Catalyst Athletic and Crossfit

WOD 103109

For time:
25 Squats 
25 Push-ups
25 Pull-ups
25 Sit-ups
50 Squats
50 Push-ups
50 Pull-ups
50 Sit-ups
75 Squats
75 Push-ups
75 Pull-ups

75 Sit-ups

As this post is being published, Catalyst is turning 4 years old.  This was Ray Gowlett's essay, submitted yesterday afternoon.  It couldn't be more timely, and it's very much how I feel when I walk into the gym in the dark every day: 

Courage, ADD, and My Fountain of Youth

The essays I have been reading have moved me and have inspired me.  I see others stepping out of their comfort zone, not only in the gym, but also through the sharing their stories. Your courage has touched me.

            To begin, I think I’m a little ADD.  I tried taking the test to verify my suspicions, but there were just too many toys in the room.  In hindsight, I believe that this lack of focus has served me well.  I used to feel guilty that I liked so many things, that I had too many interests.  I remember quite vividly as I child confessing to my mother that something must be wrong because I couldn’t choose one sport that I liked over all of the others.   Like all good mothers do, she assured me that I was normal.   She assured me that I didn’t have to choose any one sport, and on that day, my concerns were put to rest.  I then began to chase all of my interests with a guilt free, reckless abandon.  Basketball, softball, hockey, wrestling, track, motocross and MMA were a few of the things I began to pursue, and as many young men do, I dreamt of becoming a professional athlete. Unfortunately for me, supply exceeded demand, and without any contractual obligations to a certain sport, I was free to pursue all types of activities.   When interest would wane, sometimes it took months, sometimes years, a new endeavor would present itself and I would find myself lost in another passion.  This love for many different sports and activities developed into one great big, natural, life long periodization cycle.  I’ve learned to love many sports and activities, to take the best things from each activity, and to never feel guilty about becoming bored and wanting to do something new.

 

That being said, I’ve also learned that you can’t get anywhere without an unrelenting drive for excellence.  I don’t always get to experience excellence, but I can make the conscious decision to pursue it every day.  The vehicle I’ve always used to achieve my athletic goals has been my fitness.  This has been constant and unwavering.  When it comes to working out, there is no dialogue, no decision to be made.  I eat, I brush my teeth, I kiss my kids, and I work on improving my fitness.  These are all things that are not up for debate.  These are the things that are done on a regular basis regardless of circumstance.  Some days it’s easy to workout, some days it’s hard.  Throughout the years I’ve made realizations, made goals, developed mindsets, and have learned from my mistakes.  I’m definitely a proponent of jumping off a cliff and building your wings on the way down, but I like to make sure that I have the tools and materials before the trip begins.  The following are tips and tricks that have helped me over the years,. These things have helped to motivate me, keep me fit, keep me young, and have served me well:

1. I’ve always been scared and insecure to compete.  I compete anyways. 
2. To me, winning is giving 100%, performing at my best, and not letting myself down.  I get to win almost all of the time.
3. If I am fortunate enough to have grandchildren, I want to be able to run a 5K race with them.
4. I tell people my goals and commit myself to things I can’t back out of.  It develops a sense of urgency and obligation that keeps me working on the days that I don’t want to.
5. I have heroes.  I know they are just people with faults and shortcomings, they inspire me just the same.
6. When I want to be good at something, I find the people who are better than me at that thing, and I do what they do. 
7. Improving at something is always hard, that never goes away.
8. I never really learned to train hard until I bought a heart rate monitor.
9. I cheat on my diet 10% of the time.
10. I surround myself with people who inspire me.

 Above all, the most powerful motivator for me has been the courage of others. Not those without fear, but those who confront their fears, step out of their comfort zone and succeed anyway.  I get to see it in the athletes I coach, in the competitors at the Catalyst Games, and in the students in my classroom.  This courage humbles me. It inspires me, and it keeps me going when I want to quit.  They don’t know it, but these people have given me more than I could ever ask for.  They motivate me to be better, and for that I thank you. I will always be grateful.

Ray

WOD 103009

Power Clean 3-3-3-3-3-3

Then: 100 Pullups for time.

BELOW: a terrific article submission by Mel Rose!

Finding my Own Crossfit Voice

After a summer of training at Catalyst, I moved back to Kuwait to continue my teaching job. I also took on the task of continuing Crossfit solo. The gym I go to here isn’t anything like a crossfit gym at ALL, so I’ve had to make some sacrifices and get creative. I don’t have Metallica blasting in the gym every workout, and I don’t have someone there to tell me that my squats aren’t low enough, and I don’t have someone to push mto do one more round, one more rep. I have to imagine what someone else would be telling me.

I’m playing rugby again, and I have the luxury of having a coach at practices, leading the team through drills, fitness, and offering advice and tips. But I still have a few other voices in the back of my head.

In all the laps of the field, a voice in my head yelled “don’t cut the corners!”; during the last thrusters of Fran, a voice in my head yelled “come on, get it up there!”; during the last few laps to finish off Murph, a voice yelled “keep going! Don’t stop now!”; in the last 50 meters of the 500m row, a voice told me to “push with your legs, PUSH!!”; and during the max deadlifts, a voice was yelling “QUICK UP!!” at me. For the first 2 months of being here and tackling Crossfit WODs on my own, that voice sounded a lot like the voices that would yell at me at Catalyst: Chris, Ty, Michelle, Carolle, anyone else that happened to be yelling at me.

Today was a little bit different. I started Annie with the 50 double unders. Chris was yelling at me in my head as I was imagining the other crossfitters linking double under after double under and I was in a race against them. Chris was yelling at me as I took my time getting to the mat for sit ups. He continued to yell at me as I struggled through the 40 double unders and took a few seconds to breath during the 40 situps. He took a break from during the 30 double unders and 30 sit ups because they were decent enough I suppose.

But as I linked all 20 double unders, flew through 20 sit ups, then linked the last 10 double unders and hammered out the final 10 sit ups during the last couple rounds of Annie, that voice in my head started to sound a little like my own. As I wandered over to the pull up bar to continue to fight my battle with pull ups, that voice in my head started to sound a lot like my own.

I discovered my own Crossfit voice. The voice that I hear every day as I teach and encourage my students was now talking to me. Don’t get me wrong, I need the motivation of the others to push through, to get to that point where I’m down to the basics and only I can help myself. The only way I am going to go faster is if I make myself go faster. The others will keep cheering on the side, but it’s my own legs that will keep skipping that rope, my own abs that will pull myself off the floor; my own arms that will pull my body up to that damn bar; and my own voice in my head that will bring me through to the finish.

WOD 102909

"Annie"

50-40-30-20 and 10 rep rounds of:
Double-unders
Sit-ups

Right: summer's over, kids.  The tires are indoors.  Oh, and Nicole's also doing something.

Our next series of 3 essays comes from Robb Wolf of CrossFit NorCal.  Robb opened the third CrossFit Affiliate.  He's a former biochemist who developed (and now delivers) the CrossFit Nutrition Certification.  He's a terrific speaker, and his blog is a must-read starting point for anyone considering gluten-free, Paleo, or even Zone eating.  Since Leanne's issued a Paleo Challenge for November 1, this is a great time to dig into some Wolf.

Laura DeMarco: The Whole Enchilada!

By robbwolf | August 22, 2009

Most of you know Laura DeMarco from her remarkable achievements at the Dirty South Qualifiers and the CrossFit Games. I first met Laura at the CrossFit Nutrition Cert in Atlanta and all I can say is she is impressive in every way. Smart, direct of thought and an absolute ass-kicker of an athlete. She is the rare combination of genetic gifts meeting a solid work-ethic and mental toughness. Hers is an interesting story in that it progresses over the course of YEARS and shows how a shift in food quality was just as powerful a change in her health and performance as a shift in her training. A huge thank-you to Laura for taking the time to write this very personal and detailed account. Also, a thank-you to Laura for just giving it a shot and letting the RESULTS speak for themselves.

It all began with teenage body issues. I read health magazines, ate low-fat foods and tried to get more exercise. I wasn’t overweight, but I didn’t want to be. Although I was body conscious, the idea of fitness never came into play; I didn’t know any athletes and never participated in a sport.

When I was 15, I went to dinner at a relative’s house not knowing what was on the menu. The meatballs tasted a bit odd, but it wasn’t until after the meal that I was told it was venison from a deer my cousins had hunted and killed earlier that week. I was appalled! No, not Bambi! I decided at that point that if someone had the fortitude to kill, skin and butcher an animal, they had every right to eat it, but I couldn’t go through that process – I wasn’t tough enough. If I was not willing to deal with the blood and guts, perhaps I shouldn’t be eating meat.

Later that year, I decided to become a vegetarian, much to the chagrin of my family. They had no idea why I would want to go and do a thing like that. I believed that this was the best choice for my personal morals, the environment and my health. I had read about the carbon footprint of animal production and how it pollutes the environment with antibiotics and runoff. There was a ton of published information about how harmful animal products were to your health; what with all the cholesterol and saturated fat…who would choose to give themselves a heart attack? I took vitamins, steamed my vegetables and eschewed fat. I never even ate fast food (which was not a difficult task; back in the 90’s there wasn’t much in the way of vegetarian foods – even the McDonald’s french fries were cooked in animal fat).

College brought new challenges. To save money, I lived off of spaghetti. Lots of spaghetti. And bread. Cheap AND vegetarian! Even better, it was all fat-free! I woke up at 5 in the morning regularly to go to the gym, where I did my static stretching, weight circuits and cardio on the treadmill. I wasn’t fat, but I wasn’t fit either.

WOD 102809

 

Back Squat 5-5-5-5-5 reps

This is Miranda Stadnisky Mayhew.  Miranda got married on the same day as Catalyst Games 2009; she still competed in the first two events.  Then she went to Ireland and represented, doing HSPU all over the place and taking some pretty amazing pictures.  Thanks, Miranda!

WOD 102709

"Nate"

Complete as many rounds in twenty minutes as you can of:
2 Muscle-ups
4 Handstand Push-ups
8 2-Pood Kettlebell swings

OUR NEW TUESDAY NIGHT CATALYST KIDS GROUP STARTS AT 7PM TONIGHT!  TY WILL COACH THE 7PM CROSSFIT CREW AT THE PARK WHILE COOP TAKES THE TEENS!

OUR STREAK OF MEMBER-SUBMITTED ESSAYS CONTINUES!  TODAY, CROSSFIT FIREBREATHER CLINT SNIDER SHARES HIS NEW POST, "INNER STRENGTH."

Inner Strength!!

Where do individual’s get there inner strength, we all have a story that shapes us through out are life.

Growing up I was easily the smallest kid in the neighborhood, which translated into getting picked on quiet a bit. When I started high-school I thought it was going to be a new beginning until someone attempted to stuff me in the locker. But I think the most defeating moment in high school came when the wrestling coach asked me if I wanted to join the team. A brief sense of excitement came over me, until he followed it with “there won’t be anyone in your weight class”.

This is when I decided to change things, I began Martial arts at 14, and hit the gym, tried every product possible to gain weight, accept the illegal one’s (was smart enough not to go there). By the end of high school I was still a scrawny kid. You thought that was going to change didn’t you, so did I, I was wrong. I was approx. 130lbs soaking wet when I graduated. Not really a big deal unless you perceive yourself as a little nothing. Through the years of Martial Arts and training my perception changed little by little, but it was that perception that gave me the Motivation and the Focus that I have today. To go in day in and day out and do what I believe I need to do, although my reasons might change from year to year. Today in high stress career my daily efforts are about balance, balance of serotonin, stress, life and fun and most of all role modeling to my children.  Looking back that coach was simply giving me a way to change, wrestling is awesome for the body, confidence, my perception is what was wrong and not joining is one of my biggest regrets.

Today what are we fostering in the up in coming scrawny kids. Media would suggest that there are miracle supplements. I believe Crossfitters are out to change the face of that perception to one of hard work sweat, tears skin and blood.  This is what I like about Crossfit, everyone has a story and the Catalyst family wants to know what it is, what motivates you to the “Masochistic pursuit”. If your struggling to do that last rep, someone is going to be there to yell at you (generally words of encouragement, and if they have a voice left) that you can do it one more time.

Monique way to change your perception and to find motivation in it and the tune sounds true.

Clint

WOD 102609

Ring Pullups x 15 / HSPU x 15 - 3x through.

Then:

AMRAP in 12:00:

7 Dumbbell Hang Cleans 50 lbs
7 Push Ups
250 Meter Row

Our streak of member-driven writing continues!  Monique Rollin submitted this short gem last night:

I have finally started to really listen to the white noise hum in my head that has always forced me to give too much credence to my real or imagined failures and not enough to my attempts, my interim successes, and my accomplishments. I'm afraid that if I listen to it I will become the failure that I think I am.

 

There is nothing more frustrating than getting to the verge of success then shooting myself in the foot, and trust me - I'm a pretty good shot..

It began when the computer of me was being programmed at an early age, chubby girl, teased by the popular girls, last picked for dodgeball, laughed at because I was smart but not pretty, fat ugly, worthless - I called myself worse names than they ever could. That has always affected the way I think about success.

I read an article by Elizabeth Mika that said that the most creative and morally advanced people are typically not models of high self-esteem.

She says this insecurity is usually a sign of an active conscience at work. Moreover, the insecurity and the demons it feeds, are necessary elements of a creative temperament and we have plenty of evidence that without them no meaningful efforts can be undertaken.

Czeslaw Milosz, Polish poet and writer, and a Nobel laureate, who died last year, attested to this, when he confessed: “From early on writing for me has been a way to overcome my real or imagined worthlessness”. Imagine that.

There remains something positive to be said about not feeling too comfortable with oneself. Perhaps all great human endeavors have at their root feelings of inferiority.

I know the strengths I posses and exploit them at very opportunity, if only to drown out the noise that reminds me of my weaknesses.  When I walk into the gym and face everyone else, there for their own reasons, their accomplishments staring me in the face, my successes are left at the door and the fear rises to the top.  Weak, vulnerable?  You better believe it.  Without that driving uncomfortable flutter and the promise of screaming validation in my head I wonder where I would be?  I am starting to hear a new song stuck in my head these days, it sounds a little like a strong secure woman who just pulled a 300 lb deadlift and didn't doubt herself for a second....catchy little tune.

WOD 102509

"Michael"

800m Run

50 Situps

50 Back Extensions

3 rounds for time.

Last night at 10pm, while we were trying to coax my 1-year-old to sleep, I checked the WOD and the Catalyst email box.  I found this, from Simon Jones.  Enjoy.

 

“The Wall”

 

It’s a term that can encompass every situation that life can throw at you.  From financial constraints, production at work, to mental well-being. It’s there in the basics of everyday life: fighting traffic, politely dismissing those annoying telemarketing calls, and walking past that house where the dogs snarl and bark at you every single day.

 

It can sap the strength of the strongest weightlifters. Discourage the efforts of entire teams.  It can even stop highly trained and elite soldiers right in their tracks.

 

As both an intellectual and physical barrier, the “wall” can be devastating.  People wither and buckle, their motivation is weakened, and their level of discomfort skyrockets.  They feel as though they’ve lost control.

 

Dozens of times at Crossfit, about halfway into a WOD, the “wall” has come calling on me.  As I stand ready to clutch the bar for the next reps, my body begins to plead with me to stop.  Everything seems to slow down.  The stinging sensation in my eyes from sweat seems stronger than ever.  The pulse of my heartbeat is so prominent it feels like the organ has somehow relocated to my ear.  I can see the red digits of the clock ticking away out of the corner of my eye, and vaguely hear those around shouting at me to continue.  I’m a long way from being comfortable, and that voice inside my head is growing louder: “Enough!”

 

Back in 1947, the U.S. Air Force took on one of the greatest “walls” in modern history.  Until that time, planes flying at ordinary speeds in level flight would handle perfectly.  But when pilots put them in a high speed dive, they would experience severe buffeting and control problems that led to several deaths.  The sound barrier was a very deadly wall.

 

The U.S. Air Force employed the Bell X-1 to solve the issue high over the Mojave Desert in Southern California.  They chose Chuck Yeager as its pilot, and had the aircraft designed with a special emphasis on aerodynamics.  They learned that as the aircraft approached the speed of sound, shock waves were creating an aerodynamic shadow around the rear of the plane, leading to a loss of control.  So they adapted. 

 

The horizontal tail controls were changed, allowing Yeager to control aircraft’s ability to pitch up and down.  The night he broke the sound barrier, Yeager had his own wall to encounter.  He had broke two ribs when he was thrown from the back of his horse the night before.  When he climbed into the X-1, he was in too much pain to secure the latch of the canopy.  If he disclosed his injury, he wouldn’t be allowed to fly. So he adapted.  He had a friend pass him a shortened section of broomstick, which Yeager used to keep the canopy shut.   He then blasted through the wall of sound into history.  

 

The “wall” never seems to be far from the surface.  It hangs over us, almost looming, ready to pounce at the most inconvenient time. 

 

At Crossfit, I know that almost every time I attempt a WOD, I will be encountering the “wall”.  We all do.  And it’s not so much when we encounter this barrier that is important.  It’s how we react.  It’s how we adapt. 

 

And that’s what Crossfit has taught me the most.  It’s why I’ll bend down to grab that bar and keep on going despite my discomfort.  More important than the time, the technique, or anything else, I know I can push through the “wall” and finish.  Crossfit forces each one of us to face our weaknesses, accept them, and defeat them.  I can adapt. And the people crowded around yelling at me know that too.  It’s something that I can take and apply to all those other situations in life.  That’s why I like Crossfit the most. 

 

Oh yeah, it’s also inspired me to write my first little essay since I graduated from university and college.

WOD 102409

Deadlift 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

Right: Amy Fisher finds her way up.  Amy will be travelling with another new CrossFitter, Stacie, to Mackinac this morning to cheer their husbands, who are doing the 1/2 marathon.  Many other Catalyst clients are going.  In Glen Fisher's case, he's run less than ever before; he's coming off 12-hour nightshifts (literally, straight to the car) and he hasn't done a run of this distance for over a decade.  His performance will be interesting, to say the least...

9am / Noon Groups:

"Firefight"

21-15-9 of:

Deadlift

Glute-Ham Raise

Wall Ball

Our CrossFitters are doing some great wrting this week: Kathleen's blog.  Nancy's blog.  Richard's blog.

WOD 102309

Right: Clint Snider doing what he does.  He's coaching at 12 Noon Downtown today!  Don't miss this guy!

At 7pm tonight at the Park: Joe Scott brings his Military-style coaching to the CrossFit group!

"Tommy V"

For time:
115 pound Thruster, 21 reps
15 ft Rope Climb, 12 ascents 
115 pound Thruster, 15 reps
15 ft Rope Climb, 9 ascents
115 pound Thruster, 9 reps
15 ft Rope Climb, 6 ascents

10 Things We Believe

In two days, we'll be celebrating our four-year anniversary.  Catalyst was but a gleam in the eye of Coach Coop four years ago today.  While we learn stuff every year, and usually highlight only the scientific research relevant to our clientele, this has been an extraordinary year.  A year for the grassroots Catalyst community to really stand up and take over.  As such, the things we've learned together - coach and client, staff and member, friend and athlete - have been simple, but earth-shaking nonetheless.

Yesterday, Lisbeth Darsh (essayist, blogger, owner of CrossFit Watertown, editor of the CrossFit A-blog.....) issued an impromptu challenge to CrossFit Boxes: post an article just like hers.  This is our response.1. We should all treat food like a drug.2. Every meal: palm-sized protein, hand-sized vegetables, thumb-sized healthy fats.  3.  I'd rather have a 450 deadlift at 183lbs, with a sub-25:00 5km and a 230lbs clean, than a 500+lbs deadlift at 205.4. I need a personal trainer.  So do you.5. In the supermarket, buy all your stuff from the periphery.  Don't go down the aisles in the middle.6. A good coach is aware of his weaknesses and willing to address them.7. Novelty is the key to engagement.8. CrossFit is community of athletes participating in a common sport.9. It's all about the story.10. Kids should run, jump, tumble, climb, fall, carry, and throw.  Adults should be like kids.

One Year From Today

 

October 23, 2010.  You're in a small change room, rushing into your workout clothes.  You wore the same shorts yesterday, but don't give it a second thought; they'll be too busy to notice.  Your tribe has already gathered outside; you've got less than four minutes until Coach starts the warmup.  Already, you can hear the nervous giggling of the pre-workout banter.  You can hear the clack! of plastic pipe as it's set out for the warmup exercises.  The rip of tape; the slap of heavy plates being stacked; and then the throaty whirr of the rowers.

Coach's voice sounds a little gravelly; last night's group must have been fun.  Almost in a state of suspended animation, you check the blackboard for the eleventh time, knowing that the workout must be imprinted in your head long before the clock starts.  Once Coach starts that countdown, there's no more room for processing in that beating skull, only these: survive. drop the weight. hands on the bar. one at a time. go again. move!

There's no time, today, to remember that nervous person you used to be.  The one who drove down Industrial Court 'B' three times before walking in.  That dude, in jeans that didn't quite fit right, who had to suck in his gut for the whole first class; or that chick who thought that 'skinny' was the goal here.  Friendless, a stranger on the Moon, you somehow got through that first group.  Afterward, at the water cooler, you met Anna.  And Philsy, and PJ, and RichandNancy (one word) and Carolle and all the rest.  Soon, Leanne had talked you into her Paleo challenge (you recall thinking it had something to do with dinosaurs....) 

Gradually, those jeans loosened.  You started caring about your Fran time.  You signed up for Murph in March (oh, how that hurt, but how you loved ranting about it to your friends at work!)  You did BaseLine Week in May, every day at lunch with Clint, Brent, and Glen.  Someday, you said, you'd hang with those guys for real....

And then, when a member of the Catalyst family needed help, you were there.  You ran for them; you shouldered a small part of their burden, because you knew they'd be right beside you, too, if necessary.  You did stuff at 2am that you never thought you'd do...well, never ever. 

And when the Games rolled around, like they do every September, you answered.  You wrote down your name before you could chicken out.  You showed up, shivering nervously all over again, as ready as you'd ever be.  By 2pm, you had realized that you'd lunged or skipped or burpee'd across some line back there somewhere, and there was no turning around.  You'd become one of them: the Kool-Aid was long drunk.  The 'refresh' button on your browser was worn down.  You'd uttered the phrase, "too sick to go to work, but not too sick to do the WOD."  Coop had mentioned you a few times in blog posts.  You'd added other CrossFitters you've never actually met to your facebook friends list.

And now, today, at one minute to twelve, you're back at the Park.  You're no longer "exercising" or even "working out."  Now you're training.  You're using the WOD to prepare; no longer for that next belt loop, but just because it's there.  Because Deadlifts had the audacity to paste themselves to the chalkboard this morning, and damn it, you can taste 350.  That record board has been waiting for your initials for too long.  Coop wants a good picture?  Today's the day he'll get it, by God, and he can use it for his Christmas cards.  There's a newbie in the group, and you'll get them a glass of water when it's all over, but right now Coach is fiddling with the time clock and you've gotta get your heart rate under control and you need a piece of chalk and Donna's warming up with your max and the 7am Group hit really, really high numbers and can I handle this? and he's starting the countdown and it's too late to do anything but go and the bar's in my hands........

FranFest '09 Rules

29 days and counting.....

First Round - Back-To-Back 

One partner will perform "Fran" (21-15-9) of Thrusters and Pullups in its entirety.  As soon as the athlete's feet strike the floor from the final pullup, the second partner can clean the bar from the floor to the 'rack' position and begin.  *Note: starting partner may begin from the 'rack' position at 3-2-1-GO!*

The fastest 8 teams from the First Round will be invited to participate in the Second Round.

Second Round - Alternating 

One partner will perform 21 Thrusters and 21 Pullups.  When they finish their final pullup, their teammate will do 21 Thrusters and Pullups.  The first partner then performs 15 Thrusters and 15 pullups; the second partner follows with the same, and this is repeated for 9 reps of each by both partners in the same manner.

The fastest 4 teams from the Second Round will be invited to participate in the Third Round.

Third Round - Strengths (aka Best Ball Fran)

One partner will do the 'Thruster' portions, and the other will do all of the Pullups for one round of "Fran."  The "One Bar In Hand" rule applies: if one partner is doing Thrusters, the other may not grab the Pullup bar until the barbell has hit the floor after the final repetition (it doesn't need to be at complete rest.) Likewise, the Thruster bar may not be re-gripped until the partner doing Pullups has dropped to the ground after their last repetition.  In other words, only one partner may have their hands on either bar at any time.

Fastest team - first to finish - is winner of FranFest '09.

Frandicaps

Instead of Scaled categories, competitors will face a time handicap for using less than Rx'd weight for Fran or doing modified Pullups. 

Pullup Handicapping: Chin must clear bar or rep will not count.

Use of green band assistance for pullups (user provides band): 1:00 Time Penalty

Use of Prone Pullups (rings or bar, chin to wrists) : 1:00 Time Penalty

Thruster Handicapping: Athlete must touch a medicine ball on each rep and come to full lockout for a rep to count.  Rx weight: 95lbs men, 65lbs women.

Use of lighter weights (75lbs men, 55lbs women): 1:00 Time Penalty

Use of much lighter weights (55lbs men, 35lbs women): 2:00 Time Penalty

Example:

Josh and Jill are partners. Josh can do full pullups but cannot use Rx weight, so he uses 75lbs instead.  Jill can do the Rx weight for women, but relies on prone pullups.

Team Time: Josh 6:55 "Fran" + 1:00 Thruster Handicap = 7:55

   Jill 4:52 "Fran" + 1:00 Pullup Handical = 5:52

TEAM TOTAL : 13:45 for the first round. 

Second Round: Combined Alternating Time: 12:20 + 1:00 Thruster Handicap + 1:00 Pullup handicap = 14:20 for the second round.

Third Round: Combined Time: 5:15 + 1:00 Thruster Handicap + 1:00 Pullup Handicap = 7:15.

Teams may elect to change strategy between rounds OR during rounds (ie may switch to prone pullups mid-round, but still takes the 1:00 handicap.)

Start time: 8:00am.  Location: 99 Industrial Court "B" - 256-1344.  Only a few spots left; enter your team or enter yourself in the Random pool!

WOD 102209

Front Squat 1-1-1-1-1

Back Squat 2-2-2-2-2

Perform a hevay single Front Squat; immediately rack and change to back squat and perform two reps with the same weight.  Max weight wins.

And/Or:

As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes:

4 Clapping Pull Ups 
6 Clapping Push Ups
8 Standing Broad Jumps (minimum of 6 feet per jump)

This our third day featuring essays from Jon Gilson of Again Faster.  Jon chose this article, a favourite among his readers, as our last feature.  We strongly encourage you to spend a few hours reading the rest of Jon's articles too.

From the Archives: You Are Beautiful

Tuesday, October 21, 2008 at 12:00PM   If I were feeling a little more lawless, I’d gather all the copies of Cosmo and Seventeen, douse them in kerosene, and strike a match.  I’d throw in reams of print ads from Calvin Klein and watch with delight as Kate Moss’ stick-thin image was reduced to carbon.  I’d add copies of Shape and Runner’s World until the flames reached toward the heavens, and then I’d crank call the editorial desk at Muscle and Fitness until they stopped publishing pictures of women on steroids.

I’d get the master tapes of America’s Next Top Model and dub over them with “Nasty Girls”, broadcasting the results on every television station in America.  I’d skywrite “CrossFit.com” across the Boston skyline, and gently admonish the hoards of long distance runners trotting along the Charles River—with a bullhorn.

I’d take every woman with mass media-induced ideals of beauty, and I’d show them what it really means to be beautiful.  

Beautiful women are strong and powerful.  They are athletes, capable of every feat under the sun.  They have muscles, borne of hard work and sweat.  They gauge their self-worth through accomplishments, not by the numbers on the bathroom scale.  They understand that muscle weighs more than fat, and they love the fact that designer jeans don’t fit over their well-developed quads.  

They know that high repetitions using light weights is a path to mediocrity, and “toning” is a complete and utter myth.  They refuse to succumb to the marketers that prey on insecurity, leaving the pre-packaged diet dinners and fat-burning pills on the shelf to pass their expiration date.

Beautiful women train with intensity.  The derive self-image from the quality of their work and their ability to excel.  They don’t wear makeup to the gym, and they wouldn’t be caught dead with a vinyl pink dumbbell.  They move iron, they do pull-ups, they jump, sprint, punch, and kick, and they use the elliptical machine—as a place to hang their jump rope.  

They spend their weekends in sport, climbing walls, winning races, and running rivers.  They laugh as they sprint circles around the unschooled, turning the image-obsessed into benchwarmers.  Beautiful women don’t care if they’re soaked in sweat and covered in dirt, if their nails are chipped or their hair out of place.  They care only about quality of life.  

Beautiful women are happy, healthy, and strong, and they’re right there beside me, tossing conventional beauty on the ever-growing flames of what used to be.  Be beautiful. Picture of Sammy practicing muscle-ups, courtesy of The Napping Poet.  You'll get it, baby.  Promise.

WOD 102109

Four rounds for time of:
Walking lunge 50 meters
Sit-ups, 50 reps

Today, we feature the second article of three by Jon Gilson, one of the best writers in the CrossFit universe.  Jon himself chose tomorrow's article; I had trouble choosing two.  While "Disturbing Counsel" (below) won the coin toss, I highly recommend the rest of Jon's articles on the Again Faster site, in particular A Second Opinion, which is a personal recount of his own father's experience with the US medical system, obesity, and high-carbohydrate diet. 

Disturbing Counsel

Tuesday, February 17, 2009 at 12:00PM

If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, the United States Department of Agriculture is an asphalt factory.

The USDA is responsible for providing Americans with dietary recommendations.  Unfortunately, they’re also responsible for creating national and international markets for American crops, a money-driven mission that makes a mockery of diet and health.

The United States’ primary agricultural products—wheat, corn, and milk—are all carbohydrate-rich.  This is not a problem in and of itself, were the USDA to recommend their consumption in moderation.  They do not.  The USDA asks Americans to consume over of 70% of their calories from these sources. Carbohydrate consumption, in the form of wheat, milk, and high fructose corn syrup, subsidizes American crops and keeps the USDA in business. The financial incentive for this request, embodied by the Food Pyramid, is easy to ascertain.  More carbohydrate consumption, in the form of wheat, milk, and high fructose corn syrup, subsidizes American crops and keeps the USDA in business.  It benefits the economy and the American farmer, a worthy endpoint.

Regrettably, it also prescribes hyperinsulinemia to 300 million trusting souls.

Hyperinsulinemia is a state of chronically elevated blood sugar, brought about by the incessant overconsumption of carbohydrates.  It is linked to diabetes, heart disease, and obesity through a very simple and undeniable causal chain.

Insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas, removes sugar from the bloodstream, putting it into cellular storage for later energy production.  When blood sugar is chronically elevated, insulin is unable to remove the bulk, and the pancreas ramps production back, recognizing the futility of rampant insulin release.  Sugar remains in the blood stream, where it oxidizes with LDL cholesterol and creates arterial plaques.  

Artery walls harden, and people die.  

Clearly, money and health are at odds at the USDA, yet the conflict of interest goes unaddressed.  As their mission statement illustrates, the organization is more interested in the economic benefits of high carbohydrate consumption than they are in health of the American people:
    
“USDA has created a strategic plan to implement its vision. The framework of this plan depends on these key activities: expanding markets for agricultural products and support(ing) international economic development, further developing alternative markets for agricultural products and activities, providing financing needed to help expand job opportunities and improve housing, utilities and infrastructure in rural America, enhancing food safety by taking steps to reduce the prevalence of foodborne hazards from farm to table, improving nutrition and health by providing food assistance and nutrition education and promotion, and managing and protecting America's public and private lands working cooperatively with other levels of government and the private sector.”

Nutrition warrants a brief mention, but actions speak louder than words.  Visiting mypyramid.gov, I plugged in my statistics to get a dietary recommendation.  As a 5’9”, 170-pound male with less than a half-hour of physical activity per day, the site recommended I eat 2600 calories per day, including a whopping 9 ounces of grains and 24 ounces of milk, while consuming only 6.5 ounces of meat.  

Per the Zone Diet, my recommendations amounted to 27 blocks of carbohydrates, 9.5 blocks of protein, and 24 blocks of fat, a short path to hyperinsulinemia and more than enough to induce obesity.

Seemingly unaware that they’d just doomed me to poor health, the USDA left me this little gem:

“The weight you entered is above the healthy range for your height. This may increase your risk for health problems. Some people who are overweight should consider weight loss. Click here for more information about health risks and whether you should try to lose weight, or talk with your health care provider.”      

The irony is palpable.

Given the USDA’s (colossally laughable) position as America’s foremost authority on nutrition, this ignorance is unforgivable, and worth fighting.  The power to dictate diet needs to be removed from the hands of an organization with so much skin in the game, and transferred to individuals with the knowledge and freedom to act in the best interests of the American people.

This will not happen at the top level. Billions of dollars and an extraordinarily powerful farming lobby dictate that grassroots education and individual change are the only tenable way to affect a diet revolution in America.

American farmer or no, this will not stand.  We will bring the USDA’s elemental flaw to light, one person at a time. The road to hell is still under construction, but we’re bringing the jackhammers, and the asphalt will crumble.

Catalyst GO! Newsletter - November 2009

Four years ago, Mike and I were squatting in a cage on Queen Street.  (He's the one with the thick black hair.)  This was pre-Catalyst. 

We're older.  Our hair is greyer.  Our squats are deeper and unassisted.  From the look of it, my posterior chain is much more flexible (and our bars are much more rigid, thank goodness.  No wonder I had trouble hitting depth in competition!)We're also a lot busier than those misguided days of our youth:Catalyst Teens expands to two nights/week, beginning next Tuesday and Wednesday.  An amazing group that's left me hoarse every single week so far.  And that's not easy.  All the clapping has started to wear down my pullups calluses. OnRamp starts its November group on the 9th.  If you're thinking of starting CrossFit, you've gotta do OnRamp.  Invest 21 days, and you'll know virtually everything you need to succeed at CrossFit.  It's so effective that I regret we didn't insist that all new CrossFitters do OnRamp right from Day #1.  Can you blame us for being so excited?  Here's the thing: the OnRamp Program tends to fill up WAY in advance.  As I write this, 4 of 7 spots are filled for November''s Group, thanks to a huge waiting list from October!  Get your name on the list: 256-1344. The difference this has made to our CrossFit programming has been tremendous: graduates start their first CrossFit group already knowing how to do more than the basics.  They know what to expect, how to move well, and they're excited to rip it up with the old veterans! FranFest is November 21!  A tournament-style competition for the most famous of all the CrossFit workouts, Fran.  Teams of two will Fran head-to-head as we narrow the field from 20+ pairs to 8, and finally to the Fran Championships.  8am start.  An amazing event for spectators too, we've already had confirmation from two local media outlets.Santana's Indoor Cycling Group will start their second session of the fall on November 17.  Most are now leaving their bikes inside (boo!) but burning up our main area every Tuesday night.  (Hey, in 4 years, you'll never find a worse joke.  Feel free to check.)More and more members are starting their own groups with co-workers and friends.  We're doing private CrossFit groups for several businesses at both Catalyst locations - Park and Queen - several days per week.November 21 is the Santa Claus Parade!  As usual, the absolute best place to watch is Catalyst at our Queen Street location! Bring your kids inside for a hot chocolate, hang with other members of the Catalyst family over coffee (provided by Forever Fit!) and enjoy the parade in your T-shirt.  (Most families bring snowsuits to watch the parade outside, and then return inside for awhile afterward.) Starting in November, we'll be operating an Olympic Weightlifting Club at the Park!  We started the Club because interest is high in OLY lifting due to CrossFit; because we have some excellent coaches available; and because we want to get Sebastien Wetzel into the Special Olympics.  We haven't named the Club yet, but we'll be offering coaching to our members as soon as possible. One of the big highlights from October for me was our Essays Project.  We're featuring three essays each from some of the top writers in the CrossFit universe.  It's been remarkably easy to reach these folks (just friend them, like us, on facebook) and they've all been really cool about letting us reprint their articles.  They've even chosen one each!  Another great highlight: having so many other CrossFit boxes link to our No Scale article.  One of the most popular of all time on our site.

Our community is amazing.  Two members of the Park crew have their own blogs now.  Our tracking software has taken on a life of its own: Leanne issued her own Paleo challenge for November.  CASS has their own website now (awesome!) and they'll be the second local high school to use the tracking software soon.

WOD 102009

"Tabata Something Else"

Complete 32 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest where the first 8 intervals are pull-ups, the second 8 are push-ups, the third 8 intervals are sit-ups, and finally, the last 8 intervals are squats. There is no rest between exercises. SCORING: Sum the lowest-rep interval for each exercise for total points.

I've personally been looking forward to featuring Jon Gilson since we started this little "best of CrossFit" articles project.  Jon has already picked his favourite, but it's hard for me to do the same.  He's an amazing writer.  His articles can be found at: Again Faster .

We used half of his famous essay, "Don't Quit," on the backs of our shirts from the Catalyst Games (yours is on the way, Jon.)  Jon sold us our awesome scoreboard clock through the Again Faster Store.  Today, we feature "The Lion's Ovation," which was posted right after CrossFit Games 2009.  Jon was there. The Lion's Ovation

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 at 12:00PM

by Jon Gilson There is no wooden platform. Only rolled rubber, stretched over a concrete pad and coated with the thin, obnoxious dust of the Aromas desert.

Luminaries with red and white lights are replaced by blue-clad Judges, some qualified, some not, all with hands held high.

The contenders eschew the singlet fashion of the sport; their wooden-soled shoes the only vestige of traditional Olympic weightlifting garb.

Dead silence is a joke, drowned out by a fierce, screaming crowd and the hate music rocketing from the speakers.

This is gladiatorial fervor, surging crowd thumbs down, kill it now.

The California sun slow cooks the barbells, each resting against a log marked with a number that has no bearing on the task at hand.

Ten minutes. A stack of plates. Power snatch or squat snatch, split or not. Rip it up smoothly, press it out ugly, it doesn’t matter. Just get it over your head. Max load wins.

“Go!” slams out of the P.A., and the barbells flash. There are beautiful lifts, and ugly lifts, competitors digging, catching loads that should succumb to gravity, standing to the lion’s ovation, the roar of myriad spectators who know the feeling but not the arena.

They sense revolution. There is no polite clapping. This is gladiatorial fervor, surging crowd thumbs down, kill it now.

There is no need to visit the scorers’ table. The athletes witness the competition in real time, those who would have them slashed from the Games with superior lifts pooling sweat at their feet and crying triumph with each successful lift.

This is not a USA Weightlifting event. It is the future. Hundreds of eyes fixed on a stadium littered with lifters, not one paying attention to protocol or deferentially waiting their turn to lift, none worried if they’ll follow themselves on the next lift—it’s guaranteed that they will.

There are no games to play, no strategy, no energy saved for lifts two and three. They lift until they fail, and then they lift again.

The traditional throng, baited breath in a fluorescent-washed gymnasium, is replaced with the vanguard of training, hundreds of valkyries sucking dirt and spitting fire, CrossFitters who recognize that work done is work done. They know that fitness is not measured in an instant but a series of instants, an endless thread of pain and resolve, held together with the glue of pride and the threat of failure.

It isn’t just spectator friendly. It’s an orgy of entertainment, created by a single rule: Stand It Up. Dumped barbells carom back toward the lifters, thrown unto the duplicitous curbs at their feet, giving a feeling of impending catastrophe and snap-focusing the risk of athletic pursuit.

There are those who would witness such a spectacle and bellow foul. This, they would say, is not weightlifting. This is an abomination.

They would be right, and for every wrong reason. We are no longer playing the same game, and just as you cannot call out baseball for cricket or black for white, you cannot call this a mangled weightlifting meet.

Instead, it is an evolution, a different creature, borne of the need to adapt. Until now, weightlifting was dying, its punctured lungs aspirating and collapsing. With a single hour on a sunburned farm, it now stands ready, the province of Red Bull sponsorships and worshipful ten-year olds, where the best aren’t strong once an hour, but a dozen times in ten minutes, their fitness defined not in one sphere but in many.

There will be a fight, but it will not last long. First, the purists will laugh at the rules and the form, declaring that we couldn’t possibly succeed with such a preposterous format. As the loads increase, they’ll start with the ‘dangerous’, and as the crowds swell to fill the Rose Bowl, they’ll seek sanction and injunction.

In the end, the resistance won’t matter, because superiority survives on its own merit, because this is the future, wood and spandex be damned.

New Catalyst Teens Groups!

We've just finished our first six-week session of Catalyst Teens.  It's been more than we bargained for.  We though, "we'll take these kids in, show them how to move better, give them a couple of tough workouts, and then do it again after Christmas, maybe."Instead, we got a full group, plus a waiting list.  We got effort and intensity to match the Adult group (and sometimes, more noise than the older CrossFitters...) We got inspired.  Kids would arrive every week, usually early, always ready to throw themselves into the den of any Wolf we could dream up.  Some did better a certain workouts.  Some are better squatters than others.  But every.single.one. hit it hard.  NONE caved.  NONE gave up.  And neither can we.We're expanding our offering: Teens can now choose between Tuesday and Wednesday night groups.  The group will still run at 7pm at the Park.  More details, including our philosophy, below:

Interest in Youth Fitness has never been higher, and it's never been such a touchy subject..

On one hand, there are still opponents to the concept of kids "lifting weights." On the other hand, kids of all ages are jumping, running, tumbling, falling... all activities requiring them to bear their own weight - plus inertia and gravity - at high speed. Do the math: a 12-year-old jumping off a 3-foot snowbank absorbs more than double their bodyweight at impact. If you're a 135lbs 12-year-old, that's the same as back squatting 297lbs safely!

While repetitive high-impact exercise can cause joint dominance issue, these are very different than acute stress injuries. The best way to avoid these kinds of problems? Build a well-balanced, strong, flexible kid. Wayne Gretzky didn't skate in the summer; he was a baseball pitcher. Most high-level athletes started out doing several sports at once. We routinely ask high-level athletes which sports they participated in as kids; the answers are usually gymnastics (tumbling,) martial arts, or dance. The best way to produce a good athlete: give them lots of variety at a young age. The best way to keep a person fit for life? Introduce them to fun exercise at a young age involving a wide variety. These form the backbone of our Catalyst Kids program.

Kids who know how to exercise properly from a young age are far less likely to suffer any athletic injury when they're older. They're less likely to do dumb stuff in a school weight room, or spend all their time obsessing about their "six-pack" when they're in a gym. Got a daughter? Start thinking about ways to avoid an eating disorder. They're becoming more popular, not less. Isn't it better to promote a lifestyle where fitness is based on achievement instead of aesthetic? We think so.

Teen (Age 12-15) CrossFit Group - Tuesdays or Wednesdays at 7pm Starts October 27!

$60 for 6 weeks!

WOD 101909

Weighted pull-ups 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

WOD 101709

This morning, Mike Watson will coach CrossFit groups at 9am and Noon.  You'll be doing a WOD of his choice!  Show up to see!

WOD 101709

"Tyler"

Five rounds for time of:
7 Muscle-ups
95 pound Sumo-deadlift high-pull, 21 reps

9am Group / Noon Group:

10 Thrusters - 1 Pullup

9 Thrusters - 2 Pullups

8 Thrusters - 3 Pullups

7 Thrusters - 4 Pullups

6 Thrusters - 5 Pullups

5 Thrusters - 6 Pullups

4 Thrusters - 7 Pullups

3 Thrusters - 8 Pullups

2 Thrusters - 9 Pullups

1 Thruster - 10 Pullups

For time.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2008

Are you CrossFit Enough?

A few months ago, I posted “A public apology to my Mom”, in response to a conversation I had with a CrossFit trainer about the use of profanity. On November 25^th, Lisbeth Darsh posed a similar question on the Affiliate blog. (I’m going to pretend like she got the idea from me, because that would be a really awesome compliment.) Lis asked, “Does CrossFit overexert itself on the sexual innuendo? Or the "F" bomb? Or are some people just too uptight? Do you encourage this edginess at your affiliate or do you stay out of it? Why?”

This entry received 84 responses – ten times more than the average post on the A-blog. I guess the subject hits close to home for many trainers and trainees alike. I posted my thoughts - that I’m a big fan of the f-bomb, but I plan to leave it out of my coaching program. Many agreed on the “keep it clean” approach for business, but just as many said to be yourself and if people don’t like it, too bad. Both points I understand, agree with to some degree, and respect. And then Spider Chick posted the following.

Now, I’m a Spider Chick fan. I think she’s a good role model for women. She’s strong, she’s tough, she’s confident and she moves weight. And I appreciate her sense of humor, and her commentary. Normally. But this kind of pissed me off. I’ve edited out some lines, but I assure you the message is intact. Read the whole thing here, if you prefer.

“Some gyms are for old ladies and kids. Some are for a tougher, wilder breed of man-beast. The question is: do you want to struggle out a brutal WOD with Green Berets, or do you want to spin to Celine and then do lunch with the Junior League? Are you inspired by competing against Rugby players and UFC fighters? Or, do you find that you can clock your fastest Fran when you're challenged by a nursing mother?... For the sake of honesty, let's acknowledge that those who can truly forge elite fitness are going to be a rough crowd.

That being said, there may be more money in selling a program that is marketed as "forging elite fitness", and sorta looks like it's a tough-guy friendly gym, but in actuality, it's a mommy-and-me-too fitness playground with gluten-free hand chalk, a diaper changing station made of recycled material, and a verbally correct WOD that's fun for the whole lactose intolerant, peanut allergic family.

I choose to eat meat, wear fur, workout in a bra, leave sweat angels on the floor, weave a foul mouthed tapestry of lyrical filth, and exercise until I occasionally vomit. And, I'm willing to pay for the privilege of doing so in a place where tough guys roam unfettered by those who sell Avon.”

Huh. So my question to Spider Chick is this… Are those my ONLY two choices? I have to either grab my balls, drop the f-bomb at every clean and jerk and then vomit through my nose… or I have to take a spin class sponsored by the La Leche League and Celine Dion?Crap. I hate Celine, but I also hate to vomit through my nose. Those are some awfulchoices. I wish I had more options.

This is what I call the “CrossFit Enough” mentality. If you’re not swearing and spitting and falling down puking, if you don’t literally kick your clients in the ass, if you can’t train side-by-side with the Green Berets… then you’re not CrossFit Enough. If you’re not suffering at Gym Jones, killing it with Zach Even-Esh or getting yelled at by Coach Rip, then you’re not “forging elite fitness”

I call bullshit.

I’m not even going to get INTO this subject of “elite”. Not today, at least. But I will say that swearing, stripping and expelling bodily fluids does NOT make you “elite”. Training in the same gym as a UFC fighter does NOT make you “more CrossFit” than my Mom, scaling her box jumps at the Nashua YMCA. Vomiting at the end of a workout does NOT make you a “tough guy”. And dropping the f-bomb has absolutely zero, zilch, zip correlation to the effectiveness of your workout program or the quality of your performance.

I can curse, spit, strip and bleed with the toughest of the tough guys. I can hold my own in any training environment. And I swear a lot in my private life. It’s often hard for me to keep my mouth in check in while training clients. But I’m making the effort because that’s how I want to run my program. Now, I’m not going to cringe if someone curses, Michael Bolton will never sponsor my tabatas and I refuse to allow a 4# kettlebell in my classes.But I’m ALSO not going to belittle someone who says “darn” when they miss a lift, or a trainer who insists on a family-friendly box, or a new Mom trying to lose the baby weight with scaled workouts. If Spider Chick wants to delineate “real” CrossFitters from the “less than CrossFitters”, then fine. She can go play with Sara Scholl, and they can have a Bad-Ass-CrossFit-Off full of swearing and bragging and bleeding and stripping and establish once and for all that they are the Most Ultimate Elite.

As for me, I’m going to quietly and determinedly get back to my ass-busting. Or butt-busting. Or CrossFitting. Or politically correct, lactose-intolerant Mommy-and-Me inspired training. Whatever you want to call it is fine with me, because it all ends with me pulling heavy deadlifts.

No Scale

I'm yelling as loudly as I can, but no one in the room can hear me.  I'm bellowing numbers in descending order: "11!"  The crowd roars.  "10!"  They start jumping up and down. "9!"  They're looking at my hands in the air now, as the room heaves with excitement.  In front of me, she's standing, hands on hips, trying to pull air down from the ceiling.  I'm talking right into the back of her head.  But she's gone.  Gone to that "other" place.  It's a domain reserved solely for the athlete at the paper-cut-sharp edge of the envelope.  She's found it.  Fourty-three seconds later, she'll collapse into the mob of her fans, shaking all over.  Many of them have teared up.

Yeah, but how much does she weigh? 

He slid, a thousand miles an hour, under his Harley-Davidson.  "You'll never walk unaided," they said.  "You'll never work again," they said.  "How are your bed sores this morning?" they said.  This summer, he ran his first 5km race.  At midnight.  With his son, for his 18th birthday.  

Yeah, but what's his bench?

It's safe to bet that she's never won any single sport in her whole life.  She's experienced that hell-on-earth when, on the playground, the teams are chosen, and she was one of the last two to be picked.  "Please, pick me.  Please, anything but last again. I can do better than that other kid.  I'll try really hard.  Please, please, pleeeeeease."  So last week, when she finished the 500m row portion of the workout in first place and headed to the rower, the crowd was reserved.  When she finished the box jumps in first place, they were clapping.  But when she dropped the skipping rope first, they exploded. Thirty adults and teens, on their feet, cheering. I told them my voice was cracking from all the yelling, but that was a lie.  

Yeah, but how many friends does she have on facebook?

Setting the table, her sister commented on how muscular her arms looked.  "Holy crap, girl!  What have you been DOING?!?"  She told them about CrossFit.  About kipping and almost doing pullups.  About Barbell Bettys and knee socks and how Fran felt after a night shift and how much she could split jerk.  Predictably came the response: "You're crazy.  I could NEVER do that stuff."  She just smiled and shrugged, quietly knowing that Confident is the new Size 4; that yes, they could do this stuff, but she alone had the guts to pull that particular trigger.

Yeah, but how many calories could she possibly burn in 20 minutes?

I'm already hanging from the bar before the referees start to argue.  "He's gotta go back!" says the man in charge.  My personal judges, possibly the nicest coaches this side of the 49th Parallel, tug me down from the rack and escort me through the plates, back to the bar.  It wasn't a happy reunion.  I had to redo 3 squat cleans at 165lbs.  And I still had a quarter mile to run, 5 more big cleans and jerks, and 24 more pullups.  I was staring down the barrel of a very long day.  

The crowd was rowdy.  It was only 9am, and many had already yelled themselves hoarse.  But I couldn't hear anything: nothing but a small voice, chanting "Go-Daddy-Go!  Go-Daddy-Go!"  So I went.

Yeah, but he weighs under 200lbs now!  He's little!

No scale in the world can measure this stuff.  

WOD 101609

For time:
21 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters
18 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters
15 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters
12 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters
9 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters
6 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters
3 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters

Our second post from Melissa Urban (www.urbangetsdiesel.com) is "Change Your Life In 30 Days.)  This article caused a firestorm online, with dozens of posts, including some from our local CrossFitters.  Read the article (click below to read the whole thing) but make sure to click the link to read the "Comments" section.  Many DID change their lives thanks to Melissa and this article.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2009

Change your life in thirty days

In Part II of my Guide to Eating Dirty, I recommend cheating smart – indulging in those foods that aren’t going to knock you out of energy, wellness and performance commission for days on end. The concept sounds pretty easy, and it is… as long as you know how various food groups like gluten, dairy and legumes affect you. So how do you figure out what foods are okay to cheat with, and what foods will never be worth it?

I can tell you where it STARTS... strip out all the crap from your diet and let your body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may be provoking. What, exactly, does that mean? Super strict, no cheat, by-the-book Paleo for the next 30 days. Cut all the foods that could be kicking you in the crotch without you even knowing it for the next 30 days, and see how that feels. (To be clear – this is NOT a “30 Day Challenge”. This is so much bigger than that. And it's not really even about cheating. I kind of tricked you there. I'm not sorry. Read on, please.)

WOD 101409

Five rounds for time of:
135 pound Hang squat clean, 15 reps
30 Push-ups

For the next 3 days, we'll be featuring three of our favourite articles from melissa urban (of urban gets diesel fame!) melissa is a true standout writer and coach in the crossfit world, and she's been a big inspiration to more than a few catalyst members.  thanks, melissa!

SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 2009

The Carrot Train to Crazytown

I was having a conversation with my new friend Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan via email last week. We were talking about post workout food, and she asked for some sample meals. I suggested a few things - salmon and sweet potato, a chicken breast and butternut squash, egg whites and a banana.

She responded with the following: "A banana?! Are you f*cking kidding? I haven't had a a banana in a year and a half. I'm, like, over the moon with the prospect of eating a banana tomorrow after my workout. I could weep, seriously. It feels like I'm doing something naughty even considering a banana. How f'ed up is that?"

Um, that is very f'ed up, Mel.

And it reminded me of my now-infamous Carrot Confrontation. I was participating in a discussion on a message board when someone asked what I eat in a typical day. I replied with a list of things I had eaten that morning - chicken, radishes, egg whites, spinach, olives... and carrots. I mentioned I had eaten almost an entire bag of baby carrots. At which point, another poster responded, "You should be careful about eating so many carrots. Carrots are pretty high in sugar."

This response made me wish I had more middle fingers.

Because the day you tell me that CARROTS AREN'T THAT GOOD FOR ME is the day I give you the finger. Maybe even both. Which brings me to the following rant - get off the Carrot Train to Crazytown and think about it for a minute. I'll start you off. They're CARROTS, people.

I could get all science-y here, and talk about glycemic index versus glycemic load. I could talk about how the all natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables are nothing like themutated, processed sugar-like substances found in soda, Starbucks Frappuccinos and "healthy" whole bran muffins. I could also talk about how the "sugar" in carrots comes bundled with an amazing assortment of valuable vitamins and minerals.

But I'm not going to get all science-y here, because I'm trying to prove a point. Amidst the ridiculous volume of nutritional information floating around out there, the confusing statistics like glycemic index and potential renal acid load, all of the books and diet plans and recommendations and suggestions, it's easy to lose the beta-carotene forest through the trees. So I'm going to recommend one simple thing.

Take a step back and use your head.

In the big picture, carrots are not "high in sugar." Are they higher in sugar than, say, spinach? Sure. Should you eat five bags a day? Probably not. I wouldn't recommend you eat five bags of ANYTHING a day, frankly. But if you feel like something sweet, I will applaud you for your healthy choice if you grab a carrot. If you want something crunchy to mindlessly gnaw on, I'm more than okay if you plow through an entire bag of carrots. If you don't like vegetables at all, but can somehow manage to choke down a serving of carrots... I'm thrilled, because one vegetable is better than no vegetables.

If you read my stuff, you'll know I am all for reviewing, analyzing and tweaking your nutritional plan. And I understand the fact that, when both choices are good, one might be more good. For example, I might counsel someone to cut back on dried fruit and eat the real stuff instead, for two reasons. One is simply practical - you can have more of the real stuff. (For the same number of carbs, you can have 1/4 cup of dried cranberries, or three cups of fresh strawberries.) A more pressing reason relates to those people who are in that initial "getting off the crack" nutritional phase. If you are trying to right a very upended insulin sensitivity, you don't want to trick your taste buds into craving "bad" sweets with something like dried fruit (which has a higher concentration of sugar and the sweetness of candy). For those people, I may be a little more strict with fruit and vegetable choices - but only for the first few weeks, until their tastes reset a bit. But unless eating carrots are going to tempt you into a box Krispy Kremes, I am not going to worry about your intake. (And I seriously doubt a bag of carrots is going to be any kind of gateway vegetable.)

So let's not be too quick to jump on the Carrot Train to Crazytown. Take a step back and think about your food choices from a rational perspective. Eating mostly meat, nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits? You're doing better than 99% of the general population. Want to take it further? Try to balance your fruits and vegetables on a bigger scale. Eat plenty of color, get plenty of variety, and fill every plate with leafy greens. But, like, you want a banana? Eat one. Want some peas, or a sweet potato, or some carrots? Have them. Because in the whole scheme of things, fruits and vegetables are still, as far as I know, good for you.

Except for corn, of course.

WOD 101409

"Jackie"

1000m Row

50 Thrusters - 45lbs men, 35lbs women

30 Pullups

For time.

Above: Tyler hits 3:14 on Fran (Monday.)  Those are butterfly kips he's doing.  They look slow and easy; they're not.

Today, we feature Keith Wittenstein's essays (from CrossFit Virtuosity) for the third day.  Tomorrow: Melissa Urban (formerly Byers), another local favourite.  Enjoy.

The Creative Habit

A couple of years ago my now-fiancée, Erin, told me I should read this book, “The Creative Habit” by Twyla Tharp. Tharp is one of the most prolific and acclaimed choreographers of all time. I thought the book sounded interesting and I would eventually get around to reading it. Well I finally did get around to reading it and it is amazing. I wish I had read it a couple of years ago when Erin first told me about it.

There is a lot of information in this book that appeals to me as a former musician and a current writer/blogger. However, there is also a lot of information that appeals to me as an athlete and coach. Being creative, according to Tharp, is about forming good habits and rituals. Being creative is about work and consistency and skill. These traits are no less important for athletes and coaches, in my opinion.

Let us start at the end. In the “Acknowledgements” at the end of the book, Tharp first thanks her agent and collaborator. The second person she thanks is her personal trainer!

“I begin each day of my life with a ritual: I wake up at 5:30 A.M., put on my workout clothes, my leg warmers, my sweatshirts, an my hat. I walk outside my Manhattan home, hail a taxi, and tell the driver to take me to the Pumping Iron gym at 91st Street and First Avenue, where I work out for two hours.”

This is a woman who loves to move and to sweat and every day begins that way for her. It is her ritual and it something sacred to her. Her creative expression is often through her body so exercising her body every day is a way to keep the creative juices flowing. If only we could get her doing Crossfit! Imagine how much more of a badass she could be!

Another point that Tharp drives home is skill. The artist must know her craft. “Prima ballerinas work as diligently and carefully at the barre as any novice. (Actually they work more diligently on basics that lesser dancers might consider beneath them.) The great ones never take fundamentals for granted.”

The parallels to what we do are evident. Focusing on the fundamentals is important for all athletes at all levels. Skill is necessary to build intensity. Tharp highlights this fact with an example from da Vinci.

You double your intensity with skill.

Leonardo da Vinci

“In his notebooks, in discussing the power of the crossbow, Leonardo da Vinci makes reference to doubling its degrees of ‘fury’ through applied technique and dexterity. This is a useful metaphor for your creative efforts: You double your intensity with skill.”

Practice and skill alone are not enough, however. Artist’s need to focus on their weaknesses because they can make great gains there just like athletes.

“Every artist faces this paradox. Experience–the faith in your ability and the memory that you have done this before–is what gets you through the door. But experience also closes the door. You tend to rely on that memory and stick with what has worked before. You don’t try anything new.”

Tharp advocates that one should constantly be expanding his or her skill set. She not only advocates learning new physical skills but also reading and educating yourself on many varied topics. It is clear from reading her book that she is extremely well-read and knowledgeable in many areas of life. Thus you do not need to be a dancer to appreciate her and benefit from her ideas.

Never have a favorite weapon.

Miyamoto Musashi

Maybe by now you are convinced of the benefits of working on your weaknesses and improving your skills and deepening your knowledge of various subjects. Excellent. However, be cautious of one major pitfall:multitasking.

“The irony of multitasking is that it’s exhausting; when you’re doing two or three things simultaneously, you use more energy than the sum of energy required to do each task independently. You’re also cheating yourself because you’re not doing anything excellently. You’re compromising your virtuosity.”

I, for obvious reasons, will not argue with that. Do not, under any circumstance, compromise your virtuosity!

WOD 101309

"CrossFit Total"

Back squat, 1 rep
Shoulder Press, 1 rep
Deadlift, 1 rep

Right: 4 members of Mike's Fall Running Clinic stretch post-workout.

Continuing our series of essays from top-notch CrossFit Talent, Keith Wittenstein's  (of CrossFit Virtuosity) "Late Bloomers" is our favourite article of the day.

Late Bloomers

I just read an article by Malcolm Gladwell called Late Bloomers.

Gladwell makes an interesting point that society often sees the young prodigy as the gifted genius. However, as Gladwell points out, there are many cases of late bloomers that shine far brighter as they get older. As I approach thirty-eight I am especially interested in late bloomers. I myself am in the best shape of my life and still improving. I have witnessed many clients that have come to me and have little to no athletic background. People that were picked last to play on a team, people that were chubby as kids, people that were shy and awkward come to Crossfit and achieve extraordinary levels of fitness especially considering they are what many would consider past their prime.

Picasso was considered a prodigy.

This shows that society’s idea of youth and vigor might be wrong. Instead of the notion that after age thirty or forty we start to decline, Crossfit has shown that many of us are just getting started. I have witnessed women start Crossfit after having three kids and achieve better fitness and better bodies than they had before their first child was even conceived. I have witnessed men that looked their age transform into younger, more handsome and more virile versions of themselves.

Cezanne was considered a late bloomer.

Gladwell also points out that these late bloomers are different from prodigies in that late bloomers often have support. While a young prodigy is immediately recognized and showered with fortune, a late bloomer has to undergo many years of “fermentation.” These late bloomers must have a strong support team to get them through those formative years. That is another the great thing about Crossfit: Crossfit is a support center for the late bloomer. Yes Crossfit immediately recognizes and rewards the prodigies. However, Crossfit takes equal pride in the blossoming of an older athlete. Joining the Crossfit community is joining a support group that will help you achieve more than you ever thought possible. Just read some of the testimonials if you don’t believe me. Nothing is impossible. 

Are you a late bloomer or a prodigy? 

WOD 101209

"Elizabeth"

21-15-9 reps of:
Clean 135 pounds
Ring dips

Right: Brent Rose and Max Fisher show off new "Fran" records yesterday: 3:58 (Rx Men) and 7:19 (Rx Jr.)

GYM HOURS TODAY: 6am-12 Noon.  CrossFit Groups at 7am and 11:30am.

Last week, we featured three of my favourite essays by Lisbeth Darsh, a top CrossFit writer.  This week: Keith Wittenstein, of CrossFit Virtuosity.  Keith's blend of CrossFit and Yoga combine for a unique perspective and a flowing writing style that makes him extremely enjoyable to follow.

The Law Of The Vital Few

Coach Greg Glassman has said, “We work with a cast of about thirty exercises where about fifteen account for 80% of the workouts. The cast of characters that comprise our routines are so potent in increasing strength from head to toe that regular exposure to any of them nearly guarantees improvements in the others. Improve your deadlift, bench, and pull-ups and your squat, dips, and rope climb will come up. The neuro-endocrine response of the major lifts is so potent that they alone will increase your strength measured by any other exercise so that seemingly infrequent exposures to some exercises is not a certain disadvantage.” (powerathletesmag)

When I read this it made me think of something else I had read. “The Pareto principle (also known as the 80-20 rule, the law of the vital few and the principle of factor sparsity) states that, for many events, 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Business management thinker Joseph M. Juran suggested the principle and named it after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed that 80% of income in Italy went to 20% of the population. It is a common rule of thumb in business; e.g., “80% of your sales comes from 20% of your clients.” (wikipedia)

This effect has been noticed in a variety of situations. The ratio is not always an exact 80/20, sometimes it can be 90/10 or 75/25, however the point is that a large percentage of the results come from a small percentage of causes. People tend to wear 20% of their clothes 80% of the time. In Brazilian jiu-jitsu training, you use 20% of your moves (e.g., rear naked choke and armbar) to finish 80% of your matches. In business, they often state that 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients. Conversely, 80% of your headaches can be attributed to 20% of your clients. You order 80% of your takeout meals from the same 20% of restaurants in your neighborhood. It goes on and on.

As a fitness program that models itself on a black box system of inputs and outputs, we should look to see if indeed 80% of our outputs are caused by 20% of our inputs. And if indeed we get the most bang for our buck from 20% of our inputs then we should really be concerned about how we approach that precious 20% of our training. From my own gut instinct, I would say that the majority of adaptations from Crossfit come from Squats, Pull-ups, Presses, Lifts-from-the-floor and sprints (and all the variations of those exercises).

Another way to look at this phenomenon is through the list of 10 adaptations: Strength, Stamina, Cardio-Respiratory Endurance, Flexibility, Power, Speed, Coordination, Accuracy, Agility and Balance. Of these 10 adaptations are there 2 that cause the greatest results in the other 8? The choice is obvious: Power and Speed. If we want results we need to chase Power and Speed. Chasing better performance in those areas will give us maximum results in the other 8 adaptations. Crossfit is all about chasing speed and power and that is how we drive 80% of our adaptations. Moving large loads of long distances in a short amount of time is a recipe for success.

 

If this is true, then perhaps the opposite is also true: that 80% of our failures can be attributed to a mere 20% of shortcomings. This means that if you have a one or two small weaknesses they can impact 80% of your workouts. Look at it this way, if we can agree that squats, deadlifts, presses and pull-ups (and all the variations of those exercises) are the foundational 20% that drives 80% of the Crossfit train, then we can call these four exercises and their derivatives “The Vital Few.”

What all this boils down to is realizing the importance of the “Vital Few.” If you master those fundamentals, then you will reap the rewards of the program. However, if you cannot squat properly then that greatly limits your ability to move large loads, long distances over a short period of time. Therefore, your ability to express power and speed is blunted and thus your adaptations will be slower or non-existent. So glossing over a flaw in your squat will guarantee that you are unsuccessful with the program. Likewise, failure to remedy a problem that impacts your shoulder or hamstring flexibility can keep you from performing presses or deadlifts properly. A small problem can have a large negative impact. We should endeavor to redress our weaknesses and work towards mastery of the Vital Few instead of getting distracted by the trivial many.

 

WOD 101109 "FRAN"

21-15- and 9 reps, for time of:

95 pound Thruster

Pull-ups

WOD 101009

"Angie"

For time:

100 pullups

100 pushups

100 situps

100 squats.

In order, no splitting!

Thanks again to Lisbeth Darsh for allowing us to post her essays; she has many, many more high-qulity pieces at CrossFit Watertown.  Next week, will choose three favourites from Keith Wittenstein, of CrossFit Virtuosity.  Last night, I emailed Lisbeth and asked her to choose our final essay from her.  This was her choice:

One Woman’s Manifesto

I refuse to become one of the walking undead. The unwell. The quitters, the complainers, the crybabies. Those who say “Oh, well, I’m fat” and just accept it. Those who don’t even try. Those who won’t get off the couch and on the road to anything but the drive-through. I am so done with them.

Although I have reached what used to be quaintly referred to as “middle age” I no longer think of it as some green pasture to lay down in and count my money until I die. This ismy prime.

I will not go gently into the good night. I will not let my body spread, my willpower relax, and my determination downgrade. I am making a stand here. Like Dylan Thomas, I am raging against the dying of the light.

I refuse to listen to “Oldies Rock” and wear “Mom” jeans and appliqué my sweatshirts with inane seasonal greetings. I won’t use the phrase “old enough to know better.” My body is older but I am better. I am fine.

I vow not to become one of those people who stroll past hard-working CrossFitters and sneer, “You’re not getting me to do that.”Instead, I will be one of those people who stop and ask, “How can I do that?”

I am not too old for triathlons; I am too young for complacency.The next forty years is a long time to sit on the sidelines. I am not too old for CrossFit; I’m too young for life on the f***ing couch.

I am not in the wrong place. I am, finally, in the right mind at the right time.

And to those on the other side of the spectrum, the young firebreathers in the CrossFit Daily Comments who deride “the soccer moms ruining CrossFit”, I have this to say: I am no soccer mom . .  . But this deadlifting, back-squatting, clapping push-up lacrosse mom is ready to kick your butt to Dumbassville and back again. To you, CrossFit may just be a continuous stream of crazy workouts, skin, puking, Rock Star, and boobs; but, to me, it’s a whole lot more. To me, it’s like breathing. And, trust me, you don’t want to get between a woman and the source of her oxygen.

So, step aside, I’m taking my turn at the pull-up bar. And I brought some bands for my girlfriends so they can take this path too. Get used to us. We’re CrossFitting for the long haul. We will not go gently into that good night.

WOD 100909

Run 5km, - or - 

Complete 5 rounds for time:

8 Handstand Push Ups
8 Ring Pull Ups
8 GHD Sit Ups
8 Box Jumps 24"

Continuing our series of essays by Lisbeth Darsh, CrossFit A-blog editor, owner of CrossFit Watertown and crafty writer.....

This Is How We Change Things

This is how we change things. A group of people in a parking lot on a Sunday morning.

They could be home in their warm beds, sleeping, or (worse) eating sugary cereal and watching television. Instead, they’re in a wet parking lot on an autumn morning at a CrossFit Level 1 Certification, learning to teach the CrossFit Method.

They could be at a regular gym, inside, on the treadmill, walking to nowhere, hating what they are doing, mind-numbing themselves to their very existence in this life. Sleep-walking every day. Listening to the droning voices that say, “That’s dangerous” or  “Squatting below parallel is bad for you” or “Deadlifts will hurt your back” or “Don’t drop the weights.”

Be quiet. Be a good girl. Stay in line. Don’t rock the boat.

Well, f*** that.

Welcome to CrossFit. The revolution has begun.

We won’t believe the hype. We won’t listen to the money-making lies in the diet and exercise industry that have resulted in Americans being fatter and more out of shape than ever before. We won’t fool ourselves into thinking that fitness can come without effort, without sweat, without some kind of pain. We refuse to believe that you should eat 6-11 servings of grains every day. We don’t want to end up in nursing homes, weak and tired. We want to be strong to the end — and now’s the time to build that body and that mindset. Whatever your age, it’s not too late.

Toss the Food Pyramid into the garbage, along with your processed foods and your Big Mac crap and the rest of the junk that is killing you. Read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, shop at your local farm stand, eat something that was grown, not made. And then get your a** moving. Lift heavy things. Chase each other. Chase excellence. And see what happens to your body, your mind, your spirit.

If the changes aren’t good, then don’t keep CrossFitting. Go back to your old ways. But, if CrossFit makes your life better in any single way, then abandon bull**** and embrace CrossFit. There are thousands of people around the globe making the same choice today. They’ve left a non-existence behind and decided to really be in the game of life. You could do the same.

A lot of people know the Woody Guthrie song “This Land is Your Land.” What they often don’t know is this verse:

As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said “No Trespassing.”
But on the other side it didn’t say nothing,
That side was made for you and me.

See that sign in the photo above? Guess what? On the other side, it don’t say nothing. That side was made for you and me.

(Text by Lisbeth Darsh/www.crossfitwatertown.com.)

WOD 100809

Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
Row 250 meters
Sumo deadlift highpull 95 pounds, 21 reps

Pull-ups 15 reps

The article below is by Lisbeth Darsh, of CrossFit Watertown.  Lisbeth is editor of the CrossFit A-blog, a terrific writer, and the go-to person at CrossFit HQ for over 1400 Affiliate gyms.  

CrossFit and the Warrior Within

Most of us are not Marines or Navy SEALs. We’re not cops or firefighters. Most of us don’t live heroic lives or even talk about bravery in any real context. We know little of real need, and less of sacrifice. Instead of facing danger daily, most of us face boredom daily; there is too much of everything in America. We have wants and large appetites. Discipline is relegated to putting half a teaspoon of sugar in our tea, or buying a smaller car to save on gas, or skipping dessert. Like it or not, this is modern-day America. We are not warriors. Yet, within our microcosm of daily abundance, we CrossFit. We willingly subject ourselves to a rigorous, demanding program that brings us to our knees. Why?

Why CrossFit? Why not just go to a globo-gym and use the cupholder on the elliptical and watch the mindless television on the treadmill and push ourselves only as hard as we feel like? Why not take the easy path?  Why subject ourselves to an hour of agony each day, alone in our garages, or in a group at an affiliate, driven by some crazed trainer who asks questions like, “Doesn’t that suck?” And when we gasp, “Yes!” she laughs and hoots, “Faster!”  Why take the sweat-soaked, muscle-aching, tear-producing, hand-tremoring path of pain and perseverance that goes by the name CrossFit?

Because we must. Because CrossFit hurts. Because it makes us cry. Because it really sucks. Because it is the hardest thing we’ve ever had to do. Because it is the easiest thing we’ve ever had to do. Because we hate it. Because we love it. Because, ultimately, we want to know what courage really is. Because, in all of our time on this planet, we have never once put our lives on the line and learned what it really, really means to be afraid and step forward anyway. Because in the darkest depths of our workouts, in the minute of greatest pain, in that last ten Burpees of the Filthy Fifty, in the last Clean of “Linda”, in that airless, starry moment when we place one foot over the edge of the cliff and walk forward to see if the very clouds themselves will hold us up, in that moment – that moment alone -- we are truly alive. Matraca Berg sang it best: “Leap. And a net will appear.” That net is us – the person we didn’t know we could be, the warrior within, the conqueror unleashed – that very part of us that forces perseverance, that demands discipline, no matter the consequences. CrossFit brings us to that place inside of ourselves.

In this plush, overfed part of the world that we live in, CrossFit strips us to the bone and lets us see the very marrow of our souls. And what lies there, inside of us, is not always pretty. Sometimes it is a bitter heart, or a quitter’s attitude, or a cheater’s nature.  It is raw and revealed and naked. But it is us. It is who we are, who we were, and, most importantly, who we will be if we do not work harder. In that realization of our own inadequacies, however, lies our very salvation. For, within the confines of the Workout of the Day, if we’re lucky, in that moment of dedication and drive, in that frenzy of encouragement, support, and love for our fellow CrossFitters, we also catch a glimpse of our very best selves – and, if we’re observant, we see it in others too. Through our CrossFitting efforts, we see who we could become, with a little more effort, a little more honesty, and a little more courage.  Just like a faster 5K time, that better self is within our grasp; if we try hard enough, if we do the work, if we believe. Try. Work. Believe.

This is the true challenge: to use CrossFit to become a better person, not just at CrossFit, but in life. Allow CrossFit to awaken that warrior within and then use this force to make a difference. How do we do this? By not settling for the easy option. By not using the phrase “good enough.” By learning to use -- to live -- words like “serve” and “sacrifice” and “community.” By doing the right thing. Always. Even when it hurts the most. Especially when it hurts the most. By living our lives so that thorough examination of our actions reveals only character, prudence, and honor. By living as a warrior should.

Now, more than ever, in this overindulgent society of ours, we need warriors.  We cannot continue to expect our warrior class – our Marines, soldiers, sailors, airmen, cops, and firefighters – to bear the entire burden of protecting the very fabric of our society. We all, in small ways, must do what we can in our communities to uphold values like honesty and justice and responsibility. We must be warriors in our hearts, willing to fight for what is right, and to face the enemy, even when the enemy is us. When we CrossFit, maybe in some small way, we take that first step toward mentally joining the warrior class. And then, hopefully, we take another step. Hopefully, we inspire those around us to join us in what could be described as a crusade for a better society, a better nation, and a better world. The future really is in our hands. Leap. And the net will appear.

The 1-1-1-1-1

Appropriately, the day after I write about Cherrypicking, a max effort CrossFit WOD pops up.  Fun for the experienced lifter, the benefit of attempting max lefts may not be as obvious to a rookie.

This is NOT about burning calories.  It's not even about improving your strength.  The 1-1-1-1-1 WOD is a test of strength, not a stimulant.  Instead, it's about something nearly invisible but definitely palpable: efficient recruitment of force.

Is this a boring topic?  A bit.  I'll make you a deal: take a deep breath, and hold it.  If I'm not done the description by the time you have to exhale, you can skip the rest.  OK?

 

Your muscles are wired together, and to your brain, through your nervous system.  But this system is wired to do LOTS of things, and learn NEW things, all the time.  It's not wired to be perfect at everything.  This system is responsible for turning on individual muscle fibres in the correct sequence, as quickly as possible.  Problem is, the first few times it has to learn a new pattern, that process is NOT quick.  And since the system teaches itself to do the same thing each time it meets the same challenge, you can actually teach your muscles to be slow.

OK, exhale.  The way we get the muscles to twitch more powerfully - to turn on quicker, line things up in sequence, and fire - is to teach speed.  We in the game call that Rate of Force Development.

We're dealing with units that are so tiny that you'd never see it with your naked eye - unless you're seeing a misfire.  An inefficient recruitment of force.  Remember when that guy was pulling that heavy deadlift, and his hamstrings were shaking? Bingo.  The body was struggling to recruit help from anywhere possible, and it was chasing thousands of rabbits at once.  Do that lift a few more times, though, and you're better at getting things lined up in the proper order.

So why do we care?  Well, for one thing, this will make you stronger without making you bigger.  This is exactly how little guys in the 165lbs weight class can do deadlifts over 600lbs.  It will also have an 'umbrella' effect on your other lifts: pulling your maximum higher will make the lighter weights easier.  

There's also a cascade of hormonal release with heavy weights.  For one, insulin sensitivity improves in the muscle, because it's looking to refuel before it begins to repair itself.  Second, the thyroid output of T3 improves to rush nutrients into the system.  Testosterone kicks up a little, which helps in saving protein and preferentially using fat for fuel.

Things like bone density and spinal stability are also improved more efficiently through the use of heavy weights than through the use of repetition.  The stimulus from a high-repetition set of leg extensions is simply not enough to trigger osteoblast (new-bone-generating cells) activity; a heavy set of squats will.

Yes, it's the redemption WOD for muscleheads.  Yes, the coaches yell themselves hoarse.  But the benefits are myriad. Don't skip "singles night."

WOD 100709

Thruster 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

Cherrypicking

May 2008.  My second day of CrossFit. Linda was her name, and she was well versed in the frustration of young men.  And me, just a barbell-lovin' farmboy from "down the line," who had no idea what he was in for...

 Mike and Tyler had been drinking the Kool-Aid since February, and were already seeing results.  I was coming off a 3-year Powerlifting rip, competing in the 198lbs class.  My first WOD was a huge stroke of luck: CrossFit Total.  My second was....a little less lucky.  Though I was pulling 500+ deads on a semiregular basis, my power clean was an abysmal 135; to make up for it, I added weight on the deadlift.  I didn't rush; I paced between exercises.  I tried to keep my thoughts - and my lunch - to myself.  I was partially successful.  I've never run into Linda again.

If CrossFit is good at one thing, it's this: exposing your weaknesses.  The more weak links in the chain, the quicker the chain will snap.  You can only coast on  your strengths so far; ultimately, there's going to be a big confrontation, and the winner ain't a fixed bet, amigo.

There were a lot of scrapes, twists, and pains at Catalyst Games 2009.  Be sure of that.  Some were mentioned once and then tucked away in some dark recess of the unconscious mind to be dealt with later.  Some were temporarily hobbling.  But 48 hours later, there was only one ache being discussed at the Park: regret.  

I wish I hadn't dropped to the Scaled 2 Class.  

I should have kept going. 

I should have shown up and done the first two Events.

 I should have done it as Rx'd.

I should have done it, period.

You never regret the WOD you finish.  You never look longingly at a platform on which you've left everything you had to leave.  You never wish to have all that sweat back.

If a WOD intimidates you, good.  It's exposing a massive opportunity: a chance to strike right at the heart of your weakness.  A chance to kick Mr. Sandbag while his gloves are drooping.  It's a chance to make an investment: to pay a big lump against the principal, not just cover the interest.  Because there IS interest: the longer you wait to deal with this stuff; the more you choose your WODs based on your strengths and ignore the "hard ones"; the more you turn your cheek to that blazing, illuminating bulb, the harder it's going to be for your sight to adjust.

C'mon, Linda.  One more chance, baby.  You and me, down by the river.....

WOD 100609

CrossFit Ontario Challenge Event #3:

1000m Row

50 Box Jumps

50 Double-Unders

...for time.

Backstory: it's the CrossFit Ontario Challenge.  After two events, the huge gym at Moss Park Armoury is tense; speculation about the mystery 3rd event hangs like a red ribbon down the middle of the room.  Competing with us are 70 of the Fittest in Ontario, from CrossFit and fight gyms.

It's been a long day.  After a disastrous first event, Chris and Mike had a bit of redemption in the deadlift/burpee event.  Conversely, Tyler ripped into the top 5 in the first event, but tapped out very early in the second.  Though a Top 10 finish was still possible, he'd have to draw deep into the marrow.  Whitney stands in second place among the Rx Women, right behind a competitor who nearly qualified for the CrossFit Games.  We're eating, resting; Tyler's all over the foam roller like it's their third date.  And then the rowers start rolling out....

Our new buddy Alex Jeffrey has never done a double-under before.  Mike and I are NOT smooth on the fast rope.  Tyler's wondering if his back can hold out for 1000m.  The boys are stressed; Whitney's making friends and chatting, the picture of composure.

In the end, a 6'1" competitive rower would beat her out, but she'd hold onto Second Place Overall.  Unreal.  Tyler would win his heat to finish 11th overall; Chris would hold position; Mike would fall a little further after struggling with the double-unders.  Their times:

Whit - 8:23

Ty - 5:53

Chris - 8:56

Mike - 11:53.  Today, folks, will be a different story.

CrossFit and Pole Dancing

One of the brand new CrossFit converts at the Park is Alecia Hemphill.  Alecia was brought in by Brent Rose - new to the Park crew himself, but a  CrossFitter for over a year at the Y.  Alecia showed up with a friendly smile and a surprising talent: pullups.  She's great at them!  Last Friday, we found out why.  This is her story, in her own words:

Most people when they hear “Pole Dancing”, they automatically think of scantily clad women at strip clubs. But there is a new fitness craze sweeping the world called Pole Dancing for Fitness or Pole Fitness. I got started pole dancing by taking an introductory class at Achieve Fitness for Women about a year ago and I was hooked as soon as I took my first swing around the pole. It was so much fun and such a great workout that I purchased my first pole about a month after I took the class, so I could workout at home. I have been teaching myself ever since that class and I recently went to Las Vegas to take classes with Fawnia Dietrich (one of the women who started pole dancing for fitness) and to watch Felix Cane (Miss Pole World 2009) perform in Cirque du Soleil's Zumanity. There is so much to pole dancing that people do not realize. It takes a lot of core strength and upper body strength to be able to hold yourself on the pole. I decided to start Crossfit to help build my upper body and it is amazing the way it fits with pole dancing. My goal is to start competing in pole competitions next year and hopefully qualify for Miss Pole World in 2011. I am also planning to start teaching Pole Dancing for fitness very soon, just waiting on my new portable dance pole, so I can introduce more people to the world of Pole.

That's a great story.  But until you've tried it, the athleticism required doesn't completely hit home.  Alecia makes it look easy.  It's not.  As Craig and I (and the Friday lunchtime crew) found out, failure is rampant.  Also, hilarious.  First, Alecia shows a few basic moves that she's taught herself in the last year.  Then Craig and I try to just hang onto the bar.  Enjoy.

WOD 100509

30 Muscle-ups for time

Post time to comments.

If you cannot do the muscle-ups do 120 pull-ups and 120 dips.

WOD 100409

21-18-15-12-9-6 and 3 rep rounds of:

Power clean 95 pounds

Sit-ups

Back extensions

WOD 100309

For time:
Run 800 meters
15 left-legged pistols
15 right-legged pistols
25 sit-ups
12 left-legged pistols
12 right-legged pistols
25 sit-ups
9 right-legged pistols
9 left legged pistols
25 sit-ups
Run 800 meters

"Pistol" is one-legged squat with Kettlebell or dumbbell. Use 1½ pood Kettlebell or 55 pound dumbbell for pistols. Post time to comments.

Mike's Fall Running Group starts Today!  

Monday is Day 1 for both our October OnRamp Group (7am on Queen) and our Barbell Bettys (7pm at the Park!)  The 7pm CrossFit Group is still a go at the Park - Whitney takes the reins while Ty takes the Bettys!

Tuesday is the first day of our Indoor Cycling Group (6pm on Queen.)  What a WEEK we're going to have coming up!

WINNER OF OUR CATALYST GAMES 2009 PHOTO CONTEST IS KATHLEEN McGUIRE!  

FranFest 09

November 21, 2009

Format: 

In Tournament format, teams of two square off head-to-head with other teams.  Fastest team to complete "Fran" twice (once per member) wins and moves on to the next round; other teams are eliminated.

16 Teams will be accepted.  Teams will be chosen randomly from entrants.  One caveat: an existing Catalyst member may choose a member who has never competed in a Catalyst event (including Catalyst Games 2008 or 2009, Murph, Baseline Week, Virtualmeets, Fight On Friday, etc.) to be their partner.

Throw your name in: 256-1344!

Today's WOD:
Complete 5 rounds for time of:
Deadlifts x 7 reps (275#)
30 Air Squats
7 Handstand Push Ups