Good news, I'm still alive! I'd like to apologize for my abscence these last few weeks as I have been quite busy traveling for volleyball and therefore also catching up on school work. We were just in Missouri this past weekend and went 4-0 and beat the #1 ranked DIII team in the nation to finish out the trip. Unfortunately because of the time I was gone I wasn't able to do the 12.2 Open wod, BUT I was happy to see that many of you did! 

You all have so inspiring, I wish I could watch you in person. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many of you men throwing up 135 lbs on the snatch and ladies at 75 lbs. Awesome!

I'd like to talk about the mental aspect of CrossFit for a little bit. I've touched on it this subject before, but I want to readdress it after I interviewed Heidi Fish (2nd place 2011 Games finish 50-55 Masters) for the NorCal Regional website. Heidi is a seasoned CrossFit veteran, but even she faces problems that us less experienced crossfitters go through every day. Heidi mentioned how she puts so much pressure on herself that she had contemplated not competing because it simply was not fun anymore. CrossFit stopped becoming a workout and instead turned into a nuisance. She was constantly worried about how others were doing compared to herself instead of focusing on how she can improve her game. She told me a quote that she had heard from Annie Sakamoto that seemed to really resonate with her.

"Victory is in the effort"

Think about it for a minute. It is such a short, yet powerful statement. If you can be happy with your performance then you are successful. I think it is something to keep in mind as some of us are competing against others for the first time in the CrossFit Open. You might have set a goal for one of the workouts (which is awesome!!!), but maybe you didn't reach that goal. That is perfectly ok. If you gave an all out effort and are left gasping for air or unable to pick up the weight anymore, then you have succeeded. 

If you all are interested in another read. Here is an article I wrote on Masters competitor Christopher Kulp.

Looking forward to 12.3!

Good news, I'm still alive! I'd like to apologize for my abscence these last few weeks as I have been quite busy traveling for volleyball and therefore also catching up on school work. We were just in Missouri this past weekend and went 4-0 and beat the #1 ranked DIII team in the nation to finish out the trip. Unfortunately because of the time I was gone I wasn't able to do the 12.2 Open wod, BUT I was happy to see that many of you did! 

You all have so inspiring, I wish I could watch you in person. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many of you men throwing up 135 lbs on the snatch and ladies at 75 lbs. Awesome!

I'd like to talk about the mental aspect of CrossFit for a little bit. I've touched on it this subject before, but I want to readdress it after I interviewed Heidi Fish (2nd place 2011 Games finish 50-55 Masters) for the NorCal Regional website. Heidi is a seasoned CrossFit veteran, but even she faces problems that us less experienced crossfitters go through every day. Heidi mentioned how she puts so much pressure on herself that she had contemplated not competing because it simply was not fun anymore. CrossFit stopped becoming a workout and instead turned into a nuisance. She was constantly worried about how others were doing compared to herself instead of focusing on how she can improve her game. She told me a quote that she had heard from Annie Sakamoto that seemed to really resonate with her.

"Victory is in the effort"

Think about it for a minute. It is such a short, yet powerful statement. If you can be happy with your performance then you are successful. I think it is something to keep in mind as some of us are competing against others for the first time in the CrossFit Open. You might have set a goal for one of the workouts (which is awesome!!!), but maybe you didn't reach that goal. That is perfectly ok. If you gave an all out effort and are left gasping for air or unable to pick up the weight anymore, then you have succeeded. 

If you all are interested in another read. Here is an article I wrote on Masters competitor Christopher Kulp.

Looking forward to 12.3!

Good news, I'm still alive! I'd like to apologize for my abscence these last few weeks as I have been quite busy traveling for volleyball and therefore also catching up on school work. We were just in Missouri this past weekend and went 4-0 and beat the #1 ranked DIII team in the nation to finish out the trip. Unfortunately because of the time I was gone I wasn't able to do the 12.2 Open wod, BUT I was happy to see that many of you did! 

You all have so inspiring, I wish I could watch you in person. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many of you men throwing up 135 lbs on the snatch and ladies at 75 lbs. Awesome!

I'd like to talk about the mental aspect of CrossFit for a little bit. I've touched on it this subject before, but I want to readdress it after I interviewed Heidi Fish (2nd place 2011 Games finish 50-55 Masters) for the NorCal Regional website. Heidi is a seasoned CrossFit veteran, but even she faces problems that us less experienced crossfitters go through every day. Heidi mentioned how she puts so much pressure on herself that she had contemplated not competing because it simply was not fun anymore. CrossFit stopped becoming a workout and instead turned into a nuisance. She was constantly worried about how others were doing compared to herself instead of focusing on how she can improve her game. She told me a quote that she had heard from Annie Sakamoto that seemed to really resonate with her.

"Victory is in the effort"

Think about it for a minute. It is such a short, yet powerful statement. If you can be happy with your performance then you are successful. I think it is something to keep in mind as some of us are competing against others for the first time in the CrossFit Open. You might have set a goal for one of the workouts (which is awesome!!!), but maybe you didn't reach that goal. That is perfectly ok. If you gave an all out effort and are left gasping for air or unable to pick up the weight anymore, then you have succeeded. 

If you all are interested in another read. Here is an article I wrote on Masters competitor Christopher Kulp.

Looking forward to 12.3!

Good news, I'm still alive! I'd like to apologize for my abscence these last few weeks as I have been quite busy traveling for volleyball and therefore also catching up on school work. We were just in Missouri this past weekend and went 4-0 and beat the #1 ranked DIII team in the nation to finish out the trip. Unfortunately because of the time I was gone I wasn't able to do the 12.2 Open wod, BUT I was happy to see that many of you did! 

You all have so inspiring, I wish I could watch you in person. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many of you men throwing up 135 lbs on the snatch and ladies at 75 lbs. Awesome!

I'd like to talk about the mental aspect of CrossFit for a little bit. I've touched on it this subject before, but I want to readdress it after I interviewed Heidi Fish (2nd place 2011 Games finish 50-55 Masters) for the NorCal Regional website. Heidi is a seasoned CrossFit veteran, but even she faces problems that us less experienced crossfitters go through every day. Heidi mentioned how she puts so much pressure on herself that she had contemplated not competing because it simply was not fun anymore. CrossFit stopped becoming a workout and instead turned into a nuisance. She was constantly worried about how others were doing compared to herself instead of focusing on how she can improve her game. She told me a quote that she had heard from Annie Sakamoto that seemed to really resonate with her.

"Victory is in the effort"

Think about it for a minute. It is such a short, yet powerful statement. If you can be happy with your performance then you are successful. I think it is something to keep in mind as some of us are competing against others for the first time in the CrossFit Open. You might have set a goal for one of the workouts (which is awesome!!!), but maybe you didn't reach that goal. That is perfectly ok. If you gave an all out effort and are left gasping for air or unable to pick up the weight anymore, then you have succeeded. 

If you all are interested in another read. Here is an article I wrote on Masters competitor Christopher Kulp.

Looking forward to 12.3!

What is your CrossFit "goat"? That is, what movement or lift do you have trouble perfecting? For many it is double unders, for the more advanced its pistol squats or handstand push ups. Maybe it is not a specific movement, but a certain lift. The snatch is always a challenge because so much technique is involved. As olympic lifting Mike Burgener would say, "nothing feels quite like a good snatch". How do you train your goats? Do you work on them a little every day? If not then you should because practice makes perfect (cliche, but true). Work with the jump rope after the wod, practice the kipping pullup or the butterfly pullup, work on muscle ups. In time, you will succeed!

So far 7 of you have signed up for the CrossFit Open. Keep 'em coming!

The above video is of Rob Orlando lifting a heavy tire, a really heavy tire. Enjoy!

Congratulations to everybody that competed in the CrossFit HB marathon/ half marathon! You all are so amazing and you inspire everyone at CrossFit HB to continue in the pursuit of success! If you haven't already don so, Like our facebook page to get instant updates on everything CrossFit HB! Here are some of the times:

Half Marathon:
Scott 1:39
Atilio 1:54
Tom: 2:06
Mark M. 2:31
Melissa 2:09
Alia 2:55 
Lilly 2:30
Rory 2:13

Marathon:
Mark T. 3:29!!

More congrats are in order for Todd finishing 5th in his division at the NLI CrossFit event held on Saturday!

Now its time for the CrossFit Open! Registration is now open and for $20, you can compete against the entire world! Sign up in the SoCal Region right here and click the "Sign In" link in the top right.

All in all it was a great weekend for CrossFit HB!

It's coming!

Registratioin for the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games Open starts February 1 with the first workout announced on February 22. However you can create an account starting now on the CrossFit SoCal Regional website right here!

EVERYONE AND I MEAN EVERYONE SHOULD REGISTER FOR THE OPEN. In the meantime I suggest creating your account now and enter in some of your stats to save yourself some time when registration comes up. You'll create a "CrossFit ID" and password that will allow you to compare your scores on the workouts with everyone around the world.

I hope everyone competed hard and had fun with the tryouts for CrossFit HB's competition team that went on this past week. You all will be a force to be reckoned with!

This upcoming Games season will be one of the best ever. Keep looking out for those commercials! ...

Keep improving.

Above is the brand spanking new Reebok CrossFit commercial. If you haven't noticed already, Reebok is putting all their chips in CrossFit's basket. They have a 10 year contract and they are just getting started. The commercial was shown on national televisioin at least twice during the highly anticipated and popular NFL playoff football game between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants. It was shown right before the game in the pregame show and before half time. For those who still had not heard of our little secret, they will now very, very soon. 

Check out Reebok's new website, reebok.com as well. They just decked it out CrossFit style. CrossFit is going big time. And it is a good thing. Yes, CrossFit may soon lose its underground coolness factor, but that is not what CrossFit is all about. The community is only getting bigger and the workouts will stay the same. Fran will still be hard as hell, Helen will leave your forearms shot, and Murph will be that workout that nobody wants to do, but does it anyways. That is what CrossFit is about. Reebok does not own CrossFit, they are simply using their name and marketing ability to make the entire world aware of the CrossFit Revolution.

Carlos at 47'' and Scott at 45''. And there is video of David getting 49'' on the facebook page right here! Way to go!

Two upcoming CrossFit events are on the horizon! In just a few days on January 14th and 15th the OC Throwdown and starting on February 22nd, The Reebok CrossFit Games Open will begin.

The OC Throwdown is a local competition and our very own Rosario Rios-Aguilar finished second overall in the three qualifying wods. If you would like to support Rosario, you can purchase tickets on the OC Throwdown website (link above) for $20 for the first day and $30 for both days. This is with out doubt one of the most competitive CrossFit events outside of the CrossFit Games. There are awesome athletes competing in both the Men and Women's divisions. The likes of Tommy Hackenbruck (Ute CrossFit) and Lindsey Valenzuela (Valley CrossFit) will be competing along with several other games athletes.This is a great chance to see the best CrossFitters in the country right in Orange County!

It's that time of year again. The "Open" is a worldwide CrossFit Competition. For a small $10 fee you have the chance to challenge yourself against the all different types of competition. Last year the top 60 in each region qualified for the games so I am assuming it will be the same this time around. However, the Open is not truly about the Games. Whether it is your first week of CrossFit or you are a seasoned veteran, you can compete in the Open. There will be five workouts over a five week period with one week to compete each workout. You can do the workout as many times in that one week as you want to better your score. CrossFit HB will be a registered affiliate this year so all of our members will just need to do the workouts at HB in front of a qualified coach and then submit their scores online It will be much more smooth than last year when we tried to send in video of individual athletes. EVERYONE SHOULD SIGN UP FOR THE OPEN! It is a must. It's not about winning or losing, but the commraderie and the community of CrossFit. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. I will be competing up here in Santa Cruz as well!