Workout 2/13: "Nate"

From the looks of things, this is going to be "Heroes" Week on CrossFit. CrossFit often honors fallen soldiers and police officers by creating a workout that reflects their character in some way. The past two postings have been such postings, so I will be working on these new workouts with some grief and sadness. However, my grief and sadness is focused on more than these fallen heroes. Not many people today pay attention to others who are losing their lives due to their beliefs and actions. Everyday Christians are being martyred around the world for their attempts to spread the Gospel. And so when there are these hero workouts, I like to find Heroes for the Word that reflect the similar dedication and endurance. Many of these stories can be found on this blog, Christian Persecution Blog. So today my thoughts and prayers are for Pastor Sajid William.

CrossFit: "Nate"
As Many Rounds as Possible in 15 minutes of:
2 Muscle-ups (Subbed 6 Pull-ups and 6 Dips)
4 Handstand Push-ups
8 55# Dumbbell Swings
(6 Rounds + 6 Pull-ups + 1 Dip)

Workout 2/9: Muscle-up Training

Back to CrossFit! Yes! And time to learn all about the mighty muscle-up. We'll call it the "holy grail" of the CrossFit community. Sure, there are other accomplishments that are deemed very worthy, but the muscle-up is one that nearly all CFers aim for at some point. CFers like me get tired of not being able to have decent times on workouts that require muscle-ups because we have to substitute 3 pull-ups and 3 dips for 1 muscle-up. Not fair! But that just shows you how mighty the muscle-ups really is. So it was up to Coach Gio to get us on track. Today I was joined by Brett and Scott. Brett came back for more of the CrossFit Kool-Aid after recovering from last week's beating, and Scott was eager to learn more. Two of the coolest guys to work out with, not to mention the other spectacular people who join Coach Gio on Saturday mornings (of course I am not neglecting you). What you will see below is part of the training we received (no that is not Coach Gio) and probably the hardest part of the whole movement. After today, I realized the practice I am going to need before I can pull one of these off. Stay tuned; I might have one of these in my pocket before too long!

Workout 1/3: Pull-ups and Dips

Muscle-ups? Yeah, right! Here are my excuses for not doing muscle-ups:
#1: No Rings...you have to have rings, don't you?
#2: Not man enough...um, not yet at least.
#3: No one to walk me through the steps...I need training wheels.
#4: I just want to make excuses...

CrossFit: Muscle-up Modification
15 Muscle-ups for Time = 60 Pull-ups + 60 Dips For Time
I obviously chose the 60/60 combo.
(Time: 17.32)

*I thought my triceps were about to burst out of my arms. I am glad I did it in sets of 6 each (6 pull-ups, 6 dips, 6 pull-ups, 6 dips, and on and on). One day, one day, I will try a muscle-up...GIO, I NEED YOUR HELP! C'MON COACH!*Photo courtesy of Aggressive Health.