J.T. Kalnay's Blog, page 7

Dear CrossFit, Why Do We Do This?

Dear CrossFit,

Last week I tweaked my back to the point where at times I couldn’t stand up and where every movement was painful.  This induced some panic-stricken moments and flashbacks to the incredibly painful days before I got my hip replaced.  For the past ten days I’ve been stretching and healing and rejoicing in every regained movement.  This little bump in the road really got me thinking about CrossFit, and “why do we do this?”

During the Games, and even while at the Box, I will own to losing my way a little bit.  To starting to really really REALLY care about the numbers and times.  This wasn’t what CrossFit was to me previously, either before the hip replacement or after.  This little injury gave me a much needed timeout to refresh and recharge the rational side of the CrossFit brain.  The side that is happy to do an air squat, or 21 of them.  The side that is happy to do single unders, or 100 of them, or some doubles.  The side that only writes down a number or a time so I can know whether what I’m doing is working, or whether it isn’t.

So, with Regionals staring us down, and with the Games just a couple months away, it may be time to finally separate “CrossFit, The Games” from “CrossFit, Being Healthy.”  I respect and admire the Games-level athletes, dozens of whom I know, a couple of whom I know very well.  When I talked about this with them, all but one (who is crazy competitive) said they really don’t care if they win or lose, that they are using the competition as motivation to be the healthiest person they can be, not the biggest bad*ss on the block.  Wow was that an eye-opener!  What a perfect attitude.  Absolutely perfect.

So CrossFit, for now the answer to “why we do this?” is, for me, because I can, because I need to, because I want to, and because I might just be better tomorrow than I was today.  Why did it take a painful back injury and horrible flashbacks to realize this?  I don’t know.

I wonder what tomorrow’s WOD will be…

Dear CrossFit, Rest in Peace Wally Ball

 

The Shed ‘o Pain is sad to announce the sudden and unexpected passing of Wally Ball, born December 31, 2007, died may 5, 2013. 

The home made Shed ‘o Pain wall ball died suddenly after five plus years of abuse.  Wally died as the result of accidentally being dropped after being thrown at a ten foot target multiple times.  “Wally” is survived by his father Tim and Uncle JT.  Witnesses to the tragic accident included Kelly 2 Pood  and his entire family, including his youngest, 5 pound Kellita Bell.   Wally is pictured moments after the accident surrounded by his immediate family, 20# Dyna and 8# Danski.

Long time Shed sufferer JT said “sometimes I loved him, sometimes I hated him, but I always respected him.”  Shed builder Tim said “I can’t believe he’s gone.  I remember his first day in the Shed.  He never complained, no matter how many times I dropped him.”  Newcomer to the Shed, Rogue Bar, said “I only knew Wally for a short time, but I  liked him a lot.  He always gave 100%”

In lieu of flowers please keep Wally in your prayers as you perform ten wall ball shots at your local box.

Wally’s sudden passing got me thinking, have you worn out any of your CrossFit equipment?  After his services, we double checked the rest of the Shed residents for sign of wear, and saw that we are dangerously close to wearing out the 35# kettlebell.  The kettlebell was rushed to the forge for emergency repairs.

I wonder what tomorrow’s WOD will be…

Dear CrossFit, Ask not for whom the clock ticks, it ticks for you!

Dear CrossFit,

It’s been a month since the Open closed.  That means that it’s either (1) about a month until Regionals for people who qualified for Regionals, or (2) about three months until the Games for people who qualified direct for the Games, or (3) about ten months until the Open for 2014.  Unless you’re one of the people who (a) either didn’t compete in the Open, (b) was completely satisfied with your performance in the Open, or (c) is never going to go in the Open (and might I say you are very lucky if you are in category a, b, or c), then there is a clock running for you.  Regardless of whether it’s a one, three, or ten month clock, that clock is ticking.  So what have you done in the month since the Open finished?

Have you worked to maximize a strength, so that your super-power becomes even more powerful and will enable you to win a WOD where your super-power appears?

Have you worked a goat, so that you won’t get bitch-slapped when that goat shows up in a WOD?

Have you worked mobility, so that you’ll be able to do something you couldn’t do because of your mobility?

Have you changed your diet?  For the better or for the worse?  Are you eating more or less?  Are you drinking more or less?  Are you doing anything other than wishing that your body fat percentage would change?  I will own to having fallen back into two bad habits, ice and cream (which together are that sinfully delectable and decadent treat known as ice cream that tastes so good going down but then hangs unattractively around my Molson muscle).

So it’s been a month.  The Open is OVER! But your clock is ticking.  Ask not for whom the clock ticks, it ticks for you.

I wonder what tomorrow’s WOD will be….

Dear CrossFit, I Flipped A Tire And I Liked It!

My apologies to Katy Perry who wrote and sang this song, but yesterday one of my favorite CrossFitters wrote me that she “flipped a tire and she liked it“, which made me think of Katy’s song I Kissed A Girl And I Liked It.  You can watch Katy perform the song here.  While you do, think “flipped a tire” instead of “kissed a girl”…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGpivJnITbM

My parody lyrics apear below. 

This was never the way I planned
Not my intention
I got so brave, chalk on hands
Lost my inhibition
It’s not what, I’m used to
Just wanna try it once
I’m curious to try
Caught my attention

I flipped a tire and I liked it
The taste of its dusty rubber

I flipped a tire just to try it
I hope my trainer don’t mind it
It felt so heavy
It felt so light
Don’t mean I’m in love tonight
I flipped a tire and I liked it
I liked it

No, I don’t even know its brand
It doesn’t matter,
It’s my experimental game
Just human nature,
It’s not what,
Zumba girls do
Not how they should behave
My head gets so confused
Hard to obey

I flipped a tire and I liked it

The taste of its dusty rubber

I flipped a tire just to try it

I hope my trainer don’t mind it

It felt so heavy

It felt so light

Don’t mean I’m in love tonight
I flipped a tire and I liked it
I liked it,

Us lifting girls are so magical
Firm skin, tight butts, so kissable
Hard to resist

So touchable
Too good to deny it
Ain’t no big deal, it’s innocent

I flipped a tire and I liked it

The taste of its dusty rubber

I flipped a tire just to try it

I hope my trainer don’t mind it

It felt so heavy

It felt so light

Don’t mean I’m in love tonight

I flipped a tire and I liked it

I liked it

 

I wonder what tomorrow’s WOD will be…

Dear CrossFit, Coaching The Snatch In The Shed o’ Pain

Had a great opportunity to do some coaching this morning.  The athlete had a previous PR of 135# in the snatch, but the form on that PR was suspect…  The athlete has a 185# OHS and lots of athleticism.  So today we worked on the snatch.  Had a nice Burgener warmup with the PVC, then with the weighted PVC, then with the bar.  During the warmup we identified the major swing flaw, the bar getting too far away from the body.  So, we went back to the weighted PVC and the coach positioned the unweighted PVC about a foot in front of the bar and parallel to the standing athlete.  Did about a dozen where the athlete concentrated on keeping the bar path tight.  There was immediate and significant improvement.  Started adding weight, and adding and adding and adding!  15 minutes later there was a new PR snatch in the Shed o’ Pain.  Somedays it’s awesome to get to coach a coachable athlete!

I wonder what tomorrow’s WOD will be.

Dear CrossFit, Standing Still To Move Forward (Newton Was Wrong)

Dear CrossFit,

After several weeks of very active CrossFitting, my joints (okay my entire body) are getting a little tweaked.  So today I decided to do some more experimenting with CrossFit Silver.  Today’s WOD was called “Hold On” (something we say to the grand children a lot…)

Three Rounds of:

30 second handstand hold, 30 second rest

30 second hang from pullup bar, 30 second rest

30 second front plank, 30 second rest

30 second left plank, 30 second rest

30 second right plank, 30 second rest

30 second L sit, 30 second rest

 

According to Newton, F=MA, and W=FxD. 

So, according to Newton I did NO WORK in this WOD. 

!@^*#(*  you Newton!

I wonder what tomorrow’s WOD will be…

Dear CrossFit, Mobility to Mobilize and Recruit

Dear CrossFit,

After thirty years working mostly at a desk, my shoulders were forward and my back was round.  So forward and so round that I actually couldn’t put my hands directly over my head.  And when I was lying down, my hands didn’t actually touch the ground behind my head.  I could force one at a time to touch the ground, but it was painful.  About 14 months ago, on one of the first days at CTown CrossFit, we had walking overhead lunges.  Since I couldn’t get my hands overhead, this was impossible.  Also, because of the well-documented hip replacement, lunges were a real challenge.  Fast forward 14 months, during which rigorous daily mobilization has been performed, and today I got 120 walking lunges (in a WOD), 60 with a 10# plate overhead, 30 with a 15# plate overhead, and then, just because I was feeling saucy, 30 with a 25# plate overhead.  Yes RX was 45#, but remember just 14 months my hands wouldn’t actually go overhead.

Oh yeah, today we also did OHS, and unlike 14 months ago, when I couldn’t get an OHS with a PVC (b/c, you see, my hands wouldn’t go over my head), I got a 45#, a 55#, a 65# (was really getting amazed here), a 95# and a 105#.  I wanted to run around the box yelling and screaming and high fiving everyone, including the KStar mobility posters that my coach makes me look at and implement.  But, there were some newbies at the box so I restrained myself.

Mobility.  Who knew?

I wonder what tomorrow’s WOD will be…

Dear Crossfit, Going backwards to go forwards

Dear CrossFit,

Today we took a huge step backwards.  And it felt so good to go back.  Because by going backwards we found the way forwards.

It’s been nearly four years (May 13, 2009) since my hip replacement.  In that time we’ve celebrated the first steps without a walker, the first steps without a cane, the first time up a stair, then down a stair.  We’ve celebrated the first box jump, the first pullup (and the careful step down), the first clean and jerk, and so many firsts.  In these nearly four years there’s been a lot of accomodations and a lot of sub-optimal habits acquired.  So sometimes you have to shuck off what’s “working” and  what’s right.

Today was one of those days, and today was another first.  After getting that front squat last week, it was time to try a squat snatch today.  I’ve been working really hard and have got a 175# split snatch, but today was a day to start over on the squat snatch.

It took several tries, and some spectacular bails (fueled mostly by the combination of fear and excitement generated out there in the “what am I doing zone”), but I finally got one.  Yes it was 55#, but it was real.  It was caught low, locked out overhead, and then squatted up.  Yes 55# is a LOT less than 175.  But sometimes we have to go backwards to go forwards.

Are there any steps backwards you can take?  So that you don’t keep bashing your head against the wall?

I wonder what tomorrow’s WOD will be?

Death By Kettlebell, With Extreme Prejudice

Thirty minutes, every minute on the minute, swing a kettle bell (Russian Style).  Add one swing per minute.  Start with the heaviest weight you can, go down in weight when you have to.  I got 2 pood for 1-7, then started to go down in the weights.  It’s really hard to do thirty KB swings in one minute!

This workout proves the theory of evolution because you can watch a human devolve during the WOD.  Here’s the before, after, and board pictures.  The board shows the weight used for each rep.  If you go back to the start of the shed ‘o pain blog, you’ll see the original KB picture.  As you can see, a few KBs have been added.  However, this morning, like in the original photo, there was frost on the kettle bells, even though it’s April 20th.

The KBS are: 2 pood, 1.75 pood, 1.5 pood, 45#, 35#, 20#, 15#, 10# and 5#.

That’s Jeff making sure I don’t drown in the sweat puddle.

Thanks Kent for taking the pictures.  Thanks Tim and Jeff for the encouragement, and for having 911 on speed dial.  I wonder what tomorrow’s WOD will be…

Every Time I See A Lighthouse…

I think about Shannon and Joe.

They visited two of these five lighthouses!

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2013/04/19/5-lighthouses-worth-climb-this-summer/?intcmp=features