I am so grateful to have Will Hall as a partner and a co-founder of the GridStyle Online Team. We are also blessed to have my man Mike Priest as one of our GridStyle Team Members. They have both been extended invites to the Grid Combine going down April 18-19 in Baltimore, MD.
Below is the story of their Pro Day in Columbia, SC. To join our team or to find out more, click on the link below:
Remember we will be in Kissimmee, FL this weekend March 28-29 at Obsessive CrossFit Disorder, and then Zach Even-Esh and I are teaming up May 16-17 for the best Certification Ever! Check out all of the Learn 2 Lift Certs. below:
Columbia Pro Day
On Friday March 13th, Mike Priest, Chuck Hendo, and I headed roughly 3 hours south to Columbia, South Carolina for the NPGL Pro Day weekend held at Carolina Crossfit. We ran into a bit of an issue on the way down searching for a Chipotle, (anyone that knows me will understand the need) and wasted about two hours. That meal was put on hold on we arrived in Columbia, and man was it worth the wait. We shacked up at the Comfort Inn about 6 miles from the venue.
We were up bright and early Saturday morning, had a sub par breakfast at Shoney’s, and we arrived at Carolina Crossfit around 11am. Luckily Mike and I knew what the tested elements were going to be each day. *Recap is at the bottom of this article. Aaron Bailey, Commissioner of the League did a phenomenal job briefing and de-briefing athletes each day. The League as a whole, as well as Carolina Crossfit did a great job all weekend, things were true to schedule, and lifting on the Eleiko equipment was really cool.
We also had the opportunity to speak with Coaches/Scouts from nearly every team. I think it’s so interesting how teams are targeting certain body types, and types of athletes to fill their roster. In an industry where it’s either try to be good at everything, or find a different individualized sport, the NPGL will be the next evolution in racing as well as sport. Who doesn’t want to see someone walk 90′ on their hands in 8 secs or clean&jerk 335lbs for a lightning quick double? Andrew Rape, superstar player for the New York Rhinos was also on hand giving pointers to potential prospects, and doing absurd feats as usual. I respect all of these athletes, and personally it has given me hope to continue competing in the team atmosphere. I’ve realized my time has come and gone in the world of competitive Crossfit, and I love olympic weightlifting but this is a unique opportunity to help bridge the gap between the two for me.
If you haven’t heard of our new program, GridStyle is changing the way our members view fitness. We are teaching and allowing them to get stronger, while maintaining a base of conditioning, and improving their mechanics in all movements ranging from chest to bar pull ups to deficit snatch grip deadlifts. Join our team today!
Day 1:
Tested Elements
1) 4 x 15-foot rope climbs for time, 2-minute time cap
2) Clean and jerk 2-rep max in 20 seconds, starting chest-to-ground (prone position)
3) 15 ground-to-overhead, 10 burpees over-the-bar, 15 ground-to-overhead. Weight: men 135 lb, women 95 lb. 5-minute time cap
4) Max muscle-ups in 80 seconds
5) 20 thrusters for time. Weight: men 135 lb, women 95 lb. 4-minute time cap
1) This went exactly how it did in practice, nothing special 28 secs total time. Brandon Bergin did it in 15 secs and it was crazy to see in person.
2) I hit 350lbs to match my initial Gridscore, then Tom Sroka hit a solid 365lbs. I rushed to warm back up and tried to match Tom. I hit 365lbs for 1, made the second clean and rushed the jerk, resulting in a miss.
3) This test hurt more than I remember, I saw most of the faster times were being done with no bar-body contact. I decided to try that, the initial 15-10 was faster but man the last 15 snatches hurt. I didn’t drop the bar, but the back half was slow. Time was 1:38
4) I skipped out on this test, I have a strange stress fracture in my left wrist, it only gets aggravated from a true non false grip muscle up. I can do these if the pressure is on, but trying to be smart around injuries.
5) Completed this test in 30 secs flat. Was told afterwards I need to speed the descent of the thruster up in order to break that marker.
Day 2:
Tested Elements
1) 5″ deficit handstand push-ups, max reps in 30 seconds
2) 30 seconds of max chest-to-bar/ rest 30 / 30 seconds max pistols / rest 30 / 30 seconds max toes-to-bar
3) Snatch ladder (30 seconds to complete)
Men: 165/180/195/210/225/240
Women: 90/105/120/135/150/165
4) Mirror test: max unbroken hang cleans 245/155 lb in 20 seconds
5) Suicide deadlift: begin at bar, sprint 40 feet, sprint back to bar, 10 deadlifts 315/225 lb
1) Was happy to hit 21 here as I haven’t done many handstand push ups since injuring my neck in November. Shout out to my Carolina Thunder Teammate Jonathan Bostic for hitting 30.
2) Hit 29 chest to bar pull ups, 18 pistols, and 15 toes to bar. I was happy with the chest to bar pull ups, my pistols have always been slow, and I was fatigued by the time I started the toes to bar. Not too bad for me though.
3) This was fun, hit all of the bars in 21.4 secs. I like the ladders a lot
4) Some of these guys that are able to rebound off of the thigh are impressive! Ryan Webber set a pro day high of 18, again impressive to see. I got 13 and a few bruises.
5) This was more of a shuttle sprint vs straight line running. Completed the run in 15.8 secs then completed the deads at 30.33 I believe. Fun tests.
What a fun weekend! Mike and I each earned Combine invites which will be held in Hyattsville, Maryland April 18-19.
Look guys join our online Mash Mafia Team! We are just a bunch of athletes wanting to reach our own specific goals. Some of these guys and gals are weightlifters, powerlifters, CrossFitters, and some are just trying to get jacked. Go to www.MashElite.com/join-the-online-team/.
If you want to join the best Online Teams in America, Click on the Links Below:
Online Coaching with Coach Mash
This week we released the Online GridStyle Team, and it is awesome! Come get a program that is tailored to your own genetics to make your strengths stronger while eliminating all weaknesses! Check it out:
My Learn 2 Lift Seminar Series kicks off again in March. I will be at Obsessive CrossFit Disorder in Kissimmee, FL March 28-29. Go to www.MashElite.com/seminars/ to sign up!
all r great