If someone else can do it, so can you if….

Every year I love watching the CrossFit Games (even people who don’t like CrossFit often still watch them, go figure).

The jaw-dropping performances almost stagger the imagination; but there is the catch.

Many people just think “I could never do that”, and you know what? They are right.

They have already sabotaged themselves. They have given up without even trying.

Sad to say, but this is prevalent in our culture.

Others think, “If they can do it, so can I”, and they are also right, if……

The big “IF” is whether or not they are willing to pay the price to make it a top priority in their lives.

  • Will they sacrifice other things to train?
  • Will the dial in their nutrition?
  • Will learn and practice the best recovery methods?
  • Will they hire expert coaches and do what they say?

All the very best athletes do all these things and more.

If it is worth it to you, dig in and get started!

Icelandic gals prove heavy lifting won’t make a woman bulky

Toxic thought is dangerous to your health and life

Unless you are living under a rock, you see and hear this poison every day.
On the Internet, hate is at epidemic proportions.
In traffic, people are ready to kill others because they don’t like how they drive.
People are seething with rage, bitterness, and vengeful thoughts.
Even if they don’t act out those thoughts, they are still wrecking their own health and lives.

 

Higher and more prolonged levels of circulating cortisol (like those associated with chronic stress) have been shown to have negative effects, such as:*

  • Impaired cognitive performance
  • Dampened thyroid function
  • Blood sugar imbalances, such as hyperglycemia
  • Decreased bone density
  • Sleep disruption
  • Decreased muscle mass
  • Elevated blood pressure
  • Lowered immune function
  • Slow wound healing
  • Increased abdominal fat, which has a stronger correlation to certain health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body. Some of the health problems associated with increased stomach fat are heart attacks, strokes, higher levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL), which can lead to other health problems.*Read more here

Here’s the thing, you don’t have to get sucked into this mess.

Here’s a few ways to avoid this trap:

  • exercise regularly
  • sleep more
  • limit social media usage
  • limit watching the news
  • avoid senseless arguments
  • don’t label others
  • take time to interact with real people in person
  • remember you cannot fix the whole world

Your thoughts eventually become your actions, good or bad.

The ancient writings remind us  “let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” Book of James 1:19

 

Try, fail, try, fail, try again, success eventually

What coaches can do that politicians and judges never will be able to do

If you are a coach, or are aspiring to be one, pay close attention to this.
You have the power to make a real difference in real peoples lives on a daily basis for the better.
Politicians and judges do what they do far removed from the “real world” of our daily lives.
Coaches, on the other hand, are face to face with their athletes every day they train and some times more often than that.
They know what people are struggling with individually on their strength journey.
They know their weaknesses and their strengths.
The best coaches place the needs of the people they train above their own coaching ambitions. In fact, anyone who is ego-driven or selfish shouldn’t even be a coach.
As a coach, you also work with people who are often racially, culturally, or age-wise very different from each other. It is your job to cultivate a sense of unity and cohesiveness as people strive to achieve their goals.
No one should get “special” treatment! Do not ever show favoritism as a coach.
Does that mean you go easy on some people?
No way!
Everyone should be challenged to achieve excellence, no exceptions.
You must know when to push their limits and when to periodically cut back a little to deload.
Above all, you as the coach, must set the standard high and lead by example!
Politicians and judges will never achieve the positive changes in people, especially in mixed groups, that you will.
Now go crush it, coach!

Simple strength circuit

Combining basic strength-building exercises is a good alternative for circuit training. We did one at our Iron Brotherhood Mens Weightlifting Club yesterday.

Squatting for lifelong independence

Let me be very blunt, if you cannot get up out of a chair or off the toilet by yourself, you are no longer physically independent. Talk to anyone who works in health care, especially with the elderly and you will see what I mean.

The best way to avoid that as you get older is to squat on a regular basis.

In many cultures, squatting is a normal every day thing. If they are not standing up doing something, they are probably squatting doing some kind of work, eating a meal, or just talking with friends.

How many people in Western cultures could do that? Not too many I am sure.

In these countries there are way too many conveniences and it makes the people weak  and lazy.

So, it is squats to the rescue!

Any person who does Powerlifting, Olympic Weightlifting, Strongman, CrossFit, or Underground Strength Training knows the value of the squat.

Any reasonably person healthy person can squat.

There are many variations of the squat, so regardless of age you can do some type of the squat.

Some people will pay attention to this and take action, and others will just blow it off.

You can squat and  keep your physical independence or you can skip it and just set yourself up for life in a nursing home.

The choice is yours alone, so choose wisely!

 

 

Lifting mindsets–open rage or silent fierceness?

The longer I live and lift, the more important the mental aide of training becomes.

Of course, the mental side of training is vitally important in other types of training, also.

I was first introduced to mental aspect of training during my early years of martial arts practice. It has stayed with me ever since I started training as a teenager.

Though I do not practice martial arts as I did back then, the mindset is now applied to lifting.

If you train with or watch serious lifters in action, they have their own styles of how they attack their training.

Some are loud and openly aggressive while others move in silently for the kill.

Either way, they are 100% focused and determined to get that lift. The ones before are history and the next one doesn’t matter yet.

I remember the first time I heard Dru Patrick talk about his training, at Bud Jeffries & Logan Christopher’s Super Human Training Workshop.

He said when he goes to the gym, he goes to kill.

More recently, at Ed Coan’s Powerlifting Seminar, he stressed going their with the intent to destroy.

No matter what your lifting ritual is, make each individual  rep count. It is the only one that matters!

kettlebell helicopters & sliders

The “Dad bod” –an excuse to justify being out of shape

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I have read a  number of articles about the “Dad bod” and I was disappointed  to see yet another step downward for men in our nation.

Men used to be strong because they had to be just to get through a grueling days of manual labor.

Strength is still required today for those fighting the bad guys.

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What about guys who are not doing manual labor or fighting wars?

Don’t you need to be strong still?

The answer is yes!

No man is entitled to a strong body, you have to earn it.

Don’t fall for the easy way out with all the “Dad bod” garbage.

Guys, if you have a family, you  NEVER should let yourself be weak.

You are your family’s final line of defense against the bad guys!

In your home, on your block, in your city it falls on you to be the one to defend your family to your last breath.

 

 

 

 

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