Learning To Breathe

HAM- 24/7, 365, 366 on a leap year. No looking back.

mouth shut, he has been training diligently.
under the radar.

with a solid team of amazing individuals, also alone.
serenity.

will it pay off? is it too late?
only time will tell.

a lot of ground has been made up and to give less then 100% for the next 6 weeks would only be cutting himself short.

a new home, a new family.
temporary.

his body may ache, but his mind, his heart...will not let him quit again, EVER.

the comeback.

“Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him."
and show him my salvation.”

Phase I

i'm sorry.

i feel as over time i may have let a lot, if not all of you down. maybe it's been the recent days, weeks, or a month. but i know at some point i did. but most importantly i let myself down. i compromised who i am, let go of my mind and values. i let emotion get the best of me. it has been too much, and gone too far for too long.

please know i took a leave of absence from CFEP. as much as i've been told i'll be missed, or that it's my "home" i feel like a complete stranger at times. i can take the blame, perhaps some of it has been self-inflicted. but no one truly knows the whole truth, maybe no one will ever will. people just assume, but no one asks questions. i've heard things, yet no one says anything. and that's their choice.

decisions were made, and i felt they made my current situation worse. instead of progressing, i began to regress.

please i ask that you consider where i'm coming from, it may not make sense to anyone but i feel it will be the best for the long run. it may take a day, a week, or a month. just know i deemed that this decision was absolutely necessary for myself and my health. i wish things could go back the way they used to be, maybe they will, most likely they won't.

i've been replaced.

although i feel many of the things i love have been consumed, crossfit is something i really value, i truly have a passion for it, and will pursue. it may be at a globo gym, my garage, or perhaps i can wod with friends i've made at other gyms from time to time. just know i will not be coaching anywhere else, i will remain faithful.

Phase I begins now. 3.7.11.

i can only hope that the friendships, laughs, smiles, and relationships i made were real, that someday i will be forgiven, and that i will be welcomed back with open arms.

best of luck to you all, and hopefully, i'll be back soon.

take care and god bless.

The Calm

for many in the crossfit community who compete we're officially "in-season." many competitions are currently being held or upcoming. men and women find themselves getting ready, fine tuning their diets, no more cheat days, double wods are in full effect, begin making you're final preparation's
there's a storm on the horizon...


with the fittest games and southwest fitness throwdown coming up, it's time...
time for battle mode.
Battle Mode: some people have it some people don't. This is when the impossible becomes easy and UNBROKEN is all day!

time to gear up.

train hard.
-GT/The Pizza Boy

Reemerging

I keep stalling out
I just can't keep up
There's alarming doubt
Am I good enough?
But you keep coming around
to convince me
It's still far from over

i apologize for my lack of consistency.

for those of you who are close to me you know i've been growing as a human, as we all should go through trial and tribulation simply to be put thru the gauntlet to see how bad we want "it."
but i know that i've become so much stronger, and to most of you i owe i my success. thank you for sticking with me, for your patience, prayers and most of all your friendship. once you're completely broken down and stripped of what you know, and had, that's when you can really see how much you depend on others, and how you can always count on them.
i've grown spiritually, and i'm so thankful.
it's taken so much away from my training, and coaching. last week i had to sit down and contemplate if i would be able to compete in the Southwest Fitness Throwdown. expecting questions and ridicule, i was immediately lifted up, encouraged, and set back on the track to success and recovery/rehab.
i feel that for the past 3 month i've been "stalled out."
stuck in that 5th gear when i know i could go to 6. well, i feel my old self reemerging. although it may be a little late to do as well as i had anticipated....we are still far from over.

keep training hard and god bless.
-The Pizza Boy

We are still far
We are still far
We are still far
from over

My Training Partner Is Better Than Yours

i'm sorry i've been away, life has been crazy hectic between working 40 hour work weeks, coaching, and training.

well back to the main subject, my training partner:
let me take a minute to thank you for all that you do. show up on time, rain, sleet or snow. you've been my rock on days i've had a sub-par performance and i let myself get down, you've built me back up. you constantly push me, day in and day out to be the best of my ability, not to mention beating me at times (not too many tho ;)). you always check my form, hold me accountable for days which i let my nutrition get out of hand. you always help me keep my head high when i'm just having a bad day, for this i thank you.
my traning partner, my girlfriend, thank you.

Why So Serious? My Two Cents...

with the 2nd annual southwest fitness throwdown many questions are being asked...

my two cents, not aimed at anyone just what i think....

as a competitor and someone who FULLY supports the crossfit community here, i ask, why?

the standards will be set, if you're training like you should be, no matter what pops up you should be able to perform the tasks at hand. if not, back to the drawing board. this fully pertains to me, and everyone else.

bickering will always take place, but if we could somehow keep it to a minimum, that'd be nice. impossible, i know....
just know it'd never fly at sectionals, regionals, or the games. it's so easy to complain, and whine when things aren't going your way. that's when you're character is truly tested and you reveal who you are as a person.

as someone who participated last year, i want to thank David Wardy and everyone who participated (athletes, sponsors, volunteers) for being such a class act and putting on a fun event.

we need to sit back and realize, yes, we are from different gyms, but a different breed, and we should all support eachother.

of course we all want to win, but this should drive us to get together often and train those of us who truly want to put El Paso on the map.

please, know nothing is perfect. but everything is fair.

best of luck and train hard.

-GT/The PIzza Boy

Walking On Water

"Living on the outer limits of what is possible will freak out 98% of the population, including me. What if you and I were willing to live on the edge but not only on the edge, truly willing to take the leap to the unknown. Fear is the reason the mass majority are not willing to make the plunge.

-Jeremy Thiel

sometimes, you just gotta get off the boat to walk on water....


keep yourself in check, nutrition, journal, weights, times and reps.

Pay Up!

i give props and respect where they're deserved, any real competitor, athlete, people who are humble and have paid their dues.

don't get me wrong, i got love for everyone, but props and respect are another thing.

Student Athlete Of The Month

here's jp, and the rest of the wolfpack after a brutal wod.

"I welcome you to the community of people who have decided that EASY will no longer suffice"

and the second athlete of the month is much deserving jp, we also welcome him to the staff here at EFS training center. i've had the pleasure of knowing jp and being able to call him a friend over the span of about 4-5 years now. he's an all around great guy, and certified BEAST (have you seen him with his shirt off!? sorry ladies he's taken.) jp was a skeptic for a while but after enough nagging, from yours truly, i got him to try it out. he was hooked. i regret it, haha, just kidding but he's always on my heels if he's not beating me. i can't wait to see what's in store for jp. he's disciplined, shoots for full range of motion even when no one's looking. jp hasn't been with us long, but he's already gotten his muscle ups down, kipping pull ups, and a solid snatch.
i can't wait to see what's next for him.

JP's vitals:

Name: JP

Age: 23

Howl ong have I been Crossfitting at CFEP: for 4 months

Favorite lifts: deadlifts, Powerclean, Front squat

Least Favorite lifts: heavy thrusters, sumo deadlift high pulls.

Favorite Wod: Grace, Fran

Least Favorite: Eva!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Or any type of AMRAP over 30 min

Source of Motivation: would be my CFEP Family, I can go in knowing I better bring my A game, because someone is always Giving their best effort. And its amazing to see people who work 40+ hrs a week have a family, and so many other things to do. Come in and Tear up a Wod! Or just is in amazing shape. It is motivation to know everyone at CFEP are average people doing amazing things.

Some of my goals: I would like to become all around good at every area of crossfit, especially my weak points I want to eventually compete in the Crossfit games.


again, congrats JP and keep up the great work!

Our Goal

our body is a tool, and like any tool, form follows function. so have a function. train
for a purpose. make the hours matter. sacrifice. consequences will sharpen your attention.

work. work hard. work with people who will not accept anything less than your best. court
failure. find your limits and expand them. take the bitter pill of over reaching with the
knowledge that failure will teach you better than success ever will.

train yourself. take control. take responsibility. this is your life after all. how often
is “can’t” code for “never tried”. cut the bull-shit. make decisions. make moves. make it
matter. talk less, work more. work smart. what is stopping you?

it will hurt. you will survive. it will be inconvenient. you will survive. it will be
scary. you will survive. it will be hard. you will survive. keep at it, and you might
even live.

to live with a body, with a mind shaped by your own efforts. to be an individual, to know,
to own your victories and defeats. to be able to taste panic, to face doubts with a quiet
determination. to balance the world with the weight of our will.

that is our goal.

on another note:
i will take ownership for my poor nutrition these past two weeks.
i will take ownership for my lack of bodywight wods.
i will take ownership for my lack of sleep.

student athlete of the month will be posted by the end of the week! WHO IS IT?!

Ownership

again, sorry for the lack of posts. life has been so crazy. my schedule is hectic as some of you may know.

working 40 hour weeks, training, programming, and coaching all adds up.

so it's out there and i'm excited to say the least, yes, i'm talking about the South West Fitness Throwdown.

we're about 7 months out, and of course me and what i will be referring to my crew or the athletes i train with as "The Wolfpack" have been working hard with one common goal, to be the best, and bring our "A" game to the throwdown.
i'm anticipating to see feats that some think be impossible be done with ease. also, to see some people react when they realize, it's MUCH harder than they thought.
like i said since regionals i've been going pretty hard and i dont plan on stopping anytime soon as long as the good lord continues blessing me with my health.
so 7 months may seem like a long time, but it's not, believe me. feels like yesterday i was prepping for last years in which i placed 5th, not happy with that. it'll be interesting to see how the cards fall this year.
who will take it?
maybe it's my year. all i know is i'm going for the podium. and i wont stop.

7 months out....it's time:
TAKE OWNERSHIP, COMMIT.

Visit sicfit.com for more Videos

Believe

sorry i've been slackin' on the updates, i've been crazy busy lately.

this makes me think, "what's stopping us from our next milestone?" such as a pr. believe in yourself, and you'll achieve feats you never thought imaginable.

read this, take it in, and attack your next wod.

Student Athlete Of The Month

here's trisha in what i call "battle mode" from our last event here at Crossfit El Paso, Crosstown Showdow, in which her team took 4th overall!

-Dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price.


ladies and gentleman, let me introduce you to Trisha Hadden.
Trisha is a prime example of a coach's dream student, she's always willing to learn, has a great attitude, is able to take and seek advice, and work hard. oh, and she shows up early to class. she's a huge source of inspiration to all, throughout crossfit el paso, especially to myself. her progress in less than in a year is second to none much like her work ethic. here's little info on my first, but MUCH deserved "Student athlete of the month." Congratulations Trish, keep up the great work.



here are a few vitals on Trish.

Name:
Trisha Hadden

Age:
24

How long have you been crossfittting @ Crossfit El Paso:
Since October 2009

What are some of your favorite lifts?:
Push Press/Jerk; OHS; deadlifts; cleans and the snatch....not in any particluar order

Favorite wod, or type of wod?:
Any wod that leaves me drenched in my own sweat and glory. I love the powerfull feeling that rushes over myself when I overcome physical and mental battles by completing a wod.

Some of your least favorite lifts?:
I don't really have a least fav lift. I really enjoy all lifts cause I can always see an improvement from the last time. Whether it be form or weight, I continue to grow and improve in all areas of lifts. How can anyone not like improvement?

Geez trish....you have a great attitude, do you have any least favorite wod's or type of wod's?:
I can't really say I have a least fav wod but if I have to chose one that I have the least "fun" doing is any long distance running wod like a 5K or 10K. I enjoy sprinting even though I suck at it. Long distance running is a real challenge for me. But, I welcome the challenge.

What's your source of motivaion?:
My motivation comes within my heart and soul. Since I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, I made a promise to myself to get my life in gear and to be best me possible. I did an overhaul on my life and completely changed my lifestyle. As I write about what drives me, I can’t help but smile. The insane intensity CF offers and brings to the table is unreal. CF is a mix between physical and mental capabilities. CF has taught me that anything is possible through hard dedicated work and commitment. There are no words that can describe the high I get from completing a WOD that I had no idea I could even think about perform. No words can describe the rush I get right before a WOD when Coach yells out, “3-2-1-GO!”. I thirst for greatness and CF has quenched that thirst. I have to say that besides self motivation the Coach and class/group I workout with have been a phenomenal source of motivation. I’m not sure I would have been able to make it as far as I have without them. One of favorite quotes is from GT himself, no idea where he obtained it from but when I read it, it began to flow through my body and soul like wildfire. These are the words I was searching for.
“Passion, Hunger, Desire to be the best possible, nothing more nothing less. This is my test.”

This can be implemented in CF and in my everyday life. It has done so for a while now. Thanks GT!

What are some of your goals in crossfit you'd like to conquer?:
To keep improving in CF and to keep improving in my personal life as well. I want to my heart to be as open and has loving as it can possibly be. Nonetheless, I want to finally get a ring dip without that darn band. I also want to improve in my running capabilities.

Nutrition

tonight's dinner: shredded beef with bell peppers, and kiwi.

it's become clear to me how important nutrition really is in order to see true gains. looking at pictures from last year is pretty funny, i was a soft 160, this year after witnessing true athletes at the crossfit regionals, it really lit a fire from within me to really step my game up.

i had been hitting it hard since. crushing pr's, working on form, and dieting.

last week i peaked. i began eating horribly, and my wod's we're nowhere near what they should be. i knew what happened and although it was hard, it's part of the process.

back on paleo, trying to do 100% and get back into the swing of things.

today's wod:

5RFT of:

5 full squat clean to thruster, 135#

10 chest to bar pull ups.

For time - 9:30

oh, and i got a new pr on my deadlift, 405#.

stay tuned, for a new section of this blog coming before the end of the week.

Underoath - Too Bright To See, Too Loud To Hear

a storm is coming...

Recommendations

as a coach i'm often asked:

"what do you think of vibrams?"

"why dont you have vibrams?"

"what do you take pre/post wod?"

well here are a few of my recommendations, based on my experiences.

Progenex "Recovery" and "Growth"

i've been taking these two products for about a month now and HIGHLY recommend them. since taking "Recovery" my muscle's have been less fatigued, i recover much faster, and feel like a can double wod all week (which i don't.) with "Growth" i've been seeing gains in strength, and lean muscle mass. although i've been working on all my lifts, i've been able to PR a lot of my lifts (snatch 175, deadlift 400, jerk 230.) it's been helping me out since i still consider myself a "little" guy. before i'd walk around weighing 155#ish, and now i'm about 165#.

progenexusa.com

(approx. 100$ for both products)

Skins compression gear

i purchased my skins compression top early spring, and since implementing the use of it in my wod's i've also felt a difference in recovery time, and prevention of lactic acid build up. i usually feel fresh after a wearing it during a wod. is it hot? nope, has moisture wicking technology which keeps you dry during your wod, plus UPF 50+. looking forward to snagging me some bottoms some time soon.

skinsusa.com

(100$ for top, 115$ for bottoms)

Oly shoes

these benefit anyone in a huge way, during your deadlift, snatch, overhead squat, just to name a few. forced weight bearing heel calls for more stabilization throughout the ankles, knees, and core. love these things!

roguefitness.com

(115$ for rogue ones, 185$ for the pictured nike's)

Nike Free

plan on getting some of these for long distance running, they help promote forefoot running which is a must for POSE and crossfit running. and vibrams still weird me out. :\

haha.

nike.com

(85$)

and how could i forget...

Converse Chucks

these things are versatile, and make sense being anatomically close to our foot pattern. whether you decide to get some special ordered ones ;) or plain, grab a pair, they'll only set you back 40 bucks.

converse.com

Eva

oh how i hate kettlebell swings...

today's wod:

"Short Eva"

3 RFT of:

800 meter run

30 kettlebell swings, 2 pood

30 pull ups

For time - 25:38

really used my POSE running today, wasnt the fastest at the running but i felt good. my ROM was great too, all overhead showing ear which gets hard around rep 15+.

so for the following three weeks, my training regimen will go as follows.

monday - snatch

wednesday - bent over rows

friday - gymnastics skill work/upper body heavy lift.

excited to see results!

great job to everyone who did today's wod, you guys rocked it!

Family

from left to right: Myself, my beautiful girlfriend & training partner pamela, mikee, art, maritza, katherine, charlie, fabi and mike.

this weekend i was able to spend time with a few members of my crossfit family, i'm so fortunate to be able to coach such amazing, inspiring, talented and all around great people.

we went to ft. davis to celebrate maritza's 30th birthday, and we had a blast! cool thing was besides the beer, and a few other things we ate pretty paleo and i felt good returning. well, besides sleeping on rocks, my back was pretty tight this morning while working on my snatch. last week i hit 175, and today i could only do 155, eh. next time. good news is i felt that i really brought it on my wod:

5 RFT

200 meter row

4 muscle ups (palms out at bottom)

10 power cleans, 135#

For time - 15:47

Congratulations

to all the competitors who participated in the 2010 crossfit games.

2010 CrossFit Games Winners - 1st Place: Graham Holmberg, 2nd Place: Rich Froning Jr., 3rd Place: Chris Spealler for the mens competition, 1st Place: Kristan Clever, 2nd Place: Annie Thorisdottir, 3rd Place: Valerie MacKenzie Voboril for the women's competition, 1st Place: CrossFit Fort Vancuver affiliate competition, 1st Place: Brian Curley masters mens competition, 1st Place: Laurie Carver masters womens competition.

The Beginning

The views, comments, and words are all from me, and only me.

So, what's this blog about? Well, this blog is designed to catch me in my most real form. A more in depth look of my training, and my athletes training. My trials and tribulations as both an athlete and as a coach, to document my successes and failures, hits as well as misses. This blog is for people who inspire, and seek to be inspired, people who want to lead, but will also follow.

Expect the truth, reps, nutrition, loads, and times....

Expect change...

Expect greatness...

I needed to do this for myself.

Thanks for joining me in my journey, not sure where i'm going, but i know for sure it wont end where i started.