News From The Box

Imperium Crossfit

Vol. 2, Issue 3

In This Issue

Athlete of the Month

Recipe of the Month

Building Relationships

Beyond the box

Page 4

Page 5

Page 6

Fit Into Summer Chal-

lenge Winner

Regionals Results

Page 4

Page 5

Calendar of Events

Page 12

Meet The Girls

Page 7

Photos by Nick Morrison

Page 8-9

20 tips to make you better

at Olympic weightlifting

Page 10-11

News From The Box Page 4

Athlete of the Month: Jaden McKinnis

Fit Into Summer Challenge winner

pleted my run time stated above. It's always something different to look forward to when going; you never know what you will be doing. I have some good days where I steam through the WOD and some days where I strain to complete it, but I always feel awesome when I swing that last kettle bell or pull that last clean..

5. What is your advice for a beginner to CrossFit?

Don't let everything over-whelm you, focus on form and completion and don't bite off more than you can chew. Start with a weight you're comfortable with and can finish the workout with-out decreasing it. In the beginning if you try to rush to finish the WOD you will probably get fatigued quickly and that could cause you to do the movement wrong and you might injure yourself. ◊

1. How did you hear about CrossFit?

I heard about crossfit from my dad. I needed to get in shape and he pointed me in the right direction. A co-worker of his attends cross-fit, my dad saw what they do and he knew it would be a great program for me.

2. How has CrossFit changed your life?

I feel better physically and mentally. It has added a part of my life that I'm proud to say I'm apart of, and with it I've gained basically an-other family.

3. What are your goals for CrossFit?

When I first started my in-structor told me to run 600 meters. Afterword he told me to rest a bit to get the color back in my face. Now I can run 1.5 miles in 12:30. I wasn't able to

back/front squat much weight in the beginning, but now I can do over 200lbs. I get winded easily whenever I workout so I want to work on how to improve my breathing, I think my core is my weakest muscle group so it needs work. Getting anything over-head is also difficult for me so that is something else for me to improve upon. I guess a long term goal of mine is to one day look like and perform as well as the group training for competition.

4. What's your favorite part of working out at Imperium?

My favorite part is discovering my limits and trying to push myself past them and accomplishing my own personal achievements. I considered it a great benchmark when I squatted 200lbs and com-

Congratulations to Tom Ball for winning the Fit

Into Summer Challenge! Though we’re all envi-

ous of Tom’s three-peat victory in a challenge,

this challenge was the most successful yet!

Many of you participated and spent 24 days to

change your life. If you want to order AdvoCare

supplements, remember to talk to Coach Tony.◊

Page 5 Volume 2, Issue 3

CrossFit Games: South Central Regional

On May 24-26, Jeremy Brannon and Stephano Tsaganis competed in the CrossFit Games

South Central Regional Competition. If you recall, our last issue of News From the Box

shared the goals of our Imperium athletes. Tsaganis finished 19th overall, achieving his

goal of finishing in the top 25. Brannon finished 28th overall. Both athletes are back at the

gym preparing for another year of competitions.

To Jeremy and Stephano– you are both an inspiration to those of us who can barely do a

pull-up unassisted. Keep up the hard work and know that your friends at the box support

you!

See pages 8 and 9 for more Regionals Pictures courtesy of Nick Morrison.

Recipe of the Month: Summer Squash

Meatball Casserole

cumin and coriander, 1 tea-

spoon of smoked paprika and

cayenne pepper and a bit of

salt and pepper to the vegeta-

bles and mix around to coat.

Then add the diced tomatoes.

Place ground beef in a bowl

along with the rest of the spic-

es and some salt and pepper.

Form into meatballs. Makes 9

meatballs with the pound of

meat.

Press each meatball into the

vegetable mixture.

Place in the oven and bake for

25-30 minutes, until meatballs

are cooked through.

Add fresh parsley on top.

Eat. Yum. ◊

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

2 tablespoons bacon fat

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 small zucchinis, shredded

2 small yellow squash, shred-

ded

1 red onion, shredded

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon coriander

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 pound ground beef

1 (14 ounce) can of diced to-

matoes

salt and pepper, to taste

fresh parsley, roughly

chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Use a grater or shredding attachment on a food processor to

shred the zucchini, squash and red onion.

Place a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, add bacon

fat and minced garlic, then add the zucchini, squash and

onion.

Let vegetables cook down until soft, then add ½ tablespoon

News From The Box Page 6

Building relationships beyond the box

by Katie Sowa

I keep missing Cheyanne at workouts

due to our different schedules. She

messaged me the other day just to

see how things were going. Around

that time, I noticed she was posting

some updates about her son’s

doctor’s appointments. Every status

was so incredibly hopeful and written

by a true woman of God.

And to think- in all of her trouble with

her son’s medical conditions- she

sent ME a message to see how I was

doing. That is the epitome of a great

person.

The first time I messaged Cheyanne

on Facebook, it was to tell her how I

was surprised she had kids since she

was so fit. It makes me so much

happier to know that she’s more than

a hot Mom, she’s probably one of the

most selfless 20-somethings I have

ever met.

So while you’re training hard to look

good, talk to somebody you don’t

know. Maybe that person will turn

out to be a whole lot more than you

expected. ◊

When you join a box like

Imperium, you never fully

understand what you’re in for.

Sure you know there will be a lot

of sweat, maybe some vomit,

and lots of tight muscles. You

may not have realized you’ll

meet some of the nicest people

while angrily throwing down

weights.

I’ve been with Imperium for just

over a year. I started as a really

shy girl who basically only talked

to Tony and Marnie. I was

intimidated by everybody. I was

completely out of my comfort

zone in more ways than one.

After a few weeks or months, I

began to talk to Lauren. She and

I were always at the same

5:15pm evening classes, both

Longhorns, and both laughed

about the dumbest things. We

have completely different lives

during the day, but when we’re

at the box, we always seem to

make each other work harder,

laugh harder, and have a good

time.

I use Lauren as just one example of

the many friends I have made at

Imperium. We all have different

stressors during the day, but find a

way to make our grueling workouts

really fun.

In the past year, I have opened up

to friending people from the box on

facebook. Though some people call

it stalking, I like to call it learning

about somebody who just added

you.

Through Facebook and a few

interactions at the box, I have

learned how incredibly selfless,

loving, and beautiful Cheyanne is.

She doesn’t know I’m writing this,

but I hope she realizes that people

like her really inspire people like me

to be better people.

Cheyanne has an incredible musical

talent that I may not have known if

it wasn’t for her adding me on

Facebook. She posts videos of

herself singing and playing the

guitar. Sometimes her kids

interrupt, which makes the video

that much better.

News From The Box Page 8

News From The Box Page 9

News From The Box Page 10

dence in getting under the bar, and simply being able to get up from those lifts that currently pin you to the

floor.

4. Finish Your Pull - I'm happy you are in a hurry to get under the bar. But just like a bad George Michael song, "You've got to get up to get down." (If that reference doesn't mean anything to you, then ask your Mum/Dad/British friends). Give that bar enough upward momentum and you will have more time than you re-

alize to get your ass down there.

The road to success in Olympic weightlifting is often a complex one to navigate. There are many routes to take, some more direct than others. An experienced lifting coach can help you map out your journey, particular-ly as he or she will have traveled enough paths enough times to be able to provide you with both direction

and directions.

So here are twenty simple directions, from my experience as a lifter and lifting coach, to help you along your

way.

1. More Hips - This is pretty much the only cue I was given for my first eighteen months as a lifter, and for

good reason. This is the fundamental premise of Olympic weightlifting. Hit full extension of the hips, and every-

thing else will flow (literally).

2. Delay the Pull - Take a look at a frame-by-frame photo analysis of any top-level weightlifter. See how high up the thighs the bar is before he or she starts the second pull. Now take a look at where you start your second

pull. See my point?

3. Squat More - Yes, you. Do more front squats. Do them heavier and more times per week. Do I really need to list the benefits? Okay, then: in-creased leg strength, better body po-sition under the bar, increased confi-

20 tips to make you better at Olympic weightlifting

by Chet Morjaria (reprinted from: http://breakingmuscle.com/olympic-weightlifting/20-tips-that-will-make-you-better-at-olympic-weightlifting

Page 11 Volume 2, Issue 3

5. Keep It Close - That bar should remain close to you throughout the lift. It should make contact with your thighs and brush up your top. If those feelings are alien to you, you need to ensure the bar is closer to your

body.

6. Keep Control of the Bar - For many beginner lifters there is a point after you have reached full extension where "the magic happens" and you somehow end up underneath the bar. The reality is there is no point in the lift where the bar is out of your con-trol. If you feel like there is, you probably need to be pulling down

under the bar at that point.

7. Consistency of Technique - Once you have these points down, get them consistent. Why do you think weightlifting competitions for young lifters award points for technique? It is first and foremost in the timeline. After that comes consistency of tech-nique - being able to be hit the cor-rect marks the majority of the time. Only then should intensity be a focal

point.

8. Hit the Actual Lifts Often - Remem-ber, everything you are doing is to make you better at the snatch and the clean and jerk. These are your competition lifts. Assistance lifts are important, but they are a means to

an end.

9. Hit the Percentages Mostly - Strug-gling to hit your max lifts with con-sistency? Work the numbers. Get some reps in at high percentages of your max instead of going straight

for max every session.

10. Go (Very) Heavy Often - Having said that, make sure you are hitting max singles on a regular basis. Your body needs to learn how to lift these

and push past them.

11. Be More Patient - There is little point in yanking (technical term) the bar off the floor, only to end up in a compromised position for the second pull. The sole purpose of the first pull is to set you up for the rest of the lift. Take a little more time off the floor

to make sure you are prepared.

12. Be More Aggressive - Once you are able to hit all the key positions consistently, unleash the beast. Get aggressive and become fast. No, faster than that. Simply continually striving to be quicker and more ag-

gressive will help you.

13. Consistency of Lifting - Like any-thing, if you want to get better at Olympic weightlifting, you need to devote the time and effort to make it happen. Hitting a few cleans in an open gym session once a week does not earn you the right to complain

your lifting isn't going anywhere.

14. Deload - Do not underestimate the importance of taking regular, planned deload weeks. Pay heed to these weeks and they will help you to progress faster, not slower. Give the sport you love some space when she

needs it. It's all about the long game.

15. Seek Expert Guidance - Practice does not make perfect. Perfect prac-tice makes perfect. Seek out a good

weightlifting coach early on in your lifting to practice good hab-its. Get in front of this coach regu-

larly and often.

16. Mobilize - Are you guilty of going straight into your lifting af-ter a few air squats and perhaps the odd power snatch? You are limiting your potential as a lifter,

not to mention asking for injury.

17. Wear Lifting Shoes - So far, I have never seen a lifter who doesn't look better after wearing weightlifting shoes. The clue is in

the name.

18. Compete - Strange things happen on the platform. As a stu-dent of weightlifting, you owe it to yourself to test your learning. You will likely find that you learn a lot about yourself through the experi-

ence too.

19. Seek Virtuosity - If you want consistent gains (and this includes minimizing injury), you need to seek mastery of the movement every step of the way. This will ensure you build the relevant strength on a basis of solid tech-

nique.

20. Enjoy the Journey - This sport is fun. Sure, it can be a demand-ing, frustrating, and even perplex-ing process at times. But it is also extremely rewarding. It's not all about those goddamn numbers.

Enjoy the journey!

INSIDE THE BOX. OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE.

August 2013

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4 5 6 7 8 9 10 community WOD

Bountiful Baskets

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18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Bountiful baskets

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News

from

the box May/June

‘13

1718 W. 23rd St Unit B. Houston, Texas 77008

© Imperium CrossFit

1718 W. 23rd St Unit B.Houston, Texas 77008

(713) 591-6966

www.imperiumcrossfit.com

tony@imperiumcrossfit.com

Newsletter Credits:

Creative Director: Contributors:

Katie Sowa Tony Orozco

Marnie Ischay Jaden McKinnis