Benjamin Palmer

Randy PR's big time @ 3M Half Marathon

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 15:21:33 -0600

Randy, in his spare time, relaxing.

Randy is one of the original athletes to start RUNSMART and he continues to get faster and faster. Recently he took on the 3M Half Marathon this past Saturday.

Initially he was planning on running the whole thing with a weight vest and had been training as such incorporating a few 8+ mile runs with a vest on the weekends. However after seeing his speed in class we discussed ditching the weight vest and going for a PR….and HE DID…by a whole 9 minutes rolling in at 1:59 Which in a half marathon is alot!

GREAT WORK RANDY!

I’m convinced that we can get Randy to ~ 1:51 half marathon, which would place him in that magical 180 BPM cadence range. A little bit more specific work in that cadence range and just getting the mind set on it should do the trick.

Leah Graduates! : A Case Study

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 11:02:00 -0600

She graduate into the GGRX class that is!

Leah has been CrossFitting for about a year now and ~ 10 months of that has been at CrossFit Central.

One of my youngest athletes (19), Leah expressed interest from the start in competing and joining the “big kids” (my words) at GGRX - our program for advanced athletes.

Coming in with decent strength and a background in track, Leah understands intensity. Which is a double edged sword - especially with “raw” athletes who know how to 3.2.1.GO! …. this can lead to quickly unraveling into an injury if proper and safe form is not drilled and enforced. Daily.

In addition to her 3/x week classes with me and Coach Flores, we did a few months of additional small group training to refine her general athleticism (smoother triple extension, not hyperextending in overhead positions, proper pacing etc. etc. ) and sharpen skills (kipping HSPU, DU, Muscle-up progression, Toes to bar etc. etc.).

Skills refined. Athleticism improved. A few competitions under her belt ….and now like a proud papa handing off his daughter to her husband (Hopefully this is by far the most hyperbole I will use today) I pass off Leah to Coach Winchester to study in the Outlaw Way at RedBlackGym.

Leah “Coach Cianci” Cianci. as she prefers to be called. moving through a TGU with ease.

Are you looking to bridge the gap (I categorically refuse to say “take it to the next level”) between indoor classes and GGRX like Leah?. Shoot me an email benjaminpalmer@crossfitcentral.com

"In 8 weeks I did something I didn't think I was capable of- I became a runner!"

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 14:28:00 -0600

Full text from Lisa, an athlete from the first RUNSMART camp….

I set a goal for myself when I first started crossfit, a year and a half ago, that I would run all runs during every wod (including the warm-up). I wasn’t a runner, I never liked it and it physically hurt me. I thought the runs would just fix themselves through losing some weight, getting into shape and building strength - but still a year and a half later I found myself walking, still in pain and I dreaded the moment my coach said “400-meter run” and was only slightly happier when he said “200-meter run”. Despite my strong dislike for running, I knew I needed to fix this problem to improve my workouts. When I heard about the RunSmart Camp, I reluctantly signed up but knew I had to. I was the only person in class not training for an actual race but rather just training for a 400-meter run! Every week running got a little easier and I started feeling a lot better. I even started to enjoy myself. In 8 weeks I did something I didn’t think I was capable of- RUNNING! I set a huge PR and took an entire minute and a half off my mile and 30 seconds off my 400-meter run! I now run every run in the workouts and even look forward to them and I loved the program so much that I signed up for the RunSmarter class.

Her results speak for themselves.

1600m | 10:16 -> 8:45
400m | 1:59 -> 1:40

Want be badass like Lisa? - Join me for the next RUNSMART camp on Jan. 12th.

Don’t want to be badass like Lisa? - That’s your own damn fault.

Run Smart Camp RESULTS!

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:31:00 -0600

Yes. Yes I do.

The first session of Run Smart Camp has wrapped up and my athletes walked (ran?) away with some awesome PRs all across the board!!!

Lisa Horwitz:

1600m | 10:16 -> 8:45

400m | 1:59 -> 1:40

Woody Green:

1600m I 6:44 -> 6:29

400m I 1:17 -> 1:05

Brandon Mayernik:

1600m | 5:52 -> 5:33
400m | 1:06 -> :59

Alyssa Barker:
1600m | 9:18 -> 8:02
400m | 1:53 -> 1:38

Feedback from athletes and analysis to come soon.

Next session of RunSmart Camp begins Jan. 12.

#letsmakerunningsexy

"Least favorite, running"

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 14:10:08 -0600

Least favorite, running, anything over 100m I hate it - it’s terrible.” - Rich Froning

Compare the champs run form with his sentiment to running.

Not to discount Froning’s athleticism or even his running speed. He posts solid 400m, mile and 5k and even did pretty good on the run part of the triathlon in last years game.

HOWEVER.

If he improved his run form (heel strike, hips closed, lateral twisting) perhaps he would be a little faster but even more likely he wouldn’t hate it so much. Maybe even …..like it? Big strong dudes can be fast and have good form. don’t give me that. look at this picture of the champ vs. Matt chan.

#letsmakerunningsexy

David and Leah

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:43:17 -0600

Just wanted to give a quick shoutout to two of my athletes. David and Leah are both in my 7:30 class where they rip it up on the regular.

We began doing some small group training as well to clean up skill work and increase athleticism in preparation for the duo to take on the Godai competition - their first!

Without breaking anything down they did respectable and are excited to continue to compete - great job y’all and ONWARD!

"I ran EVERY single run! "

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:35:00 -0600

I received a note from one of my athletes, Lisa Horwitz, who missed one of our Saturday session due to travels. Lisa joined RunSmart Camp because she is NOT a runner and found running the most difficult part of WODS. The below note is made worthwhile b/c of that fact.

Also: The nascent Run Smart Camp will be re-testing their 400m and 1600m this Saturday. I’m expecting Lisa (and everyone else!) to see some BIG pr’s!!!

Hope you had a great weekend. I was thinking about you on Saturday, given I was missing class and yet some how still running, so I thought I would share! I was in Denver, as I told you before and I worked out at Crossfit Front range that morning. The workout was intense and the weather did not help but I survived and thrived because I had you in my head! 37 degrees at 10am in the mile high city, we started with a 550m run, the warm up run mind you. I thought I was going to die during that, literally and figuratively- mostly due to the weather conditions! After that first 550m, I thought “great, I did it!” I practiced the lean, I ran on the forefront of my foot and in my head you were chanting in pace with the metronome lift and lean, lift and lean. We got back inside and I thought the worst was over. Then I saw the work out.

For time:

550m run

30 clean and jerk

550m run

20 snatch

550m run

10 muscle ups (or 50 ring rows)

550m run

I saw this and nearly freaked out. But I finished quicker then some of the other people in the group AND I ran EVERY single run! And the whole workout was finished in under 25 minutes! 24:47 to be exact! I really want to thank you for running this program and I am so happy to be apart of it. Guaranteed I would not have finished and would have been in tons of pain had it not been for everything I have learned so far.

I am an elite female

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 10:55:13 -0500

This is an infographic that floated around earlier this year and I just saw it again.

Interesting how close my stat’s parallel to the “average” elite female.

Age: 25
Height : 5 ’ 4
Weight: 139
Snatch : 135
Clean and Jerk: 195
Deadlift: 345
Back Squat: 270

Tough Mudder and Obstacles as Metaphors

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 15:28:44 -0500

Tough Mudder came and went a few weeks ago in Austin.

We had alot of athletes complete the event. From Austin Firefighter and CrossFit Central athlete Richard Smith -

“ It was a 12 mile trail run, with part of it on an old motocross track. The obstacles ranged from crawling in mud under barbwire, electric shock obstacles that sent 10,000 volts through your body(that sucked), and climbing or scaling walls, hay bails, spider walls, monkey bars, logs etc. while wet and muddy”

I haven’t personally done any of these “obstacle course races” but my boy Daniel Vitalis has been writing alot about them lately - check out his last few blog post series “Obstacles as Metaphors”. Good Stuff.

Practice Drills --> Build Myelin --> RUN SMART --> Run Fast

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:28:44 -0500

The process of “deep practice” and myelination in action

There is a reason Run Smart Camp is called Run Smart.

Run Smart Camp’s primary focus is reprogramming (or refining) efficient movement in running via a linear progression of skill acquisition and instruction. This is done through practicing drills and putting theory -> practice on the track.

I’ve been reading “The Talent Code” and the discussion of Myelin and “deep practice” comes up often.

Essentially myelin is a cover that wraps around brain neurons. Skill development and practice prompts the growth of Myelin and hence you become more efficient at a movement, skill, language etc. etc. For more fancy science details on the process of myelination, check it out here.

The reason I created Run Smart Camp is b/c most avenues for learning proper run form took place in a “shotgun blast” of information and practice over the course of an weekend or afternoon. The need for a more more structured perpetual practice was there.

Perpetual practice improves run form. Perpetual Practice builds myelin.

Laying the Foundation

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 19:13:00 -0500

Deceptively hard.

Last week in the nascent Run Smart Camp we tested the athletes 1600m and 400m.

This week we began to lay the foundation of running smart: foot strike, posture and cadence. For some minor adjustments were to be made, for others: a complete re-working on their running neuromotor pathway.

By the end of class there were noticeable changes in form when we took the theory to practice in the form of 10 x 100m on the Minute.

PR’s I can smell them a coming!

Do I Even Lift?

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 16:18:16 -0500

Well, for the past two weeks, no.

During the filming of this .com WOD demo (5 x 5 deadlifts) I strained (read: pissed off) my lower spinal erectors. I believe after the initial rep of my fourth set I was not dropping low enough therefore engaging into what I refer to as a “partial stripper deadlift“

While the day after I found it painful to do anything with spinal flexion (getting dressed was comical at best) things got better with every passing day. For the most part I just did some walking, a few light rows, some pushups, some pull-ups, and a handful of unweighted TGU.

There were a few days of insomnia as my metabolism and hormonal signaling re-adjusted from the lack of activity, along with a considerable drop in appetite.

However with only residual sensations and the OK from the Dr’s now I’m starting to train again.

In the pipeline:

11/10 - GODAI Elements Competition

1/13 - 3M Half Marathon

Run Smart Camp Begins!

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:25:00 -0500

Brandon, Alyssa, Lisa, Kristen, Woody, Matt. (not pictured: Coach Conner “the realness” Moore and Rebecca)

This past Saturday morning the nascent Run Smart Camp kicked off!

Under pleasant cooler weather the crew warmed up, mobilized and talked strategy before testing and filming their 1600m and 400m.

Heavy breathing ensued.

This upcoming Saturday we will begin to explore running as a skill and get in some spicy conditioning in the journey to smoother, faster and more comfortable running.

I smell some massive PR’s in 7 weeks for these guys!

RunSmart Camp

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 13:00:53 -0500

I’m super pumped about my upcoming program - RunSmart Camp !

Run Smart Camp is the culmination of my time over the past year plus of being ”in the trenches” teaching people efficient, fast and safe run form.

The nature of the program will allow athletes to implement sustainable improvement in run form, far better over anything that has been offered before.

By utilizing a linear progressions in education, skill work and intensity athletes will be able to properly reprogram their motor patters over the course of two months resulting in a faster 400, a faster mile -> faster WODs and confidence in running.

The First sessions starts on September 29th with limited spots available. Feel free to email me with questions - benjaminpalmer@crossfitcentral.com - to see if this program is for you!

Protip: how to troll a troll

Sat, 18 Aug 2012 15:35:11 -0500

Trolling in action. Conversation is in reverse chronological order.

(What is a troll? -> See here )

Also See users Inb4daPop twitter profile for more example of their successful trolling.

oh and the linked video in my last post? -> Why it’s the end scene from the cinematic masterpiece “Ernest Scared Straight” where the protagonist figures out that the way to deal with trolls is not to fight them… but give them unconditional love.

Yea, I’m good at the internet.

I’m Just gonna go ahead and give myself a gold star for the internet today.

“In order for man to succeed in life, God provided him with two means, education and...

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 10:03:00 -0500

“In order for man to succeed in life, God provided him with two means, education and physical activity. Not separately, one for the soul and the other for the body, but for the two together. With these two means, man can attain perfection.”- Plato

“No citizen has a right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training…what a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” - Socarates

These Beats Are So Fresh

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 12:57:42 -0500

Deadlifts and Milk, Bitches :: Hardgaining and the Truth

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 15:23:00 -0500

I had my first body comp in a while today - 9 months actually!

We normally recommend clients to get their comp checked every 3 months or so but since I tend to run pretty lean and as long as I still felt pretty lean and was getting bigger and stronger, I wasn’t overtly concerned with the minutiae of my body. That being said, it’s nice to actually get some metrics and see what’s going on.

I officially started doing CrossFit in April of 2011 and was riding about 123# so I’ve gained 13# since CrossFit, 10# of it within the past 9 months (see body comp from September 7th 2011 vs. June 19th above). It should also be taken in the context that I am 5’4”

All measurements have gone up a bit - as has my bodyfat. I know I’m not as lean as last fall - which is OK. If I backed off the food (and raw milk) and ramped up my running (sprinting) I would easily drop down in bodyfat a little bit.

Also to note is that these body comps were taken by two different people - which adds in an element of human error and also different caliper pinching methods. The “hips” was also measured different :: waistband vs. including full glute girth

So, as someone who has put on some mass I get comments and then questions often from dudes wanting to bulk up.

So then: There is no protein powder or magic supplement that will get you there, don’t believe the fucking hype and stop looking. and you’re probably better off without them.

The only magic formula and Truth is: consistently putting yourself under increasingly heavy loads and eating LOTS of high quality food. Oh and time. Yea that part sucks but calm down there buckaroo. It will happen.

Since I know most folks like their hands held on foodstuff, here is a very very general and broad perscription of a daily food intake: *minimum* template to start gaining mass

1# of meat (preferably grass-fed)
1-2 quarts of (preferably:raw, grass-fed, jersey cow) milk
6 eggs (preferably pastured)
1 yam/sweet potato etc.
1 fruit
1 head of dark leafy greens
4 TB of clean fat (butter, olive oil, coconut oil, ghee)

Here is what an IRL (IN REAL LIFE) example of that template from theory to practice might look like.

AND just for reference here are some photos of me from the past Three years.

2009 ~ 115# College Cross Country

August 2010 - 115# right after Ironman Coure D’Alene and right after leaving veganism. 13-20 hours of tri training a week. Where the hell are my traps? How was my head even on my body?

March 2011. - 123# RIGHT before beginning CrossFit. 6 Months of not being vegan + 4 months of Clubbell Training solo.

June 2012. - 135#

.com WOD demo

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 10:50:00 -0500

CrossFit.com that is.

I was asked to film a wod demo that went up on Saturday.

You can view the video here.

I think it’s one of the better WOD demo video .Not that I’m biased or anything. ; )

Lerma: Empowered!

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 09:10:18 -0500

Philip Lerma is an athlete is my 6PM class at CrossFit Central ATX and also my Run Fast Class. He is very coachable and has a great attitude to learn and improve whether it is a snatch, pull-up or on run form. So it’s no surprise to me that he was chosen this year as one of our EMPOWERMENT stories.

Check out the link here to read more and watch his video - thanks for shout out Lerma!