For those of you that don't know, CrossFit Fire will be doing the Hero WOD "Murph" on Sunday May 26th at 11:00 am. We will be doing this Hero WOD in honor of the Memorial Day Murph event. For more information visit: http://mdmfundraiser.com/.
One of our members, Isaiah, contacted me and told me that his brother is in the military, deployed overseas and was having a hard time with this deployment. Isaiah told me that his brother owned a Crossfit Affiliate in Montana and asked if I could bring in a t-shirt and have everyone sign it and write a special something. I got a Memorial Day Murph t-shirt that I will leave out during the WOD so please take the time to sign it. I will also leave a care package box out for if anyone wants to give a little something to Isaiah's brother. Some examples as to what to get are beef jerky, any kind of powder drink mix, power bars, baby wipes and any other snacks you could think of.

So in honor of Michael Murphy and Isaiah's brother we will be doing "Murph"

While wearing a 20 lb vest:

1 Mile run to start
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1 Mile run to finish

* Pull-ups, push-ups and squats can be broken up in any way.

I have to apologize for the short notice and the short post but I'm writing this while I'm on the road to Virginia for another class.

With all WOD's there will be many scaling options available for those that don't think they can do the WOD as prescribed. You can do a half Murph or the WOD can be custom tailored for each individual. This event is free and open to all (non-Crossfiters are more than welcome to attend), if you are a Crossfit Fire member please sign up for this event and if you are not a member just show up. If you wanted to register and donate for the Official Memorial Day Murph event please visit their site ($35.00 t-shirt included). This Hero WOD will be held on Sunday the 26th at 11:00 am. Come out and help me celebrate the life of Michael Murphy and show our support to Isaiah's brother.

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After having a break in January from having a Hero WOD we will be having our Hero WOD for Febuary on Sunday the 24th. For this Hero WOD I chose to honor the life of Chris Kyle. For those of you that do not know Chris he was a Navy SEAL Sniper that conducted four combat tours in Iraq. During Chris's four tours he totaled 160 confirmed kills. Chris was so deadly on the battlefield and in his area of operation that the enemy nicknamed him the "Devil of Ramadi". Chris was wounded twice and was involved in six IED attacks. To learn more about Chris's life you can read his book titled "American Sniper".

Chris's life was cut short only a few weeks ago on  February 2nd. Chris and a friend, Chad Littlefield, decided to take a military veteran to the range to help get his mind off things since he was struggling with PTSD. For unknown reasons, while shooting on the range, the military veteran turned a gun on Chris and Chad and murdered them. This is such a sad and tragic incident because Chris got out of the Navy to be in a safer environment and spend time with his family.

During the 2012 SHOT Show my father and I were fortunate enough to meet and speak with Chris. Chris was speaking with some friends so my father and I waited off to the side. As we were waiting one of Chris's security approached us and asked what we needed. I thought for sure he was going to tell us that Chris was busy and that we wouldn't be able to speak with him. Turns out Chris's security was super friendly and advised us that once Chris was done talking with a his friend that was in a wheelchair he would bring him over.  Sure enough a few minutes later Chris came up to us and we got to talk with him. My father had Chris's book and asked if he could sign it and Chris did. Chris and I spoke for a moment and he thanked me for my service and we went our separate ways. I don't get impressed or want to meet too many people but here was a guy who had the most confirmed kills and he was thanking me for my service. I couldn't believe how one of the deadliest guys on earth could be so caring and humble. A sign of a true warrior.  So in honor of Chris and all that he has done I came up with the following WOD:

"Kyle"

3 rounds (one for his wife and two for his children left behind)

40 KB Swings 32K/24K

40 Box Jumps 24"/20"

40 Thrusters 30k/20k

40 Elevated Push-ups (feet on 24" box)

* The 4 movements represent Chris's 4 tours in Iraq and the total reps for each round equal 160 representing Chris's confirmed kills.

With all WOD's there will be many scaling options available for those that don't think they can do the WOD as prescribed, it can be custom tailored for each individual. This event is free and open to all (non-Crossfiters are more than welcome to attend), if you are a Crossfit Fire member please sign up for this event and if you are not a member just show up. This Hero WOD will be held on Sunday the 24th at 11:00 am. Come out and help me celebrate the life of Chris Kyle, a true American Hero.

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With the recent tragedy that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary,CT I decided to do a Holiday Hero WOD to show our support for all types of heroes.  With this Hero WOD I hope to honor all the children, teachers and first responders that took part in this tragedy. Even though this Hero WOD is directed more toward the Sandy Hook Elementary incident I also want to honor all teachers, police officers, fire fighters and rescue personnel. Far too often these people go unrecognized for all their sacrifices. Teachers work countless hours, often on their own time, to ensure that our children are properly educated. While our first responders are often away from their families and sacrifice so much to ensure our society stays safe and protected.

During the Sandy Hook Elementary incident everyone was a hero. Most of you have read the stories like Victoria Soto who attempted to shield her students from the murderer, only to pay the ultimate sacrifice for doing so. The story of the six year old little girl that was the lone survivor of one of the first grade classrooms because she played dead. Story after story of countless courageous acts, not just about adults but many about children under eleven years old.

I couldn't imagine being one of the parents so desperately waiting to see if their child was still alive. Watching as child after child exited the school only never to see them. Seconds feeling like an eternity. Then to finally hear the words that your little innocent angel wasn't with us anyone. Just thinking about being in that situation puts a nervous hurt feeling in my stomach and brings a tear to my eye.

I also want to honor all the first responders who responded to this incident. I've had the unfortunate experience on numerous occasions to see and feel what its like to see small children that were harmed. It is something that will never leave your heart and mind. I couldn't imagine being the first responders who had to witness and deal with the aftermath of what a murderous lunatic left behind. Images and feelings that will be with them for the rest of their lives.

So to honor so much and so many I came up with the follow Hero WOD:

1 Round
2600m row (100m for every victim at Sandy Hook)
20 Overhead Squats 50/30k
20 SDHP 50/30k
20 Clusters 50/30k
20 Burpee Box Jumps 24/20"
20 DB Man-makers 45/25 lbs

* The 6 movements represent  the six adult victims and 20 repetitions for each movement represents the twenty children victims.

As with all WOD's there will be many scaling options available for those that don't think they can do the WOD as prescribed and it can be custom tailored for each individual. This event is free and open to all (non-Crossfiters are more than welcome to attend), if you are a Crossfit Fire member please sign up for this event and if you are not a member just show up. This event will be a great way to honor all of these Heroes before the holidays because for some they won't have the option to be with their families.

This event will replace our Team Saturday and will be held on Saturday the 22nd at 9:00 a.m. So come out and help us honor all those involved in the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy, all our teachers and all our first responders.

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On September 11, 2012 the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya came under attack by terrorists. There are many conflicting reports about what truly happened during this tragic incident but one thing that is for certain is that four Americans were killed during the attack. Those that were killed were U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens, Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith, Security Officer Glen Doherty (former Navy SEAL) and Security Officer Tyrone Woods (former Navy SEAL). For more insight to this incident click on the link.

So this Hero WOD is not only going to honor Stevens, Smith and Doherty but it’s mostly going to honor Woods. The reason this Hero WOD came about is because almost as soon as this incident happened I received a text message from a former member of Crossfit Fire. The text read: can you do a Hero WOD for my cousin that was killed in Libya? Obviously I was like of course. I didn’t know the full story of what had all happened but I felt it was an honor that people keep reaching out to me to create workouts to honor those close to them. There isn’t much information as to how Doherty and Woods were killed all I know is that they were fighting to protect one another and our Freedom. Doherty and Woods fought for hours, the fighting began around 9:40 pm and at approximately 4:00 am the next morning while Doherty and Woods were just outside an annex’s front gate a mortar round struck the roof killing them. Woods fought alongside Doherty throughout the night saving many lives in the process and ultimately paid the ultimate sacrifice. So to honor Woods I put together the following WOD:

“Ty”

6 Rounds (approximately how many hours Ty and Glen fought)

5 Cluster (50k/35k)

10 Burpee Box Jumps (24/20)

15 Sots Press (20k/15k)

20 Split Leg Deadlift (50k/35k)

Finisher: 2000m row

I know it's Halloween weekend and many of you may be feeling a little sick from your night’s festivities but I hope some of you can find the time to help me honor those that sacrificed so much. Hero's who helped give you the Freedom so you could enjoy this Halloween weekend with family and friends. Hero's who went months without seeing their families only to give their lives for us, never getting to say goodbye to all those that they loved and loved them.

As with all WOD's there will be many scaling options available for those that don't think they can do the WOD as prescribed and it can be custom tailored for each individual. This event is free and open to all, if you are a Crossfit Fire member please sign up for this event and if you are not a member just show up. This event will be on Sunday the 28th at 10:00 a.m. rain or shine so dress appropriately and be prepared for the weather.

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Where were you on September 11, 2001? It's interesting that when this question gets asked almost everyone I know, knows exactly where they were at and what they were doing when they found out about the attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001. There is not much I can say about September 11 except that I still remember and I remember it everyday! I still remember seeing the news images as the events unfolded and I still remember hearing about all the lives that were changed because of the attacks. Sitting here writing this blog I am lost for words because when I think about this tragic day I still feel the sadness and anger I felt when I first learned of the event. So with that being said all I can think of saying is that all I want to do for this months Hero WOD is do a workout that honors all the heroes that paid the ultimate sacrifice so others could live. So this months Hero WOD will be one that was created and done around the world and it is as follows:

The 9-11 WOD – 1 Round

2001m row

11 box jumps (36in/24in)

11 thrusters (57k/38k) (125 pounds =125 deaths at The Pentagon)

11 burpee to chest to bar pull ups

11 power cleans (80k/55k) (175 pounds= AA Flight #175, south tower)

11 hand stand push ups

11 kb swings (32k/24k)

11 toes to bars

11 deadlifts (77k/55k) (77k = Flight 77)

During this tragic event many ordinary people rose to the occasion and sacrificed their life in an attempt to save others. That is what I love about coaching Crossfit, I love seeing ordinary people rise to the occasion and do things they never thought possible.  This WOD doesn't look easy but it is a very small price to pay or go through compared to all the lives that were changed during this tragic day.

As with all WOD's there will be many scaling options available for those that don't think they can do the WOD as prescribed. Please do not let the WOD intimidate you; the WOD can be custom tailored for each individual. This event is free and open to all, if you are a Crossfit Fire member please sign up for this event. This event will on Sunday the 16th at 10:00 a.m. rain or shine so dress appropriately and be prepared for the weather.

For those that say they can't, you might want to ask him!

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I just learned of this event a few days ago and wanted to get the word out about Outpost Crossfit (2755 Delany Rd, Waukegan) hosting a WOD on Sunday, September 2nd.  There is going to be some friendly competition, food and some Crossfit gear from Gear 212.  For those of you that don't know, Outpost Crossfit has been a fantastic supporter of the Hero WOD's we have every month at Crossfit Fire. You could help me show some of Crossfit Fires support to them by either being a spectator and cheering everyone on or by going through the WOD. Either way it sounds like a good time and a good chance to interact with other Crossfitters from around the area. If anyone wants to carpool I'll be leaving the fort around 9:30am.  I hope to see you there!

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It's that time of the month again where we pic one Hero WOD and do it at the Fort. This Hero WOD is slightly different since it's going to be conducted by Crossfit Affiliates from around the world. Crossfit Fire hosted the 31 Heroes WOD last year and it was a blast. The 31 Heroes WOD is the main reason why I started doing Hero WOD's at Crossfit Fire every month.

For those of you that don't know the 31 Heroes WOD is an annual WOD that started last year in remembrance of 30 military service members and one military dog that lost their lives in a helicopter crash that occurred on August 6, 2011. For more information about the 31 Heroes Project and fundraiser information please click on the link.

Unfortunately I will not be able to participate in this Hero WOD due to my military training schedule but I know many of you will show your support in my honor The WOD is as follows:

“31 Heroes”

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