Sugar Attack

I'm sorry it's been too long since I last updated this blog. When things get busy and energy levels get low this tends to be the first thing to drop off the radar. We are still here and we are still training hard every week.

A lot happened last month, first off I attended the Basic Barbell Certification with Mark Rippetoe at the beginning of the month. That was a great experience and I feel like I came away from that class with a greater understanding about the magic behind some fundamental movements. When I originally thought about this certification I was unsure whether this would be an essential class to have being that it covered some pretty basic movements. After 2 days with Rippetoe I'm glad that I did. Ripp and his crew are extremely knowledgeable in the science of these lifts and have learned some very simple cues trainers can use to teach these basic but technical moves. I think that the Basic Barbell will make a good starting point for when I attend the Olympic Lifting Certification in October (can't wait!).

Other things that are happening around the gym are, Tin Man and I are trying out the CrossFit Football program. We are about a month and a half into it and the main thing I can say it that we are both feeling pretty beat-up. The weight is heavier in the metcons which at 155-160lbs bodyweight can be challenging to say the least. Some of my first observations I can say about it is that anyone wanting to follow the program needs to take the rest days as rx'd. We haven't been doing that mainly because we like to workout Monday to Friday. The downside to this is that I think we are often times on the verge of overtraining. So far we haven't had any injuries (knock on wood) except for the ripped callouses, mostly due to bad maintenance. Also because of this we finally had to break down and give ourselves a few days of rest to heal our hands and shake some of that rundown feeling from our bodies.

I like the incorporation of a Strength Bias into the program, I think as CrossFit matures this will start to be commonplace at Affiliates and maybe on the Mainsite as well. Like Ripp says, is there such a thing as being too strong? I also like what MaxFitUSA is doing. I have even tortured some of my guys with their WODs. One thing I can say is that I really like how they change up their warm-ups and use them to focus on skills and not just to get you ready for the WOD.

I would also like to thank Billy's Blades for making a donation to Havoc Fitness. He is the first to donate and wanted to thank him for his support. William Ellis makes some awesome hand made knives and razors so be sure to check it out.

This last thing I would like to mention is that Ryan will be leaving us at the beginning of July. Ryan is moving on to greener pastures and hopefully we will be hearing about him opening the first CrossFit affiliate in Vermont. Ryan was the first person to call up and train at our little facility so we wish him the best and hope to hear great things from him in the future.

As I always try to do I leave you with this final link. This was as passed to me from Tin Man. Check out Sugar Stacks you might not want that Ben & Jerry's anymore.

You learn more in defeat!

First and foremost I want to commend Jeff Tincher on putting together a great regional qualifier. The events ran seamlessly and the judging was very professional and accurate. While I might disagree with some of the events chosen, mainly because a large majority of the exercises did not cater to my strengths, you would have a hard time arguing that the Mid-Atlantic is not sending the most well rounded Crossfitters to the Games in July. Given the technicality of a lot of the lifts we performed it will be interesting to see how those individuals perform in an event billed by Coach Glassman as “None of the competitors will have done any of the workouts. And perhaps more significantly, none of the athletes will have ever competed in several of the movements.”

Since this was my first Crossfit competition to say I was disappointed in my final standings is an understatement, but I honestly believe that you learn more in defeat than in victory. This year Chris and I tried to practice what WE thought would be events in the games in an attempt to shore up some of my weaker lifts. This methodology was completely wrong, but given we really only had 6 months of dedicated Crossfit training we can’t blame ourselves for that approach. Jeff Tincher exposed me in several Crossfit disciplines that I am below average in and for that I thank him. I can assure you that we will not make the same mistakes next year. This entire year will be dedicated to being great at everything. I will no longer avoid the movements I dislike or disagree with; instead I will attack them like they are my favorite lifts. The beauty of Crossfit is it punishes specialization. It forces you to train in the things you hate and excel at them. I will be a completely different competitor at next year’s qualifier and unlike this year I will not be eagerly waiting for the event coordinator to post the WODs with my fingers crossed hoping the events favor me. Next year every event will favor me.

Mid-Atlantic Qualifiers Day 2

Well for starters we didn't make it in the top 6, or the top 10, or the top 50. At the end of day one the leaders were so far ahead I don't think there was any possible way for us to make up the time. However I wouldn't consider it a failure by any stretch. The competition was really tough and showed some amazing fitness throughout the weekend. I was fearful that Tin Man would have to scale one of the WODs or even run out of time but thankfully that never happened. Not one of the WODs played to his strengths and yet he persevered and managed to finish every WOD without ever having to resort to scaling. We came back that night a little disappointed but I think in the end we will have some good things to work on and hopefully by next year we will be the fire-breathers giving everyone else a run for their money.

Mid-Atlantic Qualifiers Day 1

Today marks the end of the first day of the Mid-Atlantic qualifiers. The competition was no doubt tough. The day one leader has over a 3 minute lead on the rest of the competitors. At the end of the day Craig finished 73rd overall. Although the WODs really didn't cater to his strengths he still finished strong and never came close to running out of time. Craig's first WOD was the 400m Run with Overhead Squats and Box Jumps. In his heat he finished 7th and his final time was 13:20. From there we moved onto the 2k Row, which as anyone who has tried rowing a 2k can attest to is a challenge in itself. At about the 1000m mark your entire body is screaming for you to stop. One thing that was obvious from the beginning was that brute strength and endurance does not make for a faster time. Powerful methodical pulls and having long legs is what wins at the end of the day.

Finally at 2:20 that afternoon Craig moved on to the Deadlift Double-unders WOD. The most impressive time for that WOD ended up being a sub 3 minutes. We had been working on double-unders for that last 2 months but it still wasn't enough to get through the WOD in a competitive time. He still had a respectable time but it wasn't enough to close the gap.

I know that Tin Man is disappointed with today's outcome but I think that it was a positive experience. We will be going back home with a list of skills to work on and add to our arsenal. Next year when we return we will be stronger are more efficient CrossFitters.

If there is one thing I regret is that I didn't sign up for the challenge myself. I know that I didn't have a change of placing, but to be part of an event this amazing would have made it all worth it. The trainers, coaches and competitors we supportive to every athlete regardless if they scaled the workout or couldn't finish within the prescribed time. No matter what my fitness level is next year I will definitely be entering this competition.

Sunday's WOD

21-15-9

Squat Snatch @ 95lbs

Pull-ups

Games

The time has finally come for Tin Man and I to travel down to Virginia Beach. After months of training there is nothing left for us to do but compete. I will be sending updates to my Facebook account throughout the day so if you are interested in seeing how Craig is doing then contact me for a friend request. This should be a challenging weekend and if things go our way we could be traveling to California in July. Here are the workouts Craig will be facing on Saturday.

Saturday's Workouts

Workout #1

Row 2k

Workout #2

3 Rounds for time:

10 Deadlift @ 275lbs

50 Double-unders

Workout #3

For time:

400m Run

21 Overhead Squats @ 95lbs

21 Box Jumps @ 24" box

400m Run

15 Overhead Squats

15 Box Jumps

400m Run

9 Overhead Squats

9 Box Jumps

T-Shirts

I got the first couple t-shirts in yesterday and I'm really happy with the way they turned out. If anyone is interested in purchasing one of these shirts they can follow the buy now link. In the comments section please make sure you specify the size and if you need this shipped to you. Please be aware that shipping is not included in the $40 cost. These are high quality shirts not the cheap undershirts you get at K-mart. As CrossFit says, "It won't make your WOD suck less, but at least you'll look good while puking".

CrossFit Games

The qualifiers are only 8 days away. THERE WILL BE NO CLASSES ON FRIDAY 24 APRIL DUE TO THE QUALIFIERS. I will prescribing a WOD for that day so check back to find out what it is. I will also be posting updates of the events to my Facebook account if anyone is interested in hearing how Craig is doing throughout the weekend. Send me a friend request to hear all about the action. I also hope to get some video of him as well so be sure to keep an eye out for that. Hopefully if things play to our favor we will be traveling to California in July. Keep your fingers crossed.

Basic Barbell Certification

I will be traveling to New Jersey on the 1st of May for the Basic Barbell Certification. I am looking forward to meeting a legend in the CrossFit community, Mark Rippetoe. He has been in the fitness industry for over 30 years and holds a wealth of knowledge about building strength.

Last thoughts

Here is a link passed from Tin Man called "This is why you're fat". It shows some pretty crazy concoctions so consider yourself warned. I almost lost may appetite looking at this. I would also like to hear what you think about the site so post any comments you might have or let me know what kind of things you would like to see.

Havoc Fitness Creed

1. I will promise to do my best. My best will vary from day to day, from hour to hour, from minute to minute. But in that minute I will do the very best I can.
2. If I can run, I run. If I can walk, I walk. When I am forced to crawl, I crawl. And then I rest and live to fight another day.
3. I fear no man, but I fear my workout. If I don't fear my workout, it isn't hard enough.
4. I may puke. I may cry. But I will never quit. EVER!
5. I never cheat. There is no honor in cheating. What joy can there be in a victory I did not earn?

Reprinted from Lalanne Fitness

Standing On Your Head

Last night Tin Man and I went to Mid-Atlantic Gymnastics to receive some much needed gymnastics skills training. The staff there is great and Richard, the owner, had a lot of fun teaching us old guys some cool tricks. I look forward to incorporating some of the things we learned into our workouts. It certainly opened my eyes to other weakness I have and need to work on. (No comments please Tin Man) One can definitely see why CrossFit incorporated gymnastics movements into their program. You quickly understand that gymnasts use some very different muscle groups then someone who does a more traditional GPP or weight training program.

Other News

Our new members Ryan and Neil are blazing through our fundamentals program and they should be meeting some of our benchmark WODs by the end of next week. These guys are progressing at an amazing pace. Ryan, who was already a Kool-aid drinker, is developing his form nicely and is itching to have his intensity challenged. Neil walked in being challenged by the warm-up. In just a few sessions Neil has not only improved his fitness level but is starting to see why CrossFit stands out from other programs. At the rate these guys are going I might just be taking 3 people to the CrossFit Games qualifiers next year. You guys are doing great and I'm glad you decided to join our little gym.

Events

UFC 97 is happening on April 18th and I would like to invite everyone to come by to watch the event. Thales Leites will be fighting Anderson Silva for the middleweight belt. It should be a great fight so let me know if you are interested.

Also happening this month is the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Games Qualifiers. Tin Man and I will be traveling down to Virginia on Friday the 24th so I will not be available for training that day.

Last Word

I purchased a flat bench this week so now we should no longer need to step into a Globo Gym to do any WODs like Linda or Lynne. For now that only leaves a GHD as the last major piece of equipment left to buy. I think once that is completed I will be trying to save some money for the affiliation fee. Right now my goal is to be able to affiliate by the end of the year.

Also, I will be taking orders for shirts this week. On the front it will say "Havoc Fitness" and the back says "Wreaking Havoc in your community" with the website link underneath. These are high quality shirts so they will run about $40 each but they are well worth the money. I can email you the design if you would like a better idea of what these will look like. Let me know by Friday if you want one and what size so I can place the order.

You Know You're CrossFit When

You know you're a CrossFitter when:

1. You tell your friends that you met Pukie at the gym and they have no idea what you're talking about.
2. Your face is red the next day because you spent the previous WOD working on your hand stands.
3. Guys - You talk to your wife/girlfriend about the girls you want to do and she doesn't get mad.
4. Girls - You talk to your husband/boyfriend about the girls you want to do and he does get mad.
5. You bought a pair of Converse All-stars so you can work on your pose running.
6. You spend half your work day going through the CrossFit affiliates page.
7. The other half of your work day is spent going through the CrossFit message boards.
8. You sit in meeting thinking about how to better tighten your core.
9. You can't have one conversation with your friends without mentioning CrossFit.
10. You leave skin on the bar.

Today Tin Man left a good chunk of skin on the bar due to him dropping it on his shins. He still completed the workout but at a body weight of 160 pounds, 115 can get pretty heavy after awhile.

Another top 10 list to check out

Top 10 America's Unhealthiest Restaurants Great! Now I have less choices when eating out.

Defeating Grendel and the Dragon

CrossFit Frederick Challenge

On Sunday Havoc Fitness joined up with CrossFit Frederick to compete in their Beowulf challenge. Tin Man and I pitted ourselves against CrossFit Frederick's top fire-breathers enjoying the much needed competition we usually don't see in our little space. All those that competed in the challenge showed an unbelievable amount of determination and strength of character. Tin Man had an impressive performance showing why he is going to be a tough contender at the CrossFit Games Mid-Atlantic Qualifiers. With a time of under 30 minutes he not only kicked the snot out of Grendel and the Dragon but also had some fight left in him to take out the other CrossFitters.

Although his performance was impressive, the most incredible display of fitness cam from the kids class held just prior to the challenge. The kids challenge was a scaled down version of Beowulf that would make most adults cringe.

Kids Beowulf

500m Row

400m Run

5 rounds of

10 Jumping Pull-ups

15 Push-ups

20 Jumping Ball Slams

400m Run

500m Row

All of the kids completed the WOD in under 30 minutes then a short time later were found running around outside as if they hadn't done a workout. It will be interesting to see these young fire-breathers develop and become a force to be reckoned with. Watch out future CrossFit games challengers, these kids are already in training.

Around the Gym

In less than one week Havoc Fitness is welcoming another member to our humble space. Neil was dragged in by Ryan on Monday who got his first taste of the Kool-aid. We look forward to seeing you grow as a CrossFitter and overcoming new obstacles.

Nothing else too exciting to report, however we did get in some new Iron Woody stretch bands on Monday. This should help those who are having a difficult time with pull-ups as well as provide us with some new movements to help increase our explosive power. I look forward to incorporating them into our WODs in the coming weeks.

Last Word

Here is a good read that I found in my internet travels. Check out the link and post your comments. Characteristics of a World Class Trainee

Challenges

New Faces

We have a new member here in the Havoc garage that I would like to welcome. Ryan is new to CrossFit and seems to be quick to drink the Kool-aid, as soon as he finishes his water. He has shown a lot of motivation and mental strength in just his first two days here. I expect that it won't be long until he is a full fledged beast.

Challenge

Tin Man and I will be traveling out to CrossFit Frederick on Sunday to compete in Beowulf. This will be the first time Tin Man will have some real competition before going to the CrossFit qualifiers. Only 37 more days to go and we still have a long road ahead of us. As for his injury, I think he is healing well and making progress. As long as we don't do anything that aggravates it he should be good to go.

Around the Gym

I managed to level the lifting platform which was a lot bigger challenge then I expected. I think it would have been easier to level the floor that it was to level the platform. Still ahead is to build some better boxes and hopefully increase the platform size by two feet.

Nothing left to report so I will leave this link as a final thought.

Better Equipment = Better Fitness

Latest News

Not much has been going on at the gym but there are a lot of things in the works. Tin Man has been injured so we've had to juggle some workouts while he heals. We think he might have tennis elbow so we have had to minimize or eliminate exercises that aggravate it. I hope to be back on track soon so we will be ready for the CrossFit Games Qualifiers. On the bright side it means that I finally have some time to get a lot of small chores done around the gym. I'm also planning on making some changes to the site but I need to work out the format I want to have. If anyone has any suggestions or input on what they would like to see you can post in the comments or email me directly.

Around the Gym

We finally have a real Olympic bar and I must say that it has been great so far. I ordered the B&R bar from Rogue Fitness and I feel that it is worth every penny. We've been using some pretty cheap used bars and they have worked out okay but it is nice to know what a solid bar feels like. I think I will be sticking with these bars whenever I need to buy more. I think this bar is going to bring a lot of O-lift PRs in the coming months.

Some of the projects I will be focusing on in the coming months will to take care of the little things around the gym. The first of such projects will be to level the lifting platform. After yesterday's workout I realized how essential this project is. It can be pretty difficult to PR when the weight has a tendency to lean on you. Doing deadlifts isn't so bad but once you start taking the weight overhead it becomes a challenge. Other projects are: building spotter stands, finishing the Pukie mural, building a bar holder, buying more floor mats, build a free standing wall ball target, install the second set of rings, and hanging a leader board. After that I hope to have some money saved up to buy some of the last few essential pieces of equipment.

Events.

Tin Man and I will be participating in a competition this month. I've been talking to Amanda from CrossFit Frederick and convinced her to do a countdown to the games competition. The details haven't been finalized yet but hopefully we can get something worked out this weekend. I'll post the details and provide a commentary of the day's events. It should be a lot of fun and give Tin Man some real competition before the qualifiers.

Last but not least is an article from Forbes. I found it to be an interesting read and thought I would share. Follow the link then post your comments.

CrossFit Strength Bias

There seems to be a lot of talk about the new CrossFit Journal article entitled "CrossFit Strength Bias".  It address some CrossFitter's needs to improve their strength foundation while also maintaining their metabolic conditioning.  A pure strength program like Starting Strength can often lead to a decrease in benchmark performance.  So what is a CrossFitter to do?  CrossFit Strength Bias addresses this problem.  By incorporating fundamental strength work along with traditional CrossFit metcon WODs it is possible to see an increase in strength while also being able to increase your work capacity.

In the coming weeks I will be incorporating the CrossFit Strength Bias into my routines and document my results.  Prior to starting I will post my baseline and let you know my week to week outcome.  If you are interest in the Strength Bias program you should get yourself a journal subscription, it does a great job at outlining the program and shows you how you can incorporate it with the main site WODs.

Finally, follow the link on an article about commitment.  It is geared towards a commitment to your career however I feel that it holds relevance to all types of commitments.  One of the most difficult things to overcome when starting a fitness program is commitment.  Committing to a program or goal takes sacrifice and courage wether it is the bowel of ice cream that we love to have every night or the hour of TV that we miss because we are at the gym.  Often times we have to sacrifice those things that provide us comfort in order to a greater end result.  Commitment is never an easy task, but if we persevere and push through during those hard times we find we are able to achieve amazing feats.

Post Comments.

Just another week

I haven't updated this blog in awhile mostly due to being busy with work (my normal 9 to 5) and family.  Tin Man and I are ramping up his training to get ready for the Mid-Atlantic qualifiers.  We are seeing some major breakthroughs with his training and I feel pretty confident that he will place pretty well.

My beautiful wife Sheri is finally starting to commit to the CrossFit program; but she remains frustrated that she is in the learning phase and wants to take on more difficult challenges.  I think that she is still trying to understand what CrossFit is all about and is not accustomed to routines that use multi-joint movements as opposed to bodybuilding workouts that are isolated and focus on one muscle group at a time.  I keep trying to tell her to be patient and allow herself to develop her form before we look at increasing her intensity.  

On the business side of things I have started a draft of my business plan.  It is still mostly empty space but I'm slowly starting to fill in the blanks.  I'm very thankful to have Amanda and Dave from CrossFit Frederick to help guide me through this process.

And finally the biggest news I discovered today was that doctors have discovered that senior citizens who exercise can improve their health.  Who knew?  Check here for this breaking story.

Havoc Fitness Progress Report

CrossFit Games

Not much is going on this week for the gym.  Craig, aka "Tin Man", is back from his week off and is gearing up for the CrossFit Games mid-atlantic qualifier.  With only 95 days to go we'll have a lot of ground to cover in order to make sure he is ready to be a top contender.

Training

This week looks to be a light week for us here due to me overtraining myself and "Tin Man" still recovering from his recent operation.  On the bright side of things it allows me to spend more time on developing the business and working towards my goal of affiliating.  I think it will take longer then I initially expected because CrossFit has raised their affiliate fees to $2000.  Hopefully we can grow our members over the coming months and start saving for the many expenses we'll have to pay for.  I've also been given some tasks from Amanda at CrossFit Frederick who has been great in mentoring me on my journey.  Without her guidance I would be totally lost.  If you can get out to Frederick you should stop by and check out their facility.  They have a wonderful group of people there and I wish them the very best and many PRs in the coming year.

Events

Our first event for the year will be the annual JDRF walk to cure diabetes.  I will be posting our team link soon so people can make donations.  Our goal for this year is $2000 and I'm hoping that we can surpass that.  This is a very personal issue for us so we are very dedicated to doing everything we can to finding a cure.  In true CrossFit fashion I'm thinking we might have a celebratory WOD to launch the occasion.  I'll keep you posted on the details and how you can get involved.

Why are you wasting your money?

Do you have a gym membership?  Do you feel like your getting the most out of it?  Is the program there really going to make you the fittest person you can be?  Consider this, large franchise gyms make their money from people who don't show up.  When you sign a contract with them they are betting, and even depending on the fact that, you will continue to pay your membership fees and not return.  Why would they want you to return?  If all of their members showed up they wouldn't be able to manage the flow.  Their equipment would have a shorter life span because there would be constant wear and tear every day, all day; the facility would quickly run out of room because the lines to equipment would be unmanageable; tons of people would be standing around waiting in line to get on a treadmill or use the bench press, or the curl bar.  Their entire business would come crashing down because their customer's would be insisting on value for their money.  You wouldn't buy food you never intended on eating, or clothes you never intended on wearing, then why are you paying for a gym membership that you are not using?

 

Here is my challenge; think back over the last 6 months and ask yourself how many times you've been to your gym.  If your answer was less then 72 times then you're wasting your money.  In all actuality that is a pretty conservative estimate.  If you expect to just maintain a moderate fitness level than you need to exercise at least 3 times a week, consistently.  If you're looking for true fitness then you need to be exercising twice as much.

 

You will not find that model here at Havoc Fitness.  Our focus is getting people fit, period.  No sales pitch, no campy promotions, no hoping you won't return, just plain fitness.  We want to see you succeed and we always want to make sure you are getting your money's worth.  Because after all, isn't that what a fitness club should be doing?

Follow the link and post your comments.

To process or not to process, that is the question.

There is an episode of "Penn and Teller's Bullsh*t!" called "Eat This" that talks about how we should be thankful for the abundance of food that we have and who cares if it is not how it was processed.  I'm drastically summarizing of course but that was part of their argument.  

I will say that they had some very good points to their argument.  Starvation is a horrible thing and we should be thankful that we live in a time where we have an abundance of food.  That's true, we should be thankful, but at what cost.  The more food we process the farther away we get from foods our bodies were designed to process.  We can clearly see this in our everyday society, as we get a greater selection of foods that are canned, packaged, microwaveable, freeze-dried and preserved we see and increase in obesity, diabetes, heart decease, the list goes on and on.  We need to get back to the basics.  We need to eat the way our bodies were designed.  

Check out the link to learn more.

Tracking your progress

It was said to me once that if you're not logging your workouts then you're wasting your time.  I've always held true to this because after all, if you don't know where your journey started then you'll never know if your making progress to your destination.

Tracking your workouts is an essential part of our program here at Havoc Fitness.  It helps provide us and our athletes with a concrete record of their progress and will assist in determining what level you are performing at.  By having these quantifiable records we can ensure that you are always being challenged.

Check out Beyond The Whiteboard for a great resource to help track your workouts.

Baseline Fitness Test

When you begin your training at Havoc Fitness you will be given a baseline assessment to determine your basic physical fitness.  This exercise will help us determine how best to tailor the WODs to your skill and fitness level.  The test is as follows:

Perform the following for time:

500m Row

40 Squats

30 Sit-ups

20 Push-ups

10 Pull-up (dead-hang/kipping) or 20 Jumping Pull-ups

Standards:

Exercises are performed one after the other until all reps are completed to standard.  The time begins at the start of the row and  is stopped after the last pull-up.

Row - For instruction on proper rowing technique check out the "Exercises & Demos" link, then navigate to the "Rowing" section of the page.

Squats - All squats must be below parallel in order for the rep to count.  This means that the crease of the hips must be below the top of the knee.  Feet should be about shoulder width apart and heels should remain flat through-out the entire range of motion.

Sit-ups - The hands should remain on the shoulders and the feet flat on the floor.  Full up position is when the elbows touch any part of the thigh.

Push-ups - The entire body should remain straight in the plank position and lowered as a single unit until the chest and upper thigh touch the ground then return to the up position maintaining the plank position through-out the rep.

Pull-ups - Pull-ups can be either dead-hang, kipping, or jumping pull-ups.  The range of motion should be the same for all three.  The down position is when the arms are at complete extension.  In the up position, the body is lifted until the chest touches the bar.  If you cannot perform kipping pull-ups then dead-hang should be done.  If you cannot perform dead-hang pull-ups then you should substitute for 20 jumping pull-ups.

Building my platform

Today I got a wild hare up my butt and I decided I needed a lifting platform right away.  It was cold and rainy and I had to move the wood and mats by myself, which sucked, but I finally finished around midnight.  I think it turned out great and I can't wait to start using it.  Next project, plyo boxes.

"Time to make the Doughnuts"

Happy New Year to all!  I'm sure millions of people out there are planning great things for themselves in the new year.  I myself have created some pretty lofty goals as well.  

Let me start by saying that 2008 was an awful year for me.  I spent most of the year in one of the worst places on earth, separated from my family, forced to endure some pretty horrible conditions.  Granted my fate could have been much worse and I'm not trying to sound like I want people to feel sorry for me but for me it was horrible and it really made me reevaluate what I wanted in my life.  To get more to the point, I am now looking to cause a little havoc.  

When I say I want to create havoc I mean I want to destroy the order I've created for myself.  I've grown accustomed to accepting things I wasn't happy with both in myself and what goals I had for myself.  I found that the goals I was setting weren't the ones that I wanted but the ones that I thought I should be setting.  I was following a path that I believed was the right one because I didn't feel like I had a choice in the matter.  Perhaps we all feel that way at times but I think the truth of the matter is, is that if we relinquish control over our fate then we stop living and are only "making doughnuts".  Remember the old Dunkin' Donuts commercial where the guy was always saying "It's time to make the doughnuts"?  Throughout the spot you would see him in various stages of dread because he was always having to "make the doughnuts".  Well that is exactly how I felt.  Every morning I woke up it was "time to make the doughnuts".  I'm sure I'm not the only one in this position and I must say that I'm very thankful for the job I have and the lifestyle it has provided me, but at some point I just want more out of life than making doughnuts.  So, with that said I am no longer going to be satisfied with the norm or orderly, I am going to create havoc, or more to the point "Havoc Fitness".

What is Havoc Fitness?  Well to me is many things.  The first is that it is my goal for this year to become a CrossFit affiliate.  This blog is my attempt to chronicle my efforts in making that dream a reality.  The second is my future in the making.  It is my goal for this year to reach out to people that are tired of the boundaries they have set for themselves and are looking to create their own havoc.  By reaching out to people and helping them to change their lives, I hope to be able to change mine.

We do not have to be satisfied with the norm, we do not have to relinquish control of our lives and say "it is just the way things are and no matter what I do I can't change it".  That is the biggest lie we can tell ourselves.  We can always change our fates; we can always break free of the boundaries we have given ourselves; we can always accomplish feats we never thought were possible; we only need to create a little "Havoc".