Today, we have a bittersweet announcement to make. This will be coach Zach Lane’s final week at CFA as he is making a move to Boise, Idaho. Zach has been a huge part of the CFA team for the last two years. His most visible role has been as a coach, but he’s also played a huge role in improving our social media presence, and also been a consistent part of our community as an athlete. Zach has always gone out of his way to work hard, and go above and beyond for the CFA community and for that we’re truly thankful for the time he’s spent with us. While we’ll miss Zach, were excited for the new opportunity and journey ahead of him in Boise. Zach’s not one to bring attention to himself, but he did want leave you guys with a few words below.
“Thank you to all those that I have coached, trained with, and been able to call my friends at CFA. This community has been like a family to me since I joined and I am forever grateful for that.
My thanks goes out to Wes, Gen and the coaching staff, too. They have taught me so much and helped me out on many occasions.
Although I’m very excited for my move and all of the new excitements and challenges it holds, I will certainly miss all of you. Hopefully, I can return to Austin soon so that you may all enjoy the massive amounts of sweat I produce while rolling around on the ground after a workout.”
We are 5 short days from our Night of Champions competition! As promised, below are the WODs we’ll see next Friday! Rx and Scaled weights listed below. Get yourself a partner and get registered! Remember, only 1 team member must register through the online system ($50 per team). We’ll email you to get your partner’s name and which division you’ll be competing in.
Event 1
“Captain Hiller” 4 RM Front Squat from the Ground
15:00 Time Cap
*Each team will have a station with a barbell and 300 lbs of weights for men, and 200 lbs of weights for women. Each team member will be allowed build up to as heavy a weight as possible in the allotted time. The first rep of each set must be cleaned by the athlete attemping the set. If the athlete squat cleans the first rep that will count as the first rep of the set. Athlete’s will be able to increase weight in 5 lb increments.
*The combined weight of both athletes will be the team’s score.
Event 2 “President Whitmore”
19 Burpee Broad Jumps (One Partner)
76 Power Snatches @ 75 / 55 / 35
19 Burpee Broad Jumps (One Partner)
76 Power Snatches @ 75 / 55 / 35
*18:00 Time Cap
*Team’s begin on the burpee broad jump course, each jump will be a defined distance and athletes will be required to get both feet over the line. The first half of the 19 burpee broad jumps will be completed by one teammate and the second half of the 19 burpee broad jumps will be completed by the other teammate. Teams then move to power snatches and can split work however they see fit. Teams then move back to the burpee broad jump course. The first half of the 19 burpee broad jumps will be completed by one teammate and the second half of the 19 burpee broad jumps will be completed by the other teammate. Teams then move back to power snatches and can split work however they see fit.
*The total time it takes the teams to complete the workout will be the team’s score. If teams do not complete under the time cap their score will be total reps completed.
Check it out! Here are the movements you will see in our upcoming Night of Champions competition! Stay tuned for official workouts, weights, divisions, and standards to be released on Monday!
Cleans
Broad Jumps
Power Snatches
Burpees
Front Squats
Many times as we approach a lift we become our own worst enemy. Our minds fill with anxiety, fear of failure, and perhaps frustration as we try to accomplish the task at hand. Our intentions are good, but the inability to control our thoughts many time impedes our physical capabilities. Today, I’m going to go over a couple of “mind tricks” I’ve developed over the years to help in one of the most common scenarios we see in the gym: lifting weights.
My general rule of thumb here is the heavier the lift, the less you can think about what is happening. An example of this would be on a back squat if I’m lifting below 80% I’m going to be focusing on allot of elements of the lift.
Is my breathing sequence correct? Am I tight through my core? Is the weight distributed correctly in my feet? Am I “spreading the floor” with my feet so my glutes are involved? etc. Even in an exercise as simple as the back squat there are several moving parts and conscious effort needs to be directed to the movement to make sure things are on point. However the trick is stripping away that conscious thought as you get heavier and heavier. At 80-90% you can only focus on 2 maybe 3 elements of the lift, and once you get into the 90% to max zone you simply have to trust your training and focus all you mental effort into one thing. In our back squat example your focus should 100% be on being as aggressive as possible. The problem is athletes, and especially novice athletes tend to approach this backwards. They go into “autopilot” and pay little attention to weights that are light and “easy” as they build to the heavier sets. Then once the bar becomes heavy enough to “notice” the athlete begins to over analyze and micro manage the movement. By the time max loads are reached fear, self doubt, and anxiety have taken over. Resulting in the athlete’s thoughts impeding their ability to reach the speeds necessary to perform a maximum load.
While our example above is a back squat this concept becomes more important the more complex a lift is. In simpler slower lifts (squats, deadlifts, etc) you can get away with more conscious thought at heavier loads, than you can in more complex faster lifts (snatch, clean & jerk). That’s why when I coach an Olympic lift my cues to my athlete become simpler the heavier the weight is. I might start with something like “stand longer, and keep you shoulders over the bar” and then move to cues like “tighter”, “more legs”, “more aggressive”, “big throw”, etc. If athletes are trying to think of multiple individual actions of the lift then they are for sure going to be moving to slow to be successful.
In closing, here are a few tips to keep your focus simple during a lift:
Visualize don’t think. Before you step up to the bar visualize what a successful lift will look and feel like.
Focus on single word actions. Fast, close, aggressive are all “thoughts” that can be beneficial at max loads. If you can’t say it in the time it take to do it then it’s most likely to complex a thought to be helpful.
Practice. Conscious thought and effort is very important in mastering lifts just not beneficial at max loads. This is why we program submaximal lifts often, so you can practice doing things correctly and your body reacts appropriately when the weight gets heavy. So don’t blow off the light sets, and don’t try to go heavier when it’s not prescribed. Use that time to practice all the various components of a lift and be disciplined enough to make them picture perfect.
As many of you know, I tend to write about things that are more directly applicable within the walls of the gym. I write and post about this, but in individual conversations we are able to go a little further into what overall health means to me. Not just how to perform a lift properly or what you should/ should not eat. Find balance. Challenge yourself. Appreciating said challenge and attacking it with a win/win mindset can help us grow. We may not win them all, but with this mindset…even a “loss” can be viewed as a “win” if we contemplate and learn from the “loss”.
Here lately, your Coaches at CFA have been studying up on psychology and communication. We want to be able to listen and understand more effectively so that we can be more precise in communicating with you. Communicating …any and all knowledge we accumulate through continued education to make your experience here an experience of progress and growth. Physical. Mental. Emotional. Social. Growth.
The article below is something I stumbled across the other day in search of a different paper. However, I recently had a conversation with someone who had been in a rut. This hit home for me within the context of that conversation, but can be interpreted/applied by all in some form or fashion.
A couple of highlights that stood out in this article that I see/ hear reflected in people’s daily actions and responses;
Your intelligence and personality can be developed/sharpened, they are not just “immutably ingrained traits”
There is a piece in the article that speaks about “deliberate practice”. In the gym, we want to reinforce great form with deliberate practice each day. But outside the gym, we need to employ deliberate practice in other areas of our lives to ensure continued growth and avoid stagnation.
This weekend, I challenge you to get outside. Be still. Be quiet and think.
Words to live by? “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.” – Nietzsche
What is your fitness background? I’ve played volleyball since I can remember. It pretty much ran my life for about 10 years all the way through college, and I loved it. After that, I dabbled in the general gym arena, but it never much caught on. I love to hike and be out doors.
How long have you been CrossFitting? 2.5 years. How time flies!
Take us back to your first day of CrossFit… How did you feel? How do you compare it to workouts today? I don’t remember the first day as much as I do the introduction class. I started when I still lived in California, so I wasn’t at CFA yet. I remember I felt pretty confident, definitely wanted to get stronger, and slightly intimidated…okay very intimidated. Everything was going along relatively smoothly until I had to do a clean. Let’s just say the execution was….awkward. Since then, I like to think things have gotten a little less awkward – although there are moments. Once I realized the only person I was competing with was myself, I was able to get a lot more comfortable with the workouts.
What’s your favorite part of CrossFit Austin?
My favorite part of Crossfit Austin is the people. From the amazing coaching staff to the evening workout crew. They’re the best!
Current Training Goals/PRs?Working out 5 days a week. Most of it’s done with Crossfit, but I make sure to squeeze in a run or a hike, as well. I travel a lot for work so between that and a desk job, staying active when I can is very important.
What advice do you have for folks just starting out in CrossFit? Technique, technique, technique. If you are not comfortable with the movement, go a little lighter with the weights – even too light. There is plenty of time to build up. And listen to your body, sometimes it just says ‘no’ or ‘I’m a little slower today’. It doesn’t mean don’t go out there and give it your all, just be mindful when you do it.
What is your cheat meal go to? Would you like the full list or should I just seem like a normal person and name one thing? Let’s go with chocolate…it’s the root of all my weaknesses anyway. 🙂
Tell us about a moment you felt most proud of yourself during a workout. I don’t have one moment. I have a lot of moments, which is why I think Crossfit is awesome. The more you work at it the more you succeed and achieve those wins, even the little ones. It’s an amazing feeling and it’s why I keep coming back for more!
If you could create a WOD and name it for yourself, what would it be?
Tall Person WOD
500 meter row
40 wall balls
500 meter row
20 wall balls
500 meter row
10 wall balls
What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?
I love hiking and exploring new places.
Tell us something we don’t know about you… I have no boundaries when it comes to my animals. I share my breakfast, lunch and dinner with them. They hang out with me all day in my office. They take over the bed at night. And they come with me pretty much everywhere.
Longhorns or Aggies? Ummmmmm baseball? SF Giants all the way.
Leave the fine folks of CrossFit Austin with some parting words…
Thank you to everyone for making CFA an amazing and fun place to sweat it out!
