Celebrating the Small Accomplishments

So real talk, I am a slow runner. Like, I’m sure there are a ton of grannies that would leave me in the dust on a race track. And while for the most part that’s fine, I decided at the beginning of this year that I wanted to be able to run an average of under 10 minutes/mile for at least 20 minutes. I figured this was a pretty attainable goal, and there would be additional benefits of improved cardio over an extended period of time.

I’ve gotten close a couple of times, and then due to whatever (illness, vacation, just general lack of consistent training- take your pick, really) I would have to literally slow down and my average would creep back up. Which to be completely honest was kind of discouraging. But, we’re jiu jitsu people- and if there’s one common trait in jiu jitsu people, is that we are stubborn.

So, I’ve been working diligently to Recently I was able to get my average speed under 10 minutes per mile- I hit my goal! And a couple of times as well, which has been exciting! I also recently decided to then increase the goal and see if I could run for at least 25 minutes at the same pace- success!

I take photos of the summary screen to track my progress

This isn’t anything that’s going to wildly change my jiu jitsu: but it’s a small win that should be celebrated.

That match where you finally stop getting stuck in that same position? Stop getting submitted with the same technique over and over? Those are wins- congrats! We all know there’s still a lot more to do and work on, but don’t forget those small wins- small wins will lead to bigger wins, and they are all indicative of progress.

Just offering a gentle reminder 🙂 Have a great day everyone!

 

 

 

Fit and Fat at the Gym

Hey guys, something weird is going on with the WordPress login screen, so I’m going to make this short.

Interestingly, when I was heavier I was still (sporadically) going going to the gym several times a week. There’s an article on the site Jezebel about working out when your heavier that I could certainly relate to (I’ll post the link later when WP lets me log on an actual computer). There’s a certain feeling that heavier people should hide in the background, slink in and out and barely noticed: we’re invading “fit people country” and if we wanted to stay there we should be quiet and stealthy, like chubby ninjas.

Hm, I like that imagery.

Anyway, i’m in a place where that mindset doesn’t exist thankfully, and i can see that it needs to be abolished on both sides of the fence. Fit and getting fit can live in harmony, but both sides need to be willing to take the first step.

Fitness is Not Worth Getting Hit By a Car

Hey there Mr. Workout Guy,

I see you with a small medicine ball in each hand, wearing a backpack that appears to have nothing in it. I see how you’re trying to control your breathing, sweating and marching in place at the corner of a pretty major intersection. What I was not cool with is when you attempted to play chicken with an oncoming car because you needed to get your cardio on.

I am obviously all for health and fitness and all that jazz, but there are just some instances where getting fit just isn’t worth it. One of those instances would be stepping in front of a moving car to keep your heart rate up.

No use doing all those exercises if you’re dead.

The Pros and Cons of Crossfit

I will admit right from the start that any judgments and opinions I have regarding crossfit are all made from someone who has never experienced Crossfit firsthand. Everything I know of it comes from what I have seen in photos, YouTube clips and commercials, as well as conversations with friends and teammates.

From what I understand, Crossfit is primarily strength and conditioning to the point of failure, or near failure. According to our dear friend Wikipedia, “Crossfit is a strength and conditioning brand that combines weightlifting, sprinting, gymnastics, powerlifting and rowing.”

The classes, again, according to Wikipedia, are about 10 to 20 minutes in length, and involve “constantly varied, high intensity, functional movement.”

This in some respects can be beneficial, as Crossfit can be used to create a baseline for your level of fitness. Also, when you think about it, it’s a wonderful way to train for a possible impending zombie apocalypse, where one can imagine your survival is dependent on a series of explosive fits of sprinting, lifting, and bodyweight exercises such as pull ups.

What I am concerned about is this- Crossfit I feel is more beneficial as a supplemental training for an athlete, rather than the primary training for your average treadmill running, weekend warrior. Again, I am commenting as an outsider, but it sounds like there is little instruction and supplementary training to lay a solid foundation of good technique before everyone is pushed to failure. People have a tendency to sacrifice form for repetition, especially in a competitive setting, which can seriously injure a person.

It’s a lot like training “MMA” as opposed to training Jiu Jitsu, and then taking a Muay Thai class, then attempting to combine the two. When you build the solid foundations of each respective discipline, it may take a little longer in the beginning, but there is good solid technique that was developed in each respective discipline which will lead to a more effective blending later in training. When someone just trains “MMA” they don’t understand that blending, which more often than not leads to poor form, because there was no solid foundation of good technique to build from.

That’s is how I feel about Crossfit: what are your thoughts?