Why do we do CrossFit??

CF LoDo athlete, Young Yang competes in the Colorado State Games-CrossFit

Last week was the Colorado State Games, an event that I have been looking forward to for some time. Personally my experience was not a positive one. In all the wrestling and Ju Jitsu tournaments, of all the 50+ endurance events, of all the MMA fights I have done, I have never had to withdraw from an event. Following the 1st workout of day two I knew that I was not going to be able to continue. Due to a pre existing heart condition I was unable to get much needed blood to my body. An hour after the sub three minute workout my heart rate was still close to 140bpm and my blood pressure was below 90/60. I had no intention of doing the second workout that day. When I came back to support one of the CF LoDo athletes who was competing, my competitive drive silenced my common sense. I did that workout and within the first 2 minutes knew it was a terrible mistake. My heart was not capable of pumping the blood that my body needed. I felt dizzy and watched spots dance around my field of vision for the next 10 minutes. It is a scary thing. I had to sit for several minutes afterwards knowing that there would be no way that I could continue. I have been faced with adversity so many times in competition. I have had my nose completely caved in only to secure a definitive win seconds later in an MMA fight. I have come off of the bike in 1st place in a half ironman just to have my legs completely seize up causing me to walk for most of the 13 mile run course to finish in 12th place. I have had two ribs broken in a wrestling tournament and continued on for three more matches. But this was different, this was my heart, this was my engine and it had no intention of working properly. As I sat there, I asked myself this, "Why do we do CrossFit? Why have you been doing this for nine years?" The only answer that came to mind was, "To be healthy. This is about being healthy!" There is nothing, NOTHING healthy about what I just did! I didn't listen to my body, In fact my body was screaming at me not to push it and I told it to shut up. Stupid arrogant pride. Stupid!
If anyone was offended by my withdraw, I appologize.  No one wants to not finish an event, least of all me.  People need to understand that what we are doing is working out in front of a crowd. 
I took the next three days off. My first set back was simple, 1 squat clean every 30 seconds for 5 minutes. Directly following the last rep everything turned white and when I came to I was on the ground. The only thought in my mind was, get up! get up now! I half crawled to a bench and sat for a few minutes. This is worse than I thought. This may require a visit to the doctor. The diagnosis was exactly what I had expected and it appears that open heart surgery is not just for old people with poor diets! C'est la vie right?!



I did take something very positive from the event. I have commented before about what it is to be a professional coach on this site. That post was met with mixed reviews. What I saw this weekend was the perfect example of what a coach should be.

Our sport is unique in the sense that it is very common for coaches to be competing along side the athletes that they coach. It is common to see coaches cheering for the people they coach right before it is their turn to do the same WOD. What I saw this weekend was above and beyond that. I saw gym owners who drove over 100 miles and spent their weekend supporting their athletes. I witnessed coaches providing not only helpful workout tips but emotional support to their new athletes. A real coach is there when you need them to be, NOT just for the 60 minutes that class is happening.

I saw coaches from CF Stapleton, CF Unbroken, Progressive Fitness CF, and Glenwood springs supporting their athletes every step of the way. I have, in recent months, competed against some of thse same coaches. What I found interesting is that I have never seen some of these guys get that pumped up for their own competitions! They were genuinely more excited for the people they were coaching than they get for their own performance. It was evident that these people have a great deal of pride in what they do. It was clear that these people are "Professional Coaches"

On a side note, I was interviewed for the Gazette shortly after that competition.  The article has since been republished in many other places, including Stars and Stripes.  Here is the link to that article.

http://www.stripes.com/sports/crossfit-athletes-appreciate-each-other-1.183853#loop


Ohhh and just to remain consistant.... There was no shirts at this event....

CrossFit Surge 7/3 4pm class

Initial Impression

I was fortunate enough to compete with Brandon at this years regional competition but didn't actually meet him until he stopped by CF LoDo a few weeks back.  This is when I formed my initial impression of his gym.  Although I had never stepped foot in CrossFit Surge, I knew when I met Brandon that it was a very welcoming place.  Brandon Mercile is a great representative for not only his own gym but for CrossFit as a whole. 
Upon entering Surge Brandon was mid workout.  As a gym owner it can be difficult at times to get your own training in when you need to.  Often we must fit it in just before a class starts.  Brandon was doing what appeared to be a God awful suicide sprint/lateral jump workout.  And while I am sure that the distraction of Georgia and I walking in was a welcome pause from such torture, we couldn't help but feel a little bad.  In true professional form, Brandon stopped what he was doing, welcomed us to his gym and made us feel immediately welcome.  In fact, every member of CF Surge made us feel very welcome.  Each member came up to Georgia and I and introduced themselves.  This says a lot about the overall vibe and sense of community at their box.  I truly appreciate how welcome I was made to feel. 

That is Brandon behind me actually doing hang cleans as I stomp, grunt and spend 3/4 of the workout staring at the bar.

The Warm up

We did a series of line drills including some band work that I have not done in a very long time.  Each movement was shown and led by Brandon.  I felt like it was an appropriate blend of mobility and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation.  We finished our warm up with,
3 rounds of...
5 pull ups
7 push ups
9 kettle bell swings.

The Workout

Strength -
Bench press
10 @ 70% 1RM
8 @ 75%
6 @ 80%

There was also a very helpful Dead Lift component that I chose to skip because I did 4x5 DL's @ 380# the day before.

WOD-

6 rounds for time of....
9 dead lifts
1 rope climb
6 jerks
3 weighted pull ups

The "RX" weight was 155# for the DL, and the Jerk movement was meant to be done at the same weight.  I chose to go 165# for both, not because I am strong or tough but because the 35 & 25# bumper plates were the easiest for me to access.  I know what your thinking and the answer is yes, I am so lazy that I would rather move an extra 10# in a workout than walk around looking for the appropriate weight plates.  I chose 35# for the weighted pull ups and situated a single dumbell between my feet. 

When I finished the first round in 1:27 I thought I might have a chance at besting Brandon's blazing fast time of 9:44 that he set earlier in the day.  By the end of the third round I decided that I no longer had the grip strength to come off of the rope climb and immediately pull 165 to my shoulders.  I set my new goal at a 2min round.  I thought to myself that if I am using 10 extra pounds it is fine if I am a minute slower.  When I finished I took note of the board and the weight that Brandon had used (175# and 40# for the pull ups)  HA!!  And THAT is why Mr. Mericle placed 8th at Regionals and Mr. Jenkins placed 34th!   Well, that and I am pretty sure that he is some kind of a cyborg. 

Time: 11:56

The T-Shirt

I am into the stopwatch logo on the right sleeve for sure.  The motto "Live Sore" on the front is one that I can certainly appreciate! 
Georgia came away with a great blue racer back tank! 
Courtney made sure that we were set up right!  She continued the theme of "super nice people at CF Surge"

The Score

This is a tough one for me.  I was so impressed by the coaching, the programming and the genuine nature of everyone at Surge.  The class ran very smooth and the energy was great.  I honestly believe that the members of Surge are very fortunate to be training there.  Not all gyms are created equal because the individuals that create them are not equal.  Surge is a standout for sure.  They are certain to be a great success in all that they do.

CrossFit Surge scores a....
Sub 6 minute "Jackie" WITH an extra 10# on the thrusters!

Alpine CrossFit hosts "The Legends Competition"

First I have to admit that I have done a workout at Alpine prior to this.  Alpine is one of my favorite local gyms for several reasons.  The people there are genuine and well educated.  The standards are well known and always implemented.  Robby has a clean, well stocked facility that is a great place to train.  I was fortunate enough to come out and watch the Olympic lifting competition that he hosted a few months ago so the expectations were high for his Legends Competition this weekend.  Let me say this, he didn't disappoint.
There was an athlete village with several tents, cool vendors, free water bottles for all the athletes, online athlete tracking, and a designated warm up area.  The set up couldn't have been better.  Everything flowed very well all weekend. 


Let's talk about how to program for an event....
First event is a 2,000m run.  Immediately following the run the athlete has 3 minutes to achieve a 1RM Jerk from the rack.  At exactly 20 minutes following the start of the run the athlete is to complete 100 seconds of bear complex (Clean, front squat, push press, back squat, push press) at 135/95#.  This was scored as three separate events.  Personally I thought this was absolutely brilliant.  Give the small fast guys a chance to score some points then give the bigger, stronger athletes a chance to come right back. 
The way the heats were broken up and the amount of racks and weight ensured that everything ran very smoothly.  Hindsight I would have requested to be in a later heat to see what some other guys were putting up.  I believe most people work harder if they know what benchmark they have to hit. 

Event 1, 2, & 3 results....
Run- 7:48 ; 2nd place
Jerk- 250# ; 7th place
Bear- 47 reps ; 11th place

The second day starts with 8 minutes of nasty!
2 rounds of....
1min max rep hang snatch @ 95#
1min max rep box jump
1min max rep handstand push up
1min max rep front squat @ 95#

My goal was to average 20 reps per movement per round.  Honestly, I went out a little hard and averaged 25 across the board in the first round.  Grabbing the bar in round two was terrible.  I fell off considerably and ended up with 152 total reps which was good enough for 5th place. 
This was a GREAT competition set.  Upper, lower, upper, lower.  It didn't favor a specialist, it favored someone who was good at CrossFit. 

I was looking forward to WOD 5 since it was posted.  A fun new twist.  As if doing a lateral burpee over a 24" object isn't tough enough, let's put it in a sand box!!!  ohhh wait, that isn't going to blast people enough.... let's pair it with 245# deficit dead lifts!!!   This WOD was a pain in the ass, literally.  My glutes were on fire by the last round.  Loved it!  SO EPIC!
3-6-9-12
Deficit Dead Lift @245
Lateral burpee jumps @ 24" (IN SAND)

Time- 3:09, Place- 2nd

WOD #6 was a mixed bag for me.  I love the workout Cindy, and I love double unders but I have had no exposure with an atlas stone.  I was excited to try something completely new in competition and see how my body responded. 

6 rounds of...
5 chest to bar pull ups
10 hand release push ups
15 air squats
Then....
20 ground to shoulder with a 115# atlas stone
60 double unders
120m stone carry.

Everything was going great until the stone carry.  My hamstrings completely seized up.  I had to stop 3 times.  It was nasty. 

^^^^ YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG ^^^^

Time- 10:42, Place- 4th

Point total by the end of the weekend was 43 which put me 1 point from 3rd place overall.  I said going into the competition that I would need to put up less than 40 points total to be successful.  This was a great opportunity to go head to head with some amazing athletes.  Sean Turner came out for a second place finish to bring us to a 1-1 tie for the month.... I'm sure I will be seeing him again soon.  Kevin Ogar is a monster. The guy looks like Juggernaut from the X-Men movie, the funny thing about Kevin is he is one of the most laid back, funny guys out there.  I think that is why making the transition from triathlon to CrossFit competitions has been so easy.  The people competing are fun to be around, they understand that they are competing to see who the best is at working out.  No one takes it overly serious but everyone gives it everything they have. 

I joked with Robby that after that ass kicking I would rather volunteer to be a judge next year, but in all reality there is no way that I would pass up an opportunity to compete at such a well organized fun event.  And next year I get to be in the 30-40 age group!! 

CrossFit LoDo was so very well represented all weekend.  Such a great group of ambassadors for our gym.  Diana, Jenny, Caroline, Young, Adam, Todd, and Donny did all of the coaches and other athletes at LoDo so proud.  Their positive attitudes were infectious all weekend.  Diana and Todd both brought home 2nd place finishes!

The SHIRT
 the T-shirt was seriously cool!  I expected to see a little more green to be honest but I like it.  The price was perfect, Free for athletes!  BOOM!   I rocked it at the noon class at LoDo today. 

I give Alpine CrossFit, all the volunteers and The Legends Competition a......
335# Jerk after a 5 minute mile run!

CrossFit 719 Grand opening!

It is always really cool to be able to say that you were one of the very first people to d a workout in a brand new gym.  I had that opportunity at the grand opening of CrossFit 719 in Colorado Springs on June 9th.  Josh C.  (Proud new papa of 719) called my coach GA and let her know that there was going to be a competition in conjunction with his gym's grand opening.  The first thought that I has was that he must be a serious glutton for punishment.  I have opened two gyms and the amount of work that goes into just getting the doors open is incredible.  Add to that the coordinated effort required to put on a competition and it adds up to several nights without sleep.  Josh handled it with grace and great composure. 
When we arrived there was a palpable excitement, a nervous anticipation of all the great things to come.  The gym was like a brand new pair of climbing shoes, fresh and without the marks and sweat stains that tell of great struggle and accomplishment.  The competition was held in the parking lot.  It was hot!  As a friend of mine would put it "It's Jabuti Africa hot out here!"  There was two workouts and a "Floater" which means that you could do it at your discretion anytime throughout the day.  The floater was 90 seconds of max rep thrusters at 85# for boys.  Now, if you know me then you know that I hate thrusters, they are the bane of my existence.  I was not happy when I heard I would be doing this.  Here is how the day broke down....

WOD #1
3 rounds for time of...
10 power cleans @135#
20 Kettle bell swings @55#
30 Lateral bar hops.

I was in the second heat and finished at 4:57.  Sean Turner went in the first heat and put up an impressive 4:58 while Hunter Lea was in the third heat and finished in 4:56!  So there was less than two seconds of separation between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place! 

I am not too proud to admit that I spent the next 2 hours with ice in my armpits and groin, throwing up under a tree. (Sorry laundry mat on the corner, I am sure that I scared away some of your patrons)  I had to do my Thrusters before the second WOD and I was not pleased, so much so that I decided that flip flops would be appropriate foot wear. 

I think I did 38 in a minute and a half.  I honestly didn't care.  It is a terrible terrible attitude to have I know.  But like I said before, I had been puking for hours and I HATE thrusters!  don't get me wrong, it is probably one of the best movements in CrossFit due to the sheer number of muscle fibers that are recruited and the complexity of the breathing pattern associated with it. 

 The second WOD started about 30 minutes after my thruster shit show.  In warming up for event two I vomited two more times.  I knew at this point that I had a pretty severe case of heat exhaustion.  My head was tingling and I was seeing spots before we even started.  I knew what I needed to do though.  I knew that pretty much everyone scored better than I did on the thrusters.  I needed to flip the switch. 

WOD #2

15 bar facing burpees

20 box jumps (24")

25 dead lifts @ 225#

400m plate carry run @ 45#

25 dead lifts @ 225#

20 box jumps

15 bar facing burpees

Finish time 6:40.  It was good enough for another 2nd place finish and 2nd overall in the competition. 

A great event put on by some terrific people!  The athletes that participated were all amazing.  I got the chance to meet several Crossfitters that I have known about for some time.  Sean and Hunter are two of the coolest people.  Tom Ashby is always a class act at every local event, cheering for his fellow competitors.  And even though Robby Z. refused to do my thrusters for me, it was still really cool getting to hang out with him and some of his crew from Alpine.  I tried to get him to divulge some of the workouts from his upcoming "Legends" Competition but being the fair and honest guy that he is he just smiled and said "You'll do fine."  I'm not much of a writer so consider that as my segue into my next post which will be on The Legends Competition by Alpine Crossfit.



"300" @ 8,000

So GA and I need to have a work meeting, what better place to have it then the 30 minute drive up to CrossFit Evergreen.

I noticed on their site that the Workout Of the Day was "300"  which made me a little extra motivated to get up into the pines.  I knew that it would take 30+ minutes to get there from Denver so we would be cutting it close to make the 12:15 class.  Georgia called ahead and let them know that we may be arriving right at the start of class and to make sure that it was okay that we dropped in.  Mike let us know that we were more than welcome but this was a very challenging workout.  GA said, "Listen, I am awesome and won't have any problem crushing this thing like an empty Dr. Pepper can!"  (okay, she probably didn't say any of that...)
We arrived right at 12:15 which is poor form but Mike and Allison were both so inviting and didn't seem annoyed at all.  They were very welcoming.  The class of about five others were already warming up.  After filling out the necessary waiver, GA and I jumped in. 
There was some small construction projects going on which I always appreciate.  It looked like they were in the process of building a kids play area.  I honestly appreciate that little bit of dust on the floor.  CF gym owners have so much on their plate with programming and coaching and marketing and all the little tedious parts of running a business.  When I see that they are also working to improve their space for the sake of their members it makes me very happy!  This is a community, and it was clear that Mike was making an effort to make his space better for his community members.  Thumbs up!

The Warm Up:
The warm up was appropriate.  We went through a series of mobility movements and dynamic stretches as a class.  We then performed 4 sets of 10 med ball squat cleans.  The instruction for this movement was good.  I believe that they had been working on it for consecutive days, everyone in the class seemed to show proficiency. 
The explanation of each of the movements for the workout was quick.  We had a couple of minutes to set up.  The workout began with very little warning, just the "Going in 10 seconds"  Depending on the experience level of the class this can be helpful.  I always try to give people a two minute warning so they can go to the bathroom or grab a quick drink, or tie their shoes. 


The WOD:
"300"
25 Pull ups
50 dead lifts (135/95#)
50 box jumps (24/20")
50 push ups
50 wipers (holding a 135/95# bar overhead)
50 kettle bell clean & press (35/25#)
25 pull ups

Time- 14:07RX

Personally I LOVE chippers like this.  I love that when I am done with box jumps I don't have to go back to them.  The wipers were the slowest movement for me.  I had to set the bar down after the first 30.  I suppose I could have kept going but I watched a friend drop that much weight on his face once and let's just say.... he ain't that pretty anymore!  actually, he wasn't really that pretty before that happened.  Our coach was very helpful.  I saw her help a couple of athletes that were having some issues with mechanics.  I think this is a necessary part of being a coach.  Although we do everything we can to motivate athletes, our job is not to be a cheerleader.  Our job is to correct things that need correcting.  Our job is to stop you if you are doing something incorrectly, regardless if that results in a slightly slower time.  This is exactly what she did.  Thumbs up!  I have watched "coaches" at other gyms look at, and walk past athletes using terrible form.  Do your job!! 

Is this good form??  I say..... indeed!



The cash out was 100 flutter kicks.  I didn't do this because I knew that I had another training session later in the day.  Also, I am a weak little thing that trembles at the thought of doing more work than I absolutely have to!



The T-Shirt:

I actually start looking for where they keep the shirts right when I walk in now.  I am officially THAT guy!  T-shirts were on order so they didn't have any on hand.  (sad leo)
In an effort to keep me from balling uncontrollably, Allison promised that she would email me as soon as they came in.  I felt better and wiped the tears from my cheeks. 

As we left in search of some delicious chocolate milk we noticed the Walgreen's across the street offered the same deal that CrossFit Evergreen does.....

The Score:
Beautiful people, beautiful views, fun chipper WOD, friendly coaches, and the BEST oly bars I have seen at any gym I have visited to date (seriously their barbells were awesome!) gives CF Evergreen a score of .... "Nate" RXd

CrossFit Breckenridge - 5/19 Open Gym

After missing out on a chance to visit CrossFit Bonedale in Carbondale Colorado, Georgia and I were so excited that CF Breckenridge had open gym time on a Saturday afternoon.  11:30-3:00 on a Saturday is a very uncommon time for a CF gym to be open.  We beat feet down I-70 in anticipation of doing a workout at the highest elevation CrossFit gym in the world!!  That's right.... CF Breck is at nearly 10,000ft elevation!  
When we pulled up the place looked closed.  The door was locked.  AHHHH SHIT!  That makes us 0 for 2 today!  I decided to call instead of listing to GA.  Yes, she wanted to throw a rock through the window, do a 2 minute workout, grab a shirt and take off.  Lucky for my criminal record we didn't because Scott was inside and answered by the second ring. 
Scott jokingly admitted later that he only answered the door because, as he said, "I thought you were Matt Chan at first."  Which, by the way is the third time I have been mistaken for him despite being about 1.5 pood on his lighter side!  A serious complement in the CrossFit world never-the-less. 
The gym was very clean and organized.  It was open gym so it was up to us to decide what we wanted to do.  I decided that it would be cool to do a bench mark "girl WOD" at this altitude to see how much it affected me.  Scott told me that they get a lot of drop-ins that wanted to do the same thing.  We didn't have a lot of time and their high rings looked like they had some dust on them so I decided to do "Amanda"  GA went with 100 push ups for time. 

"Amanda"
9-7-5 of....
Squat snatch (135#)
muscle ups

Yeah, altitude makes a difference!!  I was about a minute and a half slower than the last time I did this workout.  All the muscle ups were done unbroken, but by the time I dismounted the rings, I was huffing so hard that it took me an extra 30 seconds to be ready to do my first snatch.  A humbling experience for sure!  I have a totally new respect and understanding for what our sea level drop-ins feel like when they come to Denver. 

GA- 100 Push ups for time

The T-Shirt:

Pictures coming soon!

The shirt is really really cool!  The crest on the front is very similar to the Ranger crest!  It's got an eagle on it!  That is about American as it gets!!  And that's what I'm all about 'MERICA, HELL YEAH!!

I got me a short sleeve, you know, cause the ladies love them some "Matt Chanish Biceps"

GA opted for the long sleeve tech number, which was also bitchin! 

I was so excited about rocking my new CF Breck shwag that I wore it to our Paleo Pot Luck later that night at CrossFit LoDo!

The Score:





Honestly, meeting people like Scott is a big reason why I wanted to do this.  He was so willing to hang out while we enjoyed his facility.  He put on the music that we wanted for our workout and gave us free reign to do what we need to.  I am going to suggest that every single one of my athletes at LoDo make the drive up to the highest elevation CF in the world and do a WOD.  The gym is pretty close to the mountain so there is no reason to miss a chance to drop in after your next ski/snowboard trip.

I rate CrossFit Breckenridge a frosty six pack of New Belgium Fat Tire after a long day on the slopes!

CrossFit Bonedale

I emailed one of the coaches at Bonedale about doing a drop in Friday evening.  I got a response back on Sunday.  There website advertises a free Saturday workout in the park at 10am.  We got there at 9:45.  we waited until 10:15 and never saw anyone getting there awesome on.  We then drove to the exact location on the CF Bonedale website.  There was just an empty warehouse with a "For Rent" sign on it.  I am sure that Bonedale is still in business, we just couldn't find them anywhere. 
After about an hour of searching we pulled out our handy dandy smart phones and began looking for another local box.  As fortuitous a thing can be, CF Breckenridge has Saturday "open gym" from 11:30-3p!  and was only two hours away!!!

Let the journey continue!

Sorry Bonedale, we'll catch you next time.

GlenWood Springs CrossFit - 5/18 - 6:30p class

My coach and I were going to try to make it all the way to CF Bonedale after coaching the noon class at LoDo.  That is about a 3 1/2 hour drive, well that is to say it is a 3 1/2 hour drive if you don't stop off at Tommyknockers brewery in Idaho Springs for the most amazing sweet potato tots this guy has ever tasted!!!

Making it to the 6:30 would be cutting it too close.  It is very very poor form to show up right at the start of class if you are dropping in.... and we are ALL ABOUT GOOD FORM at LoDo!!  So we went to our plan B, Glenwood Springs CF.  We couldn't have been happier that we did.

Elbows up Coach!!!

First Impression:


We drove past a couple of times because there wasn't a sign outside at all.  We noticed a very fit looking gent running with a look of agony that would suggest only one thing.... CrossFit was happening nearby!  The WOD wasn't posted on the site so it was going to be a wild card.  Georgia (my awesome coach) said that if it had burpees that we would be immediately leaving.  I agreed to her conditions.  We followed the hypoxic man to a driveway behind a burm to find a hidden gem. 

Shortly after walking in we were greeted by Thaddeus and Makenzie, not just two very cool people, but two people with REALLY cool names!!  They were very inviting and welcomed us with open arms.  I introduced myself and Georgia, and for the very first time ever....I was recognized as a CrossFit athlete!  Thaddeus and Makenzie had both been judges at the SW Regional competition a couple of weeks prior and must have seen me getting my lunch money taken by the big kids on the playground.  Regardless of why, it was really flattering having someone recognize us hundreds of miles from home.  

The Warm Up:

The warm up was conducted by one of Glenwood Springs newer coaches.  Thaddeus sat back and observed which I found very cool.  I am a firm believer that the level 1 cert that CF provides is a good starting point, but in order to be an effective coach it is necessary to be mentored by someone that has been coaching for years.  This was exactly what was happening at this gym.  It was refreshing to see. 

We did a very appropriate warm up for the upcoming WOD, including the burgener protocol.  There was five of us in the 6:30p class and everyone seemed experienced.  The warm up was appropriately geared to our ability level.

The Workout Of the Day:

It was one of there members birthday (I'm guessing she turned 30 given the rep scheme)

3 rounds for time of.....

10 chest to bar pull ups

10 power cleans (135/95#)

10 hand stand push ups

10 toe to bar

10 overhead squats (135/95#)

400m run.

It's funny, four months ago I would have dreaded the bar movements and been so looking forward to the run in the WOD.  It was the opposite feeling when I saw the white board.  I thought to myself, OHH YEAH.... light Power Cleans and OHS!! 

Time: 15:20 RX

This workout was awesome!  don't be too surprised if you see it in the rotation in the next couple of weeks at LoDo!!

The T-Shirt:

Lots of fun colors..... but no mediums!  I ended up buying two anyway.  One was for my coach, the other was for my hommie Ryan "Gloves McGee" Anderson since he stepped up while GA and I played hookie for the Saturday morning WOD at LoDo.... Thanks again brother!

The shirts were cool, logo up front, "You vs. You" on the back.  subtle yet colorful.  I will slam a picture up of Ryan & GA modeling them the next time I see them rocking them out.

Cost was $25 each but I got hooked up.... 2 for $44.   WHAT A STEAL!!

The Score:

Amazing gym!  It is so good to know that there are coaches and gym owners that are in it for the right reasons.... that is 100% Thaddeus and Makenzie!  Keeping it real in Glenwood Springs!

Glenwood Springs CrossFit Strength & Conditioning scores a sub 7 minute Helen!

D-Town CrossFit

Initial Impression

Right off of I-25, D-town was easy to find. Beside it being well marked, having athletes running with med balls tells me that there is definitely some CrossFit going on nearby. The entrance was very professional and clean, lots of T-shirts hanging up!! The gym as a whole is the the most colorful and vibrant that I have ever been in. The pull up apparatus in the center of the gym was awesome! I have been wanting to play on it since I saw the pictures on their website.

Warm Up

The warm up was long. It had multiple components. We warmed up with dynamic stretching and mobility movements as a class for about ten minutes before moving on to 3 rounds of 10 slam ball, 8 ring row and 5 wall ball. We spent a few minutes going over the movements for the work out.

Work Out of the Day



The WOD featured a movement/weight scheme that I had just done at regionals. .It was a take from workout #4, which if you were at the SW Regional you may have seen my lower back completely seize up half way through.

800m. Med ball run

25 back squats @ 135#

400m Med ball run

25 front squats @ 85

200m Med ball run

25 Overhead squats @ 65

I had little desire to mess with changing out the weights between, so I went with 135/95/95. I had already done a long set of overhead squats earlier in the day. I wouldn't have done them except the workout that was posted on D-Town's site was different than this one. It threw me for a loop at first. I was expecting to do AMRAP in 10 minutes of double unders and 135# power cleans. "Constantly varied" I suppose. 

Time: 11:34 RX+

T-Shirt

D-Town did not disappoint in the T-shirt category! They not only had a large selection, they had quality shirts. American Apparel.

They were so nice, I got one for my coach!

We got huge in them at the home box office..... CrossFit LoDo!!

The Score

The overall feeling in this gym was a little different than most I have visited. It seemed like people were interested in getting down to business. The gym was very well organized and clean.

I give CF D-Town a half a box of chocolate chip cookies. Soft baked.... Duh!

ohhh lazy me!!

So I had to pause my epic journey for my last minute preparation for the 2012 CrossFit Games SW Regionals in Castle Rock (and finals.... don't take 6 classes and try and have a life!!)  Well all that is done and I am ecstatic about getting out this week and meeting some of my fellow Colorado CFers!!

Since I am here I thought I would take a moment to fill you in on how regionals went.  They were awesome!!!  that is all.

Okay, when have you ever known me to be short winded?!?! 

First of all this was my first true CF competition.  I did a small charity event at CF Longmont on st. Pattys day, which was very well put together and in fact is the background picture on this page.  I will do a review on CF Longmont this week.  Regionals was, by far, the coolest sporting event I have ever been a part of!  It was so well put together and featured a group of some of the most impressive athletes I have ever competed against.  I had the honor and privledge of being in the same heat as Chris Spealler, Matt Chan, Zach Forrest, Pat Burke, and Matt Hathcock.  I honestly couldn't stop smiling the entire time!  I wasn't holding my breath for a heat victory with this group so my goal was to have a good time.  I was dreading this workout too, as it featured 30 hang cleans at 225#  My 1RM for this lift was 205# at the time the workouts were released the week before.  I worked every single day to get to a point that I could move that weight.  I managed to get just 2 more than the minimum requirement of 10 and advanced to the second day of competition.  From that point forward I was just thrilled to be there.  The fans, the athletes, hell.... even the judges were amazing!  Did I mention that all competitors got THREE T-SHIRTS?!?!?!   I almost shit my pants!  Bottom line, I CAN NOT WAIT for next year!!  I have decided to not do any endurance events this year.  I will be focusing 100% of my attention on qualifying for the CF Games in the next 3 years.

Here is how I fared last weekend...

WOD 1

"Diane"
21-15-9
Dead lifts (225#)
handstand push ups

4:48

WOD 2

2K row
50 pistols
30 hang cleans (225#)

17:19

              WOD 3

4 rounds
10 dumbbell snatches (100#)
50M sprint

7:23

                                                                 WOD 4

50 back squats (135#)
40 pull ups
30 shoulder to overhead (135#)
50 front squat (85#)
40 pull ups
30 shoulder to overhead (85#)
50 overhead squats (65#)
40 pull ups
30 shoulder to overhead (65#)

23:10

WOD 5

Snatch ladder, on the minute
20 double unders
1 snatch (155,165,175,185,195, ext)

175.22












All in all I did everything I possibly could with what was put in front of me.  I need to get stronger and that is EXACTLY what I am going to do.  This experience was invaluable.




I would be absolutely wrong to not say thank you thank you thank you thank you to...


My Pops!  Bruce flew up from Phoenix to watch me compete but that isn't the coolest thing.  He listened and learned all about CrossFit.  Every time I called him during the open he was like "How do you feel about 12.4?"  he isn't a CrossFitter, but he learned all about this stuff because he knew how important it is to me.  Best Dad anywhere!!

All of you crazy CF LoDo athletes and coaches that came out and screamed at me when it hurt, that showed up on Saturday mornings to push me harder than I would have on my own.  Thank you guys from the bottom of my heart!  I couldn't ask for a better group of athletes to coach or a better group of coaches to work with!! 

I am truly blessed to represent all of you every time I lace up my old wrestling shoes!!




  Watch out Speal!!!  I am coming for you next year!!

CrossFit Stapleton 4/13/12

Initial impression

The first thing that I noticed about CrossFit Stapleton was how easy it was to find.  It was conveniently located about a block from I-70 and was very clearly marked.  No driving around in circles like a lost tourist for this guy!  The entrance was really professional and clean.  In fact, the entire gym was very clean, very open and very well equipped.  Nicole greeted me as I walked up to the door.  Aside from being very beautiful, Nicole was about the nicest person I could imagine.  She was very very welcoming and seemed genuinely excited that I chose to come the CFS. 

Warm up

I really liked the warm up.  At one point I mumbled under my breath that I may DNF before the actual workout started. 

21-15-9 of...

Med ball cleans

push ups

sit ups

calorie row or ride

KB snatch

Sean showed each of the movements.  His explanation of the KB snatch actually helped me quite a bit.  Sean's experience with CrossFit was absolutely apparent.  He controlled the tempo of the class and was able to easily manage all 12 participants with ease.  Nicole was floating around and doing an excellent job of demonstrating movements as well.

The warm up was very appropriate and I felt well prepared for the main WOD. 

Following a second explanation of the workout, we were given a 90 second time hack to set up our stations.  There was no putsing around, no time to get cold after the warm up.  Great time management.

Work out of the Day

5 rounds of...

15 Ground to over head weight plate (45/25#)

20 air squats

25 double unders (which I was made to do unbroken)

I really enjoyed this workout.  I honestly would never have done a G2OH with a weight plate in my own programming.  Sets were long enough to provide a challenge but short enough to keep the pace up!

Time- 6:26 rx (first round 1:10)

The T-Shirt

They didn't have blue in my size.... I cried on the way home.  No I didn't.  I got the black one, which is quite form fitting, which is helpful in attracting the ladies!  hey beach muscles, yeah!  It's a "next level"  which is pretty close to "American Apparel"  The logo is pretty massive, I usually go for the subtle look, as you know I am VERY humble.  ha.  They had beanies, which if it hadn't been 75 degrees out I would have jumped on!

The Score

I called my coach, Georgia Maxey, as I left CFS.  I believe I told her "I want to live there!"  Honestly, a great group of experienced coaches.  They seemed genuinely excited and happy that I was going to regionals.  They knew how to run a class, they knew what they were doing!!! that is HUGE for me.  On top of that the space was open, bright and well stocked.  I would recommend this box to anyone and everyone in a 5 mile radius!

Arbitrary score based off of; coaching experience, programing, facility, shawg and attractiveness of female coaches and athletes...

I give CFS a score of....2:33 Fran time.

CrossFit Arvada 4/6/2012

I took this picture from Arvada's website.  In the future I am going to try to make sure to take my own!

Initial impressions

   The first thing I noticed about CrossFit Arvada is that I couldn't find it on google.  I found it on CrossFit main page.  No big deal.  The next thing was that the Workout of the Day (WOD) was not posted as of 9am that day.  Now, I understand that things get busy and posting a workout is about the least important part of coaching/owning a gym.  When I called to see if it was okay to drop in I got a chance to talk to Keith (owner of CFA)  He told me what the WOD was and that it would be fine if I did a drop in.
  The first thing that I noticed when I pulled up to CF Arvada (30 minutes early) was that the bay doors were open and people were coming in and out.  I really liked that, it was rather inviting.  Keith found me wandering around, I guess I looked lost.  He directed me to the locker rooms, which were nice (two showers!)   The box is very large (12,000sf I believe) and very well stocked.  They have a full astro turf section and batting cage.  I believe that they share a space with another strength and conditioning business.
   Before we started the WOD I got a chance to meet, one of the other coaches named Tom.  Tom was awesome!  Having been recently deployed to Afghanistan as a medical officer, we had an instant commonality.  He was very inviting and welcoming.  He made me feel like an instant member of his gym.

THE WARM UP:

  The W/U was written on the board and there was little instruction so I followed the lead of the other members.  It was self paced, which I personally like.  It's how we do it for our Level 2 classes at CF LoDO. 

The WOD:

400m run
21 front squats @ 75% body weight
1 min wall sit
30 split box jumps (I have never done this movement before, I loved it!!)
1 min wall sit
200m run
1 min wall sit
30 split box jump
1 min wall sit
21 front squats @ 75% BW
400m run

Time- 14:16RX

   This was a quad cooker to say the least. Typically I love run based WOD's.....  Ouch!!  It was the good kind of hurt though!  Very well programed, very good mix of static and dynamic movement.  There was 5 of us at the 11:30a class.  Everyone of the other athletes was very nice and introduced themselves to me. 

 The T-SHIRT!

  Olive drab (military green) they also had black, but the last thing I need is another black T-Shirt! 

The quality is pretty good, not quite American Apparel but definitely better than a Haynes 50/50  The logo is the new evolution of man.  Cost was standard, $20.  I only had $19.  Keith said that it would be okay and that I should be more responsible with my money.  He didn't really say that!  The shirt is comfy as can be, I'm wearing it now!!

The Score 

I have decided to affix a score to each gym that I visit, because frankly we CrossFitters love to score things regardless of how arbitrary it is!  I based scoring on overall atmosphere, coaching ability, programming, how cute the girls are and how boss the shwag is. 

 CrossFit Arvada scores  11 cupcakes out of a bakers dozen!

The first "Box Jump"

  In the wake of the recent CrossFit open I have heard the term "CrossFit Community" tossed around more times than I can count.  While I have been participating in CF for over 8 years and have had ownership in three different gyms I'm not sure if I actually belong to this "Community" that everyone keeps talking about.  In fact, up until this year I had never done a CF workout in an affiliate that I didn't own.  While I may be a slightly extreme case it seems to me that the "Community" is a little cliquish, for lack of a better term.  Some gym owners are apprehensive about having someone who coaches at another gym workout with their classes.  Why?  Do they believe that they will poach clients?  Are they insecure about their own coaching abilities and background knowledge??  Or are they just so damn busy running a gym, coaching, and trying to keep up with their own personal fitness that they haven't been able to look outside in months let alone explore their own community??? 
    Owning and running a gym is not as easy as most people think.  I would say that in my first year I worked between 80-90 hours every week, without a full day off for 5-6 months at a time (Thank you Christmas) with a take home pay that averages out to be around $2 an hour.  I am very fortunate to be in a position that will allow me to see the light of day a few times a week.  How do I intend on spending my hard earned time off from the gym???  By visiting other gyms!!  I know, I know....
     I know that, like many athletes, I have become comfortable in my training environment.  In an effort to break out of my comfort zone and give myself a slight psychological edge, I thought it would be a cool idea to drop in to a different gym each week to better prepare me for this years South West Regional competition.  The first gym that I chose was CrossFit Arvada, who will be the subject of my first official "Box Jump" report.  As I was leaving CFA, I had a mini epiphany!  How cool would it be to do a WOD in every single CrossFit affiliate in the state of Colorado!!
    At present count there are 110.... WOW!!!  110 in the state!!!  At risk of sounding like "that guy" there was only 12 affiliates WORLD WIDE when I started CrossFittng!  110 in the state!!!  That is a pretty large community.  Lucky for me I love doing 2 a day WOD's and I love T-shirts!
  
   Follow me as I jump from box to box and share my thoughts on each gyms atmosphere, experience of coaches, programing, my overall experience and most importantly how cool their T-shirt is!