On this Memorial Day we honor the men and women who gave their lives while fighting for our freedoms. We do so by coming together to participate in the workout “Murph”. This workout is inmemory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005.
This workout was one of Mike’s favorites and he’d named it “Body Armor”. It has since been changed to “Murph” in honor of the focused warrior and great American who wanted nothing more in life than to serve this great country and the beautiful people who make it what it is.
From TheMurphChallenge.com: LT. Michael P. Murphy (SEAL) was the officer-in-charge of a four-man SEAL element in support of Operation Red Wings, tasked with finding a key anti-coalition militia commander near Asadabad, Afghanistan. Shortly after inserting into the objective area, the SEALs were spotted by three goat herders who were initially detained and then released. It is believed the goat herders immediately reported the SEALs’ presence to Taliban fighters.
A fierce gun battle ensued on the steep face of the mountain between the SEALs and a much larger enemy force.
Despite the intensity of the firefight and suffering grave gunshot wounds himself, Murphy is credited with risking his own life to save the lives of his teammates. Murphy, intent on making contact with headquarters, but realizing this would be impossible in the extreme terrain where they were fighting, unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his own life moved into the open, where he could gain a better position to transmit a call to get help for his men.
Moving away from the protective mountain rocks, he knowingly exposed himself to increased enemy gunfire. This deliberate and heroic act deprived him of cover and made him a target for the enemy. While continuing to be fired upon, Murphy made contact with the SOF Quick Reaction Force at Bagram Air Base and requested assistance. He calmly provided his unit’s location and the size of the enemy force while requesting immediate support for his team. At one point, he was shot in the back causing him to drop the transmitter. Murphy picked it back up, completed the call and continued firing at the enemy who was closing in. Severely wounded, LT. Murphy returned to his cover position with his men and continued the battle.
LT. Murphy fought on, allowing one member of his team (Marcus Luttrell) to escape, before he was killed. For his selfless actions, LT. Michael Murphy was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor on October 27, 2007.
Remember every member of Verve is invited to this workout regardless of the type of membership you have. Come sweat with the rest of us!
Starting CrossFit: Dealing With Obstacles By Kai Rainy
You climbed over so many hurdles to start CrossFit.
You carved time out of an already-busy schedule. You found a way to make it fit in your budget. You swallowed your pride and worked through those classes in which you felt lost and awkward.
You kept showing up, day after day, even after the newness wore off and you had to accept that your body wasn’t going to look like Stacie Tovar’s or Patrick Vellner’s any time soon.
Then one day, something happens: An obstacle drops in your path, and instead of leaping over it, you stare at it, hoping it will disappear.
It doesn’t.
It’s amazing how hard it is to develop a good habit and how easy it is to pick up a bad one. You never hear anyone complain about how challenging it is to include a cocktail in the nightly routine. Conversely, no one ever gripes about being unable to kick that morning-run habit.
I remember the first time I skipped a CrossFit workout. I’m not talking about missing a day because I was out of town or dealing with an unexpected scheduling issue. I’m talking about waking up and making the decision not to go to class.
I’d been attending classes with my husband Hugh for nearly 18 months. Hugh was unable to attend class due to foot surgery. I didn’t really want to get up and go alone.
“I never miss,” I reasoned as I clicked my phone’s alarm off.
Somehow I knew it was a mistake.
I had started my CrossFit journey morbidly obese, unable to complete a single burpee. In the beginning, just showing up was a PR. That was the goal I had to be content with: Show up at class and do whatever version of the workout you can. Just don’t miss. And I didn’t. Three days a week turned into four, and four turned into five. I was a fixture at the 6:30-a.m. class. I worked so hard to develop that habit.
But that day I just didn’t feel like going.
I skipped another day later that week. The following week, I only took three of my five scheduled classes. The following month, I skipped two entire weeks. I had a bevy of excuses. My body needed a break. I was stressed and overwhelmed by work. I was planning my son’s wedding.
In a conversation with my sister Alise, I mentioned that I was slacking on my workouts. Alise had followed my struggles with my weight. She knew my history of binge dieting and other unhealthy behaviors. She had also seen all the positive changes CrossFit had already made in my life.
Less than 20 minutes after we got off the phone, I received an email from her with “tough love” as the subject. In part, she wrote:
“I’m not your enabler. It’s bull to give up on your workouts. I don’t care how busy you are, or how exhausted you are. Get your ass back to CrossFit. Letting your workouts go is totally reverting to your old self. You are not that person. I refuse to sit back and not say anything and just let you go back to that.
“You may think it’s just a side step and that you are just taking a small break. Nope. Small breaks turn into big ones. … You aren’t going to accomplish anything else significant if you don’t put yourself first for that one hour a day. It will be totally impossible to be the person you need to be to become successful and stay successful. You are the strongest woman I know. Now go prove me right.”
Fortunately, it was the kick I needed to get me back to class. Alise stripped away my excuses in a few sentences, and her email got me past an obstacle I hadn’t been prepared for. I’ve gone back to those words more than once, but I haven’t skipped a planned workout in over two years.
An obstacle is defined as “something that impedes progress toward a goal.” If the obstacle wins—if it actually stops you—you won’t reach that goal. There are only two choices: continue to get healthier or start getting sicker again.
Your obstacle might be a schedule change or an injury. It might be huge, like a divorce, a health crisis or a death in the family. It could be discouragement or depression. Maybe someone new showed up at your box and got toes-to-bar on the first try—that one is oddly specific for a reason.
Whatever your challenge, I implore you to listen: Do not give up on CrossFit.
Show up. Do the work. Then deal with whatever life is trying to smack you with.
When stress is high, you aren’t going to crush every single workout. Some days, you might top out at 50 percent. But you will still accomplish a heck of a lot more in the gym than you would have on your sofa. On days like that, I tell myself I am there for my soul, not just my body.
Some of the first people who found CrossFit weren’t like you and me. Some already thought of themselves as athletes. Some were fit and healthy. CrossFit made them stronger, leaner and faster. If they hadn’t found CrossFit, they’d still be running marathons, climbing mountains and playing sports.
For a lot of us now, CrossFit is the first sport we’ve ever participated in. It took a very long time not to cringe when we were called “athletes.” If there is one thing we need to stick to, to tightly hang on to, it’s CrossFit.
It took the nudge, or rather the hard push, from my sister to make me realize that I needed to make CrossFit central to my routine to continue becoming the person I wanted to be. It had to be a core component in my daily life.
Immediately after this setback, I finally addressed my nutrition and started building the foundation I had been lacking. My body began to change rapidly.
If you’re struggling, you aren’t alone. Reach out to coaches or fellow athletes. Share your struggles and ask them to help you be accountable. Reach out to me! I’m happy to help you put a plan in place to get over whatever is threatening to stop your momentum. Just keep showing up, and before you know it, you’ll be dishing out this same advice to someone else.
Danielle just being a good buddy to Connie. Buddies helping buddies get fit.
Folks, next Monday (May 28th) is Memorial Day. We will have and abbreviated schedule:
7:30am- WOD 9am- WOD 10am-11:30am- open gym
We will be doing “Murph” as our Memorial Day workout. So dust off your weight vests and get ready to rock.
Have you seen some of our recent posts about all that is coming up at Verve?
Saturday June 9th- Cherry Creek Triple Threat – An annual team competition hosted by Cherry Creek CrossFit. Verve has se real teams competing. Pull out your finest Verve shirts and cheer some folks on!
Saturday June 23rd- Verve hosts OUTWOD– A workout designed for anyone and everyone to participate. There is a registration fee, with all proceeds going to the OUT Foundation Program. Click here for more info about OUTWOD. Click here to get registered for the event.
In teams of 2, as many rounds and reps as possible in 20 minutes of: 10 Box jump overs, 24″(20″) 15 Russian kettlebell swing, 32kg(24kg) 10 Ab-mat sit-ups
OUTWOD is the largest international initiative for bringing together LGBT+ athletes and their allies to raise funds for local charitable organizations and sweat together in a safe, inclusive group fitness environment.
OUTWOD’s mission is to promote active and fit lifestyles of our LGBT+ community and allies.
OUTWOD’s pride is in the diversity we represent within the sport of fitness and openly invite anyone to join our welcoming community.
On Saturday June 23rd, starting at 10am-11:30am, we will be doing a workout written by and sponsored by OUTWOD. This event is open to all members of Verve and all members of the community. Bring your friends, family, co-workers. While it is a CrossFit workout, it is infinitely scaleable to meet the needs of anyone that will walk through the doors. Following the event will be fun social near by the gym. Stay tuned for more details.
Registration for this event is $30. This money goes to the OUT Foundation Program.
The OUT Foundation Program: – Philanthropic – We donate a portion of our proceeds to partner charities benefiting the LGBTQ community – We award over 30 yearly scholarships to LGBTQ young adults to cover their gym memberships, nutritional counseling and mental health counseling (if needed) – We will be funding 6 gender affirmation surgeries for transgender athletes in 2018 – We will be extending approx 30 grants to LGBTQ-owned fitness businesses and covering their admission into their local chambers of commerce
Click here to register. If you will not be able to attend the event but would like to donate, you can do so on the same site.
Click here to view and RSVP on the Facebook event site.
Because we will be hosting this event, our schedule will be different on this Saturday: 8am- Verve WOD 9am- Verve WOD 10am-11:30am- OUTWOD 11:30-12:30pm- Open Gym
Hands up if you are as excited about it being Monday as Cat.
What is happening this week/ weekend??? So many things!!
**This weekend the CrossFit Games Regionals kicks off. Colorado athletes will be hitting the Regional floor representing the South Region in Salt Lake City, UT. Got an athlete, a team, or a gym you can’t wait to watch compete? You can watch it live from the CrossFit Games website, click here.
**This Saturday Verve in house PT Zach Harmon will have his “All about the hips” follow up workshop from 12:30pm-1:30pm. During this workshop Zach will be covering:
Movement routines designed to improve both mobility and stability for the hip
Brief overview of why hip anatomy matters
The basic outline for your program
Demonstration of exercises and how to improve your hip control in crossfit movements
This workshop is free to Verve members, there will be a slot in MBO for you to sign up.
**This Sunday Verve’s yoga guru will be taking your body through some much needed poses for mobility and mental restoration. Yoga starts at 11am, get signed up in MBO.
**Memorial Day is coming in hot. Please check MBO for changes to the schedule for that day. We will be abbreviated on Monday May 28th:
7:30am- WOD 9am- WOD 10am-11:30am- open gym
We will be doing “Murph” as our Memorial Day workout. So dust off your weight vests and get ready to rock.
“Stop being angry at your mom just because she says stuff that no one else does. Remember, that she also does things for you that no one else ever will.”-Unknown author
This is only but a small sampling of all the amazing moms that show up to Verve everyday. To all the CrossFit moms out there, we are inspired by your strength, your drive, your compassion, your motivation, your love for your family, and your love for yourself. Because you showing up everyday to workout, to make yourself strong and healthy, and setting the example for your families, you are simply amazing. You do it all, you make it work, you get it done. We wish you a very Happy Mother’s Day, may it be filled with love and support from those who know and appreciate your worth.
Greg’s face shows the true grit of the workout yesterday!
We are going heavy overhead today! To make sure we end up in a solid receiving position, many things need to happen. I want to focus on having solid thoracic mobility to make sure our shoulders can get all the way overhead without “giving up the goose” in our lower back. Below are some videos by Dan Pope about how to properly get that thoracic spine ready to DO WORK!
VERVE UPDATES
-Ladies Day Workout THIS SATURDAY!! 11AM – All ladies are welcome!
Matt talking Lisa through a hip extension. It turns out, it’s all in the hips.
“The hips serve as the primary generator of force in the majority of movements performed in athletics, and this statement remains true for the exercises most commonly performed in CrossFit.
The pelvis, lumbar spine and core play a vital role in stabilizing the trunk to allow force to be transferred through the body.
Despite the importance of the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex, dysfunction of muscle activation and flexibility is very common. These dysfunctions can greatly decrease performance, and it is therefore important to identify common impairments seen in these areas and better understand the hips’ relationship with the pelvis and lumbar spine.” – Zachary Long
Several weeks ago Verve’s in house PT Zach gave a workshop where folks learned about hip mobility & stability, and how our physical differences play a role in both. Zach also covered hip movement assessments and showed how they impact CrossFit movements, and how some movements irritate our hips more than others. Zach has a follow up workshop coming up Saturday May 19th from 12:30pm-1:30pm. During this workshop Zach will be covering:
Movement routines designed to improve both mobility and stability for the hip
Brief overview of why hip anatomy matters
The basic outline for your program
Demonstration of exercises and how to improve your hip control in crossfit movements
This workshop is free to Verve members, there will be a slot in MBO for you to sign up.
If you are curious to learn more about the hip in preparation for this amazing workshop, the CrossFit Journal has published two awesome articles about the hip:
