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Crossfit Regional Recap: Judging at Norcal and more

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OVERALL

This past weekend I was a judge at the Crossfit Regional competition for the Northern California region.  It was an amazing weekend for the NorCal Crossfit community, and for some exceptional displays of physical performance.  I don’t think anyone could have predicted what would go down this weekend if they had a crystal ball.  I don’t know when the last time it rained like it did in the month of June out here, but Saturday’s competition basically took place in a monsoon.  Some of the videos on the games web site shows this pretty well, but others don’t really do the situation justice.  The amount of rain, wind, mud, extremely uneven ground, and general poor conditions made the results of the weekend’s performances that much more impressive.

For me, the highlight of Friday was Danny Nichols performing a 325 pound thruster.  Danny is competing on TJ’s Gym team, who finished first after the weekend and will be a serious force to be reckoned with at the Crossfit Games in LA.  Saturday was when the shit really hit the fan on the weather and workouts.  I was incredibly siked and proud of our team at Crossfit Santa Clara for winning the deadlift/box jump workout.  Alex and Hillary really crushed the workout considering the conditions.  Not to mention Jason winning both workouts of the day for individual men.  On workout 4 he had an amazing comeback that I really wished I could have watched more of, but I was busy judging.  I had to go on what I heard from the crowd and our MC on the microphone.

The last day was all about who would advance to the games.  All of the divisions had spots up for grabs at the start of the day, and even going into the last workout, the final spots for teams, women and men were not finalized.  The energy levels in the stadium were so high off the charts that I can’t even convey.  Even the photos and videos I have seen online do not do the environment justice.  All I can suggest is that if you still have your region’s competition coming up, GO TO IT.  It will be worth your time to be a part of this.

JUDGING

I don’t know exactly what my expectations were for judging, but I’m fairly sure it surpassed them in every regard.  The experience was more challenging than I expected, the environment more energized, and the overall experience and service more rewarding.  If you’ve read this far there is a good chance that you competed in and/or judged workouts in the Open.  Judging at the regionals in no way compares to judging in the Open much in the same way as competing in the Open no way compares to competing in the regionals.  The pressure is on to perform.  You either get it right or you get it wrong.  You can’t redo the judging of the workout any more than you can redo the workout.

Logistically some of the movements were more difficult to judge than I expected due to the specific standards of this weekend.  The one that comes to mind first is handstand pushups.  Anecdotally I have heard from other regions that some athletes had as many as 30+ reps taken away from them.  I would guess this has more to do with the athlete executing the exact and specific requirements and/or judges interpretation of the movement than it does the athletes ability and work capacity.   This movement proved difficult to judge on tall athletes as you need to see both the lockout of the arms and the placement of the feet on the wall because of the specific requirement for the regionals that both feet be touch the wall at lockout.  I have no doubt that most HSPUs that were taken away during the past 2 weeks of regionals would have counted in a standard workout, and probably even during the Open.

I don’t want to go on and on with the challenges of every workout, but I will add one more note in summary.  The movement names in the regional workouts may all sound familiar to anyone who has been doing Crossfit for any length of time, but that doesn’t mean that an athlete could walk onto the field without being briefed and do them as required.  That may be part of the problem with the regionals that some people have.  If you are still reading, I bet you have done a burpee.  And you probably think it ends with a jump and a clap over head, but not at the regionals.  You’ve done a kettlebell swing that you were told wasn’t complete until I can see your ears in front of your arms at the top of the swing, but not at the regionals.  In the Open a box jump had one definition and in the regionals it has another one.

None of this is inherently a problem if it is clearly communicated  to AND understood by all parties.  Athletes, judges, fans, everyone needs to understand in order for things to run smoothly.  I think this was the case in NorCal.  Were there situations where judges made mistakes? Probably, but the most honest answer I can give is that I don’t know for certain.  The reason for that is that I realized early on that I couldn’t pay attention to another athlete and/or judge and still provide the best service to my athlete.

SUMMARY

I got to see some of the most impressive performances of physical fitness in my life this weekend.  Both in horrific weather and when the sun was out.  One thing that never wavered was the athletes’ attitudes.  I can’t tell you how many times I would look around the athletes tent and see the women dancing to the music the DJ was playing just moments before they were about to face these brutal workouts.  Or DURING the team workouts, you would see the non-active athletes getting down.  Or the smile and nod that an athlete gave you when you told them what rep they were on.  The weekend was an experience that couldn’t be learned any other way than learning it.  I didn’t know every athletes name when they began, and some of them I had pre-existing opinions of.  The one thing that was incredibly clear this weekend was just how human all of our amazing Crossfit athletes are.  They cry, smile, laugh and bleed.  I remember one specific moment when I was in the athletes tent introducing myself to my athlete and going over the last minute briefing.  Before I knew it were were laughing and joking around about how they would PR.  The next thought I had was how I had this person all wrong based on a video I had watched of them.  It made me re-evaluate how to think about the people of our community, and how there can be so much shit talk on this internet, and how undeserving many of the recipients probably are.

And lastly, I could not be more proud of Jason Khalipa.  I’ve been in Jason’s gym for about a year now and his personal performance is inspiring, his energy levels when coaching are motivating, but his attitude is why everyone loves him.  I don’t think there was more than a few moments of this weekend when you didn’t see a smile on his face or running around high-fiving.  He won the workouts he was supposed to, and then he won the ones he wasn’t supposed to win.  I can’t wait to see what he does at the games in July.

Open Burnout?

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There was a good blog post written up today that put in words some of the things that I had been thinking.  Depending on the day of the week, I’m still enthusiastic about the Crossfit Open Sectionals, but it’s not without consequence.  I’ve seen first hand that people are altering their training, and focusing on the weekly workout ahead of their overall performance.  The question is whether or not this is necessarily a bad thing, and if so, to what degree.

I’ve said before how exciting the Open was at the beginning.  That excitement is still present every Saturday in our box where heat after heat of athletes gives everything they have, and then a little bit more.  Most of the competitors are doing the workout more than once, and that is where we have to wonder if re-performing the workout is better than performing your normal training.  I’m not talking about elite athletes here, I’m talking about the everyday folk.  And it obviously depends on which workout we are talking about.  5 minutes of clean and jerks is a much different workout than 15 minutes of deadlifts, pushups and box jumps.

On one hand, you could make the argument that performing a workout multiple times in the same week goes against the constantly varied nature of Crossfit.  Again, I’m not talking about athletes who are doing multiple  workouts a day.  I’m focusing on the 2-5 days a week crowd.  ”Joe Crossfitter” if you will.  It’s possible, to a degree, that athletes could even burn out, for example, their shoulders or hamstrings depending on the workout.  From a mental perspective, the Open does feel a bit like trying to sprint through a marathon.  Grinding all week performing and/or preparing for a workout, just to wait all day Tuesday for the next one to be announced.  But there is a reality to this situation that these criticisms don’t take into consideration.  It’s almost over.

For most athletes, when the Open sectionals end next week it will spell the end of their competition.  There will be no more weekly workouts to prepare for.  No more leaderboarding.  They can return to their  regularly scheduled programming.  They might need a little time to recover, but they might have a few PRs to show for it.  Will their decisions to redo a workout have any major effect on what their work capacity looks like 6 months from now?  Probably not.  Will they have a good benchmark to try and beat next year?  You bet.

I can’t speak for the experience in other affiliates around the globe, but our gym feels incredibly tight-knit right now.  We are pushing each other, discussing strategies, and having a good time doing it.

 

A part of something bigger

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When I first walked into Crossfit Santa Clara last July, I didn’t know exactly what to expect and I didn’t know who would be there.  Since that day there’s been a constant progression, a constant feeling that I was a part of something bigger.  But I never could feel it as much as I did last week, the first week of the 2011 Open.  The energy level at the gym has reached such incredible levels and it’s all in the spirit of competition.

It started out with Wednesday afternoon’s session.  A few heats of five or six athletes at a time giving the workout their first shot.  People got paired up with judges, the music got turned up and it was 3, 2, 1, go.  It was inspiring to see Jason complete 8 rounds plus 28 double unders, but that wasn’t the only impressive performance in the gym.  Alex came close to getting 8 full rounds as well.  Everyone set their bar, and started planning their week out for their next attempts.

But that is really only part of the story, because not everyone who was competing could make it at that time.  All of that lead up to Saturday’s competition heats.  Saturday classes always bring in a lot of people, but this Saturday really had a lot going on.  It started at 6 a.m. with 40 marine recruits coming in for a training session, then the 9 am class, and then the OpenWOD competition.  Pulling into the parking lot and seeing all the marine recruits doing their thing, a new business venture setup making paleo omelets and pancakes, and a really big turn out of both new and old faces for the 9 am class really set the tone for the day.  I’d spent the last few days mentally and physically preparing for the OpenWOD, knowing that my performance would be gated by my skill at the double unders.

As the 9 am class continued more and more competitors arrived and began their own preparations, and a bunch of the marine recruits stuck around to see what this Crossfit thing was all about.  The scheduled time for the heats to start was 10:30, and just about that time the music got turned down and instructions were given out.  Your standard fare of what’s a rep, what’s not a rep, etc.  I’d been hanging around the gym for a couple of hours at this point, so I decided I had best go in the first heat before nerves built up anymore.

Once the clock started I was in a complete focus tunnel.  I tried to stay as relaxed as I could, and luckily I didn’t have to keep a bunch of numbers in my head.  That’s one advantage to having a dedicated judge, you can focus on performing and not on counting.  I set a goal for myself that was well above and beyond what I had previously achieved on this workout.  I didn’t achieve that goal but I am fairly close.  I don’t think I would have performed nearly this well if it was not a competition. If it was just another workout I would have been counting my double under attempts, and my result would have been some unreconcilable mess.  Measurable and repeatable.

The energy level only continued to rise heat after heat, and so did the volume.  Crossfit Santa Clara isn’t a small space, so it takes a lot of yelling and cheering to fill it up with sound.  The last 1-2 minutes of each heat filled it up and then some.  Every athlete in the building was firing on all cylinders.  This was it.  This was the something bigger that I felt a part of.  A gym full of athletes, coaches, competitors, judges, spectators, boyfriends, girlfriends, parents, and everything in between.  Competitor in heat 1, judge in heat 2, spectator in heat 3, but one in the same.  I know I wasn’t alone in feeling the energy in the gym.  I was glowing all day on Sautrday, long after I had left the gym.

I didn’t think I’d have anything else that could top that experience until the next OpenWOD was announced, but that’s what is pretty amazing about this format.  At what would seem like a random moment on a Monday afternoon, Ranbir decided to give the OpenWOD another go.  Here’s a snapshot of the gym during his workout.  The picture doesn’t really do the scene justice, as there were probably twice as many people just to the left and the right of the frame.  This wasn’t an organized time, this was just the gym sometime between the 4:30 and 5:30 classes.  The people that just finished were probably exhausted, and the people that just got their could have been mobilizing, but instead everyone was cheering.  Everytime Ranbir hit his 30 double unders unbroken the place erupted.  Ranbir beat this previous workout’s result by something like 11 reps or more.  Energy.  Community.

I can’t wait for the next 5 weeks of this competition.  I am going to savor it all.  Both as a competitor myself and as a member of something bigger.

Update: In the time time that I started writing this, some “discussions” have taken place about who should be in this competition and why.  What I believe was the catalyst for this was the “Open letter to Crossfit HQ“, which then spurred a lot of conversation on twitter.  This morning Jarret wrote a follow up that had one particular quote in it that I think sums things up for me.

The set up for this year is either video your WOD or go to an affiliate. I was the first person to sign up at my box. Do I think I am going to Regionals, no. Am I going to the Crossfit Games, only if I buy a ticket. Is this stopping me from doing the Sectionals WOD, not even close. How will I know how I compare as a Crossfitter outside my box if I never challenge myself to get better, do better, be better.

This is the sentiment that I know some other people in our gym share.  If I am always thinking about competing “next year,” how can I measure my progress from last year?  How do I know I’m doing my best?  How can I improve my weaknesses?

The open format of the sectionals this year has many benefits.  Sure, it may be marketed as a means to discover that absolute beast who has been working out in his garage for the past year with Fran, Helen and Grace times that will give you nightmares, but it’s also allowed for competition to scale.  Compete with the rest of the Crossfit world, compete with the other athletes at your box, compete with yourself.

I. Will. Not. Lose.

What’s on your feet? Inov-8 195

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This Christmas I was lucky enough to get some new running shoes.  Maybe luck didn’t have that much to do with it, so much as my communication skills to my wife Stacy.  Back in August I bought a pair of the Vibram Five Fingers, and while I initially enjoyed them, I couldn’t get past the foot pain I would get from running in them.  I think I might give them another chance this spring if I start running again, but my knees have been very thankful that I stopped running a weekly 5K.  Maybe monthly is a better frequency.

Anyways, here is what my new Inov-8 195s look like from above.  Technically, the full name of the shoes is the F-Lite 195, but most people just refer to Inov-8′s by their number.  The 195s are known for being light, and flat.  I think I have worn them to every single workout I’ve done since Christmas.  I know lots of people that like to rotate their shoes, but I just don’t ever want to wear anything else.

The shoes are incredibly comfortable and lightweight.  The most I have run in them at once is a mile, so I can’t really speak to them from an endurance running perspective, but my knees and shins have really been feeling great over the past few months.

I guess it makes sense that given how thin the soles are and the rest of the material that the shoes are made of that these shoes are so incredibly lightweight, but I really want to drive the point home.  Your feet feel like you are wearing a running shoe, but your body feels like you are barefoot. I noticed the biggest benefit from this while doing box jumps.  The shoes allow me the comfort to keep jumping repeatedly, but are so light that I feel unburdened and can get more reps in faster.

I do have a slight complaint, and it is very slight because superficial looks of my workout shoes is not something that keeps me up at night.  The red soles are painted on and the paint has already begin to flake off after just a few weeks.  You can see what I am talking about in the picture to the right.  It’s not the end of the world by any means, just a little disappointing.

Overall there really isn’t that much else to say about these shoes other than how much I love them. If you are looking for a flat, lightweight shoe to run in then these are the ones you are looking for.

I’ll include one more photo of the shoes waiting to go for a run on my chair.  They are good looking shoes, although I noticed in the photo that I seem to have an problem lacing them properly.




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Inov-8 F-Lite 195 Lightweight Racing Shoe (Apparel)

List Price:$114.95 USD

What I’m reading: Data, Food and Strength

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I wanted to give a little update on what I have been reading, and what is next up.  Now that I am finished with business school, I want to replace the time I spent in class, studying for exams, working on group projects and reading for class, with reading about topics that I enjoy.  So far I am off to a good start, having read The Four-Hour Body over the holidays.  When I got back from the East coast, I got right back into a new book.

This is a great book for any working professional in this day and age.  It’s really aimed at people who work in the field of data, and may not have buy-in from their executive teams on the importance of analytics.  The reason I suggest it for just about everyone is because of the increased usage of data in almost every company and industry in their day to day decision making processes.  The book outlines the stages a company must progress through in order to reach the pinnacle of “analytic competitor.”

The book is a very quick read, although it is part of a series.  The follow-on book, Analytics at Work will be up soon on my reading list.  I plan on alternating topics so that I don’t burn out on any one subject in particular.  So I’ll probably read it this spring.

Since I’ve been following a mostly Paleo diet since October, I’ve been looking at ways to personalize it to myself, both to improve it, but more so to make it more sustainable.  A diet that you are constantly falling off and cheating on, is a bad one, no matter how biologically sound it is.  I’ve found Paleo on the easier side of diets to stick with, mostly when eating at home, less so when eating out, but I’m learning where to go and where not to.  The Paleo Diet for Athletes is specifically aimed at people like myself who are looking to take the basic Paleo framework, and focus it down to eating not only the right things, but also at the right times.  I look forward to seeing how similar this book is to what was prescribed at the Crossfit Football cert I attended this past weekend.

This is one of those books that everyone has read.  Except me.  But that will all change in the next few days.  Mark Rippetoe is known as one of the best weight lifting coaches in the world.  You can search youtube for videos of him explaining lifts.  I think it speaks volumes that out of 227 reviews on Amazon, 212 of them are 5 star.  If you want to lift heavier, faster, more efficient, then this is the book for us.




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Starting Strength (2nd edition) (Paperback)

By (author) Mark Rippetoe, Lon Kilgore
List Price:$29.95 USD
New From:$50.00 In Stock
Used from:$18.44 In Stock

Questions for Tim Ferris: A follow up to my review

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After publishing my review of The Four-Hour Body the other day, I realized that I hadn’t included a few unanswered questions that I had during my reading, or post-reading during implementation. Do you have questions too? Submit them in the comments section below.

Without further ado, I am just going to dive right in.

Does PAGG stack make your pee smell?

I’ve been taking the PAGG stack for about four weeks now, and purchased the supplements directly from the suggested links in in book.  After about 10 days I noticed that my urine was smelling like I had recently eaten asparagus.  It’s possible that something else would cause the smell, but I removed the stack while I was out of town for 48 hours, and the smell went away.  Once I started taking it again, the smell returned.  I’m not concerned with the odor, but I was curious if others had experienced this.  If I had to guess, I would investigate the garlic first.  I haven’t tried removing it from the stack yet, because I am in the process of reviewing the stack as a whole.

Can you recommend a good cinnamon grinder?

I have a small-ish grater that doesn’t seem to do a good job grinding my cinnamon sticks.  I can’t seem to get good leverage while trying to press the stick down and across the metal.  I wind up with very little cinnamon in the coffee mug and have resorted to using pre-ground cinnamon.

Can you eat bread on the slow-carb diet?

This one is a joke, but I’ve seen it asked so many times that I have to laugh.  It couldn’t be any more clear that bread can’t be eaten on the diet, yet so many people claim “they can’t live without bread.”  Sad really.

Tim, I hear you are very interested in Crossfit lately?  Is there any truth to this rumor?

I’ve been hearing that Tim is interested in Crossfit, possibly due to it’s data driven aspect and ability to measure work capacity across broad time and modal domains.  Tim also appeared in a recent Mobility WOD video.  I’d love to get Tim’s thoughts on what he thinks.

What else?

I feel like I had more questions when I set out to write this and now I am drawing a blank.  So please readers, feel free to submit questions in the comments and I will elevate them up, and hopefully Tim will respond with some answers and suggestions.

Thanks!