Workout of the Day:
Five rounds for time of:
Wall-to-Wall Suicide Sprints
20 One-Arm Overhead Walking Lunges (10 each arm)
15 Wall Ball Shots

The CrossFit Football Certification Is Up and Running . . . Fast!
Written by C.J. Martin

There are many benefits to being part of the CrossFit community, but none more important than access to the knowledge of some of the finest coaches around. The CrossFit Football Certification puts several of the top coaches in the CrossFit community in the same room, at the same time, to teach others how to customize CrossFit workouts for athletes that depend on their strength, power and speed. 

I was lucky enough to attend the inaugural CrossFit Football certification, and it kicked ass. The CrossFit Football certification takes CrossFit to the next level by teaching athletes how to apply the CrossFit concepts, movements and intensity to maximize their potential to excel on the football field (or really any environment that requires speed, power, agility and strength). The certification covers areas typically left alone by CrossFit certifications, such as sprinting, change of direction and agility drills and specific drills for developing explosive power. 

That this might be the best certification available to coaches and athletes should surprise nobody. Let’s look at the coaches who put this thing together:

• John Welbourn – A ten-year National Football League veteran and CrossFit affiliate owner who understands what’s required to compete at the highest level of the sport, and knows how CrossFit can help athletes maximize their athletic potential.
• Kelly Starrett - Perhaps the best CrossFit coach I have ever met. He also happens to be a Doctor of Physical Therapy and master of diagnosing and treating mechanical dysfunction both before and after it has manifested into injury.
• Max Mormont – A nationally ranked Olympic lifter (140 kilo snatch, 190 kilo c&j) with a passion for making others better. Max is a gym rat in the best sense. He has learned from everyone he can, and shares what he knows with all who are interested in learning. He is also one of the CrossFit originals, earning his Level 3 CrossFit certification in 2002.  
• Raphael Ruiz - Strength and conditioning and speed coach to athletes such as Deion Sanders, Gary Sheffield, Alex Rodriguez, and Antonio Tarver (to name just a few). Raphael has an encyclopedic knowledge of biomechanics and training methodologies; he is an incredible resource to have in the CrossFit community.
• Robb Wolf – CrossFit’s nutrition guru has been instrumental in working with the CrossFit Football team to put together a nutrition program to optimize performance for athletes who need to be big as well as fast.
• Andy Stumpf – A certification team leader for CrossFit HQ who is as knowledgeable about CrossFit and CrossFit programming as anyone around. 

The CrossFit Football Certification circuit gets underway on June 18-19 in Cookeville, TN. The certification will be held at Tennessee Tech in their weight room and football field. If you have an opportunity to get out there, do it. If you know anyone in the area, encourage them to attend. This is a certification that should not be missed. If you cannot make it to the first public certification, check out their schedule and get yourself registered.