Back in Action/ CF Cville FAQ

Hey everyone... so sorry the blogging/email list updating has been so sporadic. The past month or so has been a blur between finals, beach week, graduation/commissioning, and moving apartments. I took a two week break (first time in a couple of years I've done that) to focus on all of the above and rest up/mentally prepare for a summer and fall of serious training as I get ready to attend the Army's infantry officer basic courses and Ranger school.

I'm back in action and excited to see so many new names checking out the blog and looking to get involved in the Cville CF community. I'm going to try, in this post, to summarize the answers to all the newcomers' common questions...

Who are we?
A somewhat decentralized group of UVA students, alumni, and Charlottesville community members who are interested in CrossFit and true strength/conditioning and nutrition. We've got total newcomers, Level I certified trainers, experienced athletes, and pretty much every skill level in between. The common denominator? A love of the pursuit of fitness and performance, for sport, combat, or just a better quality of life.

When/where do we train?
You can find us at the UVA gyms, Lannigan track, Rocky Top Rec (currently the only place I know of right near UVA where you can drop a load of bumper plates from overhead!), and ACAC. We organize informal group workouts through the blog and email list, and try, at least during the school year, to meet up for a more structured workshop or training session once each weekend.

What's the deal with CrossFit Charlottesville?
Kyle Redinger is spearheading the effort to bring a true CrossFit box to Cville. The affiliate application has been approved! Once a space is locked down, we'll need all hands on deck to help with equipment construction and getting the gym up and running. Contact Kyle at kyle.redinger@gmail.com for more information. I believe he's hoping to have the box open by late summer/early fall.

What/who are we looking for?
Really, anyone! All experience levels are welcome. We love certified trainers and experienced athletes who are willing to help coach and push the pace at group workouts. We also love complete newcomers. Whether you can deadlift 200kg and tear up sub 4min Frans or you're scared of the idea of doing a handstand and haven't done anything close to a pullup since the flexed arm hang in 6th grade, you'll be welcomed with open arms. The only requirements are a positive attitude and a willingness to work hard.

Where do I go from here?
If this sounds like your brand of Zone-friendly bourbon (god I wish such a thing existed), make yourself known in the comments section. Even better, leave your email address or contact me at dtlewis09@gmail.com so that I can add you to our email list. To any new folks who have recently commented, please provide me with some contact info if you'd like to get involved in group workouts, CF Cville, etc.

Finally, I'll steal shamelessly from Jon Stewart... here's your moment of Zen:

Does the music really fit the moment?

Wrapping Up or Getting Going

So finals and graduation/commissioning preparation have clearly gotten in the way of my blogging frequency... sorry I have not updated in a while. The school year is winding down, and I know some of you all will be heading home, abroad, or to internships out of Cville. For all the fourth years going elsewhere after graduation, congratulations and good luck! Everyone have a fun summer and keep training hard.

I for one will be staying in Cville through next January, and plan to really take my training to another level as I prepare to enter active duty Army service. If you are going to be in town this summer, please post to comments so that we can continue to coordinate group workouts and help Kyle with getting the box up and running. Also keep talking up the CrossFit protocol with your friends; it's great being able to use this blog as a way to spread the Kool-Aid throughout the UVA and Cville community.

Presenting... CrossFit Charlottesville!!

It's official - the CrossFit Cville affiliate application has been approved. Big shout out to Kyle Redinger for working to get this off the ground and bring a true CF box to Central VA. Reply to Kyle's email if you're interested in getting involved with getting the gym up and running.

Sunday's workout consisted of a deadlift workshop with an emphasis on efficient, safe mechanics (with technique tailored to fit each individual's anthropometry - there's some great pics/explanations of this topic in Starting Strength). Thanks to Forney and Chadron for the instruction!

I really like Cory's proposition for a local CF competition; everyone post thoughts on this to comments. Might be hard to find time with finals and graduation coming up, but for those staying in Cville perhaps we could do it in the latter half of May? I'll send out an email about a group workout for this Sunday soon... keep training hard everyone.

Tug and Total

Tuggernauts Pull!

Big weekend for the UVA CF community! First, the tug o' war team consisting of Forney, Kyle, Ben, Armando, Sean, Fraser, Robby, and myself (see picture above) took first place in the all-male category at Beta Theta Pi's philanthropy. Superior pulling mechanics, conditioning, and mental toughness - all heavily based in our CrossFit training - allowed us to pull out a tough win over a significantly bigger team in the final match. Thanks to Forney for putting the team together and to Chris for his decisive coaching. Also, check out this sweet fb album that Kyle put together; thanks Amy for taking the pictures!

Today we had a great turnout, including many new faces, at the group workout. We spent some very productive time going over squat technique, and then got in the power rack to work up to 1RM back squats. After that, Armando and I stuck around and finished out a complete CFT. Congrats to Armando on pulling a big deadlift PR en route to an overall CFT PR. Check out some pics from today below...













(Left) Forney showing some serious hip drive... (Right) Armando's DL PR (Notice the perfect balance of technique and intensity; he max's out right at the point of slight technical breakdown... but only slight. Lighter and he wouldn't be at a true max. Heavier and his back would round into full flexion.)

And now for something completely different...

.... but still totally functional.

Hey all, sorry for the lack of timeliness with the posts. I was very busy last week/over the weekend preping for and then attending a field training exercise for ROTC (btw if you ever want to really appreciate sleep, try averaging two-three hours per night for a few days).

The most recent group workout focused on exercises and progressions for training one-leg squats (pistols). Then Forney led a Tabata workout in the bag-room in Mem. This experimental workout involved both met-con movements and static-holds...

8 intervals per exercise before moving onto the next one; 4 exercises in the following rotation:

1) rowing

2) hand-stand hold

3) dumbbell thrusters (with light weight e.g. 20#, simulating wall-ball)

4) hanging tuck-hold (hanging from I-beam)

At Bill's urging, I embarked on my Kettlebell odyssey today. I'll be ramping up the intensity with the KB's, and hitting the CFE workouts and ruck marching hard over the next ~8 weeks. I'll try to write some posts about how that all goes.

Keep training hard and posting numbers, insights, and inspiration.

Ring Around the Bacon?

GROUP WORKOUT SUNDAY 4pm Mem Gym

Welcome back from Spring Break. From the looks of the previous comments section, folks have been continuing to train hard. It's great to see everyone posting tough workouts with solid numbers and new PR's.

Our very own Chadron Edwards recently participated in a gymnastics competition, throwing down a gnarly routine on the still rings. Check out this link for a sweet video.

Also, I was inspired by the Zone Chronicles on the CFJ to post a picture of one of my own [not so serious] nutrition-related experiences. So here's a look at a delicious snack I had tonight which I highly recommend. I call it "Bacon Wrapped in Ham." The name pretty much says it all. Zero blocks of carbs, infinite blocks of awesome!

Pigs are delicious

Keep checking the blog and email for updates on a group workout this weekend. If anyone wants to actually film and post a nutrition video that would be sweet (Forney? Zone + IF Chronicles?). Let me know...