Crossing the Rubicon

Choosing must.

I'm excited to announce the birth of Fort Miami CrossFit.  There's been an enormous amount of work that has been going into this project behind the scenes.  One of the things that we felt was really paramount to what we are doing is to write out our personal manifesto about the vision we share for what CrossFit is and how it should be presented.  None of this is revolutionary, but it does perhaps run counter to some of the established norms.

I'd like to share the result of that with you.

Nutrition as the foundation:

IF you want to succeed then we need to have a serious conversation about what and how you eat.  As part of your introduction to CrossFit we're going to make sure that we are setting you up for success and being consistent in our follow through with you on nutritional needs and expectations.

Quality Coaching:

I am a big proponent for focused quality coaching.  Movement standards are the expectation of the coaches and we are going to hold you to that standard.  Sub-standard is no standard.  Consistency is key, not just in your workout but in the coaching that gets you there.  It should be expected (both by coach and athlete) that consistency will be maintained day in and day out and not just 'when the mood suites'.

It is also our belief that the only way you enable that consistency is to maintain a healthy ratio of the number of athletes per coach.  To some that may seem excessive, to me it seems necessary.  As a coach, if I can't give you the individualized attention that you deserve then I am doing both of us a disservice.

Foundations:

When you start your journey with CrossFit there are a number of movements that many people will have little to no exposure to.  It is our goal to set our athletes up for success so we start all athletes in a foundations class.  Through Foundations you will be introduced to all the core movements as well as how and when to scale movements that will carry you forward into our level based group CrossFit classes.

Leveled programming:

As you transition from the Foundations program you will be introduced to our level based programming for group classes.  Our programming is CrossFit at it's core with a strength bias.  What that means is that we believe that strength as a bias in programming will yield more consistent results for members.  We accomplish this with a skew towards Olympic style weightlifting.    

Evidence based fitness:

We believe that it is our responsibility to you as our member to show you the evidence.  We're data driven.  It is our expectation that 3/6/12 months out I should be able to show you with very real and specific metrics how you've improved.  No matter what your goals are, through the data, we will show you how you've moved closer to achieving them!

Client goals:

From our initial consultation we will work with you to establish not just your goals but also to lay out the map in front of you to show you how we work with you to get there.  Like all things in life, having goals gives us something to continually work towards and improve upon, why should fitness be any different.  And as you will discover, the journey is as important as the destination.

Community:

The final component and arguably the most important part of this manifesto is community.  CrossFit has a  rich history of having a deeply engaged community of people.  In many gyms you will see a group of people who feel more like a family than a group of strangers.  Community is part of the DNA of CrossFit and is a huge driving factor in athletes long term success.  Surround yourself with people that are headed in the same direction that you are and you are far more likely to succeed.

It is our belief that THIS should be at the heart of any gym.  Shared successes, shared suffering, and sharing in life will be deeply integrated in all that we do.

If you have an interest in CrossFit, improving sport performance, or just moving towards being a more holistically fit individual then I invite you to come experience what CrossFit has to offer.  Our model is simple, give us two weeks to convince you that what we do (CrossFit) and how we do it (Secret Sauce) is an experience unlike any other.

On the go - a travel tale

I, like many of you, get the opportunity to travel from time to time for my day job.  This week I was in sunny Las Vegas attending a tech conference for a new product that we rolled out this year.  The challenge for me as I headed out the door was how I was going to stay consistent with my eating schedule and exercise.

The biggest challenge as you can imagine is eating.  In this land of over sized buffet's and complete food debauchery it can seem to be an almost overwhelming task.  Never fear my friends, all is in fact not lost.

Breakfast has actually proven to be the easiest of the major meals to deal with.  Almost without exception every where I have attended has had the ability to provide eggs, fresh fruit, and of course coffee.  The interesting thing to note is that while what you see on the menu is typically not 'zoned' or friendly to paleo/zone parameters all it takes is a brief conversation with your server to get what you need.

On Monday morning as an example I was able to ask the server some simple questions that got me where I needed to be.  I looked at the California omelette with hash browns as my starting point.  The conversation was simple, and I was amazed at how responsive she was - I sensed this wasn't her first go around with someone who ate very deliberately.  "How many eggs are in your omelette?"  She responded that they are three egg omelettes.  Before I could even get my next question out she asked if I would like to sub fresh fruit for the hash browns.  Well heck ya I would!  The result was a beautiful 3 egg omlette with an appropriate portion of fresh fruit and avacado that got me a 4 block breakfast that was simple, tasty and more importantly not any more money than the base menu item.  I counted this as a big win for the day.

Conference food has luckily been surprisingly balanced in choice.  Over three days of buffet line style lunches I was able to create a reasonably zoned meal that wasn't overly complex.  The key is just making good choices.  Choosing the mixed vegetables over the roll or the pear over the Texas toast are all conscious and purpose driven decisions

Getting work done required a little more thought on my part.  I knew that when I hit Las Vegas it was important for me to get out and drop into a local box.  I chose Crossfit Max Effort as my destination.  It was an awesome choice due both to it's relative proximity to the hotel (only a 2 mile $12 cab ride) and it is a beautiful facility owned and operated by games competitor Zach Forrest.  I happened to hit CFME on a week coming off of a 3 week strength cycle.  CFME programs benchmark WODs in the down week and as a result I got to do "Angie".  A benchmark I had actually not performed.  As one can expect, 100 pull ups and 100 push ups sucked.  Practice I suppose for Murph coming up on Memorial Day.

Unfortunately my schedule only allowed me one day for drop ins so the additional days had to be filled with work in the hotel 'Cardio Room'.  Needless to say the options you find in a cardio room are somewhat limited.  Treadmills and dumbbells are all you really have to work with. The folks over at NorCal Crossfit have a long list of hotel based WODs that leverage dumbbells and treadmills which seem to be the staple fitness gear of any hotel.

Being committed to being consistent is a crucial component of the extended out of town event.  Schedule the drop-in to a local box, scout the fitness accommodations of the local hotel you'll be staying and arm yourself with a game plan to be consistent across the board.  As I wrap up my 5 day trip I was able to book end it with a rest days on the days I traveled while getting in three days in of work including one drop in at a local affiliate.

Plan, eat clean, do work.. and enjoy the vacation.

Going there.

CrossFit is a mental challenge.

Yes yes... it's a physical one too.  But today I want to focus on the mental aspects.  There is a lot to be said for consistently working out, working hard, and eating right.  I've had a few athletes come to me recently with concerns and comments like "I feel like I should be getting faster" or "I feel like I should be getting stronger in X I practice it all the time!".  So we start working down the stack.

Showing up for class (3-5 days a week), check.
Getting enough sleep (7-8+ hours), check.
Eating cleanly and appropriately, check
Staying hydrated, check.
Are you putting yourself - there -, wait what?

Are you taking yourself - there - you know, the place that the magic happens?  Are you regularly taking yourself outside of your comfort zone when you work out?  Are you taking yourself to the point where - yeah - one more thruster is going to make me throw up.  Are you pushing the pace on that 5k to the point where - yea - I can't breath and I don't know if I can push through.

"If you're willing to go there CrossFit will take you there."  - Chris Spealler

When I started CrossFit I heard that quote from Chris Spealler and I really wasn't quite sure what he meant.  It wasn't until much later in the journey that I started to really understand what he meant by that and just what it meant to go there.  Years later, hundreds of metcons and sessions later I understand what that means.  It's that nervous "oh shit" feeling I get before doing a workout like 14.5 because I know that I'm going to go to that place deep in the recesses of my psyche where I have to move and I have to perform in a way that is going to be uncomfortable to a point that the outcome might just be walking outside and tossing my cookies.

I get that the visual there is not appealing to all.  And to some the idea of going so far outside of ones comfort zone is so scary that doing so isn't something that the average person is willing to do.  To quote another favorite of mine, CT Fletcher; "fuck average".  Get comfortable with being uncomfortable - for that is where truly spectacular change happens.  And it isn't just the change in terms of "hey my Fran time improved" but it's all the mental aspects that go hand in hand with going there and getting uncomfy.

Here is the other unique secret about getting uncomfortable and regularly going there, by going there it gets easier to go back there.  That doesn't mean it sucks any less.. but the mental game of getting yourself down that path does get easier and it gets easier to fight back those negative thoughts and the "I cant's".

I say all of that only to come full circle and say know and understand your limits.  What we are discussing today isn't something that Joe Newcrossfitter should be considering.  Too much, too soon, and too hard can result in injury.  Even at the highest level of CrossFit there is always such a thing as too much or too hard.  Know your limits, work within them, but your limits do exist somewhere north-east of your perceived comfort zone.

Hand maintenance

Callus's are the body's adaptation to repeated friction.  Unfortunately your body hasn't figured out that as a c
rossfitter those calluses aren't protecting anything... in fact they're making things worse.

As a CrossFit athlete one of the things you will have to do with some frequency to avoid gnarly hand injuries is to regularly maintenance your hands - specifically shaving down calluses.  As a coach I see a lot of ripped hands, and I invariably ask the question: "what are you doing for hand maintenance?".  Most time the response is a shrug, a blank stare or worse yet "more chalk".

And no.. more chalk won't help.. it makes it worse.

The only reasonable thing you can do is to shave those calluses down and for that I recommend the Ped Egg.  This little contraption is actually designed for the rough callus buildup on your feet, but works amazingly well for handling the callus buildup on your hands.

Using the device to file down the calluses allows for a lot more control in how much skin you are taking off.  Other methods include using razor-blades to "shave" off the calluses, however this method can be extremely difficult to master and can result in shaving too much and injuring your hands.

With the Ped Egg you do need to be conscious of how much skin it is taking off, especially when brand new to its use.  Gently glide the cheese greater like surface over the callused area in an up and down motion.  Sets of three to four passes at a time pausing briefly in between sets to check the callused area to see how much has been taken down is generally a good idea.

Once you have the bulk of the callus worn down it is time to move onto the finish sanding surface to smooth out the skin and provide a soft touch back to the hands.  The end result should be well manicured surfaces with little callus build up to get caught on the bar as you perform pull ups, muscle ups or other high friction movements and ultimately little to no hand tearing.

Nutrition Prep Work

Anyone that knows me they know I love to eat.  Honestly it's probably one of the main reasons I focus so heavily on nutrition as a coach.  It's the whole "work on your weaknesses" ethos of CrossFit that drives that I'm sure.  Unless I am intentional about my nutrition, intake, and timing it falls off faster than anything else I do.

For those at the box who have been participating in the zone challenge I have been preaching the importance of prep-work.  It's hard some weeks to find the time to get it done.  This weekend with Easter it was no different.  Fortunately there are a lot of simple recipes out there that can be put together in under 30 minutes of work.


3 Block Fiesta Bowl
----------------------
3 oz ground turkey
1 oz shredded cheese
1.25 cup riced cauliflower
.25 cups black beans
.25 cups fresh salsa (Garden Fresh brand)
3 Tbs fresh avocado
Chilli Powder
Cumin
(additional spices to taste)

I start with 1.25 lbs of lean ground turkey, one large head of cauliflower, one can of black beans, one avocado, and one container of Garden Fresh salsa - the good stuff you find in the deli - not the cheap shit you find in the middle of the potato-chip isle.

The result is four 3-block zoned meals that meet my personal threshold of 75%+ paleo.  This is my go-to meal for my mid morning meal.

It's a great option for someone that's short on time and looking to get the prep-work done for the day or week quickly.

Fitness in 100

I love that Reebok puts this on every piece of CF branded clothing they put out.

Simple..

"Find the Eggs"

Working on weaknesses.

Run 2 miles

Then;

3 rounds

10 burpees

5 strict pull ups

Then;

Run 1 mile

Then;

3 rounds

15 KB Swings 1pood

100m sprint

Family time

It's Easter and that means family time.. at 6:30 am..

Without the lab fully up and running and our household prepping for Easter dinner options are limited today.  Going to be putting on the shoes and going for a run.  Chins and kb swings in the garage.

I'm reminded today that balance is a requirement and I will be seeking to restore it as I move forward.

Ressurection

It's time to resurrect this blog...

As I begin what is my fourth year as a dedicated CrossFit athlete I felt it was necessary to re-evaluate everything!  When I started CrossFit back in 2011 it was a challenge to myself to see if I could do what seemed to be one of the most intense things I had done to that point.  I had always been active growing up, playing sports, martial arts, and aggressive inline skating (think X-Games).  Really I had given no thought to strength or conditioning or how it plays into any of that - or life in general.

When I started this journey it started simply enough as a call to arms on Facebook to friends looking to improve themselves.  I was blessed beyond belief at the time to have two people, Scott and Eric, join my little experiment into what could be.  Really I don't think any of us had much of an idea as to what we were getting ourselves into.

That's the original Kulich Garge gym to the right that started it all.  Not much more than a couple of bars, a set of bumper plates, squat rack and a whiteboard.  And that, I think, was the beauty of it.  It was raw, it was dirty, it was home.

Over time we added bits of equipment, bands for the girls that joined us to get the pull ups in, kettle bells etc.  In fact our first rope climbs and rings hung from a tree in the front yard.  I'm sure the neighbors could only wonder what the heck grown men were doing out there those days.

Whatever.. it worked.

As the seasons changed from summer to fall so changed the seasons of life and the community we had built slowly had to move in different directions.  Couple that with Michigan winters and an unheated garage the Kulich Garage gym sat silent.

Fortunately the void was filled by a local affiliate opening shop and allowing me to find a safe haven indoors for those Michigan winters.  It also has provided a network of like minded individuals with a love for all things CrossFit.

So as I enter my fourth year of CrossFit I look to get back to spending some of my CrossFit time back in that raw and dirty realness of the garage.  Armed with a wealth of knowledge learned both in movement specifics and more importantly program design I head back to the lab - back to what started it all - but now with a driven design specificity for performance gains.

As I work to set the garage back up to support the mad science that is sure to ensue.  I have a personal level of excitement as to what the performance enhancing by-products will be.  The space is sure to afford me an opportunity to test and retest program design without restriction or preconception of what is or is not.


If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living.

-Gail Sheehy