Author Archive

Josh & Amy Fix working with the group at this past weekend’s Endurance Clinic

WCCF’s Endurance Coaches, Josh & Amy Fix, put on an awesome clinic last weekend for about 40 participants to learn a better running position, race prep and recovery. Each participant left with a better understanding on POSE Running and injury prevention. If you would like more information or to set up a training session with either one of our highly trained Endurance Coaches, contact us today!

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In other BIG NEWS, WCCF is heading down to West Palm Beach, Fl. this weekend to compete in the 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games! This will be World Camp’s 4th regional in that many years. Each season the top 30 gyms from their respected regions are invited to compete for a chance to compete in Carson, Cal. in July. Or region consists of 4 states, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Alabama; so being in the top 30 is already an honor. I will be updating the Facebook page and this website with the events of this weekend. Rio, Marlin, Tammy, Jay, Devin and I thank you all so much for all of your support in preparing for this SouthEast regional.

Devin going over the task of the day.

I hate hearing this – its usually at the end of a WOD, when someone just crumpled to the floor, dead last by minutes, breathing hard while classmates go up to congratulate.
“Dude, that was awesome, way to fight through”, “You did SO good!”, “That was amazing, great job today”, “Good job finishing, way to not give up!”
“Yeah, but I scaled”
As if scaling is something to be ashamed of, as if scaling is for the weak and the untrained.
As if scaling means you didn’t do the workout – or your workout was less worthy because you scaled.
It isn’t.
We are all in a constant state of scaling – even the elite of the elite, even the few who make it to the finals at The CrossFit Games.
Double unders are scaled triple unders, MU are scaled weighted MU, 15′ rope climbs are scaled 20′ climbs.
Sure, they aren’t called for in the WODs today, but what about tomorrow?
Scaling is how you get from where you are now to your future kickass self.
Scaling is how you stay safe and healthy.Scaling is how you finish the workouts and feel obliterated after, using a band instead of just staring at the bar for 10 min willing yourself to get a pullup.
Scaling is how you improve your technique and learn to lift heavier.
Scaling, is not, however, something to be ashamed of or something that you can use to write off your WOD as a poor performance.
So next time you are crumpled on the floor gasping for air, be proud that you choose the right scale for you.
Be proud that you killed the WOD, and that the WOD killed you.

-Courtesy of Journal Menu

Color in the Grove, Albany

Thanks to all that participated in Albany’s first “Color in the Grove” run this past weekend! I’m sure that I speak for everyone when I say it was a huge success. Thanks to all the volunteers and the city of Albany for putting on such a great event. WCCF was represented well from the participant as well as the volunteer side of things.

Course Profile

Randy, Billy, Faith and Chip will be running 30miles today in North Georgia for the SweetH2O 50k trail race. We are so proud of all of them and are thinking of them today. Do GOOD guys and we’ll see you when you get back home!

Sara G.

This past weekend was a big weekend for World Campers, both in Albany and around the globe! Ok, “around the globe” may be stretching it a little… Many Campers took to the pavement here in Albany for the annual SNICKERS
MARATHON while others were further south and one guy went to kill a snake! We would like to say how proud we are of each and every one of you that weathered the cold to compete in these events. It is great to see you guys and gals come into the gym and give it all you’ve got, but to see and hear how well you do outside in events we really don’t practice a lot here is phenomenal! Keep up the hard work everyone, we are all very proud of you!

Tracy & Deanna

Maybe it’s one of those things on the whiteboard that isn’t in your skill set, maybe it’s one WOD that you dread or maybe it’s just been one of those days. You know going into it that it is going to be bad. You lack motivation and drive today. So maybe you decide you will take a rest day…

Then you get it…. That text. That email. That phone call.

Do you have an accountability partner? If you Google this term you’ll find it means a person who coaches another person to keep a commitment.

What makes a good accountability partner? What type of person is right for you? Are you the type of person that likes a quiet encourager? An in your face yeller? A cheerleader? You have to find the right person that works for you. Look for someone that is like-minded and shares a similar commitment to success. Someone that shares similar struggles as well as goals, while making both of you better at the same time. Someone that encourages and motivates. Someone that can be a competitor and a partner at the same time. Someone that you trust. Someone that you believe in. Someone that inspires you. You need to find YOUR person.

For new members of World Camp, these workouts can be intimidating. For seasoned members of World Camp, these workouts can be intimidating. You and only you are accountable for your work within those walls. An accountability partner is by no means a crutch. Having an accountability partner does not mean you lack motivation or commitment on your own. An accountability partner is simply that extra support or encouragement on days when you need it. Your person may just be a smile or a high-five at the end of a workout. Your person may be in your face the entire workout. Your person may just simply be by your side, not saying a word, but enduring the exact same struggle you are.

Find the person that works for you. World Camp is full of them. With an accountability partner, solid WCCF programming and a new outlook thanks to the 45 day challenge, you will be better than yesterday in 2013.  -Anonymous

Hey everyone! We are now right at the 30 day mark of our “45 Day Athlete Challenge!” How are we holding up? I am so proud of ALL of you that have taken this challenge in becoming a better YOU! Keep up the good hard work and finish strong!

John J.

Alright Boys and Girls, it’s that time of year again!!! The 2013 CrossFit Games are upon us and in order to keep with tradition, WCCF needs for everyone to pitch in! We will be going over the online “OPEN” in more detail this week, but for now, here is a link that will get you going in the right direction. For those that do not know, WCCF has made appearances and competed in the last 3 South East Regionals and performed on the big stage in Carson, Ca. in 2011. How did this happen? The weight was carried by many, not just by a few! By signing up for the “OPEN” and being a part of the WCCF team, you are automatically increasing our chance of making it back to regionals and a having a bid to the games in the Home Depot Center. We will be doing these “OPEN” workouts as a gym on a designated day of the week, all you have to do is sign up and get credit for it. You will be doing the WOD’s anyway, why would you NOT want credit? As I have previously stated, I will be going over the “OPEN” in more detail this week, but you can go ahead and check it out by clicking the link below.

CrossFit Games Registration 

(Be sure to click “Sign in and Compete” at the top right of page)

Devin is briefing the group on the tasks at hand.

There are many times I find myself smiling in the gym. It is a small smile, a quiet smile, a smile that cannot be helped; one that you would not even notice. It’s not about my lifts, my times, or my PRs. It is about things much bigger than those.

It’s a new year so there were several new people in my class on this particular day. I can tell by the apprehension on their faces and their eagerness to learn.  The WOD was one that involved running. I took notice of a new person in the class who I did not know.  He seemed very apprehensive and just trying to get his nerves settled before we began.

Usually during a WOD, I am so focused on my own workout that I pay no attention to things going on around me. On this particular day, I took notice. The new person was making his laps around the building and another World Camper joined him. I heard these words as I ran by. “We don’t let you quit here. You need to understand that. I want you to jog; we do not have to run, but jog with me to the other side of the building, without stopping. Do that with me okay?” The new person, breathing heavy said, “Ok I’ll try.”

I smiled a small smile as I ran past them. Neither of them had any idea that I heard what was said. You see, the World Camper saying those encouraging words has only been doing Crossfit for a short time.  I knew that it was not that long ago that they had also heard those same exact words. I know this because it was not that long ago that I, along with so many others, had heard those same words.

Before that day, those two people had never met and possibly never would have met in their normal walks of life. On this day, they shared a common bond. On this day, they made each other better. On this day, they made me better without even knowing it.

Amazing people are found within the walls of World Camp and I am thankful that I found them. Some call it drinking the Kool-Aid, an obsession, a cult, as well as many other things. Call it what you want.  We don’t call it anything. We don’t have to. We live it, see it, breathe it, and feel it.

- Anonymous

Devin G.

There will be NO class Saturday at WCCF, we will all be in Thomasville at CrossFit Unconquered getting in the WOD. If you would like to join us there, be sure to give yourself an hour for the commute. The address is 116 N. Madison and we will be starting at 9am. Hope to see you all there! If not, we will be back on regular schedule here on Monday. Have a great weekend!

“Hi, I’m a Box… Although you may have other names for me, I am merely a box…”

What is it about that box?

I know I have said it a thousand times; I hate that stupid box. These are strong words. Hate and stupid are words my mother told me never to use. However, the words dislike and any other adjective to describe the box just do not seem strong enough.

I know there are others that have said this at WCCF because I’ve heard them. I’ve seen their shins, seen their blood and seen their bandages. I’ve seen the grimaces as they jump. I’ve watched one classmate who appears to be warming up prior to box jumps by squatting and holding onto the box. Secretly I think they are praying to God for no injuries during this WOD because each shin has a scar. So what is it about that box?

We’re taught to jump onto the box, opening our hips all the way, stand up, then step or bounce off. Seems easy enough.  For some, it’s back, ankle, achilles, hip, or knee injuries that make box jumps difficult no matter what height box you are attempting. Fatigue and losing your focus are also reasons for tripping up on the box.

The number one reason we hate that stupid box? Fear. Plain and simple, fear.  Once you fall and scrape or gash your shin on a box jump once, there is that voice inside that tells you it will happen again.  Each jump thereafter requires extreme focus, which is mentally exhausting in the middle of a tough workout.

So how to do you conquer the fear of the box?  TRY.  Chances are if you say you can’t try, then you won’t try. Overcome self-doubt and know that you’ll make that jump every single time. Say it to yourself if you have to. “I will make this jump. I will make this jump.” Attack your fears and get into the habit of overcoming these fears. Focus, really focus on jump after jump.  Conquer each jump and that stupid box. Then move on to the next fear. Whether it is standing upside down on your hands, shooting yourself through the rings on a muscle up, doing GHD sit-ups for the first time, climbing a rope, or dropping yourself underneath the bar,  TRY.

Believe in yourself. Then that box and that fear won’t be so stupid anymore.

-Anonymous

Saturday Group

Great job to everyone that showed up this morning to the workout! Also, I wanted to say how impressed I was with all of your questions during the “Nutritional Clinic!” It’s so awesome to be around such “like minded” and hard working people. I am so glad that we got together and did that, thank you all for being so attentive!

Nutritional Clinic

Michele F.

“I am happy and fine, just the way I am. I’ll let no one tell me any different.”

Brilliant words of wisdom from a little person that I read this weekend that brought me to tears. At some point in our lives, I hope we have all felt this way or feel this way.  During this day and age, society puts extreme emphasis on outward appearance and outward happiness. We are surrounded by many images, in the news, magazines, and television that convey faultless and flawless bodies. There are pressures about ideal weights and shapes that may sometimes influence how we carry out our daily life, if we fall victim to these pressures.

It took me years and years to conclude, “I am happy and fine, just the way I am. I’ll let no one tell me any different.” Growing up in a world filled with pressures and emphasis on outward appearance, I found myself needing and wanting something to “fix me”. I am sure many of us have the same surface reason for starting Crossfit and WCCF, but deep within there are many other reasons. My initial visit was, as previously stated, for aesthetic reasons. I wanted to look good and look fit.  I thought I had found the place for that.

During my first classes, I never even realized that I was being trained or that there was actual programming. I just thought I was learning ways of the gym, because I didn’t know anything.  I did not know the importance of that whiteboard, the programming, or the time, thought and care that went into it. I knew very little about how to be fit and I had been working out at a gym my entire adult life (on machines, of course).

I began to learn. I gained knowledge and information because I was open to learning new skills. Open being the key word. Having never lifted an Olympic bar in my lifetime, I’ll admit I was apprehensive. I learned how to grip the bar and how to lift with weight. Laughing now, I wondered during those beginning sessions if I would ever put enough weight on the bar or have the need to chalk my hands up, as I had watched so many others do in my class. I really wanted to chalk my hands for some reason. I wrote about the necessity of that chalk after one class. I thought if I chalked my hands, I had come into my own and possibly knew what I was doing. Maybe if my hands were chalked, I’d be considered an athlete?  I can smile about it now, but as a beginner the things you notice, wish you could do and things you don’t understand is mind blowing

I learned to eat. I learned what and how to eat. Actually eat! I grew up learning that eating very little or practically starving was better than eating. Little did I know that if I wanted to succeed at my newfound love Crossfit, I was going to have to eat, more than I had ever eaten before. The day that I accepted that, was the day I found a better part of me. Any gym can teach you how to get on a machine and kill yourself for thirty minutes. I had done that for years with the same mindset and the same unhappiness. WCCF was teaching me how to be fit, how to be healthy, how to find that better part of me and letting no one tell me any different.

As we go into this weekend, please make plans to be at World Camp Saturday morning at 9 am for the regular Saturday WOD. If you cannot make the WOD, please be sure to come to the meeting shortly after the WOD at 10 am. Kris will discuss the “Athlete Challenge” (which includes ALL World Campers). This is 45 days of healthier eating, training diligence, and progress toward a fitter, healthier life.  You don’t want to miss it! If you cannot be there, please be sure to get with Kris on Monday to find out what you need to do to take part.

This challenge is not about dieting and losing weight, but more about learning to be healthy and learning to be happy and fine, just the way you are. I am very excited about this 45 day Athlete Challenge, not just for myself, but also for the many new faces that I see daily at WCCF. I know how this place has changed me, inside and out, and my hope is that many of you will share that same experience.

-Anonymous

Bonds

Happy Friday everyone! Remember that we will have our regularly scheduled class tomorrow at 9am. On a side note, we will be starting an “Athlete Challenge” next week. This will be a 45 day challege geared toward better eating, diligence to training and an over all “Fitter” lifestyle. We will kick this off with a nutritional clinic/ seminar on Saturday, January 12th at 10am! This will be a great tool as we head into the “OPEN,” starting in March.

The WOD

New Year’s Day 2013… a day filled with hope and hopefully a new perspective! As World Campers walked through the door this morning, anxious for the New Year’s workout, it appeared most expected a regular Saturday WOD. I saw familiar faces and some new faces, as today all classes came together for one holiday workout at the same time.

We went through a light warm-up and Kris asked that we join him at the whiteboard, where we found the WOD already written. Seven.  He explained briefly why it was a hero WOD and why it was named “Seven”.  A suicide bomber killed seven CIA officers and one Jordanian officer at a remote base in southeastern Afghanistan on December 30, 2009 after posing as a potential informant reporting on Al Qaeda. Killed in the attack were  CIA officers Jennifer Lynne Matthews, 45; Scott Michael Roberson, 39; Harold E. Brown Jr., 37; Darren LaBonte, 35; Elizabeth Hanson, 30; and security contractors Jeremy Jason Wise, 35, and Dane Clark Paresi, 46. We honored these seven people today.

I looked around and could see the faces of those that have been through this one before and others who were just finding out what Seven really is. This WOD is brutal. That’s why I love HERO Wods. They are meant to be brutal. They are meant to honor those people who sacrificed their life standing for what they believe.

I know in my previous post, I quoted the words of my father “if you think it’ll be hard, of course it will be. This is an exception. No matter what you “think” of this WOD, it’s hard.  In our gym today, there were many athletes, all there for different reasons, but doing the same thing. Athletes ranging from the age of 9 through late 60’s. Everyone honoring seven remarkable people that they never even knew.

As we began and completed the WOD, our gym and the people that make it World Camp amazed me. As we all passed each other, we all had the same expression on our faces. Although the expression looked the same, I thought it could mean many things. Anguish, determination, pain, tired, mutual respect, encouragement, “I may die”, help!, hurt, a new perspective and then at the end, that smile.

This workout is a test, a test of your physical ability, of course. However, it is every bit a test of your mental and emotional state, just as much as your physical. When you complete round four, you are beat down, you want to quit, and you have to decide. You have to decide to dig deep and keep going. Fight the emotional tears and that negative person that may exist inside of you that occasionally says you are done and you have nothing left to give. I could hear Kris encouraging, telling different people to keep their back tight, breathe, dig deep, work hard, and coaching everyone through. Everyone wanted to finish, regardless of how long it took.

What I saw today for that one hour, was a great many people who dug deep, fought through the pain and the tiredness, and accomplished a goal. It didn’t matter if you did the workout scaled or prescribed, at the end of seven rounds, that was an accomplished smile. I looked around at the chalk mess that we made on the floor before I left and I did smile. Thank you to those Seven and World Camp. I found a better part of me today.

-Anonymous

Barrett C.

Ok Guys and Gals, it’s about that time! We are officially past the holidays and back on regular schedule! You know, doing Cleans on the “reg,” Dead Lifts on the “reg,” bustin’ WOD’s and gettin’ fit on the “reg!” There’s a little Kenny Powers tribute right there for you… I hope that you all had a great holiday season and are ready to go! Hold on to your hats boys and girls, 2013 is going to be a blast!

One Good Looking Group

There will only be one workout today, New Year’s Day, at 10am. We will be back to regular schedule one Jan. 2nd. Happy New Year’s everyone! May 2013 be worlds better for us all…

Half Full or Half Empty?

Wayne Dyer said  ”When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”.  Think about this quote as we head into the new year. What would you like to be different in 2013? Will you make changes in 2013? This isn’t a post about New Years’ Resolutions, but more a post about perspective.

Tracy S.

Remember everyone, the hours for Monday will be 9am and 4pm! Tuesday, New Year’s Day, we will have one workout at 10am. We hope to see you all in here! We will be back to regular schedule on Wednesday, Jan. 2nd. HAPPY NEW YEAR’S!!!

You can’t always judge the contents by the outside of the package. 

I knew that part of me was in there. I just knew it.  I just did not know how to get to that part of me. That is how and where my journey with Crossfit and World Camp began. I wanted and needed to find the better part of me.

We all have our reasons for taking that very first and hardest step (in my opinion) of walking through that door. Whatever your reason is for deciding to come to WCCF, only you know what it is. Some share their reasons; some like me never shared their reason for entering that door. This is my way of sharing. My reason for walking through that door was to find the better part of me.

We live each day, as we are “supposed to”. I did at least. Today turned into tomorrow, then the next day, and the next. They were all the same. I was the same. I was the same and unhappy, but could not figure out why. Somehow, I had lost myself along the way, living each of those days the same as I always had. How did I lose myself? I have asked that question to myself for a long time. How did I become this person I didn’t even know anymore?

Walking into the gym, World Camp, very scared, what did I see? Immediately, Four walls and a Rower. I remember that rower. I still hate that thing. Little did I know that those four walls would eventually become my home away from home. I did not know that at the time and it even took a long time for me to admit that I actually “liked” and would eventually love (gasp!) what I was doing.

On that initial visit, I remember being asked what my reason for coming to World Camp was. My response, “I am overweight, and I need to get in shape, lose weight and tone.”   Truthfully, I needed so much more and even I did not know it at the time.

So, what is this gym? What is this place that people that don’t understand say we’re crazy about? What makes it so special? Is it because we are doing things we have never done before? Is it because we are doing things we NEVER said we would? Is it because we are doing things they are not doing? Yes, a gym is simply four walls filled with equipment. My gym, however, is not that. My gym, World Camp, could not be World Camp, if it was simply four walls filled with equipment. Quite honestly if it was, I would not still be there. That place, the people within those four walls and the changes I am making within myself are helping me find the better part of me, every single day.

There are many days, many specifics, that I recall from being within those four walls since my first day. Lots of laughs, lots of smiles, lots of frustration and some tears. I wrote about some of these, just for myself at the time, not realizing that someday I may have the courage to share. On one particular workout when I fell apart, Kris came to me with these words that I needed and will never forget.

“Your best will vary from day to day. My best will be different from your best. All of us have days when things just don’t go as planned, have a sick child, a sick parent, deadlines, work stress, schedule conflicts, irritations, emotional distress and some days more than one of these. You are better. You are better than yesterday. You’ll see.”

He was so right and I recall those words on occasion. I was better and did not even know it. It is on those days that I find the better part of me. Walking through those doors is my therapy. For that one hour, I can leave it all outside and give my best, whatever that may be, on that day. Some days it may just be coming in for an hour to breathe and that may be all I can give on that day. No one walks in your shoes; no one knows what you have going on or what you are going through. Most importantly, no one knows what you have to give; only you do. There will be good days and bad days, good WODs and bad WODs. However, we must give our best every day. Decide that today you will become better and give your very best. Then, come back tomorrow and see what is on that whiteboard.

My hope for the New Year is to continue to try to find the better part of me and BE BETTER. I hope that you will join me in 2013 at WCCF and find out why it is that you are there.

- Anonymous