My New PR

First off:

Did you ever really think it wasn't possible?

There is no way to truly express the joy and satisfaction that I saw in many faces last night.  The very interesting expressions were the ones where the person did not know the weight that they were lifting, and all of a sudden, the weight was pressed up (Strict Press), picked up (Deadlift), or Back-squatted - and then they found out.  The look of awe on some faces showed the pride people had in each other, themselves, and the encouragement this place (CrossFit Relentless) has.  What a phenomenal beginning. . .

Persistency

So those goals that I have written about before are now on a paper / your computer right?  You shared them with a friend, a loved one, a Coach, a fellow athlete/peer, so that you can start creating some accountability for yourself right?  What did you do yesterday to get yourself further to that goal?  Oh wait, it was the 28th of November, 3 days after Thanksgiving and you were still eating leftovers, no worries, let's get back on track. . . it's Monday

The Transformation

No, we aren't talking about The Fly from 1986 with Jeff Goldblum.  CrossFit isn't going to stick you in a metal tank and try to transport you to another tank in what was known back in the 80's as "matter transportation".  Today is more like the Monarch Butterfly Life Cycle.  Do you remember that?  It's referenced all the time to show huge changes in life. . .

It's What You Make It

The one thing that has always stuck in my mind regarding workouts, any workout, is the 1 workout where someone always says before they start it. . .

"That doesn't look so bad. . ."

A Little Bit About My Gym

Do you remember when you bought your first car? 

That car spoke to you, it enticed you with it's color, the smooth lines reminded you of the most beautiful scene in the world.  The interior decor was exactly to your liking, whether it had wood trim or a carbon fiber dash, it was so comfortable when you got in the driver's seat, it fit just right.  The plush leather (or cloth, or vinyl) wrapped itself around you and you felt comfortable.

Oh, you thought this was a blog about your car?  Think again. . .

Maybe It Was 20 Reps

CrossFit institutes a required range of motion for each of it's movements, for Squats, it happens to be hip crease below knee, and then standing with an open hip in the upright position. So, a Tabata Workout for example, is 8 rounds of 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off. The least amount of reps amongst the 8 rounds is the athlete's score. . .

My Push Out of Comfort

I am an evening CrossFitter, once that clock gets past noon, I am good to go!  I like my routine, it makes my day feel complete, I work, I WOD, I coach or. . .  I work, I coach, and I WOD. . .

Now, some of you, WOD, then work, it makes you start your day off with so much energy.  The anxiousness of the WOD doesn't build up, cause you are going straight to the box, you don't even have facebook comments to lend you an idea of how much the WOD may suck. . ..

The Second Day

Ugh, remember that feeling?

The workout is done, you're exhausted, the last thing you want to do is stretch.  Your body aches in ways in which you've never known.  It's hard to muster the "Thank you" as you walk out the door, you go to get in your car, but have trouble getting the key to the ignition to turn it over (and for those of you with the really nice cars - it's hard to push the button to start it).  It feels like a second workout to turn the key and hold onto the wheel.  Your legs hurt as you try and press down the gas.  Thankfully some of you don't have a clutch to worry about.  The gas and the brake are hard enough.  Getting home was difficult, all you wanna do is lie down and go to bed. . .

A Recipe for Change

What does it take to workout?

1 cup of motivation - Gotta get to the gym
1 cup of determination - Gotta get through whatever is on the whiteboard
1/3 cup of inspiration - Why are you doing it?
1 barbell - 45 lb or 15 lb, they are both cruel
A dash of weights - Face it, your tastes are different than someone else, season to taste

Read on . . .

Stick to the Basics (Part III)

In Stick To The Basics, we talked about technique, consistency, and intensity.  In Stick to the Basics (Part II) we talked about writing it all down.   I would like to expound a little more on the basics today. . .

So goals. . how to get there . . .(Part 1)

It was really funny in my eyes.  I have a twin brother (seriously) who is about 4-5 inches shorter than me (seriously) and about 60-70 lbs lighter than me (seriously).  We're sitting at a restaurant tonight when we got on this conversation regarding lifestyle choices, diet, and exercise.  Now he's not a Crossfitter, he could truly care less if he worked out, but he does his morning routine, and is not completely sedentary in life.  He is very careful about what he consumes and, in my eyes more importantly, how much he consumes.  He eats relatively clean, but has weighed the same for so many years, somwhere during the midst of this conversation we started talking about dedication. . .

A little bit about goals

I haven't seen some of the people that I started Crossfitting with for a long time, but last night I got the opportunity to do so.  A couple of the young ladies were powercleaning some weight, going for PR's, I am unaware whether or not they had already worked out.  One of them looked at me and said she was going to "get her PR tonight", such conviction and determination, you would have thought she was going to tell me that she would kill for it . . .

Veteran's Day

I don't want to be like everyone else, but as a prior military member, with friends in the past who were in the military, friends currently in the military, with two brother's who were in the military, with a grandfather who was in the military, and having coached military members, I think its my duty now as a CrossFit coach and athlete to show some remembrance to today Veteran's Day - November 11, 2010. . .

It's About My Shirt

I have a lot of t-shirts and my t-shirts define me.  They define my style, whether they are v-neck, low v-neck, rounded, short sleeve polo's, an A-shirt, tanktop, crewneck, or squareneck (Old Navy, Old Navy, Old Navy Performance Fleece. . .), so what on earth does that have to do with CrossFit?  Read on . . .

I am the weight

A black composite rubber 45 lb rogue bumper plate. . . idly resting on the ground. . .chalk outlines the hand prints that were just there minutes before.  It had no intent of malice, nor good will, it doesn't care if you can pick it up, and it doesn't care if it hurts you. . . let me tell you more. . .

But I Want to Talk about CrossFit

We are all guilty, at one time or another, of talking way too much about CrossFit, what on earth is going on?  Your friends, your family, your co-workers, they all think you are crazy!  The funny thing, you talk about it more and more, as time goes on - it gets worse and you know what?  It's infectious . . . let's talk about the cure . . .

It Started With a Thought

So I started writing this article in response to some facebook posts I have seen and the recent conversations I had heard about CrossFit from members at our gym, this was last Thursday . .

The Inspiration!

Well, its about 12:30am on Saturday morning. . .the evening hour is very cool, the ground still moist as the dew drops cling to pavement and grass alike, and in roughly 6 hrs and 30 mins, Natick, Massachusetts will be one loud friggin place, you might be wondering why . . .

CrossFit Ironwill

Part of this blog is to share my experiences; as a Coach and an Athlete.  I have the pleasure of sharing my experience of going to other CrossFit gyms too, I think that it is now a good time to share. . . .  and if you get the time, as most of you who read this are in Connecticut, swing by and say hello, our neighbors to the North aren't that far away . . . .

The Community - My Community

It's not too often that people can claim that the gym they are from, the place that they work, or even the neighborhood that they live in, are really that much of a "community" in a family sense.

Webster's Dictionary defines community as:
 - a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage.

- a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists (usually prec. by the )

Community in this sense appears to just have a "something" in common, CrossFit, our box, our gym, our lifestyle - goes a bit more than beyond that; let me explain a few things. . .

It's Called Feedback

Your day can go a couple different ways -

You show up for class a little early, maybe you warm-up a little. . .

You show up for class a little early, maybe you chit-chat and talk up a friend or a coach. . . .

You show up for class a little early, maybe you work on a specific movement . . .

You show up just in time, breathing a huge sigh of relief . . .