A Note...

Dear all,

I've decided I've had enough CrossFit for the time being and so I'll be taking a break till the urge to do another burpee returns...

Ha!

I'm off to Brunei tonight to roam the forests, live off the land, and hone my soldiering skills for the next two-plus weeks. So there won't be any updates till I return (and I hate to say this, but probably few, if any, CrossFit workouts), since I'll be outfield during the bulk of the time. I've already thought about the possibility of making a jump rope out of vines (and you already know how an A-frame can double up as a pull-up structure), but something tells me I'll be happy to sit down and not get up till the next morning, when it's time to harbor each evening.

Well, yeah, anyway so I'll start posting again once I return. Till then, keep your fingers crossed that there aren't crocodiles in the river when it's time for the river crossing and combat swim (or I mightn't ever post again).

Friday 06/13/2008

WOD
See Friday 03/07/2008
As many reps as possible in 7 hours and 10 minutes.

***
"In the space age, man will be able to go around the world in two hours - one hour for flying and one hour to get to the airport."
- Neil McElroy

A little something for my wheels...

Time to retire this:


(If you've always wondered about the meaning behind "Raffles", Wikipedia is your friend here and here. And here's another article to give RJC the props it fully deserves).

... in favor of this, to mark my final year in Ann Arbor!


(Also see the April 9, 2008 post on this CrossFit affiliate archived site).

Vanity plates are as yet unavailable in Singapore, so I'm capitalizing on my opportunities now!

Something to chomp on...

Well, so I was thinking (something I occasionally like to do, of course I try to minimize the times at which it happens - haha), about nutrition, and I thought I'd share some of my feelings regarding this iffy issue.

I think we probably all are aware of just how much of a role diet and nutrition play in our daily lives. You don't have to be an expert to know that if you eat too much of the wrong foods, you will probably experience some or all of the following characteristics:

1. Balloon to extreme proportions;
2. Elevate your risk of suffering from illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, and a long list of other depressing ailments; and
3. Generally feel crappy all the time (though you might be so used to feeling that way such that you don't even know what feeling good feels like anymore, which is quite a sobering thought, really).

The evidence speaks for itself. The obesity rate in this country is simply startling. The incidence of diseases resulting from engaging in unhealthy vices has skyrocketed. Fast food corporations are making a killing from marketing their Monster Thickburgers, McSkillet Burritos, and other greasy, calorie-laden offerings.

1,420 calories and 107 grams of fat make the Hardee's Monster Thickburger a legit heavyweight.

Wanton overconsumption is glamorized in the ads that leave impressionable youths with the misguided idea that it's macho to be able to down a couple pounds' worth of hamburger meat with bun and trimmings (perhaps in the form of a Carl Jr's Double Six Dollar Burger - boasting 1520 calories and 111 g of fat), as well as a Coke and supersized fries liberally sprinkled with salt and doused with Cheez-Whiz, all in one sitting. Well, if your idea of machismo is legitimized by the fact that you're willing to put yourself at greater risk (for blocked arteries, high cholestrol and central adiposity), that's probably alright. Otherwise, it's not.

I know it isn't fair to lump everyone into the "I-don't-give-a-flying-s*&$#-what-I-stuff-into-my-pie-hole-as-long-as-it-tastes-good" category, as I truly believe that most people are genuinely aware of what foods are beneficial and which are best to be avoided. In today's society, however, an overwhelming number of people are preoccupied first and foremost with immediate gratification. If it tastes good, I'll eat it, and worry about the consequences later. If it's readily available (in the form of a McDonald's drive-thru), even better!

And very naturally, they then fall into a vicious cycle of justifying their choices. Well, it's just a burger, right? Hamburger meat... hmmm, that's basically ground beef and that's protein, isn't it? I suppose I'll get an energy boost from the carbs in the sesame bun? I know that limp, wilted sliver of lettuce doesn't look like much, but with the lone tomato slice I figure that might be a serving of vegetables. Cheese for strong bones, and mayo for a good old-fashioned dose of healthy lipids! And with a puff of smoke, the deconstructed Double Whopper magically morphs into a meal Jack LaLanne would wholeheartedly endorse!

Hey, Mom, could I have the rest of your McNuggets?
Sadly, most people don't realize how the consequences of their choices accumulate until they visit the doctor for their periodic checkup and are solemnly informed that their blood work has revealed some frightening figures. Or maybe it hits them when they wake up one morning, look down to tie their shoelaces and realize they can't even see the tips of their shoes beyond their bellies (and it's not because they misplaced their glasses).

I'm not even going into the specifics of nutrition where the debate takes the importance of healthy eating as a given, and instead focuses on the types of foods that will help to achieve optimal health (I'll probably do that in a subsequent post). I'm just trying to highlight here how crucial it is to understand the risks associated with the widespread persistence in making patently bad food choices.

Unfortunately, a lot of the time, the future fades into oblivion when it comes to choosing between options, and in this nation where instant gratification is routinely preferred over calculated decision-making (much like how certain political choices appear to have been made), the eventual outcomes don't bode well at all.

Images courtesy of Brand Autopsy and Foodfacts.

Why We Do CrossFit

I thought this captioned photo from the CrossFit Affiliate Blog said it all...


CrossFit Hickory's Rev. Jerome tells Kent that his penance for drinking beer and eating like crap according to the CrossFit commandments is "Fran", rest 2 minutes, and a 5000m row.

***
Why do we do CrossFit? For most of us CrossFitters, I don't think it's anything to do with atonement for nutritional indiscretions. Then again, maybe sometimes. But that shouldn't be the case for the bulk of the time!

Just last Saturday, a guy approached us in the gym while we were in the midst of our Painstorm XXIX workout. Not the best of times, really, considering we were all sweaty and dishevelled, hands covered in chalk dust, doubled over at the waist and panting, as we valiantly tried to banish to the back of our minds the depressing fact that we had only about a hundred and fifty deadlifts, pushups, and cleans to go before we could sink to the ground and surrender our souls to heaven.

Well, anyway, this guy thought it the most opportune of times to come over to us and chirp merrily, "So, what are you guys training for?".

"Life," I immediately replied in between sharply-drawn breaths, as I dusted my hands and approached the bar for my next set of 13 deadlifts.

He looked slightly confused at my answer and so I said "We do CrossFit. Check out CrossFit.com".

He sat and stared in wonderment for a while as we continued plugging away at the Painstorm, knocking out clean after clean, deadlift after deadlift, and burpee after burpee.

"There, take that," I thrust the scrap of paper on which I had scrawled the WOD, into his hands. He looked at it, and out of the corner of my eye I could see the wheels beginning to turn in his head.

20,19,18,17... whaaat... 3,2,1... holy crap, that's a shitload of deadlifts and pushups and cleans! Where's the decline dumbbell flyes, you know, to fry the pecs? How about the wide-grip lat pulldowns to give me some good ol' back thickness? And what on earth is up with the volume?? This is pure insanity! I couldn't possibl... erm, I wouldn't train this way!

Well, anyway, suffice it to say he didn't hang around for long. But I wonder if he did in fact check out the CrossFit website!

The reason why I do CrossFit is to be prepared for whatever life has in store for me. That might sound too profound for something like fitness, which most people are apt to construe as an accompaniment to, not a core constituent of, their daily lives. But the CrossFit pedagogy goes above and beyond the daily WOD posted on the main page of the site, something I think most people who are new to the concept have yet to grasp. CrossFit is far more than the sum of its parts - it's a lifestyle that revolves around working towards and then maintaining your body in a superior state - ready for all of life's curveballs.

The benefits derived from doing the WODs are buttressed by good nutritional protocols and a focus on rest and recovery wherever necessary. Going one step further, there are, undoubtedly, psychic benefits that arise from engaging in CrossFit. The increased sense of community and camaraderie that result from training alongside people is simply priceless. Friendly competition boosts the results of everyone in the team and serves to motivate all. Improved levels of fitness have been shown to increase productivity and be soundly beneficial with regards to school, work, and life in general. CrossFit has taught me to step out of my comfort zone (this happens all too easily whenever I do a WOD) and I think I've become a better person for it.

The blurb on the "What is CrossFit?" portion of the Mothership's website says it best. It pretty much helps to explain why you see people of all ages, body types, and backgrounds in CrossFit gyms. All CrossFitters' goals differ in specific terms, but everyone is united by a desire to attack life with renewed vigor, and in the process, accomplish things they never thought possible.

... Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist. The CrossFit program is designed for universal scalability making it the perfect application for any committed individual regardless of experience... The needs of Olympic athletes and our grandparents differ by degree, not kind. Our terrorist hunters, skiers, mountain bike riders and housewives have found their best fitness from the same regimen.

-What is CrossFit?, from CrossFit.com

Great article off Dragon Door

REAR WHEEL DRIVE
This is a great article I pulled off Dragon Door, by RKC Tom Furman. It highlights the importance of training the posterior chain (aka. the group of muscles in the lower body that are important for force development in exercises such as running, jumping and sprinting).

How often do you walk into a gym (a big box gym, that is, not a CrossFit gym) and see Mr. Arms grunting and making all sorts of contorted faces in the mirror as he struggles to bust out one more darned preacher curl with the E-Z bar? Pretty much all the time. On the flipside, you hardly see anyone doing deadlifts, or for that matter, squatting ass-to-ankles. That being said, I suppose you do see a couple of quarter-squats every now and then, though.

There's a reason why all those fancy-ass gyms have like 99% of their floor space dedicated to the newfangled Nautilus creations or version 15.5 of the elliptical machine and a miscellany of other cardio gizmos, while the free-weight section is banished to the furthest corner of the room. Most of the time, all you'll find there anyway are benches, benches, and more benches - well, come to think of it, probably a Smith Machine too - with scarcely any space to work on other lifts. And don't even begin to imagine that there'd be a platform. Do you really think a globo gym'd shell out money for a plain wooden slab surrounded by drab rubber edges and a couple of recycled rubber bumpers when they could be splashing their funds on the latest revolutionary fitness equipment that promises to tone, firm, and strengthen all at the same time - without you having to break a sweat? (Just in case you were wondering, it's all hype. Always has been, always is, always will be).

Alright, so I went off on a bit of a tangent there. But you get the idea. If nothing else, incorporate full-body movements into your training plan. Mix it up - use dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, ropes, rings, hurdles, your own bodyweight - pretty much whatever suits your fancy. And I guarantee it'll be far less mundane and a lot more beneficial!

Friday 03/07/2008

WOD
On plane ride from Tokyo to Detroit, perform:
L-sits using armrests as supports
Pullups from the overhead storage compartment
Dips in the aisle
Squats near the exit row
Suicides between lavatories
As many reps as possible in 11 hours and 45 minutes (without waking the whole of humanity)

***
"When you think about flying, it's nuts really. Here you are at about 40000 feet, screaming along at 700 miles an hour and you're sitting there drinking Diet Pepsi and eating peanuts. It just doesn't make any sense."
- David Letterman

070615 Friday

0600 Boot Camp

W/U:
3711
30-20-30

WOD:
25 Overhead Squats
25 American KB Swings
25 Ring Pushups
25 DB Wtd Stepups (25 lbs per side)
25 DB Wtd Burpees (25 lbs per side)
Lunge Walk to Cone
Building Run
Lunge Walk back Inside
As many Rounds as Possible in 30 min

No. of Rounds: 2


0700 Mishmash

WOD:
600m Run
21 80% BW Back Squats (105 lbs)
400 m Run
21 American KB Swings (Green)
200 m Run
21 Ball Slams (20 lbs)
600 m Run
21 Ball Slams (20 lbs)
400 m Run
21 Push Presses (55 lbs)
200 m Run
21 80% BW Back Squats (105 lbs)


1700 Crossfit

W/U:
3711
O-Lifting Skills

WOD:
1500 m Row
21 C&J
1000 m Row
15 C&J
500 m Row
9 C&J
Rx'd: 75 lbs
For Time

Time: 26:56