5 Things I Learned at Regionals

CrossFit King of Prussia competitors

This past weekend I had the privilege of being on the team for CrossFit King of Prussia at the Mid-Atlantic Regional competition held in Landover, MD. Our owner, Aimee Lyons, competed as an individual and six of us competed as a team. We went in ranked 29th out of 30 teams (140 competed in our region during the Open) and came out 24th. Our best finish was 11th in event 1 (partner deadlifts and handstand push ups) and overall it was a great weekend. Seeing all of those teams and individuals compete was awe-inspiring and provided some food for thought, so I thought I'd share five things I learned at Regionals.

21 year old Ben Smith snatching 265# for 1st place

1. No matter how good you think you are, there's someone better than you. 
You can be big fish in a small pond, but Regionals is a much bigger pond. Drawing the top competitors from PA, MD, DE, WV, VA, and NC means you can be the top dawg in your gym and still be bottom of the ladder at the next level. Even Ben Smith, who dominated the Mid-Atlantic Region with five first-place wins, came in eight for the dumbbell snatch event.  The constantly varied nature of CrossFit almost guarantees that no one will be the absolute best at every single thing. (some of you are probably going to argue for Froning/Thorisdottir/Clever, but I don't consider them human) It's one of the great things about CrossFit and it's why we say "leave your ego at the door." Humility comes with the territory. 

Danny of CF KoP on the 100# dumbbell snatch

2. Being strong makes the difference. 
Strength is the deciding factor when it comes to success vs. failure in CrossFit. The dumbbell snatch (100#s for men, 70#s for women), the 225/135 hang power cleans, and the max effort snatch separated the big guns from the water pistols. Athletes big and small were fine with pull ups and even pistols, but the heavy stuff allowed the elite to pull ahead. I think this trend will continue as the field of CrossFit competitors grows and the need for stratification remains. The 2008 CrossFit Games final even was 30 squat cleans to overhead at 155# (105# for women). Back then, that was a heavy weight, but now Graham Holmberg does that workout once a week. My only contention is that if they're going to have a max effort lift, they should balance it with an aerobic exercises such as a mile+ run. But I digress.

"Reebok" chairs

3. The sport of fitness has arrived...and Reebok is here to stay. 
Reebok is here and it's here to stay. Whether you like it or not, the branding was apparel, I mean, apparent. We got to Regionals a day early and decided to check out the facilities. As we were walking around the athlete area, we noticed the chairs had Reebok headrests. At first I thought it was insane that Reebok made chairs, but then I noticed a guy literally labeling the headrests with iron-on stickers. I'm not in the marketing world, so I'm sure this was normal, but it was really incredible to see "Reebok" on everything from those chairs, to the huge banners on the spectator fences, to the little cards that showed how much weight people were lifting. Reebok was smart to get in on CrossFit and they are here to stay. I'm sure those who win the $250,000 prize money at the Games will appreciate their involvement.

Dawn of CF Wilmington on the last bar of the snatch ladder, 185# and a 15#PR

4. There's always room for improvement.
"Get busy living or get busy dying." "You're either getting better or getting worse, no one stays the same." I don't think anybody comes away from Regionals thinking they are good where they are; I know I didn't. Watching the events, especially the snatch ladder, motivated me to focus on my weaknesses. These include the overhead squat and the snatch. Seeing the technical prowess and power from these individuals made me want to train the lift. I had always known I needed to work on them, but seeing proficiency in person motivates you more than seeing it on Youtube. I am calling this post-Regionals time frame the "Year of the Snatch."

BQ and Steve Pinkerton congratulating each other after a grueling event 4

5. The CrossFit community is awesome.
Members of CrossFit King of Prussia drove 2+ hours to see us workout for a few minutes at a time. It was so great to have them there for support and very generous of their time and money to come down and cheer us on. There were plenty of fan sections from each box, but one of the things that separates CrossFit from other sports is the fact that competitors cheer on EACH OTHER. Whether it was the first place team or the last place, we all congratulated each other on a job well done. Hearing "nice job" from people you've never met is a pretty cool thing, especially when you're directly competing against one another. One of the coolest events was the snatch ladder. Teams started on the 155# bar and worked their way up to heavier bars. If you didn't make the lift, you went over and waited on the side. As the crowd of us grew on the sidelines, we first fist bumped to acknowledge each others' efforts and then turned our attention to those remaining. One team member from CrossFit Wilmington made the 265# bar and we went nuts. A woman from the same team made the highest bar (185#) and the entire crowd went crazy. (see #4) People were there to support their own team or individuals, but no one was there to keep others down.

There was a lot more to Regionals, but these were the top things that I took away from the weekend. Did you attend any regional event as a competitor or spectator? What did you take away from it?

Get to Know: Jon S. - CF KoP Athlete

Name: Jon S.

Age: 34

Height: 6'2

Highest Weight and when: 300lbs January 1st, 2011

Weight now: 225lbs as of January 29th, 2012

Q: Give us an idea of your background, specifically related to fitness and eating. 

A: I was a lean 185lbs as a senior in high school. I played football for school but my friends and I lived to play basketball. We'd run full court 5-on-5 for 6+ hours a day at least three times a week. Despite my mother’s best efforts, I ate like crap but it didn't matter at that age and activity level. Even my first few years in the military I ate everything in sight and nothing changed. Then I woke up one morning fifteen years later and I was fat. That's what happens when your activity level drops to zero and you continue to eat like a care-free teenager.

Q: When did you change your diet and what made you change?

A:  A good friend of mine was suffering from horrible stomach problems. It was recommended that he stop eating gluten, so he did and lost 30lbs in six weeks. Zero exercise. It was about a month or two later that I got into Crossfit and learned of the Paleo system. The brutal, straight-forward logic of Paleo backed by the results of eliminating grains that I witnessed firsthand and I was sold. Sometime in August, 2011 is when Katie and I really went all-in with the Paleo system. We went through the kitchen and threw away all the crap we had. The reason we even looked into being more fit is because we just flat-out got tired of being overweight and feeling like crap. I was actually starting to develop moderate heath issues. We made a promise to each other that thing were going to change in 2011.

Outdoor adventure WOD (Oct. 2011)

Q: What benefits have you seen from changing your food?

A: Everything! My mood is more balanced, my energy level is higher, the fatigue of shift work is less substantial. I eat better so I'm actually eating less. I'm probably consuming a little less than half the volume of food I was previously. The 300lb guy in the mirror that used to disgust me is now a 225lb guy that I feel good about. Yes, the food is more expensive but I’m eating less of it so the cost difference is effectively zero. Consider this: a Primo’s hoagie is about $8-10. A full pound of grass fed bison meat is about $9. If I eat a half pound of bison and two avocados for lunch, I spend about $4.50 for meat and $3 for fat. Either way you slice it, I eat better and cheaper.

Q: What has been the hardest thing about eating clean/paleo?

A: Truly, the most difficult part of going Paleo is the elimination of sugar. Those first three days reminded me of what it was like when I quit smoking ~5 years ago. I had headaches and was irritable, but you know what? It passed. Once you defeat your sugar addiction, and yes it is an addiction, the next thing is the convenience foods. Sandwiches are the devil. Everyone at work orders hoagies for lunch and I microwave my grass fed bison roast. There is a bit of ridicule that comes with "eating outside the box" but I take solace in knowing I can kill the naysayers with my bare hands.

Lean and Mean at Barbells for Boobs (Nov. 2011)

Q: You changed your diet at the same time you started Crossfit. Do you think one has helped the other?

   A:  Crossfit introduced me to Robb Wolf, Loren Cordain and the Paleo system. From a strictly nutritional perspective, I would still be eating the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) and be much less healthy. Beyond that, the community we have at CF-KoP is absolutely amazing. It's hard to fall off the wagon when you have both awesome coaches leading you and incredible athletes around you. I tell people all the time that Crossfit isn't just an expensive gym; it's fun, it's a community and it's my own personal fitness support group. 

Q: What advice do you have for those who are looking to change their food habits?

A: The first step is making the commitment to yourself. I'm lucky because Katie is right here with me through all of this. It's hard to fall off the horse when you have a partner that is right there alongside you the whole time. It's not easy and there are moments of weakness, so having a strong support system is vital.

Q: What are your nutrition and/or fitness goals?

A: For nutrition, I'm just going to keep eating this way. This isn't some gimmick that I can just stop. My heartburn is entirely gone. I'm not gassy, bloated and fatigued all the time. My doctor laughs with joy when she sees my blood work when she used to express genuine concern. My quality of life is better now that it has ever been. As far as fitness goes, I just want more. I want to perform more work over a shorter period of time. I want to lift heavier weight and run/row faster, further and longer. I’m going to be posting some big numbers by Festivus 2012.

Q: Anything else you'd like to add?

A: My personal success is a testament to our incredible community. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without all of you, especially Katie V, and for that, I thank you.

Celebrating Festivus at KoP (Dec 2011)

Editor's Note: Jon has been a very active member of CrossFit King of Prussia, but I wanted to highlight the fact that changing his NUTRITION resulted in significant change prior to CrossFit. In other words, CrossFit is a great fitness program and can help you become stronger, faster, etc. but if you truly want to change how you look and feel, nutrition is going to have a bigger impact than any exercise program. Jon is a great example of persistence, dedication, and the pursuit of health. 

If you have any questions for Jon, leave them in the comments.

For more on the basics of eating clean and establishing good habits, check out my previous blog post Nutrition, Fitness, and Health 101.