Best of Byers - Blog Edition

I'm taking a few extra rest days, to make sure I can get back to my 9-to-5 and manage a more normal routine without the seven naps I've been taking during these past two holiday weekends. As such, let's continue the "Best of Byers" with a few of my favorite CrossFit blogs, authors and posts. This is sort of an extension of my CFJ article, expanded outside of just CrossFit.com content. No surprises here - these are all people I've trained with (for the most part) and mentioned several times before. But you may have missed these posts, and I think they are well worth resurrecting.

Kettlebells for Grapplers, CrossFit Full Circle – Jason M. Struck

Jason is my homeboy, and a great virtual coach, and writes a really entertaining and informative daily blog. This video is pure genius, and one of my favorites. It explains why kettlebell lifting is perfectly suited to grapplers in the gi. Jason and jiu-jitsu brown belt Klint Radwani go through a series of kettlebell exercises, and how they translate on the mat. I have so many friends who train MMA, judo, jiu-jitsu and the like, and aside from the cardio benefits, they can’t see how KB training could help them in their martial arts. And frankly, I’ve never been able to explain it to them as well as Jason has here. Thanks to Jason, I'll now be able to get some of LRF's tough-guy martial artists swinging a kettlebell for the very first time.

I’ve Got to Hand it To You, CrossFit Virtuosity – Keith Wittenstein

This article documents the perfect hand tape job, covering (figuratively and literally) the areas I get rips the most often – the calluses just under my middle and ring fingers. I got my first tape job from the master himself, at the gymnastics cert at CF Boston, in October. It was the weekend after my first kettlebell cert, so by the time I got to Boston, my hands were already pretty ripped up. Keith fashioned these funky strips that protected my palms without bunching up, and my hands made it through two days of whatever Tucker threw my way. I’ve been using the exact same strips of tape ever since – just replacing the “around the wrist” part each time I tape up. Still works perfectly and it saves me on material. Plus I get to say I’m rocking an Original Wittenstein Tape Job.

Doesn’t Count, Again Faster – Jon Gilson

Sure, you’re familiar with some of the more recent Again Faster articles – “You Need Me” and “You Are Beautiful”. But Jon’s got 42 pages of entries, going back to 2006. The early stuff is the most pertinent to me, because it reflects thoughts and ideas that are a LOT closer to where I am in my training “career”. The above article, for example, brings back memories of Greg kicking my box-jumping ass at CFBK a few months ago. Jump. Land (with heels 1/16” off the box). Greg: Doesn’t count. Me: DAMMIT. Repeat four times, until I finally get Smart and start jumping on that box so hard and so solid that I’m surprised the thing didn’t collapse underneath me. I’ve written on this subject before, about checking your ego and working the movements the way they are supposed to be worked, and I loved reading Jon’s thoughts on the subject. And to be honest, it made me feel a little better to know he wasn't ALWAYS such a fire-breathing bad-ass. Got 10 minutes? Start clicking through. I guarantee you’ll find something that resonates.

The Black Box Blog, CrossFit NYC - Allison Bojarski

First, the Black Box (CFNYC and CFBK) are great friends of mine, and not just because they kick my butt AND link to my blog on a regular basis. It’s because I know I can always hit their front page and find something educational, informative or just plain fun to read. Every single day, CFNYC blog mistress Allison Bojarski scores these great article finds, from all kinds of various sources. (She must not sleep. Ever.) I check their blog every day, and based on the number of hits I get when they link to me, lots of people outside the NYC area do the same. Add this one to your daily feed, and make sure to check the Archives too. I will get you started with a post from July 22, 2008, which features great articles from CF San Francisco, the NY Times and a site called Topless Robot. Brilliant.

A Complete How-To: Bailing, San Francisco CrossFit, Adrian Bozman

K-Star and Coach Boz have tons of informative and thought-provoking posts on their blog - everything from thoracic mobility to foam rolling to my favorite concept - working your Goats. (Yep, that's where it originated!) When I trained with Coach Boz and Nick Hanson at CFSF in May, I did "Nancy" for the very first time. This article was posted that same week, and came in handy during subsequent OHS workouts where I was pushing for weight. In fact, it was around this time that I was learning to back squat, and pushing hard for a bodyweight front squat. Learning how to properly bail (and practicing often) was the best thing I could have done for my confidence with these moves. Plus it feels kind of bad-ass to dump a loaded bar.