Q&A

Posted on April 26, 2010 by Court

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UPCOMING ENDURANCE WORKSHOP:
Rowing Workshop — Saturday, May 15th
Monday 100426
For time:
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
10 Muscle-ups
40 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
8 Muscle-ups
30 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
6 Muscle-ups
20 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
4 Muscle-ups
10 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
2 Muscle-ups
Graham Holmberg 10:27. Post time to comments.
QUESTION: Since you started CrossFit, what has been your greatest challenge or adjustment?
Event info for the CF Northeast Regionals! / Announcing the 2010 CrossFit Games
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Weightlifting: it makes everything better!
Everything you need to know about fitness modeling…which is enough to turn me off it
That which does not kill me makes me stranger

  • http://allisonbojarski.tumblr.com Allison Bojarski

    Click here for scaling options on today’s workout:
    http://www.crossfitbrandx.com/index.php/forums/viewthread/10203/

  • seth

    Challenge: mentally preparing for the pain the workouts bring. It is a mindset that I am gradually building.
    Adjustment: Diet. This is an easy one. It is hard to change something this fundamental to your health. It has been a huge adjustment.

  • Lenny

    If you haven’t done Tim B’s rowing workshop DO IT NOW. I’m not kidding when I say it will improve your rowing 100%. I shaved 10 seconds off my best time and I wasn’t even going full out. Can’t recommend it enough.

  • Tim B

    CFE Strength
    5 x 5 Back Squat 85-90% (180-240)sec rest between sets
    Rest 5min
    3 Rounds for Time
    10 Jump squats
    15 Double unders, Unbroken
    185,185,185,195,205
    2:51
    unbroken double unders after squats, ewwww

  • Brian

    CFE S&C WOD
    205, 205, 225, 245, 265 (failed 3 out of 5)
    1:50 for the squat jumps and double unders
    great leg burner!!!

  • Zach Singer

    Non-Crossfit related post here, and sorry in advance for the blast:
    I want to put the word out anywhere I can that I’m looking for a bit of a career change. For those of you that don’t know me, I’m currently finishing up an analyst rotation in investment banking (ex. Lehman Brothers, currently Barclays Capital), and my contract is up at the end of June / beginning of July. I’m going to continue looking at options in and around bankign and finance (hedge funds, PE shops, boutique banks, corporate development / strategy, etc.), but also wanted to put the word out to anyone and everyone at the box, simply because I’d be very interested in shifting career focus a bit – and am open to where that may take me.
    Being at a New York affiliate, I’m hoping this will reach people in a wide range of fields. If you know of anyone / anyplace that may be hiring, or have questions and want to know more about me/my experiences before recommending / suggesting anything, please feel free to reach out to me at my personal email.
    All the best, and sorry again for the blast here.
    Zach
    zachary.d.singer@gmail.com

  • http://allisonbojarski.tumblr.com Allison Bojarski

    Seth, thanks for answering today’s question. The owners and I thought it’d be a great idea to start posting questions to spark more conversation in the blog comments.
    Everyone else who is reading this but hasn’t answered the question yet… Please answer it! Thanks.

  • Other Grace

    I’m quite new to this community, so the challenges/adjustments are fresh in my mind!
    Challenge: Avoiding talking about Crossfit all the time with non-Crossfit friends and coworkers. ;)
    Adjustment: Figuring out how to incorporate my long-distance running/training in with WODs (CFE meeting times never work with my schedule).

  • Hari

    My greatest challenge has been running. Before I gave up my Reebok membership, I used to do the runs on a treadmill. I would set a speed and go, rarely adjusting down. I would run 5K and 10K in respectable times (24:00, 55:00).
    But without the treadmill, I can’t seem to push myself to maintain a pace. Even on 400 meter runs, I find myself walking a bit on the final rounds. I don’t have this problem with rows, only runs. With a treadmill, I have no problem running a 1:30 400 meter. Without a treadmill, I can barely run a 2:00 400 meter. Worse still is my “solution” to the problem: I haven’t run more than 800 meters in nearly a year.
    And double unders. I hid from those for years, counting attempts. Now, there is nowhere to hide, since I need to do 150 during the first WOD for the Masters. On good days, I can now get 20 or more in a row. On bad days, I can’t get one in a dozen attempts. The difference between stringing these together and not is going to be five to seven minutes on the first WOD, which is “Helen” with 50 double unders per round instead of the 400 meter runs.

  • Jacinto

    Handstand push ups,just can’t seem to get my old butt
    over my head.

  • dan def

    My greatest challenge has been unlearning all the bad things my ignorant sports coaches and friends taught me during my pre-Crossfit years (squats are bad for your knees, look up at the ceiling when squatting, machines are better than free weights, pasta is good for you, fat is bad for you, Olympic weightlifting is dangerous, and countless other nonsense) and learning the proper way to do things. To quote Yoda: You must unlearn what you have learned.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46iBFQwRqi4&feature=related
    Yoda: Do. Or do not. There is no try.
    Luke: I don’t believe it.
    Yoda: That is why you fail.

  • Seth

    To follow up on Dan and Hari’s comments:
    Dan, completely with you. Unlearning all the crap that I thought was correct, especially with nutrition.
    Hari- DUs challenge me every day. I watch the buddy lee vid’s on the main site, he makes them look so easy, when I try to stay calm, balanced and keep the same cadence, my max is 5 in a row, then i get a nice welt on my foot.

  • mike r

    my biggest challenge remains anything on the rings or parallettes… my progress has been much slower compared to other exercises… right now I’m working on developing muscle ups and parallette handstand push ups

  • Hari

    First look at some teams WOD’s from North Central Region:
    http://games2010.crossfit.com/blog/2010/04/north-central-regional-crossfit-games-workouts/

  • Lisa

    My biggest challenge is keeping to the Paleo diet as many days of the week as possible (except weekends – don’t mess with my apres-run/race beer appreciation!!).
    My biggest adjustment has been in learning to consciously activate my posterior chain for the first time in my life. I always knew glutes, hamstrings, etc. were there but it was not until I started weighted squats and POSE running that I realized how underutilized they were.

  • Steve S.

    My greatest challenge since starting crossfit has been defining and narrowing my goals. There are so many movements in crossfit that I need to improve upon that I sometimes get overwhelmed, and lose focus. It really pays to focus on getting better at one or two things at a time, as opposed to getting better at everything all at once.

  • Lenny

    My greatest challenge has been not choking out Carlos on a daily basis. It’s tough man.

  • Brian

    Other Grace,
    Please let us know what works for you (regarding CFE running and stuff) there may be others that are in the same boat, we would love to know what works. We will try to accommodate, although it is difficult to adjust to everyone’s schedule.
    Thanks

  • kj

    27:14 with 3:1 pull-up/dip sub. Worst sub ever.
    Greatest challenge has definitely been trying do Crossfit even though I now have a job where most of my colleagues do nothing else but work. I’m such a perfectionist when it comes to hitting the 3 on, 1 off, and trying to also optimize nutrition and sleep, and I’ve felt like I’ve failed at this a lot this year.
    My greatest adjustment has been in the way I think about exercise. I was definitely a rabbit wheel gym member 14 months ago – tallying up the mileage with little regard for variety or intensity. I could never go back!

  • james keller

    18:10 – ohhh death to wallballs
    i think nutrition has been the biggest adjustment for me – going from a chicken parm type diet to more wholesome foods. its been extremely educational to read all the links posted daily here.

  • http://davinacohen.com Davi

    What are the class times for the AM?
    For the first time in a bazillion years I might hit an early AM WOD before I leave town tomorrow. I looked at the schedule, but I seem to remember some changes having been announced that aren’t reflected there.
    Thanks!
    Davi
    biggest challenge(s) – respecting my body’s limits, integrating my physical practices to optimize my health, accepting wherever I am in my body – be it rockin’ or healin’ or suckin’ wind – with grace

  • Jonathan P

    16:20 Rx’d for today
    Biggest challenge has been pride. In most challenges I tend to keep all my practice to myself, and then when I’m ready, I whip out the final product and pretend like it was easy. It would be like that with almost everything. I wouldn’t play except to win. But CF is always a test of some sort, and I have to be ready to lose and recognize it isn’t a big deal and is actually really important.

  • Mike K

    CFFB
    9:59 & 62 front squat reps (31,16,15 per round) rx’d
    3×12 glute-ham raises after

  • Mike K

    Challenges – double unders for one… though they are finally starting to click and getting better. That “go slower” advice definitely helps.
    And getting enough sleep and/or rest days. Sometimes an extra rest can do wonders even if you don’t want to take it.

  • Mike Mishik

    13:03 rx’d

  • Carlos

    One of my biggest challenges has been the muscle-up, and tonight I got it! Thank you to everyone who has given me advice, all of it excellent.. Sara, Sophie, Adam, Court, Hari, Joe, Josh, Justin, Mike, Mike, Rickke, and people I’m forgetting. Thank you also to the 8:30 class for cheering me on.

  • Adam R

    18:34. First time doing muscle-ups in a WOD, so I was glad to do all of them. Need to work on wallballs, could only do 5 or so unbroken.
    My biggest adjustment has been the diet — eating Paleo. When people hear that I don’t eat grains, they think I’m crazy. I started cooking, and occasionally take my lunch in to work. I’d much rather eat my grass-fed ground beef with veggies than the nasty pasta dish from the local Italian takeout place.
    The biggest challenge has been learning all the movements and trying to do them in WODs. Even something as seemingly simple as the deadlift is still complicated for me, and it’s hard to string 5 or 10 together unbroken. But it’s fun practicing the movements and getting better.

  • http://sophiecrossfit.wordpress.com Sophie

    Great job, Carlos!
    My biggest challenge is pushing myself when workouts get hard/uncomfortable. I have a hard time convincing myself to keep going, but I’m working on it!
    Did Christine today: 14:12, not great, broke up the box jumps too much
    Saturday: 5k (running: my other big challenge/weakness), definitely wanted to stop and walk but didn’t allow myself, 26:45

  • lenny

    16:31 RX’d

  • Grace

    14:15 14# ball and jumping MU’s
    My biggest challenges of them all – diet and the muscle-up. Got some good MU practice tonight but it still evades me. Carlos has re-inspired me!

  • Lenny

    Carlos is an inspiration to all.

  • Rickke

    14:00 Rx’d
    My challenges – Steve S. hit the nail on the head. I have lots of room for improvement in plenty of areas and I need to take on only a few at a time. I’d really like to improve my overhead squats and get to the elusive body weight x 15.
    Great watching Carlos get his first muscle up tonight. Congrats! Grace, I predict you get yours by next week.

  • Mike K

    Congrats Carlos!

  • Hari

    Congratulations, Carlos
    Next Friday rest day, we owe several free meals for first pull-ups and muscle-ups.

  • brad s

    a hearty BOOM! for carlos.

  • Mike Mishik

    killer job Carlos!

  • Annie

    Congrats Carlos!! I hope to one day do a muscle up!!

  • Emily

    Congrats Carlos!! hard work definitely pays off
    challenges: resting…especially with the shoulder injury. i really SUCK at taking it easy, but i know i need to listen to my body when it tells me something
    adjustments: diet. learning so many new things about how the bulk of the SAD literally poisons, inflames, and ruins your body. thought i was doing pretty well before, but i have a LOT of adjusting to do after yesterday’s workshop.

  • Adam R

    Congrats, Carlos. The muscle-up is like a cockroach: once you get one, many others will follow quickly!