Look at the determination!
Casey Burgener (Mike Burgner's son) will be going to the this year's Beijing Olympics
Bill and Faith will be leaving Pittsburgh and heading to Boston and visiting Crossfit Boston. Huff claims that this picture was taken after one hell of a workout at Crossfit Pittsburgh. By the faces of some of those crossfitters around them, I'll believe him. Those Pittsburghers look tough. Too bad they haven't been able to compete with the West!
Matt has nice form on his squats. In this picture, observe how low the bar is on Matt's shoulders and how high his elbows are.
Huff and Faith have been having a great time in Pittsburgh. When they are not spending time with Bill's family, they have been hitting up Crossfit Pittsburgh. They have a very friendly facility. In fact, they have even requested Huff to help teach some group classes as well. How cool is that?? I'll keep you updated about their trip to the East as best as I hear more.
Today's CFT Clinic was awesome! It is not too often we get the privilege of witnessing so many personal records being set at one time. It's incredible that almost everyone got at least 2 PRs. Sue got 3! And Miguel (as seen in the picture above) even set a deadlift PR 50 pounds over his previous best! Wow. This was the first time I've been able to see most of you lift heavy weights and I am impressed to say the least. Thanks to everyone who came out and helped create such a good time.
Whether you are a novice lifter or you have been lifting your whole life, I highly recommend reading Starting Strength by Mark Rippoetoe and Lon Kilgore. It is extremely informative and descriptive on the back squat, the deadlift, the press, the bench press, and the powerclean. Not only that, it is written very clearly so that anyone could understand it. So what are you waiting for???...go get it!
Huff pushing through "Jackie" at CF Newport Beach
Huff was in Newport today and stopped by Genetic Potential/Crossfit Newport to get in a workout with Brian and Melissa MacKenzie (see picture above). Besides them both being expert trainers, they are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. We couldn't encourage you enough to go check out their great facility if you are ever in or driving through Newport Beach.
Huff and I are absolutely determined to get our affiliate up and running. We spent about 6 hours visiting multiple locations and talking to numerous owners. Then, after a very "relaxing" squat/L-sit session, we finished our application for affiliation and have just sent it in! Tomorrow we will be applying for our business license as well as our insurance among other cool things. We are working hard in hope that we can provide all of you a great affiliate to work out at soon. WE ARE STOKED! Thanks for the support! 
That peaceful looking heart on the summit of the Mcmenemy Trail today in no way symbolizes the enormous pain everyone fought through today... unless it symbolizes a heart attack. Faith,Tim, Danielle, Nathan, Karen, Ken, and Heidi: you all deserve a day to relax because you all pushed through and finished the most difficult Saturday workout ever done. Great job! Although some of you (and me) got lost on the way up, we all eventually made it to the top and you've earned your title of King/Queen of the mountain. Special thanks to Karen and Nathan for providing us all with fresh strawberries to munch on after the walk down. I think everyone will agree that no strawberry has ever tasted so sweet.
Tomorrow's workout will be starting at noon on the McMenemy Trail! Make sure to bring some water, a pair of running shoes, and a strong sense of will. This one won't be easy! I won't give away what we'll be doing, but I'm betting that you can take a pretty good guess. You can find the directions by clicking Here. See you at the trails!
Finally, summer is here! I'll finally have enough time to create workouts that will make even Greg Amundsen cringe. Cheers to a summer full of sweat, tears, and beers (a little added protein powder can make anything zone!)
Huff and Nick hanging out at the Cert
Sue knows that pushing hard through a workout is what it is all about... in case you couldn't already tell..
Ashleigh coaching it up (sorry it's not an updated pic)
Come join us this Saturday for our free Saturday Workout! We will be meeting in front of the UCSB Recreational Center at noon (or meet at the pull-up bars if you know where they are). I always look forward to seeing everyone workout because I almost always notice the improvements everyone's been making. Example? Last week, the numbers everyone put up for the pull-ups was an outstanding improvement from just a few weeks ago! I don't know who's pull-ups have improved more for the girls, but they have all made drastic improvements. Congratulations Faith, Ashliegh, Danielle, and Sue. Amazing work. As for the guys, the numbers you are starting to put up are creeping up to Bill status (and surpassing me!...Dammit!). Keep up the effort! And if you haven't joined us yet, why not? Your wasting a perfectly good Saturday by not getting to meet and become part of our Crossfit community. Come out and join the party!
Every rest day, the Crossfit main site encourages thoughtful debate and discussion on various topics by posting a link to an interesting or controversial article/video. While having discussions is not a necessary component to the Crossfit program in anyway, I think it is an interesting and useful way to spend some of that extra time we have available on rest days. Starting today, there will be an article or video posted for discussion every rest day. If you choose to read them, I encourage you to contribute to a thoughtful discussion. I do ask that you play nice and think about what your saying before you make a post. I hope for some of you, this will be an interesting and thought provoking addition to our blog.
Miguel has proven to be the dominant force in our Crossfit Trivia game. But, even if you still have no points, don't give up! There are still 6 more questions to go and they will progressively be worth more and more points. Keep up the good work!
When you can, spending time to cook your own meals is really the most beneficial and easiest way to stay in the zone. However, cooking a perfectly measured zone meal can often require more time and energy than you have. Constantly having very little time to cook between classes, workouts, and work, I am constantly thinking of new, quick, and tasty ways to stay perfectly zoned. Here is one of my creations. A great tasting 4-block blueberry smoothie when I am really in a hurry:
It's "Fran" time! No single workout is, by itself, completely accurate in predicting someone's overall fitness level. That being said, "Fran" provides a pretty strong measurement to see how fit you are. As anybody who has tried this innocent looking couplet knows, it can throw a brutal beating. Use caution if it is your first time at it. There is no shame in taking 60 minutes to grind this one out. Just break it up into manageable pieces and chip away at it. More than anything else, give it your absolute all!
Mike Cooper is no stranger to Pukie. In his 2 month crossfit career, he is proud to have meet Pukie 4 times! Can anyone beat that??Every so often, someone gets the opportunity to meet Pukie after or during a crossfit workout. While puking may not be the most fun thing you ever go through, it really is an honor in disguise. It shows that you were able to push yourself harder than your body was ready for. You also can get a real good assessment of how much abuse your body can actually take. Personally, I have not puked yet. I have come close, but the honor has never befallen me. I can only hope for that perfect day when I finally empty my stomach! Have you meet Pukie yet? If so, please share your stories with us to the comments.
