BCCF Does Dallas

Two weekends in a row in Dallas....Love that drive.

ACO - Weekend #1 - Success!

CrossFit Dallas Central put on their second annual All Cities Open competition December 11th and played host to 100+ men, women, and "masters" competitors from all over the area, and a few outside of the area. These guys in Dallas run a class act affiliate and both of their competitions I've had the privilege of competing in, went off without a hitch. This year they did an amazing job of testing abilities, exploiting weaknesses, and finally mixing up the workouts a bit. We didn't do the same 'ole movement 1 x 10, movement 2 x 10, movement 3 x 4 - 5 rounds...3, 2, 1, GO! They mixed it up, threw a couple curve balls, and kept us in the dark about the WOD's until just before they started. Our BCCF crew was well represented by competitors Jane Shin, Katie Russell, THE Vic Zachary, Kristian Montoya, Marco Cazares, and myself. We also had an awesome fan base with Kimberly Walling, Shelby Frakes, Curt Vaculik, John and Lori Riley, and Ashley Butturini. I'll go back to ACO every year! And maybe one of those years I'll finally make that podium!


CossFit Coaches Prep Seminar - Weekend #2 - Success....then FAIL!

Katie, Vic, Shelby, and I ventured back up I-45 this past weekend for the CrossFit Coaches Prep seminar. This is a course designed to prepare us for our Level II certification that we all aspire to obtain in the near future. The instruction was top notch. We were blessed by the presence of some CrossFit All-Starts with our instructors being Chris Spealler, Chuck Carswell, Adrian Bozman, and Spencer Nix. These guys KNOW THEIR STUFF. I can't even put into words how beneficial it is to step back and get a refresher on the stuff we do every day...those of you who are in my classes - get ready to get back to basics!!!

Now for the Fail part: I Pricelined our hotel. Boo. Nice Hotel. HORRIBLE service! Long story short - one bed, four people. The floor was not soft.
Seminar complete, let's go back to Houston. Wait, not so fast...we got about an hour south of Dallas when my truck decided to start making sounds like a rocket ship (make that a malfunctioning rocket ship). We pulled off the road at 7:00 and ended up staying in that same gas station parking lot until about 10:30 p.m.. Much thanks to "JZ" of JZ's roadside repair for fixing us up and getting us back on the road. We crawled back into Houston about 2:00 a.m...and yes, I made it to my beloved 6:00 a.m. class at Pin Up!

Lesson learned here: I've managed to surround myself with some pretty amazing friends. Not once did I hear (now, I'm saying I didn't hear it, not that it didn't exist!) any complaining about the hotel or the extended stay at the Shell station near Ennis. Vic, Shelby, and Katie - thanks for being troopers and making the best of a bad situation. You guys definitely made the "not so good" parts of the weekend a whole heck of a lot better. I couldn't ask for better friends.

cg

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What can Paleo do for you?

The Paleo lifestyle is some pretty powerful stuff. Some dabble in it, some live by it, and some swear it's a hoax. The more I learn about it, the more amazed I am at what it can claim to do.

Personally, I'm a dabbler. I've yet to commit to the Paleo lifestyle 100%. I tend to go in swings where I'll be a decent Paleo player for several weeks or months, then fall off the wagon only to realize the enormous effect it has on me. Currently, I would project I'm about 90% Paleo...beer just beckons me on the weekends. Will I ever be 100%? We'll see. The more I read, the more I hear, the more I think maybe.

Here's why:

1. "The Paleo Solution." It's the title of Robb Wolf's book. All about Paleo, all good stuff. Hell, this could even scare you into a Paleo lifestyle. I picked it up about 3 weeks ago and immediately began tightening down on my diet...good stuff.

2. Performance. Ok, so Halloween weekend got a little out of hand. Candy, sugar, and beer. Repeat. Even as I write this with two days of recovery and two workouts to "detox" I still feel like garbage. Who's to say whether it was the candy, beer (there may have even been a couple of shots), lack of sleep, or all of the above. Either way none of it was Paleo!

3. Success Stories. I've yet to hear an athlete tell me that Paleo sucks and they didn't see any results from it! In fact, I have a new athlete in my 7:15 class who can attribute some major lifestyle changes to cleaning up her diet.
Lauren joined my class after finished up basics about a month ago. Her story goes way back to 5+ years ago and involves some major allergies and some "uncomfortable" symptoms. Over 5 years ago Lauren was in a tough place. She had been misdiagnosed with dermatitis and given medication to remedy it. This caused SEVERE blisters covering her entire body. She describes it as looking like a burn victim. She was prescribed topical steroids to put on all of her skin. Doctors suggested she may have food allergies but were unable to pinpoint the source of the outbreaks. Lauren describes sleeping "starfish" style covered in calamine lotion to control the itching. Fast forward a couple months and Lauren has moved home with her parents because the discomfort has disallowed her to even go into work. Doctors continue to tell her it's just a rash and it will go away in a couple weeks (she's had it for 6+ weeks now). Another month passes and Lauren begins to experience severe swelling in her arms. So much so that she cannot bring a spoon to her mouth to eat. Thankfully her family has a great sense of humor and they make fun of her as she attempts to eat! Not only that, she has to be wrapped in hot towels to comfort her skin twice a day for a month. Doctors now think she may have autoimmune disease, but are unable to diagnose the problem.
Let's jump forward to January of 2006: Lauren is finally able to return to work, but must wake up super early for work only to apply massive amounts of foundation to hide her skin from her co-workers. She continues to see doctors...surprise...no results! Lauren continues with her topical steroids but side effects include skin weakness to the point that removing a bandaid would leave a scab. For the next couple years she basically dealt with the hell of the steroids, weak skin, and other side effects. Six doctors and 20-some prescriptions later she makes a New Years Resolution: eat clean.
Lauren cuts out all processed foods except dairy and grains. Her skin is much better, but still has to use the steroids. From May to July she progresses to a Paleo diet. She cuts out soy, legumes, and eventually phases out the grains. The steroid use diminishes until she stops using them completely. Lauren now hasn't experienced an "outbreak" since hitting the Paleo. In her own words, she has the best skin she's had in 5 1/2 years, and is finally able to go without worrying about what she was wearing in fear of an outbreak. This, in a state where it's summer for 9 months of the year!
While Lauren doesn't claim Paleo is 100% responsible for success, it certainly hasn't hindered her progress. She's not shy about her story...ask her about it!

This is just one of the many amazing stories I've read/heard/witnessed verifying the positives of a Paleo lifestyle. In his book Robb Wolf challenges you to try it - for 30 days - and see what it can do for you. I say get on board!

cg

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Barbells for Boobs, Badasses, and Big Time

1. Barbells for Boobs: Awesome event at Bayou City CrossFit put on by our very own Coach Katie. We had a great turnout of people in pink to help support Mammograms in Action by completing the workout "Grace" as fast as they could. Lots of PR's were set, lots of fun was had, and lots of money was raised. Tip your glasses to another great CrossFit get together to benefit something larger than any single one of us!

2. Badasses: I sat at my computer this Sunday watching football (and dozing off from time to time) while constantly checking on the fellas up in Austin competing in the Longhorn Ironman Triathlon. Seriously? 70.3 miles of swimming, biking, and running?! David, Vic, Oli, Chad, and Nathan you guys are fracking awesome. My hat goes off to you BCCF badasses for going out there and busting your ass all damn day!

3. Big Time: I'm pretty excited for this coming week. I'm getting a chance to go workout with the big boys up in Austin to tweak my oly lifts and get some coaching advice from non other than Olympian Chad Vaughn. It's always cool to get a chance to work with guys like Chad who definitely falls into that badass category but is more humble than anyone you can meet. I'll keep you posted on how awesome it is!

'till next time,

cg

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How do you measure up?

Measure your success. How?

So what came to your mind? How do you measure your success? In your job, in your relationships, in your life in general? What means success for one person may be completely different for someone else.

Recently the Bayou City CrossFit newsletter featured one of my 7:15 class clients, Susan Graham. If you missed the article, Susan is a 62 year old grandmother who comes to class 3x a week and kicks ass every time! When setting goals in July, Susan was determined to to be able to place her own carry on bag in the overhead compartment when she traveled. I loved the fact that Susan's goal and success had nothing to do with a back squat PR, a fast Fran time, or a record number of Tabata push-ups. Susan is the definition of why CrossFit exists. She is why we call it "fundamental fitness." Susan achieved her goal, and on a recent trip to Arizona had a picture snapped of her placing her own carry on bag in the overhead compartment. Success!!!!

I've never been more proud! Susan, whether you realize it or not, you serve as a role model, motivator, and mentor to us all here at BCCF! Keep up the awesome work!

cg

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Living the Dream

I used to have a co-worker who, when asked "how are you" or "how's it going", would tell me: "living the dream Mr. G, living the dream!" I think he really meant it. Although his job was not easy, he was often presented with nearly impossible deadlines, and he had to deal with misfit youth throughout every day he still found joy and pleasure in his job. To him it wasn't a J.O.B. For him, his job was a passion - something he enjoyed doing every day. How do I know this? Because I asked him. I was often jealous that we could work in the same profession yet I was miserable and he was as happy as a hippie. He appreciated every opportunity he was presented with, loved the satisfaction of helping kids no matter how small the contribution, and was almost always positive about his role. Bottom line: he took his passion and turned it into his career.

Thanks to Vic at Bayou City CrossFit I can truly relate to my former co-worker. Working full-time at BCCF has allowed me to pursue a passion of mine and truly enjoy my JOB. I'm pretty sure that if someone asks me "how are you" or "how's it going", I'll probably respond with: "I'm dreaming in my dream it's so good!"

Thanks Vic and BCCF.

cg

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I Hear Voices In My Head!

I can't take credit for this one. It's from CrossFit Watertown and it was exactly what I've been trying to accomplish the past few months. Read it (with passion), think about it, and apply it. Awesomeness.

You know what they’re talking about: The voice in your head that has always been with you, right from the early days. It tells you that you can’t do this, that you’re not strong enough, fast enough, smart enough, skinny enough, pretty enough, or sexy enough. It tells you to stop, to wait, to slow down, to quit.

Kill that f*****.

I mean it. Kill it. Today, in your WOD, stomp that voice. Stomp it good and hard so it never wants to come back. Grind its face into the dirt with your kettlebell and beat the everlovin’ sh** out of it. Go hard, go fast, go heavy. Give everything you have. Give everything you ever had. Do it for yourself, for who you were way back when — back when you were a kid and somebody told you to be a “good girl and play nice” or “let the girls win” or “don’t blow your own horn.” Remember all those well-intentioned (and some not-so-well-intentioned) folks who ever gave you the idea that it was okay to be less than you really are. They were wrong. Most of all, do it for who you want to be — and, maybe, for who you want your kids to be.

When you finish your workout today, don’t just put the barbell down. Throw the barbell down. Throw it down with every last shred of energy you have left and yell “Take that mother******!” (Or “Sweet potatoes” or “Jerks” or whatever the heck you like to say. Swearing is always optional.) But yell something. Be aggressive. Terrify that voice. Kill that voice. Kill it dead and don’t let it come back. You’re better than that voice. Start living like you are.

cg

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It's my "warm fuzzy"

Have you ever watched a movie, listened to a song, or read a story that gave you goosebumps and sent chills up and down your neck? How about one that just made you smile both inside and out? Maybe it gave you a “warm fuzzy.” We all have those moments and I would venture a guess that the majority of us wouldn’t mind increasing the frequency of those “warm fuzzy’s.”

This past weekend at the CrossFit South Central Regionals was full of goosebumps and chills. Watching PR’s in the first event, girls giving everything they had to crank out their very first muscle-up, and seeing un-human performances by some of the most amazing athletes I’ve ever laid eyes on will get that heart pumping every time. Towards the end of the weekend, shortly after we watched our very own Vic Zachary absolutely crush the final WOD to secure his 1st place finish, I looked around and had a long moment of chills and goosebumps. Those of you who were there know it wasn’t because it was cold! Supporters whose sunburned skin matched my red t-shirt. Athletes giving so much they had to be carried off the run course. Judges, volunteers, and organizers who had been in the blazing sun for two solid days. At that point my mind took a break from replaying the WODs, scrutinizing the standings, and worrying about what could have been. At that moment I was proud to be a part of such an amazing community and such a bad ass event.

The best part: As I looked again at the final results today something struck me. At some point this past weekend I personally spoke to each of the top four finishers, both men and women. Although conversations may have been brief, EVERY single one of them was humble, outgoing, and complimentary of the performance of the other athletes. I cannot even begin to imagine what other venue would have that to offer.

I’m proud to be a part of CrossFit.

See you at the games.

cg

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I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit...

Back in high school, we used to call it "track feeling." It was that feeling when you climb into your starting blocks. It sat right in the pit of your stomach. You were out there all by yourself, no one to lean on, no one to bail you out if you got in trouble. I hated that feeling, but loved it all in the same breath. It was that feeling of pressure, excitement, anxiety, and nervousness all wrapped up into one nice, neat little ill-feeling package. My coach used to tell me that if I wasn't nervous, I wasn't prepared. Seriously coach? I'm about to lose my lunch! I used to get that feeling before every race in high school, before every basketball game, before every football game, and even in fall camp when trying to win that starting spot on the roster.

The CrossFit South Central Regional Qualifier is in 4 days. The top 65 men and top 65 Women from Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arizona, and New Mexico will all be gunning for those top 4 2010 CrossFit Games qualifying spots. I've convinced myself that I'm lucky to be a part of those 65 men, that no matter what happens I should be proud of any accomplishments made. But, damn it, I want one of those top 4 spots! My "track feeling" is working overtime this week. As I sit here and type this, that pit in my stomach grows, my hands get a bit shaky, and I have a hard time collecting my thoughts. "Coach, I think I'm ready...I'm so nervous I think I just threw up in my mouth a little..."

Needless to say, I can't wait for this weekend in Fort Worth, TX. I'm going out there with my "track feeling" in tow, ready to win one of those 4 spots....

cg

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Happy Days!

Get Happy. Do whatever it takes. Change jobs, get married, drink beer, get divorced, buy a new car, CrossFit more, go to college, quit college, sing in the shower, get a dog. Do whatever you need to do, but do something to make you happy! Stop sticking with the status quo because you're scared of being happy. Make a change. Make it now. And make it a good one. BE HAPPY.


cg

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Fun, Fun, Fun, 'till Daddy Takes the T-Bird Away...

CrossFit is fun. Right?

In recent weeks I have found myself stressing about my CrossFit workouts, getting uptight when they didn't go as planned, and being downright crabby when I miss a workout. In fact, it was getting to the point that I was stressed pretty much all the time. Now, lets be honest...some of that stress comes from the fact that the Hells Half Acre Regional Qualifier is coming up in 3 weeks! Yet, I still felt like the stress was taking over my preparation for this important contest.

Finally, early this week, in a conversation with a great friend and training compadre, I realized that if I really wanted to succeed at Regionals I had to get back to why I started CrossFit and why success in competition has come my way. I was taking the fun out of my workouts, out of my training, and certainly out of the BCCF community. I spent some time reflecting this week and have made a steadfast decision that CrossFit will become fun again. I will enjoy every workout (even though it might not be until after). I will forget about the pressures of competition. I will recognize why we all do CrossFit in the first place: for FUN!

cg

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Who Moved My Cheese?

I'll be the first to admit, when I saw that the 2010 CrossFit games would not longer be held in Aromas, CA I was disappointed. Ok, I was devastated. For the past year my life has more or less revolved around getting prepared to qualify for the games. My diet changed. My workouts intensified. I put in more hours at the box to improve strength and endurance. All with hopes of qualifying to compete at "The Ranch" in Aromas. See, "The Ranch" is a perfect example of why I fell in love with CrossFit. It exemplifies that homegrown, grassroots movement that makes CrossFit so unique. I never had the chance to compete or even spectate at Aromas, and to be honest, I feel a little bit cheated.

The new venue for the 2010 CrossFit games is the Home Depot Center (HDC) in Carson, CA. This is the same venue that has hosted the summer X-Games and the Warp Tour, just to name a couple. Needless to say, the HDC is no second rate facility. There will be locker rooms, concrete workout surfaces, showers, sky boxes for the fans, and no dusty hill of death to climb or places to pitch your tent or park your RV. For me, that's the problem. In fact, the games has actually lost some of it's appeal to many for those very reasons.

So where does all of this change leave us? Well, as CrossFit grows, becomes more corporate, and loses some of it's grassroots, homegrown feeling we too must change. We can complain, pout, and fuss about that change all we want but our negativity will fall on deaf ears. We will continue to love CrossFit and will learn to grow with it, or be left behind as it prospers and progresses even further. My goal: Compete at the fancy HDC, with or without the dusty hill, campers, or any of the other luxuries "The Ranch" had to offer.

cg

P.S. Read the book if you're curious about the title.

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Please Don't Stop the Music...

Music is powerful.

When you walk into BCCF you almost always hear music. It might be AC/DC, Lady Gaga, 2Pac, Rise Against, or any one of the hundreds of artists we hear every day. In fact, if you come in to BCCF and don't hear music it just seems like something is out of place! While some of us prefer the "old school" workout music like AC/DC, Metallica, and maybe a little Bon Jovi, others may like hearing some Black Eyed Peas, T-Pain, or some "kill, death, kill, hate, death" music. Regardless of your taste it seems as though we all want music during a WOD. Subsequently, I've come to the realization that the most common request at the box is not "hey, help me with my squat," or "can you show me that snatch again," or "what's a man-maker?" The most common request is usually "next song (being yelled)" or "MUSIC (yelling again)" when we don't like the song or the coach forgets to turn up the tunes. Why is this so important to us? I've heard a wide range of responses to that question:

1. It gets me pumped up, gets my blood flowing.
2. I move to the beat of the music, it keeps me going.
3. The louder the better, then I can't hear how hard I'm breathing.
4. I have to have music so I can't hear my knees crack and pop.
5. It helps block everything else out.

What I've come to find is that music is extremely powerful. Not only can it help us get ready for a brutal WOD or calm us down as we stretch or practice yoga, it has enormous effects on our lives outside of our fitness.

As most of you know I work as an administrator at a middle school here in Houston. Working with 12-15 year old kids on a daily basis can lead to stressful situations. Lately I've found myself migrating to the choir or piano room when I feel the stress and anxiety piling on. It only takes a few minutes of listening and watching these talented kids make music for me relax and put everything back into perspective. In addition, I recently noticed a trend in my life that became blatantly apparent just the other day. On my way to work each morning I find myself listening to KSBJ as it relaxes and soothes me a little bit. After work the button for 94.5 is pushed and I get my blood flowing a bit for CrossFit. None of it is done intentionally, it just seems to work out that way.

Think about it. Music is used to alter moods and personalities in numerous situations: relaxing music in yoga, massage, and acupuncture, pumped up music to introduce athletes prior to competition, or a little Barry Manilow to set the mood for a romantic evening :0). Okay, that was a stretch...but seriously, have you ever considered how much impact music has on your life?

cg

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THE SQUAT

Down a road, in a gym far away,
a young man was heard to say,
"no matter what I do, my legs won't grow"
he tried leg extensions, leg curls, and leg presses , too
trying to cheat, these sissy workouts he'd do.

from the corner of the gym where the big men train,
through a cloud of chalk and the midst of pain
where the noise is made with big forty fives,
a deep voice bellowed as he wrapped his knees.
a very big man with legs like trees.

laughing as he snatched another plate from the stack
chalking his hands and monstrous back,
said, "boy, stop lying and don't say you've forgotten,
the trouble with you is you ain't been SQUATTIN'. "


I like back squats.

cg

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Title Track

No deposit, no return. What does that even mean? Let me explain why "No deposit, no return" has become one of my favorite sayings...in CrossFit and life in general.

Every time I teach an intro class at BCCF, I make it a point to ask each client what they are trying to accomplish by getting started with CrossFit. Most people give me the generic answer of "I want to get in shape," which is a perfectly great answer. On the other hand, clients have given me reasons such as "I want to be jacked and tan", "I'm enlisting in the Army and don't want to get my ass handed to me", or "because my wife is making me." Again, all fantastic answers (well, the wife reason is a bit sketchy). My follow-up question is usually "what are you willing to do to satisfy that reason?" Simply put, the amount of effort you put into CrossFit will stricktly determine what you get out of it - no deposit, no return. At this point in the conversation some clients are probably thinking they wish they would have stayed home. I begin to talk about frequency of workouts, importance of nutrition, journals, and pushing your physical limits. The deposits are growing. Now we talk about recovery, drinking beer (actually, that we should lay off the beer a bit), and the 23 hours of the day we're not in the gym. The deposits are still mounting up. Next comes the talk about that sweetner you put in your coffee and how you always try to find the parking space closest to the store entrance. Even more deposits. We're 10 minutes into our 12 minute conversation and all we've talked about are deposits...where are the returns!! That's the hard part folks. In fitness we deposit, deposit, deposit for what seems like months and months. The returns just don't seem to be making their way back to us. They will. I promise. The deposit you made by giving your all in every class, by changing your eating habits, by tracking your workouts and meals in your journals, and every other deposit you made will create a return in the end. Those of you just starting out, keep making those deposits, the returns are right around the corner. Those of you who have seen the returns reaped from generous deposits, share your story with the newcomers...we can all use the encouragement.

'till next time....

cg

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My first time...

My first time creating a blog! Get your mind out of the gutter.

This will be my first go at creating a blog. If you had asked me a year or two ago if I was the "blogging type" I would have laughed in your face...and probably assumed you were kidding. BUT, I guess I have evolved. It seems as though in the past year I have found myself consumed with learning ways to create a healthier lifestyle through fitness and nutrition. So, stay tuned to this new adventure of mine to hear stories about CrossFit, read tips on fitness, browse through a rant about something important to me (but probably useless to most), and find helpful tips on nutrition for the active person.

cg

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