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Are You Cherry Picking?

Thursday, February 17, 2011

I've noticed that since I began posting the WOD's ahead of time that some people tend to miss class when certain exercises are prescribed. We call it "cherry picking", which basically means choosing to participate in only the workouts in which you'll feel that you can do well in and / or like the exercises. In some cultures they also refer to it as "being a punk-ass little b*tch...but I digress.

Here's the deal: you're here for a reason; to improve, get healthier and become a better athlete, and that kind of growth won't occur if you aren't willing to confront your weaknesses and get flat-out freaking uncomfortable on a fairly regular basis. We all love it when stuff that we're good at comes up on the WOD, and conversely, we also all get that crazy, nervous feeling in the pit of our tummy when the stuff that we suck at comes up. So what? That's why you signed up for this craziness in the first place; to feel alive by facing down your fears, thus reminding yourself that life isn't a dress rehearsal...go big or go home.

It takes a lot of moxy to face down your fears and still show up for a good *ss kicking...I get that, and I respect it, because that alone makes you more proactive than 99% of the worlds population. So make the choice now to stop cherry picking, otherwise you're going to end up lazy and gelatinous, whch won't generate a lot of traffic to your E-harmony profile page ; ) 

WOD
BLACK MAMBA
For Time
20 Back Squats 185M / 135W
1 Mile Run With Weight  24kgM/ 16kgW
100 Back Exts on GHD
100 Situps
Warmup
10 Mins Mobility Drills

Charles Does CrossFit

Monday, May 02, 2011

Has CrossFit gone mainstream yet? I would say yes, but it doesn't really matter, it just is what it is; an amazing program that anybody can do, but that is not for everybody. People who are a little bit more type A and competitive get the most out of it, but with that being said, I have seen many people "come out of their shell" and become certified knuck-draggers, so you never know. It's really just a matter of wether you truly have the desire to improve and are willing to put yourself out there every time.

However, with almost 3 years of doing nothing but CrossFit now I can honestly say that I'm doing things at 51 that I couldn't do at 48, and that blows my mind. I know that many of you reading this have been doing it for a while now too, and I'd love to hear your thoughts. First, how has CrossFit changed your life, and second, any words of wisdon for the newbies and / or wanna-be's who are reading this, but haven't drank the koolaid yet? 

WOD
OLD SCHOOL
For Time:
1 Dip
2 Pushup
3 Situps
4 Air Squats

* Add 1x the number for each exercise up to ten, then work all the way back.

Example:

Dip             1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/9/8...
Pushup       2/4/6/8/10/12/14/16/18/20/18/16...
Situps         3/6/9/12/15/18/21/24/27/30/27/24...
Air Squats   4/8/12/16/20/24/28/32/36/40/36/32...

* At the highest point you will have 10 dips, 20 pushups, 30 situps and 40 air squats.

Living In a Way You Respect

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

3 September 2011

Dear Roy,

I just felt the need to to sit down and write you this letter, in exclamation of the progress I have made since joining crossfit at Body Construction. I just got up from doing some pushups, and I have amazed myself. I just did more pushups than I have been able to do since I was preparing for Marine Corps boot camp ... wait for it ... 20 years ago.

It just dawned on me that I may actually be able to reach a level of fitness comparable to what I had in my twenties. At this rate, who knows, I may even exceed it. Oh my god, Roy. I was in the worst shape of my life when I walked into Body Construction. For close to a decade, the software company I owned had been my first priority, and as time went on, I began to sacrifice more and more of my life for it.

My health and fitness fell off the list, not to mention my social life and family time. When you live unbalanced like that for long enough, eventually your spirit stops fighting it. You start accepting your new role and your new self. In my case, denial also accompanied this burned out perspective I had adopted.

Though I've always made it a priority to be willing to face and accept the hard truths, recently, I've been shocked as I've started to recognize the extent to which this denial had invaded. For years, I had known that I needed to get back into the gym, and I had tried on many occasions, with varied levels of temporary success.

Whenever I thought about what I wanted, the list always began with fitness right at the top. Unfortunately, I never managed to put it together. I had apparently developed a major motivation problem, and it was at this point that I finally enlisted your help. I asked for a personal trainer that could help me get some results and would motivate me to stick with a program. You instead recommended crossfit and paleo diet as solutions on all these fronts. I was somewhat skeptical, but I thought I'd take your word for it and embrace your prescription - clearly, my own solutions weren't working.

Stepping into crossfit, I got sore. Real sore. I used to lift when I was younger, so I knew what being sore was all about. But now I was getting sore enough to question whether I was pushing my "old" body to injury. But I kept on as you and Cheryl suggested, and results started flowing in. I've been doing this for only three months now, and I am still seeing visible change every week.

This path of constant improvement is incredible - I really can't believe it. I feel good now. I'm motivated like I used to be. I'm living a way that I respect. And for the first time since I can remember, I truly dont know the limits of what's possible.

My fitness just keeps on improving, and I keep getting happier. I've noticed that I crave these workouts now, I love the food I prepare, and I'm excited about what my life may bring just around the corner. I feel like I'm back. But better. Most of all, I'm amazed that I now have this frequent feeling of "I can't wait". Whereas not 3 months ago, I was obviously depressed and perhaps had been for a very long time, today I am aggressively going after what I want.

Roy, high moto is everything to me - it's what makes me who I am, and I had fully lost it. This crossfit/paleo thing you run and the results that it carries, are so totally motivating, that I now feel like a resident of the passionate world. Though diet and fitness in and of themselves are not the sole ingredients to happiness, in my case, I can say unequivocally that they can act as keys to opening the door to the great possibilities in life.

You've no doubt heard this story before, but I feel compelled to tell it anyway. Thank you for your tough-love-introduction to what I am capable of and what it takes to find it. I've always disliked receiving help when I don't need it, but this time I really needed it, and I am extremely grateful for it. ...and feel free to kick me in the ass any time! Sincerely,

Mark Freydl 6am Crossfit

WOD
Unf*ckwithable
Every Minute on The Minute For 15 Minutes
3 Dealifts 275/185
5 Wheels of Death
7 Situps
Warmup
10 Minutes Active Stretching

Monkey Pie

Monday, November 21, 2011

It's week number 3 of the Paleo Challenge and The Food Diaries are rolling in. Last week saw a drop off rate of only 1 person, so I'm curious as to how many of you will still be standing by the end of today. I'm not extending deadlines anymore (like I have for the last two weeks) so you have till before the stroke of midnight tonight to get your journal in.

Historically, week 3 can be a very pivotal week for many, as some of you probably had some great gains in the beginning which may have slowed down a lot by now. If that's happening to you, don't despair! The human body is a very complex mechanism that has a lot of systems in place to keep us up and running. It's not unusual for fat loss to slow down or sometimes even stop for a period of time as your system acclimates to it's newer, faster, slimmer self.

Understand, however, that this is where the rubber meets the road, as consistency with your nutrition during these rough spots will reward you with more fat loss in the very near future. The key is to stay the course, enjoy the journey and not become discouraged. This journey, like any other, is not a straight line. It will be filled with, turns and twists and maybe even the occasional roadblock, but don't let that dissuade you from continuing to move forward.

By staying consistent with your nutrition and exercise you are teaching and training your body how to perform at a higher level and enabling it to evolve and become more efficient. Allow it to become comfortable with its new eating regime. Quit striving for immediate gratification and continue to do the work; it's more than worth it...trust me! ' )

WOD
Monkey Pie
For Time:
100 KB Swings 25kg/16kg
* EMOTM (every minute on the minute) do 5  Pullups till all 100 swings are completed
Then...
100 Box Jumps
* EMOTM do 5 Burpees till 100 box jumps are completed
NOTE: The pullups and burpees are the "buy-in"...in other words, you've got to do them before you can begin chipping away at your 100 swings or box jumps. If, on any round, you aren't ready to "buy-in" right at the top of the minute, then you must wait till the top of the NEXT minute before you can continue.
Warmup
50 Situps
50 Hypers
50 Jacks
200 Rope