American Beauty

Monday, February 18, 2013

Everything is Everything Challenge starts 1 week from today!  Everyone should sign up!

Check out the new Recipe Index link!  (still being updated and search function coming soon:)

Weekly Programming Links:  Group Class, Venice Barbell Club, Gymnastics

Mobility:

Keg Drill
Ankle Mobility
Posterior Flossing
Hip Extension with band

Group Warmup:

With a PVC, perform the following as a group, without putting the bar down:
10 Pressing Snatch Balance
10 Sotts Press
10 Good Mornings
10 Snatch Balance

Notes:  If you cannot perform a quality overhead squat, perform the snatch balances and sotts press from a depth you can maintain quality shoulder/back position or from a split position to a greater depth.

Classic Programming:

Barbell Gymnastics:

20 minutes to establish a 1RM – 3 Position Snatch

Notes: If you did not perform your 1RM Snatch for the Challenge do that instead!

Conditioning:

12 Minute AMRAP of:
10 DB Power Cleans (35/25/15)
10 V-ups
10 Wall Balls

Advanced Programming:

Barbell Gymnastics:

7X1 3-Position Snatch (low to high) – Heavy, rest 60 sec

Notes: If you did not perform your 1RM Snatch for the Challenge do that instead!

Conditioning:

12 minute AMRAP of:
5 Power Cleans (165/110)
10 Toes to Bar
15 Wall Ball (20/14)

Cool Down:

2x 10 Wall Extensions

Pike stretch, 2 minutes
Couch Stretch, 2 minutes
Pigeon Stretch, 2 minutes

Over the next week, as we gear up for the Challenge, the coaches will be posting their thoughts on not only why you should participate, but why it is so important to prioritize your Health and Fitness.  Our goal is to inspire everyone to make changes in their life, no matter how big or small.  I wanted to share the above video as an introduction to my thoughts on the challenge, as it relates to self experimentation, self improvement and lifestyle choices.

What is Normal? 

This idea is a big roadblock for people.  If you’ve seen the movie American Beauty, it is a great story of how everyone is different and struggling and there is no such thing as normal when you look close enough.  The pursuit of normal is the pursuit of mediocrity.  As I write this, I am sitting on my couch with electrodes glued to my legs for muscular stimulation and a test of recovery.  You can imagine the response someone might have as they watched my leg twitch and think about how crazy this all seems.  I might explain that this is to stimulate blood flow and the lymphatic system to allow for continued training.  Ummm, what?  How is that healthy?  I might go on to explain that this is actually performed daily on elite level athletes and physical therapy sessions around the world.    So now you’re an elite athlete and a physical therapist?  I might smile at this point and ask if they want to try them on their face…you get the idea.  What we do in the gym, our nutrition choices and how we decide to spend our free time is everything.  Making lifestyle choices that affect our Health and Fitness positively may end up going against behaviors that you, your friends and family have taken as normal for so long.  Learning to have this conversation, being proud of these changes and prioritizing your Health and Fitness is a new skill that many of you will have to learn.  Myself and many others have been through this process.  I can promise you this:  No one says shit when you start to look good, feel good and do amazing things with your life!  Even better, people will start to ask you for advice!  We look forward to helping you develop your new ‘normal.’

Time Management and Quality vs Quantity

We see athletes that attend classes 5-6 days a week, sometimes two workouts a day, spending hours in the gym and yet the results do not indicate as much.  This can be from a variety of things, but the simply reality is that more is definitely not better!  CrossFit is a very powerful tool when applied properly.  My recommendation to you is simple:  eat perfectly well, move perfectly well and attend at least 3 crossfit classes a week.  If that means that you sacrifice two classes a week to stay home and prepare your food for the rest of the week, then do it!  If that means sacrificing a high intensity workout or group class to mobilize and improve your form, then do it!  This is the protocol that Martina and I adhere to for over half of the year.  We consistently see gains when we train this way and more importantly do not lose any noticeable strength or conditioning when life forces us to take extended breaks from our training!  The missing link to this program is of course an active lifestyle outside the gym!  As you probably already know, one of my biggest goals is to get everyone doing stuff outside the gym, playing and pursuing sport and movement.  Besides getting a foam roller inside every members house, I also hope to get people practicing and improving movement on a daily basis!  Look forward to hearing from me daily!!

Note:  Please request to join our “Gym Members n Friends” Facebook group as we roll out these updates!

Moses sent me this picture after the Holidays, stating how different his Christmas presents have become:)