The Dark Side of CrossFit

I've come to grips with my preference for CrossFit. It's quick, it's tough, it'll turn you into a steely eyed killer who can body slam the Undertaker 2000 times. However, this sect of training is not for the weak or faint of heart. Why not?

Reason 1) Newbies will hurt themselves. And I don't mean in that good "ooh feel the burn" way. It will be more of a, "Sorry kids, grandpa can't shoot hoops anymore with these knees, hips, ankles, spine and shoulders." If you haven't built up the tendons and ligaments needed to support the muscle, you're setting yourself up for chronic joint and back problems.

Reason 2) Newbies will hurt themselves. And yes, in that, "ooh feel the burn" way. And yes, in that, "I can barely get out of bed with these sore hammies" way too. You have to embrace your inner masochist who appreciates the pain that reminds you, "Hey bud, nice job at the gym yesterday. Proud of you." If the pain doesn't make you feel good, you're only going to feel bad.

Reason 3) You'll be a jack of all trades and a master of none. As a way to improve your current sporting passion it's a great way to supplement your other workouts. However, only doing CrossFit only makes you better at doing CrossFit. Yippeee.

Rant: CrossFit games. I kind of can't stand them. It's like people want to figure out who is the best at working out. Why not have a national bicep curl competition or see who can do the most lunges? Because nobody cares. I get it though, there is a large enough following so that people will watch. Also, competitions give athletes something to shoot for. Attainable goals = athletic motivation. Still though, not my bag.

Reason 4) It's too short. It's a 15 minute rampage where you put every muscle in sprint mode and then collapse in a heap on the floor. A few minutes after the collapse I was ready to do more.

Keep training,
LSF

CrossFit Do It

I went to Fort Drum deep in Upstate New York's Snow Belt this week for some business travel and managed to get in a few visits with some very good friends. Two of these friends were infantry officers in my unit in the Army and both are heavily involved with CrossFit which was the rage among junior officers circa 2008 and as far as I can tell, remains popular. I got my first taste of CrossFit in Iraq where there is nothing better to do in your free time than lift weight, finish Modern Warfare for the 3rd time, or watch every existing episode of Smallville for the 4th time.
My buddy, Rob, became a Level I CrossFit Certified Trainer. He said I could train at his box (gym to the layperson) at CrossFit Dewitt, in Dewitt, NY to get a feel for the sport.

 Unsurprising finds:

-Jacked people
-Copious open space, free weights, squat racks, pull up bars
-Loud angry music

Here's what we got into:
-3 Sets for time:
Deadlift 135lbs x 10
Kettlebell (KB) Jumping Jacks x 25lbs x 15
KB Ground to chin upright row x 25lbs x 20
-1 Set:
1 min rest, 1 min row sprint (got 299m)

Total time 12 minutes. Form went downhill on the deadlift, gotta slow down or reduce weight. The rest was a too easy, gotta increase weight. Three days later and my hamstrings are still sore. The good sore. Muscle fibers tearing and repairing.

I also got a free lesson in the clean, jerk and snatch. Watch the vid. I'm pretty sure that's perfect form.

I expect incorporating some CrossFit tenets into my workouts will help me prepare for fighting sports. Power and short term endurance in full body movements will result from the average CrossFit training schedule. I will be referencing the CrossFit Workout of the Day for the next month or so on non-recovery days.

However, there is a dark, dark downside. More on that later.

Keep training,
LSF

(Dewitt=do it. See what just happened?)

Why I Hate Gis

As I mentioned in "Jits", the traditional wear for Jiu Jitsu is the gi (guh-ee, gee, no "j" sound) I don't care for the gi mostly because it takes away from the purity of fighting- it levels the playing field between heavier, stronger fighters and lighter, weaker fighters. I'm not saying I want to strip down and grease up like a gladiator but you don't see MMA fighters wearing anything but gloves and shorts.

The gi levels the playing field. It's easier to grab and hold onto. Weaker fighters can gain limb control by grabbing sleeves or pant legs. And they can get easy chokes by grabbing collars. This works to the advantage of smaller guys like myself (5'8" 160) but doesn't help answer the question that we're all here to answer, "Who can kick whose butt?"


It gets messed up. It's not the simplest piece of clothing you own. The pants have a drawstring, no fly. If you have to pee in the middle of practice, it's a 5 minute endeavor. The top opens up like a blazer and is cinched off by a belt (white, blue, black etc.) that denotes your skill level. The sides of the top get all messed up and come out of the belt. The belt is 4-5 cm wide and is tied in a square knot and comes undone frequently. You probably spend a total of 5 minutes per practice just pulling down each side and re-tightening the belt. Not that appearance is important, but you don't want flaps and belts all over the place. How is your opponent supposed to choke you when your jacket isn't tucked into your belt? It's just bad form.

It's hot. Kevlar cotton is not thin. Crazy sweat. Absorptive at least.

One major advantage to the gi is that it is basically indestructible. Dudes weighing several hundred pounds grab, twist, and pull on it for hours without a tear. The textile developers who created the gi definitely know what's up. You may have spent $80 on that gi but you're not going to tear your favorite Hard Rock Orlando shirt or throwback UNC basketball shorts.

Another MAJOR advantage is that you look like Ryu from Street Fighter. I haven't cut the sleeves off or gotten red gloves yet but I have 11 months until the next Halloween. I will be shoryuken-ing and haduken-ing people left and right.

Keep training,
LSF

Fun Runs Are Dumberer

My place of work held the 2nd Annual Jingle Bell Fun Run last Friday. Didn't cost anything. Didn't know how long it would be. DID know that costumes were encouraged. DID see this dog on the flyer advertising it. Not going was not an option.

Digression: Seriously though, time out. I don't think anyone, of any species, has been this embarrassed to be photographed in a dorky costume since Ralphie walked down his stairs on Christmas morning. And here it comes, animal caption:

Just don't show the other dogs OK?

Just like Bob Saget owning video captions on AFHV. Now back to our show...

As I reached the starting line. The typical Christmas fun run costumes started showing up. Elves, Santa, a present. The guy organizing the race pumped everyone up with a sweet safety brief (wait, so I SHOULDN'T run into other people?). We got the, "Ready, Set, GO!" and took off.

8-10 minutes later I was the 2ND ANNUAL JINGLE BELL FUN RUN CHAMPION!!! Finishing 1st Overall with a time of... there is no such thing. It's not timed, there is no winner, it's just running. People are just running/walking/skipping the same route, untimed in ridiculous getups. That's what a fun run is. Anarchy.

So why run? 1.4 miles ain't going to challenge the old physical endurance threshold too much. You're not going to see beautiful sights along the run. You may break a sweat, but that's about it. I ran to socialize and race against actual people rather than my Garmin. Half of that I could have done in my office, in the cafeteria at work, or at the bar (at work. Yep, a bar at my work).

Oh well. First is first. It's fun to dominate even when it's small beans.

Keep training,
LSF

Local 4.7, Mystery Solved

So I emailed Paros Surf Club to figure out what Local 4.7 was all about. Faster than you can Google it, I got the following response from Nikos at PSC.

"The story goes like this. There was a guy Kostas, who is now running the surf club. He used to work at a restaurant 4 to 5 km away from our beach. He had a 3 hour break every day between 4 to 7 in the afternoon so he was coming running to the beach asking what sail to use, according to the wind, and then he was always using a 4.7 sail (size sqm) because that was the only one that he had.  Kostas will always use a 4.7 EZZY sail. So this became the official size sail of the beach. The truth is that our beach is ideal with conditions for 4.7 ... As for surfing next time that you come to Paros we go to a very nice place for surfing in Antiparos." 

Thanks Nikos.

So there you have it. Rest easy tonight knowing both the mystery behind Local 4.7 and that there is surfing on Antiparos.

Keep surfing,

LSF