***SCHEDULING NOTE – We will have two group sessions tomorrow – 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. We will be closed on Christmas Day and on Saturday, December 26.***
Workout of the Day:
Snatch Balance
3-3-3-3
(Don’t feel compelled to go heavy – work on your technique and make it perfect.)
(Thanks again to our friends at Catalyst Athletics for the great instructional videos.)
and then,
Five rounds for max reps of:
30 seconds of Ring Dips
30 seconds of Rest
30 seconds of Strict Pull-Ups (no kipping – use bands if necessary)
30 seconds of Rest
30 seconds of Box Step-Ups with KB Goblet Hold (heavy)
30 seconds of Rest
Book Review – Never Let Go
Written by George Economou
(Editor’s Note – I took this book with me to Hawaii. The problem was, I couldn’t put it down and I finished it before I even checked in to the condo. I emailed the coaching staff my notes on the book and made it a “must read.” So far at least three coaches have read it. I thank George for getting a review together and promise to supplement with some other gems in the near future. Go buy this book! It’s not only a great read for quality information on strength and conditioning, it’s also well-written and extremely entertaining.)
CJ wrote earlier this week about how Invictus coaches are always seeking out opportunities to educate themselves in order to provide better services to our athletes. Recently transitioning from the Marine Corps, that concept resonates deeply with me. The leadership principle of “know yourself and seek self improvement” has just as much application now for me as a strength coach as it did as an intelligence officer.
Growing up, so to speak, as a junior officer in a Marine Corps at war, experience was something you didn’t have but always wanted more of. One obvious way to gain experience was to stay engaged with your current mission and learn as much as possible from your successes and failures. A lower impact method was to substitute your experience with someone else’s…reading about their success and failures.
I recently finished Dan John’s book Never Let Go: A Philosophy of Lifting, Living and Learning. You can read his bio on your own time here, but trust me when I say that he is a highly respected athlete and coach not only among the Invictus coaches, but also in the strength industry as a whole. The book reprints and expands on a number of articles he’s written on T-Muscle.com and cover the gamut from dieting, building strength, building mass, getting rest, exercise fads, goal setting and motivation. The book is a must read for aspiring coaches and athletes alike, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t share some major takeaways.
Free Will. The Human and I argued about whether I should continue to use this term or replace it with “motivation.” Whatever you want to call it, Coach Dan John basically says you only have so much of it any given day. For example, your alarm clock goes off at 5am…actually heeding its call uses up some free will. Eating some meat, nuts and fruit for breakfast instead of the cheese filled toaster strudel…free will. Not putting creamer in your coffee…free will. Drinking water instead of grabbing that Diet Coke with Lime…free will. By the end of the day, your free will tank is running low, and may even be empty by the time those white chocolate-chocolate-chip-heath-crunch-cookies show up in front of your face (it’s ok, you’re only human).
What can you do to avoid this dilemma??? Take free will out of the equation! Many of you are doing this already. You come into the gym with the expectation that we will provide quality programming and push you to achieve your goals. We’re telling you what to do and making sure you do it; that’s more free will in your pocket to use later on in the day. Dieting can work the same way. Build a meal plan for the week on Saturday and do your shopping and food prep on Sunday. On Wednesday, after that 9am staff meeting, when you’re usually making the decision of C19 (snicker’s bar) or H07 (snowballs), you can reach for the Tupperware of trail mix – Booyah! Free will in your pocket!
Goal Setting. There is quite a bit on goal setting in the book, but what stuck with me was to share your goals with others. If you have a goal that you want to achieve, tell EVERYONE. What you’ll soon find is that you have a community of friends and family that will help you achieve that goal, and even hold you accountable to it. Do your coaches know your goals? How about the rest of your Invictus community? I challenge you to share your goals (decency permitting) and see what happens after you throw them out on the table of life.
Goals and Behavior. Does your behavior match your goal? Along with throwing your goals out there, you need to make sure that your lifestyle supports those goals. Tell me that you have a weight loss goal of 30 lbs in 6 months, and then be willing to live a lifestyle that will support that change. If you’re not willing to display the behavior necessary to achieve your goal, then one or the other must change. This takes soul searching for some of us, for instance:
Goal – Compete in the 2012 Olympics for Doubles Badminton.
Current Situation – Decent athlete, but couldn’t spell Badminton before writing this article.
Behavior – Only able to devote two hours a week to whacking the shuttlecock. Oh yeah, and I can’t find a doubles partner because I keep telling EVERYONE how I need to find someone to smash the shuttlecock with.
I’m not trying to bring down anyone on their goals, but understanding this concept will be a considerable factor in achieving your goals.
This is a very small sampling of what Coach Dan John’s book has to offer. If you’ve got some time off this holiday season, pick up a copy for yourself and I promise you won’t be disappointed.
