Crossfit is sweeping the World, no doubt! There are competitions and affiliates popping up everywhere! There are even prime time Crossfit commercials showing during major sporting events.

But so many people don't have the means to make it to the gym or the funds to join. But never fear, you can do more than body weight movements with just a few extra pieces of equipment that you can make with just a visit to a hardware store, auto mechanic or sports resale store.

In case you have been under a rock and you don't know what Crossfit is, check it out here to get a taste. It is The Sport of Fitness and is attracting everyone from accomplished athletes to soccer moms to senior citizens. But you don't have to be a high level athlete to be able to participate. You can just right in where you are and scale everything as you get stronger and more accomplished at the movements.

Here are a few of the things that would be awesome to have for doing Crossfit workouts at home and how you make them on a budget.

1. Jump Rope:Use 2 pieces of 1/2" PVC each with end caps. Drill a hole for the rope in the end of each cap. Visit the wire or rope section of the hardware store to choose your desired weight of rope.

2. Pull up Bar: We all know that pull ups are in a wide variety of Crossfit workouts so it makes sense to have a bar available for getting them done. Fortunately I know some handy people who put these together and installed them for me. All the parts are at Home Depot or Lowes. Just make sure when choosing a bar that will be for gripping, you pick the right thickness. I don't have an actual number, just decide based on how they feel when you hold it compared to the other bars you have used.

3. Weighted Bars: These are simply made with 1" PVC pipe that houses 2-4 pieces of ReBar and sand. You will need 6'-7' lengths of PVC, Same length of ReBar, sand varies by weight of bar desired, end caps and PVC glue. Make sure to weigh the bar before attaching the 2nd end cap. These bars can me used for a variety of Crossfit Movements including, Overhead Squats, Snatch Balance, Pressing Snatch Balance and a variety or squat practice movements.

4. Dragging Sled:Prowlers are expensive and the earliest Crossfitters didn't even have access to such a piece of equipment. This little beauty was improvised by my son, Jake and he said it worked really well! Find an old tire, big enough to hold plates. To make it really challenging, use a huge, flipping size tire. He used a rope that was wrapped through the tire. Tie it at the other end and sling it over your shoulder or around your waist for dragging.

5. Slosh Pipe:Thanks to Girl Walks Into a Bar(bell).com for this one!

This is basically an 8-10' long, 3-4" diameter pipe filled with a little or a lot of water. You can use it to do walking lunges, squats, carries etc. Follow these directions from Mark's Daily Apple to show you just how to build your own.

So combine these toys with body weight movements like push ups and variations, squats, lunges, and other conditioning movements and you have a ton of stuff that you can use to get fit without even leaving home! No gym needed! This is perfect for when life gets too busy to get into the nearby Crossfit box.

Have you made any equipment for your home gym or box? What do you like to use to do home workouts that isn't your typical equipment? Tell me more about it in the comment box below!

Annie Berryhill is a Crossfit Level 1 Trainer, USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach, Crossfit Athlete and competitor who owns and operates OC Fitness Revival in Orange County, CA.

Services include personal and group training, nutrition classes and counseling, as well as providing incredible detoxifying, health-improving supplements to help people  to make the most out of what they’ve got.

Contact her at (949) 280-3407 or anne@anneberryhill.com

Hey Guys!

My friend George is the amazing guy behind Civilized Caveman Cooking website. He has an incredible giveaway going on and I know you value healthy tools, food and lifestyle.

Hurry! Once he the entry slots are filled, your chance will pass! Do it now!

Tell him Annie B sent you!

Click Here to connect to the contest!

Pro Surfers and Major League Baseball Players LOVE Crossfit!

Things are fun and happening in the OC Fitness Revival Garage Gym!

Former Pro Athletes Damon Berryhill (MLB) and Chris Mauro (Pro Surfing) are working hard! Watch out Master Division Competitors, these guys may be new, but they know how to win!

Great Job Guys!

Wednesday WOD

Warm Up

400m Run,-5 Burpees,

200m Run-10 Burpees,

100m Sprint -15 Burpees

WOD

4 RFT 40' OH Weighted Walking Lunges 25/15

30 Double Unders

20 Pull Ups

10 HSPU

Your Worth is Not Your Weight

By Anne (Annie) Berryhill

Crossfit has been my passion for the last 3 years of my life. Before that, it was anything that involved being active, having fun and being fit. My experience has taking me from swimming to Step, to Spin, to Triathlons, to P90X to Crossfit and Olympic Lifting.

Along the way, I observed so much obsession with lifting weight and scale weight, and truthfully, I did spend a ton of energy obsession over at least one of them on a regular basis.

Perhaps you have had a similar journey  with WEIGHT of your own.

Up until this Fall when I had to shut down ALL fitness due to an injury, I know I was pretty entrenched in some narrow thinking. I really had developed a very slim window of accepted fitness methods turning my nose down at other methods that weren't Crossfit but in the process, I had developed a bad habit of not valuing myself outside of what I lifted, scored or accomplished in my Crossfit workouts.

Here's how I know it has happened to many of you.

• On any given day, I would say that close to 50% of my Facebook friends post something about their workout, their workout goals or their workout successes. Being fit, strong, and healthy is an amazing thing and don't ever stop.

• But…what it seems like is that many people that I "know", seem to base what they want to be known for as what they are physically able to accomplish.  I love reading an occasional post about a WOD or a PR, but when EVERYTHING is about that…

• Does this seem horrible out of whack to anyone else? ( Or maybe it simply means that is all most people want us to know about them)
  

My step back has allowed me what I think is a sober vision of the delicate balance between passion and value.

Your WORTH is not is your WEIGHT

• It doesn't  increase your personal value by Snatching, Pressing, Overhead Squating  your body weight (or 10times that);
• While impressive, finishing first at any head -to- head competition will not actually put the meaning of your life ahead of someone elses
• If your scale budges more than your best friends did on the same diet plan, that does not make you BETTER than her, or anyone.
• If all of your joy is derived from something related to weight or weights, surely, you will experience disappointment at even your best efforts or numbers because somebody,somewhere will have you beat.
  

• <<<<<Does this hurt you to hear? Am I pissing you off yet?>>>

We are Human BEINGS  not

Human DOINGS

What Matters is…………taking care of the body you have………not getting PR's every single day.

What Matters is………. who you are in the world…………. not the stuff or accomplishments you acquire.

What Matters is……….how you treat others……………………not making sure you get your due attention, adulation, or praise.

What Matters is……….that you treat others with value………….because you know your own, just by virtue of being a human.

What Matters is……….you forgive yourself for shortcomings.………………and forgive others for theirs.

What Matters is……….loving yourself for your  "You-niqueness"……………..and embracing others for theirs too.

I coach fitness, yep, it's true. But more so, I train hearts,minds and souls to believe in their value again. Its the same value that has always been there, but also the same value that may have been cast aside because it was hard to believe you didn't have to EARN value.

You are SIGNIFICANT-VALUABLE-WORTHY-MADE FOR SUCCESS…

No matter what the WEIGHT tells you

Happy 2012!

Wishing you Success, Balance, Love, Peace, Power, Happiness, Satisfaction and LOVE!

Annie Berryhill is a Crossfit Level 1 Trainer, USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach, Crossfit Athlete and competitor who owns and operates OC Fitness Revival in Orange County, CA.

Services include personal and group training, nutrition classes and counseling, as well as providing incredible detoxifying, health-improving supplements to help people  to make the most out of what they’ve got.

Contact her at (949) 280-3407 or anne@anneberryhill.com

Seriously? Another Article about 1012 Goal Setting?

By Annie Berryhill

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Its the special time between the buying holiday and the goal setting holiday.

Yay! or maybe not…..

In the last few days, my email box has been flooded with emails about setting goals for 2012. On one level, it motivates me but on the other hand it makes me feel kind of annoyed.

How many times have you set goal at the beginning of a New Year only to abandon them in a few days or weeks?

How long ago did you just STOP setting any New Years Resolutions or goals because you learned that you NEVER follow through and make them a reality?

As a fitness and nutrition coach and accidental therapist (check out this powerful video about attitude here), I am the landing place for many people's goals and aspirations. I personally have seen the tough-minded and the wishy-washy struggle with following through and completion. So what is that all about? Why do we seemingly set ourselves up for failure every time?

Here are some ideas about failure and resolutions:

1. The goal was not really inspiring. It didn't have that passion or fire attached to it, meaning, you really didn't want it all that much.

2. The belief of success was not there. If failure was experienced when trying before, no doubt, failure would be the outcome again…or so the self would say.

3. Someone stole your dream before it could take wing. Yep, even the people who love you the most are not always the best people to share your goals with because of THEIR issues (fear, control, jealousy).

4.The goal was way too scary, and no one likes to be THAT scared. Better to retreat and stay in the comfort of sameness.

Surely there a many more reasons, but these are very common. Do you see yourself in any of these? Or maybe you have something that consistently gets you hung up and short of the finish line. Would you be brave enough to share them with me, with us, in the comment box? Here is my hang up….

I was quite the creative problem solver and inventor as a kid. I remember my mind would race with hair-brained and very good ideas and products. More than anyone, I wanted my dad to accept me and be proud of me and so I would bring him my precious, creative ideas. But nearly every time I did, he would say to me…."That is a great idea, but THAT WILL NEVER WORK". 

Wow, what a great thing to say to a dreamer (which all kids should be, right). Consequently, I have the problem of setting goals, laid out with specific plans and details that in the end, I stop short of accomplishing. My inner voice is not allowing my true self to take my goals to fruition.

Isn't it amazing that nearly 40 years after those statements were spoken over me, I still believe them. Was my dad right? No, I don't believe he was, in fact, I believe he was so afraid of failing that he did not want me to experience it. But the truth is, it set me up to  try just hard enough TO fail.

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We all need to fail, and more than just TRY to get to our goals, we need to run hard in the direction of the dream and goal. Put on blinders, trust that if you have the dream, there will be a way to get to the dream. Even if you don't get to it exactly, just think of the places you will "go" in the pursuit!

Time for you to analyze yourself before setting goals or resolutions for 2012. Set them really big and scary, enlist those you know you can trust to help you get there (stay quiet it about it to the rest), throw everything else to the curb and GO-GO-GO

You matter to me, and so do your goals. I can be that safe Dream Keeper to help you get there. When you win, I win…because I know what I am here to do and it is to help you get past your CRAP and get to the Dream Life, Dream Body and Dream attitude that is already inside of you, waiting to BURST onto the scene…I'm ready, How about you?

Leave your thoughts and comments in the box, I love to hear from you!

Anne (Annie) Berryhill is a Crossfit Level 1 Trainer, USA Weightlifting Sports Perfomance Coach, Crossfit Athlete and competitor who owns and operates OC Fitness Revival in Orange County, CA.

Services include personal and group training, nutrition classes and counseling, as well as providing incredible detoxifying, health-improving supplements to help people  to make the most out of what they’ve got.

Contact her at (949) 280-3407 or anne@anneberryhill.com