In teams of 2 complete the following for time: Run 800 meters 50 Front squats, 115#(75#) 50 Bar facing burpees 40 Shoulder to overhead, 115#(75#) 40 Lateral hops over the partner 30 Deadlifts, 115#(75#) 30 Bar facing burpees 20 Power cleans, 115#(75#) 20 Lateral hops over partner Run 800 Meters
All the happenings at Verve. . . get ready for some fun!!
Saturday August 8th- 31Heroes WOD @ Verve. CrossFit Verve has registered to host the 31Heroes WOD on Saturday August 8th. We will have 2 classes, 1 at 9am and 1 at 10:30am. Verve opens these classes to those outside of Verve as an opportunity to workout in remembrance. We charge no drop in fee, we simply ask that instead you donate to the 31Heroes project. If you do not have any CrossFit experience, that’s okay, the beauty of CrossFit is that is infinitely scalable, we just ask that you let us appropriately scale you. We promise no matter what work you do, it will be hard and absolutely be a great workout. This is an amazing opportunity to come together as a community and do one of the things we do best. . . support each other. Support our community and the men and women who serve it, defend it, and sacrifice for it.
So please join us, get signed up on MBO and reserve your spot while you can. Non Verve members need to sign in as well!! You can also get registered at the 31Heroes website and get a t-shirt with your donation. For more information about the WOD, get registered, and donate, click here. Pick Verve as your gym when you register!! It’s a partner WOD, so it’s even more important you bring a buddy.
Saturday August 15th– The O2X Summit Challenge in Winter Park. The sign up sheet is at the front desk @ Verve.
Sunday August 30th– Stand up paddle boarding outing from 8am-10am in Evergreen. The sign up sheet is also at the front desk @ Verve. It will be $5 per Verve member.
Saturday August 29th & Sunday August 30th– Verve is hosting the CrossFit Weightlifting Trainer Course. Changes to the schedule will be made and announced as the seminar gets closer. Aside from 1 morning class, however, Verve will be closed the rest of the day. You can still get signed up for the seminar if you are interested, for more info click here.
Saturday September 5th & Sunday September 6th– Verve is hosting a Level 1 Trainer Course. Changes to the schedule will be made and announced as the seminar gets closer. Aside from 1 morning class, however, Verve will be closed the rest of the day. You can still get signed up for the seminar if you are interested, for more info click here.
This may not be a news flash, but CrossFit can be hard on the shoulders. At Verve, we take your shoulder health seriously! For those of you that do not know, we have 13 Crossover Symmetry units for you to use to help keep your shoulders healthy, wealthy, and wise. We are going to take some excerpts directly from their website so you can see how Crossover Symmetry can help you and your shoulder pain. Please note: We are not advocating you utilize Crossover Symmetry in lieu of seeking help from a physical therapist. If the pain persists, please seek help from a professional.
WHAT IS CROSSOVER SYMMETRY GOOD FOR?
ROTATOR CUFF WEAKNESS/FATIGUE
The primary function of the rotator cuff is to keep the ball of the humerus in the shoulder socket throughout a full range of motion. If the rotator cuff is weak or fatigued, the humeral head tends to move upwards excessively and closes off the subacromial space. The WOD listed above would undoubtedly fatigue the rotator cuff and reduce its ability to perform the primary function of keeping the ball centered in the socket. Crossover Symmetry will improve the muscular endurance of these stabilizing muscles to help athletes withstand demanding workouts with repetitive overhead movements.
FORWARD SHOULDER POSTURE
Poor shoulder posture from a lifestyle with the shoulders rounded forward (e.g. driving, sitting at a desk, texting, ect.) results in a combination of tight chest muscles, weak upper back muscles, and poor thoracic spine mobility. This creates a dysfunctional position which alters the proper movement of the scapula and has been shown to cause a reduction in the subacromial space during overhead motions, resulting in shoulder impingement.
DELTOID DOMINANCE VS. ROTATOR CUFF
The deltoid is the primary muscle involved when elevating the arm overhead. The deltoid moves the ball upward in the socket during arm elevation, which must be balanced by the opposing pull of the rotator cuff muscles (See image below). If the pull of the deltoid vs. rotator cuff are not balanced, the ball will move upward in the socket, further narrowing the subacromial space. CrossFit™ training places a huge emphasis on deltoid strength through an abundance of dynamic overhead movements such as the push press, hand stand push-ups and Olympic lifting. The nature of this training develops the deltoid to a greater degree than the rotator cuff resulting in a muscular imbalance that may lead to shoulder impingement issues.
SCAPULAR MUSCLE IMBALANCE
Scapular Dyskinesis describes poor movement of the scapula often due to muscular imbalances of the upper back. The upper trapezius, lower trapezius and serratus anterior muscles work together to rotate the scapula upwards allowing the arm to move overhead (See image below). Much like a tripod, the three legs work together to form a stable platform; however, when one of the legs is off balance, the stability of the base is compromised. CrossFit™ athletes often have strong upper traps compared to their lower traps, resulting in limitations in the ability to upwardly rotate the scapula when going overhead. Recent research has shown an increased risk for shoulder injury when the upper trap is significantly stronger than the lower trap.
HOW TO USE CROSSOVER SYMMETRY
When in doubt, ask one of the trainers how to use it!! Rolling out and mobilizing will only get you so far, you must strengthen the surrounding structures and Crossover Symmetry is the way to do it. HAVE FUN GETTING SCAPJACKED!!
Back Squat 10-8-6-4-2 reps on the 3:00 minute send off
Then, 3 x 5 Tempo back Squats @ 50% of 2 rep, 33×1
*For tempo work the numbers/ letter “33×1” are the tempo. It refers to 3 seconds down, 3 second hold in bottom, explode up, and 1 second hold at top before starting next rep.
Sarah, Melissa, and Danielle just hanging out. . .working with some dumbbells. . . no big deal.
The art of not freaking out, or at least harnessing the freak out, part two.. . Still By Courtney Shepherd and Noa Kageyama, Ph.D. of The Bulletproof Musician
This is a continuation of yesterday’s postabout “How to Make Performance Anxiety an Asset Instead of a Liability”, using the article written by Noa Kageyama, Ph.D. (click here to read full article). After splitting the brain into two hemispheres and talking about each sides major roles, we left off talking about using a tool called “centering”, to help us shift from left brain thinking to right brain thinking and get into “the zone”. Another reminder that the author of this topic uses musicians and performing for an audience as his examples. As CrossFitters we can easily take this information and apply it to the idea of practicing an Olympic lift and later working out in a competition.
Centering is what sport psychologists call a pre-performance routine. It was designed in the 1970’s by the renowned sport psychologist Dr. Robert Nideffer, and adapted for performing artists by Olympic sport psychologist Dr. Don Greene. Centering is a highly effective means of (a) channeling your nerves productively and (b) directing your focus even in extreme situations. Once mastered, it is very quick and highly effective, and will ensure that you begin each performance with a bang (in a good way)!
There are seven steps, each specifically designed to move you progressively closer to right brain quiet, focus, and poise, and take you further away from left brain fears, doubts, and self-criticism.
Step 1: Pick Your Focal Point Select a fixed point in the distance, somewhere that feels comfortable. This point could be on your stand, the ground in front of you, or on the back row of the hall, but wherever it is, ensure that your focal point is below eye level. A focal point helps to minimize distractions and avoid the temptation to engage in left-brain thinking.
Step 2: Form Your Clear Intention A clear intention is in essence, a specific goal statement. What do you intend to do when you step out on stage? How exactly do you intend to sound? What, precisely, do you intend to communicate to the audience?
Use assertive, declarative language, such as “I am going to perform brilliantly, with passion and clear dynamic contrast,” as opposed to “I hope to play well.”
Do not use the word “don’t”. Doing so will only put the negative picture in your head and generate fears and doubt. For instance, when you say to yourself “Don’t miss the high note”, what’s the first image that pops into your mind? Missing the high note, right? What image pops into your mind when you tell yourself “Nail the high note?” Learn to focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want.
Step 3: Breathe Mindfully One of the most powerful techniques for reversing the stress response involves learning how to breathe diaphragmatically. When stressed, our bodies have a tendency to revert to shallow, rapid, chest breathing. Doing so keeps us in fight or flight mode. Diaphragmatic breathing is the most biomechanically efficient way to breathe, and furthermore, is conducive to activating what’s called the parasympathetic nervous system response which is our body’s antidote for the fight-or-flight state.
Step 4: Scan and Release Excess Tension One of the most detrimental consequences of performance stress is muscle tension. As our thinking becomes more negative, our muscles tend to get tighter and less facile. And not just any muscles, but often the ones that we most need control over!
Scan your muscles from head to toe as you continue to breathe slowly and deeply, one muscle group at a time, releasing tension on the exhale. There is a short video clip on YouTube which illustrates an exercise that tests your ability to truly relax your muscles on command.
If you develop a more acute awareness of muscle tension even in the practice room, and are able to control the degree of tension you experience in your playing, you will be able to retain much of this ability during a performance and will feel much more in control.
Step 5: Find Your Center Are you familiar with the martial arts concept of ki or chi? In Eastern philosophy, chi is described as being one’s “life force” or energy. There is a specific location in our body where the energy tends to congregate, which is essentially our center of gravity. If you have ever observed the movements of a great martial arts master or even some athletes or dancers, you will notice a presence, grace, and balance about them regardless of their size or physical dimensions. Not only is the feeling of being centered a very calming and reassuring one, but the mere act of searching for you center will quiet your left brain activity.
Step 6: Repeat Your Process Cue There is a tendency when stressed to hyperfocus on minute details. This may be highly desirable in the practice room, but can be paralyzing on-stage. The solution is to focus on a right-brain process cue, in essence, a reminder of what it sounds, feels, or looks like to produce the exact sounds you want.
There are two possible ways to do this. One, you could brainstorm and experiment with words that cue up the sound/feeling/images of producing the beautiful sound, clean articulation, or solid intonation that you wish to produce. Examples of such words are smooth bowing, light fingers, even shifts, fluid, powerful, calm, or easy. It’s not the word that is important, but the resultant mental sound/feeling/image of performing exactly the way you want to that is key.
Thus, a second way to do Step 6 is to avoid using words altogether and merely hear, feel, or see yourself performing exactly as you wish.
Step 7: Direct Your Energy By the time you have gotten to this step, you will have made the shift into a more quiet and focused mental state conducive to performing your best. You will have taken the edge off of your nerves, and in this last step you will channel the remaining energy that remains into a dynamic and inspired performance. This is how you use the energy instead of trying to get rid of it.
Do a quick internal search for all of the energy that you feel in your body, and feel it gathering at your center. Now, direct that energy upwards, through your torso and neck, into your head, and blast it out through your eyes or forehead like a laser beam at the focal point you identified in Step 1. Think of this beam as a conduit for your music and the energy that will convey your clear intention to the audience.
When you first try to Center, it may take several minutes to go through all of the steps. If you practice this for 10-15 minutes per day, however, and stick with it, you will begin to notice a difference within a week or two and find that you can center in 5-10 seconds. Some notice a difference within days. The key, like anything else, is consistency and persistence.
Many, if not all, of these elements can be shared with even the very youngest students, whether they get nervous before performances or not. Not as a means to reduce anxiety, but as a way to improve focus and clarity of musical intentions. Many of Centering’s aspects can even be tremendously helpful in practice sessions, to ensure that one remains focused on the task at hand (instead of reinforcing bad habits via mindless repetition).
As the saying goes, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”
Maddie doing what Maddie does best. . . taking class through a nice little rowing warm-up.
Whatever you do, don’t freak out. . . or do, whatevs. By Courtney Shepherd and Noa Kageyama, Ph.D. of The Bulletproof Musician
When you click on the WOD blog in the morning and see the workout of the day is “Fran”, do you do what we all think you’re going to do, which is just FRAK OUT? Or does it really have to be “Fran”? Pretty much every day you walk into Verve and see anything written on the whiteboard that involves doing hard work for time, does your anxiety level instantly pique? Whether it’s getting ready to start a hard workout, take a test, or go in for a job interview, most of us find ourselves experiencing nerves or the feeling of being nervous. Following that feeling is generally either someone else or possibly ourselves, telling us to calm down, maybe even take a deep breath. Well according to Dr. Kageyama, in his article “How to Make Performance Anxiety an Asset Instead of a Liability”, telling ourselves or someone else to relax, is actually doing a disservice by implicitly confirming that the anxiety we feel is bad and to be feared.
“. . . I’ve come to understand that anxiety itself is not the problem. The problem is that most of us have never learned how to use adrenaline to our advantage. . . I soon learned to welcome the rush of adrenaline and to use that energy to power my performances, and to perform with more freedom, conviction, and confidence. . .”
Before answering the question of how do we transform anxiety from a liability to an advantage, the good doctor wants us first to understand a little bit about how the brain works. He is using music and musicians as his examples, however, I think it’s easy to see how we could simply swap out the idea of practicing music and performing in from of an audience, to practicing the snatch and doing it in a competition.
Left Brain vs. Right Brain
Our brains can be thought of as being comprised of two basic regions, the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere. Admittedly, it is an oversimplification of the immense complexity of our brain to imply that the left and right hemispheres are completely independent of one another, but this is a very helpful model when it comes to understanding optimal mental states for performance.
Left brain thinking is associated with words, numbers, logic, analysis, criticism, rules, details, planning, and judgment. Conversely, right brain thinking is associated with sounds, images, patterns, kinesthetic or sensory input, emotions, the “big picture,” free association, and creativity.
Based on this information, which mode of thinking seems most conducive to effective practicing? Yep, left brain! Now, which seems most conducive to dynamic, inspired, and artistic performances? Right brain, exactly! Unfortunately, we often do the opposite. In the practice room, we have a tendency to practice somewhat mindlessly, merely repeating passages over and over until they sound better, making corrections, but doing so almost unconsciously. However, as soon as we walk on stage, we tend to get flooded by left brain over-analytical thinking, criticism, excessive planning, and so on, which only serves to lead to a pre-occupation with technical details and an inability to play as freely and automatically as we are capable. Are you familiar with the phrase “paralysis by analysis?” This is exactly what happens when we know that our every move and sound is under close scrutiny by others. The opposite of this paralyzed state is often referred to as “flow” or “the zone,” where everything just seems to “click” into place and our playing is easy, free, and effortless.
How do we make the shift from left brain thinking to right brain thinking and get into “the zone?” One very effective tool is called Centering.
Centering is what sport psychologists call a pre-performance routine. There are seven steps, each specifically designed to move us progressively closer to right brain quiet, focus, and poise, and take us further away from left brain fears, doubts, and self-criticism. All of which you can learn about in detail in tomorrow’s post. . . so I guess you better stay tuned.
I’m not sure if the track we are running looks like this one, but if it does, we are in for a good time!
The O2X Summit Challenge is just a few weeks away. If you haven’t signed up yet, be sure and put your name on the sign up sheet at the front of the gym. Below are a ton of details about the weekend and some logistics regarding the mountain and where everything is.
Event Weekend Schedule Friday August 14th 4:00pm-10:00pm – BaseCamp opens!
What will you find up at BaseCamp?
Racer Packet Pickup Live music Exclusive O2X lululemon gear on sale Camp grounds open! Local food and beverages available Crazy Mountain Brewing Co. Beer on tap! 10th Mountain Whiskey sampling Mountainside Yoga & Meditation 8:00pm – Fireside Chat with O2X Co-Founders and presenting speaker Bill Kitchings Tent space available onsite; $30 (pay at registration tent)
Saturday July 11th 7:15am – Packet Pickup available 7:30am – Breakfast and coffee served 8:30am – Pre-race stretch, yoga and music 9:30am – Racer start time! 12:00pm – Kid’s Race (Day-of registration ONLY for Kid’s Race) 1:00pm – Awards Ceremony FAQs
What You Need:
Trail running or light hiking shoes Water/hydration pack – O2X will provide water stations on course but we strongly suggest that all racers bring their own hydration/nutrition as well Post-race change of dry clothes An appetite – plenty of food and drinks at BaseCamp You will not need any orienteering or technical hiking gear – the course is meant to be completed on foot with no assistance
Where To Go:
85 Parsenn Lane Winter Park, CO 80482
Directions To get to Winter Park Resort from all points around the Denver area, find your way to I-70 heading West out of Denver. Follow I-70 West approximately 40 miles to Exit 232 to Winter Park, Empire and Granby. Follow Exit 232 onto Hwy 40 which will take you over Berthoud Pass (great photo ops) and to Winter Park. Mileage from Exit 232 to Winter Park is approximately 24 miles. Total mileage from Denver is 67 miles.
Hotels / Lodging:
Winter Park Resort is offering special rates on lodging and activities for all O2X racers. Special lodging rates are available to book online at the Zephyr Mountain Lodge, Fraser Crossing/Founders Pointe, and Vintage Hotel (all walking distance to O2X BaseCamp for a hassle free race morning). Click here to book now! What We Provide: On course water stations FREE Bag Check for all racers Real-time GPS flaik tracking devices for each racer Dinner, Breakfast & Lunch for purchase Winter Park & vendors BaseCamp water refilling station Top Male & Female Finisher Awards (receive $500 each and hand-made trophy) Team Award – top average time for any team of 4+ (receive hand-made trophy) A RIDICULOUS swag bag: Signature O2X lululemon shirt A free Crazy Mountain Brewing Co. finisher beer Custom Canteen Finisher Medal O2X Racer Bag Free Finisher Photos Encourage friends and family to REGISTER TODAY – quality is the essence of our Summit Challenges and registration is subject to availability.
Please click here for our full O2X Summit Challenge FAQ
For time: 50 Meter handstand walk 5 Burpee box jumps, 20″ 40 Meter handstand walk 10 Burpee box jumps, 20″ 30 Meter handstand walk 15 Burpee box jumps, 20″ 20 Meter handstand walk 20 Burpee box jumps, 20″ 10 Meter handstand walk 25 Burpee box jumps, 20″
Post times to comments and BTWB
Got yoga? Verve does, on Sunday at 8am. Sign up on MBO.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have some fun activities coming up for you!!
Saturday August 8th– 31Heroes WOD @ Verve. Friends and family are welcome, please sign up on MBO to reserve a spot (that includes non verve members). No drop in fee, we just ask that you donate to the 31Heroes Project, for more information click here, or go to their webpage.
Saturday August 15th– The O2X Summit Challenge in Winter Park. The sign up sheet is at the front desk @ Verve.
Sunday August 30th– Stand up paddle boarding outing from 8am-10am in Evergreen. The sign up sheet is also at the front desk @ Verve.
Saturday August 29th & Sunday August 30th– Verve is hosting the CrossFit Weightlifting Trainer Course. Changes to the schedule will be made and announced as the seminar gets closer. Aside from 1 morning class, however, Verve will be closed the rest of the day. You can still get signed up for the seminar if you are interested, for more info click here.
Saturday September 5th & Sunday September 6th– Verve is hosting a Level 1 Trainer Course. Changes to the schedule will be made and announced as the seminar gets closer. Aside from 1 morning class, however, Verve will be closed the rest of the day. You can still get signed up for the seminar if you are interested, for more info click here.
The 31Heroes WOD will be done at Verve on Saturday August 8th, 2015
What is the 31Heroes Project?
“On August 6, 2011, a tragedy shook the military community and Americans everywhere. In a single instance, America lost 30 military service members, many of whom were members of the Navy SEAL community—and one military K9– when an Extortion 17 helicopter was downed in Afghanistan.
In the wake of the unimaginable tragedy, a mission was born. Following the downing of Extortion 17, a fundraising WOD—hosted at more than 430 gyms around the country with more than 10,000 participants—raised $300,000 over a four-week period to support the 30 families affected. This prompted the organizers to create The 31Heroes Project to remember our fallen heroes and take care of their loved ones.
Humbled by the massive response and inspired by the impact on the families of these heroes, 31Heroes recognized an opportunity to reach even more families. Soon, new events and WODs were organized with the help of a growing network of passionate volunteers.
Today, as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, we assist athletes and event organizers around the country with tools and resources to continue the legacy of selflessness and comradery of August 6, 2011.
Through strategic alliances with other organizations we can ensure that all proceeds directly fund programs that support service members and their families, including the Navy SEAL community.
Since our first event in 2011, more than $1.5 million has been given back to our nation’s heroes and their families through grant-making opportunities and partnership programs. In 2015, The 31Heroes Project launched the initiative to send a designated number of veterans to distinguished brain centers across the country to receive cutting-edge treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and/or Traumatic Brain Injury.
They’ve left behind more than just memories. They’ve given us a legacy to honor. Together, we can ensure the mission to honor the fallen lives on and veterans are not forgotten when they return home.“
CrossFit Verve has registered to host the 31Heroes WOD on Saturday August 8th. We will have 2 classes, 1 at 9am and 1 at 10:30am. Verve opens these classes to those outside of Verve as an opportunity to workout in remembrance. We charge no drop in fee, we simply ask that instead you donate to the 31Heroes project. If you do not have any CrossFit experience, that’s okay, the beauty of CrossFit is that is infinitely scalable, we just ask that you let us appropriately scale you. We promise no matter what work you do, it will be hard and absolutely be a great workout. This is an amazing opportunity to come together as a community and do one of the things we do best. . . support each other. Support our community and the men and women who serve it, defend it, and sacrifice for it.
So please join us, get signed up on MBO and reserve your spot while you can. Non Verve members need to sign in as well!! You can also get registered at the 31Heroes website and get a t-shirt with your donation. For more information about the WOD, get registered, and donate, click here.Pick Verve as your gym when you register!!
Thank you to all who stopped by for the Paleo Pop-up and stayed for the amazing nutrition lecture. Thank you to Maddie and Clara for the knowledge bombs.
Don’t be good at. . . . By Courtney “I’m about to get blunt. . . but what’s new” Shepherd
In the great wide world of CrossFit, you know constantly varied, functional movement, performed at high intensity, it is in an athletes best interest to be good at everything and not great at any one thing. Our goal is to specialize in not specializing, have the ability to face the unknown and unknowable. With that said, as athletes, what would it be important for us to NOT be good at? I’m glad you asked.
A couple weekends ago I had an amazing opportunity to attend the CrossFit Football Seminar. During one of the breakout sessions where we are given the opportunity to practice the movements/ skills we just talked about, one of the instructors, Cali Hinzman, said something quite profound. She said “don’t be good at being shitty”. She followed that up by saying that if we know what we are doing is wrong, if we know we are doing half assed movements, we aren’t moving through full range of motion, we are quitting at pivotal points in a movement. . . stop it. Stop being good at being shitty. From the warm-up to the workout, our goals should be to practice good movement, our goal should be to be good at being good.
Now there are some of us that genuinely do not know we are performing a movement incorrectly and that’s why there are coaches. That’s where the cueing and correcting comes into play. But I’m not talking about those people. I’m talking about the person who knows their chin isn’t getting over the bar in the pull-up but keeps on keeping on. I’m talking about the person who is either too lazy, too ego driven, or quite possibly has a slight feeling of embarrassment, and will not scale a movement/ a workout/ a rep scheme or modify in some way, including grabbing bands, to assist in a workout. I’m talking about the person who knows what they are doing is “ugly”. We say it out loud, right after we perform a 1RM snatch we say, “wow, that was ugly”, and then we get greedy, add more weight, and prep ourselves to pull off another great feat of ugly. These people are practicing the art of, dare I say it, being shitty. I hope you will excuse some of this bluntness, my point is simply to use the profound words that instantly changed my behavior and hopefully change someone else’s. We all want to improve, we all want to get better and see some progress as we continue through our CrossFit journey. But it will be hard for some of us to see this progress if all we do is perfect the art of being good at being. . . . you know where I’m going with this.
I don’t have my own profound words to cap this blog off with. I don’t have some idyllic way to instantly make each of us change our ways, other than to simply say, stop it. Stop being good at being shitty, start being good at being good. Don’t let your “no reps” count as reps. Don’t be satisfied with close enough/ for the most part/ practically. Don’t skip the warm-up. Take the warm-up seriously, using it as the best opportunity to practice good movement/ prepare good movement/ see if we are even capable of the movement. Too often I’ve seen people just coast through a warm-up and find themselves crushed in a workout because they never actually tried their workout weight. Knock that stuff off. If you are asked to do 4 reps unbroken, do 4 reps unbroken. You won’t know if you can if you don’t. If you are asked for a 5 second negative down from a pull-up and you know that at the mid way point you can no longer control your down, it just turns into you quickly dropping off the bar. . . can you guess what you will never build strength in? Can you guess what you will always have a hard time with? All because we quit at a pivotal point in a movement rather than find a way to get through it correctly.
Being good at being good is work. Hard work. But hard work pays off. Hard work is the path to progress, to gains, to hitting goals, to the results we seek. This is not meant to be easy. And to be honest, we shouldn’t want it to be easy, because than what would we be bragging about?
Danielle’s split squats are a little different than most people.
If you don’t follow Rob MacDonald on Instagram (@bobbymaximus) you need to. The man is capable of some pretty amazing things.
Recently Rob wrote an article to Mens Health Magazine titled; 3 Ways to Build Extreme Mental Toughness.It’s a great read and his instagram page is well worth your follow. Below are the bold points of the article but the entire article is well worth the read.
In order for your body to be strong, your mind must be strong. Building mental toughness isn’t an easy task to accomplish. How do you convince yourself to push hard when you’re dog tired in the middle of workout? What if there are a few hundred meters left on a row workout, can you close your eyes and just go to the dark place until the last meter has been rowed? Here’s Rob’s recommendations on how to build mental toughness.
Go Green.
Self doubt and negative talk can stop you in the middle of a workout. Instead of negative talk replace them with positive thoughts. Rob refers to this as green light thoughts. Repeat how fun a workout is going to be or how well you’re going to do on the workout, before you hear 3,2,1…go. This will help you stay positive during the workout.
Visualize the Win.
Here’s how Rob puts it: Each day, take five minutes and breathe deeply. Visualize every aspect of your challenge. Picture yourself in the moment, pushing through the exhaustion, finding the strength to finish. Think about how your body and lungs will feel, how your breathing and heart will feel. Think about the emotions you’ll go through, and overcoming doubts. Think about winning. The more detailed your imagery, the stronger your response will be. You know that feeling after you finish a workout when you’re on the floor and super exhausted, but feel fantastic? That is the visualization you need to have in your head before the workout begins. We all get butterflies before a workout, try picturing how you’re going to feel once you’ve completed the workout knowing you gave it everything you were capable.
Blast Your Tunes.
I know not everyone likes the same type of music but I think we can all agree that working out to music beats silence. Music makes even the hardest workout a little better.
Remember what we do at Verve is fun. Yes we are getting fitter and healthier, but it’s really all about having fun and cheering on our fellow members. A positive mind makes those things a lot easier. Click the title above to read the full article on the Men’s Health website.
About once a month we close the gym to host a seminar for CrossFit HQ. Whether it’s the Level 1, Level 2, or CrossFit Football, it typically requires us to shut the doors for the better part of the weekend. We try and make sure to offer an early morning class before the seminars begin to make sure that we do have an option for those of you don’t mind getting up early on the weekends. We take pride in knowing that we offer at least one class 365 days a year.
The main reasons we always say yes to hosting these seminars is because it provides our coaches an opportunity to get some extra education in a specific type of specialty. More importantly it allows Verve to send it’s members to the Level 1 trainer course at no cost to the member. We receive scholarship spots when we host the seminars and we like to use these spots to send our members that have an interest in taking their knowledge in CrossFit to the next level. Many of you have already been to the course, and many of you have submitted your essays for consideration for upcoming seminars.
So what am I getting at? We have a seminar coming up at the end of August and in addition to running our normal before the seminar starts class, we are thinking about renting out a paddleboard company for the Sunday of the seminar. Nothing is definite but we wanted to get an idea of the level of interest if we were to move forward with the option. I’m going to set out a sign up sheet at the front of the gym and if you’re interested, please sign up. The cost to the members would likely be $5 for the hour. We’ll cap it to around 30 people. We would have two hours (8 am – 10 am) on the water with just us. Details about the location are below.
Sign up sheet will be out front by the O2X sign up sheet sometime this week. The location is in Evergreen and all equipment will be provided including a 5 minute lesson if you’ve never been on one before. Click HERE for the website to see photos and the exact location. Sign up if interested. Again this isn’t until the end of August but we need to let the facility in Evergreen know ahead of time.
