WOD Blog

6/27 Myth Busting Monday

6/26/2022

Missey overhead split squats in Coach Dover's 5:30pm class.

Myth: Certain Foods are "Bad" and Calories Don't Matter

EC Synkowski runs OptimizeMe Nutrition, a nutrition coaching program that provides solutions for anyone to improve their weight, health, and overall wellbeing through sustainable diet methods.
She developed the 800g Challenge, a nutrition challenge that encourages us to eat MORE! More fruits and vegetables that is:)
We will be doing the 800g Challenge in the gym this August. August is the perfect month to eat more fruits and vegetables because the harvest is high and we can get so much good food right within our own Gallatin Valley.
To give you some background on the 800g Challenge and why it's an elegant solution to a complex problem, check out EC's Ted Talk. She busts some common food myths and discusses the importance of adding more fruits and veggies to your plate.

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6/6 Myth Busting Monday

6/5/2022

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Kerri deadlifts heavy with the encouragement of E.C. in the 5:30pm class.

Myth: Progress is a linear progression,
or
you "should" always lift more, go faster, be "better" than yesterday.

It's a common myth amongst new CrossFit and power athletes that we should be better, faster, and stronger than yesterday, or last week, or last month.
In the CrossFit Level 1 training seminar, aspiring coaches are taught that an athlete's performance will vary based on

The force and time of the workout of the day
The nutrition of the athlete.
The amount of recovery between workouts.
The physical and psychological tolerances of the individual.

In other words, how you perform the workout of the day today may not be the same as how you performed it yesterday or could perform it tomorrow. Your progression is not linear because there are things that affect your performance, like your nutrition, your recovery, and your mindset.
Athletic development, what we do in CrossFit, rarely follows a linear path because, well, shit happens. We have a bad day, we don't sleep well, we eat too much of one thing and not enough of another, or we have an unrealistic expectation of what we "should" be able to do. Your TSCF Coaches call this "shoulding on yourself."
Don't should on yourself, please, it's a mess to clean up.
You may "want" to have a straight path to amazingness, but the reality of our path to becoming a badass is filled with bad days, potholes, deep dark holes of scariness, pizza and beer, not enough sleep, fights with our family, disagreements with our gym buddies, cold mornings, not enough sun, the wrong kind of coffee, zippers that won't zip, and the list goes on and on.
In fact, it looks a lot like this

I argue that what we learn about ourself when we overcome these challenges is much more important that the satisfaction of being "better." The resiliency and mental toughness we gain learning how to fight our way out of the pit of despair, or making our next meal on target, or getting enough sleep, and learning how to take a rest day, will have far more benefit than a 1 second PR. As will learning how to not jump into the pit of despair when you don't get a 1 second, or 1 rep, or 1 round, or 1 pound PR.
In fact, as a Coach and Programmer for the gym, I can tell you that I expect all of us to follow the principle of progression. That means I intentionally program light days, long days, heavy days and "easy days," because I need you to have some recovery before we build again. We need to alter volume, load and intensity to allow for adaptation and progress.
Tell me in the comments what you have learned about your performance. What factors affect it this most? How have you incorporated this knowledge into your recovery practices?

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5/23 Myth Busting Monday

5/22/2022

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Linda is 65 and has been doing CrossFit since 2019!

Myth: CrossFit is Only for Young People

I love our gym! Everyday our athletes impress me with their ability, skill, tenacity, drive, grit and grace. That's why it's so frustrating when I hear people say that CrossFit is not appropriate for older people. We have many athletes over 40, several over 50, some in their 60s, our newest member, Allen, is 72 and and we have a coach who will turn 71 this summer. CrossFit is for everybody!
I think this myth exists because early in CrossFit's history it was the preferred training system for military and law enforcement. Bad ass dudes and ladies posted pictures of themselves puking, proudly boasting about bloody shins and palms ripped open. These posts and the underground culture of the garage gym made it seem like CrossFit was only for hardcore crazy people.
Fast forward 21 years and CrossFit itself is posting workout videos that older folks can do at home. Like this one:

CrossFit is for everyone! Young, old, men, women, boys, girls, everyone can do CrossFit. CrossFit is a progression of many different movements. Once you master the basics of a particular movement you get to try the next iteration. You're always learning and progressing.
The worldwide trend across all CrossFit gyms is 80% women and the majority of them are moms. That means CrossFit is the preferred training method for moms who want to feel good, have fun, and feel like a superhero. Our gym holds to that trend and we might be slightly tipped toward a larger feminine majority. I wouldn't want it any other way.
CrossFit is a very effective training program that can be modified and adjusted to meet anyone's fitness level and range of motion. It's not just for young people. CrossFit is for YOU!

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5/16 Myth Busting Monday

5/15/2022

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I can do hard things at 50!

The Myth of Diminished Female Ability

I'm old enough, at 50, to have lived through a time when I was told I was not strong. I was told girls could be good at some sports (thanks to Title 9) but could not do others. I was told we just didn't have the upper body strength to do push-ups, pull-ups, or to lift and carry heavy objects.
I was told I should be skinny. I was told I should have a flat belly and thighs that don't rub. I was told if I wanted to lose weight (which apparently I should constantly be wanting to do) I should go for a run. Hell, my entire time in the Marine Corps I was told daily that I was not strong. That I didn't belong. That I couldn't measure up.
All of this bullshit was an attempt to stifle my potential. I was so grateful when I found CrossFit. Even though I was 38 when I started, I knew I had found something that would help me discover and promote my potential. I knew I found something that would recognize and celebrate my strength. I knew I found something that promoted my unique potential as a strong and powerful athlete while simultaneously promote other women's speed and endurance. I knew I found my tribe. My strong, powerful, fast, flexible, agile, and amazing tribe.