The Difference Of Being Strong, And Acting Strong...

from Practice CrossFit

Acting strong needs mirrors to workout, being strong needs a destination.

Acting strong needs friends to tell them how great they are, being strong needs friends they can help become great.

Acting strong looks around after a PR to see who's watching, being strong puts more weight on.

Acting strong eats clean because they have to, being strong eats clean because someone that may have to,may welcome the example.

Acting strong storms off when things don't go as planned, being strong controls the brainstorm we all feel, then plans for tomorrow.

Acting strong is hurtfully honest, being strong is honestly helpful.

Acting strong is there for whomever is there for them, being strong is always there.

Acting strong waits to see the outcome, being strong makes the outcome.

Acting strong needs an entourage, being strong builds a community.

Acting strong needs applause, being strong needs to make others feel like they are applauded.

Acting strong is the loudest coward, being strong is quietest fighter.

Acting strong waits for a better day, being strong lives everyday like its their last.

Acting strong will bow to a tyrant in hopes they may become one, being strong will rise against one.

Acting strong will give opinions, being strong will hear opinions...and keep going.

Acting strong will display trophies of themselves, being strong will display trophies of others.

Acting strong has unending pride, being strong can't be humble enough.

Acting strong joins a team so they can play, being strong joins a team so it can win.

Acting strong interrupts, being strong interprets. 

Acting strong sets standards that value themselves, being strong sets standards that show value in others.

Acting strong is a burden, being strong carries them.

Acting strong fears the strong, being strong fears their own strength.

Acting strong will do anything to be accepted, being strong searches for those in need of acceptance.

Acting strong needs proof to believe, being strong is the proof others believe in.

Acting strong has no weakness, being strong is weakness overcome time and time again.

http://www.crossfittherack.com/

Positive thinking leads to positive actions.

By Josh Lifrak, Mental Conditioning coach, IMG Performance Institute

     I keep a large blue button in my office.  On the top of the button, it clearly states in bold lettering “DON’T PUSH.”  The object of this button is to avoid placing your hand on it and depressing it.
When placed in clear view most of the athletes that come into my office stare at it and during conversation.  Some pick it up and hold it consumed by its presence.  Some have zero will power and just slap it defiantly.  Practically all the athletes struggle with the very clear direction of DON’T PUSH.  They become obsessive about the button.
     This is very similar to what happens in our mind when we are focused on what not to do in athletic performance.  “Don’t fall, don’t strike out, don’t miss this shot, don’t foul, don’t false start.”  The “don’t” creates a clear picture of what not to do.  As athletes, we think in pictures and those pictures typically lead our body into action.  Don’t strike out creates the image of a swinging bat missing the ball.  Similarly, for don’t double fault the image becomes a ball snapping the top of the white tape and falling into the net.  A clear change in thought can greatly help performance.  That change is simply to think in the “do’s” of performance.   Put even simpler “Do the Do.”
     “Never give up ” turns into “keep fighting.” “Don’t drop your back shoulder” turns into “keep your shoulder up.” “Don’t miss” becomes “Release high follow through.” We want our thoughts to help us perform.  We want to control where we put our mind.  Focusing on what to do in any performance situation helps get our minds locked on to helpful directive thoughts.  So, remember a simple tenet to mental success: Do the Do.

http://www.crossfittherack.com/

'The Family You Find'  By: CrossFit Lisbeth



     You have the family you’re born into. And then you have other families you find along the way.
     For some folks, that’s the military. Or their neighborhood. Maybe a club they join. Some group of folks who “get” them and among whom they feel instantly at home. There’s no tension, no strife, just acceptance and work towards a common cause. Like how families should be, but seldom are.

For us, it’s CrossFit

     Here, we find people who look like us in some ways (callused hands, noticeable traps) and who act like us in some ways (“Come on. More pull-ups. Let’s go.”) But, most importantly, they feel like we do in so many ways. They work hard. They sacrifice. They care. They might be three thousand miles away, or they might be right next to us in the gym. Somehow the distance doesn’t matter. Besides, the blogs and Facebook took care of the distance problem, or so it seems. Miles have faded in the digital world.

     There could be a million words written about CrossFit and its legacy to this world, but it might all come down to one: Community. Sure that sounds like sacrilege over the other, more famous phrase: Elite Fitness. But maybe it’s right. You have the family you’re born into. And you have the CrossFit family you were lucky enough to find along the way.

http://www.crossfittherack.com/

A Word on Vitamin D

Vitamin D

from CrossFit Nor'Easter

What is Vitamin D? It’s a hormone whose main job is to more or less get calcium to your bones.  However, it turns out it has its “hand” in so much more!

First off, what’s going on out there? It is estimated that anywhere from 60-90% of us are Vitamin D deficient.   Which makes sense – especially in these modern times – and even more-so with the winter we have been having this year!   Huh?   Well, Vitamin D is naturally synthesized by our bodies – all we need is to be exposed to sunlight.  Unfortunately, most of us are inside all day – fully clothed I imagine (and I am am pretty sure my computer monitor isn’t throwing off the right kind of radiation) .

What can Vitamin D do for me? Studies have shown that, apart from that whole calcium and strong bones thing:

• Some studies suggest that it reduces the risk of cancer.
• It helps in regulating the immune system = you will get sick less.
• It helps decrease the risk of many cardiovascular ailments.
• Depression/Mood (Seasonal Affective Disorder)?  Yup, get your Vitamin D levels up and chances are you will feel happier.
• It helps prevent inflammation = you will recover faster.
• Improved sleep.
• It has been shown to reduce the risk of all sorts of other stuff, for example:  rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, autism, along with the overall frequency and severity of asthma and its symptoms.

What about Vitamin D’s role for athletes? Go and read this.
You didn’t read it did you?  Fine, here are the highlights:

1. The Germans and Russians of the 1960-70′s were rather dominant in the sports world.  Turns out they were on the Vitamin D bandwagon!
2. “The medical literature indicates that the right amount of vitamin D will make you faster, stronger, improve your balance and timing, etc.”
3. “Both animal and human studies have found that vitamin D increases muscle mass in subjects who are vitamin D deficient.”
4. “Neuromuscular performance improves with higher vitamin D blood levels.”   Notably in older people.
5. “Vitamin D has been found to improve both balance and reaction time.”
6. Already mentioned above, but here we go again:  Vitamin D helps prevent inflammation = you will recover faster.

Please notice that all of these revolve around having the appropriate levels of Vitamin D, not mega-dosing ultra high levels of Vitamin D.

What do chronic health issues like diabetes, obesity, cancer, osteoporosis, autoimmune conditions, and suppressed immunity all have in common? They are all directly associated with vitamin D deficiency!

How much does our body need?
Our levels should be around 50 ng/mL.  I am not going to go into what that means, but go get a Vitamin D blood test and if your levels aren’t in that ballpark, well…  do something about it!

How do I “do something about it”?
Lucky for us our bodies manufacture it naturally!  All we need to do is spend 20 minutes in the sun at 40% skin exposure!  Uhh, yeah… so, as I mentioned earlier, it turns out that most of us can’t quite make that happen.    The obvious option here is to try to get more through food – and to a certain extent you can:   Fish, mushrooms, eggs, meat and whatever Vitamin D fortified foods you run into, notably milk.
However, for most of us, attaining the proper levels will require a Vitamin D supplement.
How much?  In the winter months, shoot for 5000 Iu/day, and in the summer drop that down to 2000 Iu/day.   Of course, and again, if you don’t need it, don’t do it!
Important Note: If you suffer from Parathyroid disease do NOT take Vitamin D!  Consult your doctor.

The Proof is in the Puddin’?
My blood test came back with a Vitamin D level of 17.3 ng/mL.   Yup, that is pretty far off from 50 ng/mL!  So I have been supplementing Vitamin D.   Overall I am feeling a little better, but most notably, I have been sleeping much better.   Which is something I have struggled with for a long time.

http://www.crossfittherack.com/

Stenciled on the wall of the new CrossFit Reebok One gym is a poignant quote:

“How you do anything, is how you do everything.”

I thought to myself, “Why would this be painted on a gym wall?”  I didn’t have to think too long before I came up with an answer.  Think about your habits in the gym.  I am willing to be that these are your habits in life.

Do you cheat frequently?  I bet dishonest practices pervade your daily life.

Do you not put 100% forth in your WODs?  I bet you are a slacker in your everyday activities.

Are you unfriendly and inconsiderate to those working out alongside you?  I am willing to bet your family and colleagues dread your presence.

Do you contantly try to justify mistakes and error that you make? I bet your friends are tired of your excuses.

Now, the good news is that this rule applies to favorable behaviors in the gym too.

Do you put your blood, sweat, and tears into every WOD?  I am sure your work ethic at home and secularly is second to none.

Do you find yourself calling your own bad reps aloud?  I’m sure your boss will trust you with the company AMEX.

Do you admit error when you are wrong and prove yourself coachable?  I am sure that you learn something new daily.

When a working is just absolutely wrecking you, do you figure out a way to finish it?  I bet you have become quite the little problem solver in your everyday tasks.

You see, everything you do in the gym, transfers over to the person you are daily.  Your character is defined by the small actions that add up to be YOU at the completion of each day.  So, take all of this into consideration the next time you want to chop a couple reps off of a workout, or accept a rep that wasn’t performed at full range of motion~”How you do anything, is how you do everything.”
-Shoreline CrossFit

http://www.crossfittherack.com/

 

CrossFit As A Sport from CrossFit West Santa Cruz

     I was judging WOD 5 this weekend and as I watched someone doing toes-2-bar, I was struck at the wide array of skills and movements in CrossFit competition. This got me thinking about how difficult CrossFit is as a competitive sport. And that led me to think about how wrong those who denigrate the idea that CrossFit is a sport really are.

Sport (noun)-an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature.

     The common insult leveled at the Games is that it is just exercising. “All you proved is that you’re just a better exerciser,” I recently heard a person sneer. So what? How is exercising any less valid a sport than swimming, or weightlifting, or racquetball, or motorcycle racing? What would you say to a person who sneered, “all you proved is that you are a better backstroker”?  How about “better water polo player” or “better softball player” or “better surfer” or “better run around the other guy and throw the orange ball in the metal circle with white string player”? Anyway, what is sport to one person is exercise to another. How about Olympic weightlifting and powerlifting?  Certainly those two great sports are just exercise to a lot more people than those who compete in them. Running?
     Every sport is just as valid as another. The only difference is perception. And perception is usually a matter of culture and age. Different cultures perceive the value of sports differently. Curling and cricket may be hell on wheels when it comes to athletic ability, but I wouldn’t know or really care. Likewise there are sports that get a lot of ink here that really don’t make the cut elsewhere. One of them being America’s most popular sport, football. And here is where age comes into play. The age of the sport, not the age of the spectator (although that’s probably a big one too). For example, football’s popularity is pretty much a recent phenomena. For many years football was the redheaded stepchild (nothing against redheads, Emmett and Chris) of professional sports. It was loud and crude and violent and primarily a sport of midwest industrial towns.  And now the Superbowl is the most watched television event of the year, every year. CrossFit as a sport is a whole four years old.
     Another common barb thrown at CrossFit competition is that of jack of all trades master of none. In other words, CrossFitters do a lot of things at a decent level but nothing really well. Nothing that is except CrossFit. And CrossFit is the sport, so it makes sense to be good at it. I hate to be so blunt, but this is such a stupid criticism.  Let’s look at a good mma fighter. Talk about jack of all trades and master of none. Most good mma guys are good boxers, but they would get crushed by Pacquiao, good kickers but not the level of Buakaw Por Pramuk, good grapplers but not quite Marcelo Garcia. I would say that just about all of them lift weights and run and do bodyweight exercises, but they are nowhere near as strong as a weightlifter or as fast as a sprinter or as good as a gymnast. What are they good at then?  Their sport. Mixed martial arts, mma. Likewise, one would not level scorn on an All Black because he was not an exceptional weightlifter or runner or jumper. He is not trying to be. His sport is rugby, not weightlifting or the 400 meter or the high jump. Those other sports are just means to an end for him, just exercising.
     It is the same with a competitive CrossFitter. They are good at their sport–CrossFit. Think of the many different skills a person needs to compete in CrossFit, much less actually do well in it. Like mma, or rugby, it is pretty comprehensive. And like mma guys and their skill sets, CrossFitters are good at their various skill sets. Chris Spealler, a good example of a well-rounded, non-specialist, CrossFitter, actually put up one of the best American Olympic weightlifting totals for his weight class in 2010.
     Sports originated to train skills needed in combat and hunting. Thus, most sports had a distinctly military flavor to them. Think archery, wrestling, boxing, running in armor, etc. Participation in and skill at these sports had a direct impact upon the survivability of the amateur soldier and the career development of the professional soldier. If we look at sports using those early markers-direct impact upon military prowess, then CrossFit ranks extremely high. Much higher, in fact, than just about every other sport, exceptions being actual combat sports, mma and judo and such. Specialists are a modern invention. Warriors needed to be adept at everything.
     CrossFit as a sport is still in its infancy, but the steps it is taking are not baby steps. Its surging popularity is already a tide that is raising a lot of ships, especially the listing schooner of Olympic weightlifting in America, as well as rowing and other sports. CrossFit as a sport has a lot of potential. The current CrossFit Games Open Qualifier, with its 25 thousand competitors from a host of countries and an age demographic from the teens to 70 plus years old, says a lot more about it than I can.

http://www.crossfittherack.com/