cherry valley forever
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
Andulka
let's talk about Bridgerton tea, my ask is open
JVL
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
todays bird
will byers stan first human second
Game of Thrones Daily
if i look back, i am lost
almost home
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸
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@strengthbeyondthephysical
.... There cannot be wisdom without a synthesis of knowledge, and you cannot do that (practical application) without experience. The only way to synthesize knowledge is to experience it. Otherwise, it's purely theoretical, and you're still lost.
Paul Chek on a conversation with Elliot Hulse on 'Education vs. Experience'
First, Find Your 'Why'
“The hardest challenge is to be yourself in a world where everyone is trying to make you be somebody else.
—E. E. CUMMINGS, POET (1894–1962)
I've been finding in this journey of 'self-development/improvement' coalesced with the age of information that we live in, when it comes to finding some sort of a compass to guide us in a direction, there are a plethora of choices. It almost seems as if we have too many choices. If I don't know how to filter out what information is relevant to us at the time, I tend to go into a state of 'information overload', where it becomes all too overwhelming, causing me to ponder what the hell I just read, and ponder what the hell I want to do. Sound familiar? The more choices we become exposed to, the result is a double edged sword: perspectives will grow, but questions start to mount up to the point where it outweighs the answers we're receiving. If you're stuck at a job that's making you miserable, if you can't find the motivation to start working out, if you can't make the leap and take a risk of creating a social life you want instead of being a complete hermit and staying completely pessimistic about people, or you're just plain afraid to take a risk, here are two profoundly simple things that I've found that have made some sort of an impact in my train of thought.
1) Find Your 'Why'
What does this mean? It means knowing why the hell you wake up in the morning in the first place. This is essential to connecting with your purpose, and the actions between finding your why and getting to your purpose. That saying 'It's not the destination that matters, it's the journey' rigidly applies here. This concept is not a new one. When you connect with your why, you tend to have a clearer a focus on where to direct your energy, and where you need to be. You can direct your mental resources towards the things that matter most, rather than wasting time on the things that will hold you back as opposed to hold you high. Remember, when you know what the target is, we become quite much more efficient in doing what we need to do to get to that goal, as our primitive ancestors did when searching for animals to hunt.
2) Create an A.M. 'Power Routine'
This for me has been incredibly crucial for setting the pace for the rest of my day. This is the time of the day that I intimately connect with my 'Why.' (usually, the thought in my head which includes 'why' is 'why the hell am I up this early?') Once I remember why, in my head and in my body, why I'm doing what I'm doing(in this case, hitting the snooze, i mean, turning off my alarm) and wake the fuck up, it's go time. **Note: There is another list of things I do in order to prep and make the A.M. wake up easier, which is another topic in itself.**
Here's a short list of things I do upon waking which makes the morning much, much more productive:
1) Upon waking, I have a motivational video from YouTube ready on my phone browser to listen to the moment I wake up, face down in my pillow. This usually reiterates in my head, why I'm up, and why I do what I do.
2) Go downstairs, prepare a cold glass of water with a squeeze of lemon juice from a lemon and gulp it down. It's just damn refreshing and gets me energized. I usually gulp down some fish oil (i know, gross. But it's for the omegas!), vitamin D3 and creatine camouflaged in water flavoring. I call this my 'brain shake.'
3) Follow my stretching/mobility and body opening routine which wakes my body up and gets rid of any impingement i've acquired during my short slumber. Blood flow ensues and continue to feel awake.
4) Meditate. 5-10 mins to Tibetan bowl music. Focusing on breathing, and being an observer of my emotions and thoughts, as opposed to being directed by them.
5) Get my iPod, go for a walk and listen to an audio book or a lecture from iTunesU on a subject of interest or that's relevant to me at the time for what i'm doing. 20-30 mins.
6) Brew up some bulletproof coffee. No creamer. Just organic medium roast coffee, 2 tbsp of coconut oil, and 1-2 tbsp of unsalted Kerry Gold butter, blended, not stirred (makes a difference)
7) Then finish off with a 10 min cold shower. (Optional :-D )
So there you have it. This is my routine which optimizes my mind and body, and prepares me for the day ahead of productivity. Please continue to look for future posts on how prepare for waking up early in the morning feeling refreshed, and other body and brain hacks to optimize your morning, and possibly your life. Thank you :)
Another display of fitness at it's best....
The Crossfit Games is a test for those who have the ability to push their bodies to the limits. The type of athletes this particular fitness methodology breeds are ones that reach that limit, but don't listen to it. Gals/Guys, if you're reading closely, this is the evolution of fitness, and the Sport of Fitness is not going to be leaving anytime soon....
Rich Froning, 2011, 2012, 2013, & 2014 Crossfit Games champion.
Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, 5 times games competitor, and 2014 Crossfit Games Champion
Guys, time to up your game and get rid of those chicken legs.
Girls, it's ok to squat more and not have thigh gaps.
" Motivation is bullshit. Motivation doesn't get anything done. Motivation gets you GOING. Discipline, commitment, strong habits is what get things done. Motivation is just a feeling. Grounded action is what gets things done. "
Elliot Hulse
Noelle Adams: A little clean and jerk work during class followed by my 155lb clean PR, if only I could finish my pull there’s easily another 10lbs to through on there! Still pumped!
Strong is beautiful, people.
Self Care
Hi there guys.
When was the last time you did some introspective work on yourself? More appropriately, do you have an idea of how you would do that? From my own experience, and the experiences of those around me, not checking in with oneself and how they feel about themselves, and the world around them can bring about anxiety, confusion, anger, depression, and so forth. Maybe you're not in the relationship you want to be in. Maybe you're not in the shape you want to be in or once was in. Maybe the job you have pays well, but is sucking the life out of you because it's not allowing you to live out your purpose, and it's not allowing you to express your potential.
I'd like to recommend a book that has helped me tremendously, along with support from very intuitive friends. Daniel Goleman's 'Emotional Intelligence' explores the world of emotional IQ, and how IQ works separately from emotional intelligence. He tip toes through the anatomy of the brain that dictates emotions and emotional tripwires, from the anatomy of rage, depression and other 'disorders', to looking at these symptoms from another perspective and how to do some very serious introspective work.
If this is something that resonates with you, I'd highly suggest reading this awesome book. I continuously refer back to it when I need to do some internal work.
Have a great day.
Victor
Intermittent Fasting
Hi there guys!
Have you heard of intermittent fasting? If so, what were your results?
Greetings strength and fitness enthusiasts! Last weekend I had the utmost pleasure of taking a power lifting seminar with one of Westside Barbells strongest lifters AJ Roberts. If you don't know who he is, he came from PL guru Louie Simmons gym in Columbus Ohio and was recognized for the conjugate system of training to get lifters strong. AJ Roberts is no stranger to record breaking lifts. He has a 1200 pound squat, over 800 bench, and a 900 dead lift. Very physically and mentally strong athlete with much knowledge to give. Now, if you're looking to get strong in the main powerlifts and are hitting a plateau, look at Westside Barbell method of training for a new perspective on strength training.
Greetings everyone! It's getting closer to the end of the year, and yet again, another year of resolutions will be filling the journals, Facebooks, Tumblrs and countless other forms of social media making declarations of how changes will be made. Well, what I wanted to talk about, maybe even rant a little, is commitment and discipline. And to give an example of this, is this video, which is one of my favorites.
It's about an exceptional athlete named Lindy Wall, who's a competitive Crossfit athlete. As you will see in the video, and I will shortly summarize here, during her Crossfit training, she experienced an injury that was related to 3 spinal conditions that pre-existed before her training. Her Dr. had basically condemned her to running, or doing something that was not Crossfit related at all. Now, to many, when their Dr. tells them that they cannot do something, some are quick to listen, and I don't blame them. They don't dare shy away from their advice because, well, they're Dr.'s and they know what they're talking about. But for Lindy, and many athletes all over the world that has overcome this, that was not acceptable. She ended up making top 3 in the regional's competition and ultimately went to the Crossfit Games in 2013.
I would hope to think that this story of complete perseverance, discipline and COMMITMENT, would resonate to anyone that's thinking about making a fitness change in their lives for the better. I would hope to think that this commitment doesn't come around once a year, but it is a continual journey, all the way from Day 1. Because to me, that's what fitness is: a way of life, and a journey to find our strongest selves within. And this strength goes beyond the physical. Happy holidays, and to healthy living.
Hi folks!
Had an amazing opportunity to be coached by the Crossfit Level 1 Seminar Staff, and most amazingly, by 2 times Crossfit Games competitor Katie Hogan. It was surreal to be around such a dedicated group of people that are committed to teaching fitness. So many of the trainers came from so many different backgrounds, or are still involved in the sport they came from. From Volleyball player in college, to wildfire EMS's, to college sprinters. So there was such a breadth of knowledge being poured into each hour.
One thing that i've been able to connect with through this unfinished journey of fitness, is that we stop learning when we lay our heads to rest. And until then, I am going to continue to help people move better in their lives inside and outside the gym. I'm really grateful to the owners of the gym I coach at, Crossfit Proper, for giving me this opportunity to not only train and express myself physically, but to also teach what I know to help others out. I'm not a physique enthusiast, nor am I an aesthetic junky. I aim to make people stronger than they were yesterday, and to be prepared for anything that comes. That, is the spirit of fitness. Take care
That's a wrap for Monday nights WOD. Love seeing the after math every time
World Class Fitness in 100 words.... Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports. ~Coach Greg Glassman, CrossFit Founder and CEO
Just another great day for lifting heavy shit :D
So here's a video I recorded yesterday night, which consisted of heavy power cleans(worked up to my 80-85% max, 265), heavy front squat (335), heavy sumo dead lift (405 for 5-6 singles) and then back to power cleans with a 3 second pause right below the knee for 7-8 singles at 225. Yesterdays training session was a heavy loading day, and yes, my CNS is fatigued. But not as bad as I anticipated since I got about 7-8 hours of recovery sleep. I would suggest to anyone that if you are doing any heavy compound movements that create a great deal of stress on your central nervous system, to make sure that you can get at the very minimum 7 hours of sleep. 8-10 is optimal. There are many biological processes that occur during these times of sleep that are vital to your recovery process. That can be for another day of discussion and blogging :D
This video's focus is on the 2nd pull. I think this is the most critical portion of this particular pull because the positioning of my body, and if optimal, will determine proper travel path of that heavy weight coming up. The first pull, from the ground to right above the knee, isn't usually as aggressive as the 2nd pull, from above the knee into the pockets(where the bar makes contact and becomes weightless for milliseconds). The reason why I practice this sometimes from a pause or hang right below the knee because it forces me to make sure I keep that bar as close to me as possible, especially on the second pull to where i reach triple extension and make contact with the bar for it to travel up to the receiving position. Also, point of focus, is that my feet are anchored to the ground at all points the movement, even into the jerk. I make sure that they are because it ensures that I can shrug myself under the bar fast enough to receive it, and not be out of position, or too far off the ground to receive it. It gives me an incentive to re-dip quick as hell to get under that bar in a sound position to catch it effectively and then set myself up for the jerk.
I end the movement in a push jerk, which once again requires me to use a strong dip and drive motion initiated by my knees and hips to drive that bar up and then push myself under that bar effectively with locked arms, in a partial squat position with no forward inclination of my chest whatsoever, so the weight doesn't dip forward.
So I hope you enjoy this quick video, and hope that i explained how I moved properly clear enough. Would love to answer any questions or here your thoughts on fitness, sports performance, nutrition, etc. Thank you :D
Honest opinion, everyone. But do you really consider this fit and healthy? Not throwing judgement onto this young lady's body, because her age, body fat % is not known, and her adrenal gland functioning isn't known, i'm just curious as to what you guys think.
Home sweet new home :)
Beautiful. Want.
This is the sexiest thing i've ever seen....
Hi guys. Another video here demonstrating a good morning at the rack position. Before I explain why I did it at the rack position, i'll explain why good mornings are great.
For any of you, power lifters, non power lifters, men, women, who have issues with your lower back, weak dead lifts, squats, or even power cleans, this posterior chain movement is a great way to address these issues. Some may think that this is counter intuitive to issues relating to back problems. Though there are more than one explanation that can address this, i'm merely providing one part of the whole that can address issues concerning weak backs.
This movement, like mentioned above, is a posterior chain dominate lift. Posterior chain refers to your hamstrings, glutes, and adductors. These three muscle groups produce hip extension. The good morning lift addresses each of these muscle groups, so other lifts that also include these muscles have potential to become stronger as a result of implementing this movement. It also addresses the strengthening of the spinal erectors, or the muscles that support the lower back. Since strengthening this lift, i've seen increases in my deadlift, and in lifts that require full extension of the hips to produce bar momentum, such as the snatch and the power clean.
The reason why I do it from the rack is because it ensures that I do the movement from the proper angle, and not cheating myself by not going low enough, and it also prepares me to brace my posterior chain muscle groups to properly engage, stay tight and do the movement correctly, without being loose or relaxed.
So, if you would like to increase your dead lift, squat, power clean or snatch, throw good mornings into your training regimen and see the difference!
Hi there guys! It's been quite awhile since i've posted on here. I've been debating on whether I want to keep creating written blogs which i've come to realize that some people don't really like to read, especially if they're lengthy rants about fitness. So, I've decided to do more video blogs. I think that it would be much more personal, and a better way for the viewer to get a sense of me as a person. Without further adieu, I will explain this video and how it can translate to you getting stronger.
So this video is a demonstration of box squats. You may or may not have done them. If you're a power lifter, then you know exactly how to do this, and why you do this. If you're not, and you've wondered how and why people do this, i'll explain this as simply as the movement actually is. The box squat is a tool that's very useful for those who have trouble with achieving depth and getting out of the 'hole', and for those who have weak hips. The box that I'm using allows me to sit below parallel, typically where you want to be in a non-assisted squat, or a squat without a box. You can see that I go below parallel because if you look at my hip crease (roughly located below the light blue line of my shorts) it goes below the top of my patella. When the weight starts to get heavy, being in this position becomes difficult to get out of, and the tendency of the lifter is to get stuck at the bottom, and eject. So, what the box does is allows you to sit below that parallel position, without relaxing completely, and allows you to position yourself to utilize your hips, hamstrings and glutes more when you use a more wider stance (referred to as the power stance). It's a great way to correct any issues you have with form and technique, as well. And it's a great way to practice speed lifting at lighter weights as well. (Refer to West Side Barbell's Dynamic Effort Method for the explanation as to why this is important).
So if you have a difficult time achieving the depth that you want to, and want to be able to properly utilize posterior chain muscle groups, use a box that allows you to sit below parallel.
More video blogs to come on training, life, and bullshit. Thank you :D
