Prepare to Win

“Most people have the will to win, few have the will to prepare to win.” - Bobby Knight

When pushed conversationally far enough, athletes will often say that the ultimate competition is with oneself. Even combat athletes note that mental toughness and the handling of inner voices is crucial when dealing with a direct physical opponent.

All of us working to develop a healthy physical relationship with ourselves come up against some form of inner conflict, or the urge to derail progress via inner dialogue.

To "compete", from its Latin root means,"to strive together" (Thank you Mushtaq Ali for that lesson).

Outer events (and goals) are in fact, inner opportunities to "strive together" with ourselves. Fighting ourselves rarely works, especially in the long term. Progress is made by convincing our doubts to take (at least) a short break and trust us to get the job done well. Getting the voices to either take a rest or join the cause sets the foundation for a breakthrough.

Scheduling time to check-in and take stock of common internal themes allows us to develop a mental strategy for whatever we are working toward. That is preparing to win.

Whatever style of physical relationship we have with ourselves, "striving together", rather than "fighting against", is the way to long-term balanced strength and meaningful outward success.

Failure: an Outcome

Last week this quote flashed around my social media pages and I even received it via text. It wouldn't go away.

"It was scarier not to try than to try and fail." - Carrie Wilkerson

I've been risk-discussion averse for a long time, mostly due to my own unresolved feelings about failure. As I write this today, I find that I'm glad I have not succeeded in some things I intensely attempted. Figuring this out has not been pretty, but it is important. Future choices will be built on these acknowledgments.

Many high-stake personal and professional risks totally bomb in terms of outward success. A lot of people don't talk about it. After a few well thought out risks go wrong, it can be tough to step back onto the ledge. It can feel irresponsible to dare to go for it again. That's why I want the "Now That You've Failed" guide.

The "Now That You've Failed" guide would be a great feedback manual. It would welcome the reader to the post-risk-recovery area, the other side of the fear of failure. The place where courage is acknowledged, strengths and weaknesses are assessed, and the faulty game-plan is reverse-engineered to evaluate the exact moment(s) it went wrong. How else can progress occur?

I am especially in favor of the fail fast model. If its not working, make it not work quickly! Figure it out and move forward. Lingering too long, trying to save a sinking ship is unnecessarily draining.

Sometimes success/fail measures in life are more like getting a belt promotion in martial arts. You do some things pretty well. Sometimes you make stupid mistakes, or miss your angle (repeatedly, for years). Some days you bang your head against the steering wheel of your car (I do this), ready to quit, but you don't. Then out of seemingly nowhere you get a promotion. Then you must train harder and smarter, and do it all again.

Does failure motivate or defeat? A giant trajectory follows the answer. The experience of losing begins to eliminate the fear of losing, building a stronger constitution. Learning from mistakes makes the likelihood of success much higher. Finding the right balance between sanity and reaching too far too fast is vital.

Failure happens, sometimes a lot. Failure is no reason to stop pursuing something important.

As Dave Checkett said: “Success builds character, failure reveals it.”

Open Workout for Athletistry 6.10.11

Athletistry: Custom Athletic Programming, Yoga and Ayurveda brought to you by TJ Burleigh and Carey Rockland.

The following workout was done as part of my collaboration with my partner, TJ Burleigh. She has been engaging in more dynamic physical training, and I have been integrating more yoga, Ayurveda and mindfulness to my practice. We bring these traditions together through Athletistry.


Warm-Up: dynamic stretching, foam roller

Sequence One:
Single Arm DB Snatch x 10 reps each side
Low to High Barbell Rotation x 10 reps each side
Single Side Rotational Barbell Shoulder Press x 10 reps each side
Complete 3 rounds, resting only as needed to ensure proper form


DB Snatch

















Low to High Barbell Rotation





















Rotational Barbell Shoulder Press






Sequence Two:
DB Swings x 20 reps total
Recline Rows with dynamic "switch grip" x 10 reps
Floor to Bench Burpees x 10 reps
Complete 3 rounds, resting only as needed to ensure proper form


DB Swing











Recline Rows with dynamic "switch grip" - smooth transitions are very important











Floor to Bench Burpees











Finisher:
Hanging Leg Raises - 5 sets of 10 reps














Cool Down, Stretch out.



This very dynamic workout was inspired by material from folks such as: Chip Conrad of Bodytribe, Vince Brown, Ross Enamait and BodyWeightCulture.com

Proper form is vital to completing this workout safely - if you are unsure, please consult a fitness professional. Always get your doctor's clearance before participating in an exercise program.

Open Workout Tuesday, June 7

For the month of June I am opening up my workouts. You can workout "with" me at a fraction of the cost of a private session. I will design the program to address your needs, but you will also do my workout. This is a great way to inspire each other and keep the quality of work high. The limit is 3 training partners for any one workout. Workouts may be indoors or out, contact me if you would like to join in! We meet Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 AM.

Today Joe Houston was my workout partner. Joe is a great athlete, who always inspires me to up my game. Today we worked on full body movements to get the most out of our time, building strength while keeping our heart rates up.

Warm-up: Foam roller work and dynamic stretching

Sequence One:
Rack Pull x 10 reps
Sandbag Clean x 10 reps
Box Squat & Shoulder Press x 10 reps
Complete 3 rounds, taking rest only as needed.





Sequence Two:
Floor Press x 15 - 20 reps
Leg Raises while supporting bar x 15 - 20 reps
TRX Chest Press x 15 reps
TRX Back Row x 15 reps
Squat Deck x 20 reps
Complete 3 rounds with minimal rest.





Sequence Three:
Upright Rows x 15 reps
Shoulder Press x 15 reps
Biceps curls x 10 reps plus 30 count isometric hold at end
Complete three rounds with minimal rest.

Cool Down, Stretch Out!

We had a blast. I look forward to mixing it up with those of you who would like to join me! I will continue to post several of our workouts here as well. Happy training!

**Please note** You should get a doctor's clearance to exercise and make certain that you are using correct form with any of the exercises described above. Ask for help from a fitness professional if you are unsure.

Courage, Risk, Community

"Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage." - Maya Angelou

Back in 2006, when I began my masters program in Sport Management my first professor was a guy named Dr. Rich Cellini. From day one he insisted that we accept that our friends, peers, and colleagues want us to succeed. Really, really, really, we were surrounded by people who wanted to help us get where we needed to go. We were also those same people who wanted to help others make it. That concept was primary. We were instructed to get to know people, to get out there, to remember people, to stay in touch. We were to always, under every circumstance, maintain an up-beat approach, an optimistic outlook, and to implement a relentless try-again policy when things didn't immediately turn to gold.

Cellini taught us a lesson in courage. That is what is outlined above. Yes, life can be messy and there are exceptions, but the overarching theme is right on. We need each other to do our best work.

When I was first learning how to be a trainer and coach, I had mentors and coaches (and still do). When I first stepped on the mat, people took time to teach me how to move, (and still do). When I coach a class, the group makes space for the new member, encouraging them to grow into the shared experience. Life would be lonely if we weren't engaged in helping each other grow.

The stalling point is when we don't reach out for something we want for fear of being turned away at the door. Sometimes this happens and it hurts. But that is not the end of the story. Reach out again. Then do it again. There will come a point when the reaching is no longer scary. There will come a point when the door opens. The important thing is to keep moving and outwardly engaging. The other alternative is to stay at square one, dissatisfied. Persistent effort is inspiring. Be that inspiring person. Help others be persistent.

For what its worth, I hear so many stories about people who hate the gym environment, who feel uncomfortable, judged, or not part of the glamor-fit. That is a valid and important perspective. There are moments, themes and atmospheres, that are formidable in formal exercise environments. Simultaneously, there are people in those spaces who will rally for your participation, who are glad you decided to come in today, who will want to see you tomorrow because your presence will help them. There will be people who want to see you succeed. There will be people who recognize that fitness is a broad concept, that it includes happiness and fun, energy, vitality and self-acceptance. That experience is possible.

Five years after that first class with Cellini, I still remind myself of all the support that surrounds us, encouraging us to take that next step. And the next. And the next.

Yoga for Athletes: A Brainstorm

I want to blog about this because I am about to co-teach this workshop with Traci Joy Burleigh (April 30, 1:30-3:30PM at Bernal Yoga).

Why is Yoga for Athletes a good idea?

I have always tended toward athleticism, but yoga has been an incredibly difficult practice to incorporate due to extreme inner resistance. As is often true when such inner resistance is present, yoga has dramatically improved the quality of my life, athletic and otherwise.

How yoga has helped me athletically:

Yoga has brought forward the subtleties of presence that I had effectively ignored.

Yoga has improved my intuitive balance and spatial awareness from a state of calm that I can now take with me into competition or chaos.

Yoga brings up the inner monsters that take me off track in my sport of choice. I get to address them on the yoga mat, where it is quiet (and I beat them).

Yoga has strengthened my body in ways I cannot replicate in the gym or in martial arts. This type of strength has improved my lifts and fighting style. Slow chatturanga has increased the amount of weight I can bench.

How athleticism has helped me with yoga:

Athleticism teaches that improvement comes with practice. There is no yoga standard to reach. Practice effects change.

Athleticism has given me the courage to be more present with myself. Yoga requires presence without an external opponent, which means there are no distractions from self.

Athleticism has given me lessons from loss. I learn more when I lose. Recognizing the lesson at hand leads to growth.

Athleticism requires persistence. The work is always in progress. A great performance is not the end of the story.

Athleticism has toughened my skin. Being slightly less sensitive has given me the courage to go again, then one more time, and then another, and another. Eventually I grow beyond my perceived limits.

Again, why this is a good idea:

The labels of yogi or athlete are not important. Deepening the relationship with self and physical experience makes life better, physically and emotionally. Exploring this relationship from two nicely counterbalanced perspectives enriches the experience. The strengths of the yogi and the strengths of the athlete are strengths for living.

Strength Tools: Self-Discipline

"It is not enough to have great qualities; We should also have the management of them." - La Rochefoucauld

Strength is of value. The over-culture is clear on this. What is it that makes strength effective? Refinement improves strength in whatever form it takes. Self-discipline cultivates strength over time.

Self-discipline is the quality of consistently taking strategic action toward a specific outcome, despite resistance, emotional struggle, or inconvenience. Self-discipline is hot. It is empowering. It is the road to mastery.

Why self-discipline is important:

1. It creates excellence - commitment to practice improves skill.

2. It increases fortitude - going further than previously possible feels good.

3. It heightens individuality - decisiveness enhances character.

4. It builds self-trust and ease - inner life is aligned with action.

5. It frees up energy for other endeavors - efficiency increases.

Self-discipline is not self-punishment. Using it as such will backfire. It is not about stopping something good or mindless deprivation. It is about developing chosen qualities with purpose.

It is about staying on track (despite the opportunity to jump off) and getting there, finally, with self-respect and a sense of accomplishment. The experience of achievement over time, through adversity, creates a formidable foundation.

Three techniques for developing self-discipline:

1. List one area of desired improvement and choose one action step to incorporate into daily life. Do this every day. No matter what. Write it down.

2. Notice one consistent area where reactivity blocks progress. Make an alternate effective behavior choice. Practice it every day. Record the new results.

3. Identify one restrictive myth that places limits on potential. Replace it with the truth and act accordingly, in one small way. Repeat and write it down.

Self-discipline is a powerful tool. It is simple but not easy. Engage an accountable friend. Enjoy the adventure.

As a parting thought check out these septuagenarian bodybuilders