Why Do People Get Punished For Single-unders?

For the longest time I had, what I thought, was a built in excuse for not being able to do double-unders. Until I saw another amputee rocking them out like no tomorrow, I thought I was going to be stuck doing single-unders forever! Now, let me be clear, this has not made a difference in how I look at the double-under. I hate the exercise. I am not a cherry picker of WODs but I will take a rest day when I see double-unders on the menu. I simply don't like them.

Most of this disdain is also my reason for not practicing them regularly. But another issue I have always had is with "scaling" the double-under. Now, I say "scaling" with a mouth load of sarcasm. In reality, it's punishment! In every gym I have ever been in, the scaled option for the double-under has been 3:1 singles or, in a rare case, double-under attempts. I don't get it! Am I supposed to get a double under faster because I have to do three times the as many singles as my peers have to do doubles? Other than building up stamina, all it does is frustrate and alienate those who don't have double-unders. I can tell you that my problem with the double under is timing and rhythm along with some mechanic issues (I have a hard time relaxing). A million single-unders won't help that.

One of my coaches once told me to practice single-unders until I can sustain 3 minutes of singles before I move on to double-unders. He also told me to practice the power jump to make sure I am gaining height on the jump and not donkey kicking. I think this is a better plan for building to double-unders than the "scaling" that we typically get punished with.

Think of this in terms of "Annie"

Rx'd
50-40-30-20-10

Double-Unders

Abmat Sit-ups

Scaled
50-40-30-20-10 (3:1)

Double-Unders (150-120-90-60-30)

Abmat Sit-ups

Other than building the stamina to jump, doing that amount of single-unders has no mechanical advantage when preparing to do double-unders. It doesn't prepare you for the mechanics of whipping the rope. Better scalable options, and ones I was given during the time I spent at CrossFit Reston in Virginia are: double-under attempts where the counted reps are a successful double-under (think single, single, double or single, double) Or an equal number of single-unders with the jumps being a power jump (higher elevation).

Stop punishing athletes who cannot do double-unders! Help them achieve the double-under. (Of course this also requires us to practice, we know that!)

Mini-challenge & the return of coach!

It's no big secret how the my first semester back in school has affected me in terms of schedule and my lack of time in the gym. With a hectic full time load at George Mason University, a 40 hour work week and my family (who has been BEYOND supportive) my time in the gym, both personal and as a coach, have fallen off. The same can be said about my ability to spend time with my friends.

WOD and Personal Performance

Since I have had limited time in the gym, you can guess my performance and strength has probably suffered. An additional side effect has been balance. For instance, where I used to be pretty balanced in the bottom of a squat, despite hanging out down there basically on one leg, I am now unbalanced. No doubt due to some mobility regression as well. School has not been the only limiting factor but has made for a convenient excuse. I have also been dealing with a lower back injury and injuries/irritations as a result of my prosthesis. Still I soldiered on until it became unbearable and I finally did something about it.   

I went from working out 5 days a week to barely making it 2-3 days a week. Now, I am a person who suffers from what I term as "gym PMS". Ladies, if this offends you, I'm sorry. When I don't go to the gym, I get really pissy! Additional stress from school and the need for calories to counter the late nights and early mornings have also led to some poor eating decisions. While I didn't fall off the wagon face first into grain and carb bliss, I did go from about 85-90% paleo to about 50% paleo and not so clean sometimes.

This all changes with the end of the semester! Beginning 2 December, I am starting my own mini-nutrition challenge and also getting back to the basics. The semester wraps up on 11 December for me, so beginning a week early only makes this better. My winter break ends 21 January. Here is what my mini challenge will entail:

1. A return to strict paleo. This means I will go back to my old ways of eating. Everything will be as clean as possible and I will only consume beer/alcohol at special occasions. (c'mon, it is still the holidays!)

2. 5 day workout schedule. I will be returning to the 5 day a week program with the addition of two nights a week where I will run or ruck. I have a ruck run and a 24 hour ruck in the spring so training shall commence immediately.

3. Strength! I want to get strong. I can already kip, now to get strong. So, all pull-ups (except chest to bar, for now), all handstand push ups, all dips and generally any other movement that requires a kip, will be done strict. Yes, I can kip the hell out of some toes-to-bar or knees-to-elbow movements, but I am going to choose to get stronger first! (well, second.....but, you know what I mean)

4. Mobility, mobility, mobility. I will mobilize to make sure I can continue this schedule and also to ensure that old injury bug doesn't make a return.

Coaching.....maybe a return of "Thurpee Thursday"

Since I started back to school, I have dropped back to coaching every other weekend. This makes me grumpy as well because I truly love coaching and the performance of my athletes is vitally important to me. I'm here to tell you Rubiconers, I will be back in the evenings a couple more days a week. Not the same old schedule, but at least a day or two during the week. I still need a little break myself.

Next semester will be a difficult one with Anatomy & Physiology 2, Functional Anatomy and Kinesiology all on my plate. I'll try to make the best of my return.

Goals?

It's pretty simple.... Lose the few pounds I gained and get stronger. Be a better coach!

Hey Hollywood, You Got Some Splainin To Do!

There are very few shows I watch on a regular basis. I simply don't have the time or energy to get involved in TV shows so I choose wisely. Being a guy and being a guy who loves zombies and the whole zombie genre, of course one of these shows is The Walking Dead on AMC. From episode one, this show captured my interest. Another show is one my wife and I have watched together since it first aired on TV; Grey's Anatomy. I know, not exactly the manliest of shows but it's a little drama that the wife and I like to curl up on our big couch and watch together.

Believe it or not, both of these shows have something in common. Both have a main character who, through traumatic circumstances in the show's story line, have become amputees. Now, I realize that non-amputee actors playing amputees is not new (Gary Sinise as Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump), however I do have a small bone to pick with the two shows that only my amputee friends will understand.

Let's tackle the Walking Dead and Herschel. First, the show has wildly strayed from the comic, so I will explain the injury and how Herschel lost his leg. Avid Walking Dead viewers and readers will note the difference but here goes. In the comic, Herschel does NOT lose his leg. Dale loses his leg after the group inhabits the prison and he is amongst some of the group who goes into the prison parking lot to siphon gas from parked/abandoned cars in order to keep the generators running. While on this "mission", he is bitten on the Achilles/calf by a walker (zombie) lying under a car. Subsequently, to save his life and keep the infection from spreading through his body, Rick hacks off his leg with a hatchet. In the show, Herschel loses his leg under similar circumstances except the bite occurred while on a search and destroy/clearing mission inside the prison to rid the area of walkers.

Herschel can haz leg

So, now that we have the stories cleared up, let's chat about post amputation and little intricacies Hollywood has botched. Post amputation, Herschel had to heal up and was shown for the rest of the season on crutches found in the prison infirmary. No issues there! However, in the first episode of Season 4, as you can see in the picture, Herschel has a prosthetic leg. As an amputee, you can immediately see the prosthetic poking out from the boot. In the comic, after Dale lost his leg, they were able to find him a prosthetic leg as well. Here's the problem... In a post Zombie Apocalypse world, they have been able to go out and find a prosthetic which magically fits Herschel just right.... For the non-amputees, let me explain.. Bullshit! Now I know the whole show is bullshit, but if Hollywood or the Walking Dead consulted anyone on this, they would have been informed that you cannot simply find a prosthesis and put it on as an amputee. Doesn't work that way. Just sayin'!

With Grey's Anatomy, Arizona, one of the doctors, loses her leg from injuries sustained in a plane crash. Angered that her wife cut her leg off, she spent the entire season pissing and moaning about the amputation, even though it saved her life, and eventually cheated on her wife with another lady.... Ok, folks, I know that losing a limb is traumatic. I have friends dealing with their loses in all kinds of ways and for some it's tougher than others, but what I don't understand with this instance is the whole new amputee to mobile amputee portrayal.

Arizona being casted for her limb.

Any amputee can tell you that the gate of a below knee amputee and that of an above knee amputee are very different. It's difficult for an above knee amputee to walk and move without a noticeable limp. In the show, after learning to walk on her prosthetic, Arizona goes from barely walking and coping to walking in high heels, without a limp and absolutely no visual queues she is an amputee in what seems like 2-3 episodes. It's a miracle! Here is an article from O&P about how the prosthetic magic happened: http://www.oandp.com/articles/news_2013-03-21_01.asp

The issue is that any women amputees will tell you that high heels with a prosthetic is not something you just pop up and start walking on!

So, what have we learned from this little post? We've learned that, much like watching a military movie with a service member or like watching a movie with FBI shenanigans in it with my wife (my wife spent some time in the FBI and is almost unbearable to watch FBI movies with), you can't watch shows and movies with amputees in them without us finding flaws and throwing up the bullshit flag.....

Gaming the VA System........Not for this guy!

Recently Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill) rained hell-fire down on CEO of Strong Castle Inc., Braulio Castillo, for misrepresenting his injury and veterans status to gain a competitive advantage while bidding on IRS contracts. The video of this exchange went viral on social media. Duckworth slammed Castillo for comparing his injuries to those suffered by our heroic veterans. Castillo evidently injured his foot while attending a U.S. Military prep school, but later went on to play college football. He subsequently used his prep school injury to receive government contracts based on his status as a “disabled veteran”. Currently, Castillo has a disability rating of 30% from the Department of Veterans Affairs . The VA describes service-connected disability compensation as “a monetary benefit paid to veterans who are disabled by an injury or illness that was incurred or aggravated during active military service.”

Right now, veterans are waiting an average of 237 days for their initial disability rating to be assessed. Some of this backlog could be attributed to people like Castillo who are submitting bloated or inflated claims.

In March of 2002, I was involved in a tragic artillery accident at Fort Drum, NY, that left two of my friends dead, and 13 people injured. My left calf was blown off by shrapnel from a 105 mm Howitzer round that landed a mile and a half off its target, right near the tent where my unit had been eating breakfast.

I spent 8 months undergoing multiple procedures in an attempt to salvage my lower left leg. The physical therapy was excruciating and I suffered unrelenting pain as the nerves tried to regenerate and I tried to gain mobility. These attempts were ultimately futile with 80 percent of my leg between my knee and foot simply not there. In November of 2002, I opted to have my injured leg amputated to improve my quality of life. Similar to Congresswoman Duckworth, however, the pain didn’t go away when my leg was removed. I also feel sensations in a part of my body that was amputated over a decade ago, ranging from itching to feeling as if my foot is being torn to shreds. From the outset, doctors and other military personnel told me that I was going to get 100 percent disability rating upon my medical retirement from the Army.

I was also told how to go about getting this elevated disability rating. Any veteran will tell you about the numerous briefings you have to attend when you are separating from the military. These briefings are designed to help you navigate the transition from service member to civilian. One such briefing guides you through the process of submitting your claim for benefits and compensation to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

As a soon-to-be-retired soldier, I was told to document all of my ailments. I remember listening to Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers tell soldiers to exaggerate any injuries or pain they had for the VA claim with the express intent to be awarded a higher disability rating. Issues from shaving bumps to sleep apnea, from hearing loss to leg and back injuries are all claimed as being service connected. While so many veterans have serious claims to disabilities, many are just hitting up the cash cow to see how much they can get.

As I prepared my VA claim, I was asked about past injuries specific to my knees and back. A few years in a light infantry unit (which is anything but light) can wreck your knees and back. I claimed one minor injury to my knee, solely because it was in my medical records provided to the VA. I was asked repeatedly if I had any symptoms from the artillery accident that could be viewed as PTSD, to which I honestly responded no.

As Ms Duckworth indicated in her public service message to Mr “30 Percent” Castillo, a below-leg amputation is “worth” a 40 percent disability rating, which is what I was ultimately awarded. By the numbers, it appears that missing my leg below the knee makes me a mere 25 percent more disabled than a man who hurt his foot, and then went on to play collegiate sports.

I spend every Monday afternoon at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, volunteering as a CrossFit coach. I encounter men and women who have recently survived devastating injuries, many of them with missing limbs and traumatic brain injuries. These soldiers show up at the gym at a low point in their lives. I’ve been where they are now, and I try to show them by example that, while their injuries will never go away, they can adapt to their injuries and regain much of their former fitness levels. These veterans inspire me with their determination to overcome horrific circumstances. I am honored to be able to demonstrate to them that they can thrive, just as I have, despite their injuries. They face the new challenges in their lives with grace and fortitude.

The added challenge that malingerers are delaying their VA claims makes me angry.

My VA disability claim was processed over ten years ago, but that does not mean that my status as a disabled veteran was a one-time event: obtaining my disability rating. I will probably apply for veterans’ benefits from time to time throughout my life. For example, I am beginning to research the programs available to help me to finance my own small business. My eventual goal is to open my own CrossFit gym. I was recently accepted to a health education and kinesiology bachelors program at George Mason University. I was concurrently selected as a Tillman Military Scholar, a competitive scholarship sponsored by the Pat Tillman Foundation. This scholarship will allow me to combine the lessons learned though my military service and my education to continue my service to others.

I hope to use this educational opportunity to increase my knowledge in the field and to open my own fitness facility. My goal is to be able to help others, veterans and civilians alike, to improve their lives through fitness. As is the case with most American families, though, we have to plan our finances very carefully. Taking the risk of leaving a stable IT job to open a gym is a terrifying prospect. As a disabled veteran, I hope there are loans and grants available to help me realize this dream. A part of me doesn’t want to appear like I’m “gaming the system.” Do I really “deserve” the help I hope to receive? And then I look down at the space below the hem of my cargo shorts to the titanium rod extending down into my shoe. And I think of the good I can do in the lives of others. And so, I hope that I would never be on the receiving end of criticism like Congresswoman Duckworth dished out to Mr Castillo. I will appreciate any help I qualify for, and look forward to entering a new phase of my life, even if it means relying on my disabled veteran’s status.

Block Checked. Not Doing That Again. Or Will I?!?

Sitting here this morning with crazy soreness from the waist down after having run my first official half marathon on Sunday; I analyze my performance and start wondering if I should do this race again. As with the last two Army Ten Milers and the GORUCK Challenge last year, the only training I have done was CrossFit with one exception. Last year, I ran, not much, but I ran once a week. I have not run any distance runs since October of last year; the Army Ten Miler. As you can imagine, running a half marathon cold is ill advised but as I am a crossfitter and am "generally physically prepared" for what life has to throw at me.........Fuckin' YOLO!

The race...... I heard the course had quite a few hills on it. No kidding..... But the route was a nice run through old town Fredericksburg, VA. The hills posed quite a bit of issues with me. Since I haven't be running distance, I had a lot of cramping; first in my right calf (kind of normal) then in my right quad and hamstring. This meant I did a lot more walking than I really wanted to do. At least I had a fellow GRT to run/walk/shuffle with for most of the race. I also found that I really need to have my new socket on my running leg.

Crossing the finish line with my right leg angry and cramping, I immediately thought to myself, "block checked.....I'm not doing this shit again!" Of course I had over an hour in the car on the way home to think it over.... What if I was a little more prepared? What if I actually devoted one day a week to a short run to keep the legs loose? What if I hadn't walked for 45 minutes during the race? I can run this in under two hours, right? Fuck yes, I can!

Does this mean I'm going to abandon CrossFit for distance running? Uhhh.......NO! I still am not a fan of long runs. But this does mean I am going to reestablish my weekly runs, not more than 3-4 miles, in order to keep the legs conditioned. Next year, I won't cramp, I won't have to walk and I'll get in under the 2 hour mark. Actually aiming for closer to 1:30-1:45....

Me with fellow GRTs, Tim Salsgiver and Terry Ford at the finish line.

Finale........A TV show ended and actually made me sad!

I know this has nothing to do with fitness or running a race or anything else really in this blog, but I felt I wanted to put a little note in here. I was injured in 2002, retired in 2003 and entered a workforce that was totally foreign to me in 2004. In 2005, a show debuted that highlighted some of what I thought was funny about working in an office environment. When The Office, the U.S. version, came out, I identified with the show for a weird reason. When I was stationed at Fort Drum, NY, I used to drive home any four day weekend to the DC area. This drive was straight through Scranton, PA. For some reason, I identified with the show and watched it RELIGIOUSLY until the finale last week. Some say the show fell off a bit after Steve Carell left but I continued to watch because I genuinely enjoyed the show.

The finale was truly fitting of the show. It was funny, tasteful, heartfelt and you could tell the actors deeply cared and were saddened by the end of an era. Much like the show The Wonder Years, which I followed through my pre-teen years from start to beginning; watching Kevin grow up as I did, The Office helped me usher in my years of working in an office environment and made the daily grind a little more bearable. Sappy, I know, but true.........  I have to admit, it choked me up a little bit.

The Coach's Dilemma

As a CrossFit athlete, or any athlete for that matter, your job is to show up to the box, put in your work, record your triumphs and less-than-triumphant numbers and go home. Sometimes you hang around and cheer others on and hang out with your friends. For a coach, things are a bit different!

Being a coach requires a delicate balance between coaching your athletes and still maintaining your own physical conditioning and strength. Leading by example versus doing what you want. You have to carry and hold yourself to a higher standard. For me, I have to balance working out and coaching. I coach evenings during the week and schedule myself to get into the box and WOD before my athletes arrive. On the days I do not coach, I join in on an evening class.

I encourage all coaches to workout at least twice a week with your athletes IN CLASS! They look to you for guidance and safety and learn through your own struggles in complex movements. Not to mention, participating in class builds camaraderie and allows the competitive juices to flow. Without a doubt, the biggest issues being a coach is losing time to workout. I have to maintain a very strict schedule in order to be able to complete a workout before the first class I have to coach. Sometimes, I have to forgo part of a WOD in order to prepare for class. Additionally, since I mix in several other lifting movements on a weekly basis, my actual WOD time is shortened even more.

I feel that as long as my athletes know that I not only use the same programming as they do but also know that I am working to come up with varied workouts and testing them, they'll have greater confidence that their coach is looking out for their best interests!

Open WOD 13.5. Photo by Joe Kelley

Open WODs 13.3, 13.4 and Some Higher Education Care Of CrossFit HQ!

Open WOD 13.3.......err.......I mean 12.4......... Whatever
 
Before 13.3 was announced on Wednesday, I mentioned to one of the athletes in the box, I wouldn't mind seeing a mash up of "Karen" and "Grace". I thought that could be a nice way to smoke the crap out of us and provide a challenging WOD that would really test me. I must have lost my mind because when they announced a redo of WOD 12.4 from last year's games, a sudden cold sweat rushed over me because that was a dreadful WOD.

Once again, "Karen" plus 90 Double Unders plus 30 Muscle Ups....... I decided to come up with a strategy for the WOD as opposed to my normal attack without strategy method. My Karen time is generally right around 8 minutes. But I wanted to have as much time as I could possibly have for the double unders. Admittedly, I do not practice double unders and am pretty terrible at them. Once again, the Open points out our weaknesses and what we, as athletes, need to work on. My strategy for "Karen" was to do sustained sets, ensuring small breaks intermittently throughout. Bad idea! This "strategy" added 2 minutes to my time which had the opposite effect in that it decreased the time I had for double unders.

With wrecked quads from "Karen", I redid the WOD again on that Sunday, increasing my score by 14 reps. I attacked the wall balls the way I normally do. Normally, I do as many wall balls out of the gates as possible then try to stick to sets of ten or more for as long as I can. This strategy worked much better, as expected, however I was just too tired to concentrate on the double unders.

As I mentioned before, the Open is about finding my weaknesses and setting forth a plan to work on them. 13.1 encouraged me to join our Barbell Club to work on my Olympic Lifting. 13.2 highlighted speed int he box jumps; can you say high tuck jumps!? And 13.3 has pointed out my double under work.....or lack thereof.

Enjoy the video CrossFit HQ shot of adaptive athletes performing 13.3:
13.3 at CrossFit Rubicon

Video of Matt Ramsey and me discussing gaming options for 13.3:
13.3 Strategies

Open WOD 13.4.....

By this time in the games, I'll admit two things.....

1. I am a bit tired and the games WODs are getting in the way of my normal training schedule. Not to mention the need for me to do the same damn WOD multiple times.....

2. Being the affiliate manager is for the birds...... Well, it isn't that bad except for tracking down people to get their scores submitted.

Soooooo......... Wednesday night, they announced 13.4. Clean and Jerks and Toes to Bar; starting with 3 reps and increasing by threes for 7 minutes. Easy, right......

No gaming this one. Just pick it up then get on the rig. I am actually really good at toes to bar and kip them pretty well. Chris Spealler has an excellent video for anyone who struggles with this movement. Kipping K2E/T2B I kip the movement differently than he does but a lot of people have picked up the movement from his video.

So, what weakness did 13.4 uncover for me? I'm glad you asked.... Most crossfitters rely on the mechanics of the movement to get them through when they get tired. Not me. At least not with the Clean and Jerk or the Snatch. I am strong enough to reverse curl 135 lbs and to press it out. So, after the first 12 or so reps, I went to what I know vice the mechanical advantages of the Olympic Lift. Gotta stop dong that.....

Higher Education!

It's no secret that I have skipped drinking the Kool-Aid and have gone straight to main lining it! I have enjoyed every CrossFit course I have taken. This weekend, thanks to Team RWB, I attended the Coach's Prep Course at Trident CrossFit. I also attended the CrossFit Kids Course at Trident. Great gym!

What an awesome course. I highly recommend it to any coach who is looking to improve upon their coaching and learn more effective ways of queuing and correcting your athletes. It's a great weekend of coaches coaching each other and learning from the outstanding CrossFit HQ Seminar Staff.

As with every CrossFit Course I take, I always come out of it with a certain exuberance towards building a better gym and applying new tools to better my athletes. I don't consider those I coach as clients. I consider them all to be athletes. They've already taken the hardest step and showed up. It's up to me to coach them and convince them they can do what I know they can do!