Interrogating Rip

Our good friend, extraordinary lifting coach, and gifted writer Mark Rippetoe, of Wichita Falls, TX, has got his head on remarkably straight when it comes to strength training. He also has a down-to-earth no-nonsense style--and a great Texas accent--that’s a pleasure to listen to. Whether or not you were fortunate enough to meet him when he was at CrossFit Eastside in October, you oughtn’t miss Charles Staley’s recent interview of Rip, available here.


It’s about 50 minutes long, so download the interview, get yourself a cup of coffee, and settle in for a good listen. It’s time well spent.

Nice rack

Elbows up and forward. Bar in contact with shoulder girdle. Grip relaxed yet in control of the bar.

Multiple paths of execution exist from the racked position. Common are the front squat, and any of the press variations.

Driving James

Post your caption for this pic to comments.

"You cannot teach a man anything;

you can only help him find it within himself."

--Galileo

Bring it on

When Shannon came to us just over two months ago, she had a clearly defined goal: to pass the firefighter Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) on December 1. She’s been utterly committed, dedicated, and focused on training her body and mind for it, and on Friday she met her goal, passing the test easily!

Congratulations, Shannon! We are incredibly proud of you.

CrossFit is excellent training for firefighters and prep for the CPAT, which is essentially what we call a “chipper”-style workout: a series of physical tasks performed once through, for time. Through a combination of consistent CrossFit classes, more focused CF-style personal training, and independent work (including climbing stairs with a 75-pound weight vest), Shannon set herself up well to rock the event. Now, that is strong work.

Metabolic pathways

There are three metabolic pathways that provide the energy for all human action. These “metabolic engines” are known as the phosphagen (or phosphocreatine) pathway, the glycolytic pathway, and the oxidative pathway.

The first, the phosphagen, fuels the highest-powered activities, those that last less than about ten seconds.

The second pathway, the glycolytic, dominates moderate-powered activities, those that last up to several minutes.

The third pathway, the oxidative, dominates low-powered activities, those that last in excess of several minutes.

Total fitness, the fitness that CrossFit promotes and develops, requires competency and training in each of these three pathways or engines. Balancing the effects of these three pathways largely determines the how and why of the metabolic conditioning or “cardio” that we do at CrossFit.

--From "What is Fitness," CrossFit Journal, October 2002

Incrementalism

Kilo plate set by Werksan.

Weight increments allow progressive resistance to be added to your lifts over time. Patience, discipline, and focus on a task will yield success.

Milo of Croton, legendary strongman of the 6th century B.C., had a foolproof method for incremental progress: "Legend has it that he would train in the off years by carrying a newborn calf on his back every day until the Olympics took place. By the time the events were to take place, he was carrying a four year old cow on his back."

Thankful for friends, family, and community

Great turkey day turnout, everyone. Strong work; amazing team efforts. Strength in numbers.

Three teams worked together to devour a smorgasbord of tasty morsels. Through combined efforts everyone was successful, and no one was left behind. We are thankful for each and every one of you for being part of our lives and our passion. Here's to continued progress, growth of our CrossFit family, and a great coming holiday season.

The powerful pull-up

The kipping pull-up is fundamental to CrossFit. Hip-driven, this pull-up variation allows for more work in less time, improving the power and intensity of the dead hang pull-up and the athletic potential of the athlete. Ade Miller, our in-house pull-up connoisseur, confesses the extent of his relationship with pull-ups on his blog (and offers a photographic taxonomy of the various species thereof).