
In CrossFit, we preach all about form, consistency and intensity. This is the natural and safe progression for getting better. We can't do a move without first knowing how to perform it. We can't include intensity unless we then are able to perform the movement well. If we skip any of these steps, we're just asking for injury.
I would like to make the claim that there is a fourth part to this progression... Load! Once we are able to move well, perform movements consistently, and then go fast we can start upping the weight. I don't want anyone to really increase the weight until we are routinely able to go as Rx. Once we reach that point... over Rx is right up your alley.
Listen, all I'm saying is stay true to sound form and everything else will follow. Once you hit the sub 4 minute Fran... lets take it to a 135 lb thruster and weighted pullups, but don't jump straight to that. Work hard, check your ego at the door... and do burpees
CrossFit Dahlonega Three's Company Promo from CrossFit Dahlonega on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's WOD:
Rest Day
This is officially a rest week! Nothing wrong with that, I've heard of many athletes doing this. Hopefully all the rest and recovery has paid off... I think it would have been a lot worse had I been hitting up WODs and lift feeling like dog poo. Ready to start back up soon!
So today we talk a little about our ability, which goes with the discussion we had about scaling a few days ago. I know there is this great drive we have to do everything as Rx. I'm not going to lie, it's a great goal, and par for the course. But, like we've talked about before, it may not be the best thing for us.
Let's take for example the "Hero WODs". These things are just tough, whether its Rx or scaled. They are programmed to destroy most human beings. Let me use, as an example, the Hero WOD Arnie, which is as follows:
with a 2 pood kettlebell:
- 21 Turkish get-ups, Right arm
- 50 Swings
- 21 Overhead squats, Left arm
- 50 Swings
- 21 Overhead squats, Right arm
- 50 Swings
- 21 Turkish get-ups, Left arm
So that sounds pretty bad, doesn't it? Look, I can swing the 70 lb Kettlebell. I can even go so far as to perform a Turkish get-up AND a one-arm Overhead Squat... albeit probably just one at a time. As much as I would like to tackle Arnie as RX, I damn well shouldn't!
Why am I scaling, even though I have the ability for Rx? Well, for one and most important, injury! A WOD like that would make me into 10 gallons of pain in a 5 gallon bucket. I could chip away at this WOD and others like it, but I don't see the benefit.
In CrossFit, we preach all about form, consistency and intensity. This is the natural and safe progression for getting better. We can't do a move without first knowing how to perform it. We can't include intensity unless we then are able to perform the movement well. If we skip any of these steps, we're just asking for injury.
I would like to make the claim that there is a fourth part to this progression... Load! Once we are able to move well, perform movements consistently, and then go fast we can start upping the weight. I don't want anyone to really increase the weight until we are routinely able to go as Rx. Once we reach that point... over Rx is right up your alley.
Listen, all I'm saying is stay true to sound form and everything else will follow. Once you hit the sub 4 minute Fran... lets take it to a 135 lb thruster and weighted pullups, but don't jump straight to that. Work hard, check your ego at the door... and do burpees
CrossFit Dahlonega Three's Company Promo from CrossFit Dahlonega on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's WOD:
Rest Day
This is officially a rest week! Nothing wrong with that, I've heard of many athletes doing this. Hopefully all the rest and recovery has paid off... I think it would have been a lot worse had I been hitting up WODs and lift feeling like dog poo. Ready to start back up soon!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Sub 4
Happy Saturday everyone! Aren't you just glad that the week is over, and the weekend is finally here? Aren't you even more glad... gladder?... no, more glad...that it's time for another ramble? I know I would be! So lets get to it.
It's time to hear of another inspirational athlete today. It's fitting that it is about a runner... since I'm so bad at it. But this man will motivate you to put the pavement under your feet. His name is Sir Roger Bannister.
Now, Roger may not be a household name like Michael Jordan or Michael Phelps. But, Bannister paved the way for runners everywhere! Prior to him, it was thought IMPOSSIBLE to run under a 4 minute mile. Well, you guessed it, Roger did this that!
Bannister began training at the "young" age of 17. With limited training of 3 half-hour sessions a week, he was already showing promise as a competitive runner, clocking in a mile in 4:27 in 1947. In the late 40's and early 50's, Bannister was coming out on top of races and shattering records, finishing in the range of 4:10. Yet, no one had seen a sub 4 to this date.
After a fourth place finish in the 1952 Olympics, Bannister had his eyes set on a new goal... the sub 4 minute mile. In May of 53 Bannister ran the mile in 4:03! This gave him confidence that hitting the 3 minute range was possible. He was not the only one striving for this. American Wes Santee and Australian John Landry were "running" for the title, both with a 4:02 mile.
On May 6th, 1954, Bannister was signed up for another race. With winds blowing, he wasn't sure that he wanted to run, and save his training for another day. As the winds died down, he decided it was time. With a pop of the gun the race was off... and less than 4 minutes later, history was made. Bannister finished that day in 3:59.4, making Roger Bannister the very first man to run a sub 4 minute mile! Since then, hundreds of people have gone under the 4 minute mile mark. However it started with just one man.
Just imagine what is possible. One man set to break a record, once thought unobtainable. And just think, it took that one man to break that record for others to follow in his footsteps. Use this in your own life, set goals, no mater what they are. So keep going, never stop... and do burpees.
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterdays WOD:
Rest Day
Maybe I could have gone back to it, but I really don't want to chance it.
It's time to hear of another inspirational athlete today. It's fitting that it is about a runner... since I'm so bad at it. But this man will motivate you to put the pavement under your feet. His name is Sir Roger Bannister.
Now, Roger may not be a household name like Michael Jordan or Michael Phelps. But, Bannister paved the way for runners everywhere! Prior to him, it was thought IMPOSSIBLE to run under a 4 minute mile. Well, you guessed it, Roger did this that!
Bannister began training at the "young" age of 17. With limited training of 3 half-hour sessions a week, he was already showing promise as a competitive runner, clocking in a mile in 4:27 in 1947. In the late 40's and early 50's, Bannister was coming out on top of races and shattering records, finishing in the range of 4:10. Yet, no one had seen a sub 4 to this date.
After a fourth place finish in the 1952 Olympics, Bannister had his eyes set on a new goal... the sub 4 minute mile. In May of 53 Bannister ran the mile in 4:03! This gave him confidence that hitting the 3 minute range was possible. He was not the only one striving for this. American Wes Santee and Australian John Landry were "running" for the title, both with a 4:02 mile.
On May 6th, 1954, Bannister was signed up for another race. With winds blowing, he wasn't sure that he wanted to run, and save his training for another day. As the winds died down, he decided it was time. With a pop of the gun the race was off... and less than 4 minutes later, history was made. Bannister finished that day in 3:59.4, making Roger Bannister the very first man to run a sub 4 minute mile! Since then, hundreds of people have gone under the 4 minute mile mark. However it started with just one man.
Just imagine what is possible. One man set to break a record, once thought unobtainable. And just think, it took that one man to break that record for others to follow in his footsteps. Use this in your own life, set goals, no mater what they are. So keep going, never stop... and do burpees.
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterdays WOD:
Rest Day
Maybe I could have gone back to it, but I really don't want to chance it.
Friday, February 25, 2011
To scale or not to scale
Morning everyone. Wound up waking up to a snow covered car... so that's wonderful. I think I'm about ready for the weather to be over with. I'm also ready to start rambling, so lets get to that instead.
So, we've talked about scaling before, but I think it's an important topic to touch on again. I bring this up because, as you may have seen, I've been a little under the weather lately. When I get back into the WODs... I'm probably going to be scaling.
We scale a multiple ways, for a number of reasons. For me, I'll have to be scaling back load and intensity. The reasons, well as I said, I'm a bit sick. Coming back into the WODs at 111% may just be overdoing it. But, that's just me. How else do we sclae?
Load: when a WOD calls for a certain Rx weight, we can scale it back to our ability. Lets take for instance the WOD calls for a 275/185 lb deadlift. Ok, so maybe that is a weight that you can move, but not quickly. We need to use a weight that will allow you to keep our power up. So maybe scale it to 225/135 lbs, and the WOD will be a bit smother. Even dropping your box jump from 20" to 16" would be the same type of scaling.
Intensity: this is simply what we do on our own. Again, its the ability to not go full bore. So instead of focusing on moving as fast as possible, it may be better to slow down and focus on perfect form. We may not have the highest power output WOD, but we are still moving and still getting fit.
Reps: this goes along with scaling back intensity. Fran (and many WODs) are a 21-15-9. Though that doesn't seem "too bad", its 45 reps... and that may be too much, especially for people just starting. So, change it to 15-12-9, and that moves us down to 36 reps. We can also do the same for rounds. Say we have a 5 round WOD, there's nothing wrong with being bumped down to 3 rounds. Especially you finish your 3rd round by the time people are finishing their 5th.
ROM: this is one of the later things I would choose to scale. Reasons behind scaling this would due to medical injuries. If there is an issue with squatting to full depth, it may be a lot wiser to squat to a high box. Again, we're always trying to nail our full range of motion. Even when you scale to doing pushups on a bar/bench, we're still just scaling load, but achieving the same range-of-motion.
So don't be afraid to scale, and don't be upset if we ask you to scale. We ask you to scale because you will benefit from it. You will still get strong, you will still get fitter, and if you keep it up, you will do doing WOD as Rx quicker. So scale back, move well... and do burpees (no scaling on that).
Michele muscle-up from CrossFit Newcastle on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's WOD:
Rest Day
No worries, this was a scheduled day off... back to it tomorrow
So, we've talked about scaling before, but I think it's an important topic to touch on again. I bring this up because, as you may have seen, I've been a little under the weather lately. When I get back into the WODs... I'm probably going to be scaling.
We scale a multiple ways, for a number of reasons. For me, I'll have to be scaling back load and intensity. The reasons, well as I said, I'm a bit sick. Coming back into the WODs at 111% may just be overdoing it. But, that's just me. How else do we sclae?
Load: when a WOD calls for a certain Rx weight, we can scale it back to our ability. Lets take for instance the WOD calls for a 275/185 lb deadlift. Ok, so maybe that is a weight that you can move, but not quickly. We need to use a weight that will allow you to keep our power up. So maybe scale it to 225/135 lbs, and the WOD will be a bit smother. Even dropping your box jump from 20" to 16" would be the same type of scaling.
Intensity: this is simply what we do on our own. Again, its the ability to not go full bore. So instead of focusing on moving as fast as possible, it may be better to slow down and focus on perfect form. We may not have the highest power output WOD, but we are still moving and still getting fit.
Reps: this goes along with scaling back intensity. Fran (and many WODs) are a 21-15-9. Though that doesn't seem "too bad", its 45 reps... and that may be too much, especially for people just starting. So, change it to 15-12-9, and that moves us down to 36 reps. We can also do the same for rounds. Say we have a 5 round WOD, there's nothing wrong with being bumped down to 3 rounds. Especially you finish your 3rd round by the time people are finishing their 5th.
ROM: this is one of the later things I would choose to scale. Reasons behind scaling this would due to medical injuries. If there is an issue with squatting to full depth, it may be a lot wiser to squat to a high box. Again, we're always trying to nail our full range of motion. Even when you scale to doing pushups on a bar/bench, we're still just scaling load, but achieving the same range-of-motion.
So don't be afraid to scale, and don't be upset if we ask you to scale. We ask you to scale because you will benefit from it. You will still get strong, you will still get fitter, and if you keep it up, you will do doing WOD as Rx quicker. So scale back, move well... and do burpees (no scaling on that).
Michele muscle-up from CrossFit Newcastle on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's WOD:
Rest Day
No worries, this was a scheduled day off... back to it tomorrow
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Emotions
Hi again everyone! How's the end of February treating yall? I know, we still have a few days left, but we're about 3 months into 2011! Not that this is amazing or anything, just figured I'd point it out. Alright, I'll stop pointlessly rambling, and start regular rambling.
Another "mental part" of CrossFit I wanted to touch on today. And that is the emotions that we can feel, walking into the box and doing a WOD. For the most part (at least for me), walking through the door is one of the best parts of my day. I enter hopeful and ready for the challenge that I am about to face.
But, what follows that? What emotions have you felt inside the box? Maybe you hit a PR, or get your name on one of the top spots on the leader board. I bet that feels really good, and like what you've been doing is working. Some of the biggest smiles I've got are from a new PR... hard not to.
Then, there are rough days. Days when the weight feels twice as heavy. Days where your lungs feel like burning coals and you feel like your breathing through a coffee straw. Days where you can't do what you've done before. Like the song says, we all have our bad days. I've had days like this, where you feel beat down and can ALMOST bring a tear to your eye (I'm not saying a cried).
What happens when we have these bad days? That's the beauty of CrossFit... you have an entire community of peeps who have suffered through and felt the same highs and lows you have. Someone will be there to cheer on your heaviest Back Squat, and give you a comforting pat on the back when you get drilled into the ground by Fran.
Remember, the weight will stay the same weight. A 500 meter row will suck just like any other 500 meter row. But what we let our emotions do is up to us. Whether you had a good day in the gym, or a bad day... there's always going to be tomorrow. So what have you felt at the box? What emotions have driven you? Calling out for comments! So chin up, press forward... and do burpees.
Anja Staten - No Limitations from Windy City CrossFit on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's WOD
Rest Day
I was still hacking a bit. As much as I'd love to hit up a WOD, it probably wouldn't do me much good.
Another "mental part" of CrossFit I wanted to touch on today. And that is the emotions that we can feel, walking into the box and doing a WOD. For the most part (at least for me), walking through the door is one of the best parts of my day. I enter hopeful and ready for the challenge that I am about to face.
But, what follows that? What emotions have you felt inside the box? Maybe you hit a PR, or get your name on one of the top spots on the leader board. I bet that feels really good, and like what you've been doing is working. Some of the biggest smiles I've got are from a new PR... hard not to.
Then, there are rough days. Days when the weight feels twice as heavy. Days where your lungs feel like burning coals and you feel like your breathing through a coffee straw. Days where you can't do what you've done before. Like the song says, we all have our bad days. I've had days like this, where you feel beat down and can ALMOST bring a tear to your eye (I'm not saying a cried).
What happens when we have these bad days? That's the beauty of CrossFit... you have an entire community of peeps who have suffered through and felt the same highs and lows you have. Someone will be there to cheer on your heaviest Back Squat, and give you a comforting pat on the back when you get drilled into the ground by Fran.
Remember, the weight will stay the same weight. A 500 meter row will suck just like any other 500 meter row. But what we let our emotions do is up to us. Whether you had a good day in the gym, or a bad day... there's always going to be tomorrow. So what have you felt at the box? What emotions have driven you? Calling out for comments! So chin up, press forward... and do burpees.
Anja Staten - No Limitations from Windy City CrossFit on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's WOD
Rest Day
I was still hacking a bit. As much as I'd love to hit up a WOD, it probably wouldn't do me much good.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Hello again my fitness crazy public. Wonderful to see you perving my blog, you must really like me or something. Or maybe... you're just bored. Whatever it is you are, strap yourself in, it's time for another wild ramble.
So, I got an email a while back from one of my closet viewers: Andrew D. Well, I trained Andy a while back, took him through the 9 foundational movements and released him into the CrossFit wild. I got an email from him which I would like to share with you all.
I believe I have, yet again, sent Andrew on the right path. He's a heck of an athlete, and I'm sure he will go very well. So if you're reading this now, Andrew, how has the Paleo been treating you?
Anyway, just wanted to share a little bit with you folks, and what is available to you. Also, never be afraid to ask for anything, whether it be from me or any trainer at CrossFit St. Louis... we're hear to help in anyway we can. So ask questions, eat right... and do burpees.
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's WOD:
Rest Day
Ok... probably my last one too
So, I got an email a while back from one of my closet viewers: Andrew D. Well, I trained Andy a while back, took him through the 9 foundational movements and released him into the CrossFit wild. I got an email from him which I would like to share with you all.
Hey Frosh!
I am still doing all the crossfit movements and working on making some pretty intense WODs of my own. Nothing like the Aycock or 12 days of christmas though. And I love reading your blog by the way! It's awesome! But I have some quick questions. First off, I am looking at getting into the
paleo diet. What's your opinion with how it has worked for you?
Andrew D
So me being the outstanding CrossFit coach that I am, I had this to repsond:
Andrew!
Thanks for the Kudos. To answer your question, diet as an uber important part of training, especially sports training. The break down should go like this (pyramid format):
Nutrition->Metabolic Conditioning->Bodyweight/Gymnastics->Weightlifting/Throwing->Sports specific training (http://ramblingfrosh.blogspot.com/2010/11/100-words.html) <-Blog post about
this
So Nutrition, being the base of your pyramid, is very important. Like the 100 words says: eat lean meats, fish, chicken, vegetables, some fruit, nut/berries, no starch, no sugar. Very simple to follow. Ala Paleo you want to try to get natural foods that aren't processed. Ideally, meat should be
farm raised, vegetarian fed, with no hormones or antibiotics... but that gets expensive, so just get the fresh stuff from you butcher that they put out daily (shoot for at least 90% lean meat)
Some other guys have a lot of good stuff on the topic. Check out http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ (lot of good info there), or book-wise you could check out "The Paleo Diet" or "The Paleo Diet for Athletes", both by Dr. Loren Cordain. Another REALLY great book is "The Paleo Solution" by Robb
Wolf. If recipes are a problem he has a 3 month plan in his book... and he knows his stuff.
As far as my experience, it's worked well for me. I don't weigh and measure (though you can for better results), I just each when I went till I am comfortably full. I use it for more for performance than weight loss, and I've seen tremendous gains in strength. It can be a little tough to cut out
bread. A few ways to combat that is to just take a meal a day, and make it Paleo. Breakfast is probably the easiest. My normal breakfast is 4 strips of bacon (uncured with no antibiotics), a few eggs and a bit of fruit. So just take it day by day and eat more Paleo as you go.
I think I've rambled enough on the subject. And, just FYI, this email string is going to be featured on the blog in a few days. Let me know if you need more direction man. Keep on training!
-Frosh
I believe I have, yet again, sent Andrew on the right path. He's a heck of an athlete, and I'm sure he will go very well. So if you're reading this now, Andrew, how has the Paleo been treating you?
Anyway, just wanted to share a little bit with you folks, and what is available to you. Also, never be afraid to ask for anything, whether it be from me or any trainer at CrossFit St. Louis... we're hear to help in anyway we can. So ask questions, eat right... and do burpees.
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's WOD:
Rest Day
Ok... probably my last one too
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Power!
Hey again folks. Still a bit in the sickness realm of my fitness, but things are getting better. So much better that today, I think we have a pretty decent ramble for you... you let me know what ya think.
Alrighty then, so you'll notice that today's blog is titled "Power". Now, we've talked about Power before, being one of the 10 General Physical Skills. So, I just wanted to talk briefly about very Power-biased sport... Powerlifting.
Powerlifting, at a competition, involves 3 big lifts: Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift (think a little different CrossFit Total). Powerlifters do more than just that. First off, most of these guys (and gals) are just stupid Strong. Even though the guy in the video below weighs a whopping 220 lbs and can squat over 700 lbs, he can rep out 45 inch box jumps like a champ!
Powerlifters will do a lot of accessory work that many CrossFitters gave up on. Things such as triceps extensions, lat pull downs and machines in general. But, in order for these guys to move the weight, this is things they need to work on. Judge all you want, these guys have some sick power output! And, if you don't think that these guys are fast, a lot of sprinters have trained at Westside Barbell (Louie Simmon's gym... strongest in world). Without ever having them run once, Louie was able to make them faster... strange, huh?
Not strange at all. Remember, these guys are big on Power, and work like that will transfer over into all aspects of our fitness. So, don't ever feel cheated if you come into CrossFit and we work towards a 1 Rep Max Deadlift... Don't think of it as a "Strength Bias", how about "I'm-getting-better-bias". So squat deep, jump high... and do burpees.
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's WOD
Rest Day:
Still feeling a bit under the weather. The best thing for me is going to be recovering. So no WOD today, unless you count demonstrating handstand walks...
 |
| This is the next adventure race I'm going to do |
Alrighty then, so you'll notice that today's blog is titled "Power". Now, we've talked about Power before, being one of the 10 General Physical Skills. So, I just wanted to talk briefly about very Power-biased sport... Powerlifting.
Powerlifting, at a competition, involves 3 big lifts: Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift (think a little different CrossFit Total). Powerlifters do more than just that. First off, most of these guys (and gals) are just stupid Strong. Even though the guy in the video below weighs a whopping 220 lbs and can squat over 700 lbs, he can rep out 45 inch box jumps like a champ!
Powerlifters will do a lot of accessory work that many CrossFitters gave up on. Things such as triceps extensions, lat pull downs and machines in general. But, in order for these guys to move the weight, this is things they need to work on. Judge all you want, these guys have some sick power output! And, if you don't think that these guys are fast, a lot of sprinters have trained at Westside Barbell (Louie Simmon's gym... strongest in world). Without ever having them run once, Louie was able to make them faster... strange, huh?
Not strange at all. Remember, these guys are big on Power, and work like that will transfer over into all aspects of our fitness. So, don't ever feel cheated if you come into CrossFit and we work towards a 1 Rep Max Deadlift... Don't think of it as a "Strength Bias", how about "I'm-getting-better-bias". So squat deep, jump high... and do burpees.
3,2,1 GO!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday's WOD
Rest Day:
Still feeling a bit under the weather. The best thing for me is going to be recovering. So no WOD today, unless you count demonstrating handstand walks...
Monday, February 21, 2011
Dog Squeeze
Hey there party peeps. I'm sorry to tell you that the ramble will be fairly short today. As much fun as I had in the cave, running around and all, I think it made my sickness... a little bit sicker. Spent most of yesterday on the couch, trying to keep down food (TMI)... so there's that.
So, without further stalling, I'm calling this one early today. I need my rest and recovery to kick in like nobodies business. I promise I will give you a ramble with rambling about when I can. So don't worry, keep working... and do burpees.
Untitled from Hans Roskosh on Vimeo.
3,2,1 Get Better!!!
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Yesterday's WOD
Get better... for time
Seems like as much as I tried, I was getting sicker for time... no PR today.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Fun in the cave
Morning folks. Nothing like having to work on a Sunday. It's a good thing I had a kick ass weekend running around a cave (more on that later). But enough about me, I'm always talking about myself. How are you guys doing? Good? Good to hear it, now lets get rambling.
Ok... so, running in a cave... good times. Yesterday I participated in the 2011 Crystal City Cave Run, and what a time that was. But, before I go talking about the race, I need to tell you about the journey.
So, I was making great time on the way to the race. I had to be there by 9am, and it was 8:30 and I was almost there. Cut to "issue #1", I got my first flat tire... in the rain. So with the fun of throwing on a small spare tire I finally went on my way. "Issue #2": got lost... not once, not twice, but 4 times! Alright, so finally arrived at the cave, only to leave once again to get money (had card, but no cash). However... "issue #3"... I found that my wonderful spare tire was going flat as well (awesome).
Ok, so things started to turn around (for the time being). The race was a lot of fun! Anyone that was considering this race really should have gone. The course was 4 miles, all on sand, filled with obstacles like running through water, jumping over dunes and hurdles and generally not being able to see where you're going... because, it's a cave. I finished in 24:18, which turned out to be a 6:05 mile split. Let me tell you, I'm super happy about that! I haven't ran any "distance" since the Urbanathalon last October, which was 10 miles. So, for only running 400 meters at a time, I think that's a great time to come in with (thanks CrossFit)!
Alright, the race was over, I had my beers (Paleo I'm sure), and I was ready to start heading back. So my surprise... "issue # 4": My 3rd flat tire of the day!!! So running around Crystal City I quickly found that EVERYONE was closed, except for one auto shop (that only had motorcycle tires). However, at said shop I was pleased to meet Tim. Good ol' Tim drove to my care (to pick up ONE of my flats) and take it to a different auto shop that would have been closed, had Tim not drove there. For a measly 20 bucks I got new/used tire and was able to drive to the nearest gas station, throw some air in the spare, and finally head home!
Yes, it was an interesting Saturday. One I will not soon forget. Listen, all my issues aside, adventure races (as I guess this would be classified) are a lot of fun. Most of the time you make some great memories, meet some very interesting people, and (believe it or not) get a good bit of work in. So don't let anything stop you, sign up for one as soon as you can. So run lots, jump far... and do burpees (in a cave)
Trail Happens from Patrick Cummings on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's "WOD"
2011 Crystal City Cave Run (4 miles)
Time - 24:18
Ok... so, running in a cave... good times. Yesterday I participated in the 2011 Crystal City Cave Run, and what a time that was. But, before I go talking about the race, I need to tell you about the journey.
So, I was making great time on the way to the race. I had to be there by 9am, and it was 8:30 and I was almost there. Cut to "issue #1", I got my first flat tire... in the rain. So with the fun of throwing on a small spare tire I finally went on my way. "Issue #2": got lost... not once, not twice, but 4 times! Alright, so finally arrived at the cave, only to leave once again to get money (had card, but no cash). However... "issue #3"... I found that my wonderful spare tire was going flat as well (awesome).
Ok, so things started to turn around (for the time being). The race was a lot of fun! Anyone that was considering this race really should have gone. The course was 4 miles, all on sand, filled with obstacles like running through water, jumping over dunes and hurdles and generally not being able to see where you're going... because, it's a cave. I finished in 24:18, which turned out to be a 6:05 mile split. Let me tell you, I'm super happy about that! I haven't ran any "distance" since the Urbanathalon last October, which was 10 miles. So, for only running 400 meters at a time, I think that's a great time to come in with (thanks CrossFit)!
Alright, the race was over, I had my beers (Paleo I'm sure), and I was ready to start heading back. So my surprise... "issue # 4": My 3rd flat tire of the day!!! So running around Crystal City I quickly found that EVERYONE was closed, except for one auto shop (that only had motorcycle tires). However, at said shop I was pleased to meet Tim. Good ol' Tim drove to my care (to pick up ONE of my flats) and take it to a different auto shop that would have been closed, had Tim not drove there. For a measly 20 bucks I got new/used tire and was able to drive to the nearest gas station, throw some air in the spare, and finally head home!
Yes, it was an interesting Saturday. One I will not soon forget. Listen, all my issues aside, adventure races (as I guess this would be classified) are a lot of fun. Most of the time you make some great memories, meet some very interesting people, and (believe it or not) get a good bit of work in. So don't let anything stop you, sign up for one as soon as you can. So run lots, jump far... and do burpees (in a cave)
Trail Happens from Patrick Cummings on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's "WOD"
2011 Crystal City Cave Run (4 miles)
Time - 24:18
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Hope you're not afraid of clowns
Hey there folks. It's early in the morning, and I'm getting ready to participate in the Sandmine Challenge! It's going to be lots of fun, and I'm sure I'll recap it all tomorrow. So, before that day comes, let's get to a good ol fashion ramble.
Well friends, seeing as how yesterday we talked about Uncle Rhabdo, I figure we could have a little chat about his "good" friends Pukie the Clown (pictured below).
This is another classic CrossFit mascot. I think it's pretty obvious what it symbolizes... puking during/after a WOD. I believe there are two camps of viewing the Pukie mascot. One, you pushed yourself to your limit, and you've earned a right of passage. Two, You pushed yourself to your limit, and to a detrimental end. Now I'm not going to say which camp I'm in, but just try to explain it a little better.
First off, I've never puked before, during or after a WOD. I'm not going to lie, I have come close to doing so for exactly 4 workouts (yes, I remember them well). Am I shooting to puke during a WOD, and will it bring me excitement? ... Hell no! It will probably bring me an upset stomach, bad breath, ruined WOD apparel... but maybe a PR.
There are those in the community that talk about Pukie like a badge of honor, and can remember every single time they tossed their Paleo cookies after a WOD. I think that people view this as they pushed their bodies to the literal limit, till they could take no more. Some in the community are disgusted by the fact that they would ever let chunks fly. And lets be honest, its a waste of money. All they money you payed for just wound up on the pavement... we're in a recession people, can't waste food like that.
So what about you, my loyal followers and closet viewers? Have you ever met Pukie? Do you have an opinion about seeing your lunch again? I want to hear your view on this... quite the hot (and disgusting) topic. Come on guys, lets here it! So pull hard, push a lot... and do burpees (till you puke).
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's Skills/Strength
Skills:
45" Box Jumps 5 x 2
Ring Dips 3 x 12
Alternating Deck Pistols 3 x 6
After the box jumps I worked up to tie my PR (49 inches), it got a bit scary at the 50 plus realm, so I'm going to be upping my sets on the box jumps
Strength (Dynamic Effort):
Conventional Squat 12 x 2 55% (135 lbs) w/ bands
Sumo Deadlift 10 x 2 55% (185 lbs)
This Dynamic effort felt a lot better than last week. I think the bands made a huge difference.
Well friends, seeing as how yesterday we talked about Uncle Rhabdo, I figure we could have a little chat about his "good" friends Pukie the Clown (pictured below).
This is another classic CrossFit mascot. I think it's pretty obvious what it symbolizes... puking during/after a WOD. I believe there are two camps of viewing the Pukie mascot. One, you pushed yourself to your limit, and you've earned a right of passage. Two, You pushed yourself to your limit, and to a detrimental end. Now I'm not going to say which camp I'm in, but just try to explain it a little better.
First off, I've never puked before, during or after a WOD. I'm not going to lie, I have come close to doing so for exactly 4 workouts (yes, I remember them well). Am I shooting to puke during a WOD, and will it bring me excitement? ... Hell no! It will probably bring me an upset stomach, bad breath, ruined WOD apparel... but maybe a PR.
There are those in the community that talk about Pukie like a badge of honor, and can remember every single time they tossed their Paleo cookies after a WOD. I think that people view this as they pushed their bodies to the literal limit, till they could take no more. Some in the community are disgusted by the fact that they would ever let chunks fly. And lets be honest, its a waste of money. All they money you payed for just wound up on the pavement... we're in a recession people, can't waste food like that.
So what about you, my loyal followers and closet viewers? Have you ever met Pukie? Do you have an opinion about seeing your lunch again? I want to hear your view on this... quite the hot (and disgusting) topic. Come on guys, lets here it! So pull hard, push a lot... and do burpees (till you puke).
3,2,1 GO!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday's Skills/Strength
Skills:
45" Box Jumps 5 x 2
Ring Dips 3 x 12
Alternating Deck Pistols 3 x 6
After the box jumps I worked up to tie my PR (49 inches), it got a bit scary at the 50 plus realm, so I'm going to be upping my sets on the box jumps
Strength (Dynamic Effort):
Conventional Squat 12 x 2 55% (135 lbs) w/ bands
Sumo Deadlift 10 x 2 55% (185 lbs)
This Dynamic effort felt a lot better than last week. I think the bands made a huge difference.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Uncle Rhabdo
Hey the fitness folks. Stay back, I'm still a little bit sick. I think it would be for the best if I did my rambling from afar.
Today we need to talk about a serious injury, and something that we will brief to anyone before Crossfitting. That's right, its Rhabdoyolysis, or Rhabdo for short. Now CrossFit will "joke" about the term with it's mascot, Uncle Rhabdo (pictured below), but it's a serious injury, and our main talking point for today.
So, what is Rhabdomyolysis? Well, breaking down the medical term it is Rhabdomyo (skeletal muscle) and lysis (rapid breakdown). Yep, the breakdown of skeletal muscles. Now I know there's always the old saying from my Globo Gym days saying that you have to breakdown muscles in order to build them up... well, not like this.
Rhabdomyolysis can occur from a number a causes such as seizures, crush injuries and so on. But for us, we usually see this as extreme muscle activity, very frequently when dehydrated. When the muscle cell breaks down part of it is released into the bloodstream. This will cause life threatening harm to the kidneys, and eventually leading to kidney failure!
Signs and Symptoms of Rhabdo can include confusion, headache, muscle pains and discolored urine. I don't want you jumping up and down thinking you have Rhabdo just because you're sore. When I refer to muscle pain, its not just limited to the area that was worked. This kind of muscle pain is over your entire body, and would make a task like sitting up horribly painful. So, if you're a bit sore and dehydrated... not Rhabdo. If you can't get up and you're pissing Coca-Cola... get to your nearest ER, especially because Rhabdo has a 20% mortality rate! Treatment will include a friendly IV and possibly dialysis (to save those kidneys).
I hope I'm not scaring everyone with this diagnosis. I'm not saying it's just a matter of time before this develops. Remember, we're talking about extreme physical activity. That is why this is on many waivers on CrossFit boxes around the country, because maybe that first day of CrossFit is extreme. What I'm saying is, we all need to pay special attention to our bodies. I know we're always pushing ourselves to the extreme, but just stay hydrated and listen to you body, and odds are you'll be just fine. So don't stop, keep training... and do burpees.
Crossfit Thin Blue Line from Crossfit Thin Blue Line on Vimeo.
3,2,1, GO!
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Yesterday's WOD:
Rest Day
At least this one was scheduled
Today we need to talk about a serious injury, and something that we will brief to anyone before Crossfitting. That's right, its Rhabdoyolysis, or Rhabdo for short. Now CrossFit will "joke" about the term with it's mascot, Uncle Rhabdo (pictured below), but it's a serious injury, and our main talking point for today.
 |
| Ol' Uncle Rhabdo |
Rhabdomyolysis can occur from a number a causes such as seizures, crush injuries and so on. But for us, we usually see this as extreme muscle activity, very frequently when dehydrated. When the muscle cell breaks down part of it is released into the bloodstream. This will cause life threatening harm to the kidneys, and eventually leading to kidney failure!
Signs and Symptoms of Rhabdo can include confusion, headache, muscle pains and discolored urine. I don't want you jumping up and down thinking you have Rhabdo just because you're sore. When I refer to muscle pain, its not just limited to the area that was worked. This kind of muscle pain is over your entire body, and would make a task like sitting up horribly painful. So, if you're a bit sore and dehydrated... not Rhabdo. If you can't get up and you're pissing Coca-Cola... get to your nearest ER, especially because Rhabdo has a 20% mortality rate! Treatment will include a friendly IV and possibly dialysis (to save those kidneys).
I hope I'm not scaring everyone with this diagnosis. I'm not saying it's just a matter of time before this develops. Remember, we're talking about extreme physical activity. That is why this is on many waivers on CrossFit boxes around the country, because maybe that first day of CrossFit is extreme. What I'm saying is, we all need to pay special attention to our bodies. I know we're always pushing ourselves to the extreme, but just stay hydrated and listen to you body, and odds are you'll be just fine. So don't stop, keep training... and do burpees.
Crossfit Thin Blue Line from Crossfit Thin Blue Line on Vimeo.
3,2,1, GO!
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Yesterday's WOD:
Rest Day
At least this one was scheduled
Thursday, February 17, 2011
When you're down...
Morning folks. Glad you decided to stop by today for your daily heaping pile of ramble. It's fresh and right out of the oven... that kinda sounds weird, and I don't know where I was going with it. Oh well, moving on.
Alright guys and gals. Not feeling to hot, a little run down, and just not up to 100%. I guess it would be an excellent time to ramble on about that fact right there. I know there's just going to be days where we don't feel up to snuff. Maybe you didn't get enough sleep, Paleo, or recovery. For whatever reason your, a big lumpy pile of ouch. How do you think this effects your training?
Ok, for one, this will probably set us back while we're feeling a bit like dog squeeze. What you honestly need to do is take the time to heal. Get in some good foods, spend some time on the foam roller and rest your heart out. Yes you may be out for a day or two, but you'll get back soon enough. That's how you want to do it.
Now, how you don't want to do it... continue to come into the box. I know that is can be tempting to fight through the sick and never miss a WOD, I get that. However, this could do a little more harm than good. Sure, you may be able to battle through the metcon or struggle through a lift, but what do you think that does to your recovery time? That's right, you could stay out of commission for longer than you need. So you need to eat some humble Paleo Pie and just stay home.
I speak of this because of my situation. The first thing I don't want to do is screw with my training, taking a day or two to perk up is going to benefit in the long run. The last thing I want to do is pass all this on! I can't be getting everyone in the box all sickly, just because I can't refuse the challenge of a WOD. So try to think about your fitness, and realize your health is part of it to. So stay healthy, rest up... and do burpees (once you're better).
SEALFIT Sizzle from Sansom Media on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's WOD:
Impromptu Rest Day
Wasn't feeling that great, a little run down and sick maybe. So, I decided yesterday I needed to rest. I think it did me a bit of good.
Alright guys and gals. Not feeling to hot, a little run down, and just not up to 100%. I guess it would be an excellent time to ramble on about that fact right there. I know there's just going to be days where we don't feel up to snuff. Maybe you didn't get enough sleep, Paleo, or recovery. For whatever reason your, a big lumpy pile of ouch. How do you think this effects your training?
Ok, for one, this will probably set us back while we're feeling a bit like dog squeeze. What you honestly need to do is take the time to heal. Get in some good foods, spend some time on the foam roller and rest your heart out. Yes you may be out for a day or two, but you'll get back soon enough. That's how you want to do it.
Now, how you don't want to do it... continue to come into the box. I know that is can be tempting to fight through the sick and never miss a WOD, I get that. However, this could do a little more harm than good. Sure, you may be able to battle through the metcon or struggle through a lift, but what do you think that does to your recovery time? That's right, you could stay out of commission for longer than you need. So you need to eat some humble Paleo Pie and just stay home.
I speak of this because of my situation. The first thing I don't want to do is screw with my training, taking a day or two to perk up is going to benefit in the long run. The last thing I want to do is pass all this on! I can't be getting everyone in the box all sickly, just because I can't refuse the challenge of a WOD. So try to think about your fitness, and realize your health is part of it to. So stay healthy, rest up... and do burpees (once you're better).
SEALFIT Sizzle from Sansom Media on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday's WOD:
Impromptu Rest Day
Wasn't feeling that great, a little run down and sick maybe. So, I decided yesterday I needed to rest. I think it did me a bit of good.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
A shift in fitness
Hey everyone. Post number 125. Yep, that's right, we're at a buck and a quarter and still going strong. Sometimes I feel like I'm running out of stuff to talk about, but I realize that will NEVER happen.
Ok, it happened... just kidding. Once again, I've been watching the Biggest Loser (such a fan), and I find it very refreshing. This season two new trainers have joined the show, and boy are they bringing some familiar things to the table. First off, they're both very boxing/fighting oriented, so they do a lot of high power output workout for the contestants. Not only that, they're bringing burpees in (and who doesn't love those), the Airdyne system (great for pose running), sleds/prowlers and ropes... and I know I've seen all this before (I'm sure you have too).
It seems that there is a shift in the way we train our fitness. We, as CrossFitters, know this to be true. So its even more refreshing when you see people loosing hundreds of pounds using the same concept... speaking of which they do use the Concept2 rowers A LOT. But again, its refreshing to see contestants swinging Kettlebells or doing clean and jerks. It's going to show you don't have to be an Olympic Level athlete to train like one.
Maybe this is a turning point. May people are finally getting away from the bicep curls and leg press, and instead doing pullups and squats. I sure hope so. If nothing else, we know what to do. So swing some weight, push your body... and do burpees.
St. Louis Affiliate Cup Team Event #1 from daniel thacker on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's Skill/WOD
Skill:
Handstand walks
This was very exciting, I was able to walk abou 30 ft! I've never gone that far before, or even tried to do this in months. Goes to show that the work I've been doing is working.
WOD:
3 rounds
3 Deadlifts
3 Front Squats
3 Push Press
barbell with 75% bodyweight (120 lbs)
then run 200 m
3 rounds
3 Chest-to-Bar Pullups
6 Clapping Pushups
9 Air Squats
then run 400 m
Time - 5:36
Ok, it happened... just kidding. Once again, I've been watching the Biggest Loser (such a fan), and I find it very refreshing. This season two new trainers have joined the show, and boy are they bringing some familiar things to the table. First off, they're both very boxing/fighting oriented, so they do a lot of high power output workout for the contestants. Not only that, they're bringing burpees in (and who doesn't love those), the Airdyne system (great for pose running), sleds/prowlers and ropes... and I know I've seen all this before (I'm sure you have too).
It seems that there is a shift in the way we train our fitness. We, as CrossFitters, know this to be true. So its even more refreshing when you see people loosing hundreds of pounds using the same concept... speaking of which they do use the Concept2 rowers A LOT. But again, its refreshing to see contestants swinging Kettlebells or doing clean and jerks. It's going to show you don't have to be an Olympic Level athlete to train like one.
Maybe this is a turning point. May people are finally getting away from the bicep curls and leg press, and instead doing pullups and squats. I sure hope so. If nothing else, we know what to do. So swing some weight, push your body... and do burpees.
St. Louis Affiliate Cup Team Event #1 from daniel thacker on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday's Skill/WOD
Skill:
Handstand walks
This was very exciting, I was able to walk abou 30 ft! I've never gone that far before, or even tried to do this in months. Goes to show that the work I've been doing is working.
WOD:
3 rounds
3 Deadlifts
3 Front Squats
3 Push Press
barbell with 75% bodyweight (120 lbs)
then run 200 m
3 rounds
3 Chest-to-Bar Pullups
6 Clapping Pushups
9 Air Squats
then run 400 m
Time - 5:36
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Solo swim
Good morning friends. And how are we doing today? Good I trust? Might as well be, this is the first day of the rest of your life. Wait, I misspoke... this is the first WOD of the rest of your life. Ok, that sounds better. Now onto the first ramble of the rest of my life.
Ok guys, so we're always trying to improve our fitness, I got that. Another thing, is were always trying new sports, at least we should be. Let it be known, that all sports are not created equal... and some just make you scratch your head a little. I just want you to expand your mind today, and learn about the Olympic sport of Solo Synchronized Swimming.
Yep, the Solo Synchronized Swimming was an event in the 1984, 1988 and 1992 games. Now, the point of this "interesting" event was to synch up with the music being played. So imagine the Ice Dancing event during the Winter Olympics... but underwater. The picture above does make me wonder... is she dancing to the YMCA?
So, this was a short little ramble today, but I hope it made you smirk, or maybe even start googling discontinued Olympic events (there are some strange ones). Who knows, this might be tougher than you think. But, I'd suggest to just stick with your training. Keep moving, don't stop... and do burpees.
Femme Fit 2011 - Events 3-5 from CrossFit Sweat Shop on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's Skills/Strength:
Warm-up/skills:
Pullups 3 x 15 / Back Extentions 2 x 10 / Box Jumps 5 x 3 40"
10 minutes working on ring handstand pushups
Don't get to mess around with the ring HSPU much, so it felt good. I got 2 legit ones in a row!
Strength:
2 RM Front Squat - 170 lbs
3 RM Power Clean - 155 lbs
The Front Squat was a PR, not by much, but the Power Cleans were not. Wasn't feeling that hot, might still be recovering, my legs were feeling pretty strange on the cleans.
Ok guys, so we're always trying to improve our fitness, I got that. Another thing, is were always trying new sports, at least we should be. Let it be known, that all sports are not created equal... and some just make you scratch your head a little. I just want you to expand your mind today, and learn about the Olympic sport of Solo Synchronized Swimming.
Yep, the Solo Synchronized Swimming was an event in the 1984, 1988 and 1992 games. Now, the point of this "interesting" event was to synch up with the music being played. So imagine the Ice Dancing event during the Winter Olympics... but underwater. The picture above does make me wonder... is she dancing to the YMCA?
So, this was a short little ramble today, but I hope it made you smirk, or maybe even start googling discontinued Olympic events (there are some strange ones). Who knows, this might be tougher than you think. But, I'd suggest to just stick with your training. Keep moving, don't stop... and do burpees.
Femme Fit 2011 - Events 3-5 from CrossFit Sweat Shop on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday's Skills/Strength:
Warm-up/skills:
Pullups 3 x 15 / Back Extentions 2 x 10 / Box Jumps 5 x 3 40"
10 minutes working on ring handstand pushups
Don't get to mess around with the ring HSPU much, so it felt good. I got 2 legit ones in a row!
Strength:
2 RM Front Squat - 170 lbs
3 RM Power Clean - 155 lbs
The Front Squat was a PR, not by much, but the Power Cleans were not. Wasn't feeling that hot, might still be recovering, my legs were feeling pretty strange on the cleans.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Get back to the bar
Hey everyone. The body is still sore, but I'm fairly sure that the mind has recovered. And we all know that a healthy mind will lead to some excellent rambling... I think.
Here at the Frosh Blog, we're always coaching the mental side of CrossFit. As you may be able to tell from the title of today's ramble... get back on the bar.
Why put your hand on your thighs and walk away? That bar isn't going anywhere. Why not finish one more rep? It's not going to kill you. Do your hands really need more chalk? I bet you could still grip the bar. Why are you dropping the barbell? Your WOD isn't over yet.
So, what is it folks... what keeps you away from the bar? Are you breaking it up in sets? That's fine... 3 deep breaths and back to it. Do you no longer have a grip? Fine, shake those arms and slam your forearms a bit... then back to it. Honestly, during a WOD your mind is going to fail before your body will. So here's my suggestion. Don't listen to it! Push past the threshold of pain, and find a new place that you can push yourself to.
I just want you all to think about this, and how much time we could be saving by holding onto that bar. So keep a tight grip, pull hard... and do burpees.
Below is a 10 minute video from my final event on Saturday... "The Unknown."
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's Strength
Dynamic Effort
Bench Press 12 x 3 50% (115 lbs)
Here at the Frosh Blog, we're always coaching the mental side of CrossFit. As you may be able to tell from the title of today's ramble... get back on the bar.
Why put your hand on your thighs and walk away? That bar isn't going anywhere. Why not finish one more rep? It's not going to kill you. Do your hands really need more chalk? I bet you could still grip the bar. Why are you dropping the barbell? Your WOD isn't over yet.
So, what is it folks... what keeps you away from the bar? Are you breaking it up in sets? That's fine... 3 deep breaths and back to it. Do you no longer have a grip? Fine, shake those arms and slam your forearms a bit... then back to it. Honestly, during a WOD your mind is going to fail before your body will. So here's my suggestion. Don't listen to it! Push past the threshold of pain, and find a new place that you can push yourself to.
I just want you all to think about this, and how much time we could be saving by holding onto that bar. So keep a tight grip, pull hard... and do burpees.
Below is a 10 minute video from my final event on Saturday... "The Unknown."
3,2,1 GO!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday's Strength
Dynamic Effort
Bench Press 12 x 3 50% (115 lbs)
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Competition
Well, the deed has been done. Spent most of my day at CrossFit TNT followed by a epic cheat meal. I'm not going to tell you what it was, but it starts with "Pi" and ends with "-zza Hut". Anyway, I'll just ramble on about it in just a bit.
The day started at about 4 am, and then didn't end for another 12 hours at least. Still it was a blast! I got my ass handed to me, but had a smile all day long... besides the gasping for air every few hours. But, let me give you the breakdown of the WODS
WOD # 1 "Over The Limit"
8 minutes to establish 1 RM Overhead Squat
1 minute to rest/load bad to 115 lbs
1 minute AMRAP 115 lbs Overhead Squats
So, this was not a big tax on our lungs. Let me tell you though, overhead squats are not my thing. I ended up succeeding with 155 lbs. Now that not be a crazy jump to some people, but it was a 20 lb PR for me... so that's always a plus. I haven't even maxed my OHS since maybe last April, so not to shabby I would say. Then pulled off 8 squats in the 60 seconds I had available, fairly happy with that, even if I was ranked last, it was good for me.
WOD #2 "Heavy Metal"
21-15-19
Squat Clean 115 lbs
Weighted Lunges 115 lbs
Press/Push Press/Push Jerk 115 lbs
*15 minute time cap*
I'm not going to lie, this one was a brutal test. I did not finish within the alloted time, but then again, many people did not. I got all 21 complete of all, then 15 squat clean (these were done as singles), then with seconds remain I got through all 15 lunges and complete one barbell overhead. Those last set of lunges I would not call a true test of my fitness, rather a true test of my heart. I initially failed the first rep (fell on my knees), but after I got the bar re-situated I went through all 15 lunges. Every step was like a battle against Fran. Everyone in front of me was cheering, and the roar of the crowd kept my chest lifted and reps complete. Not my ideal finished, but I was still able to continue the fight.
WOD #3 "Too Much Tabata"
8 rounds with alternating movements (30 second work, 15 second rest)
Odd rounds: Power Snatch 95 lbs
Even rounds: Burpees
My issue with this was not the WOD itself, but just preparing for it. After the slaughter of the last WOD I had my work cut out for me for recovery. I spent a lot of time in the warm up area on my foam roller (which I was so thankful I brought) and a trusty lacross ball. Just getting my legs ready for the second half of the day was a battle all in its own. However, once 3-2-1 was sounded I was off. I was hitting those Snatches with ease, at looking at a video later, I kept my back very tight (which I wasn't sure of initially). My Saving Grace became the burpees, never going less than 12 burpees in 30 seconds. With a fist pump for a post-WOD celebration, WOD 3 was complete!
#4 "The Unknown" (chipper)
- Calorie row
- Sumo Deadlift High-Pull 95 lbs
- Kettlebell Swing 53 lbs
- Chest-To-Bar Pullups
- Handstand Pushups
- Wall Balls 20 lbs
- Toes-To-Bar
- kettlebell Ground-To-Overhead 53 lbs
- Press/Push Press 95 lbs
- Calorie row
Yea... that soudns bad, doesn't it. The kicker about this was we had no idea how long we had at each station. We were given a 10 second warning, then a 3 second countdown. This was rough, but the first time we really got to mess with gymnastics moves (finally!). It was just a crazy WOD, and gaming did not come into play whatsoever. Just go hard and wait till its over. We knew one thing about this, was it was only 10 minutes for this WOD. Oh well, my day was over, and my cheat evening began.
Well, I hope you all don't mind me talking about myself today. It was an awesome day, and for those that did compete, congrats to you all! Now... I'm going to go hit my MWOD and rest my ass off. So push loads, pull weight... and do burpees.
Below is my last failure at my bodyweight (165 lbs)... so close, but maybe next time
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesteday's WODs
... I just told you, come on!
The day started at about 4 am, and then didn't end for another 12 hours at least. Still it was a blast! I got my ass handed to me, but had a smile all day long... besides the gasping for air every few hours. But, let me give you the breakdown of the WODS
WOD # 1 "Over The Limit"
8 minutes to establish 1 RM Overhead Squat
1 minute to rest/load bad to 115 lbs
1 minute AMRAP 115 lbs Overhead Squats
So, this was not a big tax on our lungs. Let me tell you though, overhead squats are not my thing. I ended up succeeding with 155 lbs. Now that not be a crazy jump to some people, but it was a 20 lb PR for me... so that's always a plus. I haven't even maxed my OHS since maybe last April, so not to shabby I would say. Then pulled off 8 squats in the 60 seconds I had available, fairly happy with that, even if I was ranked last, it was good for me.
WOD #2 "Heavy Metal"
21-15-19
Squat Clean 115 lbs
Weighted Lunges 115 lbs
Press/Push Press/Push Jerk 115 lbs
*15 minute time cap*
I'm not going to lie, this one was a brutal test. I did not finish within the alloted time, but then again, many people did not. I got all 21 complete of all, then 15 squat clean (these were done as singles), then with seconds remain I got through all 15 lunges and complete one barbell overhead. Those last set of lunges I would not call a true test of my fitness, rather a true test of my heart. I initially failed the first rep (fell on my knees), but after I got the bar re-situated I went through all 15 lunges. Every step was like a battle against Fran. Everyone in front of me was cheering, and the roar of the crowd kept my chest lifted and reps complete. Not my ideal finished, but I was still able to continue the fight.
WOD #3 "Too Much Tabata"
8 rounds with alternating movements (30 second work, 15 second rest)
Odd rounds: Power Snatch 95 lbs
Even rounds: Burpees
My issue with this was not the WOD itself, but just preparing for it. After the slaughter of the last WOD I had my work cut out for me for recovery. I spent a lot of time in the warm up area on my foam roller (which I was so thankful I brought) and a trusty lacross ball. Just getting my legs ready for the second half of the day was a battle all in its own. However, once 3-2-1 was sounded I was off. I was hitting those Snatches with ease, at looking at a video later, I kept my back very tight (which I wasn't sure of initially). My Saving Grace became the burpees, never going less than 12 burpees in 30 seconds. With a fist pump for a post-WOD celebration, WOD 3 was complete!
#4 "The Unknown" (chipper)
- Calorie row
- Sumo Deadlift High-Pull 95 lbs
- Kettlebell Swing 53 lbs
- Chest-To-Bar Pullups
- Handstand Pushups
- Wall Balls 20 lbs
- Toes-To-Bar
- kettlebell Ground-To-Overhead 53 lbs
- Press/Push Press 95 lbs
- Calorie row
Yea... that soudns bad, doesn't it. The kicker about this was we had no idea how long we had at each station. We were given a 10 second warning, then a 3 second countdown. This was rough, but the first time we really got to mess with gymnastics moves (finally!). It was just a crazy WOD, and gaming did not come into play whatsoever. Just go hard and wait till its over. We knew one thing about this, was it was only 10 minutes for this WOD. Oh well, my day was over, and my cheat evening began.
Well, I hope you all don't mind me talking about myself today. It was an awesome day, and for those that did compete, congrats to you all! Now... I'm going to go hit my MWOD and rest my ass off. So push loads, pull weight... and do burpees.
Below is my last failure at my bodyweight (165 lbs)... so close, but maybe next time
3,2,1 GO!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesteday's WODs
... I just told you, come on!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
New Challenge!!!
Hey there folks. I had to write the ol' blog last night, since I'm spending a whopping 10 hours at a competition at CrossFit TNT... so I hope you enjoy the ramble. Just assume I'm sore as hell.
Alright folks, I have a new challenge to issue. And don't worry, you have time to figure out if you'd like to accept or not. As some of you may or may not know, I will soon be deploying to the middle east, roughly 180 days. That got me thinking a little bit, about what type of crazy CrossFit stunt I could pull while out there. Well I'm calling myself out on a challenge, and offering the same to you.
So, on Day 1 of deployment I will do 1 burpee. On Day 2 of deployment I will do 2 burpees (get the picture). So you can imagine, on Day 180 I will do 180 burpees. The burpees will not have to be done all at once, they can be spread throughout the day. However, to save you from doing the math, that is over 16,000 burpees in a 6 month period. I will post my daily burpee count in my "Yesterdays WOD" section, so feel free to follow along... anyone up for the challenge?
I'll let you all know when this will start, but it won't be till mid-to-late April. That will at least give me enough time to prepare I guess. So... if you think you're up for the challenge, post your "I Will!" to the comment section. Be warned, this will tax the hell out of your shoulder, this is not for the faint of heart. Anyway, train hard, keep moving... and do burpees (lot of them).
Untitled from Marc Womack on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's Strength/WOD:
Warm-up skills:
5 x 3 40" box jumps
4 x 2 Bar Muscle-Ups
Strength (Dynamic Effort)
Squat 12 x 2 50% 1 RM (115 lbs)
Sumo Deadlift 12 x 2 55% 1 RM (195 lbs)
WOD:
4 rounds for time
250 m row
20 Back Extensions
20 Wall Ball Situps 20 lbs
Time - 9:51
Yes, I realize that I have a competition tomorrow... so sue me
Alright folks, I have a new challenge to issue. And don't worry, you have time to figure out if you'd like to accept or not. As some of you may or may not know, I will soon be deploying to the middle east, roughly 180 days. That got me thinking a little bit, about what type of crazy CrossFit stunt I could pull while out there. Well I'm calling myself out on a challenge, and offering the same to you.
So, on Day 1 of deployment I will do 1 burpee. On Day 2 of deployment I will do 2 burpees (get the picture). So you can imagine, on Day 180 I will do 180 burpees. The burpees will not have to be done all at once, they can be spread throughout the day. However, to save you from doing the math, that is over 16,000 burpees in a 6 month period. I will post my daily burpee count in my "Yesterdays WOD" section, so feel free to follow along... anyone up for the challenge?
I'll let you all know when this will start, but it won't be till mid-to-late April. That will at least give me enough time to prepare I guess. So... if you think you're up for the challenge, post your "I Will!" to the comment section. Be warned, this will tax the hell out of your shoulder, this is not for the faint of heart. Anyway, train hard, keep moving... and do burpees (lot of them).
Untitled from Marc Womack on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday's Strength/WOD:
Warm-up skills:
5 x 3 40" box jumps
4 x 2 Bar Muscle-Ups
Strength (Dynamic Effort)
Squat 12 x 2 50% 1 RM (115 lbs)
Sumo Deadlift 12 x 2 55% 1 RM (195 lbs)
WOD:
4 rounds for time
250 m row
20 Back Extensions
20 Wall Ball Situps 20 lbs
Time - 9:51
Yes, I realize that I have a competition tomorrow... so sue me
Friday, February 11, 2011
Set for success
Hey there everyone. One day prior to competition now. Nerves are kicking in... especially since I just found out what the events will consist of. Best of luck to me for finishing, we'll see what happens. What we don't have to worry about, is another ramble... cause those are always great!
So, I just want to offer you all a little insight to a very skill heavy movement... the Snatch! Now, we've talked a little bit about this before (hook grip, skill transfer, Buergner Warm-up), but today I just want to touch back on the basics. We're going to talk about nothing this morning but the starting position.
Notice the stark contrast between the two set ups for such a difficult movement. Who do you think will rock out on this movement? The BAMF on the bottom of course! There is so much to say about just this position alone, but let me highlight some points for you:
So what do you think about that? At least your setting up for success, not like the D-Bag shoulder rotated cat above. But this is important, without proper set up for the Snatch, or any lift for that matter, we cannot capitalize on our strength. So pull hard, open your hips... and do burpees.
CrossFit Youngstown from Joe Hardy on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's WOD
Rest Day
I only get one a week now... I better capitalize on it
 |
| Maybe this will be one of the events |
So, I just want to offer you all a little insight to a very skill heavy movement... the Snatch! Now, we've talked a little bit about this before (hook grip, skill transfer, Buergner Warm-up), but today I just want to touch back on the basics. We're going to talk about nothing this morning but the starting position.
 |
| BAD |
 |
| AWESOME!!! |
- Feet set underneath hips, weight in the heels, toes slightly out
- Knees externally rotated 5-15 degrees (depended on length of leg)
- Lumbar curve intact and tight back with shoulders neutral
- Shoulders just forward of the bar
- Head pointed forward with eyes straight
So what do you think about that? At least your setting up for success, not like the D-Bag shoulder rotated cat above. But this is important, without proper set up for the Snatch, or any lift for that matter, we cannot capitalize on our strength. So pull hard, open your hips... and do burpees.
CrossFit Youngstown from Joe Hardy on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday's WOD
Rest Day
I only get one a week now... I better capitalize on it
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The solution
Hey there, hi there, ho there everyone. Thursday is here, and what better way to great the day than a good ol' steaming pile of... blog
Alrighty, so did you all see yesterday's blog? At least a few of you did I know. Yesterday I posted a picture of a horrendous squat and asked you what you saw wrong with it. So here it is:
I'm sure there's a lot you can say about this... but that opportunity was yesterday. Here's what Andy D. had to say:
"The posture of his upper body is out of whack. He needs to bring his chest up straight and keep his head looking straight forward. His shoulders need to be brought up to a better posture which will come with the bringing up of his chest. As for his lower body, his knees are way to far forward. He needs to keep his knees from passing over his toes. He also needs to get the depth by sitting his butt and hips back not forward. His center of weight is not on his heels where it should be. And of course as with most people, he is not deep enough"
Well, right you are Andrew! His chest and head are down, and the D-bag shoulders are hindering a strong upper body posture. He's up on his tippy-toes which is playing hell on his knees (which I bet they're even collapsing in) and throwing off his center of gravity. Like I said Andrew... you hit the head of the nail, congrats! So this is what we're looking for:
Now that looks a lot better. I just want you guys out there to think of these things. Not only being able to spot bad movement, but correct it as well. Self diagnosis is an awesome tool. So keep it up folks. Squat right, move loads... and do burpees.
Crossfit TV spot from zachary lamplugh on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday's Strength/WOD:
Strength:
1 RM Bench Press - 195 lbs
WOD:
21-15-9
70 lb Dumbbell Swings
Pullups
Time - 5:00
Did this one at the globo-gym, and I felt I should have done this a lot faster. The problem was the pullup bar wasn't a bar, it was pegs coming out of a squat rack. Those just killed my grip, I've never had to break up pullups like I did. Oh well, different equipment will get you different results
Alrighty, so did you all see yesterday's blog? At least a few of you did I know. Yesterday I posted a picture of a horrendous squat and asked you what you saw wrong with it. So here it is:
I'm sure there's a lot you can say about this... but that opportunity was yesterday. Here's what Andy D. had to say:
"The posture of his upper body is out of whack. He needs to bring his chest up straight and keep his head looking straight forward. His shoulders need to be brought up to a better posture which will come with the bringing up of his chest. As for his lower body, his knees are way to far forward. He needs to keep his knees from passing over his toes. He also needs to get the depth by sitting his butt and hips back not forward. His center of weight is not on his heels where it should be. And of course as with most people, he is not deep enough"
Well, right you are Andrew! His chest and head are down, and the D-bag shoulders are hindering a strong upper body posture. He's up on his tippy-toes which is playing hell on his knees (which I bet they're even collapsing in) and throwing off his center of gravity. Like I said Andrew... you hit the head of the nail, congrats! So this is what we're looking for:
Now that looks a lot better. I just want you guys out there to think of these things. Not only being able to spot bad movement, but correct it as well. Self diagnosis is an awesome tool. So keep it up folks. Squat right, move loads... and do burpees.
Crossfit TV spot from zachary lamplugh on Vimeo.
3,2,1 GO!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday's Strength/WOD:
Strength:
1 RM Bench Press - 195 lbs
WOD:
21-15-9
70 lb Dumbbell Swings
Pullups
Time - 5:00
Did this one at the globo-gym, and I felt I should have done this a lot faster. The problem was the pullup bar wasn't a bar, it was pegs coming out of a squat rack. Those just killed my grip, I've never had to break up pullups like I did. Oh well, different equipment will get you different results
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