On Saturday, July 13th, we will unite with CrossFit gyms all across the US and participate in "Life Up Moore," a fund-raiser for the American Red Cross' felief efforts in Moore, Ok.

Although the tornado struck on May 20th, we might remember that 24 souls perished, hundreds were injured, and the town of Moore was effectively leveled.  As such, much work remains and the needs in the community are great. 

The CrossFit comunity has distinguished itself by its past support and participation in such events for the greater good.  This event will build upon that tradidion. 

As an athlete, you will undertake a grueling WOD that memorializes the 5/20/13 date of the torando, and you can compete on a national leader bord and vie for prizes from our sponsors. 

And the WOD is:

1. Take 15 minutes to build up to:
   • 
     1RM Clean (squat or power)
2. 5RFT:
   • 20 Burpee lateral bar jumps
   • 13 Squat Cleans

The goal of the CrossFit community is $50,000.  Let's do our part.

In the time it takes you to do 30 air squats, you can sign up.

Sign up to participate for $10 to the Red Cross and come do the WOD.  Sign up and pay $35 and you get the event tshirt.  The shirts will be in a couple days before the WOD.  For more information check out www.liftupmoore.com.

Our My favorite games athlete is on his way back to the 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games!  (photo courtsey of Rogue Fitness)

So, after a week away from Graham and the box Ash and I are finally back in town!  The trip to Cali was successful, my sister (Eleanor) is now enjoying her honeymoon in Bali, and we're trying to dig out of the mess created when being away so long.  My apologies for not keeping the site up...stuff happens.  

We do have several big changes coming to the CFV family.  Some are in the works and some have already started:

1. We are now offering a CrossFit Veritas On-Ramp program.  The purpous of the On-Ramp program is to take athletes new to CrossFit / CFV and, over the span of 4 weeks, get them up to speed so they are ready to jump in to our regular classes.  We will be starting 2 On-Ramp classes each month, roughly around the 1st and the 15th.  The program will run 3 days / week for 4 weeks and will be much smaller in class size.  All new members to CFV are required to complete the On-Ramp before coming to regular WOD classes.  More infomation on the On-Ramp program will be coming soon...I promise.  If you're wanting to join the CrossFit Veritas family contact zt@crossfitveritas.com
2. Our summer schedule is completely full!  We now offer classes at 5:30am, 6:00am, 7:00am, 8:15am, 11:30am, 3:30pm, 4:30pm, 5:30pm and 6:30pm!!!  These times vary by day and program...some are for everyone, some for student athletes etc...again, more info and a more complete schedule will be coming soon.
3. We're working on a brand new website!  The page has been built.  We're just waiting for me to get off my rear and add some content!  

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2013 CFV Young-Guns Outlaw Summer Camp

What - An intense strength and conditioning program to build sport specific skills and elite fitness using CrossFit methodology.

What we'll do - Camp activities will include lifting, carrying, running, throwing, climbing and jumping.  Safety and proper technique o the Olympic and power lifts will be taught, while increasing your strength, power, agility, speed and stamina using constantly varied high-intensity functional athletic movements.  Athlete to coach ratio will be small so you will have lots of personal one-on-one coaching by CrossFit certified personnel.

What we won't do - The focus of this camp is to develop strength and explosive power that will carryover into other athletic situations.  Although every training session will have a conditioning phase, we will NOT run ourselves to death.

Who - Anyone...guys AND girls ages 15-19yrs old wanting to improve their fitness to prepare for fall sports.

Time - 11:30am-1:00pm...before it gets hotter than the surface of the sun.

Days - Monday, Tuesday and Thursday...with a weekly Saturday "homework" assignment.

Dates - June 3rd - July 25 (24 days)

Where - CrossFit Veritas (behind Zack Burkett Co. on Industrial Blvd...east of the baseball / softball facility)

Contact - Wade Wilson or Z.T. Burkett

Say No To LSD

by Michele Vieux - CrossFit Invictus

I have been asked many times, especially now that the Look Good, Feel Good Challenge is in full effect, if people should do “cardio” on their own in addition to their strength and conditioning workouts at Invictus.  My initial reaction is usually, “how was traditional ‘cardio’ working for you before Invictus?”  Think back on the low-fat/fat-free craze of the 90’s – long, slow distance (“LSD”) endeavors are kind of like that “conventional wisdom” that we now know to have been poor guidance.

Paradigm shift here people.  What so many of you know as the quintessential pillars of health and fitness are wrong!  I know this blows some of your minds but fat-free and LSD are old news, and could even be causing you harm!

Besides being extremely boring (IMHO), there can also be health costs of repetitive mid- and high-level aerobic work that should make you take another look at your routine.

What is LSD?  LSD can come in many forms, including running, biking, rowing, and even CrossFit (you know, those chipper WODs or 7 to 10 rounders that take 45 minutes to complete).

Most of the Invictus workouts are a bit different.  Invictus workouts provide a strength foundation with conditioning that typically calls for quick bursts of speed.  Work periods are typically shorter, and often some rest periods are provided to ensure that athletes can recover and regain their ability to perform at a higher intensity.  Most (not all) of the workouts at Invictus will take under 15 minutes (of work at least, if not the total time of the workout).

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Everyone is well aware of the damage and distruction caused by the tornado in Moore, Oklahoma.  There are lots of ways to reach out and help but this one hits close to home for us.  CrossFit Exile is in Moore and some of their members / coaches we're affected.  Stacy Jennings, owner / coach of CrossFit Exile has set up a page so we can donate directly to the CrossFit Exile family.  

In a note from Stacy he mentioned that one of his coaches, Nate Miller, was at Plaza Towers Elementary right after the tornado and helped get children out.  Nates home was damaged. 

So, if you feel moved to do so, please check out the CrossFit Exile Moore Tornado Relief page.  

Due to the GHS graduation tomorrow evening, we will not be having a 5:30 or 6:30pm class!!!!  Come try one of the other friday options:

• 6:00am outlaw wod
• 8:15am crossfit wod
• 4:30pm crossfit wod

CrossFit Veritas is proud to announce our 2013 CrossFit Kids / Teens program!  Our summer program will start on June 3 and finish up on July 26.  CrossFit Teens will meet M-TH from 9:15 to 10:15am and CrossFit Kids will be M-TH from 10:15-11:00am.  For more information contact our CFK coach, Shanna Gough. 

The Ten Things That Happen When You Begin CrossFit

by Joshua M Brown - The Reformed Broker

This week marks three months since I began the most intense workout regimen of my entire life, CrossFit.

What led to me beginning CrossFit was a realization that, if left to my own devices, I would never push myself hard enough to truly make the changes I needed to in order to get in shape. Occasional jogs and going through the chest-and-biceps motions of a traditional gym simply weren't going to get it done. I also knew that there was no shot that I'd be able to stick to a diet if it didn't coincide with something more offensive, like physical training of some sort that demanded I take in more nutrients and less garbage.

And so on July 21st, at 258 pounds and sick of seeing my giant moon-face on TV everyday, I walked into the CrossFit Lighthouse in Wantagh, Long Island and submitted to a long-overdue comeuppance. I marched my Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man-frame into a firefight I wasn't truly prepared for. It's 90 days later and I still have a long way to go to get back to the old me. But I'm happy to report that for the first time in years I feel like I'm back in control and can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Every day I get closer.

For those who are thinking about trying CrossFit and rewriting their own futures, below are the first ten things that will happen.

1. You will find out how truly out of shape you are. It is likely that your first few sessions at a CrossFit gym will consist of stretching and basic instruction. You will likely sweat like a pig and require numerous breaks to catch your breath even during this relatively easy phase. This is because you are engaging and stretching muscles that have been dormant for years. You will also be sucking at the air for every molecule of oxygen you can get. It will be a week or two before your lungs are really open, prepare to gasp like a newborn taking its very first breath.

2. You will realize how fat you and other regular people are compared to real athletes. This is because your certified instructors will have the physiques of comic book superheroes. You will weigh 40% more than them but they will be somewhere between 50 and 150% stronger than you. It will make no sense that such "little" guys and girls are that much more powerful than you; it'll be rather disorienting, especially if you're a big guy like me who thought he was "strong" walking in. The instructors are not huge or freakishly jacked like traditional body builders, but I wouldn't want to bet against them in any contests of strength. The idea is to be able to lift heavy weights but in as efficient a manner as possible, and then to be able to run a mile while the old school body builder huffs and puffs behind you. And you, big guy, are not strong. You are fat and incidentally may be able to lift some weight up. You will learn about real strength very soon.

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The 2013 South Central Regionals are this weekend in San Antonio.  To follow all of the action check out http://games.crossfit.com/region/south-central.

Jeff Prejean:  Age Is Just A Number

by Kari Walker - CrossFit Games

There’s a saying that you are only as old as you feel.

For South Central Regional competitor Jeff Prejean, age ain’t nothing, but a number. At 38, Prejean will be the oldest competitor at the South Central Regional this weekend in San Antonio, Texas. He’s once again proving he can hold his own against athletes 10 to 15 years his junior.

“I don’t look at myself as older. I look at myself as a CrossFitter,” he says.

Prejean finished 38th at the 2012 Regional and spent the past year training to hopefully improve his placing. He mapped everything out, knowing he could do better.

“Sticking to the training plan the entire year has paid me dividends,” Prejean says.

He programs for himself, but mixes in programming from CJ Martin (CrossFit Invictus) and Ben Bergeron (CrossFit New England), as well as Catalyst Athletics for Olympic lifting help. Prejean says he also checks in with William Albritton of CrossFit Alexandria to help him stay on track.

“I feel like I’ve spent more time on my weaknesses,” he says. “They are still not my strengths, but I’m improving.”

Spending a lot of time on the road means Prejean is always looking for a a box away from home. He is thankful area affiliates have shown him Southern hospitality by allowing him to come in and do his own programs as needed.

Competing in local area competitions has been helpful for Prejean’s training, as well as confidence. Recently, he finished 18^th at a local competition in Austin, Texas.

“Anytime I can be competitive with Regional-level athletes, I’m satisfied with my performance,” he says.  

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You're Not Making the Godfather: Quit Taking Your Training So Seriously

by Becca Borawski  - Breaking Muscle

Back when I was in film school at the University of Southern California, there was a phrase that popped up from time to time:  "What does he think he's making, The Godfather?"  It was something said when a student-filmmaker's behavior and attitude about his or her project was rather bloated compared to the actual quality and importance of the piece.  He wasn't makeing The Godfather, he wasn't going to become a world-class director or win any Academy Awards, but rather he was making a five-minute, Super-8 flick that might get showin in years to come at family get-togethers.  Chances are he'd have learned more aobut the filmmaking process if he saw his piece as what it was, too.

Now, years later, as a coach and personal trainer, I sometimes find myself wanting to ask my clients a similar question.  There is a breed of client that attacks workouts and competition as if they were Olympians - only, they're not.  And while I fully support having passion for all your endeavors and setting scary goals for yourself, if you're not an elite athlete (and chances are if you're reading this, you're not) then you also have to have a little drop of reality in that big pool of passion.

I know, I'm a killjoy, right?  I'm a dream-smashing curmudgeon.

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What's that you say?  The website hasn't been updated in a while?  I hadn't noticed.  Have patience....something cool this way comes.

CrossFit Games Media Coverage

by CrossFit

All tickets to the 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games have been sold.  Don't despair.  We're going to have outstanding coverage of all events.

From Tuesday, July 23 through Thursay, July 25, Masters heats can be seen on games.crossfit.com.

From Friday, July 26 through Sundaby, July 28 the CrossFit Games will be covered on ESPN 3 (a geo-blocked version of the ESPN3 show will be available for fans out side the United States).  Every heat of every event of Individual and Team competitions will be shown.

To top that, the final hour of the Games, 4 to 5 p.m. PT, will be shown live on ESPN2.

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The 2013 CrossFit Games Regional Events

CrossFit Games

Individual Event 1

"Jackie"

For Time:

• 1000m Row
• 50 Thrusters (45)
• 30 Pull-Ups

Individual Event 2

7 minute ladder of:

• 3 Overhead Squats

Individual Event 3

For Time:

• 30 Burpee Muscle-Ups

Continue Reading...

With the little cold snap we've decided to push back the start time for the run tomorrow in hopes it will warm up just a little.  We will now be sending runners off at 11:00AM and the gate at the highway will be open at 9:00AM.  Lunch will follow the race, and remember, BYOPRRB.

Z

Ranch Run 2013 is just 2 days away and we have a few details to iron out.  First of all, if you haven't let me know you're coming please do so!  We're going to be feeding everyone and I'd hate for someone to go hungry.  Send me a quick email if you don't mind.

Next, your kids are welcome to come...IF they plan on running with you or your spouse will be staying behind to watch them.  We're not providing childcare so make your plans accordingly.

Directions:

From Graham, head south out of town (like you're going to Breckenridge) and take a right (west) on FM209 (towards Murray / Woodson).  The turn is about .8 miles from the sale barn.  Stay on FM 209 for approximately 11.8 miles. The gate will be on the left (south) side of the road.  It's silver and has a red Z- on either side...there will also be lots of flagging tape on the gate...you can't miss it.

Once inside the gate, stay on the main road.  Don't turn, it's easy.  First cattle guard will be about 1.6 miles, keep going.  After the second cattle guard, about 2.6 miles the road will fork....GO RIGHT.  You'll be able to see the house / barn by now so you shouldn't have a problem. 

The gate will be open at 8:30am.  Run will start around 10:00am  11:00am.  If you get lost or have any trouble at all call / text me at 940-550-4130.  Text tends to be more reliable.  

Last note...bring your own "post race recovery beverages."