Thu 9 Aug 2012
Friday
Posted by AllisonNYC under Benchmark, Skills and Drills, WOD
[36] Comments
Puts Ring Supports, Dips & Muscle-Ups in perspective, doesn’t it?!
Amazing!
__________
WOD:
“Tabata Something Else”
8 Rounds of Each Exercise – 20 on, 10 off
Transition immediately from one exercise to the next after completing 8 rounds.
Pull-Ups
Push-Ups
Sit-Ups
Squats
Keep one running score for all exercises!
Good luck! 
__________
Acceptance and tolerance and forgiveness, those are life-altering lessons.
- Jessica Lange
51 pullups
81 pushups
83 situps
135 squats
350 total
Tommy, you won this one. I miscounted at the gym.
Brian – lets see this picture. probably photoshopped.
309.
Tommy, Jared, Large Mike…killing it as always.
Catching a lot of flack for my rest day. Will work extra hard this weekend.
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Did you all hear that? That was me screaming when the shower water hit my ass. I had no idea how bad those situps rip me open until I hit the shower.
322 reps.
Great mobility accessory work with Heavy V this morning. Best part of my day.
Gym Belle Fridays are quickly becoming my favorite day of the week. Awesome warm up game this morning. That was a panic.
64 ring rows (I need to work on pull ups. Goal is 1 pull up in 1 month-I’m starting small
.
68 push ups (most on knees-need to build up here too)
89 sit ups
115 squats.
Total=336
Thanks for the DU help this morning. I will get them!!!
244 (down 40 from last time).
My pull ups and sit ups (commonly strengths for me) were terrible. Push ups and squats were improved and solid, now I know what needs to be worked on.
Great Friday morning coaching as always.
299 rx’d
pullups 40
pushups 40 (i really, really, really suck at these)
situps 99 (after getting assburn for the first time doing situps in Nicaragua, went slow and steady)
squats 120
It’s nice to be back and see some nice improvements to the gym!
ring rows 66
push ups 65 (had to go to the after 2 or 3 rounds)
sit ups 90
squats 110
TOTAL: 331
D/Us and I are still not friends
360 reps. Pushups were hardest for me.
@Mike, I also experienced the aftermath of the sittups…my ass is killing me. There’s gotta be some way to avoid this?
Great Friday 6am class as always!
261 I am I the only one in here who’s ass does not burn after situps?
I was doing some thinking about this workout. We really should just count our lowest total round for each movement because the goal is to move for the 20 seconds straight. Instead, by counting total, we go all out on the early rounds and die at the end.
I found that I rested a bunch on the pushups and pullups because I went too hard early on, but since we only counted our total, it was fine. If we are resting for the last 8 seconds of each round, it defeats the purpose of tabata.
I didn’t have an ass burn until Jared’s last post. Stop over-thinking it and just enjoy the WOD brother!
You killed it. Now bask in the glory of your 350.
Perhaps we get a full length mirror in the bathroom and you can tape your ass before the wod? Just throwing it out there.
Ambrose, it’s never happened to me either! I’ve never been able to figure out why it happens to some people and not others. But if someone can figure out a solution, you’d have a big market for the product.
BTW, who are you??
Jared, cool observation!
There are two ways to do Tabata. Total Score and Lowest round.
Sometimes people game the rounds and stop short of the 20 second mark so they don’t do more than their lowest score. You COULD game it early on so that you could get in more overall volume but save some gas in the tank.
But Tabata is meant to be a full blown effort for the full 20 seconds. Regardless of score. Which is why it can be so effective. If your primary concern is increasing your fitness instead of your score, see if you can push yourself harder each round, even if your score will reflect otherwise.
I think that’s just one perfect example of how obsessive score keeping can distract from the important thing…. the Effort.
On another note, how do I get a cool picture next to my name instead of that shadow person?? Help!
@Jared – If you look at Izumi Tabata’s study the idea is to do your max effort each and every time, which will in turn positively increase anaerobic and aerobic capacity. If you pace and don’t max out each time, you’re essentially doing moderate-intensity endurance training instead of HIIT.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8897392
304
@ ed – that deserves a donut
Nice job AM peeps
props ed, props
Sooo.. I’m really stoked about the quality of comments today and yesterday. Smart questions and contributions and in general it’s exciting to see that you all care about the WHY rather than just going through the motions. I love it.
I usually find getting into topics as important as yesterdays in comments on the internet to be really exhausting because things get lost in translation and there’s so much info to talk about. It’s probably better suited for a face to face group thing. but,,,,
The thing is, it’s not black and white. Not even close. I always giggle when I see people change their minds and swing from one school of thought to the next every time they read an article. “Oh no, we can’t eat meat, it’s bad for us!”.. then next year, “Meat is the best thing ever!”. Toes forward, toes out, powerlifting squat, OLY squat lalala. You’ll hear different things from different people. There’s equal information, if not more, recommending a toe out stance. (Link to Greg’s response below)
I love Kelly and respect him. He’s one of the coolest guys EVA! And one thing we certainly agree on that Brendan and I have been trying to PUSH HARD since day 1 is that PROPER FORM and SAFETY trump everything, including load.. which is something that you guys should take home from him above all else.. You can’t ignore that sentiment and cherry pick this one. I promise you, it won’t solve your issues.
Which brings me to what you CFMers should focus on!…
Reality is, that everyone would benefit way more physically from improving their technique and movement patterns way more than going heavier and heavier each time. There is no sense loading up bars to your maximal weights or even close when you have mechanical issues that are as extreme as some of you guys have. You all know that.. but only some of you follow through with it! The ones that do are like a breath of fresh air and you’ll almost NEVER hear them complaining about pain or injury.
Every squat day I know there are going to be people who are stubborn and obsessed with the weight on the bar. The good thing is, achieving depth is starting to become natural to everyone.. which is a huge achievement. But there are other issues that flair up because people are rushing passed them and have tunnel vision.. all they see is what number they can write in their book or board and how big the bar looks.
Why some of you are trying to give me a nervous breakdown, I don’t know
I think a lot of that is because we’re in a community where everyone is being told they’re elite athletes and stuff like that. Well guess what, we’re not! We’re regular people who have real people issues! If you don’t believe me, just refer to the people in the gym who have been injured.. Maybe too much too soon because there’s so much push to do things that they’re not ready for or don’t even need? There’s a lot of skipping over the important less “cool” stuff that won’t get them on the leader board.
But then there are people like Vikram and EJ who spend time behind the scenes doing the boring stuff.
We’re in a culture where doing it RX’d is more important than doing it right. Brendan, the Erics, Ej & I We want the best for everyone we train. And that means safety first.. I know I sound like a boring broken record and no one likes to hear it, but it’s true. So I get a little weirded out when people look at me like I’m nuts when I say take some weight off the bar and keep your back flat and things like that… but then will say Oh, Kelly said so and so, so lets do it! I guess a lot of my point is that there are more important things for you guys to worry about in relation to your own training that will benefit you more than simply trying to squat toes forward. (Although I do love that you’re really interested in the reasoning behind it.)
I just want to encourage you guys to think for yourselves based on a Wide Range of information.. rather than one article or video at a time. If you do that, you’ll be thinking something new every 5 minutes. And stay focused on the most important things..
Again, it’s not all black and white.
http://www.catalystathletics.com/articles/article.php?articleID=113
Crossfit bonedale, Colorado
Per: 3 rounds
10 ttb
30 sec L sit
Wod;
1 min max effort pull ups
For time:
21-15-9
Thruster
Ring dip
1 min max rep pull ups
Holy 7000ft altitude!
Ed, thanks for that message.
I base what I thought tabata is from what Brendan told us. The idea is 20 seconds of work and 10 second rest. If you get to your goal number at 10 seconds, then it becomes 10 seconds of work and 20 seconds rest.
With total number, I went all out in each round.
aaaaannnnddddd….as Allison said, it’s not black and white. All said and done, we got a great workout today.
See you all at 8:30 tomorrow morning!
Did I just get a shout out in Allison’s essay?
Damn. Honored.
Listen, I’ve put myself COMPLETELY in Allison’s and the coaches’ hands. Is it BLIND trust? No – it’s PROVEN trust.
Consistent mobility work and attention to detail is paying huge dividends for me.
Will I ever be Raf, Eroc, EJ, Dlede, Jared or Big Mike…? A man can only dream and work his ass off.
Great link, Ed. In my view, the only reason we are having a “go all out” or “pace yourself” Tabata discussion is because CrossFit has incorrectly implemented the Tabata method. Tabata Something Else is a complete bastardization of the research-based protocol. The whole thing is supposed to last 4 minutes.
Moreover, even when CrossFit uses this correctly, they often use movements that are inappropriate. In order to get the benefits outlined in the research, you need to be going at 170% of VO2max during the work periods. This is why Tabata used an ergometer. Your muscles are not going to fail using the erg and you can maintain 170% VO2max. CrossFit uses push-ups and pull-ups. Unless you are a total firebreather, you are not able to do these movements for 8 20 second rounds. Your muscles just fail. This was not what Tabata had in mind.
279
ring rows and knee push-ups
Need to start doing more real push-ups during the WOD
300
REALLY sorry about this long post – extremely interesting stuff though. Here it goes:
CrossFit tied up
The CrossFit strength and conditioning program, which mixes elements of gymnastics, weightlifting, rowing and other exercises, has gained an enthusiastic following among athletes and weekend warriors hoping to emulate the results seen by the law enforcement and military institutions that have adopted the regimen.
The company behind the program, CrossFit Inc., which former gymnast Greg Glassman started in 1995, has grown along with the system’s popularity. From a single gym — or “box,” in company lingo — in Santa Cruz, Calif., CrossFit has expanded into an entity with more than 4,000 affiliates. The company estimates that about 50 gyms become affiliated each week. The company also offers certification courses for prospective CrossFit trainers.
Such successful businesses often attract the interest of private equity firms. And, in fact, Anthos Capital LP, a growth equity firm with offices in Menlo Park, Calif., and Morristown, N.J., is interested in acquiring half of CrossFit. The problem is that the stake Anthos wants to buy belongs to Glassman’s wife. Or, more accurately, his soon-to-be-ex-wife.
Anthos is trying to acquire 50% of the company, now based in Washington, for $20 million from co-founder Lauren Jenai Glassman. Greg Glassman opposes the sale and has taken his case to CrossFit’s affiliates, suggesting that the deal would ruin the relationship between the company and the gyms. His stance, and the complications presented by divorce proceedings, demonstrate that even relatively small deals can be troublesome.
The fate of the deal rests with a divorce court in Arizona’s Yavapai County, which must approve the distribution of assets between the Glassmans. “Per the Arizona statutes governing divorces, once a divorce is filed through the time it is finally rendered, a preliminary injunction is in effect that limits the sale or transfer of community property without mutual agreement of the parties to the divorce or permission of the court,” said a lawyer involved in the case. “As such, Lauren has filed a motion to gain court approval of the sale of her share of the community stock in CrossFit,” he added.
In an interview, Greg Glassman said that Lauren’s stake likely does not have the same value as his. “She may end up with shares that are worth 30% of mine. Understand this: the certification, concept, business model, our definition of fitness and health … everything we do at CrossFit is my creation. It is all my brainchild, all of it,” he said. “Lauren is a partner who stepped away from everything five years ago and resigned 2-1/2 years ago. She has had no input at all and now is coming back out of greed and revenge and wants to sell us all out.”
Greg said that CrossFit expects to make $40 million in revenue this year, about 85% of which will come from affiliation and trainer certification fees alone.
Affiliate certification, which allows boxes to use the CrossFit brand and workout program, nowadays costs $3,000 a year. If, as the company estimates, an average of 50 boxes become certified per week, certifications should bring in about $7.8 million in 2013.
Trainer certifications, meanwhile, could bring in about $23.8 million in 2013. This certification costs $1,000 per person. A quick peek at CrossFit headquarters’ website reveals that the certification classes sell out the vast majority of the time, with about 33 classes every month averaging 60 students each.
In addition, the company obtains revenue from a 10-year sponsorship deal with athletic shoe brand Reebok, which even makes special CrossFit shoes, and television sports channel ESPN. The two are involved in the CrossFit Games, which could be considered CrossFit’s answer to the X Games. The latest Games were held last month in California, and both the male and the female winners won $250,000 each.
Greg said that CrossFit is a debt-free company and that it is “nicely profitable and revenue is doubling every 18 months.”
Valuation of the Anthos deal is a sticky issue. Given CrossFit’s revenue streams, Anthos may be undervaluing the company. An investment banker who is familiar with CrossFit management estimates that company overhead “is probably not even 50% of revenues.” He added, “Assuming this deal could get done in a nonadversarial way, I’d say that $150 million would be a pretty fair valuation for the company.”
But Greg Glassman insists he is not worried about valuation. After all, the two offers he has made for Lauren’s stake are about the same size as Anthos’ bid.
“[Lauren] said, ‘I think I can get $43 million to $45 million,’ and we told her there was no way she was going to get that, it’s ridiculous,” Greg said. So he made a counteroffer in which he would pay $1.5 million each year over a 15-year period, a $22.5 million offer. “Then she made a counteroffer asking for $15 million, with $3 million payable each year for five years,” Greg said. He then made another counteroffer in which he would pay $17.5 million over five years with payments loaded toward the back end. For instance, under his last offer, Glassman would pay $1.5 million the first year, $2.5 million the second, $3.5 million the third, $4.5 million the fourth and $5.5 million the fifth year.
Greg believes his offers are superior to those of Anthos since the $20 million the firm would pay Lauren would be subject to a capital gains tax, while his offer would not be subject to that tax since it is the result of a divorce, he said.
Months after his latest offer, Greg said, Lauren notified him that Anthos had offered $20 million and that she would not consider his offer.
Lauren Glassman could not be reached for comment.
Either way, Greg Glassman opposes the sale of Lauren’s stake to Anthos, no matter how much the firm offers. “Selling to private equity or venture capital is something Lauren and I had promised the staff we would never do,” he said.
“In front of me and my key staff … [Anthos managing partner Bryan Kelly] outlined a plan that gets us out of our Reebok contract … partner with an apparel company and get affiliates to sell supplements. He told us there were billions of dollars to be made and that we could put [health products retailer] GNC out of business. That’s what he told us. We listened aghast,” Greg said.
Kelly maintains that his words are being taken out of context and insists there are no plans to change CrossFit’s business model.
In a letter that Greg posted on the official CrossFit message board, he expressed his views to affiliates. “Make no mistake about it, Anthos wants an equity share of CrossFit in order to gain control of the affiliates,” he wrote. “I stand squarely in the way. From the start, our promise to the affiliates has been to minimize rent extraction while providing the best education, protection, and brand development possible … The Anthos approach is short-term, rapacious, dishonest, entirely destructive of our culture, and toxic to the affiliates.”
Following this warning, some affiliates have expressed fears that Anthos would force them to sell products or change the affiliate model — under which they are allowed to run their establishments without interference from CrossFit — to one of a franchised system. As the model stands today, affiliates just pay an annual fee, and run their boxes as they see fit.
Anthos, meanwhile, insists that it has no intention of changing CrossFit’s or its affiliates’ business models. “We are a noncontrol investor. We don’t own over 50% in any company we invest in. Our strategy is to be a supportive investor,” said Kelly, who added that he has been doing CrossFit workouts for two years. “Some of the claims being made are ludicrous,” he added, saying that the firm’s investment in CrossFit will be “long term.”
Despite the controversy, Kelly said he is excited to work with Greg Glassman, whom he describes as a visionary. “We believe that in the very near future, there will be millions of CrossFitters. This is a company with a very clear growth trajectory,” he added.
Gabriel Leydon, co-founder of Machine Zone Inc., one of Anthos’ portfolio companies, defended the firm. “I’ve read many comments on the CrossFit message boards regarding Anthos. Based on our experience, the notion that Anthos would ever tell us or any of the companies in which they invest what to do or cause us to change how we run our business is not how Anthos operates.” He added that the firm “helped us develop long-term strategic plans, build our board of directors, recruit top talent, create financial controls and meet thought leaders.”
Palo Alto, Calif.-based Machine Zone, a game developer for mobile applications, raised $5.3 million in Series A funding in 2011 from Anthos and Baseline Ventures, according to company information.
The president of another Anthos portfolio company, who did not want to be identified, also defended the firm. “[Anthos] said when they invested in our company that they had no intention in interfering with our business. They wanted management to continue to run it. And that is what happened,” she said.
She also said Anthos’ partners made themselves available to advise the company at the board level and to provide guidance on strategic, financing and other matters critical to its growth. “Specifically, they have helped us, at our request, to complete acquisitions, raise debt financing, evaluate new business lines, develop long-term strategic plans, recruit management talent, and implement financial controls,” she added.
Anthos is committed to getting the CrossFit deal done, but it risks facing a lot of backlash from affiliates, which threaten to leave the CrossFit brand. One of the sources believes that 50% to 75% of affiliates could dump the CrossFit brand and jump on whatever new brand Greg comes up with. That would strip the company from a hefty revenue stream.
On the other hand, CrossFit could retain the partnerships with Reebok and ESPN, which are giving the brand visibility worldwide, although Greg insists Kelly wants to breach the contract with Reebok.
But in the end, if Anthos does gain the stake it covets, the dust could settle and business could proceed as usual. After all, this is not the first controversy to hit CrossFit. When CrossFit welcomed Reebok as a sponsor, it was common to see CrossFitters claim this would be the end of CrossFit. The big difference is that while CrossFit headquarters embraced Reebok, it is not cozying up to Anthos and is intent on preventing the firm from taking a stake in the company.
Really? Like Seriously? Like really?
two cents – It is Friday, happy hour starts in 50 minutes
Dale – go to http://www.drinkingmetropolis.com for info on how to properly drink and attend happy hour.
Went to the Gym on my lunch break:
Front Squats 5X5 @ 235
Shoulder Press 5X5 @ 125
Deadlift 1X5 @ 380
Pull Ups 4X6 got 5 reps on the last set.
284
- ring rows
- switched to knee pushups during 6th round
397 (now regretting not pushing the squats a teenie bit more)
pullups 80
pushups 65
situps 91
squats 161
strength work!
as I bump up my marathon training going to start doing more strength and less metcons since my runs will count as metcons
8×3 back squats
255#
3 rounds NFT
12 unbroken perfect GHD
2 Turkish Getups (1pood)
another goal of 4Q 2012 is to do one thing per day I suck at so today it was turkish gets up courtesy of brian
293 with ring rows & knee push ups
361. Hangover, toast.
304
50% rx
ring rows and ghd pushups
Benny’s score was 1. (1 pushup)
294
Only did 39 pull-ups – strict without kicks – need to train on speed and endurance so that I can improve that number