CrossFit Montgomery County

In CrossFit (as in life) you can have either excuses or results, but not both. You may have a very valid excuse for not getting your work done on time, not keeping your back arched, not having any money saved up, not going all the way down on your squat or whatever, but the reality is that if you have an excuse then there’s something awesome you’re missing out on. I’d be willing to bet that whatever it is, it’s probably something you want REALLY bad, yet for some reason you seem to find all kinds of reason you *can’t* get it, do it or be it, and it always seems to be caused by something completely outside of your control.

I call bullshit. The truth is that if you want results you’ll eliminate the excuses and find a way. I don’t care what the excuse is, how valid it is, how good it is, or how often it has happened to you – if you can articulate a reason that you don’t have the results you would ideally like to have, and if that reason remotely involves anything you can’t control, then you’ve got an excuse. And I hope it’s a really good one, because you’ve decided to live with IT instead of that result.

One of my favorite Greg Glassman quotes is, “Winners are remarkably adept at figuring out what’s required to win.” You’ll notice the ‘never say die’ kind of undertone to it. It doesn’t say “Winners are remarkably adept at finding excuses for why they can’t win.” Stop whining and get to it.

Another quote that bears mentioning was from the movie “The Rock”, where Sean Connery says to Nicolas Cage, “Losers always whine about their ‘best’…winners go home and f*** the prom queen.”

So get over yourself and lose the excuses. Nobody wants to hear them anyway. Get the results you want – it’s way cooler to be a badass than to whine about all the things holding you back.

Buy-In:

Snatch Practice

WOD:

5 Rounds for time:

10 Snatches (95/65)
15 Pushups
20 Box Jumps

Cash-Out:

30 Pistols on each leg

In Flanders Fields
-John McCrae, 1915.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

And then, inspired by that poem, Moina Michael wrote:

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

Class Schedule Today: 10:00a, 11:00a
On-Ramp WILL be meeting tonight at 7:00p

Memorial Day WOD:

Choose your own Hero WOD, and honor their memory and their service by giving it everything you’ve got. That’s what they did.

JT
Michael
Murph
Daniel
Josh
Jason
Badger
Joshie
Nate
Randy
Tommy V
Griff
Ryan
Erin
Mr. Joshua
DT
Danny
Hansen
Tyler
Stephen
Garrett
War Frank
McGhee
Paul
Jerry
Nutts
Arnie

If it weren’t for the fact that the TV set and the refrigerator are so far apart, some of us wouldn’t get any exercise at all. ~Joey Adams

Fitness – if it came in a bottle, everybody would have a great body. ~Cher

The word aerobics came about when the gym instructors got together and said, “If we’re going to charge $10 an hour, we can’t call it jumping up and down.” ~Rita Rudner

I have to exercise in the morning before my brain figures out what I’m doing. ~Marsha Doble

I really don’t think I need buns of steel. I’d be happy with buns of cinnamon. ~Ellen DeGeneres

Aerobics: a series of strenuous exercises which help convert fats, sugars, and starches into aches, pains, and cramps. ~Author Unknown

Any workout which does not involve a certain minimum of danger or responsibility does not improve the body – it just wears it out. ~Norman Mailer

An hour of basketball feels like 15 minutes. An hour on a treadmill feels like a weekend in traffic school. ~David Walters

People say that losing weight is no walk in the park. When I hear that I think, yeah, that’s the problem. ~Chris Adams

Friday WOD:

“Nutts”

For time:
10 Handstand push-ups
250 pound Deadlift, 15 reps
25 Box jumps, 30 inch box
50 Pull-ups
100 Wallball shots, 20 pounds, 10′
200 Double-unders
Run 400 meters with a 45lb plate

And it’s a good thing too, considering I lost my voice yesterday afternoon. Yep, it’s gone. Totally and completely. I felt it getting a little weird on Tuesday night and it had a certain Barry White quality all day Wednesday. And then it happened – around 7:00 it pretty much completely disappeared. So the next day or two (hopefully not more) will be a little strange as I’ll be teaching by example and not telling anyone, well, anything really. Do me a favor – help me out a little and ask questions in yes/no format as much as possible since I really don’t want to be writing my answers on the whiteboard all day, and besides, it *really* hurts to try and talk.

Thanks – you’re all very much appreciated. But don’t worry about me – I’ll be back to screaming at you in no time!

Buy-In:

Overhead Squat

5-5-5-5

WOD:

As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:

10 Ring Pushups
10 Front Squats (75/53)
10 V-Ups

Cash-Out:

100 Double-Unders

We had a great workout at CrossFit Montgomery County yesterday. We started out by warming up for about 10 minutes with several different kinds of pullups, pushups, shoulder mobility movements, hip-capsule opening exercises and full-depth squats (way past the recommended maximum depth). After the warm-up we reviewed deadlifting technique, talked about and practiced proper spinal stabilization and hip drive during a deadlift, and then we repeated the movement about 20 times with between 95 and 185 lbs (deadlifts are hard, but practicing them is the only way to get better at them).

After we practiced the deadlift technique as a class, we reviewed thrusters with just the barbell (45 lbs for men and 33 lbs for women). We drilled the front squat, talked about elbow position to keep the bar frozen to the shoulders throughout the movement, emphasized hip drive (again) and the full balanced overhead lockout position with a heavy load. Then we practiced the whole movement about 10 times while being corrected here and adjusted there to insure maximum efficiency, and then it was time to start the actual workout.

“Fran” is very difficult, moving 95 lbs from the bottom of a front squat to the top of a push press a total of 45 times with 45 pullups as well (21 reps of each, then 15 reps of each, and then 9 reps of each). The clock started, we all did our first thruster, and after several minutes we were all done. None of us could breathe, stand, move or use our hands for about 15 minutes because of the pain and fatigue, but we all finished. Yesterday’s winner was Kevin (pictured here in typical post-Fran agony) who accomplished this horrific feat in 3:34, and earned a spot at the top of the Leader Board for his incredible performance.

Yep, it was a great day. Lots of personal records, lots of fantastic work done, and lots of improvements made. We lifted heavy things off the floor, pushed heavy things over our heads, pulled our entire body weight way up in the air, and we did it all several times and *very* quickly. Congratulations everyone. I have no idea how many calories you burned (the barbells don’t come with calorie counters), but judging by the amount of weight you moved and the way you all looked after completing the workout (and the fact that none of you could speak for several minutes), I know you gave 100% of yourself. Good work.

Buy-In:

Overhead Squat (for technique – 65 lb. cap)
5-5-5-5

WOD:
Another Friggin’ Obstacle Course

5 Rounds for time of:

Frogger
Farmer’s Plate Walk
Hand Hops
Catch With Myself
Run With Stuff

Cash-Out:

Not today

For those of you who don’t already know, the 2010 CrossFit Games are going to be held at the Home Depot Center in L.A. on July 16-18. This is a grueling test to find out who is the world’s fittest man and woman, and is one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever seen.

CrossFit HQ is going all out this year and streaming the games live over the web, and we’ve got something special planned for the event. We’re going to get a projector, a barbecue, some dead animal to grill and some beverages to consume, and host a party at the gym to watch Mikko Salo fight to defend his title (Tonya Wagner has announced she’s not going to do the individual competition, but focus on the Affiliate Cup instead). Saturday and Sunday (and probably some on Friday too), we’re going to check the CrossFit Games website to find out what the workouts are going to be, and then we’re going to do them. Shortly after we’re done, we’re going to turn the live streaming on, point the projector at the wall, and watch how they’re *supposed* to be done by some of the fittest athletes in the world.

Every one of you have at least one person you know who would *love* CrossFit if they would just come in and give it a shot. Well this is a great chance to show them what it’s all about – bring them in, have them watch all of us idiots do the insanity that they’ve come up with for the Games, and then hang out with all of us grilling burgers and other various meats while seeing what CrossFit is really all about. It’s going to be a blast, and I’m really looking forward to it!

Please RSVP for yourself and anyone you may be bringing (I’ll put a registration form up on the website in the next few days) so we’ll know how much food to get. This will all be completely free – just bring a friend and come play.

Buy-In:

Deadlift 5-5-5-5

WOD:

“Fran”

21-15-9 reps for time of:

Thrusters (95/63)
Pullups

Cash-Out:

50 Pushups (on the platforms, hands and feet in the booties)

Last Friday I posted a blurb essentially making fun of the Jump Snap, a “ropeless jump rope” system that purportedly burns “about 10% more calories” than actually jumping over an actual rope. Many of you came into the gym on Friday to congratulate me on finding an (allegedly) amusing product that seems to have little use for those of us who like to accomplish something (like an increased work capacity over broad time and modal domains, for example) during our workouts. Well, it seems that I offended Jump Snap Inventor Brad LaTour, who was gracious enough to leave a comment regarding the purpose and efficacy of the Jump Snap, not to mention perhaps hinting that I’m an arrogant asshole (which is probably true, let’s be honest here) who is dead set on ignoring every other possible method to help people to get off their lazy butts other than whatever I happen to be peddling (which is not true, since we’re being honest). So with that in mind, I would like to set the record straight on where I stand with this whole U.S. Obesity Epidemic thing.

Yes, we live in a country full of people who require too much of the national textile supply in order to keep themselves from being arrested for indecent exposure. But as a point of reference, according to the National Institute of Health’s BMI Calculator, at 5’8″ and 165 lbs, I’m overweight. Judging by the photo here I think I’m more guilty of being pasty, pale and needing a tan than being overweight. This is not to say that there aren’t a large portion of Americans who could stand to be banished from purchasing ice cream forever; HOWEVER, it is my personal (and professional) opinion that helping people pretend they’re accomplishing something is not the same thing as helping people improve their lives. But, with that potentially volatile statement made, I would like to state for the record that Mr. LaTour and I are absolutely and most definitely on the same side. If someone is making the choice between buying the Jump Snap (however silly I may believe it to be) and lying dormant on the couch for another 15 years, then I would suggest they buy the Jump Snap immediately. Buy 3 or 4 of them and tie them to your legs if you have to, but for God’s sake don’t lie on the couch day in and day out.

But when it comes to making a choice between “not doing nothing” (which is what the Jump Snap is, in my opinion) and actually becoming fit (as is clearly defined in the “What Is Fitness” article by Greg Glassman, founder of CrossFit), I’ll choose suggesting fitness over jumping an imaginary rope every time.

You buy the Jump Snap. I’ll buy the barbell. It’s not an issue of judgment, it’s an issue of commitment. I’m committed. Are you?

Buy-In:

Deadlift Technique

5-5-5-5

(135 lb. cap on weight)

WOD:

As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:

5 Hang Power Cleans (115/73)
10 Wallballs
5 Slurpees

Cash-Out:

Spit Shine your Turkish Get Up

Today’s great fitness product that would be better off dropped into an active volcano is the Jump Snap. If you’re having trouble getting consecutive double-unders, perhaps the problem is with the rope you’re using and not your lack of coordination and/or rhythm. This wonderful tool promises to make jumping rope fantastically easy, mainly by removing the *rope* part of the jump rope. Yeah, if it weren’t for that pesky rope getting tangled in my legs all the time, I could jump rope like forever. It has a “built-in computer” to count jumps and calories (hey, maybe we could use it in Fight Gone Bad next time in lieu of rowing), and it even makes a “snapping” noise so it sounds like you’re actually jumping a real rope! Visit the site, watch the 3 minute video, and see how the Jump Snap can make you a double-under master.

And no, you can’t use these to finish off “The Filthy Fifty.” At least not at MY gym…

Buy-In:

Arrive at gym

WOD:

“Barbara”

5 Rounds for time of:

20 Pullups
30 Pushups
40 Situps
50 Squats

Rest 3 minutes between rounds

Cash-Out:

Consume post workout recovery beverage of choice

Nice pink socks, Casey. And what’s that thing between your hands, anyway? Actually they’re not socks, they’re surgical booties, and that piece of trash between her hands is a flattened out water bottle with sand in it. Some of you may accuse me of making people do goofy stuff like this for my own entertainment (which wouldn’t be far from the truth), but in fact there’s an actual reason behind both of those items.

I made everyone wear those ridiculous booties on Tuesday for the pushup portion of the chipper (though most other people chose to wear the black ones I have) and put their feet on the finished wood platforms for the same reason that kids like wearing socks on hardwood floors: because they slide. See, you may not realize it but most of the time when you’re doing a pushup you’re not pushing up, you’re actually pushing out with your hands and backwards with your feet. The result is that you end up sort of suspended between your hands and feet, like one of those cheap pullup bars you install in a doorway by twisting it for 2 hours to brace against the frame until it can hold your weight. (This is usually shortly before a trip to Home Depot to buy new molding before your wife gets home and finds the huge cracks you made when you tried to kip).

Anyway, this “suspension pushup” usually results in a sagging spine due to REALLY loose abs and a total loss of midline stabilization. The butt generally sticks up too, showing not only loose abs but also loose glutes. Enter the pink booties.

By putting on these horrific booties and then putting your feet on the finished wood, you are (for the most part) physically unable to get into that “suspension” position because any pushing forward and out with your hands make your feet slide backward and you’ll collapse. Likewise, if you *don’t* keep your abs actively tight throughout the entire pushup, your feet will slide backward and you’ll collapse.

So the point of the booties is to force midline stabilization during pushups, which will in turn improve your overall core strength, which will make you a better CrossFitter (and give you way better abs). Oh, and the bottle filled with sand is to make sure your chest goes *all* the way down. The rule on the bottles is simple: make the bottle sing. I don’t care if you touched it with your shirt – if I can’t hear it crinkle, you didn’t do a pushup.

Just wait until I make you do pushups with the booties on your feet AND hands (which is coming soon to a WOD near you…)

Buy-In:

Front Squats 5-5-3-3

WOD:

“Despiser” (Thanks to Chef at CrossFit Breakaway for making me suffer through this yesterday)

3 Rounds for time of:

21 Burpees to rings (minimum 6″ jump to touch the rings)
5 Turkish Get Ups per side, (35/25)
21 KettleBell Swings (53/35)

Cash-Out:

25 Shoot-Throughs

These quotes can all help you, if you let them. I’m a big quote nut, so I’m going to share a few good thoughts I’ve come across lately. Enjoy…

“Suffering, once accepted, loses its edge, for the terror of it lessens, and what remains is generally far more manageable than we had imagined.” -Lesley Hazelton

“There will always be a sacrifice required for results. It is the early bird who gives up sleeping in to get the worm. To get what you want, right on the heels of deciding what that is, you must also decide what you will do in exchange for the results you desire.” -James Ball

“The secret of joy in work is contained in one word-excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.” -Pearl Buck

“There is no comparison between that which is lost by not succeeding and that which is lost by not trying.” -Francis Bacon

“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.” -John Wooden

“There isn’t a person anywhere that isn’t capable of doing more than he thinks he can.” -Henry Ford

Buy-In:

Front Squat 5-5-3-3

WOD:

North Central Regional Individual Final Workout:

10 Snatches (145/95)
20 C2B Pullups
30 Stick Jumps (24″/20″)
40 Ball Slams (45/30)
30 Stick Jumps
20 C2B Pullups
10 Snatches

Cash-Out:

Handstand hold – 2 minutes