CrossFit Armidale

CrossFit. Build the Foundations.

22/4/22

Back in 2011 I was introduced to this training methodology called CrossFit.

It was quite maligned back then. People would say it was too hard, too dangerous, too expensive, too intimidating, too much of a fad, for some, it was just too much.

 

Yet here I am 11 years later and I haven’t had a major injury, and I have encouraged 100’s of others to get involved in it over the years.

One of the reasons I think that it has been something that is able to be stuck with so long term is from an old CrossFit Journal article talking about virtuosity. 

 

Virtuosity is performing the common, uncommonly well. We have always gone after this here at CFA. To me it means getting the basics correct. Moving well. CrossFit is universally scalable, meaning we can adapt any workout to any person, regardless of ability.

 

The thing with that is everything really is scaled. We can always make a movement simpler or more difficult. And this is where the beauty of CrossFit comes in.

 

Over time in CrossFit you will see people walking on their hands, doing muscle ups, bodyweight snatches, butterfly pull ups, double unders, handstand push ups, the list goes on. The thing with all of those though, they started somewhere. You can use a light dumbbell to start the learning of the snatch movement. Ring rows are a start to muscle ups along with box dips. No double unders yet, then you can do regular old single skips. Handstand walks and push ups, you can start with a pike push up, your feet still on the ground.

 

That is the scaling, we make it fit you, right where you are at, right now.

Then the intensity. Once you have gotten good at a movement, then we can try to do more of it in a shorter time. But we want to see that you have virtuosity in it before ramping it up.

 

Once you can move well, and you are familiar with what you are doing, this is when we can take it up a notch. Once upon a time people just jumped into a CrossFit class and, well some of them, got hurt, or realised they were in over their head. Those days are long gone. We coach you one on one initially, then introduce you to the class format. We make sure you are familiar with things, that we are meeting you where you are at. You. Your workout. With your coach. Helping you get to where you want to be health and fitness wise safely

The key to any health and fitness regime is longevity, and that is why I am so passionate about getting the movements correct. We want you to succeed here and to succeed you need to be doing a regime long term. It can’t be a little burst here and there and so the basics, those foundations in squat, deadlift and press need to be laid. Once they are laid down, you are moving well consistently, that is when the great things begin to happen for you.

 

We can keep helping you with the basics, all you have to do is keep turning up and trusting us to help you be better than yesterday.

Take a break

 

Over my 14 years in the fitness industry I have watched the more is better approach, the minimalist, the steady state, the high intensity, the list really does go on. 

 

And of all those the more is better can really bring us unstuck. Especially when we mix it with high intensity training.

 

Over the years there have been terms thrown about like abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym, and you grow outside the gym not in it. These are rooted in truth and fact, they are just downright cringy when put with a background pic or something to make them into a motivational, but I digress a little. It is the truth of them I want to talk about.

 

Rest days. Are they dirty words to you? After all you got fit and healthy and lost a few kilos because you did X amount of exercise, surely 2X is going to be better?


Well it could be, but at a certain point the law of diminishing marginal returns kicks in. Every unit you add, adds less benefit to you until the additional unit becomes detrimental. Think tennis elbow, or RSI. We use something so much it gets a repetitive strain injury.

 

Hitting the gym is no different, and especially when doing high intensity exercise. Your body needs time to recover, and this is especially true when we are in the midst of lockdowns. Our bodies and minds are already stressed enough. So trying to train at an absolute peak every day and not taking a day to just be here and there will be counter productive.

 

Your body will recover if fed and rested properly. If you take an ‘active rest’ day of 30 power cleans for time, eventually you are not going to have a good time. If your active rest day is a leisurely walk with someone you like being around it will be umpteen times more beneficial, and more so when we are in lockdown situations.

 

So have you taken a rest lately? A proper rest day where you take a chance to do very little and breathe and feed yourself good quality food as well as mental food?

 

If you take one to two days each week to recover, relax, and enjoy a day of not so hard work you will reap the benefits by being able to be more consistent long term with your training, suffer less injuries, and of course, be able to enjoy your routine a lot more AND have time with the people in your life that may not share your enthusiasm for CrossFit, I mean exercise 😉

Resolution time again?? Already??

Thu 12/11/2020


Think about 2020, and think about how there were so many people saying how 2019 had been shit and this year was going to be their year. Well to me, if you made it this far into 2020 with reasonable mental health and still working, studying and with your loved ones you have done alright this year.

An unusual year for sure!


2020 hasn’t been anyone’s typical year by any stretch of the imagination. Some have thrived in this organised chaos, others, not so much.

 

So now I am going to suggest making this year different yet again.



The pre New Years Resolution!!!

 

Every year, about nowish, people start talking about “doing it in the New Year”, whatever IT may be. Usually it is starting to look after health, ie a new diet or exercise regime. For some reason we always look at the 1st January and this amazing date that will miraculously change how we feel about this task we are about to undertake.

So with 2020 being such a shit storm of uncertainty I am going to suggest making it a bit more uncertain, a bit more uncomfortable, and say “Stop putting it off!!!” If this last 12 months has shown me anything it is that expecting things to go your way and just keep plodding along in your day to day is so far removed from reality it isn’t funny.

 

Will tomorrow ever come??

 

The reality is we are not certain of tomorrow, so why are you living like we will go on forever?

Your health is doing one of three things right now.

1. Getting better

2. Staying the same

3. Getting worse.


Sit there now and ask yourself which one yours is doing right now. Really ask yourself. 

If you are not doing regular exercise, not eating lots of veggies, not drinking enough water, over indulging alcohol, processed foods, and convenience then at the very best you are at number 2, but I don’t reckon you are at even number 2 and you know it unless you are moving regularly, eating lots of highly nutritious foods, drinking water, sleeping well and regularly and taking some time to look after yourself. If you are doing all these, this post is not directed at you, you can read on or go back to being healthy already.

 

Don’t shoot the messenger!!!

 

If you know you are not doing the best things, and are looking at just hanging off til after Christmas I am going to ask you why?

Why do you want your health to continue getting worse amidst a global pandemic?

Why do you think the 1st January will absolve you of all the procrastination you are now experiencing?
Why will it stick for you in 2021 when it didn’t in 2020, 2019, 2018,etc, etc?
Why are you so comfortable being uncomfortable?

What are you getting out of that?

Now if that caused you some pain or angst asking those questions of yourself I am now going to ask you to please not shoot the messenger. I just asked. I want you to detach for a minute, step back and look at why those questions might have had you feel prickly.

 

Can I see why I need to do this??

 

For me, I know that when I put something off I can get all angsty about it. Now it is especially shitty if it’s something that actually aligns with my values and I put it off.

If I look at my daughter and think about what example I am setting for her, it usually gives me the kick in the butt that I need to get going. And right now I am not really talking just about exercise, I am talking about work, chores, how I treat others, my relationships, and anything that is of importance to me.

 

So right now, set your resolution!!!

 

But start it right NOW! And if it is to do with exercise and eating better pick up the ph, and message me or call me (0448 7453 539, yep my direct number) and I will do everything I can to help you get there this time. Because I know you can, you just have to have the faith in yourself as well.

Am I a commitment phobe???

 


Mon 2/11/2020

Commitment: a pledge or undertaking

Challenge: 1. A call to someone to participate in a competitive situation or fight to decide who is superior in terms of ability or strength. A task or situation that tests someone’s abilities. An attempt to win a contest or championship in a sport.

  1. a call to prove or justify something.

Look I used that headline to grab your attention. No this isn’t about relationships, well, maybe, in another way. I do want you to ask yourself though, when you have thought about your health and wellbeing before and you made the decision to not act, what was it that held you back?

Or did you do a ‘free trial’ only to end up sore and think “what on earth is this?? No way, uh uh, nope, never again!” Was it a ‘no lock in contract’ you jumped on and at the end of that first period you didn’t really get into it and so just stopped going?

The fitness industry has over the years relied on before and after pics, celebrities, and even on shakes and now celebrity shakes and apps! And all the while we have seen our health indicators overall drop. Type II diabetes has increased and cardiovascular disease is the biggest killer of people world wide, not to mention now the correlation being seen between obesity and severe reactions to COVID 19.

Some of these illnesses are preventable with preventative measures, yet they increase year on year and the fitness industry grows year on year (well maybe not 2020 due to the COVID -19 pandemic) I feel like it is because we the fitness industry have helped you guys fear the commitment. 

What commitment do you ask? The commitment to turn it all around, the commitment it takes to make an actual long term, sustainable, lifestyle change. We have conditioned you to think you can do it all, have the body of your dreams, live a fit and healthy lifestyle all in only 12 weeks, oh no, 8 weeks, oh hang on maybe just 21 days. And there is no ‘lock in contract’ once you are done.

I can see what this has set up, more yo yoing or worse still just complete drop offs. Don’t get me wrong I have been guilty of it, two week trials, month to month memberships, 8 and 12 week challenges, but I have learnt a lot in the last 13 years of being in this industry and seeing what has actually helped people.

The answer is some empathy. An understanding of where you are at and what you are facing, looking to change from where you are right now to where you want to be in the future. It really won’t be all that easy at times, it will have moments where you are sore and sorry and where you don’t think you can keep going. 

Overall though, I can tell you that from all of the other people that have had success in the past and continue to do so, they all will tell you that the positives outweigh the negatives. You won’t have to give up your favourite food, not even for a short time. You can continue to drink coffee, yup it is fine. You will do some exercises you really discover you love. You will achieve things you didn’t think you could and in turn feel downright awesome because of it. And the thing with it, it can’t have an end date. If it does, if there is a pause or a relax period, then it is just a money spinner for a fit biz, nothing more nothing less. Look realistically, starting people off on a weight loss regime is the easy part. Those first 5 or 10 kilos people want to lose are the easiest to shift. Not trying to make it a small thing, but when most people start an exercise or nutrition program the kilos drop off reasonable quickly in that first month or so. Most people starting out haven’t done any organised exercise for some time or have cut their calories a lot and so the weight comes off.

So that business with all the short term before and afters may not be the one that has it all together, they may be an awesome starting point. But how many people have they got to a point that can say they have been able to maintain that lifestyle for two, three years or more?

I am not being critical here, shit, my business was like this for the first four or so years. I apologise to the people back then, I was pretty bloody clueless when it came to sustainability. I could get the fat off you early and fairly quick, I just really didn’t know how to go about keeping you going long term. Most of the stuff they teach us in our fitness qualification is how to help someone lose weight. The extent of long term went something along the lines of, ‘once your client has reached their goal weight congratulate them and transition them to a maintenance program.’ Yep, that was about it. There was no component on how to actually place someone on a maintenance program. And what I have discovered is that, there really isn’t one. Your body will try and outwit you, not literally, but it will get used to a stimulus you throw at it, so a ‘maintenance’ program still actually needs to keep challenging you long term, you have to keep getting that body to adapt in a positive manner.

What I am conveying here is to look past the glitter, after all, all that glitters is not gold.
If there are promises of getting you in amazing shape through an 8 week challenge, by getting you to ‘weigh in’ regularly.
If there are conditions attached like getting on body analysis machines, weighing and measuring too much, severe caloric restrictions, having to attend X amount of sessions, double up sessions in days, fucking run.

I am actually pretty bloody sick of seeing people hammer themselves on stuff all calories while someone delivers a session with someone cheerleading and not correcting form or just counting fucking reps, shit use your app for that.

We see people with myriad problems in our industry; How does that cookie cutter program of restrictive dieting and shit loads of sessions pan out for the person with a history of eating disorders they have not revealed to you? Because honestly, not many people will reveal that problem to us. And please if you are reading this, and you have a history of disordered eating, and you are looking at a program and there are scales, body fat calibrations, calorie counting, smash fest sessions in it and all manner of glamorous looking fitspo models in their marketing, politely excuse yourself and find somewhere that wants to see you succeed in your training and nutrition.

Somewhere that encourages you to eat your fruits and veggies. That wants you to train 3 to 5 hours a week and only do more if you are looking to really go places in a chosen sport or athletic pursuit.

Yes you can have all the things you want, you just have to commit. Commit to you and being better than yesterday.




Owner or guide?


Wed 20/5/2020

A few years back I was confronted with sleepless nights, with concern, with stifling anxiety, and depression was playing ridiculous games with me in among all that.

But I came through that and while I did CrossFit Armidale became bigger, stronger.

Now in 2020 we have been dealt probably the most difficult set of circumstances in business I have ever seen.

It has allowed me to see things from a different perspective.

I could do without the sleepless nights and ridiculous nausea and butterflies that come with the anxiety right now. But it has let me see what I was doing wrong. Where I had lost myself.

For a good portion of the last five or six years I was happily going about being a business owner. I was doing the accounting stuff, the government reporting, the marketing, the liaising with other businesses, the learning, the programing, the cleaning, the tidying up loose ends, the staff meetings, the vision work, the admin tasks, the marketing, and, well, anything else that popped up along the way.

When I started writing that down I realised how thinly I was spreading myself. In the last six months or so I began coaching a few sessions at different times and I began to remember why I had gotten into this. Why I wanted to help people. Now the thing with business is that cash flow is its lifeblood, but the main thing for that is the relationships with the people. I know now I stuffed up in a few places here, I was too worried about the bottom line and keeping afloat than I was about the important things.

At times I got out of my lane. And even though I had the best intentions in mind for people I more than likely came across as the villain in their story. If any of you are reading this, I am truly sorry I ever did anything to hurt you, because I try to live by, be good, do no harm. So while I never intend to harm anyone, I do understand that my actions can and more than likely have. So again, I am truly sorry to anyone that I have had that effect on.

So what am I getting at here? 

I have made mistakes, yeah, more than a few. At times I have lost sight of who I am and have not been the most honest with myself, which in turn leads to misleading others. This period in time has showed me that I needed to take a lot more personal responsibility again.

My health, my relationships, my work, my business, my social responsibilities, I needed to get back to them and be responsible for them. I Make my own destiny to a degree, sure, things like global pandemics are outside my control, and that can feel bloody overwhelming, but I can control how I react to these scenarios.

I have remembered we aren’t in high school anymore, people won’t pick on you because you aren’t in the popular crowd, they won’t desert you when you are at your lowest, and you will be able to pick yourself up and go again.

Something I have helped other people with that I had forgotten was that people are seldom out to get you, they are just trying to look after themselves and those they love. Look there are the odd narcissistic sociopaths out there that will do shit to try to bring you down, but they are the exception to the rule. So for me I was forced to get away from the box, and with that I realised that I needed to be what I set out to be back in 2007, and that is a guide and coach.

I have started doing one on one coaching calls with people and it has emphasised how much we need that contact, we need to feel a part of something that is more than just us. And we do truly love when someone guides us and helps us be accountable for our actions, especially if those actions are leading us to be better people overall. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually.


So this means that for me there have been, and now, will be more changes. I have seen where I was going wrong, and I know what I need to do to rectify it.

My actions are mine and mine alone. I choose where I want to go and what I want to do. 

I never set out to be a business owner. Why? Because it always seemed so damn impersonal, businesses owners were portrayed as greedy, pretentious people that had forgotten where they came from. I just wanted to help people.

So yeah, I had forgotten where I had come from. I forgot what I wanted to be and what helped the most.

I am a CrossFit affiliate, a CrossFit coach.

I am CrossFit Armidale.

And if you want to be a part of that, if you want that to be part of your story, come with me, I will show you the way.