Gym Bag

I carry a gym bag in my car everyday so I have what I need when it's time to train. I find myself always telling people what should be in their bag. I going to share with you what goes into mine. Remember this is my gym bag and everyone has a different opinion. I like every athlete, have a ritual and the things I need to enter my zone.

-Shoes - OLY weightlifting, running, Vibram Five Fingers

-Athletic tape

-Running metronome

-Digital watch & GPS watch

-Water bottle

-Jumprope

-iPod & v-moda ear phones

-Workout Journal

-OLY weightlifting pair of socks

-Tennis ball - for self massage

-Sweat bands

-SKINS

-Lifesavers candy

HandStand Practice

-Make sure your arms are fully extended at the top position.
-Balance the weight on the finger tips and wrist.
-Make sure you have your chin almost touching the chest.
-Keeping your stomach squeezed along with your glutes, quads, and toes pointing to the sky.

Integrating the Olympic Lifts with CrossFit*

This article is very interesting to me because I only started to learn OLY lifting in CrossFit. Then I attended to OLY cert and realized I had a lot of work to do. It's all about technique and powering through a WOD with bad technique is not going to make you better. What do you think about this topic? Greg Everett writes:

I have no objections to the use of the Olympic lifts in high-rep, fatigued-state, metabolic conditioning as seen in the typical CrossFit WOD. I do believe, however, that CrossFit athletes will be capable of far greater progress in the long term if the lifts are trained exclusively in isolation during an initial development stage. Granted, CrossFit is predicated on great variety, but the temporary elimination of the Olympic lifts from WOD training will not have any significant limiting effect considering the depth of the CrossFit movement pool. Understand as well that I’m specifying the barbell lifts—this does not include dumbbell, kettlebell, medicine ball, or other implement Olympic lifts. I encourage dumbbell snatches and cleans emphatically at any stage of learning—the movements are different enough to not compete with or disrupt each other.

Some have argued—while defending some heinous technique—that performance of the lifts in the WODs is their practice. It is indeed practice, and very effective—the problem is that it’s practice of poor technique made even poorer by fatigue and limited focus. Performing a movement incorrectly a million times will not magically teach you to perform it correctly; in fact, you’ll find the more time you spend performing it incorrectly, the more trouble you’ll have relearning it correctly.

Greg Everett

FULL ARTICLE HERE:
http://www.cathletics.com/articles/index.php?show=shorty&shortyID=34

Happy Thanksgiving

"Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow.”
Edward Sandford Martin

I am thankful for all the blessings in my life.

GOOD PEEPS

Sometimes I think about all the different types of people that I hang out with from work, CrossFit, Yoga, and socially. What type of people do you choose to be around? Have you thought about the impact that your family and friends have on you? Are you around people that live in drama? People who like to gossip and talk about other people? Put blame on others and are generally negative, pessimistic, complain?(Debbie Downer) And people who take no responsibility for themselves or for their actions? Did you realize that behaviors of others have an impact on you? Being around people who like to do the same things as you is very important. I If someone else is happy, maybe you should follow. If someone has energy and you feel it, feed off of it. I like to be around people who are full of life. Who do you hang around? Do they offer anything to a positive life? If they don't maybe that's your problem.

Too Funny

The Robb Wolf Break-up from CF

http://robbwolf.com/?p=976#comments
"I’d soon get an earful of what Dave Castro thought about Nicki’s recommendation to co-brand oneself. Initially, I could not make sense of Dave’s animosity until I thought things through: If you have two names you not only distinguish yourself from your neighbors who may or may not have good business practices, you liberate yourself from the control of HQ. You have little recourse if you are dissatisfied with the parent organization when your only name is “CrossFit Anytown” and your only url is www.crossfitanytown.com." Robb Wolf

Be Different

If you continue to do it the same way, you will get the same. If you are looking for something new, do something new.

The Deadlift

My kids know the Deadlift and this application to real-life is in picking things up off the ground, especially heavy objects that require a strong back and grip. Nearly every contact sport contains situations such as checking, tackling, and jumping that involve a large, quick transference of energy from the lower body to the upper body or another object.

Beautiful Day

I ran 3.9 miles at Turkey Mountain with my dog Kiah 37:11 (POSE)
Also I attended a Restorative Yoga class

Black Box Summit

Visit sicfit.com for more Videos

Here is an interview that Eric Barber gave.

Planche

A Planche is a skill in gymnastics in which the body is held parallel to the ground, giving the illusion of floating. It is a move that requires a great deal of strength and balance. There are many ways to work up to/train a Planche. The most common is to start in a semi-tucked Planche; it is common to do this move in sets, for example doing three sets of a five second hold and working up every other day. Once a person feels comfortable holding a semi-tucked Planche they should try putting out one leg at a time and working it as they did the tucked Planche. Another way to practice and get the basic idea for a Planche is to do it with you feet against the wall; this takes away the weight and lets the person get a feel for the move.

Forearm Stand - Pincha Mayurasana

1. Come to the wall.
2. Bring the forearms and palms flat against the floor.
3. Bend the elbows, bringing the upper arms perpendicular to the forearms.
4. Come up into Downward Facing Dog with the legs.
5. Walk the feet in toward the hands as much as possible.
6. Bend one knee and begin to kick up with the opposite leg.
7. The head stays up off the floor. The gaze should be down at the floor.
8. If you are able to get both legs up and invert fully, begin to work on taking the feet off the wall and balancing independently.
9. Come down and rest

Beginners: First, place a block at the wall. Make an "L" shape with the thumbs of each hand (the left hand will be a backwards "L"). Place the hands around the block so that the thumbs are on the front of the block and the forefingers are on the sides with the palms flat on the floor.

Advanced: Once you can get up using the props, begin to try this without the props. Make sure that the elbows stay in line with the shoulders and do not splay out to the sides. If you become very comfortable doing the pose at the wall, begin to attempt to move into the center of the room.

L-sit Inversion

Pub Run Tommrow

GUINNESS CHALLENGE 4 MILE RUN
Tommrow at 3pm I will be running a diffrenet type of race. This one is more for fun than anything competitve. A special category for those walkers and runners who would like to drink their beer before the race is over! Guinness Challenge participants will have to FINISH three 12ounce Guinness pints during the 4 mile run; one at each water stop (at about mile marker 1.5 and 3) and one at the finish line. Should be fun!

CrossFit Deep Ellum Dallas, TX

I went to Dallas last Friday to check out my friends new CrossFit box. It was awesome, old school brick and garage doors in place of windows. These guys are going to be the next big thing in the Dallas area. Running the 400m around the city sidewalk was great. Great location and great coaches. If you are ever in the area, please stop by for a WOD.

WOD
5-4-3-2-1-2-3-4-5 reps for time: 5:22
Front Squat 185lb
Burpee Pull-up

I haven't laid on the ground after a workout in more than 2 months. This one laid me out for 2 min recovery. Thanks coach Koy Nichols for doing ladder drills and kicking my ass.

Happy Birthday ERIC BARBER

Happy birthday to a great CrossFit Coach. Eric Barber is 40 years old and kicking more butt now than ever before.

"Filthy Fifty"

"Filthy Fifty" for time: 26:14
50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double unders
@ GSX CrossFit Fort Worth, Texas

While everyone took a lunch break on Sunday during the cerification, I decided to do CFHQ WOD. Coach Max and Andy decided to do the same. We set up our equipment outside, where I competed for the regional qualifier.

CrossFit Deep

http://crossfitdeep.com/
Check out the love, story soon to be posted.

You cannot move forward from some idealized point in the future that has not yet arrived. If you are to move forward, you must do it from where you are now. Though it may not be perfect, it is plenty to get you going. Wishing for more, or feeling resentment because you don't have more, will only waste your precious time. Although there is no guarantee that your actions will be effective, one thing that is certain is that nothing will happen if you take no action at all.

Running & Endurance Cert

The weekend was a sucess and now it's time to apply my skills again.

3 keys To Balance

1) Training- intensity and volume
2) Recovery- sleeping, stretching, and rest days
3) Nutrition- zone/paleo and hydration

Can you look at all three of these keys and say they are all in place? Make sure you are very balanced.

CrossFit Running & Endurance Cert 2nd time

Just got through day one of the CFE Running certification. After 9 months of POSE training, I've come to realize I need to clean some things up. This is my 5th CrossFit cert and 2nd time I have done this one. This time it all makes total sense.

Today I will REST

You're thinking about it too much. My body isn't just being lazy on rest days, its rebuilding. This morning when I woke up it told me please, please take a rest day. Resting is part of your training! On my rest days when I'm training for an event I rest but not mentally. I am always analyzing my training routine and looking for places to improve. I'm thinking about what I need to work on in the coming days and deciding whether I'm where I should be in the schedule, etc.

Great CrossFit Coaches

Being a great CrossFitter is great and all. Getting your level 1 is a start. Neither would automatically merit you a job in a gym. Being a great CrossFitter does not mean you are a great coach. Being newly level 1 certified does not mean you are a great coach. Really loving CrossFit does not make you a great coach. Experience makes you a great coach, and there’s really no way to fast track that fact. Hours and hours of training people is what makes a great coach. Experience working with clients and getting them results. Experience generating respect with people and getting them to positively change their behavior. Surrounding yourself with more experienced coaches than yourself helps make a great coach. Being humble and aware of your strengths and weaknesses and the desire to continually learn are all components of a great coach. I've been coaching for about 10 months and I keep learning everyday. I have learned from all these great coaches in the pictures.

365lb Back Squat

Got a new PR on Back Squat yesterday at 365lb. Pervious record was 355lb.

Floor Kip-up

From a supine position, draw your legs into your chest (bent), roll back slightly and optionally place your hands on the floor next to your ears. Then thrust your legs upward and outward while pushing off from the floor with your hands and shoulders. The momentum of the thrust carries the body into the air feet first and, with sufficient back arching, all the way up into a squatting position. Good luck with this one.

Tulsa Run 15k

I had a blast yesterday at the Tulsa Run. I ran it in 1:15:03 in a Halloween costume. Hahahaha