The Level 3 Test at CrossFit Scottsdale- “The Mental Game”
Adjectives to describe the test; Miserable, Long, Difficult, and the “Unknown.”
By: Jeff “Sarge” Brennan
I started at CrossFit Scottsdale in October of 2009 for the purpose of testing for the SWAT team and getting in better shape. In my line of work I don’t have the opportunity to stretch out before a foot pursuit followed by a fight (possibly for my life). Train hard, fight easy…
My strengths are: mental toughness, heart, and the desire to win. I don’t want to be second to anyone and I don’t give a shit if you have more training than me. There are plenty of people who have better genetics, and/ or Olympic technique…but when its “gut check” time I have the mindset to keep pushing and getting stronger. I thrive off of other competitors getting weaker during a WOD…it makes me stronger to see people break. The more I CrossFit the more I realize how much of a “mental game” it is.
Improvise, Adapt, and overcome.
Be prepared for anything and everything. The Level 3 test encompasses heavy weight and Olympic technique with little to no rest. With the Level 3 test you don’t have the opportunity to know what you are going to do next until you’re 98% done with that prescribed exercise.
So how do we look at this test and see whether or not an individual passed? Do we do it by a total number of reps, or mere “respectable” completion?
One thing that I completely agree on is keeping the test a secret until you have to absolutely come out and tell everyone because so many people have taken the test. The idea/ philosophy behind the Level 3 test is not being “prepared” or warmed up. There is no “WOD” management, just raw output. Challenge yourself as a human and see what you’re capable of
Congratulations Jeff “Sarge” Brennan on passing the CrossFit Scottsdale Level III Test
Through rain, sweat and over 40 cheering voices… 7 students recieved their “orange” band and the title of a Level II CrossFit Scottsdale student. Congratulations to Ted, Dwight, Paul, Maria, Mel, Carl, & Skip for passing the test! For Pops, Branson and Don-now you know just how close you are to your “orange” band. I am so proud of all of our athletes that competed and the friends, family and fellow students who came out to see the famed Level II test, making it our largest to date. We are a community and it showed! We are a tight nit group that thrives on intenstiy and is always looking towards what is next. The next level, the next PR… how much can I do and how hard can I push myself! As Paul finished his 3/4 BW Overhead squats with less than 5 seconds on the clock, all of us erupted in cheers and new that at that moment a new level was reached. So what’s next???? What is in store for the mysterious Level III? Keep pushing yourself… and maybe you’ll find out. Coach Tiffany
Congrats to all of the athletes that participated in the level 2 test on Thursday. The ladies rocked it and all left with an Orange Band. The next level 2 test will take place in July. Get ready.
CONGRATULATIONS Tiffany, Carolina, and Katie on passing the Level II test. It was a great night filled with ups and downs. More than anything it was a reminder of why CrossFit Scottsdale is so special. Thank you Jaz, Roger, Matt, and Hallie for judging and supporting the athletes taking the test. Paul and Ted, your performance tonight will inspire other students to take risks and push themselves to their limits without fear of failure. Your orange bands are waiting.
Many times athletes will get so caught up in the idea of trying to get stronger that they forget about everything else. They may work out every day, feel strong and think that they’re in great shape, but they can’t walk across the room without having to stop and catch their breath. This is puzzling to the athlete who has put in so many hours of training to be in “such great shape.” Many injuries happen because one variable is left out, things begin to stagnate, and soon after that the athlete gets hurt. This is where General Physical Preparedness training (GPP) often can help.
GPPtraining serves several functions: 1. The formation, strengthening or restoration of skills which play an auxiliary, facilitatory role in sports perfection. 2. As a means of educating abilities, developed insufficiently by the selected type of sport, raising the general work capacity or preserving it. 3. As active rest, assisting the restoration processes after significant, specific loading and counteracting the monotony of the training. These functions define the role of the general-preparatory exercises in the athlete’s training system. The most common way GPP is applied is through body weight exercises such as squats, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, jumping rope, box jumps, pushups and sit ups. So todays W.O.D is called the GPP.
GET SOME!!!
400 Meter Run
Box Jump 20x 20″
Jump Rope 500x singles
Push Press 15x #75/55
Thruster 15x #75/55
Wall Ball 15x #20/14
Hand Stand Hold 70 seconds
Burpee 20x
Squat 80x
Sit Up 65x
Push Up 40x
Congratulations to “The New Breed” of CrossFit Scottsdale students who have showed the skills possible to complete the Level II test. Check out this video of the performance.
Level II Test
I. 2 Mile Run Men 50x Pull Ups Under 20-25 Minutes
II. 10x Clean & Jerks Body Weight-3/4 10x Overhead Squats 3/4-1/2 Body Weight
III. 50 Burpees Under 4 minutes
Please welcome the next level of our CrossFit Scottsdale students. Chris T and his son David our 1st Level I CrossFit kid. Ilana and Carolina. Bob and Ted. Chris Foli, Jeff Zuhl, “Sarge”. Jill and Kerri. Paul and his dad Rodger. The “shirtless” Brady, Barry, Mark and Sara “ROAR”. Thank you to all the Coaches tonight and fellow “White bandits” especially our judges who kept everyone to our schools standards on the Level I test: ”Some reps were called short, most were complete. Some were ugly some were sweet” Level testing is every 60 days. The next Level II test will be in February. Level I in April. Please congratulate these guys when you see them in class. They earned it.
Come one come all…if you are ready to move into the next stage of your training and want to wear the white band join us Wednesday evening 1/20 at 6pm for the L1 test…if you want to see what it’s all about, come and cheer your teammates on. Please be sure to bring your Success Journal so that a Coach can mark off what you pass/fail and your times.
To qualify, your baseline time must be under 5:15 (men) and 6:30 (women) at the intermediate level. You will only be allowed one attempt at each exercise.
There are 11 exercises, cross one off and choose any 10. Must pass 70%
1. Push Ups: 40M 40W (knees ok) consecutive
2. Sit Ups: 65 in 2 min
3. Squats: 80 in 2 min
4. Burpees: 20 in 1 min
5. Hand Stand Hold (70 sec)
6. Thrusters: X15 consecutive 75#M 55#W
7. Wall Balls: X15 consecutive 20# M 14# W
8. Push Press: X15 consecutive 75#M 55#W
9. Jump Rope: 500 in a row or 15 double unders
10. Box Jump: X20 at 20″ consecutive jumps
11. 400M Run: under 1:45M 1:55W
Humility is an interesting feeling. Humility generally comes when you are at the top of your game, when you strut gets longer, your shoulders get taller, and your head gets bigger…then you fall.
Get Comfortable at being Uncomfortable…
In Crossfit you don’t ever know what your WOD is going to be. In life you don’t always know what your day is going to bring. You MUST be well rounded to be fully prepared; you must become good across varied times and with different exercises. (Crossfit says train at High Intensity across broad times and modal domains.)
The end of that sentence above is…because that is the only way you will continue to improve. CrossFit is about constantly varying functional movements. If you are strong and comfortable with clean and jerks your going to want to do that exercise all the time because you know your good at it, and your Grace time is probably going to be pretty stellar. How much are you going to get from that? When you train what your good or harder with what you good at you improve less overall than when you train what your bad at. Work what your bad at, less comfortable with, and get better as a whole crossfitter; as a person in life. Are you comfortable?
Humility knocked me on my ass…
I was humbled by my good friend Brian Kunitzer. BK took the Level II test last night and was focused, practiced, prepared and encouraging all the while. There is absolutely no way Brian could have passed this test three months ago…he couldn’t do pull-ups and he certainly couldn’t do 50 of them in 4 minutes after a 14 minute two mile run. You can watch him working his ass off in every class he participates in, and it showed. He couldn’t do pull-ups, so he trained to get better at them, all the while improving in every aspect of his workouts.
I was humbled by Matt Blanton who not long ago broke his foot and still came to the Level II, rowed 3200 meters, did all 50 pull-ups, completed the overhead squats and clean and jerks and when he knew he wouldn’t pass, did all 50 burpees side by side with BK. Congrats Matt, hell of an effort and great example.
I was humbled by the test, I was humbled by overhead squats and clean and jerks, and I my overconfidence was humbled by my failure. The day I failed Level II was when I stopped trying to make myself better each and every day and it showed at game time.
The next challenge…
When an athlete becomes complacent in what they are doing they will most surely lose. When a person becomes complacent in life they will most surely fail. Be satisfied with what you have accomplished and celebrate your achievement. Then work to better you performance and yourself everyday. That is MY December Crossfit Scottsdale challenge, and I challenge YOU to join.
Congratulations to Brian Kunitzer, the only Level II student. I am truly proud of you and your Level II achievement last night and I am thankful for your friendship. I continue to learn from you each day and hopefully for many years to come.
CrossFit Scottsdale will be having its 2nd Annual Here's to the Hereos WOD event on Saturday September 11th in honor of our Heroes from 9/11. Come train for FREE alongside soldiers from Luke Air Force base, National Guard, Scottsdale police and Fire fighters. Classes will be at 8am, 9am, 10am and 12pm. Be sure to RSVP now as space is limited!
Food as Fuel Class at CrossFit Scottsdale
09/13/2010 - 07:00 PM
new students....or those that just want to brush up and get back on track with their eating habits. Learn what to eat, when to eat and how to do it for optimum results. We will be reviewing the ins and outs of the zone and paleo diet. Plus tips and tricks to make eating optimally a lot easier.
Come network with your fellow CrossFit Scottsdale students and learn their professions and see how we can all help each other with business. September CrossFit Scottsdale Connections Luncheon will be hosted by Perry Chrisler of Concierge Communications. The meeting will take place at National Headquarters of Hosted VIP provider Telesphere 9237 E. Via De Ventura, Suite 250, Scottsdale, AZ 85258.
If you are interested in joining, please rsvp to Ashley; ashley@crossfitscottsdale.com
Level 2 Test (The Orange Band) 7:00pm
09/23/2010 - 07:00 PM
Students that want to test for the orange band must have already passed the L1 white band test.
The Freaky 5K Prelims
09/25/2010 - 08:00 AM
How do you feel about running? Do you love running and want to keep getting better and faster? Do you hate running and find it frustrating? In either case, the only way to improve is to KEEP RUNNING. Nobody gets better at anything by NOT doing it. Every great athlete at one point was the new guy, learning, fumbling and failing just like the rest of us. People who have achieved "mastery" don't ever stop the work, though. They exercise their "show up, don't quit" attitude over and over. A great way to make the "work" interesting is to put some "skin in the game" and to do it with a group of like-minded people.
Which leads me to...the CrossFit Scottsdale 5K Challenge. Are you in?? Cost is $25.00 per participant. Sign up by emailing infor@CrossFitScottsdale.com or signing up at the gym.
CrossFit Scottsdale Kids Open House
09/25/2010 - 10:00 AM
Parents- bring your kids and watch our fitness demos, Kids-play fitness games and do a workout
Exercise your mind too as Mad Science will be doing fun fitness and nutrition related science activites and demos.
Keep your kids as healthy as they can be with ChiroKids. North Scottsdale Family Chiropractic and Dr. Tuzzolino will be doing backpack checks and scans to ensure your child’s safety and health. Think outside the Lunch Box with fun/easy healthy snacks and ideas.
CrossFit Scottsdale Kids gives the next generations a foundation in health and fitness that lasts a lifetime. We are a program that empowers kids to be the best versions of themselves, challenging them in new and different ways and relating to them on topics of their own diet and exercise.
CrossFit Scottsdale Kids Builds: Confidence, Focus, Strength, Manners, Discipline, Fitness,Goal Setting,Teamwork, Leadership Skills, Sportsmanship and
Better Grades
Come see what it’s all about!
RSVP to Tiffany at Tiffany@CrossFitScottdale.com
Food as Fuel Class at CrossFit Scottsdale
09/27/2010 - 07:00 PM
new students....or those that just want to brush up and get back on track with their eating habits. Learn what to eat, when to eat and how to do it for optimum results. We will be reviewing the ins and outs of the zone and paleo diet. Plus tips and tricks to make eating optimally a lot easier.
Come network with your fellow CrossFit Scottsdale students and learn their professions and see how we can all help each other with business. October CrossFit Scottsdale Connections Luncheon will be hosted by The Tousley Team. The meeting will take place at Toll Brothers brand new model homes in Wingate Ranch located at 18570 N. Thompson Peak Parkway, Scottsdale, AZ 85255.
If you are interested in joining, please rsvp to Ashley; ashley@crossfitscottsdale.com
The Freaky 5K Finals
10/30/2010 - 08:00 AM
How do you feel about running? Do you love running and want to keep getting better and faster? Do you hate running and find it frustrating? In either case, the only way to improve is to KEEP RUNNING. Nobody gets better at anything by NOT doing it. Every great athlete at one point was the new guy, learning, fumbling and failing just like the rest of us. People who have achieved "mastery" don't ever stop the work, though. They exercise their "show up, don't quit" attitude over and over. A great way to make the "work" interesting is to put some "skin in the game" and to do it with a group of like-minded people.
Congrats to all of you!!! Well deserved!!