Good friends, good people, good times!

“One barbell per team, 10 minutes to find your 1RM Power Clean…321..GO!!” I had no idea what was about to follow those words! Within seconds it was like a lightening storm ensued Orange Coast CrossFit… weights crashing down like thunder, burst of cheers like lightening, and loud irreverent music raining down on it all! The energy was so intense it kept sending chills down my spin. Every time I watched someone get an amazing PR followed by boisterous cheers from fellow teammates and OCC members I thought I was going to burst with excitement! Witnessing these incredibly fit men PR by 20, 30, 40 lbs was i such an awesome sight to see! And how about the skills session of the WoD!?! L-Sits, doubles, muscle-ups, HSPU, and pistols!! I witnessed some of you rep out pistols…something you had never before successfully done…so proud of you all! And then to top it all off, a metcon straight from Hades himself. A HUGE thank you to all who participated, both athletes and judges!! And to those of you who came to support, THANK YOU, because it wouldn’t have been half as exciting without your cheers and jeers! I am so glad that the event was a huge success! I can’t wait to start brainstorming for the next one. And to think, it all started because of some old school trash talking!! All the events photos can be seen right here.

Post your favorite moments, PRs, etc of the event to comments.

WoD

A. OH Squat 5-5-5

B. “Nancy”

5 Rounds of:

400 m Run

Overhead Squat 15x (95/65)

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”

Posted in Main Posts | 13 Comments »

Kos is a MACHINE!

Combing through the blog archives and came across the post below, and it made me think of the guys that will be competing tonight in the first ever “Challenge for the Ages” competition. It starts tonight at 7pm. Athletes plan on arriving no later than 6:30pm to warm up, and judges be there by 6:45. The workouts look like a ton of fun to compete in both as an athlete as well as to watch from the sidelines. We need all the support we can get! So come on out and cheer on your fellow athletes! Afterwards many of us will be going out to the Ally Bar and Grill for food and drinks. Join us!

When I talk about machines in here I am referring to guys and girls that come in and absolutely lay every thing they have in there pocket out there on the gym floor. What makes these guys tick? What makes them able to put it into that next gear when most of us are stuck in third. Studs. Studettes. (If that’s not a word it should be.) Inspirations for everyone around them. Its a sneaking suspicion but I think those same guys and girls also live life with that same bravado. Never bother knocking but would rather tear the door off its hinges.

I looked at a group photo of  some of my athletes and it dawned on me how widely varied everyone’s background and occupations were. Nurse, lawyer, fireman, pilot, teacher, loan officer, accountant, computer engineer, banker, financier, hair stylist, entrepreneur, etc. The one thing they had in common was CrossFit. But deeper than that everyone of them was a success. To come in and compete in our workouts day after day requires a level of commitment that few posses. We have in our gym our drop ins and our looky loos of course those with still one foot in and one foot out. Our core patrons however the guys and girls that are in here on a 3x a week plus regimen share common threads. Driven to succeed in their life and career. Individuals which I want to share a cold one with and talk story.

If an hour a day 3-5 times a week can make me fit can that same amount of time make me a better person. If I did not spend that hour CrossFitting what would I be doing? Is the happy hour at El Torito with my coworkers really worth it? You don’t choose your coworkers. Dont let their mediocracy drag you down. When Joe from the water cooler calls you a health nut. Do you call him a couch potato? Probably not. There are many opportunities to give in and settle for less than. Every time I do I kick myself. Its hard to take the high road but its always worth it. I know that eating Paleo can be tough especially when you are out to eat. But stick with it. Your worth it and it gets easier I promise.

Not everyone makes it on Broadway. Not eveyone makes it past Navy SEAL training. Not everyone makes it to the Majors. Not everyone runs there own business. Not everyone can put themselves through the shear physical and mental anguish that we CrossFitters experience on a daily basis.  There are barriers to get whats worth getting in life and none of them are usually very easy. Getting in really good shape is hard. That’s why hardly anyone is.

You will have your knicks and bruises and aches and pains. You will need to listen to your body and know when to push and when to back off. The most important thing however is to know that this is a ultra marathon and not a sprint. Most of you have been CrossFitting for less than six months. Many of you less than that. Expect too much too soon from your body and you are setting up for a crash and burn. Ramp up the weight slowly, work on getting the full range of motion, and hammer your technique. Remember that you are better than yesterday and half as good as tommorow. You will be Machines each and every one of you in a very short time. Be patient.

Highlights from the USAW/CrossFit Open

WoD

A. Pullups weighted 5-5-5

B. Pullups amrap strict in 2:00

C. 3 rounds of Cindy (1 round= 5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 squats)

10 Front Squats (155#,95)

3 rounds of Cindy

10 Front Squats

3 rounds of Cindy

10 Front Squats

Posted in Main Posts | 6 Comments »

Kiki showing the Back to Basics crew the kipping pullup foundations.

Sometimes I hear others say that we gurantee results. However this is not true. Ultimatley your success depends on the work that you put in.

Stonecutter Credo

“When nothing seems to help, I go look

at a stonecutter hammering away at his

rock, perhaps a hundred times without as

much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the

hundred and first blow it will split in two,

and I know it was not that blow that did it,

but all that had gone before.”

Jabob Riis

WoD

“Thirty Eight Minutes”

3′ on/3′ off, 4′on/4′off, 5′on/5′off, 4′on/4′off, 3′on/3′off

Score is total cal count at end of piece. On is Full out. Off is light rowing.

Posted in Main Posts | 4 Comments »

Alex (Andre’s son) showing the group how 120 thrusters are done.

COMMIT and CONQUER

We are busy people… we’ve got family, jobs, significant others, dinner parties, errands, honey to-do lists a mile long, and my personal never ending story laundry!  So how is it we find time to get in a WoD?!  Well it is something that is NOT optional but rather like the air we breath, a necessity.  We were given one body, ONE.  It is our most precious asset!  We are amazing!  The human body is intricate and can be oh so fragile (just ask any of us rehabbing an injury!) but it can also be such a strong and powerful machine.  We are capable of so much more than we think.  Push your body to that limit.  Transform your body into a lean muscle machine.  You can do this by committing to your workout program…NO CHERRY PICKING, NO EXCUSES.  Justin wears a shirt from time to time that says, “The only Machine in this Gym is ME”.  I love that statement!  We do incredible things inside Orange Coast CrossFit and every WoD we get stronger, we get faster, we get healthier! Three days on, one day off.  Or maybe you train Monday – Friday. Whatever your workout schedule is, commit to it and we’ll see you at the box!

Announcements:

• JUDGES – for the “Challenge for the Ages” competition this Friday Night @ 7pm we need judges…10-15 would be awesome!!  Please post to comments if you are interested.
• Speaking of the “Challenge for the Ages” here’s the WoD
  • Part A
    • OCC Total – every lb equals one point
      • 10 minutes to find a Max Clean
      • 10 minutes to Max Front Squat
      • 10 minutes to find Max Vertical Pull (aka weighted pull-up)
  • Part B
    • Got Skills?? –each completed skill set is worth 10 points
      • 1 minute to complete 3 muscle ups
      • 1 minute to complete 10 HSPU
      • 1 minute to complete 50 Double Unders
      • 1 minute to complete 10 Pistols
      • 1 minute to accrue 30 second L-Sit (must hold L-Sit for 3 seconds to count)
  • Part C
    • Frantic Fran – every rep is equal to 1 point
      • 3:30 AMRAP of
        • 5 Thrusters @ 95lbs
        • 5 Pull-Ups
  • WINNER IS THE TEAM WITH THE MOST POINTS

NEW PHOTOS ARE UP IN THE GALLERY CHECK EM OUT HERE.

WoD

OC ThrowDown WoD #3

“Los Dos”

5 rounds:

45 sec AMRAP Dead Lift – 225#/155#

Rest 15 sec

45 sec AMRAP Burpees

Rest 15 sec

(Total reps are athletes’ score. Burpees need to be done with an upright torso, no muted hips and a visible jump off the ground must occur)

(Intermediate/Masters Mens 185#, Womens 120#)

Posted in Main Posts | 37 Comments »

Mel and Rich tearing it up on yesterdays row WoD.

Awesome team work yesterday!  Some of you were better rowers, others held much better planks, but all of you supported each other throughout the workout!  I watched you cheer each other on, help each other in and out of foot straps, and a few of you even went passed the 50 minute cut off so that your team could complete the WoD.  Way to support each other!  I wrote that work out knowing it would be a challenge and was impressed how each and everyone of you handled it.  Whether it is Fran, Aardvark, or rowing a combined 10,000 meters, you always bring it and I love that! ~ Kiki

Announcements~

As some of you have noticed, we have left over beer from the fgb bbq!  This Friday (and every Friday until the booze is gone) we’ll be having Happy Hour Fridays.  So come get in a WoD at 5 or 6pm and afterwards grab a beer!

40 Somethings Challenge – okay so if you’ve been reading the comments you know that Kos and Andre are about to throw down and of course we want to be there to witness the mayhem.  We’ll keep you posted on when they decide to get down with their bad selves.  40+ somethings vs 30 somethings vs 20 somethings!  Awwww damn that will definitely be fun to watch!

WoD

A. Deadlift 5-5-5

B. “Ballistic Cindy”

AMRAP 15:00

3 Chest-Bar pullups

6 Clapping Pushups

9 Jumping air squats

Posted in Main Posts | 27 Comments »