You either want it or you don't!

 

Change is constant and it should always be for the better. That takes focus and a desire to get beyond your current state.

The "I am Crossfit" was about change. It was about what could be possible in a short 8 weeks commitment of dialing in with better eating and additional workouts on off days.

Some clients have stepped up huge with this challenge. They have sent food logs weekly to their coach and responded well to feed back. They have swallowed there supplements because they felt like what the Hell is there to lose. They have pressed hard through a couple additional workouts on their own. Most importantly they have decided that they want to see a difference in themselves for the better.

Other clients from the challenge having been staying quite so true to their commitment. Not sending there food logs in or doing their extra workouts have been too darn hard for them. Excuses about traveling or being too busy at work have kept them from achieving things that they think they want for themselves. Simply not having good reason within themselves to stick to something that could lead them to a better place is the primary issue. The truth is there are people who come to our gym and have not signed up for this challenge have seen better results than some of these people.

All I know is that the help has been there the whole time. Anybody that wants improvement can have it.

I used to hear that only 10 percent of people can stick and stay on the right path without quitting.
Sometimes it's possible to stray off the path and get back on it.

I don't believe 90% of those doing this challenge have quit. I do believe some have. I do believe some are slightly off track and can get right back on it.

This weekend is the final of the "I am Crossfit" challenge. Only this weekend will determine how far you've come. This week is a chance for all of us to make our last jumps towards improvement.

Do you want it or not?

Become one of the Fittest people you know!

Our original slogan on our first Website and the first shirts we ever had printed was "Training the fittest people in Austin". I'm sure everyone in the fitness industry in this city who saw those shirts and new who we were thought to themselves "Who the hell is Crossfit Central?" We had maybe 20 something clients and our approach was with confidence in ourselves and what we were doing. We didn't have to but we change our slogan to "Building a Fit Community".

Our clients don't come to us as the fittest people in Austin. They come hear and train with us. They are hear for 3 months and doing things they never have. They are hear for 6 months and are in Damn good shape. They are hear for a year and they truly are they fittest people in Austin. Our clients can look around at people who surround them throughout their day and know that they have obtained the mental fortitude to do physical objectives beyond what others could imagine. They have mentally conquered any ideas that they could not do something because it was too hard. Our Clients look at all Physical task and say "All right... I got this!"

I have met many "Fitness Instructors" in Austin and seen many others in different gyms and I think to myself "Our clients are in better shape than these trainers."

Being Fit carries into other areas of your life. Awareness of yourself and elevation of your own potential comes from many different arenas. When I see someone who is striving for greater fitness, I know much more about their approach towards improvement in other areas. I also know that it will be more likely for them to excel greatly in those areas.

Developing A sense of Self Mastery truly must start with a foundation of your physical well being.

Get some Pull-ups

In the last week we have had several of our females who have been coming between 3 months and a years get their first unassisted pull-ups.

I was thinking about why it would take somebody less time to develop the ability to do this movement than somebody else who's fitness levels are relatively the same.

I believe if you want pull-ups, all you have to do is decide to do them. Multiple times a week (2 to 3) practice jumping pull-ups till you get worn out. Practice pulling without jumping until you get to week to continue. Practice with less and less assistance of smaller bands. The key is just decide you want to do some freaking pull-ups and what will happen is just that!

Above is a video of Gina from the 8AM class getting her first kips unassisted. She is in he 3rd month. If you've been coming longer and pull-ups aren't happening for you yet, step your game up!

Pull-up Concepts With Coach Glassman (VIDEO)

Good enough is not enough!

So of course it's been forced upon us to think about the Economical situation. When that is all that anybody seems to be discussing you feel like you have to consider it.

I don't know how everything is going to pan out. All I know is that my job does not involve me wondering and worrying about the damn thing. From day one I have set out to impact peoples lives in a positive manner and become the Best damn Coach I know.

I believe that through virtuosity. Believing what you are doing for the better good of all people and bringing you F'in A game every time you get to step on the field, people will see that and want to be involved with what you are doing.

I am conscious of what is happening in this country. I feel for those who are being effected by it. For about 10 years now I've known what its like to wake up everyday knowing that if my job doesn't get performed to my best then I would not be able to provide for myself.

I have lived at times that have been a personal challenge to get by financially. Now my life is well provided for and I live in the same means as I did during the tougher times. Over consuming is not for me but I'll be damned If anything aside from myself keeps me from living and owning the lifestyle I want for myself.

I choose to be great at what I do. I choose to focus only on what I want my life to look like.
I believe in the great opportunities that lie ahead!

Movin Weight

I talk a lot about extending your hips with the power moves. Many times in class the workout we do aren't asking you all to lift extremely heavy loads off the ground (Clean and Snatch) or drive the load over head. This allow allot of us to get away with movements that might be shy in range of motion. That allowance that your are able to get away with with lighter barbells, dumbbells, Medicine balls would be failed attempts 100% of the time in a 1 Rep Max attempt.

Coach Burgerner says, "When the arms bend, the power ends!"

Power in the sense of moving weight for our purposes is going to come from the Legs and the hips.

I know that getting away laziness and short range of motion is something you can get away with with those lighter tools, but the idea of training technique is so much more important in order to continue to improve your fitness than you may realize.

Tomorrow we are doing our "I Am Crossfit" workshop, and the barbell and body weight movements will be our primary emphasis. There is nothing that could be better for you all to leave this workshop than simply understanding importance of training range of motion with your exercise routine.

Above, Dutch and I having a little do-c-do with Olympic Clean and Jerk 1 rep Max. Dutch's practice in these skilled movement has made him a very Power and Graceful lifter. He was able to do Identical weight as me by using fantastic technique. My abilities are solid but I have not come near my potential in these movements since my practice with these lifts has mainly been through using brunt force and aggressiveness. With more practice of better technique, my one rep max should easily increase about 15%.

I have another new focus.

The things you focus on!

This Picture is a little silly. We were about 5 seconds into our plank and even though we had already completed a grueling workout that tasked the shoulders and core, this segment of the exercise was still fairly easy (hence the big cheesy grins.
Anybody that has ever done this exercise after a workout knows however that the smiles aren't going to last that long. To hold this position (High Push up) for a minute or longer induces some pain throughout the body that takes a mass amount of mental fortitude to fight through.
I know for a fact that no matter how long that you hold this for, whenever it is that you drop, is a choice that you make.
The idea is to take your mind off off of what your body is feeling and carry yourself toward the 1, 2 or 5 minute mark you set yourself up for right off the bat.
The Pain is acting as a distraction to deter you away from what it is you are aiming to achieve.
The question is will you let it?

In Life all types of different things will play that roll of Deterring you away from what you want most. It is easy to let the falsified visions take over and allow to become the things that keep you in the same position, but if you do not lose site of what it is that you are going for, and why the hell you really want it, then nothing can stop you. Every opportunity to conquer any temporary obstacle is worth the shot.
It is the small Bouts that lead you into the great Championship opportunities in Life.

Barbells are my favorite

 

As of the Last 6 Months I've been writing up the workouts that all the Crossfit Classes will do before the new month starts. Carey writes up the womens only after she see what equipment we will be using so that all classes will be able to utilize all the equipment. I enjoy doing this because I love the idea of creating a diverse program for all the client who will attend 2, 3 or 5 days a week in the gym.

I do have one confession however, and that is I love to use the barbell. Each month I have trouble with the fact that I cannot use the barbells as much as I would sometimes like because the womens classes will need to get to use them too. There is just something about that amazing peice of equipment that I truely love. I do not believe there is a better tool in Fitness that can give you the benefit that working with a barbell will.

I think about the possibilities of what you can do with the barbell... Powerlifts, Overhead Lifts and Olympics lifts all require such disipline physical mechanics that it is amazing to see the difference in a person with great form do something that somebody of equal strength and size who does not have good form cannot do.

This tool should definately be something that you should find, learn how to use, and implement into your training program.

My new favorite spot for any of you seeking out some equipment is Play it Again Sport. They have really good products at very reasonable prices.