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I am writing this blog to speak a bit about Streat’s journey as I knew it from the day I met him at CrossFit Dubuque to the present day. His athletic journey started long before that, as he was always active in sports and wasn’t brand new to the sport of CrossFit when I was first introduced to him, which was right after his 78th placing in the 2015 CrossFit Open.

Let me start by saying that Streat is one of the hardest working athletes I have ever had the pleasure of training and working with—very likely THE hardest working athlete, truth be told. He will do whatever is asked of him to do and he always keeps his ego in check. He is a very humble athlete who shows consistency, perseverance, and is always patient with the process.

It didn’t take me long after meeting Streat and working with him that I realized that he had some pretty serious potential in the sport. He had a fantastic build for the sport, he had a great strength and aerobic base, and he moved exceptionally well. I knew he was going places, but I never knew with any certainty how far or when it would all start to click.

I want to be honest about 2 distinct times throughout our approximately 2 year relationship that I coached Streat where I was wrong about him—where I underestimated his abilities—and I want to openly admit those major misjudgments not only to Streat, but also openly to my community as well as to myself for the sake of personal growth, transparency, and honesty.

The first time I felt I had misjudged Streat was during the 2016 CrossFit Open. I honestly thought at that time that 2017 was realistically the year that he was going to be able to qualify for Regionals. I still had my sights set on 2017 as the year Streat would qualify for Regionals—in my eyes, we were doing the Opens more or less as a benchmark, but I honestly didn’t foresee that his season would continue after those 5 weeks of testers.

I was wrong.

Streat qualified 12th place in the Opens that year in the North Central Region and went on to Regionals, where he finished 21st place—right in the middle of the pack. I knew he was good and I knew he had potential, but his rate of adaptation exceeded my expectations. I was wrong about how good he was at that point in time during the Opens and felt guilty about that underestimation. After his season was over in 2016, we went back to the drawing board and came up with a training plan to get him back to Regionals in 2017.

I had the pleasure of continuing to work with Streat as his coach until the completion of the Opens in 2017, at which point due to his physical location as well as his involvement with CrossFit Kilo and the fantastic athletes they produce there, it made so much more sense for us to part our coach/athlete relationship at that time and for him to train full time with other Regional-level athletes in person. So, to be clear and transparent about my level of involvement, I have not been responsible for the progress he has made since the Opens this year (2017), but I still considered him to be just as much a part of us and our community as he was before.

This year, I had confidence that he would qualify yet again for Regionals, since he had continued to improve and his rate of adaptation was certainly competitive with others at his level. I also felt with certainty that he would qualify higher than he did the year before at Regionals—I thought top 10 was well within his reach, and top 5 was possible, but 2018 was more likely going to be his year for the Games…after all, time has always been on Streat’s side being as simultaneously young and great as he is in the sport.

WRONG AGAIN.

To say that Streat exceeded expectations hits the nail on the head—I have always been impressed with what he’s able to do, but he worked so well under pressure and was such a professional, focused athlete who just simply delivered. He ended up in 2nd place in the Central Regionals (not to mention the margin between 1st and 2nd came down to a tiebreaker!).

I felt simultaneously extremely proud and happy for him and his entire family, but I also felt a pang of guilt. My guilt stemmed from the fact that I have underestimated him twice now during his athletic career, and I think a coach should always be the one dangling the carrot out and expecting more and more than they can possibly achieve…to continue to push the limits of human potential. To have an athlete fall short of a hard-to-reach expectation means you were driving him; to have him exceed your expectations twice now left me thinking I didn’t go far enough. When think of the things I may have done right and wrong as a coach with him, I believe that this is where I failed the most. Streat has been capable of so much more than I suspected and improved at a rate that is faster than I could have predicted. Granted, especially in this sport, there are so many factors and variables from one event to another that it makes prediction incredibly difficult.

Streat, I’m proud of you beyond words, and I am glad to have been a small part in your upbringing as an athlete. Working with you has been a fantastic learning experience for me as a coach, and while there are always things we would have done different or better in hindsight, I have very few regrets and couldn’t be happier with your progress in our two years of working together. I am also incredibly grateful to have been able to get to know you and your entire family during your journey, as they are truly some of the best people I’ve ever had the pleasure of spending time with.

In closing, one thing I will say with certainty about Streat is that he will continue to impress us all and excel at anything he works hard at, in and out of the gym. You make me and the entire CFD family proud and honored, and I hope you know that you have a large community of people who are cheering you on.

Thank you for the journey!

—Coach Phil

As you all know by now, Streat Hoerner placed 2nd in the Central Regionals and secured his spot to the 2017 CrossFit Games!!!

I am asking all members of CFD, friends, and family to consider a donation to the cause–after all, the expenses that the athletes and families incur by competing at this level is pretty significant, and we as a community would like to offer what we can to help negate that cost for the Hoerners.

If you’d like to make a donation, we will be graciously accepting checks made out to Sandy Hoerner or cash donations here at CFD.  I will be presenting the donation during our summer party, which will be scheduled around mid- or late-July (stay tuned….we’re still hammering out potential dates and I will be announcing it very soon!)

We thank you all in advance for your contribution to the cause, as it has been an absolute pleasure to get to know him and his entire family.  Stay tuned for more updates, as well as a follow-up I am preparing about Streat’s journey that I would like to share with you all.

RLTW <1>

-Coach Phil

 

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

I started foundations in August….10 short months ago, after having pondered the idea of “working out” for quite some time. I didn’t have any back ground in strength training and had no idea how to lift weights. I liked the idea of having someone else plan the workout, a coach lead it, and all I had to do is show up.

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

Where do I begin….. Starting out I was WEAK and had not a clue. I feared picking up the 35# barbell. The 20# kettlebell was more than I could handle. The Coaches spoke gibberish….I didn’t have a clue what they were saying…Clean. Snatch. Jerk. And then adding in Hang, Squat, and Power. No Clue! I am definitely stronger, more coordinated and confident.

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

Fitness prior to CFD was sporadic and inconsistent. I was good at making excuses…… of course, I didn’t have time. I was intimidated by joining a gym and wouldn’t know what to do or how to lift weights. When I would start “working out” it was strictly cardio – jogging/running and it easily took a backseat.

What is not to like? CFD is great people – coaches and fellow athletes. Phil’s programing is great – effective and full of variety and scalable to the individual.

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

I would have to say EMOMs. EMOMs typically go pretty fast and there are break times scheduled in!

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

Thrusters and Wall Balls…enough said!

6. What are you goals going forward?

I just want to continue to improve. I want so badly to do a pull up, and cycle toes to bar. I also want to be explosive! I tend to have one speed no matter how hard I try. I would also really like to focus on nutrition as I know that can certainly be improved!

7. What advice do you have for someone just starting or thinking about joining CFD?

Out at CFD? Walk in the door! That is the hardest part. Once you are there just go with it. It is an amazing group of people, coaches and fellow athletes. Schedule it in, just like a job or any other appointment and don’t give yourself the choice. It will never get “easy” and that is what is so addicting. You make some gains and it makes you want more!

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Hey everyone!

 

I’m excited to make 2 quick announcements:

 

1.  Memorial Day will be celebrated at 9:30am where we will be conducting Murph as a community.  Bring a weight vest if you have one and wish to do it Rx, or we can always do the work as a 2-person team as well to help divide up the work as a scaling option.  Let’s use the opportunity to honor a fallen spec ops warrior and celebrate our great community we have built here together.  All other classes will be cancelled in observation of the holiday.
2. Due to popular demand, starting next week (29MAY), the 6:30pm regular classes on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays will be replaced with a ROMWOD session!  I’m very excited to make this change to the schedule, as we have had many requests for more group ROMWOD sessions and feel this is a better use of our time to better the community.  The facility will still be available to do individual program design as needed during this time, so you won’t miss out on any training time!

Thank you all for being a part of what makes us great.  As always, if anyone has any questions or concerns, I’ve always had a very open-door policy, so feel free to come to me with anything.  See you all soon!

RLTW <1>

–Coach Phil

Mark your calendars if you haven’t already–June 24th is the Run4Troops event here in the Dubuque area! CFD sent a relay team last year to run the marathon and we had a great time.  This year we are given 2 relay teams slots of up to 6 members each with our sponsorship of the event, so if you’d like to be a part of representing CFD in the Run4Troops relay race, put your name on the signup sheet at the gym!

 

Registration for both of our teams are due on Monday, May 15th, so reserve your spot if you’d like to be a part of this great event!

I joined CFD in June of 2016. I followed CrossFit online for a while and knew I wanted to eventually try it. It looked fun. When I realized I needed to break out of my daily work/home/repeat routine, CrossFit was my answer. I didn’t have a friend to show up with the first day. I knew I’d be walking into a gym full of strangers. I decided to walk through the door anyway, and I felt welcome from the start.

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

I am embarrassed admitting that much of my incentive for starting CrossFit was based on vanity. I wanted to look like I could complete more than 12 consecutive push ups. I wanted my wife to ask me to move a box without adding “…if it’s not too heavy for you.” I wanted to avoid “Dad Bod” at all costs.

But those superficial goals were quickly replaced with more meaningful ambitions. I quickly started challenging myself to squat heavier, eat better, run faster, improve mechanics, make a friend in class, get to bed on time, test my limits.

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

I never had a gym membership before CFD. I would work out in my basement, but my workouts lacked intensity and commitment. I didn’t have a partner or an entire class to keep me on track. The workouts got boring. I also didn’t have the reassurance from knowledgeable coaches that my mechanics or programming were on point.

There are so many things I like about CrossFit. I’m the strongest I have ever been, and I’m getting stronger. I like slamming barbells at 6:30 a.m. I like being covered in chalk and sweat. It makes you feel like you got some work done. I like coming home and telling my wife I set a new PR even if she has no idea what I’m talking about. Everyday is a different workout and a new way to test yourself.

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

I don’t know why, I just like front squats.

This may sound weird, but I also enjoy the workouts that everyone – including myself – underestimates. The workout on the whiteboard looks easy enough. 12 minute AMRAP of a few simple movements. You think it will be a breeze…then it starts and – surprise, surprise – you were wrong. When it’s over half the class is on the floor making sweat angels while the others are wishing burpees were never invented. You question why you bother putting yourself through these workouts…then you show up the next day for more.

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

The assault bike is just…the worst. Every time I go near it I get the sudden sensation of leg cramps and the need to puke.

6. What are you goals going forward?

Fidel and I are nearing the end of the Muscle Up Challenge. I want us to both to be able to complete one when it’s finished. I want to RX more workouts. I want to do double-unders, so I can stop practicing in my garage on weekends. I want to be able to show my daughters that I can do a handstand. I want to have the energy to give my best effort at work (shameless plug time- Doland Jewelers – seriously, come see me). And I want to be a happy and healthy husband and dad.

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

I see so many parallels between life and the workouts we grind through everyday. I will limit it to one example here. We are what we repeatedly do, and the workouts are a great way to practice being better with the rest of your day. Assuming I’m not the only person who delays projects or chores, when the coach yells out, “We start in 10 seconds!” there is no delaying the workout. You can’t call a Zach Morris timeout. You just have to start chipping away at the movements no matter how long the workout. The same holds true in life, I’m much better at telling myself to just get the job done.

Also, we are fortunate at CFD to have coaches that continue to learn their craft. They do a great job programming to make us better athletes. They know how to challenge us when we need it, and we can all use that extra encouragement when we question our limits.

Thanks to the coaches for selecting me as the spotlight athlete this month. I’m humbled. And thanks to the athletes that make it fun to show up everyday and work hard.

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The cubbies have arrived and they look great!

Just a heads up to everyone on storage policies and cubby usage at CFD:

• Please start utilizing the new cubbies that we have had built for you all!  Let’s start making a group effort to not have bags lying on the floor in the common area; change your shoes, clothes, etc. and then put your stuff in a cubby.  Bags, shoes, etc. are NOT to be left laying around on the floor!
• The cubbies are not there for your long-term storage needs.  Please take all of your gear with you when you leave (as I’ve suggested before, get a gym bag!).  If you are interested in renting a cubby space and having a locker door installed, we can talk…but otherwise we are not a storage facility!
• There will be a short amnesty period with which you may all collect your gear you may have been leaving at CFD, but after this weekend’s classes are over (15APR), all gear left over will be donated or tossed!
• I will be removing all of the old, smaller cubbies and am planning on getting a few more benches in the front area so as to provide adequate seating for more people to change shoes, etc. between classes.

Let’s all do our part to make changes for the better and keep our facility as tidy as we reasonably can.  I get it–it’s a gym…but that doesn’t give us an excuse to leave gear unattended, leave equipment out or put back in the wrong places, and be generally cluttery in the common areas and bathrooms.  Leave things as good or better than the way you found it!

Thank you all in advance for your cooperation, and I will see you all soon!

–Coach Phil

Hey everyone!

We’ve got a lot of exciting things coming for you all within the next weeks and months, so I thought I’d put together a blog to try to organize them all for you in one stop. Here it goes in no particular order of importance:

The 2017 CF Open

We just got through all 5 weeks of the 2017 CrossFit Open testers! The week following the Opens was filled with opportunities to build to some heavies and was overall a week of lower volume than what we’ve been accustomed to. To those of you who didn’t PR much last week, don’t beat yourself up—I wasn’t expecting anyone to! My priorities through the Open had a huge focus on aerobic interval work with plenty of volume, fast movement turnover, and high intensity. The little bits of strength touches was just an attempt at preservation of existing strength, NOT to build your strength. So, if you had a killer week full of PR’s, you are the exception rather than the expectation!

Moving forward, we are doing plenty of tempo work throughout the month of April in an effort to reinforce more perfect positions in our absolute strength movements. This is really just getting back to mastering basics here. Also, we will be working on some much shorter aerobic interval work and will start focusing on engine work from the ground up. Once May hits, we will be continuing our aerobic progressions while implementing a simplified undulating absolute strength cycle. We’ll follow that up with another opportunity to build to some heavies to see how well it all paid off!

Regionals

Speaking of the Open, we have one individual whose season is NOT over that we are extremely proud of: Streat Hoerner! This will be his second trip to Regionals and I couldn’t be more excited to see how far he goes this year. Stay tuned on his progress…we will all be cheering for you, Streat!

Run4Troops fundraiser

A date you should all have marked in your calendars for a fun and worthy cause is April 21st, when we participate in the Hero workout Whitten in support of Micheal Fullan’s Dubuque Dancing With the Stars campaign to benefit Run4Troops! The FB event page can be found here, the doors open at 5pm, festivities start at 5:30, and the workout begins at 6! I hope to see you all there!

(The 4pm and 5:30pm classes will both be cancelled that day so as to accommodate for the event—I apologize for any inconvenience!)

The 2017 Classic

This year, Dan Johnson of Spine and Sport will be hosting his second community-building team competition here in Dubuque, The 2017 Classic! Last year was an absolute blast: It was a great opportunity to have fun, compete without taking things too seriously, meet new people, and celebrate our amazing community. The date of the event is May 20th, so get signed up today!

(the 9am class as well as the 10am ROMWOD class will both be cancelled so as to accommodate for the event—I apologize for any inconvenience!)

 

That about wraps it up for now—I hope you found this information helpful and exciting, as I know I’m excited to bring on the Spring and Summer months here at CFD with our great community we have built together.

See you all soon!

RLTW
—Coach Phil

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(Sammi, left, with her sister, Coach Maddy, on the right)

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

I’ve been a member at CFD for close to a year. The majority of members know my younger, but insanely stronger sister, Coach Maddy. She was the person who motivated me to start at CFD. I’ve watched my sister transform as an athlete with the continued guidance, mentoring, and support of Coach Phil and Mike. I remember watching her complete a workout and thinking how much of a badass she was! Actually, badass is an understatement. I was so proud in that moment, that I stood up and started cheering for her, forgetting about how dorky I probably seemed. I was in awe of that fact that she was able to complete such an intense workout with enthusiasm, while staying relentless and refusing to give up. Her mental toughness and tenacity that she exemplified that day inspired me to reach out to Coach Mike. Coach Maddy is the reason I walked through the door on my first day!

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

I can remember meeting with Coach Mike on my first day thinking to myself, “he’s going to think I’m such a wimp”. For those of you that don’t know Coach Mike well, please take the time to get to know him, and use his coaching and mentoring experience to your advantage! He is one of the most amazing people you will ever meet in your entire life…and that is certainly not an exaggeration. He has changed my life and I cannot thank him enough! Coach Mike had his work cut out for him when he agreed to begin training with me. I had no strength or weight training experience, and my aerobic capacity was poor…borderline embarrassing,in my opinion. To give you a clearer understanding: I wasn’t able to do a push-up without my knees on the ground, squatting only occurred if I had to go to the bathroom outside in the bushes, a snatch was a term that was foreign to me besides the obvious, and I had never swung a kettle bell…rather, kettle bell swings were the weights my grandma used with her group of retired elderly women to stay in shape. I tried front squatting and back squatting and the bar nearly bent me over. I couldn’t run a mile to save my life! I could barely swing a 20lb kettle bell without tipping over. My mental toughness was weak, and I felt defeated! For those that knew me before…let’s be honest…I had no booty…I’ve always been thin, but had very little muscle definition. Let’s fast forward to today…I’m starting to get a booty! Booty’s by Coach Mike! It’s in the squatting! I just PR’ed my back squat and I’m now at 155lbs. I got my first kipping pull-up this morning! I’m using the 55lb kettle bell…and hating every minute of it..and I’m determined! I’m determined to kick ass, to improve every single day, and to give 110% of myself each and every day I walk through those doors. For those of you that care about the number on the scale…I’ve gone from 110lbs to 130lbs, and I’m confident and I’m proud! I may not be the strongest, or the fastest, but I will tell you…I’m well on my way.

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

Prior to CFD, I would sporadically attend yoga, spin classes, body pump, go on “brisk” walks with my mom, or attempt at going on a run with my sister. Coach Maddy almost killed me when she tried taking me to Mines of Spain for a bike ride….my face turned white….I started seeing the light…I knew it was time to change my regimen!

The diverse nature of the workouts is what I like most about CrossFit. Every single workout pushes me to dig deep, believe in myself, and push through it!

What type(s) of workouts are your favorite?
EMOM workouts are my favorite! These type of workouts allow time for me to breathe, recover, and regroup before I put maximum effort towards completing the next round. Any workout that includes front or back squats, ring rows/inverted ring rows, rope climbs, or sled pushes are at top of my list!

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

Just thinking about the assault bike makes me want to cry in pain. Any time thrusters or shoulder to overhead movements are included in a workout I think about curling up in the fetal position and boycotting the workout. Row sprints, dead lifts, and heavy kettle bell swings hurt so bad, but feel so good when you’re finished. I often find that the workouts I despise the most, I feel the greatest sense of accomplishment when I’ve completed them!

What are you goals going forward?

Going forward, my goals inside of the gym include getting strict pull-ups, cycling my toes to bar, and improving “my engine” by getting out of the hole faster (that’s what she said) with squats, and working on being more explosive with my movements. I want to continue to improve my endurance with longer workouts, gain strength with power cleans and hang power cleans, and grow into one bad ass athlete!

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

My advice to someone that’s just starting is:

1. Don’t be intimidated! Step outside of your comfort zone…trust me, it’ll be worth the risk! Every single person at CFD is so incredibly kind, and turn into some of your closest friends! The coaches are phenomenal, exceptionally smart and talented, and provide the most sound advice! You will learn something new every single class…and you will sweat your ass off while you’re at it!

2. No matter how much you want to give up…think again….no matter how hard or how much you dislike the workout…go anyways….and no matter how scared you are that you might fail…dare to put all of your cards on your success and KEEP trying! You are your worth it!!! Believe in yourself! YOU are what matters most!

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Here is a great recipe from Coach April!

Pork Carnitas
-2-3lb pork shoulder roast
-2-3lb pork sirloin roast
-Chicken broth or water
-Seasonings
-Large Crockpot

Put both roasts in the crockpot, pour enough water or broth so it comes up halfway on the roasts. Season generously with your favorite Mexican seasonings (salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, red pepper, oregano, etc) I haven’t tried it with taco packet, but I bet that would work too.

Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours. Shred the meat to mix up the shoulder and sirloin roast together. If you want you can pour in a container of green salsa and/or green chilis and switch the crockpot to “warm” for another hour if that’s your style.

I like to eat it with rice, and add tomatoes, onions, avocado and lots of green salsa like a burrito bowl from Chipotle. You can also eat it with eggs in the morning for breakfast!

Mixing the pork sirloin and shoulder keeps the fat content a little lower but keeps the meat from drying out. Super simple and packs a ton of protein into your week.

Most of the time I put it together before bed and wake up to a wonderful smelling house of meat goodness. Enjoy!