WOD:
Back squat
2-2-2-2-2 @ 80% of 1 rep max
Broad jump
5-5-5-5-5
Broad jumps to be performed immediately following back squats. Post loads to comments.
Ross pulling his way to a 35# deadlift PR at 520#. That’s a feat of strength!
Lance Comes “Clean” on Oprah
According to “anonymous sources”, Lance Armstrong admitted to doping throughout his cycling career during an interview with Oprah today (the interview will air on Thursday). There has been speculation and accusations for years and about a week ago the rumor mill was saying that he was about to confess. Big discussions went up all over the place with some defending Lance while others used it as an opportunity kick him while he was down, expect more of the same in the coming days and weeks.
This leads me to wonder about the future of our sport. I’m sure there is not a single sport out there that hasn’t had it’s issues with competitors trying to find a competitive edge in some way. We have plenty of examples from football, baseball, track & field and of course cycling. While CrossFit has been pretty proactive about testing, you have to think that if the prize purse continues to rise, or if more big throwdowns spring up like the OC Throwdown or the Outlaw Open, each with $10,000 cash prizes, that some cheaters are going to spring up.
Over the last couple of seasons, some folks have popped positive for banned substances. My understanding is that all of the cases have been folks who were taking a supplement that they purchased at a store and didn’t realize was banned. This is not an excuse, if you plan to compete at that level, you gotta know all the rules. On the upside, we are not yet seeing blatant dopers enter our ranks. I’m hoping that we don’t see that day, but knowing human nature, I believe it may be an inevitable.
What do you think? Is Lance pure evil or an unfortunate product of his sport and a scapegoat? Will this unfortunate trend bleed over into our sport and way of life?
I know the Lance issue can lead to VERY HEATED debates. Let’s keep it civil here, but I am interested in your thoughts. I’ll post mine as well.
Fox Sports: Lance Tells Oprah He Doped
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I said I would post my thoughts on this, so here goes:
I have mixed views. When it comes to cycling legacy, there is no question, Lance Armstrong is the greatest cyclist of the modern era. It’s quite clear that all the big cyclists in the peleton were/are cheaters. In light of that, it was an even playing field and Lance beat them 7 years straight. I have a lot of respect for that, especially given what he overcame to get to that position.
Where I lost a lot of respect for Lance is in how he conducted himself in light of what we now know to be true accusations about his use of PEDs. He not only denied the charges but went on an all out offensive against anybody that dared look in his direction when discussing PEDs. He even went as far as to file lawsuits and lie under oath with regard to the matter. A lot of the other top cyclists fessed up and served their suspensions. I think Lance would have been better off to follow suit. I have a hard time seeing how he is going to save face on this one. He is a smart dude and is surrounded by a pretty powerful group of people. I know he will do his best to shine this turd, only time will tell if he is successful.
I did want to see what he would do in the sport of Triathlon. At this point, I wouldn’t mind if he just faded away. I do hope that the foundation that he started, Livestrong, continues to thrive and do good things.
I also have to say that I’m a bit suspicious of The UCI and the Tour de France. As much as Lance benefitted and profited from the TDF, they also benefitted and profited from having him around. I find it hard to believe that they were able to catch all the others over the years, but Lance remained so elusive. I’m sure there was some serious covering up going on just to continue the amazing story and all of the publicity it brought with it. How many Americans can name a single TDF winner since Lance won his last race? Without Lance the USA just doesn’t care about cycling and they knew it.
Way to go Ross. Totally awestruck here and impressed beyond words. You might have just given me something to shoot for….or not! We have such amazing athletic peeps at our ‘Box’ and encouraging performance after performance. Keep on truckin guys and gals.
To Ross — thanks for sharing your “feat of strength” last Saturday. It’s the best sport highlight of 2013, in my opinion. AWESOME!
All sports organizations have a paramount responsibility to ensure competition is fair and without performance enhancing drugs. This is true for CrossFit too. I sure hope CrossFit proactively keeps PED’s out of the sport. Cycling governance organizations AND the athletes both have failed in recent history. It’s time to step up and get performance enhancing drugs out of all sports. I want to celebrate athletic acheivement without reservations.
Armstrong cheated!?! Pro-wrestling fake!?! Well, color me shocked.
@ Corri – You say it well, sister.
Although he may no longer be a shining example of the perfect athlete, I think if he’s truly sorry, he is a great example of the importance of admitting our mistakes and asking for forgiveness. That is a story I’d be happy to share with my children.
I think there are far worse things going on in the world right now…it is too bad he cheated.
I think he’s as slimy as they come. That’s all I’ll say to keep it PG.
Its a sad commentary to the weird and conscious choice of an athlete’s psyche. When preparing for a competition, game or contest, that an athlete would be willing and most often secretly introduce a foreign and possibly dangerous substance into their body for the purpose of enhancing their ability and chance to perform at a level they believe will provide ‘gold medal’ results. I think we’ve long ago lost the the true spirit of competition in that we ( society, media, people ) have placed a strong need to be the best at all cost. There is nothing wrong with being the best competitor, player or contestant but there is also a tremendous and honorable value, to having given your best effort. The question is – What do you value – Are you giving your best with your God given ability OR are you simply in it to win? I still respect Lance Armstrong for his perservance and will in overcoming huge life threatening medical issues to perform on such a high competitive level. In light of the old/current accusations and evidence expected to be confirmed soon by Lance himself. All this makes me very sad for him and the sport and for athletes who cave to the delusional idea that winning at all cost justifies an illegal chemical partner. And lastly my hope is that the sport of ‘Crossfit’ can be spared, for some time to come, if not forever, the ugly history that has sprouted for several decades now involving athletes and performance-enhancing drugs. How do we teach/tell our children about athletic performance and competition??
Pure evil? No…. But, it’s certainly a hell of a way to leave behind a legacy, ya know? And now what happens to Livestrong? You can’t exactly lead by example of “Livestrong” when you admit to using performance enhancing drugs. As far as CrossFit goes, I’d like to think each CrossFitter truly wants to be better today than they were yesterday and know drugs wont get you there. But, like you said, when big cash prizes are involved, its sadly only a matter of time.