A Little Hiatus

Well it's been a while since I've written a blog post, but that doesn't mean a lot hasn't gone on. I know the last blog I had written I was in the midst of doing Fuel 21. Well, I will give you all the final results from my experience. Weight lost: #190 to #184. Body Fat: 15.1% to 13.3%. Inches lost 2.75 BUT, gained in my shoulders and biceps.
All in all it was a great experience! Crystal Nelson is top notch and knows her stuff. Her menu is satisfying and there are great recipes in her workbook. She tweaked my diet to fit my training regimen and it obviously paid of.
Since Fuel 21 ended I did go on vacation two times so I obviously didn't stay on it quit as strict. But since the end of July I have been right back on my diet and have seen a great response from my body through sleep and performance. I have been lifting heavy and my performance has not gone down. I am getting stronger and have put on good weight.
I would strongly suggest Fuel 21 for great ideas on food choices, and questions on when to eat. Crystal also touches on performance diet, and post work out suggestions. Great stuff all together.

Awwww, my sweet wife and I got to enjoy the beautiful country of Costa Rica for a week at the first of July with great friends and lots of good food. So you could see why I went off my eating regimen for a bit. I must say IF YOU EVER have a chance to travel to Central America choose Cost Rica. The people are friendly, the food is fantastic, and the scenery is AMAZING! It was our second time to go and we are already planning the next trip. Oh.... and their national beer Imperial is awesome.

Last but not least the CrossFit Games! I have been to all but one of the Games and the '11 Games were the best! The crowed was amazing the venue was full and the weather was great. A very fun filled group of us stayed in Redondo literally on the Strand on what is the widest beach I have ever seen in my life. I was waiting for Pam Anderson to roll up in her Baywatch truck ready to save me.
My sister Carey Kepler , sister in law Lisa Thiel and good friend Lindsay Smith all did great! Watching them work is awe inspiring and motivating at the same time. The caliber of athletes competing now is pretty impressive. Well, it's come along way since I competed in '08. Mad respect and I can only imagine what the sport is going to evolve into.

So...there is an update and some lame reasoning for the lack of blogging. My training is taking off and I have some Oly meets coming up here in the near future I will be telling you all about. I am bangin' some serious weights right now and fully expect to set some serious Snatch and Clean & Jerk PR's. Oly classes at Red Black are bumpin' and the athletes are making some real progress. Will have more updates on that as well. Good Day!

Domination

As many of you know, this past weekend was the South Central Regional Qualifier for the 2011 Crossfit Games in Carson CA. You all may also know that my sister Carey Kepler and sister-in-law Lisa Thiel finished first and third respectively. And not to be left out, their training partner and good friend Lindsey Smith, who finished second just ahead of Lisa. I have the privilege to be in the gym and to train around and with the three of these girls on a regular basis. They are competitive with each other but also have great respect and help coach and cheer each other on when they are prepping for competition.

I wanted to give them a shout out, and can't wait to go to Cali for the 2011 Crossfit Games. I also wanted to give big props to Ingrid Kantola who is going to be in the Games for sure next year. You talk about Lion Heart!

I wanted to give a big applause to my brother Jeremy Thiel for a tenth place finish and getting the ball rolling for the 2012 Games. He is an assassin and will be on it for next year. Much love for my brother from another mother, Lance Cantu, who finished in eight place. The man is a beast and has heart of a champion. Look for him to make moves.
And last but not least to Crossfit Central's team who battled hard and just came up a little short finishing in fourth place and Team Red Black who finished in twelfth place. Next year can't come soon enough!

And now for your viewing pleasure I have a new video of yours truly doing what I love to do. I must say watching myself train is sometimes hard to do. I must get quicker under the bar with both the clean and the snatch. The practice goes on.

I just wanted to add that I lost a friend this past Sunday. He was a father and husband and had a wonderful family and wife. I grew up playing little league baseball, youth football, junior high and high school football with him. Over the years we had lost touch with each other but occasionally bumped into each other in Lubbock when I would head back into town. (Lubbock is a small place) He was always friendly and back in the day always had my back. I just wanted to say that life is short and you never know. Live it with no regrets and you don't have to take crap from anyone. Talk to your family and friends, and I mean talk to them. Not just through Facbook and texting.
You and your family are in my thoughts Carlton.

Power and Speed

As the sport of CrossFit has grown so have many other not as well known sports. With CrossFit, Olympic lifting and gymnastics have become more mainstream, at least with the CrossFit community. But, those of you who have never played organized sports or it's been a few years since that time may not realize that Olympic lifting has been a mainstay in many of your high school and college weight rooms. There are varying opinions on whether or not Olympic style lifting is as affective as say, power lifting or strongman training for your competitive athlete. I personally think there is room for both, but to build power and speed there is nothing better than the Olympic style lifts.

Artie Dreschler says, "The mere practice of the Olympic lifts teaches an athlete how to apply large amounts of force. Part of the extraordinary abilities of an Olympic lifter arises out of his having learned how to effectively activate more of his muscle fibers more rapidly than others who aren’t trained to do so. This becomes extremely important for athletes who need to remain at lower body weights for athletic purposes but need to learn how to apply greater force. Olympic lifts will help build force development without producing unnecessary hypertrophy, which could even tighten the athlete up and make him or her slower."

You can directly apply this understanding to train football players, wrestlers, baseball players, and even basketball players. Oh, and CrossFitters as well. These lifts can also be applied to your younger athlete to help develop body control and explosive power.

Matt Delany of www.EliteFTS.com says, "However, with younger athletes, there’s a lot you can do to progress them to have bulletproof shoulders with Olympic lifting movements. At this young age, there are many structural and postural changes that can be made quickly as long as you make smart progressions. A very intelligent physical therapist, John Pallof, has actually found a place for cleans in his program for pitchers because he believes the lifts have some unique qualities in force absorption for the shoulder.

Not only will Olympic lifting help with all the stated points above but will help with strength gains. Over the past three months I have dedicated myself nearly to Olympic lifting only with one to two CrossFit workouts a week and have managed to take 80% (#360) of my back squat max and do 6x6 with out any real spotting. Managing to make this jump in such a short period of time is quit an accomplishment for someone who didn't back squat on a regular basis. I have also managed to keep myself in fairly descent metcon shape.

I think Olympic lifting can and should be a valuable part of your training package. You should have a knowledgeable coach to help with form and to guide you with your progressions. The lifts are fun and will help you have the strength gains you want and help develop either the athletes you train or yourself.

Source: Defending Olympic Lifting Movements for Athletes, Strongmen, and Powerlifters.

Update on Fuel 21!
So this is day three of Fuel 21 and so far so good. Sticking to the list and eating when hungry. My body comp was about what I thought it would be with 15% body fat and weighing in at190lbs. My goal is for below 10% body fat and weighing in at below 180lbs. It's gonna happen!
Look for more to come!

Fuel 21 and Me

So here in the next few days I will embark on a new eating adventure. I have committed to doing Crystal Nelson's Fuel 21 for the next three weeks starting this coming Sunday. I received the allowed to eat food list this past weekend and didn't see any beer on it. I say this because during the 21 days I will be going to my home town of Lubbock for a wedding. When in Lubbock I drink a lot with my buddies who are still there and I will be challenged to say the least. Not to mention, my parents own a Mexican food restaurant which is another frequently visited place while in my hometown. And, did I mention I'm going to a wedding??
This should be fun!

I would say darn near everything on the list of acceptable foods I already eat. The biggest difference will be when I eat it and in what combination I eat it. Not to mention I won't be using any supplements other than fish oil and supper foods which I already use. As much as I enjoy post workout shakes, protein shakes along with some other supplements I am looking forward to going the 21 days without them. I am also thankful that everything that is growing in my garden is on the list of foods I can devour. I'm going to state right here right now that I am shooting for a loss of 5% body fat and drop below 180lbs. I weight 188lbs right now as I type this and know for a fact I will get to my stated goal. If I drop 5% body fat that should put me around 10% body fat which would be GREAT! Get stronger and lighter? I can only imagine what my lifts and conditioning will be like!

To say the least, I am excited to get this started and look forward to the challenge of travelling and sticking to the list. I'll keep everyone posted on my progress and might even post some before and after pics. After seeing what Fuel 21 did for coach Chris Hartwell I know I will get the same results.
LETS GET IT ON!

Do Work Son

Wanted to share a new video from Red Black Gym Olympic Lifting class. It's not your typical video you would see me put out, but more of a promo video for the class it self. A big thanks to Elliot for his hard work and great editing on the video. He is a busy guy and has been generous enough to do the editing for all the videos I have coming.
I record the athletes for their benefit of seeing their lifts from a different perspective to help them improve. I also do the same for myself so others can see me and help me become more efficient and a more productive lifter. So be on the look out for more videos come your way and become a subscriber to my YouTube page to also see some of my favorite videos and pages I like to follow.

What Compels You?

Last week Libby, a new athlete at CrossFit Central, told me that she had written something for me. I looked at her a little bit of puzzled and asked what it was about. She explained it would let me know why she acted the way she did in class and why she sometimes got emotional.
Ya see, Libby is somewhat of a perfectionist and was a ballet dancer. She also teaches ballet, so I believe she is pretty critical of herself and thinks that she should already be a master of all the technical things we do in CrossFit. I'm sharing this with you all because I see how many of you could feel like her. Also, she is very eloquent in the way that she writes so I wanted to highlight that about her. Let me know what you think.

What compels you to lift something ridiculously heavy over your head, over and over again? Is there momentary satisfaction, victory over gravity, your mind, your muscles? Is there a sense of accomplishment in knowing you coerced muscle and bone into synergistic cooperation? I used to have similar feelings when I danced, a fleeting ability to conquer myself and the space around me, the knowledge of temporary weightlessness, the understanding of force, strength and speed. Now I tend to have the desire to wrestle words into shape and form rather than my body!

05.03.11

I wish I could perform with more of a Just Do It mentality. Just run, just jump, just squat. Instead, unwelcome companions creep out of their hiding places, the raw, gritty places. Insecurity runs alongside me, tripping up my feet, throwing insults with a well-metered rhythm of assault. You’re the slowest one, Libby. Your lungs in that little birdcage you call a chest aren’t strong enough to work this hard. Maybe you should bring your inhaler with you. You can’t trust that right knee and hip anymore, you know. Determination stirs and opens a weary eye. Shut up, Shut up, Shut up! Roused, determination fights back. I finish the first 400 meters, dead last, still alive, but not done.

I step up to a box, and although it’s only knee-height, I find myself staring into Fear. I don’t know why He is here, it’s just a box sitting on the pavement under the May sun, but my heart quivers. I’m a little kid again. I’m ten years old standing in the baseball dugout, waiting for Grant Evans, one of the team captains, to pick between me and Lauren Jones, the two scrawniest girls in the class, the last two for the team. Please don’t let me be last. A silent prayer goes mercilessly unanswered. With chin to chest and eyes lowered, I trudge towards the other team, unwanted. I’m twelve and my seventh grade gym teacher is yelling at me to keep up. My lungs are burning as the other girls run past me. I can see the disappointment on my teacher’s face. I’m twenty-two and the ballet master mocks my attempts in class. Why do you work so hard? It’s so easy. I’m twenty-eight and the ballet director tells me I will never be good enough. Never good enough. A devastating lie that sticks to the skin of me.

I hear words of encouragement. You can do this, Libby. My eyes can’t focus on anything other than the invisible face of fear, but I let the words loosen my pinned down will. I’m supposed to be counting, but I’ve lost track of time and space. I’m breathing hard, hefty puffs of air mimic the thump of my feet, the thump, thump of my heart. Twenty-one times. But I am still not done.

I bend down to pick up the metal bar, trying to remember how to lift it up, over, up again. I sway under the weight. Zach looks at me. He brings another bar, smaller, bright orange, lighter. We make the exchange, and though I am grateful, hot tears converge in the corner of my eyes, drain down my nose, plummet to the floor. I can feel my shoulders pinch, my stomach contract, my legs shake. My knees bend but I press my focus out, ironed flat, unbent. Three. Three more. Isn’t three supposed to be a holy number? Holy God, what did I sign myself up for?

I find myself outside again, running down Burnet, past Diego – Morning, Libby! – and back into the box, a round trip, completed. We stretch – finally something that doesn’t torment me! – and then, our workout is done. For today. I am not satisfied. I know I will come back again. I know Fear and Insecurity may show up again, too. But I don’t plan on letting them keep me company for long.

Libby

This Is Intense

You wonder why China has eight men's Gold Medals and the women have seven in their short time competing in the Olympics? Well, I think this video explains it. This eight year old is lifting 160.6 pounds! Yeah, I'd say that's pretty sick. How can America compete against these guys and gals? Start'em young and make it fun. Check out this article and see what you think.

Lifting and coaching the Olympic Lifts is one of my great passions in life. I feel very motivated to get youngsters started in the sport and to help make it a sport young people will want to compete at. I have to say thanks to CrossFit for introducing me to the Olympic Lifting and giving it the bump in popularity it deserves.