April's baseline workout is "Conan the Barbarian" and (much to their chagrin) several people have already done the workout a couple times and actually thrived (okay, survived may be a more accurate term).
Conan the Barbarian
Make no mistake - this one sucks! The Double Kettlebell Snatches quickly bleed the life out of your hip snap and the Sit-outs don't help. Give it a try and see what you think!
Our own Geri Shapiro completed the Boston Marathon on Monday in 4 hours 39 minutes and 38 seconds. Based on the picture below you can only imagine that Geri ran the whole race with her trademarked smile and toss of her pony-tail!
Congratulations Geri! You are an inspiration to all of us! :)
BTW - Geri was anxious to run the day after the race but has wisely decided to take a day off... look for her in class later this week!
Came across this video on Bill Ellsworth's blog the other day and I thought you guys might get a kick out of it. It shows the last handful of burpees out of 1000... looks like it wasn't a whole lot of fun! Kind of makes the Texas Push-up challenge look kind of tame... :P
I read a lot... no really I do! I read books, magazines (yeah they have pictures), comic books, blogs (too many to list) and professional journals. I've been an avid reader my whole life and we've planted the reading bug in both of our sons. Being able to read is the greatest gift that I have ever received and the greatest gift you can give someone else. My wide variety of interests is due mostly to my innate curiosity but also to my desire to continuously learn new things and learn more about the things I am already conversant in.
One of my favorite things to read is the CrossFit Journal. I check out the site on a daily basis and always find something that peaks my interest. If you are in the least bit interested in enhancing your performance then you should be reading the Journal. Another website that I check on a regular basis is by Jim Collins. Mr Collins has written several books on maximizing your life and life experiences. You would be well served by at least perusing his site.
So what does greatness have to do with reading? Well to achieve greatness you have to consciously apply yourself to accomplishing something, be disciplined about your approach and be willing to overcome obstacles that are placed before you. Reading about others who have done what you are trying to accomplish better prepares you to achieve the same results and the more you know the better prepared you are to deal with any issues that pop up. So, I have to ask: are you pursuing greatness or are you willing to accept mediocrity?
You're aren't going to know the person who is the originator of this quote (she's my niece from Tennessee) but I thought it was a great one and I wanted to share it with you:
"What doesn't kill us makes us terribly entertaining." - Allison Greene
I've always said that I hope to live long enough to regale my grandchildren with stories of the crazy things that I did when I was younger (and continue to do today). I think back over all the close-calls I've had with the Grim Reaper and it's a miracle I'm still around and mostly in one piece (at least the big pieces are still intact). Now all I've got to do is keep the Grim Creeper at bay and I'm planning to fight him off with Kettlebells, CrossFit and a healthy dose of deadlifts and squats.
I was watching a video on the CrossFit Journal website the other day and came across the following quote made by Coach Greg Glassman:
I know I've heard something similar to this in the past but Coach's presentation really struck a chord with me. I have always had the mentality that nothing is worthwhile that isn't fought for and his quote resonated deeply with me. While he was talking about CrossFit in particular, there is meaning to this statement that could apply to all areas of your life.
If it's too easy is it really worthwhile? Is a little (or a lot of) suffering good for the soul? You decide... I already know the answer.