Results for “military”

In the third part of the Turkish get-up series, kettlebell guru Jeff Martone talks about the advantages between the overhead-squat style and the traditional method.

Most often, it’s women who ask Martone if it’s OK to use the overhead-squat style.

“Yes, you can because you got crazy girl flexibility,” he says with a laugh. “That is a legit way to get up. For the vast majority of your audiences, they’re… Continue Reading

CrossFit has always had a strong connection to the military and law-enforcement communities, and wounded warriors occupy a special place of honor in the CrossFit world.

Around the world, and in the United States in particular, affiliates work with wounded warriors to help them overcome their injuries, get fitter and improve their quality of life. Up to now, most of those efforts have been independent, but the website Real World Six aims… Continue Reading

Wounded Warriors inspire on Saturday afternoon at the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games.

At the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games, Ali Barrera from Alamo CrossFit is holding a sign that says “Crush Fran, Stomp Hope.”

She’s in California to cheer on Mike Gallardo, an athlete from her affiliate in San Antonio, Texas.

Gallardo is a war veteran who lost his leg while serving with the United States military, and he’s part of the Wounded Warriors… Continue Reading

At the largest military medical center in the U.S., a wounded veteran continued doing CrossFit as part of his physical therapy. From there, an idea was born.

Dillon Behr, founder of CrossFit Walter Reed, started hosting a weekly class for patients of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

“One of the biggest challenges was that we were still doing this in the Globo Gym capacity, and we had talked to… Continue Reading

As a chiropractor and ultra-marathon runner, Dennis Lesniak spent many years being suspicious of CrossFit. Then he found out it really works.

I was first exposed to CrossFit in the fall of 2006 when a few people in chiropractic school heard of it from their military buddies. Some of our friends began embracing the lifestyle, but I thought I was better than CrossFit. I was stronger, faster and fitter. CrossFit… Continue Reading

Eight years ago, John Schneider enlisted in the Marine Corps. His workouts, he says, were traditional: 3 sets of 10 in the bench press were standard as he trained for judo competitions.

“I thought I knew how to deadlift. I thought I knew how to squat,” says Schneider, who is the faculty adviser to Pitt student organization Panther CrossFit.

As he searched for a strength-and-conditioning program, a friend told him about… Continue Reading

Jim Ametler is a 48-year-old CrossFitter who served as battalion medical chief with the Marine Corp. He recently took a Level 1 Trainer Course at Norcal CrossFit Santa Clara and describes his CrossFit experiences as a Marine.

Amentler says he was first exposed to CrossFit in 2007 in Iraq and used the program “to keep in shape.”

He discusses how he joined the military later in life and why he chose that profession. Before entering the military… Continue Reading

Dan Cerrillo, owner of CrossFit Bellevue and former Navy SEAL operator and BUD/S instructor, has been inspired to create a SEALFIT class at his affiliate. The class is made up of CrossFitters including those seeking entrance into a military organization and CrossFitters Cerrillo calls “hard.” Even Cerrillo participates in the program.

“This program’s a lot different than CrossFit,” he says. “A lot more is expected of you all the time.”

Cerrillo leads the class… Continue Reading

Lon Wagner visits the VA Medical Center in Hampton, Va., to discover what it means to be a veteran.

It’s pretty much any day at the VA Medical Center in Hampton, Va.—and every last parking spot outside of the main hospital is filled. Drivers circle, cars idle, waiting for someone to back out.

Wars or conflicts or “operations” have been steady over the past seven or eight decades. Here… Continue Reading

Intelligence isn’t one of the 10 components of fitness, but you’ll need your brain to finish Cameron Sinclair’s New York City orienteering WOD.

The sport of orienteering originated in Sweden as a form of military training. It has since spread to most corners of the world but remains an obscure pursuit, a challenging mix of intellect and fitness.

In New Zealand, where I grew up, orienteering was a fundamental part of the high-school outdoor-education… Continue Reading

At the first annual CrossFit Law Enforcement Summit, officers share their CrossFit success stories. One of them is Santa Monica Police Department SWAT officer Scott McGee, who has helped his department adopt CrossFit. In Part 1, he critiques the classic long, slow method of police training and shows how he integrated CrossFit into their program.

“We snuck in a CrossFit workout without them knowing. So it helped us break the monotony of our long… Continue Reading

Bill Starr explains how to create a strong, balanced upper body.

There was a time in the not-so-distanct past when everyone who lifted weights possessed wide, powerful shoulders. Bodybuilders were actually strength athletes back in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s, and all of them believed wide shoulders added to their physiques. And they were right.

The reason why athletes in a wide variety of sports possessed such imposing shoulders is… Continue Reading

Emily Beers tells the story of the man behind the Hero WOD Nutts.

Richard and Jane Nuttall sit at their dining room table in their four-bedroom home in Victoria, B.C.

A year and a half has passed since their son, Andrew Nuttall, was killed in Afghanistan while serving with the Canadian military. He was 30.

Today, pictures of Andrew and military paraphernalia dominate the Nuttall home.

“These are some of Andrew’s medals,” says Richard… Continue Reading

In this video, CrossFit Endurance coach John McBrien shares endurance programming tips for military athletes—athletes already in the military, athletes in a military school or athletes training to enter service.

McBrien says CrossFit Endurance training for the military begins with CrossFit five to six times per week, with more volume to mimic the increased volume of military training. In addition to CrossFit, McBrien adds CrossFit Endurance to the programming two to three times… Continue Reading

On Episode 178 of CrossFit Radio, host Justin Judkins interviewed Auvie Kincer, one of the organizers of the Afghan Games, and Aja Barto, who just won the South Central Regional. This episode was webcast live at 6 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, June 29, 2011.

2:50 Auvie Kincer just returned from military duty in Afghanistan, and he came on the show to talk about a CrossFit competition that will be held at Kandahar Airfield… Continue Reading

Join CrossFit Endurance coach John McBrien as he discusses programming for multiple-sport athletes, such as those who run, bike and swim or who are military athletes.

A week of CrossFit Endurance programming for multi-sport athletes differs from the single-sport supplement of two or three endurance workouts in addition to the four-to-six days of CrossFit programming. Multi-sport programming allows only four CrossFit workouts per week and supplements them with two sport-specific… Continue Reading

“CrossFit has introduced me to courage beyond the military,” says Kirk from CrossFit Valdosta. “It’s the community and the mental strength that comes from it.”

Kirk has been diagnosed with Stage 3 melanoma but isn’t letting that stop him from competing in the Reebok CrossFit Games Open. At only 29 years old, Kirk says he has undergone multiple surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation and has a paralyzed right shoulder. But to Kirk, his obstacles are… Continue Reading

“I came here the first day as an ex-military guy ... and the first week just kicked my butt,” Kosta Xigagos says of his first CrossFit experience.

A CrossFit Pleasanton athlete, Xigagos is an amputee who recently competed in the Southern Powerlifting Federation’s 4-in-1 Powerlifting Event, which included divisions for CrossFit, raw, and single-ply and double-ply suits. He is the first amputee to complete a powerlifting meet.

“I wanted something to push… Continue Reading

On Episode 158 of CrossFit Radio, host Justin Judkins interviewed Alamo CrossFit owner Rick Martinez and Intergalactic Throwdown coordinator FunBobby Kwasny. This episode was webcast live at 6 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011.

1:40 After helping veterans at Walter Reed Medical Center and being honorably discharged from the military, Rick Martinez founded Alamo CrossFit and set out to prevent people from getting sick instead of… Continue Reading

CrossFit Fort Vancouver has more to offer than a 2010 CrossFit Games Affiliate Cup win. Every couple of weeks the affiliate brings a group of soon-to-be soldiers to CrossFit as part of the Future Soldier training program. The program uses CrossFit to physically and mentally prepare future soldiers for basic training. CrossFit also provides grounding in a supportive community, something the soldiers can draw upon once they join the military.

… Continue Reading