Category: CrossFit

Mobility & Recovery Done Right

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Some of the ladies of TFCF mobilize post-WOD. Make it fun – do it with friends!
The Importance of Mobility & Recovery
Memorial Day weekend was long and fun. It began on Friday and lasted until Monday. I mobilized minimally on Friday morning after a tough but awesome deadlift/burpee WOD before scooting out the door to head to Canton, MA. The 2012 CrossFit Games North East Regional competition was finally upon us! At the regional I stood around most of the time watching other people exercise, and enjoying a few adult beverages. Before dinner I chugged a bunch of water. Off to dinner for a great piece of salmon, broccoli, and seaweed salad. More sitting. At this point I began to feel the tightness building in my back, legs, and backside. After a terrible night’s sleep in a much-too-firm hotel bed, I woke feeling less than rested, stiff, and dehydrated. That next day was filled with more standing, more riding in the car, and more dehydrating adult beverages. No mobility work. Bad move. By the time I woke up on Sunday morning I felt like the crypt keeper’s closest relative. I took a few minutes to roll around on my lacrosse ball – first rib, around the scapula, and my butt cheeks. Ten minutes of work made me feel like a million bucks – just 10 minutes! That weekend reminded me of just how important mobility is. It’s really easy to say, “Oh, I’ll do it later.” When later comes do you actually do what you said you were going to do? Hmmm, “not really” you say? Well then maybe you need to start considering mobility as a WOD. You would never skip your WOD. You should never skip mobility work. 
Here is what Kyle had to say about mobility and recovery…

How are you feeling right now? On top of the world, or is your body tapping out? As our training intensifies, so must our ability and desire to recover. Recovery does not mean sit on the couch, rest and have a cheat meal. Recovery is icing, foam rolling, lacrosse ball work, massage, chiropractic, drinking lots of water, eating clean, anti-inflammatory foods and getting plenty of deep sleep.  

A funny thing happened to Ash and I recently; our knees started hurting. We were surprised because neither of us ever have any knee issues. The squatting, pistols, wallballs, running, rowing were taking their toll on us. Why? Because we neglected foam rolling and stretching our quads and calves. So, I went to www.MobilityWOD.com, searched knees, and found this video! 

I spent 20 minutes just digging in and took a week off of squatting. I have been doing these simple foam rolling and lax ball drills daily and my knees feel like a million bucks. Thank you, KStar.
If any part of your body is hurting, we must figure out why! There is an answer to the problem, Monsters. Let’s get to it! 

In taking better care of all the musculature around my knees, I have definitely felt a difference. The lesson I have also been thinking about is to not wait until there is a problem (our natural tendency), but to take a preventive approach by developing a more focused plan of action for mobility work. I realize now that I shouldn’t have neglected my knees for so long. What did I think was going to happen? 
It’s definitely easier said than done. Mobility work is uncomfortable, it takes a lot of patience and time, and it’s not glamorous or sexy at all. We put ourselves into strange positions and sometimes we need to ask a buddy for help, but it’s so worth it. It helps me to set goals for mobility and think about what I need to work on in terms of a bullseye model. The most pressing issues are in the middle of the model and the parts of my body that give me less trouble are on the periphery. I might set a goal like this: Every Monday I will spend 10 minutes after my WOD on my hip mobility using the couch stretch (2 min/side), groin stretch with bands/plate (2min/side), and paleo chair (2 min). It might end up being a little more than 10 minutes with transition time, but making mobility into a mini-WOD works for me. 
As Kyle mentioned, recovery does not mean sit on the couch, and rest days do not mean take a break from everything. In fact, we like to think about rest days as “active recovery” days. This means that when your rest day rolls around you should be thankful for it, but still plan to move around a bit; go for a 20 minute walk or slow jog (or yog). After walking or yogging, plan to spend some time getting cozy with your foam roller; ice those tender spots; and lax ball the hell out of your shoulders and lats. If you do (at least) this you will be a better CrossFitter. No kidding. If you don’t do this you are making a choice to blunt your athletic potential. No kidding.  
As always, please talk with Kyle and me about your mobility questions and concerns. We’re here to help you. We are also good at creating mobility plans. You should have one if you are serious about your sport and want to keep your body “working” for you.

All human beings should be able to perform 

basic maintenance on themselves

– Kelly Starrett, DPT, mobilitywod.com

My Gym is Different

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Last Friday night, June 8th, we hosted Spring Fling at The Fort CrossFit. Kyle and I planned the event to celebrate the warmer months finally being here, the expansion of the box, and the end of our most successful Paleo Challenge yet. I was excited for the party, but the energy I felt that night brought the emotion to a whole other level.


The night started off slowly, but as people began to arrive the momentum built. By the time I got to do the WOD, appropriately named, “Spring Fling”, there was a full-on cheering section of parents, kids, and other Fort Monsters. As a did my burpees, thrusters, box jumps, kettbell swings, and walking lunges I was energized by the people around me. Not only does our community come together for fun times, we rally around others while they are digging deep in workouts (not-so-fun times!).


The best part was when Joel showed up. He was prepared to do the WOD alone, but instead a group of people who had already worked out decided to each do one of the movements alongside Joel. The atmosphere was electric and I could see on Joel’s face that he was pushing harder than he would have had he gone solo. It was an epic moment that made me proud to be a part of something that is so special.

Meesh, Jill, JP, and Joel swing kettlebells

On the night of Spring Fling some of us were sweaty and in our WOD clothes; some were dressed up; some of us were young; some of us were older; some of us were new to CrossFit; some of us have been around for a while; some of us had just finished the Paleo Challenge; some of us were inspired to participate in the next one; some of us were with our children; some of us were in awe of the amazing CrossFitting parents whose energy and commitment to health shows in their kids. We were well-fed, happy, and content. Where else do you find this?


When I looked around The Fort I was reminded that my gym is different than any other place I’ve been. We are truly a family; a community of people who are committed to a lifestyle that makes us better. I’m not sure why someone would not want to be a part of this, and I probably will never understand why. But that’s okay; the path is laid out in front of me and I’m never going back. This sport and this community have saved me from being trapped in a life that I did not want. Life is about surrounding yourself with people who positively affect you; our social interactions are what hold us together and keep us sustained. I feel blessed to wake up each day and do work that doesn’t feel like a “job”. I get energy from each person who walks through the doors at The Fort and value the relationships that I’ve made over the past year of being here. I cannot wait to see the progress of everyone who calls The Fort their home.

Kids’ WOD at Spring Fling!

Never Ever Give Up

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So you know that feeling in certain WODs where you’re working so hard you literally do not know if you can physically push any harder? What do you do? What do you tell yourself in that moment? How do you push through that point; that point of almost – dare I say – wanting to give up?


I thought about this topic many times going into this week at The Fort CrossFit. Soon after I’d posted Monday’s WOD on Facebook the comments began to roll in. “50 burpees!? 40 box jumps!? 30 pull-ups!? In a row? Really!? Can I partition them in any way?” I know that’s what some people were thinking. It looked bad (difficult), right? It sure did. As I prepared to WOD on Monday I thought about the other times I’d done these movement in high reps. “I got this, it won’t be as bad as it looks,” I though to myself. It wasn’t that bad. 


I knew what the WOD was going to be on Tuesday. Much more taxing, mentally and physically. Four rounds for time 30 double-unders, 20 calorie row, 400 meter run. Talk about LUNGS! Blah! This, to me, looked like a big mountain to get over. I knew I could get over it though. And I did. But what about that feeling? The last time I got “the feeling” was during “DT” a few weeks back. About half way through with a 95 pound bar, and many reps to go, I thought to myself, “How the f*ck am I going to finish?!” My next thought was, “Get your head in the game and JUMP!” And that’s what I did. I changed my mindset from contemplating my ability to finish this hero WOD to knowing that I was strong enough and I would finish. After 14:55 I was done; bruised and sweating.


When I watch others WOD and I see in their eyes that they’re having the feeling I try to encourage them with the cues I know and love. But more than that I hope that they can find something within themselves that will allow them to push through and forge ahead; to change their mindset, get back to the bar, and JUMP! Although it’s difficult to formulate coherent thoughts during tough WODs, motivation can come from remembering why you’re doing what you’re doing. Why are you there on that day? Definitely not to quit mid-workout, I can guarantee that! Yesterday when I was on my third trip up the hill, running the 400m, I was thinking about Navy SEALs who’ve been killed on missions which protect our freedom to actually have CrossFit boxes and communities, and participate in these “crazy” WODs. Why Navy SEALs? I don’t really know, but in that moment my thoughts about those guys made my feet turn over just a little faster. What makes you go faster; push through “the feeling”; never ever give up?

Big Dave might be having “the feeling”!


When it all boils down, however, it’s really very simple: you just have to do the work.

I would love to read your strategies for getting past “the feeling”. Please post thoughts to comments!

If the CrossFit Journal interviewed me…

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…this is what I would say.

I first heard about CrossFit from from guys I was hanging out with in college.
My first CrossFit workout was “Seagram’s 7” AMRAP 7 of 7xmedball clean, 7xpushups. I got something like 6 rounds and spent the entire car ride home trying not to lose my breakfast.
If I could force one person to do Heavy Fran it would be that person who claims they “do CrossFit” at their globo gym.
My favorite workout is Nancy.
The person I would most like to WOD with is Blair Morrison. Outside, of course.
When I was growing up, I wanted to be a doctor.
When I grow up, I want to be a paleo pastry chef, haha.
The most rewarding thing about training people is seeing them successfully perform movements they never thought they would be able to do.
My favorite movie character is Tyler Durden.
The greatest challenge in coaching is remembering what it feels like to be a newbie!
The movement I find hardest to coach is clean and jerk.
The thing that makes a successful coach is an ability to connect with athletes.
My secret identity is I’m really good baker.
The thing I value most is my family.
My motto is “If it’s meant to be it will be”.
The most outrageous thing I’ve seen someone do during a WOD is nearly crush another person after dropping a loaded barbell. I also saw a guy fall backwards onto pavement from the top of 3 huge tires. Scary stuff.
The place I’d most like to visit is Italy and Bora Bora.
The CrossFit trainer/coach I most admire is my brother, Kyle.
The non-CrossFit person I most admire is actually, people I most admire; my friends who aren’t CFers (yet!)
The thing I have the most patience for is teaching CrossFit to new people.
The thing I have the least patience for is whining and/or not listening.
More than anything, I fear snakes.
My most guilty pleasure is reality TV.
A dream location for a CrossFit box would be on the Lake. Swimming WODs!
My favorite coaching cue is knees out, chest up!
I’m really looking forward to the continuing growth of The Fort.