What’s Your Mindset? || Stacey Magnesio

What’s Your (CrossFit) Mindset?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every person who starts CrossFit started the same. The movements were awkward, we lacked strength, and what the heck is a kipping pull up? But if we all started the same, how come only some CrossFit athletes excel in competition, get “the body”, and make strength gains? Some will chalk it up to pure talent. They were born with it. “She’s a natural!” they say.

Mindset plays a huge part in CrossFit! How you take on a challenge or handle a setback or interpret criticism is all about your mindset.

As I sat in on our first back to school staff development day this year (wishing I was still on the beach sippin’ on a drink with a little umbrella in it), we watched Stanford University psychologist Carol Dewek talk about The Power of Believing That You Can Improve. She explained that:

“Mindsets are beliefs- beliefs about yourself and your most basic qualities. Think about you intelligence, your talents, your personality. Are these qualities simply fixed traits, carved in stone and that’s that? Or are they things you can cultivate throughout your life?”

“People with a fixed mindset believe that their traits are just givens. They have a certain amount of brains and talent and nothing can change that. If they have a lot, they’re all set, but if they don’t… So people in this mindset worry about their traits and how adequate they are. They have something to prove to themselves and others.”

“People with a growth mindset, on the other hand, see their qualities as things that can be developed through their dedication and effort. They understand that their qualities are just a starting point and that no one has ever accomplished great things without years of passionate practice and learning.”

sited: http://mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/

The next time you face a WOD that you know will be a challenge, or go for a deadlift PR, or fail at another muscle up attempt, remember that you have a choice. You can choose to interpret it with either a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. Which mindset will you choose?

-Stacey Magnesio

Simple Tips to Help You Stay Motivated || Coach Erica Cuellar


Deep inside all of us, there’s a desire of wanting to accomplish certain fitness/health goals; however, a lot of times we find ourselves never reaching these goals. I personally think it is because we often forget to look back on how far we have actually come and only focus on how far we still have to go. This in return leads us to losing our motivational drive. If you currently find yourself in this situation or have found yourself in this situation, you’re not alone, it happens to all of us. Here are a few simple tips to help you stay on track.

  Write down your goals and explain WHY these goals are important to you. Goals are important to have in order to know what course of action you need to take. The “why” is just as important because this involves the emotions that serve as your motivational force and it’s this force that will drive your efforts towards fulfilling your goals.

  Schedule your weekly routine. Commit to certain days and times, mark it on your calendar and make it happen. Also, if you are someone who prefers evening workouts, but often find yourself stuck in traffic or in the office, try getting your workout done in the morning.

 Start small. If you’re new to the program or had a minor set back and are just now finding your way back into the gym, don’t think you can pick up where you left off. Take it easy, scale, modify and make each workout count.  Remember, go at your own pace and always practice quality over quantity.

 Find an accountability partner. Find someone within your class that you know will hold you accountable and will push you out of your comfort zone and motivate you. I personally always liked to buddy up with someone stronger or faster than me because it pushed me to work a little harder.

 Journal your progress. This will allow you to track your progress and milestones. It also helps you remember the appropriate weight to use for a workout. Using the appropriate weight is important for progression.

 Rest/Recovery – most important part of your routine, yet the most overlooked. Lack of rest leads to overtraining, injury, and becoming burnt out. Overtraining not only affects our muscular and cardiovascular systems but also our hormonal, nervous, immune, and endocrine systems. So enjoy a day or 2 of active recovery a week, remember, it will do more good than harm.

 Change it up and change your scenery. Enjoy nature and go out for a hike or a jog/walk or take a yoga class or Oly class (wink wink).

 Reward yourself for your accomplishments. Make sure the reward is non-edible; instead of a cupcake, buy a new pair of workout shoes or outfit or treat yourself to a massage for that matter.

  Keep a great attitude and enjoy the journey.

 

Remember, the reward is much bigger than the sacrifices being made.Keep in mind that your health and fitness journey is for a lifetime, so be kind and patient with yourself, and know that there’s going to bumps along the way.  If or when you find yourself off course, revert to these tips to help you regain your enthusiasm.

Stay motivated,

-Coach Erica

Build Your House! || Coach Tim Garland

 
“Once upon a time there were three little pigs. One pig built a house of straw while the second pig built his house with sticks. They built their houses very quickly and then sang and danced all day because they were lazy. The third little pig worked hard all day and built his house with bricks.
 

A big bad wolf saw the two little pigs while they danced and played and thought, “What juicy tender meals they will make!” He chased the two pigs and they ran and hid in their houses. The big bad wolf went to the first house and huffed and puffed and blew the house down in minutes. The frightened little pig ran to the second pig’s house that was made of sticks. The big bad wolf now came to this house and huffed and puffed and blew the house down in hardly any time. Now, the two little pigs were terrified and ran to the third pig’s house that was made of bricks.

The big bad wolf tried to huff and puff and blow the house down, but he could not. He kept trying for hours but the house was very strong and the little pigs were safe inside. He tried to enter through the chimney but the third little pig boiled a big pot of water and kept it below the chimney. The wolf fell into it and died.

The two little pigs now felt sorry for having been so lazy. They too built their houses with bricks and lived happily ever after.”

– credit: www.short stories.com

 

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We’ve all heard some version of this story, at least those of us that grew up before Facebook and Instagram. What if we take this story, change the characters and details up a bit, and then apply the general theme of the story to your training regimen? What does that look like…sticks, or bricks?

Over the years I’ve witnessed the evolution and devolution of people walking in and out of the doors of different gyms. The ones that stick with it for the long haul and make it a part of their lifestyle seem to approach things a bit differently than the other folks. That doesn’t mean they didn’t attempt to build a house of straw or sticks before they got wise and started laying down the bricks. What it does mean, is that they eventually found a better/more sustainable way of building their house. The goal of this article is to hopefully save someone the time (and possibly money) trying to build that new house, or remodel an existing one with more sustainable materials. The sustainability may just start with your blueprint…your paradigm or the way you approach things at the gym.

The straw and stick village residents occasionally take the shortcuts. You may know these folks. They may slack on their warm-up, cut reps here and there, or forfeit sets and reps that could be used to improve their range of motion and stability for sloppy form and heavier weight. We can all fall victim to these things on any given day. Those who have been on their fitness journeys for some time know when they have been slacking on the little things. If the house starts to creak, something might be a little out of whack.

All that huffin’ and puffin’ without a solid foundation can lead to injury and a demolished housed. Let’s work hard, train smart and do the little individual things/maintenance that each and every house needs. I challenge you take to the time, ask the questions and put in the work to build the best house you can. I challenge you to you to not brush off the “easy” skill work, but to embrace some of the different drills that can improve your overall skill set. Even if you can perform a skill, strive for improvement and more proficiency. Re-evaluate, re-assess. Build your house out of bricks. Those “modified” drills just might be the bricks your house needs to bust through an annoying plateau.

Warm-up. Cool-down. Improve stability throughout a proper range of motion. Skills and drills. Rest. Refuel. Recover. Repeat. Build a strong and secure foundations. Lay bricks!

Build your house,

-Coach Garland

Spring Cleaning: All Cleaned Up!

We would like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone involved in our Spring Cleaning Competition last weekend! We were able to raise $500 for Linzi Newth’s new non-profit, GingerCare Pets. GingerCare specializes in matching homeless pets with the elderly in a mutually beneficial relationship that allows for stimulation and companionship amongst both, all while providing the necessary medical care for the pet. This is to include regular visits by a veterinarian or technician whom helps to assist and educate the client in caring for their pet. When the client can no longer properly care for the animal, GingerCare aids in the intake process in order to prepare the pet for a new home.

Congratulations to CFA’s own who competed: 

Leah Alter
Beverly Lopez
Ashley Coraci
Isaiah Rosario
Shelby Clark
Austin Coover
Stephen Crockett
Dan Morice

And thank you to all of the competitors from other gyms who came out for the event!

Thank you to all of our volunteers:

Ade Rampaul
Daniel Avneri
Danny Gomez
Erica Cuellar
Jamie Kimball
Jodi Vaughn
Kayleen
Lee Perry
Lindsay Gale
Linzi Newth
Leigh LeGare
Mark Grande
Mitch Tabera
Monique Clements
Seth Rosen
Shanda Evans
Tim Garland
Walker Palicek
Wes Kimball

*Please forgive me if I’ve forgotten anyone!

Thank you to our Sponsors and those who donated prizes:
Airrosti
Fringe Sport
Cyclone Speed Ropes
Reebok Outlet
Kong Screen Printing

And finally a huge thank you to everyone who came out to cheer and support!

We will continue to donate the proceeds from Spring Cleaning t-shirts to GingerCare. We still have several in stock so come grab one and make a contribution to an awesome cause!

Congratulations to Linzi Newth for all of her hard work! This is what community is all about. 

-The CFA Team

Variety is the Spice of Life || Coach Walker Palecek

The end of competition season (at least, for most of us) can sometimes leave us feeling a bit…lost. While it’s not everyone’s intent to compete in CrossFit (now, or ever), so much of our focus has been on the Open; when it’s all over we can be left with a case of Now what?
First things first, it’s time to get back in touch with those goals; it might even be time to set new ones. Goals give us a purpose for training. They are often the reason we get up on a rainy day to fight traffic to get to class, they are the reason we fight through one more rep.
Something I have always used as inspiration when looking at my goals is
Greg Glassman’s “What is CrossFit in 100 Words or Less.” Within it you will find:
1- “Routine is the enemy” and, 
2- “Regularly learn and play new sports”
The longer you’ve been doing CrossFit the more important I think these words are. About once a year I focus on Glassman’s words and brainstorm, What can I do to mix it up?
1- Just recently I decided to change from afternoon workouts back to AM workouts. Switching class times (or days!) can be a whole different ball game. Never been to a Saturday workout? There are many lessons to be learned from a partner or team workout. Some time ago I decided to focus more on a Strength program and gave that a go – going to open gym instead of classes took an elevated level of discipline! The year before that I focused solely on Olympic weightlifting for several months…Each of these diversions benefited me personally and carried over positively to my CrossFit training.
2- Have you ever considered a goal that had nothing to do with CrossFit? From inception, I don’t believe CrossFit was originally designed to be a sport of its own. Rather, it was meant to enhance “real life,” e.g., having more energy to play flag football with your children or the strength to lift a suitcase into the overhead cabin. Or, it could be used as a training method to complement your abilities in other sports. Now I believe it works both ways. In my own experience, with each new sport I tried – whether it be Zumba class, softball, or tackling a 10K – I have enhanced my CrossFit training, and my CrossFit training gave me advantages (or a different perspective at least) in that sport. For example I was previously plagued with injury and weakness so running was never fun for me, but CrossFit allowed me to train for distance running. On the other hand, training for a run gave me more endurance at the gym.
As we prepare to support our CrossFit community at Regionals this weekend, take a minute to focus inward. Examine your goals and ask, what you could do to spice it up?
“Variety’s the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor.” – William Cowper
-Coach Walker