Thirsty for more Thursday!

Today's WOD was awesome because we finally got a chance to have a 3rd CrossFitter workout with Austin and I. It took some planning to make everyone's schedule work but ended up being a lot of fun! Brian @ CrossFit Bismarck connected me with Eric Welk after I emailed him about anyone at all in the Fargo area was interested in CrossFit. Eric is firefighter in town and actually came across CrossFit on his own, which he's been doing solely by himself for about a year now. He's really into CrossFit and just from what i got to see on our first WOD together, he has huge potential! I look forward to more multiple person WOD's, but it's kind of a logistics nightmare trying to make them fly in this big box gym...more to come on that soon though!

Thursday 02/25 WOD

Strength

Deadlift 5x5x3x3x3

WOD

5 Rounds

1min Pullups

1min Wall Balls

1min Row

1min Rest

DOMS and Improvisation

Ever worked out a particular set of muscles differently than usual and experienced Delayed Onset Muscle Syndrome the following day or two? What are you supposed to do if you already have your programming for the week done but now you aren't physically capable of performing it to standard? Well lucky for you and I, CrossFit allows us to improvise anytime necessary!

For me this had to be put into action today! After yesterdays 5k, my legs and feet were a little upset to say the least. Since this was the case, i assumed i'd only be hurting myself if i was to try and perform any strength or WOD's that involved much legs. Now this doesn't mean that i didn't use them at all...since i was sore i warmed up those areas with some light stretches and exercises like rowing, lunges, and jumping rope even if they aren't the focus of your workout, just to get some blood flowing and some oxygen to which will help with recovery.

***On another note, please steer clear of Ibuprofen as it has no place for an athlete striving for maximum performance. Taking and anti-inflammatory drug of any kind makes tendons and ligaments weaker as well as prohibits muscles from getting stronger

CrossFit can be catered to the individual, but be sure to follow what your body is telling you and it will repay you generously!

Tuesday 02/23 WOD

Strength

Shoulder Press 5x5x5

WOD

5 Rounds of:

9 Push Press (Same weight as SH Press or approx 65% 1 rep max)

12 Pullups

15 KB Swings (#55)

What are you trying to do HQ?

Anxious to get the week going again Monday, i did what most of us do right away in the morning...checked HQ site to see what they're doing for a daily WOD. Being on my own up in Fargo, i have the pleasure of picking my own programming which lately i've been mixing mainsite (because it's good to see what others are posting for results and times to compare myself to) and my own stuff together. Here's where the problem presents itself...HQ posted the WOD as a 5k run, well some of us are in the Arctic and running outside is terrible if not actually dangerous...and treadmills are the devil, so...i was forced to run on this tiny little track that the gym i'm currently work out at has! This persisted of 38 laps and my left leg taking all the beating since it was natrually all left hand turns!!! Austin and I fought through the run but I almost passed out due to dizzily running in circles the whole time!!! Man i can't wait for Spring to come...but wait, then i'll have to wear aquasocks when running outside since Fargo will more than likely be flooded again...never ending battle so far! Never the less, we're keepin on keepin on!

Monday 02/22 WOD

WOD

5k Run

Tabata Finisher

Situps

Pushups

Back at HOME

I made the trip back to Sioux Falls for this past weekend and i couldn't have had a better time but it is tough to think that i'm am now officially 100% moved to ND. It wouldn't be a trip back without spending a solid 4 hours at CrossFit Sioux Falls with all the great people I've had the pleasure of meeting through CrossFit.

It was another solid day of WOD's! An amazing display by everyone and you just can't replace the motivation you get from one another. The atmosphere that being in a box supplies is irreplaceable and is something that i greatly miss. Thanks for all the support and I can't wait to see you all again very soon!

Saturday 02/20 WOD

Strength
Squat Clean 3x3x3x3x3

WOD
10 Mins - Every Minute on the Minute Perform
3 Power Cleans (65% 1 Rep Max)
3 Handstand Pushups

Don't Bother with Partial Squats!!!!

Since moving to Fargo and being forced to workout out in a Globo Gym setting, the very first thing i noticed was the incredible amount of people doing the Squat with absolutely no standard. It's very had for me to watch and i feel bad that none of the young people have been proberly taught how to execute proper ROM (Range of Motion) in this important movement. I see people throwing a couple plates on each side of an olympic bar thinking there "Strong" and "Fit", but are only performing 1/2 of the true standard. I know we aren't all certified trainers, but i do feel we have a responsibility to show people the correct motion.

The squat is a tremendously safe and magnificent movement that develops coordination, mental toughness, skeletal and muscular strength, and superior knee stabilization. A full range of motion squat begins with the knees and hips extended and the body in a standing upright position. To initiate the movement, the hips travel back and down to a point below parallel. Below parallel is defined as a body position where the top of the patella (knee) is above the crease of the hip.

A partial squat is one that does not fully achieve a below parallel depth. A partial squat puts undue stress on the knees, neglects the utilization and development of the glutes, adductors, and hamstrings, and generates a significant imbalance between the front (anterior) and back (posterior) sides of the body. A partial squat allows the body to carry and move a load which the spine has not yet developed the capacity to support and move.

If you physically or mentally are not able to take a squat below parallel, your load is too heavy. Forget the number on the white board, and go for some serious inches in your depth. Remember, a barbell squat is built upon the solid foundation of an air squat and depth should be unquestionable. -Part taken from CrossFitRoots.com

Friday 02/19 WOD

Strength

Back Squat 5x5x5

WOD

"Stephen"

30-25-20-15-10-5

GHD Situp

Back Extension

Knees to Elbows

95lb Stiff Legged Deadlift

DAY OF REST!!!

That's all i got for you, enjoy!!!

Pro-Programming

Seems like i've read hundreds of blogs and discussion boards about all sort of subjects but the one that I've focused on most is programming. Programming has been an ongoing discussion since the beginning of time, but lately has been a major focal point in the CrossFit arena. Long WOD's, Short WOD's, Chippers, Oly Lifts, Met-Cons, or maybe a mixture of everything!? I think we need to get less interested in exactly what the perfect programming is and get back to the basics of focussing on what CrossFit was founded on...know what I mean? Here's a refresher:

What makes CrossFit's "Routine" so great...

There is no ideal routine! In fact, the chief value of any routine lies in abandoning it for another. The CrossFit ideal is to train for any contingency. The obvious implication is that this is possible only if there is a tremendously varied, if not randomized, quality to the breadth of stimulus. It is in this sense that the CrossFit Program is a core strength and conditioning program. Anything else is sport specific training not core strength and conditioning.

Any routine, no matter how complete, contains within its omissions the parameters for which there will be no adaptation. The breadth of adaptation will exactly match the breadth of the stimulus. For this reason the CrossFit program embraces short, middle, and long distance metabolic conditioning, low, moderate, and heavy load assignment. We encourage creative and continuously varied compositions that tax physiological functions against every realistically conceivable combination of stressors. This is the stuff of surviving fights and fires. Developing a fitness that is varied yet complete defines the very art of strength and conditioning coaching.

This is not a comforting message in an age where scientific certainty and specialization confer authority and expertise.

Yet, the reality of performance enhancement cares not one wit for trend or authority. The CrossFit Program’s success in elevating the performance of world-class athletes lies clearly in demanding of our athletes total and complete physical competence. No routine takes us there.

Wednesday 02/17 WOD

Strength

Bench Press 5x5x5

Deadlift 1x1x1x1x1

WOD

50-40-30-20-10

Situps

Double Unders

400m Run after each round

Finisher

3 Rds Max Pullups

Trying to stay chipper about Chippers!!!

Tuesday is the day!!! With regional qualifiers in stride, we Might as well stay in stride with CrossFit's mainsite and keep plugging along with some of the CrossFit Games 2009 WOD's. With quite a bit of endurance background, i've always enjoyed the longer WOD's and chippers but after watching this workout during the 2009 Games, I honestly felt bad for the athletes taking part in it. It was painfully sweet to watch, check out http://games2009.crossfit.com/thegames/womens-chipper-heat-1-christy-vs-crystal.html and watch the ladies battle!!! This is a chipper to beat chippers and will ask more from your body than you can imagine! For those of you who aren't quite sure what a chipper is, here's a short explanation that should give you nice vivid picture. A Chipper is a string of different exercises done one after, once through for time. It is named chipper because, afterwards you feel like you have been through a wood chipper. If that doesn't give you an idea what it is, I urge you to do the WOD below and then tell me what you think!!! Happy Chipping!!!

Wednesday 02/16 WOD

2009 CrossFit Games Chipper

For time:
155lb Squat Clean, 15 reps
30 Toes to bar
30 Box jump, 24 inch box
15 Muscle-ups
40lb DB Push press / Push Jerk, 30 reps
30 Double-Unders
135lb Thruster, 15 reps
30 Pull-ups
30 Burpees
300ft Walking lunge with 45lb plate held overhead

FYI - Top times for the mens heat in the 2009 Games: Mikko Salo (19:46), Jason Khalipa (21:35), Michael Fitzgerald (22:13), also Chris Spealler just logged 16:24 on this one the other day.

How was your Weekend!?

Once again a new week has begun and with it, the dreaded Monday WOD! Why is it that most of us dread our workout on Monday? Monday through Friday we work our asses off, eat right and get our 8 hours of sleep, then 5pm Friday we all of a sudden feel a sense of entitlement and go overboard on what do to our bodies the rest of the weekend! I've found myself in that state of mind time and time again and it becomes just as much of a weekly routine as anything else. The keys to breaking this routine and keeping yourself on track is very simple to say, but difficult to keep in tact. 3 of the most important components are Motivation, Goals, & Accountability. We all should be asking ourselves on a regular basis...What is my Motivation!?...What new Goals can i set for myself!?...and Who can I ask to help keep me Accountable!? One of the coolest thing about the CrossFit Community is how all of these things are tied together in every daily activity we do together. Life is an incredibly tough, if not impossible road to go alone, but only you can make the choice to go at all. CrossFit gives you the tools but only you can decide to use them.

"Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved"

-William Jennings Bryant

Monday 02/15 WOD

Strength

Push Press 5x5x3x3x1

WOD

AMRAP 8 Minutes (2009 CrossFit Games)

4 Handstand Pushups

8 KB Swings (2 Pood)

12 GHD Situps

Saturday Shenanigans!

Since i first started CrossFiting i always looked forward the Saturday WOD's! We'd do partner workouts, other times we'd do Oly lift days, and sometimes i'd do both, either way you knew you'd be busting your ass bright and early.

Besides the amazing workout that we did, Saturday WOD's were all together critical to my goals. I valued my Saturday workouts so much, that i wouldn't do anything Friday night that might inhibit my performance. That means no cocktails, crappy food, or late nights...some of my friends thought i was crazy and that CrossFit was taking away form my social life, but as most of you know that is the complete opposite. The CrossFit Community comes alive Saturday mornings, some days i was there for 4 or 5 hours just hanging out and loved every second of it! It was the most dedicated day of the week for me and has provided me great results! I look forward to doing group WOD on Saturday in Fargo ASAP!!!

Saturday 02/13 WOD

Strenght

Snatch 1 Rep Max

WOD

"Lumberjack 20"

20 Deadlifts (#275)

400m Run

20 KB Swings (2 pood)

400m Run

20 OH Squats (#115)

400m Run

20 Burpees

400m Run

20 Pullups (C2B)

400m Run

20 Box Jumps (24")

400m Run

20 DB Squat Cleans (#45ea)

400m Run

Frozen Tundra!!!

Days like today make me wonder why on earth I decided to make this transition to Fargo. I took a look at the weather this morning and the standing temp was -11 degree, yes that is NEGATIVE ELEVEN. Then i took a look at Sioux Falls temp this morning and it showed a nice 18 ABOVE!!! Would have never thought there was this big of a difference, but nothing I can do about it now.

Regardless of the ridiculous temps, the WOD's must go on! Since it didn't work out last time, finally my buddy Austin was going to be able to make the WOD today. I wanted to make sure I had a good one planned and after pondering for a while this morning what to do, i decided to check the mainsite and see what HQ had on its agenda. Looking back now, I'm kind of wishing i would have just came up with my own WOD, JK! Damn it was one of the more brutal ones today and Austin rocked it right out, nice work!!!

Thursday 02/11 WOD

5 Rounds:

500m Row

12 Power Cleans (#35)

15 Thrusters (#95)

Garrett 00:37:30 rxd

Austin 00:35:45 rxd

Rest Day!!!

Wednesday 02/10 - REST

What is the definition of Rest!? Wiktionary defines Rest as:

1.) The relief from work or activity afforded by sleep

2.) A relief from exertion, a state of quiet and recreation

3.) Peace, freedom from trouble, tranquility

Kicking back and taking advantage of a Rest day has always been one of the things that I've struggled with. I seem to get bored easily and must just enjoy being busy all the time but one thing i've learned from CrossFit that has paid me great rewards is the appreciation of Rest. Everyone needs to have a little R & R just to keep sane. Rest plays a huge role in our daily goals, there is no getting around it. If you are able to workout 5 days straight and don't feel the need for a rest day...you need to check your intensity and dedication of the workouts you perform. Now don't get me wrong, i'm not saying you should be experiencing DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) after every WOD, but these are some tough tests we put our bodies through on a daily basis and the least we can do repay ourselves with some relaxation (maybe even some Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream like i do on occation). Back at it tomorrow!!!

For my rest day i'm kicking back and watching some NCAA Rival Week Basketball!!! Go HEELS!!! March Madness here we come!!!

Where it all Began and Where will we go!?

Huge shout out today to my Home Away From Home, CrossFit Sioux Falls. I came accross this picture of Chris and I crushing the "FRAN" Challenge and it's just one memory of how far many of us have come in the last year that CrossFit has been part of our lives. Love you guys!!!

Here we are only day 2 into this new blog of mine and i'm already out of stuff to rant about...just playing! I wasted a good portion of my work day today pondering what to do for a WOD since I have so many areas to get back on top of. I came up with a sweet little workout for my bro Austin (work with him @ CH) and I to do...but Austin ended up having to leave early and once again my friends, it was me all alone on the platform!!! Well here's what i put myself through today!

Tuesday 02/09 WOD

Strength

Front Squat (#165)

2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2

60 Seconds rest between sets

WOD

800m Run

100 Pushups

50 DB Snatches (25 each arm, 50lb DB)

100 Double Unders

50 DB Push Press (25 each arm, 50lb DB)

100 Squats

800m Run

00:35:07 - My endurance for chippers is a bit down right now due to the heavier, shorter WOD's i've been doing lately, but it felt great to go longer today!

P.S. - Thanks for adding my blog to the links Chris!!!

Starting the CrossFit buzz in Fargoland!!!

It's been tough going since i began my commute to Fargo, ND from Sioux Falls, SD back at Thanksgiving! I've been away from CrossFit Sioux Falls for almost 2 months now and have struggled to manage my WOD's on my own. Call it lack of dicipline, call it mental weakness, but all in all it's just wicked dificult to get the same results out of a WOD that you do completely by yourself, with the minimal equipment that the local gym has to offer. I've made due the best i can to date and have started this BLOG to help motivate myself to fight it out! As of last week, i'm now fulltime Fargo resident, this BLOG is also to give an outlet to other potential CrossFit'ers in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

Monday 02/08 WOD:

Strength

Bench Press 5x5x5

MetCon

15-12-9

Overhead Squat (95#)

Burpee Pullups

Endurance

4 Rounds

400m Run

20 Pushups

400m Run

30 Situps