Archive for September, 2010

Wednesday WOD from Kris Morrill on Vimeo.

One more week is almost in the books! Keep up the hard work everyone!

I am not quite sure people know what or who we are and even more disturbing, some people mistakingly use the CrossFit name as a way to compete or at least have a sense of likeness to our athletes. I have often seen Facebook posts that say something to the affect of “going to CrossFit at (insert name of gym here).” Surprisingly enough, the gym named is not a CrossFit affiliate, thus not able to use the CrossFit name, and the trainers are nothing more than glorified gym rats. My Grandmother used to say, “You can’t put a cat in the oven and call it a biscuit”, meaning that just because you dress something up and call it something else doesn’t make it the same.  The truth of the matter is that CrossFit is a functional and very scalable strength and conditioning program that challenges athletes of all calibers to do their best each day. Workouts are performed under the watchful eye of an experienced coach who is fluent in the movements taught and forcing proper body mechanics. Some trainers see videos of named WODs, met cons mostly, and try to mimic the magic of them as if they came up with the idea on their own in hopes of building credibility with the little clientele that will fall for it. Beware of this!!! Antics like those noted not only give CrossFit Inc. a bad name but can get people seriously hurt! There is a reason that we do things the way we do. Every workout can be measured to show progress and there is a method to the program design. CrossFit is not into the business of coming up with workouts that kill you day in and day out, but rather expose weaknesses and for an individual to get better to be more complete. We have Strength days, Technique, Work days and what I call “Magic” days. “Magic” days are like game days for sports fanatics. If you know anything about sports you know that if all you did was play games and not practice, then you would never get better. We are a performance based fitness program and preach about the sport of fitness. There is a reason that most CrossFit gyms are tucked away off of the main drag and do very little marketing to try to get people in the door. There is also a reason why other gyms try to use the CrossFit name in order to entice prospective clients to come in theirs. Just a thought…

As many of you know, this past Saturday was the annual “Fight Gone Bad” fundraiser event. This event was taking place at CrossFit affiliates around the world in hopes to raise money for the LIVESTRONG organization, The Wounded Warrior Project and CrossFit Foundations. World Camp was pleased to join in the fight! After a good warm up and a technique session, it was on to the workout. We had several lines going at once to ensure that everyone was able to get it in with categories ranging from Men’s Rx, Women’s Rx and Scaled versions of both. Even the kids got in on the action! I was very proud of the veteran World Camper’s in making sure that the newbies were pointed in the right direction and most importantly, having fun! You guys and gals really took a lot of the strain off of the coaches by partnering up with the ones visiting, thank you for that. It was because of you that everything went as smoothly as it did. With the exception of an extra Wall Ball throwing a monkey wrench in the first heat, the entire event went off without a hitch! It was absolutely amazing to witness all of the hard work and power output that was displayed in the 17 minutes that is “Fight Gone Bad!” Jessica and Rio, shown on the right, decided to go above and beyond by tackling the “Men’s Rx” line. With both of them scoring in the 200′s (Jessica 210/ Rio 222), there is no doubt that these ladies are 2 of the most fit women in the Albany area! Brian Bradshaw took first place in the “Men’s Rx” with 326, a nice touch on his wedding day I might add! In the “Women’s Rx”, Lindsay Sanders and Jennifer Durden were the front runners with 243 and 240 respectively! Words can not express how proud I am of everyone who showed up on this day! Thank you all for giving up your Saturday morning to join in the fight!

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So, what is the next step you ask? I realize that we all love a good challenge, so this next one will be no different! I want to go ahead and pull the trigger a little earlier than I had intended so be sure to get all the info and sign up at the gym the next time you are in! The picture below will give you a clue of what’s going on.

How do you define success?

Success can be found in the strangest places. More importantly though, one’s own definition of the word can give it many different meanings. I hope I haven’t lost you already, just hear me out. I was having a conversation with one of the other coaches on success and the fear of failing the other day. “How did you get over with the fear of failing?” he asked me about opening World Camp. I chuckled briefly and fired back, “when that day comes, I will let you know.” I think the fear of failure is what drives the majority of us to continue the pursuit for excellence thus getting us further away from the point. Which leads me to the question, “is success and not failing the same thing?” I would have to say no. There are plenty of businesses out there who have been around for years that are not successful but yet, have not reached the point of failure. Numerous times, I have gotten the question regarding the success of World Camp and if I ever though it would be this way and so on. I always answer with this, “It’s all in how you define success.” You see, I was successful with a 900 sqft gym and only 5 members; but as you probably know, owning a gym with only 5 members will not make you rich by any means however, the rewards can still be great! As long as there are people here that are eager to learn and do the best that they can, and as long as we continue to make a difference, World Camp is a success! For years I worked and managed a “globo gym”. We constantly had sales goals to meet and by doing so defined whether the gym was successful or not. No one really cared who was doing what, what member’s goals were getting met or not and who’s life was being changed; only if they were under a contract and their dues were up to date. We could not have been more wrong… It has always been my goal to create and welcoming environment that pushes people out of their comfort zone forcing them to get better. I believe we have done that here, thus we are successful! We have come along way from the 900 sqft gym days but our focus and mentality has not deviated from the original mindset. Get a box, fill it with the best coaches and toys, teach people new things and hold everyone to a higher standard! “If you build it, they will come”

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See you all this Saturday for

“FIGHT GONE BAD”

9am

Eric has been coming for a little while now and everyday he strives to do better! It is amazing to see how far he has come in such a short time. Keep up the good work brother!

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Remember that this Saturday is the annual “Fight Gone Bad” fundraiser! We will be starting at 9am as if it was a regularly scheduled Saturday WOD. There will be a Dynamic Warm up and technique session to begin with to assure that everyone in on the same page. After that we will partner up and hit this thing head on! Depending on the size of the crowd, the workout may go past 10am so if you are going to need to leave early, please let one of the coaches know ahead of time so we can make sure that you have your turn. The cost of the workout is a $10 donation to the cause! The fundraiser has been set to benefit LIVESTRONG, The Wounded Warrior Project and The CrossFit Foundations. Please do your best to be here ready to have a great time!

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Globo gym or CrossFit? (a written account of an actual first timer)

I visited a Crossfit affiliate for the first time ever this weekend. Allow me to compare and contrast a first-time Crossfit visit vs. a first-time Globo gym visit. Globo first:

• Enter gym. Notice front desk employee sitting in front of a computer. Wait about 15-20 seconds for them to stop playing solitaire or Facebook.

• “Hi, I’m Brian. This is my first time here.” “Oh, let me get a “trainer” to show you around.”

• Walk through the gym. Trainer shows you the “cardio areas”, which consist of rows upon rows of treadmills, ellipticals, and stationary bikes.

• Next, you are shown the “machines areas”. Various contraptions with diagrams that highlight whatever muscle group the thing is supposed to isolate. If you’re lucky, they’ll have Hammer Strength stuff!! You may get a line like “This machine is designed to work you exactly like free weights.” You think to yourself, “Hmmm, well why not just do free weights, then?” You also note that at least 2 of the four walls in every area are made up entirely of mirrors. And people are standing and looking at themselves in them.

• The tour continues: “Here we have the free weight area. You can use this if you want to get hyoooge.” This typically equates to the square footage of a walk-in closet. Work boots, little tank-tops, and multiple shakers full of supplements abound.

• Now, the all-important retreat into a tiny office where you get the used-car sale. Something like, “Well, typically ourmemberships are $59/mo, plus a $269 sign-up fee. We’ll waive the fee and set you up on a tiered payment plan where every year the fee will drop 11.59043% until you reach year 4, at which point…” blah blah blah. You counter with, “Well my friend pays $20/mo with no sign-up fee.” They respond, “I’ll have to get my manager.” The dance continues. You threaten to walk out. At this point, you may or may not get the “super secret pricing deal”. You realize you’ve lost a little bit of your soul. They throw in free tanning.

• You are now a member. You work out for 2 years. You see the same people every day. You never talk to them. After 2 years you notice that they all look exactly the same as the first day you ever saw them, despite the fact that they spend at least an hour a day on the elliptical while reading a magazine or talking on their cell phones.

OK, the Crossfit gym first-time experience:

• The first thing you notice is that there really isn’t a front door – it’s a garage door. Or two. Did this place used to be an auto shop?

• The next thing you notice are people on the floor gasping for air. You can see this clearly as the whole place is one open room and the garage doors are open.

• You walk in. At first, you’re not quite sure who works there and who works out there – they all look about the same. Eventually, a trainer or owner finds you and greets you enthusiastically.

• You’re invited to take part in a workout. As you wait for the current group to finish up, you take notice of your surroundings.

• No air conditioning. No mirrors. Not a single treadmill. Rowers – uh oh.

• Ropes and gymnastics rings hanging from the ceiling. Kettlebells. Weight racks. Weird rubber weights. Lots and lots and lots of places to do pull-ups. Instead of mirrors, the walls are covered with dry-erase boards. And peoples names are listed under various workouts that have girls’ names as the titles. Obviously people compete over everything here. As people finish the workout and peel themselves off the floor, you notice that they all seem to be friends.

• OK, time for the workout. A trainer takes you and whoever else is there for a first-time visit and you do some stretches, and then they actually teach you how to do whatever you’re going to be doing that day. Real instruction (with PVC pipe), and the guy (or girl) actually sounds like they know what they’re talking about.

• Workout time. 3-2-1-go. 1 minute into the workout you realize that you actually might die before it’s done. You regret eating whatever it was you ate for breakfast, because you’re pretty sure everybody is going to see it coming out of your mouth. 7 minutes later you’re finished, and soaked with sweat on a pile on the floor. You think to yourself that you did more work in 7 minutes than most people at your old globo did in a month.

• After the workout, you’re told you can hang around and ask questions or go home and ice yourself down. No pitch.

Now, which one sounds better? I’m pretty sure I have not exaggerated anything here – these are my actual experiences. I’m also joining the Crossfit gym.

Just a reminder that the “Beginner’s Group”  will be starting it’s next 4 week program on Monday September 20th! If you are at all interested in starting CrossFit in a small group, here is your chance! What are you waiting for???

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Great job to everyone for putting in all the hard work this week! 6 Hero WODs in 5 days is nothing to take lightly but you all did phenomenal! Continue to keep that intensity throughout the up and coming weeks!

Aa we are nearing “The South Georgia THROWDOWN!” we are still in need of volunteers to run registration, set up and to be judges. Please sign up at the gym if you are interested in participating!

Not to worry, this will make more sense when you come in today…

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There are a few things on the calendar for World Camp CrossFit that you definitely need to make a note of!

September 25th, 2010

“Fight Gone Bad” Fundraiser

This event will be going on at the gym on this Saturday at 9am. We are expecting a record crowd so be prepared to stay until 10:30 so everyone gets the chance to jump in. There will be several stations set up for the workout we call “Fight Gone Bad” in order to have both scaled and Rx lines. There will also be a line for kids!!! The cost is $10 and ALL of the monies taken in that day will be donated to LIVESTRONG, CrossFit Foundations and The Wounded Warrior Project! Please come, show your support and work hard! We will be setting up a whiteboard to keep track of scores and the winner of each category will receive a prize!

October 16th- 17th, 2010

“The South Georgia THROWDOWN!”

We are pleased to announce this event! “The South Georgia THROWDOWN” will be a 2 day event designed to test mental and physical strength. Athletes will be asked to complete workouts that will challenge them across a broad spectrum of modal domains. Who will come out on top? We shall see! The first place winners will be pleasently surprised to find that they will be taking home the lion’s share of the $3,000 in cash winnings, not to mention some other great prizes! This is one event you DO NOT want to miss! For more information, click on the “South Ga THROWDOWN” link on the left hand side!

I want to thank everyone who showed up this past Saturday for the 9/11 workout. May we never forget that morning of September 11th, 2001 and all the lives lost. Can you recall what you were doing at that time? It was just before I got into the fitness business, I was running a glass company and I had just gotten to work when the first plane hit. At that time everyone thought that it was just a bad accident, however; only moments later, those thoughts were replaced with the terrifying reality that the US was under attack. The world will forever be changed because of that, so let us never forget…

Day 1: The team of 7 met up at Alpine Accent HQ at 5:50am Monday morning. The van was packed and everyone piled in for the 2 hour commute to the base of Mt. Rainier. Upon arrival, the 7 were met by head guide Ben Jones who was able to answer any questions and entertain any concerns that anyone may have had. After the brief “meet and greet”, it was off to the Mountain.

The hike started out at Paradise, the center for the Rainier National Park. Each member was equipped with a pack of everything one might need on the trip. Even with streamlining the equipment, each pack weighed roughly 50-65 pounds. It was a gorgeous day as the team made there way through the park and up to the snow line. At the “snow line”’ 7,000 feet up, it was time to trade out the trekking shoes and hiking boots for double plastic snow boots. These particular boots are known for keeping out water from the snow however, they add and additional 8 lbs. or so to your feet. The weather continued to be favorable as the long walk to Camp Muir, 10,000ft,  was the goal for the first day.

Day 2: Day 2 began with a Bacon and Egg breakfast supplied by guides Ben, Matt, Seth and Lakpa. After we had taken in our share of the meal it was off to do some hands on training for the next leg of the climb. Mt. Rainier is a Glacier with very slippery and steep inclines, so learning how to prevent yourself from sliding off the side of the mountain is essential! There are many predicaments one can find themselves in on this journey, Matt and Seth did their best to go over each one before we accented to  High Camp. High Camp was about 1,200 feet above Camp Muir, which seemed like a short trek compared to the prior day’s task, but it was still a feat none the less… This was the first time that the team had encountered rocks and was quite shocked to find how difficult they could be while using Crampons (metal spikes that are strapped to the bottom of the boots for help walking in snow). The team arrived at High Camp around 3:30pm and ate dinner shortly after only to climb in the tent for a short nap before the last leg of the trip.

Day 3: Day 3, for the sake of giving it a name, began at midnight. The task for the last day was to ascend to the summit of Mt. Rainier (14,411ft) and make it all the way back down to the starting point of Day 1. This was looking like the hardest day yet.Equipped with head lamps, Ice Axes and all the bare essentials to be successful, the team made their way up the the Mountain. The first leg of Day 3 was crossing a snow field that was known for having deep crevasses, large cracks in the ice that led to a bottomless nowhere; not somewhere you want to be… The second leg was rock in which the safety ropes that bound 3 climber together were shortened to 5 feet so if on were to fall the other two could pull that fallen climber back up. The end of the rock also marked the first break of the day. With the sun still sleeping the team broke out their big “puffy jackets” and snacks and took 10 minutes to regroup. At this time 2 of the team members made the decision to head back to High Camp and not continue up to the summit. This seemed common as Lakpa, who has summited Mt. Everest 13 times and also holds the record for the fastest assent on Everest, was already making provisions to escort the 2 back down. The remaining 5 continued on their way up the Mount for a another 1,200 foot push before the next break. “Make yourself a seat” Ben said, “also thread your Ice Axe through a loop on your pack then stick it in the ground so it doesn’t slide off”. You see, this break was taken on a 30 degree incline and anything that dropped would not be retrievable. At this time, another team member made the decision to go back, and then there were 4…

The final accent was to the crater rim of the long time silent volcano, it was gut check time. The team, consisting of Olga from Russia, Tony from Tulsa, Warren and myself, being accompanied by guides Seth and Ben crossed over the crater’s rim and dropped our packs in the middle before the final push to the summit. The summit of Rainier is probably another 250 feet up from the crater floor, but it looked like miles. With weathered bodies and wobbly legs, we made the final push. 14,411 feet and almost 2 full days later, summit was reached! After a few high fives, pictures and a push up contest between Seth and myself, we were reminded that the day was only half over and it was time to head back.

I can honestly say that this was one of, if not, the hardest thing I have ever done and I can not expect someone who has never done it to understand. People train for months to get ready for something like this. I can only imagine what the out come would have been had I not been utilizing CrossFit and the methods taught at World Camp. “Preparing for the Unknown and Unknowable”, that is the key!

Today the workout is in memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005.
This workout was one of Mike’s favorites and he’d named it ‘Body Armor.’ From here on it will be referred to as ‘Murph’ in honor of the focused warrior and great American who wanted nothing more in life than to serve this great country and the beautiful people who make it what it is.

As we complete this WOD today, may we give everything we have in memory of Lieutenant Murphy.

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Please keep September 25th on your calendar and invite a friend to come participate in “Fight Gone Bad 5″ here at World Camp CrossFit. The event is a fundraiser for The Wounded Warrior Project, LIVESTRONG and CrossFit Foundations. The cost is $10 and ALL money will go to the benefit!

Kris and Warren should have reached the summit of Mt. Rainier sometime early this morning.  Every class this week has enjoyed several rounds of Mountain Climbers in honor of our fearless leader!

 

 

 

Today, provided everything has gone according to plan, Kris and Warren are about 10,500 ft above sea level on the way up to the 14,411 foot summit of Mt. Rainier! The temperature is scheduled to be around the 10 degree mark and the wind is down from 40 to 10mph at the summit. On a side note, both are carrying 40lb. packs on their back and averaging 1000ft. of altitude per hour! This is definitely one tough WOD!

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(Bill teaches the Clean and Jerk)

 

Happy Labor Day everyone!!! Take this day to sit back, relax, have a Barbecue and hang with the family; just don’t forget to come in and get in the WOD! Today we will be open at 10am and at 5pm for your workout pleasure!

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Today also marks day 1 of Warren and Kris’s Mt. Rainier climb! They will be off the grid and out of contact with the rest of the world until Thursday morning.

Mount Rainier is an episodically active volcano. The volcano began to grow between one half and one million years ago. The slopes of lava flows on opposite sides of the mountain probably projected more than 1,000 feet above the present summit. The upper portion of the cone was likely removed by explosions and landslides. The current summit, Columbia Crest, lies at 14,411 feet above sea level, on the rim of the recent lava cone.

Mount Rainier, the highest (4392 m) volcano in the Cascade Range, towers over a population of more than 2.5 million in the Seattle Tacoma metropolitan area, and its drainage system via the Columbia River potentially impacts another 500,000 residents of southwestern Washington and northwestern Oregon. Mount Rainier is the most hazardous volcano in the Cascades in terms of its potential for magma water interaction and sector collapse, and major eruptions or debris flows even without eruption.

Monday, Sept. 6th, Warren Willis and Kris Morrill will begin their accent to the top of Mt. Rainier! Summit day and time is set for Wednesday morning about day break. In order for this to happen the final climb of about 3,200 ft with be done in darkness. There are sure to be plenty of stories told when they arrive back to World Camp CrossFit on Friday!

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Only 2 WODs this Monday, Labor Day!

10am

5pm

 

Welcome to the new worldcampcf.com! We are proud to announce the new site and all of the new goodies that will be coming in days to come! Soon, you will see a “how to” section with videos and tips on how to perform exercises such as Squats, Cleans, Snatches, etc. You will also find information on nutrition, mobility and flexibility. It is our desire at World Camp to continue to provide the Albany area with useful information on building a better, fitter body and the new site is just one of the many outlets that you will see. Add this site to your favorites and check back often! See you soon and have a great day!

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Mobility WOD

Be sure to check out my boy Kelly Starrett’s new blog! He is a PT out in San Fran and knows his stuff! His mobility WOD’s would be a great addition to your daily routine!