Author Archives: scharles

CrossFit: Peak Fitness Revisited

Posted on November 23, 2012 by scharles

A while back someone asked me if my goal for my workouts was to get good at CrossFit.  The answer is no.  For me, CrossFit was (and is) a means to an end.  That end is “fitness.”   The big problem is … Continue reading →

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CrossFit: Dharma mind vs. VO2 Max mind

Posted on September 11, 2012 by scharles

As a general proposition “VO2 Max” ought not to play a particular role in anyone’s happiness.  But it does for me. Establishing a VO2 Max has been on my list of things to do for a couple of weeks.  It’s … Continue reading →

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CrossFit: in progress, variations, and decisions

Posted on September 11, 2012 by scharles

A while back I did 5 rounds of 1 arm 3 KB snatches + 5 half-height kb swings, 10 24 inch box jumps (first the right arm, 10 box jumps, then left arm, then 10 box jumps) and a 200m … Continue reading →

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CrossFit: milestones, overcoming inertia, VO2, next steps

Posted on July 26, 2012 by scharles

I’ve been involved with CrossFit for about 18 months.  It has been slow going.  Sometimes it seems like there aren’t any big improvements.  But a couple of weeks back I did 100 double-unders.  It took a while, especially since I alternate single and doubles … Continue reading →

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The Problem for President Barack Obama: Where’s The Upside?

Posted on July 24, 2012 by scharles

My sense of things is that what we’re seeing right now is not Obama vs. Romney, it’s Carter vs. Reagan. And I think that gives Mr. Romney a big, big advantage. If Mitt Romney can keep his head above water, stay on the offensive, and get just a few more people to question Mr. Obama’s ideals, and his track record, he can win the election. Continue reading →

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Mitt Romney: From Jackass to Thoroughbred

Posted on July 18, 2012 by scharles

Mr. Romney is now talking about God, patriotism, and the American Way. The new message is that America is great because it’s people are great, that we are special, that God loves us. Does that sound familiar? Yep, Ronald Reagan. Continue reading →

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This Year’s Disappointments in Politics

Posted on July 16, 2012 by scharles

The biggest disappointment for me this year wasn’t that Barack Obama is a “socialist” (we knew that, sort of), or that Mr. Obama plays viscous, hard-ball politics (we knew that too) or that he can be devious (also known.) No, the biggest disspointment was how easy it was for the Obama team to make Mitt Romney look like a jackass. Continue reading →

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CrossFit: “Newbie Throwdown” — reflections of competition, fitness, performance

Posted on July 13, 2012 by scharles

A couple of weeks back our CF gym (CrossFit East Sacramento) had the annual “Newbie Throwdown.”   The idea is to have all the newer members, and essentially anyone who is not at level 1 status, participate.  The level 1 athletes act as … Continue reading →

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CrossFit: reflections on the meaning of “the sport of fitness”

Posted on June 23, 2012 by scharles

From now on, if anybody asks me “what is CrossFit” or “do you recommend CrossFit” here is my answer. CrossFit is a recreational activity with a strong emphasis on physical culture, e.g. “fitness.” CrossFit compares to water skiing, snow skiing, skateboarding, rock climbing, snow boarding, body surfing, surfing, rollerblading, and sky-diving. Continue reading →

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Crossfit: fitness management, scaling, exercise agnostic, etc.

Posted on June 19, 2012 by scharles

In every CrossFit workout I’ve done I am the person who selects the weight, and regulates the intensity. In CrossFit, we call this “scaling.” The idea is to scale the weight down (or up) so that the workout is intense enough to be of benefit. In practice you will see vastly different weight levels used, but if you look closely you will see that everybody gets about the same level of intensity. Continue reading →

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