Three Rivers CF

(6/28) So I stopped by 3 Rivers CF (264) in Verona, PA to check out my buddy John Schneider’s new spot at the Three Rivers Rowing Club.  They are located on the top floor, which makes things interesting. There were only 2 other people in the class and they were new, so John let me go squat.  When they were ready we hit the workout: 1 Stair Run then 15-12-9 of Pull Ups, Jump Squats and dips then another stair run.  With sharing the rings, I finished up in 7:38.  Fun little WOD, the steps were fun!  I hope this spot takes off, its shared space gives them a great view of the river and a bay door on the third floor!  Just be careful not to piss off the party below when 275# on the deck!  Thanks John, I hope you succeed in the new place. 

The Primal Athlete!

Sorry I’m behind, life goes by fast and I was……well you’ll see.  I’ll be catching up most of this week. Enjoy!

            (6/8) I took a random off day and headed to visit a new area box. CrossFit - The Primal Athlete (TPA) (263) in Zelienople, PA. Here I met two wonderful woman and owner/coaches in Tammy Friedt and Julie Wakefield. These two ladies were super nice and wonderful to talk to before and after the WOD. There were only two of in class but we made the most of the HERO in front of us. “Daniel” consists of 50 Pull-ups, 400 meter run, 21 Thrusters @ 95#, 800 meter run, 21 Thrusters @ 95#, 400 meter run, & 50 Pull-ups. No small task! We pumped thru it in 21:10 Rx and 26:30 scaled.

TPA has a very diverse group, consisting of all ages from what I saw in the previous class. The trainers are super motivated and are genuinely excited about what they do. If you have the time and you’re in the ‘burgh, head north up 79 and you will not be disappointed. Thanks for having me ladies, it was worth the trip. If you ever need me to come up and “work” with that “special case”, I’ll be glad to come up. Just save me the sparkly coach shirt.

Random Thursday!

                Yeah, sometimes I don’t work very much.  Sometimes I can even convince a friend to take a random Thursday off with me!   

(6/7)  It was early, really early, but I headed out to my first workout for today.  Mari wasn’t “alive” yet, so I went solo to The CrossFit Box (260) in Strongsville, OH.  It wasn’t a big class, only 3, but we were ready to go!  Coach Ryan, a submariner like me, was really good at getting us ready for what we about to endure: 20m AMRAP of 50 double unders, 25 sit ups, & a 200m run.  The 7rd and 1 DU was actually a great start to the day.  TCB was a small but very cool box that really took care of me.  Thanks for your hospitality, I appreciate it very much.  Your box was totally worth the early wake up!!

             Now back at the hotel, Mari was still asleep and there were no towels.  So I headed over to Wal-Mart to grab some.  This 40 dollar hotel actually charged me for stealing the towels when there were none.  STUPID!!! But I digress, Mari finally got up, and we headed over to a super new box CF Mantra (261) in Broadview Heights, OH.  They hadn’t been open very long, but Coach Ann was super enthusiastic and a sponge for our input.  There was one other girl, a personal trainer, so we didn’t need much instruction for the WOD.  We did bounce thoughts, ideas, and tips of one another during the warm up and even during part of the skill set.  Then we got down to it….TABATA THIS! Front Squats @ 95#, row for Cal, Pull Ups, Sit Ups, and Push Ups for total reps.  355 reps total for me, 250+ for both the girls.  Mari killed the sit ups and I had the best numbers with the front squats both almost hitting 100 respectively.  Coach Ann and CFM are gonna grow to be a place people want to be at.  I’m looking forward to hearing positive things out of you all.  Thanks for opening your doors to us, you were awesome!!

Back to the dirt motel, shower and dressed for time (45m Mari / 6m me) then off to CEDAR POINT for few hours of coastering!

 

Now I have the bright idea to head for home but not without a one more WOD! So we took the scenic route home and hit up Black Flag CF (262) in Westlake, OH. It was their rest / make up day so we hit their Monday WOD of 21-15-9 Deadlifts @ 225 and Overhead Squats @ 135 It was up my alley, but it was gonna be a bit spicy after already having done 2 and a full day in the sun.  Mari’s form looked the best I’ve ever seen it and finished very strong.  I finished up in just under 7min which was pretty good compared to the board.  Coach Dave was pretty cool letting us get more work in and being a Marine, once a Marine always a Marine, is cool trading a few stories with him  Thanks again, your box and crew were totally welcoming to us. 

Well that’s one more round in the books.  So close to 300, who wants to be the crazy box that hosts that one…….

Speed Run to Columbus....Again!

                    (5/25)  I only had to work a half day today, so I hit the back roads and took off for my baby cousin Nicole’s high school graduation in Columbus, OH.  Along the way, I got the bright idea to text Jay Younger and see if he was gonna be at his home box, CF New Albany (259) in New Albany, OH, this evening.  He was but early, so I met him post his WOD, planned for mine and then got to work.  We teamed up for this grueling monster, but changed up how we did it.  We were supposed to go WOD 1 while partner did WOD 2, when both were done, we would switch and then do the other.  We decided that 4 rounds of the double would be way harder and way worse.  So for me it was 4rds:

400m run

15 KB swings @ 1.5

2 tire flips (500#)

500m row

10 SOL sit ups

10 Box Jumps 24”

 The divider was the run and the row for us, so my partner started row first.  This was pretty nasty but we finished in 30:46 as a team.  CF New Albany was super nice on their free for all Friday.  They had all ages in there including some future ass kickers from the kids program with us.  Even though we had a step in coach mid class, they both were super smart and very encouraging.  Thanks again, even if was like a million degrees in and out of the box!

New Mexico!!!

                  Here we are once again, ready for an almost cross country trip.  This time I would be flying to New Mexico for the first time ever!  But what fun would a flight be without a long layover!?!?

                (5/17) I had just that!  In fact, I had a 5+ hour layover at DFW.  So I did what any super obsessed CrossFitter would do and I headed to the closest box that was open.  Lucky me, CF Fort Worth East (252) in Bedford, TX, opened a week earlier about 5 miles from DFW.  There I got to meet Darin, owner of CFFWE, and some of his staff.  They were super excited to have their first drop in to the new location, and I was glad to be it.  We quickly got started in the skill/strength of the day, 3x5 of Heavy HPC.  135, 155, 185, 205, & 225 were my lifts.  Not a bad warm up for our upcoming WOD! A 12m AMRAP of a 300m row and 7 thrusters @ 135, which I loved!  I finished up with just into my 8^th round.  CFFWE was a nice space in a great location with great trainers.  Totally cool place layover or not, it’s worth the visit.  Thanks Guys!

                Back to the airport I went to meet up with Jenna and continue on our journey to New Mexico.  Once we got there and got out rental car, we headed out to CF Albuquerque or ABQ (253) in Albuquerque, NM.   Here we met tons of great people and a really awesome staff.  There were too many people to name but they were all super motivated and ready to destroy the WOD in front of them;  1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 KB swing, K2E, & push-ups (for me) and a 20m AMRAP in a death by style with T2B & HSPU for others.  I needed a break and knowing what was in store I took a bit of the high road and then followed it up with a 90# 400m sled pull.  Jenna did really well and finished very strong.  Totally worth the visit! Thanks for a great time, your box had a great energy and the heat wasn’t as bad as I thought was going to be!

                (5/18)  So Jenna wasn’t up for the early morning fun of CF Sandstorm (254) in Bernalilo, NM.  Here I met Shellie, a retired Army captain, and an all around bad ass chic. There were plenty of military jokes with everyone in class since we were all current or former service members.  After a quick run threw of heavy clean pulls, we got started on our task at hand;  50 mountain climber 15 OHS @ 115, 15 Ring push-ups, 50/12/12, 50/9/9, 50.  Now this was a great way to get the juices flowing on a Friday morning.  Totally had a great time and I could have talked to Shellie for hours.  Thanks for having me! You and your box were awesome and I love the name. 

                Now that Jenna was feeling better and we got some sightseeing in, we headed out to CF Hellbox (255) in Rio Rancho, NM.    By now it’s almost noon and it’s starting to get a bit toasty in the desert!  Here I met Shelby Smith, a former Navy Seal, firefighter and police officer, the owner of CFH.  There was no messing around here, we had a bitch of a workout in front of us and her name was “Barbara”. “Barbara” consists of 5 rounds of 20 pull ups, 30 push-ups, 40 sit ups, and 50 squats with a 2min rest after each round.  Shelby and I went head to head Rx and most of the rest of the class was in a scaled version.  Even the pregnant trainer was doing what she could do!!!  Shelby got me in the push-ups but I always seemed to catch him in the squats.  We finished with the best times of the day (22:36) and were happy it was over.  Hellbox lived up to its name and was totally worth the visit.  You are a beast Shelby and your box was an awesome place that really made us feel welcome.  Thanks Again and hope to see you soon!

                From here we headed on to our weekend destination of Santa Fe, NM.  It wasn’t too long before we ran into a whole group of hashers and turned things upside down.  Jenna was drinking in the hot tub and I wasn’t up for that, so I made myself scarce and headed over to Zia CF (256) in Santa Fe, NM.  Here were some fun loving people that had an open gym style approach to a Friday night.  There were things on the white board but no particular order, including a 5-5-3-3-1-1 jerk session, until we got to that WOD.  Here we had 3 rounds of 50 double unders, 10 power cleans @ 135, and 10 alternating hand DB snatches @ 70# in our way.  As we started my rope broke and took almost a solid minute to find another one.  I didn’t let it get to me and got thru the workout in 8:24.  The coaches and crew here were awesome and even had a few beers post WOD.  Thanks for everything, you guys and gals were awesome and very hospitable. 

                (5/19) No I don’t quit, yes I get tired, but no I don’t quit.  So back up and at it we headed over to Undisputed Fitness the home of CF Santa Fe (257) in Santa Fe, NM.  Here Coach Jenna had a fun team WOD in her head and was putting it on the board as we walking in.  150 walking lunges w/25# plate, 50 push-ups, 150 sit ups, 50 pull ups, 150 OHS w/PVC, and a mile run/row.  It was boys verses girls, so 2 on 3.  The boys finished strong with 21:15 while the girls had a little more work to do and finished up in just under 32:00.  The place was pretty cool and most everyone in this class s seemed relatively new.  Coach Jenna was super nice and took her time explaining the movements and standards.  We also had some muscle up practice to contend with as well.  Fun times were had by all and now it’s time for the pool!

(5/21) Things happen and people get lost. Jenna wanted to play in Santa Fe and I wanted to rest up and relax and get ready for what CF Rio Rancho (258) in Rio Rancho, NM had in store for me.  Little did I know that it was hero week at CFRR and “Bulger” was hero 1 for the week.  “Bulger” was 10 rounds of 150m run, 7 C2B pull ups, 7 Front Squats @ 135, & 7 HSPU.  This sucked! Literally at 0930, this workout was ready eat me up.  It was already almost 80 out so bring on the pain!  29m and 6sec later I called time.  I picked myself up and cheered on the only other person in the gym doing this WOD with me…and it was his 2^nd WOD ever! CFRR was fun and had a really cool trainer.  Thanks for not killing and reminding me once again why we do what we do. 

            Well back to east coast I go for a few weeks.  Let’s see what kinda local fun I can get into.  Until the next time the road calls my name……

Oh Canada!

(5/10) Once again I have a bright idea, this time it requires passports though.  My awesome travel partner, Mari, and I headed north for the border on our way to watch the Canada East regional.  The drive was boring in the dark and the only excitement along the way was teasing some couple as they came out of bathroom together at a local Erie, PA establishment.  We made it about 20 min past the falls before we called it and crashed for the night.  Our Crossfit adventures would begin in the morning!

(5/11) We got up early and headed out to our first box of the day, CF Niagra (247) in St. Catherine’s, ONT.  It wasn’t a giant box, but it definitely had character.  The small class of about 6 started off strong with a 3-3-3-1-1-1 of OHS.  I had kilo’s so I wasn’t gonna be sure exactly what I was gonna be lifting.  60k-90k-95k-100k-106k-111k were the lifts and I did PR @ 111k(2x) which is about 245#.  Then on to our WOD of 10-1 KB Swings (53) and Burpees.  It was kinda quick, 5:40, but everyone seemed to get a great workout from it.  We had a really good time and the trainer was really cool with not trying to over coach the group.  Even though I didn’t get to meet the owners, they were great to work with in arranging the visit.  Thanks for everything, definitely a fun experience.

After going back to the hotel, showering, and getting back on the road, we finally hit Toronto.  Our first box choice was closed for the afternoon, so we made our way to The Academy of Lion CF (248) in Toronto, ONT. Now I was friends with the owner, Dhani, via Facebook, but didn’t really realize it till I was there.  He was super cool and went against his normal call ahead rule and let us get nasty with his noon class.  We had two options for our WOD: 5rds of KB swings, OHS, and Dips or 3rds heavy KB swings, OHS, and weighted dips.  Mari went 5, I chose 3.  3rds of 25KB swings @ 2p, 15 OHS @ 165, and 10 dips with a 12k KB.  I wasn’t last, but I wasn’t 1^st either.  I put up a solid 19:10, but it took its toll!  I was beat up but it was a blast.  AoL with amazing and the new spot is gonna be insane when it’s all said and done.  I would go back to AoL in a moment’s notice, besides Dhani and me are both good friends of Syn, so it’s gotta be a good spot. They actually used my orange Inov8 in their photos for the shoe display.  AoL was a totally great box in an up and coming area with great trainers.  Love it, Love it, Love it.  Thanks Again!

After doing handstands at CN Tower, we headed to over to our last box of the day, Reebok CF Liberty Village (249) in Toronto, ONT.  This was our 1^st choice of Toronto but was closed for the afternoon since trainer Matt was competing (2^nd place overall and games bound) at the regional event.  The coaches were really smart and really welcoming into their facility.  It was very Reebok® but it was expected.  After a quick skill review of the hang power clean, we hit the WOD of 10-8-6-4-2 T95# Thrusters, T2B and 200m run.  I surprising had a more in the tank and finished 2^nd in class and 4^th overall in 8:53.  It was a very leg demanding work out, if I do say so myself.  RCLV was a fun box, that was full of drop ins who were out to kill it.  We all had a great time and really enjoyed ourselves.  They were super nice and the box was super clean and even had showers.  Thanks for having us, it was worth the 3^rd WOD to add you to the list. 

(5/12) Now after a good night’s rest, we took our friend Cougar to CF Quantum (250) in Toronto, ONT. It was around the corner from her house, so she figured on giving it a go.  The first half of class we did what we needed to do.  They had a rotational strength cycle, so everyone was a bit different.  I decided to snatch a 3-3-3-2-1-1.  95, 145, 165, 185, 205(PR), & 210(No Rep) I got a PR, YEAH!  I say no rep cuz it landed on my head, and I pressed it out. Then we all headed out side for a lil Death by 10m starting at 5.  We all did great, Laura got thru 12, Mari kept up with the boys hitting 15, and my dumb ass had to finish 17 and 15m short of 18 by his self.  We had fun and I think Laura may even join CFQ.  Thanks again for a fun Saturday morning. 

No more WODs today, just Canada East Regional action!

(5/13) Now it time to go back to the states, but I couldn’t leave the country without meeting Kat L. A well know hot chick and an all around CF Bad Kat.  She was teaching a class at CF Bolton (251) in Bolton, ONT.  We left an hour early to get there, it took us almost 2 to get there.  Accidents, fatalities and bad directions all played part but we made it in time to warm up and hit “Jag 28”  It was tough, I smashed my finger, but we all finished and we all ran the last persons lap together.  There was a totally great sense of team there.  We took a few pics for Syn and Afro Brutality, showered, hugged, and then headed home.  CF Bolton was a fun box and I’m glad we finally made it.  Thanks for a great time Bad Kat and I’m looking forward to seeing you at the end of June.

Well that was Canada.  It was fun and exhausting!  I can’t wait to do it all over again.  Till next trip…..I mean next weekend!

Mid Atlantic Regionals 2012

(5/2)  As I headed back to the ‘burgh, I knew I wouldn’t be there for long.  Not for long as in only 2 hours and I would be back on the road and headed for the Mid Atlantic regionals in Prince William County VA.  As always though, I would stop and see some friends along the way, stay too long, crash, get up the next morning, and continue on. 

(5/3) So I packed up and headed south to Titan CF (244) in Timonium, MD.  My good friend from CF York, Lanita, came along for the trip so I wouldn’t be by myself and to get a good lunch time WOD in with me. Here were met by a whole mess of Titan’s!  There were too many to count, really like in 20, but they were all powerful unit.  Here we hit the WOD of 21-15-9 Front Squats @ 115, Burpees and Pull Ups.  I wasn’t feeling so hot but still finished in 10:34. Lanita killed it, finishing about a minute faster than me. TCF had a strong core and you could easily tell their love for the sport and each other.  I even heard someone say “they do everything together.  Eating, drinking, & play, we do it all together!”  Thanks for a great afternoon, you guys were totally worth the visit and I would definitely visit this box again, no questions asked!

After a quick lunch, Lanita headed back to York to get ready for work, and I headed off to Silver Spring, MD to hang with my good buddy Brendan.  Too bad Brendan had to follow the wife’s orders and make her a sammich, so he had to put on his dress and go shopping.  Being left alone only leads me to looking up more boxes and heading out again, this time to CF Silver Spring (245) in Silver Spring, MD.  After a quick warm up with kettlebell walking overhead, the class kinda broke up and did their EZ Strength 2.0.  I was told to do what I wanted, so I deadlifted. Not just any deadlift, 4in deficit deadlift!  I hit 315, 405, & 455 all off the deficit for 4 reps.  Then I did 495 and 505 with no deficit.  Then we got to the WOD: “3 Rounds with Nancy”.  It is exactly what it sounds like, 3 rounds of Nancy.  I finished up in 9:06.  It was fun since there were only 3 of us going, it wasn’t so fun cuz we always had to run up hill!  CFSS was a different experience, but one that I’ve had before.  Visitors seem a bit taken back with the 25 minutes or so of “on your own” time but I had a good time meeting the few member that I met.  Thanks for having me. 

(5/4) After a great morning of regionals action, I wanted to throw some weights around!  So I looked around and found CF Reborn (246) in Bowie, MD.  Here we met Eric Kidwell, owner of CFR.  I say we because the Friday night class consisted of 5 drop-in’s from all over the region.  I think most were from CF Davidson just north of Charlotte, NC.  So after looking at the board we got to work.  4 rounds of farmer carry (I did 95# OH walk) down to the end of the parking lot and back, 12 KB Swings @ 1.5p and 20 30” box step ups.  This was very deceiving, especially the step ups.  We all would much rather have jumped.  Eric was super nice to us all and it was great of him to keep the box open for non members.  Thanks a ton Erik, you have a great space! 

The Regional event was awesome.  I got to judge some of the best talent out there; Jenn Jones, Ben Smith, CF Greensboro, Tonya Wagner, Sean Thompson, Steve Pinkerton, Shanna Duvall, Christina Ruggiero, Michelle Crawford,  CF Invoke, CF Explode, & CF Vitality just to name a few.  I got to work some of the best staff and judges out there: Rob M, Sarah M, Lisa Q, Jess H, JJenny M, Chriss S, Andy H, Andrea S, Boz, and the list could go on for hours.  Thanks to everyone who trusted us to make the best calls possible and have fun doing it.  Always remember “NO REP!”