Big Dawgs
What is a Big Dawg?
I'm not entirely sure where the name came from, but a name matters not. What does matter is what we, the Big Dawgs represent - a constant search for answers to higher levels of fitness and all that it pertains to. Big Dawgs have come and gone, they come in, learn, move on and are better for it; some have come and have never left - we help one another grow through removing the personal limitations; not strong enough, not enough stamina, not belonging to a community, no reason behind the prescription.
We have high level fitness enthusiasts who strive to be better at a lot of things, not just one. We have high level thinkers who understand the connection between the body and mind. We have respect for all ideas around fitness and truly allow an area for open mindedness. We welcome all; but be prepared for discomfort, mental and physical - this allows forward momentum. Wondering what group to follow, find out more HERE
We have high level fitness enthusiasts who strive to be better at a lot of things, not just one. We have high level thinkers who understand the connection between the body and mind. We have respect for all ideas around fitness and truly allow an area for open mindedness. We welcome all; but be prepared for discomfort, mental and physical - this allows forward momentum. Wondering what group to follow, find out more HERE
-James FitzGerald, Director/Owner
New on Our Membership Site This Week:
Video: The Dose Response of Exercise - In this 30-min talk James discusses the dose response of exercise.
april 26, 2013
51 comments
04/26/2013
Meet Exclusive Coaching Client Yvette Coddington
1. How did you hear about OPT?
I started doing Crossfit in July 2007. James was posting as OPT in the comments at that time. I didn’t look at the Big Dawgs site until 2009. I will admit that it was kind of overwhelming! There were lots of letters and a nutrition prescription for P, CHO and FAT with every workout. I couldn’t convince my training partner at the time to try it out.
James came to GA for one of the first Garage Games and I went to a small talk that he gave there. I began to follow the blog right after that. That was early 2011.
2. Give us a little background about yourself.
I spent a good portion of my childhood growing up on 10 acres. I played outside all the time – climbing trees, ropes, walking on tops of fences like they were balance beams. I wouldn’t consider myself athletic, but I played soccer and was in the color guard in high school.
I started running a few years after college and really enjoyed it. I joined a YMCA when my husband got stationed at Langley AFB, VA. I spent a lot of time there. Mostly because my husband worked 16 hour days or was TDY and they had free child care for an hour and half daily. Little munchkins are demanding and this momma needed a break! I hired my first trainer and he got me interested in lifting weights. He was my inspiration for becoming a trainer.
3. What's one thing most people don’t know about you?
If I told you then people would know!
Among Crossfit peeps, it would probably be that I am a spin instructor and have been since 2005. I still teach spin once a week.
4. What music can we find currently playing in the background of your videos?
That would require me to actually record and post videos of myself! (And Max will tell you that’s like pulling teeth.)
I am a big fan of Pandora and channel varies by mood/day. Channels currently listed include: Angels and Airwaves, Ke$ha, Jimmy Eat World, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Flo Rida, Bruno Mars, and Bob Marley.
5. What current things are you working toward when it comes to your health, training, career or personal life?
I currently have a day job that I do not love and I train clients morning and evenings as well as write programming for some remote clients. I am focused on becoming a better coach and growing my business to the point where I can give up the day job.
As an athlete, I really enjoy the day-to-day training. My focus right now with that is to be balanced.
I have two girls (ages 11 and 9) and we are on the verge of the teen years. I can already sense the emotional shift in my 11 year old. I’m trying to be sensitive to the changes she’s going through and a good role model for her. I’m also doing my best to prepare my husband for what’s coming! ?
6. Tell us about your most memorable workout from OPT along with your greatest accomplishment thus far.
From the blog: “Carry something heavy 400m. You can’t put it down during the 400m. Not a run. Repeat 6 times.” So…my neighbors already thought I was pretty weird. After this workout, it was full-on crazy.
I had one from Max recently that left a mark: On the minute for 15 minutes: 6 heavy KB swings, 6 no pushup burpee box jumps. I have learned that if it looks simple, it’s gonna hurt…a lot.
A goal of mine with training has been to increase my strength in regard to upper body pushing. I can finally do strict head to deck hspu’s and I recently PR’d my bench at 120 lbs. It gives me immediate street cred at the base gym, although those meatheads still try to steal my weights. Kidding!
7. What would you tell someone who is interested in exclusive coaching with OPT?
Hiring Max through the exclusive coaching program has been one of the best investments I have made in myself over the last year. I have grown as an athlete and as a coach. If you are looking to learn or to take your athleticism to the next level, hire a coach through OPT!
I did things on my own for several years before committing to an individualized program and my results were good, but not great. It’s been exciting to hit PR’s after all these years. I attribute it to excellent program design, nutritional guidance, and lifestyle consultation. I can’t say enough great things about being a part of the OPT family!
function
A. Back squat @22x1, 4-5x5; rest 2 min
B. Bent over single arm DB rows 8-10x4/arm; rest 1 min bw arms
C1. Thrusters - 15 unbroken 95/65 x4; rest 1 min
C2. 10 strict chin ups for time x4; rest 2 min
being
A. Incline bench press; build to max
B. Deadlift; build to a 1rm
C. Squat clean; build to a 1rm
+
7 min amrap:
3 thrusters
3 CTB chin ups
6 thrusters
6 ctb chin ups
9
9...
(open workout 12.5)
will
A. Squat snatch triple gauntlet - beginning at 135# perform 3 TnG reps on the min adding 5# per minute until failure
+
3 rounds for time:
10 hang power clean 225#
10 parallete hspu
10 box jumps 36"
she
A. Power snatch; 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1; rest 3 min
+
Airdyne 30 seconds @85%
Airdyne 30 seconds @50%
x20
OPTathlon prep
A. Clean and jerk; build to a single @85% 1rm and perform 6 singles; rest 90 seconds
B. Front squat; 3x3 @70% 1rm
+
Row sprint 15 seconds @100%
rest 1:45
x3
rest 5 min
x3
april 25, 2013
4 comments
04/25/2013
What DO you push for?
Pushups for Charity is an alliance of many of the world's most respected fitness professionals who have come together to support the Boot Campaign.
On May 18th National Armed Services day we will post a workout on the Big Dawg blog that supports the Pushups for charity event. OPT will host the event online and at OPT's International Center for Fitness in Scottsdale, AZ.
Would like Big Dawg followers, CCP coaches and exclusive coaching clients to all participate in this event and work together as a community to contribute over $20,000 to the Boot Campaign. The person or gym on team OPT that raises the most money will receive the gift that keeps giving...an AIRDYNE.
Click Here to sign up and participate with the OPT PUC Team on May 18th*!
The Boot Campaign embodies the spirit of Push Ups for Charity. The whole purpose of the Boot Campaign is to make a difference in the lives of wounded military both retired and active duty. They do this in two ways, one is through the sale of their signature combat boots and second is by partnering with businesses in awareness events. That’s why the Boot Campaign and PUC are coming together: to make a difference for these; our wounded military heroes!
*you have until June 18 to complete your fundraising
REST DAY
april 24, 2013
68 comments
04/24/2013
my sticky pyramid.
Mapping your Vision and Goals
A common theme I come across when helping coaches and clients discover their higher purpose and mapping out their goals is that "the most important piece of the puzzle is that final vision". This perception causes A LOT of trouble.
To fully understand this think of it this way... if you are going on a hike and the final destination is a beautiful vista, what is the most important part of that journey? Is it the final destination? Is it the first step? It's neither one of these. In actuality, every single step you took to get there is of equal importance. Think about that for a second.
Many people get caught up thinking about the final destination, and forget to take the necessary steps to get there because they don't see them as being important. The picture above is a very simple example of how I link the small steps to the bigger vision. I am currently developing a new registration system for a corporate client. The vision is represented by the top sticky note: "New Corporate Registration System". What follows down to the base of the pyramid is a systematic of all the steps required to get there. On the bottom of the pyramid you will see a sticky that says "Cost Analysis". You should know that a cost analysis is one of my least favorite things to do. In fact, I use to be an expert in the art of procrastination when it came to looking at financial numbers. Zzzzzzzzzz. But over time I learned that what may appear as an unfavorable task is of paramount importance in the greater scheme of things. In this example, if I don't complete a cost analysis then I don't know what numbers I need in classes inorder to run them without a loss and there is a failure in the registration system.
When you see the small steps as equally important to the final outcome you take action. The small steps are not disconnected from the higher vision. On the contrary, they are an integral part of the journey towards it. So next time you find yourself procrastinating or resenting having to do a particular task whether in your business or your training, ask yourself how it is tied to the greater vision.
Some may argue that the final destination is the most important because it's the culmination of all those steps. However, have you every noticed that when you reach a destination you are in fact at a new starting point? The whole thing is a journey.
function
Prowler sprint
50m @100% (moderate load, fast foot turnover)
rest 2:30
x4
rest 5 min
x2
being
A. OHS; build to a max
+
10 min amrap:
25 Snatch 75/45
25 Snatch 115/70
25 Snatch 155/95
25 Snatch 195/110
(power or squat)
will
On the min for 20 min
Odd- 5 deadlift 315#
Even- 10 kipping hspu
+
15 min amrap @85%
Row 350m
10 kbs 2 pood
5 burpees
30 double unders
she
A. Front squat; build to a max
B. Squat snatch; build to a max
+
10 min amrap:
25 Snatch 45#
25 Snatch 70#
25 Snatch 95#
25 Snatch 110#
(power or squat)
OPTathlon prep
Row 10 min z1
+
Row 30 seconds @85%
row 30 seconds @50%
x24
(walk 5 min bw sets 12/13)
+
Row 10 min z1
april 23, 2013
73 comments
04/23/2013
Snack Ideas
Snacking...does it destroy a nutritional game-plan, is it "carbs earned", or is it our body telling us something?
It's all three, depending on the person involved. I know for myself, if I get late night cravings, it's almost always due to a long MAP session that day, and more than likely NOT re-fueling properly after. And I also know that while my body may be craving carbs + sodium, it's important to snack as we eat our main meals: P/F/C, nutrient dense. Here's a couple of ideas that I regularly incorporate with clients and myself:
Yogurt Mix:
-
Full fat Greek yogurt/Goat yogurt, vanilla whey isolate, cinnamon, sliced almonds, and chia seeds Fat + Pro, a bit of lactose sugars. For those that do not tolerate yogurt, try kefir---fermented, more easily digested.
Pumpkin Mix:
-
Canned pumpkin, Vanilla Whey Isolate, sliced almonds, cinnamon, chia seeds. A lower carb version of the above.
White Rice Mash:
-
White rice, eggs, apples, cinnamon, coconut oil, and coconut milk: Pre-cook the rice, add everything to a baking dish, and bake at 350F for 30 min. I know it sounds like a mess, but it's fantastic. Involves a bit of prep and oven time, but it's amazing, and has a great protein/carb/fat profile. Obvious, a PWO snack, due to the higher carb content
Tuna You've Never Had:
-
Canned tuna, honey, sliced almonds. I'm not even kidding. Try it. I dare you. This is a portable snack staple for me.
Post your snack creations to the comments
Mike Kesthely
function
A. L-chin ups; max reps unbroken x5; rest 90 seconds
B. DB side bends; 15-20x3/side; rest 1 min bw sides
C. GHD sit ups; 10 unbroken x4; rest 1 min
D. 400m farmers walk 2/1.5 pood/hand
being
Row 5k for time
Rest exactly 10 min
10 min max reps double unders
(performed in sets of 25 unbroken ONLY)
will
A. 1 1/4 front squat; 5, 4, 3, 2, 1; rest 3 min
B. Hang squat clean x1/Push jerk x3/Split jerk x1; build to a tough single of the complex
+
3 rounds for time:
10 shoulder to OH 205#
5 rope climbs
she
Airdyne 3 min for max cals/miles
Rest 10 min
x3
No pacing, all out efforts
OPTathlon prep
Row 500m for time
april 22, 2013
70 comments
04/22/2013
On-site athlete Danny Nichols 1K row PR 2:49.7 - 3 sec PR puts him in the lead on C2 site for age group and weight class this year
function
A. Clean pulls 5x5; rest 2 min
B. Half kneeling single arm KB press; 4-6x4/side; rest 1 min bw sides
C. HS walk technique work 10 min
D. 5 min max reps kb snatch 1.5/1 pood
being
A. Power snatch; build to a max fast
B. Squat snatch; build to a max fast
C. Close grip bench press; build to a max fast
+
21-15-9
Squat clean 135/95
Ring dips
will
OFF - Will from now until the last regional date (june 7-9) will be mon/thu
she
A. Build to 1 RM incline bench press
B. Amrap ring dips in 5 minutes (begin the 5 min with 1 amrap unbroken set and record score)
+
10 rounds for time:
10 toes to bar
10 hand release push ups
OPTathlon prep
A. Clean and jerk; build to a max
B. Front squat; build to a 3rm
+
Reverse shot toss; build to a max
+
Triple jump; build to a max
april 21, 2013
13 comments
04/21/2013
we'll be making this a yearly thing for Sweden,my brothers across the pond, see you in 2014
his name is Jonas Lind, we met 9 years ago on there from afar obviously; and finally meet up to learn and chat, good times in Sweden, long time coming
REST DAY
april 20, 2013
51 comments
04/20/2013
exculsive coaching client Amanda Goodman 225# clean
big dawg follower Alan Joyner 235# snatch
function
5 rounds for time:
20 wall balls
10 toes to bar
20 calories airdyne
10 burpees
being
A. Build to a 1rm Back squat in 3 attempts
B. Build to a 1rm front squat in 3 attempts
C. Power clean; build to a max in 8 min
Rest 2 min
D. Power clean; amrap in 4 min @90% of C
+
10 min amrap:
15 power snatch 75#
30 double unders
will
A. Power clean; build to a 5rm TnG in 6 min
+
21-15-9
Deadlift 315#
HSPU strict
she
A. Build to 1/3 bodyweight in each hand and perform 1 amrap set @30x0 tempo rear foot elevated split squat
B. Take 10% of CGBP from 11/30 and perform 1 amrap set @30x0 tempo on each arm of:
-Elbow on knee external rotation
-Powell Raise
+
"Karen"
OPTathlon prep
Run 1.5 miles for time on track
