I am in the process of putting together a library of sorts that covers my education in the discipline of strength and conditioning. There are a ton of people in the industry that I respect and admire. There are also a number of coaches that I don’t care for and don’t think they have a true understanding of human performance. They read a lot and know a lot about the research but that is not where the magic is happening. It is in the trenches, under the bar. I still respect them because they have other qualities that make them good coaches. For example, you can have the most bullet-proof program in the universe but if your personality is non-existent or you don’t have the capability to manage a group, it is worthless. There are some coaches out there that have lackluster programming but are masters at getting athletes to do what they want them to do and to buy into the program fully. These are good coaches. They have passion and passion is the golden ticket.
I will put together a reading list of the books, now and then, that have shaped my career. I will also list coaches that have shaped my career. If I have time, I will also list articles and websites that you are missing out on. Like I said, they are not all great but do have something you can learn from. The best thing you can do for your training is to train your mind too. Become a student of the sport you are in. Whether that is Olympic weightlifting, power-lifting, CrossFit, etc. Learn how the body works, learn how the mind works, learn how to train it all in an organized and smart way.
Friday’s WOD (090918)
As many rounds in 6 minutes of:
25 Double Unders
10 No Pushup Burpees
100 meter run
Rest 1 minute
Repeat for 3 cycles
Average rounds completed: 5
Thursday’s WOD (090917)
Dead-lift 5×5 @ 85%
set 1 – 245 pounds
set 2 – 275 pounds
set 3 – 310 pounds
set 4 – 345 pounds
set 5 – 379 pounds
followed by
“Tabata Something Else”
20 seconds of work with 10 seconds of rest for 8 intervals of each of the following exercises:
Pull-up
Pushup
Situp
Air Squat
Total reps from all 32 intervals: 373
I did strict pull-ups instead of kipping and still managed to pass the 350 mark. I was shooting for 400 sans kipping but not quite. I was able to complete 85 pushups
Wednesday’s WOD (090916)
Snatch 3×3 @ 80% (sets across)
Warmed up to 157 (80%) with a lot of sets. Practiced the speed component since I was using such a low percentage. I felt really good about all nine of my attempts. Some were better than the rest but overall I felt really fast and think that it will help me when I max out on Snatch again in the future.
followed by
Power Clean and Press for 12-9-6 reps
touch and go at the floor only, no dumping, no re-gripping at the floor. Rest as needed between sets.
Weight used: 132 (first round was the toughest)
I don’t know but this last cycle seemed to be a little more easy on the mind and body than the previous two. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t tough, it just seemed to be a little less stressful on the mind and body. I know I am going to be sore from the pushups yesterday but other than that, I feel pretty good. It could possibly be that the body is adapting to the programming a bit. It could also be that the mind was actually happy to see a chipper today instead of a couplet or a triplet. Could be both.
We have just finished our rotation of strength exercises and, in two days, will begin the process of repeating them. The first go round was to establish a number for each exercise or in other terms, display our current strength. Now begins the process of increasing or improving that number or in other terms, developing more strength. Olympic lifts, when developing sheer power and increasing proficient technique, the reps must not pass beyond three reps. Going into a fourth rep and beyond, the neuro-muscular system becomes momentarily fatigued and posture, power, and thus technique fall by the wayside. This then proves to be detrimental to technique. This is not a good thing for those who have no feel for the snatch or clean & jerk at even the most elementary level. It encourages poor technique which in turn, in the long run, will hamper performance or keep athletes from finishing in faster times or moving greater loads. This is where the results lie.
As for the power-lifts or heavy and slow, the rep scheme will go as high as five per set. Technique is less important. Still very important but less than Olympic lifts. All movements, both Olympic and power, will use percentages of their one rep maxes.
Hopefully by keeping the movements fresh in everyone’s minds, we will begin to see the fruits of our labors. There will always be those that just don’t put in the work to remember what any of the exercises are called and thus never actually learn how to do each movement on their own. I mean, show them once and they know pretty much what to do but just won’t ever know what to do on their own. Every one else should see incredible results.
Here are the following movements we have 1 rep maxed on:
Full Snatch
Dead-lift
Push Jerk
Full Clean
Overhead Squat
Back Squat
Push Press
We maxed out on reps for Pull-ups.
We will begin an undulating periodization model for the remainder of the programming. This is in contrast to other models of periodization such as linear, alternating, concurrent (which we are always utilizing), and conjugate. Each model has its merits and can be called upon at different times during a trainees exposure to weight training.
Linear periodization is the basic model in which a program begins with moderate amount of volume and lower intensity (load) and gradually over each phase (period of 1 to 4 weeks) switches into lower amounts of volume with higher intensity (load). This program is great for beginners or those who have been away from weight training for quite some time as it allows for a base of hypertrophy and increase in connective tissue strength. As the trainee becomes stronger, each successive phase allows for new adaptations to occur such as a true increase in contractile tissue strength or becoming muscularly stronger. Finally, the volume is low enough and the weight is heavy enough where you allow the final adaptation to occur which is neuro-muscular or your ability to fire on all cylinders for one or two max efforts. Neuro-muscular falls into life or death situations. Those stories of women pulling off a car that has fallen on top of her kid type of strength. Linear periodization will work for anyone but not for very long. It has faults as well. They are beyond the scope of this blog entry.
The rest of the models are a variation on linear periodization. Alternating is taking linear and alternating the pieces. So instead of a step like approach of decreasing volume and increasing intensity over each 1 to 4 week phase, you start with a certain volume and its matching intensity and then you might drop the volume and increase the intensity over the next phase but instead of continuing to drop volume, you all of a sudden increase it to a point where it is more than what was in the first phase with the lowest intensity yet. Finally over the last phase you drop the volume once again and increase the intensity to match.
Undulating, which we will be utilizing, is similar to alternating but instead of phases in which the rep schemes are alternated, it is from workout to workout where it occurs. So in other words, you see exercise A one time and follow a certain reps scheme and then the next time you see the same exercise, it will follow a different rep scheme. This will have a matching volume/intensity schematic. This is a great method of periodization. It has faults but not as many as linear and can be utilized for a great period of time so long as things are modified along the way to keep adaptation occurring.
The last two models of periodization are advanced models and to be used only when all other methods have been exhausted. These have been used prematurely by strength coaches and for no good reason. There is a time and place for each and usually only when a trainee is in his prime years of strength training. By prime, I mean, is close to potential in the weight he/she can lift/move. For example, a 500 pound bench press, 750 pound squat, 600 to 900 pound dead-lift, 300 to 450 pound snatch, 400 to 550 pound clean and jerk, and so on. Conjugate may get the above mentioned athlete to a 5 pound increase in each of his lifts over the span of a year because it is that good, if implemented correctly. Where no other program would work. This is what I mean by prime.
Below are some reps schemes for the back squat of the above mentioned periodization models:
Linear: Back Squat
Weeks 1 thru 4 – 3 sets of 10 @ 75%
Weeks 5 thru 8 – 3 sets of 8 @ 80%
Weeks 9 thru 12 – 4 sets of 6 @ 85%
Weeks 13 thru 16 – 5 sets of 4 @ 90%
Weeks 17 thru 20 – 7 sets of 2 @ 95%
Alternating: Back Squat. Same as above but alternated (many ways to accomplish)
Weeks 1 thru 4 – 3 sets of 10 @ 75%
Weeks 5 thru 8 – 4 sets of 6 @ 85%
Weeks 9 thru 12 – 3 sets of 8 @ 80%
Weeks 13 thru 16 – 7 sets of 2 @ 95%
Weeks 17 thru 20 – 5 sets of 4 @ 90%
Undulating: Back Squat. This what we are using. (Many other ways to accomplish)
Week 1 – 1RM
Week 2 – 5 sets of 5 @ 85%
Week 3 – 6 sets of 3 @ 92.5%
Week 4 – 3 sets of 10 @ 70%
Week 5 – 7 sets of 1 @ 101% (hopefully, new 1RM)
There are many ways of periodizing a strength training program and these are but a few of the many out there. If this interests you, I would recommend you read and learn. There are many books out there on this subject. Good articles as well. Need ideas? I can also point you in the right direction. Just ask.
Today’s WOD (090914)
Chipper
For time
25 walking lunges
20 pull-ups
50 box jumps, 20 inch box
20 double unders
25 ring dips
20 knees to elbows
30 kb swings, 2 pood
30 situps
20 DB hang squat clean, 35 pound db’s
25 DB RDL’s, 50 pound db’s
30 Wall balls, 20 pound ball
3 rope climbs
Time: 11:24
Sunday’s WOD (090913)
Push Press 1RM – 228 pounds (2 pounds off pr)
followed by
10 rounds for max pushups
1/2 gasser (53 yards there and back)
15 pushups
40 seconds to complete each round followed by 30 seconds to rest
Reps completed: 137 pushups
Saturday’s WOD
Back Squat 1RM – 325 pounds
followed by:
10-8-6-4-2 rep rounds for time of:
Dead-lift @ 1.5 x bodyweight
2-fer-1 Wall Ball Shots @ 20 pound ball
Time: 2:26
This past weekend was Labor day weekend and because of that, we got an extra day off. Yes, even the gym closes sometimes. Training has been going well since starting the new program and I feel good about where I am at the moment. My food intake is no where near even being an ounce of healthy. I eat fairly well but some meals, I just fall off the wayside. I am getting stronger because of the extra calories but it really does take a toll on your ability to utilize energy systems efficiently. One of the keys to excelling at CrossFit, is the ability to shift back and forth between both anaerobic pathways and also utilize the aerobic pathway for recovery between sets, rounds, reps, etc. CrossFit is power endurance. A high level of power that must be maintained for a relatively long period of time.
In most of CrossFit’s programming, main site and my own, you must be able to demonstrate power at many levels. Power in moving a large amount of weight through a really long line of action and power in moving yourself or a moderate amount of weight through a long line of action for an extended period of time. You may even have to do both in the same workout. If this is the case, then your aerobic capacity is of utmost imp0rtance. The reason being that, if you want to be really good anyways, you need to be able to recover from one exercise while you are doing the next exercise. You can’t afford to rest the old fashioned way and by that I mean stopping all together. You need to just pick up the bar, jump on the box, jump up and grab the bar, take off running, pick up the kettle bell, etc.
For example, if a workout calls for 400 meter run, 21 swings, and 12 pull-ups (aka Helen), You need to get your body and mind to a point where you recover from the 2nd round 400 during the swings, because it is a different movement all together. You need to recover from the swings during the pull-ups. Obviously, this only applies to those who begin with the capacity to swing 21 times and kip 12 times without ever having to stop, due to strength. For example, if you can’t even do 5 pull-ups then I am not talking to you.
Back to my previous topic. If you need to slow down during the actual workout to better try and catch your breath a little then go ahead but you must promise yourself to pick up the pace again once you are able. This still means that you won’t stop, not even once, during the whole workout. Try it out. You may have to start out slower than usual but the main objective is to refrain from stopping. Pick up and slow down the pace but don’t stop. The next time start out a higher pace and the next time at an even higher pace but never stop. When you decide to jump onto a bar for pull-ups, you gotta do them all without stopping so remember what I said previously, this approach will only pertain to you if you have that capacity to begin with. If you can’t do 25 pull-ups to begin with then you aren’t going to somehow magically do them without stopping during the workout after just completing a 200 meter run, it’ll actually be harder.
Just a train of thought. It may not work for you. Give it a try. Let me know how it goes.
Thursday’s WOD (090910)
AMRAP in 15 minutes of:
200 meter run
15 Jump Pull-ups
50 pound DB Walking Lunges, 10 steps
Rounds: 8 and a 200 run
Wednesday’s WOD (090909)
Max Rep set of Pull-ups = 60 (pr)
met-con:
8 rounds of:
7 HSPU’s
7 Hang Power Cleans @ 115 pounds
Time: 8:02
Tuesday’s WOD (090908)
Overhead Squat 1RM – 225 pounds (pr is 230)
missed 235 twice.
met-con:
3 rounds:
50 Kettle Bell Swings @ 1.5 pood
50 Air Squats
Time: 9:20
Monday’s WOD (090907)
Rest Day
We had our first run at having an 8AM class on Saturday. We’ve only had a 9AM and 10AM class since the beginning and those two classes have just gravitated to team workouts. I opened the 8AM class for those that wanted to follow normal programming instead of team workouts. We did the same for Sunday, having a class at 1PM. We’ve never had a Sunday class and I kind of made it more of an open gym type atmosphere. I will coach and help out but I think this is a great opportunity for the community to learn from each other.
Both classes were a hit. We had about 30 people show up for both days. I hope to see about this many people on a regular basis. It really makes working out a lot more fun.
During cleans on Saturday, I didn’t pr but pretty much matched my previous best. I missed three times at what would have been a pr and had my best attempt at it on the first try. The last two were not as pretty. During that first attempt though, I jammed my wrist a little and today it has really bothered me. Almost to the point that I thought I may have fractured it. I can’t support myself in a pushup position, let alone do a pushup. Its improving as the hours pass though. I hope it doesn’t keep me from sticking with the training. I have been feeling really well about how things are going and would hate it if I really had to alter what I am doing because of this injury. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do today’s workout but didn’t really give up on it until I got into the gym, put some tape on, and hit a few reps.
As I mentioned, I couldn’t even support myself in a pushup position this morning, it hurt so bad. When I got into the gym, I immediately put on a ton a tape for support and tried a few overhead squats with an empty bar. Not to bad but I probably wasn’t going to be able to do much weight if a squat was involved. Luckily it was power snatch. I started throwing some weight on the bar to test out the tape job and it was holding up fairly well. I decided to give the workout a go and after it was all said and done, everything held up. I am guessing now, that it isn’t broken, ha. It is strained pretty good and I know that I won’t be able to go as heavy as I would like on the upcoming overhead squat 1RM. We’ll see how it goes. I am not one for giving in beforehand before I know what my actual limitations are and even then, I’m probably not the smartest. You can probably guess that I will push a little to see where it hurts the most.
I’ll keep you up to date on how the injury feels as the days pass and if it holds me back or not.
I am excited for the day off we have tomorrow. The gym is closed and the family will be home. I need to catch up on some rest and some son time. We’re gonna play some baseball at the park.
Have a happy labor day.
Sunday’s WOD (090906)
With a continuously running clock, do one 115 pound power snatch the first minute, two the second minute, three the third and so on. Continue for as long as you are able.
Minutes completed: 11
Saturday’s WOD (090905)
Clean 1RM – 272 (pr is 274)
missed three times at 282
mc:
“Annie”
50-40-30-20-10 reps for time of
Double Unders
Situps
Time: 5:26 (not sure if pr or not but i would like to think I have done it faster before)
Long time no see. Well we have started our new programming and so far it has been a hit. I believe the reason is because its planned out. I have planned out how the cycles are going run from week to week. I know in advance what everyone is going to be doing. I have periodized strength and the met-con. Now it’s still random but with a plan. This means that no one in the gym knows what is coming up and the met-cons are still highly varied, functional movements performed at high intensity across broad time and modal domains.
The reason I have implemented a sort of black box approach (some props to Coach Rutherford) is for three reasons. Firstly, I feel that our clients need more exposure, more often to the complex or weighted movements. Secondly, it will help everyone improve their strength levels which in turn will help everyone to move more weight in the met-con which will then allow greater fitness to be developed. Lastly, we can specifically hone in on scaling workouts to the point where they become prescribed for each individual. Now, this is somewhat science but mostly art. It won’t be optimal for everyone but will get close to giving everyone the best opportunity to reach their potential within a class setting.
So far, the majority of the gym has really bought into going hard for their three days and then religiously (now its only been one week mind you) utilizing the rest day. This is tough and there will be some that falter but if diet is decent and sleep is prioritized, it will ease the transition into this type of training. In other words, you will recover faster and last longer over the duration of the program. Sometimes, you just have to miss time here and there. We all do. This is okay but the real challenge is to prepare for your body and mind to handle the workload so that you never reach that point of needing to take substantial time off. How do we do this? By eating right, sleeping well, performing the movements correctly, and emphasizing active rest. Active rest being, playing sports at a lower intensity (recreational), applying ice and heat, massage therapy, dynamic stretching on days off, taking long walks on the beach (ha). In all seriousness though, this is the only time I condone long, slow distance. It speeds up recovery. Go for long walks. Go for a leisure swim or bike ride. Run a few miles at a slower than usual pace. This is good stuff and teaches your body, if you will, how to rid itself of waste products that are produced by high intensity output such as that which is performed within CrossFit.
I believe that those that take the challenge to step up their game and follow this program to the best of their ability, thus agreeing to eat better, sleeping more, and utilizing therapeutic modalities to speed recovery time, will see fantastic results beyond what they imagined. And I would also recommend, as mentioned earlier, to master the movements. I mean really master the movements. Don’t confuse a push press with push jerk. When a workout calls for push jerks, don’t be satisfied with half ass jerks that are really push presses. Watch a ton of videos of every movement we do and be the best that you can be performing them. With glorious technique comes efficiency and with that comes fast times because it is as Coach Rip says, great technique is the most optimal manifestation of strength that you currently have. Always work at becoming stronger but always utilize the correct technique.
Take that step. Don’t just step up to the plate, take a swing and actually hit the ball. This program will last approximately 11 weeks. Can you stick to it day in and day out? If I was a betting man, I would only bet on you if your nutrition improved, you got more sleep, practiced the movements, and made active rest/recovery a priority in your training.
Good Luck (and post to the comments of this blog if you aren’t a part of CrossFit Omaha but have decided to take the challenge and follow this programming)
And one more thing…………… College football, it’s about damn time.
Friday’s WOD (9-4-09)
Push Jerk 1RM – 247 pounds
Met-con:
5 rounds for time of
5 OH squats @ 142 pounds
10 burpees
Time: 5:15
Thursday’s WOD (9-3-09)
Rest Day
Wednesday’s WOD (9-2-09)
AMRAP in 20 minutes of:
15 Pull-ups
30 Pushups
45 Box Jumps (16″ box)
Rounds: 6 rounds, 15 pull-ups, and 20 pushups
Tuesday’s WOD (9-1-09)
Dead-lift 1RM – 445 pounds (pr)
Met-con:
15-12-9 reps for time of:
Thrusters @ 115 pounds
Jumping Ball Slams (emphasize squat) @ 20 pounds
Time: 3:26
Monday’s WOD (8-31-09)
Full Snatch 1RM – 201 pounds
Met-con:
4 rounds, each for time of:
400 meter run
2 minutes rest
Time: 1:14/1:10/1:12/1:17
Oh man, has it been some time since my last post. I really have been meaning to post more. At least my workouts right? Haha. I tell myself, “Okay, just post when you get in to work” or “Do it right when you get home.” As you can see, it never quite works out.
I have been keeping up with the workouts and doing a little here and a little there but not much. I haven’t taken many days off, maybe Sunday’s and an occasional day during the week but that’s about it. It’s been fun. Just playing around and not really trying to go balls to the wall. Just going hard.
I am slowly starting to eat better and better every day with an occasional slip up but I’m not too much into making it a necessity to be strict with anything at the moment. I’ve also been spending a lot of time with the family.
Without further adieu….
WOD’s (in no particular order)
3 rounds for time of:
10 Dead-lifts @ 275
50 Double Unders
Time: 2:33
_________________________________
Did a Double WOD This Day
“Grace” (first time doing this)
30 clean and jerks for time @ 137 pounds
Time: 2:28 or 2:38, can’t remember. Oh well, lets go with 2:38.
and
4 rounds for time of:
40 Air Squats
400 meter run
Time: 8:58
_________________________________
“Nasty Girls”
3 rounds for time of:
50 Air Squats (I MADE SURE I EXTENDED BOTH MY KNEES AND MY HIPS FOR EVERY REP!!!!!!)
7 Muscle-ups
10 Hang Power Cleans (132 pounds)
Time: 6:25
_________________________________
A version of the “Chief”
AMRAP in 2 Minutes of:
2 Power Cleans @ 154 pounds
4 Pushups
6 Air Squats
Rest 1 minute and repeat for 5 cycles
6 rounds completed for all 5 cycles
Back again. I have been quite busy with playing around with different workouts for myself and just testing the energy system waters. Some light and short, some heavy and medium, some light and long, etc. I tend to gravitate towards the heavy and short met-cons but forget the importance of short met-cons that involve light weights as well as throwing in some light and long and/or heavy and longer in the mix as well.
Going heavy, first off, takes care of a lot of things for you in terms of going hard. If the weight is heavy enough, you can push the pace almost to a point where you are required to slow down in order to move the weight through the required range of motion. This means, that even though you are fast with heavier weights, you must still respect the weight and move accordingly. Its as though the heavier loads determine the pace for you. You will tend to forget how to push yourself harder if you always do these kinds of workouts. This is why I have been re-introducing myself to met-cons that may have the same type of volume with lighter weights or maybe even more volume with lighter weights but last about as long as its heavier weighted counterpart. For example, lets say I do a workout with 10 Thrusters at 135 pounds and 10 Pull-ups for 5 rounds and lets say that it takes me 12 minutes to finish this workout. Twelve minutes is a good time but I was limited by the weight of the thrusters. I wanted to make sure my accuracy was high or that every rep counted (no misses). Here lies the problem. So what I did yesterday was an example of changing it up a bit. I did full cleans (squat included) and ring dips. Usually in a workout like this, I would prescribe a heavier weight for the cleans kind of like Elizabeth but maybe even heavier than 135. Instead, I went with 88 pounds and decided to do ten reps of each movement for 10 rounds. Now, the weight would not hold me back. My mind would be the culprit now. Could I push through when it would feel as though my heart would jump out of my chest? Accuracy doesn’t have to be as high because it chump weight, in terms of what I am capable of squat cleaning or what I have done in the past in met-cons that have squat cleans. Do you see where I am getting at?
I need to do workouts that don’t take very long but are long enough you want to kill yourself rather than finish it in a time you feel you should finish it in. I also need to do workouts with heavier weights that involve more reps other than the usual 1 to 5. Like doing 15 reps at a time with 135 pounds for different movements like thrusters. These are the workouts I need not shy away from. These are the ones that will help take me to another level.
Well, here’s to kicking your own ass.
Thursday’s Workout
10 Full Cleans at 88 pounds
10 ring dips
10 rounds
Time: 13:35 (i think)
Wednesday’s Workout
Park City CF Chipper
For time:
400 meter run
30 Pull-ups
20 Pistols (one-legged squats)
30 Burpees
20 Pushups
30 Double Unders
20 Wall Balls, 20 pound ball
30 Situps
20 Pull-ups
30 Kettle Bell Swings, 1.5 pood
400 meter run
Time: 12:09 (i think)
Hello everyone! I can’t seem to find the consistency to post regularly here. I have kept the workouts going and I am not sure if they are were they should be but I don’t really care right now. I have started to work on the programming for September and beyond. For one thing, I need to expose myself to more than one workout a day often. Second, I have a pet peeve of people not improving on Olympic lifts or high skill movements.
I am excited about the new changes to our programming. I have been wanting to expose the group to different programming methods but haven’t really had the chance to. It is going to take a lot of work on my part to get this thing in place and executed correctly but I have all of August to do so. I still have to run it by Joe but I am excited about it. It may or may not stick over the long haul but it will help in a number of things, including getting everyone exposed to the skill movements more often.
It will also give our advanced athletes a process by which to get stronger and improve their game immensely. To give you kind of a tidbit on what this new programming consists of. Metcons remain 3 days on, 1 day off but now a new element is added. Strength will be addressed in a 2 days on, 2 days off schedule. As you can see, this will be very tough for me to bring together on a daily basis, in terms of making the WOD co-exist optimally with strength movements, but I am up to the challenge and believe that the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. More to come…………..
Today’s WOD
As many rounds in 20 minutes
10 Full Snatches, 110 pounds
5 Push Balls, 20 pound ball
10 Kettle Bell Swings, 2 pood
5 Thrusters, 132 pounds
Rounds: 4 plus 3 snatches (sucks)
I haven’t posted to this blog in some time. I want to make sure that I post more often and keep the info coming at a daily pace but now is just not the time. I am still recovering from the games in terms of motivation so my workouts have been pulled back a bit but I am still hitting them so that’s a good thing. I am going to wait until September 1st for daily posting and getting back on track with my training. Until then, I plan on occasionally getting on here and letting everyone know what’s up. Here’s what’s been on the menu the last couple of days.
Today’s Workoout
5 minutes of
10 Tire Flips
10 Handstand Pushups
1 minute rest
5 minutes of
8 Tire Flips
8 Handstand Pushups
1 minute rest
5 minutes of
6 Tire Flips
6 Handstand Pushups
1 minute of rest
5 minutes of
4 Tire Flips
4 Handstand Pushups
1 minute of rest
5 minutes of
2 Tire Flips
2 Handstand Pushups
Wednesday’s Workout
5 Rounds of
6 Power Snatches @ 132
9 CTB Pullups
Time: 5:33
Monday’s Workout
CrossFit Football WOD
3 rounds of
1 Full Gasser
12 Power Cleans @ 185
6 Push Jerks @ 185
Time: 9:35
2009 CrossFit Games, my take.
Okay so now is the time that I post my experiences at this year’s CrossFit games. I have many opinions and thoughts on how the event unfolded and how I felt I performed.
First, I finished in 38th place out of 74. It was an awesome time competing and hanging out with everyone. What makes CrossFit so much fun is by far the fans and those who CrossFit at their own gyms. It is so inspiring to have all these wonderful people come up to me this past weekend and let me know that they were rooting for me and that what I do inspires them. It’s really what drives me to get in that gym and bust ass. Which brings me back to my performance.
I wasn’t totally pleased with how I performed. I didn’t necessarily feel as though it was a failure but it definitely wasn’t up to what I expect of myself. I blame myself for not preparing myself to to the fullest possible potential. I took it somewhat for granted. My diet was not where it should have been and I just didn’t give myself a chance to make it to day 2. I believe in myself to the point that I should have been in the top ten, if not higher. No excuses though, the unknown and unknowable is what I train for and I knew that going in but just didn’t give it my all in preparing. For this, I am sorry to all my fans out there. I give you guys my word that will never happen again. I will soon begin my journey into preparing for the fourth annual CrossFit games and I vow to be indestructable. The athletes will get better, the workouts will get tougher, but I will give myself the best opportunity to go head to head with the best and do damage.
I would have loved to do day 2 workouts because I would have done well but I didn’t deserve to give them a go and so I won’t. This year’s workouts are buried. I have a plan in mind on where my training is going to go. I will post my workouts, when I start, in greater detail. I am going to be doing two a days for sure. My philosophy has changed a bit. I will start to unveil it as my prep begins. I’m thinking September 1st or so. Be on the lookout.
Onto the actual games. What do I think of the games, the programming, the organization, the setup, the affiliate cup? First off, for the fans, I felt the setup was extraordinary. It was light years ahead of last year’s event. The jumbotron was awesome and I hope they go even bigger next year. Paving the area around the barn was cool too. I liked last year’s workouts being in the dirt but having it paved was good.
The affiliate tent site was way cool and I think more needs to go into that. So much camederie going on. I think they should spruce the area up even more. It’s just so cool to finally meet all the other big time affiliates.
The vendor area was perfect. I can’t wait to see who signs up next year. The apparel, the equipment, and just everything was cool in the vendor area. The possibilities are endless.
The organization was a little subpar but with all the competitors and equipment setup, I don’t blame anyone for that. Dave Castro and company did amazing job with getting the show on the road and keeping it flowing as best they could. The parking situation couldn’t have been better. That was run perfectly. I didn’t really like how we never really had an idea of when we were going to be starting the next event but oh well. Big props to headquarters for making it all work.
The events. Hmm……. the events. What is there to say? They did what they were supposed to do. They detrmined the fittest man and woman on the planet, both physically and mentally. I can’t say I was a total fan of everything or all the workouts and the whole elimination thing but that’s life. I should have prepared better. Dave Castro did well. He programed as diverse a workout scheme as he could. He actually made it a little more CrossFit-esque. Last year was not entirely what I would call a true test of all fitness domains. This year took care of that. I actually liked the programming. Last year played to my strengths. This year exposed my weaknesses. And I loved every minute of the humility.
Good job to Dave, Tony, coach, Lauren, and every one else involved in making the 2009 CrossFit games a success. And thank you to the Castro’s for allowing us to display our talents on their awesome property.
I would also like to thank all of you that came up to me this weekend and passed along kind words. It’s really cool to finally meet some of you. Next year is for you.
The little guy (haha)
Ricky “CFO”
