We have put in some serious work grinding through some absolute strength base building for about 3-4 months, and it definitely paid off!  We logged 242 PRs on the scoreboard last week, and that doesn’t account for people who may have had to pop in and hit some of those maxes outside of classes.  Excellent work!

A lot of factors play into that absolute strength development, and it’s not just about simply getting in the work as some of you might have found out!  Of course you have to put in the work, but how much of what you do OUTSIDE the gym plays into your development as an athlete?  A LOT!

First off, something I touched on briefly last week in a quick note to everyone was the fact that typically people who are active tend to under-fuel.  This is a generalization so I don’t intent to offer any sort of blanket prescription based on this statement alone, but it’s pretty typical—I tend to see plenty of active people not fueling their bodies with what they truly need to recover.  Especially as summer hits, the heat tends to suppress people’s appetites, and there are plenty of opportunities to get de-railed from a good food profile.  You have to make sure you’re getting in the right amount of fuel, and if you aren’t logging and going into each day with a plan, I can virtually guarantee you aren’t hitting the marks you should be hitting.

As it stays lighter out later later into the evenings and there are more things to do during the summer months, people tend to not sleep enough either—this can be a huge detraction from your progress in the gym!  Without going into a bunch of specifics as to what happens when you don’t sleep enough, it’s one of the single most important things you can do to make sure you are recovering.

You don’t build muscle and improve your fitness in the gym; you are actually breaking yourself down and subjecting your body to stressors with the intent of adapting.  The ‘progress’ part of the journey happens primarily in the kitchen and in your bed at night.  You can’t out-train a lack of sleep and you can’t perform well without adequate fuel just like you can’t take a long road trip in a car that has a 1/4 tank of gas and needs a tune-up.  If you need some guidance here, just ask!

Now that we’re through a longer phase of building that absolute strength base as well as building aerobic capacity from short to longer time domains, we are going to switch gears a bit here and start working on developing some explosiveness.  This next month should look and feel quite a bit different from what you’re used to, which not only will continue to develop you as an athlete (we just essentially turned a page in our periodization) but will also help you stay revitalized.  The fun thing about a good program design is that there’s always something new to look forward to!

Onward and upward—keep up the great work everyone!

 

RLTW <1>

—Coach Phil

 

How long have you been a member at CFD, and what made you want to get started?

Well, my CrossFit journey began post-graduation in summer of 2013. I was a recent graduate at University of Dubuque, and I was looking for a new challenge.  I was pretty active already as I played soccer for the university. For a short period after my last soccer season ended (tear), you would find me casually walking around aimlessly in a gym. It just didn’t cut it for me. Curls, bench press, and a poor squat didn’t drive me. Coach Maddie actually referred me to CrossFit Dubuque. She was already involved, and she loved it. So I finally gave in her peer pressure (she often nagged at me  ).

 

What changes have you seen in yourself since your very first day?

My name apparently… to T-Dog  (shout out to Coach Aaron).

My overhead squat is the biggest improvement since day 1. For almost a year, I had to use plates underneath my heel – just the men’s bar was a challenge for me. My flexibility was nothing short of embarrassing.  It was literally an awful balancing act until this year. Constant coaching cues from Coach Phil, Mike and the rest of the staff helped me finally understand how to efficiently overhead squat.

 

What did you do for fitness prior to CFD, and what do you like most about CrossFit?

I was actively involved with soccer all my life, so that was the majority of my fitness. CrossFit interested me by the metcon workouts. Like I mentioned before, strolling through a gym and casually lifting weights didn’t interest me anymore. Every metcon I’d be on my back, soaking up a lovely sweat angel. No better feeling

Also the community feel. Everyone at CFD is extremely friendly, whether it’s at the crack of dawn at the 515AM class or seeing a member out and about at Hyvee. If you are consistently going to the same class, more than likely it will be the same group of members (shout out to the 630AM peeps!).

 

What type(s) of workouts are your favorite?

WOD involving running, T2B, thrusters, and more running.

 

What type(s) of workouts do you least like to see come up?

Fran. Because the ever-so-wonderful “Fran Breath”. Just kill me.

 

What are you goals going forward?

Efficient butterfly pull ups. Because I sure as heck don’t look or feel like a butterfly on the bar.

 

What advice do you have for someone just starting out at CFD?

Don’t give up! The first few months are the hardest.  Keep asking questions on movements, and make sure you are taking care of your body. You won’t achieve your goals if you are eating like garbage and not stretching! CFD has certified knowledgeable staff – take advantage of that!

 

Cheers,

Tyler

This week has been a fun week already!  it’s the culmination of hitting some absolute strength maxes from the last few months of some pretty linear strength development we’ve been working hard at.  Coaching last night was a rewarding end to an otherwise hectic day for me—I got to coach the 3 evening classes and witness literally about an 85% PR rate!  There aren’t many better ways to end a day in my opinion!

I’d like to mention fueling with everyone, as I think it’s in need of a mention.  With the summer heat upon us, appetites tend to decrease.  We tend to not eat as much good food, we are exposed to junk like alcohol and snack foods more often, we go out more often, stay up later, and still get up at the same times for work.

As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as overtraining, only under-recovering.  I think there is a lot of truth to this and it applies to about 98% of the population.  If you need some assistance with your food, just remember that we can do that.  Shoot me an email!

There is a very important relationship between your work and your recovery, and if your work has stayed the same (work hours, training hours, etc) but your recovery has decreased, that equation isn’t going to work out in your favor.  Train smart!

 

RLTW <1>

—Coach Phil

 

For the past 10+ years I have been gaining and losing the same 10-15 lbs. I would get on a kick of working out and restricting my calorie intake to drop weight. Slowly I would lose interest in working out and the food that I had eliminated from my “diet” would creep back into my cupboards. I lacked balance in my life and my metabolism was shot from the years of yo-yoing and controlling my calorie intake. I always felt like I was on a diet and I often obsessed about my calorie intake and food choices. My mentality on working out was negative too. I didn’t really enjoy the workouts I was doing and I was bored. I would find myself stuck on a treadmill or elliptical waiting to get to a certain calorie burn. If I couldn’t workout at least 4-5 times a week, then it wasn’t worth it and I wouldn’t do anything. I was setting myself up for failure each week and on numerous occasions I told myself I was “starting again on Monday.”

I am slowly learning to balance a healthy lifestyle and try not to get down on myself if I can’t workout or eat poorly for the day. My goal is to continue to create a healthy, positive relationship with food and to not let it control me.

 

1.  How long have you been a member at CFD, and what made you want to get started?

I started CFD in September of 2015. I was just getting back into working out since having my daughter in May and was having a hard time getting motivated on my own. One day I was doing a workout video at home and I got done, looked in the mirror and I didn’t even have a drop of sweat on me. I knew something had to change.  In August, I had visited my cousin in NC and she was telling me how she was loving CrossFit and how she looked forward to the challenging workouts each day. I came home and signed up the next week.

 

2.  What changes have you seen in yourself since your very first day?

I am definitely more confident. I was very timid and nervous about signing up as I had never really lifted weights.

I feel my overall performance in class has improved. I have also seen many physical changes. I have never had as many compliments on how tone my arms look as I have in the past 6 months! 

 

3.  What did you do for fitness prior to CFD, and what do you like most about CrossFit?

Prior to CFD I was doing workout videos at home and going for runs and walks sporadically. For many years before that I belonged to a couple gyms and would go but I wasn’t held accountable so I would slowly stop or go only on occasion out of guilt and continue my monthly dues until my contract was up.

What I love most about CrossFit is that the workouts are for all levels of athletes. I am stronger and fitter than when I started but the workouts are still as challenging. There are no limits and I love the feeling I get after finishing a tough WOD. I also love having a workout program that I don’t have to plan each day.  For the first time I don’t dread working out. I thought I would be more intimidated by strong athletes in class as I know I can’t compete with them, but actually it has given me more motivation to want to get better and be the best me in class.

 

4.  What type(s) of workouts are your favorite?

My favorite workouts are run/row combos and dead-lifts.

I love the variety each day and that I am not bored.

 

5.  What type(s) of workouts do you least like to see come up?

I am not a fan of any kind of burpee! I am so slow at them!! Thrusters and wall walks come in close behind.

 

6.  What are you goals going forward?

To continue to work on technique and get stronger. I would love to do a pull up one day and I need to keep working on double unders. I want to just keep getting better.

 

Also, I want to continue with working on my nutrition and fueling my body correctly. Since starting CrossFit I have been working with Mike on my nutrition goals. I wasn’t expecting to have a “quick fix” but I have learned I need to be patient and trust his advice. I have noticed some great results in the past few months and am now in a maintaining stage.

 

7.  What advice do you have for someone just starting out at CFD?

It feels like summer out there!  Here are some announcements of things happening in the next couple months:

 

There will be no 6:30pm class on Tuesday the 21st of June.  Don’t worry, the class isn’t going away, but there’s a staff shortage that day and we have a large Foundations group that needs to be coached at that time.  Please plan your workout accordingly that day!

 

Saturday, June 25th is Run4Troops!  If anyone is available to help the CFD team out by picking up/dropping off runners that day, it would be greatly appreciated.  Please reach out to me via email (phil@crossfitdubuque.com) if you’re willing to lend a hand!

 

Monday, July 4th, we will be closed in celebration of Independence Day. Have a safe and fun 4th!

 

Saturday, July 9th is CF Galena’s row fundraiser—if anyone would like more information please click the link or email me directly and I can send you in the right direction!

 

Saturday, July 16th is Shaun Strong 2.0.  I have made a page here for you all to check out more information about this, but please save this date and do what you can to support!

 

Saturday, July 30th is our CFD summer party, hosted at the Kuhl residence!  More information will be released soon, but save the date…it’s going to be a fun day!

 

There you have it—mark your calendars and I look forward to these next few months of events, training, and being around our great community we’ve built here together.  As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please bring it to my attention!

 

RLTW <1>

—Coach Phil

 

 

 

I joined Crossfit Dubuque in October of 2014 after checking out the website probably a million times.  What made me finally pull the trigger and go for the newbie session was hearing a couple of my coworkers talk every day who had joined the month before.  I would see them hobble down the hallway and tell stories from the night before.  As they would talk about their workouts and what the coaches had said (could there actually be people with a sense of humor as inappropriate and irreverent as mine??) I could feel myself becoming jealous.  I signed up for the newbie session and haven’t looked back since.

Once I began it was a humbling experience.  Although I knew my general fitness had room for improvement I had lifted weights since being in sports in high school and knew I was strong, especially “for a girl”.  But as I started attending classes I was in awe of the weight that was being thrown around, much of it by women much smaller than me.  If the coaches and people in class weren’t so amazing and supportive I might not have continued after the first month because I had always been a person who stayed firmly within my comfort zone.  I would find something I was good at and keep doing it until I was better.  However, if there was a chance that I wouldn’t be able to do something with a relative degree of skill from the outset I avoided it at all costs.  As the weeks went on, though, I realized that although people are very competitive at CFD, it is a competition with yourself first and foremost.  Can you be better today than you were yesterday?  Are you giving it your absolute best?  That is what is admired most, even if you have the lowest score on the whiteboard.

While I have always been generally athletic, I was not consistent with my workouts until after my 2nd son was born 10 years ago.  He was a difficult baby and it is no exaggeration to say that I essentially held him for the first 5 months of his life, even while he slept.  Even though I loved him dearly, there were times that I felt I was going to lose it, and one of the only breaks I got from him was when I would walk on the treadmill in our basement.  Granted, I didn’t really enjoy walking on the treadmill but it was better in that moment than holding a crying baby.  Thirty minutes turned into forty, forty turned into fifty…all in an effort to squeeze a little more time for myself.  After a while I realized that I didn’t just look forward to my workout because of the break it provided but I truly enjoyed how I felt after a good sweat.

When he was 8 months old we learned that he had a very rare and serious neurological disorder that would affect every aspect of our lives from that moment on.  I honestly don’t remember much about the time right after his diagnosis but I know that in six weeks I gained 30 pounds (yep, 30!).  I finally woke up one day and realized that I needed to take control of something in my life since so much was beyond my control.  From February, 2007 until now I don’t know if I have gone more than a day or two without getting in some sort of workout.  It keeps me both physically and mentally healthy and has become an integral part of my persona.

It is because of his limitations that I strive to do my best every day.  For example, even though I am probably one of the slowest runners at CFD, I will never stop.  When I feel like my legs are going to fall off and my lungs are burning I remind myself that my son would give anything to be out running with me and so I have no excuse to quit.  I still groan when I see lots of running or burpees in a WOD and consider clicking “un-RSVP” but then I remember that I am blessed to have a body that can do these tasks so I tell myself to suck it up and go to class.  I need to keep myself physically strong so that I can   snuggle with him whenever I want.  Every thruster I do delays the day when I can no longer pick him up and take care of him with my own arms instead of having to use a piece medical equipment.  That, to me, is the best PR I can score.

My advice to newbies??  Find your “why”.  Why do you want to workout?  Why do you come back day after day?  Why are you worth the time you take for yourself when you are at CFD?  Hopefully you will have many whys.  The way you feel when you accomplish something you never thought you could do.  The exhilaration that comes with reaching a PR.  The amazing friendships you will develop that become deeper than you could have ever imagined.  Stick with it in the beginning when it’s hard and you can barely move because I promise you, you will be so glad you did.  I know I am.

Two quick announcements:

1.  We’re only a couple days away from Regionals!  I’ll do my best to keep everyone posted via the Facebook page when I’m there, and the events will be streamed on games.crossfit.com as well, so stay up to date on how Streat is doing to show your support!

2.  The Memorial Day schedule is reflected on WODhopper, so I hope that you’re all able to come in and knock out a classic hero WOD with us Monday at 9:30am.  There won’t be any other class times that day–please avoid coming in to do an individual program design during that time on Monday as it will be busy!  Classes resume as normal on Tuesday.

 

Have a great day!

Coach’s note:  I figured since we’re going to be sending our very first CFD athlete to represent us at the 2016 CrossFit Regionals, we should highlight the guy who will be in the spotlight!  Streat’s an awesome guy from a great family who has been with us for about a year now at CFD.  His genetic potential, work ethic, and resilience is awesome to work with as a coach, and his attitude and personality is a pleasure to have as a part of the CFD family.  I’m proud to have him on our team, and can really see this guy going places!

RLTW <1>

–Coach Phil

How long have you been a member at CFD, and what made you want to get started?

I have been a member for about 1 year. I had already been doing CrossFit for a couple years elsewhere and heard some good things about CFD so I decided to check it out.

What changes have you seen in yourself since your very first day?

My overall fitness has improved. Everything from correcting movement patterns in olympic lifts to gymnastic skills. I have also gained a ton of knowledge in terms of nutrition and recovery.

What did you do for fitness prior to CFD, and what do you like most about CrossFit?

I started CrossFit in the summer of 2013. Prior to that I played football and ran track in high school and did weight training specific to those sports. I also did lots of bro lifting (curls, bench and whatnot). CrossFit provides a different challenge every day and makes me push myself to do things I normally wouldn’t. I enjoy the competition it provides as well.

What type(s) of workouts are your favorite?

Anything with handstand walks. Workouts that involve complex movements and heavier weights.

What type(s) of workouts do you least like to see come up?

Rowing, assault bike, everything that is boring and hurts a lot.

What are you goals going forward?

Keep improving my overall fitness. Continue to qualify for Regionals and eventually the Games.

What advice do you have for someone just starting out at CFD?

Listen to the coaches, work hard, and don’t forget to have fun with your fitness.

 

Due to the overwhelming number of clickbait ads and articles out there, I decided to put my own quick list together of things you need to know when you’re starting your journey into fitness.  Here are 7 things, not necessarily in any particular order except for the first, everyone needs to know before starting a new fitness journey:

 #1:  Not all (CrossFit) gyms are created equal.

The word ‘CrossFit’ is in parentheses because it’s true regardless of the sport-specificity or type of facility you happen to go to.  I just happen to own a CrossFit gym.  There’s great football coaches…and bad ones.  The bad ones don’t mean the sport sucks.  The same is true of fitness and CrossFit.  Be an informed buyer and go to a facility that has great coaching, an appropriate, effective, and safe program design, and offers more than just a one-size-fits-all sweat routine.  Your time, money, safety, and progress are worth more than that!

 #2:  If your training age is low, get ready for newbie gains!

It’s not a bad thing, it’s just what happens when you haven’t really exposed yourself to something new before.  Your lifts go up by 200% in the first year, and I’m not even joking for many people when I say that.  As long as you’re respecting the process, listening to your coach, and getting the appropriate dose response of your program (and not eating like a total turd during your off day…but hey, even newbies can get away with murder in this category and still reap huge gains in their fitness—for a while), your measurable work capacity will improve very drastically, very fast.  However, this leads me to point #3:

 #3:  ‘Newbie’ gains are NOT ‘forever’ gains!

If you fool yourself into thinking that the rate of improvement you experienced as a rookie will continue on as you reach an intermediate-level athlete, you’re setting yourself up for failure.  Don’t misinterpret this as me saying that plateauing is fine—you still have room for improvement, and the improvement can still happen over many years, and with the right lifestyle choices AND following the right program design, you can continue to make progress.  You can still stay hungry for more, just don’t fool yourself into thinking they’ll come as easily as they did in month 2 of your journey.

 #4:  At some point, you’re going to have to figure out how to fuel your body right.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say ‘I know HOW to eat right, the hard part is doing it.’  You’re right—the hard part IS doing it, but I have a bone to pick with this statement:  most people do not….I repeat: DO NOT know how to eat right, be it for heath and longevity OR performance.  Even people who are ripped often times are that way due to genetic predisposition rather than having anything really figured out.  Understanding comes from tracking, asking questions, trying different things and understanding what’s happening a few layers deeper than just the surface.  Food profiles, like programs designs, are not one-size-fits-all!

 #5:  Show up prepared on Monday!

From a program design standpoint, I’m going to write the workouts AFTER periods of rest as a priority day.  Here, I’m operating on the assumption that you’ve had the most rest since your previous session.  If your ‘cheat meals’ extend from Friday at 5pm all the way to Sunday night, from alcohol to junk foods, you are setting yourself up for failure on Monday by either being a wreck or skipping it altogether.  I’m not saying you can’t live a little bit, but too often the 90/10 rule turns into the 80/20 rule, which then becomes the 70/30 rule, and then next thing you now you’re justifying every piece of junk food or drink of alcohol as ‘moderation.’  Don’t do that to yourself…stay disciplined, stay the course, and indulge yourself OCCASIONALLY.  Relaxing needs to be the exception, not the rule, and it’s important to keep yourself on the same rhythm you’re already in with your work:  training starts on Monday!

#6:  You can’t out-train a bad diet; you can’t out-caffeinate a lack of sleep.

I touched on food, so I won’t go too much further into that.  You shouldn’t be eating something because you ‘earned burning it off,’ you should be eating something because you require that particular fuel for the work you need to do.  Same goes with sleep—if you rely on stimulants to get you through the day, your hormones are compensating for the fact that you’re not allowing your body to adequately rest.  And don’t give me that crap about how you’re a unique snowflake and don’t need the sleep.  Show me that athlete who performs at the top of his or her game on 5 hours of sleep a night.  Go ahead…I’ll wait.  Truth is, growth hormone is produced almost exclusively at night during REM sleep.  Your fueling and recovery are MORE important than your training when it comes to making progress.

 #7:  Learn that it’s ok to change your goals.

You don’t have to love any one particular sport or training methodology forever.  This is why I’ve come to enjoy owning and training at a CrossFit facility; almost anything is fair game!  Want to focus on your weightlifting for a while?  Great…we can do that!  Want to get into gymnastics?  We have that too!  Enjoy anaerobic power interval training?  Me too!  Want to improve and build a huge aerobic engine?  I know how to do that!  Do you like a mixed bag?  Awesome…have you ever tried CrossFit?  Training doesn’t have to be awful or boring, and you’re welcome to re-evaluate your training goals and change things up with time.

There you have it—the top 7 things that came to mind I’d like everyone to know and think about before starting their journey into fitness, regardless of sport specificity.  I hope you found it useful!

RLTW <1>

—Coach Phil

How long have you been a member at CFD, and what made you want to get started?

I have been a member at CFD for 3 years. I turned 30 and felt like it was time to start taking care of myself.  My friend, Alix, nagged me to try CrossFit for about 6 months. I just kept blowing her off and making up excuses why not to join. Finally I gave in on January of 2013 and have been a member ever since!

 

What changes have you seen in yourself since your very first day?

I have seen many changes in myself.  I feel stronger and more confident. When I started I could barely pick up a trainer bar! I have come a long ways since then.  I still underestimate myself and think I can’t do that or that’s too much weight.  I get a little push from the coaches and CFD members and always end up surprising myself!

 

What did you do for fitness prior to CFD, and what do you like most about CrossFit?

I didn’t really do anything before CrossFit.  I joined a gym and would work out occasionally with my husband but I didn’t love to work out and was bored.  I enjoy getting a variety of workouts and everyday is different.   I like that CrossFit feels like a family. There is always someone, whether it be a coach or another athlete, pushing you to be the best you can be! Everyone around you is encouraging and pushing each other to be a better athlete. You don’t get that just anywhere!

 

What type(s) of workouts are your favorite?

I love strength days! I love getting to spend time working on getting stronger and pushing  to PR my numbers.

 

What type(s) of workouts do you least like to see come up?

My least favorite thing to see come up in a workout is burpees! I hate burpees! I feel they are the most awkward thing and I’m not fast at them. A close second would be running.

 

What are your goals moving forward?

I want to get a pull-up someday!

 

What advice do you have for someone just starting out at CFD?

To anyone looking to join CFD, I would tell them are not only joining a gym but a community. It doesn’t matter what level you are on as an athlete, there is somthing for everyone. There will be good and bad days! Just push through it and stick with it! You are only as good as you let yourself be!