As I mentioned in my weekly update, I would be dedicating a separate post to my training day from this past Thursday. 

I was asked by some youth leaders in my church in Florida to help out with life guarding at a 3 day long youth camp in a 400,000 acre Ranch that my church owns up in central Florida, in which myself and a few others would help protect the lives of 700 young men. Gladly I accepted, recruited some help and traveled to the swimming hole which I would watch over for two days. Let me just say that this was one of the coolest set ups for a swimming pool I have ever seen. The swimming hole was a huge 20 foot hole in the ground that had an artesian well constantly pumping water into it. The hole consisted of a long wooden deck, a wooden high dive, a giant slide made from an inner tube, a huge rope swing set up, and a zip line that was taken down unfortunately. 

Aside from the stress of saving around 12 young men from drowning and sending 2 young men to the hospital after a "head on" collision on the high dive. The experience was very enjoyable.

After our shift was over on Thursday, I decided to work out. I made an on the fly WOD that consisted of burpee's, air squats, swimming and muscle ups.... I set up the ring off the wooden high dive, so the entire time I was dangling a few feet above water while doing muscle ups. 

I'm not sure what the final time was at the end of the workout because my stop watch didn't work... This is something I'm very grateful for. You see, while I love being in the gym WODing. I feel as though a lot is lost in the real purpose of what CrossFit is mean't for if we just restrict ourselves to the gym. 

CrossFit was originally designed to help keep our Armed Service Members alive, help the obese father live longer to see his children grow, and get the soccer mom in shape to keep up with her kids. There are many examples of what CrossFit is designed for, but the foundation and bottom line of CrossFit is "real world." We rarely have a stop watch when helping someone move houses. A box isn't shaped into a nice comfortable barbell when we squat down to pick it up. And, on the extreme side, a soldier, police officer, or firefighter doesn't think about his/her back position, hip drive, or breath when saving someones life or stopping the bad guy. 

When we train outside of the gym, and expose ourselves to austere and uncomfortable environments and situations. We are exposed to the most "real life" kind of work outs we may ever find. Lifting odd, weird objects prepare us for any sort of shape or size a heavy load may come in. In addition, if you are an aspiring Games athlete, the "weirdness" of this type of training gives a very good variance to any training regimen. 

So when I finished my workout on Thursday, I looked back thinking "that was fun." The slick wetness and dirt of the deck I did burpee's and squat's off of  challenged me to remain tight and be cautious of my footing. The murkiness of the water as I swam forced me to continually be aware of my sense of direction. And finding a proper false grip to execute muscle ups was especially difficult due to the wet grip and rings. The sun beat down on me the entire time, and I finished the workout knowing I did something good. 

For almost a year now I have been following and paying close attention to the training style of Games Athlete Blair Morrison. (Below is a link of his blog for those who are interested.) This guy knows his stuff, and he is so resourceful and intelligent that he can come up with a dreadful workout anywhere, anytime, and with anything. This guy spent a year in Europe training for the 2010 CrossFit games with limited equipment and no training facilities. Sounds familiar. :) 

Get outside and train! 

   http://crossfitmobile.blogspot.com/  

"A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown."
-Denis Waitley



6/18-6/23


Monday: 3 rounds:
                             - 10 Snatches w/ 95 #'s
                             - 15 Ring Dips
                             - 20 Box Jumps
                             6:51


Tuesday: Dynamic Effort Day 


Wednesday: 4 Rounds:
                                   - 10 Hang Power Cleans w/ 155
                                   - 15 Pull- ups
                                   - 10 Split Jerks w/ 155
                                   10:27


Thursday: Buy in: 20 Burpee's
                3 Rounds:
                               - 30 Air Squats
                               - 100 Meter Swim
                               - 3 Muscle Ups
               Cash out: 20 Burpee's

Friday: Rest

Saturday: WOD 1: "CrossFit Total"

                               - Back Squat = 330 PR

                               - Shoulder Press= 175

                               - Dead Lift= 455

                WOD 2: 75 Wall Balls 

                               50-30-10

                               - Double - Unders

                               - Sit- Ups

                               6:45 

                 WOD 3: 30 sec on/ 30 sec off

                                Airdyne Bike for 30 minutes

                                422 Calories 

This was a very eye opening week of training. After Beast Mode last weekend. I knew right away that I needed to work a little on my nutrition. I thought at first that I needed to cut weight. However, after cutting out one simple item from my diet, I have noticed a huge difference on terms of energy. The change? I cut out dairy. At first I saw right away that my weight had dropped a few pounds from 208 to 204 by the end of the week. My initial intention was to have the goal to drop 10- 15 pounds; however, after a good discussion with a friend I realized this may not be the best idea. Standing at 6'2", 190- 195 pounds of body weight may be a bad idea. Plus, 7 months ago I experienced an extended period of time of an over training syndrome. I weighed just under 195 pounds at the time. I was working out at least 3-4 times a day. And I barely ate anything. The result: knee, back, and hip pain, sleepless nights, fatigue, headaches, mood swings, and illness. All this occurred while I was up at school in Idaho, right before the Holidays. After I ended the semester, I made the commitment to train smarter, rest more, and eat more. After the Holidays were over I weighed over 200. At first I didn't feel much different. But one change in my diet occurred: dairy. In school I didn't consume any dairy. But being home, with cheese and milk being very accessible, I found myself consuming way to much. I soon felt slow and tired, with weird fluctuations in weight, and trouble finding my breath during workouts. 

So after that long winded summary...

Monday held a great experience for me because I got to train with a class at my gym. I love working out with others.

Tuesday was filled with box squats, deadlifts and other Westside Barbell dynamic work. I love these days. I feel as though that by incorporating the Westside method into my training, I haven't only become stronger, but far more explosive as well. 

Wednesday was terrible. I had the opportunity to train with a class again but I had the goal to get under 5 minutes on the workout of that day, but I just couldn't find the energy and drive I needed to accomplish that goal. You win some, and you lose some.

Thursday was probably the highlight of the week. I'll be dedicating a separate post in regards to this day so stay tuned.

On Friday, I had a terrible sun burn to the point that I could barely move with out being in pain so I chose to rest... smart choice.

Saturday I PR'd my Back Squat! The back squat is a big weakness of mine. However, I have never felt this good squatting before. 330 is a 5 pound PR for me from 325. The reason why I was so excited about this is because 330 went up like in was 255. It felt fast and smooth. Soon after I made a pretty ambitious jump to 365. I got under the weight, squatted and I made the error of saying to myself " this is heavy" in my head. I missed it. But I feel as though 365 is a weight I will be able to handle easily next time. I know I have the strength to do so much more in this movement and many others, but my mentality and little issues with form are the only thing holding me back. 2x Body Weight Back Squat is getting closer and closer!

Oh and let me just make it clear... My PR dead lift is 525. The reason I failed by 70 pounds is because I was experimenting with the Sumo Dead Lift.... I blame Lance Mosley for this! lol

All in all. This week was all about how good I felt in all of the met-cons aside from one. Cutting out dairy has so far been a smart decision. Although I love chocolate milk, results and progress come first. At 204 pounds, I feel like I weigh 185. 

Now I making a pretty big change to my training. I'm taking a break from heavy Olympic Weightlifting. Although I have made huge gains in these lift in the last few months. Lately, every time I clean, jerk, or snatch. I feel pain and not strong. I have lifted to heavy to much. And the effect is beginning to show. My goal now for the next few weeks is to continue to focus on my Westside program and restrict myself to only doing Olympic Weightlifting in met-cons. 

No time to go see the movie Brave! :) 

Competition
A few days ago I was talking with a guy at my affiliate about Wrestling and how arduous and mentally draining the sport is. We talked about the practices and the frightening pain and agony the body is required to endure in this dreadful sport. Consequently, I was brought back to relive my short time and experience with wrestling. However, when ever I look back to my short career with wrestling I hardly remember the pain of the practices or even the pressure of having to make weight. Rather I recall the pressure and anxiety every match, tournament and competition brought to me. My first season wrestling was disappointing  to say the least. The only "impressive" success I had was making the Varsity team in my high school after some success in Junior Varsity. However, by the end of the season, I had wrestled the most matches out of anyone else on my team, but I also had the most losses with a record of 2- 22...

By time the end of the season came around, I started training with the team in the spring with the mind-set to do much better the following season. But once the approach of the new season came around, I became so anxious and so nervous that I couldn't handle the pressure of competing in such a grueling environment again. So what happened? I quit. I walked up to my coach and told him "I quit"... See my problem wasn't the sport in of itself; rather, it was the pressure of having to walk out onto the competition floor all alone without relying on teammates to get me out of a tough situation. I knew how to wrestle but I didn't know how to compete. As a result; I went through the rest of my high school career feeling sorry for myself and coming up with excuses as to why I didn't wrestle any longer. The fact of the matter; I was a coward not only because I had given up but also because I didn't want to admit defeat.

A year and a half ago, I felt a large void in my life. I felt as though I needed an outlet to use my passions and talents towards. That's when I discovered CrossFit. I remember watching a video about the Games and the competition side of CrossFit and wanting to learn more. I went about searching for as much information as I could about the Games, the athlete's, the event's, anything I could to learn more about the sport in of itself.

One day I heard about the Open, at first I felt apprehensive and unsure about whether or not I really wanted to risk signing up. I was afraid of that same failure and defeat that I faced in wrestling. I was afraid that competing would only bring about further heart ache. I remember thinking that "there is no point in competing, I won't do well." Immediately when that moment came, when I was on the verge of saying "no I won't sign up;" I came across a photo on facebook... It was a picture of all my old wrestling teammates who had competed all through high school and were at that point seniors... captains... each holding an armful of trophies and awards. The past years had brought them such success that most of them earned scholarships or are still traveling to compete in the sport they loved. Looking at that I realized all that I had missed and all the promise I had thrown away. I knew that I could have been in that group with that same success, but I wasn't, all because I let one bad season get me down, all because I was scared to be defeated...  that experience left me feeling the most regret than I have ever felt before in my young life.

So what did I do? I took a risk, I signed up for the Open, I worked my butt of in the Summer and the off- season. I came back to CrossFit Hardcore and trained to compete. I went to regional's with the best team of individuals out there. But all of that only prepared me for what I experienced during the "Beast Mode" competition this past weekend. You see, I haven't competing in an individual environment in a stadium, under the lights, and the support of a crowd since I wrestled. So as you can imagine, I was a little anxious on how I would hold up. Granted, I knew that this competition wasn't anything significant. It didn't count towards or have any merit to the Games. None the less, it was still an individual competition, and I wanted to perform well.

After the first event, which was to find a one rep max of a Bear Complex, I remember sitting down smiling. I had surpassed the amount of weight I was expecting to lift, with a weight of 275 pounds deadlifted, cleaned, pressed and squatted multiple times in one movement. With the first event over and waiting for the second event, I felt indescribable joy and satisfaction. I knew that I made the right decision to take the risk to compete alone on that stage. I felt calm, I felt relaxed, all anxiety and feelings of nervousness or inadequacy had gone away. I didn't care where I placed at the end of the competition, I only cared that I put forth the effort.

The other events rolled by, and eventually I walked out of the stadium feeling satisfied... I ended up 20th in the event. Of course I wish I had placed higher, but the placement didn't matter because I finally knew that I could let go of the fear of competing and move on.

Competition either makes or breaks athletes. You can be a great athlete but be a lousy competitor. When I wrestled, I had the raw talent to do well and succeed. I had the drive and work ethic to do well. But once the pressure was on, once the training really mattered. My fears, my anxiety, my mind got the best of me and I would completely freeze up when the referee blew their whistle. CrossFit has given me a way to conquer that fear and obstacle. I realize now what people mean when they say that CrossFit is a competition against oneself.

My biggest accomplishment of the weekend: being the highest ranked teenager. I'm a boy among men.

Don't ever feel apprehensive or nervous to compete. Competition is one of many ways to see who you really are and what your made of. If failure comes, no big deal...

Remember: Thomas Edison failed 2000 times before making the light bulb.

"A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials."
- Lucius Annaeus Seneca



June 11th- June 16th


Monday- MAX Bear Complex 265#
               5 Rope Climbs
               5 C/J w/ 145#
               4 Rope Climbs
               4 C/J w/ 165#
               3 Rope Climbs
               3 C/J w/ 185#
               2 Rope Climbs
               2 C/J w/ 205 #
               1 Rope Climb
               1 C/J w/ 225#
                10:17
Tuesday: MAX Effort Day (Westside Barbell)
Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Rest

Saturday: "Beast Mode"

If you can't tell this past weeks emphasis was rest, rest and more rest. I hate resting, but after walking into the gym on Monday to do my first Bear Complex I could already feel that I felt a little less explosive and my body just felt hurt and tired. With the Beast Mode competition on the weekend I knew that the priority needed to be rest for the majority of the week. Needless to say, rest is exactly what I needed. I hadn't really taken any time off since Regional's, so rest was the best option for me. 

I'm looking forward to getting back to work this next week!

I was asked earlier this week: "Why don't you WOD?" For those of you who aren't familiar with CrossFit, WOD is just a term we use that stands for "workout of the day." Most CrossFitter's will associate WOD with workouts that consist of the traditional 20 minute AMRAP, 3, 5, or even 7 rounds for time. However; CrossFit covers variations of really ANY  sport or training system. Anyone who has been in CrossFit for a while knows that WOD's can come in all shapes and sizes.
That being said, to answer the question: "Why don't you WOD?"  My answer is that I do WOD. If you are fairly new to CrossFit (any one from one day to 6 months), I feel its important to distinguish the difference from an everyday CrossFitter to a Games Athlete. If you are just starting CrossFit, you have probably heard of the CrossFit Games... this is both a positive and negative thing. While its great the sport of CrossFit is getting attention, those who are new to CrossFit can sometimes believe that CrossFit is all about the Games. As a result; the true essence and purpose of CrossFit can become soiled. The CrossFit Games are a very small part of what CrossFit is all about. The main purpose of CrossFit is to make everyone who tries it as fit as possible. CrossFit was around long before the Games came around. But because of the attention and coverage the Games get, it becomes very difficult to take notice of the real purpose of CrossFit.
In my opinion there are two types of CrossFitter's: there's the everyday Crossfitter and the Games Athlete. Just to make myself clear, I believe anyone who does CrossFit is an athlete, I don't want to make the false impression that Games Athletes are superior in anyway. For everyday CrossFitter's the goal isn't necessarily to be competitive in the Games or any sport. Maybe there are some who compete recreationaly in marathons, football, badminton, or something. But the point is that these type of CrossFitter's are just along for the ride, their main goal is the live a long healthy life and feel fit and free to do anything they please without any limitations.
Then there's the Games Athletes. When I say Games Athletes, I'm referring to anyone actually devoting a large amount of time to a specific sport; not just the CrossFit Games. So professional, college, and high school athletes fall into this category. The biggest difference between these type of CrossFitters and the ones previously mentioned is that the training is a little bit different. I know in CrossFit we always say that we "specialize in not specializing," or that "specializing is a bad thing." However; if you are a competitive athlete in any sport, you have to spend a considerable amount of time in "specializing" your training. Even CrossFit Games athletes spend a lot of time working specific weaknesses and emphasizing specific strengths. And its because of this that the training of Games Athletes can sometimes look different or even "superior" to everyday CrossFitters; but the reality is that the training is no different. The only difference in training is the needs of the individual.
So yes "I do WOD." But the kinds of workouts I do are catered to what my needs are. I'm not going to lie, I want to compete in the CrossFit Games, whether that be in a team environment or as an individual, I want to compete. As a result, I am a Games Athlete, and I have very specific goals and very specific strengths and weaknesses that I need to work on. So when I'm at my affiliate and I don't workout with a class its not because I don't WOD, its because I have another workout I need to accomplish to tackle a specific goal of mine. I wish I could work out with a group all the time, I hate working out alone.
I am always amazed at the kind of athletes and people CrossFit produces. Whether your an everyday CrossFitter or a Games Athlete it doesn't matter. All that matters is what you want and the goals you have. So if you have any desire or inclination to compete, you will have to take a serious look at yourself to see what kinds of strengths and weaknesses you will need to work on.
Just thought this would be good food for thought.
God Speed!

6/9/2012
"A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be." - Wayne Gretzky


June 4th- June 9th

Monday: 3 Rounds:

                            15 Burpees

                            15 Wall Balls

                            15 Power Snatches with 105 lbs

                            100 Meter Sprint (more like hobble, but whatever.) 

11:09

            PM: Every minute on the Minute:

                  2 Power Snatches with 210#'s

                  Got to 3 or 4 minutes

Tuesday: Max Effort Day with max Push Press (245 lbs PR), max deficit Deadlift (455), Yell after missing 475, finish off with Reverse Hypers, then Sled work. 

Wednesday: "Kettlebell Wednesday"

                    LOTS and LOTS of snatches, cleans and swings. 

Thursday: AM: "Death by Atlas Stone" and "Death by Ring Hand Stand Push Ups" 9 rds + 7 reps on first part and 8 rds on seconds part.

PM: Endurance WOD: 

                       10X50m sprints 30 sec rest in b/t

                       10X100m sprints 45 sec rest in b/t

                       10X200m sprints 1 min rest in b/t

Friday: Dynamic Day with banded box squats and banded dead lifts.

Then: 4 rounds:

                       20 Squat Jumps

                       15 Push Ups

                       10 Push Jerks w/ 135#

                       4:47 

Saturday: CrossFit for "Hope"

                3 Five minute rounds with a minute rest in b/t rounds of:

               Burpees

               75 lbs Power Snatches

               Box Jumps 

               75 lbs Thrusters

               Chest to Bar Pull-ups        

               = 235 Reps

So this week brought its own set of unique challenges. For one, I did not lift as much this week as I usually do, partly because I bruised my pelvis pretty bad at the beginning of the week. But here is my break down: 

Monday I had the urge to workout with the morning class at my gym which made it really fun, I hate working out alone. As far as the snatches go, I was shooting for 10 minutes - 15 minutes, but my pelvis hurt so bad that every time my hips made contact with the bar I would cringe in pain. So I made the smart decision to throw in the towel 4 minutes in.

Tuesday had its rewards, I got a 10 pound PR on my push press which made me ecstatic. Then the deficit dead lifts came in to play, I made the error to jump from 455# to 500#, missed 500# and dropped back down to 475#; missed that then promptly threw my belt shouting "dang it" lol.

Wednesday was a testosterone fest full of guys throwing around kettlebells. I felt good at the beginning, every clean, snatch, and swing felt smooth; then I decided to get ambitious and decided to snatch the big 96# kettlebell... first rep in my hand promptly tore and I couldn't grab another on of those Russian death tools.

Thursday was terrible. I love Atlas Stones. Anything awkward, big and heavy, for some reason, I automatically know how to move. A lot of the Strongman movements are very natural for me; as a result, I will do these type of movements often. In the evening I decided to run. If you know me, you know how much I hate running. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I look like a wounded bear when I run.

Friday was filled with squats. I said before that back squatting was a big weakness of mine. However; from training this movement often, squats are becoming more comfortable and one of my favorite movements. Just goes to show how weaknesses, when attacked, become strengths.

Saturday was the fundraiser workout called "Hope" for St. Judes  Hospital. Its always a privilege to do a workout in honor of someone else. Its times like these that I really love CrossFit. That being said, I did not take this workout seriously at all lol. One of my teammates judged me during this WOD, and it is incredibly difficult to take anything seriously when this guy is making some smart comment while your doing burpees. None the less, the experience was memorable and I really liked the lay out of the workout. I'll have to try it again (seriously) and see where my score ends up.

All in all, this was a fun week of training with a lot of attention to weaknesses. 

No time to go eat a massive whole wheat pizza at California Pizza Kitchen..... Yum :) 

This post is separate from anything I will normally post. But in preparation for my Mission I've spent some time trying to figure out what peaces of equipment and what movements would work well in a non- ideal workout environment. In my search I have come across a method of training that I believe would work very well with CrossFit.
I have done yoga for years. I have always attributed my fair proficiency in technical gymnastic movements to my experience in yoga, and also my short history in wrestling. However, since CrossFitting, yoga has been pretty much been thrown to the side. CrossFitters hate yoga... I'm one of them... It's long, boring, and just weird. However, I kept doing yoga because I saw the immediate benefits from it. That being said, for the past few years I have kept a close watch at a new budding industry of yoga called Prasara Yoga. And in the past year, it has been exposed full spread, and more and more people are becoming interested in the techniques.
Here's the cool thing about this yoga, each session or "Flow" only takes 3- 5 minutes to perform; and after each session you feel great. The movements and speed of the "Flow's" are a little tricky so it does take some practice. But the result is better mobility, and better kinesthetic awareness. And here's the best part. The problem with most yoga is that the soul purpose is to improve better flexibility in the muscles. The downside, over- elongated muscles which leads to less stretch reflex which ultimately leads to less powerful muscles; in short, you become to flexible. On the other hand, Prasara Yoga doesn't focus on "stretching muscles," rather it focuses on improving mobility and range of motion in joints, tendons, and ligaments. As a result, the powerful muscles you build in regular training aren't over exposed to over stretching.
Here's a video from the YouTube channel I follow to understand these movements. Again, be patient with learning these movements, it does take some practice. You may notice that the movements are a combination of traditional yoga movements, along with wrestling drills, and mat work. As a result of these unique movements, they can be modified to create intense conditioning drills that can be used into any CrossFit WOD. And here's the thing. In regular yoga sessions, you listen to soothing and boring meditation music. But due to the intensity of this type of yoga, heavy rock is the preferred choice of music :)

Let me know what you think :)  

6/2/2012

"Let your ^alight so shine before men, that they may see your good ^bworks, and ^cglorify your Father which is in heaven." - Matthew 5:16 

So here it is... the first official post of my training regimen... If you want to call it that.

Here's how its going to work, every week I will update and review what the past week has brought. In the mission field I am only allowed 30 minutes on a computer per week usually on Mondays. So my posts will be at least weekly.

May 28th-June 2nd

This past week has brought its share of rewards and also challenges.

 Monday:  Memorial day "Murph" with a 20 pound vest... that sucked.
Tuesday: Max Effort day with Good Mornings and Safety Bar Squats. And a good conversation with Games athlete Dan Bailey. Lol.
Wednesday: Every Minute on the Minute for as long as I wanted perform 3 Unbroken Squat Cleans with 185 lbs. Then crawl into a corner and cry from the soreness from the previous day. :)
Thursday: Every Minute on the Minute for 20 Minutes:
                                                                                    Even Minutes 5 wtd. Ring Dips with 70 pounds.
                                                                                    Odd Minutes 15 KB Swings with an 88 pounds.
               When finished look up at the ceiling and ask "what just happened to me."
Friday: Dynamic Effort Day with Banded Speed Box Squats. Spend another 30 minutes getting frustrated with setting up a Banded Deadlift station. Lift some more. Then go home and sleep.
Saturday: Get a nice back- scratch from attempting to snatch 245 lbs. Afterwards do the "Most stupid workout  on the planet" with Rachel "P-Nut" Batista, which included L- Rope Climbs, Parrellete Hand stand Push ups, and Overhead Pistol Squats.

Overall this week has been a very good week of training. However, I think I may have overdone it a little with the amount of volume at the start of the week with "Murph."
I've been working with Lance Mosely in incorporating Westside Barbell programming in order to improve my back squat (which I'm terrible at.) Hence the "Max Effort" and "Dynamic" days.
Wednesday left me crippled with a total of 150 mostly unbroken kettlebell swings with 88 pounds. Fun Fun.
And Saturday was just weird, my 245# snatch felt good, but thanks to the ridiculous amount of shoulder work from the previous days. I was unable to support the lift in what would have been a 10 pound PR. I'll get it next time.
In summary, very good week of training, lots of improvements all across the board. My squats are feeling stronger and I think I'm becoming numb to pain. Lol.