Tough Mudder 2011

A bunch of manly men getting through debilitating calf cramps.

As you all know, a group of seven, who may or may not have been magnificent(get it?), kicked the Tough Mudder’s ass on Sunday. We didn’t win, no, but we still kicked its ass with Santa suits, jeans, stupid hair and bum knees. And also calf cramps from hell that would have ended any lesser man’s life.

Congrats to the cameraman, Ronald Bush, for capturing the whole thing in jeans; the gimp, Will McComb, for somehow not collapsing and getting into the fetal position; the cheerleader, Lawrence Malloy, for having a steady supply of high-fives; the motivator, Greg Brown, for keeping our mind on the beer that’s waiting for us at the finish line; Mr Helpy-Helperton, Raphael Ruiz, for giving the rest of the group more than enough rest by helping every other racer through the obstacles; the…I don’t know, Jason Khoury, for somehow making it past three miles and doing pretty damn well overall; and Santa, for scaring a few kids and possibly ruining their childhoods. YAY!!!! Oh and a big thanks to Jason’s Mom, for taking all the pics and being so much cooler than him.

We want to get a larger group for next year, but until then, we will be running a few shorter mud runs and adventure races. We will keep you guys updated through the newsletter we just started and on here, of course. We are definitely running the Savage Race on March 10th. Some of you have already shown interest in creating a team so we will let you know when we create one.

Weird. Will's looking at his biceps.

Somatotypes and Sprinters

Hello friends. Our neighborhood ninja assassin wrote a little article I would like to share with you today. It was in response to a recent research article that was studying the somatotypes [somatotypes represent three different body types: ectomorph(tall and thin), mesomorph(athletic and muscular) and endomorph(Peter Griffin)] of world class sprinters. I would love to get into all the science-y talk, but I’m just not that smart so I will let Raph handle that crap. Enjoy!!!

Somatoypes and Sprinters

What kind of guns are those? Derringers?

Will you survive?!!

If anyone decides to dress up as a clown, I will seriously end you.

This Friday’s workout, that is. It is our second annual Zombie Survival Workout. Bring an old shirt that you don’t mind getting dirty and prepare to bust your ass. Because if you don’t, you’re simply just going to die. Remember though, we only have the 5:30 and 7:30am classes on Fridays so get your ass up early and join the gory fun.

And since Monday is actually Halloween, wear your best costume or don’t and be an outcast.

So if you think you will survive Friday’s workout, come on out. If you think you’ll get eaten and turned into a fellow zombie, come out anyway. But my guess is you will all be turned because that Chief Zombie is damn fast.

Almost Here!!!

Tough Mudder is right around the corner!!! In about a month and a half, we will be knee deep in 12 miles of mud, water, possibly some poo (from the faint of heart) and live wires. If you’re still on the fence about signing up, make up your mind quick. Saturday is already fully sold out and Sunday is close to selling out as well, not to mention the last day to sign up at this slightly discounted rate is November 15th before you have to pay full price. The 1441 crew is set to dominate the course on Sunday in the first wave. So go to the site and join our team.

Team name: 1441

Password: crotchfire

Let’s all suffer together.

Oh and since it’s relatively close to Xmas, don’t be scared to dress up as an elf or reindeer. Jolly Old Saint Nick will be there.

Train like a Superhero

I love Cracked. I go on their site every day to see what kind of ridiculousness they posted so I can waste a couple minutes. Most of the time the articles are not only hilarious, but rather educational as well.

I am a nerd. I love comics, video games, and movies about comics and video games. If you know me and want to hang out in the next couple months, don’t bother as the multitude of awesome games soon to come out will be occupying the majority of my time. I plan on talking to no one from the middle of October through the end of November.

And of course, I love lifting so when today’s article on Cracked directed me towards The Might Marvel Strength and Fitness Book, you know I was pumped. Just try those ten exercises provided in the link and you’ll be exploding supervillains’ faces in no time. Especially #4. MASTER #4.

HA.

Blue Fridays

I forgot to post this. Every Friday from now on will be Blue Fridays. We will be wearing blue to show our respect and appreciation for our troops at home and overseas. So find or buy some blue attire and wear it every Friday in honor of those that protect this great nation.

Planet Fitness

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while, but for some reason today I’m seeing a lot of talk about Planet Fitness. Their motto is no critics and no judgment even though they flat out say they do not want serious lifters in their gym. One of their rules is NO GRUNTING, that means no heavy breathing as well. Also no deadlifting or lifting of any serious weight at all. They will kick your ass out of the gym if you do this.

Here are a few good points, though, some people have made about Planet Fitness:

- They do have a great marketing scheme. They market to clearly the majority of America: fat, lazy, weak and not serious about lifting. These people don’t want to be around powerlifters, bodybuilders or anyone who wants to get better.

- They are also insanely evil. Every month they have a pizza day, where all members can eat all the pizza they want. They also have Bagel Day and claim to give out over a million Tootsie Rolls to their member every month. (Elite FTS) They don’t care about the health of their members. They just want them to stay fat so they keep coming.

- They don’t want you to get strong. That would require hard work, lifting heavy weights and even grunting. And that would be against the rules.

- At least they are keeping all of the non-serious lifters out of our gyms.

So there is an upside.

Here are a few news reports that were just run. You may think the Daily Show bit is a joke, but then you will realize this is actually happening. Thanks to the guys in the comments section over at Crossfit Football and Elite FTS for the links, articles and viewpoints.

Father of the Year

Everyone makes choices in their life. There are smart choices and then there are stupid choices. This one cannot be classified under either. Even Danger Town would agree. Maybe.

Yes, that is a baby. Good marketing for Reebok, though.

Crossfit Football in Tampa

This juggernaut will be screaming at you all weekend.

Crossfit Football is finally coming to Tampa to hold a cert at our home, Elite Gamespeed. It will be from December 10-11th. Spots are limited so sign up now to get the chance to learn from John Welbourn, Raph and Ben Oliver. Come learn about all the major lifts, nutrition, programming and just how to be a badass overall. Click on the logo below to go to the registration site.

And hey, if you have a bunch of vacation saved up, why not use it down here. We have the Tough Mudder coming to Tampa the weekend before, the 3rd and 4th. You can spend the rest of the week relaxing at the beach and then finish it up getting your learn on at the cert. Sounds like a plan to me.

Spot the Squat

Here’s Freddy Camacho from One World showing everyone how to spot the squat correctly. A lot of our guys and gals still don’t know how to spot correctly, even after being shown multiple times. So my advice to you is to watch this over and over and over. If I ever see you spot wrong again, I will snap kick you in the hamstring. This spot technique should be used for forward, backward and lateral barbell lunges as well.

If you’re going at all heavy,even if you know you can probably get it by yourself, make sure you have a spotter anyway. A spotter gives you confidence to go full depth without the worry of getting stuck. A spotter just makes you feel warm and cozy inside when they are right on top of you breathing hot air down your neck. A spotter also helps you not die, which is a good thing.

How to spot the squat. from crossfitoneworld on Vimeo.