2009...won't you be mine?

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Sex on Fire!

This is the jam. Plain and simple.

I'm Still Thankful...

Today I am thankful for being reminded about patience. Sometimes I find it hard not to go get something when I want it. I realized this morning if I would have acted when I wanted, it would have been a selfish move. I was thinking about myself and everything I wanted, and not the other person. Patience is virtue, and I'm fortunate to have found it in time.

To go get it, or wait for it to come back around, that is the question. Anybody have an answer?

Be Thankful,

I am thankful for many things these days.

I am very thankful for the friends I've had over the years, and the close friends I still have today. I am also thankful for the support my family has given me throughout college.
I am thankful for the opportunities that I have been given, and the success that I've had. I am thankful for the words of wisdom I've been given, and the ability to accept the meanings to have a new outlook on life.
I am thankful for every experience which humbles the soul, reminding you that something greater is always in control. I am thankful to know the difference between situations I can control, and those I cannot.
And lastly, I am thankful for being reminded that I don't always have to stop and think before I speak, because when you speak from your heart those who need to hear the message will.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

Think Your a Man?

They only way you can truly control what food goes into your body is by cooking it yourself. What was that...did you say "I don't know how to cook"? Better check your Manliness.

Going Heavy..really heavy

Check out this guy. 617lb Front Squat..Twice!


Oh yeah, this guy is also the world record holder in the Clean & Jerk..no big deal. 580lbs!

Tips on Dinning Out

We all know it's easy to eat out. We are either too lazy to cook, on the go, or just haven't shopped for groceries in a while. I hear from clients all the time that they don't think it's possible to stay on the Zone when dinning out. I say poppycock. Before you get to the restraunt you know if your going to indulge in that 10 block meal or not! If staying in the Zone is important to you you'll make it happen. Check out a few rules CFCSS presents: EAT THIS! recommends for you to stay in the Zone while eating out.

RULES FOR EATING OUT

1. Never eat the rolls or bread brought to the table.
2. Choose a low fat protein off the menu and ask to replace starches with extra vegetables.
3. Drink a glass of water while waiting for you meal to arrive.
4. If the protein you ordered is significantly bigger than the size of your palm, take the extra home with you for another meal.
5. If you must have dessert when dining out, do not have any carbs with your dinner. Order any dessert you would like, and only eat half.

Tabata Turkeys Win!

My team came through huge today as we won the Lean Turkey Challenge. We had some strategy going into the workout, but in came down to shear grit and grind once it started. After witnessing the first heat, I knew the winner was going to be the team who could finish the most reps under the time cap of 30 minutes. It was fun team, steak and lobsters all around.

Check out pics from the workout

D-Day Here

November 22 is finally here. The 6 Week Lean Turkey Challenge is finally coming to an end. I can only hope my team comes out victorious against the other coaches teams. There is no doubt everyone has been busting their butts the past 6 weeks, this only ensures their will be great competition during the challenge. Tabata Turkeys have one thing on their minds.... and thats eating steak and lobster all night long!

Quote un-Quote

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, "I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along." . . . You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

- Eleanor Roosevelt

Better Than You Were Yesterday

Sometimes I find it hard to gather my thoughts and develope clear, concise statements. At times my mind is working 100mph. I then develope these ideas which turn into feelings which lead into all kinds of other stuff. I create this web-like system of how so many things are related in my mind, and I lose my current "single"topic amongst everything. Lately I have been lucky enough to come across some articles written by other people that express the way I feel about certain topics/issues. My problem could be elaborating and staying on topic...I need to work on that.

Here is another Jon Gilson article from Again Faster.

In October of 2006, Greg Glassman gave me the most important lesson of my life. It has nothing to do with barbells or pull-ups, sweat or pain. In fact, it has very little to do with exercise at all.His words, paraphrased and non-profound: The pursuit of excellence is rewarded. Simple and axiomatic, it would be easy to dismiss this lesson as self-help drivel. Yet put into action, it is the most powerful thing on the planet. It’s taken me two years to appreciate its potency, and ten short months to see its effects.I’ve pared it down for my own use, coining a three-word phrase that reminds me that today is not just another day: Better than yesterday.Today is an opportunity to run faster than ever before. To lift more weight. To make better videos and write better articles. To create better athletes. To make every client happy. To embrace the fact that yesterday’s efforts were nothing more than an unsatisfactory attempt at an uncompromising ideal.
You've got to reject where you are before you can get where you're going.
“Better than yesterday” is hard. It requires you to be your own worst critic, while maintaining the belief that you are fully capable of remedying your own faults. This juxtaposition can be hard to sustain. It is easy to find satisfaction in mere competency, to believe that the job you’re doing is the best you can do. The identification of fault is much harder on the ego, an unending assault on the bastion of identity. “Better than yesterday”, with its implicit focus on excellence and explicit criticism of self, is an uncomfortable place. I have a whiteboard in my office, bearing the unceremonious title “Things We Suck At”. This list is the CEO of Again Faster, and it says nasty things about me and my company. It keeps me honest and unsatisfied, and the second I become smug, it’s there to drive me into action, mocking me for my shortcomings. I don’t particularly like to look at that whiteboard, but it keeps us on a beeline toward excellence, and it’s done more for our company than any consultant ever could.When Greg drew a capital “E” on the whiteboard at CrossFit Boston and launched into the relationship between excellence and reward, I understood his point, but I didn’t really get it. The concept was too vague. Two years later, “better than yesterday” has given me a concrete way to act on his philosophy, and the results have been profound. We’re way better off than we were yesterday, and tomorrow will prove to be even brighter. Take this philosophy, and apply it to your pursuits, whether personal or professional. You’ll find, as I did, that excellence boils down to a simple truth: you’ve got to reject where you are before you can get where you’re going. You've got to be better than you were yesterday.

Power and Work: Crossfit

Power (physics), the amount of work done or energy transferred per unit of time.

Ever wonder how much power or work you are producing during your Crossfit workouts?

Check out Work & Power Output Calculator, and plug in your movements and time.

You Need Me

I came across this on AgainFaster.com

You Need Me
-You are not wired for progress. You seek a state of sameness, one where mental and physical stressors are nonexistent, and every day is just like the one before. Routine is bliss for your underperforming ass.It’s not your fault. Evolution left you ready to do battle with nature, and civilization gave you a neutron bomb. You should be outside, spear in one hand and shield in the other, looking for something to kill. Instead, you’ve got forty-five aisles of floor-to-ceiling shrink-wrapped grub, obtainable with nothing more than a plastic card and a smile.
I’m a grizzly bear charging at twenty miles an hour, the uncertainty of your next meal, and the reason you sleep with one eye open.
You should be sprinting away from predators, seeking safety, but you’ve got fences, freeways, and a fifteen-digit algorithmically protected front door. You’ve got two guns, a can of mace, four layers of body armor, and nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, your DNA doesn’t know this. Your hindbrain is programmed to save your resources for another day, conserving energy for an apocalyptic event that will never come. “Eat more, move less,” it says, and you’re eager to comply. The result is a forty-five inch waist and a mean case of diabetes.You need a prod. A thousand volt, fifty-milliamp foot to the backside, designed to override your nonsensical attachments to comfort. You need me.I am the stress that humanity has removed from your existence. I’m a grizzly bear charging at twenty miles an hour, the uncertainty of your next meal, and the reason you sleep with one eye open. I’m your coach.I’m not yelling at you because I’m angry. I’m yelling because you need to be shoved away from calm and toward performance, brought to a place where death is imminent and action is the only option, and it’s my job to bring you there.When my volume goes up and my tone gets clipped, you move rapidly. You execute. You drive faster and further into physiological discomfort, and you stay there. You leave six-way adjustable leather seats and lumbar support for the weak, and transport yourself to a place where ease is a distant memory. Your hindbrain wakes up, and those resources, heretofore held for Armageddon, know that it’s go time. Fat melts, lungs sear, and muscles break down, all in service of getting away from me. Day after day, you undergo this process, overcoming unreasonable obstacles until your recalcitrant brain is born again hard. Embracing pain and shunning comfort, you’re ready to kill or be killed. You’re rewired, no longer subject to the temptations of easy living and all-you-can eat buffets. You’re an athlete.
The pull of a painless life is too great to get here alone. You need me, the harbinger of change, the bullwhip, the irresistible rush of progress. I am your ticket to growth, and I’m sending you to battle civilization’s paradox with nothing more than a pointy stick. Ironically, you’ll win, and if that apocalypse ever comes, you’ll be ready.

Why Water?

We all know that water is good for us, but often the reasons are a little fuzzy. And even if we know why we should drink water, it's not a habit that many people form.But there are some very powerful reasons to drink lots of water every day, and forming the habit isn't hard, with a little focus.The thing about it is, we don't often focus on this habit. We end up drinking coffee, and lots of soda, and alcohol, not to mention fruit juices and teas and milk and a bunch of other possibilities. Or just as often, we don't drink enough fluids, and we become dehydrated -- and that isn't good for our health.Here are 9 powerful reasons to drink water.

Weight loss. Water is one of the best tools for weight loss, first of all because it often replaces high-calorie drinks like soda and juice and alcohol with a drink that doesn't have any calories. But it's also a great appetite suppressant, and often when we think we're hungry, we're actually just thirsty. Water has no fat, no calories, no carbs, no sugar. Drink plenty to help your weight-loss regimen.

Heart healthy. Drinking a good amount of water could lower your risks of a heart attack. A six-year study published in the May 1, 2002 American Journal of Epidemiology found that those who drink more than 5 glasses of water a day were 41% less likely to die from a heart attack during the study period than those who drank less than two glasses.

Energy. Being dehydrated can sap your energy and make you feel tired -- even mild dehydration of as little as 1 or 2 percent of your body weight. If you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated -- and this can lead to fatigue, muscle weakness, dizziness and other symptoms.

Headache cure. Another symptom of dehydration is headaches. In fact, often when we have headaches it's simply a matter of not drinking enough water. There are lots of other causes of headaches of course, but dehydration is a common one.

Healthy skin. Drinking water can clear up your skin and people often report a healthy glow after drinking water. It won't happen overnight, of course, but just a week of drinking a healthy amount of water can have good effects on your skin.

Digestive problems. Our digestive systems need a good amount of water to digest food properly. Often water can help cure stomach acid problems, and water along with fiber can cure constipation (often a result of dehydration).

Cleansing. Water is used by the body to help flush out toxins and waste products from the body.

Cancer risk. Related to the digestive system item above, drinking a healthy amount of water has also been found to reduce the risk of colon cancer by 45%. Drinking lots of water can also reduce the risk of bladder cancer by 50% and potentially reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Better exercise. Being dehydrated can severely hamper your athletic activities, slowing you down and making it harder to lift weights. Exercise requires additional water, so be sure to hydrate before, during and after exercise.

Good ol' Food Pyramid

Not the newsest food pyramid, but the one we are most familiar with. Read the article (link at the bottom), and let me know what you think. At least they don't advocate high carb low fat diets. And actually, its not far from what we as Crossfitters do.

Solid Nutrition?

Critics of the USDA food pyramid identify several problems:

The pyramid groups all fats and oils together at the tip, without distinguishing between "good" fats (like olive oil and canola oil, which contain monounsaturated fats) and "bad" fats (saturated fats and trans fatty acids).

Starchy, carbohydrate-packed potatoes are lumped together with the low-calorie, nutrient-rich fleshy and leafy vegetables.

Protein gets only one category in the pyramid. Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts are together despite many nutrient differences.

There is no distinction between high-fat and low-fat dairy products.

Bread, cereal, rice and pasta are in a group at the base, despite the health differences between refined carbohydrates (think white rice) and unrefined ones (brown rice).

With obesity and diabetes at record highs, there is no guidance about the daily need for exercise or portion control.

Read More

Any Takers?

Someone tell me what you think about this. Think you can do more 90 degree pushups than this guy?

And the pass is.....!!!

Tonight, my intramural flag football team was in the championship game to be university champs. The game was against a rival team, the TKE's. This is how it ended.

Score is 6-2, Titans are up. TKE's have the ball with 3 seconds left about 20 yards away from the end zone. The snap comes, with the TKE quarterback in deep shotgun he drops back even further with the Titans rushing 2. They are getting in quick with hands in the air. The QB, under heavy pressure, throws ups a hail mary. The Titans were already playing deep so getting burned didn't seem to be an issue. With the players waiting in the end zone like a bride was tossing her bouquet, they all jump, and to everybody's surprise the pass is caught. By a TKE. With no time left. The Titans were left walking around with puzzled faces while the TKE's stormed the field. Very dramatic...guess you just had to be there. In case you were wondering, it looked like this.

Ouch! Piriformis Syndrome

What causes this problem?

The symptoms of sciatica come from irritation of the sciatic nerve. Many doctors think that the condition begins when the piriformis muscle goes into spasm and tightens against the sciatic nerve, squeezing the nerve against the bone of the pelvis.

What does the condition feel like?

Piriformis syndrome commonly causes pain that radiates down the back of the leg. The pain may be felt only on one side, though it is sometimes felt on both sides. The pain can radiate down the leg all the way to the foot and may be confused for a herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Changes in sensation and weakness in the leg or foot are rare. Some people say they feel a sensation of vague tingling down the leg.

Know your body and know your limits. Unfortunately I'm going through this right now and it's not something people want to experience :(. Make sure you don't rush rest. You want to be 100% pain free/ recovered before resuming your usual exercise program. Wish me fast healing!

Functional Training- Part 2

This was the view the morning after the snow storm in my last post. Snow, everywhere, and completely covering my car. After our last ditch effort the previous night to keep the driveway from icing over, the last thing I wanted to do was shovel again. Physiologically I knew I was capable, phsycologically I wasn't sure. But then it hit me...I was a Crossfitter. I train my body to be able to perform and function for the unkown. I had no idea(living in Texas)that I would accumulate 5+ hours of shoveling in one day, in blistering cold at that.


So what can you do? The only thing you can do..be ready! Train your body accordingly with the demands of life.

Functional Training

What a crazy workout this was! Shoveling never-ending snow fall from the driveway and sidewalk. It's always nice knowing I'm ready and able when the time comes again.

Nervous? Part-1

Why should we regularly do things that make us nervous? Why is it that we get nervous at all? More then likely this "situation" is playing to a weakness, exposing incapacity in that area. Often, people avoid these situations as a means of eliminating the discomfort. This takes away one aspect of your life. The opposite should be done to truly gain control of your life. Confront the situation that makes you nervous and participate. In the end the nervousness will diminish, and your new found confidence will expose you to more opportunity.

So....

Train your weaknessess! Lift heavy and fast, speak in front of a large crowd, stand on top of a high building. Whatever makes you nervous, do that. Regularly challenge yourself to live your life the way you want to. There's nothing to it, but to do it...it's that simple. What do you have to lose? It's hard to lose something you don't have..so nothing! Having everything to gain makes "doing" well worth the discomfort experienced in the beginning.

Part-2 rant coming soon...

Powerthirst!

I've tried different things to enhance my performance. Taking a Paleo/Zone approach to my nutrition, and using Advocare are only going to get me so far. Powerthirst...here I come!

I Will Act Now!

"I will act now. I will act now. I will act now. Henceforth, I will repeat these words each hour, each day, everyday, until the words become as much a habit as my breathing, and the action which follows becomes as instinctive as the blinking of my eyelids. With these words I can condition my mind to perform every action necessary for my success. I will act now. I will repeat these words again and again and again. I will walk where failures fear to walk. I will work when failures seek rest. I will act now for now is all I have. Tomorrow is the day reserved for the labor of the lazy. I am not lazy. Tomorrow is the day when the failure will succeed. I am not a failure. I will act now. Success will not wait. If I delay, success will become wed to another and lost to me forever. This is the time. This is the place. I am the person."

-Og Mandino

America's Worst Breakfast Foods

...compliments of Mens Health: Eat This Not That

Worst Side Dish
Burger King Hash Browns (large)620 calories40 g fat (11 g saturated; 13 g trans)1,200 mg sodium60 g carbs Yes, you’re ingesting more than a meal’s worth of calories from a side dish, but the real cause for concern here is that these little potato cakes pack seven times more trans fats than you’re supposed to eat all day! Until BK learns to cut out the partially hydrogenated oils, avoid encounters with potatoes of any kind at that fatty food joint.

Eat This Instead! Burger King Egg & Cheese Croissan’wich300 calories17 g fat (6 g saturated; 2 g trans)740 mg sodium 26 g carbs

Worst Breakfast Sandwich
Hardee’s Monster Biscuit710 calories51 g fat (17 g saturated)2,250 mg sodium37 g carbohydrates When they say “Monster,” they mean it. This 700-calorie behemoth should be enough to scare anyone: It contains nearly a full day’s worth of sodium and saturated fat.

Instead try the Sunrise Croissant with Bacon. It’s not exactly diet-friendly, but if you’re stuck at Hardee’s, it’s a way to escape without too much damage. Eat This Instead! Hardee’s Sunrise Croissant with Bacon450 calories 29 g fat (12 g saturated)900 mg sodium28 g carbs

Worst Kids Meal
Denny’s Big Dipper French Toastix with margarine and syrup770 calories71 g fat (13 g saturated)107 g carbs As important as it is for mom and dad to eat a good breakfast each morning, it’s even more critical that their kids do. After all, breakfast affects their energy levels, metabolism, and performance in school. Better think twice before feeding them these dubious little sticks

Eat This Instead!Kid’s D-Zone Smiley Alien Hotcakes340 calories12 g fat (5 g saturated)49 g carbs Worst PastryCinnabon Classic Cinnamon Roll813 calories32 g fat (5 g trans fat)117 g carbs You wouldn’t start your day with three brownies, would you? As far as your body knows, that’s exactly what you’ll be doing if you wake up with this cinnamon-swirled disaster area. In fact, because Cinnabon offers no healthy alternatives, you’ll have to invite friends (or enemies?) to share the risky roll, or steer clear of Cinnabon altogether.

Worst Smoothie
Smoothie King Grape Expectations II (40 oz.)1,102 calories256 g sugars740 mg sodium Why Smoothie King would even offer a 40 oz. serving size is beyond us. With more than half the calories you need in a day and the sugar equivalent of 12 Haagen Dasz ice cream bars, this “drink” should be renamed "diabetes in a glass." Just goes to show you the importance of drinking responsibly.

Drink This Instead!Smoothie King Low Carb Strawberry Smoothie (20 oz.)268 calories 3g sugars 176 mg sodium

Worst Combo Meal
McDonald’s Deluxe Breakfast1,360 calories64 g fat (22 g saturated)2,325 mg sodium160 g carbs49 g sugars With four vehicles for refined carbohydrates (biscuit, hash browns, hotcakes, syrup), this “deluxe” disaster will send your blood sugar soaring. Why blow nearly an entire day’s calories under the arches, when a perfectly satisfying Egg McMuffin will save you more than 1,000 calories?

Eat This Instead! McDonald’s Egg McMuffin with coffee310 calories12 g fat (5 g saturated)820 mg sodium30 g carbs3 g sugars

Worst Omelet
IHOP Big Steak Omelet1,490 calories(No additional nutrition information available) IHOP doesn’t provide nutritional information aside from calorie counts, but with a boatload of steak, a bucket of cheese, and handfuls of hash browns, this omelet’s fat and sodium numbers are surely just as appalling.

Eat This Instead!IHOP For Me Garden Scramble440 calories

The Worst Breakfast in America!!
Bob Evans Stacked and Stuffed Caramel Banana Pecan Hotcakes1,543 calories77 g fat (26 g saturated; 9 g trans)2,259 mg sodium198 g carbs109 g sugarsIt’s not a good sign when it takes you nearly five seconds to spit out the name of your breakfast. This bad boy packs in more than 75 percent of your calories for the day, along with more sugar and fat than nine glazed Dunkin’ Donuts, and nearly as much sodium as five Bloody Marys.

Eat This Instead!3 Scrambled Egg Beaters with 2 slices of bacon and fresh fruit314 calories19.5 g fat (5 g saturated)700 mg sodium21 g carbs18 g sugars

Nutrition by Robb Wolf: A Crossfit Perspective

This is a blogpost I came across when checking out Crossfit Norcal. So read away dedicated Crossfitters! Click the passage to read the entire post.


NorCal Nutrition: Are We Crazy?

You might have noticed that the nutrition approach we recommend at CrossFit NorCal is a bit...oh, shall I say, contrarian? Where the USDA, AMA and the rest of the Government sponsored entities recommend grains and legumes as the base of the diet, we recommend lean meat, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
That’s crazy, right? aren’t we going to die from heart disease and cancer if we eat meat? How will we ever get fiber if we don’t eat grains!? I mean, fruit and veggies...

Trying Hard... Hurts?

While attempting kipping pull ups last week, Cassie came across her first "rips" as a Crossfitter.

She knows first hand that trying can hurt.

But, for some reason, trying and succeeding at something you never thought possible makes all the pain go away. All of a sudden, the minor aches and pains don't exist anymore, and you find yourself trying once again and doing more than you ever dreamed about.

Now, something so ugly(pic of hand) has become so beautiful.(a lifetime of living out dreams)

This 'Aint Squat..;)

What if I told you to do 5,000 Sumo Squats for time. Think you could do them in an hour? What if we had a WOD (but not likely thank God!) that was Max Sumo Squats in 60 minutes..think you could do over 5,ooo? Check out this video of the current world record holder doing Sumo Squats for an hour!

Cardio Respiratory Endurance? Stamina? Strength? Power? Speed? Coordination? Accuracy? Agility? Balance?
* Please post your thoughts on which of the 10 General Fitness Skills you believe are taking place! ie...Crossfit Coaches!

Lean Turkey: Walt

Walt has tipped the scales as a top Crossfitter at Crossfit Central. Just the other day he did his first muscle up on his first try right before a WOD which had muscle ups. Walt has also never done a one rep max Push Jerk, and today he hit 185!(he weighs about 150). Below are a few pics of Walt's experience at the gym earlier.

Body Awareness!

Watching this makes me want to step up my gymnastics game! I'll be adding some of these movements into my warmup...haha, ok, probably not. But how sweet would it be if I could..honestly?

Check out:

Double Under Challenge!