Do you want to be a warrior? Or do you want to train like one? Well, the warrior’s mind is just as important to train as any muscle in the body. Mental fortitude and mental toughness will guide you to success when physical strength finally fails you. I recently was given a book by one [...]
I visited the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry and explored the BodyWorlds’ exhibit Body Worlds & The Cycle of Life. It was a unique, enlightening, and at times shocking, experience. I was interested in going to the exhibit so I could see first hand the internal systems I train daily with my clients. I recommend [...]
Crossfit is many things to many people so I am not going to attempt to represent every aspect of Crossfit in one blog entry. However many people have biases and misconceptions of Crossfit, so my goal is to help you better understand what Crossfit really is, how it works, and what the benefits are. Crossfit [...]
Your brain accounts for less than 2% of your total body weight but burns up to 20% of your body’s total energy (calories). Think to Burn Not only does your brain burn hundreds of calories daily, but exercising your brain also creates space for new interests and to find (or rediscover) motivation. Have you ever been [...]
Do you want to be a warrior? Or do you want to train like one? Well, the warrior’s mind is just as important to train as any muscle in the body. Mental fortitude and mental toughness will guide you to success when physical strength finally fails you. I recently was given a book by one of my fellow Crossfit coaches called Training For Warriors by Martin Rooney. The book is primarily focused toward training Mixed Martial Arts fighters and I recommend it for anyone interested in MMA, but I want to take Martin’s philosophy a step further and apply it not just to fighters but to anyone and everyone working toward a difficult goal.
Following are 10 characteristics of the warrior mind-set. I encourage you to reflect upon yourself and measure you strengths and weaknesses among these 10 characteristics. If any one characteristic is lacking you must take steps to improve that area of your mind-set.
1. Vision
I believe this is the ultimate make-or-break characteristic. Your vision is your Why? It is the reason you are getting up everyday and challenging yourself to push passed your normal comfort zone. Without a clear vision you will easily lose sight of why you are putting yourself through the inevitable struggles that come with achieving a difficult goal. There will come a time during every difficult journey where your body and mind will start to break down and you will begin to ask yourself “Why am I doing this? Why am I working so hard?” If you do not have clear answers to these questions, then what else is there to stop you from quitting? Define your vision.
2. Courage
Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the will to continue moving toward your vision despite the existence of fear. You must do what you fear the most. Do not be afraid of change either. For example, I have trained many clients who had a goal of losing a substantial amount of weight (30+ lbs.). Often they would see a little progress, then the progress would slow down and eventually stop. We would meet to talk about what happened in what would most often become a display of emotion and fear. They would go back to their old habits because they feared failure, and feared change. As you move toward your goals you will start to become a new person, in this example, a thinner person. You must have the courage to embrace the person you will become and you must have to courage to accept failure. Too many people are afraid to give their goals and honest effort because they fear they will fail. You must have the courage to accept that you may fail, and if you do, then you will work harder and succeed.
3. Discipline
Discipline involves taking action; walking the walk. Achieving difficult goals is not a part-time gig. It is a 24-hour a day lifestyle. Again to use the weight loss example, I have seen too many people exercise in the morning, eat healthy throughout the day, then go out to eat and drink on the weekends. Do not fear discipline, embrace it!
4. Self-Control
Emotions will run high when working toward a difficult goal. Learn to recognize and control your emotions. Strong emotions can motivate you, but they can also lead you astray.
5. Patience
Small, continuous steps create forward momentum. Understand that achieving your vision of excellence is going to take time.
6. Desire
The warrior must believe strongly in his/her journey and constantly be reminding themselves of their vision. Your vision is the driving force, do not lose sight of it.
7. Confidence
It is good to raise questions and seek advice and training from others, but do not second guess or doubt yourself. If you are taking small, continuous steps toward your vision, you should be confident that you will reach your destination. Recognize your strengths and carry them with you confidently.
8. Resilience
Embrace and learn from your errors. Self-pity when you make a mistake will get you no where and hurt your confidence. Mistakes and pitfalls will come; that’s a fact.
9. Commitment
Remove distractions. Until the warrior is fully committed and enveloped in achieving their vision, they are just talking the talk. Start walking and keep walking.
10. Respect
Respect your vision, do not doubt it, or yourself. Respect your small successes along the way. Any success, big or small, is still a win, so respect your progress and keep moving.
I visited the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry and explored the BodyWorlds’ exhibit Body Worlds & The Cycle of Life. It was a unique, enlightening, and at times shocking, experience. I was interested in going to the exhibit so I could see first hand the internal systems I train daily with my clients. I recommend this exhibit to anyone and everyone interested in the human body, which I assume is all of you!
Despite being a trainer and having textbook and practical experience in anatomy and bio-mechanics, I was overwhelmed by the graphic nature of the exhibits. The most shocking exhibit was the first one I saw. A preserved man was displayed holding up his largest and heaviest organ: his skin! It reminded me of something out of a horror movie. The skin did not look real at first glance. As I got closer to the exhibit it was the clear that the skin belonged to the man and was in fact real. Looking at the bottom of his feet really had an impact me. I could see the cracks in his worn heels and the prints on his toes. Additionally, if you look close you will see hair on his arms and head.
You have to see this for yourself!
As I made my way through the exhibit I was getting this empty feeling of weakness. I admit I am a bit squeamish but it wasn’t the images of blood that was making me a little woozy. It was the realization that although our human bodies are capable of amazing feats of strength, our bodies are an accumulation of relatively weak and soft matter. Looking at internal organs and blood vessels it became clear that much of our bodies is made of soft tissue no stronger than poultry. How is it possible that our bodies can absorb football tackles, tumble down a hill, or fall on conrete, and reamin intact?
Crossfit is many things to many people so I am not going to attempt to represent every aspect of Crossfit in one blog entry. However many people have biases and misconceptions of Crossfit, so my goal is to help you better understand what Crossfit really is, how it works, and what the benefits are.
Crossfit is relatively new to the fitness industry. It was pioneered by coach Greg Glassman in 1995. Ten years later there were only 18 Crossfit affiliates (Crossfit gyms, also called a “box”). By 2010 the number of affiliates worldwide had grown to 1,700.
Crossfit utilizes functional movements. The actual definition of Crossfit is: Constantly Varied Functional Movements Executed at High Intensities. By executing this method, Crossfit achieves their desired goal: Increased Work Capacity Across Broad Modal and Time Domains. Meaning Crossfit athletes strive to perform efficiently and effectively throughout all physical demands including sprints, weight lifting, long-endurance, power, speed, etc.
Crossfit prides itself on its community. Each affiliate or “box” has their own website that members can use to post results, chat with coaches, view past and future workouts, post pictures, and blog about experiences. Additionally, Crossfit has a main site that provides a wealth of knowledge and tools to enhance your Crossfit experience.
Crossfit workouts are called WOD’s, or Workout of the Day. Many sceptics of Crossfit think this is a poor method for training the general population. Admittedly, when I first became an athletic trainer, I was one of those sceptics. Not everyone has the same capabilities. I thought, how is it appropriate for all these people with varying degrees of experience, health problems, flexibility, goals, needs, and ages to do the same workout? The answer has two parts. One, all these people have the same needs. The needs of an Olympic lifter and a grandparent differ by degree not by kind. For example, both an Olympic weight lifter and an overweight man in his 60′s both need to deadlift. The Olympic athlete needs to deadlift 700 lbs. to compete in his/her sport, and the overweight man needs to deadlift daily for more practical uses such as picking his grandchild up from the ground. Both of those people are performing the same movement: the deadlift, they are just performing it in different capacities. As you can now see, all people have the same needs, only the desired capacity changes. Two, every person at a Crossfit box is not doing identical workouts. The workouts are made to be infinitely scalable. Let’s use an example. The workout is deadlifts, pullups, and box jumps. The elite athelte’s workout may look like the following: 350 lb. deadlifts, 25 repetitions of full body-weight pullups, and 30 box jumps on a 24″ box. Take somone on the other end of the spectrum. The first day Crossfitter, who is also 40 lbs overweight, and has some slight knee pain. Their workout may look like the following: 45 lb. deadlifts (the weight of a standard barbell) with sets of hamstring stretches in between deadlifts, 25 body-rows, and steps-ups on a 12″ box. Both Crossfit athletes are perfoming the same movements: deadlifts; pulling their mass with their upper body; and hip and knee flexion, during the box jumps/step ups. As you can see both people are participating in the same workout, but at different degrees. Both people are challenged, they are both part of the Crossfit team and community, and they are both feeling accomplished at the end of the WOD…success!
One of my favorite aspects of Crossfit is how it turns everyday fitness into a competitive sport. Look at high level athletes. They are all in great shape, move well, and look great, with exception of a few rare, highly specialized athletes in which being over-weight might give them an advantage. Why is this so? Because athletes who actively compete have defined goals to work toward, and are rewarded if those goals are met. They have an upcoming season, a big race, or a championship match to train for. They mark these events on their calendars and work toward them, tracking every workout and bit of progress along the way. Crossfit took those same aspects of competitive sports and applied them to general fitness. Every WOD is designed so that the individual must push themselves mentally and physically, and must compete against their own weaknesses and doubt. If desired, Crossfitters can compete against each other in daily classes for the best time, most repetitions, or heaviest lift. Crossfit also adds a sport-like feel by tracking everyone’s progress. Everyone’s performce from each day’s WOD is recorded. You can then go back and check past times, weights, repetitions, etc. This give you a way to not only track progress, but also to compete against yourself. I use an iPhone App. called “WOD” to track my daily progress. This incentive to work harder, track progress, and push yourself produces intensity, and as all Crossfitters know: intensity yields results! If a Crossfitter wishes to take his/her competitive edge to an even higher level, since 2005, Crossfit has hosted the Crossfit Games, an international competition to determine who is the fittest person on Earth.
Crossfit is more than just heavy squats and burpees, it is a community, a team, a sport, a system to track progress, a method for improving movement patterns, a strength program, and much more!
Look for more parts to this blog thread in the future, and please comment on your own Crossfit experiences, questions, and concerns. Myself and the rest of the Crossfit community will be glad to help!
*I coach and train Crossfit at Lincoln Park Crossfit in Chicago, IL.
Your brain accounts for less than 2% of your total body weight but burns up to 20% of your body’s total energy (calories). Think to Burn
Not only does your brain burn hundreds of calories daily, but exercising your brain also creates space for new interests and to find (or rediscover) motivation. Have you ever been overtrained? Symptoms of overtraining include mood swings, lost of interest in working out, getting sick, increase in resting heart rate, decreased sports performance, and irritability. One way to combat overtraining is to set aside time to do mental exercises. Exercises such as reading, writing, thinking, enjoying music, researching, or even just looking out at a calming view will give your body time to rest while still providing you with positive stimuli.
Listen to your body and know when it might be time to put down the dumbbells, pick up a book and flex your cranium muscle!
Good health is a fragile state, it is an ongoing project
You carry your body throughout your life, but it also carries you
It is a machine that constantly needs maintenance
Simple yet complex
Resilient yet susceptible
Strong yet easily damaged
Your body is your vehicle, your toolbox, your shelter
Your body represents a lifetime of choices and actions
Some aspects of your body are completely out of your control
Some aspects must be maintained and improved through conscious efforts and healthy choices
Your body has potential, as well as limitations
Your body has expectations
You can give your body commands, but it can also resist unhealthy choices
Your body will form patterns
Your body can learn, create, and grow
It can deteriorate, and it can improve
You will spend every moment of your life with your body…get to know it
There is no denying that physical exercise has not only a positive effect on our bodies, but also on our psyche and state of mind. Many people exercise for the “endorphin rush,” and to release stress. I have felt this particular effect too. After an intense Crossfit workout, an electrifying boxing class, or a grinding game of basketball under the hot sun, I feel great! The more worked my muscle feel, the sharper my mind feels. There is a definite connection between physical exercise and mental happiness. This is why I am a huge proponent for changing the variables of your workout. Your workout does not always have to be in the same gym, at the same time of day, with the same playlist. Try changing up your atmosphere and the style of exercise. This summer I am offering outdoor training sessions. My clients and I exercise outside, utilizing pullup bars in the park, hills, running trails, stairs, and soak up the Chicago skyline from the lakefront.
Without the use of weights, some exercises are limited. Barbell squats become body-weight squats and jumps, bench press is converted to pushups, and stretching is done in the grass instead of on a nice squishy mat. But this type of training is a major contributing factor to the overall well-being of oneself. The benefits of outdoor training far exceed the limitations caused by lack of formal gym equipment. Boxing is done “karate-kid” style on the lakefront, with the sound of the water crashing into rocks in the background. Yoga is done under the Sun instead of under fluorescent bulbs, and cardio is done by bear-crawling up a hill instead of jogging on a treadmill while watching a 9″ TV. Here in Chicago, summer only last 3 months, so take advantage of it, break free from the confines of traditional weight training and exercise outdoors. This will provided your body with physical stimulus, as well as give your mind an outlet to release stress.
Also important to overall well-being is mental exercise. Reading, writing, exploring a new idea, discussing topics you may not know much about. These are necessary to provide your brain stimulus outside the demands of your day-job. For my clients I design training programs to provide them with results, and part of that programming includes planning for events such as birthdays, holidays, vacations, and rest. This creates cycles. Mental training needs cycles as well. Recently in my own programming I decided to incorporate more mental stimulus. I set aside more time to read fiction and explore more topics. This may take time away from weight training or other parts of the day, but provides me with a new stimulus that is necessary to keep my mind an body healthy.
A strong body is the vessel to a sound mind.
Reader Challenge:
How do you incorporate balance within your life? What are some ways you challenge your physical and mental capacities?
Today there are a lot of buzz-words within the fitness industry. Words that people use on television to sell the latest equipment, and gym franchises use to sell more memberships. Most often these words are thrown around without being given a clear definition. This is because the people using these words (general managers of gym franchises, and infomercial hosts) have no idea what they mean. They know they sound good, and that the general public likes to hear them. So I am going to give my explanation of these common terms in the way I would explain them to a client of mine.
Functional Movements
There is 7 examples using only the push, pull, squat, and deadlift series of movements…there are many more!
Functional Strength
Core
Cardio
Reader Challenge:
What are some other buzz words floating around the fitness industry that I can help define?
What is the ultimate sport? The final finish line in the race to be “the best?” Everyone has pride in “their sport”, whether that be the sport their child plays, the sport they currently compete in, practice, watch, coach, used to play, or are longing to try. From cycling to basketball, cricket to mixed martial arts, polo to swimming, there are tons of sports out there, and everyone who loves a sport would most likely argue that their sport is the best, the most challenging, and requires the most skill. I am challenging you, the reader and fellow blogger to make a case for your sport and prove that it truly is the best.
Let’s start the debate with a few of my experiences. I draw from a wide array of sports, being a competitor since the age of eight. I swam competitively from the age of 8 until I was a senior in high school. I dragged my way through little league baseball, moved on to wrestling and basketball in junior high school, then graduated to varsity football, some recreational lacrosse, collegiate level rugby, and currently train in the art of Jiu Jitsu. Additionally, Crossfit is now making a name for itself as a competitive sport, in which I am highly involved. So which sport is the most impressive?
Let me supply you with some categories to rank sports and I am interested in your opinion.
Hand-Eye Coordination
Team work
Physical Strength
Endurance
Speed
Mental Toughness
Physical toughness
Anaerobic Capacity: this is my term for ability to sustain performance at a heart rate above 170 BPM (beats per minute). Sports like rugby and mixed martial arts are performed at a sustained high heart rate, there is little slowing down.
Strategy
Agility: the ability to perform difficult movements in a balanced, rapid, and controlled fashion. Reduce transition time from one movement pattern to the next. Gymnastics comes to mind!
Accuracy
So how does your sport measure up?
My inspiration for this blog came from my experience and perception of mixed martial arts in all it’s glory and how no sport can measure up. I then played a pick-up game of 3-on-3 basketball with my brother-in-law yesterday and found that after 90 minutes I was exhausted, sore, and had made only a handful of baskets. Much tougher than it looks. Maybe there is more to every sport than most people give credit.
Additionally, I listened to an interview of Tito Ortiz (Ultimate Fighting Championship Fighter), by Joe Rogan (UFC Announcer). Joe and Tito discussed that sports, other than fighting, only mean something because society says they do. A ball being hit by a bat, a ball falling through a hoop, a ball being carried over a line, a ball rolling into a net, a ball kicked through two poles; these things only mean something because society says they have value. However punching someone in the face always means something! No matter where you are from, what language you speak, or even what century you live(d) in, a fight always has meaning, always draws a crowd, and always has a winner. So is fighting the ultimate proving ground? What do athletes on the playing field do when there is a disagreement? They get in each others faces and yell about how they would beat the other so bad in a fight. It’s never enough to beat someone in a sport that is only a game. That’s the major difference between fighting an other sports. When fighters are competing, they are not playing a game.
However, all sports have their respective elements of difficulty. I consider myself a fair athlete, especially under the categories of physical strength, endurance, team work, and anaerobic capacity; however I cannot get a golf ball on to the green, or hit a 90 MPH fastball. Why can people do these things better than others? Practice! Mixed martial artists at the top of the industry are some of the most conditioned athletes in the world, but they are also skilled practitioners, just like athletes in other sports. Cain Velasquez beat Brock Lesnar for the UFC Heavyweight belt at UFC 121, even though Cain was smaller and not as strong. Even in an all out brawl, technique and skill will prevail. That’s why meatheads looking to fight in bars are in way over their heads when they pick a fight with a Jiu Jitsu practitioner, even though the meathead will undoubtedly be larger.
All sports take skill. But that doesn’t mean I am going to wake up tomorrow and suddenyly enjoy watching baseball, golf, or NASCAR; three sports that people can only watch if high quantities of beer is involved.
Reader Challenge!
Take the categories I listed above and make a case for your sport. I’m curious to hear from all athletes: rock climbers, dart throwers, runners, tennis players, dirtbikers, skateboarders, football players, futbol players, body-builders…everyone! I want to see what sport, if any, truly is the ultimate proving ground.
As I get more involved in the mixed martial arts community and do more and more sparring I am seeing the benefits (or necessities) of having some basic, yet effective striking combinations rehearsed and ready to fire at any moment. Opportunities to strike your opponent present themselves very quickly, and there must not be any delay in your reaction. Practice these combinations often until they become muscle memory and you can shoot them out quickly and efficiently without thinking.
Let me assign a number to each basic punch
Jab = 1; a straight punch with your lead hand (right for southpaws, left for orthodox fighters).
Cross = 2; a straight punch with your rear hand. Weight should shift forward onto your lead leg, rotate your fist over as the punch connects with your target, and snap the punch back on the SAME LINE you sent the punch out on. Do not do a wild looping motion after the punch extends.
Lead Hook = 3; the punch extends outward then takes a turn inward toward your target. Thumb pointing to the ceiling, elbow is up higher than, or even with your fist. Rotate your lead foot inward with the punch and throw your hips into the movement.
Rear Uppercut = 4 ; pivoting your rear foot to face forward and throwing your rear hip into the motion, dip your rear shoulder slightly and bring the punch directly upward. Your palm should be facing back toward your body. Return the punch back to your ‘ready position’, do not let the punch fly off into the atmosphere.
Combinations:
1-1 (Double Jab)
1-2 (Jab- Cross)
1-1-2 (Jab-Jab-Cross; play around with the rhythm)
1-2-3 (Jab-Cross-lead hook)
2-3-2 (Cross-hook-cross, this is very effective for southpaws)
4-3-2 (rear uppercut-lead hook-cross)
1-4-3-2 (same combo as above, but start with a high jab to raise your oppenent’s hands, exposing them for an uppercut)
3-2 (angled lead hook, followed by a hard cross)
1-2-3-2 (jab-cross-hook-cross)
1-2-3-4 (jab-cross-hook-uppercut)
1-1-2-3-2 (double jab-cross-high lead hook-cross)
Also, check out this link for a visual guide.
After one year as a personal trainer at a corporate fitness club I decided to take my knowledge and skills out into the realm of private training. This has allowed me more time to do the things I love such as martial arts training, wrestling, Crossfit, training clients outdoors, reading, and supporting my beautiful girlfriend, Sarah, as she prepares for her upcoming Female Figure competitions.
I received a lot of inspiration and the extra push needed to make the leap into private training from a book I read, Career Renegade, written by entrepreneur Jonathan Fields.
As I continue to envelope myself into the industry I love, and establish myself as an authority on health and fitness, I hope that you will follow me, share ideas, and gain inspiration to take control of your health today!
I want to thank:
My brother-in-law, David Shaw, who helped me develop this website.
Sarah, who always supports my wild endeavors and gives me extra strength to push through the soreness of training, and do it again the next day!
My family, who continue to be an invaluable source of strength, love, and knowledge.
