CrossFit Christmas Gift Ideas

I have been purchasing equipment for my garage going on 4 years now.  Most of these things that I am recommending I have purchased for myself.  If I don't own it, I wish I did but probably bought a cheap version somewhere else and regretted it.  So this is for those of you that have a CrossFitter in your life and don't know what to get them.....
Under $40

Paleo Granola
This is Crossfitters crack, you can't just have a little.
Andi's Gran
T-shirt from your local CrossFit gym $20-$25
CrossFit Memorial Houston
Zero 500
The Hopper Deck $20
54 CrossFit WOD's printed on a deck of cards. Are you brave enough to pick one at random?  (Sold Out) You can try this app instead for $.99 while you wait for them to print more.
Hopper Deck
Hopper Deck App
Strength Wraps $25
Wrist's sore?  These wraps give you support that you can tighten and loosen mid WOD
Strength Wraps
RX Jump Rope $35
Custom built jump rope that you can pick the colors, cable length and thickness.
RX Jump Rope
Ab Mat $30ish
Don't leave home without it or your jump rope.  You can do the Annie WOD when you travel.
Ab Mat
Century Medicine Ball $20
You can use these for slam balls, sit ups, goblet squats, running with a load, even a wall ball (Dynamax med balls a nicer for the wall balls though)
Med Balls at Academy
Sport Journals WOD book $15
Great way to keep track of PR's for lifts and named WOD's among other things.
WOD book
Leather Gymnastics grips from Rage Fitness $20
Try these to save your hands on the pull up bar.
Gymnastics grips
Foam rollers $20, Bands $25+ and Lacrosse Balls $4
Great way of working the soreness out of your muscles. Both found at Academy.
Rollers
Floss Bands $25
Just click on the link and watch Kstar make a guy grimace ;-)
Floss
Rogue Gloves $28
I never used them till this year (because you are a sissy if you do) now, love them.  Great for cold bars or if you just don't want your hands torn up.  The "R" on the palm is tacky and help you to hold on to the bar/kb, etc.
Rogue Gloves
Knee Sleeves by Rehband $38 for one, not a pair.
Again, never used these until this year (something to do with age I think) but they keep the knees warm and add some support to help reduce injury.
Sleeves
Books 
The supple Leopard by Kstar on mobility $30, First by Rich Froning or there are many Paleo cookbooks out there.
Supple Leopard
First by Froning
Well Fed Paleo Cookbook
Nom Nom Paleo Cookbook

$95-$400 price range

Membership or Gift Certificate to your local Crossfit Gym $priceless$
CrossFit Memorial Houston
Pull Sled by Rogue $95
For sprints down the road and having people look at you like your nuts.  You will definetly feel it the next day.
Pull Sled
Wall Timer (hint, hint)
It is so nice to be able to glance at a large countdown display instead of worrying about your phone getting crushed next to you because you are using it instead.
Wall Clock
Wall Mount Pull up bar $145
You can mount this in your garage and do you kipping pull ups/toes to bar, etc.  Does not include mounting hardware.  The P4 is best for wall mounting and the P3 is best for ceiling mount.
Pullup Bar
Squat Stand by Powerline $162
A nice inexpensive squat stand that can be used for shoulder presses as well as bench.
Powerline Squat Rack
Rogue's Butcher Sled $265
A great tool to put in the middle of a WOD to jack up the heart rate and turn your legs to jello. Word to the wise, don't sprint with this and then go directly to box jumps (bad idea).
Butcher Sled
Rogue Bar $216 
You don't realize the difference between a POS bar and a good bar until you have compared them side by side. This is a good all around bar to use for oly lifts.  Yes, it is a "womens bar" but if you have smaller hands, like me, you can hook grip the 25mm bar easier.  Love it.
Rogue Bella Bar
Rogue Hi Temp 190# Bumper set $380
This includes shipping.  You really don't need the 35 #'s. A must have if anyone wants to WOD from home on a regular basis.
Hi Temp Bumpers

$500 and up...the fun stuff.

Infinity Rig Wall Mount $565 
This is a nice combo that can be used as a rack and pullup bar.  It's $200 more than buying them separately but you have a whole lot more options and attachments that you can use later.
Wall Mount Rig
Schwinn Airdyne Bike $700ish
This is on my list.  Rich Froning uses it and I hear it gives you a great workout.  Rogue also carries this if you can't find a local retailer.
Airdyne Bike
Concept 2 Rower $900
Love 500m sprints?  Nope? Me neither.  Great conditioning tool and you can do Fight Gone Bad from home.  You can find a black one on the Rogue website or stick with the 80's looking fitness studio one from Concept.
Rower

I could go on but I think these are the main things most people might enjoy -that might be the wrong word, appreciate?  If you have any questions, suggestions or feedback please let me know.  Have fun shopping!

New Years Resolutions??

So, it's that time of year where you tell yourself that you will lose weight/eat right/become fit/work harder/be a better spouse/parent/Lego builder/penny pincher/save for a trip, etc.  It might last for 2 days or 2 months and then go back to the way it was...

I think if you do want to make a change in your life you should take baby steps.  Just like training for a marathon, you don't immediately go out and run 20+ miles, you start off slow and have a plan, tell others about it so there is accountability built in.

My goal is to 1.  Lose some weight by eating better and more moderately.  2. Listen to people more by putting the stupid cell phone down as soon as I am spoken to, even if I was texting first and someone walked up to me in the middle of it.  3.  Become more productive around the house.

The Plan for 2013
1. Lose 15 pounds by March 31st.  I will follow the Paleo diet 90% in January and then dial it back to 80% for the rest of the year (the last few months I might have followed it 40% at best, you can see it and I sure feel it).  Sometimes you have to go the wrong direction for awhile until you are fed up enough to get your life back on track.
   a. grocery shop and cook for my house
   b. no beer kept in the fridge
   c. have planned cheat meals 1 evening per week where I can be a glutton, get my fix and not feel guilty
   d. pay a fine to my son if he catches me eating something I shouldn't

2. Listening
   a. put the phone in the back of the house when I get home
   b. only check it every few hours unless someone actually calls at which point I will answer it if I am not eating with the family
   c. pay a fine to my son if he catches me breaking the rules (similar theme but I hate spending money so he will help curb the habit quickly)

3. Productivity
   a. have an on going to do list separated by two categories - small thing and big things
   b. prior to doing something enjoyable a small thing must be completed
   c. one large item must be completed each week

That's it.  Let me know if you have any suggestions to my three to help me succeed. Have a Happy New Year and tell me, what is your goal?  How are you going to stick to it? Post it here and have some accountability!

Sandy Hook Elementary Tragedy

I don't watch the news, ever.  Everyone else always tells me what's going on.  The reason I don't is 90% of what is broadcast either pisses me off -politicians/government or saddens me -Friday's shootings.
Thinking about what happened makes me feel so useless, angry and heartbroken.  The thought of losing my son to something, anything....I don't know how to put it into words.
There are so many people out there that have already written much more profound and moving blogs about this.  I thought I would just share some of them with you.

I am Adam Lanza's Mother
December-14-2012
My corner of world

This past weekend the cub scout meeting was held at my house.  All the boys were playing tag except one.  He wandered around in a circle with a lego to his face mumbling.  I tried to engage him in conversation and he would not meet my eyes.  My first impulse (which is wrong) led me to think he was one of "those" kids, someone else's problem who will end up in trouble all the time for not paying attention.  Then I thought about the first blog link I posted above (I think he may have Asperger's) and made sure he got his derby car cut since his guardian dropped him off and no one was really looking out for him.  After I had cut his pinewood derby car he did thank me which surprised me, I wasn't expecting it and half the other boys didn't even bother.

If I hadn't read that blog I would have probably gone with my first impulse, I am glad I didn't and in the future I am going to go out of my way during cub scout meetings to help him out if I can.  This should be something everyone does, friends, family, neighbors, community and our government.  We must stop being so focused on just ourselves and our own little world.  If we don't, at sometime it will implode.

Pray for the victims families and be grateful for all you have this day and season together.

Something to warm your heart.
Moments that restored our faith in humanity this year

What will define you this season?

Most of us are defined by our job, not our marriage, relationships or good deeds that we do.
Why do we let our jobs define our worth and who we are?
Many of us put all our effort into our work and have nothing left over for the family, but we have a longer lasting effect on our family than we do at our workplace.
What will your family or friends remember this holiday season?
All the hours you spent at work or shopping for the perfect gift that ended up collecting dust?
Or will they will remember the time spent with each other playing card games and talking around the dinner table.
Don't stay late at work, online or shopping this season.  Spend your most precious commodity (time) with the things that matter most.
What will you choose to let define you?

Strongman Seminar in Austin

Last weekend I drove up to Austin to attend Rob Orlando's Strongman Seminar.  It was a lot of fun.  
We started of with flipping tires.  I always thought you deadlifted them, wrong.  You push your chest into it with your feet about 12-18" away from the tire and then open your hips and drive your knee through.  We did a short WOD with tire flips and box jumps onto the tire for 75 seconds that left everyone breathing hard.
Next up were atlas stones.  If you are lifting heavy (I only got up to 175# - didn't feel like trying the 200#) it is a two stage lift where you create a shelf with your legs to rest the stone on.  Your arms are wrapped around the mid-line of the stone with your chin resting on it.  Then you load your hamstrings and violently open your hips so it rolls up your body.  You actually let go of the stone briefly as it nears your chest/shoulder area.  The other way is one movement without creating the shelf with lighter stones.  Our WOD with that was 4 rounds of Tabata, atlas stone to the shoulder.
So......I got one rep.  I decided to go really fast with the 95# and followed it back down like a slam ball to get it again (don't do this).  It was on 2" of rubber matting and it bounced back about 28 to 34" up into my chin.  Had some blood (they were cool and super glued it shut) and a cracked molar (my very first crown).  I was a DNF on that one.  The ladies at CrossFit Central were very cool, thank you.
The keg lifts were awkward, you have to shift it around 90 degrees to get it to your shoulder and then shift it back to press it, plus the contents move on you as you are doing this.  Rob suggested to make it really interesting by using water instead of sand.  The sand will only shift once or twice, the water never stops. The WOD on that one was optional so I passed.
That was it for the morning and I gummed some beef jerky for lunch.

Then came the yoke and farmers carry.  You take short steps and don't walk a tightrope when carrying either.  It was interesting on the carry, I can deadlift 365# but between the two hands I was walking with 370#.  This is due to the neutral grip, fatter handles and they are 6" higher than a bar with plates on the ground.  I liked both movements a lot.
We finished the day with logs.  It is similar to a clean and jerk but not as pretty and with a neutral grip inside the log.  You set it up like the atlas stone with your legs as a shelf but you lay your chest on the log keeping your elbows bent and at the same angle until it is at your shoulders.  We also learned to viper press the log where you take it from the leg shelf and almost treat it like a power snatch/press.  We then did a WOD with the viper presses and burpees.  Lots of energy and encouragement with over 50 people there.  We went through it in waves of 30 sec on the VP then some one else is taking your place on the VP's as you go to the burpees for 30 sec.  Total time for the WOD is 1 min.
To sum it all up..
1.  It's fun
2.  It's easy to teach.  I can have anyone learn any of these movements in 10 minutes or less but a good clean and jerk takes months.
3.  It's simple and practical.  Pick up that heavy ass thing and move it here or there.  Some of the strongest people around are farmers, electricians, plumbers, etc.  They are one their feet all day picking stuff up, putting it down.  Working with their arms above their heads, twisting and turning.  This is just the not boring version of that.
4.  The movements are transferable to the more complicated things we do in CrossFit, so it is good for beginners and progression.
5.  Did I mention it's fun?

A New Chapter...

Last week a co-worker and I were let go from our jobs as coaches.  We were told that things had gotten too big and the gym wanted to take a step back and lighten up on the amount of coaches and clients.  That's ok, I sure as hell didn't like it but it's not my place.  I don't get to make those decisions.
Something really cool that came out of it was all the responses I have received from my clients expressing their unhappiness that I would not be coaching them anymore.  It was really nice.  I hadn't realized how much that meant to me, so thanks everyone, I really enjoyed our time together.  I will continue to keep in touch with you all.
Now I need to decide what's next...
1. Train people out of my house at times that won't disturb my neighbors?
2. Open my own box?
3. Work at another box (already had one interview) and help it grow?
4. Conduct boot camps in a park nearby?
5. A combination of all of the above?
6. Or go back into the corporate world? :(
I'm thinking a combination of 1-5, what do you think?  Let me know.

Stay tuned, coming to you shortly a recap of the Strongman cert in Austin last weekend!

B.O.

People that CrossFit sweat, a lot, (living in Houston TX is a double whammy) so they should also practice good/great hygiene habits (most do).  We try to be a healthy community, exercise, eat right and take care of ourselves so why is it some people seem absolutely oblivious that they smell?  I know anyone can be odiferous at times based on what you eat, onions, garlic, or get that coffee sweat working for you where it comes out of your pores, but what about the ones that have the consistent body odor?  It may be a medical condition and that sucks, they could be allergic to types of soap/antiperspirants and it can also be that no one has ever said anything to them because it is embarrassing.  I shower two or three times a day and I still don't always smell like a rose.  My son is nine and is going to become introduced to deodorant in November (once I do a little research on kids and antiperspirant).  Just a general FYI out there.....Use antiperspirant, not just deodorant, take a shower after workouts and again that evening/morning, if in doubt do it again, wash your clothes in hot water with a little bleach to kill germs and do the same to your shoes, everyone will appreciate it and it is good for you :)