Bulletproofbodies and
Compex will be proudly supporting Battle Cancer 2018 this Saturday the 4th of August at the
Victoria Warehouse in Manchester.
The idea for Battle
Cancer was born as a result of personal stories, love for fitness and desire to
help.
The event owners are
powerlifter Scott Britton and CrossFit enthusiast Peter Williams, two friends
who’s lives have been repeatedly disrupted by the deadly disease.
We are a bunch of
friends and CrossFit enthusiasts that gathered together to help out Scott and
Pete in their pursuit of raising as much money for cancer patients as possible.
Together we can make a
change in this world.
Battle Cancer is a
really accessible functional fitness competition that raises money for the UK
cancer society.
It combines the passion
for fitness with remembering the people you lost or the ones you supported in
their struggle with cancer.
There are multiple ways
you can support this cause, even if you are not interested in competing.
Visit our “Get
involved” section to find out how to donate or become a volunteer.
Crossfit Slough is run by Dai Palmer, who earned his stripes in the Royal
Army Physical Training Corps and in the strength and conditioning field,
Crossfit Slough is located in Slough Trading Estate - an area which offers the
much-needed space for workouts.
Slough and the
surrounding area is a region significantly affected by homelessness and social
exclusion. SHOC is a day centre that provides care and long term
transformational help towards independence for the homeless.
The Immortal Challenge
As a result 24 brave
CrossFit Slough members have taken on the ultimate challenge of performing 24
WODS (workouts) in 24 hours. We will be tackling one workout every hour on the
hour, for 24 hours. enduring high intensity workouts on minimal sleep and food.
To provide support to
the homeless in the local area, the 24-hour Immortal Challenge is raising money
for Slough Homeless Our Concern (SHOC).
SHOC is a day centre
that provides care and long term transformational help for the homeless,
helping them back on their feet and putting them on the road to independence.
The Immortal Challenge
is literally the definition of CrossFit:
“Constantly varied functional movements executed at high
intensity”.
They have chosen 24 HERO
WOD’s which incorporate 40 different movements, covering the full range of
athletic disciplines in the sport.
Every WOD will start on
the hour, every hour for the 24 hours. There will be a mandatory pre-WOD
briefing which will start at 10 minutes to the hour.
During the briefing they will learn about the HERO who we are remembering, the workout, and all of the
movement standards for that WOD.
The fact that they have
24 people willing to take part in this event is a testament to the strength of
the CrossFit community.
This is going to be a tough challenge and they will
all need to help each other to get through the physical and mental fatigue that
comes with endurance challenges.
While they will be
separated into several teams throughout this challenge, they remain one CFS team
from start to finish.
If they work together they will get everyone to the end of
the last workout – This is what our community does best:
We dig deep and work
as a team.
It is said that failing
to prepare is preparing to fail.
Injury prevention is
critical for getting these athletes through the challenge, so I was extremely happy to volunteer my services and support these guys throughout the event. Here's what they said about me:
Dale, the founder of
Bulletproof Physio, is an Ex-Military Physiotherapist; now working as a
University Lecturer, writer, and Physiotherapist.
Dale provides physio support
to athletes at CrossFit competitions around the UK.
We highly encourage you to
see Dale about any pains, niggles, or twinges as soon as they occur. If you
would like to know more about Dale, check out his Blog and YouTube channel on
the links below.
A recent study
concluded that regular exercise reduces the motivation for taking drugs. This
should actually come as no surprise - exercise has already been proven to
reduce anxiety and depression, two of the major reasons why a person might
start taking drugs (or alcohol) in the first place, and continue using them
until they need a drug addiction treatment center to quit. However, it might be
a different story with prescription drug addiction.
The test began by
keeping one group of rats in cages with wheels and the other in cages without
wheels for six weeks. The group with wheels got up to the point of running 10
kilometers a day and the others got no exercise at all.
After six weeks,
cocaine dispensers were put in the cages. The rats had to press levers to get
the cocaine, and the number of presses needed was continually increased. The
exercised rats stopped trying when they had to press 70 times to get a hit,
while the unexercised rats kept going until the lever needed to be pressed 250
times. Also, the rats who had exercised the most quit trying sooner.
Why is prescription
drug addiction different? First of all, the rats were not made to take the
drug.
Many people who end up
with a prescription drug addiction problem aren't fully aware that they had a
choice of whether to take the drug or not. They had an illness, injury,
operation or emotional trauma, or they have a problem with chronic back pain or
something similar, or were just feeling generally unhappy. They went to their
doctor, were prescribed their 'medicine, and dutifully followed their doctor's
orders.
In the case of a
short-term problem - like taking painkillers after an operation - there's a
good chance they might not continue pressing the lever after the prescribed
length of treatment, let's say a week or two. However, if they were already depressed,
anxious or had other things going on that predisposed them to addiction,
'feeling no pain' for a couple of weeks might motivate them to take the drug
longer and eventually wind up with a prescription drug addiction.
If they're suffering
from chronic pain, anxiety or depression - longer term problems - there's a
good chance the doctor will prescribe a longer course of the drug. That will
almost invariably lead to a physical dependency and they'll have trouble
quitting. Also, if they experienced any relief from their symptoms with the
drugs, they're likely to confuse the side effects of withdrawal with a return
of their original symptoms and figure they still need their medicine. In many
cases, the longer course of treatment is more likely to result in prescription
drug addiction than the shorter course.
When the problem
becomes prescription drug addiction, rather than dependency, is hard to say:
addiction involves a complex set of factors.
However, for all
intents and purposes, the result is the same - they can't get off the
prescription drugs without the help of a drug addiction treatment center. How
much treatment they'll need depends on whether the problem is prescription drug
addiction or if it is just physical dependency.
How could this have been
avoided? In the case of short-term severe pain, the answer it to quit the drug
as soon as possible. With longer-term conditions, there are drug-free
alternatives. Chronic physical pain can sometimes be addressed with
chiropractic, physical therapy or acupuncture, or with vitamins and minerals
that are natural painkillers or help relieve inflammation.
Emotional problems can
also often be handled with the right alternative treatments and, yes, by
getting on the wheel. Far less than 10 kilometers a day can get results.
Many doctors are aware
of the potential for prescription drug addiction, and they realize that some
drugs only relieve symptoms - they don't get at the cause of the problem.
Consequently, more doctors are prescribing non-drug alternatives. If your
doctor isn't one of them, consider educating him. Or, switch to a doctor whose
advice won't result in you checking into a drug addiction treatment center in
the future to handle a problem that's worse than you had in the first place -
prescription drug addiction.
Gloria MacTaggart is a
freelance writer that contributes articles on health.
Athletes, some special
forces and the military are a few of the groups in our society that are
considered the elite when it comes to body strength and form.
In their line of
work, they need to be in top form if they want to achieve even a measure of
success.
When it comes to the proper training, coaches and gym instructors recommend
only one thing and that is CrossFit.
What is CrossFit?
CrossFit training is
the crossing or incorporation of different workout types for the purpose of
maximizing the exercise.
It includes strength training, muscle training,
balance and endurance testing and aerobics. It is an immensely intensive
workout that should be done only by pros.
This can be dangerous for beginners
who have not yet developed enough stamina and endurance.
According to CrossFit,
the best body workout is to not focus on developing just one area.
Instead
focus on the entire body. Their exercise routines utilize gymnastics rings,
kettlebells, free weights and a lot of other calisthenics exercises. CrossFit
athletes run, skip, climb ropes, row, jump, and carry huge objects.
Their training
program is so effective that it is used as the main conditioning and strength
program for tactical operations teams, police academies, martial artists, and
hundreds of professional athletes around the world.
This means that only the
best and the most elite in the field of sports and physical fitness are using
CrossFit.
The training program
can be excruciating but the results are well worth it. They surpass all other
forms and types of exercise.
The intensity of the workout boosts the body's
metabolism and shocks the muscles. This keeps the body on fight mode and does
not allow it to settle and get comfortable.
This is because it has been found
that once your body gets accustomed to a workout routine it starts to respond
differently and effectiveness of the routine decreases.
The variety that
CrossFit offers prevents this from happening.
Keeping healthy and fit
is not an easy thing to do that's why we have medical professionals to help us
identify our weaknesses and strengths through checking vital signs.
If you
would like to be part of the medical profession, be trained at one of the best
schools that offers nursing degree and other courses.
CrossFit differentiates
itself from many other fitness cultures because of the apparent closer ties
both within its boxes and its wider universe. You pretty quickly know who everyone
is at a box and any anti-social use of globo gym style earphones is quickly
rinsed into submission. Members become friends, they share information and
knowledge via social media and forums. They go out together, they attend
competitions, they celebrate successes, they bond (aww bless), and they become
aware of the wider network that is the CrossFit community. We know the score...
right?
As the UK community
grows though and CrossFit potentially makes the jump from cocky little
pretender to fully fledged star of the team in the fitness world, we need to be
aware that the things we loved about Crossfit may change. This may not always
be for the better depending on where you're at on these things.
Reebok's involvement
has always caused a stir and plenty of post Wod chat as we guzzle our
Boditronics, BCAA's, discuss injuries; swap paleo brownie recipes, and debate
whether to start on steroids to make all this stuff a bit easier to deal with.
Will Reebok ultimately care about the community or will it just be seen as an
audience reach in the end? It's inadvertently changed a few existing
friendships I know of in the community already. Only the future will tell and
we've just all got to ride it out and see.
On the flip side of a
close knit box community, it can have its own subcultures too. As in all walks
of life people gravitate towards those they feel they have most in common with,
or are in line with their values and interests. Cliques are inevitable in most
social communities and..well.. I guess CrossFit itself is the biggest clique of
all while we are on the subject. People watching is a big guilty pleasure of
mine and I pick up on social dynamics pretty well I like to think. I notice the
people who make an effort with everyone, and those who don't so much. There was
a great comment on the CrossFit affiliates page relating to the healthy nature
of cliques:
A core 'group' or
clique that presents a non-exclusive non-alienating feel, can help create a cohesive
motivating family environment = Good!
An ego driven group or
clique that presents an exclusive alienating feel that is cold and
stand-off-ish can do just the opposite = Bad!
Maybe we should ask
ourselves when was the last time we walked up to a new member and chatted to
them about their Crossfit experiences or just got to know them? We should all
be mindful that CrossFit doesn't turn into American high school stereotypes in
UK boxes.
As CrossFit evolves at
boxes and with wider competition being ever more accessible, is it creating a
two tier CrossFit some may ask? The competitive tier for those who love to pit
their wits against other Crossfitters, take it on to another level, or see
where they lie in a larger scale hierarchy. Then there are those that are happy
with just using the regime to improve their life, get mobile and fitter and
take it one PB (Personal Best) at a time.
The reality is people
have different goals and are at different stages of their CrossFit experience.
General programming cannot always cover all the bases for everyone in their own
set timelines of achievement. You only have to look at how the programming at
an affiliate now is a world away from where it will have been two years ago.
Yet, we have new starters coming in at a higher standard because that's just
the way it is. The game has changed my friends... it's inevitable. More is
achieved by of the average CrossFitter both at your gym and I'm sure, boxes
across the world. Look at the rapid progress of the new breed. Their linear
progression across skills, loads and volume has often been far steeper than
probably anyone who picked up CrossFit two years ago because they viewed a
standard where they wanted to be and don't know any different. This is the
catch net effect of competition from the top level down in CrossFit. It pulls
everyones development along at a quicker rate. So if people want an accelerated
development, whatever ability, the Advanced/competitor programmes are an
option, nothing more.
To me that two tier has
always been there, its just more evident now the chance to compete outside your
box is more frequent and accessible and the abilities of your boxes
'firebreathers' (top tier athletes) move further on from your general
population. That should be celebrated and it is up to everyone to ensure those
two elements aren't at loggerheads. It's up to firebreathers to stay grounded
and inclusive, and its up to others not to feel lesser or envious.
CrossFit in the UK is
changing. It is moving out of its innocent, 'yay lets all be friends' stage
into something else. Sometimes the rose tinted glasses of the community need to
come off. On the most part it is awesome and primarily down to a number of high
profile individuals who look to ensure that is the case (Carl Dickson, Matthew
Evans, Karl Steadman, Sam Briggs and the London Throwdown boys..to name a few).
I can't speak for the whole UK but in our corner of the world there's not as
much inter-affiliate interaction going on, as in the past. This could be driven
by 'watching the pennies', as well as boxes having their own pressures and
priorities of course. Life is busy and often people wait to be led on such
missions. One thing that kind of disappointed me a little at DWF Games 2011 was
the mass exodus after the final event finished. A large sway didn't bother to
even see the podium presentations. I know some had long journeys to make but
hey what's 30 minutes in the grand scheme of things to cheer on those who had
given their all across increasingly gruelling workouts. After surviving two
days of leg-numbing standing to watch I didn't really get people doing that.
Bit like those that leave football matches before the final whistle to beat the
rush! It was a bit more symptomatic of "I'm just here for the win" or
"I'm only here to watch my box", not the community spirit I'd
expected. The community is different things to people I guess and we all have
different levels as to how much we immerse ourselves in it. Will it diminish
with a potential mainstream popularity of CrossFit?
Manchester will be one
of the first UK cities to have to manage a higher than average concentration of
CrossFit boxes. Three are close to the city centre, one in Ashton, two in
Stockport and QDos to follow in South Manchester. The lines between friends and
competitors are getting blurred for sure and not just in a throwdown workout!
Things are becoming a lot more professional and business like (e.g. see the
growth of cross sell products within gyms) and rightly so I guess.
As this concentration
increases a couple of things maybe need to happen. Either the general public
moves away from the Fitness First gyms of this world and see the CrossFit
light. (This could be the massive gain from Reebok's marketing work and create
demand and an upturn of interest) Or, individual boxes are going to have to
raise their game and shine like hell to attract and keep members in a heavily
contested market. This is where the issues of U.S. boxes that we have only read
about could come home to roost! Members switching for cheaper memberships,
specialisations, location, or, hell, just to change up. Don't be surprised in
the future if it turns into a car insurance situation with some, where loyalty
has no place. I'm sure this will be a small section of the CrossFit membership
but a headache nonetheless for box owners trying to keep a steady revenue. A
group membership idea for multiple boxes is something that has been adopted in
the US for high concentration areas. A noble idea! As to whether that could
work in the UK with the numbers doing CrossFit, the logisitics of creating it
and the reward for the individual boxes... hmmm toughie!!
Whatever happens... for
every great new development in the community there is always a new problem.
It's just how we choose to manage it to ensure the magic STAYS in the
community.
For more info go to
http://spartanstrength.co.uk/
Sean Murray is a
Manchester Personal Trainer/ CrossFit Trainer in Castlefield. He also runs his
own boot camp in Moston, North Manchester. He works with clients on their
weight/fat loss goals as well as performance athletes such as Triathletes and
Rugby League players to improve work capacity or weaknesses.
