Each month we spotlight a different CFA athlete who stands out and shows just how awesome they are. What is it that makes up an Athlete of the Month? It may not be the person that finishes the fastest, Rx’s every WOD, or gets a PR every time they walk in the gym. Although we love and celebrate when those things happen, the Athlete of the Month is made up of much more than physical ability. This person shows up, gives their best every time, and then gives a little more. They are hungry to learn and always ready to do the work. They support their fellow classmates and encourage them to reach their goals. This athlete embodies what we believe the CrossFit Austin Community should be about.

Our August Athlete of the Month is Gilbert Nevarez! Gilbert became a member at CFA back in September of 2013 and I still remember when he started! He has always been such a friendly face! Gilbert is a devout 6:30 am guy. Like clockwork, he walks in with a smile and says “Good morning!” He gives his all in every single workout and it’s been a pleasure watching him grow in his years here. We’re excited to watch him continue to progress for many more years! Gilbert, we are proud to have you as our August Athlete of the Month and as an awesome part of this community. Congratulations!

Words to live by?
Treat others how you would like to be treated.

What is your fitness background?
Before CFA, running around town lake, mountain bike riding the greenbelt, and cycling.

How long have you been CrossFitting?
Going on 3 years

Take us back to your first day of CrossFit… How did you feel? How do you compare it to workouts today?
Felt a little intimidated at first, with all the bad ass athletes around this gym. It took me a while to realize that I was not competing with anyone but myself. Looking back, I have also realized that the soreness never goes away. Every workout is a challenge and awesome!

What’s your favorite part of CrossFit Austin?
The coaches and the members! It is such an awesome environment. Never a boring moment here. Always a great time!

Current Training Goals/PRs?
Finish a Spartan Beast in October.

What advice do you have for folks just starting out in CrossFit?
Listen to your body. Do what only your mind and body can handle. Hove lots of fun while your doing your workout. Remember that you are only in competition with yourself.

What is your cheat meal go to?
Whataburger with cheese all the way! I have tried them all in Austin. Even though there are a few excellent ones out there, Whataburger is old school! Born
and raised in Texas and consistently good. And don’t ever tell me In and Out is better!

Tell us about a moment you felt most proud of yourself during a workout.
Finishing my first Karen!

If you could create a WOD and name it for yourself, what would it be?
It would be one that makes me feel like my heart feels like it is going to jump out of my chest! I absolutely love heart throbbing work outs! Probably name it Heart Attack or something like that.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?
Traveling out near the beach as much as possible.

Tell us something we don’t know about you…
I enjoy doing volunteer work in other countries at least once a year. After volunteering my first time 10 years ago, I was hooked! It was so fulfilling to help the less fortunate. It opened my eyes to see that we have it made here! It definitely puts me back in check every time I go out.

Longhorns or Aggies?
Definitely a Longhorn! Even though I don’t get to make it out to many games as much as I used to, I am a Longhorn at heart! Hook Em!

Leave the fine folks of CrossFit Austin with some parting words:
Shout out to all you awesome coaches! If it wasn’t for the awesome coaching skills, I would not have been here almost 3 years. I am honored to be a member at CFA! I am honored to have been chosen this month AOM!

With the Olympics right around the corner, we decided it was time for some new USA inspired CFA gear!

Pre-Order your shirts by MONDAY (August 1st) to guarantee your style and size – Use the order form HERE
$25

Heather Grey or Navy in each style – Front print will be the “CFA” design and back print will be the CrossFit Austin logo in red, placed between the shoulder blades.

Styles available –

Women’s cut tees – Bella + Canvas

Solid Colors: 100% combed and ring-spun cotton, 30 single 4.2 oz. (Ash – 99% combed and ring-spun cotton 1% poly)
Heather/Blend Colors: 52% combed and ring-spun cotton 48% poly (Ath. Heather – 90% combed and ring-spun cotton 10% poly)

Women’s cut tanks (run snug) – Next Level

Fabric: Light Weight Cotton Poly Jersey
30 Single 132g 3.9oz 60% Combed Ring-Spun Cotton 40% Polyester. Fabric Laundered

Unisex tees – American Apparel
Navy – • Fine Jersey (100% Cotton) construction – Durable rib neckband

Heather Grey – • Tri-Blend (50% Polyester / 25% Cotton / 25% Rayon) construction • Polyester retains shape and elasticity; Cotton lends both comfort and durability; addition of Rayon makes for a unique texture and drapes against the body for a slimming look • Durable rib neckband

Unisex tanks

• Fine Jersey (100% Cotton) construction (Heather Grey contains 10% Polyester)

Longevity

[lon-jev-i-tee, lawn-]

noun

1. a long individual life; great duration of individual life:

Our family is known for its longevity.

2. the length or duration of life:

research in human longevity.

Our goal at CrossFit Austin is longevity. Longevity requires dedication and commitment to your health and fitness. With the right motivation and the right tools, we can help you live your best life.

It all starts with finding your why. Every one of you came to CFA for a reason. Maybe you wanted to get healthier, fitter, lose weight, gain muscle, train for an event… The list goes on. While these are all valid reasons to get moving, we have to dig a little deeper to find the why.

Let’s say you came to us on your first day and said “I’m here because I want to be healthier.” Ok, what does healthy mean to you? Does it rely on numbers? Weight, BMI, blood pressure? Maybe your perception of health lies within the Illness – Wellness Continuum and you’re hoping to find yourself on the right-hand side of the spectrum. Or, you could be one of the folks that defines health as feeling good and being able to do the things you want to do day in and day out.  

Let’s go even deeper. WHY do you want to be healthier? Do you have a big birthday coming up? Is there a kiddo on the way? Maybe you’ve got a reunion coming up and you want all your old friends to see how “healthy” you are. 😉  No matter what your reason, the WHY is the most important part. We want you to keep asking why until you uncover the reason you really came to start moving with us. That is where your motivation lies.

Motivation is extremely important in the longevity of your life. Starting is one thing, but staying is another. Once you’ve reached your initial goals, what is it that keeps you coming back? You don’t come in and work your ass off day in and day out for nothing. You’ve seen some results and you’re looking, feeling, and performing better. Once your initial goals have been met, it’s time to starting looking at the long term.

We want you to be fit for life and we have a few recommendations to help you on the path to those long term health and fitness goals.  

1)    Sweat with us 2-3 times a week MINIMUM! Part of this journey is about making your health a priority and creating the space and habits to do so.

2)    Eat clean MOST of the time. Yes, you have to eat to fuel your machine (your body, your training, your life), but you also have to eat to fuel your heart a little! Think 80/20. Plan your meals, but also indulge a little. When you’re out with friends and everyone is having a drink except you that’s no fun! Just remember, everything in moderation.

3)   Get outside or try a new sport/game at least 1-2 times a week. You don’t have to be good at it, but TRY and have fun. Challenge yourself a little to try something totally new. I’m still staring at this spike ball thing in the gym and no one will teach me how to play…. :/

4)   Go on an adventure once a year. Make this bigger than number 3…. An adventure doesn’t mean the hiking path behind your house. Do something big and new. Go on a trip and explore the parks in the area. Get crazy and try sky diving…. That one is not for me because I think my heart would explode from fear, but maybe you can handle it. Challenge yourself to explore something you’ve always wanted to try, but have always put on the back burner for one reason or another.

As you’ve probably noticed, we’re rolling out some new concepts at CFA. One of the things we’re doing to help create a better overall experience is implementing the Coach For Life concept. We are working to create a better, more personal experience for each of you, while continuing to cultivate the amazing community we have.  As a Coach For Life, my goal is to help you to continuously discover your “why” and to create a plan for your best life. Health and fitness don’t just come to a stop when you’ve reached your initial goals. Longevity is key so let’s keep going!

“The role of a leader is not to come up with all the great ideas. The role of a leader is to create an environment in which great ideas can happen.” – Simon Sinek

–Coach Gen

Today we are kickin’ it back to an article Coach Tim wrote last year. We are in the midst of 100° days and when you’re sweating it out like we do, you have to be putting it back in. Check out some wise words from a wise man while you enjoy a nice, cold glass of H20!

Excuse me… I’d like to interrupt of everyone’s game of Pokemon Go.  Friday marks the midway point for our summer training cycle and I’d like to drop a few tips here to help maximize the next 3 weeks of training. If you’re new and unfamiliar with the structure of our programming cycles take a look at this article for a basic lay of the land.. We have and will continue to focus on improving everyone’s strict pull-ups, back squat, and clean.  So today I will include a tip for each of the three movements.

Tip 1 “Back Squat”:
Stretch your groin.  This  will not only help open of the bottom of your squat position, but also improve your ability to access the gluteus medius which abducts, internally, and externally rotates you femur in the hip. Why is this important?  Because a fully engaged hip gives us a stronger more stable position in our deep squat, which allows us to protect our lower back and knees from common ailments associated with poor squat form. It also help us lift more weight (duh).  If you need some examples of good groin stretches check out this article I wrote back in March with some quick hip and groin openers.

Tip 2 “Clean”:
Improve your rack. One of the most common problems I see with the clean is a poor rack positions. Countless lifts have been missed due to poor rack positions.  Here’s a quick test – Can you squat clean your 3 RM Front Squat? If you can’t, it is most likely a positional issue in the rack or a poor squat depth in your front squats. Lets assume its a shitty rack position. First, go read Coach Tim’s in-depth article discussing the finer points of improving the rack position with dual mobility and stability work.  Secondly, I have a challenge for you… Don’t front squat a weight that you can’t put a full grip on bar with. That’s right, no weight goes on your bar that you can’t keep all four fingers, your thumb, and at least part of your palm wrapped around.  This is will you develop a rack position that is advantageous for the clean and will also probably help improve your squat depth.

Tip 3 “Strict Pull-ups”:  
Last, but certainly not least let’s talk strict pull-ups.  Let’s look outside the box a bit here. Besides upper body pulling strength and body weight, the biggest challenge in the strict pull-up is full body control. Most of us naturally relax everything as we try to struggle our chin over to the bar. So the challenge here is to find as many ways to hang from the bar in a hollow position as possible. Full hand, active hang, 90 degree bent arm hang, chin over bar hang, or chest to bar hang.  The goal is to maintain a great hollow position, if at any point you feel your legs, butt, or belly relax jump off the bar.  This is will help you develop proper body positions in different ranges of motion of the pull-up, and ingrain proper positioning in nervous system. Don’t spend more than 2:00 total minutes hanging from the bar however.

That’s it folks lets dominate this second half of the programming like you have a rare pikachu in your sights. Full disclosure, I know nothing about the new Pokemon fad, but it sure is popular with the kids these days!

-Coach Wes