June 2010 Title Author

June 2010 title author

Snatch Strategies for CrossFit Workouts Castro and Competitions

Rise of the Euro? Morrison

CrossFit and FM 21-20 McKee

Tough for Whom? Cecil

It Takes a Barbell Warkentin

Improving the Clean Starr

The Ultimate Painkiller? Platek

No Limits Cochran

Aged 18 Years Moore

Hiding Intensity Kelley

Regionals: The Lighter Side Daigle

Snatch Strategies for CrossFit Workouts and Competitions The squat snatch is the way to move the heaviest load, but what’s the fastest way to snatch lighter loads for multiple reps? Dave Castro outlines your best options for high-rep snatch workouts.

By Dave Castro CrossFit HQ June 2010 Susannah Dy/CrossFit Journal Dy/CrossFit Susannah

A squat snatch will move big weight, but is it the fastest way to move light weight for high reps?

The barbell snatch is one of the most technically complex weight-training movements and one of the two lifts in Olympic weightlifting competitions. The squat snatch is ideal for maximizing the loads handled. Many track-and- field and ball-sports athletes train the power snatch and power clean exclusively to focus on the pulling phases without as much concern for the receiving phase. Traditionally, the snatch has been used in very low-repetition sets. CrossFit, though, has seen great benefit from high-repetition snatch (and clean) sets.

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The goal of CrossFit is to develop increased work The same approach, though, is not necessarily needed capacity across broad time and modal domains, and when dealing with light loads. These lifts can be athletes with great capacity in high-repetition snatches successful even with inefficient technique, including and cleans have demonstrated broad capacity generally. keeping the hips high, pulling with the arms, not coming In other words, these movements are outstanding for to full extension on the second pull and even swinging transferring abilities to other domains. the barbell out. 1 Rep or 30 Reps? The traditional approach to the Oly lifts is to use these movements to develop explosive speed and power. They have certainly been proven effective for that purpose, and The question now is what is the best results are found with shorter sets. CrossFitters are certainly interested in explosive power and speed the best way to maximize the and will train low-rep Oly lifts. But true general physical number of reps performed in preparedness (GPP) requires that we not pursue them to a given time period? the exclusion of the other domains of fitness. Including high-rep snatch (and clean) workouts has a broader aim than training only power and speed. Much attention has been paid to the technique of the snatch, and good technique is essential to maximizing The question now is what is the best way to maximize the loads moved in any given set. If the barbell moves the number of reps performed in a given time period (or outside the base of support, the body’s positioning minimize the time to perform a fixed number of reps)? is suboptimal and lifts are often missed. If the lifter doesn’t maximize full use of the hips, the lifts will not be successful. CrossFitters will do well to develop this technique as much as is reasonable for their 1RM efforts. Susannah Dy/CrossFit Journal Dy/CrossFit Susannah

When speed is the goal, athletes can benefit by experimenting with their technique to produce the fastest cycle time.

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It is often thought that optimal technique for 1RM work Squat Snatch and high-rep work is identical. After all, it comes down When doing high-rep snatches, we also see different to physics, right? Well, maybe not, or perhaps it’s more options for attacking these workouts, which typically accurate to say that maybe the physics are different at feature loads lighter than a person’s 1RM snatch. This light loads. In CrossFit competitions, we are not seeing article is not about teaching someone how to do the a strong correlation between the completion times for lift. It’s about giving the athlete who wants to be more high-rep snatch and clean workouts and the efficient efficient different things to think about with regards to use of traditional techniques. Some of the fastest times attacking a high-rep snatch workout. come with “great technique,” but many do not. We’ll start with the squat snatch. For establishing your What does this mean for us? 1RM snatch, the squat snatch is the most efficient Well, as fitness whores and not technique snobs, this movement. It is arguably also one of the most technically means we should explore non-traditional techniques for challenging movements we do with a barbell. The stance high-rep workouts. is about shoulder width, with the chest high. The grip is wide. Lumbar curve is maintained as the athlete passes through a positioning pull and comes to full extension, all the while creating speed and elevation on the bar. The athlete then rapidly changes direction to receive the bar in an overhead-squat position. You can spend a lifetime training this movement and never perfect it, but that alone is no reason to avoid putting this article down right now and trying a few reps with a broomstick in your garage. Train the squat snatch regularly, and don’t be afraid to look like a beginner in this movement. Heavy squat snatch: .wmv Prescription of Movement in High-Rep CrossFit WODs • 30 135-lb. squat snatches for time. • 75 75-lb. power snatches for time. • 5 rounds of 7 hang power snatches (135 lb.) and 15 pull-ups. The preceding workouts should be done exactly as written. (Scale load when necessary and for trainees who have flexibility issues or are new to the lift. Scale movements when necessary as well.) It’s part of what you, your coach or the workout of the day wants you to work on regardless of load and ability. Athletes can receive tremendous physical and psychological rewards for grinding through the movement and doing what is prescribed, and 30 squat snatches at 135 lb. is a demanding feat for even the best CrossFitters. • Isabel — 30 snatches for time (135 lb.).

Susannah Dy/CrossFit Journal Dy/CrossFit Susannah • Randy — 75 snatches for time (75 lb.). At the 2009 CrossFit Games, Jason Khalipa did very well with • WOD — 5 rounds of 7 hang snatches (135 lb.) and both heavy snatches and light snatches. At light weight, he 15 pull-ups. chose to use a muscle snatch and then an overhead squat to complete his reps at 75. lb.

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These high-rep workouts give the athlete some options in how he chooses to do the snatch. Here is where we can get creative and decide on a pre-workout strategy to get the work done as fast as possible.

Coach Mike Burgener likes to say a squat snatch is simply a missed power snatch.

In a workout like Isabel, athletes will either squat- snatch or power-snatch the weight, though a few of our Muscle Snatch stronger athletes can actually muscle-snatch 135 lb. The In workouts that have light snatches (relative to power snatch starts with a similar start to the squat strength), it might be best to employ muscle snatches. In snatch, but instead of receiving the weight in a squat the muscle snatch you still create speed on the bar, but position, you receive it in a partial squat with your feet instead of re-dipping as you would in a power or squat at shoulder width. We do not quantify the depth of this snatch, your knees and hips do not close again after squat because it varies for each athlete and according to extension. The muscle snatch requires more upper-body load. Coach Mike Burgener likes to say a squat snatch is strength and is typically done as a skill-transfer exercise simply a missed power snatch. for weightlifters. The other key aspect of high-rep muscle snatches is never moving your feet away from Power Snatch their starting position, usually hip width. Remaining For a high-rep snatch workout with a traditional power- stationary will allow you to cycle the reps in the fastest snatch approach, we end up seeing feet starting at way possible. Depending on the rep scheme and load, hip width and landing at shoulder width. The athlete the muscle snatch is also one of the most taxing ways to then stands to full extension and resets the feet as (or do this movement. Trying to maintain a fast pace for very after) he or she brings the weight down. Once the bar high-rep workouts might not be worth the toll it takes on is on the ground, the athlete repeats the process. If an your system for later reps. athlete is very strong with this movement this can be Muscle snatch: .mov | .wmv unnecessarily time consuming. In the video below, both Josh Everett and Adrian Bozman move their feet to the High-rep muscle snatch: .mov | .wmv landing position, then reset them to the pulling position At the 2009 Rocky Mountain Regional Skip Miller while the bar is overhead. organized, he programmed a workout that required a High-speed power-snatch reps: .mov | .wmv total of 7,000 lb. to be snatched overhead, while the loads were left up to the athletes. Matt Chan chose 75 Another aspect we see with high-rep snatches is a lb. and muscle-snatched the weight to a hard-earned higher hip position throughout the movement, with the victory. He muscle-snatched roughly 50 of the reps shoulders more aggressively over the bar. This allows the before having to switch to a more traditional power athlete to save some time by not resetting each time into snatch. The muscle-snatch rep was much faster than the the low-butt, high-chest position that is common with traditional power-snatch rep. heavy snatches. From this traditional power snatch, we can start tweaking it and working on different techniques Matt Chan muscle-snatching: .mov | .wmv and strategies that can be used to shave seconds from WOD times.

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Muscle Snatch to Power Snatch It’s also good to be able to switch from the muscle snatch to the stationary power snatch, just as Chan did in regional competition. Being able to recognize you’re losing the muscle snatch and knowing when to transition to the power snatch can be key to moving through the reps quickly. I did this workout with Greg Amundson at the track a few months back: 5 rounds of: 15 power snatches (95 lb.) Run 400 meters Prior to the workout, I spoke to Greg about some of the different ways to do the work, and he decided to Power Snatch With No Adjustment of Feet experiment. He was constantly in front of me, so I was High-rep muscle snatches at some point usually morph able to watch him muscle-snatch most of the reps in the into something like a power snatch, where the athlete early rounds, and then at reps 10 and above on the later re-dips to catch the load. The difference here—and this rounds, he transitioned to a power snatch. is the difference that makes it more efficient—is that the Muscle snatch transition to power snatch: .mov | .wmv feet do not change position; i.e. the pulling position and the receiving position are the same. This approach is faster than a traditional power snatch because it elimi- nates reset time, but it’s slower than the muscle snatch. The power snatch with stationary feet is less taxing than the muscle snatch and might be better for long-term use in a workout. High-rep snatches with fixed feet: .mov | .wmv

Being able to recognize you’re losing the muscle snatch and knowing when to transition to the power snatch can be key to moving through the reps quickly.

At the 2009 Rocky Mountain Regional, Matt Chan employed a blisteringly fast muscle snatch before pounding out the latter reps with a power snatch.

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Traditional Power snatch Weight Is Overhead—Now What? Once the weight begins to get to a point where the Once the weight is locked out overhead and the athlete above-listed options are not possible, it’s time to look is standing, he or she has several options in returning the at a more traditional power snatch, where the feet weight to the ground for the next rep. start at about shoulder width and but land wider as the weight is received in a partial squat. The athlete stands Pulling It Down to complete the movement and resets the feet before For fastest turnover of reps with light loads, bringing starting the next pull. I have also seen this done where the weight straight down from an overhead position is the feet start in a landing position (wider) and stay in the fastest way. The weight hits the overhead position that position throughout. and you essentially pull it back to the bottom while maintaining your grip on the bar throughout. This is very Traditional power snatch: .mov | .wmv demanding because it allows little time for relaxing or Power snatch from wide pulling positions breathing. This method is best used with a fast move like (fixed stance): .mov | .wmv the muscle snatch or power snatch with no adjustment of feet. If you are going to squat snatch or split snatch, Split Snatch you might want to look at some of the other options. After the power snatch goes on heavier high-rep Pulling weight down: .mov | .wmv workouts, another option is to switch to a split snatch. A split snatch requires more skill than just a power snatch Down to Hips and Reset but is less difficult for most people than moving to the A technique that’s slower than the previous method full squat snatch on high-rep workouts. One downside would be bringing the weight down to the hang position to this movement is the need to reset the feet after (around the hip area), then bringing it to the deck. It’s a each rep. The length and subsequent depth of the split two-part movement that can be done fast or with a break will increase as the weight nears an athlete’s 1RM. The at the hang position, which allows for some recovery, heavier the load, the deeper you go. both mentally and physically. This is possibly the most Split snatch: .mov | .wmv common method for lower weight snatches at high reps. Lowering to hips, then floor: .mov | .wmv

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Grip Lighter loads don’t necessarily need the hook grip, but it’s still a viable option. Be cautious of using the hook grip in high-rep WODs: you can get nasty tears in the web of your hand where the thumb and index finger meet. On heavily knurled bars, you also have to worry about tearing the fingers. Some athletes actually switch grips during WODs, starting with a regular overhand grip and then hooking the thumb as the grip deteriorates. If you are going to do multiple reps and keep your grip the whole time, learn to loosen your grip at different points of the movement to save your grip strength. Instead of just hook-gripping it and squeezing it the whole time, think about natural points to relax the grip. You can back off on your grip when the bar is overhead as you stand to extension and as you bring the weight back down. If you rest the bar at the hang position, that’s another area to ease up the tension. Drop From the Top One of the best options on high-rep, high-load snatch Footwear workouts is to complete the movement in singles. Snatch. Play with different types of footwear. Do some of these Drop from the top. Let the weight settle. Re-grip. Snatch. high-rep workouts in weightlifting shoes and some This method can actually be very fast in execution, and in running shoes. Mix it up and see the difference in you save energy by removing the eccentric phase of the platform you get by snatching in less-than-optimal lift (bringing the weight down). You can also establish a shoes. If you aren’t going to wear lifting shoes, you have decent rhythm. If you plan on doing a high-rep snatch other options. Chuck Taylors are a favorite of many workout and you are going to drop each rep, consider CrossFitters, and some trail-running shoes with harder which bumper plates you use (if you have options). soles (like Salomons) also provide a good option for a Colored Kraiburg plates have much more bounce than workout that involves running and snatching. Hi-Temp bumpers (the recycled rubber ones), and you Try It Out don’t want to worry about chasing the bar around. Solid Next time you attempt Randy, Isabel or any high-rep metal plates would have the least bounce, but I don’t snatch workout, take into consideration some of these recommended using them. variations and give thought to how and when to use Drop from the top: .mov | .wmv the different options. With the proper planning and execution, these techniques might help shave a few seconds off of your previous time.

F Lighter loads don’t necessarily need the About the Author hook grip, but it’s still a Dave Castro is CrossFit’s Co-Director of Training. viable option.

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Rise of the Euro? American Blair Morrison won the Europe Regional but reports that the Old Country is full of unbelievable athletes who are sure to be in the mix at the 2010 CrossFit Games.

By Blair Morrison June 2010 Dadi Hrafn Sveinbjarnson Hrafn Dadi

The weekend of the Europe Regional is difficult to summarize. It was exhilarating and exhausting, with a more fulfilling end than I ever could have hoped for.

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It featured the standard elements of the CrossFit The Beasts of Europe experience: anxiety, exhaustion, pain and joy. There The event took place at the Eleiko Center in Halmstad, a was sacrifice, ambition, humility and satisfaction, often small town less than 200 kilometers north of the Danish co-existing within a single person at a single time. I felt border. Unlike other U.S. regionals being held at univer- undercurrents flowing between athletes and groups, sities or fairgrounds, this complex was not particularly giving the competition life and depth while forming a large or accustomed to hosting competitions. But it sat perfect balance between rivalry and collectivity. suitably removed from the center of town, giving the Such human elements were the real beating heart of event the breathing space and privacy it required. Inside the Europe Regional in Halmstad, Sweden, so a mere the tape was every muscle-head’s dream: sparkling re-telling of the WODs and their outcomes would do new bars, bumpers and kettlebells lined the walls and the greater experience a severe disservice. My aim, floor of the main showroom. Just outside stood an instead, is to tell a different story, one where the events enormous pull-up rack with ropes, monkey bars, cargo themselves are more means than end. In my opinion, this nets and parallel bars. The facility was ordinarily used event was a rare combination of cultures and peoples. as a showroom for Eleiko’s world-class equipment, but In their blending, one saw different support systems this particular weekend it had been transformed into a operate alongside one another to the benefit of all, as showcase for the best fitness athletes in Europe. well as a validation of the friendships CrossFit inevitably forges. Dadi Hrafn Sveinbjarnson Hrafn Dadi

The Eleiko Center might not be a regular competition venue, but it’s packed with all the high-end gear a diehard CrossFitter would ever need.

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And the athletes present were impressive. Leading up Maria Estella Gullestrup to the qualifier, there was a lot of speculation about the relative strength of the respective regionals based on athlete profiles, stated benchmarks, etc., with Europe largely being doubted. As so many of us know, a statis- tical account of lifts, times and numbers has little to no bearing on athleticism or ability to perform under pressure, to say nothing of the intangible qualities that hold people together. What matters is not what you say you’ve done, only what you actually do. And what I saw people do in Halmstad was remarkable.

In Europe everyone can run. Everyone. Even in heats featuring bigger guys, the pace was blistering.

WOD 1/2: With a 15-minute running clock, complete a 2.2-kilometer run for time. Your time on this run represents your result If you can’t run, you probably won’t do very well for WOD 1. Immediately following completion of the run, at a CrossFit event in Europe. do as many repetitions as possible in the remaining time of ground-to-overhead with 70 kg (50 kg for women). Your total number of repetitions represents your result for WOD 2. Europe Regional Athletes Who In Europe everyone can run. Everyone. Even in heats featuring bigger guys, the pace was blistering. I was Qualified for the CrossFit Games pushed to the brink of collapse in order to take third, and I consider myself to be a strong runner. Then, as I was Men trying to catch my breath, I caught a glimpse of Elvaar 1. Blair Morrison from Iceland down the row getting right into his lifts like 2. Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson it was no big thing. Maybe it’s the weather, maybe it’s the remnants of Viking blood, but it’s not my imagination. 3. Richard Vanmeerbeek People here are characterized by an uncommon mental capacity to overcome pain and adversity. And believe Women me, it was on display all day. 1. Annie Mist Thorisdottir 2. Samantha Briggs 3. Jenny Magnusdottir

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WOD 3: coming and did the same to maintain his lead. Frederick pushed harder and closed the gap to within a few steps 20 chest-to-bar pull-ups with less than 20 meters to go—and he was gaining. 20 box jumps (24 inches) 20 toes to bar Sven would not give in even though you could see his legs 10 x 10-meter overhead carry (80 kg; 6 x 10 w/ 60 kg for women) beginning to go. They lunged across the line and no one 20 toes to bar could tell who had won. It was seriously a photo finish. 20 box jumps (24 inches) The judges had to go to a spectator’s video footage to 20 chest-to-bar pull-ups determine that Sven had broken the line first by just a fraction of a second. With Frederick sprawled on the Everyone struggled on the second round of bar and box asphalt like a wet noodle and Sven leaning limp on the work. Grips were gone, core stability was all over the shoulders of friends, I stood in awe of their effort. place, and the conditions on the day were wet, cold, and miserable. I was able to find my rhythm during the overhead carries and post the best time of the day Dadi Hrafn Sveinbjarnson but was overshadowed by those who didn’t have it so easy yet still managed to respond. I watched one girl literally get crushed by the weight three times in a row after coming off the bars in good order. She’d try the lift, crumple under it and wind up on her ass pinned beneath the bar. I thought to myself, “There’s a DNF. No way she’s ever getting that up.” She proceeded to step back, shake herself, and beast 10 consecutive repetitions without fail. What? Fail once, maybe a mistake. Twice, still possible to recover. Three times and you’re mentally dominated. Talk about mettle. I half expected her to breathe fire on the way back to the pull-up bar. WOD 4: 400-meter run 3 rounds of: 15 power snatches (40/30 kg) 35 double-unders 400-meter run After coming from nowhere to challenge for the crown This WOD was like “moving day” at the Masters. Anyone at the 2009 Games, Annie Thorisdottir will be one of who wanted to have a chance to qualify had to perform the favorites heading into the 2010 Games. here. People smoked the double-unders and snatches, proving that gone are the days of tripping on ropes and muscling up Olympic lifts. Technique and skill are points of pride that have been very well received. The most exciting moment of the weekend came during this event. After battling back from an early deficit, Annie Thorisdottir didn’t Frederick Aegidus came out of the weight room in third stop smiling the entire time— position, just ahead of Sveinbjorn Sveinbjornsson. During apparently the workload was the first 200 meters, Sven overtook him and began pulling away toward the finish. This was the point in the just short of laughable for her. race when I remember being ready to puke. Rather than holding his position and coasting in, Frederick started picking up speed with 75 meters to go. Sven heard him

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The final WOD was 5 rounds of: Mikko’s Mates? 5 deadlifts (120/90 kg) What I saw this weekend proved to me that the level 20 burpees with a lateral jump over a bar in both skill and raw ability is higher here than at the With all but two men and two women eliminated from Mid-Atlantic Regional I attended last year. There were contention for the third qualifying spots, you might standouts across the board, but a few deserve additional expect everyone else to lay off the pedal just a bit in mention. Annie Thorisdottir didn’t stop smiling the the interest of self-preservation. Riiight. Sven came out entire time—apparently the workload was just short of covered in magic marker, Anders Karlsson channeled laughable for her. Honestly, if she doesn’t win it all this Mikko Salo and won the event, and Martin Moller was year, the girl who beats her will most likely have to be screaming like a banshee. This WOD was grueling and half cyborg. awful from the end of the second round to the finish, but Richard Vanmeerbeek is just 22, yet he lifts as much I don’t think I saw a single person break a set of burpees. as I do while displaying confidence and composure I’m Most of the guys jumped up with energy to spare. envious of. He needed a monster performance in the final WOD to qualify, and he delivered—you have to respect someone who comes up in crunch time. Samantha Briggs is an ex-footballer, ex-triathlete, pretty much ex-whatever-she-wants-to-be—the girl is a straight animal. She runs faster than most men I know, lifts more than most women I’ve seen, and has twice as much toughness as the lot combined. Those are not exaggerated statements. Anyone arguing Europe is undeserving of its allotted qualifying spots is in for a surprise come July.

The thirst for CrossFit in Europe is astonishing, and it has only just yet seeped into the larger part of the continental soil. Imagine what will happen when it hits Eastern Europe.

But perhaps more striking than the athletic level of the competition were the cultural differences and barriers the event had to overcome. “Diversity” in Europe is almost

Maria Estella Gullestrup Estella Maria a misnomer because people are so distinct. There were participants from Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, WOD 5 was hotly contested despite the fact that only a few athletes still had a shot at qualifying spots. Belgium, Germany, Italy, England, Wales, Belarus, and the United States. The thirst for CrossFit in Europe is

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astonishing, and it has only just yet seeped into the larger Yet the quality was undeniable. Things ran smoothly, part of the continental soil. Imagine what will happen adjustments were made on the fly with decisiveness and when it hits Eastern Europe. Start blending the Olympic solidarity, and the final product was refined. As I grow to legacy of the past with the “unknown and unknowable” understand more and more about what it takes to plan, current of the future and you’ll have an entirely fright- organize and pull off an event like this, I cannot but be ening hybrid. Think of Russian, Romanian and Ukrainian humbled in the presence of men like Mads Jacobsen gymnasts doing muscle-ups and ring dips. Consider and Martin Altemark. These guys shouldered incredible Bulgarian and Polish strongmen training 60 kg clean burdens, taking blame when things went wrong and and jerks for time. The possibilities are mind-boggling. delegating praise when they went right. Class and There is so much to be learned and gained by this type fortitude are powerful traits in combination. I am grateful of cross-cultural exchange that CrossFit without Europe these men possessed ample stores of both. just doesn’t make sense. Camaraderie and Competition Still, the obstacles in both language and custom are real, Another point that stood out to me this weekend was and they require the right kind of people to overcome the different support networks operating around the them. Thankfully, the men and women holding up the athletes. All athletes have their preferred competitive walls in Halmstad are those kind of people. Talk about environment, and the people they choose for company an organizational nightmare. There were people coming are an important aspect of that environment. Whom do from three different time zones by plane, train and you lean on when you’re tired? Whom do you celebrate automobile to a place with no major airport. I heard with when you succeed? Who shares the burden when seven different languages spoken during the course of the pressure mounts? In Halmstad, I observed more two days, and I don’t even have a good ear for language. than a few instances of just how important this support There were no major sponsorships or infrastructural can be, and in how many different forms it can come. support, just the volunteer hours of a few overworked individuals with a local connection to Eleiko. Dadi Hrafn Sveinbjarnson Hrafn Dadi

Blair Morrison (center) flanked by Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson and Annie Thorisdottir. All three will be making repeat appearances at the CrossFit Games after strong performances in 2009.

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The crew from Iceland, for example, was like a pack of But it can also be overwhelming. Too many voices Arctic dogs. They moved together, ate together, woke, will blot each other out, leaving nothing but a wall of slept and breathed together. When one was competing, sound. Often it’s not the mass of noise that pushes us all were competing. During the final WOD of the on but the single voice that cracks the throng. Richard weekend, Sven and I were within a few feet of each Vanmeerbeek came to Halmstad with such a voice—his other, but I doubt I could’ve heard a single word if he had father—and during the course of the weekend this voice uttered it. It felt like the entire island was raining down proved as strong as any crowd. I rarely saw one man around us. It was the same when Annie competed and without the other. Whether they were eating, lounging even louder when it was the affiliates’ turn. During the or in the midst of an event, there was never more than a runs, they were chasing each other around the course, few meters between them. shouting encouragement and epithets to the point that I Neither appeared affected by what happened in other doubt any competitor would dare not finish. After every heats or in events already completed. Their focus event they crowded around offering congratulations and remained on what Richard could control: himself. When conciliation. In between they hung together, strategizing, he competed, the voice of his father sang above the rest, laughing and refueling for the next challenge. It was coaching and urging his son onward. When he rested, inspiring. I could only smile, pretend I was Icelandic and their conversations were quiet and subdued as they assume they were yelling at me. strategized for the next event. If time allowed, they drove Support like this can have enormous benefit because, back to the hotel to eat and relax away from the surging by spreading the burden over many shoulders, the energy of the Eleiko Center. individual feels less alone. He can drown out pressure, nerves, doubt and even pain. It gives him pride in himself and in the group he represents, offering one more reason not to quit when things get tough. A network of support like this would never forge itself so quickly in the real world, but it seems almost commonplace in this community.

It was interesting to observe how well adapted Richard was to this type of environment in only his second or third competition. His demeanor was consistently calm, focused and un-agitated—hardly the hallmarks of a typical 22-year-old CrossFitter. He wastes little energy and maintains maximum concentration. Much of that has to come from his intimate system of support and the calming influence of a person whose belief in him never falters. It’s a truism that a reciprocal relationship exists between the impact we have on a group and that which it has on us. Some guys are built of fire and Maria Estella Gullestrup Estella Maria brimstone and need that type of environment to excel. The Europe Regional was a competition to be sure, but the Others prefer cooler heads with less distractions. Some camaraderie at the Eleiko Center was undeniable. seek both. In any case, finding the right balance makes a huge difference.

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The support I enjoyed in Halmstad was unique from The Future in Europe those mentioned above, primarily because its roots were CrossFit in Europe will only continue to grow, making so shallow. No relationship I have here is older than six more of these connections and building stronger bonds or eight months, yet people were urging me on as hard with every succeeding competition, certification and as or harder than any man there. I talked strategy with event. The diversity of culture and history will only make many athletes I’d only just met. I was at ease between this process more interesting and more fruitful in my WODs because I was enjoying the company of people opinion. As for the Games, I am eager to see the level I’d visited with or competed against months earlier. A continue to rise as more and more people compete for network of support like this would never forge itself so fewer and fewer spots. At least this year I can observe quickly in the real world, but it seems almost common- it firsthand. place in this community. I think it’s this type of personal connection that makes CrossFit so uniquely rewarding. F To think that until last fall every person in Halmstad was a perfect stranger to me is truly a remarkable thing. Sven and I were fighting tooth and nail in every WOD, Staff/CrossFit Journal yet I found myself wishing for his success as much as I wanted my own. Sarah Troelson Krarup has become like a second sister since my visit to Copenhagen last November. I found myself looking to her for advice, encouragement and validation before and after every event. Jason Mulligan has been a friend only since January, but in the months since I’ve grown to enjoy his company as much as that of anyone I’ve known since childhood. These people will be friends for the rest of my life. Relationships like this are rare because they are based on a camaraderie built on competition, rivalry and respect. CrossFit thrives on them. I’ve come to realize that my time in Europe has been, among other things, a process of building such relationships. The weekend in Halmstad represented many things that stand apart from competitive CrossFit but remain thickly rooted in it. Diversity, support and friendship are just a few among them. The Europe Regional was the end point of my year-long training pursuit, and it felt great to have my hard work rewarded with a spot in the Games. And it was a reunion of sorts, as it brought together so About the Author many of the people I have met and grown to love since Blair Morrison is 27 years old. He was born and raised in last September. Without the support of so many quality Sacramento, Calif., where his family still lives. He received individuals between then and now, my experience these his undergraduate history degree from Princeton University past nine months would not have been possible. It was a and is now studying European history through Europaeum lonely journey that produced in me a crowded soul. Masters Programme at the Universiteit Leiden. Formerly a personal trainer at Balance Gym in Washington, D.C., Blair placed seventh in the 2009 Crossfit Games. He is dedicated to the pursuit of physical challenges and the mental fortitude that comes from the ability to overcome them. Follow Blair’s travels at Anywherefit.

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com CrossFit and FM 21-20 Capt. Matt McKee offers an in-depth, comprehensive evaluation of the U.S. Army physical-fitness training manual in hopes of finding out how CrossFit can help the Army produce fitter soldiers.

By Capt. Matt McKee June 2010 Courtesy of Capt. Matt McKee Matt Capt. of Courtesy

Throughout my time in the Army, I have seen the Army’s physical-fitness training program from several perspec- tives. I have seen it as a follower, as a leader and as someone responsible for its implementation. I can only describe my experience with the Army’s program as frustrating. I have found that the vast majority of self-motivated leaders and soldiers have to substantially supplement their unit’s physical training with additional workouts to stay at a high level of complete fitness. Too many soldiers and leaders come out of their daily morning physical training complaining of “wasted time.”

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com Army ... (continued) An Army special-forces team exposed me to CrossFit Contents during my first deployment to Iraq in 2005. However, it Introduction ...... 3 was not until I was a commander of a cavalry troop (about 135 men) and responsible for the unit physical-fitness Part I: program that I had the understanding of CrossFit and the Foundations, Methods, & Implementation ...... 3 authority to make substantial changes. I drew heavily on FM 21-20: U.S. Army Physical-Fitness Training ...... 3 CrossFit for my unit’s physical-training program, and while we had successes and difficulties, I am convinced CrossFit: Constantly Varied, High-Intensity, Functional from our experience that the Army can use CrossFit to Movement ...... 4 evolve its physical fitness-training program. Foundations: FM 21-20 vs. CrossFit ...... 6 Before I began my research for this article, I blamed Methods: FM 21-20 vs. CrossFit ...... 9 the field manual for Army physical-fitness training, FM 21-20, for the problems with the program. However, How the Two Programs Are Very Different ...... 10 while I believe FM 21-20 (which has not been updated Where FM 21-20 Falls Short ...... 11 since 1992) is responsible for many of the problems, there is a broader range of culpability for the weaknesses Where CrossFit Succeeds (and What the Army Can in our program. CrossFit and FM 21-20 are more Learn From It) ...... 13 similar than I thought in theoretical foundation but are remarkably different in practice due to problems with the Part 2: manual as well as internal issues we in the Army need to Evolution of the Army resolve. Ultimately, the training our non-commissioned Through Absorption of CrossFit ...... 14 officers (NCOs) receive is the only way to affect change The Use of CrossFit at the Company Level ...... 15 in the Army. Until the Army breaks with non-functional exercises, changes the Army Physical Fitness Test CrossFit and the Army ...... 17 (APFT) and provides better training to our NCO corps, The Final Salvo: Nutrition and the Army ...... 17 we can’t evolve. Progress ...... 18 I have tried to cut my own inroads for CrossFit into the Army. My first step was to change my own unit’s program and convince my own soldiers about the efficacy of CrossFit. My second step was the development of a plan to purchase equipment, build obstacle courses, construct combative pits, expand room to run/ ruck-march, and change policy at Fort Hood to make fitness more functional. I developed the plan at the request of the III Corps and Fort Hood commander and command sergeant major. Unfortunately, the plan was not implemented. What follows is the third step I have taken to encourage, inspire and request change to how we approach fitness in the Army. CrossFit works and speaks for itself. However, I hope this article is able to make an impact and help evolve the Army’s physical- fitness training program.

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com Army ... (continued) Introduction CrossFit’s popularity and notoriety are born out of its unique ability to make people collapse in a heap of exhaustion and sweat in a matter of minutes. By now, few in the military have not heard of CrossFit or had a personal experience with it. CrossFit appeals to men and women in the military for various reasons. Former athletes enjoy CrossFit because it restores competitiveness into their everyday lives. Challenge-seekers are never disappointed with the grueling yet relatively short workouts. Some people appreciate CrossFit’s ability to provide structure and direction to their workout routine, some enjoy the team-like atmosphere of group workouts, and some like the constantly varied exercises that are a welcome relief to practitioners of monotonous routines. CrossFit is an incredibly ambitious and holistic program. It is open-source and evolves as its community of athletes and affiliates test nutrition and exercise research to the ends of creating the optimal program. The ambition of the CrossFit community creates a segment of the fitness community that flirts with the adjective “cultish.” However, CrossFit is no fad. Over 1,500 CrossFit affiliate gyms now thrive across the country, and a groundswell is lifting the conventional military (the special-operations community paved the inroads). So what does the Army need to learn from CrossFit? CrossFit and FM 21-20, the manual for U.S. Army physical-fitness training, espouse many of the same principles. However, the differences between the two programs are significant and important for the Army to consider. Through embracing and learning from the efficacy of CrossFit, the U.S. Army can close the gap between good intentions outlined in FM 21-20 and effective practices. However, much to the chagrin of diehard CrossFitters and others frustrated with Army physical training, CrossFit is not a panacea for the challenges leaders face in preparing their soldiers for the physical rigors of combat. Furthermore, even though I am personally an avid CrossFitter, a CrossFit trainer, and a troop commander who built my unit’s physical-training plan around CrossFit, I do not argue for CrossFit to completely supplant the Army’s physical-training regimen. However, the Army should use CrossFit to evolve FM 21-20 into a more effective program by incorporating many of its approaches. This article will address the similarities and differences between FM 21-20 and CrossFit, the weaknesses of FM 21-20, the strengths of CrossFit, implementation of CrossFit at the small-unit level, and how the Army can use CrossFit as a catalyst to move the gears in the direction of better fitness and wellness. The two references used for comparison are Field Manual 21-20 (Physical Fitness Training, Change 1, Oct. 1, 1998, published by Headquarters, Department of the Army) and the CrossFit Level 1 Training Guide (Version 4, published by CrossFit Inc.).

Part 1: and eye-foot coordination) are important to a soldier’s Foundations, Methods and Implementation survivability in combat. The manual does not rank the components of physical or motor fitness, as it FM 21-20: U.S. Army Physical-Fitness Training asserts, “The Army fitness program seeks to improve In the introductory chapter to Field Manual 21-20, the or maintain all the components of physical and motor manual lays out the foundations of the Army physical- fitness … .” The inclusion of body composition in the fitness program, defines its terms, and explains its components of fitness implies the necessity to control Principles of Exercise. FM 21-20 defines fitness in a a soldier’s diet for optimal performance. The manual broad manner. The manual’s components of “physical” then proceeds to provide the user with guidelines for fitness are cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular all physical-fitness programs. The Principles of Exercise, strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and body according to FM 21-20, are regularity, progression, composition. The manual also provides another list of balance, variety, specificity, recovery and overload. In important physical skills, called “motor” fitness. The the definitions of these principles, the manual advocates manual explains that the elements of “motor” fitness a program that addresses all the fitness components (speed, agility, muscle power, eye-hand coordination (regularity), encourages good nutrition (regularity), advises adequate rest (regularity), avoids specialization

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1. Eat a variety of foods. (balance), includes variance, and challenges a soldier 2. Maintain a desirable body weight. to the limits of his capacity (progression, overload), in 3. Avoid excess dietary fat. addition to other considerations. 4. Avoid too much sugar. The manual uses a chapter each on providing guidelines 5. Eat foods with adequate starch and fiber. for cardiorespiratory, muscular-endurance, muscular- 6. Avoid too much sodium. strength and flexibility training. For each type of training, 7. Drink alcoholic beverages in moderation. the manual uses the terms frequency, intensity, time 8. Know the nutrition principles. and type (FITT) to provide a mechanism for evaluating and developing training plans. In discussing cardiorespi- The manual concludes the nutrition discussion by ratory training, FM 21-20 uses a soldier’s training heart addressing the importance of hydration. rate (THR) as the primary measurement of intensity in Circuit training receives special attention for its ability such exercise but also mentions perceived exertion as to simultaneously challenge multiple components of an alternate method. The types of cardiorespiratory physical and motor fitness. It is the only type of training exercise include running, rowing, biking, road-marching, presented in the manual that can address such a broad swimming and others. The manual recommends three range of fitness components. While FM 21-20 acknowl- major types of training for cardiorespiratory exercise: edges that unit sports can develop several types of ability group, interval and fartlek. (The manual highly motor fitness, it cautions the use of competitive fitness discourages group pacing, such as unit formation activities as anything but a supplement to a unit fitness- running, for units with soldiers of different abilities.) training plan. However, the manual makes clear the Next, the manual broaches muscular-endurance and multitude of advantages to competitive fitness activities strength training. The differentiation between muscular- outside the development of physical capacity and the strength and muscular-endurance training is deter- “tremendous positive influence” on a unit. According mined by the intensity of the exercise. In FM 21-20, to FM 21-20, competitive fitness activities “ … help intensity is the number of repetitions of an exercise. develop assets that are vital to combat effectiveness. Muscular strength is considered 3-7 repetitions, These include team spirit, the will to win, confidence, muscular endurance 12-plus repetitions, and muscular toughness, aggressiveness, and teamwork.” strength and endurance 8-12 repetitions. The exercises CrossFit: Constantly Varied, High-Intensity for muscular-fitness training are vast in number and Functional Movement type but include everything from squats, bench presses and deadlifts to biceps curls, heel raises, neck exten- CrossFit is a holistic approach to fitness and wellness. sions and shoulder shrugs. Last, the manual addresses CrossFit aims to develop general physical preparedness flexibility. Flexibility includes static stretching, passive (GPP) in its athletes—readiness to face the “unknown stretching, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation and unknowable.” In other words, CrossFit athletes (PNF) stretching and ballistic stretching. The manual strive to develop a wide range of physical skills through emphasizes the importance of a warm-up, a cool-down constantly varied, high-intensity, functional movement and stretching to increase efficiency and reduce the and avoid specializing the way a sport-specific athlete prospect of injury. would train. CrossFit uses 10 physical skills to define fitness: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, The manual also covers body composition (a component strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, of its definition of fitness), nutrition, circuit training, balance and accuracy. Using efficacy alone to measure obstacle courses, competitive fitness activities, and progress, CrossFit is an evolutionary program and several considerations for leaders developing a unit challenges its community to find the solution to optimal physical-fitness program (to include injuries and GPP. In implementation, CrossFit harnesses compe- environmental effects). The chapter on nutrition is an tition, quantitative measurement and clear standards elucidation of the USDA food pyramid. The manual of movement to create the “sport of fitness.” CrossFit is advocates foods rich in carbohydrates—such as pasta, holistic because it establishes nutrition as its foundation rice, whole-wheat bread and potatoes—for optimal in its endeavor to create the fittest human in the world performance. The manual’s principles of nutrition are: (tested through the CrossFit Games, held annually since

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2007 in California). The intended result of the CrossFit Also key to CrossFit is how it defines intensity. Intensity program is a healthy human capable of taking on life’s is not a qualitative assessment but is based on average physical challenges in a state of high fitness or “super- power. Average power is work over time, or force over a wellness.” The CrossFit foundations for nutrition and distance in a certain time: exercise are depicted in the triangle chart below: Power = Force x Distance / Time, with Force x Distance = Work Chart 1: CrossFit Foundational Pyramid Although the equation harkens back to high-school physics, it can be easily understood without math. It takes a certain amount of force to move a 135-lb. barbell from the ground to over an athlete’s head. The distance is the amount the barbell moved. The time is how long it took the athlete to complete the movement. Therefore, intensity, or power, is not subjective; instead, it can be measured exactly. CrossFit does not ask athletes to calculate their power output for each workout, but the more power an athlete can generate over time is directly correlated to his level of fitness. Intensity in CrossFit is the independent variable most associated with progression, or favorable adaption to exercise. CrossFit provides a simplified explanation of its approach through its World Class Fitness in 100 Words.

Courtesy of CrossFit Inc. CrossFit of Courtesy Table 1: CrossFit’s World Class Fitness in 100 Words Courtesy of CrossFit Inc. CrossFit asserts that the exercises lower in the pyramid are by nature foundational to the exercises higher in the pyramid, and nutrition is the foundation for everything. Exercises higher in the pyramid tend to require more skill. Metabolic-conditioning exercises are running, biking, rowing and jump rope. Gymnastics are body-weight movements such as jumps, pull-ups, push-ups, dips, air squats (squats without weight), rope climbs, handstand push-ups, sit-ups and others. Weightlifting movements are deadlifts, cleans, presses, bench presses, buddy carries, tire flips, clean and jerks, etc. CrossFit workouts are described as “constantly varied, high-intensity functional movement.” Essential to CrossFit exercises are their functionality and applicability to movements in everyday life. Functional movements force the development of core strength and do not isolate certain muscle groups. For example, deadlifts, or the act of picking an object off the ground, engage the entire posterior chain of muscles (hamstrings, lower back, etc.) and require core stabilization to maintain lumbar rigidity. In contrast, heel raises, an isolation exercise that by itself does not have a real-world application, challenge the calf muscles alone.

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CrossFit takes a strong stand on its athletes placing nutrition at the forefront of their training. In direct contrast to the USDA food guidelines, CrossFit advocates the Zone Diet (developed by Dr. Barry Sears), the Paelolithic Diet (see Dr. Loren Cordain) or a mix of both. The CrossFit nutritional approach is summarized above in Table 1 but follows some more specific guidelines. CrossFit’s nutritional guidelines highly discourage the intake of breads, cereals and grains and instead encourage the intake of low-glycemic carbohydrates, which should compose 40 percent of the athlete’s caloric load. In addition, CrossFit advises healthy fats compose 30 percent of an athlete’s caloric load. The remaining calories should be a product of lean meats. CrossFit advocates its nutritional model not only for purposes of optimal athletic performance but also for the long-term health of its athletes. Many similarities may have jumped out to the reader about FM 21-20 and the CrossFit approach to health and wellness, but the approaches diverge at critical junctures. What follows is a comparison between the two programs. Foundations: FM 21-20 vs. CrossFit Are FM 21-20 and CrossFit trying to create the same athlete? A marathon runner, for example, who specifies in long-distance endurance running, does not concern himself with muscular strength. However, we know that muscular strength is essential to the job of all soldiers in the Army (especially combat-arms soldiers). Therefore, it is important to know whether FM 21-20 and CrossFit even have the same goals. If they do not endeavor to create the same athlete, then it is fruitless to compare the programs. Table 2 below is a comparison of the FM 21-20 and CrossFit definitions of fitness.

FM 21-20 Classification FM 21-20 CrossFit Cardiorespiratory Endurance Cardiovascular/Respiratory Endurance Muscular Strength Strength Physical Fitness Muscular Endurance Stamina Flexibility Flexibility Body Composition Accuracy Speed Speed Agility Agility Motor Fitness Muscle Power Power Eye-Hand Coordination Coordination Eye-Foot Coordination Balance Table 2: FM 21-20’s Components of Fitness vs. CrossFit’s 10 Physical Skills Although FM 21-20 divides fitness into two components, physical and motor, the table above shows that the two programs’ definitions are almost exactly the same. Although FM 21-20 does not mention “balance” specifically like CrossFit, it does mention its importance later in the manual when discussing the positive benefits of unit sports. Most importantly, FM 21-20 does not prioritize any aspect of fitness and emphasizes the importance of all the components and their applicability to combat. CrossFit attempts to achieve a similar balance between all elements of its definition of fitness. The ideal FM 21-20 soldier and CrossFit athlete share the same description: a man or woman who is good at everything but specializes in nothing. Therefore, FM 21-20 and CrossFit aim to create the same kind of athlete. The two programs’ definitions of fitness are remarkably similar, but what about their methods? FM 21-20 uses its “Principles of Exercise” to provide guidelines to the Army about physical-training methods. For purposes of comparison, the CrossFit “principles” do not perfectly mirror those in FM 21-20, but in Table 3 below selected CrossFit principles from its Level 1 Training Guide appear next to their counterparts in FM 21-20.

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Selected CrossFit Principles Principles of Exercise (FM 21-20) (from Level 1 Training Guide) To achieve a training effect, a person must CrossFit trainers have found that a 3-days-on, exercise often. One should strive to exercise each 1-day-off program is the most effective; athletes of the first four fitness components at least three Regularity must be prepared for any contingency, so they times a week. Infrequent exercise can do more must train with a broad range of stimuli; nutrition is harm than good. Regularity is also important in the foundation for the program. resting, sleeping and following a good diet. All CrossFit workouts are universally scalable, allowing athletes to progress indefinitely by The intensity (how hard) and/or duration (how achieving faster times, more repetitions, and/or Progression long) of exercise must gradually increase to more weight; intensity, defined as power output, improve the level of fitness. is the key to maximizing favorable adaption to exercise. To be effective, a program should include activ- CrossFit shuns specificity and aims for general ities that address all the fitness components, Balance physical preparedness (GPP), never sacrificing one because overemphasizing any one of them may element of fitness or energy pathway for another. hurt the others. Workouts are highly varied to prepare an athlete for Providing a variety of activities reduces boredom any possible physical contingency; CrossFit is the Variety and increases motivation and progress. “sport of fitness,” tackling boredom and motivation with competition and a team-like atmosphere. Training must be geared toward specific goals. For Specificity is avoided in CrossFit, and its training example, soldiers become better runners if their with elite athletes has revealed that fixing physical Specificity training emphasizes running. Although swimming imbalances helps prevent injury and improve is great exercise, it does not improve a 2-mile-run performance in sport-specific activity. time as much as a running program does. A hard day of training for a given component of fitness should be followed by an easier training day or rest day for that component and/or muscle Recovery is an important aspect of the training Recovery group to help permit recovery. Another way to regimen and key to maximizing work and power in allow recovery is to alternate the muscle groups future workouts. exercised every other day, especially when training for strength and/or muscle endurance. High neuroendocrine response is essential to The workload of each exercise session must CrossFit workouts, achieved through heavy-load Overload exceed the normal demands placed on the body weight training, short rest between sets, high heart in order to bring about a training effect. rates, high-intensity training, and/or short rest intervals. Table 3: FM 21-20 Principles of Exercise vs. Selected CrossFit Principles The table above again shows the large amount of similarity between the two programs in their stated principles and foundations. Four of the principles in FM 21-20 are not exactly controversial. The fitness and health community generally accepts FM 21-20’s reasoning on regularity, progression, recovery and overload. Furthermore, FM 21-20 and CrossFit generally agree on balance. It is in specificity and variety that FM 21-20 and CrossFit begin to diverge. Variety and specificity could be contradictory if they were not used in different contexts. FM 21-20 cites variety as a principle for purposes of maintaining soldier motivation. CrossFit training uses variety to ensure balance between

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com Army ... (continued) the 10 physical skills listed in its definition of fitness. Variety in CrossFit prepares athletes for the “unknown and unknowable.” Variety in FM 21-20 challenges leaders to avoid repetitive and monotonous workouts. FM 21-20 includes specificity because it argues that there is no better way to train a movement than to do the movement itself. The manual uses running as the example, stating that if a soldier has a goal to improve running (a cardiorespiratory- endurance movement), then the best way to reach that goal is to run (as opposed to using another CrossFit endurance movement such as swimming). CrossFit trainers wouldn’t necessarily disagree with this statement. However, where CrossFit differs is that it reserves specificity for sport-specific athletes. CrossFit asserts that the variety and balance of physical skills trained in CrossFit workouts will maintain an athlete’s ability to perform well (but not optimally) in all movements life requires. In addition, CrossFit challenges its athletes to attack the “chinks in their athletic armor,” or to train movements that threaten the balance between the 10 physical skills. Depending on the importance placed on balance vs. specificity, FM 21-20 and CrossFit could be advocating the same thing. The last foundational concept of FM 21-20 and CrossFit is nutrition. Here the programs differ in significant ways. The differences are not without controversy, but a large body of scientific evidence is stacking up against the diet advocated by FM 21-20. The inclusion of high-gylcemic carbohydrates such as grains, breads, cereals, rice and potatoes is strongly discouraged by CrossFit but advocated by FM 21-20 and the USDA Food Pyramid. (Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes is an excellent and thorough analysis of the science that led to the current USDA recommendations, and it also presents the body of evidence that contradicts the USDA’s recommendations. See also Enter the Zone by Dr.Barry Sears or The Paleo Diet by Dr. Loren Cordain.) In Table 4 below, the differences are clear.

FM 21-20 Principles of Nutrition CrossFit Nutrition Guidelines Eat a variety of foods: Eat foods from the four basic food Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch groups: fruit and vegetables, meats, dairy products, and and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but breads and cereals. not body fat. The incidence of cancers and heart disease sharply decline with Maintain a desirable body weight: Select from a low-calorie a diet that is carefully limited in controlling caloric intake. The menu, and choose reduced portion sizes, no-calorie CrossFit prescription allows a reduced caloric intake and yet still beverages and low-calorie salad dressing. provides ample nutrition for rigorous activity. Avoid excess dietary fat: Fat should be 30 percent or less of total caloric intake. Limit saturated fat to less than 10 Fat should be predominantly monounsaturated and account for percent of calories, polyunsaturated fat to no more than 10 about 30 percent of your total caloric load. percent of total calories. Avoid too much sugar: Eat fruit in place of dessert. Drink unsweetened juices and beverages. Use sugar substitutes, Carbohydrates should be predominantly low-glycemic and and avoid sweetened cereal. account for about 40 percent of your total caloric load. Excessive consumption of high-glycemic carbohydrates (rice, Eat foods with adequate starch and fiber: Eat whole-grain bread, pasta, sodas, sugar and processed foods) is the primary breads, cereals, and legumes. Eat fresh fruit, and use the culprit in nutritionally caused health problems. salad bar for lunch and dinner. Avoid too much sodium: Reduce salt in recipes by 25 Avoid sodium. percent. Drink alcoholic beverages in moderation Avoid alcoholic beverages. Know the nutrition principles: Display educational Nutrition principles most closely follow the Paleolithic guide- materials, provide food-service personnel with training, and lines for nutrition. In other words, eat foods that support our provide unit-training programs on nutrition. genetic evolution. Table 4: FM 21-20 Principles of Nutrition vs. CrossFit Nutrition Guidelines

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com Army ... (continued) Methods: FM 21-20 vs. CrossFit When examining the methods in FM 21-20 and FM 21-20 provides several methods to prevent training comparing them to CrossFit workouts, it is again imbalances: ability group runs, interval training, timed surprising to find more similarities than differences. sets and circuit training. These methods are, in fact, at Throughout FM 21-20, the manual discourages the use the heart of CrossFit training. of training that takes a cookie-cutter approach. No two Swim meets provide an easy analogy to CrossFit soldiers have the same physical capacity, and training workouts. The event is a 400-meter freestyle swim with must challenge the weakest and the strongest soldier six swimmers competing. The swimmers race against or the training does not comply with two key principles: each other and against their own past times for personal intensity and progression. FM 21-20 addresses this records. Perhaps some swimmers are even racing dilemma many times throughout the manual and against the league record. No matter what the goal of provides methods to target the problem. In Chapter 1, each swimmer (to win the race, to beat a previous time, FM 21-20 states, “Training time is wasted by … insuffi- to set a record), each will leave the race physically and cient training intensity … (and) extreme formality that mentally taxed. Take the same swim meet. Now make usually emphasizes form over substance. An example the same swimmers swim as many laps as they can in would be too many unit runs at slow paces … .” Later 20 minutes. In between each lap they must perform the in the same chapter, the manual states, “Holding a fit maximum amount of pull-ups possible before letting go soldier back by making him run at a slow, unit-run pace of the bar. The winner of the race is determined not only … hurts his morale and violates the principle of training by the number of laps completed but also by the number to challenge (or intensity).” In Chapter 2, FM 21-20 of pull-ups performed. This race is now a modified explains, “Unfortunately, too many soldiers are not version of a long-used CrossFit workout called Nicole. challenged enough by the intensity or duration of the The point: everyone competes and everyone pushes unit run, and they do not receive a training benefit.” themselves to the limits of his or her own abilities, but OK, so FM 21-20 is making a clear case against cardio- everyone is also doing the workout together. respiratory training that does not challenge soldiers of CrossFit workouts have the same general approach different capabilities, but what about muscular strength as the modified swim race. Everyone gives maximum and endurance training? In Chapter 3, the manual effort, and the rules of the game don’t limit the physical advocates the use of “timed sets” in muscular strength output of each athlete. If an athlete can perform the and endurance training for the same effect: tasks faster, then he or she achieves a faster time. If the “The use of timed sets, unlike exercises performed in athlete can perform more tasks in a set amount of time, cadence or for a specific number of repetitions, helps to than he or she achieves a higher score, or more repeti- ensure that each soldier does as many repetitions of an tions. The rules of the workout may dictate the use of exercise as possible within a period of time. It does not a specific exercise, and that exercise must be executed hold back the more capable performer by restricting the with the full range of motion (think of a backstroke swim number of repetitions he may do. Instead, soldiers at all race—the swimmers must use the specified stroke and levels of fitness can individually do the number of repeti- are disqualified for deviation). However, in CrossFit, tions they are capable of and thereby be sure they obtain if someone cannot perform an exercise due to lack of an adequate training stimulus.” capacity, the athlete can “scale” the workout to fit his or her needs, as long as the workout is still functional, FM 21-20 provides another method to target intensity, varied and intense. among other training principles. The manual devotes an entire chapter to circuit training. Circuit training is Scaling is modification of the movement, time or repeti- performed as a “free circuit” (movement to next station tions in a workout to achieve an effect similar to that upon completion of a number of tasks) or “fixed circuit” produced by the original workout. For example, if one (movement to next station on a time interval). FM 21-20 of the swimmers had a shoulder injury, she could kick states, “Circuits are designed to provide exercise to the lengths of the pool and perform 40 lunges after each groups of soldiers at intensities which suit each person’s lap instead of maximum pull-ups. Good form is also fitness level.” As evidenced above, maintaining adequate extremely important. Good form in workouts is safe, training intensity is a major concern in FM 21-20. and good form allows for greater efficiency. If an athlete

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cannot maintain good form due to lack of physical capacity, workouts are scalable to account for this. In addition, athletes exercise in a team-like atmosphere that fosters competition, and slower or weaker athletes do not slow the rest of the “team” down. All participants are challenged to their maximum capacity. Very simply, in terms of FM 21-20, CrossFit is circuit training, interval training and timed sets. The CrossFit Level 1 Training Guide states, “… at CrossFit we work exclusively with compound movements and shorter high-intensity cardiovascular sessions.” Depending on perspective and the context of comparison, CrossFit workouts could be considered a subset of FM 21-20 methods, or CrossFit could be considered an advanced refinement of FM 21-20 by using some of the manual’s methods more effectively. No matter the perspective, nearly all CrossFit workouts fall within the methods and guidelines of FM 21-20, but not vice versa. It is important to understand this difference. How the Two Programs Are Very Different Despite their virtually identical definitions of fitness, similarity in exercise principles and use of like training methods, the Army physical-training program outlined in FM 21-20 and CrossFit have some distinct differences. The major differences are CrossFit’s use of functional movement, anaerobic cardiovascular endurance training and quantitative measurement. In addition, CrossFit has a stronger focus on the balance of the 10 physical skills. It would seem that all physical training in FM 21-20 should have a direct application to the function of a soldier in his or her job. However, an examination of the exercises in the manual’s discussion of muscular strength, muscular endurance and calisthenics exercises reveals a large amount of isolation movements that are non-functional or have little application to real-world activities. In contrast, CrossFit focuses entirely on functional movement. Functional movements are movements that are found in everyday activities, such as sitting down or putting a piece of luggage into an airplane’s overhead compartment. Functional movements are compound, multi-joint movements that can have an enormous effect on core strength and neuroendocrine response. Below is a list of muscular-fitness and calisthenics exercises advocated by FM 21-20. Non-functional and isolation movements are in bold:

Muscular Strength and Endurance Exercises Calisthenics Exercises Abdominal crunch Neck flexion Bend and reach Push-up Abdominal twist Overhead press Cross-country skier Side-straddle hop Back Extension Parallel-bar dip Flutter kick Sit-up Bench press Pull-up High jumper Ski jump Bent-leg deadlift Seated row Knee bender Squat bender Bent-over row Shoulder shrug Lunger Supine bicycle Biceps curl Single-leg squat Mule kick The engine Heel raise Sit-up Parallel-bar dip The swimmer Lat pull-down or pull-up Split squat Pull-up Leg curl Squat Leg extension Toe raise Leg press or squat Triceps extension Leg raises Wrist curl Neck extension Table 5: FM 21-20 Muscular-Fitness and Calisthenics Exercises (non-functional in bold) In Table 5, the non-functional movements outnumber the functional. In fact, almost two-thirds of the exercises listed above are non-functional. CrossFit does not hold the position that non-functional movements are “bad” or will not make an athlete strong, per se. Instead, CrossFit advocates that given limited training time, functional movements are more efficient at eliciting the desired response in an athlete’s body, training multiple muscle groups simultaneously, and having an extremely positive effect on core fitness.

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The next major difference between FM 21-20 and is from fast, constant work or fast work at a specified CrossFit is the use of anaerobic cardiovascular training. interval. For metabolic conditioning (cardiovascular Anaerobic cardiovascular training is the use of short- endurance) CrossFit does not use training heart rate, but burst movements in rapid succession, interval training CrossFit Endurance does make use of rate of perceived or a mix of both. CrossFit advocates the use of anaerobic exertion (RPE). training because, unlike aerobic training (low-power Lastly, CrossFit is much more aggressive about output over a long period of time), excessive aerobic maintaining balance between the 10 physical skills than training leads to a decrease in anaerobic capacity. FM 21-20 is about balancing its components of physical However, the reverse is not true (anaerobic training and motor fitness. FM 21-20’s inclusion of balance, does not adversely affect aerobic capacity). CrossFit variety and specificity in its Principles of Exercise asserts that properly structured anaerobic training seems contradictory, but instead it is just confusing. can be used to develop a high level of aerobic fitness. The separation of physical and motor fitness further In fact, CrossFit Endurance, or the application of this confuses the prioritization. Throughout the manual, principle to endurance training, has grown in popularity FM 21-20 emphasizes the balance between cardiore- among athletes who want to participate in endurance spiratory endurance, muscular strength and muscular activities without the strength, power and speed losses endurance. The discussion of “balance” in the Principles that occur as a result of strictly training aerobically. of Exercise, the sample outline of a physical training CrossFit Endurance programming also cites a reduced program using the FITT factors, the chapter on muscular injury rate with anaerobic cardiovascular training. So fitness, and the chapter on developing the unit program where do ability group runs (AGRs) fit in? The CrossFit all carry the same theme: balance between muscular version of an AGR would be a 4-mile run for time, where strength, muscular endurance and cardiorespiratory soldiers of similar ability could run together but would endurance, with little mention of speed, agility, power compete in order to achieve the fastest time. Or, CrossFit or coordination. In addition, FM 21-20’s strong focus Endurance uses tempo runs, where soldiers each run to on balance between muscular-strength, muscular- a percentage of perceived exertion. Perceived exertion is endurance, and cardiorespiratory-endurance training echoed in FM 21-20 as a secondary means to measure leaves little room for discussion on balancing the actual intensity (secondary to measuring heart rate). exercises to ensure a well-rounded soldier. This unique An important aspect of CrossFit is the constant quanti- dynamic paired with isolation and non-functional tative measurement occurring during every workout. FM movement leads to a singular focus on improving APFT 21-20 does not include this concept. In CrossFit, nearly event exercises, a topic I will expand on later. every workout has a “score.” These scores are the fuel for the competition in the workouts but also let athletes Where FM 21-20 Falls Short closely measure their progression. After every workout, The Army published FM 21-20 for the entire Army, there is immediate feedback to the athlete based on his but the manual acknowledges the need for units score relative to other athletes or the athlete’s previous to tailor physical training to their mission-essential time, number, etc. In essence, CrossFit workouts are like task lists. All specialties in the Army can benefit from taking an APFT that measures different capacities every integrating CrossFit into their physical-training plans. day. The deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom blurred the lines Additionally, the definition of intensity differs signifi- between the military occupational specialties. A larger cantly between the two programs. In FM 21-20, intensity percentage of the Army needs to be concerned with is defined in muscular-fitness training as the number effective physical training than prior to 9/11. Therefore, of repetitions and in cardiorespiratory training as although the below observations, criticisms and recom- training heart rate or perceived exertion. In CrossFit, mendations are written with combat-arms soldiers in intensity is the average power an athlete generates, mind, they are applicable to any unit that will experience and every CrossFit workout is high intensity. FM 21-20 physical demands in the execution of its mission. does not provide any guidance beyond repetitions for muscular-fitness exercise, and without an associated Casual observation of units along Battalion Avenue on time component, the difference in intensity between the Fort Hood serves as an example of the gap between programs is severe. The intensity in CrossFit workouts the good intentions of FM 21-20 and good practices.

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com Army ... (continued) Low-intensity, group-paced workouts are ubiquitous and 3. Cursory Guidance on Muscular Fitness waste massive amounts of soldier time. Poor physical The manual and the Army’s aversion to multi-joint and training is not simply the fault of bad leadership, lack of more functional movement likely stems from limited creativity or poor unit culture. Gyms are packed following knowledge and familiarity with these movements. the hours of physical training with soldiers and leaders However, even with the functional movements that FM who consider their unit’s physical training a waste of 21-20 does include, there is a paucity of explanation time. Planning good physical training and ensuring that on the correct form of the movements. For example, leaders are challenging their soldiers is ultimately a the manual’s explanation of the squat is limited to: feet commander’s responsibility. However, certain cultural shoulder-width apart, hold weight on shoulders, bend norms and practices need to be eradicated, and FM the knees until tops of thighs are parallel with ground, 21-20 must assume the responsibility for the manifes- keep head and shoulders upright, and keep back straight. tation of its doctrine. There are six critical weaknesses Anyone familiar with a squat knows that not only is in FM 21-20: executing the squat with the above form easier said than 1. Lack of emphasis on functional movement. done, but there are also several more important form 2. Lack of balance between fitness components. considerations not included above that an athlete must 3. Cursory guidance on muscular-fitness training. adhere to in order to execute the movement safely. 4. Failure to acknowledge the scarcity of muscular- 4. Scarcity of Muscular-Strength Equipment strength equipment. FM 21-20 does not reflect the reality of Army physical 5. Training to the test. training. Units rarely use weightlifting equipment during 6. Insufficient examples of good workouts to achieve physical-training hours. It is uncommon for units to intensity. own weightlifting equipment, gyms are overcrowded 1. Functional Movement during physical-fitness hours, and post or unit policies often restrict the use of gyms during physical-fitness Almost two-thirds of the movements listed under hours. FM 21-20’s partner resistance exercises are “muscular fitness” in Table 5 are non-functional or simply insufficient to provide the intensity and overload isolation movements. Soldiers need to spend their necessary to make progression in strength and power. limited training time on exercises that have a direct The result is often that units abandon muscular-strength application to their job responsibilities. Soldiers run training altogether. In addition, the example unit plans short distances with heavy loads, pick up heavy objects, included in FM 21-20 violate the principles of regularity scale walls, fight hand-to-hand, climb and ruck-march. and balance when it comes to muscular strength. The These activities require superior control over the body sample 12-week plans in the manual don’t allow for any (gymnastics) and the ability move, support and throw significant strength progression with the exception of heavy objects (weightlifting). Time should not be spent push-ups and sit-ups. Soldier creativity aside, FM 21-20 on exercises like abdominal crunches, biceps curls, leg needs to provide realistic ideas and guidance to units presses or mule kicks. Instead, time should be spent on that are deployed or have little access to the standard deadlifts, overhead presses and squats. barbells, plates, dumbbells and machines. In at least 2. Fitness Component Balance one Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) handbook about small-unit operations in Afghanistan, it provides Fitness component balance goes beyond striking a ideas for exercises with a duffel bag. Apart from the fact balance between muscular endurance, power, cardio- that the techniques look strikingly similar to CrossFit, it respiratory endurance, speed, etc. Balance also must is a good start. include balance between the muscle groups to create the all-around soldier FM 21-20 endeavors to build. FM (The CALL manual in this reference is Unclassified FOUO 21-20 needs to describe its prototype: the well-balanced [For Official Use Only] but can be found by authorized soldier. Units can then use limited specificity to build military personnel through the Center for Army Lessons a soldier for their mission. Specificity, as a Principle Learned Web site.) of Exercise, gives justification to imbalanced physical programs when combat-arms soldiers need to have a wide variety of physical skills.

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com Army ... (continued) 5. Training to the Test (the APFT) plans to soldiers with lots of creativity but little training The APFT contributes to monotonous, poorly balanced or guidance. The result can be underwhelming. programs such as Monday: run, Tuesday: push-up/sit-up Where CrossFit Succeeds improvement, Wednesday: run, Thursday: push-up/ (and What the Army Can Learn From It) sit-up improvement, and Friday: run. And why shouldn’t units focus on APFT skills? The APFT has the power to Thus far, we have seen the immense amount of similar- make for a good Non-Commissioned Officer Evaluation ities between the foundations and methods of FM 21-20 Report (NCOER) bullet, identify one unit from another, and CrossFit. However, the programs diverge at critical stop promotion and separate soldiers from service. junctures. Properly integrating the many strengths of the Furthermore, FM 21-20 uses specificity to argue that CrossFit program could improve the Army’s approach the best way to improve a physical skill is to train the to physical fitness but could also close the gap between physical skill. It is not difficult to see why units focus good intentions and effective practices in physical exclusively on APFT skills. Put bluntly, if units want to training. CrossFit not only succeeds where FM 21-20 make an assessment of their soldiers’ physical readiness falls short, but through the evolution of its program, for combat, they need to develop a test apart from the CrossFit has also developed several other methods the APFT. Many units have already moved in this direction, Army should learn and integrate—such as the creation but it ultimately places leaders in difficult positions to of the “sport of fitness.” fight a culture that FM 21-20 created to prepare their First, CrossFit rests on functional movement and GPP soldiers for combat. The Army physical-fitness culture that mirror challenges in life. As described above, should not be simply another antiquated Army custom isolation movements are inadequate not only for their company-level commanders have to struggle against. lack of relevance but also for their inability to effec- 6. Insufficient Detail and Examples to Achieve tively challenge the body in a limited period of time. GPP requires a balance of physical skills that CrossFit Intensity advocates. Mastery of functional movement and Although intensity is also mentioned above in the GPP is more important to those in the military and discussion of muscular-fitness exercises, FM 21-20 does law-enforcement and rescue services than anyone else. not provide a sufficient amount of detail to Army leaders. Combat is the ultimate test of functional movement and In the 12-week plans included in the chapter “Developing GPP. Whether certain Army specialties should use speci- the Unit Program,” a workout looks like this (translation ficity for purposes of their mission is a worthy question of abbreviations in parentheses): to debate, but the point is that the debate needs to occur. ACT: PRE/PU-SU IMP (Activity: partner-resisted Nevertheless, the baseline capacity for every soldier exercise; push-up, sit-up improvement) should be functional movement and GPP. If certain units and specialties need to optimize specific capabilities, INT: MF (Intensity: muscular failure due to fatigue) then they will benefit from physically adaptable and DUR: 35/4 MIN (Duration: 35 minutes total, 4-minute injury-resistant soldiers if they build from good GPP. The work cycle) Army needs to aggressively pursue GPP in its doctrine, testing and practice. Functional movement should the This workout plan provides insufficient detail and bedrock for all Army exercises. example to an Army leader about what a challenging push-up and sit-up improvement workout looks like. Second, through its growing database of detailed FM 21-20 acknowledges that intensity is the largest workouts, training in foundational movements and strong challenge for any leader in developing a training program. focus on intensity, CrossFit provides the guidance to its However, in any training program, the quality is in the trainers for high-quality training. Quality “programming,” details. How a leader uses the 35 minutes in the above the equivalent CrossFit word for “training plans,” is not workout to achieve intensity is far and away the most an easy art to perfect. However, CrossFit Headquarters important part of the plan. There are 100 ways the leader has developed a massive amount of workouts that have could use the 35 minutes to push his soldiers’ muscle been proven excellent through efficacy alone. Also, other failure, and half of those are ineffective. Unfortunately, CrossFit trainers throughout the country are growing FM 21-20 leaves the difficult art of physical training in number and have proven themselves to be quality programmers. Quality CrossFit workouts are effective

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com Army ... (continued) in developing GPP, maintain appropriate amounts of who find it comfortable to stay on profile to avoid intensity throughout the workout and are scalable training, CrossFit-inspired profile PT would not provide to any physical capacity. Additionally, through the a refuge. CrossFit Level 1 Certification program, CrossFit spends Last, perhaps CrossFit’s most important achievement is considerable time on correct form for foundational its fusing of competition and fitness. CrossFit describes movements, allowing the average person to perform the union as the “sport of fitness,” and the result has been those movements safely and effectively. CrossFit gives the development of an incredibly strong community and adequate explanation of the set-up, execution and a crucible (the CrossFit Games) for the fittest men and common faults for each foundational movement in the women in the world. Every workout has a score, weight literature provided to Level 1 trainees. The Army could or time, and athletes are encouraged to share their find the same success through provision of a database of numbers. Competition has positive effects in addition proven workouts and adequate training to its leaders (or to motivating athletes to achieve the intensity necessary subject-matter experts) on training plans and proper form. for progression. CrossFit has found that competition Third, CrossFit has infiltrated almost every military base creates bonds, vets the programming of trainers, and and outpost in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan despite the provides athletes tangible goals for fitness. FM 21-20 lack of access to typical fitness equipment. This is in no recognizes these positive benefits of competition but small part due to literature in the CrossFit community implies that they can only be harnessed through unit about training in austere conditions and exercises with sports and specially designed unit activities. Combat is atypical equipment, and CrossFit’s focus on functional the ultimate competition and should be an integral part movement is similarly helpful. The Army could produce of the Army’s culture. The fusing of fitness and compe- more literature, give more examples and develop tition would result in better fitness results and stronger doctrine that is more effective and realistic than FM unit internal bonds. 21-20. Creativity from commanders and leaders at all levels will always be much more effective than doctrine Part 2: Evolution of the Army Through in developing quality plans for unique situations, but the Absorption of CrossFit Army should begin with doctrine that reflects the current Over the past nine years, the Army has experienced a operational environment. Using CrossFit foundations diverse set of combat conditions that have inspired and methods, the Army could make significant strides immense changes to training, changes to doctrine, in this respect. creation of new doctrine, and development of a wide Fourth, through the concept of “universal scalability,” variety of new tactics, techniques and procedures CrossFit brings its concept of elite fitness to the obese, (TTPs). However, the doctrine that provides the weak and old with success. CrossFit scares the untrained foundation for physical training remains unchanged since and unfit for all the wrong reasons. The untrained and 1992. Concurrently, the Army and the American society unfit ought to be nervous about the difficulty of CrossFit are in a state of declining physical condition. Recently workouts because they will be significantly challenged announced changes to basic training acknowledge the every time. However, effectively used, CrossFit can declining physical condition of recruits. These changes protect athletes against injury by correcting imbalances. are a reflection of the declining wellness of American CrossFit brings the realm of physical-training knowledge society at large. The diseases of civilization—such as to the general public. The concept of universal scalability obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and physical-training knowledge could transform and various forms cancer—wreak havoc on a population physical training for soldiers with limitations. Recently, that provides the pool for potential soldiers. Thankfully, an officer observing the physical training of soldiers in the Army is able to snag its recruits young and before the Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Hood remarked that most of the diseases of civilization set in. However, the it was amazing how much physical training the soldiers volunteers for an army with numerous commitments to were capable of doing. Contrast these leaders in the security around the globe are youths within a society Warrior Transition Unit with typical “profile PT” in many beset with poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyles. units. Radically changing profile PT would help soldiers In Part 1 of this article, we saw a remarkable number of recover from injury more quickly and allow them to similarities between the foundations to the U.S. Army’s continue training. For the small percentage of soldiers

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com Army ... (continued) approach to physical fitness (as outlined in FM 21-20) for himself. Platoons formed teams and competed for a and CrossFit. However, FM 21-20 plays a major role team score with the same positive effect from compe- in creating the chasm between solid foundations and tition. Second, we achieved an important goal in our quality implementation of methods. CrossFit can be physical training: achieving intensity for every soldier used to bridge this gap through unique application of during every workout. CrossFit workouts enabled us to functional movement. Physical training and wellness achieve this goal because the unit was never performing have become increasingly important for the Army just to the level of the soldier leading the workout. Every mission and the health of its soldiers. The Army is not workout inspired the individual soldier to push himself in a crisis, but others and I have experienced physical to the limit of his capacity. Third, the use of quantitative weakness degrading the tactical capability of a unit measurement was useful for platoons to gauge their during combat operations. The Army has often stayed progress. Even when soldiers’ scores worsened for a ahead of social dynamics in American society in positive workout from one month to the next because the troop ways. The Army has an opportunity to continue this had been in the field for several weeks, it was still useful tradition by directing the most disciplined, responsive to understand where everyone stood. For soldiers who and attentive portion of American society toward better had trouble with personal motivation, having data from wellness. The Army can use the CrossFit groundswell past workouts was helpful because the leadership could as a catalyst and lead its fighting force toward a better identify a goal and push the soldier to achieve it on approach to wellness through evolution of policy, the next workout. Fourth, the platoons that thoroughly doctrine and culture. embraced the intent of the program, built on the troop’s plan and studiously tracked their soldiers’ scores in The Use of CrossFit at the Company Level workouts not only saw a better fitness result but also The integration of CrossFit or use of CrossFit as a unit better levels of motivation from across the platoon on physical-training program is not theoretical. Several a daily basis. In the end, CrossFit not only helped our company-level and battalion-level units around the soldiers achieve a higher level of fitness, but the fitness Army are using CrossFit or CrossFit concepts in their program also increased morale. Physical training was physical-training plans. I used CrossFit as the foundation never a “waste of time,” no matter the fitness level of for my troop’s physical-training plan. The restructuring of the soldier. our physical-training program was not easy for my troop and was a challenge for me as the sole subject-matter Unfortunately, CrossFit did not fix every problem in our “expert” on CrossFit methods. We didn’t do everything unit’s approach to physical fitness. Good leadership right, and the below recommendations are a result of (using strictly FM 21-20 methods) that is educated our shortcomings as much as our success. Several of the and motivated about fitness will be more effective challenges we faced were due to personnel who were than ambivalent leadership trying to implement resistant to change, and thus those challenges were CrossFit. Quality programming that achieves intensity, surmountable. However, we learned that CrossFit is not progression, balance and variety is difficult and requires a panacea for the difficult task of physically preparing constant re-evaluation. Macro and micro planning for soldiers for combat or a fail-proof method for achieving physical-training events are a necessity, and physical record scores on the APFT. Nevertheless, the integration training must be treated like a training event. Leaders of CrossFit had an extremely positive effect on our need to use the eight-step training model. Overweight unit. Therefore, I am convinced that the Army can use and underperforming soldiers still exist in units, no matter CrossFit to improve its methods and can learn from the what program the unit uses. Our troop created a special- extremely effective and holistic program. population PT group that had its own specially tailored CrossFit and nutrition-counseling program. However, Our troop learned some important lessons from the no amount of good unit physical training can overcome use of CrossFit in our physical-training program. lack of self-discipline in food choices and poor use of First, we found enormous success from the use of personal time. In short, the transition to using CrossFit is CrossFit workouts that required limited equipment. difficult and may require even more work on the part of The workouts inspired competition, motivated our leaders than using FM 21-20. CrossFit will also not solve soldiers and helped the platoons come together as a basic leadership problems and may not fix some internal team. CrossFit competition was not always every man motivation problems in soldiers. However, we found that

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com Army ... (continued) a CrossFit approach could address the above challenges 6. Create benchmarks—Choose a few workouts that more effectively than the limited guidance in FM 21-20. test a variety of skills and will serve as your unit’s benchmark workouts. Use these workouts to gauge Below is a list of recommendations for implementation of progress across the unit. Don’t hesitate to use CrossFit at the company level: some of the CrossFit “girls,” such as Cindy, Fran, 1. Get trained—Have several of your key leaders Barbara, etc. attend a CrossFit Level 1 Certification. Then, 7. Cycle back to workouts—Sacrifice a little bit of expand the base of knowledge in your unit with constant variety to cycle back to workouts the unit foundations classes at a local affiliate or a train- did several months or weeks back (perhaps the the-trainer program with a good local trainer. unit’s benchmarks). It gives soldiers feedback on 2. Study up—Because CrossFit is an open-source their physical capacity, can inspire confidence in program, simply spending time on CrossFit.com the soldiers and gives leaders a reliable gauge on studying form, different workouts and method- how their guys are progressing. ology will improve your leaders’ ability to critique 8. Specialize when necessary—Whether running form and program effectively. Read Paleo/Zone two miles within a certain time is reflective of literature. a combat-related task or simply necessary for 3. Get hold of limited equipment—Even if it’s soldiers to pass the APFT, the requirement can’t be ammo cans, water jugs and sandbags, have your ignored. If your unit is struggling with the running platoons get a stash of equipment they can use portion of the APFT, attack that weakness with for workouts. Try beginning with an investment in programming that incorporates more running. dumbbells (thanks to Andy Stumpf, a CrossFit HQ The APFT is not changing any time soon, and high trainer, for the recommendation). Sets of 35- and APFT scores are still good for soldiers’ careers. 55-lb. dumbbells are extremely versatile for swings, I mandated the inclusion of certain CrossFit thrusters, cleans, presses, etc. When you have the Endurance workouts (tempo and interval training) money to get more equipment, Rogue Fitness and and running into the normal CrossFit workouts as Again Faster, among others, have military-oriented a result of our run times on the APFT. By leaning in CrossFit packages and are certified for GSA the direction of running, you are not abandoning purchases. CrossFit; you are just tipping the balance of your 4. Develop a database of workouts—Quality GPP. programming is difficult and an art as much as 9. Stay strict on form—Soldiers will cut corners with a science. Have your leaders begin with using form. For the workouts where it would benefit, we workouts out of a solid database at the company split the platoon in half, where one half did the level. On the CrossFit.com Web site, there are a workout and the other half watched form. After the couple of great lists of body-weight workouts. Start first half was done with the workout, we switched. with the body-weight workouts, then start testing Units have to fight against the Army culture when some workouts with whatever equipment you can it comes to form. Many soldiers have an attitude get your hands on. You must scale to maintain born out of the APFT that you can get away with intensity. For example, on different occasions we bad form. had to abandon pull-ups or use assisted pull-ups 10. No barbell snatches on Day 1—No barbell on some workouts because soldiers would get snatches on Day 60, for that matter. Even if you stuck at the bars and lose all momentum/intensity. can get hold of the equipment, I only recommend 5. Train in the foundational movements—Create an incorporating highly technical lifting into on-ramp program for the unit. Train the unit on the programming for soldiers who show a solid grasp foundational movements with your unit’s subject- on the foundational movements. This may seem matter experts. Use the videos and resources obvious, but I’ve seen eager leaders try to throw available on CrossFit.com to supplement the soldiers into lifts they couldn’t handle. The great training and to see “what right looks like.” Practice thing about using dumbbells, as mentioned above, form at the beginning of every workout. is that soldiers can do Olympic-style movements with them relatively easily. Every Army leader

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who is a former athlete knows that the Army The Army must re-examine its approach to physical has a surprising dearth of soldiers with athletic readiness for combat. FM 21-20 and CrossFit seem or weightlifting experience. For some soldiers, to both espouse the necessity for GPP. Also, combat grasping the squat and replicating it correctly the operations demand soldiers who have a broad range next day was challenge enough. of physical capabilities in order to run fast, march 11. Quarterly competitions—The best way to long distances, lift heavy objects, throw objects great reinforce your unit’s fitness goals is to stage distances, scale great heights and fight in close quarters. competitions for the subordinate elements in your The Army and individual units would benefit by asking unit to go head-to-head. This can be a competition several questions. First, they should ask, “Should we be on the unit’s benchmark events but can also be sport- or activity-specific for certain physical skills?” In special workouts that test a variety of physical other words, are certain physical skills more important skills. Our troop tried to do a competition once than others for certain specialties? Even if the answer a quarter, and we tried to make them fun events is no, asking the question is worthwhile for guiding the to create a positive association with fitness. The balance in a training plan. Even if a unit determines that Hero WODs resonate loudly with soldiers and speed and strength are more important than stamina and help tie the workout back to the ultimate objective. cardiovascular endurance, it does not mean they must Nothing is more motivating in the push through abandon CrossFit-style training. Instead, programming that last mile of Murph than having your soldiers changes can create soldiers in the mold the unit intends. consider the sacrifices of Lt. Michael Murphy, for Second, they should ask, “Do we favor certain physical whom the workout is named. skills out of resource restrictions and ease of testing 12. Educate nutrition—Soldiers can’t outwork bad instead of necessity for combat? Is it possible that nutrition. Use the CrossFit program as a catalyst units tend to favor cardiovascular endurance and for educating soldiers on healthy choices. A major push-up/sit-up improvement for all the wrong reasons?” strength of CrossFit is a robust discussion about Regrettably, units that are concerned with APFT scores, good nutrition that leads to optimal performance cite lack of knowledge about muscular-strength training and long-term wellness. and have little access to equipment can develop cultures that favor certain skills. These skills may or may not be CrossFit and the Army the most important skills for combat. CrossFit brings highly effective functional movements Last, they should ask, “How important is complete such as Olympic lifting and gymnastics to athletes soldier fitness, to include health and wellness?” Recent who would normally never have the exposure to those experience in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation technical movements. Although the more difficult Enduring Freedom show the Army that holistic soldier movements require practice and instruction, their “wellness” is extremely important. For the Army to payoff in efficacy is worth the sacrifice. CrossFit could address soldier wellness and create strong warriors, the not supplant FM 21-20 without a body of trainers with time has come for the Army to change its approach to knowledge of the movements, a body of trainers with nutrition and lead a change in our wellness culture. programming experience, and unit access to limited equipment. Units find ways to fill these gaps through The Final Salvo: Nutrition and the Army contracting CrossFit trainers to work with leaders Over the past 50 years, the American economy and from the unit, creating databases of workouts, devel- culture have succeeded in substantially lowering the oping flexible but clear guidance on programming, and cost of what we eat, creating a massive surplus of purchasing CrossFit equipment. One leader at Fort highly processed, sugar-infused food; cultivating the Hood, Lt. Col. Pete Andrysiak, commander of the 20th unhealthiest population on the planet; and creating Engineer Battalion, was a visionary for the use of CrossFit mass confusion about nutrition. The U.S. Army has been as a physical-training program. The unit contracted a top the unwilling recipient of these gifts from American CrossFit Headquarters trainer for its leadership, trans- culture but has made very little effort to reverse the formed a motorpool bay into a CrossFit “garage gym,” tide of un-wellness. The Army needs to lead a change and began its own affiliate (Lumberjack CrossFit). The in its culture through nutrition education, resources and 20th Engineers’ use of CrossFit is an example of the policy to create the world’s fittest fighting force. power of committed leadership to an initiative.

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Society and the Army constantly surround soldiers with First, the Army needs to provide straightforward unhealthy choices. Soldiers are not innocent victims, education to soldiers at every turn: basic training, however. The pace at which soldiers consume energy concurrent training, and in common areas such as mess drinks, candy, sodas and pastries is nothing short halls, barracks, gyms, and unit areas. Second, the Army of incredible. However, the Army as an organization needs to provide more opportunities for leaders and does not exactly discourage these choices. In garrison, soldiers to receive quality education about nutrition. vending machines full of candy and soda line the Nutrition education should have its own week-long certi- barracks, convenience stores within walking distance fication that gives soldiers promotion points for passing of the barracks are stocked with choices that have a 99 knowledge-based and practical exams. Nutritionists percent chance of being unhealthy, and the installation- should be available to every brigade-level unit to contracted fast-food restaurants are hardly full of smart advise mess halls and food-distribution practices. Last, choices. In the field, mess halls push out a cornucopia the Army should revise policies to eliminate vending of highly processed foods in addition to their cooked machines from barracks, mandate certain numbers of meals; meals-ready-to-eat have an enormous amount nutrition SMEs for units (perhaps in conjunction with of unhealthy and processed carbohydrates; and, to add advanced fitness training), disallow “gut trucks” from salt to the wound, the Army allows men driving vehicles accosting units trying to train, restrict the amounts dubbed “gut trucks” to visit training areas, pedaling of unhealthy foods pushed to units, and increase the food to soldiers that might kill small children and pets. amounts of healthy snacks available. While deployed, the Army pushes huge quantities of sodas, desserts, pastries and fatty or breaded meats Progress to outposts; massive dining facilities provide fantastic The gears of progress are in motion. Military-base opportunities for soldiers to gorge themselves on CrossFit affiliates exist on several different Army posts. poor choices; and meals-ready-to-eat make an encore Centurion CrossFit Fort Hood is a massive facility that is performance. paving the way for the integration of CrossFit and CrossFit affiliates into installation fitness programs. Spearheaded The Army needs a multifaceted approach to help by Maj. Don Clarkson and Capt. Dave Taylor, volunteer soldiers with the health choices they face. I have found trainers from the military and hired civilian trainers run through nutrition counseling and education within the classes six days of the week at the non-profit affiliate. units with which I have served that many soldiers crave Maj. Gen. Grimsley, the acting senior commander at knowledge about good food choices. Many soldiers Fort Hood and a large supporter of CrossFit, has also simply can’t navigate through the mixed signals from vowed to take on some of the more difficult challenges media, government publications (USDA) and diet fads. in resources and nutrition mentioned above. Positive unit cultures that encourage health and fitness will perpetuate themselves. Certain soldiers will always However, the fight for quality fitness programs continues. ignore education and make poor choices despite the For example, senior leaders at Fort Hood have been efforts of the unit, but the Army cannot let this group of known in the past to mandate running formations no soldiers discourage education of the rest. smaller than a platoon during hours of physical training. This policy forced units to abandon aggressive cardio- A culture change in the Army must occur. The Army has vascular endurance workouts. This policy was in direct a plethora of methods to improve morale for soldiers contradiction to FM 21-20’s strong recommendations enduring difficult situations, but the Army often uses junk against unit runs that do not account for differences in food as a primary means. Unhealthy foods should not be soldier fitness levels. FM 21-20 suggests that this type of used as comfort for soldiers enduring less-than-optimal training hurts soldier morale and does little to achieve key conditions. The Army needs to break the association principles of exercise. Policies like these create negative of unhealthy foods with high morale and “taking care fitness cultures that force company-level commanders of soldiers.” In the long run, poor foods that contribute to focus on creativity to avoid violating policy instead to obesity, disease and unbalanced body composition of creativity to develop solid programs that prepare achieve exactly the opposite of the Army’s short-sighted soldiers for combat. Aesthetics are important in some objective of improving morale. More importantly, poor cases to teach discipline in conventional units. However, food choices decrease soldier energy and reduce soldier aesthetics have little place in physical training. attentiveness.

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com Army ... (continued) Courtesy of Capt. Matt McKee Changing the Army’s approach to wellness and revising the Army’s physical-training methods and implementation are not simple endeavors, and I do not mean to oversimplify the bureaucratic complexity of the process. Changes would require a resurrection and modification of the Master Fitness Trainer program, research, packaging of the final product for the entire Army, resources for on-going education, equipment, policy changes, and command influence to inspire cultural change. However, these endeavors are worthwhile and would benefit the Army in ways that extend beyond soldier fitness. CrossFit provides a fantastic opportunity for the U.S. Army to learn from an incredibly effective fitness program. The About the Author Army needs to embrace and encourage the experience Capt. Matt McKee is a cavalry troop commander in the units are having with the use and integration of CrossFit. 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR) at Fort Hood, Texas. The Army can use momentum from the grassroots McKee deployed to Iraq several times and led various units level to overcome inertia and informally test methods. in combat operations. He is also a certified Level 1 CrossFit The foundations and many of the methods in CrossFit and CrossFit Endurance volunteer trainer at Centurion are remarkably similar to FM 21-20, and the differences CrossFit Fort Hood. The highlight of his CrossFit career was can only improve the evolution of the Army’s physical- meeting Chris Spealler, Adrian (Boz) Bozman and Coach training programs. Supporters of both programs can and Greg Glassman all in the same month. McKee would like to should work together to create a better product for our thank Maj. Don Clarkson and Capt. Dave Hortman for their Army and the fitness of our soldiers. assistance with this article.

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com THE JOURNAL Tough for Whom? CrossFit York competed in the first Tough Mudder—and team members found they were over-prepared for “the toughest one-day endurance race on the planet.”

By Andréa Maria Cecil June 2010 Anthony J. Topper J. Anthony All photos photos All

“We don’t need to do any special training for it. We could do it tomorrow.”

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That’s what CrossFit York owner Rusty Mirasol repeated in the two months leading up to the Tough Mudder, billed as “the toughest one-day endurance race on the planet.” He got the occasional skeptical look from various members competing in the race as part of the so-called CrossFit York and the Snatch-A-Licious Team 4. The inaugural Mudder promised to challenge all the squats, pull-ups and muscle-ups this group of 14 CrossFitters had been practicing at the York, Pa., box for months. Just Another WOD? British Special Forces designed the course at Bear Creek Mountain Resort near Allentown, Pa., “to test all around toughness, strength, stamina, fitness, camaraderie, and mental grit,” according to the event’s Web site. “Forget about your race time. Simply completing the event is a badge of honor. Not everyone will finish,” the site boasts. Nearly 5,000 participants would have to make their way up and down steep ski runs best negotiated by using feet and hands, avoid getting caught in low cargo nets, snake through corrugated plastic pipe, crawl through rock-filled mud beneath wire eight inches off the ground, traverse an ice-cold pond via two rickety ropes, jump off a plank about 10 feet above frigid water, submerge themselves in a chilly pond to move beyond floating plastic barrels, and run between two 60-foot-long rows of hay bales set ablaze. The obstacle-filled course ended up being roughly 5 miles, according to organizers. Just one of the many obstacles that dotted the 5-mile Tough Mudder course. About 10 minutes after the last CrossFit York team member stepped over the Mudder finish line Sunday, May 2, Mirasol declared, “I don’t see any reason why everyone can’t train tomorrow.” Everyone nodded. “Road-running may give The next day, more than half the team showed up at the you a healthy set of lungs, box for three rounds of 10 kettlebell swings, 20 push-ups, but will leave you with as 30 sit-ups and 40 double-unders. much upper body strength “Either the Mudder was easy or (because of) the nature as Keira Knightley. At Tough of our training, we could have handled a lot more,” said Mirasol, a Level 1 CrossFit trainer, the day after the race. Mudder, we want to test your “Our daily training is harder than that.” all-around mettle … .” —ToughMudder.com

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Non-CrossFitter Mindy Ascosi also competed in the “I was actually expecting it to be harder than it was,” she race. The 29-year-old already had been training for a said of the Mudder. May 22 triathlon when the opportunity to participate in Still, Ascosi took two days off of working out after the the Mudder arose in February. event. “I’ve been biking, swimming and running,” said the “I will say that I was very sore the next day. My upper marketing coordinator for Design and Integration Inc. body was really sore,” she said. “I was using muscles that in the Baltimore, Md., area, “and I’ve been trying to do I don’t normally use.” more conditioning with push-ups and sit-ups ... and doing stadium running.” Back at the box, the most discomfort any members of the Snatch-A-Licious team had to report was sunburn. Ascosi said she runs no more than 4 miles twice a week, swims 3,000 yards once a week and bikes 50 miles once a week. She also is training for a 100-mile bike race slated for July 24.

Unknown and unknowable obstacles didn’t slow down the progress of the 14 athletes from CrossFit York.

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WOD: Slog through mud for time, conquering any and all obstacles. Drink beer after.

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Muddied but Unbowed Members of CrossFit York and the Snatch-A-Licious Team 4 offer their thoughts before and after the Tough Mudder. Trey Beasley, 32, electrical engineer CrossFitting since: May 2009 before: I think it will be tough and muddy or else I will sue for false advertising. after: A total blast to run with your friends, but not near as hard as some CrossFit workouts. Lisa Martinelli Beasley, 32, university faculty CrossFitting since: May 2009 before: I don’t need a sentence, just a word: tough! after: The Mudder felt like a Sunday WOD. Susan Boyer, 50, owner/operator of cleaning business CrossFitting since: Fall 2008 before: Scary, fun, nerve-racking and very dirty, but a lot of fun with others. after: Had loads of fun, but some of our CrossFit workouts are as tough, if not tougher, than the Mudder. Andréa Cecil, 31, journalist CrossFitting since: February 2008 before: It’s a competition that ends with beer and free tattoos—it’s going to be a blast! after: It was a lot of fun and silliness but not as difficult as I anticipated. Ron Dyer, 57, school district assistant superintendent CrossFitting since: 2008 before: At this age, I still want to prove to myself that I’m capable of meeting this challenge! after: The Mudder was the biggest challenge I’ve faced thus far in my fitness quest, and I have a great sense of accom- plishment after having completed it. Jackie Fullam, 44, physical therapist CrossFitting since: Spring 2009 before: The ultimate challenge. after: It was not the toughest but still lots of fun and could have had more difficult obstacles—more like a CrossFit WOD would have been better! Joe Fullam, 44, director of professional services CrossFitting since: March 2010 (regularly) before: It will be a brutal 7.1-mile run up and down a ski slope with killer obstacle courses intermixed, and I pray I will survive and cross the finish line! after: Running, climbing, jumping, swimming, crawling, lugging, slipping, sloshing, falling, sweating, laughing, cheering—did all that and more, I’m sure. All in all, the Tough Mudder was an absolute blast!

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Donald Golden, 40, power generation/atom splitter CrossFitting since: November 2007 before: Challenging, dirty, fun and a story that I’m sure will be embellished over time. after: Other than the uphill runs, I thought the obstacles could have been tougher. I liked the mud. Michael Guerrini, 42, insurance agent CrossFitting since: Winter 2008 before: Hangin’ with my fellow CrossFitters ... and Dogfish Head beer. after: Tough Mudder was great, but our WODs are tougher! Carolina Kelley, 25, military CrossFitting since: Summer 2008 (off and on) before: I think its going to be a painful/wonderful experience. It’s going to be a real gut check, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world! after: I thought the race was a little easier than they made it out to be, but the best part was the team building and camaraderie that it helped us make in those two muddy hours! Rusty Mirasol, 36, affiliate owner CrossFitting since: February 2008 before: The Tough Mudder exemplifies the true spirit of CrossFit: Do something hard as hell that no one else would ever imagine doing, then share beers afterwards. after: CrossFit is raising the bar as to what is considered average. Kelsey Rebert, 28, registered nurse CrossFitting since: June 2009 before: The Mudder is a challenge embodying all things CrossFit: constantly varied functional movement, competition, camaraderie, and beer drinking. I’m in! after: There was never a point in the two-hour-and-12- minute course that I thought I was going to fail or be unable to finish. I attribute that to my CrossFit training and my Snatch-A-Licious teammates. (Although) it was certainly a test of my endurance, there have been times during WODs that I have been pushed (closer) to my limit than what the Mudder offered. It’s satisfying to realize I have that drive in me and awesome to know the camaraderie of CrossFit is applicable to anything. Brittney Russell, 31, fitness professional/CrossFit trainer CrossFitting since: July 2009 before: I love a challenge, so I think it will be a perfect opportunity to test my strengths both mentally and physically. after: I thought that the Tough Mudder was challenging to some degree but definitely could have been more intense. Allan Shultz, 54, machine designer CrossFitting since: Winter 2009 before: Tough Mudder will be a grueling experience that I can say I did. after: The Tough Mudder was a fun and somewhat challenging event that probably would have been tougher if I wasn’t a CrossFitter.

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Athletic at Last Andréa Maria Cecil I knew the feeling well: hesitation, fear and the sensation that this time I might really throw up. Indeed, the moment before the May 2 Tough Mudder was much like the moment before a WOD.

Even the two months leading up to “the toughest one-day endurance race on the planet” resembled CrossFit: most everyone who wasn’t doing it thought I was nuts. And just like CrossFit, I didn’t easily arrive at my decision to compete in the Mudder.

When I started CrossFitting with consistency in fall 2008, I would drive to the box with butterflies in my stomach, nearly making myself sick and thinking I was incapable of the athletic feats I saw there. But for whatever reason, I kept showing up.

Then, one day, I finally got a kipping pull-up. That was March 2009. That pull-up gave me confidence to keep CrossFitting. CrossFitting gave me confidence in my athletic abilities. My athletic abilities gave me confidence to compete in the Mudder.

Sure, the race wasn’t nearly as difficult as I—or the rest of the CrossFit York team—anticipated. But it makes me proud to know that just two years ago I would have cowered in the face of the Mudder and been too intimidated to scale 10-foot walls or negotiate rickety ropes over frigid pond water.

For the first time in my life, at 32 years old, I can say, “I am an athlete” and believe it.

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Early Adopters CrossFitters have adopted what most in the fitness CrossFitters in the Mud world still see as an unorthodox training methodology, CrossFit affiliates that registered to participate in so it’s no surprise that when Mudder organizers first the inaugural Tough Mudder on May 2, 2010: announced the atypical race months ago, CrossFitters were down. CrossFit 908: Berkeley Heights, N.J. “We knew this was going to be big with CrossFit,” said CrossFit Dover: Dover, Del. Will Dean, Tough Mudder CEO (formerly known as CrossFit Energy: Bath, Ohio the “Tough Master”). “The first blogs we saw were on CrossFit sites. They were early adopters.” CrossFit KOA: Cranford, N.J. When CrossFit York member Don Golden first proposed CrossFit Long Island City: Long Island City, N.Y. forming a Mudder team, nearly everyone who would CrossFit MPH: Washington, D.C. comprise the team agreed to the challenge without seeing so much as a map of the race. When asked what CrossFit Prime: Philadelphia, Pa. attracted the group to the Mudder, Mirasol said, “You’re CrossFit Providence: Providence, R.I. actually asking about the nature of a CrossFitter ... we look for challenges.” CrossFit Queens: Astoria, N.Y. “We want that above-and-beyond. I don’t know if you CrossFit South Brooklyn: Brooklyn, N.Y. want to call it an adrenaline rush or a challenge,” he CrossFit York: York, Pa. continued. “At any one point (during the Mudder we all) felt something that didn’t feel comfortable but we kept Elm City CrossFit: Hamden, Conn. going, whereas the non-CrossFitter would say, ‘Oh, fuck NEPA CrossFit: Wilkes-Barre, Pa. this.’” RedShed CrossFit: Netcong, N.J. That scenario was borne out during the Mudder’s “Cliffhanger” obstacle, where participants had to scale a CrossFit Explode: West Chester, Pa. black-run ski slope. There, dozens of men and women— looking like they had just done Murph with a 20-lb. vest for the first time—made their way to the outskirts of the slope, stopping to sit or puke. The Cliffhanger was sixth of the Mudder’s 17 obstacles. Every member of the CrossFit York team—from the 57-year-old who questioned whether he should even compete in the Mudder and the 44-year-old guy who started CrossFitting only two months ago to the 50-year-old firebreather grandma and the 25-year-old “The CrossFit guys and girls Army chick—made it to the top without incident. that came and did our event “CrossFit stresses strength through full range of motion are some of the fittest out and core-to-extremity muscle recruitment, so we have there.” fewer—if any—weak spots that can give out if faced with an awkward movement like crawling through a tube/ —Tough Mudder CEO mud, crawling under a cargo net completely crouched over, downhill running, etc.,” Mirasol said. “We can Will Dean also perform these awkward movements much more efficiently because we train to move the body as it is intended.”

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Fran is worse.

Too Easy Dean conceded that, for some, the Mudder didn’t live up to its tagline as the “toughest one-day endurance race on the planet.” “I don’t see any reason “We had to be careful ... that we didn’t create something that people would get halfway through and have a heart why everyone can’t train attack,” he said. tomorrow.” Still, about 10 people who arrived for early registration the day before the race asked for a refund, saying the —Rusty Mirasol course was too much for them. immediately after finishing the Tough Mudder. “The CrossFit guys and girls that came and did our event are some of the fittest out there,” said the 29-year-old Dean. “You guys have the CrossFit Games—we’re not trying to compete against that.” He went on: “For most other people, it’s all about a “We still enjoyed it. It wasn’t like it was a disappointment,” challenge. ... We’re trying to create something that’s as Mirasol said. “It’s a good fit because it’s not just about the much about camaraderie as it is about competition.” teamwork through the race ... . The CrossFit community goes a lot broader than just the event.” And the CrossFit York team certainly had a good time.

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As an example, Mirasol cited the fact that he and a couple of other team members gave rides to strangers who were forced to park at a lot more than 6 miles away from Bear Creek. Oddly enough, the strangers turned out to be from affiliates in Montclair, N.J., and Baltimore, Md. “We didn’t know they were CrossFitters when they got in the van,” Mirasol said. “Bigger, Tougher, Longer and Harder” The Mudder series will finish out the year with three races: October in the San Francisco area, November in the Dallas area, and November in the Englishtown, N.J., area. The organizers plan to step it up for next year’s events. “It will be more of a challenge next time,” Dean promised. He continued: “We’re going to make it bigger, tougher, longer and harder. That’s what people want. These are all easy things for us to fix.” To that, Mirasol responded: “Would we train any differ- ently? No.” In fact, the 36-year-old stood by his statement from February that his box’s team didn’t need special training for the Mudder. About the Author Andréa Maria Cecil, 32, is managing editor at the Central “Everyone finished” and no one got injured, he said. Penn Business Journal in Harrisburg, Pa. Cecil is a native “We never ran 5Ks. We never did any crawling. ... None of New Orleans but now lives in York, Pa. There, she’s been of us swam,” Mirasol added. “If we did it tomorrow, we’d CrossFitting for more than two years at CrossFit York. still get it done.”

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com THE JOURNAL It Takes a Barbell Community-building events like the CrossFit Regina Spring Fling give athletes of all abilities a chance to experience the amazing camaraderie of intense competition.

By Mike Warkentin June 2010 Dan Fleischhaker/CrossFit Regina Fleischhaker/CrossFit Dan

No one from the CrossFit Regina Spring Fling is going to compete in the CrossFit Games—but every one of them is going to be fit. And that’s a great thing.

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Come One, Come All Only one week before the best athletes in Canada According to Robin Maier, who owns the host affiliate converged on Calgary to battle for a total of 12 spots in with her husband Aaron, the event was designed to the CrossFit Games, CrossFit Regina held a grassroots encourage participation, and she admits she had to coax event designed to build community and give athletes a few athletes who were nervous about stepping out of a of all levels a chance to experience the thrill of CrossFit regular class and into a judged workout fueled by friends, competition. Even on May Long Weekend, which tradi- family and fans. The coaxing worked and the community tionally finds Canadians leaving the city for an epic responded: Maier got even more entries than she had three-day bender in cottage country, 57 athletes signed hoped for. up to compete in the three-WOD challenge. Coming from Regina, Saskatoon and nearby Winnipeg, Man., 30 women and 27 men registered for the event, which was the first community competition of the year and the second of its kind in the province of “The No. 1 thing is to build Saskatchewan. Athletes were given three divisions to community.” choose from: Division 1 was for firebreathing athletes and featured standard load and rep schemes, while —Robin Maier Division 2 and Division 3 found athletes using lighter weights and in some cases modified movements. Dan Fleischhaker/CrossFit Regina Fleischhaker/CrossFit Dan

Fifty-seven athletes from two provinces made the CrossFit Regina Spring Fling a special event despite near-constant rain.

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com Fling ... (continued) Staff/CrossFit Journal Staff/CrossFit CrossFitting Canadians who chose not to go drinking on May Long Weekend.

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“The No. 1 thing is to build community,” she explained. “I have 200 members, and eight went to sectionals. And that’s about four percent. So this is for the other 96 percent. They train hard too. … It’s important to give people the chance to do this. They don’t have to, but it’s important to give them the opportunity.” She continued: “The reason you do (CrossFit) is to be healthy and fit and to live longer. This gives you a chance to use it in a different way. It’s just a big confidence booster, and it gives them new goals. Brian Desjarlais, 61, might not need a boost in confidence after setting a bench press record of 407 lb. in the 82.5-kg class at a Drug-Free powerlifting meet a few years ago, but he entered the competition anyway and ended up winning Division 3. It didn’t hurt that one workout featured a bottom-up 1RM squat followed by a max set of push-ups. Desjarlais managed a squat of 275 lb. and an impressive 50 push-ups. “I was plenty strong enough, but my overall conditioning and endurance were lacking, and this helps with everything,” he said of CrossFit. “Anyone who wants to work out here will push themselves further than they would go in a gym. Even when you’re just working out, people are always encouraging you. Like my daughter, she’ll come in and yell at me to get a few more reps and tell me age is no excuse. “

Grassroots-level competitions are just another extension of the whiteboard that drives athletes onwards, and each meeting of the tribes builds the communities that will produce both top athletes and healthier people. Dan Fleischhaker/CrossFit Regina Fleischhaker/CrossFit Dan

Double-unders were only used in one short tie-breaker WOD, but athletes were challenged by running, box jumps, ring dips, squats, rowing, snatches and all the other standard CrossFit movements.

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Brian’s daughter, Ange Desjarlais, is no slouch herself. Robin Maier/ The police officer finished 30th at the Canada Regional.

For 27-year-old Mandy Gullickson, the Spring Fling might CrossFit Regina be a stepping stone to sectionals and regionals next year. “It’s awesome and inspiring …,” she said of CrossFit competition. “I’ve never been in a community like this. No matter what you’re doing, everyone is always encouraging you. People are at first hesitant to try it if they’re not used to competition, but I think they surprise themselves—‘Hey, I can compete and do well.’” Jason Trinh, 25, is a member of CrossFit Saskatoon who competed in the sectionals and decided to make the four-hour trip to Regina with a pack of athletes from the box. “I came to motivate people in my gym to sign up and get them into the spirit of this so they can see how much fun it is,” he explained. “The community aspect of CrossFit About the Author competitions is a big influence on me.” Mike Warkentin is the managing editor of the And that’s really the point of events like the Spring Fling: CrossFit Journal. community. The CrossFit Games showcase the elite in a grueling test of epic proportions. But CrossFit was first and foremost created to make people fitter and healthier. And just like Major League Baseball is supported by a network of professional leagues, college and high-school teams, and grassroots programs, the CrossFit Games are built on a community of athletes who are chasing heavier weights, faster times and—ultimately—fitness. Grassroots-level competitions are just another extension of the whiteboard that drives athletes onward, and each meeting of the tribes builds the communities that will produce both top athletes and healthier people. And that’s why it isn’t important who won the Spring Fling. The community won.

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com Improving the Clean Many strong athletes eventually hit a wall when training the Olympic lifts. Bill Starr explains how to get back on track when your clean stalls and PRs cease to come.

By Bill Starr June 2010 Susannah Dy/CrossFit Journal Dy/CrossFit Susannah

The full clean is one of the very best exercises an aspiring athlete can add to his strength program. The main reason why it is so beneficial to any athlete in any sport is that it involves so many of the large muscle groups in a dynamic manner. When performed with even adequate form, the full clean works the legs, hips, back, shoulders and arms in a unique way.

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Full cleans done with heavy weights require a great deal of intense concentration, and this forces the nervous system to work much harder than when doing more static and less complicated exercises. The process of having to think precisely about every facet of the lift taps deeply into the reserves of the nervous system. This is why so many athletes feel completely wasted after a heavy session of full cleans. Exhausting the nervous system is much more fatiguing than hitting the muscular system, which is why those just learning the lift must get plenty of rest and only attack the cleans once a week. They can be done more often, but the second or third sessions must be of a lighter nature. The full clean is a high-skill exercise. It requires a great deal of coordination, timing, balance, quickness and total concentration in order to be successful with a max poundage. As an athlete learns the proper technique and attempts to perfect it, those athletic attributes become enhanced and can be utilized in other athletic endeavors.

Cleans are truly an ideal exercise for every athlete in every sport.

At both Johns Hopkins and the University of Hawaii, I had several baseball players who tried doing full cleans and discovered they had a natural aptitude for them. I realize not many strength coaches would bother to expose baseball players to this lift, but I knew of its value from my own experience. Once I added full cleans to my program when I first got interested in weight training, I was able to throw the ball much faster and hit the ball a lot harder. All the baseball players who took to cleans expressed that they received same benefits. I’ve also introduced them to athletes playing a few sports that are not usually considered dependent on strength, such as tennis and golf. The results were the same as with the baseball players. In tennis, the ball suddenly started traveling faster, and in golf, drives were much longer. Cleans are truly an ideal exercise for every athlete

Thomas Campitelli/CrossFit Journal Campitelli/CrossFit Thomas in every sport. Plus, they’re part of Olympic weightlifting, so anyone who has an interest in pursuing that noble Cleans are obviously essential to Olympic weightlifting, but they also benefit athletes in a host of other sports. sport should learn how to do them correctly.

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A heavy clean is an impressive feat of athleticism requiring strength, power, coordination and determination.

Whenever I suggest to an athlete that he should try So let me once again inform you how to loosen your full cleans, he invariably balks, stating that they’re shoulders, elbows and wrists so that you can fix the bar too complicated. Not true at all. In fact, it’s a natural across your frontal deltoids and do a front squat without movement, and one I believe our distance ancestors had any undue pain. I say “undue” because the learning to do out of necessity. It’s much easier to lift a heavy stages will include some discomfort until all parts of object by dipping under it than it is to pull the weight your body become accustomed to the new form of all the way to your shoulders while maintaining an stress. Over time this will pass, but only if you persist in erect position. That’s why you can handle more weight enhancing and maintaining your shoulder flexibility. in the full clean than you can doing a power clean once Pre-teen, teen and female athletes have no problem adequate form is established. obtaining the needed flexibility, and even most college- Prepare for Battle aged athletes achieve it in a short period of time—unless Hopefully, you’ve read the article I did for the CrossFit they have become enamored with the flat bench. Then Journal on full cleans (Learning How to Do Full Cleans) the problem is more difficult to remedy. Excessive bench and have been practicing the Drill. If not, read the article pressing tends to tighten the shoulders and reduces the and put the information to use. I will not go into the range of motion of the arms. So if you’ve been doing lots specifics again, although I do want to take the time to of benches and are serious about learning how to do full reiterate the importance of having enough flexibility in cleans, either drop benches altogether or limit them to your shoulders and elbows so that you can do the lift once every other week and keep the reps low—threes, smoothly without undue pain in these joints. If you twos and singles. attempt to do cleans without the necessary flexibility, you’re not going to be as proficient and you’re asking for an injury.

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But I have found that unless an athlete has some sort All you need to do is one very simple exercise to improve of physical problem that doesn’t allow him or her to do the flexibility in your wrists, elbows and shoulders. Lock these stretching movements, flexibility can be achieved. a bar inside a power rack right at the height where you Naturally, it comes easier to some than to others, yet rack the weight while standing. Should you not have that’s true in just about everything in life. And I’ve also a power rack, load up a bar on a squat rack with more observed that those who had to work extra hard to weight than you can move. With taped wrists, grip the gain the needed flexibility in their shoulders were more bar firmly with one hand, then with your torso perfectly appreciative of what they had accomplished and always erect, elevate your elbow just as high as you can and included lots of stretching in their workouts. hold it there for 8-10 seconds, all the while coaxing it a tad higher. Now do the same thing for your other arm. For anyone about to embark on the task of learning the full clean with the goal of moving some impressive poundages in the future, I recommend taping the wrists from the very beginning of the journey. Until your shoulders and elbows have loosened considerably, the Stretch out your shoulders wrists take the brunt of the stress. Wrists are small joints and are easily dinged, so it only makes sense to give them throughout the day. I used to some extra protection. And I think it’s smart to continue do this while waiting for a red to wrap them as you become more proficient in the lift because no matter how good you become, you’ll always light or while standing in line have off days where misses outnumber the makes, and at a checkout counter. those misses play hell with your wrists. Trainers tape works best, and with practice you’ll learn how to lay it on so that it supports your wrists firmly but is not so tight that it cuts off circulation. Susannah Dy/CrossFit Journal Dy/CrossFit Susannah

Stretching will allow your body to get in the right position to clean big weight. Make it a regular part of your routine.

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A partner can help you go just a little bit further. Bill Starr recommends all athletes tape their wrists for protection in any Olympic workout.

If you’re extremely tight, do 3 sets for each arm or until weight in the clean. And if you did these movements you feel your shoulders, elbows and wrists start to while you were learning the lift but have since stopped loosen. These are more effective if you have someone doing them because you feel your shoulders are loose assist you in elevating your elbows, and for the next step enough, put them back into your routine. As you gain in the process you must have help. weight, which nearly every strength athlete does, the added muscle will often limit range of motion if you don’t Grip the bar with both hands and lift both elbows up as do something to prevent it. high as possible. Your helper will apply pressure under your elbows to push them even higher. By exerting High Pulls: Go Hard and Heavy gentle pressure, your assistant will be able to extend I’m assuming that you’re using at least decent form and your elbows a good deal higher than you can on your have advanced to the point where you’re handling some own. Again, hold them for 8-10 seconds at the end of testy poundages in the lift. You’re gaining confidence in each set. Should you still not feel comfortable on your your technique. Your routine typically has you doing 6 first set of front squats or cleans, go back and stretch sets of 3 twice a week. One time you go to max and the your shoulders out even more. other you simply drill on form with moderate weights. In addition, stretch out your shoulders throughout the Every so often, when everything is clicking, you go after day. I used to do this while waiting for a red light or a PR. All is coming up roses for a long time, then you while standing in line at a checkout counter. Sure, I got a hit a sticking point. While this is extremely frustrating number of strange looks, but I’m used to that. I emphasize to any motivated athlete, it’s simply a part of the overall this discipline because if your shoulders are not flexible process of getting stronger. If it wasn’t, every person who enough, you’re not going to be able to handle much ever did full cleans would eventually handle 500-plus.

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Of course, we know this isn’t the case. Those who have lifter to pull the bar just as high as he can without having been successful in knowing how to break through the to be concerned with getting under the weight, and to inevitable sticking points and moving big numbers are overload the muscles utilized in the lift. Use straps. While few and far between. Why? It requires a hell of a lot of you may not need them at first, you will sooner or later, work, and most who say they really want to clean more so you might as well get used to them. It takes a while to aren’t willing to put in the necessary effort. get the hang of getting them snug on your wrists. High pulls are one of the most difficult exercises I teach, although it would seem to be an easy movement to learn. After all, it’s no more than a deadlift followed by Most who say they really a shrug. Piece of cake, right? Not really. The part that causes the most confusion is the transition from deadlift want to clean more aren’t to shrug. It has to be done in smooth fashion with no willing to put in the hitching whatsoever, and this is easier said than done necessary effort. when the weights get heavy. And for high pulls to have a positive effect on full cleans, heavy poundages must be used. How heavy? Once you get the form down pat and can really lean into them, you should be using at least 75 more pounds on the high pulls than you can clean for Whenever I see an athlete faltering on his cleans, I check three reps. his form for any glaring errors. If I find any problems, I I like to plug these in right after a full-clean or power- have him drill with lighter weights until he corrects the clean session. In the beginning, 3 sets of 3 is about all problem, but in most cases I also add high pulls to his anyone can handle, but as you get stronger, slowly add program. Use straps and only do 3 reps per set. The in more sets until you’re doing 6 total. purpose behind doing high pulls is twofold: to allow the Susannah Dy/CrossFit Journal Dy/CrossFit Susannah

Straps are essential to the high pull. It takes some time to get used to them, but you’ll need them eventually, so start using them now.

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The objective is to pull the weight as high as you can, Susannah Dy/CrossFit Journal and there are a couple of gimmicks I used to facilitate more height. I hold a stick at the height I want the lifter to reach. If he succeeds and taps my stick, I lift it up a few inches, and so on until he finds his absolute limit with that amount of weight. This works because it’s very hard to tell whether you are, indeed, pulling to absolute max on your own. I’ve had lifters swear they were giving it 100 percent, but when I did the stick thing, they were able to pull the bar as much as 6 inches higher than when they did high pulls on their own. However, form continues to take priority over numbers. Always. If I see a break in technique. I have the lifter lower the amount of weight on the bar so that he can use perfect technique. If form is sloppy on high pulls, the strength gained isn’t going to be useful in performing full cleans. In fact, it will have a negative influence on the lift.

If form is sloppy on high pulls, the strength gained isn’t going to be useful in performing full cleans.

The other gimmick comes from the fertile mind of Sid Henry, who coached me when I trained with him at the Dallas Y while attending SMU. He attached a small Christmas bell to the end of a piece of string. The other end of the string was wrapped around the outside of the bar. The length of the string was determined by how high the lifter wanted the bar to travel upward when he did high pulls. If the pull moved the bell off the floor, it tinkled and the lifter knew he had pulled high enough. If it didn’t tinkle, that rep didn’t count. This is even more Pavlovian that using a stick and is most useful for anyone who trains alone. From the very first warm-up set to the final work sets, the athlete needs to pull the bar just as high as he can. For the lighter sets, this may mean that the bar climbs up over your head. Good. That’s exactly what you want. As Technique is important in a high pull. Athletes should try to weight is added to the bar, it will not climb nearly as high, keep the bar very close to the body, and the elbows should go high and outside, not back and down.

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Bill Starr recommends doing clean deadlifts with sets of the smaller iron 25s to force the athlete to pull longer. If the smaller plates aren’t available in your gym, you can create a similar effect by standing on bumpers.

but you want to establish the feel of pulling to absolute to climb upward faster than the bar. This action carries max, because that’s exactly what you must do to clean a the bar out of the proper line and prevents the lifter from heavy weight. In addition, pulling 100 percent activates pulling it high enough and with little snap at the finish. many more muscles and attachments, and this, in turn, Whenever I notice that a lifter is making this form break, will help you get stronger in those groups. I have him do deadlifts to strengthen his start. But not You must pull aggressively, and the line of pull must be conventional deadlifts. Rather, I have him deadlift using precise, close to your body from start to finish, with a nice 25-lb. plates rather than 45s. The smaller plates place pop at the top. At the conclusion of the pull, you need to the bar closer to the floor and force the lifter to set be fully extended, high on your toes, with elbows up and his hips much lower than when he does cleans or high out. This duplicates the final position for the clean, and pulls. From that disadvantaged position, the athlete you want to match this the best you can. Balance is a must learn to lock his hips, glutes, and legs extra tight factor in high-pulling heavy weights correctly, and this, so they move upward at the same pace at the bar. I tell too, carries over to the full cleans. By overloading the them to think about squeezing the bar off the floor and muscles with high pulls, when you attempt a PR on the concentrating on holding the correct form. Some scoff full clean, the new number will not be nearly as daunting when I have them to use the small plates, but that ends because you’ve already had a feel of it moving in the abruptly when they keep adding 25-pounders and do 6 exact same range of motion. sets, because squeezing off 345 for light, grueling reps is tough. Fixing Form Breaks High pulls and max attempts on the clean will help you When the finish is relatively weak, I put athletes in a identify the weak areas in your pull. This is an important power rack and have them do heavy shrugs using the step. The sooner you find out what area needs more clean grip. Again, straps are in order. You may not need work, the faster you will move to the next level. Two them for the low deadlifts because that is a static move, problems usually show up for those learning how to but shrugs are definitely dynamic and a great amount of clean. The first is the most common: allowing the hips weight can be handled. Start the shrugs from mid-thigh.

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Ease it off the pins to make certain you’re pulling in there is a slight hesitation at the top. Not so with max the precise line you’re seeking, then explode into the attempts. Heavier weights don’t hang around nearly as movement. Just like I suggested for the high pulls, pull long, and you still must extend fully to get the most out every set of shrugs just as high as you can. Once they of the finish, so the move from pulling to diving under figured out what I wanted them to do, all my Olympic the bar has to be timed to the nanosecond. When I lifters at Hopkins were able to hit the crossbar inside began to creep up on cleaning 400 lb., I encountered the power rack with their first warm-up set, and a few this problem. My keys needed to be altered because the were able to do the same thing with the second at 225 lb. action was different, much faster than before. I worked The Olympic lifts—snatch, clean and jerk—are all about my cleans diligently but couldn’t solve the riddle. height. You can never pull or jerk a bar too high. However, the mechanics for the shrugs must be hairline perfect in order for the strength gained from doing that overloading movement to be utilized during the clean itself. To get that sweet snap at the finish, the line of pull has to exact, your frontal deltoids need to be slightly out in front of the bar, and your elbows have to be up and out, not turned backward. Once your elbows turn back, you’re no longer able to exert pressure on the bar and must depend on momentum.

The Olympic lifts are all about height. You can never pull or jerk a bar too high.

Do 5 sets of 5 on shrugs and go to absolute limit. The target I give to all my strength athletes for this lift is to handle the bar plus six 45s on each end for 5 reps. Obviously, the final few sets will not be jumping all that much, but if the lifter has continued to focus on pulling for all he’s worth on every set, he’ll reap the benefits. I always put shrugs in a program on Fridays, because when they’re done correctly and with vigor, the athlete’s traps are going to be quite sore the following day. If they aren’t, he didn’t work hard enough. Abused traps require a couple of rest days to recover. Thanks, Barksi As an athlete gets stronger in all parts of his pull and masters the technique on the full clean, the next problem most encounter has to do with timing at the top of the pull. When lesser poundages are used, timing isn’t When fixing form with clean deadlifts on bumpers or with iron as critical. The lift can be saved with quickness even if 25s, lifters should concentrate on making the hips rise at the same pace as the bar.

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Then Bob Bednarski showed me an exercise that his The combination of shrugging heavy and doing Barski coach, Joe Mills, had taught him: hang cleans done for cleans will cure a sluggish rack in a short period of time. three reps. The third rep was money. I had to learn to pull A final point: you must strengthen your front squat extra hard to get the bar to jump just a bit, then move considerably when the weights start to get demanding. like a shot under it because it didn’t hang around very The easier you can recover from a full clean, the easier it long. It took me several weeks to get the feel of this new will be for you to jerk the weight, so attack front squats. movement, but once I did, I moved my numbers up to The rule of thumb was that you needed to be able to front where I could handle 360 for a triple, and I developed the squat what you planned on cleaning and jerking for three necessary timing needed to clean over 400. reps. Also, make sure your back squats are done with the What makes this exercise—which I dubbed “Barski bar fixed high on your back and not low like powerlifters cleans”—even tougher is the fact that you cannot use do. All the pulling and squatting exercises you include straps. You need to be able to dump the bar in case you in your program must be done with full cleans in mind. miss the rack. Otherwise, the bar will crash down on you, In future articles, I will present some ideas on improving and bad things often happen when that occurs. You must your snatch and jerk, but for now, give your full attention use the hook grip to lock onto the bar. I have small hands to the full clean. and wrists, so my grip is weak, but because of my small fingers, I’m able to hook a bar securely. The thing that makes Barski cleans work so well is that you can concen- F trate your full focus on that top pull and your timing to go under the bar. I’ve taught this to all of my Olympic lifters who were having difficulty with the move, and it Jody Forster helped every one of them once they discovered what they needed to do and started using heavy weights. I teach them the following: “When the bar reaches mid-thigh, think about doing a Barski clean and the bar will fall right in the slot.” And it will—but, of course, you have to practice this high-skill move hard and heavy. Tinkering around with light or moderate poundages doesn’t feed the bulldog because it doesn’t emulate what has to be done when handling heavy weights.

About the Author Tinkering around with light Bill Starr coached at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, or moderate poundages the 1970 World Olympic Weightlifting Championship doesn’t feed the bulldog in Columbus, Ohio, and the 1975 World Powerlifting Championships in Birmingham, England. He was selected because it doesn’t emulate as head coach of the 1969 team that competed in the what has to be done when Tournament of Americas in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, where the United States won the team title, making him the first handling heavy weights. active lifter to be head coach of an international Olympic weightlifting team. Starr is the author of the books The Strongest Shall Survive: Strength Training for Football and Defying Gravity, which can be found at The Aasgaard Company Bookstore.

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com THE JOURNAL The Ultimate Painkiller? Does suffering in a group make it easier? Dr. Steven M. Platek believes the camaraderie of CrossFit can get you through the nastiest WOD.

By Dr. Steven M. Platek June 2010 Susannah Dy/CrossFit Journal Dy/CrossFit Susannah

I’d been following CrossFit HQ main-site WODs for about six months before I decided to try a WOD at the local box, No Excuses CrossFit in Suwanee, Ga. One Saturday afternoon, soon after joining No Excuses, I got my first taste of CrossFit camaraderie, and I loved it! You can say I am addicted to it.

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Everyone was super friendly (although that might be online and on whiteboards. Even individual athletes because we enforce a 10-burpee rule for anyone who are trying to beat previous PRs. The numbers on the does not introduce themselves to a newbie), supportive, whiteboard drive athletes to better performances; motivational and encouraging. This feeling was amplified camaraderie, friendly rivalries and increased motivation on the following Monday afternoon when the WOD are important byproducts. was the 300 Workout. I have to be honest: I’d heard rumors about the 300 but never paid much attention to it because I was following main-site WODs and it never came up. Without the encouragement of Coach Ben and the others, my time of 20:32 would have been slower. This camaraderie helped me get through the WOD From a neuroscientific without dying! perspective, I think there is The Nature of Pain a lot to say about CrossFit’s This experience, one I’ve never had at any Globo Gym, effects on pain thresholds. got me thinking about the CrossFit model and its relationship to pain. A CrossFit workout is a competitive environment, which is why times and loads are posted Susannah Dy/CrossFit Journal Dy/CrossFit Susannah

Why is a WOD easier when someone is encouraging you? Is it possible that support structures can somehow act as painkillers during a WOD?

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What does this have to do with pain? From a neuro- (One type of pain is technically referred to as scientific perspective, I think there is a lot to say about “nociception.” Nociceptive pain is usually the type we CrossFit’s effects on pain thresholds. Technically there think of when we think of pain to the body. The other are several types of pain, but here I am just using “pain” main type, neuropathic pain, is when there is direct as a general term for things that cause discomfort and damage to the nervous system.) generally suck. Pain is a biophysiological response, The pathway from pain (e.g., putting your hand on a hot usually in response to cellular damage or insult; that is, burner) to brain is fast, efficient and multi-faceted (2). It cells are dying (or stretching, bursting, shrinking, not has to be fast and efficient because pain, the perception being oxygenated, etc.), and that cues sensory neurons of things hurting or not being normal, is our biology’s (usually called nociceptors) responsible for transmitting way of saying, “Stop! Do something different! Or at least information about pain to tell the brain something bad do something that makes this pain go away!” When has happened (1-5). my hand hits a hot burner, a very rapid set of neuronal signals tells my brain to automatically pull my hand back. It’s a reflex (1). However, other processes are at work here. For example, my brain is very quickly making associations between pain and warm red things, burners and stoves (6). My brain is also evaluating the extent of the pain: do I need emergency care or just cold water and ice? All of this is happening at sub-second speed, and for the most part it’s unconscious to us (5, 7, 8). For a process as important as pain response, we often see redundant mechanisms. In case of failure of one pathway, the others will compensate. Interestingly but not surprisingly, several “pathways” deliver the pain message to the brain. One pathway, the spinothalamic tract, is in part responsible for generating the automatic aftermath of pain: reflexive retraction and covering up of the injury site. The pain information also reaches cortical brain areas that allow us to consciously determine where the pain is located and generate behavioral responses in order to answer the question, “What should we do about this pain?”

Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen can reduce physical pain; camaraderie reduces social pain. Susannah Dy/CrossFit Journal Dy/CrossFit Susannah

More research needs to be done on the link between “social painkillers” and physical pain, but most athletes will tell you that WODs are somehow easier with a little company.

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Without these basic pain pathways (low-level sensory This is what we neuroscientists refer to as the “neural aspects of pain at the lowest levels of consciousness), alarm system” (12). It’s essentially the brain’s oh-shit we cannot “feel” pain correctly. Several pathways response. It’s an interpretation of the pain, from either exist because pain perception is important for species your own or another person’s perspective, irrespective survival. It trains a species to stop doing stupid things of the actual amount of pain you might be experiencing. that result in cellular or bodily damage. In some cases, It can be the case that if someone else sees your wound people with damage to these pathways or genetic as more serious than you initially thought, a more conditions that render these pathways dysfunctional do intense pain can be felt. Social cognitive processes make not feel pain (9-11). While that might seem appealing, this possible. The injury is now interpreted as being consider standing in the snow barefoot. When your feet important and demanding some response. For our little start to hurt from being too cold, you would probably go fella, it’s “cry so mom or dad will pick me up and all inside or put on footwear. People with congenital pain things in the universe will be good again.” For a chef, it’s intolerance would not have this perception and thus not “wrap my fingers so I don’t bleed in the soup and have go inside, resulting in frostbite and eventually death of my restaurant closed down.” And so forth. the limbs—very maladaptive. “Feeling” pain is like feeling the “burn,” the cut of a knife, the impact of a punch, the pain associated with tearing your ACL, or the agony of feeling your feet literally freezing in the snow. Often we feel pain but do not immediately respond to it. For example, consider The thing that reduces social a young child who falls and scrapes his knee. Many pain—camaraderie—should children pop right back up without much indication of be able to reduce injury and continue to run … until they peer down at the knee and see red liquid oozing from the wound. Out of physical pain. nowhere, it seems, tears appear. The same response can be observed when a child falls and seems fine upon getting up but then sees a parent’s alarm and begins cry. The alarm of the parent is contagious to the child. Susannah Dy/CrossFit Journal Dy/CrossFit Susannah

A WOD is a fascinating mixture of emotions, and the relationships between them are not totally understood. CrossFitters, however, have some very interesting ideas about what goes on during a group workout.

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CrossFit: We Suffer Together Susannah Dy/CrossFit Journal Quite fascinatingly, our “feeling” of pain in the physical realm (e.g., getting burned, cut, kicked or punched) is tightly and neurologically linked to our feeling pain in the social realm (being excluded, ostracized, socially rejected or made fun of) (12-14). The kid who does not get picked for dodgeball experiences a sense of pain very similar to what he would feel if he were just kicked in the face with a dodgeball. Sure, some differences exist, but in both examples the neural alarm system would become activated. In the former case, all the pain is in the social neural alarm system with little or no physical feelings of pain (although continued social exclusion can produce real physical symptomatology). Historically, humans are predominantly social creatures (15-16). As such, we generally respond when our support systems—membership on a team or group membership—are threatened. In fact, our brains respond using the exact same systems as those used when we are physically injured. This occurs in order to motivate us to get back into the group. This time pain does not mean “pull hand from hot burner” but rather “make a friend,” “work harder to get picked for dodgeball,” or “work to complete that WOD and even risk Pukie because the box is cheering.” Acetaminophen and ibuprofen can reduce physical pain; camaraderie reduces social pain. Let’s take this one step further: if physical pain and social pain systems are so tightly linked neurologically, then we might hypoth- esize medicines that reduce physical pain ought to also reduce social pain (12). Indeed, new scientific evidence suggests certain painkillers, and variations in genetic susceptibility to painkillers, can make someone feel less upset about being excluded from a social situation (17). In CrossFit, individuals are part of a global community linked I think this is an amazing discovery! through the Internet and CrossFit.com. Similarly, the thing that reduces social pain— Given the links between social and physical pain— camaraderie—might be able to reduce physical pain. which require more research to allow us to draw firm Little scientific data supports this idea, but I think we conclusions—it may well be that camaraderie actually see some evidence of this phenomenon every day in reduces physical pain or delays the onset. CrossFit in a highly cooperative, competitive, friendly and Perhaps the whiteboard and the camaraderie of the box encouraging environment. Camaraderie, or being made are more than they seem. Perhaps they are prescriptive to feel like you are part of a group that is supporting your motivational tools and a sort of “medicine.” Perhaps they goals (and a group that might have a larger purpose), help us overcome the pain of the WOD and reduce the can make you push through a WOD or any challenge impediments that stand in the way of our forging ahead, life throws at you: a fight, a war, an athletic competition. faster, stronger, again and again, as RX’d.

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com Painkiller ... (continued) Courtesy of Dr. Steven M. Platek References 1. Berntson GG and Cacioppo JT. The neuroevolution of motivation. In Handbook of Motivational Science. Shah JY and Gardner WL, eds. New York: Guilford Press, 2007. pp 188-200. 2. Holden AV and Winlow W, eds. The Neurobiology of Pain. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1984. 3. Merskey H. An Investigation of Pain in Psychological Illness: DM Thesis. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1964. 4. Raj PP. Taxonomy and classification of pain. In The Handbook of Chronic Pain. Lreitler S, Beltrutti D and Lamberti A, eds. New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2007. 5. Woolf CJ and Mannion RJ. Neuropathic pain: Aetiology, symptoms, mechanisms and management. Lancet 353: 1959-1964, 1999. 6. Ploghaus A et al. Learning about pain: The neural substrate of the prediction error for aversive events. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 97(16): 9281-9286, 2000. About the Author 7. Coghill RC, McHaffie JG and Yen YF. Neural correlates of Steven M. Platek (Ph.D. Biological Psychology, University interindividual differences in the subjective experience of at Albany-SUNY) is associate professor of psychology in pain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 100(14): 8538-8542, 2003. the School of Liberal Arts at Georgia Gwinnett College and associate researcher at the MARIARC imaging center of the 8. Treede R. Cortical representation of pain: Functional character- ization of nociceptive areas near the lateral sulcus. Pain 87(2): University of Liverpool. Platek is director of the Evolutionary 113-119, 2009. Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory (ECNL), where he and 9. Cox JJ et al. An SCN9A channelopathy causes congenital inability his students have identified the unique neural substrates to experience pain. Nature 444(7121): 894-898, 2006. associated with self-referent phenotype matching (facial 10. Hornsby J. Insensitivity to pain, congenital, with anhidrosis: CIPA. resemblance), self-face recognition, kin recognition, and Community Outlook: 189, 1986. attractiveness of female body morphology and male facial 11. Manfredi M et al. Congenital absence of pain. Archives of characteristics. Neurology 38(8): 507-511, 1981. He has published over 60 scholarly peer-reviewed articles 12. Eisenberger NI and Lieberman MD. Why rejection hurts: A and edited three academic volumes, and he is editor-in- common neural alarm system for physical and social pain. Trends chief of the journal Frontiers in Evolutionary Neuroscience, in Cognitive Science 8(7): 294-300, 2004. co-editor and managing editor of the journal Evolutionary 13. Krill AL and Platek SM. In-group and out-group membership Psychology, associate editor of the journal Personality and mediates anterior cingulated activation to social exclusion. Frontiers in Evolutionary Neuroscience 1(1): 1-7, 2009. Individual Differences, and consulting editor for the journal Human Nature. He also serves on the editorial boards of The 14. Krill AL, Platek SM and Wathne K. Feelings of control during social exclusion are partly accounted for by empathizing person- Journal of Social, Cultural and Evolutionary Psychology; ality. Personality and Individual Differences 45: 684-688, 2008. The Open Ecology Journal; Scientific Research and Essays; 15. Baumeister RF and Leary MR. The need to belong: Desire for The Open Neuroimaging Journal; The Open Evolution interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Journal; and The Journal of Scientific Psychology. A new Psychological Bulletin 117: 497-529, 1995. focus for Platek and his team is to study the neurocog- 16. Kurzban R and Leary MR. Evolutionary origins of stigmatization: nitive and psychological effects of various fitness-training The functions of social exclusion. Psychological Bulletin 127(2): regimens, particularly functional fitness vs. non-functional 187-208, 2001. fitness movements. He and his wife Austen are also avid 17. Way BM, Tayler SE and Eisenberger NI. Variation in the mu-opioid CrossFitters. He would like to thank coaches Ben Davis receptor gene (OPRM1 is associated with dispositional and and Kyle Maynard, and Brandon Brigman of No Excuses neural sensitivity to social rejection). Proceedings of the National CrossFit, for helpful comments on this idea. He is also a Level Academy of Sciences 106: 15079-15084, 2009. 1 CrossFit trainer and runs the new affiliate garage gym CrossFit Gwinnet. F

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No Limits Catherine Cochran isn’t allowing diabetes to prevent her from CrossFitting. With very careful management of blood glucose levels, she’s hitting WODs and getting fitter.

By Catherine Cochran June 2010 Capital Jiu Jitsu Jiu Capital All photographs: Matt Tudor/ Matt photographs: All

The views stated herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the views, opinions or advice of CrossFit Inc.

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On March 18, 2009, I arrived at Jeremy and Kathy Lafreniere’s Capital Jiu Jitsu (CrossFit Dulles) in preparation for my first CrossFit workout. I had attended a trial yoga class the previous week, and upon entering the gym I had passed by the CrossFit area where athletes were swinging from pull-up bars and lifting weights. After the yoga class, which I decided was not for me, the manager of the gym, Steve, convinced me to come back and try CrossFit. Although I had not been active in 15 years, I had been a gymnast during childhood for eight years until two severely broken bones abruptly ended my career. My first CrossFit workout was Fran. I used 25 lb. for thrusters, which I had never even heard of let alone performed, and a tension band for pull-ups. There were several other male and female athletes of differing levels in the gym, and many of them were also using tension bands. Coach Tom wanted one simple result for me: completion of the workout.

If there is one thing I can’t stand, it’s being told that I shouldn’t or can’t do something because I have diabetes.

I was petrified to lift that bar over my head, and my arms began to burn with the very first assisted pull-up. I wanted to quit during Round 2, but for some reason I listened to the coach, who urged me to keep going. By the time I got to the third round, Coach Tom told me I only had nine reps to go and might as well as finish. I was so angry at him for making me finish that workout that I stormed out of the gym like a child throwing a tantrum. On the way out, I felt angry at myself for being so weak. My lungs were burning, my arms were burning, and my legs felt like Jell-O. By cautiously managing her blood sugar, Catherine Cochran has found she can do intense CrossFit workouts in spite of diabetes.

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After despising her first CrossFit workout, Cochran was hooked and is now a Level 1 trainer.

Diabetes and CrossFitting Type 1 diabetes is the more rare form of the disease, often referred to as “juvenile diabetes.” Although it has similar- I don’t have to describe the days that followed to the ities to Type 2 diabetes, it is in most respects completely CrossFit community. Everyone has felt this level of pain different. Type 1 diabetics are insulin-dependent and and discomfort before, and we’ve all gotten used to must inject insulin, either using some kind of syringe or it. During those days of discomfort, I decided I had to pump therapy, which is a constant insulin drip. return and show the coach I really wasn’t that scared, weak or out of shape. I now realize that I really wanted to In a person without Type 1 diabetes, certain processes prove those things to myself. take place to create insulin, which carries glucose from the blood to cells in the body. All carbohydrates break I returned to sign up for CrossFit, much to the surprise down into glucose, commonly referred to as sugar, of Coach Tom and the manager of the gym. After three and the liver produces glucose, especially when the months of CrossFit, I went to my endocrinologist for my body is stressed. The liver in a type 1 diabetic produces regular quarterly check-up, where the doctor informed even more glucose than one in a non-diabetic, and that me that he thought CrossFit was “too intense” for my process is magnified when stress is elevated in the body body to handle because I am a Type 1 diabetic. due to any number of events, such as illness or a highly If there is one thing I can’t stand, it’s being told that I intense CrossFit workout. Unlike Type 2 diabetics and shouldn’t or can’t do something because I have diabetes. people without diabetes, Type 1 diabetics do not produce That said, controlling diabetes is extremely important, insulin, and blood glucose levels rise as a result (hyper- no matter what activities I choose to do. I knew I had glycemia), which can cause long-term effects such as a greater challenge in front of me than I had originally kidney, neurological and cardiovascular damage. Acute anticipated, but CrossFit had already given me more will hyperglycemia can cause death. Without insulin, people than I ever had before. I was committed to striving for cannot survive, and if I don’t inject insulin into my body elite fitness, which for me includes maintaining tight every single day, I will die. control over diabetes.

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Hitting WODs and Managing Diabetes Diabetes is dangerous and deadly. I know that. I have known that since diagnosis. My husband is all too aware of the dangers and has had to act quickly at all hours of the day and night, quite literally, to save my life. If you have Type 1 diabetes, you know how difficult it is to control your condition. If you are a CrossFitter with Type 1 diabetes, you have an even bigger challenge. But isn’t that why most of us continue to hit our WODs at 100 percent capacity—for the challenge? We strive for faster times, more reps, increased power. We strive for elite fitness every day. For all Type 1 diabetics, many medical doctors will tell you not to do CrossFit. Most of you are probably just as stubborn as I am when it comes to anyone telling you to limit your activities due to diabetes. It is, without a doubt, more difficult to control your blood sugar with the intense WODs that you will encounter, but it is certainly not impossible. And if you are coaching Type 1 diabetics, make sure they learn how to take care of themselves. Certain types of workouts affect Catherine Cochran more than CrossFit is safe for everyone, but just like a CrossFitter others, so she adjusts her insulin levels accordingly. with a chronic injury, diabetics have to know how to be Three months after starting CrossFit, my doctor safe. performed my regular HbA1c test, a simple blood test First, CrossFit is scalable. Record your WODs and record that measures the average amount of glucose over the your blood sugar before and after. I did so and started past three months. The result was 7.6 percent, which to notice a pattern. Three months into CrossFit, intense means my blood glucose was averaging around 190 WODs lasting more than about 20 minutes caused my mg/dl. To put that into perspective, a non-diabetic will blood glucose to spike to unsafe levels (over 250 mg/ almost always be around 85 mg/dl. When the doctor dl). However, intense WODs lasting less than about 20 asked what had changed, I told the him about CrossFit. minutes did not cause unsafe blood glucose spikes. That He explained to me that my liver was most likely meant I had to scale my WODs so that I could complete increasing glucose production due to the extreme stress them in 20 minutes. There is nothing wrong with scaling I was putting on my body during a workout, causing very a WOD midway through. Of course, many of you will high glucose levels I wasn’t aware of. refuse to scale a workout when you know you can keep The next day at CrossFit, I checked my blood glucose the intensity needed, and you’ll complete the WOD just before I started the warm-up and had normal prescribed even if it means seeing black spots. That’s results (70-120 mg/dl). I hit the WOD hard, called time OK too if you ask me. and collapsed into my sweat angel. After regaining the Second, if you are going to refuse to scale a WOD, strength to stand, I checked my blood glucose again and learn what types of workouts are going to affect was shocked to find it was over 300 mg/dl. I immedi- you, and learn exactly what effect they’ll have. In the ately took insulin to bring the glucose back down to CrossFit community, this means learning how the three normal. Three hours later, I began feeling symptoms of metabolic pathways are going to affect you. Balancing hypoglycemia, so I pricked my finger, checked my blood these three pathways is important for all CrossFitters, and found I had plummeted to glucose levels around but for diabetics it goes one step further. If I run a 5K or 50 mg/dl. Although 50 mg/dl is not dangerously low 800-meter intervals, my blood glucose will most likely for me, the glucose could drop lower if left uncorrected, drop, not spike. I get the same reaction to a one-rep- resulting in insulin shock followed by death if immediate max day. Being on pump therapy makes it very easy to treatment is not received.

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com Diabetes ... (continued) adjust for these workouts. Thirty minutes before I start HbA1C tests. I have also been able to lower the amount the workout, I lower my basal rate to 30 percent. On the of insulin I take daily, including my bolus ratio. This is other hand, if I hit a Filthy Fifty or a Murph, I can’t finish due to the change in body composition, because insulin the workout in less than 20 minutes and I don’t want to works more efficiently with muscle than fat. scale it. I’m a CrossFitter, and “prescribed” is an important By now, my doctor knows he won’t change my mind word in my vocabulary. Being on pump therapy makes it about CrossFit, and he no longer tries. easy to adjust for these WODs: I increase my basal rate by 20 percent 30 minutes before a workout. If I forget to increase my basal, my blood glucose will be high. F Third, know what factors will affect the first two circum- stances and what the effect is. If I miss blocks during the day, my performance will be different. If I work out at a different time of day, my performance might be different. If my stress level is higher than normal, my reaction to insulin and the workout might be different. Fourth, attend a Level 1 Certification. I know I am different because I have diabetes, and I know I am affected differ- ently by these workouts due to diabetes. It all came together for me after my Level 1 Certification at CrossFit Charlotte. The CrossFit trainers did an excellent job of explaining CrossFit methodology and programming, and everything makes much more sense to me now. These trainers have armed me with all the knowledge and resources I need to ensure CrossFit is just as safe for me as it is for everyone else. Fifth, know that factors will change constantly. Keep tracking your workouts and your blood glucose levels. Track the changes and make appropriate changes of your own. Since my first day of CrossFit, I have completed Fran three more times, all prescribed and all under 10 minutes. Fran normally doesn’t affect me with high glucose levels anymore. However, I recently learned at the Level 1 Certification that if I drive over six hours About the Author to a gym in a different state, sit through several hours Catherine Cochran is the director of finance and of CrossFit classroom learning, participate in a Tabata administration for a construction management company workout, and change my daily diet ritual, then Fran will in northern Virginia, as well as a CrossFit trainer and cause blood glucose levels of over 300 mg/dl. This is a athlete. She would like to thank the CrossFit community of learning process. It is not static or linear. If I elevate other athletes and coaches at her gym, Capital Jiu Jitsu, for pushing stressors, workouts that don’t normally affect my blood her harder every day, and the coaches who were at the Level glucose levels will affect those levels. 1 Certification at CrossFit Charlotte, who encouraged her to No Barriers share her experience with diabetes and CrossFit with the rest of the community: Joe Alexander, Chuck Carswell, Mike I plan to continue being active in the CrossFit community Giardina, Andy Hendel, Nicole Gordon, Andrea Seward and as an athlete and now as a coach. Diabetes will not stop Bobbi Millsaps. me from progressing as an athlete, and it shouldn’t stop anyone else either. Since I learned how to adjust insulin levels for workouts, my doctor has been happy with my

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By Chris Moore June 2010 All photos courtesy of LMac Studio LMac of courtesy photos All

“Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.” — Fred Brooks

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Training is just like whiskey. You start with raw, coarse ingredients. After careful preparation and sustained heat, you can produce something recognizable: a foundation. In time that product will improve. You might even call it good, but that’s only because you’ve never experienced anything better. After years of persistence, you will finally begin to taste the real thing—something that is more than the sum of its parts. A brewer may fail countless times before producing something noteworthy. It’s no different in the gym. Early, easy gains often turn into periods of frustration. These moments are opportunities for refinement. The craft of programming requires the removal of elements that are not useful and the addition of new ingredients, subtleties and distinctions. When I first touched a barbell, I was raw. Like many, I began to train in high school to prepare for sport. I lifted just about every day, played a lot of shitty metal music over the weight-room speakers, loaded up the leg press and always made sure to do my curls. There was no reason to doubt what I was doing. I was strong and a decent athlete, but I was ignorant. Refinement came one training session at a time, one competition at a time. Each misstep along the way was an opportunity to learn. After 18 years of training, I still make mistakes. I no longer listen to shitty metal music, but my training doesn’t always go as planned. However, my time under the bar has revealed some evident truths. This is what I have learned.

“Well, most lifters don’t understand work. You have to work hard. I mean really hard.” — Dr. Mike Stone

A lifter bears a tattoo meaning “discipline” in Hebrew—an ever-present reminder of what it takes to succeed.

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Hard Work Is Paramount Years ago, I was sharing a beer with one of my mentors all time. From what he could gather from direct obser- in sport science, Dr. Mike Stone. By this time, I was vation and from coaches who were close to the lifter, managing to become a pretty good powerlifter. I was Süleymanoğlu worked his ass off. After days filled with always looking for some new training ideas, fresh multiple training sessions, it was common for Naim to research findings, old gym stories—anything that could require assistance getting into bed at the end of the give me insight into my own training and help me grow day—only to rise early for more. even stronger. I asked a question thinking the answer I thought then what most of you are thinking now. would be rather complicated: “Well, lifters on that level have a lot of advantages that “What do you feel is the key to strength?” I don’t. They have the best coaches. They don’t have to worry about working or paying bills. They have the best “The key?” genetics. The drugs ... .” These are just excuses. While “Yeah. What’s most important?” they do in fact have their fair share of advantages, the simple truth is that the world’s best lifters work the “Well, most lifters don’t understand work. You have to hardest. Programming, nutrition, recovery—these are all work hard. I mean really hard.” important. But if you’re not getting stronger, start with Dr. Stone went on to tell me a story about Naim an honest question. “How hard am I really working?” Süleymanoğlu, arguably the best Olympic weightlifter of

Above all, training and competition should be fulfilling. Find romance in the gym and on the platform.

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less lift it from the floor? Until 2005, a 900-lb. deadlift was still considered to be the pinnacle of strength, and only a handful of men had ever achieved that. Then, out of nowhere, the definition of strongest changed by 100 lb. The barrier lay shattered on the platform. My deadlift had always been relatively poor, but now it just seemed pathetic. Time to train harder. Seek out those who can run faster, lift more or go longer. By doing so, your expectations will change. Your definitions will change. Establish Honest Goals In Hamlet, the character Polonius offers some wise advice to his son prior to a voyage. He instructs the boy to control his thoughts and behavior, to cherish true friends, to maintain his appearance, and to avoid the borrowing or lending of money. But famously, he also instructs, “To thine own self be true.” We need role models in the gym. Talking to other athletes and observing their training is incredibly useful. But ultimately, we must be true to who, and where, we are. What achievements are important to you? Where Find good training partners who will push you. do you want to be after a year of training? And most importantly, where do you stand now? A great goal would be to clean and jerk 300 lb., but first you must Have Perspective lift 200. A few pounds at a time. Less seconds here and there. Program for short-term, modest progress and you Runners once believed in a natural speed limit. It was will achieve your ultimate long-term goals. sort of like the speed of light. Try all you want, you’re just not going to travel faster than 299,792,458 meters per second. Running was the same. No matter how may miles you put in, you were never going to run faster than 15 miles per hour. No one had done it. Therefore, it could not be done. That changed when Roger Bannister recorded the first four-minute mile in 1954 (he did it in 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds to be exact). In the time since, this monumental achievement has been dupli- If you can make it through cated thousands of times over—but Bannister cracked the barrier. Because of his efforts, a new generation of a brutal 5x5 squat session runners could make the unimaginable ordinary. with maximal loads, what In 2006, I had the rare opportunity to witness a energy is left for back raises Bannister-esque moment in person. In April of that or kettlebell swings? year, Andy Bolton became the first man in the history of the barbell to deadlift over 1,000 lb. His 1,003 pull ranks as one of the most impressive feats of strength ever. Arguably, it may be the most impressive. Just as with running, no one believed such a lift was possible. How could anyone hold onto that much weight, much

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For long-term success, focus your programming on short-term goals.

Keep It Simple ways to utilize them. But when we move beyond basic For years I found myself caught up in trying to figure out movements, it just takes too much effort to keep track complicated periodization strategies, always looking of it all. We lose sight of our goals. We forget about for a new way to organize the dozens of exercises I was progression, about effort. attempting to perform. More was better, until I realized I Physiologically, simple training allows us to keep the was not getting stronger. For over 100 years, people have training stress high and recovery optimal. If you can been getting very strong, powerful and fit by keeping to make it through a brutal 5x5 squat session with maximal the basics. They used barbells. They moved the heaviest loads, what energy is left for back raises or kettlebell weight they could move and did it as fast as they could. swings? What stress can these exercises offer that the They added weight to the bar when they were able. squats could not? You should be left gasping, begging That’s it. There are no secret methods. for mercy. Legs quivering. If not, you didn’t train. Simple training works for two reasons: it suits your mind If your workout goal is to stimulate strength gains, then and your physiology. In his book The Paradox of Choice— let that be your sole focus. Keep the assistance exercises Why More Is Less, Barry Schwartz lays out an argument for conditioning sessions. against complexity. The distinguishing characteristic of modern times is too much choice. When I go to a Know When to Attack Mexican restaurant, I am bombarded with menu items Anyone who has taken high-school biology should numbered 1-100. Should I have the plate with two tacos remember the fight-or-flight response. When challenged, and one burrito or two burritos and one taco? It’s impos- animals make an instant decision: stay and fight or run sible to be happy with your final choice. Choosing one away. A similar thing happens in the gym. Sometimes a option means you have to forgo the others. What are workout is just not going to go your way. Your joints will you missing? ache. The weight will feel too heavy. There will be too many reps. You have to know when to back off in order It’s easy to be consumed with complexity in the gym. to fight another day. However, you also need to under- There are so many effective exercises and so many stand when to attack. Sometimes you are going to feel

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com Aged ... (continued) invincible. Now is the time to push your limits. Now is You’ll train other athletes to reach their potential. Your the time to challenge those around you. A good training programing will be perfect—or will it? partner will fight back, rep for rep. If not, find a new one. The truth is that every program runs its course. What Find Romance works now will not work in the future. Your body is Alfred North Whitehead was an English mathematician too smart for that. Its physiology has been forged over and philosopher. In 1929, he published a series of essays generations and generations of struggle. It will adapt. on education. In “The Rhythmic Claims of Freedom and You must stay hungry. Keep reading everything you can. Discipline,” he described learning in terms of passion Attend every seminar you can. Find new gyms to visit. and focus. At first, students should be given the freedom You will continue to break records. Sometimes you will to explore new subjects, to ask new questions. There fail. But hey, isn’t that why we train in the first place? should be no set curriculum. The only thing that is Refine. important is exploration. With time, interesting ideas are identified. Students focus in on specific topics. It is F at this time that discipline is introduced. Students are tested. Essays are written. Grades are given. Without discipline, one will never reach full potential. But without romance, one will never identify true passion.

When was the last time you sprinted? Never dreamed of running a 5K? Now’s the time.

When we focus on the same goal for too long, progress will always stall. Training is no longer fun. Whitehead’s advice would be to find some romance. Have you always really wanted to learn the Olympic lifts? When was the last time you sprinted? Never dreamed of running a 5K? About the Author Now’s the time. Do not worry about losing progress. If you take the time to explore new training ideas, you will Chris Moore is writer and powerlifting coach at CrossFit gain additional insight into who you are as an athlete. Memphis. Prior to his lifting career, Chris played Division 1 You will develop a deeper understanding of how you football at the University of Memphis. During this time, he adapt. When it comes time to focus once again, you will began his study of human performance, eventually obtaining have the wisdom to achieve new levels of performance. a master’s degree in exercise and sport science. In 2007, You will be prepared to train harder than ever before. Chris joined Mike Bledsoe, Doug Larson and Rob Conner to found Memphis’ first CrossFit gym. Today, CrossFit Memphis Always seek Knowledge has grown to include powerlifters, weightlifters and mixed One day it will all pay off. All those seminars you martial artists, all training and competing under the banner attended, those certifications, the trips to other gyms to of Faction Strength & Conditioning. As a drug-free lifter, train with the best athletes … . You will achieve levels of Chris’ best competitive lifts include a 975-lb. squat, a 675-lb. performance that you did not think were possible. bench press and 675-lb. deadlift. You can reach him at [email protected], or visit FactionSC.com.

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com Hiding Intensity Capt. Richard Kelley offers five WODs designed to for austere environments and participants who may need incentives to put effort into intense workouts.

By Capt. Richard Kelley June 2010 All images courtesy of Capt. Richard Kelley Richard Capt. of courtesy images All

The Air Force gets a bad reputation in terms of fitness in the military. A lot of this seems to stem from what some call the “Bike Test Days,” referring to a period when cycle ergometry was the primary means of measuring fitness in the Air Force. While those days are gone, and while fitness standards are slowly improving across the Air Force, the challenge I face as a physical training leader (PTL) is this: “How do you bring high-intensity, constantly varied functional fitness to the masses via our more traditional physical training (PT) program?”

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It’s important to note that, for the purposes of this article, the term “traditional” refers to the idea that simply doing several sets of push-ups and sit-ups and then running for a length of time is enough as a PT program. It should also be noted that this article represents my views and in no way represents the official views of the U.S. Air Force. I am qualified as an Air Force physical training leader only. I have no other certifications to my credit. So take from the workouts in this article what you will. Finally, when I write about the Air Force, I am referring to what I’ve seen in the mission-support world and what I’ve heard from others in maintenance and ops. I’m sure there are exceptions, especially with special-operations forces. Of course, one option for bringing functional fitness to the Air Force would be abandoning the traditional program, opening a box on every base and making CrossFit the Air Force PT program. While some bases, such as Luke Air Force Base and Ramstein Air Base, have affiliates, the Air Force is a long way from officially adopting CrossFit as a fitness program. However, I’ve attempted to introduce CrossFit-style workouts and principles to medium- to-large groups of varying fitness levels with minimal equipment available. I’ve include five sample workouts I’ve designed with the intention of encouraging feedback and ideas from other military members and the CrossFit community as a whole. A Quick Note on Air Force Physical Training The Air Force Physical Fitness Test (PFT) consists of one minute of push-ups, one minute of crunches, a 1.5-mile run and a waist-circumference measurement. For scoring, these components are weighted 10, 10, 60, and 20 percent respectively. As of January 2010, members have to pass this test twice a year to stay in the Air Force. Typically, squadron commanders will designate mandatory PT sessions, designed and run by PTLs, several times per week, usually for an hour or so. In theory, the intention of these PT sessions is not to get everyone ready for the PFT but to foster a “culture of fitness” and encourage individuals to continue to improve on their own time in the hopes that mission readiness and high PFT scores will result. In fact, the PFT itself is designed to measure the health of an airman and the effectiveness of a unit’s PT program, not to be the last word on an individual’s fitness. Training with minimal equipment requires creativity, but great trainers can find a number of ways to give their athletes a great workout.

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Constraints and Challenges If I had my way, CrossFit would be our fitness program. We would certify trainers on every base, train everyone on the foundational movements, acquire all the necessary equipment and follow the WOD to the letter. The reality is that I’m pretty low on the totem pole, and it’s not my place to institute Air Force policy. Several other factors also make it difficult to implement CrossFit, even within a small unit: • Not everyone in the Air Force wants to improve his or her fitness. I think the majority of the people I train genuinely want to improve their overall fitness and PFT score, but a few people are only working out because they have been ordered to do so. This is a fundamental difference between training at a gym (where a client pays for your services) and the fitness programs that I’ve been a part of in the military. Moreover, the larger a group, the harder it is to motivate those who are trying to get away with doing the least amount possible. • People are resistant to change. It’s harder than I thought convincing everyone that increasing the intensity rather than the length of the workout will improve overall fitness and PFT scores. A standard PT session is usually 40 minutes to an hour long. As we all know, most CrossFit workouts take less than half that time. Old habits die hard, and military habits are very old. • Equipment is not available. Air Force gyms are typical of a civilian commercial gym but not necessarily as big. Most are WOD-friendly (meaning you won’t be told to get your rings off the bars or anything like that), but there’s just not enough room or equipment available for large groups. This makes incorporating strength training very difficult. • Ensuring fidelity of technique and quality is much harder than I realized. Getting everyone to execute proper form on everything from push-ups to squats is a constant battle. I can’t even imagine trying to incorporate Olympic lifts. • CrossFit requires that you put in the work and push yourself to get results. Not everyone is willing to do As most CrossFitters know, body-weight movements that. require little equipment but become very challenging when performed at high intensity.

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Fitting a Square Peg Into a Round Hole You will notice that the workouts at the end of this article The hardest part of training people who don’t want to include mostly body-weight calisthenics and interval/ be there is getting them to work hard. To combat the distance training. As I mentioned above, there just isn’t problem, I started to design my group workouts around enough equipment available for large groups without a the constantly varied, high-intensity mantra while trying significant monetary investment. Furthermore, our PT to hide the high-intensity part. To clarify, what I mean programs are just beginning to come away from the old by “hiding intensity” is essentially tricking those people way of thinking. In the future, including cheap alterna- who usually slack off into pushing themselves past tives such as sandbags and homemade medicine balls their comfort zone. So how exactly do you that? As it to increase the variety and intensity of the workouts turns out, half the battle is taken care of by constantly is the next step, but how do we move even closer to a varying the workouts. I’m sure many CrossFitters can real CrossFit program without a box? Can we get, say, attest to beginning a workout that looked simple enough even 50 percent of the benefits without incorporating on paper only to find they were nearly on the floor elements like Olympic lifts, rings or other gymnastics halfway through. Fran, anyone? I found that many will movements? Is there a way to get more? I welcome put more effort into a new workout than one they know any ideas or criticism. Until there’s a box on every base, or remember to be hard. The other half of the battle is those of us who believe CrossFit is the future will have fought in three ways: to continue to advocate where we can and make do with what we have. 1. I reward intensity by building more rest time into a workout for those who complete a round faster. (”You want more of a break? I suggest you push through this next round faster than that guy at the finish line.”). The trick here is that the more the group improves as a whole, the less rest time there is for the frontrunners, which in turn causes them to work that much harder, and the cycle starts over again. 2. I implement fouls for those who can’t or won’t complete a round (an idea I borrowed from Crossfit Endurance). For example, in a sprint workout the options are either line up for the next interval or “rest” in the plank or front-leaning-rest position. 3. I encourage group members to motivate each other as a team and to complete the workout like it’s a mission. This is similar to the Full Mission Profile idea from Rob Ord of Brass Ring Fitness but scaled down for mere mortals.

With clever programming, athletes will find themselves working hard even if they hadn’t intended to put forth their best effort.

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Hit These WODs Spartan Run (Push & Squat) The five workouts below I derived from ideas and Total Time: Varies exercises I’ve seen on the Internet, my own readings, and trial and error. I’ve tried to give credit where credit This is a variation on an old classic. There’s nothing new is due. Keep in mind that these workouts are intended to here, but the reps are a lot higher than most people I take up an allotted time frame, typically 40-45 minutes, train are familiar with. This was eye-opening for most, but I’m sure they can be completed in much less time. but it showed them that they’re capable of a lot more To perform a workout, read these from top to bottom, than they realized. moving from one exercise to the other without rest For time: unless otherwise specified. Sprint 200 meters 50 push-ups 15 squats Sprint 200 meters 45 push-ups 20 squats Sprint 200 meters 40 push-ups 25 squats Sprint 200 meters 35 push-ups 30 squats Sprint 200 meters 30 push-ups 35 squats Sprint 200 meters 25 push-ups 40 squats Sprint 200 meters 20 push-ups 45 squats Sprint 200 meters 15 push-ups 50 squats Total distance: 1,600 meters (1 mile) Total push-ups: 260 reps Total squats: 260 reps

“Gonzos” are burpee long jumps, and they make for a challenging workout when done in combination with sprints and bear crawls.

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Gonzos and Gassers 2-4-6-8 Pace Tempo With Fouls Total time: Approx. 25-30 minutes Total Time: Varies This workout is performed traveling widthwise on This is my version of a tempo workout. I made sure to a standard American football field and provides an explain before we started this workout that its purpose example of rewarding intensity because the rest interval is to get the body used to running at a target speed. I doesn’t start until the last person finishes the round. had the athletes break up into running pairs or groups of There were two problems with this workout. Some similar running ability to help with motivation. Again, I people complained of becoming light-headed from the borrowed the fouls idea from Crossfit Endurance to give bear crawls. Keeping their head down was most likely everyone that extra little incentive to maintain pace. I the cause. We had a few people who took longer than received a lot positive feedback from this workout. I had hoped to finish the first round, which increased Instructions: Break into run pairs or groups (about 3 the rest interval. However, the gap between the first and people). All work is done on a standard 400-meter last person closed by the second round. Next time I may track. Establish tempo using tempo chart or run one lap split the group based on ability if there are significant as fast as possible to set your tempo at 85-95 percent of differences in fitness levels. Unfortunately, there were that. not enough PTLs available to run several groups the first time this workout was performed. (The name “Gonzo” Two rounds of: comes from an inside joke from which I’ll spare you.) Run 800 meters at tempo Rest 2 minutes between rounds Exercise directions: Gonzos (burpee long jumps) consist (Fouls apply) of performing a burpee, but instead of jumping straight up, you perform a long jump. Repeat until you complete Four rounds of: the RX’d distance. Run 400 meters at tempo Rest 1:30 min between rounds ½ gasser: Starting on the sideline, you will run down to (Fouls apply) the opposite sideline, plant and sprint back to the first sideline. Six rounds of: Run 200 meters at tempo 5 Rounds for time of: Rest 1 minute between rounds ½ gasser (Fouls apply) Rest 30 seconds Eight Rounds of: ½ gasser Run 100 meters as fast as you can Gonzos (25 meters) Rest 30 seconds between rounds Bear crawl (25 meters) Rest 30 seconds Foul rules: If you exceed your tempo pace by more than (this rest starts when the last person finishes the round) 5 seconds in any round you must complete 15 burpees during your rest period. Take 30 seconds of additional Approximate time per round: 5-6 minutes rest before starting the next round after foul completion. Approximate total time: 25-30 minutes Total distance: 5,200 meters (3.25 miles) Total rest time: 20 minutes

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10-PUSH-10 Total Time: Approx. 38-40 mins Believe it or not, nearly everyone finished this workout. My intention here was to re-introduce the concepts of a Tabata workout (we had previously done Tabata Something Else), Death by 10 Meters by Crossfit Endurance, and the classic pyramid style of workouts. I had mixed reviews on this one. Some really liked it, and others wanted to kill me. Death by 10 meters: (Run 10 meters on the minute, adding 10 meters every minute) Fouls applicable if you fail to complete a round Tabata squats: 8 intervals Pyramid push-ups/sit-ups: Push-ups: 2-4-6-8-10-12-14-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2 Sit-ups: 3-6-9-12-15-18-21-23-21-18-15-12-9-6-3 Death by 10 Meters Fouls applicable if you fail to complete a round Fouls: Hold plank position until the end of the section. Total push-ups: 128 reps Total sit-ups: 191 reps Total squats: Varies

Each athlete will bring something different to the table. The trick is to get each one to work at a level of intensity that’s very challenging.

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Full Mission Profile: Mortar Attack Zig-zags (10 rounds on your own): Total Time: Approx. 30 minutes Sprint across width of field (approx. 50 meters) This is my version of a Full Mission Profile, inspired by -10 push-ups Rob Ord’s work at Brass Ring Fitness. It is performed -10 sit-ups on a standard American football field. Keep in mind -10 jumping jacks (4 count) that I’m training mostly mission-support folks, so this is Crawl into bunker (bear-crawl width of field) considerably scaled down from the Brass Ring workouts. Everyone seems to like these a lot. Again intensity is Total reps: 430 plus sprints, shuffles, etc. rewarded in the sprints. F Overview: You just arrived at a FOB on a C-130. The area you’re in has been under frequent mortar attacks in the last few days, and it’s necessary to move quickly from the aircraft to in-processing. Just as you’re about to make it to in-processing, the base is attacked, causing a fire in some of tents and cutting off easy access to the nearest bunker. Mission: Make your way to the closest bunker, avoiding mortar attack and the fire along the way. Time/reps start when everyone gets to the line. Get off the aircraft and get to in-processing: 5 minutes of: Triangle (points about 20 meters apart) 1. Side shuffle to 2 2. Run to 3 3. Sprint to 1 About the Author Mortar attack with obstacles: Capt. Richard Kelley is a communications officer in the Air Sprint 100 meters Force. He’s been following CrossFit since 2007 and Crossfit 20 mountain climbers (4 count) Endurance since early 2009, though he doesn’t always stick 10 jumping jacks (4 count) to the main sites. He’s currently stationed in Oklahoma, Sprint 100 meters where he lives with his beautiful wife Erika, who surprisingly 20 crawling push-ups follows some of his workouts without wanting to kill him 10 jumping jacks (4 count) after. He also has what has been described as “a sick love of burpees.” Sprint 100 meters Front-leaning rest for 1 minute 10 jumping jacks (4 count) Sprint 100 meters 20 jumping squats 10 jumping jacks (4 count) Sprint 100 meters 20 lunges 10 jumping jacks (4 count)

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com THE JOURNAL Regionals: The Lighter Side CrossFit competitions are intense tests of physical skills—but they’re also where colorful characters let it all hang out. A now-sober Kevin Daigle reports.

By Kevin Daigle CrossFit New England June 2010 Courtesy of Kevin Daigle Kevin of Courtesy

The more I compete in CrossFit, the more I learn about myself—including how bad Rob Orlando and James Hobart can kick my ass.

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Having just returned from Albany, N.Y., and the Clearly, CrossFit is different than most sports, but Northeast Regional Qualifier event, I should be ready for the complete lack of shit-talking is utterly surprising, a long summer’s rest and recovery. Strangely, I’m fired especially when 50-plus athletes are vying for only three up about training as never before. bids to the big dance. There simply isn’t any. In fact, there’s more trash-talking going on at a ladies book-club What the hell is wrong with me? I just got my ass beat at meeting. regionals like the Karate Kid sans Mr. Miyagi. I shouldn’t be excited about training. Is it because I finished 29th? While I don’t consider my finish that impressive in absolute terms, it met my goal, and it isn’t a bad spot in the pool of approximately 212 firebreathers who started at the sectional level. Am I excited to train because the The more-than-colorful volume (for those of us who didn’t make the cut for the cast of characters swinging Albany Crippler final WOD) was fairly low for a competition? No, that’s not it. My shoulders burn like the from the pull-up bars at morning pee after a night at the Bunny Ranch in Vegas. your local competition I realized what it was on my drive to work the following is almost enough Tuesday morning: CrossFit isn’t real life. No one has that entertainment to make you much fun in real life—at least not with clothes on. forget an intense athletic Send in the Clowns contest is taking place. The shenanigans and tomfoolery that transpire behind— and sometimes in front of—the pull-up bars during a weekend of CrossFit competition are epic and unrivaled. Courtesy of Kevin Daigle Kevin of Courtesy

The assembled freaks at the Northeast Regional prepare to get sweaty and weird.

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Instead, the running off at the mouth is replaced by light- hearted, good-spirited ribbing; self-deprecating humor; joking; and sometimes dancing, inappropriate gesturing, and outright fucking around. What’s the impetus for this behavior, aside from the fact that we’re all softer than a sneaker full of shit to start with? It could be similar to how first responders joke about horrific things most of us can’t comprehend—a sort of coping mechanism. Whatever the reason, it’s refreshing, reassuring and a hell of a lot of fun. The more-than-colorful cast of characters swinging from the pull-up bars at your local competition is almost enough entertainment to make you forget an intense athletic contest is taking place. As people sashay into the warm-up area in the morning, it’s as if the initial thought is, “Let’s get weird, motherfuckers!” to quote a line from one of our own at CrossFit New England. So, what’s going on? A better question would be, “What isn’t going on?” I walked up on the scene early that May 22 morning at CrossFit Albany and crazy time was well underway. I was greeted at the entrance to the registration tent by a three-legged dog, which, I would later learn, belongs to Jay Ackerman, the emcee for the CrossFit comedy sideshow. First up for the weekend was the Masters competition. Having watched a few of these guys and girls warm up, two things were evident: they were fierce and battle- ready competitors, and they were no less tapped than the rest of us. There was much ado about the new “senior” division, of course, including a ton of self-inflicted razzing about not being able to remember their heat times or WODs—further evidence that the “CrossFit attitude” is universal and not age specific. Things certainly didn’t get dull, with the Affiliate Cup competition kicking off that afternoon. Our team from CFNE dominated that first WOD, which was scored by total handstand push-ups, and Ackerman announced over the PA, “CrossFit New England is in first place with a million and four HSPUs.” (It was actually 223). The tone had been set for the weekend. Courtesy of Kevin Daigle Kevin of Courtesy

The antics of the athletes in a CrossFit tent city are often just as interesting as the competition.

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In between all the tomfoolery, several athletes found time to hit a WOD or two.

Nervous Nellies, Unabombers and Bergerons a test of elite fitness. Of course, we go to quite a bit of Various CrossFit boxes and their athletes arrived from trouble to make it that way, with the only difference around the Northeast to set up tents, coolers, grills and being that the junk food and golden libations are locked foam rollers, putting a buzz in the air. It created a sense down until Sunday night. of the epic battles to come and the fun and camaraderie Saturday brought the beginning of the individual compe- that would accompany those battles. Most of that first tition, of which I was in the first heat. I fucking hate day was spent watching Masters and Affiliate Cup events going first. As I sauntered around prior to starting my and catching up with friends from around the region. To warm-up, I was greeted once again by the three-legged the unaware, the parking lot at Albany CrossFit looked dog and a woman wearing a neon thong over her black more like a tailgate party at a Def Leppard concert than stretch pants, like something straight out of Kiana’s Flex Appeal. I thought, “Yes, I am in the right place after all. Hundreds of people are ready to let the freak flag fly.” The familiar faces all around were warm and friendly, Yes, I am in the right place and a few brief conversations took place, mostly about the same things. “How ya doin? “How ya feelin’?” and after all. Hundreds of “What do you think the third WOD will be?” The last people are ready to let of those topics was hotly debated throughout the day. It looked as though the volume was fairly low for the first the freak flag fly. two WODs, so it stood to reason that the third WOD (a secret held tighter than the butt-hole of a first-time bungee jumper) would be in a longer time domain. Brian MacKenzie of CrossFit Endurance fame was lurking

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Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Subscription info at http://journal.crossfit.com CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. Feedback to [email protected] Visit CrossFit.com Lighter Side ... (continued) around as well, which certainly did nothing to quell my fear of what the third WOD could be. I was convinced that it was going to be a 10K, which is basically my worst nightmare, and I expressed that opinion to anyone who would listen. The obsessive bitching on my part may have inadvertently started a rumor that the third WOD was, in fact, a 10K. I did overhear that rumor in several conversations during the weekend. As we now know, it was not a 10K. My bad. Get over it. What goes on in the warm-up area stays in the warm-up area—yeah, right! There was enough levity inside the bright red Progenex caution tape to float Rosie O’Donnell across the Pacific. Jests about soiling oneself or dropping a barbell on one’s head abounded. Later, someone did actually feel 135 lb. on the head only to rally like a true CrossFitter and stagger over and complete the pull-ups anyway. The athletes really seemed to be enjoying the moment while preparing to do battle with the overhead squats/chest-to-bar pull-ups WOD.

The people at a regional event are no less varied than at Courtesy of Kevin Daigle a George Clinton and P-Funk concert. A few basic types dominate the ranks, though. “Loosey-goosey” athletes are just having a great time and don’t seem nervous at all. These individuals are just as easily at home with a mic in hand or on stage. Then you have the “Unabomber” athletes who warm up in sunglasses and hoodies, with headphones on and hoods pulled tight around their When the competition is over, it’s time to unveil your collection faces even when it’s fucking Africa-hot. These types of ridiculous post-WOD cheat treats. The more obscene, the better after months of strict Zoning. tend to be as serious as prostate cancer in the pre-game warm-up. Finally, there are the “nervous-nellie” athletes (including yours truly) who perform every movement in the impending WOD 6.02 x (10-7.5) times and try to look calm and ready. This routine is broken up by frequent trips to the Porta-Potty. Soon enough, we were The Unabombers eventually shed their shades and hoodies and rejoin normal society when it’s time to all enjoying the amber fluid step in the six-sided ring of fire and face the horror. At and putting down plate this point, though, they have generally reached a state after plate of nachos of mind that would draw a polite “No thanks, I’ll pass” even from a rabid wolverine hopped up on ma huang. and burgers, no doubt When we jittery freaks finally cross the tape into the terrifying the Sunday-night WOD area, the nerves simmer to fiery anger as we get psyched for the impending fight. All the while we try not wait staff at restaurants to let the loosey-goosies break our concentration with around Albany. their nipple-pinching and grab-assing.

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Heather Bergeron is one of those unbelievable stress cases who has no time to mess around before a WOD.

For the loosey-goosey types, their behavior extends of working out. At this point we’re all acquainted with even onto to field of battle. For example, the first-place the laxative effect of barbells and CrossFit in general (If women’s qualifier, Heather Keenan Bergeron, light- you’re not, read about it here). heartedly felt the need to make inappropriate gestures Failure to do pump out the potties resulted in some to friends and spectators only moments before the unsavory conditions at the New England Sectional in “3, 2, 1… Go!” (see above photo). Milford, Conn. One individual who will remain nameless I even saw a guy in an Affiliate Cup WOD hammering on apparently used a toilet-paper tube to “pack down the the 4K row while performing a brilliant rendition of the stuff to gain acceptable clearance.” Thankfully, we’ve Mötley Crüe classic Kickstart My Heart as he sang along progressed since then. with his iPod. There was one lesson that apparently was lost on the Beyond the WODs author, and that is the extreme abdominal discomfort Out and about in the pop-up tent city, it was clear that that can be induced by switching abruptly from whole, several lessons had been learned since the sectional natural, unprocessed Paleo foods to candy, cookies, event. One such lesson was that the Porta-Potties need nachos and beer immediately following the conclusion to be pumped out every day at CrossFit competitions. of competition. Somehow, I don’t think I’ll ever learn that There’s a formula for event size and what is supposedly one. That’s when things go downhill faster than Josh necessary in terms of facilities, but CrossFit is different. Everett on the infamous hill in Aromas. You have hundreds of CrossFitters who do nothing but All the eating clean and disciplined self-denial for eat and shit all … day … long in between feverish bouts months and months drops off like a prom dress. Athletes

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descend on coolers, bars, pubs, etc. and demolish that which they have craved for so long. Only moments after learning I hadn’t made the cut for the last WOD, I was digging into the cooler for two things: a Summer Ale and the box that said “Victory Dance—do not open until Sunday night.” It contained two items I had procured especially for the occasion: chocolate-covered cashew- butter cookies and the “World’s Largest Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups,” weighing in at a half-pound each.

Of course, many fellow athletes were eager to share Courtesy of Kevin Daigle these items. The cookies didn’t last very long. Soon enough, we were all enjoying the amber fluid and putting down plate after plate of nachos and burgers, no doubt terrifying the Sunday-night wait staff at restaurants around Albany. Everybody Wins About the Author These competitions are events, in this case spanning five days. I saw and did (and ate) things that I’ll remember Kevin Daigle is a 29-year-old football player and coach forever … even if I don’t want to. CrossFit competition turned CrossFitter from Dracut, Mass., who stumbled upon is certainly more than the sum of the athletes standing CrossFit while visiting a friend on Nantucket Island in the atop the podium on Sunday. The spectrum of experi- summer of 2008. After that first WOD he never looked back, ences is only trumped by a National Lampoon movie. I seemingly finding the missing piece of athletics he’d lost went from hitting a three-rep-max clean and jerk PR after matriculating from football at Western New England in front of hundreds of screaming people to a who’s College in Springfield, Mass. Within a year he met all the who of CrossFit dinner two hours later with the likes right people in the CrossFit community around Boston, of E.C. Synkowski, Dave Lipson, Dave Castro, Heather began training at CrossFit New England under the tutelage Bergeron, Brian MacKenzie, and a host of other athletes of Ben Bergeron and Heather Keenan Bergeron, got his first and CrossFit celebrities. taste of competition, and went to Aromas to see the 2009 CrossFit Games firsthand. This March Kevin placed 23rd at From doing handstand push-ups to listening to our team the New England Sectional in Milford, Conn., earning a spot game their way to victory before the last Aff Cup WOD at the regional qualifier at Albany, N.Y., in May. Kevin enjoys to fluorescent butt floss and rainbow socks. From eating omelets, writing (see Daigle Breathes Fire), drag racing and perfectly proportioned Zone/Paleo meals to a pound all types of ill shit. of cookies and chocolate. Sleepless nights in hotels worrying about the WOD gave way to people ordering drinks at a bar with their pants around their ankles. Somewhere in the midst of all this lunacy and revelry, six athletes and six teams won a chance to test their mettle at the 2010 CrossFit Games—and it all started with a three-legged dog. I’ll be a spectator in Carson, Calif., in just a few weeks, but maybe it’s for the best!

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