Crushing Self-Doubt with the Short Achievable Goal Theory

April 24th, 2013
 -  -  Denver Fredenburg - running

Have you ever had the pleasure of looking back on all or part of your training camp and find yourself in awe of your own accomplishment?  Your diligent planning, your resolute consistency to not miss workouts and to go the extra mile, your mental strength to stay motivated at all turns, your sheer determination on a daily basis to be better than your competition, your dietary discipline ensuring your body is fueled like a rocket.  Have you ever looked back on your accomplishments and thought to yourself – Self, you are absolutely fantastic?

Yeah, me neither.

Life is one turbulent SOB, and if you throw in work, family, attempts at fun, and, oh, training for a 100-mile ultra marathon, well sometimes, hell most of the time, not everything fits in the box.  We are human, and I think one of the things that make humans human is not necessarily our ability to pick ourselves up when we are down, which is a great trait and not to be overlooked.  But another characteristic of humankind is the ridiculous ability to set expectations that are unachievable.  What other species does that?  I don’t see fish jumping out of the water and then saying, “I am going to walk today.”

I have long prescribed to the short achievable goal theory – you want something and you want it badly, so you set a short timeline of goals and start marking them off the list.  I try to start the week with a goal of 5-7 workouts and then mark them off one by one.  And, you know, it was working.

But somewhere along the way my mind started drifting to the end goal, to the finish line in downtown Leadville.  I started thinking about the thin air, the fortitude it takes to finish 100 miles, the fitness it takes to even consider it, the VO2 max I will need to accomplish this and BOOM, I am consumed with self-doubt.  I can’t do this, I missed a workout last week.  I opted to stay up with my wife and talk last night and missed my run this morning.  I drank a few beers with my buddies and shortened my long run by 5 miles.  I can’t do this, I haven’t done all the work.  I will fail.  Self-doubt.  It is evil and can taint your life in an instant.

I for one think we should take more time to contemplate just how bad ass we are.  Because when you think about all we do, we are pretty bad ass.  So, I am hitting reset and going back to setting short achievable goals, and I am choosing to look at self-doubt and spit in its face.  I will finish, I will achieve, and I will have fun trying, or I will give everything I have in failure. Any way you cut it, I will win.  Will you?

photo 300x300 Crushing Self Doubt with the Short Achievable Goal Theory

Post birthday run, (FL) Jordan, Denver, Jason, Dean.

For those that missed it, I turned 37 last month and opted to run 37 miles on my birthday.  It was a Tuesday, and the idea was to crush 20 miles at 4 a.m., semi-crush 10 miles at lunch, survive the last 7 in the evening, and drink beers afterward at Deep Eddy, all the while working a full day in between.

Holy S@*t it was so hard.  The 20 miles started with 6 of us braving the 4am hour and at times cruising miles around a 7:15 pace.  Fun?  Yes. Smart?  No.  By the way, do you know people that would be willing to show up at 4am to run with you?  Do you know anyone that would show up at 4am for anything?  The 4 a.m. Club is a powerful Club, I strongly recommend you find one, whatever your ‘thing’ may be.

Dean and Jason braved all the runs and completed the full 37 with me.  Dean and I go back to 2nd grade, and guilting him to run all day with me is pretty typical for us.  I was there for the last 45 miles of Dean’s 100-mile debut last fall (which he ran in just over 24 hours…an unbelievable display of human will and determination from someone who is normally such a puss).  As for Jason, we are certainly friends but I have no guilt mechanism for him.  Nah, he just showed up for the hell of it.  That is pretty cool…or, he is really bored.  Either way, I was extremely thankful for both of them.

IMG 0953 300x192 Crushing Self Doubt with the Short Achievable Goal Theory

Deep Eddy celebration.

The lunch and evening runs were, for the most part, about as miserable as they could possibly be.  But, despite a near total bonk, we finished.  And, we had just enough energy left for one beer.  What a day and what a challenge.  I would encourage you to try it.  Let me know if you do, I might even come out for a few of the miles.

It is April 24th, 114 days to prepare.

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SandBells® in CrossFit

April 9th, 2013
Hyperwear

Known for its high intensity and constantly varied, generalized fitness training, CrossFit has boomed in popularity in recent years. CrossFit workouts are unique in that CrossFit workout equipment is limited to a few key pieces that can be used to perform all of the basic exercises. While CrossFit has traditionally relied on kettle bells to add resistance to many basic exercises, excellent workouts can be programmed using the SandBell® to provide resistance for strength training in ways a kettle bell just can’t match.

squat press 300x200 SandBells® in CrossFitThe kettle bell swing is one of the most commonly used strength training exercises in CrossFit. The kettle bell is held with both hands and swung in an arc from between the knees to over the head. When performed properly, the kettle bell swing provides an excellent core, hip, and glute workout. This exercise can easily be performed using Hyperwear’s SandBell® in place of a kettle bell. By doing so, the exerciser must use the core to compensate for the shifting sand inside the SandBell® as well as its swinging motion, providing a more comprehensive core workout than a static kettle bell alone can provide. Additionally, the SandBell® is softer and less dangerous if the exerciser loses control of it in motion, and knowing this can increase the exerciser’s confidence with the heavy weights used in CrossFit.

Kettle bells are also used in CrossFit for goblet squats. In this exercise, the kettle bell is held at chest height and provides resistance and counterbalance while the exerciser performs squats. This simple exercise can really help some people improve their form when squatting. Hyperwear’s SandBell is an ideal replacement for the traditional kettle bell, as the shifting sand adds a component of core control to this strength training exercise.

SandBells® are endlessly versatile and can be used in almost any exercise where weight is added to improve strength. They can be used on the shoulders or chest to provide resistance during sit-ups and pull-ups, and since a typical week at any CrossFit box includeds what feels like thousands of these body weight exercises, users can see real benefits in form and endurance quickly. SandBells® are also perfect for use in farmer’s walks or can be used to scale a weighted sled workout for newer users.

In short, when used in conjunction with other CrossFit workout equipment like the rig, jump rope, and barbell, there’s very little that you can accomplish with a kettle bell that a SandBell® can’t do, with added core benefits over using a static weight.

keep calm and crossfit on 5 276x300 SandBells® in CrossFit

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Improving Game Speed with the Hyperwear Vest Pro

April 3rd, 2013
Fitness Equipment - Hyper Vest Pro Weight Vest - Hyperwear - Videos

By Geno Pierce, CSCS

It is undeniable that speed is extremely important in sports.  It can be the difference in scoring the game winning touchdown, getting to a rebound, or determining whether you win a 50/50 ball in soccer.  Regardless of the sport, speed is a vital component to achieving success on the field/court, and as the saying goes “speed kills.”

Speed can be interpreted many ways, so before we begin our discussion we must first understand what speed is, how it relates to sports, and how it can be improved.

DEFINE: GAME SPEED

As coaches and athletes, we get caught up in 40 times or how fast an athlete ran the 100m.  We often associate a number with speed, and in turn, gear our training toward improving that number. The problem with that scenario is track is the only sport that requires the ability to ONLY run in a straight line.  All other team sports require you to accelerate, jump, and decelerate all while performing tasks unique to your individual competition.  This is what we term game speed.

BRIEF PHYSICS LESSON

In order to increase game speed we must find a way to create more force and overcome gravity’s inertia to quickly accelerate.  Essentially this means we must be able to push into the ground with more force than gravity to increase acceleration. This is illustrated through Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion, which states, “for every reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction.”  Simply put, the more force an athlete can produce into the ground the more the ground will “push” back and propel the athlete forward.

Now that we understand game speed and a few basic physics concepts, we can discuss ways to improve speed as it applies to sports.

GET STRONGER

The stronger an athlete becomes the more force they will be able to apply into the ground. This can be accomplished through multi-joint Olympic lifts, squatting variations, and dedicated posterior chain work in the weight room.

TRANSITIONING FROM THE WEIGHT ROOM

Strength is critical but you must be able to translate it to game speed.  Sleds, cords, resistors, etc. can all be used to provide additional resistance and begin the transition from the weight room. There is one MAJOR problem though.  Most of these tools restrict the athletes’ natural running mechanics and force the athlete into compromised positions.  The one tool we have found that gives the athlete added resistance without compromising technique is the Hyper Vest PRO weight vest from Hyperwear.

The Hyper Vest PRO gives the athlete the ability to add resistance to movement that will improve game speed.  Whether it is plyometrics, resisted running, or change of direction drills the vest will enhance the athlete’s functional strength and allow for greater speeds when unloaded.

HYPER VEST PRO USES FOR IMPROVING GAME SPEED

 

PLYOMETICS

Once athletes have become proficient at using their own bodyweight during jumping and plyo’s, you can now use the Hyper Vest PRO to enhance their ability to generate force and become more explosive off of the ground.

ACCELERATION

We discussed earlier how an athlete must overcome gravity to accelerate effectively.  By adding the weighted vest, the athlete not only has to overcome come gravity but also additional external forces in order to efficiently accelerate. Once the athlete is able to properly accelerate with the vest, he or she will be able to powerfully accelerate with his or her own bodyweight.  This same concept will be effective when working with change of direction movements as well.

POST-ACTIVATION POTENTIATION

Post-activation potentiation (PAP) can be explained as the ability to maximally contract a muscle or muscle group, and then perform a lighter or explosive movement after fatigue diminishes.  An example of this would be a heavy 2-rep squat followed by a vertical jump.  The maximal muscle contraction primes the muscle by activating more motor units, which in turn allows them to be used explosively after a short rest. The Hyper Vest PRO can be used to produce a similar result when accelerating or jumping.  The athlete will perform one rep with the vest on, recover, and then perform one rep without the vest.  Due to the fact that the athlete has completed the first rep with the vest the second rep then becomes even more explosive.

LOGISTICS

The weight vest is easy for athlete’s to take on and off and share in a group setting, and it can accommodate a wide range of athletes due to the adjustable side strings.  When working with a group of 18 athletes you would only need 6-8 vests depending on the amount of recovery between sets.

CONDITIOINING

The Hyper Vest PRO can also be used for sports that require equipment as way to prepare the athletes for the additional weight of their equipment.

After working with athletes for the last two decades we have found the Hyper Vest PRO to be one of the best tools to improve game speed.  The ability of the weight vest to be used for so many applications while accommodating large groups, makes it a great addition for all training programs.

The video below demonstrates drills with the Hyper Vest PRO to build and improve athlete game speed.

Hyper Vest Pro Drills

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