Posts Tagged ‘Play Good Challenge’

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Workout of the Day:
Take 15 minutes to work on Power Cleans
(if you feel good, add weight, if not, work technique and focus on maintaining good speed on the barbell for each attempt);
and then,
7 rounds of:
3 x Power Cleans (as heavy as you can)
Wall-to-Wall Suicide Runs
(partner up with one or two others and work through – get back to the barbell as soon as you complete your sprints and your partner has moved on to his or her sprints)

Karen of CrossFit Invictus San Diego Before Weight LossKaren of CrossFit Invictus San Diego After Weight Loss
Happy Birthday Krazy K
Written by C.J. Martin

Krazy K turns 51-years-young today!  But the amazing thing about her birthday is that she looks and feels YOUNGER today than she has in years.

Krazy K has been a life long carb-addict.  She would almost always choose bread over meat.  For years I attempted to educate and convince her to modify her diet, but being her son didn’t help in that fight.  The catalyst for change finally came late in 2009.  She was inspired by Robb Wolf and Nicki Violetti.  Robb and Nicki are friends, but what inspired her was their conviction and dedication to providing the absolute best in nutrition information.  Despite trying times, Robb and Nicki never stopped sharing top-shelf information to help people get fitter, leaner and healthier.

Like most people, Krazy K waited until the holiday season had passed, and on January 4, 2010 she began eating a clean Paleo diet.  She has been creative with her cooking and has produced some damn good meals, thereby creating a lifestyle nutrition plan – NOT a diet based on starvation or deprivation.

The results are apparent from the photos above – taken on February 1, 2010 (left) and March 24 (right).  She has lost 30 lbs. since January 4 – most of which came off of her belly as she is the typical high-carb, high-stress, little sleep body type.  What you cannot see from the photos is that her Paleo nutrition has also totally eliminated a chronic rash that she used to get when wearing certain materials, and she is enjoying new hair growth after years of thinning hair.  But most importantly, she feels great.

I couldn’t be happier that my mom has made these changes.  I am convinced that she has reversed the clock.  I believe today she is getting younger.  Happy birthday Krazy K!

Karen of CrossFit Invictus San DIego Before Weight Loss 2Karen of CrossFit Invictus San DIego After Weight Loss 2
Karen of CrossFit Invictus San DIego Before Weight Loss 3Karen of CrossFit Invictus San DIego After Weight Loss 3

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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Workout of the Day:
Six sets of:
2-Position Power Snatch
Rest as needed between sets;
and then,
Seven rounds for time of:
95/65 lb. Power Snatch x 7
30″/24″ Box Jumps x 7
Gary BeforeGary After CrossFit Invictus Challenge

Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good Challenge – Announcing The Winners
Written by C.J. Martin

What did you think was possible in 7.5 weeks?  Did you think you could lose 30 lbs?  Did you think you could add 30 lbs. to your max effort clean?  Well, several did.

The Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good Challenge was more successful than I could have ever dreamed.  The results, across the board, were phenomenal!  On average, our participants improved by 36 points on their Play Good Challenge workout – a combination of improvement in max effort clean and reps performed in the conditioning workout.  That alone would make me a very happy man; the changes seen in the photographs are icing on the cake.  Several individuals lost 25 lbs. or more while still improving on their max effort cleans.  That’s damn good!

Without further ado, the winners of the Invictus Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good Challenge are:

  • First Place – Kim McLaughlin (finished in the top 3 in all scoring components!)
  • Second Place – Mark “Thor” Noah
  • Third Place – Tausha Beard
  • Fourth Place – Merritte Powell
  • Fifth Place – Gary Martin (pictured above)

I will be highlighting each of the winners as I receive their permission to share their stories, but I will start with our Fifth Place finisher – my big brother, Gary Martin (pictured above).  It’s easy to take him first because I know the circumstances he was fighting to make these changes – and he cannot get too angry about me bragging about him.

Gary won the photo component - which was only one third of the overall scoring - by a landslide.  But he didn’t have an easy path.  Gary is a father, husband and shift worker.  He goes to work at 4:00 a.m. and goes straight from work to pick up his son (5) and nephew (4) from school.  He brings them down to the gym with him at 4:30 p.m., heads home for some dinner, hangs out with his wife (who often has to work late), and then gets to bed about 5 hours before he has to get up to do it again.  Needless to say, this busy lifestyle led to a lot of eating foods most convenient to him, and the sleep deprivation wreaked havoc on his body.

Over the last 8 weeks, Gary gave up soda and fast food, and dedicated himself to a diet fueled by meats and veggies, complemented by some fruit and nuts to satisfy any sweet cravings.  He hasn’t been able to find time to get much more sleep, but he has stayed diligent with the nutrition and consistent at the gym.  The photos (see below) speak for themselves.

I am extremely proud of all of our competitors, and my brother is no exception.  (He is not, however, exempt from razzing about the tan in the “after” photos.)

Gary Before FrontGary After CrossFit Invictus San Diego Front

Gary Before CrossFit Invictus San Diego Challenge BackGary after CrossFit Invictus San Diego Back

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Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

Workout of the Day:
“Play Good Challenge”
Part One – Find your 1-RM Clean in 15 minutes or less
(power or full – get as much as you can from ground to racked, standing position);
and then,
Part Two – Complete the following for max reps:
Two minutes of Wall Ball Shots (20/12 lbs.)
60 seconds of Rest
Two minutes of Kettlebell Swings (24/16 kg)
60 seconds of Rest
Two minutes of Box Jumps (24″/18″)
60 seconds of Rest
Two minutes of Rowing (for calories)
(Compare results to February 1, 2010.)
Angela of CrossFit Invictus San Diego

The Challenge is Ending . . . or Beginning?
Written by Invictus Member Angela McLean

As the Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good Challenge comes to a close I found myself contemplating the true meaning of a statement I made to one of the fabulous ladies in the 9:30 group. She asked how the contest was going and I replied, “Good, I just can‘t wait until it is over.”

It was the “I can’t wait until it’s over” part that had me thinking (talking to myself actually, but for those of you who know me this shouldn’t come as a surprise). What did I mean when I said that? Am I going to start buying bread and eating large quantities of pasta with Alfredo sauce? Am I going to stop working hard at Invictus, or stop doing workouts altogether and spend more time droning endlessly on a treadmill at the traditional gym? Am I going to stop reading the Crossfit Journal and the Paleolithic Solution and read Twilight again (yes, I said again)?

HELL NO! This contest is only the beginning. This was the start of a change of lifestyle, not a temporary challenge or a diet, but a true change. I have battled with my weight all my life and have lived with mountains of self-imposed guilt when I ate anything that I perceived would put more weight on my already overweight five foot one inch body. I went through cycles of fitness, working out for a few days and then stopping for a few days, weeks, even months. Counting calories, under eating, over eating and fad diets, you name it I tried it. You get the idea, lots of unproductive, unhealthy cycles of chaos in this part of my life. This Challenge and my almost year-long education at Invictus have truly changed my world view when it comes to nutrition, exercise and overall health. I feel better and stronger, both physically and mentally. Cheat days are just that, a day or a meal and no-longer come with guilt. I find myself sharing what I have learned with anyone who will listen, and have recently used this information to help my mom start down the Paleo path.

So, does it end on March 23, 2010? Nope, it continues – more workouts, lean meats, fresh veggies, nuts and seeds. Most significantly, more continuing education from the coaches at Invictus, who have helped bring peace and understanding to this portion of my life. So, I am up to continue the challenge, because I want to Look Good, Feel Good and Play Good for the rest of my life.

Anybody care to join me?

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Monday, March 22, 2010

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

Workout of the Day:
Take 18 minutes to find your new one-rep max jerk;
and then,
Three rounds for max reps of:
60 seconds of Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
30 seconds of Rest
60 seconds of Ball Slams (as heavy as you can handle)
30 seconds of Rest
60 seconds of Push-Ups
60 seconds of Rest

Honorary Invictus stud Lindsey J. is moving on to Regionals after a great performance at the New England Sectionals over the weekend. Congratulations Linz!

Honorary Invictus stud Lindsey J. is moving on to Regionals after a great performance at the New England Sectionals over the weekend. Congratulations Linz!

Lookin’ Good, Feeling Nervous?
Written by C.J. Martin

The big day is almost upon us!  The final day of the Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good Challenge is this Wednesday.  Our photographer will be at the gym to take photos of all the competitors at 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.  The Challenge workout will be held at each of our regularly scheduled sessions.

This should be an exciting time for those 70+ of you who have been eating well and training hard over the past 7 weeks.  So how will you approach the final couple of days?

Today’s workout shouldn’t be too strenuous on those of you who are planning to “peak” for the big event on Wednesday.  But, you shouldn’t be afraid to take it a bit easy either.  If you know you are heading into competition, it doesn’t make any sense to crush yourself in the couple of days before.  It does, however, make sense to get into the gym and move a little bit.  Do some foam rolling, do our dynamic range of motion warm-ups, practice some technique, and get your blood flowing.

Tomorrow, well, I suggest you sleep in.  If you cannot keep yourself out of the gym, come do some light myofascial release and the warm-up, and maybe practice some technique, but that’s it.

Even if you’re not in the Challenge, Wednesday will be a great opportunity to see how you have progressed since February 1.  We will be repeating the same workout, so check your Performance Logs and set some goals for yourself.  By how many points will you improve?

And finally, every member of the Invictus family is invited to our celebration on Sunday night at Confidential (a super cool lounge downtown, set up by one of our super cool members).  At that party, we will crown the winners of the Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good Challenge, and we will celebrate the performances of the 15 Invictus athletes who will be challenging themselves at the SDAZ Sectionals on Saturday and Sunday.  If you intend on celebrating with us, please make sure you RSVP to info@crossfitinvictus.com.

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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Workout of the Day:
Five sets of:
Push Press x 6-8 reps (as heavy as possible)
Rest 60 seconds
Kettlebell Swings (24/16 kg) x 20 reps
Rest 60 seconds (sorry for earlier typo);
and then,
In three minutes, complete a 400 meter run and as many double-unders as possible in the remaining time.
Rest three minutes and repeat for a total of five cycles.
Post number of double-unders completed each round.
Kristie and Dani of CrossFit Invictus San Diego

Say No To LSD
Written by Michele Vieux

I have been asked many times, especially now that the LGFGPG Challenge is in full effect, if people should do “cardio” on their own in addition to their strength and conditioning workouts at Invictus.  My initial reaction is usually, “how was traditional ‘cardio’ working for you before Invictus?”  Think back on the low-fat/fat-free craze of the 90’s – long, slow distance (”LSD”) endeavors are kind of like that “conventional wisdom” that we now know to have been poor guidance.

Paradigm shift here people.  What so many of you know as the quintessential pillars of health and fitness are wrong!  I know this blows some of your minds but fat-free and LSD are old news, and could even be causing you harm!

Besides being extremely boring (IMHO), there can also be health costs of repetitive mid- and high-level aerobic work that should make you take another look at your routine.

What is LSD?  LSD can come in many forms, including running, biking, rowing, and even CrossFit (you know, those chipper WODs or 7 to 10 rounders that take 45 minutes to complete).

Most of the Invictus workouts are a bit different.  Invictus workouts provide a strength foundation with conditioning that typically calls for quick bursts of speed.  Work periods are typically shorter, and often some rest periods are provided to ensure that athletes can recover and regain their ability to perform at a higher intensity.  Most (not all) of the workouts at Invictus will take under 15 minutes (of work at least, if not the total time of the workout).

LSD workouts typically require large glucose reserves created by the body from large amounts of dietary carbohydrates.  Invictus workouts, on the other hand, train the body to derive more energy from fats, not glucose, requiring fewer calories from carbohydrates.

LSD also increases cortisol and insulin levels, which can tell your body to store fat, cannibalize lean mass, and make you more susceptible to infection and injury.  Invictus workouts work in different metabolic pathways and tend to increase aerobic capacity, insulin sensitivity, and natural growth hormone production.

Finally, LSD tends to emphasize quantity of movement (distance, high volume, etc…) over quality of movement – which can reinforce poor movement patterns.  Invictus workouts tend to include less volume and higher intensity (heavier weight and/or shorter work durations).  Focusing on heavier weight shifts focus onto quality of movement and helps to emphasize proper mechanics and technique.  Think of it this way, you don’t need to be very precise to snatch 65 lbs, but if you’re snatching 135 lbs. or more (ladies), you’re probably going to need to perform the movement a bit more precisely.

To me, the choice is obvious.  Spend your valuable time on short, intense workouts to increase aerobic capacity, train your body to burn fat for fuel and build lean mass, and move in a safe and efficient manner.  If you have spare time, spend it preparing your meals (remember folks, nutrition is going to be your best friend for changed body composition).  If all of your meals are planned and prepared, you’ve completed a hard Invictus workout, you’re getting at least 8 hours of sleep at night, and you still want to do some extra “cardio,” come talk to one of your coaches about a good plan.  It can be beneficial, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of your nutrition, rest or recovery.

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Friday, February 5, 2010

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

Workout of the Day:
Four sets of:
Press x 2-4 reps
Rest 60 seconds
Single-Leg Squats x 6-8 reps each leg
Rest 2 minutes;
and then,
Five rounds for time of:
Max Reps Pull-Ups
Broad Jumps (5′/6′)

Complete 30 total reps each round. So, if you do 20 pull-ups on your first set, you must do 10 broad jumps before returning to the pull-up bar; if you do 10 pull-ups, complete 20 broad jumps before starting the next round. If you can easily perform more than 30 consecutive pull-ups, drop on 29 and do your 1 broad jump before returning to the bar for your second round of max reps pull-ups.
Sage Burgener of CrossFit Invictus at Crossfit Games

My Coach Should Be Your Coach (especially if you want to win more than $1200)
Written by C.J. Martin

Sage is my coach.  I work with Calvin on issues like mobility, muscle imbalance and prehab, but when it comes to learning the Olympic lifts, she’s my homegirl.  I meet with Sage twice a week for an hour, and in less than a month I have improved my snatch and clean and jerk dramatically.  What has made the difference?  TECHNIQUE!!!

Olympic lifting is a skill.  Everyone can muscle a certain amount of weight from the ground to overhead with minimal practice, but if you want to become efficient and achieve anything close to your potential, you need a coach, and you need to practice.  Practice alone is not the answer.

Practicing poor mechanics repeatedly can groove bad habits.  It’s likely that you’ll make some progress because your body is learning to adapt and create some compensatory patterns to enable you to move the weight through the range of motion, but it also means that you will almost certainly plateau once you can no longer muscle the weight through your sticking point.  This is a frustrating point for every lifter, because it normally means you have to reverse ground, drop your weights down and relearn the movement before you can begin to see progress again.  Your coach is there to make sure you catch those bad habits before they are engrained in your movement patterns.  Slight tweaks in mechanics can result in huge gains in a short time.

Got it, coaches are great, but why do I need to practice my Olympic lifting?

If you’re participating in the Invictus Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good Challenge – and 65 of you are, you know that you are going to have to perform a one-rep max clean on Wednesday, March 24.  You will be scored on how much you improve upon your February 1 performance.  So what’s your plan?  How are you going to add 20 or more points to your score on the Play Good Challenge workout?  Well, my strongest suggestion is that you sign up to work with Sage sooner rather than later.  This is low-lying fruit.  Grab these extra points, or you’ll wish you did later.

Sage is coaching Olympic lifting seminars Monday-Thursday at 6:30 p.m., and on Wednesdays at noon.  You can sign up for 4 sessions (one a week for 4 weeks) for only $49.  If you want to get into one of these seminars, get your name on the board or email info@crossfitinvictus.com.  If you can only make a day that is designated for intermediate or advanced lifters, talk to Pops or one of your coaches and we’ll see what we can do.

If you want more coaching – and you should, remember that all participants in the Challenge get a 15% discount on a package of 5 coaching sessions.  You can do 30 or 60 minute sessions, the discount applies to both.  Invest now in spending some time with Sage and your cleans are bound to improve.  Spend some time with Calvin, Michele or George and figure out how to tweak your nutrition to optimize your fat loss and muscle mass gain.  You only have 7 weeks to go.  Get on it!

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Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Workout of the Day:
Four sets of:
Bench Press x 5 reps
Rest 10 seconds
Dynamic Push-Ups x 12 reps
Rest 3 minutes;
and then,
Four rounds for time of:
15 Pull-Ups
50-yard Bear Crawl
200 Meter Farmer’s Walk (as heavy as you can handle)
Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good Challenge at CrossFit Invictus San Diego

Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good Challenge – Day One Results
Written by C.J. Martin

What an amazing start to the first Invictus Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good Challenge. As of right now, we have 62 participants vying for more than $1200 and three-months free membership.  Here are the preliminary results (we have NOT finished the rankings, as several participants will be completing the workout later this week):

Men

Women
AT – 490 (275# clean) Tausha B. – 293
Cody Mac – 407 (240# clean) Kim M. – 290
Greg L. – 383 Amanda P. – 288
Thor – 380 Kim S. – 278
Bassem E. – 375 CP – 277
Yonas Bros. – 340 Stacy S. – 276
Gary M. – 329 Jen M. – 269
Brad A. – 327 Laura J. – 258
Hosier – 325 Marsha C. – 253
John C. – 316 Kristen H. – 248
Apple Jack – 312 Sinthia – 236
Brian H. – 299 Kellie P. – 227
Courtland – 298 Lil’ Katie N. – 219
Dan W. – 291 Krazy K – 213
Merritte – 287 Sarah the Human – 204
Mike N. – 286 Angela M. – 203
Flash Gordon – 282 Renee M. – 202
Dr. Butler – 272 Nancy H. – 200
Jeff G. – 271 Lucy C. – 200
Jason O. – 269 Price A. – 197
Andrew B. – 264 Jennifer H. – 196
Jason M. – 237 Heather P. – 195
Carlos N. – 292 (scaled) Tawny E. – 182
Harvey B. – 298 (scaled) Megan B. – 181
Megan L. – 176
Annette W. – 165
Lisa D. – 160
Amy M. – 138
Kristie K. – 233 (scaled)
Laura F. – 214 (scaled)
Kim H. – 193 (scaled)
Jennifer N. – 188 (scaled)
Carolyn K. – 215 (scaled)
Fern S. – 175 (scaled)
Gina F. – 165 (scaled)

All in all, more than 140 individuals walked through the doors of Invictus yesterday to participate in our Play Good Challenge workout – most of which are shown below on the whiteboard at the end of the day.  Great job by everyone who participated!  Keep up the good work – a LOT can change in 8 weeks!
Feb 1 Whiteboard at CrossFit Invictus San Diego

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Monday, February 1, 2010

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

Workout of the Day:
“Play Good Challenge”
Part One – Find your 1-RM Clean in 15 minutes or less
(power or full – get as much as you can from ground to racked, standing position);
and then,
Part Two – Complete the following for max reps:
Two minutes of Wall Ball Shots (20/12 lbs.)
60 seconds of Rest
Two minutes of Kettlebell Swings (24/16 kg)
60 seconds of Rest
Two minutes of Box Jumps (24″/18″)
60 seconds of Rest
Two minutes of Rowing (for calories)
Nichole and Sage

The Play Good Challenge Rules
Written by C.J. Martin

Today we kick off the first annual Invictus Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good Challenge.  Even if you’re not in the challenge, this workout is a great opportunity to test your level of fitness, and then retest it again in eight weeks.

This workout has two major scoring components: a technical lift that requires power, speed and strength; and eight minutes of conditioning that will test your ability to continually perform simple movements despite your lungs’ prayers for a break.

After your warm-up, you will be given exactly 15 minutes to work up to the heaviest clean you can achieve.  You are welcome to power clean if you are more comfortable doing so – all that matters is that you move as much weight as possible from the ground to the racked, full standing position.  You will record only your heaviest successful lift.

Then you will move to the conditioning stations.  You will complete as many reps as possible in two minutes at each of the four stations, resting only 60 seconds between each.  All participants will be given a scorecard and a partner to help count their reps.  Your partner will tally your repetitions when you finish, and will add this number to the amount of your heaviest clean for your final score.  (E.g., Athlete A works up to a 225 lb. clean, performs 52 wall ball shots, 65 kettlebell swings, 41 box jumps and 38 calories on the rower for a final score of 421 points.)  Participants in the Challenge will be ranked based on their final score, and will take their rank (not their score in the workout) into the final two scoring components for the challenge.  Your goal, and path to winning the challenge, is to have a few points as possible (the lowest average rank) after all three scoring events.

Play hard, play good!

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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Monday, January 18th, 2010

Workout of the Day:
Take 2-3 sets to warm-up, and then perform three sets of:
Overhead Squats x 5 reps
Rest 10 seconds
Burpees x 15 reps
(Perform the burpees as quickly as you can and record time for each round.)
Rest 3 minutes;
and then,
For max reps:
2 Minutes of Kettlebell Swings (24/16 kg)
2 Minutes of Rest
2 Minutes of Dumbbell Hang Squat Cleans (45/25 lbs.)

Thanks to all who helped us celebrate a great year!

Thanks to all who helped us celebrate a great year!

Women of CrossFit Invictus San Diego

The Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good Challenge Scoring Criteria
Written by C.J. Martin

There will be three scoring components to the Invictus Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good Challenge:

  1. Initial Performance – On the first day of competition all participants will complete a specially designed benchmark workout.  Participants will be ranked based on their performance (fastest time or highest number of points).  The higher their ranking, the fewer points they will carry into the next two events.
    (E.g., If the workout was Fight Gone Bad and Athlete A scored 350 points, the highest score in the competition, he or she would take one point into round two.  If Athlete B scored 200 points to earn the 20th best score, he or she would take 20 points into the next round.)
  2. Improved Performance – On the last day of competition all participants will repeat the initial benchmark workout.  Participants will be ranked solely on how much they improve their performance (time or points) over the course of eight weeks.
    (E.g., Using our same example, if Athlete B scores 240 points on the final workout, for a total improvement of 40 points, better than any other competitor, Athlete B will have a total score of 21 points entering the third phase of competition.  If Athlete A scores a 362 in the final workout, a total improvement of 12 points and the 20th best total improvement in the competition, Athlete A will carry 21 points into the third phase of competition.)
  3. Physical Adaptation – All participants must be photographed at the beginning and end of the competition.  Both your “before” and “after” photos will be submitted to our panel of coaches.  The coaches will select the top 10 finalists based solely on how dramatically they have changed their physiques over the course of eight weeks, and then all of the participants (who have not withdrawn from competition) will vote to determine the top three winners.
    (E.g., Athletes A and B are going into round 3 with 21 points.  They both elect to stay in the competition and submit their before and after photos to the Invictus panel of coaches and both are selected in the top 10 finalists.  A vote of the contest participants ranks Athlete B as the second most impressive physical change and Athlete A the ninth most impressive physical change.  The final scores would be 23 points for Athlete B and 30 points for Athlete A.  Athlete B would be declared the winner unless another competitor had fewer points.)

But I don’t want anyone to see my pictures!!!

I know, I know.  It’s a daunting feeling to think someone will see a picture of you in shorts and a sports bra (guys, you don’t have to wear a sports bra if you don’t want to).  So we’ll give you the option of keeping these photos hidden until you can also wow people with how much you were able to change your body in 8 weeks.  Or, you might also choose to never have these photos viewed by anyone.  Here’s the deal we’ve arranged:

Invictus will host a photo shoot for all participants on Monday, January 25 at the gym.  We will set up privacy screens, lighting and a photographer.  The photographer will guarantee the privacy of your pictures (which means not even the coaches will see them).  At the end of the competition you will decide whether you would like to compete for a final prize.  If you elect to withdraw from the competition, your “before” pictures will be destroyed.  If you elect to continue, you must be photographed again at the end of the competition and both photos will be submitted to the panel of coaches.  Sound fair?

Alright people, let’s do this!  Sign up by submitting your entrance fee to one of the Invictus coaches, or by emailing info@crossfitinvictus.com (we will bill your account on file).  We’ll create support networks and friendly competition to ensure that you will achieve your goals.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@crossfitinvictus.com.

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Monday, January 18, 2010

Sunday, January 17th, 2010

Workout of the Day:
Clean & Jerk – Find your new one-rep max in 7 attempts or fewer;
and then,
For time:
15 x Clean and Jerk (75-80% of 1-rep max)
30 x Lateral Jumps (24″/18″ hurdle)
10 x Clean and Jerk
20 x Lateral Jumps
5 x Clean and Jerk
10 x Lateral Jumps
**Thank you to all who came out on Saturday night to celebrate Invictus’ one-year anniversary.  It was a great night!**

That's Big Sexy on the left!

That's Big Sexy on the left!

Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good
Written by C.J. Martin

My friend Wes “Big Sexy” Kimball, owner of CrossFit Austin, created the most awesome CrossFit T-shirt I have ever seen.  It is a diagram of the “Circle of Awesome-ness” – Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good.

Grammar rules aside, the components of the circle of awesomeness are precisely what our exercise and nutrition guidance provides our members.  Through a combination of strength training, high intensity conditioning and clean eating we see positive physical adaptations, improved health and vitality, and improved athletic performance.

But sometimes we need a goal and proper motivation to keep us moving on the right track.  So, we’re upping the ante a little bit.  We are introducing the first annual “Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good Challenge” at Invictus.

The “Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good Challenge” will be an 8-week event.  The challenge will begin on Monday, January 25 and end with a huge party and “reveal” on March 20, 2010.

What’s in it for you?

In addition to looking, feeling and playing better than ever, winners of the Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good Challenge will be handsomely rewarded.  Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers in the following manner:

  • First Place – Three Free Months of Unlimited Group Coaching Membership; a free Invictus T-shirt; and 40% of the prize pool.
  • Second Place – Two Free Months of Unlimited Group Coaching Membership; a free Invictus T-shirt; and 20% of the prize pool.
  • Third Place – One Free Month of Unlimited Group Coaching Membership; a free Invictus T-shirt; and 10% of the prize pool.

The prize pool will be established from a $49 entrance fee paid by each participant.  This could amount to a significant cash prize.  For example, if we have 50 participants, the first place winner will win a cash prize of $980 in addition to receiving three free months of Invictus membership dues.

Or, for just a bit more, a $79 participation fee will get you:

  • One 30-minute one-on-one coaching session
  • Cooking Demonstration with Michele Vieux
  • 2-Hour Nutrition Seminar presented by Calvin Sun and George Economou
  • Two photo shoots with our designated photographer.
  • Invictus Nutrition Essentials and Shopping Guide Packet
  • A chance to win three free months of membership dues, a T-shirt and a substantial amount of cash!

So who’s in?  Sign up by submitting your entrance fee to one of the Invictus coaches, or by emailing info@crossfitinvictus.com (we will bill your account on file).  You can join the competition any time, but you will have to be photographed on the day in which you begin the competition in order to be eligible for prizes.

Check tomorrow’s blog post for the scoring procedures and get ready to look, feel and play better than ever in 2010.

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