Gary Roberts is back. In this episode of Killing the Fat Man?called "Embracing It Forever"?Roberts is finishing his Level 1 seminar in Oahu, Hawaii. "It taught me there's still a freakin' whole world of stuff I need to learn and master and practice," he says of the seminar. Then he adds: "I think I'm gonna do a muscle-up right now." To the cheers of many in attendance, Roberts finally nails his first muscle-up after a few tries. "CrossFit, for me, has been a journey, a complete journey, an awakening. In the beginning, you don't know what you don't know," he says. "Mentally, I'm in such a different place." The experience has been life changing, Roberts continues. "CrossFit enabled me to tap into this part of myself that ... I didn't even know existed, and if you told me it did exist, I wouldn't have believed you," he says. "I'm in such a different place. I feel like down to the core of my cellular being has been altered somehow. ... I've been searching for this my whole life."

FRIDAY 121221 Three rounds for time of: Run 200 meters 7 Push presses, 70 pound dumbbells 14 Ring rows

CrossFit Journal (journal.crossfit.com). Lindsey Smith is a CrossFit Level 1 Seminar Staff member, PE-department chair and athletic director at the Columbus School for Girls in Ohio, a wife, mom to a 4-year-old, and a CrossFit Games competitor. "I honesty just wake up every day and I'm like, 'OK, here we go let's see what we got,'" she says of her busy schedule. "One day, one minute, one hour at a time." Smith adds that she wouldn't have it any other way. "I love every component of my life too much to let any aspect of it go," she explains. Sometimes she trains before heading to work, other times she works out at 10 o'clock at night. "I just want to be better," explains 30-year-old Smith, who finished 21st at this year's Games. "And I want to continue to be a part of it. I will fight my bloody heart out to be there again." To register for a CrossFit Level 1 Seminar, visit CrossFit.com.

For the second year, Blair Morrison took a group of CrossFitters on a tour in Iceland where they experienced the culture and traveled the country, never missing a workout.

Diablo CrossFit stepped up to take on the all-star team of Level 1 Seminar staff in the The Ranch Big Bob Winter Challenge in Aromas, Calif. "This is our super team from Diablo," coach Jeremy Jones says of the athletes who competed on the CrossFit Games team that finished third in 2012. "It was really neat to get to see this place (the Ranch) ... for them to come down here and do a WOD," Jones says. "Every gym should come down and do this." Watch to find out if the Diablo athletes could beat the 25:49 time Jason Khalipa, Sarah Hopping, Neal Maddox and Katie Hogan set. Learn more about the Big Bob Winter Challenge. To schedule your time on The Ranch, email Dave Castro at Dave@CrossFit.com and Adrian Bozman at Adrian@CrossFit.com. The challenge starts now and goes until January 31, 2013.

For the second year, Blair Morrison took a group of CrossFitters on a tour in Iceland where they experienced the culture and traveled the country, never missing a workout.

One-Arm Swing Variations - CrossFit Journal Preview (journal.crossfit.com) The one-arm kettlebell swing is really an assistance exercise for the snatch, says kettlebell guru Jeff Martone. "One of the benefits of the one-arm swing is it works your back in a different way ... and it's working your grip more because now you've got the same weight in one hand," he explains at this CrossFit Kettlebell Trainer Course. Among the drills Martone recommends is the half-rotation switch, allowing a change of hands in mid-air. The hands come together like a clap, and each stays in the same corner of the handle. "It's easiest, really, to switch where it's weightless. You don't have to even stop," he says. Next is the hand-to-hand switch where the handle stays horizontal. "Again, that's gonna help with later on," he says, "when we're doing our snatches." Finally, Martone performs some kettlebell juggling, which he says builds hand speed, grip endurance and rotational strength. "It's really multi-sport," he explains. "You don't have to get all crazy. You can keep it real simple." Click here for more information and a list of upcoming CrossFit Kettlebell Trainer Courses http

THURSDAY 121220 Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of: 5 Chest to bar Pull-ups 10 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball 15 Kettlebell swings, 1.5 pood Lindsey Smith 12 rounds + 5 Wall ball shots (14lb ball, 1 pood KB).

CrossFit Community (community.crossfit.com) Zack McGathey built a cool garage gym at his Chicagoland area home. His box is complete with salvaged and ingenious equipment such as re-purposed bars, a peg board, and adjustable sandbags and kettlebells.

CrossFit Journal (journal.crossfit.com). Nick Massie, a chef who runs PaleoNick.com cooks up Christmas dinner with his usual tongue-in-cheek zest. In Part 1, he prepares a pork leg. He begins by brining the leg with water and kosher salt. Next, he brings in two friends to help whip up seasoning comprising apple juice, maple syrup, granulated garlic and chipotle sauce. The ham takes eight hours to cook at 250 F on a large grill. In Part 2, it's time for sweet potatoes. The recipe is simple slice sweet potatoes, arrange them in a pan, drizzle with melted butter, and add dashes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. "This is going to be flipped upside when we're done, so your initial pattern is going to be on the top," Massie says. Part 3 is about dessert: chocolate decadence cake. "It's like a gluten-free chocolate cake with a nice ganache on it," Massie says. The ingredients include chocolate, eggs, heavy cream and butter. Finally, in Part 4, he explains the short steps involved in creating the raspberry coulis for the cake, which he describes as "to die for." Click here for PDF's of the recipes: journal.crossfit.com

Back squat 5-5-3-3-3-1-1-1-1-1 reps

Back squat 5-5-3-3-3-1-1-1-1-1 reps

SUNDAY 121216 "Tabata This!" Tabata Row Rest 1 minute Tabata Squat Rest 1 minute Tabata Pull-up Rest 1 minute Tabata Push-up Rest 1 minute Tabata Sit-up The Tabata interval is 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 intervals. Tabata score is the least number of reps performed in any of the eight intervals. Unit for the row is "calories".

For Tyler Belanger, coaching special kids is about allowing them to live without limitations. At CrossFit Catalyst in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., the coach works with an almost non-verbal, functioning autistic boy. "Does he understand what is actually being said, and pitch and tone of voice? Probably not," Belanger explains. "But we can't really tell either. What we know is that he really enjoys when people smile, and he doesn't like when people frown." Belanger says the experience has made him a better coach. "Now I've got a huge vocabulary and language for breaking things down, and (I'm always) being mindful ... that we're starting with the basics," he says. "I understand now that I can't skip steps." Carl Kennedy is another one of Belanger's athletes. Carl had trouble focusing in high school. Whenever a teacher asked for corrections, he reacted by biting his arm or ripping up a book. He's had to fight to overcome these challenges, but he says he's up to the task. "I fought hard to get into school," Kennedy says, "I fought hard to go to CrossFit, I fought hard to get on the football team, I fought hard for every aspect of my life that people take for granted." Kennedy now has goals, including making the first string on the football team. "I know what I want now, and I'm going to get it," he says. Video by Rabbitview.

MONDAY 121217 Five rounds for time of: 5 Back squats 10 GHD sit-ups Tanya Wagner 3:51 at 175 lbs, Josh Wagner 4:04 at 275 lbs.

MONDAY 121217 Five rounds for time of: 5 Back squats 10 GHD sit-ups Tanya Wagner 3:51 at 175 lbs, Josh Wagner 4:04 at 275 lbs.

SUNDAY 121216 "Tabata This!" Tabata Row Rest 1 minute Tabata Squat Rest 1 minute Tabata Pull-up Rest 1 minute Tabata Push-up Rest 1 minute Tabata Sit-up The Tabata interval is 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 intervals. Tabata score is the least number of reps performed in any of the eight intervals. Unit for the row is "calories". Post Tabata score for each exercise to comments and total for final score.

At 10 am, hordes of people lined up to get autographs and pictures taken with elite CrossFit athletes Dan Bailey and Rich Froning Jr. The meet-and-greet kicked off the grand opening of CrossFit Mayhem, the Cookeville, Tenn., affiliate owned by Froning, the two-time CrossFit Games champion. Kreig Crabtree drove seven hours for the event. "We're just big fans of Rich and Dan's, wanted to meet 'em," he explains. "It was worth the trip." Dan Chamberlain, meanwhile, has been doing CrossFit for about six weeks after watching the Games on ESPN. "I just did weightlifting all the time, no cardio," he says, "so the transition's been really tough." The remainder of the day included a partner DT workout that required participants to bring a toy worth at least $10 for the Toys for Tots Foundation. "The purpose of it is just kind of build camaraderie, officially open CrossFit Mayhem to ... the public and anybody else who wanted to come and join in our little celebration here," says Bailey, who finished sixth at this year's Games. Video by Mike Koslap.

SATURDAY 121215 Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 12 minutes of: 155 pound Deadlift, 15 reps 15 Deficit push-ups, hands on 25 pound plates 15 Box jumps, 24" box