Regionals 2011

Family.

Games season 2011 has come to an end. I could not be more proud to have competed alongside my teammates Big Mike Gregory, Travis Holley, Jessica Sharratt, Jen Cardella and Crystal Nelson. They are without a doubt my biggest inspiration and one of the main reasons I was able to push myself as hard as I did in training and over the course of the weekend. Thank you. I am deeply honored to have run the gauntlet with you.

When I started crossfitting back in October of 2008, my goal was to be like more like the people that were coaching me: Jeremy T, Lance C, Big Mike, JDP, Travis H, Chris H, Carey K, Crystal Mc, Crystal N, Jen C and Jess S (to name but a few). These people personified elite fitness and what it means to be "dialed-in" (and still do). 

As I became more "crossfit" and gained more experience through competition and coaching, my desire to compete at their level only deepened. My goal over the past 3 years has been to compete on the CrossFit Central Affiliate Team at the CrossFit Games. That is still my goal. 

I have without a doubt the best teachers anyone can ask for. If you are not surrounded by a group such as the one we have here at CF Central, you are missing out on something truly special. These people are not just friends and coworkers, they are my family.

This past weekend was by far the most emotional I have ever been during a crossfit competition. Watching Big Mike push through the DL/Box Jump WOD was heart-wrenching. I consider Mike G one of my best friends, and to see his body tearing through the deads was inspirational to say the least. The same feelings crept in as Travis and Jessica struggled on Team Amanda while Jen, Crystal, Mike and I watched from the side: unable to help our team. 

Then Ingrid set the bar for "Amanda" - finishing 1st by over a minute. The night before, she had serious doubts about even being able to complete the WOD. Being the athlete she is, she resolved to not let her raw and destroyed hands get in the way of success. HEART OF A CHAMPION. Having coached her for the past 9 months and seeing her transform from an athlete who could barely muster a ring dip following her surgery to an athlete feared by all the women in our region was one of the most rewarding experiences a coach could have. My heart swelled with pride as she showed why she will be competing in Carson in 2012.  

The "100's" WOD was dominated by Carey as she proved she is a prime-time BAMF -- and the finish of Whitney Welsch, Lindsey Smith and Lisa Thiel was the closest and most exciting I have ever seen. Period. These ladies are the best in the business, and I get to WOD with them daily. Does life get any better? 

I attribute these emotions to the amount of work and dedication that our team put in over the past year. All the hours of training: two-a-days, blistering 1:00 PM training sessions at Central, frigid 9:00 AM SWODS at the RBG, mobility sessions, pre- and post-WOD bullshitting, travel to the ACO in Dallas, overtraining (remember November Holley?) and coaching some of the best athletes in Texas. 

I witnessed our individuals and our teams endure the most brutal conditions in Tomball... But it did not matter. Lance, JT and Web did us proud by showing they are among the tops in the CrossFit game. These boys know how to turn it on when the pressure is on - and I look forward to pushing them and them pushing me as we train for 2012. Thanks boys.

This year is a turning point. A stepping stone towards the future. It comes as a shock that the Central Affiliate team will not be competing this year at the Games, but we will be back next year. We will be prepared. We will win. 

I have no words to express my gratitude and respect for everyone at the gym. You have impacted my life more than you can know. Thank you thank you thank you.

Never been...

Out at sea for seven years, I got your letter in Tangier
Thought that I'd been on a boat, 'til that single word you wrote 
That single word it landlocked me, turned the masts to cedar trees 
And the winds to gravel roads, Idaho, Idaho 

RAGE!

Without a doubt one of my favorite groups of all-time. Turn it up and grow a pair!

Dominating Force

The third week of the 2011 CrossFit Games Sectionals is coming to a close this weekend, and RedBlack CrossFit currently sits in 2nd place in our region (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi). This is no surprise to the athletes that train at the RedBlack Gym. This was expected. Along with former CF Games athletes Crystal McReynolds and Whitney Welsch we also have a handful of the most talented and promising athletes in the state training out of our garage. If you haven't heard of Chardonnay Poole Brittany McKenna, Karen Pierce, Kris Kepler, David Deleon and Robert Brown, consider this your introduction.

Our project hasn't yet been running for one year, and in that year we have built the premier training facility for aspiring CrossFit Games athletes.

This is not your old-man's training program.

We are combining the best of the strength and conditioning world in one place, four days out of every week. Olympic lifting, power lifting, gymnastics skills, kettlebell work, metabolic conditioning, strongman lifts and carries, running, rowing and everything in between. It looks like CrossFit, and it is. But better. Through meticulous coaching, smart programming and brutally hard work and determination, our athletes are making a name for themselves and the place where they sweat and bleed.

RedBlack CrossFit is made up of the following athletes:

Men: Kris Kepler, David Deleon, Robert Brown, Nick Blasier, Mark Brazell, Firas Azrai, Brian Doyal, Clay Speckmiear, Richard White.

Women: Chardonnay Poole, Crystal McReynolds, Brittany McKenna, Whitney Welsch, Heather Reed, Jessica Estrada, Megan Parsons, Karen Pierce, Carlina Muglia, Erin Carter.

Can't stop won't stop.

No matter what. Some days I crush it, some days I barely finish. No worries. I'm not training for today. I'm training for the Big Show. I will not peak today. I will be ready when game day comes. I will not PR everyday. I'm OK with that. I will PR on game day. It's a marathon, not a sprint. My eyes are set on my goals. My determination and dedication will overcome any shortcomings I have during this workout. On to the next one.

THE COMBINE

Do you want it?

That is the only question we ask of you. 

It's an easy question with only one of two answers: either you want it or you don't. We can't make you want it. That's not our job.

Our job is to transform you into the firebreather you want to be. Our results tell the story. We have some of the best CrossFitters in Texas training at the RedBlack Gym, being coached by the best training staff in the World. This may seem like hyperbole, but it only takes one morning in the gym to see what we do, who we are and what you're made of. 

If you don't want it or don't have it, that's OK. You will find your place at another gym. We don't need you. You may become a decent athlete one day, but that is doubtful. Why? Great athletes don't become great by training around mediocrity. They become great because they seek out the best coaches and the best training partners they can find. 

You think you're dialed-in? You might be, but when game day comes knocking at the door, who will answer? The NOVICE who had too many excuses (you're classes are too early, you're classes are too late, you are more expensive than other boxes, the location is not in my immediate area... the list goes on) or the BEAST who woke up early every morning, drove the miles, put in the work and paid the price?

The choice is yours. Put down your tires excuses. Step up to the plate and step up your game. If you're interested in what we can offer you, please contact me. If not, we'll see you on game day - and we will crush you.

If you don't know, now you know. 

Back to the basics, people!

Maude: What do you do for recreation?

The Dude: Oh, the usual. I bowl. I drive around. The occasional acid flashback.

An epiphany has been brewing. Not for me, but for me to share.

"If I knew then what I know now..."

In talking with the the athletes I train at the RedBlack Gym and the athletes I train at RunTex, I realize that they all have goals. For some, it is to compete at the highest level of CrossFit. For others, it is simply to gain mobility and lead a healthier, more fulfilled life. While both of these goals are different, they both share a common thread:

***Everyone wants all or at least some of the following: to be bigger, better, faster, stronger, more mobile; reach new levels of endurance, crush METCONS, get silly strong, improve in their olympic lifting, dominate gymnastics, reduce body fat and look better 'nekkid!***

I love it! Let's do it all! But wait, how do I accomplish all this?

My first answer is always: "With time". Inevitably, this is not the answer people want to hear. They want it all, and they want it all NOW!

While my default answer of "with time" is true, I feel the need to expound on that idea. To really answer the question, I believe we need to first define "What are your goals?"

All too often, I hear my athletes say things like "I think we should do longer METCONS: I'm weak in that area." The next day I hear "I think we should do more OLY-lifting: I'm weak in that area." The very next day... "I think we should lift heavy more often: I'm weak in that area." And the next day "I think we should focus more on gymnastics and body-weight movements: I'm weak in that area."

While they might be correct in their self-assessments, the truth is that we only have 24 hours in a day; 168 hours in a week. How best to spend those hours?

First we must define your goals. Then we must take action to meet those goals. 

If your objective is to squat 600#, then you do not need to be CrossFitting! We need to find you the best strength coach in the world (Travis Holley) and get you lifting heavy 4x a week. 

If your objective is to increase your clean & jerk and snatch to big-time kilos, we need to find you the best OLY-lifting coach in the world (Zach Thiel) and get you lifting OLY-style 4x a week. 

If your objective is to run a 4-minute mile or be an elite MMA fighter, we need to... well you get the point. 

I have yet to see anyone run a 4 minute mile, squat 600#, beat Brock Lesnar to a bloody pulp and show absolute proficiency in gymnastics. As of 2011, it is not physically possible. Elite level specificity naturally demands deficiency in other realms of fitness. This is one of the guiding principles of CROSSFIT. (If you haven't read this article, now is the time).

CrossFit the sport demands that athletes be average at everything. YES! We are the best at being mediocre in as many of the 10 general physical skills as possible: 

1. Cardio/Respiratory Endurance

2. Stamina

3. Strength

4. Flexibility 

5. Power

6. Speed

7. Coordination

8. Agility

9. Balance

10. Accuracy

The best CrossFitter (and "fittest" individual in the World) will be the person who has the highest level of fitness across these 10 GPS). They must be the best at being average. They might be more dominant in one area than another, but they most certainly will have practiced and refined all of them. 

Which brings me back to your goals. What are they? If you want to be strong, you must lift heavy weights. If you want to increase cardio/respiratory endurance, you must METCON (it's a verb now). If you want it all, I have no better answer than to CrossFit. I have yet to see a program that integrates the 10 general physical skills as well or as evenly as does CrossFit. 

***Tangent*** I also have clients who ask me what they can do to build stronger, more defined abs. I say deadlifts, back squats, overhead squats. Not what they want to hear, but the truth. What can I do to get ripped? Eat these foods, not those foods (abs are made in the kitchen I tell them) - NOT what they want to hear, but the truth. What can I do for my chest? Biceps? Legs? Shoulders? I tell them, "You're doing it right now... You're CrossFitting!" The look on their faces tells me I'm speaking in a difficult to understand dialect of Mandarin, although I know it's just not the answer they were hoping to hear. 

In our culture of immediate gratification, we want to hear that we can strap on an electro-hydro-monitorizing belly-blaster 5000 and magically get the body we want. We want to do thousands of crunches and bicep curls and hope that we look like the guy on the cover of Testosterone Monthly. We hope that by simply eating less of the shitty processed food that we already eat, our bodies will transform into those of the ladies on the cover of Shape magazine. Unfortunately this is not real, and this will not get you where you want to go. ***End Tangent***

I have found that the best way to a longer, happier, healthier, more fulfilled life is through the combination of 1) CrossFit, 2) yoga and 3) clean, solid nutrition. 

Consistency is the real key here. It's not a 9-5. It's a lifestyle.

You want it all? THEN YOU MUST CROSSFIT! (and give it time...)