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Hey folks,
Whether you were planning on coming already or were inspired by the CrossFit games on ESPN2 this weekend, our first introduction session will be this Saturday (1/7/12) at 9am, sharp. All you have to do is wear clothes suitable for training and perhaps some water. Try to be on time so we can start promptly...see you then.
As we approach three years in business, I've noticed a fairly consistent pattern of progress for many, many people. I'd like to discuss it.
1. People initially join and either 'want to get in shape' or 'want to lose weight' or some combination (there are exceptions like people supplementing their sports training, but I'm painting with a broad brush here). This being the case they generally follow our workout of the day which consists primarily of metcons (metabolic conditioning) with some strength work. Early on, people would often get excited and start out with five days/week. I've learned to caution people against that as they will often burn themselves out in three weeks or so since their bodies haven't adjusted to the demands that quickly. So, they start building work capacity three or four days per week, they are learning some good movements and getting quite a bit better. They are likely losing some fat as well and probably toning up to some degree.
2. After a few months perhaps, we'll have a conversation that goes like this: "I lost some weight initially but it stopped"..."what are you eating"..."pretty good"..."have you tried Paleo"..."not really"..."well, that could be the reason." I'll often discover that while they've made a few changes, there are many things they still do that holds them back: bread/pasta/beer being the worst, sugar drinks (even diet drinks spike your insulin), snacking at night before bed...and a few others. Obviously giving up sugar and grains is not easy...but once people get that under control, they will typically drop weight pretty quickly. Not always, but pretty quickly...assuming they are telling me the truth...but I think they know if they are sabotaging themselves. That said, some people have more difficulty and Gary Taubes first mentioned this (to me anyway) that perhaps it takes time to re-adjust the insulin levels after decades of screwing them up...so weight loss might not be immediate. Could be. Thankfully, most see results from Paleo very quickly...once they commit. Occasionally, they eat Paleo but for some reason combine it with too much low-fat stuff so they aren't getting adequate fat intake and are hungry and/or their body hangs onto the fat they have. Paleo is not low fat...so we talk about that too.
3. By now, people are often doing quite well and they've really learned to deal with physical discomfort but they might not be able to do fully prescribed workouts (meaning use the weights I assign for a given workout) or they can't quite break into some top times. This usually means their raw strength is low and is very common with people who have never done dedicated strength work (and especially endurance athletes). So, we talk about it. And we decide to do dedicated strength work once or twice a week depending on what people want. This lasts for a few months and all of a sudden, everything gets better. Strength rocks! Of course, to get to this point, especially with ladies who fear bulking up, I've had to build some trust over the months (check below for "bulky"...Katy squats about 165lbs and deadlifts about 215lbs). Had I pushed this earlier, no one would listen. That's cool...everything happens at its own pace. Similarly, people are often training 4-5 days per week instead of three...and at some point, more metcons aren't the answer. So, the strength work is good for them for many reasons. It is also really rewarding to see people moving weight they previously thought impossible. It even becomes addictive for many people. I like this too.
4. And then...the skill work. There is overlap between some of these, but dedicated skill work often happens after strength work. Usually people nearly prescribed on everything but a few things are holding them back. The two most common are double-unders (one jump with a jump rope with two spins of the rope under the feet) and kipping pullups. You don't just magically get these things in the middle of a workout...you have to practice them without time/performance pressure, often over the course of a few months. So, many people will then add a dedicated skill day or will spend a few minutes working on a skill before or after the workout. Either way can work. Other common movements needing skill work: olympic lifts, overhead squats, ring dips, handstand pushups, kettlebell snatches, pistols, and muscle-ups.
5. Finally, and I almost didn't list it...but I seem to say it a lot. You need to do stretching and mobility work pretty much everyday. People hold off on this the longest (and occasionally get an injury before listening...thankfully that is more rare)...I'm not sure why, but no one seems to stretch voluntarily. There are a handful of exceptions but not many. But your body needs it, especially if you sit a lot and/or come from a running background.
And as an example of someone who has done nearly all the above (though she always stretched) and is now one of our premier athletes, which shows what focus and dedication can do, Katy:
And that's the way it happens 90% of the time...if you ignore me, I'll say I told you so, but at least you'll improve...
Hello folks,
Saturdays have been hopping lately, which is great, so we are going to make a change for those wanting to try CrossFit for the first time.
From now on, our introductory workout will occur on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month. Further it will now take place at 9am instead of 9:30am. This way, new people will be finishing up as the Saturday group starts to filter in. Then you can watch the experienced people, ask questions, see the atmosphere, stretch, recover, etc...we think it'll work better this way.
The next introductory workout will be 7/16 at 9am. After that, it'll be 8/6 and 8/20 at 9am. I hope that makes sense. We'll see you then.
In the mean time, here's an example of getting strong: my wife deadlifting 185lbs like it's no biggie.
Weakness is a choice, get stronger!
This is Larry and Pam (note the sun was coming through the window, preventing me from taking the shot from the front). Larry is 68 and I believe Pam is 62. She has also quit smoking during the last year. They come in a solid four to five days per week. Some days are harder than others but they just keep training and getting better. I suspect they were a little nervous when they started and wondered whether "people their age" could do it. I get that a lot. Yes, people their age can do it...people any age can do it...if you show up. If there is one thing I've learned about nearly anything in life, anticipation is nearly always worse than the reality. And it's certainly true here, whether worried about actual performance or worried about what other people think (which, sadly, is what I think stops more people than performance concerns). Oddly, you'll not find a more supportive group of folks around. Always encouraging and always helping learn and improve...that's what all of our people do. It's probably to the point I don't even do most of the coaching...everyone helps out. I like this...not because I'm lazy, but because it means people are taking this stuff seriously and that thrills me.
So, you'll understand if my pity only extends so far. I have lots of empathy for how hard it is, but not pity. I don't have pity because on any given day when I ask Larry how he's doing, without fail he's "top notch." Aren't we all.
Hey folks,
We'll be going to the Garage Games the weekend of February 4th/5th/6th. We're sending a team (Virginia, Rachel, Yadira, John, Jeremy, and Brad) and an individual (Brandon). The teams will compete on Friday afternoon and Sunday while Brandon will have various competitions Saturday. The contest is in Woodstock (about 2hrs north of here). We'll be staying up there for the weekend. Folks are encouraged to come and watch if you have the time/interest.
That said, here are the gym hours for that weekend:
Friday (2/4) --> we expect to be open Friday morning, normal time. We expect to be closed Friday PM.
Saturday (2/5) --> we will be closed Saturday.
Oh, and the early Mon/Wed/Fri class is going very well...it's keeping Brandon busy. But it is now at 5:45am, not 6:30am.
And here's Virginia flipping a tire under Rachel's expert guidance...
