16th Annual New Year’s Day “Murph”

“Be prepared to grow through pain.”
– Herb Brooks

Deep Squats (Thoughts)

I’ve often wondered why I enjoy looking at pictures of me, and anyone else, during or after completing a workout. If it’s a CrossFit workout the subject is likely in a state of pain, agony, relief and joy. All at the same time. That is why I put them in these emails and on Instagram or Facebook. Because we can all relate to what we’re seeing. We’ve been there. We’ve pushed ourselves out of the comfort zone. It hurts. It burns. It’s hard to breath. And yet, something primal in us knows it’s exactly what we need. We NEED to push ourselves. We need to FEEL it. Welcome. You’ve found what you’ve been looking for.

Sigmund Freud thought people would avoid pain in pursuit of pleasure. And most people do. Yet those that pursue work capacity know/learn that we can only grow through the pain. Avoiding discomfort will stifle growth and even promote weakening. It’s always going to be hard. That’s okay. It’s even okay to suffer. Suffer well.

Dr. Google says pain and pleasure are processed in the same areas of the brain, and the brain works to keep the balance between them level. A new treatment for pleasure addiction to opiates relies on CrossFit workouts and the physical response to satisfy the craving for that pleasure even though the workout is inducing a pain signal. This type of pain is what we need to heal. It’s what we need to get to the next level of life.

Teaching the first day of Snatch today reminds me of a story in 2017 or 18. I was the fittest I had/have ever been and committed to training for competing in The CrossFit Games. A new member was crying in class because learning to snatch is hard and she couldn’t seem to “get it”. In the end of class huddle I shared how I struggled with a workout recently. She was shocked and asked if CrossFit was hard for me, too. “ABSOLUTELY,” I replied. I went on to say that in some ways it’s even harder when you’re experienced because you know what’s coming. That was a big moment for her. Maybe you need to hear that, too. It’s okay to struggle with things. That’s what makes it worthwhile when you finally learn a skill or get a new max on a lift.

It’s also okay to share your struggles with those around you. Share your hopes, dreams and goals. Graham Betchart from Train The Mind leads with “Victory goes to the vulnerable.” I could write multiple emails how this idea has helped me. Essentially, when you share yourself with others you build a bond with them and they become part of your team. Teams want to win and being on your team means that they want to win WITH you. No one at CFPA wants you to lose, per se. You may have failures in the pursuit of winning, but you will ultimately win as long as you don’t quit.

New members join throughout the year. And many will join in January. We welcome all of them to a new way of life. Embrace the discomfort of being the new guy/girl. Embrace the soreness you didn’t know is possible in muscles you didn’t know you had. Embrace the idea that you can, and will, BE BETTER. The icing on the cake is that we all get better TOGETHER.

See you in class.

Tim

What’s Going On?

New Year, New Teen Class

Who: Boys and Girls aged 12-17
Dates: January 7 – February 27th
When: Tuesdays/Thursdays at 4pm
Led by: Coach Rebecca
*Email [email protected] to sign up*

Community Hike & Picnic
Sunday, January 26, 2025
10am
Foothills Nature Preserve
(Orchard Glen Parking Lot)
Contact: Coaches Ali and Andrew for questions
[email protected]

Overheard in Class:
“The hook grip hurts.”
“Yeah.”

Timfluencing

“BIGGEST MISTAKE Of My Career” – Tony Robbins $125 Million Loss

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Tim’s Takeaway: I shared this with a friend because it is just a good motivational podcast/video. No fearmongering about politics, climate, finance, world war, etc. Just a couple guys trying to help people get better at defining their lives and achieving greatness in their own right.

NOTE: This can also be found on Spotify, iTunes, etc.

Thank you for your support.

I look forward to what we will do together.