CrossFit Chronicles | The Smith Family

Lioness Hearted: The 20 Mile March of Training

2012-01-01T23:14:00.000-08:00

Lounging at a Columbus-area hot spot, eyes glued to ESPN 2's CrossFit Games marathon.

That look I've seen before. It's when she is truly focused. Not angry, resentful, envious - just focused. It's a look of: no days off, many postponed vacations, and no desire to experience any of these luxuries. No complaining about late night running or early morning work. I've had a front row seat to watch this over the past five months. She has truly impressed me.

There were several moments that influenced this blog. Maybe, you don't know too much about them. Maybe, you do. Either way, it can be a lesson in "what to do next" when we get knocked off of our stride. In 2009, she qualified, she competed, and she finished fifth place. "A gift and a curse", she always said, she automatically qualified for the 2010 CrossFit Games. She went, she competed, she made the final cut, she finished twelfth. She came home satisfied.

In 2011, I remember the first of the several distinct moments where I began seeing a bit of an increasing importance for the CrossFit Games in her life. Shortly after Rogue sponsored her, she felt a sense of "why haven't I trained harder for this?" But, we all know, the big mistake is to think you can begin training seriously in the spring. Then came the first annual CrossFit Open, one workout in particular. Held at CrossFit Central in Austin, she finished fourth out of the group of female competitors. All were Games competitors, many of whom you probably know well. It was a healthy competitive environment, if you could imagine, a handful of prior Games athletes competing for but few coveted spots.

She qualified by a dive at the South Central Regional Qualifier. She went to the Games. She competed with everything she had and she finished 16th. She didn't make the final cut for the top 12 athletes. I found her in the athletes' area shortly after she found out that she was officially done. After a consoling hug, I asked her the next natural question, "If you want to be done, you can be done. If you don't want to be done, I can find you a coach. Want a coach?" She replied yes. And with that collection of moments, Brian MacKenzie coined the phrase Operation Bullet Proof (OBP) and it began during the first week of August. No training partners to gauge her performance against, just herself and her own true potential. No pecking order and no one for her to say, "That's her thing / talent / skill, not mine."

We all want to witness the best in all of the CrossFit skills that we've come to know. It's the best part of training with a group. But something interesting happens when you have no choice but to train alone. You have to become that example that you want to see or you won't see it at all.

In a way, because she wasn't training with her friends she felt more comfortable adopting their strengths, as well. With B-Mack coaching her from Southern California, she's filmed nearly every single training session for his effective criticism. Occasionally, she declassifies a workout for the community to examine her progress. But even so, yesterday was interesting to see. It was the first time that she really watched the ESPN footage of the CrossFit Games. The experience was that piercing to her. Nonetheless, it was cool to see that she was congratulatory to the competitors that outperformed her. "Oh, she is so great at that!" "Wow." and so on.

Watching this growth in a seasoned competitor has taught me a few important things. Transformation can happen in a relatively short time. When you become disappointed by your circumstances, the most powerful remedy is the decision to respond positively. And not just by responding positively but by affirming that commitment by giving it your all - daily. Watching her train has taught me that. But all of those experiences and emotions can be summed up by this one photo.

Our oft-used phrase, "Operation Bullet Proof" isn't such a novelty anymore, it's a reminder of the daily devotion to improvement - no matter the conditions. She didn't wait to start training when the times were comfortable. She is not slowing just because she may have an advantage. She is training out of her bad habits and into the perpetual confidence that all athletes covet. She's focused like tomorrow's the first day of the Open, Regionals, or even the Games. It was that look - maintained for just a dozen or so seconds - that left me the most impressed. I've seen it before. And it means that this year, things may be different than the last.

Confidence comes not from motivational speeches, charismatic inspiration, wild pep rallies, unfounded optimism, or blind hope...Confidence [comes] by actual achievement. (Collins)

Running Form: Free Your Feet

2011-12-20T06:00:00.001-08:00

Jon "Bones" Jones Trains for UFC 140

2011-11-27T12:35:00.001-08:00

Jon Jones prepares for UFC 140. There are definitely new training tools to watch for in this video. Do you see any new techniques that you would use for yourself or your gym? Or could he train more effectively, altogether?

A Professional's Sport.

2011-10-30T23:08:00.000-07:00

Competitor Magazine Editor T.J. Murphy joins Lindsey Smith and her full-time coach, Brian Mackenzie

It was a different time. Nearly six years ago, I was in the audience to watch Lindsey at the 2006 Big East Track & Field Championship. As I used to tell the story, the heptathlete (Lindsey) was out thrown by a pure javelin thrower. Furious that any other athlete would try outdo her performance, she did the following: a) got pissed off b) gritted her teeth and c) out threw the poor, dedicated javelin thrower. Lindsey went on to finish 6th overall in the Big East Championship after competing in this major collegiate sport - for less than two years.

I used to tell this story as if Lindsey's ability was magical. Truth be told, it wasn't. The difference between my average ability and her superhuman ability is that she trained like a professional. Her day-in and day-out dedication to her craft allowed her to execute at levels above and beyond, when the time called for it. Pro soccer in the summers and year round Division I sports, will do this. All of this experience groomed her ability to focus, year round, and harness a focused performance when the time called for it. It was just a simple, rehearsed game time adjustment that helped her improve on her best javelin throw ever. It was the 365 days before that prepared her for one throw, jump, sprint, or hurdle.

Big East Championship. 2006.

A year after I watched Lindsey's Heptathlon performance, the CrossFit Games went down in Aromas, California. Not too long after, we began suggesting that the CrossFit Games was going to be a professional's sport. From our gyms, garages, and home offices - we tried to influence what the CrossFit sport would look like, instead of working on what we could control and just letting the Games become. I'll let you elaborate on these influences.

Well, fast forward a few and things are a little different than the ancient CrossFit Games times of 2007. The Games are here and the focus on it is year round thanks to the conscious reminders proffered by the folks that run the Games site and its highly interactive Twitter account. But really though, it is here and the focus for anyone that wants to stand on that podium in July should be lasered-in on whatever it takes to get there. This is what separates the average to above-average CrossFitters, like myself, from CrossFit's truly elite: Focusing on what matters. Time. Skill. Time under Tension. Recovery time. And actively minimizing distraction.

Games Champs: Froning and Annie T. with Fory and Smith at a Photo Shoot.

And because of this perspective, I understand the how's, what's, and why's behind Lindsey's surprising performance in 2006. Because I am finally witnessing how she prepared herself to over-achieve, every session leading up to that late spring day. Yes, assuming that she makes it in 2012, it will be her fourth appearance as a CrossFit athlete. But this year is different. Way different. She eats like a professional, sleeps like a professional, monitors her recovery needs like a professional, and trains with the volume that I haven't witnessed since the months we trained with 2010 Olympic gold medalist Steve Mesler (U.S. Bobsleigh) in 2008. His dedication to performance was sickening. His hours were long, his nutrition was boring, and nothing came between him and his coach's programming for him. I hated training with those two. But that's why they are different.

This is what I see in Lindsey and the others that edged her out in 2011. There is no "Shall I go team this year, instead? Shall I compete at all?" waffling with these athletes. They seemed to fire out of the gates on August 2nd, like time was of the essence. And it was. Outside of sponsorship events, there are no social weekends, happy hour events, and unnecessary physical stressors like local exhibitions of CrossFit will and might. It all reminds me of Mesler's life before the 2010 Winter Olympics. It reminded me of stories of Lindsey's seasons playing for the Charlotte Eagles and the hours that they'd put in It's just a different level of dedication. Are you ready for it?

Consummate Pro and CF Matriarch, Annie Sakamoto is more relevant than ever. Competitor magazine cover shoot.

It's a professional's sport now. What I learned from "blue collar" athletes like Mesler, Lindsey, and other members of Team Rogue over the years, is simple. A pro athlete is not so because of how much money they make or their pop cultural status. There are tens of thousands of professionals that are just as devoted to their sport as Lebron James, Desean Jackson, or Candice Parker. Maybe even more dedicated than those star athletes. The common thread among professionals is a head-down, relentless focus that few others possess. They train like their competition is always next week when it may be next year. They don't need benchmark competitions or confidence boosters to pass the time or keep them motivated to train.

A pro athlete is measured by how much they're willing to live and give, every single day, to compete. A professional is focused on the preparation for competition, even if all of the preparation is but for three days, nine long months away. It's a professional's sport now.

Growing Cities: Infographic

2011-10-20T06:21:00.000-07:00

The "fastest growing"metropolitan areas in the CrossFit affiliate community. Based on visual information from Map.CrossFit.com and cross-referenced with the size of each metropolitan area. That information is from infoplease.com. It is pretty neat to see "newer" areas grow at faster rates: Miami, Houston, Dallas, and Boston, are a few. Miami came out of nowhere and just three years ago, in Houston, it was hard to find an affiliate. It illustrates that Austin may not be growing at the same rate as Dallas or Houston, despite being an enormous "fitness town". San Antonio's area is seeing surprising growth based on a much smaller population in relation to Dallas, Houston , and Austin.

I based the infographic on a ratio of affiliate population and city population. Los Angeles metropolitan are is the toughest to categorize based upon the information but it's cool to see the intensity of the original hot zone isn't waning, nonetheless. Once again, CrossFit.com has another great use. Wherever you go, you can find an affiliate.

This infographic isn't 100% accurate or done so for any particular use, just some free time last weekend. It would be cool if someone took the time to cover all metropolitan areas and found a better measure of growth intensity. Feel free to leave comments or even improve upon it yourself!

Chapters: A Look Back on This Blog

2011-10-12T01:39:00.000-07:00

Reflecting on CrossFit, from England. Before I snapped this photo, I just sat for a moment and just observed the scene. Sitting on this deck, I read back through old blogs, glancing at photos of our daughter, literally growing up with warp speed. I was in England and, even after one night there, it still hadn't fully dawned on me. Thinking back to my first encounter with CrossFit, there is no way I could have thought it would have brought us here or taken us wherever we go next.

I glanced, to my left, at Nicole Hughes, CrossFit Central's marketing guru. I thought back to the business calls that I used to make to her from the law firm office in Houston back in 2009. Back then, Lindsey and I were nearly going to open an affiliate in Houston. Thus, the affiliation of this blog. From the very first conversation, I gave her a lot of credit for my introduction into CrossFit. She's always been good at using the web and social media to expand her affiliate's reach. Conversations with her have been of the most influential I've had in the past few years.

I looked at Juha Puonti to my right and just thought, "this guy is the co-founder of Rogue Europe. Lucky him. He will dominate an entire continent. Must be nice." I peered over to the man I call J. Elliot Schrock leaning on the door and just sat, thankful that I met him. One of the brightest, most tolerant, gifted professionals I've ever met. He and his brand new wife deserve nothing less than the best the market can offer a twenty something, prodigy of all trades with $50,000 worth of equipment and $75 Million worth of brain.

The guy in the shirt and tie? That's Tony Cross, the owner of CrossFit Clitheroe and an accomplished attorney. We were staying in his amazing home, in the town of Lancashire. Nearly everything you see in the photo is his home, is his. It was my first time in England and I had to say, it was under the absolute best of circumstances. While Tony sounds supremely talented, his wife Joanne "one-up's" him. She is one of the best chefs that I've ever met and she made sure that we all ate, at least every three hours it seemed.

Rob Orlando was to his left and I just remember thinking that my interactions with him were much more positive and memorable than I assumed they would be. Rob has some training wisdom and some great business lessons learned from running Hybrid Athletics. The guy doesn't get enough credit. Strongman over here is not huge but over there, the guy is literally painted on gym walls.

And then there was Jeremy. Lindsey and I were garage gym CrossFitter's before we decided to take the plunge into the 2009 Regional Qualifier at Jeff Tucker's gym in Fort Worth, Texas. JT was literally the first person that I recognized (from 2008 CrossFit Games videos) and met on that first day in May of 2009. As you can guess, the rest is history. Two and a half years later, I am in Austin because of my appreciation for CrossFit Central.

It is hard not to be romantic about CrossFit. The impact on my life has been remarkable. It wasn't just GPP that I gained by following Greg Glassman's vision of function fitness. Everything about our family's life has been influenced by CrossFit. Each chapter has been incredibly influential and positive. Looking back on many of my past blogs on this site, I landed on the thought:

Life is a book. Today is but a chapter.

The truth in that statement is overwhelming, especially if you consider every step that brought you to today. Books have certain distinctions. While the hard cover indicates a beginning and an end, there are many beginnings and endings in a single book. These beginnings and endings are called chapters. Friedrich Nietzsche says, "What is great in a man is that he is a bridge and not an end.

Celebrate

It is our responsibility to celebrate those jumps from chapter to chapter, we aren't supposed to procrastinate by re-reading a chapter, fretting over yesterday. Or reading the text slowly, in fear of encountering what's next. It is also our responsibility to honor the chapters that we've read and the lessons that we've learned, so that the next chapter will makes sense.

Looking back on the many chapters that I've had in just the past three years, I am grateful for each positive experience and positive influence. When I think about that reflection on CrossFit from England, I wondered how many people felt the same about their growth within this community. CrossFit was tied to so many decisions in our lives, looking back. It's been three years of CrossFit Games, 1,000 workouts, an added 44 inches of height to our baby girl, two homes, regrets, laughter, disappointment, failure, success, and of course - the blood, sweat, and tears that we've all experienced.

Each past experiences and every personal investment into us serves a purpose. Everything that you are today, and will be tomorrow, makes perfect sense - only because of the previous chapters. It is all cumulative. All you have to do is take a moment and read back to gain perspective. Just make sure that whatever you do, you do it boldly and without hesitation. Don't be afraid to turn he page. That's what chapters are for. And I am thankful for every single word, line, and page of them. Thank you.

Stronger Pie.

2011-10-11T22:30:00.000-07:00

This is my recipe for Stronger Pie. It's called that for obvious reasons. Mainly, I tend to set personal records after the consumption of this confectionary goodness. I thought I'd share.

Involved in this process is as follows: Non-stick skillet (or wok), one apple, one small banana, one tablespoon of cinnamon, two tablespoons of coconut oil (or butter, if you're a rebel). Lastly, one half scoop of Stronger Faster Healthier's vanilla "Daily Balance" protein powder. Thus, the name "Stronger Pie".

I'll keep this really simple, for I am no chef. First, put aforementioned coconut oil (or equivalent in butter, if you're a boss) in said skillet. Secondly, distribute half of your cinnamon into the butter (or coconut oil). Can you see my preference in fatty liquid-y goodness? Butter. Third, chop fruits into slices and toss them into the pool of healthy or unhealthy fat, depending on your interpretation. Fourth, when darkened, pour the rest of the cinnamon into the confection concoction. This whole process should take no more than five minutes. Five, when about ready to remove the fruit slices, distribute your SFH protein powder evenly - like it matters. Wait three more minutes.

Wait for the fruits, oils, cinnamon, and protein powder to be friends. It may take a moment, no one has ever introduced these unsuspecting confectionary elements before my recent discovery. And lastly, pour your Stronger Pie gently into your most expensive bowl and if you're gutsy, photograph it next to your favorite bottle. Preparation and cooking time? Seven minutes. The result of eating Stronger Pie? Added strength, though it hasn't been proven.

The CrossFit Social Media (kinda) Manifesto

2011-09-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

Eyes.

Lindsey Smith calls me a “Hipster Gangster Prepster”. However weird as it sounds, she's sort of right. It's just the way I grew up. Inner-city Houston, on to "the burb's", New England for school, a metropolitan museum district for the rest of school. I suppose it's why my preference for both Nantucket Island and Jay-Z makes sense. Or better yet, why my advocacy of flat billed MLB caps and Sperry's doesn't seem too eclectic. But most importantly, her affectionate nickname spurred a number of self-realizations about how I think, rationalize, and communicate.

This amalgam of influences is simply a collection of circles, none of which are mutually exclusive - in my opinion. And I believe that, when it comes to influences and "circles", many others in CrossFit are the same way. We are not only a traditionally diverse community. We are amazingly diverse in our "stations" in life, meaning we have had a greater than average assortment of social circles. Potentially why CrossFit’s network has grown with a unique potency and never-before-seen speed. This is my theory.

CrossFit began as a primitive social network, less defined by the features of a website and more dependent on real relationships, one's ability to communicate, a proficiency in the principles of Web 2.o, and the complexity of each CrossFitter's life. I'll explain. The last thing CrossFit needs is its own social network. CrossFit has grown to what it is for one reason: organized chaos. CrossFit thrives as a well-spoken, passionate, evangelistic primitive organism. While CrossFit media may need a central location, the movement does to operate out of a central location for the objective of evangelism to be met. This is assuming the objective - grow CrossFit's influence in a meaningful, real way - is the same as what it was between 2001-2011.

Take a look at the professional profile of Darrell White - the CrossFit ambassador that we all know as “Bingo”. I gathered that he was: an accomplished academic, member of several associations and societies, an athlete, an enthusiast of action sports, a doctor. He has numerous social segments. And he is one of the many reasons that CrossFit has grown the way it has. Is he a die hard? Sure. Does he talk CrossFit all day? No. And most importantly, is he a CrossFitter first? It's hard to say. And that’s not a bad thing. I watch his patterns of communication via Twitter. And as odd as it sounds, he does CrossFit a great service by not seeming to be obsessive about CrossFit. In doing so, he attracts moderate individuals who are likely to stick around for a long time. This archetype of a consumer is the reason CrossFit is a paradigm shift and not just a trend.

My mind wandered next to other unique CrossFit composites like: Gretchen Kittleberger - a D1 gymnast turned recent UVA Law graduate turned CrossFitter. Lindsey Smith - a D1 athlete turned pro-athlete turned missionary turned teacher that now coexists as a CrossFit athlete and HQ instructor. Or Dean Xu - a first generation American, degreed medical student turned CrossFit coach and graphics designer. CrossFit, Inc.'s Lisbeth Darsh or Russ Greene. The list could probably go on forever.

Sitting with a talented staff of CrossFit HQ seminar instructors, a few weeks back, I had an interesting conversation with Lindsey, Cherie Chan, and Spencer Nix. Lindsey reaches over and says, “Guess what Spence is going to start working towards? It’s something that you pursued.” Cherie turns to listen intently. Lindsey has an all-knowing smile on her face. Spencer looks as mischievous as ever - he might as well have had his hands in the “hands in front of face, finger tips together” pose. I, on the other hand, was unsuspecting and quite anxious. Because my life has been a cluster bomb of “let’s try this’s” disrupted by milestones like moving, marriage, economy, and childbirth. This is how my rapid succession of responses went, the “No’s” were voiced by Lindsey:

An MBA? (No.) He’s going to law school to become a sports agent? (No.) He’s been asked to serve the church? (No.) He’s getting into graphic/web design? (Nope.) He’s serving in the armed forces? (No.) He’s studying Russian language to serve abroad? (No.) He’s a political campaign operative for 2012? (No.) He found a way into petroleum engineering? (No.)...

And the list would go on for 15 or 20 seconds before I finally pinpointed his next passionate pursuit. Shortly following, Spence says, “Well at least I know you now, my friend.” I immediately considered two thoughts: a) My life seemed like a shotgun spray b) How many others in the CrossFit community have this "problem"?

This got me thinking back to Darrell "Bingo" White, Lindsey, Tony Budding, and others. Most everyone that I have ever met has an unconventional path to the CrossFit community. And so did I. When I started looking at it from the scope of a branding, marketing, and media enthusiast, I came to the conclusion that this is why CrossFit has become what it has. See, those that fit this CrossFit profile have other interests. The day's priorities are also professional, parental, social, and educational.

What does that mean for social media use? The reason that CrossFit has grown into a dynamic, intellectual, and ably communicative community is simple. We care about more than CrossFit. CrossFitters are not meat heads or gym rats - only concerned with fitness. If you look at the italicized interaction above, you will identify several circles. A CrossFitter is typically a doer, not just a talker. Which means that in some way or another, I was influenced by each "circle" above, whether socially or professionally. And in almost every instance, each of my circles knows about CrossFit.

But You're @CrossFitChron, Just Chronicle CrossFit!

While talking up other subjects on Twitter may seem to others as being scatter-brained, it is smart to focus on all of your interests - whether in business, social media, music, fashion, cars, food, et cetera. Why? Because eventually, the tendency is that "CrossFit" will rise in conversation. A close friend of mine calls the strategy, “Going Fishing.”

Believe it or not, a lot of people out there could careless about our recent personal records or blood lactate levels. On Twitter especially, where our personal communities are not nearly as defined (as they are on Facebook or Google Plus), it is added value that we appeal to and engage all of our theoretical circles, finding that perfect (often elusive) balance of passion for CrossFit with a genuine awareness for other interests. Whether you're an affiliate owner, affiliate coach, Seminar Instructor, or CrossFit media guru, people will realize - early on - that there is something special about you. They will see it in your passion, knowledge, drive, personality, and vitality. The key is to just. be. you. Social media shouldn't be robotic in its subject matter or delivery. If your purpose is to grow your community, the key is to be authentic and diverse.

To attract the "more out there" to CrossFit, you have to operate as though there is more out there than CrossFit.*

*Just my perspective. Where do you stand?

Tools of the Trade

2011-08-18T23:39:00.000-07:00

Garage. One that is growing, daily. I can already envision our next one.

It is the purest form of a CrossFitter's display of enthusiasm and reverence. For skaters and surfers, it's their longboards. For freestyle cyclists, it is their Haros. These are sacred tools of the trade for athletes who constantly pursue the pinnacle in their sports. For CrossFit athletes, this is our holy grail.

Rooney is clutch for training, swear.

There is just something about this part of our home. It's not much, but it is everything. Quite possibly, the hardest work and the greatest sacrifice is achieved in this room - held constantly at 100+ degrees. What may be $9,000 worth of equipment to some is a coveted possession to us. This area is the only space that has yet to be "finished'. There is still room for a Schwinn Airdyne and maybe even a Concept 2 Ski Erg. More can be done to our garage, but while material completion is always fleeting in a garage gym, there will always be a level of satisfaction and a level of gratitude. Because it is ours to train in whenever, however, on good days and bad.

Chalked Progress.Very Basquiat of us.

For CrossFit athletes, there is just something about the idea of developing a personal space designed to attempt tasks and complete actions that most "normal" people attempt elsewhere, or don't attempt at all. There's just something about it being our own. There's an amazing feeling that can be attributed to experiencing a conventional life (inside) and then walking a mere few steps to crossover into the garage's threshold. In that way, it is no different than a longboard or a bike. It is what we use to become better. It is a tool that we exploit to be more athletically and humanly complete. Instead of building something else, it is we who becomes the canvas.

Our garage is a not just a tool, it is a nod to CrossFit's infancy. Long before we gave up the conventional life to live one that all of our friends tend to call extreme, there were fledgling garage gyms, like this, all over the United States. We've even walked into a few of them. But even so, there is a difference between walking into someone else's garage, from their driveway, and walking into your own gym from your living room.

Twenty pairs of shoes? Necessary. Always prepared. ;)

Whereas most would probably say this about their dining rooms, studies, or bed rooms, our garage is a nod to our lifestyle, personalities, and purpose. It's where we put the most on the line. It is where we spend the most time investing into ourselves. It displays elements of our past, our present, and our future. It communicates an emphasis (on self-improvement) and a hopefulness that our bodies and minds will be trained and refined enough to travel diligently and courageously toward our lofty goals.

The Best. Rogue.

To many, it can seem hard to believe that a bleak room, with walls of colorful, chalked accomplishments and our tools of the trade, could mean so much to us. How could it mean so much to anyone? Here is why. There is something about making progress alone - while led by unbridled, intrinsic motivation. This is the atmosphere of garage gyms across the globe. These are places that produce some of the best athletes - inside and outside of the CrossFit sport - that we've ever seen.

Smith Jersey, through the lenses. Oakley's are vital for runs.

Sure, there are similar structures everywhere and every garage gym owner would speak the same truth about their own garages. That truth is universal; we all believe it. Our garage is the best training facility on earth. We wouldn't rather train for tomorrow anywhere but in our own garage. As the age-old adage goes, "there is strength in the numbers." Sure, but who ever declared "numbers" to be people. There is also strength in the numbers that you achieve when you are alone, training the only driver that matters when it counts. Your heart. That tool of the trade, the most important of all, is not pictured.

"Growing Healthy and Strong." But Why?

2011-08-10T23:41:00.000-07:00

I'll give you most everything you need. But then, it is all up to you. Go win.

On my 5th birthday, I received a Nintendo Entertainment System. Along with it were two games that I would go on to play for the next three years of my life: Mario and Zelda. I would spend hours playing video games throughout my formative years. When I was tired of playing videos games, I had action figures to toy around with. Sure, I was on a soccer team but performance didn't matter, we all received trophies at the end of the five game season. Across the park, on the other set of fields, was an area where the competitive youth were stocked and primed. I didn't even understand why being over there made sense. It was more work and less time with Mario and Zelda.

As the story would continue, it would be a solid four or five years before I understood the meaning of proper preparation and the incentives associated with performance. In a family that believed in conditional love, everything was always "ok". Whether I scored one goal or none, scored an A or a C, it didn't matter. Smiles. All the while, I was told to eat certain things or do certain things because "they make you grow healthy and strong!"

Physical performance tends to be a measure before intellectual prowess can be properly documented in youth. This is my assessment as a father of three and a half years. In raising our three year old, Lindsey and I have taken a different approach. Unconditional love for our baby girl? Sure. But her life will be different than my own, different than many of my sedentary counterparts. Granted, I turned out better than below average. But where I was as a child is not good enough for where she will one day be.

Over dinner, Lindsey once said to Alexis, "Eat your vegetables and your sweet potatoes and your chicken." Alexis aptly replied, "Because I am growing healthy and strong?" This response sparks several emotions from me. A) I am proud of her. B) How does she know that she is growing healthy and strong? Does she have a way of determining strength and vitality in comparison to those around her? For her to understand the power of her decisions and the consequences of every self-investment, she has to have a way of measuring her progress. Oh, and she has to have an actual reason to be healthier and stronger. Let's be real, one of the major motivations for the pursuit of strength and health is to outlast others and improve vitality, and thus - one's likelihood for success.

My adult development did not begin until I realized, in 7th grade, that I had absolute control over my athletic and academic futures. For the first time, I realized that food and fitness mattered. Not only did it affect my ability as a football player but my vitality as a student. This epiphany would have come sooner had my mind not been bogged down by my dear companions, Mario and Zelda. So what does that mean for my daughter? I will unapologetically raise her to eat and train to grow healthy and strong. Because at this age, it will indelibly lead to her educational growth and her self-propagated desire to prepare and perform.

What my parents didn't tell me while I was resting between levels two and three of Super Mario Brothers is this: Winning is important. Winning is important. Winning is important. Losing should sting. And trophies shouldn't be a bandaid for childhood failure. Training and preparing to win is paramount. And preparation should begin the moment you can rationalize on your own. Even as early as three years old.

As the father of the three year old who eats my food, enjoys my $12K per year for education and social development in an Austin Westlake Hills pre-school, and countless other resources attributed to gymnastics, dance, swim, and so on - you may wonder about our intentions. And I'll be honest. I want her to be the best, not the best she can be. But the absolute best. I want her to settle for nothing less than dominance, inside and outside of the classroom. Because this pattern of thinking shouldn't begin materializing or begin being incentivized in high school. It should begin now.

So, my qualms with what my parents taught me about growing healthy and strong is simple. What good is the privilege of growing healthy and strong if you don't have a way to compare or a metric to measure? What's the point of growing and healthy and strong if you aren't motivated to compete and display one's preparation? What's the point of self-improvement if you have no outlet to realize the advantages of working hard?

Don't get me wrong, our daughter will not be pushed beyond her desires to be good or great at something. Those are her decisions. She will not be pushed to develop athletic talents or intellectual proficiencies. My goal is to develop an unquenchable drive, in her, to push herself. What she will experience is a reason to put down toys to train movement, put her baby dolls down to practice academics, and put the junk food down and eat food that will help her grow healthy and strong. Because in this house, health and strength are measured by ability and performance. That is our attraction to CrossFit. In her lifetime - and in ours, for that matter - only the strongest will survive and thrive.

There is no differentiation between the drive to be a better athlete and the motivation to be a stronger candidate for an exceptional life.

Can The CrossFit Games Save a Life?

2011-08-08T13:26:00.000-07:00

He is one of the best natural athletes that I've ever known. In high school, my nightly dinner at his parent's home got me through some tough times. I would have easily been another statistic without the love and influence of his parents. Without fail, when nothing else was consistent around me, dinner was waiting for me at their home after football practice, basketball practice, track practice, and throughout the summer months.

This family had so much influence on me that I patterned my parenting after them. But even the best parents can have a problem with a son or a daughter. A child can have it all: every opportunity, every talent, every intellectual asset, every resource. Some times, it can still lead to a temporary lull in their lives. Failure is permanent. But this lull will not be a failure.

Missing one friend.

On September 17, my former Prep School is holding our ten year high school reunion. Daily, I thank this school for instilling in me the solid foundation, compass, and ability to dust-off and stand back up. It's certainly come in handy. It is also the school that taught me the meaning of Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, a latin phrase meaning "for the greater glory..." More than anything, I want to see my friend at this reunion but he probably won't be there. Amidst the successful stories, the new families, the fulfilled hopes and dreams, it would take a titan to withstand the level of self-disappointment that he's experiencing. He is so down-and-out yet so prideful that surely, few of us will ever see the real magnitude of his struggle. But just give him time.

He's tarnished the brute yet gracious athleticism that once led him to a collegiate athletic opportunity that most of us dream about. He's squandered every professional opportunity that many of us would do anything to achieve. His intellectual prowess goes unused; but trust me, it is still there. And so are the resources around him. But they are used to quench a thirst that isn't for the types of success that our fraternity of brothers were bred to attain. But yet, this lull will not be a failure. He will snap out of this.

See, I owe him too much. I'd be a statistic without he and his family. Sometimes you just have to refuse to let a friend stay down. He demonstrated that to me, just ten years ago, whether he knows it or not. Sometimes, it is only a friend who can understand the catalyst necessary to awaken the spirit of victory alive within them. Prayer? Sure. Counseling? Great, it always helps. But I had an idea. I remember the exact moment that his life changed. I remember the start of the decline. It wasn't when he lost a girl or got kicked out of school, it was when he lost his opportunity to compete.

So with a straight face, with Lindsey by my side, I told him something that was equally novel and frightening. At the time, he was holding my three year old daughter like it was his own; it was the first time that they’d ever met. I said to him, "You are going to start training for the 2012 CrossFit Games." An initiative that will sound counterproductive to some and maniacal to others, may just be the catalyst that changes his life. And saves it in the process.

Boys.

My friend may not beat Rich Froning at the 2012 CrossFit Games. But he has it in him to compete for it. He may not even qualify for the Games. But what if? What if all he needed was something to lean on that was real to him. Sometimes, we get prayed out. I've been there. Sometimes, we have to show our prayers that we absolutely meant what we prayed for. An opportunity, resolution, or just one more chance. In his case, if I had to guess, he prayed for: strength, discipline, endurance, and a new fire inside.

So what if he doesn't ever become someone that you cheer on one day? So what if he never gets the Rogue deal and the Reebok endorsement? The greatest CrossFit Games victory may end up being achieved by someone who never shows up to compete with the world's fittest. All he needs to see is that he still has "it". He is still a better athlete than me. He is still a stronger man. He is still a smarter person and he still has that same passion for competition that would motivate our years of furniture-destroying wrestling matches, broad-jump contests, and sprint contests in the oxfords that we wore to school mass. Can the CrossFit Games save a life?

What happens to a soul when a fire is re-lit? "When there's nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire." [1] It is amazing to watch a motivated man or woman strive to make up for lost time? Before the end of this week, my friend will begin training for the 2012 CrossFit Games at his nearby affiliate. Remember how I told you that he and his family greatly helped my life? I may not be able to return the favor but I have a feeling. I sense that if I can just reintroduce him to the person he was, back when I was weak, the rest will take care of itself. Can the CrossFit Games save a life? I believe so.

And if he makes it to the CrossFit Games, you'll know. He needs just a little spark, so you'll be watching someone compete like his life depends on it. Because his life does.

By the way, his answer was, "Brother, when and where do I start?"

Filled.

2011-08-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

Photo by Lauren Glassman

Community and progress. It can make me emotional to think about. See, our whole life changed after the 2009 Regional Qualifier at Jeff Tucker's GSX CrossFit. Everything about our day-to-day lives is different than it would have been. You hear it all of the time, "CrossFit changed my life!" But even so, some may use that line as a figure of speech in hope that one day, there lives truly will change for the better. For my family, there is very little that remains from before that May 2009 event besides our family itself. It isn't a cliche for us - it just took us a little bit to get there.

I carried this context with me as we traveled to the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games. Because while CrossFit has changed our lives for the better, it hasn't been easy.

In 2009, we caught a flight to the CrossFit Games after many of our colleagues coughed up some financial support to get us there. I fought for Lindsey's sponsorships and requested financial support from my co-workers and her own. It was actually the genesis of this blog. When we found a way to the 2009 Games, we didn't have an official place to sleep. We got extremely lucky in the 11th hour. We made some of the best friends in the world, that year. We were so smitten by the wolf pack that we would begin contemplating the decision of a lifetime. Resigning our jobs and moving to Austin was a task. But first, Lindsey would go on to finish 5th overall and in the meantime; she made quite the impression on all of us who hoped to one day compete at the highest level.

In 2010, we finalized the decision to move to Austin, Texas. For better or for worse, we were here and it made the previous year seem almost easy. Gone were the days of white collar ease and co-workers who'd cut a check to support and quest to the Games. Now, we were in a new place and between us, we ended up earning a life-alternating one third of what we had combined to earn the year before the move from Houston. Not great for dinner table fodder. Not only did Lindsey despise her new career in Austin but she despised mine. For this professional experiment to work, we had to turn our love of CrossFit into our passionate professions. But first, another hurdle.

The only way that we got to the 2010 CrossFit Games was by a donated set of plane tickets. If not for Jet Blue's Brian Sullivan, things may not have been the same today. We scraped by on food in California, paid $1,000 for a week on a pull-out sofa bed that often doubled as a community room. Even so, Lindsey would go on to finish 12th overall. As a member of CrossFit Central's then-dominate affiliate team, we'd go on to finish what I felt was a disappointing sixth place.

In short, 2010 was the toughest year of our professional lives. And trust me, that's saying a lot. I've never thought of the word "quit" so many times before. And honestly, neither did Lindsey.

In 2011, it felt like 2010 was spilling over. Things were still moving at a pace slower than I was used to. Lindsey was only able to train after 9 PM unless she had time to speed over to Westlake CrossFit for a quick workout. CrossFit Central was too long of a trek for our ambitious work schedules. Eventually, I could finally pay the bills without cringing but only barely. Thanks to Lindsey's role as a teacher, it made parenting life a bit easier in some ways. SICFIT was still a drain on us. My day-to-day was monotonous and I questioned my own self-worth whenever I would turn down one of what seemed like a gift of four lucrative job offers. I chose to stay with SICFIT. And thus, we stayed focused on CrossFit.

By now, you can see how CrossFit had taken over our lives. Positive developments were made on my end and Lindsey, while exhausted by her schedule, would end up qualifying and qualifying again for the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games. I qualified and ended up competing as an individual in the regional qualifier. CrossFit Central's team spots were reserved for employees of the organization, this time around. In just a few months, Lindsey earned endorsements from Rogue Fitness and Reebok International. She would also become a Level 1 Seminar Instructor for CrossFit Headquarters. Professionally, I was finally beginning to hit a stride. This all led to the hope that a taste of progress would lead to actual sustainable, substantive progress.

Office door visualization.

The photo of the stadium has been taped to my door since CrossFit Central placed sixth at the 2010 CrossFit Games. Early on - I just knew that we would come back and finish first place in 2011. Wishful thinking isn't always the most logical thinking, I suppose. For Lindsey, the photo was a constant reminder - initiated whenever she'd stop into my home office - to train at a time, in conditions that we knew few others would. It paid off. In short, the visualization worked well for both of us. The odd thing is, real work took priority over my athletic hopes. My thinking became more macroeconomic and utilitarian in ways. I stopped focusing so much on my athletic goals and began focusing on life goals that just so happened to correspond with complete support of CrossFit's mission. The meaning of that photo changed for me.

That photo became representative of my desire to see every seat filled at the 2011 Games. I figured that the more the seats that were filled, the faster the CrossFit community would grow. With my shift in focus, SICFIT began to grow. Every professional decision was centered around filling the Home Depot Center stadium. Every professional decision involved my desire to grow the sport, the community, and by proxy - our professional futures.

Sevan. The man.

When I say that CrossFit changed my life, I really mean it. The CrossFit sport provided a passionate outlet that few conventional professional opportunities could have matched. When Lindsey and I travelled to the 2011 CrossFit Games, it was watershed moment for us. She had the opportunity to compete and represent the companies that believed in her. I had the opportunity to support her while representing one of CrossFit's most prolific businesses and another that is well on its way. I met new mentors and icons who had no clue that I looked up to them. Imagine having conversations with people that you couldn't imagine chatting with, just a year before.

A Dork with Lisbeth Darsh, CF's Social Media Director

This year's CrossFit Games was overwhelming because more than ever, I felt a part of it. I felt like I joined you in helping to fill that same stadium that stood empty in a photograph on my office's door. The camaraderie was unparalleled. The friendships and mentorships that I formed over the week's time will always remind me of what happens when the solution to the answer ceases being "me" and begins being "we". The 2011 Games week brought me to tears a few times. I wasn't taking for granted the fact that, this time around, we had a way to drive where we needed and eat where we wanted. This time around, we had a room and a schedule to ourselves. It sounds all-to-simple but progress is progress, you know. Celebrate the small things.

The vast progress that I witnessed, during the Games, made me so thankful that for two years, we scratched and clawed just to be there. This year was different. Not only was it different than year's past. It was a launching pad for a much brighter future for CrossFit. The experience of last week made the woes, the slumps, the valleys, and the disappointments worth it for me. Sure, there will be more of those slumps, woes, and valleys - but I am much better prepared for them, these days. It's amazing what happens when we begin to focus on what really matters, the people next to us. Just focus on caring about the person next to you and soon enough, there will be a stadium full of people that you know and love.

Photo by Lauren Glassman

This community grew faster, in just three years, than many of us could imagine. When everyone flowed in for the final event of the Games, I just sat back and smiled. In the stadium, there were thousands of similar stories of sacrifice, disappointment, small wins, and ultimately - triumph. And these were the same folks who set aside their personal stories to be a part of a much greater one. With this community, we filled the stadium.

That's why the week was unforgettable.

Let the Games Begin...

2011-07-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

Our "natural" family dynamic. ;)

Lindsey Smith registers and suits up at the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games.

Lindsey Smith makes final competition preparations at LAX CrossFit in Los Angeles.

Collective Intelligence and Friendship in CrossFit

2011-07-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

J.E.S. in his lab at work on some post-production CrossFit Games media magic

J. Elliot Schrock is easily one of the most talented people that I've ever worked with. And to think, we didn't really get along back in the day. He came from his particular background and I came from mine. I am generally hard-charging, demanding, and unforgiving and he is, well, the equal and opposite. The way I lived life, to him, was not maintainable and possibly even, void of traditional virtue. The way he lived life, to me, left too much in the unattainable column. We were both wrong (in ways). Last year, at this time, he would have never walked through the doors of my house. And I wouldn't have stepped into his. We didn't see eye to eye on many things because we simply didn't try.

How often do people avoid the key conversation that could lead to a good collaboration, a better partnership, or best - a lasting friendship? I believe that this failure happens often. And more than enough, we are the only thing holding us back. We are generally always in our own way. I believe that this happens quite a bit in the CrossFit business community. Traveling around the U.S., I heard many instances of, "We used to be partners but we don't talk anymore" or "He stole my clients so screw him" or, even better, "I don't like his business model, he has too many clients." We put up these walls for some odd reason, when, creatively and in business - our lives become much easier if those walls aren't there.

CrossFit business, as of right now, is still more about a business of relationships. Yet there are people that still remain on an almost Napoleonic conquest for affiliate business domination. In doing so, they eliminate great potential partners. It's really not that big of a deal, people! In this community, it seems that how one business owner interacts with another business owner determines the collaborative potential of those two businesses. This, more so than any actual metric of potential business success that you would find in other industries . Likewise, the collective intelligence of a business depends on genuine friendship or healthy competition between professional peers. It boosts collective intelligence when collaborative efforts are encouraged.

This is the part of the context in which I viewed the collaborative potential between Elliot and me. It is one that led to a more creatively explosive SICFIT because we shared ideas and found that we appreciated each others' perspectives. It wasn't only the media productions that were enhanced, our increased creativity spilled over into the 10+ SICFIT items that I introduced in 2011. With the aid of collaboration, we shared music and realized that we had some of the same tastes. We shared motivations and realized that each of our families made us tick. Not to mention, together, we have conjured up far-fetched media concepts and seen them through to the final product. The creative process often died young, the year before. The difference? An improved, collective intelligence.

So for an hour or so, yesterday, I sat behind Elliot and contributed my subtle direction. He included the aforementioned efforts for my ego; he didn't really need my direction or approval. But what I saw was someone that I should have respected, even more, from the very beginning. When you take the time to let someone in, work with them, and really take part in their lives - you will find that their world is bigger than you know. There are things that people do - easily - that we may find impossible to accomplish. That is the genius behind his genius. His talent and ability to learn technical skills is off-the-charts. He is a silent assassin who works a lot harder than anyone thought, all along. And he always does more than demanded. His craft is difficult. And in an industry where practitioners are more valued than business opportunists, I respect him for his unique and valued abilities.

Elliot and I used to think that we were so different just because our end goals seemed so. In actuality, we just communicated those goals in our own unique ways. There was a lot of unrealized and untapped solidarity behind those walls that we put up. I bet many of us, in this community, experience the same sort of interpersonal fortresses. Imagine business opportunity as a vast space. In that space, compete where you must. But fill ~~some~~ the majority of that space with genuine, unselfish collaborative effort. You'll be surprised how much faster you get to where you're going you. And with great friends by your side. Imagine what each of us could accomplish with a little more openness to collaboration and a little less ego. Even better, imagine what we could learn from one another.

His SICFIT Productions

What You're Really Training

2011-07-15T05:39:00.000-07:00

Mary Siani Photography

The truth of the matter is, I could do much better. I could be a better writer. I could be a better business owner. I could be a better employee. I could be a better friend. I could be a better ambassador to CrossFit. I could be a better athlete. Do you really think you can separate any of these from the other? Effort is effort, passion is passion, and commitment is commitment. There's no skirting it.

My first paper was a twelve page biography on Jackie Robinson in the third grade. It was written before word processors could include photos, so I measured and copied color photos into the appropriate spaces. So much time was spent on "perfecting" it. But don't think that I actually wrote twelve pages worth of material. That would have taken to much time. Nonetheless, I earned an A+. And I have loved writing ever since. I could do a lot of good with my writing but rather, I've lacked the diligence to maintain consistency and focus.

SICFIT is my baby. Nearly two years ago, no one knew about it. But yes, as an owner, I could do a better job building and maintaining relationships. It takes a great commitment to stewardship that, in a lot of ways, can only be fueled by passion for so long. Sooner or later, passion has to give way to purpose. And my hope for success could certainly be driven by more purpose than passion. I will leave it at that. As an employee for any organization that I have the privilege of representing, whether CrossFit-related or not - there will always be dues to pay, cultures to assimilate to and trust to be earned. Impatience is deadly, and sometimes, I lose sight of that. Patience is everything.

Who has the time to be the perfect friend, father, or spouse? I mean, there are promises to be kept and standards to be upheld. Gratitude and forgiveness should come easier than it should but it seems we all get tired of giving those gifts. Thoughtfulness should be imperative but we tend to forget that because we are focused on other, more important things. It takes a relentlessness in your pursuit expectation

CrossFit is my life. I was thinking about anything that I have ever written about CrossFit. Looking back at my style of writing, I've always raised issues. But seldom have I offered solutions. I am sure that the ladies and gentleman at the top of the CrossFit mountain have viewed it as irresponsible at times. Who wants someone telling them what could be better, all the time? Even if a discussion is helpful and healthy, often the presentation isn't the best for receptiveness. This lack of awareness amounts to little more than arrogance and ignorance.

And here's the kicker, when you have your hands on that barbell, rower, kettlebell, or whatever your mission involves - do you really think that you aren't affecting the rest of your life? There is no separation. Personally, if any of these priorities in my life suffer, my goals as an athlete suffer and vice versa. Because fortitude, consistency, focus, patience, awareness, and relentlessness in any pursuit is a key to success. More so than strength, endurance, or those physical measures of progress - these intrinsic attributes are the most important things that we train. We can't separate our ambitions of athleticism from our ambitions of humanity. Because you'll find that many all of our ambitions are driven by the same engine. If you want it, you better practice it in everything that you do. Now, I know.

Daily Progress: What's Your Perspective?

2011-07-14T04:35:00.000-07:00

There's a lot of great things happening for CrossFit. For our family, we've had an awesome time taking part in a lot of it. From Rogue Fitness and Reebok sponsorships to a successful campaign for the 2011 CrossFit Games, this past season has been a successful one for Lindsey Smith. For me, it's been a blast watching the CrossFit brand grow.

From my perspective, I find a lot of value in professional marketing of CrossFit to a global audience. As someone who promotes the sport and its athletes with SICFIT, it makes it a lot easier to explain what makes the community so dynamic and so marketable to the unknowing. How do you feel that the Reebok CrossFit initiative will help both the general and your local communities? What's your perspective?

The Athletes that People Want

2011-06-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

Rogue Athlete - Lindsey Smith

On day three of my home region's competition, I began to see things with much more clarity. CrossFit's most endeared athletes will never be boisterous, angry, snarky, or short-tempered. Never will an athlete be given a pass by the audience to yell at a judge, slam barbells or to spit - not out of necessity - but in disgust of there own deserved results. CrossFit is a sport of peoples' champions. More than ever, it is becoming a sport of silent technicians.

Sitting at a post regional CrossFit Games dinner, Lindsey Smith and I sat with Lisa Thiel, Carey Kepler, and husbands. My father happened to join us for dinner and one thing that I discussed with him was the type of sport that CrossFit is and will continue to become. The way that I put it to him was like this,

Each sport has a few options. Either they will attract multi-million dollar ad deals and endorsements from a company like Conagra snack food giant Slim Jim or they will attract money from luxury brands like Audi. Which category do you think CrossFit falls into?

Lindsey diving for the 2nd place finish!

The correlation is simple. The CrossFit Games is continuously moving in a direction where accuracy and skill is just as important as work capacity. There will always be a place for post-event elation, don't get me wrong. But the negativity will no longer be tolerated. There are no John McEnroe's in CrossFit. It is a sport of quiet grace and humble execution. That means that it is no longer beneficial or appealing to be the athlete who is raucous, loud, angry, or dare I say - obnoxious.

Rather, as you watch the many highlight reels flow in from around the world, you see athletes walk into an arena, perform at their best, and walk out of the arena leaving but one statement, their performance. This is what the crowds have come to expect from CrossFit's best. This is the athlete that people want.

Wanting to Be CrossFit Again

2011-05-23T00:31:00.000-07:00

Things are different. We moved to Austin, not necessarily for CrossFit but rather, for the elements around CrossFit that make it great. We moved here for community, family, accountability, and so on. We had this in Houston, don't get me wrong. Bayou City CrossFit, CrossFit Champions, Atomic CrossFit, and CrossFit West Houston each made Lindsey and I feel like family. These affiliates are four of my greatest semblances of regret for leaving Houston. But by moving closer to the CrossFit epicenter of our region, we have - in many ways- moved away from our CrossFit lifestyle. Yes, things are different.

This past year and a half, we attempted to answer the question: can the business of CrossFit be a priority in your life while still pursuing the idealism of the CrossFit lifestyle? I've come to terms with the fact that it is very difficult to have it both ways. I tend to use Bill and Caity Henniger, of ROGUE fitness, for example. I remember when Caity retired from competing, I said to myself back then, "What a cop out!" What I came to find as I grew up a little bit is one simple truth. Rarely, can you actively run a CrossFit-related company and maintain a top-notch caliber of fitness. There are talented exceptions, but very few. You have to pick one. Now, I know.

There is something that happens when CrossFit ceases becoming just an ideal way of healthy living and becomes the business that supports your family. For this reason, it has been difficult to experience the joys and the excitement of the CrossFit community here in Austin. And even more so, it has been extremely difficult to write about it.

CrossFit is not our life and yet, CrossFit is our life. We aren't affiliate box owners and we don't train multiple clients, daily. We don't always have time to eat by the paleolithic code. We work out whenever we can, generally in our own garage. We are on team CrossFit Central by proxy. Whether I succeed or fail at the South Central Regional Qualifier, it won't hold too much bearing on CrossFit Central's reputation or business. Lindsey works out with Carey Kepler and Lisa Thiel, perhaps once or twice a week - at best. Three or four days a week, I leave meetings or work efforts to show up ten minutes late to the legendary CrossFit Central Games training hour. And then I leave before the fun part - post-training fellowship.

My schedule is generally 6 AM to 11 PM and any idle time causes additional stress on my workload. Be it that neither of us are coaches for CrossFit Central or representatives of their lucrative business, maintaining a consistent training schedule with them can be aggravating. Our professions are sedentary, our level of commitment to parenting is exhausting, and the list can go on. The ideal is just not our lifestyle. This reality leaves us gracing the halls of Westlake CrossFit in the mornings, evenings, or weekends. Most other training time is spent in our own garage.

Lindsey's schedule is 7 AM to 7 PM. She comes home and does a spectacular job of being a focused mother and wife. And then, like clock work, you'll feel ROGUE bumper plates shaking the foundation of the house at 10 PM when she trains in the garage and PROGENEX shakes being blended at 11 PM. We really don't have time for full-devotion to CrossFit. Welcome to your world, I know. We have much less time in Austin than we had during our (awesome) 6 PM or 7 PM training sessions at Bayou City CrossFit or our weekend training sessions at Atomic CrossFit. So ironically, Lindsey and I are often training like it's 2009: just barbells, rings, a garage, and the Smith's.

But the problem is, we do still compete. We dostill want to be among the athletes that get to compete in Los Angeles in July. As much as we try to treat it as the sole priority, it is not in our lifestyle design. Recently, Lindsey mentioned something to me that really resonated quite strongly.

In college, I used to say that I could be the best because I was willing to outwork the hardest worker. But now, it's not just about sports. I am 28 years old. I am a full-time mother and I want to be a pro at it. I am full-time teacher and I want to be a pro at it. I am a full-time wife and I want to be a pro at it. That takes a lot of practice. So who cares if I want to be a professional athlete anymore? Priorities, Web.

Lindsey is a teacher at Trinity Episcopal School, she is an HQ seminar instructor, a member of Team ROGUE, and a successful CrossFit athlete.

I am the co-owner of SICFIT, I am an amalgam of a marketing maven, brand managing, consulting tech nerd. Oh, and I am also CrossFit athlete. Finding a way to be better at each of these was our reasoning behind moving our family to Austin in the first place. We thought it was possible. These expectations have proven to be incredibly tricky. We are part of the national CrossFit community in wonderful ways but at the cellular level, where CrossFit is life-changing for many people, we are much less a part of it. Pretty ironic when you think about it. Needless to say, our involvement needs to improve.

The Oath

Lindsey and I are affiliate owners. This site, We Are CrossFit, is an affiliate and by our standards, we are failing to communicate and contribute to the greater community. In the past year or so, CrossFit, the business, has overshadowed CrossFit the life. We want to get back to the focus that we had on nutrition, performance, and doing more of the things that we love. For both of us, one of those loves is communicating to the CrossFit community through this affiliate blog. Every day until the 2011 CrossFit Games, you will find perspectives, news, and editorials on this site. And that is our oath. Thank you for being a part of this community. We will do better.

Today, I Will Bleed.

2011-04-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

We all know the person that trains, year in and year out for competition. The farther out from competition it is, the more superior they are. But as competition nears, they realize that their body isn't perfectly functional. They bow out, unwilling to hurt for success. The difference between this person and an athlete is simple: there isn't a pain or an injury that will stop an athlete from competing. If an athlete can physically perform, whether pain-free or not, they will do so. You're an athlete and you will bleed to succeed.

You know that it will hurt. But sometimes, the pain isn't figurative. Sometimes, it's not just the burn in the lungs or the lactate in your blood. Sometimes, muscles will tear further. Skin will continue to peel. Cartilage will tear. Or if you're lucky, your knee will flood with the compensatory fluid that only appears with severe structural trauma. The truth of the matter is, we're crazy. You are willing to hurt yourself just to move forward. That is the name of the game. And it is more widespread than you can imagine. When this open season began, people believed that it would reduce the stress on CrossFit athletes' bodies by dissipating the intensity of six workouts over weeks and not hours. But truth of the matter is, CrossFit is becoming an athlete's sport. Only athletes are willing to push past accumulating pain, injury, and the gripes that come with - to achieve a spot at the next level. And this is a trek where unless you are extremely lucky, you will face injury. But regardless, you will bleed to succeed.

Whether it is Paul Smith's inflamed knee, Chase Ingraham's torn cartilage, Lindsey Smith's wrecked lower back, Ronnie Teasdale's torn shoulder, or your own rather severe impediment - frankly, you could careless. The difference between someone who trains CrossFit and someone who trains to compete in CrossFit is that injury matters a lot less to a competitive athlete. You've come to terms with the fact that damage is necessary to achieve an advantage.

While I was in California, Lindsey called me about one of injuries after CrossFit Games WOD 11.4 was revealed. "Are you healed," she asked. I thought for a moment and replied with a smile, "It doesn't really matter, does it. It has to be done, right?" It never matters, not to her, me, or you. Because athletes realize that often enough, it is not the man or woman with the most prolific ability that makes the biggest impact in the game. It's the athlete that is willing to do whatever it takes to push through and score points. Call it Favre's broken ribs, Mickey Ward's broken hand, Jordan's flu virus, Lago's broken jaw, or your own injury. There is one common thread, no matter what it is, you will at least try to fight through it. Until you can physically go no more. That is an athlete.

When it comes to pain, athletes accept a bleak reality. The event, today, will be easier than recovery, tonight. But anything for that next opportunity to overcome, tomorrow. You just have to get to tomorrow. That is half of what it takes to succeed. But as for today, you will bleed.

CrossFit: Why Reebok Will Win

2011-03-30T15:19:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought that Reebok would be the one to dethrone lululemon athletica? Per capita, CrossFit is likely one of the most consumer-driven communities in fitness or sports. When I first heard of Reebok's endorsement of the CrossFit Games, my immediate reaction was hesitant yet positive. "I tend to embrace the unique," I went on in a SICFIT blog about the new relationship. Look around; these days, wearing Reebok is unique because few are seen wearing it. The brand has been fighting the battle for popular relevance for years now. Reebok has fallen off of the radar with the exception of a few endorsement deals with hip hop producers, the NHL, and the recently-expired deal with the NFL. So in a lot of ways, their seeking to reinvent a brand by appealing to a counter-culture driven community makes a lot of sense.

Coach Glassman first mentioned Reebok's financial investment in a rare conversation that we shared at Colorado's USA-W/CrossFit Open. The official word came about a month later via CrossFit.com. The notion of a major brand involving itself with an underground movement never goes over well. But this business concept isn't completely unique. In fact, Nike's 6.0 movement has done enormously well within the action sports realm. The move is a smart. For a sport to expand global influence, there generally has to be a major brand that invests their resources to help that sport grow. We should be thankful.

Nike 6.0 improved the marketability of skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, and even BMX. Did you notice the influx of swooshes at the the recent Winter X-Games? The CrossFit sport is due for similar explosive growth in presence and marketability. The co-branding initiative on behalf of CrossFit and Reebok will help the apparel brand regain relevance (beyond EasyTones, Pumps, and Zigs). If I had to guess, I'd say that Reebok's executives are in a hyper-aggressive state of rebranding in anticipation of losing their NFL contract to Nike's (amazing) uniform design department, beginning in 2012. But even so, Nike's good fortune may be Reebok's ticket to relevance. Over the last decade, Reebok focused on brand association. With the permission of Greg Glassman and CrossFit, Inc., Reebok is not just associating, they are essentially rebranding. And this process shouldn't be frowned upon by consumers; this is a task necessary for any successful company as mature, tried, and tested as Reebok.

The Benchmark in Brand Loyalty

Almost all of the time.

No company has a tighter grasp on the CrossFit community than lululemon. One woman in a new lululemon outfit at a CrossFit competition can potentially account for $2000-$4,000 in sales inside a 7-14 day window. CrossFit women are incredibly effective trendsetters and the lululemon ambassadorship program is understandable, effective, and predictable. It makes perfect sense. The most influential, loyal fitness entrepreneurs in the community are offered ambassadorship. The ambassadors are the doorways into each niche within the greater fitness community, in each major U.S. metroplex. There is no better example of the efficacy of this initiative than the dynamic of lululemon's (LULU) influence on CrossFit women. If you walk into a yoga studio, you'll see an assortment of apparel brands represented. If you walk into a CrossFit affiliate, three of five women are wearing at least one item from America's leading yoga brand.

There's a lot of power in a CrossFit woman who feels empowered by a brand. Proper brand representation is infectious and, especially in the CrossFit community, one woman wearing the right thing - proudly - will lead to the adoption of that style. The key word is proudly. In a community that gets little recognition, LULU has always shined a bright light on the local CrossFit community. It is protocol for each new storefront to scope out and get in touch with the area's influential CrossFit representation.

See: lululemon's Cult of Selling | Fast Company

As CrossFit's emphasis on sport continues to grow, so will CrossFit's profile and marketability. As a result, brand preferences will change. Styles will change. And it is already happening. At the genesis of this shift away from lululemon and towards Reebok is a simple fact: athletes want to be treated more like athletes.

CrossFit, The Sport...

Lindsey Smith and several of CrossFit's top females

lululemon is an institution within the CrossFit community. So is the shoe brand, Inov-8. But to those at LULU, CrossFit is often categorized as a gym, a bootcamp, or a fitness class. Much less often, a sport. In many ways, there is little room in the business model for the CrossFit sport that is becoming. On every storefront's wall, you will find the local CrossFit coach who, by nature, has probably competed at CrossFit's highest level. For lululemon's real athletes, there is "Elite Ambassador" status. But what happens when CrossFit's local athletes grow into at least the notoriety that Winter Olympic athletes like Jennifer Heil are privy to? Perhaps winning the CrossFit Games falls short of the traditional sense of achievement of, say, an Olympic athlete. However, the potential for the CrossFit athlete's marketability may be far greater. It is forseeable for CrossFit's top athletes, that "X-Games"-levels of sponsorship and marketability will be possible within the next 2-3 years.

Thus far, LULU has benefited from its creation of a niche brand without any viable competitors. In many ways, that model is what can also harm them in competition with other brands vying for the CrossFit Games community's attention. Reebok came at a time when CrossFit's most-known brands aren't keeping up with niche consumer demand. The success of Inov-8 has been slowed by the same problem; they can not meet consumer demand. And sadly enough, for these two endeared CrossFit-centric companies, CrossFit is being introduced to a much wider and dynamic audience. CrossFit's popularity has ramped since Reebok's involvement began. And it seems that the 120 year-old apparel brand is going all out to win the CrossFit community.

Jolie Gentry, Carey Kepler, Lindsey Smith, Crystal Mac

LULU's presence in the community can't completely be replaced; there are certainly strong bonds and great friendships. But with any tipping point/chasm jump of a brand or culture, the early adopters that were the beginning become a minority in a more mainstream community. That is, unless the early adopters (and the brands that catered to them) adjust to their niche's mainstream growth. CrossFit will be known less by its local affiliate community and more by its sporting spectacle. That means, eventually, more people will be exposed to the Reebok presence than to any other brand that may have a grasp on the local level. Especially since Reebok is a brand that is strongly supported by the community. Reebok has done things right so far.

If You See it Enough...

I would wear them.

It's human nature to "learn" to like things after repeated exposure. My first Reebok/CrossFit experience was via Rebecca Voigt of Valley CrossFit. The extraordinary CrossFit athlete was running shuttle sprints at the Next Level Invitational in Reebok Zig's. She had very little traction and her performance suffered after several slips and missteps. I was appalled by the fact that such a top-notch CrossFit would submit themselves to inferior performance that could be contributed to a particular brand of shoes. Ironic that just three months later, I was complimenting Rebecca over coffee in Austin. She explained how diligently Reebok was working to design and manufacture perfectly functional apparel and shoes for the CrossFit community. I certainly took notice.

The conversation with Voigt was one of the final factors needed to absolve any of my doubt about Reebok. After talking to her, Kate Rawlings, Graham Holmberg, and Lindsey about their early experiences with the brand, I was emphatically confident in the CrossFit/Reebok partnership. Reebok will not only survive the CrossFit community, it will not only thrive in the CrossFit community, it will achieve its grand objective. Because of CrossFit, Reebok will become cool again.

I do wear them. Courtesy of SICFIT.

Consumers often disregard the history of brands. Reebok was founded in the U.K. in 1895, only to hold a prominent role in English sports before crossing over the pons to the United States to fuel the (dreaded) women's aerobic movement in the early 1980's. While people are generally aware that Reebok is the title apparel sponsor of the NHL and NFL, they fail to realize how many perceived risks the company has taken to regain popular relevance. Sean "Jay-Z" Carter's signature shoes anyone? The S. Carter line was the fastest selling shoe in the company's history. Reebok has a track record of effectively transitioning with the times. CrossFit is next in those transitional experiences.

The people at Reebok seem know what they're doing; they've done their research. They have invested in a sport that will continue to win the hearts and minds of sports fans. Not to mention, Reebok is building a presence in an extremely consumer-driven sport. CrossFit is a sport where women are conditioned to purchase $65 shorts and equally expensive sports bras. Men purchase $90 board shorts and carry three pairs of $90-$200 shoes in their vehicles, at any given time. If the product is quality (and somewhat stylish) then most CrossFitter's flock toward the products.

A Question...

Kate Rawlings

What if Reebok manufactured apparel as quality as lululemon and shoes as functional, durable, and versatile as INOV-8? Would you be a convert? With lululemon and INOV-8 dealing with product shortages, Reebok will surely work towards meeting niche-consumer demand.

The local CrossFit athlete's influence is peaking. CrossFit is a sport that, after only four years, has become an international phenomena. But yet, CrossFit will always be about the local affiliates. And the line between the casual CrossFit community and the CrossFit Games community has been blurred by the 2011 CrossFit Open. That's the difference between years past and this one.

People who would have never paid attention to the extremism of The CrossFit Games are suddenly becoming fans of the sport. And due to the successful enrollment of 25,000+ in the CrossFit Open, the Home Depot Center is likely to be filled this summer. The casual client is now watching their coaches and friends compete for international praise and self-respect. This year's top CrossFit Games athletes have more influence than ever. But most importantly, a CrossFit woman who endorses a brand, style, or approach is a marketing force to be reckoned with. Her influence spreads like wildfire because little has stronger marketing value than a CrossFit athlete's endorsement. And before long, they may all be wearing Reebok.

The Opinion of Web Smith | co-owner, SICFIT

The Latest @ SICFIT: "Sport is Everywhere"

2011-03-06T11:47:00.000-08:00

The 2011 "Games Bound" SICFIT Jersey: March 19, 2011

Needless to say, my favorite pastime is communication. I am as passionate about writing, art, and expression as I am about the pursuit of sport and elite athletics. So as the SICFIT project continues to ramp up, I've decided to also focus on my commitment to this blog. I am recommitting to frequently communicating through this blog and expressing my opinions on the topics of which I am most passionate. These issues range from: the CrossFit Games, to nutrition, to the potential solutions for the political issues that arise in any community. It means the world to me to be a part of this community and I hope that I can continue to help in dynamic and positive ways.

In the past several months: Jeremy Thiel, Elliot Schrock, Diego Centeno, and I have had the opportunity to jet set around the U.S. with the mission of supporting and marketing the CrossFit sport at the most grassroots level. Whether it is the (monthly) trip to Southern California or the first SICFIT introduction in El Paso, Dallas, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, or Georgia - it has been a blast. And with new partnerships to announce (and a nod of approval from Tony Budding), it will only get better.

As the co-owner, President and C.O.O. of something as special as SICFIT, I truly hope that the company can continue to grow as a welcomed thread in the fabric of one of the most industry-influential communities and even perhaps, one of the coolest sports in the world.

Thank you for continuing to read here and for your continuing support of our family. Check out these media projects from the last month:

See More of the CrossFit Garage Games (Teaser #3 for the CGG Short Film)

See More of the Southwest Fitness Throwdown (Highlight Film)

See More of the Southwest Throwdown (Promo for our 2011 CrossFit Games Involvement)

See More of the Southwest Fitness Throwdown (Gabe Subry Athlete Promo)

See More of the Southwest Throwdown (Comedy Spot and Teaser for the SWFT Highlight)

See More of The Fittest Games Challenge (Women's "Strength is Fierce" Commercial)

See More of The Fittest Games Challenge (Chase Ingraham Athlete Promo)

See More of the CrossFit Garage Games (Teaser #2)

See More of the CrossFit Garage Games (Teaser #1)

The Ethonomics of CrossFit

2011-02-22T10:28:00.000-08:00

CrossFit, at the affiliate level, is a group of companies founded upon strong principles of individuality and independence. Sure, affiliates join one another to promote a worthy cause, ever so often. We also gather for local competitions and official throwdowns but essentially, businesses in the CrossFit community have a remarkable autonomy - for better or for worse. In many small towns and bustling metroplexes, there exists the fittest will survive mentality where affiliates generally work to improve their own businesses and expect others to do the same - on their own terms. Usually, there isn't an active campaign against "less competent" CrossFit affiliates to give up and give in. Rather, there's a resounding lack of concern. This sort of indifference is the type of lacking kinship towards a neighbor that you feel when you drive by their inoperable vehicle on the highway shoulder.

I believe that the CrossFit community, as a business entity, will be measured not by the success of individual affiliate owners who've out shined others. Rather, the community will be measured by the speed and sustainability of its growth as a whole. A growth dependent upon the maintenance of current levels of business. To many, this wouldn't seem to be a very capitalistic philosophy and, once upon a time, I thought the same. And then I read a striking study in February's Harvard Business Review (see preview here) on the reinvention of capitalism.

HBR's Michael Porter and Mark Kramer discussed: the blurring of the profit/nonprofit boundaries, creating economic value by creating societal value, and how societal needs (not just conventional economic ones) will increasingly come to define markets. The article was one of the most impacting that I've ever read. I soon began considering a few questions, some that I hope you would take the time to consider.

Assume more American citizens knew what many in CrossFit understand about fitness, nutrition, and the basic tenets of sustainable vitality. Would our healthcare system be better or worse off?

Perhaps it is a bit lofty of an idea but, nonetheless, consider for a moment. Imagine what the influence of passionate practitioners could do for their communities Your life is a bit different than the typical American, in many ways. If you fit the quintessential CrossFit profile, you practice your fair share of preventative medicine. You relieve stress in holistic and natural ways, you consume real foods that are designed for humans and not pod people, you workout three to six days per week, you remain active, you are constantly seeking self-improvement in all areas. Is it too far fetched to consider CrossFit as a an influence or a solution for health-related societal deficiencies?

CrossFit's Blur Between the Profit/Nonprofit

As a business owner, member, or self-trained athlete, you've probably been around long enough to see the CrossFit community pull together to help someone in need. It's become a responsibility drilled into those in the community by means of Fight Gone Bad's yearly showing, a dedicated hero workout is announced, or someone in and around your community has suffered a loss. Yet why isn't on us to help improve economic proficiency of other affiliates be through coaching, mentoring, or eveb business consulting. Business school scholars and economists predict that business will be driven by a sincere motivation to meet societal needs. Beyond the draw of the CrossFit sport, there is also an opportunity for CrossFit to expand its grassroots efforts, making improvements in the surrounding communities. There is no community better prepared to do so.

CrossFit is well ahead of the game and it is only a matter of time before business and cause-driven organizations find lessons within CrossFit's models to improve upon their own approaches.

Shared value, then, is not about personal values. Nor is it about "sharing" the value already created by firms - a redistribution approach. Instead, it is about expanding the total pool of economic and social value. [HBR Page 65, Para 4]

The social value message is clear, help those in need - while not doing harm to your own interests. The economic vitality, as a whole is, in some ways, a consequence of how well societal needs are met on a daily basis. The key is to create social value and not just the fiscal philanthropic benefits that non-profit entities generate today.

Collaboration

There are two ways to view the prospect of business growth in any young, explosively growing community. It comes down to two options: a) vie for a bigger piece of the existing pie or b) work to grow more pie for everyone. The pie is not static. And as the analogy goes, collaboration can be a key to growing opportunity for growth. It also lends to the theory above - the creation of social value - through methods that allow the "baking of the pie" on a grander scale. The result? The result is progress in marketing methods, logistical solutions, and improved "cluster development". There are numerous CrossFit brands that compete in one way or another. Yet, more than ever, the different companies that have contributed to the make up of the CrossFit community are collaborating to create shared value. In this case, the value is two-fold: the growth of a sport and the strengthening of the affiliate community.

If you ever have the opportunity to come out for a local CrossFit competition or a fundraiser, observe the collaboration. There was no better example of this than the 2011 Garage Games in Woodstock, Georgia. If you were there, you'd have seen a company like SICFIT helping set up a sales booth for Life As RX. You'd see Life As RX doing the same for Forged Clothing. You'd observe a competitive anomaly, every brand proudly wearing another brand's gear. In the same general area, PROGENEX and 2 POOD were working hand in hand to cross-market. Again Faster and SICFIT's media crews were exchanging tips and tools on how to create better media projects. Lofty ideas between "competing" web technology-based CrossFit businesses were being discussed enthusiastically. You would have found two apparel companies discussing co-sponsoring a CrossFit Competition in the Fall. And over dinner, after all of the work was done, you could observe these different groups, together, discussing ideas to help strengthen the CrossFit community. Our successes are not viewed as zero sum games. Our holdings in the community are not mutually exclusive.

Chasm Jump

While collaboration for the sake of economic growth may seem too lofty of an ideal to create any real value for a small business, it is in a company's self-interest to forge strong ties with other businesses within the community. This type of behavior tends to create economic value by creating societal value. There will always be those who want CrossFit's community and brands to themselves. There is a unique thread and camaraderie that binds us and trust me, no one wants to lose that. These threads often wither as communities, brands, and sports scale to meet greater demand. But that doesn't have to happen. The sooner you embrace the inevitability of CrossFit's mainstream growth, the better you can position your business to grow with it. And the better chance we will have to experience the essence of CrossFit that exists today, tomorrow.

Breaking The Fit Code: Be Pragmatic

2011-02-03T23:04:00.000-08:00

Is your CrossFit coach out of touch? It's a fair question. There's a likelihood that your CrossFit coach does none of the above: sit at a desk for an inordinate amount of time, go home to a spouse, raise a child. Nor is it likely that he or she has to answer to life's random disruptions to the idealistic days of training, rest, and regimented Paleo dieting. CrossFit coaches are generally: young, single, and hyper focused on their careers. Let's face it, we all want to live the life of the full-time CrossFit coach and athlete but few can.

Just recently, I held a short discussion with an esteemed CrossFit coach (and friend of mine) about "training around life". With a spouse, daughter, and professional ambition (outside of CrossFit), I brought up my training programming issues and my ambition-fueled exhaustion. I raised a common question to a frequent issue, "Do you rest when you're exhausted or do you fight through?" His answer, "This life is your choice, stop whining." Absolutely it is but my choice in life is similar to that of many typical young(er) professionals. Most 27 year olds embrace the idea of a family, a house, and a career that can eventually pay for their post-professional lives. But what does that say about where the intensity of CrossFit is headed, especially this time of year? Are professional CrossFit coaches and athletes sending the wrong messages?

Lindsey Smith...

...Is my hero. But first, she is my wife and that means that I have the good fortune to witness her spectacular ability to beat physical and mental odds that most (myself included) can not. See, Lindsey wakes up with that rooster down the street (we live in South Austin). Due to my hectic schedule and seamless schedule of unending assignments, she is often super mom. She throws on clothes, gets made up, gets Alexis ready, drops her off at school, and heads into work at Austin's Trinity School. All of this by 7:30 A.M.

She then proceeds to work twelve straight hours in the most difficult profession on the planet, primary and middle school education. She comes home to find me (usually) preoccupied with something. We alternate picking up our daughter and Lindsey typically prepares dinner. Easily, the most relaxing part of our day. Shortly after, we end up playing with Alexis (our three year old) for a while. Soon, I am back in my home office and the house is quiet. Or Alexis is hanging out in my office - begging to watch movies on the computer that I am working on. If I don't hear Lindsey, that's because she is off training at one of Austin's gyms at 10:30 PM. She then comes home, crashes, and wakes up five to six hours later to repeat Why? Because she wants to keep up with the "normal" people in CrossFit.

Lindsey is an amazing wife. She supports me by allowing me the time and focus to support the family in a unique way. That way typically involves my home office. Lindsey wants to win the CrossFit Games but to some, she's doing it all wrong. She's forgetting to block out two to three hours in the middle of the work day (five days a week) to train with her able competitors. She's neglecting to schedule one more hour prior, or after, to devote to rehabilitation or a costly chiropractor/ART specialist. She doesn't schedule her weekly massages. She isn't consuming the best foods on earth at the appropriately timed intervals. And, oh my, she isn't getting the eight hours of sleep necessary to be a top-tier CrossFit Games competitor.

But Neither Are You...

Because, it's likely that you too have unrelated priorities. Like many of you and your own challenges, Lindsey finds a way to put a game face on and compete. She does this consistently, in preparation fo CrossFit's greatest stage. But for those who aren't vying for a spot on the podium at the 2011 CrossFit Games, you're probably just wondering how you can live healthy and energetic enough to survive those bruising days. Because of your ever-evolving schedules, you train when you can and you eat when you can. You get enough rest when you can and you try to avoid foods with gluten and simple saccharides. But when it comes down to it, while health is important to you, living the health-extremist life of a CrossFit Coach isn't your ambition.

Just a few weeks back, I had the opportunity to sit down with a CrossFitter who was becoming discouraged by her inability to keep up with the CrossFit Life. In her words, she was not being able to maintain the levels of commitment that may seem typical in the CrossFit community. She was looking for a more pragmatic approach to eating and living well. Is the 80/20 lifestyle acceptable? To most die-hard CrossFitter's, that ratio would communicate failure. She inquired into whether it was possible to effectively counter-balance a sedentary professional lifestyle. I began to wonder if other CrossFitter's have become disheartened or turned-off by lives completely and wholly devoted to health, fitness, and self-improvement. I told her to focus on a four-word sentence.

Break The Fit Code.

For many, CrossFit supplements professional lives of those live intensely in their own unique way. While I believe that CrossFit and a focus on the consumption of real food are two vital aspects of a healthy life, I also believe that us CrossFit fanatics shouldn't pretend that life never gets in the way. These days, people have to make sacrifices to experience (for three hours a week) what CrossFit entrepreneurs get to experience every day. That's just the reality of life. Most people are training for life, not for sport. Careers are demanding, children are unceasing, even preparing food 1-3x a day can be a tall order.

The key is to pattern your goals by observing fit individuals who have similar lives and similar demands. Are you a corporate professional, an entrepreneur, in ministry, a teacher, a service member, a first responder? Find a similar type of professional who is breaking the fit code. That is, living the best life possible given the professional and personal circumstances.

Tim Ferriss, author of the recent best seller "4 Hour Body", is a person with an approach that I've decided to model. The famed entrepreneur is sedentary for most of his day. He aims for 4-5 hours of sleep. Beyond the typical daily CrossFit-style workouts, he injects intermittent metabolic conditioning throughout his days to break monotony and to positively initiate the effects of beneficial health-promoting hormones.

A simple nutritional change greatly benefited my diet. The inclusion of legumes for three of my meals, daily, is a scandalous idea for most who have an appreciation for the Paleo Diet. But a much needed change in my life; I was eating too often and fats were never satisfying. I have "argued" with legume advocates like Darya Pino, in the past. But I'll admit, there seems to be more positive than negative when it comes to the inclusion of legumes in my otherwise ketogenic diet. My results have been positive.

CrossFit Coaches are some of the most devoted professionals in the industry. Their lives are authentic and extremely dedicated. Like us all, when you live a certain life of success, it's natural to wish the same for everyone around you. But every lifestyle isn't suitable for every life. To get more out of your pursuit of elite health and fitness, study the lives of people who face similar personal and professional demands, read recommended books, study new developments in blogs or forums. Consult with your coaches and then develop more-specific approaches to fitness and nutrition. Do as much as you can without disrupting your family lives, professional lives, or ambitions. This is how you begin to Break the Fit Code.

The First Fifty Days: Keep it CrossFit [PDF]

2011-01-01T01:32:00.000-08:00

We've all been there at some point. New words, new people, new fashion styles, and a undoubtedly unique training philosophy. It's a lot to digest but it's a small price to pay when you decide to step into the CrossFit community. As each of us knows so well, the learning curve is worth the trouble. Nonetheless, the CrossFit community can be intimidating.

The innovational theory of CrossFit has yet to go mainstream. It is an exciting time for the entrepreneurs, contractors, gym owners, many of whom are at least Level 1 Certified, who have invested so heavily into this movement. It's important, in this stage of viral growth, that the CrossFit brand holds firm to what it is now. The proverbial chasm jump is near. While people generally take the licensing agreement and do as they feel (within their rights), 2011 will be a year when CrossFit will experience a nauseating growth. From a marketing and branding standpoint, CrossFit is beyond the "early adopter" stage.

With Reebok on board and mass marketing sure to ensue, the next phase is considered the "early majority" phase. But what the early majority will find is that CrossFit is a results-oriented, tight knit, collaborative community. It is driven by those who have made the conscious decision to end the excuses and embrace what can be instead of holding on to what has been.

This project began as a way to creatively shorten the learning curve for new members of the CrossFit community. It wasn't my idea, "The First 50 Days"was actually a concept that I borrowed (tongue-in-cheek) from the guys at PROGENEX USA. Many of whom wished that they had a guide for their first 50 days. Here's the backstory. Every CrossFit competition that SICFIT sponsored, PROGENEX was also there supporting the community. With all of the SICFIT travel that I've been doing lately, I've had the distinct pleasure of getting to know Darren Meade, Ryan Page, and Aaron Thomas. If you knew them, you'd know that they're willing to do what's necessary to continue growing within the CrossFit community. They were at every event, everywhere. In short, I became quite the fan of their supplements and what they represent, in general. They've really bought in to what the community is about and they did it relatively fast. Brand awareness, value, and product efficacy are all major parts of a CrossFit affiliate's success equation. Each of these are also vital determinants that can predict the stickiness of the many brands that cater to the CrossFit community.

Certain brands have an invaluable place in a CrossFitter's lifestyle. More importantly, there are certain perspectives, educational resources, and transitional tips that will help a new CrossFit athlete - enrolled at any affiliate - see quicker success. The "First 50 Days of CrossFit" is a list compiled to do just that. It's a list that, while incomplete (and slightly opinionated), can greatly shorten the CrossFit learning curve. It's honest and well considered. Most of what's below can be considered consensus. Additions, challenges, and even objections are welcomed.

The First 50 Days of CrossFit [Download]

2011: The New Year

We are all fortunate to be a part of something so special. As new CrossFitter's begin to walk through the bay doors, this January, remember to pass this along to them. This list will be a living document, limited to 51 points of advice and instruction. Again, feel free to express any differences that you may want to note. If any changes show enough support, those changes will be reflected in the final document. The final edit will be completed by January 7, 2011 and a new PDF download will be generated.

The more that I learn and the more people that I have the opportunity to meet, the better my CrossFit experience has become. While many of the points listed may seem so obvious to us "CrossFit veterans", if you remember far enough along, we all had our moments of confusion and helplessness. CrossFit is more than a training methodology, it is a culture. Good luck to each and every CrossFit coach, affiliate, and athlete. This past year was wonderful and it seems that 2011 is shaping up to greatly surpass 2010's successes.

Thank you for following CrossFit Chronicles: The Smith Family and have a wonderful New Year!

Strong is Beautiful: A Microeconomic Perspective on CrossFit

2010-12-03T09:36:00.000-08:00

CrossFit has always interested me for reasons beyond the efficacy of the program. It's not the superficiality of fashion or the lure of business that interest me. Rather, some believe that this community can be a positive solution to the lack of inspiration and health-based education in our country. Tall order? Sure. But I am most interested in the impact that CrossFit will have beyond the edges of this community. I've always viewed the CrossFit Community as a potential solution for those who may lack the education or inspiration to change their lives for the better. In a time when obesity, discontentment, and lethargy are commonplace, people need positive examples. And CrossFit has quite a few of them.

Sports, Culture, and Influence

The Cinderella story is a resilient one. Over the ages, it has survived antiquity, ambiguity, and even a Disney rendition. Perhaps you remember the mainstream story: the pumpkin, fairy godmother, and those glass slippers? But like many stories told in our lifetime, this one is also rooted in centuries of folklore. The thing about story-telling (morphology) is that it allows us to make it relevant for today. The story of a Greco-Egyptian girl named Rhodopis survived centuries by changing names or geographical settings. The concept has so much versatility that over time, the personification of Cinderella ceased existence as a bold, beautiful, feminine example.

For years, the NCAA basketball tournament has taken the Cinderella story and juxtaposed it; now teams that defy odds by demonstrating exceptional grace and determination are known as Cinderella's. And we've all heard the story of the Cinderella Man. James Braddock was a Depression-era boxer who defied his crippling circumstances of poverty, illness, and age to become the heavyweight champion of the world. He once said, "I have to believe that when times are hard, I can change them." While relevant and exceptionally powerful, it was symbolic of the cultural sentiment of that era. People needed sport for inspiration and direction. Sport can be a reminder to those that may not understand what to do when they are knocked down.

Like Cinderella has always been the pragmatic heroine, sport has always been a microcosm for what can be despite circumstances or disadvantages. The story seems to be even more relevant now as this great economic downturn persists. All while our favorite big-time sports heroes drift more out of touch with our economic reality. Remember Lebron's Decision? Darrell Revis' holdout? Or Derek Jeter's $45 million dollar feud? The Cinderella story is about a woman for a reason. There is a sense of selflessness and graciousness that many male pro-athletes don't portray on or off the field. The Cinderella story depicts a selfless archetype who embodies resilience, strength, and beauty. There are few better examples of this than the narrative of the CrossFit woman.

Strong is Beautiful

I think I'll be a heptathlete my senior year.

I am a fortunate man. My wife is Lindsey Smith. Luckily for me, she is a patient and tolerant wife. She's a dedicated mother, a passionate teacher, a role model, a minister, and a CrossFit athlete. Before CrossFit, I watched soccer games where she would take a soccer cleat to the face without stopping to blink. Opposing forwards looked on in awe of her hard-nosed durability. Our first date was spent doing hang cleans, squats, and sprints on the Jacob's Ladder in DePaul University's Strength Facility. In track season, I watched her excel in events after practicing them for only few weeks. She's strong enough to be the backbone for two people. Admittedly, she's even carried me when I wasn't as strong as I needed to be. She's is strong. And not only is that beautiful, it is also inspirational.

Her closest friends are much like her; Athletes like Carey Kepler, Tanya Wagner, Cherie Chan, Heather Bergeron, and others find a way to do it all. There is a long history of women this multi-talented and strong. But somehow, the "Strong is Beautiful" notoriety escaped women over the years. Cinderella was personified in boxing or as an underdog NCAA men's basketball team. CrossFit women are beginning to personify the heroine that has alluded sports marketing for so long. Real strength is evident. It doesn't take make up, a barbell, and a photo shoot to communicate what the women show by just having the energy to train after meeting other responsibilities. They are teachers, coaches, entrepreneurs, wives, mothers, and capable athletes.

Imagine how the attitudes of the general public will change when they see that they can train more than twice a week, they can feel healthy, they can fight decrepitude, they do have the time, and children aren't an excuse to settle for lethargy.

While women have always been strong and always been beautiful, physical strength has just now become a powerful sports marketing tool. We see the shift in Nike's Ads, catchy Facebook campaigns, and what I call the "S&B's". There has been an explosion of web domain purchases with word variations for "strong" and "beauty" over the last year. In fact, Reebok's rebranding efforts are likely centered around CrossFit's women. Admittedly, they're stronger than most guys we know. Right? Not only will they be strong examples to other women but this time around, their athletic performances will be respected by male fans.

Few conventional sports can boast the dynamic talents that CrossFit athletes have. But while the strong is beautiful marketing push may attract media and notoriety, I'd hope that the true message about these women won't be neglected. The heaviest lifting is their responsibility away from the barbells: mothers, businesswomen, wives, and providers. CrossFit Games athletes are normal people with businesses, jobs, families, and everyday responsibilities - a retroversion of the 1930's and 40's era of professional athletes.

The PROGENEX Pespective: Why CrossFit?

Just a few weeks ago, Jeremy Thiel and I had the pleasure of having lunch with the PROGENEX C.E.O. Darren Meade in Laguna Beach, California. Meade is a past American body building champion and he is the former Met-RX wunderkind responsible for taking the supplement mainstream . The Met-RX brand grew to prominence because of his insight on how they needed to meet a specific need for their niche. A fascinating story himself, the well-respected executive explained how market forces set the stage for the supplement company's exponential growth. He then communicated that same glimmer for CrossFit and that he works to achieve his vision of PROGENEX as the supplement of the sport for years to come.

Man! Wait...Man?

He explained how the early 1990's was an era of body building extravagance, especially for women. After a fast-growing 80's decade, the niche sport was vying to earn validity from the U.S. Olympic Commission. Male and female competitors were reaching new levels of muscular capacity and women were judged by much the same physical standard. Women were trying to fit a mold rather than letting the sport fit them. Strong was not beautiful. While Met-RX supplements thrived in and outside of that sport, body building experts suggest that it was the failed female aspect of the sport that relinquished body building to the exclusive niche that exists today. Ordinary women didn't want to be the body builders that they saw on stage, on TV, and in magazines.

Ryan Page, the President of PROGENEX, and others invested early into CrossFit because (in many ways) it was the antithesis of body building. The sport is on the rise, athletes are driven by their health and performance, not vanity, and the community is incomprehensibly tight-knit. Meade spoke of the emotion he felt at the 2010 CrossFit Games when he heard the crowd cheer for everyone like each athlete was their own. While people fawn over Reebok's recent investment, PROGENEX made it possible in many ways. If Reebok's partnership is successful, larger doors will open because of it. I was enamored by the amazing knowledge and insight held by these industry executives.

Google of "Strength and Beauty": Lindsey Smith, 2009

The ability to read market forces is an exceptional talent. In a contrast that Meade refers to as "A Return to Elegance", he believes that CrossFit will play an enormous role in this period of epidemic obesity, sickness, and lassitude. The Strength and Beauty movement is but one example. He voiced that, in many ways, CrossFit women will effectively lead the way. The average male sports fan has never witnessed a beautiful woman who can exceed his own physical ability. It will be an insatiable novelty that will offer a platform for the athletes to meaningfully inspire others. We are living through a period where our economy has drastically recessed, obesity is reigning, and the mood is generally somber. But this has all happened before, thus the 1930's Cinderella Man reference. And if we know anything, sport can be a great means of inspiration.

In the end, the Cinderella reference is a double entendre. The saturation of highly profitable, conventional, made for television athletics has paved way for an uncompromising sport and community. Some laughed in the beginning and some still cannot believe what CrossFit is becoming. While only a few have before, a Cinderella sport has gained relevance. And for once, a sport features women whose determination, ability, strength, and beauty may steal the show. Towards the end of our conversation, the PROGENEX C.E.O. had amazing insight that resonated. He spoke on the historical context of entertainment and sport during periods of deep economic recession. Meade said that like before, "Elegance in all its manifestations will make a comeback, just at a time when the American people need it most." Who better than the strong and beautiful women of CrossFit?

CrossFit & The Politics of Supplementation

2010-11-11T21:08:00.000-08:00

If you're anything like us, you attempt to find balance between your (somewhat cultish) journey toward macronutrient purity and your reaching of the athletic potential that our DNA will allow. The supplement "do we or do we not" discussion continues to rage onward in the CrossFit community and this post is not likely to put an end to the debate.

Take a look at the anti-supplement post (left of the fish oil supplement calculator) on Whole30 and then look at the related comments below. It illustrates a careful point I'd like to make. We idealize our training and our nutrition way too often. Some, outside of the community, would find it ludicrous that a nutritionist could bash supplements while promoting another supplement just centimeters away. When it comes to this issue, people tend to polarize. In the comments, an affiliate owner even mentions that his affiliate "doesn't pimp supplements," a potentially veiled shot at a neighboring affiliate whose clients have seen remarkable results with quality eating and supplementing.

An ectomorph asserting what's best for the Mesomorph?

With all of the nutritional influences around us, everything that we consume tends to be in violation of some Paleo seminar instructor's or affiliate owner's doctrine. The question that you have to ask yourself is, "Are my goals aligned with theirs?" If you are a 210 pound male, do you hang on to the words of a 125 pound woman? This is an important question! No matter who or how professional they are, personal preferences always influence academic and/or professional truths.

True, my stance on nutrition and supplementation has slightly evolved but the modes of thinking are contiguous nonetheless. In a community that shares the same macrovision, Forging Elite Fitness is defined by an infinite number of microvisions. Why? Each affiliates' goals are different. And each trainer within that affiliate's goals are unique, just the same.

Just last week, I sat in on a CrossFit Central coaches nutritional session. They were there for what seemed like hours discussing and debating what would be a unified message for the clients of CrossFit Central. It was a remarkable display of brilliance and self-deprecation. Nutrition can be like religion to some and for those people, admitting holes in logic and education can be incredibly difficult. Why? Because to many of us, our diet is not just a way of life, or even a religion. It is a game.

The Primal Game of Paleo

When we see nutritional labels like the one to the right, we tend to avoid them because of the "5 or less" rule. The CrossFit community generally despises: additives, preservatives, and non-saccharide sweeteners (think aspartame). The truth of the matter is, these can be detrimental to the health and they should certainly be avoided. This is why the Paleo Diet is so attractive. But let's be honest, it's also attractive because we're into CrossFit and we tend to make everything, in life, a game of sorts.

Advocare Post-Workout Recovery

Game No. 1 "Whole Foods Hierarchy": We can all relate to the times where there are "less than perfect" food options available. Sometimes, we have little time for lines or salad bars. First, we look for the most natural beef/buffalo jerky at Whole Foods Market. Then, if nothing else, we try to load up on nutrients, via shakes or smoothies. That's usually the hierarchy of availability and it's one that can leave any one of us hungry, irritable and energy-depleted.

Game No. 2 "My Paleo is more primal than your Paleo": Who can buy the wild gamiest, most expensive food? Or I can make tortillas out of primal ingredients, can you? Sometimes, when I am excited about one of our dinner creations, I'll snap a Twitpic with a proud subtitle. We find ourselves striving to avoid neolithic foods, just because Mark Sisson's ancestor "Grok" didn't consume them and Robb Wolf despises them. We even shun social gatherings that don't have viable Paleo options. We search the ends of the earth for the best grassfed beef and free-range eggs, eat them en masse, and then slumber in our cozy sofas in front of the 42" LED. At times, we feel that we haven't done our job unless our grocery bill is excorbatant.

Game No. 3 "Fish Oil pills are not supplements!": My fish oil is derived from the pure waters of Lake Minnetonka! We tend to shape our diets around our far-fetched ideals. Sometimes we exclude supplements for the sake of whole foods dieting, authenticity or their expensive cost. Often, we adopt the use of other supplements despite purity, authenticity, or expensive cost. No supplement is a greater example than fish oil. The search for the purest, highly touted form of this supplement is never-ending.

And then there is protein supplementation...

Progenex vs. Primal Fuel vs. Advocare

Is there a wrong or a right answer? Supplement quality is the second most important in my decision-making process. Mark Sisson's Primal Fuel seems to be attractive. With eleven ingredients and only table sugar: (sucrose), inulin, and maltodextrin as the food additives, this concoction seems like it would be a careful choice. The only issue is that, at $99/bottle, it doesn't "only contain primal ingredients."

Despite the soy and 51 other ingredients per serving, Advocare's Post Workout Recovery has been a staple in our diets for moments of extreme need. In the CrossFit Games' in-season, I was quick to take it after a workout or between events, but I always felt like I was taking the hit by compromising my otherwise pure, alcohol-free diet. The supplement didn't sit well on the stomach and I tended to retain a lot of water weight due to the creatine content. Be at that I couldn't pronounce 80% of the words on the nutritional label, I decided to re-evaluate its role in my training regimen.

Integrity of the supplement manufacturers and owners is even more important than the efficacy of the supplements, themselves, in my opinion. As an (inactive) Advocare distributor, I grew tired of reading and hearing about the recruitment aspect of the supplement business. The propaganda that comes packaged with any box of multi-level marketing product can become a little much, to be perfectly honest. Searching for information on product efficacy became like finding a needle in a hay stack of business marketing websites. And so I stopped. After our 7th place finish at the 2010 CrossFit Games, I stopped with supplement consumption altogether.

Post California, Lindsey and my training slowed down a bit, as well. With a few nagging injuries, recovery was slow and joint pain was at an all-time high. I was done competing (that's what I told myself, at least) and Lindsey's quest for 2011 was on pause. Around then, I got in touch with an employee of Progenex and asked him, "Who would venture into the CrossFit community with aspartame on their ingredient list?" I mostly wanted to know if the ingredient choice came about by neglecting proper market research.

My experience with Progenex was mixed at that point, even after relatively positive experiences with the supplements. Thanks to Andrew Medal, Progenex Recovery was my between event recovery at the South Central Regional Qualifier, where Team CrossFit Central took first place. Though my best showing of fitness was the last event of that competition, I was still hesitant to give Progenex any credit for my improved recovery.

With recent news of the Progenex founder's departure (for then unknown reasons) I wrote a blog on SICFIT questioning their leadership and authenticity. What I received, in return, brightened more than my perception of their company, its leadership, and their integrity.

Today's box! Excited to train, recover, train, recover, etc.

I began to know the people that were selling the products. I knew what went into making every silver bag of Progenex and the cost of it. These things mattered to me. All in all, supplementing with Progenex changed my mind about competing altogether. Painful elbow tendonitis and post-surgical ankle issues hindered my desire to compete again. After a month of athletic improvement and physical healing, I finally admitted to myself that I wasn't done yet. A Progenex executive called me and sent me a few bags of the improved (CrossFit-influenced) supplements and, quickly, Progenex became my recovery supplement of choice. But...

...To Each's Own

Is Progenex Recovery perfect? No and no supplement will ever be. But I can count their ingredients on one hand and actually pronounce them; this is more than I can say about their competitors. When it comes down to it, the choice is simple. Your opinion should mean everything to you. Be weary when someone tells you what's right or wrong based upon what worked in their lives. I'm simply communicating that based upon my own research (my body), I began to see the validity in the supplements claims. Talking to guys like Austin Malleolo went a long way in my decision to add Progenex to a diet that otherwise consists of nothing but vegetables, lean meats, nuts, seeds, and berries. But it quickly became more than that.

2nd Place, Butcher Challenge: "Team Regulators"

Observing the improvement of other athletes was influential. But again, it wasn't until after I saw beneficial effects in myself that I began to trust in their formula. I was sitting at home, in late September, when I realized that I was healthy and capable enough to recover from prior injuries. I was healthy enough to train and become better than I once was. It dawned on me that I had more competing to do. And so, I made the supplement decision that was best for my body, health, and my performance. This conclusion wasn't based on marketing, trends, or sponsorship. My choice to supplement with Progenex was based on the ease of my most recent 6:10 minute mile, the fluidity of my last 2:28 Fran, my snatch PR at the Butcher Challenge, the exhilarating feeling of my first ring handstand pushups, and the fun I had competing with a team, once more.

Supplementing is a divisive issue in the CrossFit community. What are your thoughts on supplementation? How does it benefit or hinder your diet?

Life, Sport, and Standing the Hell Up

2010-11-03T17:46:00.000-07:00

There is always an audience watching. Do they know about the competition that I will never forget? Do they know that when I once tried to raise the bar, it came crashing down on me? I didn't have the strength to finish. I wonder if they know just how down and done I was after that period of physical and mental exertion. I was exhausted, I fell to the ground. And it felt like I was on that ground for an eternity. Do they know how badly, and how fast, I wanted to return to that previous level of performance? Do they know I was ashamed to have ever touched the ground before finishing the race.

Do they know how excruciating of a pain I felt when I lost that day? It was on the greatest stage in my life, a life that I continue to live as sport. Most athletes live life this way, where every moment counts, every success is a point, and every friend is a teammate. Do they know why I resent losing so much? Do they? Do they know why I fought the urge to stay down, no matter how comfortable it may have been? Do they know how much I owed my training partner. She was the first in the crowd that told me to stand up. Rest on the ground long enough and you'll realize that it is a one-of-a-kind place where you'll be able to remove yourself of any and all expectations. Unrealized potential is a jagged pill to swallow. The ground is a place of perceived peace and a place where if pressure were gravity, you'd float six inches above. Zero. Do they know that I wanted to stand tall simply for that reason? To bear that load of the game's great expectations.

I was thinking about the time when things didn't go my way. There was that one moment when I felt I couldn't push myself further or higher. I can only wonder if the people around me could relate to my shortcomings? Would my teammates understand. One rep, one minute, one self-talk phrase, one teammate, when last push, one last effort -- short. I learned a lot during that competition but only because I lost. In my peculiar view of life - where sport and reality collide - I lost more than a game. I lost opportunity. And what I didn't lose, I tried to keep at a distance: my dignity, my teammates, and my hopes. No one ever wants to be seen on the ground.

Now that I am almost standing as tall as I once was, do you know why I am the way I am? Do you see that fear of loss in my eyes? Do you see me looking at the ground, not in defeat, but as a reminder of where I once was? That loss of dignity can be much to bear. And so, like a sprinter, I tend to run to the finish, with reckless abandon. I mean, I am already 27 years old. But I realize, now, that its a strategy that is flawed for one reason, you should never leave a teammate behind. They should never be unaware of why your pace is so ferocious.

Today, I talked to those teammates. I didn't slow down, I plain out stopped to talk to them. And I looked at them through my salt water-coated eyes as if to say to them, "Please see in my eyes what my mouth is too weak to say." But in case they didn't, it is as simple as this. Like any athlete that makes it so far along, so close to a finish, you relish the chance to be better than you once were. You refuse to believe that life takes an irreparable toll. The thought begins to eat at you, "are my best performances behind me?" Should the magnitude of my dreams be smaller? Should my hopes suit the me I am today rather than the ME of yesteryear? Is there even a difference?

Standing.

Will I ever have a stage as great as the one upon which I once fell short? Will I be with my teammates the next time that it comes around? If it comes around? In reality, that's all that I fight for. I fight to perform on that grand stage. It's a purging notion that keeps me up at night, just like a teammate of mine said it would. I don't blame that persisting notion for how it interrupts my work or my sleep. My belief is so strong that my hopes can no longer differentiate between night, day, dream, reality. They are with me always. So I remain up, vigilantly working towards pushing beyond where I once was. If there was a time that I ever felt mentally and physically prepared to do that, it is today. But I am simple, I just want to be great. Because there will be another kid on the ground who will ask himself, "can I muster the strength to get back up?" And I'll be there to let him know what's possible.

Maybe I am talking about CrossFit or maybe I am just talking about life.

A Community Collaborates Via Social Media

2010-10-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

The Social Web

The successes of the CrossFit community will be studied in businesses schools all around the country, some day. Lessons in management, operations, collaboration, leadership, and communication are everywhere around us. Just yesterday, I was interviewing for a pretty significant consulting role. When asked what I would do to streamline the online presence of the Austin IT Firm's 135 national subsidiaries, I reverted to what I knew best. The CrossFit affiliate website model was one of my several references that I would use for a specific model. The goal of the model that I proposed would be to implement immediate improvement that would facilitate long-term revenue growth. They acknowledged the validity of my recommendations. Score one to Greg Glassman.

In many ways, I think that the CrossFit community will be known, not only for the efficacy of the training program itself, but also because of the magnitude of success earned by CrossFit entrepreneurs and business-minded fitness practitioners. The last is a rarity in the fitness industry (outside of CrossFit, at least). Typically, people are entrepreneurs or practitioners, seldom both. On Monday night, 28 affiliate owners (or representatives) decided to take their businesses and social media savvy to the next level.

Nicole Hughes and I teamed up to shed light on the importance of communication, authenticity, careful marketing, and how to portray these principles across new media platforms like: Twitter, Tumblr, Foursquare, Facebook, LinkedIn, and USTREAM. With over 28 gyms checking in on the live, interactive broadcast, we knew that their were varying levels of expertise. Regardless, advice was well-recieved and other forum members, like CrossFit Love's Joe Petrusky,did a great job helping along those that were newer to the social media scene. The hour long conference was broken down into four parts.

The Basis For Further Discussion

The first area that we discussed was entitled, "Eight Tips for Embracing Social Media"

Know that not everyone is in social media.
List your prime audience; Who do you want to reach?
Create one message.

Whatever brand you're building, be consistent and avoid departure from that plan

Create conversation
Overcome fear
Leave your ego at the door
Social Media is not a strategy
Be responsible

Part two of the discussion focused on "5 Helpful Tips for Small Businesses"

Use free sites and Web platforms
Shift marketing costs to social marketing and social networking
Learn about the competition

Use search.twitter.com to scope out competitors and market forces. Join conversations about CrossFit by searching for #CrossFit, and engage nearby enthusiasts by using "Near: (Zip Code) #CrossFit". This is an invaluable resource.

Take social network marketing to the next level by focusing on conversation and not micro-press releases. Example: The NHL's account grew from 500 to 450,000 by simply responding to people that mentioned hockey in their tweets.
Use blogs to drive search results for your affiliate.

CrossFit Central is a great example of this. Each of the 26 coaches drives traffic to CrossFit Central's site by marketing affiliate programs on their individual blogs.

Part three focused on the foundation for all online efforts, "The CrossFit Blog Tips". The blog is the epicenter of all affiliate communication.

Be willing to try new things
Be willing to answer any and all comments, show how much you care
Be willing to express your opinion honestly, people go to blogs for useful information and well-written opinion
Be willing to accept criticism
Be willing to work with others and give them credit
Be willing to ask for help
Be willing to work hard at making you CrossFit blog memorable and useful
Be willing to sacrifice the time to devote daily to building your online presence

Part four was a quick and catchy conclusion, The Do's of Social Media for CrossFit

Have a plan
Create measurable goals
Be consistent
Be a good social citizen
Be a good listener
Build a strong network
Be engaging
Give great content

Content is No Longer King, Context is.

While content is "king", what businesses are finding out now is that context is paramount. Caring about the clients that sacrifice to pay for training is key to retaining them and growing further. It's what separates good from great. This discussion was an experiment of sorts and a successful one. What it demonstrated to me, beyond business and marketing, is that the CrossFit community always puts its best foot forward. There is an obvious propensity to help those around us. This was just another example of an innovative means of doing so.

This was the first interactive event of its kind for this community and we are already gearing up for a better showing, the second time around. As more and more Affiliate owners learn to collaborate over these free, innovative engines for communication, you will see a paradox of sorts. CrossFit will grow larger by growing closer.

Previous posts: Social Media for Your Personal Brand, Social Media and the Garage Gym Microcosm, Twitter and The Garage Gym

Have any questions? Need clarification? Feel free to ask below. For more relevant information, check out the Websmith BLOG.

[UPDATE] A Secret to Affiliate Success...

2010-10-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

Link: USTREAM Discussion - CrossFit & Social Media

...Is great communication. The best connected affiliates will continue to thrive in the CrossFit community. With the most popular means of communication changing, it's good business to change with it. You see it in CrossFit L.A., CrossFit Central, CrossFit Love, and even younger businesses like CrossFit Genius. They are making the effort to become an open book for their clients, all the while building strong relationships within their communities. It's a formula for success.

On October 25 at 8-9 PM CST, I'll be teaching ten points to get your affiliate on the road to growth with social media and then leading a question and answer session for anyone who wants to improve communication and networking. Think Twitter, Facebook Groups, blogging, and other platforms that you're trying to get a better grasp on. These are key components that will help a good CrossFit practitioner establish themselves and rise above the noise, as I like to say. USTREAM is great because it offers interactivity and a great sense of community. The use of social media can be enriching for an affiliate owner or even a developing (entrepreneurial) strength coach. These concepts are universal and important to understand before developing specific strategies to engage your current members and potential clients. Beyond working heavily on SICFIT with Jeremy Thiel, I am pretty active as a social media consultant for businesses in and outside of CrossFit, large and small. Pretty exciting stuff! If you'd like to join us in this free community conference, let me know in the comments section. It's open to 100 spots.

For more CrossFit business resources: Garage Gym Blueprint, Websmith BLOG, The Daily Wheel

Glassman and His Sport

2010-10-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

Just in case you are thinking that Greg Glassman isn't paying close attention to his CrossFit community, I can tell you from experience that you're mistaken! Glassman, simply and affectionately referred to as Coach, is sitting atop a business that is growing exponentially. The CrossFit community is exploding. So quickly, in fact, that you would think that Coach's time, energy, and (let's be honest) intensity have waned as the CrossFit machine has come into its own.

Glassman

CrossFit is one of the strongest fitness communities in the country, if not the world. But it is also becoming an increasingly lucrative sport. There have been two successful live internet broadcasts, a surge in athlete sponsorships, U.S. Olympic partnership, Fortune 500 interest, and an affiliate community with growth that doesn’t seem to be slowing. That being said, with anything that has grown quickly, not everything happens perfectly. This leaves a little room for unsolicited constructive criticism, some of which I have provided over the past few years.

Earlier in the year, I went on record with a tad bit of criticism about the cost of the 2010 CrossFit Games and what I felt was a lack of support for Games' top athletes. I mentioned that some of them struggle just to compete at the annual event. I’d all but forgotten about that SICFIT blog, "Are You Not Entertained?"or the chart on my business blog that communicated a drop in CrossFit.com user comments between 2009 and 2010. And then I met Coach Glassman at this past weekend’s USA-W CrossFit Open in Colorado Springs, Colorado. One of the first topics of conversation? A few of my previous blogs. Could you imagine my surprise? Coach is on top of things.

But trust me when I say that the conversation was by no means a negative one. Like so many others that were in Colorado Springs for the event, I left inspired to fulfill my role in growing the CrossFit community. For now, that role is SICFIT. Beyond our high-end media production, the site itself has become an aggregator for the most intense of training videos, photos, and minimally-edited blogs on CrossFit-related issues and the SICFIT lifestyle. Beyond this, it is becoming a brand that is growing inside and outside of our CrossFit community. It's hybrid audience is one of SICFIT's greatest draws. In this respect, the goal has been to introduce non-CrossFitter's to our community through new and innovative partnerships. CrossFit athletes see other niche sports and they see ours. An open forum where the website's allegiance may seem less explicitly defined is the perfect grounds for mutual respect.

10 Years? Really?

Just a few weeks back, I was on the Wine & Web Sirius XM radio show. Moments before I posed my question, Gary Vaynerchuk was discussing how a beer pong competition league would be a wildly lucrative web-broadcasted sport. Bewildered, I wanted to promote CrossFit in front of his national audience. As an internet-driven, niche sport, CrossFit had infinitely more potential to attract major league audiences; I felt that CrossFit should have been getting the attention on his show rather than a college-pastime. So I called in to communicate that, in my opinion, the CrossFit Games is due to make that proverbial chasm jump into the mainstream. I’ve been fortunate enough to have hold a few discussions with Vaynerchuk about CrossFit but for whatever reason, he more easily recognizes the potential for the World Series of Beer Pong. My question to him:

Based on the growth in corporate advertising and jump in participatory interest in this year’s CrossFit Games, how long do you think it will take CrossFit to become a mainstream sporting sensation?

His answer didn't come off sincerely, rather, his tone and knee-jerk response suggested that my question was a waste of time. “Ten years,” he said. I wanted to tell Gary Vaynerchuk that he was clueless but deep down, I just hoped he was wrong.

When chatting with Coach Glassman at the USA-W CrossFit Open, he asked whether I followed through on previous plans for attending law school (another demonstration of his keen awareness). I am as passionate about litigation is I am about CrossFit but I made a decision based upon my love for this community and a rare opportunity. Why? From the beginning, I thought that the CrossFit Games was unique and incredibly appealing. I saw the potential for the CrossFit Games to become as relevant as the Ultimate Fighting Championship is today. And specifically, I envisioned SICFIT serving CrossFit the way TAPOUT served the UFC in the beginning. People mock the notion, but I know that this is the season that CrossFit will make that leap into the consciousness of the American-mainstream sporting fan.

My conversations with Coach Glassman were pretty surreal. They were honest, introspective, positive, and inspirational. And I'm sure many others in the community felt the same after last weekend in Colorado Springs. But it was something that Coach hinted at for the future of the sport and the community that left me incredibly enthusiastic. It will take a lot less than ten years for the sport to catch fire, after all. That is for sure. I look forward to the next mention in Forbes' about it. I'd spill the beans myself but like I mentioned earlier, Coach is on top of things.