Why I train.

I train for life. CrossFit is more applicable than anything else I have ever been introduced to, in its ability to enhance and develop so many different facets of our lives.

I train for the unpredictability that life throws at us. Like any good WOD, what we see on the board and think is going to happen, is typically very different than actually experiencing it.  I find this very similar to the so called “plans” I have for life and in business. I do my best to plan things in life but when I am actually executing the plan, like in a tough WOD, I must be able to adapt and modify in the present to find success.

I train to bring balance to my life. I have been told a “few” times over the years that I can be a bit extreme. Many of the people I work with have told me the difference they see in me when I am training and when I am not. Let’s just say I am not going to be taking any more extended time off.  I believe it’s the fact my body and mind don’t have a choice but to be balanced because it’s the only way to make it through,  whatever the specific reason is, it works and that’s what matters.

I train to seek the potential life offers. I love potential because no matter how hard you work, no matter how much you grow, there is always more of it. Training provides a tangible environment to exercise your potential on a day to day basis, something I believe to be invaluable in recognizing your own potential in other aspects of your life.

I am sure most would agree that CrossFit is not just something we do but a way of life and an amazing way of life it is.

Eric Campbell
Today’s Workout:

1 Round for Reps
Max Front Squats (135#/95#)
2 Minutes Rest
Max Front Squats (115#/75#)
2 Minutes Rest
Max Front Squats (95#/65#)

* Front Squats will be performed in a continuous motion with exceptional form. As soon as the form degrades or rest is taken, it’s time for 2 minutes of thought.

Dre and Jill. Friends and nemisi.

I train for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, I like the way it makes me feel.  With CrossFit specifically, there is nothing better than to work off the stress of the day in a WOD and hit some personal goal.   The day I reached 65 pounds on an overhead squat I was on top of the world, equally when I did 7 doubleunders in a row.

For me these we huge achievements and the desire to accomplish more continues to motivate.   Training empowers me, makes me feel more confident.  There’s no better feeling in the world than a post-WOD endorphin high.

Growing up I was not super athletic, in fact I didn’t start training or enjoying working out until my mid-20s.  Training allows me to experience things I never thought my body could do.  I definitely see the connection between all the sports I have picked up in recent years versus my utter and complete lack of interest and ability before.

10 years ago I was on a destructive path and it was training that helped me through some very dark times.  At the risk of sounding crazy, I guess I would say that training is cheaper than therapy.  I would never give it up for anything, I would be too miserable. I also train because quite simply, I love to eat and I love to drink. A lot. (I blame it on being Italian-Irish.)  Without exercise, I would be guilt-ridden blob wallowing in self-revulsion.

I joke around, but in all seriousness training allows me to eat a cannoli on Easter Sunday, followed by tiramisu and tequila punch without beating myself up in the morning…well at least not as bad.  Regardless of the physical benefits, the emotional/mental benefits far outweigh them.  This is why I train!

- Dre

Today’s Workout:
Push Jerk 3-3-3-3-3
Followed by 5 Rounds for Time and Reps of
1 Minute Max Press (65#/45#)
1 Minute Rest
2 Minutes Cumulative Plank Hold

(CPC does not condone jumping down stairs, unless it's on your time)

Why I Train!

Looking back over the years, my reasons for training have varied. I’ve been able to break it into three distinct phases:

(1)  College and before

(2)  Pre-Parkour

(3)  Parkour, now, and future…

In phase 1, training was mainly to prepare for whatever sport I was playing at the time. For the most part, training equated to practice. I was occasionally in the gym lifting, but mostly to playing the sport of the season.

In phase 2, training was solely to stay in shape, as I working a hefty number of hours per day working on my PhD. I wasn’t really working on anything, but needed some activity in my life to stay sane.

Once I came upon Parkour things really changed. I started training daily and had to force myself to work on my PhD when all I really wanted to do was train. This time around it wasn’t just about getting stronger physically, but also mentally. Parkour is all about movement and being functional. Being strong doesn’t mean you’ll be good at parkour. Something similar can be said about flexibility. In order to progress, you must concentrate on everything; mind, body, and spirit.

With that being said, the major reason I love training everyday is to face fear. There is nothing like staring down a jump that straightens the hair on your neck, building up the courage, and finally complete the jump. You get one of the greatest feelings once you’ve overcome the fear. I haven’t found anything as rewarding.

In the few moments before a jump, you learn about yourself and it’s these moments that I continue to push myself harder now than I have every before in my life. In order to overcome the fear and build up the courage to do certain movements, I need to continue to build confidence in myself and push myself harder each day.

While some think that I am reckless and putting myself in danger, I don’t see it that way at all. I work very hard at learning my limits and what I am physically capable of doing. I have never performed a jump/movement without first repeating it hundreds of times at a smaller distance. I am now able to look at something and know right away if I can do it. In the three years since I’ve been doing Parkour, the worst injury I have had is a sprained ankle from a safety mat!

Training to get stronger or improve your fitness is one thing, but really learning about yourself and building your confidence is a whole new ball game.

- James Ballantyne (this is a house of learned Doctors)

Today’s Workout:
3 Rounds for Time of:

30 Box Jumps (24#/20#)
60 Double Unders
90 Sit Ups

Sunday morning goodness with Heather Tiddens and Co.

Every year we run a week of blogs written by none other than your fellow CPC’ers, each of whom has bravely answered the following question, “Why do you train?”. They were given no other guidelines than that, with the only stipulation being that there is no wrong answer to the question.

Thank you very much to the five who contributed, most of you expressed trepidation at the request, but all of you should be aware of the fact that something your wrote will make a difference to a fellow CPC’er. It may not be the part that you think would be moving or inspiring, but it will, and there’s no better reason to step outside of your comfort zone than to enhance the experience of fellow human being. Cheers to you.

In addition to blogs, this week Jeff brought us a great week of programming, personally designed, that looks like a ton of fun. Eric gave it the nod so you can thank Baker on Friday for your increase in elite nakedness….or eliteness while naked…either one. Or both. Kudos to JB for putting that together.

Starting the week off, here’s Jennifer Flinck with:

Today’s Workout:
Snatch 3-3-3-3-3*
Advanced 1-1-1-1-1

* Regrip, reset, rebreathe and go!

Boyd and Riv both understand the value of mobility.

Who ices on a regular basis? Between Eric, myself and Baker, we get a lot of questions about boo boos. Shoulders, elbows, necks, backs, knees, wrists, you name it, CrossFitters will hurt it.

Here is your universal first line of defense for any injury, either acute (just happened), or chronic (isn’t going away) – ICE.

I ask everyone who comes to me with an injury question whether they are icing or not. The most common answer I get in return is, “No, should I be?”

The answer is unequivocally, “YES!”

I ice almost every day, even though I don’t have any acute injuries right now. Eric ices every day and he has a longstanding back and hip issue, but he ices even when those areas aren’t flaring up.

When we were in college (and young and recovered quickly), our entire water polo team would go to dinner together every night wrapped up in ice. When I was training for fights, I had ice on me twice a day.

Guess what folks, if you train with us, then you train like an athlete and have to treat yourself like one. That means icing, and preventative care.

If you want an effective way, take a Dixie cup, fill it with water, and stick in your freezer. Then pull it out and start rubbing it on your troubled areas. Ice them before, after, and when they’re dormant. 20 minutes of ice a night will change your life.

Ice, fish oil, and a grain free diet are your keys to a more pain free existence.

Today’s Workout:

Skill Work: Rope Climbs
WOD:
15 – 10 – 5
Push Press (115#/75#)
Box Jumps (30”/24”)

Eric and I sat down together and watched this video 532 times. Nowhere in it could we find bulkiness. No where. And we looked. A lot.

What we did see was some great technique, especially the speed with which these women get back under the bar. They do that awfully quickly compared to us Santa Barbarians.

Todays’ Workout:
Tabata Wall Balls (20#/14#)
1 Minute Rest
Tabata Row for Cals
1 Minute Rest
Tabata Pull Ups
1 Minute Rest
Max Turkish Get Ups in 4 Min (35#/20#)

It’s time again folks, Miguel and I have checked with Bee and made sure that JJ is busy that weekend so we’re holding another great Women’s Self Defense seminar. The details are in the flyer above, we’re holding it here at CPC and each participant will walk away with a free copy of The Gift of Fear as well as a whole host of knowledge and skills.

This seminar is open to the public so please pass this on to ANYONE that you feel will benefit from taking a class like this. We’ve seen in the past few months that even our safe haven town of Santa Barbara has women getting assaulted and brutalized in our downtown parking garages. Simple avoidance steps along with basic self defense knowledge literally can be the difference between life and death.

Today’s Workout:
AMRAP 6
10 Kettle Bell Clean and Jerks (5R/5L)
20 Double Unders

3 Minutes Rest

AMRAP 4 Min
5 Burpees
10 Knees to Elbows
15 Kettle Bell Swings

Helen underway at 6am!

Two of the terms that have randomly stuck with me from acupuncture school are Opisthotonis and the Valsalva Maneuver (ok, maybe two concepts). These words pop into my head from time to time and make me smile so I figured I’d share them.

Opisthotonis (from Greek – opistho meaning “behind” and tonis meaning “tension”) is the condition in which the body goes into spasm, forcing the back to arch and the head to arch as well. If someone is suffering from opisthotonis and is lying on their backs, only the back of their head and their heels will be touching the floor. Sometimes when I stretch in bed in the morning I worry that I might get stuck in that position and will have to have Ali call Eric and explain my predicament.

The Valsalva Maneuver is “any attempt to exhale with the mouth and nose closed. Named after the Italian physician and anatomist, Antonio Maria Valsalva (1666-1723), it is also known as Valsalva’s Test and Valsalva’s Method.”

Think about a scuba diver clearing his nose or an airline passenger doing the same thing. This is also a common in anyone bearing down in the bathroom of the same airplane.

When Eric and I were merely young scholars at BC, we swam with a great guy named Mike Walsh. Mike never drank, never stayed out late, and was either at his girlfriend’s house studying, or in the library studying. He went on to become a pediatrician at John’s Hopkins but also taught our whole team a sacred word that could be used if time was a necessity and things weren’t happening on the toilet as fast you’d like them to. The word was URSULA (er sa la) and rumor had it that if you said it loudly and forcefully, all good things would emanate. Ursula and Valsalva are pals.

(The only danger of the Valsalva maneuver is that it has been linked to toilet related heart attacks so check with your M.D. before yelling URSULA too loudly.)

I hope this has increased your vocabulary for today, if it were me, I’d probably be dropping both of these terms at EOS on Saturday night successfully. Game on.

Today’s Workout:
5-5-5-5-5 Back Squats

Followed by 3 Rounds (not for time, just work explosive jumping)
8 Squat Box Jumps.

Squat down to the full squat position and come to a complete stop. Then explode up into the jump and land on the box.

RIP Caballo Blanco.

So we’re half way through our eight week endurance program.  Each week we meet Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6am. 6am is bitter sweet – the 5.30am startling alarm, cold and dark being the bitter – but the sweet keeps us coming back between the sunrise, post-workout high and the realization that it’s only 7am and the whole day is still ahead of us.

All thirteen of the Endurance team participants have shown great dedication and heart with great performances across the board.  Tuesday we completed 10 x 400 meters at 80%, even though there were thirteen exasperated participants there was not one complaint.

I am excited for week eight as we will be retesting our 1600m, 800m and 400m max efforts and I’m sure there will be some amazing improvements!

Keep up the good work team!

- Coach Kiwi

Today’s Workout:
Helen Trials

3x 400 M Run
21 Kettlebell Swings (1.5/1)
12 Pull Ups