Catalyst Fitness

The Ringer

She thought she was a beginner. 

She believed that, as a novice, she was starting from ground zero.  That she'd have to learn everything from scratch.

But she's been doing "from scratch" for a long time already.  Jessica King, non-exerciser, already had all the habits of the elite: dedication despite boredom.  An expectation of hard work, not perfection.  The ability to shrug off the previous day's win or loss, and focus on the task at hand.

Jess had to follow the "specific carbohydrate" diet for over a year. Visiting friends for dinner, she'd pre-cook her own meal and carry it along.  While others dove headfirst into the Carbohydrate Culture of Sault Ste. Marie, she settled for spaghetti squash. 

We didn't turn Jess into an athlete; the pump was already primed.  The lid was loosened.  The engine was revved.  Rather than give a push, we just released the clutch.  In her own words:

1) when you started, was it your intention to gradually ramp up into CrossFit groups?

Honestly, I can’t say I really had any intentions when I started. I’ve always been pretty low energy and I was tired of feeling tired.  Since I was already very diligent about my diet, the only thing left to try was exercise.  I had no desire to join any of the other fitness clubs and Bryan was already a member, so I ended up at Catalyst.  

2) what's the hardest part?

The hardest part for me is breathing! I also really struggle with kips and I hate the blisters I get. I have a really hard time with pullups (prone rows). I also find it difficult to organize my schedule to make sure I fit in all my homework. Whether or not I fit my workouts in depends on the night before. I need to be in bed early and I have to get everything ready before the morning or I won’t make it.

3) where have you excelled (for instance, what came easy to you?) Since I am new, I don’t feel that anything came easy to me.  Some things were definitely harder than others.  The squats killed me at the beginning but they are definitely getting easier. I don’t really know if I excelled at anything in particular.

4) What skill would you like to spend more time on? I would like to practice kipping more.  I really don’t like it because I find it hard. The only way to like it is to get better.

5) any events you'd like to do in 2010 (Murph, Baseline Week, Heroes Week, FranFest, Fight On Friday, Catalyst Games, midnight 5k?)
I should be able to try Murph and I would like to try Fight On Friday but it all depends on what else is going on.

...what else would you like to add?

I would like to add that I never thought I would enjoy my workouts so much.  They are my favorite part of the day.  It is something I do for just for me.  They benefit no one else. During the 20 minutes or so that I am there, I can’t worry about anything except my next breath.  I find it truly relaxing. (I bet no one else told you your workouts are relaxing!) I can’t wait to see what else I can learn to do.

Sebastien 2.0

Nearly a year ago, Sebastien Wetzel was the feature of an article in the CrossFit Journal.  The essay was a good insight into the training of a high-level athlete who faces a different learning process than most. 

But the essay also got Sebastien a lot of fans. 

And so, when 'Baba' - to his family and friends - showed absolute glee at a bench press PR in the below video, you could hear the cheering all the way downtown.  Kids with autism aren't supposed to care, right?  This video shows the pride that can come only from accomplishment.  We all feel it; kids with autism aren't supposed to be able to demonstrate emotion  Right?

These days, Baba's set some goals.  For one, he'd like to compete in the Special Olympics. He's been training with Coach Tyler to that end, but he's gone from "let's play catch!" to "move your elbows quicker!  Kip harder!  Get your hips down!"  His technique is the envy of most.  His progress is always upward-bound.   When he achieves a goal, the next is immediately set.  It's an instructional lesson for the rest of us.

How An Insurance Bureaucrat Saved My Life - Ted Fryia

Most people call him "coach." 

Long before I met Ted, I knew him by reputation: talking to his oldest kid (Brent) about mental imagery years ago, he said, "yeah, my dad did that stuff with us since we were kids."  He's produced some of the best athletes to come out of the Sault.  He's been a big part of the foundation of Sault wrestling for decades. He's a great athlete (ask him to show you handstand pushups on the parallettes when you see him at the Park.)  And he still washes the mats, too.  

So when "Coach" Fryia emailed me this essay last night, I thought, "this will be a great post....next week."  After all, it's Heroes Week.  There's a lot of new content on our site already.  But then, as I caught myself changing my facebook status to quote Ted, I knew I had to get it out there today.  Enjoy.

When one thinks of an insurance bureaucrat, the picture that often comes to mind is of someone sitting in an office overlooking Bay Street in Toronto in his over-stuffed white shirt.  He’s probably chomping down on a jelly doughnut and poking at the number pad on his computer, doing his actuarial duty, creating some new statistical pattern to justify jacking up our rates.  Or maybe it’s some other guy who denies payment on a claim because of some missed fine print.  But I bet it’s never of someone who might have saved a life.

It wasn’t for me either.  Not until recently.  Not until my life insurance company informed me, through the mail no less, that they were cancelling my life insurance policy.    The reason stated in the letter was something about the presence of an irregular heartbeat, indicated on the echocardiogram I’d had during a physical.  That’s ridiculous, I thought.  How could they do that to me?!  Didn’t they know I was an athlete – at one time?  Didn’t they know how many kilometers I used to run every week?  Didn’t they know what I once bench pressed when I was only 155 pounds?  And even if they didn’t, surely someone who’d never met me didn’t have the right to make such a judgment.

While my wife urged me to call my doctor to get more information and send a letter to the insurance company, I did some digging around of my own.  And that’s when I discovered the real reason that doughnut addicted shirt looked at that ECG printout then stamped CANCELLED across my file.  It was sloth.  Not his – mine!  Over the years my inner sloth had convinced the rest of me to follow the path of least resistance.  You work hard, you’ve got a family to take care of and there’s no time for anything else, it kept saying.  At first I battled.  But eventually the battle turned into nothing more than a shoving match.  And truth be known, after a while I wasn’t even pushing back all that hard. 

In hindsight, I wonder where that disciplined self, the one that used to bully sloth mercilessly, had limped off to.  Why didn’t it tell sloth to hit the bricks, and let it be known that to take care of your loved ones you’ve got to take care of yourself. But sloth had teamed with pride.  And pride was still living in the past where it was too arrogant to consider what it was seeing in the mirror, and that the lack of energy it was experiencing was only temporary – if it did something about it.   

And you’d think living in my house, with sons who are both athletes of some repute, and with who it looks like fitness will be life long, would have motivated some part of me to change course.  The constant ribbing about “being on the program”, but not sticking with it, the comments about getting older, then the callouts, “I think I can take you now”, should not even have been necessary.  But they had little effect, other than to kick start a volley of wisecracks, usually ending with pride getting in on the banter and telling them how “we might just have to old-school ‘em”.  But deep down I knew, if a tournament ever broke out in my house, third place was as good a finish as I could hope for.  And since my wife, Katherine, had been working hard herself, beginning a couple of years ago with personal training sessions and recently becoming one of the Barbell Betties, maybe fourth place was more realistic.  And of course there’s Lisa, Brent’s significant other, the daughter we never had: maybe fifth place?

(right: old-school 'em!)

 A terrible family history of high blood pressure and heart disease was not something my inner sloth even cared about.  But the wake-up call from the insurance company, to be frank, scared me more than a little.  That’s when some other part of me, that old prideful and stubborn part, got into it.  There was no way sloth and someone who squeezed numbers for a living was going to make decisions about my future.  It was time to push back.  Hard!

I was familiar with the crossfit philosophy.  It had been a staple of my training when I was young: the intensity of crossfit and its total body concept is just about the closest you can get to high level wrestling training.  And my early visits to Catalyst confirmed what the rest of my family had been saying; super staff, the right atmosphere, right approach and a lot of great and inspirational people are what make it the right fit.  And the place to old-school that inner sloth. 

In the beginning, I started slowly.  There was a part of me that was still holding back – not going all out.  Knowing myself, I was concerned with starting back with a 20-something year old mindset and this 50-something year old body.  And there was the doctor’s warning to, “not overdo it”.  I also worked to keep my natural competitiveness in check for the first six or eight months, but as time went on I had sloth on the run, and the hesitation that held me back was losing its grip. 

I think I turned the corner on the day of Franfest.  Until then I hadn’t pushed to whatever my limit had become.  Even getting ready the weeks before – learning and practicing the butterfly kip – I never attempted to hit top end.  But that would change.

Going in that morning I knew there would be no holding back.  Waiting my turn, I was not only caught by the wave of energy in the building, I was truly inspired by the others who went before me, and none more than my own wife, Katherine, who pushed so hard through her sets despite the fact that the weight she was using was too heavy.  Even though I was frustrated with not being able to string as many butterfly pull-ups together as I thought I should, I pushed across that personal threshold and to my limit.  And my time?  I didn’t get a look at the clock before I began, so I might have done Fran in – under a minute? 

Yeah, yeah, I know it’s a stolen joke, but I feel as if, with an assist from an insurance bureaucrat, I’ve stolen a portion of my life back – at least a better quality to it.  So now I’m planning on making my sixtieth birthday the new thirty.  I’ve even got a special 60^th birthday workout planned for that day – at Catalyst in 2015.  If you’re around, join me.          

The High-Angle Entry

We frequently refer to CrossFit as, "The Sport of FItness."  The discipline requires to to think and behave like an athlete; to plan your day and your eating according to the events planned for that day. Like no other fitness model, it requires you to do things on purpose.

This is a major lifestyle change for most people.  Most people, for example, don't eat strategically to improve performance.  Most people have no reason NOT to eat Shreddies for breakfast and say, "good enough!" Most people have no reason NOT to listen to Dr. Phil, or not to believe the Part-Of-This-Balanced-Breakfast! lie that allows us to fool ourselves to death. 

Jeremy Paquin is not most people.  Jeremy's an athlete. 

Ask him to name his sport, and he'll hesitate.  He's an adventure racer, yes; he's also a hockey player, cyclist, endurance runner..... and CrossFitter.  I asked Jeremy for his impressions of CrossFit the sport: 

1. Most people here know you; can you quickly outline your competitive background?

I played hockey competitively until age 16, went away to play junior only to return home a month later to focus on my grades. In my early 20's I began to spend more and more time in the mountains and woods, which then evolved into a healthy addiction to running and adventure racing.

2. Are you doing mostly CrossFit now, or are you supplementing with other stuff?
I am trying to balance CrossFit with running and mountain biking in the summer months, and skiing and hockey in the winter.

3. Competitive events planned for 2009/2010:

I enjoyed the four major 2009 events that I competed in so much that I may repeat the same: Run the Great Lakes; Frontier Adventure Challenge; 8 Hours Superior Singletrack; and the CrossFit Games.

4. At CrossFit events, do you feel greater pressure to perform, given your athletic background?

Personally, I find the competitive spirit to CrossFit is greatly internalized. I am competing against myself, the clock, and perhaps with age itself.

5. Do you find that you have to change technique on exercises (ie pullups) to do better at CrossFit?

I am constantly thinking about efficiency of movement, whether I am carrying a sandbag, scrambling to the top of a muddy trail, or throwing weight around. The thought of "technique" often preoccupies my mind during the most grueling or mundane activities.

6. What's your opinion on CrossFit as a sport on its own?

Recently I bumped into a childhood friend of mine. I hadn't seen him for perhaps more than a decade. However, we are friends on facebook so he had viewed images of my latest endeavours (including the large collection of Crossfit Games photos). Within minutes of striking up a conversation, he asks: "So what is this voodoo you've been doing?" I chuckled, somewhat uncomfortably, to the thought of a long lost childhood friend viewing me as some kind of witch doctor. Crossfit has such a broad range of varied exercises and elements, that the average person does find it foreign. But like all new sports, they initially appear extreme, foreign, or "voodoo", much like long distance running in the 70's, triathlon in the 80's, adventure racing and mountain biking in the 90's, or even mixed martial arts in recent years. In time, CrossFit will be viewed as a sport on its own.

Jeremy was third overall at Catalyst Games 2009.  He was second as Rx'd at FranFest.  He's a climber;  his running background makes him an early favourite for Murph 2009.  Will he be there?  Will he finally take home the title?  Only one way to find out.

In A Single Bound

Tears streaming down her face, Nadia tried again. Her muscles flexed just right. Her arms swung perfectly. Her jaw clenched; her abs tightened. But her feet wouldn't leave the ground. She took a step back, and a step forward again. Clenched. Braced. Willed. But didn't jump.

That devilish box may only be 14 inches tall, but that sucker grows with every missed attempt. Size it up all you want; it can smell fear. Just high enough to trip over, it's a major barricade for a lot of people at the gym.

Face wet and pink, Nadia kept going. Laughing at herself, swearing like the honest Portuguese she is, she alternated between missed attempts and kicking the box. It was painful to watch; every halted jump made my legs tense up. If I could have done it for her, I would have. But that's not what we're about here.

Holding PVC pipe in each hand, she ski-jumped up - plop! - and landed perfectly. One foot at a time? No problem. A galloping stepup? Easy. Take off on two feet and on two? Incomprehensible.

Diastis Sympis Pubis happens when the ligament between the pubic bone is stretched greater than 1cm. ..to put into perspective a regular gap in the pubic bone is 4-5mm...mine, was 2.5cm, it was now considered a complete separation, a tear. DSP can be attributed to a car accident , or falling from a horse, mine was from childbirth. March 10, 2008.

Laying in the hospital bed I knew something wrong had happened. I had no control of my lower half of my body...to get to my recovery room, i needed a wheelchair. To get into bed I needed my dad, my brother, my fiancé..whoever was there to help. In recovery I noticed that my right leg would involuntarily start moving outwards...i couldn’t stop it. As much as i tried to move my leg back onto the bed, i couldn’t...i had to scream for a nurse to come catch my leg. Looking back I’m not sure why no one thought this strange, why to get to the bathroom took me 20 minutes getting there by dragging my feet...to actually take one normal step was now impossible. My legs didn’t come off the ground more than 1 inch.

The next few months was not what i expected coming home with a new baby girl. I was in bed, my mattress now lowered to the floor so I could very carefully back in. When I did sleep, I could only sleep flat on my back. Rolling or turning in any way was not an option and has only just became an option early this year. I didn’t get to bathe my baby for 2 months. When company came over, we were restricted to the upstairs because I couldn’t walk downstairs...my legs only shuffled....my eyes never left the space where my next step would be for fear that i would slip...this fear still exists. To get in and out of the car, i backed in, grabbed my pants and lifted both legs into the car...i couldn’t separate them. To get dressed I used the aid of a long metal claw thingy that opened and closed in on anything within 3 feet, and if this wasn’t available ... my 5 year old coming over to put my socks on for me when I couldn’t. The worst perhaps was not being able to get down on the floor and play with my new baby girl....because I was by myself at home and if I sat down I couldn't get up. Things that i never stopped for one second to think about were now virtually impossible without help. Months later the pain was still overwhelming, my lower back felt like it was on fire, the chiropractor didn’t help. My physiotherapist helped with the pain and helped with some range of movement. But my strength was gone, & my confidence in the ability to take care of myself and my girls was shattered.. Someone could’ve walked over to me and raised a finger..I would’ve buckled...i went in a lion, and came out a lamb.

Over 1 year had passed and although i could now walk, sleep, sit and drive myself,....I was still very aware of everything i did, things still clicked, popped and numbness in my leg was an everyday thing, fearing a slip or a tear putting me back to the place i don’t ever want to go. My fiancé had done this awesome interview with a guy named Chris Cooper. I looked him up..researched him..read about him...My favourite thing now was to google everything.. since i spent many many hours laying in a bed ,. I was on a need to know basis. I mentioned his name to Dom, and thats about all it took. Dom got the ball rolling for me, apparantly emailing him. I hesitantly added Chris as my friend to facebook...but I never messaged...I was a chicken. He apparently is not. He made our first appointment to meet August 19^{th, 2009} 4:30pm, he had already researched DSP .... To say thank you wouldn't do Chris justice..I haven’t looked back since.

And so, an eternity later, we set the sticks down. We jumped, landing on one foot at a time. Her shoes made a "pat....pat" sound as they landed. "Speed up the feet." I said. She did: "Pat..pat." "Quicker," I said. "Pat-pat!" We were close. "Together!" I yelled. She hesitated once. I had a moment of doubt. And then, she rose.....

Nadia Amaral does box jumps. 10 in a row! Not in picture: cheering women.

Client Stories: Nicole Gignac

I've been trying to stay in the zone as much as possible, (it's so much harder when you work at starbucks !) I've been going to the gym almost everyday whenever i have time, usually on my lunch breaks. I did 3 of the mini clinics which have helped ALOT. I have been running the trail a bit and praticing linking pull ups. On monday I did the first 3 events, two before school and one on my lunch break so that I can get an idea of how my body is going to respond on game day. I have also been going for some active release sessions and icing like crazy.

I think I am the only one who actually loves double unders, i wish there were more in the events. I love squats, box jumps, i can do pull ups....

I am probably weakest at overhead stuff, my upper body isn't nearly as strong as my legs. I also really really don't like running, not looking forward to event #4 haha.
I tend to totally psych myself out before races and compititions, I think too much.

Oh and my friends think I'm crazy.

Client Stories: Pam Didonato

I am 46 years old. I have had Multiple Sclerosis since 1987 so I am in my 23rd year.  My disability is my lower extremities.  I have been with Catalyst Fitness since it's inception and with Chris Cooper for 6 years in October.  I have been a fitness club member for twenty two years.  Before me being diagnosed with MS I was very active in any sport that was available to me.  My favourite was softball and basketball.  Six years ago my workouts were uneventful, I was bored and tired of doing to what I have to stay strong and co-ordinated.   I found my workouts to be harder and harder to get though.  Though another of one of Chris's clients I made contact with Chris.  I wanted him to do my thinking for me.  I did not want to think of creating my own workouts any longer, I was mentally exhausted.  Chris provided different workouts on a weekly basis for me, all I had to was JUST DO IT!!.  If I am paying to get the program and paying for a gym membership I will do it.  Chris has brought out challenges for me that I did not think I would ever complete.  The result is I MET AND ACCOMPLISHED EACH AND EVERY CHALLENGE so far even though recovery is a little longer than I like.  My co-cordination, timing and strength have to find it's way back to my normal state.  For some reason when I complete my challenge I seem to think that I can do even better.  Yes Chris hears my complaints (nagging) but I still do what he wants at times he will give in to a compromise and alter an exercise.

 

Cross Fit gives me the variety of workouts as well the extreme challenge that by the end of the workout, all I can say is wow I did it.  My workouts depends 100% on technique and if my lower extremities legs, knees and/or co-ordination is off  in any way it makes my workout even more difficult.  When this haappens I am not satisfied.  Fustration sets in because I know I can do better.  Sometime I just have to wait for the next day.  Chris has brought me through the great days and the hard days of my physical being.  I consider myself to be hard headed, determined and selfish to let MS take over me and I won't let that happen.  

So far it worked.  Going to the fitness club is a social thing for me as well due to many people that I met and know, I always look forward to talking with them each time I go and workout.   My favourite is ending my program riding the stationary bike and talking with people as they come in and as they go out.  I always say the best part of the working out is ending with a hot shower.  Now I can say my work out is done.

 

After 23 years I know that Fitness, my job (Fed. Gov. Office Clerk), and mental stability is the right RX for me.  I am able to work, travel and spend my time the way I want, I have no problem the way my life goes.  By the way, having the right people, friends and family makes it easier as well. 

Pam has competed at Fight On Friday (April,) Baseline Week (May), and done most of the named CrossFit WODs on her own.  Her lack of deterioration continues to surprise her doctors in London.

 

Client Stories: Troy Woods

Just getting to the gym as much as I can as well as working on improving my cardio.
2. What type of WOD is your strength?
I “love” high reps of non technical moves. Box jump, wall ball etc.
3. Where are you weakest?
My biggest challenge is technical lifts, Snatch, Clean

Since moving to the Sault last year and starting up a real estate sales business, my physical fitness has been put on the backburner. Up until a couple of years ago I trained and competed in Muay Thai Kickboxing with a great club in Calgary. I was looking for motivation to help me train at the same intensity as is required for competing in the Ring. I’ve found that with Catalyst, while Chris does punch (my card) for the group sessions I have yet to receive a black eye. The almost always open schedule of Catalyst has allowed me to remove scheduling as an excuse. The encouragement from other Catalyst members is great.

Client Stories: Jeremy Paquin

I was first attracted to adventure racing ten years ago simply because I wasn't good at any one thing. I couldn't win single discipline events on foot, mountain bike, or in a boat. However, I found that I could spend many consecutive hours, or days, alternating between mountain biking, trekking, and paddling, and keep up with the leaders.

For me, Crossfit has the same appeal as adventure racing, and that's why I find myself registered for the Catalyst Games and ready to compete.

Beyond the WOD, I ride the single track trails at Hiawatha, play recreational hockey, trail run, seek out backcountry adventures, and try to keep up to my 8 year old son!

I have strong performances for Micheal and Cindy and most other WOD's that involve running and body weight movements.

Throwing weight around is probably my weakest link. In the past year I have fluctuated from 152lbs to 170lbs, trying to narrow down my ideal weight.

Client Stories: Darren Linquist

Biking, hiking, running event 1 several times per week, routine exercises at home as often as I can; ie. pushups, squats, dips etc. Gotta get a pullup bar at home. During my work day, when I visit customers, I seldom ever take the elevator up or down. It's stairs if I can. My wife Mary Ann wants to try the stairs at the CN Tower. Learning as much as I can about nutrition, and attempting to plan our family meals. For the past 8 months, I have passed on the sugary snacks that arrive on Friday mornings at our office. Tempting, but not interested.

This is tough, as I have enjoyed almost all of them. Leg work is probably my strength at the moment, squats, etc. I have been focusing on strength and endurance as well as cardio during the summer. I plan to be ready to go come cross country ski season. I enjoy the varied WOD, keeps the interest levels high.

Some of the technical exercises, like double unders have been and still are challenging. I would have to say upper body strength is my weakest, with core strength right behind,... [May 09, Zero pullups,... September 09 - 3 to 5 pullups <-Thanks to Coach Cooper and Coach Kubis.] Knees to elbows is a bit of a stretch, but not for long, right now knees to chest is where I am at. Core strength is very important. I recall a friend of mine telling my family and I, as we prepare for skiing, focusing on core strength is very important. I have had lower back problems over the past 20 years, and I have found that since I have been working out at The Park, 3 to 4 times per week, my back has become stronger.

My goal at Catalyst Games 2009 is to complete all the events, do my best, give 100%. I plan to do alot of observing during the games, to see how other atheletes prepare, eat, recover between events. Event though the events will be punishing at time, I plan to have fun!

One final thought,... I appreciate Coach Cooper and his staff. The coaches are friendly, often offering words of encouragement. They all have their own personalities, but they have a common denominator,... their passion to strive for excellence, and I have witnessed first hand that this passion is contageous! I've got the Fever!
Thank you Mary Ann for inviting me to Catalyst and entering our entire family in the 2009 Games.