W.O.D. 11.18.10
3 Rounds for time of:
500M Row
21 Burpees
400M Run
Read:
Thanksgiving is on the way, time to read up on whats going to be on your table...
A visual guide to Yams and Sweet Potatoes by Mark Sisson
Thanksgiving Reminders:
We are Closed on Thursday the 25th for Thanksgiving.
Friday November 26th is a FREE Turkey Team WOD for you, your friends and relatives.
Question:
Who wants in for the next nutrition Challenge? We are looking at January to start...stay posted for information regarding the kick off "party" and challenge "rules".
Quote:
Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
- Will Rogers
24 comments:
Good morning everyone. I was feeling a bit inspired, or maybe it was just the topic racing through my head as Aimee and I fed Chloe for three straight hours in the middle of the night. Anyway, this is a blog and a community so I wanted to start some discussion. It is related to “Why I Fight”.
We have a LOT of new members and some of you may have noticed the “Why I Fight” board over behind the 6’ wall. There are a variety of answers on the board and each one is specific to a KoP member, some serious, some not. So, foremost, I wanted to remind everyone that the board is there for all of us to use. If you have not done so and would like to share, please grab a marker and write why you fight.
That being said, I was curious as to everyone’s thoughts related to the CF Games and the competition(s) leading up to them. Nothing has been released related to the competition format for next year, i.e. Sectionals or Regionals, so rumors have been flying that neither may happen and that a new format may be released. My question was whether or not you feel CF is too focused on the fire-breathers? Granted, this program is designed to improve everyone’s fitness level but it hit me last night that 99+% of all people doing CF will never compete in the Games. Does this matter to anyone?
Micah, CF 215, has a fantastic idea that I hope grows and I hope many of you look forward to competing in it. Micah wants to do something similar to the Lake Tahoe Challenge where local boxes will send 20 people as a team instead of the normal 4-6. This will give more people to experience the thrill of competing and I think it is fantastic. Do you think HQ should embrace something like this or do you think it should be grass roots from the local affiliates as it appears to be happening?
Just curious on all of your thoughts…why do you fight? In addition, do you have a desire to compete but are shy because you don’t have MU or HSPU? Do you wish there were more local events competing against other gyms or do you like just to compete within KoP, or just against yourself?
I will break the ice. I realize that I will never compete at the games. You also may have noted that I have not competed at Sectionals. Why? So, first, I enjoy getting the work done and I enjoy pushing against people but I continually remind myself that I am here and I now fight to walk my daughter down an aisle as an older, healthy man, not to have the best time. It is great to push against many of you but in the end of the day, my true competitive spirit died in high school when my soccer team went 4 years winning only 1 game. It is why I enjoy working out alone before class. I never set PR’s this way but I still improve my health. Second, being completely honest with everyone is that I would get upset if a workout came up that I could not do. I would be petrified that a workout involving MU’s would come up and I would just stand there. Maybe it is that dream of showing up at school in just your underwear. I know this is a dumb reason but it is in my head and I share in hopes that others are honest as well.
That being said, I find value in Sectionals and Regionals because for many, success may be finishing top 50 in Sectionals or just finishing a workout in the given time. But, in the end, for me, I am a better coach for Aimee than I am an athlete. I truly enjoy being there as her support more so than trying to compete…the question becomes would that be the case if I felt I had a chance at winning? Who knows.
I have competed in smaller events like everything at our gym and a few at DelVal but it has not become an addiction for me.
I toy with competing every once in awhile on a larger scale but unless OHS and DU come up as the WOD, I am likely not top 3 in the gym so the thought passes. That being said, when I compare myself to the field, I normally fall somewhere in the middle (local competitions) so I do not know why I hesitate as I would not consider that failure.
I like the idea of expanding teams to 20 or so. Makes it a lot more fun in my opinion. So, if you do not compete, is it because you fear what place you will finish, do you just not care about it, something else? If you do compete, do you do so hoping that you will exceed a specified end result in your mind (if so, what is it) or do you do it for fun and not care where you finish?
Talk amongst yourselves.
My best friend actually is a fire breather and even he thinks that some of the main site workouts are just insane. I think that HQ focuses on fire breathers, and there is a lot of politics going on there, but KOP does the opposite, which is why I like it here.
I will almost certainly not compete in anything or get a "sub 3 Fran time". My goals are to live a long life without the health problems that my parents have, and of course, to look good naked. But, most importantly, the community here is something that I really enjoy and is an integral part in why I like crossfit in general and kop in specific.
Jason,
For me crossfit is more of a means to an end rather than the end in and of itself.
Having a sub 3 fran time just does not excite me and I'm not willing to make the lifestyle changes needed to achieve that goal.
But running jumping and lifting better does excite me and thats what keeps me motivated. I don't feel my times in the benchmark wods indicate anything more special to me but I do like to see them trending downward. And as a whole when I come to the gym I can't get in the mindset of beating someone elses time.
Its not that I'm not competitive I do like to play sports and be good at them but for some reason crossfit just seems more like a workout to me more than a sport.
I think with any sport very few people make the elite levels whether its crossfit, dancing, football or martial arts but that doesn't mean those pursuits aren't worthwhile. I'll never come close to being the fittest person in the world but I look forward to one day being off of blood pressure meds. And I look forward to getting older too rather than dreading it.
Team competition in crossfit does excite me though and I do like that idea. I'm so much more motivated to push myself when I know I'm contributing to a team and not just for myself.
In general for me I just see crossfit as a way to broaden my fitness but not the end. I just can't get excited about doing burpees and air squats faster than someone else. But I realize doing things I hate contributes to my fitness levels.
I also don't feel there is too much of an emphasis on fire breathers either at KOP or crossfit in general. There are plenty of testimonials of non athletes getting into crossfit on the site. There was a video of a lady who did paleo and crossfit for just two months recently. I think KOP recognizes whenever someones hits a goal no matter what they are a sub 3 fran time or their first pullup.
Jason I think you should post more often your very insightful.
6am Results from the Breakfast Club
Bekah 23:01
Sheng-Ching 28:46
Kara 25:50
Pat P 22:35
Tim Gantz 20:14
Howie 21:53
Ellie 19:38
Kim G 24:02
The Nooner
The Donkey 20:00 Row/Burpee/Row
Sam B 15:53
Brie 19:13
Tom 20:18
Danny 15:33
Sharon 18:46 (2rnds)
David 20:48
As a single mother I fight for my three children. I will never compete unless it is in a local fun competition. I want to be in the best health possible to be able to stay active in my children's lives. I am trying to be the best role model possible by showing them that hard, dedicated work pays off and to NOT be afraid of trying something because it looks to hard or someone told you that you can't do it.
I do want to continually improve on my times and weights but that is for me. :-)
Most of all I want to keep having the awesome time I have when doing a workout and keep meeting the incredible people that I consider my friends while doing it.
Yes, at times it does feel as if the emphasis is put on people that are competing and it makes me feel as if I am an outsider. Maybe that is just me. I hope the people that have been there for awhile are as welcoming to the new members as they were to me. I can tell you, I will never forget when Mike F corrected me on something my first class. He didn't have to but it's because we are all there for each other and I hope that will never be lost.
I want to clarify that I am not speaking of attention being paid to fire-breathers within KoP as I feel we all do a good job supporting one another. Heck, if we only paid attention to fire-breathers, I would get ignored too. lol
My question is do you think HQ only focuses on the fire-breathers? I rarely see videos or interviews with average people like me on the site. I was curious if it bothers anyone that soon .com WODs may be so hard that most can't compete as Rx...or is this just natural progression and survival of the fittest?
I'll try to make this brief.
First, I wrote on the board that I fight because I want my outside to match my inside...meaning...I've always been fiercely strong mentally...I wanted to really push myself and see how far I could take it. If anyone's interested in seeing how my numbers have changed in a year, I'm glad to share that. I've been lifting weights for over 20 years and never come anywhere close to what I've done at KOP.
Second, I do think that the homepage is turning up the heat on the WODs...in some ways that's to be expected. They still have normal WODs posted (for example, today is HPCs!). But if we are truly pushing ourselves to continuously improve, then for some of the athletes in our network, this DOES mean things like executing muscle-up HSPU. Most of us? Nope. But should we know that we're not done once we've gotten a sub-3 Fran? Absolutely. I *love* that we're never really done learning new things, or that there is no end to the challenges of what we can push ourselves to try.
The emphasis on tougher/more technical WODs probably makes it much more intimidating to the people who find crossfit first via mainsite, or who treat it as the open source programming that it can be. But I wonder how many boxes follow main page--I would guess, not many. I have yet to find one that does in my travels with a single exception, and they were a new-ish box. I also think that the purpose of the main site is to give inspiration and share ideas back to the affiliates. The archives are filled with "normal" WODs that affiliates can steal and program. But without the newer, harder things, some of the affiliates might never get beyond Fran. I would argue that some of the things we've been seeing are getting away from "functional fitness" (I defy anything to tell me a situation where they'd have to perform a MU-HSPU) but the strength and skills you learn *are* transferable.
Jason, you also mention that they don't focus on the ordinary person. I hadn't checked main site yet today, and when I did, I found the video "It Changed My Life". It's a woman who's been crossfitting for 2 months, and shows her "before" and "after" pics after she's just completed 2 months of a Challenge...eating paleo and doing xfit. I encourage people to check it out, because this IS a "normal" person and she is awesome...just like everyone who shows up and gives their full measure of sweat, blood and tears at KOP.
As for competition? I'd love to. I've always had a competitive nature and Crossfit feeds it perfectly. Will I ever compete at the Games? I doubt it, but why shouldn't I train as if it were in my reach? I have the time and the drive even if i don't have the skill (yet). I will always show up to compete even though I fear the same things Jason said...there are some skills and talents that just elude me for now. But you know what? A year ago, I couldn't have imagined a 255# deadlift. I had never even heard of an OHS or Front Squat. I would have laughed in your face if you'd told me that I would string 5 kipping pull ups, or do a single double under. Sure, there are things I can't do yet, but I will keep pushing to the best of my ability every class, and I will keep learning--because I know that main site will never let me get lazy with just doing better with Fran. and honestly, that's one thing I really DIG about this whole thing.
And I LOVE the idea of a local community team training together. This IS a family...the more the merrier. I do think it should be done at the grass roots level because I see the affiliates as the way that things will be kept alive and vital. the Main Site is the brain but the affliates are the heart and soul--we are the ones who make this what it is, every single day.
Jesus that was a lot of talking.
Jas, I did the row 500m, 44 du wod yesterday - 2:18. Hips were jelly and got caught at 2 and 5 then strung rest. I feel like I held back on the row a little too much but still crazy
The affiliate blog has random pics of whatever affiliates send in pics. The main site focuses on firebreathers and in all honesty I go to the main site to see firebreaters. Why wouldn't crossfit not want to showcase the best athletes.
Going back to the question of competitions I do feel that many of the people having success at the games are trainers or workout for their jobs i.e. Miko is a firefighter, so in essence many of them do crossfit as a part of their jobs. So thats a big advantage when you have the luxury of working in a gym all though I'm sure running a business is lots of work. Its still different than when you have to sit in a cubicle all day. I think thats why I enjoyed watching the masters division they were just average folks.
I could also sort of care less about main site. I will say that it was intimidating when I looked at it, because it seemed like I couldn't do *anything* on there, and just a year or two ago, it was quite different. So that *will* be a barrier to entry for new people who just google it because they have heard about it. I had the benefit of friends who did it.
The one thing that I worry about is quality control of affiliates. Meaning, I can't just tell people, do crossfit, cause it will change your life, because not all affiliates are created equal. There is a relatively low barrier to starting one, so I always fear that I'll tell someone to go and try it and then they go to a sucky box and get turned off by it or get the wrong impression on what this is *really* about.
i tried to be brief but couldn't. click my name (above) or go here:
http://karenthewhiteboardwarrior.blogspot.com/2010/11/why-i-fight.html
to learn a little about why i fight.
RE: competition-
if i dedicated myself, i know i could go to the games. but it would be at the detriment of so many other things in my life. things i enjoy.
my only competitor is me. if i am always competing to be my personal best, based on a myriad of factors, then i am a winner. me vs. me is satisfying.
in the short time i have been at crossfit, i have learned so much about myself. why i fight, who i am, what i can do. i'm still scared of things, still shying away from things, but every week i challenge myself to do one thing that scares me. i wouldn't have done that without the lessons i learned at crossfit.
the box has changed my life in ways i didn't know it could be changed (NYAH!!!). i'm finally growing physically, and mentally. the latter is hard. harder than beating a PR. but i'm getting there.
i couldn't have done it without this experience in my arsenal.
My $0.02: while I have competed with some folks over time and compared times, my reason for doing CrossFit is to get and stay healthy. Participating in the Masters last year was a real stretch for me and pushed me way out of my comfort zone, which was why the experience was worth it. The training and focus definitely helped increase my skill level and overall strength, but the main benefit was the personal growth, not to mention meeting tons of new folks along the way. Is this type of competition for everyone? I don't believe it is, because it requires a commitment that most of us aren't ready or willing to make. Joe raised a great point, many of the competitors at the games were essentially full-time CrossFitters with the dedication and commitment to push themselves to those elite levels. I was happy with my overall result, and it confirmed to me that I can push myself farther than I originally thought. It was also great to see folks my age or older showing that age affects you somewhat, but is not a reason to stop striving for fitness.
Having said all of this, do I think people should participate in competitions? Yes, to the degree that they get a great workout and push themselves. The benefit of camaraderie and pushing yourself beyond what you thought you could do from these local competitions has a lot of value for most of us. Team competitions are an awesome way to push yourself hard and help others at the same time. Do I think the main page is focused on fire-breathers? Absolutely, and for the most part that makes sense as everything should be scale-able. I did question MU/HSPU as a functional move, it does require mastering your body weight but like some of the things we do, it's a skill workout to improve coordination and muscular control more than what we typical think as functional. And several folks have heard me say this before, but while I'm impressed by the big numbers put up for lifts by some of the elite athletes, I'm even more jazzed by the numbers put up by regular folks who don't train strength too much. The gains by the 99%+ of people who CrossFit always inspire me.
Another long post, but it's a topic that will keep us talking for a long time. Thanks Jason for making us think!
Alright, I am going to put my two cents in now.
One of the number one reasons why I didn't try out for our KOP team last year was because I was so intimidated. I was so afraid that there would be a movement in the WOD that I couldn't perform, and I would let my team down. I am about average when it comes to strength and agility. But, I am no where close to the peeps at HQ.
I know I am not a fire breather, nor am I one of the strongest in our box, but I would love to compete more. I love Micah's idea and I would totally be down for something like that. Barbells for boobs I pulled my best Grace time. It wasn't THE best for women, but for me, in the 2 years I have been crossfitting it is my best time. I think that if you had a competition that more average peeps, like myself, might be inclined to participate.
Like you said before, crossfit is supposed to be for everyone, so it would be nice to open the competitions up to others. I know I do better if I am working with others on a team.
When it comes to HQ and the main page I am not on that often, but when I am you see the same names, the WOD's are crazy, but they can be scaled.
There are times when I scaled wods and I still get my arsh kicked.
Just have fun and always push your self to do your best. Put your hand out and help a friend up when they are laying in a puddle of sweat. Push each other, and celebrate your accomplishments and those of the other athletes. Grab the marker and write why you fight! Also, if anyone wants a partner or feels they need someone to help them, grab one of the Veterans. We would be more than happy to push you, motivate you and just give you advice!
"NYAH"
One of the reason I love crossfit Is because it Helps me
Practice presence. In the heat of the wod I can't think of my grocery list, or what the person next to me is doing. It's just me, in the moment, taking a rep at a time. Crossfit to me is like meditation, like meditation it's a practice for mindfulness, that I take into real life. That being said I LOVE competing. It strikes a kind of fear in me that I have felt very little in my life. In he hours before the competitions I did this summer I could feel fear through my body. I def thought, "why the hell am I doing this??" at he same time I knew I would move through the fear and give my all. I did. As much as I practice presence in workouts in competitions it was intensified. The kind of presence that brings ecstasy. The feeling after the competitions was pure euphoria (one I won, the other I was dead last).
You better believe I am competing!! I won't compete in serious competitive unless I can perform all movements rx. But any chance I get to compete in events I can rx or where scaling is acceptable I'm there! A team of 20 hell ya!
I was propositioned to be trained as a power lifter at the fundraiser last month. I could surely compete in strength if I trained. But you know what, i only have so much time as a wife and mom and my heart belongs to crossfit. I might be strong but I aspire to be As fast, as flexible as agile as as I can, in this body god has given to me!
I am doing things id NEVER have imagined were possible. Because of crossfit I know all things are possible.
Signed,
The president of the coach Jason fan club
My goal is simple. Beat Olan! All the rest just falls into place after that.
The main site inspires me and gives me ideas for how to improve myself so that I can beat Olan more often.
I was raised to be very competitive. It's always been that way for me. However, I am honored when someone kicks my ass. It pushes me to try harder and dig deeper next time. And if I beat you, I am also honored because I wouldn't have pushed so hard if I wasn't trying to beat you.
I love the idea of the team competition. I'll try harder for you than I will for myself. Some of the hardest WODs for me were the team WODs.
I love Crossfit KOP! Rock on!
http://www.radicalhateloss.com/2010/08/her-body-free-from-gravity-mind-free.html
My blog post about competing :)
Glad to see the discussion and it has gone where I expected...it seems that everyone digs the community which is great. I am happy because that was the main reason behind my post. Rumors indicate that qualifying for the Games may simply be doing workouts at a scheduled box with someone signing off on you. I feel that this is awful for the community because it removes such an integral part...meeting people through competition. Interesting. Stay tuned.
First of all, dorothy I feel your pain, Olan is a bit stronger than me, my goal when I come back is to make sure that I continue to smoke him in the running WOD's...he can take some of his bad medicine if he needs it! lol
Jas,
A 15-20 person TEAM COMPETITION could be a really awesome opportunity for people like myself. I crossfit because I am a competitive person and need to work "against" someone else or "with" someone else in order to find the strength and speed within myself. My thoughts on this team competition are maybe a little bit too complex, but I think they could work for what they are. HQ could endorse a "B" league so to speak. Anyone registering in sectionals/regionals would be excluded. For anyone not sure whether or not the games would be for them they could join a local "league" of affiliate teams. Team KOP, Team DelVal, 215, Endurance, Apex, CenterCity, SouthPhilly, could be one of the divisions in a greater north atlantic conference or something. And this league would consist of 15-20 person affiliate teams, competing against others not going to the games. It could be a year long league with some sort of regional competition to determine a champion or a TITLE. Catch my flow?
Like I said it's maybe a little more complex, but it would be a great opportunity for affiliates to gain recognition, affiliates to earn bragging rights until the next season, but more importantly the true backbone of all that is CrossFit (meaning the OTHER 99% of CrossFitters that pay for the 99% of memberships across the world). Regional CrossFit Leagues or a National Crossfit League could potentially incorporate another 10-15% of CrossFitters into competition and the sport side of CrossFit. Consider it, offer your advice, but I know that if there was a league I'd be fully committed to helping KOP bring home the first Atlantic Division CrossFit League Title
L-Y-O-N-S! LETS GO LYONS! LETS GO LYONS! LYYYOOONSS !
First of all, a competition where 20 person teams from each box go and you get to represent your box with a significant portion of it is awesome.
As for the firebreathers: I will never be able to achieve what they achieve. I love watching the games and seeing where the limits of insane athletes exist. I think the MainPage sits right on the fence keeping us teetering forward, but still trying to pull up the community to keep it from stagnating.
When Jason told me that the purse for the next Crossfit Games will be $1M, I was pretty stunned. That's one hell of a shot to the main vein of a movement that many people at this point have yet to hear about. That being said, I think that this undoubtedly will lead to more Crossfit "elitists" that covet the best times and judge those without them. But, for any movement to succeed, I think that it is necessary to know who the best are. Those of us who follow the games know the "legends" and we admire their skills and I know that they inspire me.
The beauty/genius I have seen in Crossfit since I got hooked two years ago is that ANYONE can do it at their prescribed dosage. For those of us seeking self achievement, we can ignore the firebreathers and move along challenging ourselves. However, if Jason is right in the rumors he's heard about the new format, I think that Crossfit will be doing itself a huge disservice. A lack of competition at every level leading up to the games ignores the community (the quintessential aspect of every Crossfit gym) and the intensity of being challenged at least head to head.
I think the MainPage does what any "business" might do: It puts its best or flashiest foot forward. A lot of the new WODs might be extremely difficult for most of us to Rx, however, I can always take them and modify them and still be completely annihilated. I think of the Firebreathers as our meal ticket for Crossfit. Without them, I'm not sure we'd progress as a community the way we have.
I visited the main page twice, when Aimee was nice enough tpmsend in pics ofnour kids doing Crossfit. Think globally, act locally. We've got a great group here!
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