CrossFit Boston

When someone tells me that I lift like a 14 year old girl...

                                                 ...I know that it's a compliment.

On days when I'm feeling old and tired...

 ...I know that I can still pick up a few things around the house.

 Or when I need to relax...

            ...I can always go to Crossfit Boston and hit the rower.

                  (It's easy.  All you do is slide back and forth.)

 "We had done this thing we had set out to do, and instead of becoming larger because of the experience, we became smaller, more humble, more aware of how little we know about the world in general, about ourselves specifically." 

-Richard Benyo in "The Death Valley 300"

The best drug in the world is incredibly cheap.  It has pain relief and anti-inflammatory properties without side effects to the stomach, liver, and kidneys.  It will not increase your risk of stroke or heart attack.  It is not addictive, and won't make you sick.  It does not cause cancer.  It is good for most acute injuries and post workout recovery.

Ice.

There is no billion dollar ice company.  You will not see an ice commercial every thirty seconds on tv, or an ice advertisement on every other page in newspapers and magazines.  You are lucky if your doctor recommends it or even mentions it at all.

Ice is not perfect.  It is not a "cure all".  It is not recommended for areas with poor circulation.  It can give you frostbite.  And it won't fix a crappy diet or make up for lost sleep.

If you have reached a plateau in your workout results, try using ice in your post workout recovery.  Here are three different tried and true methods:

1.)    Big, flexible gel pack.  This should set you back about $10 bucks at most stores with a pharmacy/ first aid section.  I recommend using these for 20 minutes at a time, and then 40 minutes off.  Do this once or twice for post workout recovery, or more often for acute injury.

2.)    Ice massage.  Fill a small paper cup with water and set it in the freezer.  After it is frozen you can peel off a strip of paper around the rim of the cup to expose the top surface of ice.  Use this area to rub on any sore areas.  Keep the ice in motion, and do not use for more than five minutes at a time.  This is better for small areas with acute injury.

3.)    Cold shower.  Run cold water on sore arms and legs after a workout for a few minutes.  This one is the best kept secret in post workout recovery.

It was a Saturday morning at Crossfit Boston almost two years ago.  I had heard a little bit about Crossfit, and I was curious enough to stop by and check it out.  Jon Gilson ran the beginner’s class.

After going through the warm up I was shown a few basic movements.  Near the end of class there was just enough time for a mini-workout:  3 rounds of 10 box jumps (20”), 10 wall ball shots (20 lbs.), and 10 kettlebell swings (1 1/2 pd).  I was racing against Brendan (a.k.a.”Bones”) who finished in less than 3 minutes, and then completed another round for fun.  I finished the 3 rounds after more than 5 minutes, and I looked like a man struggling to complete an ultra-marathon. After I finished I collapsed onto a flat bench for about 15 minutes while trying to catch my breath.  E.C. looked down at me and commented “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt like that”.  (It would be hard for me to believe that she was ever that out of shape.)

I drove home with a brutal headache that lasted for the next hour.  I didn’t throw up, and that’s about the best thing that I can say about my post workout recovery.

I couldn’t wait to go back.

I was visiting my friend Brendan during his stay at Spaulding Hospital .  Wheelchairs are the common mode of transportation for residents, and Brendan is no exception.  I was just in time for his rehab session.   He fell from a porch last April when the railing gave way.  An awkward landing left his spine fractured and his legs useless.  Brendan is 22 years-old, mighty, and unstoppable.

His rehab session was full of struggle and fight.  Lean an inch too far forward and he would topple without the core muscles to hold himself up.  He would bend his head to one side in an attempt to fire trunk and hip muscles on that same side of his body.  At times it seemed like Jedi training for Brendan to use muscles that stopped working months ago.

Brendan has a physical and mental toughness uncommon in someone with such a calm and quiet demeanor.   This tragic fall showed me what a great man is made of.  He has not only had to deal with this severe injury and change of lifestyle, he has had to deal with every complication, aggravation, and unforeseen bump in the road. That he has done it with such positive energy and grace seems impossible. 

There have been many moments when friends and family have felt great sadness and loss over this injury.  It never lasted long.  It was Brendan that cheered us up.  It was Brendan that inspired us all.  The man is a Giant.

Now we are trying to do something nice for him.  We are selling raffle tickets for a $10,000 prize.  Tickets are $50 each.   All donations are tax deductable.  The drawing is on December 19^th.  We have already raised $80,000.  We are $20,000 shy of our goal.  All donations are accepted and encouraged.  Every dollar that you donate will be matched dollar for dollar to help bring us closer to our goal! 

There is a pledge that is centuries old. "The honor should not go alone to those who have fallen.  Rather, all honor goes to those who fall and rise again."  

(E-mail me at jzimmer@gentlegiant.com for more info.  Huge thanks to those who have already donated.)