Surfing The Silver Dragon - Surfing

The Qiantang River that flows through Hangzhou City in China has a famous tidal bore that generates some impressive ways from time to time.  This past year it has been really going off.  Here is an awesome video catching a rare glimpse of a few surfers getting to ride the waves.

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What Is Crossfit? - Crossfit

For a while now I have been searching for different activities that allowed me to get a good workout while enjoying the ride.  My efforts were centered on the concept of “If I enjoy the activity enough I won’t notice I am working out”.  I have gone back and forth with what I call “scheduled movement time” like running or weight lifting and some sort of sport like surfing or mountain biking.  So far I have been able to mix it up pretty well and have had great results.  Lately, I have been hearing more and more about this relatively new workout called Crossfit and have wanted to give it a shot to see what the buzz is about.

Below is a short video demonstrating the various exercises involved in a crossfit workout

So, what is crossfit?

Crossfit is a blend of various workouts that focus on strength and conditioning.  The workouts include weight lifting, powerlifting, kettle bell training, medicine ball training, rowing, lots of sprinting with various weighted objects, and some gymnastics.   There have been plenty of crossfit gyms popping up all over the nation lately so you should easily be able to find one near you by typing “crossfit” then your zip code in a Google search.  You can either train at a gym with certified crossfit trainers in what they call a “box” or even in your own garage if you have enough equipment at your disposal.

If you are looking to create your own crossfit gym there are plenty of websites that will give you an equipment list.  Here is one example:

http://crossfitweekendwarriors.typepad.com/homegym.htm

Also, you will need to know HOW to perform a crossfit workout.  You can either create one yourself by researching online for various crossfit workouts or attending a gym with a certified crossfit trainer.  The first option is obviously cheaper in the long run but can be dangerous if you are not experienced enough to create a workout routine for yourself that will not create injuries.  I would recommend starting out at a gym with an experienced trainer first and over time, if the overhead monthly fee is an issue for you, start building up your home gym and gathering enough knowledge to create your own workouts.

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