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[garyfoster]

Falling out of love...

So, I have cancelled my membership at Track Town CrossFit. I have about 2 weeks left and then that chapter of my journey will be done.

Some of my friends already know that I am leaving and the reoccuring questions are "Why" and "What will you do now"? Well to be perfectly honest I don't know what I'm going to be doing.......go find another gym/box I guess!

As to why I am leaving......well that is a tough question and even harder to explain in a logical way.......but here goes!

It was a very difficult decision to arrive at because I have some incredible friendships that have evolved from my time at TTCF, but just like any relationship that is going through tough times, you have to make a decision that is right for you and not necessarily going to please everyone. 

I am very thankful for the coaches who in the beginning took me under there wing and shared some of there knowledge and helped me to become a better athlete and in turn a better person. However, it would be wrong of me to say that the relationship between myself and the coaches is still going along great......it isn't. I guess we have just fallen out of love, and thats fine, these things happen. As I see it I have two choices......put up with it or leave.......I have chosen the later. As a paying member of any organization that is my choice. 

So it is with great sadness that I leave TTCF, but I shall walk away knowing that I have had a great foundation to my fitness journey. I hope that my friendships will still be intact?

I am nervous for the future but I know that wherever I end up I will be prepared for anything! 

[garyfoster]

2013 was my very first encounter with the CrossFit Open. An opportunity to register with thousands of other CrossFitters from around the world to battle against each other to not only see who would qualify for Regionals but to also see where you, as an individual would place IN THE WORLD!

Well...

[garyfoster]

2013 was my very first encounter with the CrossFit Open. An opportunity to register with thousands of other CrossFitters from around the world to battle against each other to not only see who would qualify for Regionals but to also see where you, as an individual would place IN THE WORLD!

Well...

[garyfoster]

It's Open Season!

2013 was my very first encounter with the CrossFit Open. An opportunity to register with thousands of other CrossFitters from around the world to battle against each other to not only see who would qualify for Regionals but to also see where you, as an individual would place IN THE WORLD! Well another year has gone by, my CrossFit journey continues and we find ourselves yet again on the verge of The Open. For some reason this year there just doesn't seem to be the same buzz within our box that we experienced last year. I guess it could just be that we are still a month or so away from when that first workout will be announced......or it could be that not as many athletes from our box will be participating in the event this year? I know that after the end of last years Open I said that I wouldn't be doing that again......for me I felt it to be such a drain, physically and mentally. Every week I was just exhausted. But as soon as CrossFit announced that registration was live......I was there, registered and ready! I think that the big change has been that I've had a year to think about it. Another year of CrossFit experience. I've come to realize that even though I am pitting myself against the rest of the world, this event, for me at least is all about enjoying it, having some fun and not taking it too seriously. I'm not going to The Games as a competitor. The Open is something to measure my fitness. So if your in two minds as to weather to sign up or not.....my advice to you would be yes. Do it. Don't think too much about it. Enjoy it. Support your fellow box athletes and have fun!

[garyfoster]

"It don't mean squat"

So it's been a little while since I last posted something, I'll try and put that right and post more regularly!!

Anyway, life at Track Town CrossFit has been a little challenging of late. For the past six weeks I have been taking part in an Olympic Lifting classes twice a week. The aim is to improve on both the snatch and the clean and jerk.

Well this is the final week and time to test what we have learnt, practiced and drilled. Yesterday was maxes in the Snatch and also the Front Squat......OK, the front squat isn't an Olympic Lift but it is a very integral part of the clean and jerk so is vital that it is practiced and worked on.

I went into these classes with no real expectations other than to get better technique in the lifts, but as the weeks rolled along I started to get some numbers into my head of what I wanted to lift......I really don't know if this was a good thing or not. The good thing is that it has given me something to aim for but the down side is that I am putting pressure onto myself to succeed and therefore extra pressure should I fail to meet my own expectations!

We tested our snatch first and I had set my sights on 135lbs. Please bear in mind that this was to be a squat snatch max. I've managed more doing a power snatch but that wouldn't cut it today! After much frustration (probably spending too much time inside my head), I could only manage 115lbs. I must of tried 135 about 7 or 8 times, every time the bar floated up as it was supposed to, I pulled myself under the bar, but could never balance at the bottom of the squat and end up either on my ass or dropping the bar!

Next was the Front Squat. I had decided that I wanted to get over 250lbs and I'm happy to say that I actually achieved 260lbs!

So day one of testing was filled with joy and frustration. Should I of even been putting numbers to my lifts before starting......probably not. Is it wrong to want to set yourself a goal, to shoot for the stars......I don't think so. What I do think is wrong is that if you fail to achieve your goals is to then beat yourself up over them. As soon as you have a failed lift move on......nothing is going to bring it back for you. Learn from your mistake, correct it if needed, but focus on the next lift not the last failed one.

135lb squat snatch wasn't happening yesterday.......but it's going to happen soon......watch this space :)

[tracktowncrossfit-blog]

Olympic Lifting with Coach John

As an Olympic lifting coach I see a lot of people lacking the balance in the overhead squat position as well as the activation of the shoulders and upper back to sustain a load over head. A couple of great exercises I use to help my lifters become more aggressive under the bar and become more balanced is the heaving snatch balance and the snatch balance. The “Heaving Snatch Balance” is a great exercise for an intermediate lifter to work on creating speed under the bar by pressing their body down into a squat position as well as balance in the bottom position. Heaving snatch balance is great exercise to focus on the pressing of the body down under the bar without worrying about moving your feet, so you can really work on balance in the bottom of the squat position. Once this exercise is mastered think about moving to the snatch balance. The “Snatch Balance” brings another balance component that the heaving sn/balance doesn’t have. Feet positioning speed! In the snatch balance your feet will need to slide (not jump) rapidly out to your squat stance at the same time pressing your body down into a full squat position while balancing the weight over head. This is a more advanced exercise for a lifer and should not be attempted until the heaving sn/balance is perfected.  A couple of areas you want the athlete to really focus on with both these exercises is, one not to over extend on to their toes during the heaving portion of the lift but rather have them focus on the drive through the heels and two a good bottom position with the knees out aligned with foot and chest up and forward with a tight core.  These exercises can be supplemented with your traditional Olympic lifts in the same workout, however I recommend doing these after the traditional lifts. The heaving snatch balance should be a focus of speed and balance in the over-head squat position as the snatch/balance can be used as an combination of speed/balance and strength. If your using the heaving snatch balance to gain speed under the bar and balance in the over-head squat position, I recommend doing this early in a training cycle so that the athlete can gain the confidence of pressing them selves under the bar and balancing the weight over-head. This will make for an easier transition to the snatch/balance.  After the athlete has the confident and competence to perform the snatch balance have them perform a one rep max followed by a period of rest with no more then three reps for however many sets is required at the time of training.

[garyfoster]

Awesome post & video from my Oly lifting coach.....John Jenkins.

[tracktowncrossfit-blog]

Welcome...

Hi Everyone welcome to this, the Track Town CrossFit blog spot!

We will periodically post information about Olympic Lifting, Mobility, Nutrition and anything CrossFit!

Feel free to ask questions or make suggestions of what you would like to see.

Thanks for reading and keep checking back for new articles.

[garyfoster]

Love the new site.....can't wait to see what the future holds :)