Me & Pure Austin in 2010

In one of my previous posts, maybe more than one of them, I mentioned that I’m going to be taking on some additional roles at Pure Austin in 2010.  I wanted to spend some time on this post to talk about them.

First up: Pure Intense Training, or The PIT.

The PIT is Pure’s answer to providing an environment where people can do intense workouts in a group setting.  We use both indoor and outdoor elements, weightlifting, gymnastics, and monostructural movements to create some workouts that many of our clients have never seen.  At the moment, the programming is centered around a few movements every month… so each month, clients will see a focus on a few different movements.  That’s not to say that every workout will contain only those movements, but instead they will be used in combination to create different workouts.

We have a number of instructors for PIT classes, at a number of different times.  Initially, I’m taking on two PIT classes — Wednesdays at 6:15am, and Sundays and 12:30pm.  Those who attend my normal Sunday lineup will notice the time conflict.  More on that later.

The PIT is NOT CrossFit

I think it’s important to note that this is not a response from Pure to counter CrossFit.  It’s a way for us to allow our athletes to work in a more intense setting with a Trainer, in smaller classes, with the ability to do some movements clients can’t do in the gym.  For example, I can program med ball slams into a PIT workout, but we can’t do those in the gym because of the noise it generates.

Sure, there are similarities to CrossFit in the movements.  But CrossFit is so inclusive across broad domains that it’s hard not to be considered similar.  Pure is not a licensed CrossFit affiliate, so we will not be limiting ourselves to CrossFit-only, or CrossFit purist, programming.  However, as a CrossFit certified trainer, I can train clients using CrossFit methods, so you can expect to see some of that when I have the chance.

How is PIT different from X-Factor?

They’re very similar.  The difference is that in X-Factor, we’re limited to the movements we can perform because of the venue and the equipment available.  At the PIT, we can provide a more rounded experience — there’s a proper pull-up bar, med balls that we can throw around, barbells, etc.  Also, look forward to cool stuff that we’re not going to release into the gym for all clients, like tires to flip and sandbags to run with (we already have slosh pipes down there).

The PIT also allows us to up the intensity based on what the group wants to do.  In X-Factor, we have vastly different skill and strength levels, which makes it difficult to program and still watch everyone.  This increased intensity does not mean that new athletes should not go; quite the opposite.  The PIT is a much more controlled environment that allows me to effectively be a personal trainer for a group of people.  It’ll be a much different, more intense experience.  Still scalable for all levels, but I can pay better attention to everyone.

So, what’s happening with the schedule?

Starting January 3, there are some changes to the 2010 schedule.  My cycle schedule remains pretty much the same, although both my Thursday morning and Sunday classes are turning into Core Cycle, meaning there’s a core class right after spin.  The PIT classes are the additions, and sadly, X-Factor is being cut in favor of the PIT.

Here’s my schedule:

Quarry Lake

• Pure Cycle: Tuesdays, 6:15 – 7:00pm
• Core Cycle: Thursdays, 6:00 – 7:15am

Town Lake

• PIT: Wednesdays, 6:15-7:15am
• Core Cycle: Sundays, 11:00am – 12:15pm
• PIT: Sundays, 12:30 – 1:30pm

While I’m sad to see X-Factor go, I’m excited to train people in the PIT setting.  I really think that attending the PIT classes, combined with proper nutrition, will help clients meet their goals.

See you in the PIT!

Reflections on 2009

The year’s not quite over yet, but while I’m still at home for the holidays, I thought I’d use this downtime to think about 2009.

I’ve heard from a lot of folks that 2009 sucked for them… I don’t know that I want to paint a whole year in a bad light.  I can certainly say that the last few weeks have tested more than just physical ability for me; they’ve tested emotions, caused stress, and forced me to take a hard look at what I’m doing with myself and my role in the various situations and scenarios that have played out in the latter part of this year.  More on that later.

For now, I want to focus on the positive, some highlights of 2009:

• In the athletic realm, I’ve gotten stronger and faster, posting PRs in several events around CrossFit, duathlon, triathlon, and running.  I really feel that the CrossFit prescription is something that allows an athlete to progress, have fun, and create something lasting.  I’m not bored, and even when I get burnt out, I miss the community and the fun.
• I’ve messed around with various diet techniques and found that eating well really isn’t that hard, and eating crap sucks a lot more than it used to.  I look better, feel better, and perform better than I ever have.  Just like the physical realm, I think this is something that can be sustained, and there’s nothing but good things that come of it.
• In my 9-5 (lol!) job, I’ve worked in a tough environment that’s not only affected by the poor economy, but also a few people who must also think that 2009 sucked, because they’ve created a negative place to be.  More on that later, too.  But I think my team at work has matured and is continuing to do so… we’re more efficient, more effective, we make better decisions and we’ve made huge improvements to our product.
• In my other jobs, I’ve grown leaps and bounds as a coach.  I got my CrossFit Endurance, Nutrition (from Robb Wolf, phew), and Level 1 certifications.  I wrapped up over 3 years of teaching cycling at 24 Hour Fitness and I’m taking on new roles at both CrossFit Central and Pure Austin.  Starting in the new year, I am teaching one track workout a week for CrossFit Central, and two PIT classes at Pure Austin! I’m grateful to Jeremy and Beto for their trust that I can work with our athletes.
• In my personal life, I’m really just trying to hold steady.  Some relationships came and went, and while I know I’ve got a hand in everything that happened, I also know that right now, I’m better by myself.  Although that kind of stuff can change at any moment

(more…)

The CrossFit Tribe

A while back I read Seth Godin’s book, Tribes.  If you haven’t read it, or you don’t like reading things, check out this video of Seth talking about tribes and their effect on our lives.

In his book, he explicitly mentions CrossFit as a tribe, and he’s spot on.  Coach Glassman is the leader of our tribe, and the CrossFit tribe is worldwide.  There’s no real control, regulation, or oversight other than what you find on crossfit.com.  Glassman has created a community that organizes itself around the common goal of lifestyle improvement through diet and fitness, with methods backed by research and practical application.

I had the amazing opportunity to work the media end of the Black Box Summit this weekend, and of the many things that became crystal clear to me, the one thing that stands out the most is CrossFit is a powerful tribe.

One more time: this is a powerful tribe.

Not just in the fitness and diet sense… I mean, yeah, we can squat and lift and perform random feats of strength that maybe 1% of the general population can do.

There’s much more to it.  Walk into just about any CrossFit box and you’re instantly welcome.  You already know what to do because the tribal knowledge is so pervasive that we all know the movements and how to conduct ourselves in the box.

During one of the Summit sessions, Jeremy brought in an anecdote from Born To Run about the tribe that Christopher McDougall was following.  This tribe loved to run… it was playful for them.  They have smiles on their faces.  They don’t see it as work, they truly love it.  Jeremy’s point was that our gym trains that way.  At CrossFit Central, we love CrossFit.

It’s apparent that CrossFitters worldwide love CrossFit.  But why?

CrossFit gives us back something that many of us lose — childhood.  The box is our playground.  We’re constantly discovering new abilities, and we’re constantly playing new games in the form of the WOD.  Hell, speaking of games, I played dodgeball at CrossFit Invictus last week, where the penalty for being tagged out was 5 reps of some movement (I ended up with burpee pull-ups).  Those new abilities not only make you a better athlete and a healthier person, they install a level of self-confidence that we often times lose right along with childhood.  If I can do Angie, Fran, Diane, or Elizabeth, those achievements flow into my daily life.  I feel better, look better, and I’m in the best shape of my life.  And it’s only going to get better.  I love CrossFit and what it’s brought to me, it has (and continues to be) a transformative experience.

CrossFitters understand this.  If you’re reading this and you don’t CrossFit, consider that CrossFit fills a void that many of us never knew we had.  That’s why we’re so fucking crazy about it.  That’s why it’s all we talk about when we get together outside of the box.

I bet you’ve got that void too — your childhood called, it wants to come back and change your life.

Choices

I’m sitting in a Starbucks in Bird Rock, which is kind of between La Jolla and Pacific Beach.  It’s like a no-man’s land of beach and surf shops.  Reminds me a lot of Santa Cruz.  I’ve done this a couple times: end up somewhere in San Diego at a coffee shop, avoiding work, and basically just taking the day off to collect my thoughts.  Over the last few weeks I’ve had a pretty frustrating time at work, but for the most part, life is good.  Austin’s a great town.  I’m traveling on business right now in San Diego.  When I get back, I have a bunch of friends to visit and training to accomplish.  And then I realized…

My life is so scheduled, it’s amazing that I can even think without checking my calendar first.  Then I flashed back to a conversation over drinks at a dinner table with some coworkers and a customer last night… “why do you choose to do this to yourself?  what do you get out of it?”  That put a quote from Trainspotting into my head.

Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life… But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin’ else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you’ve got heroin?

Ok so I don’t do heroin.  I swear.  Those marks around the veins on my arm?  That’s acne from shaving my arms and then proceeding to sit with them closed in some fashion all day long (which is officially over with… I will continue to manscape the arm region, but no more razors.  people stare at me like I have track marks.  it’s hilarious, kind of.).

Everyone has a drug of choice.  For some people, it’s booze, for others it’s stronger substances.  For me, it’s bourbon.  No, not really.  Well, maybe, but I digress.

My heroin is building stuff.  I sat in a conference room for 90 minutes watching a customer and several coworkers present a proof-of-concept of my software running on their systems.  It worked.  It took like an hour for me to integrate it.  Watching other people be successful with what I’ve built is a rush.  So that explains why the waking hours of my day are filled with often-annoying conference calls and trying meetings with frustrating processes.  But it doesn’t explain what I do before and after the “real job” — my other job.

What am I building when I’m training and teaching?  I’m building people.  They’re learning they can do so much more than they thought.  They’re getting stronger; they’re going to that first triathlon, running that first half marathon, or just getting out on a bike and cycling.  I’m building myself; confidence that I never had is emerging.  I can do stuff I never thought I could do.  Hell, at 6 AM I jumped onto a 27″ box 100 times and threw a 20lb med ball 50 times.

I want to build more.  It’s a rush that doesn’t compare to anything else, because it doesn’t happen immediately.  You have to work for it, and then when you have that epiphany — that moment where you can step back and survey what you’ve done so far — all you can see is your successes, built on all of the failures and shitty situations you overcame to get there.

Builders are inspiring to me.  Jeremy at CrossFit Central is changing Austin, one person at a time.  CJ at Invictus bailed from an arguably more lucrative job as an attorney to change lives in the way his life was changed.

I got my Crossfit Endurance cert to help my own training succeed in ways that we just don’t do in Austin right now.  I’m getting my Level 1 in the near future, because I want to share what I’ve built in myself with others; I also want to continue to refine and build within myself all I know I can be.

My heroin is building… what’s yours?

The Fittest Games… try again.

After completing the Fittest Games first round a few weeks ago, and not getting in the top 15, I decided to register for the second round anyway.  Not that I expect to win, but I want to have a better showing this time than I did last time.

I believe my nutrition is better than it was a month ago.  I believe I can perform better than I did a month ago. I think any blocks I have are mental.  As coach John barked at me during the first round… “get mad! why don’t you get mad!”  I need to learn to get mad… channel something and find a way to stop being so cerebral about competing and more carnal.

So here are the workouts:

1st Workout
4 Rounds for Time – 20 minute cap
Phat Running Cindy
400 Meter Run
5 Pull Ups
10 Push Ups
15 Squats Men – 115lb Women – 80lb
*All Pull Ups are Chest to Bar

2nd Workout – 20 Minute Cap
500 Meter Row
10 Full Squat Clean Men – 155lb Women – 100lb
2 Pull Ups
8 Full Squat Clean
4 Pull Ups
6 Full Squat Clean
6 Pull Ups
4 Full Squat Clean
8 Pull Ups
2 Full Squat Clean
10 Pull Ups
500 Meter Row
*All Pull Ups are Chest to Bar

Let’s see if I can get mad this time.