1. <====== I figured I’d start the week off with a bang and share a picture that someone posted on my Facebook page over the weekend. They thought that I’d get a kick out of it, and well, they assumed correctly.
2. As I write this post, CP is currently without power, and subsequently, heat. We had our first snow storm here in Boston on Saturday night, and apparently roughly 500,000 people throughout the state are without power. It’s about 50 degrees in there right now, but it’s nothing a pair of sweatpants and a skully can’t fix.
It reminds me of when I used to train at South Side Barbell back in the day in Stratford, CT. Once winter hit, they only thing they’d use to heat the place were a few space heaters…..and some hand warmers, if we were lucky. I’m not kidding that there would be times where I’d take off my hat in the middle of a training session, and you’d literally see steam coming off my head. It was awesome.
Regardless, there’s an important lesson to learn here: when all is said and done, this just goes to show why barbells are superior to a treadmill any day of the week. ALWAYS. No lights or heat? No problem. We’re still going to lift heavy things off the floor. Well, at least I am.
Note to any CP clients who are reading this (as of 9:30 AM): CP is closed until the lights and heat are back on. As badass as it would be to train in the cold, the risk of pulled hamstrings is kind of bad for business. Please check in on CP’s fan page on Facebook for updates.
3. As many are aware, last week I held a little promotion where I was giving away some free stuff for those who participated in Eric Cressey’s sale event with Show and Go. Here are the winners:
FREE individualized programming for a month: Juliet Gotthardt
FREE copy of Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body – Christian Oleson
FREE autographed 5×7 picture of moi: Eva Mendes
If the three of you could email me at your earliest convenience to claim your prizes that would be helpful.
4. Most of you may remember the story of Steve and Kelsey from last March, when Steve actually proposed to Kelsey on this blog, and as a result, pretty much made it so that the rest of us would really (and I mean REALLY) have to step up our game if or when the time came to propose to our significant others.
Note to Self: I can’t even use my own blog to propose, now. Thanks Steve. Jerk……..;o)
In any case, Steve and Kelsey finally tied the knot a few weekends ago, and spent all of last week up here in Boston hanging out at Cressey Performance. Yes, you read that correctly, they spent their honeymoon at CP.
As strength coaches themselves, they figured they’d rather spend their honeymoon squatting, push-pressing, throwing chalk in the air, and talking shop rather than chillax on a warm, sandy beach drinking Pina coladas somewhere. You know how the saying goes: different strokes for different folks, and needless to say, I was honored that they would choose to do something like that.
Now, I’ve met dozens and dozens and dozens of people at the facility in the past few years who, for their own reasons, make the trek to CP to see what we’re all about. At times, meeting complete strangers can sorta be like a high-school dance where there’s just all sorts of awkwardness going on.
You don’t know whether to shake hands, fist-bump, or hug; and inevitably the conversation turns to the weather. Never a good scenario.
Conversely, at other times, meeting people can be almost as if you’ve been BFFs forever, which was exactly what happened with Steve and Kelsey. They spent the entire week training at CP – getting AFTER IT mind you – and both Lisa and I had the opportunity to meet them out for dinner one night last week as well.
I just wanted to say congrats, again, to both of them. It was awesome meeting you both, and I wish you all the love, memories, and future deadlift PRs the world has to offer!
5. Amusing CrossFit video of the week. You’re welcome.
6. I have a short list of things that I love in this world. Family is right up there, of course. As is my girlfriend. I’ll also throw in things like old 90210 re-runs, Spike, people who use exact change, and goat cheese into the mix.
But I also LOVE girls who lift heavy things, which is why you should check out Girls Gone Strong.
Seriously, do it. I dare you.
7. Lastly, I like Halloween about as much as I like getting kicked in the balls. I’ve never bought into the whole “lets get dressed up” mentality.
As it happened, though, one of Lisa’s good friends hosted a costume party over the weekend that served as a fund-raiser for her charity work with Therapists Without Borders, which is an organization that matches professional therapists with under served communities throughout the world. Since it was for a really great cause, I decided to swallow my reservations and dressed up as none other than MR. CLEAN. Giving credit where credit is due, Lisa came up with the idea, which ended up being downright brilliant when you think about it.
For those interested in the cause, HERE is Katie’s (Lisa’s friend) donation page which serves as her home-base for the funds she’s trying to raise for her trip to Kenya in January. I know money is tight nowadays, and I understand that you don’t know Katie (you should, though, she’s pretty much the most kind, generous, caring, and just downright beautiful human being I know) from a hole in the wall, but I’d be immensely appreciative to anyone who clicked on the link and maybe donated a few dollars if she or he chooses to do so.
And that’s it for today. Sorry for any grammatical errors, I was kind of in a rush this morning.
