This weekend I attended the Southern California CrossFit Games Regionals competition. Once again, I was humbled and frustrated. And once again, I realize there are a few things that I need to change to make myself better. One of the more dramatic events this weekend finished with a heavy walking lunge finish. What's interesting about that movement is that- for those athletes- the weight isn't crazy heavy, and lunges aren't a skill. You can call it whatever you'd like: guts, moxie, toughness, drive, will, etc.. All it boils down to is one simple question- Can you suffer?
For all of you that want to get better at CrossFit, or anything for that matter, the ability to suffer is paramount to excellence. Each one of you reading this is capable of being pretty o.k.. Above average isn't out of the question either. But if you want to be the really damn good, or even the best? You had better get ready to endure some miserable circumstances... WILLINGLY. You have to want it. A good friend of mine, and one of the best CrossFitters in the world puts it another way, "embrace the suck."
Suffering doesn't start with the workout. You need to be ready to suffer in almost every way possible. Are you discouraged? Then you don't want to win. You don't want to be the best, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The world is operated by people who are willing to do the bare minimum to get by. But don't expect to win if you aren't standing in line to catch your licks from the discipline of your choosing- in this case, it's CrossFit.
Here is how you will (and should wan to) suffer:
Your social life will suffer.
Early mornings equals getting to bed early. Turn off the t.v. and get your 8 hours.
You can't eat what you want. Put down the beer, and start hydrating.
People will take offense to your passion. Let them deal with it.
You are going to spend more time at the gym. Time to make some new friends.
You will have bad days.
You will miss PR's.
People will beat you.
Your hands will tear.
You will get bumps, dings and small injuries.
The better you get, the harder it will be to get better.
Heavy weight will crush you.
Metcons will destroy you.
Someone will make something look easy that is hard as hell for you.
All of these things suck, but you have to take pride in it. Because once it loses its fun the game is over. But I will say this- every single success you ever have will be exponentially more sweet based on the amount that you suffered to get there. And in that moment every single moment you suffered will seem worth it.
And I'll tell you what you don't want - you don't want to be sitting in second place, or just off of the podium, or with a loss thinking "could I have done more?" If you've suffered as much as you ABSOLUTELY could have then it won't matter where you end up (even though it will be pretty good), it will be a win for you.
If you are harder on yourself than any thing or person, then there is absolutely nothing that will be able to break you.
(10c.), from Late Latin passionem (nominative passio) "suffering, enduring," from past participle stem of Latin pati "to suffer, endure," possibly from PIE root *pe(i)- "to hurt" (cf. Sanskrit pijati "reviles, scorns," Greek pema "suffering, misery, woe,".
First, let my clarify straight away which crowd I am talking to. This entry is for people who genuinely want to become a better CrossFit competitor. If you only want to get better... great. Keep going to the gym, and listen to your coaches. Unfortunately, these lists may be intimidating. That is, however, the nature of the beast. There are no promises, no guarantees, and definitely no one-size-fits-all fixes. These do's and don'ts are very realistic, and in most cases, a necessary component of becoming a top tier competitor. Good luck.
DO:
Make CrossFitting your hobby. Read about it, talk about it, dream about it. Wake up, do it again.
Fix your diet. 1 cheat meal a week, out of 21 meals, is 95%. ONE. A glass of wine, or two? Cool. Want to go out every weekend with the posse? Not so cool. Winners don't make a habit of eating crap and getting drunk.
Sleep 8 hours a night. Oh, you don't have time? Then you don't have time to get better. Turn off the TV early, and get to bed on-time... even if that means 8:30pm.
Find a friend. Surround yourself with like-minded people. And trust me, even your best friends will think you're crazy.
Commit time to the gym. Some of you will need to make an hour a day work, and if you're consistent and focused that can work. But you need to lift heavy and do mobility, not just the WOD.
Write down your strengths and weaknesses. If you are bad at something, FIX IT. If you are good at something, get some confidence.
Set concrete goals. "Make it to Regionals" is a bad goal, there are too many variables. 20lbs on your front squat, 2 minute PR on Diane, etc. Make it something you can measure.
Log your workouts. This isn't just for showmanship. Use beyond the whiteboard to see what you've done, and what your improvement is. You aren't an elephant. You'll forget.
Get a coach to know your goals. Don't be so arrogant to think you can do it by yourself, or worse, don't be afraid to ask. This is why coaches exist.
Prepare to fail. You cannot win every time, and if you aren't ready to do something you're bad at until you become just decent, you will not get better.
Get your mind right. Positivity will pull you through the soreness and kick down PR walls like no supplement or training program can. It may be cliche, but you absolutely need to believe in yourself.
DON'T:
Make excuses. This is pretty cut and dry. You have to decide what is more important to you, and if you're making excuses, getting better obviously doesn't matter that much.
Blow your WOD. You don't have to kill yourself every day. Learn how to pace, and when to redline. Train smarter.
Cherry Pick. If you pick and choose your workouts you won't get better. Get a training program and stick to it.
Train randomly. Don't just do things to do them. That's spinning your wheels. Get your weaknesses list, talk to your coach, and figure out a plan.
Be afraid of the barbell. GET STRONGER NOW. Lift heavy weight often. And ladies, you aren't going to get "bulky", and your hands will heal. Don't be a wimp.
Be afraid to ask questions or admit ignorance. Do you know everything? I didn't think so. You pay coaches to figure this stuff out, get your money's worth.
Worry about an individual WOD. Nobody really cares what your Fran time is. Give a workout your best, then move on.
Ever skip mobility. You will not survive if you don't stretch. Also, you have mobility issues, everyone does. Get them fixed.
Get cocky. Are you feeling really confident about your progress? Good, now do something you suck at. If you aren't being humbled, you're doing it wrong.
Put the cart before the horse. You aren't functional if you can do a muscle up but not an overhead squat. Party tricks are fun and all, but winners can pull, push, and squat a lot.
Don't drink alcohol. Its sabotage, plain and simple. Look it up. You ruin rest and recovery, diet and hydration all at once.
Hello all! I hope everyone's summer has been off to a great start! Mine has been... interesting to say the least. I have had some pretty significant things happen in my life, but none of it has been negative. In fact, I feel better than ever. That could be, however, only due to my generally pleasant disposition. I like to keep things positive... but that's a topic I'll get more into on the next entry. This entry we'll be focusing on something that is very important to me: coaching. More specifically, why you need a coach, and if you have a coach, why you need to listen to him or her. Not you in the abstract sense of some person who could potentially be reading this blog simultaneously. I mean you. And don't write this off as some contrived attempt to get you into a CrossFit gym. The fact that you're reading this pretty much guarantees that you are already at a box. With that, sit back and learn yourself some things.
4)SAFETY
Let me start by telling you that I work out by myself entirely too much (see, you're already learning so many things!). I go to the gym at least 4 times per week to complete a workout alone. It's not that I like to, in fact I can't stand it. It's a convenience thing is all. I can't expect someone else to drop everything over the lunch hour just to work on their snatch, and I'm ok with that.
So the other day I'm working out by myself, and the WOD calls for a muscle-up to max effort ring handstand push-ups (thanks Outlaw). I set up my iPhone to record and.... tried my best. I'm not telling you this because I think it makes me sound cool, rather, it makes me sound like a complete idiot. First of all, the last time I attempted that same maneuver over a year ago, I ended up injuring both of my shoulders. Second,what would happen if I straight up fell? Yell at Siri (iPhone for the uninitiated) to dial 911? I don't think so (but the Apple folks should really get on that). Last, there was nobody to tell me to try something else first. I just jumped straight in like so many people with too much confidence are wont to do.
In retrospect I'm a dummy. And I don't want something to happen to me or you that could have been prevented with a sane person's rationality in the same room. I'm not saying you're crazy, but anyone can fall off of a pull-up bar, or slip during an Oly lift. There are just too many variables. I don't care if you're a 30 year vet or a newb, get a damn spotter.
3) SKILLS
So you're in the gym, and you're coach is harping on you, "open your hips, extend all the way, get to full depth, blah dee blah..." But you've been doing this for a while, and you know how your body works. So what you have a small technique flaw? You just did a sub-3 minutes Fran! You should be coaching! Well feast your eyes friends:
That was a world record snatch of 214 kgs. For those of us Americans that are having trouble with that conversion, let me math that up for you. That dude snatched OVER FOUR-HUNDRED SEVENTY ONE POUNDS! You're argument is invalid.
I bet you didn't even notice the other guy in the yellow shirt at the beginning of the video. We'll call him the Iranian Mr. Miyagi. You know what I bet he can't do? Snatch the equivalent of two baby elephants. You know what I bet he did do? Coach his ass off. Everyone needs it. Michael Jordan, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Albert Pujols, Wayne Gretzky, and Mr. Most-likely-human-to become-a Stan-Lee-character up there all did. So do you.
2) IDEAS
Ideas change the way you think about things. Here's an example- I went to my CrossFit Level 1 certification seminar a couple weeks ago. I was looking foreword to learning the finer points of CrossFit, and I wasn't disappointed. What I wasn't ready for was the laser-like focus the program had on the fundamental movements. Now, I have been doing this for two years so I thought I'd be good to go. As you can probably guess, I was wrong.
It's this simple. One very minor, almost impossible to detect flaw in my squat was sabotaging my performance. I cannot begin to tell you how minute it was. Oh, but what a difference it made. My one rep back squat max became my 3 rep in 3 days. I was sold.
This is different from skills up there because of one major reason: I no longer thought about squatting the same way. Coaching can get you outside of your box if done properly. And by "if done properly" I mean if you open your ears. If you aren't learning something new from every coach you have, official or unofficial, you're doing it wrong. You can be stubborn and stuck in your ways... and that's exactly where you'll stay - stuck. Don't blame coaching or lack thereof on you're weaknesses. Go ahead and listen to how that little voice in your head reacts when you here a new or different idea.
1) MOTIVATION
This should go without saying, but a coach's main goal is to motivate you to reach your full potential. Every coach has a different style, and every person need to be coached a little differently. That can be tricky, but understand that if you have a coach he or she wants what's best for you, and that's fantastic. Who else does that, your parents?
Here is where things get tricky. You might have a really large class, our not go to a class at all (I'll get to you). How do you find motivation in that situation? Like I said, that's completely up to you. But I bet you never thought of asking your coach. I'm up front about it. "Hey, can you come yell at me while I workout?" Because that's my style. If you need some encouraging words, ask for that too. It's not some big taboo that you like or don't like to be called dirty words while staring at the business end of a 30" box jump. And I bet most coaches will be willing to accommodate. Try it.
For you guys and gals that don't have a coach at all; the P90Xers, yoga/ pilates/ rumba video pros, and those of you that go it alone: STOP. Get a friend or something. Anything. How awesome do you think you are that you're handling your workouts and diet by yourself? People get doctorates in the fields of anatomy, physiology, nutrition, behavioral science, and a plethora of other related fields. No one-person is good enough to coax themselves, not even with a video camera. Besides, working out is so much more fun with other people. Isn't that worth it enough?
Before I get started I would like to thank everyone for all
of your great comments and feedback on this blog. It really means a lot to me,
and if I can help you all out I am more than happy to do it. If any of you has
any questions about diet or CrossFit… or life, email, Facebook, call, or post
it. Thanks again everyone!
Last week I wrote about Regionals and how awesome it would
be. I also noted that if you went you would very likely find it a motivating
experience, and that I had forgone writing about frustration to encourage you
to attend Regionals. I AM SO GLAD I WAITED. I attended the SoCal Regionals all
day Friday and Saturday. It was a blast checking out the vendors, getting free
samples, synthesizing Vitamin D and, most importantly, watching all of the
incredible events.
I knew that I would be pumped up and ready to hit the box
after being there, but I didn’t realize how quick that would set in. I thought
by the end of the week I would have a nice little boost that would get me
through the Games. Just enough to give me something to shoot for. I was WAY
wrong. The very moment I looked over
the barricade and into the competition square I tensed up. My teeth clenched
and I could only think one thing, “I can
do that.” The more I watched, the
worse it got. “I can do that,” turned into, “I should be doing that… NOW!”. For two days.
If you were hanging out with me you definitely heard about
it (I don’t keep things inside), and thanks for hearing me out. But it ate at
me then and it still is this very moment. This is the part where I’m supposed
to segue into my discussion on frustration, but frustration is only a part of
what I’m feeling. Before I go any further I think it’s important that we all
understand the importance of language. This is what I’m talking about (1:32 - 3:00... or 5:00) (or finish the whole thing... just try to finish reading after please):
(Caution:
NSFW language)
If I use the word “frustrated” I think some sort of image
will come to mind, like when your crappy computer starts to freeze up on you,
and seriously all you wanted to do was check your damn email. That is frustrating.
I’m frustrated, yeah… but here are some other adjectives I would more readily
use to describe just how I feel: disappointed, discouraged, angry, shameful, saddened,
and resentful. That’s a whole lot of negative, I know. And that’s the mood I’ve
been in. I work hard and expect a certain outcome. I know that a lot of people
consider me to be a pretty good CrossFitter, and it’s not that I’m unhappy with
that. I’m (all of those words above) because I know where I want to be, and I’m
just not there yet. It’s kind of like that feeling you get when you see someone
you know doesn’t diet that hard or
workout that much, and they take of their
shirt and KAPOW 36 abs hit you in the face. Seriously, you people annoy me.
So this is where “frustration” meets motivation. I had to,
with the help of some very key people in my life, dig myself out of that hole.
I know everyone has experienced some version of it. But this is where toughness
comes in. What do you do when you’re out, and back to “normal”? As I see it you
have two options: 1) Stop putting that much effort in or quit all together,
that way you don’t have to feel like that anymore, or ; 2) Pick yourself up,
dust yourself off, and go like hell. Because what’s worse? Am I going to get to
that point again, where I’m all out of sorts and I don’t feel like training/diet/life
choices are paying off? You bet your ass I am. And I’ll do it all over again, until
I get it right. It’s a continuous cycle that makes you better in the long run,
regardless of how crappy it can be. In short – “FRUSTRATION” IS A GOOD THING!!!
So, for all of you out there who feel the same
way about anything – Just keep going. Keep learning, keep trying, keep
improving. And when someone tells you to stop being so hard on yourself, tell
them you can’t. You’ve got goals to achieve.
P.S. - Shout out to all of my CrossFit Lincoln family competing this weekend. I wish I could be there, but you guys are going to kill it. I miss you all, now go and get it done!
REGIONALS IS THIS WEEKEND!!!!!! Originally I was going to write this post to talk about how being frustrated can be a great motivator, but I'll save that for next week. What everyone in SoCal (next week if your in North Central) needs to be focused on is regionals. If you can go, please do. It's amazing. Way better than any video you have seen online. It will motivate you to no end. It's like being a part of a weekend long Rocky movie. I participated last year, and it changed everything for me. Suddenly I had concrete evidence of where I wanted to be... what I wanted to work for. You may not ever want to compete, or you might not think that you're "good enough", but trust me: this experience will light a fire. Somewhere, deep down inside, you will be able to empathize with an athlete struggling with a weight. You try to help them lift it with your will. You know that feeling. One more round. One more minute. One more rep. It's not just you either: the ENTIRE crowd are CrossFitters too, and now you're caught up in this storm of enthusiasm and encouragement. And that is the beauty of the whole thing: everyone, including the men and women who have already competed and won, are pulling for the underdog. Why do you think the world went nuts about Spealler last weekend. That is our community. Go get into it.
I’m sick of
writing. Seriously. Before I go any further, let me clarify that this blog doesn’t
count as “writing”. No, this is me talking to you via the mystifying power of
the interweb. I would do a video blog, but I’m pretty sure everyone would just
think the
fat kid from the sandlot was trying to make a comeback. Plus, I’m not very
funny in person. Instead I’ve decided to put this one sided conversation in
paragraph form so it’s easier for you to sit through. But I’m getting off
topic.
If you didn’t
know, I’m on the downhill side of graduate school. I honestly think it’s a little
easier than undergrad for a couple reasons. For instance, you are limited to
taking only two classes per term, and, if you do it right, you will finish in
two years. Each class only meets once per week, and that’s cool so long as you
can stay awake for the eternity of four hours. What isn’t cool is the
unbelievable amount of literature reviews, reflections, journals, and responses
that are required of every class. If anyone even cares to wonder why I don’t
post very often on here it’s because at this point I’ve got carpal tunnel and bleeding fingers, not to mention CHEST
TO BARS AND DEADLIFTS CROSSFIT WTF!!! I’m writing at least ten pages a week
of the absolute worst kind of literature: peer reviewed, scholarly, 3rd
person, APA formatted… you get the picture. If you don’t, imagine watching
C-SPAN in black-and-white on mute and multiply that by soggy bread. It’s the print
version of whatever horribly boring product you get from those two factors.
What does any
of this have to do with fitness or diet? It’s really simple actually. Over the
course of writing these papers I spend countless hours in front of a computer
finding, reading, and analyzing scientific studies, journals and research. This
is tedious, but there is a lot of very good information out there to find. The
same thing is true for figuring whether or not you want to try a diet or
exercise program; what are the risks and rewards, what can you expect, does it
work for people like you…. There are all very real and very answerable
questions. The thing is, you have to be
willing to do a little digging. Either that, or trust some trainer, coaches’,
or friend’s word who I promise you doesn’t have a full understanding of the
scientific concepts they’re preaching (except for me… I don’t know everything,
I know ALL OF THE THINGS). I’m sure they know the basics and that their idea “works”,
but have you ever asked them why or how it works? Just
because they look the part doesn’t make them an expert on the subject. Yes, I
know I might be throwing some people under the bus, but I really don’t care. If
people are giving nutritional and exercise advice they should absolutely be held accountable for understanding what
they are talking about. If they don’t, they should be willing to direct you to
resources to get the information they acquired. Then you can make an educated
observation on whether or not that information makes sense, or whether you
think its garbage wrapped in bologna. You also have to be willing to admit that
some things actually need an advanced degree to understand it completely. If
the resources you are directed to can’t explain it in plain language it’s
either highfalutin or completely BS. And for goodness sake, do not trust
anything that markets itself as a “miracle”.
With all of
that have been said, here is my offer. I’m going to give you the shortcuts to
some of the research I have followed: CrossFit, paleo, intermittent fasting.
This isn’t a comprehensive list, nor is it a full scope of everything I have learned.
It’s a start. Take this and run. Get out and make some life-changing decisions.
AND BE SMART ABOUT IT.
First off, let me apologize for not posting in over a week. I would have updated everyone sooner but, you know, life. That, and my computer got to close to my lunch during a "feast" session last week and I inadvertently ate it. I'm back now, though, with wonderful tales of joy and woe (mostly woe) from my adventures with intermittent fasting. It's been just over a week now, and I'm still keeping up. I've broken down what that first week was like in a list, because everybody loves lists.
5) THE HUNGER
When I started this deal, I knew I was going to be hungry. Two or three hours was just about my limit when it came to meal time, so going 16 per day seemed unfathomable. This is, by far, the oddest thing that I have discovered: I do not get hungry until 11:00am. The first day I thought it was a fluke. The second day I chalked it up to excitement. At about day four I started to realize that this was going to be a lot easier than I though... at least up till 11. As per my fasting cycle I only get to start eating at 1pm. That means that for two hours, every single day, I experience the most primal hunger pangs I have ever felt. I get on edge, irritable, and I'm generally unpleasant to be around. I went to a BBQ this weekend over my girlfriend's friend's house, and when the grill broke (I am most definitely not making that up) they became genuinely concerned that I would eat one of the other guests. To give you an idea of what it takes to quell this storm of tummy grumbling, here is a list of what I had for my first meal yesterday: 3 hamburger patties, 5 bratwurst, 4 eggs, 1/2 lb. of broccoli, and 6 oz. of guacamole. This is not a game. Luckily for me, though, my first workout of the day usually happens at noon, so I only have an hour to get through before my mind goes somewhere else. Unluckily for me I still have to get through the workout.... 4) WORKOUTS
My first two workout on an empty stomach sucked. I was terrible. Not only that, but I was in a bad mood before I even started working out. That's a recipe for disaster. I needed to get my mind right... embrace the suck, if you will. A funny thing started happening on my second workout though (after I had eaten). I would go in to the gym and be in the best mood ever. I was like Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde if, instead of science, Jeckyll lifted heavy ass weights and Hyde was less of a beast and more of a whiny brat. I've pr'd on three different bench marks this week: one lift and two girls. One of those even happened during my first WOD! I don't think that's all the diet, but I do think it's worth pointing out that it's possible to operate at optimum capacity on an empty stomach. I'm not jumping on the bandwagon yet, I'm just saying that it can be doable. 3) RECOVERY
Even with some questionable workouts, it still seams like I'm getting the most out of training. I have been crazy sore all week long, but not in a bad way. It's that special kind of sore where you're sensitive to the touch, but can still get into your workout when properly warmed up. Again, I don't know what this means... but I can't say it's good or bad yet. 2) SLEEP My sleep has been the same, but on the third night I had a dream that I was at a Sloppy Joe and chili cheese burger buffet. Damn it, now I'm hungry again. 1) RESULTS I have been dieting long enough to know that you don't see results overnight. I mean, I thoroughly understand the time-frame that I should expect results in and I know it's going to be at the very least a full month. Things take time, you know? But......... that doesn't stop me from checking the mirror to see if it's working yet. That has never stopped, ever. I've lost close to 100 lbs. in my adult life, and I still look at myself and go "man, I wish this thing would work already!" You think I'm joking? Ask anyone who's lost weight and kept it off. It's insane. I'm really sorry if you're one of the people who have heard me bemoan the fact that I'm "not lean enough". I know that seems preposterous, but I do you think Michael Jordan or Jerry Rice were ever like "yep, got that down. Time for a break!"? Absolutely not. But I digress. My whole point is that I don't expect to see a big change in a weeks time, and neither should you if you so choose to take up a diet or learn a new hobby. Even a month seems short in the bigger picture. So if you know somebody going through a lifestyle change, accept the fact that you might not know a lot of the why's and how's and be supportive. And at the very least, please don't be destructive. They have enough to deal with without their friends trying to sabotage their goals. Good luck to everyone walking a similar path right now, and just remember to give it some time.
