92nd madness

"When it comes time to die, be not like those whose hearts are
filled with the fear of death, so when their time comes they weep
and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in
a different way. Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home."

-Tecumseh

silence

Apologies for the silence over the last few weeks. We have been continuing to grow, excel, and challenge ourselves with evolutions that aren't limited by structure, rules, or boundaries. Tonight we continue. If you follow this blog for evolutions there are plenty to look at in the history section. For now and over the next few weeks, we will be posting photos, philosophy, and inspirational quotes only. Thank you for continuing to join our trials on a weekly basis.

87th Madness

The Evolution:

"JT"

10 min long cycle KB clean and Jerk 35/50

1 mile run

1-5 manmaker ladder 30/50

flying burpee

1-5 weighted pull up 20/40

This was JT's final evolution with us physically. However, his spirit will live on with us as that guy in the back that just keeps his mouth shut and bears down. That ghost you know is dead focused on fucking your time up. His technique and expertise in this field added to the collective knowledge of the group, and I am proud that he chose to call me "master chief" for the last two years. Although the history and culture is rich and beautiful, I know that Hawaii will soon be treated to a consciousness that it hasn't yet experienced. Maybe it will be re-introduced to something that it lost. EIther way, a storm is coming. Good luck to you and your lovely wife JT. You too are the evolution.

86th madness

The Evoluion:

1st

15 push ups
10 lateral bench jumps
5 kb swings 70/53
(max rounds 20 mins)

2nd
10 goblet squat
100 jumping jacks
(5 rounds)

85th madness

The evolution

1st
snatch
(8x3)


2nd
5 ttb
10 squa 95/65
15 box jumps
20 clap push ups

3rd
"last man stsanding"
tuck hang

84h madness

(CLICK HERE FOR PICS)

The Evolution:

1st
something fast

2nd
something heavy

3rd
something hard

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be”
-Lao Tzu

83rd madness

The Evolution:

1st
ascending/descending ladder
1-10 power snatch (105-75)/10-1 hspu
(20 min cut off)

2nd
30 burpees
40 kb swings (53-35)
50 sit ups
(30min cut off)

then
last man standing L sit

82nd madness

(CLICK HERE FOR PICS)


the evolution:
1st
5 hanging power snatch
10 hanging power clean
15 thrusters
(5 rounds 95m 65f **20 min cut off**)

Then
Deck squat/broadjump down
Burpee/broadjump back
25 wall ball
(3 rounds)

Then
Last man standing
Barbell hold at hanging position

"Ultimately, you must forget about technique. The further you progress, the fewer teachings there are. The Great Path is really NO PATH." - Ueshiba Morihei

81st madness

(CLICK HERE FOR PICS)


the evolution

1st
10-1 DL ladder @ bodyweight
after every set do a round of:
3 HSPU
6 pull ups
12 sit ups

then
single arm kb movements in each hand 30-f 50-m
5 c+j
5 snatch
5 oh squat
(5 rounds with a split jump chaser)

then
farmer carry challenge f-65 m-95

80th madness

The Evolution:

1st:
"Rite of Passage"
(max burpees in 30 mins."


2nd:
recovery


3rd:
7 hanging hi-pulls
7 push press
(max rounds in 7 mins, f-65# m-95#)

"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night.
It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime.
It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset."
-Crowfoot, Blackfoot warrior and orator, 1890

77th madness

The Evolution:

1st
1rm squat clean in 15 mins.


2nd
250 meter row
-one person completes this as the go max reps in rotation of:
ab wheel
box jump
push up
pull up
KB swing
dips
static farmers hold


3rd
5 burppes
10 sit ups
(10 rounds 10 min cap)

"From the withered tree, a flower blooms"

Jessica Pamanian 2010 Crossfit Games 4th overall

Jessica Pamanian is an exceptional human being, and also the 4th fittest woman in the world. Her road to the 2010 Crossfit games was a journey that appeared longer than it actually was. After taking 5th in the New England sectionals with a couple of short weeks prep, she advanced to the North East regionals where, after a hard 8 weeks of catch up, she placed 2nd behind fellow competitor Heather Bergeron. The 8 weeks that followed took Jessica to a new level of performance.

Complete focus guided Jessica through a hellish program, and by three quarters of the way through, she found herself doing four evolutions a day. On top of the physical demands she gracefully encountered, she put her mental game at the forefront. Immersing herself in visualization techniques, meditation, eastern philosophy, and the natural world, Jessica entered the field a different athlete than she was 8 weeks prior.

The top 47 female Crossfit athletes from around the globe converged on the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA to put their best efforts forward with reckless abandon. The field was wrought with the finest female athletes in the world and each one of them deserves their fair share of respect and admiration. The level of competition was such that there was no margin for error, as the field would capitalize on the slightest weakness and would run away with the event.

Jessica was steady throughout. Leaving it all on the floor, Jessica advanced from 12th place in the first evening to a solid 6th by the end of the 2nd evening. The final workout on day three was a test of will. Few completed the the three successive workouts that the athletes endured. Jessica, Ignoring her body, ignoring her pain, and ignoring that little voice that continued to tell her to stop, pushed forward through an event that made more than one spectator a little uneasy in regards to the safety of the athletes.

Jessica is an outstanding example of Greatness. In the moment of ultimate physical adversity she allowed her spirit to guide the way. It lead her to a fourth place finish in her first ever Crossfit games. Training solely in a globo-gym and in abandon corridors, she found her inner vision., and discarded her mind.

Congratulations Jessica,

You are the Message.

76th madness

(**CLICK HERE FOR MORE PICS**)


The Evolution

1)
1rm strict OHpress

2)
"partner effort"
100 c&j 95#m 65#f
100 ball slam
200 partner towel rows

3)
25 wallball
25 kb swing
25 box jump
(3 rounds)

"As a warrior you take responsibility for holding the balance
between light and dark within you and, by extension,
the world around you, and ultimately when you go deep enough,
the universe."

-Barefoot Doctor

75th madness

(**MORE PICS**)

The Evolution:

1st:

5000 # accumulation OHsquat

2nd
500 ski simulations
then
200m sprint
25 kb swings
(8 rounds)

3rd
"last man standing"
hand stand

"Make No Mistake
it is the belief
in mistakes
that leads one
to mistakes"
- zen monk

74th madness

(**MORE PICS**)

The Evolution:

1)
15 mins of snatch
(singles, doubles, or triples)

2)
50ft farmer carry heavy
10 dips
50ft overhead carry heavy
10 pull ups
(max rounds in 20 mins)

3)
Max reps of front squat in 10 mins
(65# for F 95# for M)

"I have never met a truly strong person who didn't have self-respect. I think a lot of inwardly and outwardly directed contempt passes itself off as self-respect: the idea of raising yourself by stepping on someone's shoulders instead of doing it yourself. When I see guys working out for cosmetic reasons, I see vanity exposing them in the worst way, as cartoon characters, billboards for imbalance and insecurity. Strength reveals itself through character."
- Henry Rollins (An excerpt from "The Iron" originally published in Details Magazine)

73rd madness

(More Pics)

The Evolution:

1st
TGU !RM


Then
10 HSPU
20 walking OH squat
30 deck squats
40 burpees
50 bo rows
60 split jump
70 KB swings
80 flutter kicks
90 mountain climbers
100 hang power snatch


"I discovered that it is necessary, absolutely necessary, to believe in nothing. That is, we have to believe in something which has no form and no color--something which exists before all forms and colors appear... No matter what god or doctrine you believe in, if you become attached to it, your belief will be based more or less on a self-centered idea."
— Shunryu Suzuki Roshi

Jessica Pamanian Crossfit Games Introspective

Can be seen on The Crossfit Journal. Get a little taste of her training. It's a nice piece. Great job Ian and everyone at Again Faster for churning out high quality pieces like this one.

An Invitation To You

For those of you who are unable to join us due to locale and, at your own risk, choose to follow an Evolution without guidence, please feel free to post an introduction and share in your endeavors. Technology destroyed your anonymity long ago.

EFC, Its Evolutions, And the philosophies laid down on these pages are meant to be read, applied, and to enhance the work you've piled in front of yourself. This holds true regardless your methodology, or school of thought. All are welcome. The aim is to complement, not to compete.

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to share with us.

72nd madness

(more pics)

The Evolution:

"The Agoge"
max DB OH LUNGE in 8 minutes
max MAN MAKER in 8 minutes
max BOX JUMP in 8 minutes
max DB SNATCH in 8 minutes
max AIR SQUATS in 8 minutes
max SIT UPS in 8 minutes
max CRAB CRAWL in 8 minutes
max DISTANCE RUN in 8 minutes

In ancient Sparta, young boys were taken from their families at the age of seven to begin a twelve year intense program of physical education, strategy, and martial skill. They called it The Agoge. Each year would culminate with an evolution that would last eight days and eight nights. Some didn't make it.

Thanks to Paul from Crossfit Queens for stopping by and getting a little taste of the mad. We'll see you and your posse next week. Also, thanks Jessica for programing this evil, and subbing for Justin.

"Illusions commend themselves to us because they save us pain and allow us to enjoy pleasure instead. We must therefore accept it without complaint when they sometimes collide with a bit of reality against which they are dashed to pieces. "
-Sigmund Freud

71st madness

(More Photos)


THE EVOLUTION

1st
newbies worked clean n press
vets did:
15 kb swings
15 kb goblet squat
15 kb goblet lunge
15 kb sdhp
(5 rounds 20 min cut off)

Then
10 burpees
50 ft KB wounded bear crawl
20 pull ups
50 ft kb walking sotts press
30 jump squats
50 ft KB wounded bear crawl
40 sit ups
50 ft kb walking sotts press
50 hspu
(25 min. cut off)

Then
last man standing plank

The Way is one of introspection. The outward stimuli of that which makes the lesser get stuck in the ruts of past illusions is what we seek to tune out and ignore entirely. False celebratory remarks do not have wings in our arena. We are our own critics, our own judges, our own executioners. To keep things light is important but to expect an outcome is fruitless. The outcome is a byproduct of the work and the work is different per individual. The work may be as simple as understanding the effects of a certain grip, or as difficult as putting to rest a psychological hurdle that takes one off the migratory route that their consciousness is set upon. Regardless the work, the individual would do well not to seek praise nor credit. This is not purposeful endeavor. Purposeful endeavor comes from within. Know yourself, know your purpose and resist wasting your vital creative energy on attaining credit from an illusory environment. This will always disappoint. Channeling that vital creative energy inward, taking inventory as you do, leads to a place to of sharing. Please post your shit.

Jessica Pamanian 2nd Overall Crossfit Regionals

JESSICA PAMANIAN
has come a long way in an extremely short period of time. She has worked her way into the hearts and minds of all Midnight Madness adepts as someone who is a catalyst for the group's performance. She came with natural physical ability, but has taken the EFC teachings and has worked her physical, spiritual, and philosophical selves on her road to self mastery.

With poise and grace, humility and gratitude, Jessica stepped to this Goliath and became our champion for the weekend. After only 2 weeks of prep for the sectionals, she took 4th. In two short months post sectionals she followed a program that would make most shudder leading to a 2nd place overall standing at the Crossfit Regionals which will take her to Los Angeles for the national finals in July.

Mu Shin Jess!!! Next stop LA!!!

70th madness

The evolution

1st
recent acquisitions had a hanging power clean clinic
veterans did:

10 power clean
5 burpees
10 push press
3 rounds
(progessive loads- men start at 95# and add 20# each round, women start with 45# and add 10# each round)

then
a "revolver" with
push up
air squat
sit up

then
team effort wallball max reps in 10 mins
(team with lowest score does 20 burpees each)

69th madness

The Evolution:

first
"we need a savior"
do db thrusters continuously until each person takes a turn at doing 15 burpees.

then
5 jump squat
5 kb swing
5 sit ups
5 kb hi pull
(7 rounds)

then
deadlift clinic

"Do not wish for quick results, nor look for small advantages. If you seek quick results, you will not reach the ultimate goal. If you are led astray by small advantages, you will never accomplish great things." -Confucius

68th madness

(CLICK HERE FOR PICS)

1st
Squat clinic

Then
10-1 kb swing
1-10 clap push up
10-1 pull up
1-10 box jump

then
1 kb squat
10 hspu
2 pistols
10 something difficult
3 db squat clean
10 deck squat
4 sotts press
10 japanese push up
5 db snatch each arm
10 shoot throughs

For all the new blood that entered the world of the mad this evening, let me reiterate that Extreme Fitness Concepts is about personal transcendence. It's less about berating oneself for not measuring up to the mechanical standards set forth by a collective, but more about pushing the limits of the creative piece of your biological protoplasm. That said, we do strive for perfection within a movement, but that is just a means to an end, not the goal. Once again, the goal is to come face to face with your higher self, to test your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual limits, to transcend that which we think we are in order to find something or someone that is only revealed in sporadic moments of excellence, or in moments of raw vulnerability. The true treasure of Extreme Fitness Concepts is that one can experience this state regardless of technical ability. You only need accept it.

"I never saw a wild thing
sorry for itself.
A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough
without ever having felt sorry for itself." -D. H. Lawrence

67th madness

1st
3 oh press @ 135
5 sdhp @135
7 push ups
9 box jumps
(7 rounds)

then)
db deadlift 1rm

Then
3 db deadlift @ 80%1rm
100 ft farmer carry at same load
25 wallball
(max rounds in 20 mins.

66th madness

The Evolution:

1st:
Thruster/power clean ascending/descending ladder 20-10.10-20

then:
3 db jump shrug every 30 seconds for 10 mins.

then:
OMFU ball slam (250 reps)

"Be aware of doing your best to understand the ROOT in life, and realize the DIRECT and the INDIRECT are in fact a complementary WHOLE. It is to see things as they are and not to become attached to anything — to be unconscious meant to be be innocent of the working of a relative (empirical) mind — where there is no abiding of though anywhere on anything — this is being unbound. This not abiding anywhere is the root of our life. Concentration is the ROOT of all the higher abilities in man. Seek to understand the root. — It is futile to argue as to which single leaf, which design of branch, or which attractive flower you like; when you understand the root, you understand all its blossoming. What we are after is the ROOT and not the branches. The root is the real knowledge; the branches are surface knowledge. Real knowledge breeds "body feel" and personal expression; surface knowledge breeds mechanical conditioning and imposing limitation and squelches creativity. " -Bruce Lee

65th madness

1st
100 OH squat @ 95# (3 burpees every rest)

Then
5 kb clean & jerk
50 russian swings
(5 rounds)

Then
last man standing sit ups

64th madness

the evolution:

first: push press/jerk (player's choice) @ 80% 1rm
3 reps with one minute rest between sets
(15 minutes)

then: max reps of burpees in 10 minutes

then: 1/4 mile run
50 kb swings
( 4 rounds 4 time)

"You should not have any special fondness for a particular weapon, or anything else, for that matter. Too much is the same as not enough. Without imitating anyone else, you should have as much weaponry as suits you."
-Miyamoto Musashi

63rd madness

The evolution:

1)
11 thrusters @ 135m & 75f
5 situps
11 burpees
10 situps
11 pull ups
20 situps
11 hanging drop clean
40 situps
11 B/O row
80 situps

2)
5 db clean & jerk @ 50m 30f
long farmer walk
(11 rounds)

3)
db snatch 1rm in 15mins

62nd madness

The Evolution:

"unleavened"
100ft bearcrawl
10 pushups
100ft crabcrawl
10 floor dip (feet elevated)

"crown of thorns"
max HSPU in 10 mins

"the 10 plagues"
1 rep, ten movements, 10 rounds, heavy

61st madness

The Evolution

!) 3rm players choice

2) max double unders in 10 mins

3) 10 OHS, 15 pull-ups, 20 box jumps ( 5 rounds)


JT competed at the American Kettlebell Club Championships and placed 2nd in his weight class with a new pr. Nicely done JT.

60th madness

The evolution

1)max tgu in 15mins

2) Lotsa shit


Jessica did great at the crossfit games getting 5th overall out of 70. She really represented what EFC is all about. She will go on to the regionals and do just as good and most likely, knowing Jessica, better.

59th madness

The Evolution:

1)KB triplet

2)2 heavy OH press + Long Heavy Carry

3) TUG-o-WAR + Reverse TUG-o-WAR


Peak-performance:

The 10 Hz alpha brainwave frequency is commonly referred to as a “peak performance” state of mind or being “in the zone.” There has been conclusive evidence from studies with professional basketball players and golfers that show alpha brainwaves increasing in their “left hemispheres” just before making a free-throw or shooting a great golf shot. In players that did not make the shot, beta brainwaves flooded their left-hemisphere. It seems that “over thinking” (beta brainwaves) or “under thinking” (theta brainwaves) are detrimental to gameplay. The study was also proved by comparing elite marksmen to novice marksmen. The elite marksmen showed a big burst of alpha in their left-brain hemisphere before their perfect shots. Professional athletes are much more likely to show the alpha rhythm, while novices and intermediate players show virtually none! It seems that the 10 Hz alpha brainwave is the best brainwave for athletes and marskmen looking to improve their performance and overall game.

58th madness

The evolution:

1st)
1rm deadlift in 15 mins

next)
kb wounded bear crawl down+
kb farmer carry back
(max laps in 15 mins)


finally)
max box jump in 5 mins+
max jump squat in 5 mins

This journal article, taken from the U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, substantiates EFC's second concept. One of many. The words that follow are not mine, but I think it is sometimes imperative to see some data.

Extremely short duration high intensity interval training substantially improves insulin action .......
Babraj JA, Vollaard NB, Keast C, Guppy FM, Cottrell G, Timmons JA.

Translational Biomedicine, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. j.babraj@hw.ac.uk
BACKGROUND: Traditional high volume aerobic exercise training reduces cardiovascular and metabolic disease risk but involves a substantial time commitment. Extremely low volume high-intensity interval training (HIT) has recently been demonstrated to produce improvements to aerobic function, but it is unknown whether HIT has the capacity to improve insulin action and hence glycemic control. METHODS: Sixteen young men (age: 21 +/- 2 y; BMI: 23.7 +/- 3.1 kg x m-2; VO2peak: 48 +/- 9 ml x kg-1 x min-1) performed 2 weeks of supervised HIT comprising of a total of 15 min of exercise (6 sessions; 4-6 x 30-s cycle sprints per session). Aerobic performance (250-kJ self-paced cycling time trial), and glucose, insulin and NEFA responses to a 75-g oral glucose load (oral glucose tolerance test; OGTT) were determined before and after training. RESULTS: Following 2 weeks of HIT, the area under the plasma glucose, insulin and NEFA concentration-time curves were all reduced (12%, 37%, 26% respectively, all P < 0.001). Fasting plasma insulin and glucose concentrations remained unchanged, but there was a tendency for reduced fasting plasma NEFA concentrations post-training (pre: 350 +/- 36 v post: 290 +/- 39 micromol x l-1, P = 0.058). Insulin sensitivity, as measured by the Cederholm index, was improved by 23% (P < 0.01), while aerobic cycling performance improved by approximately 6% (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The efficacy of a high intensity exercise protocol, involving only ~250 kcal of work each week, to substantially improve insulin action in young sedentary subjects is remarkable. This novel time-efficient training paradigm can be used as a strategy to reduce metabolic risk factors in young and middle aged sedentary populations who otherwise would not adhere to time consuming traditional aerobic exercise regimes.

What does it mean? Leave it on the floor, stay focused, push, walk away.

post your shit

57th madness

THE EVOLUTION
1st:

4@8x3

"Then:
"Wheels of Hell"

First of all I want to congratulate everyone for testing themselves with the loads and pushing themselves on the sprint.

Tonight was a classic example of the premier concept in the Extreme Fitness Concepts manifesto : Concept #1 - basic movements learned to perfection. The squat, deadlift, oh press, and bench press are the cornerstones of all others, and you all are performing them nicely.

Keep in mind that the rules of engagement are thus; proper joint alignment = proper form. When we preach proper form it has a two fold purpose. 1) to decrease the capacity for injury. 2) to enable further work capacity in terms of load and duration. That said, if your squat doesn't look like my squat, it doesn't mean it's wrong. Following the law of individual differences tells us that every body is different. For instance, my deadlift at a stout 5'9" will look similar to, but not the same as, Eric's deadlift at 6'4". However, if the system of joints in both bodies, however different, are aligned in concert with one another in order to fight gravity through the movement's range of motion, then the form is proper. Another example is this. If I can squat below parallel and Edgar has difficulty safely getting down that low at any load due to structural issues but is still maintaining proper joint alignment, does that mean he is not doing a squat? Of course he is doing a squat. He's doing a proper squat with the bio-machine he is working with. In fact it's an Uber-Proper squat because he has gained the body knowledge to adapt to the body he has on that particular day. But we still strive for perfection, even if the term itself is debated and will continue to be for ever. This is why we have schools of thought. By my standards, however, which are the only ones that count in this forum, you're all on the right path. Keep what works, throw the rest out, be your toughest critic. Post your shit.

55th madness

the evolution

1) supps with sdhp

2) 5 min hold heavy

3) 4x 25 x 4

54th madness

team effort

53rd madness

the evolution

1) KB hi pull, snatch, reverse lunge
descending ladder from 10 to 1 of each movement on each side
50# load goal

2) 6 squats at 225, 185 or 135 +
6 dead hang pull ups +
1 minute rest
(10 rounds)

post your shit

52nd madness

"HELL NIGHT"

I am astounded by the commitment. The transformation that you all have gone through over the last year has been the inspiration which makes EFC continue to evolve, to push its boundaries. This evening was made to bury, to bring you to your knees. It was designed to see how far you would go before you called it a night. To my surprise, very few ever did. As the evening went on I began to get very ill; however, in spite of the evil that was growing inside of my stomach, I thought it only appropriate that i stay and witness the tenacity that was being displayed before me. There was no way I could leave as you gritted teeth and left it all on the floor. Sorry i had to leave so suddenly at the end of the night without sharing how proud I was of all of you. Thank you all so much for a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual year raising new bars, creating our own boundaries, and decimating societies norms. You are the revolution.

51st madness

50th madness