Grit: firmness of mind or spirit : unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger.
Is it born or made?
If you weren't born with it you aren't totally screwed.
10 Ways to Cultivate Grit in Your Training (and your life):
1. Grow your humility.
Grit should come from a good place. Forcing your way may work for a while, but to access the best of yourself, let it be ok to learn from others.
2. Stand up.
Accept the challenge. Get off the wall. Push those around you to go further, to work harder. If you gas out, at least you worked hard enough to gas out.
3. Try.
Actually try. Don't just pretend you are trying by going through the motions. Dig deeper and mean it.
4. Focus on your goal.
Put a target on the thing you are working toward and do not take your eyes off it. Laser sharp focus. Take it seriously.
5. Use your team.
Growing grit alone is ok, but you'll be more successful with your team. If you don't have one, get one. You will all go further by setting your sights on the next level and moving forward together.
6. Lighten up.
You have to. Being too serious leads to frustration and blow-ups. Grit is not insanity. If you don't take breaks to laugh or chill out, you will go insane.
7. Train no matter what.
Get yourself to the mat like your life depends on it. If you can't get to the mat (due to extreme travel or crisis) stay close to your practice via video, notes, and mental repetition.
8. Don't listen to the maniacal voices in your head.
Have you figured out which ones are crazy and which ones are helpful? If you haven't, take a minute to do it now. Or, wait until you are sparring and tell the one that says you're going to lose to shut the f*%k up.
9. Find a reason bigger than you.
Exactly that. How far will you go just for you? Compare that to how far you are willing to go for someone or something, or your coaches or your team. If the bigger than you reason is more effective, keep reminding yourself of what it is and why it matters.
10. Keep going.
Today's hard stuff gets easier and new hard stuff shows up. Whatever is kicking your ass today will lose impact, and larger things will rise up to kick your ass tomorrow. If you keep going, in spite of all the ass-kicking, you will grow, you will improve and you will have grit.
This post was originally written for OTM Fight Shop San Francisco.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Mini-Vent re: Success Culture
I have read so many blog posts and quotes about following dreams and living a DIY life of passion and fulfillment, especially in the professional realm. The message consistently seems to be that once the brave choice has been made, the doors open.
Not so much.
What about the intense WORK that accompanies these dreams and passions? What about the times when no amount of work seems to further the cause? What about the times that feel so solitary with little outer world reception?
The intense work, the short term failings and the solitude are important parts of the process. It's "feedback, not failure."
Maybe the dream will happen, and maybe it won't, but it definitely won't without effort. Working to make it happen is as much a part of "living the dream" as experiencing the completed process. I think we forget this sometimes.
I think we also forget that these things take time. If the work isn't working, step back and find something to add stability to your life. Evaluate every angle of your project, look at it in new light, then go back.
Whatever you do, be objective sometimes. Remember that it takes courage to do this. The economy is not reflective of your personal worth. (And workout, because that usually helps everything).
For further reading, check out this post from Seth Godin: Preparing for the breakthrough/calamity
Not so much.
What about the intense WORK that accompanies these dreams and passions? What about the times when no amount of work seems to further the cause? What about the times that feel so solitary with little outer world reception?
The intense work, the short term failings and the solitude are important parts of the process. It's "feedback, not failure."
Maybe the dream will happen, and maybe it won't, but it definitely won't without effort. Working to make it happen is as much a part of "living the dream" as experiencing the completed process. I think we forget this sometimes.
I think we also forget that these things take time. If the work isn't working, step back and find something to add stability to your life. Evaluate every angle of your project, look at it in new light, then go back.
Whatever you do, be objective sometimes. Remember that it takes courage to do this. The economy is not reflective of your personal worth. (And workout, because that usually helps everything).
For further reading, check out this post from Seth Godin: Preparing for the breakthrough/calamity
Monday, November 14, 2011
Kicking Patience
What is it about patience that links it with virtue?
When building relationships of value that take time to come together, or working on something incrementally that needs progressive development - yes in those cases - patience is a virtue. To rush the process would cheapen it.
What about patience links it with weakness?
When patience is laziness in disguise. When patience is fear of progress, fear of speaking up, fear of creating change.
Sometimes doing "the right thing" for too long is the wrong thing. Sometimes holding onto a way of doing life or business or relationship or health that is "safe" is actually blocking desired progress.
Calm evaluation of areas where patience has become complacency reveals what can now change for the better. Is there a way to incrementally ratchet that area into motion with tactful urgency?
What will happen?
When building relationships of value that take time to come together, or working on something incrementally that needs progressive development - yes in those cases - patience is a virtue. To rush the process would cheapen it.
What about patience links it with weakness?
When patience is laziness in disguise. When patience is fear of progress, fear of speaking up, fear of creating change.
Sometimes doing "the right thing" for too long is the wrong thing. Sometimes holding onto a way of doing life or business or relationship or health that is "safe" is actually blocking desired progress.
Calm evaluation of areas where patience has become complacency reveals what can now change for the better. Is there a way to incrementally ratchet that area into motion with tactful urgency?
What will happen?
Friday, October 21, 2011
Competition Prep - Performance Objectives
This post is an extension of the Competition Prep Overview post.
The volume of total work that goes into competition prep is vast. This post is written with the assumption that the physical workload has been blocked out in a periodized manner and that there is a pre-existing level of conditioning and technical expertise in the given sport. Addressing Real vs Perceived Limits can help you clarify how to orient to your performance objectives.
When preparing to compete, it is important to set an intentional performance objective. Setting the blanket objective of "winning" is not enough. You must break it down more specifically.
My preference is to choose one physical and / or technical objective and one mental strategy objective.
The physical and / or technical performance objective might fall into one of these categories:
-something that has lagged and is now ready to improve
-something that is already an asset and can be enhanced
-something that is newly relevant in this specific event
For a grappler, examples of a physical and/or technical objective might be:
-developing explosive power (physical)
-choosing to fight from the top position instead of the bottom (technical)
-developing explosive power to initiate transitions or submissions (physical and technical)
-improving specific cycles for moving from transition to submission (technical)
The mental strategy performance objective might fall into one of these categories:
-maintaining confidence
-remaining "in flow" or in "the zone"
-honing and directing aggression
-committing to perform through discomfort
-rewiring weak or repetitively unhelpful thought patterns
-managing emotions
Again, for a grappler, this might look like:
-continuing to engage with intensity regardless of point status or opponent's dominance
-remaining committed to breath and technique regardless of point status or opponent's dominance
-adhering to a specific mantra (and / or visualization) for the duration of the preparation and competition
These points can be adjusted so that they apply to specific opponents, specific competition habits, and specific sport challenges. Even when training, the above can be used to test run athletic improvements. Its rewarding and helps keep trainings fresh and focused.
The volume of total work that goes into competition prep is vast. This post is written with the assumption that the physical workload has been blocked out in a periodized manner and that there is a pre-existing level of conditioning and technical expertise in the given sport. Addressing Real vs Perceived Limits can help you clarify how to orient to your performance objectives.
When preparing to compete, it is important to set an intentional performance objective. Setting the blanket objective of "winning" is not enough. You must break it down more specifically.
My preference is to choose one physical and / or technical objective and one mental strategy objective.
The physical and / or technical performance objective might fall into one of these categories:
-something that has lagged and is now ready to improve
-something that is already an asset and can be enhanced
-something that is newly relevant in this specific event
For a grappler, examples of a physical and/or technical objective might be:
-developing explosive power (physical)
-choosing to fight from the top position instead of the bottom (technical)
-developing explosive power to initiate transitions or submissions (physical and technical)
-improving specific cycles for moving from transition to submission (technical)
The mental strategy performance objective might fall into one of these categories:
-maintaining confidence
-remaining "in flow" or in "the zone"
-honing and directing aggression
-committing to perform through discomfort
-rewiring weak or repetitively unhelpful thought patterns
-managing emotions
Again, for a grappler, this might look like:
-continuing to engage with intensity regardless of point status or opponent's dominance
-remaining committed to breath and technique regardless of point status or opponent's dominance
-adhering to a specific mantra (and / or visualization) for the duration of the preparation and competition
These points can be adjusted so that they apply to specific opponents, specific competition habits, and specific sport challenges. Even when training, the above can be used to test run athletic improvements. Its rewarding and helps keep trainings fresh and focused.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Competition Prep Overview
When I began my work in health and fitness I made a personal commitment to compete in a minimum of 1-2 athletic events each year. This decision is rooted in my own desire to prevent complacency and to keep my perspective fresh, thereby remaining at pace with the requests I make of my clients.
"Winning" is fun, but it is not my primary focus. My competitive purpose is more closely related to personal development and building a foundation of intention, flow and follow-through.
Typically my competition prep is comprised of the following points:
1. Set the intention - what is the specific objective of participating in this event?
2. Set a performance container - from preparation start date to one week after the event, block out the time in which physical preparation, strategy and inner work will occur.
3. While in the performance container make conscious agreements to match the intention in very specific ways. Choose 1-2 successful athletes to "model". Establish a success ritual and choose a mantra that is relevant to performance objectives.
4. While in the performance container do all the planned physical and technical prep, tapering as needed.
5. Compete! - By the day of competition the toughest work has been done. Aim to be in a state of self-directed flow.
6. Debrief one week after the event. Consciously release any inner performance agreements that were made at the start of the container.
This is a very bare bones version of the prep. It can be done as simply as listed above, or in much deeper detail, depending on the time available and the significance of the event. Sometimes it is helpful to create strategy around Real vs Perceived Limits.
Having a competition prep outline is helpful in determining competitive improvement over time. The more competitions there are, the more the relationship with competition evolves.
Regardless of event outcome, digging deep and discovering what is possible is unbeatable.
Special thanks to D.Cody Fielding, T.Thorn Colye, Vince Brown and Mushtaq Ali for their insight on competition strategy, and to Jeff Samson and TJ Burleigh for their recent competitive direction.
Return to CareyRockland.com
"Winning" is fun, but it is not my primary focus. My competitive purpose is more closely related to personal development and building a foundation of intention, flow and follow-through.
Typically my competition prep is comprised of the following points:
1. Set the intention - what is the specific objective of participating in this event?
2. Set a performance container - from preparation start date to one week after the event, block out the time in which physical preparation, strategy and inner work will occur.
3. While in the performance container make conscious agreements to match the intention in very specific ways. Choose 1-2 successful athletes to "model". Establish a success ritual and choose a mantra that is relevant to performance objectives.
4. While in the performance container do all the planned physical and technical prep, tapering as needed.
5. Compete! - By the day of competition the toughest work has been done. Aim to be in a state of self-directed flow.
6. Debrief one week after the event. Consciously release any inner performance agreements that were made at the start of the container.
This is a very bare bones version of the prep. It can be done as simply as listed above, or in much deeper detail, depending on the time available and the significance of the event. Sometimes it is helpful to create strategy around Real vs Perceived Limits.
Having a competition prep outline is helpful in determining competitive improvement over time. The more competitions there are, the more the relationship with competition evolves.
Regardless of event outcome, digging deep and discovering what is possible is unbeatable.
Special thanks to D.Cody Fielding, T.Thorn Colye, Vince Brown and Mushtaq Ali for their insight on competition strategy, and to Jeff Samson and TJ Burleigh for their recent competitive direction.
Return to CareyRockland.com
Monday, October 10, 2011
Barebones Beginner's Guide to Working Out
Here is a very basic exercise technique overview for those of you who are just starting out. It is best to learn proper technique from the beginning so that you develop good habits that deepen as you progress. It is recommended that you work with a trainer to learn safe movement patterns.
Enjoy!
General Technique: Video
hops and jumps: land as quietly as possible, focus on decelerating jumps by bending knees, when in doubt hop. Aim for forefoot first landing
squats: Keep your knees behind your toes & over your ankles. Press through a triangle from your heel to the ball of your foot to just below your little toe. Keep your spine long, neutral and aim for upright -though a slight forward lean will occur (do not round your back).
lunges: keep your knee over your ankle, behind your toe, keep your torso upright.
rows: engage your shoulders - draw your shoulder blades down and back as though you are creating a part line down the back of your shirt. Keep your shoulders in this position for the duration of the exercise. when doing body-weight rows, keep your body in an upside down plank position.
chest presses: keep your shoulders engaged! If it is a body-weight exercise such as a push-up, keep your torso in a firm plank-position even though your shoulders are engaged. When doing yoga style planks you will be creating space around your shoulder blades by pressing your rib cage upwards - please make a note of this difference when moving between the two positions.
shoulder presses: keep your arms in line with your shoulders, not in front. when pressing up, keep your shoulders relatively down - if you look in the mirror, your shoulders should be below your ears.
dips: keep your shoulders down, ribs up. Shoulder and elbow angles should both move to 90 degrees when in the dip. bend your knees if you need to in order to reduce difficulty.
ab work: draw belly button to spine and move carefully. when in doubt, reduce the range of motion, keep your low back in contact with the floor when doing leg raises etc.. (There is scientific discussion as to the relative risk of performing sit-ups with regard to disk compression. It is suggested that plank work is effective for strengthening the core).
Sample Beginner Workouts:
(Note: These workouts can be scaled up or down depending on your experience and current fitness level)
Warm-up:
Begin each session with a dynamic warm-up of:
a. Circle your joints and perform dynamic stretching as needed for approximately 5 minutes (this includes forward leg swings, high knees, lateral leg swings, gentle head circles, shoulder rotation, hip circles)
b.walk or jog for 5 minutes
Cool-Down:
For now, spend 5-10 minutes post-workout stretching into the passive stretches of your choice. Include a chest-opening stretch/doorway stretch, hamstring stretch, hip opener, quad stretch, cat-cow, and childspose with alternating hand positions.
Workout One:
20 squat jumps or hops
10 full or knee push-ups
10 dumbell bent over rows
20 squats
10 shoulder press
front plank x 20 seconds
repeat x 2, rest as needed
10 chair dips,
10 dummbell biceps curls
repeat x 2-3, rest as needed
10 burpees (push-up-jump-up or step-to-plank, step-to-stand)
repeat x 2, rest as needed
Workout Two:
5 - 10 x 30 second run/walk intervals (sprint/jog if you are able)
20 seconds walking lunges with biceps curls, 20 seconds triceps dips, 20 seconds rest
x 2 -4 sets
20 seconds band or dumbell row, 20 seconds shoulder press, 20 seconds rest
x 2-4 sets
30 seconds leg raises (keep low back flat to floor), 30 seconds supermans (face-down, arms and legs come off the ground together for a 2 count)
x 2-4 sets
5 - 10 x 30 second run/walk (sprint/jog if you are able)
As always, try this at your own risk, consult your physician before beginning an exercise program.
Return to CareyRockland.com
Enjoy!
General Technique: Video
hops and jumps: land as quietly as possible, focus on decelerating jumps by bending knees, when in doubt hop. Aim for forefoot first landing
squats: Keep your knees behind your toes & over your ankles. Press through a triangle from your heel to the ball of your foot to just below your little toe. Keep your spine long, neutral and aim for upright -though a slight forward lean will occur (do not round your back).
lunges: keep your knee over your ankle, behind your toe, keep your torso upright.
rows: engage your shoulders - draw your shoulder blades down and back as though you are creating a part line down the back of your shirt. Keep your shoulders in this position for the duration of the exercise. when doing body-weight rows, keep your body in an upside down plank position.
chest presses: keep your shoulders engaged! If it is a body-weight exercise such as a push-up, keep your torso in a firm plank-position even though your shoulders are engaged. When doing yoga style planks you will be creating space around your shoulder blades by pressing your rib cage upwards - please make a note of this difference when moving between the two positions.
shoulder presses: keep your arms in line with your shoulders, not in front. when pressing up, keep your shoulders relatively down - if you look in the mirror, your shoulders should be below your ears.
dips: keep your shoulders down, ribs up. Shoulder and elbow angles should both move to 90 degrees when in the dip. bend your knees if you need to in order to reduce difficulty.
ab work: draw belly button to spine and move carefully. when in doubt, reduce the range of motion, keep your low back in contact with the floor when doing leg raises etc.. (There is scientific discussion as to the relative risk of performing sit-ups with regard to disk compression. It is suggested that plank work is effective for strengthening the core).
Sample Beginner Workouts:
(Note: These workouts can be scaled up or down depending on your experience and current fitness level)
Warm-up:
Begin each session with a dynamic warm-up of:
a. Circle your joints and perform dynamic stretching as needed for approximately 5 minutes (this includes forward leg swings, high knees, lateral leg swings, gentle head circles, shoulder rotation, hip circles)
b.walk or jog for 5 minutes
Cool-Down:
For now, spend 5-10 minutes post-workout stretching into the passive stretches of your choice. Include a chest-opening stretch/doorway stretch, hamstring stretch, hip opener, quad stretch, cat-cow, and childspose with alternating hand positions.
Workout One:
20 squat jumps or hops
10 full or knee push-ups
10 dumbell bent over rows
20 squats
10 shoulder press
front plank x 20 seconds
repeat x 2, rest as needed
10 chair dips,
10 dummbell biceps curls
repeat x 2-3, rest as needed
10 burpees (push-up-jump-up or step-to-plank, step-to-stand)
repeat x 2, rest as needed
Workout Two:
5 - 10 x 30 second run/walk intervals (sprint/jog if you are able)
20 seconds walking lunges with biceps curls, 20 seconds triceps dips, 20 seconds rest
x 2 -4 sets
20 seconds band or dumbell row, 20 seconds shoulder press, 20 seconds rest
x 2-4 sets
30 seconds leg raises (keep low back flat to floor), 30 seconds supermans (face-down, arms and legs come off the ground together for a 2 count)
x 2-4 sets
5 - 10 x 30 second run/walk (sprint/jog if you are able)
As always, try this at your own risk, consult your physician before beginning an exercise program.
Return to CareyRockland.com
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
The Beginning Again
Last summer I began shooting short movement sequences en route to some longer pieces I am planning.
These are silent and are very much spontaneous use of location.
Yes, there are a couple moments where technique could be better dialed in!
These mark the beginning of the Athletistry Training Dept. clips. These were a lot of fun to make and I look forward to where this project is going.
Enjoy!
Simple Stair Crawl & Push-Up Exploration
House Training
As always, explore at your own risk. You are responsible for your independent exercise safety decisions. Consult your physician before beginning an exercise program and check in with a certified trainer when in doubt about proper technique.
These are silent and are very much spontaneous use of location.
Yes, there are a couple moments where technique could be better dialed in!
These mark the beginning of the Athletistry Training Dept. clips. These were a lot of fun to make and I look forward to where this project is going.
Enjoy!
Simple Stair Crawl & Push-Up Exploration
House Training
As always, explore at your own risk. You are responsible for your independent exercise safety decisions. Consult your physician before beginning an exercise program and check in with a certified trainer when in doubt about proper technique.
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