What a weekend! It's taken me a little bit to wrap my head around everything, but through it all I have to say it was an damn awesome three days. I'll get to the details in a second, but I'll throw out the highlights right now! Oh, and I'll also post up a string of pics and links after this post as well do you all can get a taste of the enormity of what CrossFit has become. So, on to the highlights!

I met CrossFit founder Gerg Glassman. I spent time catching up with friends and CrossFit greats such as Christy Phillips, Gretchen Kittleberger, Jen Jones, Ben Smith and so many others. I connected with an absolutely AWESOME group of bad asses: The Outlaws (Reebok head honcho and ex-NFL stud Don Hasselbeck told me we were like the Raiders of CrossFit, now that is pretty damn cool). We proved that we are right there, all of us on the team, right there with the to competitors in the world. We could taste it all weekend. Man, writing about it now is getting my heart rate up again, so I'll get to the details now.

We showed up Friday morning to the massive venue next to FedEx field where the Redskins play. Checked in, found ourselves a spot in the "Athletes Village" (where all the athletes hung out, ate food, recovered and so on), and pretty quickly had our four teammates getting warmed up for workout 1. My teammates were: Laura Nielsen (Coach Rudy's wife and one time Games competitor), Courtney Modecki, Lindsey Adkins, Tyler Degenhardt, and Tony Mayo (our two backups were Colleen Sullivan and Thomas Hansen). The first workout was a ton of heavy deadlift with handstand push ups and Tony, Tyler, Courtney and Lindsey were up for that one.  They did very well, running about as smoothly as we hoped and gave us a 6th place finish to start off the weekend.  The next workout called for myself, Tony, Courtney and Laura, and was all about the order we went in.  It involved a 1000 meter row, 25 pistol squats and 15 hang cleans with a crazy heavy weight.  I started off with a fast row, then it was all about just getting through the rest of the exercises without causing any sort of bottle-necking (the second I got off the row, the next person jumped in and began their row, then they could move on to the pistols only if I was already done with them).  We went exactly as planned and while we would have liked to finish in the top 3 on this one, we ended up with a respectable 8th place.  We were in 6th place overall after day one. 

Got some good food and sleep and we were back bright and early for another day of beatdowns!  Tyler and Laura took on the 3rd workout, dumbbell snatches and sprints, and they gave us a 7th place finish, bringing us down to 4th place, and only 8 points out of a qualifying spot to the Games (the top 3 teams would go).  A couple hours later we were warming up for the 4th workout and the final workout of the day: 75 squats, 50 pull ups, 25 shoulder to overheads (then  same reps with front squats, then overhead squats.  Oh, and that is just the girls.  Then the guys would go do the same thing.  It was a lot of reps to say the least!).  Myself, Tyler, Courtney and Lindsey took on this one, and again, we were hoping for a top finish with our abilities.  We went pretty damn smooth all though this one and only had 1 or 2 slip ups.  But those were enough to push us down to a 6th pace finish, still damn good though.  We moved back to 5th place, but we had advanced 2 points closer to a qualifying spot.  So, we had the Games in our reach going in to the final day and final 2 workouts.

I had an awesome dinner with Lindsey, my brother and his girlfriend, then hit the sac to rest up for our big push.  I can't lie, the energy in the arena that final day was freaking insane.  You could feel the tension of the team battle going on for 3rd, and you could feel that same tension going on with the individual competition as well.  It was crazy exciting!  The snatch ladder to start the day would prove to be one of the most exciting events to watch.  Team Outlaw again had a respectable 6th place finish (with Tony Mayo hitting a huge PR to help bring our score up) but it was some other teams that just put on a clinic.  Some girl from CrossFit Wilmington hit the 185# snatch and is the only girl in any Regional to even come close to that weight, let alone hit it.  It was so inspiring to watch.  And of course, watching a little dude like Ben Smith drop under 265# like it's a PVC pipe just puts so much into perspective.

Anyway, we had a good bit if ground to make up in our final workout, and me, Tony, Courtney and Laura were fired up to get the job done.  The workout was just a mess of exercises, muscle ups. barbell holds, wall balls, chin over bar holds, buddy carries along with a heavy dumbbell, partner box jumps, man it was crazy.  Tony and I had a plan, and it was to to kick ass.  Well, it didn't really turn out to go that way once we got to the wall ball and chin over bar holds.  I suck at holding that position, and Tony was just spent at that point.  We wasted so much time and energy trying to finish off all 60 wall balls that once we got back to the final SINGLE muscle up at the end of the workout, we both failed about 6 times before finally getting them with some crazy contortionist-like moves.  We finally finished off and made way for the ladies, who just flat out took over.  They cruised through the workout, finishing about 12 seconds before the cut-off and giving us a 7th place finish for the workout.  Man!  While we were just about the most consistent team in terms of placement, we needed to be consistent about one spot better each workout to have made it to the Games.  In the end, there was a 3-way tie at 2nd place leaving us about 8 points behind those three teams.  So close!!!

In the end, the teams who went clearly deserved to be there.  It was an awesome experience to be there, and even better to be right there in the running for the top spot.  I am so incredibly honored to have had such an awesome team and support crew to train with and workout with for this entire crazy journey and I would not have given all that up for anything.  I generally feel like I tend to be a loner when it comes to training and competing, but I must admit, I am so very proud to call myself an Outlaw.  And I know, for all my followers out there, I'm sure it looks strange to see me decked out in gear that doesn't have my name on it!  Ha, it felt weird.  But in all seriousness, I have nothing but thanks and pride in being one of the original 15 or so Outlaw Way exercisers, and while I wish I could have helped get the Team represent all us at the Games, I know we did an incredible job, and I could not be happier with the weekend.  It was so cool to look up after that final workout and have a crowd of Outlaws cheering, offering high fives and hugs right there.  it felt like I was part of a massive, bad ass family.  And to make things that bunch great, Lindsey and my bro were there with their support.  God what a great weekend!

And now, it's time to get back in the gym and keep getting better.  Oh, and to cheer on the rest of the Outlaws already headed to the Games, and the ones who have yet to compete!  No matter what happens out there with this new and insanely fast-growing sport, it is dam cool, and I am happy to be right in the thick of it.

Never Stop, GET FIT.

Josh Courage
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Regionals Info 05/03/2012
 
Tomorrow is the big day!  Below I'll post up some info on the event, like where the hell it is, when heats are going, and of course, when I'll be going!

The CrossFit Games Mid-Atlantic Regionals - May 4th, 5th, 6th

8001 Sheriff Road
Landover, MD 20785
(Apparently it's right next to the Redskins stadium, so, should be pretty easy to find.  Just look for the CrossFit signs that'll be all over the place!)

Team Workout Start Times (in case any of you missed it, I am competing as part of Team Outlaw!):
Friday - 10am and 1:20pm (I'll be doing the second workout, at 1:20pm)
Saturday - 9am and 11:50am (Again I'll be on the second one)
Sunday - 10am and 1pm (I'll be doing both)

This is going to be n absolute blast all weekend people.  If you plan to come out to show your support for yours truly, make sure to hang out there a few extra hours and just soak up the intensity and constant inspiration going on at all times.  There is nothing like three days straight of elite exercisers doing their thing.  It's so much fun!

Hope to see you all out there!  And of course, if you DO come, wear your Courage Performance shirt!!

Never Stop, GET FIT.

Josh Courage
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_ Over the weekend I had the pleasure of attending an awesomely run and incredibly competitive CrossFit competition; the Charlottesville Superfit Games 2012.  This was the third annual event and their first one was my first ever CrossFit competition.  While I didn’t have the best of experiences then, it was actually my first meeting with now coach Rudy, and I am more than proud to have represented my Outlaws well!

Late Friday night Lindsey and I drove through the brutal snow to get down to Charlottesville, VA.  After a good dinner and some solid sleep, we got to the Boys and Girls club bright and early to get all registered and prepared.  There were 80+ men, 50+ women, a full masters division and Open division (not prescribed weight basically).  Oh, and another couple hundred spectators making this a massive event for sure!  The energy was solid, and the feel in the air was that this was legitimately going to be the most epic event in the mid Atlantic region before Regionals hits us.  Soon enough the workouts began (I will do a quick recap of each event, then a little more detail o my own personal thoughts at the end):

Workout #1 – 1 minute AMRAP at each station with 15 seconds rest between of: power cleans 135#, ring pull ups, ground to overhead 155#, muscle ups.

The last minute surprise was that the rings were basically ropes with some nylon lining around them.  This made grip brutal for an already grip-dominant workout.  Also, it made muscle ups for me personally, almost impossible.  So, my strategy was to conserve energy for the ground to overheads, go all out with them and then just do whatever with my attempts at muscle ups.  I got 25 power cleans, 12 pulls ups (they were uneven for all of us and it was next to impossible to string more than a few together), 10 ground to overheads and, obviously, 0 muscle ups.  I was a little peeved at the measly 10 ground to overheads because I feel like I just dogged it on them.  In the end, I finished in 10th overall on this one.  Time to turn things on!
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Showing complete control of my body...
_Workout #2 – 9 minute AMRAP of: 15 wall balls, 3 widths court sprint, 5 burpee box jumps, 3 width court sprints.

This is my style of workout, and the strategy was just find a good, tough pace and stick to it all the way through.  This is exactly what I did.  All reps were unbroken and I coasted the runs, using them as recovery.  My internal goal was to pick it up with 3 minutes to go, but I only really took off on my last round.  I finished 7 rounds of reps and felt like I had a good bit of gas left in the tank.  This was enough for a tie at 2nd, but I knew I could have pushed harder.  Still happy with that, but I wanted more!

Workout #3 – 5 minute AMRAP of: 12 thruster, 12 hang power cleans at 95#.

Balls to the wall!  Rudy texted not to put the bar down at all.  I decided to put it down after each full round and just go.  Honestly, I never tired enough to really dump the bar, it was the grip that kept failing on the cleans during the last couple rounds that forced me to dump two or three times.  Either way, I went all out on this one and got 5 full rounds plus 12 thrusters and 2 cleans.  Got 1st on that one by a good amount.  At the end of day one, I was sitting in 2nd place by only 2 points!  I went home, got an ice bath and covered myself head to toe in 2XU recovery gear for the entire night.  Hit up a massive dinner with a group and got to bed at 9:30!
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Oh, that hair...
_Workout #4 – 4 minute AMRAP of: 7 power snatches, 4 lateral over bar burpees.

I literally didn’t realize I was doing this workout until about halfway through the 2nd round.  I was so not ready to go.  I just went all out though and was able to finish 4 rounds plus 7+1.  This tied me for 2nd and I was completely crushed.  I was now in 2nd by 3 points and needed to destroy the final workout to get the W.

Workout #5 - 12 minute AMRAP w/ a buy in of: 800 meter weighted run (20# vest), 40 KB swings 70#, 20 handstand push ups.  Then with the remainder of the time do AMRAP: 7 front squats 165#, 30 double unders.

I needed to win my heat and hope the guy in first come in 3rd or worse for this one.  The run I paced, and I knew right off it was the best choice I made.  The guys in front were racing each other and I could tell that they wasted way too much energy.  Got the swings unbroken and was feeling good going into my arch nemesis: the HSPU.  I focused on one at a time, and awesomely enough I was able to string 5 together on my best set!  I finished with 5 singles, knowing only one other competitor was upstairs already doing the AMRAP.  I got up there with just over 4 minutes and just flipped into high gear.  Everything was unbroken and I paced my transitions, blowing by the guy up there on the first round!  I finished with 4 full rounds, plus 1 rep.  I ended up 6th on that event, but it was more than what I needed and I pretty much secured the victory right there (baring some extremely extreme situation).  While it wasn’t the best score, I felt so good with my ability to get so many reps in such a little time.  I have that gear, so clearly, I just need to figure out how to get to it on a regular basis.
_All in all this was a very well-run event  The guys and girls from CrossFit Charlottesville did an awesome job, the judging was some of the best I have seen overall inn a CrossFit event, and the competitors were tough as hell.   Crazy props to everyone for putting on such a great event, you better believe I’ll be there next year.  The only serous hiccup I was witness to was that my good friend Steve Opiyo got shafted an entire round on workout 3 (also missed a few reps on his first workout as well!).  If they had gotten this score right, he would have been in the final workout.  Even though he signed his name on his score (in a post-workout haze mind you), I feel as though having myself and a couple others who watched him the entire time vouch for him should have been enough for them to realize their mistake and switch it up.  Steve did WAY better than his final score had him at.  Besides that, it was incredibly impressive at how well the whole thing went!

From a personal standpoint, I am very, very happy with how this all turned out.  My weaknesses are still there, clearly, but they are getting much better.  My front squats and power snatches were messy and inefficient, but my body never broke down one bit.  Becoming more proficient with those lifts, and working on the body-weight stuff is what will get me so, so, so much better.  And one more thing: HIGH GEAR.  I came into this competition with some crazy blood lust.  I have never attempted the approach of going in to crush the competition, but I wanted to see what would happen if I took that approach.  I wasn’t able to tap into it on a whim, but when I did, well, I really did.  I feel as though if I can harness that energy I’ll be able to do some pretty cool things with CrossFit.  It’s not something I want to do the rest of my life, I just have way too much fun to be so aggressive all the time.  But, I dedicated this year to seeing just how far I could go.  It’s pretty crazy what the human body and mind can do with focused dedication!  I finished with a score of 27.  Second place had 48, 3rd had 50, 4th had 51, 5th had 52.  I feel freaking good about that!
_One big shout out:  OUTLAWS!  Win Everything baby!  Seriously people, Rudy Nielson is a good programmer.  'Nuff said.  Having my fellow Outlaws there for support was huge!  And, one of the coolest things was Corry Perry coming from 12th place after day one and finishing in 2nd!  Absolutely bad ass!  So, thanks to Corey, Tony Thomas, Steve and Courtney for tearing it up and being such awesome support.  And the best support I had all along was Lindsey.  She gets into this stuff man, it’s so awesome.  Watching the videos of the workouts and hearing yelling, “come on, Josh, let’s go!” is hands down one of the coolest things to me on the face of this planet!
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The Outlaws representing (sans Steve Opiyo)
_The Open is coming!

Never Stop, GET FIT.

Josh Courage
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This past weekend was a great learning experience for me.  First and foremost it showed that I am improving as a CrossFitter.  To be able to head into such a well-respected CrossFit competition as The Hopper, and do so well says a good bit about my level of fitness.  Ok, cool.  Now that the positive comments are out of the way, it's time to get on to the critique!

I found out two major things over the weekend that are the primary sources holding me back from being the competitor I truly want to be.  But before I go into them, I want to be sure to let you, the reader, know that the goal with this post is two-fold: to articulate an analysis of myself so that I can help myself get better; and, to inspire you all to do the same with yourself in the process of making YOU better.  I am willing to bet that the two issues I detail here are two EXTRAORDINARILY common issues with most people as they drive towards their goals.  Next point to be made is what my goals actually are.  Well, when I moved back to the East coast I decided that I would make an attempt to calm my absolutely out of control mind by focusing on only a few things for a while.  I've written about this a bit before, and if you know me, you know that I come up with a new idea to "change the world" pretty much every few hours.  I have literally hundreds of pages of notes, drawings, scribbles, phrases and more, collected over the years, it's crazy.   I am very aware that to actually get anything done, I need to pick a few of them and just focus.  So, when I moved back I picked two: open a gym, and, make it to the CrossFit Games.

So, back to this weekend.  Well, it wasn't really the weekend that showed these issues to me, it really was just the straw that broke the camels back if you will.  I know that I am a very good CrossFitter.  But, I also know that I am not at the level of those at the very top.  If you take the top numbers of all those elite CrossFitters, I would be on the bottom of the charts for pretty much everything.  But that's not what I am concerned about.  I have faith in my training program and my determination that my numbers will creep up there come Games season and I'll be able to hang with any of those guys.  It's my weaknesses.  Just like anyone, I have a collection of weaknesses.  Except mine are VERY weak.  I can not do more than 3 strict handstand push ups.  I can not walk on my hands for more than 6 meters.  I can not do more than 5 muscle ups.  While an elite CrossFitter will show strengths and weaknesses, the differential of ability is nowhere near as great as mine.  That is why I placed 1st, 1st, 3rd, 19th, and 3rd on this past weekends events.  Clearly I need to "kill my goats".  So, upping the body weight work and incorporating that intelligently into my programming is an absolute must.

The second thing I found was that I don't have as strong a fire as the top level competitors.  Perhaps it's my baseball background (that's a reference to the fact that baseball by nature is a much more passive game than most sports, and I have learned to approach my athletic endeavors a bit more "chilled" out than others), perhaps it's the marathoning (10 in a year will slow you down a bit).  Or, it could be that I legitimately LOVE CrossFitting.  I enjoy the struggle of getting through a workout so much, that sometimes I feel as though I just lose myself in the middle of it just to ride the wave.  All those top beasts I have met have this intensity before, during, and even after a workout that I just do not share.  I don't really compete with the person next to me, or to someone elses' time, I just feed off their energy and then spend what attention I put into each workout seeing what I am personally capable of.  Now don't get me wrong, I am still a highly competitive person; just not at the level of most other elite CrossFitters.  I feel like those guys want to seek and destroy at all times!

Now here's where the fun begins.  From this weekend on I have committed myself 100% to the effort of being a "Serious CrossFitter".  This means that everything I do is going to be based around achieving my goals.  I will not miss workouts.  I will not go on a binge week with food, or sacrifice a portion of my program to go hang with friends.  I am lighting that fire as bright as it can be lit and going all out.  I am making CrossFit "My Sport", and doing what it takes to get to the next level.

I can see a lot of my friends rolling their eyes at me right now.  And to that I respond: everyone knows me as someone who likes a challenge and is willing to experiment with pretty much anything in the activity/fitness/sports/nutrition fields.  So, I am experimenting with the idea that if I actually commit myself 100% to something, I could actually be really freaking good at it.  This does not mean I am going to spend the rest of my life walking around with a cooler of steamed broccoli, grilled chicken and protein powder.  This does not mean I will never again indulge in a brownie or 15, or have a drink or two, or three.  It just means that from now until the Games I am going to be "that guy"  I am going to be a little more one-track-minded about my priorities in life and I am going to see what I am TRULY capable of doing.

This is going to be a really fun and interesting adventure.

The fire has been lit.

Never Stop, GET FIT.

Josh Courage
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Here' a little montage of the days fun!  Enjoy!
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Bright and early Saturday morning, people began to roll in for the third installment of the Courage Games.  I really wasn't totally sure what to expect in terms of how many people would show as the only marketing I did for it was to create a Facebook event.  But, given the "local, fun throwdown" feel of it all, I was really happy with the turnout.  The weather was perfect, the athletes were wonderfully energized, the support was perfect (Lindsey and myself ran the show and things went off without a hitch!) and when the day was done, and a handful of us were enjoying grilled meat and a couple drinks, we all agreed that the day could not have been all that much better!

Things got started with a bang with workout #1:
Push a car 50 meters, push it back 50 meters
(women did 30 meters)

The push down for the first 50 meters clearly put everyone at a physiological disadvantage; it was so damn easy!  But, when they ran around and tried to get the things going back, all of a sudden things became real tough, fast.  Eric Kolarick took home the fasted time with 54 seconds while Leah Vanhoose and Christie Wheatly tied at 51 seconds for the women; most people were in the mid to upper 90+ second range.  People sure were walking a little funny after this one, quad burn galore!

After a little break, workout #2 was announced (follow along as best you can...):
Cross short bridge, run a rough single track tail about 150 meters, run up a crazy steep hill about 30 meters, military crawl 20 meters (knees and forearms crawl), cross the blacktop, 5 rope climbs, each about 15 feet (women do 3), then throw a 52#/32# sandbag three consecutive times as far as you can.

When your time is stopped, you get to take 3 seconds off your total time for every 10 feet you throw your bag.  Always a little fun twist to throw into the workout to make people think!

Eric Grant took home the top time for men, while Leah Vanhoose blasted through it for the women.  What proved to be the best strategy was to just get the sandbags thrown as fast as possible as to not waste any extra time.  But people were good and worn out with the combination of skill and raw power after a touch run and crawling face first in freshly mowed, wet grass!

The third one proved to take the most out of people! (follow along closely with this one as well!):
Grab a large bucket, run under two hurdles, over a sandbag pile, through a collection of tires, across a 10' 2x4 and across the blacktop to a sand pit.  Hand fill your bucket half way with sand, then run about a 300 meter, very hilly course and back through the obstacles.  Hand fill your bucket to the top now with sand (this is heavy by the way...) and repeat the run.  End with dumping your bucket back into the sand pit!

Man was this one fun to watch!  People shoveling sand into the buckets then taking off around the great outdoors!  But it was that second run that just crushed everyone.  Word from the athletes was that right around the 3/4 mark of the run loop, it just hit people so damn hard.  Running with that crazy heavy bucket was just about as awkward as a run could ever get as well!  But the best part: people had a bucket at hand right there just in case things got a little worked up in their stomachs after the workout...

Adam Chudy tore this one up with Cory Spera close at his heels, and Leah Vanhoose yet again grabbed the top time for the women. 

A little extra break was given out here as thing were rolling WAY ahead of schedule.  And the last one would be a brutal sprint of sneaky-hard proportions! 

Sprint 30 meters across the blacktop, up a little hill, grab a sledge hammer then hammer a tire across the 30 meters of the blacktop.

This one felt like it took 20 minutes even tough most people were getting it around 2-3.  The go-to strategy for this was to straddle the tire and over-head slam it between your legs.  The trick was hitting the tire just right so that it got the slightest big of air under it and could skid across the concrete about 4-6 feet.  But peoples hips, shoulders and hands were just burned!

Eric Kolarick came in first for the men, with Dave Shaw just seconds behind him, while Diane Cole took first for the women.

In the end, Dave Shaw proved to be the most consistent across the board (winners were decided by fasted overall combined time) for the men taking home the top prize, while Leah Vanhose blazed through for the win for the women.  Below are the top three from both sides:

Men:
Dave Shaw - 639 seconds
Eric Grant - 6 seconds
Joseph Barlia - 650 seconds


Women:
Leah Vanhoose - 767
Diane Cole - 802
Christie Wheatly - 876

Special thanks to Core Warrior Bars and 2XU for helping out, both are awesome brands that I personally love and am so pumped that they continuously support these awesome athletes as they challenge themselves!  Also a huge special thanks to Lindsey for yet again coming out and choosing to spend her wonderful off day outside with me and helping out!  Could not have done this without her at all!

And of course, thanks so much to all the athletes who came out and pushed yourselves!  So happy to have to you all out for the day and believe me, I'll be getting people together again very soon!

I'll have a nice little video up from the days fun in the next couple days, so look for that! 

Never Stop, GET FIT.

Josh Courage
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Well ladies and gents, The Courage Games 3rd Edition is coming on fast!

First off I want to apologize for not posting up more story lines over the past couple weeks.  My initial reaction was to not do it any more as nobody commented or reacted to my first one; then, I had a couple pretty intense weekends of all-over-the-placeness. So, let this post be a little catch-up.

We are now less than two weeks away from the wonderfully exciting day and I am so looking forward to seeing how all this pans out.  The workouts are designed, mostly tested (no worries, they will all be tested and doable!), and everything is on track and as ready to go as they can be at this stage.

As mentioned with the announcement of the event, the workouts will not be announced until the day of, so, you won't find any major clues here. But, I want to be sure to give you all enough info so you can be as prepared as possible.

First off: this thing will happen rain or shine.  And for anyone moaning and groaning about that, I hosted The Courage Games #2 in 40 degree weather in a torrential downpour.  Not only did all 85+ competitors show, but over 40 spectators hung out in the craziness all day!  Just saying...

While there are 4 total "workouts", or events, they are designed in such a way that literally anyone could and can complete.  To reiterate, this is NOT your typical CrossFit competition.  Your ability to assess a situation and come up with the most efficient way to utilize your body along with whatever obstacles are included will be tested here.  You will NOT see barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, boxes, med balls, pull up bars and all that fun stuff.  For those if you who came out to The Courage Games #1last summer, your advantage is you know the terrain.  There are woods, a huge field, interesting hills, a school building, trees, playground stutters, plenty of rocks and logs, grass, dirt, sand, concrete, rock, and mulch surfaces and plenty of interesting pieces of equipment my crazy mind has though up.  And for those of you who know me, I love interesting, funky and fun programming...

What to bring:
A change of clothes
Extra pair of shoes
Gloves
Towel
TONS to drink
Food
Some money (for donations, extra goodies and anything else yu mint want)
Sunglasses
Sun screen
Bug spray
Tent/canopy (there is shade, but play it safe)
Chairs (there are plenty of paces to sit, but play it safe again)
Food and drink to bring to the after party
Swim suit (also for the after party)

What you'll get:
Courage Games/Courage Performance T
Courage Performance bracelet
25% coupon for 2XU gear
Core Warrior half-bar
$5 discount for Core Warrior Bars

What'll be available:
Water
Gatorade
Core Warrior Bars
Paleo Kits
T-shirts

What you could win:
2XU gear
Core Warrior Bars
Bragging rights

Schedule of events:
7:30am - Registration opens
(This is a first come first serve event.  Unless you emailed me, or posted up on the Facebook page that you are in, you better show up early to secure a spot.  There WILL be a cut-off!)
8:30am - 1st workout announced.  Heats announced
9:00am - 1st workout starts
10am-4ish pm - Workouts 2-4 will be announced, along with heats and will take place.  The times of these will be dependent on heat numbers and such.
5:00pm - Winners announced. After party begins!

Additional Info:
There are a few places to grab food nearby (Safeway, sandwich shop, Starbucks and a couple others) and I will have directions and info readily available to anyone who wants (be advised that the workout schedule will be a little erratic, so don't disappear for too long!).

If you plan to come to the after party to eat, drink, swim, and chill, please please please bring something to share.  If you don't, you'll be kicked out!

Well, I hope that answers a lot of questions, and helps to raise a little excitement! If you have any questions at all, please post on the events page or email me any time.  If anything else comes up between now and then, I will be sure to post up on the Facebook page.  If anything big should come up (like hints and whatnot), it'll all be posted here as well.

Looking forward to seeing everyone soon!!

Never stop, GET FIT.

Josh Courage
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First off, had a couple posts ready to go but our internet was down at the house, and, wonderfully, I've been so busy with training I could not get out to the coffee shop where I could sit for a little and do updates.  Back up and ready to go now!

Alright all you fitness, here is the first "storyline" if you will for the Fitness Survival Challenge coming up in one month.  For those of you who don;t know, I'll be hosting the third installment of The Courage Games Series CrossFit style competition on Saturday, August 20th at the Washington Waldorf School, the awesome outdoor fitness stage right across the street from The Garage.  This time around though, I am dishing out 4 workouts that are unlike most people have ever seen.  Rather than testing your athleticism against each other through lifts and "typical CrossFit WODs (workouts), there will be 4 events that are styled after real-life, potential emergency (or, crappy) situations.  the idea is that athletic people, or CrossFitters in general should be able to handle themselves well when the shit hits the fan in the real world.  So, prove it on August 20th!  You know what your deadlift is, you know what you time is in certain workouts, but does all that training, and all that focus on health and fitness actually translate to you being able to take care of yourself and your surroundings when things go bad in the world? 

We shall see...

"World Of Wars"
As you drive your car on a sunny Saturday morning one summer, enjoying some great tunes and just appreciating life as the wind blows through your hair, the world instantly changes for the worse!  Some life form from a clearly-pissed-off-at-us planet has decided enough is enough and sends a massive electrical shock-wave surging through the planet, shutting down every possible thing in its way, radio and TV towers, air conditioning, computer systems, traffic lights and even the cars all promptly stop working.  Panic rushes through every single person in the entire world as the reality of the situation quickly sets in: the world is vulnerable to anything!  Just then come the groaning, deafening sound of the cause of the shock-wave and the world's eyes look upwards. 

Your car skreetches to a stop at the side of the road.  you try the ignition but can't get anything going.  Then you remember, you went on a camping trip last week and never unpacked your car!  In the back you have tents, bags, MRE's, fuel, a generator and some base weapons.  But the aliens are closing in and you need to get out of there, and fast. 

In the distance you see a bit of a shelter, a place to hide.  You know that if you can just get there you'll be safe, at least for a little while.  It's not far, but you are aware that having some or all of that gear will increase your chances of survival by a long shot.  You know exactly what needs to be done...

Expect a new storyline next Friday, and the Friday after that!  And by all means, if you have ideas as to what you might be challenged to do on the 20th, throw it out here or on Facebook!  Looking forward to seeing everyone out there in a month!

Never Stop, GET FIT.

Josh Courage
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Alright everyone, The Courage Games returns for their third installment and this one is gearing up to be an absolute blast! 

Survival Fitness Challenge 2011

Put your training to the test this coming August by joining CrossFitters (and other athletes alike) to get out of real-life emergency situations!  While your typical CrossFit throwdown sees barbells, kettlebells, pull up bars, med balls and all that, The Courage Games keeps up it;s unique programming and goes even farther by putting all competitors into challenges that test their TRUE general physical preparedness.

Cars, ropes, sandbags, hammers, trees, walls, buildings, rocks, hills, and so much more are all potential obstacles in this 4-workout competition.  You can expect to move heavy things, prove your agility, coordination and overall cardiovascular and muscular endurance throughout the day.  Then you can expect to feast on meat, veggies and drink to celebrate when all is over!  So save the date and plan to meet us over at the Washington Waldorf School grounds, just across from The Courage Performance Garage to show that your training over the years is actually doing something for you!

Here are all the details:

When:
Saturday, August 20th 2011.  9am start time.  Be there at 8am to register PLEASE! 

Where:
Washington Waldorf School
4800 Sangamore Rd. Bethesda, MD 20816

After Party at The Garage
5000 Westpath Terrace, Bethesda, MD 20816 (right behind school)

How Much:
$25 for all competitors

What:
Four workouts. 

Base storylines for each workout will find their way out on the blog here around the end of July/early August, so those will offer some minimal hints, but, life isn't planned, so don't expect to know what's going to hit you until wham, it hits you:-)

Notes:
All competitors will get a little goodie bag, and awards will be given to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers, male and female. 

There will be water and snacks and a few other things for sale there, but I highly recommend you bring your own stuff (food/drink/change of clothes etc).  There is a shopping center about a quarter mile away with a CVS, Safeway, Starbucks and an awesome sandwich place.  Heats and such will NOT be planned ahead, so if you end up leaving you'll run the risk of missing the start of a workout (again, it's pretty lenient, so we'll probably wait for you, but please try not to be "that guy" if you don;t bring enough stuff and have to go stock up...)

Registration:
This is the most informal of The Courage Games Series, so there is no official registration.  If you want in, just email me HERE and/or head to our FACEBOOK PAGE and post that you are wanting to join in the fun!  I am capping the whole thing at 50 competitors, so make sure you show up on time or a little early! 

After Party/Spectators:
Please bring your friends!  There is nothing like hanging out all day in the great outdoors being around people who are pushing their own physical and mental limits.  And this particular even is going to be extra exciting (the workouts are going to be VERY unique)! 

Everyone will be invited to hang out afterwards at The Garage, to grill, eat, drink and chill by the pool.  But, if you plan to join the party, you better bring something to share with everyone!

Start getting amped up people!

Never Stop, GET FIT.

Josh Courage
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This past Saturday there was a bit of a CrossFit Competition down on Capitol Hill.  Mostly athletes from CrossFit Balance were there and it was organized as a sort of birthday celebration by the birthday boy himself, Ash Cope.  I knew a whole slew of people attending and competing so I figured it would be a good time to join in the fun and hang with everyone while getting a few awesome workouts in!

Workout #1:
APRAP 1 minute of: ground to overhead anyhow w/ 85% body weight (no dropping or resting the bar on the ground)

I weighed in at 202.8 at that morning (this nutrition experiment is going crazy on me  In a good way) and used a weight of 175#.  This felt pretty heavy but my goal was just to find a comfortable rhythm and keep moving for the short minute.  In the end, Ash counted out that I got 12 reps (I always try to count on these and end up losing track after about 3...not sure why).  Not too bad with the tight back from heavy deads on Thursday, and a late night "lock-out" workout the night before; and, it was enough for 3rd on the event.  I believe one guy got a whopping 17 reps!).

A note before going into the next two workouts: this whole thing took place at Ash's house, a nice brownstone between Eastern Market and the Capitol Building, so our first workout was literally set up on a rubber mat in the walkway in his front yard, so cool!  The second workout utilized whatever outdoor space he had...
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Workout #2: (you kind of had to be there for this and the next...)
With a three minute cap do:
Sprint walkway, hurdle front gate
Run around to back of building, scale 8 foot wall
Grab 30# sandbag, throw over wall, scale wall again
Carry sandbag to front of house, hurdle gate with it, carry to top of stairs
Hurdle gate again, grab 80# sandbag, hurdle gate, bring to top of stairs
Tire flip jump through for remainder of time

It seems like a lot, but most people finished the obstacles and sandbags in about 90 seconds.  Then came the burn-out tire flips.  Up until my turn the top flip was 19, so everyone was wondering if 20 could be reached.  And, thanks to the insane amount of tire flips we all did back in the day with all my High School guys, I was able to efficiently move through them and bang out 25 reps before time was called.  This was an AWESOME workout!  Massive props to Ash for his programming.  All of our lungs were on fire.

For the final workout we all grabbed a collection of 20# and 12# dynamax med balls and walked about a 800 meters to a large park to the side of the Capitol Building.  To paint a picture here: we had 50 meter lanes marked off along a sort of reflecting pool with a grand stairway and fountain directly in front of us.  Here is what we did, i dare you to follow along!
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Workout #3:
For time do:
50 meter burpee broad jumps
Run up, around and down stair case with med ball
Overhead lunge 50 meters
25 push ups
Bear crawl 50 meters
run up around and down
Bear crawl 50 meters
25 push ups
Overhead lunge 50 meters
Run up, around and down with med ball
Burpee broad jump 50 meters
Sprint 50 meters

This one was just a gasser and we had a great heat pushing all along.  Devin, the athlete set up next to me pushed away on the overhead lunges and first set of push ups, but I was able to stay on his tail and take over the lead on the second set of push ups.  It was a dead sprint alone for me at the end and I finished up in an exhausting 6 minutes flat and an overall victory! 
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We posed for a big group picture and headed back where I believe everyone hung out and grilled and partied (I stupidly scheduled a client and had to get back to The Garage STAT).  In the end, this was exactly the perfect example for why I love CrossFit so much.  A huge group of people banded together (all in all around 40+ showed up, and this is NOT counting the masses of people that stopped and hung out to watch as they walked by) to push themselves and support each other outdoors.  I can not explain how excited it makes me to be a part of a community that truly enjoys finding ways to workout together at all times, it is so freaking awesome!  I feel so much at home and comforted knowing that this is such a fast growing community, and that I involved in the capacity I am.  I honestly hope that it never stops growing and the world can shift to a healthier, more active one.

OK, so, going a little off there.  I woke up this morning to a text from my biddy JP about headed out to hike the Billy Goat Trail with a couple he knows.  I was totally game and jumped up to meet him and head out there.  We threw on a 20# vest each and just moved through it enjoying the perfect weather, saying hi to the throngs of people (perhaps throngs is the wrong word, but it was more crowded then i have ever seen!) and just chatting.  It was the perfect recovery and chill type of thing to do.  Then, it was off to coach a double header before headed home for a nap and a little TV before bed and plenty of training this coming week!
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What did you do this weekend?

Never Stop, GET FIT.

Josh Courage
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