Rob Orlando, CrossFit celebrity and Owner of Hybrid Athletics, is strong. If you’ve ever seen him, or heard about him through CrossFit, then you already knew that.
Rob Orlando can flip 1,000 pound tires, jump 40″ box jumps right after that and then get upside on gymnastics rings and do Ring Handstand Push-Ups.
I know… some of these people are insane.
Today’s installment of “CrossFit Blog Central” isn’t actually from an actual CrossFit blog. It is, however, an article written for “The Human Factor” column of CNN.com’s website. “The Human Factor” is described as “profil(ing) survivors who have overcome the odds. Confronting a life obstacle – injury, illness or other hardship – they tapped their inner strength and found resilience they didn’t know they possessed.”
Yeah, I know you thought I’d like it, too! Stories, and people, like this are the motivation and inspiration behind a lot of what keeps me going. The author of this particular piece is none other than Kyle Maynard. Kyle is, in my mind, a CrossFit Celebrity because he has been featured all over the CrossFit website over the 3+ years I’ve been following the program. He is one of those athletes that if I were to see him at an event, I’d get nervous and want a picture with him. Yep. I’m that guy. There’s another obvious reason why Kyle is so inspiring in what he does. The CNN article introduced him like this: “Despite being born without arms or legs, Maynard has played football, wrestled, and he’s hoping to hike Mount Kilimanjaro.” Yep.
When I came across this article that was posted by CrossFit, I knew the next hour or so was going to be spent “Maynarding”. Just watching videos and reading articles about this amazing man!
Ok, so enough about how I feel about him, let’s share the good stuff with you! I’m going to share a few of my favorite quotes from the article, and then obviously let you click on a link to read the full piece yourselves!
One of the reasons we require so much motivation to start on the path to improving our health is that we build up a huge lie in our minds of how improbable or even impossible reaching our goals will be. We think about how hard it’s going to be to resist dessert or how much time exercising is going to take away from our lives.
I try to talk to my athletes about this all the time. Instead of setting this HUGE milestone that will take months/years to accomplish, I prefer to set mini-milestones along the way so we give ourselves REASON to celebrate! Positive reinforcement from YOURSELF is so key to help you stay motivated and “on the path”.
It’s always going to be the same in your life too. We’ll never be where we want to be until we learn to slow down and enjoy our individual journey. As long as you are doing something to move towards the direction you want to go in your life and your health, you cannot fail.
Read those last three words. If we get to the place in life where we can ENJOY THE JOURNEY… where we embrace the process and enjoy the steps we’re taking to improve ourselves (in ANY venture), you cannot fail.
There you have it, folks. This is hands down one of my favorite posts I’ve written, and it’s all because of Kyle Maynard and his positive impact on EVERYONE! To us his line, his motto… his mantra that he’s had for his whole life… No Excuses. You’re the man, Kyle!
Click here to read the full article!
For more info on Kyle, here’s and AWESOME video from when he was featured on Oprah. Please take 13 minutes and watch it so you can learn more about why and HOW Kyle got to be where he is today. So. Cool.
Finally, as a CrossFitter, Kyle also owns a gym. No Excuses CrossFit. The video below is a Testimonial from some of his athletes talking about how (not only Kyle, but) CrossFit training can help change lives in a variety of ways.
I’m inspired today! I hope you are, too!
Well, the time has finally come where CrossFit is posting so many INCREDIBLE videos of athletes performing superhuman feats that I need to create a new category for just them!
I think that “Beastmode of the Day” is an awesome name for it, too! Thanks for your support.
Rich Froning Jr. won the 2011 CrossFit Games. That means, by OUR standards (as CrossFitters), he is the fittest man on the planet.
Doing things like this make it harder and harder for someone to refute that, I think.
He took one of my favorite CrossFit workouts of all-time, Grace (which is 30 Clean and Jerks for time at 95lbs for women/135lb for men), and upped the ante a little. Instead of the prescribed 135lbs, he decided to do Grace with 225lbs!!
Oh yeah… and he did it in 4:49. No big deal.
This. Video. (from the crew at CrossFit Oahu) Is. AMAZING. I almost cried from laughing so hard.
As a coach, I’m allowed to ask you this:
Are you one of these people?
And, uh… as a coach, I’m allowed to respond with this:
Don’t be. Seriously.
Soooo funny!
This post is a story. Of my life. Tonight. Only read it if you want a laugh (or 4) at my expense. Otherwise, the result video (and a sneak peak of the 5th Again Faster workout – “Russell”) are at the bottom of this post. Ready…. begin!
It’s been a good week of training so far, so I decided to give the 4th workout of the “Again Faster – Beat the Team Series” a try.
The workout, “Austin” was a 7 minute AMRAP. That meant in 7 minutes, you did as many reps as possible of:
2 Muscle-Ups / 2 Deadlifts (335#)
After working out at CrossFit Lakewood at 5pm, and then coaching the 6pm and the 7pm classes, I realized that I didn’t have enough free space on my GoPro to record the full workout. After calling my buddy Rj “Rejalicious” Smith IV who coaches at CrossFit LoDo, he let me know that I could take his keys to LoDo and do the workout there. Lifesaver!
I got there, and my friend Katie Mac (who literally lives across the street from the gym), offered to come over and give me some moral support while I went through the WOD. I graciously accepted her offer! I loosened up a bit (it was freeeezing tonight), set up my weights, and set up my camera to record the workout. About 45 seconds into the workout, Katie looks over at me and then points at the GoPro….
Yep. I went to Rj’s and cleared space off of my memory card and was ready to go! Little did I realize, my battery was low, too. So, almost 1 minute into the workout, the camera died completely. Hey, it’s better than 5 minutes into the workout, huh?
We plugged Katie’s phone in and let it charge a little more, and then it was off to the races… for the second time.
Aside from being a little frustrated and not picking up the deadlift bar a little faster in-between rounds, I am happy with the way this workout went.
For those of you that stuck with this ridiculous evening’s summary, thanks for your time. 🙂
And to Katie Mac, thanks for being CLUTCH and being there, recording the workout on your phone and then just sitting around chatting with me until the darn thing uploaded!
Now for your teaser of Again Faster WOD #5
“Russell”
Nov. 10, 2011 until Nov. 19, 2011
3 Rounds for Time:
25 Double Unders
25 Hand Release Pushups
60m Sprint, 10m increments
Movement Standards:
[Sprints] To be done as out-and-backs, in 10m increments. Athlete must stay in camera frame for the entirety.
Today’s word of the day is:
Beatbox.
If you’ve known me since EPIC SUMMER 2011 started, you know that my musical tastes quickly branched off into the realm of “Dubstep”, and I haven’t looked back since. My particular style of Dubstep that I like is pretty specific, but when I find a beat or song I like, I’m HOOKED! (side note: for all of you who were a part of EPIC SUMMER, here’s the one that STARTED IT ALLLLLL!)
Anyways, enough about my musical tastes… I came across this Beatbox video on YouTube, and knowing what Dubstep traditionally sounds like, I thought it’d be pretty tough to replicate it with only the human voice.
Well… this guy nails it pretty hard. The word that is used to describe music like this (which I LOVE…) is FLITHY. This guy’s Dubstep Beatbox is filthy.
For those of you who might not like dubstep at all, I will also post two of my other favorite beatbox videos. I’m trying to please everyone here, work with me, people!
Another pretty good freestyle. My favorite is his “scratching” sounds:
I’ve posted this one before, but I still think this dude is pretty sick:
Since that may be WAYYYY too much Beatboxing for some of you, I will repost the coolest Dubstep DANCING videos I’ve ever seen! Check it!
Last year, the Turkey Challenge (hosted by MBS CrossFit) was the most fun CrossFit competition I had ever attended. The event was low key and fun, had some amazing athletes and as my pictures show (Album 1 and Album 2), we had a great time! It was so cool also seeing some friends compete in their first-ever event, too.
This year has already promised to bigger and better than last year with the number of athletes increased significantly, and with the introduction of a TEAM Competition! Giddyup.
Usually before events like this the nerves build until the Friday before when at least some of the events are announced. This year, Pat Burke, and his crew up at MBS CrossFit have already leaked a “teaser”! They’ve let us know what to expect for the 2nd (of 4) individual events.
Check out the post below, taken directly from their site, and let me know what you think about this 3-part workout!
For max points:
3 minutes to reach 1 Rep max Turkish Get Up (#’s)
2 minutes to get max handstand walk distance (feet)
1 minute max double unders (reps)
TGU
– Men start with 45# bar, women with 35# bar
– Only scaled can use KB’s
– Bars MUST be clipped
– Lift will begin with one hand on bar and both shoulders and feet touching ground. Other hand CANNOT touch the bar, or the lift must be reset.
– Lift finishes when athlete has bar in control overhead with feet in place (no chasing the bar).
– Do NOT let go of the bar from the top. You may either use both hands to control the bar to the ground, or maintain one hand on the bar and attempt to have the weights meet the ground simultaneously. Letting go of the bar from the top will result in an AUTOMATIC 50 point deduction from total score in addition to a 10 burpee penalty!
Handstand walk
– Rx division must travel a minimum of 5′ at a time. Scaled no minimum.
– Judge marks athletes rear hand when feet contact ground.
Scoring
Your score will be your highest #’s lifted in the TGU + distance in feet on handstand walk + total number of completed double unders. For example:
Athlete completes a Turkish get up with a bar loaded at 95 lbs. Then he does a total of 75 feet in handstand walks. Finally, he finishes with 110 double unders. The athlete’s score would be 95 + 75 + 110 = 280.
Since we launched Renegade Fitness in June of this year we’ve had to do 2 re-orders on some of our shirts, and we’ve added 4 new products (with 3 more on the way)!
That is such incredible support to have received from you guys, and we want to thank you all for constantly spreading the word for us.
So from right now through the END OF THE WEEKEND, the ENTIRE Renegade Store is going to be 20% off!
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!!
🙂
Friends,
I am working on a few things right now to add to the blog soon, and wanted to see if you guys had an interest in them so I could post them when they’re done!
1- Ask Smashby Video – There’s been a lot of things on my mind lately, and I haven’t made the time to commit them to video. It’s been too long, so I think it’s time for another Ask Smashby! What do you think? And more importantly, what would you like me to add to the “agenda”?
2- Jump Rope Product Review – It seems that, almost weekly, a new member at CrossFit Lakewood is learning, or mastering, the “Double-Under”! Not only is it inspiring, but it’s also just so much fun to watch. Once an athlete learns how to get comfortable with this movement, a smart idea might be to buy your own rope! That way when you travel you can take one with you (easy to pack/carry, can produce AMAZING workouts), and when you get to the gym, your rope will always be your perfect length!
I now own THREE different “makes and models” of jump rope, and I was planning on doing a little piece where I talk about the pros and cons of each. Do you think this would help you guys in choosing which rope would work best for you? Let me know!
3- “Overall Thoughts” on CrossFit, the fitness program, and it’s role and impact in our world today.
This written article will feature quotes and segments from blog posts and articles that I’ve come across over the last few weeks. It will essentially become my own PERSONAL social commentary as to the effectiveness of the program, the influence (positive and negative) that CrossFitters can have on the rest of the population and my own thoughts on where I see the future direction of CrossFit heading, along with some advice from me. (Since everyone cares what I think, haha!)
How does this stuff sound?
Any interest at all, guys? What else do you want to see more of?
Thank you to everyone who frequents these pages, and an even bigger THANK YOU to those of you who ENGAGE and post thoughts and comments for this dialogue to continue.
Thankfully,
Tom “Smashby”
Many of you know that I have been trying to get a lot stronger lately. I would like to become a better CrossFit competitor, and right now I am light years behind a lot of people. LIKE THIS GUY!
Daniel Tyminski, the owner (and a trainer) at CrossFit Lindy, decided to see how many Hang Power Cleans he could do without setting bar down on the ground. Sounds like a fun one!
Oh yeah, he also used 225 POUNDS to do it! 14 REPS?! That is insane! Very cool stuff.
Smashby's Training Blog 