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I get asked pretty regularly the differences between what is offered in an individualized program design, personal training, and a group program design. I’d like to dedicate a blog breaking down the differences for everyone.

Group Program Design—just as the name implies, this is what made CrossFit what it is today. There is a group program design that is written for the masses that is typically highly scalable, and all members of the class participate in the workload together under the direct supervision of a coach.

Pros of GPD:

• Good for people who need accountability and motivation
• Cost-effective training model (least expensive model at CFD)
• Most people tend to need the same thing based on lifestyle, so the GPD fits with a vast majority of people’s needs/goals
• Great way to meet other like-minded people who care about their health and fitness  (Community-builder!)

Cons of GPD:

• Everyone is different and therefore a GPD is never going to be perfectly catered to anyone’s specific needs
• Difficult to progress in complexity as the athlete improves over a longer period of time
• Always constrained to a finite timeframe, and schedule must comply with fixed class times
• Because this takes place in a group setting, social anxiety issues can inhibit attendance/progress/success

Personal Training—this model is all about 1-on-1 time with a coach who has written a specific program for you and can supervise each and every step of the process. This model has been around for quite some time and will never go away.

Pros of PT:

• The best model in terms of supervision, quality control, individualization of the program design, and typically allows for a high flexibility of scheduling
• Sessions can be adjusted on the fly based on progress, energy, etc.

Cons of PT:

• Most expensive model, as it required the same time commitment of the trainer as it does the client
• A most isolated model–you won’t have company while you do a PT session (unless you schedule small group PT sessions)

Individual Program Design—This model is the newest contender to the field and has really been made more and more viable because of technology. In this model, a program design is written specifically for an individual and the individual executes it on his/her own time, eliminating the cost of having to pay for a coach to watch you perform every rep. However, and depending on the mode of delivery of the program design, it is expected at CFD to record specific movements via smartphone and annotate data as the individual completes the prescribed work for the day. This data is immediately available to the coach who can use it to dictate how the program design should be adjusted moving forward.

Pros of IPD:

• Bang-for-your-buck best combo of individualization of program design relative to cost
• Allows for total flexibility of scheduling
• Allows for freedom to complete work anywhere, including one’s own home gym
• Great for self-motivators who can do work they are given without the need for supervision
• As technology improves, the experience will only become more interactive and immediate, bridging the gap between IPD and PT (especially with coach/client interface programs like thefitbot.com)

Cons of IPD:

• Not good for people who need accountability or need to work out in a group setting
• Typically not good for people with very low training ages–even most basic movements require coaching for most
• Costs more than a GPD, though not nearly as much as PT
• Sessions typically can’t be adjusted on the fly due to the fact that coach isn’t present to make the adjustments

So there you have it, this is my breakdown of some of the services offered here at CFD and the main differences between them all. There are pros and cons to each model, and no single model is perfect for everyone. Choosing the model that fits best with you is going to come down to what your goals are, what environment you thrive in, your budget and your schedule. Hopefully this breakdown helps with that!

As always, I appreciate feedback and enjoy intelligent discourse, so please feel free to respond to me with questions/comments/suggestions about this blog topic or anything else you’d like me to cover!

Keep up the hard work!

RLTW <1>

—Coach Phil

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

I have been a member at CFD since, Well, I’ve just been showing up and the days, weeks, months have flown by! I think I started the intro session last July.

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

The changes I’ve seen in myself are that my muscles have gotten a smidge bigger. I’m not busting the seams off my shirt sleeves or anything, but I gained some muscle and with those muscles I am stronger than the first day I started. And being able to write that in an email where others will read it is a change in and of itself for me.

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

My prior fitness to CFD… has been an evolving progression of several things, workout DVDs, group fitness, and one on one training. My favorite thing about CF is learning to lift the heavy weights!

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

When it comes to the CFD workouts, my favorites are ones I finish.

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

My least favorite CFD workouts would be ones with wall balls yeah, wall balls, ugh. And Mr. Timecap.

6. What are you goals going forward?

My goals going forward are to continue progressing in strength gains, and just overall improving myself.

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

My advice for someone just starting CFD is Come to the WOD and give it your all every time!

For those of you reading this and debating should I sign up for this? Do it!

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It’s almost here!  The 2017 CrossFit Games will be taking place in just a couple short weeks, and we have the amazing opportunity to watch one of our very own Dubuquers compete on the world stage!

***Due to the popularity of the event, we will not be hosting the 4pm and 5:30pm classes on Friday, the 4th so our coaches and athletes can better utilize their tickets!***

Also, someone put out a very helpful guide to the Madison area that I will share with you all here.  I can’t take credit for this, but whoever put the work into it was very thorough!

See you all very soon!

–Coach Phil
Locals Guide to Madison

CrossFit affiliates (in Madison unless noted):
CrossFit Recursive
CrossFit Big Dane
CrossFit Connex
Sanctify Fitness
Farmland Fitness (Waunakee)
CrossFit Madtown (Middleton)
CrossFit Adept (Verona)
PFD CrossFit (Verona)
CrossFit Vultus (Sun Prairie)
Foremost CrossFit
Trollway CrossFit (Mount Horeb)
Four Core CrossFit
CrossFit Fort Atkinson (Fort Atkinson)
CrossFit 1936 (Watertown)

Restaurants:
Alright let’s see what I can do for restaurants. These are entirely based on my preferences (so I have definitely missed some. Most of these are either downtown or eastside of Madison):
Sushi:
Takumi (east side), Red Sushi (Capital Square), Restaurant Muramoto (Capital Square), Tavernakaya (Capital Square)
Mexican/Tex-Mex/Latin:
Eldorado Grill (Willy Street), Tex Tubbs Palace (Atwood), La Taguara (eastside), Canteen (Capital Square)
Chinese/Japanese/Korean:
HaLong Bay (Willy Street), Soga (State Street), Fugu (State Street), Ichiban (Park St.), Umani Buns (Willy Street)
Thai/Indonesian/Lao:
Monsoon Siam (Atwood), HaLong Bay (Willy Street), Bandung Indonesian (Willy Street)
Indian:
Maharajah (East Side), Maharani (downtown), Mirch Masala (State Street)
Burgers:
Dotty’s Dumpling Dowry (UW-Madison campus), Graze (Capital Square), Lone Girl (in Waunakee), Merchant (Capital Square), Old Fashioned (Capital Square), Great Dane (Capital Square and other locations), Next Door Brewing (Atwood), DLUX (Capital Square), Nitty Gritty (UW-Madison campus and other locations, go here for free beer if it is your birthday!), EchoTap (just southwest of downtown)
Farm-to-table:
Graze (Capital Square), Bear and Bottle (Maple Bluff), Heritage Tavern (Capital Square), Alchemy (Atwood), Graft (Capital Square), Merchant (Capital Square), Field Table (Capital Square), The Wise (restaurant in HotelRed, just off UW-Madison campus)
Italian:
Cento (Capital Square/State Street), Sardine (downtown), Harvest (Capital Square), Osteria Papavero (downtown), Tutto (State Street), Greenbush Restaurant (Regent St), Big Sky Restaurant (Stoughton), (and a ton of others)
Steak:
Tornado Room (Capital Square), Johnny Delmonicos (Capital Square), Samba (State Street, Brazillian steakout), Rare (Capital Square), Capital Chophouse (downtown)
Pizza:
Grampa’s (Atwood), Salvadore’s (Sun Prairie), Pizza Brutta (Monroe St), Ian’s (State Street), Lucille’s (Capital Square)
Brunch/breakfast/coffee:
Marigold’s (Capital Square), Bassett Street Brunch Club (downtown), Short Stack (State Street), Manna Café (Maple Bluff), Daisy’s Cupcakery (Atwood), Monty’s Blue Plate, Crema (Atwood), Mickie’s Diary Bar (UW-Madison campus/Monroe St.), TipTop Tavern (eastside), Sunroom Café (State StreetGreenbush Bakery (Regent St (lots more because Madison loves its brunch)
Coffee shops
Colectivo Coffee (Capital Square, and other locations), Ancora Coffee Roasters (Capital Square), Bradbury’s (Capital Square), Café Domestique (Willy Street), Barriques Coffee Shop (lots of locations, one just off the Capital Square), Michelangelo’s (Capital Square), Lakeside Street Coffee House (closest to Alliant), Cargo Coffee (one location is close to Alliant), EVP Coffee (eastside), Ground Zero Coffee (Willy Street), Johnson Public House (eastside)
Tea Rooms/Steeperies
Sencha Tea Bar (State Street), Kung Fu Tea (State Street), Matcha Tea Company (eastside), Jade Mountain Café (eastside), Legacy House Imports (far east side)
Bakeries/donuts
Hurts Donuts (Middleton), Greenbush Bakery (Regent St), Asian Sweet Bakery (southside), Batch Bakehouse (Willy Street), Dough Baby Bakery (State Street), Bloom Bake Shop (Monroe St), Humble Pies (Regent), Sophia’s Bakery and Café (east side), Lazy Jane’s Bakery (Willy St.), Madison Sourdough (Willy St), Silly Yak Bakery (all gluten free, Middleton), People’s Bakery (eastside), Daisy’s Café and Cupcakery (Atwood), Insomnia Cookies (State Street)
BBQ:
Pig in a Fur Coat (Willy St.), Smoky Jon’s #1 (northside right by the airport)
Dives:
State Street Brats (State Street), Plaza Tavern and Grill (State Street)
Fine Dining:
L’Etoile (Capital Square), Heritage (Capital Square), Estrellon (Capital Square), Fresco (State Street) (and a bunch listed above could be considered)
Vegetarian/Vegan friendly:
Everly (Monroe St), Green Owl (Atwood), Monty’s Blue Plate (Atwood), Banzo (Maple Bluff and Willy St) (almost everywhere is, but these are particularly good)
Mediterranean:
Banzo (Maple Bluff and Willy St)
Brewpubs:
Great Dane (Capital Square), Vintage (UW-Madison campus), HopCat (State Street), Rockhound (Regent), Brocach Irish Pub (Capital Square)
German:
Essen Haus and the Come Back In (downtown), OSS – Old School Sausages (downtown), State Street Brats (State Street)
Sandwiches
Fromagination (Capital Square), Stalzy’s (Atwood), Crostini (northeast side), Madison Sourdough (Willy St), Monty’s Blue Plate (Atwood)
Food trucks
Really, they are almost all pretty fabulous but below are my favorites
Can be found on campus on Library Mall, around the Capital Square, and sometimes at random locations
Caracas Empandas, El Grito Taqueria, Banzo (also has a restaurant), Umami Buns (also has a restaurant), Curd Girl, Saigon Sandwich Madison, Melted, Thai Riffic, Cali Fresh, Fresh Cool Smoothies, Slide, Good Food

Best places for drinks that aren’t beer:
Graze (Capital Square)
Lucille’s (Capital Square)
Genna’s Lounge (Capital Square)
Eno Vino (Capital Square) (Wine bar on top of AC Marriott with outstanding views of the Capital)
Fresco (State Street) (has amazing rooftop bar/restaurant)
Wando’s (campus) (not really for best drinks, but you can order a fish bowl so there’s that)
Merchant Madison (Capital Square)
Robin Room (eastside)
DLUX (Capital Square)
Opus Lounge (Capital Square)
Hamilton’s on the Square (Capital Square)
Gib’s Bar (Willy Street)
Smokys Club (north of campus, Hilldale)
Tornado Room (Capital Square)
Forequarter (eastside)
Cooper’s Tavern (Capital Square)
Old Sugar Distillery (eastside)

Breweries
ALT Brew –> all gluten free and quite delicious, far east side
Ale Asylum –> has some food, right by the airport
One Barrel Brewing –> neat bar, Atwood neighborhood
Karben4 –> has some food (yummy pretzels), far east side
Great Dane –> full restaurant with a huge menu –> a number of locations
Funk Factory Geuzeria –> sours and lambics, just opened and is really close to Allient
Rockhound Brewing –> full restaurant, downtown on Park St
Capital Brewing –> gorgeous beer garden, Middleton
Wisconsin Brewing –> nice beer garden, Verona
Next Door Brewing –> full restaurant with some of the best fried cheese curds, Atwood
Vintage Brewing –> resturant, a few locations
Hop Haus –> haven’t been but like the beer, Verona
Octopi Brewing –> makes my favorite beer, new food cart soon, great taproom, Waunakee
Lone Girl Brewing –> restaurant with a fun rooftop, Waunakee
Granite City –> restaurant, west side in West Towne Mall
Slightly further away:
Viking Brewpub –> Stoughton
Grumpy Troll Pub and Brewery –> Mount Horeb
New Glarus (most famous WI brewery) –> New Glarus
Delafield Brewing –> Delafield
Point Brewing  Steven’s Point
Central Waters
A bunch in Milwaukee including Sprecher’s, Lakefront, MKE, PBR, and Miller, etc.

Distilleries/Wineries:
Old Sugar Distillery (eastside)
Yahara Bay Distillers (southside)
Death’s Door Spirits (Middleton)
Wollersheim Winery and Distillery (Prairie du Sac)
Minhas Distillery (Monroe, WI)
J. Henry and Sons Wisconsin Straight Bourbon (Dane)
Cambridge Winery (Cambridge)
Vetro Winery (Jefferson)

All things Wisconsin dairy (best places to go to buy):
Cheese (make sure you get cheese curds both fresh at these places and fried at many of the restaurants listed above)
Fromagination (on the Capital Square, also has sandwiches that are amazing)
Emmi Roth Käse (Monroe about 45 minutes southwest of Madison)
Carr Valley Cheese (store in Middleton, factories in Mauston, Fennimore, and La Valle)
Dane County Farmers’ Market
Brennan’s Market (a number of locations)
Mousehouse Cheesehaus (Winsor, northeastern suburb)
Ehlenback Cheese Chalet (DeForest, northeastern suburb)
Ice cream
Babcock Dairy (also at the Daily Scoop in the UW-Madison Unions)
Chocolate Shoppe
Michael’s Frozen Custard
Culver’s (fast food, but is a WI staple and the flavor of the day is a huge treat)
Sassy Cow (can buy at grocery store)
Milk
Sassy Cow
Babcock Dairy
Tours
Hinchley’s Dairy Farm (Cambridge; about 30 minutes east)
Emmi Roth Käse (Monroe about 45 minutes southwest of Madison, self-guided tours and guided tours at 10am Monday-Friday and 11am Saturday)
Carr Valley (call about tours; 1.5 hours northwest of Madison to La Valle)
Cedar Grove Cheese (call for tours; about an hour northwest of Madison)
Widmer Cheese Cellers (factory tours Mon-Fri at 9:30 by reservation; 1.5 hours northeast of Madison)

Things to do:
In Madison:
Dane County Farmer’s Market
Capital tour (free)
Memorial Union Terrace
Olbrich Botanical Gardens (outside is free)
Henry Vilas Zoo (free)
University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum and the Madison Geology Museum
Chazen Museum of Art
Wisconsin Veterans Museum
Madison Mallards game (very cheap summer collegiate baseball team)
National Mustard Museum
Tour Babcock Dairy on UW-Madison campus
Betty Lou Cruise
Hoofers on UW-Madison campus  sailing and all kinds of stuff
Madison Children’s Museum
Concerts on the Square on Wednesdays in the summer
Hiking/beautiful places to walk around in (or very near) Madison
University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum
Turville Point Conservation Area
Capital Springs Park Recreational Area
Cherokee Marsh
Governor Nelson State Park
A bit further out from Madison
Hike at Devil’s Lake (Take the Merrimac Ferry and get ice cream along the way)
Brewery tours!  best is New Glarus in New Glarus, WI
Lots of hiking and biking trails (basically everywhere)
Tour Frank Lloyd Wright house Taliesin East in Spring Green
House on the Rock (Spring Green)
Blue Mounds State Park
Lake Kegonsa State Park
Brewers game
Explore Milwaukee
Go visit any of the cute small towns
Wisconsin Dells (touristy, has some water parks)

Rental stuff and taxis
Rent kayaks/paddle boards
Wingra Boats
Brittingham Boats
Marshall Boats
Rutabaga Rentals at Olbrich Park
Hoofers on UW-Madison campus
Madison School and Community Recreation
Rent bikes
Budget Bicycle Center
Madison B-cycle
Machinery Row Bicycles
Dream Bikes (I am not 100% confident on this one)
Erik’s Bike Shop
Taxis
Uber
Lyft
Green Cab: 608-255-1234
Union Cab: 608-242-2000
Badger Cab: 608-256-5566
Madison Taxi: 608-255-8294
City bus
Madison Metro Bus: https://www.cityofmadison.com/metro/
Bus fare is $2 each way, or $1.25 for youth. If you are immediately changing buses, make sure you get a transfer
Can buy an unlimited ride one-day pass on the bus for $5: https://www.cityofmadison.com/metro/fares/oneday.cfm
Can by 10 ride pass here: https://www.cityofmadison.com/metro/fares/10ride.cfm
Google maps is hooked up to it, but for more accurate real time bus stop arrivals, download the UW-Madison app on your phone
Buses to Chicago/Milwaukee/Minneapolis
To Chicago: Van Galder
To Milwaukee: Badger Bus
To Minneapolis: Badger Bus

Today I’d like to spend a few minutes and do a quick overview of what a typical meal prep day looks like for me. I hear all too often that eating healthy is expensive, that prepping meals is too much work, etc etc. If you truly believe those statements, YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG….let us help!

I spent some time on Sunday prepping meals for the entire week for my house. Maggie and I have different caloric needs, so there were essentially 3 things I made (yes, all at the same time…don’t act like you’re not impressed!)

1. chicken sausage veggie bake
2. salsa chicken with rice and grilled peppers
3. burger patty with grilled potatoes

Total lunches made: 11

I estimate about $30 worth of food went into the whole thing, which brings the average cost of each meal to less than $3 each.

Total time from start to finish: ~2 hours. (averages out to about 11 minutes per meal….keep in mind that a chunk of this is just bake time where you can do something else though too!)

The lesson I take away from this is that it isn’t worth NOT planning ahead, both regarding use of my time throughout the week wasting time figuring it out every single day and paying way more money for it. If you just have plan in place of what you make, you can repeat lunches or, in my case, alternate lunches from day to day.

I hope that helps! From there, making the best use of your time just has to do with multitasking the different recipes, which is pretty simple once you get the hang of it.

Like most of us, I’m always interested if anyone has any other ways to spice up healthy meal prep ideas, so if you have anything for us, send it to me at phil@crossfitdubuque.com!

Remember: A failure to plan is planning to fail.

—Coach Phil

 

Quick rundown of recipes listed above:

Chicken sausage veggie bake (I buy the chicken sausages at Sam’s club and veggies wherever you want…typically either there or Aldi’s for me)
-preheat oven to 350
-chop up all veggies you want to use..it tends to be whatever I have around! (potatoes cut small to cook through, zuchinni, onion, peppers, etc)
-cut sausages into quarter sized bites
-throw it all in a bowl, add some olive oil and whatever seasonings you like
-lay it out on a pan covered in aluminum foil/baking sheet, etc. for easy cleanup.
-bake for ~45 min, taking it out every 15 or so to stir it around and keep it from sticking.

Salsa chicken (I buy the taco seasoning and salsa at Sam’s club and the frozen chicken thighs at Aldis)
-dump bag of frozen chicken thighs in pan
-add taco seasoning and salsa
-cover in aluminum foil
-bake for about 2 hours at 350…yup….it’s that easy!

Some of my thoughts today stem from the fact that there are so many people in the fitness industry who truly want what’s best for their clients. Granted, there are plenty of snake oil salesmen out there who will simply push a shitty product for a profit because—let’s face it—people are ALWAYS willing to shell out money for an easier way to reach their goals, and as a result of supply and demand, there are always going to be people out there to collect the paycheck.

I’d like to think that MOST people actually care. Caring isn’t too hard to come by in this industry if you know where to look for it.

…BUT…Caring is not a substitute for competence, nor does the former make up for lack of the latter.

You can CARE a lot about people, but if your competence isn’t up to snuff, you can oftentimes have good intentions and cause more harm than good.

This is very true with nutrition advice, and it is also true when it comes to a program design.

As it applies to nutrition…

There are some pretty generic principles that can be applied to virtually everyone that most people would have a hard time arguing, such as:
-you shouldn’t drink soda (diet or otherwise).
-you probably don’t need to have candy and dessert all the time….right?
-you should get a good night’s sleep every night.
-water is your friend…drink plenty of it.

No-brainer stuff, right?

But where nutrition gets a lot trickier and divisive is when you need to start individualizing it past the ‘well, no shit’ level of common-sense.

For example:

-Some people do really well with a low-carb diet.
*HOWEVER…some don’t, especially if the training and lifestyle of that individual demands that they utilize carbohydrates as fuel. Now it’s important to start understanding the role carbs play, proper dosages and timing, and how that varies with each person.

-Some people can be satisfied with their body composition and/or performance by using an IIFYM (if it fits your macros) approach.
*HOWEVER….I’ve found that people who typically choose poor food choices use this template as an excuse to continue eating crap. No doubt it’s better than eating crap at uncontrolled ratios and amounts, but how much better is it REALLY if you’re going to abuse the intent?

-Some people do well with a whole-foods/paleo approach.
*HOWEVER….If you have poor discipline and/or awareness regarding portions and/or macronutrient ratio control, it’s a way to continue to reinforce these bad habits while ‘sticking to your plan.’ Having poor blood sugar management but eating ‘paleo’ by downing 2 plates of sweet potato fries is probably not the ticket to success….

…the list of examples go on and on, but I think I’ve made my point.

Nutrition is highly individualized and I’ve found that people tend to do whatever food template allows them to deviate the LEAST from whatever vices got them into the situation they’re currently in.

Very similar concepts can be applied to a program design as well; people tend to stick with what they’re good at, or sometimes not be entirely honest about their goals or understand the full implications of what they say.

For example:

-‘I just like to run.’
*ok….but an inadequate strength base can lead to injury which would end your running career prematurely. Sometimes life demands that you exert a large amount of power in a short amount of time…are you capable of doing that?

-‘I just like to lift heavy things.’
*yeah…me too! But I value being relatively balanced MORE than just doing what I love doing all the time. Sometimes life demands that you can sustain work over a longer period of time…are you capable of doing that?

-‘I need to have fun with my workouts’
*your workouts shouldn’t be designed with the primary focus of having fun, though it’s important to have a good attitude about your training sessions. Your workouts exist to keep you healthy and functional! It’s absolutely possible to have a positive mindset with your training even if your training happens to be relatively dull or repetitive at times.

-‘I workout so I can enjoy life, not so I can go to the Games’
*join the club! Very few people exercise to be a competitor or a professional in a particular sport. Tell me how much you enjoy recreational activities you CAN’T do when you’re nursing a shoulder or back injury because doing tempo squats and scap work was boring to you and you just wanted to do whatever was fun every day for your workout.

Follow the logic: Exercise = fun —> doing what I like —>NOT doing what I DON’T like —> strengthening strengths and avoiding weaknesses —> promoting further imbalances —> inevitable injury —> not being able to do the things you say you value being able to do recreationally!!!

Do you see how not prioritizing function can jeopardize your ability to do the things you value most?

Caring isn’t enough…you have to also have competence with what you are applying to ensure success. They both must exist together.

Respect the Process.

Stay the Course.

RLTW

—Coach Phil

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I was recently asked to be the guest speaker at the 2017 Run4Troops event this year, and I am very grateful (though I felt very unworthy) to be a part of it.  The video was taken by my wife and below are the notes I read from for the speech (I didn’t read verbatim, but pretty close anyway).  Thank you all for checking it out–I hope you appreciate my attempt at delivering what I think is an important message, and I hope the words are useful to at least a few!

Good Morning!

My name is Phil Gothard. As a small business owner and military veteran, I am very humbled and honored to have been asked to represent the veteran community this year at Run4Troops. I’d like to use this platform to further the Run4Troops mission statement and acknowledge the great work they do in supporting the tri-state military families by offering what insight I can to help civilians and transitioning veterans work together for mutual benefit.

First, I would like to speak to all of the supportive civilians. As many of you probably know or can imagine, I would ask that you take into consideration that vets can bear many scars from their time in service, and the worst of these scars in many cases are invisible. To experience fighting in a war and to witness some of the atrocities that go along with that, especially in most cases at such young ages, changes a person indefinitely. Survivor’s guilt is something that many of us struggle with every day, and often these wounds don’t fully heal with time. I ask that you show us patience and give us the opportunity to adapt to our new environment. With your help, we absolutely can, and we can be great citizens as we were servicemen and women.

Next, I would like to direct some of my thoughts towards active military who are looking to transition, as well as those who may have long since transitioned into the civilian world. Anyone who ever told you that since you accomplished great things in the military, succeeding in the civilian world will be a piece of cake is offering you terrible advice that has set so many men and women up for failure in the past. You should absolutely be proud of what you accomplished. But, remember what got you through those trials; it was talent, training, hard work, perseverance, and a team mentality. Nothing changes AFTER the military in that regard. Your rank in service, unit patch, being a combat veteran or having a Ranger tab may very well help facilitate opportunities for you in the civilian world, but it’s not a get-out-of-jail-free card to be played the rest of your life when you make a mistake, lose your temper, or fail to perform a task to standard, and your accomplishments definitely don’t excuse you from continuing to perform; in fact, if anything, your peers, bosses, or employees will expect MORE from you.

What is commonly overlooked during this transition is that there is so much more opportunity to fail in the civilian world than there was in the military. Hitting the snooze button, calling in sick, having a screwed up uniform, showing up late, leaving early, or performing a task not to standard were either not even an option or handled immediately and usually harshly in the military. Here in the civilian world, it’s so easy to start establishing bad habits. You have so much more rope to potentially hang yourself with—you also have so much more opportunity for success if you are willing and able to work for it. Your standard and purpose was handed to you in the military; here you have the liberty to seek it out and define it for yourself. Find something you’re proud to be a part of, or CREATE something. That is what we have here in the US that makes this country so great—the freedom and opportunity to do what we want with our lives. Set that example for others to follow and live up to a standard you are proud of.

Lastly, and most importantly of all, we need to remember that nobody can do it alone. There are varying statistics out there that claim between 15 to 22 veterans are killing themselves on average every day. I’ve known a few personally. Refuse to be a victim. We veterans are quick and selfless when it comes to rendering aid, but in many cases terrible at accepting help ourselves. The transition isn’t easy and there will be struggles; don’t struggle alone. Nobody, with absolutely zero exceptions, no matter how successful they are, got anywhere without the help of others, so establish those networks and don’t be too proud to accept help. You deserve it, and you know that if the tables were turned, you’d be happy to be the person lending the help. In virtually all cases with very few exceptions, we have a CHOICE when we are faced with a stressor: To adapt, overcome, and thus become stronger versions of ourselves, or to allow it to chip away at us, break us down, or, worst of all, DEFINE us. Together, we can dispel the stigma of the broken veteran and use the skills we developed to better any environment we find ourselves in post-service.

Thank you to the Hodge family and everyone who is responsible for putting this on today. I hope that we’re all able to take something useful out of my point of view not only today, but throughout the rest of our journeys together. With your help, let’s continue to make our community a better place to live and thrive together. Thank you all for your time.

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

I started August of 2016. I came to CrossFit because Jaci Wright kept bugging me to go. I was always telling her no, because I didn’t want to be one of those “CrossFit People” CrossFit people always talk about their workouts. Plus, I was good doing my DDP Yoga. That was my thing at the moment, I thought I would get great results. However, Jaci never quit asking. I finally gave in and said I would try the foundations class. When I told my aunt that I joined, she acted like I joined a cult. Now I love talking about it. I understand why everyone talks about it. I accomplished things that I didn’t think I could ever do. There are days, where I ache (because of a muscles I haven’t used before) and I can’t help but talk about the work out that made me sore. A great thing about CrossFit People is that I had an issue come up. My wife and I were touched on how many CrossFitters reached out to me to see if I was ok.

 

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

I am so much stronger. I am lifting so much more than I ever have in my life. I am able throw my kids when we are playing in the pool again. I can walk up my stairs at home without losing my breath. I will say yes to my wife when she wants to go for a walk.

 

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

I dabbled in a little bit of everything. I used to run regularly. I would do 5ks, I stopped every year when it would snow, and the year before CrossFit, I never started back up in the spring. I tried “Insanity”, but I would always somehow hurt myself and have to quit doing that for a while. So lastly, I was doing DDP yoga. I really didn’t get much out of it except that I am good at a Cat/Cow.

 

What type(s) of workouts are your favorite?

I like a workout that finishes with an AMRAP. Whether it’s running or rowing and then doing pushups, pullups S2OH etc.. for the remaining time. I like the short recovery and diving back in. (I will say 1 minute rest is a lot faster after row than 1 minute on a microwave when cooking food) I am completely whipped at the end, but I can see how much I improved over the last time. I also really enjoy doing sled pulls.

 

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

Bench press with Mike Rooney! (Just Kidding) Before today, I would have said burpees hands down. However, after carrying the 2 45 pound barbell plates for 600 yards, changed my mind. Other than that all the workouts are challenging.. I would hate to go to a class and say “That was easy!” It would really defeat the purpose of coming.

 

What are you goals going forward?

I really need to start working on losing weight. I am so much stronger, but I need to work on what I put into my body. It would be great to be able to do a pull up on the bars, toes to bar and even a muscle up. I would imagine it would be easier to do those activities without the added pounds. I also have Warrior Dash scheduled in July that I want to complete.

 

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

Don’t give any hecks about what everyone else is doing in class. Not everyone is at the same level. There may be days you are doing things better than others in the class, but probably more days when others are finishing quicker or doing more than you. Just figure out what is personally best for you and try and make yourself better. If you have a question, ask one of the coaches. They have always been very helpful. They are truly concerned about your well-being. Talk to your classmates at CrossFit. I have come to find out how wonderful my classmates in the 6:30 am class truly are. Just being at CrossFit is already better than being on the couch and doing nothing. So just walk in the door and give it your best, everyone there is wanting you to succeed.

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Hey everyone!  Two quick things:

• The 4pm and 530pm classes on 03JUL are removed from the schedule due to Dubuque’s fireworks celebration taking place that evening.
• All classes on 04JUL will be cancelled in observation of Independence Day

Stay safe and enjoy my favorite holiday! ‘Merica 🙂

–Coach Phil

I have some great and exciting news to share with you all!

First of all, I want to welcome both Kayla and Allie to our coaching staff! Most of you already know them and many have probably already been in a class led by one or both of them, but I wanted to officially introduce them as coaches now that their updates bio pages are launched on the website. We look forward to working with them and having them be a part of our team!

Also, I would like to announce the date for our CFD Summer Party: August 26th! We will be creating a FB page with details on it including time, location, and the usual banter. We are very grateful to have such a great place to celebrate the community at the Kuhl’s house again this year!

If you haven’t heard by now, there is a Trivia Night going on July 7th at Courtside to raise money for Streat’s journey to the 2017 CrossFit Games. If you want to be a part of the team check out the link for details. If you just want to donate to the cause, please do so! We thank you all in advance for your generosity!

That’s all for now—stay tuned for more announcements. We’ve got more in the works for you and I’ll be excited to let you all know more when we’re ready.

See you all soon!

—Coach Phil

‘Hey, what happens if I’m not hitting what I expect to hit for my percentages during a strength cycle?’

It’s a pretty common question, so I’m going to do my best to tackle it in a way that is hopefully helpful to you all!

First of all, doing any sort of percentage-based strength template is an educated guessing game, and there are many factors that can cause your performance to deviate from the expectations of a pre-written plan. With that said, the important thing to keep in mind is not to let it ruin your training! Program designs are written to elicit an adaptation in an athlete, and everyone needs slightly different stimuli in order to get those adaptations, therefore there is no such thing as a group program design that is perfectly dialed in for everyone!

Athlete A may be able to do 12 reps of a back squat at 70%, rest 2 minutes, and repeat it 5 times.

Athlete B may get 10 reps @ 70%, need 5 minutes rest and is only able to do that 3 times.

Athlete C may not back squat safely enough to do that much volume or to even hit depth on a single rep, so a different approach must be taken entirely in order to give the individual a response that is most appropriate for them and to allow them to progress to a balanced, functional state of fitness over time—single leg work or tempo goblet squats, to name a few possibilities.

An athlete’s training age, how true or recent of a previous test they are basing percentages off of, neuromuscular efficiency, mechanical issues, and structural limitations all play a huge part in what someone might be able to expect to hit. Plus, layer on top of that more day-by-day factors like what your sleep, rest, recovery, hydration, and fueling protocols prior to the training session look like, and you start to realize what a vast difference all of these factors make by themselves, let alone in combination with one another.

So, here’s some advice moving forward, not only for this specific phase of our periodization but for training in general:

1. Pay attention to the aforementioned factors as best you can; they all play a part, and we can cut out the guesswork by utilizing the data that is available to us rather than being oblivious to it.
2. When things are dialed in and feeling great, go for it! Capitalize on those days where things feel lighter, you feel faster, etc. and maximize your training session. While you’re at it, see if you can pinpoint just what factor or factors made you feel particularly dialed-in for this training session.
3. When things are off and you’re just not 100%, do the best you can and make adjustments. Put some thought in figuring out why the session wasn’t as ‘on’ as you would have hoped it to be, and then let it go. It’s not worth ruining your mood or setting a tone for the rest of the week; hit it as best you can and leave it in the past.
4. Remember that everything is what you make of it. The hour is yours to train as hard as you can, paying attention to every detail, or to simply have fun with it and exert a moderate effort. You’re free to train as you want in this regard so long as you are safe and doing what is appropriate for you!

I hope that explanation helps, and I hope that it sheds some light on the fact that logical progressions—be it strength, aerobic, or anaerobic—are always going to have many factors that will play major roles in an individual’s progress. Pay attention and control as much of these factors as you can, and adjust as you need to. Most importantly, stay safe and enjoy the process. This is the beauty of doing a progression of sorts in your program design—it allows you to start learning more about your capacity and paying attention to the different variables. Just doing something random day after day doesn’t allow you to have the same opportunity to really figure things out.

You will always go through phases of focus, commitment, and interests that will ebb and flow. It’s completely normal and acceptable as a recreational CrossFitter to do just that. Just remember to enjoy your training, as it is written for your success and to keep you on your path to our collective goals we value:  being healthy, functional, mobile, and safe. You aren’t able to enjoy the things you like if you’re hurt doing a bad training plan.

Keep up the great work!

RLTW

—Coach Phil