Well, the games came and went with a lot of fanfare. I wish I had been there to witness some of the astounding feats of strength and endurance that took place. In the end one man and one woman were crowned World's Fittest Man and World's Fittest Woman. So I thought I'd share with you what it takes, over 2 days, to earn that title.
Here are the series of workouts the competitors had to endure over the course of 2 days.
WOD 1:
The first event is a 7.1km run through varied terrain including both asphalt and extremely steep hills off trail.
WOD 2:
Heaviest successful deadlift completed lifting one rep every 30sec. Each competitor will begin at the first barbell, which weighs 315lbs for men and 185lbs for women. The athlete then has 10sec plus any portion of the 20sec remaining to set up at the next bar, which is 10lbs heavier than the previous (so the second bar weighs 325/195). Athletes continue moving to progressively heavier bars until they fail. The athletes are ranked according to the heaviest successful weight lifted before failing.
WOD 3:
The men will pick up two 35lb sandbags (loosely packed) and sprint approximately 170m uphill. The sandbags begin flat on the ground. The sprint is steep in places, with approximately 100' in elevation gain over the 170m course. Women carry one 35lb sandbag for the same course.
WOD 4:
Row 500m
Hammer a 4' metal stake into specially prepared, evenly compacted ground (women use a 3' stake)
Row 500m
WOD 5:
3 rounds of
- 30 wall-ball throws 10 feet
- 30 squat snatches (75lbs for the men, 45lbs for the women)
WOD 6 (Sunday 9am):
1 Rep Maximum Snatch
WOD 7:
As many rounds as possible in eight minutes of:
4 handstand push-ups on paralletes
8 kettlebell swings (2 pood/75lbs for the men, 1.5 pood/55lbs for the women)
12 GHD sit-ups.
WOD 8:
15 barbells cleans (155lb for the men, 100lbs for the women)
30 toes to bar
30 box jumps (24 inches for the men, 20 inches for the women)
15 muscle-ups
30 push presses (40lbs for the men, 25lbs for the women)
30 double-unders
15 thrusters (135lb for the men, 95lbs for the women)
30 pull-ups
30 burpees
Overhead walking lunges (45lbs for the men, 25lbs for the women)
Needless to say there were few people left standing at the end of this weekend, but the top 3 men and women were crowned World's Fittest for good reason. Sadly, Gillian was eliminated at the end of the first day (after WOD 5).
Now I get to sit and anxiously await all the video to come out so I can watch what was an incredible weekend, to say the least.
Read more!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Crossfit Games and "Every Second Counts"
This will be a quick post, that's for sure.
This weekend, July 10-12th, in Aromas California, the Crossfit Games 2009 kicks off. As many of you know, I volunteered at the Northeast Qualifier that sent the top 5 men and women from each qualifier go on to Aromas (along with the top competitors from last year) and go on to compete for the prize of $5,000 each and the bragging rights for being the fittest person on earth. No one knows what the workouts will be until they "come out of the hopper" but we are told that some things have never been done by Crossfit before, so this should be good. And I will be cheering for our own Crossfit South Brooklyn's Gillian Mounsey, who is one of our coaches and who placed 3rd in last years games. I wish I could be in Aromas to watch, but in the meantime, well, hey, at least the Crossfit movie "Every Second Counts" is coming out and it gives you a great view of what really goes on with Crossfit.
And yes, for those of you who are wondering, this is an incredibly accurate portrayal of Crossfit and the crazy culture that surrounds it-- hand callouses and all.
Read more!
This weekend, July 10-12th, in Aromas California, the Crossfit Games 2009 kicks off. As many of you know, I volunteered at the Northeast Qualifier that sent the top 5 men and women from each qualifier go on to Aromas (along with the top competitors from last year) and go on to compete for the prize of $5,000 each and the bragging rights for being the fittest person on earth. No one knows what the workouts will be until they "come out of the hopper" but we are told that some things have never been done by Crossfit before, so this should be good. And I will be cheering for our own Crossfit South Brooklyn's Gillian Mounsey, who is one of our coaches and who placed 3rd in last years games. I wish I could be in Aromas to watch, but in the meantime, well, hey, at least the Crossfit movie "Every Second Counts" is coming out and it gives you a great view of what really goes on with Crossfit.
And yes, for those of you who are wondering, this is an incredibly accurate portrayal of Crossfit and the crazy culture that surrounds it-- hand callouses and all.
Read more!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Life Back on the Road
It's taken me a bit to get to this. After two back to back weeks on the road (with a 36 hour home layover), I am finally back to my normal routine back here in good old Brooklyn. Some fun stuff to report from travel, so here it goes.
I left you promising I'd give you an update on my first real running barefoot attempt, so let's start there. My first week on the road was in Denver. I landed very late Sunday night and had to be up and running on Monday morning, so by the time Monday night rolled around, I crashed. I planned for my barefoot run to go down Tuesday morning. I decided to do my run on the treadmill because it would afford me a far more pliable surface than the road would. I also knew I had to keep the miles slow and short because this would be a very different experience than my body was used to. So off I went at 5am Tuesday morning.
Let me first start with the observation that altitude really does have on athleticism. Having been to Denver before, but never as an athlete, I felt a little less prepared for this-- I mean, you hear it, but its another thing to experience it. It didn't take me long to feel that impact rather acutely as my pace was naturally slowed by a sense that I couldn't get nearly enough air in me. The run itself felt a little strange at first. I'm getting more used to a ball-of-foot strike using my newtons, but what I hadn't expected is how jarring that impact can feel with nothing at all there. It took me a few steps before I noticed I was totally changing up my land to something a lot smoother and lighter. I'm not sure the entire explanation for how that happened because it wasn't conscious, but I was definitely aware that almost right away my body was conditioned to do something, it did it, it hurt, it modified. Much unlike being in my newtons, I didn't have to think about foot placement-- my body just sort of did it because of comfort. I don't think I appreciated how far off of normal biomechanics shoes really make things until that moment. It was eye opening.
I ran about 2 miles. Slowly. I was thinking I wanted to do more because it was feeling good except that there was a small spot on the inside of my right arch just behind the ball of my foot that could feel a rub from the seam of the vibram itself. I didn't want to rub that spot raw and realized I would need to get my feet used to a lot of time in the shoes first, but ultimately thats what made me stop. At no point in my run did my knees hurt. At no point did I knick the inside of my ankle bone with my opposite foot as I often do in shoes. It felt good and easy.
While in Denver I decided to check out my local Crossfit affiliate-- I am learning that this is critical to my keeping my sense of sanity on the road. So I wound up at Front Range Crossfit, the site of the Rocky Mountain Qualifiers for the Crossfit games. It was great to do a workout with a group of people that really brought their game-- and despite the incredible challenge the altitude was giving me, I hit a new PR in a lift that has stymied me for a while. So after 2 days of working with the crew there, I was beyond thrilled.
From there I headed home for a mere 36 hours which was mostly laundry, restocking cat food and some quiet time before I was on a train to Virginia (this had all unfolded on Monday in Denver). I figured I'd try out my luck there too and wound up at another Crossfit affiliate-- Crossfit Fairfax where the workout was equally challenging, but I loved it. This affiliate will likely be a frequent stop for me going forward if I spend time in Virginia.
My week at home has been good-- I am finally hitting my groove again and have really enjoyed coming back to my own box and working out again with the crew. It's nice to have everyone tell me how much I have been missed-- my affiliate really does feel like a bit of family.
And on that note, I am going to stop with a notation that I will need to explain in more detail, but...
This weekend we have a big event at the box. Jacinto turns 70. Jacinto is one of the Crossfit trainers and a bit of a legend, truth be told. We call him the Warrior and there are tee-shirts many of us sport with his picture on the front. Here is a picture I took of him at the recent Northeast Qualifier Games where Jacinto went toe to toe with all the far younger male competitors. He is our hero, to say the least.
In honor of Jacinto's 70th birthday, we do the workout of Jacinto's choice, and this annual event has become known as Jacintostorm. So tomorrow, I will be executing the following workout:
Run 620 meters
70 Squats
70 Push-ups
70 Pull-ups or Jumping Pull-Ups
70 Wall Ball Shots with a weighted medicine ball
70 Kettlebell Swings
70 Deadlifts 65lbs
Run 620 meters
Yeah, looks painful huh? So tomorrow we get our asses kicked for and with Jacinto, who proves to us year after year that you are never too old to throw down.
Read more!
I left you promising I'd give you an update on my first real running barefoot attempt, so let's start there. My first week on the road was in Denver. I landed very late Sunday night and had to be up and running on Monday morning, so by the time Monday night rolled around, I crashed. I planned for my barefoot run to go down Tuesday morning. I decided to do my run on the treadmill because it would afford me a far more pliable surface than the road would. I also knew I had to keep the miles slow and short because this would be a very different experience than my body was used to. So off I went at 5am Tuesday morning.
Let me first start with the observation that altitude really does have on athleticism. Having been to Denver before, but never as an athlete, I felt a little less prepared for this-- I mean, you hear it, but its another thing to experience it. It didn't take me long to feel that impact rather acutely as my pace was naturally slowed by a sense that I couldn't get nearly enough air in me. The run itself felt a little strange at first. I'm getting more used to a ball-of-foot strike using my newtons, but what I hadn't expected is how jarring that impact can feel with nothing at all there. It took me a few steps before I noticed I was totally changing up my land to something a lot smoother and lighter. I'm not sure the entire explanation for how that happened because it wasn't conscious, but I was definitely aware that almost right away my body was conditioned to do something, it did it, it hurt, it modified. Much unlike being in my newtons, I didn't have to think about foot placement-- my body just sort of did it because of comfort. I don't think I appreciated how far off of normal biomechanics shoes really make things until that moment. It was eye opening.
I ran about 2 miles. Slowly. I was thinking I wanted to do more because it was feeling good except that there was a small spot on the inside of my right arch just behind the ball of my foot that could feel a rub from the seam of the vibram itself. I didn't want to rub that spot raw and realized I would need to get my feet used to a lot of time in the shoes first, but ultimately thats what made me stop. At no point in my run did my knees hurt. At no point did I knick the inside of my ankle bone with my opposite foot as I often do in shoes. It felt good and easy.
While in Denver I decided to check out my local Crossfit affiliate-- I am learning that this is critical to my keeping my sense of sanity on the road. So I wound up at Front Range Crossfit, the site of the Rocky Mountain Qualifiers for the Crossfit games. It was great to do a workout with a group of people that really brought their game-- and despite the incredible challenge the altitude was giving me, I hit a new PR in a lift that has stymied me for a while. So after 2 days of working with the crew there, I was beyond thrilled.
From there I headed home for a mere 36 hours which was mostly laundry, restocking cat food and some quiet time before I was on a train to Virginia (this had all unfolded on Monday in Denver). I figured I'd try out my luck there too and wound up at another Crossfit affiliate-- Crossfit Fairfax where the workout was equally challenging, but I loved it. This affiliate will likely be a frequent stop for me going forward if I spend time in Virginia.
My week at home has been good-- I am finally hitting my groove again and have really enjoyed coming back to my own box and working out again with the crew. It's nice to have everyone tell me how much I have been missed-- my affiliate really does feel like a bit of family.
And on that note, I am going to stop with a notation that I will need to explain in more detail, but...
This weekend we have a big event at the box. Jacinto turns 70. Jacinto is one of the Crossfit trainers and a bit of a legend, truth be told. We call him the Warrior and there are tee-shirts many of us sport with his picture on the front. Here is a picture I took of him at the recent Northeast Qualifier Games where Jacinto went toe to toe with all the far younger male competitors. He is our hero, to say the least.
In honor of Jacinto's 70th birthday, we do the workout of Jacinto's choice, and this annual event has become known as Jacintostorm. So tomorrow, I will be executing the following workout:
Run 620 meters
70 Squats
70 Push-ups
70 Pull-ups or Jumping Pull-Ups
70 Wall Ball Shots with a weighted medicine ball
70 Kettlebell Swings
70 Deadlifts 65lbs
Run 620 meters
Yeah, looks painful huh? So tomorrow we get our asses kicked for and with Jacinto, who proves to us year after year that you are never too old to throw down.
Read more!
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