Starlight Run, CrossFit Style

More pics coming soon.  

I still haven't made up my mind if that was an awesome workout, or if that was the stupidest WOD I have EVER come up with.  

Lindsay, Mike, Chantal, Shelly and I met up last night at the MAC club at about 6:30 pm for the Starlight run.  Shelly and I found an awesome parking spot right in front of the club, facing up hill, just a block from the start of the race.  After we took it, we found out that it was actually a no parking zone.  When we tried to start it, the engine just kept turning over but wouldn't start.  We had about 1/4 tank of gas and it was all at the back of the tank, where the fuel pump could not get to it.  After putting our head together for a few minutes, we decided the best thing to do was to coast backwards, downhill, turn it around and jump start it.  Eventually, it worked, and it was pretty funny to see a bunch people in safety green CrossFit Hillsboro t-shirts pushing a Honda.  

Now, everywhere we go, Shelly and I usually have to pee once we get there.  Does this phenomenon happen to anyone else? I really hope it's not a factor of age. For all future Starlight runners, there is a red brick building on the east side of the bleachers, with bathrooms, without the 1,000 people waiting in line to go pee.  

To our surprise, some old and very good friends of ours, Beth and Dane, showed up just to cheer us on.  Beth is actually one of my old sparring partners from back in the day, and arguably, one of the best girls I have ever had the opportunity to train.

We check in, mingle a bit, then hit the track and start our warm ups with our medicine balls, push up bars, jump ropes and kettle bells.  Almost everyone who walks past us gave the  occasional "What the hell are you doing?" glance.   We did actually invite the Navy group wearing the Seals shirts to come and play, but they didn't want anything to do with us.  It was about at this point, 5 minutes before the start, that the jitters started to set in.  It was almost as exciting as stepping into the ring again for another fight:  Your know you're going into the fight, there is no turning back, and the adrenaline starts pumping like an oil well in Texas. Linsday had later told me that she had felt like that all day.  

We knew we wanted to be the very last because we were going to take so long to finish, and we didn't want to hold up the rest of the crowd, or hit anyone with flying medicine balls.  Carrying the red lantern (that's Alaskan jargon for last place) we started the race uphill.  We kicked it  off strong because I like to come out swinging: 20 up hill lunges. By the time all of us reached the top of the 200 yard climb, I think we all had the same thought going through our head: "Holy shit, holy shit, 3 miles to go".   It was then we decided to just jog it out until we made it to the sea of spectators.  1/2 a mile in, there they were parked along the parade with their coolers, spray bottles, lawn chairs, drinks and snacks.    "Lunges!" I screamed.  "Burpees!" yelled Chantal.  For the next 2.5 miles, we did whatever came to mind: Shuffles, cariocas, cleans, clean & jerks, dips, etc.  People in the crowd were cheering and clapping at everything we were doing.  At one corner, we all hit a set of push ups, and the crowd counted off each rep for us.  They kept getting louder and louder with each rep until we were done.  That kept us going to the next corner, and the next corner, and the next corner. 

Each time I looked over at a teammate, I saw their red face with sweat dripping from their brow, and their gasps for air with each step they took.  Still, they kept going forward. Throughout the race though, we would trade  equipment so one person would not have to run the entire way with a 20lb med ball.  The kettle bells were definitely the worst though.  Even just holding them with the arms straight was killer on the shoulders and grip.  Now, even though the PVC push ups bars were light, carrying those meant that you had to do deep range of motion push ups, and those just sucked.  Especially when people in the crowd kept yelling "Lower! Lower! Get lower!"  I love that stuff though, and I have always liked giving the crowd what they want to see.   

It was 85 degrees at the start of the run.  By our second mile in, it had turned into a CrossFit Hillsboro wet T-shirt contest, and because it was just a 5k that most people can finish in less than 30 minutes, there were not any water stops.  We're sucking some serious wind at this point and leaving a trail of sweat behind us, but alas, there it is!  The hill leading to the finish line.  The same hill we climbed up at the start of the race was now taking us down to the promise land of the finish line on the track at Lincoln High School.  

We all ran onto the track at the same time.  "Okay." I managed to say in panting breath.  "Put all of your stuff down. Burpees to the finish line."  "What the F***? Chuck, I'm dying!" Said Chantal (and this is a girl who I have never heard swear).   "3,2,1 GO!" I yelled. 50 yards of jumping burpees to the finish line.  Everyone's quads are on fire, shoulders and chest are burning already from everything we already did for the last 3 miles, lungs are at capacity and the heart rate is maxed out.  "Shelly!  Grab hold of my legs!  Wheel barrows, go!"  I managed to yell. I walked the last 20 feet on my hands with Shelly holding my legs up.  As we all lay there on the other side of the finish line, we all looked at one another in shock. "Why the hell did we do that?" Was the question on everybody's mind.   "I can't believe we did that."  We kept saying to each other.  

We noticed the Northwest Personal Training team (some of our mentors) with Sherri McMillian, in their bathtub costume. They came in second place in the costume contest, and it's always good to see them. 

When it was all said and done, and we were stretching on the turf together, 

I think in the back of our head we were all thinking the same thing: "I can't wait to do it again next year!"  What a night.    Oh, our 5k time for the race?  1 hour, flat.  My 5k personal best?  18:30.   Yikes.

Yours in delayed onset muscle soreness, 

Chuck Gonzales, Chief Manifestor

A really bad idea

It's gettin hot in here, so take of all your clothes!

Man, it's getting hot!   You will naturally sweat 60-70 ounces of water a day, even more when when it's hot outside and when you participate in our functional training programs.  Water, or most sports drinks should be consumed before, during and after your workouts.  They should be cool, and they should be sweet.  Continue drinking fluids all day long to prevent thirst from setting in, because becoming thirsty means that you are already dehydrated.  SPF 45-50 is critical this weekend too, so don't be conservative with the sunblock.  The more the better.  And remember, there are more electrolytes in a beer than there are in a sports drink.  Yea!

You cannot see Stealth here, can you?  The tricky little devil is hiding behind the Queen of Cleans.

These single leg BOSU squats are always tough for us. A great way to train the entire kinetic chain and helps me personally rehab a ham and knee injury.  An option here is to Shoot the Duck and fire the leg forward as you release to the floor.  

This thing is great.  One of my favorite pieces of equipment in the gym.  The TRX.  Here, Steve is finishing his third set of pikes, 10 reps.  Major core work here.  Excellent for strengthening the hip complex, upper body and stretching the hamstrings and rotator cuff muscles.  Bonus is to add a push up between pikes.   

#1
#2

Oops...

Forgot to take pics of the groups today, but we did manage to get a few of us working with our clients, and of tonight Vinyasa Yoga Class.  One lady burned almost 700 calories in class tonight!  I even let them turn the a/c on!  

This is Steve.  Steve is an official stud muffin who we are very proud of.  We are working on his propioceptive response here, and this is the best he has ever done.  Way to go Steve! 

This is Tauni.  She is our head Yoga instructor.  Class tonight was really fun, and pretty difficult too, which is just the way we like it here at PPT. I forget what pose this was, but I remember it wasn't too comfortable for me.  I had to hold this pose, pick up and point the camera backwards, shoot, and hope for the best.  Not too shabby if I do say so myself.  
These are some of the leaders at S4 Tactical.  This was a special event put on by the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce.  It's airsoft, and if you look on my Facebook page, you will see the kind of damage they inflicted on me.  Basically, I found our the hard way of how NOT to play "Capture the Flag". At one point, is was "capture and medivac Chuck out of the arena".  My back still stings guys!
This is Harry, one of our most beloved clients.  Harry is using the chains as variable resistance to primarily maintain, and hopefully improve,  the movement in his shoulder joints.  Light enough chains like this are perfect for Harry.  

Wednesday May 27th 5:30 am CrossFit

This looked fun.  I only came by this early to drop off the water for the water cooler.  Fortunately for me, I left and went running.  Everyone else had to endure Mike's hour of CrossFit.  

Partner workout - 

Each team had to complete the following

100 wall balls 12# ball

100 push ups 

100 box jumps

300 jump ropes

Break up the sets as much as needed to get through.

Finish one entirely, move to the next. 

Rest while partner is working

Shawn, the owner of Ritual Hair Design has devised a new training program for her hair.  

On command, it does burpees and crunches to strength it's roots.  This ensures great looking hair at all hours of the day.  

Maggie unfortunately injured her ankle, so she has to modify her jumps.  She still shows up though and kicks major butt.  The dark horse of the group, Mags earned CrossFit name is now "Stealth".   

Great to have you back Bob!

As you can see, the partners are ALWAYS motivating each other to do their best and get through the workout quickly. Get your tickets to the gun show!

Metabolic conditioning (Met Con): 3 rounds of:

 250m rowing and partner holds 1, 53# kettlebell at chest. 

Not fun to do, but great to watch.  

May 26th: Yes it's going to suck, no it doesn't get any easier.

I loooooove my clients and how well they take an ass kicking. What's more amazing is that they keep coming back for more.  

Today, Shelly had her small group boot camp class and the ladies in there are such dedicated troopers.  They just want to work for all the right reasons, and you can see the dedication in their eyes.  Some of these ladies truly have the "eye of the tiger".  

Then there's the guys.  Some of these guys, like the one pictured here, are great big molecules of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).  The guy doesn't quit!  He's been getting his butt kicked for 3 years with us and he rarely misses an appointment.  He's very dedicated, very strong, blind in one eye, has one good lung and doesn't let anything get in his way.  He also virtually insists that I workout with him at each of his sessions.  I definitely believe that suffering through a workout with a client is one way to establish trust in the relationship, although it's a really sucky way.  

I think couple (or "duets" training as we call it) are some of the funniest training hours at the studio. These two here have also been going through compassionate butt kicking session for 3 years and, and as you can see, it never gets any easier.  She is really enjoying herself, so don't let her look of pain convince you otherwise.  And for anyone who has used a roller on your I.T. band, you know what this feels like.  

Great job, everyone!

See you bright and early tomorrow. 

 

May 26th 9:15 am Boot Camp W/ Shelly

3 rounds for time

12lb Wall Ball

18lb Kettlebell waiter carry

400m pace setter run

3 circuits to finish

5 rounds 30sec on:10sec off

123, front kick

Mountain Climbers

Jump rope

May 23rd CrossFit w/ Mike at CrossFit Hillsboro

This morning's CrossFit class with by Mike with Maggie,  Eric , and Zane-O.  

Beautiful day for a workout outside.  Had to take advantage of this sunshine while it lasts.  

21-15-9

Clean: 135# Eric,    95# Zane,     20# Dynamax ball Maggie

KB swing: 1 pood Eric ,     35# Zane,        18# KB Maggie

400m run   

2 Rounds

Waiter Walk w/ KB - Pace Keeper

Wall Ball 20#

Thrusters 45#

15-10-5

Turkish Get-ups

Get up sit-ups

Boxing with Butch & Penny

Boxing once every week for Butch & Penny.  Today, they went 10 rounds, 2 min each with a 30 sec recovery.  They were both really sucking wind, but they made it 10 rounds.  Although Penny is nailing Butch right in the kisser in one of these photos, they are only allowed to hit in the body. Nice job you guys!

Yes, there is such a thing...

Amazing display of strength, grace, and beauty.  Utterly amazing!

Random

Catching up on some pictures over the past couple weeks.

We did manage to work a Cinco De Mayo party in there somewhere.

Cap'n Bewick with his latest Naval Academy recruit, our little doodle, Gavin.

Leaping lunges

Cindy's working on push-up #242 (ish)

These girls love the burpees!

Andrea is spent.

Elbows to knees, Tina!

Cinco De Mayo & WOD

CrossFit Workout 5:30 am & 12 pm 

Barbara

5 rounds for time

20 pull ups

30 push ups

40 situps

50 air squats

* scale pull ups with TRX

* scale push ups to knees

* scale volume 50% if needed. 

Had an impromptu Cinco de Mayo party.  Butch & Penny just finished up with Chantal for a duets session.  Raylene just got off work and was looking for a reason to have a Corona Light.

Thanks for coming you guys!

Fact:  There are more electrolytes in a beer than in a sports drink. 

Fact:  Corona Light is 1 point with Weight Watchers.