UPDATE: Ty Warner Park (Westmont IL) Workouts

Some of the ladies during their latest group workout at Ty Warner Park in Westmont IL. Functional training often includes elements from the world of StrongMan competition -- in this case it's 200# tire flipping.

Take a look at these women above. They are everyday women accomplishing extraordinary feats. How? They tackle new challenges, see opportunities rather than obstacles, and aren't afraid to fail. They each took a different path into functional training, but have morphed into a "community" that prides itself on encouragement and recruitment!

Click for my Beyond the Body article published by the CrossFit Journal. It's all about women breaking the mold.

Women are frequently sold a program with some version of "core strength." Most are crap. Strengthening the core is WAY more than crunches, leg lifts, and isometric holds. In the above photo, Michelle is using her whole midsection to lift, raise, get under, and push that tire over. That is CORE EXERCISE!

I've been closely monitoring the group's progress. First off, the size of the group continues to grow. It's viral. Secondly, the participants are each becoming more and more educated and committed. Accountability to peer members is one of the strengths of this group!

To join in on these FREE workouts: post to comments, or email Nick or Schlik. (Their email addresses are included in this post.)

Girl Power

CrossFit chicks are hot. Ever hear that saying? CrossFit chicks can also do what they set their minds too. Maybe the two are inter-related.

We were honored to have the CrossFit Journal publish our most recent essay. Read it in entirety here:

Beyond the Body by Louis Hayes.

Prison Workout #3 - Ripped hands

There is something rather sexy about a woman with gym chalk on her hands.

Maybe it's the attitude they take with regards to that activity in which they are partaking in that exact moment. Hey, I know this might hurt my hands, but the reward is worth the risk. They chalk up their palms in preparation to attempt something difficult, knowing they might fail. I'm giving it my all. They work through the pain until the task is complete. The momentary discomfort is less than the lasting sting of failure or quitting.

The above photo is of my wife's hand after PWO#3 - Zeta (a grand total of 6000# from ground to overhead using any movement, load, or repetition scheme....for time, of course). She just got finished with clean-and-jerking a total of THREE TONS of weight!! 34:30 of continual full-body movement.

I posted an entry on this blog: "Hand and Callus Care." I never really embraced the whole "Check out my nasty ripped up hands. I'm a stud" mentality. But after seeing my wife's rip this week, I had a slight change of heart. After all the kettlebelling she's done, and after all the care she gives her hands, she still got a rip. And now I'm that guy who posts a picture of messed up hands on his site saying, "Hey look at this!" I guess it's the pride of having a partner whose determination and focus won't let her quit. (By the way, her C&J form was most excellent!)

It really was a "rite of passage" for her. She completed the 6000#. She didn't even say anything about it until after the WO. This injury simply had more to do with pure volume of work rather than neglect of hand care. And now she can join in the silly discussions about calluses, and bar knurl, and pumice stones, and skin graters, and pullups, and hand lotions, and how she still managed to get a rip. Her first rip.

And I got to cut off the flap of skin!

The Hard Routine: Day 14, Personal Testimony

Day 14 -- Two weeks completed.

Sometimes we need a positive and encouraging story to keep us on the path...

I asked one of our readers to write a short essay about some of the recent changes in her life. Jacky C reluctantly agreed. She is a 46 year old community service officer with the Oak Brook (IL) Police. I've been talking a lot about the fitness program there, specifically about "The Cage" gym. The men who frequent The Cage have told me they are very impressed with Jacky's attitude, intensity, and determination while she tackles her workout sessions. She proves to be inspiring to many there. Jacky's story below is pretty amazing. Please post comments or questions for her at the end of this post. Lou

Lou has asked me to share my recent weight loss “testimonial.” On the surface it’s really no different than the thousands of others that are out there. Obviously, exercise AND diet changes/corrections need to be made for weight loss to occur. There’s really no magical solution. Whether the testimonial consists of a 50lb, 100lb or 200lb loss, it’s really a testimonial about defeating “the enemy.”

We all have enemies, whether it’s over-eating, over-drinking (alcohol), over-spending, over-gambling, etc. It’s about gaining self-control, self-respect and self-confidence. Enemies can be very powerful, and trying to defeat the enemy alone (without God) is futile. As Lou posts at the bottom of his website (Philippians 4:13) “I can do all things THROUGH HIM who strengthens me” and sometimes we need to be strengthened mentally (not just physically). Our mind can be the barrier which gets in the way of succeeding, so that is where I needed to start. If I may quote Romans 12:2, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

I have physically been transformed, first by the renewing of my mind. Several months ago, I had the privilege of helping package rations for shipping to under-nourished people in various areas of the country. That week, our church challenged us to eat not only what we were shipping out (something actually pretty pathetic – some form of rice and beans, etc.), but also the same quantity. So for 5 days I ate 1 cup of pathetic rations, three times a day. This was a very humbling and healing experience, and from that week forward, I appreciated both the quality and smaller quantity of food that I now eat.

O.K.--- so let’s get to the facts. I workout everyday I can (which is usually six days a week). I have a membership at Bally’s. I do 20-25 minutes intense cardio (well, my version of “intense”). I like the StairMaster and the elliptical machines. They have different program selections – I like doing interval training. I then do 20 minutes with weights focusing on abs, arms, etc. For example:

Day 1:

• 20 min. StairMaster
• 3 sets of 10 tricep curls with 15 air squats in between sets
• 3 sets of 5 Dips with 25 situps (on an incline) in between sets

Day 2:

• 20 min. elliptical
• 3 sets of 10 bicep curls with 3 sets of leg lifts (alternating sets)
• 3 sets of 5 Pull-ups (assisted) with 3 sets of leg presses (alternating sets)

Day 3:

• 20 min. elliptical plus 10 min. StairMaster
• Just Abs – various combinations

On Thursdays, I’ve been taking part in our Thursday Challenges at work, and these workouts have really been a mental motivator for me. I’m doing workouts that I would have never done on my own, and they add a variety to my normal, basic workouts.

In terms of food, my day goes something like this: Protein Shake and Oatmeal for breakfast. Then about every three hours thereafter, I have a protein (i.e. chicken, tuna, salmon, egg whites, veggie patties, lean turkey/ham) and a carb (i.e. broccoli, carrots, salad, granola bar, brown rice, slice of 100% whole wheat bread). At some point, I snack on some almonds and a cheese stick. Oh yeah, one more thing... I have the largest Starbucks Vanilla Iced Coffee with non-fat milk EVERYDAY -- It’s my reward!

I no longer live to eat, but eat to fuel my body --- It’s a whole different ball game, and I’m winning. I’ve lost 50 lbs since January (5-6 lbs a month consistently), and I’ve gone down 7 pants sizes. Also, I recently had all my blood work done, and my cholesterol level is 150 (it used to be in the 190’s).

In closing, I would like to repeat Philippians 4:13, however, I think there’s a lot more “power” behind it if you start with the preceding verse:

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.

Jacky, thanks for sharing your story.

Athlete: Melissa Stockwell

One of my brothers and I were down in Chicago to cheer on our other brother in his first sprint triathlon. We are waiting along the course to get another glimpse of him. Oddly there was a break in the steady stream of racers exiting the swim, off to get their bikes. Around the bend I saw a runner with an odd gait, soon to realize she only had one leg.

We stopped dead in our tracks. The otherwise quiet crowd begins cheering and clapping like I hadn't heard it that entire morning! What an unbelievable experience to watch her race!! At that moment, so many thoughts, emotions, and questions fill your mind. My brother manages to snap a few photos before she speeds by. We in our cheering group talked about her for a while after she disappeared.

I got home. I couldn't let it rest. Who was the woman? What happened to her? What's her story? I check the photo. I needed to know who this woman was. She wasn't the first para-athlete I'd ever seen. Just something about that dramatic way she entered into view and inspired the crowd as she passed...with no other racers around her. With no bib number visible on her arms and knowing nothing other than what's in the above photo, I didn't have many leads to investigate. I won't bore you with the Googling details, but I eventually identify her:

1LT Melissa Stockwell, 1st Cavalry Division, United States Army.

I came to learn Melissa lost her leg when an IED exploded during a convoy in Iraq. She quickly returned to active sports, including swimming and triathlons. She was a Paralympian in the 2008 Beijing games...swimming in three events. We just so happened to see her during her first international distance triathlon right here in Chicago!! A real blessing.

Little more needs to be said about this amazing woman. Not many like her around. I'm thankful for having been able to see her today.

Link to her blog and website.

Event for Women: FITNESS FRIDAY

For you ladies, this is a special event just for you!  Lucy is a women's fitness apparel store, one of which is located in Burr Ridge, Illinois.  From what I understand, they host a regular event called Fitness Friday.

This event will be locally held this Friday, July 10th, from 4p-7p, at the Burr Ridge store (555 Village Center, at the new mall near Countyline Rd and I-55). Our friend Mary Licko is the event presenter.  She's a personal trainer and holds certifications through a myriad of respected physical fitness organizations such as NASM and CrossFit.  She currently trains out of MBC Fitness in Westmont, Illinois.  Mary is extremely passionate about fitness, and has a great motivating personal tale about her own physical changes.

Please do what you can to be at Lucy in Burr Ridge this Friday. You will surely learn more about high-intensity functional movement and strength training from a few hours with Mary than from reading a stack of women's magazines piled high to the ceiling.

More females...

Women are better students than men. At least in the world of physical fitness. They take better to instruction. They don't ignore the seemingly boring foundational movements. They don't let their egos control their progress. And they generally see bigger percentage gains than their male counterparts.

What you do not see in the above photo are tiny pink-rubberized dumbbells small enough to fit into a cocktail purse.  What I do see is a woman who is four months pregnant with twins wearing Olympic weightlifting shoes in the middle of an overhead split jerk!!  I see another who is a gymnast turned ultra-competitive cheerleader (like the ones you might see on late night ESPN). And another who frequently spends her weekends attending barbell lifting seminars!

By the way, none of these women knew each other before the day this photo was taken. They met at a memorial weightlifting event honoring dead police officers. However, what they immediately shared in common was an embrace of barbell lifting within their exercise routines.

They do heavy deadlifting, cleans-and-jerks, overhead squats, and sumo sumo deadlift high pulls. They're not afraid to chalk up their hands and confidently walk up to a bar loaded with bumper plates to perform technical Olympic lifts...lifts that intimidate most men and nearly all bodybuilders!

None of them just walked into a gym one day and began Olympic lifting. They were educated by experienced trainers, and practice regularly.  They began with PVC piping and wooden broomsticks. They progressed to light training bars, then upwards in weight. Now they lift heavy loads with relative ease. We may look at them and think they have mastered the techniques, but they'd humbly disagree and explain how they are still very much students....students who don't listen to their peers when they tell them what women should and should not do, or can and cannot do.  These women have the attitude that they can do whatever they want to do.  And don't argue with them. They're right.

We all need to take lessons from these women. Stick with the foundations. Embrace progress, even if it's not at the pace you'd like.  Keep and open mind and learn new movements. Practice perfection. And most importantly, believe in yourself and your potential.  

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.

Female Functionalists?

Not a common sight: a woman doing barbell deadlifts. You'd expect to see a woman in a pristine trendy health club....on an elliptical trainer or holding 5-lb pink rubberized dumbbells, right?  Wrong.

I bring out this topic because more and more women are finding results in functional fitness programs. Every week that passes, I find out of more women participating in the Prison Workout's bodyweight-only system.  They are learning that resistance training does not build nasty, disgusting muscle. They get discouraged due to rarely seeing quantifiable results (both with performance and in the mirror) with traditional cardio machine training. They get bored with the same routine, that again...produces little results. And all the weight machines are intimidating looking.  Conversely, they have found some answers with a functional fitness routine.

About these routines:

• relatively short in duration (20 minutes)
  
• high intensity
  
• require almost NO equipment
  
• constantly varying
  
• scalable (adjustable) to ability levels
• rarely boring
  
• blend cardio and resistance into 1 session
  
• build self-esteem
  
• cut fat and tone the body
• increase strength and balance

Ann, Jennifer, and ToughNoodles are three militant participants in the PWO#2:

Ann's energy is contagious, and the perfect example of being thirsty for information. She's always asking questions and researching on her own. She's a cross-trainer who does: stair racing, Zumba, Swiss ball, kettlebelling, and bicycling. Ann finished PWO#1 on schedule and is already talking about what sorts of new movements to add when she's done with PWO#2! I think I've convinced her to start doing heavy deadlifts too! 

Jennifer is a young police detective.  She began the PWO#1, and then advanced into kettlebelling with PWO#2. Her testimony to me has been that she has felt more complete and fitter than with her previous traditional workouts.  She's got a great support group to provide mutual encouragement. As the newest of these 3 women to functional fitness, I think Jennifer's approach to fitness routines has been forever changed. 

Lori (AKA ToughNoodles) has been a long distance runner for more years than I've been alive. Two things that rarely go together are: marathoning and plyometric exercising. She is one of the rare who realizes there's more to long distance training than merely running. She's finding a lot of benefit to core and weight training. One benefit she's shared that I can appreciate is: "more attack power on the uphills on runs." Read about her Prison Workout experiences here. 

With some of the advantages listed above, it's hard to argue against reality-based functional fitness for females. Begin with bodyweight exercises that require no equipment. It's the perfect way to begin such a journey. Make the commitment today!

NOTE: Funny that the day after I wrote this post, this was the reading of the day on the CrossFit affiliate blog. Timely.  "Elite Fitness for Women" by Adam Stanecki.

Photo credit: MotorCity CrossFit, metro Detroit, MI

Another functional fitness testimonial

"Tough Noodles" is a long-distance runner from Oregon.  She's been a faithful follower of the Prison Workout. Now she's about to start the kettlebelling portion of the PWO.  She's been posting on her blog about how she's already seen the benefit of functional fitness training. I pressed her to explain, as I love hearing personal stories about positive things going on in others' lives. Here is her response: 

Louis Hayes has asked me this: "Just curious: what "benefits" have you experienced? as I'm sure it hasn't been long-distance running benefits..."

It's true Louis, the benefits have not necessarily been in long-distance running benefits, at least not directly. In fact, when I run after a crossfit workout my legs feel fatigued. But, that doesn't mean it isn't good for running!

I've been a runner since I was 13 or so...a few breaks taken for pregnancies (6), and I'm 44 now. Typically, a "workout" for me, over the years, has consisted mostly of --well, running.

Click here for the entire post! It's motivating to say the least.

Sheila: Congrats on IronMan #11

Our friend and mentor Sheila P from our pool finished her eleventh IronMan (or is it IronWoman?) race on Sun, July 20th, 2008, in Lake Placid, NY. The Ford IronMan USA Lake Placid is already sold out for 2009, so I guess that says something about how popular it is!! For those of you who don't speak Triathlonese, an IronMan is 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and 26.2 miles of running....YES all in the same day!!

Sheila has been extremely helpful in teaching us newbies about swimming. She is so knowledgeable about not only swimming, but short and long-course triathloning, injury prevention/rehab, and maybe even a bit about functional fitness (right Sheila?). After talking with her, she's definitely an anomaly of complete and practical fitness among endurance athletes. Here's a note she sent us: I am all over Air Squats--I do these things called "Dirty 30's" that effectively are air squats but with some hip motion thrown in, so doing 50 air squats was no big deal. I am reading your blog and trying to learn and incorporate some more functional stuff into my strength routine. Plus I need to prove that I am more than just an endurance nut!!! Looks like someone took my knock on endurance athletes a bit too personally ;) haha. Now let's see if we can get her to do ball slams or 24" box jumps!

Sheila, AKA Crackhead, keeps a website called Mind (and Body) of Iron. It's interesting to say the least...go see for yourself. She memorialized her latest IronMan race with some detailed storytelling. Here are quick links to two such journal entries:

Initial race report
race photos

Yeah I know her race was like 2 weeks ago!! I was waiting to see if I could pirate photos from her site for the TTG...like the one above of her finishing up the swim portion. Congratulations, Sheila! What an accomplishment, even if you've already done it TEN previous times!!!