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Author: David Gionta

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Quality Over Quantity For CrossFit

man in judge shirt looking for quality over quantity when woman deadlifts barbell

A phrase I love is quality over quantity. Yes, I know CrossFit is filled with AMRAPs and all about completing movements in the shortest amount of time. And for a metcon, speed and quantity is definitely important. But is it better than solid repetitions that reach full ranges of motion?

At the end of the day, we do CrossFit for fitness, not to impress other people by winning. And when it comes to fitness, we can’t cut corners.

Why quality over quantity matters

Spend more than 3 seconds watching any group metcon at any CrossFit box and you will see people who would receive a ‘no rep’ in competition. 

I get it, most CrossFitters have a type A personality. To an extent we are all competitive, and we want to push ourselves, we want to win. So of course when a coach yells ‘3, 2, 1, GO’ we are going to try to move as quickly as we can. Is every single rep going to be absolutely perfect? No, of course not. But, you should always strive for quality over quantity.

Today at Buffalo Nickel CrossFit we are doing box jumps. So as our example we’ll use box jumps. The most common ‘no rep’ on box jumps is failing to fully extend your hips and knees when you land on the box. 

Now, I don’t think the large majority of CrossFitters intentionally don’t lock out their hips. They are simply trying to make better time or get more reps in. But does your time or rep count really matter if you aren’t doing the movement to the standard everyone else is?

It’s like saying you ran a mile in under 4 minutes, but you really just ran 1200 meters (¾ mile) and rounded up the distance. Sorry buddy, not a mile, and not a true mile time.

Cheater cheater, pumpkin eater

As large as CrossFit is, it is still a small and tight knit community. Your city or town might have tons of boxes, but your reputation will follow you even if you move boxes. As a coach and box owner, I don’t want members who purposely shave reps, or don’t complete movements.

Why I want box members who prioritize quality over quantity

  • One bad apple can spoil a bunch.
  • You are telling everyone your ego is more important to you than your reputation.
  • If you ever do compete you will have to relearn all the movements you cheat on, or go through the embarrassment of being ‘no repped’ in a public setting.
  • And I don’t want a box I attend or own to be known for being cheaters.

If your ego is so fragile that you need to cheat on reps to “win” and that makes you feel better, by all means go right ahead. Just know your reputation of a cheater will carry from one box to another. If your CrossFit life and personal life meet, it will follow you there too. Everyone will know you as a person who doesn’t prioritize quality over quantity, and is likely to cut corners in other areas of life too.

Rx ain’t Rx if it ain’t Rx

My personal favorite…people who mark they did a workout Rx, when it wasn’t Rx. 

For those who don’t know CrossFit slang for doing something exactly like it is written is ‘Rx’. It basically means ‘as prescribed’ hence the ‘Rx’ abbreviation. 

Now, if a new athlete checks Rx, there is a good chance they just haven’t been informed what that means. But, once again, let’s take the WOD we did at Buffalo Nickel CrossFit today.

Kelly Rx:

  • 5 RFT
  • 400m Run
  • 30 Box jumps 24”/20”
  • 30 Wallballs 20lbs/14lbs

So if a person modified any part of this, like did 4 instead of 5 rounds, used a shorter box, or a lighter wall ball, any of these would be a reason that the WOD would not have been done Rx. To be Rx you must do the work EXACTLY as it is written: quality over quantity.

By setting a high standard and then holding yourself to it, you will become better. If you can’t do Kelly Rx and modify it by using a lighter medball weight, it should drive you to get stronger, and do it Rx.  

Personally, I love when I get into a WOD and it slaps me across the face. It acts as a motivator! Remember, the chase is the fun part for me. 

You better pack a lunch

I used to work with an amazing human being, Russell Miller. I was in my early 20s and Russell was in his 50s. We worked at an equine farm together doing general maintenance and grounds-keeping. Russell was one of those people who could make anyone laugh. He was constantly messing with people in a fun and joking way, and he would take as good as he gave.

After we worked together for a while we both would mess with each other, and I would tease him about being so old, he would say something like, “Boy if you want a piece of me you better pack a lunch”.  He was telling me if I wanted to fight him and win, I better be ready to work for it.

When there is a tough WOD I still think to myself, this is going to be long….you better have packed a lunch. It makes me smile to this day and helps motivate me to push myself. The fight isn’t going to be easy, but you just might beat the old man. 

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How To Do Burpees: The Buffalo Nickel Guide

guy wearing cleveland singlet knowing how to do burpees on an athletic track

Raise your hand if you love burpees! What? Nobody?! I agree. Even though I don’t love burpees, I also can’t say that I hate them. I actually don’t mind them at all. They’re not too bad, if you know how to do burpees.

I used to hate burpees. Yes, hate is a very strong word. In this case, it’s completely accurate. I considered burpees to be equal to the devil. They are one of the most challenging CrossFit core exercises.

If I’m being honest, I hated them because I wasn’t good at them and I just couldn’t ever get comfortable with the suck. If you know me, you know I don’t like it when things are hard for me. So, I set out to embrace them.

I embraced them by doing them. More specifically, I did a 100 burpee challenge. 

The challenge was set up to do one burpee on day one, two burpees on day two, etc.

If you miss a day or days, you have to make up ALL of the missed burpees plus the current day’s burpees to continue. For example, if you miss days 10, 11 and 12, then on day 13 you have to do 46 burpees. 

One day, I did over 300. One day I did over 400. One day I did over 600.

I completed the challenge, though, and today I don’t hate burpees. How could I possibly hate them when I’ve never again had to do 600+ burpees in a single day?!  

Here are a few things I learned about how to do burpees

1. They really aren’t that hard

Let’s be honest, they are nothing more than getting on the ground and then getting back up. When you’re up, get down. When you’re down, get up.

That day I had to do over 600, really made me see them differently. As soon as I stood up, all I had to do was get down. Once I was down, I just had to get up. 

Of course there is always technique, which I’ll address shortly, but the basics of a burpee aren’t hard. Get down and get back up.

2. You have to pace yourself 

That pace is going to be different for everyone. Things like fitness level, volume of burpees, whether you are combining them with other movements, etc, will determine your pace from workout to workout. 

Your pace should be the rate at which you can move as quickly as possible, without stopping. Burpees will get your heart rate up and your lungs burning so you have to find that point that you can continue to manage both without stopping.

Sprinting and stopping and sprinting and stopping is going to take you much longer to accomplish the same amount of work. Find that breaking point of moving as fast as you can, but not so fast that you have to stop…and then stay there.  

3. Technique is a key part of how to do burpees

There are many tips out there for how to do burpees. Here are some of my favorites.

When you get down, don’t stop in the middle, at the top of the plank, and then lower yourself. Rather, try to kick your feet back as you’re coming down and “catch” yourself in the bottom of the push up position. This is because it takes longer when you stop, it takes more effort to stop there, and you then have to do the decline of your push up, which is harder than just falling. 

When you get up, jump your feet wider than your hands and throw your hips up as you bring those feet up. When you go to stand up, go straight into your jump. Don’t stop at the stand, and then jump. Let your stand and jump be one fluid movement. 

Move as little as possible. I am all about efficiency and accomplishing a task with as little effort as possible. Flow as many movements together as possible. Step up and step down if you have to. 

4. Burpees are mentally taxing

It can be a real mental game for a lot of people.  There were far more people who started the 100 day challenge than people who completed it.

The burpee is very repetitive and it takes a lot of effort to complete just one, and they never go as fast as you want them to go so it can be frustrating. When you accept them for the challenge that they are, you can just get after it. 

Final thoughts

If you think burpees suck, embrace them. 

Embrace that you’re burning calories and getting a full body workout every time you do them. 

Embrace them because you’ll never need the Life Alert, if you’ll just do them. You’ll be able to get on the floor and play with your kids, your grandkids, your dogs, or whatever, and not have to worry about not being able to get up. 

So, the next time you see burpees programmed, embrace them. After all, you’re just getting down and then getting back up. 

By Kari Reed

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How To Improve Weaknesses

man wearing hardness knows how to improve weaknesses by climbing a big cliff

We all have certain areas of strength! But, we also have certain areas or traits that we feel are our weaknesses. Becoming better at our strengths is easy. Generally people like and enjoy things they learn or can do easily. Therefore it is fun. Most people will unknowingly concentrate on their strengths. It’s important to know how to improve weaknesses. However, many people leave their weak areas by the wayside or work on them with minimal effort. 

I am all for trying to improve every avenue of oneself. I also believe there are certain times where improvement only takes you so far. And while you may never be great at your weakness, you can improve and fight to become better.

Of course most people know that how to improve weaknesses is to work hard at them. The more you practice the better you become. 

But is that it? Does it only come down to going through the motions over and over, and magically you will become better? I think it takes a little more self reflection, open-mindedness, and understanding than physical repetitions. 

So, here are some of the mindset changes that need to take place in order to move something from the ‘weakness’ column to the ‘strength’ column.

Change your mindset about how to improve weaknesses

Call it “focus work” instead of “weakness improvement”.

Simply by changing the way your mind thinks and speaks to itself is a great start. It makes it easier to accomplish the tasks at hand that you might not be thrilled about doing.

The word “weakness” implies that you’re bad at something. If you’re bad at something there is a good chance that you don’t want to do it. By switching to a mindset of opportunity you give yourself the chance for growth. 

Do I want to mow the yard? No. But do I want to get better at weed-eating? Yes. So instead of thinking I ‘have’ to do something, now I ‘get’ to do something.

Change your mind, and you will change yourself.

Expose, experience, and learn

A while back I was reading about kids and why physical playing is an important part of a child’s development. Due to an increase in personal electronic technology recently, researchers believe things like coordination, problem solving, balance, athletic ability, physical strength, and immune health have and will continue to suffer in children.  

It is hypothesized that the more situations and scenarios a young growing mind and body are exposed to, the more understanding and comprehension the mind and body retain. And here is the crazy part, the researchers even believe that this goes for situations and events that the individual has not been exposed to yet.

Basically, when you expose yourself to situations that require you to think through/fix a problem, then you are laying a solid base for when you come up against a new problem or issue.

I like to picture someone standing on the ground looking up at a second story deck that has no stairs. If all they have done the first 15 years of their life is look at a screen and push buttons how able are they to get to that second story? They aren’t! 

But each and every experience they have growing up; no matter how large or small, learning how to ride a bike, reading and doing book reports, playing hide-and-seek with friends, or being taught how to build a fire, act as building blocks that now gives them the knowledge and self confidence to get to that second story deck. They may not know how to build a ladder or stairs, but they know they can learn, or they will problem solve until they reach that second story.

The more you do, the less intimidating new experiences are. 

Understand how to improve weaknesses 

Be clear in your understanding of self.  I, for one, am not great (or even good) at anything musical. I know this and I don’t have a delusional point of view that tells me otherwise. Being able to identify an area you are weak at is important. This is because if you don’t know where to focus your effort you are flying blind.

To get to point B from point A, first you have to know where point B is in relation to point A. If you don’t know you are just guessing, and while you might get lucky there is a much better chance you won’t even get close! 

Find the areas you are not strong at. Have enough of an open mind and enough knowledge of self to realize you aren’t amazing at everything. If you do think that, you are delusional and should go seek professional help. It’s far better to have an understanding of your flaws and how to improve weaknesses.

Keep your goals insight

What are your goals? Do you want to become the best at something? Do you just want to learn for the sake of learning? Do you want to just become better at a subject so you can have an understanding when friends discuss it in front of you? Whatever level you want to reach, try writing down your goals. Writing down your goals can be a great way to remind yourself why you are working so hard.

We discussed how people don’t enjoy working on weaknesses. It is usually a struggle to make yourself do it. By writing down a goal, or goals, that you have can help inspire and reinvigorate you to push towards them. 

Motivation is key, but can quickly fail us, especially if you don’t see much progress. Keeping your written goals in a place you see everyday will remind you to not only work on improving, but why you are doing it.

We want to know your goals.  Who knows maybe we can help you accomplish them!  Feel free to comment and tell us what your goals are. 

By Nate Cordray and David Gionta

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5 Tips for CrossFit Workout Recovery

woman in workout clothes doing tips for crossfit workout recovery in a park

Have you recently gotten started on a journey to health and fitness? Have you just started doing CrossFit for the first time? If so, you probably are surprised at the newfound level of “pain” after your workouts! You’ll be in serious need of tips for CrossFit workout recovery.

When I talk about pain, I don’t mean crippling pain. I mean that kind of muscle soreness that comes from an intense workout. When someone is just getting started with their fitness, it’s common to use “pain” as a reason to skip workouts. The problem with that idea comes when one missed workout turns into two. Then that turns into three, and then four, eventually wrecking your fitness goals.

So, you should learn to deal with the soreness. How do you deal with it, stay on track and reach those goals? Here are five tips for CrossFit workout recovery to help you get to those results you want.

1. The best tip for CrossFit workout recovery: go to class  

The absolute best thing you can do when you’re sore is to keep going to class. By continuing to work out, you will keep your muscles moving. This actually prevents stiffness.  

When you get to class, let your coach know how you’re feeling and talk about possibly lowering the intensity of your workout. Choosing to lower the intensity will keep you moving and keep you on track towards those goals while minimizing the risk of injury.

2. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!

It’s super easy to drink a ton of water while you’re dripping in sweat but the real challenge comes when you get home.

There are a lot of formulas out there that can help you figure out exactly how much water you need to drink daily, in order to optimize your workouts. 

However, one of the easiest ways to monitor that hydration is to pay attention to your urine. When you use the restroom, your urine resembles the color of lemonade. If it’s any darker, then it means you may be dehydrated. If it’s too clear, it could mean over-hydration.

3. Eat lots of whole foods and lean protein

As easy as it is to grab a protein shake while you’re on the go, it should not be used in lieu of actual food. You are helping your body to heal itself, and the soreness, when you choose to eat clean, whole foods. 

Consuming the proper ratio of protein, carbohydrates and fat will help you to build lean muscle. You’ll quickly see the results you’re working towards. Your diet is so important to your progress.

4. Zzzzzzzzzz…. 

You may not believe this, but one of the best tips for CrossFit workout recovery is sleeping! Your muscle fibers tear down during your workout. During sleep, they repair themselves.

On top of keeping muscle soreness at bay, a good night’s sleep will also help you train harder the next day!

It’s important to note that not all sleep is created equal. Napping throughout the day, falling asleep to the TV, and alcohol induced sleep will not adequately provide you with the peaceful, natural sleep that you need.

5. Post CrossFit workout recovery products

There are some great and some not so great workout recovery products out there. When choosing, go for a product that helps replenish electrolytes and essential nutrients so that the body can recover and repair itself. 

If you are wondering what a great product option would be, or what nutrients you need and don’t need, have a conversation with your coach the next time you’re at the gym.  

Why workout recovery is key

With all of that being said, you should push yourself at the gym and train hard. But what you do after you leave the gym is also very important.

When you aim for great recovery between workouts, you will see the results you want in a shorter time and help reduce that awful soreness.

So now that you have tips to follow for really great recovery, go hard on that next workout!

By Kari Reed

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Getting The Most Out Of Heavy Training Days

man wearing face paint and no shirt squatting on heavy training days with barbell

There can be a tendency among new CrossFit athletes and trainers to avoid heavy training days entirely or execute them incorrectly. However, CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program.

People sometimes characterize CrossFit by its programming of mixed-modal workouts for time (“met-cons”). However, this is a limited view. Heavy training days devoted entirely to strength training are essential to CrossFit and are integral to CrossFit’s prescription of constantly varied workouts. 

Why do heavy training days?

Heavy days are necessary to build top-end strength and power. Power output decreases with time. This meaning an athlete’s work capacity in a very short time domains sets the limit for his or her entire curve.

It is possible to have high levels of short-duration power and little power elsewhere (e.g., a powerlifter), but it is impossible to have low levels of short-duration power and higher levels of longer-duration power. Therefore, heavy days are essential to a general physical preparedness program. 

All of that said, it is important to understand that heavy days can be completed with most any weightlifting or gymnastics movement, such as weighted dips and pull-ups, or lifting odd objects (e.g., sandbags, tires). More often than not, a barbell is the best and simplest equipment for this task. The barbell’s ease and range of loading is impossible to match. Heavy days may also include all variations of standard barbell movements (e.g., hang, power, lifting from a deficit, pulls).

Heavy days are not the only time athletes can drive strength adaptations. Even within a metabolic-conditioning workout, depending on the task and capacity of the athlete, any number of exercises may build strength.

Push-ups for novices build pressing strength similar to a bench press. Attempting a 95-lb. thruster for a new CrossFit athlete builds squatting strength. As an athlete’s strength increases, however, push-ups and 95-lb. thrusters tend to favor other adaptations, such as stamina. Greater loads are necessary to further increase top-end power. 

Try a one rep max

Finally we can discuss the benefits from a one rep max. A one rep max is vital in helping achieve overall growth in strength. Whether it’s your first time setting a PR or surpassing a current one, it will help boost your heavy training days from now on.

Push your body a little harder by adding a few more pounds to your lifts. Over the next few months you will break down old plateaus. Eventually, at the next load week, you just might be surprised and see a new PR. Over time, with completing several different one rep max lifts, you’ll be so excited to review your year end records and see all the accomplishments you’ve had. And then, you’ll continue to set the bar a little higher.

Are you new to working out, and unsure about lifting weights in general?  Check out 7 reasons you should lift weights by clicking here.

By Nate Crodray

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Doug’s Story

This is Doug.  He joined Buffalo Nickel CrossFit in the Fall of 2019 with his wife and two daughters.  Doug has made some amazing progress since then.  He has completed one of our nutrition challenges and has been extremely committed to his fitness.

Because of his dedication and relentless attitude he has been able to not only lose over 50 pounds, but he has also gotten stronger with over 40 different PR’s, and his movement mechanics have improved greatly.  Doug has made such outstanding health improvements that his doctor was comfortable taking Doug off multiple prescriptions which is now saving Doug $200 a month!

Doug is the living example of ‘make a good first impression’.  If someone told me they don’t like Doug, or he did something to upset them, I’d question their character over Doug’s.  That’s how good of a person he is.  He always shows up happy and cheerful, and no matter how miserable the WOD is a few minutes after it is over Doug is smiling and joking with people.

Coaching Doug is always a treat.  He is the type you look forward to coaching, and no matter what he always tries his hardest.  Doug has a level of determination that you know he will accomplish whatever he sets out to.

Doug we are proud of you and all of your accomplishments. 

To hear from Doug, the man himself click here!

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What Is Butt Wink And Is It Bad?

man in black t shirt doing butt wink squat on a box

There are a few topics in fitness circles that have polarizing sides and can cause major arguments. Sumo vs conventional dead lifts? Is CrossFit dangerous or not? Is butt wink bad? These are all touchy subjects.

Butt wink, as it is so lovingly called, is when someone goes lower into their squat (hopefully after they pass parallel) and their hips rotate and tuck under them. Basically, this allows them to get into a deeper squat position. The controversial aspect is around if butt wink is dangerous, or causes back problems.

If you don’t want to read and learn, here is the short answer. It depends, but most people have some degree of butt wink and are okay.

Here’s the long answer.

Why does butt wink happen?

Basically there are two schools of thought here. The first is that butt wink is an anatomical thing that is more prone to happening to certain people. The other perspective is that butt wink is a mobility issue and can be fixed. 

Most people, myself included, fall to the anatomical side. With that said, I do think having better mobility can help. But mobility can only do so much. It can’t move your anatomy.

So what are the anatomical reasons? Believe it or not, people are different. Some people have wider/deeper pelvic bone structure than others. Others have longer/shorter femurs, and the femur head might sit higher or lower on the hip. The femoral neck can also be shorter or longer on some people. Your femur length to torso length ratio also plays a factor.

Basically there are tons of anatomical reasons that a person might have butt wink. 

But what about the mobility part?

Like we said, mobility can help you squat in a better position but it can’t do anything to change how your hips are built. Your mobility won’t change your femur to torso ratio. 

However, a major player in the mobility game during a squat is your ankles. If the ankles are tight and immobile then a perfect squat is going to be very difficult or maybe not possible. By increasing ankle mobility and range of motion, you’ll be able to squat in a much healthier way.

But is butt wink bad?

It can be. Once again, most people have some degree of butt wink somewhere in a full “ass to grass” squat. That doesn’t automatically make it bad. However, it also doesn’t mean it is totally acceptable for every person. This is especially true if you have lower back issues.

The ‘bad’ part of butt wink is that any time the spine is loaded and rounds then you open yourself up for injury. You might get lucky and be okay for a while but after many many reps where this is allowed to happen, your chances of injury increase.

If a person who does not have any previous lower back issues does a squat with no load (i.e. bodyweight) then the risk is relatively low. But the heavier the weight and the sooner in the squat the butt wink occurs, the more likely there will be lower back problems and pain. 

For a person who already has lower back issues, even a bodyweight squat or high reps of bodyweight squats can cause pain.

What to take away

There are a few things to keep in mind.

  • Don’t just forget about mobility and blame your butt wink totally on your genetics.
  • Video yourself squatting, or have a coach who knows what to look for watch you for multiple reps.
  • If you have pain or issues, stop. That is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong.
  • Work on increasing your mobility first, before worrying about anything else, unless it is pain.
  • Be okay working with some lighter weights while your body is adjusting and breaking bad habits.

How I deal with my butt wink

For me, I get butt wink just below parallel. If I sit all the way into my squat, it is pretty pronounced. My ankle mobility could be better, but I do try and work on it every week. I don’t squat massive weight, or even anywhere near what most other males my age and size do. I don’t have pain or low back issues and generally I feel fine in my squats.

Now, if I were coaching myself here is what I would say: You should focus on improving the ankle mobility and core strength (to help keep the chest up in heavy squats). As long as you don’t have any pain or discomfort you are probably okay to continue just like you have been.  But if something does cause you problems, let me know and don’t just think it will go away.

If you have any questions with the squat, butt wink or anything else please let us know. We love to help!

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Your Fitness Journey And The Road to 10,000

woman on a fitness journey running up a hill in the distance

I have coached CrossFit for the last 5-6 years. During this time I have had the great privilege of coaching hundreds of people on their fitness journey and watching thousands of reps. 

I watch people do things like cleans, or snatches. Sometimes they will make a mistake. Before I can even say anything they will look at me and say something along the lines of “I’m not very good at these”.  

My favorite example is when we are practicing handstands or handstand walks. Someone who has never done a handstand, or maybe they have but 20, 30, or 40 years ago, tries one. It is not the same as an Olympic gold medalist handstand performed at the peak of their career. They will look at me and most times say “I suck”.

How many times have you tried?

First, you don’t suck, and maybe you aren’t the best at something. But how many times have you tried? Like really mentally and physically engaged and tried? 

Sure, some people have a natural talent or ability to do certain things. Some are naturally good at running, some understand math, some have an eye for photography. Some of us have a mind that just ‘gets’ music (this was not me, I failed the recorder in 5th grade).  

But, the majority of people that are good or great at something are not the most talented at something. They are simply the ones who put the time in. Have you put the time in doing handstands, cleans, or working on mobility yet?

Don’t compare your fitness journey to others

Yeah, you are not perfect at something you have never done. So don’t think you will be after 1 try. 

Social media is cool (I guess) but it gives us a false idea of work. We see someone do something absolutely incredible. For instance, they throw a ball off a waterfall into a basketball goal. They paint a painting upside down while blindfolded and in a building that is set on fire. Of course in the video they show you the result is perfect. What you don’t see is the 10,000 tries that were way less perfect before that.

Stop expecting to be 21 years old if you haven’t lived for 21 years. Stop comparing yourself to others. You have to put in the time, effort and work. If you want to get better at handstands, you can’t just focus on them for 20 minutes a couple times a month. Of course you will get better at handstands than someone not practicing at all. 

But, if you are tired of feeling like you are taking 1 step forward and 2 steps back, start on your fitness journey to 10,000 and put in the time.

Learn deep, not wide

Want to get better at/master something? Dive into that subject. Stop adjusting focus to every shiny thing that enters your field of view. 

I think of it as having a teacher mindset. If you need to teach a subject, you try to know everything you can about that subject. If you just have a student mindset, you try to know the bare minimum about a subject.

Start focusing and start working, otherwise you can’t seriously expect to get better. We can help get you from 1 step to 10,000 on your fitness journey. Contact us today to get started.

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Digging Deep For Mental Fortitude

woman working on mental fortitude through exercise in park

Mental fortitude: this is the mental and emotional strength when we’re facing a difficult or adverse situation. It’s a strength of mind that allows a person to encounter danger or bear pain with courage.

Gaining and maintaining mental fortitude is just as important as physical fortitude. For the majority of people, life will require more non-voluntary mental fortitude than it will physical. Most of us are not placed in a dangerous situation that demands us to physically rise to a courageous level.

But I think you could argue just the opposite for mental/emotional situations. In life all of us will deal with experiences where mental fortitude is needed. The death of a loved one, a person teases us and makes us upset, our commute to and from work. These are just some examples. 

Just like we gain physical fortitude with exericse, we can develop our mental fortitude the same way.

Mental fortitude and working out

There are certain workouts (not your typical bro-sesh) that push you to a different realm. This realm isn’t so much a physical place as it is a mental one. It’s known a few different ways: the pain cave, happy place, or sometimes referenced with the comment embrace the suck.  

If you have ever been on an athletic team or had to go through military or first responder training then there is a good chance you have entered this world.  

This happy place is a requirement for these types of people. They are expected to do more than the average human. So, they must be pushed into the pain cave to find out just how strong they are. This is one reason why some people from these careers and lifestyles are so inspirational. It’s as though nothing rattles their cage. That’s a trait we all want. 

But did you know that going through an intense workout does the exact same thing for all of us normal people too? Going to that pain cave and forcing yourself to push past those limits you are uncomfortable with helps to build your mental fortitude.

How does it help me – the average person?

For that question let’s use one of my favorite benchmark WODs: Karen. For those who don’t know, Karen is 150 wall balls for time. 

This means that 150 times, you take a medicine ball that weighs between 14 and 20 pounds, hold it in front of you, squat down and up. As you come up, you throw it to a 9 or 10 foot target. The goal is to catch it on the way back down. This feeds you into your next rep.

If you have never done it, just looking at it on paper is enough to make you sweat. But after you do it you realize, sure, it was awful – but you survived. The more you do it, the faster your times get and the easier it becomes. So let’s break that down.

You gain a successful view of yourself

You go from thinking wow, that’s a lot of reps, I don’t know if I can finish to wow that’s a lot of reps, I can’t believe I finished that.  Eventually, you get to ok 150, here is my game plan for doing that. You start to see that you are successful at completing it and that starts to build a positive self image.

You start setting goals

Maybe you do it on purpose, or maybe you don’t even notice. The first time I did Karen my goal was just be able to finish. After that it was to get a faster time than I did last time. My next goal was to take as few breaks as possible. I was shooting for a break after 50 unbroken reps. Then it was to try to get 75 unbroken reps. Now I try to get 100 unbroken reps. I’m still trying to get there.  

Maybe your goals are less formal. They might be more on the spot while you are mid rep. You might decide to do 5 more before taking a break or to go for another 30 seconds. But, you are mentally setting goals for you to achieve which is great.

Visualization

When you do a wall ball, you have to visually picture where you want that ball to go before releasing it. You are visualizing the perfect rep before you even do it. This technique is used by everyone from life coaches, military, CEOs, Olympic athletes and more. They visualize the outcome they want, over and over.

This makes them believe what they want is possible, and then it allows them to reinforce themselves that they can do it. It sounds cheesy but being able to see your target, even if it doesn’t exist yet, allows you to know what direction you need to take your shot. This massively increases your chances of success.

Practice and simulations

Visualizing what you want is awesome because you can do it any time and any place. But eventually you have to put the rubber to the road. 

If you want to get better at a sport you don’t just go scrimmage, you practice specific drills. You use a simulated drill to act out a situation that may come up during the real life thing to help you practice what the proper reaction is.

A good coach won’t allow Karen to be the first wall ball WOD you do. They will give you smaller rep counts and allow you to practice and build up to 150 reps as fast as you can. Maybe your first time you are scaled to 75 reps instead of 150, but a good coach knows this will be enough and it simulates the real deal. It helps prepare you for when you do 100, or 150. And it does so in a way without crushing you, it builds you up, it doesn’t break you down.

We want to know what your pain cave workout is! And tell us how you mentally decide you are going to push through a tough workout.

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CrossFit Classes For Teens

two teenagers at crossfit classes for teens training together in gym

Introducing TeenFit! At Buffalo Nickel CrossFit, we have recently had quite a bit of interest in offering CrossFit classes for teens in Broken Arrow.

Since many sports have been put on hold or entirely cancelled due to COVID-19, there are lots of active teenagers at a loose end. Fitness is an important part of the lives of many teenagers.

So, thank you to all who helped us decide to finally give this a trial run!

What is it?

A CrossFit group class dedicated to teens. Teenagers usually have different training demands and goals than adults. As we put together the program, we will be keeping that in mind. 

But, like many CrossFit classes, the programming will be functional fitness with an emphasis on speed and strength.

This won’t be sport specific (i.e. it won’t teach how to hit, catch, throw or kick a ball better). All athletes benefit from speed/strength training and functional fitness.

When are the classes for teens?

The CrossFit classes for teens will start on July 6th and will be on each Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday morning from 8:15-9:15.

Please understand this is a one month trial run(July 6th to July 31st). If it goes well enough to keep, we will keep it. Granted, there will be things we need to adjust or change as we go, but this is just to see if we have enough demand for this new service.  

Where are the classes?

At Buffalo Nickel CrossFit: 701 S 11th St, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

Additional information about our new CrossFit classes for teens:

Cost: $115/month.

Age level: The classes are aimed at teens aged between 14 and 17.

Waivers: Teens and parents/guardians will need to sign a waiver prior to starting.

How to sign up: Message us, or schedule a free intro with you and your teen.

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In this quick conversation, we want to learn all about you, your fitness goals and how we can help you reach them.

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