Thank you Coach.

Try CrossFit Football.

Very innovative pullup bar there in the picture

I haven't said this before, but I very much appreciate the early WOD posts...Makes it much easier to plan for tomorrow

CrossFit is amazing. This site, all of the people associated with it as well as all of you who post and work so hard are a great motivation for an older guy like me to get up and do it every day. I've been in for two months now and though I am still scaling most WODs I have seen amazing progress, Progress not just in strength and fitness
but in life as well. That's what it's all about. Thanks, and good luck to all.

It's a shame when CF posts pictures of poor form.

This could be the earliest post I've ever experienced.

And yes, try CrossFit Football.

Hit "Freddy's revenge"

5 rounds
5 push press 187 pounds
10 burpees

9:50

We have that 47 pounds bar GREAT workout i'm 157 right now but i feel good BIG hugs to the FRAT!!!

Greg/Lauren,

I was a participant at the L1 cert held at Moss Park armory in Toronto this past weekend. What an impressive group of trainers! Their presentation skills and ability to handle a crowd was second to none. I would be hard pressed to find such expertise in any corporate boardroom. Moss Park was a excellent choice of facility, plenty of room and equipment to work all those drills and get a handle on what intensity really means.

Great Learning experience..worth every penny!

Andrew

FOB Kalsu! We had a good CF gym set up there but had tear it down when we left in December. Make contact with KBR. They built us a legit 3 station pull up bar. Best of luck to you guys.

alright guys.... squat question

some of the videos stress not letting your knees get in front of your toes and i just watched one of the front squat videos and it specifically said keep your knees out in front of your toes... wth?

can someone shed some light on this?

I've been doing CF football for the past month, now it's time to switch back to mainsite wods!

Hey community, i got a question for anyone who can answer. I've heard all my life that you shouldn't work the same muscle on back to back days. After doing crossfit for 6 months i see that we pay no attention to that rule of thumb. Was that rule just from globo gyms or are taking a different approach. Just wondering, not like its going to change my wod's. 3-2-1-GO

#6- Hitch
Am I missing something? I see three warriors working hard. What are you referring to exactly? pullup looks good, the push press is mid rep so no real way to tell form on that, and the HSPU is kinda far away from the wall because of the jet out at the bottom. Don't really see how that can be fixed in this situation.

Bad form or not, keep up the hard work boys! We appreciate all you do!

tell army to lace his shoe up, don't mean to tell a soldier what to do I respect him and am honored by his service but......

I am going to sit back, pop some popcorn and watch and see how an article on room design and mood will spiral out of control into a debate on global warming, gun control, Obama's economic plan, abortion rights....

....back to the Caps-Pens OT game

Regarding the RRG:

At the end of the video, the guys says he wants to put 5K into the RRG because it is going to make money.

How exactly are they going to make money? On the premiums charged to crossfiters? Who else are they going to sell insurance too? Because if you buy stock, pay a preimum and get a dividend from the company, you're really only getting part of your premium back. You're not making any money.

Also, they said the RRG is better than a normal insurance company because a normal insurance company only cares about making money.

So RRG is going to deviate from the business plan of a normal insurance company yet still make money?

The idea of "never settling" sounds amateurish. If you have a claim that is obviously legit, your lawyer isn't going to take it to trial. You will settle.

Again, the assumption is that there will never be a legit claim filed against Crossfit. That's wishful thinking.

This question may sound dumb. But for the standard chest to bar, does that mean height or CONTACT?

What's up cf'ers. I have a couple questions about the RRG video and site if anyone wants to comment.

Based on what I've seen/heard, the RRG sounds like it is designed to hire lawyers in the event that someone gets sued. This doesn't sound like an insurance company to me, but more like a legal defense fund.

An insurance company collects premiums and invests them. It uses that money to meet capital requirements in the event of a payment, like an insurance claim. It isn't completely clear from the site what those premiums will be and how much coverage will be offered. I know that the RRG is looking for its initial capitalization, but this other information is important.

Lastly, insurers typically like to insure against measurable quantities. That is, in a sufficiently large population, the number of people with profile y who are going to die at age x is relatively certain. Some will live longer and some less time, but on average that is the age a person of a certain profile will die. That is how an insurance company determines its premiums and whether it insures people, making it a low risk proposition for the insurance company. Is it possible to determine such statistics with CrossFit, when an activity like rhabdo is both trying to be avoided and may or may not have statistically relevant information as to how often it occurs? Is there a measurable statistic for how often people get sufficiently injured to sue, and then actually do sue their gym?

I love CF and love that it's at the cutting edge of fitness, but I don't understand this component and would like to. Thanks.

Brandon # 11. Ref Rippetoe, "Starting Strength." In a proper squat, the knees will be slightly in front of the toes.

Great job, as always, Candace!!

***FRAT***

Wow, I'm still not down from the high that I got from being at the Nor Cal Qualifier. The games are gonna be crazy this year. I'm predicting that Jolie comes back to regain her title and Jason repeats. Of course, I'll be pulling for Everett and Tincher cause I'm an ROG (relative old guy) and those dudes really inspire me to go hard every day. I can't wait for July...

Eric Gohl: Congrats on the jerk PR, you're getting way strong brother, keep it up! The cougars in Cali won't know what hit em'!

Herm: Hey man, how are the shoulders feeling? Go easy dude, you're almost out of the woods. By the way, you look like a stud in these videos, I want to be you when I grow up :-)

Cookie: Take guy of your man, don't let him pick up heavy objects for a while...yeah right huh?

Cynthia J: Thanks for the pics, nice to put a name with a face. Keep up the good work!

s'more: What's up bro, how is smorelle doing? Are you getting enough sleep now? I gotta hit up that Ecuadorian Destroyer WOD one of these days...

Fat Tony: Hey bro, haven't seen you posting much lately, you hanging in there man? Get after it!

Jakers: Send me your picture dude, I want to make sure I know who you are when we meet at the games. BTW, thanks for abbreviating my name, PB&J is so much easier to write!

Pony: Wassup you barbell lifting beast? No, that ringing in your ear wasn't Rip, it was Herm...I have him on video, LOL! Come on eye-leen...ok, sorry, I'll stop now :-)

Bingo: Thanks for the email, looking forward to meeting you!

Bartender! Man hugs and bad English all around!

***END FRAT***

Interesting, but unsurprising, article. I do a lot of work for senior-housing operators, and the evolution of their designs certainly follows these thoughts. Not that it should be groundbreaking that folks appreciate some space and natural light.

On the plus side, now I've got an excuse for a bad WOD time, given that I work out in a windowless basement with an 8-foot ceiling...

I train in my garage (sometimes with friends) I am not an affiliate but am level 1 certified can I buy into the RRG?

Hi everyone!

It has been a while since my last post...what is new? I have been practicing the O lifts and they are very frustrating!! Also, the muscle up - my hips lack power, well, all of me lacks power. Any tips on these?

Do any of you do crossfit and weight train? I need to put on some weight to lift heavier and improve my general fitness and wondering how you maintain the balance.

Also, I just moved out on my own and am struggling with this whole 'life' thing. It is very overwhelming and it all seems to come at once...help?

#24

Why would you want to?

Late post from me, but it's a rest day anyways so it's all good. I need it, feel like i have a minor strain in my neck. Will probably start tapering things down for the next week for Qualifiers.

Enjoy the rest everyone as always!

PB&J - Make sure you have a rest day straight after you do tyhe Destroyer. its a nasty piece of work. belted me for days.

Hey to all the FRAT - hope all is well. BAck into it tomorrow, fully rested and ready to destroy whatever Coach decides to put up.

Happy rest day people

***FRAT**

Answering some questions and whatnot...

#11 Brandon H
As a general answer, everyone has a different anatomy setup. Some people have short femurs, others have long. If you have a less than ideal anatomical composition for a squat, you can't "force" someone into a position they're incapable of being in. For some people the knees won't go over, others it will (all by varying degrees for each individual case). From personal experience with clients, the true problem with "knees over toes" comes when they initiate the movement at the knee joint and not the hips and do that ugly leaning squat and have their weight on their toes. You look at it and your mind is screaming, "Malfunction!!". So long as the individual is performing the squat with all the key components to the best of their ability that is what truly matters. A slight knee over the toe is not going to kill anyone or destroy their knees if they're simply incapable of such a position. I hope this makes sense and answers your question to some extent!

#13 Gimpy
I think that mentality came mostly from the "globo-minded", though i could be wrong. However, Crossfit differs in that we train for the unknown and unknowable. Life does not give your legs a break if they are sore that day. In addition, the whole "body part" mentality is thrown out the door and filled in with training for function. So rather than thinking, "Deadlift works my hamstrings and back..." it would be, "Deadlift promotes proper mechanics to lift something off the ground".

#16 Ethan
That truly made me laugh haha. It almost never fails

#22 PB&J
Thank you sir :) Excellent work yourself! I'll have to purchase a "black book" so i can write down all the digits i'm gonna get ;) lol (yeah right!)

#24 Andy
You absolutely can if you wish to do so!

***END FRAT***

Quick question. I'm sure this has been asked before, but why May 15th the cut off date of the captial for RRG?

It's excellent to see Candace on the main site again. Congratulations on your performance at the NorCal Qualifiers.

> From Hitch #6
> It's a shame when CF posts pictures of poor form.

Please post some pictures of yourself in the middle of a workout so that we can all learn what perfect form looks like.

After sitting thru a 50 min webinar on probate, I really didn't want to read the whole article so if I am out of line, forgive me. But isn't it talking about feng shui(sp).
I know that simply having my desk cluttered alters my mood and prevents me from even thinking clearly about the tasks tha I have yet to perform.

#11 - It depends on limb length (as Eric says above) but also on type of squat.

Powerlifting squat (very wide stance, sitting back, inclined torso) - like the squat Dave Tate teaches if you search the journal for his vids. In this type of squat, knees are unlikely to go past toes for most people.

Athletic squat (wider than shoulder width but not by much for most people) - Rippetoe/Starting Strength style squat. In this type, knees probably end up over the toes, slightly infront.

Olympic style weight lifting back squat (approx shoulder width stance) - In this style you sit down rather than back, torso angle as constant as possible, knees come forward.

Front squat - torso remains upright by definition, knees have to come forward of toes, think of sitting straight down, not back. Look at pictures of weight lifters at the bottom of snatch or clean, some almost have their butts touching the floor and the knees are very far forward (good ankle flexibility).

#19 BRzl

I haven't read about the plan in detail, but I do know a bit about both captives & reinsurance. Typically, something like an RRG will raise a certain amount of capital and essentially leverage it. There are reinsurers (google "Discover Re" for one) who like the risks involved with capture groups as investments.

So they look to pools of capital - Crossfit's RRG, maybe the Steel Hauler's Association of America, maybe Building Managers of Los Angeles County (all hypothetical examples). They all need some backup insurance, probably general liability of $5-10mm. But none of them have quite the same risks. One might get crushed in an earthquake, one's risk is icy bridges, one's is rhabdo. But they won't all hit at once.

So the reinsurer takes the half mil from everyone they insure and invests it. Big claim comes along, its the reinsurer who decides to fight or settle. Based on the strength of the case (and cost of defense) vs. the settlement exposure. Either way - significantly stronger reserves than your average Crossfit affiliate. I like the odds.

If the investments make money, they do a dividend or return of capital program to the investors. Have enough RRG's in your reinsurance portfolio and you're flush. Think buying a $100 tent at REI and getting $8.95 back at the end of the year because you're in the co-op. That's an oversimplification of course, but imagine if your REI membership also provided you with legal defense & liability insurance besides that 8-10% dividend...

I'll admit - I did my $200. I'm not an affiliate or a trainer. Going to my first cert this August. But $200 of risk capital into a type of business that almost always makes money - hell, yeah, sign me up. Not all capitalism is bad, especially when it helps a program (Crossfit) I believe in anyway.

I like in Candace's video that the guy with the stopwatch is blatantly standing in the way of another competitor finishing her workout. Great work, Candace! Poor awareness, mr. moustache.

First off - Candace you are freakin PIMP!!! I watched your muscle up wod saturday and was completely awed!!! Can't wait to watch you at the Games. And i would kill to have a body like yours. Keep rockin it hard, gurl!
Cynthiaj,Herm and PB&J - way to get in yet another vid!! :)
I hit OHSs tonight. Not much experience at it. I maxed at #85 - did 3x but felt i could've done more if my shoulders werent so shot from 100-plus pull-ups Monday & Tuesday. Next time!! Now i have a starting point. I'm *that* close to getting my kip on!! PRACTICE, practice practice! Big frontal hugs to the *FRAT* crew :) Luv ya'll! And huge props to Lisa for doing so well at the qualifer in Canada this past weekend!! :) AWESOME!!!

#25 Jennifer
"Do any of you do crossfit and weight train? I need to put on some weight to lift heavier and improve my general fitness and wondering how you maintain the balance."

Jennifer, CrossFit is weight training. If you need to put on weight, eat much more than you currently do, in good proportions.

Some affiliates do short strength WODs before the workout of the day. You should also look into CrossFit football, CFSB and Gant Grimes' hybrid.

hey Eric - good work yesterday

Comment #35 -$200 of risk capital into a type of business that almost always makes money - hell, yeah, sign me up.

Benny, you should read March's journal:

"The CF-RRG will not exist to make money."

You are NOT going to make money by investing in the CF-RRG.

I watched that video and was a little dismayed with the scare tactics and bullying. Also, I don't see how the RRG is going to hire "the best attorneys in SF" and "refuse to settle."

So long as you're paying your attorney's bills, he'll be happy not to settle. The other attorney will be happy to not settle too. Maybe the RRG should find out how a losing plaintiff's attorney gets paid in California and you'll understand why PI attorneys love a stubborn client who will allow them to run up fees.

okay, so i ran a pft yesterday and didnt get to do the WOD, soo tday i did 20-10-5
squat cleans, pull ups, and burbies
is this okay?
P.s. i went frm a 265 Pft to a 290 on crossfit in less than 2 months!

#40 - I hear you on the bullying. The rationale isn't particularly well explained, and it's a complex topic in general. It's unfortunate that they resorted to this tactic.

Re: RRG

Refusing to settle in all cases? What if a trainer/affiliate is blatantly negligent? Better to settle than waste money defending and having to pay out anyway + legal fees. The RRG is a great idea, but some of the stuff in that video seems a bit off, they should have had one of the lawyers there to answer questions.

#15 mitch...

It's easy for you to notice faults and point them out from the comfort of your own home, while soldiers like this use what free time and resources they have to better themselves doing CrossFit, in between missions and briefs and so on.

If you respect him and his service so much, how about doing the courtesy of referring to him as "Soldier" instead of loosely naming him "army" and maybe allow that he is taking a few minutes to get in a workout before the next job he has to complete.

We do what we do because we love it...military service and CrossFit. It's not always convenient, but we continue. Think about it.

#33, Keith M...

Although it is a similar subject being discussed, the SciAm article doesn't mention Feng Shui at any point.

The science behind architecture and room design is quite different from the Eastern approach of Feng Shui. The science delves into neurology, hormonal responses, etc. Feng Shui seeks to provide a harmonious location in which one's Chi, or vital energy, may flow freely. The Feng Shui approach plays into a variety of decisions, from the large scale of which direction the primary wall of the structure should face, down to the details of what color should the walls in the office be painted vs. the bedroom.

While some points may overlap, taking the kind and amount of lighting as an example, the two topics are quite different in a broader perspective. Both, however, are pretty interesting if you have the time and inclination to check it out.

I find it intriguing that most photos of Affiliate locations I've seen naturally play into the science of a positive environment for both productivity AND social comfort...both natural and soft artificial light, open spaces with high ceilings, areas for social interaction, access to an outdoor area...just an observation.

#40 Steve - risk capital is risk capital. If the RRG is a non-profit, it'll provide a number and I'll take a tax reduction; if it provides full disclosure, I'll invest further in its reinsurer; if it doesn't make the $.5mm, I get my $ back. Where's the risk?

Anyone got any good tips for treating blisters in hands and any ideas for preventing them in future.

Got 100 pullups total on pullup WOD day and actually i think i learned to kip pullups! it coster me some skin thou.. any help from the pros?

Anyone got good tips for treating blisters on palms? I think I finally learned to kippullup! it just costed me some skin.

#40 - The expression "The RRG will not exist to make money" can be taken two ways. In one, you have the general case of the insurer who takes a cut of the premium for expenses and for profit to pay to his shareholders. The CF RRG will not take that cut for profit and so does not exist to make money.

However, should experience of claim events and expenses and investment returns on the fund be better than expected - which you might anticipate on the basis that there will be prudence in determining the capital requirements - then at some point you will have more fund than you require for your future liability which can be distributed to the owners of the RRG, i.e. you. In this sense, you could make money from the CF RRG. However, just note the dependence on a good outcome from the risks involved, ok.

#43 - I doubt you're covered for blantant negligence. However, I do agree that not every claim will be fought, some are just too teeney to bother with the expense and an I'm-not-admitting-anything type settlement will be more appropriate. Then again, if the RRG focuses on claims over a certain size then it's possible that "every claim will be fought" is a valid statement. I might have to watch the video later to see what was actually said.....

The video of Candace was awesome. I love how she wasn't satisfied, how she believed she could do even better, push even harder....and she was first place on day one. That's awesome

Re: RRG #40 & #42,

Scare tactics? Are you serious? What is shown in that video is affiliates trying to communicate to each other why they invested in the RRG and why they think it is needed and important. I think they are scared of the possibility of losing their businesses... but "scare tactics"?

What's your angle?

FOB Kalsu

Nice! I used to run the Marine Comm Det there in '05

Give em hell boys

I understand that there will be "crossfit lawyers", which obviously provides an inherent benefit rooted in their understanding of the program. What I am not clear on it whether the affiliate is also purchasing additional professional liability coverage in addition to the general liability coverage which they most likely already have. If they are, this seems like a point that deserves more emphasis, as I'm not sure most people understand the difference between the two (and the benefits of professional liablity insurance).

Trying to do the right work and make a well informed decision about whether to go with the RRG, I consulted an attorney, who reviewed my waiver, that has specific language that indemnifies our affiliate from "errors and omissions", spells out the specific risks associated with and more unique to CrossFit, and reviewed my policy, issued by an insurer that specializes in working with the CrossFit community.

She said (she's a CrossFitter) that the risks associated with a potential CrossFit case will stem from the opposing side posing strong arguments that attack the expertise of the trainer, specifically along the lines of length of experience, training certifications, accepted standards within the fitness industry, etc.

She mentioned that the Level 1 solely as the credential because of a lack of practical examination leaves a window of opportunity for an enterprising attorney, and that a deposition would typically grill the trainer on scope of expertise. She mentioned further that it is ridiculous and unethical to present to the lay public that a settlement would never occur, this is contingent on the specifics of the case, all of which are unique.

The RRG still sounds like a unique idea, but it's a little disconcerting that the scare tactics are being used. It's taking on a flavor of "be with us or be against us."

Further, as most of our clients are avid perusers of the board, as well as the mainsite, the heavy promotion of the RRG smacks a little of the same scenario of an airline greeting you with parachutes at the check in gate.

Perhaps the marketing could be directed through emails to affiliates and trainers.

That being said, CrossFit is the best thing out there.

I have a bad elbow and can't do cleans anymore. Which is a bestter substitution, sumo dead lift high pulls or snatches?

In an unrelated issue this is for the crossfit experts. For scaling purposes, what is the 1 RM for the major exercises of imaginary person who is a 175 lbs male for whom the exercises are targeted at? What I'm getting at is if he can clean 300 lbs and the WOD is for example elizabeth, then we can get an idea of the relative difficulty for the exercise which calls for reps at 135 lbs. On the other hand if his 1RM is a more common 185 lbs, that is a different sort of work out. I think posting this kind of reference information will do alot to help with all the scaling questions.

"Once you settle, it sets that precedent, then all those lawyers come out, they sue every one of us starting at the smallest ones...now you can't get insurance, now you're out of business."

What is this but a scare tactic? The Mimms case happened already, have we seen this spate of lawsuits? Do they know that "bogus lawsuits" are actually initiated by injured people and not a coordinated throng of lawyers?

If the RRG is such a good idea, why do they have to pitch it so aggressively? They don't even let the guy finish his questions before four people are telling him a story of doom and gloom. Starting the discussion with "What's the holdup?" sets a pretty aggressive tone. CrossFitters have a pretty independent streak, and I'm sure this raises as many red flags as it allays.

I have an ancient wooden rower at my gym but it does work you pretty good. There is no monitor on it so I have been subbing SDHP in the WOD. Can anyone tell me about how many strokes it takes to go 250 meters? I am sure there are a lot of factors but I am looking for a general idea. M/33/5'11"/205. Thanks.

Hahaha I was stationed in FOB KALSU for a little bit before I went to Fallujah. It looks nice seeing the wooden walk ways there now. I didnt have that when I was there so when it rained it got super muddy.

A general idea would be 25 strokes for 250 meters.

I love Crossfit and hope the Insurance project works out. I am just a garage gym follower and sometimes affiliate client. No offense intended, but from my perspective the RRG does seem like a very aggressive sell...

It's the high ceilings! That's why mornings at CrossFir Central are so invigorating!

Also why not make the RRG membership part of the affiliation fee?

Thank you #59.

CNN reported today was national day of prayer but White House is not participating. Well its about time. We live in a post christian era and do not need the crutch.

Space Design:

in late 2004 we undertook the task of designing the space that would hold the first "patient-centered" Eyecare business, Skyvision Centers. some standard design elements were included such as multiple, small seating areas spread out around the offic space. Others, consistent with the articles thesis, were "borrowed" from high-end, high-touch consumer business such as Nordstrom's and Canyon Ranch. Our hallways are quite wide and ceilings quite high; even when the office is quite crowded it still feels spacious.

The most interesting design element, however, came from some research that one of our design consultants shared with Mrs. Bingo, the lead designer. We had chosen a beautiful carpet design that matched the rest of the decor (and the web site, and the marketing material, and the educational material, etc.). The carpet had large, colored circles of different sizes randomly spaced throughout. We nixed that carpet when we found reports in the psychology literature that showed pretty conclusively that older individuals become unsure of themselves when presented with a surface that has "holes" in it. We have a large older clientele that loves the "check mosaic" on our floor now, as they confidently move through their eyecare experience.

Environmental design is real.

Bike 10 min.

Ran 2 miles in 18:12.. first time running outside since the knee injury.

Forgot to add that our insurance covers errors and ommisions, and that it is strong, provided no homemade equipment is used, or gymnastics work of the tumbling variety, but that ring work, rope climbs, etc. are ok.

That being said, I'd like to see if anyone has the same insurer, they've been recommended on the message board, shoot me an email and I'll review the waiver and name of insurer so we can compare.

Still interested in RRG, and how this would buttress our coverage in a legal defense fund fashion.

How in the world can Crossfit claim that they will never settle?

*Lots* of affiliates have *bad* trainers. Just because someone is Level 1 certified does not mean that will never cause a person harm. Maybe the trainer in the Mimms case wasn't at fault. But surely we can imagine an affiliate trainer making a mistake and causing a client injury.

What will the Crossfit insurance company do in a case where the affiliate trainer *does* cause injury? Not settle, even though the trainer was at fault? That's unethical and doesn't make financial sense either, since they will likely lose in court.

An insurance company is *supposed* to pay valid claims. I don't know what an RRG is, but a group that says they will never pay a valid claim is not an insurance company.

pffhew!
I'm smoked from today's WoD?
Grapple any one? Paul?

Brandon # 11,

I see you've already gotten a few answers that it's okay to have a little of the knee directly over the toes.

One hasn't been mentioned is "the active hip". This is where you actively keep your knees from drifting inward during a lift, which would casue uneven compression. This isn't seen from a side view but from looking at a person head on and also sometimes has a "knees over the toes" cue.

Hope this and the other answers help.

Andy #24,

Yes, if you have been to a Level 1 you can buy in at the trainer level.

To Eric Gohl,

was reading your comments in your post# 29. Loved what you said to Gimpy...

"...rather than thinking, "Deadlift works my hamstrings and back..." it would be, "Deadlift promotes proper mechanics to lift something off the ground".....

absolutely love it!
hope you don't mind if i steal the expression

no time for rest... doing the crossfit football today followed by my ritual spin class... Crossfit should make this part of its WOD ha! :)

its gonna be a fun one, good luck on those of you doing the qualis next week and I hope all is well from your brother in the big apple!

FRAT you know I miss ya! S'more, playoff, cookie, rookie, herm, eric, pony, cynthia, PB&J, Fat Tony, who'd I forget....?

I can't believe what I'm reading....bad form and not tying shoes...haha.

I guess if I give a freaking buttstroke to a terrorist w/ a rounded back and untied boots I'm using bad form...!

Freaking arm-chair quarterbacks man.

thanks to all that gave me answers to my squating question.

I can see the knees coming slightly over toes... but as #34 grambo said about the front squat... knees very far forward sounds pretty dangerous to me. how do we concentrate on keeping knees in the right place for back squat olympic squat etc... and then say screw it go ahead and shove em forward while front squating? Im no doctor but body mechanics would tell me that lots of weight put on a mostly closed knee will put alot of stress on that hinge. Am I wrong in this train of thought?

Ethan, #16, —LOL! Brilliant.

You forgot gay marriage, though. It became law here in Maine yesterday.

by the way, we were so inspired by the Nasty Girls earlier this week, that we did that workout this morning. We couldn't believe we hadn't done it yet. Our MU's were assisted, though. For me, working the movement through the range of motion seems to do the most good for me.

#64 agnost1

Prayer is not solely a Christian phenomenon...

But hey, thanks for your tolerance and anonymity

: )

#6 Hitch (and all pic/video form detractors)

Being humble can go a long way in this world. We all start somewhere, and were all beginners at one point. Sometimes we forget that...not every trainer is great when they first start either.

I think it's great that soldiers want to take pics and send it to CFHQ to show how proud they are to both serve and call themselves Crossfitters.

Typically deployments can get monotonous (not always but usually it's pretty boring), seeing a group of guys you know (or yourself) pop up on the CF mainsite, probably boosts that whole groups morale for days on end...

It's not bad/sad to post pics of bad form. It's only bad if you label it as "instructional".

But there's a crop of exercise videos that show what your form should be, and as an individual you should be chasing form and intensity for the rest of your Crossfitting career, a couple pics or videos of sub-par form, shouldn't be enough to derail you in your own quest.

Perfect form vs. effective form, now that should be the question. Are the guys in the picture working effectively? I think so. Are they doing so at the expense of their safety? Other than their location serving overseas, I don't see anything Earth shattering that is a danger to any of them. They do look like they are handling the work just fine, even in the less than ideal, compromised HSPU position.

I'd be more concerned about dropping that iron on the ground and triggering a missfire from an outpost over the noise!

Man oh man is doing some of these exercises tough. I'm definitely not strong enough for pull-ups and I have difficulty in getting the form right in the press jerk - I ended up doing push presses after a number of failed tries at the correct form. I won't give up though - I will persist. I appreciate the program and the support available through comments and videos of the exercises. Even at my age of 53 years I will continue to improve.

Comment #64 "CNN reported today was national day of prayer but White House is not participating. Well its about time. We live in a post christian era and do not need the crutch."

First, Why in the world would you post that here? What's the relevance to crossfit, the community, or the topics being discussed today?

Secondly, I could not possibly disagree with you more. Christianity is not a crutch and this is not a "post Christian" era................Good Grief.....

Ethan, #16

I am sorry if you can't see the obvious correlation between room design and gun control or how room design my or may not impact global warming (which I think is a myth). I'll have you know that room design, specifically arguments concerning the design of a particular room , is the 1047th leading cause of gun related incidents in the home!!! The evidence, if you ever took the time to read it, and no I won't post any links you can google it your damn self, clearly indicates that if we simply banned assault rifles we could cut room design related domestic gun violence in HALF!!!

Additionally you have the added benefit of saving the polar bears. That's right... banning assault rifles saves the polar bears. We all know that that Alaska's national past time is drunken polar bear hunting with assault rifles. It's not like there is anything else to do in Alaska so I can hardly blame them. So by banning assault rifles not only do we cut down the room design related domestic violence but we also save polar bears and thus reverse the trend of global warming....

I am sure this is all over your head so I am not even sure why I wasted my time... Just know I am smarter than you!!!!

:)

3.1 miles in 24 mins (7:45 min/mi pace)

M/25/155

Saw the RRG video and have to agree that they are bullying tactics. Any good lawyer whether defense or Plaintiff, will give you the strenghts and weaknesses of your case, the odds of winning or losing, and the exposure you will face. To tell someone lawyers cost 50 to 60 thousand or more to hire is a bunch of bull...if that were the case, think of how many "cases" this RRG would be able to defend (50K x 10), and now the RRG is out of money...and that was for the lawyer, what if the Plaintiff wins his/her 5 million dollar case??
I have seen some bad advice, but this takes it to a whole new level.
Where are the lawsuits? where are the bus loads of Plaintiffs attorneys filing suits? Any insurance company will give you an attorney to defend you from the lawsuit, and if they are worth their salt, will file the appropriate documents to get the suit thrown out if it is bogus.

Ethan - #16 and thenine - #82,

As I understand from my readings of Galt, Emerley, Wharton and Alfred E. Neuman, you are both wallowing in the Leftist mire of moral relativism that is unmistakably the cause of our current economic morass and, indeed, the swine flu pandemic and the shortfall in the RRG fundraising. This is not opinion; this is fact. You can have no reasonable response to this, and the absence of that response will be taken as your admission that your position on room design is fundamentally flawed and has no basis in truth.

Happy Birthday, "Murph"

Well it's good to see the guys in the EOD compound at FOB Kalsu doing crossfit but the hell of it is we as a community strive to keep pics out of the media, so I have to tell these three (who I replaced here in iraq and hopefully are home if not a day or two away) that they owe beer! LOL Thanks Crossfit for supporting the troops and making all these resources available to us. I just started but CrossFit is definitely 'infectious'.

#40 Steve

You've been antagonistic towards the RRG, as seen in today's post. Can you explain how the RRG is different from malpractice insurance that MD's carry? Insurance for claims against "professional advice" and "training protocols" is very different from cases of negligence. Any athlete on any given day in any gym, CrossFit or otherwise, can get injured using proper mechanics. Its the reality of the human musculoskeletal system. Our current liability doesn't cover my "professional recommendations" if a client gets injured, even if the wod and movements were perfectly legit and mechanically sound for that individual. As mentioned in the video, a legal precedent is set, the deficiencies in liability are exposed, that's the reality not scare tactics. What's your problem??

#54 Erik

I understand your concern, but I disagree that the way CrossFit is educating people about the liability issue and the need for the RRG is all wrong. Its very different from your airline example, because the site explicitly details the risks of CrossFit, as far as the ricks of rhabdo and personal injury. Anybody could find that from the "start here" page. The problem we are dealing with is the same as in Medicine, its our system of Torts and the society we live in. Hell, there are risks in life, you can't eat a meal without a risk of choking, walk down stairs without risk of tripping. Our problen is we've allowed the plaintiffs and their attorneys to run amuck and "find blame" in every situation in life. CrossFit just happens to be the newest one with a legal precedent, bogus case or not. If someone new wants to know if they can get hurt doing CrossFit, I ask can someone die from general anesthesia? Hell yes they can! That's why we need the RRG and that's why surgeons need malpractice insurance. The existence of the liability coverage or its promotion doesn't increase or decrease the risk nor does it let negligent trainers or surgeons off the hook, it protects those of us who make our living from that 1/5000 chance that something happens that's out of anyones control!!

So i'm having a bad day at work, and decide to get a milkshake with my grilled chicken sandwich. Now, if i drink said milkshake as fast as i can, ignoring the pain from the icecream headache, and i scream during breaths....does this make it a CrossFit milkshake? lol

Enjoying the day of rest!

I dont post often but I cant resist. To the people critiquing (sp) the form and the fact that the dudes shoes are untied. Get an f-ing life. This picture is not an instructional video, it is a photo of 3 soldiers crossfitting in a War Zone. I beleive it is meant to show support for the Troops and how crossfit is being done worldwide, in every clime and place. Get over your "perfect" self.

Did "Hansen" today

Holy Crap that sucked!

I love it

Dave

Had to do something today so I improvised a quick globogym WOD:
run 400m 1:32
shoulder rehab exercises with theraband.
CFWU
3 rounds for time of:
10 decline situp
10 SDHP
10 KB power snatches (each arm)
10 squats

didn't accurately time it due to lack of stopwatch but was sweatin' like a b@st@rd by the end... it was easily under 5 minutes and easily more work then the two body builder dudes who were posing and staring at me out of the corner of their eyes...freaks! DO WORK!

I've noticed my intensity and drive have increased significantly since reading "Lone Survivor". Maybe I'm an easily motivated rube... I don't know. I just know I'm better for having read it!

Happy Rest day everybody!

Ryan (comment #90) I support your opinion and would like to add to the comments made that I haven't tied a athletic shoe, beside baseball cleats for years. This includes the shoes I do the WOD in regularly and run in.

The picture is intended for motivational reasons, not to point out the gentlemen shoes....

#'s 82 and 85, this is #16,
Thanks for keeping it light. :)
Can I try to defend myself by using ad hominem attacks against you? Wait a minute...what am I defending myself from? Take care.

Ethan

bkm #88,

Thanks for the response. There was a post a couple of days ago where someone asked for perhaps a primer on where current insurance policies were lacking, so that affiliates could go back to their insurance agents and inquire further. I think many of us on the fence haven't passed the threshold of "my insurance really sucks" thus I need to invest in the RRG.

The airline/parachute analogy wasn't meant in any negative way, only to highlight that it kinda shines a light on the inherent risks associated with CrossFit, and I think putting a badge on one's affiliate website saying that you are a RRG member could send the signal to your affiliate of "we're covered, don't mess with us". Certainly it sends a signal of "I belong," to our community of affiliates and HQ, but it also could resonate in an unintended way to Suzie or Joe Crossfitter that is checking the blog for pics of the last workout, or leaving comments...

I don't remember the last time I went to my doctor seeing his insurance certificate on the wall alongside his diploma. That's all.

What to do, what to do. (checkbook in hand...)

Also let it be known that Andy Petranek is a seminal figure in CrossFit, knows his game backwards and forwards, and trains trainers, and has elevated the "business of CrossFit" in a profound way. His passion shouldn't be construed in any ulterior or negative way, IMHO. Knowing some out there in the ether, it's only a matter of time before someone attacks him for the video. Here's a tip: Don't.

Peace, bkm.

M/36/67/246

Did Tuesday's pull-up WOD today scaled as noted.

W/U: CFE 2 mi. TT. 17:31.

WOD: 10 RFT
3 Negatives
5 Assisted
7 Reduced Load on Smith Machine
31:25

Man, I hate pull-ups. Smith machine was not available last 4 rounds, so I had to just do heavier assists for the sets of 7. My hands and forearms are wrecked.

Interesting conversation on RRG. I ruptured my pectoral tendon bench pressing (cool sound but ooh so much pain) a few weeks ago. I had surgery last week( scrapped the humorus down and screwed the tendon back to the bone) and will not be doing muscle ups for a while-a long while. I plan to never bench heavy again, just body wt from now on. Going crazy not xfitting so I do tabata squats, lunges, and lots of running intervals. It happened in the shelter so I blame myself. I am also lev 1 cert and occasionally have buddies over to the shelter to workout. Would my home owners insurance cover an injury to one of them? Maybe I should research it more.

#64 I will pray for you. I would like to engage in discourse but maybe when that is the topic of rest day.

I wanted to offer up my take on the RRG. As I see it, there is one distinction that needs to be made up front: capitalization and premiums are two different things. Right now, to get this thing rolling, Trainers need to send in $200, and Affiliates $1,000. This is to provide the capital to get the thing moving. In effect, to create a brand new insurance company.

Once the company exists, then you can buy insurance from it, like you do now. Except now it's in the family, from people who understand you.

If you already have insurance, you keep it until it runs out. You don't need to double pay or anything like that. However, by contributing to this now, you create the OPTION of buying insurance from the RRG.

What are the benefits? Well, let's think this through sequentially and rationally.

You are required to buy insurance. This is a condition of affiliation, and training under the CrossFit name. This is sound business policy, for the simple reason that we have a lot of attorneys in the U.S. and they feel the need to be kept in steak and caviar.

Most insurance carriers have a predilection to settle most cases, for the simple reason that it is cheaper than litigating. Mikimbo Mims (should be close) got $300,000 for getting rhabdo after doing a KIDS workout. He got this since the insurance company chose to settle rather than litigate.

Insurance companies don't understand what we do. Their WHOLE desire is to keep costs down. If they look at what we do, decide they agree with the plaintiff's attorney and they are going to lose, they will settle EVERY CASE.

Law works by precedent. If any attorney anywhere gets a large verdict by claiming CROSSFIT, as a whole, is INHERENTLY dangerous, then that makes the next lawsuit that much easier. This could lead, as a moment's reflection will show, to a cascade of lawsuits and settlements, each of them easier than the previous one.

Where does this lead? Could it lead anywhere other than some combination of massive rate increases and denial of coverage to anyone using the CrossFit name? Given the difficulty many of you likely had getting insured in the first place, can you doubt for a moment CrossFit could be frozen out?

If, then, litigation could lead to a de facto cessation of the POSSIBILITY of CrossFit named activities--and believe me we have plenty of enemies out there--what is the logical solution?

Self insurance. There are two obvious benefits to this. First, long term, strategic thinking will be involved. Clearly we cannot guarantee that no lawsuits will be settled. The point, though, is that no lawsuits like that of Makimbo Mims will be settled. The question is not cost/benefit. Clearly, attorneys for--most notably--insurance carriers will tell you in advance that their remedy, to you, will be determined by the facts of the case. In most cases, they basically figure out their chances of winning, the cost of winning, and compare it to the cost of settlement. Back door negotiations can ensue, in which the cost of settlement is brought down to the cost of litigation, and the deal is done.

John Travolta describes this process in the very beginning of "A Civil Action". It is very ruthless, pragmatic math.

The difference between the RRG and John Q. Insurance Company, is the RRG CARES about the outcome. They can do the math both respect to the IMMEDIATE case, but also with respect to future cases. They can place everything in a larger context which cares about not just the immediate future, but the well being of the CrossFit Community AS A WHOLE.

I can't watch videos currently, so I didn't see the talk, but if Andy or someone said the RRG wouldn't settle, that is the reason.

Secondly, if push does come to shove, the attorney sitting next to you in the courtroom will UNDERSTAND you. You will have someone close to family representing you in a case. Someone who actually cares personally about protecting you.

Bottom line: If you pay one upfront investment now, you will never have to worry about getting your insurance premium renewed again.

#13 Gimpy,

Indeed the idea that one should never work the same "body part" two days in a row is, as you so aptly put it, "globo-minded".

In fact, as Mark Rippetoe Points out in his outstanding book, "Practical Programming", some traditional bodybuilding splits, by erroneously focusing on the body as a collection of parts, have the tendency to overtrain some muscles and undertrain others. The programming is both too much and not enough at the same time.

We use compound multi-joint movements that involve the whole body, so clearly some muscles are going to get an extra punch from time to time.

Additionally, stacking stimulus on consecutive days is and excellent way to disrupt homeostasis and cause supercompensation: the more advanced the athlete the more such stacking is needed.

Lewis (aka the man dumb enough to write post 85),

It may not be reasonable but you bet your ass I am gonna respond. The reality is that I don't recognize 1/3 of the words in your post. As such I am going ignore your post and continue my rant. This time however I will use CAPS AND EXCLAMATIONS marks to add emphasis as well as prove my intellectual superiority and the moral correctness of my arguments!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Using such big and fancy words to illustrate your point only proves that you are a well educated, right wing, religious fanatic. How dare you bring up God or prayer on these boards? This is a Crossfit forum!!!

I think its high time you put those useless things you call books down and instead focus your energies on your Burpee form, AN OFFICIAL BURPEE HAS A PUSH UP WITH THE LEGS KICKED OUT!! I have seen that flop to the ground that you do and let me assure you that is no burpee. Your little "flop burpee" is actually responsible for the death of 95% of the baby seal population in Kenya (random stats make my post more accurate). What do you have against baby seals anyway... they are so cute?

Until you have corrected your burpee form and subsequently stopped killing baby seals, I do not want to hear anything you have to say. In the end only someone who is as enlightened as me, and who by the way who has a 1rm squat of 952# a to a and a 1:30 Fran *flex*, can comment on the current state of room design.

Fuchsia is the new beige!

Rest Day Question:

I maintain a 3 on 1 off WOD schedule, and like many others I'm sure, I feel pretty banged up sometimes. What is considered the best option for basic physical maintenance? Massage? If so what type? Chiro?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I thought about e-mailing Dr. Starrett but chickened out. Felt a little like the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode when Larry asked the doctor for help at the Country Club...

Brandon #75:

"With sufficient depth anterior and posterior forces on the knee are balanced".

-Rip SS

Ethan and thenine...you guys are killin me LMFAO!
Thx for the rest day humor... I nneded that!

LT FISh, Ssg Cott yall are the "bomb"

Thanks to all who have defended today's picture and the Soldiers therein.

We don't claim to be the best, or to have perfect form, or even to always tie our shoelaces, but we do have a true passion for CrossFit and the camaraderie and strength it builds.

To Hitch, I'll work on my form just for you.

1LT Ryan Fisher
"Poor Form" HSPU-er
760th EOD Co

mimms' case didn't settle, it went to jury.

that's why insurance companies usually settle cases. you never know which 12 idiots you're going to get.

but unless you live in Prince William County, VA there's no 'legal precedent' to be concerned with. however that $300k award will encourage other lawsuits, no doubt.

but be forwarned, when you 'never settle' what you invariably get is a jury. good luck with that.

guess I didn't eat my Wheaties. you don't 'invariably' get a jury. sometimes you get a judge who finds that the plaintiff's case does not support a cause of action.

usually a well-written release of liability makes it a lot easier to convince the judge not to send a case to jury

JUS: fair enough.

Dale Saran's point, though, is relevant, that the help he and other CrossFitters (and we have some nationally recognized attorneys who do CrossFit) offered the Defense was refused. Given the outcome, this was stupid. Yet, we had no control. The defendant had no control. It was up to the insurance company lawyers, and they don't have a reputation for having small egos.

Certainly, the intent to defend CrossFit--or in this case, a defendant using the CrossFit method--is good. Intent plus capacity is better.

Insurance is a type of self defense. The defense will not get better than motivated attorneys who do CrossFit, defending CrossFit.

I will add as well that the potential scarcity of coverage is also a legitimate concern. Look at the issues that have been raised in the military by what appear to be a handful of individuals.

Insurance companies like to insure--invest in--things that they know. They like safety and stability. They like known risk profiles. They like accurate underwriting, and actuarial precision. For now, the demonstrable fact of our safety is keeping many companies writing CrossFit policies. But people die each year in marathons. People die in bike races. People die, on occasion, in gyms on treadmills. Professional football players die while out fishing.

So, if you take some event we can't foresee, couple it with media coverage by our many nay-sayers, and you might just be able to choke access to insurance in such a way that that alone prevents continuing viability of otherwise thriving concerns.

I would guess this is Coach's concern, for the simple reason that he is taking a long view.

In its own way, this proposal is every bit as revolutionary as CrossFit itself. Certainly, self insurance has happened before, but I suspect never in quite this way, for a group of fitness professionals. The NSCA, if anyone is wondering, just farms it out.

Comment #100, I would also like to add my two cents, if that's all right?

Indeed the idea that one should never work the same "body part" two days in a row is, as you so aptly put it, "globo-minded".

In fact, as Mark Rippetoe points out in his outstanding book, "Practical Programming", some traditional bodybuilding splits, by erroneously focusing on the body as a collection of parts, have the tendency to overstrain some muscles and under train others. The programming is both too much and not enough at the same time.

Using the bicep curl as an example, the bicep wasn’t meant to be isolated under heavy load without some assistance, as in using the shoulder or back to help carry a load. Heavy preacher curls come to mind, meaning the bicep is over stressed, but so are the tendons, ligaments, and cartilage around the elbow joint. If you are doing standing barbell curls, this is better because the load is distributed across the shoulders and back, and even the legs and hips during the weight’s rotation upwards as the bicep curls into contraction. This isolation argument can be applied to exercises such as leg curls, leg extension, abdominal machine use, etc. The human body wasn’t designed and evolved into a stationary figure that moves muscle groups in isolation, so why train that way? Make sense? Constantly varied, functional movements performed over modal domains at a high intensity = CrossFit. There is nothing functional in a bicep curl except rehabilitation. You do less work when doing them over and over, and there’s nothing constantly varied when doing them over a period of time, even when changing the actual exercise from a single arm, dumbbell curl to alternating standing dumbbell curls; they're still isolated excercise.

We use compound multi-joint movements that involve the whole body, so clearly some muscles are going to get an extra punch from time to time.

CrossFit is “One Piece” development, meaning, you train your body for athletic, dynamic work, which promotes longevity of activity. You can’t reach this with isolated movement.

Oops, Maximus. I didn't use quotes for your text! Shoot.

Barry Cooper:

You wrote, "Mikimbo Mims (should be close) got $300,000 for getting rhabdo after doing a KIDS workout. He got this since the insurance company chose to settle rather than litigate."

That's false. Mimms was awarded $300,000 by a *jury* in a *trial.*

A simple internet search will produce dozens of news reports covering the lawsuit, trial, and verdict.

Barry Cooper, thanks for the background.

I'd definitely agree that, in retrospect, the insurer got in over their heads with this one. But I'm not sure if knowledgeable representation would have helped any. Exercise science may not have played a significant role. Admitting that I know NADA about the trial, I'd just bet the issue of Assumption of Risk was dispositive; if not with the jury, at least with the judge. That's what I'm really curious to know.

Ultimately, if the RRG is mainly a war chest of sympathetic and knowledgeable attorneys, effective legal arguments, useful research, and settlement money then it's money well spent. If it's just to pay some mercenary lawyers to fight tooth and nail to 'never settle' then it's a waste of money and a recipe for disaster.

Because of one stubborn insurance company now all the affiliates out there are effectively under a duty to warn because plaintiff's attorneys will be gunning for you.

Did "Filthy Fifty" for the first time w/ one of my Marines.

We subbed double unders for 50 tuck jumps

SSgt - 31:00

PFC - 35:00

Smoked!

Chad,

See #109. In my view, even the facts of that case still support my basic contention that it's better to have qualified family defending you, than disinterested and uncomprehending large corporations.

I was inaccurate, though, in my statement that it settled.

With regards to the RRG, I have invested the money both as an affiliate and as a trainer. The $1200 is a very small sum to invest towards the goal of defense of all the CF affiliates. Crossfit needs the RRG to be self insured.

as for the article...

it does carry with it a certain anti-industrial sentiment: buildings make us crazy, trees make us happy, etc.

hey, there's more ways than one to ruin our environment.

#113: I know a lot of the people at CrossFit HQ, and can with some assurance say that the issue is not one of machismo (although that is not absent).

The issue is simply protecting the CrossFit name from injury by jury. This is a logical objective, and one which takes into rational consideration not just the general overarching American desire to retire early from unearned income, but also the very clear indications that there are a lot of individuals and groups who just don't like us.

There is no other group quite like CrossFit in the Fitness industry. Much of our intellectual "capital" is free, as evidenced most notably in the video selections.

All of our competitors are in many respects defined in their offerings--confined, to be clear--by liability considerations. They use machines not because they are better, but because they look safer (less inviting to litigious attorneys), are easier to train people to use, and don't produce catastrophic injuries (just poor fitness, and repetitive motion injuries).

Now, we all know that CrossFit--done properly--is safe. But we are doing things nobody else on any large scale is doing. We are reintroducing common sense to the fitness world, which has abandoned it in no small measure from fear of being sued.

And we are taking market share from companies that have much larger overheads in terms of material and space requirements. Put simply, it is MUCH cheaper to open a CrossFit gym, than any of the competing alternatives.

Does anyone seriously think as we continue to grow nobody will gun for us? It's already happening. That Makimba Mims thing got spun by many people into "CrossFit is getting sued by the Navy". What if they had legitimate grist for the mill?

Think of this thing as a defensive buffer. You dig your trenches before you are attacked. Now, temperamentally I am ill at ease with a defensive mindset, but in business you have to cover you butt, or you will regret it.

Do we want to build something solid, or something that depends on the vagaries and superficial perceptions of people who don't know us?

Anyone know what the difference is between a kettle bell swing and a pood kettle bell swing? Cheers.

Now is the time to go interview those jurors in the Mim case. Offer to pay them for a professional "exit" interview. This isn't to go belittle them, but to gain some insight.

#64 This country was founded witha religion as a major influence. "One nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all." Why then won't Obama, THIS COUNTRY'S LEADER, celebrate National Prayer Day and why is he trying to pass September 24th as National Islamic Prayer Day? Do your research before posting something so ignorant. And screw Obama for labeling Iraq veterans as "possible terrorists." Thank you to our brave military for protecting this wonderful country Obama is trying to destroy.

Pood is just the weight of the kettlebell (i.e. 1, 1.5, or 2 pood = approx 36, 54, and 72 lbs respectively)

Barry Cooper comment #118 that seems the advisable purpose of RRG. the sharks are swimming.

As for the other part, while I can't say whether that's paranoia or not, but at least there will be no shortage of 'expert' witnesses willing to testify against Crossfit. Those fitness professionals out there either fear for their market share, or they fear that they'll have to start working harder, or they just fear the iron. Either way, it's wise to be wary of a large group of scared people.

tjo comment #120 that's a waste of time. huge waste of time. might as well flip a coin. you're better advised to concern yourself with what the judge thought and how the case got to the jury in the first place

#119
Pood is simply referring to the weight of the KB.

A summary from Wikipedia below...

Pood is a Russian unit of mass. 1 pood is approximately 16.38 kg (36 pounds).
Its still used in certain specific cases, e.g., in reference to sports weights, such as traditional Russian kettlebells, cast in multiples and fractions of 16 kg (which is pood rounded to metric units). For example, a 24 kg kettlebell is commonly referred to as "one-and-half pood kettlebell".

Personally i find "one-and-half pood kettlebell" a rather amusing visual image

Front Squat 3,3,3,3,3; 110, 120, 130 (2), 140 (2), 120

At Downing's Gym, Corvallis, OR. where I used my first ever real lifting platform--very cool.

#124

Ahh... now it makes sense. Thanks mate.

i did tuesdays pull up workout last night. made me realize just how weak i am. now i cant move my arms.

#64 This country was founded with religion as a major influence. "One nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all."

I'm not saying there was not a lot of religious influence among the founders, but the words above are from the pledge of allegiance, not the constitution and were added in 1954, not 1776 or 1789.

Also a lot of the founders were Deists, not Christians per se.

Let's stick to the facts.

I've read a little bit about rhabdo; researched a bit when I first started reading the stuff on the crossfit site. Seems like there's a genetic disposition and in a few cases people have gotten it doing hardly any exercise (do a Pubmed search and you'll see what I mean).
So if some get it with very little movement, how is a trainer supposed to protect a client against that? I'm not expecting an answer, just sharing my thoughts...

#36, Richard

You are absolutely correct friend. My bad. Luckily the athlete was still chalking up. I will be more aware next time for sure. Thanks for pointing that out to me!

And yes, Candace did a great job.

Greg

Please ignore my post directly above! I did another Pubmed search and couldn't find the articles I had remembered so I might be mixing conditions up....

#128 Maximus

Let's pls not get into a historical religious debate I loathe revisionism...and it's too easy for BOTH sides of the coin to make assumptions...

Declaration of Independence

"...endowed by their CREATOR with certain unalienable Rights..."

And your quip about Deists and Christians is out of place...again I say this topic brought up by #64 was about a day of prayer, he too made the mistake of automatically equating prayer with Christianity.

row 2K in Rochester hotel 7:44

I was amazed to find freeweights and a Concept rower in the hotel gym. they even had a pullup bar.

happy rest day everyone

later,
b

#130 Greg:

Looks like you were focused intently on your athlete and watching/counting reps, which is exactly what you were supposed to be doing.

Considering the fairly cramped quarters of the jerk area, it's a minor miracle that none of us got whacked by a stray bouncing barbell :-)

Metcon today @ GFCM- I am a lucky girl! I get Jason "Rhabdo" Kaplan to yell at me :) One day I will make him proud and kip!
5 PJs 65#
10 PUs (jumping)
15 Squats
200m run
5 rounds - 13:54. Running killed me. Awesome, just what I wanted :)

Ethan & thenine- WOW did I laugh. Thank you.

To continue the random funny...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16iNk1hLJt4

I can't wait for the GAMES :)

PB- You had to bring up Dexy's Midnight Runners, didn't ya? Ah, I like that song!
Cookie- thats a NICE OHS! Get that kip girl.
Rookie- you are ready to charge! That's great.
s'more- s'morelle is such a sweet doll. Que linda- como su mama, !por supuesto!
Eric & CynthiaJ- I can't wait to stay up late and giggle with you. Do you know how to play 500 Rummy? Go Fish? Cribbage? War? Me gusta card games.

Bambina & I did chin up ladder yesterday- 18 total :)
GIDDY-UP!

Pony that's so great you are a tough girl...big hugs

W/U
200m run
20 GHD's
20 Back Extensions
200m walk w/ 45# bar locked out overhead
10 Samson stretches
200m run
50 medicine ball sit-ups

W/O
20 continuous squats 135#

Cool down
5 minutes of Cindy - 6 rounds

Push Jerk 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

65
85
105
125
135
145
155(horrible form, not aggressive enough
155(PR, aggressively with good form)

Strong Lil Pony!
John Cleese's chicken is too much! lol!
Thanks for bringin that one back!

OMG my lats are KILLING ME from the pullup wod on Tues! Actually took the rest day today because I'm having trouble lifting my arms! Did go to Tae Kwon Do tonight, though, and the instructor was pushup happy- I think we did a million- I almost cried! Anxiously waiting for tomorrow's wod to post....

#75

Not sure if anyone replied or not (I skimmed the responses), but whether you put your knees in danger in a squat or not depends more on whether you are shoving them out so they track over your toes or not. If you let them fall in, that is a weak position. Another weak position is letting the weight get forward onto your mid-foot and toes. If you are squatting off your heels and driving your knees out, they can safely come as far forward as they mechanically have to to allow the squat to happen. As Rip shows in starting strength, the barbell has to remain over your mid-foot throughout the movement, and depending on the type of squat you do, differing levels of knee travel will be required (based on torso incline and where your hips are).

Worry about keeping the weight on your heels and driving your knees out versus forward, let them go where they need to do based on the type of squat. Experiment with an empty bar and light loads of course when you are changing technique.

#72 rosita
Steal away! If anything i ever say helps you or someone you may know or train or whatever, use the hell out of it! :)

Ethan, thenine, Lewis Dunn-
I haven't found so much enjoyment in rest day posts ever. Thank you for the well needed laughs :)

Comment # 117 : The issue is simply protecting the CrossFit name from injury by jury

Then why is the RRG claiming that they will never settle and always send it to a jury?

Comment #131 - Declaration of Independence

"...endowed by their CREATOR with certain unalienable Rights..."

Then 100 years later, Darwin proved we evolved and were not created.

Those words mean nothing. We were not created. We were not endowed with unalienable Rights. The guy who wrote those words bought and sold humans as if they were cattle. Don't read too much into them.

Holy crap....FOB Kalsu??? I was there back in 04. We were the second rotation there and had to rebuild the camp because some crap nasty guard unit out of Indiana did such a horrible job. Lost a few friends there.

#144 Joe:

Are you...Joe Banks?

#133 Playoff Beard:

Amen to that! :)

m/58/174
Since I blew off last night's workout to drink, play poker and go bad on food, I did the workout tonight.
Warm up: 90 min stairmaster
Push Jerk: 45, 65, 85, 105F, 100, 105, 110

No wod today. Pedro brought a selection of wods to choose from, he even brought the 1/1/2 pood so that I could do Hansen but not enough time. Would never have managed 150 kettlebell swings at that, I would have been lucky to do two without dropping it on my head. (he is always pushing mon, mon, mon.)I like the one pood.

Practised my Push Jerks, still need to push myself under and lower. Getting there.

Still trying to get my hips to swivel. Got another demo from pedro, still laughing!

Good Fun

5/4/09
WOD
kb swings(25lb) 25 reps
25 burpees
25 sit-ups
AMRAP 15 minutes
3 rounds+25+15

5/6/09
WOD
30 box jumps
400 meter run
15 dealift(95lb)
4 rounds
time: 19:11

You know, I was talking with a coworker the other day about the time before the internet, and we both agreed that if cell phones, the internet, personal computers, and TV all stopped working tomorrow, a lot of people would go insane, quite literally. People would kill themselves.

Then we got to thinking, well, what would we do? We would TALK to one another again, wouldn't we? We would spend TIME together, undistracted by electronic noises of various sorts.

Who are internet trolls? Are they not precisely the sorts of people who DON'T have open, honest, face to face conversations? Are they often not the quiet person in the office with little to say, who--as in Brad Paisley's excellent song--go home and become an entirely new person?

I have long said that every day is Halloween on the internet.

On a completely unrelated note, I wanted to respond to Joe.

First, Darwin PROVED nothing. As serious people know--you know, people other than you--you don't PROVE anything in science. What Darwin did was create an alternative explanation.

Moreover, the point being made, which was evidently over your head, was that our Founders, in every possible sense, were almost to a man intensely religious, and all of them were vaguely religious. Washington himself attributed our very existence often to the providence of God, and considered religion to be the cornerstone of the possibility of self government.

With respect to injury by jury, the simple fact is that if you settle, you implicitly admit guilt. You also create a precedent for being an easy target. Now, again, I haven't watched the videos, but I think the best way to frame this is simply: as a CrossFit Affiliate owner, how would you want cases brought against your fellow owners to be handled? Would you want them to roll over as a short term fix, with the likely long term outcome of damaging the reputation of the name?

Clearly, some cases might be settled, but the people making those decisions will make them not in light of immediate financial expediency, but rather of the long term stability of the CrossFit brand.

barbell complex with 135
6 deadlift, squat clean, 6 front squat

5 sets

3 x 20 situps

With respect to the topic of the day, I agree fully that spaces create moods, and given that much of your experience of life relates to moods, we should do more to beautify our public spaces. It seems clear to me there was a relationship between culture and thought in Greece and Rome, and there is no reason we can't improve on their example.

I have thought often about the mythic aspects of Harry Potter. As books, they are decent, but the only plausible explanation, to me, for the stupendous sales is that they tapped mythic nerves.

With respect to architecture, it seems to me it would be interesting to make interactive buildings. In Harry Potter, the stairs move, rooms are created, and the pictures speak.

In a home of the next century, you might have wallpaper that changes color according to the time of day, or the external temperature. You could work tubes into the walls or columns, that funnel rain water when it is raining.

You could have windmills on the roof, that turn kinetic sculptures in your home.

You could have homes that slowly rotate, or tip from side to side.

Roofs that are potentially fully permeable to light. Fountains that go from the inside to the outside.

Potentially, if the science advances, we could have interactive homes that become, as needed, what we need them to be: places of work, relaxation, community, etc. Likewise with places of business.

We need to rediscover community. Much of what we have lost, I think, can be attributed to the technologies we have developed. Clearly, they facilitate contact in many ways. But I think they also act to foster partial attention, and a bifurcation of identities.

In this respect, and perhaps only in this respect, am I fully in agreement with many of the programs of Greens. They work to increase light, air flow, etc. in buildings, and access to green areas. Bike paths, roofs covered with vegetation--all of these are good.

I do sometimes dream of what a non-dystopian future might look like. For me, it is largely agrarian, but keeps the best aspects of technology.

However, that's my personal preference. Perhaps many will still like cities. Here is an interesting thought: what if we advanced sufficiently, morally, that you could trust EVERYONE you met in a city? Would that not be pleasant?

One last, disconnected thought: I was sitting in my room, thinking. Now, I use the word rational a lot. To make fun of myself, I sometimes think of rational coffee cups, and rational sunsets, and rational thunderstorms.

Is there such a thing as a rational room? This may seem like a silly question, but it gets to something important. You experience a room--a space--in a particular way. This experience is prior to rational analysis. Some places you feel comfortable, and some places you don't. Some bars, for me, I like, and many I don't. I don't care for BW3, for example.

If you wanted to, you could make a list of things that make you feel good, and things that make you feel ill at ease. This would be rational. However, the experience precedes this.

I would liken religious experience to this. It is not difficult to defend religion philosophically with respect to sincere critics. This point is masked since most critics want only to attack, and are thus not sincere in the slightest.

However, I think the point has been made well that experience always precedes our explanation of experience. For that reason, religious experience, in and of itself, has merit, and cannot be reduced to psychodynamic explanations, solely, by sincere people.

I believe this is the thesis of William James "Varieties of Religious Experience", which I have not yet had time to read. It would be perfectly consistent with his other work.

With respect to Obama, his own religious history shows clearly that he doesn't really value Christianity as other than a vehicle for political organizing. The only reason he joined Jerry Wrights church was a friend suggested that it would help him politically.

Politics, clearly, is his religion. It is his defining passion. And he thinks he knows better than other people. He is a zealot, and a zealot of the sort that continues on his crusade long after evidence shows his ideas to be wrong.

Grace [scaled to 95#]

13:10

HQ CF:

Please block the email address beararchtraining@yahoo.com from your comment threads. If he wants to blab on and on and instigate conflict with no intent of creating constructive dialogue whatsoever, he is free to do so via other avenues, like MySpace or Facebook.

Thank you...and the CrossFit Nation thanks you, too.

F/22/5'6"/142

Tabata Something Else
54 pullups
30 pushups
95 situps
133 squats
Total: 312

DT: typical leftist response. Rather than engage me substantively, you choose to attempt to censor me.

More generally, I want this to be crystal clear to all readers: THESE ARE THE PEOPLE CURRENTLY RUNNING OUR COUNTRY. They want to suppress dissent--as Waxman did in refusing to allow Global Warming dissidents from testifying--and they want to control all aspects of our public space so as to enshrine their power permanently.

To the extent of my historical knowledge, the two most flagrant abuses of Federal power in our history have been Wilson's Espionage Act, and FDR's internment of many thousands of persons of Japanese descent in concentration camps in the western deserts. Both were done by DEMOCRATS.

We have been seeing Bush vilified for 8 years, and one result of that abuse has been the suppression of clear and open eyed dialogue about Obama. He is black, so we can't talk about him. BS.

We have been hearing about Bush's "unprecedented" abuse of Presidential authority. This is simply, demonstrably, and completely wrong. Utterly, and intentionally false.

If the Left felt that the Patriot Act was so bad, they should now repeal it. The fact is, though, they can now use it for PRECISELY the same purposes--spying on law abiding but dissenting Americans--they accused Bush (with no evidence) of using it for.

DT represents the BEST the Left has to offer. This is it. They go no farther. They have a set of unshakeable principles, which are utterly and completely sacrosanct. What are those principles? Very simply: do what you're told, since the Leadership is always right. If they say it's bad, it's bad.

The only point in talking to "right wingers" is to vilify them, so as to recruit people to the cause.

Self evidently, virtue consists in perfect conformity.

Don't believe me? Look at the last 150 Rest Days. The evidence is clear enough, and DT just gave the thoughtful reader all the evidence they would or could need.

Would be autocrats are ruling our nation. They don't care about the "people" or the rule of law. They care about power, and the means--the victim de jour--is almost entirely secondary.

The Victim de Jour is currently the planet, and the only possible solution, we are being told, is to enact Federal regulatory power over the business operations of all of our energy companies. You know, the ones actually delivering power, not blueprints.

That human CO2 emissions are not causing warming is irrelevant. That we only generate some 20% of the Earth's CO2 output--or will soon, as India and China continue their modernization processes--means that even if AGW were real, cutting ours to zero would do little to affect ANYTHING.

So why enact a $3,000/household tax? Simple: the Federal Government already owns $2 TRILLION in home mortgages. They already own almost half of our financial sector. They will own 2 of our 3 largest automakers. They are missing healthcare and Energy. They get energy with the Carbon Tax, and they get healthcare with their bone-headed Universal Healthcare.

Whoever is left, they tax at higher rates, so as to move money around, and block any players from moving in on their power play.

Socialists want to be your parents. They want to be BOTH your mother and father. They want to own you teat to grave. They want to make sure you never make a bad decision. The only way to do this, is to make sure you never make A decision. That your life, top to bottom, beginning to end, is controlled by laws backed by the police power of the State.

Orwell was clearly off in his timing, but of course all he did was invert 1948.

These things are not just possible, but if you read the rhetoric and thought of these people. they are quite literally on the drawing board.

If you value your freedom, wake up. Contact your Congresspeople (Senate and House) and tell them a yes vote for Waxman's power grab will lose them your vote in the next election, and that of everyone else who will listen to you.

Grace #95

3:50. I know, I know, more weight. LOL.

No comment. As I supposed.

I did comment on the topic of the day, however, which puts me one up on at least one detractor.

Since a new topic will get posted soon, I thought I might post this link on Chavez: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b332e432-3d54-11de-a85e-00144feabdc0.html

Basically, his economic policies have caused a massive capital flight, and his policies specifically with respect to foreign oil companies he simultaneously hates and needs, have caused many of them to leave, and stop maintaining what they already had.

This, plus drops in oil prices, have provoked the next logical step in the Socialist chain: once the effects of stupid, anti-business, anti-growth policies manifest in decreased State revenues, you simply STEAL stuff you want and need, and say it's for the People.

Now, clearly, Obama wanted two elections day one, for the simple reason that we have a very robust, healthy democracy, and if people really understood the anti-business, anti-civil rights agenda of the hard Left, this election would have been a landslide for McCain. As it was, people went for vacuous rhetoric into which they could insert whatever private fantasy they chose.

So there is a lot of work to do. The reason I keep fulminating about this, is I want to fight them TOOTH AND NAIL every step of the process.

Leftists have a lock on our media, but not everyone who is a journalist is completely stupid, although it does appear that way at times. We not only have Fox, but naive people with other networks who just might wake up one day and smell the coffee. This is not impossible.

There are still many patriotic Americans on the Left, who have simply bought into carefully crafted lies developed by professsionals for the specific purpose of inducing intellectual torpor, and de facto stupidity.

This need not last forever. There is plenty of reason to hope for real change, and quite honestly the best means of achieving it might be, in the end, if despite our best efforts the Democrats are still able to implement their poorly thought out, ideologically motivated agendas. Since their ideas are not based in the real world, the results will not be pretty.

We may all agree one day that Jimmy Carter was, relatively speaking, a genius.

I started the 100 Day Burpee Challenge yesterday. Wish me luck!

Good ole Kalsu. I wonder if that is the SF compound since their aren't too many wood walk ways around the fob when I left. In anycase, way to adapt and overcome!

Sub'd:

WARM-UP x 3: Run 1 lap, 10 push-ups, 10 med ball cleans, 10 dislocates, 2 Samson

SKILLS: Review PVC Press & Push Press

MAIN SET: Push Jerk: 6-5-4-3-3-2-2
45, 65, 115, 135, 165, 195, 205