Reebok CrossFit YUL

This is a blog dedicated to the Reebok CrossFit YUL community. The purpose of this blog is to share experiences, thoughts and ideas. The posts shared are designed to uplift, empower, inspire and provoke thought. All the posts are written by the YUL community. To post something, email [email protected].

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My CrossFit & Pregnancy Journey: Allison Grainger-Geoffrion

So, I got a message from Riley the other day asking me to write a blog about my Crossfit journey and my pregnant Crossfit journey... I've been trying to think of where to begin and what to include and exclude to save everyone from a long boring novel.

I will try to start with a bit about myself before Crossfit. I was an active kid, I climbed trees (that I couldn't get down from), I ran everywhere, rode a bike. I wasn't big into sports, I was EXTREMELY shy. The rest of my family was quite athletic. My dad played college football, my brothers played basketball. My aunts ran marathons, were gym teachers, were rowers who were in Time magazine aiming for the olympics. My mom was artsy, the least athletic of them all.

 My parents tried ballet, I cried. I cried more when I saw myself crying in the big mirrors. My mom forced me to try swim team, I dreaded the bathing suit, the water was cold.  I did ride my bike or walk everywhere, raced kids in the street, I did some track and field (sprints and highjump), I rode horses, I hiked, but otherwise, I was the kid in highschool forging notes to get out of gym class. I took social dance, day hiking and stress management (ie meditation) as my CEGEP gym courses.  I guess I was active enough and had a good enough metabolism to be a skinny mini, but as the years went by...

I got married, had a miscarriage, was very depressed for over a year, gained some weight. Got pregnant again with Evelyne and out of fear of another miscarriage I did NOTHING. I wouldn't lift a laundry basket, I wouldn't open the garage door. I was a sitting lump. I gained over (I'm not even sure how much over)  60lbs. I am 5'6". During my pregnancy in 2009 I did some prenatal yoga, and met a girl there, who I later met in the doctor's office. We almost had the same due date and had the same doctor! Her name was Jackie Clark, she worked for Reebok, so did her husband Stewart. We were immediate friends. After our babies were born, I was ready to lose that damn weight. We joined a local stroller fitness class. Why pay for it when we can do it ourselves? We started our own group and would meet at a local park with a group of other moms for our walks and "bootcamp" sessions. A dad decided to join us once and he had trouble keeping up :)

I remember Stewart talking about a new gym they were trying to open in D.D.O. I had never heard of this Crossfit business before. I didn't really pay attention. Then at their mega christmas party in 2011, it was ALL the talk. There was the VERY enthusiastic guy there named Mike, and his friend Jason. It was all they talked about. Mike's girlfriend M'liss, Melissa, who (?) was sitting on the sofa with us, we chatted with her a bit too, but mainly just tried to figure out her name properly. There were other Reebok employees, some people had tried the gym already, everyone was talking about this Crossfit!

So, it must have been early 2012, we started a class called Crossfit Moms at YUL. It was for moms, bring your babies,  M'liss and Ashliegh would come in (very early, bleary eyed and toting coffee) to watch the babies while we worked out. Jason and Mike were our first coaches that day.  I couldn't get around the gym 3 times without dying. I didn't know how to skip, I would do one foot at a time, like a 4 year old trying to skip. I couldn't do a pushup. But I tried, I worked hard. I climbed a rope for the first time, wait a minute, I'm actually decent at that one! I was hooked. I started seeing results, it became my life, my love, my obsession.

What has happened since those early Crossfit days of 2012? Well, Crossfit Moms kind of fizzled, we can still bring babies in, but I don't think there was enough strong coffee to keep the girls coming in to babysit. I progressed. A lot. I got stronger, I started eating strict Paleo. I went from not being able to skip to doing double unders. Pushups.  A strict pullup. I could pickup the equivalent of my husband from the floor.  I got real shoes, not hiking shoes (Stewart insisted on this one, especially since they weren't Reebok!) I lost ALL the baby weight. I was in better shape than I had ever been in my life. I had a 6 pack. I actually took my shirt off in the gym and wasn't embarassed. Then...

Reebok was moved to Toronto. So Jackie and Stew were moved to Toronto. I lost my workout buddy. It was tough. I was sad. I still worked out, I wasn't quite as motivated as before. I still tried though. I did an in house competition. I was slowing down, but it wasn't only because of Jackie leaving, my left leg, that had never been overly strong, was getting weaker. I couldn't squat, it hurt. I had no power. I went to chiro's, physio, osteo, doctors. The doctors dismissed it, said probably bursitis. I knew it wasn't bursitis, no one could figure it out. Then I went to a new physio Dev, who I had seen years ago for another issue. Dev is trained in neurological and biomechanical principals of human movement and exercise. He has treated numerous professional athletes, Jean Pascal, Otis Grant, Anthony Calvillo among some. He took one look at me, did 1 movement test, and suggested I have an MRI to see if I had a labral tear. I had a doc send me for an MRI, lots of fun, huge needle injects dye into the hip joint and the MRI looks for the tear. Result: yup, it was a tear, and a pelvic and femur abnormality too. Did I need surgery? Another test to see, another giant needle, this time with no anesthetic, to deliver a freezing agent into the hip joint. Now, that test was not fun, but the result sure was! The people in the waiting room stared. I did squats, I did jumping squats, I ran up the stairwell in the hallway, taking 2 steps at a time. I felt AMAZING for the first time in ages! So this is what it feels like to have a fully functioning leg! OH the things I could do! So, surgery it was.They would repair the tear and shave down my femur.  I was put on a waiting list. I wait, I wait, I wait.

I kept crossfitting. I scaled, I replaced squats with lunges, squated onto a chair, tried to keep going as much as possible, but SO much of Crossfit is squatting! The pain depressed and discouraged me. My husband Jean had been mentioning another baby, I wasn't sure. After all, I am the one who has to go through the pregnancy, and it wasn't a walk in the park last time! I finally gave in, baby happened pretty quickly and I kept crossfitting. I did have to scale, because of the hip (which pregnancy has aggravated) and because of being pregnant, but I did do 4 out of the 5 open WODs and managed just fine. I am now 34-35 weeks pregnant (for those of you who are not in the know, pregnancy lasts roughly 40 weeks, yup, if you do the math, that translates to 10 months, not 9 months!) so right now I am roughly 8.5 months pregnant. I stopped working out probably around 7 months. The hip got too bad, the breathing got too hard (baby pushes all those organs and lung capacity is reduced) I also had pneumonia and shingles during this pregnancy which was the final straw and I decided to just keep trying to eat well, walk and I can get back to the box once baby is born.

I have had several coaches in the years that I have been at YUL and travelled to other boxes when vacationing. I am thankful that I was honored to have Jason Martin as one of my first coaches. I have learned from every single person who has coached me. Each had something to contribute to improve what I was doing, improve my knowledge, my technique etc. I can't wait to get back in a couple of months, and hopefully get that surgery date soon after so that I can really get pushing with my new leg! I was lucky to go to Regionals (as a spectator of course) in 2012 and 2013. If you want to be inspired, to be pumped to improve yourself, there is nothing like watching that caliber of athletes wod and push themselves to the limit. They are incredible! I missed this year, but I hope I can make it in 2015!

I am thankful that my husband finally decided to join YUL. Between the wods and eating paleo, he lost 40 lbs! We both did our Level 1 together and now we can discuss wods, techniques, help each other with any challenges that relate to eating or working out. Our daughter Evelyne is always active, she started coming with me to YUL when she was just a toddler. She BEGS to come with me, though I hesitate these days as it is distracting to work out and watch her all the time.. she wants to try everything (expecially the rings). For now, she will swim, she will continue her gymnastics and crossfit kids. I see other moms with their teens or grown up children wodding together. I look forward to that day in my life!

I am SO glad that I had crossfit this pregnancy. I am 4 years older now, almost 38 years old, and I gained half the weight that I did with Evelyne. I was not only lifting laundry baskets this time, but barbells, kettlebells and dumbells too. I have no doubt that the last couple of years crossfitting and eating healthy have helped with this pregnancy and will help with my recovery after baby is born. Only a few weeks to go until baby arrives,  a few weeks to recover and I can't wait to get back to YUL, to wod again. See you all then! 

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YUL and On Rock Community Services

Heard through a friend a couple of days ago that On Rock Community Services which is a local west island food shelter is in real trouble as the shelves are bare.

People are very generous it seems around Christmas time but then perhaps forget that needy families are in need all year round. You never know what circumstances led to a family not having enough to eat, and in this day and age and in our fairly affluent community, it is sad that anyone should feel the pain of hunger.

So we at YUL, a community in itself, have decided to try and do what we can to help by starting a year round non perishable food collection. On Rock will come regularly to pick up donated items.

Every little bit helps. Lets show our local community what compassion and generosity the YUL community is made of. There is certainly no obligation, but whenever members can, it would be very much appreciated to bring in canned or boxed items that may help somewhat nutritiously feed a hungry family.

Nothing makes a person feel as good as the act of giving and we believe that acts of kindness have a real domino effect out in the world we live in. So lets extend the heart of YUL out into the community and make a difference in the lives of others just because we can.

- Jodi Miller

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Lauren Loosing 100

It's official, I'm one of you people now.

  I fought becoming one of you ''CrossFitters'' for about a year. As I saw more and more members of my family and friends join CrossFit, I continued doing my other workouts and mildly criticizing their new habit. I saw how CrossFit slowly took over all their conversations. They started speaking a new language that seemed pretty sexual to me (thrusters, WODs, snatches, BJs). They even started to show me their workouts, a kitchen play-by-play that I really didn't care to watch on the daily.

  I have had a goal of losing weight for a while now. Last winter, I had a lot of success working out and really watching what I ate (think Paleo, but really just eating whole good foods). Then I ''plateau'ed'' for a while. Trying to motivate myself, I started a blog. But I still struggled to find a way to stay active that would really motivate me through my weight loss. I did hot yoga (which I still love), but wanted more.

  Then, one day this winter, I went to cheer on my brothers in the CrossFit open. That's where it happened. I LOVED IT. I loved the people, the coaches, the music (thanks JZ!), the energy and I wanted to be part of it. I did my first WOD that week. BOOM! Instant convert, I'm a CrossFitter now. I talk incessantly about it, to anyone who will listen (bless their hearts for not telling me to get a life). I want to go every day, and have to force myself to take rest days. I freely use the word snatch, jerk and WOD. I love everything about it. From the start, everyone was so encouraging and so helpful. The coaches are amazing, the other athletes get me through workouts, that I never even imagined I would be able to complete. There is no workout that compares.

    I wrote this blog post, titled F*&$ THE GYM a little bit ago, and I think it nicely outlines why CrossFit is so successful (in changing lives). You can read it here by scrolling down or through the link below.

  http://laurenlosing100.wordpress.com/2014/03/31/f-the-gym/

  Feel free to follow my blog for thrilling (...probably not all thrilling) updates on CrossFit and achieving my 100 lb goal. Tell me to work harder when you see me slacking during a WOD and ask me for help if ever you need it. The YUL community has already done so much for me, I'm just trying to figure out how to give back.

  F*&$ THE GYM

  I never want to be a member of a “gym” again. Of course, I see the merits in doing any kind of physical activity. But I just think that going to a gym, and doing the same kinds of work outs day in and day out, even if you change up your program is just so old fashioned. I know I am new to this CrossFit thing, but I honestly see how the future of fitness and healthy living will continue to evolve in the direction of programs similar to CrossFit. There is really just no comparison between doing repetitive movements or running in place on a treadmill, to dynamic group classes with coaches and ever-changing workouts. Being able to move your body weight around, lift heavy, swing from a bar, walk on your hands- I mean, these are true measures of fitness. I know people who go to the gym every day, and may look muscular, but ask them to run a mile and they can’t. That’s not being healthy. It’s a false sense of health and fitness. That kind of workout is geared at one thing only, physical appearance. 

Workouts like hot yoga, CrossFit and the likes (these are my personal examples) work you from the inside out. AND IT BURNS. But you see results immediately. My body is changing so fast, it’s unbelievable. It’s not even the weight so much yet! Last week I only lost 1 lb. But my pants are too big already, and I am far more muscular. There is already a different shape to my shoulders, my legs and my arms. 

Who wants to go to the gym and use a machine to push weight up? In CrossFit, we are the machines. 

 - Lauren Gregory

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My CrossFit Experience: Gisele Bernier

When I was asked to write a blog on my Crossfit experience, I figured I would ask my 12 year old daughter, Gabrielle, what she thought I should write. This is what she said:

“It’s easy! Just tell them how CrossFit is really amazing. That when me and Vincent played soccer for fun,  you were never able to play with us, you had to watch us play. That you were not happy with the way you looked and you had no energy.  Tell them that because of Crossfit you are super healthy and happy and you can play soccer with us. And tell them also that by not going on a diet like Weight Watchers you are a great example to me because diets are not good for you. And that I’m proud of you...Yeah... tell them all that”.

She blurted this out in less than a minute. I was stunned. I turned around and went upstairs and cried. Why? Because my 12 year old daughter , who for the past two years is going through a tough time; divorce, bullying,  anxiety, self-image issues, peer pressure, etc. is telling me that I’m a great example for her.

It’s funny...  I was actually going to write a blog about me  and the journey I’ve been on for the past 8 months but everytime I think of all my big milestones, i realized that Gabrielle was right there next to me through all of them: From the time I did my first WOD (Deck of cards) on a Friday – I couldn’t walk for a week after that - She told me not to give up that I would get better soon.

The time I did my on-ramp and tore a muscle in my lower abdomen when jumping on a 14 inch box – ended up passing out with pain... ambulance had to be called in to get me at the box and bring me to the Lachine Hospital ER... I gave Mike and Marc two thumbs up and told them I would see them soon. When she heard that I got hurt, she was worried for me and saw that i was scared to go back. She said I should try it again and told me not to give up.  I was back a month later ready to start over.

She was also there, waiting for me, when I got back from my nutrition meeting with Mike in September. She asked me if I was going to eat healthier now.  I told her I would, that the three of us would. She gave me a hug and told me she was proud of me. Since then, I have gone down from size 16 pants to size 10.

I told her today that I will be competing for the first time in the Masters.  She told me how awesome it was, gave me one of her famous hugs and told me again: “Mommy, I’m so proud of you”.

It’s been 8 months since I started CrossFit.  My experience has been more than I could ever imagine. I have met amazing people. I have made new friends, I have done things I NEVER thought were possible. I have the support of dedicated coaches and the best CrossFit community. And I’m extremely grateful for all of it but... of all my accomplishments, the one I’m most proud of is the fact that I have a 12 year old daughter who sees me as a good example for her. A daughter who is proud of having a CrossFit mom and who knows how important it is to live a healthy and fulfilled life.

Thank you Gabrielle for inspiring me to be better, to pick myself up when I fall down, to push harder when I want to give up. For helping me becoming a better mom and a great example for you and your brother. I will be looking for you on May 31st so be ready to give me that famous big hug. I know I will need it.

Gisele Bernier CrossFit mom 

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Looking Good and Feeling Good: You Can Have Both.

I’ve always been an athlete.

From the age of 5, my parents had put me in just about every sport available; swimming, ballet, gymnastics, soccer, tae kwon do, and my favorite, figure skating. I was competitive in everything I did. By the age of 10, I had to make a decision: which sport did I want to pursue the most? When you become a competitive athlete, you have to invest all of you into that sport. I understood this from a very young age. My sport of choice was figure skating. I did it in pairs and singles. Doing pairs can be very hard on the girl; you have to maintain a low weight, be extremely strong and be fearless. By the age of 12, I was already being told what to eat and what not to eat, most of the time by people who weren’t qualified to do so. Instead of fueling my body for those 6 hour training days, I was constantly told not to eat. My body image was bad and starving myself was only making me gain, if anything. I was always being told to lose 5 to 10 pounds. That being said, I still absolutely love the sport and would not be the person that I am today without everything the sport has given me. However, this is the root of my bad body image.

The year after I went to the figure skating world championships, I had decided it was time to hang up my skates. I wanted to finish my career on a good note, and knew that my body needed help. I focused more on school, starting going to the gym, and took it easy. It wasn’t until I got a job at my local gym that I was introduced to the world of body building. Being the athlete that I am, I constantly wanted to push my limits and when I saw my friends training for these types of competition, I inquired about it. The first thing the trainer said was: “you have to lose about 20 pounds”. My jaw dropped. Was she insane? 20 pounds on a 5’1 girl is a lot. However, looking back at all those years of being told I wasn’t thin enough, I figured this was my chance to prove to myself as well as all those who doubted me that I could lose the weight if I really wanted to. I managed to lose 20 pounds in 12 weeks, going from 128lb to 108lb. I thought to myself; wow, this is what it feels like to be skinny! As happy as I was to see that number on the scale, what I saw in the mirror wasn’t so nice: skin and bones. That’s what I was. I was weak, always tired, had about 3 layers of pockets under my eyes at all time, and ate under 1000 calories a day. I went to the competition and came home with 2 trophies, one being provincial winner of my category. When the day was over, all I could think about was eating. The diet I was put on completely ruined my metabolism and my weight started going up fast the second I went back to eating normal food.  A month after the competition, I got an immense amount of negative feedback from people at the gym. The trainer I had done my competition prep with actually came up to me and said: “but I don’t get it... how did you get so fat?” I didn’t know how to answer such a question. No one had ever been so direct about my weight to me.

After that, I knew I needed a change of scenery, one with less judgment. That’s when I was introduced to Crossfit. I came in, was told to leave my ego at the door, and to just give it my all. I did, and couldn’t move for 4 days after that. That’s when I knew this was for me. It brought out my weaknesses, showed off my strengths, and pushed me to a level that I had never been pushed before; my body was becoming a machine. There was always a coach there cheering you on, making sure you didn’t give up, and making sure you did so the right way. I felt so strong, empowered, and had fun while doing it. I was actually becoming STRONG, and had REAL muscles, not just pretty ones for show. Crossfit taught me how to pace myself, how to overcome that voice in my head telling me to quit, and how to get fit one step at a time.

 It was the first time that I looked at myself in the mirror and actually loved what I saw. It was the first time that I realized that I could look and feel good too; that it wasn’t just one or the other. I’m now learning to fuel my body the right way, I’m surrounding myself with amazingly supportive people, and I get to challenge myself everyday through every WOD,

 all thanks to Crossfit. 

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The Fabled Uncle Rhabdo

The purpose of this article is to uncover what it’s like to have Rhabdo, by investigating a first hand experience. We believe this is an important article because as forms of extreme fitness are increasing in society, so are the number of cases of Rhabdomyolsis.

Here is an interview with Mike Rastelli, a CrossFit athlete and coach. Mike was diagnosed with Rhabdo after competing in a CrossFit competition in January. The interview will shed some light on the “fabled” uncle Rhabdo and hopefully help anyone who’s going through it.

Previous to the incident what was your training regiment like?

I was following the outlaw way. A program that’s designed for competitive CrossFit Athletes, it’s known to be a very complete program. It’s a 5 days a week program, it usually runs through Olympic lifting, then goes into strength and then metcons. Each session would take about 60-90 minutes.They also program the rest intervals for each portion of the workout. http://theoutlawway.com/category/blog/

What were your training goals for the year?

My goals were to perform well at the Firebreather competition, and to be competitive during the open. I hoped to be in the running for regionals.

Which competition triggered your Rhabdo?

The Firebreather, at L’Usine CrossFit, Sunday January 26th. It was a 1 day event, with 4 WODs for everyone who signed up. 6 for the top athletes (finalists).

What is this comp known for?

It’s known as one of the most advanced competitions in Montreal. It’s known to be tough and very heavy.

Who competes there?

Some of the best athletes in Quebec. A lot of regional, even games athletes.

What were the events this year?

Event 1 was:

75 deficit HSPU

100 PULL UPS

75 GHD situps

100 snatches @ 95lbs

time cap: 20 minutes

being in heat 4, I watched the 3 heats ahead of me go and saw very few guys make it to the snatches and even less finish the WOD.

Event 2 was:

21-21-21

Toes to Bar and Deadlifts

Increasing weight for the DL from 275 to 325 to 355

Event 3 was:

AMRAP 6 minutes

25 Wallballs

25 calorie row

Event 4 was:

15-15-21-21

9 muscles ups

9 thrusters

Time Cap: 6 minutes

Those were the WOD’s I did. For those who qualified, there were 2 more WODs.

Was there anything that stood out, that seemed out of the norm while you were competing?

After workout 1, I didn’t feel super fatigued, but I noticed that my upper body seemed really swollen.

Also, towards the last two workouts I felt fatigued and experienced a lot of weakness in my upper body pulling muscles.

For instance, I felt extremely slow on the rower.  And, for the muscle up WOD, I failed multiple attempts at muscle ups, which hadn’t happened to me during WODs in the last 6/8 months. Going into the competition, muscle ups were a big strength for me.

Approximately how much time did you have between workouts and what were you doing during that time?

It varied between 20 to 45 minutes, I personally never felt rested and recovered to go back to workout but I know that that’s what competition days are about.

I didn’t have a strategy between workouts, depending on the time we had between workouts, I would try to eat and hydrate in a way that wouldn’t comprise my performance in my next workout i.e eating too much.

How did you feel the night after the competition?

I felt exhausted, tired, and experienced loss of appetite. I also woke up in the middle of the night in extreme pain. At 3am I remember being in so much pain, that I woke my girlfriend up to go get me water, ice and advil.

Did you reach out to any other competitors? How were they feeling after the competition?

I spoke with 2 friends, Mike Deboever and Victor Kozlowski, who are friends and were fellow competitors. Mike is also a regional athlete. They both had similar symptoms: joint paint, lack of sleep and, we all couldn’t extent our arms. We also heard from a few others that they were having similar symptoms.

So after hearing about others who were similar, you weren’t feeling worried about your symptoms?

No, not at all. We all joked about having Rhabdo, but I never thought it would be my reality.

When did you start to notice the Red Flags and what were they?

The two days after, Monday and Tuesday, were really not good days for me. I didn’t feel like myself. I was extremely tired and my muscles were extremely sore, beyond the point of just a tough workout.

I noticed my urine had a bit of discoloration, but I thought I was being crazy because at the level 1 we learn that your urine will look like Coca-Cola. I thought it would be very dark brown, if I had Rhabdo.

What triggered you going to the Hospital?

On Tuesday night, I thought to myself if I didn’t feel better by the morning I would go to the hospital. Afterward, I went to the washroom again, and noticed for sure that my urine was discoloured and decided to go.

What did your urine actually look like?

Haha we joke that it actually looks like watered down iced tea, not Coca-Cola.

How long did it take to get a diagnosis? Did it seem like foreign case?

It took about 3 hours after I was admitted into Emergency. After the tests, the doctor knew right away that it was Rhabdo. He told me it had been getting more attention in the medical community these days.

What tests did they do?

They did blood tests and urine samples.

What did they find and how did they treat it?

The biggest and most worrisome thing that they found was that my CK levels were over 100,000. Normal levels are between 60 and 200. A friend of mine who was coincidentally my nurse, told me that everyone was talking about the guy with the crazy CK levels, because no one had ever seen that before. They said that those kinds of levels can be very damaging to the kidneys and can lead to kidney failure if not treated.

They said all they could do was “flush it out”, they hooked me up to an IV and hoped my levels would go down. They monitored my levels by taking about 3 blood tests per day.

How did your symptoms progress when you were admitted?

I was extremely swollen. My upper body, especially biceps and lats seemed like double the size. I also retained a lot of fluid. The swelling moved from my upper body downward. At one point I had half a six pack. One side of my stomach was full of water and the other wasn’t

How long were you in the hospital?

I was in the hospital from Tuesday night to Friday afternoon.

Why so long?

They wanted to keep me to make sure that my CK levels were going down, because the first two day, they kept rising.

Did they change your diet at all?

No. But, my aunt (a nurse) who used to work along side a nephrologist, suggested that I stay away from foods that are hard on the kidneys. Such as, foods with lots of salts.

Why did they deem it ok to release you from the hospital?

They released me because my CK levels were trending downward. At the time, they were at 35,000.

How did your lifestyle change after being released?

It was tough for a month, because I wasn’t allowed to do any activity. I found it really difficult to be at the gym, it was kind of depressing not being able to do anything I used to. I’m also a hockey coach for the Dawson Blues and I wasn’t even allowed to go on the ice during practice. Needless to say, I was no longer able to work to my full potential.

How did your body change in the month following

Oh man oh man, when I left the hospital I had a lot of water weight. But then all of February, I wasn’t allowed to work out, and my muscles had depleted because of Rhabdo, and I lost 20 pounds. My mom told me I look sickly and got a lot of weird looks and similar comments from people I know.

How did you feel in the following month?

After I left the hospital, I felt like I was normal again, ready to start working out and stuff. But, I still had to go to the hospital to do blood tests once every two weeks before I got the green light to part take in physical activity. Even though I felt like I could get back to the gym right away, I had to be disciplined because my CK levels were still out of whack.

Once you got the green light to start training, what was your strategy to implement training back into your daily life?

I wasn’t sure where to start. I knew I had to take it slowly, so I started by going back to the board at our gym (not rx). But then, I realized even that might be a bit too much for me. So I spoke to Mark Deslauriers, my mentor and fellow coach, and I started following a program of his, with Matt Altman. We called it CRC, CrossFit Rehab Center, from 10-11:30. I worked with those guys for about 8 weeks. I got my strength back slowly. There’s no more CRC. For now, I’m not really following anything,  just trying to have fun with CrossFit again, and working toward being strong and hitting all my previous numbers. 

What was the biggest challenge/concern about coming back?

The hardest thing about coming back, was that all my previous efforts were taken away from me and I now had to start from scratch. The biggest challenge about coming back was just not knowing if it was going to happen again, and not knowing how far I could push myself. Knowing what I had done in the past, and not knowing what my new limits were, was very hard mentally. There is not much research out there on rehabilitation after Rhabdo, so it has been difficult not having any expectations or prescribed limits to follow.

We are now about 3 months after the incident. How far have you come in your training?

I’m happy with my progress, I’m much closer to where I was before the incident. Some of my strength still isn’t there, but I can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel now. I’m back at a healthy weight and am optimistic that I can be better than I was before.

And are there any philosophy changes you’ve made about your approach to training?

I wouldn’t say I’ve changed my philosophy at all, I still think CrossFit is great for everybody. I now think that when you want to take CrossFit to the next level, it is important to start questioning everything. For instance, Am I following a program that is best for me? Who is programming the competition I’m registered in? Why do I want to compete I this competition? What are my main goals and needs as an athlete? Do I know my coach on a personal level, does he know me? What should I be eating and drinking on a daily basis? There should always be confident answers to these types of questions, otherwise there’s a problem. Since the incident I’ve been dedicating a lot of my time to really understand exercise science, so I can keep myself and anyone else I coach safe.

Also, I now believe it’s important to listen to the voice inside your head. It’s not as simple as being mentally tough or not, sometimes it really is about your health. When your health is being compromised, it is no longer fun or fitness.

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CrossFit Games Champion Annie Thorisdottir: The Fittest Woman in the World - Vogue

For Annie Thorisdottir, the fittest woman on the planet, working out means pushing her body to the outer limits of performance—and crushing it.

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Beauty Redefined

I have been a CrossFit athlete for a little over 8 months now. And, like so many, it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. It has been an incredible experience witnessing my body change and adapt as I push myself through each WOD, day after day. However, I have not only experienced these changes in a physical domain, but a mental one as well.

Like most people growing up, I felt a lot of pressure to look a certain way, wear certain clothes and act as the norm suggested. Society pushes these standards upon us at young, vital ages, and as opposed to challenging them, we sink lower in our seat and beat ourselves up over how we seemingly fall short. Personally, I never felt great about my body. There was always something that could look a bit better or jiggle a bit less. And once I felt like I had "fixed" one thing, out popped something else I realized I wasn't completely satisfied with. This process went on for years. It traveled many ups and downs...from diet pills to malnutrition to those "screw it" moments where you go and buy a BigMac trio. It felt like I was trapped in this vicious circle of self-sabotage, and it was my own self keeping me there. I had such a confined and conditioned perception of beauty that the first thing I mumbled when I walked into the box this past August was "I don't want to get bulky and have big muscles". What happened next (besides a little giggle from Riley), was me, lying on my back gasping for air, as I realized my body and its little muscles couldn't even carry me through 10 minutes of burpees and box jumps. I didn't understand how I could be SO BAD at this little 10 minute workout, when I had been a competitive athlete since I was seven. So, I kept coming back. I kept pushing my body through WOD's and sooner than expected, I started to feel different.

  It has been through this humbling relationship with crossfit, that my perception of beauty has changed. We embark on more than a physical journey when we step into a box. The emotions that flow through our bodies in the midst of Fran, Jackie, Isabel or Nancy are so raw and dominant that we can't help but transform mentally as well. I used to look at models in magazines and think to myself "that is what it means to be beautiful". Now I watch Maki Kusano complete a back squat, Hamish Corlett perform a muscle up, Rich Froning do an over head squat, or Jodi Miller get her first handstand and I can't help but think "now that, is a thing of beauty". Instead of judging our process through the occasional glimpse in the mirror (which often comes from a harsh, critical place), we have learned to measure our progress through means far beyond physical appearances: our increasing abilities, our heart and perseverance, our positive attitude and the belief we hold in ourselves and our fellow athletes.

  I am now 8 months in, and zero pounds lighter. My jeans fit a bit tighter around my thighs and I now own more sports bras than any other kind. I don't physically look much different and I still buy the same size in everything. However, I now am able to get through a 16 minute AMRAP without water. I am able to back squat my boyfriend. I can now do a pull up, and then 10 more. I can touch my toes to a bar, push up from a handstand and complete workouts feeling PROUD of what my body has just accomplished. My perception of beauty is no longer defined by jean size, skinny arms or the number on a scale. It is defined by the cheers of encouragement echoing through the walls of a box, it is defined in confidence, in laugher, in tears, and in the pride we give and take in ourselves and others.  

written by: Mel Sellors

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The Easiest Paleo Breakfast

Paleo Pancakes.

Grab two eggs, a banana, blend together.

Heat Coconut oil on pan, fry blended mixture.

Add almond butter or maple syrup (or both) on top. 

voila, Paleo pancakes.

*I like to add an egg or egg-whites to make it more filling.  You could also add some almond flour in the mixture.

Enjoy :)

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Why Every Mom Should Do CrossFit

Crossfit is the sport of fitness – designed to prepare any athlete for the unknown and unknowable. I would say that motherhood is exactly that. You never know what challenge will be thrown at you or when. An unpredictable event of having to pick up a 40 pound child under one arm and carry them in a sprint to catch your other child who is running away in a crowded mall. Crossift calls this the sand bag run. Or carrying grocery bags weighing easily 20 pounds each because feeding a family of four is heavy….crossfit calls this the farmer walk. Not only does crossfit make me a stronger more physically ready mom but it also makes me more fun. I can easily front squat my 60-pound daughter or lunge with my 40-pound son on my back. We have handstand and burpee contests. Where once lifting them out of the bath would hurt my back now doesn’t even faze me. I don’t fear going for a long walk with them knowing that half way through the walk someone will have tired legs and end up on my back or shoulders. I have never felt stronger.  As a working mom of two it’s not always easy to get myself to the box – so getting up 445am is sometimes my only option. This shows you how much I love this sport. I would never sacrifice sleep to get to a globo gym or to run by myself – I just can’t. It’s not motivating. Going to a box where the coaches are so informative, motivational and inspirational is what gets me up that early. I need them – to show me, and push me every step of the way. I never fear injury because the coaches are so well educated.

  The other wonderful aspect of being a crossfit mom is demonstrating to my daughter and son that being healthy and strong is true beauty – not skinny and weak. Eating well is important and exercise is essential. Both of my kids know what a wod is, what every crossfit movement is and could probably do them better than the average person. Most kids their age doesn’t know what a push up is whereas my kids can fly threw them…hand release of course. They have watched my husband and myself push ourselves to our limits, sweating and struggling to breath but giving the wod our most. They cheer us on and love to imitate workouts on their own. Having muscle and strength is already a priority to my kids and that makes me confident that they will grow up to treat their bodies right. They have witnessed the camaraderie of our incredible box, where athletes cheer for one another and genuinely care for one another’s fitness improvements. This positive atmosphere has rubbed off on them. They are the first to cheer for others in any setting and encourage people to push themselves – including each other. Crossfit has changed my life and influenced my family in such a positive way. Call it a cult, call it obsessive – I call it a happy, healthy lifestyle that is already influencing my kids in an amazing way.  Thank you YUL.

Kids get heavy...

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ALL IN

Uncle Vic is leaving for California today! Anyone who knows Vic, knows he is quite the extremist, but aren't all really successful people? This guy has no doubt in his mind about his intentions with CrossFit, and we have no doubt that he will reach his goals. Best of luck in Cali Vic. 

 Be sure to follow his adventures in the CrossFit Mecca. He'll be keeping us up to date through his website and blog posts which can be found here: http://cfeasttowest.weebly.com/the-blogdude.html

Here is Vic's "sample piece of writing" that helped him get to Invictus. It's called "All In"

An extremist.  You see passion at its finest when a person commits themselves completely to an obsession. True emotion is found at polar ends of the spectrum, never in the middle. Playing it safe can only get you so far... I am proud to be an extremist. I strive to find my true passion and purpose in life. Wearing your heart on your sleeve, being an honest person and showing true emotion will aid in clarifying that path. This personality trait prevents routine, like CrossFit, always looking to shake things up.   A person should never settle for mediocrity. Life’s revelations occur outside of your comfort zone. It takes a massive leap of faith to suddenly commit yourself to a new obsession. You may be scared, you see that there is no turning back, you begin to doubt...  These feelings are normal, but think to yourself, why would you want to settle for ‘normal’? If it is change that you seek, its time to get uncomfortable. Everyone will deal with that change differently, that is what sets us all apart. Some may quit and run back to ‘normal’, some teeter on the brink for months, even years and the extremists dive in head first. It is what I have noticed up to now about CrossFit. It gets people UNCOMFORTABLE. Your community is based on these brave individuals who decided to make a change in their life. You will find all types of players in your box. Those  earphone wearing bicep curling individuals who run off back to ‘normal’ never experience what a real CrossFit community is all about. Solitude, routine and globo gym will forever be their home. Could have been the price, personal biases, etc. They settle for routine, never going the slightest bit ‘all in’.  Never gave it a chance. They folded their hand before even seeing the flop.  Then you’ve got your ‘play it safe’ folk. Deciding that they’ll give er a go for a month or three. They grasp the basic concept of the sport, see it more as a hobby. Never do any reading, never broaden their knowledge, expect everything to be delivered to them on a silver tray. These complainers tend to be the ones confused as to why they aren’t achieving results with their crappy diet. Wonder why can’t they hold a front rack position properly, not spending any time outside of class on mobility. They expect to swallow the magic CrossFit pill, get super fit, or quit. They’ll only go ‘all in’ under certain conditions. These players bought in, expecting to see what they wanted, but folded once the flop didn't go their way.  The real core of your box is represented by the working world who try to go ‘all in’ as much as they possibly can. Of course, they dedicated themselves to supporting their family first or to their employment, rightfully so. These are highly motivated individuals who strive on the CrossFit community and help of others. The dream of going ‘all in’ flirts with their mind on a constant basis. They view CrossFit as a lifestyle or are trying to be as competitive as possible in the sport. These athletes have committed all they can, always strive for more, under reason. CrossFit isn’t their entire life, but are happy with the part it plays. They’ve hung around to see the turn, they love what they see, but simply cant risk it all, too much on the line.   Finally we have our extremists. Who walked right through the doors and never looked back. Typically originating from an athletic background, they do CrossFit to compete, to win. It is intimidating to WOD with them because they test human limits. CrossFit has now become their life. Most life decisions revolve around what time they will be working out that day, what they plan on eating or how much weight they can lift. Every time you walk in the gym, they seemed to have already been there for hours. No matter the circumstances, work, spouses, financials, they find the time. They’ve probably watched more CrossFit HQ videos than half your gym combined. Call it over the top, but thats just what they are, EXTREME. They live by it, will die by it. They took that leap of faith and continued into a sprint right after. They believe hard work and dedication will pay off. These athletes never even looked at their cards before saying ‘all in’.  Think about which category you fall under? (probably the second two, the first two wouldn’t even bother reading a CrossFit article). Now before you say people change, CrossFit is just a fad and complain some more... Think about your priorities and re-evaluate your strategies. Don’t expect to beat Rich (Froning) if you don’t train like Rich, eat like Rich, go ‘all in’ like Rich. Be realistic, but never give up, ever. Do what you love, no matter what level CrossFitter you are.  So How ‘in’ are you? Never settle for anything, be the best, always go H.A.M and die by it.    Vic

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CrossFit and the Athlete

I’d like to start this article off by highlighting two YUL athletes’ recent achievement. Julie Dodds and Megan Woodworth, recently won their region in hockey. These two girls play for the Lac-St-Louis Selects (AA hockey for those who don’t know), and they will be going to the dodge cup (which is a pretty big deal in Quebec). Congrats ladies!!

  Here is Megan’s view on how CrossFit has helped her in hockey.

  “I started Crossfit in July of 2013 and was hoping to become stronger and fitter for my upcoming hockey season. It didn't take long for me to notice results in the gym and more importantly, on the ice. I really found that the coaches encouraged me to push myself harder and harder with each workout. I found that I now have better stamina, more speed and explosiveness then I had ever had before. My new fitness level and strength allowed me to excel to levels I hadn't been able to reach before. The encouragement I have received this year has allowed me to reach my goals on the ice this season.”

  I wish CrossFit existed back when I played hockey competitively. My coaches would always tell me that if I wanted to go further in this sport, that I would have to put on size. I was pretty lanky, and easily got pushed around by the bigger girls. When I was looking to play in University, I began working with a personal trainer during the summer. Although I did see some results, the results CrossFit has brought me (years later) are unparalleled. I believe this is attributed to the competitive nature of CrossFit, the accessibility and the translatable results.

                 For a  visual. Right is me while I was playing hockey and working with a trainer in the summer, and left is me after doing under 2 years of CrossFit.

  What makes CrossFit great for sport teams is that it is designed to be done with a group. Therefore, the equipment, the space, the programming and the coaching are all designed to serve teams of people. In CrossFit classes, everyone is competing with each other, because at the end of the workout your score goes on the board.  However, the biggest competition is always with yourself. As a CrossFit athlete you are constantly striving for new personal records, and reaching new goals. We are constantly pushing our limits, and every time we step into the gym, we seek to improve ourselves. CrossFit really teaches you the importance of goal setting and changes your perspective on practice and  training all together. Back when I played sports, practice and training always felt like the team vs. the coach. I believe that my attitude toward practice would have been completely different, had I been introduced to CrossFit. In CrossFit, our goals revolve around tangible numbers, and we really see the fruits of our labour.  It has shown me that if you set out to improve yourself each practice, instead of just going throug the motions because the coach says so, you can really obtain remarkable results. As anyone who has played on a team knows, achieving and “suffering” as a team leads to team bonding and with CrossFit it will give an entire team similar goal-orientation.

  At the CrossFit level 1 course, we were taught “that the fear of sporting failure is worse than the fear of death” (CrossFit, 2009). Human beings are competitive by nature, and by adding competition into performance programming, CrossFit has yielded unprecedented results. Just to point out a few: Fran times are dropping below 2 minutes, CrossFitters are snatching 300# and deadlifting 500#, all while maintaining a sub 21 minute 5KM run. The numbers CrossFitters have been putting up are astonishing, and far from plateauing. Year after year, CrossFit has been pushing the limits of what the human body is capable of. 

  The CrossFit philosophy has become so popular, because at the end of the day, it obtains results that translate any athletic endeavor. Each person who walks into a CrossFit box, is treated like an elite athlete. Professional athletes have been training this way for years, football players, hockey players etc, today, ppl want to look and move like pro athletes. CrossFit programming is not “dumbed down” to avoid the challenging situation of teaching people with no experience, how to perform functional movements.  They are called functional movements, because they appear in everyday life, for all of us. CrossFit believes that each person deserves the respect of having the chance to reach their full potential. It has been shown time and time again, that functional movements are what get people results. Therefore, CrossFit makes sure that everyone is working on these movements.

Great athletes all have powerful hip prowess. CrossFit has found that “powerful hip extension alone is necessary and nearly sufficient for elite athletic performance” (CrossFit 2009).  All human movement is generated from the hips or core, and released to the extremities of the body. A Strong core is crucial to movement efficiency. If you don’t believe me, check out Max Pacioretti and PK Subban in these two videos:

  Max Pacioretti doing a 57” inch box jump… 4 foot 9 inch box jump.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnhEzHdmJLg

  PK Subban doing a sled pull.. I counted 10 plates

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxWlBJEXQok

  To build athletes with a powerful core, CrossFit prescribes a strength and conditioning program. First, it is a core curriculum, meaning the fitness it develops is foundational to all other athletic needs. Secondly, in the literal sense, much of CrossFit’s work focuses on the major functional axis of the human body, the extension and flexion of the hips, and the flexion, extension and rotation of the torso (CrossFit, 2009). CrossFit builds their athletes from the inside, out (core to extremety), which is how we naturally recruit muscle, making CrossFit functional to all other athletic needs.

   The difference between amateur athletes and PK & Max, is that, amateur athletes aren’t making millions to play their sport. PK and Max have the luxury to afford some of the best sport trainers in the world. What’s great about CrossFit, is that, it has made elite athletic training accessible to all. These days, to obtain CrossFit-like core strength and conditioning programming with a personal trainer, top dollar must be paid. I used to train with a notable sports trainer during the summer, and it cost my parents thousands of dollars for just 2 and a half months, and only 2-3 a week.

  Today, I could have joined a CrossFit gym with unlimited training sessions per week, high quality coaching, for only about $150 per month. Moreover, many CrossFit gyms now offer off-season training deals for teams. Although CrossFit is a general program, coaches are able to make programming more sport specific. For instance, there now exists CrossFit Football, Striking, and Gymnastics.

Before joining any CrossFit gym, do your research. Some gyms are much more bargain for your buck. CrossFit has had much adversity because coaching quality varies from gym to gym.   Look for gyms with head coaches who are: accessible, have degrees, have lots of experience training athletes, and have a wide variety of certifications. As mentioned there are some CrossFit sport specifc certification, but not many, it is important to look for coaches who understand your sport or have enough education (understanding the body) to make sport specific programming.  When I first joined YUL, I was happy to know that the coaching staff was well equiped. For instance, the head coach  alone not only had over 4 CrossFit certifications but he also has a Master’s in kinesiology and nutrition. I knew right away that I could trust him and his fellow coaches to program and advise me in a safe and effective way. Moreover,  I loved that all the coaches at YUL are previous competitive athletes (in other sports), they really undersood the mind set of an athelete.

In conclusion, I think every team and/or athlete should be taking advantage of CrossFit. It will strengthen every athlete both physically and mentally.  Not everyone is born with a natural gift/ability of being a competitive athlete, but I guaratee that stepping into a CrossFit gym will bring you closer to reaching your athletic goals. I would love to hear more from any other YULer or CrossFiter out there who has made gains in their sport after starting CrossFit. How has CrossFit helped you in your Sport!?!? Comment on the article or email me [email protected].

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The Secret is Out: Jodi's Paleo Brownies

There's nothing like walking into the box when there's that glorious smell of chocolate in the air. We all know what it means: superwoman Jodi has brought everyone brownies again!!! Today, the secret is out.. Here is Jodi's recipe.

  Before overdosing on these bad boys, Jodi wants everyone to remember: “They are still dessert... just a paleo friendly one!”

  1- In a medium saucepan melt 1 cup unsalted butter or coconut oil and 3 squares of dark chocolate.

  2- Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup cocoa powder.

  3- Stir in 1 1/2 cups coconut sugar.

  4- Add 4 eggs stirring after each one.

  5- Add 1 cup almond flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp sea salt and stir.

  6- Add 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee and fold in until combined.

  NB*

  *If you like added texture you can add things like chopped walnuts or shredded coconut or chopped dates as well.

  *Sometimes I add a scoop of chocolate protein powder but then I add another 1/4 coffee or they come out too dry.

    7. Pour into a 9x13 baking pan and bake at 350 for 25 min.

  8. When the oven beeps, I toss on a handful or two of dark chocolate chips and then just spread them when they melt for the icing.

  9. Finally, refrigerate and cut into squares. Voila!

And what they usually look like within minutes.....

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My Coaching Experience in the Corporate World, CCM Hockey and Reebok

In 2011, I had the opportunity to talk with Reebok about their employees' fitness. I explained to them that people are more efficient at what they do when their fitness and health markers are constantly improved. I also explained how the concept of CrossFit’s WOD (workout of the day) can lead to positive team building. They quickly understood that working with fit and healthy people was to their advantage. After my meeting with Reebok, I was determined to deliver on my promises. Naturally, I introduced their employees to CrossFit. I truly believe that CrossFit is the best way to improve fitness on a consistent basis. I myself do constantly varied, functional movements, at a high intensity: CrossFit. 

  Since 2011, I have been going to Reebok/CCM Hockey 3 times a week! That’s almost more then 300 sessions, and let me tell you these guys never get tired of seeing my face walk through that door. These athletes are getting stronger and healthier every week that I coach them. I just love the motivation and drive that they apply to every single WOD. In addition, the feedback I have gotten from participants is amazing. Everyone has told me that their energy levels and productivity levels at work, have increased. And, they also say that they have more energy to spend with their family when they get home. Others have told me that their stress levels have significantly decrease since starting CrossFit, because they now have a positive outlet to decompress their stress. Additionally, many have told me that their attitude toward coming to work has changed. On WOD days, they say that they are always excited to get to the office. The list of benefits could go on and on, but I will leave you with a few more notable ones: better sleeping and eating habits; better attention span; increased confidence and pride in their work; and overall increased happiness.

  CrossFit is the sport of fitness. I also view it as an individual team sport. CrossFit is done in a team setting, where the goal is for each individual to improve their fitness. It doesn't only create a sense of camaraderie between the participants and their coaches, but there's also a certain level of excitement each time they have an opportunity to do a WOD together. When colleagues of a company get together in a WOD, they all work and push together toward a common goal. Generally, working toward a common goal, mirrors the purpose of a company. With CrossFit, coworkers can easily see the importance of encouraging others, and helping others, in terms of reaching a common goal. Moreover, with CrossFit, coworkers get to know each other in a different atmosphere, which has been shown to lead to increased communication in the workplace. CrossFit helps translate important team-oriented values to the workplace. In my opinion CrossFit is THE ULTIMATE team building experience! 

  CrossFit allows me to teach and coach people to do the uncommon uncommonly well. I am so pleased with the results my coaching and CrossFit has brought to the Reebok/CCM community. CrossFit will simply give you the results you are looking for in the workplace…faster.

-Mike Deboever

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10 Things I've Learn't About The Open

Things I’ve learnt about the open so far

 1.    We will never be happy with our scores

  But are we ever happy with our scores in CrossFit? We are always momentarily happy with a new PR or top score on the board, but once that moment fades we quickly think to ourselves “damn I think I could have gotten one more rep or shaved off 15 seconds when I had some water”.

This sport is a never-ending battle with imperfection. I remember the day when I got my first muscle up, I was on top of the world. But, when I woke up the next day, I was like “Dammit! I cant even link two, or get one in a WOD!”.  So you get your butt back to the gym and you keep grinding. It’s the beauty of our sport. It would be boring if we all decided to quit once we got that muscle up.

 2.    The open is one of the most honest tests of fitness

  I’m going to quote a friend of mine, Anthony Pieroni, who recently posted the statement below.

  “I love the CrossFit Open. Its the most honest assessment of your overall fitness, you can't pick and choose the WODs you want to do, show up on the days your strong, skip the days your are weak. It evens out the playing field of the day-to-day competitive nature of this sport. Nobody gets the score they want, or thought they could achieve, we all come up short. Thats the beauty, we all know where we really stand after the clock strikes zero.”

  Couldn’t agree more.

 3.    Peoples’ true colours come out during the open

  This is both can be both a good and a bad thing. In a good way, you see the inner beasts come out of some people. Like Jeremy, who crushed 14.1 and everyone was like “where did this kid come from”. Or Alex Provost who is competing in this open with a concussion. He is killing these WODs, a testament to his mental toughness.

  And the bad… We are innately competitive; it’s what drives us in this sport. But, with this worldwide leaderboard, sometimes we can all get a little caught up. You can see it in someone’s eyes when they’re watching you WOD, hoping that you fail or at least do worse than them. Also, you can tell when someone asks you your score just so they can let you know that they did better. Lets remember that we are a team at YUL, we should all want the best for each other. If you redo a  WOD, don’t do it out of spite, do it for yourself. You’ll feel much better after it.

   4.    No matter how much Olympic lifting you’ve done in preparation for the open and no matter much your 1 RM has increased, doing high rep and light weight oly for time, really a test of your cardio.

  I Don’t think anyone came out of 14.1 WOD saying "man I should have done more oly with lots of rest this year."

   As Rich Froninng said “Don’t work on your weaknesses so much that you create other weaknesses”

  I think I was so focused on my strength and Olympic lifting this year that I made some losses in the cardio department.

   5.    Watching other people PR can over shadow the disappointment in your score

  Anyone who witnesses my 14.2, can attest to the fact that I was feeling pretty crappy afterwards. However, later I got to watch my friend Candice destroy her chest to bars. She has been working on that weakness for a while, and I was so proud of her. Seeing her success really turned my day around.

     6.    The WOD  is never as it seems

  Plain and simple, Dave Castro is one crafty guy. His WODs always seem pretty simple, and then you start…. Anyone else panic after the first round of 14.2?

 7. Recovery takes damn long

I think we become aware of how long recovery takes when we only have 4 full days to do and redo a WOD. A little take away here, listen to your body! After 14.2, my brain was telling me to redo it but come Monday I still couldn’t feel my forearms and my lats still hurt to touch. I think I did the right think listening to my body instead of that competitive voice in my head.

 8.    The added pressure works against you

  This may not be true for everyone, but there is no way that the anxiety I have gotten during the open is a good thing. I’ve lost sleep, skipped meals, cried. Before starting a WOD, my heart rate is already through the roof and I already feel drained cause I’ve spent so much time being nervous. We should all try Talayna’s strategy of “staying cool” before a wod. It will help avoid extreme lactic acid and out of control heart rates during the WOD.

 9.    Surround yourself with positive people for these 5 weeks.

  I have a friend who loves to tell me that CrossFit is a cult (for the worse). I had to hide what I really wanted to do for my birthday (today), which was go to bed early so I can wake up early and take on 14.3 feeling good. Instead I told her I’d be going out for dinner and maybe for some drinks later. If I hadn’t, I’d never hear the end of it. “You’re not living your life” and all that jazz.

  My take away from this is, if you have a goal, surround yourself with people who understand and support your goals. I refuse to let someone tell me how I chose to live is wrong. Her and I have different values and that’s where it should end. It’s a long 5 weeks of discipline but surrounded by the right people, it’s completely doable.

  10. Take some mental health days

  Coach Paulino mentioned the other day that he won’t be stepping into the gym on his rest day, so that he can really clear his head.  As mentioned in #8 the open is a pretty stressful time. I think this is a great idea, I’m giving it a try this week. On my rest day this week, I’m going to watch movies, go to the mall, really try and get my mind off the open. I challenge you do to the same!

  -RG 

Hope you enjoyed the read. Please e-mail [email protected] to have something posted to this blog. If you agree, disagree, wtv it may be we’d love to hear it. Have a great day!

[reebokcrossfityul-blog]

Introducing the YUL Blog

Welcome to the Reebok CrossFit YUL blog. A new space for our community to share things that are important to us. It can be anything from a written blog post, a quote, a photo, a link, a recipe, or even a video. Be as creative as you’d like.

We all know that stepping into the box is about more than just working out. Emotion fuelled by friendship, struggle, curiosity, passion, competition etc, is always present. We hope that this blog can serve as a positive outlet for these feelings. The goal of this blog is to empower, praise, inspire, anything with positive silver lining.

To get something posted on the blog, please email Riley ([email protected]). Please provide her with whatever you'd like posted. As long as it is inline with the goal of the blog, it will shortly be posted. Also, If you’d rather the post be anonymous, please indicate that. Can’t wait to get this forum started, I’m sure many of you have thoughts to share with the open now upon us. Have a great day!

-RG