Posts in Uncategorized
Saturday
Partner WOD

100 Pull-ups

200 Push-ups

300 Squats

400 Sit-ups

_____________________________________________________

Blogcast #3

The Pursuit of Excellence

Lately I’ve been looking back at my 10 year journey as an Affiliate owner and at my 12 years as a CrossFitter. I remember vividly my first CrossFit experience on a deployment to Iraq in 2004.

It started with me complaining to one of my Team mates over lunch. I was actually bitching about my current training and citing the shortfalls I had been noticing; more frequent injuries, usually minor annoyances but they were certainly more frequent. The workouts were taking longer to complete but the results were harder and harder to achieve. The workouts themselves all seemed to be melding into one large pile of the same stuff I had been doing only on “repeat.” It was what comes from routine and the boredom that it brings with it. M-W-F = lift.  Chest and Tris.  Back and Bis.  Legs and Shoulders. Abs every day. T-H-S = cardio. Long, Slow Cardio.

I had run head first into the Diminishing Return Zone and I got stuck there.

My team mate asked if I had ever heard of CrossFit. I told him that I hadn’t so he suggested that I check it out. Later that day I logged on to www.crossfit.com. For those of you who remember the old CrossFit Main site you can appreciate this part a bit more than the NKOTB. The WOD posted for that day looked like this:

Deadlift 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1

That was it.

My first reaction was “why the fuck would I do that?” I thought, “I’m not a Powerlifter, I don’t want to be one. I don’t play a sport where I need that kind of strength* AND what about Bis, Tris, Delts, blah, blah, blah…”

Long story short I was intrigued so with little to no knowledge and none of the resources available then like there are now, I referenced everything I could find about Deadlifts and after a thorough warm-up at lighter weights I hit the rep scheme laid out on the site. By the next day the only way I could describe how I felt was to say that I hit every muscle group in my body.  Hard.  The muscles in my feet hurt. My arms felt like I had done an arm workout, curls, reverse curls, dumbell curls and all that other bullshit.  I didn’t know what to call it then but my posterior chain was smoked. My abs were sore. My rear Delts felt like I had done multiple sets of bent over dumbell raises. I was fascinated.  I couldn't walk right but I was fascinated.

While the gym at the Presidential Palace (the location of the interim US Embassy in Baghdad) was very well equipped it was a conventional gym. One Pull-up bar located on the cross member of the cable cross-over. It was so high up I had to jump to reach it. There were no Plyo Boxes there at the time because no one really used them in conventional training. I didn’t Kip. We were never allowed to in the Navy so I never learned. No bumper plates. No Kettlebells. No AbMats. But guess what? I followed all the Main Site Blog posts and trained anyway.

Why am I boring you with my personal CrossFit Journey? Because if I could learn it and work it with ZERO guidance other than what I was able to get from the original Main Site imagine what you can do under proper guidance from a Coach at a proper CrossFit Box?

As Coaches we strive for what we refer to in the community as Virtuosity. We want to be the best Coach, teacher, trainer, CrossFit athlete we can be. For no other reason than the purity of our sport alone. If you didn’t know, our sport is Fitness. Part of our journey to become better Coaches is to make you better as well.

In a lecture that he gave to a gathering of Affiliate owners years ago Greg Glassman shared a story about one of the things he asked his new clients to do when they began training. He asked them for five things that they thought would make them better. He asked them to write them down and seal them in a plain white envelope. Then he told them that six months later they would open that envelope and he guaranteed that they will have become “better” at every item on that list.

My challenge to you is to do the same thing. Right now. Write up a list of five things that you want to be better at. I’m not just talking about training either. Literally anything. Write it down and see what happens. You’ll be pleased. I promise you.

*This will be the subject of another Blogcast.

UncategorizedMike PietragalloComment
Friday

A. Power Clean 2 RM

 

B. "The Chief"

Max rounds in 3 minutes of:

135 pound Power cleans, 3 reps 6 Push-ups 9 Squats

Rest 1 minute. Repeat for a total of 5 cycles.

Post rounds completed for each of the 5 cycles.

Can you name this Navy Legend?  Post answer to comments.

Each year in the United States Navy, a highly qualified and elite cadre of Sailors are selected and promoted to the join the ranks of Chief Petty Officer. Since 1893, "The Chiefs" have been relied upon by subordinates and superiors alike for their personal example, technical expertise and above all, their unique leadership capabilities. As the induction process for newly selected Chief Petty Officers is now underway throughout the US Navy, we thought it appropriate to inaugurate "The Chief" in honor and recognition of all past and present CPOs. Thanks to them and their families for their self-sacrifice, ability to adapt, tireless dedication to mission and devotion to country.

UncategorizedMike PietragalloComment
Thursday

Open Gym is BACK! Here are a few options:

  1. Come in and work on a strength/technique/skill/conditioning.
  2. Make up a workout that you missed from earlier in the week.
  3. Choose the Main Site WOD.

_____________________________________________________

A NOTE ON OPEN GYM:

The times will be the same as any other Thursday.

5:30am

9:00am

5:30pm

6:30pm

There will always be a Coach.

A WOD will be provided if you choose that option.

I think that calling this "Open Gym" may be causing some confusion. We used to do this 10 years ago because the original CrossFit template is train hard for 3 days, rest for one and repeat. So by default, Thursday became an Open day where Athletes could work on skills, lifts or anything they felt needed some extra attention. For those of you who's training cycle falls on a Thursday there will ALWAYS be a WOD for you to follow.

I caution you though, I've seen it happen where an Athlete let's his/her enthusiasm out run his/her planning skill and they end up working on shit that they're already solid on. Don't waste your time like that.

_____________________________________________________

Complete as many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:

20 GHD sit-ups

10 left-arm overhead walking lunges

10 right-arm overhead walking lunges

*Use a 55# DB/1.5 Pood KB on the lunges.

Post rounds completed to comments.

 

UncategorizedMike PietragalloComment
Monday

A. Deadlift 5-5-5-5-5

 

B. 30-20-10

Pull-ups

OH Walking Lunge (45/25)

_____________________________________________________

In light of last night's Golden Globes Awards I thought we'd have our own little Hoo Yah.

One of the many perks of the Wodify system is that it tracks EVERYTHING.  So I thought I'd share with you.

The following represents our winners in various categories for 2016.

And the categories are:

Total lbs lifted:

Total PRs:

Most PR'd lift:

Highest Attendance (Women):

Highest Attendance (Men):

Most PRs (Women):

Most PRs (Men):

Social Leaderboard - Likes & Comments (Women):

Social Leaderboard - Likes & Comments (Men):

 

 

 

UncategorizedMike PietragalloComment
Saturday

10:00am Partner WOD 30 min AMRAP

6 rounds of "Cindy"

4 rounds of "Mary"

2K Row/2K Run

_____________________________________________________

Blogcast #2

So What's Your Excuse?

After 10 years as an Affiliate it's safe to say that I've heard a lot of excuses.  It's also safe to say that in spite of desperate pleas from my beautiful wife and many a great Coach here at CrossFit Pittsburgh I have always turned a deaf ear toward them.

My philosophy has been very simple; I'll do whatever I can to help you achieve your goal but I can't make you want to do it.  I'll provide the facility, the equipment, the motivation, the best Coaches.  I'll amuse you with countless anecdotes of WODs gone by.  I'll train with you and share my victories and my defeats.  I'll do all that but I still haven't figured out how to make you want to be a better version of you.

Here is some of the Bull Snarkey I've heard over the last decade:

  1. "This was great, CrossFit is great, you guys are great but I want to get strong."  Translation; MetCon is too hard and when I'm only lifting I can move nice and slow and I don't have to break a sweat.  Several years ago there was a young man who trained with us.  Nice guy but dumb as a stump.  Coincidentally he was in the process of applying for the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidate School.  This guy actually said to me one day, "Yeah, I come here to get fit but I go to my other gym to get strong."  He not only failed himself on the road to fitness but never made it into the USMC either.  Conversely, our Bro and former CFPgh Coach Andrew was a Firebreather AND did become a United States Marine.
  2. "I just don't have time."  Oh I see, you're that girl or guy.  The one who's so much more important than everyone else, who's just so much more in demand that they can't make it work.  Bullshit.  The Lord has Blessed all of us with the same 24 hours in a day.  I'm an old man compared to most of you and I've been up at 0445 training my first WOD at 0500 so I can help get my kids to school, go to work then hit my second WOD at lunch time or after my day is done, whatever time that may be.  If I can do it you can too.  I recently had an individual write me to cancel her membership with this excuse.  "I can't make it to the afternoon classes anymore I need to find a gym with a 6:00 or 6:30am workout."  After I canceled  her membership my reply was simple, "The 5:30am doesn't work for you?"  I'm hard pressed to believe that a 30 minute block at that time of the day made a difference.  Reluctance to say "this is too hard" is what makes the difference.
  3. "I'm not ready for CrossFit.  I have to get in shape first."  If you think like that you'll never be ready.  Play it out.  I'm going to join a gym, hire a Personal Trainer and work for six weeks to get ready for CrossFit.  I will guarantee you'll attend your first WOD, get smoked and be totally bummed out that you're STILL "not in shape" for CrossFit.  You know how to get in shape for CrossFit?  DO CrossFit.
  4. "My Doctor told me I have to stop CrossFit."  Get a new Doctor.
  5. "CrossFit is too intense." -OR- "You could get hurt if you do those movements wrong."  If you have a Coach with proper training and experience they will scale every movement for you're fitness and experience level.  If you have a Coach with proper training and experience they will teach you every movement properly, monitor your training closely and correct you so that you avoid injury.  If your'e not experiencing this you've fallen in with a Moron and you need to leave and go elsewhere.  Over the years I've seen some truly great Coaching.  I've also see Ass Bags with their head down in their iPad working on their Fantasy Football picks while the Class trains around them.  True story but that dick is contaminating someone else's space now.  Not ours.

Excuses.  Everyone's got them.

What's yours?

UncategorizedMike PietragalloComment
Friday

"DT"

Five rounds for time of: 155 pound Deadlift, 12 reps 155 pound Hang power clean, 9 reps 155 pound Push jerk, 6 reps

Post time to comments.

In honor of USAF SSgt Timothy P. Davis, 28, who was killed on Feburary, 20 2009 supporting operations in OEF when his vehicle was struck by an IED. Timothy is survived by his wife Megan and one-year old son T.J.

UncategorizedMike PietragalloComment
Thursday

A. Press 3-3-3-3-3

 

B. For time:

3 rounds Bergeron Beep Test*

50/40 Calorie Row

3 rounds Bergeron Beep Test

50/40 Calorie Row

3 rounds Bergeron Beep Test

 

*Bergeron Beep Test

7 Thrusters (75/55)

7 Pull-ups

7 Burpees

UncategorizedMike PietragalloComment
Monday

A. Find Max for the complex: Power Clean + 3 Front Squats

 

B. For time:

20 Calorie Row

20 Strict Press (95/65)

25 Calorie Row

25 Push Press (115/80)

30 Calorie Row

30 Push-Jerk (135/95)

UncategorizedMike PietragalloComment
Sunday

Happy New Year!

Please Join me in welcoming January 2017's Athlete of the Month, Byron Nash!

Occupation:

Guitarist Musician/Owner BNDEEPendent Music Head bartender/Harris Grill, Bartender/Pork and Beans, Big Burrito Catering.

How long I've been doing CrossFit:

Four years now.

Favorite WOD: Fran (I have a love hate relationship with Fran)

Favorite Movement:

Thrusters.

What CrossFit Means to me:

CrossFit to me means FAILURE.

It was about me relearning the art of failure. I know that probably sounds odd and isn't the typical answer people give, but it is true.  What I mean is, if I were to break it down percentage-wise, I fail more in CrossFit than I succeed. That's the whole process. When I was 39 I said I wanted to get in the best shape of my life by 40. I was active, but my lifestyle and job always made it hard to maintain. I "looked" in shape, but didn't feel fit. I work late nights on my feet bartending and have early mornings. I'm busy 99.9% of the time and currently on average work 7 days a week. My music, music business, projects, and three jobs keep me on the go, but It also wears me down. In conjunction with musician/bartender life, it is super hard to maintain a balanced diet and lack of sleep is my biggest problem even still. For example if I close the bar and get home by 4:30a.m., I still get up at 8a.m. to make it to the 9a.m. class. I always wonder what I could do with 6-8hours of rest. And for some time, I was also drinking too much to cope with the stresses of the life I was living. Plainly put, I was a hot mess.

When I first went to CrossFit Pittsburgh, it was on a group pact made with me and a couple guys at work. We were supposed to go on a Saturday, and give it a try no matter how hard it was. We all closed the bar the night before, and I showed up early. Once there I looked around at all of these in ultra-in shape athletes doing crazy pull-ups and stuff, all of whom were built like they were extras in the movie "300." To say I was intimidated was an understatement. Up until that point, I didn't "work out" at all. I was active for sure, but I definitely didn't lift weights ever, or spend anytime in a gym. As a matter of fact, I always hated gyms and steered clear of them. I rode my bike a lot and was fortunate that I maintained some athleticism from my teenage years of being a serious skateboarder. At that time, CrossFit Pittsburgh did a 9a.m. Saturday beginner level tryout class. Needless to say, my friends bailed and left me hanging. So I did the workout which was super-challenging for me at the time, but wasn't AS bad as I thought. Then I was convinced by Rachael Thurber (who had recently started a month prior) to stay through the 10a.m. when the real deal cats came through. I was nervous, unsure, and honestly hated every minute of it. I pushed, I failed, I fought and sucked, but most importantly: I survived. Although it was the most sore I and ever been in my life, I went for three more weeks before I committed. I decided I was going to give it a full effort no matter the outcome. Plus I knew I couldn't get into the shape I wanted to on my own. I needed help and structure.

Shortly after starting, (about a month in) my hands started failing terribly. I was concerned about my wrists due to how much I use my hands with music and my job. CrossFit was even more trauma and my hands and arms started throbbing and going numb everyday. My wrists hurt, the nerves in my hands and forearms ached so badly that I was sleeping two hours a night. I was so afraid CrossFit brought it on and seriously considered quitting. I went to so many specialists, physical therapists, doctors, chiropractors and they all assured me that the severe Carpal Tunnel I had wasn't due to CrossFit, but that it was actually helping my hands from falling completely into shambles in some ways. More than anything I feared surgery. The idea of my hands being cut open terrified me because I didn't ever want to lose my ability to play guitar. If you know me, you know that music is my life and soul. My spirit was crushed when my doctor told me that my case of Carpal Tunnel was the worst he had EVER seen. So per Dr's orders, I tried everything to keep surgery far away: braces, stretches, meds, slept in weird hand braces, yoga, six appointments a week for seven months and nothing got rid of it. The final straw was one day I was playing guitar recording and my hands went numb and I dropped the guitar pick and couldn't feel anything. I had to stop and put the guitar down. I started crying and was heartbroken. That's when I knew that I needed surgery. I was probably 6-8months into CrossFit at this point and was just starting to really get it. Long story short, I had surgery done on both hands about 6-8months apart. It was painful, but the real challenge was my recovery and rebuilding my dexterity musically and at the gym. For the longest time I couldn't do pull-ups, push ups, jump rope, kettle bells, any type of over head press or lifts. I wore a brace and gloves over my healing hand that had a hard piece of plastic in it to protect the wound as it healed. It was daunting to not being able to lift as heavy as I had started to or do a simple pull-up. For well over a year, EVERYTHING I did was modified. My confidence was repeatedly rattled because I would lose skills and strength. One day I could climb the rope, the next day I couldn't. I failed at many things that I finally started to get good at. Needless to say, I was back at square one, FOR THE THIRD TIME with CrossFit!. For, me the competitive spirit of CrossFit wasn't based on doing better than the next guy or girl in the room, beating someone's time, or lifting more than someone else. I was ALWAYS competing with the clock, self doubt, limitations and myself. Sure, I want to do well, perform well and get good scores and numbers, but I always felt that if I focused on what the next person was doing, that I already have lost because I should be focusing on myself and where I am at with the lifts, the weights, or the WOD I had to come to terms with the reality that because of my Carpal Tunnel surgery before and after, there were some things that I just physically couldn't do---for a while. However, I wasn't going to let it stop me from eventually doing those things even if it took three times as long as the next person. I was determined to beat it no matter what. Thats where my concept of failure comes in. The state of failure is a dark and lonely place where you have to dig deep inside of yourself, tap into the spirit of your being and fight one inch, one minute, one negative thought, and one day at a time to overcome obstacles to succeed. Of my four years doing CrossFit, I spent three of them in pain or recovery. To be honest, I'm finally just starting to get IT. The other thing is that I always remind myself that I couldn't do any of the things that I can do today until after I tried them and failed a couple thousand times.

Thats what CrossFit Pittsburgh brought to my life. Since then, I gained a newfound hunger, drive and fire in me that has been lit through the sport of CrossFit. In time, my hands healed, and I worked extra hard to get back to not just where I was prior, but beyond that. I had more bad days than good, but when they were good, they were REALLY good because I knew how much effort it took to get there. I happily embraced the suck, I challenged the challenges, and I am no longer intimidated by failure. I don't care what people think of me, my scores or the weight I can lift. Think about it, how many times have you failed at any lift before you got it? If I landed five good snatches, that means I probably tried fifteen to twenty times to get just those five. By design I failed more than I succeeded, and that's perfectly ok. But where the real success lies is in waking up, pushing through the soreness and tiredness, not making excuses, and getting back in the gym to put in the work. I still am confronted with hand issues regularly. I'm healed from the Carpal Tunnel, but the scar tissue prohibits mobility for me, so I had to adapt. If I have a hefty night at work slinging drinks, my hands may be tight, achy, or plain hurting the next day so I adjust accordingly. Sure, the Carpal Tunnel is gone, but I have to be mindful and some days I'll purposely lift less, or slow my pace just to avoid injury. CrossFit and maturity have taught me to listen to my body. There's days I push through, then there's others where less IS MORE for that day. I can see a lot of improvement, however, I want to get better, faster, and stronger! I'm on a serious mission in 2017.

My favorite element is that CrossFit does not allow complacency or laziness. Sure, we all have been there when we weren't focused, were exhausted, sore as hell and gave a half-assed effort, but I'm pretty sure no one ever felt good about it afterwards. That's where the coaches and other members come into play to give you that extra boost of support. I love the accountability to myself, but also to others who right there with me working on their things, trying a little harder, and are dying in the workouts right beside me. I want to try hard for them as well. To me that's my inspiration, the other members and their goals and success that I get to witness. We are all working to improve, and an old score is just that: AN OLD SCORE! Sure, maybe I had a 3:38 Fran time two years ago, but I still have to hard work at it cause I'm no where near it now. Sure, I dead lifted 500lb recently, but it doesn't matter because I still have to work on the fundamentals to improve and grow in other ways. I love that no matter how good I get, CrossFit keeps me humble, grounded and never ahead of myself because I have so much to learn still. I really embrace the mantra "Better Than Yesterday" because it doesn't allow me to be defined by yesterday's work, score or accomplishment. It gives me something to strive for everyday. There's still so many things I suck at and 2017 is the year I attack them all with a vengeance. I have the mentality that one must "Respect the Weight." The weight of a 135lb barbell, will never change. It's always going to be 135lb and heavy. The only change is me, my effort, my mental state and skill set to handle that 135lb the right way. Respect. There's no excuses in CrossFit. (aside from being smart due to injury and listening to body)--there's no excuse. Come in, do your best. Hit repeat. To me CrossFit is about finding yourself through these hard workouts, lifts and putting in effort in training, learning and adapting to new techniques to improve not just in the gym, but in life. In a weird way, I guess you could say that I found myself in CrossFit.

Thank you everyone for the support over the years. I appreciate it. It is an honor to be chosen for this month.

BNash

UncategorizedMike PietragalloComment
Saturday

New Year's Eve 10:00am Partner WOD.

____________________________________________________

To kick off the new year here is my first in the new series "Time to get your head out of your ass."

I call it #1:

“Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist.”

-Greg Glassman

Sound familiar?  It should if you've been with us for any amount of time.

Look at fitness as a linear continuum.  On the far left we have the ultimate Endurance Athlete, let's say a Triathlete for example.  On the far right we have the World's Strongest man.  In 10 years as an Affiliate I've worked with many Triathletes.  I'm proud to say that one of my good friends has competed in numerous Ironman Triathlons.  Not the ones you buy your way into or the the ones at the Regional level but The Show itself.  He swears that adding CrossFit training to his programming is what put him over the top.

So I ask you, what do I gain by living on either extreme?  I can lift heavy shit but I can't run 400m all out without feeling like I'm having a stroke.  I can run all night and swim all day but I'm lost if I have to move laterally, quickly and climb over a wall wearing a 40 lb ruck.  The ruck can be a backpack full of books or a bag of groceries, or a toddler.  The wall can be a flight of steps.  The fact is that life has and always will reward the generalist and punish the specialist.

So for all of you who don't get it, good luck when you "focus on your endurance" or "train to get strong."  Weeks, months even years from now you will be far behind where you would have been if you had stayed the course.

The upside?  Make room for the next wave of CrossFitters!

UncategorizedMike PietragalloComment
Friday

"Wittman" 7 rounds for time

15 KBS (1.5/1)

15 Power Clean (95/65)

15 Box Jumps (24/20)

U.S. Army Sergeant Jeremiah Wittman, 26, of Darby, Montana, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, based out of Fort Carson, Colorado, was killed on February 13, 2010, when insurgents attacked his unit with a roadside bomb in Zhari province, Afghanistan. He is survived by his daughters Miah and Ariauna, wife Karyn, siblings Robert H., Charity, Jenell, and Natasha, father Robert, and mother Cynthia Church.

UncategorizedMike PietragalloComment
Thursday

A. Deadlift 5 RM

 

B. "Test 3"

Tabata Air Squat

Max Rep Muscle-ups

in 4 min

*Begin MU after last 10s rest interval

Tabata score = least # reps

Overall score = Tabata score + #MU

 

C. Check-out:

5 Turkish Get-ups

(each side)

UncategorizedMike PietragalloComment