Wednesday 090729
Expectations for the Crossfit Athlete.
Hey you! Yes you, the guy/gal who’s been doing this for a while, the Crossfit Veteran, we need your help. And not the “we” of Potomac Crossfit, I mean the “we” of the Crossfit Community. The Community will not last unless we ease our new Crossfitters into the spirit of Crossfit – and without the Newbie, Crossfit will just become a clickish fad.
So, the Veteran Crossfitter needs to do more than show up, workout and post their rocking time to comments. You need to take time to go up to somebody you don’t know and say “Hi, I’m _________, how you doing? How long you been Crossfitting?” You need to offer guidance, encouragement, and support to the Newbie. The Newbie is an interesting specimen. Sometimes shy and withdrawn, they can be startled quickly by sudden movements and the word “Burpee” written on the white board. They think you are judging them because of their pullup band use, knee pushups, and scaled weights. They are desperately afraid of being the last one done a WOD.
You need to talk to these athletes and let them know you were in the same boat when you joined. That you couldn’t remember what a Thruster was your first three months much less do one correctly. That your hands hurt every day, even on days where you just did squats because squats make everything hurt. That you too wondered why Dan would choose to look like that when there are so many qualified barbers so close to the gym.
These are all the eternal questions that every new Crossfitter wants to know, so it’s up to you Veterans to help us answer these questions, encourage the Newbie to stick with it, and help change somebody’s life for the better.
10 Rounds for time:
10 Burpees
10 Pushups
Post time to comments.
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Photos
July 28th, 2009 on 9:20 pm
Can the crossfit veteran with shitty times, scaled weights and pull-up bands still help?
July 28th, 2009 on 9:21 pm
Mike H let me know if ur coming tom am and ill bring u a check
July 28th, 2009 on 9:23 pm
As a veteran crossfitter I try to talk to the newbies(Rich S., Pat, Ian, Jimmy G. and Scott Q. btw he is nowhere to be found) for encouragement everyday. Their progress have been slow but steady. Good job guys
On a serious note, great post today.
July 28th, 2009 on 9:50 pm
Brian S- I will grace the 530 AM with my presence.
Scott Q- Please stick to encouraging the dudes or groups of people at the gym. I’ve been hearing complaints from some of the ladies about the creepy dude wearing the slippers and a rope bracelet. They say you kind of stumble/mumble when you talk to them and can’t tell whether you are trying to say you “nice job on the WOD” or “I want to wear your skin.” I’m just saying….
July 28th, 2009 on 9:53 pm
Guch, I appreciate your daily support…you are truly a man of the people.
I mean whenever I need motivation I always think to how even the mighty manscaped Guch once…
a) stopped in the middle of workouts and just sat there
b) protested coaches and support staff about yelling at him during a WOD to “pick up the bar”, “get back on the bar”, or “pull, pull, pull”
c) refused to take off his shirt before EVERY WOD
wait, those examples were last week. Nevermind.
July 28th, 2009 on 10:45 pm
Yes, yes. Next time I see Jon I’ll have to heart to heart.
July 28th, 2009 on 10:54 pm
If the question “why would Dan do that?” ever crosses your mind . . . a good follow up question would be – “would what Dan is doing annoy Brian?”
July 29th, 2009 on 6:26 am
Tony – Veterans like you especially help. Because it’s sometimes tough to relate to the monsters who’ve been doing this for awhile, have natural athletic ability and crush the leaderboards on a regular basis. One noob’s opinion.
18:45 Rx’d
Damn, it feels good to write that….
July 29th, 2009 on 6:39 am
Wendy,
I should think that for a “noob” it must feel pretty good to know that you just did a 100 burpees and 100 pushups. I think it would also feel pretty good to compare that to the non-crossfit workouts your friends are doing. Nice work today
July 29th, 2009 on 6:40 am
13:44 as Rx’d…well kind of Rx’d if you count flopping to the ground for most burpees and going to the ground one knee at a time on the rest.
Brian S and Paul- I left your ropes with Seamus. They should be up on the coaches desk…
July 29th, 2009 on 7:40 am
Thanks Wendy…
July 29th, 2009 on 8:48 am
Thanks Mike. I’ll be sure to look for it tomorrow evening. Also, I’ll keep a check in my wallet for the next time we are at the same WOD
July 29th, 2009 on 9:22 am
Wow, did you write that just for me? I really felt the love this morning when, yes, I was yet again the LAST to finish the WOD. Thanks to everyone for cheering me on! And, yes, my hands hurt – from Monday. And, yes, my burpees were pretty sad. And, yes, my push ups were sadder. But, I finished. So there.
25:23
10 rounds
10 burpees (floppy geriatric spasms)
10 push ups (50 knees, 50 dirty dogs)
And, if you don’t know what a dirty dog push up is, or you can’t imagine it in your mind’s eye, then you’ll just have to come out to the next 0530 WOD to see how it is done.
And, even funnier still is that if there was just one less gal in the room, then I would have made the leader board with this time. HA!
July 29th, 2009 on 9:33 am
This sounds like an extended blog post, but I’ll put the preview on here.
Hello new people! You will likely see me around the gym, especially if you come in the afternoons or evenings or at the bar. If I’m the coach for that class, always feel free to come up and talk to me. If I am working out at that class, still feel free to come up and talk to me. And rest assured, we have seen people where you are before. Everyone starts somewhere. Just accept it and remember that you will be training for the rest of your life and you have a long time to improve.
For a little perspective, here was my journey. I was an athlete IN HIGH SCHOOL. After that I exercised on and off, most of which involved really bad weight training, and I COULD KILL A STAIRMASTER. I mean, I would look down on those other people doing the stairmaster at an inferior pace.
As soon as my gym was not in my building anymore, I stopped exercising. Later, I decided to do triathlons. Why not? I was running pretty fast and having a good time and then I was introduced to CrossFit. My records are not as good from back then, but I remember a few things. Keep in mind, I have now been doing this for over 4 years. In fact, my four year anniversary was July 18, 2005.
Fran–17 minutes
Clean–115lbs
Press–105lbs
Snatch–00lbs
Overhead Squat–Broomstick
Muscle-ups–Zero
Handstand Push-ups–Zero
Michael–DNF
10 rounds 10DL 10 Push-ups: DNF
And don’t think that those were the first time I tried them. It took me 2 years before I did an overhead squat with a 45lb bar. I didn’t start snatching until a year ago. I didn’t do a muscle up for two years. I didn’t do a HSPU for three years.
I didn’t do WODS with 135lb cleans or 225lb deadlifts.
Listen to this part carefully:
FOR ONE FULL YEAR MY ONLY GOAL WAS TO GET TO A POINT WHERE I COULD DO WODS AS RXD.
That was it. Nothing more. A full year. And I’m still not there … four years later.
So come say hi to me. Ask me about whatever you want. I’ll help whenever I can.
July 29th, 2009 on 9:38 am
To the newbies:
Just so you know, we veterans are still scared by CrossFit…it never really changes… you just get used to it :O) It almost seems to get harder the longer you do it, but only because the weights get heavier and the times get faster. But that’s why we love it, right? When I was at my cert, Coach Glassman told us that we all needed to make a “B!tch List” (his words, not mine). Find everything you suck at and make it your… well, you know. I started to do this and have found that the more I CrossFit the longer this list gets. However, I also have smaller goals to work on other than the big picture. If you are like me then these small goals keep my sanity when a big, hairy WOD shows up on the board. So no matter your experience level, we are all in this together! Just have fun with it and YaY BuRpeEs!!!
July 29th, 2009 on 9:41 am
16:13 Rx’d (I think.)
Lisa – my email is a.wesley.walker@gmail – let me know when you’re thinking about doing the endurance workout. This is my first week of attempting them, so my schedule isn’t really nailed down yet.
July 29th, 2009 on 9:59 am
1. Dan keeps his hair that way because he’s trying to look like me. Can’t figure that one out because he already has a twin… We’ll start becoming concerned when he dyes his hair red.
2. Anybody want to go to DC United vs. Real Madrid on August 1st at 3pm? I can get us tickets at Cub level for $94… email me kassandra dot mckenzie at gmail
oh, and 3. All you newbies (I’m one myself,) if you ever want to feel good about yourself, ask me to do an air squat. It’s pathetic and the funniest part about it is that my current squat is 18,231,789 times better than when I started foundations in April.
July 29th, 2009 on 10:28 am
16:13 rx’d
Thanks Andrew!
July 29th, 2009 on 11:17 am
Walker – Play rugby, that’ll give you the CFE you crave.
July 29th, 2009 on 11:21 am
Dave – I’ll be at 7′s tomorrow around 6:30, unless it’s a different time. W&L got a new pool, so I wanted to check it out last night.
July 29th, 2009 on 11:36 am
12:28 Rx’d.
Felt like a clubbed baby seal afterwards.
July 29th, 2009 on 12:41 pm
It’s always good to hear that it’s taken people a long time to get where they are. Especially people like Aaron who I consider to be really athletic! I actually received a grade of “E” in high school gym for excused – I managed to break or sprain my fingers playing volleyball and basketball the same semester. Thankfully that was my last broken bone, after a long string (total was 7; causes were as varied as tripping on a sidewalk, tripping on a flight of stairs, and lamely attempting to play softball).
I really like crossfit because it’s kind of like being on a sports team, but there are no flying objects to hurt you. I’ve realized it’s possible to be athletic without playing a sport.
I’ve been doing crossfit now for six months and I think I’ve only done one workout as prescribed. It literally took me three times as long as everyone else. Trust me, if you think something took you a long time, either it took me longer, or I cheated/scaled appropriately (this often takes the form of calling time 15-30 seconds after everyone else has finished).
And there’s no shame in using the black bands for pullups. Just sayin’.
July 29th, 2009 on 12:51 pm
22:53 Rx’d
so excited that I can put Rx’d two days in a row.
I finished in last, much longer than anyone else, but so what I finished!!
I’ve been doing Crossfit since Oct, most times I still finish last, but I’m finishing. I even made the leader board today (at least for a little while) for the first time (not many women did it Rx’d – full pushups). So even if you finish last, it still counts!!
July 29th, 2009 on 12:56 pm
Hey, everyone. I haven’t been to many WODs lately because I’ve been working on a major Rosetta Stone product launch (click my name for more info). Well, it went live yesterday, so expect to see more of me at the box!
July 29th, 2009 on 12:56 pm
20:11 but Coach Brian said my pushups were bad
no hard feelings tho…
July 29th, 2009 on 1:15 pm
if only this little guy had been doing crossfit, he may have lived….
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1201331/Male-sea-lion-mates-death-Germany.html
July 29th, 2009 on 1:18 pm
16:43 mins as Rxed
July 29th, 2009 on 1:34 pm
I liked this quote:
“Many, many lifters cannot pull well in the gym so the ‘test’ in the gym was not emphasized. As Louie often said, the dl is a very emotional lift and it helps to be a little ‘nuts’ to pull well … DL’s take everything you’ve got and more. You have to need to pull it, not just want to.”
This likely explains why we saw people at the Games pull a PR or match a PR in the LEAST optimal conditions (after a 7k run, with 30 seconds rest).
July 29th, 2009 on 1:39 pm
Great post today. When I have rough days or am bemoaning the fact that I’m still trying for a dead hang pullup (9 months in), I try to remember that everyone has been there, is there now, or can be brought back to “beginner” by a nasty WOD. One day at a time.
There are a couple of spots left in the Zone/Paleo cooking seminar this Saturday. Sign up if you’d like to learn more about selecting great produce, what’s worth spending money on and what’s not, storage & freezing, and some basic meat and veggie techniques for quick weekday meals.
http://www.potomaccrossfit.com/upcoming-events/paleozone-cooking-seminar-with-alison-mcconnell/
July 29th, 2009 on 2:49 pm
even though I HATE burpees…I’m sad I’m missing this. Trying to not “hide” from exercises that scare me! However, I have a job interview so duty calls. Look forward to either celebrating my new job tomorrow or bitching about my rejection over a nice tough WOD.
July 29th, 2009 on 2:58 pm
Seamus – thankfully, you weren’t looking for form. Definitely NOT attempting the “power flop burpee” anytime soon.
Christy0530 – my burpees were – get on the ground, then do everything in your power to get back up. 10 rounds of 10. Maybe we should have added rueful moaning with each attempt to get up off the floor for effect…
As you told me last week “Every time I do this, I suck a little less….”
July 29th, 2009 on 3:14 pm
Just to feel a part of the conversation:
I’ve talked about this before on here, but when I started CrossFit, I weighed about 100-105 lbs (I’m 5’7). I was a long distance runner – averaging about 8-10 miles every morning before work. All I wanted was to be thin. I could have cared less about being “strong” or “fit” as long as one could see my hip bones through my clothes. My deadlift was about 75 lbs and at my first park WOD with Dan as the coach, I could only push-press with 5 lb dumbbells and would fall over every time I tried to squat correctly.
Don’t get me wrong, as I’m sure you all know I’m still quite vain, but now I’m worry about how well my lululemons will match the WOD, or if my new tattoos will match my sports bra. I actually WANT those broad shoulders and big arms that I used to avoid developing at all costs (lots of reps at low weight remember!). I’m TRYING to get myself over 130 lbs. I CRAVE RED MEAT ALL THE TIME. And because of that, I think I might actually live to see 70…something I did not think would be possible before.
So I guess that’s my main message to the new women in CrossFit. You’ll fight it at first, avoiding the heavy days and only coming in for the metcons, thinking we’re lying when we tell you to increase your fat, etc. But, eventually you’ll break down like I did and Brian will talk about you on CrossFit radio, how much you’ve changed and improved, and how much better you look (and feel!) because of it.
I feel as if an enormous weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I no longer worry about being too “bulky.” I do not put my vanity before my health and fitness. Because, trust me, there is absolutely nothing sexier than a woman with a sub 5 minute Fran and a 300 lb deadlift.
July 29th, 2009 on 3:50 pm
I was talking about you???….:):):)
July 29th, 2009 on 3:55 pm
I finished foundations in April, but don’t consider myself a newbie and certainly not a vet. I guess I’m a tweener for this conversation. Like many I suspect, I got hooked on CrossFit after my first WOD. Since then, I’ve been hitting the box 5-6 days a week. You will also find me next door at Eleven for a post WOD cooldown or on my balcony with my camera.
It’s nice to hear Aaron say his goal for the first year was to do a WOD rx’d. Back in April, I was glad to just finish a WOD. Now, I’m actually hitting a few metcon and bw WODs rx’d.
To the newbies, keep hitting it hard and you will be amazed at the gains you will make. Everybody struggles with pullups and double unders, so don’t sweat it. CF is a very welcoming community so don’t be afraid to ask ‘What’s a thruster’ or ‘who is this Fran chick everyone talks about’.
To the vets (coaches included), thanks for all the advice (solicited or not). I’ve improved a lot over the past few months, but have a long way to go.
July 29th, 2009 on 4:56 pm
13:20 as rx’d
This was way harder than I thought it would be.
July 29th, 2009 on 5:35 pm
18:50, 8 rounds doing push ups on knees
…not a good showing felt really weak/tired after 2nd round
July 29th, 2009 on 5:37 pm
I meant 13:20 something as rx’d
July 29th, 2009 on 6:21 pm
11:45, knee pushups
July 29th, 2009 on 6:23 pm
I forgot my time… but I think I finished faster than I thought I would… it’s all a little foggy still
July 29th, 2009 on 6:56 pm
First things first, I GOT MY MUSCLE UP TODAY!!! Big thanks to everyone that has been giving me tips, esp (as much as it pains me to say this) Jon M. Your critiques of my form really helped.
On to the WOD: this sucks doing it by yourself in between classes. As rx’d: 15:20.
Did I mention I got a muscle up today?!
July 29th, 2009 on 7:10 pm
Congrats Erika!!!
13:04 RX’d
Burpees suck.
July 29th, 2009 on 7:11 pm
Awesome Erika!! Soon I will hopefully post the same about a real pushup!
July 29th, 2009 on 7:14 pm
Thanks for this post. I felt really encouraged. I’m always last to finish a WOD.
Today’s WOD:
28 mins. Assisted pushups.
July 29th, 2009 on 7:20 pm
13:10 as RX’d.
July 29th, 2009 on 7:29 pm
Erika, you are my HERO! Teach me please!
July 29th, 2009 on 7:32 pm
Congrats Erika! I knew it was going to happen really soon when I saw your attempts the other day!!!!!
July 29th, 2009 on 7:56 pm
To add to the discussion for beginers; one of my favorite quotes from the CF main site (and I wish I could remember who said it) is “if you’re not a little bit nervous before you work out, you’re probably not working out hard enough.”
So the next time you are a little bit apprehensive about coming into the box for a tough looking WOD, or get a bit worried as you stand there waiting for the 3,2,1 GO!, don’t let that discourage you. Maybe that nervousness is a sign that you’re doing something right.
July 29th, 2009 on 8:08 pm
18:21. On a tile floor in my hotel room sweating like a pig.
After the wod went outside my room at the B&B to get some fresh
Air and locked myself out. Instead of going to the front desk
And scaring the nice Brazilian girl with my sweaty and hairy body, decided to scale the wall in the Back and enter through the bathroom window. How is that for
Practicality? The lesson I learned is that if I had man-scaped, like my friend Guch, I could have just as easily gone to the front desk to get another key. Thanks Guch!
July 29th, 2009 on 8:11 pm
12:48 as rx’d
congrats on the muscle-up erica. glad i got to see it live. i’m almost there myself.
July 29th, 2009 on 8:24 pm
16:20
Knee Push ups
I am still a newbie; hopefully it won’t take me a year to get a WOD as RX like Aaron since I do attend many of his 5:00 sessions.
July 29th, 2009 on 8:38 pm
13:04 as rx’d
July 29th, 2009 on 8:40 pm
Erika, rock on. Congrats.
John F — good point, and I think it applies to everyone. The “I’m scared of this workout” feeling only gets worse as time goes on. Like Tes said, you just get used to it.
July 29th, 2009 on 8:49 pm
18:00 rx’d. Wow, I suck at burpees.
July 29th, 2009 on 9:12 pm
16:19 Rx’d
Thought I was chasing Lisa’s time of 16:23 the whole time, but it turns out she had 16:13…FML.
Didn’t matter because Erika kicked my ass anyway.
July 29th, 2009 on 9:17 pm
Hi everyone. I’m new to Potomac CrossFit, and I read all of your encouraging emails so I thought I’d send something from the newbie side. I just finished my Foundations class with Tes, and it was great. I really learned a lot from her. I was new to all the olympic lifts, and those are what I was worried about learning the most. But once I learned the proper form, I actually enjoy doing them! Of course I’m still working on those a lot! Unfortunately (but fortunately too!) I travel a lot for work, so I’m not able to come to the gym much. While I’m overseas, I try to do the workouts as close to prescribed as possible, but depending on where I am, I have to make some substitutions. I was overseas when I was introduced to CrossFit about 3 months ago, and I just loved it from the beginning, and I was happy to see that there was a gym close to me in Arlington. So,I took advantage of my 3 weeks at home to get the Foundations done, and now I feel a lot more confident with the WODs. I seem to never dread doing them, or motivating myself to get them done. I love the personal challenges to it all. So, while I won’t see you much at the gym, I hope I can still be a part of Potomac CrossFit this way. I am still learning, so I need some advice and suggestions sometimes, so please help me out from afar! I hopefully will be in when I’m home for awhile, but I just never know. Anyway, thanks for your stories and motivation!
Time today 14:18. I assume rx’d means as prescribed,and I did this that way. How do you know what is a good time for these WODs?
July 29th, 2009 on 9:24 pm
17:25 rx.
That really, really sucked on the ole shoulders
July 29th, 2009 on 9:48 pm
14:33 – knee push-ups…..
Congrats Erika!
July 29th, 2009 on 9:58 pm
Nice work, Erika!
15:04 Rx’d
This was tough after doing 100 push ups last night.
July 29th, 2009 on 10:15 pm
Beth,
a good time for any WOD is being able to answer this question with the word “no”.
“Could I have pushed harder or gone any faster?”
As long as you workout smart, and push yourself, finishing any workout, Rx’d or not, is a great accomplishment if you have all you had!
Welcome to PCF!!!!! Its a great place to be!
July 29th, 2009 on 10:15 pm
I meant if you Gave all you had, not Have all you had
July 29th, 2009 on 11:14 pm
16:56,Knee-pushups
Adding 100 pushups to list of things I dread(Dead-lifts being number 1 on the list), even though I am still doing them on my knees. Hopefully I will stay patient and get stronger soon !!
Thanks for all the info today, this is really helpful for beginners to get atleast the mental picture right….
July 29th, 2009 on 11:18 pm
18:30 scaling to my knees with push-ups part way through.
July 30th, 2009 on 12:12 am
Thanks, guys. So exciting. Can’t wait to watch (and help) you all get your first one! (Sally and Ian, you’re next. Let’s get it.)
To the noobs: ditto what everyone has already said. We all start somewhere. Ask Aaron, I was the worst student ever when I started (he actually tried to fire me as a “client” a couple times) – I HATED being bad at things. I couldnt do a pull up, had MAYBE 3 real push ups, and had never deadlifted, cleaned or snatched in my life. Stick with it, listen to good coaching, and most importantly, give it your all….and you will surely see results. We’re all here to help. And we’ll cheer you on as you cross each and every milestone. The community is the beauty of crossfit.
July 30th, 2009 on 5:21 am
17:46 RXd
Congratulations Erika! That was awesome to witness.
July 30th, 2009 on 8:44 am
18:55 Rx’d I guess, the burpees got pretty ugly.
Great job on the MU Erika!
July 30th, 2009 on 8:51 am
16:12
5 rounds of strict push-ups/ 5 rounds of knee push ups
July 30th, 2009 on 8:52 am
Power cleans before class
3×135, 185, 205, 185, 185
1×225, 225
WOD
I think I got 13:30-13:50, but I don’t remember where. Considering I am not so hot at either push-ups or burpees, I was pretty happy with this.
July 30th, 2009 on 10:14 am
10 KB Swing
10 Push Ups
10:33
July 31st, 2009 on 11:27 am
In my hotel room in Phoenix (thank goodness the air-conditioning was on full blast)…
12:20 as rx’d
I’m surprised that I wasn’t slower given that I was without the normal group competitiveness found at the box. I was still a sweaty mess by the end (even in the low, low humidity out here)…