“The things that you do and that you DON’T do are more important than you think.”

— Jordan Peterson

YOUR Deep Squats (Thoughts)

Jeff:

Why did you start CrossFit?

– Joined October 2011. I was looking for a better workout and CrossFit looked like fun.  Dropping weights and puking clowns are right up my alley.

– The intro workout was a wake-up call and the rest is history.

– Even though the workouts were intimidating, the coaches and other members were so welcoming.

Why keep coming back?

– The workouts are the best therapy. They’re Attitude Adjusters. Can’t stress out over that email or powerpoint when you’re just trying to breathe. It’s only an hour – you already showed up so may as well push yourself.  

– The workouts provide a level of psychological body armor. They build your tolerance to adversity.  A little taste of stress inoculation to get you through your day.  But being in the mix with so many others slogging through it makes it fun.  

– The Coaches keep things light and are right there for you. They’ve been there and know what to do so you won’t dread working out.

– I usually go in with a mushy, foggy mind and heavy body and in a flash come out clearheaded and lighter.

– It’s great seeing new people, the veterans and everyone in between.  I love seeing the coaches teach new people cues and mentality.

– My annual test of fitness is unloading a Christmas tree from the top of my car.  It used to be a crapshoot of “what am I going to injure this year”, but now it’s a question of how big of a tree can we get?

Some favorite things:

– These workouts make you resilient, and Tim makes sure the gym is resilient and is there for you.  This is a direct result of his stewardship of the Gym, the Programming, the Coaches and its members.  Whether it’s a power outage or a pandemic, the therapy continues and so will you.

– The “oh crap” moments.  To me it means I’m still trying to get better and… oops, oh well.  I’ll live.

– The Saturday CrossFit Whatever Class: new movements are sprinkled in, it’s the perfect time and somehow it’s always sunny and warm, with a good crew too.

– Even though I usually blackout during the workouts, I still hear the music.  Never thought I’d say it, but I don’t mind Country music anymore.

– Looking at the board and hearing, “Is that it???”

– Shoe reviews!  Just ask around.

– Love that the gym has The Open and Murph – not all gyms have these.  You get to see the wide spectrum of people pushing themselves.

The Dymmelisms / Chapters In a Book!

    Try Harder

    Prison Defense

    What Does a Barbell taste like?  Blood!

    Your Form Sucks

    You’ll Be Fine

    Let My Words Be Your Thoughts

    Grab a Partner, Grab a Rack…

    The More You Do, The Less You Have To Do

    Feelings Are Not Results

    Smooth is Fast

    Last Rep Best Rep

    Tight Butt Tight Gut

    Stripper Deadlifts

    “Put It in the Yelp Review”

    CrossFit Makes You Stronger for the Stupid Things You Want to Do (something like that)

And never forget: “THIS GYM IS A JOKE!”

What’s Going On?

The CrossFit Open is in 58 days. Ask about it because you’re going to be doing it.

Overheard in Class:

“Be someone’s Fred.”

Influencing

Referrals from The CFPA Community

Books:

The Outward Mindset: How to Change Lives and Transform Organizations – (Former member Rachel) The new edition of an international bestseller helps individuals and organizations shift to a new mindset that will improve performance, spark collaboration, accelerate innovation, and make your life and the lives of everyone around you better.

Anxious People – (From Kyrie) A poignant comedy about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined.

Amusing Ourselves To Death – (From Scott) Before we hand over politics, education, religion, and journalism to the show business demands of the television age, we must recognize the ways in which the media shape our lives and the ways we can, in turn, shape them to serve our highest goals.

Movie:

Whiplash – (From Bill) A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student’s potential. (This was an INTENSE movie that made me ask a lot of tough questions about my own motivation and how to direct/coach others.)

Send me your influences. Music? Books? Movies? Series?