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| CrossFit Masters Specialty Course @ CrossFit KLEW |
I forget where I heard this line but it always made me laugh. It is the truth though isn't it? We all look forward to a long, happy and healthy life...
... but what are we doing to actually give us the best possible chance at living a long, happy life?
Recently I had the honor of being a part of the first ever CrossFit Masters specialty course, led by famed CrossFit instructor and judge Chuck Carswell and assisted by Dan Hollingsworth. They were fantastic and did an incredible job educating us on the intricacies of coaching, guiding, and motivating the fastest growing demographic in CrossFit... the Masters.
While the focus of the weekend was centered around Masters (ages 40 and above), I learned WAY more than just some basic programming methodologies or scaling options. Our discussions were thought-provoking and led me to really look introspectively about why I do what I do and how I can impact the lives I am fortunate enough to come in contact with at our gym.
I learned so much that weekend but I would like to share with you some of the highlights. Coaches, athletes, couch potatoes ... you can ALL get something from this. Hopefully this will get you thinking critically, and get you to start thinking seriously about your story and how you want it written.
1) "If there is doubt, there is NO doubt."
Chuck used this line numerous times and I absolutely loved it. Not sure if it is his original quote or its from somewhere else, but when training a group/individual OR yourself this is a great rule to abide by. DISCLAIMER: if you are an elite athlete striving to reach the top of your sport you can disregard this. I would imagine there is some doubt running through a man's mind when dropping in front of a 100MPH slap shot to block a shot but you really do not have a choice if you want to be successful. But for the vast majority of us - especially those of us later in years - this should be LAW during a training session. Shoulder kind of achy and not so sure about doing 100 pull ups? DO NOT DO IT. Knee feels funny but you really want to do "Karen" with the class? DO NOT DO THOSE 150 WALL BALLS DAMMIT. Going faster on those deadlifts might help you beat that 21 year old standing next to you but that intense burning in your lower back sure isn't getting better... STOP IMMEDIATELY.
I tell our members all the time "Live to fight another day." We should know that fitness and your health is a long, continuous journey that should not be defined by one move, one workout, one day. Do not let your ego as an athlete put you in danger. COACHES - do not let ignorance or lack of control possibly injure an individual who has entrusted their health and wellness to you. Take a step back, and I promise very soon you will be leaping for countless steps forward.
2) You can be limitless and realistic... but its more fun to be limitless.
Whenever an athlete walks up to me and the FIRST WORDS out of their mouth is"I can't..." I cringe. Not that they are lying... they probably can't. The reality is quality CrossFit programming will most likely have some weights, movements, and time domains that are difficult if not impossible for some people to achieve. But what gets me is the fact that their default reaction is "NO. I CANNOT." There is defeat in their tone; they have set limits to their abilities and they do not believe they can accomplish what is required of them. WRONG WRONG WRONG. We may have to scale today, we may have to make some alterations today, we may have to shorten the time... but when its all over you will be better. You will be improved. You will overcome the challenges before you and you will reap the benefits of that. THAT IS SUCCESS. Who cares if you didnt "Rx" it?!?!? Change your mindset: do not walk into the gym focused on what you can't do but instead find some goals that scare the hell out of you. And attack them with everything you have.
Kyle Manard has no arms and no legs.
He climbed Everest.
With no prosthetics.
He crawled over 19,000 ft to one of the most deadliest peaks in the world.
Moral of the story: you are capable of a lot more than you think.
3) You are the author of your own story.
Do not let society dictate your life. As we discussed in the seminar, society teaches us that we peak in our 20s, our capacity declines in our 30s, we begin to gain some impossible-to-remove weight in our 40s, illness creeps in during our 50s, we lose functionality by the time we reach our 60s and in our 70s we are a frail, ghostlike shadow of our former selves.
THAT IS TOTAL BULL CRAP.
That is not how it has to be. CrossFit, science and countless human beings through their active lifestyles on this planet have proven this to be false. An active lifestyle accompanied by smart lifestyle choices can greatly impact the effects of aging. We do not have to be riddled with disease, we do not have to be overweight, we do not have to become frail and helpless... we have a weapon to fight against ALL of those things and mitigate their effect on our quality of life. ITS CALLED CROSSFIT (or whatever form of constantly varied functional movement performed at relatively high intensity you chose).
Do not indulge in the self-fulfilling prophecy that since society tells you its impossible to be fit and healthy and active until the end of your days you cease to do those very things that will ALLOW YOU to be fit and healthy and active until the end of your days.
4) Live with passion. Die with dignity.
I cannot promise that exercise and a healthy diet will guarantee you a long and happy life. But I can promise you that by DOING these things you can greatly increase those chances and by NOT DOING them you can greatly decrease those very same chances.
So why the heck would you not do it?
It has been proven that even through terminal illnesses, an active, healthy lifestyle has helped patients extend their lives, often defying the odds. Training your body can prepare it for the rigors of what you might be forced to endure sooner or later in life, and that can play a significant role in how you live out your final days.
Rather than summarizing everything, I will expand on my final point and leave you all with this:
My father passed away on March 16th, 2017 after battling cancer. It started in his esophagus before eventually spreading to his brain. He dealt with multiple surgeries, including two brain operations within a few days of each other, chemo therapy and multiple bouts of radiation including whole brain radiation. He struggled each and every day, and I had to sit there - helpless - and watch my father struggle to walk, to eat, to use the bathroom. The same man who just a year earlier helped paint my entire house, change the light fixtures, cut and install the trim... now was completely broken. And he remained that way until the end.
My father was a great man, a man who loved his family unconditionally and had boundless compassion for all he knew... but he was not without his vices. He drank, He smoke. He didnt exercise. His nutrition was poor. He was more active than most 21 year olds, working his whole life and helping my brother and sisters and myself with just about every single thing we could ever need.
I often wonder... what if 10 years ago I would have dragged my dad into the gym? What if I would have made him change his diet? Quit smoking? Quit drinking? What if 20 years ago, or 30 years ago CrossFit existed and someone brought him in and taught him functional movements and basic nutrition and training to increase broad times and modal domains... would anything have changed?
I don't know. I will never know. But if it would have improved his quality of life just a little bit in those final days... if it would have added just one more day. Heck one more hour so I could have said goodbye... I wish to God he would have done it. I wish I would have made him do it.
Do not wait. Do not leave your story to chance. Write your own ending. You do have a say and do not let anyone else tell you otherwise.
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