LAst week or so

Hey all,

With all that has been going on (gym change, moving to LA and in with the girlfriend) my fitness has definitely taken a back seat. Doesn't that suck when life gets in the way of things we 'want' to do!? :) We have been looking for real state like crazy, in contact with our new employer and trying to solidify things up on the back end. To say the least it has been incredibly stressful. All yesterday afternoon/evening my Mother (thanks Mom) came over and helped me pack everything up. Only thing that is not in box or a crate is my bed, dresser, and book case (without books, I have a lot). My kitchen and garage are like a staging area ready for loading tomorrow morning so the move should be pretty smooth. Getting the couch in was a bit of luck so getting out should be interesting.

Moving, starting a new job, and starting to live with a significant other which I never have, has put my mind on many other things. I am excited to start up in LA, nervous a bit, but am excited to start a new chapter.

The last few weeks of fitness has had one goal. Attempt to maintain, not overtrain (under recover) and keep my sanity.

I am putting together a 4 week (6 if you consider transition) endurance phase geared towards improving aerobic capacity, building mitochondria, and have a bit more recovery than usual. Without getting too into it, but having an ample supply of mitochondria will benefit energy production and fat metabolism (which is why we workout right?) The more we have, the more efficient these things are, the more fatty acids can be utilized for energy which burns fat at a better rate. Strength training, HIIT training, and steady state cardio all help develop more, however HIIT without 24-48 hours to recovery do not let these organisms regenerate (to speak your language, if you do a crossfit metcon EVERYDAY this will deplete over time). So the last few weeks I have been doing a strength session or power endurance session 3x/week plus 3 steady state sessions/week, 1 day completely off. Too many people in crossfit get caught up in the sexy metcon but once you hit that 'plateau' one must figure out how to improve and get past it. In my case my strength is decent, my steady state cardio and ability to recover is pretty low. This comes a perfect time for me to do this because HIIT (crossfit metcon) is incredibly stressful on your nervous system, where as steady state cardio at 55-65%MHR, not so much.

A sample of this, yesterday:
1. cardio + mobility
2. triple under practice
3. 30/30's where rest period player must complete 5 strict pull ups (4 exercises were given, a total of 5 rounds at each station)
 a) double under
 b) DB snatch @ 70#
 c) sprint on treadmill @ 8%incline @ 8.5 speed
 d) StOH @ 135#
player completes as many double unders as possible in 30'' then during 30'' rest period player must complete 5 strict pull ups, same for snatch, then sprint, then StOH...cycling through for 20'

Then today I did 45' of steady state cardio at a pretty easy pace (I ran)


I will be starting this new cycle in a few weeks once I get settled in LA. I encourage all of you who have my same weaknesses/strengths to do this. It is the perfect time (for the open next year)


For an interesting read on some truths behind Crossfit, read the following link:

http://joshsgarage.typepad.com/Crossfit_White_Papers_--_Timeline.html

I am a Large Onion, 24September2013

I am a large Onion.

Too often, too many people are fake. They say something and do another. These are the same people who try to 'lead' from the back. How can I follow what you say when you have never and will never walk the Walk? How can I follow what you say when what you do speaks thousands of decibels over what is said?

You're either a joiner or a doer. Doing defines the person, doing reflects what you believe and what you stand for. Most do what others want them to do, what the 'rest' of the population is doing; a joiner. 

Apparently in life to get along, one must put on a facade; one must sell out, not be personal or themselves, and to live for someone else. I am very young, but I missed the memo where trial and error to seek the truth and the best way was the wrong way? When did saying 'no' more often elicit a response that was followed a scowel and a distasteful relationship? When did our society value cheaters over the beauty of the journey and path taken?

 I am no saint, and will never be one, but when did honesty become the underground?

As some (maybe not, maybe all) of you know, Monarch Crossfit no longer exists. The name still lives on and can be used till next May, however the culture and atmosphere that was Monarch no longer exists as a whole. To make a really long, complicated story short, we shook the wrong hands. Too many promises unkept, bank accounts that never existed, and trust that ran out. People who used business money on personal things, time running out, and about 100 other things that happened that shouldn't, forced Monarch to be bought out by someone else, 'friends'. 

Our members said Monarch was special. Not all said it, but the others who said nothing, their tears were louder than anything they could have said. I told the people that trusted me that we would have members day 1 of opening; we had 30. I told them that we would grow 4-6/month and that would be successful; at 6 months we had X/amount of members you do the math. Success means something entirely different to me than most. It means how many people can we effect mentally/spiritually to make 'our' community better. I am not talking about someone getting a PR, that physical shit is easy. I am talking about helping a client along the way to positively leave a psychophysical imprint on their brain that allows them to better their life. In the end, our gym to the outside is picking things up and putting them down; that's it. To the inside, it is a way of life, it is an attitude and a culture. We as coaches learned from our clients, they as clients learned from themselves and us. It was a community seeking a higher value in life, not a higher value in an ego driven market.

I take full blame for what happened to Monarch; 100%. I did not do everything perfect, I did not do everything great, but with a lot help along the way, we were building a small humble space dedicated to personal growth, and self-discovery. We did not accept drama. We did not accept anybody that was unwilling to have 'will' or effort. We absolutely did not accept excuses, rather we accepted anyone willing to learn and change. Notice none of those statements regard 'elite' athletes. Those same 'elite' athletes that were reported to be all I cared about. They were 65 year old business owners with kids. They were 13 year old baseball players trying to make their freshmen team. They were me and you, average joes, trying to find out something about themselves, something dear to them and them only. People who exclude or who are tagged 'elitist' usually carry a negative flag with them. Sometimes it's warranted, but often it's ignorance by the party of judgment. That party of judgment is the same party that feels I exclude, distinguish, and discriminate. They are right. I do take part in these things, and it is for an entirely selfish reason. I do not want anyone around me that will bring me down in life. I don't want negativity, I do not want facades, and I most certainly do not want anyone who hasn't been There, to tell me how to get there. These are the same people that get their panties in a twist when I challenge them, when I tell them to put up or shut up. The same group that believes the world owes them something, that if they do not get their way they decide to hide behind something/ someone else which results in a bunch of wasted time and paper.

I make friends by excluding. Real friends, not a lot of them, but real ones. I want people around me that will make ME better, I am selfish to an extent but anyone close to me knows that I will go that extra mile for them. If one isn't authentic or have any original ideas than they need to take it elsewhere. They need to quit trying to comment, have a say, or get in. If your way is better than you need not tell me or others like me, how to 'get along'. If you can't accept what I say and find me offensive, if your feel excluded, chances are that is the reality. I fully accept that I say what many do not want to hear, and with that acceptance comes negativity. I try to be very competent in pushing aside that negativity, it does nothing for the soul except make it darker. 

Our 'group' respects discipline and hark work. We value deep relationships and honor each others insecurities aiming to improve them. The problem is hard work and commitment are not contagious, these virtues are not learned by a book or a speech. They are taught by years of uncomfortable outcomes, which many end with failure. Failure speaks of where we sit, and those who are unwilling to accept reality will make excuses for their shortcomings. At Monarch we held everyone accountable, 'elite' or not, you could not fake hard work by us. The transit does not matter. Football, martial arts, marathon runners, and businessmen  are all the same. They are seeking something higher in themselves (in our gym). Again, the transit does not matter, only the commitment undertaken followed by months if not years of dedication that matters. 

These are a few layers of the onion that is my life. I am grateful for the experiences that I go through because everyone of them teaches me something about myself, regardless of the outcome. I have been blessed to know certain people that allow me to get my feet back under me. With the loss of Monarch, a new opportunity has been given to me. The great community of Crossfit South Bay has opened a 2nd location and their arms, by giving me a humble spot to be a part and help the community grow. I will do my best to carry out what was said above.

What is a real coach?

I sat with two people in my house today that I had never met before. Someone close to me had brought some friends over that had just eaten at your local spot; chips, salsa, carne, beer. They were feeling a bit conversational, so during my NFL game, decided to start asking me questions. It started with 'how long have you been doing what you are doing?' I stated that I have been doing what I was doing since 2008. What came from that question is pretty common, however rarely do I ever want to get into it too much because the conversation is too vast, there is too much depth to it, yet it is very simple and I find it odd when people don't understand. I have been a coach since 2008, I have been coaching people since 2008, but personally only have been a coach or 'coach' for maybe 2-3 years. "So what do you like work out with them and do you get pumped up when you see someone giving it their all so do you give it your all?"…

'What?'

"Well you know, when people are laying it on the line, do you wanna work harder?"

'No I do not workout with them, I coach them'

"Ya, so you are there leading them, going faster than them and encouraging them"

'Absolutely not.'

I shortened the conversation for reading purposes. But what goes through my head, what only 5% of the coaching population understand, is that what I do is not about me. Coaching someone is an art, just like being an artist. I do not care how many art classes one takes, or how many art lessons one has, if ART is not in their blood they will never create something artistic. In sports, you can't teach speed. You can't teach throwing 100mph, and you most certainly cannot teach hard work. Being great takes some DNA and some positive acceptance of pain (hard work)

Coaching is an art. Someone who coaches, regardless of sport, never ceases learning. They never stop wanting to improve, and their improvement will not show in them rather it will show in their athletes. A real 'Coach' does not do it for themselves they do it for the team, the community.

In the Crossfit community, apparently paying $1,000 and spending 14-16 hours at that cert makes you a coach. The story goes like this:

"I wod the best at my box, I work at a restaurant part time, I want to be apart of the 'cool kids' crowd, therefore I'll pay a grand so people can respect me"

This, personally, is insulting. FYI, I was once similar to this. I looked at my job as a glorified babysitter, which is probably 95% of the crossfit 'coaching' community currently, so again I can understand it but have no sympathy for those who abuse the power and think that Crossfit is an elite strength and conditioning program. News flash; It's not. Crossfit will never make an actual athlete better, find me someone who does Crossfit and eats Paleo/Zone and I will show you an average athlete. Just because someone exercises well and looks good, doesn't mean they can actually play a sport. On that same not, just because you wear a shirt on your back has 'coach' across it, means jack shit; to me and to every real coach out there. For those of us that know, we know who is fake and who has real abilities to help and not be a cheerleader/coach

I have watched thousands of hours of people attempting to snatch, clean, jerk, jump, row, and swing a KB. I can watch a large group of people and functionally see what is wrong with each person. What muscles don't activate? Where is the majority of their weight sitting…too forward, too far back…why? What is their deficiency? How do you fix it? Do you have the line from the C.S.C.S book memorized? Did you say it to the class but no one understands? How do you translate it for common people and convey it to them? How do you as the person in charge of programming or how do you change the mindset of the person that is in charge of programming, that simply 'wodding' doesn't cut it anymore. Not all are created the same, and the goal of you as the coach is to make people feel better and healthier. Part of that solution is a solid program built around prehab/rehab work and fixing what does work. Every gym squats, every gym presses, every gym pulls! But not many have coaches that can watch the membership, know it's programming and intent, and convey it to the members. Again, why does a particular member's knee dive in on a squat, and why do their heels come off the ground? How do I fix it, what sub do I give them and for how long? Most do not have this ability, but again this is only PART of the equation for being a 'coach'. 

I for various reasons have been given to the title of 'coach'. It was humorous at first, but I take a certain level of responsibility with this now. I watch people as if I would want to be watched. Their foot placement, their grip, and their back angle. We already went over this, and I am by no means an expert in any one field but I can see the major deficiencies that most gyms have, but can you fix it? I most likely can and take great pride in it. But again, it's only the piece of the puzzle.

Going back to my conversation with 'friends' today at my house that I did not know prior to tonight; I look at my job entirely different than I did in 2008. from 2008-2010 I feel like I took advantage of my 'position', I thought because I had a certification that I knew how to coach. Boy was I wrong. I started to watch people, I watched how they moved, I watched how they coached. I read books, watched videos, my thoughts were consumed by 'coaching'.  

One of the girls tonight to me said 'Well what do you do then'

'Besides rule #1, don't hurt anyone, I attempt to facilitate growth above all...mentally' 

The conversation ended shortly thereafter. When I coach, I am not after big biceps, I am not after ripped abs. All of those are secondary to actual change which results in a faster mile time, a heavier squat, and a bigger jerk. For those things to happen in an athlete, things change insider their mind. No one EVER benefited from doing one thing with their mind and one thing with their body. Change is a thing of beauty and I get huge kicks out of someone doing something they never thought they could…why? Because they had a fear, an insecurity and I ever so lightly, walked them through it and overcome a fear. Being a top level coach is being a psychiatrist. It is being able to peel the layers of the onion over time and find out the core of each individual athlete or member in your gym. It is our job as coaches to find out in each and every individual what makes them tick, why they have dark spots and how to peel them correctly, while building them back up. Everyone has insecurities, if they didn't, they wouldn't be at our gym. What are you doing to help them improve their mental game? 

Because in the end, working out, all it is..picking things up, moving them, putting them down. The real beauty comes from the change in their mind 

Tuesday 3August2013

Alaide and I had a nice weekend in San Diego. We went to some good restaurants, did much of nothing on the beach and went to the Padre game. We love it there, she's originally from there and love getting there anytime we can. The weather of Orange County with out the pretentious feel with the addition of great bars and restaurants. The hotel was surprisingly efficient with meeting pretty much all of our needs.

Today I was just trying to get back in the swing of things. Andrew and I practiced a team event that we are doing in a few weeks, we also did some wall balls and double unders; nothing crazy. Back at it tomorrow.