Think You Have What it Takes?

According to Crossfit, the gold standard is 2min. of non stop double unders. Think you have what it takes to complete this challenge?

If so, record it so we can all see it! I'll be working on my 2min. of double unders vid. Accepting challenge? Lets see who gets their video up first!

I've done 100 double unders in 57sec. That makes it roughly 200+ double unders in a row once I hit the 2min mark :/. Eww, this might sting a lil bit!


**Sign your name under comments if you accept challenge!

Crossfit Claims Another One!

Janese is one of my one on one clients. She is very much in shape, and a great Crossfitter. Check out the video of her doing a kipping pull up. To her credit, we rarely practice them due to lack of access to bar, but sure enough I demo'd the movement and she flew up there on her first try! She will be getting consecutive kipping pullups in no time.

#1 Seed!

This past week I was involved in a pre-season Flag Football tournament. We ended up beating all of the big name teams, and even beat the defending champs of last years Flag Football season. As a result we will enter the season as the #1 seed, also known as the top ranked team.

I haven't played flag football in 2 years so I wasn't sure how my body was going to respond. All of my conditioning since mid February of this year has been Crossfit and nothing more. During the tournament I noticed I was able to play with a relentless effort throughout the games while some of my peers were huffin n' puffin. My full body strength, flexibility, and endurance gave me much energy, and also protected me against injury. I wasn't running out of gas anytime soon.

Being physically prepared to do whatever, whenever, and do it well is a top priority of mine. It allows me to live life as it comes, and to act in the moment. Knowing that I wouldn't have to train to get in shape to play Flag Football, and make an impact on game play allowed me to be competitive for a sport during my last semester of school. I will never get this time back and I'm glad I will be able to make the most of it.

Crossfit Level 1 Certified!

I was fortunate enough to attend a Crossfit Level 1 certification this past weekend. GSX in Ft. Worth, TX was the hosting gym. I had a chance to meet some of the top contenders from the Crossfit Games, as well as other athletes and coaches from around the U.S.

At the end of the weekend I felt competent in all aspects of the materials being presented to us. I also had a chance to pic up on some great coaching cues.

By the weekends end my legs were the sorest they have ever been. Bottom to Bottom Tabata Squats against Jolie, then a workout that had teams of 6 doing 400 Thrusters mixed with 400m runs (all on Saturday) would do it to you I guess. The 50 Med Ball Cleans in Sunday's workout finished me off.

Check out a Pic of me on the GSX Blog

No more Excuses! Make a Change Now!

Inspired by Coach Carey Kepler's recent success with getting ripped after her pregnancy, I have decided to embark on a mission to also get "Spartan Ripped". I am not fat by any means, just disatisfied with my complacency. Even though my fitness is improving, and I'm leaning out slowly but surely, I feel as though I've coasting at about 80% of my full potential. This entails not staying consistent with working out and not dialing in 100% on my nutrition. It's time to make the change and I'm going to jump start it with a 10 week kick in the ass to get me moving in the direction I should already be in. This will be a journey requiring very strict eating habits (via the Zone), and Crossfitting. I will also be using Advocare Supplements to give me an extra push during wokouts and recovery afterwards. But, I will not be doing this by myself. My lovely girlfriend has decided to get ripped with me!

Date: 8-25-08

Body Weight: 177

% Body Fat: 10.63%

Fat Weight: 177(.1063)= 18.8lbs.

Lean Mass: 177-18.8= 158.2lbs.

Zone Blocks per Day: (158.2/7)(.7)= 16 Blocks

Date: 8-25-08

Body Weight: 135lbs

% Body Fat: 22.96%

Fat Weight: 135(.2296)= 31lbs.

Lean Mass: 135-31= 104lbs.

Zone Blocks per Day: (104/7)(.7)= 10 Blocks

We are doing this during one of the busiest times of our lives. Both of us are in our last semester of college, and working at the same time. Some of our days begin at 4am and don't end until midnight. We are doing this to prove that there are no excuses for not living a lifestyle of your choice. If you're unsatisfied with the way things are currently going it is up to you to make the change. As we all know there is no better time than the present. We could wait around for New Years, or "next week" to begin making a change in our lives, but then we would be doing exactly that...waiting. Wasting time, something that isn't of eternal abundance to us. Time continues to tick with or without us. Have you made the decision to change your life yet?

Crossfit'n Anywhere!

Crossfit'n anywhere, especially under the bleachers here at Texas State University, is nothing new to my clients. Located right next to a track, this spot proves to be an ideal location for many workouts.

Cassie, pictured left, has gone to battle with many workouts here before. In her most recent, she re-tested a benchmark workout named "Cindy". Max rounds in 20 minutes of: 5 pullups, 10 pushups, and 15 squats is how this one goes, and in her first attempt done in mid May she cranked out 7 rounds done with jumping pullups, and push ups done from the knee. On 7-11-08, roughly 3 months later, she did 14 rounds with full pushups! She has greatly improved her strength, muscular endurance, lung capacity, and mechanical efficiency. Her next goal is to add full kipping pullups to her workouts, and with her athletic ability I have no doubt she will be there soon.

No one said it was going to be easy....

And Alyson knows this first hand! She has currently embarked on Mission: Buckle Down, or get buckled! Alyson made the necessary behavioral changes with her nutrition, and mentality, to keep working when the going gets tough. She is able to elevate her workouts to new intensities everyday, not to mention she does not shy away from embracing effort. ie...picture above

"Tunde Decidis"

Janese (top left) doing ball slams with a 20lb. basketball filled with sand(no bounce!), Cassie (middle) working on L-Pull ups, and Alyson (bottom) on the DB swings.

All three of these ladies have been super dedicated over the past month, having made exceptional gains in strength, lung capacity, and flexibility.

Alyson (left) has tremendous strength. Her improving cardiorespiratory endurance has her elevating her performance on workouts to new heights. Cassie (top middle) is a fast learner, and has all the natural ability to be elite. Her strength is coming fast, and her desire to be FIT puts her in the gym whenever she gets a chance. Janese (top left) also has tremendous strength, and her background in sports has proven to be a great foundation for her success. Her Olympic weightlifting skills are improving quickly. In only her first time to do OH squats she went for a max and hit 95lbs! I foresee great results within the next 6 weeks for these three.

Elite Status

This past weekend the Crossfit Games were held in Aromas, CA. I wasn't there, but I've heard stories, seen pictures and even videos that could inspire anyone. The top athletes that performed at the games are truly elite. Mess with the bull..you get the horns. Crossfitter's will gladly face a bull anytime, anyplace, anywhere. And mainly because we can. Jeremy Thiel of Crossfit Central took 3rd place this year after after going into Sunday's event in 11th place. Click here to read more about Jeremy's experiences/thoughts/preperation for the games. Someone else whom I do not know, but has proven through performance she is probably the Baddest Ass 14yo girl around gave a truly inspiring effort during the last event at the games. She is a classic example of what you can do when you put fear on the back buner, and set your mind to something. At last..if you can perceive, you can achieve! This video of Kallista Pappas is a must watch for everyone. Watch Video

So, the story goes...

The Venue: Park- Tomball, TX

The Reason: Cassie and I woke up bright and early to attend Crossfit Champions free Saturday workout while we were in Tomball, TX this weekend. Upon arrival we read a notice on the door simply saying "NO WORKOUT 6-28-08". We quickly drove to a park that was nearby her home (Picture above) and proceeded with our own WOD.

The Weather: I think it was at least a thousand degrees outside. Humidity at 500%. Or at least it felt like it...

The WOD: For time- Run down street to the end of pond and back( about 400m), 50 Pullups, 50 Squats, 50 Pushups, 50 Bench Jumps, 50 KTE, 50 Lunges, 50 Situps, finish with run.

Notes: Shirts off our backs were used as chalk since gripping was an issue on the metal. Breathing was virtually impossible. Humidity outside left our bodies unable to wick sweat away efficiently to cool the body for a truly grueling effort. My time 26'47. Cass came in around 35 minutes or so (she managed to stop her timer during the workout somehow).

Yummy, Yummy!!

The following is something I came across while perusing the web. No too surprising..I mean..it is the fast food industry after all folks.

The Top 20 Worst Foods in America
The following is a list of "The Top 20 Worst Foods in America". These are name brand restaurants items & store bought frozen or shelf foods. The list also breaks down each of the WORST foods with total calories; fat grams; & carbs. Check out this list...we think that you'll be very surprised.
#20: Worst Fast-Food Chicken Meal - Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips from McDonald's (5 pieces) with creamy ranch sauce. 830 Calories, 55 grams fat (4.5 grams trans fat), 48 carbs. Add a large fries and regular size soda and this seemingly innocuous chicken meal tops out at 1,710 calories.
#19: Worst Drink - Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo'd Power Smoothie (30 fl oz.). 900 calories, 10 grams fat, 183 carbs, 166 grams sugar. Jamba Juice calls it a smoothie MSNBC calls it a milk shake. The beverage contains as much sugar as 8 pints of Ben & Jerry's Buter Pecan Ice Cream.
#18: Worst Supermarket Meal - Pepperidge Farm Roasted Chicken Pot Pie (whole pie). 1,020 calories, 64 grams fat, 86 grams carbs. Label may say this pie serves two, but, who ever divided a small pot pie in half? Once you crack the crust, there will be no stopping!
#17: Worst "healthy" burger - Ruby Tuesday Bella Turkey Burger. 1,145 calories, 71 grams fat, 56 grams carbs.
#16: Worst Mexican entree - Chipolte Mexican Grill Chicken Burrieto. 1,179 calories, 47 grams fat, 125 grams carbs, 2,656 mg sodium.
#15: Worst kid's meal - Macaroni Grill Double Macaroni 'n' Cheese. 1,210 calories, 62 grams fat, 3,450 mg sodium. It's like feeding your kid 1-1/2 boxes of Kraft Mac 'n' Cheese.
#14:Worst Sandwich - Quizno's Classic Italian (large). 1,528 calories, 92 grams fat, 4,604 mg sodium, 110 grams carbs. a large homemade sandwich would more likely provided about 500 calories.
#13: Worst salad - On The Border Grande Taco Salad with Taco Beef. 1,450 calories, 102 grams fat, 78 grams carbs, 2,410 mg sodium. This isn't an annomaly: Five different On The Border salads on the menu contain more than 1,100 calories each.
#12: Worst burger - Carl's Jr. (Hardee's on the East Coast) Double Six Dollar Burger. 1,520 calories! 111 grams fat.Carl's Jr. brags it's home to this enormous sandwich, but the restaurant chain also provides convenient nutrition in fo on it's website -- so ignorance is no excuse for eating it.
#11: Worst steak - Lonestar 20 oz T-Bone. 1,540 calories, 124 grams fat. Add a baked potato and Lonestar's Signature Lettuce Wedge, and this is a 2,700 calorie blowout!
#10: Worst breakfast - Bob Evans Caramel Banana Pecan Cream Stacked and Stuffed hotcakes. 1,540 calories, 77 grams fat (9 grams trans fat), 198 grams carbs, 109 grams sugar. Five Egg McMuffins yield the same caloriccost as this stackof sugar-stuffed flapjack's, which is truly a heavy breakfast, weighing in at a hefty pond and a half!
#9: Worst dessert - Chili's Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream. 1,600 calories, 78 grams fat, 215 grams carbs. Would you eat a Big Mac for dessert? How about three? That's the calorie equivalent of this decadent dish. Clearly, Chili's customers get their money's worth.
#8: Worst Chinese entree - P.F. Chang's Pork Lo Mein. 1,820 calories, 127 grams fat! 95 grams carbs. The fat content in this dish alone provides more than 1,100 calories. And you'd have to eat almost five servings of pasta to match the number of carbs it contains. Now, do you really need five servings of pasta?
#7: Worst chicken entree - Chili's Honey Chipotle Crispers with Chipotle Sauce. 2,040 calories, 99 grams fat, 240 grams carbs. "Crispers" refers to an extra thick layer of bread crumbs that soak up oil and adds unnecessaryu calories and carbs to these glorified chicken strips.
#6: Worst fish entree - On The Border Dos XX Fish Tacos with Rice and Beans. 2,100 calories, 130 grams fat, 169 grams carbs, 4,700 mg sodium. Perhaps the most misleadingly named dish in America: A dozen crunchy tacos from Taco Bell will saddle you with fewer calories.
#5: Worst pizza - Uno Chicago Grill Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza. 2,310 calories, 162 grams fat, 123 grams carbs, 4,470 mg sodium. Downing this "personal" pizza is equivalent to eating 18 slices of Domino's Crunchy Thin Crust cheese pizza.
#4: Worst pasta - Macaroni Grill Spaghetti and Meatballs with Meat Sauce. 2,430 calories, 128 grams fat, 207 grams carbs, 5,290 mg sodium. This meal satisfied your claorie requirements for an entire day!
#3: Worst nachos - On The Border Stacked Border Nachos. 2,740 calories, 166 grams fat, 191 grams carbs, 5,280 mg sodium!
#2: Worst starter - Chili's Awesome Blossom. 2,710 calories, 203 grams fat, 194 grams carbs, 6,360 mg sodium!!!
#1: THE WORST FOOD IN AMERICA - Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing. 2,900 calories, 182 grams fat, 240 grams carbs! Even if you were to split these "starters" with three of your friends, you'll have downed a dinner's worth of calories before your entree arrives!

"Eagles fly with eagles, crows fly with crows"

Alyson (top), and Janese (bottom) both pulling heads over the bar to achieve full ROM during the jumping pullup part of their workout.

And yes, we are doing the jumping pullups on a Smith machine. Why you might ask? A. the girls are short enough to use is, and B. its one of the better uses for a Smith machine. The Smith machine requires ZERO midline stability when using it for squats (one of the many uses), and does not allow one to train a movement that when performed outside of a gym( ie..real life setting), requires one to stabilize themselves while moving through an active ROM. And it's funny, because most of the people I see using the S.M. are usually athletes, mostly basketball players, soccer players etc.. I try my best to enlighten people when I notice their use of the S.M., but sometimes it's just too easy, I guess, for people to stick with what they know. Training certain muscles, and not movements that is. Comments/feedbackQuestions gladly accepted and encouraged.

Free Crossfit Central Gym Workout

This past Saturday Crossfit Central hosted two free gym workouts.
In teams of 4 complete 3 rounds for time of:
400m run carrying 2kb's & 2 sandbags
100 Pull ups
100 Box Jumps
100 WallBalls
*must complete each movement as a team before moving to the next; only one member of team can go at a time

As usual there was great coaching and people from all walks of life diving into the workout head first. Whether it was a newbie performing the movements scaled to their ability, or a season vet doing the WOD as rx'd, everybodies hands were full with this one! Click here to see more pics from the workout. Someone met pukie, someone ripped their hands...no one gave a sub par effort. Which brings me to my next thing: The Crossfit Community. The feeling one gets from being around a group of like-minded individuals ( the Crossfit community) is bar none, and should be experienced by everyone. People inspire each other with their efforts, and as a result enlighten others to this way of thinking. The end result is an increase in self motivation/self determination/self confindence/a slew of health benefits, and a new you.

"Physical training produces physical memories..."

The following was taken from Mark Twight and the website Gym Jones. Enjoy.

"What you know does not matter - what you do matters. Physical training produces physical memories - not simply muscle memory but a psychophysical imprint, knowledge that is instinctual rather than intellectual. This is useful knowledge. Automatic (instinctive) action and reaction is always faster and more energy efficient than intellectually induced action or reaction. There's already plenty to think about in confrontational situations so any response that does not require conscious thought spares intellectual energy for decisions and actions that do demand it. Train yourself to the point that particular, common actions and responses may be executed automatically.

Any deficiency in physical fitness affects confidence. When an individual realizes he does not have the fitness or skill to accomplish a particular task, or that he cannot use his tools to their utmost self-doubt weakens both intellectual and physical abilities. Flagging confidence limits flexibility, preventing appropriate adaptation to various situations. Confidence allows the audacity of original thought. Again, train such a variety of energy systems (types of fitness) that confidence in the face of any challenge is reflexive.

Strength + Confidence + Flexibility = Strategy (the ability to use it).

Physical fitness relative to the mountain environment or to any situation (physical and psychological) can have positive or negative effects on the individual, his teammates, and the overall strategy chosen to accomplish a particular goal. Get fit and stay fit to accomplish a variety of tasks. The goal of physical training can be summed up in one phrase, “to make yourself as indestructible as possible.” The harder a man is to kill, the longer he will remain effective, as a climber, a soldier, or what ever.

Pullups, Pullups and more Pullups!

Big Mike and the 5:45am crew at Crossfit Central. The WOD: with a continuously running clock complete 1 pull up in 1 minute, 2 in 2 minutes, 3 in 3 minutes...until..well..you know...

Me (far left), and James (middle) during the WOD. James managed to complete round 19. Great effort! I decided to start with L Pull ups until fatigue then kip for the remainder. I completed minute 7 with the L pulls, then kipped my way up to completing round 16. My attempt at 17 was short due to a rip (AGAIN), and shear fatigue :/

Ladies lifting HEAVY lately!

Janese hitting a new PR dead lift of 205 lbs.! Congratulations! And just to think she almost quit after 135lbs. Janese is a top notch Crossfitter who's gains in performance were a consequence of seeking the aesthetic benefits of exercise. She has since accepted all challenges I have thrown her way, and continues to surprise me and even herself sometimes. Stay tuned for a video of Janese performing WOD's.

Dust yourself off and TRY AGAIN

Alyson with a new PR in deadlift: 185lbs! Great job!
1st try: "oh, thats heavy" - didn't even lift it off the floor
2nd try: stands up 3 quarters of the way, drops it
3rd try: gets her mind right...chalks hands...performs deadlift..sets weight down..no problem

Alyson has continued to make huge gains in her performance. She went from hating running to knocking a minute and half off her 1/2 mile time, and still hating running. None the less she is better at it because she works her tail off. She currently started training 4 days a week..watch out.

If you want it, GO GET IT!

Janese and Cassie during the High Pull portion of their workout, and Alyson grinding through the C&J portion of the same workout. It was about 90 something outside and HUMID..kudos girls.

The involuntary gestures with the face never lie. These ladies were making it hurt (in a good way ;)

Three different people with the same overall goal. It's always a pleasure working with like-minded individuals who know what it takes to reach their goals. Putting your fitness on the line is a great way to see where you stand with yourself. Do you quit when the going gets tough, or do you tell that "backseat" driver to shut the fuck up and sit down while you take care of business? Eh, maybe it's not for everyone. Train according to your own standards.

The Price I Pay

Damn "office hands"!

As I practiced the Butterfly Kip, I just couldn't help but notice my hands were feeling a little...RAW! After about 60 something attempts at the newly acquired skill, very far right rip occured. 2ND Round of Crossfit HQ's WOD for yesterday ie..2 pood swings, GHD situps, back ext,. KTE, far left rip happened. Beginning of 4th round during swings, middle rip took place.
Long story short my hands got jacked up! Wierd though because I've done workouts in the past that were far more grip centric.
It's all good though. There are obstacles to overcome when practicing sports, the sport of fitness is definetly no exception.
- Where I ended with the pulls..

Starting Somewhere..

To achieve any goal, one must start somewhere. While perusing Crossfit HQ's website sometime late last year, I suddenly became inspired. The WOD was "Filthy 50", and I knew immediately that was going to be the first workout I would do once I recovered from my herniated disc. January 29, 2007 was my initiation into the community of Crossfit; time: 39'47. I was sore for the next 3 weeks. Was it smart to do a workout that intense immediately after recovering from my disc injury? Maybe not, but I had to start somewhere.

What it's led too....

Re-enforcing my beliefs that there is always more than what is in front of your face. It reminded me to never be content, or complacent when it comes to me being in the know. And lastly, an internship at Crossfit Central where I continually seek more answers, and try to absorb as much knowledge as I can from some top notch coaches!