I'm sure most people missed these but I did not.

Lot's going on at Potomac Crossfit which makes it hard for me to post. I've been having shoulder issues both left and right so my focus has been getting them back to normal.
I have been using the KB to get overhead with TGU's and Windmills. With these movements I get weight overhead with out pain. Also, I've been working the KB one handed high pull to get some pull into my life.
What do you do to keep your joints happy?

Our Potomac Kettlebell Workshop is filling fast and space is limited. If you haven’t signed up already I highly suggest that you do so quickly. We can’t guarantee your space.

So I'm a CrossFit junky, you got a problem with that? I'll meet you in the alley and we can "talk" about it.

Recently someone asked me "Who are the Glassmans?" The look on my face I'm sure was priceless.
My answer was along the lines of well they're the two people who started CrossFit and who are also married(the unspoken thought was....what the fuck do you mean who are the Glassmans?!)

What would I say now that I've had time to think about it the question "Who are the Glassmans?"


Two people who invest their lives to making CrossFit better and to reach and teach people what "Fitness" really is.


Other then that, they seem from my far off view like two people who are good hearted and down to earth and that I'm proud to say run CrossFit. Which is a very large part of my life. Athletic science, political opinions aside these are two people who are doing more for "fitness' then most of us can understand.
Some people love them, and some people love to argue with them and take them on...have at it!

I stand behind them! Which is not saying I agree with all they say and do. I do agree with their focus and their intent.

Why this post? Who knows or understands the things that run through my head? It's my blog and it was something I was thinking about.

We all have opinions and ideas....we don't all agree. Does that make us enemies? It really shouldn't

I am a CrossFit junky!

I'm not kissing ass I'm stating the facts about people in my community. CrossFit is a communtiy which supplies way more then fitness to a lot of people. Me being one of them.

What I'm bad at:

Thrusters

SDHP's

Left armed KB snatches

Pull-ups

BB snatches

Butt wink in my Squats

L-pull ups

Double unders

Handstand push ups

But the only movement I hate..hate..hate is the Sumo Deadlift High pulls.....just hate them! All the rest I love but I just suck at!

Anyone care to add to the list or add a thought?

Today is the first day that I've slept past 4am in over a week! If I'm not getting up to head into the "Box" for foundations or the WOD I'm heading into the ER for a shift. I'm doing OK overall.
Sleep is one of the most important elements to my health and fitness so I make sure that I do what I need to do to get it.

1. Go to bed early....really early. One night I was in bed by 8pm.

2. Afternoon naps

Really it helps to just make it a priority and many may think it strange but just lay down and let your body and mind rest....what else could be more important?

The Above photo is from the Gym Cert I just attended....did I have a good time?? Take a guess!

This passed weekend I went to the Crossfit Gymnastics Cert. It was really, really awesome! Tucker and Gillian are such great coaches! I learned about my body and were it is in space, from there how to move and use it more efficiently.

My shoulder allowed me to do way more then I thought it would and I would like to thank Gillian for working with me and being patient with my fears.

Tucker got me doing things I never thought I would do again. He also yelled at me a lot! Geesh! Tucker it was great to hang with you and have a few beers! I can't wait for you to come to Potomac Crossfit.

All photos are courtesy of Keith Wittenstein

Is Your vision all boxed up?

Or is your vision to big for any box to hold?

My Vision for myself and for Potomac Crossfit is way bigger then any box could hold.

The people I train at Potomac Crossfit will go out into the CrossFiting world and other trainers and trainees will see my/our vision.

This is part of the reason that we have a foundations class that teaches the nine basic movements before people are free to go to other WOD's. This is also part of the reason I try to learn and spend time with other coaches who are more skilled then I am.

When you walk away from training with me I want you to represent Potomac CrossFit which is part of an even bigger picture....CrossFit!

My goal is this, to teach skill and intensity which are not at odds with each other. (someone said this that I would love to give credit to but I don't know who it was.)

Thought of the day....Make your vision bigger!

Check out Erika one of our awesome coaches! She has a very good training eye is comes up with excellent cues on the spot! I'm proud to work with you!

I"m really excited to share with you that we are going to have a Kettlebell Training Workshop with Kettlebell Athletics at Potomac Crossfit on December 13!

How cool to have Jason and Pam in the box! I've been talking with them for a few years now and using them as on-line trainers to help me learn how to use KB's and coach others in the use of KB's.

Now I get to return the favour and get them down here in VA to do one of there awesome workshops. You should really look into it!


Click here to register!

Oh my beloved Kettlebell, you always take such blows from naysayers.

But really whats the big deal? kettlebells may not be the truest of Crossfit Tools but hell they work!
Read more here: http://www.kettlebell-athletics.blogspot.com/

It's been a while since I've talked about my WOD's(workout of the Day). Yesterday I did a WOD called "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.


I used 75# for this workout. In the end I had 22 rounds but I did have to get on my knees to get a few of the pushups. Also, a few of my squats were not deep enough, I fixed that by not being able to count and I was doing 10 squats instead of the 9. Lets hope that covered my lack of depth.

How did I feel...sick. But overall It felt good to go all fucking out and not hold back one little once of anything...fuck yea!

HEY ALL, Today I'm sending out some CF love to Rudy and Christy of CF Alex. I suck because I've not made it out to there box yet. Yet it seems everytime I go to a cert or event for CF we run into each other and every time has been loads of fun!
Check out this video of Christy.

CrossFit Female Fran 3:35 from Rudy Nielsen on Vimeo.
http://www.crossfitalexandria.com/www.crossfitalexandria.com/Home/Home.html

Have you heard of Beast Skills? If not your totally missing out! Take a trip over to my friend Jim's site.

http://www.beastskills.com/index.htm

Jim is seriously talented, that's plane to see. What makes him more impressive in my eyes is that he's so humble and very encouraging to be around. Jim's able to do some very impressive things, yet he can get just as excited for someone else that has just learned how to do a wall handstand!

In the few times that I've gotten to hang out and play around with body weight movements with Jim it's apparent that he's also willing to learn and listen to new ideas.

On November 9th Jim will do a one day seminar at Potomac Crossfit. We are really excited to have him be our guest! It should be loads of fun. You can register for this session at http://www.potomaccrossfit.com/events/gymnastics-seminar-with-james-bathurst/

Annie of CFHQ sent me this discription of Maneaters.....

"Start by going down into a squat with your dumbbells and jump your feet into the push up position, as you would for a burpee. Do a push up and then a row with each dumbbell. Come up to the deadlift position and perform a clean into a thruster. That makes ONE maneater! Good luck!"

They sound awesome and I can't wait to try them myself! Better yet try them with the PCF Crew! Whoot!

It's 2:30am I can't sleep, I'm just laying here with thoughts running around in my head. Maybe this will help or maybe not.
Yesterday my two half sisters re-connected with me. Desiree who is the older of the two and Holly who's 16.
Where to start...

My mother Rebbecca had me when she was 16 and it was a short lived family we had. She took off when I was age two 1/2 or so.

She went and did what she did. I was with my Grandparents and father. My father has not been much of a parent. We don't speak now, I'm assuming it's because I'm gay but I could be wrong. Honestly I don't want to waste any more time trying to figure out why my parents don't want to and never have wanted to be "parents" to me. Because it's just to much to "process" for lack of a better word. To have 3 people, father, Mother and step mother all reject you as a child/adult. Who the hell could understand that?

When I was 30 I met my Biological mother briefly and her two children, Holly and Desiree. It's not like it is on TV when people met there long lost parents and it's all shiny happy people. When I met my Mom I felt an instant connection to her. It was deep and had been the very thing I'd been longing for. Yet, that connection caused me a devastating blow, once it became clear that she would not have the interest to continue a relationship. My mother has strong Indian blood in her as I do. Which as crony as it sounds causes this feeling of connection to the earth and the spirit side of things. Meeting her confirmed why I felt those things. I'm not going to get all into percentages. Just believe me when I say it's strong in my veins and hers and I'm sure Desiree feels the same, I can't speak for Holly.

After that brief introduction it was clear that my Mother had issues. With men and addictions to mention a few. Nothing I needed to be part of my life at the time. So I let it go. I knew she was going to be too selfish to keep up any kind of a relationship with me. Yes, it hurt.
It hurt to know that I had two siblings out there that had to deal with that day and night. That I could walk away from it was a point of guilt for me.

Now 10 years later, I've been reconnected to not a parent but to Desiree and Holly two very different beautiful people.

What's keeping me up right now is a raging anger inside me. I want to scream and yell. I know people all over go through tough shit. Somehow I put out of my head what they had to live with and what they will be dealing with for years. I'm fine with having to deal with the pain and rejection related to my parents. Nothing kills me more then knowing that my younger siblings had/have to deal with those same feelings and there's nothing I can do. I also have two other 1/2 siblings Jake and Casey. Who I've grown up with . They also have to deal with the rejection and abandonment from my father. It's painful to watch. In the climax of our family disaster I was the protector for Jake and Casey. The one holding them and keeping them physically out of harms way. I've never been able to keep them from dealing with the emotional pain that comes with all of this, it troubles me.

We've all had selfish parents. Parents who have in my eyes failed miserably. This is why I don't and wont have children. I fear that these genes are in my blood and will come out against my control. I just can't risk causing pain like this. I'm OK with not having children not everyone should be a parent and it wont complete me I'm complete as is.

It's a strange feeling being the oldest of this mess. It gives me sense of responsibility. How that gets acted out, I'm unsure. Know this, I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry our parents hurt you all. If only I could have protected you all in any small way. Yet, I realize that what you've had to deal with will shape and mold you into the adults that you are and will be. Take it and use it as a map that shows you were not to go. How not to act and how not to love. I've not done the greatest job with using this map at times but it has given me a reference point.

How can I twist this whole deal back to fitness you ask? Ha don't underestimate me folks!
One of the reasons I've been drawn to Crossfit was that gives me an outlet for working through things. It provides a supportive community that I find strength in. I spent a good part of my evening slamming a D-ball on the ground and letting thoughts run around in my head until they were worked through to a point of being able to write and verbalize. Which I will continue today after class.

Ok all, meet my beautiful sister Desiree. I will talk to Holly about pictures later today.

There's something so cool about coaching people.

It pulls from deep within me. Because it's really not just about coaching an exercise. It's about giving that person the ability to tap into areas of drive and passion that they may not even know they have.
You can see it on peoples faces when you've said something to them that's going to empower them for the rest of the day, week or month. For me that's what it's all about!

"Natural athletes are visual learners".

~Coach Mark Rippetoe ~

Is it true? If so why do you think that Natural athletes learn better that way?

I learn visually for sure, but does that make me a natural athlete(or just special needs, Ha ha)?


OR

"Mediocre athletes that tried like hell to get good are the best coaches".

~Coach Mark Rippetoe ~

Is this you? Or me? Hummmm, not sure but that's one hell of a photo!!


On to another completely unrelated topic.....

Early morning and me. It's my best time. I start most of my days at 4:30am. Most of the time I enjoy the time alone and the quiet.
Yet to be honest there are times when I feel like saying, hey where is everyone? No ones on google chat no one rocketing emails back at me. My cell phone will not ring(unless I've forgotten to go to one of my jobs and Brian or my ER boss is calling....this is never good!)

When I was really young maybe like 8 or so I would get up get some cereal and go to the front yard of our house which was on the main road out of town. I would sit under the tree and wave at everyone going to work. It was mostly for my Grandfather who was and will be forever my hero. Yet, later in high school and after people would come up to me and say, "Hey, your little Jennifer Conlin who sat under the tree and waved at us on our way to work."

Well, ya see that I was cute at one point! Ha ha!

Precordial thump! What? Who the fuck does that anymore? Well apparently me.

A patient passed out during a Chest Xray, I just happened to be slacking at work and hanging with my Xray buddies.

We heard the yell for help from two X-ray students. (Now most of you don't know me. I move fast..ER fast. I know our hospital very well and I'm a responder within it. I'm known to beat most everyone to the scene. Five or six flights of stairs whatever, I will be there! And I know where everything is in the hospital equipment wise.)

Next I was standing over this forty something man. He had snoring respiration's and was very diaphoretic(sweaty)

Someone said he was there for Ventricular fibrillation known as V-fib. POP! I hit him mid chest. hard! It shocked even me. As fast as I hit him he was back, then the doctor showed up and looked at me like Holy shit Jen! Yeah, I know!
Once he was back in the ER and on our monitors we realized that he had also converted back to a normal rhythm. Sweet!

Did I save his life, no I don't think so. Well maybe....truth is we don't know.

What the hell does this have to do with Crossfit? Am I being an ego crazed Leo? Maybe.....just a little! Ha!

I've been around these kind of things for so long they've become second nature. It's like muscle memory.

As I was watching some of our Potomac Crossfit Athletes learn new movements it became clear.
Work on your movements basic and complex.

Not with huge loads all the time. Step back and go lite. Repeat and Repeat.

Watch others and make sure to know and understand your flaws. I promise in time, maybe a long time it will all come together and one day you'll just move through a movement and it will feel like second nature.

Just getting outside and moving! No task other then to enjoy the sun and open roads. That was the plan. To smile at local cyclist and runners and see the damage from the floods.

It was nice and chill, no heart rate worries or tabata sprints. Just roll!

Do you drive the people in your life nuts with your constant pushing of your limits and theirs? I do! I drive myself nuts sometimes.

Enjoy your fitness it will make the world a happier place!

Bonding in the glory of pain!

Why is it when we suffer together we bond? I'm not sure I know, but it does happen.

I could taste the blood in my mouth, the burn in my lungs. My legs weren't functioning correctly, but I knew Erica was right there with me in the glory of the pain.

Fifteen minutes and we could be done, fifteen minutes of "putting out" what we had. It draws on peoples bonding needs.

Erika and I've been working on the development of Potomac Crossfit for months.

Between being busy and my shoulder not allowing me to always jump in we've never done a WOD together. So this is why they call it Crossfit! It creates a unexplainable bond that at times allows for friendship, that may not be there otherwise. Strange? Who cares!

Erika , you rock! Next week we are on!!!

The WOD:

5 Hang power cleans@ 75#

10 Box jumps

15 mins for rounds

I think I had 9 and Erika had 10.