Perspective

10 minutes to find your max Box Jump Height

Rest as needed, then perform,

With a continuously running clock, do one pull-up and one handstand push-up the first minute, two pull-ups and two handstand push-ups the second minute, three pull-ups and three handstand push-ups the third minute… continuing as long as you are able. When you cannot complete the required number of reps for either exercise, continue only with the other as long as you are able.

Use as many sets in any order each minute as needed.

Post number of minutes successfully completed for each exercise to comments. Their sum is your score.

Laurie Galassi 32 (15 HSPU + 17 Pull-up), Jesse Bazarnick 31 (12 HSPU + 19 Pull-up).

If you’re confused, watch this demo of the WOD wmv/mov

Failed attempt at 195lbs…

Yup, that’s me.  Testing my limits under the unforgiving umbrella of competition.  Sometimes I wonder how I got here.  I used to be such a normal guy, but now I stand in front of a crowd of people, about to perform feats of strength for their enjoyement and my pleasure.  The journey still surprises me, yet I am enjoying every minute of it all.  I asked the first time competitors from this weekend to discuss their experiences.  Following each picture below, is the account of their experiences.  I hope you enjoy the stories and are as inspired as I am to continue to improve!

Liz Newman, overall winner Modified Division…

Thank you for encouraging me to register for yesterday’s event! It was an awesome experience and it definitely won’t be my last. So – I’m a fairly competitive person. I work in sales, which has a bit of a competitive nature to it, and I’ve always raced I’m some form – swimming, half marathons and triathlons. But after watching the games, I was pretty nervous about the clash for 2 reasons- 1) the element of unknown until right before the event (please please no pullups….oh yes, there were pullups) and 2) wondering who would compete in the modified division since G said she was considering doing the modified. Wtf, really?? I thought the modified division were for newbies like me!

So fast forward to 5:45 the morning of the clash when I met Lara, Adam and Pat at the box. As we were driving up, I said my goal was not to finish last in my heat. When we got there and I warmed up , I was trying to figure out who I would be competing with and it turned out there were only 4 women, myself included, in the modified group. I was in the first heat, which meant I didn’t get to see how it worked – I was just going to have to go for it. I started my first 30 burpees and after a minute, realized I didn’t have to worry about being last – I was stronger and faster than the other three women. So I just went as fast as I could. Last week I did wod 1 in 10:49 at the box – I did it in 9:25 at the clash. Wod 2 wasn’t as great since I wasn’t as smart as I could have been in ground to overhead. But I knew I could do the double unders and the sandbag thrusters. So I just kept going as fast as I could. Turns out, I beat the other women I was competing against, and that’s definitely satisfying.

Overall, my goal is to master my pullup and do my next competition RXed. I won’t be at the top, but its something to work for and pushing myself and doing something that makes me uncomfortable is the fastest way to improvement and change. And at the end of the day – that’s what crossfit is all about!

Adam “13” Condal represents…

I blacked out during both workouts. Competing is a totally different thing. During my first competitive CrossFit event yesterday at the Central Coast Clash, I pushed myself significantly farther than I thought I could.

I have virtually zero athletic background. I got left back a year in Little League. I shit you not. I played two years of JV Lacrosse in high school but ended up doing damage to my Achilles and stopping before my Junior year (which later during CrossFit I realized that the “damage” I did was just being weak and not knowing how to run). CrossFit has always been a challenge for me. It takes me ten times longer than most people to understand and learn a movement and be able to do it right. I’m completely uncoordinated. I’m not naturally strong. I don’t have muscle memory that most people who have played sports or lifted their whole lives have. As soon as I get double unders, triple unders are part of a workout. As soon as I can consistently do 20# wall balls in all workouts, Diso buys a 30# wall ball. At times it’s hard to keep up, but I use that shit to drive me to become better.

CrossFit makes me stronger mentally in the rest of my life. And it just doesn’t stop giving. Competing has added several new rungs to that ladder I’m climbing and I fucking love it. Go out there and compete. It’s worth it. It will help you set new goals for yourself. Next for me will be increasing overall strength. Back squats: you my bitch.

Thanks everyone for the support. Lara, running next to me screaming in my face “don’t drop that fucking sandbag”. Jefferson and Liz for being first-timers with me. Pat, training with me for a month for this thing. Martina, Francis, Jo, Jen and Stacy for coming and cheering us on. Diso, Sto, Kamran, Kevin, McCoy– seeing you guys destroy those workouts. You guys are beasts. Next up, Fight Gone Bad. YEAH!

Jefferson intent on that 30th calorie…

As a first timer at a competition I had no idea what to expect and understandably, I was a little anxious/nervous to put it mildly. The 70 year old who went in the heat before me and proceeded to house a tunafish sandwich directly after finishing his wod, did however change my point of view for the rest of the day. I went in thinking there would be paleo freaks and gigantic Mr. Olympian types everywhere, which there were, but there were also tons of other shapes and sizes. I was not alone in weight, size, age etc. That put my anxiety to rest and I was able to relax and actually enjoy myself. Although doing that many wod’s in a day isn’t exactly something that some would find enjoyable, it was for me (at least after you finish!)

The days leading up to the event I had set very specific goals for myself. I wasn’t necessarily competing against everybody else, but trying to exceed my own goals and surpass what I thought was possible for myself as an individual. I’m happy to say that I succeeded (at finishing all wod’s in the time allotted and PR in the clean and jerk). Much like finding the correct eating habits or workout schedule, you have to treat yourself as an individual but always strive to exceed.

The biggest gift I took from competing in my first event was spending quality time with my fellow PCF friends and other crossfitters. You find out things about other people that in a daily routine of going to the gym you may never ask or just don’t think you have the time to, even if it’s just their name. At least now I can see how they did on a given day on the white board!

I also learned how everyone else is pushing themselves to their limit and for myself, it was extremely encouraging to push myself in the same fashion. I took some knowledge on what not to do in future competition as well: Don’t rush things and set up correctly. Don’t listen to your nerd of a judge when you have somebody as knowledgable as Diso screaming behind you for your benefit and cheering section. And above all, don’t think something is impossible. I definitely saw some people crush certain aspects of crossfit but it let me know that with hard work it will someday be attainable. Some people laugh, and some people cry during the wod’s, but it’s all in good spirits. I learned a tremendous amount and I’m so glad I participated in the competition with others but mostly, for the competition within myself.

I loved getting to actually sit down and share some experiences from life and the event imparticular with my fellow PCF’rs. I now know more from a single day about some people than I have learned in eight months about most. The knowledge I attained (no matter how small) about specific technique or pacing during the wod’s, is more than what I arrived with that day. It was a wonderful experience and won’t be my last… I’m already signed up for FGB In September!!!!!!!!!

Kevin finishing up his epic day…

The central Coast Clash competition was a completely unique athletic experience for me. Rarely is the crowd so close and so influential in a sporting event. Not only was it a huge motivational rush while competing, but it was just as exciting to loudly encourage the rest of the PFCers when they were in the ring.

Although it was an individual competition, having the PFC “team” there was ultimately what made the day so exciting and rewarding. Additionally, the sense of camaraderie between athletes from different boxes was just as impressive. Guys would finish their WOD, clearly exhausted, and immediately start cheering for the athlete next to them and high fives were exchanged after huge numbers were put up during the ground to overhead portion. It was great to watch the mutual respect amongst the x fit community.

Favorite stories of the day include Diso wearing an artificial “skin” sweatsuit infused with methanol for that tingly cold feeling; Pat and Jefferson going head to head during both heats, McCoy dealing with a nagging back injury and then throwing up 225lbs clean and jerk and the PCF team winning the first 4 heats of the day! My biggest take away was the motivation to get better at the stuff I suck at I.e pull ups, toes to bar handstand pull ups and really anything involving shoulders. Competition highlighted weaknesses as there was no escape from the AMRAP pullups, sand bag thrusters and ground to overhead movements.

Diso, Zeb and G do a great job emphasizing weaknesses with GOAT days and practicing perfection, but it took Sto tell me he used to struggle with pull ups as I did then watching him throw down close to 50 in 4 minutes with a bunch of double unders in between before it really sunk in that a weakness is an opportunity to get better, depending on how you look at it. Finally, much thanks to the Diso’s, McCoy, Pat, Jefferson, Francis, Sto, 13, Lara, Liz and Kam. Proud to compete as a PFCer.

Kamran gets judged…

My first experience with a Crossfit competition COULD have gone better. I was a little disappointed with my time for WOD #1 and some lower back tweakage caused me to opt out of WOD #2. Worse yet, Kevin’s time was better than mine…humiliating! Admittedly though, I didn’t prepare in the best way possible. I succumbed to the vices of a good friend’s going away party (i.e. Junk food, some drinks, late night and little sleep) and definitely felt it. My pre-WOD nutrition was only some caffeine, water and a pre-workout beverage…the soaked bushes on the side of the building that I spewed it all into afterward can attest to that. Reads a bit like a checklist of what not to do, no?

HOWEVER, with all that being said, I had a great time somehow. It was refreshing getting those good old fashioned competition jitters again, and not just for my own performance. Though it was a singles event, everyone from PCF was my teammate and it was awesome seeing them all step up and dominate. Almost every heat we had someone in was won by a PCF-er for WOD 1. It was an experience I recommend for anyone with even the slightest interest or competitive itch. In my case, I will be participating again, if only for some sweet, sweet redemption…perhaps with a little better prioritizing though.

Pat Ferris makes peace with his sandbag…

The weeks leading up to Clash were great. Following Adam’s lead, I committed to Main Site: three on, one off. It was like being on autopilot… no excuses, nothing to think about. Just get your ass to the gym and do workouts as best you can. In a way it made things easier as my efforts took on new purpose.

My favorite part of Clash was the row on the first WOD. I got to the rower with about 1:45 remaining before the 15 minute cutoff. I made it through more than half of the 30 calories in the first 45 seconds, and they announced a minute remaining. The display on the rower was facing away from the PCF crew, and from their screaming and yelling and looks of concern there was some doubt I’d finish before the cutoff, but I knew I had it. I’ve never felt such intense support from a group of people; I can’t describe it. Finishing a row has never felt better.

I didn’t compete for a long time because I thought I wasn’t ready. I signed up for Clash on a whim. Fuck it. As it turns out, you’re never ready. There’s always something you can do better. I didn’t feel like I was competing with others, and ultimately where I finished is much less meaningful than how I did relative to the expectations I set for myself. Clash was awesome, and humbling. Thank you, PCF crew, for providing support inside and outside of the gym.