Need to make up the 5k today! Yea!

Need to make up my two rest days. Thinking of "Randy" followed by Tabata plus 10 protocol either in the pool or c2.

I was counting on this. Awesome.

i need to get a 5K in tomorrow....i devoured a whole pint of coffee ice cream tonight!!!!!!! =]

totally worth it.

Love the rest day.......still have to make up for missing 3 days of the Burpee Challange plus 29 Burpees!

Russia and Georgia huh...
No big surprise there. Anywhere on a map where there are two distinctly different cultures side-by-side will also be a hotbed for unrest.
Maybe NATO can step in and prevent hostilities there like they did in, er... uh... wait a minute...
Nope, can't think of one time where NATO has been a benefit to any situation.

I totally called this one!

A Russian instructer explained Russian foreign policy in two tenets:
1) If something benefits Russia, it will be done regardless of the consequences to anyone else.
2) If Russia will gain nothing from an action but the USA will receive harm, they will do it. Michael McFaul echoes that statement.

Sadly, we have taken our eye off the Russian bear. I spoke with a senior military intelligence soldier a few years ago, and when I told him I studied Russian he said, "What a waste of time. You're useless in the war on terror."

Georgia needs more than just moral support. We stand in a position to influence Saakashvili regarding South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but need to back up someone willing to be our friend. Unfortunately, big countries rarely stand up for little ones.

Oh thank you god for a rest day. I have a Marine PFT tomorrow, anyone have any advice on how to smash this thing? The PFT consists of:

crunches (100 max) easy
pullup (20 max) my weakness
3 mile run (18mins perfect) who can't run?

Any advice would be great. Thanks.

Cpl. M

Thank goodness for the rest day.

I have a bad feeling though that when Wednesday rolls around I'll still be tired and sore. These past two cycles have beaten me to the ground.

I started CrossFit in May and haven't missed a main page WOD yet. At first I was really fired up and attacked it with everything I had. Granted my times don't yet come close to a lot of you, but I have seen big improvements which really motivated me.

Lately, I feel tired and throwing everything I have at these WODs just doesn't seem possible. I feel like I peaked in mid July and now my performance is declining badly. Although my CFT is higher and I don't have to scale as many WODs, my times are starting to slow and I don't feel the fire in my belly to kill these workouts. Instead, I feel like I just want to finish and survive the workouts.

Seeing as that I've only been doing it since May and I'm not as experienced as some of you, I would like your input. Should I take more rest days, should I scale all of the WODs down for a cycle or two in order to recharge, or is this a natural slump that I'm just supposed to work through?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Please don't think that I'm a huge nerd for quoting a video game I used to play in high school, but here is an excerpt from the original Ghost Recon:

The year is 2008, and the world teeters on the brink of war. Radical ultranationalists have seized power in Moscow; their goal, the re-establishment of the old Soviet empire. Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan—one by one the surrounding independent republics slip back into the Russian orbit. The world holds its breath, and waits…

The majority of the missions in the game are set at the heart of the action, near Tbilisi, Georgia.

This is the first thing I thought of when I heard about Russia in Georgia.

Erik-
Just my opinion but I think you are due for a rest cycle. Take the next cycle or even the next week completely off and recharge. Play, sleep, eat-just don't do any WOD's. Then come back and see if you don't set some PR's. In the future, take a cycle or a week at 50% every month or so with a cycle or a week completely off every 3 months. Your body needs time to rest periodically. This is the schedule I use and it has worked pretty well thus far.

Chad

#10 Erik,

This subject has come up numerous times on the message boards, so you are not alone. Depending on your level of training, the 3 on 1 off can eventually lead to overtraining if you don't take a break. One suggestion is after four weeks, take a week where you train at half intensity, and take a week completely off every eighth week. Others have changed the schedule and started working 3 on 1 off, 2 on 2 off. The key is to listen to your body. The 3 on 1 off is just a template, what you need can be completely different. Some of the determining factors for the rest you need are age, fitness level, diet, and amount of sleep you get.

I guess this is just a long winded way of saying, don't feel bad about taking a break.

Matt

I get the feeling I am posting way too many comments tonight. I should read through the previous posts better...

Corporal Mess,

This late in the game, if you want to improve your pull ups, I would focus on form. Make sure you keep an active shoulder, and focus on pulling your elbows back to help engage more muscles.
But to be completely honest, if your test is tomorrow, I wouldn't drastically change anything. Just do what you do, get some, and hooyah and such.

"Cpl M: Oh thank you god for a rest day. I have a Marine PFT tomorrow, anyone have any advice on how to smash this thing?"

My advice is to keep doing crossfit. Especialy with the new CFT coming up in October. I have been doing crossfit for about a month now and have gone from about 14-15 Pullups to doing 20 easy. The CFT is gonna have a 1/2 mile sprint, and a 30 pound push press, both of those are straight out of crossfit. The MANUF will also be anaerobic bursts. So keep it up and good luck on the PFT.

As for me I took a day off yesterday, so I am gonna tackle yesterdays workout today. I am gonna have to scale a little. I will post my time later today.

#10 - Erik

In Coach's 'Fitness in 100 words' it includes 'learn and play new sports'. I had the exact same problems you are having - this occurs especially if you don't have a reliable training partner.

Pick a sport and see if you can't compete. It completely changed my fitness perspective.

Good luck!

Quick question - where did the '100 Burpee Challenge' originate? CrossFit Santa Cruz?

Am planning to start this challenge up on my forum and just want to credit/link to it correctly.

Thanks.

#9:

Advice on how to smash a PFT: Train CrossFit. Do Tabata Something Else every two weeks and Angie once on alternating weeks. You'll be smokin' it in no time.

Semper Fi!

Hey Tony! You finally got a sign!!

just thought I'd post some news about X-fitter John Welbourn and his training camp with the NE Patriots.

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/

A couple of questions.

What do you all do when you rip the callouses of your hands? (After a year of CrossFit the bar finally fought back)

I'm preparing for Fight Gone Bad 3 and I'm planning on doing 2 WODs a day. Should one be heavy lifting and one metcon, mix it up, both the same, or should I avoid two-a-days?

Thanks everybody.

Hey CF Crew,
I was reading through my Army Times yesterday when I happened across an article with CrossFit in the title. Oh good, I thought, an article about how great the system is and how it improves your functional ability to operate under extreme exertion...I was wrong. Apparently a former sailor (who got out of the Navy for non-medical reasons which I assume means his hitch was over) is suing a trainer in Manassass, VA over what he says are semi-permanent injuries that he suffered while "being forced to perform the extreme exertion of the CrosFit regimen". The guy got hit with rhabdo (which none of us wish on anyone), a lumbosacral strain and a quad strain. Now normally I would have nothing but sympathy for this guy but he names CF dozens of times in his suit (though coach glassman and CF as a whole are not named as defendants). What the suit boils down to is that this guy says the trainer forced him to train harder than he was ready for. Does this sound like the "McDonald's didn't tell me my coffee would be hot" suit to anyone else? I sympathize for the injuries guy, but leave the system alone and don't bring bad press down on it. One of the first things people told me when I wanted to start doing CF was to know my limits because there's a great deal of potential for injury. I think this guy failed to recognize his limit even as he passed it. Just my thoughts.

#21 Propain,

FGB3 prep: It all depends on your individual recovery capacity. I would push on with the 1 Heavy, 1 MetCon per day, on a 3 on and 1 off schedule. If that burns you out, consider the 3-1 for MetCon with only 1 or 2 of those 3 "on" days with added strength work. Basically, you should go by how well you're recovering. (This advice is assuming you're already strong enough to get reps with a 20# Wall Ball, and 75# Push Press/SDLHP.)

Hand rips: I remove as much skin from the rip/flap as possible. Then I dry it out by soaking my hand in Epsom salts/warm water. Once it's dried out, I keep it exposed to it as much of the day as possible, and use hand sanitizer (stings!) during the day to keep it clean and dry it out faster.

At night, break a Vitamin E gelcap into the rip, and cover with a band-aid. Repeat the whole process for each day until you have new skin. Most of my rips heal within 3 days using this method!

#10-try a workout partner. This way you'll have someone to compete with, and get that fire back.

So I scaled yesterdays workout a bit and here it is:
10 decline situps (as decline as it would go)
10 hip and back ext
65 lb thrusters, 30 reps
40 pullups

30 decline situps
30 H&B ext
65lb thrusters, 20 reps
25 pullups

50 decline situps
50 H&B ext
65lb thrusters
20 pullups

23:12

I was pretty happy with it. I actually met another crossfitter, we was doing the same workout and we gave knowing looks standing at the pullup bar trying to get through the reps. He went to his room to puke before finishing, Thats what I call giving it everything. My hands shook for about 10 minutes afterwards. Crossfit rules!!

#22, Will K-
I have to disagree. Much as I love to train my Marines to exhaustion, and even though I put great credence in vomiting as a sign of effort, there is an expectation when you go to a personal trainer that their goal is to improve your fitness without doing any (lasting) harm. The client puts his or her trust in the trainer's expertise, and if they (the trainer) lack the knowledge to prevent a client's being injured, or if they have such knowledge and fail to act on it, then they should be held accountable.

Pain is a necessary part of any serious physical training regimen, and to someone who has rarely or never trained near their physical limits, the act of identifying the "bad" pain may be impossible. When these people go to a personal trainer, they are trusting the trainer to push them near these limits, but to stop them before they hurt themselves. I think the lawsuit does have a measure of validity.

The tragedy is the sailor's confusing Crossfit with his personal trainer's shortcomings. Unless the trainer was somehow authorized to speak for the corporate entity of Crossfit, there is little reason to mention it in the suit, unless this guy has a really big axe to grind. It's like blaming the game of football because you jumped into a full-contact game when you should have been playing flag football. The difference here is that a referee whose job was to ensure your development as a football player let you wander into the full-contact game with no helmet.

Sorry, I have to respond to this b/c I always hear that McDonalds case being cited as an example of litigation out of control. The woman in that case was seriously injured, she needed skin grafts. The jury's findings that McD' had a duty to warn in that case were reasonable under the circumstances.

As to the CrossFit case, if the trainer was "forcing" him, not sure this is different than one of those hazing deaths that are in the news. Of course that's not an indictment of CrossFit, it could have been any physical activity pushed beyond healthy limits. I have found all the CrossFit trainers I have worked with to be very, very good at walking the line between pushing you hard and pushing you beyond what you're ready for.

CorssFit acknowledges (repeatedly) that it is potent stuff and urges caution among participants. We are all amply warned and assuming the risk with eyes open.

But a rogue trainer is a different issue. Yes, the participant may have failed to recognize his own limits, in which case the case shouldn't have legs. But if he was being paused beyond his limit by an authority figure in a coercive atmosphere and the so-called expert trainer did not recognize the danger, that's a problem.

I attended a level I certification course in Va. Beach Aug. 9 and 10 and I gotta tell everybody how great the whole thing was! I got my ass kicked, yeah, but those instructors are awesome. Great enthusiasm and terrific information delivered in a super-fun atmoshpere. Thanks to ALL the CF instructors. You rule! CF HQ...Thanks!
Coach Glassman, you are revolutionary. Best program the World has seen. Thanks to all involved.

Monday
BS rep 5: 135-145-155-160-160 PR but could have been more.
Legs are incredibly sore from the hill sprints at the dam on day prior (excellent workout)

SP rep 3: 70-70-75-75-75

Going a bit easier this week. Got to rest up a bit.

Erin

First of all, the McD's woman had absolutely no common sense, I really can't see a defense for her except the "I realize I did a REALLY foolish thing and someone, somehow is gonna pay" mentality (prevails in our society).

As far as the current lawsuit, I am sure the guy will be awarded some loot. It is sad, though, that Crossfit is blamed instead of the trainer (good post Sammy W). I was a personal trainer for about 5 years. I was certified by one of the organizations that everyone recognizes, due to the fact that my gym was owned by a hospital, which had more liability, from what I understand (also needed more knowledge b/c some clients were post-physical therapy/post-cardiac rehab).

What is out there now as far as many gyms making sure that their trainers are educated properly is garbage. If you are: 1. Muscular and appear to be in shape or 2. Can talk a relatively big game than odds are you can get hired this week at some local gym as a personal trainer. Many gyms recognize nearly any personal trainer cert as a golden stamp of approval, and you can pay $100 and get one over the internet to post on your wall.

When gym-goers are looking for a trainer and see a piece of paper on the wall, they assume it is legit, that their trainer has some training other than a weekend cert.

I see the crap the trainers put their clients through where I CF all the time and laugh inside (should be crying).

#17:

I think the 100 day burpee challenge started before CF Santa Cruz started earlier this summer.

I've been doing it for 60 days (today is day 60) and am feeling the pain of it... especially after yesterday's painfest.

Give it a shot and make it through all 100 days. You'll be glad you did (when you're done). My burpees, along with other exercises, have improved significantly. Real CFers don't count the burpees they do in the WODs as part of their burpee challenge!

I would like to know if anyone who has had a gastro by-pass. Are you able to zone with success? I'm feeling that the zone goes against what I was taught right after with no snacking and 2-3 meals a day.

Yesterday, while going through yesterday's WOD at the local globogym, a guy doing curls on the seated row machine asked me if I was training for something. I replied, "Nope, just another workout." He looked at me crazy and went back to his minimal-range-of-motion bicep curls.

For the second time in two weeks, a guy asked me if I was doing CrossFit. I told each I was. Then, they asked me if it was the "Filthy Fifty." Because that was one of the WODs in Muscle and Fitness, is that the only WOD these muscleheads know?

I think doing CrossFit and seeing the success of the program justifies a feeling of eliteness above other gymrats.

Re: the lawsuit against the Manassas CF gym, it is extremely difficult to comment on this without all the facts. All we can do is really guess at this point what really happened. I agree that the trainer has a responsibility to his client and it is his or her job to know thier clients abilities, strengths and weaknesses. I'm not sure why a waiver wasn't signed though to protect the trainer and gym against this sort of thing. Sadly though, in today's legal envirnoment, contracts don't seem to mean much (just look at professional sports). Also, there is such a thing as a bad Crossfit trainer. While one of the things I love about CF is the usual high standards of all the Level 1 trainers I have met, however there are many out there that don't deserve to have that certification. But I digress. I think the guy that is suing went through an awful ordeal through NO fault of the trainer or gym...it just happened. No matter how perfect the coaching or training is, statistically speaking, sooner or later someone is going to get hurt. Most people understand this. I think the guy probably is so upset and frustrated that he wants someone to pay for his misery (same thing with the woman who burned herself with the coffee)

On Russia and Georgia...

South Osetia has been resonably independant for sixteen years. Georgia calls a cease-fire then kills around 2000 people, destroying SO's capital city and then calls another cease fire. Georgia are bastards for killing scores of people and destroying their city. Period. We should not encourage our smallest allies to do what they please then lean on us for support. They killed lots of people, we should not endorse that. It is not a matter of "supporting our allies."

Russia attacked outside of SO, boo-hoo. Georgia should not be allowed to do as they see fit and their government should be punished for attacking civilians. Georgia has been poking the tiger for years and feels like with the US on their side they can do as they please. That ain't cool.

And before we pass judgement on Russia for attacking a hostile border state of theirs, keep in mind that we underwent a full scale invasion of a nation thousands of miles away which was not hostile to our citizens and did so against the wishes of the international community.

The McD coffee case is often cited as evidence that we have a chronically litigious society. However, the facts are that a 75 year-old plaintiff suffered severe injuries and was then bullied by a large corporation which knew it was engaged in wrongful behaviour. The final award was a punishment, not a reward. It wasn't as wacky as it sounded in the headlines. Those interested can find plenty of case summaries online.

The Russia - Georgia hostilities are very disturbing. So is the fact that so far, I've found time to read all about the Olympics and not made nearly as much time to read up about this tragic episode. I suspect I'm not alone and that the timing of this was not accidental.

I started my burpee challenge yesterday and I find it very rewarding. I did my WOD yesterday at 12, and then at 5:45 I went down to the local park with my dog and did the 100 burpees. I live in a nice rural town and our city park is in a little valley with a creek. There was something very Zen about the setting and doing the 100. I can't wait to repeat tonight, but this one will be a bit tougher because I've got a WOD at 5:30; in fact, I predict misery. But what I am REALLY looking forward to is doing them tomorrow morning at 6:00 before work. Who'd have thunk I'd enjoy doing burpees!? Strange, I know.

BTW, if you had thrown the cup of coffee onto someone's face that the woman had burned herself with, it would have been considered aggravated assault. The contents were an unposted grenade, hence the lawsuit. There is NO reason to serve scalding anything, especially to someone operating a car or truck. I had a personal experience with Tim Horton coffee at 3 a.m. on my way to Canada; dang near killed me while hauling a boat when the lid came off mid-drink. Fortunately my window was down and I tossed the hateful thing out before I got drenched. You know, ninja reflexes and all. ; )

And as far as Russia and Georgia are concerned, Tigers don't change their stripes.

Or as Chris Rock said, "That tiger didn't go crazy; that tiger went tiger. Crazy was thinkin' that tiger liked riding around on one of those little bikes..." Hence, Russia isn't crazy and Russia is no different than when they made their move in Cuba way back when. So don't be surprised if they put the kybosh on an unruly neighbor. They've been doing it for a couple of centuries now...

McD's got rung up because the coffee they were serving was at least 20 degrees above industry standard. They had had hundreds of complaints about this issue and did nothing. The elderly lady in question had serious burns (needing skin grafts as noted earlier) to her groin area. Ouch. She did not, however, sue Folgers or the person who made the coffee. The Sailor is not suing crossfit he is suing the trainer and crossfit is the coffee(crossfit is hotter than industry standard).

#33 RV-KY:
It sounds like you've had a few good opportunities to spread the good news about Crossfit at your gym. I like when people ask me what I'm doing as opposed to just staring at me and getting in my way:)

I've been told that watching a crossfit workout is a little itimidating so if someone has the courage to come ask about it-good on them. Maybe you'll find a few fellow crossfitters at your gym.
Good luck!

First time going to an affiliate gym for a workout, Crossfit Orillia in Ontario, Canada.

Performed the following workout:

Run 1k
50 pushups
50 situps
Run 1k
50 kb swings(1 pood)
50 SDHP(1 pood)
Run 1k
50 pullups
50 bar dips

31:11

This workout kicked my ass! Had a great time working out with some people who have the same passion for Crossfit. Also had the chance to finally get some kettlebell work/coaching in.

I can't wait for Thursday, going for a drop-in at Crossfit Toronto.

Just wanted to thank everyone from the Virginia Beach Level I Cert last weekend. I've been studying the website videos and doing the WODs since April, but there's no substitute for personal instruction. The cert is absolutely worth the money. All the instructors were outstanding, but Tony Budding, Pat Sherwood, and Jeff Tincher in particular were great. I got a muscle-up, learned the butterfly kip, increased my skill in many of the basic movements, and had many of my questions regarding nutrition and programming answered. Crossfit.com is great, but it's not a replacement for 14 hours of instruction from talented people. Also, I brought my wife to the cert, and she's now drinking the kool-aid. Thanks again, everyone.

was watching the tape of the 63kg women's oly lifting (natalie woolfolk's division) this morning and the online commentator gave out the phone number of the IWF and was encouraging people to call and protest casey bergener's slot being taken away. and the number is:

86-10-66673102

the commentator seemed to think there was still a possibility that they could reverse their completely irresponsible decision and let casey compete. i don't know but we could at least tell them what pricks they are.

on another note, great to see that john welborn signed with the patriots. had a chance to talk with him at the games and he seems like a great guy. best of luck to him this season.

#8

Whatever military officer you were talking to was going against standard military policy with regards to language. For instance at the USMA the two preferred languages were Chinese and Russian for students and then Arabic as a distant third. The less shortsighted people in the military realize where the real future threats are.

Mondays WOD at Spark Sport Concitioning Edmonton, Canada:
20 Weighted Lunges
16 GHDBE
12 Pull-ups
8 Tire Flips (200 lb Tire)
4 Rnds for time
12min 15sec.

I wonder how you guys manage this insane number of pull-ups. I always thought myself to be in a relatively good shape re pull-ups, can do about 15 in one set. But 30? 50??? Seems totally out of reach. Is it supposed to be done in one set or in smaller sets (of 10 or 15)? How one would go about improving max pull-up # besides just doing more of them? I don't have access to weights now besides 16 kg and 24 kg kettlebells I have at home. Thanks.

The lawsuit does not name Crossfit as a defendant, but the Crossfit name is mentioned at length, as Will K said above. Only Ruthless and the trainer are named as defendants. At the time Ruthless was an affiliate, AFAIK. I do not know if the trainer was CF certified.

There are a few threads on the forum getting going about this now.
http://board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=35664

The system might be at fault as well as the trainer, if the system allows poor trainers to use the name. There is a legitimate concern with quality control with affiliates and trainers using the CF name. To think otherwise is naive.

M/48/152

Crossfit Strength Experiment, Week 2

Buy-in: Handstand hold

5 Rounds for time:
30" Box Jump 5 reps
105# Push Press 5 reps (quite heavy for me)
10 Pull-ups

10:49

Cash-out: Dead lift 185#
15-/1 min. rest/12/1 min./9

I need this day, glutes and shoulders are burning.

M/22/6'1"/185

Made up the Hang Clean/Rope Climb WOD from Saturday. It was a lot of fun. I like the fact that typing kinda hurts right now.

As RX'd 18:10

#45, the pullups are do as many as you can, then do as many as you can, etc till you reach the number. OR, as I do it, I break it in to sets. If they call for 25 which I cannot do, I do 10-10-5 or shoot for 13-12 or you could do 5-5-5-5-5. The important things is to reach the number rx'd. As we all get stronger, the sets become longer till hopefully we reach the "freak" stage of many of the CFrs. Good Luck!

I went to the VA cert this past weekend.

I was very nervous before the cert with only a week away from my 48th birthday. With chronic knee problems unresolved by medical intervention & large quantities of ibuprofen, there was a fear I would be unable to function during an obviously active cert.

I learned that I had been doing things so incorrectly that I was injuring myself. Those problems, through proper instruction, were quickly fixed and my knees felt better than they had in the months prior to the cert.

Every staff member was always willing and able to educate, correct, and motivate me. Their enthusiasm during all phases of the cert was a measurable, observable, and repeatable testament to their commitment to Crossfit. They were more approachable than I would have ever believed.

Tony B. repeatedly made the complex simple. The ferocity of his instruction had us always anticipating every word.

Drew could keep things running as smoothly and as well organized as any top drill instructor could.

Drew and Bobbi were meticulous in keeping our form true in all movements.

My brother firefighter Jeff T. (#5 in the 08' Crossfit Games) demonstrated a complete understanding of all the disciplines within Crossfit.

Gillian (#3 08' Crossfit Games) with an unending smile, provided a breathtaking example of proper form, high intensity & an observable ability.

Kyle’s warrior-like performance humbled and awed everyone in attendance. We still can't believe the size of his heart & strength of his will.

The cert provided an excellent example of how multi-layered Crossfit is. It’s not just about improving your “Fran” time it’s about changing your life.

Dave and Blaine

Marion County Fire Rescue

Burpee Challenge--
I'm not sure where it started, but I saw it on OneWorld's site and on CF Santa Cruz's site. I'm on Day 29 today, and my burpees are feeling better and better.

I picked up Entering the Zone ($0.01 on Amazon) and another one with 150 Zone recipes ($0.50 on Amazon) and I'm trying to start it up (I'm going to Blog the process, that seems like the thing to do, I've seen a bunch of other Crossfit/Zone blogs out there), but I've had so much going on that it has been tough to commit to eating at the right times and having the right things. I've also heard that for the first week your body has to adjust to it and that I'm going to feel tired and sluggish.

Should I take a week off from the WODs when I first "officially" start the Zone? Any help would be greatly appreciated. My diet is struggling these days...Thanks

Agree somewhat with #46.

I think its difficult for the Level 1 certs to police bad trainers with the existing format of the certifications. Trouble is, I'm not sure what they could do unless they make the Level 1's more like Level 2s in terms of grading people on their ability to TEACH and instruct.

Many bad trainers can do the exercises just fine and may be excellent learners in that they pick up things quickly. Where they fail is in their ability to communicate, teach, and instruct someone else. I think most good trainers have good people skills, patience, and a knack for being able to explain difficult concepts (like Oly lifts), to someone else who is not familiar with the subject matter.

I think for many trainers, you either have these skills or you don't. Some can be improved, but unless you have the tools to start with, one weekend at a cert will not make anyone a qualified trainer...no matter what the certification is for. It will give that person the building blocks with which to teach, but without those inherent skills mentioned above, it will NOT make that person a good trainer. Hope that made sense.

Erik #10,

I am in the same boat right now and it want truly apparent to me until the last workout. I can normally blow out 15 pull ups with no issues but lately 10 or so has taxed me. I am going to follow the advice given here and take 3 or 4 full days off. I thought doing one off and one on would help but I am just not recovering. You can stay active but just stay away from the WODs.

Good luck,

Cameron

M/28/180/6'1

still playing catch up...

5k today - and i really hate any sort of distance running. on tredmill

26:37

Comment #21

ProPain,
While some have given good advice on how to slowly heal your ripped callouses, I have a crazy quick fix: SUPER GLUE. Use a toe nail cutter to remove the dead skin and level out the crater, peroxide the wound (bit down on something) then fill with super glue. That will close it enough for you to lift again the next day just cover with a little tape, use Corn Husker lotion in the future to toughen the hands and of course there is always duct tape.

Charlatan 6

Yesterday:

4 rounds
25 box jumps
25 squats
400 m run

14:20

Then,,,

5 rounds
10 (35 lb.) kb snatches (each arm)
20 pull ups
30 sit ups

28:18

Today

400 m walking lunge race against my girlfriend. I only beat her by 2 seconds.

15:07

I am cross-posting from the PM to spread the word -

"Help Casey Burgener

Call the IWF and protest their decision not to allow Casey Burgener to lift in the Olympics: 011 86 1066673102"

Let your voices be heard people!

I'm not ready for a rest day. Particularly not on Tuesday when I have plenty of time after work. Tomorrow when it will be all I can do to get to all my regular activities without CF I'll rest. I need to work on my pull-ups anyway.

Ask any Coffee drinker: the hotter the coffee is brewed the better it is. They all agree to this when they do taste tests. (Note that boiling is appearently too hot, but just less than boiling is good) Even when served at "industry standards" coffee is dangerious, so coffee drinkers should know enough to not hold it in any way that it can spill.

Comment #6

Jim,
"different Culture side by side" has nothing to do with this engagement, that's a lame excuse ponied up by the Russians.

This is about Russia's deeply rooted psychosis to protect itself from foreign invasion. They were invaded by the Mongols, The French, The Germans twice!(WWI: 4,950,000 dead WWII: 23,100,000 dead) That leaves a lasting scar on their collective psyche to the point were as a people they would do anything to avoid this from happening again. I don't condone what Russia's doing but you see my point.

NATO was instrumental in the Balkans, we(America) have all but left but NATO is still there. They're better than nothing, I don't think they can do anything in Georgia that wouldn't escalate the situation. We need to roll out some honey for the Russian Bear because threating it with sticks would just piss it off.

Peace in Eurasia! Cus I hear it gets cold there!

Re: lawsuit

No surprise to me that this occurred. The question is how many non-CrossFit trainors have been sued successfully, and what is the legal precedent in this matter. My suspicion is that, given our current state of "tort" in America, this precedent has been firmly established. As an ophthalmic surgeon, I unfortunately deal with this type liability everyday. Every patient that I operate on has the "potential" to litigate, whether justified or not. My advice to you trainors is get some legal counsel re: informed consent and an objective way to establish a fitness level for your clients. Also make sure your insurance coverage is adequate. I know many of you already do this, but unless its documented it won't help you in court. I can't see where CrossFit, Inc. should have any liability here, but I certainly don't have any details.

From yesterday:
45 lb thrusters & jumping pull-ups

29:48

#37 - are you doing 100 burpees a day for 100 days? or was your 1st day just to get a benchmark time? Is anyone thinking of doing the challenge for more than 100 days? 365 burpees would be pretty sick.

I'm super excited because I signed up for the Level 1 Cert in Toronto in October!!! It's cool to read the posts about how fun these events are, and I'm really looking forward to sharing this knowledge that I'm learning. I want to open a box in the next year and this is a big big step.

Anyone going to T.O. for the Cert October 11th? See you there! I hope I get to meet some of the CrossFit personalities we've all learned to love on the videos and posts on the site.

Man was hoping to see Casey Burgener lift...damn...

Alex #63. Yes I am going to the Toronto cert. I'm excited but quite nervous as well. Will be working hard to lift my fitness another level before then. Are you located in Toronto? I live in the beaches area, or "the beach" as it is now officially known.

Alex #63. Yes I am going to the Toronto cert. I'm excited but quite nervous as well. Will be working hard to lift my fitness another level before then. Are you located in Toronto? I live in the beaches area, or "the beach" as it is now officially known.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/printpage/?url=http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/08/european_war_enters_the_presid.html

G Will, the master, serves up another.

Russia v Georgia - bad for those that did or are dying, bad for those that are compelled to do the killing, bad for anyone who's holding tightly to the notion that diplomacy can be divorced from the ability to use force.

Thanks for all the info on the CF lawsuit, particularly the message boards info - very interesting and helpful. Hopefully the Navy really is 'gathering info' about the risks associated with CF, and is gathering all of it.

Also, thanks for posting the info about John W, I'm a rejuvenated Pats fan now! Paul

Pete (#34)

Just to clarify on something, it's not an affiliate that is being sued, nor is it CrossFit as an entity. This was a guy (I honestly don't know if the trainer was CF certified or not that info wasn't in the article) who worked at a World Gym that has since gone out of business. The suit names the Gym owner and the trainer involved.

Sammy W (#26)
You make a point with the trust relationship between trainer and client. I may have wrongly assumed that since the plaintiff was military he was somewhat familiar with his own capabilities and would be able to tell the difference between hurt so good and just plain hurt.

As to the McDs lawsuit, I'll freely admit that I fell prey to citing without checking. My fault.

Look, I understand that Crossfitters think that they are the greatest, and I know why, but to anyone that makes a comment that Crossfitters are the greatest/fittest athletes in the world, please go and get your head checked. none, and I do meant NONE of us could walk a minute in any of the olympic athletes shoes when it comes to dedication, and commitment to a goal of perfection. I read a comment that stated that Michael Phelps couldn't do the things we do, well ironic you stated that because shortly after, I saw a clip of him training with rings, doing the dips, push-ups, etc. Also, if anyone thinks Lebron James can't do a muscle up, HAVE YOU SEEN HIM??? 6'8, 265, 4-6% bodyfat.
I love Crossfit, it has saved my life over the past year, but please don't get being in shape and being a gifted athlete mixed up.
M/6'10/293lbs

Rest... cant do it
12 mile on stationary bike (big hill) 45 min
1 hour KB workout- 12kg
1.5 hours power yoga

and I feel great

Regarding the McDonalds coffee lawsuit, I always thought that suit had no merit and was simply an over litigious lawyer getting a hold of her. But when you hear the facts you understand that there was merit.

These numbers may be a bit off, I am trying to remember them off of the top of my head. But McDonalds kept their coffee at 160 degrees, the industry standard was about 140. They promoted that they had the hottest coffee, but it is obviously a danger, most of us keep our hot water heater only at 120 and that is usually too hot to touch.

Granted she did spill it, but to think that nobody is ever going to spill your coffee is silly. As a corporation McDonalds should of practiced risk management and not made the coffee so hot.

She got burned so bad by the coffee that she required skin grafts. Initially all she asked was that McDonalds pay for her medical bills. They declined and opted to take their chances in court, which they obvioulsy lost.

These are the facts of the case, but unfortunatly what makes the headlines is that someone spilled coffee on themself and they sued the restaurant.

#69 Big Cheese

Most world class athletes aren't "gifted", they work their asses off for years in order to achieve the dream of competing at the highest level. That sound familiar? Working your ass off day after day...trading hamburgers for handstands, pudding for pullups? Getting up at 5:00 am to run, lift, bike, sweat and suffer pain when you could be sleeping? It might not sound familiar to you, but I guarantee that it does to most on this board.

I'll put the world's top Crossfitters in the same fitness category as Olympic athletes any day of the week buddy. Different animals of course, but 'gifted' athletes nonetheless. Now drop and give me 50 :-)

tabatas again today:

tabata pushup
tabata balance-ball situps
tabata squatta

Rx'd

0:00

35 minutes cardio

RE: Russia vs Georgia

It is surely in the interest of US national security that a pipeline be secured, bringing oil from the Caucasus to the Mediterranean, free from Russian and Iranian control. That is the bottom line. Let us not squander the friendship of the wonderful people of Georgia by sacrificing their country on the altar of international politics. The West can and must act forcefully to preserve Georgia's sovereignty or face a rapidly worstening energy crisis and deterioration of conditions in Europe and South Asia.
This is about power and we are faced with a simple choice. Assert ours immediately or submit to revitalized enemies in the East.

Please dont feed yourselves the horse manure about SO deserving "cultural" liberation because you will be called out on it. The fact that somebody wears a differently colored turban does not entitle him to declare indepandence from his host nation! Unfortunately, the US recently shot itself in the foot by supporting Kosovan independence at the expense of Serbian national contiguity, thus strengthening the hand of our enemies. The damage there is done but this one is still salvagable!

Secondly, I urge anybody who has not yet done so to download and read Barry Cooper's essay on psychology of Leftism. You can access it for free through this link:
http://www.lulu.com/content/3189099

Thank me later.

Yeah, Big Cheese, I have to agree with playoff beard? to some degree. Remember the broad, general, inclusive level of fitness that Crossfit provides. I would have to say that if a top crossfitter decided to specialize in a sport he or she excelled at naturally, gave it a year or two of training, that they would definitely make a game of it against an Olympic contender. I also think you overstate yourself somewhat to say that NONE of us could walk a minute in ANY of the olympic athletes shoes when it comes to DEDICATION and COMMITMENT to a goal? Crossfit methodology strives toward virtuousity, brother. Just my opinion. Keep the faith, bro.

4 rounds

400M Run
10 Burpees

Had the day off of work and wanted to get a light workout in.

Also worked on POSE technique and my Calfs are burning.

Have been sitting out WOD's because of procedure i got done, so starting monday i'll have to double up, woo hoo.

Yesterday, did tabata squats though:

18 on 7 rounds and 17 on final round which adds up to 143, i was happy with it.

pete #34-

i see your point. i am curious if this trainer was crossfit certified or not. with crossfit gaining populatiry i've seen some trainers at my gym with no real knowledge of the movements or actual intensity of the workouts putting new clients through this stuff, and i'm not talking about little intro workouts either. we had one trainer at our gym put his bootcamp class (second day i think) through angie, and was going to have them all do 100 jumping pull-ups. i warned him about jumping pull-ups and rhabdo, so he said he would cut the reps back, but i don't think he cut them back enough as he told me this week one lady got what he thinks is 'minor rhabdo' all swollen and mild symptoms. can't imagine what would have happened had she done 100 reps. this is serious stuff, and unfortunately some trainers don't take the time to do the research and just hop on the main page and dose their clients with the rx'd workouts. it's frusterating as then people hear stories such as the one mentioned today, and tend to blame the program rather then the judgement of the trainer and client. (who knows what happened with todays story, maybe the trainer did know what they were doing and this was just a freaky situation..)

Got to try my first Muscle-up, got it on the third try - feels awesome. Now to be able to do thirty in a respectable time....

Cool, James Woods teaches the forward roll...

#80 dmcole
CONGRATS!!
The first muscle up is huge. Before you know it, you'll be cranking em out like crazy.

Agree with #69. Totally disagree with #72.

Olympians ARE gifted. That's what seperates them from Crossfitters and everyone else. They are born with more raw talent and ability than the average person. Then they work their asses off hour after hour, day after day, for years.

If it were just a matter of hard work, then EVERY person who does crossfit would be an Olympic level athlete. Let's not be silly here. I could train for years running (which I did as a sprinter) or swimming, etc. and I would never have made the Olympic team. It isn't a matter of hard work, or diet, or dedication. It is a matter of maxing out my potential.

The top athletes at the XFit Games are all studs and studettes! They rock and are some of the most in shape people I have ever met. BUT, I bet none of them would stand a chance at competing in running, swimming, biking, etc. at the Olympic level. and that's NOT a knock on them. Just illustrating a point on how specialized and elite Olympic athletes are.

There comes a point when more hard work will not get you any more results...when you have maxed out your potential. Olympians are born with more potential and have the guts and determination and dedication to realize their potential. There are many names and people you ahve never heard of who put in just as much time and effort...so why don't they succeed? because they weren't born with as much Ability/potential/call it what you want.

Hope that made sense. and this isn't a dig on XFit people (I'm one of them).

Beard... If you think all it takes is hard work to be a world class athlete you are fooling yourself. The people who become professionals at their sports or Olympic athletes have some level of God given talent that gives them an edge. The other swimmers train just as hard as Phelps does but he still crushes them. I love Crossfit but I have a sense that some of us feel that we are the greatest things out there. Be humble and let the results talk for you. If any of us tried to do any sport at an elite level we would look foolish no matter how long we trained. But if you take an elite athlete and let them train on Crossfit they would probably be the best and would crush the current batch of top CF athletes. Lets just enjoy our workouts get in great shape but just be realistic when it comes to comparing CF with world class athletes.

Guys:

Thanks for the civilized debate. I am not stating that a Crossfitter would be able to compete at an elite level with any Olympic athlete at their specific sport or event. But I do believe that it's the hard work, dedication and most of all heart that creates a champion more than DNA. Take for example the 400 meter runner Oscar Pistorius who lost both his legs and refused to give up, running on artificial limbs and still competing at the highest level. Heart, and sheer will is what makes that possible.

I don't care if you call yourself a Crossfitter or a homemaker. But from what I've seen, if what we're arguing is "overall fitness", not "skill" at an individual event, then Crossfitters make the cut hands down.

and just for the record, I could probably hold my own in badminton.

So I have been doing CF for 4 months now and I go to some unamed Globo gym down the block...well they are doing a "strength" competition that has a different event each day. Today was the pullup event so i was expecting 33-35 PU's. At the last minute they say that you have to come up and stop for 1 second then come back down and you can't move your legs or have any body motion...I imediatly thought hmm...why don't I just do a f'in Lat pull down on some machine with my body weight b/c that isn't even close to what i consider a pullup...so i only get 23 and i think they didn't count right as well...so right after some dude gets on the bar and does 1/2 way down pullups! and they count all 31 of them.... all i can say is WTF im pissed!

sorry just needed to vent to people who know somthing about pu's

-dave

hoops #84

I agree.

As the greatest racing driver of all time Rick Mears said "I'll put my numbers on the board and let other people talk about them"

Words to live by

"Rhabdo" -(don't really try this at home)

(a) 10 sets of 10 reps of squats with 1.5 x bw
(b) 10 sets of 10 reps of deadlifts with 2.0 x bw
(c) 10 forty yard sprints
(d) 10 sets of 100 feet pick-up truck push.
(e) 30 pull-ups

Followed by a Navy PRT wearing a 50 pound weight vest

These are to be done in circuit fashion for time.

Paramedics are standing by.

In all seriousness, we had yet another rhabdomyolysis case. Please know your limits, stay hydrated, avoid supplements and alcohol in conjunction with workouts. If it's too hot for your acclimation, you DO NOT need to workout.

DJ Roberts, M.D.

regarding olympians v. crossfitters:

Wh are so many of you taking a binary (either/or approach)? Might as well argue for 100% nature versus 100% nurture. It isn't the proper approach to this issue.

First off Olympic champions are genetically gifted toward their choosen sport. Height being a single example of such (volleyball rewards the tall while gymnastics the short). No matter how hard you train your physicality will always be a factor. Have the wrong specific body proportions and your deadlift numbers will always be low.

Second, you can have the best suited physique in the for a sport and you won't win either if you don't train/eat right etc.

Either component can make up for a lack in the other but only to a degree. Olymipic champions generally have both FOR THEIR SPORT.

Phelps is great in the pool, he trains hard and has the genetics. And yes he does to some weight training/ring etc but to say he would crush ELITE crossfitters in Fran and the like, I doubt it ...he is trapped by his genetics (very tall, perhaps even disproportionate morphology) and as such will have those disadvantages regardless.

Compare the physcial adaptions the crossfit protocol causes and compare them to the physical adaption the olympic athelete of your choice has undergone for excellence his/her sport. Are they the same?
If no then odds are the Crossfitter is better/fitter/more powerful across broad time and modal domains. Which is how crossfit defines "fitness".

Could some of the olympic atheletes go on to excel in crossfit? No doubt, but they would also need both the "nature & nurture" to do so. Lacking either component would be enough to prevent them from reaching the elite levels of Crossfit, just as we are barred from their elite level of their sport.

Hoops and Pete:

Upon re-reading the statement by #69 and my response, I realize that I used faulty vernacular. "Gifted" was not the right word to use. I stand corrected and that was not the argument I had intended to engage in.

I do however stand firm on my badminton claim.

Congrats #80

you must have had a great instructor.

The other day I was poking around in the site somewhere and found a 12 week program for beginners to CrossFit. I remember Tues and Thurs were running workouts starting out with a 400m and then Mon Wed Fri were days focused on mastering the basics. It was a 5 on 2 off routine. Anyone know where I can find it again? Any help greatly appreciated!

5k: 27:31

"The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." Albert Einstein

29/f/115

5k on treadmill: 25:49

pre: wux1
post: wux1

short on time today

Comment #91 'tdromz'

If I'm thinking the same thing you are then that routine is detailed in the May 2003 issue of the CFJ.

#43, WillC

Thank you. I've been trying to tell people that Russia is still just as large a threat as the USSR was, but everyone just looks at me like I'm from the 80s...

Yesterdays WOD
22:38

All this comparison of Olympic athletes and crossfitters is fruitless. What really matters is what crossfit does for you. It's a means to an end. Does it make your life better? Then rock on.

Rob

I have not posted in about 6 weeks as i have been on the DL. After rehabing and slowly working up I am close to back to full WOD status. Can't wait for tomarow we will see how it goes.

While I was up in Portland Oregon I visited Crossfit H.E.L. and had a couple of great work outs. I am from St. Louis and it was awsome to visit a big West Coast training center. Anyway hopefully I'll have some legit numbers to put up soon.

Crossfit you have changedmy life.

All this talk about comparing Olympians with Cross-fitters is far fetched. Olympians specialize in a particular area(i.e. swimming, running, lifting, etc.), and practice in that one area for many years. Where as cross-fitters practice overall fitness (as im sure you area all aware). For example, can you picture an Olympian who can clean and jerk 580 pounds (who usually weighs about 300 lbs), being able to run a 800m in less then 3 minutes??? I HIGHLY DOUBT IT. At the same time someone who is good in mono-structural movements (i.e. swimming, running, etc.), you think then would be able to clean and jerk several repetitions of a weight that was over there own body weight in a spectacular amount of time like Speal did at the games; I also highly doubt it. Now, im not saying that it isn't possible for it to be done, but I guarantee a cross-fitter would have a better average between the two, then someone who specializes in one of those areas. But that is just my opinion (Good talk though, it is a good point to make!)

Did the dplcrossfit workout
400m Run
50 Box Jumps (20")
40 Double Unders
30 Pushups
20 KB Swings (1.25 pood)
10 Pullups
400m Run
10 Pullups
20 KB Swings
30 Pushups
40 Double Unders
50 Box Jumps
400m Run

Time: 16:50

Then I did some singles on power cleans and set a new PR of 225!!! Totally got pumped watching the Olympics and it carried over to my workout.

#91 tdromz

I think this is the article you're thinking of. It's available in the Journal section of the website, near the bottom of the page (long scroll).
Hopefully this link works though.

http://www.crossfit.com/journal/library/BeginnersMay03.pdf

Peace.

# 83 -

Your completely missing the point of what crossfit is, i completely disagree with you and disagree with comment 69.

Sure any Olympian will have a great chance of beating a Crossfiter in that ONE event. Thats not what Crossfit is, Crossfit in about functional all around movements. Tell me what the functionality is of someone 400 pounds clean and jerking almost 600 pounds. Impressive? Yes Functional? No. The clean and jerk is a functional movement but that is only a fraction of what is needed for all around fitness. If focusing on one movement was the key to fitness then coach would have us swimming everyday or cleaning every day but he doesn't. These Olympians specialize in only ONE thing, you think thats whats going to help cops in the street survive? Fire fighters rescue survivers? No, What will help is all around function fitness, and i don't care what you say, NO ONE has that better then Crossfitters.

"Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist."

-Coach, written in the What is crossfit? tab

Maybe you guys should read what crossfit is before you judge what crossfit isnt....

Deadlift
325 x 3
335 x 3
350 x 3
360 x 3

15-12-9
HSPU on cinder blocks
Muscle ups
Ring Push ups

M/39/225/6'2"
Arizona USA 107F

Bike to work this morning 6.75 miles in 25 minutes
Home early for my daughter's 6th B-Day party
scarfed too much cake and ice cream
then with my Bro in Law did
21-15-9 sets of
175# deadlift
95# push press
extended situps (feet hooked under truck tire and extend back over a 20" plyobox)

we finished in under 20 minutes

Re: Crossfit vs. Olympics

Olympic sports are just that, sports. An Olympian trains hard, dedicates their life to that sport, and manifests that training, ultimately in the Olympics. A Crossfitter's sport is fitness, all-inclusive, generalized fitness, and that sport manifests in the real world.

When you put that fitness that you've developed in the gym into use in the real world, that's Crossfit's test, and that's a Crossfitter's real competition. I'm amazed to watch the skill, strength and speed of Olympians competing. And I'm amazed to hear about and witness people who train with Crossfit: our soldiers surviving a firefight, police chasing and catching bad guys, firefighters performing high-angle rescue, medics lifting and transporting patients back-to-back for 12-hours straight, and the family man who saves his dog from drowning in the rapids.

Enjoy watching the Olympics, even if you or any Crossfitter will never compete there. Enjoy your Crossfit training, some day it may save your life or the life of somebody you care about.

If you're really into all the competition, see if you can't get a hold of some Olympians (present or former) and see if they'd like to work out with you. Having studied judo for about 15 years, I've had the opportunity to work out with a few potential and former Olympians, and I'm sure that some of them would have been willing to face me in a Fran-off, had I been doing Crossfit back then.

CrossFit Charlotte

Workout B

400m run
50 box jumps 24"
40 double unders
30 push-ups
20 kb swings 1.5pod
10 pull-ups
400m run
10 pull-ups
20 kb swings 1.5pod
30 push-ups
40 double unders
50 box jumps 24"
400m run

23:31

Amen #105, and #102 valid points made!

So who is better, a crossfitter? or an Olympian?

Finally actually rested today. Slept in till about 9 and just relaxed for much of the day.

I did do however 4 rounds of Squat Tabata and 2 rounds of Push Up Tabata (those sucked)

#105,

I understand exactly what crossfit is. If you read what I wrote I stated that crossfit people are the "most in shape people I have ever met". what I meant by that comment was overall fitness level. However, that wasn't the argument. We were debating (at least I thought we were), the argument of Hard work being the key to reaching an Olympic level and whether crossfit people could compete at an Olympic level. Heart, hard work, and dedication are incredible intangibles that will carry most people very far in life. However, when you reach the Olympics you are talking about the top .00005% of the population (or some really small number). It is there that hard work and dedication aren't enough. you have to be born with some additional ability or talent to put you over the top and seperate you from all the other people that work out just as hard as you do.

Of course I agree that crossfit is the best thing out there so far to achieve a solid overall fitness base, suited to whatever life can throw at you.

That is NOT what the Olympics is, it is a specialized sport/action/movement performed by athletes that are far superior to the overall population through not only hard work, but god given talent and ability that most of us don't have and will never have no matter how hard we work.

I think we are arguing different points there.

Good argument though! I love debating stuff like this. Too bad we can't do this in person and get some beers afterwards...or do Helen afterwards :)

Playoff Beard...good stuff today. enjoyed the debate!

#91 - look under "beginners' workout" on the CFJ page. I think it's the second article down on the right.

Have a wedding this weekend, so I didn't want to take a rest today. Will have four days off here this weekend. Gave the "Fight Gone Bad" a try. First time with this. Had a unfair rest before the row before it was on otherside of gym, this was the hardest work out I've done so far
18lb ball 9 foot
75 SDHP
20" box
75 Push press
C2
for 3 rounds
=267

War in the Caucasus: Towards a Broader Russia-US Military Confrontation?
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9788

Massive US Naval Armada Heads For Iran
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9799

Oh yea, don't forget to read Obama's foreign policy advisor's book. It's the grand strategy for the Anglo-American empire:

http://sandiego.indymedia.org/media/2006/10/119973.pdf

Same to you Pete, thanks.

Drop me a line if you're ever traveling through beautiful Modesto, CA and the beers are on me :-)

Crossfit Santa Clara did the Crossfit Unlimited workout today, with a little alteration.

Run 400M
7 rounds of: 10 SDHP, 10 Ring dips
Run 400M

M/22/180/5'9"
10:52

#88 DJ Roberts

I'm guessing someone really did that and suffered. Is that the case? Can you tell us more?

Regards,

Kind of old news, but in case you missed it, looks like some people at the State Department have been passing nuclear secrets on the black market.

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5518

#102 Devin or anyone else,

Would you say that Olympic gymnasts are specialized? I have a hard time thinking of a functional movement they do not excel at. IMHO Olympic gymnasts, especially the all-around competitors, have no equal when it comes to "fitness that is broad, general, and inclusive".

On the lawsuit:

Think of it this way: If a doctor screws up, the medical board that issues his license isn't a defendent. Why should crossfit be? All certification companies can do is may sure you know what to do. They can't enforce that you do it.

I was going to sit out four Rest Days, but I can't stand it. I need to comment on this one.

I am reading the book "Vietnam: The Necessary War", by Michael Lind, which places the Vietnam WAr in a Cold War context. He makes the case convincingly, using a great deal of documentation and logic, that the organizing concept behind our Cold War actions was both sound and necessary.

When you look at Great Powers, what you see is they have allies, enemies, and relatively neutral nations. The way you get allies is by helping them. The way you keep them is by holding fast to your word, and protecting them when they need it.

If you fail to come to the aid of your allies, then you not only put doubt into the mind of that particular ally, you put doubt into the minds of ALL of your allies. They ask themselves, reasonably, "if I was in that position, would America help me?"

Thus, failing to hew closely to your committments weakens you across the board, and likewise consistently, persistently, and strongly doing what you said you would do, makes you stronger.

This concept is called Bandwagoning, which in effect says that countries tend to side with the nation or nations they perceive as winning. Now, "siding" may or may not include active support, but it does mean that active support is withdrawn from the other former ally.

This nearly happened to us in the 1970's. Korea and Vietnam were identical wars, with the sole difference being that the insurgency preceding the formal invasions lasted much longer in Vietnam. But they came. The Korea-style, tank led invasions happened in 1972--when South Vietnamese ground forces, supported by American air power, beat them off--and again in 1974-1975, when Ford, crippled by unConstitutional Congressional legislation, could only watch helplessly.

What, we may ask, is Russia doing now? On my read, it is testing the NATO alliance. Georgia wants to be a part of Nato. Are the Russians not arguing, through the fact of Nato's lack of a reaction, that only fools trust Europeans when the Americans are overextended militarily?

This would seem a logical conclusion. And who is looking? Poland, Latvia, Ukraine, and others. What happens if they join Nato, Russia invades, and Nato adopts a UN-style diplomacy, which uses peacekeepers only once the war is over and Russia has won? You could train teenage girls to do what UN peacekeepers do, on my read. They can't fight, and they aren't even armed most of the time with other than very light arms. Their job is to run at the first sign of trouble.

What UN peacekeepers do is ratify a status quo. They do not create one which is equitable.

Bottom line: we need to be sending weapons to Georgia, which seems on the verge of being overrun. In a perfect world, we should be sending Nato combat troops, which would cause the Russians to stop instantly, complain, then withdraw.

Nato should be handling this, but they are worthless, having been overrun long ago by peaceniks. If something is going to get done, it is always Americans in the lead, which makes the anti-Americanism of the Continent even more nauseating and pathetic.

hmmm.. my earlier post was listed as "awaiting admin approval" or some such.

Wonder what flagged it and wonder why it didn't get approved.

Oh well.

Penty,

Since I am one of the most verbose people here, and since the filter truly is agnostic, I likely get more posts held than anyone. Trust me when I say there is nothing personal going on. Abusive, profane, or just generally annoying posts will get deleted, not necessarily filtered, and although the technology does exist to block IP addresses, I don't think it is used often at all.

Whether the posts get through has more to do with the schedules of the moderators than with the content, provided it isn't obviously inappropriate. Certainly, I don't think there is any effort whatever to silence principled contrarianism. There's no need for it, since strong cases don't require or benefit from the added help of censorship.

Looks like the shooting assault was preceded by a cyber-attack: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/technology/13cyber.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

Anyone that thinks being nice without a big stick is sufficient for peace in this world, is reading different history books, and different newspapers than I am.

Diplomacy alone is for those willing to countenance failure, such as we see every time we trust the EU or the UN with anything. The intelligent combination of potential and actual force, tempered by diplomacy, is the only real means of generating and protecting peace.

m/32/5'8"/170

I got my weight vest yesterday.

20# weight vest for all

3x
10 kettlebell swings @ 75#
15 incline push ups

3x
15 box jumps on 24" box
15 dips

3x
20 Walking steps with 2x25lb dumbells
10 ball slams with 20# ball

3x
10 shrugs with 2x85lb dumbells
5 handstand push ups

50 double unders

1000 meter row (had to take vest off at 650 meters because it was riding up too much around my throat)

1 fall over :)

Rest day today.

Maggie is driving "3, 2, 1, C'mon 5 more" force behind my being able to finish any respectable number of burpees.

Being me, I can't resist correcting myself. I used the word "insurgency" with respect to the guerilla war in South Vietnam. This is wrong. We did for a time have a genuine insurgency in Iraq. With the political acumen of Petraeus, and the martial skill of our troops, we have won the previous insurgents over to our side. Remaining to be killed are the Al Queda terrorists, many of whom infiltrated from other nations, and few of whom can be negotiated with.

If we compare this situation to Vietnam, the Vietcong compare well to the Al Quedists, with the difference that the Vietcong were State sponsored, and nobody really wants Al Quedists anymore, at least publicly.

The Vietcong moved from the North to areas of South Vietnam, and used terror, extortion, kidnapping, torture, and wholesale murder and assassination--including suicide bombings--to create a shadow government within the bounds of another nation. This is historical reality.

Also reality is that South Vietnam was one of three areas--along with Korea and Taiwan--where we had committed ourselves to the protection of nations under actual or prospective attack (China shelled Taiwan at one point; it is a miracle there was never a war fought there).

If we return to the topic of the day, we see that it is in our strategic interest to curb Russian appetites, and the best means by which to do that is to hem her in, and prevent expansionistic efforts to build "Lebensraum", which this manifestly appears to be. The means by which to do this is credible alliances. Credible is a word which means we (which should include Europeans) send troops, weapons, and cash when it is needed.

I read today that the precipitating event which caused Georgia to invade was the Russians issuing Russian passports to the breakaway states. If true, then this whole thing was planned. They knew how the Georgians would react, and had their tanks idling on Day One.

Churchill famously said something along the lines of "Appeasement is feeding the crocodile, hoping it will eat you last". In Russia, we are not facing a Nazi Germany, but we are facing an increasingly autocratic government which seems to be thinking about renewed imperialism. This would be a good time for our allies to reflect on who their friends are, and what the price of friendship might be.

If we lose the support of the Russians on Iran, I doubt seriously that will mean much anyway. I think our invasion of Iraq did far more to slow the Iranian program than supposed sanctions ever did.

Far more important is to ensure we strengthen Iraq as a regional counterweight to Iran, and prevent Afghanistan from falling from the sheer weight of our obligations, which Nato is doing something close to nothing to support. They send troops, but most of them can't fight, or even travel with combat troops. I've read about the Poles helping us, as of course have the British, Canadians, and Aussies. Beyond that, I'm at a loss.

Was watching the news tonight, for the first time in years. First off, it is appalling how cravenly Democrat the major networks are. Ridiculous.

However, they did cover the latest with respect to Georgia, and to his credit Bush is standing firm, shipping supplies over there, and not taking any stuff from the Russians.

Condaleeza Rice's answer to the question about the what was wrong with the Russian creating a buffer zone was on the money. She said it was not 1968, and things like the Soviet Union's invasion of Czechoslavakia were not acceptable, because the world had changed. The change is George Bush, and the failure of leftist narratives over the last 40 years.

It's interesting that the Czechs serve as examples of the rapacity of two of the 4 most murderous regimes of the 20th Century (with both China and the Khmer Rouge they sponsored being arguably the worst). I hadn't considered that.

Barry,

TY for the answer. My post did finally appear #90. I didn't think it was anything malign in that my post wasn't appearing. I just figured it was just too many capitalized words to something that set the filter off and figured it'd take the mods like 2 sec to get through it. I'm sometimes impatient and forgot to figure the time it takes busy people to actually find 2 sec.

BTW Barry, since I’ve got you here I just want to say I always find your comments thought provoking (and sometimes opinion changing).

Barry, my dad served with the UN on a number of missions as a peace-keeper and had a few friends killed and injured on those missions. You say that UN peacekeepers can't fight and aren't even armed. That wouldn't tally with my understanding. I'll agree that they haven't always had the mandate that might have been appropriate, but what you're typing looks like denigration to me and that shouldn't go unquestioned on here.

You've challenged others on here about what "history they've read". Have you actually read about the soldiers on UN duty killed in the Congo and Lebanon? Are the missions in Eritrea, Bosnia, Liberia, the Iran / Iraq border, Western Sahara etc. irrelevant to you? Seems to me you come in late to these debates full of vitriol against "the Left" but you may be offending a lot of people who've given a hell of a lot of themselves to defending liberty. Perhaps more than you have. Have you served in your own military and have you served as part of a UN mission? Maybe a personal perspective borne of experience would be more insightful than long rants which give are, at present, giving offence.

"The means by which to do this is credible alliances. Credible is a word which means we (which should include Europeans) send troops, weapons, and cash when it is needed".

"She said it was not 1968, and things like the Soviet Union's invasion of Czechoslavakia were not acceptable, because the world had changed. The change is George Bush, and the failure of leftist narratives over the last 40 years".

Like when Reagan supported (gave weapons and cash to) the Taliban fighting the Russians or, when he gave the same support to Iraq when they were fighting Iran? Real credible alliances formed there.

Republican narratives resulted in the support(weapons and cash)and practical creation of our top two adversaries (Taliban, Iraq) in the 21st century. You want to talk about failed foreign policy!

Sorry if I oversimplified it Charlatan (#60)...
I didn't feel like going through the whole psycho-political mumbo-jumbo of why some countries antagonize, and other countries brutalize.

Regardless of the current political situation between Russia and Georgia, the people of Georgia (along with the people of Armenia and the Stans) have been passed around from empire to empire for the past several centuries. Only recently did they achieve their freedom - and it was at a time of weakness for Moscow.
You can believe that Russia will not likely forget the former Soviet states that declared their independence.

This is a scenario that is played out in many, many regions around the world, and keeps the military (and UN) employed and well-funded.

J1: I could care less if I give offense. Being right is what I care about, and although I don't doubt UN Peacekeepers have been killed,I do doubt their efficacy and relevance. Who stopped the Rwandan genocide? Those being killed, through force of arms. Who is stopping the carnage in Sudan? Nobody, as far as I can tell, although if UN statements counted, it would have been done long ago. Bosnia? Kosovo?

Please cite me a case where the UN actually brought peace to anyone anywhere. It has likely happened, in the sense that broken clocks are right twice a day, but it is--would not--be a function of the fundamental merit of the force.

No, I have not served. I enlisted in the Air Force, and was disqualified in MEPS. Didn't even make it that far with the Marines. I differ in this from Barack Obama, who is on record wanting to invade Pakistan, and never made the effort to attempt to serve our nations armed forces. Nor, according to many reports, did he want to meet any of our soldiers on his photo op set in Iraq.

With respect to the Taliban and the Iraqis, please use your brain. We were fighting Soviet expansionism in the first case, and Iranian expansionism in the second. The Soviet Communists withdrew from Afghanistan, and the Iranians were checked by the Iraqis.

Do you read history? Do you realize that we fought a war--not one, but TWO--with our current closest overseas ally, Britain? (Canada is likely our closest overall ally). We partnered with Uncle Joe in WW2. Why? It made sense at the time.

As Keynes famously said: when the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, Sir?

J1 and Barry,

I think you guys got your lines crossed. I think Barry was talking about the UN as an organization, and J1 was speaking about the individual soldiers who make up the peace keeping forces.

I agree with both.

I think Barry is right on in stating that the UN really holds no real weight (unless the US is willing to step in) in terms of dealing with international conflicts.

However, I think J1 is correct in giving the individual soldiers the credit they deserve. I think saying "You could train teenage girls to do what UN peacekeepers do, on my read. They can't fight, and they aren't even armed most of the time with other than very light arms. Their job is to run at the first sign of trouble" is a little insulting and ignorant.

In fact, you could argue it takes more guts to go into a conflict with a group that is outnumbered and outgunned working for an organization with little back bone. I think the soldiers deserve much more than Barry gave them.

However, I agree Barry, the UN is a joke!

Pete, good post.

I do agree that the UN needs more support from its members. I also agree that there are serious shortcomings in its funding and operation. But it's been more effective than many people may realise. Remember, you won't read headlines about days of non-violence in the trouble spots. You do read headlines about its failures (of which there are many).

On its effectiveness, this info (albeit from Wikipedia) is interesting:

"A 2005 RAND Corp study found the UN to be successful in two out of three peacekeeping efforts. It compared UN nation-building efforts to those of the United States, and found that seven out of eight UN cases are at peace, as opposed to four out of eight US cases at peace.[21]. Also in 2005, the Human Security Report documented a decline in the number of wars, genocides and human rights abuses since the end of the Cold War, and presented evidence, albeit circumstantial, that international activism — mostly spearheaded by the UN — has been the main cause of the decline in armed conflict since the end of the Cold War.[22] Situations where the UN has not only acted to keep the peace but also occasionally intervened include the Korean War (1950-1953), and the authorization of intervention in Iraq after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990."

We are, I hope, moving towards a world where unilateral military aggression is simply not an option because there exists a politically and militarily strong UN and an international consensus on how conflicts should properly be resolved. Yes, I sound optimistic bordering on naive, but that's where I hope we're going.

cfwu, ring training, OH-sq 3x 40 kg, WOD: Simone: # rounds of 200 mtr sprint, 20x KB snatch per arm.
time: 9:16 min. Nice.
have fun, Johan

No doubt the soldiers are quite brave. Great example is the Nick Nolte character in Hotel Rwanda, who was from Canada. I am not intending to take anything away from them.

I am intending to take a great deal away from the UN, which in my view has on balance created more war than peace by creating an effective instrument for disinformation, obfuscation, and collusion among autocratic governments intent on undermining Western democracies, and our role in furthering self governance of the developing world.

Why would a RAND study show that UN peacekeepers work? Because they take the cases that are basically done. If peace has been achieved through force of arms--and if that credible threat of a renewed force of arms backs them up--then their job is much easier than the cases the US takes, which are kinetic situations which are far from resolved, and which require the actual use of force.

It would be interesting to compare the number of bullets fired by soldiers with blue helmets compared to those from the US, Britain, Canada,and Aus. Some little bird tells me there just might be a substantial difference.

Good comments Barry. Your point is well taken.

5k day (mark = 24:19; theresa = 26:38)

pvc c&j 2:49