Andrew Garcia

Great Ideas

2012-02-23T23:07:00.000-08:00

Found this from a friend and it inspired me. Recently, more and more people have been joining my Performance Nutrition Experience FB Page. There are people from out of state on the page! The results have been unbelievable, everyone is looking great and feeling great. This is helping spread the word about the PNE. It all started with ideas. How to keep people motivated throughout a nutrition challenge. More importantly, I wanted to change peoples lives. I wanted to change their perception about food. I believe I have for some. The Performance Nutrition Experience has become POWERFUL. The stories that people are telling me are amazing. I'm talking about such amazing stories that they deserve to be shared in articles and newspapers, etc. This is exactly what I wanted. I can't wait to read those essays and share the before and after pictures. THIS IS JUT THE BEGINNING.

As for myself:

I am doing really well, in fact, I don't think I have changed anything since the Whole30. I know I have lost weight, but I still have not taken any measurements yet, nor do I feel any need to. I am not concerned about weight loss, I am happy to say that I am feeling performance. I am becoming much more functional and my work capacity is improving every week. My strengths have not gone down and I feel better than ever throughout the day. I know I don't share much of my nutrition, I am just forgetful to share or I can't find the time to. But I want to share now what my nutrition looks like:

I eat a lot of vegetables: Raw Vegetables

Spinach, bell Peppers, asparagus and tomatoes. I eat them organic (80% of the time) and I eat them raw. Meaning I don't have to cook them or steam them to enjoy. I actually prefer to eat vegetables like this. Some days I don't eat as much but usually I try to consume up to 2lbs of veggies a day. I really enjoy spinach and bell peppers!

Post workout nutrition is my most important meal of the day.

Almost immediately after my workout, I eat. Primary source of protein is grass fed beef or two hard boiled free range eggs. I eat veggies, I will consume 1/4 of a sweet potato and I will enjoy Coconut Water. Sources of fat will either be some almonds, avocado or coconut. Sometimes I am running low and I will try a Mix 1 protein shake. After a good conversation with a representative from the company, I believe that if you want to put something in your body and the only convenient thing you can get is a protein shake, I will most definately use Mix 1. Look at the comparison chart in the lobby!

High Dose Fish Oil Diet

I consume a minimum of 8 grams a day of liquid fish oil per day. That is 8 grams of EPA/DHA. Usually first thing when I get to the gym I take 15ml (4 grams = half a shot glass) and another 4 grams after a workout, if it is a rest day, I will take the 4 grams during the 5 or 6:00 p.m. session. Fish oil is the key to my success. It is a big reason why my fat loss is accelerating, my body recovers very well and it controls a lot of inflammation throughout my body. I feel amazing throughout the day when taking fish oil. It is costly for me monthly but well worth every penny!

I wish I consumed more grassfed meat

My eggs are organic, and a lot of chicken I eat is organic. I occasionally purchase grass fed beef but sometimes I can not afford it. I will try to eat as lean as I can otherwise.

All I drink is Water and Coconut Water, I drink plenty of water. I can't think of me drinking anything else.(occasional mix 1)

Fruit = Almost None

Fruit is important, but I think people are still consuming way too much of it: I have now learned this. The last two weeks I don't think I even ate a single piece of fruit. Earlier I had fruit before I lifted heavy. But I think it was just an excuse to consume sugar. I am cautious with the amount of sugar that goes in my body. Sugar is sugar, it is only acceptable to have natrual sugars after a workout. Other than that, very minimal. Always go for berries when consuming fruit.

Heavy Days

Sweet Potato, (I used to also eat fruit). More veggies, tons of veggies (especially carrots) and Coconut Water before a WOD that consist of heavy lifting. I find myelf eating more duirng these days than any other day.

Met Con Days

During Days that I know that we will be doing tons of cardio, I will fast up to 6 hours before working out. I have noticed that I perform a lot better with an exmpty stomach. In fact, I feel like a machine!

Regular Training Days,

I usually workout early or around noon. My breakfast is pretty decent.

I eat a lot of fat

We Take CrossFit Serious

2012-02-13T22:42:00.000-08:00

I have seen a lot of great Crossfit shirts out there, but this one takes the cake. I MUST BUY THIS SHIRT. Why can't I think of anything like this? This shirt is just hilarious. I don't know where to start...The pink or the rainbow...hmmm...haha. If you are interested in purchasing this amazing shirt, you can view the page here.

Since we are talking about shirts, we are working on a new order for the pro shop. I have been thinking. I also want to get a new design with a saying or phrase. It could be inspirational or it could be something sappy. If you have an idea or phrase, please leave a comment with your suggestion. I am excited to get the shop running. I want to provide not just good, but genuine products for everyone at Canyon.

Recently, I have been noticing during WODs how my body will alter position. Particularly the air squat. Lately, my air squat has been taking a shit. To get the work done faster, I would turn my feet out and knees to open up my hips. I know better but I was eager to keep my work capacity up. I started to wonder why can't I correct my position? Well for one, it hurts! What exactly hurts? My low back. I have been taking it easy so my low back can recover but now I see that improper position is prolonging my recovery. It kind of hit me when my knees all of the sudden were aching from running and I knew that my knees were flying out.

So what do I need to do? Take the test:

I believe that if I work more on my hips, I can solve a lot of problems. I shall see where I am at. I am focused to hit up Mobility WOD everyday. Mobility WOD will help you become more efficient with functional movements.

The Canyon Community is AMAZING!

2012-02-01T00:17:00.000-08:00

I am very pleased to see how interactive everyone is during the Performance Nutrition Experience. Canyon CrossFit as a community is sparking some fire! People are watching us from other affiliates, people have mentioned to me that they heard about what we are doing. The Facebook group page is a huge success. I program some opportunities to get PRs and everyone is crushing it!

Here are some things I have experienced and what you should expect:

Recovery is faster. Although your WODs may feel like a bear has jumped on your back, you will be able to feel like a million bucks soon after the workout. For the rest of your day, you should feel amazing!
Eating more will help make you thrive. I am not posting daily what I am eating but I can tell you this: I am eating A TON. We are not counting calories but please be aware that it is a lot lower than what you usually take in every day. Sometimes I have to forcefully feed myself (during days that I usually workout).
Fish Oil. I'M SERIOUS. Take fish oil, despite the fact that you don't like the taste. (Let food be your medicine...) once again. I AM SERIOUS, START TAKING FISH OIL.
Be smart, follow the Whole30. I learned that I shouldn't go nuts on the nuts. I have been reading (to ensure to everyone that I agree with the statement before I post anything) that nuts are often as high or even high than phytic acids than grains. In fact, nuts decrease iron absorption even more than wheat bread. This is ironic because a lot of people on Paleo who go to great lengths to avoid food toxins - are chowing down nuts like they are going out of style. You can read more about phytic acid here.
Sleep does a body good. Some of you may have heard that I strained my wrist pretty bad. I have been taking care of it really well. A lot of my strength has come back. One thing I have noticed though because of changing my diet: I became very very tired the first and second day of my injury. My body was telling me I need to sleep. It is part of the healing process. I started to get lightheaded and fatigued. I decided to take a nap during the afternoon and I felt a lot better. The same goes for anyone who had a rough week of WODs, find the time to get extra sleep! It is that important.
Fish Oil, I AM NOT JOKING.

For those of you who are participating in the First Ever Performance Nutrition Experience, all of you have helped make this a huge success and I appreciate it so much! As we get closer to the end of the Exerience, you will learn more about how Canyon CrossFit will be keeping this name (PNE) as part of our nutrition program, Canyon CrossFit's Performance Nutrition Program.

Starting A New Week - More Veggies

2012-01-23T13:51:00.000-08:00

Today marks 1 week in for a lot of you. I hope everyone had a great weekend! I'm sure there was a lot of learning and shopping going on this last weekend.

Breakfast:

4 Eggs (Organic)

1 Avodaco

4 Sticks of Asparagus (Organic)

1 Red Bell Pepper (Organic)

Liquid Fish Oil : 8 Grams

Snack:

Some Raw Almonda

Lunch:

I guess I made a salad of some sort that consisted of:

1/4 Butternut Squash

Handful of Raw Spinach Leaves (my fav way of eating them)

Chicken Breast cut into pieces

Cucumbers cut up

4 Sticks of Asparagus (just washed them and warmed them up for a little, i can eat them raw)

1/2 Avocado

Chestnuts

Sliced Carrot

Green Beans

These veggies were boiled up together.

I am eating it right now. A big meal!

Snack:

Raw Bell Pepper
Walnuts

Dinner:

Free Range Chicken Breast (turned out great!)

1/4 Butternut Squash

Green Beans

Hand full of Spinach

1/2 Avocado

Too Legit To Quit

2012-01-21T00:08:00.000-08:00

Today was a loooooooooooooooooooong day. I had tons of fun though.

Breakfast:

4 eggs (out of organic so I used white and took the yolk out)

Orange Bell Peppers (organic and not Habenero! I have made that mistake before)

Walnuts

All cooked with COCONUT OIL! Coconut Oil FTW!

Rushed to Canyon CrossFit Late (9:05)

Rushed back after the 9:00 a.m. session to put my laundry to dry

Snack:

Shredded Chicken Breast / Spinach

Went back to Canyon for the final Seminar

Rushed back home to finish my laundry

Lunch:

Lean Chicken Breast with a ton of spinach

Almonda

A little lemon so I can finish the spinach

Visited my two week old neice for an hour

Went to CrossFit Fly for a Judges Meeting (super top secret, confidential information)

A killer WOD!

Firebreather BBQ saved the day

Dinner:

Asparagus and Chicken and tons of Tri Tip!

Coconut Water

I also drink tons of water throughout the day but I don't remember and don't keep track.

It is 12:07 a.m. and my day is officially over (after my shower)

I will be at Crossfit 714 promptly at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow to go over muscle up progressions for all of you who will be getting them down within the next 60 days!!

The Difference Between Any Other Weight Loss Challenge and NOT OURS

2012-01-20T00:08:00.000-08:00

Watch this video.

Canyon CrossFit has put together a very POWERFUL contest, The Performance Nutrition Experience.

I don't like to say "challenge" although I catch myself saying it sometimes (only because its faster to say). If you have participated in any other kind of weight loss challenge, a primary focus is loss of body fat%. Every time I talk to some one that says they are in a weight loss challenge, deep down inside me I feel like I want to get them out of the challenge (even if I have to give them a reimbursement). Let me share with you a little about my past.

At 19 years old I weighed over 330lbs. I never really weighed myself, I didn't want to. I was afraid of what was simply the truth, I was obese and unhealthy. LIFESTYLE. It was unfortunate, but growing up I lived a very unhealthy lifestyle. I didn't know any better. I lived in a household with my family, there were six of us. My father worked his ass off to keep his family in a house and his only ambitions were to raise his kids right. Perhaps he he was focusing too much with our Education and ignored something else. I grew up very disciplined and I appreciate that, but one thing we didn't do right was our diet.

Let me put it this way, we always had to have Kool-Aid in the fridge. If it was out, we had to make some some more. Two packets in a pitcher with tons of sugar. I am talking about five to six large spoonfuls. (check out the link to see what I mean) I remember, thinking back, I used to wake up in the middle of the night thirsty. Instead of getting a glass of water, I would just start drinking the kool-aid straight from the pitcher. (getting angry with myself...)

There are many families, like mine, that are living like this blindly. What does it have to take to wake up and start realizing what you are doing to yourself?? It took death for me. It had to go as far as my father passing away right in front of my eyes to realize how serious nutrition is for you. Never again will I live like that.

I don't want people to experience what I have gone through. There are so many opportunities for people to gain years back into their life. We just can't be ignorant. MORE PEOPLE WILL CHOOSE TO CHANGE THEIR RELIGION THAN TO CHANGE THEIR DIET.

My first weight loss journey was a great start, however; thinking back I made many poor choices. My mindset was always calories in vs calories out. Work more calories than I am consuming to lose weight. It worked and I lost tons of weight. But when I started CrossFit, my competitiveness caught up to me. I used to run more than 50 miles in a week and go to CrossFit sessions. I wasn't getting any better at CrossFit. That's when I hurt my knee and had to stop running. I was desperate to continue my weight loss so I started reading the CrossFit Journal. I read, read, read, and read more. I started to learn that my range of motion was never legit most of the time, I focused on trying to get faster times by shortening my range of motion. More importantly, I didn't look at the nutrition aspect of CrossFit.

So began my REAL journey. I slowed down and made sure every rep was LEGIT. I eliminated all grains and sugars and pasta, legumes and soy. I was seriously doubting Crossfit. But I still continued headstrong. After a month, I started to see things pick up. From there I took off. I became stronger, waaaaaay stronger and faster (by not doing any of my weekly miles) . What intrigued me the most was some stats:

I want to share accurate results but I can't find the papers. I wrote them down and I need to relocate them.

But the conclusion was. I lost body fat % and gained Lean Body Mass (about 20lbs) since I took CrossFit and my nutrition more serious.

I am a firm believer in being functional. The focus is not about weight loss its about building strength and becoming a functional human being. You have to eat whole natural foods and eliminate grains, pasta, sugars and processed foods if you want to live an optimal life: live long and prosper so you can become independent as you get older.

This is why Canyon CrossFit is not looking for weight loss, it will not translate to your performance in your workouts. We want you to become lean mean fighting machines!

Character vs Talent

2011-11-29T22:05:00.001-08:00

Ridiculously Talented Photoshop Artist - Watch more Funny Videos

There are times when you can't explain certain capabilities about people. You are left with only one word; talent. There are those with a lot of potential, but they will not appreciate or acknowledge their own talent. Then there is the few. Along with their potential, they find happiness in execution.

Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are, to some extent, a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it, piece by piece - by thought, choice, courage, and determination.

StrongFit Competition Series

2011-11-15T10:32:00.001-08:00

What have I got myself into? I have zero experience with these movements! My strength numbers are pretty decent: 385lb Back Squat (although I can rep out 350lbs), 500lb Deadlift, 200lb Shoulder Press, but this kind of strength is completely different and I know it will be very challenging for me. I am the biggest crybaby when it comes to farmers walk. Tire flips drain me and I always catch myself doing flips with one arm, leaving my right arm completely useless for the next couple of days. I love challenges though. I love learning new things, especially learning during a competition haha. It's On!

Rushing to Failure

2011-10-27T15:07:00.001-07:00

There is no secret. No magic pill or special program to reach elite fitness and wellness. It is simple, put in the grunt work. This is the case for anything you want to do. There will be no shortcuts, you can not rush into failure. Live through the hard work and experience and you will see the results.

Celebrate Autumn at California's Central Coast

2011-10-17T23:31:00.000-07:00

The artists of Cambria display more than 200 hand-crafted whimsical scarecrows in East Village, West Village and along Moonstone Beach Dr.

Cambria, California, has been my escape from home to listen to the peaceful sound of the rolling waves and watch the hypnotic movement of the water from The Pacific Ocean. I always leave the the town with a deep feeling of contentment and endless inspiration.

This year, in the month of October, the city got together a little early to start their holiday festivities (which they do every year). Cambria is having a scarecrow festival for the full month of October! Along with the ocean's beautiful enriching scenery, and a one of a kind experience for wine tasting, you can guarantee a trip worth the drive for an exciting weekend!

I would like to share with you our participation with the Scarecrow Festival. Now, there are TONS! of Scarecrows all over the city. I will only be sharing a small fraction (It literally took us all day to take pictures with what we can find from plain site)

Now, with that being said, I will show you a picture of a scarecrow and explain a "situation" that will resolve with another picture that we took with one of us in it. It was really fun to do! Took a lot of creative thinking, so now, here is what we got! :

Captain Jack Sparrow at the Sea Chest Restaurant

Jack Sparrow was found at the Sea Chest Restaurant. My crew and I were starving after a long hike at moonstone beach, but we never made it passed Jack. We became victims of banditry! I had to surrender all my cash and then run off to a different restaurant.

'Aint No Thing But a Chicken Wing

I really don't have much to say about this picture. This guys is grabbing his crotch and he and his wife are looking away with embarrassment. So, I decided to join the group and be embarrassed for him as well...

Every Diva Needs Her Downtime

This scarecrow is probably one of my favorites. The artist of this scarecrow did an amazing job! The bath tub was even made! Pretty awesome. I heard the Diva calling my name for a neck rub. So I did.

"Skulls" Grenach-Mourvedre, To Die For

We went for a little wine tasting. Well worth the wait!

Another Waiter Looking For Seaweed

The name on the order read, "Seaweed," He was so confused. He looked everywhere inside for a "Seaweed" but found no one, he decides to call to the ocean. Not realizing that she was outside below him!

Nuns Sing, "Running With The Devil"

One of my favorite Van Halen songs so I decided to join in and sing with them!

Prepping For The Turkey Bowl

Spent a little time with this football player at the local sports bar, training starts now for the turkey bowl!

Local Citizen Casts His Flag

This man looked like he could use some help, so we decided to pull over and give him a hand with casting his flag.

Off With His Head!

The King Has Spoken! Off With His Head!

Pirate Is Put Down

My spider senses were tingling, caught the robber and used my spider web to tie him down!

The Great Trade

Negotiated with this man, we came to terms. My burro for his home made salsa.

How Much?

How Much? We were interested with the going rate in Cambria...

Sea Otters Inn The Ocean!

I couldn't see the Sea Otters, so I asked for a better look with some binoculars.

Seaweed Is Not The Tin Man

The Scarecrow knows better...

Hipless Man Waiting For Something

We decided to give him some company, didn't talk to us much...

It's Wine Tasting, Not Wine Wasting!

Good thing I was there to catch the wine!

Awesome Colorful Chairs

Nothing to do with Scarecrows, but I thought these were pretty awesome to sit on to watch the ocean view!

Horsemanning!

Horsemanning is awesome, and this was the perfect moment to do one!

Increased Prosperity : Toxic Environment

2011-08-31T00:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel that people have become a little too comfortable with their lifestyle. I can see this in two different ways. One is the kind of person who has been catered their whole life. When it comes to doing physical labor, he or she has nothing but complaints. They rarely get injured and they let their body become vulnerable. If a little boy is climbing a tree and he tears his hand or scrapes his knee, his reaction to pain is the same as a 2 year old. The only difference though is that the 2 year old naturally adapts and quits crying. The other kind of person that is too comfortable is the the kind that is behind the scenes. Silent, but deadly. Behind the curtain where over 60% of our country doesn't even know they are this kind of a person. It is all kept to themselves.

It is not entirely their fault. Lives are in shambles. Our diet has become comfortable. We are living through an obesity epidemic and a diabetes epidemic. Simply put, we over eat. Certainly we choose what we eat, but people have been getting bigger over the past 30 - 40 years. During these 30-40 years, food has changed so much. Marion Nestle of NYU and the writer of the blog foodpolitics.com states that it is because of improved prosperity:

"The food and environment industries turned people with expendable income into consumers of aggressively marketed foods that are high in energy but low in nutritional value and that cars and television sets have promised sedentary behavior...- Gaining weight is good for business."

The human body does not want to be deceased. It is resilient. People consuming a high carb diet are walking around with poisoned bodies. This causes what Kelly Brownell has coined, "A Toxic Environment." In his book, Food Fight the Inside Story of the Food Industry, America's Obesity Crisis, And What We Can Do About It, He uses the term “Toxic Environment” to describe unparalleled exposure to high-calorie, heavily marketed, inexpensive, and readily accessible foods.

"The toxic environment is the result of ubiquity of unhealthy, processed foods, an increasingly sedentary lifestyle in which individuals spend more time watching TV and using computers than they spend exercising, the explosion of fast food restaurants, the enormous growth of portion sizes, the power of food advertising and marketing, and the junk food industry’s take-over of schools by selling unhealthy items in vending machines, cafeterias, and through school fundraisers."

To wrap things up, there is too much dense and tasty foods available; and as we get richer, there is more and more of it available. As it becomes more available, there is not enough reason to get physically active, and as we get richer, we have less and less reason. So this lifestyle of increased prosperity leads to a toxic environment that is causing our obesity and diabetic epidemic.

What I am getting to is that if a kid that normally doesn't climb a tree falls and cries bloody murder, his or her peers that play outside every day will say, "Suck it up!" This is something I have seen in my lifetime growing up, but nowadays it seems like every kid doesn't play outside and we cater a little too much. You can't baby them forever (or can you?) So why is it so hard to say "Suck it up!" to those who are overweight? We have all become too comfortable. We are getting used to seeing overweight people everywhere. We become afraid of "climbing that tree" We are nervous to make change, we hide the fact that we are getting sick and we enjoy life by other means. Perhaps this has taken away of taking action and reaching goals? We have lost faith in ourselves.

Making a change is very empowering. When CrossFit affects peoples lives it is because they are not used to working hard and accomplishing so much work. Ideally this should not be the outcome. But I see that people become so much different, so much more goal oriented because they start to believe again that they can make things happen. Just like people did 30-40 + years ago when they had Grit.

You see, "Grit" is a positive, non-cognitive trait, based on an individual’s passion for a particular long-term goal coupled with a powerful motivation to achieve their respective objective. People with grit have perseverance, hardiness, resilience, ambition and a need for achievement. People with grit also were more physical during their time. It is sad to say "during their time," but it makes a lot of sense. In order to have prosperity many had to do whatever it took to eat. The environment required hunting and gathering, physical work. Once they were satiety, they were happy. But people had a hell of a lot more ambition to make it happen.

I initially thought about this all because of a song I heard today. I must of listened to the song ten times and then I read the lyrics, which made me think about life; and a couple of hours later, I wrote this post.

I am getting a blood glucose meter soon. I am going to do a little experiment on myself. I will share the results once I gather all of my data. You might of seen me not working out lately. That is because I am allowing myself for some rest. I have a re-occurring pain I need to get rid of. I will get back to the WODs soon.

January 14, 2012

Nuff said.

Click Here To Read The Lyrics

Free to Change

2011-08-25T01:31:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had one of those mornings where you wake up and decide you are going to change? There is that one thing about you that has been nagging even yourself. You wrestle with whether it is realistic or simply a great idea. You think about how long you have been a certain way and hope that patterns are not set in stone. All you want is to be ... better. Better today than you were last night when you laid your head on the pillow.

Behavior change is not an easy task. A hundred pounds ago, I was aware of the dangerous path I was putting my health into. I didn't do anything about it. I knew the facts, I had people try to bluntly explain to me the fearful consequences my health was leading to: diabetes, obesity, heart disease, etc, however; I didn't take any action to change the behavior of my diet. I knew what I was suppose to do, but I was not doing it. That is until I came home from the doctor with some data that resulted in a very low level of my health, I was advised to start eating better and lose weight. I started to realize that my health was actually indeed affecting me. This is after my father had passed away from a heart disease. I now had an emotional connection to the information my peers had been giving me all the time. All of the sudden the facts where now more serious to me.

Better health is not a science problem it is an information problem. Changing a behavior simply does not work by creating fear. How would you create change? Do you tell someone through fear how bad poor eating, abuse of exercise or smoking is and how it may kill you in one way or another? We can educate in another way.

Watch this video for a better explanation of what works to create change. I can surely relate this to CrossFit methodologies. What the CrossFit community is doing is exactly this. We are all sharing personal experiences to help change the behavior of others. Listen to the study in Connecticut (starting 2:15) it explains that fear is not the answer. To change ones behavior, it is about making a connection with the person and directing them to their choices to help make action.

I believe the CrossFit community has been doing this all along, and that is why it is so effective. Not only are lives being changed but so is conventional wisdom. But conventional wisdom vs CrossFit mentality is a whole other hot topic. Today, think about how much you can help change with your experiences through CrossFit. Share it and you may spark interest to others and help lead him / her to a better path.

Today I am free to change.

Be the change you want to see in the world
Mahatma Gandhi

The Magic Is In The Movement

2011-08-17T22:15:00.000-07:00

I went to Big Bear Lake last weekend for a couple of days. I worked out two out of the 4 days I was there. A lot of people assumed that I was committed to staying fit and healthy during my vacation, wondering why I couldn't go a couple of days without working out. Trying to consume as much alcohol as possible and eating freely is not committing to staying fit or healthy during my vacation!
CrossFit is a lifestyle to me. I have been doing CrossFit for over three and a half years now. What once was something I dreaded doing everyday has now turned into something I look forward to do! I was anxious to start a workout at Big Bear Lake the minute we went on the road. In fact, I was programming my workout two weeks before! There is something I value about CrossFit, and that is looking at the workout in a different perspective. I don't think of CrossFit workouts as a workout anymore. It is something I have to do everyday, it always starts off as a challenge and I figure out ways to attack the nasty WOD. I think about how I will pace myself, what I should work on my body in terms of flexibility and mobility to help prepare myself to be more efficient in the movements.

I was excited to do a workout next to the lake. The beautiful scenery mixed with the WOD, nothing can be better! Functional movements, me demonstrating my work capacity with mother nature. It was nice and warm out at 80 degrees with blue skies. The cool breeze was definitely in my favor. The high elevation however put my cardio to the test. The first WOD was an AMRAP. 20 Minutes of 35 Air Squats and 25 Push Ups. I did this workout at the cabin. This is the view from the cabin, just above the lake. I found a nice cozy spot on the first porch of the cabin next to the driveway. It was nice and shady for me to do my push ups without burning my hands. It felt a lot cooler in the shade than being out in the sun. In reality, the fine environmental settings does not do much, I still have to perform to the best of my ability and with sun or not, I still have to output the same work. I was not doing too well. The air got to me! After the second round I stopped and in my head I kept on asking, "Why am I stopping? What the heck?" It felt like my chest was on fire, I was not used to breathing so hard. I didn't think that elevation played that big of a factor, but now I am a firm believer in the difference! I completed the first WOD with 6 Rounds and 35 reps.

After that I went straight to the Kitchen to have a beer. Later on we went to a beach park. Most of the time there was games of competitive volleyball! Felt great playing, but not really a great player as well! I have to admit I was pretty sloppy out there. I have to share something on the side, about less than 100 meters out of the lake was an awesome floaty! There were two! One with a huge slide that dumped you in the lake and one was a bounce house! The catch though... you had to pass a swim test to get to the floaties on the water. It was pretty hilarious listening to the lifeguard telling me this. Not only that, you had to wear a life vest to be on the floaties! So what's the point of swimming? I really wanted to go over there because there were tons of kids and I was seeing myself over there terrorizing all the little kids and throwing them off the floaties. But I was over it once I had to do the swim test, so, like an adult would do, I dipped in the lake and went to lay out on my towel off the shore.

My second WOD was a brutal one! 150 dumbell thrusters for time with 35lb dumbells on each hand. I made a horrible decision to do 30 unbroken double unders every time I set down the dumbells on the ground. That didn't last long, I couldn't string the double unders together on the dirt. So I just did 30 double unders in total. I was right next to the lake. Thrusters near the lake to me, is something beautiful. I really don't know how to explain it. I am starting to think it is the same feeling you get when doing a Seoul Dance (click here). I can possibly say I can relate it to a performing art? Again I was sucking wind. It was a dreadful 22 minutes. My chest was on fire! Right after however, I went straight into fishing, after catching my breath of course. This workout was the workout I was looking forward to. No I didn't want to do this because I had to. To stay fit and healthy. If I wanted to stay fit and healthy on my vacation, I would of been a lot more strict on my diet. Hell this was the longest vacation I had all year, I wanted to enjoy it!

"The magic is in the movement, the art is in the programming, the science is in the explanation, and the fun is in the community."

Greg Glassman

Save a horse, ride a cowboy.

Bagged Me Some Sharks. With My Fists.

2011-07-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

Looks like I know what I am doing this weekend!

Not really....maybe...I feel like running trails all weekend, we shall see!

By the Way:

This is the stack from the guy who always bet on me.

Drawing Lines In The Sand

2011-07-19T23:08:00.000-07:00

It is amazing to me when I hear from people say that they are not gonna do things, or they can't do things. I think people are very quick in making assumptions with things they are not gonna do. They love drawing those lines in the sand. I am obsessed with the ones that are gonna do things, that is where the opportunity lies. I can see that I am becoming more ambitious. More eager to make things happen.

Wednesday

2011-07-06T21:18:00.000-07:00

Well over 50 people came in today. Tons of things to get working on. Big things coming our way to Canyon in the future :) Hopefully by tomorrow I will have our new Results link up. it will be photo based and a hell of a lot easier for the trainers to post up.I think sharing WOD results is important to your training. It is a helpful tool to keep you motivated.

FYI the hottest time to workout is at 4:00 p.m. the 9:00 a.m. session and Noon session are great times to come in, the weather is absolutely beautiful. It finally cools down at 7:00 p.m.

Today's workout was great, tons of positive energy from everyone!

WOD:
For Time
1200 meter run
21 hang squat cleans
800 meter run
15 hang squat cleans
400 meter run
9 hang squat cleans

95 lbs on the hang squat cleans.

Went unbroken on the cleans. I need to run a lot faster!

Great Holiday Weekend

2011-07-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

Fullerton, CA

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend! Its back to work for me more motivated than ever. I have noticed that every year during this month I always find myself to meet tons of new people. People with amazing lives and inspirational stories. This year is no exception. I value life and I am glad to be a part of an amazing community.

New goals for me. I love the summer, makes me want to push myself harder everyday with the heat.

Last Friday was my Rest Day

Saturday I did Back Squats: 5-5-3-3-3-2-2-2-2-1

Result : 205 - 225- 305-315-325-335-345-345-315-315

This WOD drained me. Felt something off with my form and my ankle was not feeling right so I stopped increasing the weight.

Sunday, Rest Day

Monday was a great workout Rick and I made up for the session.

For Time:

17 Wall Balls
76 Box Jumps
17 Wall Balls
76 KB Swings
17 Wall Balls
76 BURPEES
17 Wall Balls
76 Overhead walking lunges with the medicine ball.

Brutal! Time of completion at: 29:17 (I think)

Today is Rest Day

Thursday

2011-06-30T23:45:00.000-07:00

A Picture of me a couple of years back. I have been fighting a sore throat since Sunday. Today I woke up not feeling too well. I got really dizzy during my WOD. My ears were clogged up and after my workout, I couldn't controll my sneezing. I hope tomorrow I can get better. Time to drink the fish oil!

OH and rope climbs were horrible today. Dumbell snatches definetly makes you fatigue for rope climbs. But I stuck with it and powered through. Have some burns that make me proud :)

Workout of the Day

For Time

Dumbell Snatches @ 35#, 30 Right Arm, 30 Left Arm

5 Rope climbs

Dumbell Snatches , 20 Right, 20 Left

5 Rope climbs

Dumbell Snatches, 10 Right, 10 Left

5 Rope Climbs

Wednesday

2011-06-29T16:26:00.000-07:00

So I have been on Super Paleo the past 3 days (today is the 4th) and last night I had a dream that I was eating chips and salsa from Esther's. It was weird. I woke up satisfied though because it felt so real to me. Here is what I ate for lunch today. Unintentional zone.


Skewered Chicken and Broccoli

Today's Workout

CrossFit:
For time
400 meter run
30 sit ups
30 back extensions
400 meter run
25 sit ups
25 back extensions
400 meter run
20 sit ups
20 back extensions

Result: 15:00 on the nose.

CFE Long Interval, Day 2 of Week 1

6 x 800 meter run with 3:00 rest

4:32
4:32
4:34
5:03
5:59
5:00

My ass needs to run more.

2011-06-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

Back in 2008 I watched a clip from the 2008 CrossFit Games. After watching the clip, my mindset on CrossFit training made a huge shift. I went from hating all of my workouts to appreciating what I am doing. I started to understand what CrossFit was all about and that made all the difference. Kallista Pappas was only 14 years old. The squat clean and jerk was at body weight for her.

Crossfit Games 2008 Inspirational video - Watch more Funny Videos

Today's Workout

Technique Development Program

Snatch: 45-75-95-125-135
Snatch: 135 3x3

Clean and Jerk: 135-185-225
Clean and Jerk: 225 3x3

CrossFit WOD:
For Time:
Row 2,000 meters
50 Wall Ball
Row 1,000 meters
35 Wall Ball
Row 500 meters
20 Wall Ball

Result: 22:03

Monday

2011-06-27T21:03:00.000-07:00

I have to make sure I keep my WODs posted here. I worked out 6 days straight last week. I took Sunday and Today off. Today I was reading up on the new CFE Programing and I am starting to understand it a little more.

Here is what my training program will look like:

CrossFit Training: 3 on 1 off

Monday- Short Interval CFE
Tuesday- Technique Development
Wednesday- Long Interval CFE
Thursday- Technique Development
Friday- Tempo CFE
Saturday- Technique Development
Sunday- Gymnastics Skills

Monday- Long Interval

Tuesday- TDP
Wednesday-Short Interval
Thursday-TDP
Friday-Tempo
Saturday-TDP
Sunday-Gymnastics Skill

Repeat.

I have the month programmed already. We shall see how this works out for me.

Today:

Crossfit Rest Day
CFE Short Interval: 12 x 200 meter run with 2:00 rest

Results:

36.0s
36:25s
37:09s
40:41s
40:44s
42:06s
39:75s
46:34s
38:47s
40:79s
42:97s
38:53s

Thursday - Reasons why you should go to the CrossFit Games

2011-06-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

Highlights from the 2008 Crossfit Games

REASONS YOU SHOULD GO TO THE 2011 REEBOK CROSSFIT GAMES:

1. Woodstock of Ftiness: The CrossFit Games has grown into something huge. CrossFit is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. It is the time of the year to appreciate and spectate what defines true fitness. As you all know the community is unique in the CrossFit world, everyone going is there to have a great time! Expect a lot of beer drinking and good music to go with watching the competition.

       2. The Venues: A great time to save $$ on shipping and there will be some pretty decent deals on CrossFit related products. Ranging from the clothes to the equipment. Going to the games will be a great time to purchase a jump rope! You will be able to try the equipment out before you buy them. Also The Reebok store will be there. Make sure you head to their video booth to tell your story. Check out their new line of CrossFit shoes!

       3. Motivation: When I went to my very first CrossFit competition (2010 OC Throwdown), I did not know what to expect. I went home with goals and determination. It was a big eye opener seeing what people can do, especially from other affiliates. This wasn't a one time thing, EVERYTIME you go to a competition, you go home motivated. The CrossFit Games is no exception. There will be some very inspirational moments, every year there was something going on where an athlete had to persevere and the support of the spectators pushed these athletes beyond what he/she thought they can do. It is truely an amazing experience to be a part of that!

     4. Swaga: Buy the Games Shirts, Save the ticket. Purchase Games accessories. This is history in the making. CrossFit is only going to continue to grow. There will never be another 2011 CrossFit Games but it will be remembered as the roots of what is going to be a World Class Sport.

      5. The Masters Competition: This year we get to watch the Masters compete in their very own stadium that will be built in the parking lot. I am very interested to see who these top 20 athletes in the world are that are 60+ years old!



6. MAN MADE BEACH!

Can't make it to the Games? Check out some of the new things going on at the games like Web Broadcasting, IDS live updates, sky cam and more!

GOING TO THE GAMES, CLICK HERE

Check out the comments, what do you guys think? Reebok is making all the athletes wear a Reebok suit of some sort.

WOD:

For Time:

21-15-9 reps of:

Handstand Push Up

Deadlift 225# / 155#

Scaling options for the weight:

185# or 155# for the Men

115# or 95# for the Women

Modification options for the Handstand Push Ups:

A. HSPU with up to 2 Ab Mats

B. Handstand Hold (try a negative) then do a regular push up

C. Decline push ups or X 2 regular Push Ups

Today is a rest day for me.

CANYON WOD PAGE UPDATE

2011-06-22T17:06:00.000-07:00

Our new website is up but there is a problem with the WOD Page. Temporarily we will use this page for our WODs until we get the site back up.

WEDNESDAY WOD

Today we have a great workout for you guys. It is a great test of fitness and hope to see you all in here today! Come in and be ready!

Here are the highlights from the very first ever CrossFit Games.

Gaining Confidence and the Fu Manchu

2011-06-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Looks can be deceiving

Three years ago, I first thought that to be considered the fittest human on earth, to be the elite of the elite, one would have to be a big huge guy who is ripped weighing over 200lbs of solid muscle. Someone incredibly strong that can handle heavy lifts in CrossFit workouts with ease. Once I went to a competition, I immediately through that assumption out the window.
The top athletes were very unassuming. I learned that men who weighed 140lbs to 155lbs performed just as well, if not better, than those who were in the 185-205lb range. It is mind boggling because in a CrossFit competition, everyone is performing the workout with the same weights. This is the same thing for the ladies. CrossFit provides the true test of grunt work. Only those who have the correct mindset, the immense amount of determination and dedication will perform on top. This is very inspiring to me. These elite athletes look completely normal. Outside of the CrossFit world, they are normal human biegns. No one from the street will be able to tell (with their clothes on) that they are one of < 1% of the fittest humans on earth.

Perfect example. Chris Spealler of CrossFit Park City. He is am amazing athlete! Watch this video and learn what it takes to get to his level. I am not talking about his training program. His training is targeting his weaknesses. CrossFit athletes may have to target their weaknesses in order to have a better General Physical Preparedness.

Check out a regional workout he did from last year:

WOD 1 from Andrew Garcia on Vimeo.

I myself had made so many gains throughout the years. Here are a couple of things I would like to share:

First month of CrossFit (March of 08') I had:

Approx 15 min mile
0 Push Ups
0 Pull Ups
335lb Deadlift
135lb Clean was considered HEAVY
Hated the WODs
Always doubted myself
Zero Confidence
Angry and determined at the same time

Now:

I have ran a sub 7 min mile (have not done it in a while)
28 Pull Up
500lb Dead Lift
275 lb Clean
Appreciate the WODs (a different hate)
Very Confident
More determined than ever.

Overall it was my confidence that took me to where I am at now. Not only it helped with my GPP but with my Health, My social life, and knowledge of true fitness.

SPORTING THE FU MANCHU

Just recently I shaved off my beard I was growing and kept on a mustache. I am not sure exactly what the name of this mustache is called but I have heard you guys say the Fu Manchu the most so I am going to go with that. This mustache I am sporting for the next month is somewhat important to me. If you guys think back to when you first started your CrossFit journey, a lot of you guys were shy and quiet around the class and then all of the sudden we can't get you guys to stop talking and pay attention! That is the family we have at Canyon and I love that! However; remember when I made you guys lift for the first time? Remember how we told you to lay off the weight? (Mainly girls) Then all the sudden you felt comfortable wit the same barbell and I told you to up the load. How did that make you feel? Nervous right? You looked at me like I was crazy! Some of you girls can clean and Jerk 135lbs. Not only do you get that barbell overhead, but you slam it to the ground! You were not like that before, you girls became CONFIDENT. Confidence takes you a long way in the CrossFit world. I am more confident than ever before now.

I don't think before CrossFit would I ever sport a mustache like this. Looks can be deceiving! An elite athlete does not have to look a certain way, they just have to demonstrate high work capacity. To do that, they must be fearless and never give up. When I was in junior high school, a teacher accused me of doing something. It really got to me. I was in an electronics class and I got called back into class. The teacher looked angry. He started to yell at me telling me I left a bag of feces in the classroom and told me to pick it up. (Kind of funny) I told him that I didn't do that and I shouldn't have to pick up anything. It was stereotype. Because of the way I was dressed (somewhat baggy jeans), he assumed it was me. He told me to get my act together. He had a camera installed in the class and said that he has proof. The next day he apologized.

Situations like this happen all the time. This is also a reason why I am sporting the Fu Manchu. My facial hair shouldn't have to be stereotyped. It certainly correlates with my personality. A lot of our new clients look at me scared, makes me laugh everytime. I use the stache as courage. I use it to train, to make myself believe in achieving my goals. It helps. It gives me more motivation to workout, to perform harder than ever before. It helps me focus on a better lifestyle. CrossFit women do the same thing, they just don't wear mustaches. They dress up for competition!

I encourage everyone to do whatever it takes to keep you motivated. Wear a Mohawk, wear a stache, dress up, get tatoos, do whatever, because the outcome is wellness for the rest of your life. To increase your GPP and become part of that 1%. I don't know about you but I want to live a long and healthy life. I want to stay active as I get older, and I am confident that I will.

WOD:

Clean & Jerk: 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1

Result: 135-185-205-225-255-275F- 275f-265-270F-270

Pr'd my Clean and Jerk by 15lbs!

I need tons of work on the Push Jerk and Split Jerk. It is keeping me away from heavier lifts! Grr...

Monday

2011-06-20T21:49:00.000-07:00

"THE HARDER YOU FALL, THE HIGHER YOU BOUNCE."

Warm Up

WOD:

20 seconds of work followed by a 10 second transition to the next exercise for 10 rounds or 30 intervals of:
Air Squat
Get Up Sit Up
Ring Ab Rows

Score lowest rep of each movement.

Result: 14 air squats / 7 Get Up sit Ups 26# KB / 7 Ring Ab Rows

CFE:

10 X 250 Meter Rows with a 1 minute rest.

Result:

51.5s
51.0s
53.0s
54.9s
54.4s
58.0s
57.2s
57.1s
56.8s
52.8s

Friday

2011-06-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

Got a late text asking if I can come in at 6:00 a.m. to workout. Thought about it, thought about it...caved in. It is always good to implement a change of your environment and time of the day for your workout regimen. You never know what life is going to throw at you. This is one of the characteristics of the constant variation to CrossFit training. (apart of the differnt loads, time domain and movements) So, keep in mind that part of your training is to be prepared for the unknown and unknowable! We experience this with not knowing what our workout is going to be until that day. Whenever you have the chance to change things up, go for it! For example, here is a picture of me bringing my box to a park in Fullerton.

That workout was brutal! 5 rounds for time of 400 meter runs and 15 Squat Clean and Jerks (I thrustered)

So here is what I did for today.

Warm Up (Click Here)

Jumped straight into the WOD:

040321

Three rounds for time of:

400-meter run

35-pound dumbbell "Thruster," 21 reps

Post time to comments.

Result: 10:38

Starting Something New

2011-06-16T14:21:00.000-07:00

I decided that I want to start posting all of my workouts on my blog. I always feel like there is nothing to hide when it comes to working out. There is no secret to success, just grunt work and smart programming. CrossFit should not be compared to P90x, or the Insanity Workout or even Juggernaut Training. CrossFit is basically free. Just check out the WODs on the CrossFit Main Site.

I have learned throughout the years of CrossFit training that I can not program my own workouts. I easily fall into programming all my strengths and very little of my many weaknesses. So this is what I am doing. I have decided that I want to "Roll Back" I started April 8th, 2011 doing CrossFit Mainsite workouts from January of 2004. I am still doing this and I am loving it!

Some gains I have noticed:

A 30lb Pr on my Deadlift (470lbs-500lbs)
Better recovery
Stronger on pull ups
Pr on Grace (2:10 to 1:57)

What I am adding to my Programming:

Strength by feel cycle on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays only if I have a workout that day. (A lot less %. Focusing more on technique, mainly a warm up)
CrossFit Endurance on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. (Alternating weeks of running and rowing. 2 interval training days, 1 volume training day. No double running days, CFE of rowing will be replaced) at least 3 hours after my CF WOD
Gymnastics Skill Work on Sundays (On days that I can, I plan to do this a lot more in the future)

Warm up (click here)

Strength by feel

Push Jerk 4 (reps) x 2 (sets) @ 95#
Push Press 5x2 @ 95#
Box Squat Back Squat 5x4 @ 135#
Bent Row 5x2 @ 45#

040320
Five rounds for time:
20 Pull-ups
30 Push-ups
40 Sit-ups
50 Squats
This is "Barbara" without the rests. Post time to comments.

Result: 41:58

Notes:

It looks like my I tweaked something on my wrist from "Gwen" the other day. The push ups hurt a lot on my wrist, I had to slow down. Otherwise, this workout kicked my ass. I forced myself to do unborken pull ups of at least 5 reps. I had to redo a set five times.

My range of motion was f*@#ken titts!

Malady of the Ignorant

2011-06-14T22:51:00.000-07:00

I find that Tuesday nights are good nights for me to focus on writing in my blog again. It sure has been a while since I last posted in this blog. I completed the burpee challenge. I have noticed a lot of gains from doing this during burpees in workouts recently. The only drag of the challenge was posting the video online on time.

Anyways, I want to share with you what I wrote up for the people who have joined Canyon CrossFit's Technique Development Program.

What I have learned after the first day is that there are some people who are ignorant. The clients that came in today were ready. They all are ready to make some changes. They are ambitious and are now open-minded. Some people may think they are performing movements correctly and maybe my voice comes through one of their ears and out the other, but they have no idea how important it is to work hard and focus more on the fundamentals.

I am not too worried about it. There was much more success than I anticipated after the first day of this program. Sometimes it takes a while for certain people to give in ;) Just like how a lot of your started out your CrossFit Journey.

*Quick Quesion:

How long did it take for you to finally step in Canyon CrossFit? Or Start CrossFit training in general?

3 Months for me to start CrossFit. Rick has told his story a million times, he ditched two sessions before finally starting. Post your answer in comments!

*Also,

If you have not noticed, we have been growing. There are a lot of new faces that will be joining our group sessions. Rick and Ray have been working their butts off getting these people started up. Part of the reason why I created the New Late Rule was to help make sure the classes were running on time. Once you all had to do burpees, all of the sudden everyone is on time! Thank you everyone for making that adjustment, it helps us so much!

With that being said, It is time to get on your butts with signing up online. This helps me prepare for the session! More details coming soon. (especially if you have no idea what I am talking about)

Canyon CrossFit’s Open-minded Client Agreement

It is never fun to hear us repetitively correct your form or critique your lift, but I want to explain why we do it. It is easy to get lost in the proverbial forest of numbers and want to post RX or hit a new PR on a lift, but I am seeing too much trending towards quantity over quality. It is easy to revel in short term gains and ignore our weaknesses, but we are not training for tomorrow, we are training for the long term. Good form matters because without it we harm ourselves, we limit our potential and we are not seeking true improvement.

I have seen hundreds of athletes come through our doors and even more compete at various events. There is an obvious difference between people who hold technique and form as the pinnacle of their training. Grit and intensity decide competitions, but you can move a load much more quickly if you do it efficiently. Even if you have no desire to compete, it is important for you to learn how to use your body properly to stay healthy. Sacrificing form to be “better” is not worth it and in the long term you will face the consequences.

I am asking you to check your ego at the door. It is time to be open-minded and face the fact. The fact is, we all need work with our technique on many movements. Rushing through your workout and shortening range of motion of movements is not making you any better of an athlete. Lifting heavy while giving up your form is doing more damage than you may think. Egos can insidiously prevent us from doing what we can do better. This is the Technique Development Program. It is designed to educate you with CrossFit methodologies and help make you a more functional human being.

We are going to take the side of safety and tell you to “go lighter.” We want you to reach your potential and we know you can not do it unless you perfect the fundamentals. A focus on quality allows us to more efficiently move our bodies or a weight and do it safely. Gains do not come instantly. I know it is hard to be next to firebreathers and not see dramatic improvements in a short period, but that is the nature of the beast.

I encourage everyone to asses their form, fix their fundamental weaknesses and be patient.

The gains will come.

Clients’s Signature: . Date:

I hope everyone changes their mindset during workouts. I have noticed a big change already.

Here is a satisfied Canyon CrossFitter sharing her success story (Kathy Hollingsworth)

"‎5 months ago, my journey began at Canyon Crossfitserveral goals and always remember from day one, I just wanted to do 1 "boy" push up. I tried once and failed. Disappointed, but not... discouraged, I continued on. Tonight, my goal became reality. I could not be more grateful to Rick for not giving up on me, Andrew for always encouraging me, Melisa for trying to teach me techniques. You all believed in me when I did not believe in myself. Words cannot express my gratitude"

100 Burpee challenge Day 9

2011-03-09T22:10:00.000-08:00

Day 9 - 6:42

Day 8 - 6:27

Day 7 - 6:32

Day 6 - 6:51
Day 5 - 6:58

Day 4 - 6:54
Day 3 - 7:32
Day2 - 8:24
Day 1 - 8:43

Running late today, have to go home sometime! I am covering the 6:00 a.m. Tomorrow morning. So I didn't PR but my body was not well prepared. I don't like to give excuses so tomorrow I will go at it. Tomorrow is game day.

My WOD:

For Time

30 Deadlifts @ 165#

500m Run

Result: 3:24

100 Burpee challenge Day 8

2011-03-08T20:50:00.000-08:00

Day 8 - 6:27

Day 7 - 6:32

Day 6 - 6:51
Day 5 - 6:58

Day 4 - 6:54
Day 3 - 7:32
Day2 - 8:24
Day 1 - 8:43

Day 8 is in and I am feeling a lot stronger during the burpees. I am always feeling like I am not pushing myself hard enough and I end up with a PR, I am feeling that my work capacity is increasing. I really have to prep in order for me to feel ready for these burpees. It is also a great warm up before my workout.

A message from Kathy:

"Day 8- Wow, who do we have to blame for this challenge? Also, would have been great to do n February with only 28 days : ) Yesterday I had a hectic work schedule and decided to do all 100 at a time, I did not fair so well as far as time as I clocked in at 21:15 (this includes timeout for oxygen as I did not have inhaler) Today I did the same and clocked in at 17:45 - Even though this is a huge accomplishment, I know I can do better, kinda glad I have several more weeks to prove it : )"

My WOD:

Ten rounds, each for time of:
100 meter Sprint
Rest 90 seconds

My Result:

14.30

14.56

16.47

16.72

16.15

17.28

16.03

15.60

15.47

14.59

100 Burpee Challenge Day 7

2011-03-07T21:50:00.000-08:00

Day 7 - 6:32

Day 6 - 6:51
Day 5 - 6:58

Day 4 - 6:54
Day 3 - 7:32
Day2 - 8:24
Day 1 - 8:43

1 Week in guys! I hope everyone enjoyed their burpees today! I caught a glimps in our Krav Room of everyone doing their burpees. That was awesome to watch. I love the dedication!

Update on Kathy and Arti.

Kathy: "Wow, I am still keeping up with this burpee challenge, have now been able to step it up and do 67 at one time and doing 1 set of 33 later in the day. I see that I am building endurance, hope it gets easier : )"

Arti: "I did 50 today (supposed to do 25 but had to make it up from yesterday). It wasn't bad at all so I'm going to increase my reps to 50. yay!!!!!!"

This is called making gains! I love it. I myself have noticed a huge increase in my stamina and endurance. I am getting better everday on my burpees.

We will see what tomorrow brings us! Have a great night!

MY WOD:

I. PUSH JERK: 3 REP MAX

RESULT: 245, 255(2)

II. 3 ROUNDS FOR TIME:

RUN 400 METERS
30 SHOULDER TO OVERHEAD @ 95#

RESULT: 9:09

100 Burpee Challenge - Day 5 & 6

2011-03-06T18:35:00.000-08:00

Day 6 - 6:51

Day 5 - 6:58

Day 4 - 6:54
Day 3 - 7:32
Day2 - 8:24
Day 1 - 8:43

So I didn't PR on Saturday, I am still going to try very hard to beat my time everyday. My body is starting to feel it however it is nothing too bad where I can't do the burpees. The key is recovery and definately nutrition. Everyday I do notice I can go a little faster. I spend a lot of time warming up before I do my burpees. I have to understand that as I am still training, some days will effect my burpees. This is all part of the challenge and I will go through it. I record all of my days in full length, I have them saved on a file. It just takes too long to Render and post it online. If I get enough time, I will catch up on that.

WOD SAT: Rest Day
WOD Sunday: Rest Day

P.S.

This weekend was awesome! Alicia, Cera, Barb and Melisa competed this weekend at Beat Your Best. It was an all womens competition and they all did great! Melisa had the fastest time!

100 Burpee Challenge - Day 4

2011-03-04T22:01:00.000-08:00

Day 4 - 6:54
Day 3 - 7:32
Day2 - 8:24
Day 1 - 8:43

This is Kathy's story of her burpee challenge. However, its more than just a burpee challenge. She is living through a story that will empower a lot of people in the future. She has already made so many gains. Unless you are here to see her hard work ethic at Canyon, you will not understand what it takes to actually make a difference. I am inspired because Kathy has only been doing this for a couple of months. If I had a couple of months in my training belt, I would not even think about doing this. She is proving to everyone that it is possible to challenge yourself. It is more than just 100 burpees a day. It is about building confidence, self esteem, character and ambition. If she keeps it up (and I know she will), she is going to take her gains to a whole new level. This is the same experience I went through, and a lot of other people went through as well at Canyon.

Thank You to the Canyon Community for being so motivating for each other. Without our camaraderie, we are just like every other typical gym.

I am really doubting if I can continue to beat my time. I have noticed a pace of 20 burpees a minute for 2 and a half minutes, then I gradually slow down. So if I keep a pace of 20 a minute, that takes me down to 5:00 flat. We shall see, I have noticed my nutrition needs to be dialed in as well as a lot of mobility and stretching.

My WOD:

A.Front Squat @ 30x1, rest 60 seconds (Work technically on front squat and do not exceed 75% of 1RM. Do not come forward out of the bottom in any reps.)

3-3-3-3-3 (185-195-205-215-225)

B. As many sets in 10 minutes:
12 Unbroken Pull Ups
6 Power Cleans @ 135#

Result: 4 Sets + 9 Pull Ups

100 Burpee Challenge - Day 3

2011-03-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

Day 3 Result: 7:32
Day 2: 8:24
Day1: 8:43

Thank You Romeo and Daniel for pushing me with the burpees. Now I realize I will be pushing myself for the rest of the month! Haha, it is all good. I am experiencing something I haven't felt since I started my first year in CrossFit. I am nervous everyday! I forgot how nervous I used to be. Now it is coming back to me. Everyday I get in the mindset of having to beat my previous time. It makes me doubt myself, then when the clock starts I go after it. This is going to be an interesting challenge, can I do it? Is my body currently capable of doing this for 31 days in a row? Meanwhile I plan to do my WODs on top of that.

Let me tell you this, if you guys are nervous coming into the gym, then you are on the right track. You are going to make gains and us as trainers our doing our job. It is very important to have that nervous feeling incorporated in your programing. This will teach you many things about your inner self, your capabilities and how much more you guys can do. I encourage you to push yourself, make yourself nervous and achieve!

My WOD:

Rest Day :)

100 Burpee Challenge - Day 2

2011-03-02T21:51:00.000-08:00

Day 2 Result: 8:24, pr

Full WOD (click here)

I'm glad to here more people are doing this! I have a feeling that this is going to get harder and harder! I cut off 19 seconds today from yesterday. Usually at 60 reps I reach 5:00. After the 5:00 mark, I start to gage when I am going to finish. So I do slow down a bit because I know how hard this will get later on in the month. Eventually, I wont be able to slow down and will have to push it everyday. We shall see how fast I can do this at the end!

Keep it up guys! I have two interviews tomorrow from Canyon that will be on the video.

I took extra grams of fish oil today! I hope I sleep well tonight!

Today's WOD:

For time:
50 double unders

3 rounds of:
10 Squat Cleans 115#
10 KB Swings 62#
10 Burpee Box Jumps (More Burpees!)

then 50 double unders to finish it off

My Result: 11:25

100 Burpee Challenge - Day 1

2011-03-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

Day 1, 8:43

Full Workout (click here)
So today is the first day of the 100 Burpee Challenge! I decided to post videos everyday of my progress throughout the month. I thought about doing this when I noticed quite a few of my clients accepeted this fierce challenge.

Here is the list of names that accepted my invitation:

Alicia
Bob (RXD)
Cera
Des
Guneet
Jason
Jimbo
Jose "Pollo" Hernandez
JP (Crossfit High Voltage)
Juan Hernandez (CrossFit Riverside)
Kathy
Gabe
Paige
Old Guy Rick
Ray

I think it is great that you guys decided to do this! What I plan on doing is creating an even exclusively for Canyon CrossFit Clients and Hope to get more involved! We will share our stories at our box (Possible Burpee Party at the end?) It's all up to you guys!

Stay Dedicated and good luck!

My workout for today:

Death by Thrusters! 95# BB

Increase 1 rep on the minute every minute until you fail to reach the reps in the minute provided.

Followed by (3 hours later):

C2: 3x( 250m +500m+ 750m)

Rest the exact time it takes you to do each interval in each set.

I am Capable

2011-02-16T22:10:00.000-08:00

[image source: Natural High CrossFit]

Capable:

1. Having the ability, fitness, or quality necessary to do or achieve a specified thing.

2. Able to achieve efficiently whatever one has to do; competent.

I strongly believe that anyone who walks into a CrossFit gym, sticks with it for about three months will soon realize what it means to be fit and will notice dramatic changes with their body. Someone who sticks with the CrossFit program for three months will also become a completely different person. Your confidence and self-esteem will increase. Your enjoyment of life will be much more happier and you will experience strong urges to excel and progress with everything you do in your life.

One word to describe what a CrossFitter is: CAPABLE.

We are capable to do many things! As a trainer, I enjoy hearing various success stories that was a result from their CrossFit training.

For example:

Faster times from races that include running, biking, swimming.
Many success stories of pursuits from police officers
Getting back into the dating game with confidence
Getting off medication for diabetics.
Knee aches or previous injury "magically" goes away after A LOT of money spent elsewhere.
Professional athletes and college athletes increasing their stamina for their sport (we have had professional golfers, baseball players, mixed martial artist, and a basketball player representing her country a long with many college athletes)

Three months and you will be capable too. It takes someone motivated to walk through that door. I have heard stories of some clients driving into the parking lot and going back home because of being afraid to walk in (Don't worry Rick has done that as well). Intimidation is a huge factor for a lot of people when they start thinking about joining a CrossFit affiliate. However, if you stay motivated and just walk into the fire, you will soon realize how much more capable you really are. You can do a lot more than you think. Let us prove it to you.

I wrote this blog after seeing what SICFIT had posted on their facebook page. The question was:

"This may be the toughest question yet. What would you call a CrossFit athlete? We need a word. 3,2,1, Go. #CrossFit"

My answer: CAPABLE!

Check out our new business cards!

Ways to Prevail from Hardship

2011-01-30T21:56:00.000-08:00

Quit the wrong stuff.

Stick with the right stuff.

Have the guts to do one or the other.

Everyone has to overcome some type of challenge in their life. The difference between failure and success is confidence. Three years ago, I lacked confidence. I worried, I second guessed. I didn't know if I could. You need to become confident in yourself! Become relentless and believe. Do you want to be the best in the world? And what would that take? My CrossFit training has also tough me to be confident in myself. It has help me become much more of a better person today than I have ever been. What goes through your mind during hardship? Physical or emotional, it doesn't matter. Talk to yourself, and make sure you tell yourself to believe.

Here are some videos of Prevailing:

Matt Banwart:

I am confident that I will Prevail

My Testimonial

2010-12-29T22:58:00.000-08:00

Get Some

New website coming up for Canyon CrossFit!

I have written a little something for the trainers page:

Andrew Garcia,

I am 23 years old and I am grateful for my valuable experience in CrossFit training. I have added years back into my life. I grew up living an unhealthy lifestyle. I lived with a family of six, all of us overweight. We were all blind to see what would end up being a terrible misfortune. My father, morbidly obese with numerous health issues, passed away. It was a rude awakening. I opened up my eyes and learned that I was on the same road as my father. It was time for me to change.

Still to this day, I feel that I was Canyon CrossFit’s least fit client when I started training. I was not capable to run down the block, hold up my own weight or lift anything at all. Rick and Ray were always apprehensive with me working out. I was experiencing complete misery, but it was something I put myself through everyday for a couple of minutes knowing that in the future, I will have lifetime results.

Three years have passed and throughout my experience I have lost over 100 pounds and regained my life.

I could not have done it with out the motivation from the community. I am thankful for them. My gains are immense. I continue to make gains and continue to be someone I have never imagined I can possibly be. I am reaching a level of fitness that will redefine conventional wisdom’s perception of fitness. Now I want to give back and reach to people’s lives.

Years before, I stared at my future with blank eyes. Now, I have a clear picture of what the CrossFit movement has done to so many people and I understand what works and what does not work. I am ambitious for the movement, for the wellness of others, and for myself. I have the will to do whatever is necessary to make good on the ambition for that cost.

Lots of good things coming ahead for Canyon CrossFit. It has grown so fast!

CrossFit. The Future of the Sport and the Community

2010-11-17T20:04:00.000-08:00

Visit sicfit.com for more Videos

The future of Crossfit is here to stay. Performance results from CrossFit is experienced every day all over the world. Lives are changing, thoughts and beliefs in the definition of what is fitness is changing. CrossFit is the proving grounds of an elite training program for everyone.

Many people from Canyon CrossFit didn't think they can do a pull up. I have more ordinary people flying on that bar than I thought was possible from my training.

Affiliates are growing more and more. Each and every crossfit affiliate has a strong community. It is completely different from any other gym.

The future of CrossFit is going to be big.

Will it be a sell out?

If CrossFit was a sell out , it would soon become a franchise, to be run inside places like retro, 24 hr and nysc

CrossFit does NOT do that

Crossfit lets the community guide it.

Crossfit has turned down reality shows and a shit ton of BIGGER opportunities.

Sell Out?? Uhhhhhhhh, NO.

CrossFit Improves Your Hops!

2010-10-27T22:19:00.000-07:00

These guys were messing around after their WOD. Blake reached an impressive 50" on a Standing Box Jump.

CrossFit training has started to show strong support in gains of raw strength and speed to increase vertical leaps and jumps.

Check out this article if you subscribe to the Journal. It's only $25.00 for an annual subscription. They provide tons of useful information regarding to proper fitness programing and proper technique in very complicated movements. Educate yourself in powerful knowledge and see for yourself that the future of the fitness industry will soon change dramatically. NO MORE GIMMICKS.

If you do not subscribe, you can check out Ryan Moody (5'9") who has the world record for a standing jump of 56".

Nailing Those Handstands

2010-10-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

You can find coach talking about the importance of a handstand on the CrossFit Journal.

"Why train handstands and when will we ever be doing Handstands in real life?"

"Well, you will be coming to my gym, and that is real life. And you will be doing them there."

I agree with Coach. The necessity for increasing your GPP (General Physical Preparedness) is huge. I believe this is something EVERYONE should be able to do. If someone is obviously strong enough to get into a hold but is still not capable of getting into a handstand, that tells me that there is a lack of flexibility with that person, and a lot of work needs to be done on those shoulders.

A lot of first timers on handstand holds get really red blood shot eyes. This is something your body will adapt to and overcome. You will start to notice you will feel more comfortable in a handstand and have a better sense of direction.

As K-Star mentioned at my Mobility and Movement Certification, your upper body is built the same way as your lower body, there is not difference! Your shoulders are your hips, the arms are your legs. Your elbows are you knees and your feet are your hands.

Handstand walks anyone?

Handstand Push Ups? Or should I say Handstand Squats? How about on the Rings?

Have you ever heard of

"Geometrical Construction of the Vitruvian Man by Leonardo Da Vinci"?

Coach Sommer talks about how to get stronger quicker with Handstand Push Ups:

The fastest way to build strength in handstand pushups also happens to be the easiest; simply spend more time in a handstand. Anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes should be appropriate for most athletes. This is total time including both work and rest, although try not to go overboard with rest times. Free balancing on the rings is the absolute king and will lead to strength increases over an incredible range of exercises. Next is free balancing on either the floor or parallets. Finally for those who are as yet unable to free balance, wall handstands will also give a nice return for the effort involved. Another tip that will help to increase your HSPU strength is to simply hold some of your handstands in a bent arm position. This is actually quite a bit of fun and helps to break up the monotony. Yours in Fitness, Coach Sommer.
So be prepared to get those Handstands dialed in at Canyon CrossFit.

Just like how we make everyone do double unders :)

A Journey

2010-10-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Melisa working on her pull ups during a birthday celebration. We took a party bus to San Diego. There was about 25 party animals during this extravaganza, and most of them were CrossFitters! The CroossFit family is strong. I can almost guarantee you that no other gym out there has clients close to each other as well as CrossFit affiliates. I can also guarantee that no other gym will get you in better shape than a CrossFit affiliate. This is being proved all round the world, results are no gimmick. This movement is growing faster than any other fitness paradigm ever.

My journey started over two years ago. I turned my fathers death into something life changing. My father was morbidly obese, our lifestyle as I look back was shortening our lifespan. We were so blind that it had to take a life away to actually see what we were doing as a family. There are many families, MANY families out there that are experiencing this same lifestyle. If not, worse.

What started as a change for myself, turned into a change for many of the clients at Canyon CrossFit. Our facility became more than a gym, it is a home. It is a home to share our experiences of becoming real human beings. To become functional, athletic and to some of those with determination, elite.

You will not find this anywhere else. This will never go away. This is a movement. A new journey to help motivate the rest of the world. I just hope that my family and the family members of my clients wake up and start making a change.

It is sad to see that even after my fathers death, caused by bad eating habits, my family continues to make the wrong decisions.

There are a lot of stories like mine.

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My Commitment

2010-09-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

Throughout the year I was really interested in CrossFit Endurance programming. It helped me out tremendously before and to some other clients that have been doing it at Canyon. My readings on their website made me look into other peoples success stories on their journey for endurance races.

I remember how much I used to run. All of the sudden running became something I looked forward to. I really enjoyed it. I used to run fifty miles a week.

I bought running shoes and ran as much as I could as often as I could. This might of been the worst thing I did to myself. (other than being morbidly obese at an early age of twenty. I used to weigh 330 lbs and was over 50 % body fat)

CrossFit training doesn't only transform ordinary people into elite athletes; more importantly, it educates you with principles that go against conventional wisdom. Not everyone at my box understands that.

It's hard to let go and realize that a lot of education in health and fitness for the general population is complete bullshit.

We can talk a storm about nutrition, but for this blog I am talking about running.

I stopped my running due to injuries. It slowed me down and eventually I lost my love for it. I always hear the same shit from others as well.

CrossFit introduces Pose running. It opened up my eyes so much. Has anyone out there been taught how to run? Or are you surrendering yourself to running shoes?

It is the shoes that I learned that was my problem, how can I be so blind? I started running barefoot and learned to use gravity and my body as oppose to heel striding. This dramatic change made all the difference!

It's time to run again, this time with CrossFit trainning and Crossfit endurance training.

I plan on running my first race ever. Never before have I ran a marathon in my life. Next Feb, I hope to be ready to run an Ultra Marathon. 50 miles in trails. I'm excited and really committed. I have talked about doing this for months now.

My only concern is the month I took off for my shoulder injury. My work capacity has dropped tremendously. I feel so shitty on my Wods now. But I'm staying strong and powering through.

This makes me think a lot, and I come to realize

WE ARE ALL SPOILED.

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True Primal Day 5

2010-09-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

This is my fifth day on our 90 Day Nutritional Challenge and I wanted to show you guys what I had for breakfast today!

Fruits:

4 strawberries and an Orange. I am going to start moderating my fruit intake. Fruit does contain fructose!

4 eggs with a whole tomato diced

Some chorizo!

five small carrots diced

two celery sticks cut

onions

pepper seasoning with green salsa and two table spoons of sour cream.

Very delicious and very filling! Don't forget your fish oil! I'm at 16 grams a day of EPA/DHA with fish oil from Costco. Fish Oil is fish oil guys. Lovaza is nothing superior than what I am taking.

Also, I'm feeling funny during my first week on Primal. I had to cut out grains (never really ate too much) , rice and beans! What the biggy was for me was peanut butter. My arms were getting goosbumps and I was feeling really cold. The next couple of weeks I'm gonna focus on eliminating more sugar in my diet.

An alternative to peanut butter can be almond butter!

Post Wod nutrition! Try coconut water! It's amazing! So far the best post wod nutrition along with whey protein or grilled chicken (if your done for the day)

I'll try to post more frequently on my journey!

Today is day 5, already dropped 3 lbs. Don't worry about weight right now. I'm just curious if fruit will play a big roll later on down the road.

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Form Check!

2010-09-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

How many of you guys have A LOT of trouble with that Front Squat? First thing first, we need to have proper squat depth. On any kind of squat we do here at Canyon I expect everyone to follow the standards. We follow the honor system here with proper ROM (RANGE OF MOTION). I see a lot of shitty squats and my constant reminder is going to stand!

If you are truthfully trying your best and feel like you need some work with your hips and hamstrings, please come and see me!

On Squating:

Legs are shoulder width apart.

Feet slightly pointed outward.

Try to keep shins as vertical as possible. you don't want your knees in front of your toes!

Weight is focused on your heels, feet flat on the ground.

Head is neutral with the spine, look slightly above the horizon.

When squating, hip crease must reach below top of the knee joint!

On the top of the squat, reach full hip extension!

Check out Oliver on the video, he has great form not only with the squat, but with the the rack position of the barbell on his frontal deltoids. Females usually have better flexibility with males. Oliver has to roll the barbell on his fingertips in order to get the barbell in the position he wants for that front squat. His elbows are high and the weight is now focused on his body instead of his wrist.

A lot of you complain about the wrist hurting when you do front squats. I can tell you this, it is probably because you are not squatting low enough on the movement. Let's refrain from being Conans at Canyon! Scale down to a lighter load and work on that squat depth.

Wrist still hurtin?

Then you need to work on that flexibility with your wrist! Come see me! Follow Oliver on his solution.

Embrace the pain! Your body will adapt to the strain. Just like the calluses on pull ups, thumbs on that hook grip, hips from that air squat. The problem just goes away. Your body is an amazing machine, learn to get comfortable being uncomfortable!

Resilience!

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First Post With My Droid

2010-09-18T20:35:00.000-07:00

just checking out this app I got for my phone to post blogs. Hopefully you will see a video of Angel doing a Nazi zombie crawl. heading home from Santa Barbara right now.

Make sure you check out our new Krav Maga Class!

Stay Paleo my friends...

Drewbird

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ROUTINE IS THE ENEMY

2010-07-26T22:02:00.000-07:00

CrossFit in 100 Words:

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull ups, dips, rope climb, push ups, sit ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits and holds. Bike, run, swim, etc. hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy, keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports.

- Greg Glassman

CrossFit has changed my lifestyle, and I am gratful for that. I am constatnly making gains from my workouts. I am learning to be a lot more efficient on my lifts. I am learning to take care of my body and recover quicker. I am acheiving fitness heights and reaching an elite level of athletic performance.

There is something that CrossFit has that no other trainning regimen can match. CrossFit challenges your ego. It breaks you down and gives you an oportunity to bring it. There is a fire in me that gets sparked in every WOD. It is uncomfortable. You want to stop, you want to rest, you want to quit.

Every CrossFitter will learn to persevere through a workout, and the feeling of finishing is beyond words. "Get comfortable being uncomfortable."

"I have long believed that the best use of CrossFit is to acheive greater success in your sport...Others are now seeing the potential." - Brian Mackenzie.

I believe it is now time to put my CrossFit gains to test. For the next six months, I am going to be CrossFitting hard. I am going to record my workouts everyday starting August 1st. I am going to be talking about my nutrition. It will all lead up to something I have been thinking about doing for quite some time.

Details coming soon.

Are You Ready?

2010-06-14T23:10:00.000-07:00

Let the Games Begin

The CrossFit Games is one month away! I reccomend everyone to watch what is promised to be a spectacular weekend! You can purchase your ticket to the Home Depot Center or watch the games live on the web!

Collectively from around the world, we have 50 of the worlds fittest male and female CrossFit competitors all ready to perform work capacity across broad time and modal domains. Coming July 16th, you will see people defy logic. No other fitness program has developed such athletes that obtain respectable skills in all fitness domains. No other human can prove that they can lift heavy, run fast, obtain great body weight control and perform with high intensity than the 50 male and female athletes ready for the unkown and the unknowable.

Jason Khalipa (2008 Champion)

Mikko Salo (2009 Champion)

Virtuosity

2010-06-01T23:14:00.000-07:00

Virtuosity - performing the common uncommonly well.

Read the free article on Virtuosity.

Got this video from Jeremy Theil's blog.

One week ago I did a mainsite WOD that had back extensions, goodmornings, L-sit holds, and two tough sit ups. My hamstrings are still TRASHED! I have been using triggerpoint thereapy every single day and I have been stretching like a mother. It is far worse than any max deadlift I have ever done. However, because of the constant care I am giving my hamstrings, I am still able to perform WODs to the best of my ability. As a matter of fact I have noticed it to be easier to reach Full ROM on my squats and PR'd three times already within a week!

Take care of your body everyone, you are all CrossFitters. You guys are all badasses. Immortals! But you can't hide or ignore what your body wants to do, and that is recover!

Trigger Point Massage Thereapy (With Ice)
Mobility Movements!
Fish Oil!
Nutrition!
Sleep!

A Good Day

2010-05-25T20:16:00.000-07:00

Fran was in the air today, everyone killed it! I am impressed with the commitment everyone is showing. I have a lot of work ahead of me. I am grateful for my level of fitness. My ability to perform functional movements properly in my everyday life has gone a long way.

Thinking back when I started two years ago, everyone I worked out with is a completely different person now. CrossFit gives you results far beyond your expectations.

LIVE LIFE TO ITS FULLEST

Bereft of Science? from NorCal Strength & Conditioning on Vimeo.

"A goal without a plan is just a wish"

2010-05-20T23:51:00.000-07:00

I am filled with a bunch of ideas. I am making plans to help achieve my clients' goals. I am feeling confident with the direction Canyon CrossFit is going. What started out as a garage gym has impressively grown rapidly within two years into something big, with a hell of a lot more potential.

Stay tuned for the things that will be coming up throughout the year and next year!

A Whole New Perspective

2010-05-11T20:50:00.000-07:00

Getting a lot of things done this month. Have been very busy with all the events that have been going on. I have learned a lot recently with accomplishing goals. I am putting together new ideas for the box. I want to get back to writing my newsletter. Get back to the hours of studying like a CrossFit trainer should be doing. I also have set new goals for myself.

I am hungry.

Below is a video I found pretty awesome by CrossFit Central. If you don't know, Crossfit Central is one of the most successful CrossFit affiliates in the Country. The community there is involved tremendously.

It puts my life in a whole new perspective...

Visit sicfit.com for more Videos

Crossfit Southwest Regionals!

2010-05-07T23:27:00.000-07:00

Guilty

2010-05-03T22:33:00.000-07:00

I must admit, this song is addicting. Pretty Cool!

The Southwest Regionals is this weekend!

If you want to see a community of amazing people come together to workout and support one another, look no other than at the UCI track and field this Saturday and Sunday! Proud to say, the fittest athletes around the world will be there. All humble and dedicated to peform elite fitness in all domains. There will be tons of energy! As well as an amazing experience! I am going to compete for the affiliate cup. It's the best weekend for it too! Its going to be on my 23rd birthday! Pretty excited!

Running The Sahara

2010-04-07T21:30:00.000-07:00

Watched this movie today, it was awesome. There are some people out there that can run. There are people out there that will run 25+ miles every weekend. Some people out there run that every day. The more I learn about these ultra marathon runners, the idea of running in sandals is less absurd.

The idea of falling makes more sense. The strength training is much more important than running in general.

Morning Run on Easter Sunday

2010-04-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

Went on a run this morning on Easter Sunday. I felt really strong on the run. I went to Chino Hills State Park and ran on a trail that lead to the San Juan Hill Peak. It is about a 6 mile run round trip on grassy hills and mainly an incline all three miles up. The weather was nice, however; I would of enjoyed a little more sun.

There were also a bunch of gnats everywhere! I had to keep my head down running through the cloud of thousands upon thousands of gnats.

Found a little piece of landmark at the top of the hill. I stood on top of it, did a couple of air squats and looked at the amazing view. Looking southwest you can see all of Yorba Linda down to the ocean. I turned around and looked at Riverside County. Chino Hills, Pamona, Ontario, Fontana, as far as the eye can see! It was pretty awesome.

What a good day to start Easter Sunday I say now. Ha ha.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Chia Power!

2010-04-02T15:43:00.000-07:00

So during the sectionals a couple of weeks back when I was judging, I made my chia drink early in the morning. I remember I left a mess in Leigh's car and put the cup in a plastic bag. It remained in that bag ever since. This morning I found the bag in my office and went to clean it out when I noticed what had happened! The chia seeds grew! At a first glimpse I thought it was going to be something gross. It turns out that the chia looks and smells very clean. So I thought now would be a good time to share to you guys what I have been drinking every morning.

"A lot of you guys have been curious lately on what I have been drinking and talking about at the gym. Its the Chia Seed! That's right, just like the Chia Pet."

Salvia Hispanica, a magical seed cherished in central Mexico. So valuable it was used as a form of currency for the Aztecs. There are tremendous nutritional value and medicinal properties in these seeds. For centuries this tiny little seed was used as a staple food by the Indians of the south west and Mexico. Known as the running food, its use as a high energy endurance food has been recorded as far back as the ancient Aztecs. It was said the Aztec warriors subsisted on the Chia seed during the conquests. The Indians of the south west would eat as little as a teaspoon full when going on a 24hr. forced march.

Chia Seeds rich in nutrients (In 1 Table Spoon):

Has 8x more potassium than a banana
3.1 Grams of Omega 3's (Alpha-linolenic acid)
1 Gram of Omega 6 (Linolenic acid)
4.2 grams of fiber
2.5 grams of protein
Magnesium
Iron
Phosphorus
Zinc

"That's all dandy but what I am interested and learned to be very useful for us badassCrossFitters is what happens when you mix it with water."

Due to its high fiber content, Chia seed absorbs up to ten times its weight in water, making it an excellent source of hydration. The Chia soluble fiber forms a gel that slows the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, binds it to toxins in the digestive system, and helps eliminate waste.

Carbohydrates are the fuel for energy in our bodies. Prolonging their conversion into sugar stabilizes metabolic changes, diminishing the surges of highs and lows creating a longer duration in their fueling effects.

You know that burn during Fran on those quads? This is the production of lactic acid. The working muscles generate energy anaerobically. This energy comes from glucose through a process called glycolysis, in which glucose is broken down or metabolized into a substance called pyruvate through a series of steps.

The Chia seed in its gelatin state will work on your side! It works extremely well for both the long monostructural endurance movements (running, rowing, swimming and biking) and high intensity anaerobic movements performed in an aerobic environment (CrossFit). Slowing down the process of building up lactic acid will help you with your WOD!

The gel that is formed in the stomach creates a physical barrier between carbohydrates and the digestive enzymes that break them down, thus slowing the conversion of carbohydrates into sugar.

This is all Chia Power Baby! I have been taking Chia every morning and I have to say, don't think of Chia as an energy booster because it is not. It keeps me hydrated, helps me recover faster after my workouts, endures me on my runs. It is a great food to add to your diet.

My diet:

High dose fish oil
Lots and lots of water
Very small amounts of GLA (found in evening primrose oil)
Zone by heart (hard) / Paleo in my thoughts
Chia!

I hope I intrigued you guys on chia. This ancient seed is a very powerful "superfood" Give it a try!

The Groove

2010-03-29T21:39:00.000-07:00

Starting to get into that groove again. The weather has been beautiful! I am seeing the soft green hills over here in Yorba Linda and Anaheim Hills and I just feel like I want to put on my camel back and take off for a long run! There are so many trails over here that take you to so many different places I am learning about. If you don't see much of me this summer, you'll know why!

Lots of great events coming up soon. Warrior Dash is on Saturday, April 10th! It should be lots of fun! If you are wondering why I have such a disgusting beard and grubby hair, this is why! Gotta look as warriorish and barbaric as I possible!

CrossFit Regionals will be held at the UCI track and field. Should be insane! If you are a participating athlete, staff member or even a spectator, be prepared to witness an immense amount of motivation and camaraderie that will guarantee to be an overwhelming experience! A great day for the CrossFit community! This will be on May 8th and 9th (My Birthday! and Mother's Day!)

On May 15th and 16th , the next weekend after Regionals, Team Canyon CrossFit will be participating at the American Cancer Society - Relay For Life. It is a 24 hour walk. This event will be held at Canyon High School. I will be hosting a workout at the High School and all local CrossFitter's are welcome! There will be a donation required in order to workout. Should be lots of fun! Please donate to our team to help fight Cancer!

Sectionals Follow Through

2010-03-17T09:48:00.000-07:00

What a great time! One thing I know for now on is that I am never going to Judge again! It was a great experience, however; it took a lot out of me. It felt equivalent to about 8 Frans. Long hours of work, felt like I was there for 7 days.

Next year I am going to compete, I underestimated myself where my fitness level is at. I can probably place better than half of those guys. It's hard to measure where you are at when you train at a box with your own community, and it surely does look like Canyon CrossFit is doing something right!

Congratulations to Bryan Wadkins and Eric Song for completing the Sectionals! There were 170 athletes competing last weekend. Bryan Placed 19th (Going to Regionals!) overall and Eric placed 40th.

It looks like Regionals is going to be unreal!

2010 CrossFit Games Socal Sectional

2010-03-12T07:56:00.000-08:00

Background

I couldn't even sleep last night and the competition does not even start until tomorrow! I am not even competing in this event and I'm nervous! What makes a CrossFit event completely different from any other sporting event is the Camaraderie. Nowhere else can you find so many amazing people with so many stories of unbelievable success. We all share the same pain throughout all fitness levels, and we are all ambitious athletes determined to persevere and excel in all fitness domains.

I am wishing the best of luck to Canyon's two competitors: Bryan and Eric. Two very amazing athletes that give it their all in each and every workout.

UCLA's Drake Stadium is going to be packed with excited spectators and Sic-fit athletes.

Judging this event is an honor, glad to be a part of it.

Post memorable moments to comments.

Perseverence

2010-02-23T23:11:00.000-08:00

A lot of people said they couldn't today, and I turned it around and showed them they could. Perseverence.

Stand by Me

2010-02-17T10:10:00.000-08:00

Stand by Me from theRedPillRadio on Vimeo.

This is a great video I would like to share. Things are looking good in my life. Have much to look forward to in the future! I'm getting into my running groove again. The weather is beautiful here in Yorba Linda, CA. The hills are green again. The weather is warm. Barefoot running has been an amazing experience! I feel free, there are new senses on my feet. I am never tired or hurt. I can go fore miles while I let my mind trance. It's a good way for me to let loose and just relax, indulge. I am glad I have realized that the shoe is the root to all evil on the foot and knee. It's a shame people are being illinformed on what is accepted in today's society.

Today's workout is Khalipa's Challenge #4

500m Row

5 Rounds of:

10 Wall Ball Shots

10 Power Snatches

End with a 500m Row

Achieve Your Goals!

2010-02-07T21:24:00.000-08:00

You must never quit. I remember always doubting myself a couple of years ago. I was never confident. I was worried for my health. I had the fire in me to do something about it. It started out small, very small, miroscopic! But it was there, and that fire grew. I reached my goal.

Now that I prepare for this year, what should I expect from myself? MORE!

Here is a look at some of my physical stats from when I started Cossfit to now:

MOVEMENT / PREVIOUS / CURRENT

1 mile run / 10+ mins / 6:50

Fran / 15mins mod / 4:24 Rx'd

Helen / 24 mins mod / 10:30 Rx'd

Cindy / 12 Rounds mod / 22 Rounds Rx'd

Grace / 9:30 Rx'd / 2:32 Rx'd

Angie / 33 mins mod / 20:20 Rx'd

Jackie / 11 mins mod / 7:05 Rx'd

Fight Gone Bad / 214 Rx'D / 380 Rx'd

Deadlift / 350lbs / 430lbs

Clean / 205lbs / 245lbs

Jerk / 215lbs / 255lbs

Overhead Squat / Never Possible / 195lbs

Max Pull Ups / 0 / 22

500 meter row / 2:05 / 1:30.6

Pretty amazing if you ask me.

Now to train to reach these numbers!

Sub 6 mile
Sub 3 Fran
Sub 6 Jackie
30+ Max Pull Ups
400+ Fight Gone Bad
500+ lb Deadlift
300 lb + Clean and Jerk
250 lb + Overhead Squat
225 lb + Snatch
Sub 20 Angie
Sub 2 Grace
25+ round Cindy
Sub 1:25 500m Row
Sub 8 Helen

Now I am Confident. I am motivated. I am ready.

Our Concept Once Deemed To Be Ineffective

2010-01-31T16:51:00.000-08:00

CrossFit is hard to define but easy to recognize.

"Constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity."

"To increase work capacity across broad time and modal domains."

Take a look at these videos and see for yourself what looks like the best way to achieve functional fitness:

It's hilarious how much CrossFit is forbidden in a lot of "Globo" gyms. (24 Hour Fitness)

Dangerous? Really? I have been thinking and I looked back at my recent WODs. I am realizing how much more of an athlete I have become. It has almost been two years since I started CrossFit, and in these two years I have learned so much not only about fitness, but about life. I have learned ways to attack my goals effectively, ways to become more sociable, ways of eating and treating my body right.

What I have learned most is how often I see that our training methodologies are not popular at all in the "real world," and that is sad to see, however; the CrossFit movement is growing and the word is getting out there. Our concept once deemed to be ineffective will soon be acknowledged, and one day I hope to see that it's not about how our body looks that is most important, but how well we perform with our body.

One day...

Until then, I encourage all of you to switch to these frowned upon solutions:

CrossFit
Barefoot Running
High Dose Fish Oil
Paleo Eating
Zone Living
Burpees

2010 OC THROWDOWN

2010-01-04T13:26:00.000-08:00

5 more days till the throwdown! This is going to be an exciting week of preparation!

10,000 sq ft warehouse in Irvine

125 Competitors, 300+ Spectators

Film Production Crew Covering the Event.

Tons of sponsors, including Rogue Fitness, lululemon athletica and Oakley.

These workouts will be programmed by the legend James “OPT” FitzGerald. James won the CrossFit Games in 2007 and is widely considered to be one of the premier strength and conditioning coaches on earth.

There will be 4 workouts to be completed in two days. I believe, at my level of fitness, that this should not be a problem at all. I just want to successfully complete the workouts as RXD in the limited amount of time given. (Let's just hope there are no muscle ups, handstand pushups and leg pistols!)

The spectators are going to make this event. Motivation is huge in the CrossFit community and I believe that this weekend, magic will happen. My test of will will be pushed beyond capacity, and it's all going to be fueled by motivation from the spectators. I am ready to give it my all!

I will be recording this week on my training and preparation and experience at the event.
It's been almost two years since I started CrossFit and boy how much have I improved, however, now it is time to see where my level of fitness stands with 59 other men. Some of them I can consider amongst the fittest on earth.

Key to success:

You have to be pretty good at everything. CrossFit tests your ability on 10 elements of fitness wich are:

Cardiovascular and Respiratory Endurance
Stamina
Strength
Flexibility
Power
Speed
Coordination
Agility
Balance
Accuracy

I'm telling you right now, Lance Armstrong (or any endurance athlete) will not win this event, or succeed at any Crossfit Workout. Sure he can ride a bike for miles, but if you ask him to lift 135lbs overhead, or do 100 Pull Ups, Push Ups, Kettle Bell Swings, Wall Balls, and Deadlifts, he won't be able to perform as well as everyone else.

With that being said, any power lifter or body builder that can lift ridiculous amounts of heavy weight will probably not even finish a workout. An athlete under fitness must be able to perform in every aspect fitness throws at you.

Know the unknowable, train for everything. It helps you as an athlete and in the real life.

"Achievers are commited to their goals and driven my determination."

You Got To Have Fun

2009-12-21T13:35:00.000-08:00

It's the holiday season, Canyon CF is hitting thier wods hard. Just wanted to let everyone know that you gotta have fun with your wods! The Canyon Crossfit Christmas Party this last weekend was epic. I had an amazing time.

I found a great video in Crossfit Disco! It's awesome, I love it. Happy Holiday's Everyone!

WORK CAPACITY

2009-12-17T00:41:00.000-08:00

What is CrossFit? from Jeremy Firth on Vimeo.

"Constantly varied functional movements performed at a high intensity."

That is what Crossfit is all about. I look and compare myself from what I used to be to what I have become. I never really took the time to actually think about my results. In a year and a half I went from not being able to run at all to running 10+ mile trails. I was afraid to use the 20 pound Kettle bell, because I would get so sore. Now I am rocking the 70 pound Kettle bell with ease, fearless. I used to not be able to hold myself on a bar, any bar. A pull up wasn't even thought of, just fantasy.

What we measure for Crossfit is the increase work capacity across broad time and modal domains. Simply, how much is in you? POWER. How fast can you carry a heavy load over a long distance?

My lifestyle has completely changed, looking forward to get even better.

80% of weight loss is Nutrition, 20% Physical Fitness.

Who you are is what you eat, take care of yourself. Tough Love

email me if you would like to join my newsletter.

www.andrew@canyoncrossfit.com

Indtroducing KB

2009-09-30T21:20:00.000-07:00

KB, the world.

The World, KB.

KB Wants You To Stay Focused from Andrew Garcia on Vimeo.

Dear Body

2009-06-19T01:22:00.000-07:00

Dear Body,

I can't believe that after twenty two years, I've never written you a love letter. I call myself a romantic, but I've never taken the time to acknowledge all you do for me, and how closely our fates are entwined. I love you body. I know you have always cared for me and I never really treated you well, but now that I have started to change my habits, I sure hope you don't give me much pain anymore. If I can only feed you right and tend your blisters and calluses well, I hope soon to see better results in our relationship. But as of now, the sense of strength and self-reliance (of what you can do!) is remarkable.

Yes, I am sorry for confusing you so much with all of these workouts, but it is something you are going to have to get used to! You will never know what's gonna come after you, and I think that it is best for you not to know. I hope you can understand.

I am very regretful for treating you so bad my whole life. It's a shame we lost that sense of connectedness and that broader perspective back then. I'm sorry for all the ways I've misused you in the intervening years. I know you gave me gentle reminders, like indigestion and headaches. I don't know how I misread those extra pounds, the visible reminders of what I was doing to you. It's only been the asthma and the migraines that made me sit-up and take notice. Thank you for the wake-up call, I really appreciate it. I think we're finally getting a good balance of mutual appreciation and respect.

I am constantly awed at your ability to adapt to any new challenge I've thrown at you. You have changed my perception of running, I enjoy it so much now. The intensity levels you are able to obtain from me is amazing. My workout times have been cut in half. Most importantly, however, is the increase of power you have achieved.

Power is the product of force and displacement (work) over the change of time. Do you remember the first time we did grace? Our time was around 6 minutes. Our recent time however is now around 3 minutes. We cut our grace time in half. How did we do that? We didn't lose much weight at all, but we were still capable to achieve a faster time. We gained power. We had more power generated to lift the 135lbs olympic bar over our head at a faster rate. This is amazing, it is challenging, it is results.

So thanks Body, again, for all that you do. Now as we turn twenty two, I am really excited to see what we can achieve next. There is still a long ways to go, another journey to reach, but now that we are on the same page, working together, I believe we can achieve unbelievable things.

Yourself,

Andrew

To You, hot head

2009-05-13T22:42:00.000-07:00

Mr. Hothead,

It's starting to get annoying. I'm glad some of you guys are being humble really quick, but those to you that leave with lame excuses, shame on you. It starts from within man. Nothing will beat the will to succeed. It is all about achieving that mental ability to push yourself in order to perform better than what you have done before. That is my stride! I workout for myself and I can workout alone just as hard. Even though motivation is what gets you started, I have already surpassed needing people to push me. Come and watch me workout alone sometime, I am in another world where I am yelling in pain not stopping what so ever. Sure my blood vessels in my eye pop. Sure I get calluses and open blisters by the week. Sure I live my life feeling like jello and continuously live feeling sore and in agonizing pain. That's the beauty of it, and what I get as a result from within, is the beast.

I still have a long ways to go Mr. Hothead, and I am sorry if I smoked your ass when you tried out our workouts. Please don't feel bad about me outworking you. You should feel embarrassed for yourself when the girls are lifting more weight and reps than you are and are cutting your times in half. You should wake up after a moment like that and ask yourself, "What am I doing wrong?" If you have any sense of intelligence in your brain, you would easily know that you were doing something wrong your whole life, and what you believed what was being "fit" was just a flop.

I have my own personal goals to reach and worry about. Believe it or not I am never satisfied with my accomplishments. I always find holes in a lot of things I do. But I am just going to get better, and scarier. Go ahead and rep your curls or run your miles. I have a lot of WODs to get through. See you on the flip side.

Regards,

Drewbird

GET SOME

2009-05-04T10:36:00.000-07:00

It takes a lot to push yourself going against the will to stop, and from there it takes a lot more to exceed your body's natural desire to rest.

It does hurt. It is rough. It is tough, and I agree it is unbearable, unpleasant and relentless.

It is not typical. It is not routine. It is not machine. We are not prisoners of today's modern perception of fitness. In fact, we are against and frowned upon at "globo" gyms and recreational fitness centers everywhere.

We believe in survival. Our specialty is not specializing, we punish the specialist. We contain performances in elite levels of cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination and accuracy. Our goals are to sport world class fitness.

Our times are personal, our sweat is rewarding. Our girls are filthy, our heroes are honored. The whiteboard shows our progress. Motivation is key, enthusiasm is our atmosphere.

It is Crossfit. It is not a fad, it is a lifestyle. A community all over the country and even parts of the world where people work hard, they break away from the normal gyms, and it pays off well. It is extremely challenging. It is brutal. It is intense, but none of us quit, and that is something I admire the most.

"Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tints of cloud of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are;
It may be near when it seems afar.
So, stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-
It's when things go wrong when you mustn't quit."

WHAT THE FOOT?

2009-04-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

I know right? I was thinking the same thing. What's with the kicks man? Ay Dos Mio! Are you going loco? What the foot man?

Educate yourself people. When it comes to working out and running, everything depends on your feet. I have recently been studying Pose. The pose method is a technique of running that includes the balls of your feet. The natural forces in running are gravity, ground reaction (Newton's Third Law of Motion), torque (The re-direction of energy to get foward movement in running), momentum and inertia, muscle contraction and muscle elasticity.

When I see people run, I see them running against these natural forces, and I always get that aggravated reaction like when someone scratches a chalk board with their nails. The "correct" way to run, allegedly, is from the heels of your feet...- Yeah right. Running this way destroys your knees. You are pounding on mother earth for no reason (What did she do to you?). You are using far too much energy than you need to keep a pace that will eventually get you hurt. With pose comes ease. You are letting gravity do the work. The way I see the pose method to work is because you are not really running. Your legs act as springs as you continuously fall forward.

Let the balls of your feet react to the ground. The more you pound the ground, the more energy is exerted back to your legs which makes your legs very vulnerable to injury. As you let your body react to this motion, you are literally becoming a human lever. You are easily moving forward with minimal effort. This is because you are building momentum, the product of mass and velocity (Thanks Euler!).

Now are you ready for a scare?

I consider it to be one of the biggest scams ever. Shoes. Think about it. It's a big industry and in running a lot of money is being situated with shoes. The science keeps getting updated and the shoes are always newer to back up the science. Yet, people are still getting hurt, and the injuries are what the big shoe companies like. It's a loop that people get stuck in, and for some reason they are told to run a certain way. What does pose support? They encourage running as bare foot as possible (and some people actually do). What did the cave men do?! They did not have any fancy shoes to run with. THEY WERE BAREFOOTED! If you go outside barefooted and start running the way you do, I guarantee you that you will stop running on your heals because it will hurt like hell! You will start to walk on the balls of your feet because it feels more comfortable that way. It's our body's natural desire. We were made that way. We were made to run, and to run on the balls of your feet, not the heels. Look up my fellow Crossfitters on Youtube. See what's on their feet. The souls are flat, the shoes are light, some are barefooted and surley a few have the five fingers (That funky looking shoe up their that is starting to make a hell of a lot more sense).

Whether it be Chi or Pose or something else I don't know, please be a rebel. Please be smart.

Please be aware of what the foot is going on in this world today!

Crossfit Testimonial

2009-04-23T01:05:00.000-07:00

Here is a testimonial I wrote for Canyon Crossfit last year. I believe it was 4 months into starting my Crossfit Movement (It's not a fad, it's a lifestyle):

Andrew, Age 22... "Something I have always wanted was a change. I have lived most of my life heavily obese. I ate anything I wanted, whenever I wanted. I felt guilty for what I have become. I weighed over 315 pounds. I fell out of shape and was terrified to run half a mile. Since my father passed away, I started to realize that I needed to change. I was apprehensive for the consequential health of my future. I wasn’t motivated at all. But with a little help of facing the fact from my friends and family, I was able to start my life changing experience.

Since the end of March this year, I tried to prove myself that I can do it. I was willing to shut up the voice in me that was saying I can’t. And I did it. Crossfit made me change. With the help of Crossfit, I have lost at least 65 pounds. I look forward to Crossfit everyday now. It is no longer a drag to go and workout and get tired and sore for days to come. I am now eager to go to Crossfit everyday and show myself that I CAN hang. Everyone at Crossfit is very motivating. I lost weight and regained my life. I increased my confidence. I have more endurance. I am more ambitious to achieve many more goals that are ahead of me. I can run a full five miles now without stopping. Crossfit will continue to help me for the better health of my future, and I encourage everyone to give it a try."

It has been a year now, and I have dropped a good 105 lbs. The first six months might be most impressive for a lot of people, losing 75lbs so fast. But I have to tell you, I am most impressed of the last three months of this year, by far. I don't give a shit for the vanity, you can throw away those mirrors in your garage or gyms. The vanity is just a byproduct of how hard your work and diet is. My performance is phenomenal when I work out. I have been cutting my times in half. I thank my fellow Crossfitters for motivating me so much, especially the girls. I am very impressed to see how much improvement girls make in Crossfit. These girls are damn strong and in my own perception, they blow me out of the water!

I am Andrew Garcia. I Crossfit 6 days a week, and run on average 30 miles a week. Don't ask me how my diet is because you will not like my response. This is because I workout far too much to diet. In my opinion, diets are just an excuse. Get your ass moving and get some! I don't like the globo gyms, they can go to hell. I'd rather feel good than look good (In my opinion though, pullups and muscleups look good, bicep curls don't).

I Crossfit at Canyon Crossfit, www.canyoncrossfit.com, Yorba Linda, CA

A Bird's Getaway

2008-10-03T02:33:00.000-07:00

Stress, the confusion caused when ones mind overrides the body's natural desire to choke the living shit out of some asshole that desperately needs it. I can't explain it any better. Imagination has endless possibilities under the category of stress. I woke up one morning wondering why the sun was beaming its glistering rays of electromagnetic radiation so early, and I had an epiphany. The night before I was severely stressed out from the pounds of bullshit that weighed upon my responsibility, for I had endless dreams that night of all the possibilities of relieving my stress. I soon became convinced, deep inside me, that I was a cacodemomaniac, dacnomaniac, and a tulipomaniac. We can forget about what these manias are in definition. My figment of imagination may exceed its boundaries of the, "common people," but I have this supreme power to hold things in and be patient with myself. There is a place I like to visit that cures the demonic stress that I have, and this place is the beach. To be more specific, it is Moonstone Beach in Cambria, California.

The Pacific Oceans vast and mysterious surface has often lured me to its ever-changing shore. Listening to the peaceful sound of the rolling waves and watching the hypnotic movement of the water as the sun dances on its surface instill within me a deep feeling of contentment. Here, beside Mother Ocean, I am able to relieve all my anxieties and admire the wondrous beauty of "Gods" most simple creations. Besides Her, I find endless inspiration.

In the city of Cambria, inspiration came to me in the form of a brilliant aqua- marine light that lingered in the ocean. One night after dinner, I decided to take a walk and explore the outdoors. Night has an unusual way of changing the ordinary into the extraordinary. Although the night was chilly, the cold crisp sand that squished between my toes did not stop me from continuing my nocturnal adventure. I wanted to become lost in my own thoughts to immerse myself in the mystery of night on a distant shore. I continued walking, unable to see what lay ten feet in front of me. To my right lay the Pacific Ocean, above me the hung the stars. I gazed out at the ocean, where the horizon had disappeared, and got lost in the black canvas that stood penetrating before me. All was silent.

From all of this excitement, all of my prior stress has now been forgotten. My stress has been cured in a way that is only explainable at this enriching, calm, minor paradise beach. What came to me next may only be described as an epiphany. My complex, arithmetic mind starts to kick in gear as I gaze at the wondrous Pacific Ocean that lay before me.

Suddenly the ocean lit up, startling me. A bright florescent green light weaved itself through the crests of the waves like an electrical current. I stared in complete bewilderment at the spectacle before me. Every time a wave crested, then broke, a certain distance form shore, bioluminescent organisms made themselves visible in a shimmering curtain of light. Never before had I witnessed such a magical scene.

I pulled up a plastic lawn chair, courtesy of the owners, and sat down, somewhat expecting the green electric current to have disappeared, to have merely been a figment of my imagination. However, the illumination of my bizarre discovery was still there. Indeed the spectacle green light was real.

I sat outside in that cold and squeaky lawn chair for over an hour, staring at the ocean. Its beauty and vastness humbled me. An overwhelming sense of calm enveloped me. It was impossible not to become one with my surroundings. I had surrendered to nature's authority and ironically felt liberated. Although I was sitting in the little confines of my lawn chair, my mind was free to travel. Like a child, I was full of questions and wanted answers. I wanted to discover the cause of the green light in the ocean. I wanted to know why I hadn't seen it before. Could I have been blinded by my ignorance? What a blessing it was to have been allowed to witness this. All this went through my mind as I continued to gaze at the electric glow in the ocean.

I realized, in my getaway, that underneath the oceans surface there was a thriving world waiting to be explored, and above the midnight sky where some of the most brilliant people in the world try to explain what is above us, still remain unexplained. I want, desperately, to travel through the unchartered territory and discover for myself the mysteries of the earth and its universe. Moments before, while I stood staring at the black canvas before me, I stared at my future with blank eyes. At that moment, I had been unable to define the path that lied ahead. Now, I have a clearer picture of what my future holds. I am going to dedicate my life to learning all that I can about the wondrous world and its complexities that I live in and do what ever I can to protect it, explain it, and share it so that future generations can bask in its awe inspiring beauty.