Murph Day Wrap-Up

Wow! Ok So I know this post is about a week late but I think my lats are just now forgiving me! :) Though many of our fellow CrossFit boxes went after the beast WOD known as Murph today, the CrossFit Katy Crew tackled this one last Saturday.

We had an incredible turnout at the gym with over 25 people taking on Murph individually and we also had 12 people pair up and do a Team Murph. That's what I love about CrossFit, you really can take any WOD and adjust it to make it work for everyone.

Since this was my first true full Murph (I've done half multiple times) I decided to go big and wear a weight vest that I borrowed from CrossFit West Houston. Thanks Rob! When I got it from them though, it weighed about 30 lbs so I had to take out a few bricks! I eventually got it down to about 12 or 13lbs which was perfect for me.

I originally went into it with a plan of doing 20 rds of Cindy in between my miles but since we had such a huge turnout (YEAH!!!) I had to scrap that because we can only fit about 20 people on the pull up bar at a time. Everybody played nice though and we didn't run into any problems sharing the pull up bar. Surprisingly, the thing that killed me the most was the push ups. Push ups have never been my strong suit and 200 of them was ridiculously hard for me, especially with that damn vest! I also ended up walking quite a bit of my last mile....not acceptable! I absolutely have to work on my gas-tank!

I ended up finishing the WOD, my first true, weight-vested, ass-kickin' Murph at a time of 72:26 .....damn that was a long one! I have a feeling I could really bring that number down if I did it again.....but that won't happen for a while! I definitely think I'm going to be investing in a HyperWear Vest to start doing my bodyweight WOD's in. They are super sleek and fit close to the body and I think they'll really give me an edge with my pull ups, push ups, and running if I start training with it.

Anyway, it was a great experience and just another example of why I love CrossFit and all my CrossFit Katy Family! Huge shout-out to David F. also who completed his first Murph wearing his boots, pants, loaded police belt and bulletproof vest! It was something to see!

Murph Day at CrossFit Katy!

So this year to celebrate Memorial Day, CrossFit Katy is doing Murph tomorrow at 9AM! The gym is going to be closed on Memorial Day but we didn't want to miss out on the fun when so many boxes are going to be doing Murph on Monday. So we decided to turn our usual Saturday Team WOD day into Murph Day. We are having the option of letting people do the workout individually or as a team since the idea of tackling a full Murph alone is a bit daunting for some of our newbies. I for one have never done a full Murph but tomorrow I will be going for it AND I borrowed a weight-vest so I can truly do the RX version of Murph. Yes, I am a little freaked out but I am also excited to tackle this beast! Tune in tomorrow to see if I survive!

CrossFit Katy Success Story!

Well first off, to say that I have been delinquent with my posting is the understatement of the year. I will try very hard to be better about that especially with all the excitement of Regionals training and preparation. But this post is not about me. This post is about a good friend and client of ours at CrossFit Katy, Kerrie Steger.

Kerrie started out in one of my neighborhood bootcamps with a few other moms but transitioned to the box in October 2010. Those of you who have been following my blog are familiar with Whole 9 Life's Whole 30. (For those of you that aren't, I highly suggest you take a look.) Kerrie just recently finished her first Whole 30 and I asked her to write about her experience and I wanted to share it with all of my followers. The combination of Crossfit and Paleo Nutrition has really helped Kerrie accomplish some amazing stuff but she tells it best so without further ado:

Kerrie's Whole 30 Experience

My journey with CrossFit started last May when I began working out with Leah in a community boot camp. Too put it bluntly, she kicked my butt! I was super down on myself because I had been an athlete my entire life, but had let myself go after the birth of my 2 kids (who are now 7 and 5). I was determined to get back in shape and had seen amazing results on my husband who had started a year prior. It did not take me long to buy into the CrossFit mentality of working out, but the paleo mentality did not come as easily. When Leah first told me about it I thought she was crazy! Then when she told me about THE WHOLE 30, I thought she had completely lost her mind! I knew there was no way in this world I would ever live without dairy, diet coke, or wine! To even suggest I try such a thing was insane!

I continued to work out with the boot camp through the next October, and I actually progressed very quickly. However, in late October Leah decided to stop the boot camp, since attendance had dwindled, and informed me I would have to start working out at THE BOX. I was extremely nervous and intimidated by the thought of actually GOING to CrossFit. I had become comfortable (mistake number 1) in my workout routine. However, once I had completed my first workout at CROSSFIT KATY, I was hooked and drawn in by one of the most positive groups of people I had ever met! Everyone was so nice and supportive of one another, no matter what level (and I was once again at the bottom). It was when I finally made it to the box that I realized how far behind I actually was. It was not my workouts holding me back, it was my diet! So, in November, I gave in and began experimenting with the paleo lifestyle. It took a few months for me to figure out, but by January, I was seeing a difference in my body and my workouts. Then a few months later, I again felt like I hit a wall. I wanted to be stronger, faster, better! I knew I had to tighten up my eating. At this point I was 90% Paleo. I would cheat, mostly on Sat., but also a little here and there during the week (a bite of cake here, a soda there). So by late April I was ready to give this WHOLE 30 thing a try. I had seen several others at the gym do it, and the results were remarkable!

I began my Whole 30 on April 25^th, the Monday after Easter. The first few days were not all that tough, but the first weekend was HARD! I was used to cheating on Saturday and for the first time I had to be accountable 7 days a week……and for 30 days! I would say day 5, 6, and 7 were the worst. I felt like I had so far to go and I did get discouraged. And then, I started to see a difference in my workouts. I was lifting a lot more weight! Not just 5 pounds more, but 10, 15, even 20 pounds more on some lifts! How in the word did I get stronger this fast?? It was amazing how much energy I had and how good I felt at the gym. No longer did I look at a workout and groan “You want me to do what?” I started looking at other people’s times on the board and setting a goal for myself. 99% of the time, I achieved my goal. I am still amazed at how quickly I saw a difference in my workouts. I was all of a sudden able to compete with people who usually beat me by MINUTES!!!

My Whole 30 ended on May 24^th. I was so excited to weigh myself, because I knew there had to be a change. I was wearing pants I had not put on since before my first child!!! So, that morning I got on the scale and I had lost 5 pounds. 5 pounds does not seem like much, but I went down 2 pants sizes!! 2 whole sizes!!! I would have thought I had to lose 20-30 pounds to do that!!! I went back and looked at my workout journal, and in the last 30 days I PR’d every single lift! Wow, now I was seeing what this program had done for me! I am not worried about what I weigh, because I no longer look like I weigh anything close to it! Most people have guessed I have lost 10-15 pounds at least!!

I thank Neal and Leah for introducing me to this lifestyle, and for helping me find the athlete that was buried underneath! The Whole 30 allowed me to break through so many barriers, mentally and physically! Most importantly, I will never say I can’t do something ever again………………because I know I CAN!!!

Here's a pic of Kerrie, mid Whole 30, when she won the scaled division at the 2nd Annual CrossFit Houston Girls-Only Challenge. Awesome job Kerrie! I am so proud of you!

Bayou City Crawfish WOD

Dang, two weeks have flown by since my last post and I really don't have any good excuses for that. I honestly just haven't felt much like writing lately. Sometimes I think I get caught up in the need to be profound or noteworthy when really I just started this blog to kind of "think outloud". So now that that's out there, time to get down to the point of this post.

Last Saturday, CrossFit Katy took SIX teams to the Third Annual Bayou City Crawfish Team WOD! I don't think I've been more proud of our gym. This is the biggest showing at a competition that we've EVER had! All in all we had over THIRTY people competing or cheering us on from our "gym family"! For many of our athletes, this was their first competition and everybody did a fantastic job! We rocked out two tough WOD's and then settled under our massive team tent (yes our tent was better than your tent!) to chow down on some delicious

Crawfish and throw back a few cold one's

.

The first WOD:

1000m Row (1 person only)

100 Pull Ups or Jumping Pull Ups

100 Box Jumps or Step Ups

100 DB Snatches

30 Thrusters (15 for guys and 15 for the girls)

You could break up everything but the row between whoever on the team. Each team used a different strategy but everybody did great. Special shout-out to Susan and Brooke for those 95lb thrusters! Made me super proud to see those ladies step up and take on the Standard division even though it was tough!

The next workout was a station workout

3 min at each station:

Max OHS

Sit Ups

Burpees

Kettlebell Swings

Ok obviously I was not thrilled with this one because I suck at overhead squat but it turned out to be a good WOD. I maxed out at 125lbs. The standard division had to swing HUGE kettlebells! I never swing a 53lb KB but we had to do it on Saturday! Thanks Vic! ;-)

Bayou City, as always, did a great job organizing and putting on the competition. Everything ran smoothly, the judging was fair and accurate, and it was just a fast and fun day all around. The Crawfish were hot out of the pot by 11am and by 11:30 it was time for the real competition for the day...the Crawfish WOD! :)

CrossFit Katy had one brave soul compete, Mike Scott took on the infamous Crawfish WOD:

4 Rounds of:

1 Beer

5 Crawfish

10 Burpees

It was a close one but Mike managed to push through and get second! Haha! It was definitely fun to watch but I don't think I ever want to test my stomach with 4 beers and burpees!

All in all, it was a great day and I had such a good time competing and hanging out with the CrossFit Katy family! We've got the best people around and I can't wait for the next event!

CrossFit Katy Grand Re-Opening!

Well we finally made it! CrossFit Katy is set up in it's new location and is having a Grand Re-Opening on Saturday, April 16th! We are hosting a FREE community workout at 9AM and then at 10:15AM we are throwing down on the CrossFit Open WOD 11.4!


As the longest running CrossFit in Katy, we are constantly striving to have a positive impact on the people of Katy and to make fitness an integral part of their lives! CrossFit has definitely changed my life. It has shown me that I am stronger than I could ever imagine and that even the most seemingly insurmountable challenges can be conquered with hard work and dedication. I want to share this with as many people as I can because I know there are still so many lives to change!

So if you're in the area next weekend or know anybody who is, join us at the CrossFit Katy Grand Re-Opening on Sat. April, 16th at 9AM!

New Space!

WOW! It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks! I know it's been forever since I last blogged BUT it's been for good reason....CrossFit Katy has finally settled into its new home! Let me tell you, I thought moving into the first space was difficult work, but this move has been sooo much harder! Obviously when CrossFit Katy first moved it was from the park (I don't miss those days!) to an actual building. We didn't have barbells, weight plates, a pull ups system or pretty much anything other than kettlebells and dumbbells. This time we had to move ALL the equipment into the new space and to top it off, the space wasn't even completely finished when we had to move so most of the equipment had to be piled into the middle of the space until it was completely done. I think over a three day period I spent close to twenty hours in the gym (not training either)...and Neal was there even more! But it was so worth it. The new space is great! 4000 sq. feet (almost twice as big as our old space) and two bathrooms with get this....SIX showers! So far, we've run four days worth of classes and they have been great. I am so grateful for all our our amazing athletes. Not only are they kicking butt and taking names in the WOD, they have also been instrumental in getting the new space set up. Without their help and dedication to CrossFit Katy, the move would have been so much harder so thank you everybody! I wish I could individually thank everybody but that list would be huge! :) I look forward to being able to relax a little more and get back into the swing of things. The gym space has a little bit further to go but I see a finish line on the horizon. I have been a bit inconsistent lately as far as my fitness is concerned and can't wait to get back into a routine. I'm looking forward to crushing the Open WOD 11.3. (Finally something heavy that I might have an advantage on!) After that it's back to my normal workout routines. I am so excited for the future of CrossFit Katy and can't wait to help it grow!

Keeping the Conversation Going

Yesterday I found myself in the middle of a pretty interesting discussion regarding CrossFit HQ and the purpose or intent of the CrossFit Games 2011. If you're not in the know...check out the letter that prompted it all and the response by My Ignition.

I guess the big question that's being tackled is "Is CrossFit for everyone?"

Now before you get all up in arms about this, let me clarify. Everybody who's been around CrossFit knows that anybody can do it. As Glassman puts it, CrossFit is scalable to all levels of fitness and that's what makes it a great program for everyone. So I am not asking if using CrossFit as a training method is for everybody.....we all agree that it is. I'm asking if CrossFit competitions, the Open Sectionals, Regionals, the CrossFit Games is for everyone. So in that respect I have to disagree with My Ignition and say that YES the CrossFit Open, in fact all CrossFit competitions are for everyone (even your grandma!) who has that fire in their belly and wants to push themselves to new levels. I think many of the CrossFit Community members who fancy themselves as Firebreathers forget that most of us have no real aspirations of winning! But that doesn't mean we shouldn't be allowed to play the game. One example I have is from my own gym CrossFit Katy. One of our team members is doing the Open for two reasons....She wants to support her daughter (who is also doing the Open) and she loves CrossFit and pushing herself. She wants to see how she measures up AND have fun doing it. She's 53 years old and has absolutely no aspirations of making it to Regionals, even in the Masters division. She is just using this opportunity to challenge herself and, as The False Start puts it, shatter those false limitations that we all put on ourselves. When the first WOD was announced, she had never completed a double under in a workout in her life, but you know what...on competition day, she completed 47 double unders!!! That's what it's all about. Did she give a crap that she still had the lowest score in the gym...HELL NO! She was damn proud of herself as she should be. That's what it's all about. Why should breakthrough moments like that be limited to daily WOD's at your local affiliate? Most people need that little something extra, like the Open, to push themselves to shatter those obstacles.
Now, this doesn't mean that I think it's HQ's job to make sure that everyone, even your grandma, competes in the Open. As My Ignition puts it, it's not HQ's job to market the Games to make it seem like a picnic, because he's right, it's no picnic! And I really don't think that HQ shouldn't have the spotlight on the Elite Athletes. It is the purpose of the Games to find the fittest man and fittest woman on Earth. I think that's where we come in as trainers, affiliates and a community. It's OUR job to encourage our athletes to compete. To push themselves to new levels. The online format of the Open this year means that the Games is more accessible then it's ever been before and we should be taking advantage of it by promoting it within our own gyms and communities. We have to let people know that there is more to the Games then simply winning and losing. The spirit of CrossFit runs much deeper than that. I know I will continue to encourage and push all of my clients, Firebreather or not, to compete whether it be in the Open or in the next local competition. CrossFit is a sport and we should all be allowed to play!