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October 29, 2019

How to CrossFit as a Tall Person: Part 1

What do Rich Froning, Tia Toomey, Mat Fraser, Katrin Davidsdottir, and Justin Hroch all have in common? In Justin’s dreams, it’s that they’re all CrossFit Games champions. But for the sake of my prompt:

They’re all built the same!

In case you haven’t noticed, most people who are competitive at the sport of CrossFit aren’t tall, skinny, big or small -- they’re typically shorter than average, crazy strong, and have an ungodly motor. They are compact and powerful -- like a pocket microwave.

Early on in my CrossFit hobby (let’s be honest… it ain’t a career), I asked myself the question, “Where is my place?”... in both the CrossFit world and in my home gym.

I quickly learned that I’ll never be able to sprint the fastest or jump the highest or burpee the best. But I also learned that while I probably won’t be Games-level elite -- I can get faster, jump higher, or get better at burpees. 

As a tall dude (6’5”) who weighs more than 250lbs and has old baseball shoulder injuries… CrossFit tends to ALWAYS humble me. The only days I feel any kind of competitive edge are the days when the movements are tailored to my size. Movements like rowing, the assault bike, wall balls, box jumps, deadlifts, or fast barbell cycling from a hang position are just some of the movements that make tall people feel like Mat Fraser -- even for a second.

So if you peep the workout the night before and see it’s a long grinder full of running, handstand pushups, and ring dips and you think to yourself, “mmm today sounds like a great rest day for me.” You’re not alone, BUT here’s my encouragement to you (and to myself): show up, do what’s hard, and keep at it.

CrossFit is less about your Wodify score, and more about whether you’re fit to pee on your own in your 70s. It’s about wanting to take care of yourself because you have people in your life who depend on you (family, friends, furry family friends) to be there with/for them.

Now, that’s not to say there aren’t some things we, as Sadie would call us, Tree People, can be working on to make us more CrossFit friendly -- but you’ll have to stay tuned for Part 2.

Until then: meet me at the gym on a day that looks like a real solid rest day, and we’ll get after it together.

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Sweet & Spicy Korean Turkey Spring Roll Bowls

serving of meat makes 8 servings: Calories — 565⁣ Protein — 40g⁣ Fat — 21g⁣ Carbs — 33g⁣ ⁣ 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐲⁣ 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥: ⁣ ⁣ 3 lbs lean ground turkey⁣ 9 tsp garlic, minced about 9 cloves⁣ 34 cup brown sugar, packed⁣ 34 cup low-sodium soy saucetamaricoconut aminos⁣ 6 tsp sesame oil⁣ 1 tsp ground ginger or 2-3 tsp minced⁣ 1 tsp crushed red pepper⁣ 1 tsp black pepper⁣ Sliced green onions for garnish⁣ 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞⁣ 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥:⁣ ⁣ 10oz bag of shredded cabbage⁣ 10oz bag of julienned carrots⁣ 10oz bag of broccoli slaw⁣ 12oz bag of sea kelp noodles ⁣ 5oz greens of your choice, roughly chopped⁣ 5-10 mini cucumbers, sliced⁣ 1 bunch each of cilantro, mint, and Thai basil, roughly chopped⁣ 13-12 cup peanuts, chopped⁣ Sesame seeds and sliced green onions for garnish⁣ ⁣𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠⁣ 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥:⁣ ⁣ 12 cup olive oil⁣ 6 tbsp rice vinegar⁣ 4 tsp honey ⁣ 2 tsp minced garlic⁣ Salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste⁣ ⁣ To prepare: ⁣ — Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.