We could not be more excited to introduce today's guest. 

He resides in Park City Utah with his family and spends of the

We start by talking about the 2016 CrossFit Open and ask him

Watching an amazing athlete dedicate him self to becoming

As we wrap up we talk about the old days.  Before Rogue

Brittany Weiss is a coach, athlete and student. At 20 years old she is one of the younger competitors heading to the Regionals.  She is coming off a great CrossFit Open Season were she placed 20th in the Mid Atlantic and earned her ticket to the Super Regionals. But with her youth comes with experience.  This will be her second trip to the big show. 

Brittany is a coach College Hill CrossFit and comes from a competitive gymnastics background. In this episode she talks about her background and how it has helped her in CrossFit.  She touches on her experience in the 2014 Regionals and how she is preparing to take the competition floor again this year.

As always we pride ourselves on giving the listener a piece of advice or take away from each episode.  Brittany did not disappoint.  She uses her gymnastics background a ton while coaching so she dove into the ins and outs of kipping and how she gets her members to improve on the basic gymnastics movements. 

We also talk about Brittany's weaknesses and strengths and how she stays strong mentally with so much pressure during competitions.

JP and Geo talk about their recent trip to CrossFit New England.  They had the privileged of hanging with Ben Bergeron for a few days to learn about how he runs his affiliate and how he makes his athletes the fittest in the world.   CFNE has been around for 10 years.  The gym is thriving because of Ben, his systems, his dedication and his pursuit of excellence.  Katrin Davidsdotter was there training, which was another added benefit of the program. 

The 2016 CrossFit Open has come to a close. What a great year! The five weeks test of fitness was fun and engaging, but also had a ton of surprises.  Geo and JP break down the results, the workouts and the progress that CrossFit Federal Hill has made over the past few years.

Dave Durante is a multiple time USA gymnastics national champion.  He was on the Stanford University Gymnastics team and went on to coach that team to a NCAA team title after graduating.  Dave was the lead coach withe the CrossFit Gymnastics L1 course for two years.  He also wrote the curriculum for the CrossFit Gymnastics Advanced Course.  He leads Team Power Monkey which is comprised of elite level athletes and coaches who help design new equipment, provide gymnastics education to the fitness world and coach at Power Monkey's BI-annual Training camp.  Check out their website to register for the next camp!

That might be the longest intro we have given on the 4th Pull.  As you can see Dave is one accomplished dude.  He is an amazing blend of gymnastics and CrossFit.  A hard thing to find in many elite level athletes.

Dave talks about his background as a gymnast and how it lead to CrossFit.  He also goes into three of the most common things he saw when touring with CrossFit gymnastics.  We have pulled some good advice from guests on the show, but the three actionable points in this episode are amazing. 

From there we dive into Power Monkey Fitness.  What an epic experience.  There are absolutely no short cuts taken with this camp.  They have experts in every field from Dave Newman the founder of RX jump Ropes to endurance coach Chris Hinshaw.  There are also high level CrossFit Games athletes at camp with you.  We have heard first hand that is an amazing experience from Coach Eric.  In this episode we hear from the founder about the work and effort they put in to make this one of the best training seminars out there.

In the end we talk about two strategies that helped Dave as an Olympic level gymnast and how they can relate to the sport of fitness.  Again Dave takes no short cuts in describing exactly what helped me become of the top athletes in his sport.

 He lives in NYC with his wife Sadie and coaches at CrossFit Solace.

Becca Voigt has competed in every CrossFit Games since 2008.  She is the definition of a resilient, focused hardworking athlete.  She is by far one of the most accomplished CrossFit athletes in the sport.  Becca has frequently displayed the type of determination the CrossFit athletes are known for and she was recognized for it in 2014 winning the Spirit of the Games award. In this episode she dials it back and talks about her very first CrossFit experience and how is changed her life for the better.

As one of the "original" CrossFitters Becca started training at Valley CrossFit with Kris Clever and the original Valley girls which was a powerful for her competitive and professional career.  We talk coaches and the positive and negative effects they have had on her training and intensity of the years.

Then we jump into CrossFit Training Yard.  CFTY is Becca's affiliate and all of her members are near and dear to her.  They way she talks about making a profound impact on lives and creating change physically and mentally is very inspiring. As much as we would like to think that opening a gym for her had to be easy, we are wrong.  Games athletes still have trouble believing they will be successful in business just like the rest of us.  working through the same challenges that many affiliate owners have, she stuck to her dream and passion and built it up to something very special.  Her solution to finding space within her gym for 16.1 is a great story.

The reason we contacted Becca was because we came across a video of her describing what community means to her.  A year ago CFHQ put out a video submission contest "The Before and After: An Affiliate Owner's Story." Becca sat down in front of a camera and described what her gym and her community meant to her.  14 minutes later you are left with a heart felt story and warm and fuzzies inside. Check out Becca's video here- Becca's Training Yard- CrossFit Video Contest.  This is a video that should not be missed.

Andre Crews started out as a corporate banker.  He had no passion for banking and needed a change.  From there he found personal training and fitness modeling. You would think he might stop there, but Andre lets us know that "Modeling is F&*%ing boring."  So he keeps pushing and exploring new things.  That eventually leads him to find CrossFit.  After getting kicked out of a Globo gym for doing CrossFit workouts he lands at CrossFit Union Square in New York City.

Andre opens up about his past CrossFit Open experiences and what was holding him back.  His capacity and strength were there, but the technique on his overhead squat was lacking. He dives into how he spent the last year working on his OHS and gives you some great actionable steps.

He fills us in on his long term goal of the 2017 regionals and lays out his plan of action.  For most people goal setting this far out is difficult and hard to stick with.  Andre explains why the long game is so important. And JP chimes in because he just loves goals.

Nutrition is also a big part of Andre's day.  He goes through a typical day for him, how his Macros work and his famous roast beef sandwich recipe.

Andre also has a few personal projects that he is working on.  His programming is live on  WODFollow.com/crewscontrol  If you want an eight pack like Andre head over to his account and see what he is doing.

He is also part of The Fittest League - A knowledgeable group that sits down and talks all things fitness.  Their perspective and outlook is great to hear because they have expertise across all types of fitness areas. Their goal is "The Exploration of All Things Fitness". Jump on over and check them out.

This Episode is sponsored by GoatTape. If you need some of that scary sticky stuff head over the GoatTape.com and use GT4THPULL at the check out for 10 percent off.

Jordan Troyan comes on the show to talk about his experience as a CrossFit Games athlete and many other facets of fitness and life.

Jordan is the owner of CrossFit Rage a 3,000 square foot facility in Skippack, PA.  He is passionate about his affiliate, his members and his coaches.  He talks about a typical day for himself and dives into what he needs to work on as a coach. 

He gets his competitive background from his collegiate swimming career.  He was an All American swimmer from West Chester University.  His race was the 400 M IM.  One of the most brutal races that one can take on. It requires skill in all four strokes and stamina across the board.

Jordan competed in the CrossFit Games as an individual in 2013 and 2014.  His goal is to make it back to the big show in 2016. 

His weakness is no secret, he needs to get stronger. His strength is something that he has been working on this off season and hopes to continue attacking throughout the games season! Listen in as he talks about his training, his affiliate and stories from the CrossFit Games.

This episode is sponsored by Goat Tape.  Head over to goattape.com and use GT4THPULL at the checkout for 10% off.

Geo and JP have Pat Barber on the show to talk about the landscape of competitive exercise and how it has evolved over the last 15 years.

We start with Pats background. Theater and Volleyball are not the usual mix for a dude who lifts weights and runs fast, but it turned out to be an amazing foundation for Pat. He was a college volleyball player who found CrossFit through his Coach at the time Tony Budding.  From there Pat was immersed in the original CF gym, CrossFit Santa Cruz.  He was getting instruction from Greg Glassman and Nicole Carroll back in 2003.  Greg, the founder of CrossFit and Nicole, current director of training at CFHQ.  

Check out this sweet old school video of Pat- Demo WOD Pat Barber.

Pat talks about the landscape back in 2003 and how the sport and movements have evolved over the years.  The other curve ball Pat threw in was that he started on the CF media team.  He was not picked to be on the Level One Staff or picked to be a great athlete.  He worked his way up the ranks and took on any job he possibly could.

Currently his main job is coaching development for Nor Cal CrossFit.  Nor Cal has over 20 affiliates including their corporate gyms. Pat is busy trying to maintain quality and consistency across the board with all the staff he has to manage.  He keeps his foot in the water by coaching on a weekly basis.  This helps keep him on his toes and develops his coaching and cuing skills.  Great to see a master continue to refine his skills.

Our take away point in this episode is....How do you find/spot a good coach? We feel a good coach makes for a great gym.  Pat likes to see a coach who interacts with the athletes as a group and individuals.  He also wants to see his coaches actually coach class from start to finish.  60 minutes of instruction and attention.  The last thing would be a coach that actually coaches.  It could be simple not groundbreaking, but someone who shows empathy throughout the workout.

Next we jump into Warm up and workout. This is a project that Pat and his wife are collaborating on.  Pats wife opened CrossFit New Zealand a few years back and since then they have been writing session plans.  60 minute plans for coaches to follow from the warm up all the way to the cool down.  It makes it so the coaches are on the same page and they can actually focus on coaching instead of planning.  It also puts them outside their comfort box and forces them to learn new warm up skills and drills. 

Pat is also throwing out ton of free resources through his new website.  He has videos from fun warm up questions to how to launch specialty programs.  Check out the BLOG and dive into all the free content he is putting together.  This is one of the most experience guys in our field, learn from him. 

Finally we touch on training and what Pat plans to do in 2016. He is a CrossFit Games veteran and someone who has put it all out there year after year.  He talks about his experience and what lead him to his decision for 2016.

Because old videos are amazing- Check out Pat Barber getting coached by Mike Burgner in 2010.  Pat looks like he is 14, which makes the video even better! Coach Mike Burgner Clean and Jerk.

Geo and Wes sit down to talk about all things CrossFit.  Wes Piatt made the CrossFit Games in 2013.  It was a wild showdown that came down to the last event. Wes describes his mind set during the competition and exactly what happened.  If you want to read more about it check out the article - Third Place-

Wes is also the proud owner of Coast Range CrossFit in Gilory California.  He gave his open and honest opinion about why his gym as been so successful.  He dives into community and results and how powerful this CrossFit movement is.

In the end we touch on training, preparing for the open and his favorite CrossFit Level 1 Lecture. 

This episode is sponsored by Goat Tape.  Check out GoatTape.com and use the promo code GT4THPULL at checkout for 10% off your order.

JP and Geo jump on and talk about how to prep for the upcoming CrossFit Open Season!

The CrossFit Open is 5 weeks long and consists of 5 different workouts each week.  Everyone from around the world can participate in the open.  It is an exciting time in the world of CrossFit!

Most of the open workouts are a test of the good ol' engine.  How fast can push, pull, row,  and jump in 7-18 minutes.  There are strength events and you need to have good control of a barbell, but if your engine is not tuned up you will feel it.

There are few different approaches here.  We dive into straight up endurance training.  Rowing, running ans assault bike.  We also talk about incorporating short quick met cons to prep for the open.  Try a few of the workouts below over the next few weeks to test yourself!

Endurance Work:

Running intervals : 4x200m, 3x300m, 2x400m all done at pr mile pace.(not sprint) 60sec walking between reps, 60sec rest between sets

Row- 4x (alternate 500m @1:42-1:46/1:58-2:04 and 1000m @1:56-2:00/2:10-2:15 ) no rest between sets

Assault Bike- 8x (alternate between :30 above 500watts/350 watts and :45 above 350watts/245 watts) rest :30 between sets, no rest between reps)

Met Con Work:

4 Clean and Jerks (135/95)

8 Toes to bar

7 min AMRAP

10 Thrusters (95/65)

12 Cal Row

10 min AMRAP

Every 2 minutes for as long as possible

10 Chest to Bar

10 OHS (95/65)

2 Rounds

10 Power Snatch

30 Double Unders

10 Rounds