CrossFitters Guide to State College: Gyms

OK, so, for now, State College does not have a CrossFit box. So if you're visiting the area or you're transfering to Penn State next semester or you're New Year's resolution is to focus a bit more on your general physical conditioning, then you have three choices: 1) work out outside (for me, winter temps in the 20's and 30's are just too damn cold to consistently do hard metcons outside (it just gives me bronchitis) but there are alot of nice parks and public mountain lands to enjoy if you're just passing through), 2) build your own garage gym (long a staple of CrossFitters. My garage works fine... although I do miss the competitive cameraderie of other CrossFitters), or 3) go to a commercial gym. If you're headed to a commercial gym, let this be your guide.

A few comments before the rankings and comments: First, I visited these gyms, talked to the front desk, took a tour, but I haven't actually done a wod in all of them. Some are more likely than others to frown hard or throw you out for whipping out a few handstand pushups against the mirrors or skinning the cat on their squat racks, but let's face it; disapproving looks, shaking heads and disbelieving trainers can be motivating. I know, I did it for three years at L.A. Fitness. Second, I checked these out in the fall of 2010, but gyms change, move, and update equipment, etc. so you might find conditions better or worse than I suggest.

Ranked from most- to least-CrossFit friendly:

#1) VICTORY TOTAL PERFORMANCE, 178 Rolling Ridge Drive (in the Hills Plaza by the Weis): FOUR of FIVE STARS. This is a great place, another CFer turned me on to it as soon as I moved up here. It's almost CF ready and it has alot of toys and even some open space. It also has TWO Olympic platforms with bumper plates and a management and staff that seems performance-oriented (all I got for rocking the cable crossover HARD during some bar muscle-ups was a chuckle and a smile and a 'that's interesting' from Tim the manager). It's not perfect. For instance, the best pull-up bar is on the cable crossover machine so it's prone to being stolen for some front double bicep curls while you're off on the rower and I'm not sure that dozens of drops from overhead on the Oly platforms (like during, say, Grace's 30 clean and jerks) would go over very well, but this is an easy place to get in a great workout. The stats: 1 rower, plenty of k-bells, 2 oly stations, some open space, pull-ups on a cable crossover, plenty of plyo boxes, lots of other toys (weighted vests, chains, vertical leap 'gauge', big timer clock, ghd, no rings though... too bad), not much nearby but there's a liquor store in the adjacent plaza, that's a another plus. $40/month or $10 drop-in fee.

#2) DOWNTOWN ATHLETIC CLUB I (formerly LIONHEART FITNESS AND TANNING), 127 Sowers Street (the east end of downtown, between College and Beaver): THREE of FIVE STARS. This is one of three local gyms owned by the same person/people/company and has undergone changes in the last year. Of the three, this is where they train MMA. That is both it's advantage and disadvantage. The MMA guys have fun equipment and open space, and I was told that if there is not an MMA class going on you can work out in the MMA room and use their toys (excluding the octagon and boxing ring). However, most evenings they have classes scheduled in there. Keep that in mind when you look at the toys below, most of that stuff is in the MMA area and is off limits when there is a class. If you can work around the MMA schedule this place could work out for you for a day or two, but it has one giant glaring flaw: there is not a single freakin' place to do a good kipping pull-up in the whole damn place. Not one. You're in even worse shape if you wanted to do a butterfly kip or, a bar muscle-up. They have a few cable crossover machines with pull-up bars on them but they all have hammer grip extensions in the middle, or worse, these giant, crazy, angled grip things that are guaranteed to bash you in the throat or face as you go for the last few reps. So this is your standard equipment-packed globogym (with tanning salon... YIKES! That's never a good sign!) with two exceptions: 1) It does have an Oly station with bumper plates, and 2) the MMA room has open space, mats on the floor, plyo boxes, rings from the ceiling, a tire for flipping, a rope for climbing, etc. The stats: 1 rower, no kettlebells, 1 Oly station, no free space unless the MMA room is open, no decent place for pullups, 1 or 2 plyo boxes, some other toys (a climbing rope, rings, tire), regular downtown college-town stuff nearby. $19/month. $12 drop-in.

#3) STATE COLLEGE AREA YMCA, 677 W. Whitehall Rd. (let's call it the Southwestern Suburbs, if there is such a thing). THREE STARS of FIVE. This is what you'd expect from a YMCA gym. It's a basic but workable collection of cardio machines, weight machines, and free weights. I work out here occasionally since it is also has the only place that even approximates a rock-climbing gym in the county. The equipment is in good shape and there is a little free space if you insist on it. There's only about 4 feet of wall space that is suitable for handstand pushups, but I use that spot frequently. Also, the best pull-up bars (and some metal rings!) are OUTSIDE past the parking lot by a corner intersection with a red-light. If you are a workout exhibitionist and like drivers-by to shake their heads (out-of-shape middle-aged guys), scoff (male high school athletes), yell obscenities (college age males), or completely ignore you (everyone else, including any reasonably attractive and slightly younger person of the opposite sex), then this might be the corner for you. I know this, because I've twice picked my 4yo daughter up from swim lessons and let her "workout" with me by sprinting back and forth between the pull-up bars on the corner and the rings/pistols station down by the entrance. It's pretty fun and and a good wod if you're in the area. Even a 4yo thinks it's fun! The thin, slick metal rings are hell for muscle-ups but fine for dips. I doubt you'd have to pay to use this stuff, since it's outside by the street and I'm the only one I've ever seen within 30 feet of it. The stats: 2 rowers, plenty of k-bells (they just added a bunch in the last few months, along with a strap-and-handle approximation of a ring hanging from the ceiling), no oly station or bumper plates, just a little free space, pullups on two cable crossovers (or outside, which isn't convenient if you also have to lift anything inside), 2-3 plyo boxes, no other toys, next door there is a playground, a grassy field and you could run on an adjacent bike path to downtown, and there's a pool and basketball courts at the Y itself. $37/month. No drop-in provision, but if you've never been there before you're entitled to a free one-day pass.

#4) EAST COAST HEALTH AND FITNESS, 250 West Hamilton Avenue (just off Fraser, about 8 blocks south of downtown). TWO STARS of FIVE. From here on down it's all globogym nonsense. This place is typical: pretty crowded with machines and equipment, pull-ups on cable crossovers, little -- if any -- toys, typical trainers. The stats: one rower (and apparently, it's usually available!), no kettle-bells, they actually did have two (and only two!) 45-lb bumper plates sitting forlornly in the far corner which (along with the proximity to beer and liquor) gives this place the edge over the rest of the also-rans, a tiny bit of free space, pulll-ups on cable crossovers, no other toys (no plyo boxes, rings, etc.), a liquor store and beer distributor in the same plaza. $35/month, $8 drop-in.

#5) NORTH CLUB (1510 Martin Street, across the street and down a bit from the bowling alley a block or so off of N. Atherton). TWO STARS of FIVE. This is the second of three local gyms with the same owners. I think they think this is their "premier" location. It's a regular globogym. One that is packed (PACKED!) with equipment and broken up into several rooms with relatively low ceilings. The trainer stuck at the front desk the day I was there was friendly, though, and seemed knowledgeable. Apparently, there are at least two CrossFitters who work out regularly there. They were getting certed at the box I used to go to the weekend that I visisted North Club so I didn't get to meet them. Too bad. They must be dedicated, because there is very, very little moving room and the only rack that seemed like a reasonable place to clean or deadlift is back in one corner of the free weight room which is down a hall and around three corners from a room STUFFED with treadmills and ellipticals where I assume they would be sprinting which is, if I remember correctly, up a short flight of stairs from the cable crossovers for pull-ups. I'm glad to hear somebody is pushing hard at that place, though, and making it work. They're the only reason this place isn't just a single star. The stats: one rower, a few kettlebells, no oly equipment, no space, pullups on cable crossovers, no plyo boxes, no toys, Tudek Memorial Park is a few hundred yards back the road (that's probably too far to be much use for metcons with a sprint component but at least there's open space there). $30/month, $12 drop-in.

#6) DOWNTOWN ATHLETIC CLUB II (formerly TITAN FITNESS, 412 W. College Avenue, in the basement/back of a restaurant, the one with the big white pillars out front... go in on the side nearest Atherton) ONE STAR of FIVE. This is the third of the three local gyms with the same owners. For years (apparently), this was the boxing/MMA place, but all that stuff is down at Club I so now II's the aerobic class place. I think. Who cares. There's plenty of open space because it's mainly for aerobic kickboxing classes and such now. Don't plan on parking anywhere but on the street. All the parking that you think would be for the gym is for the restaurant or the insurance agency or the spots are rented out to PSU employees and cars get towed. The cranky old woman (actually a pretty nice old woman, after you talk to her for a few minutes) was yelling at me and freaking out when I apparently parked the Sportster in a rented space on a sunny sunday afternoon. It didn't matter anyway, the gym was closed. Admittedly, I only looked through the windows but I wasn't impresssed. The stats: might have been a rower lurking in a corner but I doubt it, might have been a kettlebell in a corner but I doubt it, no oly equipment, maybe pull-ups off the rafters on one side, no useful toys that I could see. Whatever they're charging, if you want to CrossFit, this isn't the place. $19/month. $12 drop-in.

#7) SPRING FITNESS (outside Bellefonte, along Benner Pike on the left on the hill coming out of town toward State College) ONE STAR of FIVE. A pretty small, regular globogym. The day I was there I walked around the entire interior (which is at the end of a weird village-like mall with faux-town storefronts... odd.) and finally had to speak up and ask if any of the two or three people that I could see actually worked there. Some guy came out from the back and then walked behind the front desk. He didn't know shit, but gave me a flyer. The stats: no rowers, plenty of kettlebells, no oly equipment, no space, pullups on cable crossovers, no plyo boxes, no other toys, nothing nearby. $50/month.

unranked. THE FITNESS CIRCUIT (2301 Commercial Blvd., up on the hill behind College Gardens if you're headed out of town toward the mall) UNRANKED. I'm leaving this one unranked because it's a gym for bootcamp style workouts and although I've never been inside because of my own funky hours, I really like what I see when I look inside. You can't just go in and do a wod whenever you wanted anyway, so what's the point of ranking it. You show up and do their group workout and the utility isn't in the facilities they provide but in the expertise of the trainers. In that way it's similar to the way most CF boxes are run. Even more, it LOOKS like a CrossFit box through the window. There's no cardio equipment or weight machines (that right there would probably give it at least THREE STARS of FIVE) just a long row of actual honest-to-goodness pull-up bars (NOT cable crossovers) with rings (actual RINGS!) hanging off of them on the far side of big, square open space. I haven't had a chance to go there and workout, but I know one lady who does and they have helped her lose 20-30 lbs over the last year or so. She says the workouts are hard, they are never the same, and the trainers push the clients to keep increasing the weights they use for common movements. Plus they have her doing burpees and wall-balls. All that is positive in my book, so if you're into this sort of thing, this might be a good place to check out. I don't think they do olympic lifts or heavy, low rep max efforts. Right next door and across the street is Nature's Pantry health-food store and Nittany Gymnastics... so it's in a good neighborhood, too! Approximately $132/month (3-month unlimited membership). $20 drop-in.

CrossFit Sectional

Last weekend I had the opportunity to be a judge at the CrossFit Games PA-MD-DE Sectional. This is the first CrossFit competition I've attended. Typically, I only compete in one 'race' a year and it's usually some sort of outdoor triathlon or mini-adventure race. I'm never in the hunt, but it's usually fun and done with friends, but I'm always thinking in the back of my mind "this is great but what it needs is some deadlifts for time or a 20 minute AMRAP in the transition area."



Anyway, what did I learn?

0 - There are some beasts out there. The fittest people I know from my old CF box placed no higher than 5th and those were the women with a field of around 30. The firebreather guys from that box didn't make the 20-person cut to go to regionals and these guys are seriously bad-ass compared to just about anyone else in any other gym anywhere around. Dedicated, hard-training, hard-thinking, good-eating athletes and they're only top-third at a sectionals competition. Wow. The videos and pics from the last few years of CF games don't do those athletes justice, but go head-to-head and you would be amazed.

1 - I like to suffer. If people are voluntarily suffering, then that's where I want to be. In this case, since I couldn't suffer by competing, I managed to weasel my way out of a nice, warm, cushy, inside judge spot at the 3-minute 185lb-ground-to-overhead-anyway-possible-wod and into the torrential flooding rain and horse-winds of the apocolypse' outside at the kettlebell OHS wod. In shorts. Without a rain jacket. Good times. Bad weather always means good times when you're outside! Floods, blizzards, hurricanes, nor'easters, -20F temps... those are the fondest backpacking and climbing trips in my memories.

2 - There is some horrible form out there. It was hard not to simply keep my mouth shut and judge and not try to coach. Some judges had more success with this, some had less. Some didn't try. Some athletes appreciated the coaching, some didn't. I stuck with simply counting reps and indicating when the athlete missed a rep (or was getting close) because of incomplete ROM (for the k-bell OHS it was constantly "deeper squat" or "fully extend at the top" for the lower-performing athletes). But some folks could have really used some simple cues like "weight on your heels" or "push out with your knees". Bad form is one of the biggest criticisms people levy against CFers pushing hard in time-priority wods. There's probably nothing that can be done in competition, but I hope these folks are getting good instruction on a daily basis from there coaches/trainers/friends/family, and that these coaches/trainers/friends/family have the fortitude to insist on better form.

3 - Appearances are deceiving. There were some big dudes there that were middle-of-the-road in the heavy wods, and there some tiny folks that crushed it. I love that. I mean, I LOVE that. It's like a 100 horsepower Sportster. I love sleepers, whether it's my bike or a friends physical appearance.

4 - The best indicator that I could see on how well a particular athlete was going to do on a particular wod was a combination of: 1) the ease and 2) the form, with which that athlete did any practice reps. Just easily tossing 185 lbs overhead once or twice might make you think that an athlete is going to kill the Clean and Jerk wod, but if they weren't fully extending the hips or they were pulling with the arms early you would see that form only further degrade over the first 10 reps and all that wasted energy would lead to missed reps or long breaks over the next few minutes.

5 - I still hate fashion. CrossFit is developing it's own little fashion culture and it's as silly as any other. Lulu Lemon for the girls. CrossFit T's with crazy graphics and ridiculous tag lines for the guys. Those crazy socks to protect shins during Oly lifts. I could do without any of that. I'm partial to cheap k-mart shorts and A-shirts. But then again, maybe that's why my Fran time sucks.

6 - CF competitions probably need a little mountain biking or kayaking or rapelling to find my sweet spot. Looks like I'm gonna have to start my own competitions. Ones that are perfectly suited to my strengths and address none of my weaknesses!

CREDIT: Obviously that's not my video, it's from the CrossFit Mainsite on March 20th, 2010. It was done by CF Again Faster, who happen to be good people. The guy that started Again Faster (and whose name is escaping me now) was one my Level 1 instructors and a super-friendly and funny guy. Worth checking out if you're looking for CF gear.

CrossFit Level 1 Cert

After four years of CrossFitting, I finally attended a Level 1 Certification. I shouldn't have waited. It was exactly what I expected from CrossFit: comprehensive, authoritative, and thought-provoking.

The first day covered 9 foundational movements (squat, front squat, overhead squat, (shoulder) press, push press, push jerk, deadlift, sumo deadlift high pull, and clean) in exacting detail. For someone who had studied the pre-read material for weeks prior, had been training with a good trainer for months and had practiced the movements for years, you might think that this could be excruciatingly boring. However, the detail, the explanations, the training cues, and the hands-on practice under the careful eye of incredibly experienced trainers could not have been more interesting. As simple as these movements are, being as efficient as possible can be incredibly nuanced. Equally nuanced can be the simple, effective cues and drills to correct major and minor errors in mechanics. I went with lots of questions, most of which were answered in the lectures, but the ones that weren't were answered thoughtfully by the coaches. Some of these I'll have to mull over a bit and I'll comment on them here.


This cert happened to be at my old affiliate, although they've sinced moved into this big new box. It was a chance to see some old friends. People I had sweated and grunted and bled alongside for months. It was also the first time since I moved to State College 6 months earlier that I was working out in a group. A big group. In this case it was 59 other people. It's incredibly hard not to give exactly 100% when everyone around is working so hard. And you don't even have to know these people, but you can see the effort - and typically the pain - in their face and doing less than your best is simply not a possibility.


The weekend really managed to focus and harmonize in my mind how and why CrossFit works. These are things I want to share with State College in several ways. More to come...

The Hunched Back Deadlift & Loss of Motor Control

Some people deadlift with hunched backs. No one argues that this is ideal posture. However, it's incredibly common -- and not just among people new to the lift or the gym. Elite national and international-level powerlifting competitors can often be seen with fully extended hips but with remaining lumbar flexion before the completion of the lift.

It really bothers me because I am extremely careful with deadlift form and I have still occasionally aggravated my disc herniation. If I were to get anywhere near these postures at weights near my 1 RM I'm pretty sure the nucleus from L5-S1 disc would not simply herniate, it would come flying out of my spine like a big hunk of snot. I understand that the thousands of reps and millions of pounds that elite competitors have lifted under the watchful eye of effective trainers probably means their body is prepared for how they lift, but what about the noobs?

McGill's "Low Back Disorders..." sheds some light on this subject (see the (rather poor) photo of pg. 105 of the second edition of this book). He brought in a bunch of powerlifters. He measured the maximum flexion of their spine unweighted. This is considered 100% flexion for a given athlete. Then he used several different means to monitor these lifters as they made heavy lifts. In every case but one (which we'll get to), while these athletes may have flexed their spine (so their spines are no longer in the "neutral" (or standing) posture), they always stopped 2-3 degrees short of full 100% flexion in any of their lumbar joints. OK, so these athletes are so finely tuned that their bodies know exactly how far they can flex and then they flex no more. I doubt the average gym rat or CrossFitter is so self-aware; especially at the end of a wod when completely winded... but it is possible that some people are just naturally more aware of spine positioning that others. And it appears that these people are less likely to become injured.

During the testing, however, one athlete experienced a loss of muscle control in one of the muscles (it's not clear which, and it's not necassarily important) stabilizing the spine. This permitted one lumbar joint (the L2-L3 in this case) to flex to -- and beyond -- 100% flexion. This athlete was injured. This illustrates a couple of points:

1 - It explains how all those hunched backs in deadlift competitions are not constantly injuring people. They probably never reach 100% flexion in any joint, so the soft tissue (ligaments, discs) remains free of acute trauma.

2 - Even if you've gotten away with it before, even trained powerlifters can have a momentary loss of motor control that can injur the spine. This is more likely if you have a 'hunched' spine where there is little room (2-3 degrees!) for error.

3 - This also explains how people hurt their spine doing relatively benign tasks. I 'tweaked' my back one time picking up my toothbrush off the floor! Obviously the loads here are very small, but if there is a momentary loss of motor control, one of the lumbar joints might reach 100% flexion, which results in injury.

Interesting stuff. I've not yet reached the part of the book where McGill will expain how I might rehab and retrain the 'stablizing' muscles of the spine to reduce the risk of 'loss of motor control', especially during hard breathing where these same stabilizing muscles are helping the athlete to breathe. This is howevery the point of the last third of the book. This seems particular relevant to the CrossFitter who is constantly being asked to lift hard, fast and to do so while really sucking wind.

SOUNDTRACK: Hey it's Christmas Eve and even punks (occasionally) write Christmas songs. Darlington's "X-mas" on the Album "Mess You Up" (BTW, I linked to Amazon to show the album cover which is... um.. confusing, but recommend your local independent record store) is slow but still pretty catchy. I know the feeling of the lyrics, "I need a bottle of holiday cheer..." They also have a good almost-cover of the Rocky Horror Picture Show "Timewarp" song. I saw these guys years ago at Upstairs at Nicks in Philly, bought a 7", enjoyed it. End of story I thought. They were called "Mess" then. Years later, though, I borrowed a bunch of CDs from a friend to listen to while I was re-finishing the basement in my house and was surprised to find that they had changed their name to Darlington. Just another slurred-speach version of TheRamones, but good stuff. Very poppy. Hits the spot sometimes. Like on X-mas Eve.

IMAGE: Taken without permission but with full credit from pg. 105 of Stuart McGill's "Low Back Disorders: evidence-based prevention and rehabilitation", 2nd Edition.

CrossFit for Outdoor Athletes

World renown ice climber Will Gadd, who literally wrote the book on modern ice climbing techniques and who is currently training for an 'endless ascent' 24 straight hours of vertical ice climbing at Ouray, finally got around to giving CrossFit the "full-on committed" effort for 3 months. He comments on what he's learned on his blog. I'm currently working through the back catalog of his blog, and I pay special attention when truly world-class athletes give CrossFit a shot and are kind enough to comment. In general he was surprised by his strength, fitness, and mass gains but has a few minor critiques that are worth considering if you're a climber and like to get outside and get after it.

The herniated disk feel much better today than yesterday. I can sneeze without debilitating, excruciating pain, for instance. During breakfast I commented, "This is exactly the time when I typically overdo it and hurt myself worse." Still... by lunch I was planning on going out and having a go at a strict pull-up/hangboard workout. I think it's wiser to just let it heal for a few more days.

IMAGE: The image is one of my favorites "Will Gadd on Aweber" by Christian Pondella , who as tons of great pics on his website. That ice has got to be rock hard.

soundtrack: NOFX "What's the matter with kids today?" Great question I think of often as a dad, but, even if I do love GG Allin (and tried to visit his grave!), do I want my daughter to "drink and fuck and fight?" Probably. Eventually. When I'm dead (or rather, over my dead body).

The CrossFit Comeback! ...Interrupted

Well, two weeks and just one and a half full-intensity WODs into my long-anticipated Crossfit Comeback and I've aggravated my herniated disk. Unbelievable. Nothing "popped" as it has in the worst cases in the past, but anything other than walking (except maybe the hangboard... we'll have to see) is not happening right now. And it couldn't have come at a worse time either. Tussey Mountain is starting to blow snow and should open this weekend, a deep freeze
has settled over the entire Northeast creating favorable conditions for ice to finally start to form, and lake effect snow is blowing all the way to Maine. ...And my back is screwed again. Let me see I can get the timeline right and then start thinking of a way out of this.

The comeback was going well. I'd been eating zonish all of November. My first week of wods(starting after Thanksgiving) was all half-volume, medium intensity just-get-back-into-the-groove type stuff from the main site or from CrossFit KoP. I felt good. I was stiff and sore in all the right ways. I was happy to learn that the skill-based "crossfit tricks" (things like double-unders, kipping and butterfly pull-ups, against-the-wall handstand push-ups, pistols, etc) all pretty much picked up where they left off, and I was finding a way to fit the wods into my schedule. Of course, my strength and stamina were seriously degraded, as was my mental ability to push the intensity... but I knew I'd get those back quickly.

After one week of this, the wod called for a 1000m row, then 21-15-9 reps of GHD sit-ups and back extensions. Pretty straightforward. I'd sub 45lb sumo deadlift high pulls for the rows, abmat situps for the GHD situps, and supermans for the back extensions. A not-bad workout that I could do full-volume. But I felt the tug in my lower back during the SDLHPs. So, being very cautious about my lower back, I cut them short and wrapped up the situps and supermans without issue or discomfort. "Damn. I'm so smart and approriately cautious," I thought.

I took a much needed day-off just to catch up on my sleep and everything felt fine. The next day I decided to go full-on intensity for a couple of short benchmark wods. The first was 200 double-unders for time. That felt OK, and I was surprised to find my time (5 minutes and some change) not as bad as I thought it would be. I rested a bit. Played on the hangboard for a few minutes. Then I did a couplet "ramp" or "half pyramid" from CFKoP: 1 burpee and 1 53lb kettlebell swing the first minute; two each the next minute until I couldn't complete a round in one minute. I love these types of wods! It was GREAT! I mean, I only made 8 full rounds but it felt good to take the governer off and just go for it. Not exactly an impressive score, but I was happy to find my mental ability to increase the intensity on these burners was coming back. My lower back
felt OK but I could tell it wasn't 100%.

The next morning I spent about an hour shoveling extremely wet, heavy snow. Thank god my
neighbor cleared the bulk of my driveway with this tractor-mounted snowblower. I was as careful as I could be, but my back didn't much care for it. But still, I felt no sharp pains and was expecting to have to work through a bit of discomfort as I got back in the groove. "So far so good," I thought.

That night the main site wod was to run a 5k. No way was I doing that in the dark at 25 F. That would be a sure-fire case of bronchitis. The famous "300" wod was on the CFKoP site. I could do that with the weight scaled back a bit. The deadlifts were already plenty light (135 lbs) and I'd just cut them short if it bothered me.

Well they did bother me, and I did cut them short, but by the time I got halfway through the box jumps, I knew I should stop. Unless I very consciously tightened my abs and held my breath, I would feel a little twinge when I landed at the top. So I stopped. It still didn't feel that bad and again I congratulated myself on my ability to make the tough decision to just cut the workout short. "This is how I will avoid a serious injury," I thought.

That night it bothered me when I slept. It kept waking me up and I couldn't sleep on my stomach like all good people prefer. The next morning it was obvious that this wasn't gonna heal up in a day or two....I would be lucky to be able to ski ro board by christmas and make the first climbing trip by the end of the year. "Damn it!" I thought.

Last night's therapy was a whiskey-soaked, rest-the-back-and-ice-it-continuously viewing of "Old School". Tonight's plan -- after I stop at the liquor store to get some vermouth and bitters -- is to perfect my Jim Beam Manhattan so that I can have a Jim Beam Manhattan-soaked, icing-and-resting-the-back-viewing of say, The Big Lewbowki.

I've started to formulate a path to comeback to the comeback. This will be tricky, though. I need to "fix" this once and for all. It's really the only part of my health that I can complain about. For that I am very thankful, but it is still a significant hit to my life and lifestyle, so it's worth doing right... finally. "So, what is 'right'?" I thought.

Soundtrack: Swingin' Utters "Nine to Five"

Open Letter to Crossfit Veterans

I posted the following on CrossFit King of Prussia's blog on December 3rd. It was a bit out of the blue and not really germain to their wod or other people's posts that day but it was on my mind. I thought I'd post here to jumpstart this blog again and provide a bit of background as I begin hitting the workouts hard again after a long layoff.
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Hey, i know this will be a long post, but WTF.

I read that 'hunk to chunk' article. The article mentions that the hardest part was to get motivated after six months of no workouts and extreme eating. That sounds about right. I'll try to make a different point from a similar situation: it's easy to forget how intimidating some of these CF Wods can be to a new comer.

I CF'd for about 3.5 years -- since DEC 1st 2006 – missing a few months total in that time due to injury and a kid in the hospital. For personal reasons, I recently took almost 5 months off from CF. In that time I did maybe 3 or 4 short trail runs, and a few bodyweight only wods, maybe 1 or 2 per month. Basically, nothing. Without a reason to eat correctly, my consumption of sugar and alcohol skyrocketed (ahhhh..... whiskey). It was fun for awhile, but the whole time I kept checking the CF websites (and lurking here on CFKoP) and I knew that winter sports season was coming and this couldn't last forever, but i kept finding reasons to put it off.

Now, with the new house settled, the garage gym basically done, and skiing/boarding/ice climbing season right around the corner, I've been back on the zone bandwagon for most of November and started half-volume, medium intensity wods since Thanksgiving to get back in the groove before going 100% (in eight days!). Feels really good to be back (actually, I'm sore as hell even though I am intentionally loafing it and focusing on form).

It's been a long time since I was new to CF, and this gave me new perspective on how intimidating some of the wods can be; even for someone who is not new CF methodology. My first wod back happened to be Linda. Jesus. That got scaled back way more than half-volume and medium intensity. Yesterday's mainsite wod was basically a heavy one-handed Fran. Also very intimidating and heavily scaled.

So the point to my friends at CFKoP -- trainers and others -- that have been at this awhile and start to consider themselves salty, crusty CF veterans: Don't forget what it was like the first time. And don't forget that the veterans' attitudes towards the wods, your commitment to your training, and the way that you support all newcomers (no matter where they lie on the fitness continuum) every day is critical to help them see that this stuff isn't impossible... it's FUN! And it's worthwhile.