It's amazing how long athletes have been told otherwise. I always feel like I lose strength when I let my breath out so this is good to hear from Rip.

i knew it.

sorry MartF. I was thinking the same thing. VideoQoute of the day "your DNA is smarter then the people at IDEA." If you know what Idea is, thats halarious.

I just attended the Crossfit Level 1 Cert in Golden, Colorado. I have nothing but great things to say about the entire experience this weekend. My legs will disagree with that last statement! I had trouble just walking down the stairs when I got home.

The two days of classroom instruction, skills work, and group WODs have completely re-inforced my passion in crossfit. The class room instruction wad dead-on and entertaining. It was great to hear how all of the crossfit concepts work together to create world class fitness.

The skills work was great - who knew you could get sore by using nothing but PVC? I liked how they rotated the instructors throughout each skill class. All of the instruction that was given was professional and accurate. The skills work was also very humbling. I discovered through the help of the trainers a number of key issues that I had with nearly all of the compound movements, including air squats!

The group WODs were great too. It was fun to compete with speal in tabata squats. Fran proved to be ahumbling experience as usual, and the medicine ball clean WOD was nasty.

My favorite part of the weekend was breaking into small groups and working with the instructors (Todd from Crossfit flathead) on muscle-ups,
kipping and butterfly pullups (w/ Speal!), Glute Ham extensions (w/ Jodi from Frontrange Crossfit), and snatches (w/ Tony and Dutch).

I could have spent a full day doing just those workouts with crossfit elite watching and giving tips.

A few shout outs:

Todd - You are a great instructor, and your energy is contagious.

Speal / Dutch - It was great to meet both of you monsters. Good luck at the games.

Nicole - Your crossfit knowledge is second to none. Thanks so much for the nutrition / zone lecture. It really helped to give me a new-found respect on how important nutrition is.

Jodi and Skip Miller - It was great to meet you two!

I have been taught to follow the wrong way for over 30 years - thanks Coach Rip for your wisdom.

I have visited many CF affiliates and attended multiple certs and there's one thing I find to be somewhat common among us - most of us enjoy a great beer every now and then.

I bring you the Rest Day Brew.

La Fin Du Monde (the end of the world) by Unibroue Breweries.

La Fin is like a full course dinner in every sip – multiple flavors such as malt, fruit and spice. This beer maintains a 9 percent ABV, which fits right in with the motto of Unibroue which is ‘Drink Less, Drink Better’.

Located in Quebec, Canada , Unibroue brews a number of very fine beers. Raise a toast for rest day!!

Next week, I’m thinking of something hoppier. Any suggestions?

Rest Day 24 hour period starts now. Just finished the Squat Clean/GHD WOD so happy for the break now.

I could listen to Rip all day long. Hopefully one day I will get out to see him or he comes out to Oz for some coaching.

Thanks and great job done by my trainers Dutch, Speal, Todd, Skip and John Brown especially. Did not get to spend as much time with Jodi, Chris Brown, Tony or the other trainers there, at least during the day, buy thanks for those times when I was training with you and good to see you all.

I've been rather unfocused with my training lately, so it was good to 'drink the Kool-Aid' again and just meet some of the 'users' of Crossfit.

#6 Diablos - is this a new comments meme, the Rest Day BOD (Brew of the Day)?

The article is very interesting and I find myself disappointed with the state of sportsmanship in the world today (not that it was necessarily ever better in the past). I see sportsmanship as a critical element in determining the quality of the people that athletics help create. I am particularly grateful that coach embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and presents such a strong stance against performance enhancing drugs within crossfit. I believe that without his strong leadership in this area crossfit would be plagued by the same garbage as all other serious sport. I suspect, in fact, that such has already began to infect the world of crossfit despite coach's effort. How long before the crossfit games needs its own drug testing facilities?

#8 - I've had many discussions with different CF'ers about good beer (mostly Guiness). There are even some great home brewers out there (CF Eastside!). Since we're not power drinkers and most of us are responsible adults (one pint does me fine) I was wondering if some of our Canadian and European friends had different brews they recommend.

Yeah the Gladwell reading is a very good and depressing article. I saw coach post this at the end of he last rest day. If you don't normally read the rest day articles, pick this one to be your first. After reading it I sent it to my brother and dad.

Just got back from the East Coast Challenge in Albany and it was amazing! Great job to everyone who competed and thanks to Jason and his crew for putting on a top notch event!

Thanks!

I was wondering how much the crossfit certifications cost?

#6 Sounds like a great beer. Unfortunately those of us who live in Alabama are limited to beers with ABV levels under 6%.

That is also a great article. I think I'll make my Anatomy students read it next year.

My brother said it best, "Ben Johnson got robbed."
- Chad

"Steroids bother us because they violate the honesty of effort: they permit an athlete to train too hard, beyond what seems reasonable."

If this is the case, I have been on the "Crossfit Steroid" for the last 7 months then. Through Crossfit, I have been able to train beyond what seems reasonable every day without any pharmaceutical assistance. Maybe I just wasn't trying hard enough prior to Crossfit or I just didn't think that I was able to do it.

I have much higher limits and expectations now and am not happy if I am still standing after a workout. I am more than happy to find extra something through sheer willpower and determination. Makes it all worthwhile at the end of the day even if I can't walk.

Would love to hear some thoughts on Lance Armstrong as he proved to me that anything is possible. I am really hoping that he was clean but being in Australia, maybe we were sheltered from the real truth.

I grew up in Canada & the U.S. but until I moved to Munich, Germany 5 years ago, I never really knew what good, honest beer was. So .. .
German beers:
For almost 4 years, beer of choice has been Augustiner Helles.
Fransiskaner Dunkelweißbier is also an alternative.
There is a "smoke beer" called "Rauchbier" from a a town called Bamberg that will knock you on your back foot: strong beer, dark. Good, but I doubt I could have more than one at a sitting.
When in Belgium, try the Rochefort Trappistes 10.
Remember, the best beer is ALWAYS the free one

Incidentally, Gladwell's article was first published in THE NEW YORKER, not Atlantic Monthly -- one day before 9/11.

Are the Crossfit Games drug tested?

Good article...
It is sad that an 'honest' athlete can't compete at an elite level...well compete and win...if they aren't at least tinkering with something 'performance enhancing'. Those last few hundreths in the 100m or seconds in the mile are worth the extra wear and tear on the body to an already very talented/gifted few.
I would never do that to my body, but I understand how the pressure to get every last drop of 'goodness' from your training at the risk of being caught/disgraced, not to mention the possible health consequences, is worth it.
I guess it is human nature to want something for nothing...especially when it comes to physical appearance and performance. Take your average mega-box gym that has a 'juice-bar' in it. Full of suppliments for lazy people who want to get results from their half-assed ineffective programming.
I will say that the road to excellance via pharmacology isn't without hard work...in fact, now you have the ability to work even harder! So...I don't know what to say. It wrong, but at the end of the day, "it pays to win" (credit to the SEALs for that).

Loved the article, Gladwell is one of my favorite writers. I wish he'd spent more time on his conclusion, though. After all of that discussion of how athletes dope and the complexity of the system, the last paragraph is very abrupt.

John Hovey's article in this month's CFJ is very funny. Now I know how to take 7:00 off of my Fran time as well!

someone tell me if this has changed but I was watching a Real Sports investigation on steroids a few years back and they said that theres never been a scientific study into negative effects of steroids on healthy adult males...so other than the obviously unreliable anedotal evidence...theres no proven linkage between steroids and medical problems in healthy adult males...anyone know otherwise?

#6

La Fin Du Monde is really tasty.

For a hoppier brew, you can't go wrong with Dogfish Head IPA's. The 90 minute is great, but I've never had the 120 minute, which is probably the hoppiest friggin' brew on Earth.

I've never been beer drinking In europe, I hear I'm missing out on alot. But to be honest, I've been so impressed with the beer coming out of the US, which has an exploding microbrew scene, that I'm worried I'll be a little let down.

I agree that by setting a T/E limit of 6:1 they actually level the playing field for elite athletes and promote 'fair' competition by officially acknowledging this high standard since everyone would be at the same high level of T usage in theory. However, I still decrie the use of performance enhancing drugs due to the fact that they destroy the human body. A recent Maxim issue (I know, a pillar of the literary world) actually had a very good article where the author used himself as a test subject for weight lifting and steroid use. The gist of it is that while on the juice he was a muscular freak of nature that could lift everything but once he went off of it his strength and size shrank and he grew man-boobs. It also caused him to lose vast amounts of hair. What bothers me about standardizing steroid use is that I have 3 young children that are getting involved in sports and it would kill me to see them grow into young adults and destroy their bodies with steroids just so they could keep up with the (Marion) Jones's.

If I go to Colorado, I hope I get pulled over by the lady in the green tank top. The rest of those guys...not so much.

That's a pretty interesting article, I knew Johnson got the shaft but to have tested for something he didn't take is bizzare. I'm sure everyone else in that race was on something, too, and I wonder what the current record-holder takes.

It's 1:30am and I can't sleep at my fire hall, at least I have CrossFit to keep me enlightened.

I can't wait to get Rip's books (they are in the mail). An honeste, science-based approach to weights. No gimmicks. Just preachin' the truth from experience and a serious analysis of real data. Awesome.

Unfortunately, most of my clients aren't all that interested in doing things right. They are, however, interested in immediate results. The question is not so much what to do any more, but how to motivate people to achieve results in the long term. With the pioneers of true fitness who run/contribute to crossfit (that I take for granted) we have a wealth of knowledge. The new frontier is how to convince those people who are casually training to become practitioners of real fitness.

So far the best I can come up with is 'lead by example'

Crossfit has changed the way I look at fitness, strength, and life. I really appreciate everyone who contributes to the CF community.

ENDLESS PURSUIT OF PERFECTION,

~Meek

P.s. I would love to hear everyone's tips on motivating people to achieve the level of fitness that crossfit can provide.

Comment #16
Glad you get to experience some real beer in Germany, not the colored water (i.e. Bud, Miller) they sell in the States!
Try some Weihenstephaner Weissbier and Schneider Weisse, I think you'd like those as well!
You're right about the smoked one, called "Schlenkerla".. it will knock you down quick!

Meeker, I so agree with you. For the past few years doing weights, it's been alot of huff, puff, and 'my oiled muscles look good, so this must be right'- Rip's analysis is a much need critical analysis of everything we do in the weights room.

Mr Rip- your instruction and coaching is nothing short of superb. many thanks!!!!

I'm just surprised every day by the amount of test and anabolics used by everyday shmoes at the globogyms. I see guys well into thier late 40's and up that are unnaturally proportioned and show signs of test/anabolic/HGH abuse. I hear them bragging in the locker rooms about how their doctor prescribes them the test and they suppliment with other various and sundry chemicals.

They don't compete in squat, most of them are badly out of fitness and most have very bad and disproportionate physiques. Hell, most of them could barely squat their bodyweight(but they can curl a whole lot!)

As a personal trainer, I really have to wonder if these guys came into the gym to live a healthier lifestyle and just don't realize what kind of abuse they are doing to the liver and other internal organs or did they just come in to get "big."

When I've asked them what they do as a PCT(post-cycle-treatment), they just look at me like I've asked them some trivia questions. Most have never heard of such anti-aromatase drugs or liver detox suppliments.

I guess my point is, it's not just the athletes that are doing this. It's some of the average joe's at the globos. In my opinion, they're worse than the athletes because they're just doing it for perceived appearance reasons.

At least the olympic athletes have trainers and doctors that monitor their health. These bozos are destroying themselves without EVER getting any baseline or monitoring tests.

*sigh*

-B

Being a home brewer i find the topic of beer a welcome to the comment section and nothing tastes better than a Amber Ale (9%ABV) after killing yourself on the WOD. I am new to Crossfit but as a police officer I find it has changed my way of viewing fitness and I look forward to the WOD and feel great. Thanks so much for the people that started Crossfit and can anyone tell me how to get a certification seminar at my police department? Now lets go enjoy some BEER.

# 13, depends on the certification, click on register now to find associated costs (i.e. a running cert is $595, and a level 1 cert is $1,000)

great article. i never knew that there was this room to manuver with your t/e and hematocrit ratios and that the reason was to avoid falsely accusing someone. clearly there is no way to have a zero tolerance approach to sports drug testing and that the conclusion makes the most sense: all we can do is test to make sure people aren't cheating TOO much. 5/1 t/e ratio: acceptable. 18/1? well you're an idiot and you cheated too much and deserve to be stripped of your medal.

as for the idea that ben johnson was robbed, we should not forget that the guy had been juicing for years. he had acne on top of acne and his eyes looked like they were about to bleed yellow pus. one shouldn't set down on a path of knowingly cheating and then feel put upon when they get caught.

most all of us speed everyday on the highway and its never been a defense to say, "everybody else was doing it too!" while that may be true, you are the one who got caught by a regulatory system that simply can't catch everyone. there are risks and rewards associated with taking steroids. ben johnson knew that (as do all the others). he got what he deserved (as do all the others who get caught).

the epo issue is far more interesting and controversial. it does seem to me to be a bit of an artificial distinction that its considered cheating if you take anemia meds to raise your red blood cell count but if you train at altitude to get the same result its not cheating.

also i think of speal and eric o who train at high altitude. (btw got some good ideas for our horse game when we start back up again) when i saw speal's 2:05 fran and everyone's comments wanting him to get a sub 2 min. i thought he will get it just by doing it at sea level. now i know why. his hematocrit ratio is probably much closer to 50 than the rest of us. time to move to the mountains.

# 30, don't fret. Consider what you see a cleansing of the gene pool.

As for the article, how sad that unadulterated elite athletic ability and sportsmanship have become abstract, antequated ideas at certain levels of competition.

Perhaps re-defining "amateur athlete" is an answer. Consider Dr. Bannister vs the present day competitor. For the former, running was an avocation, for the latter, most definitely not.

Unfortunately, this is idealistic thinking, but then again so is the Olympic Charter. "Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles."
Olympic Charter, Fundamental principles, paragraph 2

Somehow, "balanced whole", and "universal fundamental ethical principles" got bound up in Madison Avenue values.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Just completed the Level 1 Cert. in Golden this past weekend, and it was a truly amazing experience! I'm sure that all Crossfitters feel like they are the #1 fan of the CF philosophy and the trainers that spread the wealth, but I feel like I just spent 2 days watching CF lectures on my computer. This surreal experience has not quite set-in for me yet. I have been CFing for about 1 1/2 years now, so I felt confident going in to the Cert. in regards to experience and knowledge, but there was something new to absorb with each lecture.
The coaches were all excellent!!!! I especially enjoyed meeting,talking, and learning from Todd(awesome stuff this weekend. Love your coaching style!), Dutch, Tony, and Speal. You guys are studs! I hope to take a little piece of all of your lecture styles and coaching methods, put my twist on them, and share the Kool-Aid with anyone and everyone! Thanks to all for a great time!

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Tony B. -

Just read your piece in CFJ #70 (Capacity, Standards, and Sport) and wanted to say that I got alot out of it. Great job.

Thanks -

David

It's easy to say that it's deplorable how many athletes are using steroids. But when your life long dream is to go to the olympics and win, and the choice is between failing and using steroids, most people aren't going to take the high road. No one throws a parade or gives a medal to the person who came in 10th but didn't use any HGH when 1-9 just didn't get caught using it. I'm not saying this is a good thing, but it will always be easy to judge other people choosing between their dreams and their morals.

#34, Greg. It's interesting that you claim that it's Madison Avenue values that are what drive people to cheat. I guarantee you people were cheating to win at sports long before there were ad agencies to profit.

I am often asked in the Gym while doing crossfit "What are you training for?" I always find this flattering and kinda funny. My response to date has been,..."LIFE". What would/do you say?

Wow, I'm surprised there aren't more comments about the East Coast Challenge! The highlight of the event for me was getting to see Spiderchick's legendary abs and climbing skill in person, but meeting all of the other CrossFit monsters there was also great. Jason, Suzie and everyone else from CrossFit Albany did an AMAZING job of hosting. From the professional racing company that helped out at the 5k, to getting most of the events done ahead of schedule, to just being awesome people, they rocked! Thanks guys and see you next year!

I think I'll have more thoughts on the article later on. Great choice, Coach!

East Coach Challenge: was there a J roCk sighting? Been wondering how he's doing.

Judy #38: "What are you training for?" "Tomorrow." "What happens tomorrow?" "Exactly!"

What a wonderful weekend we had at Albany Crossfit! Thank you to each and every athlete who participated or helped out at the Challenge. You brought equipment we needed, you brought your coaching expertise to help others, you brought your Crossfit spirit to the events.

To all our winners, congratulations on your accomplishments. To those brave souls who came and put it on the line as newbie crossfitters, my hat (and my cervical collar!) is off to you.

It was just a privilege to get to see so many of you push yourselves through a grueling competition.

Watch our website www.albanycrossfit.com for more pics and videos over the week.

Jason's probably having a well-deserved sleep-in this morning!

Susie

Diablos

Try Bell's Two-Hearted Ale, Oberon...really anything they make. Its a microbrew from Kalamazoo, MI.

The drug dilemma is so tough, that I can't really form an opinion on it. My roommate played division 1 football for West Virginia, he loved football, but was a little small for a D1 linebacker. He has told me he took a cycle of steroids.

My friend is by no means a coward or cheater, like lots of people say steroid users are. He is a great all around guy, who just loved football.

He put it to me like this. . .

Playing linebacker in a D1 game is like being in a car wreck. Not to mention I was too small to hang with a lot of the guys I played against, but just got by on my intensity.

So some guy comes up to you and says "here is a pill that will make you able to put on weight, and be meaner against tough opponents, and not in extreme pain the day after a games"

It's pretty hard to say no.

If I felt that there was a safe, useful way to use steroids... I would definitely consider it. Hell, I do now... I take an inhaled steroid to treat my asthma, and it gives me a considerable advantage over many of my peers, when I climb at high altitudes.

It's easy to condemn "doping." However, I find the moral high-road stance a little hypocritical in this day and age... our lives are full of genetically-engineered food products and all sorts of pharmaceutical advantages... look no further than the flouride in most municipal water supplies.

I suspect that through the next 3 or 4 olympic cycles, we will see more publicly acknowledged attempts to regulate the volume of drug use than to completely eliminate it.

Zach

What about HGH? From what I understand its a natural steroid, one that helps with recovery. As we get older this could help to make it through the next day. Does anyone know any thing different? I dont think it has all the same side effects as the stronger steroids. I dont want promot steroids, but how could HGH be bad for you if prescribed and watched over by a dr?

#8 Try Leffe Blonde or more malty Leffe Brun. Brewed by Belgium monks its about 6-9%. Sipping beers. Something even stronger Rochefort 12 by Trappist Triple. Its about 10%. Very dark and full of flavour, must treat it with respect.

Big ups to all involved with the SE Coast Challenge at Harbor City CrossFit this past weekend. What an awesome staff, facility and group of competitors. The whole event was a huge success and great fun except for the horrible kick in the nuts hopper workout. Thanks again to Harbor City CF for hosting the challenge and their incredible hospitality.

I think that there should just be "steroid Leagues" and "non-Steroid Leagues"

I know which one I would go and watch - a hockey fight would be really interesting if they were all juiced up.

hey dutch

that you peeking over that big guy's shoulder? nice castro manuver.

5k today in 20:40

what is the general feeling about supplements at crossfit? wondering about using creatine to assist with growth. any opinions ?

Jeff Tucker is an amazing coach. His ability to clearly concisely educate athletes through progressions to complex movements alone is motivating not to mention his Texan humor and doing pushups with you due to your improper form, hearing him "ooohhrahhh" and seeing his emotions reaffirm he is passionate about what he is training.
THANKS Tucker! Stay tuned for my pullup video:)

anyone know who the girl is 3 left from nicole in the picture? my god her arms are amazing- i want some arms like that!

bingo- i'm stealing your answer, that is the perfect response.

Thanks Bingo #40 I will definately use that next time.

What about suppliments? I have been looking into NO2, creatine and Glutamine. Just want to get better faster and be able to work out harder more often. These three seem to be a reasonable choice but is even this overkill?

#52, that may be Juliet Draper from Colorado Springs FD. She is the reigning female world record holder in the Firefighter Combat Challenge.

Not 100% sure, but that was my first impression of who it was.

Comment #38:
We get "What are you guys training for?" about 3 times a week.
We usually say "Just preparing for the invasion" and then abruptly turn around and start doing burpees.
JK! We usually say "Just trying to keep up with our toddlers"!

Creatine is a good supplement but only works for you if you really push yourself. I feel like it helped me last spring when I was playing rugby(wi state champs 07!) while still trying to lift regularly. I can only imagine what it would be like to use with CF since I was lifting the wrong way back then.

After reading through the posts about steroids, I am a little shocked to see that no one has mentioned the money aspect of taking steroids. I have never used steroids, but no many collegiate level athletes that have...

Here is my question for any of you...

You're a very competitive college level athlete, a shot at going pro/olympics/etc is a possibility, but not very likely. Now if you venture off the beaten path and begin training with steroids, all of a sudden you are now one of the "elite" instead of being just another solid athlete. And yet no one has mentioned the type of money that most of these athletes make.

I find it hard to believe that too many people would actually turn down the chance to make millions of dollars and be one of the "elite" if given the opportunity. Again, I am not condoning them, just presenting an argument that I have not heard yet...

24/m/164

Missed a day last week so i threw in a little metcon wod today.

3 Rounds for time:

135# DL x 20
45# KB swings x 20
75# Push press x 20
Burpees x 20
Sit ups x 20

Time: 16:31

To all the East Coast Challenge competitors, well done. This was my first CF competition and nothing, absolutely nothing compares. I could go on at much length, and as it stands per Jason's request for an article, have 16 pages of notes. Therefore, trust that all that you felt over the weekend, and are probably, like me, still feeling and replaying in your head, will not become yet another memory. I'll do it justice, as we all tried to for ourselves and for one another during the competition. I'll keep you posted.

Eric
(180lb. weight class, insulin pump strapped to my side)

I have a pretty liberatarian view of this topic of drugs & sports. I'd prefer people go to their doctor, be prescribed performance enhancing drugs and monitored appropriately. Instead it's a black market affair with far more harm coming from ignorance and clandestine use. But that's pretty much the story of ALL attempts at prohibition...

It's ironic to me (as a chemist I guess) that people find it palatable to have an entourage of doctors, massage therapists, nutritionists, hypobaric tents, buses to drive one up and down the mountains to "live high, train low"...this is all ok, but the use of a "substance" is not! Interesting stuff for sure.

#38 - Judy
I was asked that the other day. Didn't know quite what to say. I tried to explain I was just working out for fitness but the guy wanted a more substantial answer I guess so I told him I am gymnastics training (which isn't far from the truth, I just don't compete. I enjoy the exercise)

Very interesting article. It is sad, as many have said, that we are subjected to find the "easy" way to attain accomplishments. Honest effort is tossed out.
Course I know we talk about steroids and all but aren't legal supplements the same in that it's pushing our bodies to do more than normal whether quicker recovery or faster muscle growth?
Lately, I have been reading various articles that tell about the "right" foods to eat that generally help our bodies to do the very same thing that vitamins and supplements do. Is it the same mentality that we would rather not spend the time to research, plan & eat properly than to pop in a few pills or make a protein shake?
I am not saying its right or wrong. Just making a comparison. Not a different thought by kind but by degree. If that makes any sense...and if not, belay my last.

On another note, regarding workout methods, reading the article about the sub 4 min mile runners made me think of this. When I specifically stopped working out for gains on my bench press i.e. no bench presses, flyes,etc., in 2 months by doing crossfit,I increased my bench by 20 lbs. Before doing crossfit, I was stuck at the same weight for about 3 months. I just thought that was the kewlest.

#38
I had a guy ask me that the other day. I just tolding him I was training for gymnastics after it didn't register that I just workout this way.

So does the use of supplements like creatine and various branch-chain amino acids do the same thing in that it pushs our bodies beyond "natural" limits of endurance and growth?
Or does it simply speed up the process?

#59, Robb Wolf, writes,

"I have a pretty liberatarian view of this topic of drugs & sports. I'd prefer people go to their doctor, be prescribed performance enhancing drugs and monitored appropriately. Instead it's a black market affair with far more harm coming from ignorance and clandestine use. But that's pretty much the story of ALL attempts at prohibition..."

It seems to me that there are externalities with steroid use that do not exist with, say, alcohol use. In the absence of efficient testing for steroids, all athletes are forced to choose between entering the "arms race," (no pun intended) and accepting the physical adverse consequences of steroid use; or not being able to compete on a level playing field.

To put it another way, if you drink smoke, or use heroin, it doesn't affect me, but if you use steroids, I am worse off when we meet in competition.

I have to say to everyone at the east coast challenge in albany great job. this was my first crossfit event and first time in a crossfit gym and i was impressed not only by how the event was run but the great people it attracted. im already looking forward to next year and any other events i can attend.

-Dan (used to go by livefast86)

I want to congratulate everyone that attended the Harbor City Eastcoast challenge this weekend. I saw so many amazing athletes, lifts, wod performances, run times, and just some truly amazing people. I want to thank Mike, Donna, JB, and Juan for hosting the event. I look forward to the next meeting.
By the way that Team FGB trophy is AWESOME!!

I'll echo the comments everyone has made regarding the East Coast CF Challenge. Simply spectacular event and amazing people all around. The passion, support, encouragement and camaraderie of this community is second to none and nowhere was it more apparent than up in Albany this weekend. Congrats to everyone! That hopper was sadistic...can't wait til next year...

got caught up today.

m/35/168

5/31/08 WOD, Time: 7:45 as rx'd

6/1/08 WOD, Time: 9:08 as rx'd

those were fun.

I'm from Canada, but I drink Murphy's Black and Tans (Ireland) when I go out, or Coronas (Mexico), so I must be a traitor. Perhaps my favourite beer is Black Watch Ale from a micro brewery/restaurant in Berkeley, California called the Pyramid. If you ever go, I suggest the steak with a black watch.

# 37, agreed (your miff re my Madison Avenue broadside). Perhaps a more precise analogy would have been the profit motive and its cozy relationship with amateur sports in general.

Your excusal and rationale to cheat to achieve a dream, appears to be shared by many "elite" types nowadays. (Paradigm / threadshift warning - Enron, Mortgage backed securities et al).

Question to Coach and/or participants in the CrossFit Games (esp. ones that competed in last years Games):
Do you keep 100% intensity workouts all the way up to the event or cut back to 50% between now and the Games (i.e. 3 weeks 100%, 1 week 50)?

OK CERTS??

Which cert would you recommend between Gymnastics or OL.

#38

When someone asks "what are you training for?", in the Gym while I'm doing CF, I have always wanted to say "I'm training for you".

Has anyone heard of kettlebags? An adjustable alternative to iron kettlebells and where to find them if they even exist.

I did the 3 rds 800m run, 50 pull up wod from May this am. 17.28

No rest today. playing Golf tomorrow...
400M run
CFWU x2

100 burpees (10x10)
10 more burpees for good measure

HSPU 3x5
10 minutes stretching

That's the most burpees I've ever been able to do in one day! It felt great. Minimal rest between sets.
Very humid in Maine today... breathing is overrated!
Next time, I'll time it! :)

Nathan

They do exist but apparently "look suspiciously like an old burlap bag." Here's a link.

http://www.t-nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=650326

Tony B (and #36 David)

I also just read Capacity, Standards, and Sport in the latest journal and thought it was an excellent summary of the discussion surrounding Speal's 2:05 Fran. Thanks Tony.

I just wanted to say thanks to all the dedicated Crossfit Staff @ the Golden Cert. Everyone did a fantastic job. I have been to many certs before for various reasons. Most times it was because some big gym told me I needed to go to this cert or that cert. I won't mention any names, but the first word starts with a 2. In the past I have done certifications online to satisfy a quota of certs to earn a certain amount of pay.

BY FAR THE ONLY CERT I HAVE BEEN TO THAT HAS ANY MEANING TO ME IS THE CROSSFIT CERT. This cert is the way it's supposed to be done. When you move and exercise at a cert what could be better? A Training cert done in this manner truly sells the points toward which you are trying to instill (EXERCISE).

I especially liked Speal and Todd and the way they teach. Very fluid and positive.

Speal-thanks for the help on the butterfly pull ups. I will keep working on them. Good to meet a fellow wrestler.

Todd-Awesome finish to the cert. Very entertaining. And thanks for the help on the consecutive muscle ups. "Eyes to the sky, eyes to the ground."

This is not to say any of the instructors were even close to mediocre. ALL THE TRAINERS WERE FANTASTIC!

The structure and procedures of the last two days were very well organized and properly managed. Thanks Coach for everything you have done to spread you sphere of influence and your ideas.

By the way, just got back and what do you know a new client responded to my Craigslist Ad. New client. Just trained her today and she is fired up about starting. Two clients now. Building a big strong base of elite fitness one at a time here in Colorado Springs.

So, to make a short story long. Thanks once again.

42yom / 147

Did yesterdays Clean and GHD Work-out as rx'd 15:55. Details there

We made up a new variation:
3 rounds for time
1/2 mile run
30 push-ups
30 Double unders
30 Back extensions
30 Thrusters with 95lbs
30 Burpee pull-ups

Kicked our asses.

59 min 53 sec

Thank you, Coach Rip.

I've known instinctively that what you're saying is true, and yet I still have had those pesky IDEA voices in my head whenever I lift heavy.

Now, I'll have your voice in there to drown those ridiculous knuckleheads out.

question from the vid:

so is rip saying that we should hold our breath during each rap of an exercise?

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

#52

Her name is Jenn Marshall. She is a freak! One of the coolest people you could ever hope to meet.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Comment #61 - Posted by: Hari at June 2, 2008 9:14 AM

Hari, yes, that's the issue. Do I show my kids the incredible performances on the Olympics, ones that left me wanting (my whole life) to learn the Oly lifts, and say "These people are not right, they use drugs that put their bodies at risk in order to compete at this level. The practice is so widespread that most competitors should be assumed not to be drug free. The incompetence of the test system operators, and the creativity of the drug providers and the money at their disposal means that testing is at best an exercise in catching the foolish. Now sit back and watch and be amazed, but never consider giving you life to this nonsense."

Or should I just let them watch CrossFitters and be amazed by that?

Grown adults using drugs in a compulsive chase for a competitive edge is one thing (not worthy of my admiration), but the fact that the athletes have to 'use' to compete makes the whole show a sham to me.

I am thinking, after reading the article, that the testing is nothing more than a comfortable position from which the Olympics and the TDF for example, likely the NFL also, can hide to hold onto the pretext that there's something admirable involved. It would in fact be more noble if they just said "go for it" so that everyone would know what they were cheering for ... or in my case, ignoring.

It's also distressing that it's apparent there's no way to prevent juiced competitors from winning the CF Games, unless it's that there's not (yet) any huge endorsement money at stake for the winners.

Maybe what we all need are 'substances' that are proven safe, not criminalized as steriods are, but still help to rebuild so we can do a WOD daily but not overtrain.

I wonder if decriminalization of what is out there now would lead to a more rapid discovery of these safe anabolics than the current 'pretend it is criminal' system.

Paul

Tucker,

Thank you so much for providing the Gymnastics Seminar at Crossfit Cherry Point this weekend. Your poise, professionalism, detailed explanations, and level of understanding of the sport of gymnastics is combination that is unparalleled. Further you enthusiasm and obvious love of the sport is contagious.

Every athlete present made tremendous gains, and I have received a number of calls today expressing gratitude for all of your hard work. Many of them stated that they could not believe the movements they performed: dislocates, parallete handstands, planche, etc. Everyone is excited about your muscle up progression drills, I could go on and on.

To all my fellow Crossfitters, Jeff Tucker is the real deal. If you enjoy his video articles on the main page and his video articles in the CFJ, you will absolutely LOVE his personal "hands on" instruction. If you are in Ft Worth, a trip to the GSX Athletics box is well worth your time and expense. I understand through Tucker that he has athletes flying in from around the country to spend a few days training with him one on one. There is NO question in my mind as to why.

Tucker, thanks. I will see you again soon. You taught us so much, and the only thing we taught you was how to say "OOH RAH!"

See you at the Marine Corps Birthday Ball in November if not before.

Semper Fi, brother.

When was the last time any of you went to a complicated multi-part 2 day event that started and ended ahead of schedule? Jason Ackerman's dedicated hard work turned the East Coast Crossfit Challenge into a smooth, almost effortless event. Jason made it look easy, as if he'd been running this event for years, when it was the first of many hoped for annual events. The work Jason and the rest of the folks at CrossFit Albany put in is the equivilent of a 2:10 Fran. Any time you can bring 75 cFers together is a great time, and the combination of outstanding athletic achievements and the camaderie created a wonderful weekend. I only wish I could double my pleasure and go to Aromas. Wait until next year... Thanks again Jason. Great job!

A random post and testimony to CrossFit. I started functional training about 3 months ago. On 4/2 I did my first Fran and put up 11:25. Today, 6/2 - just two months later - I did my second Fran, posting a 6:28!!! That's almost 5 minutes difference in only two months of training! CrossFit is an awesome program. Thanks to all those who work hard to keep all the free info flowing.

42yom 180lbs

Run 1.6km: 7:25
Then 2 min each of:
Row (29 cal).
25lbs DB Thrusters (30).
20lbs Medball Cleans (29).
DU(28). 2-3 SU then 1-2 DU.
PU (35).

Total time: 24:00min.

Just read the article "Drugstore Athlete"

Guess you cant put me on the "NIAVE" list.

Had no idea how prevalent and widespread enhancement was/is. Is it a matter of time or is enhancement already here within our postings?

Although we are competing only with ourselves, we do compare and look for the marks that become our targets of striving.

I have competed a couple of times at the "World" level in an athletic endeavor and only obtained a ranking of #2 and then a #3...Both times I was behind the same person...Being beat by fractions of a second both times...

After reading the article, I can only imagine what my performances could have been with enhancements. I was truly enhancement free and had barely a decent diet, all success was through shear determination and hard work.

So, as we have all heard, being second place is just first place loser. I will take solace in knowing that I accomplished what I did without enhancement, whatever that is worth...But always wondering if it would have been worth it to enhance to obtain the coveted "best (#1) in the world" title.

My background and teachings have told me no-it is not worth it, after articles like this maybe those can be considered erroneous. I would like to report to anyone considering the use of enhancements that I for one know what I achieved was done on my own accord...Personally, as I age, this simple fact becomes more meaningful.

What would it be like to have achieved the #1 ranking and then for the rest of my life wondering if the only reason I achieved that level was through the use of enhancements. Not truly of my own doing, just some experiment designed by a chemist.

Do it on your own, without enhancements, you own the results...

Very cool video.

In response to the article. The real issue of this article is the stigma of being a cheater because you take steroids. If you are say a professional athlete like Barry Bonds and your salary is commensurate with performance (its actually commensurate with your appeal to the fans who buy tickets and therefore pay your salary) then I don't see why you shouldn't be taking steroids. Bigger muscles = More Homeruns = Larger crowds at the ball park = more money to the owner = more money for Mr. Bonds; Very simple. The cheater stigma becomes an issue for me at the olympics which are supposed to be "pure". It is a display of personal achievement. Athletes cannot have their cake and eat it too. Athletes must make a decision as to whether they want to be competitors (olympic athletes) or entertainers (pro athletes) and accept the rules that go along with both.

I'm tired of thinking. Let's talk about beer.

My favorite is a locally brewed beer called Bourbon Barrel Stout. They grind up Jefferson Reserve Whiskey barrels, and mix them in with the wort (I think it's called), which infuses the beer with a whiskey after-taste, and an alcohol level of between 9 and 15%. It's funny, but it varies by keg how strong it is. They sell it by the pint most places, and at one of my watering holes it's only $3.50/pint, which is a great deal by any standard.

I got so stuck on it, I was forced to join a beer club at a local place that has something like 150 different kinds of beer. They want you to try 100, then you get a mason jar mug. My guess is they are getting the better deal, but it gives me something to do.

I'm a big fan of the Belgian beers, particularly Grimbergen and Chimay (blue and red). LaChouffe, Duval, and Delirium Tremens--all good. One of those may be Belgian style, but the point remains.

In my beer club, Old Engine Oil has been my favorite so far.

My new thing is Hendrick's Gin. It's infused with rose petals, and has a really distinctive, really interesting flavor. I stayed away from gin for a long time because it got me in trouble, but this stuff is the bomb.

Pyrat Rum is outstanding as well. Both the Hendrick's and Pyrat are sippers, like good Scotch.

Sorry for not contributing to the topic, but no one can accuse me of not participating in these things.

We can debate all day whether a substance is safe or not, whether it should be allowed or not, or whether it is more dangerous than another substance or not. There's room for lots of opinoins...that's all it is lot of opinion in those types of statements.

Bottom line...if the governing body (USOC, NFL, NCAA, etc) deems something illegal and someone does it anyway, wouldn't they be cheating...wouldn't that make them a cheater?

Congrats to all who participated and helped out at the East Coast Crossfit Challenge. It was the most amazing, and competative weekend with more camaraderie then I have ever seen. Jason did the best job ever putting this together, and I encourage everyone to go next year. I know I"m going to try and fly back if the Navy allows it! To everyone I met and competed against, thank you all, you are all amazing athletes and people. Hope to train with you in the future. Hit me up in sunny Sicily!!!

I love crossfit. period.

Used Rip's breath model tonight for yesterdays wod, felt good. As for drugs, can't wait to pick up my hayfever meds tommorra, feel like my head has the flu at present, only the wod shifted it temporarily.

#87 WTP

classy post

M/53/6'2"/230 lb.

I Did yesterdays workout today
I had to substitute regular situps for GHD's because someone was hogging the GHD machine at the gym.

For time:
135 lb Squat clean, 10 reps
50 Sit-ups
135 lb Squat clean, 8 reps
40 Sit-ups
135 lb Squat clean, 6 reps
30 Sit-ups
135 lb Squat clean, 4 reps
20 Sit-ups
135 lb Squat clean, 2 reps
10 Sit-ups

8:23
Then Did "grace"
30 reps 135 Lbs. clean and press
for time
7:10

"Do it on your own, without enhancements, you own the results..."

wtp, I could not have put that any better. Great thought.

I have a question from the video (similar to #80),

It sounded like Rip was advising people to hold their breath as they lifted...I have heard this causes sharp spikes in blood pressure (e.g. The Valsalva Maneuver), which could have very bad consequences. I appreciate any thoughts/comments.

Thank to Coach Rip to make this point clear, cos this is what I was told 16 years ago, but couldn't believe it from my own experience.
Greetings to all the Globo Gym guys and keep on breathing on your way up :-)

40/M/165

My rest day is tomorrow, so I made up the CFT I missed on Friday. Total:520 (PR by 45 from last time)

After I was done, I had a strange conversation in my head. It went like this:
Tiny Voice; "C'mon, do Fran. First time as Rx'd. Do it."
Rational Brain: "You've gotta be kidding. My shoulders are tired and my lower back is complaining. No way."
TV: "Bull. You just did a 105# press. How hard can 95# thrusters be? Take a break, come back and attack it."
RB: "But I've only done thrusters at 65# before. It's too big a jump."
Bigger Voice now: "Pussy. You're making excuses. Do it."
RB: (blank, no excuses left)

Left the gym, had lunch, rested about 40 min, then went back in. Warmed up with escalating thrusters x 5 (45,65,75,85,95), then rested a few minutes.

Fran, as Rx'd
21,15,9 of
95# Thrusters
Pullups
18:32

Fastest turtle in town :) but I finished. First round broken by fives, then thrusters broken by threes for the rest, pullups by fives.

It's taken me thirteen months to get here. In April of 2007 I did my first Crossfit workout, 30 pounds overweight and very deconditioned. My motto for most of that time has been "half the weight in twice the time" (Sort of works today too, same weight in 4x the time :) but now, for this wod at least, my only marker for improvement will be time. I no longer have to check to see what weight I used last time. I know I'm going on here, but this means a lot to me.

Coach, and all you monsters on this page. Thank you. You inspire me every day.

And no steroids :)

Good article. I believe in all natural baby! If you have to juice then you're not working hard enough! With CrossFit, if you put out you will get results....garundagonteeit!

Rip thanks for rienforcing the basics that people forget.

Semper Fi

I heart CrossFit

Can someone tell me, what is a squat clean? do I clean then squat? or squat, then clean? Am confused.

#101

Squat clean is cleaning the weight and catching it in a squat (or quasi squat) and then finishing the squat by first ensuring you lower to full squat depth and then front squat the weight until fully standing.

As the weight gets heavy enough, you will have to catch it in a full "squat clean". If you are able to "power clean" (catch the weight while standing fully erect) you would then have to do a full front squat.

So, clean the weight, catching it in a squat, ensure that you lower to proper squat depth (crease of the hips below the knees) and front squat the weight (or simply stand up).

A squat clean. By default, all "Cleans" in Crossfit are full "Squat Cleans" unless denoted as otherwise as a "Power Clean".

Hope this helps.

Thanks mac :D

Took Sunday off. Today I did 225 lb. Back Squats and Ring Pushups for 21-15-9. Time was 11:13. Shoulder still sucks so bad that I can't do ring dips; although ring pushups are no problem. Any ideas anyone?

29/f/113

playing catch up made up yesterdays squat clean + ghd workout

95# squat cleans
ghd sit-ups with ball and lat-pulldown machine

14:12

#54 & #81- thanks for filling me in. she looks like a badass!

pre: wux2
post: abs (just kidding)

love the new workouts. these past 2 days are some of my new favorites!

There is nothing that compares to the adrenaline and excitement of 70 crossfitters in one location for a weekend. Add competition and camaraderie with PR lifts, amazing CFT's, 95% humidity (perfect for a 5K), a little firefighter fran on air, topped by a hopper that leaves you unable to function when finished after 20 minutes (not even completing all 5 rounds) and you've got the East Coast Challenge...it was awesome!

So nice to see so many familiar faces from the Alexandria Cert. Always nice meeting new crossfitters and really hope to visit some of you this summer. Thanks to everyone who played a part in helping to make the challenge possible with a full cft and everything from start to finish.

Can't wait for the next one!

Made up yesterday's WOD:
9:50
Felt pretty good, but my squat cleans could've been prettier, and the GHDs faster. Always room for improvement.

M/45/6'/175/7500'

I have had a similiar curiosity to the one Bingo posted. What ever happend to Jrock? I have not heard or seen his post in some time now.

#108: I seem to recall that he had some significant injury, and that he continued to train with it; so perhaps he's out and away recovering?

Susie

Finally, an article I want to read. Professional sports are a mess. I wish there was some way to regulate and test all athletes competing in sport. Unfortunately as the article stated, that is much easier said then done.

#89 Barry - Hendrick's gin is a real winner. Have you tried Plymouth gin?

M/35/186

BrettL, et al.

I had the SAME conversation in my head.

Last time on Fran, 9:31.
This time, 6:47. No kidding. ("Don't be a b!tch" from yesterday's A$$ whooping video ran through my mind)

CFT from 625 to 675.

How? Steriods.

Seriously, though, simple. Eat whole foods. Meat, veggies, little starch, no sugar. Just like its been said here so many times.

Today was my 5 month CF mark, I have put over 100 pounds on my CFT in 5 months, have lost 13 pounds (probably lost 23# of fat and gained 10# of muscle), and 4 inches on my waist simply by doing the WODs posted and eating like I want to live past 60.

Someone asked me today: "Why don't you wear lifting straps, couldn't you lift more?"

Response: "If I am picking up a stretcher in Baghdad, it isn't going to have lifting straps on it, its going to have a soldier on it. That soldier is going to be depending on my forearm and hand strength to get him outta there. What if that soldier was you?"

Just like that, he got it, and asked again for the website address.

I love this. I can't wait until tomorrow.

3,2,1.....

Great articles in the CrossFit Journal

as rx'ed on Sunday (since I relaxed yesterday)
except sub'ed incline sit-ups for GHD's since my gym does not have that machine :(

Time: 23:42

AAR: Need to work on my balance while doing the squat cleans. Fell over three times, coulda injured myself.

My calves are killing me from the Tuck jumps (subbed for DU's) Anyone else? Just curious. I can't remember the last time my calves hurt so bad. I guess I'd better learn how to do DU's.

For those who saw the picture from yesterday of the Marines and Sailors CrossFitting aboard the USS Dubuque, there is a blog that Capt "Tosh" Chontosh is running off of the CF Camp Pendleton website. Enjoy and Semper Fi.

http://www.crossfitwarehouse.com/dubuque/

YAY tomorrow is my first day back since my marathon! So pumped to get back into crossfitting!!!! The sooner this workout is up the better!

37/m/164/5'4"

Saturday 31 May 2008 rest
Sunday 1 June 2008 5K run (some steep hills) 33:46
Monday 2 June 2008 CrossFit Total
Squat-295;Military-135;Deadlift-320 (I had 340 but I don't think I locked out, I'm Not considering it as a successful lift) Total-750.
CFWU

wtp,

I totally agree. Why be left with a life time of regret when you could look back and feel a personal sense of achievment?

I'm not a professional athlete so there is no way that I may truly understand the pressures of endorsments or whatever may lead to the desire for enhancement through drug use. I will continue to be satisfied with the progression I make through my sport, CrossFit, with nothing more than intensity and determination.

112 Max- could not agree more. Functional strength.

Thank you to all the the trainers at the certification in Golden this weekend. It reinforced many things I knew, taught me many thing I didn't know and even showed me things I didn't know that I didn't know. Who knew.

I've always tended to believe that if one must take what are deemed to be illicit performance enhancing drugs then that particular individual probably does not have the genetic ability to become number one. But similar to many obsessions, one with the ego does not lend itself well to logical and rational decisions. I think if one is considering these kinds of aid one should step back and introspect to determine what your capabilities are. At that point one should do what is in one's power excel but leave "number one" to those who have the genetic advantage. Of course this doesn't mean not to work hard; quite the contrary.

Somehow, and this might be a stretch, but this seems pretty analogous to a company doing some fancy, but rather illicit, accounting to inflate their company. Or perhaps even more recently, and this might be even more of a stretch (let me know if this is the case), getting creative with a mortgage to get that house that you really can't afford, even if you are working really hard. In the end you get caught.

Maybe I don't really understand since I have never been under that kind of pressure to perform. I just know that whatever I deem to be an accomplishment was completed with my own will and effort. I believe #87 wtp summed it up pretty well.

I think the whole thing is pretty sad. But, with few exceptions, I don't generally care much for professional athletes.

Atlanta (Athens) finally has a great Beer: Terrapin Rye. The beer is remarkably balanced and the Rye is a welcome diversion from the standard IPA, like the less notable other local beer Sweetwater 420.

Terrapin is what the beer snobs call a "session beer", meaning you can drink a six or too without getting sick of it.

Still, Racer5 from the Bay area's Bear Republic Brewery remains a truly remarkable IPA. It's bold (but Balanced), and contians 7% alcohol, so it might not be for everyone at all times, but it is truly a quality item.

If Anyone from the Bay is coming to Atlanta soon, please bring me some. (Boz, that means you)

A more wildly distributed brewery than rarely disappoints is Rogue. Any of their Stouts are renown, but their Brutal Bitter and Dead guy Ale are spot on too.

On Gin, Hendricks is also a quality item. Miller's offers a lot of the same qualities (ease of drink, floral notes) without the cucumber infusion, which may make it more versatile. I'm stoked that gin is back (when I am not preaching crossfit, I am preaching Gin), but the downplayed Juniper notes in these gins doesn't always make the best cocktail. The stalwart Old Raj and understated Boodles are two to check out after Hendricks, Millers, and Plymouth get you primed.

puppies came over at 0530 to begin their summer regimen after a couple-week pause for finals

we did 21-15-9 of:
pull ups
burpees
sit-ups, (feet locked under the front wheel of the truck and extending fully back over a 20' plyo-box)

we finished in ~12 minutes.

Rode the bike home from work 6.75 miles
waiting for the temp to dip below 100F to do some 95# thrusters and ring pulls

Loved this months CFJ - that SWAT FRAN vid was crazy! I'm on a HAZMAT team at work - maybe I'll do it in a fully enclosed Class-A suit... HELL NO!

That article on the ripped shorts was hilarious - a dedicated Crossfitter would've kept going "B@lls to the wall" literally!

The camera video was...bad. Why was he standing in the mottled shadows of a tree! Many P&S cameras have a Custom function where you can program presets and cut start-time significantly. I always have my Canon G9 on me and got some shots published last week in the local news (on-line and print)

dpreview is great, as is stevesdigicams

Go Get Some!

Today was my birthday. I turned 29. Again. Spent it smoking shisha with my very best friend in the world. We were best friends as kids, and still are. She's an angel in a human suit.

Caleb, thank you. It was great to meet you & I loved your tat.

The Albany Challenge was a kick in the junk. Such fun is rarely legal. Anybody feel like re-engaging with that goat hopper? I'm fascinated by the idea of working at it till I get 5 rounds in 20 or it kills me.

32/m/5'9"/186

MAde up WOD from 5/31

6:18 Rx'd

I hate thrusters. But I love to practice them. Need to get on my heels more. Maybe one day I won't mind so much. ... I doubt it though.

If the rules to any contest require you to be drug free, and you use and beat the test, it doesn't change the fact that you knowingly cheated and lied about it.

Rationalizing that everyone else is doing it doesn't excuse it. You are still a liar and a cheat.

We had Jeff Tucker out to Crossfit Cherry Point for a gymnastics seminar on 31 May and 1 June. We were instructed on high bar variations, ring work, handstands, handstand pushups, and all kind of parallette work. Jeff's instruction was the best two days of Crossfit that I have had in a couple of years. I am so pumped by all that I learned and what gymnastic moves I was able to accomplish. Jeff is a fine American and I was humbled to be around him. Thank you Jeff for taking the time to come out to Cherry Point, NC to teach the Marines and civilians.

If we believe that the will or the spirit of the athlete is what should determine the outcome, then shouldn't we support the use of performance enhancing drugs? Afterall, I'm leaner, smaller and weaker than many others on account of my genetic makeup. Why should I be forced to compete against, say, an Amundson when he is clearly my genetic superior? If I were to take HGH or some other PE drug (which I don't) it would level the playing field. That would be a fairer test of spirit, rather than giving the victory to the athlete who was simply born that way.

Jodi (F/29/110)
Mobility Drills

Deadlifts
95x1
135x1
185x1
225x1
255x1

Shoulder Press
45x1
55x1
65x1
75x1
85x2 (PR by one rep)

Deadlifts felt heavy except for the last set, it felt pretty good. I was going for 3 reps with 85 on the shoulder press but just couldn't squeak it out today.

Back after 1 cycle layoff...

30 minute treadmill run, 7.0 mph, hill, level 5

ringtraining.com 100 push-up workout, between sets:
10 knees-to-elbows for total of 100
10 back extensions for a total 100

#129, Morgan, writes,

"If we believe that the will or the spirit of the athlete is what should determine the outcome, then shouldn't we support the use of performance enhancing drugs? Afterall, I'm leaner, smaller and weaker than many others on account of my genetic makeup."

If we legitimize steroids and the less gifted athletes are able to compete with the most gifted, the latter will still be able to opt to use steroids, thereby continuing to insure the same relative outcome.

"Why should I be forced to compete against, say, an Amundson when he is clearly my genetic superior? If I were to take HGH or some other PE drug (which I don't) it would level the playing field. That would be a fairer test of spirit, rather than giving the victory to the athlete who was simply born that way."

Why should the gifted athlete be forced to take steroids in order to distinguish himself against the less gifted athlete?

Should we allow the less intellegent to cheat on their academic exams, so that their "spirit" can determine their relative academic standing?

David #127,

Outside of CrossFit name another "game" or "sport" that requires athletes to compete "to be drug free"?

Not MLB, NFL, NHL, UFC, or Olympic Games. Each of these allow steroid use.

Getting "caught", that is testing positive, really has nothing whatsoever to do with "cheating" or "lying".

I encourage you to read the linked article.

6:20, full squat cleans, regular full situps, not ghd

Coach –

Again thanks for providing the article posted here on Rest Day. I’ve learned a ton for sure and continue to do so.

Can you help me with something? I need help articulating it to others (athletes, clients, etc.) I suppose:

From the previous day and here today you noted that CrossFit requires competing athletes to “be drug free.” We’re on record now saying that “CrossFit doesn’t allow steroids”, and that “we’re against them.”

How do I articulate this point further to others and that we’re accomplishing/enforcing the above? And why are we actually against them (legality? detrimental effects? unfair advantages?)

#133 coach..."Not MLB, NFL, NHL, UFC, or Olympic Games. Each of these allow steroid use. "

I'm confused. MLB does have rules prohibiting use of various performance enhancing drugs...they may not be enforced as well as we would like, but they are there.

If a state highway has a speed limit of 55mph, but the highway is never patroled and the limit is not enforced by police.

In this case, does the state allow speeding? I would say no, the does not allow speeding. Can you speed and get away with it...probably so, but the state does not allow it.

I am still breaking the law if I drive 70mph.
I haven't been caught, but I have still broken the law. I have "cheated" (probably not the best example to use the word "cheated" but I have ignored the rules).

Coach,
I was speaking of international competition, i.e. the Olympic Games. I realize that you only have to TEST clean to compete, but you and I both know that cycling on and off is not going to give the best natural athlete a fair opportunity to compete, and isn't that supposed to be what these events are all about? I competed drug free in bodybuilding for 20 years and people were always trying to beat the test.

Again, if the rules require you to be drug free, I believe that means all the time, not just on race day. Beating the test doesn't make you less of a cheat.

# 105, Nadia:

How are you using a ball and the lat pulldown for the GHD Situps ?

(You wont believe the contraptions & contortions I use to get at them without a GHD device).

"In 1984, Taylor visited a Los Angeles doctor, Robert Kerr, who was famous for his willingness to provide athletes with pharmacological assistance. He suggested that the Canadians use human growth hormone, the pituitary extract that promotes lean muscle and that had become, in Francis's words, "the rage in elite track circles."'

Well if that's the case, and mixed-modal CrossFit style training promotes more HGH, than that's pretty cool; CF perhaps promotes more of the gymnast-style rippedness than the bulk+cut of the bodybuilding world.

That was exactly why I no longer lend worship status to world-class athletes. I understand that we may not be able to achieve those unbelievable feats without artificial help. I also know that these athletes take on these risks willingly. I am not worried about them nor will I feel sorry for them when the worst happens. For me, exercise will remain an endeavor for health & fitness and not a quest where I will do anything to get a better score. In the end, the history books might remember you, but that is no use when you are resting in an early grave.

The issue I think is that the sporting institutions of the world have accepted the "fact" that to insist athletes be drug free is unenforcable. At the very last it would require levels of monitoring for competitors for weeks in advance of an event that would greatly impinge on their freedom. Is this a preferable approach? Instead they allow those drugs that provide an effect that can be confused with a naturally occurring substance, but limit the amounts, thus levelling the playing field.
For everyone except the person of principle who refuses to take the drugs.
With regards to Lance Armstrong, I have read an article which suggested that the surgery he had following testicular cancer (the removal of one testicle) produces chemical changes in the body which are favourable to his sport (extreme endurance which is heavily reliant on recovery of stored energy). This would explain why his performance following the surgery has actually been better than before it. But then again, so would the use of performance enhancing drugs up to the testable limit. Perhaps all athletes should be tested at events such as the Olympics and the figures made public (along with an explanation of what they mean) Those athletes who hover just below the acceptable limit would therefore be "named and shamed" although this would not solve the problem.
Everything we do affects the chemistry within our bodies. Many of you will be on the Zone diet, which produces chemical changes within the body favourable to training harder. Supplements such as creatine are legal and have an effect. Piling on protein in the form of purified amino acid powders is hardly "natural".
I personally would never use any kind of drug to enhance my performance, because I want to test my natural ability, determination and skill against my opponents, not who employs the better biochemist. If he wants to do that, I will try and beat him anyway.
Churchill - "Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential."
My first post! sorry it is such a long one. My brother introduced me to the concept of crossfit a couple of weeks ago and I have been trying to follow the WOD since then. Training for the British Indoor Rowing Championships in November. Time last year - 6:24.3. I will be very interested to see what effect crossfit has on my performance.
Beer! - my twopennorth - Theakston's Old Peculier and Marston's Old Speckled Hen from England. Both around 5.5% and both absolutely fantastic if you can get hold of them where you are.

Andy

# 137, David

I think Coach's point (and I don't want to put words in his mouth) is that many/most sports technically do not require the athletes to be "drug free", rather they must keep the levels of drugs in their system under a certain limit. For example, if the IOC sets a T/E ratio of 6/1 as failing a drug test (keep in mind, a normal person is at 1/1) than athletes can get up to 5/1, still pass the drug test, and gain an advantage over competitors. Same goes with EPO as mentioned in the article. So, in effect, the IOC is condoning/expecting some drug use as long as it stays under their set limits.

Now, the question I have relates to some of the other steroids like Furazabol, Winstrol, Nandrolone, etc. It seems that if a drug test picks up any trace of these drugs than the athlete could be penalized, so in these cases there isn't a "legal limit" buffer that the athlete can stay under? Then again, maybe I don't understand the testing procedures for these types of steroids/drugs.

Cherry Point Marines and those who attended the Seminar!

What an awesome event this was for me. I cannot begin to express the wonderful time I had in being able to be part of this group and pass on some skills and drills that I hope will you all go toward better movements.

I was so very impressed with you all and wish I could have stayed for another week. The gains I witnessed were so inspiring to me - all of you rocked it HARD! Ooorah!

Mac, YOU and the rest taught me so much more than Oorah! I learned even more how blessed our country is to have men and women like all of you gaurding our gates from those who wish to tear down or sacred USA. You also gave me your full attention and max efforts in all of the work we accomplished. What more could a coach ask for, what more could a caoch desire but to look out and see his students giving their all and doing their best. I was just so very proud to be there and be with all of you guys and gals!

I loved every second of it. Take care guys and we will see you soon. Lets set up another date and get you guys rolling. Tell Col. Scott - I am coming up for him. :)

tucker

CFJ June 2008. Tony Budding: Capacity, Standards, and Sports.

Tony reviews the core differences between the standards of FITNESS and COMPETITION. In brief, there are very well-defined parameters that define the boundries within which a particular competition will be contested. Crossfit is the competition in which we compare our ability to contest LIFE. Therefore, it is our ability to overcome the physical challenges of everyday life that we must demonstrate when we compete in a Crossfit contest. Do you take steroids or HGH in order to prepare for tomorrow, whatever your everyday tomorrow may entail? Didn't think so. That's why, in addition, we train without belts, gloves, straps, etc. When tomorrow's challenge presents itself will you have any of these?

We assume that the Crossfitter who competes in the arena of GPP as a Crossfitter understands this. If (s)he does not Coach has stated emphatically that we train without the aid of steroids/HGH, etc. Test? Look Coach in the eye and tell HIM that you didn't use in order to "win" a Crossfit contest. At the end of the day, even at the Crossfit Games, it's STILL you vs. you, and the only judge lives in the mirror. And the judge never retires.

Rules are rules. 6:1? Fine. 50% hematocrit? Whatever. These are big boys and girls. Those are the rules. Like 'em or don't like 'em, we don't get a vote. Wanna play? Wanna win? You know the rules. You know the playing field.

For me, as a spectator, what did the author say? Competition begins where sport ends, or something like that? I have as little in common with these athletes as I do with anyone on the PGA tour (and I'm a GREAT golfer compared with almost anyone). 0.1%. Get caught doping? Dope. The rules are the rules. The limit of allowable usage is on record.

Just don't fluck with my Crossfit...

Been a long day, (up since 2:30 a.m.), but need to make a couple of final points. the 6:1 ratio was put in place to avoid suspending the FEW who have abnormally high testosterone levels. The hematocrit numbers were inserted to compensate for high altitude training. This did not correlate to an acceptable level of drug use. I get that the OIC has accepted that they can't catch all the cheaters, but I don't see where they condone the use of peformance enhancing drugs. By the way, there is a big difference between testosterone doping and winstrol, et al.

You can paint a donkey to look like a zebra, but in the end it's still a donkey. Drug use to prepare for and gain an unfair advantage in amatuer sport is cheating and pretending the use didn't occur is still lying.

Coach; in reference to CF games being a drug free event, probably true at this point. Add international recognition for the athletes and healthy financial incentives for the winners and I would image the current times for Fran and Murph would fall by the wayside. I would also guess you would see a lot of new faces at the CF games.

You know, there are really two ways to look at this. One is as a relationship between yourself and others, and the other is as a relationship between your intention and your actions.

There are basically two approaches to winning, which I shorthand as the Vince Lombardi approach, and the John Wooden approach. In the former, the external outcome--winning--is the main thing. In the latter, the internal outcome--the emotional and spiritual growth that comes from the discipline needed to prepare to win, then act on it--is what matters most.

I don't see any practical method to even any playing field. Speal is never going to be 6'0", 180. Even if he takes drugs. I will never be Ben Jonson even before he took drugs. He would have beat me even then carrying a kid on his back.

I just coached a kids soccer team. I got all the kids the A team guy didn't want. They were good kids, but it's not likely any of them, even with a lot of work, are ever going to be stars. They are not starting from the right base.

Day one in the classroom all kids are not equal. Day one on the playing field all kids are not equal. With time and persistence, intelligence, help and effort, differences can be reduced but never erased.

For this reason, we will never be able to draw an intrinsic connection between athletic capacity and character. In point of fact, many of our best athletes are lousy human beings. The extension of this is that many of the best people out there are invisible.

Perhaps we are overdue for a collective evaluation of who we choose to be our heroes and why. Is being born with a natural talent admirable? My hero was always Jerry Rice on the field. He had little natural ability--Deion Sanders, for example, was his clear superior--but he used everything he had. He worked hard, and never stopped pushing.

Maybe a worthwhile goal is to be your own hero. To use the opportunity of athletic competition to dig deeper into yourself, and see what you have in the tank. To build on that, expand on that. If you make that the focus, it really doesn't matter if other people use drugs. It really doesn't matter what the score is. You need a score so you can track yourself, but you don't need to compare yourself to anyone else.

Food for thought.

Look at Bingo, gettin' himself all worked up. ;-)

I understand the compelling reasons to cheat/use, or whatever you want to call it, but it is no different than the siren's song that presents itself in every day life. These ethical dilemmas, and the choices we make in response to them, are what measure the content of our character. If there is such a thing as free wil and moral choice, then you really do "own" those decisions. If you can live with it, hey, right on. If you can live with beating the guy next to you and not being sure if YOU beat him or your drugs helped you beat a natural guy or if your chemist was better than his chemist, then good for you. I'll bet the rationlaizations for doing it have begun long before the needle hits the skin.

But don't come whining when your body falls apaart down the road.

Darrell - you're a good golfer? Hmmm, maybe I can get a few tips while we hang out in a month. 'Cuz I suck. Badly. And I'm left handed. And short. But other than that, I think I'm genetically predisposed to golf.

Barry, amazing thought about being your own hero. I never thought about things that way even though I'm a pretty competitive person as it is.

Push yourself and always ignore that voice inside your head that says, "Hey, let's just take it easy..."

Barry - your best post ever. I am going to keep that one in my back pocket and use it when my kids are old enough to appreciate it.

I'd use it with my kids, but they get tired of my lectures. I did have a good talk about George McClellan with my oldest tonight, though.

Quite honestly, I'm surprised often by what comes out when I type. I'm a touch typist, and can do roughly 60 words a minute (15 correctly--I had to fix the word "words"), so I can type nearly as fast as I can think. I just sort of do a mental equivalent of softening your eyes so you retain your peripheral vision and can take in a whole picture at once, then see what comes out.

There is a problem, it seems to me, in how we sometimes approach heroes. We want to believe on some level that the human condition can be transcended, that there is some form of existence where the mundane banalities and difficulties of life are absent.

We want to believe there are people out there who are perfect. Who we can elevate to this level beyond where we live, so that we can attain a belief in some life beyond what we can see. Some form of grace that comes down from Heaven, and is not earned.

This, to me, is foolish, and certainly not in accord with what I can see. All men and women have Achilles Heels. For example, let's say Lance Armstrong is clean. The reality is he dumped the woman who helped him through chemo, and then later dumped (after marrying her) the woman who helped him get his competitive spirit back after he wanted to quit racing, and who bore him his first child.

Is he a hero, or not? At times, his mental toughness, and persistence rose to a level we can respect unabashedly. For me, that's good enough to consider him a role model in some respects, but I'm not going to pattern my life on his life.

I'm fond of riddles, and the Taoist literature is full of them. They can be solved--at least on one level (I assume they have many levels)--with certain heuristics I've developed.

One of the best sets is the following:

"Renounce Sainthood, it will be a thousand times better for everyone". Tao Te Ching

"Perfect Goodness is crooked". Chuang Tzu.

Ponder. Those are very clever.

Barry,

My Kajukenbo instructor told us "Be your own hero" all the time. This was in 1971-1975. He also said "the first line of self-defense is your health. You can know all the techniques in the world and be a bad ass but if you drop over from a heart attack you're just stupid." He had an article and a picture of Jack LaLayne on the bulletin board. His workouts sort of remind me of crossfit. I have always remembered "be your own hero" and frankly I've never given a crap what other people do. But there are lots of people I admire greatly, that includes Barry Bonds. Sweetest swing in baseball.

Good thoughts, all.

I think the concept of "Hero" being associated with sport is understandable, but superficial. I saw a poster of some professional baseball players yesterday that was entitled "Combat Tested", and was mildly irritated.

No question that some athletic performances can inspire, such as the Olympic Gymnasts who compete through excruciating pain to victory during Olympic competition. Competitive sport can place one in Theodore Roosevelt's "Arena", and can foster heroic values and traits such as courage, fortitude, stamina, selflessness and....nobility of purpose (Sportsmanship).

Its that last two "little pieces": Selflessness and Nobility of purpose, that vanish in the context of cheating. Interesting how this topic wound around to a discussion of heroism. Nobility of purpose is one of the essential ingredients (of heroism), and for me is the bright line separating professional and amateur athletic competition in terms of moral expectations and value judgements.

Barry cooper #152,

The hero in Magnum Force was Dirty Harry Callahan. Clint Eastwood and John Wayne are movie heroes. Lance Armstrong was a hero in that petty sense, juiced or not.

Heroes overcome innate fear or sacrifice to help, not to entertain, others. It arises out of a sense of duty, like Brian Chontosh and his men in Fallujah, whether killed, wounded, or not. Sometimes it's instinctive, as in the case of Larry Skutnik who lived and Arland D. Williams, Jr. who died rescuing victims of the Air Florida Flight 90 crash in the Potomac. These examples show that death is not a criterion. Heroism occurs everyday, more often than can be recorded.

Someone who dopes himself to win a sporting contest shows some courage, if he has the good sense to know the danger, but not heroism. Some wag remarked about newly crowned Mr. Universe Arnold Schwarzenegger that if his head had a zipper on it, he'd take his brain out and play with it. The line between courage and stupidity is as fine as that between genius and madman. And then there's political courage - for another day.

The meaning of heroism has been driven home this week with the Medal of Honor being awarded to Ross McGinnis. That was tough. And often by the memory of those who were going up the stairs in the Twin Towers. We owe such people a debt that cannot be paid.

I had argued on a thread on the main message board that heroism might be defined as preparation meeting opportunity. There are countless people in this world who, given the need and the ability to act, would do the right thing, no matter the consequence. We are surrounded by potential, but not actualized, heroes.

You never really know until the situation presents itself. McGinnis had likely rehearsed that scenario in his mind. I know when I was a kid growing up I did. Many, if not most, boys grow up with these fantasies of giving it all and saving the day.

For this reason, in pointing out that heroes are human, I am not trying to downgrade them, but point to the very real potential all of us have to be and do more than we would imagine.

John McCallum talks about this in "Keys to Progress". He says that the cult of hero worship is in some respects limiting, in that if we perceive the accomplishments of others as somehow beyond anything we could do, we limit ourselves unconsciously.

I have this notion of what I call severability, which I think is a legal term, which for me means that there is no reason you cannot admire one aspect of a person, while disagreeing with another. You can admire Barry Bonds swing, while disagreeing with his decision to use drugs. You can admire him on the field, and not off the field.

To me, the notion of achieving perfection is actually limiting. The better notion is one of continual progress. There is no perfection, merely movement in the direction of improvement, carried on forever.

Thinking about this a bit more, I think we could differentiate what might be termed "fast" heroism, and "slow" heroism.

You will often read accounts of people who did something courageous, and they will say "I didn't think about it, I just did it". Now, in reality I think they had prepared themselves mentally beforehand, but for the sake of argument let's call such acts spontaneous.

This is "fast" heroism.

There is also the form of heroism in which countless acts of sacrifice and self denial are accrued over years, in which the principles of loyalty and committment are held manifestly superior to all forms of personal preference and comfort.

Our soldiers who are not wounded, not forced to kill our enemy, not subject to heavy combat, are still pulled away from their families and the comforts of home for years at a time. They work insane hours (I hear 12 to 16 hours or more, 7 days a week with some units), and do it in very unpleasant conditions.

I consider it a form of heroism to endure such things without serious resentment and complaint. We see this, in a lesser form, in athletes whose day of triumph emerges from many, many years of daily hard work.

I suppose what real heroes do is teach us by example what is possible. We need people like that. They are invaluable.

The goal, in my view, is not to copy heroes. We each do things in our own ways. The goal is to follow them where they lead, and exceed them.

Jeff commented that we owe such people a debt that cannot be repaid. I agree and I disagree.

Contrary to what many leftists would have us believe, most soldiers make their sacrifices because they believe in the causes they are fighting for. That has become increasingly the case every year we have been in Iraq.

In my view, the way we repay them is by living our lives as well as we can, by using our freedom for the purpose of advancing goodness and light in the world, and by making sure the specific cause for which they gave their lives is achieved.

Never believe anyone who says "Support the troops, end the war". What they mean is "End the war", win or lose, by any means necessary, regardless of the consequences.

They just don't want to be linked to the social psychosis that engulfed our nation in the late 60's and 70's. They want to be seen as moderates when in fact they are not.

And you all were wondering how this would get political. I mean what I say, though, and these posts are part of my own effort to earn the sacrifices of our soldiers, in all the many forms such sacrifices take.

I may be smoking crack, but that's my view of things.

Barry Cooper ##156-157,

Good point about payback by leading an exemplary life.

Falling on the grenade was certainly not original with Ross McGinnis, but I don’t think his reaction was so calculating or rational. He suppressed an instinct to save himself and to commit a truly selfless act. I wouldn’t diminish the act an iota because it might have been contemplated or rehearsed. There are no points for originality.

I think that the military man (or fireman or police officer) makes his commitment to heroism when he assumes the risks of combat or even dangerous training. The heroic act begins then, not the instant before the bullet hits. Dangerous service is not a suicide mission; it is risk assumption, including the risk of dangerous or un-survivable incidents. The act is completed when the courage is shown.

Back to the subject of the day, we should take off points for drugs.

60 min spin