Pizza Helen

What a coincidence. I was planning on doing Helen (sans pizza) today.  Although, on second thought, there's a pizza joint at the end of the block I was going to use for the 400m run...!



Use 18" Pizzas (8 slices a pizza)
Eat one slice
Run 400m (slice must be finished before start of run)
21 kettle bell swings
12 pull-ups
3 rounds

Today's guffaw over an act of sheer hardcoreness

Check out 0:45 for TGOAAOSH...



Here's where to start: http://www.beastskills.com/Flag.htm

Link Overload: Does anyone know wtf to do anymore?

Okay, so I'm pretty sure I can spot the stuff that's complete and utter bullshit, but I keep stumbling across articles and blogs assaulting the seemingly unassailable concept of "functional strength" training. There are some fairly obvious notions out there, such as you're not going to improve at x by doing y and z much more than x itself.  But training über-heavy deadlifts won't help you... lift heavy shit in the "real world"? Or more specifically and personally, training maximal and explosive strength qualities won't make me stronger and more explosive in, say, my escape from side control in BJJ? My unscientific evidence says that's malarkey.

The smattering of links below have varying degrees of confusing—if not contradictory—concepts.  Some I agree with, some I don't, but the mix of all this information out there sometimes makes me want to quit the whole endeavor. (Okay, not really, but I'm annoyed!)

Drew Baye on CrossFit

Picking the Right Tool for the Job, Part 1: GPP vs SPP

Revisiting this idea of functional training
Strength Training and Skill Training
Get stronger then apply it
Interview with Doug McGuff

General Conditioning: Does It Even Exist?
Specificity in Training


And don't even get me started on the subject of nutrition...  This article provides a summary on all these subjects: Bogus Science is Draining

Is this functional enough?

"Functional Strength" is among the latest fitness terms misappropriated by purveyors of Wicked Stoopid Fitness Gadgets and Globo Gym memberships. Most of it still boils down to masturbatory biceps curls. (See also: Silly Bullshit)

On the flipside:

MovNat


This will make you feel extra pathetic for not being able to climb the rope in junior high:


And a Spiderman more impressive than this one:

CrossFit Bodyweight Workout List

So, in our lack of organized group activity (boo...) and since completing my second cycle of Infinite Intensity (*RINGING ENDORSEMENT!*), I've been doing CrossFit pretty regularly. The visits from Pukie are frequent, but I like the intensity, variety, and all the new skills I'm (very slowly) developing. I do think some of those guys and gals over-imbibe their own Kool-Aid sometimes, but the research, methodology, and dedication to HARDCORE make it a pretty amazing "program" with undeniable results.

One complaint is that despite it claiming to be a regime requiring minimal equipment, good luck training the WODs as Rx'd without a barbell set, rings, rowing machine, etc. Yeah, you can scale and substitute, but we wanna train like the big boys & girls! Well, I just found this on the affiliate SEALFit site:

Comprehensive CrossFit Bodyweight Workout List (PDF)

Now,"HARDCORE"is wholly insufficient in describing some of these workouts. Scaling and substituting are definitely necessary, but there are some killer ideas here that mostly require nothing more than a pull-up bar.


***UPDATE 09/21/09 ***
Here's another one from CrossFit Las Vegas:
http://www.board.crossfit.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5033&d=1251950189 (PDF)

Bunnyville

Just a reminder...

You Got Knocked the F-- Out!

And Chris Tucker with commentary:

KB Deck of Cards

Stolen from the Jersey Shore Crossfit site :

Kettlebell Deck of Cards

Use a heavy kettlebell

Split the reps up between sides

• Hearts=kettlebell snatches
• Diamonds=kettlebell push presses
• Spades=kettlebell front squats
• Clubs= one arm rows

Jokers=10 burpees

Aces= 12 reps

I don't think my hands would survive a whole deck but looks like a good workout.