The Oracle of Apollo
Snippets from the life of Apollo Lee

The local CrossFit affiliate advertised a two-day introductory class and I decided at the last minute to take it, just so I could dial in my form on several of the exercises. I’m considering buying a barbell and bumper plates in the near future to increase my mad ridiculous amounts of game, so it would behoove me to have professional form correction before I mess myself up.

In addition to the fee I paid, I had to buy a day pass both days at this particular gym, but I expected that. We started at 8 am on Friday and Saturday, and were all out the door by noon.

On Friday, we went through the push press, shoulder press, push jerk, the jumping and squat stances, overhead squats, and kipping pullups. I’ve been doing CrossFit workouts on my own since the middle of September, so I already knew how to do some of these, but I wanted some tips and really locking my form in. We finished the day with Fran, using dumbbells and rough pullup bar. Sadly, I ripped all the calluses off my left hand in the first round and ripped the rest of them off my right hand on the second. My first group workout and I get a DNF. Soft.

On Saturday, we talked about deadlifts, kettlebell swings, sumo deadlift high pulls, overhead squats (again), cleans, and snatches. The snatch is the most technical Olympic barbell exercise, so we practice the jump and stances and all kinds of things that contribute to successfully executing these lifts and swings. We finished off with “Fight Gone Bad”, which I’ve done before. This time, I didn’t forget one of the rounds, got to row on the Concept 2, and got 237 points. Not bad with ripped up hands.

Five things I learned this weekend:

1. Balance: Lifting your big toe off the floor will force you to keep your weight on your heels, which is essential in any exercise where you’re not moving forward or jumping (like squats, cleans, snatches, kettlebell swings, and so on).
2. Chalk: If you’re going to chalk your hands to use a pullup bar, chalk them. Don’t dust them a little bit. Also, make sure your calluses are flat and trimmed before you do, or you’ll rip the crap out of your hands.
3. Squat form: For squats, your feet should be under your shoulders. Be careful not to go to wide and try to keep your body tight at the bottom. Resist the temptation to relax and sag at the bottom.
4. Athletic Posture: The “athletic” posture (chest up, abs tight, lower back maintaining its curve, lungs full) is essential for the exercises we do in CrossFit. Maintaining this form and doing lifts without slouching or softening the posture will prevent injury and maximize the benefits of the exercise in question.
5. Stick Work: Practicing jumping barbell exercises, like the clean & jerk, push jerk, and snatch (as well as the components - deadlift, overhead squat), with a dowel or broomstick helps lock in the form without worrying about a loaded barbell under a time constraint. It’s best to get it right without worrying about getting tired while you’re practicing your fundamentals.

I need to sign up for some certifications in the near future, I think. But, now I’m confident that I can buy a barbell and 300 pounds of bumpers and safely work out with them. Onward!

I talked to the dealership today. Tonight, I’m riding the train only part of the way home. I now have a car.

What I Like About It:

• The price: I got this car for about $4000 less than it would have cost me new.
• The color: It’s not white or some weird color. It’s kind of bluish green.
• The new car smell: Despite having 16000 miles on it, it still smells like a brand new car.
• The comfort: The seats are really really comfy. This is going to rock on a road trip.
• The versatility: The back seats fold down flat and, unlike the 2009 Vibe, the back window opens separately from the tailgate. Awesome!

What I Don’t Like About It:

• No AUX jack: I’m going to have to buy an aftermarket iPod interface and install it myself or pay a bunch of money to have one installed.
• Fumes: When I got the car, it came with about an eighth of a tank of gas. I made it to my home gas station for the first fill up, but I’m sure if it’d been another mile, I’d have pushed my car in.

At last, I have a nice car again. It’s no hot rod (At 128 horsepower, this thing feels pretty much like the Toyota Corolla whose engine powers it), but it gets decent gas mileage (topping at 32 mpg hwy). I decided that the versatility of a small wagon and the niceness of the cabin outweighed the slightly higher fuel economy in the two other front runners (the 2008 Pontiac G5 coupe and the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt LT). Now to await the sticker for my license plates from DMV.

Note to friends in San Francisco: Given SF’s status as a car theft capital, I’m not going to drive my shiny new car into the city until I have a registration sticker from DMV. That’ll let me take the temporary with my name and address out of my front window.

Also, on this day 12 years and one month ago, my last Pontiac was totalled by my housemate. This Pontiac has full coverage, though. Aspicious anniversary, no?

After haggling with some local dealers about the 2009 Pontiac Vibe, the ultimate finalist for “Apollo’s Next Car”, I found that it was nearly impossible to find one with the Preferred Package (Power Windows, Power Door Locks, Cruise Control) and the AC in a car with a manual transmission. After I located one in the Bay Area, I played footsie with a couple of dealers in the area only to find out something very interesting. If you’re a savvy car buyer, take notes on the following.

Nobody’s just going to accept your Capital One BlankCheck. Expect to sign it over and come back for your new car when the dealer gets the money.

The first couple of dealers that said they needed to run my credit saw me turn on my heels and walk out. After I talked to eight car dealers in the area, including the ones selling used cars, it became evident to me that a BlankCheck is not just good for cash. Someone’s going to run your credit and you’re not driving off in your shiny new car, unless you’re really really lucky. (Subsequent calls to Capital One confirmed that this is usually how it goes. They really should correct their documentation.)

After two months of searching and having car dealers quote me $300 off MSRP on new cars (yeah, right, I said “COMPETITIVE”, not “DOUCHEY”), I found a 2008 Pontiac Vibe on a nearby car lot. Sadly, this Vibe has an automatic transmission and is a rental return. It’s not as fast or as fuel efficient, but I don’t drive very much anyway.

I haggled a little bit, but they’d marked the price down on this one. Incidentally, it’s actually the first Vibe I test drove in April, but now it’s much cheaper. I got them to agree to my price and decided to let them run my credit. They decided to accept my BlankCheck, but I have to go get my car another day.

Yeah, I could have kept shopping, but it’s been two months and countless hours of test driving. I now have signed the papers and, soon, I’ll be driving my first new(ish) car in 12 years.