New Survey Question

Another question is posted in the right column. Please vote!

I would rather...

• workout alone.
  
• workout with one partner.
  
• workout in a big group.
  
• sit around and drink coffee.

Feel free to add comments about your answer to this post.

New Equipment - Tires

I've been talking up a big game about truck and/or tractor tires lately. The delivery was made this morning just before 6am. And the first official workout was completed 30 minutes after that.

This photo really doesn't do justice to how huge these Yokohama Y-524 loader tires are. They are over 20" wide, and up to my chin in diameter.  The man who dropped them off first weighed his empty truck, then with them in the bed...for a change of 1000 pounds. Based on the accuracy of his scale, they're each within the 495-505# range.  I checked the manufacturer's specs on these and learned their new weight is 753#.  Thank goodness for wear!!

Joe and I first did flips of 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, and 1.  (I'd do 1, then he'd do 1. I'd do 2, then he'd do 2. etc) Then we did 3 rounds of alternating running 1/5th mile and flipping.  I got sets of 9, 8, and 8 while he ran.    So I finished with about 50 flips this morning with what it took to get them off the truck, in position to workout, some practice, and then put away.  I quickly learned how important not only proper form is, but also a durable shirt! A tough BDU blouse is probably in order, as well as tough gloves. My ignorance allowed me to try barehanded with a sleeveless t-shirt. I bruised and scraped my biceps from shoulders to elbows before refining some technique.

You'll be seeing more of these monsters.

MURPH for Miller 2009

The second annual MURPH for Miller is scheduled for Saturday, May 2nd, 2009. This year a local gymnasium TriCities CrossFit in St Charles, Illinois, is hosting in their new facility.  We will run start clocks on the top of every hour starting at 9:00am through 4:00pm.  We are also asking for volunteers to assist as "counters." (Anyone who has done a MURPH quicky learns how simple brain function such as counting deteriorates.)

MURPH is a CrossFit workout named in honor of Navy SEAL LT Michael Murphy, who was killed in action and then received the Medal of Honor. His honorary workout is as follows:

• Run 1 mile.
  
• Do 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 air squats (partition as needed).
  
• Run 1 mile.

It is simple...however not easy.  This is an individual event. Your "score" is total time. Here is a link to training and prep advice for last year's participants. In addition to the full MURPH, participants can do modified versions such as: Half, Assisted (jumping pullups or assist bands), and Body Armor.

A nominal donation of $25 is requested. Last year we raised over $1200 for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.  

About Robert Miller: US Army Staff Sergeant Rob Miller grew up in the Wheaton area and attended Wheaton North High School. He was a competitive gymnast and a highly skilled athlete. He enlisted in the United States Army in 2003 and was accepted into the Special Forces selection and training process. He graduated and received his Special Forces tab on September 30, 2005. He was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group and deployed to Afghanistan to support Operation Enduring Freedom from August 2006 to March 2007.

Rob returned to Afghanistan for his second tour in October 2007, where he served as a Weapons Sergeant for his team.

Rob was killed in action on January 25, 2008. He was killed by enemy fire during an ambush near the Pakistan border. He died while providing cover fire for the evacuation of his team captain, who was seriously injured at the beginning of the attack. Rob’s actions saved the captain’s life and enabled his team to gain cover and return fire.

Read more about Rob's courageous story here. Click the label MILLER for more information about this event, including some MUPRH for Miller 2008 entries.

Survey Results: Who is the Fittest?

Again, the results are tabulated. I found a lot of enjoyment observing the numbers get posted on this poll.  Here are the results to:  

Which Athlete is the Fittest?

• 40% Mixed Martial Artist
  
• 30% Decathlete
  
• 27% Ironman Triathlete
  
• 20% Gymnast
  
• Yoga Instructor
  
• 200m Track Star
  
• World's Strongman
  
• Marathoner
  
• Olympic Powerlifter
  

I guess one can argue that the results were tainted by the CrossFit Journal article What is Fitness?  But just because someone read it doesn't mean s/he believes it. I stand firm that this was a fair and honest poll question.

Comments from voters can be seen at the bottom of the original post that introduced the question.

Athletic Skill Levels

CrossFit Seattle published standards for four levels of fitness.  They rank certain aspects of physical fitness into almost 30 categories. A summary of each level is found here in a piece called "How Fit are You?"  It should have been called "Get Humbled Here" after how it made some of us feel after comparing ourselves to the chart. The chart is here.

1. Healthy Beginner
   
2. Intermediate Athlete
   
3. Advanced Athlete
   
4. Elite Athlete
   

Unfortunately, some of the testing/movement standards are absent.  For example, what constitutes "passing" for the Level II "Hips" test of 100 free squats?  Does one have to complete 100 air squats with absolutely no rest?  The same question can be asked of the military press. Is it a standing or a seated movement?

Take it or leave it. This is only ONE of many ways to determine fitness levels.  It humbled me. I hope it will humble you too. ;)

Adding Realism to Training

For most, weight training consists of either "free weights" or "machine weights."  Almost always the weights store bought and manufactured specifically for the fitness industry.

Free weights are those that move freely around (duh!). Barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells.  The bars range in size and shape: straight bar, EZ curl bar, trap bar, or hammer grip bar. Barbells and kettlebells are generally the implements used in functional fitness training.

Machine weights have factory-designed and controlled paths of movement. Examples are a Smith rack, leg extension chair, or any cable-and-pulley system. While generally safer to use, the pre-designed range of motion and isolation of specific muscles is not very natural.  These machines are excellent for rehabilitation patients, and weight training beginners.  These machines do severely limit the potential gains for the user.

There is another sect within weight training: Odd Object Lifting.  It's not only not nearly as popular as the other two forms, it is hard to find someone who does it. And harder for someone who effectively teaches it. OOL has a very committed and creative following.  Here are some odd objects or movements we've used:

• sledge hammer swings
  
• military ammo cans
  
• sandbags
  
• heavy punching/MMA bags
  
• truck/tractor tires
  
• rocks and boulders 

Dan E is our resident Odd Object Lifter.  In the above photo, he's doing cleans and overhead presses with a beer keg.  No it's not filled!  He's drained all the beer and replaced it with water and disinfectant. While the actual weight is not quite known, we've estimated it to be around 55 pounds.  Dan is gradually adding more water until it gets up to 75 pounds....so he can use it for the Police Week Memorial Workout in May.  Seventy-five pounds turns into a whole different animal: from a nice balanced and easy-to-grip barbell to a cumbersome beer keg with sloshing water inside!!

Another easy way to break into OOL is to start unbalancing your barbell. Try working out with 15# on one side and #25 on the other, but maintaining a symmetrical grip. It changes the game for lifts like DLs or C&Ps. Just be sure to flip around during your workout to maintain muscular balance. Here's a video link to the CF workout Uneven Grace. I started using two kettlebells of differing weights when I didn't have two that matched.  I had to make sure I was switching hands mid-workout so one side would not develop differently than the other. Now that I have a lot of equipment that matches, I keep forgetting how taxing those unbalanced workout were! I guess it's time to return.

Weight training is not all about fancy plates and dumbbells.  Use your imagination to add realism into your conditioning program. Find something lying around the house or garage...and lift it. Actually, lift it a lot of times.

More Female Functionalists

Take a look at these photos. There are a lot of women in them. These women come from all ages, fitness backgrounds, and abilities. They come from all walks of life.

Some sit on their butts all day at work. Some are on their feet all day. Some are moms. Some run marathons. Some are diehard CrossFitters. Some do triathlons. Some are police officers. And for some.... I have no clue what they do!

This I do know: All these women have committed themselves to make changes in their bodies. Some female athletes want performance increases...mainly faster paces and shorter times for races. Some want to lose excess weight. Some enjoy the stress relief from a high-intensity workout session. Some just want to push their bodies to their limits, in search for elitism.

In a previous post called Poor Excuses, I explained how a select few reasons for not getting into a functional fitness program are getting old. There are plenty of acceptable reasons (injury, sport-specific training for a particular event/sport, family commitments). These women could easily throw down the we're-not-as-strong-as-the-men card. But they don't. They realize that excuse doesn't fly in the functional fitness world. Weights are scaled down to manageable loads, and other adjustments are made. But the overall workout is done simultaneously with men.

So, we'd like to hear from some of you women. What draws you to functional fitness? Post to comments.

We see more and more women joining our ranks each week. For more posts about females and fitness, click the label "FEMALES" below.

Poor Excuses

"Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful." -- Mark Victor Hansen

There are re-occurring excuses for not beginning a functional fitness program. It sounds a lot like:  "I'm not ready for that stuff yet," or "I need to get in shape before I start that."  The variations include "too fat" or "too old." All are poor defenses, none of which I can accept.

Here's why I cannot accept excuses like this:

First, it tells me you might not have an understanding of how functional fitness (FF) programs are designed, or why they work.  FF is rooted in the concept of real-life, natural, practical movements.  Many of the movements replicate your daily activities...lifting, pulling, carrying, squatting, walking, bending, rolling over, getting out of a low couch or chair. These are human movement patterns that all people use during daily existence.  An exercise like a clean and press looks very similar to lifting a travel suitcase into an airplane's overhead baggage compartment. There are no funky contraptions that are popularized in most health clubs. We use simple weights and equipment. No intimidation here.

Secondly, your excuse tells me you may have not been introduced to all-important adjustments for YOUR abilities. FF programs pride themselves on scalability and modifiability.  Scaling a workout refers to down-adjusting weight (or load) or reducing the number of repetitions.  For example, if a specific day's workout calls for a weightlifting exercise using 275# (and you surely cannot use that much weight), then you might scale the weight down to 185#....or even 100#. Basically you make adjustments to avoid injury yet still cause positive adaptations in your muscles. 

Modifying a workout is another way to adjust a workout. Modifications may be made for several reasons: lack of equipment, injury, inflexibility, poor range of motion.  For example, if you cannot yet perform an L-sit on parallettes, then a substitute might be a knee tuck sit.  The best modifications are similar to the subbed exercise.  Another example might be doing inverted rows in place of pullups. Both of those movements work "pulling" musculature in your upper body.

As another example, examine dips. Dips can be scaled or modified in a number of ways.  It doesn't matter at which level you begin. It does matter that you do the exercise in a safe and proper way, with the goal to advance through the motion's various levels of skill and difficulty.

• parallette dips
  
• jumping dips
  
• chair or partner assist dips
  
• counter-balance machine assist
  
• bar dips
  
• ring dips
  
• weighted bar dips
  
• weighted ring dips

Adjustments are good.  Most athletes and participants cannot do all of the crazy FF workouts without some form of modification or down-scale.  For me personally, each time I find myself doing a workout "as prescribed" (also noted as RX'ed), I get a sense of satisfaction. As each month goes by, I have to substitute and adjust less. That's progress enough!!!.....to discover I am increasing my physical skills and abilities.

Thirdly, I might begin to think you don't believe me that all this nonsense about FF actually works.  By "works" I mean it produces results.  Results in the functional fitness world are measured by Power Output (force times distance divided by time). This means in a specific time period, you can move heavier weight, for more repetitions, longer distances, at a faster pace. Power output is measurable and repeatable. The "benchmark" workouts are periodically repeated to gauge performances increases.  Do more in less time. We use stopwatches for a reason!

To summarize, you do not have to get in better shape to begin this stuff.  What you need to do is scale and modify the exercises and movements to your abilities and injuries. I will help you do that.  Use less weight, for less repetitions, for shorter time, at a slower pace, and within safe ranges of motion. Just start. It really is for almost anyone!

Group Workout Email List

I'm changing the way group email notices go out for our group outdoor workouts.

The best way for you to get onto the email list is to send me an email at louis.hayes@comcast.net

I have hopes that this new process will ensure only those who wish to receive the notices are the ones receiving them. The new system should alleviate some headaches from trying to keep everyone updated on the times and dates of sessions. Still the most accurate and timely way to check for these outdoor sessions is by checking this blog's righthand column under "Upcoming Events."

It's been great having so many people interested in the workouts. The group is quite diverse. You'll never know who you'll be training with on any given day: triathlete, housewife, SWAT operator, MMA fighter, marathoner, office worker, police officer, mom, former military, firefighter. As the participation level increases, so does my energy!! Keep coming out!

Get outside!

With memberships to huge mega gyms, everyone feels the guilt to go inside. Well on a beautiful day like today...get outside!!

This morning, Jim Q backed up his truck and unloaded plenty of equipment for an outdoor WO. The above photo has Jim doing thrusters, Kristen doing parallette dips, Joal doing KB swings, and Anna is probably in the background climbing the huge staircase. Due to some scheduling conflicts, we had a group out at 8am and another at 9am. Great to see so many new faces joining the ranks.

Use your creativity to design a workout in the fresh air. Being couped up inside a gym is not what fitness is about.

Firefighting Circuit

I had the pleasure to jump into a workout with a group of firefighters yesterday. This group is big into functionality...just like me. Their workouts generally consist of a circuit, with some stations being job-task simulations. Yesterdays workout was:

• 4 rounds
• 60 seconds each:
  
• Versa-Climber
  
• Medicine ball decline situps with twist
  
• Axe swings (actual axe handle attached to waist-level cable stack)
  
• 95# barbell clean-and-press
  
• Heavy bag rescues (lifts from ground to shoulder, alternating shoulders)
  
• Medicine ball wood choppers (ground to overhead, straight-legged)
  
• Rest
  

This was a 27-minute hell. Most every station required engagement of core musculature... completely taxing:

• Trunk flexion
  
• Trunk rotation
  
• Trunk extension
  

Compliments have to go out to those guys, even if they're on the other side of the public safety house ;)   In the gym, the firefighters have a pike pole, axe handle, and hose w/nozzle that all are modified to clip into a cable stack.  They adjust the height of the cable pulley  and orient their bodies to simulate tasks needed for rescue and fighting fire.  They also have an  air (SCBA) tank to wear during other exercises.