■ Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.
■ Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast.
■ Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense.
■ Regularly learn and play new sports.
This weekend, not only did we see great performances from Nick and Brooke, but we had another athlete performing at a Powerlifting competition.
Roc Pifferini - 16 years old, came in at with the intent to get better at CrossFit and preparing for football for next season. Along the way, in discussion with his family, we decided to train him for a push-pull Powerlifting competition. He had his first competition this weekend. The results- HE TOOK FIRST PLACE in both the deadlift and the bench press!!! Roc pulled 305 lb deadlift and pushed a 270 lb bench press at 16 years old!!!
Roc, we are proud of you and the way you take your training so seriously!! Your dedication at 16 years old is amazing. Keep up training and in a month or so, we'll see how you do at the national level in Vegas!! Keep it up!
We have to share what is happening here at FTF> We have so much good stuff going on we can hardly contain it. Two MAJOR stories out of FTF this weekend.
First story is the impressive and exciting performance of Nick Lucchesi at regionals this weekend. The weekend was absolutely amazing. The energy was incredible and the timing was difficult for Nick with his finals and getting sick a few weeks before the event. But Nick pulled through.
Nick went in to this event with a hope for a top ten spot. We spent many hours talking, conversing, training, coaching, working on technique, planning workouts, going over strategy, and developing specific metabolic workouts to prepare Nick for the event. He spent numerous hours in FTF just getting his game face on, and having an opportunity to train here and there with Gabe Subry from CrossFit 209 Sport and AJ from CrossFit Fresno. He had the opportunity to comoete at the FTF challengeagainst many of the athletes who made the regionals this year. And he performed amazing.
The first WOD, he came out with a bang and nailed a 3:19 Diane. Our goal was sub 4, and he made it look like cake. Wod 2, he had an impressive finish and ended up 7th in that WOD at 14:27. After a night of rest and recovery, Nick came in prepared to do work on WOD 3. In Wod 3, he made the Dumbbell snatch look easy. He had an impressive official time of 4:20. It was a fight to the finish with Gabe Subry. Nick, we know the real answer here... jsut look at the photo finish.. It was a DIVE to finish!!!
Wod 4, the heat started to really sink into the Arena. Nick was out there pushing hard and ensuring he was giving his all. with a time of 22:40, he finished the WOD. This moved us into WOD 5. Nick jumped into the ice bath QUICKLY after WOD 4.
And there are no words for the performance of today. He was on his A-game as he PR'd his Snatch at 235# to come in 5th place on that workout and in the final WOD he finished through 1 muscle-up placing him 8th in that event.
Nick's overall place- 8th in the toughest region in CrossFit against athletes such as Neal Maddox and Jason Khalipa. The athletes all performed amazing and it was a TOUGH competition. Congratulations Nick and Coach is now saying.. TAKE A REST WEEK!!!!!!
Thank you to ALL of you who came out to support Nick. He expressed several times his gratitude of having you there for support. You are what makes this community so special.
NOW Onto other HUGE news. One of our members, Brooke Castiglione had set out at the beginning of all of her training to run a half marathon in under 2 hours.... Well.. with the endurance programming, a lot of CrossFitting and a whole lot of heart, Brooke ACHIEVED THAT GOAL this weekend!!! Brooke has put so much heart into her training. She comes in to the 9 AM class, works hard, stays after and does the endurance work as posted. She puts her heart into everything she does and it definitely paid off this weekend!!
Here are Brooke's Words:
Thanks to CrossFit Ftf and the encouragement of Kevin Hughes I killed my time on my half today I cut 33:03 off! I was a major leap of faith, not running more than 7 miles and training for approximately 6 weeks. Endurance training works people. Thanks to the Crossfit family for all the encouragement! BTW, I hit my "unspoken" goal of under 2 at 1:59:47!
Brooke, We are so happy for you and proud of you. We are excited to be a part of you achieving your goals and look forward to more!!! Thank you for allowing us to push you and motivate you on a daily basis!!! You are amazing and we are super proud of you!
See you guys at FTF and we look forward to more success stories to come!
So the Nor Cal Regionals are up and coming. After coming back from the South East Regionals, let me tell you how amazing it was to be in the atmosphere of competition. Truly, CrossFit athletes of all backgrounds and fitness levels came out to cheer on the top in the world. The energy was amazing, the athletes stellar, the crowd was pumped up. My hope is for each one of you to come and explore the energy and atmosphere created in a few weeks.
This was the moment we have all been waiting for. To see the top athletes perform at their best. To watch them do battle in the heat of an arena and see each as the workouts challenge both their strengths and weaknesses. They truly are amazing for doing what they do. They are skilled, talented and constantly have the same battles you face. They each have their demons, they face their own mind and have a hard time getting out of it, just like you. They wake up each day and make a decision to be better than they were yesterday. Instead of choosing the easy road, they always make sure they train harder and faster to be stronger than the day before. Not only that but they probably train more than once a day, making sacrifices of time and energy towards other areas of their life. They want it that bad.
BUT what about YOU? While we know you love hearing about and are excited to go watch the NorCal regionals (to go out and support our own Nick Lucchesi) ... but the question that arose from myself out of this was.. "what does this mean to YOU, the athletes and members of FTF?"
Here is what it means to me. It means that each and every one of you have a goal, whether it be to feel better, look better, get a pull-up, back squat double your body weight, JUST to move your body, to make incredible friends and to be part of a communty that pushes for the best you possible. It means that each and every one of you has your challenges and struggles, you each have your demons to face. It means that YOU have to make a choice on a daily basis of what you want to do. Will you spend an extra moment at the box to go after what YOU want?
We at FTF want you to hit YOUR goals. we LOVE the regionals because of how inspiring they are, but we want to inspire YOU to be better every day. THAT'S what we are about. we are about those of you right here in our box achieveing the things YOU want to achieve. We are here as coaches to facilitate the ease of your goals and results. We want you to succeed in every area you WANT to succeed in. You have an opportunity every day to make and create change in your life. Take each moment as a step towards what you want to complete in the gym.
Don't be afraid to grab one of our coaches and ask them to help you out. We want what you want..whatever it is!
For those of you who have been looking at CrossFit, it's time to make a choice to stop just looking and actually come in to your local affiliate and check it out. Each one has it's own feel and they are all a little different but each one has the goal of making you a better you. Isn't it time YOU made the decision to achieve YOUR goals? Don't you think it's time to get over your demons, your excuses, and your own BS you tell yourself and tell yourself it's time to get it done?
For more information, email us at info@crossfitftf.com OR call us at (559) 322-4490
So often we talk about motivation on this blog. We talk about understanding how to motivate the human condition and how to get back to the roots of what we we are designed to do... move. Often we talk about here at FTF how our "competition" is not another CrossFit Affiliate, a "globo" gym or even another form of exercise. But we discuss how the fundamental challenge we are facing right now IS the human condition. Many of you may shun this article off as another coach trying to ward off obesity and may even look at it as not an important message. But those of you who read it and get touched by even ONE THING that is presented here.. I hope you share the message. This is more about us as a collective than any one individual. I will not present numbers here, because I don't care about what percent causes what percent. I just know we have challenged the human condition and it is time to take a stand and start moving our condition!
You see, I saw an advertisement on TV for a television special coming up about the weight of our world.. in other words.. how we have become such an obese society. I am here tonight with a different message, still maybe one of motivation and hope, but on a more serious note tonight, one of change. I am writing and asking those of you who do NOT move the human body and exist in the condition in which we were truly designed to exist that you ask yourself "Why don't I?".
We live in a dangerous society today. We live in times where it is economically more sound to eat crap than it is to cook healthy. It has come down to where grass fed food is usually a lot more expensive than hormone produced and processed foods. It is "easier" for our busy lifestyles to go grab a pizza, go to a fast food joint on the way home and not deal with "cooking". Families are so busy today there is no way we can keep up with all of the activities we want to be involved in or the stuff we want to accomplish. The biggest challenge is we live in a society of instant gratification. This means if I am hungry, I must eat now. If I am sad, i must feel better now. If I have a weight problem.. I must take a pill or have bariatric surgery . If I can't sleep, I must take a pill. If I'm tired I must have an energy drink. so on and so forth. The challenge is that we are destroying the human condition and forgetting to tell the body to do what it is supposed to do. Our hunger centers are messed up because of insulin resistance, dehydration, high fructose corn syrup, sweeteners that "trick the brain". Our sleep centers don't know what to do because we drink 3 energy drinks a day and live on caffiene and uppers, have lights on 24 hours a day and don't try to "manage" our sleep. Our thirst center is messed up because we haven't had "real liquids" in several days. Obesity, diabetes, cancer, abdominal fat, intrabdominal fat, pancreatitis, all interlinked due to our unhealthy lifestyles. We are poisoning the human condition on a daily basis through the choices we make.
What kills me even more is NOT that adult obesity is rampant, because I KNOW that most of that is personal choice, but when I see a 10 year old kid who doesn't want to play outside with their friends because they are obese, or I see a lack of concern from a parent for feeding their kid "clean-ish" food (I have three kids so i know it can be challenging to get them to eat clean ALL the time) Or i see the 2 year old who already weighs 75-95 lbs and will never be able to get out of that lfiestyle, it drives me absolutely NUTS! When I heard that childhood obesity rates were over 18% now, I literally want to cry. Because our kids are setting the tone for the future. It reminded me of the movie "Wall-E" in which no one interacts with each other except via a little screen and they all drove around on little carts drinking their meals and becoming large!
We are a product of our society to a point. But at this point, it now comes down to personal choice. Here is the way i see it. We all have 24 hours in a day. What we do with that 24 hours will largely be dictated by factors beyond our control such as work, kids, family, etc. HOWEVER when we realize the choices we make when we talk about how we treat our body are affecting our mood, our exhaustion, our happiness, our relationships, it all becomes about what we CHOOSE to make happen. Not everyone is as fortunate as I am as a coach and gets to work in a gym 8-12 hours per day, I know. But for those of you who ARE coaches, have you ever trained for 8-12 hours and the LAST thing you want to do is hit that WOD, or cook something healthy. Why do you do it? Because you make a CHOICE to continue the human condition you have come to know.
Here's the challenge I am throwing out to all of you who are reading this right now. What if you took one step outside of the normal today. What if instead of having soda with lunch you switched to iced tea today. What if those who are 85% Paleo, try the paleo zone today? What if those who never work out, go out for a walk at lunch today? What if those who work out 3 times a day, change it up and try a NEW sport today. What would happen?
I urge you to evaluate YOUR lifestyle. I am not on my high horse tonight to get you to come check out your local CrossFit affiliate (although that would be a HUGE thing to do for your health). I am here to urge you tonight to take just ONE step towards a healthier lifestyle. Start small and work big. Each day, make small adjustments to your overall lifestyle and pretty soon, it has become who you are and what you live for. One never knows until they try. I know it's hard, trust me, I do live it on a daily basis. But your body will thank you later! Start changing your human condition today. Get in and get moving!Thanks to CF Impulse for this picture. Very cool representation of moving the human body!
Coach K side-note:
For more information on how to obtain results through a physical fitness and nutrition program, contact your local CrossFit affiliate. We at CrossFit FTF would be happy to get you on the path towards YOUR fitness goals and lifestyle changes today! Let our members speak for themselves as you contact them through facebook and other social media.
Please, if you are new to an exercise program ensure you speak to your doctor prior to engaging in physical activity. CrossFit programs are designed to be scalable to ALL fitness levels and help you achieve the results you desire. We at CrossFit FTF want to ensure we are helping you continue down a safe and healthy path towards your goals.
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Johnson whom are starting their new life today! Next time you see them in the gym, please make sure you say hello to the newlyweds!
We wish you a happy and amazing life together. Remember, those that CrossFit together..... :) Thank you to you two for being an awesome part of our community. Take a handstand picture while on your honeymoon so we can see where you were!
"In order to succeed, your desire for success must be greater than your fear of failure"- Bill Cosby (thanks Coach Tim for this one)
For those of you reading for the first time or evaluating CrossFit FTF or any other CrossFit affiliate, let me just say this. This article while directed at our athletes whom are already attending classes and the gym is for you as well. It is for you to recognize that no matter what skill level we have as people, we all have our challenges. We all have moments of growth, moments of challenge. It is these challenging times we MUST not allow words into our vocabulary that continue to hinder us from going in a forward direction. This article may hurt a little, may make you take a look in the mirror but that may be exactly what you need in order to get to your local CrossFit Affiliate.
'I can't becomes a condition we tell ourselves, a belief, a limiting thought. Stop telling yourself you can't and be prepared for possibilities"- Coach K
Opens are over now and we are back to our normal training regimens at most affiliates. Those whom aremoving on to regionals, are training hard every day and working their programs into oblivion, getting results, recovering, spending time on nutrition and getting themselves better each moment. The rest of us we are into the mode of training and doing what we know to be the greatest thing ever, pushing ourselves to our limits.. or are we?
I say this with this story in mind. I was coaching a group of athletes the other day on probably one of the biggest fears in the gym- box jumps (wouldn't you agree that most people freeze when they get to box jumps at that one height when their mind goes into shut down??) Box jumps happen to be one of the biggest barriers I have seen where they mentally fuck themselves right away. So each person within the group, whom I told they could achieve this heaight (30") attempted... and ALL of them made it.. at some point. BUT the way they made it was amazing.
Each person walked up to the box, took a step, loooked at the box, turned away, attempted to start jumping, but then stopped themselves mid jump (because they THOUGHT they couldn't make it) and then after coaxing, each one began to succeed on top of the box.. WITH EASE. Here's the great part. As a coach, I am used to hearing people whine and complain. Whether I pay attention to it or not... ok, well i never do, so in this particular moment, one of the athletes walked up, looked at the box and shook her head... " I can't" it was at this point that I looked at her (now bear in mind she is probably on 4'2" (not really but the box did look pretty big on her) and I said "Get the fuck up there, just pick your feet up and go!!" - So she did. Here's the best part about it.. SHE MISSED!!!! My look of less than slight concern was masked only by the words "shake it off and get up there!"
"I can't"
"Are you f-ing kidding me, you missed by an inch.. get your ass up there! "
"But......"
" I don't care... get up there!"
so she stood back next to the box, shin scraped and pride shattered... and she stood there looking at the box... "You Can Do this.. let's go"
So with a different look, not one of fear, not one you know as the look of "I Can't" , but with determination, and focus... and she landed it with EASE!!! YES... After falling the first time, we NEEDED to curb the I Can't attitude in the face as soon as it started to get there for her again, ... We NEEDED to STOP her from listening to the voices and fears
You see, the I can't Sir.... is the challenge we run into in not only box jumps, but in EVERY thing in life. We are limited not by what our bodies or capabilities are, but truly only by what our mind perceives we are able to do. We MUST be able to maximize our abilities. If we tell ourselves that we can not, then we will not. You are what you believe you are. I have used this example with several athletes lately when it comes to strength workouts. If you tell yourself you are getting weaker, what does your body do? It gets weaker. This is why, I can't becomes a condition, a belief, and a limitation.
I Can't is not a feasibility if you just allow yourself to BELIEVE in yourself. You see... maybe approach it as one of my athletes does "I am unable to at this moment" HOWEVER even within that you MUST be careful in how you approach it. You MUST take caution of even the ATTITUDE in which you say it. For if you TRULY believe you can, then you will. HOWEVER if you tell yourself, you can and don't BELIEVE it, then you will continue to face the same challenge. Every moment, every time we make a decision, every time we go after a goal and it gets difficult, do you stand up and say I WILL, or do you back down and say " I Can't Sir". Do you allow the negativity to seep into your soul or do you look at the challenge with ferocity, tenacity and acomplete desire to conquer? Do you allow that to DRIVE the "Can'tsir" away? Do you allow it to take control of you so you have NO IDEA WHAT JUST HAPPENED and HOW YOU GOT there and know that YOU JUST DID???
So many of us in life struggle with challenges every day. We try and try and continue to say I Can't.. the reason i call it the "I Can'tSir" is because it is what affects our whole entire being much like a cancer.. It seeps into every cell, every ounce and thread of your being and affects each nerve, each muscle fiber, each mitochondria. It is cancerous because much like cancer cells, MISERY LOVES COMPANY, so we look for sympathy and hope there is someone who will say the same thing. We hope someone will pay attention and feel sorry for us.. "Can'tSir" is a Cancer. (Have you seen the studies on how much mentality plays a role on the remission of cancer????? Hmmm... coincidence?? I think NOT)
Moments in which you feel you can't go on or you are challenged, stop yourself, turn around, and allow yourself to lean on the belief of those who coach and mentor you. You want to know the reason the CrossFitCommunity is so stinking successful as a community? BECAUSE WE BELIEVE WE CAN and we don't give a SHIT what anyone else says. If it can be accomplished, we will give it a shot. So many people in life beat you down, tear you up and want you to NOT succeed... we are here to tell you.. YOU CAN. YOU WILL, YOU ARE.
For those of you involved in ANY Fitness Program, do yourself a favor and stop telling yourself how hard it will be, or that you CAN'T lift that weight, or it will be difficult because it is 4 in the morning and I need to get my workout done. WHO CARES? Really? when you FINALLY figure out that YOU are the ONLY THINGstopping you from getting what you want, then the "Cant'sir" goes away!! period.. and now it becomes deeper than .. as Coach Tim Lester forwarded to me earlier.. your desire become greater than your fear! IN ANYTHING!!! Channel it, use it, make it propel you forward. Stop listening to those who negate the power you have in you. Stop allowing fear to fill your soul. We know not fear, we know not failure, we know not can't....
For those of you who HAVEN'T Checked out a CrossFit affiliate yet because of your excuses.. and yes, let me tell you, they ARE excuses.. It's time to stop saying I Can't do CrossFit or i have to be in shape in order to doCrossFit. If you are saying I can't do CrossFit or it intimidates me, it's time to stop saying I can't and get to an affiliate and get your ass in gear. What are you waiting for? All We can do is get our hands on you once you're here. We can't help you until then. And in reality.. does it have to be a CrossFit affiliate? We want it to be of course!!! But here's the reality of the situation, stop saying I can't cook, I Can't work out, I don't have time... and start telling yourself the reality.. it's a choice.. Make THE choice to stop saying I can't and get yourself moving... period. no matter what.
Failure. A word we all put a negative connotation on. But have you REALLY looked into Failure and what it really is?
We all think that failure is the opposite of success. But you see, one of the things that most successful people prepare for is the failures they will face on a daily, weekly and even monthly basis. The successful people in whatever arena they are successful in are used to failing. In fact, so many of us are, but the challenge lies not in accepting the failure, but in being able to fall down, and get back up.
Failure challenges us in every way. It challenges in in physical, emotional and even a spiritual sense. Our most common failures are the mindset we have when we approach things. You see, great achievements and even little success are outweighed by the failures we perceive. We often achieve greatness without even realizing it... Why. because we focus only on the failure of the "Goal: we set forth and not on the process or the journey of accomplishing the goal.
It is important when looking at your goals to realize there is a journey to get there. It may take longer than you want, but does that mean that failure along the way is bad? Absolutely not. It means we have lessons we need to get along the way, or in our case with CrossFit, maybe it is movement patterns we need to perfect, or skills we need to master , or endurance workouts to enhance our metabolism. Whatever it is, whatever journey you are on, remember it is AWESOME to fail along the way, for without failure, life would tend to get a little bland. Our ability to overcome challenges and failures are what make us who we are in this moment.
It is here and now and how you look at failure when it happens that matters most. You see, if you fell off the horse and never got back on, THAT is the opposite of success. We all have had our moments of weakness, our moments of challenge. It is what you do with it that changes something within you. Once you decide it is no longer acceptable to fail, you will achieve greatness. It's all about how bad you want something.
I once heard a quote..... "If you want something bad enough, you'll find a way to do it, otherwise you'll just make excuses". How true is this? You have to want success more than the air you breathe sometime sin order to ensure you get back on the saddle. You have to allow the fear of failure to escape you and never let it get to you. Stop making excuses, stop being afraid of failure, stop being afraid of CrossFit. Get in here, get your workout on and get the results you want and deserve! Because FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!
Note to FTF-ers: What I am seeing is impressive performance across the board from our newest athletes to our experienced athletes. Thank you for the dedication you continue to show. With time, patience and progress it will lead to the rise of a new dawn, the underdog will no longer be the underdog, the challenger will become the competitor, the strong will become stronger, the tough will get tougher. the mental games we play right now will dictate how the remainder of the next year goes. It is this moment, this week that sets the tone for the rest of your training. Get out of your head, let your weaknesses subside and your only thoughts be on how much you want it, how bad you are after it and what the next year of training will look like.
Train with integrity, passion and desire. Train like you have never wanted it before so bad in your life. Train like you mean it. Train like you want it so bad you can TASTE victory. Make every rep count, every movement push you to the next, let ever ounce of power be demonstrated with each pull, each jump, each throw, each twist and turn. Make very rep meaningful, every time you take a breathe should be powerful, every time you lift the bar should be intentional. There is NO wasted movement, no miscounted reps, no i think i did... only success, sweat, blood and tears. From here on out, YOU are a CrossFitter training for that spot, training for Life, knowing not what exists in front of you but only accepting the truth that is... train like you never have!
There can not be results without sacrifice. There can not be growth without growing pains, experience without mistakes and lessons without challenges. It is these moments that create who we are and how we react to them are our reality, our story, the outcome will greatly depend on that mentality. That outcome determines greatly how much we have in our hearts for our next workout. Realize that it will only hurt temporarily, but the pride of knowing you are giving every ounce of effort to your workouts will last forever. Ensure you are putting your best foot forward and go after it. THIS is YOUR year, YOUR moment, YOUR time.... seek it, destroy it and always remember WHY you are choosing this path.... Train hard!
So it’s come to my attention that many members of the FTF community are having a difficult time calculating the amount of weight that they need for some of the “strength” work lately. To me this is a great problem to have. This tells me one thing. FTF members are getting stronger!
Several times in the past couple of weeks members have been telling me that the weight their using for a particular movement feels light. A weight that they lifted two months ago for a one rep max, their able to lift during a strength work out that calls for five sets of three! This makes me smile.
This also brings me to my next point. The white boards! Not the white boards that we all look at every day for the W.O.D. but the gigantic boards up above and the board on the end wall. These boards are for posting the top five times, reps, max weight, etc. They are also a great way to stay motivated. There are a lot of very talented new members at FTF that have what it takes to get their names on the board. There is also some veteran members that I think might have lost a little bit of that fire inside to accomplish more. Whatever the case may be, I encourage all of you to push for more. Push to get YOUR name on the board and be proud of it! All you have to do is grab one of our coaches and have them watch and verify your achievement. We all shine doing something so get on it FTF. Do something amazing!
As many of us prepare for a far too familiar workout this weekend, I had to stop for a moment as I started thinking more about some of the things that have occured over the last few weeks. So as I read through the posts on the CrossFit Games facebook page over the last few weeks, I had to laugh. I had to stop and really check myself and ensure I wasn't talking the same way many of these people were. Here are some of the quotes: (I have removed the names in order to protect those posted)
"I have been totally disappointed by the programing for this years open. For shame CrossFit"
"Same as last year... lame"
"Way to be original! Someone miss the 12.5 meeting so you decided to re-us last year's?"
"FAIL."
I forgot that somewhere along the way, we used to have sportsmanship. You see, there is LESS sportsmanship going around these daysa dn more whining and bitching that things are too hard, or it's the same as last year, or where's the variation.
You see, Sportsmanship according to Merriam Webster is conduct (as fairness, respect for one's opponent, and graciousness in winning or losing) becoming to one participating in a sport.
Well as far as I can tell, the Games have become a huge sport. And we have become supporters, and all too often we have become athletes in a sport that has many adversities already. Now we are facing adveristy within the ranks. We have become a society who is not content with anything we see as different, unexpected or non-elite. We feel we are deserving of more because we participate in a very challenging task each and every day. We have the reputation of being a little crazy. Our boxes are known to be different and challenging. We often hear it as we walk down the streets in our skins, our deadlift socks, our athletic gear, or whatever CrossFit shirt we may be proudly displaying that "man you guys are crazy"
This may be true, but herein lies our greatest moment to be a champion. This is the moment we can take the high road, and create the ability to be humble. Humility and Sportsmanship almost go hand in hand. It's not about us you see, it's about the message we are sending to the outside world. When we as CrossFitters whine and moan about a workout, it makes us seem like a bunch of spoiled brats, NOT like Champions. I have known SO MANY people in my life who are Champions who have converted to CrossFit from their normal training regimen. They come in and are "humbled" very quickly by our benchmark workouts, etc. And then when a variation of our "bench" comes up in an open WOD, there are those in the community that will whine, complain and throw a tantrum (unsporstmanlike conduct). There are those of us who laughed hard when it came up because we remember the horrendous feeling we had at the end of 7 minutes. There are those of us who literally jumped for joy because we actually knew what the movements were.
You see, the outside world watched us closely. You may not know it, but your friends, your family, your enemies, they all watch you. True Champions are watched all the time for the actions they carry out are consistent with integrity, loyalty and honor. When we are bitching about a workout because it seems hard or it's the same or it's a single movement, it displays the opposite of humility and sportsmanship in my eyes.
Professional athletes come across this challenge all the time. The hardest thing to do is for them probably sometimes is to "Like" their coach or the workout he or she has planned, but they "Respect" their coach so they perform, and do what is asked of them without question. They go out and perform every time they step up to the task. It doesn't matter if it's the pre-season game or the Super Bowl. If coach asks them to go perform 30 100 m Sprints, they would do it because they know it is a true test of what they have inside of them. Instead of saying they are the greatest, they know they have their areas they want to work on. Instead of saying they are number one, they look to next year and say I want to do that again. Instead of resting on the laurels of yesterday, they look to the future and how they can improve.
WOD 12.5 is no different. This is the time CrossFitters to put your big boy and girl pants on, and STOP your whining for fuck's sake. For those of you who whine about EVERY little thing, have you ever stopped to take a look in the mirror and wonder if it's maybe YOU that needs to be whined about? We ARE CrossFitters. We ARE a special breed. We look at challenge as our toy. We look at encouragement as our fire. We look to each other to keep us going. We look to our friends within the community to push us not bring us down. We NEED the positive energy and sportsmanship that I KNOW exists out there. There is enough adversity outside of the CrossFit Community that Humility and Sportsmanship should be a MAIN part of what we preach. There are too many sports in which the top athletes have egoes bigger than the fields they play in. Do you really want this sport of fitness in which we all push each other hard every day to get that way?
CrossFitters, be strong, be true and know that this is an amazing measurement for MANY of us who have trained hard for so long to get where we are RIGHT now! Understand that whining won't change it, so suck it up and let's go have some FUN!!!!!!!!!!
