Stepping it up.. (And RE-FOCUSING..)

Stepping it up..

I have a confession to make.. I told a few of you about the 5 week CrossFit wave coming this Monday.. The funny thing is we already do CrossFit everyday at Caveman Strong. EVERYDAY. We are in fact still and always will be a CrossFit affiliate. I will let you all know in the next few paragraphs why the gym can sometimes feel – ‘NON- CROSSFIT’ and WHAT I PLAN ON DOING ABOUT EXACTLY THAT.

Back to my confession…

It doesn’t matter why or how or what. What matters is right now. What matters in one’s life is what they plan on doing about something – RIGHT NOW. Thinking about yesterday or last year or what might happen later on is pointless and ‘so so destructive’.. It can literally ruin your life. We bitch and moan and get lost in all the ‘what if’s’.. We all do this. Those of you that say ‘No not me, I’m perfect. Life could never be better.’ – You’re full of shit. We all have our problems. I think the more we drop our EGO’s and keep it real the easier it is TO BE HAPPY.

Back to me..

My confession is this:

“After a stressful year in so many ways, the result was – even me - YOUR HEAD COACH, losing his own focus and having multiple burnouts. Not third south burnouts by any means… More like ‘working too much, not eating as good as I normally would, not sleeping as much, and definitely not training as hard as I ALWAYS HAVE since I was 15 years old – type burnouts. I would make progress for a few weeks and then hit the wall like a ton of bricks and not be able to train for days if not (until recently and for the first time in my life) weeks..

My passion is coaching and helping all of you. I realized that in order to lead I must be the example – NO IF’s, AND’s, OR BUT’s about it..

So without drudging into it, let’s examine why this 5 week wave is so important for me and of course all of you..

1. After lifting for a year straight I will push the limits of CrossFit and see exactly what happens through self observation. Each and every day via FACEBOOK I will post my food: mood: and WOD: information for all to see. If I have a beer or a gallon of ice cream it will be there. It won’t happen often, if at all – but I promise to put it up there if it does. I challenge you to do the same – STRENGTH IN NUMBERS. This will focus you and motivate you unlike anything else.

2. To BUILD the energy up in the gym even higher than it already is!! (We are one of the biggest CrossFit affiliates in the country with the biggest Kids program going!!) The element of time (provided your technique comes first – ALWAYS) is a must as well as whiteboard scores and other CF goodies that have taken a bit of a backseat for the past few months. This changes TODAY.

“The atmosphere at the gym has always been it’s strongest point and lately I feel as though people are too spread out. Doing this or that isn’t good for ENERGY. This new focus will make the group dynamic by far the biggest priority. Cashouts will be done as a group and I feel most of you (not all) need all my cashouts.. Even myself, after lifting for so long – I’m super excited to dive into these cashouts!!”

3. To work on the ‘skills and drills’ that many of us find fun and incredibly challenging. Skills like muscle ups, rope climbs, double unders, and gymnastics movements keep the mind engaged and can motivate us. – JUST PREPARE TO BE HUMBLED NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE. YOU CANNOT SIMPLY ‘DO’ HANDSTAND PUSHUPS AND RING DIPS. YOU WILL BE SCALED APPROPRIATELY IN ORDER TO IMPROVE AND OF COURSE BE SAFE.

4. CLASS STRUCTURE.. This was big for me.. After working in Akwesasne and working on the business side of things – I now have more time and being in the gym more has made me realize what it needs to continuously get better and provide the absolute best service around. I will now (due to my schedule opening up) COACH MUCH MORE in Cornwall. I will be helping all of my coaches and I will be at the gym for most classes throughout the week. This starts next week FYI.

SIDE NOTE: All my cashouts are designed to make you better. Don’t simply pass them off out of shear laziness. Weightlifting is without a doubt the focus (any smart coach knows this) however a few cashouts a week will only make you better. That being said – If your food is not where it needs to be, your sleep all over the place, etc,  - your body is in fact going to suffer from the cashouts. If you want to train at a high level BE RESPONSIBLE!!

I still KNOW with all my heart and soul that crazy high rep CrossFit WOD’s day in day out is easily the fastest way to screw up one’s body. A program not based on Strength and Foundational movements (ie, Squats, Deadlifts, Pullups) and rather simply based on ‘just pushing’ – is a joke. It’s actually the biggest problem in most CrossFit affiliates. People with 2 days of training under their belt having people (who think they’re safe) pushing at full maximum is a travesty. It’s downright disgusting.. ALL MONEY, NOTHING ELSE.

I WILL NOT SELL MY SOUL TO THE DEVIL…

That’s right. Be SURE that my programming brings the best methods, coaching, and safety. The ‘problem’ has nothing to do with the PROGRAM. Some lifting accompanied by a ‘high intense’ wod after is the best way to get and stay in great shape. The problem came from too many people ‘Doing their own thing’ and thinking these cashouts aren’t what they need. This changes immediately. BTW – this isn’t anyone’s fault other than my own and thus – this post..

SO – THIS 5 WEEK WAVE!!!!

“All the coaches (Me, Kyle, Dan, Natasha, Josee), all of you the members, anybody – WILL be following the program ‘as prescribed’.. Those who ARE or PLAN on competing in weightlifting will obviously remain focused on their goals and that’s fine.. We are experts both in the Sport of Olympic Weightlifting and General Health and Fitness”

Lastly…

Understanding what your body needs to be HEALTHY..

If your’e weak you need strength. You CANNOT just do wods and think that will help you.

If you’ve been lifting only, you need a few cashouts a week to be ‘well rounded’..

What are your goals?? To be healthy? To be Strong? To be Lean?

Then you need the following 3-6 days a week depending on how disciplined your food and sleep and thus lifestyle is.

Strength Training + A relatively small INTENSE cashout + Good sleep + Good Food. READ THIS OVER AND OVER!! Make a priority list and ask me directly to help you get there. I can help you BUT you need to help YOU too!

I hope this makes sense for everyone?! I hope you all take this 5 week wave as seriously as I am! I hope you bring your A game because I know I will!

Finally – I appreciate your feedback, I encourage your ‘constructive’ criticism and hope you KNOW that my only goal is to provide the absolute best service possible.. Never be shy or gossip in the corners. Come to me with any concerns..

Have a great Holiday Weekend, See you at the Challenge on Monday at 10am or next week.

Tyler