Today, we’re excited to launch The Expert Series. Each month we offer The Expert Series we will host a guest coach who is the best of the best in their field of expertise. Our subject matter experts will offer a specialized class for the month. Primarily we will focus on the sports that are featured in CrossFit training such as Olympic weightlifting, gymnastics, powerlifting, running, rowing, etc…
CrossFit Austin is proud to welcome Ursula Garza Papandrea as our Expert Series guest coach this April. Ursula is widely regarded as one of the absolute best Olympic Weightlifting coaches in the United States. She’s one of only 25 coaches designated as Level 5 Senior International Coach by USAW. This is the highest designation a coach can receive from USAW. Most recently Ursula guided her men’s Weightlifting team to the 2014 National Championship.
Price: $75/session or $200 for all 3 sessions (limited to 12 athletes / session)
Experience Level: This is an Intermediate to advanced course. Athletes should have at the very least a year of experience utilizing the snatch and clean & jerk consistently in their training program. This is not a beginners course, athletes should have a strong understanding of the two classic lifts (Snatch and Clean & jerk) and also be familiar with accessory lifts such as the back squat, front squat, push press, pulls, etc. If you have any question as to whether you’re prepared to take the class please contact us at info@crossfitaustin.com.
Pre registration: Monday April 4 – April Wednesday 6th (This will be for CrossFit Austin members and coaches only)
Open Registration: Thursday April 7th until spots run out Full Bio: Ursula Garza Papandrea is an elite international athlete and the one of only two women to attain USA Weightlifting’s Level 5 Senior International Coach. She is one of only 25 such coaches in USA Weightlifting and the only Level 5 coach in Texas. She has trained athletes that have represented Team USA at the Junior World Championships, University World Championships, Senior World Championships, Pan Am Games, and Olympic Trials. including the 2014 Men’s National Championship Team Texas Barbell.
Ursula has extensive national and international experience in competitive weightlifting as an athlete since 1987. She’s a Two-time senior national champion, two-time Olympic Festival champion, 5 time world team member (1992-1996), and former record holder in both snatch (master’s) and clean and jerk.
She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise and Sports Science, and a Master’s Degree in Political Science and has had a career as a Professor at Austin Community College since 1994. In 2009 she competed again, winning Master’s National Championships(best lifter award) and again in 2010. She is CrossFit Level 1 certified and have been part of the CrossFit Olympic Lifting Certification Staff since 2009. She also instructs the USAW Level 1 Sports Performance courses.
Since then the world realized “You’re only cool if you stretch your groin”.
In all seriousness regular stretching and foam rolling your groin has a myriad of benefits from helping relieve knee and lower back pain to improving the bottom of your squat, and giving you a stronger set up position in the Olympic lifts. I like the KISS method for mobility so you won’t find any bands or fancy contraptions in our stretching series below. Good ole fashion gravity will be doing the work in these stretches, and the whole routine should take no longer than 10 minutes. Lastly it’s important to remember not to be over aggressive when stretching, if a stretch gives you excessive pain or any numbness discontinue immediately.
Groin on the Wall Stretch
Lay flat on your back with your butt all the way against the wall
Let your legs fall to side and spread as far apart as possible
Relax your feet do not pull your toes back or flex your calves
Take long deep breaths through your belly, gently increase the stretch as you exhale
Frog Stretch
On your forearms and knees, face down on the floor point your feet out, and let your your knees spread wide
Using your forearms to gently push your hips back and keep your chest as close to the floor as possible
Take long deep breaths through your belly, gently increase the stretch as you exhale
Lizard Stretch
This stretch will also incorporate the hip capsule and hip flexors
Kneeling on one knee, lower your hand or forearm to the ground
Try to keep your torso as close to the “up” leg as possible
Take long deep breaths through your belly, gently increase the stretch as you exhale
Standing Groin Stretch
Standing up prop a straight leg up on a box or elevated surface so your foot is above your waist
Increase the stretch by slowly squatting with leg you are standing on
Take long deep breaths through your belly, gently increase the stretch as you exhale
Those are the stretches now here’s the routine.
3:00 Groin on the Wall Stretch 2:00 Frog Stretch 1:00 Lizard stretch right leg 1:00 Lizard stretch left leg 1:00 Standing Groin stretch right leg 1:00 Standing Groin stretch left leg
This is a great series of stretches to do on a daily basis at night or in the morning if you have “tight” hips or are experiencing some knee ache while squatting. Its also great to do before class especially on days that include lunge, squatting, or Olympic lifts. Enjoy!
Join CrossFit Austin and Airrosti for the biggest and best Friday Night Lights celebration. Come to cheer on your fellow CrossFitters participating in 16.5 and enjoy great music, food, beer, wine and enter win free swag provided by Airrosti. The first 20 participants to register for heats receive a free Airrosti t-shirt. Hope to see you there!
We are now officially in CrossFit Open season. Whether you care about the CrossFit as a sport or not, your life (at the very least your Facebook feed) is now a buzz with the ups, downs, trials, and tribulations of thousands of people competing against one another in an online exercise competition. I personally like the Open because it amplifies all the things good and bad we experience as a community dedicated to self improvement. So today’s article isn’t really about the Open, it’s about how we operate on a day to day basis with each other and how we can make those experiences continue to be fulfilling.
It’s ok to be competitive For better or worse, CrossFit is based on competition. You compete against yourself, and you compete against those around you everyday. If you have a goal you’re trying to achieve, you are competing against that asshole in your head that says you’re not good enough and you can’t do it. It’s healthy to want to beat the negative voice inside your head, it’s good to aspire to be like the athlete in class that’s been training consistently for the last five years, and it’s good to see your name move up or down on the leaderboard each week. Competition is the nudge out of the comfort zone that most of us need to seek fulfillment in what we do in life.
Don’t be overly competitive
However, there is an ugly side to competition. The side that rears its head when competing and becomes all consuming. When it’s your only motivation, the only thing you put value in, then it becomes a problem. The only purpose you have at the gym or in life, and in this example, your only reason for doing the Open. This is a problem because ultimately the joy of accomplishment is fleeting, the moment will pass. Stress, anxiety, and general unhappiness will engulf you if you only seek fulfillment from your accomplishments.
Focus on you, and enjoy the process
We all fail, and we all struggle. The goal is to not fail permanently, to take pride in who we are win or lose. To enjoy what you do, and do it to serve a bigger purpose and bring value to yourself and those around you. Love the process, help those around you, and bring good energy to the space you you occupy. The pursuit of self improvement gives us pride, confidence, and a purpose that can’t be quantified by a leaderboard or a trophy. So give yourself the opportunity to enjoy what really matters. -Coach Wes
Each month we spotlight a different CFA athlete who stands out and shows just how awesome they are. What is it that makes up an Athlete of the Month? It may not be the person that finishes the fastest, Rx’s every WOD, or gets a PR every time they walk in the gym. Although we love and celebrate when those things happen, the Athlete of the Month is made up of much more than physical ability. This person shows up, gives their best every time, and then gives a little more. They are hungry to learn and always ready to do the work. They support their fellow classmates and encourage them to reach their goals. This athlete embodies what we believe the CrossFit Austin Community should be about.
Our March Athlete of the Month is Nicole Seltman! Nicole has been with us since 2012! She’s an evening gal, having dance parties during her rest time with the late night crew :). Nicole is an incredibly hard worker, always giving her best and making the rest of us look bad (just kidding, only some of us ;), but she’s awesome). She is focused and has a wonderful competitive energy. She’ll make you push yourself a little harder too. We’re so happy to have Nicole in our community and we’re extremely proud of all of her accomplishments, including being this month’s Athlete of the Month. Congratulations Nicole and thanks for all you do!
State your Name and/or Nickname please:
Nicole or Seltman
Words to live by?
Do what you like. Like what you do. I don’t stop till the mission is done, I don’t stop till they tell me I’ve won.
What is your fitness background? I grew up playing competitive soccer all my life. In high school I played soccer and also
lacrosse. I continued to play soccer and lacrosse at the club level in college.
How long have you been CrossFitting?
I think it’s been 4 years!
Take us back to your first day of CrossFit… How did you feel?How do you compare it to workouts today? Oh my gosh, I remember when I came to do the initial visit. I was sooooo intimidated. It was like 6:30 or 7:00 at night and CFA was in the old building. I was freaking out in the car because here I am walking up to what looks like an old warehouse, in the dark, and there are all these barbells hitting the ground and people screaming. I was like “oh man, what did I get myself into? Maybe I should just go back to 24 hr fitness, but I just took a deep breath and walked in. I have never looked back once.
What’s your favorite part of CrossFit Austin? I love everything! CFA really feels like home to me- and the people are my family. I love our community, the welcoming atmosphere when you step into the gym, and of course the coaches. For me, it is great to have a place I can come to where I can forget the stress of my day. I love being able to put it all out there, focus on what I want to focused on, get coached to do better. Plus to be surrounded by people who push me, challenge me and care about me as an athlete and as a person- what more can you ask for? CrossFit is my therapy.
Current Training Goals/PRs? Well of course I have goals to increase my weights on all my lifts. In addition to that I really just want to continue to get stronger and faster. Now that I’m not training for the half anymore, I can get back to lifting and really upping those numbers, so that is where I’m focusing right now. Everyday my goal is just to do better than before- whether that’s 1 more rep, one less second, or 1 more pound.,
Oh, and I’d also like to be able to complete all the Open workouts Rx!
What advice do you have for folks just starting out in CrossFit? Don’t be intimidated by the grunting, big plates, or crazy movements. Just know we were all starting out at some point. Leave your ego at the door, say hi, introduce yourself and smile. Remember it’s about having fun and making CrossFit what you want it to be for yourself. Who cares what your time is or what your score was…you came in and you got work done (and hopefully had fun) and that is what matters. Oh and of course, ask for help – we are all here to make this the best experience for you that it can be!
What is your cheat meal go to? It’s probably pizza- I have been trying various places around Austin and am still on the search for the BEST pizza out there. But then again, there is also Kerbey Queso, or chocolate covered almonds with melted almond butter…oh man…
Tell us about a moment you felt most proud of yourself during a workout. I think last year completing 15.5 was one of my most proud moments. I HATE rowing and of course thrusters aren’t really all that fun either. I was so nervous- but I just got out there and gave it my all. I remember everyone cheering me on and pushing me to keep going. At the end I collapses to the floor and felt completely wiped out (see attached photo). But at the same time, I knew I had put it all out there and I felt really proud of that!
If you could create a WOD and name it for yourself, what would it be?
The Seltman:
Max plank hold 🙂
What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit? I really like to run- hence my Instagram posts for #sundayrunday. I just ran my 6th half (PR’ed baby!) and I’m sure there will be more to come. I tend to be competitive so anything involving winning intrigues me 🙂 I am a huge soccer player and love to do anything on the water- kayak, paddleboard, swim, etc.
Tell us something we don’t know about you… I can imitate a dolphin whistle 🙂
Longhorns or Aggies?
I’m actually from NY and went to college at Johns Hopkins where no one really cared about football- it was all about lacrosse for us (our homecoming was in the spring!). So I’m not a huge football fan. However, since moving to Austin I have become more interested in the sport and that being said, I have to go with the Longhorns!
Leave the fine folks of CrossFit Austin with some parting words… Thank you so much for selecting me as AOM. I am really honored to be a part of CFA’s Community. I love our gym and I love the people that are a part of it. I really consider myself lucky to be surrounded by such an awesome family. Thank you for pushing me to do better and be better every day.
We are 5 short days from our Night of Champions competition! As promised, below are the WODs we’ll see this Friday with Rx and Scaled weights listed below. Get yourself a partner and get registered! Remember, only 1 team member must register through the online system ($50 per team). We’ll email you to get your partner’s name and which division you’ll be competing in.
Each team member will find a max deadlift. Teams will be grouped on bars together by announced opening weights and each bar will move up in weight every minute. Teammates best lifts will be added together to give the team a score.
Event 2
1200 M Run 50 Burpee Box Jump / Step-up 40 Hang Cleans 15:00 Cap
Athletes will run a total of 1200 meters between them. This can be split into an 800 and a a 400 or two even 600s. The athletes will then proceed to the burpee box jump / step ups where the reps can be split anyway they see fit. Athletes may jump or step onto the box at their own discretion. Teams will then move to the hang cleans where they may split the reps however they see fit. Hang cleans must start between the knee and the hip and can be received in muscle, power, squat or split position.
