Amy celebrating a new personal record deadlift

Great post from Shoreline CrossFit

I read a quote the other day:

“The only difference between fear and adventure is how much you breathe.“

I’ve heard people say that they’ve skipped out on the gym because a workout looked too intimidating.  I have also heard people say that they could never run a marathon, tough mudder, or [you fill in the endurance event] because they would absolutely die first.

Can you remember back to your first day of school?  I can.  There are two first days of school for me.  One was pre-school on the Green in West Haven, and the other was at Washington Magnet School.  The first day of pre-school, I went in screaming, clutching to my mother’s hot-pink and black sweater, with snots pouring down my face.  I refused to speak, or even look at the teachers, and I certainly would never talk or play with any of my peers.  This is pretty much a summation of my pre-school career.  Clearly, I don’t have fond memories of this institution.

The summer passed, and I embarked on my first day of Kindergarden.  My mother walked me in again, but this time I refused to cry; I didn’t want to appear a “baby.” I don’t remember if this was a promise I made to myself prior to this day, or the result of a conversation with my mother, but either way, I was determined to not shed a tear. Because my eyes weren’t blurred with tears, I was able to take in my surroundings: bright colors lined the room, toys galore, and a smiling plump old lady that would be my first ever real teacher.  I was sat a Table 4.  I remember staring at the table sign, then at the bright number banner on the wall, focusing every erg of energy on NOT crying.  I vividly remember taking deep breathes, studying every feature of the other three students seated at Table 4.  Then it happened…Joey D., seated next me, who had been crying the whole time we were seated, vomited up his morning banana all over Table 4.

I thought to myself, “What a baby.”  You see, on this day, I remembered to breathe, and Joey forgot.  To me, the first day of school was an adventure, to Joey it was a frightful, fearful situation.

The aforementioned fitness tests (the WOD, marathons, etc) are much like my first day of school. You control the situation, you do not allow it to control you.  Take the time to breathe. Take the time to focus.  Take the time to process what it is that you are about to do. I bet that you will find yourself on an adventure, rather than in a state of panic, assuming every move will lead to your immediate torture.

Breathe…and even if you do still puke up your banana, we won’t hold it against you forever….

**Don’t forget, Community Day this Saturday at 10am —regular CrossFit classes at 8am & 9am***

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Tuesday’s WOD:

500m Row
12 Deadlifts
21 Box Jumps

400m Run (flat course)
12 Deadlifts
21 Box Jumps

403m Run (hill course)
12 Deadlifts
21 Box Jumps

12 Deadlifts
12 Burpees

*all Deadlift reps done with a pronated grip

results:

Below is an excerpt of a great post from CrossFit South Bay.

One of the most difficult things to fight as a coach is the thought that “Lifting weights is going to make me ‘bulk up’” from girls.  My first response is to shake my head and contemplate shoving my hand in a toaster to cure the frustration… Yet, when I stop and think about it, I honestly like the way CrossFit makes my body look.  And I know there are many of us in the gym that wouldn’t be as enamored with CrossFit if we didn’t see aesthetic results in combination with fitness results, so I do think it is a valuable question that needs to be answered.  The first thing you need to do is look around the gym at girls that have been CrossFitting for a long time. If we created “bulky bodies”, you would see them at CFSB.

Read full post here.

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Tuesday’s WOD:

A.) Bench Press
5-5-5-5-5

B.) 3 Minutes Max Row Calories
2 Minutes Max Reps KB Swings (53/35)
1 Minute Max Reps Wall Ball

results:

Running around in some random field – Denmark 2006

Two weeks ago many Sweat Shop members made the trip up to South Lake Tahoe to compete in the 2011 Fittest of the Sierras.  JB and I left early Friday morning, arrived just after 12pm, checked in, grabbed our skis and snowboard, and hit the mountain.  Although I haven’t been snowboarding all year, and only went once last year, it felt as though I’d never taken a day off!  Aside from it being great fun, I was extremely happy with how fresh my legs felt during, and even the next day.  I’m convinced that the training I’ve been doing in the gym, helped me to have a more enjoyable time on the mountain.  The only thing that would have made it better would have been sunshine and blue skies, hence the random picture above.  Now I’ll get to my point.

CrossFit is awesome for many reasons.  The physical and mental challenge of the workouts.  The feeling of accomplishment after the workout.  The post workout buzz or euphoria.  The physical and mental health benefits.  The local community support from within the gym.  The CrossFit community of nearby gyms.  The national and international CrossFit community.  And, as I was able to benefit from, the ability to enjoy recreational activities, and/or do them better or with less soreness or aches and pains.  When any or all of these things are your primary reason for doing CrossFit, you will likely experience life-long enjoyment and fulfillment from participating in CrossFit.  However, if your primary goal is to be the best male or female during your class time, best performance on the whiteboard for that day, make it on to the leaderboard, qualify for the CrossFit Games, or any other accomplishment that involves gaining praise or the respect from others, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.  Before I go any further, let me reiterate that the previously mentioned motivators should not be your PRIMARY goal.  Many of them are inherent to CrossFit and several of them are exactly what enables us to push much harder than what we would normally be capable of, especially during those really tough workouts.  So having them as motivators, not primary goals, is perfectly healthy.  I know what many of you are thinking right now, “….making the leaderboard, being the first to finish the workout, etc. isn’t my primary goal.”  But if during a workout you find yourself looking for ways to make a movement easier, or performing questionable range of motion, or after a workout you find yourself disappointed with your results, when you compare it to others, your head is simply in the wrong place.  The simple fact is, no matter how much you improve, or how good you get, there will likely be others that are better than you, and thus your insecurities or feelings of inferiority will never end.  CrossFit, and exercise in general is an excellent way to have fun and reduce stress, if you are stressed out and/or not having fun, it’s time to re-evaluate why you are doing this.

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Wednesday’s WOD:

A.) Snatch
3-3-3-3-3

B.) 800m Run
then 3 Rounds of:
15 KB Swings
7 Burpees

results:

Josh has only one expectation when he enters the Sweat Shop; to go all out.

Everyday we face new challenges. In the midst of these challenges, we sometimes get overwhelmed by setting such high expectations for ourselves and become unsatisfied with ANY result we didn’t expect. In the spirit of the competitions going on, here’s an awesome post by CrossFit Lisbeth speaking to how expectations can be the root to our successes and failures:

We do it to ourselves.

We have these expectations. They live in our heads, not in someone else’s. And they tell us what we think, what we want to have happen . . . and that’s the good thing — these expectations are our hopes, our dreams, our spirits untrammeled. “I’m going to get 15 of those squats unbroken.” “I will get a muscle-up.” “All A’s this semester. All A’s.” “He’s the one.”

Expectations can be fantastic things: their very existence tells us that we are alive, that something called hope still burns brightly somewhere within us. And hope ain’t no joke: it keeps us breathing some days.

But there can be a problem with expectations. They can bite us in the ass. And keep on biting. Because when they’re not met — for whatever reason, whether it is our own failing or that of someone else — often we stay at the scene and beat ourselves up over what we could have done better. We assess the difference between what we expected to happen and what actually did — and then we linger. And the lingering is what gets us in trouble. It feeds our ego but produces nothing.

The seed of tomorrow’s victory certainly lives in what we learn today, but not if we’re stupid and mired in our failures. So, stop gazing at your own reflection and look up. The world is alive with other possibilities. Grab one of them. Act.

Read full post here.

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Legitness of the Week

Deadlift PR’s
Dustin 185×5
Rob K. 245×5
Sean 295×5
Kirstin 140×5
Amy G. 155X5
Valerie 140×5
Melaney 145×5
Kasi 175×5
Tom 228×5
Ron 230×5

Shoulder Press PR’s
Jeff 115×3
Eric 105×2

Back Squat PR’s
Mike B. 235×3
Lones 195×3
Jennifer 150×3
Matt M. 245×3
Dustin 165×3
Donna C. 175×3
Trish 130×3
Patrick 295×3
Nancy 95×3
Laney 120×3
Tom 205×3
Joe W. 245×3
Colt 185×3
Jason 255×3
Helen 200×3
Jin 260×3

-J.B. surpasses snatch goal with 180×1.
-Josh hits a double day on monday.
-Jake surpasses unassisted pullup goal.

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Friday’s WOD:

A.) Push Jerk
1-1-1-1-1

B.) 4 Rounds

90 Seconds each round:
12 KB Swings
70m Run
Box Jumps for REPS

*No rest between sets*

results:

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Thursday’s WOD:

A.) Deadlift
5-5-5-5-5

B.) 403m Run
15 Pullups or 8 Muscle Ups
5 Burpees

200m Run
20 Box Jumps
5 Burpees

70m Run
25 KB Swings
5 Burpees

results:

Charlie and Big Mike B. Youthful athletes enjoying some knees-to-elbows.

In a post two weeks ago, we hit on the question of “Why do you CrossFit?”. Although we all have our separate reasons, the “Wise” Mike Banks gave an inspiring response for why he loves and continues to do CrossFit. He states that,

“CrossFit, in particular the Sweat Shop, is literally the “fountain of youth”. It is great fun for the older crowd to try and keep up with you youngsters. Crossfitting is one of the greatest ways to fight off father time”.

When I read this, I can’t agree more with Mike. Many people, especially older fokes, think CrossFit isn’t for them because it is too intense and dangerous. They like to use the “statistical” notion that as we age, we loss muscle, bone, and become more prone injury, therefore, we shouldn’t do weight lifting, sprinting, and high intense activities. What I love about our “Master” Sweat Shoppers, is that they enjoy lifting weights, sprinting, and fun, high intense activities. They refuse to let age determine what things they should be doing and take on the challenge and opportunity to continue working out with a younger crowd. Lones’ deadlift Record, Mike’s ability to hammer out “strict” knees-to-elbows, Charlie’s “Cindy” time, Jim D’s love for “Murph”, Rob beating the young kids on the runs, Lucinda’s love for thrusters, and Mike Stark’s riveting “Mufasa-like” energy, are a true display of the fountain of youth flowing at the Sweat Shop. Great job all of you “Master” Sweat Shoppers! You are inspiring to us all!

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Wednesday’s WOD:

4 Rounds

10 Hang Squat Cleans
2 Rope climbs or 15 Pullups
20 Box Jumps

results

I came across a funny blog that listed Garfield’s Top 10 Excuses for Not Exercising:

10. I can’t do leg lifts today, I’m supposed to get a face lift.

9. Sorry, I cant do sit-ups. But I can do lie downs instead.

8. I ran across the street to get here, and you still want me to exercise!?

7. Why should I be “in-shape” anyway? Round is a shape right?

6. Leg lifts? I thought you said Turkey leg lifts.

5. I’m not overweight, I’m just undertall.

4. I used to exercise, but I’m just fine now. Thanks anyway!

3. I have a condition called exercise-o-phobia also known as the fear of sweat. So if I start sweating and screaming… don’t say I
didn’t warn you.

2. I know I look fat now, but in a parallel universe, I’m six-foot-two, 250 pounds, and extremely muscular.

1. I hate to break it to you, but working out, just isn’t working out for me.

As funny as these are, when I hear some people’s excuses for not exercising, they generally sound about as lame as these. Props to all you Sweat Shoppers who refuse to be a Garfield and always make time for some sweat every day! Some days it’s frustrating when we don’t PR or perform our best, but tossing away your excuses and showing up working hard is an accomplishment in itself. Keep it up guys!

Post your favorite exercise excuses in the comments section.

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Legitness of the Week

Back Squat PRs
Valerie 95×3
Monica 135×3
Joe W 235×3
Steve 225×3
Tammy 190×3
Ryan 230×3
James G. 170×3
J.B. 305×3
Nabil 355×1

Squat Clean PRs
Helen 145×1/140×2 (Sweat Shop Record)
Dustin 120×2
Katherine 80×2
Nancy 50×2
Rob K. 105×2
Jin 185×2
Kirstin 80×2
Matt M. 185×2
Nik 215×2
Jason 205×2
Chris G. 215×2
Patrick 225×2
J.B. 235×2
Josh 245×2

Kasi surpasses goal of 5 unassisted pull-ups.
Nabil goes “beast mode” while assembling a Barbie Pet Vet Care Station.
Thursday’s workout B victimizes 3 shins.
After slicing through 1 inch of the dermis on his shin from a box jump attempt, Eric still manages to finish Thursday’s workout B.
Helen nearly gets a “Pukie” after seeing this all occur.

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Fridays’s WOD:

5 Rounds
————–
3 Minutes per round of:

9 Pullups
12 Single Arm KB Squats
15 KB Swings
Burpees for REPS

*Rest 1-Minute

results

Thursday’s WOD:

A.) Squat Clean
2-2-2-2-2

B.) 2 Rounds
10 Toes to Bar
20 Wall Balls
30 Box Jumps

results

Our newly installed “PR” Soap. Use as intended.

You’re at the bottom of the squat, your knees are wavering, you’re back is slightly giving, and you think “there’s no way in hell I’m going to lift this weight”. Then a spurt of energy kicks in. You start to see the light. The bar begins to rise. From the sticking point, it just takes some heart and grit. You push through with a grunt and a deep exhale. You just PR’d! Few things are as exciting as this. It takes an enormous amount of physical effort that you have never exerted before. Often overlooked, it also takes a great amount of character. A lot can be learned from such a simple thing. Attempting a PR can be a true test of how well you respond to adversity… in the gym as well as outside. I challenge you to take it outside. The character you display when you take on a gruesome WOD, shouldn’t stop at the WOD. Although getting a personal record on exercises is a thrill, nothing can compare to the satisfaction you feel form improving relationships with family and friends, as well as your job. PR on your character. As CrossFit founder Greg Glassman said, “Were forging elite fitness, but were filtering for character”.

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Legitness of the Week

Youth Athlete PR’s
Mackenzie Deadlift PR 155×3 (Age 13)
Ethan Deadlift PR 305×3 (Age 14)
Kyle Back Squat PR 145X5 (Age 14)

Dustin gets his first muscle up!
NATRONE returns to the Sweat Shop two weeks in a row and crushes it!
Patrick attends the CrossFit endurance seminar in SF!
Chris G gets a “Pukie” on tuesday’s deadlift-sprint workout.
In just 3 total reps, Alex back squats a total of 1,135 LBS!
CJ goes “Beast Mode” on thursday’s “Burn” workout.
Aaron cooks a 2 pound meatloaf with his newly purchased Prather Ranch grass-fed beef!

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Friday’s WOD:

A.) 1 Mile Run
B.) 12 Minutes 1-Rep Back Squat
* Score is sum of 3 best sets*
C.) 1-Minute max effort pullups
1- Minute max effort burpees

results:

______________

Thursday’s WOD:

“CrossFit Burn Competition Workout”

15 Burpees
10 Clean and Jerks
3 Rounds of Cindy
10 Clean and Jerks
3 Rounds of Cindy
25 Double Unders

results:

In light of these upcoming competitions, I want you to take off your competitive hard hat for a second and reflect on why you started CrossFit. I can bet that few of you joined the Sweat Shop strictly to train for the CrossFit Games and or affiliate throwdowns. I bet most of you joined with the intentions of getting in the best shape of your life while doing so in a fun, energetic, highly intense, and positive atmosphere. Being that you are still sticking with it, it is fair to say that this is what has molded your positive fitness gains thus far. Don’t forget this while you train for your competitions. Although there are many positives that come from competing, you shouldn’t beat yourself up if you aren’t perfect at some exercises that are at competitions. In addition, being narrowly focused on how to “perfect” a specific competition format can sometimes mess up your progress and also put a dent in your confidence. A great analogy for this is studying for standardized tests. What do students really gain from studying how to take a test? Does it make them really more knowledgable? Does a high score correlate to them being able to perform well in day to day challenges? The same applies to your CrossFit skills. Getting better takes time, but don’t skip the fundamentals just for competition. Just because a competition has muscle ups, snatches, cleans, or pullups doesnt mean you should ditch the fundamentals and prerequisites for those movements. Trying to tackle snatches before fine tuning overhead squats, slapping on an extra 50lbs on your cleans before your squats are solid, and trying to learn butterfly kipping when you recently learned how to kip are all “impatient” mistakes that take your progress a couple steps back. Don’t sweat the small specifics. If you fine tune your fundamentals patiently, you will go into your competitions much more confidently and will truly be able to perform at your best ability. Ok, now put on that hat and hit your training hard! Good luck to all those who are competing!

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Legitness of the Week

Back Squat PR’s
Donna C. 170×3
Nancy 65×5
Joe W. 215×3
Kirstin 110×3
Patrick 275×3
Nik 275×3
Steve 215×3
Tom G. 185×3
Katherine 110×3

Joel gets his first muscle up!!
Joe W goes “beast mode” on thursday’s squat clean finisher!
Bill turns 50 and annihilates a competing brewer’s can!
Ron P goes 0-2 on meat pickup!

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Friday’s WOD:

500m Row
30 KB Swings
20 KB Squats
15 Pullups

403m Run
20 KB Swings
15 KB Squats
10 Pullups

200m Run
15 KB Swings
10 KB Squats
5 Pullups

results:

______________

Thursday’s WOD:

A.) Back Squat
3-3-3-3-3

B.) As many rounds as possible in 7 minutes of:
7 Squat Cleans
30 Double Unders

results:

Squats are good.

All too often runners neglect strength training because they only think about improving their endurance by running.  Many even believe that strength training 2 or 3 times per week will lead to large gains in muscle mass that they fear will slow them down on their runs.  Little do they know that the repetitive effects of running, coupled with little or no strength training, will almost always result in running related injuries or ailments.  Most of these injuries require taking time off from running in order to heal; thus by having a program that only involves running, runners will likely sustain overuse related injuries that require extended rest periods, resulting in setbacks for their fitness.  Full depth squats, done with good form, will go a long way for developing the necessary strength in the glutes to help reduce the risks associated with running.  It will also give a much nicer shaped butt to runners who are notorious for having flat ones!

Excerpt from NY Times.com

The technical name of the condition I have is gluteus medius tendinosis — an inflammation of the tendons in the gluteus medius, one of three large muscles that make up the butt. It’s a very isolated and painful injury that knocked me out of marathon training in January with stabbing pains in my hip. It’s a symptom related to what running experts hammer at: the need for cross-training and strength training. I was running so much that I told myself I didn’t have time for the exercise machines or weights, so I have no one to blame but myself.“A new thought in running medicine is that almost all lower extremity injuries, whether they involve your calf, your plantar fascia or your iliotibial band, are linked to the gluteus medius,” said Dr. Darrin Bright, a sports medicine physician with Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and medical director of that city’s marathon. “In the last five to 10 years, we’ve just realized how much of an important role the gluteus medius plays in stabilizing the hips and the pelvis in running.”

Read full article here.

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Tuesday’s WOD:

“Helen”

3 Rounds

403m Run
21 KB Swings (53/35)
12 Pullups

results:

Jin, feeling “Jin and Tonic’d” 30-minutes post “Barbara”on 8/5/10. While contemplating why in the world he showed up to the Sweat Shop that day, he also regrets not having a recovery meal on hand before heading to work.

Whether you are training for CrossFit competitions, or to simply stay in shape, your recovery must be done right nutritionally and timely in order to accomplish your desired results. Many of you still inquire about when and what you should eat right after a workout. For the average CrossFitter, the simple rule of thumb is to replenish immediately after the workout and to eat “real” food as opposed to other sources. For the competitive athlete, the guidelines are slightly different in catering for longer, and more intense training sessions. Here’s an excerpt from Paleo-Creator, Loren Cordain’s book “The Paleo-Diet for Athletes” with a more in-depth explanation on the goals of each stage of recovery.

On eating 30-minutes post exercise:
At no other time in your entire day is your body as receptive as it is now to nutrient intake. Research shows that the restocking of the muscles’ carbohydrate stores is 2-3 times as rapid immediately after exercise as it is a few hours later. In the same way, other research reveals that the repair of muscles damaged is more effective if protein is consumed immediately after exercise. Don’t delay. Being refueling as soon as possible after you cool down.

Read full excerpt here.

Be advised: Many people mistake this 30-minute “warning” as some sort of alert to eat as much sugar and carbs as they can. Yes, missing the “window” all together can be detrimental, but so is using this window to eat 3 glazed donuts, frozen yogurt, and a happy meal.

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Legitness of the Week

Josh joins Bill’s “Double Day” club and crushes Wednesday’s “Pistols” WOD twice! His one day pistol total = 132!
Nabil raises the Sweat Shop “Consecutive Double Unders” record to 110!!

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Friday’s WOD:

WOD #1
4 Rounds:
9 Front Squats (155#/105#)
21 Box Jumps
2 Rope Climbs
9 Handstand Pushups

WOD #2

4 Rounds:
18 Thrusters
18 Box Jumps
12 Pullups

results:

______________________

Thursday’s WOD:

3 Rounds

500m Row
40 KB Swings
30 Pushups
20 Pullups
10 Burpees

*3-minute rest between rounds*

results:

______________________

Don’t forget to check out the spoiler for tomorrow’s workouts here.
Be ready to work!!!

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Crystal McReynolds – CrossFit Central

Here is an excerpt from a great post on breaking out of the idea the women should be skinny like a rail and without muscle.

I resisted the larger weights. I didn’t mind sweating, but I’d read in Self and Fitness and all of the other magazines with the cayenne pepper maple syrup diets and concave-bellied glamazons that in order to tone, you must do high repetitions of light weights. Sure, it was obscenely boring to lift 10-pound dumb bells over my head six hundred and twenty times, but that’s why my iPod existed, to relieve the mind numbing boredom.

Anyway, we discovered Crossfit moments before I might have thrown myself in a ditch in frustration and boredom. I totally enjoyed flinging wall balls and jumping on boxes and firing mad kettlebells in the air. But I worried about the heavy backsquats, the push press that might turn my arms into huge quivering beasts of flesh.

“I’m worried I’m bulking up,” I whispered to Corey after my first week of cleaning 100 pounds, back squatting almost 200.

Read full post here.

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Wednesday’s WOD:

5 Rounds
2 1/2 minutes each round to complete:

250m Row
12 Wall Balls
Burpees for REPS

REST 2 minutes between rounds

results:

http://www.blogher.com/warped-beauty-standards-and-embracing-buff

For most people that do CrossFit on a regular basis, it becomes a very important part of their life.  One that brings them great joy, a sense of fulfillment, frequent and on-going sense of accomplishment, as well as a daily sense of euphoria, or general well-being after completing a challenging workout.  Check out this post that relates CrossFit to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.  Do you agree, or is this just crazy CrossFit cult talk?  Give us your opinion in the comments section.

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Saturday’s WOD:

9:00am

800m Run
18 Dumbbell Squat Clean to Overhead
50 Double Unders
25 Toes to Bar
800m Run
18 Dumbbell Squat Clean to Overhead

______________

10:00am

A.) Front Squat
3-3-3-3-3

Weighted Pushup
5-5-5-5-5

B.) 15 Burpees
403m Run
30 Box Jumps
30 Wall Balls
*3 Rope Climbs to be completed at some point during workout

results:

How many times have you said, “my goal is to lose 10 pounds.” ?  Were you successful?  The problem with asthetic based goals is, they don’t work.  One reason is that it may not be absolute.  Even a goal such as “losing 10 pounds” can easily get blurred if you are doing any resistance training and you happen to gain some muscle.  Also, having a 10 pound weight loss as your goal isn’t that strong of a motivator when you are tempted with junk food items or you are on the last round of a grueling workout and you want to slow down, or even quit.  Performance based goals, on the other hand, are absolute, they can be performed, documented, and repeated.  Others can validate these goals as they see you perform them.  They are unequivocally superior to asthetic based goals!  At this point you may agree that performance goals are great, but you are still thinking, “…I don’t care if I can do 30 pullups, run a 6 minute mile, and deadlift 2x my body weight…. I WANT TO HAVE A SEXY SIX PACK!!”  The key here is to set performance goals, train for them, and train hard.  By doing so you will, without a doubt, achieve the body you desire.  Try it, the cool thing is it can also be pretty fun and motivating along the way, and in the end, having a fun exercise program that you enjoy and look forward to is the most important thing of all.

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Legitness of the Past 2 Weeks:

Joel 55 consecutive Double Unders – Goal Achieved!
Charlie 320×3 Deadlift – Goal Achieved!
Rob P. 45 consecutive pullups New Sweat Shop Record!
Nima MUSCLE UP!!

Deadlift PR’s
Donna C. 180×3
John P. 225×3
Chris G. 401×3
Amy 185×3
Valerie 125×3
Lucinda 145×1
Ethan 285×3
Patrick 363×3
Bill 230×3

Back Squat PR’s
Lones 185×1
Donna C. 145×2
Matt M. 215×2
Jessica 170×1
Patrick 273×1
Melaney 115×1
Valerie 90×2
Eric 200×2
John Mont. 205×2
Steve 235×2
Bill 140×2
Jin 255×2
Joe W. 205×2
Ellie 155×2
Dustin 140×2
Josh 325×2
Monica 115×2
James G. 145×2

_____________________

Friday’s WOD:

4 Rounds

7 Squat Clean to Overhead
18 KB Swings
200m Run

results:

__________________

Thursday’s WOD:

A.) Deadlift
3-3-3-3-3

B.) 200m Run
25 Handstand Pushups
120 Double Unders

*perform 12 Box Jumps each time you have to break Handstand Pushups

results:

Props again to those that competed in the Throwdown at CrossFit Burn recently.  These are folks that embrace things because they are difficult, and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment upon completing difficult tasks.  Also, extra special props out to those for whom it was their first ever CrossFit competition, they are no longer just spectators that say, “those events looks fun, but I could never do that.”

from CrossFit Catalyst

In a recent study, 83% of Americans reported that they’d like to write a book. Eighty-three percent.  But the interviewers asked the wrong question.

Would YOU like to write a book? Would you like to sit, for the next two years, struggling to wrestle your language into something cohesive? To organize and reorganize; to amend and edit? To put forward your text for critical review? To risk time, attention, and your sleep in order to put pen to paper? To risk the discovery that you can’t do it?  To potentially begin, never to finish, occasionally throwing good prose after bad, for the rest of your life?

– or –

…at a cocktail party, one year from today, would you like to have written a book?  Would you like to be able to claim that you’ve been published? Would you just like to be able to say that you’re an author?

The difference between an ‘author’ and the rest of us isn’t talent. The creativity gene is a lie. The difference is work.

“You know, I think I’m going to run a marathon / climb a mountain / jump out of a plane before I die.” Good notion. Most won’t ever follow through, though. Because the hard part isn’t making the decision; it’s moving your feet. And then doing it twice.  And then, a third time. Every morning, you’ll have to convince yourself – again – to keep going.

Doing hard stuff isn’t like an elevator. It’s like a staircase high enough to obscure the top.  Experience helps…but that’s hard to get, too, isn’t it? It’s also very specific: despite being a father of two awesome kids, I don’t consider myself qualified to give much in the way of birthing advice.

I think you know what’s coming next. What’s the most common sentiment among spectators at big events like FranFest, Murph, and the Catalyst Games? “I wish I’d done it.” Because the finishers are the only ones who get to wear that badge afterward. They’re the ones who will be telling the story tomorrow, and it’s theirs to tell. Achievement ain’t comfortable, but it beats the hell out of a book with no chapters.

_____________________

Tuesday’s WOD:

5 Rounds

3 1/2 minutes each round to complete:

300m Row
12 Wall Balls

Followed by:
Round 1.) Dumbbell Push Press for Max REPS
Round 2.) Pullups for Max REPS
Round 3.) KB Swings for Max REPS
Round 4.) Box Jumps for Max REPS
Round 5.) Burpees for Max REPS

results: