Finally My Opinion On Crossfit

           I tend to be opinionated about certain things every once in a while or I may make mention on certain things. This little trend of Crossfit seems to be the talk of fitness these days and I do have something to say about it. I have family who does Crossfit and they’re 2 of my cousins by marriage, they’re serious about it and when I don’t have any issue with that I do care about them, one of them is a cop. Well you’re about to get my uncut, uncensored and thoughts going to my mouth about this thing people want to do these days. You ready, because here it comes baby.

            Crossfit is not all that new; this type of thing has been around for ages and believe it or not it was a staple for wrestlers in ancient India & Middle Eastern tradition for the sport of Wrestling. These guys would move fast during exercises and go from one to another, they’d swing clubs, maces, do crazy push-ups and squats plus they’d have to dig the pit which was their wrestling mat and prepare it for the day. Imagine what their workout of the day was, nothing like crossfit makes up I guarantee you that.

            Being in great shape is great and I’m all for people who want to do that but what I can’t stand is people getting hurt and bruising themselves up because their stupid enough to not make the effort to learn the actual lift or exercise. Calluses is one thing which we can’t control, you’re bound to get scrapped every now and then and I know, I have had my fair share of getting my hand blistered from pull-ups and kettlebells. To train with efficiency, learn the actual lift and/or exercise and do a weight you can handle because if you can’t you’re going to get problems that will last long periods of time.

            I’ve heard about those Workouts Of The Day and although I love the idea of changing things up to avoid doing the same shit over and over, it gets to me that those workouts don’t have any real structure on pace and having a specific level to start out with, if you’re advanced that’s one thing but at the same time if you’re new to the damn thing, you don’t need to be Speedy Gonzales to catch up to somebody. There are days where you can challenge yourself and try to beat your best record but not 3-4 times a week, that’s just plain retarded and it leads to getting injured. A specific WOD should give you a way to make your own pace, have more technique involved and work on things that doesn't lead to injury; you can do things that won’t put you on a back burner.

            I've seen the videos on youtube of these Crossfit gyms that have people doing some outlandish and dumb shit that I've ever seen in my life. I realize that YouTube isn't the best resource but I've literally seen one of my cousins have plenty of bruises on her that looked like she got her ass kicked by somebody and acts like it’s not a big deal. Fuck that dude lol. I love how someone can push themselves but not to the point to where they’re looking like they got their ass kicked literally. Training is about having fun and giving your body tools that will give you long lasting health, strength and vigor. If you like getting bruised, that’s your business but don’t expect your life to be one happy picnic when down the road your joints will be crackling and you’re not going to move because it hurts so bad, trust me I did that when I was as young as 19 and 20 years old, literally 10 years ago that was happening to me because I thought I was this big shot weight lifter and throwing stuff around like it was a blast but I paid the price for it.

            Technique is one of the most important factors of training, you have bad technique you’re going to suffer the consequences. In my opinion, I can’t stand kipping pull-ups, unless you’re climbing or something it shouldn't be a pull-up, you’re looking at your joints feeling like shit and tendinitis like a motherfucker. Regular pull-ups are far better for your health and way better on your joints and muscles because when you control your body through keeping it tense or by muscle control and use the muscles at work, you have a better chance of building a great powerful back and strong ass arms and abs. The lifting in most of these gyms are ridiculous and you have some shmuck that doesn't know a clean or deadlift for the life of him you’re better off learning from an old timer and reading about that old school style that leads to great strength, power and efficient muscle building. Actually learn the lift and you’ll be surprised what comes up when you become stronger, fitter and have greater tempo.

            Not all crossfit gyms are like this and there are some guys that want to give you ways to be strong, fit and healthy as best as possible, one in particular ran by a friend of mine named Frank Dimeo and one of his guys who help him Dru Patrick have a gym that’s dedicated to bringing the best out of someone and keep them strong and fit with as little injuries as possible if any. You want to be creative and they have plenty of that.

            Creativity is essential for success and when you create a workout that gets you fired up I’m all for that. I don’t believe in doing someone else’s creative workout unless it has a challenge that’s fair enough for you to take on, like Bud Jeffries’ Outlaw Challenge Series, it has challenges that may look messed up but they’re challenges that have great value to them. Most Crossfit gyms have these random workouts that are named after women and I’ll never understand that. I’ve seen some of those things have exercises and timing that is just plain dumb and beating the clock is not going to get you anywhere in the long run. Create your own thing, use your own tempo and speed and work on your technique, use a progressive system that’s suitable to your goals and never be afraid to start at the very beginning because you don’t have to be great to start but progress to become great.

            You’re probably thinking, “If you’re giving that much shit about Crossfit, why do you promote a company like Rogue?” Good question, the answer is because as much as I don’t like some of Crossfit’s ideals I still feel it’s needed in one way or another. I like the idea of doing things that are crazy and challenging, not to the point of hurting yourself but to do lifts, use hammers, have racks that you can do some crazy lifting doing partials. I like that it’s become a sporting like event where you have men and women pushing themselves through different obstacles that have that Rocky type feeling. I firmly believe the Crossfit Games should be in the Olympics, it gives people a chance to see the very best tackling exercises that have been around for ages. Do the technique right, have efficient control and balance yourself right with speed and power, I don’t see why not do them. 

Is Everything A Competition???

           Many of us have that competitive spirit, the will to not give up until we have accomplished a goal or try to beat another person or group of people. Why do we become so competitive that it overshadows our way of being a good sport? I’m not saying competition can’t be positive, it is but to a degree. We compete to be the very best over something else (mainly sports) and beat our rival or over run a team.

            You don’t always see the smallest sides to competition and most of the time they don’t always matter at all but on the other hand, competing against something else that truly matters and not always competing just for the sake of competing. We all find something that we want to beat or just make a note of it whether it’s in business, sports, culture, exercise or whatever and we want to find that edge that trample over what we have to overcome.

            In m opinion, you can find fun in competition. It’s not always trying to over rule your opposing man and finding a way to hurt them whether physically or mentally that’s not fun at all. I understand that it sucks when you lose but also it’s not always pleasant being a winner. Learn to value that you fought through it and still came out alive. I get it that there are certain things at stake but you made those odds or you got caught in the cross fires and now have to deal with certain modalities. Having fun with certain forms of competition can give you a sense of no matter what the outcome you’ll either learn a valuable lesson or you use strategy on how to be better and not so much bitch about it and make it the end of the world.

            When it comes down to it, there’s one competitor that you have to deal with no matter where you go, who you’re with or whatever happens in your life from the time you’re born to the day you die, it’s YOU!!! That very same person you look at in the mirror is your ultimate competition and how you handle it is up to you. You cannot compete with anyone else because everyone else is temporary but you’re still there.

            I know what it’s like to fight myself and beat myself up in my own mind and there’s no such thing as a perfect record. To this day, yes I have issues but I’m not going to let that part of me take over what I truly want in my life because if you let your personal issues, demons whatever you want to call them get in the way of what you desire and what you want to accomplish, than you haven’t learned how to face them and make them your personal bitch. We all have issues and problems no matter what but that doesn't define us unless we choose to make it.

            Learn to love who you are, have fun with what you have, become what you desire and giving you a reason to keep living with vigor, vitality and great health. You are more than you ever think you can be and there’s no reason why you can’t be truly happy and climb that ladder of success because you have the power to do so. Be strong, be happy and use that competitive spirit to overcome the very things that try to tackle you down. 

Growing From Within

          Our past is a beginning but it’s not the end. The experiences we face as children into adulthood is massive but the simple way to make it is; we are born, we begin to walk and talk at a certain age, we play, we go to school, graduate, go to college, get a job, get married, have kids, grow old and die. Whatever happens in between all of those is only experienced by us. What a crock. We’re all different and these don’t happen for everyone. We learn from our past experiences to bring us what can make us successful in our future, not everybody makes that jump or knows how to take the opportunity. Don’t let your past define who you are, let your past be history and develop your future tomorrow while staying in the present because it’s a gift you're still here.

            Every one of us has a purpose in life. Some of us find what we want to do, others have a purpose of not working at all and even some feel there is no choice but to sacrifice your purpose in life for something else. We all have dreams as kids of what we want to do. We imagine making building, carving things with our bare hands, some of us wanted to be a sports star, others a cop or fireman. The majority never make that dream a reality because to them it’s just a phase and then we move on with life. I believe if you truly went after what you wanted to be that had a major impact and it gave you happiness, love, prosperity and a future that had you pay the bills and give your children a future, you would be one crazy son of a bitch to make it happen. Develop your sense of purpose by finding what drives you, makes sense to you and makes you happy.

            Going through triumphs and failures is a natural part of our existence, where there’s triumph in one area, there’s failure in another there’s no debating that. Some look at failure as a sign of weakness but in truth, failure is another lesson we learn to find what we can accomplish and overcome. Triumph is not always being a hero but something you wanted to overcome over a period of time where you achieve goals and make something of yourself and trampled over things you thought were impossible at one point. Failure is just another test where if you fall, you learn to pick yourself back up and come back stronger than ever. Strength comes from the heart and how you use your mind, it’s not always muscle or as Yoda would say “Not this crude matter” it’s about the strength you have to keep driving and making yourself a better person even in the mist of failure.

            Not everything comes from a DVD, CD, seminar, book, or a retreat for that matter. Everything comes from self-discovery, having influences that help keep that drive but it’s really what you find within yourself that makes all the difference. Sure something you watch or read or listen to can be an influence but you made that choice because some how you wanted to. How you live your life is your choice. Make that connection to discover what makes you who you are and don’t let anyone tell you different.

            Certain people in your life will want you to fail because they want you to suffer like they have. They will try to break you, tear you down and will say things like “you should do this instead”, “It’s a hobby, not a career”, “you can’t do that it’s impossible”, “I don’t think you’re cut out for this.” Don’t look at those things as a sign to doubt yourself, what do they know, they don’t have your ambitions or imagination or even the guts to challenge your goals, that’s your job. At the heart of your potential it all boils down to what you believe and what you want to happen. We all have great potential for great things, we’re not born with a college degree or just happen to be natural at something. We never start out great; it’s the effort we put in that will make us great.

            Learn to discover who you are from within. Never give up on yourself and find your true calling. I believe in you but don’t take m word for it, the only person you should believe in, is you.