Video: charity workout raised 22,000AED

On Saturday, the 24th of September a group of awesome people - athletes, youth, adults, all came together to complete a tough workout that took a lot from their bodies. The reason why we all came to put ourself through THIS workout, is simple - raise money for a charity school in Ajman (Al Manar Eman Charity School). This school is home for many abandoned and orphan children.

So how much was raised? Dhs22,000 ($6,027)! My PREVIOUS POST has all the details of what will be done with the money. You can still donate if you want to, just get in touch with Candice.

What was the workout? It was split into two categories (RxD - done internationally) and scaled (depend on the person ability).

Note: m=men, w=women.

3 rounds and one minute at each station.

RxD FGG

Lift Heavy or Die Trying!

Wall ball: m-9kg, w-6kg to 10ft target
SDHP: m-35kg BB, w-25kg BB
Box jump: 20″
Push Press: m-35kg, w-25kg
Row: calories
Rest: 1 minute

Scaled FGG

Wall ball: m-6kg, w-4kg to 9ft target
SDHP: m-16kg KB, w-12kg KB
Box jump: 16″
Push Press: m-15kg, w-10kg
Row: calories
Rest: 1minute

Check HERE for the top three in each category. I was, well, placed fourth in the scaled version, with a total of 210 reps. Anything above 300reps & you're a beast!

So I will now leave you with this 2min video I created.....Oh and if you can't stand metal music, turn the volume down ;).

Thanks to everyone who came and supported us, those who took pictures, and mainly the organizers Candice & Ben for making the event happen!

Yours Truly,
GymFreak @999fitness

Charity workout to raise funds for orphans

On Saturday, the 24th of september, CrossFit LifeSpark Dubai are hosting an event where athletes will be completing a workout which aims to raise funds for a charity school in the UAE.

The Fight Gone Good workout will be carried out in aid to Al Manar Eman Charity School in Ajman, which is a home for many orphans and abandoned children. It receives no support from the government, and relies on donation from the public. Meaning, YOU!

People can come in to support the athletes by sponsoring them or being part of the event themselves. All money collected will used to buy equipment for the school.

Crossfitters, all around the world, on yearly basis gather up to support local charities. Such move also helps raises awareness among the community about those less fortunate. But the twist is....

It's also a scored workout - which makes it just as much as a challenge. I like challenges and being a new crossfitter, I am participating in the event and show support toward the community by competing to raise awareness and raise funds through sponsorship. Please contact me if you're interested in sponsoring me (and I will fill you with the details!)

So what's the workout? It will be scaled for newcomers, but rather RxD (as prescribed) for those who are able to handle it. So anyone can join in, gym-newbies or athletes.

3 Rounds of 1 minute at each station:
Wall Ball
Sumo-deadlift High Pull
Box jumps
Push press
Row (for calories)
REST
Score is total reps completed in the 17 minutes. Check VIDEO to see the workout!


note: A sponsor could say: "I will give you 1AED (or anyXamount) for each repetition, if the person finished a total of 500 reps in the whole 3 rounds", they will donate 500AED OR a sponsor could say "I will give you XAED to be part of the competition."

Quick wrap up:

Date:Saturday, September 24, 2011
Time: 12-3pm
Where: Star International School, Dubai, Click here for the map.
If you:
want to compete: Dh50 minimum
want to donate/sponsor: as you wish.
For more information & filling the sponsorship form visit CrossFit Lifespark Dubai HERE and about the event in more details HERE.

EDIT (20/9/2011): CrossFit Lifespark Dubai announced that those who sponsor the athletes at the Fight Gone Good, 15 people will have a chance to earn a spot in their "On Ramp" program (check HERE for details).

Also the money raised will be used to buy the following:
- 10 new AC’s
- 10 Projectors
- 30 new windows
- Basketball/sports equipment


Active Regards,
Yours truly,
GymFreak @999fitness.

Olympic Lifting in Dubai

There are many gyms in the UAE, some high-end, some not so expensive, some extremely commercial - but there are some gyms, which are rather few - that really focus on just quality training.

For the past three weeks, I have spent my Friday's going to a camp, Olympic Weight Lifting in Dubai, coached by Derrick Branford, an oly lifter himself. Personally, I really enjoyed the camp and have learnt a lot regarding the mechanics of the movement - as most of the time we focused on practicing with just the barbell. Warning: ehm ehm, expect a lot of bruises though, man enough?

Being new to doing regular Olympic weightlifting, literally about 6 weeks old, how much I can lift is not yet a major concern in particular, but rather get the movement. It doesn't hurt getting personal bests (PBs) every week though ;).

The nature of the sport requires a lot patience, timing, speed, power - and I would say, a bit of instinct, as well. We mainly focused on the Clean exercise and the different ways to progress to it, as well as the snatch, clean & jerk, and overhead squat.

I am the kind of person who would learn a lot from watching than being told how to do something, and what I like is how Derrick's coaching focuses on "animated" movements, if I may say - which I find helps me get the feel of how the bar should travel up your shins with patience, and then reach the upper thigh before exploding the hips for the pull, then the drop with the front squat (click on link above to see the movement.) Sometimes, it looks too easy and too fast, but once you're there and trying it - it's a whole new level.

There are honestly a lot of training centers in the UAE, and personal trainers - but I always appreciate working around people who are passionate at what they do - believe in it - and believe others can do it, too.

I may not, honestly, know much about the Olympics in the sense of history, competitors, how to get there - but I know I enjoy Olympic weightlifting, and after competing in crossfit next year, I will seriously consider the sport and pursue it to the fullest.

For those interested, Olympic Weight lifting camps will resume in November, I believe.

Yours Truly,
GymFreak @999fitness

p.s. This is my personal view and is not influenced by any factors.

Competing in my first crossfit event

I have been training for almost two years, but I got tired of just going to the gym for a typical gym workout, and not be able to use the physical strength I know I was developing. Waking up on a Saturday morning, my knees were hurting me as I injured it more than 3 months ago and it had a deep bruise. For some reason it resurfaced, but I still decided to compete at an event hosted by CrossFit LifeSpark Dubai.

In Crossfit, there is something called a WOD, which translates to Workout of the Day. On Saturday, the WOD was titled 31 Heros , and anyone could have been part of it. There is a story behind the WOD name so please click on the link above to know more.

Basically the workout required teamwork and it was 31 minutes long (very long for crossfit standards, but yesterday was a special case.) The team of two needed to finish as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) of the following:

8 thursters (me and my partner did 15kgs)
50 pull ups (I can physically do only 10 at one go MAXIMUM, so I had to rest before going onto the other reps, which got me looking like THIS! And yes, you are not supposed to look pretty while training ;).
11 box jumps (I did 24inches)

Photo credit: Tanya Gannon

While one person is the doing the above and going through each exercise, the other person is walking/running with 12kgs (females) 24kg (males) on their shoulders for a distance of 400m

So say I have finished 11 thursters, and 15 pull ups, when my partner would come in and finish the rest (35 pull ups and box jumps and I pick up the rest again after I have done the 400m walk. Going through the 3 exercises, with all reps, that's one round. My partner and I have finished 3 rounds + 5 box jumps.

Being part of the community and engaging in this competition was one of the most amazing and exciting things I have done regarding my fitness. It really makes me want to push harder and pursue a career in fitness and become an athlete. I met a lot of inspiring people, and everyone was rooting for everyone to keep pushing hard.

Hopefully, I will be part of another event on September the 24th, for this cause.

Yours truly,
GymFreak @999fitness