CHANGE IS THE POINT

Don’t blame your strategy. Blame your fitness. We get hung up on the wrong metrics. As a result, we miss the point. This is a practice. I have failed many times in years past. Correction: I fail all the time at this. Weekly. After a brief period of reflection however, I’m reminded: It wasn’t my…

I have referred to fitness as a conversation. For those that understand this, this will seem reasonable. For those yet to grasp it, start by being curious. If we take “fitness is a conversation” to be true, then the next question becomes: “what is the point?” I have my own ideas. But these are irrelevant.…

There is a moment in the morning. When the alarm goes off. It’s black, outside, but inside too. There are no distractions.  Just stillness.  The brain begins to register.  To take in its surroundings. That’s when the moment arrives. It is a question. “Why?” It asks. “Why do you do this?” In the blackness, there…

I’ll be the first to put my hand up.  Self-regulation is a skill I am still developing. Because of this I make poor decisions. I make the wrong decisions. I compete when the intent is to practice. I misjudge my abilities. I am far more concerned about the weight on my neighbours bar than I…

I keep returning to this quote from Michael Blevins of nonprophet. Blevins, for those that don’t know, trained Henry Cavil in Superman. His approach however, is very different from a typical celebrity trainer. He spends far more time postulating on the philosophy of change than selling workout programmes and weight loss shakes.  Regardless, there is…

A physical practice is problem solving. Every day you show up to train, new puzzles and equations are being presented.  These are in the form of different movements, the variety of workouts, and your physical preparedness. The body is dynamic and ever changing in response to internal and external stimuli. And if the body is…

What is fitness? Define it. What is important? What is better? No two definitions will be the same. That’s the point.  Fitness is relative. It’s subject to context and environment.  The broadest definition is such: “fit for purpose”. Another question: What is the purpose? Define it. Purpose in what context? In what environment?  The third…

6 hour AMRAP40 cal machine400m on foot New Years Eve 2022 – New Years Day 2023 *** 09:00pm – 11:00pm The first hour passes. All I think about is finishing; what I will write, how I will express this; the respect and adoration I’ll receive from participating in such a feat; and whether I am changed…

Being underprepared is underrated… Especially if you are usually prepared; measured; meticulous. There are many times during a physical practice where it is best to plan the workout: the rep schemes, progressions and rest periods. In staying accountable to these, one is able to make sustained and consistent progress – mostly. But under-preparing has utility too……

I took some time away last week, meandering aimlessly down the south coast. Every morning, I would awake to a different outlook, crawl out of the tent and commence a process… The camping stove is located in the boot of the van, as I go to work rigging this up to the portable gas bottle,…

Strength will serve you well in your physical practice. There are benefits to being flexible and mobile. Your capacity to endure, and then produce mass amounts of force in a short amount of time is useful. However, the most important component in your physical practice is none of the above. It is attention. An athlete paying…

Functional Training. This term is well overused. Most of this comes from two opposing camps. The first are the purists; perhaps better known as the “anti bicep curl” crew. The belief in this camp is that if it isn’t a compound, multi-joint, free weight exercise which movement pattern shows up in your day to day, then it…

The concept of the gym originated in Ancient Greece, although some 2000+ years on, many things have changed. Women, for example, are allowed to train and athletes no longer douse themselves in olive oil prior to their workouts. Clothes are also generally worn to train, when previously, they were not.  But perhaps one of the most important…

Most of us associate endurance with long bouts of aerobic exercise, synonymous with repetitive conditioning work. This is the perspective of the strength and conditioning world. Endurance, however, is not limited to this.  A quick google search illuminates this. The dictionary references endurance as one’s ability to endure; to “withstand adversity”, “engage with a difficult process”, or to “continue or…

Self-regulation is a high level skill. We are often quick to forget this as coaches. We offer generic advice in the brief: “pace yourself”, “ease into this” or “stick to your plan”. This is only effective if we assume everyone knows what this means. This is not always the case.  We are also under no…

Practice does not mean easy. Since transitioning into a new programming model – distinguishing between practice, mental toughness and competition days – we have experienced a few “growing pains”. One of these is an unanimous understanding of what practice means… The most appropriate definition, as it relates to our programming is: “to perform or work at repeatedly so as…

Change is hard.  A workout exemplifies this.  As soon as you place hands on a barbell your state begins to shift, as you are ripped away from the comfort of baseline. Heart rate elevates as blood rushes to muscles. Sweat begins to form as core temperature rises. Change has begun and completing the work is…

There are very few original ideas.  Much of what is communicated, written, taught or expressed has been adopted from elsewhere. A concept on its own is usually just a recycled idea. Take for example, training. Strength and conditioning principles have been well established for many years. Most exercise scientists, physiologists and coaches now consider these…

D x V x F > R(Dissatisfaction x Vision x First Steps > Resistance)– The Beckhard-Harris Change Equation –  This is a formula for change I find myself constantly referring back to. The first time I learned of it, my intuitive truth radar lit up as I recognised elements of the equation had been present during the transformational…

Competence. This is the goal for many. “The ability to do something successfully or efficiently.” In a physical practice, we create standards around our training – be it an RX weight, or hitting depth on a squat. We look towards these as a metric of success and of achieving competence. Efficiency on the other hand is…

30-20-10Medicine Ball CleansAb-Mat Sit-Ups This was the workout programmed during my Level 1 CrossFit Trainer Certification Course. Prior to commencing the workout, The Master Trainers organised the Prospective Trainers in a circle as one demonstrated the points of performance, and another explained them. We were then given some time for independent practice. At this point,…