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A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog about “Doing Something Different” and told a little story about myself and my experience at a CrossFit gym and meeting some life long friends.

I mentioned how I met a friend of mine at the gym, and a year later was one of his groomsmen, and I had a couple of people tell me similar stories. I had people reach out to me and tell me that they have met their best friend at our gym, and even someone I know from out of town messaged me the same thing.

The other day I was going through and editing pictures and found many different pictures of smiling faces and good times from our recent events like Friday Night Lights as well as some older ones from our Veterans Day events and other parties.

There are countless videos of people hanging out before and after classes at the gym. From being at the old gym and kicking it out on the picnic tables to the new gym sitting in the green area, the ability to hang out with your friends before and after a workout is one of the best parts of the class.

I have family members who go to other popular group fitness programs where they meet people in their classes, but they never get to know anyone. There is no outside of the gym events, no parties, and no place to hang out. They are chain/franchised companies whose main job is to get people in the door and then right out the door. Relationship building between the owners, trainers, and members is not high on the priority list.

At our gym, we call this difference “Community.” A community helps you stay committed. A community enables you to grow as a person. A community works, but you have to give it a try. Attend events, participate in challenges, and come to the gym to have fun. It will change your world.

Fitness and health are just part of what you can develop here at BayWay CrossFit, but those are not the only thing. If you haven’t given our community a try yet, stop by and see what we are all about.

Richard

You would be surprised by how often I miss workouts even with being in the gym pretty much all day. I coach the majority of classes and tend to find myself at my computer through most of my non-coaching hours. So there are plenty of days where I am left with only 30-45 minutes to work out, and that includes warming up.

If I don’t work out, I usually feel terrible, I am slightly addicted to exercise, and it takes a toll mentally and physically when I miss. Mentally I feel like I am going to lose what I have worked for over the last ten years, and physically I ache more when I don’t work out — the whole “a body in motion” theory.

Whenever I am short on time, I like to make my workouts into intervals. Intervals are bouts of exercise that can be fast-paced or slow to moderate paced, followed by a period of rest. For me, I like to keep my intervals to about three and keep the range between 4-6 minutes with about half of that in rest. So, for example, if I am working out for 4 minutes, I will rest for 2 minutes.

I want there to be some free weights combined with some monostructural type cardio. (running, rowing, biking, burpees…) If my knees or back are aching, I make the weights be upper body focused. If my shoulders sore, I make it the weights be lower body focused. If the weights are lower-body focused, I usually try to make it a triplet (three movements) and add in some gymnastic work.

When it comes to warming up, I usually need them to be quick and focused. Prep the body parts you are going to use through some quick dynamic and light work and move on. I like to use light kettlebells and dumbbells to prep the shoulders and bands to prep the lower body. If I am planning on doing any real loading, I will do an additional few sets building up to the weight I want to use.

Here is the workout I did last week, including the warm-up:
Warm-Up:
2-3:00 minutes on a foam roller
3 rounds:
10 Calorie Bike (Legs Only/Arms Only/Sprint with both)
12/12 Single Arm Kettlebell Floor Press (26/35/53#) – tempo 30X1
60′ Monster Walk (Forward/Lateral/Sweeping)

Workout:
2 rounds:
AMRAP x 6 Minutes
21-15-9
Calories on Bike
Dual DB Suitcase Reverse Lunges 50#
Push-Ups
-rest 3 mins-

The warm-up took me right at 10:00 to do; I put my kettlebells and band away I used for the warm-up, grabbed the 50# dumbbells, and did a few lunges without weight, some with one dumbbell and a few with both. I repped out a few push-ups and was ready to go 5:00 later. The workout is a total of 15:00. I finished the whole thing in about 30:00 and had time to shower before I started my 4:00 pm class.

Workouts like this take a few minutes to plan out if you are not a seasoned workout planner if you are interested in workouts that are quick and effective like this be on the lookout for our new “30 Minute” class for those who are looking to beat the traffic home after work or need a last quick workout!

See you soon!

Richard

Stay in CrossFit long enough, and you will probably here of GOWOD or ROMWOD. These are two apps that you can download to your phone that focus on helping you optimize your athletic performance through mobility work and stretching. The creators found that people in CrossFit or high-intensity exercise programs are missing certain things from their fitness routine that a program like Yoga could provide. We held our first Yoga class in a while this Tuesday, and while taking the class, I realized what exactly those things were.

I am a subscriber to both ROMWOD and GOWOD, and I have seen good results when it comes to flexibility from using both programs. But just like you can do CrossFit at home, I realized Tuesday the benefits of taking Yoga a class instead of using an app. Yoga has many transfers to CrossFit. I am sure that someone who is an avid yogi could see a similar transfer of programs, but I can only speak from a CrossFitters perspective.

The three things that I think are the biggest takeaways from a Yoga class for a CrossFitter may surprise you, stretching is not one of them. Although stretching and gaining a better range of motion is the obvious benefit, it is the one thing that you can get from the apps, but the three takeaways as a CrossFitter I got from our class on Tuesday were to Slow Down, Core & Balance and Mental Toughness.

Slowing down was the thing I had the hardest time with. In CrossFit, we go fast. Most workouts are based around the clock trying to finish a task as quickly as we can or in a given time do as many reps as possible. In Yoga, it’s about slowing down and moving with a purpose. In athletics, the thought is to train for speed because it is always easier to teach a sprinter to pace than it is to coach a long distancer to sprint. In a Yoga class, a good teacher will keep you at the desired pace and will strive for perfection in your movement, just like we do in our classes at BayWay CrossFit.

Core and Balance are what I would consider Yoga’s physical skills. Balance is a skill developed through our CrossFit program, but in Yoga, it’s developed in stillness while working towards alignment. In CrossFit, we use dynamic movements like single-leg squats and snatches to help us create balance, but holding still while standing on one foot forces your brain to work with all parts of your body to stay in alignment from your shoulders to your toes.

Core strength is vital in all aspects of life, but especially important when someone is trying to create a force as often as we do in CrossFit. CrossFitters build their core mostly through exercises that involve the transfer of energy through our core; we call these “Core to Extremity.” This is done through movements like kipping pullups or power cleans. In Yoga, the focus is on static and isolating core movements. Although we incorporate these into our program, it is the base of core work in Yoga. Some yoga classes will have core-specific sections, but a good teacher will always bring you back to your core in all poses. From keeping active shoulders, bracing the midline, or reaching through your toes, the core is continually working to hold your body still and allowing you to reach deeper into each pose.

Toughness is not something that comes to mind when thinking of Yoga as someone who has done CrossFit for the last ten years, but Mental Toughness is something that can be developed through practicing Yoga. Holding a pose seems easy in theory and on paper, but the actual practice of it is very challenging. Muscles start to burn and become uncomfortable, but you are taught to focus your breath and work through it, reaching deeper into the pose. Learning to breathe and hold still are some of the hardest things we can do as humans. From the moment you open your eyes until you close them, most of us never stop moving and breathing a natural thing, so we never stop to think about how we are doing it and how we can do it better.

A yoga class is an excellent addition to any CrossFit program. Yes, it is the complete opposite when it comes to theory, but it can help you build the Ten General Physical Skills that are crucial to your success as a CrossFitter.

Richard Andrews

CF-L2

When I am writing out the gym’s program, I usually do it in 12-week cycles, and each one is programmed with a specific purpose. We program a few testing workouts at the beginning of the cycle and use those 12 weeks to improve on those movements with the ultimate goal of improving our scores from the testing workouts.

The testing workouts are designed to be different not only in structure and movement but different energy systems as well. The beauty of CrossFit is that it doesn’t focus on making someone fit in one way. An example of this is a runner; most people who run for exercise only train one energy system. They become good at moving slowly for long distances and creating a body that is good at running but usually lacking in strength.  

Another example would be a weightlifter. They train in short, intense sets focusing on moving fast. They only work one energy system and become good at moving fast for a short period of time, and usually, have the capability of moving some heavyweight but anything aerobic they will struggle.

The goal of our program is to create a variance in your workouts so that your body is continually being forced to adapt to the new stress. This is done weekly by varying different time domains, movements, and weights. The difference between our program and other CrossFit gyms is that we create a 12-week goal based cycle that has a purpose. It is structured, not random, and because of this, you can have success without doing workouts that are designed to destroy you.

It is crucial that a gym understands its program. Some gyms purchase programming from another coach or follow an online template that creates a structured program with goals, but the issue I have with this is, the goals established for your gym are someone else’s and not yours.

Find a gym that programs out a structured program of their own. One that creates goals for you through a cycle that isn’t filled with workouts designed to destroy you. To get the most out of a program like this means that you need to show up on the long workouts and the short ones. Because that is where your gains are made.

Richard Andrews

CF-L2

A common statement when people are talking about doing CrossFit is, “I am not in shape enough to do it.”

When someone says things like this, I imagine they think they need to start getting in shape by hitting the elliptical, lifting some light free weights or maybe begin jogging. I think these are all great ways to get into fitness. The problem is you are doing these alone.

I think the most significant mistake people make when getting into fitness is starting by themselves. Anyone who has begun alone knows that a week or two into hitting the gym by themselves to face the elliptical gets to be a bit boring, and motivation to show up starts to fall off.

Some will go out and find a friend to hit the gym with. This is usually the solution to the problem, but again, anyone who has had a workout buddy knows that at some point they’ll miss. Then you’ll miss. Then the schedule you guys have put together no longer works, and now you are back to working out alone.

So to the person who is looking to start a fitness routine at a CrossFit gym (at least at BayWay CrossFit), you will never be alone. You will always have a trainer there leading you through your workout from start to finish. You won’t have to worry about coming up with a workout, how you are going to warm up for it, how to do certain movements, if you are doing them safely or how to cool down after a workout. All of these things are taken care of for you; all you have to do is show up.

Some people may think that they are not capable of what CrossFitters do, and that is without question false. CrossFit has a fancy way of saying this in that our program is universally scalable. Which means that no matter what the workout is we can make it fit for you, and not just by lowering weights but by making it fit in such a specific way that you are receiving the same stimulus from the workout as anyone else is.

Many people who do not like our program, for whatever the reason, and they like to show videos and pictures of two types of people doing CrossFit.

The first is the person who fails and fails miserably. I am not saying these things do not happen but it is scarce, and at a gym that only does instructor-led classes like ours, it happens even less. If you are with a trainer, they are not going to let you attempt something where you could hurt yourself.

The second type of CrossFit person that those who dislike the program show are the CrossFit Games athletes. These are the 1% of 1% — the top athletes in the world. No one should compare themselves to these people. Their bodies look and perform like no other humans in the world. Here is what you can take away from these athletes though. They are proof of how effective the CrossFit program can be. Yes they do it in an extreme manner and I think this is a turn off to the everyday person, but just as 40-year-old former high school quarterback can watch what Tom Brady does and understand the work he puts in to be the best in the world, an everyday CrossFitter can understand what these top people are doing as well.

The point is if you are starting a fitness journey you need a trainer. You need people around you that are going to push you. Find a place that has both, and you will be successful.

Richard Andrews

CF-L2

This was not the planned blog post for this week, but after talking with someone from the gym about their soda addiction, I decided I needed to write this because there could be more of you out there.

The reasoning behind the title is that at first glance most would immediately say ‘beer’ is worse for you, but the question is why? Is it because you can buy a coke at any age? Is it because we have known alcoholics or heard about drunk drivers hurting people? I think that sugar and alcohol are both toxins and not good for you, but the advertisement of one dramatically affects the way people perceive it.

I believe that people should not drink sodas at all, and drink alcohol in moderation. Seems silly being in the health and fitness industry but below are few comparisons that may get you to see it the same way.

First, let’s start with the health benefits of these products:

Sodas have ZERO health benefits. They contain zero vitamins or minerals. Beer has some of these, but not enough to provide a substantial amount of micronutrients to stop taking your vitamins. In 2010 the American Heart Association released guidelines stating that there are benefits to having one twelve ounce beer each night. I have yet to find one that says this for sodas.

In the average lagger, there are fewer calories than in a twelve-ounce soda and most light beers have about fifty fewer calories per twelve ounce can. Beer has zero grams of sugar while sodas could have forty or more in each can. If we are counting calories and sugar, I would say someone who drinks two beers a day is much less likely to get a beer belly at the same rate as someone who drinks two sodas a day. Many times, people who may not look obese and think they are healthy do not realize that the effects of sugar and sodas on the liver are just as harmful as someone who is a heavy beer drinker. You could be dying on the inside thinking you are more healthy because you are not drinking beer and not overweight.

The second comparison of beer and sodas is a quick one:

If you need to clean the corrosion off your car battery you don’t pour beer on it first, you pour a coke on it.

The third comparison is addictive properties:

Both beer and sugary sodas have been shown to cause a release of endorphins in the brain. The more you drink of either, the more that is released. The more you drink, the more you build up a tolerance to it and the more you will need to drink in order to get the release of endorphins again. In comparison, both cause the same thing. The main difference here is the more beer you drink, the more inebriated you will become. This creates the issue of response time, bad decisions and other problems that being impaired can cause. Although both drinks are addictive in the same fashion as opioids; only one can create an inebriated state.

The fourth comparison is linked to diseases:

Someone who is an avid soda drinker would think that beer is the ‘more evil’ one of the two in this comparison, but it’s not. When I googled ‘diseases linked to alcohol’ and ‘diseases linked to sugar’ many of the same diseases appeared on both sides including liver health, heart health and kidney function.  But the major player from sugar deaths did not appear on the alcohol list at all, and that is Diabetes.

The primary fight against big soda is because, according to the American Diabetes Association, 40% of all death certificates have diabetes listed on them. This is a significant player in millions of deaths each year, and sugar has been directly linked to them. One soda a day can increase your chances of diabetes by 22% according to a European study done with 350,000 people from eight different countries.

The final comparison is warning labels:

Beer and alcohol  products are required to have a warning label on them letting everyone who drinks it know that they are drinking a product that can cause health issues and impair your senses. Sodas are not required by federal law to have this same warning label on them, but in some cities and states they have or are trying to pass laws where this will be the case. Just based of some basic research into the health benefits of sugar one could conclude that a drink that contains over three tablespoons of sugar each should include a warning label on it in every state and every country. Beer and alcohol companies do not advertise to children because of the legal drinking age and their warning label. Sodas do not have a warning label (yet) but have made a promise not to advertise to children. Seems a little strange?

In comparison, both are bad for you. People have this thought that because you can buy sodas at any age, they are safer for you. Both of these products will kill you at some point. Both will leave you worse after you start them. Both are dangerous; end of story. If you can avoid both for the rest of your life, you will live a longer healthier life.

HOWEVER WHAT YOU DECIDE TO DO IS UP TO YOU. YOU MAKE THESE DECISIONS FOR YOURSELF. BUT, IF I WERE TO ASK YOU, I WOULD EVEN SAY PLEAD WITH YOU…PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR CHILDREN SODAS. DO A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH ON A FEW STUDIES OF WHAT SODAS ARE DOING TO KIDS. YOU COULD POSSIBLY AND PROBABLY MAKE YOUR KIDS OVERWEIGHT, SICK AND UNHEALTHY BY FEEDING THEM THIS POISON.

This is probably my favorite topic to talk or write about. Training like an athlete is something that people do not do enough of and frankly, is what our bodies are designed to do. Training like an athlete or training for functionality is the reason I fell in love with CrossFit, to begin with.

I saw a post by a buddy of mine on Instagram last week, @wilderness_s.c, where he talked about this same subject. Which sparked this post. It is a subject I try to talk about regularly because our program is designed around it and it makes the majority of people nervous because they do not see themselves as athletes. But you do not have to be an ‘athlete’ to train like one, and if you want to get the most out of your workouts, you need to do it.

CrossFit is one of the few exercise programs that has successfully defined fitness and is the basis of our program. Read that definition by Greg Glassman HERE.

One thing that athletes do is train in compound movements. Compound movements are multi-joint movements that involve multiple muscle groups. These movements have a greater effect on hormone response from your body than isolation type exercises do. If your goal is to get fitter, leaner, stronger and lose fat, then you absolutely need this type of response and lots of it.

Compound movements are the way to go.

Compound movements are functional movements but training for functionality is not done by simply adding a squat to your routine. To apply functionality to your workouts you have to add in the factor of time. Determining functionality is found by finding the power output of any movement. Finding the power output can be done by taking the amount of work you did and dividing by the time it took you to complete that work. In simpler terms, moving large loads, long distances and quickly.

Doing some simple math with the equation (work/time) a simple compound movement like the burpee can produce ten times the power output than a common isolation movement like a bicep curl in the same amount of time. Add in the cardiovascular comparison to the movement types and it is a wonder why people still are stuck in the same training methods used in the 1970s.

Any training program can provide you with results but at some point, you are going to plateau using isolation movements, but most people keep on with the same movements because they worked for them before, but unfortunately, they are never going to work for you again.

By applying the simple CrossFit methodology of constantly varied (always different) functional movements (compound exercises) performed at relatively high intensity (moving at your pace but quickly and with a purpose), a person can always produce the bodies proper endocrine response while never hitting a plateau.

Thanks, @wilderness_s.c for the reminder on why we train the way we do!

Richard Andrews

CF-L2