Working With Andrew

You may have noticed that Andrew is killing it in WODs lately... even more so than usual.

He has recently kicked his fitness into high gear to prepare for TWO different CrossFit competitions on the horizon.

Andrew got bit by the competition bug this past winter, when he Andrew did an Olympic Lifting Competition, and performed amazingly well!

Now he wants to push his limits and become a Crossfit Firebreather! 

Andrew approached Izzo and myself about working with him on goal specific training, in order to help prepare him for his events.

Andrew has since hired me as his Private Coach, and Izzo is assisting me with handling Andrew's Nutrition and Training.

Izzo is extremely helpful in the area of gymnastics, which are the foundation to much of Crossfit.

I give huge props to Andrew for seeking out individual coaching.

Especially when he is already extremely talented and athletic.

Andrew attends about 4 or more regular classes per week.

In addition to that, he spends about 3 hours a week working in private training sessions with me.

Andrew has a very specific goal for each WOD that he attends at CFL. 


More often than not I find myself Coaching Andrew to slow down, and go more methodically through a WOD. (He is fast!)

During our One-on-One time however, he is focusing more on connecting the physical and mental aspect of pushing his body to new limits.

Each week Andrew receives about five or six WODs or lifting programs with goals specific to his abilities, strengths, and weaknesses.

Other times we work solely on skill development; rope climbing, Bar muscle ups, handstand walking to name a few.

Part of the fun in training for a CrossFit Competition, is that you are rarely allowed to know the WODs before hand. This means your body needs to be ready to tackle anything at a moment's notice.

Competition is only partly physical, the other parts of performing well are all mental. 

Andrew and I work on pacing and breathing, along with the most efficient form possible.

For a Coach, Andrew is like frosting on a cake.

He is strong, talented, an amazing mover, and extremely disciplined.

His hard work is inspiring, his work ethic is incredible!

He is Coach-able and humble.

It is truly my pleasure to work with him... be on the look out for him killin' it in his upcoming competitions!


--- Jen Conlin


*** For more information on getting Private Coaching from Coach Jen, please contact her directly at jen@crossfitlegitimus.com for schedules and pricing.

*** Check out the competitions Andrew is competing in here and here.

GAMES GAMES GAMES

In case you've been living under a rock... The CrossFit Games are here!

They officially started yesterday with a TRIATHALON SPRINT, and a bracket style obstacle course at Camp Pendelton ... no big deal.

Today is a Rest Day for the athletes, and the Games will continue tomorrow through Sunday!

If you want to watch the games, there will be highlight clips and coverage on ESPN 3, or you can check out the LIVE STREAM here.

This is your chance to see the most amazing athletes in our sport get their WOD on.

If you have never watched the CrossFit Games, you are in for a treat!

Fair Warning: It is a little addicting, watch the LIVE STREAM at work at your own risk.

Keep your eyes peeled for Coach Izzo and Matt Eucalitto in the crowd, they are lucky enough to be able to watch the Games in person, and will be rocking their CFL gear!

Travel WODs

We are smack dab in the middle of summer, and if you're anything like the rest of our members, you are probably headed on vacation soon.

Traveling means time away from your norm; your regular eating, sleeping, and of course, wodding.

Lucky for you... CrossFit  is vacation friendly!

You do not need a lot of bulky equipment to get a great workout!

Check out this list of WODs that can be done pretty much anywhere!

All WODs require nothing more than a pull up bar, rings, or a jump rope.

Don't have a pull up bar or rings??

Find a playground!

Make it work!

And enjoy yourself!

Goal Setting 101

Everyone can set goals... but not everyone actually follows through and achieves them. Sad but true. If you're having trouble staying focused, try to remember the advice below, and get yourself back on track.

Have a game plan: To succeed in reaching your goals, you need to create a map, to help you get to your destination. Pick a few things you want to achieve and make a plan of action. No plan usually means no direction.

Try to stay focused, and avoid distractions that pull you away from the path leading to your goals. Finding an extra hour in the day can sometimes seem impossible... but to achieve your goals, you need to make sacrifices. Carve out time to work on yourself... your body will thank you.

Get your friends and family on board! Support is huge in reaching goals! Yes, you're amazing but even amazing people need support!  If you're out of your comfort zone you're going to need to be pushed! We all need like-minded, goal oriented people to remind us to keep it moving!

K.I.S.S!  Over complex goals or goals that are too lofty are poison to your motivated spirit! Create goals that you can work towards, and achieve. Achieving your goals will give you a confidence boost, and all you to achieve even bigger goals! Be realistic and let your ego go, or you may find yourself in No Man's Land... where no one grows, and everyone is complacent.

Keep your thinking positive: Even if you're off track in reaching your goals, STAY POSITIVE. We all know how easy it is to give up, give in, and get down on yourself. If you need encouragement, or constructive criticism; ask for it!  Now you have your plan, you've got your team... use them!

You would never build a house without a blueprint... so don't work on your fitness without a plan of attack. Map it out, write it down, tell someone, talk it out! Know your numbers, and what you are shooting to accomplish next! If you need help coming up with some realistic but challenging goals: JUST ASK!

Test Your Endurance

Monday is a test of endurance day.

We have a lot of people signed up for endurance events this Summer and Fall; this "test" was created in light of that.

Please get to the gym a little early and get warmed up.

Bring your log book.

Make a note of your times, weights; how you slept, and how well you've been eating, and hydrating.

I'll start you when you're ready.

Please don't bring the, "I can't attitude."

You can.

SOME people will have a slightly altered WOD due to what they have signed up for.

You know who you are.  Be ready.

If you're not signed up for anything, this is a fitness test for you!

Make a note of your results!

We will run this at one other time, 5:30am on Wednesday with Coach Liz along with the regular WOD.

Friday morning Jen will be running the EWOD, at 5:30am.

Be ready...this will be another test of your overall endurance.

It will be different and it will be hard.

Please log your eating, times, sleep and hydration for this.

Saturday, CrossFit Football will have two gears.

One that is much like what we've been doing..power and endurance pacing.

The other will be geared to those who are doing the Firebreather in October.

Get some!

No Pictures, Please

How pretty do you look when you wod??

For real... can you leave the Gym and go out for drinks??

The answer in most cases... should be no.

Unless you are injured, recovering, or pregnant... you should be pushing yourself to the point where a stranger on the street might see you and wonder if you just walked through a thunderstorm.

If you look perfect in every picture of you that is ever taken at the Gym, chances are you are more worried about the camera than you are about the weights, the wod, your form, your body...

Maybe it's time to challenge yourself a little more.

We all know that CrossFit is scalable, and can be personalized to fit every fitness ability... well, the same goes for how you challenge yourself.

Jillian might throw 195 pounds on the bar for a back-squat to challenge herself, while someone else might use 135.

Neither amount is wrong, or better than the other.

Our Coaches only ask one thing of us: Our Best. All the time.

If the wod has ten burpees, do ten burpees.... not nine.

Nine is less than ten people... we know it hurts, but one more burpee wont kill you.

Maybe running up the dreaded hill is not your bag... but why not try walking it??

Pick up a heavier kettle bell, give it a shot.

If your form starts to waiver, the Coach will always tell you to scale down.

But that's okay too, because at least you tried.

Morale of the story: Challenge yourself... not the person next to you, or behind you, or in front of you.

Worry about YOUR wod, YOUR weights, YOUR body...

And don't look cute while you do it.

We Work It All

    

Photo Credit: Kristen Stewart

"What body part am I working by doing this?"
"I hope we don't do legs/arms/abs today..."
"I hate running it makes me out of breath."
 "How do I get better at running? How can I lose weight? How can I be a beast?"

We get asked these questions very often, and that's fine, ask away.... but, the answer will pretty much always be the same.

 CrossFit works most everything all the time.

It's not a "parts" kinda workout... Spot training is not effective in getting fit.

Let's think about Paleo eating; hunters and gatherers.

They had to go out and hike, climb and run around after their food.

They had to build fires and tools...you get the point.
 
They were in shape because if they weren't they would die.
 
They were constantly active and ate meat, veggies, berries and some nuts.

Today, our lives don't require being in shape (for the most part), thus we have the need for fitness.

Why?

Because we are killing ourselves with inactivity.

I know. The truth hurts.

Enter CrossFit: Strength and conditioning for the general population.

Don't complicate it. It really is that simple: Anyone can do this.

Of course there are other non-CrossFit but similar fitness "programs".

Let's be open minded about it, if it works for someone, it works... nuff said.

CrossFit works everything often, and in a relatively short amount of time.

If someone is training for a particular sport, or event, there are always tweaks we can add in or take away from a work out.

But, if you're looking for general health and fitness, then know this:

CrossFit works all of you, all the time!

There will never be a legs day, a shoulders day, a back and biceps day... we work almost every part, almost every day!

CrossFit has proven success because it's fun! Like gym class for adults!

  "The CrossFit prescription is “constantly varied, high- intensity, functional movement.”
Functional movements are universal motor recruitment patterns; they are performed in a wave of contraction from core to extremity; and they are compound movements—i.e., they are multi-joint. They are natural, effective, and efficient locomotors of body and external objects. But no aspect of functional movements is more important than their capacity to move large loads over long distances." -Greg Glassman (Founder of CrossFit)





-Jen Conlin