Prospective client:
Hey Ben, I’ve been thinking about getting back into this CrossFit thing… I mean I have been going to the gym but I’m finding it kind of boring?… and well, I don’t really feel like I’m getting anywhere…
Ben:
Sure thing. We run like 10 sessions a week. We run them in the morning and we run them at night. We even run sessions on the weekend. We run them all over town. we’re fully qualified personal trainers that supervise and coach you through the every workout. We’ll get you leaner, stronger and more confident than you’ve ever been. All our committed clients achieve spectacular results and have completely changed their lives… When would you like to come?
What happens next is absolutely incredible and for two reasons. 1. The person who initiated the conversation will actually start to talk themselves out of making any commitment, generally with a myriad of excuses as to why they wouldn’t be able to make any of the sessions and 2. The fact that this is not a rare occurrence but quite a regular one…
We’ve had guys and girls who were there, back at the very beginning. Back when we were working out in my garage in Palmerston. Guys and girls with massive potential and also who at the time were more physically capable than others go ahead and quit because it was too hard, too expensive or required too much commitment.
It’s kind of funny, now that all our Adapt regulars are absolutely killing it -- thy’re leaning up, getting stronger, growing in confidence and taking control of their lives… that the very same people that quit back in the early days are only now beginning to see what might have been possible if they’d actually stuck it out…
It’s all to easy to make excuses not to make a commitment to something that’s physically and mentally tough. As a matter of fact you could come up with 10 excuses in as many seconds… “It’s too far to drive… I’d have to get up @ 5am… I look like shit first thing in the morning… It’s too cold… It’s too hot… I don’t like metal… I don’t like country music (but seriously: we don’t actually play country music)… etc. etc….”
What we do is hard. It takes dedication, commitment, passion and motivation. You better believe it’s going to suck. But here’s what’s really cool: we understand that suck. Sean and I do the same workouts you do. We get to experience the same food cravings you do (Well at least I do -- sometimes I wonder about Sean: he’s a machine when it comes to nutrition…) Not only do we understand what you’re going through but we’re right there by your side encouraging you every step of they way. We’ll chase you up if you’ve missed sessions and beyond that we actually care how you do in life… We’ll challenge you about your nutrition and we’ll inquire about your work/life balance. We may not have all the answers but we’ll certainly ask you the tough questions to open your mind and challenge your existing concepts, and we’ll do it because we actually give a shit. I totally understand how busy life can get -- I’m married with two kids. I have two other jobs and Sean and I run Adapt in our ‘spare’ time…
Another great benefit to teaming up with Adapt is the fact that you’re hanging out with a group of guys and girls that are heading in the right direction…. Guys and girls who are prepared to stand by you and encourage you when you’re going through a shitty WOD or a shitty time in your life. We’re real people who don’t have it all sorted -- no not by a long shot but we have a pretty good idea of what it takes to get fit, eat right and have fun and do life…
So if you’ve been thinking about trying us out or getting back on this ‘fitness horse’ you’re more than welcome. It’s easy to think of 100 excuses why you can’t but it’s much harder to step up, make a commitment and take control of your life. Of course it’s going to be tough but understand that we’ll be right there in the trenches beside you every step of the way and that in the long run it’s going to be oh so worth it!
Being a 21 year old with no real tie downs you’d probably be surprised that I think about anything else apart from partying. But leaving all stereotypes behind and choosing the things that are important to me like trying to “tread my own path” has given me some valuable ideas in which I wish to share and it may help others.
Over the last few months I have been trying to focus in on the things that make me happy and cutting out all the shit that doesn’t. That has meant a bit of a job shift, reconnecting with the people in my life that I for lack of a better term have “cut out” and just spending more time on stuff that is important to me. The result is right now I’m loving life. I have more energy, I’m enjoying things a lot more and I just feel better than ever.
I had found working my ass off for a whole bunch of people that didn’t really give a shit about what I held important, didn’t work for me. The family back home that I had left behind, I wanted in my life. The partying ways of a normal 21 year old, weren’t for me. I decided living the much cleaner, simpler life was also what I wanted. So what did I do?? CHANGE – probably the 3rd worst C word in the English language(the 1st being commitment ).
I guess my question to you is, what is important? If someone said to you, and you could live your life any way you wanted, how would you? And why aren’t you doing that right now? There are no excuses to this answer just the harsh reality that if you’re not doing things the way you want then change.
“There are excuses or results, you can’t have both”
Feeling smoked lately? Well I have and after talking to Rosko from B32 I started having a bit of a closer look at Adrenal Fatigue…
Sign #1: Difficulty getting up in the morning. It doesn’t matter the time, you just don’t feel awake enough.
Sign #2: Continuous cravings for salt or salty foods. You always need more salt than you’re getting.
Sign #3: Increased effort to do every day tasks. You love training, but now it seems like everything from your warm-up to the deadlift sucks.
Sign #4: Decreased sex drive. It just isn’t happening. Enough said.
Sign #5: Decreased ability to manage stress. The littlest things seem to set you off.
Sign #6: Increased recovery time. Any cuts you have take longer to heal, swelling stays around, that cough you’ve had is still there after a month, and your biceps still hurt from loading the bar when you were squatting.
Sign #7: Light-headedness from standing too quickly. You feel like you’re going to pass out and you see bright images when you stand up.
Sign #8: Less overall life happiness. Nothing makes you happy: training sucks, your job sucks, and the weekends suck.
Sign #9: Increased symptoms with skipped meals. You’re always hungry, every hour. If you miss a meal, you’re craving something and every meal becomes a cheat meal.
Sign #10: Less productivity. Overall, you just can’t get things done, you’re distracted easily, and you can’t work as efficiently or as quickly.
I was speaking to Becca the other day in regards to how she used to go to the Gym at ClubLime. We mused over what life was like back then and how it compared to now? It’s been awesome to see how far she’s come working out in the garage with me and without the aid of a lat pull-down or leg press machine. She’s stronger than ever and running better than ever and I’m happy to say that it’s no thanks to pin loaded machines or a treadmill… I asked her: now that she knew what it took to achieve real fitness, could she go back to a gym with all the machines, treadmills and mirrors, etc.? I guessed I asked the question in jest but got a response that was far deeper than I had anticipated…
She brought up a really good point that mega-gyms like Club Lime and and Fitness First only exist for people who want to tick the box – not for people actually trying to achieve real health & fitness. The whole mega-gym sales pitch is based on you maintaining your comfortable life. And you continuing to return to a place that’s always comfortable… I mean you watch TV all the time and hey, they want to keep you comfortable - so why not come and watch TV at the gym while you ‘tick the box’ jogging on a treadmill or kicking back on one of the many recumbent cycles. Sean mentioned some Evo gym clients schedule workouts to be the same time as their favourite TV shows… WTF? I’m not saying that people who train at Fitness First don’t have a clue (some of the guys that rock out to our Saturday arvo workouts train there but they also do CrossFit) If intensity is the key to results (and it is) but you have time to watch TV while you workout then I might question your level of intensity?
If you didn’t already know personal growth is based on being uncomfortable. Uncomfortable with where you are right now, and it goes well beyond just health and fitness too. It applies to relationships, business, finances, and pretty much any area of your life that you’re looking to experience growth. If your comfortable with where you’re at (at this very point in time) why change? That is unless your version of ‘change’ is simply ticking boxes for your conscience… If someone asked you “Do you go to the gym?” You’d could tick that box and happily say “For sure! I go like 3x a week…” But do you know why you are going? are you going in order to achieve your health and fitness goals or just to tick a box?. Do you even know what those goals are? or have you forgotten? Do you feel comfortable when you go to the gym or get nervous before a workout? I’d say: get comfortable without being uncomfortable. as you cannot grow without it.
You need to move beyond ticking boxes and understand why you do what you’re doing what you do. Once you understand the ‘why’ you need to set goals. and finally you need to track your progress towards those goals. The reason we time workouts, count reps and record results is so that you have a benchmarks to work with. If your workout isn’t measurable how will you know that you did better than what you did last time? (beyond “well I’m ‘pretty sure’ I felt like I went harder than last time…?”) You can’t record what you did in a body-attack, a body-balance or a spin class – and you’re accountable to no one – just yourself and for most people (‘most people’) you’ll always take the soft option – when the instructor asked you to wind up the resistance on the bike you had a choice – Maybe you did? Maybe you didn’t? But I guess no-one but you will ever know…
That’s the difference with CrossFit. Your results are public. You’re accountable. You know exactly what your last ‘Fran’ time or ‘Cindy’ score is (as do we) – You know because your always thinking about how to beat it next time. You know what your 1RM deadlift or 3RM back squat is – You know because you actually care and it’s been recorded. If you want something to grow, you need to track it. If you want to take control of your finances you’ll create a budget and track your spending – If you want you get healthier, fitter, stronger and faster you’d track exactly what you’ve been eating and you’d track your workout results. What are your health & fitness goals? or have you forgotten? How are you tracking towards those goals? Are you doing everything you possibly can to achieve them or are you just ‘ticking a box’…
Sean and I will continue to challenge you at every single workout and encourage you to question what you think you can achieve by pushing you beyond what you thought you were capable of…(whoa that was a big sentence) Every workout we run we’ll try and get you out of your comfort zone. We get all our girls and guys to get upside down with frog-stands and handstands. We’ll ask you to pick up heavy things. We do it because it expands your circle. You experience growth. If you’re comfortable you won’t grow. If you go to a place that doesnt challenge you mentally or physically every single time then you’re not growing… We want you to find out what your capable of and trust us, it’s so much more than you think.
Don’t just tick a box. Know the why. Set some goals and track your progress towards those goals. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and experience real health & fitness!
The whole point of our sport is power output: do more work faster. Intrinsic in this little missive is “faster”, but every guy secretly wants to be bigger and stronger, and figures that what we actually meant was “heavier”. / This is not what we meant. / It comes down to simple physics: power is the product of speed and strength. Too much of either (without the other) will result in extremely blunted power…
Jon Gilson over at Again Faster has put together an awesome post on power output. If you’re think you can go RX’d in Fran but can’t do a 85kg thruster – you might want to think again – check it out here…
As everyone knows knows push-ups suck. Well at least it’s served to be quite a sticking point for me in workouts like ‘Cindy’ and ‘Angie’…
The cool thing about training with a bunch of like-minded guys and girls is that now and then everyone shares their little gems of wisdom – and even if you’ve heard it somewhere else before it’s great to be reminded and re focused on what you knew so you can pick it up again and apply it.
Lately I’ve noticed that Jamie has been smashing push-ups in his workouts so I had to ask him what he was doing to get such significant improvements in such a short time frame? – He let me in on a secret that he and his wife Debbie were spending some time working on their weaknesses whenever they got a chance and that at the moment they were focusing on increasing their flexibility and push-up strength… Jamie stated that he’d been dropping to the floor when he got a chance and going for as many push-ups as he could do it one hit. He said that he’d gone from about 20 to 50 push-ups in the space of a fortnight. Nice.
I think somewhere along the line I must have decided that there was too much suck involved and wouldn’t bother training push-ups until they came up next time in a WOD – what a mistake! The next WOD came along and long story short: I got my arse kicked. & Royally. The DOMs lasted for a week as well -> so taking a page out of Jamie’s book, I’ve started doing the same: dropping and doing max push-ups whenever I get a chance…
Considering all it takes is less than a minute each time and the fact that it may reduce my next push-up based WOD time by about the same I’m going to keep on keeping on until I hit the magic 100… How are you’re push-ups going?
The obesity epidemic has also been caused by conveniences: fast food and microwaveable meals and food that has been processed and artificially flavored so eating takes so little work that we do it in huge amounts. The solution, for many, must also be convenient — they don’t want to cook their own meals or put in hours of exericise. They want fast but healthy meals that are ready instantly, exercise that can be done in a few minutes or that feels easy, pills and surgery that solve our fat problems. My thinking is that exercise is and should be hard work — hard but fun. Cooking healthy meals takes a little time, but it should be enjoyable and mindful cooking and eating…
Hey guys, This week’s nearly over and by Joe – we have a new challenge! We’ve been observing the whole Adapt crew of late and one things becoming pretty clear: you guys don’t stretch enough! While it’s a well known fact that most of the general public don’t stretch enough I was surprised (well kinda) to find out that the only stretching you guys partake in is at the end of each session we run. Yay for you if you’re a PT client because at least you get some regular PNF stretching. The amount of guys and girls getting around with tight hammies (which just in case you didn’t know: is like driving around your car around with the hand-brake on) is crazy!
If you’re sick and tired or waking up feeling tired and tight but you don’t stretch – you have no right to complain. Do some stretching. You need to spend at least 20mins a day stretching. Next time you turn on the TV (because that’s something you really have to think about doing) Turn it back off and spend a solid 20mins improving the quality of your life. We’ve run you through enough stretch sessions after workouts for you to stretch on your own – so what are you waiting for? Go ahead and bust out some ‘child’s pose’ or ‘glutorius’ stretches.
Being a PT running multiple 1:1 PT and group fitness sessions everyday, I generally get a chance to sit down and run through all the stretches with you at the end of each session so I’d easily be getting the minimum required amount of 20min/day. On the days I don’t run sessions I find the best time to stretch everything out is just before bed. It relaxes me. It opens up and relaxes my neck, shoulders, back, hips and lower body.
The Challenge:
We’ve taken your names and we’ve taken your sit’n'reach numbers and we now have a base. You have 7 days from the date of measurement to come back and blow your initial result out of the water (originally we said you have to beat your score – but as I always love to up the ante…) You have to beat your score by at least 2cm or more. If you fail to beat your initial score you have to do 100 penalty burpees and this will be after the workout of the day (not instead of one…)
For all you guys that think it’s impossible it’s time to turn off the telly and hook into some stretches…. You have 2 options: 1. increase your flexibilty and increase your performance or 2. practice your burpees and continue to walk around with the hand-brake on Both Sean and I will be participating but because we’re the trainers it’s only fair that we’re held to a higher standard: we need to register an improvement of 3cm or more… Sean this one’s for you buddy!
UPDATE:
Just so we can keep all you guys accountable and motivated here’s your first round results:
A while back I was having a chat with one of my clients about how their partner wasn’t really interested in getting involved with the whole fitness and health thing – especially when it came to nutrition. They felt they were fighting an uphill battle in convincing their partner and it was even causing a little friction in their relationship – I made the promise to find out what I could when it came to getting your partner motivated to do the whole fitness and health thing with you and well here goes…
One of the blogs I subscribe to is Leo Babauta’s Zen Habits. It an awesome blog for helping you to de-stress and simplify your life so you can focus on the important things. Recently I read a post on ‘10 Ways to Deal With the Non-simplifying Others in Your Life‘ and while he writes on different subject I found that his 10 points were also totally relevant to your fitness and health journey… That I’ve just adapted them a little… So this post is going to be a little back and forth between Leo’s text and my own (eg. If Leo wrote it = an [L] and if I did = a [B]. Bare with it if you can and pick out what’s relevant to you
Leo & Ben’s Simple Methods of Dealing With Others who don’t really get this whole fitness, health thing you’re on…
1. Model behavior.
[L] The most important thing you can do to convert others to your ideas is to be the best model possible. Walk the walk, and do it visibly, so others can see what you’re doing. This goes for your spouse, for your kids, for family and friends, for co-workers. Just showing how to do it can be a powerful tool indeed. [B] Get fit, eat right, [L] and you’ll go a long way to converting others.
2. Share how important it is to you, and the benefits.
[L] This is really the second part of being a role model: as you start to live the [B] fit and healthy life, [L] show others how great it is to you, how important a part of your life this is. Talk with them about it, and tell them why you’re doing this. When people understand your motivation, they can start to get on board, or at least stop feeling so threatened. And when they see how great it is for you, how happy it makes you and all the great things it brings into your life, they’ll move closer and closer to your way.
[B] I’d would have to say that before you go and start evangelising to everyone the benefits of the paleo diet and CrossFit, that you’re well on your way to getting point one sorted first: make sure you’re walking the talk and getting results. I’ve also found that most of the time if people want to know what you’re doing to look as good as you do and why you have so much energy – they’ll probably ask you… and then you can give them the low down
3. Ask for help.
[B] To anyone that knows me they’ll tell you I’m an ‘all-or-nothing’ kind of guy and to be really honest when it comes to making or implementing changes – I’l think about it for a bit (and not tell Becca) and then suddenly: boom change the next day! (dragging Becca, kicking and screaming on my latest and greatest new fitness and health escapade… I’ve done this with running, being a vego and becoming a PT – although that seems to be paying off for the moment…) Unfortunately I’ve since learned that it’s better to ask for help and get Becca’s buy in before implementing a change that has no support. Once I get Becca on board and she works out that the latest change I’m implementing isn’t that bad it’s all systems go and generally, she ends up becoming a mini evangelist for me anyway…
[L] Many people, if they truly care about you, want to help you. They want you to be happy, and if you tell them how they can help you succeed, they’ll do their best. If possible, make getting fit and eating well a team effort — not just something you’re doing, but something you’re all doing together. And make it fun!
4. Educate.
[L] The best way to educate others is, as I said above, by your good example. But beyond that, you may want to share books and websites and blogs you’re reading, not in a way that insists that they change, but just to show what you’re interested in and how they might learn more if they’re interested. Documentaries, podcasts, magazines, and other good sources of information are helpful as well. You can’t force people to read or watch, but you can make it available. In addition, talk with them about it — again, not in a pushy way but in a way that shows how excited you are and how you’d like to share what you’re learning about. If they seem put off, don’t drone on and on.
[B] Recently I had attended a workshop (2 day trip down the coast) focused on developing your interpersonal skills. One of the sessions included giving and receiving constructive feedback. Now while I’m happy to give constructive feedback, having the magnifying glass turned on me can sometimes get a tad bit uncomfortable… Some of the feedback I did receive was the observation that I can try too hard to explain too much and that I tend to come across a little pushy when I perceive a failure by the other party to understand the concepts I’m laying down. One conversation witnessed at the breakfast table earlier that morning after turning down a piece of toast, spiraled into a massive debate with me trying to explain/justify my dietary choices… I mean seriously… this person asked me and so I told them. They still didn’t understand (or it turned everything thing they thought they knew about food upside down) and they asked and again… I then tried to explain it a different way. An so on and so forth… You get the picture…
It wasn’t until later in the day at the feedback session where one of the guys in my team (who had quietly observed the breakfast debate) piped up and offered the following solution: explain that the information you carry is useful to you and that it’s certainly worth a look and then leave it at that… I guess all I’m trying to say is this: educate others if you know something is worthwhile but don’t stress if they don’t get it and don’t try and convert them.
5. Help them succeed.
[L] If you do have some success converting some of the important people in your life to your way of thinking, at least to a minor degree, don’t criticize when they don’t do it as well as you’d like, or to the extent you’d like. Instead, be encouraging, be happy for them, and support them in any way you can. Again, make it a team effort.
[B] Be extremely encouraging (without being fake). It’s great that your partner or friend has started to grasp the concept eating right an regular exercise. To them this might mean that they’re now going to one yogalates session a week and that they’ve cut out their daily can of coke. I mean you know they should be CrossFitting and have gone full paleo by now but baby steps are better than none – so congratulate them. This is also a fantastic opportunity for you to sit down with them and (wait for it…) LISTEN. Listen to their victories. Listen to the challenges, and only when they’ve finished their story – ask what you can do to help them achieve more.
6. Realize you can’t control or change others.
[L] One of the most common frustrations comes when people try to control other people, or force them to change. It’s a recipe for disaster. You can try to control others, but there will always be a struggle, and you’ll always fail to some degree. This applies to your significant other, even to kids. We try to control them but we can’t, not really. Instead, try to influence others, encourage them, support them, help them find happiness. And let go of the need to control. It’s difficult but really essential here. Once you can release that need to control, you’ll find much more happiness.
[B] If you’ve got point 1 Model Behavior (walk the walk) dialed in I guess that’s all that really matters – If you’ve made the changes necessary to have the best possible life you can: You’re eating right. You’re exercising regularly and hanging out with others who are doing the same, then learn to be content with that. Remember that while it’s great to share your experience with others this really comes back to you. What’s important to you. It’s all about you (there I said it…) and how you look and feel on a daily basis.
7. Set boundaries.
[B] Once you stop trying to control others, you have to find ways to live together with different goals and different ways of life. If you want to get fit and the others you live or work with don’t, how can you peacefully coexist in the same space? How do do cook in the same kitchen? This is a really hard one especially when it comes to altering a diet in a family household. You’ve given up bread, cereal, pasta and starchy carbs but your wife (or vice-versa) is still cooking up mash potato with every dinner – something’s gotta give? If you’ve both agree to disagree (even if you know that your way truly is the path to enlightenment) some boundaries need to be set and generally all it takes is a little time to sit down (book it in when both of you are free) to lay down some ground rules. You need to explain your needs to your partner. You need to explain to your partner 1. what you’re trying to achieve; and 2. what that’s going to require. eg. “please don’t serve me any potato because my PT says it’s going to raise my insulin levels… etc.” Now there’s a number of ways to do this tactfully and in the end for it to work, you both have to agree on the ground rules. But I’m not writing an article on emotional intelligence – so how you work it out… is up to you.
8. Have patience.
[L] Don’t expect others to change overnight just because you have. The important people in your life might not get quite as excited about this change, because it’s not coming from them. They might not learn it as quickly as you have, or go quite as far. Or they might not want to change or support your change at all, at first … but later, they might come around. Again, don’t push or be obnoxious about it, but instead be patient, encouraging, with an attitude of sharing what you’re learning and excited about. [B] Nuff said.
9. Change what you can.
[L] Sometimes you can’t change everything you’d like, and you have to learn to accept that. Find areas you can control, find places that others will allow you to change, and focus on those. The other areas might come later (or they might not). This is what comes from having others in your life — you give up complete control, but you also get the wonder of sharing your life with other human beings, something I’d never give up.
[B] Eat right. Exercise regularly. Get enough sleep. Change yourself first and just watch what happens – you just never know… Maybe you can influence your partner, your friends and your family. Maybe you can become a personal trainer… you get the picture My dad told me ages ago “If you want to change the world – just keep trying and don’t give up…” He explained that as overwhelming as the problem/cause might seem, it wasn’t worth giving up, that I should continue in my fitness crusade reaching one person at a time and that while it was possible that I could become the next fitness guy to change the world, it was equally also very possible one of my existing or future clients might also become a that fitness and health world changer. Awesome!
10. Find support.
[L] If you can’t get support from some people in your life, find it elsewhere if possible. This might be from others who are doing the same thing as you — friends or family, or people in your community…. Share your progress, challenges, frustrations with them, and you’ll find help from people who understand.
[B] Actually one of the best thing about AdaptHF is us. It’s the people. It the trainers and the clients. It’s our firebreathers and our average Joes. We’re all about people. We love hanging out and we actually do give a shit about you achieving your health & fitness goals. Sean and I wouldn’t hang out hours after a session’s finished explaining the intricacies of the Zone and Paleo diets if we didn’t really care. We wouldn’t hassle you over and over to practice movements you suck at (double-unders anyone?) if we didn’t really care about you getting more coordinated then you are right now. We wouldn’t continue to look for new ways to keep your fitness journeys on track with online training diaries and reminder SMS’s if we didn’t really care.
But the really cool thing is this: Beyond the trainers and the arse kicking sessions that we love to run you guys through – it’s the ever growing community of people that you meet and train with. It’s our ‘community of suffering’ –> You come. You workout. But after it’s all over – You hang out and make friends (real friends) with others who actually understand what you’re going through – because they’re right there by your side: hating every bloody minute of the WOD – just as much as you do – but they also know when the workout’s over and all is said and done you’ll be a better person for it
).
Both Sean and I will be participating but because we’re the trainers it’s only fair that we’re held to a higher standard: we need to register an improvement of 3cm or more… Sean this one’s for you buddy!
