Elite CrossFitters: Welcome to the water!

The first individual workout for the 2011 CrossFit Games was released and hold your goggle straps folks, it contains a swim. And not just any swim, but one in the Pacific Ocean.

Go CrossFit headquarters for shaking things up big time. Coming from a lifelong swimmer whose Division 1 college education was paid for because of my skills in the sport, I know this is no easy thing for most people.

Now, it's ONLY a 210-meter swim, mind you. But from my interactions with triathletes over the years, I know most non-swimmers dread the water portion of any multisport, especially in the unknown and unfamiliar environment of river, let alone the ocean.

And this East Coast girl has visited the West Coast and laid eyes on the Pacific, but never swam in it. There are waves. Surfers catch them every day. 210 meters will NOT be easy.

The workout:
210-meter ocean swim
Run 1,500m in soft-sand
50 Chest-to-bar pull-ups
100 hand release push-ups
200 Squats
Run 1,500m in soft-sand

Soft-sand running will present challenges, as well. How many landlocked CrossFitters have ever run in sand? How many of us who live on coasts run in soft sand? Some local CF crews have done beach WODs, but maybe this will prompt us to think about adding in some alternative training.

Several members of 26.2 CrossFit have joined me and my dad/coach in the water for our Masters swim workouts, but they were training to pass Air Force pararescue and Navy Seal PT tests. And they all did...

Many triathletes have come to us to improve their weakest of the three sports and all rise to excel beyond expectations.

The key to swimming is to "make friends with the water," as dad says. It's a journey, though, and swimming is a sport where you can't go just once a week or less and see progress.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the most elite athletes in the world tackle this workout. I understand reaction in the sense that this WOD contains exercises just not incorporated into the mainstream CF training (ocean swim, soft-sand run).

But CrossFit is based on functional movement, and it prepares us for so many things in life. The Games athletes, of all people on the planet, should be able to conquer the most strenuous and taxing physical tasks thrown at them.

Although swimming is another monster altogether.

This swimmer can't wait to see who survives!

Enjoying and admiring displays of strength

We've had several strength lifting workouts come off the main crossfit.com website this week, and doing one yesterday reminded me how much I enjoy them... and need them.

I've posted several photos in this entry of some of the 26.2 CrossFit members in notable displays of strength.

At right is Grant doing weighted ring dips. He got up to 110 pounds in the workout of 3-2-2-2-1-1-1-1-1.

I was at first not looking forward to this one, thinking about how it's just been in the past few months that I've gotten to a point where I can do multiple body weight ring dips. But I was pleasantly surprised to get up to 32.5 pounds, going body weightx3, 5x2, 10x2, 12x2, 20x1, 25x1, 30x1, 32.5x1, fail at 35.

It feels GREAT to be strong, and the psychological boost from achieving a new PR is magical.

At left is Alex, who deadlifted a PR and joined the 400 club.

Alex's thoughts on the milestone:

"I've never really considered myself a strong person. My love of fitness came from my father, and I enjoy pushing myself and finding my limits, mentally and physically. A month and a half ago when I joined 26.2 Crossfit I had never deadlifted over 225 Lbs, and I set a goal to have a 400# deadlift by August.

"After a lot of one-on-one training and coaching, I worked on technique and found myself stronger and more able. Meeting that goal definitely surprised me, and made me rethink what was capable out of my own body and mind. All of the thanks goes to my trainers, Allie, Billy, Dan, Travis and of course you Lee. Thanks!"

We trainers get such satisfaction seeing our athletes achieve a moment like this. Congratulations, Alex!

Another unique lift this week was weighted push-ups. At right is Evan, pushing up 160.

Different people excel at different workouts. Some are stronger pushing or pulling weights. Some perform best when they have to move their own body weight-- their strength-to-weight ratio being right on. Some excel at endurance.

Some seem to excel at everything, and the rest of us are supposed to focus on our "goat," as 26.2 owner Allie calls our weakest movement or exercise.

After more than three years of trying, I was finally able to do double unders in the last two weeks. I have practiced them almost every day I've been at the gym since, trying to ensure I don't lose it and permanently etch that skill into my brain fibers.

We do a lot of met-con (cardio) workouts, but the strength ones are important in the quest to achieve elite all-around fitness... and they are important markers of our progress.

As Alex said, form plays a large role in how much weight we can move around. Without proper technique, things can go badly.

But as my father swim coach has always said, "There's no substitute for strength."

Some philosophical insight from a DOer

OK, I should have done this two weeks ago when I first learned I was named one of 20 finalists in the Promax "I am the Next DOer" contest.

It was a fun little thing online where you uploaded a photo and entered very limited information, as you can see in the blue bar at right.

CLICK HERE TO SEE IT IN FULL, and to also vote. Today is the last day of what seems like a 2-week eternity voting timeframe.

I'll be the first to admit I've never won a popularity contest, and that likely will not change. I am nowhere near the top in this contest, sitting in fourth or fifth right now. I tried to use social media to spread the word, but my desire to not pester all my cyberspace friends has precluded any onslaught of effort...

I prefer to be a more behind-the-scenes DOer, making a difference through action, helping people and seeing things through.

It's kind of why a journalist may choose to become a newspaper reporter (as I started my career) as opposed to an on-air TV personality. I'd rather be known for my style of writing and quality of reporting via the byline (printed name) rather than be recognized as a face from the tube.

The most satisfying things I've done as a journalist are breaking important investigative stories, and telling the compelling stories about people in our community.

A lifelong athlete, I always trained in my main sport, swimming, then added other things once the demands of Division I competition were past. This blog has detailed so many fun adventures over the past few years, and focuses much lately on CrossFit.

I obtained my Level 1 certificate to become a CrossFit trainer in April and it has brought me exactly what I was seeking: the satisfaction of helping other get healthy, strong and empowered. I train strong men who serve our nation's military special forces, and I train women with joint ailments who still struggle to quit smoking...

The gamut of people we meet in our lifetimes and the relationships that ensue form who we ourselves become.

The contest page lists other things I do, and I'm sure the list will grow as I continue to "grow up." The winner of the contest gets what was billed as an adventure-filled vacation to Hawaii, a year's supply of Promax bars and a featured spot in the company's DOer campaign.

I would be satisfied with just the campaign-- recognition of efforts to help others when it comes to finding their best fitness and waking up every day feeling great. I'm sure the other contestants are also deserving, but when it comes to popularity votes... well, I'm out!