CrossFit One World

My typepad account is acting wacko on my Apple. I can't post any pics. I guess I will just keep this one short since it a rest day anyway. I am pretty sure you guys are all tired of my babbling on and on by now. This works out nicely since we had a CrossFit One World trainer meeting tonight and we didn't finish until after 10pm. There are some very cool changes on the horizon. I think you are all going to like the direction our One World is spinning.....

REST DAY   12/1/2009

Rest....OR....make up a workout you missed....OR....

Practice your rowing technique (Hint: you'll need good technique on Friday!)

A HIGHER ORDER OF THINKING

 

CrossFit One World trainer Eric Gohler nails a 285# thruster. Last weekend, Eric also nailed a 600# deadlift. I constantly give Eric a bad time because I dog him about his super strength and his lack of metabolic conditioning (metcon). He tells me he hits a new huge lift, I ask him if he has also pr'd his 5k run. I know, I am kinda being a dick, but Eric knows two things: #1- I am just messin' with him, and #2- I am right. :-)

For Eric, and the situation is the same for many of you, sticking to a regular CrossFit program is hard. Life in general is a cold-hearted bitch. Work, family, relationships, etc. all play out in your ability to remain focused on sticking to your workout program. Couple that with the fact that CrossFit workouts take you to some very uncomfortable places, and it is easy to make excuses as to why you don't need to train on any given day. String a few days of not training together and the next thing you know you are back at square one.

It is this point of the post that I introduce to you what I am calling "OPTisms." James Fitzgerald, aka OPT, was one of the presenters at the Black Box Summit, which I attended last weekend. One of OPT's presentations was "CrossFit Pain and Higher Orders of Thinking." The lecture was literally life altering for me. The lecture talked about the mindset of a competitive CrossFit athlete. Really good stuff. The thoughts of the presentation actually pan out to all CrossFitters, not just CrossFit Games competitors.

One of the first things OPT mentioned in the lecture is "Know pain, know gain."  As a gym owner and author of this blog, I have to be careful about how I market the pain aspect of a CrossFit workout. A good CrossFit workout promotes high power output when performed by an athlete giving a max effort (average power output defined as work divided by time). In CrossFit methodology, we equate power output as intensity.  The problem with constantly training with intensity? It sucks. It is, in fact, painful, both mentally and physically. This scares a lot of people away from CrossFit.

Pain as defined by Webster: "a basic bodily sensation induced by a noxious stimulus, received by naked nerve endings, characterized by physical discomfort (as pricking, throbbing, or aching), and typically leading to evasive action" also, "acute mental or emotional distress or suffering"

Pain is the reason why there are so few CrossFitters in the world. Yes, CrossFit is growing, but in the worldwide fitness industry, those who do CrossFit are a drop in the bucket. The workouts are intense, and training with intensity sucks. Most people look at what we do as total insanity. They want the easy way out. They want "six minute abs." They want to pay $19.99 in three easy payments for a program that you can do with a smile on your face the entire time because its easy. They want to pay a low monthly fee to walk aimlessly around a super sized gym with lots of fancy equipment. They have no goals, no guidance, but it sure is  easy.

CrossFit workouts are not easy. Those of you who do CrossFit workouts regularly know that the rewards for all the hard work you do are well worth any short time spent being uncomfortable. You feel better, you look better, you are in fact fitter, which means you are healthier. You know pain, and you have first hand experience of knowing gain. 

Please note that I am talking about two different types of pain here. You must listen to your body. Pain from an injury or pain from movement that can cause impending injury due to being performed with bad technique is completely different from the pain I am talking about. I am talking about being mentally beat down and physically uncomfortable and learning how to deal with it on a regular basis. Physical injury is a reality with any type of training and must be respected and dealt with accordingly. Overcoming physical discomfort via a stronger mindset is a completely different beast. You have to visit that discomfort regularly to get better at it.

So, I applaud all of you who have been regulars for so long. Keep up the great work and continue to be an example to others. I implore that those of you who are new or are thinking about starting, STICK WITH IT!!! It doesn't get any easier (despite the fact that we keep telling you it does...haha), but it sure gets better when you experience results first hand.

Know pain, know gain.

*************************

BTW: Eric has been following programming put together by Chong. I want all of you to be on him like flies on shit so he sticks with it. Sometimes, encouragement from your friends is the best thing to keep you going! Go Eric Go!

*************************

I love this blog. It has give me a platform to share thoughts and ideas with the CrossFit One World community, which I am proud to say expands way beyond the walls of our gym. I am constantly looking for new topics and ideas to share with you all. Got something you want to share? Write something up and send it to me. A lot of you keep telling me you want to write something for the blog, but I never get anything. I know you've got some good stuff to share. Get on it!!!

freddy@crossfitoneworld.com

**************************

WOD   11/30/2009

"Tommy V"

In honor of Senior Chief Petty Officer Thomas J. Valentine, 37, of Ham Lake, Minnesota, died in an training accident in Arizona, on Feb. 13 2008. First posted on www.crossfit.com on March 12, 2008

• 21 thrusters (115#, 85#)
  
• 12 rope climbs (15')
• 15 thruster
  
• 9 rope climbs
  
• 9 thrusters
  
• 6 rope climbs

*************************

The first five minutes of OPT's lecture "CrossFit Pain and Higher Orders of Thinking" as posted on the SicFit.com website. Sorry the sound quality is poor and its only five minutes.

Visit sicfit.com for more Videos

MAYBE THEY SHOULD TRY A FEW CROSSFIT WORKOUTS

One minute your just cruising the beach patrolling on your Segway....the next moment you are a SWAT tactical machine....

*************************

This post is going out to all you cops out there. It is totally off the topic of fitness, but I know a lot of my fellow brothers and sisters in blue check this site. Plus, this is a holiday weekend and I know website traffic will be low, so bear with me all the rest of you....

I want to talk briefly about the switch. The one that you flip on and off depending on the situation. There are times when an officer must be compassionate and display a sense of care and concern. At other times, the switch gets flipped on. A situation demands command presence and forceful actions, both verbal and physical. When seen from outside the situation, the switched being turned on can appear ugly and unnecessary, but I assure you, it is a necessary evil. Good cops have great mastery over the switch.

All too often, the line that separates the two differences between the switch gets blurred. Your attitude hardly changes between good honest folks and those who need to be served up. You can see a ton of videos on youtube of cops losing control of the switch. I ask that those of you who ever see a cop doing something bad just remember that every single day there are thousands of other cops doing something good.

A lot of reasons can lead up to a lack of control. A long time on the job, a misinterpretation of actions or statements of others, a power trip, hell, you might just be having a bad day. I just want to remind you cops that we are the sheepdogs. We choose to put on the uniform every day and risk our lives for those we serve. It is not easy to always master your switch, but strive for it. Your time spent in the uniform will be more enjoyable. Your career will be longer lasting. You will be happier and healthier.

I can assure you that I have not been perfect every time I put on the uniform, but a wise cop once told me that your interaction with a citizen could be the one and only interaction they ever have with a police officer. How you treat them is how they will judge all of us. I try to remember this with every contact I make. The simple interpretation of all this: "Don't be a dick."

I guess I can totally spin this into another reason to be a CrossFitter. How do you control the switch? Learning to control your own emotions is first and foremost. Regularly testing the limits of your physical capabilities is a great builder of mental fortitude. Some consider a lack of control of the switch a sign of weakness. Being physically strong and sound in tactical skills leads to greater confidence. Greater confidence is outwardly shown with better command presence. So you see, you should be CrossFitting. Master the switch!

********************

We will be closed until Monday... As promised, another cool workout for home:

WOD   11/29/2009

Lunge step 400m. Post time and number of steps to comments.

If you do not wish to do lunge step for 400m, you can try this:

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

I woke up this morning sick. Headache, a constant runny nose, sneezing, and bodily functions not working properly (multiple trips to the toilet). It got worse through the day, but I am starting to feel better already. It got me thinking that it is cold and flu season again. Please stay away from the gym if you are feeling under the weather. First of all, you shouldn't be working out when you are sick. You should be resting and drinking lots of water. Your fitness level will not suffer if you have to miss a few days. Second, you don't want to be responsible for getting others at the gym sick.

Day to day preventive actions suggested by the CDC to avoid the flu:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)
• While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.
• Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other measures to keep our distance from each other to lessen the spread of flu.

I'll pick up more hand sanitizer and some alcohol wipes to keep the equipment clean.

Stay healthy everyone!

*************************

As I promised, a workout you can get done at home since we are closed this weekend. I've done this one on vacation.

WOD   11/27/2009

Start with 5 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, and 15 squats. On each subsequent round, add one rep to each exercise. (Round 2 would be 6/11/16.) Continue for 20 minutes.

**************************

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We at One World hope everyone had a great Turkey Day. What were you thankful for???

REST DAY   11/27/2009

We are closed this weekend, but I will be posting workouts for Saturday and Sunday that you can perform at home. Enjoy yourself this weekend. We have some awesome programming coming up to close out 2009.....

*************************

SHOUT OUT TO CSA CROSSFIT

One World has spawned many trainers who have gone on to do their own thing. Jolie Gentry is a head trainer at Catalyst Athletics. Austin Begiebing (my personal coach) is an owner/head trainer at CrossFit Unlimited. Mia Scafani is now a trainer at FTF CrossFit in Fresno.

Will Blaker is the latest One World athlete to move on. Will Blaker has been the head trainer at CSA CrossFit for a few months now. The box is starting to boom! I asked Will to shoot me an update on progress so far....

A Saturday morning session at CSA CrossFit:

 

From Will:

"Everything is going pretty amazing. We're growing into a pretty close knit family, quickly. When we opened, I was consumed with creating an environment that people wanted to hang out and build relationships in, not just "workout". This is what makes OneWorld so special. I wasn't entirely confident that I could accurately convey what the CrossFit community means beyond the WODs. I consider it a personal responsibility whenever I tell people I cut my teeth under you and One World, that they understand I learned at the Ivy League of boxes & instructors. This goes way beyond teaching the movements correctly and keeping their ROM honest. It involves many extracurricular things like what I mentioned before to augment their experience. To see the vibe and the culture take shape and become its own unique place has been an amazing experience. Every time I wonder if I'm doing you justice, I take stock in my athletes progress thus far. Is their fitness improving? Are they embracing the community and passing it on to others? Are they responding to my instructing style? How can I improve and make it a better experience? I love trying new things and seeing how they work. For example, each week is assigned a challenging movement, like muscle ups, and we practice it in our warm-ups, "and thens", and rest days so they can be prepared for some WODs the following week with those movements. It seems to be working as last week's muscle up week succeeded in getting the first 5 athletes in our gym their first muscle up. I plan on continuing this sequence with things such as the OLY movements, HSPU's, etc. I never lose sight of the fact that this is their gym. It is my gym only in the fact that I get the final say on what I think would make THEIR experience better. Constantly improving my knowledge and effectiveness as an instructor while keeping the mood high octane but supportive, with confidence and humility, are my daily goals.
 
I'm in my element, and life is good. I owe it all to you my friend. Thanks Freddy."

Will, we at One World wish you and CSA CrossFit the best of success. When I was asked if there was a CrossFit One World trainer who would be willing to take on the challenge of running a new CrossFit affiliate, I immediately thought of Will Blaker. I know you will be successful.

My advice brother: don't treat the business like it is a workout. Sometimes you got to game it rather than go balls out :-) 

*************************

The gym is closed from Thursday through Sunday. We have workouts programmed for you all that can be completed at home. If any trainers are going to be at the gym this weekend and don't mind others training with you, post your time frame to comments.

Thursday was suppose to be a rest day for me, but the events of the last six days really wore me down. I decided to bump Wednesday's workout to Thursday morning. I will be at One World from about 8am to 9:30am if anyone wants to come in and do today's workout.

*************************

WOD   11/26/2009

Run 5k.... oh come on, you knew that one was coming.

*************************

Today was a long day. From the time Robb Wolf's post regarding the Black Box Summit and how he got fired from Crossfit came out, my phone was inundated with text messages, emails, and calls. Everyone of course wanting to know if Robb's post was accurate or the message threads on certain forums were true. People wanting to know if my resignation from CrossFit HQ was related to the events of the weekend. Even people at One World were pestering me wanting to know what happened.

So, to all the members of One World and my fellow One World owners, whether I am a CrossFit HQ trainer or not does not matter to the quality of training you will get at One World. What matters is that I am completely committed to making One World a better place to train for all of you.

To everyone else out there..... Let me tell you what the Black Box Summit was. It was an absolutely amazing presentation of how to make your box, your coaching abilities, and your athletes better. I left the Black Box Summit with a  renewed vigor to make One World a better gym. Every lecture was chocked full of information to make your CrossFit program and athletes better. How can anyone listening to what was being said disapprove? That's just insanity!  The people who were presenting never once bashed CrossFit. Greg and Aimee of Catalyst Athletics made fun of the the fact that they are not CrossFitting, but they were both adamant that learning to lift better will make you a better CrossFitter. That makes sense to all of us doesn't it? Can't people have fun in a presentation? Don't sweat it Greg and Aimee, everyone at that seminar except for apparently two people recognized the humor in your presentations, and trust me, I know humor when I see it...haha!!! Can't people who don't do CrossFIt workouts regularly or not at all still present sound ideas on how to make your CrossFit performance better? I think so. Hell, I am sure there are people who help run CrossFit INC that don't train regular, but still daily come up with ideas to try and make the program better. Lighten up!

About Robb's post. I love Robb and Nicki. They are good folks. I've spent time on vacation with them. Here is what I can tell you. I was there during the lecture incidents described by Robb. Robb's account of what happened was accurate. Regardless of how any comments were perceived, I don't think someone of Dave Castro's stature in CrossFit INC should have said what he said, but that is my opinion, and I am entitled to my opinion. I was not a witness to what happened outside as described by Robb. I am actually glad I wasn't there and really it was not my business to be there. Unfortunate that there were people attending the seminar that actually did witness it. And finally, my interactions with Dave Castro are my business that I chose not to discuss on this site so don't ask.

Long and short of it folks, the Black Box Summit showed some ways for you to MAKE YOUR CROSSFIT PROGRAM BETTER. I can't thank the presenters (Jeremy Thiel, Carey Kepler, Dutch Lowy, Greg Everett, Aimee Anaya, James Fitzgerald, and Rutman) enough for putting it together and putting me on the right path to make One World rock!

When all is said and done, the beautiful thing is that you get to do it anyway you want. If CrossFit INC doesn't like what some people are saying or doing, they should make the brand a franchise. Otherwise, go forth affiliate owners and run your gym as you see fit!

Now stop asking me what went on at the Black Box Summit.

To all you folks who have no idea what I am talking about, just disregard this entire post and things will be back to normal tomorrow!!!!

*********************

WOD   11/25/2009

"Murph Lite"

Complete the following for time. Run one mile, then do as many rounds as you can in twenty minutes of five pull-ups, ten push-ups, fifteen squats, then run one mile again. No weighted vest necessary!!!

*********************

A SUBTLE CHANGE FOR THE BETTER

So you’ve read on the posts the last several days about how I attended the Black Box Summit. I’ve been ranting and raving about how spectacular all the information was and how what I learned is going to make One World a better box and you and I better athletes. In order to make the box and us better, there needs to be change.... a lot of change. If I were to implement all the changes I see in the future in one shot, it would be too overwhelming for all of us and no one would benefit.

The first change is subtle. You all need to formulate a distinct goal for your workout program.

Goal as defined by Webster:  "the aim or object towards which an endeavour is directed."

So you are asking yourself, how is having a goal going to make One World a better gym and you a better athlete? There are two types of goals. Short term and long term. At Crossfit One World, an example of a short term goal might be to get your first muscle-up or a body weight overhead squat. (Or 20 double unders in a row for me...haha) An example of a long term goal might be to participate in the NorCal Sectionals for the 2010 CrossFit Games. A workout program without goals is a dead end. It’s a recipe for burnout and quitting. You are just working out for the sake of working out with no good reason.

So, you are all tasked an assignment. Come up with a goal. The “Return of the Excuses” portion of the dry erase board will be replaced with a “Goals” section. EVERYONE who works out at CrossFit One World will post a goal. It has to be a measurable and achievable goal. You can’t just say, “My goal is to get more fit.” You do that every time you step through the door and workout. There is no end point to that...no distinct reward of achievement. I would stick to short term goals over long term goals. Put a deadline next to your goal, and you will work at it that much harder. Your trainers will be tasked to make sure you are working at achieving your goal. Everyone will be helping everyone to reach their goal. When you achieve a goal, you will have to post a new goal. Please make sure you right small and neat so we can fit everyone on the board. If you write something lame, I will erase it, and make you write something new. Seriously, everyone will be required to post a goal.

This past weekend I resigned from my CrossFit HQ Trainer position so that I can be around the gym a lot more. I will have plenty of time now to play cop freddy and make sure we all achieve our goals! I want One World to be the best CrossFit gym that it possibly can be with the best CrossFit athletes.

My goal: Stop jerking around and get 20 damn double unders in a row. I am shooting for 12/5 as my date. What is your goal?

So you see, the gym and you are on the road to getting better already.

*************************

Hey everyone, please print up this poster and help out Cheryl. Her dog, Makoa, ran off on the 18th and hasn't been seen since. Please help!!!!

*************************

It is Thanksgiving Week. We will be running no scheduled sessions from Thursday thru Sunday. I will be posting a 5k run for Thanksgiving. No one wanted in on the Turkey Trot, so your on your own! I have some great workouts that will be posted for the rest of the weekend that you will be able to perform at home also.

*************************

WOD   11/24/2009

Get a max weight thruster.

*************************

CROSSFIT PROGRESSION

At the Black Box Summit one of the topics was what a coach needs to deliver to three different types of CrossFitters.... The "beginners," the "average Joe/Jane," and the "athlete." The needs of each type of CrossFitter are unique. Our goal as coaches is to make sure we are meeting your needs.

I have three days of awesome information that is going to make One World a better gym and make all of you better athletes. I will be meeting with the owners and the trainers within the week following my return. Expect some changes, subtle, but definitely for the better.

*************************

So what is going on at the Black Box Summit? Check out SICFIT.com for constant updates on the weekend.

*************************

It is Thanksgiving Week. We will be running no scheduled sessions from Thursday thru Sunday. I will be posting a 5k run for Thanksgiving morning. I am thinking an informal 9am Turkey Trot at the gym. Anyone want to join in? I have some great workouts that will be posted for the rest of the weekend that you will be able to perform at home.

*************************

REST DAY   11/23/2009

Rest....OR....make up a workout you missed....OR....

Work on your handstand. Use  a partner and get upside down!

*************************

YOUR OPINION?

CrossFit has changed my life.I believe it has changed the lives of many of you. I love to spread the love about the system that I believe in.

That being said, this video has circulated around the internet for quite some time now. Most of you have already seen it. I always crack up when I hear people reciting lines from the clip. There are those who will say the video is meant to demean CrossFit.

What I love is that all you One World folks "get it." The video is just funny. Yes, it plays into the hand of those who hate CrossFit, but the way I look at it is that if you are legit, the bashers come out of the woodwork and want knock what you do.

Post thoughts to comments.

*************************

WOD   11/22/2009

Free Sunday Workout!

Workout posted after the session.

*************************