Band of Brothers

"Anything was better than the blood and carnage, the grime and filth, the impossible demands made on the body --- anything, that is, except letting down their buddies... They also found in combat the closest brotherhood they ever knew. They found selflessness. They found they could love the other guy in their foxhole more than themselves. They found that in war, men who loved life would give their lives for them."

- Band of Brothers

Memories

想回到过去
试著抱你在怀里
羞怯的脸带有一点稚气
想看你的看的世界
想在你梦的画面
只要靠在一起就能感觉甜蜜

想回到过去
试著让故事继续
至少不再让你离我而去

分散时间的注意
这次会抱得更紧
这样挽留不知
还来不来得及
想回到过去

Memories from the past...
- Yami Yogurt, Subway subs, ban mian (and cheese fries... oh the horror) times after training at the basement of Suntec
- Getting hit by shampoo and soap bottles being tossed blindly between cubicles at the National Stadium showers
- Sprinting 200 yards from the stadium to the bus stop to catch Bus no. 16 to Suntec, because if we missed it we'd have to wait forever
- RJC 13
- Doing weights at the National Stadium Clubfitt before water training and regretting it immensely afterwards
- Cold Milo at the coffeeshop near old SDBA
- Canal routes with Weiqi (remember the time we smoked it because we were running at top speed and neither of us dared to admit to the other that we were about to perish)
- Lat pulldowns in the RJC weights room with GS's ponytail in my mouth (uggghhhh)
- Jiaolian making us swim across Kallang Basin - which saw most of us floundering helplessly from one end to the other
- Banana bread and Glucolin before races
- Practicing race starts in the pouring rain
- Visualizing races to the sound of Justin's voice, using sticks as paddles and benches as kayaks, in the RJC sports hall
- Being tekan-ed by the seniors during canoeing camp who made us hold the pushup position for what seemed like an eternity
- Alcoholic (and not so boozy) smoothies at the place in Millenia Walk which I can't remember the name of
- Rummaging through the pile of life jackets in search of the one marked RJC 10 and for Leqi's tattered Bananaman life jacket
- Shaun Ho making us run endless rounds around the school track
- Our team runs - drinking Milo right before the canal route gave me the worst stitch of my life; 20 rounds around the track and Vania having to make frequent pitstops at the sports block toilet to poop
- Stoning at the canoeing table before assembly
- My locker as a common gathering place and dumping ground for valuables
- Tubes and tubes of sunblock, an abundance of caps and visors, and not-so-glamorous canoeing jersey tans
- Spying on other schools' K2 pairs and trying to guess the lineups for competitions
- Raffles Canoiest (this speaks for itself)
- Photos being stolen from our canoeing board (none of Vania's were stolen, she was understandably dismayed)
- Machine Rowing championships and beating the track&field people
- Team dinners and desserts being consumed in twenty seconds flat by twelve ravenous canoeists
- Jiaolian (as well as us all) extremely amused at Lydia's hairdos
- Being unlucky at dragonboat races
- Lots of sharksfin soup for supper at Zhen's house courtesy of Carol Chan and her aunt's restaurant
- Walking for an eternity before deciding on a place to have drinks and chill after Nats
- Staying over at the suite in Pan Pacific and being relegated to the floor for the night because someone fell asleep, occupying the entire bed
- Shine's perpetual niceness (until she called someone 'stupid' once, hahahahaha)
- Two-star course at Changi/Pasir Ris and engaging in an potentially injurious game of no-holds-barred Canoe Polo (ha ha)
- Long walks and talks with my K2 partner and treasured friend (you know how much you will always mean to me) - remember how we got scolded by Huilin once for disappearing? Lol.
- Unashamedly capitalizing on the free bread provided by Cafe Cartel
- Philip's polaroid photo of us pre-Nats (we were young then)
- Soccer with the canoeing guys on the RJC field
- GS' skirt with the multiple zips (wink wink)
- Lydia capsizing when Kay Wee canoed past and how she had a chronic crush on just about every J2 guy
- GS's idea of a nude calendar with strategically-placed paddles and lifejackets covering the important bits (if I recall correctly, she volunteered to be cover girl)
- Replacing the sliced bananas on Carol Chan's waffles at Cafe Cartel with the ones we had left over from dragonboat competition!


This list will grow as I recall more fond memories!

Revelation 1:12-18

12I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades."

Fight Gone Bad II & Carol's Birthday!

Fight Gone Bad II Participants at Hyperfit USA! Hooyah!
FGB went really well. I smashed my previous PB of 378 (set a week ago during a FGB dry run) to get 435. I had no idea 400 was within reach - I was initially gunning for 380 today. Having calculated and formulated my pre-FGB strategy, it seemed as though 400 points was practically unimaginable. Apparently it wasn't. It's funny - my original goal, right after the first time I ever did FGB, was just to make 300, because during my very first FGB on June 30th I only managed 283 points. But when I next did a FGB dry run in early September, I got 358 points. What a leap! Considering that professional fighters in the UFC are typically expected to hit 350 points, I'll take 435 any time. I spluttered, gasped, and wheezed my way through the last round knowing that 400 points was in the bag, because I somehow managed to rake up 303 points in the first 2 rounds alone, by riding the crest of adrenaline that permeated the entire gym, with people cheering their partners on and the fervor at an all-time high. It was amazing. We also managed to raise over $22,000.00 this year, all for a great cause. I'm so happy I took part. The only thorny issue is how I'm supposed to top 435 next year, which seems ridiculously difficult unless I pump myself full of steroids and and O/D on Red Bulls and caffeine, neither of which I'm planning on doing.

Tonight, I had dinner at Yotsuba Japanese Restaurant (just off Washtenaw, past US-23 heading towards Ypsi, right on Golfside) with perhaps the most eclectic group of people (Hyperfit USA groupies) I've had the good fortune of meeting. The occasion was my friend's birthday - she turned 49 today, and she celebrated by scoring 252 points in the Fight Gone Bad II Fundraiser earlier this morning. Another friend and I orchestrated the entire surprise by gathering as many people as we could from Hyperfit USA and making sure everyone, all twenty people, showed up at 6:00 pm to await our unsuspecting birthday victim.

It's Carol (center)'s birthday - her husband, Steve, calls us three - I, Carol, and Ceren (L-R) the Bounty Hunters. Hahaha!

We dug into massive amounts of food. My table (eight of us) went berserk (FOOOD! Food after Fight Gone Bad always rocks) and merrily ticked off 19 rolls on the sushi order list - mercifully, the waiter foresaw imminent self-destruction caused by wanton overconsumption and informed us that we ought to take some of them off the list. True enough, we ate till we were stuffed and still the rolls kept coming. Oddly enough, they all seemed to feature eel in some form or permutation, and those of us who had never sampled eel before quickly discovered whether or not they were to have an affinity for it. Despite the surfeit of rolls and being overly-satiated to the point of drowsiness, everyone still managed to find room for the chocolate-frosted raspberry white cake studded with M&Ms that Ceren had baked for the momentous occasion. Everyone enjoyed themselves immensely and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to have met these wonderful people. Get some, go again!

***
<<龙卷风>>

作曲: 周杰伦
作词: 徐若瑄

爱像一阵风 吹完它就走
这样的节奏 谁都无可奈何
没有你以后 我灵魂失控
黑云在降落 我被它拖著走

静静悄悄默默离开
陷入了危险边缘
我的世界已狂风暴雨

爱情来的太快就像龙卷风
离不开暴风圈 来不及逃
我不能再想 我不能再想
我不 我不 我不能

爱情走的太快就像龙卷风
不能承受 我已无处可躲
我不要再想 我不要再想
我不 我不 我不要再想你

不知不觉 你已经离开我
不知不觉 我跟了这节奏
后知后觉 又过了一个秋
后知后觉 我该好好生活
***

Chinese Weightlifting

Some photos depicting Chinese weightlifters in training and competition. Hardcore! Photos courtesy of dehwang's Flickr photostream (click on title of post for link).

Now there's an arched back! Chen Yanqing.

Young Chinese weightlifter with what easily looks like 40 kg in weight.

Le Maosheng has a wide grip in the clean.

Shi Zhiyong reacts to successfully clean and jerking 170 kg.

Zhang Guozheng doing a set of overhead squats.

Long Slow Cardio Makes You Old, Sick, and Ugly

taken from http://joshsgarage.typepad.com/articles/2007/09/long-slow-cardi.html

Long Slow Cardio Makes You Old, Sick, and Ugly
Check out this article at slowtwitch.com. It's a phenomenal article on how marathon training tears you down.

I always say: "Half marathon runners are always hotter than marathon runners. 10k runners are hotter than half marathon runners. And 5k runners are hotter than 10k runners." This article, while it approaches it from an anti-aging perspective, explains why longer training makes you sick, injured, and less attractive.

It's even more interesting when you note that the author is a former sub-2:20 marathoner and a 4th place finisher in the Hawaiian Ironman.

-Josh


from slowtwitch.com:
Training is no guarantee of health

Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: Endurance training is antithetical to anti-aging. So it amazes me when guys in their 40s and 50s who are training for a marathon or Ironman suggest that doing so will keep them young. It won’t. You may feel like a stud now with your shaved legs and your magic marker biceps tattoos, but endurance training speeds up the aging process almost as fast as watching TV, drinking sodas and eating potato chips. Actually, in some cases, it speeds it up even faster.

Read the rest here: http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/features/health_doping_slowtwitch2.html


I also thought this was pretty good - from Mark's official bio on his blog:

"In fact, the running was going so well after college that I decided to forgo medical school for a few years (it’s at 31 years now) and concentrate on a running career. I trained seriously as a marathoner for another five years, racking up well over 100 miles each week in training. The effort culminated in a top 5 finish in the 1980 US National Marathon Championships and a qualifying spot for the 1980 US Olympic Trials. Unfortunately, by then the inhuman amount of training and weekly racing was taking its toll and I found myself constantly sick or injured. (Note to self: too much exercise is not a good thing). In fact, in my last year of competition, as a world class, extremely “fit” athlete, I experienced eight upper respiratory infections! Clearly I was ruining my immune system and my joints doing too much exercise. That’s when I started exploring nutrition and supplementation as a way to enhance my performance and to support my damaged body and bolster my immune system."

Check out his articles on all kinds of cool stuff about fitness, looking athletic, anti-aging, and health - http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

Get Some, Go Again... at 6:00 am

Setting up for the Clean
WOD for Thursday, 09/13/2007
Using a #85 Barbell, complete 5 rounds for time of:
5 Power Cleans
10 Pullups
15 Back Squats

Time: 14:02


***
"We're good at what you do".
- Coach Greg Glassman
***

Words to Live By

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy course; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."

- Theodore Roosevelt, 1916

Athletes for a Cure: 2007 CrossFit Fight Gone Bad

Please click on the link above to help me in raising funds for the Fight Gone Bad event on September 29th. Just in case you can't get the link, here it is:
http://athletes.kintera.org/crossfit07/secondtimothyfourseven

As you may be aware, I have been diligently training for the "Athletes for a Cure: 2007 CrossFit Fight Gone Bad" event, to be held at CrossFit affiliates nationwide on Saturday, September 29th, 2007. In addition, I am committed to supporting the Prostate Cancer Foundation in raising funds for prostate cancer research.

Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in America, affecting one in six men. Men are 35% more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than women are to be diagnosed with breast cancer.

Athletes for a Cure, a program of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, is a new fundraising and awareness program to assist individual athletes in their quest to raise money for better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer. The Prostate Cancer Foundation is the world’s largest philanthropic source of support for prostate cancer research with a simple, yet urgent goal: to find better treatments and a cure for recurrent prostate cancer.

I am dedicated to this race and hope that you will support me in reaching my fundraising goal.

Quotes from Coach Greg Glassman

"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."

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)

The CrossFit Version of "The Thinker"

All thanks to CrossFit North Carolina's venerable blog.

"We do the common uncommonly well."
- Coach Greg Glassman, Founder of CrossFit

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

Elliott Yamin - Wait For You

I never felt nothing in the world like this before
Now I’m missing you and I’m wishing you would come back through my door
Why did you have to go?
You could have let me know; so now I’m all alone

Girl you could have stayed but you wouldn’t give me a chance
With you not around it’s a little bit more than I can stand
And all my tears they keep runnin’ down my face
Why did you turn away?

So why does your pride make you run and hide
Are you that afraid of me?
But I know it’s a lie what you keep inside
This is not how you want it to be

So baby I will wait for you
Cause I don’t know what else I can do
Don’t tell me I ran out of time
If it takes the rest of my life

Baby I will wait for you
If you think I find it just ain’t true
I really need you in my life
No matter what I have to do
I’ll wait for you

Been a long time since you called me
(How could you forget about me)
You gotta be feeling crazy
How can you walk away
(When) Everything stays the same
I just can’t do it baby

What will it take to make you come back
Girl I told you what it is and it just ain’t like that
Why can’t you look at me?
You’re still in love with me

Fran in 6:10

"Fran"

Barbell Thrusters 95/65 lbs
Pull-ups

21-15-9 reps, for time

I tackled Fran as Rx'ed in 6:10 yesterday. Sweeeeeeeeet. My next goal is to get to the low 5:00s and hopefully it all gets better as I go along. 5k warm down row after Fran was completed in 22:48 - managed to keep stroke rate around 20 and pace at 2:16 which is fine with me since Fran pretty much takes all you've got in those lactate-inducing few minutes. It was a comfortable row (when strokes per minute are around 20-22) and I never felt I was pulling haplessly. Amazing what Crossfit has done in terms of GPP (general physical preparedness) for me.

I've been reading Crossfit blogs and one of the recurring issues is how a typical WOD would scare away the masses, but Crossfitters hardly bat an eye when faced with the WODs. Take for example "Angie", one of the first Crossfit "Girls" (Crossfit workouts are named after hurricanes for the way they leave you all messed up after):

"Angie"

100 Pull-ups
100 Push-ups
100 Sit-ups
100 Squats
For Time

I mean, the numbers alone are enough to frighten people away. A HUNDRED pull-ups? Followed by another HUNDRED push-ups? And then you're only halfway through? Are you going to spend all day doing "Angie"? Oh, and I forgot to mention that if you do modified versions of the exercises, for instance pull-ups with a band for support or push-ups on your knees, you have to double the original number as stated in the workout. So technically you could really spend a very long time getting through "Angie". I haven't done Angie before, I don't think, so I can't enlighten you on how long it took me to finish off that damned lady. Anyway, as I was saying, after a while Crossfitters take these insane instructions into their stride. "Angie? Oh, that's just 400 repetitions in total. Ten sets of ten for each exercise. Easy!" (As you can tell, the key lies in breaking it down).

BUT I did do "Murph" on Memorial Day (From the Crossfit website: In memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005.
This workout was one of Mike's favorites and he'd named it 'Body Armor.' From here on it will be referred to as 'Murph' in honor of the focused warrior and great American who wanted nothing more in life than to serve this great country and the beautiful people who make it what it is.).

"Murph"

1 mile Run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1 mile Run

Took me 46 minutes and some change but I don't think I could've spent Memorial Day any better.

Anyway, finishing off Fran well was probably my best (and only) birthday present so far. Crossfit is my new buddy - kicks my ass but never lets me down.

The Ultimate Fighter Finale

Jens Pulver (left) and BJ Penn stare each other down during official weigh-ins on Friday, June 22.

Last night was a blast with the finale of The Ultimate Fighter 5 on SPIKE TV. As expected, Joe Lauzon and Cole Miller came through with wins (both extremely exciting up-and-coming MMA fighters). Bizarrely enough, Gray Maynard managed to knock himself out cold while doing the same to Rob Emerson, and so the fight was declared a "no-contest" even though the referee stopped the fight when Emerson tapped out. Disappointingly, Manny "Pitbull" Gamburyan (what a machine) had to tap out after popping his shoulder in the second round, leaving Nate Diaz to be the Ultimate Fighter for Season 5. That was a real pity as Gamburyan dominated the entire first round and he ought to have won given the tremendous amount of heart he displayed. And of course the fight of the night was the showdown between former UFC lightweight champion Jens "Lil' Evil" Pulver and arguably the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter, BJ "The Prodigy" Penn. Penn looked positively pasty during the taping of TUF 5 but made weight for the huge fight at 155.5 lbs, with Pulver at 152. I was rooting for Pulver but kudos to Penn who fought with single-minded focus and finished it off in the second round with a submission. BJ Penn is perhaps the most talented fighter in MMA history and it will be exciting to watch him fight in welterweight. As for Pulver, his life story is amazing and I can only say that there's no limits for a man with faith like his. I look forward to watching him fight at 145 lbs in the WEC.

R-A-F-F-L-E-S ROW!

Hmmm it's good to see that Raffles Canoeing is still going strong. Take a look.

I've said it before and I don't think I'll ever stop saying this, but RJCanoeing days were one of the best times ever. Anyway girls team outing sometime soon ok I want to eat cheap steamboat at Bugis again hahahaha.

Homemade Gym Equipment

Thanks to CelticKane.com, I've got myself a project for the weekend and hopefully a pair of sweet parallettes to show for it!

"300" Training

Did the cast of 300 train with CrossFit?

The short answer is yes and no, mostly yes. Watch the 300 Training Video.

We’ve had a few folks contact CrossFit Champions who have somehow discovered a connection between CrossFit and the training of the 300 cast by Mark Twight of Gym Jones in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Like everyone exposed to it, Mark Twight has put his own special spin on CrossFit, but the main ideas and the essence of his current training method remain CrossFit.
Mark Twight is an extremely accomplished endurance alpinist, and author of several books on training for mountaineering events. He was an advocate of long, slow endurance training and high carb, low fat diets until he discovered CrossFit, attended a few CrossFit seminars, and become (temporarily) a CrossFit affiliate. CrossFit turned his world upside down, and he became an advocate of short duration, higher intensity workouts, and low carb, higher fat diets.

Here’s what Twight has said about CrossFit in issue 19 of the CrossFit Journal, “What Is CrossFit?"

“You can talk all you want about being in good shape until you do a few CrossFit workouts. And then you will realize — like I did — that what you have been doing is likely training strong points, rarely working on weak points, and training efficiency to such a degree that the workouts you do are less effective than they might be if you mixed energy modes, duration, and types of work. You probably know something about climbing-specific training because of books like Ex Alp, Clyde’s book, Dale’s book, and maybe Will’s. But none of this will prepare you for what is to come if you make even the slightest effort to follow CrossFit. Coach invited me to CrossFit HQ for an instructor seminar. I was the weakest guy in attendance, by at least 50% during every workout we did over the three days. Those days changed my life. I could “what if?” my old training program and all the years I missed when I thought I was fit but I was nowhere near my potential but the key is to move on when you know that something better is out there, without second-guessing. I don’t believe I will find anything better than CrossFit for developing power, endurance, lactate tolerance, stamina (local area endurance), balanced muscle groups, efficient neurological pathways (in the context of movement), etc. The bottom line: I started toying with the CF protocol last April without truly understanding it. I improved in some diverse areas of fitness but had not seen the light or my own potential yet. I went to CFHQ 1 December. Since then I have lost 12lbs, leaned out, and I am approximately 25% stronger across the board without significant negative effect on endurance despite the short duration of our workouts (nothing longer than 25 minutes, with the norm being half that or less).”

Here’s what Twight has said about CrossFit on his own website:

“In December of 2003 I attended an Instructor Certification course at CrossFit headquarters to learn more about what I had been dabbling with during the previous six months. I went there fit, secretly confident but I was destroyed by each and every fitness challenge presented. Humbled, ego thought we should have a “soloing on loose rock” contest but pragmatism held sway and I poured ego from my cup, which meant it could be filled with the knowledge and experience that hid in every nook and cranny of that small gym in Santa Cruz.”