Afro Brutality: CrossFit Harlem Has Big Plans

posted by SICFIT Moderator on July 29, 2010, 2:15pm

The on-going joke is that there are only a handful of African-Americans in the United States who are involved in the CrossFit community. Clearly a bit of an exaggeration, the notion comes from the black community's lack of representation at the CrossFit Games (as spectators or athletes), numbers in local affiliates, and participation in local events and Games qualifiers. For the owner of CrossFit Harlem (i.e. Afro Brutality), the lack of African-American involvement in the CrossFit community is no laughing matter. He's begun a movement in Harlem with the aid of some dear friends and his fledgling Afro Brutality brand that he hopes to spread through the inner-cities and suburbs across America. 

In Harlem and beyond, one of the greatest issues facing African-Americans is obesity. In nine American cities, the obesity rate for black Americans is over 40%. Syn Martinez, the 39 year old owner of CrossFit Harlem, was once a statistic but he has swiftly become a solution to the harrowing issue. At 31 years old and 315 pounds, he found the inspiration to lose weight, improve his health, and change his life altogether. CrossFit pushed him over the finish line and now he hopes to show others that they can do the same for themselves.

Syn trains his clients by programming mentally challenging workouts that CrossFit Harlem athletes and fans call the Brutality of the Day. A coach with growing credentials [four different CrossFit specialty certifications], he teaches and motivates his clients with the same "all-in" dedication that he displays when training his friend Rob Orlando, a prominent CrossFit athlete and Strongman competitor. It is through coaching that he hopes to attract more minorities to the CrossFit community. Often drastically reducing his prices for those who can not afford $150-200 per month, CrossFit Harlem turns heads by welcoming people from the community and into Afro Brutality that wouldn't normally have the privilege of training at an affiliate. While this sounds entirely positive, it has an inevitable effect on how other affiliates price their training and is an on-going issue between Harlem and the neighboring seven affiliates. It is one of the many issues that other communities will need to overcome as CrossFit becomes more visible in urban centers. While not entirely similar to Steve Liberati's affiliate in Philadelphia, Syn Martinez often attracts the neighborhood's under privileged and/or at-risk youth. 

His goal is to continue positively impacting his neighborhood. Inadvertently, he's gotten the attention of many people, of all races and creeds, outside of Harlem. With an urban perspective on marketing and advertising, the entrepreneur recognized that one of the quickest ways to distinguish a business is to associate it with a distinctive brand. His CrossFit affiliate's brand is now an apparel line that has begun to attract national attention.  I believe that this will attract more minorities to the counter culture movement that we call CrossFit. In the five boroughs of New York City, it may be normal to see a black shirt with an afro'd skeleton. However, I began to take notice when I saw the shirt worn by the likes of Jeremy Thiel in Austin, Texas or by Dave Castro on the final day of the 2010 CrossFit Games. It has a mass appeal that will take Syn and his efforts a long way.

On our Facebook fan page, just yesterday, someone asked an important question in reference to the anticipation of this blog.  The CrossFit Games moved to a magnificent new venue (The Home Depot Center) in 2010, CrossFit's management sought advertising revenue from Audi and the likes of other top-end consumer products, and charged prices afforded by only the well-to-do in this country. This is our community's corporate image and rightfully so. But often, this isn't the local face of CrossFit. Miguel Garza, himself an affiliate owner in Laredo, Texas asked: "Whether CrossFit is something like golf and tennis? Or something like basketball and football?" His issues with CrossFit's marketing and appeal delve into matters of availability and awareness. In the Harlem community, Syn Martinez has vastly improved both.

CrossFit helped change Syn Martinez's life. After losing 115 pounds, he maintains the ideal healthy lifestyle. And with the epidemics of obesity and diabetes in the black community growing daily, there is no better torch-bearer than he and the rest of the caring and knowledgeable CrossFit community. As a whole,  the CrossFit community is equipped to attract more of everyone. Availability and awareness, together, are priority number one for those seeking to translate CrossFit's appeal to neighborhoods like Harlem and other afrocentric communities.  

In the end, it will always be the same CrossFit that we have come to know and love. As a community, CrossFit is moving in the right direction. Charitable organizations like Steve's Club, CrossFit Central's Youth in Motion, and CrossFit Newport Beach's City Lifts all have it right. As a community, we just need to do more of it. As Syn Martinez's movement to forge elite fitness in his minority-populate community continues to grow, expect to see more of his genuine, charismatic, and good-hearted influence around your own neighborhoods. His apparel, his knack for brutal workouts, and his good-hearted intentions have become an infectious movement. 

Some CrossFitter's call the daily obligation to our health the workout of the day but in Syn's city and beyond, some will call it Afro Brutality. 

By Web Smith | SICFIT

The Websmith BLOG

Are You Not Entertained? (Part Two)

posted by SICFIT Moderator on July 24, 2010, 1:50am

There were as many breakthroughs as there were setbacks at the 2010 CrossFit Games. The most noticeable breakthrough? CrossFit HQ designed workouts that were innovative, fun, and exciting to watch. The irony, and the most noticeable setback, was seen in the scarcity of the audience that was watching it.  But the event being hosted at the Home Depot Center was about the future. And the crowds will surely come.

Driving up to the Home Depot Center was surreal. I'll admit, my intent was to study the weekend with a critical perspective. I missed Aromas and I deeply wanted to follow-up Are You Not Entertained (Part One) with the justification for the assertions that I made in the first article. Some of those assertions go without saying. No one can argue that the 2010 CrossFit Games was an expensive trip. But beyond that, it was amazing to look at the venue, watch the workouts, listen to the commentary, and follow the tenacity of the cameras that caught every waking moment of the athletes' successes and failures. 

Ten minutes hadn't passed before Dave Castro walked by and let me know, in his own way, that he had read Part One. He wasn't gleaming with happiness but I could sense that he respected my opinion. Stark and honest commentary is great for any sport; I'd like to think that I was acting as an ombudsman of sorts. My collective assertion about the sport's future wasn't a matter of if but rather, it was a matter of when. With the growth of the sport, it is simply a matter of time.

The odd thing about this weekend was that I didn't sweat the small stuff. The beer prices didn't bother me. Food selection was a non-issue, I brought my own. Even parking was an ignored discomfort. Competing as a member of an affiliate team was great but it was the moments away from the action that I most cherished. At any given moment, I found myself in a cauldron of intuition, perception, and foresight. I would stare at the ensuing action, and then close my eyes, imagining a full stadium. It did no good to address what wasn't when the only helpful perspective was to imagine what could be. 

The three issues that I put forth in part one were: the integrity of CrossFit brand's image outside of our niche, the lack of extraneous media, and whether or not a live feed could emote a sensory experience for those who had yet to experience CrossFit. 

A few potential breakthroughs occurred after the 2010 CrossFit Games:

• The CrossFit Games: An Action Sports Investment Opportunity in the Making
• Level 3 Delivers Live Stream of 2010 CrossFit Games to Global Audience

The CrossFit Games landed an influential article on the Forbes website. Press releases were written referring to CrossFit as a sport rather than merely a fitness regimen. Most importantly, my mother raved on and on about the competition. In Part One of this article, I stated the following:

Live broadcasting an event that few (outside of a micro-niche) understand will accomplish less than people would think. Internet live broadcasts can do a lot for the prestige of a media operation but in this instance, it won't help drive attention in the same magnitude that CrossFit would by gathering those spectators into a stadium. CrossFit is a sensory experience. You have to feel the energy to love it.

For the past few years that my wife and I have been involved with CrossFit, my mother has been unapologetically apathetic towards our love for the sport. On the way to the airport, ready to board a flight to Texas, I called to discuss the Games with her one last time. Over a span of a weekend she text messaged me over 100 times, enthralled in the live coverage. By the weekend's finish, she was an avid fan. She knew the names, the movements, the personalities, and how severe the obstacles were that they faced. It was like she was there with us. 

I tentatively posed the question, "Would you be a fan if your family wasn't involved?" "Hmmmm...yes." And just like that, I was sold. The live broadcast turned the unknowing into fans and it converted the lukewarm into the maniacal. I thought back to those moments during the weekend's festivities where I sat with my eyes clamped, imagining the day when sandbag stair climbs are impossible in a stadium filled to capacity. Projected imagery ran through my mind; each visual signified that the sport had arrived. If my formerly apathetic mother is any indication, we won't be waiting too much longer for that day. The audience there and afar watched the Games with vehemence. 

By all indication, they were entertained.

See | What is SICFIT.com?

By Web Smith | SICFIT

The Websmith BLOG

Are You Not Entertained? (Part One)

posted by SICFIT Moderator on July 8, 2010, 5:00pm

For some, the prospect of competing in a stadium with spectators numbering in the thousands is enough of a reason to dish out the expensive cost of competing.  For everyone else, Carson City's Home Depot Center had better live up to the hype! Those that live in the California "CrossFit bubble" may have a hard time understanding the reality of this time of year. The simple and plain? CrossFit is an expensive sport. 

OPT recently wrote: 

There are athletes within our community that as you know have a hard(er) time than most having the ability to afford competing or even participating in events that might change their lives.

James Fitzgerald founded a not-for-profit organization to help his athletes pay their way to the 2010 CrossFit Games. He isn't the only one who is trying to lead the charge against the rising costs of the Sport of Fitness. SICFIT recently selected eight athletes to help in a similar way. Raising the profile of a CrossFit athlete can be a frustrating, yet rewarding task. Of the major issues that these exceptional athletes face:

Issue #1
The disconnect between the importance of the sport inside of the community with the  non-existant awareness of the sport outside of the community may be the most discouraging to those seeking sponsorship.

Issue #2:
If someone is aware of CrossFit, it is likely that they know of it as the boot camp, the gym, the fitness program, or the P90x relative.  This means that the athlete spends an inordinate amount of time explaining the movement, the sport, the appeal. It is difficult to rebrand it as a sport while convincing potential sponsors that the cost of supporting you can be beneficial to them.  

Issue #3:
CrossFit athletes are in their towns' Sentinels, Registers, Monitors, Neighborhood Posts, etc. The major print media, the ones that give an athlete credibility and clout, have yet to treat CrossFit like a sport. Until that aspect of brand visibility rises, major sponsors will not have reason to invest in either the sport nor you. There needs to be a detailed expose in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, or Boston Globe. This is something that an athlete can point to and say, "This is the type of visibility you can expect from your sponsorship."

For now, we have:
(1) Wilmington Team to Compete in the CrossFit Games
(2) Hemet Woman to Take on CrossFit Games
(3) She's One Fit Fish

Live broadcasting an event that few (outside of a micro-niche) understand will accomplish less than people would think. Internet live broadcasts can do a lot for the prestige of a media operation but in this instance, it won't help drive attention in the same magnitude that CrossFit would by gathering those spectators into a stadium. CrossFit is a sensory experience. You have to feel the energy to love it.

Can We Lower the Cost of the Games For an Athlete?

The cost of competition, hotels, airfare, and transportation should all be paid by the governing body. Many other sports with epic events help minimize or eliminate theses costs. We are not in Aromas anymore. CrossFit decided to raise the stakes and their profile along with the move to the big league. As such, this event has been ambitiously marketed like a professional sport: the stadium, the title sponsors, the pre-parties, Ticket Master's role. CrossFit HQ's live feed provider almost exclusively deals in sports/events where the performers are professional and compensated as such.  Examples: the X-Games, the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the Tour de France, and the World Cup. As I like to say, we gave up our Woodstock festival for a concert at Madison Square Garden. 

This being said, the 2010 Games is a high class event that we are all excited to watch. The issue that has arisen involves the many athletes who are having difficulty pulling together the funds to participate. The Sport of Fitness just isn't as popular and marketable outside of California. Generally, CrossFitter's pinch pennies to make the trip. There are several CrossFit stars that are on the governing body's payroll as certifiers and media personalities, however, the majority of the athletes have to find their way with their limited resources. 



The $25,000 purse is amazing in comparison to years past. It illustrates the portrait of a growing movement. But remember, CrossFit is a prolific multi-million dollar machine. The goal should be to rise above the comparisons to lesser iterations of sport. CrossFit deserves to be up there with the X-Games. So much was made of the money and the glamour of this year's event that it becomes difficult to focus on the virtuous aspects of this competition. As funny as it may sound, the World Series of Beer Pong dished out $50,000 to the winners. Just last week, the hotdog eating tournament was home to a major audience; they paid their winner $20,000 in cash and more in sponsorships. Major League Eating, for goodness sake! Eating 54 hot dogs in 10 minutes earns you about the same as brutalizing your body for three days at the peak of summer's heat. 

Can we lower the cost of the games for a CrossFit athlete? I think that we must. If the governing body can not dish out the nearly $180,000 that it would cost to transport and house the 100 athletes that we'll be watching, we need to find a way to keep winning the sport as the focus rather than just getting there to participate.

It is a privilege to participate in the 2010 CrossFit Games, sure. But we can't say that this event isn't about the money. For the athletes, it may not be. No athlete can predict that they will be lucky enough (right workouts, right order, right conditions) to win the Games and take home that $25,000 purse. This is not what moves someone to compete. We are driven by something greater. Everyone is doing this because they love it. However, if we are treating this like an "epic", "elite", and "revolutionary" sporting event, some changes can be made to broaden the sport's appeal and its audience.

The first step is making sure that the competition's athletes are ready, rested, and prepared. The second step is to move CrossFit outside the walls of its current media constraint. People that don't know or like CrossFit will like the sport when exposed to it. There has to be a bridge between this sport and the athletes/audiences of others. The third step is to utilize ALL of the talent and the networks in the community to take this great sport and community even higher. CrossFit is in a new territory, the entertainment business. After all, these athletes will be walking into a professional stadium and standing before cameras capable of telling their stories a world away.

See | SICFIT Motivation: Are You Ready?

By Web Smith | SICFIT
The Websmith BLOG

"CrossFit, My New Love" by 2-Time Olympian Chad Vaughn

posted by Wes Kimball on June 8, 2010, 1:00pm

From a coaching standpoint it is easier to teach someone correctly from scratch rather than have to overcome “bad habits,” so obviously to catch them in the beginning is the goal. For the coaches, we can show you how to do this; teach you the how and why to each segment and position of each lift. For the athletes, we can show you the basics then break down your technique and build it back up to as optimal as possible.

ed. note: Chad will be competing in the USA Weightlifting National Championship this weekend. Chad teaches weightlifting classes at CrossFit Austin on Wednesdays, and  One Day Seminars across the state of Texas with renowned USAW senior International coach Ursula Garza.

Paul "Kong" Smith: Signs that the Game has Changed

posted by SICFIT Moderator on June 4, 2010, 11:18am

Third place on the first event. Ninth on the second event. First on the third event. And then 35th on the final event of the 2010 South Central Regional Qualifier. At age 32, it is noteworthy that Paul is listed as 5'11 and 242 pounds. Everyone looked on as he quickly battled through the beginning of the second day's final event: 10 muscle ups, 15 handstand pushups, 20-155 lb squat cleans, and then a 600 meter off-road hill run. At this point, Paul was a shoe-in for the podium. His performance in the third workout left people wondering if they could just bypass the Los Angeles competition and crown Paul the 2010 CrossFit Games champion. 

There was one "small" problem for Paul, he wasn't small. The width of his torso and the fact that CrossFit is still tailored to the slight of build begot a certain outcome. The comments on the 2010 Games Site would suggest so, at least. The requirement to maintain a 30" handstand pushup width certainly affected the outcome of the qualifier. There is no doubt about it. There was a clear correlation between the size of the individual and their placement in that final workout. Smith, for instance, looked like he was doing close-grip handstand pushups. A movement that is quite a bit more difficult, especially for an athlete of his size. The arguments that unfolded on the Games Site discussed this disparity. "Steve" wrote,

The first WOD was capped and clearly does not allow the athlete to show off their full potential. Even if ONE athlete can overhead squat more than 225/135 then he/she deserves to show their talent off like the athletes in the last WOD who were able to smash the required time.

Adam, dont you think if someone on the first WOD can overhead squat more than 225/135 he/she can widen the gap on the point system? No one on the podium (for men) could overhead squat 225 (just a stat this wouldn't matter if the last WOD was capped also by the way) ...If someone lifts an exceptional amount of pounds over their competitor should they not receive more points? 

Fair point. Had Paul Smith been allowed to go well beyond the 225 lb. snatch/OHS limit, he could have done to the first workout what Vic Zachary and Deric Maruquin did to the last. This is only important because CrossFit's "standard scoring system" utilizes a standard deviation function to bolster the exceptional finishers and degrade the sub-average ones based upon the average performance of each event. Every second counted but in a very complex way. The method is exciting for competition. For instance, Deric Maruquin shot up the leader board after his outlying score. Duly, because of this outlying score, Paul Smith's 35th place was worth much less. Deric Maruquin finished the final event with a score of 2.4; Smith's performance notched him a -.58 point penalty due to his sub-average performance. Paul's sub-average final performance resulted in a score that was greatly influenced by Maruquin's other-worldly performance.

The question that CrossFit, Inc. will have to pose for the future is this: what if Paul Smith's final snatch weight was 300 lbs., potentially notching his own outlier of a performance. How would that have affected Vic Zachary, Deric Maruquin, Chase Ingraham, and Breck Berry's scores in the first event? Neither of these athletes notched 225 lbs. for a final snatch weight. Also of note: with the exception of Ingraham, neither of these athletes stood over 5'8" or weighed over 175 lbs.

Paul Smith's performance was a spectacle. It wasn't just his build that excited the crowds. It was his ability to stay with the smaller athletes and, three out of four times, beat most of them. In the end, Paul was the quintessential sportsman. Not only was he an amazing athlete, he was graceful after the disappointment of finishing in 6th place, two spots away from qualification.

Choosing to Write Your Own Future

posted by SICFIT Moderator on May 23, 2010, 9:59am

The 2009 CrossFit Games was amazing but it was the moments that the fans weren't watching that most struck me. I sat behind the athlete's fence, watching the individual athletes perform at their highest levels. Standing close enough to witness first-hand, I watched "OPT" seize up, I watched Iceland Annie glued to the ground at the muscle-up stage of the final workout, and then I watched my friend before the final event. 

To be honest, I saw defeat in his eyes before that first muscle-up attempt. He never shook off the displeasure of that sledge hammer and rowing debacle. He wasn't in contention for the podium, like he was the year before and that just had him thinking differently.  For the three amazing athletes that I watched fall short on that final day of the Games, I was no more disappointed than I was in Jeremy Thiel. Of course, I was shaken when I watched James Fitzgerald break down and I sat empathetically while Annie Thorisdottir couldn't do another muscle-up but Jeremy is a friend of mine. And he is one of the reasons that this Texas boy, and so many others, know that there is such a sport.

It is 2010 now and the future remains unwritten for these three individuals. Many counted OPT out for this year citing his age and the increasing physical demands of the CrossFit Games.  Many felt that Annie Thorisdottir would either gain impermeable strength from her heart-breaking finish or never participate in the sport again. But those are just assumptions. Neither "OPT" or "Iceland Annie" voiced an uncertainty for their futures in CrossFit but Jeremy seemed to be done with the sport. For an individual that is as accomplished as he, many believed that there was no way that he was going to open himself up to such vulnerability, once again.

The final event of the 2009 CrossFit Games was a chipper that began with 10 muscle-ups. Jeremy went for the first pull and never finished one.  In a rare moment of weakness, a muscle popped in his upper back. But there was just something about that moment that felt predictable to me. I knew that he wasn't going to do a single muscle-up. I saw a presence of useless sadness rather than useful anger. It seemed like it was mental disappointment that manifested in the form of physical injury. It happens to the best of us. There was just so much stress on his mind that the thought of performing movements that weren't necessarily in his wheelhouse, sent his body over the edge. I say this with such affirmation because I have been there, myself. 

For OPT, I felt that he would come back for 2010. I knew that Iceland Annie would come back as an even stronger machine (and she has). But for Jeremy, I wasn't so sure. It just seemed so devastating to his psyche that I couldn't perceive him opening himself up to that level of scrutiny again. For months, I heard rumors that he would not be training for the Games again and I believed them; 99 times out of a 100, when he says he will or won't do something-that's it. But then I got a phone call back in November.

One of the first events that SICFIT covered would also be his first effort in making a return to CrossFit's international stage. There he would compete against the likes of: Vic Zachary, Charlie Gerszewski, Matthew Brisebois, Chase Ingraham, Spencer Nix, Jeff Reed and Ken C, many of the gentlemen that will be competing just days from now.

But what would happen during the "All Cities Open", I wondered? Would the outcome of the event, whatever it was to be, catapault him or drop him further into the depths of doubt? I watched him go through each workout with ease and in the end, in what was the year's best preview of the South Central regional qualifier, he went into a tie-breaker with a three-way tie for second place.  

Click Here for the Post-Event Interview with Thiel

Free of the Gym

posted by Blair Morrison on May 19, 2010, 3:16pm

Few things in the fitness industry are more popular than CrossFit lately.  It would seem the KoolAid only gets stronger with age.  I get emails all the time from people who’ve discovered a hatred of Fran, have learned to love kettlebells more than their their first born, or are now obsessed with Olympic weightlifting.  They can’t say enough about how much their bodies are changing, how strong they feel, and how far a cry this revolution has been from their everyday grind.  They grow to love their affiliate and the people in it with whom they train.  The process is like gravity… no one can resist. 

CrossFit is Freedom.  The principles in its bible apply anywhere.  They’re meant to be practiced everywhere.  They don’t depend on specific apparatus, locations, or routines, so why should you?  Do it all. Train in the mornings at your box, on the stairs during your lunch break, then in the evenings at the park with your dog.  Climb, run, and swim.  Don’t be a barbell brat, lift whatever you can get your hands on.  Weakness doesn’t respect proper equipment or hours of operation, so don’t stand on ceremony while you get choked out. 

There’s nothing that burns me more than when I ask someone about a trip they took and they tell me, “It was great, but I couldn’t get to the gym.”  Wrong.  Nut up, go outside, and make your own gym.  The biggest obstacle is not a lack of resources, it’s a lack of drive and a crippling self-consciousness.  Get over it and your world becomes a playground.  Trust me, it’s fun and you’ll be better for it the next time you “get to the gym.” 

I’ve attached a link to a video of what I mean: an alternating c2b pullup and burpee progression ladder on some scaffolding.  It takes place in Oxford where I’m currently living, but the scaffolding is the same everywhere.  The pipes are thick, they rotate when you kip, and they make pullups a lot harder than a standard bar.  I made it to 17 minutes before failing.  It took place at 11 pm after a pitcher at the pub around the corner with a few friends.  Not that it makes much difference, I just like beer.

Your Training Program Sucks

posted by David Claiborne on May 12, 2010, 8:29am

I don’t are if you got it from me, another strength coach, the head coach of your sport, a magazine, or from a website.  It sucks… period.

It is the reason you never get results.  It is the reason you aren’t a better athlete.  I’m 100% sure of it. Here is why:

• I know that every time you train, you are working like a dog, going 110% trying to crush every rep, exercise, and workout.
• I know that no matter what other people say, you are forcing the foods down you need at the times they are needed to recover, burn fat, and build muscle.
• I know you have turned down multiple requests from friends to go party or have a few drinks because it will interrupt your training and diet schedule.
• I also know that you are constantly trying to read, learn, educate, and grow in your knowledge so your training intensity, rest periods, supplementation, and nutrition are spot on.
• I know you are leaving the gym barely able to pick up your arms, walk, and you just might have left a little vomit back there somewhere.
• I know that the hotter it gets outside, the more and more it makes you want to sprint, run bleachers, or push cars instead of sit inside on a computer or in front of a TV under that cool A/C.

• I know that you are sleeping enough at night (7-9 hours), waking up, eating a meal, before even thinking about starting your day.
• I know that you are doing the things you hate to get better at what you are good at.  You absolutely despise squats and lunges, but every time they come up, you attack them with an intensity that most people don’t even show for their favorite exercises.

• I know you have that look in your eye, and no matter how busy you are or what you are working on, your goals and desires always creep back into the front of your mind.

So you are doing all of these things 100% of the time and still aren’t getting results? See I told you your workout sucks and you should go search for another.  That will fix everything…

-D-

David Claiborne is the owner of Genesis Athletic Performance in Houston, TX.  A small warehouse training facility designed to produce strong, powerful, and tougher athletes by using old school equipment and methods that have worked for many generations.

www.Genesis-AP.com
www.DClaiborne.com

Improving your Rowing

posted by Sara-Mai Conway on May 2, 2010, 3:44pm

Getting Better:

If I had to name one reason why I love sport it would be this: you can always get better at it. The opportunity to get better makes me show up, encourages me to work hard, keeps me engaged in the process, and teaches me that each time I think I’ve found a new limit, I can test it. There’s endless satisfaction to be had in achieving something your body has never done before.

I believe in CrossFit, but I’ll always be a rower first. This series of videos is geared towards all of you who are CrossFit athletes first, to allow you to think of yourselves as rowers.  We begin the series with a general overview of the stroke, and delve into more specific technique elements as the series goes on. I’ve tried to keep each video fairly simple, one technical element at a time. (my favorite part is that it’s endless…there’s always more technique!)

Here’s the first go: How the rowing stroke should look on the Concept2

Here’s the first break-down: Why you should NEVER stop the flow of the handle

Notes on Practice:

We drive up the hill of achievement by pushing in two areas. Technique is our front-wheel drive.  Efficiency of motion and technical simplicity grab the road ahead and allow us to get greater, bigger results for each watt of energy applied. Fitness is the rear-wheel drive. The heart, the lungs, the oxygen delivery system push us from behind and offer our main support. We need both. And both can be endlessly improved.

Try to spend some time working on technique without the stress of being at your physical max effort level. Go through the stroke in slow motion, get used to the flow.

It’s important to continue to be aware of technique as your effort level increases. The ability to maintain efficient technique at higher levels of stress is the goal.

Sara-Mai Conway is the owner of Flywheel Fitness, an Indoor Rowing and Cycling Studio, and the director of Austin Rowing Club. Sara-Mai has coached rowers for over ten years at the NCAA Division I level. She continues to compete and most recently raced at the 2010 San Diego Crew Classic.

Battling Ropes and a Free Alternative

posted by David Claiborne on April 22, 2010, 1:04pm

As one of the main finishers for upper body conditioning we do at Genesis Athletic Performance, Battling Ropes have become pretty popular.  They have been around for a while, but are just now starting to take off.  Someone even told me they saw it on an episode of The Biggest Loser a few weeks ago.  Battling Ropes are a great exercise that have multiple variations and uses which is why they are incorporated into our athlete's training frequently.

Here is an example of one of the ways we have used Battling Ropes at the facility.

www.youtube.com/v/JeirAS6cxMc

You can use them for conditioning, as part of a Tabata style workout (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, repeat), to correct muscle imbalances (especially in the upper back), to teach glute and hip activation instead of moving the ropes with just your arms and shoulders, for grip strength (especially the thicker the rope), as a great way to work the core, and much more.

The problem is that it is hard to find a 50ft or longer rope that will last and is thick enough so your body has to work hard to control it.  Your local building supply store doesn't offer them, and if you purchase them online you are going to pay a few hundred bucks depending on the quality, length, and thickness you get and that isn't even including shipping.

Because of this and me not wanting people to have to spend money to get results, I decided to do some hunting and brain storming and come up with a cheap or free alternative to use instead of ropes.  After asking clients and friends for ideas and searching the internet, I discovered this excellent alternative.

USED FIRE HOSES

As odd as that sounds, apparently fire departments "retire" used fire hoses that have been used a certain amount of times and give them away for free.  They want you to take them off your hands so they get them out of their fire stations and don't have to pay disposal fees.  The best part about it is they come in different sizes and lengths so you can do multiple things with them.

I called up my local fire station and asked if they had any they were willing to give away.  They said yes and actually sounded let down that I told them I only wanted 2 or 3.  They told me where to go to pick them up and when I showed up, I had my selection of about 100 different hoses to take my pick from.  I picked up 2 50 ft. hoses that are about 2 inches wide and another one that is about 5 inches wide.  Then we  took a hacksaw to the ends to cut off the metal nozzles, after some duct tape for the handles, we had 2 different types of hoses with grips that we could use for anything a rope can be used for.  We then took the other 2 inch hose and cut it into 4 10 ft. pieces so we can have partner battling rope competitions which can be seen in the video below.

Compare the first video using an actual 50 ft. rope to the one below using hoses instead and notice how they work just as well.

www.youtube.com/v/ATTwF5k2sXc

Check it out and let me know what you think.

D
www.DClaiborne.com
www.Genesis-AP.com