Strength. Conditioning. Community.: November 2007

YOU are an ATHLETE...

...even if you don't know it yet. So why not train like one? The functional requirements of Olympians, grandmas, and everyone in between differ only in degree, not in kind: everyone should be able to run, or jump, or pick something heavy up off the ground and put it overhead. To that end, CROSSFIT combines weightlifting, basic gymnastics, and high-intensity interval training into short, constantly-varied workouts that will transform both how people perceive you and how you perceive yourself.

Though capable of crushing the fittest of the fit, CROSSFIT is completely scalable, so that anyone, regardless of ability, can jump right in. It's simply a blast. More importantly, it works.

YOU ARE AN ATHLETE--but don't take our word for it. Let us help you find out for yourself.

Disclaimer

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Some of the information contained in or accessible through this website is from a variety of other sources. No warranty is provided by Pioneer Valley CrossFit that information contained therein is accurate or up-to-date and PVCF cannot be held liable for any loss or damage resulting from such materials.

There are links to other websites available to users throughout this site and we make best efforts to link only to information on appropriate websites (i.e. other CrossFit and related fitness sites). However, as they are outside the control of Pioneer Valley CrossFit, we accept no liability and cannot guarantee that

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will not contain content of an inappropriate or offensive nature, or
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Whilst we make best efforts to make sure that content and resources available on our website are virus free, we recommend that you always use anti-virus software when accessing or downloading information from the internet. PVCF is not responsible for any loss, corruption, damage or disruption to your computer system (including data, software, operating system and hardware) which may occur whilst using this website or materials you have downloaded from it.

(Thanks CrossFit Central Scotland!)

Be It Ever So Humble

We found a space. We found a space. We found a space! It's small (800 sq ft, with 14' ceilings), but we'll call it home...at least until you help us outgrow it.

Apparently, at one time it was occupied by a weightlifting club. "And not one complaint in five years," the landlady assured me, despite the fact that the space is on the second floor, the floors are wood, and the walls are thin. (At least there's no tenant below us, only storage.) I did my level best to explain to her that, occasionally, we were going to be making a godawful racket. She didn't seem to think it'll be a problem, but I guess only time will tell. Hopefully we won't become the most hated new residents of Easthampton's Paragon Arts and Industry Building.

Anyway, we take possession 1 January. I'll start the renovations this month, which shouldn't be too bad--sanding the floor, putting up some dry wall--and we'll order equipment, everything necessary for standard CrossFit workouts: Olympic barbells, bumper plates, a pull-up bar assembly, rings, a climbing rope, a C2 rower, a GHD bench, kettlebells, Dynamax balls and more (care to heave some 100lbs sandbags, anyone?) If everything goes according to plan, we'll open for "beta testing" around the middle of Jan, and start classes for real 1 February.

Hey! Don't be shy. If you live in the Northampton area and you're curious about what we're up to, drop us a line.

04 Dec 07 - What Fresh Kettlebell Is This?

Today's assigned WOD was front squats, five sets for five reps. I did 200lbs for sets across, the heaviest I've gone since I strained my back six weeks ago.

It felt, you know, heavy. But I just finished Rippetoe's Practical Programming, so I'm motivated to get back where I was. Squats uber alles!

But was I satisfied? Oh, no. I decided I wanted to give one of these "Painstorms" I'd been hearing about a whirl. Once a month, these lunatics in Scotland concoct outlandish, high-volume workouts only a real masochist would attempt. This month's was

Griptastic
For time:

500m Row
50 KB Swing Right Hand (36lbs)
50 KB Swing Left Hand
500m row
50 KB Snatch Right Hand
50 KB Snatch Left Hand
500m row
50 KB Clean and Press Right Hand
50 KB Clean and Press Left Hand
500m row
50 KB Swing Both Hands
50 Turkish Get Ups
500m Row

My time: 51:06. Never in my life have I done such a high volume of kettlebell work. Never imagined it. Never had nightmares about it. Sick, sick, sick. This must be their revenge on us for the Boston Tea Party or Braveheart or something. But it's a fine example of what's so right about CrossFit: this was a volume of work I'd never before encountered, but I was prepared. Not to excel, necessarily (the best time I saw was an eye-popping 40 min!) but to gut my way through it.

071201 - One-Hand Me, You Scoundrel!

Today's a rest day on the CrossFit HQ site, so we came up with this one. It's either a lewd come-on or a fairly brutal ten minute WOD:

One-Hand Me, You Scoundrel!
5 rounds (both sides) for time of:

5 one-armed push-ups
1 kettlebell swing (1 pood) (same arm)
1 kb clean
1 kb snatch
1 kb overhead squat
1 kb Sott's Press (i love the little samurai bow this guy does when he finishes. "Hai!")
1 kb thruster
1 kb windmill

Switch arms after completing the set. Both arms equals one round. One pood (16kg) may seem like a light weight, but in this case, it's the Sott's press that's the limiting factor. Give it a shot, and let us know how you did.

Friday, 30 November - A Bit of a Slog

Today's WOD was simplicity itself:

Run 5k.

5 and 10k runs come up fairly seldom on CrossFit, which tends to regard 100, 400, and 800m sprints as more functional. (After all, when was the last time someone chased you three miles?) But we're seeking well-rounded fitness, "increased work capacity across broad modal domains," and that means every once in a while we have to give the oxidative energy pathway, that favorite of LSD runners every where, a tune-up. My training partner hadn't run at all in months, so to try to even things out, I wore my 20lbs weight vest. Our time: a very slow 32:00.

Oy, having layout issues. Anybody know XML?

Go Lauren Go!

This video was posted on CrossFit HQ's site last week. In six months of CrossFitting, Lauren of CrossFit Alexandria has lost fifty-five pounds. Amazing! I'm reposting it here so that anyone who missed it can see what high-intensity exercise and a Zone-based diet can achieve.

A Simple Desultory WOD (or How I was Burpee'd Into Submission)

With apologies to Paul Simon, today's workout was

A Simple Desultory WOD
Four rounds for time of:

5 muscle-ups
10 handstand push-ups
15 knees-to-elbows
20 burpees

Time: 24:54.

Kind of a mediocre performance. My time would really have benefited from having someone to race. But I wanted something metcon, and dang if I didn't get it. You know times are tough when you're looking forward to knees-to-elbows for a break; afterwards I was prostrate for a good five minutes. Today was definitely one of those days I was getting a lot of funny looks...people whose idea of a hardcore workout is 4x10 sets of preacher curls just can't relate to what we do.

Care to comment?

Ripped

I was doing a Google image search for "ripped calluses" and came across this:

This is Ken Wilber. A million, billion years ago, when I was earning a B.A. in the Psychology of Religion, Wilber, the visionary author of such works as "No Boundary," "Grace and Grit," and "A Brief History of Everything," was my personal hero. Now he is again. I hope I look that good when I'm 51...although I also hope that by that point I'll have more hair than he does.

Anyway, on to the matter at hand (ouch, that pun was so bad it hurt to type it):

Weight lifting gloves are useless for CrossFitters. They'll slow you down on the pull-up bar and keep you from getting a secure grip on the barbell. As Coach Mark Rippetoe advises, "Only wear gloves if you're worried your calluses might rip your pantyhose." Calluses are the skin's natural reaction to repeated friction or pressure; as long as you take good care of them, they'll take good care of you. Here's an article about proper callus care. Remember: calluses are not to be avoided. They're evidence of hard work--badges of honor, practically!

Schedule and Fees

Class Schedule:

January 2009

	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat
7AM	WOD	WOD	WOD	WOD	WOD
8AM	WOD	WOD	WOD	WOD	WOD
9AM
10AM						WOD
11AM						WOD
Noon -4:55PM Closed
5PM	WOD	WOD	WOD	WOD	WOD
6PM	WOD	WOD	WOD	WOD	WOD

NOTE: All classes start promptly on the hour. PLEASE BE ON TIME. Or you will wear a weight vest for the whole WOD :)

Fees
Your first class is free. Advance sign-up required. So, come in, try it out. If CrossFit seems right for you, our membership fee is $150 per month for unlimited training sessions.

Recurring Monthly Membership......$150.00

Police, firefighters, and military personnel are eligible for a 20% discount (valid ID required).

Recurring Monthly Membership for Police, Firefighter and Military Personnel......$120.00

Note: These are not contracts; you'll be billed monthly, but you can cancel at any time. However, once you've been CrossFitting for awhile, you know that nothing else even comes close. If you've found a home at PVCF, and are willing to make a limited commitment, the following discount options are available:

3 Month Package......$375.00
(That's $125.00 per month--a 20% discount)

6 Month Package......$675.00
(25% discount--only $112.50 per month!)

Prototype

Maybe this t-shirt prototype is a little premature, considering that at this point PVC consists of little more than a business plan, an active domain, a pair of rings, some parallettes, a kettlebell and a sledgehammer, but I couldn't resist. What the heck--today's a day for celebrating!

I promise that when the real t-shirts are made, they won't look like someone used a white magic marker to draw on a sheet of duct tape.

We're Live!

27 November 07, 20:27. http://www.pioneervalleycrossfit.com is on the interwebs!

You Got Served

Some kids demonstrating amazing athletic prowess. Seems there's concern brewing in the weightlifting community about the extreme volume CrossFit often prescribes for O-lifts.

Map and Directions

We're going to be raising an almighty ruckus in Room 240 of the Paragon Arts and Industry Building, 150 Pleasant St, Easthampton, MA.

View Larger Map

Getting To Paragon Arts and Industry Building:
Our building is easily accessible from Interstate 91 or the Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90).

From the South: On Interstate 91, take Exit 17B (easthampton). Follow Route 141 to Easthampton. At the foot of the mountain, turn right onto East st. Follow for approx. 2.3 miles. Turn left on to Ferry St. Follow to the end. Take a left onto Pleasant St. Go approx 1/10 of a mile and take a left immediately past the American Legion Hall. Take an immediate right after your turn and go approx. 250 yards - our entrance will be on your left. For the loading docks, turn left at the American Legion Hall and continue around behind the large brick buildings to your right. Go past the large (200 foot tall) chimney and our loading docks are on your right.

From the North: On Interstate 91, take Exit 18 (Northampton). Take a right at the bottom of the ramp. Follow route 5 to Easthampton. Turn right onto East st. Follow for approx. 1.5 miles. Turn right on to Ferry St. Follow to the end. Take a left onto Pleasant St. Go approx 1/10 of a mile and take a left immediately past the American Legion Hall. Take an immediate right after your turn and go approx. 250 yards - our entrance will be on your left. For the loading docks, turn left at the American Legion Hall and continue around behind the large brick buildings to your right. Go past the large (200 foot tall) chimney and our loading docks are on your right.

From the center of Easthampton (Rt. 10): Pleasant St. comes off the Rotary (circle) in the center of Easthampton. Take Pleasant Street approx. 1/2 mile - you will see our sign on the right. Go past this sign and take a right immediately before the American Legion Hall. Then take an immediate right and our building entrance is 250 yards up on your left.

Take the white door, go up the stairs to the second floor, then go past the office, around the corner to the right, and down the hall. Ours is the blue door.

Get Off That Treadmill!

"Otto trained in distance running and (his identical twin) Ewald trained in the field events. They are the same height and have similar facial structure, but they look very different otherwise." Hmm, you think? Art Devany's written a great article on the role activity plays in determining phenotype, regardless of genotype.

(Thanks to CrossFitNYC for digging this one up!)

Thirty Muscle-Ups for Time

Made up the WOD from Thanksgiving Day:

30 Muscle-ups for time.

Time: 9:08. Not really anything to brag about, but that's a 6:49 improvement over the last time I did this, about six weeks ago, and it was just two or three months before that I got my first muscle-up. Progress is being made! How'd you do?

Our Affiliate Application Essay / Mission Statement

When people ask me, "What is CrossFit?" I do my best to give them a concise and non-technical answer. I eschew Coach Glassman's classic "constantly varied, if not randomized, functional movements performed at high intensity" (too many terms to define) in favor of something like, "It's kind of a mix of Olympic-style weightlifting, basic gymnastics, and sprint training." Usually that satisfies their curiosity--most people, especially the sedentary, seem to then immediately mentally file CrossFit under the heading "Things I Would Never Do." I can never let it go, though. I always go on to say, "The genius of it, you see, is that by requiring its athletes to perform for time or for points, CrossFit turns fitness training into a competitive sport. You end up killing yourself to get those extra couple reps in, to shave just a few more seconds off the clock. And then you flop to the ground. Wrecked. Like, you couldn't stand up even if you wanted to." To which most people can't help but respond, "You think that's fun?" I'm sure my "Hell yeah!" does nothing to stop them from further filing CrossFit under "Things I Most Definitely Would Never Do."

And that is a terrible shame, because CrossFit is so much more than just an exercise program. CrossFit, as Greg Glassman says in one CrossFit Journal article, is a means to self-actualization. I really believe that. Any activity that regularly necessitates facing and overcoming fear (and everyone who's "drank the Kool-Aid" knows the anxiety that builds before one faces "Linda" or Fight Gone Bad) forces you to grow in courage and integrity and pure grit. CrossFit forges fitness, sure, but it forges character, as well.

At the recent Portland Certification Seminar, Dr. Kelly Starrett said, "This stuff just selects for a certain kind of person." The result? CrossFit is a tremendous community of like-minded, self-starting strivers. Being associated with and accepted by such a community is a joy. And it's also an antidote to some of the alienation and loneliness that are part of our modern life.

Go to any "Globo-Gym." Watch the people on the elliptical machines reading their magazine articles, or the people on the treadmills watching CNN, or the guy doing biceps curls in the squat rack with his little white iPod headphones screening out everything but his reflection in the mirror. Contrast that with the scene at any CrossFit affiliate WOD session: people sweating, cursing and suffering together. The early finishers are applauded for their impressive performances, but the less-experienced athletes, the less fit, those non-firebreathers who are gutting out their third round with two more to go, they're the ones who get the loudest cheers, the most encouragement. And that is awesome. I've been living in big cities for going on fifteen years now, and I've trained in all kinds of gyms, and I've never seen the like, anywhere.

That's what I love about CrossFit. Even more than the hundred fifty pounds I've put on my deadlift, and the extra fifteen pull-ups I've added, and the pride I feel when I finish a WOD like "Murph." That camaraderie and support are what we do best, and I'd like to do my part to ensure that it remains central to the CF experience. Opening my own affiliate is a chance to create and nurture a CrossFit community, a place where people can come and get expert instruction and train themselves to perform once-unimaginable physical feats, a place where they can find out what they're really made of. We can help them strip away the excess and discover the pure gold beneath!

If I Owned a Gym...

On second thought, let's make that, "When my gym opens..."

Goodness Gracious

Today's WOD called for heavy sets of clean and jerks at 3 reps. My gym in the East Village isn't set up for max effort Olympic lifting (no bumper plates, no room to dump the bar if you miss), and anyway I was in the mood something metcon, so I adapted it as follows:

Goodness Grace-ious
10 rounds for time of:
135lbs clean and jerk x 3
45lbs weighted pull-ups x 4

Time: 25 minutes

So named because the total volume of C&Js--30--is the same as for the benchmark workout "Grace." What can I say? It was hard. Putting on and taking off the dip belt for the weighted pull-ups ate up precious seconds, but it still ought to be possible to bring this one under 20 minutes. Give it a shot and let me know how it goes.

Speaking of which, I've been trying something new out for the warm-ups. For ages I've been doing and prescribing the standard CrossFit warm-up, which is 3 rounds of Samson stretch, 15 overhead squats, 15 GHD sit-ups, 15 back extensions, 15 pull-ups and 15 dips. But lately that's gotten a little boring, so I've been starting off with scaled versions of some of the benchmark "girl" workouts. For instance, yesterday I did "Baby Fran": 21-15-9 of 45lbs thrusters and pull-ups, and today I did "Baby Diane": 21-15-9 of 95lbs deadlifts (could've used 135lbs, but wanted to save something for the cleans) and handstand push-ups. Baby Cindy would be a good candidate (5 rounds? 7?), or Baby Angie, or Baby Chelsea. It'll be interesting to see if regularly practicing the same volume of work, but at lower intensity, helps when it's time for the real thing.

Machines are Bad, Mmmmkay?

Thanks go to CrossFit Vancouver for finding this gem!

The CrossFit 500 a.k.a The Filthy Fifties a.k.a Chuck Norris

Made up yesterday's WOD today.

For time:
50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double unders

Time: 26:40.

Pretty much as rx'd, but unfortunately my beloved 23lbs homemade slamball burst open last week, and the heaviest medicine ball Dolphin Fitness has weighs only 12lbs. So I put on my 20lbs weight vest for the wall balls and made do.

Hey! If you did this WOD on your own or with pals at Boyden Gym, let's hear about it. Post your times to the comments.

When I asked Coach Glassman what percentage of affiliates followed the programming from Headquarters, he said, "None, to my knowledge." Which amazed me! At CrossFit NYC we followed the posted WOD as closely as we could (which was sometimes not all that closely, given restrictions of space and equipment), and I just assumed everyone else would, too. Part of the fun of CrossFit, for me, has always been posting to the messageboard, checking my scores against the real firebreathers. At PVC, we'll stick close to the national WOD, and on CrossFit HQ rest days we'll do workouts selected from a stack of index cards I've been collecting in a "L'il Box O' Pain." Perhaps we'll also have some free periods when people can come in and try out their own WODs, or consult with the trainers to come up with something especially diabolical.

There's progress to report! Today I got CrossFit, Inc, added as an additional insured to my liability policy. Once sportsfitness.com sends me a new copy of the documentation, I'll fax it to CrossFit Customer Service along with a credit card order for $500, and voila! I'll be the newest affiliate in the CrossFit nation.

Dumbbell Linda

Today's WOD was an exercise in scaling and austerity. Linda (a.k.a "The Three Bars of Death") calls for 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of bodyweight bench press, 1.5 bodyweight deadlifts, and 3/4 body weight cleans. You're instructed to "set up three bars and storm through for time"; however, hoarding three barbells for one's extended personal use is highly impractical in my small, crowded gym. So rather than go late at night or early in the morning (and bearing in mind that I haven't benched in a while, so working without a spotter might prove dangerous), I decided to adapt Linda to the tools I had readily available, namely, dumbbells. Nobody really touches any dumbbells over 35lbs at my gym, so claiming three pair wasn't a big deal.

Dumbbells are harder to handle than barbells, though, so the weights had to be brought down a bit. Here's what I ended up doing:

Linda, Dumbbell of the Ball
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps for time of

2x75lbs dumbbell bench press
2X100lbs dumbbell deadlift
2x50lbs dumbbell clean

Time: 46:55

This one was a real gut check! To this point, although I'd been doing Linda with the rx'd weights, I'd also been doing power cleans instead of full squat cleans. Today I did the latter, and man, what a difference! The technique was weird, of course--finding a stable place to catch a 50lbs dumbbells isn't that easy--but metabolically they were just deadly. From the first set I had to break things up into mini-sets of 3 and 2. The DB benches went off without a hitch, all sets unbroken.

In one way my performance was a little disappointing, but in another way, this was cool, the definition of CrossFit, really; I was given an unfamiliar task (for instance, gripping and balancing two 100lbs dumbbells is MUCH harder than just grabbing a 225lbs barbell with an alternate grip) and gutted my way through it.

What is CrossFit? The Movie

Thanks, CrossFit North!

Leaderboard

"Elizabeth"

21-15-9 reps, for time, of 135lbs cleans and ring dips.

Leon Aldrich - 15:57
Andy Pelis - 18:03

"Murph"

For time: run one mile, then do 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and then run another mile. Partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as needed. If you've got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it.

Harry Palley - 45:47 (with 20lbs vest)

"Cindy"

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 squats.

Andy Pelis - 21 rounds
Brandon Reed - 17 rounds
Leon Aldrich - 15 rounds
Monty Towart - 14 rounds

"Mary"

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of 5 handstand push-ups, 10 pistols (alternating legs), and 15 pull-ups.

Simon Golob - 10 rounds

"Fran"

21-15-9 reps, for time, of 95lbs thrusters and pull-ups.

Harry Palley - 3:19
Andy Pelis - 3:44 on July 24th, 2008
Carolyn Joyce - 5:07 on July 24th, 2008
Leon Aldrich - 5:09
Chris Moussa - 6:20

"Nate"

In 20 minutes, complete as many rounds as possible of 2 muscle ups, 4 handstand push-ups, and 8 72lbs kettlebell swings.

Simon Golob - 10 rounds and change
Leon Aldrich - 10 rounds

"Fight Gone Bad"

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. We've used this in 3 and 5 round versions. 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. Score is total points.

Harry Palley - 332
Leon Aldrich - 325
Andy Pelis - 290

"CrossFit Total"

Three attempts to establish a one-rep max effort for the squat, the front press, and the deadlift. Add up the poundages of all three 1RM for score.

Jon Davine - 1000lbs
Chris Moussa - 920lbs!

Muscle-Up Club

Andy Pelis 5/12/08
Monty Towart 5/12/08
Kurt Roderick 8/18/08
Greg Saulmon 9/02/08
Brian Kazak 10/01/08
Chase Scheinbaum 10/6/08
Michelle Cooper 10/11/08

CrossFit in the Media

Des Moines Clarion Ledger article: Short, Feverish Workouts Are a Draw

Santa Cruz Sentinel article, "UCSC Notebook: Men's Rugby Getting Fit For the Season"
Philly Fit article, "CrossFit Philly Kicks Philly Fit's Butt!"
L.A. Times article, "A Workout That's Fast, Furious, and Not for the Faint at Heart"
New York Times article, "Getting Fit, Even if It Kills You."
Real Fighter magazine, "CrossFit Country."
Men's Journal names Crossfit.com top fitness website.
Marine Corps adopts CrossFit-style functional fitness.
Fayetteville Online article, "Commando-style Workout Has Cult Following"
CrossFit founder Greg Glassman interviewed on Canada's Business News Network.
EliteFTS interviews Starting Strength author Mark Rippetoe about the CrossFit Total.
Fuquay-Varina Independent article, "Bengals Finding a Fitness Edge."
Men's Journal article, "The Best Shape of Your Life in Twenty Minutes".
San Diego Union Tribune article, "No Magic Tricks--CrossFit Puts the Work in Workout."
St. Louis Today article, "Only the Fittest Will Survive."
Chestnut Hill Local article, "New CrossFit gym in Mt. Airy offers money-back guarantee."
Sports Illustrated article, "Ultimate Regimen: A fighting champion gets intense."

What is CrossFit?

(Taken from the "What is CrossFit?" page on crossfit.com):

CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide.

Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist.

The CrossFit program is designed for universal scalability, making it the perfect application for any committed individual regardless of experience. We've used our same routines for elderly individuals with heart disease and cage fighters one month out from televised bouts. We scale load and intensity; we don't change programs.

The needs of Olympic athletes and our grandparents differ by degree, not kind. Our terrorist hunters, skiers, mountain bike riders and housewives have found their best fitness from the same regimen.

Thousands of athletes worldwide have followed our workouts posted daily on this site and distinguished themselves in combat, the streets, the ring, stadiums, gyms and homes.

World-Class Fitness in One Hundred Words

(Taken from the "Start Here!" page on crossfit.com):

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports.

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