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Posted by Andy Petranek :
Tuesday, May 07, 2013
Read the following story the other day. Reminded me of the key to building a strong and connected community - being of service to others through kindness and understanding. It's the foundation the way CFLA's community has grown organically, and is how I see all of you treating others. All of you inspire me - your generosity, kindness, and willingness to go the extra mile for others. You are the leaders of the world, the people that others both need and want more of in their lives. Thank you of being who you are for me and for the rest of the world. This story is you. I thought it was worth posting here in it's entirety.
After learning my flight was detained 4 hours,
I heard the announcement:
If anyone in the vicinity of gate 4-A understands any Arabic,
Please come to the gate immediately.
Well—one pauses these days. Gate 4-A was my own gate. I went there.
An older woman in full traditional Palestinian dress,
Just like my grandma wore, was crumpled to the floor, wailing loudly.
Help, said the flight service person. Talk to her. What is her
Problem? we told her the flight was going to be four hours late and she
Did this.
I put my arm around her and spoke to her haltingly.
Shu dow-a, shu- biduck habibti, stani stani schway, min fadlick,
Sho bit se-wee?
The minute she heard any words she knew—however poorly used—
She stopped crying.
She thought our flight had been canceled entirely.
She needed to be in El Paso for some major medical treatment the
Following day. I said no, no, we’re fine, you’ll get there, just late,
Who is picking you up? Let’s call him and tell him.
We called her son and I spoke with him in English.
I told him I would stay with his mother till we got on the plane and
Would ride next to her—Southwest.
She talked to him. Then we called her other sons just for the fun of it.
Then we called my dad and he and she spoke for a while in Arabic and
Found out of course they had ten shared friends.
Then I thought just for the heck of it why not call some Palestinian
Poets I know and let them chat with her. This all took up about 2 hours.
She was laughing a lot by then. Telling about her life. Answering
Questions.
She had pulled a sack of homemade mamool cookies—little powdered
Sugar crumbly mounds stuffed with dates and nuts—out of her bag—
And was offering them to all the women at the gate.
To my amazement, not a single woman declined one. It was like a
Sacrament. The traveler from Argentina, the traveler from California,
The lovely woman from Laredo—we were all covered with the same
Powdered sugar. And smiling. There are no better cookies.
And then the airline broke out the free beverages from huge coolers—
Non-alcoholic—and the two little girls for our flight, one African
American, one Mexican American—ran around serving us all apple juice
And lemonade and they were covered with powdered sugar too.
And I noticed my new best friend—by now we were holding hands—
Had a potted plant poking out of her bag, some medicinal thing,
With green furry leaves. Such an old country traveling tradition. Always
Carry a plant. Always stay rooted to somewhere.
And I looked around that gate of late and weary ones and thought,
This is the world I want to live in. The shared world.
Not a single person in this gate—once the crying of confusion stopped
—has seemed apprehensive about any other person.
They took the cookies. I wanted to hug all those other women too.
This can still happen anywhere.
Not everything is lost.
Naomi Shihab Nye (b. 1952), “Wandering Around an Albuquerque Airport Terminal.”
Ahh... so THAT'S what it means to do a partner workout?!
Tuesday's Workout
COMPETITION
“Daniel”
50 pullups
400 m run
21 Thrusters #95/65
800 m run
21 Thrusters
400 m run
50 pullups
And coming Wednesday (CAP)
PRACTICE
A) EMOM 7
3 Power Clean @ 72.5% 1RM (same wt across)
2 OHS
B) 3x Max reps no kip dips :30:90 (30 sec work: 30 sec rest)
C) 5 rds for reps and distance:
:30 strict pullups
:30 rest
:60 Row
:60 rest
Posted by Andy Petranek :
Monday, May 06, 2013
I was reading an article about the Stanford strength and conditioning coach, Shannon Turley. Since taking over the strength and conditioning program, Stanford went from going 1-11 in 2006 with a football program that was literally going nowhere, to winning the Rose bowl in the 2012-13 season. A lot went into making a change like this happen, but one of the most significant came in how Coach Turley helped shift the players shift from an 'outcome focus' to a 'process focus'. What's the difference, you may ask...
Outcome focus means your attention and focus is fixed on the outcome - the win or loss of a game for a football team, and for the rest of us, things like whether you get that job, lose the weight, achieve the goal. Most of the things that must happen for an outcome to be 'successful' are things that on a day-to-day basis are outside of your control. Not so with process focus. When you're focused on the process, you are focused, like a laser beam, on the things that you can have a DIRECT impact on each and every day - like what time you get up in the morning, what you eat for breakfast, what clothes you wear (are you dressed for success), and your mental attitude in practice (or your CrossFit class). Process focus brings an incredibly empowering shift to your life - allowing you to focus in on doing things each day related to your process with impeccable integrity - with zero regard for the outcome (something over which you have no real control anyway). It's not easy and requires discipline, confidence, and a little bit of faith, but the payoff, as was the case at Stanford, can be huge.
How might you shift from an outcome focus to process focused and how might this improve your attitude and daily life?
Get some, Jaqui!
PRACTICE
3 cycles for max reps and time (:60:120) of:
a) Back Squat (BW 2/3BW)
b) Seated DB Press (40% of 1RM Barbell Press)
c) 200m run for time
d) Sit to stands
e) Strict Chin ups
And coming Tuesday (NO CAP)
COMPETITION
“Daniel”
50 pullups
400 m run
21 Thrusters #95/65
800 m run
21 Thrusters
400 m run
50 pullups
Posted by Andy Petranek :
Friday, May 03, 2013
Now I've done it. I've officially registered for the LA Triathlon on October 13, 2013! And by doing so,I've set in motion the direction and purpose of my fitness and training for the next 6 months.
I decided that to really get my attention, I had to make it hard enough that I felt like I needed to train for it. So I selected the Olympic distance (1.5k swim, 40k bike and 10k run). And although I have a background in ultra endurance events, it's been a really long time since I've done one and even longer (25 years) since my one and only triathlon.
So... the title of this blog post is "How to add purpose to YOUR fitness training..." What is an event that YOU could sign up for, a trip you could take, a club you could join, a date you could book, that would have you organize your life around you 'making it'?
Want to join me in the LA Tri in October?
Pooja goes for it on the rower!
FRIDAY'S WORKOUT (NO CAP)
NEW CYCLE TESTING WEEK
Body Weight "Fight Gone Bad”
A. Strict Pullups
B. Double unders
C. Squat
D. Hand-release pushups
E. Sit to stand
Workout consists of 3, 5 minute rounds. In each round, the athlete performs
each movement for 1 minute, accumulating as many reps as possible, before
moving to the next station. After completing all 5 stations, there is a 1 minute
rest before starting the next round.
You may begin at any station in the workout, but take note! You will want to
start at the same station when you repeat the test. It matters!
AND COMING MONDAY (NO CAP)
PRACTICE
3 cycles for max reps and time (:60:120) of:
a) Back Squat (BW 2/3BW)
b) Seated DB Press (40% of 1RM Barbell Press)
c) 200m run for time
d) Sit to stands
e) Strict Chin ups
Posted by michael stanwyck :
Wednesday, May 01, 2013
Over the course of the last few of days we've been taking tests at CFLA. I like taking tests that I know I am going to pass with flying colors, but these tests aren't for passing. They're designed to show you everything - strengths and weaknesses. I don't particularly like taking tests that might tell me something that I don't think I want to know -- like I'm not as strong as I think I am or I'm slower than everyone else.
It's really interesting. I don't think I'm outside of the norm, but resisting testing really makes little sense, given what I'm here for. I show up, week after week and put in a lot of effort to get stronger, faster, and fitter. You'd think I'd want to know definitively whether it's worth my time or not. The pre-testing is designed to pinpoint exactly where I am so that I can track the effectiveness of my training. I want to know, but I don't want to take the risk of finding out I'm not as good as I thought.
I think that we may not like the idea of measurements because we make a mistake about what is being measured. Rather than measuring performance -- how effective the training is, we think they are measuring us. Ever notice how when things don't go the way you planned or hoped -- something like you lift less or run slower than you thought you would -- you find yourself saying something negative about yourself ("I suck") rather than evaluating something about your training? Rather than be interested in how it happened, you make it personal, mostly without even realizing it.
It's hard. We're programmed to protect ourselves from threats. It's safer to expect the worst or not build up expectations. If I bust my own chops, it can't get any worse when someone else does it. It becomes training in not expecting anything from myself. If I don't expect anything, I can't be disappointed.
Funny things, we are. I know that there are two "me"s at work here. The "me" that strives for more, and the "me" that is willing for it not to get any better just as long as it doesn't get any worse. When I think about it, it just seems silly. Knowing all of this, would I really "volunteer" for a life of "just not any worse, please?" It appears that the test, or any objective evaluation, is the only way to what you want if you really want more than just "fine."
It's all about teamwork here at CFLA! Niki and "Dad" install our new lifting platforms together.
THURSDAY'S WORKOUT (CAP)
NEW CYCLE TESTING WEEK
“DT”
5 rounds for time of:
12 Deadlift, #155/105
9 Hang Power Clean
6 Push Jerk
AND COMING FRIDAY (NO CAP)
NEW CYCLE TESTING WEEK
Body Weight "Fight Gone Bad”
A. Strict Pullups
B. Double unders
C. Squat
D. Hand-release pushups
E. Sit to stand
Workout consists of 3, 5 minute rounds. In each round, the athlete performs
each movement for 1 minute, accumulating as many reps as possible, before
moving to the next station. After completing all 5 stations, there is a 1 minute
rest before starting the next round.
You may begin at any station in the workout, but take note! You will want to
start at the same station when you repeat the test. It matters!
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Wednesday, May 01, 2013
Over the years I've trained in a lot of different sports and activities. Kung fu, BJJ, muay thai, CrossFit, adventure racing, indoor rowing, fencing ... But now I have a new favorite pastime. Walking.
Yes, that's right - walking. Starting a few weeks ago my fiance and I decided to start our days with a walk. The nearby golf course has a 2.5-mile trail around the perimeter. So, we get up and make some coffee to fill our travel mugs, and then we hit the trail. It's really fantastic, for a lot of reasons:
I get my heart rate going and my muscles moving for half an hour before I sit at my desk for the day.
I get to enjoy fresh air and the morning sunlight, both of which are good for my health.
I get to start the day with quality time with Winslow, which is also good for my health.
I've learned all about local plants, flowers, trees, and wildlife from our walks.
I get to exchange smiles and hellos with all the other walkers we see every morning.
It's remarkable how much better I feel by beginning my day with moderate outdoor activity. I feel much less stiff throughout the day than before we started walking. I also feel really awake and ready to jump into my work. Walking is less stressful than a workout, so it leaves my mind free to wander and my body able to open up and flow.
In a couple months we're moving to a new apartment (with it being the fifth home in five years, perhaps I should add "moving" to my list of pastimes) and it's on a small lake with a trail around it. I am very excited to put my walking into practice at different times of the day. If I get stuck for a writing idea I could just walk around the trail. If I want some sunshine or to kick around in some puddles, depending on the time of year, I can just go for a walk. There really is something mentally and physically rejuvenating about the combination of walking and the outdoors.
Becca Borawski served as Program Director at CFLA for seven years and is now part of the extended coaching family. She is the managing editor for Breaking Muscle, a website designed for real athletes and real coaches. She lives in Portland, Oregon and is most likely preparing a paleo meal at this very moment.
WEDNESDAY'S WORKOUT (NO CAP)
TESTING WEEK
For Time:
50 Russian KB Swings (2 pood/1.5 pood)
100 Double Unders
2k Row
2k Run
100 Double Unders
50 Russian KB Swings
AND COMING THURSDAY (CAP)
TESTING WEEK
“DT”
5 rounds for time:
12 Deadlift (155/105)
9 Hang Power Clean
6 Push Jerk
Posted by Andy Petranek :
Tuesday, Apr 30, 2013
Training is serious business, right? Well if it's so serious, then how do you have a good time doing it? And hey, is having a good time really necessary anyway?
After doing this sport and others like it for over 25 years, I'd say having a good time is absolutely necessary. It keeps me coming back day after day after day. And believe me, all I need is a little excuse to not show up. What do I recommend doing to keep it light, keep it fun? PLAYFULNESS. Yes, playfulness. Step into your workouts with a mindset of playfulness, inject it into your time in the gym, right smack dab into the middle of your workout... and stop taking yourself or whatever it is you're doing too seriously.
When's the last time you checked your face during a workout between reps? Serious? Or do you crack a smile? And how about dancing just to keep things light? And what's up with that temper when something goes wrong (as it always does?) Why are you making it matter so much? You're in this for the long haul, right? Do your really think you or anyone else is going to care about how you did on that workout 5-10 years from now? But you (and they) might remember your attitude in the process.
Keep working hard - and your workouts within your capacity to do good, solid, intense work, not so hard that would cause you injury. Check in with yourself during workouts, cut them short if need be. Learn. Grown. Train. Practice. And for gosh don don sake, lighten up and have some fun. You're training for the rest of your life - might as well have a good time doin' it.
Tomas gets to the full bottom of a squat clean.
Tuesday's Workout (CAP)
TESTING WEEK
In 30 minutes, find your 1RM Squat Snatch
In 20 minutes find your 1RM Back Squat
And coming Wednesday (NO CAP)
TESTING WEEK
For Time:
50 Russian KB Swings (2 pood/1.5 pood)
100 Double Unders
2k Row
2k Run
100 Double Unders
50 Russian KB Swings
