I got your back SSG Hamburger........

A Brick for SSG Hamburger and a Brick for the Hamburger family.

On August 5th, I embarked on a mission with over 60 other dedicated people. The mission was to ruck 31 Miles for 31 Heroes. In honor of these heroes, we chose to carry bricks. One brick contained the name and age of the fallen hero. The next brick contained the name of that hero's family in memorial of the burden they will forever carry from their loss. Unfortunately, I was unable to complete the ruckmarch that day. I can deal with the pain of sore feet or having a physical issue which prevents me from completing such an important task. I can deal with those  things because I will never quit for such reasons when my mission is to honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. What I couldn't bear dealing with was the fact that a mechanical failure in my prosthetic leg lead me to bow out.

I vowed to complete the march. The immense weight I felt having SSG Hamburger's bricks the only bricks that did not complete was almost too much for me to bear. I feel a great sense of personal responsibility. I feel it's left up to me to ensure he is not forgotten.

On September 9th, I gathered with a great group of people. Two of my fellow coaches from CrossFit Rubicon; Mark Tippett (a former Army officer) and Tiffany Harrison (our young firebreather of a CrossFit coach) as well as two incredible ladies from the gym; Margo Corum  and Danna Glover (don't call her Dana).  We set out to complete the journey. Despite having an obvious problem with my hip (again), there was no way I was not completing this journey. As a true GRT, I gritted my teeth, leaned on my team mates and healed any pain with A.C.R.T.

Danna Glover, Margo Corum, Tiffany Harrison, Mark Tippett, Jason Sturm and SSG Hamburger in front of the White House. September 9th, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We completed the journey in the early afternoon and met up with fellow GRT Terry Ford at Arlington National Cemetery. The total mileage was just around 12 miles. I feel at peace having been able to complete this important part of the journey with SSG Hamburger, but I have not yet begun to finish our journey together.

Until next years 31 Heroes Weekend, I will carry these bricks in my ruck. No matter what happens, these bricks will be with me for every training run, every training ruck, every body weight WOD and every event I do. I will carry him on every race, the GORUCK DC Scavenger, The Army Ten Miler, The Bataan Memorial Deathmarch and the GORUCK GRC in Normandy France.

I have your back SSG Patrick Hamburger. You will not be forgotten!

The Pot Calling the Kettle Black........

Yes! This is truly a "pot calling the kettle black" post here folks!

How many times have you gotten out of your car, rolled into the gym and jumped right into a WOD. No stretching, no warm up and no preparation!? I admit, I am a little guilty of this. As a coach I feel like a hypocrite when I tell my athletes that they need to follow a proper warm up before just hopping into a WOD.  Unfortunately, we don’t often follow the advice of our coaches, or even ourselves and the turning point is usually post injury or when we have identified decreased performance.

I have two friends who are currently rehabilitating or dealing with meniscus tears in their knees. I have had countless athletes and friends tell me about nagging injuries that seem to never get better or go away. The reality with these injuries is that they are not getting better because we refuse to let ourselves heal. Another thing I am guilty of. We must take care of our bodies or they will fail us! As one of my coaches at CrossFit Reston states, “We come in and put all of our effort into the WODs. We post pictures of our nutritious and outstanding food we make and eat. We work extra time on skills. But, how many of us work on stretching and mobility?”

Warming up is essential to proper performance. One warm up I generally prescribe when I am coaching at CrossFit Walter Reed is:

Stretching

400m Jog/Run/Row

3 Rounds of Cindy

For stretching, I generally try to focus on the core activities we will be performing in the WOD that day. I prescribe the 400m and Cindy reps to get everyone in the mindset of working out. This let's the athlete reset their mind and focus on the task at hand instead of what they just completed at the office or whatever they think they might want to do after work that evening. 

At CrossFit Rubicon, we have a rather extensive warm up procedure that when followed, leaves you nice and warmed up, limber and slightly, if not extensively, sweaty! I find that when I do this warm up, not only am I less sore than if I don't but I also perform so much better during the WOD! 

So, why don't I always warm up? Honestly, there is no set reason. Sometimes I come in and start socializing before the "oh shit" moment when the WOD is about to start. Sometimes there is a time constraint. Sometimes I half ass warm up and then just think I am good to go for the punishment I am about to inflict on myself! Bottom line is proper preparation reduces injury and increases performance. It's like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. You have a WOD, nutrition and hydration which forms a nice picture of cute puppies playing. The box with the picture of the completed puzzle is your mobility and preparation. Now how easy is it to put that puzzle together if you just have the pieces in a clear Ziploc bag with no reference!?

Mobility WODs FTMFW!!!

I have three rules I like to live by:

1. Eat real food.

2. Exercise 5 days a week

3. Drink beer....because it's fucking awesome!

Let's pay attention to rule number two here. Exercise does not necessarily mean working out everyday or taking the day off of the gym to run or ruckmarch. Exercising also means mobility work. Mobilitywod.com http://www.mobilitywod.com/ is a wealth of knowledge about working on mobility and taking care of some of those nagging injuries or tweaks you may have. Your coaches at your local box should be able to steer you in the right direction as well. I do have some other suggestions for you as well.

Be self sufficient! Learn what you need to do from your coach then put a little cash in the kitty and buy some mobility supplements for your home! You don't have to make a trip to the gym just to do mobility work. Again Faster Equipment and Rogue Fitness have tons of Mobility equipment for sale and if you "like" their Facebook pages, they usually will post mobility packages which carry pretty good discounts. You can also just go to your local sporting goods store and purchase everything you need. 

The possibilities are endless for buying what you need for cheap but it's up to you to put as much time in to mobility work as you do your nutrition and WOD performance.

Again Faster:

https://www.againfaster.com/en/shop/products/category/mobility/

Rogue Fitness:

http://www.roguefitness.com/mobility-rehab/mobility-products.php

Two Days Just Aren't Enough

31 Heroes WOD v2.0

August 6, 2011, 31 Heroes died tragically when the Chinook helicopter they were flying in crashed in Afghanistan. Almost immediately, The 31 Heroes Project was born http://www.31heroes.com/history/. As the CrossFit community embraced the cause, a very challenging WOD was announced.

31 minute AMRAP
Partner WOD
8 Thrusters (155#/105#)
6 Rope Climbs (15ft Ascent)
11 Box Jumps (30"/24")

400m run with Sandbag (45#/25#)

For more information about the WOD visit: http://www.31heroes.com/the-wod-2/

Last year I performed this workout as an almost formal introduction to a sport I now love. I performed this WOD at CrossFit Reston and loved every second of it. It was challenging and I wasn't very good at the movements (especially since all the Crossfit experience I had was self taught at Gold's Gym with the help of the main site and little to no coaching). Coach Jeff Tincher took time after the WOD to coach me on thrusters and to welcome me to the box.

Jason at CrossFit Rubicon during the 31 Heroes WOD.
August  4th, 2012

What a difference a year makes. I performed the 31 Heroes WOD this year at CrossFit Rubicon. I am an intern coach at the box and partnered with another amazing athlete and wounded warrior, Mark Tippett. The WOD was just as challenging as before except despite my increased experience and training. I watched the other athletes power through the WOD. When it was my turn, the heat destroyed me, but I just kept going. I still had to scale the thrusters and I didn't make every rope climb, but I kept moving. Motivated by honoring our 31 Heroes but also by my partner and that sense of the mutual suck.

Overall, I am proud of our performance and while I could criticize myself and say that I need to work on this and I need to practice that..... this WOD was not about my needs, it was about our heroes. As Coach Chef stated at the beginning of the heat, this is not a WOD for you to learn to perform a movement, this is a WOD for you to safely put it all out there to honor the fallen.

31 Miles for 31 Heores

As I have mentioned before, the parallels between the CrossFit community and my other family, the GORUCK community, are uncanny. Terry Ford, a fellow GRT, came up with an idea to do 31 miles for the 31 Heroes and the idea blossomed into an event I believe cannot be rivaled. 70 individuals descended upon the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to ruckmarch 31 miles through Washington D.C., ending at Arlington National Cemetery. A wrapped brick representing a fallen hero as well as another representing the burden of the loss forever carried by the family was carried by GRTs who volunteered to sponsor a hero. At roughly each mile, we would stop to honor one of the fallen by reading a short biography and  raising a toast in their honor!

At the start, our organizer spoke and stated that we were able to raise nearly $3000 for the 31 Heroes Project and how grateful and astonished the project was given our small group of participants. While the amount raised was nothing to sneeze at, the 31 Heroes Project was about to get an even better gift. One of our GRT brothers stepped up and stated his company stood behind our cause, supported our tribute and graciously donated a check for $15,000.

Carson McHale and Mrs. TSgt John W.
Brown at Arlington National Cemetery.
August 5th, 2012

As each person stopped the read the biographies of the fallen heroes, there was a heavy cloud of emotion hovering above all of our heads. Almost every person who read a bio chocked up and many were brought to tears. Moving is not a strong enough word to express seeing this.

The group finished at Arlington National Cemetery, in the pouring rain. Upon arrival, they came upon the wife of TSgt John W. Brown at his grave site. While I wasn't there to see this, The picture to the left was taken and posted to Facebook. I teared up immediately. The site of her sitting there at his grave is nearly too much to handle.

I was unable to complete the 31 miles. Around mile 8, my prosthesis began to fail and worsened until I had to stop at mile 10. I was (and still am) carrying a brick each for SSG Patrick Hamburger and his family. The guilt I feel for his brick not having made it to the finish is a tough pill to swallow. Once my prosthesis is repaired, I plan to gather the route and finish where I left off. He deserves it and any pain felt is a small sacrifice I can pay in order to have his memory honored.

I cannot adequately express my pride in being associated with such an outstanding group of individuals. So willing to devote their time, blood, sweat and tears to honor those who paid the ultimate price. Cheers fellow GRT and 31 Miles participants.

31 Miles for 31 Heroes participants in front of the Capitol Building.
August 5th, 2012

Fran Time & CrossFit L1 Certification Thoughts........

Last weekend, I finally attended my long awaited CrossFit L1 Certification Course. First and foremost, I have to give the biggest thanks to Coach/Owners Maggie Dabe and Jeff Tincher of CrossFit Reston and CrossFit Fairfax. They graciously gave me one of their host spots for the course. Now, anyone who knows me knows that school and I go together like gasoline and a lit match. It isn't that I am stupid or have a hard time studying; it's that I simply hate school. Most of the training course I have had since leaving the Army have been IT Technical in nature and we all can imagine just how exciting those are. This course, however, was something completely different.

I am not going to talk about the course material or give you any kind of hints for passing the test here (as of this post I still do not yet know if I passed the exam). What I am going to talk about are three interesting points I observed in the class.

Professionalism! I have never seen such professionalism in a training environment. While the trainers would joke with you and made learning and practicing the fundamental movements interesting and enjoyable, they also ensured everyone operated in the safest manner possible. Their knowledge about CrossFit and kinesiology were top notch and collectively, they never struggled to answer any question that popped up.

You are going to be sore! While the bulk of the class is instructional; requiring you to take notes and observe the trainers, the breakout sessions will make you sore. And let's be honest, crossfitters don't get together very often without working out so you know the weekend will have WODs. (again, not going to talk about what WODs). With that said, I found myself very sore on Monday. 

You are going to discover your deficiencies!!! Admittedly, I have some form issues. I scale weight but my form for a lot of things has always been off. During the class, I found ways to correct my form exponentially as well as how to work on overcoming my prosthesis and the difficulties it poses. I have been able to fix (or at least have the tools to fix) my form in the squat, deadlift, push press, push jerk and clean and snatch. 

"Fran"

During the course, we discussed "Fran" and how it's the benchmark workout now for CrossFit. How many times have you been asked "What's your Fran time?" As Chuck Carswell (our lead trainer for the L1 last weekend) mentioned, at the globo gym, you measure someones gym stature by asking how much they bench. These two measuring sticks are very different but it's funny to me that these are what we gauge someones gym prowess with. In case you were wondering, my 1 RM Bench Press is a paltry 275#. 

My Fran time is not great; 6:30ish. Anyone who knows Fran knows the workout is 21-15-9 95# thrusters and pull-ups. My issue comes with the thrusters. Thrusters suck. I seriously hate them. I hate them because I have hips that get lazy and I end up doing front squats to overhead press without the explosive opening of my hips. So to force me to do this properly, I scale the weight to 75#. Do I feel cheated? No! At the end, I feel like I am going to puke! The reason I scale is mechanics. I simply do not have reliable enough mechanics to increase intensity. So, what do I do? Do I throw the Rx'd weight on the bar and muscle my way through the workout with poor mechanics and an even worse time? Or, do I scale the weight and focus on consistent mechanics (lumbar curve, elbows high, violent opening of the hip, transitioning into a push press) and still get a good workout? 

As taught by CrossFit, before you dial up the intensity (weight/load) you have to have the ability to show the proper mechanics CONSISTENTLY! Scale the weight. Work on mechanics. Instead of using your Fran TIME as your benchmark, use your mechanics. Have another crossfitter watch you and correct your form. Better yet, you'll learn even quicker if you fail on form and your reps are not counted. Don't get wrapped up in trying to Rx everything. Demand more of yourself especially when it comes to proper consistent mechanics of the compound movement.

That is all.

CrossFit Walter Reed Class 07242012

Class was held at our normal 1400 time in building 226. We had two participants; an above knee amputee (U.S. Army) and a bi-lateral hip disarticulation and left hand amputee (U.S.M.C.)

WOD:

Press 3-3-3-3

Rx'd
AMRAP 10 Minutes
5 HSPU
10 T2B
15 KB Swings (53#/35#)

Level II
AMRAP 10 Minutes
4 HSPU
8 K2E
12 DB Swings (45#/30#)

Level III
AMRAP 10 Minutes
5 Pushups
10 Hang Knee Raises
15 DB Swings (35#/25#)

Our single AK warrior practiced his Overhead Press with a standard 45# bar focusing on the balance needed when at full extension at the top. For amputees, the loss of connection with the ground, even when both feet are firmly planted, can pose a problem with balance. This is exacerbated by holding weight over head while simultaneously trying to balance from the hip on on limb and the full limb on the other side.

Our bi-lateral hip disarticulation amputee was able to work on balance while pressing overhead. His prosthetic device for his arm physically clamps to the bar which limits his range of motion. Instead of the bar being in the rack position, we had to modify slightly so that the bar was roughly an inch off his chest. Additionally, he was able to press out starting with a blank 12# bar and working up to 42# bar. The only other variation to the standard press is that the bar, in the fully extended position is slightly forward of his ear/spinal base line. This was from the floor. When he performed the exercise from his chair, he was able to achieve the full range of motion.

To facilitate smooth operation of the WOD, we used one warrior's chair as a base for his DB swings (15#) but the rest of his movements were performed as prescribed.

Scores:

3+6

5+15

Great work guys!

When in Springfield........

What do CrossFitters do on vacation? They visit other boxes! At least sometimes we do. While I was in the Army, I had the chance to meet several folks who helped to make Fort Drum a much more tolerable place to be. I have carefully chosen the ones I want to remain in contact with. While visiting two of these friends in Springfield, MO, I had the chance to visit their box. My friends, Chris and Niki have consumed the Kool-Aid and are CrossFitters now and have made huge changes in their lives with regard to fitness.

My first impression of CrossFit Springfield was that this was a very typical looking CrossFit box. Rubber and concrete floors, pull-up rig, plyo boxes, weights and bars. But as I walked in and got the typical stare of "what is this guy going to do" I noticed I was also being actively welcomed by both coaches and athletes. Honestly, I am pretty sure that even if I were not friends with two of their members, I'd still be received as positively as I was. As with most CrossFit boxes, examination of the whiteboard showed that the evening classes were the busiest. I noticed that even though we had around 20+ people in class, there were still at least two coaches there to coach, demonstrate and assist in the WOD.

WOD 1:

Warm up was a brisk 600m run along with some push-up/gymnastic fun courtesy of Coach Meggin.

Rachel and Jason Sturm @ CrossFit Springfield in
Springfield Missouri

WOD: Thrusters 135# and Ring Rows. Start with 1 Thruster followed by 10 Ring Rows. Increase by 1 Thruster for each round ensuring that you perform 10 Ring Rows between rounds. Continue until you complete 10 rounds (Final Round will be 10 Thrusters and 10 Ring Rows)

Completion: I scaled this WOD because I still have some issues with heavier Thrusters (95# Thrusters for me) and the class was larger so to save time (instead of waiting around waiting for rings to open up) I substituted Push Ups for the Ring Rows. A bonus to this WOD was my wife Rachel was in the box for her first CF WOD (I'm not allowed to get excited though). My time was 15:13 with the wall being met at round 6.

WOD 2:

Warm up was a nice little rowing sprint for 4 minutes followed by 5 Pull-ups, 10 sit-ups & 25 Burpees; decreasing Burpees each round until you complete. 10 minute cap.

Jason with 315# Mixed Grip/3 Reps

STRENGTH:
Deadlift 5x3: 225, 275, 295, 315, 335

WOD:
2000m Row for time: 7:36 Rx'd

Overall, I have to say that CrossFit Springfield is an outstanding gym . Friendly staff, great area for the kids to play while parents workout, very capable coaches and a hearty competitive spirit from it's members. If you're ever in the area, pay them a visit.

http://crossfit-springfield.com/

Suffer in Silence. No Bitch Noises.......

Long before any of you were awake on the 4th of July, I was standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. As people prepared themselves mentally with idle chatter about what to expect and prepared themselves physically through stretching and jogging about, I stood there, pack on my back, 24 pack of Yuengling in my hands (entry key for the cadre) and anxiously awaited the beginning of the Washington D.C. 1012 July 4th GORUCK Challenge. Having completed my first (and probably not my last) GRC in June, I was able to shadow and take pictures and hang out all day with the cadre and observe the madness. This wasn't just about that. My friend and fellow wounded warrior Mark Lytel was participating in this GRC. As soon as I heard he was doing the July 4th GRC, I told my wife, I want to shadow. I want to be there to try to provide moral support but also, I wanted to be there and tell him at the end (because there was never a doubt in my mind that he'd finish) welcome to his new family!

Mark showed up and I noticed him receiving the same kind of stares I got when I arrived to my GRC. The kind of stares amputees are used to. The stares of people trying to figure out just how we are going to do at this event. An almost sizing up of your toughness. Mark and I joked around about how the bipeds are cheaters and about how I only half cheat because I am a monoped. This type of joking is generally saved for those of us with missing limbs. You see folks, Mark is a dual below-knee amputee. What balance and stability I have as a single leg amputee, you can toss out the window when it comes to dual amputees.

Mark Lytel. Gator walking and bear crawling in front of the
White House. July 4th, 2012.

Mark never asked for, nor did he receive preferential treatment throughout the entire event. Through every challenge and obstacle, he persevered. He never quit. I suspect that's because he is a part of a rare breed of human. A breed who was knocked down and expected not to get up. We, we didn't get that memo. We rose from the ashes like the Phoenix and in the words of Cadre Lou, we kicked in the door and punched anything standing in our way square in the mouth. Mark embodied this grit and "never quit" attitude throughout the blistering heat, mental and physical challenges and did most, if not all of this, with that gigantic grin on his face.

I'm proud to have shared that moment with you Mark and can't wait till we can sit down and have a beer and joke about it. Outstanding work my friend and welcome to the family!

GRC Class 201, Independence Day, 2012.