I just joined the RRG, may it make it!

danggg...that girl is yoked!

I just signed up for the Level 2 Certification in San Diego on September 19-20! :)

Support the RRG. We are so close to realization!

I wish my arms looked like that

who's that chick?

who's that chick?

Comment #5 - Posted by: cfs

Chastity Sloan, IFBB Pro Figure Athlete.

Just got back into crossfit after long shoulder injury recovery, never logged on because it pained me to see the workouts and not be able to do them...log on for the first time on a rest day..:( go figure, thought it might be a sign but that was just a thought, so i did cindy to get me back in, lovely think i'll tackle mary too! shoulders...huh

Question about the RRG. If you are not a trainer and still donate $200 will that be called your buy-in for when you do get the cert? I'd like to help this get off the ground but would like it to count as my future trainer fee. I know I fall into this and all those waiting on Certs this summer fall in there too.

go check out racerxonline.com. Their trainer talk is all about crossfit for motocross. As a trainer and racer, I'd love to scissor kick the author of this piece, but oh well. Any other opinions??

Clean x 10 (100#)
50 sit ups (ab-mat sytle)
Clean x 8
40 sit ups
Clean x 6
30 sit ups
Clean x 4
20 sit ups
Clean x 2
10 Sit ups
= 11:49, PR (prior was 16:51)
was not even winded! Can go for sub 10 next time

Then threw on some wt, thought I had 110# and cleaned, actually had 115# which is a PR! SWEEET! And showed it is all mental! Sure I can get 120!

Played with some OHS, and then off to yoga
Erin

#8 Runningstrong

I'm sure you could buy in as a "Trainer" now, in anticipation of your certification. And now is when the capitalization is needed!

23/M/185

Helen
8:46 as rxd

Happy rest day people.

Level 1 this weekend at Crossfit Brisbane. Cant wait.

Go the Cougar in the qualifiers. Go hard you good thing

LIKE A HURICANE! haha

Hi all,

Have not posted in a while. I have been following crossfitbrisbane for some itme now and have loved the WOD programming. I have a question about crossfit football. I was looking and saw they had a tempting appraoch to what my goals are. I am a Marine and also teach a variation of self defense. I like the sprint work and the strength appraoch, but want to make sure to do what is good for my goals. Any thoughts on this?

#9 JordanF

I just read the article you had posted and although I kind of skimmed it I think I got the main jist of it. To be honest, I don't think the author is very far off with most of his comments and opinions of about CrossFit. Yes, he has some of his facts a little mixed up and obviously doesn't completely understand the CF lifestyle, but he doesn't deny its effectiveness. What bothered me more was not really what the author said himself, but what the so-called "experts" he quoted had to say. The all seemed to be mis-informed nay sayers who really have no knowledge on CF methodolgy, yet feel the need to undermine it with inaccurate statements (they all seem to think we workout until we puke everyday and never take any rest).
As far as not using CF to train for elite performance in a specific sport, well I can't really disagree there. We all know CF is an unbelievable GPP program, but coach will be the first to tell you that the main site WODs alone aren't going to make you a professional athlete in any specific sport. This is why we have things like CF endurance and CF football. Cf methodolgy is still being used, just with some slight tweaks to make it more specific for that sport.
So do I think this was the best and most accurate article ever written about CF? Not at all. Have there been some articles with more inaccuracies and mis-informed authors? Definately.

So I probably wouldn't scissor kick the author lol. I would just help him get his facts straight, then scissor kick some of the trainers who were quoted. Just my opinion.

As for training... did an "active rest" workout

3 rounds:
15 KB swings (2 pood)
30 double unders
3:38

re: Gladwell's article

Apparently, he tells us to not go after conventional wisdom, but to think fast. While skill-set can only get you so far, attitude and commitment to your system will take you farther, provided it's superior to your opponents'. The implication is we shouldn't be resting on our laurels and our talent. These girls had the winning attitude. Attitude stems from character. And high character will get you far in life.

The coach thought fast and looked at the facts and made observations. Because his team disrupted the status quo, they were able to outperform opponents. The coach saw the emperor had no clothes, so to speak.

That being said, CrossFit is like that girls team. CrossFit notices, regarding the incumbent fitness industry, the emperor has no clothes; consequently they bring disruption to the fitness industry. With that, there will be challenges ahead in the form of litigation.

Therefore, looking at the article, combined with the promotion of the RRG, the RRG ensures CrossFit affiliates will not need to worry about getting worked over, unlike the coach by the team from Orange County who had the refs in their back-pocket. This is the conclusion I'm drawing from.

We must not compromise our principles just to make the globos and other conventional fitness dinosaurs, that we are beating (soundly), like us. We shouldn't admit defeat when we are killing them.

Loved the NewYorker article.

5/14/09

CFWU X3

TESTING:
Shuttle Run
Squats (1min)
60 Yard Dash
Broad Jumps

Yes, Baby! Yes!

Thanks God...Tomorrow is REST DAY!!!!!
Hooyah!!!

Quote:

Question about the RRG. If you are not a trainer and still donate $200 will that be called your buy-in for when you do get the cert? I'd like to help this get off the ground but would like it to count as my future trainer fee. I know I fall into this and all those waiting on Certs this summer fall in there too.

Comment #8 - Posted by: Runningstrong at May 14, 2009 6:10 PM
____________________________________________________
This is the answer from the RRG FAQ page:

11.22. If I have not yet been to a Cert I class but would like to do so soon... can I still contribute before the 15th for the RRG?

We have established a means by which you can make your capital contribution to the RRG before the deadline and before you have become certified. At this point, you don't qualify to make the actual capital contribution but you can make a donation of the $200 that you would need to make as a trainer and then when you are qualified, we can convert your donation to your capital contribution. Please go to the RRG contribution page and make your donation of $200 (or more) and when you are certified, let us know at support@crossfitrrg.com and we will convert $200 of your donation to your capital contribution as a trainer.

A lot of people will read the article and think 'Go David, beat Goliath' (identifying with the underdog is popular). You should also consider the David/Goliath article in the context of the modern 'War on Terror'. The 9/11 attacks were an example of unconvential thinking and commitment which enabled a small group of people to inflict massive damage on a militarily superior country. The current conflict in Afghanistan/Pakistan is often fought in a David/Goliath way with untrained, underequipped natives taking on Navy SEALS but using local knowledge, unconventional techniques and suicidal commitment.

Fortunately the US military has a lot of smart people who have thought a lot about this type of warfare and they seem to be working out ways for Goliath to dominate David, even when David doesn't play by the rules.

Comment #23: "even when David doesn't play by the rules."

What rules would that be? No water boarding? No torture?

#16 COS

My main issue is, there is no sport specific exercises for motocross, and in this regard, if there is nothing that you can specifically work on, besides GPP, then what is CF missing? Elite motocrossers, are probably some of the worst trained athletes, however their talent and sport training frequency is ridiculous. They pretty much just ride and practice racing (motos) all the offseason, work on skills, and ride road bikes for LSD type training. Is this effective? Surely, in people with massive amounts of talent, however my contention is that these people with talent, could see an even higher improvement in sport performance with an even greater GPP. Most elite level motocrossers would get dominated by anyone of the benchmark workouts, and similiarly would crush Khalipa on a bike. However, what if an elite level rider became an okay crossfitter without abandoning his skill and technique practice on the bike during the week? I contend that the rider would be dominant in almost every race....Just a rant, let the scissor kicking begin.

I felt full motivated because Carlox is here now so i hit....

First.."Diane"...2:44

25 minutes rest and then..

30 GHD sit-ups
25 back extensions

7:31

BIG hugs to the FRAT you guys are going yo have a really good time at Aromas...Carlox will be there thats SO cool he will gonna meet you guys...SO GREAT!!!

Good article

No resting day for me!

Hit two wods tonight. I figured out why i've never done that before....Im POOPED!! 17 rounds of Cindy and back squats to #135!! YAY me! Big Hugs to the FRAT!

Comment #24:

No, water-boarding and torture is Goliath not playing by the rules.

I think that #23's reference to David's not playing by the rules, he means that the US military has smart people who are figuring out ways to combat the terrorist's/insurgent's (David's) use of suicide-bombing and IED's (not playing by the rules)

cookie - nice play. careful you dont do that too often. great results

TGIRD
Thank
God
It's
Rest
Day!

Just pulled a 6 day cycle, I really need this!

In other news I got a workout buddy now. We both kind of let ourselves slip out of shape. I have about 20 lbs to lose, and am already down three lbs in 6 days!

It's great to have a workout buddy, doing Crossfit alone just doesn't have the same effect.

GO Cookie go Cookie you rock girl....go Cookie!!!

Herm, Rookie, Cougar Hunter, Playoff Beard, Jakers big hugs guys

Great New Yorker article. Too bad GM, Ford and Chrysler never gave up being Goliath! And inner city school districts are Goliaths too. They all could learn from this article.

comment #30: combat the terrorist's/insurgent's (David's) use of suicide-bombing and IED's (not playing by the rules)

I don't see how an improvised explosive device is against the rules. We learned to make them when I was in the military back in the 80s.

Suicide attack against civilians is obviously illegal but that's why they are called terrorists. Terrorists don't play by rules.

Aw s'more&rookie thanks!!!!! made my day :) Eric - aka Cougar Hunter - GO GET EM!!!! huge positive vibes, hugs and big cheers from cali as you make your way to your qualifier!!!!

I can't believe the RRG # is still off by over $100k. I just donated as a future trainer since my cert is in June.

I commend the Martins from BrandX not only did they buy in as an affiliate they also signed in as individuals. My hat is off to them.

Come on people get on board.

Cougar hunter & Apolloswabie

Good luck this weekend!

You guys are both going to rock it!

Helen: 16:39, I think. First time rx'd.
OHS x5,5,3,3,3=75,95,115,125,135

28 female 74" 173#

The only rule in war is do whatever it takes to win.

Why did David take five stones to fight Goliath?

David was a man of faith, and he knew that Goliath had four brothers.

;)

comment #35...Jack...

"back in the 80s" must have been a far different life than the one we live in Iraq in this century.

The US Military now plays by the "Law of War" and the "Rules of Engagement" which effectively tie our hands in a lot of cases and require a LOT of forethought and effective snap decision-making. I feel certain these are not new concepts, and therefore former military folk should at least understand them.

When my soldiers have to go through steps before engaging a possible enemy, who is waiting in ambush with a variety of weaponry and a roadside EFP (you think shape-charged molten copper is really "by the rules" compared to our restrictions?), I don't think bringing up torture issues of which the vast MAJORITY of military members were neither aware OR taking part in, is really a valid argument.

If you're not here now, or if you haven't been here during the past 7 years, you may want to consider comments more closely. Many of today's CrossFit members live it, daily.

I slept in today and now I'm paying fir it by doing today wod on my rest day. Hopefully I'm not kicking myself Saturday

Everyone who's ever benefited from even ONE of the WOD's posted here or the incredible wealth of knowledge available on this site should chip in to the RRG. Not just trainers & affiliates but regular guys like myself doing the WODs solo in their garage gyms. Think of what you would have had to pay had Coach & Lauren not been so generous and charged even a small fee to access the site. Think about the RRG not getting funded, CrossFit getting sued out of existence and loosing this community. There's absolutely no reason the RRG can't be fully funded by the end of today. Do your part!

THANK YOU, Denver Sheepdog!

So many times I have seen people say that they would pay if Coach ever decided to charge for the site. Well, he doesn't. THIS IS ALL FREE!

Now Coach and the Community are asking you guys to help keep CF training and affiliates available to the public. What would happen to all those affiliates if they could not get insured? Could those owners stay open?

EVERYONE needs to be putting up something! Please back up the people who have given so much to you!

Pilar

Comment to #42:

If you think for a second that your military service obligates you to judge, as the sole expert, every comment made about the military, perhaps you need to read your oath of enlistment/commission again. We defend and support the Constitution (to include the amendments) of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic...not suppress the opinions of those who don't believe in the "better to fight them there than here" opinion, as if a uniform gives us a God-given right to.

Occupational (a.k.a. "liberator") forces are bound by the laws of conflict, but I have a hunch that black ops terrorist hunters probably have a little bit of leeway with the interpretation of those laws...but that's just a guess.

For the record, I've been in the military since the early '80s, long before everybody felt obligated to thank me for my service at every opportunity...and, to this day, I still don't think anybody owes me anything. It's all a part of being a "quiet professional"...but, I guess it must be the new generation or something, there seems to very little "quiet" in anything anymore.

But in the end, even if you change the rules, you still get screwed over by the refs...

GHD/Back Extensions - 13:46

comment #46...

I do not intend to suppress any opinions, only to clarify arguments and maintain a sense of direction when discussing and criticizing an entity as vast as the military.

Posting a comment which points to isolated incidents of torture, occurring during the much broader spectrum of years of standard military operations, as what appeared to be a jab at the dual infractions of the laws of war, seemed to me a bit out of line. I'm not denying it happened, but it is the exception, not the norm.

I also do not feel I am owed anything for my service. I offer it freely, as a volunteer, as I'm certain is the case with you. I seem to have come across with a more harsh tone than intended in my previous post, for which I apoligize. However, I do still believe that thought needs to be given to these subjects before comments are made. Blanket statements are dangerous. I also don't believe that we "quiet professionals" are bound to silence or denied rebuttal if we disagree...it's part of what makes our organizations great, and it's how we learn.
Perhaps that is just my opinion.

Comment to #49:

No biggie, and I apologize for any perception of snideness on my part.

I'm not an expert on waterboarding or any kind of torture (except powerpoint) but, from what I've read, many experts (to include military folk) have spoken out against torture because of the lack of results. Again, from what I've read, taking the time to gain a rapport with detainees seems to get the most information in the long run, and it always seems that worthwhile things are of a "long run" nature.

The IEDs experienced in Iraq and Afghanistan are a classic "David vs. Goliath" scenario, because insurgents would be INSANE to take on a brigade combat team in a straight fight. As with conflict of any type, like the article says, if you're the smaller guy, you have to play against the adversary's weaknesses if you want any chance of success. A cheap bomb, artillery shells wired together and detonated by a cell phone, that can take out the premier battle tank in the world, is lethal example of creativity and resourcefulness, which is required by the "Davids" of the world.

On a larger note, 19 people with $500 plane tickets each turned four planes into deadly missiles, with years (think "long-term") of inexpensive, commercially-available training sources. The creativity and resourcefulness exhibited prior to and during the 9/11 attacks astounds me to no end. Remember when we made fun of "them" when the first attack on the WTC failed?

Warriors need to acknowledge and never underestimate the other guy's creativity and resourcefulness.

Good luck, God speed, stay safe, and thanks to you and your soldiers for serving our proud nation.

44/45:

I do not begrudge Coach his financial success, but be aware that he's done really well by CrossFit. The fact that the website is free is actually one of the key reasons -why- he has made CrossFit into a success for him financially.

I feel no obligation to "give back" by contributing to the RRG. Of course that doesn't mean one shouldn't contribute to the RRG. Contributing to the RRG should be considered on its merits, independent of whether or not you feel like you owe Coach.

Best of luck to Eric "Cougar Hunter" Gohl at the Midwest Qualifier this weekend!

I'm saying a prayer that your butterflies stay in check and I know the entire FRAT is pulling for you. Take a deep breath and get after it brother, you're going to do great :-)

Happy rest day everyone!

The Practice CrossFit workout video was phenomenal...and now I have an idea for my rest day WoD...since I slacked out of a few during the week! :^) Tony and Jimi's outstanding instructions and coaching pretty much explained the CrossFit policy on opening the hips during box jumps. I don't know about anyone else, but that should help me shave a few seconds off of a WoD time in a legit manner.

Awesome work, gentlemen!

Gladwell's articles are always thought-provoking, and this one is not an exception.

However, with regard to basketball, the conclusions he seems to draw about the effectiveness of the full-court press are wildly incorrect, to the point where he actually states by implication that *college basketball coaches* exist that would rather lose than employ the strategy. The idea that a fullcourt press is an automatic ticket to victory is wildly and demonstrably wrong.

The press works best when the opponent has not been coached to beat it, and it works really well when the players employing it are better conditioned athletes and more skilled players than their opponents. It works poorly when the opposite conditions are the case.

My guess is it works especially well among teams of 12-year olds, because they generally don't have extensive practice time to learn how to attack the press and haven't experienced a press much at that level. The coaches at that level are also probably not the leading lights of the industry.

Question for Philly Residents:

Does anyone know a good chiropractor in the area, preferably near center city, or Near Manayunk/Germantown area? I want to go to a chiropractor that knows about sports injuries who will not just tell me I need to keep coming back 3 times a week if I want to get better. Hopefully, they can tell me stretches and other advice to improve symptoms.
Thank you.

I made a small donation to the RRG today. I was glad to be able to do so. I'm not a trainer, I'm not an affiliate. I am a guy who values what CrossFit has done for me. I'm a guy who wants to be able to continue to benefit from CrossFit and the CrossFit community. A small donation allows me to help preserve this resource. How much do you value CroffFit?

I'm not a trainer YET, but I just put my $200 in. It's the least I can do for Crossfit after it has done so much for me. Let's get everyone else in to keep the RRG alive.

#54- Pete. Read the exchange between Bill Simmons and Gladwell on the link below. They go into this subject a little bit and they both state that using the fullcourt press doesn't mean you will win, it just gives you a better shot.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/simmons/index

m/29/5'11/170

"Mary"
chest to bar pullups

8rds + 5hspu

#58 SoxFan

Thanks Bro - I'll give it a look.

I have a question that hasn't been asked in the FAQ section...what's the story behind the dog(s) that we occasionally see pictures of, and that seemed to be prominent in the early days of the Journal? I think that they're pretty cool, and I was just wondering...

Thanks for all the support and well wishes guys! I can hear the cheers in my head :)

And for the record, I contributed my part for the RRG and I'm poor! If i can do it you can too! lol :)

Happy rest day everyone!

I've had this nagging forearm extensor pain for a few weeks that hinders any pullups, cleans basically any pulling exercises. I've iced, I've Aleved, I've stretched, and its frustrating. Is a cortisone shot the next logical step? Any advice is appreciated.

Did a 5.25 mile trail run in about 1 hour.

IMO the best rest day article I've seen in the year I've been doing Crossfit. CF seems to have taken a "David-like" approach to fitness, breaking many pre-established rules of fitness to acheive often superior results. Thank you for posting this article.

16:48

Fight Gone Bad question...when you score the wallball part of FGB, do you have to squat a certain distance (i.e. below parallel) AND have the ball hit the 10ft. target -or- is it just a matter of the ball hitting the target?

#67 illiniJason

FGB wallball is scored by going below parallel on the squat AND hitting the target.

JordanF,

OK now I see what you are saying about the author. I really don't know anything about motocross but judging by the authors reference to the way some riders train, I thought that there was some sort of specific training the motocrossers do. So I thought the debate was whether or not motocrossers should replace their specific training with CF. Your quote then makes perfect sense.. "my contention is that these people with talent, could see an even higher improvement in sport performance with an even greater GPP." You are exactly right. I just assumed that most elite motocrossers were on some sort of rigorous, moto-specific, fitness regimen. Now that I know they aren't, CrossFit makes perfect sense. Especially since it wouldn't really cut into any time spent on the bike.

So yes.. stretch out those legs and kick away.

#67 illiniJason

gotta squat.

Even though Canadians aren't eligible to be part of the RRG can we donate and become stakeholders?

Would like to see this succeed today but it seems you're still quite a ways off.

Great article, I've always loved Pitino. I heard him speak a few years back, great guy.

Going diving tomorrow so made up a WOD with Kimberly today:

Shoulder Press 3-3-3
135
145x2 (should have gotten third)
145x2 (went too soon after second rep)

then

5 rounds for time of:
row 250m
5 push press, 155#

Time: 8:39 - all push presses were unbroken except last rep. Row splits all sub 1:55

Very challenging WOD to balance row intensity with breathing/recovery for the heavy PP.

Awesome article! Rest day - whew.

had to comment on the off topic talking going on here....

#49 you are not a volunteer. you are an employee. you get paid, and you have some of the most massive benefits of anyone in the country. true no one forced you to work, but that would make every free person in the world a volunteer now wouldnt it.

--- rules of war:

isnt it convenient to write down our little "rules", being the most massive might in the world, and when other countries dont take us head on we whine about it. im honestly disgusted by these comments. youre a bunch of hipocrites. why dont you pick up a book and read about how we defeated the english, creating our great country.... you just may find our forefathers actions "terroristic in nature". this isnt new warfare. this isnt a new idea. its how little armies have always fought big ones. you should go tell them theyre fighting dirty. their 3 dollar bomb messing up our 100,000 dollar hummers. s'not fair!

Great article. In regards to winning, it gives me inspiration. In regards to basketball, not so much. A good game is one that gives the players meaningful choices. Adopting the full court press all the time was a strategy that only his team could use. That makes him a good analyst of everything he had to use at the time. However basketball in general has many more choices, strategies, and tactics; there is no one-hit wonder.
The key then, is not just to outwit ability with energy, but to put that energy where it will do the most damage.

Uh dT (#74), I think you missed the point of Gladwell's article and the discussion above. I believe Footsoldier (#49) and Gorden R. (#50) may have a philosophical difference of opinion on how the military should be perceived and carry them selves. That being said, I think it is amazing how the US military has taken the David v Goliath lessons from conflicts such as Vietnam and Korea and learned to create a mobile, flexible, proactive fighting force out of the last superpower on earth. The US is a bull in a china shop. We have a huge military population and, let's face it, not everyone in it is going to live up to the standards we expect and demand of them. The difference is, when we screw up we hold it up to the world to let them vilify and degrade us then strap it on again the next day to go out and try to improve things.

We don't ask the terrorists to fight by our rules, as a matter of fact we afford them rights stated in the Geneva conventions even though the conventions don't apply to them. They don't wear uniforms, they don't limit their attacks to military targets or combatants, etc. We do, however, fight as a "David". No pitched battles, no forward line. We take the fight to them on their turf, mountains, deserts, cities, and we do it with a conscience. We do not intentionally harm civilians, we do not go after non-military targets, and we try to leave a place better than we found it.

This is what makes us great. We are a Goliath, we have learned from the Davids of the world, and now we are beating them. Improving the lives of millions in the process.

#74...

this will be my last entry regarding this topic...

I volunteered to join the military. Yes, I get paid. Yes, I receive benefits. I also spend at least one year at a time away from my family and my home. I spend a year at a time moving among a group of citizens, many of whom welcome our assistance, and an unknown amount of whom may want to take my life at any moment. It is a VERY small fraction of the United States population that takes this risk, every day...and we volunteered for this action. We weren't drafted, or coerced. So, while we get paid to do a job, we CHOSE to be here.

As for our "little rules" - the Law of Armed Conflict is a piece of public international LAW. It was written in conjunction with many nations in order to conduct war in such a manner as to attempt to minimize collateral damage when possible, treat prisoners with due respect, maintain safety for civilians when possible, and outlaw the use of inhumane and excessive force. The Geneva Conventions outlined a great deal of our laws, again designed and supported by a number of countries.

Modern armies are not allowed to utilize weaponry that causes excessive or unusual suffering...we are not allowed to terrorize civilians to achieve our own ends...we are not allowed to use or attack protected locations (hospitals, schools, places of worship)...we are not allowed to further injure or deny treatment to an injured combatant. These are ALL tactics which are employed by terror cells across the globe. Yet we, the many organized and law-abiding armies, follow them on a daily basis, while losing lives to the breach of laws which we fight to maintain.

Nobody ever said, however, that war was fair...and while it may be easy for you to sit at home and be disgusted by us "whining" about it, we're actually going back out, every day, fighting the same enemy and helping the same people. We're doing our jobs, regardless. We're making a lot of foreign citizens' lives better. We're fighting to make sure that our country can some day be free from worry over further attacks by these brutal, albeit resourceful, terrorists...and you reap the benefits of a safe, lawful country full of freedoms that many people will never experience.

You can take this or leave it. I suspect, given your attitude, that you'll leave it. The facts, however, do not change...and as hypocritical as you think we are (I take "you're a bunch of hypocrites" to mean military in general), the current Army population had no control over the events of a war that occurred over 220 years ago. We live in a modern world, by and large more civilized than ever.

Oh, and thanks for expressing your profound lack of support for your country's military service, and for minimizing the sacrifices of the many, many soldiers who have died fighting for it.

Rant Out.

#74, et al:
"Playing by the rules" carries a connotation of morality that I think needs to be ignored in this discussion. "The rules" are simply the tactical norms that have been established over the centuries. As you pointed out, we defeated the British during the revolution using similar (though not identical) tactics, the main distinction being we didn't target civilians. The Spanish also used similar methods to fight Napoleon. The point is, the "rules" are not inherently good or evil, they just are, and whether one "plays by the rules" does not make themselves good or evil. The Nazis "played by the rules" during World War II, as did Saddam Hussein during the first Gulf War. Does that make it okay?

And as a side note, "volunteer" when used to describe the military is taken by most to mean "not conscripted."

heavy fran as rx'd:
=6:36

Yes -- those people outside the US can donate to the RRG.

"you are not a volunteer. you are an employee. you get paid, and you have some of the most massive benefits of anyone in the country."

Comment #74 - Posted by: dT at May 15, 2009 10:16 AM

Wrong. He is in fact a volunteer, and the benefits of Armed Forces Personnel don't come close to what they should be. It's obvious that you have no appreciation of the armed forces of your country, and you take your freedom for granted.

hello to all crossfitters. there is no such thing as a rest day other than sunday!! :)) 21, 18, 15, 12, 9, &6 ... 45lb(i like the 55lb) kb swings, pushups, SDHPs, and box jumps(i like the 28"tire jumps) and at RX completed at 15:39 :))

my 22nd bday just past and like the norcal qualifier day 2 workout i used this as my bday wod ..

550m row
22/ 225lb deadlift
550m row
22/ 115 thrusters
550m row
22 pullups
550m row
22/ 115 ovrhd squats

19:38rx time to beat :)) enjoy to all

but instead i used 225lb deadlifts, 115lb thrusters, 22pullups and 115lb ovrhd squats

3 laps around Cheesman Park (downtown Denver, about 4.5 miles, a little short) in 29:50. I am trying to work up to doing 4 laps in less than 40 minutes. Felt good.

#81 Herm:

I was just about to post the exact same sentiment.

#76 PolRugger. There are many factual inconsistencies in your post.

1. "The difference is, when we screw up we hold it up to the world to let them vilify and degrade us"

What are you talking about man? The military fought tooth and nail to NOT allow the Abu Ghraib torture pics out. They are still fighting tooth and nail NOT to allow the rest of the torture pics out. So no we don't "hold it up to the world" our mistakes.

2. "We don't ask the terrorists to fight by our rules, as a matter of fact we afford them rights stated in the Geneva conventions even though the conventions don't apply to them."

Are we giving the alleged terrorists their rights promised via Geneva conventions at Guantanamo? According to Geneva convention, all the prisoner has to tell his captives is his name and rank.

I see a vast majority of us are living in the dreamland of how we conduct our wars.

Not a big fan of Gladwell. He's made a career out of writing books about trivial observations. Yes, Malcolm, there is such a thing as a tipping point. That's why we have the phrase "tipping point" in our language.

5k run 28:56

About the RRG...what now?

I feel like my shoulders might fall off.

2-mile hill run
kettle bell complex
12 swings
6 snatch
10 row
6 cleans
10 bends

3x20 sit ups
neck exercises

#8 Runningstrong - not sure if someone answered your question, but the answer is yes. I asked the same on the affiliate boards last week, and it would be proactively applied once you become L1 Cert.

Been a while since I've read/posted. Busy w/ life & work.

Enjoyed the rest day article & joined the RRG as a trainer. CF has done so much for me personally ... I'd like to see it, and us, protected and able to survive and thrive in spite of this petty, litigious, planet-nerf society of ours. As much as I feel a need to give back in the spirit of reciprocation, it's also in my own selfish interest to support the RRG.

My POV: It's a volunteer Army, meaning we are not conscripts, we are professional soldiers. That doesn't make you a volunteer in the true sense of the word. Doind something voluntarily means "you don't have to". But once you sign that contract, your ass belongs to Uncle Sam. And when the big green weenie stikes again and tells you your deployment has been extended 3 months, or "guess what, you're going to xxx again, you don't get to pass on account of your volunteer status. Although you could volunteer for another tour ... hmmmm ....

You guys are talking past each other. It's quite entertaining at times.

JackB,

1. Did the U.S. Gov't shut down all media reporting of the event like Iran, N.Korea, Cuba, China, or any 3rd world despot ruled craphole would? No. Did people try to hide embarassing, damaging (career-ending), illegal events? Yes, this is human nature. But this is aberrant behavior, not government policy. This should be apparent. Only a nitwit would see, or try to establish, equivalency by comparing the worst behavior/events of one country, with the best of another.

Further, I would remind you that there is no moral obligation to air an organization's dirty laundry. There is only an obligation to justice; for corrective action and punishment.

2. better check your Geneva Conventions. "Terrorists" are not "uniformed enemy combatants". They are "illegal combatants" and are not protected under the provisions of the Geneva Convention. They are also not U.S. citizen and are therefore not granted the rights or protections provided to U.S. Citizens.

Jack B:

To elaborate and add a little to InfidelSix's points, the terrorists who fight out of uniform are defined in the Geneva Conventions as spies. Spies and other combatants out of uniform do not have ANY rights under the Geneva Conventions. Spies are not captured and imprisoned as either POW's or "illegal combatants".

Spies are shot in the field.

For the record, I am a HUGE fan of the Geneva Conventions.

Cheers I6.

M/49/151/1-1-06

Catch-up day.

Mini-Cindy, AMRAP 10 min.
10 rounds + 5PU + 5 Push-up

5RFT
30 Sit-up (bunch of different types)
25 Back Ext (hip ext)

13:46

DT Comment 61 ....hey what's up with the dog that I see in the early days of the crossfit Journal, its cool and I would like to know more?

The dog is a pit bull named Athena and it belongs to Greg and Lauren Glassman.

Have Fun, Train Hard,

Billy

a little CFE medley:
-2K Row, damper on 10, 7:31

-Treadmill walk/run 1.5 mi @ 1-8% incline, ~15min

-Sprints on Spin Bike, seated, heavy resistance, 10 rev's the 1st min (took approx 10 sec's, rest 50 sec's),20,30...80 rev's on the min, completed 8 mins.

later,
b
m/32/5'8-1/2"/178

Hey, I read a few comments about "giving money" to the RRG like its a charity.

That's all fine, but the fact is that Crossfit must start an RRG in order to survive and it should be done as soon as possible, now is a great time. This is not charity it INSURANCE against litigation. The RRG is crucial for the survival of every Crossfit gym and every Crossfit trainer and every person who goes to the Crossfit.com website and follows the Workout Of the Day. If you fall into one of those three categories, it is in your own selfish interest to make sure that the Crossfit RRG is funded to the largest amount possible. This, in no way, enriches coach or anyone else. No one at crossfit HQ will benefit one cent from the money in the RRG. The more money in the RRG, the more secure Crossfit becomes. Any attorney that sees a huge warchest of money that will be used to fight any legal action against it will back away and tell his potential client to find someone else to sue. I hope this helps anyone trying to make a decision to part with some cash in order to fund the RRG.

Have Fun, Train hard,

Billy

I don't think the article was not about whose methods are morally defensible. I thought the article was refreshing in the sense that it emphasized that it is worth thinking about which tactics might work, and in which situations. I think the discussion could benefit those of us who have never been "in country" in any country if the soldiers on the board would ignore comments like 23 and 24 (torture is to the rules of warfare as double dribbling is to the rules of basketball - full court press is something completely different, like guerrilla warfare, it is not illegal, it is unconventional) and let us know what they think about the effectiveness of current NATO tactics.

I thought the basic point of the article was that unconventional methods seem to work more often than conventional wisdom says they should.

I think 54 was on to something when he said:

"The press works best when the opponent has not been coached to beat it, and it works really well when the players employing it are better conditioned athletes and more skilled players than their opponents. It works poorly when the opposite conditions are the case."

So, what NATO should do is get some coaching. I think NATO already has the coaching (and has for a generation or more). As someone who is admittedly poorly informed about what is going on in Afghanistan I don't think NATO has employed the tactics of Wellington, or Grant, or Haig, or Eisenhower for the past six years. This is not a case of the Taliban employing the press and NATO trying to walk the ball over centre and settle into its set plays but turning the ball over too often (correct me if I'm wrong). I imagine that NATO has its set plays but it also has press-breaking plays, and its own versions of the press.

The thing is that NATO is not just playing basketball, it is also playing cricket, and football, and has entered a couple of track events and is putting on a piano recital, and trying to publish a novel. It has undertaken a big job with many facets.

The other thing is that while the press may be a matter of vigorously running and flailing your arms (as any fit and determined twelve year old is capable of), you cannot break the press by vigorously running and flailing your arms. Fighting fire with fire in guerrilla warfare will likely not win the day for NATO (which is, admittedly, increasingly becoming the US). To fight the press you need a combination of speed, agility, set plays (well placed picks) and vision (intel), and conditioning (political will and money). You need a speedy person to catch the ball, a person with poise and court vision to pass the ball and some other folks to set picks (i.e. slow the game down) - you need to match the tempo of the press when needed and slow it down when needed. The other thing about the press is that once you get over centre you have a better than decent chance of picking up someone breaking to the hoop behind the last of the pressers.

In the David and Goliath parable, Goliath was a single individual who could be felled by a single shot. David's single unpredictable act of initiative could be decisive. NATO is many, and it can learn from watching how its individuals are felled (I think the Joseph Heller's caricature must be a funny, but false, joke).

Still, I liked the article.

The article raised the idea that a game of basketball in which everyone presses all the time might not be fun to watch or fun to play. If basketball is press on press ad nauseum is it still basketball as we know the game?

So, do we have the stomach (by "we" I do not mean the soldiers, I mean the voters) to fight guerrilla opponents? Is that still "war" as we know it (or have been taught it)? If we think a pitched battle is basketball, then is not guerrilla warfare something different and more distasteful like ultimate fighting or bear-baiting? Should we expect the beauty of a fade way jump-shot when all that is possible is a pick-pocket dunk from under the basket? i.e., we should not expect the clear and decisive single day or single campaign victory that was possible for Nelson, or Raleigh? Does defeating a guerrilla "army" of fundamentalist canine stool defy a VE or VJ day, and necessarily entail "nation building"?

If so, at what cost? The first questions are military, the second questions are political. If militarily speaking guerrilla warfare means nation building, then politically speaking, is that something NATO wants to be doing? If so, it should do it.

Meant to refer to post 24 in the first paragraph not posts 23 and 24.

Is it just me or were there an inordinate number of hot crossfit girls in that practice workout vid? :)

F/22/5'6"/142

Back squat
5-5-5-5-5
165/185/195/205/210(same as old PR)

"For unfailingly successful attack, attack where there is no defense. For unfailingly successful defense, defend where there is no attack." Or something close to that, from Sun Tzu.

Since it's been some time since I've pointed this out, let me remind everyone that many of the David's out there historically have attacked us in the sphere of public opinion, and it is there that they won. The French lost the war in Algeria due to people like Sartre. We lost--after winning--the war in Vietnam, due to people like Jane Fonda and Bill Ayers (he would be proud to see his name here, of course, being a self absorbed sociopathic prick).

Absent a leader like Bush, we would clearly have lost in Iraq, and would now be talking about the inevitability of failure, and how we just don't know how to wage war against committed guerillas.

As it is, we now know it is a question of sound tactics, implemented by disciplined men.

As in Vietnam, we have a problem in Afghanistan with an enemy who has a safe zone. This is a problem, but not, potentially, an insurmountable one.

Our desired end condition is one in which the Afghanis DON'T WANT the Taliban there, and openly support us--are protected from retaliation if they support us--and help work for our victory.

It does seem to me that our Goliath has morphed effectively into a David, with no thanks going to an American and international left that was quite willing to countenance civil war and mass atrocities in Iraq, provided they were able to use that failure to demonize their Conservative enemies.

RE to Comment #102:

Barry, I don't know what newspapers you're reading, but we haven't "won" anything yet in the global war on terror. Dubya's War in Iraq took our eyes off of the situation in Afghanistan, which is why we're taking more casualties and redoubling our efforts in that country. We should've never taken our eyes off of it; we did, and we're paying the price for it now.

m/40/67"/185#

4 rounds 15:25

first time with a real GHD. Lower back spasms, could not finish. The back extensions were harder than the situps.

Gladwell article:
Another terrific piece from Gladwell. If you enjoyed this article, I'd highly recommend "The Tipping Point", "Blink", and "Outliers" in any order. Gladwell has this uncanny ability to find very unusual explanations for 'familiar if not common' extraordinary things. In the Tipping Point he explains epidemic behavior, in Blink is is snap decision making, and in Outliers it is success.

I agree with many of the posts that CF is the David of fitness. My favorite line in the article was about the coaches that watched a Piterno practice and found it daunting. Gladwell says, "The would rather lose."

While I've been cynically 'convinced' this is the attitude of our senior brass, a friend emailed me this article on Friday.

http://smallwarsjournal.com/mag/docs-temp/243-fury.pdf

I read the Gladwell article--then this account about LTG McChrystal. Obama may be the biggest lib to lead this country--he made a good choice for AF.
bsn

Did a CFE WOD today, always helps loosen up my legs. Practiced muscle-ups after the run. Got a new PR: 5 MUs in a row!

Big progress for me, good times. Rest easy CF Nation.

DT,

When Harry Reid said "The Iraq War is lost", was that an accurate statement?

Is your intent to generate useful dialogue, or to demonize people you don't understand, in the interest of a policy you can't express, based upon principles which are above your head?

In your view, would a civil war in Iraq be better than what we have today?

With respect to Afghanistan, what--in you considered military opinion--would have been gained by focusing on that theater to the exclusion of Iraq? In my understanding, that theater would have already been pacified with the troops in place, absent safe havens in Pakistan. As it is, we can't destroy the Taliban, so they keep regenerating and coming back. More troops would no doubt help--and they are on the way--but the troop surge in Iraq was not the key to victory, alone, and neither do I expect it to be in Afghanistan.

And Bin Laden, if he's still alive--which is not certain, since videos can be faked--is almost certainly in Pakistan, where we can't go. There is no reasonable policy we could have pursued, of which I'm aware, which would have netted us Bin Laden, once he got out of Tora Bora.

On the topic, I had a few more thoughts.

It seems to me that sports--which we might define as an agonistic/competitive system defined by rules enforced by referees with police power--are in some respects preparation for participation in our social system.

They teach you to carry your weight, to care about results, and to play hard, but within the rules. It is perhaps our defining achievement as Americans that we have largely mastered the elements of peaceful, lawful, competition.

In my view, thought, there are really two schools of thought with respect to competition, which I have defined before as the John Wooden and the Vince Lombardi (or Bear Bryant) models.

For John Wooden, "success is the sense of satisfaction one gets from knowing one did the best one was capable of, of becoming the best they were able to." Or something close to that. He defines success, in other words, by getting really, really close to perfection, and he has said that he was prouder of some of his teams that didn't make the Final Four than some that won the National Championship, because they delivered more, relatively, of what they were capable of.

For Vince Lombardi, "There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that's first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don't ever want to finish second again. There is a second place bowl game, but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win, and to win."

Now, if we take these two approaches, and put them into the minds of businessmen and women, what do we get?

In my view, the former nets you a sustainable economic system, oriented around making things people can use. The latter nets you people who have 3pm pissing contests, and are out to make a fortune before the tactics they use to make their fortunes collapse the system they are using.

In my view, the only sustainable happiness is pleasure in work, and pleasure in the company of others. Money, alone, buys nothing, and certainly not genuine self respect.

As Americans, it seems to me we have lost our way in this regard. The genesis of this is something I've contemplated long and hard--and frankly, to some extent I think it goes back to the very beginning--but which I will forego commenting on now.

With respect to the article, on some level you have to admire the drive of the coach who did so well with these girls. At the same time, you have to understand he is also teaching them to survive in one of the most cutthroat business environments on the planet, and to do so by fighting hard, generally zero sum games, using aggressive, unconventional tactics.

But I would differentiate what is appropriate for civil society and what is appropriate for war. Gladwell mixed the metaphors, but I think they are two different animals. In war, there are no referees, and loser dies. For this reason, it is quite right to do ANYTHING you need to, to win as quickly and with as little bloodshed on your side as possible.

(In that regard, it's worth noting that our Rules of Engagement actually work to support this, particularly in counterinsurgencies. You can't win if the populace hates you, no matter how vicious you are. The second you let up your guard, it's on again. There was a period of time where I misunderstood this.)

In sports, though, I don't think something like gentility is out of place. I can understand why the opposing coaches got mad. Now, I doubt any of them were saints themselves, but I can understand it.

In the business world, this is the equivalent of trying to undercut your competitors by moving off-shore. The problem is that this only buys you a short term advantage, then they do the same thing, and you have a new equilibrium in which American jobs have been lost.

I believe in free trade, and the Capitalist system wholeheartedly. But I think it only works properly in conditions in which businesspeople think not just as self aggrandizing units, but as citizens, and as having some responsibility for those who work for them.

Greed, alone, does not create anything. Many fortunes were made in past half century by people who did little other than move money around. Now, we need that money, and the solution is not for the State to take it, but rather for the people running our system to take some responsibility for something other than their early retirements with a busty third wife 15 years younger than them.

I am not at odds with many of the critiques of the Left of our system. I cannot and never will accept their solutions. The State is nothing other than a super-corporation, with the power of life and death over its citizens. This can never be an improvement over a system in which power is at least distributed.

There can never be any secure foundation for freedom and prosperity than widely spread, sincerely felt morality.

As I see it, we have three possible futures: universal morality, a universal State, or widespread misery and death. Frankly, the second and third seem the same to me. Let us, then, all work to live our lives more consciously, and keep our fingers crossed.

This link is worth looking at: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/05/18/airport.security.body.scans/index.html

Apparently the technology now exists to in effect take a naked picture of you through your clothes.

I could be wrong, but I don't think the next attack--if there is one--will be the same as the last one.

I am very much a supporter of national security, but there is a point beyond which we are losing what we value. There has to be a dynamic balance between security and freedom. Where that line should be drawn is of course open to debate, and I would welcome that debate.

The problem is that all people who want to take an opposition position (currently, the "status quo" position) seem to do anymore is recite slogans whose genesis (the hard left) they don't understand, and which do much to confuse things (the intention, of course) and almost nothing to clarify them.

We have lost the Middle. This is our foundational problem. Republicans, in half-hearted and half-headed response to relentless Leftist propaganda, have steadily slid to the Left since Nixon, with the result that the very clear, very defensible underpinnings of Conservative (true Liberal) philosophy have been lost in a muddy swamp.

"Social Consciousness" and Conservatism are not in the slightest incompatible. There is nothing in Conservatism which does not support the gradual improvement of humankind, materially, and morally. Our only beef is using the coercive power of the State to do it. You cannot improve morality through fiat. You can only do it through reason, education, and gradualism.

Perhaps seemingly paradoxically, I would submit Brown v. the Board of Education as the WORST single thing ever to happen to African Americans in this country. It was a prima facie rejection of gradualism, and as an act of force, it led to many more. It led to, on one side, an excessive reliance on the Government, and on the other to pervasive resentment and topsy turvy political order, coupled with a historically unique violation of the balance of power between the Federal Government and States, and between the Judiciary and the Legislative branches.

Now, we are on the edge of a precipice, still not having solved a problem that could have been eradicated a generation ago, through intelligent, gradual change.

Gladwell, here, talks up the power of the unconventional and new. Frankly, what we need, most of the time, is the tried and true, executed vigorously.

It is quite possible to rewrite the history of the last 50 years, and come up with vigorous, thriving inner cities, a balanced budget, greater national security, and better civil rights than we have now. It is exceedingly frustrating to me to look at this, at what could and should have been, absent lunatics with no sense of meaning outside of radically destructive politics.

I will add, too, that if we define CrossFit--mostly accurately--as "hard work on basic movements", we are CONSERVATIVE, not radical. In important respects, the meat of what we do is nothing but a return to basics that have been forgotten.

Why have they been forgotten? They have been misplaced by the aggressive growth of bad ideas.

In a nutshell, this mirrors our political situation. Hopefully a return is in the works, once people realize that Obama will not create jobs--rather he will lose them--and that he will not make us safer--rather, less safe--and he will not improve the economy--rather, we will provoke vicious and sustained inflation.

There are only so many ways you can skin a cat. As John Wooden said, no doubt reciting an old aphorism of the sort that used to be the coin of the common sense realm: "Spend too much time learning the tricks of the trade, and you may never learn the trade."

Conservatism is nothing other than a preference to do what has been shown to work, and to mistrust "experts" whose council flies in the face of common sense, such as those who sold us the "low fat" snake oil, and are trying to sell us a massive energy tax in time of recession even now.

Liberalism is a preference to increase freedom, based upon the understanding that the persons to whom freedom is given, understand that it comes at the price of personal self management and responsibility.

Charity is when you donate your time and money to help others. Possessing a spirit of charity is a virtue. Compelling it on others is a vice.

I would go so far as to say that Socialism, in compelling virtue, is precisely the OPPOSITE of personal morality. People who run socialist systems assume that people cannot be counted upon to do the right thing, so they compel them to do it. This generates resentment, viciousness, hypocrisy, and a social system based upon tyranny, not respect.

And the people who run Socialist systems, having rejected the counsels of the past, have no sound foundations upon which to base the use of the power they have been given (rather, have arrogated to themselves). For this reason, they normally find, eventually, that virtue and conformity to their desires are one and the same. If you have no external standard, then you have to look to those around you to calibrate your behavior.

This is the precise OPPOSITE of liberalism.

Here's an interesting piece, titled "How to curtail the Federal Beast". I like his thinking. Perhaps the details are off--this would be a good topic upon which to use our remaining freedom of speech--but this is the scope of the sort of thing we need to be contemplating: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/25372/

Radicalism, now, is remembering how things used to be.

m/48/178

Back Squat, 5 reps, BWT/45/135/225/275/255/245/225

Shy of my 090419 PR of 280. All reps below 275 were down to a D-Ball; reps at 275 were below parallel but not down to a D-ball. Consequently, I lowered the weight and worked on depth for the remaining sets.

Did the following heavy metcon immediately after completing the back squat workout:

Heavy Fran
15-12-9 reps for time of:
Thrusters, 135 lbs
Pull Ups, Weighted, 45 lbs
14:45 (4:12/6:03/4:29)

A good bit slower than my 090313 PR of 11:28. But considering the fact that I did this workout immediately following heavy squats, I am not too disappointed.

Mama and the kids took the day off.

Barry 111

What if the "rulers" of a socialist system are elected through a fair and democratic process into a parliament or congress? Do these representatives arrogate their power to make decisions about economic policy? Or, do they have a duty to carry out the economic policies that the sovereign people in such nations elected them to carry out?

The Bolsheviks--"majority party"--were elected, on a platform they repudiated when they were able to. They reversed every policy upon which they were elected.

China is theoretically a Republic, and as should be well known, the Constitution of the Vietnamese was modelled on our own.

With respect to "soft" socialism, there is simply an impatience and intolerance with respect to views they consider incorrect. Honest dialogue about real problems becomes difficult. Dialogue about race, for example. About Islamism. About endemic, multigenerational poverty. About crime. About "global warming".

Personally, I view substantially all the public media in the United States as being propaganda vehicles for soft leftists, who are repeating--without realizing it--most of the points of the Hard Left.

I've been trying to conduct honest debates here for years, and all I get are variations on changing the topic--and problematizing "truth" counts, since absent some concept of truth, we are left with naked power as the only arbiter--insulting me, and silence.

From this I conclude that most people to the left of me have not thought through their positions. Given this, I infer that they have adopted their positions from someone else. Given this, I conclude that genuine ideological diversity would be as kryptonite to their efforts to remake our nation in an image which is unclear to everyone, except for the power hungry sociopaths I presume to be lurking in the wings.

Make no mistake: the holiday from history which Canada and Europe have enjoyed for the last 50 years was only possible with America as a hegemonic superpower, working to maintain peace. Absent us, the world might well become a dangerous place again. Given in particular Mark Steyns analysis, this seems to be the trend.

try goji berries for strengh http://www.tibetangoji.ca