Stopping and starting

As I was on my MetCon this morning I remembered something very, very useful from my old Science class. Thanks Mike Hixson- I rembered that logic that it is harder to start something than it is to stop and start something. As I performed 3 rounds for time of 50 kettlebell swings, 21 burpees, and a 400m run I knew this in my head but did not perform it during the reps. After the first round I was breaking up the burpees and kettlebell swings FAR too much. On Friday, when I do whatever WOD is posted on Crossfit.com I'll hopefully remember this truth. Stopping and starting is far worse then just continuing. Of course it is different when we do not have the physcial strength to continue (strength failure), but a lot of MetCon workouts are used with light weight, so when we stop it's because we are tired... Screw that! Keep going, keep pushing. These guys pushed- Speal and Finn from the 09 CF games finishing a treacherous hill run of 7.1 km in under 40 minutes... When I say hill, it's probably more like mountain.

So, hopefully the next time you find yourself working out or just doing any physcial activity remember, it's going to take a lot more energy to start that train again- just keep pushing.

Death Squat

Dave Tate busting out 35 reps of 365 lbs on the squat... in ONE set. (Rated "R" for language). There are some strong dudes in the video. Good stuff, and a good watch. Uhhh, I did 265 for 5 reps this morning. I'll bet that girl in that vid can probably lift circles around me.

http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/death_squat

2009 CrossFit Games Start Tomorrow

The events for the first day of competition are set. They are as follows:

Event 1 - The Run
The first event is a 7.1km run through varied terrain including both asphalt and extremely steep hills off trail. The athlete's time will be electronically determined by a chip given to the athlete prior to the race.

Event 2 - The Deadlift
Heaviest successful deadlift completed lifting one rep every 30sec. Each competitor will begin at the first barbell, which weighs 315lbs for men and 185lbs for women. Dropping is permitted. The athlete then has 10sec plus any portion of the 20sec remaining to set up at the next bar, which is 10lbs heavier than the previous (so the second bar weighs 325/195). Athletes continue moving to progressively heavier bars until they fail. The athletes are ranked according to the heaviest successful weight lifted before failing.

Event 3 - The Sandbag Hill Sprint
The men will pick up two 35lb sandbags (loosely packed) and sprint approximately 170m uphill. The sandbags begin flat on the ground. The sprint is steep in places, with approximately 100' in elevation gain over the 170m course. Women carry one 35lb sandbag for the same course.

Event 4 - Row / Hammer Stake
Row 500m
Hammer a 4' metal stake into specially prepared, evenly compacted ground (women use a 3' stake)
Row 500m
Details and standards will be given to the athletes on Saturday afternoon.

Event 5 - The Couplet
The two exercises are wallball and barbell snatch. The specifics of the workout will be disclosed on Saturday afternoon. We want the athletes to have the privilege of being the first to perform this exact workout.

Looks like a crazy first day... Good luck to all competitors!

It's been a while

It's been far too long since I've posted on here. I've been on vacation for 2 weeks and then had a week to catch up on work. Next week I plan to be back in the swing of things. Keep an eye out for more posts next week as time in my garage sparks ideas to write on the blog...

Don't Give up on meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I've been super busy with a ton of stuff lately. I also have not trained at all this week. I'm hoping to get out to the garage for a squat session (5x3 going for 285 x 3)... My sister-in-law is coming over, so I'm hoping that will keep my wife busy for a little bit!

Follow me on Twitter

http://twitter.com/jgalon04

Haven't forgot about this blog. Just been REAL busy. Hopefully some updates will be posted tomorrow.

NEW GADGET

Hey everyone, do you see the new gadget on the right above Operation Phoenix? It reads, "CrossFit- free issue." Click on that picture and read the document on that page. It's a great read and is what first introduced me to the idea of actual, measureable fitness. What is is, what it isn't, and one way to achieve it.

Lauren Erwin pictured above: http://games2009.crossfit.com/competitors/athlete-profile-lauren-erwin.html