CrossFit Watertown

One Woman’s Manifesto

I refuse to become one of the walking undead. The unwell. The quitters, the complainers, the crybabies. Those who say “Oh, well, I’m fat” and just accept it. Those who don't even try. Those who won’t get off the couch and on the road to anything but the drive-through. I am so done with them.

Although I have reached what used to be quaintly referred to as “middle age” I no longer think of it as some green pasture to lay down in and count my money until I die. This is my prime.

I will not go gently into the good night. I will not let my body spread, my willpower relax, and my determination downgrade. I am making a stand here. Like Dylan Thomas, I am raging against the dying of the light.

Like Mardi Gras, But Without the Beads

It was Bench Press Madness at CrossFit Watertown yesterday, as Kirk hit another PR of 215, and jumped atop the leader board.

Surprisingly, his reign was short-lived as Caitlin, our newest CFW member, threw 350 on the bar and went to town.

(All right, we made that up. Caitlin is not ready to bench press 3x her body weight. Possibly 2x, but definitely not 3. Or maybe we'll just shoot for 1x for now.)

Since it was so beautiful, the evening classes couldn't resist taking their kettlebells outside to enjoy the greenery scenery.

Also, here's an interesting opinion piece from the Harvard Crimson slamming the decision to implement women-only hours at one of the Harvard gyms:No Boys Allowed.

Lastly, we have a slide show with a whole boatload of photos from the Memorial Day Challenge that we undertook with CrossFit Power Barn and CrossFit Central CT. (Thanks again to Jackie for shooting!)

Happiness Is . . .

Happiness is . . . seeing 5 (count 'em, 5) women doing pull-ups at once. (And a couple of guys from CF Central CT: we like them too!)

Pull-ups are not easy, particularly for women, who (pound for pound) usually have less upper-body muscle fiber than men. But the glory of CrossFit is that everyone, man or woman, works towards that very sweet taste of the unassisted pull-up. How do we do that? Through practice: jumping pull-ups, band pull-ups, and a variety of other strength-building moves. And it works. Eventually, you should be able to get over that bar all by yourself.

Living proof of the power of the CrossFit method is Becky [pictured in the back of this photo, getting some jumpers done on Memorial Day.) She came to us in January and struggled even with the assisted band pull-ups. The other day she walked in and grabbed the bar and just did it. Twice. Two unassisted pull-ups. Sweet!

While CrossFit Watertown is obviously a very female-friendly environment, there's been an interesting debate going on over at Harvard concerning some women-only hours at their gym. Take a read through Harvard Gym Tests Muslim Women-Only Hours and tell us what you think.

Lastly, all this talk of women and pull-ups is nuttin' without some video! So, take a look at the top 3 finishers in last year's national CrossFit Games:

Things That Make You Go "Hmmm" . . .

We don't know what Nate said here but it must have been bad to make members of Team Dirty Women smile like that during the Memorial Day Challenge.

Ever read an article and say to yourself, "What???????? Is this person high?" Take a read through The Case Against Competition (a.k.a. The Loser's Lament.) Maybe they think we should all just hold hands and sing "Kumbaya." We'll get really far that way . . .

And, a snippet from the movie Dodgeball in which the King of Competition, Lance Armstrong, does some really bad acting but we love the message in his sarcasm:

What A Day!

CrossFit Watertown, CrossFit Power Barn, and CrossFit Central CT came together yesterday for the 2nd Annual Trevor Win'E Memorial Day Challenge and it was awesome!

Here are just a few of the photos (thanks a bunch to Jackie, Matt, and Justas!) and we'll be assembling a video and slide show over the next few days. Big thanks also to Jill, for subbing in at the last minute, and to the Power Barn and CFCCT crews for the energy, laughter, and good times! We'll definitely be having more of these get-togethers: it was a blast!

And, after all the trash-talking, what about the results? Take a look for yourself. Only two teams did everything as RX'd -- and the CFW "A Team" was atop the leader board -- but then notice that the 2-man Team Darwin from CFCCT finished only slightly behind them! Wow! That's some power!

Thanks to everybody for coming out and putting out! It was a heck of a way to spend Memorial Day morning!

Good Luck!

Sometimes, life doesn't always give you what you want and you just have to learn to deal with it. Today is one of those days.

The Trevor Win'E Memorial Day Challenge. Showdown time between CrossFit Central CT, CrossFit Power Barn, and CrossFit Watertown. Training and preparations and trash talking are all done, now it's time to put up or shut up.

And the CrossFit Watertown teams will be short one person: me. Back spasms are having their way with me.

So, what does all this mean? Life isn't perfect, not for any of us. But we're here. Do what you can. And, if you can't do, cheer like hell somebody who is doing. Good luck to everybody competing in the Trevor Win'E today. Go get some!

Update!

It's come to our attention that our friends at CrossFit Central CT have, unfortunately, suffered a training accident. Everyone is okay but, apparently, they damaged their main workout area. Unbelievably, it was all caught on videotape. Here, take a look:

Let's See How Far We've Come

A bunch of us ran the Fisher House 5K in Bristol yesterday and it was fabulous, with Chris P. finishing 8th overall. (Under a 7 minute mile: very nice, especially when you consider that he had never run that distance before. Imagine what he could do with a pair of running shoes and some race strategy!)

Most importantly, everybody ran strong (including Sue and Mystery Woman -- you go girls! We knew you could do it!) For all of us, it was a time to look back to where we were 3 months, or 6 months, or a year ago and (to quote a little MatchBox Twenty) "Let's see how far we've come." Nice work: we're proud of all of you!

Now, enough of that feel-good stuff and back to work. Tomorrow is the Trevor Win'E Memorial Day Challenge and we need to place some serious hurt on the cupcakes from CrossFit Power Barn and CrossFit Central CT.

Here's an article worth reading today: Memorial Day Means More Than A Yellow Ribbon.

And, one last video, to remind us of those sacrificing so much more than us:

Update!

It seems CrossFit Central CT has a response to our "Tombstone" throwdown: Sparta Boys.

Well, Kathrine (of Greece) supplied us with the unedited version of The 300 and we have to say it really has a different flavor to it:

You Tell 'Em I'm Coming

Here we have one of the CF Power Barners trying to hide from us, so they can avoid the Memorial Day Beatdown.

(Actually, it's just Becky doing some "Over-Unders" but a girl can dream, can't she?)

We've been throwing around a lot of trash talk concerning the Memorial Day Challenge but it's all in fun. We love to compete and, seriously, couldn't care less whether we win. We love the thrill of the moment, the adrenaline rush, and the camaraderie: we got hooked on all of that as kids, and, when we CrossFit, we're right back there. The really good stuff in life -- like mountain biking, CrossFit, and big, deep belly laughs -- makes us feel like we're 10 years old again. And, sometimes, that's such a good place to be.

Competition, handled correctly, is a fantastic thing. Here's an excellent article on competition, from the unlikely source of the ESPN Hunting Desk: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

Lastly, just so CF Power Barn and CrossFit Central CT don't think we've gone all soft and rational, here's one of our favorite (very short) clips from the movie Tombstone:

Scenes From A First Week

It was Jackie's first week of CrossFit classes and she did great! Setting up for the deadlift here, her form is pretty decent for a newbie: good lumbar curve, bar over the middle of the foot, neck is almost neutral, and her shoulders are almost at that 5 degree angle over the bar. (Jill in the background is setting her grip, not lifting, so don't worry so much about her rounded back.)

Time for some slamball. Good extension.

And some push press. (We'd like to see that right arm locked out at the same time but, for a beginner, we're doing all right!)

So, welcome to Jackie: we're glad to have her on the CFW team!

In other news, we're only 2 days away from the Memorial Day Challenge and (you guessed it) we discovered more video of encounters between CrossFit Watertown and CF Central CT and CF Power Barn. Yesterday, we thought Tom Taylor of CFCT looked like Tom Hanks, but today, he reminds us of Madonna. Go figure. (And we're a lot taller on camera and look surprisingly like Geena Davis.) Take a look: 

Swimming and Taunting

Swimmer sit-ups, anyone? A free drink of water to anybody who can guess what sport Jill coaches! (You should see the top of her burpees too. They make us want to jump right in the pool!)

In other news, we've expanded our pull-up bar complex so we now have 8 pull-up stations -- and we're going to need them all for our Memorial Day Challenge. Here the CrossFit Watertown Engineering Team performs an Ops Check after installing the first set:

Lastly, we have to report that we've discovered a rather disturbing piece of video involving some taunting going on between CrossFit Central CT and CrossFit Power Barn over the Memorial Day Challenge. It's not pretty; one of them acts like a child, and, although we never noticed it before, Tom Taylor of CF Central CT really does bear a strong resemblance to Tom Hanks. Here, take a look:

Body and Mind Games

Team "Suck It Up" (note: each team chooses its own name) celebrates after their win in last night's jump/pull/sit/push/squat competition.

Team "All Action, No Talk" came in second (2 seconds ahead of third place!)

Because we were short one member, "Team Half Asterisk" was forced to recruit the trainer (a highly unusual move) and then Mystery Woman actually posed for a photo. (That's her on the right.)

Once again, "Team Awesome" (performing earlier) finished last. Oops. Maybe we could recommend a new name?

Branching into the literary realm, some members then engaged in competitive CrossFit haiku:

 

And, lastly, we're just a few days away from the Memorial Day Challenge; CrossFit Watertown is ready to take on the fragile dolls from CrossFit Power Barn and CF Central CT. In fact, we're beyond ready, we're "Waiting For More":

It's Magic!

Look! Never-before-seen photographic evidence of barbell levitation! Here, Kathrine uses Greek mind control techniques to raise the bar off the ground. She got it up to 6 feet before it dropped!

(Or, maybe this photo is just K. dumping the bar from a failed Overhead Squat, you decide. We think it's more fun our way though.)

In other news, here's an interesting read over at Mark's Daily Apple: My Escape from Vegan Island.

This is 10% luck, 20% skill, 15% concentrated power of will, 5% pleasure, 50% pain, and a 100% reason to remember the name! Those are lyrics from the song in this Concept II video:

We Have to Do What?

"Team Awesome" (Mary and Chris) relax after Moving for Time, which can only be described as anaerobic pandemonium. Rumor has it that they want a rematch with Sue and Rich ("Team All Action, No Talk") . . .

In other news, check out the awesome new Olympic Aquatic Center in Beijing: The Water Cube.

And, we're just going to call this video "Stuff You Should Never Try" (but it's really cool to watch other people try it!)

Silent Warriors

CrossFit doesn’t make me cry. Pain doesn’t water my eyes. But, give me the opening notes of “Taps” or the National Anthem, and tears will gloss my pupils and eventually trickle down my cheeks. Because I know the sacrifices that have been made for you and for me to live the way we do.

Others may speak of our flag and extol the virtues of freedom but many of them don't really know the cost. But when you’ve crouched in a charred canyon and picked up small pieces of human flesh among fighter jet debris, simple music notes hit home in a way no lofty rhetoric ever can.

Or when you’ve stood in your backyard on a starry North Carolina night, soft pine needles beneath your feet, and watched as the cars pulled up in a neighbor’s driveway so that uniformed men could give the hard truth to an Air Force wife: a jet had been shot down and her husband was now a Prisoner of War in Iraq. That is why I cry.

Gettin' Ready for the Memorial Day Showdown

Rich and Mary, proving the old adage "The couple that deadlifts together, stays together."

In all our excitement the other day, we forgot to post the link to another excellent piece of writing by Waterbury Republican-American writer Carrie MacMillan. Her personal account of a leap into the CrossFit Watertown lake is called Running Won't Save You From the CrossFit Burn.

And, lastly, our friends over at CrossFit Power Barn have a new motto for the Memorial Day Challenge (Sally Rally) so we thought they might enjoy a very short movie to remind them of the power of CrossFit Watertown . . .

Some Gave All

Next Monday at 8am, CF Watertown hosts the Trevor Win'E Memorial Day Challenge. We've been having fun by highlighting our rivalry with CrossFit Power Barn and CrossFit Central CT (who will be joining us) but we would be remiss if we did not emphasize the importance of this event.

We're raising funds to buy cooling vests for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Call us and get on a team. If you're a CrossFitter, we'll put you on a CF team. If you're brand new to this CF thing, we'll scale down the exercises and you can still participate. If you just want to watch and cheer us on, that's great too! We could use the support. If you're a local business and you'd like to donate or sponsor a team, call us!

This Memorial Day, do something more than eat a hot dog and swim. Some gave all. Honor them.

Hot Off the Presses!

Before their morning workout, Kathrine and Melissa read about CrossFit Watertown in the Waterbury Republican-American: You Never Get Bored. It Never Gets Easy.

Watch the video also and check out the photo gallery. (Thanks to the great folks at Waterbury Republican-American and a big thanks to Carrie MacMillan who had the guts to come out and try CrossFit! Run back and have at the WOD with us anytime, Carrie!)

And, here's one of our favorite CrossFit videos ever. We may never be able to do what these gals (Nicole Carroll, Annie Sakamoto, and Eva Twardokens) do but, wow, are they inspiring. Watch all the way to the end because Nicole's display of tenacity is absolutely gripping; she is an athlete with no quit in her. (Warning: If you don't care for the music, just turn your speakers off.) Without further ado, the legendary Nasty Girls.

“Who Cares If I Look Stupid?”: CrossFit and Learning

Someone asked me recently what all of my affiliate members have in common and I replied, “They’re all hard workers.” But I could have easily said, “They‘ve all conquered their fear of looking stupid.”

It’s difficult to learn as an adult: it requires a different mindset than when you sat in school as a child. As adults, we’re expected to know things, to be in charge, to be responsible. When you’re a kid, it’s okay to look stupid: you’re not supposed to know better. That’s why you spend so much time being taught how to do everything.

Uh-Oh

Kirk and Jill get some air squats during this morning's "Murphette at Sea" workout.

We have an apology to issue to our friends at CrossFit Power Barn. Due to a staff error, we mistakenly identified Tuesday's secret spy camera video as having been shot at the PB. We realize the PB is a serious strength and conditioning facility and would not have been conducting a jazzercise class in preparation for the Memorial Day Challenge. Upon further review of the video, we were were able, however, to determine the exact location of that class: CrossFit Central CT. So, our deepest apologies to the Power Barn and instead we'd like to share this photo of the Power Barn athletes in action.*

Lastly, here's an article by Ross Enamait with some interesting points, even if the photos at the top of the page are a bit scary. Read The Importance of Variety.

*We're kidding! Kidding! Please don't hurt us!

Serious Stuff

Having a hard time getting L Pull-ups? Rich found that wearing crazy shorts really helped.

(All right, we are soooo lying on that. This photo is doctored. Rich was actually wearing navy blue shorts. And doing handstand push-ups. Wow, amazing what you can do with a photo editor, huh?)

Tired of regular push-ups? Take a look at CrossFit's Playing With Push-ups.

And, over at the New York Times, if you want to be serious, you can take their Health and Body Quiz. (We got a B+. And we would have received an A if they weren't so fussy about facts and all that medical stuff.)

Living and Learning

CrossFit founder Coach Greg Glassman and Melissa enjoying this weekend's Level One Certification at CrossFit Alexandria. Congrats to Melissa, who just doesn't have enough to do, so, in addition to being a full-time physical therapist and preparing to pop out a baby in record "Fran" time, she is also becoming our newest trainer!

Congrats also to Melissa's husband Kirk, who benched a new PR today: 205 lbs. Way to go, Kirk!

In other news, we're continuing preparations for our tri-affiliate Trevor Win'E Memorial Day Challenge (to be held here at CrossFit Watertown) and we're happy to announce that we have another team joining us from the local area. (Remember: you don't have to be an affiliate member to join us for the Challenge; so if you CrossFit and you're in CT, give us a call and come join the fun!)

Lastly, our spy cameras were able to glimpse secret training being conducted over at CrossFit Power Barn for the Memorial Day Challenge. Take a look:

International Day

You've heard the expression Waiting for the other shoe to drop? Well, here is Chris waiting for the wallball to drop during "Karen."

Ever wonder what CrossFit would look like in other languages? Try Russian or Swedish. And let's not forget our friends over at CrossFit Santiago who translated the CrossFit Watertown Mindset for the good folks in Chile. Gracias, amigos! (We are quite proud of our high school Spanish; just don't ask us  to do more than order beer, find the bathroom, and swear -- we know our limits.)

And, there is no need for translation when you're watching Greg Amundson tackle "G.I. Jane." Strong is strong, in any language:

CrossFit Kayaking?

Mary swings the sledgehammer while Melissa gets some Wallball.

Yesterday, CrossFit Watertown manned (womanned?) a booth at the first-ever Naugatuck River Revival Race in Waterbury. Over 200 kayakers floated down the polluted Naugy in an attempt to raise money and awareness for cleaning up this beautiful river that runs through our valley. Next year, we're getting in a kayak and joining them; who's with us?

My general observation is that hard things are more beneficial than easy things: true words written by our friend Larry Cook at CrossFit Power Barn in Cheshire. He's penned some good thoughts about knowing now what we wish we had known then: On Being Strong.

And, we're going to be bench pressing this week, so take a look at Mark Rippetoe's instructions: Set-up for the Bench Press.

Marathon Woman

Who's that? Our own Becky T, completing the New Jersey Marathon this past Sunday! Congratulations to Becky! She worked hard over these past months -- running, CrossFitting, coaching a high school track tream, teaching, and preparing for her own wedding too! -- and it's all paying off. Nice work, Becky; we're proud of you!

And, on the topic of women in sports, we at CF Watertown know what it's like to be a female athlete, hear that dreaded "pop" in your knee, and undergo ACL surgery; so we were interested to see the New York Times Sunday Magazine exploring what is all too common of an injury in female athletes: The Uneven Playing Field. The good news? CrossFit. Honestly. You can come back stronger than ever. I'm living proof.

Mystery Woman

We have a fabulous member at CF Watertown that we can't tell you about. She doesn't like to be photographed or identified so we just refer to her as Mystery Woman. But she said something last night that captured the essence of CFW so we had to share it:

This place is so not about image; it's about accomplishment.

Wow. That's it in a nutshell. Thanks, Mystery Woman. And here's hoping that, someday, you see the beauty in the mirror that we already see when we look at you.

Now, here's a video about some women softball players who had the character to carry out a beautiful act:

And, because it's Friday, we have to give you something that'll make you chuckle, so head over to the NYT humor blog and see how you could liven up your dressing routine. Really, you won't believe what these guys can do: Back Flip Into Your Jeans.

All I Ask . . .

Sue hit a new PR for a deadlift set of five: 155lbs! Go Sue!

It's raining here today in CT (and we'll be doing "Karen") so it's time for some Gene Hackman motivation. Take a look at his speech in "Crimson Tide" and see if you can't find a little CF Watertown in his words . . .

A Press . . . and Some Press

Here's some effort for ya: Rich nailing Thrusters.

In case you haven't seen it, CrossFit Watertown is featured in this week's Litchfield County Times. The print edition has some great photos (including shirtless Rich!) but you can read the text online too: Intense Fitness in Watertown.

And, we're less than 3 weeks away from the Trevor Win'E Memorial Day Challenge! It's competition for a good cause (buying cooling vests for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan) and we'll be fielding at least 2 teams to take on challengers from CrossFit Central CT and CrossFit Power Barn. (Those New Britain and Cheshire folks may think they're tough but do they have a pregnant woman on their team? Well, we do! Try doing pull-ups for two while dealing with raging hormones and all sorts of things we don't even want to mention: you'll be on your knees faster than a sub-4 minute Fran. Take that, Cupcakes!)

For a little explanation and inspiration, take a look at Nicole Carroll and some of the CF elite taking on the Challenge: Trevor Video.

Blowing the Lid Off CrossFit's Best-Kept Secret

(Eva T. having her way with the barbell.)

It's a stupid name: CrossFit Barbell Certification. I almost didn't sign up because it sounded so dumb. Who needs to be certified on barbells? Deadlifts and presses and power cleans -- how hard could that be? The other Certs sound sexier; like Level One, which indicates the gateway to infinite levels of information, like in some science-fiction movie, or even Scientology. Or, at its worst, Level One just sounds like a dance club.

And then there's the Olympic Lifting Cert, which is, at least, an active phrase; it sounds like you're doing something really hard and complex, which you are. Most of us didn't grow up Olympic lifting, so we can at least acknowledge our dearth of experience in that realm. But we can identify a barbell and have experience with one, so why the heck would we need to attend a Barbell Cert?

Well, I'm here to tell you that if you're serious about your fitness, you should go to the Barbell Cert. I learned about 1000 reasons why when I recently attended Mark Rippetoe's CF Barbell Certification, but I've boiled that pile down to: 

10 Reasons Why You Should Attend the Barbell Cert

Starting Out

Welcome to Jill, our newest member! She's pictured here with Kirk as they pound out some back squats in the middle of the morning WOD.

The back squat is an excellent tool for building strength. Here's an article from the body-building world on the cross-applicability of strength training and it has some interesting points. We might not agree with all of it (and think it gives short shrift to the last paragraph on the "Means of Developing Strength") but still, it's worth a read: The Importance of Strength for Enhanced Explosiveness.