Come One Come All....

The Butcher Challenge
Halloween Weekend
Saturday, October 30th 9:00am to 2:00pm
@ CrossFit Central

On Halloween weekend bring your best to the Butcher Challenge.
There will be 2 team events - all teams will compete in both events. The top 5 teams will advance to the final event. All events will include use of “The Butcher” – Rogue Fitness’ newest addition to its arsenal.

Teams are made of 4 people (2 men and 2 women)

Cost Per Team - $179.00 (Roughly $45 per person)
Registration NOW OPEN!

$400.00 prize to the winning team
2nd and 3rd place teams will also get sic prizes

Sep 21st - Oct 30th more info | register

Come Rain or Shine

As many of you know last week was just a little bit rainy. Do you think that stopped 5:30AM Bridgepoint boot camp from getting it on? Hell No! If you have been to Bridgpoint Elementary they don't have a massive parking garage for a parking lot. So we just improvise and move on over to a parking garage not more than 100 yards from the school. So, rain or shine we can get a killer workout in!

If you didn't know I also coach boot camp. It's not something I often talk about on my blog but it is something I enjoy very much. I got my start with boot camp and think that I will always want to coach one. If you have never been to one of our Relentless boot camps I would suggest you try one. We are Relentless in our effort to get fit, and Relentless in our pursuit to be better athletes, be it weekend warrior or the consummate marathoner or triathlete. I also have several athletes from my crossfit classes that have made the jump to also include boot camp into their workout regiment. Some boot camp coaches incorporate kettle bells, and dumb bells. Some of us just like good ol fashioned body weight to get the job done. We all have our own style and that is what makes it fun. I find myself more keen on the body weight style while also incorporating med balls. It is a cardio delight!

If you want to give my Bridgepoint boot camp a try just contact me at zacharythiel@crossfitcentral.com I will let you try one free boot camp to see if it's for you.

County Sues Farmer, Cites Too Many Crops

DeKalb County is suing a local farmer for growing too many vegetables, but he said he will fight the charges in the ongoing battle neighbors call “Cabbagegate.”

Social Engineering Bill In Senate Will Force You Into City

A social engineering bill to restrict residence in the suburbs and rural areas and force Americans into city centers has passed the United States Senate Banking Committee and is on the fast track to passage in the Senate.

Oly/Strength Class

So many of you know, or may not know, that Sicfit Austin offers an Olympic/ Strength Training program. I am proud to say that I head this program up and write the programming. Many of you who know me know that throwing heavy things around is my passion, what I would consider my specialty and what I love doing.

The boys getting a little warm up workout in

The best way to describe the class is that it is a hybrid Olympic skill training and strength and conditioning class. So to me it's the best of both worlds. The strength training portion of the class is geared to power and speed. The short workouts will help teach you to be explosive through the hips, legs and will force you to use strong mid line stabilization and will last no longer than 15 minutes. The strength met cons will often have sand bag work from running with them to pushing them over the head. Not to mention sleds and sledge hammers. The Sicfit Austin Gym has a wide variety of fun tools to use and help build strength and power which are key to Olympic weight lifting.

Now that your good and warm we move to the heavy lifting and the skill work. We will do some form of squat one time a week in class be it over head, back or front and it will be heavy. You will get strong!

Working the over head squat

The skill work is obviously geared to the two Olympic lifts, Clean and Jerk and the Snatch. There is a wide variety of ways to build these skills and to get strong at the same time and we do them all.

Over the past year and a half I have learned much and have been taught by some outstanding and very skilled athletes in the world of Olympic lifting and strength and conditioning. At the same time I am teaching you guys and gals I am learning myself and my passion has gone through the roof. If you are interested in more info or have any questions concerning the classes you can contact me at zacharythiel@sicfitaustin.com. The class time are also posted at Sicfit Austin under the Olympic Weightlifting.

Learning the Split Jerk

Food Fascism in the "Land of the Free"

The food industry is no longer a free market. In fact, I'd go as far as saying it's becoming the most glaring example of corporate-government fascism in America.

50 Mind Blowing Facts About America That Our Founding Fathers Never Would Have Believed

Fight Gone Bad V

FIGHT GONE BAD V

Date(s): Sep 25th

Fight Gone Bad V is Here! This annual fundraiser fitness event is set up to benefit the Livestrong Foundation, The Wounded Warrior Project & The CrossFit Foundation. The workout is scaled to all levels and includes a Kid's Division. Join the community on September 25th and get in a good workout for a great cause!

Saturday September 25th8:00am - 11:00am @ Westlake High SchoolEvery participant should raise $50Proceeds go to the Livestrong Foundation, The Wounded Warrior Project & The CrossFit Foundation

This year affiliates across Austin are joining forces to put on the best Fight Gone Bad to date! Crossfit Westlake, Fit and Fearless Crossfit, Crossfit Austin, Crossfit Texas, CrossFit Leander, Crossfit Round Rock and CrossFit Central will host this year's Fight Gone Bad Event.

How to Register:1. Go to http://www.fgb5.org/2. Click Register & Follow the Steps3. Be Sure to Add CrossFit Central as Your Team4. Start fundraising & get ready for a FUN and exciting event!

What is the Fight Gone Bad Workout?

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. The event is in the 3 round format. The stations are:

Wall-ball: 20 pound ball, 10 ft target. (Reps)

Sumo deadlift high-pull: 75 pounds (Reps)

Box Jump: 20″ box (Reps)

Push-press: 75 pounds (Reps)

Row: calories (Calories)

The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of “rotate,” the athlete/s must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

Aww Yeah, Here It Is

Here it is! New PR Clean & Jerk. #265! A BIG thanks to Elliot Schrock for putting this video together and just taking the time to do it. I know he's a busy guy, so thank you brother.

Zach Thiel from CrossFit Central on Vimeo.

Refer to the bottom of my Liberation blog post for some background info and pics that Ingrid took of the first PR. My goal is a #300 clean and with this new Clean & Jerk PR I now have a new goal for it. #275! We will see what happens.

Feel free to criticize and coach me up so I can reach my new goal sooner rather than later.

Finland Suspends Swine Flu Shots After Vaccine Linked With Neurological Disorder

Cases of narcolepsy in children jumped 300 per cent following H1N1 vaccination campaign

Why Natural Health?

Because it's about staying well, not controlling symptoms with drugs, says Margaret Durst.

You're Gonna Be Missed

So Pam has been coming to our 5:30am Tuesday/Thursday indoor class for six months and it has been nothing but fun times! She is an amazing athlete and very easy to coach at the same time. That makes her a pleasure to have in class, an instant leader and inspiration to the people around her. Pam has aspirations of tackling a monumental challenge that is going to require a different kind of training and at crazy times. So she is going to be leaving us for a while so she can fulfill her dream of becoming an Iron (Wo)Man!

Here is a little snippet about her time at Central and in our Tuesday/Thursday class.

Gonna miss you Pam and make sure you come back to us after you accomplish your dream!

Pam on the attack!

I started crossfit at Central on March 2nd, 2009 in Lance and JDP's MWF 5:30am class (now Big Mike's..I believe). Well, every year since 2001 I have ran the full Austin Marathon (which I will continue to run until I'm the age of 72 bc my very first marathon a 72 yr old man beat me and I want to beat a 22 year old when I'm 72!). Anyways, this means marathon training with the Gazelle's is the end of Sept through Feb. and it's MWSat at 5:30am so because of training you allowed me to join your 5:30am crew. I fell in love with them. They excepted me right away, just like you. You as my coach: I love your intensity. Whether it's a look or words you know how to push us. You know how to have fun (the jokes, the rants) but when you mean business, you mean business. You give us that tough love but we all know that you care deeply about us and our improvements. I've enjoyed your 5:30am class and you as a coach so much that when marathon season was over I didn't want to go back to MWF crossfit schedule.

Why I love Central: classes are always prompt, I love how all coaches are on the same page...promoting the next big thing, uplifting clients goals and dreams, speaking positive about life, and walking the walk!

As for crossfit and me: I am a better athlete because of it. I am a stronger runner, cyclist and swimmer. Shoot, I can honestly say that this has been the strongest I've been physically since high school (and I plan on getting stronger!) I feel that I have always been mentally strong but crossfit does fuel that strong mental power in my head. It doesn't allow the dumb "I can't" weeds to creep in my mind.

Since March 2009 till now: I started from jumping pull ups to now regular pull ups, from wimpy weights to RX, from push ups on my knees to regular push ups, from 1-3 reg box jumps then step ups to continuous box jumps, and the list goes on. I love crossfit!

I am doing a swim clinic now along with CF. The swim clinic will continue until mid Sept. Sept. 20th I start my marathon training with Gazelle's (MWSat) along with CF (T/TH) and I will add in a swim class (F). Starting in Nov. I will start all my Ironman training. I will hire a coach (already found one that I'm compatible with) and be part of an Ironman training group (T3) but I will also continue with Gazelle's until I run the Austin marathon in Feb. Starting in November - May my weeks will be filled with running, cycling and swimming with 1-2 CF workouts somewhere in there.

Since my contract is up with Central tomorrow I decided that this is a good time to jump into Woodward. This is going to workout with my time, schedule and financially.

4th Amendment Violating Mobil X-Ray Scanners Hit the Streets

As we warned at the beginning of the year, X-ray body scanners currently being used and abused in airports across the world are set to hit the streets as American Science & Engineering reveals that “more than 500 back scatter x-ray scanners mounted in vans that can be driven past neighboring vehicles to see their contents” have been sold to government agencies.

Hey, Got a Licence To Grow That Food?

The War on Food: Eggsactly What Is Going On Here

Liberation

LIBERATOR

*To set free, as from oppression, confinement, or foreign control

*Liberation, the freeing of a place from a tyrannic regime.

This past week my brother Jeremy asked us coaches to come up with a mission statement or a sentence that told our purpose. Over the week I thought long and hard and came up with a word: Liberator

I had to separate myself from my coaching at the gym and all of our athletes and think of the big picture. Why was I put on this earth, what is my purpose given to me by the Creator.

It's no coincidence to me that I am here on this earth at this time in history. Not that I am the next Jesus Christ or anything, but people are hungry for knowledge and know that something is amiss. All my life I knew that I was going to be a leader of something and I believe that I am at the place I am supposed to be. More than ever people want to be liberated from lethargic boring lives. People were created to be free. Free from an inactive lifestyle, a mundane boring office job, from poisonous processed foods, and free from the television set's that decay and destroy the mind. Crossfit's the instrument, you are the player and I'm the drum major.

Not only am I here to help liberate you from your bondage, but I am fighting to lift chains off my own back. To me this goes way further that crossfit. I know some of you probably wonder why I post political articles at the bottom of my blog, and some who read them may think, man this guy's into weired stuff. I just want you to think outside the box. To liberate yourself from the mainstream and think maybe there is a different truth out there. I find myself seeking the truth all the time in all kinds of different places and I just happen to share them with all of you. I would like to think this blog is a place for you all to get a glimpse of my life from out side Crossfit Central and on a personal level. I can be brash, rude and obnoxious sometimes and from what I understand I have earned a interesting reputation from a lot of the athletes in the gym. Some of these things are what hold me back from becoming a level 10 coach and I MUST LIBERATE MYSELF from them! I am open to all and any opinions on how to do that.

And now on to some fitness!

This past Friday I needed to work on some Oly lifts and when for some heavy Clean & Jerks.

3x1 90% of my max lift

Which happen to be #255 at the time, so my three lifts where #230

After knocking thous three lifts out I thought hey let's go for a PR!

And I just happened to have my camera on hand.

So I loaded #260 on the bar and here are the results.

Not to shabby I thought. Then Elliot Schrock walked in and happened to ask me what I was doing and I let him know with a smile on my face that I just set a new C&J PR. He asked if I would like for him to shoot some video of me doing it again and I happily obliged him. But to make it interesting I added a little more weight to the bar and thought why not #265. Video footage coming soon.

I hope you boy's and girls are enjoying the new blog and look for more tabs at the top to be coming soon. I want to be at that level 10 coaching scale and all of your input will help me get there faster so don't be shy!

Dumbing Down Society Part 3: How to Reverse it's Effects

The first two parts of this series describes the negative effects that some commonly consumed chemicals have on the body and brain. This third and final part looks at some natural ways to keep the brain healthy and provides tips to rid the body of dangerous substances. In other words, how to fight back against the dumbing down of society!