Vote for my Picture!! :D

My Picture



My Mom's Picture


I'm spending some time at my Mom's in NYC and we all sat down and colored for an hour. When we finally looked up, my little brother was no where to be found. I said "Ethan Boo, where are you?!". He said, "I'm in the living room doing something that's not boring!". HA!

So I said, "I'm drawing this ice pop and then I'm DONE!". And here's the finished product. I think mine should win because it's way more colorful and my muscles are awesome!... BUT my Mom did make my hair look fabulous.

VB ->Iowa -> Vegas -> NYC ->

VB ->Iowa -> Vegas -> NYC ->

Nationals, Here I Come!

I did my first Olympic Lifting competition yesterday and qualified to go to Nationals in July! AHHH!!

I can't believe it. I really wanted to do well but wasn't really expecting to.. I was so scared that I thought for sure the nerves would make me screw up. I mean I was really terrified.

Aimee has totally inspired me to really focus on my lifting.. She's just awesome and has been so helpful and encouraging. She's such an insane lifter.. SO freakin' fast! She's such an incredible athlete and I feel so lucky that she's shared her time with me! Every woman needs to watch her lift and get inspired!

I've been really enjoying learning new things, making adjustments and Practicing! I just love this.. so this whole thing is just icing on the cake. I'm going to work my hardest over the next 5 weeks. But no matter how I do, I think it will just be cool to be see the really good lifters in person. I've been watching as many videos as I can, but the energy in there is going to be so motivating and exciting, no doubt about it!

I weighed in at 52.something so I was in the 53kg weight class. I only had to get 117kgs to qualify for that class so then I went up and lifted enough to qualify in the 58 class.. 128kgs between the Snatch and C&J. 57 & 71. They weren't my best lifts, but they were close.. and they felt easier than they did when I was in my gym.. So that was a very good thing!

We'll see what happens over the next month! YAY!!!

Overall, the whole thing was awesome... except the outfit. It was actually WAY brighter than it looks. I'm all over ordering a black one.. geeze!

Practice, Practice, Practice

OHS Practice with a wider grip..
Apparently, my jerk from behind my neck needs a lot of work. It felt way harder than the front..

Lots of practice in my future! Looking forward to it!

Snatch Balance Day :) Back At It!

Today was AWESOME! I was feeling wrecked this morning from yesterdays squat cleans and hill sprints and wasn't planning on working out.. until I got to the gym and started playing with Snatch Balances.

It's been a solid year since I've done them, or much of anything for that matter, so I was dreading a reality check.. I was expecting to be WELL under my 165# PR.
They started out really wobbly and awkward because I'm so out of practice.. which made me even more nervous. I watched the videos of my first lifts and saw that I just wasn't getting under quick enough!

It wasn't a flawless workout, but it was a good way to break the ice again. I ended up getting 173# fairly easily and failing (on my ass) at 178#.

Then I did two back to back 10min AMRAPs with Matt, just because I hate them..
4 Narrow HSPU, 8 C2B Pull-Ups, 16 GHD Sit-Ups
4 Narrow HSPU, 8 C2B Pull-Ups, 16 24kb KB Swings

I'll post the video of my Snatch Balance workout.. the good the bad and the fails, as soon as I figure out how to use Imovie.

It feels GREAT to be training again. I feel as stoked as when I first started all over again :D

Muscle-Ups!

I need to get my muscle-ups back! I was expecting 7 or 8, but no such luck.. not with that apparent lack of dip strength. I'm going to start doing just a few a day. I've still never hit my goal of 10 in a row.. The most I've ever done is 7. But I think I could get it with a little practice.

BTW.. what on earth are those muscles sticking out at the bottom of my pull-ups??... Oh My Gosh.. I don't know how I feel about that! :/

Jerk!

158# split jerk.. with an OHS thrown in just for fun. I was having an off day today. My PR is 180# but I just wasn't feelin' it today.. Some days ya got it, and some, ya don't.

LONDON!

I'm in LONDON! For three weeks!

So far I've been too nervous to turn my camera over to a stranger... so no pictures of me on the streets so far. Maybe I'll be bold tomorrow and ask someone.

I can't believe how much different it is here. I thought London would be exactly like NYC with different accents. But NO! NYC is much easier to navigate since it's laid out like a grid. It seems like London is made up of a bunch of circles and creepy alley ways! I'm sure I'll get oriented after a few more days. Al it will take is getting lost for a few more hours and finding my way.

I'm open to any suggestions of things to see out here!

I'm going to visit the CrossFit gyms for sure. It will be nice to see some friendly faces.
I'm going to do the typical tourist things as well.. I figure a bus tour will give me some ideas of places to go.

As exciting as it is to be in a new place, I miss my love terribly! And our little puppy, too!
I can't wait for us to be together again!

Before I got on the plane to London at JFK, I stopped for 2 days in NYC to visit with my family. My Mama and I went to Lost Battalion Hall for some Olympic Lifting. It was so nice to be told what to do and to have my technique corrected. I'm always the trainer now and never the trainee. God, do I miss having a coach!

The coaches there insisted I compete in some upcoming competition. Who Knows! That sounds like HEAVEN! It would be excellent to have something to train for.. something that I really love. Lord knows I love lifting - I love every aspect of it..

When I think OLY lifting I think Aimee and I can't lift an ounce compared to her. It really is a magnificent thing watching her lift. She's so fucking fast and Fearless getting under that bar.

My heaviest jerk is only 185 but I've yet to power clean it. 175 is my best there. And I'm not even sure I'm lifting right around there this minute.. I have been neglecting my training more than I'd like these days.. But maybe with the right coaching and training I can get that and even surpass it. The thought of it is exciting! If only to work on something I really enjoy.

They said there aren't too many Americans that are into Olympic Lifting and even less women. That seemed strange to me since almost every girl I know clean and jerks. But I guess in the regular world it's fairly uncommon. I see that shifting in the not too distant future.

Those guys at LBH looove talking smack about CrossFitting though! The first thing they said to me was "You could have been such a good lifter, but you decided to teach people how to jog instead!"... They were half joking but I think if I broke out some kipping pull-ups we'd end up in a heated debate ;) I only do strict pull-ups there!

I would have to visit NYC more often to train with them, but that wouldn't be hard since their gym is about 3 minutes from my Mom's house! Then I could see her, watch her clean and jerk and snatch and such (hehehe) and get in some quality coaching.
I'm sure Brendan can help me as well. But you know how it is trying to train someone you love. It never really turns out right... I can't stand training my Mom! A much as I love her she drives me nutso!

I've been running more than I ever and I love it! Pfffft! no really, I still can't seem to enjoy it. But I can do it for longer and feel like I'm getting a little faster.. and for sure a little lighter. Runs around London are cool. The people watching makes it slightly less torturous!

CHEERS!!! ;D

When did diaries become a public thing? How strange.

It's amazing how much the internet has changed things.

CrossFit Obsession.com

Our website is back up and running! CrossFit Obsession.com will be where Brendan and I will post the WOD everyday. All of our gym information including scheduling, pricing, address, contact information will all be there.

Check it our daily for the new WOD and to post your scores and comments!

Our higher pull-up bar is up and being used! Hooray! The womens bar, the 12ft bar for rings and the sound wall are all being finished today! That means we'll have our full schedule starting on Monday morning and we'll all be getting our pull-ups and ring strength back! Can't wait!

Brendan and I are just so excited. We're high on life and loving every minute of being back in the gym with our friends!

Tuesday, March 23rd

Warm-Up:
3 500m Row Sprints with a 2min rest
Burgener Warm-Up

WOD:
20 Walking Lunges
10 HSPU
10 GHD Sit-Ups
20 Walking Lunges
9 HSPU
9 GHD Sit-Ups
20 Walking Lunges
.... 8 - 1


Yesterday was a killer day! We got a ton of painting done and the gym is starting to feel put together. But what's even better than that was the vibe in the gym all day. It was so much fun to have everyone talking, laughing, training hard, looking good and then talking and laughing again afterward. That's what CrossFit is about - it's not just about the tough workout. It's that you can get so much more out of just being in the gym- a great encouraging group of people who you enjoy chatting with!

Everyone looked so happy! I know I am! I can't remember the last time I was so excited. I can't wait for each class to start and get to talk to all of the cool people at our gym before and after the wods. It's just pure heaven for B and Me.

Thanks to everyone who's making the gym what it is - the gym is all about our people!!!

Warm-Up:
-Easy 250m Row
-Tabata Row
-Burgener Warm-Up

WOD:
5 Rounds for Time:
21 Deadlifts
15 Front Squats
9 Push Jerks
135/95#

Aim to use the trigger point tools before or after your wod.

The 5:30 and 6:30 classes did great this morning. I love when everyone is so focused on dialing in their technique. It always pays off in the end!

Brendan and I will be in the gym again all day finishing the paint on the shelves for the medballs and the cubbies for keys and things. It's all starting to come together. Lots of cleaning on the agenda as well!!

We're adding open gym hours from noon - 5:30pm when class starts. Either Brendan or I will be there training privates or just hanging out watching and helping you guys train!


See you in the GYM!

Another step in the right direction

I painted one of the corners of our gym yesterday with my friends Lou and Alicia. The finished product is always so satisfying. Today I'm painting some shelving.. It's going to look even better once the black rubber flooring is in.

The sound wall and pull-up bars should be all finished by the middle of the week and we're ordering the rubber flooring to cover the entire gym probably tomorrow. Lou, Alicia and I are going to paint that big wall next weekend. But most of the walls are going to be pressure washed and stay bare exposed brick.

I'm going to take some more pictures of the gym but it's hard to get an idea for the whole space because it's tough to get it all in the picture!

I can't wait for all the painting to be done, the wall to be up, the rubber flooring to be installed and the bars and rings to be in! It's all happening so fast. It's great to have the help of some of our friends getting this place running. Jonathan spent hours and hours with Brendan yesterday teaching him about Excel, Alicia and Lou spent their day with be walking around looking like smurfs and Tonys company is working on the Wall!

I'm so excited about all of this.. Brendan and I are just so thrilled and relieved that all of the people we're spending our time with are the best of the best.

Annddd it's BACK!

CrossFit Obsession is back up and running! Hooray.

Brendan and I are so happy to be back at what we love doing most with the people we love. With the guidance and encouragement of some of our closest friends and family we've reopened CrossFit Obsession.

We're committed to providing an all encompassing fitness program and community for our people. This time, without any partners of any kind, except each other of course, we'll be able to stay true to the CrossFit model. Our focus is on the individuals, building relationships and making sure that every single person has all of their fitness and nutrition needs met.

That's what it's always been about for both of us.

So, here's the deal with our gym today:

We're installing a sound wall this weekend which should be done by the middle of the week. Until then, we have classes at 5:30 & 6:30am, 5:30 & 6:30pm and a 9am on Saturday. Once it's finished we'll be adding classes at 9, 10 and noon.

We have 4 bathrooms and a shower and plan on adding another in the future. We have all the equipment from the old gym and are ordering some of the extra things that we missed havng there.. like fractional plates.. Those things come in handy! I can't wait for the ropes to get in and to get paint on the walls this weekend!

It's all very exciting! It's been a dream of mine to have my very own CrossFit gym.. Now I have one with the greatest man on earth!

Our official website is going to be up in a day or two. It will be way more hightech than this one but I'll post the workouts and pictures here until it's up.

You can e-mail or call Brendan or Me for any information:
Brendan: cfBrendan@gmail.com 831-566-4564
Allison: AllisonNYC127@gmail.com 757-373-6888

CrossFit Obsession is No More

Where do I start?

My loyalty has been and will always be to CrossFit, Greg and everyone I've met and trained with along the way - my CrossFit family. I am forever grateful for everything I've gained from being part of such a strong, positive community.

Brendan and I started up CrossFit Obsession (before it was CFO) with good intentions. Our goal was to expose new people to CrossFit and get them moving beautifully. We can proudly say we've accomplished that goal.

We've loved every minute of training with our people. It's been a blessing to have touched so many lives. We've made great friends and watched them hit tons of PRs along the way. This includes all the members of ADS. A very satisfying, proud feeling. That is the one good thing that came out of CFO.

Our e-mails are overflowing and our phones are blowing up with people asking us to keep them in the loop because "they'll go anywhere we go".

Brendan and I will be opening a gym for all of the people who want to continue doing CrossFit with us. All the people we've been training with privately.. We never had any intention of leaving anyone in the dust. We'll be stoked to keep up what we started!

The first people at Obsession were there because Luke gave them a free membership to the gym. Not because they knew anything about CrossFit or wanted to go out and try it. That was awesome (although a strategic business move from a big business man to get a bunch of trained people in the door for free words of mouth for him when he decided to open his doors to the public).

So to those people I suppose I can understand why they would say we're selfish for taking away their free membership. And that they would say Luke is such a generous man. I suppose in that respect he was generous to his minions.

That's the reason B got in business with him in the beginning.. he seemed like a good enough guy.

But what those people don't see or care to see is that it was really Greg Glassman that has been generous with his equipment, LENDING it out to them for over a year and a half and with his program by giving it to all of us for free everyday.

It was Luke and his partners Rob, Nick and Robin who intended to exploit those gifts and Brendan and Me (also products of Greg's teaching).

Those "stand up guys" said things like "we want 2,000 members and we hope none of them show up." I had to sit through meetings hearing things like that with my hand over my mouth to stop the puke from coming out! Their ideas which they pushed on us over and over were so contrary to our own. But time and time again, B and I got outvoted.. until we ended up with what we had. Something that, besides the innocent members, we didn't believe in.

I could no longer put my head on my pillow at night without feeling like I was betraying my community. I wasn't willing to do that, no matter the cost.

Those former members will NOT be left in the dust. Brendan and I will have a place for all of them and we'd be thrilled to train with all of them again. There are also several gyms in the area.. but none of them are free.

We Need them to keep it up. We LOVE the people we've been training and would be heartbroken to see all their hard work go down the tubes. We still care just as much as we have for the last year and a half.

Sadly, it's those people who you see up above, who post anonymously, who are just ticked off that they've lost their free membership.
They won't bite the hand that feeds.

There are ADS people who are reaching out to us, too. They've said they don't care about politics because all they know is that B and I have loved them and taught them and they wouldn't find better trainers anywhere.

Andy, I know it might seem like there isn't anything to celebrate. It royally stinks that CFO had to come to an end. It's as much of a loss to B and me as it is for you all. We hate it. But it could have been avoided if they just listened to us..
What we'll end up with is the same program void of all of the politics. A place for all of you to continue with CF and us. We'd love more than anything to have you. You can be my demo-boy anytime ;) And THAT is something to celebrate.

It's heartbreaking for Brendan and I because we invested a year and a half teaching them CF. Putting our hearts, energy and ALL of our time into them. Waking up at 5am and getting home at 9 at night. But still, they just understood CFO... not CF. When the stuff hit the fan, they didn't show any faith in us. They assumed we "stole" the equipment and left everyone hanging. Thanks, guys. Good luke...

Moral of the story - Beware of getting into business with people who don't share your vision or principles.

And stand up for what you believe in and the people you love.

Thank you, Greg and everyone in CrossFit who contributed to setting us free from those big business men. We'll go on to do what we do best in the true spirit of CrossFit.

It's my Birthday!

Brendan and I are taking off in a couple of days to go back to Santa Cruz. It's been a year since he's been there and much longer for me. I'm looking forward to meeting his parents, family and old friends. It's going to be a great vacation... and we need it!

Is it too much?

So, the other day I was doing back squats with Brendan and a few of his training buddies. I've been doing them for over two years now so the weight on the bar has become just another number. But that day I had to step back a realize what I was doing.

My back squat for 1Rep is 260. That day I was doing multiple reps at 240, easily. The only reason I stopped going up that day is because Brendan brought it to my attention that I was out lifting more than his friend.

I don't know who was more freaked out - his friend because he was lifting less than a girl or me that I was lifting more than a guy. I think it was me.

Way back when I started CrossFit I looked up to the women who were lifting hundreds of pounds and had big muscles. But the deeper in it I get the more I realize what my priorities are.

I want to be strong, but when is enough enough? How strong do I really need to be?

If this is really about preparing yourself for real life, then wouldn't the realistic thing be to work on being really cute so my boyfriend will want to lift all the heavy things for me???
I have a boyfriend who can lift over 500# off the ground. Why does it matter if I can lift 250?

I know there are plenty of women that can lift tons more than me and 260 may seem like a toothpick to some of you. Some of them may be hot as hell, too. But, I won't ever compete in the CrossFit Games or do any other kinds of fitness or strength competitions. So what's my motivation?

Does anyone know about elevated testosterone levels in women with heavy lifting? What really happens inside a woman's body when they get so strong? I'm really curious about this subject. Any information would be appreciated. I'll surely be doing my own research.

I'm considering easing off on the lifting. I've always put an emphasis on strength training, because I think it's important to be strong and healthy.
But have we decided if there's such a thing as "too strong"?


I'm half kidding, but really.....
What's worse: having a weak squat or having your picture posted on Androgen Friday!?

Washington D.C. with B and Izzy!

We needed and deserved a mini break from the gym. We work so hard and so many hours so it was so fun and refreshing to get away for the weekend. Izzy came along of course! It was her first vacation and she loved trotting around and sightseeing. She's so stinkin' cute and Brendan is even cuter when we walks with her. It's adorable.