Quick one to describe CrossFit and thank Elite MMA!

So it looks like people have been to the CrossFit sites I mentioned. There is SO MUCH to learn when it comes to CF--Olympic lifts, squats, kettlebell movements, even jumping rope and jumping on top of a box--and just as in grappling, even when you think you know a move, you can always learn something new about it the next time you see it. This is especially true for me, since I don't know very many moves very well. I'm going to be completing the Level 1 certification this coming weekend at Brand X in Ramona, CA, and I'm really excited about it.

Basically, CrossFit is an all-over fitness philosophy that focuses on improving the following general physical skills: endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, accuracy. The improvements are effected using what many people have heard referred to as interval training: periods of intense exercise punctuated by short periods of rest. CrossFit uses other modalities as well, such as Olympic lifts and some running and aerobic activity, but the interval training is what most people find so different and so striking about CrossFit.

One, but not the only, example of such training is Tabata intervals. You can google them, but the structure is 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest for 4 minutes. So if you are doing Tabata situps, you fire out as many situps as you possibly can, as fast as you can, for 20 seconds. Then you rest for 10 seconds and then you do it again 7 more times. (Note that most of my information comes from Andy, Becca, and the CrossFit Journal. Do what you can to gain access to these resources!)

I started doing CrossFit to improve my strength and endurance for grappling, and, addictive personality that I am, I became hooked on it too. There is a vocabulary, a lifestyle, a set of celebrities, and, of course, a forum. :)

In other news, I also got to train with Hai Nguyen at Elite MMA in Houston. He showed a cool sequence from what I've heard called the "baby hook," or shin-on-shin contact. I got to roll with some of his brown belts, who were lots of fun, and a couple ladies too! Here's a pic.

Ashley, JP, Joe, me, Hai, and Hai's gravity-defying hair.

Unfortunately Hai's knee is injured, but he should be back on the mat soon. Go check out Elite MMA! They have a stable of students, including lots of upper belts who know their stuff, a huge mat space, and great facilities (there was makeup and lotion in the women's locker room!). Thanks to everyone there for a great time.

It was really fun to visit a new school again! It had been a while. I am incredibly happy at New Breed, my grappling home, but one of the many reasons I am so happy here is that they encourage people to visit other places. And those kinds of visits can be really energizing, a shot in the arm that helps you move forward.

More later. Right now I can barely type because part of the CrossFit workout this morning was AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) in 5 minutes of pullups (I did 55, unassisted) and then pushups (I did 74, all from the toes). So my forearms are shot!