For some people there are no permanent obstacles, only delays…mere bumps in the road.

I showed a video of Kyle Maynard a bit back showcasing a few of his triumphs.  Well, he just put his flag on the top of another mountain.  For a few years he has been fighting for the right to fight.

(PRESS RELEASE) — One month after his 23rd birthday, Kyle Maynard will fulfill what has been a lifelong dream. He will compete in his first Amateur Mixed Martial Arts match. The match will take place on Saturday, April 25 in Auburn, AL at The Auburn Covered Arena in an event titled “Auburn Fight Night.”

Maynard, a congenital amputee with no elbows or knees, burst onto the national scene when he graduated from Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, GA with a wrestling record of 35-16 in his senior season and a 3.7 GPA. He is the recipient of a 2004 ESPN Espy Award for Best Athlete With A Disability and has been featured on many radio interviews, talk shows and television programs including The Oprah Winfrey Show and Larry King Live.

Currently he works as a speaker for the Washington Speaker’s Bureau, specializing in motivational speeches. He is also the author of the memoir No Excuses: The True Story of a Congenital Amputee Who Became a Champion in Wrestling and in Life.

Click here to read entire article.

Burpees Completed: 3, 181

Burpees Remaining: 1, 969

• 7 Pull Ups
• 5 DB Thrusters (Up to 1/2 Bodyweight)
• 50m Shoulder Carry (same DBs)
• 50m Farmers Walk (same DBs)

4 Rounds

Oops, caught in the act!  Now Conor, I know squats and double unders aren’t your favorite but are they really that bad???

To be fair, since this picture the ‘dubs’ have improved a million times over.  Keep it up!  The effort has paid off.

What’s everyone else working on?

Burpees Completed: 3, 103

Burpees Remaining: 2, 047

• 2 Lengths Bear Crawl
• 4 Rope Climbs
• 8 Pistols
• 16 American KB Swings

7 Rounds

So what if they were “sumo squats” and her hands were on her thighs.  That was just sick! 

I’m not sure which blows me away more…the fact that she squatted 5, 135 times in one shot or that she squatted for an hour straight.  On second thought, who cares.

Burpees Completed: 2, 875

Burpees Remaining: 2, 275

• 1 Minute Row X 10 Rounds
• Rest 2 Minutes Between Rounds

For Total Calories

- www.jerryking.com

For some, this is about all the “exercise” they will get in a day.  They just don’t get it and by the time they do it will be in a doctor’s office hearing the bad news.  Take your pick: diabetes, heart disease, obesity or better yet…all of the above.

Help save someone’s life and tell them about your “gym”.  Tell them it “it doesn’t have to be fun, to be fun”.  Tell them how much your quality of life has improved since you started CrossFitting.  And if all that still won’t sink in, teach them the SPARK warmup and then have a race to 35 burpees.  “CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?”

Burpees Completed: 2, 801

Burpees Remaining: 2, 349

“Cindy”

• 5 Pull Ups
• 10 Push Ups
• 15 Squats

AMRAP 20 Minutes

Yes its true…Becky is back!  Today was her first day back at SPARK and what does she get…”Cindy”.

Its great to see you and we’re happy you’re back in the trenches with us.  You’ll be crushing WODS Rx’d in no time.  Well, on second thought it might be a little while so take care of yourself in the meantime and don’t over-do it.

Burpees Completed: 2, 728

Burpees Remaining: 2, 422

Workout of the Day:

• 20 Sprawl Ball  (20lbs / 15lbs)
• 20 KTE
• 20 OA KB Swing  (45lbs / 35lbs)
• 20 Plate Lunges  (45lbs / 35lbs)

3 Rounds

No, I didn’t miss a space…it should be “atypical” as in irregular, not normal or unusual.  This is quite often translated into a more familiar word - HILARIOUS!  Take this picture below (an oldy but a goody).

In case you don’t recognize him, its Kam.  This is what happens when you get a little rambunctious on the GHD and smash your face into the frame.  See what I mean?  Hilarious!

Anyone else want to fess up to some atypical moments at SPARK?  Or better yet, anyone want to throw someone under the bus?

Burpees Completed: 2, 656

Burpees Remaining: 2, 494

• 15 Dead Lifts  (115lbs / 85lbs)
• 10 Power Snatch
• 5 OHS
• 20 sec Overhead Hold

5 Rounds

Sometimes I cruise around other CrossFit websites looking for gems to post on this blog.  Its great to be able to find applicable essays and on occasion some really funny stuff.  Either way, anything I think you guys would like and / or appreciate I pull it off and post it.  I’ve actually been getting quite a few emails about the content I write asking to have it posted on various CrossFit blogs…isn’t it great to be part of a gigantic community?

I got this one off CrossFit Evolution - written by Leo Soubbotine

“Fun Vs Chore: Observation of a Torture Chamber Supervisor”

Have you ever been on a bike trail, enjoying the day, biking fast and having fun, when you fly by two massively overweight ladies with their seats too low, knees hitting their chins, biking at the speed of a turtle on tranquilizers?  How do we know they’re riding for fitness (besides the fact that they don’t look like they’re having fun)?  They have the same look on their faces as all the folks on the treadmill-stairclimber-elliptical machine at every Globo gym.

One of the things that I’ve been noticing for a while - is that CrossFit attracts people that are not afraid to behave like children: learn and dare to try new things, make mistakes, smile and have fun while pushing to the limits at the same time.

Compare a children’s playground to a Globo Gym - one is a fun enviroment, where limits are found and boundaries are pushed, unless they will make all playgrounds super safe and Idiot proof.  Let’s pray they keep them “dangerous”, where you don’t need a canopy over your head and rubberized matting everywhere. There’s nothing wrong with scratches and scabs.  The other place is generally boring, with very little changes to the behavior, appearance and limits of it’s visitors.  And don’t forget the Backstreet Boys as your “uber-fired-up-get-going-at-6-am concerto”!  Fitness improves on the playground, not so much in the “three sets of ten and cardio” domain.

Chore is the best way to describe fitness from the eyes of regular gym goers.  Drag yourself there, 10 minute warm-up, no intensity, 5 minutes on various machines, then 30 minutes on the Super Crunch ABS-olutizer 6000 and then go home.  Lather, rinse, repeat. 20 minutes slow cardio after the “workout” - optional.

And every time a kid comes into a CrossFit facility - they’re off to play with mats, rings, ropes, boxes.  It’s the coolest thing.  Adults are more reserved, but they’re no different.  You have to try the pull-up bars, the rings, and drop some bumpers.  We all have the inner child within us.  We want to learn new stuff, try things that we’ve never done before, and we want to explore.  Or life turns into a chore.

CrossFit is fun.  That’s why it works so much better than anything else out there as a program to keep us fit, excited and focused.

Constantly varied, functional movements executed at high intensity is a smart way of saying “We’re going to have a sh*t-load of fun at the coolest modern age adult playground!”

Don’t be like the regular gym zombies and the ladies on the bikes.

How cool is this “playground”?  I wish there was a picture of the whole thing.  Does the army base out here have a cool obstacle course?  If so, could anyone a rrange a visit for us?  Now that would be a wicked field trip!

Burpees Completed: 2, 585

Burpees Remaining: 2, 565

• 400m Run
• 500m Row

Rest 2 minutes between exercises

3 Rounds

In case you don’t recognize who this is…yep, its Edmonton Oilers’ Captain, Ethan Moreau and he is doing hanging power cleans at 225 lbs.  SICK!

Thought I would include a little essay by Dan John, a world class lifter and coach, on Olympic Lifting.

What Are The Advantages Of Olympic Lifting?

Why do the Clean and Press, variations of the Snatch, and the Clean and Jerk provide not only a complete workout but complement any training program?

Let’s Look At Four Reasons:

First, the most surprising aspect of Olympic Lifting is its effect on the cardiovascular system.  A few years ago, Doctor Michael Stone studied the cardiovascular benefits of Olympic Lifting.  He was shocked to find the improvements made by this form of training.  But why?  It is a simple matter of the length of the movement of the bar.

In a wrist curl, the bar may move four inches.  In a Clean and Jerk, the bar moves from the floor to overhead, upwards of seven and a half feet!  Every muscle in the body is used, including all the support system.  A tough set of Snatches leaves the lifter heaving for breath, sweating in streams, and the heart racing.  All this without even having to go the track!

Second, the human body is built in one piece.  By lifting the bar from the ground to overhead, the entire body is called into act.  As one begins the slow process of adding weights to the Olympic Lifts, the entire body compensates by getting bigger and stronger.

One of the first areas most novices to Olympic Lifting discover is the whole chain of muscles from the gluteus and the spinal erectors to the trapezius.  Shirts begin to fit funny as the muscles of the upper back grow to accommodate the pulling movements.  What muscles do the Olympic Lifts build?  All of them.

Third, it is difficult to overtrain or go too heavy on the Olympic Lifts.  Certainly, it is possible, but because of the movement from floor to overhead, there is little room for forced reps, overload techniques, or any form of cheating.  There is no bench, no rack, no supports.  A lifting partner can’t stick his hand on the bar and make you squeeze out an extra rep.

Olympic Lifting demands discipline in choosing weights within your abilities.  But, the payoff is worth it.  The feeling of hoisting bodyweight from floor to overhead for the first time remains a treasured memory years later.  Learn more about intensity building techniques.

Fourth, Olympic Lifting workouts don’t take very long.  A solid workout of 5-4-3-2-1 or twenty singles can take less than half an hour.  Working the entire body, as well as the cardiovascular system, the Olympic Lifts are very taxing.  It would be hard to imagine ten sets of ten with bodyweight in the Olympic Lifts.  It is hard to imagine one set.

If time is pressing, take a warm up weight and Clean and Press it for ten.  Add some weight, and do five.   Add some more and do three.  Then, keep adding smaller plates and knock off as many singles as you can, until you can’t.  Workout over.

When your garage is warming up to freezing because of the steam off your body, you will understand the importance of short, quick workouts.  When you can do bodyweight in all three of the lifts, look in the mirror.  You will understand the importance of the Olympic Lifts.

Burpees Completed: 2, 378

Burpees Remaining: 2, 772

Team WOD…1/2 the class vs. 1/2 the class

Ladder Style

• 8 Burpees
• 10 V Sits
• 12 PVC Overhead Squats

2 Rounds

In case you’ve missed it while you’re here at SPARK, we do things a little differently then other gyms - we actually move.  We run, jump, lift, throw, squat etc etc etc.  If you are not dressed appropriately, your duds can actually hinder your workout. 

As you can see, bottoms that are too tight can give way but on the other hand ones that are too loose can fall down.  You don’t want to wear clothes that will not allow you to move properly or that can make you too hot like “track pants”.  You might have to try a couple different options to find what works for you or you might want to bring a couple of different items to wear in your bag depending on the workout.

Whatever it is you do please come prepared with appropriate clothes and shoes…and while we’re on the subject of clothes, please make sure they are clean.  No one wants to smell the clothes you worked out in yesterday or that have been sitting in your hockey bag for a week.  Lets remember to respect others and keep your gear fresh.

Burpees Completed: 2, 311

Burpees Remaining: 2, 839

10 to 1

• Deadlifts (225lbs / 155lbs)
• DB Push Press (50s / 30s)

Here is an interesting little tidbit I picked up from “Triangle CrossFit”.

168. What’s special about this number?  Well, here are a couple of hints… it never changes and it’s the same for you and me.  Got it yet?  No?  Okay, I’ll fill you in. 

168 is the number of hours in a week.  Each and every week, month after month and year after year, you have 168 hours before you.  How will you spend your time? 

Some things are inevitable - you gotta’ sleep, and hopefully about 56-60 of your hours each week are spent doing just that because your body needs its rest.  If you work, manage a home, or both, that’s gonna’ add up to at least 45-50 hours.  Add the two and you still have 62 hours left.  Okay, let’s throw in 25 hours for errands and miscellaneous this and that and guess what?  You’re still left with 37 hours!  

Do you see where I’m going with this?  The number one reason people say they don’t exercise is that they “don’t have the time.”  Oh really?  We all have 168 hours in a week and why is it that some people have time to exercise and others don’t?  It’s because their fitness and health is a priority and they find the time.  Let’s face it.  We do have a choice when it comes to how we spend most of our 168 hours.  So, what’s it gonna’ be this week?  Will you choose to get up and break a sweat with some great workouts?  We sure hope so.

Burpees Completed: 2, 245

Burpees Remaining: 2, 905

“Jackie”

• 1000m Row
• 50 Thrusters (45lbs / 35lbs)
• 30 Pull Ups

Enough said…Enjoy your night and BE SAFE.

Burpees Completed: 2, 180

Burpees Remaining: 2, 970

Men = 95lbs / Women 65 lbs

• Snatch Grip Dead Lift
• Hanging Power Snatch
• Snatch Balance

25 - 15 - 5

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of posting as of late…no excuses, I just have to be better.  You know, more consistent.  Where have you heard that before?

Anyway, back on track and back to posting on this blog…

Nice work putting up those 95lb thrusters Steve!

Burpees Completed: 2, 116

Burpees Remaining: 3, 034

• 3 Rope Pull Ups
• 6 Front & Back Burpees
• 9 Alt. GHDBE / GHDSU

AMRAP 15 min.

Alcohol and Recovery
By Calvin Sun (CrossFit Invictus)

The weekend is finally here. With another week of intense training under your belt, it’s probably time to have a hard-earned beer. Or not. Besides leaving you hungover, fat, and in a potentially regrettable sleeping arrangement with a complete stranger, alcohol can severely impact your body’s ability to recover from the beating you have dealt it during the week. 

In addition to hindering your ability to make good decisions, alcohol can inhibit the repair processes that occur at the cellular level. Penn State’s College of Medicine conducted a study that found acute alcohol intoxication can severely inhibit protein synthesis in both muscle tissue and the liver. Protein synthesis is essential to biological functions and plays a critical role in the growth and repair of your muscles. Compared to a placebo, protein synthesis was decreased by 39% in skeletal muscle and in the liver it was decreased by 21%. They also found that alcohol consumption caused “myocyte degeneration, loss of striations, and myofilament dissolution.” In other words, it means alcohol causes muscles to deteriorate. 

You don’t have to become intoxicated in order to achieve such results either. Researchers at Penn State also found that chronic consumption of alcohol can lead to decreased protein synthesis as well as a condition known as myopathy. Myopathy is a general term for a class of muscular disease which includes rhadomyolysis. Myopathy causes muscle tissue dysfunctions, common symptoms include cramps, stiffness, and weakness, none of which are beneficial to a serious athlete. There are actually case reports of people who have been admitted to hospitals for alcohol-induced rhabdo. I have seen several cases of localized rhabdo in experienced CrossFitters that consume alcohol during intense training cycles. If you are serious about your performance, I would not recommend consuming any alcohol. If you really must drink, consume in moderation and try limiting your alcohol consumption after workouts that involve high-volume rep schemes or heavy eccentric loads.

Burpee Challenge: Day 53

Burpees Completed: 1, 531

Burpees Remaining: 3, 619

Workout of the Day:

• 10 Manmakers (35s / 20s)
• 30 Tire Smashes
• 15 Box Jumps
• 10 Ring Dips

3 Rounds

Here is a video I found that pokes fun at good old Billy Blanks and Tae Bo.  Its eerily similar to what people do in aerobics classes at Globo Gyms.

I love it when the girl pukes…it makes it just that little bit more ridiculous.

Burpee Challenge: Day 52

Burpees Completed: 1, 478

Burpees Remaining: 3, 672

Workout of the Day:

• 10 OHS (135lbs / 95lbs)
• 15 American KB Swings (70lbs / 45lbs)

5 Rounds

I don’t even have anything to write here…simple mind numbing humor.  Go ahead, have a giggle.

Burpees Completed: 1, 426

Burpees Remaining: 3, 724

• 4 Rope Climbs
• 40 Tire Smashes  (20 per shoulder)
• 4 TGU  (per arm)
• 400m Row

4 Rounds

Today the 1000th CrossFit Affiliate was approved - CrossFit Love of Philadelphia.  The family will continue to grow because of all of you.  Fads come and go and I’m pretty sure its safe to say that CrossFit is not a fad.  So why isn’t CrossFit like every other fly by night, biggest and best new fitness miracle?

Because it works.

Burpees Completed: 1, 375

Burpees Remaining: 3, 775

“Filthy Fifty” aka Chuck Norris: Fifty reps of each of the following

• Box Jumps
• Jumping Pull Ups
• KB Swings  (35lbs / 25 lbs)
• Walking Lunges
• Knees to Elbows
• Push Press  (45lbs / 35lbs)
• GHDBE
• Wall Ball  (20lbs / 16 lbs)
• Burpees
• Double Unders

I can’t wait to get a better camera to take more action shots.  Not only will it show some amazing people (yes, you guys) doing some amazing things, it will show others the type of effort, grind, determination and heart ALL of you have.  All the writing in the world will never show the dedication you have for your fitness and the commitment you have to yourself.

Burpees Completed: 1, 325

Burpees Remaining: 3, 825

• 2 Tire Flips
• 8 Thrusters  (95lbs / 65lbs)
• 16 One Arm Lateral Step KB Swing - 8 each dir.  (45lbs / 35lbs)

6 Rounds