Glory Days

Before I had my Cert...Before CrossFit Central had a gym...Before I ever stepped foot in a CrossFit box...Before CrossFit was a sport... Before I ever knew I would teach CrossFit for a living...

CrossFit was there! The WOD was there! My desire to do something more and my willingness
to pursue that which only a couple people I knew would...

I grabbed a bar and did something that sucked really really bad anyway!

Thank you Coach Glassman! My life is much better today because of your work!

Pic: 2004 in Lubbock, Tx One of my first ever Crossfit Workouts a few months out of my 3rd and
final knee surgury

This Class!

 

The .com Class at Central is not one that needs much motivation from me. As A coach I know that they are going to show up with discipline to get the job done. Seeing what they are capable is enough to keep the focused! They are Firebreathers in the simplist defination of the Word.
Crossfit Central has gotten alot of recognition for being amazing athletes and creating "monsters"!
Everyone wants to know how we got so fit and what kind of programming we are doing.
I really only have one answer... Crossfit.com Workouts! We will go heavier loads on
some workouts when it seems necessary or feels right
but the reality is that our coaches and clients just show up, warm up, roll out, line up, and 3...2...1...Go!
The person across the gym and and person right next to us is gonna have a hard time catching up! There is
not 1 person who always has the fastest time. But the person who never has it is denfinately chasing it.

Everyone thinks they will set the mark for the day and eventually everbody does!

"I got this one!" - That is the attitude that make Central athletes who we are. - "I got this one!"

Check out some pics from todays .Com Class
5 Rounds for Time
500m Row
7 135 lb Thrusters

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Can I Thruster?

I am begining to gain some power coming out of a Deep squat. I have been verbalizing that My Left leg will be equal to my Right. This is happening as we speak. I believe that in a year and a half I will be there.

I am excited that I am improving. I am doing 240 lbs on a Max Thruster today. I max power cleaned 295 a couple weeks back. My max push Jerk is roughly 285. These numbers may seem good but rememer I weigh almost 240 and Ideally I will gain big improvement on them all. Doing this and gaining speed in my Med Con Workouts are my focus.

Power Baby! Increasing Power is how you get More Fit!

Hope you all are on that as well.

My .Com WOD
Thrusters
Warm Up
135 X 10
165 X 5
195 X 3

7 Sets of 1
215
225
235
245 miss
235
240
245 miss 2X

The Crossfit Journey

 

When you are destined for something, there is no way to deny the happening of it. I was destined to find Crossfit and deliver all that it is to thousands of people who want to enhance their lives physically, mentally and emotionally.

Crossfit can not be put in a box.

Is CrossFit a world class strength and conditioning program? Of Course!
Is it a challenging and interesting manner to approach better fitness? Obvious!

I could not write a blog about how much my life has changed if it were only those things though!

To me Crossfit is an enhancement of the mind. I have continued to knock down mental barriers again and again in all realms of my life.

Since starting CrossFit I've Physically:
- Learned how to do air squats. This has literally saved my knee. It was told that I would have my knee replaced by the age of thirty. Now I am 27 and it is better than it has been in 10 years. I am two years from a completely self corrected joint.
- I have regained my ability to compete in physical challenges and sport. I when I was 19 I thought I would never be able to again.
- I am stronger, faster, more flexible, powerful, eat better, have more endurance, stamina, balance, agility, and cordination than ever before!

Since starting Crossfit I've Mentally:
- gained belief in my pursuit to do what I love and challenge myself to be the best at it.
- realized that all of who I am and what I have and any thing I want is by my own decision
- Choose to Give my all in all that I do!

Since starting Crossfit I've Emotionally:
- I choose to encourage and empower people to be their Best!
- I show love and respect to everyone I come across!
- I believe in my own ability to have a positive infuence on anybody who I spend time with
- I choose only to surround myself with people who elevate me as well!

We got next!

Eventually your workouts will look like ours. This program is so good there is no way it will not take over the way fitness is being done do.
Your gym is old news. Crossfit is new school.
We are die hard about our workouts
Your routine is a struggle to get to.
We are excited.
You are distracted
We challenge ourselves to do more.
You shortcut you way to the finish.

Crossfit is next.
Crossfit Central is pushing Austin to a new heights in fitness expectation.
Our Governor wants this city to be the fittest in America.

I say he better get us on board!

Upper, Lower and Core Strength

This is me holding myself in a Flagpole after the UTB yester. John had a supper close shot so you can't see my feet. The hold didn't last that long but it was legit non the less. Randal has me inspired to get my gymnastic strength up. I will be aiming to hold this and a unassisted hand stand for 10 seconds a piece. I am also working on my back lever on the rings. The crazy strength these moves require is held by very few people but I will not count myself out of the possibility of obtaining it. This stuff is sick and I'm out to catch myself up on these weeknesses.

Another Level!

Finally, I have hit a New PR that I have been planning on achieving for over a year. Lately I am entirely focused on hitting new levels of fitness. I am doing things with my lifestyle that are having a direct impact on my performance. My strength is improved, my endurances is better and my recovery is quicker. PR's are going to be more and more common in my training.

This is me Pressing 200lbs. It took me some time, but I finally achieved it!

Where are the Good Trainers at?

 

Ever since I have been out of highschool, I've gone into different gyms numerous times to get in a solid workout. I've seen many of people going through the silliest routines of excercise and I could never understand why. What drives me the most crazy though watching so many trainers who get paid to put clients through some type of nonsence workout all while they themselves are almost oblivious to the fact that they really are supposed be training the individual. All I can say to those trainers is "Thanks for the new clients!"

In the last Couple of months more and more people have been hearing about Crossfit in and around Austin. I keep hearing about the "Crossfit buzz". This new buzz has a lot more trainers outside of Crossfit Central attempting to sell there product as Crossfit. I'm amazed to hear somebody who has never even been to a Crossfit gym or much less attended a certification teaching something that they have no right to teach.
I also want to point out that there is more Crossfit affiliates aiming to open up in our area to make claim that their program is Crossfit. I welcome this competition openly. We have no intention on slowing down with bringing the outreach of Crossfit to more and more people because this is what we all live for. I will say however that if you are going to make claims that Crossfit is what you teach or Elite fitness is what your program brings to the table, then you better be able to back it up.
My mission is to be the best trainer and effect as many people as I am able. Our coaches do and will not stand around and watch our clients do things incorrectly. We also will not incorporate any type of Powder puff program and Label it Crossfit just to try to pick up a couple clients.
If you aim to coach Crossfit especially in Austin, you better really be doing it. If you are not the people will indeed find us and know that we are giving them exactly what they deserve!

3...2...1 Go!

FGB III

 
 
 
 

A Year goes by and you look back and say "WOW!" A year ago I had been in Austin for a year. The day after I got here was the Day that Crossfit Central was hosting the First anual Fight gone Bad Fundraiser. I never new what was coming to me. I jumped into that workout expecting to do well and it smacked me in the face harder than I have ever been smacked before. Right after that smack in the face I was sure a Mac truck immediately came at me from the side and Plowed me over with about all 18 wheels and left me to suffer. I just wish I would have been more prepared. A year ago I was apart of the Crossfit Central team setting up for an event that we couldn't have hoped for a better outcome. 50 people working out for a cause and another 50 to assist and encourage a stong group of hard working people looking to give reason to back what they do. I was still hurting afterwords but the recovery was a whole lot easier. Our team raised $12,000 during to event to support Prostate Cancer.
This year this team has a vision to raise Twice the amount of money. This team has a desire be twice as fit as they were 2 years ago when this all started. And we encourage every living, moving, breathing individual to come out and be apart of the whole thing. Visit the side FGB III link for more info on the event.

If you donate to sponcer me directly I will match all my donations up to $500

Sponcer Big Mike Here

Coordination, Accuracy, Agility and Balance

Can you improve your Fitness without using weight?
I recommend it! You have to remeber that there are 10 general physical skills of fitness. Why is it that most people only work on a few? If you neglect any of the 10 then your fitness is suffering! Coach Burgener is our Olympic weightlifting coach who resides in Southern California. Our programs teach a warm-up that he does with all of his athletes called the Burgener Warm-up(Video). In the video you see Sage(Future Olympion ) using a Barbell. In our programs we teach with PVC pipe. Do do this warm-up correctly, somebody has to have excellent body control. That means coordination, accuracy, agility and balance all are equally important. Many people think that because the pipe has no weight that the they can do it correctly. In reality they are lacking in their skill set of those components of fitness.
If this is the case for you, like most of our new clients, I strongly recommend improving those skills imediately. I say this because without these skills, Every other component of your fitness will me suffering. You will never be as strong, powerful, fast or flexible as you could be. Not to mention everybody I know can still improve on there Endurance and Stamina. Those will also see major gains.
Get more Fit and Be better off for doing so!

The Sport of the Future!

So I think I have finally recovered from a trip to California in which I was a participant at the second annual Crossfit Games. I have slept for about 12 extra hours that I would normally be doing work but my body just flat out needed the break. I have been semi-jokingly saying that I have about 360 or so days left to train for the 2009 games. Well, there is really no time to joke anymore. This event was the most amazing event I've ever been apart of. Crossfit does not specialize, so it attracts so many different people from so many different places. Next years games is allready being hyped to have a turnout that is 10 times what it was this year. I say that is will be 50 times bigger due to what is on the line. First off take the Title, "Fittest person on the Planet". Who doesn't want to be drawn into that kind of event. Come'on. Not even the Olympics can contest with this Crown. Crossfit is the Sport of Fitness. Crossfitter are the most well prepared to take on any natural task life is willing to throw our way. The Crossfit games winner is in fact the Fittest person there is! And I am in fact gettting ready to take myself to another level so that my body will be able to handle the Crossfit competition for next years games in hopes of standing right at the top of the podium with my good friend and mentor Jeremy Thiel who was 3rd in this years event!

Crossfit Games Site
Crossfit Games Highlight Video
Great Crossfit Games Pictures

Grace in 89

This was the weekend workout. I don't know if any workout is faster than that of Grace when done to max Capacity. I was definatey hurting well by the end of this and lost use of my right hand for about 5 minutes. I have to say though, it felt really good though to do a workout faster than anyone else has ever done!

Competition

 
This years games has really got me really amped up in my workouts. It is exciting to know that there is going to be alot of attention around them this year and knowing that I am blessed to be apart of them has me focused on working harder and harder as the last week before we leave comes upon us. I promise to go out and represent Crossfit Central, and all the Texas CrossFitters to my upmost ability. The time to let any excuses stand in the way of a day of hard work has been faded from my thoughts. I have a new motivation and I will only continue to rise up in this way of life I know as Fitness. Fitness is a way of life by the way, and to live it for all that it is and all that it defeats, all I have to do is choose it.