They’re trying to create an place of acceptance and tolerance. They hope to foster an atmosphere of not judging one another.
I’ll let you guys take this one. What do you think?
At least this news broadcast isn’t joking about their culture, either. Check out these three Planet Fitness commercials.
Did I laugh out loud at each of them? Yes.
Will I ever join a Planet Fitness? No.
Enough said. 🙂
(Cartoon from Randy Glasbergen)
Well? What's your answer?
It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog post, and that’s because my life has been incredibly busy over the past 4-6 weeks.
The bad news is that you haven’t had the joys of reading my excellent commentary on the amazing athletes I get the privilege to coach on a daily basis, and you haven’t had your regular “Moments of Awesomeness”.
The good news, though, is that I have been stock-piling info. Waiting for life and me to get back in sync with one another so I can hit the ground running. That time has arrived.
Didn’t you know it’s “Get Your Hustle On September“?
Well, buckle up. Things are about to get real.
How Bad Do You Want It from Greyskale Multimedia LLC on Vimeo.
Clayton introduced me to this song a while ago. It’s called “Through The Fire And Flames” by a group named Dragonforce (the link is to their “OFFICIAL Music Video”). To me, this song is the epitome “Face-melting” rock and roll. Something you’d expect to see in a bonus round of an old Japanese video game or something.
Given my pretty eclectic interest of music, I DO think there is a time and a place for music like this (if not in relatively small doses so your heart rate doesn’t explode).
The reason for this Thought of the Day, though, is to also share with you guys the World Record Attempt that two kids made to play this song on Guitar Hero’s Expert Level. There is no doubt in my mind that what they do here… is incredible. But how many hours did it take these two to get to THIS level of accuracy, coordination and quite frankly rhythm?
This lead me to my question, how much time is too much for one to spend on a “HOBBY”?
I spend a LOT of time coaching, training, reading and learning about CrossFit. I mean a lot. But it’s just a hobby of mine! I was wondering this because I found myself judging these kids while watching their amazing video. “How much time did they spend inside playing video games when they COULD have been… (insert any other parent line here)?”
I have no idea why I cared what they could have been doing, but CrossFit has taken me to a point where I think improving one’s fitness level is a “worthwhile” dedication of time. Who’s to say that crushing video games isn’t worthwhile? So I wondered, is there too much time that can be spent on things that a person does just because they like it? Or does everyone else (me, in this case) need to shut up and mind their own business?
Not every act in the world needs to add value, but I feel like someone who volunteers to build schools in a third world country in their “free time” would be looked at a lot more favorably than someone who works towards building the tallest stack of playing cards because that’s what makes them happy.
Does it matter?
Not even a complete thought on this post today, but I just thought I’d share the ridiculous thought process I went through today. Oh well, back to watch the video one more time and play air guitar like a baus!!
Happy Thursday. That is all.
Ric Elias was on board the flight that landed in the Hudson.
Here’s the description from the TED page of what this video is about:
“Ric Elias had a front-row seat on Flight 1549, the plane that crash-landed in the Hudson River in New York in January 2009. What went through his mind as the doomed plane went down? At TED, he tells his story publicly for the first time.”
The reason for this post is for me to ask you all…
What would it take for you to change your outlook on life?
I ask because we always see these shows and specials and hear these stories of people who experience near-death events and how their lives change forever. Why does it need to take such a big and potentially tragic event for so many of us to change the way we act?
Why can’t we identify things in our lives that we want to change… and change them now? Since it’s August 1st, I am challenging everyone to pick ONE thing that you want to change, or improve, and start working towards it.
What are you going to work on? I’m interested to know!
Click below to see the entire page from the TED Website:
Ric Elias: 3 things I learned while my plane crashed
I leave in a few hours for my best friend’s wedding in Lincoln, Nebraska. I couldn’t be happier for both Jared and Katie, and I am beyond honored that he chose me to be his best man! These are two of the nicest people I’ve ever known, and the fact that they’re finally getting married after all of these years brings a huge smile to my face!
In honor of all best men out there, I am only hoping to do the role justice this weekend.
So if you’ll all please raise your glasses and join me in a toast. To Jared and Katie!
Greg Walker, one of the “fire breathers” at CrossFit Lakewood, sent me an email last week sharing some of his thoughts on things he’s recently come across. The main topic was the “elitist” mentality that some fitness programs show towards others. Many of you who read this blog already know the about the ongoing “battle” between CrossFit and P90-X, but the list of rivalries and the search for “The Best” goes on for days.
The topic I’m going to focus on today stems from a picture that Kristin shared with me on Facebook. Here’s what she posted:
Failure? Not necessarily. (p.s.- Don't try at home)
The picture is from the guys over at Fail Blog, and it shows a man doing what looks to be a Back Squat while balancing on a “Swiss Ball”. I assume that the person who posted it on Failblog was saying that what he is doing is completely ridiculous, and therefore, constitutes a “Fail”. Now, my initial reaction when I saw the picture was… “YESSS!!!!!” and I probably laughed out loud. Then, Greg’s question made me pause for a second and really break it down. Here’s what he wrote:
“On those fail pictures of the guy squatting on a rubber ball…I don’t agree with the comment “fail” it should say “misinformed” we are very fortunate that we have found Crossfit, and I don’t think we should label others as failures because they don’t know any better….at least they are getting to the gym! I think the fail comment doesn’t represent the positivity that Crossfit is all about and makes us look like jerks.”
Greg didn’t mean to particularly put down any one picture or group, he was merely saying that the “holier than thou” attitude some people show, can deflate a person’s confidence in simply trying to get in better shape. Basically, he wants people to put down their “Hater-ade” and embrace fitness, however it happens! Here’s my take on the “Is that really a fail?” question:
As a personal trainer (to use the most easily understood job title), my goal is to help guide people down the path of increasing their fitness level and improving their health. That is what drives and motivates me. I personally know some kids from College who could balance on a ball like that, JUMP IN THE AIR and then land back on the ball, perfectly balanced. That takes an incredible amount of balance and coordination, so why is that a bad thing? Or a “Fail”? CrossFit says the “learning and playing new sports” is one of the fundamental requirements of becoming as fit as possible and that keeping things “constantly varied” so your body can’t adapt is essential. If that’s the case, why not bust out a set of Bicep Curls every once and a while to keep your body guessing? Something is better than nothing. You can still think that CrossFit (or Yoga or Pilates) is better than something else, but I don’t think you can argue that as long as it’s done safely, doing nothing is better than popping in that Tae-Bo VHS from a few years ago.
So if you yearn for your 6 minutes of Shake Weight per day… enjoy!
If working out with Richard Simmons is your idea of a good time (and it should be), Sweat to the Oldies all day!
At the end of the day, my advice for people is to be ACTIVE and have fun doing it. As soon as “working out” seems like a chore, people start to resent it. Physical activity should be fun! It’s just my personal opinion that CrossFit is the most fun and the most effective fitness methodology out there.
Get out there, get your fitness on and have a great time doing it! Your mind and body will thank you!
For the record, I DO still think the picture above is funny, though.
This week brought a very notable event in the sector of “Global Security” that was carried out by the United States Military. From the moment of the public announcement, as is usually the case, an array of emotions has been shared across the country and around the globe. Some celebrated. Others shared how they felt the loss of a life, any life, should never be cheered. Some took credit for their role in the act. Others did not, have not and never will talk about their role in the events. At the end of the day, one FACT remains:
The mission was carried out by Navy SEALs.
Wikipedia defines them as “The United States Navy SEa, Air and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy’s principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC)… The unit’s acronym (“SEAL”) is derived from their capacity to operate at sea, in the air, and on land – but it is their ability to work underwater that separates SEALs from most other military units in the world. Navy SEALs are trained and have been deployed in a wide variety of missions, including direct action and special reconnaissance operations, unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, hostage rescue, counter-terrorism and other missions.” I understand that as meaning that these men are some of the best of the best.
Men who are asked to do things that most humans could never imagine. They are silent heroes that protect our freedoms, as Americans, every single day. Their job is to remain unseen, (they.do.not.exist.) and they will rarely ever be thanked for their risks and sacrifices.
CrossFit names workouts after people like that. They’re known as HERO Workouts, and they’re named in memory of a soldier, a police officer, a fire fighter, or someone who gave their lives to protect us. They’re not just running and pull-ups and push-ups and air squats. Before we do these in our voluntary fitness class, remember that each one of these HERO WODs has a story. As time has passed in my 2.5+ years in CrossFit, I feel these workouts should be viewed as something a little bit more. They should be taken more seriously. We complain about how much we hate running… these individuals no longer have that luxury.
Tom Nugent (friend and owner of SnoRidge CrossFit) posted a link today that I wanted to share with you all. Glenn Beck tells the story of one SEAL, Lt. Michael Murphy, and how he gave his life to protect each of ours. (CrossFit named the workout “Murph” after him.)
This story has nothing to do with my thoughts on Glenn Beck, but rather the men he is talking about. While I will rarely get this “political” on my blog, stories like this make me feel proud and thankful to live the life I am lucky enough to have here. God Bless America, and thank you to all of the men and women out there ensuring that we continue to have this privilege.
R.I.P. Lieutenant Michael Murphy
[kyte.tv appKey=MarbachViewerEmbedded&uri=channels/451373&tbid=159073&p=1011&height=384&width=320]
My friend Tom Nugent at SnoRidge CrossFit made this sign and put it up in his gym.
I LOVE IT! This sign is exactly what I have dreamed of doing, but never had the mindset to create. It’s perfect.
Great work, Tom. Thanks for sharing!
Yep. This is perfect.
Know your place.
Maybe that’s a bit more intense of an opener than what you wanted to read on my “Fitness Blog” this Monday morning, but I’m serious. You may be the most important person in the universe (in your own mind), but even with that, it’s important to know your place. In the office. At the store. In the gym.
My friend Megan shared this article with me today that really hit home. While I was born in New York, I spent a majority of my life in Pittsburgh, PA, and this writing made me stop and think about a quality of the ‘Burgh that I appreciate more and more with each passing year.
Personally, I feel there is something to be said for a firm handshake and some good of eye contact (and dare I say a smile on occasion) to even a complete stranger, yet it’s pretty easy to not get much of that “out in the world.” The manners, or lack thereof, that we are faced with sometimes makes me wonder where some people out there learned how to treat their fellow human. Now let me qualify this… this is all coming from the guy, who at nearly 27 years of age, still calls his friends’ parents “Mr. and Mrs. so-and-so”, but c’mon.
Remember The Gold Rule? Do unto others as you would have others do unto you? Treat people the way you’d like to be treated? To rephrase and quote Will Ferrell imitating Harry Carey, “It’s a simple concept… A child could understand it.”
Megan said something when sharing the article with me, and as we enter the last full week of this month, I couldn’t agree with her more: “This article will fit in well for the rest of Accountability April.”
Take a minute to read the article below, and give yourself a minute or 10 to reflect a little bit.
(And know your place. Seriously.)
Local Dispatch: It’s hardly polite to be outside Pittsburgh ~ by David Conrad
Smashby's Training Blog 