Congratulations Becky on another 1st place half marothon finish!
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WOD

“7 Wonders”

3 Rounds:
7 Deadlifts (115/85)
7 Toes to Bar
7 Push Presses (115/85)

700/500 Meter Row

3 Rounds:
7 Deadlifts (115/85)
7 Toes to Bar
7 Push Presses (115/85)

700/500 Meter Row

3 Rounds:
7 Deadlifts (115/85)
7 Toes to Bar
7 Push Presses (115/85)

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DAILY MINDSET

“If you set your bar at “amazing,” it’s awfully difficult to start.”

~Seth Godin

Comparing ourselves to others is a double-edged sword.

We always want to learn from our peers and mentors. The inspirational fuel we can draw is endless, and enormously helpful in reaching our goals.

But when we compare our current situation to someone who has already reached their success, it can often leave us feeling like we lack the required resources to get started at all. We see their optimal setup, and we convince ourselves that we need “that” to thrive.

It can be so dismantling, that it becomes our excuse to not start at all. It’s here we need to fight off the obsession of the perfect setup, and remind ourselves of the single resource that matters: simple, hard, work. If we can become obsessed with just that, the rest tends to fall into place.

The world-class set of golf clubs doesn’t teach a proper swing. Practice does.

Dr.D is coming back strong as he powers through his Bar Muscle-Ups!
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WOD

Strength:

3-Position Power Snatch

Build to a Heavy Complex

Conditioning:

“Unicycle”

AMRAP 10:
60/45 Calorie Assault Bike
100 Double Unders

Time Remaining:
Max Power Snatches (115/85)

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DAILY MINDSET

“The opposite of play is not work. The opposite of play is depression.”

~Brene Brown

Sometimes along the way, we forget that we love what we do. The choice of words there was intentional.

Suddenly things become a “job”.
Things used to be fun.
It used to excite us.
Now… not so much.
And we ask ourselves that question… ”What happened?”

When we are here, it’s a must to remind ourselves: love is a two-way street. And it takes work to love. Unlike the portrayal in the movies, there’s commitment with hard work, sweat and tears. But through that, if we can see it all the way, is the irreplaceable fulfillment. We must learn, or maybe better said re-learn, to love what we do.

Working out at 6am isn’t so bad when you get to do it with this view!
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WOD

“Meter Eater”

AMRAP 12:
Max Meter Row

(On the 1:00): 1 Dumbbell Power Clean (50’s/35’s)
(On the 2:00): 2 Dumbbell Power Cleans (50’s/35’s)
(On the 3:00): 3 Dumbbell Power Cleans (50’s/35’s)
(On the 4:00): 4 Dumbbell Power Cleans (50’s/35’s)
(On the 5:00): 5 Dumbbell Power Cleans (50’s/35’s)
(On the 6:00): 6 Dumbbell Power Cleans (50’s/35’s)
(On the 7:00): 7 Dumbbell Power Cleans (50’s/35’s)
(On the 8:00): 8 Dumbbell Power Cleans (50’s/35’s)
(On the 9:00): 9 Dumbbell Power Cleans (50’s/35’s)
(On the 10:00): 10 Dumbbell Power Cleans (50’s/35’s)

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DAILY MINDSET

“Creativity is allowing one to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”

~Scott Adams

We all want to create something amazing in this life. A successful career, building a deep relationship, to anything and everything between. In this process, we easily forget how crucial it is to allow ourselves to make mistakes.

We learn after mistakes, no question about that, but there’s something even more important here – the will to try so hard, that we make mistakes. If we are living in a state of fear, that we’ll fumble the ball or miss the chance… we never take the risk. We move through life on safe.

Just like training for a 200lb snatch, we wouldn’t expect to be able to lift the weight on Day 1. We’d start at a lighter load, steadily building over the weeks. Countless misses and technical faults along the way, but we still come back to try once more. Fine tuning, until we’ve reached our “art”.

Sergey is working on his strength with over 400 pounds of Deadlifting!
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Reminder: Heather will be teaching Zoom Yoga today at 9:00am! Click here to join. 

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Happy Birthday Alia!

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WOD

“Huggies”

For Time:
800 Meter Run

15-12-9:
Front Squats (95/65)
Strict Toes to Bar

800 Meter Run

15-12-9:
Thrusters (95/65)
Toes to Bar

800 Meter Run

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DAILY MINDSET

“You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do”.

~C.G. Jung

With the advent of the social media and reddit forums, talk is cheap. Sitting in the comfort of a chair, at home, many will talk. Few however, will actually do.

Spending our breath on words is wasted effort, and is always better spent on action. This is the only measurable difference between the armchair quarterback, and the actual quarterback.

I can’t hear what you’re saying, because your actions speak so loudly.

Lauren and James are crushing the Kettlebell Swings during Wednesdays WOD!
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It’s Benchmark Friday!

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BENCHMARK WOD

“Barbara”
Compare to 5/4/18
Five rounds, each for time of:
20 Pull-Ups
30 Push-Ups
40 Sit-Ups
50 Air Squats

*Rest precisely three minutes between each round.

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DAILY MINDSET

“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.”

~Dr Suess

Words from a children’s book, but words that reach far beyond.

It’s easy to get caught up in “life”.
To be so focused on chasing our next goal. Hunting that next accomplishment.

Dr. Suess gives us a grounding thought: to value the present. To appreciate the moments in front of us, despite how tempting it may be to look ahead. In today’s world, we’re moving faster than ever. Planning more than ever. Forecasting more than ever. But in all the plans that we could possibly dream up, regardless of how big and audacious as they may be, do not create memories. Only today can.

Anna is doing a great job of getting her Elbows up during her Power Cleans!
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Happy Birthday Sarai!

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WOD

Strict Press

Build to a Moderate Set of 3

“Funny Business”

AMRAP 15:
30 Strict Presses (75/55)
30 Double Unders
30 Wallballs (20/14)
30 Double Unders

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DAILY MINDSET

“Think like an immigrant. Act like an artisan.”

To “think like an immigrant”… where nothing is owed to me. Nothing promised. There’s no legacy spot awaiting me, and I’m not owed a job, a title bump, or a promotion. That no matter what or who I was yesterday, I’m brand new here, today. So I better plan to work harder than I ever have before to achieve my goals.

And to act, “like an artisan”. In the middle-ages, before mass production, every pair of shoes, every saddle, tool and utensil were made by hand. All one-off productions. By a creator, called an artisan. Artisans took great pride in their work, and would carve their initials into each piece they created.

Regardless of what we’ve accomplished, nothing is owed to us. Yesterday is gone, and we must earn today. And in everything we do, let’s take so much care that we could proudly etch our name into the side of our work for the world to see. We are humble, we are hungry, and we are the hardest damn workers in the room.

Aaron is working hard through his 5 rep Overhead Squats during Mondays WOD!
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WOD

“Minute to Win It”

5 Rounds:
1 Minute Burpees 🙂
1 Minute Kettlebell Swings (70/53)
1 Minute Bike Calories
1 Minute Rest
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DAILY MINDSET

“Never confuse movement, with action”

~Ernest Hemingway

“Busy work” is our mortal enemy.

“Movement” here refers to taking care of the pressing and loud items in our day. The emails. The text messages. The bills. Parts that need to be done eventually, but are seemingly far more urgent in the moment than they are in reality. For at the days end, as we climb into bed, the days that were consumed with such busy work leave us feeling the least fulfilled. “What the hell did I do today?”

This is because “movement” does not push us towards our goals. Only action does. Action is premeditated effort, driven by purpose. It’s calculated energy, versus reactive “movement”. It’s swimming forward, versus treading water.

This quote urges us to recognize the difference between the two. Are we are we in motion, or are we in action?

Dustin and Dr. D are getting serious as they practice their synchronized Toes to Bar!
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WOD

“Triple Play”

AMRAP 20:
200 Meter Run, 3 Box Jumps, 3 Power Cleans
200 Meter Run, 6 Box Jumps, 6 Power Cleans
200 Meter Run, 9 Box Jumps, 9 Power Cleans
…
[Add 3 Box Jumps + Power Cleans Each Round]

Barbell: 135/95

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DAILY MINDSET

“Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.”

Although “knowledge” and “wisdom” are words often lumped into the same category, they are miles apart. The difference between the two: application.

Gaining knowledge, in and of itself, is relatively simple. But purely gaining knowledge doesn’t change who we are. We can place a turbocharged engine under the hood, but if it’s not connected to the drivetrain, we won’t drive faster. We might even drive slower, clouding our efforts with “unusable weight”.

Wisdom on the other hand, takes effort. It takes trial, error, pain, blood, sweat, and tears. And it’s a lifelong practice.

Knowing is not half the battle. It’s not even a quarter. It’s the first 10%, if that. What we are after, is knowledge in action.

Saturday Zoom Yoga with Heather, if you haven’t gotten in on this yet, you are missing out!
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WOD

Strength:

Overhead Squat

Build to a Heavy Set of 5

Conditioning:

“Jackie Legs”

For Time:
1,000 Meter Row
30 Chest to Bar Pull-Ups
50 Overhead Squats (75/55)

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DAILY MINDSET

 

“If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”

~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld had a daily practice, which was a promise to himself. To “never break the chain”.

Every day, Jerry promised himself that he would write a joke, every single day. The length, the topic, and even how funny it was came second to the fact – that it was completed. Some days the jokes were incredibly funny. Other days, hardly. Some jokes were long, some were barely a sentence. But he “never broke the chain”.

What Jerry was doing, was committing himself to make forward movement, every, single, day. Some days it was inch, and some days it was a mile. And this seemingly simple practice, to place tangible action into every day, resulted in one of the greatest comedians of his time.

As Martin Luther expresses, it’s not about the magnitude of the progress. All that matters, is that we’re moving forward.

Wanna go ride bikes?!
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WOD

“Box Spring”

For Time:
75/50 Calorie Assault Bike
40 Dumbbell Hang Clean and Jerks (50/35)
50 Dumbbell Box Step-ups (24″/20″)
40 Dumbbell Hang Clean and Jerks (50/35)
75/50 Calorie Assault Bike

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DAILY MINDSET

“Real fears can be overcome. It’s the imaginary ones that are unconquerable.”

~Theodore Vale

Fear can be absolutely paralyzing. It can feel so real, that we would bet our lives on whatever it is, happening.

If there ever was a superpower that we have, it’s the tremendous ability to bring whatever we’re thinking into reality. And if you’re human, you can draw back to a time where we talked ourselves into failure… before we even began. We convinced ourselves it was impossible, but we didn’t even try.

The unconquerable fear, as Theodore Vale puts it, is the imaginary one. It’s human to question, doubt, and fear. But this thousand-year-old survival mechanism, which means well, is leading us down the path of hesitancy. Of inaction.

FEAR – False Evidence Appearing Real. The same mind that builds a paralyzing fear can break one down by shifting what we place our thoughts towards. Instead of dwelling on what could go wrong, dwell on why it will go right.