Today’s Thought of the Day:
Skinny does NOT equal beautiful.
For me, I think healthy is beautiful.
I’ve been sitting on sharing this video all morning because I wanted to write some deep and thoughtful message to go along with it, but I just don’t have it today. Instead, just enjoy this incredible message…. and BELIEVE it!
I love watching videos like this!
As they say in the video, by The Journey TV: “Let’s Change our Paradigm”
I’m a huge CrossFit Nerd and my friends know that. However, to be honest, many of the “CrossFit Games” videos that are put together don’t do it for me. They’re comprised of clips that I’ve seen a million times, with the story I watch as it unfolded… it’s just not exciting enough for me.
This video below is AWESOME though. In under 3 minutes, everyone can see just how FAST the CrossFit Games event has grown over the last 5 years. This stuff is so cool. Last year, 26,000 people signed up to compete. I can’t even imagine what this year is going to bring!
The 2012 CrossFit Games Beta website has been released, and the official sign-ups go live on February 1st! THAT’S ONLY 9 DAYS AWAY!!
Are you curious about the dates for this year’s competition? Here’s the excerpt directly from the website!
“The 2012 CrossFit Games season is almost here! Registration for the Open begins on February 1. We will announce the first Open workout on February 22. After five Open workouts, one each week, the top 60 men, 60 women, and 30 teams in each region will qualify to compete at one of 17 Regional competitions.
This year, Regionals will take place over the course of five weekends from April 27 to May 27. The venues have not been announced yet. Many venues are different from last year, so don’t book your travel yet. Regional locations will be announced in early February.
The Regional competitions will follow a similar format to 2011. Over the course of three days, the Region’s best men, women, and teams will compete for a precious few Games qualifying spots. The Regional workouts will be released on Wednesday, April 18.
This year, all athletes who hope to compete at the Games will compete at Regionals, so make sure you get out there and see the stars in action. Volunteer registration for Regionals will open up the Games site in February.
Below are the dates for each Regional:
April 27-29 (South East, South Central, Canada West)
May 3-6 (Mid Atlantic, South West, Africa, Asia)
May 11-13 (Central East, SoCal, Canada East, Latin America)
May 18-20 (North Central, NorCal, Australia)
May 25-27 (North East, North West, Europe)”
Yep, nerves are starting to build already. Only one month to go.
Most of you won’t like this, but I saw it today and HAD to share.
Heavy Metal is a genre of music that most people can’t really get behind. Partly because it’s so loud, partly because it’s usually so angry and partly because you can barely understand the lead singer’s screaming voice.
At least you can understand this one… LOVE this video! (Original post from Gawker.com)
There was a CrossFit commercial. On TV. During the NFC Divisional Championship game (that’s football, Juli). That means, I can only guess, that a few MILLION more people saw what CrossFit is all about for the first time.
I was sitting there at a lunch with my friend watching it at a bar (because I knew it would be on during the game), and for the entire commercial, I was just smiling and fist-pumping in my seat. What an idiot! The commercial was over and I said to my friend… “I know I had NOTHING to do with creating that commercial, but WOW did I feel proud watching it!”
A lot of people are saying that CrossFit has “sold out” now due to their partnership with Reebok, but I say, “if our goal is to change lives for the better and make people healthier, why does it matter HOW they hear about it?” I love it. Check out the commercial below.
To accompany that, another short video was released with CrossFit Founder, Greg Glassman, talking about what CrossFit is all about.
So… did CrossFit “sell out”? Well, to jump on a bandwagon that almost certainly saw an INCREASE in the “trending” that #CrossFit and #Reebok must have had on Twitter after the commercial was debuted yesterday, Hamilton Nolan (blogger from Gawker.com?) released a piece this morning on CrossFit.
The title of his post: Crossfit Is Over
Go ahead and click that title and read the full post over on the site (it’s pretty short), but the point of the post was to say that now Reebok has partnered with CrossFit, that the program is less “underground.” Does that therefore make the program less effective, too? And a partnership with Reebok? “Yeah. Not even one of the cool shoe brands,” he says.
Some of the things he says in the piece (pasted word-for-word):
“Next thing you know Crossfit gyms will be popping up at ever suburban strip mall from here to San Diego, and wealthy stay at home moms will start showing up after their yoga classes, and Jillian Michaels will make a Crossfit DVD, and there will be a Crossfit reality show and some MTV kid will get MADE, into someone who can do 20 pullups. And then there will be the inevitable Under Armour- Reebok- Nike Crossfit sneaker wars, until every Crossfit club is owned and branded, and there will be a pro tour and youth leagues and fashion shoots and celebrity endorsements and doping scandals and cheating.”
Actually guys…. he’s right. It’s been heading in that direction for some time, as we can all tell. You know why? Because people, athletes, companies… are starting to MAKE MONEY with CrossFit. You know where else that happens? Every other professional sport.
Again, though, back to my point, and my stance on the subject…. I don’t train/coach/(live?) CrossFit to make money from it. I do it because it’s hands-down the most effective physical training program I’ve ever come across. I do it because I’ve physically seen it change people’s lives for the better (my own included), not because Reebok now makes “CrossFit Shoes”.
(Sidenote: shoes I will likely NEVER own because of how expensive they are…)
So, is he right in saying “And Crossfit will be full of *ssholes. Too bad.”? No. I think there will be the same ratio of cool people to *ssholes as there is right now. As the sport continues to change, it’s core will still be the thousands of people who do it for the right reasons… and those regular, normal, everyday people are awesome!
You know what WON’T change, even when (even more) celebrities and professional sports teams start using CrossFit, though? I still won’t choose to associate with any of those people.
Final Thoughts:
CrossFit is quickly turning into two different things.
First is CrossFit as a workout program and fitness regimen. This side of CrossFit does, and ALWAYS WILL, be appropriate for anyone. Yes. Anyone can do CrossFit… (And personally, I think everyone SHOULD)
The second is CrossFit as a legitimate Competitive Sport. This is where there will be multi-million dollar prize packages, multi-million dollar sponsorships, scandals and controversies, celebrities, glitz and glam. That just comes with the territory, people. The difference between this and every other sport out there, is when people are in the stands watching the CrossFit Games, almost all of the fans are active participants in the same activities. So, even though we don’t lift as much weight, and move as quickly as those “elite firebreathers”… we share in what they do moreso than any other sport.
That’s one of the biggest differences in CrossFit to me. We all get it. And whether you’re the best athlete in your gym, or a first-timer getting off of the couch for the first time in a decade, we’re all on the same level…. we’re all trying to be “better than yesterday.”
So, while CrossFit may have “sold out” depending on who you ask…. CrossFit is most definitely NOT over.
Nice little rant today, huh?
Post your thoughts to comments!
I don’t know how to ride a motorcycle. Jason Britton does. He’s kind of good at it, too.
I really liked hearing how he talked about his bike. It reminded me about how we all focus on nutrition in CrossFit, it takes that intimate knowledge of what you’re “fueling” yourself with in order to really hit full stride in performance.
When all is good, you can usually tell. When things don’t go as planned, or you slack on your maintenance (a bad weekend of eating, for example) you can usually tell that, too!
I hope you like the video.
Today’s “Thought of the Day”:
The crew at Mundo CrossFit in Madrid is sexy and they know it!
How’s this video for a gym turning into a fun community? YOu become friends with the athletes around you for the one hour you’re there for class every day…. but that also translates into caring about them as people. When you surround yourself with people you care about, your “family” grows quite a bit, and it shows. Well done, folks!
Happy Friday the 13th, everyone…. What have I got for you to start off your day?
Probably one of the coolest “CrossFit” commercials I have ever seen. Yeah, I know…. it’s by Reebok. Has the “mainstream corporate takeover” become official?
Does Reebok own CrossFit? Or is CrossFit SINGLE-HANDEDLY revitalizing the entire Reebok Brand?
Either way, I really like the commercial 🙂
I grew up with a family full of surfers. One of my cousins travels all over the world to surf some of the best waves out there. I have never known anyone crazy enough to try this, though.
This stuff is absolutely breathtaking.
(p.s.- Slow Motion makes everything cooler. Everything.)
Here’s the text that accompanies the video from Chris Bryan’s Vimeo profile:
“This day at Teahupoo- Aug 27th 2011 during the Billabong Pro waiting period is what many are calling the biggest and gnarliest Teahupoo ever ridden. Chris Bryan was fortunate enough to be there working for Billabong on a day that will go down in the history of big wave surfing. The French Navy labeled this day a double code red prohibiting and threatening to arrest anyone that entered the water.
Kelly Slater described the day by saying “witnessing this was a draining feeling being terrified for other people’s lives all day long, it’s life or death. Letting go of that rope one time can change your life and not many people will ever experience that in their life.”
All images where shot by Chris Bryan using the Phantom HD Gold camera. To see more of Chris’ work check out his website. WWW.CHRISBRYANFILMS.COM
Music: Lower Your Eyelids to Die with the Sun’ by M83.”
****NOTE*****
Within the hour that I posted the video, it vanished from the page! The link below does take you to another version of it, though. Sorry for the confusion!
I mentioned yesterday that I never got good (or confident) diving, despite years of spending time in the water swimming. Another sport I was never able to conquer, perhaps due to a “fear of heights” that I may have, is rock climbing.
Sure, being in an indoor climbing wall with friends is fun, but as soon as I got outside onto “Real Mountains”, my anxiety level shot through the roof.
Maybe I should just try this instead! 🙂
Today’s thought:
“Is Competition a good thing?”
Most of you know my thoughts on this subject (yes, it absolutely is a good thing), but I am going to share a post from my friend Tommy Hackenbruck (owner of Ute CrossFit and #2 finisher in the 2009 CrossFit Games) on what he thinks.
My favorite part of the article is this:
We understand that each person is different, and some of you may even claim, “I don’t like competing with other people, I would rather them do well.” (That’s a direct quote from my wonderful sister Jenny). Well, even if you feel bad beating somebody, or claim you don’t like competing, the fact is that you should. It’s all about perspective. Competing doesn’t mean you want to see others fail. When you work extremely hard in a workout, or on your mountain bike, and you barely beat the person next to you, chances are both of you are better because of it.
I don’t like gyms that have this cut-throat, “Firebreathers Only” mentality. The reason for that is because I think CrossFit can, and should, be for everyone! So if a gym is filled with athletes out “just to beat someone else”, the purpose of the whole program is lost for me. CrossFit, in my mind, is about improving your health and wellness so you can be a happier person. The competition stuff just makes it FUN!
Anyways, check out what Tommy has to say in his post “Why do we compete?”
~By Tommy Hackenbruck
As the weekend approaches and a few of us trainers prepare for a CrossFit competition in Orange County I wanted to share with everybody my reflections on why competition is not only an integral part of your development as an athlete, but also as a person. First of all, we make great efforts at our gym and within our community to keep the CrossFit Games competition in perspective. It is ONE competition that many of us get excited about, and train for, but it is not the only competition that our members take part in and certainly not the most important. The most important competition at Ute CrossFit is EVERY competition that is entered by any one of our athletes. The focus and goal of this gym is to help each person achieve and exceed their fitness goals, and to help create a culture that makes us all better in all aspects of life. We put tons of time and effort creating programs like kids camp and daycare classes so that you can be stronger families, just as we put effort into writing specialized programs so that you can be stronger athletes. Just as competing in CrossFit Games is an important part of some of our lives, we feel that each and every client needs to find a competitive outlet in some way. This can be a 5k run, the dirty dash, or simply competing against somebody else’s time on the whiteboard. The fact is, competition builds character, pushes us to do our best, helps us achieve higher goals, and teaches us more about ourselves (good or bad) than we could learn otherwise. In order to grow as a person or athlete, you need to compete at some level, it is healthy, it is what we were made to do.
“A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” ~William Shedd
We understand that each person is different, and some of you may even claim, “I don’t like competing with other people, I would rather them do well.” (That’s a direct quote from my wonderful sister Jenny). Well, even if you feel bad beating somebody, or claim you don’t like competing, the fact is that you should. It’s all about perspective. Competing doesn’t mean you want to see others fail. When you work extremely hard in a workout, or on your mountain bike, and you barely beat the person next to you, chances are both of you are better because of it. If you didn’t give your best effort, the other person wouldn’t have worked as hard to try to keep up with you. Now the person next to you on the mountain bike isn’t mad because you beat them, they are happily thinking “wow, that was the hardest and fastest I’ve every ridden on my bike!” By giving your best effort, both people will benefit. We strongly believe that good healthy competition, with the right mindset and perspective, will always leave us better than if we had sat out. It not only teaches us to push a little harder, give a little extra effort, but it pushes those next to us (our teammates), inspires those watching us (our kids), and rewards those pulling for us (our coaches).
“Adversity causes some men to break, others to break records.” ~William A. Ward
If you are a member at Ute CrossFit then you have goals. Hopefully those goals are achievable, measurable, and you have a timeline to accomplish them. By competing daily, with yourself or with others, you will get closer to those goals. At the University of Utah we had signs in the locker room that read: “compete every day”. When we lifted we were paired with other guys that were the same strength as us, so we could compete to get stronger than them. In warm-up and conditioning drills we were lined up with the other guys at our position so we could race them and compete in every single drill. Trying to give our best effort on EVERY SINGLE drill we did helped us grow and progress into elite athletes. Without the competition our progress would have slowed or stagnated. The fastest guy on the team constantly had someone right behind him about to catch him, therefore he gave his best effort to stay ahead. On that same token the second fastest guy on the team was motivated each and every day to take over the top spot, his goal was to be the fastest. Goals keep things in perspective, they remind us why we work hard, what’s important to us, and also let us know when we are making progress toward achieving success.
So remember to compete. Compete with yourself and beat your old PR, compete with a friend and make each other better, or sign up for a race or an event and start training with a little more fire and a little more purpose. Do it for yourself, you will be better for it!
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” ~Theodore Roosevelt
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