Olympic Lifters and Jumping: Pat Mendes

Back when I started CrossFit at CrossFit King of Prussia, we had an oly lifting seminar with some guest coaches from NY. Although I had previously experience with CrossFit, it was done in a typical school gym where there were only metal plates. Thus, I did not have a ton of experience (let alone good coaching) to refine my olympic lifting. When I started at KoP, my clean and jerk was around 135 and snatch was practically non-existent (not that there's much existence of it today...hm, gotta work on that) Anyway, one of these guest coaches had us box jump and I was wondering, "What the heck does jumping have to do with oly lifting?" Well, it has EVERYTHING to do with oly lifting! You are essentially JUMPING that bar off the ground. Granted, your feet won't much as much as an unloaded jump, but the ability to push through that ground and accelerate the bar is essential. (as is hip extension, etc). Based off my jumping ability, his coach told me he saw my clean and jerk up at 185#; I told him he was nuts. That was summer of 2009. Today, my clean and jerk is 215# and my clean is 225# at a bodyweight of 150# (same as in 2009).

Check out these clips of Pat Mendes for more proof about oly lifters and jumping. This guy is 21 years old (many videos feature him at 20yo) and 285lbs. Incredible. (all videos safe for work)

800# backsquat (raw)

727.5# deadlift x4

Unofficial Jr. world record of 207kg snatch. That's 455#!!!!

Obsession with EPICNESS

Do you have an obsession with epic workouts? I'm guessing that as a CrossFitter, you probably do. I just saw a video of a CrossFitter in Scottsdale do 1000 pull ups and 1000 push ups for time. It took him over 4 hours to do it. 2009 CrossFit Games champion Mikko Salo did 1000 burpees in 82 minutes.

I suppose feats of strength/endurance/etc. have been occurring throughout history. From Wikipedia, Jack Lalanne in 1957 (age 43) swam the Golden Gate channel while towing a 2,500-pound (1,100 kg; 180 st) cabin cruiser. The swift ocean currents turned this one-mile (1.6 km) swim into a swimming distance of 6.5 miles (10.5 km). Dean Karnazes ran across America in 75 days, totaling over 3,000 miles and averaging 40-50 miles per day. Diana Nyad swam 102 miles at age 30 in 1979. And the list goes on.

There's something appealing to ridiculous workouts whether it's the work itself or explaining to people you just did 100 pull ups, 100 push ups, 100 situps, and 100 squats for time and watching their jaw drop. To those seasoned CrossFitters, you know this workout as "Angie" and for some of you, it's not even that epic.

It's easy to get caught up in the EPICness of these workouts, but also realize the importance of BORING workouts. By that I mean 5x5 back squats, 7x1 shoulder press, 400m sprints, etc. Yes, some of you might like these movements over others, but at the end of the day they don't get as much glamour as those epic metcons. I think it's important to focus on a solid foundation, especially when it comes to strength. A lot of the athletes who do these major EPIC workouts already have a great strength and cardio background. (plus they're usually genetic outliers) Just because you see a video of a guy doing 1000 handstand push ups doesn't mean you should try it.

Know your limitations, and every once in awhile, go for one of the hero workouts or longer metcons. But the majority of your time should be spent getting strong and building a solid foundation, not killing yourself every other day with muscle-wasting workouts.

Updated: Inov8's CrossFit Shoe: Bare-XF 210

Inov8 released information and pictures for their future CrossFit specific shoe: the Bare-XF 210. Featuring a 3mm, zero differential sole (the height difference between heel and toe is 0, vs. many typical shoes in the 10+ mm range), and a specially reinforced upper that will handle the beatings from rope climbs, this is theoretically the perfect CrossFit shoe. Ready for the unknown and unknowable. However, the release date is supposedly March of 2012.  (update: Now available Dec 2011!) My question is: why so late? I feel that other companies (e.g. Reebok) will beat them to the punch and even if they don't, there is just too much time for being excited about these shoes and pulling the trigger to have them in hand (or on foot). While I do think they will sell, by next year there will probably be several competing brands all with similar, or even better, features. 

What do you think of the Inov8 Bare-XF 210's? Would you buy these or stick with your current Inov8s, Vibrams, Frees, etc?

Are there other features in a shoe that you would look for to aid you in CF WODs?

UPDATE 12/23/11: After seeing so many hits on this particular post, it looks like plenty of folks are researching the Bare-XF 210's. Here is Inov-8's link to the shoe, the link to Rogue's product page so you can buy them, and a video from Inov-8 showcasing the XF 210's. 

Inov-8's Bare-XF 210 product page
Again Faster: Bare-XF 210

 Rogue Fitness: Bare-XF 210

Chris Spealler

me, Speal, Tim, Aimee, and Jason at CrossFit KoP

This weekend I had the opportunity to meet Chris Spealler. He was running a Level I Certification at CrossFit King of Prussia, so I stopped in on the last day to say hi. For those that don't know, Speal is one of CrossFit's original firebreathers. When I got into CF in 2008, I would watch videos of Greg Amundson, Jeremy Thiel, Nicole Carroll, Eva T., James "OPT" Fitzgerald, and Chris Spealler. I never really grew up thinking of NFL/MLB/NBA athletes as role models until these guys and girls. Relatively unknown athletes made famous by a handheld camcorder and some barbells. Speal is one of the most well-liked figures in that he doesn't fit the 5'10", 185lb. frame that most people say is necessary to succeed in CrossFit. At 5'5" and 140lbs., he's a figure head for the "small guy." Even at that height and weight, he can throw heavy barbells around like he was twice the size as in the video below of him against Jason Khalipa, winner of the 2008 CrossFit Games. Speal is one of only few athletes to compete in all four CrossFit Games. Last year he placed 3rd and won the "Spirit of the Games" award.


When he was at the box, he saw that I held the gym record of 192 double unders. I didn't see him do it, but he said he wanted to "crush my soul" and obliterate my record. (His PR is 360+) Apparently he got tripped up at 193, but witnesses say he wasn't even breathing hard. Yikes!

Recipe: Roasted Bone Marrow

A marrow a day keeps the doctor away?

Our gym, CrossFit King of Prussia, has been participating in the Philly Cow Share where members can pitch in and buy a cow to split amongst themselves. It saves members money on quality grass-fed meat and it gets local farmers customers. One of the other benefits of the Cow Share program is the leftover bones and organ meats. When the delivery comes, we often get boxes full of grass-fed bones, livers, tongues, and hearts. I get these for free because they are so undervalued by today's society that the Cow Share woman just gives them to us. Now I literally have a freezer full of organ meat and bones.

Are you disgusted yet? You shouldn't be, since many healthy and smart civilizations have valued these items for over two million years. If you ever give a marrow bone to a dog, you're going to be their new best friend. Why? Because their instinct tell them that the marrow is the best bang for their buck in terms of nutrition, even more so than muscle meat. It's the same for humans. Marrow is delicious, rich, and creamy. Plus, if you have a pet, you can toss them the bone. So put away your reservations for "weird" food and let's get cracking on these bones!

WHERE TO FIND IT

-In the meat section of your local grocery store, even common chain stores although quality and prices can be suspect

-Small family owned Asian and Hispanic stores

-local farmer or cow share program

-online at sites like Philly Cow Share and U.S. Wellness Meats

OTHER SMART PEOPLE ON BONE MARROW

- Mark Sisson on bone marrow here

- Tom Naughton of "Fat Head" writes about his daughters loving bone marrow here

- Weston A. Price Foundation gives their take on bone marrow and its benefits here

- Whole Health Source on Vitamin K2 in bone marrow here

HOW TO COOK BONE MARROW

1. Get beef bones (preferably grass-fed)

2. Place the cut side up in a pan lined with foil for easy clean up.

3. Roast bones in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until marrow bubbles

4. Lightly salt the tops with sea salt. Eat with a small fork or spoon or just suck it out!

served with spaghetti squash and shrimp. Most people like to serve it with a light salad with lemon or lime juice to cut through the richness of the marrow.

OTHER RECIPES

How to Cook Bone Marrow Stock 

Bone Broth by Tribe of Five

Various Bone Marrow recipes by Weston A. Price Foundation

-ever tried bone marrow before? 

-what are your thoughts on eating this fatty, rich meal?

-If you have any other recipes, post them in comments.