Author: David Gionta

Kalsu, a name most have never heard of.  But for a few of us it is a name that will never be forgotten.  So what, and more importantly who is Kalsu?

Kalsu the Hero WOD, is one of the most difficult, unholy, immortal, and revered WOD’s out there.  The WOD itself is 100 thrusters done for time, men use 135 lbs and women use 95 lbs.  That sounds hard enough but at the top of every minute you have to do 5 burpees, each and every minute.  It is a brutal one just to do scaled or modified let alone to Rx.  But the man it is named after and in honor of deserves such an outstanding workout.

James Robert Kalsu was a local Oklahoman.  He was born and raised around Oklahoma City and even played college football at the University of Oklahoma.  He was drafted to the Buffalo Bills where he played his one and only season and was rookie-of-the-year for the Bills’.  In 1968 he entered the U.S. Army.  He went on to the 101st Airborne and was sent to Vietnam where he was tragically killed in action leaving a wife, daughter, and unborn son.

Aside from being a fellow Okie, Kalsu like many other soldiers gave the ultimate sacrifice.  Paying with his life in service of the United States.  Here at Buffalo Nickel CrossFit we think Kalsu along with others who give up lucrative professional careers to serve in a role they feel called to, and to sacrifice their lives have earned a well deserved honor.  

CrossFit uses Hero WOD’s as a way to pay respect, you can read in more detail (here).  Hero WOD’s are really tough, they are supposed to be.  But I personally think Kalsu is one of the toughest.  A couple years ago we programmed it just to try it and it was more difficult than any of us at BNCF imagined.  

When I say it was more difficult than we imagined I mean, it was terrible, and one of the most painful workouts I have ever done.  It took a great deal of mental fortitude to continue chipping away at the 100 reps.  It is one of the only WOD’s I have seen people cry during, the physical suffering you go through during the WOD is nothing to the level and intensity of soreness that hits you like a tsunami in the following days.  

In 2019 we decided to do it again, but this time on the anniversary of our opening date.  We have decided to make it an annual event that we will do in honor of Bob Kalsu and to celebrate the opening anniversary of BNCF.  Buffalo Nickel CrossFit like Bob Kalsu is proudly Oklahoman and we love honoring an American Hero in our own special way.   

If you have never done Kalsu, you should.  It’s one of those crazy, incomprehensible but exciting things such as bungee jumping or skydiving that make life that much more interesting.

Kalsu, one hell of a WOD for one hell of a guy.

I think most of us have heard the proverb of giving a man a fish vs teaching him how to fish.  But in case not it goes something like this, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.  Teach him how to fish and you feed him for life.”  Obviously this is saying that learning the how of something sticks with us for life, and we are able to benefit from it for years to come; instead of a one time benefit.

Yesterday in our social media post I mentioned how most gyms’ only want you to sweat and burn some calories. In fact some gyms don’t even want you to do that!

The globo-gym business model works like this.  The member pays the gym a certain price per month.  The gym in turn provides the space and equipment to workout.  Globo gyms operate this way and try to sell lots of memberships for a low price in the hope that you won’t actually use their service.

CrossFit changed this slightly.  Most CrossFit boxes still provide the space and equipment but they usually charge a higher price per month.  This benefits the members because the members receive a workout of the day or ‘WOD’ as CrossFit calls it.  A good box will provide all of the above in addition to coaching and instruction.  In my book this is where boxes get divided into what I would call a good CrossFit and a not so good CrossFit.

A not so good CrossFit box could provide a great workout program, but have minimal to no coaching.  A good box will provide you with movement demo’s, tell you what to be cautious of, give scaling or modification options, show you why the movement(s) you are doing can be good for our daily living, and teach you how to feel proper vs. improper movement.  

Essentially the proverb comes back to us, one is giving you the result, the other is teaching you the nuances and the how.  The latter provides you with a lifetime of knowledge that you can use day in and day out.

Hopefully all of us will be moving throughout our life or at least the large majority of our life.  So learning as much as you can about movement and how to do it properly is very important.  Most times bad backs, busted knees, messed up shoulders come from years of poor movement and posture.  Understanding movement can help prevent the injuries and issues that “just come with getting old”.

If you are taught how to move well and move correctly then your movement will work for you, and you will reap the rewards for years to come.  You will be fed for life. Never being taught how to move well, or only focusing on weight and intensity might help you reach a short term goal but will eventually start to work against you.  You might be fed for the day, but you will soon find yourself beat, broken and hungry.

Want to learn more?  We are here to help, get started with us today to experience proper movement and coaching.