"Come to me with tales of a 900 pound back squat, and I know already of some very serious limitations to your fitness. Come to me with a 4:15 mile - I am suspicious of your total capacities. But, if you tell me you've got a 650 pound back squat, and with a twinkle in your eye, about a 4:50 mile - I know we've got a monster."
"Trainers and civilians needs are more akin to the firefighter, cop and soldier than they are to the elite athlete. The reason being, you don't know what gameday will look like, you don't know when it will occur and you don't know what the stressor will be, you just don't know."
"Be impressed with intensity, not volume."
Friday, August 24, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Spartan Workout Rules: A Canadian Soldier in Afghanistan
1) Lactic acid is the Spartan's friend. The Spartan knows the value of anaerobic failure, and actively seeks it out. If he falls on his face, he waits only as long as necessary to move again before he continues.
2) The Spartan takes no breaks between exercises, unless it's to shove a non-Spartan out of the way.
3) The Spartan runs. He does not use Stairmasters, or stationary bikes, or ellipticals. He runs.
4) When the Spartan cannot run, he walks. When he cannot walk, he crawls. When he cannot crawl, he has failed.
5) The Spartan hits big muscles, like the back, the pectorals, the quadriceps and the glutes. He knows this means he is building functional muscle that will assist in the destruction of his enemies and in the production of testosterone (of which the Spartan has more than the average man).
6) By contrast, the Spartan does not waste much time on small muscles. They will grow as the result of functional exercise that hits the big muscles (see above). For example, the bicep is only useful in that it assists with chin-ups, and scaling enemy fortifications. Anything else is vanity.
7) The Spartan abhors cables and machines. This is for two reasons. First, to activate stabilizer muscles, the Spartan must depend on himself to balance the weight, not a machine. Second - look up the adjective "spartan" in the dictionary: "strict and austere." You should be able to do a Spartan workout in a FOB.
8) The Spartan fears only one thing: his workout. The enemy pales in comparison to his workout. If he doesn't fear his workout, it isn't hard enough.
9) Puking is acceptable. Quitting is not. If he gives up here, he gives up in battle. This is unacceptable.
10) So nature abhors a vacuum, so the Spartan loathes missing a workout. A Spartan can complete a workout in his grandma's basement, a hotel room, or in a city park.
11) If the Spartan is not in pain during his workout, he is wrong.
12) The Spartan never cheats. He maintains proper technique throughout his training, because he knows that smooth is fast, and that he will be mocked mercilessly for, "girly pull-ups".
13) The Spartan knows the value of the basics: the push-up, the pull-up, the chin-up, the sit-up, the squat, and the dead-lift. He also knows the importance of variety, and seeks out different techniques of the above.
By: Captain Paul Lindsay, British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own)
Courtesy of: Crossfit Vancouver (CrossFit.ca)
2) The Spartan takes no breaks between exercises, unless it's to shove a non-Spartan out of the way.
3) The Spartan runs. He does not use Stairmasters, or stationary bikes, or ellipticals. He runs.
4) When the Spartan cannot run, he walks. When he cannot walk, he crawls. When he cannot crawl, he has failed.
5) The Spartan hits big muscles, like the back, the pectorals, the quadriceps and the glutes. He knows this means he is building functional muscle that will assist in the destruction of his enemies and in the production of testosterone (of which the Spartan has more than the average man).
6) By contrast, the Spartan does not waste much time on small muscles. They will grow as the result of functional exercise that hits the big muscles (see above). For example, the bicep is only useful in that it assists with chin-ups, and scaling enemy fortifications. Anything else is vanity.
7) The Spartan abhors cables and machines. This is for two reasons. First, to activate stabilizer muscles, the Spartan must depend on himself to balance the weight, not a machine. Second - look up the adjective "spartan" in the dictionary: "strict and austere." You should be able to do a Spartan workout in a FOB.
8) The Spartan fears only one thing: his workout. The enemy pales in comparison to his workout. If he doesn't fear his workout, it isn't hard enough.
9) Puking is acceptable. Quitting is not. If he gives up here, he gives up in battle. This is unacceptable.
10) So nature abhors a vacuum, so the Spartan loathes missing a workout. A Spartan can complete a workout in his grandma's basement, a hotel room, or in a city park.
11) If the Spartan is not in pain during his workout, he is wrong.
12) The Spartan never cheats. He maintains proper technique throughout his training, because he knows that smooth is fast, and that he will be mocked mercilessly for, "girly pull-ups".
13) The Spartan knows the value of the basics: the push-up, the pull-up, the chin-up, the sit-up, the squat, and the dead-lift. He also knows the importance of variety, and seeks out different techniques of the above.
By: Captain Paul Lindsay, British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own)
Courtesy of: Crossfit Vancouver (CrossFit.ca)
Friday, August 17, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Fight Gone Bad
I'll be participating in the 2007 CrossFit "Fight Gone Bad" fundraiser as part of Athletes for a Cure, in support of the Prostate Cancer Foundation. As part of the challenge, each participant has to raise at least $150 in donations. I'd like to appeal for contributions (*cough* if you've conveniently neglected my birthday, now's the time to do something about it). I've tasted the "Fight Gone Bad" workout once, at the end of June, and it was a rather memorable experience. Perhaps the best way to summarize it would be to describe it as a fifteen-minute long near-death experience, with only a brief minute between the three 5-minute rounds to attempt to recover somewhat. I managed a total score of 286. In September I hope to better my score on FGB (to hopefully reach 350 and at least cross the 300 threshold - it's ambitious but possible, I feel). So please give me your support! Do read below to find out more.
Athletes for a Cure is proud to present the 2007 CrossFit Fight Gone Bad. In 2006, hundreds of athletes in 30 centers nationally raised nearly $110,000 to benefit the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) by competing individually and as part of teams on one day in "Fight Gone Bad," one of the most demanding workout routines in the popular CrossFit exercise regimen. Check out some of the videos from last year's event.
"Fight Gone Bad," originally designed for a professional fighter, is a combination of five different exercises done in three rounds of one minute each. CrossFit takes basic fitness exercises — squats, push-ups, pull-ups, dips, dead-lifts, medicine ball throws and more — to emphasize a full range of motion and adds short bursts of cardiovascular elements. The mix is different day-to-day and engages every muscle in your body while providing adequate recovery time for growth.
On September 29, 2007, affiliate centers across the country will have their registered participants complete Fight Gone Bad. Fundraising dollars and affiliate scores will be collected and prizes will be distributed to the highest individual fundraiser and the CrossFit Affiliate center that scores the highest number of collective points.
This year our goal is to raise $250,000 in one day, making "Fight Gone Bad" a very important milestone for each man whose fight truly has gone bad.
Rules of Engagement
The CrossFit workout will be 'Fight Gone Bad'. In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. This event calls for 3 rounds. The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of "rotate," the athlete/s must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point. The stations are:
Wall-ball, 8 ft target (Reps)
Deadlift high-pull (Reps)
Box jump (Reps)
Push-press (Reps)
Row (Calories)
To compete in the workout, all participants must complete each of the following:
Register with their local CrossFit Affiliate Center by Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Register with Athletes for a Cure at http://athletes.kintera.org/crossfit07 by Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Raise $150 or more in pledges by 5 p.m. PST on Saturday, September 29, 2007
Four classes of participants will be scored:
Class A: Standard Men = 75 lb PP and High Pull, 20lb Wall Ball and 20in Box
Class B: Modified Men/Standard Women = 55 lb PP and High Pull, 14lb Wall Ball and 20in Box
Class C: Intermediate = 35 lb PP and High Pull, 8lb Wall Ball and 20in Box (step ups are okay)
Class D: Beginner/Kids = 15lb PP and High Pull, 4lb Wall Ball (can be lowered 2in from standard height) and 10in Box
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