It's Official, I'm Certified!

I attended the Level 1 CrossFit Certification at Atlas CrossFit over the weekend of November 20th-21st, and I am still riding the high energy CrossFit wave that came over me during the Cert. I was riding in the car yesterday with my buddy as he laughed at me because I could barely put on my gloves without pain and anguish, then I showed him my blistered, torn, and ripped hands. And then it struck me, "I think it's safe to say I'm addicted to CrossFit," I blurted out. He replied, "It's probably a good addiction to have." Yes, it's true. The CrossFit Level 1 Cert was a burst of inspiration, insight, and knowledge into the CrossFit world and since the Cert I've never been more excited to coach and train.

When I first walked in the door, I was extremely nervous and excited to see our assigned trainers. I immediately sighted Adrian Bozman aka Boz aka CrossFit web celeb. Jon Gilson, owner of Again Faster Equipment and head coach in the Tahoe Summit series, was also present along with Nadia Shatila, Joe Alexander, Rudy Tapalla (CrossFit Chicago), and Joe D. All class acts and great coaches.

Most of the weekend entailed listening to a series of lectures by each coach, and after each lecture (about an hour to an hour and a half) we would break out into groups to physically perform the movements from the lecture and learn visually how to apply all the coaching cues and techniques. Nearly all of these were very eye-opening for me, even the basics of a push press! Some of the coaching cues I had never even seen or heard about before ... all very simple and easy to apply to a client, or even yourself as you do the movement. It's amazing how you can watch videos online all day long and think you know what you're doing, but when it comes to the execution part, there are always things you can work on.

I highly recommend attending a Level 1 Cert if you are able to at some point in the future. Not only do you learn about the nine fundamental movements (about 60% of the seminar), but you also are exposed to amazing insight into nutrition, the multiple definitions of fitness and where CrossFit fits in, and some of the more scientific reasons why we do what we do. I am sort of a nerd when it comes to physics and anatomy in that I think it's super interesting how we are able to scientifically explain the reasons why we do certain things in CrossFit. The Cert is a great platform for these concepts, not to mention the unbelievable atmosphere and fun learning environment throughout the weekend.

During lunch on Day 1, the instructors all worked out together. While most people went out for lunch, some of us stuck around to watch the workout. And now, I bring to you, the most bootleg of all CrossFit video bootlegs, Atlas Level 1 Cert trainers throwing down.

While it's pretty apparent these guys are all beasts and can be labeled CrossFit veterans, it was humbling to see them actually struggle through parts of this workout. I don't think anyone besides Nadia was able to string together C2B pull-ups unbroken, and you see in the video the Boz having to take a break during his double unders. Man ... they are just like us! It reminds me of those People and US Weekly magazines that take pictures of celebrities doing normal everyday tasks so they seem more comparable to the reader, like a picture of Julia Roberts walking out of the ladies restroom, "Oh my god! They go to the bathroom just like us!" Comical, yes, but seeing these guys struggle just like we do everyday in the gym was nice to see. All the videos on the CrossFit main page make it seem like sometimes elite fitness (or the level required to make it onto the main site and make those times) is unattainable for most people. This just goes to show that there is no secret behind getting fit. We work just as hard as the instructors teaching this stuff. Every man and woman is his or her own being, each with his or her own limitations. We all struggle through these intense WOD's no matter who you are.

The reinforcement of this concept will certainly keep me going for months to come as we dive into the Chicago winter.

Train for yourself, and no one else.

-Stick

Lunges for Links Recap

 
Lunges for Links was spawned shortly after I was appointed to the Board of Directors of Links - North Shore Youth Health Service in August 2010.  Links is an agency located in Northfield, IL and has been serving young people in the surrounding suburban areas (ages 13-25) since the early 1970's.  Links is a non-for-profit organization aimed at empowering young people to make informed, responsible decisions about their health, well-being, and sexuality.  It provides health education in schools and the community, medical care and counseling, and support services for sexual minority youth.  It also has an on-site medical clinic serviced by volunteers in the medical industry (doctors, med. students, nurses, etc.).  Although I had never heard of Links prior to being asked to join the Board, having four younger sisters in high school and college certainly made this seem like a good cause!

My good friend, Emily, and her father both serve on the board.  Her father has served on the board for nearly 20 years and is also the lead physician in Links' clinic.  Emily approached me over the summer about possibly serving on the Board as they were targeting young, male professionals with a financial background.  I met with the co-presidents of the organization in August and we all decided I would be a good fit.  My first board meeting was later that month and the rest is history.

 

Emily and I now help run the fundraising committee and Lunges for Links was our first event together.  Given my affiliation with Atlas CrossFit as a coach, we wanted our first event to have some sort of fitness or CrossFit type of challenge, targeting young adults (ages 25-40).  The main site WOD of 400 meter walking lunge for time seemed to be the most appealing (and thanks to Emily for coming up with the name Lunges for Links!).  Our initial intention was to have this be a CrossFit community event in that other boxes around Chicago would send their members to compete for the top prizes.  Unfortunately, with only two months to plan the event, and even less time to market it, it didn't turn into the blowout event we envisioned.  However, I was EXTREMELY pleased with the turnout nonetheless, and very thankful to the Atlas athletes who came to participate. The advanced men's heat was a sight to see!

Todd Knief (left) and Chris Draska (right) battle for position in the first few minutes of the men's advanced heat.  Congratulations to Chris for taking home the men's top prize with a $100 gift certificate to Trader Joe's!  Chris was the overall winner of the event, with a time of 8:58 on the 400 meter lunge.  Very impressive.




Josh Zadikoff maintains solid form in his stretch to the end line during the men's intermediate heat.  I think we have to make you redo that last lunge Zadi!


When all was said and done, we had 17 participants complete the lunges, nearly 40 spectators on hand, and raised just over $2,000 for Links!  There were Links pens, Links brochures, and assorted color condoms with Links stickers scattered all over the tables.  We had amazing granola bars from one sixtyblue, snacks and drinks donated from the PepsiCo Foundation, water from the Orloff dealership, beer and bloody mary's, and great prizes for the winners.  We also had a fantastic volunteer DJ, Peter Turim aka DJPT, and plenty of help from the Atlas CrossFit guys who were enthused and supportive.  Nice job fellas!  And much thanks to the Links Board, our sponsors, and everyone else who helped put this event together. 

I think it's safe to say everyone had a blast. Planning for next year is already underway!  For more great pictures you can check out the Links Facebook page here.  You can also check out my YouTube Channel here for a few more videos.  Any and all suggestions to enhance the event the next time around are welcome!

Thanks again to those who came out and/or donated to Links,

-Stick

Sustaining Crossfit in the Long-Term: Part 1

Welcome to my new blog, fine people of Chicago! As stated above, this blog will mainly focus on my adventures with CrossFit. Feel free to comment or e-mail me with any questions, suggestions, or cool new ways in which to live longer. Okay, let’s begin!

I have been CrossFitting on and off for approximately three years now.  I started back in the summer of 2007 while at the University of Virginia (UVA) getting my Masters in Accountancy (yes … true fact) that involved going to school over the course of two summers and working back in Chicago in between.  I picked up CrossFit from a trainer I kept in touch with who worked with my high school football team. Coming fresh out of undergrad at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in May 2007, I really had no good workout program besides the sporadic run across town and playing intramural sports. I was pretty much open to anything, so the first week I moved on campus at UVA, I started following the main site. I vividly remember the first workout I attempted with my roommate: thirty muscle ups for time. HAH! What’s a muscle up? Let’s check the demo page. Okay, that’s not happening. What’s a good sub? Four pull-ups and four dips? Okay, let’s give it a try. Conveniently, the brand new enormous rec center on campus had a pull-up/dip machine. While holding each other’s feet for assistance on both exercises, we struggled through 120 pull-ups and 120 dips, breaking it up into sets of 10 each then switching. The workout was interesting to say the least, and for some reason I wanted to keep exploring. After all, who else in that huge gym just did 120 pull-ups and 120 dips? No one. Exactly.

The rest of my summer involved watching nearly every demo video on the CrossFit main page (this stuff is all free? Verrry niiice), and learning as much as I could about the sport of CrossFit. I continued to engage myself once I got back to Chicago in the fall, working out in a small corporate gym behind my parents' house. I tried my best to stick with the three day-on, one day-off programming. It was all falling in place … until inevitably work got in the way. As a public accountant, the job demands and time constraints necessary to be a high performer are not conducive to a full and healthy life, especially during busy season. January through April is basically a dead time in your life outside of work. You are required to work a minimum 55 hour week, but that almost always (not exaggerating) turns into 70 or 80 hour work weeks, depending on who your clients are. This severely limited my ability to exhibit any kind of continuity with CrossFit, and this is likely the case for most people working in the corporate world. 

I have, however, learned from my experiences in trying to sustain CrossFit in my life over the last three years that hopefully you can take away from (and not spend the time I did trying to get it right). Below are some key lessons I’ve learned regarding continuity in training, and sustaining CrossFit in your life for the long-term:

1.       Listen to your body. If you plan to workout three days in a row yet after day two you feel like you were just scraped off the floor of Kam’s, take a rest day! Overtraining leads to exhaustion, which can lead to injury. Don’t go down that path.

2.        Your training schedule will never be fixed. Things come up, friends get married, people die, your boss makes you work late, etc. etc. etc. If you think you have complete control over your training schedule, you’re wrong (unless you have no family, no friends, and no job … then disregard). Create a schedule that works for you, and have a plan B in case things go awry. 

3.       Record everything. Keep a diary, keep a spreadsheet, use Beyond the Whiteboard, whatever. This may seem frivolous at first, but it is super important to track your progress. You need to understand your body’s benchmarks for any kind of exercise, lift, metcon, etc. If you are a CrossFitter and do not care about results and getting better in some fashion each time you come to the gym, you have no business CrossFitting. Plain and simple.

4.       If you are forced to take a week or more off, ease back into it. This can be taken several different ways. But in general, if I’m coming back from a two week vacation in Mexico and hit a CrossFit WOD with maximum intensity the day I get back, I could easily end up injuring myself, or worse. Find what’s right for you and how much time you need to bring your intensity levels back up. Run a few 5K’s, do the WOD’s at 75% intensity for a few days, stick with bodyweight workouts for a week, whatever works for you. Don’t think you can just plow right back to where you left off. Not going to happen.

5.       Don’t be a moron, take care of yourself. Warm-up properly. Stretch efficiently. Do some foam rolling. Watch and perform Kelly Starrett’s Mobility WOD. Do not neglect your body’s need to perform basic maintenance on itself. Do not attempt to lift a heavy load cold. Be smart. Exhibit common sense.  For me, this has been the most challenging part in trying to maintain continuity with CrossFit. Whether it’s being overconfident and trying to perform heavy lifts I should not be doing, attempting movements I’m not quite ready for, or not properly cooling down after an intense metcon, it’s a constant battle to stay disciplined. The slightest quad tear or elbow hyperextension can set you back for days, if not weeks at a time. Push yourself, but obey your limits. Don’t be a moron. Take care of yourself.

Thanks and talk to you all soon.

-Stick