After yesterday's WoD, you've got to be an optimist to keep coming back for more

I figured today was a good opportunity to share some inspiring quotes regarding attitude and perspective.  I always appreciate words of wisdom from people I respect, so I hope you enjoy these quotes from people who you may, or may not, respect.

A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with bricks that others throw at him.
~ David Brinkley

The good news is that the bad news can be turned into good news when you change your attitude.
~ Robert Schuller

An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity.
~ Sir Winston Churchill

Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you ... as by the attitude you bring to life.
~ John Home Mills

Two men looked out through prison bars; one saw mud, the other, stars.
~ James Allen

Life is 10% what you make it, and 90% how you take it.
~ Irving Berlin

Every great and commanding movement in the annals of the world is the triumph of enthusiasm. Nothing great was ever achieved without it.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal: nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.
~ Thomas Jefferson

The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances.
~ Martha Washington

There is no danger of developing eye strain from looking on the bright side of things.
~ Unknown

January 20, 2012 - Pre-Registration for the Filthy Fifty Fundraiser opens, click here to register

February 1, 2012 - Wednesday - Registration for the 2012 CrossFit Games Open begins

February 4, 2012 - Saturday - "Filthy Fifty" Fundraiser for the UAB/Engel Therapeutic Preschool Program

February 10, 2012 - Friday - 7:00pm Class Cancelled

February 11, 2012 - Saturday - 10:00am & 11:00am Classes Cancelled

February 11, 2012 - Saturday - Garage Games ONE Individual Competition

February 12, 2012 - Sunday - Garage Games ONE Team Competition

February 12, 2012 - Sunday - 2012 Georgia Tough Mudder

February 22-March 25 - CrossFit Open, a 6-week competition to qualify for the CrossFit Regionals

"Training During Ramadan" with Kulsoom Abdullah, CrossFit Journal preview video [wmv] [mov]

WOD Demo with Brian MacKenzie by Again Faster Equipment - video [wmv] [mov]

"What impresses men is not mind, but the result of mind."
- Walter Bagehot

CrossFit Trussville - Workout of the Month - January 2012

Complete for time:

"Got Grip?"

Five Rounds of:
15 Kettlebell Swings 53#/35#
15 Deadlift 155#/115#
15 Pullups

CrossFit Trussville - Workout of the Day

Complete for time:

"Hollow Point"

50-40-30-20-10 rep rounds of:
Double Unders, x3 Single Unders
Air Squats

*Complete 7 Hollow Rock Every Minute on the Minute

Begin with Hollow Rock

Wes is one of the men that you are truly glad to know.  Wes, we've got mad respect for you

God truly has blessed CrossFit Trussville with some of the most amazing people.  We've got a tightly knit community of students, doctors, chiropractors, cardiologists, firefighters, handymen, stay-at-home moms, babysitters, and CEO's that WoD together and call CFT home.  Everyone is so supportive and encouraging that it begins to make you wonder how globo-gym's stay open.  You mean your athletes put on IPod ear-buds, workout alone, don't socialize, hang out, or enjoy being there?  Working out is a chore?  How awesome is it that we are getting better in so many areas aside from the physical? Social, emotional, mental, and spiritual strength inspired everyday because of our members and who we are.  Come on now, can I get an amen?

January 20, 2012 - Pre-Registration for the Filthy Fifty Fundraiser opens, click here to register

February 1, 2012 - Wednesday - Registration for the 2012 CrossFit Games Open begins

February 4, 2012 - Saturday - "Filthy Fifty" Fundraiser for the UAB/Engel Therapeutic Preschool Program

February 10, 2012 - Friday - 7:00pm Class Cancelled

February 11, 2012 - Saturday - 10:00am & 11:00am Classes Cancelled

February 11, 2012 - Saturday - Garage Games ONE Individual Competition

February 12, 2012 - Sunday - Garage Games ONE Team Competition

February 12, 2012 - Sunday - 2012 Georgia Tough Mudder

February 22-March 25 - CrossFit Open, a 6-week competition to qualify for the CrossFit Regionals

"Fight for Christchurch" with Charlotte Bellis, CrossFit Journal preview video [wmv] [mov]

"History of the CrossFit Games" - video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]

WOD Demo with Potomac CrossFit - video [wmv] [mov]

"Why Are Men So Angry?" by Kay Hymowitz, Book Beast.

CrossFit Trussville - Workout of the Month - January 2012

Complete for time:

"Got Grip?"

Five Rounds of:
15 Kettlebell Swings 53#/35#
15 Deadlift 155#/115#
15 Pullups

CrossFit Trussville - Workout of the Day

Complete for time:

"Garage Games ONE Individual Event, WoD 1"

Complete 21,15,9 rep rounds of:
Kettlebell Swings, 72#/53#
Burpees
Push Press 95#/75#

RX men = 2pood/72lb KB, 95#bar
RX women & Scaled men = 1.5pood, 75#bar

10 Minute Cap, 5 Minute Challenge

Complete Rx or Scaled in under 5 Minutes and you are officially a quantifiable beast

Garage Games estimates this WoD should take about 8min

Celena and Whitney are always sharing the love

Why is community so important to God? It is important because God loves people and he knows that people need people. He created us to live in community, giving and receiving support, which leads to generosity and gratitude.

Where do you experience community? Look around you as you go about your daily tasks. The people you encounter at home, school, work, church, the civic club, on the golf course, in the grocery, in your neighborhood or on your social network make up your community. These are the people who need you to live by words of Psalm 15.

In particular, what does your community need from you? Follow Jesus’ example, who embodied Psalm 15 and reinforced it with his own words that were read today from Matthew 5:1-12.

Reflect the heart and nature of God. Strive to build bridges of understanding, goodwill and mutual respect to all around you. Be honest, truthful, trustworthy, reliable, loyal and unselfish. Reach out to those who are struggling with words of encouragement and deeds of compassion. Help those who have fallen and protect those who are vulnerable.

Contrary to what you may think, this is not done very often in heroic ways like we witnessed in Tucson a couple of weeks ago. It is done in the little things we can do everyday along our way.

As Tom Ehrich writes, “Goodness in its many forms warms a heart: kindness, generosity, self-sacrifice, mercy—in which one sees and cares for the other. The tendency of humanity to deplete—to take more than we give, to wound rather than be vulnerable, to fight for our way, to seize the larger share—is quietly counter-balanced when goodness is at hand.

The man Jesus himself seems to have been a quiet doer of good. He had relatively few in his entourage, expected no acclaim, left town before hero worship could begin, amassed no power or wealth, paid no attention to the lofty, launched no institution and in the end gave everything he had, even life itself, to God’s beloved. And yet, that doing of good filled the land with new life.”

This is what our community needs from us, new life, found in small acts of kindness.

Henri Nouwen believed that community is best understood as a quality of the heart. He wrote, “The word, ‘community,’ has many connotations, some positive and some negative. Community can make us think of a safe togetherness, shared meals, common goals and joyful celebrations. It can also call forth images of sectarian exclusivity, in-group language, self-satisfied isolation and romantic naïveté

However, community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another. Community is the fruit of our capacity to make the interests of others more important than our own.”

By: Bob Browning
Section: Sermons by Bob Browning

January 20, 2012 - Pre-Registration for the Filthy Fifty Fundraiser opens, click here to register

February 1, 2012 - Wednesday - Registration for the 2012 CrossFit Games Open begins

February 4, 2012 - Saturday - "Filthy Fifty" Fundraiser for the UAB/Engel Therapeutic Preschool Program

February 10, 2012 - Friday - 7:00pm Class Cancelled

February 11, 2012 - Saturday - 10:00am & 11:00am Classes Cancelled

February 11, 2012 - Saturday - Garage Games ONE Individual Competition

February 12, 2012 - Sunday - Garage Games ONE Team Competition

February 12, 2012 - Sunday - 2012 Georgia Tough Mudder

February 22-March 25 - CrossFit Open, a 6-week competition to qualify for the CrossFit Regionals

"Inside England's CrossFit HG3" with Peter Davis and Andy Ruddick, CrossFit Journal preview video [wmv] [mov]

"Striking and CrossFit" with George Ryan - video [wmv] [mov]

WOD Demo with CrossFit 101 - video [wmv] [mov]

"A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason."
- J. P. Morgan

CrossFit Trussville - Workout of the Month - January 2012

Complete for time:

"Got Grip?"

Five Rounds of:
15 Kettlebell Swings 53#/35#
15 Deadlift 155#/115#
15 Pullups

CrossFit Trussville - Workout of the Day

Complete for total reps:

"Uchi Mata"

Six rounds for max reps of:
135/95 pound Deadlift, 15 reps
135/95 pound Front Squat, 12 reps
135/95 pound Hang Power Clean, 9 reps
135/95 pound Push Jerk, 6 reps

Two minutes to work, one minute to rest.

Complete as many reps as possible within the work interval.
Alternate starting points. Add total reps for score.

-Garage Games Athletes-
Use 185/135 and rep count of 5, 4, 3, 2
With 1 Minute of Work followed by 2 Minutes of rest

Tricks of the trade, Leslie explains, "That was the best and most efficient place to rest the plate"

To me, this picture illustrates exactly how a CrossFitter feels during a workout, regardless of skill level, age, fitness, work capacity, bicep circumference, etc.  We all go through so much, that we've learned to put up with the small things in life: discipline, patience, and work ethic are just a few of the characteristics and qualities we've developed as we push through these WoD's.  Seriously, no one enjoys subjecting themselves to difficult workouts; however, the benefits vastly outweigh the costs.  Put in an hour and reap the benefits of what you've sown.  (and you may even eventually learn that the most efficient resting place for a plate is on your forehead)

January 20, 2012 - Pre-Registration for the Filthy Fifty Fundraiser OPENS, click here to register

February 1, 2012 - Wednesday - Registration for the 2012 CrossFit Games Open begins

February 4, 2012 - Saturday - "Filthy Fifty" Fundraiser for the UAB/Engel Therapeutic Preschool Program

February 10, 2012 - Friday - 7:00pm Class Cancelled

February 11, 2012 - Saturday - 10:00am & 11:00am Classes Cancelled

February 11, 2012 - Saturday - Garage Games ONE Individual Competition

February 12, 2012 - Sunday - Garage Games ONE Team Competition

February 12, 2012 - Sunday - 2012 Georgia Tough Mudder

February 22-March 25 - CrossFit Open, a 6-week competition to qualify for the CrossFit Regionals

"Inside England's CrossFit HG3" with Peter Davis and Andy Ruddick, CrossFit Journal preview video [wmv] [mov]

"Striking and CrossFit" with George Ryan - video [wmv] [mov]

WOD Demo with CrossFit 101 - video [wmv] [mov]

"A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason."
- J. P. Morgan

CrossFit Trussville - Workout of the Month - January 2012

Complete for time:

"Got Grip?"

Five Rounds of:
15 Kettlebell Swings 53#/35#
15 Deadlift 155#/115#
15 Pullups

CrossFit Trussville - Workout of the Day

Complete for time:

"White"

Five rounds for time of:
15'/12' Rope climb, 3 ascents
10 Toes-through-Rings
21 Walking lunge steps with 45lb/25lb plate held overhead
Run 400 meters

U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ashley White, 24, of Alliance, Ohio, assigned to the 230th Brigade Support Battalion, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, North Carolina National Guard, based in Goldsboro, North Carolina, died on October 22, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when insurgents attacked her unit with an improvised explosive device. She is survived by her husband Captain Jason Stumpf, her parents Robert and Deborah, brother Josh, and sister Brittney.

This will be a great competition with some awesome prizes from some local sponsors

We are stoked about the upcoming event at the beginning of February.  All [proceeds from the fundraiser and competition will go to benefit the UAB/Engel Therapeutic Preschool program who is in severe need of funds right now.  We've got loads of sponsors who are going to be at the event to support the cause and the community by donating their time, their energy, their products, their services, and some awesome awards to the winners of the event.  We've got LuLuLemon (we know how excited y'all are about this one) donating outfits to the male and female winners, Paleo breakfast, Paleo snacks, and Paleo lunch being prepared by a local gourmet chef, massages being donated by the Fountain of Youth Spa, and possibly more gifts and prizes to come.  We are expecting a great showing and are really looking forward to interacting with the community.  If you're new to CrossFit, have never tried CrossFit, or are a professional CrossFitter, we will have divisions to accommodate.  Scaled and Rx divisions will be set with the movements and standards being thoroughly explained before the event begins.  For pre-registration, check the link below:

January 20, 2012 - Pre-Registration for the Filthy Fifty Fundraiser OPENS, click here to register

February 1, 2012 - Wednesday - Registration for the 2012 CrossFit Games Open begins

February 4, 2012 - Saturday - "Filthy Fifty" Fundraiser for the UAB/Engel Therapeutic Preschool Program

February 10, 2012 - Friday - 7:00pm Class Cancelled

February 11, 2012 - Saturday - 10:00am & 11:00am Classes Cancelled

February 11, 2012 - Saturday - Garage Games ONE Individual Competition

February 12, 2012 - Sunday - Garage Games ONE Team Competition

February 12, 2012 - Sunday - 2012 Georgia Tough Mudder

February 22-March 25 - CrossFit Open, a 6-week competition to qualify for the CrossFit Regionals

"CrossFit Inspires Singer's 'Fight'" with Kate Moran, CrossFit Journal preview video [wmv] [mov]

The Home Gym with Tim Bishop - video [wmv] [mov]

Dmitri Shostakovich, Two Pieces for Octet, Op.11.

W. W. Jacobs - The Test.

"Weight Watchers Revamps Its Magic Formula" by Jeffrey M. O'Brien, Wired.

CrossFit Trussville - Workout of the Month - January 2012

Complete for time:

"Got Grip?"

Five Rounds of:
15 Kettlebell Swings 53#/35#
15 Deadlift 155#/115#
15 Pullups

CrossFit Trussville - Workout of the Day

Open Gym

Today you will have the opportunity to choose your workout, have fun with it!

Possibilities you may consider:

1. A WoD you missed this week
2. A WoD you've been wanting to do
3. A technique or lift you'd like to further develop
4. Take a day to work on a ton of mobility

Look at this guy, CrossFit before and after's are a little bit different

I just want to elaborate on the fact that there needs to be some acknowledgement regarding how far our athletes truly have come.  We've got some serious success stories at CrossFit Trussville; hundreds of pounds lost, thousands of pounds worth of strength gained, lean muscle, confidence, self-image, and wellness are just a few to name.  Even with that being said, look at what Josh is doing on a kettlebell.  These are the types of gains that are hard to explain to the general public.  "Do CrossFit and you can do a one-handed split handstand on the handle of a kettlebell." just isn't something we lean toward.  But isn't it crazy that we've developed the capacity to test the limits of our bodies?  Losing weight to look better is great, but losing weight to look better, feel better, and be better is a whole new level, and that's exactly what we strive to accomplish. Also, these pictures, I'd like to note, are just a mere 9 months apart

February 1, 2012 - Wednesday - Registration for the 2012 CrossFit Games Open begins

February 4, 2012 - Saturday - "Filthy Fifty" Fundraiser for the UAB/Engel Therapeutic Preschool Program

February 10, 2012 - Friday - 7:00pm Class Cancelled

February 11, 2012 - Saturday - 10:00am & 11:00am Classes Cancelled

February 11, 2012 - Saturday - Garage Games ONE Individual Competition

February 12, 2012 - Sunday - Garage Games ONE Team Competition

February 12, 2012 - Sunday - 2012 Georgia Tough Mudder

February 22-March 25 - CrossFit Open, a 6-week competition to qualify for the CrossFit Regionals

"An Interview With John Schneider", CrossFit Journal preview video [wmv] [mov]

Event details of the CrossFit Tour Fort Worth stop - video [wmv] [mov]

WOD Demo with CrossFit Wilmington - video [wmv] [mov]

"You can lead a boy to college, but you cannot make him think."
- Elbert Hubbard

CrossFit Trussville - Workout of the Month - January 2012

Complete for time:

"Got Grip?"

Five Rounds of:
15 Kettlebell Swings 53#/35#
15 Deadlift 155#/115#
15 Pullups

CrossFit Trussville - Workout of the Day

Squat Snatch Ladder from x5 to x1
Begin with light sets, progress to intermediate loads with moderate rep counts, finish with 1 rep maximum efforts.

or Complete:

10x3 Front Squat @ 74% of 1RM
(3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3)

Example: 1 Rep Max = 300#
(74% of 300# = 222#, or 225#)
This athlete would complete 10 sets of 3 reps using 225#

or Complete:

5,000 meter Row

"Juniper" was underestimated by all of us, very difficult but very fun

The CrossFit program is designed to get you generally prepared to do just about anything. The unique part about that is that it is different than most sports and workout regimens. In traditional sports, we train for a specific task, event, or play. Athletes who play team sports need conditioning and strength within the domains that they operate.  Subsequently, Coaches often tailor that training to be "sports specific". Most workout systems claim to improve some part of your physique. CrossFit's specialty is not specializing. CrossFit borrows from the strongest, most agile, fastest, and most efficient training modalities and sports to create a program that has proven to work for anyone and everyone no matter the goal. It works so well in fact, it has become a sport in and of it's self. Truly remarkable.
Courtesy CF Santa Cruz

February 1, 2012 - Wednesday - Registration for the 2012 CrossFit Games Open begins

February 4, 2012 - Saturday - "Filthy Fifty" Fundraiser for the UAB/Engel Therapeutic Preschool Program

February 10, 2012 - Friday - 7:00pm Class Cancelled

February 11, 2012 - Saturday - 10:00am & 11:00am Classes Cancelled

February 11, 2012 - Saturday - Garage Games ONE Individual Competition

February 12, 2012 - Sunday - Garage Games ONE Team Competition

February 12, 2012 - Sunday - 2012 Georgia Tough Mudder

February 22-March 25 - CrossFit Open, a 6-week competition to qualify for the CrossFit Regionals

"Netball Training at Reebok CrossFit Canterbury" with Maree Bowden and Denise Leggat, CrossFit Journal preview video [wmv] [mov]

WOD Demo from the Level 1 Course at CrossFit Oahu - video [wmv] [mov]

CrossFit EST on today's WOD - video [wmv] [mov]

"Starting Over with Regulation" by Philip K Howard, The Wall Street Journal.

"It is rewarding to watch my kids willingness to sweat and bleed to finish a workout. A family that WODs together stays together."
- Amy Kline-Rodriguez

CrossFit Trussville - Workout of the Month - January 2012

Complete for time:

"Got Grip?"

Five Rounds of:
15 Kettlebell Swings 53#/35#
15 Deadlift 155#/115#
15 Pullups

CrossFit Trussville - Workout of the Day

Complete for max rounds and reps:

"Ganymede"

Teams of Two

As many rounds in 7 Minutes of:
3 GI Janes
Sprint 50ft x3
4 Slamball 30#/20#
5 Grasshoppers
Sprint 50ft x1

Rest 3 Minutes

As many rounds in 7 Minutes of:
12 Air Squats
50ft Farmers Walk Double KB 53/35
9 Floor Jacks
5 Alternating Planks
50ft Farmers Walk Double KB 53/35

Rest 2 minutes

Complete as many reps in 2 Minutes of:
Double-Unders, x3 Singles
Add reps together for kicker

Example Score: 8+1 SB/8+2 FJ/112
3 Singles = 1 Double-Under