TF newsletter

8/14/2019 TF newsletter

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How did you find out about CrossFit?

About 18 months ago, I googled handstand

pushup one day while I was bored and the rest is

history.

How did you find TitanFit?

I sent out a message on the CrossFit message board

asking if anyone was crossfitting in Indianapolis.

At that time there were only two of us, Herb and

myself. He messaged me back and we started

working out in his basement way before TitanFit

was ever born. It was a lot more exciting then, with

a total lack of equipment, low ceilings, no light

and trying to not step on anything while also trying

to get a good workout. Herb formed TitanFit in

summer of 2007 and Ive been there ever since.

What it is like working out in the garage?

Its awesome. It is a helluva lot better than the

dungeon/basement we used to work out in. It isgreat in the summer when we can throw open the

overhead door.

How have CrossFit workouts changed you?

I came in as a skinny-fat 180lb unathletic guy. I was

so out of shape and all soft and pretty much just

a nancy. Ive dropped about 15lbs (or more) and

just really developed some GPP that I did not have

before I started. Its also more of a lifestyle change.

Ive adopted much stricter eating habits... Ok,theyre not THAT strict, but Im trying.

What do you like about the workoutscompared to other programs?

Variety. Competition. Visible improvements damn

near every time. Oh yeah, it actually WORKS.

What do you like least?

Front squats. Nuff said.

What would you say to someone who isthinking of starting CrossFit workouts?

Just do it. Youll find a million and one reasons

why NOT to. Probably the first and foremost is that

CrossFit with Herb is HARD. Its not glamerous

or pretty. You might throw up, start bleeding, rip

open your hands and curse him with every labored

breath... but it works. Its fun. Theres a contagious

atmosphere of busting your ass.

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Member Interview

Jerry BergAge: 26

Profession: Financial Account Manager


2/6

By Herb Sampson

My dad could lift anything! I remember once

he and one of my uncles replaced an engine in one of

our old cars. AN ENGINE! No my dad did not have

any special equipment to get the engine in and out of

the car, he and his brother just lifted it uplifted itup with the ease of me lifting the water softener salt.

As I reflect, I also know my dad did HARD

manual labor all of the time. He worked hard so

I could go to college and not have to, but sitting

behind a desk and typing for all these years made me

marshmallow soft.

Yes I went to the gym; I did the pec deck, some

side raises and even threw in some presses for good

measure. I was still soft. Dont get me wrong, I was

gym strong. I could do calf raises with the best of

them. I considered myself fit because I could ride

a stationary bike for an hour and bench press a small

family. I also had Triple A so I did not worry about

lifting an engine. Truth be told, I still do not ever plan

to lift an engine, but now that I CrossFit, I am real

life strong.

So you say, whats real life strong? Real life

strong/strength are the ability to complete any

necessary task. CrossFiter gleefully describes being

real life strong as a hopper. Heres an example:

Person #1 A runner/walker. You know that runner,

the one that run/walks 5+ miles a day and then tells

you how incredibly fit they are and what their VO2

max is.

Person # 2 - The Globo Gym Rat. You know

that person that goes to the $20 a month health

club and tells you that they are at level 12 on some

selectorized piece of equipment like the leg curl

machine.

Person # 3 - The biker. That person that rides their

12 speed 2+ hours a day.

Person #4 The CrosssFitter. You. That person

that does the constantly varied hard as hell workouts.

So heres the scenario: Put any sport/exercise in ahopper/hat (e.g. 1 mile run, 400M run, biking, push-

ups, pull-ups, lifting 40 lbs bag of water softener salt,

obstacle course, you get the idea) and pick out 3 that

all 4 of the aforementioned will compete against one

another in.

The runner is hoping for a 1-5 mile run and

maybe biking. They certainly do not want to sprint

or lift anything relatively heavy. The biker wants to

ride a bike for time and distance. The globo gym goer

wants to do leg extension or pec deck for reps.

You the CrossFiter couldnt care less. Due toreal-world strength you train in unconventional

ways and unpredictable circumstances, just like life

really happens. You have trained for a variety of

endeavors. You are likely to compete well regardless

of what comes out of the hopper. You are ready for

any physical challenge.

Time spent in front of the computer or TV screen

is time lost, as far as fitness is concerned. The human

body will adapt to the demands placed upon it. If

sitting is the main activity, then the body becomes

good at sitting, and not much else.

The human body is designed for movement and

it is extremely durable and adaptable. Whether it is

cutting the grass or painting the house or changing

your own tire when its flat, your body can handle it.

So continue to CrossFit and youll be stronger, really

fit, and healthier all while improving your life.

My Dad Had Old Man Strength

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3/6

Dont Be Intimidated

Youve stumbled upon TitanFit, the localCrossFit affiliate in the Indianapolis area. You

might be looking do something about your health,

your weight, and/or your well-being or maybe

youre looking to excel in a sport or a physically

demanding career. Whatever youre trying to

accomplish, youre in the market for a new workout

program. Youve reviewed the content of both

titanfit.com and crossfit.com. You have a basic

understanding of what were about and what we

do here. And now youre intimidated, maybe even

scared, to come in and check us out.For most of you, this sense of fear is brought

about by watching a few of the videos on crossfit.

com, reading some of the workout descriptions, or

talking with other people who have tried CrossFit.

The first time I read the description for Murph 1

mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 pushups, 300 squats,

1 mile run I got scared. But I overcame that

and completed Murph for the first time the other

day. Please do not be intimidated by these videos,

workout descriptions, or commentary from a friend.You are not required to accomplish a giant feat as a

rite of passage to step through the door at TitanFit.

The beauty of CrossFit is that everything is

scalable. I have scaled several of these workouts

because, at the time, I was unable to perform them

with the prescribed weight or complete all of the

required repetitions. However, by simply showing

up and completing the scaled workout I was well on

my way to establishing a new workout routine and

improving my overall health and wellness. And I

think every one of you would accomplish the same

thing if youll simply give TitanFit a chance.

Quit hiding behind the monitor of yourcomputer. There is nothing to be intimidated about.

TitanFit can provide you with a unique program

tailored to your current level of fitness. The training

is personal, extremely beneficial, and free [no

charge beyond monthly membership dues]. In

addition, Herb is a very social individual and all-

around good guy. There is a sense of community

and culture among the current members and were

always looking to add to our clan. So come in,

challenge yourself and others and reap the rewards

of your effort. Your first workout is free and there is

nothing to be intimidated about!

Members Corner

Kurt FullerAge: 27

Profession: Structural Engineer

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For just $12, you can have your very own TitanFit

T-shirt. Grab one the next time you stop by the gym

or order online at www.titanfit.com.

T-Shirts Still For Sale!


4/6

Who Cares If I Look Stupid?

Someone asked me recently what all of my

affiliate members have in common and I replied,

Theyre all hard workers. But I could have easily

said, Theyve all conquered their fear of looking

stupid.Its difficult to learn as an adult: it requires a

different mindset than when you sat in school as

a child. As adults, were expected to know things,

to be in charge, to be responsible. When youre a

kid, its okay to look stupid: youre not supposed to

know better. Thats why you spend so much time

being taught how to do everything.

So to step forward as an adult and own up to the

fact that you are not the Queen of the World (QOW,

for those military types who love acronyms) and

that you could use some help is a really big step.

You have to be brave to join an affiliate, to offer

yourself up to that kind of scrutiny. But youre

also very smart to do so: there is no quicker path to

better performance than learning from the experts.

Anybody can be QOW in their own garage. (I

regularly reign over the dog and anyone shorter than

me in my garage.) But to be QOW in your affiliate,

even if it only has 20 other people, is exponentially

harder.

Here are four quick ways to make any learningcurve, in CrossFit or in life, much easier:

Check your ego at the door. Open

your ears to what you dont already know.

Dont be one of those people who are only

waiting for the other person to stop talking.

Listen.

Learn to manage your fear of looking

stupid. It will always be there, just learn

to subsume it, like a mountain biker

subsumes his fear of the downhill. Fear

and do it anyway.Enjoy the absence of responsibility. In

your life, youre probably in charge most

of the time, with people depending on

you to make the right decisions. At your

affiliate, let the trainer bear that mantle

and just concentrate on making your body

1.

.

3.

move the way you want it to. Enjoy the

freedom.

Ask questions. Ask a lot of questions,

like a child or a foreigner might. One of

the most astute behaviors of my college

roommate (who was fluent in 8 languages)

was her willingness to say, I dont

understand. Can you explain? in all 8

languages. Because sometimes we just

need more explanation.

So, walk out of your garage and join the party

going on down at your closest affiliate. Go once, if

thats all you need. See if its a good fit. It might be

or it might not be; but youll never know until youopen that door and leave some sweat on the floor.

But get out of your garage and find out how your

best holds up.

Baseball great Ozzie Smith once said, Show

me a guy who is afraid of looking bad and I can

beat him every time. Dont be that guy, and dont

be the gal chained to the treadmill in a globo-gym

because shes too afraid that someone will laugh

at her if she goes near the free weights. Instead,

remember the words of a CrossFitter in a recent

certification video, who said, Were going toembarrass ourselves and its going to be great!

Thats a good learner.

Go grab the kettlebell next to him.

(Text by Lisbeth Darsh/CrossFit Watertown in

Connecticut. Photo courtesy of Larry, Moe, and Curly.)

.

CrossFit and Learning

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CrossFit In The Media

CrossFit Hits The Mainstream

Muscle and Fitness (a very non-CrossFit

publication) trialed CrossFit and reported on the

experience in the latest addition of the magazine.

The articles author trained at one of our Los

Angeles affiliates (Petranek Fitness) for several

weeks before writing the article and surprisingly he

portrays CrossFit in a positive light for a change.

However, it is pretty funny that the magazine found

a way to try to sell supplements as a side bar of

the article. To be fair though, the author did qualify

things by stating that most CrossFitters believe in

obtaining their vast bulk of their nutritional needs

via eating clean.

You may find the text of the article here: http://

www.muscleandfitness.com/training/157

Workout Of The Month

Grindy

A combination of our benchmark workouts Grace

(30 reps of 135 lbs clean and jerk) and Cindy (5

pull-ups, 10 push-ups and 15 air squats, rounds for

time in 20 minutes). The trainers at the Ann Arbor

Certification I attended did this workout during thelunch break. Chris Wood was the first TitanFiter to

give it a shot and his time was 16:51. Are you up to

the challenge?

Heres the workout (for time):

l 0 REPS clean and jerk 135#

l ROUNDS

5 pull-ups

10 push-ups

15 air squats


l ROUNDS

5 pull-ups

10 push-ups

15 air squats


TitanFit Records

New Records From Ma 2008

Deadlift Seth Wilson 405 5/15/2008

Squat Clean Kurt Fuller 210 5/08/2008

Pull-Ups Seth Wilson 21 5/12/2008Push-ups Seth Wilson 55 5/1/2008

Fran* Seth Wilson 4:55 5/12/2008

Weighted Chin-up

Chris Wood BWT + 90.5 lbs 5/15/200821, 15 and 9 reps of 95 lbs Thrusters and Pull-ups


6/6

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TitanFit Goes On The Road

Catch TitanFit At A Park Near You!

Now that the weather has turned nice and we

no longer need gloves for runs, it is time to take

TitanFit out on the road. Starting June 7th (thefirst Saturday of June) and every other Saturday

until October 25th (the last Saturday of October),

TitanFit will hit the streets.

That being the case, make sure you check the

blog, www.titanfit.com, to see which park/track and

where in the Indy metro area that Saturdays class

will be held.

The park/track workouts are FREE to all. This

allows you to bring those unsuspecting friends that

you have told about CrossFit and TitanFit, and let

them see/feel, what the fuss is all about! Power to

the people.

Want us to come to your area? Shoot Herb an

email at [email protected] and give us some ideas.

TitanPics

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