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