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As always I’m thinking of ways to put this into the mix. So much to do. Also been thinking A LOT about how to program for the gym and the competitors going forward.

He says when programming for a group:
1) Make it context specific. The context grids I gave my coaches is what this is about. Relate the movement to the task at hand and things that the athletes care about, e.g. PERFORMANCE.
2) Everyday. No days off. Always be mobilizing.
3) 10-15 minute session everyday.
4) No more than 3 things. People can’t process more than that usually.
5) 2 minutes minimum to make change.

Individualize and prioritize. Most athletes have at least 1 thing they need to do every day: their real trouble spots. Make sure they know what that is and get them to do it every day. They probably have more than one thing in reality so on rest days, they should be hitting their personal trouble spots (10-15 minutes minimum). On workout days, they need to prioritize their one main thing and then do a couple of WOD-specific pieces that everyone is doing for the workout.

Now I have to figure out how to implement this in classes and in the CWOD.

Why does positioning matter? Tissues fail at the 10,000th or 100,000th or 1,000,000th rep. You can only withstand so many bad reps over time.

No days off! Work on your positioning!

The position you enter the Tunnel dictates the position you exit the Tunnel.

K-Starr

Another gold nugget from K-Starr. “The Tunnel” concept is priceless. So many athletes leave some performance on the table because they don’t insist on good positioning. Always be improving your position. Always.

The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled people make poor decisions and reach erroneous conclusions, but their incompetence denies them the metacognitive ability to recognize their mistakes.

At first I thought this was a joke and was referencing that show “The Office.” Then I realized Dunder Mifflin and Dunning-Kruger were not the same thing. Nonetheless I find this troubling. What’s more interesting is that it seems to be more prevalent among Americans.

Mathieu Lalande is far too smart. He gives a science smackdown to Paleo.

“An Organic Chemist’s Perspective on Paleo” by Mathieu Lalonde, PhD from Ancestry on Vimeo.

I have been really into Jill Miller’s Yoga Tune Up lately.   Jill teaches what one could describe as “forensic yoga.”  She looks at a classical yoga pose and then disects it.  She determines which muscles need to work and which need to mobilized.  Then sets out a methodical practice of strengthening and mobilizing and preparing the body for the pose.  It’s an amazing practice and creates a much deeper understanding and embodying of the pose.

Jill’s methodology is similar to Kelly Starrett’s Mobility WOD. In many ways one could describe Mobility WOD as forensic bodywork. The mobility WOD uses exercises found in CrossFit for it’s starting point instead of yoga poses. So K-Starr looks at a squat or a press and disects these movements and provides a plan for achieving better positions for greater efficiency and safety in the exercises.

The great thing about both these programs is that they offer a plan: an organizational scheme. As teachers they know where they want their students to go and formulate a plan for getting the student there. Also they both think outside of box. Often practitioners of a certain modality limit themselves within that modality and don’t look at other useful techniques. However, both Jill and Kelly are quick to use whatever methods are at their disposal to get the job done: rubber bands, therapy balls, kettlebells. The ends justify the means.

Assuming there is another level, what is it? And how do I get there?

Consider what you have created for yourself: your job, your family, your home. Consider what you would do to protect it. Consider what it is like to want Freedom so bad that you would go to war for it; that you would stand up and declare before all, that you are willing to pledge all you had for Freedom.

Every year I make a plea that you should read the Declaration of Independence. There are few documents in history as powerful and thought provoking. While destiny may govern the unpredictable occurrences that flavor our lives, ultimately our lives are a product of our own creation. We can choose how and with whom we spend our lives and are limited only by our willingness to sacrifice what we have for what we could have.

Take the time once a year to read the Declaration of Independence and reflect upon all you have and all you could have if you are bold enough to declare yourself free and act on it.