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

Lies, Lies, Lies

I'll never forget the first time I lifted a barbell. I was in my cousin's basement laying on a bench at a monstrous 125 pounds. He asked me, "What weight do you think you can do 10 times for a bench press?" I said, "Ahhhh, how about just the bar?" And I struggled to get that bar up 10 times. But it was there, in that basement, that I "learned" how to lift weights... The classic rules applied- body part split with a lot of isolation movements (i.e. curls, tricep extensions, calf raises, etc.). And I continued that for many years getting pretty much no where. But the thing was, I noticed just about everybody else in the gym doing the same exact thing! Monday was bench day, Tuesday was arms day, Wednesday was back/shoulder day, Thursday was calf day, and Friday was... whatever I felt like.

I'm here to tell you that this type of program will (a) not get you anywhere near fit, (b) will get you sub-par strength, and (c) and sub-par results in strength and asthetics. You and I were lied to... The majority of your lifting should consist of the major lifts. Squats, Deadlifts, Presses, Pullups, and Benching should be the focal point of your training regimine... Why? Simple.

I am borrowing this train of thought from Pat Sherwood a head trainer at CrossFit HQ... Why am I training? Well, it's really simple. I want to move heavy stuff long distances as quickly as possible. Now.

Heavy stuff = Big loads = Force

Long distances = Distance

Quickly = Time

Some simple High School Science

Force * Distance = Work

_________________

Time= Power

It's a bit difficult doing math equations using this blogger, but the basis of the premise is that Force times Distance = Work. Divide that equation by Time, and you get POWER. Power on- tap. Hulk like power. Power that can be applied to any situation you find yourself in. Pulling out bushes from the ground, jacking up a flat tire on the highway, playing football, bringing in groceries- endless applications.

My goal is to generate raw power, and the most efficient way that has both been proven with actual numbers and in my own routines over the years has been modeling my training program around those core lifts. So, ditch those bicep curls and "skull crushers," and pick up some functional movements... Trust me, you'll be glad you did. I know I was.

You can see Pat Sherwood's lecture (under 4 minutes) here: http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_SherwoodWhyFunctional.wmv

Follow-Through

I joined a softball league a few weeks ago (as I referenced earlier), and after my first day of practice I found myself the next day researching tips/advice on how to swing like a "pro." Growing up my favorite baseball player was Ken Griffy Jr. I really liked how powerful he was at bat, and yet, his speed in the outfield was not something to "balk" at. None-the-less I thought that it would be good to do a bit of resarch on how to get a bit better on my technique while up to bat.

After viewing a few websites that had different tips to offer I noticed one particular tip that I know I could use... Follow-through. When I bat I tend to slow bat speed after I make contact and lose that follow-through. The same thing goes for the road of fitness. To become a beast in whatever your goals are you (and I) need to follow-through. Yes, there are sometimes obsticles that will get in our way. I realize that. I experienced those obsticles this last week when I had to bail on my 1RM attempt on the squat. Yesterday and today I did NOT train, because I had some issues with my neck.

So, next time you don't want to get up and train remember whatever it is that motivates you. Whether it's the LGN training regimine, or it's the "I don't want to be out of breath after 2 flights of stairs," or it's the fact that you dissappear when you turn sideways... It doesn't matter what your reason is- remember it, and act.

Monday though will mark the beginning of my next 7 week cycle where I will again focus on the major lifts. My alarm on Monday will sound at 5:30, and I will have a decesion to make. Do I sleep in for another 2 hours or do I get up, down a shake, and hit the garage. We'll see what happens, but after this blog post I'd BETTER get up out of that bed and hit the weights. Monday is squat day, and it will be great. I got some great tips from the seminar that Dave Tate did at CrossFit about squatting. His lecture focused on technique flaws.

During the whole session he kept correcting her as he coached. Knees out, butt back, weight on heels (you can see her toes lifted up). I know my tendancy is to let me knees cave in. So, here's to Monday's squat day. 5 sets of 3 reps.

1RM update- Squat

I failed this morning- pretty miserably too. Michael Jordan is quoted outside my bosses door saying, "I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." Hopefully after this mornings failure I'll have some better news to report at the end of my next 7 week cycle on the squat.

I finished a set of one rep at 295 which is 10 pounds below my all time max... It went up pretty easy, so I got greedy and added 30 pounds. I was able to get out of the hole of the squat thanks to the natural bounce the muscles allow for, but the bar just wouldn't go up any further. So, with 325 on the bar I had to bail, and it HURT- I think it might have been semi dangerous as well. I've got a sore neck and a bruised forearm, but I guess that's to be expected when heavier weights are lifted. I did not have the technique down like this guy did when he had to bail: http://vimeo.com/4094433

But, I think I learned my lesson and thanks to a few other guys that have done the same thing in the past I don't foresee myself messing up this poorly again. I could have got 310 for sure if I would have went for that instead of 325. Tomorrow will be the press, and we'll see if I can break my old record of 140. We'll see how it goes.

1RM scheduled and next planned cycle

I will be testing 1RM's tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday. Tomorrow will be the squat. Thursday will be the press, and Friday will be the deadlift. That will conclude my first cycle of CrossFit Strength Bias (CFSB)... My plan is to do a second cycle of this program to continue on the road of my 2009 goals for each of the lifts. If I had to guess I would say my new maxes will be somwhere in the vicinity of a 315-320 lb squat, 385-405 lb deadlift, and 145-150 lb press.

Plans for my next 7 weeks will be something very much like this last cycle. I will continue to focus on the squat, deadlift, and press. I plan to ditch the front squat day and substitue an Oly (olympic) lifting day where I will focus on clean/jerks for the next 7 weeks. I also will begin to focus on hitting my '09 goal for Fran of 3:30 (demo of Fran: http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/Josh_Greg-Fran.wmv). I plan to focus on a lot of MetCons that should finish under 5 minutes with thrusters and pullups as the focus.

On the 4th week of this 7 week cycle I will be in Cleveland and Chicago for vacation. I would love to get some WOD's in, but I probably won't. No worries though. It will be a nice break, and I will just be sure to hit it HARD for the next 4 weeks.

Have a good weekend

6:00 a.m. Monday, be there.

CrossFit Hierarchy of Development

I've been back at the training game since November of 2008, and as I look at my training log, I know I've come a long way in six months. I've gone through three phases since I began training again in November. The first phase was Starting Strength (http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-2nd-Mark-Rippetoe/dp/0976805421) on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday where I worked the Squat, Deadlift, Bench Press, Press, and Power Clean.

Great book and amazing program. Simple, but effective. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I did workouts from the main page at Crossfit to get some metabolic conditioning in (http://www.crossfit.com/). The second phase was a simple 3 on 1 off, 1 on 2 off where I strictly followed the CrossFit site. Then the third phase has been something called CrossFit Strength Bias where I train a major lift (squat, deadlift, press, front squat) and then do a short metabolic conditioning (MetCon) workout. So far, I love CrossFit Strength Bias (CFSB).

But the whole reason I'm writing this is to illustrate something that became very much evident last night during a softball scrimmage. It's been several years since I've been on a baseball/softball field. To be honest, I was nervous to both, field and bat. It's been SOOOO long that I didn't know how embarrasing the night could end up. None-the-less, I did fine out in the field with two catches and 0 errors. But the surprise came when I was up to bat. I flew out my first at bat hitting the ball pretty deep to center. The second at bat is where the magic happened. I hit a solo shot to center field... Now I'm not trying to brag, but I've NEVER been ANY type of a power hitter, and at 170 pounds I don't think anyone (including myself) expected me to hit the ball that far and that hard. It felt good, but why in the world did the ball go that far? I would suggest to you the CF Hierarchy of Development.

The basis of the premise is that Coach Greg Glassman teaches is that as you build from the ground up you'll see sigificant improvements in each of the above diciplines... I saw that application last night. Though my diligent work at nutrition, MetCon, gymnastics (yeah muscle up-http://www.vimeo.com/3580419), and weightlifting/throwing I've found a direct correlative to a sport that I have not played in a 1/2 decade. Something I'm doing is working, and I can only suggest that it is the common denominator. CrossFit training.

There's a lot of talk out there within the fitness industry where people say things like, "I don't know about you but I want to LOOK like I work out." I guess I'm a bit different than they are, and chances are most of you are too (even if you don't know it). I want to PERFORM like I TRAIN. I want to be able to apply what I do in my garage to every facet of my life. All show and no go isn't for me... I train so I can excel at life's physical/mental tasks. Of course there's an added benefit of LGN for the wifey, but it's just that- an added benefit. So, next time you feel like that extra hour of sleep is really going to be THAT satisfying, remember this post. Remember that performing well at life's physical tasks is not a light switch that you can turn on and off. It's hard work. It truly does take a lot of sweat, some tears, occasional blood on the barbell, and possibly breakfast in a very acidic form (yea Allpass). The choice is yours! Come train with me at 6:00 a.m.

CNS (Central Nervous System)

Do you remember that blog post a few days ago about your mind giving up before your body does? Chad Waterbury, one of the most interesting individuals within the "bodybuilding/strength training" community, has written an article that explains a bit more detail and Science (don't let that scare you off!) about that whole concept I wrote about the other day. I followed a lot of Waterbury programs (Anti-body building hypertrophy 1 and 2, Waterbury Method, and Total Body training) in the past and saw great strength/size developments. His back ground is filled with study and education on the Central Nervous System and manipulating that system in relation to getting stronger and bigger... Without further adieu, here is the article's link:

http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/add_20_pounds_to_your_1rm_today

'09 Goals

As promised, here are my 2009 Goals. I'm almost 1/2 way through the year and will be testing 1RM (one rep maxes) next week on the press, deadlift, and squat. So far I've run the 10k (at the Cooper River Bridge Run), held some workouts in the mornings, and kept under 180. I bet I can get 40 pullups if I tried. Last time I attempted I was at 33.

I ehat running

Running does not come easy to me, and I've NEVER had to desire to train specifically for the ability to run well. I was reminded of this disdain during my morning traning. Helen was the May training challenge at training anarchy, and as some of you already know it consists of
3 rounds for time:

400m run
21 KB swings (1.5pood/53 pounds)
12 pullups

The first run was decent (around 1:20), but the subsequent two runs were slow. Consequently, the last two runs were why I did not funish sub 10 minutes on this WOD (finished in 11:25). Just like with anything else, there is a more efficient way to move your body through space for 400 meters as opposed to the normal heel-strike, back foot push off. It's called the POSE method, and I was first introduced to this specific method of running several months ago. Here are two videos to introduce you to the concept if you haven't been introduced already:

1- http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_MikePoseIntroPreview1.wmv
2- http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_MikePoseIntroPreview2.wmv

This concept really makes sense, but the problem is that I have not devoted enough time or effort to learn how to do this effectively. A few months ago I ran across a video that explained how runs can be used as a recovery tool. This concept is so foreign to me. Recover while running? How awesome would that have been if I would have been able to do that this morning! Who know? Maybe I could have pulled a sub 9 minute Helen! None-the-less, I am committing to spending time learning this method of running each day in my warm-ups. I am adding "Get better at running through the POSE technique" to my '09 goals...

Speaking of which, I will post those goals shortly and will be measuring where I'm at in respect to each of them by the end of June since that will mark the 1/2 way point.

Tomorrow WOD

Tomorrow we are on for a WOD- 6:00 a.m.

*Update of WOD schedule for next week*

There is no WOD scheduled for Monday the 25th of May (Memorial Day). I will be in Charleston, SC enjoying the weekend with my beautiful wife and my dad... If you want to train on Monday I suggest visiting http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/faq.html#WOD1 and choosing one of those WOD's to honor the memory of one of these fallen soldiers. A lot of those WOD's don't require much, if any, equipment (find a pullup bar somewhere!).



If you feel like you want to rest on Monday (like I'll be doing), check out Operation Phoenix (http://operationphoenix.myshopify.com/). They have some really sweet t-shirts, and the best part is that ALL of the proceeds go to the Marines to help them purchase fitness equipment for their bases and troops.



This is my favorite one, and I purchased one today:

Thought of the Day- Quitting

Your mind quits long before you body does. Your mind quits long before your body does. Your mind quits long before your body does. As my High School Math teach always said, "repetition aids learning." Your mind quits long before your body does.


Get it? The principle is simple, but the application is difficult. Let's develop this a little bit further. There was a time that the majority of the people that lived on earth got their food by hunting and gathering. Their bodies were built just like ours are, but the difference is their bodies were pushed harder than our minds let us go. Why? Because their life was on the line.

I'll bet that guy's mind wasn't trying to get him to stop running. In fact, I'd propse that the mind pushed the body to the maximum. That's another topic we'll address in the future. So, where is the breakdown while we are training? Why is it that our minds say quit when obviously we can get 20 more pounds on the bar? Why is it that our minds tell us we need to stop jumping on that 24" box, because if we don't, well, it's just going to be bad. The answer is simple (at least I think it is). Our body quits, because it's designed to. We're not designed to push ourselves that hard unless we are in a circumstance that the option is either life or death. Our minds are powerful, and sometimes it makes us think that one more rep will kill us... Chances are it won't.

So, next time you feel like you can't do one more set or one more rep, remember that your mind quits long before your body does. It's a struggle to get into this type of zone. It takes a lot of work to reach this type of level. The first steps to find the zone is to remember that phrase: Your mind quits long before your body does. Next time you want to quit get one more rep as long as you can do it safely.

Load da spaceship.

Rings, Bumpes, and Kettlebells

've never had a blog before and don't really know who, what, where, when, and how, but hopefully I can figure it out! Here we go...

First off, a bit about me- My name is Jim, and I've been lifting for 10 years on and off. I've been training (very different from "lifting") utilizing a CrossFit (http://www.crossfit.com/) style since September of 2007 with different periodizations focusing on different disciplines such as strength, pure MetCon (metabolic conditioning), and endurance. I did have an 8 month hiatus due to some lower back issues which set me back very far in my training. But I've been back at it consistently since November with few "incidents" with my back! Great news.

I've been very HAPPILY married to my lovely wife Amy for 3 years, and we are expecting our first child in October. It's a boy! I'm pretty excited about that mess. I work as an account manager for Infor Global Solutions, an enterprise software provider.

The main reason for this blog is to keep followers up to date on schedules, WOD's (workout of the day), and tips/links/vids of the day. I'm sure the blog will evolve as time goes on... Keep checking back!