Cindy working chest to bar pullups at the Northeast Qualifier
WOD:
Thruster 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps
As most of you know, Cindy, Will, and Annie spent Saturday and Sunday competing in the CrossFit Games Northeast Qualifier. To say the Northeast Qualifier was challenging would be an understatement. It was a grueling event, and there was nowhere to hide. Strength was not enough, nor was cardiovascular capability, or the ability to do a million and six pullups. The event rewarded the complete CrossFit athlete, and punished those who had any weakness. Only five women finished the final workout in the allotted 15 minute timeframe (less than 10 percent), and 54 men (just over 30 percent) managed to finish it.
We met some great people at the competition, and from the get-go, it was clear there were a LOT of firebreathers in attendance. With only five spots available for the trip to Aromas, a bad showing in any workout quickly put you on the outside looking in. Because of this, there was a conversation that was had repeatedly over the weekend, with dozens of people, and it went like this:
“I need to work on _________ before next year.”
Over and over, this conversation came up. The blank ranged from “my strength” to “my endurance” to “losing 20 pounds,” but almost everyone made this comment at one time or another.
Listening to some of the most elite athletes in the Northeast repeatedly make this comment got us to thinking. And what we arrived at is something that is seminal to CrossFit itself: there are always areas in which you can improve.
We all gave the qualifier everything we had, and had a fantastic time. We met some really great like-minded people, and had some really interesting conversations. It’s from these conversations that the concept for this challenge came. It’s a funny challenge, in that not everyone will be working on the same movement, or even the same concepts. But it’s a great unifier, in that everyone will be working on IMPROVING.
We’ve come up with four different challenges, listed below. Every one of our athletes can stand to improve in at least one of these areas, and most of us can stand to improve in all of them. We’re going to leave it to you to pick which challenge(s) you enroll in, but once you commit, we are going to push you, coach you, motivate you, and drag you kicking and screaming (if necessary) toward your goal(s). You will still do the WOD on the board, but committing to any or all of these challenges will require that you put in additional effort, because while we are encouraging you to improve, as CrossFitters, we fundamentally abhor specialization.
You need this. You need to commit. You need to progress. This is the opportunity of your adult lifetime to do something amazing with yourself. This is a commitment to yourself, to us as your trainers, and to your friends and your family to do something that is truly excellent. Do not let this opportunity pass you by.
Consider the following, as true today as it was when Aristotle first said it:
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
The challenges will start on Monday, June 1, 2009, and will end with a “final exam” of sorts on or about Tuesday, September 8, 2009. Our categories for the challenges are listed below:
Body and Diet
Endurance
Strength
Pullups
Click on each link above to see the nitty gritty details. Sign up for the one(s) that you feel you need to work on. Once you commit, there is no backing down, and we will demand that you put in the effort that you committed. We will work with you on any and all elements with which you need help, from diet to form to giving you a kick in the ass to get you moving when you need it.
100 days is not a long time, but it is a long enough time to make a significant difference in your performance, your attitude, and your life as a whole. Commit to the challenge and become something greater than you are today.
May 28th, 2009 at 9:55 am
OK, I’m officially in for body and diet and pullups. Abs by 40, here I come!
May 28th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Thanks for the invite you guys. Im looking forward to this challenge and the results that lay ahead of me.
May 29th, 2009 at 7:39 am
Thrusters: 105 max
May 29th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Jordan –
Pass it along everyone is welcome to the challenge(s)
May 31st, 2009 at 7:14 am
Thrusters
135-155-165-175(f)-175(f)-170(f)-170(f)
In short PR = 165
Next time it will be at least 170.
May 31st, 2009 at 11:36 am
got this link on FBook from a fellow CrossFitter in St. Pete, Fl. Can we join the 100 day challenge without being a member of your CF group?
May 31st, 2009 at 8:46 pm
All are welcome. Join on in.
June 1st, 2009 at 6:05 am
if i have already signed up but forgot to add a picture how do i edit that? also, if i am going to take my own measurements at my gym how do i post them to you?
thx
June 1st, 2009 at 7:22 am
Email will work just fine. will at crossfitplayground dot com
June 1st, 2009 at 7:59 am
Jacci we can do this together. i have my camera and i have a tape measure.