Griffin Madden

Vision and Revision

2010-05-08T08:04:00.001-07:00

Hey all! I want some feedback from everyone on the team! Let me know what is and is not helping you, changes that need to be made and any sentiments you have to share. I would also like us to workout as a team, stick with your goals guys! It is a race to the end, don't fall off the horse now.

Getting Better

2010-05-03T17:37:00.000-07:00

There always exists the opportunity of the moderate path. A sudden feeling or idea that makes one think, "I know I can do that," or worse, "that will be easy." This whim however, is weakness tapping your shoulder and beckoning you to follow. The unfortunate part is, it is oh, so easy to listen to such temptations. Yet, the lure to avoid adversity has nothing to do with everyone's goal. And that's to get better. To succeed is to overcome challenge and therefore, through some mathematical property, one must embrace challenge for success. Everyone has that moment, yes you know the one I am talking about. When you can turn away; deny the offer of a task you aren't sure you can complete. The decision lies before you and you can choose to stay comfortable... or take a gamble.

But more simple and concise, the opportunity is to get better or not. In the face of challenge, one must always indiscriminately accept it. Regardless of the outcome, regardless of the challenge, you will know yourself and you will grow by distending your boundary of comfort. This lesson does not stay constrained to a sport or a career. It is an understanding one should always follow and apply to each opportunity. Next time something unexpected comes your way, choose the path you otherwise wouldn't. Decide not to take a break, add the extra class to your course load, sign on to a project at work. Whatever it is, embrace it. A wise man once said risks like these are the what life is about. I say they are what a good life is about.

Meeting

2010-05-03T03:18:00.001-07:00

Hey team - I hope all of you are having success with your training and endeavors, so far I've heard many good things now that we are several weeks into the challenge. I'd like to get us all together for a team work out or just to discuss our goals and share information. If we can at least get a majority of the team that'd be great. So far I've seen several of you attend the Bernardsville Saturday morning class, perhaps we can meet then? Let me know guys, stick with your training, diets and strategies as we enter this new week. The Challenge extends for two months, draw everything from it that you possibly can!

Goals

2010-04-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

I want to commend you guys on sticking with your commitments thus far in the challenge. Yes, it has not been long; yes, things will get harder; and yes, you must buckle down even more. Yet you have all taken strides already in changing your lifestyles. Working more and allowing us to breath down your neck in terms of training and eating makes me revere you guys for your determination. In that, you have proven yourselves.

But to help us all on our endeavors, (I actually have goals too) I want each of you to write down your goal and place it somewhere you will see it everyday. Perhaps on the bathroom mirror, or on your bedroom door. Or a place where you will see it several times a day... for me, the coffee machine. As this will be your constant reminder, a tangible conscience looking you in the face and checking in with you. I want this to be burned into your mind. Keep your aspirations at the forefront of your life where they need to be. Keep up the good work X-Men ;D

Additional Workouts

2010-04-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

I believe we all understand that the BCF Challenge is meant to incorporate (ideally) two additional days of training. For certain individuals this might not be the case but for most of you it is! So please, describe and record the extra training you have done and are doing and send it to me! If your schedule is already full to the brim, just remind me that it is ;) Remember, it is my job to hold you accountable!

T-Shirt Sizes!

2010-04-14T23:08:00.000-07:00

I need everyone's t-shirt sizes asap! Email me them or just post your size to the comments. Isn't this what the challenge is all about?!

Open Gyms

2010-04-12T14:55:00.001-07:00

So the times are set. The open gym slots for Challenge participants to facilitate extra training are:

BERNARDSVILLE
Thursday @ 5:15PM

MORRISTOWN
Wednesday @ 5:45PM
Saturday @ 8:15AM

Feel free to attend whenever. I will be gone for the first week but that doesn't mean you shouldn't get your asses in there! ;)

Summary

2010-04-10T16:51:00.001-07:00

Hey guys, I just wanted to reiterate and summarize the first things we need to do. Just email me (if you have not yet already, which is most of you) with your:

- Goals
- Plan for goals (i.e. Louis Simmons program... You will find these on the protocol sheet emailed to you)
- Body fat
- Individual questions

ALSO
Begin logging all of your food by Monday at the latest. Please record any and all exercise you do so we can get the full scope of things as you plan for the coming weeks.

Its been decided that there will be open gym times for the Challenge participants to facilitate their plans for the next 8 weeks. The times for these periods will be announced soon. Remember! You want to add two more days of training unless we agree on something personally. I am at your disposal guys, lets get going!

Additional Information

2010-04-09T07:16:00.000-07:00

Team, be sure to include in your email, in addition to your goals, your body fat percentage as of last night, what your plan is in regard to your challenge and lastly any possible time slots for additional training. It is important we train as a team and progress as a team. My hope is to have at least one time a week where we can all get together. Include all possible times you think you can make it.

If you are not sure about any of this stuff we will talk individually. Let's get a move on!

Be CrossFit Challenge: My Team

2010-04-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

Okay team, driving home I had a vision. We can be: The X-Men. Yes, it airs on the side of extremely lame but I think its kind of cool. We can even be individual superheros if we so desire (ha... ha).

On a serious note...

You all signed up for reasons that pertain specifically to you and what CrossFit means to you. Over the first week or two I will learn what exactly these reasons are and it will be my goal to help you achieve all of yours. The only solution to adversity is action, and that is exactly what we will do. Beginning Monday, I want each of you to record every workout and every bit of food that enters your mouth. Please do not hold back, detail will only help. The reason being, I will see whether you need to change training habits in any way and understand where you lay nutritionally. This is will be a good stepping stone to begin this adventure. Throughout the next two months, I want all of you to keep in mind that you signed up to grow as an athlete and as a CrossFitter. Growth necessitates challenge; so do not fail in the face of difficulty! Things will get harder, so be prepared.

In addition, send me your goals ASAP! This blog will be our main source of communication as a team. Please comment! For individual needs or a quicker communication route use my email: Griffin@CrossFitBernardsville.com

I envision our work to encompass four broad and basic categories:
-Strength
-Endurance
-Recovery
-Nutrition

There is a fair chance I left something out but we will cross any bridges we come to. Ok X-Men, lets act and lets win.

Getting Along With Food

2009-12-06T16:58:00.000-08:00

I think one of the biggest issues we've had to tackle with clients, and ourselves, is altering our nutritional habits. It is without a doubt one of the most difficult changes one can make to daily habits, particularly when you have to change everything about it. Often people will deem themselves as a "healthy eater" before paleolithic dieting is even mentioned. Then they swear by their habit of whole grains as opposed to white bread and "white meat, no red meat" and twinkies only on Tuesdays etc. Obviously a systemic change needs to be made but people are quick to put up a wholehearted defense to the logistics of their diet. I think most people so readily defend their eating habits because no one wants to admit that something so basic and important is fundamentally wrong with them. As well as the fact that once the person is able to concede to the necessity for change, then change must be made. I remember when I was having granola because I thought it had protein, not more than a year ago. Now I worry about whether I am having too many apples in a week. I guess the point is that just like almost everything else we do in this quest for ultimate efficiency, even though we strive to be perfect, we never will be. All things that we do in order to take steps near an elite level of performance will be ever changing. They tell you at a level 1 Certification that the air squat will never be perfect. Well, neither will your diet. My most recent major alteration has been the exclusion of salt. Unfortunately I learned that salt slowly depletes the calcium in your bones and can lead to osteoporosis and a multitude of other diseases, just like every other good thing in life right? Kidding, kidding. So after lifelong habits of salting eggs, pizza, vegetables, and what not (pizza might seem weird but try it next time you cheat, delicious) its time to change. Learn, apply, modify. Heh.

Improvement

2009-11-10T18:19:00.001-08:00

Just recently I blatantly proved it to myself how much I really have improved over the course of my hard work. On February 7th, 2009 I completed the first day of my Level 1 Certification and as seems to be the norm now, I also sprawled for air after my last pull up of "Fran". Time: 5:26, Weight: 65#, Pull Ups: Kipping. I was in a state of euphoria, holy shit I got almost a sub 5 minute Fran time. Sure it was 65# and I'm a guy but hey I'm fifteen and I'm little, come on that isn't too shabby. At least thats what I said to myself in my infant CrossFit mentality. OKAY I still use that excuse sometimes but it only makes me strive to work harder :D. Months later, pages of workouts recorded, days and days of paleolithic dieting and food measuring and Fran that torturous deviant makes her way back on board on November sixth, the same year. Felt: Miserable, Time: 7:45, Weight: 95#, Pull Ups: Kipping, (Rx). Holy shit, I Rx'd Fran a couple week ago. So now I say sure, many guys can Rx the workout their very first time, perhaps not with pristine, video worthy form, but they can still throw the weight up, but I'm sixteen and I'm little! Just kidding. The point is I did something I never thought I would do. Me, Rx Fran? no way, actually yes. Not only that, I went to the gym planning on conforming to my sub-Rx temperaments but I put the weight on in the end and it turned out great. Too often do I see an inverse relationship between potential and results, this entire idea is balancing human efficiency right on the brink of failure where success is the greatest and without pushing that limit every once and a while how do you suppose you achieve that goal? You can't solve a problem when you don't know what you're looking for and this is the same concept. The science is there, the results are real, the work is a necessity and the gratification is limitless, just like all of us.

Reborn

2009-10-23T14:37:00.000-07:00

In celebration of the so-called resurrection of my personal blog I’ve decided to comprise a list of the absolutely necessary elements of this sport that we so adore. However I’ve divided them into categories of certain aspects that I love and to put it euphemistically some of my “pet-peeves”. Maybe you can relate:

The Loveables:
• Being addicted to something that won’t ever kill me. (Perhaps that’s questionable but you understand.)
• Eating, showering, sleeping, going to the bathroom, well everything really after I’ve done a WOD… I just feel naturally intoxicated.
• Having an escape to a world of friendly and warm-hearted adults that is infinitely more welcoming than the cold halls of a high school.
• Waking up sore in the morning baby! Who doesn’t somewhat masochistically enjoy barely being able to take that first step down the stairs?
• Not only the encouraging camaraderie from your peers but the unquestionable sense of self-gratification when you cross that threshold of new limits.
• Knowing I willingly put myself through much greater discomfort than the average American in order to pursue a healthy and efficient lifestyle.
• The few and the rare treats that if it weren’t for the indubitable positive fuel I receive from I’d deem them too good to be true. Among those, almond butter and Tracy Bars mmmmm :O nom nom nom!
• Pulling up the Bernardsville CrossFit website and seeing a WOD I just know I’m going to crush… and then crushing it ;)
• Attending parties that are far more “off the chain” if you will, than any pip squeak garbage going on at some kid’s house I know LOL joke, but not really.
• In the interest of relative conciseness, last but undoubtedly not least, having the opportunity to teach, and be taught by people who have made my life immeasurably more worthwhile.

The Shorter List:
• I give a workout every fiber of my being and then I go to check how much I’ve improved and… my time went up by three minutes.
• The sensation of uselessness after not being able to get to the gym for several days.
• Getting practically sick from eating just a little non-paleo food, although the pleasure is worth the pain.
• When I say “one more!” and someone tells me “I just can’t”… YOU CAN!
• Swallowing 6 gigantic fish oil pills every day, good thing you can’t overdose, at least to my knowledge.

Anyway you know its great when you can’t think of negative aspects even when you try. If you’ve read this then you’ve already spent too much time away from the gym, start CrossFitting!

In Other Words

2009-05-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

Being merely a high school student as I am, I may take a different perspective than others. Some people might treat CrossFit as their training program for a separate sport all together, some might participate to keep up their fitness, yet for some it is their sport. I fall under this last category where my total dedication lies with CrossFit. Just like a conventional sport each WOD acts as "practice" for something bigger in the future. But not only is a work out practice for say an event or the Games, it is a competition in and of itself. Every time you hit the WOD it should be an all out battle between the endurance and work capacity of your body with your mental fortitude, while both are being quickly destroyed by the intensity of what you are doing.

In many instances it is said that you are your own worst enemy and I find this to hold true. You are the only one you are competing against, and only you (with the help of your coach) can push yourself to the edge but still hold on by a fraction of a margin to do the absolute best that you are capable of. Not only are you your own opponent in this game but you are also the drive and reward in the equation. When you win against yourself you also receive one of the best forms of reward and that is self satisfaction. Knowing your body and its capability for amazing feats of overall fitness and then putting that ability into play is one of the most self gratifying activities one can do.

Unfortunately when I'm at school, I can tell that this is not the way training goes down. As CrossFit makes its "fitness revolution" we can hope that it reaches all fields of practice however that isn't the case quite yet. One area in need that I know of, my school. I talked with one of the coaches for an after school sports team at my school and he demonstrated for me the very best back squat that the team had and I was sadly disappointed. Knowing that some of my friends dread deadlifting because they say it hurts their backs, I can understand that there is a dire need for proper coaching and training. We all know the drastic improvements that can be made through the CrossFit approach. Now if this was implemented on student competitive sports teams the success would be tremendous. I can only imagine what a football team with Fran times would be like, I mean CrossFit Football already exists, what more do you need! Following the high intensity program balanced with skills training partial to the sport in use, be it anything from lacrosse to swimming and who knows the measure of success.

You can probably guess that if the squats aren't looking so good, neither are the diets. I am a user of the paleo/Zone diet so in the midsts of cafeteria sustenance I look quite like the black sheep. But while I eat my own food I observe the food of others and wonder how our athletes survive a game or practice on a bagel, a smoothie and a multitude of cookies and treats. Fitness performance and nutrition go hand in hand so I try not to imagine the pain it must be to fuel yourself with twinkies. But if there was a change in these habits and education involving what to eat for the best results be it in strength training or for the dancing team, then I believe there would be drastic positive change in the student athlete community. Now someone reading might say "isn't that a bit much to expect of already busy kids?" and my answer will be no. Taking these measures to increase the pace and level of advancement in sport and overall quality of life would not hinder, but obviously help anyone who participated. Not only that but once understanding the human potential, I say why settle for anything less than the greatest?

It's All In Your Head

2009-03-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

I've been doing some critical thinking lately and wow, does my head sure play a big roll not only in everything else I do but of course, CrossFit as well. You might be saying, well no shit but taken a step further, your mental state of mind before a heavy lift or before attacking the WOD has a critical roll in your performance. What's the difference between checking the WOD in the morning and letting your anticipation fester for twelve hours or walking into the box and taking a glance before you begin? How much more can you lift if you focus your mind on the task at hand or have a conversation until seconds before you grab the bar? Does taking a break constitute the mind giving in to the pressures of physical pain or the necessities within your muscles to pause the intensity? Some things I'd be interested to find out.

As my experience with the sport of fitness grows, as well as those all around me I make my best attempts to alter my strategies, better my diet and educate myself as much as possible to subsequently benefit my power output. But I also wonder what are the more minute details to the grand scheme that I can fix for improvement. In place of a disappointed expression or a comment as to how much burpees make me want to puke I've been working on keeping a better attitude towards certain aspects that may take a tougher toll on me. When preparing to PR I find it best to keep my mind clear of all thoughts and repeat to myself "all you have to do is lift this weight". Some other ideas rolling in my head that I believe help my performance include maintaining my focus on exactly what I'm doing and when I'm doing it, (i.e. not thinking about the mile I have to run after 300 squats) keeping the most positive attitude I can muster even in my most uncomfortable element, and making mental goals for what I want to accomplish, be it the next 10 reps without pause or completing the battle in under fifteen minutes.

Although I cannot admit mental quirks to prove measurable data it still does make a difference in how I feel about what I'm doing. If I find myself moaning and groaning through every repetition am I composed or grunting the weight off the floor? How committed will I be after making everyone in the room aware that we're about to do my least favorite WOD? An important ingredient to the CrossFit way is its community and group energy, so there is no reason to bring it down. I say jump for joy next time you have to run 800 meter sprints, I say give thanks to the workouts that leave you on the ground for longer than the amount of time you were working. Optimism is essential to success.

The effects that your mind has on CrossFit are interesting sure, but how about the other way? What kind of effects do CrossFit have on your mind? I put some thought into how I feel before and after a visit to an affiliate and what goes on for the remainder of the day. I'm generally excited to do all I can to improve my fitness and enjoy the company of the people I'm around while I do so. After the WOD I might feel the occasional nausea but once the endorphins kick in I feel great. Not only can I feel an elevation in my mood but my choices become all around healthier, smarter and more beneficial. After I put so much work in to CrossFit why should I go and eat out of the school cafeteria and throw it away or buy a soda and popcorn at the movies (guaranteed sickness for me these days) to only regret it later? The effectiveness goes beyond the realm of nutrition and into that of academics. As stated in an article on Gateway Crossfit's website, "according to a recent study, students who scored the highest levels of fitness scored 30 percent higher on standardized academic tests than students with the lowest levels fitness". Pretty incredible I'd say. An addiction that shows significant improvement in your physical well-being, measurable positive difference within academic capabilities and an overall better quality life... I'm glad I'm hooked.

Welcome!

2009-03-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

This is an open blog that welcomes any CrossFitters, whether your with me at Mpower CrossFit or with another affiliate your input is appreciated. From the science of it all, to what goes through your head before and during a workout, there are infinite topics to discuss regarding who we are and what we do as members of CrossFit. The opportunities seem endless and the connections outside of the gym run deep.

The window of life that I look through now as a result of what has been shown to me through this community has changed drastically. My mother originally started talking about some intense fitness program and I found myself saying "why the hell would I want to do that?". Then, the first time I visited an affiliate I was stunned by the atmosphere of the room and the energy of the people. How many places can you go to where everyone inside sees a new person and gets in line to shake hands? We got to the WOD and i was scared to death but as you can guess I made it through. With the satisfaction of gaining strength and overcoming what previously seemed impossible I slipped out of the green band and admired the beasts kipping their way through the pull ups. The experience was inspirational and badass, leaving me ready to go again.

As I believe it takes most people at least a few go around's to find their passion for this, the sport of fitness, it happened the same way with myself. For a while I was afraid of the majority of the WOD's and as much as I don't like to admit it, I've secretly backed down from some as well. But time went on and now I'm either chomping at the bit to begin or biding my time before the clock starts. Where your love for the sport will manifest is up to your personal liking but the range of possibilities is long. Maybe its the endorphins, maybe the WOD's themselves, perhaps enjoying looking in the mirror but there is a place for everyone. I know for me its puttin' on my high-socks at 5 a.m. on Friday morning!

CrossFit has been the first thing in my life that I've truly dedicated myself to. You know there is something special about it when it will motivate a person to be excited to throw themselves at pain in the form of something like Fran or Barbara. We are the kind of people excited to try something new and confident to achieve higher greatness than in times previous. The kind of people who's comfort zone is being uncomfortable. The kind of people who strive to see themselves reach success as well as those around them. The kind of people who build themselves to be greater than their potential. We are CrossFitters.