Getting Better Stronger Faster

A Birds Eye View: Knowing what it takes

Earlier this week I sent out an email to the 50 odd people I have coached in my Weightlifting sessions over the last couple of months. I wrote to them to thank them for their amazing support and how much I have enjoyed working with every single one of them. I shared with them the exciting news of expansion of my services and how I would love any feedback or testimonials from the time I have spent with them in their sessions.

Wow. The response I got has me speechless. I sincerely thank everyone from the bottom of my heart who took the time to articulate how I have contributed to furthering their CrossFit success. I knew I was helping people get technically better with their lifts, but the genuine gratitude I have received has me humbled...

I wanted to feature Taryn Stratten's testimonial to me as a guest blog post because it also includes a little about her journey as a CrossFitter. She shares how making it to the CrossFit Games and back has opened her eyes to the work and coaching it will take to make it all the way to the top. This is great insight for anyone with the same desire or goal to make their way to the games. CrossFitters in the past years have been able to hit a few WODs, eat kinda clean and pull through comps with their strengths... These days with the growth of CrossFit (did you know 26, 000 people entered into the Games in 2011?) the top players are eating, sleeping and breathing CrossFit... and I'm not exaggerating!

Here are Taryn's words... She had me well up in tears half way through and I was crying like a baby by the end! Thanks Taryn :)

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TARYN STRATTEN

"CrossFit can be an intimidating sport that challenges one physically as well as mentally. I’m sure everyone has been in situations that make them uncomfortable, but most people would not choose to put themselves in uncomfortable situations.

CrossFitters are not most people. CrossFitters don’t enjoy comfort. I proudly call myself a CrossFitter. I have been putting myself in uncomfortable situations and WODs since September 2010. The pre-CrossFitter in me loved being comfortable. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy some comforts, but now, I welcome and sometimes force the uncomfortable on myself because I know it will make me a better me. It already has. The joy is in overcoming the uncomfortable... It is overcoming my fears and anxiety... it is the feeling I get when I achieve small daily victories... it is the bond created between myself and someone else or a group of CrossFitters suffering through a WOD together... it is failing a lift, a rep... it is the family/community/cult I am proud to be apart of... and it is the “EF YA” moments when I hit a PR! These are some of the reasons that keep me coming back for more and seeking the uncomfortable.

One of the most uncomfortable processes for me is learning a new skill. At the end of August 2011 when I returned home from the CrossFit World Games I realized that in terms of competing in CrossFit, I needed to pick my game up, big time. The women competing in the games were of similar size and weight as me and they were pushing, pulling and lifting what I thought was heavy or near impossible. I wondered how these “small” women made 70kg front squats, sled push/pull and the clean & jerk ladder look so easy. My answer... strength and technique. They moved so efficiently. These women inspired me to start the process of being able to make a 70kg clean look easy.

This process started with Linzey Beister and his Olympic Weightlifting sessions. I thought I had an idea of what was involved in performing a clean and jerk and a snatch, but after my first session with Linzey I realized that there was a whole lot more to it. The set-up, the mobility, the speed... I have new appreciation for Olympic Weightlifters. After my first session I was overwhelmed with how much I had to change. Linzey made these overwhelming feelings disappear. His patient, calm demeanor, spot on cues, progression and humour kept me from wanting to escape the many uncomfortable feelings I was experiencing. Linzey’s knowledge and his ability to deliver this knowledge is something most coaches strive for. Linzey’s passion for weightlifting and creating better lifters is seen in every session he coaches.  After only 12 sessions with Linzey, he has helped me come within 2kgs of a body weight snatch. What I have learned from Linzey to improve my 1RM snatch and clean and jerk, I have incorporated into my WODs. When a power clean starts feeling heavier than it should, I recall what Linzey taught me, certain cues to make the lift more efficient. Without this knowledge I gained from Linzey, I would still be “muscling” through the lifts and wasting valuable energy.

I would recommend any CrossFitter and any weightlifter to make time to take Linzey’s sessions, you would without a doubt see an immediate improvement. Linzey creates individualized progressions for all of his clients, no matter what age and no matter what level, from beginners to experienced CrossFitters. For example: my mom Lynn. She is a beginner CrossFitter and she is... well... lets say she would be in the 60+ year old Masters category. When she was out for a visit in Oct/Nov this year she still wasn’t sure what the difference between a clean and jerk and a snatch was. After taking just four of Linzey’s sessions I saw, first hand, the immediate improvement my mom made and the knowledge she gained.

If you want to take your CrossFitting or weightlifting to the next level, get in touch with Linzey... his dedication, knowledge, passion and enjoyment in seeing his clients improve or “get it” ... is what makes him such an invaluable coach."

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The 2012 CrossFit Games Open is fast approaching and Taryn is well on her way. If you are serious about going, or even getting prepared for 2013, are you doing everything you can to join her there? If you're ready to venture into the unknown and unknowable join me at my Competition Clinic so we can bust down all those physical and mental barriers that are standing in your way. Book now, places are filling fast.

Oh and on something completely unrelated to CrossFit....

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Do You Have It In The Bag?

Its 5 am and your alarm goes off. Your body aches from this weeks WODs and its only Wednesday! You have a long way to go before you get to rest... You get out of bed, make a coffee and check the WOD that wasn't posted last night. There it is, your most dreaded exercise mashed into a WOD that is going to punish you mentally and physically.

Then the little voice starts and the panic kicks in... “What if this WOD was in the open? How could I be competitive? I have this goal of going to the CrossFit Games but I have holes in my game... Shit, I told myself this last year, that this year was going to be different. I was going to get my weaknesses up to speed and fix that niggle I had with my body but now I'm 9 weeks away from the first Open WOD and I am feeling as unprepared as last year. Other athletes that used to beat me are catching up - they're lifting more, moving faster and recovering faster even though they are following the same programming as me! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!” Sound familiar?

The CrossFit Games are fast approaching and is competing in them a dream or a reality? With only 9 weeks left before they start, have you done everything you can? Or are you telling yourself that you will be 'fine'? Will fine get you to the games? Is being fine the attitude of a champion? Sorry to break it to you, but the benchmark standards are getting harder, heavier and faster. What used to be your thing, is now the norm. Your 1 rep max is now showing up in a 21-15-9 WOD. Ground to overhead was 75kg last year, so what do you think it will be this year? Less? I think not. How is that muscle up coming along... with a turn out? How quick is your 30 HSPU ? Or a body weight Snatch? Do you have a nutrition plan that will keep you at peak performance or do you believe that 80/20 rule will strict enough get you to the Games?

If you have the dream of competing in the CrossFit Games Open and for starters placing to go to Regionals you better not have any holes in your armour. Any benchmark or RXD you can't hit is going to completely take you out of the game. I'm not saying all this to be hard on you for kicks, only because the only way you are ever going to get better or be the best you can be is by being honest with yourself. Own up to your weaknesses, stop cherry picking the WODs with your strengths, put the fear aside so you can break that sucker down and WIN!

If you're currently only building performance from the hour you spend at the box each day doing the WOD, imagine what you could be doing with the other 23 hours of your day. You need to be:

• Stretching 

• Rolling out

• Triggering

• Taking adequate amounts of fish oil to keep joint tissue health at a premium

• Getting regular massage, acupuncture and/or dry needling

• Getting good doses of Vitamin D 

• Following your circadian cycle

• Working on your weaknesses

• Technique training

• Fitting in extra WODs

• Testing and measuring your progress

• Keeping an eagle eye on your goals and their progress

If this blog post has put a little fear and urgency into you – awesome! You've definitely got what it takes to get yourself to the games. If tomorrow, however, was the start of the Games Open could you honestly say you did everything knowable to be prepared? Do you KNOW everything you need to know to be prepared? There is always something to learn, something someone else will teach you about your performance that you could never see for yourself.

So what are you doing on Sunday 29^th January? I am asking because I will be launching my brand new Clinic series and on this date I'll be running my Competition Clinic on the Gold Coast. This exciting new Clinic is open to CrossFit athletes of any level wanting to compete in box challenges, competitions or the CrossFit Games who would like to gain massive insight into improving their CrossFit performance. Over the course of the Clinic we will diagnose where the holes are in your performance, what needs to be implemented for speedy performance gains and how long it is going to take to reach your goals. You will walk away with a clear plan for winning a place for yourself in this coming years games, or finding out whether you need to put patience into practice over the next 1, 2 or even 3 years to be a fierce competitor when you're ready to roll.

A lot of you have out rightly declared you WILL be in the CrossFit Games... one day. Lets set a date and get it done! Remember risk and orininality comes from years of virtuosity (see video below).

 

If you want more information about the Competition Clinic or are ready to book your spot, give me a call on 0422 394 442.

Being the Slow Coach

It has been a big year for me, moving away from a full time job, my family, friends and weightlifting coach to live on the Gold Coast, I injured my groin/hip and haven’t had access to a full weightlifting training facility on tap like I had in Brisbane.

 All these obstacles have been overcome due to the outstanding community of CrossFit on the Gold Coast. The people who have helped and supported me in this journey, I acknowledge and thank you.

 My biggest learning in the last 18 months, has been patience. Patience being an athlete, a dad, a husband, a friend and a coach. Weightlifting has taught me patience in so many ways - it has been my teacher. As a patient person, it transcends to being patient with my clients too, allowing them to flourish in their pursuit of weightlifting in CrossFit. This has been the greatest learning since becoming a coach.

Knowing that giving a little means a lot. I use to want to help someone until their head hurt. I'd over cue and give too much in one hit. I know now this doesn't help. Its the patience from my own knowledge and experience that allows me to better help my clients. It had been a move of inexperience to over-water the small plant in hast for its growth, but I now give just enough coaching to keep the client engaged as they experience mastery at each level. Reading Coach Glassman's article Fundamentals, Virtuosity and Mastery I realise now how far I have come as a coach. I watch in my client eyes the desire to get better, understand and master. The celebration of the smallest improvement. People are smart and learn quickly if given what they need to understand why, how, when and what it is that they are doing. So often I have clients who believe they can't do something only because they haven't been shown correctly on how! Knowing that if a client isn't doing what I am asking of them and does not understand me, then I am not doing my very best for them.

My attitude is summed up quite accurately in Greg Glassman's Professional Training guide.“I have to understand the mechanics, cues and techniques of complex movements and to be able to teach them to others. I bring a skill set to my training that scares off most trainers.”

This article inspired me more than any one thing I have done or experienced in my career as a coach. Every time I read it, I take from it something new. If you are a coach I would print it out and read it at the start of every day, it would be the best prep talk you've had!  

 

Are You Ready To Lift Off?

The 2011 QWA League wrapped up last weekend in a great lift off event. I ended my year with a second place in division 2, being beaten by Steven Eadie (for the first time) who pulled out a PB of 12kgs! What a legend!

The grand final gave me an opportunity to invite all my weightlifting clients and avid CrossFit addicts to experience for the first time an Olympic Weightlifting competition. It was really amusing watching the CrossFitters bamboozled as to how the scoring worked, why no one was yelling and screaming at the lifters and being in complete awe at a 15 year old kid clean and jerking 90kgs.

For everyone that came to watch and support, I want to thank you. I'd like to think it got a bunch of your inspired to give lifting on the platform a go yourself (or scare the shit out of you enough that you know you now HAVE to do it).Olympic Weightlifting competition is something I believe every CrossFitter should experience so they can better understand and appreciate the Olympic lifts of their sport.

Those of you who are interested in lifting in competition next year, contact me so I can help get you registered and coach you to be 'platform ready' for your first comp. I'd love to share that journey with you.

Keeping Quality Company

I was minding my own business on Tuesday (blogging day), when an unknown number called me....

Turned out it was Tommy Rech and Brad Mifsud (guys that I train with when I'm in Brisbane being coached) calling me for a catch up and to train. I was stoked, I couldn't wait to have them train with me down the Coast! Oh yeah, and James Fitzgerald from OPT (Optimum Performance Training) was going to be coming too!

I rang up Deano from CrossFit Escape because I was booked in to do some coaching with him and asked if it would be cool to bring some friends into the box ;)

It was a great session. OPT worked with Tommy and Brad on their movements and programming, while Deano and I did some Oly lifting. A few members of Escape 'dropped in' to get up close and chat with a real CrossFit World Champ and really switched on coach.

It was in this session that I had that light bulb moment of 'Holy shit... this guy knows his stuff & its making a lot of sense to me'. Then it hit me like a blow..... I have been missing that hunger and excitement of hanging out with top coaches, the ones that open my mind and heart and remind me why I do what I do. Soaking up the knowledge of a coach who is at the top of their game, they knows their stuff and produce the goods (and I'm not talking about teaching some courses, I'm talking about training athletes that win at stuff!).

This is why I coach.

I want and need that environment. Having a discussion and grappling with new ideas as opposed to just educating. That joy of being coached, or having my approached altered because of NEW information that makes perfect sense to me and will produce results.

I know I have a lot to offer people but I also know I have so much to learn. My thirst for knowledge and its practical delivery is at the heart of my pursuit in my life as a Coach. I have really worked hard at that and have put myself in situations where I never dreamed of the result I would be able to produce.

So a few things I took away from that day were:

1. Surround yourself with great people and coaches. You always have a choice... are you going to hang out with the people at the bottom of their game or the top?

2. Get yourself the coach you NEED to get where you want to go. Not the one you started with and now can't leave due to politics, or the one that's closest to you because its convenient, or because the social side of your training has become comfortable and you can't be bothered to get out of your comfort zone. You are training for health and performance goals, so take them seriously with a coach who will do the same.

3. If you are a Coach, don't sit in your bubble. I know its confronting sometimes, but you gotta get out there and interact with the people that know their stuff! You're coaches because you thrive on making people better.

4. Dedicate time each day to digest some new information. Read, research, test, measure, coach and be coached.

5. HAVE FUN! 

The Queensland Weightlifting Association League Grand Final

Hey All CrossFitters and weightlifting enthusiasts,

The Queensland Weightlifting Association is holding the League final at USQ on the 26th of November, this will be your special oppurtunity to come and check out a weightlifting comp. I encourage you to come and see what its all about, you never know it may inspire you to step onto the platform!! The address is- The Auditorium, University of Southern Queensland. Sinnathamby Blvd, Springfield, QLD.

 

 

 

Please comment if you are interested and if you want to car pool, entry is free and looks to be a great day, hope to see you there!

 

Cheers Linz

Everyone Needs A Coach

 

I look out into the CrossFit community and see a wealth of camaraderie, passion and crazy hardcore athletes who smile whilst doing burpees! It is in this medley I see those who are the coaches - the men and women of CrossFit boxes who day in, day out share their passion and love for the sport of CrossFit. Its method inspires community and a lifestyle that we didn’t know before, like itch that we could never scratch or even knew we had!

I watched the high standard set by the first affiliate in Queensland. That standard was passed onto the 1st generation affiliates that followed, myself being one of them. Slowly as next generation affiliates opened and even boxes run by people who have never been coached by a CrossFit coach, the standard has gradually been diluted. I witnessed it on the weekend judging for two days at the Immortals Challenge – the way CrossFitters moved from each box. Its glaringly obvious how athletes are coached by how they move. There were people not getting full depth in their air squat, not locking knees out when overhead with a Barbell and not touching their chest to bar on chest to bar pullups. If athletes are not holding standard form at a competition, it could only mean they are being held below standard or worse at their home box.

It comes down to integrity. So to the coaches of CrossFit I ask: Are you doing everything you coach your members to do? Are you hitting your depth, getting your hips open, training your weaknesses? Who is holding you to a higher standard? Which doorstep are you leaving YOUR ego at to improve and be coached if not for yourself but for your members?

The strengths and weaknesses you have will inherently become those of your members. If you think your members don’t notice …. they notice! They notice you've stopped taking them through stretching exercises at the end of the session, they notice when you talk to them about Paleo, but can't see your abs for the flab, they notice when a certain exercise NEVER comes up in programming, they know if you're not training because your WOD score is never posted along side theirs, they notice RXD at your box is rarely as hard as on the main site. Get the picture? 

What you eat in private, shows up in public. How you train yourself shows up in your members.

Put it this way …. would you run your session any different if Coach Glassman was watching? This isn't about being bad or wrong, this is about being the best you can be. Isn't that why we all CrossFit?

So if you cannot afford to have a coach, how can you ask anyone to afford you?

 

No Class today! QLD CrossFit Sectionals are on!

If you haven't had enough CrossFit this week here's 2 options for you!

150 Burpees for time (weighted vest optional)

or

5Km Run

Post times or complaints to comments.

WOD Friday 05/03/10

Front Squat

1-1-1-1-1-1-1

max pull ups between each set.

Post loads to comments.

WOD Thursday 04/03/10

"Ross drops in and lays down the law on Grace, well done!

"Filthy Fifty"

For time:
50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 24,16kg
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 20kg
400m Run
50 Wall ball shots, 9kg
50 Burpees
50 Double unders

Post time to comments.

"If you're going through hell, keep going!" - W.Churchill