27
Oct

CROSSFIT SUFFOLK   ***  Forging Elite Fitness

 

"Nate"

Complete as many rounds in twenty minutes as you can of:
2 Muscle-ups
4 Handstand Push-ups
8 2-Pood Kettlebell swings

Post rounds completed to comments.

Compare to 090826.

Scaling as necessary: Modified Muscle-up, push ups with feet elevated to some extent and lighter kettlebell.

 

Mike

PA222420

Andrea

PA232455

My Aching Shoulders

Bigger, Better, Faster, Longer  Chris Shugart from TMuscle.com speaks to strength and conditioning coach Dan John.  We usually enjoy Mr. John's commentary, but he struck a nerve this time.

Dan offered this gem: "

• Conditioning? Conditioning for what? Nothing drives me more crazy than a cop saying he has to be ready for anything. Ninety-nine percent of the problems he encounters will be answered by that badge, that gun, and that car. That one percent? Okay, I get it. So learn how to defend yourself against knives or whatever. But I despise this idea of "ready for anything." There's no way I, as a coach, can help support you with that goal.

• Hey, maybe a flying saucer lands on your police cruiser and aliens attack you. I don't know of a conditioning plan to help you with that. What is the "UFO Landing On Your Car Special Workout?" Maybe CrossFit has one for that.

Mr. John I realize you have forgotten more about strength and conditioning than I've ever learned, but I know a thing or two about police work.  You see Dan ready for anything means having to sit in a car for hours then suddenly having to leave said car and chase down some scumbag drug dealer, thief or robber then possibly fight with him.

Ready for anything might mean having to pull a large unconscious man from a burning car as other motorists go about their day.  My 4'11", 110lbs., wife didn't learn any technique for this.  She had to rely on her strength and conditioning.

Ready for anything might mean having to respond to a bank robbery where the assailants are not only armed with machine guns, but are wearing bullet resistant "armor".  An event where people are being wounded left and right…an event that went on for over half an hour.  An event that required cops to sprint, shoot, duck for cover, and drag wounded people to safety without being injured or killed.  Now that's an athletic event.  Speak to the members of the LAPD involved in the North Hollywood bank robbery incident.

Of course ready for anything might mean having to run up 80 somewhat floors of the World Trade Center on September 11th 2001 and help citizens down the stairs to safety.  I can direct you to some of those officers.

Ready for anything might mean having to defend yourself with one arm because the other one was nearly taken off by the assailant's bullet fired from a rifle at relatively close range.  You can speak to FBI Special Agent Ed Mireles about this one.

If the real big cities aren't your thing I can have you speak to a law enforcement official in your neck of the woods…right in Ogden who has won multiple shootouts with bad guys…in Utah and in Afghanistan.  There you'll find a man who knows a little about conditioning.  His conditioning leads to victory because he understands that coming in second means being killed.  He understands being "ready for anything".

You see Dan while police work is largely uneventful when there is an "event" there is usually little warning and more importantly little information to go on.  When a cop says "I need to be ready for anything" he means "I don't know what's going to happen, how it's going to happen or when it's going to happen.  I only know that IF it does happen I need to be able to respond with speed, power, agility, strength, balance, stamina, endurance, accuracy and coordination…..oh yeah..and a whole lot of luck".

The alternative is to have the mindset that nothing eventful is going to happen.  That the shield, gun and car will resolve whatever issues come along.  This thinking is called denial and a reliance on hope.  Denial is for sheep and hope is poor strategy.

CrossFit does a good job of preparing law enforcers and military personnel for the athletic requirements of being in a life and death situation and winning.  Even CrossFit detractors admit this much.  CrossFit was one of the first, if not the first, fitness organizations to address police officers and soldiers as "athletes".  If I had to "do battle" in the company of another officer I'd feel a whole lot better knowing that other officer is a CrossFitter.  Not only will I know he's in good shape, but I'd also know that he's got mental toughness to go along with it.

If ever a police officer approaches you for training and tells you he needs to be "ready for anything" hopefully you ask the right questions to elicit a more articulate explanation.  Should the officer not articulate his fitness goals feel free to contact me. 

I don't mind helping a police officer, especially one that wants to be ready for anything.  Hopefully you"ll never need a police officer for help during a bad situation.  You may have to rely on an officer who can only handle the mundane things instead of one ready for anything.

By George Demetriou 

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By Popular Demand….

BRAND-SPANKING NEW MORNING SESSION ON SUNDAYS FROM 10AM-11AM

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Support CrossFit athlete, Gillian Mounsey, as she supports our military personnel and their families.  Gillian is attempting 100 muscle-ups in an hour to raise money for Hope For The Warriors on November 14th! 

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Results for those who did "Michael" as prescribed:

Sean:  21:21

George:  23:54

Mike V.: 26:20

Matt D.: 26:40

Tom T.: 26:48

Pat A.:  27:42

Matt S.: 30:00

Jane:    30:23

Lisa did the workout using the GHD for sit-ups in 26:00!

7 Responses

  1. Rob M.

    George,
    I couldn’t agree more. Great article.
    I like DJ’s stuff and I hate to think he is that ignorant as to what a police officer needs to be ready for.

  2. Pat A.

    I see Dan John is one of the minority of “expert” civilians out there who has never spent an hour in a uniform whether it be military, pd, fd, ems but proceeds to tell everyone how it is. Serious foot in mouth, hopefully he will regret saying that.

  3. George

    I’ve been a Dan John fan for some time so obviously I’m a bit disappointed.
    Maybe he received a speeding ticket the day he was interviewed.

  4. Matt D

    Yeah, That guy know’s nothing of what he is speaking about. Let him spend a night as a law enformcement officer in NYC and see what he has to say after that. I’m not officially in the law enforcement community yet, but I have a good idea as to what to expect, and crossfit has helped me a great deal. Not only physically, but mentally through mental toughness and talking to George and Lisa about the experiences and what to expect.
    Glad to hear about the Sunday sessions! I’ll be there every week (Except for this one because i’m moving this weekend) haha.

  5. lisa D

    I would think as a coach you would welcome any challenge presented to you. I dont see how someone saying “any challenge” can be annoying or confusing. I know for myself any several other coaches I have spoken to, we love to thrive on the unconventional ways you can train someone specific to their needs. If that bothers you as a trainer maybe you shouldnt be training people… sometimes clients know they need help but dont know where to start or exactly what to do. Im sad to read that that is this mans atitude over Officers. does he have that view with other people? dont be a hater Dan! If you were a crossfitter…you wouldnt have that problem!

  6. Costello

    Hey George great post you hit it right on the head.
    Sorry I haven’t been down in a while I will make sure to get there soon.

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