ROM and a PERFECT Crossfit Video

ROM

I used to associate this with computers (CD-ROM).  Now it means range of motion.  It is important in many crossfit movements, especially anything that is squat based.  To be counted as a rep, the squat must go below parallel.  So your butt must go below your knee. See image below.

 This is a constant struggle for me.  As I've stated in prior posts, I have no flexibility.  But recently I've been a bit more pro-active about increasing my ROM, through stretches gathered from the mobility WOD blog and asking some other members for help.  One thing I'm noticing is that I need to spread my knees.  Whenever I remember it it helps me a lot, but I need to get more in the habit of doing it.

Gotta keep WORKING.

BEST CROSSFIT VIDEO

My favorite quote:
"We will take something that is inherently challenging and make it a game"




WODS

Friday
"Karen"
Ughhhhhhhh

150 - 20lb wall balls for time
10:05

This workout OWNS me

Saturday

as a team of 4:
10k row
10k lbs dead lift
200 ring push-ups

Time: 22: something
I did 2,500m row and 12- 225  lb deadlifts and 50 ring push-ups.

Monday

Got to gym early so did a double WOD

wod 1: (made up by yours truly)
3 rounds
5 ring dips
10 ring push-ups
15 toes through rings

time: 6:40

wod 2:
10 min amrap
5 wall climbs
10 box jumps
5 pull-ups

6+2

Cash out: 5 min row total calories : 94

#BEATBOB

In a little less than one week the first workout of the 2012 Crossfit Games Open will be released.  I have no illusions of grandeur. I'm not making it to the regionals, but I do need a goal.  After thinking about it, and doing a little research into his current abilities, I think my goal will be to be Bob Harper of the Biggest Loser.

Abs are for show.  Put them away.

Why choose Bob?  Well, although he's in incredible shape and is a world renowned trainer he is also fairly new to crossfit.  He states constantly that he loves crossfit and that he is going to compete in the opens so his scores will be public. Another big reason is cause he is better than me at Fran, but only by about 30 seconds and some of his lifts are on the same level as me.  I think if I really push myself I can compete with and possibly even beat Bob!

Another reason is so I can tell family members who don't understand crossfit or what I get out of it, that I have beaten the celebrity Bob Harper.  I might even garner a little bit of respect from them rather than a cynical look.

So Bob...whether you know it or not...I'm gunning for you.  I WILL push myself each week to beat you.  A reformed fatter WILL beat the master trainer.  For every other beginning crossfitter I encourage you to gun for Bob.  If you're in use the #BEATBOB hashtag!  

Yeah, that is the look you'll have when I beat you.

Are you game?


WOD's

Monday

5 rounds w 20 min time cap
20 - 95lb push press
20 - 25lb half moons
20 - burpees

4+28 (just missed finishing)


Tuesday

"baby king kong"
1 - 300lb DL
2 - Musleups (or 4 get out of pools)  * I DID 1 MUSCLE UP in the WOD*
3 - 125lb squat cleans
4 -. HSPU 1 abmat

Cash-out: 500m row for time  1:35.7 *NEW PR*

Wednesday

7 rounds
7 2 pd KB swings
7 air squats
7 T2B

8:26

Do What You Love

I'm sure everyone has heard the saying "if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life".  Great advice, but if everyone only did what they loved then there would be a lot of poor painters, singers, baseball players... you get the point.  So instead....lets apply it to your exercise and diet.

Exercise

This blog is very very crossfit-centric.  I don't apologize for that, it is my blog and I'll do what I want, but I also like to talk about just being healthy and active.  Crossfit is the perfect workout for me.  I love it.  I love 95% of every second of it...and the 5% that I don't like it (mostly during hard workouts) is canceled out by the double love I feel for it when I finish the workout.

It took me a long time to find crossfit though.  I tried spin classes, just weight lifting, running, swimming...  but none of them kept me coming back.  I know lots of people who LOVE running.  They could run every day and never get bored.  I also know people who swear by spinning.  Great for them.  Then there is Zumba which I've never tried but I know people who teach and are as addicted to it as I am to crossfit.  All of these things are great, they are better than sitting on a couch playing video games all day.

So I hope no one ever takes any of my posts as saying "crossfit is the best and only workout, all the rest are stupid and pointless"  cause I don't feel that way at all.  In fact it really really annoys me when people put down an entire workout regiment and say it's unhealthy or stupid or that what they do is the best thing for everyone.  I occasionally rant about how stupid Yoga is...really I had a humdinger of a rant at a Super Bowl Party ....hippie elastic vegans who only want to feel the curvature of the earth.  Meanwhile in my head all I can think is "damn it, why can't I stretch like that"!

So the moral of this little exercise story is....

SEARCH AND FIND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU AND DO IT!

Diet

This one is also a point of contention among a lot of people.  There are people who will say that one diet is so much better than another.  Again, I don't think that is the case at all.  One diet might work for one person while a different diet works for others.

It's really not this cut and dry.  get educated and make smart choices.

Let me use my "diet" as an example.  A true classic paleo diet does not include beans, peanuts, or milk.  Well guess what I eat and drink....  I love Milk.  I love Peanut Butter.   So I eat them.  Now...I eat them in smaller proportions than I once did..but I still eat them.  Another paleo no-no is grains.  Are they healthy..well not in my mind, but Italians have been eating pasta for a long time and it works for them.

Ok...this is not a diet anyone should be on...even if you love it

Again, it is find what works best for you.  If it is balanced..meaning it contains a good proportion of nutrients and non-processed food then go for it.  I choose a semi-paleo diet..you might choose another diet.

So the moral of the diet story is...

BE SMART, CONTROL PORTION SIZES, MAKE SURE YOU GET THE VITAMINS YOU NEED FROM FOOD (not solely vitamin supplements)

Cause it does not fit your lifestyle!  Choose one that you like!

WOD

Thursday:  Much needed rest day

Friday:

Strength: 4 tries at finding total number of OHS reps @ 3/4 body weight:  7+7+6+10=30 @ 125 lbs
WOD
20 min amrap
10 pull-ups
10 DL @ 3/4 body weight
200m row

Score: 8 +10 (if i did this again I would get 10 and go at a higher pace)

No More Excuses for Eating like Crap

The Super Bowl ended the football season and it should end your excuse season too.  No more "but it's the holidays.."  and no more "but I'm going to a play-off party on Sunday.."  No mas.

We all use excuses for eating terribly at times.  I do it a lot.  I hit the vending machine at work like every day.  And although that snickers tastes amazing, I regret it 5 minutes later cause I know it's hurting me in my quest for a six pack.  Why do I make excuses...cause then it makes me feel better.  It makes me feel like I HAD to do it, like there was no other choice.

If you stop making excuses in your diet, it may filter down into other parts of your life.  No more excuses for wasting money, or keeping the house clean, or  not calling a good friend.  It will make an all around better you.

So stop making excuses.  February is the perfect time to start.  Nothing is going on in February worth celebrating.

So my tip for hte day is to write down EVERYTHING you eat.  From the piece of gum, to the big dinner you eat.  You'll be shocked at home much you end up eating in a day.  If you have a smart phone, then take a picture of everything. If you keep a blog, you can keep track like this.


Oh wait...there is Valentines day but I'm sure you can all find ways to "eat natural" that day (Don't take a picture of that).  ;-)

Saturday WOD

I did a lot on Saturday.  But I think I could have done more.

Regular WOD

25 - 225lb DL
800 meter run
1000 meter row

Time: 10:08 (pissed I didn't go sub-10)

Cash-out: 2 min amrap HRPU then 2 min amrap air squats
41 HRPU then 84 Air Squats - total: 125

Then

Wanted to figure out 1rm Clean.   NEW PR of 190!

Then

On the minute every minute for 10 minutes do 100m sprint

My First Try at Motivating

So recently at work (I try not to say where I work..lets keep somethings private) I floated the idea of running a biggest loser contest.  It is something that was done here a few years ago, before I started at the workplace, and it seemed like there was some excitement around the plan.  I volunteered to run the contest since everyone says I have no more weight to lose...I do, but I wasn't going to argue with them.

So I've decided to try and be motivation for everyone and maybe..just maybe..I can impact their lives in a small but meaningful way.  Besides..I'm a former Biggest Loser Champion (See this article), so I should know everything about how to win..right?

Well, no.  But I do know a little so I'm trying.  Besides, I recently discovered that I want to learn to teach crossfit (someday, in maybe 2013) and this is a good test to see if I have what it takes to motivate.

Here are some tips that I mentioned in the first meeting.

1. Don't weigh yourself every day.   It's counterproductive.  At best you'll see minimal differences which COULD help motivate you, but more than likely you'll get discouraged by the small differences.  You'll start saying things like "but I ran 5 miles yesterday..how did I put ON weight".  It takes time for your body to adjust.  Weigh in once a week at most (per contest rules) and if you're not in a contest then do it once a month.

1. Drink Water.  Sports Drinks are terrible for you unless somehow you're sweating profusly for LONG periods of time.  You get plenty of "electrolytes" in your food every day.  Water, clear water with nothing in it is fantastic for you.  Half of your weight in ounces a day will be great.  Just expect to run to the rest room often.
2. Lift Weights. Although I'm trying to not sound like a paid spokesman for crossfit, I did have to tell everyone that weights are your friend.  Muscle increases metabolism and will make you feel better about yourself as your body tones up.  Even if you can't lose the last few pesky pounds, at least you'll love the way you look. People, especially those sans-penis, need to know that you won't turn into the some man beast because you lift weights for an hour a day...you need some un-natural form of enhancement (typically). (for fun click here)
3. Gain Accountability somehow.  That is what this blog was intended to do.  You notice there are no ads anywhere...but knowing there are readers keeps me motivated.  Put your weight online. That fear of judgement will keep you going.  It will be so nice to put your new weight on there in 8 weeks, while those nay-sayers are still trying to find a way off the couch.
4. Most importantly...Skinny does NOT mean healthy.  You've all seen the "heroin" look in models.  What part of that is appealing?  Being too thin is just as risky as being overweight (notice i didn't say obese).  Feeling like you can run a marathon, or pick up that bag of kitty litter, is great.  Soon that number on the scale won't matter at all.  You'll be able to judge your health by just how you feel.  And from experience...it's a great feeling.

Big Butts are great...if they are earned by working and not by eating.

WOD (I'm still putting my workouts here)

Strength: 10min to find 1RM Deadlift

NEW PR!  350lbs

WOD 

3 rounds

23 deadlifts (185#)

23 T2B

Time: 11:07

2 rounds

23 HRPU

23 Sit-ups

Time: 3:16

Put Yourself Out There

Remember that time you tried that really strange food, something you never thought you'd try?  Then once it hit your tongue you ended up loving it and now it's one of your favorite foods?

You would never have experienced that food without trying it.  You took a chance and it worked out.  No harm, no foul.  For me, this experience was sushi, I love it now.  I would eat it all 3 meals a day if I could.

That is Crossfit.  It is something you never thought you could do, but once you try it you find that it's your favorite thing to do.

There are people doing crossfit at my box that I would NEVER have thought I'd see lifting Olympic bars with weights on the end over their head.  Rather than call them all out specifically I'll just call out one.  My wife, digital mustard.  If you saw her walking down the street there is no chance you'd think she was able to do snatches, clean and jerks, sumo dead lift high pulls, etc.  It is AWESOME to see, I smile a little inside every time I see her putting herself out there in a workout.

There is a large group of people that have come in after picking up a groupon and although I'm not the best ambassador in person ( I'm kinda quiet and may seem like I'm ignoring you, but if you come up and talk to me about something I'll open up quickly), I hope to help them any way I can.  I respect anyone willing to put themselves into something they never thought they would do.  If any of the new guys and gals read this, I wish you the best of luck!


If you are thinking about trying crossfit here are some things to expect and why they shouldn't scare you.

1.  Lots of loud noises, grunting, heavy weights being picked up and just dropped.

Imagine the complete opposite of Planet Fitness.

You will not see this sign at Crossfit Boxes (still wipe down your abmat though)

Yes, it's loud.  Yes, there are people grunting.  But EVERYONE there is doing it.  It isn't one musclehead in the corner doing it to look big and tough.  It is the tiny 100lb girl lifting a 35lb bar grunting right next to the monster guy doing 225 lbs (sometimes it's the tiny 100lb girls lifting more than the monster guys).  Everyone is into it, which is comforting cause you won't be the weirdo in the group.

2. Shirtless sweaty dudes 

I think the fact that I hated Ice Man shaped my perception

I saw someone say on facebook that they tend to avoid these type of people at their gym.  I did too.  I used to think that they were douchebags just showing off to attract the ladies at the gym.  I can assure you that they ones doing it at Crossfit are not all douche bags (except for if you have anyone nicknamed fox, he can be a douche  :-P   jk jk).  To be honest, I thought for sure the first time I saw some of these guys that they are dicks who looked down on me cause I could do 1/4 of the weight they did.  I could not have been more wrong.  They all will help you through your crossfit journey.  Whether it be letting you know when you had bad form, help you clean up a bar, or just give you some encouraging words when you need them.  If you're a woman then just enjoy the view and go with it.

Note: Don't play dodgeball against a team of shirtless dudes...they cheat.

3.  The warehouse or garage like facilities. 

The first words out of my mouth when I went to CF610 the first time were "where the eff are we going?"  It was in some sketchy looking building with a truck port.   But that is the beauty of it, you don't need pristine facitilites with mirrors, tv's, and a smoothie bar.  You get a place that has what you need and that is all.  Weights, pull up bars, racks, rings, and rowers.  Simple.  It gets the job done.  To do the "minimum" you get in do a workout and get out.

My other crossfitters, what else should people new to the sport expect? What did you see that scared you the first time you went to CrossFit?

WOD

5 rounds
9 DL
6 Hang Power Snatch
3 OH Squats

Weight 95 lbs
Time: 10:54

I did horrible on this WOD.

What Division?

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!   Time to burn off those calories and build some muscle!  Well, now I have a reason to not let myself go this holiday season!  I signed up for another competition!  More info  below!

Immediately after my first competition ended (and before the results were released), I started to wonder "was I in the right division?"  Even though based on the registration page I was clearly in the intermediate division, I thought I got blown away.  

After the results were released though, I realized that I was in fact in the correct division.  Had I entered the "novice" division I would have come in about 3rd place (maybe 4th) and would have blown them away on the row.  So, I was in the right place.  Now, Festivus was unique in that it was made for beginners so none of the workouts would have to be scaled.

Yesterday I signed up for my second crossfit competition and I was again asked to choose a division.  Rx or scaled.  I asked myself the following questions:

Do I want to be challenged?  

Of course I do, why else would I do crossfit.  I don't want to be in a lower division only to win or place.  I want to be challenged and compete against my peers.  Which is why when I look at Festivus, I know I made the right choice, I wanted to go against people at my same ability level and those at the novice division did not deserve to go against someone who has more ability (currently) and has been doing crossfit possibly longer.  It wouldn't be fair to either party.

Will I be able to complete the workouts as prescribed?

Ahh..this is the one that eventually helped me choose scaled.  See, I can only do a few of the ladies at a prescribed weight, and competitions usually have time limits and high weights.  So, rather than sign up and not be able to finish any workouts and embarrass myself, I decided to sign up in the scaled division.  I think at my current level this was the right choice.  

So on January 14th I will be competing in the "Second Annual PA's Fittest" competition.  You can see more info here.  http://www.thegaragegames.com/events/second-annual-pas-fittest/  .  This will be taking place at my home box (Crossfit 610) in Allentown so any of my PA readers please consider making the trip for this event.  

WOD (Wednesday 11/23)

7 ROUNDS
        5 WALLBALLS
        10 SITUPS WITH WALLBALL IN HAND
        15 AIR SQUATS
THEN...
7 MINUTES TO FIND YOUR 1 REP MAX CLEAN & JERK

Time: 8:42

Weight: 170 (a new pr)

WOD (Saturday 11/26)

HERO WOD

"Santora"

Three rounds for reps of:
155 pound Squat cleans, 1 minute
20' Shuttle sprints (20' forward + 20' backwards = 1 rep), 1 minute
245 pound Deadlifts, 1 minute (I did 185)
Burpees, 1 minute
155 pound Jerks, 1 minute  (I did 115)
Rest 1 minute

Score: 134

WOD (Yesterday)

Strength: find 3 rep max back squat  Weight: 225

WOD: 

5 rounds

7 shoulder to overhead (135lbs)

35 double unders

Time: 8:48

The Thrill of Competition

One thing I have taken away from the CrossFit competition I participated in is the community.  Sure, CrossFit bills itself as a community, but I always took that to mean the community of your own box.  But this community goes well beyond the box, to other boxes and other members of the crossfit community.  It is welcoming and there is always at least one common interest to talk about (crossfit) that can be the intro to any conversation.

Beyond the friendliness, there is also a universal hope that everyone who embraces crossfit as their sport succeeds.  During festivus, there were at least 2 occasions where I heard an increase in the crowd noise during one of my WOD's.  When I dropped to a knee during hte clean, the place went nuts trying to will me up to complete the movement.  It was kinda amazing actually to have people that were competing against me, rooting for me to succeed.  I truly appreciate that and gladly return the favor by yelling for others when they need a pick me up.

Now, do NOT confuse this with still wanting to win.  I may be cheering for you, but when it is my turn, you better believe that I am going to try and beat your score.  But, I think everyone in the competition wants to beat you when you're at your best, not when you fail at something.  If you are gonna win a crossfit comp, then you will truly have beaten the best that another competitor has to offer.

I should note here that this is not unique to CrossFit either.  The same universal hope for success can be found in lots of competitions, but I have only seen it in Crossfit, running races, and Triathlons.  Has anyone else seen this evident in other sports?  (note: it does not exist in Golf, Softball, Baseball....)

Also, if you looked at the comments from my previous post, they were both fellow crossfitters and they had nothing but kind words.  I appreciate that.  And Brian..way to kill last Saturday, I have a feeling you are going to succeed at other competitions in the near future.

I hope everyone has a great thanksgiving holiday!

Monday WOD

Strength: 65% 5 x 5 back squat  
6 x 3 shoulder press

WOD

15 minute amrap
9 DL (185 lb)
12 HRPU
15 Games standard box jumps (24")

Score: 7 +4

I'll have a beer hold the Alcohol, Yeast, Malts, and Barely

Last night after completing my WOD,  I headed over to a local bar to play trivia with my wife and some friends.  This is dangerous territory for me for two reasons.  1.  Beer  and 2. Delicious wings.   Aye!

Yessssssssssss

So when I arrived I did something that was kinda of uncomfortable...when the bartender asked what I wanted I said "I'll just take a water".  I used to feel embarrassed doing this...I'm at a bar for Christ sake, I should be drinking an ale, a lager, or if I'm feeling particularly daring..a shot.  But I know something now, I learned it by comparing  my first 3 months of crossfit with the month of October....if I drink..I suck.  

I understand one won't kill me, but I'd rather use the 10 days I have to clean my body of toxins, not put small amounts of them back in.  After festivus, I have a few events that will involve more drinking (one being a brew fest..can't wait for that) and until then I can go drink free and still have a decent time at the bar with friends.

WOD

Crossfit Total!

Find 1 RM of Back Squat, shoulder press, dead lift

Back Squat: 255 (old 1rm 215)
Shoulder Press: 105 (old 1rm 95)
Dead Lift: 345 (old 1rm 285)

I kind of did well in all of them, although I'm a little disappointed in my shoulder press.  I was shocked at the back squat, I was hoping to get 240 and did much better than that.  

What Does It Mean to be a Fatty?

As you may or may not have noticed, I changed the URL of the site to http://blog.reformedfatty.com.  You can thank my lovely wife for the name, she called me a reformed fatty one day and I just thought that was a cool website/blog name so that led me here.  I also think I can turn this more into a website rather than just a blog so expect minor changes here and there as time goes on and my schedule allows.

What is a fatty?

Most of you are reading this and going, "oh ok he hates large people" and that is simply not the case.  I am defining a fatty as anyone who is lazy, who eats horribly, who doesn't try their best, or most simply...a fatty is anyone who does not want to better themselves.  You can be 5'4" 125lbs and still be a fatty.  The purpose of this blog/site will be to help people reform themselves into something they can be proud of.

Will my topics change?

No.  Not even a little bit.  It is merely a name change.  I will still post my WOD's when I do them and the site will always be CrossFit-centric.  I have some ideas for guest posts by people who choose workouts that are better for them but I haven't decided how to include that yet.  So, again..no changes.

Am I qualified for any of this?

As you should have read in my "about me" page..NO!  Anything I'm typing is strictly from one man's view point.  95% of what I include here is read through other sources and simply regurgitated by me.  Some of the other stuff is just that I find works for me.  Do your own research to find what works best for you.

So all in all..nothing is changing but the name.  Hope you all still enjoy reading, or at least find it interesting from time to time.  I will try to add a bit more humor going forward.

Also, since I'm artistically fat, I'm thinking of running a contest for creating the best "reformed fatty" banner.  Thinking some Crossfit gear as a prize?  So get doodling!

I'm also on twitter @reformedfatty  Follow me!

WOD

09/14/2011 - Rest Day

09/15/2011-

Dynamic Stretching
5 rounds
10 - 185 lb dead lifts
200m run

Time: 7:24

Hope to get to the gym at 7pm for round 2 of either a quick strength session or some long rowing to loosen up the muscles.

DIET

Breakfast: 2 protein bars, plum
Snack:  Apple, Grapes, Peanuts
Lunch:  18 wings (yeah this was bad, but so delicious)
Dinner:  TBD
Snack:  TBD

A CrossFit Method of Rememberence

CrossFit is not only used as a method of training for sports, it is also used by military, police, and firefighters as a method for being ready for anything. 10 years ago, "anything" took on a new meaning.   CrossFit uses it's own methods for remembering those who protect us each day.  It is not just in raising money, it is in doing something that brings us all together.  Yesterday we did the 9/11 throwdown and I can honestly say it was one of the tougher workouts we have done.  I had a friend who is also a firefighter come up to take part in the event.  For his first ever crossfit workout, he did great.  The important thing is that he finished.  I'm going to leave this post short and just say that I remember that day like it was yesterday and can't believe it was 10 years ago.

WOD

WOD(09/10)

"Buddy Bar" (this was horrible)
3 rounds
20 Front squat
20 Hanging Cleans
20 Push Jerks
200 Single Unders
(Bar can not touch the ground, hand bar off after each set)
 Weight  95lbs  Time: 42:38

WOD (09/11)

"9/11 Throwdown"

2001m row
11 - 36" box Jumps
11 - 115 lb thrusters
11 - Burpee Chest to Bar
11 - 125 lb Power Cleans
11 - HSPU
11 - 2pood KB swings
11 - Toes to Bar
11 - 175lb dead lift
11 - 110 lb push jerk
2001m row

Time: 36:10

Notes on this WOD:  I only did a few of these prescribed.  The row at the end killed me, my forarms felt like they were gonna explode.  The start row I may have gone a lil hard on, 7:42 to start.


DIET

Monday 9/12

Breakfast: protein, apple, 3 eggs
Lunch  : Chicken, apple
Snack:  Peanuts (I know it's not great)
Dinner: tbd (think it will be home made beef and broccali)

Stupid Labeling

In the past few weeks my company launched an internal website and to commemorate that launch they gave out little bottles of Powerade.  I'm not the biggest fan of the stuff but I was thirsty so I drank it, then I felt bad so I looked at the label to see what kind of damage I did.  And this is what I see...

Energy?

They call calories "Energy".  Now I'm not here to argue how true this statement is but come on.  The clear intent of this is to use the nutrition label as a means of marketing.  Does that mean that Dunkin Donuts is better for you while in the middle of a game of basketball than water since water has no calories?   People are generally ignorant to much of everything so this should be illegal.  It's like if a cigarette company put tar as an ingredient and then put in parentheses "Life" cause we all are carbon based life forms.

It is absolute crap.  I'm not one who writes to companies but I may be forced into writing coke to tell them how  ridiculous it is that they are using the nutrition label as a marketing ploy.

WOD (09/07)

Strength:  work our way up to 95% of squat snatch 1rm in 12 minutes.
WOD   : 12 minute amrap of 7 185lb DL, 14 pistols, 21 DU, 100m run

6 rounds completed.


DIET

I have to adjust this and start being accountable for my diet choices.  Starting Tomorrow I am going ot write everything I have to eat here.  Then you can yell at me when I suck.