True Spirit CrossFit
  • Home
  • Get Started
    • 100 Days Journey
    • Workout of the Day
  • About Us
    • Blog
    • Our Clients' Stories
    • Newsletters
  • Our Programs
    • Remote Fitness Coaching
    • CrossFit >
      • Workout Of the Day
    • Report Ready
    • OCR Training
    • Endurance Training >
      • GORUCK Club
      • Running
      • Cycling
    • Personal Coaching
    • Yoga
  • Contact Us
  • Our Schedule
  • Buy a Gift Card
  • Untitled

2/1 Thursday - Don't Be a Sucker, Practice Virtuosity

1/31/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
Jen getting after it on the air assault bike. 
Today's mental toughness focus is on virtuosity. Virtuosity is doing the common uncommonly well.

When Greg Glassman created CrossFit he challenged us to:
  1. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch.
  2. Master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. 
  3. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast.​
Coach Glassman also challenged us to obtain virtousity in our movements. Just recently he gave a talk to Level 1 CrossFit Coaches and told them to help their clients master the basics, and once we've done that, to go back and master them anew. Yes, go back and master them anew. Obtain virtuosity by doing the common uncommonly well.
Mastering the basics takes mental toughness. It's easy to be allured by something new, something novel, or something "harder." But, chasing the next level without mastering the current one is a fool's move. In fact, Coach Glassman addressed this very topic in a letter to CrossFit trainers. He wrote:
"The urge to quickly move away from the basics and toward advanced movements arises out of the natural desire to entertain your client and impress him with your skills and knowledge. But make no mistake: it is a sucker’s move. Teaching a snatch where there is not yet an overhead squat, teaching an overhead squat where there is not yet an air squat, is a colossal mistake. This rush to advancement increases the chance of injury, delays advancement and progress, and blunts the client’s rate of return on his efforts. In short, it retards his fitness."

I want your fitness to improve. If you seek to master the basics it will. Seek virtuosity in everything you do and it will. Tell me in the comments on which movement you're working to become a virtuoso. 
Click Here for The WOD

Olympic Weightlifting Clinic with Coaches Heidi and Leslie this Sunday 9 - noon. 

1 Comment

1/31 Whole Life Wednesday

1/30/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Noah and Duane front squat. Today's workout is from CrossFit HQ. Enjoy! 
This week's Whole Life Challenge weekly well-being practice is to establish a regular morning routine. 
The instructions are simple
  1. Choose a 10-minute personal practice to be a part of your morning routine.
  2. Complete the practice in the morning, before you leave for or begin work.
  3. Some examples: reading a book, meditation, prayer, mobilization, exercise, journaling.
  4. If you already have something like this as a part of your morning routine, continuing it will count for this week’s Well-Being Practice.
  5. Practices like mobilization and exercise will also count for that particular Habit for the day.
  6. There is no credit for watching TV or news, checking social media, checking email, texting, or for completing the practice after you’ve started work.
Before I opened True Spirit CrossFit and started teaching the 6am classes, I used to work a "regular" 9AM-5PM job with the USGS. I used to rush around in the morning frantically getting ready for work. I would have nothing ready, I would drink my coffee in the car on the way to work, and I would start my day totally stressed out. Back then, the only thing that kept me off meds was my afterwork CrossFit habit. 
After I opened the gym I carried over this totally discombobulated morning routine. Now my work day started at 6, rather than 9am, and I was a total mess. For the first 2 years of the gym I would "sleep in" until 5:20AM only to rush around to leave by 5:35 to make it to the gym by 5:50. I would take naps everyday to try to revive. I was convinced I needed to sleep until the last possible moment because everyday started out stressful. 
It was a Whole Life Challenge and a few Ben Bergeron blog posts that convinced me to try something different. I VERY reluctantly decided I would wake up at 5:00AM, make my coffee, and drink it by the fire in the winter and in the garden in the summer. What a difference those 20 mins made! I was not longer stressed out, I was ready for the 6am class and I was HAPPIER! 
Even if you're not doing the Whole Life Challenge with us right now, you're happiness and relationships with your family might improve if you give yourself an extra 10 minutes in the morning to set your mind for the rest of your day. Slow down, take some deep breaths, drink your coffee and tea slowly and prepare yourself for your day. 
Tell me in the comments what kind of morning routine you have. I'd like to hear. Maybe something you do will inspire me and others! 
Picture
"No Buts" Run details for Wednesday, Jan 31st: REI is sponsoring a no ifs or buts run. So instead of doing our usual endurance awesomeness, we are going to run outside tomorrow. Like the post-office, come rain or sleet, ice or snow, we will be there! (Do they still say that?) ANYWAY - Endurance class starts at 5:30 p.m. We will meet at the south side (towards Peet's Hill or behind the GVLT building) of the Public Library at 5:30 p.m. to warm-up.
We will leav
e the parking lot at 5:50p.m. at the latest to start our run. We will try and post a notice at the gym so if people arrive there, they have time to come find us. Bring your gear to run outside. Temps are supposed to drop tonight - dress accordingly. Exertion rate will be moderate on average - so that should help you dress.
Bring your yak tracks, ice spikes or anything like that but we will be sticking to the sidewalks. Feel free to wear your LED tutus and anything else that will light you up and make you visible.
Feel free to bring your dogs - on leash, please.
This will be an easy pace, no drop run of less than 2 miles. We will be doing all sorts of fun things, at various skill levels, so if you want to kill it, you can. But do not be intimidated, sprinters to shufflers all welcome.
There will be plenty of scaling options, including for distance. Please email Coach Jennisse to confirm for class, she will know to expect you.
This should be a fun departure from our class routine. We hope to see everyone! (Maybe bring cash - there will likely be opportunity for a beer at the end.) Oh - and please go and sign up for the event by clicking on the image above. 

Click Here for The WOD

We need THREE more people to greenlight our Olympic Weightlifting clinic this Sunday from 9-noon.
​Will you join us?

0 Comments

1/30 Technique Tuesday

1/29/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Kerri doing a great job of keeping her elbows pointed back. 
The Perfect Pushup is what we're asking you to do today. Some days we work on kipping push-ups, some days we work on banded push-ups, and some days, like today, we work on the perfect pushup. We like to vary the ways in which we work on certain movements so that you don't always fall int the habit of doing it a certain way. Variance will help you get out of a rut, will develop new motor pathways, and will show you your weakness. CrossFit excels at showing us our weaknesses. 
The perfect push-up is a weakness for many of us. Push-ups are an excellent upper body and core strengthening exercise. Yet, so many people do them wrong! All you have to do is a Google image search for push-ups and you'll soon be screaming at your computer screen! 
​
A properly executed push-up, irrespective of the distance of your hands from your chest, is butt squeezed, pelvis titled and elbows pointing back. NEVER, EVER flare your elbows. Flared elbows push your shoulders into internal rotation and you definitely don't want to be pushing up from internally rotated shoulder. You can kiss your rotator cuff muscles goodbye. PLUS, the push-up is designed to increase your striking power, think martial arts and boxing, and when do you ever see someone strike with elbows flared wide. Right, you don't. So tuck those elbows back. 
But, this makes it harder you say. Yep, it does, because it's supposed to be hard. The push-up is hard and it builds strong shoulders, arms chest and abs like nothing else. The best way to scale the push-up is to push off an elevated surface like a box, NOT going to your knees. Knee push-ups do not allow you to squeeze your butt and tilt your pelvis, two of the proper form points of performance we're chasing today. 
Check out the video below to see exactly what we're looking for today. 
Click Here for The WOD
0 Comments

1/29 Mobility & Myth Busting Monday

1/28/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Sarah K. demonstrates the ankle, knee, hip, shoulder, elbow and wrist flexibility required for the clean. 
By now I should no longer be surprised one someone assumes that lifting weights will make you bulky and inflexible. However, after several years of talking to people about CrossFit and Olympic weightlifting I understand many folks don't understand the difference between weightlifting and lifting weights. 
Weightlifting is a sport, in fact there are two competitive weightlifting disciplines. Powerlifting which consists of the deadlift, back squat and benchpress, and Olympic weightlifting which consists of the snatch and clean & jerk. Olympic weightlifting is an Olympic sport and is governed by the International Olympic Committee. Powerlifting is not an Olympic sport, and has several national and international regulatory committees. 
Lifting weights is not a sport, but rather a fitness pursuit. We do not lift weights. We practice the sport of weightlifting. Like any sport, weightlifting requires flexibility, coordination, agility, balance, accuracy, power, speed and strength. All of these physical characteristics, along with stamina and endurance are specific adaptions we try to illicit through the demands of our training program. 
Flexibility (which we often call mobility) is a physical trait that can be trained and it is ESSENTIAL to the sport of weightlifting. You simply must have full range of motion of your ankles and knees to squat to depth. You must have full range of motion in our shoulders, elbows and wrists to support and receive the bar. 
One of our favorite methods for flexibility and mobility training is the physical practice of yoga. Yoga asana (the poses) develops flexibility, balance, coordination and to some extent strength. If you don't believe me, take a look at Dmitry Klokov's warm-up in the video below. You will recognize the plow (halasana), seated forward bend (paschimottanasana), wide-angle seated forward bend (upavistha konasana), and the squat (malasana). Klokov is a Russian Olympic weightlifter who won Silver at the 2008 Summer Olympics. His flexibility is so good he can do the splits. So, tell me again why you don't want to lift weights because it will make you inflexible. 
Click Here for The WOD
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Special Events 

    March 26 - May 3 OCR Training with Coach James 

    Record your WOD on Beyond the Whiteboard. 
    Do you need CrossFit or yoga gear? Click on the links below to buy through our Just Strong, Reebok, Rogue or Hylete Affiliate share sale programs. These are affiliate links and our gym will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links.
    Picture
    Shop Now Rogue Fitness
    Picture
    Check out our Flickr page!

    Categories

    All
    Covid 19
    Covid-19
    Foodie Friday
    Homegrown Paleo
    Mental Toughness
    Mobility Monday
    Motivation Monday
    Myth Busting Monday
    Start Up
    Start-up
    Technique Tuesday
    The Magic Of CrossFit
    Transformation Tuesday
    Whole Life Wednesday
    Whoop
    Wilderness Medicine Wednesday
    Wod


    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014


    RSS Feed

True Spirit CrossFit & Yoga
Call or text us: (406) 404-6FIT
32D Shawnee Way, Bozeman, MT 59715
Email: leslie@truespiritcrossfit.com
CrossFit Journal: The Performance-Based Lifestyle Resource
Picture
  • Home
  • Get Started
    • 100 Days Journey
    • Workout of the Day
  • About Us
    • Blog
    • Our Clients' Stories
    • Newsletters
  • Our Programs
    • Remote Fitness Coaching
    • CrossFit >
      • Workout Of the Day
    • Report Ready
    • OCR Training
    • Endurance Training >
      • GORUCK Club
      • Running
      • Cycling
    • Personal Coaching
    • Yoga
  • Contact Us
  • Our Schedule
  • Buy a Gift Card
  • Untitled