Tuesday, January 18, 2011

JANUARY...CHECK!

First rule, never let em change you.
Rule two, do you to the fullest
And never be ashamed to.
Your just good at what they can’t do.
And they hate that, they wanna paint you
In they color, put you on another.
But what they don’t accept, and what they don’t see
The best thing is what you already be.



January 15th Marks event one of 2011. This took place at Hybrid Athletics in Stamford, CT. A Crossfit/strongman partner challenge consisted of the following post below. It was something I could have trained harder for, but in real time, I had prepared as much as I could mentally.

The gym was cold, I was sore from a workout from the day before, it was early and it was Saturday. On the flip...I was surrounded by people who are if not more enthusiastic about fitness than I am. A room full of hundreds of fitness gurus pushing their bodies to the limits. Tires, Kettlebells, dirt, sweat....I've been told by one "you're all crazy."

My coach/coworker walked in to the scene after the second event to watch and he was shaking already...he wasn't even doing the workout. It was a strength in numbers and feeling of empowerment. Maybe it was also the line up of coolers and protein shakes along the middle of the gym.

Was it hard...absolutely. Was it fun? You know it. What I enjoyed most about it...The support, energy, and learning from the what, how, and WHY others train the way they do.

Awesome day, thank you to all that came to support. And Thank you to Rob, Tim, Mike, James, Katie, and KA at hybrid. I'm so glad to have met all of you and to be a part of the community.

enjoy....

Event 1 Twin Deadlift.....7 Big Jumps followed by 20 pound jumps for all divisions

Each team will be given 30 seconds to step up to the bar and successfully deadlift the weight. If they don’t finish the lift and return it back to the floor within 30 seconds they are out of the event. If they successfully lift the bar they go to the back of the line and make the next attempt. Small Jumps are in BOLD LETTERS.

Women’s LW 220...2 plates per side. 30 pound jumps
220, 250, 280, 310, 340, 370, 400, 420, 440, 460, 480, 500, 520, 540

Women’s HW 270...2 plates and 2 25’s per side. 50 pound jumps.
270, 320, 370, 420, 470, 520, 570, 590, 610, 630, 650, 670, 690, 710

Men’s LW 355...3 plates and 2 25’s per side. 70 pound jumps up to 705..then 50 pounds
355, 425, 495, 565, 635, 705, 755, 775, 795, 815, 835, 855, 875, 895, 915

Men’s HW 435...4 hundred pound plates per side. 90 pound jumps.
435, 525, 615, 705, 795, 885, 975, 995, 1015, 1035, 1055, 1075, 1095



Event 2 Twin Tire Flip and Log Viper Press from lap to overhead 5 down to 1

Each team will begin with tire flips for 5 reps. Then, each person must clean and press the log from the lap position to the overhead position for 5 reps. After they’ve completed the first set of 5 they will move back to the tire to complete a set of 4 flips and 4 presses each. Down to 1 rep of each movement. Possible 45 points awarded, 1 for each successful rep. 10 MINUTE CAP

Women’s LW...75 Pound Log...5 pound plates per side and 650 tire

Women’s HW...95 Pound Log... 10 pound bumpers, 5 pound plates per side and 740 tire

Men’s LW...135 Pound Log...35 pound bumpers and 1,000 pound tire (good tread)

Men’s HW...155 Pound Log...45 pound bumpers and 1,000 pound tire (no tread)


Event 3 Carrying Medley

Teams have 8 minutes to move the following material across the length of the gym and back. Each person on the team must do a full length with each piece of equipment...meaning that 1 person CAN’T move the yoke down and back. Equipment can be moved in any order and has to touch the ground on the opposite end of the gym before it can be returned. Teams can assist one another to put the equipment in the required position. Points are awarded for each implement getting across the full length of the floor. Each stack of weights counts for 1 point. KB’s must both be moved to earn 1 point. 8 MINUTE CAP

Women LW
300 pound Yoke...55 pound bumpers x 2
25 pound plates x 20(4 stacks of 5)
110 pound sandbag carried in the lap or gut...no shouldering allowed
90 pound atlas stone carried in a bear hug
44 pound KB’s carried in the overhead position

Women’s HW
420 pound yoke...45 pound metal plates x 4, 10 pound metal plates x 4
35 pound plates x 20(4 stacks of 5)
130 pound sandbag
135 pound atlas stone
53 pound KB’s

Men’s LW
520 pound yoke...45 pound metal plates x 4, 35 pound bumpers x 4
45 pound bumper x 16 and 25 pound bumpers x 4(4 stacks of 5 with the 25’s on top)
175 pound sandbag
175 atlas stone
62 pound KB’s

Men’s HW
600 pound yoke...100 pound metal plates x 4
45 pound bumper plates x 20(4 stacks of 5)
200 pound sandbag
210 atlas stone
80 pound KB’s


Event 4 and 5 Back Squats and Burpees x 4 rounds

Teams will have a choice of 3 different weights to squat. One athlete will squat while the other performs 25 burpees. They will switch places and repeat for 4 rounds....meaning they will each squat and each do burpees 4 times. They will receive 2 scores on this event....overall time to complete 4 rounds of burpees and total pounds moved on the squats(reps x loaded weight). Only the top 3 teams per division will compete in this workout. We’ll go women in the first heat and men in the final heat of the day.

LW Women 95, 115, 135

HW Women 115, 135, 155

LW Men 135, 155, 185

HW Men 185, 205, 225

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The Beauty


Each day in 2011 has yet to bring me a new adventure. Today I'm home...not by choice, but because of the beautiful snowfall we were presented with last night. Last night I had the same feeling I had when I was in elementary school when you know the world is going to stop tomorrow. No school and a full day of relaxing. I would get so excited about snow when I was growing up...I guess it still means I have yet to plan my future as a grown up.
Asleep at 2 am. Up at 7 to watch the snow fall.
Total accumulation so far: 12 inches.

My first thought: I'm not able to get to the gym.
My second thought: Time for myself!? I had to actually say it to myself to know it was true! Time to catch up on programs, ideas, e mails, and recovery for my body.
ME+my Keurig= PRODUCTIVITY!

How am I going to get a workout in today? Shoveling and use of my TRX in the house! Just because we aren't able to physically get out of the driveway, doesn't mean we aren't able to move. Shoveling is an incredible workout...just make sure you have a great playlist: may I suggest the new Kanye West album. Monster.

I've been working on a few things outside of my own personal workouts: a new Personal Training studio, new clients, and a new website. Stay tuned for updates.

Moral of the story: don't be afraid of nature. Take it for what its worth, use it to your advantage. Take time for YOU, be creative, innovative and have fun with your workouts and ideas.



Monday, January 3, 2011

EXCITEMENT!!

2.0.1.1.
It seems like yesterday it was 2007. I was graduating from Penn State and thought: Where is this life really going to take me?
"I wish that I knew what I know now....when I was younger"
Do I really wish I would have known where I am now? No. Everything in my past has lead me to success, failure, and more importantly...its all about the trials.

Word of the year: EXCITEMENT:
2011 is going to be full of new ideas, experiments, programs, diets, workouts and competitions. Every month I have decided to fill my calendar with something I have never done. One big competition every month.

So far here is the plan:

January 15: Hybrid Athletics partner competition. Partner: Kara O'Conner. Two Kara's...get serious.
February 27: Climb to the Top: A unique opportunity where participants get to Climb to the Top of the Rock Observation Deck at Rockefeller Center, while making a difference in the lives of those affected by MS!
March: Open to Ideas!
April 16: Fitness Atlantic Fitness modeling competition, New Haven, CT.

Exciting? Absolutely.

I'm taking this year to make my body my own experiment, my own work of art. What obstacles do I have to overcome to make it to the top. I will be blogging more often, and i just bought my own mini flip...so be expecting videos as well!

Join me for 2011...share your goals, aspirations, and what is going to MAKE 2011 yours.