Cutting Some Slack

Lucas Parker has quite the training setup at his house – logs for flipping, a 20’ rope climb, stones for lifting, heavy jugs for carrying, and a sled for pulling. In addition, strung between a large tree and a stake pounded into the ground, is a slackline. While the first 5 implements listed are challenging, the slackline requires a whole new skillset – and one that I am sorely lacking in.

It looks pretty easy when Lucas is on it – he can walk with ease, do 90* turns, pistol squats etc. Not so easy in practice though as I can barely (at the moment) stand on it for a seconds at a time. Of course, this indicates to me that there is a gap in my fitness… and being a bit obsessive about my “CrossFitness”, it was imperative that I pick up my own slackline to fill that gap.

I ordered two direct from Gibbon (THE standard in slacklines) – one for use in the area around my work, and one at home so that I can get a balance fix whenever tempted. All I need are two sturdy trees (or other similar anchor points), a good attitude, and a relatively soft landing area.

Over the next weeks and months, I’ll be setting out to utilize the slackline whenever possible. The primary focus will be to develop a new level of dynamic balance with the secondary goal of having some fun times. With this in mind, slacklining will fit well on my rest days when I need some motion with different characteristics than my usual training activities. It will also be a great way to get outside and enjoy the summer weather.

I’ll write some updates as I go to document my progress, it should be a fun experiment!

Have KB, will travel... and WOD!

Kettlebells are useful little devices - compact and extremely portable, they offer a wide range of challenging movements if you have the knowledge and creativity to put them into use.  On a road trip to Utah in the summer of 2010, a 55lb KB was the only piece of equipment I brought and it was an excellent choice... nothing like crushing kb snatches and goblet squats in the desert in July!

Ideally it would be great to have a selection of weights along for the ride but I find the good old 1 pood fits most needs really well - it's a good weight for swings, presses, snatches, c+j, goblets, and TGU's.  If you're a bit stronger, a 1.5 (73lb) kb might be a better option.

Either way, pick one up, learn yourself some KB skills and pop it into your car.  That way, whenever the mood strikes you, there's a gym just waiting to happen.  This is a great option during the summer months as well when it's so nice to get outside to crush a workout.

Last night I did just that.  There's a small school with a big playground and field a short drive away from my house, and I needed to do some conditioning work.  The obvious choice with a kb, a pullup bar, and field was "Helen" (3 rounds of 400m run, 21 swings, 12 pullups).  I wanted a bit longer wod so I bumped the rounds up to 4.  The pullup bar was a good challenge since my feet tended to scrape the ground a bit when I did my kip, and I'm not sure about the run distance but it "felt" about right!

In the end, it was a great evening to be outside and crushing a workout... all thanks to my kb buddy.

Give yourself a break from the usual gym-ness during the summer when you can - you'll find it's a great way to enjoy your fitness experience and it will add some necessary variety.

Cam

Visiting Catalyst Athletics

It goes without saying that not all coaches or training centres are alike, and there are definite quality differences even between people who are at "the top". After visiting Catalyst Athletics and getting to see Coach Greg Everett in action, I can assure you that he lives up to his reputation. Greg is mostly known for his excellent book - Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes and Coaches - as well as the monthly Performance Menu online magazine that is published through Catalyst. With these accomplishments it might be easy for someone to forget what formed the basis of Greg's publication success - which is excellence in coaching. My main goal for heading down to Catalyst was to see him in action and working with his competitive lifters. There are certain cues and technical details that are only truly realized when seen in person. One thing that really stuck out for me was the emphasis on the "pull under" the bar. I've seen this many times before of course and it is emphasized by all good Oly coaches, but the way that it is taught and ingrained at Catalyst really hit home. The best drill that I've seen to develop this pull is what they call the "tall snatch". Check out Cathletics.com to see a video of this in action... it definitely pushes the development of the pull under like no other teaching drill that I have seen. Over two days there, I definitely picked up a lot in regards to training lifters. I was fortunate enough also to observe Catalyst's beginner/recreational Oly class and their fitness class, so I saw how they developed the skills of part time lifters. I even got a glimpse of 2007 CF Games champion Jolie Gentry crushing a workout one night. Aside from the training aspects, two other things are remarkable about Catalyst. Firstly, I am a great believer in associating with quality people, and they have that part dialled down there. Steve and Alyssa are two competitive lifters that are both friendly and humble people and are dedicated to their coaching duties for the recreational lifters and fitness group respectively. In addition to that, the lifters that train there genuinely seem to be friends and the environment in the gym was very positive. Secondly, you have to have PASSION if you truly want to succeed in your position. You can tell that Greg honestly loves his job - it's evident in the way he coaches and interacts with his athletes, his commitment to excellence, and even how he has hand-built many of the structures and platforms in his gym. Overall, it was a great trip and my only regret is that I didn't get so spend more time down there... maybe a week next year! Cam

GOLD coaching advice

This one is NOT for the kids or the workplace but is a GREAT video for so many different reasons.  Picked this link up from Freddy Camacho's One World blog.  Check it out:

http://vimeo.com/42209600

What needs to be understood is that beneath the bravado, the swearing, and the verbal beatdowns is that this guy loves his job.  He likes the people that go train with him for more than the reason that they are easy cannon-fodder for his wit... and he LOVES his fellow co-workers.

Lesson #1 - find your passion and pursue it

Lesson #2 - surround yourself with good people

That's a pretty damn good start!

Cam

Literal Power

Letters and words... truly a definitive part of human culture.

Quotes, phrases, and catchwords are everywhere, plucking at our thoughts, feelings, dreams.    

Slogans catch our eye through the simplicity of their message – they entice us to follow brands and trends or to follow dreams of “what could be”.

Words truly do have power... and if a particular arrangement of letters resonates with you, then you can grow more powerful from it.

I know a lot of good phrases – I’m a words guy.  Words and language are my game and exactingly accurate communication is the goal.

That being said, it’s taken a while for me to settle on my keystone word – the one that makes everything fit together.

I’ve found that word now.

RELENTLESS.

The pursuit of something (or many things) with undying perseverance. 

The unwillingness to settle.

The desire to keep striving.

I like this word. 

It extends through all domains in my life: my search for continued physical performance, my desire to utilize my coaching talents to their fullest and enhance people’s lives, my need to create and nurture a strong and close-knit family.

It speaks of toughness, both physical and mental.

It is goal oriented in nature.

It implies a purposeful progress forward.

It is a good word.

That’s why you’ll begin to see “Relentless” increasingly and inextricably associated with Podium SC.  You’ll see it on my blog, on our training gear, on our letterhead, and, most importantly, in the attitudes and performance of our athletes.

If it resonates with you, join us and enjoy the progress.  If not, continue searching for that theme that defines your purpose and passion. 

Take hold of it and let it make you powerful.

Cam