What did you drink?

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had to defend yourself and the lifestyle choices you have made to people who claim that you are "extreme" because you do not eat bread? or because you work out 3-4 times a week? or because you have decided that you need to get stronger etc?
These accusations very often come from people who are not in shape themselves, and who have already had to begin dealing with the "challenges" that occur when you really could'nt care less about your health!

Elite athletes are extreme no matter what sport you deside to try to master and bring to the ultimate level, and there really is no discussion there, but how come that we have to listen to the same BS? I have a bunch of answers, some better than others! However I have decided to spare you my crazy rants on the issue, at the same time as I am sure that I will avoid stepping on sore toes this way:-) So I have decide to share a story with you- all you have to do is decide where you feel like you fit in? I promise to try to keep it short!

" Once apon a time there was a very small kingdom. The small kingdom basically consisted of a village, and on a hill above the village there was a castle- that was it, that was the kingdom.

People grew their crops and lived in relative harmony and got along with both friends and foe- and they loved their king! The king was a wise man who wished everyone well and settled disputes fairly. Under his rule the small kingdom had prospered for many years!

Then one day a evil man came by and poisoned the well in the village. This was the well everyone in the village drank from. He poured a poison in there that made everyone very upset, and hostile for no reason whatsoever! Over the next few weeks people in the village fought amongst themselves. They started fires and begun arming themselves so they could defend themselves against foes- both real and imagined!

In the castle where the king drank thare was also a well, but it sprang from a different spring. This meant that the king was the same as he had alway been, and all he ever wanted was for everyone to be well, get along and prosper!

After a while the villagers began to look at the castle and talk about the king and how he had changed, how they could not relate to the "new king!" They began making plans on how to assasinate him so that they could elect a new king whom they felt could be one of them!

The king heard about these plans! Wise as he was he decide to sneak down to the village and drink the water from the well in the village. He did so, and returned to the castle! The next morning he woke with a fury burning inside him, and he immidiately decided that the kingdom should go to war on their neighbors, and while he was at it he decided that 10 imagined wrong-doers in town should be hanged in the city square!

The villagers were over the moon that they had gotten their king back and talk on the town was all about how their king had gotten his wits back......"

It would be easy to do the same when the 1000th person comes up to you and claims that you are extreme and feels that it is perfectly ok to question the lifestyle choices you have made! When the 100 000 000th person looks through your lunch box and decides that it is perfectly ok to call you extreme or over the top for the choices you have made!

I beg of you not to drink from the village fountain! The choises you have made are yours to keep, and you dont have to defend them to anyone.. You should take in information and always be open to widening your horizons and learn from those who know more than we do.. But when the haters begin their insane rants about your lifestyle choises while they dont train and try to eat themselves to an early death- please dont listen!

This could be applied to virtually anything in life, but I have not found any other place where people take such liberties when it comes to the decisions others have made on how to live their lives, when all they should do was begin with the man in the mirror:-)

What do you think? Has anyone ever taken a shot at you?

Much love

The beginning of a love story!

It is the beginning of a new year and it would have been super easy to share all my new years resolutions and personal goals for the new year with you. The truth however is that noone really cares what an old over the hill, semi fat kid, has planned for the next year! Those of you who claim to want to hear- its really are lovable, but there is no need for the courtesy!

Instead I would love to share some thoughts on the thing everybody has been talking about the last couple of months- the Reebok/ CrossFit partnership!
What is is all about and how do we feel about it? Has CrossFit sold out and become mainstream? Has CrossFit given in and jumped into the lap of the MAN?

What we do know is that Reebok and CrossFit have signed some sort of partnership, and from what I hear it is a long term commitment! I could be wrong, so let us not get to hung up on the details!
The first Reebok CrossFit box has opened, and I have a feeling more will follow within a very near future!
It has also become mainstream knowledge that Reebok will sponsor the Games!
I am sure that there are many more facetts where we will see Reebok get involved in the CrossFit community. I have heard a lot of rumors and have been blessed with some info straight from the horses mouth, but until it all becomes official lets just keep it at that!

So how do we feel about this? Has CrossFit sold out? Has CrossFit given up everything we stand for and sold it all for a bag of coin?
I have heard lot of haters go nuts about this! They have been very vocal both to my face and in different media! They are saying that CrossFit has lost its soul! That CrossFit has sold out? That HQ is just trying to cash in? That HQ has forgotten where it all began??
My personal favorite it this quote: " CrossFit should be elite and underground, this has ruined it all!" I'll get back to it, but I have to say that this one made me laugh! I am never going to take a swing at another persons opinion. Opinions are like assholes, we all have one! But this persons perception of CrossFit could not possibly be any further from mine, and by no stretch of imagination can I relate to this defination of CrossFit!

HELL NO! CrossFit has not sold out! CrossFit has not sold all moral values for a bag of coin! CrossFit has not forgotten where it all began, or where it was Coach wanted to go with this!
There have been plenty of opportunities to cash in before now, and I know that there were plenty of other options that would also have generated a lot of money for HQ! The partnership with Reebok will give CrossFit the possiblity to develop in the way that CrossFit has always wanted to go! In order to develop CrossFit has needed money and a partner that could help facilitate this development- This is exactly what Reebok is! reebok is not going to change CrossFit in any way shape or form! Instead Reebok is going to help CrossFit go exactly where CrossFit has always wanted to go! In return CrossFit will try to benefit Reebok in any way they can, and I am sure there is a pretty hefty contract saying what CrossFit has to do!
The essential part however is that Reebok is not going to change anything! Let me say it again so it can sink in! Nothing is going to change! CrossFit will just be able to take CrossFit where they want, in the way they want! The need for compromise in order to make the guy with the money happy is non-existent!
Just lean back for a second and think about it! If you accept the fact that Crossfit has turned down a bunch of bidders and substantial amounts of money because they all came with a prize of changing what we do! What do you think would have to be offered in the deal with Reebok, for CrossFit to take it? That is right! A partnership that allows CrossFit to continue down the path we are all already walking, but with the suport of a partner with some serious muscle! How could that ever be wrong! So if nothing changes, how could CrossFit have sold out?
I keep my fingers crossed that this is the beginning of a love story between Reebok and CrossFit, and I pray that both companies will prosper from the partnership!

So back to the comment about being elite and underground! We publish what we do online! We share information on everything we do virtually free of charge! Every affiliate that publishes their programming helps provide free access to some of the finest training in the world! On CrossFit.com you will find more information than you will know what to do with free of charge! The list goes on and on- but you get the picture! Everyting we do is transparent, and easily accessable for everyone! It has always been that way- what is underground about that?
Keeping something elite and underground just means keeping it to ourselves, which is something CrossFit has never done! The problem with this attitude is also that it gets in the way of progress! Why would you want to evolve if you are already better than the rest, and the biggest fish in a very small pond, and how are we going to develop and become better if we get no input from anyone else, since we are a closed society? No way!

I would like CrossFit to be easily accesable to everyone willing to put in the work to become a better athlete! I would like the entire world to know that there is an alternative that can actually get you where you want to go, if you really want to be a better athlete, no matter what that means to you!
My promise to you is that if I ever find a cure for cancer I will never sit on it and keep it to myself and a chosen few- I will share it with the world..... I am not sure that is the case for the one who wrote the quote!

2011 looks like it will be a fantastic year for CrossFit, for you and for me, so lets help each other make it all come true!


Much love