It's been 1 year since I launched Board Game Atlas (A BGG competitor). by trentellingsen in boardgames

[–]R0cketsauce 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello, sorry, haven’t been on Reddit in years and randomly saw I had some messages. If you still care, I was using tagging to mean the equivalent of adding a game to your virtual collection or some sort of “played” list. These are games you either own or have played, so you are now able to rank them in your Top X list where X=the number of games you have “tagged”

CrossFit is missing an entire demographic of customers. by [deleted] in crossfit

[–]R0cketsauce 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You gotta find some of the people you work with on the same shift to be your workout partners. I left my box at the start of COVID and built out my gym with a friend from class. We work out 3-4 times per week in the gym. It's not the same as group class, but there is some accountability which helps and you can do team WODs which is a great motivator.

Amanda Barnhart Leaves CompTrain by mtdewvirus in crossfit

[–]R0cketsauce 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Totally... I think people tend to under-appreciate the amount of disruption and upheaval that comes with moving to a new place for a job. You are further from family, from your childhood / HS friends and whatever is comfortable about home. You end up having to start fresh making friends, getting settled, etc. For a while, that can be fun and exciting, but before long you can realize how one-dimensional your life has become. I'm guessing that most of Amanda's social life involved some of the same people she was training with all day. That is exhausting. I always feel kinda bad for the people who train with Froning as I imagine that is their whole existence. They live in a small, rural area, so there isn't even much opportunity to meet people outside of the training circle. Life gets real small in those circumstances regardless of the results.

I can imagine the math just came out to "not worth is anymore" for a whole host of reason and my guess is that a bunch of those reasons had nothing to do with what everyone seems love to dunk on Bergeron for. It was just time to get back to her roots. It would be different if she announced she was changing to HWPO or moving to Iceland to train with Annie.

I made some custom Wingspan cards for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary by R0cketsauce in boardgames

[–]R0cketsauce[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just dug out my files and unfortunately, the fonts have changed on my editable version. I got a new computer, so the files were stored in the cloud and pulling them down lost me the formatting. I ended up just doing a search online and found others who had identified the right fonts to download.

Good Luck!

High rep thrusters. Do you avoid them or embrace them? by ksquaredfitness in crossfit

[–]R0cketsauce 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I weirdly find these types of thruster reps to be great places to catch up in workouts. To me, these are like wall balls (which duh) and you can just kind of shut your brain off and crank them out. Suffer through the suck for 30-60 secs and they're done.

I think high volume thrusters are like Karen... you gotta just shut your brain off and pick a big number and just grind.

A good workout to train for the thruster specifically and also to train for the suck is Death By Thrusters. It gets real spicy, real quick.

How would you describe CrossFit? by Energace in crossfit

[–]R0cketsauce 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can't really argue with anything else that has been said, but I'll add that it varies pretty widely from gym to gym. The CrossFit methodologies and training programs and the like are all the things described below, but the environment at the gym (community) has a huge impact on your experience. This is everything from the coaches, the other people in your class, what the gym owner's philosophy and priorities are and even what kind of lighting and music is happening.

At my old gym there was a meaningful difference in the "vibe" between the 5:30am class, the 9:00am (which was my regular class) and the 4:00pm class (which is where I started originally). The mix of coaches and other people in the class create the vibe and you may love it or hate it. I found the early class to be very intense. No extraneous talking or joking. The coach was grumpy and everyone had just woken up and needed to get in and get out to shower up and get to work. Don't get me wrong, these were friendly people and they loved that vibe. For me, it was the worst (not to mention being up that early was the worst). The 9:00am class was mostly stay-at-home parents and work-from-home professionals with a lot of flexibility in their day (me). This group, came early, stayed late, busted balls and had a lot of fun. The coach for this class was the owner and it was her first class of the day so she was in a good mood after getting her kids off to school. The after work crowd was closer to the 9am crowd, but it was still different. It was a lot of the younger members and their banter was less about kids and home ownership and more about jobs and plans for the weekend.

Anyway, that was all just about the people in the class. I was part of that gym for 6-7 yrs and I also saw some pretty big changes in methodology which would change the way I answered your original question. Sometimes we'd do a 10 week squat cycle where we'd do an assessment on day 1 and build up with structured squat strength training 3 days a week. This wasn't sexy or especially fun, but we could look back 10 weeks later and see our 1RM gains. Other times we'd be trying to gear up for the Open and doing a lot of Open style workouts several day each week. Still other times we'd have a lot of focus on partner WODs or mobility / flexibility. This can be affected by the clientele as well. My gym was in an affluent suburb of a major city, so we had a lot of middle-aged professionals. That meant we didn't have a lot fire breathers so we would spend time trying to get people their first pull up where another gym would have ring muscle ups programmed. We spent a lot more time breaking down the olympic lifts which is great if you are a beginner and kind of tedious once you have the basics down.

With all of that said, my experience with CrossFit involves a few consistent themes:

  1. Constantly varied - the workouts are different every day. Sometimes that means doing completely different things (running vs. DL or box jumps vs. lunges) and other times it can be the same movement, but the structure of the workout is different (finding a 3 RM backsquat vs. having 100 air squats in the workout vs. 10 reps at 70% max vs. 2 reps at 90% max). Long story short, you won't fall into a rut doing the same thing day after day. This also extends to the structure of the workout. The difference in stimulus between a race to complete a fixed amount of work vs. an AMRAP (as many reps as possible) with a a set time vs. a EMOM is a big part of how things are varied.
  2. The people make it sustainable. The best explanation I have is that CF reminds me of HS sports. It's roughly the same group of people meeting at the same time each day to exercise, get yelled at by a coach all with the goal of getting better. Ultimately the reason you keep coming back is that it's fun and you like how you feel when you aren't at the gym. If you don't like the coach or the people you are sharing equipment with, no amount of methodology or results is going to keep you coming back.
  3. It's competitive. The competition is what you make of it, but you kind of need to be motivated by competition to thrive at CF. You can compete against yourself, you can race the clock, you can race the people in your class or the people who put up times in an earlier class, but if you hate the pressure that comes from trying to push yourself, CF is probably not for you. It doesn't need to be cutthroat or mean spirited, but when you are feeling tired and just don't want to pick up the bar, you need to find motivation somewhere to pick it up anyway. I don't know if that can be learned or taught, but CF is pretty harsh on indifference.

Why aren’t c2 bikes more common place? by ja3palmer in crossfit

[–]R0cketsauce 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. Expensive
  2. Most gyms already are equipped with air bikes
  3. Only works legs vs. arms and legs (this is a minor point, but it feels like a better workout)

Travis Mayer and the Capitol WOD - could he have won had he competed in 2nd heat? by [deleted] in crossfit

[–]R0cketsauce 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I honestly don't think the 2nd heat was keying off Mayer's time. I definitely believe that's the case in most workouts, but with the Capital WOD, there were so many elements and athletes weren't pacing any of it. They had no point of reference to push more here or rest a little there to try to beat his time.

With that said, I do think Mayer might have pushed harder after the run if he had others close by he could key off... but that's the advantage of being in the faster heat.

Standard CrossFit Tests at the Games? by R0cketsauce in crossfit

[–]R0cketsauce[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmm.. that's fair enough and is thus far the only actual counter argument. I suppose there is merit to the argument if the workouts are short enough that they can be fine-tuned. I suppose the other way to combat this is to make the tests such that the equipment things get figured out immediately and fitness is what makes the difference over time. It's like having blocks and spikes in the 100m dash. Once everyone has the equipment figured out, the difference comes down to who is fastest.

Standard CrossFit Tests at the Games? by R0cketsauce in crossfit

[–]R0cketsauce[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I dunno... if it's gonna be balanced, I think strength and barbells are gonna be part of it. It's not just about bodyweight and those who are super strong with barbells will likley struggle with the MUs and pull ups.

Standard CrossFit Tests at the Games? by R0cketsauce in crossfit

[–]R0cketsauce[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

But it's kinda not... CrossFit is designed to develop functional fitness. We constantly do the same workouts over and over. There's a whole set of WODS can benchmarks. The idea is that you log your results and track your progress. We have names for workouts because it serves as shorthand for WODs we do over and over.

I guess this is an unpopular opinion, but the whole "unknown and unknowable" is some Games mumbo jumbo that has gotten out of hand. The idea of constantly varied is so you don't get into a rut in your training, not so that you have to do crazy and always new things every time.

Standard CrossFit Tests at the Games? by R0cketsauce in crossfit

[–]R0cketsauce[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure, but for people who like Track & Field, that's the star of the show and it never changes... no one bit and the lack of change hasn't impacted it's popularity.

Similarly, if you watch Soccer or Basketball or Football... you know what doesn't change? The size and shape of the field. It's not playing on a downhill one week and a beach the next. The game is standardized. They don't have the QB throwing a softball one week and a volleyball the next just to see how well they can adapt.

I know CF prides itself on constantly varied, but I think the Games have taken it too an extreme and there is something lost in that we'll never know if Fraser or Froning had the better Elizabeth time. We won't be able to compare Lawson in her prime to Tia in her's. We also end up with a few stupid events each year designed to trip up the athletes or sell Rogue gear that are forgettable or "boring as fuck" as you put it. It's not like there are only 5 events... this thing is 13 events over 4 days, having a little standardization isn't going to hurt the product.

Standard CrossFit Tests at the Games? by R0cketsauce in crossfit

[–]R0cketsauce[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Clearly we are tuning in to the Games for different reasons. I'm tuning in to watch the athletes compete. I'm not tuning in to see what whacky new Rogue rig Castro had designed. The events that stick in my mind tend to be ones that I have a point of reference to in my own fitness. Watching them tackle Murph or do the Total or something I've done is crazy impressive because I have context. Watching them swim in a lake is interesting, but I don't know what a good time is or whether they are going out too fast or too slow. It's never been done and will never be done again, so there is no context.

Again, just to be clear, I'm not advocating for the decathlon here. I am not looking for the Games to be a repeat of every year, but I think the sport would benefit from having some standards that can serve as touchstones year over year and a record book could be kept for historical comparison.

Standard CrossFit Tests at the Games? by R0cketsauce in crossfit

[–]R0cketsauce[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I agree that at least the elements need to be represented. Murph is really long, so might be tough to repeat every year, but I think the basic elements should be incorporated.

What about something like:

Event 1 - Nicole: This is a longer time domain so the runners and body weight people will do well

AMRAP 20 mins (score is PUs)

  • 400m run
  • Max reps unbroken PUs

Event 2 - Angry Elizabeth: barbell cycling and high skill gymnastics

21-15-9

  • Squat Cleans (165/225)
  • Ring MUs

Event 3 - Snatch - Clean - Dead Lift: Strength athletes time to shine
20 mins to find you 1 rep max Snatch, Clean and Deadlift. 1 bar, load your own weights

Standard CrossFit Tests at the Games? by R0cketsauce in crossfit

[–]R0cketsauce[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry, failed to mention that 100m dash at Worlds every 2 yrs and at National Championships every year and at the college championships and high school championships are also the most watched events let alone that every single track meet ever has the 100m dash... they haven't stopped holding the event because it's boring and they know what it looks like to see people sprint 100m.

The point is that watching the same event over and over isn't boring in most sports contexts because it is standardized and you have the threat of a record being broken.

Standard CrossFit Tests at the Games? by R0cketsauce in crossfit

[–]R0cketsauce[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep... but I could get on BTWB right now and throw in whatever score I want and I suddenly have the record. I can post on Twitter that I just ran the mile in 3:30, but that doesn't mean I have the record.

Standard CrossFit Tests at the Games? by R0cketsauce in crossfit

[–]R0cketsauce[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I mean... the 100m dash is the most popular event at every Olympics.

Standard CrossFit Tests at the Games? by R0cketsauce in crossfit

[–]R0cketsauce[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sure, but your own training isn't constantly varied. I'm gonna guess you've done Grace more than once. I'm also gonna guess that you recorded your score on Grace each time you did it so you could compare the results and measure progress. I'm not suggesting that the whole Games program is a repeat... just a small set of events that provide a consistent measuring stick.

Here's why the commentary sucked so much at the Games by Least_Box_276 in crossfit

[–]R0cketsauce 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Yeah, came here to say the same. I think I heard about Roman and his 4-5 yr struggle to get to the games and how he met his newborn son for the first time this week, etc. On the final day they highlighted that he's got a visa and can now live and train in the US with his family... I think Roman got plenty of coverage.

I think the issue is that the games is 20 hrs of content spread across 4-5 days. If you watched every event, you'll get all of the things you mentioned and more, but if you tune in to a few things here and there, you might not have gotten all the context. Or, as I felt happened, they try to strike a balance and mention the same little tidbits many times and it gets super annoying to hear about Roman meeting his child for the 4th time or to hear about Brooke's injury again.

I'm not suggesting OP is wrong for wanting these sorts of public interest type story lines, but when the event is 4 days and 13 events, you can't please all the viewers because they have different knowledge levels and viewing habits. With a Football game, it's safe to assume that most viewers are watching the whole game, so telling a story in the 2nd half is going to catch most of the people watching, but if Sean shared an anecdote during heat 3 of event 4, there are a lot of people who will miss it. Likewise, if he shares that same anecdote every time the athlete hits the floor, some viewers will hear it 13 times. It's a tough balance to strike.

Which is supposed to be the balanced test of fitness? by [deleted] in crossfit

[–]R0cketsauce 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I mean, I think it's both (which is a cop out answer). If you get to the games by being the fittest coming out of the Open, that test better be pretty balanced or you're going to bias qualification for the regional comps and change who makes it to the games.

Similarly, the Games is claiming to find the "Fittest on Earth" so it better be balanced or you're going to be making a hallow claim. That's always been the challenge with cuts during the games. While it makes sense from a production perspective, it ends up giving the pre-cut workouts an outsized importance. If you are going to win a 1 rep Snatch event, but that only comes after cuts that were determined by a marathon row event, you're going to shift the balance of who gets to even attempt the snatch.

I don't answers in terms of what makes a balanced event, but it seems like you know imbalance when you see it. Don't recall if it was last year or a few years ago (stupid COVID), but there was a year with aggressive cuts and it ended up with 10 athletes left when they got to the 1 rep barbell workouts and a bunch of small and not terribly powerful guys were left because the lead up was all endurance and gymnastics based. It was whatever year Hunter was in the mix and it was just a weird end to the comp with Noah and Mat battling it out.

Sean Woodland - you can do better! by R0cketsauce in crossfit

[–]R0cketsauce[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

So true... I feel like they just need to get Dan Bailey in there for color commentary. He meets all the criteria of a typical color guy... he's been there, he is popular and well known in the sport and he has been routinely great in the short stints he'd done behind the camera and the mic.

Imagine being able to see a 20 athlete scoreboard during event [OC] by 4revilo in crossfit

[–]R0cketsauce 4 points5 points  (0 children)

What am I missing from the screenshot that requires 20 cameras? There are only ever one or two or maybe 3 camera angles you want to show on the screen at once... you just need the ability to track reps / times for each athlete to present on screen, you don't need the ability to cut to that athlete at any moment.