The Summer Transformation Challenge is ON!

I Mustache You a Question: How will you step out of your comfort zone over the next 40 days?

Do something different!

 

I love the workout.  I love a new challenge every day in the gym.  I love being tested, and I love going a little faster or a little heavier every single day.  External motivation is nearly irrelevant because rarely do I ever let myself become complacent in this area.  Complacency and plateaus go hand and hand.  And I never want my fitness to hit a plateau.  But the question is, do I let it?

In my world the battle goes down in the kitchen.  As we all know by now, fitness is 80% how you fuel your body.  Overall my diet consists of mainly Paleo-friendly foods but there is one exception…SWEETS.  If all foods carried the same nutritional value, I would be perfectly okay with consuming solely chocolate for the remainder of my days on earth.  But alas that is simply not reality.  Because a large portion of my diet is Paleo, I more often than not become complacent and rationalize my sweets consumption; and BAM there comes the plateau.  How can I expect to see fitness gains if I am complacent with stalemating on the aspect of fitness that is 80% of its makeup?

I love the quote by Ernest Hemmingway that says, “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” That is going to be my mantra for this upcoming Transformation Challenge…eliminating complacency and finding true nobility in pushing myself beyond my comfort zone…

Go get ‘em Tribe!

-LH

The challenge is upon us and it’s time to get back in that groove of consistency in workouts and more importantly food choices!  Lauren is right that it all goes down in the kitchen, wherever your kitchen may be.  For a lot of us we’re “too busy” when it comes to making the right choice when it comes to either food or workouts.  Don’t get me wrong I know everyone is busy, that’s my point though; everyone is busy!  Life is busy with, work, family, travel, you name it; life is just busy.

The good news, it’s all about the plan.  We’ve all heard the saying from Winston Churchill “He who fails to plan is planning to fail.”  That is the name of the game, it sure should be.  Planning out your day in advanced is the way to stay ahead.  Look at your schedule and find out when you can get your workout in and how you’re going to eat properly.  No one is so busy that they don’t have 5-10min to sit down and schedule out one day at a time.

He/she who has the best plan will see the most results in this challenge.  Of course each plan must be executed, plans with no action are boring, written words on a piece of paper.  I will be the first to say that I am really good at making plans.  When it comes time to put those plans into action, I look at what I’ve got to do that day and start bargaining those plans.  If it’s a workout I’ll try to squeeze it in later in the day and not get the most benefit that I could have had I executed the plan.

Lastly, I’d like to discuss some mental tactics for the challenge.  Most of the time our minds make things seem tougher than it really should.  The mental game is so crucial to the outcome.  Whether it’s a challenge that you’re in or just a regular class workout, preparing your mind for the task is huge!  For example, while coach Lauren or myself is discussing the workout on the board, listen, but also visualize yourself doing that movement.

As you begin to write down your goals and plan for this challenge, visualize yourself completing the task.  Visualizing yourself finishing the workout or executing your plan for the day.  Just by placing that process into your mind, actually completing the part you’ve visualized will be so much better than before!   It takes maybe 5 min to visualize each movement in a workout or your goals.  Take the time to do it and you will be surprised how much it will help.

I hope these tips and examples are helpful.  Now you know that us as coaches also struggle with a lot of the same things each of you do.  Let’s work together and have the best challenge yet!!! Don’t forget if you ever have a question about the challenge or anything, email us and let us know!

Alright, Alright, Alright.  Game time!

-CO

Coach Lauren      lhammond@irontribefitness.com

Coach Ann-Marie amriley@irontribefitness.com

Coach Jeff           jjackson@irontribefitness.com

Coach Chris         coakley@irontribefitness.com

Let’s WOD for Water

Here in America the average person uses approximately 2.5 million liters of water a year.  That is equivalent to an Olympic-sized swimming pool….for every single one of us.  So on the daily, we, as Americans, are using well over 300 liters of water.  Let’s compare that to our brothers and sisters in countries like Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Rwanda where the average individual uses less than 15 liters a day.  The numbers are mind blowing.

Too often we take for granted the ease of walking a few steps to the water fountain mid-WOD when our throat starts to get dry, or when we go to the bathroom to splash some cool water on our face after a tough workout.  These are luxuries that we sometimes forget are luxuries.  In rural Ethiopia, women and children walk an average of 6 hours a day to collect water.  The jugs used to carry the water weigh around 40 lbs, and the majority of individuals are not just carrying one.  Let’s put that in perspective…we’re talking about a 6 hour AMRAP of Farmer Carries with at least two 40 lbs. kettle bells.  Talk about some grip strength, not to mention mental toughness.

Since Iron Tribe was first founded a few years ago, they have made a conscious effort to make an impact not only on their local community, but also on their global community.  We have the chance to take part!  Partnered with Never Thirst, Iron Tribe has raised funds yearly to build clean water wells in various countries in South and Central America, Asia, and Africa.  Last year alone, nine Iron Tribe locations raised over $230,000 which equated to 80 wells in India.  Each of those wells serve around 500 villagers.  Bottom line: This simple act of kindness and generosity impacted over 40,000 individuals, and it will continue to impact thousands more over the course of the 20 year life of each of the wells.

Saturday, July 19^th Iron Tribe Northshore will be making the trip up to ITF Knoxville to participate in the WOD for Water event.  Not only will it be a workout that truly allows you to step into the shoes of a villager that has to trek, trudge, and fight for every ounce of water they can get, but more importantly it will be a chance for you to extend a hand to these brothers and sisters by joining forces to raise money for more clean water wells.

Be sure to register for the event by going to: http://www.wodforwater.com/ Click on Knoxville, TN and be sure to donate to the ITF Northshore link on the right hand side of the screen.  Help us reach out goal of $4,500!   Let’s WOD for Water!

Summer Goals

Memorial Day is right around the corner, and you know what that means….

SUMMERTIME!  The end of May is the perfect time to re-evaluate your personal goals.  Last week we had our community challenge, and one of the questions inquired about fitness goals for the summer.  Some of the responses from you guys included averaging at least 4 workouts a week, losing 10 lbs, mastering double-unders, setting PRs in several Olympic lifts, correcting form, and tightening up that tummy.  These are awesome goals!  And what’s great about sharing your goals with others is the accountability it creates.  If you have yet to sit down and draw up one or two clear goals for yourself for this summer and tell someone about them, we want to encourage you to do so!  Because if you don’t make ‘em, you’ll never met ‘em!

Just take a look at Megan McCullah, your Triber of the Month.  She started the Tribe back in September with some very clear weight loss goals.  She actively went out of her comfort zone to adhere to the Paleo diet, consistently exercise, and even came in for coaches’ assessments when needed.  Her results?  Well she has lost 40 lbs and still going! Check out her Intagram for paleo tips at megpacpaleo.

 Or take a look at Don Benedict.  Since starting the 101 mid-January he has stuck to the Paleo diet and worked out consistently 4 days a week.  His results?  A 40 point drop in his cholesterol! 

If you still don’t believe me, take a look at Brandon Allen.  You might not even recognize him from when he first started Iron Tribe.  He came in with goals of weight loss, and within the first four months lost 25 lbs.  Now he has refocused his goals towards performance, and he PRed 15lbs on his clean and jerk this past weekend!

I don’t know about you, but those guys inspire me!  So set that chocolate chip cookie aside, grab a pen and a paper, and brainstorm some goals for yourself this summer.  3, 2, 1…GO!

Fueled with Excuses!

So I just got back from vacation. (If you don’t know who’s writing this blog then I know you missed last week!) I told myself after vacation it’s time to clean up the diet. I’ll be honest I took some time off after the challenge. I didn’t let loose all together but I did relax. But you know what really helped me get to that point in my diet; I had a lot of excuses!

It’s practically the first of May, and summer is so close! We all know the feeling when we get that swimsuit out.  You stand in front of the mirror and think; I wish I was this or if only that was better.  (Guys don’t lie we do it too, it may not be the same as the ladies but we do it.) It’s even better when you go to the store to pick out a new one… It’s almost like New Year’s Eve! The resolutions just start rolling out.  But what happens about 3 or 4 days later? The excuse train pulls out of the station and picks up steam.  As my grandmother would always say about her exercise, tomorrow is the best time to start! Ha I love her, but I don’t take her advice on that!

It’s time to tell the conductor to take a vacation, grab that journal and get back to work.  For me, working out is the easy part; it’s the fun part.  I like to lift heavy things and put them down! But I know that what really gets me where I want is what I am eating.  The unfortunate part is that for most of us, there is no big obvious issue with the diet.  As the band Blink 182 would say it’s “all the small things” that come back to haunt us!  When I think of all the small food choices I make over a week or month, I see a few extras that I didn’t really need.  It reminds me of one of my favorite books by

Daren Hardy called The Compound Effect.  If you haven’t read it I absolutely recommend it.

 

The Compound Effect talks about how each decision builds off of each other.  These decisions become habits and over time (years, think long term) those decisions have a huge impact on our lives.  You might be thinking, wow that got a little deep, and it did.  But my point is that as much as we all want to see changes in weight loss, strength gains, or a six-pack of abs, it takes consistent decisions over a period of time!  Why do you suppose fad diets or crash diets work for a certain period of time and then it’s back “normal”?  It wasn’t a true lifestyle change, something that can be sustainable for every day.

 

So what to do now? How to make healthy eating a part of my life where it’s just a routine?  The best place to start is with some guidelines.  Find a plan and stick to it, explore new options and recipes.  Not a fan of cooking, order food from Inner Fire Grill!  It’s done for you and it flat out works!

 

Check out these recourses; http://nomnompaleo.com/recipeindex a great place for recipes, info even an app! Or http://robbwolf.com/what-is-the-paleo-diet/ with Rob Wolf who has been talking about Paleo for a long time! And don’t forget you can always set up a coach’s assessment to review goals, discuss food, or work on a movement.  Take advantage of us coaches; we do this for a living we want to help!

 

No more excuses! Make up your fitness mind for what you want and go get it!!!

Strong is Beautiful

The question every woman has asked herself at some point. The question that when falsely answered creates fear, and sends women to run on the elliptical for hours upon hours or not eat for days. The question that has been answered and proven by endless research and athletes…

Is lifting heavy weight going to make me big and bulky?

First of all, we are what we consume and what we do. Your body is simply a reflection of what you put into it and what you ask out of it. Training and eating like an athlete is in no way going to make you “big and bulky.” If you are feeding your body steroids while at the same time lifting heavy weights then you are asking to look solely muscular rather than actually improve your performance as well. However, if you are eating correctly, consuming a healthy caloric number, and lifting heavy weights you are going to look better than you ever have before.

Still don’t buy it? Take a look at this article that shares photos of some of the top Female Crossfitters like Camille Leblanc-Bazinet or Christmas Abbott: http://crossfitfms.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/the-fear-of-bulkiness-and-crossfit/
Not only has lifting heavy weight and eating right become a lifestyle for these ladies, but it is a job. Quite honestly, the majority of us ladies do not have the time to even come close to building the amount of muscle that they have, and I don’t know about you but they don’t resemble big and bulky to me.

Bottom line: Ladies, don’t be intimated by heavy weights. Don’t let the fear of developing a bodybuilder’s body stop you from going a little heavier (because believe me, you won’t). Choose to be strong!

In the Name of Progress

Too often as coaches we see athletes forcing the issue of the Rx.  I’ll even lump myself in this discussion because there are WODs that my pride does not want to take the back seat for safety sake!  What is it about those two letters R-x that make us all go a little crazy???  Is it pride; is it the thought that to scale is not the “real” workout???

No matter where you are in your fitness journey, we all had to start somewhere.  And wherever you are in your journey, you have progressed to where you are now.  Progression, albeit not always the most fun to wait for, is the main course of the journey.  It’s what keeps us coming back for more and more of this addictive medication called fitness.

The thought that I can do more, lift more, move faster, or whatever the case may be is what the progression is all about. The Rx gives us that goal; it sets the bar so to speak.  I get it; I have chased that Rx like there’s no tomorrow sometimes.  I’ve also paid the price for reaching too high when I wasn’t ready.  Thankfully no injuries occurred because they sure could have.    What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was actually doing myself more harm than good.

The question now is what to do?  Where do we go from here?  The answer is in the link below.  It’s time to do work, make those progressions, and use that word we all love to hate…. PATIENCE!

http://eattoperform.com/2013/09/06/how-to-avoid-scaling-all-your-wods/

Squatting for Depth

The squat. It’s something we’ve all been doing since we were toddlers, but something drastic has changed between those days and now. The range of motion or depth of our squats has seen a complete turnaround. The days of squatting to full depth are gone. It’s so far gone that now the notion of getting back to that range of motion must be bad. Let’s take a stroll down squatting lane and see what it’s all about.

“By definition, a full squat is just below parallel, where the hip joint is lower than the knee joint. At the bottom of the squat, if you were to put a marble on your thigh, it should roll down towards your hip — not your knee.”

Myths of the back squat:

It’s bad for my knees, and it increased risk of arthritis…

It causes back pain…

Truth’s about squatting:

It’s actually good for your knees. Not only by strengthening the muscles in the leg it also increases joint stability.

It alleviates back pain. During the full depth squat the pelvis rotates backwards allowing the spine to elongate.

To read more about the squat, check out these websites:
http://www.leanitup.com/study-squat-depth-low go/

5 Reasons to Full Squat

Run Really Really Fast

“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.” – Christopher McDougall

To some a 5 mile run sounds so daunting it makes ones head spin, yet to another (cough, Andy and Leanna, cough) it sounds like pure bliss. Distance running for pleasure and maintaining low level aerobic pace definitely has health benefits and is great for building a stronger capillary network. HOWEVER, “the effects of regular sprinting on your health, your body composition, your fitness, your strength, and your susceptibility to disease are so ridiculously impressive that it’d be foolish not to.”

Here are 15 reasons to sprint more often courtesy of Mark Sisson:

1. It preferentially burns more fat
2. It’s anabolic (that means it can increase muscle mass and strength)
3. It’s even more anabolic in women than men (All the more reason to sprint Ladies!)
4. It makes you better at accessing body fat during other types of exercise
5. It builds new mitochondria
6. It even works if you go slowly (i.e. pushing/pulling a sled or running with plate overhead)
7. It’s more efficient than endurance training
8. It takes way less time than you think
9. It’s a good excuse to get to the beach (sprint training on sand increases speed and power in subsequent training bouts)
10. It works for overweight people
11. It works for elderly people
12. It improves glucose control and insulin sensitivity
13. It lowers high blood pressure
14. It’s safe for people with heart diesease
15. It comes in many forms (intervals, hill sprints, cycling sprints, rowing sprints, resisted sprints, sprinting in the water, etc)

To read more details on each of these reasons to sprint more check out Mark’s article at:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/15-reasons-to-sprint-more-this-year/#ixzz2sGw7WjDE

Paleo is Possible

Sounds good. Feels good. Looks good.

“It’s too time consuming.  I can’t not eat bread, plus I have a huge sweet tooth.  Paleo just isn’t for me.”

Does any part of that statement sound familiar?  Or have you made other excuses for yourself not to attempt the lifestyle of paleo for at least 40 days?  Or maybe you are a rebel child that says, “If cavemen had access to corn, potatoes and dairy, they would have eaten it!”  Whatever your reasoning is behind not at least giving paleo a wholehearted, full-blown, all-in, shot you are hindering yourself from feeling better than you ever have before and seeing results that are absolutely unparallel.  

So let’s debunk some of the myths.

Time:  Paleo meals take the same amount of time to make as a meal from the Standard American Diet!  We create the illusion that it is more time consuming because before someone begins the paleo diet they generally do not have the standard paleo ingredients in the cabinet.  These include items like almond flour, coconut oil, honey, etc.  Take the time when you first transition to paleo to stock up on the core ingredients.

Expense:  Lifestyle changes often come with a price tag.  If you decided to take up mountain biking you would have to front the cost of the bike.  That essential cost can be daunting, but if you never made the plunge you would never get to ride!  The same goes for Paleo.  Make that plunge by stocking up on your core items, buying groceries for the week in advance, and planning meals ahead of time.  Your return on investment won’t disappoint.   If you do opt to go fully organic and grass fed obviously it is going to be a little pricer.  However, the smart shopper will buy the grass fed meat in bulk and stock up on vegatables and fruits at the local farmers market instead of the grocery store. 

Eating Out:  The myth of not being able to eat out when you are on Paleo is just silly.  At nearly any restaurant, especially in the grass-fed, locally-raised haven of Chattanooga, you will be able to find multiple Paleo friendly options on the menu.  Ask for the chicken to be grilled instead of fried, ask for your dish to be cooked in olive oil rather than butter, or ask for balsamic vinegar as a substitute for salad dressing.  The majority of restaurants will be more than accommodating!

Bottom Line:  Give Paleo a real chance during this 40 Day Challenge.  Go all in.  But don’t do it for us.  Do it for you!  For an easy guide of how to best stock your pantry for Paleo check out this link http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/paleo-pantry/