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MARMITE
You either love it or hate it. The aim of today's long, sweaty grind was to help build a bulletproof engine.... something people either love doing, or hate doing! That same bulletproof engine work involves just as much mental capacity as it does physical. Trying to hold a pace right on your lactate threshold is no easy task, especially across this duration! And that’s why you feel so good after it!! On paper, the workout looked horrible. And in reality, it was But still, just over 100 people showed up and gave it their all, whether they liked the look of it or not! That's the beauty of CrossFit and our programming in CFA. Every workout has it's purpose and our members know that. Nothing beats powering through the pain barrier and over coming the mental turmoil of the assault bike than doing it along with a class full of like - minded people! That last rep or calorie might hurt, but only for a short time! The feeling of euphoria soon kicks in and when you high 5 the person lying on the floor next to you, you soon remember why you keep coming back for more! No one ever regrets a workout!
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“Do or do not. There is no try.” ~ Yoda We have all stood staring at a barbell over-thinking a lift but often it’s just our mind playing games. The majority of the time we just need to be encouraged by a Coach to do it. Star Wars can teach us a lot about coaching. Yoda & Obi-Wan were really Luke Skywalker’s first Coaches. They taught him how to do legless rope climbs, one arm handstands and how to handle a barbell. Ok, it was a lightsaber, but same difference. Luke wasn’t really sure what he was doing at the start but after practicing with his Coach it all became second nature and freedom was eventually restored to the galaxy. If you’re going to restore freedom to the galaxy or even invest a few hours into your fitness every week, then you need to be sure that you’re getting the most out of your time. For most people it can be very difficult to create a plan that gets results. There are too many variables. What should you do and for how long? What should you lift? How many reps and what weight? How should you lift it? Do you need to do cardio? How often? What type? The list goes on and on. We understand. That’s why we design structured, professionally planned workouts and coach everyone in our gym, whether that is in a group setting or 1-1. We all need a Coach. Even Luke Skywalker.  A common question coaches get when encouraging mobility at home is, 'how?'. Sometimes it's easy to say you'll work on your mobility and never actually do it - but knowing what to do, and for how long, is half the battle in getting some mobility work done every day.
In the next few weeks, we will be providing some tips and advice on how to improve your mobility outside of your warm ups and cool downs - tonight's focus is what tools you can use during these sessions to facilitate: 1. The Foam Roller Foam rolling is a form of myofascial release that you can do on your own body. It works by massaging or releasing muscle and fascial tightness. 2. Golf/Tennis Ball or Mobility Ball This acts similar to the foam roller, by helping to release tight fascia and muscles. A ball can be used on areas that the foam roller isn’t as effective on. 3. Voodoo Floss Band. This is a rubber band which can be wrapped around certain muscles. While the band is on, we can move the muscle through its range of motion. Its important to only keep the floss band on for 2-3 minutes and to remove if pins and needles occur! All of the above:
Tonight we're focusing on Lukas Witkowski! Originally from Poland, Lukas moved here with his family about 10 years ago and today marks his one year anniversary with us at CrossFit Antrim. Don't know what took him so long to join!! Lukas is one of our 3.30pm regulars... it would be very, very unlike him to miss a class! He is a gentleman! Arrives on time, quietly goes about his business, listens to the coaches, constantly wants to get better and just gets stuck in and gives 100% every class! He's a gentle giant but he absolutely destroys the assault bike He has made some big changes to himself over the last 12 months and we love seeing him continuously improve! Here's what he had to say! "I started CrossFit nearly a year ago and I must say it changed my life completely. I joined Crossfit Antrim because I needed to change some things in my life, I felt like my normal routine was a vicious circle! I was never a fan of the gym but CrossFit is something different. You are never bored at any point and that's what makes me stick at it. Another reason why I still go to Crossfit Antrim is because the atmosphere is great plus there's plenty of helpful hands around. Every time I see a bike or rowing on the white board I just can't wait to get to the gym but when I see snatching or over head squats.... not so much! But I try to motivate myself to go and give it my best shot. I would definitely recommend CrossFit to anyone, especially to people like me who never really had any experience of going to a gym." What a guy!  Preparing yourself for what lies ahead…
Very often, when you walk out into the main floor in CFA, 15-20 minutes before or after a class, you will see several people stretched out on the floor or maybe at the rig with a resistance band set up. Or even on a bench, moving around tiny dumbbells or fractional plates. If unfamiliar, you might ask yourself, ‘what are these people doing?’ The answer, usually, is that these people are either mobilising a particular part of their body for their training that day, or working on extra mobility after a workout they’ve just done. And you can be sure that they know exactly what they’re doing. As part of our class routine in CFA, there will always be a structured group warmup, led by the coach, that nobody is exempt from. The purpose of this warmup is to have you as ready as possible for the workout ahead. The coach will tell you what to do, show you how to do it, and more importantly, tell you why you are doing it. A big part of this warmup will be specific mobility. Many have heard the term ‘mobility’ but what does it actually mean? It’s defined in the dictionary as ‘the ability to move or be moved freely and easily’ This can be applied to ourselves as humans. We have the ability to move our joints through a certain range of motion. The extent of that range of motion will define our level of mobility. Someone with poor mobility, may not be able to squat deeply or extend their arms above their head in a safe manner. It is part of our job as coaches to ensure that each and every one of our members is able to move as well as they possibly can. And we do that by applying simple, but effective principles in the group setting, in a way that allows each member to not only participate, but take home the knowledge and apply it themselves when required. Being mobile is just as important, if not more so, than being able to lift a heavy weight or running a 5k in 20 minutes. The fact that you are mobile, and that you work on your mobility during, before, and after class, will keep you lifting heavy and running fast, much, much longer than you will think possible. Happy stretching! Our CrossFit classes use a magical blend of weightlifting, gymnastics and metabolic conditioning to help develop your fitness.
When we share the contents of our program with a potential new member, the slightest mention of the word ‘gymnastics’ is usually accompanied with a look of horror and a ‘ I couldn’t do that!’. To be fair the fact that the ancient Greeks and Romans used gymnastics training to prepare their military forces for combat would probably scare anyone off. For us in the CrossFit world, we consider bodyweight movements to be gymnastics so the air squat, push up and pull-up would fall into that category as would isometric holds. Can you hold a plank? Then you can practice gymnastics with us. Our use of the term ‘gymnastics’ not only includes taking aspects of the sport you see on tv and applying them to workouts but also including activities like climbing and calisthenics where the focus is body control. We use dip bars, the floor, rings, pull-up bars, climbing ropes and other equipment to implement gymnastics into our training. If gymnastics movements are performed properly they can help develop virtually every component of fitness including producing impressive strength gains without using weights. In fact, nothing beats gymnastics in terms of developing the four neurological components of fitness: coordination, agility, balance and accuracy. Plus these movements are great fun to learn with even the smallest step of progress bringing tremendous satisfaction. PS: Did you hear about the gymnast who walked into a bar? She said ‘Ouch’.... A lot of people enter a calorie deficit in January - whether by accident or by design, from cutting out junk food to getting an expert to work out their macros. Generally it is a conscious effort to eat better, to look better, and to feel better! This generally leads to feeling a lot better about yourself, being positive around others, having more energy and sleeping better. When it comes to training, you may encounter a few problems though. Although you may feel fitter, leaner and possibly more energetic in the gym, the reduction in calories often leads to a perceived fear of losing strength. Not to worry though - ensure your protein intake is on point and this won’t be an issue! How though? Simple enough. A good starting point is aiming to consume between 1.4g-2g of protein per kg of bodyweight. That should keep you on track and help you smash your PRs further down the line! Andy knows what we’re talking about!  January is sign up season. Loads of ‘Special Offers’, ’Beginner Programs’ and ’Only 3 spaces left’ promotions that all disappear in 24 hours, you better act quickly!
If you are thinking of getting started with a fitness program it’s probably the most difficult time of year to make a decision. There are a plethora of options, each guaranteed to get you into the best shape of your life in only 7 minutes! What makes it even more challenging is this subconscious belief that whatever path you choose, if you don't stick to it then your entire year’s fitness plans are doomed and so it’s roll on 2021. Obviously that's not true as you can start anytime but it’s a belief that the fitness industry will gleefully take advantage of to help sales. Ultimately the most important thing is that you start something. Start with anything and give it a couple of months. If it doesn’t fit, do something else, but don’t let that stop you from starting. Most of us who have been training a while know what is really out there: the fitness industry’s version of pyramid schemes, magic detoxes and the next ultimate fat torching diet or snake oil. There’s also a lot of copycats doing their own version of established, professional programs under a different banner. We could write about the dangers, negatives and downfalls of all of the above but that isn’t going to help our clients improve their health and fitness. What will help our clients is this: Professional, qualified coaches who love to coach. A learning curve (which never ends) where health & fitness becomes part of your life. A simple but effective eating plan. A program to suit every fitness goal whether in a class, 1-1 or small group setting. A community of friendly people who like a laugh and have learnt how to enjoy exercise. It took us a long time to build this culture and if you know someone here, I'll bet that they love it. Just ask them. January is sign up season. Loads of ‘Special Offers’, ’Beginner Programs’ and ’Only 3 spaces left’ promotions that all disappear in 24 hours, you better act quickly!
If you are thinking of getting started with a fitness program it’s probably the most difficult time of year to make a decision. There are a plethora of options, each guaranteed to get you into the best shape of your life in only 7 minutes! What makes it even more challenging is this subconscious belief that whatever path you choose, if you don't stick to it then your entire year’s fitness plans are doomed and so it’s roll on 2021. Obviously that's not true as you can start anytime but it’s a belief that the fitness industry will gleefully take advantage of to help sales. Ultimately the most important thing is that you start something. Start with anything and give it a couple of months. If it doesn’t fit, do something else, but don’t let that stop you from starting. Most of us who have been training a while know what is really out there: the fitness industry’s version of pyramid schemes, magic detoxes and the next ultimate fat torching diet or snake oil. There’s also a lot of copycats doing their own version of established, professional programs under a different banner. We could write about the dangers, negatives and downfalls of all of the above but that isn’t going to help our clients improve their health and fitness. What will help our clients is this: Professional, qualified coaches who love to coach. A learning curve (which never ends) where health & fitness becomes part of your life. A simple but effective eating plan. A program to suit every fitness goal whether in a class, 1-1 or small group setting. A community of friendly people who like a laugh and have learnt how to enjoy exercise. It took us a long time to build this culture and if you know someone here, I'll bet that they love it. Just ask them. |
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