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This picture used to strike fear in my heart whenever I saw it.  It meant Fran, the dreaded Fran was the WOD!!!  Thankfully now it is just a picture of Jason feeling that same fear and doesn't necessarily mean Fran is on my table for today! 

However if you click on the picture today it will take you to a short video of Jason giving tips to the athletes competing in Fight Gone Bad that was held at the USS Kidd in Baton Rouge, LA this year, 2010!
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This year was an amazing year for me, I was able to do the Women's Rx for the first time, even if I did have to do step ups for the box jumps!  I still don't know what my official overall score was, but in counting my reps from the video my score looks to be 172.  Not the 178 I was hoping for but not bad at all for the amount of time I have been spending in the gym lately!  The top female competitor in the Rx division was 265.

Below are the videos of my three rounds.  A big thank you to Don for shooting the video for me!  I really need to shoot video of myself more often, it really does help you focus on your form!
 
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I have seen this attitude in Crossfit before, but something about this particular post pissed me off.  This blogger was upset because he came in second place in an event and didn't want to compete again in an upcoming event because he might lose again.  WHAT?!?

Thankfully, my first Crossfit Coaches were some of the best this community has to offer and they reminded me of something life had already taught me.  If you can't take a beating and pull it together enough to stand up to take another, you need to stop.  Stop Crossfitting.  Stop doing anything! 

At the age of 10, I had never taken a martial arts class.  I was a soccer player and a runner. About once a week I would have a no holds barred/no rules randori with a 13 year old boy who had been practicing Kung Fu for 3 years, and was a foot taller than me.

So you ask, why do it.

I wasn't given a choice.  Never.  Not once.

Did I have any hope of winning?  Hell no!

But every time he attacked me, I held on to the belief that this time it would be different, this time I might win.  I never did.

For those of you who are too chicken shit to step into the ring when you think you might lose, try doing it week after week when you have no hope of winning.  Don't go around whining about how horrible it is that you came in second.  Get over yourself.  Pick your ass up off the ground and get better. 

The difference between a recreational sports enthusiast and an athlete isn't how well they stack up on the podium.  The difference is attitude.  No matter how many times I lose, I will step into the ring one more time.  In the end, that is all I can do.  That is all any athlete can do!


The Quitter

By: Robert Service


When you’re lost in the Wild, and you’re scared as a child,
And Death looks you bang in the eye,
And you’re sore as a boil, it’s according to Hoyle
To cock your revolver and . . . die.
But the Code of a Man says: “Fight all you can,”
And self-dissolution is barred.
In hunger and woe, oh, it’s easy to blow . . .
It’s the hell-served-for-breakfast that’s hard.

“You’re sick of the game!” Well, now, that’s a shame.
You’re young and you’re brave and you’re bright.
“You’ve had a raw deal!” I know-but don’t squeal,
Buck up, do your damnedest, and fight.
It’s the plugging away that will win you the day,
So don’t be a piker, old pard!
Just draw on your grit; it’s so easy to quit:
It’s the keeping-your-chin-up that’s hard.

It’s easy to cry that you’re beaten-and die;
It’s easy to crawfish and crawl;
But to fight and to fight when hope’s out of sight-
Why, that’s the best game of them all!
And though you come out of each grueling bout,
All broken and beaten and scarred,
Just have one more try-it’s dead easy to die,
It’s the keeping-on-living that’s hard
{Thanks Don for this}
 
Basic O-Lifting Rules
By Bacon and Barbells, I really do love these guys!  They have amazing posts!

Know your Farmer!
Once I get off my butt and get this done I will have a local connection for grass fed beef.  Not positive about the yummy-ness of the beef yet, but I trust Jordan Watts at Primal Performance who turned me on to this local source!  If you go looking you can find just about everything local! 

Crossfit Unlimited Wins!
Congrats to CFU for Winning the Best Workout in Milpitas!  Apparently Coach Austin didn't even know they were in the running!  Congrats to Coach Austin for running an amazing box!

The Beatdown by Likuidelite
A new monthly workout challenge with PRIZES!!!

Crossfit South Bay Programming the Met-Con
A good article about what to consider when programming Met-Con's

Dutch Lowry talks about keeping clients interested
Dutch's take on sustainability of Crossfit Gyms! 

Lifting with a Division 1 Football Team
Very inspirational article about Bacon and Barbells author's little sister, who lifts with a Division 1 Football Team!  Kick Ass!!

Muscle Up Progression Video
At the bottom of this post is a cool video on muscle up progressions! 

Starrett talks about Spealler's Junk
OK, that isn't all he talks about, but as a woman I kind of got sidetracked at that moment!

Shoulder Mobility - My GOAT
Had to post this just because my shoulder is a problem, and something I am always working on improving!  Not that I don't have other goats, but the shoulder is the one I stress about the most consistently!

Burpee Variations
This one comes from The Clothes Make the Girl, it is a long video and I hope and pray Coach Charles never, never, never sees this...cause if he does my life will never be the same again!

Zercher Squat
I must try this!!  The bottom of my squat is my weakest point, and something I really, really want to improve!

Strong is the New Skinny
Holy Crap!!  This has taken the Crossfit FB community by storm!!  If you haven't read the blog that started it all, here it is!

Research Scientist
I am sure you are looking at this like, what the hell, this isn't about Crossfit.  I beg to differ, every Crossfitter is a research scientist, the object you are studying is your own body!

Sugru
A cool tool!!!  Fimo clay only actually useful around the house!

Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend Holiday!!
 
Paleo Chix - Cave to the Crave?
Yes, this is one I struggle with...usually I am bad and cave...but sometimes if beef jerky or bacon is available, I will hold strong!

Mobility WOD
Kelly Starrett, has finally caved and graced the world with a blog focused on Mobility and increasing Mobility!  THANK YOU KELLY!!!

Flexibility, Flexibility, Flexibility!
A great post about the importance of flexibility and how it will make you stronger!  Thanks to Bacon and Barbells!

Spices!
CF South Bay comes through again with a great article about what spices to include if you are going for a Thai flavor, and Indian flavor or just a plain Italian flavor!  Enjoy!

A New List of Gym Rules!
A list from Freddy at CF One World. 
Including: Grunting, Yelling, Taking off your shirt (guys and gals) and Drinking beer...on the training floor!

Barefoot or Running Shoes?
From Primal Performance, a great video about running barefoot vs. running in athletic shoes.

Swimming WOD?
A new take on an old idea, Melissa Joulwan and "The Clothes Make the Girl"!  I am thinking I must go find a pool where I won't be kicked out if I try doing burpees on the deck!

New Videos!
Hey all I post new videos periodically throughout the week so don't forget to click on the Video link at the top of the page to check them out!
 
I finally got to visit Lance and Erin at their box, Red Stick Crossfit.  They are one of three local affiliates here in Baton Rouge.  Lance is a full time firefighter and Erin works full time they also have a little girl and another on the way.  She is trying to deliver on 25th of September to conveniently coincide with Fight Gone Bad this year! 

It is a testament to their dedication that they are able to run this box with a new family and two full time jobs!  That dedication shows in the coaching Lance provides and the community they are creating in the box. 

That being said, I love visiting new boxes. 
1) It means on a long met-con I have a chance of beating folks
2) I usually get one-on-one training with the box owner
3) The owners are so enthusiastic they renew my Crossfit Energy!

While it wasn't one-on-one the entire session, Lance coached me one-on-one through an entire CF Total!  He even stood in for a back squat rack since his rack was at home getting painted! 

I was about done with the Total when another client, Mark, walked in and although I was not planning on doing the scheduled WOD, Lance talked me into it with one statement.  "You can't let him do this WOD alone!"  He was right, working out alone sucks!  So I ended up doing:

CF Total:

Shoulder Press: 70 lbs (with my bum shoulder this was  a PR for me!)
Back Squat: 125 lbs (not sure if this is a PR, but if not it is close!)
Deadlift: 185 lbs (and it was UGLY!!!)

Then I did:

10 Rounds
10 Bodybuilders with weight (burpee with bumper plate lifted from ground to overhead on every rep) 10# bumper
10 situps (abmat)

Because of my shoulder I wasn't able to do full burpees, so I didn't do a pushup, but did have to lock out in plank position before picking up the weight!

Final time 17: 38ish (my notebook isn't where I can get to it)

Here is a picture of Mark and I suffering while Isabella plays around with the rings!

Lance and Erin are creating an amazing community.  A few weeks ago they did an Iron Chef challenge after the last WOD on a Friday.  They had about 10 people show up and the results were apparently interesting but good!

My Advice: If you can't make it by in person, check out their blog on a regular basis to see what community building activities they have got in the works!
 
Cool Blog Post on Supplements from Crossfit South Bay

...And one from Whole9

And another great post from CF South Bay about living a Paleo life!

Dutch Lowry reviews Whole9, nothing but excellent things to say!

One Crossfitter's Journey to Strength!

Great photographic essay on what impact various lifestyles have on your body composition.

Best information I have seen about coaches using scaling properly!

Freddy C talks about critical thinking as it relates to fitness, but don't stop there, think critically about EVERYTHING!


Central Texan BBQ, and Crossfit Monterey Freddy C style!
The Central Texan is the best Texas BBQ restaurant on the Central Coast of CA!!  When I was missing BBQ that is where I would go...even if it was a 2 hour trek!  And Crossfit Monterey is a great box!  I only got the opportunity to WOD it up there once, but it was a blast!  Stop by the next time you are on the Monterey Peninsula.

Haven't gotten to listen to any of these podcasts, but I want to...I have heard about HAI for almost as long as I can remember and I am curious!

{This podcast is NOT work and family safe!}

I love this blog...she always has great pictures and good recipes!  This one reminded me that as a kid, my mom used to fix me sandwiches of chopped up black olives and cream cheese.  They were the best!!!

How to Paleo-fy Deli Counter sandwiches and Italian restaurant Pasta Dishes. 
I am so trying this with the po-boys down here!  Yum!
And one last thing from Cool Tools!
A cool simple to use drawing program requiring only your web browser!  Been looking for one of these forever!
 
This is a link to a video on the Dove Self Esteem website.  As the video says...no wonder out self image as women sucks...this is what we get fed as real!  Sorry the link won't activate, cut and paste to see the video.

http://www.dove.us/?dl=/features/videos/default.aspx%7Ccp-documentid=7049579%7Cvideo-id=1&source=email
 
Crossfit Stories
A new (to me) blog where Crossfitters can post their own inspirational stories to be potentially included in a future book!
 Our Real Gulf Disaster by Lou Dolinar
An article about the danger of listening to the media (or anyone really) without critical evaluation of the information being presented.
Spirit of the Games
Chris Spealler, Spirit of the Games Award.
Crossfit Invictus: Community
One athlete shares what the Invictus community meant to him during a time of crisis.  This is what great boxes strive to create with their clients!  It is amazing to be part of, and horribly difficult to leave.
Are you competing?
Inaugural Crossfit / USA Weightlifting Open Comes to Colorado Springs, Oct 1-3
Texas Throwdown: THIS WEEKEND
Good luck to the athletes competing this weekend!
For the Ladies
Because sometimes one person believing in makes the difference of a lifetime!
Motivational Comments
Like the one listed above
 
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This week I was fortunate enough to finally, finally make it to see Vic Zachary's gym in Houston! 

A little background, I "met" Vic at the 2009 Regional Qualifiers at GSX Crossfit in Ft Worth, Tx.  I say met, because I was in my own little private hell that weekend and wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to anyone unless they were right in front of me.  Which Vic was, when he finished in the top five and earned himself a spot in the 2009 Games!  I ran into Vic at the Games while I was introducting Nutritionize's AJ Mirwani to anyone and everyone I knew!  Vic was an amazingly beautiful person and very generous with his time and made an impression on me.  Of course he is cute as hell too, which always catches a girl's attention!

Ever since then I have been meaning to get to visit his Box!  So this week it finally happened!  And oh my gosh!!  This man is brilliant, and amazing and in addition to being an incredible athlete he has got a business accumen you rarely see outside of Harvard MBA's!! 

He just upgraded his box, that is, he outgrew his old box and moved to a bigger space in April of this year.  He currently has 5 coaches who work at Bayou City, an Olympic coach, a yoga coach, a degreed nutritionist and his dad is teaching Master's classes!  All the coaches I spoke with were friendly encouraging and incredibly knowlegeable! 

If you are visiting Houston, or live in Houston and are on the fence about which box in Houston to visit.  Do yourself a favor and get to BCCF!!!

The WOD was:

Front Squat 3-3-3-3-3
45-65-85-95-100*

*PR

Then

AMRAP 5 Min:

21 KB Swings 25#
11 knee to floor lunges
3 rounds
1 Min Rest

21 Situps
11 Wall Ball 8#
2 Rounds
1 Min Rest

21 Air Squats
11 Pass Thru's on Parallettes
2 Rounds

The shoulder/neck was bothering me so I had to do American KB swings, and the light weight wall ball.  But it was a good workout and I was so very proud of my front squat PR! 
 
These are some recent video finds!  Enjoy