thanks guys.

I need this rest day.

Also, the upside down rank pins, unprofessional. Clean it up soldiers.

Need a day of rest. No workout at all for me today.

The states listing on affiliate page is down all day...please fix...

I love that picture...so moto

Every Soldier in this picture is wearing their rank properly. The rank of Specialist is not worn the same as the others. Thanks for you service, men.

#2 -- you are obviously not in the Army. You need two rest days.

Thanks for your service Roughriders, wish I was going with you, maybe next time.

Looked like inverted PFC pins on my first observation, I stand corrected. I must be more tired than I thought. =/

Good picture! Thank you, Roughriders! Go Army!

Wow! This is my husbands platoon! Im so proud of you guys!ROUGHRIDERS! Keep up the outstanding work!

Re: Rest Day article. I can't do better than my thoughts last week on the same topic. "Connected?"
http://www.drdarrellwhite.com.

This is our son's platoon!!! Good job guys. We are so Proud of you. Outstanding job and keep up the great work ROUGHRIDERS!!!!!

Don't have time to read the Rest Day article right now. Too much to do. Will try to skim it later.

As we learned last rest where are the chicks in the picture?

Thank you for your service men.

What's with the blank firing adapters? Not actually deployed yet, huh. What unit are you really in, because "Roughriders" is a pretty generic platoon name, my platoon in boot camp was called the "roughriders"

#15 BenningSFC, show some love, bro. Don't hate, appreciate!

Men, thank you for your service. Be vigilant and protect your brothers.

Even after 4 deployments you still see Army guys like #15 ripping other Army guys. He probably had to put down his smoothie from where he's deployed to so he could post such a witty comment. Sad man. Sad.

So...are these soldiers CFers, or...?

Oh how I miss Fort Bliss (El Paso), which is where that photo was taken, sure beats southern Iraq any day!

Hey #15 what kind of nco would try and bring the moral of lower enlisted soldiers down...there's a thing called army values...you might want to look into them and do some soul searching...oh yea ps i dont see anywhere where it says these soldiers are deployed

So my bro Kyle did "King Kong" today as Rx'd- head to ground HSPU's- and my camera stopped filming right after the DL in the 3rd round. So no proof, yadayada. However, his first attempt...3:26. We will try again soon and for sure get all three rounds and send it in. It was awesome to watch.

great video topic to cover- hope many cancer survivors can watch and be inspired by this gentleman to bring exercise back into their lives.

Cancer certainly can break down your confidence-when staring your own mortality head on it can rattle you to the core.

Keep CrossFitting my friend and so glad CrossFit has been a vehicle to fuel your confidence!

The article makes some interesting and profound points, but many of these esteemable assertions are luxuries. If you are one of the soldiers in the picture above, time for deep reflection or time for communication that creates a deeper connection is probably not something they will have in any great abundance. As the article points out, this luxury of time has been brought about through technology.

Technology should be a celebrated virtue; however, we must realize that wherever there is virtue, there is also vice.

Good article in the WSJ; take a minute to read it (when you are done nitpicking the men in uniform's rank pins)..you toolbox.
Good workout this week coach.

One thing that I'm dwelling on that's really starting to get to me is:

No matter how hard you try, there is always going to be somebody else that's better at you at something.

Fellow CrossFitters, I'm talking about you!

I know I've came a long way and I know I'm improving but I can't believe some of you and your amazing achievements. I stand in awe of what others can do that is physically impossible for me. What can be a fault for me can be a walk in a park for others. I know the feeling is mutual for others but I think that's what keeps the fire going... competition. Competing to be better then others but ultimately competing to be better then yourself. You get a real nice PR and then check the main site and see that somebody else crushed your PR which makes you want to compete with yourself even more to meet up with the standards of the elite.

"I gotta give you your dream shot! I'm gonna send you up against the best. You two characters are going to Top Gun."

If a certain coach would tell me this, I would be thrilled!

"PROPS TO THA FRAT!!!"

Franiel

Thumbs up for the vid. I am not cancer survivor, but I can relate to the crossfit - confidence connection. I am much better than a year ago, when I started.
Really appreciate that.

Enjoy!

I'm having a hard time putting my finger on why the article felt so... uncompelling. In part, I got the feeling that the author was writing almost as an assignment of his own therapy; writing the subject which he is trying to learn.

Perhaps I'm just an inappropriate object of the lesson, but I gave a lot of my life to the use of the internet, before the web developed. I also stayed active, and walked away from digital and 'net life altogether. What did I get for that? During the couple years I was deliberately shunning the 'net, CrossFit blossomed and touched my networks, and only when I got back in touch with the 'net and was catching up on backloads of surfing and recommendations, did I find CrossFit. And that couple years' delay f'ing blows.

I've written screeds similar to this article, intended to remind my fellow INTJs and INTPs or just fellow intellectuals, that real life is physical and fleeting, that our love of ideas is largely an epiphenomenon, an illusion, a distraction. But I'm nowhere close, anymore, to being a professional intellectual. When I dally in arguments -- when I play in the 'Republic of Letters' as our Enlightenment brethren called it, and as it inarguably existed 200 years ago -- I know that it is play time. And I enjoy it.

I would agree with the author that more of us need to realize that life is physical and that all our tools, be they ideas or businesses, money or technology, are meant to serve our very physical lives. But somehow the article didn't motivate or inspire me. This could be my lack and my fault, not the author's.

RE: the photo...

When I was young, I read so many commentaries about war being composed "of young boys... barely children..."

And I felt so confused and alienated by those comments. What are they talking about? We aren't boys!

Now I look at these photos and I'm in awe: These are just... boys. It kills me to think of sending children into combat.

I need to be reminded just how powerful what we see as 'children' can be, the huge burdens that can be shouldered by 'boys'. Reminders like: All Quiet On The Western Front; or Ender's Game, etc. And, has life been so short -- am I an old man, already?

Cash,

I know exactly why I find this article so uncompelling. The man is a luddite. He doth protest to much that he isn't. Let's see a newspaper/magazine editor is crying the blues that we are all to connected and we just need to slow down and feel the tender caress of the written page between our fingers. Hmmm. The medium that he has built his professional life around is dying. And he is standing athwart history yelling stop. Or at least let's reminisce about the halcyonic days of our youth when we did all our communicating by paper.

His desire to connect with people locally mostly at random just like the old days doesn't hold water. What are the chances that your best friend for life is the kid next store. You were best friends when you were 5. What happened? Oh yeah you didn't have anything in common but proximity.

The further you are at the end of the bell curve the fewer people there are like you. The net makes it easier to create connections between people.

His entire article is self serving jibberish. I'm not buying it.

Flame on haters

***FRAT***

Hey Rookie, Herm and Playoff Beard

:-)

***FRAT OUT***

I would have to disagree with the author on the "tyranny of e-mail". I couldn't imagine what my day would be like if I had to be interrupted by a phone call, instead of each e-mail I receive. Occasionally I like to do work that involves creativity and problem solving. When you get into that zone, interruptions are the enemy. With e-mail, you can control how much time you spend and when you spend that time in any given interaction. And you can automate it with a macro if it's something that you frequently respond to. I can recognize a spam e-mail in less than a second. When someone dials a wrong number or it's a cold caller, it usually takes about 20 seconds to sort it out. And that 20 seconds takes place at their convenience, not yours.
Since switching to cell phones 100%, talking is rarely enjoyable. It's often hard to hear someone over a bad connection and the terrible speaker on the phone. The only real downside to e-mail is that written communication does not convey the same emotion as the spoken word. But it can be done with writing. If you read some letters written by Thomas Jefferson or any other great letter writer, you can see how rich written communication can be. As the speed of written communication has increased, via IM and text messaging, our language has evolved. Emoticons and various abbreviations convey feelings that would take many words to express.
Nothing will ever replace the richness of face to face interaction. I agree with the author on this point. But high tech, high speed communication allows us to accomplish more in a given block of time than ever before. It's our choice how to use the extra time high speed communication creates.

Once again I'm playing catch up.So I will not be having a rest day.I will be doing fridays WOD and looking forward to it.

To the "Me Monster NCOs and Officers":

First let me preface my statement with: I am a 13 yr Active Duty NCO of the USAF, currently deployed to Iraq. Yes, I am at a nice location (if there is truly such a thing in Iraq... its nice enough I can get the WOD done with little hindrance) and there are thousands worse off than I with half the time in. And for those souls I give thanks and prayer. However, IDF is a sporadic occurrence here and I AM away from my family, whom I love dearly and that is a great sacrifice for all concerned... but not the greatest. I say all that because those of you who hate on these Soldiers have no boundaries to your hate. I just want you to know who you're hating this time.

The select posts concerning this picture are indicative of a common thread seen, in my personal experiences deploying with the U.S. Army.

A thread of NCOs are more concerned about staying on top, than training others to take their place. To those NCOs: "Where does that lead us, or more over the U.S. Army?!?!"

What about those that trained you in the ways of the NCO? What if their mentality was the same as yours? Your ways would result in the demise of the Armed Services and thus our way of life!

By no means is it only in the Army. The thread runs through all services. But for this ONE example we are referring to Soldiers, not Airmen, Marines, or Seamen. If not for the good NCOs AND Officers to tow the HARD line and ensure the future is not perverted due to these "Me Monster NCOs" and "Officers" then America would fail. Rest assured that will not happen. There are far too great an NCO and Officer to allow that to happen.

These young men posed for a picture, and somebody chose to send it in. They may have blank adapters on their weapon right now, but rest assured the day will come when the recoil is from lead being sent in the other direction.

Allow them to enjoy their moment in the spotlight! The day will come when they will feel they have a thankless job. That's when WE NCOs will remind them the cause they fight for is just, and the sacrifice is worth the betterment of our way of life. That's what I tell my 4 yr old son when he asks why I'm gone. And those Airmen AND SOLDIERS (I have 3 currently) assigned to me... They'll hear the same thing.

Galatians 4:29

Hey guys! You all look great, I am so proud of you! I cannot wait until your safe return home.

#38 The level of immaturity in your post is disgusting. Frankly, referring to third grade tactics of name calling because you don't get your way. Grow up.

I was not sharp shooting at the men in the picture or meaning to degrade their service in any way, just commenting on how I thought their rank was incorrectly displayed. A few posts later I owned up to my mistake and that was that. Get over it and quit whining.

#15 Benning

Dear God I hope you are not really an NCO

We’ve seen this argument before: we spend too much time watching television instead of reading books; too much time on the phone instead of writing letters; too much time playing video games, listening to Ipods, texting. It’s all the same argument: people are not spending enough of their time the way the complainer feels they should, and as a result, society is getting worse.

Some people have exclusively short attention spans; they crave constant bursts of stimulation. Some of these people are brilliant, and some are not. Some people spend hours devoted to a single task. Some of them are gifted mathematicians, and some are simply too dim to get through the task at hand.

The advent of communication technology is like the invention of the elliptical trainer. It give some people a way to exercise and grow within the confines of their abilities, and for others it allows them to exclusively limit themselves to a mindless form of intellectual pursuit that is far less than they are capable of, while giving them the illusion that they are being productive.

Those of us who CrossFit should be able to appreciate the benefit of intellectual and emotional experience across a broad range of time and cognitive domains.

Me, I’m sick of people who cannot talk with me for five minutes without checking their Iphone. This could be a distinctly new phenomenon, or it could be that those people were never capable of concentrating; I’m just now realizing it.

lots of hate out there guys.... in re: the article. I found it hilarious, through my online obsession (that spills over quite seriously into the physical world) I am led to an ELECTRONIC article that tells me not to spend so much time on the internet. ROTFLMAO thnx coach that was great.

Hooray for the rest day.....so, thought I would attempt to make some parallettes, downloaded the pdf and off I went to the hardware store. Showed the man what I needed, got the stuff, and went home to make them! Only when trying to assemble them did I realise I had the wrong size pipe.Surrendered and went to see my dad who kindly brought some new pipng and made them for me. My Hero, I now have fully functioning parallettes. Yipeee!!!

***FRAT***

Hey Rookie

:-)

***FRAT OUT***

These soldiers are deployed and these soldiers make me proud!!!!!!!

OH-MY-GOODNESS! I am a day behind and today is the HPC. However...I can barely walk! I have not even been going at 100% this week and somehow, whenever I seem like I am taking it down a notch...I seem to be even more sore!

I have DOMS so bad I am limping. How in the world am I going to even bend down and get the bar??

Any tips, much appreciated! lol

Erin

Erin,

3-2-1 GO?
I'm in the same boat and I'm not feeling a PR on the cleans.

**FRAT**

Hi Herm, Playoff Beard, Jakers, Rookie

**FRAT OUT**

#48 Erin

Take the day off! Just take a walk, or something light.

Yesterday's WOD:

For time, move sister's stuff from a 2nd story apartment down to the rental truck. Drive across town, then move everything back up to a 3rd story apartment.

7 hours, 36 minutes.

Pretty sore today. I hope to do better next time.

Daniel Krull AKA "Franiel" at August 22, 2009 10:00 PM

Exactly. I'm right there with you.

would the crossfit.com community be what it is if some of us didn't overuse the internet? ;)

****FRAT****

Hi Herm, Rook, S'more, Jakers & PB ;0)

*****FRAT OUT******

p.s. Snix - congrats on your baby! God is good

Thank you to all soldiers, past, present and future, for your service.

Wow, I looked at the picture and realized..... I am an old retired guy.

Great picture guys, when you deploy, stick together, keep your head engaged in the situation at all times and keep your body strong.

When you come back, take another picture.

Have Fun, Train Hard,

Billy

**FRAT**

Hi Cookie, in8girl!!!

**FRAT OUT**

Ok tough guys Carlox and me create a new monster...please try it

"WHY YA KILL"

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 of:

Ring pull-up
Muscle-up
Ring dip

* do one ring-pull up one muscle-up and when you are up one ring dip then two pull-up two muscle-up two ring dip then three pull-up you got the idea...looks fun ha!!! Try it

Hi s'more! Good to see you back on here!

#2
#15
#40
etc

seriously?

how about when i talk about my PR deadlift on friday?
are you gunna bash on me too?

what are you even doing here?

425lbs in case you were wondering, though after reading everyones extremely supportive attitude today, im not so trilled anymore

I got DOMSinated to from friday's WOD. Upper body feels likes it has 40lb strap to it. Rest day well needed, good luck all.

Hari, you nailed the essence of Mr. Freeman's article. I was as our nieces' soccer game last weekend and their Dad was playing with his Blackberry instead of watching his daughters' play. Where was their Mom? Assisting the Coach, engaged in her daughters' lives.

Yes, CF uses technology's power, but the substance is the physical work, mental challenge, the cognition that takes place, and the human contact.

Go Roughriders. Thank you for serving.

Needed the rest, did not get it. Army had me do a two a day sunday. sore...

Oh man, I love sundays....I can relax on my boat with some beer and a couple chicks!!!! Those guys must be ROTC cause they aren't squared away to be real army. But hey who am I to judge.

the yellow BFA's make this picture somewhat less imposing..

Hey Erin and others. I'm on the DOMS train too after the pullups and lunges. Elbows won't straighten! I decided to let the HPCs slide. Will go for a swim today.

Nice to be re-engaged. Even if it hurts!

5x5 deadlift day, missed deads a couple weeks ago while on vacation.

CFWU x 3, 135 x 10, 225 x 5
255 x 5
275 x 5
285 x 5
295 x 5
305 x 5

Could definitely go heavier next time.

I like the photo. I don't know if this is the Roughriders' situation, but it looks to me just like a group of college kids. ROTC students wear enlisted rank at basic camp (at least we did 21 years ago), and it is summertime...and we all had names like Roughriders. Mine was Cold Steel lol. High speed, Army.

Why is everyone hating on the blank firing adapters? all the other military people here are too cool to train anymore?

Tony the Chiro- I did the swim thing too today ;)
Felt good and mostly used upper body today.

At church the Priest said, "oh Erin, you are limping!" Before I was put on the prayer list, I made sure they knew this was self induced!

HPC going easy, could not even stomp my feet before each one as I like to do!

100-105F-100F-100-100-100-100-100-100-100

Now to make it back downstairs...
Erin

Erin, I was suffering pretty bad on Saturday too (still am actually) before the HPCs. I spent a lot of time doing OHS with the bar in my warmup. When I went down into the hole I would stay there for a 5 count before coming back up. Really helped stretch things out a bit and get the legs warmed up. That being said I had zero explosiveness and was far from a PR.

CFSBII day 2, DL 3x3, 260, 270, 280; 20x210; then Karen, 12:21.

mas #73:

Pretty much my plan for tomorrow!

"I got DOMSinated..."

Comment #62 - Posted by: Fallen M/22/5'11"/155/6%

Awesome bro...I love it! Coin that term!

s'more...WHY YA KILL looks insane. You Ecuadorians are true inspirations to me. I'm gonna try that one next year when my shoulders are good to go!

***FRAT***
Comment #48 - Posted by: in8girl

Erin, Kevin C. is right. Take the day off, you crazy girl!

Tony the Chiro, great to see you on here bro!

Hi cookie! Hi bingo! Hi Benny! Hi Billy! :)
***FRAT OUT***

Hey Bingo,
That will look pretty conventional after the last couple days of creative mash-up WOD's you've been doing! Missed your musings today.

Cheers

30-20-10 for time
Dead Lift @ 185# (dead stop, no bouncing!)
Push Press @ 95#
8:35

From militaryathlete.com

***FRAT***

Hi s'more, hi TonytheChiro, hi Benny, hi Billy, hi Patty, hi Pony, hi Eric G, hi Goat, hi Jim D, hi Carlox, hi Nelson, hi JJ, hi Bingo...

Dude, we are dorks :-)

P.S. Hi Freddy C, sorry someone drank all your beer. I'll bring you more.

***FRAT OUT***

mas, click my link if you haven't done so already.

You'll kill the "WHY YA KILL" when you heal Herm!!! Big hugs bro

Carlox, Nelson, Carola and i want to train with you guys and of course drink some iced cold beers with Freddy C

Great article post today coach. I said no to my iPod today when my family was visiting from out of town. I realized that I was watching CF Journal videos while my mom, dad, and siblings I never see enough were in the same room with me. While I am thankful for the convenience and "infinite possibilities" of technology, I find that too often I am drawn away from those who should be receiving my full attention.

Just as the human body can only run in code red or black for so long, as adrenal fatigue will set in, our minds can only handle so much overstimulation. How long can such a pace be sustained? The internet has only been widely available for roughly a decade. Already I feel at times like I am stretched too thin due to the frenetic pace of life in this modern age. Will I resist this pull, this siren call that so often seems to draw me into frantic, mind numbing existence? If my life is to mean anything I must...and I will.

Amazingly enough in my workplace, it is easy to just walk up to people and talk but most of us still use email to correspond - except for me. I rather have the personal touch of someone knowing I got something done and letting them know in person.

***FRAT***
Hi Herm, Cookie, PB&J, Eric, CynthiaJ, Jim, Jenn from CO, stephen, JJ, J9, jakers, Rebe, Billy, in8girl, Benny, JayBear, Tony the Chiro, Rookie, Julie Platt (where is Julie Parisien lately?)Cash, Franiel, s'more, Carlox, Nelson, b-i-n-g-o, GOAT...

Yes, PB- dorks. But Coach approved :)

Had family BBQ today, I'm working on some ideas and I need my brothers' elbow grease. Had a 90% paleo menu - huge success: non-dairy coleslaw, grilled vidalias, asparagus, eggplant, corn and burgers. Dessert was fresh fruit: cherries, strawberries, pineapples, watermelon and cookies. All the fruit went, lots of cookies left over. We played charades, UNO- most have left, a few still linger who are staying over. My mom has everyone in stitches telling how she and my poor farmboy father met - they started as penpals when he was in the Navy, they met 6 weeks after the letters started, and she thought he was a NERD LOL 55 years, 11 kids, 18 grandkids later... they still hold hands.

Smooches, big hugs and bad english for all

***FRAT OUT***

some of those guys look really young....Thank you soldiers

PB,

It is not possible that someone drank all of Freddy C's beer. Maybe someones or a small gang of someones. But just one someone no freakin way.

***FRAT***
Hi Strong Lil Pony!
(finally somebody shouted me out...)
***FRAT OUT***

what is wrong with the x-fit community?? everybody has their panties in a bunch about this picture... who cares where they are, or if they have sling shots... it's a picture, it is what it is, thank them for their service and for doing something a lot of people don't have the courage to do

Aaron 25/195/5'10"
Took the last 3 set off for some travel. But I did pick up a spanky new C2 rower for 500 buck from my stepdad so today I couldn't resist trying it out.

3 rounds
21 calorie row
15 wall ballshots
9 power cleans, 135#

18:45

Elliot 22/185/5'11"
His hip is better and now that I'm back he's gonna start it back up again

blur the faces of the troops please. OPSEC

FRAT:
s'more, I like the looks of your PU/MU/RD WOD. I tried the Equadorian Destroyer WOD today, but modified it slightly. 10,9,8..1 of KB,Clean,HSPU and 20,18,16...2 of DU's,Burpees,24"Box Jumps. took me 37:37.

I can't imagine trying it with 20,19,18...11 for the high rep parts.

Thanks for the WOD's,
b
m/32/5'8-1/2"/161

Brian p, bro is an honor to me that you hit the Ecuadoria Destroyer...i thank you brother

to #70
Thanks Herm and consider it coined!

My son is one of the Rough-Riders...I couldn't be more Proud of him and ALL the RR's. HOOAH!!! SPC. you know who u r!! Lov u Dad.

Rest day activities:

3 Mile Jog on the last day of summer...

Awesome picture guys! Question: Is this BCT and if so, what site? I went to Fort Sill. Hot, dry and flat. You could stand on a tuna can and see all way to the border. Keep up the Xfit training. That way you won't be one of the people that says "I was never in as good a shape as I was after Basic Training."

To everyone else, show some support. If you don't know, ask. If you want people to know, share. And if you want to be a jerk, go to a dark room by yourself and do a few hundred Tabata Squats until your attitude changes. And always "DRINK WATEEEEER!!!!"

--OUT--

Awesome picture guys! Question: Is this BCT and if so, what site? I went to Fort Sill. Hot, dry and flat. You could stand on a tuna can and see all way to the border. Keep up the Xfit training. That way you won't be one of the people that says "I was never in as good a shape as I was after Basic Training."

To everyone else, show some support. If you don't know, ask. If you want people to know, share. And if you want to be a jerk, go to a dark room by yourself and do a few hundred Tabata Squats until your attitude changes. And always "DRINK WATEEEEER!!!!"

--OUT--

Awesome picture guys! Question: Is this BCT and if so, what site? I went to Fort Sill. Hot, dry and flat. You could stand on a tuna can and see all way to the border. Keep up the Xfit training. That way you won't be one of the people that says "I was never in as good a shape as I was after Basic Training."

To everyone else, show some support. If you don't know, ask. If you want people to know, share. And if you want to be a jerk, go to a dark room by yourself and do a few hundred Tabata Squats until your attitude changes. And always "DRINK WATEEEEER!!!!"

--OUT--

Did fridays wod in 32:05 love this one!

nice pic...love the ear phones and ipods...very professional....thanks for the service, but to be honest if your going to post a WHOOA pic, lets tighten it up so you look your best and are to standard since you represent a lot of people, not just the "roughriders" whatever that is..

To the USAF guy(comment 37)...are you really talking smack about the Army?? Every job in the Military exsists to support the Infantryman(Army/Marines Infantry). I dont know what you do, but unless you are kicking doors down face to face with the enemey, then maybe sit this out. There are what 140,000 troops in Iraq??? and less then 4,000 actually fight(and I don't need to go into what units those are)...the rest do a great job on the FOBS and at checkpoints and get taken care of very well(PXs, phones, net, Burger Kings, Donuts shops, gyms, movies, and a bunch of other crap)...

sorry..was meant for comment #33

Gentlemen, Thank you for your service from the bottom of my heart. I often tear up when I see young Soldiers willing to make the commitment to our Nation. Look forward to some of the most exciting and unforgetable times of your lives. Good luck in the future. Stay Army Strong!

RE to Comment #94:

NRD, after I read your post, I took another look at the photo...at first, I hoped maybe they were earpieces to a wireless tactical comm set, but the black iPod carrier kind of gave it away. To my knowledge, none of the service branches authorize wearing iPods in uniform. Sigh...is that a lance corporal in the back row, center? I can't tell from the photo, but they're pretty much sergeants-in-training, right? This would have been a GREAT opportunity for that young man to learn how to square away a squad/platoon whenever someone's pointing a camera around!

I say enjoy the photo..Frat out*

45 min trail ride, 30 min uphill, 15 down

Nice blank adapters. Enough said.

nice blank adapters!!!!!!!!!