Our Mission and Vision

Monday, December 1, 2014

Weekly Programming Links:  Group Class, Venice Barbell

Gymnastics and VBC at 8pm at Venice!

Prehab

PVC Dislocates, 2×10 reps
Ankle and Wrist Mobility x 60 seconds each
Groiners x 60 seconds each
Wall Squats, 2×10 reps
Sampson Stretch x 30 seconds each

Warmup

Jog 200 meters
100′ Bear Crawl
50′ Walking Lunge
15 Easy Ring Rows
10 Burpees

Cool Down

Couch Stretch x 60 seconds each
Pike or Plow Stretch x 90 seconds
Calf Stretch x 60 seconds each
Foam Roll as needed

Fitness

Strength

15 minutes or 3-4 sets of:
Ring Rows x 6-8 reps
Bulgarian Split Squat x 6-8 each leg
Shoulder Taps x 30-50 reps

Notes: Rest about 60 seconds between movements. Work into the most challenging position possible for the ring rows while maintaining a tight midline. Use a box to elevate your feet and add weight if needed. For the taps, scale to allow for control. You should be able to hold your position one handed for at least a full second if needed. Use feet on a bench if needed. Be sure to leave enough time to setup for the workout.

Conditioning

15 minute Amrap:
7 Deadlifts
14 Toes to Bar
21 Wall Balls
28 Barbell Jump-over (l/r equals 2 reps)

Notes: Prescribed is 225/155 and 20/14lb ball to a 10′ target. Prioritize form on the deadlift by scaling weight and/or performing sumo style with a KB/BB if needed to maintain a better back angle.

Advanced

Strength

Take 8 minutes to warmup and perform the following every 90 seconds, for 12 minutes (8 sets): Hang Snatch + Snatch
*Sets 1-2 – 75% with a 2-3 second pause in receiving position after the full snatch
*Sets 3-4 – 80% with a 2-3 second pause in receiving position after the full snatch
*Sets 5-6 – 85%
*Sets 7-8 – 90%

Notes:  Drop the bar after the Hang Snatch and take a moment to reset for the full snatch.

Conditioning

Three rounds for time of:
7 Deadlifts (275/185 lbs)
14 Toes to Bar
21 Wall Balls (20/14)
-9 minute cap on this segment-

Rest 5 minutes, and then…

6 minute Amrap:
30 Double-Unders
15 Burpees

Notes: Go as heavy as you feel comfortable on the deadlife, but be sure to prioritize form over load. Use a belt if needed.

Today we begin a discussion on some of the many things we have learned over the past 5 years of operating Paradiso CrossFit.  From the beginning our goal was to provide affordable and quality services to as many people as possible.  We did not create a long term business plan for how we would deal with growth or how we would actually accomplish this task, but we believed whole-heartedly that through hard work, continual open and honest communication with each other and the members, nothing could stand in our way.

The first official policy (or philosophy) we ever adopted was “Individual Freedom and Responsibility” and it is explained in our FAQ’s as the following:

Understanding that there is no one perfect way to live your life is at the core of our culture. We will provide you with the highest quality coaching, programming, resources and support, but you have to actively take part in the process and the community. This includes not just showing up to the gym and doing what you are told, but in paying attention to past/ongoing injuries, learning what your mobility limitations are and how to address them, learning how the class structure works, being considerate to your fellow members and coaches, tracking your workout information and experimenting with your nutrition and lifestyle choices. Rather than creating black and white rules, we expect people to make decisions based upon their environment and to communicate with the coaches.

Years later, this philosophy maintains as the heart of our organization, but as we began to experience the complexities of growth, we realized that we needed to create more concrete concepts to anchor us.  This is when we created our own Mission and Vision statements for the company, which we want to share with you all for the first time.

Our Mission:

• Create an organization that allows anyone to accomplish their Health and Fitness goals
• Inspire change and seek to make a positive difference in our local communities
• Seek continued growth to affect as many people as possible through sustainable and responsible actions

Our Vision:

• To become the premier Health and Fitness organization on the Westside of Los Angeles.
• This includes the highest quality coaching of CrossFit, Olympic Lifting, Gymnastics and Running, as well as Nutritional, Physical Therapy and other rehabilitative services.

While all of these things have always been true or even obvious, by putting them down on paper, sharing them with the staff and now you as a community, we believe we can create a stronger foundation towards reaching these goals.  We sat down and asked ourselves, what does an organization really look like that meets the needs for anyone in the community?  Are we doing everything we can to reach more people and create a positive change in the local community?  Answering these questions is what drove us to begin making changes a few months ago.  We already knew the reasons people didn’t signup:

• Fear of injury
• Feeling too old or too out of shape
• Fear of getting bulky
• Its too hard
• Fear of changing (and joining a cult!)

So we sat down to create solutions to these issues and address them directly.  Today we will address just one of these solutions:  Private Coaching.

CrossFit is bolstered on the community aspect of training in a small group environment, but that is only a tool to help people achieve their individual goals.  For many people and for a variety of reasons, the group environment does not offer the optimal environment for achieving their long term health and fitness goals.  We realized in the spirit of “Individual Freedom and Responsibility” that we needed to nurture and support those athletes that require personal training just as much as those that prefer the group class or that prefer to learn on their own.  Additionally, we needed to remind our group class athletes that spending extra time and money on their Health and Fitness goals is a good investment.  We will always continue to provide value and complimentary services for our group class members through group discussions like EIE and specialty classes like VBC, but working one on one with the right coach simply can not be replicated in a group class environment.

Check out the video below of Coach Burgener coaching one one one for an example of what I’m talking about.  He is passionate and relentless about helping this athlete improve her Olympic lifts, because he knows he can help!  That is how we feel and what we want to share with everyone!