Hynes.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Track night is meeting HERE once again.  If you missed Monday’s hill sprints, now’s your chance!!

Mobility:
2 rounds of:
Row 200 meters
10 Pvc dislocates
10 Wall extensions

Warm-up:
Snatch skill exercises with barbell
Take 15 minutes to find your workout weight for the squat snatch

Skill:
Muscle up progressions
-practice with bands on the high rings OR practice transition drill lying on the floor with a dip out

Workout of the day:
“Amanda”
9-7-5 reps of:
Muscle-ups
135 pound Squat Snatch

*15 minute time cap!

Cool down:
2 rounds of:
Row 200 meters
10 Pvc dislocates
10 Wall extensions

Athlete Redefined

By Chris Hynes

Confession:  I am a former Indiana University student athlete, and baseball was the game.  During my first collegiate start, I suffered a season/career ending injury to my ulnar collateral ligament in my right elbow- commonly known as “Tommy John”.  So for the next three years I spent my time as a Hoosier athlete on the bench and in the trainer’s room icing, heating, strengthening, and stretching my right arm.

I never got back to the level I was known for after that unfortunate day and am still haunted by thoughts of what could have been.

End of the world?  I thought so for a long time.  Baseball was everything to me and I knew, or thought I knew, nothing else.

After college, I tried many different things to fill that void and none of them could compare to the level of competition I was once involved in.  There are a few things I knew back then:  I wanted to be healthy, I love playing sports, and I love organized competition.  Men’s league softball was the closest thing I ever got to being happy, but (excluding my brother) I was hanging out with overweight, beer guzzling, “Tuesday night softball is life”, old men.  Fail.

Then, I found CrossFit.

A friend’s brother introduced me to this extremely intense workout that he promised would “kick my ass.”  He threw out a challenge to me and I accepted.

My first WOD was at CrossFit Chicago in Lincoln Park.  I was taken through the baseline workout and the coaches shared what their goals were for each athlete that walked through the door.

Did they just call me an athlete?  Thank you, God!  I wasn’t a client or a member…I was an athlete.  I am an athlete, again.

The baseline consisted of a chipper type workout with air squats, sit-ups, push-ups, and rowing.  He explained the standards for each movement and told me I would be timed so I should try and finish as fast as possible.

3, 2, 1, GO!

I have no idea what my time was for that baseline.  All I know is that last row had me feeling light-headed and in search of a garbage can to lean over.  That “Baseline” workout killed me and I couldn’t stop thinking, “This is an intro workout?  What the hell is a real workout?”

I took a minute to take in my surrounding.  The speakers blaring music to keep you motivated.  The old school timer and buzzer to keep you accountable.  The raw environment in that warehouse.  And, the athletes crushing their WOD’s.  There were people of all sizes, age, and ability levels throwing around these heavy barbells, banging out pull-ups like it was nothing, running up and down the stairs, climbing rope….I had never been so humbled by a workout, by a gym, by a community of people.  I mean, I was watching these 40+ year olds and tiny 5 foot-nothing women lifting barbells that weighed more than they did.  Meanwhile, I could barely handle my own bodyweight in an intro workout.

I was hooked.

Since that baseline workout, I have been an avid CrossFitter turn Paleo consuming Level I Coach.  I have been a proud member at CrossFit Chicago and, most recently, a member and Coach at Paradiso CrossFit.  CrossFit changed my life because its not just about a workout.  The coaches at any CrossFit affiliate box genuinely care about who walks through their door.  They teach everything from gymnastics, olympic and power lifting, endurance training, nutrition, camaraderie, healthy competition, goal coaching, and community .  They are amazing people that create communities and are up to big things that are greater than themselves.  Everything that CrossFit is was exactly what I needed in my life.

I found what I was missing.  I found CrossFit.