Every member of our community can credit most of our coaches with improving some part of their fitness: that one tip or cue that led to a personal best – or maybe just saying the right thing at the right time to get them through a workout. So, it sucks to say goodbye to a great coach and member of the community.
Last week, we said farewell to Coach Stef. Stef’s garage gym biz and a new baby boy have made the commute from Oakland to Diablo untenable. But, she promised she’ll drop-in when she’s in the area and her schedule permits.
Thank you, Coach Stef for all the cues & tips, the brutal Spartox workouts and your fun classes.
“If you are still looking for that one person who will change your life, take a look in the mirror.”
Roman Price
TOP OF THE LEADERBOARD? WHAT’S NEXT?
You’ve been doing CrossFit consistently. Your strength has improved, your conditioning is better, and movements that you thought you’d never do are part of your daily workouts. More often than not, your name appears in the “Rx” division, sometimes near or on the top of the leaderboard. Maybe you’ve moved from “Scaled” to “Rx”.
So, what’s next?
It’s tempting to keep chasing heavier loads, more complex gymnastics, faster times and a higher position on the leaderboard. But the next stage of development shouldn’t be about doing more: instead, do better. In CrossFit, we call this the pursuit of virtuosity: performing the common uncommonly well.
Virtuosity means your squats consistently reach full depth. Your pull-ups begin with straight arms and finish with your chin clearly over the bar. Your toes actually touch the bar and your knees touch your elbows. Your lockouts are unquestionable. Your technique remains sound when the weight gets heavy and when fatigue begins negotiating with your standards. Virtuosity also means developing the skills that may not immediately improve your leaderboard position: strict strength, mobility, balance, body control, efficient movement and the discipline to slow down when practice is more valuable than intensity.
The leaderboard only tells us how we performed relative to others on one workout. It doesn’t tell us how well we moved, whether we met every standard or whether we avoided the things we need to improve. Sometimes finishing near the top can even conceal our weaknesses. A powerful engine can cover for inefficient technique… until it can’t.
The best athletes don’t leave room for questions. Their movement demonstrates that they belong at the top. The depth is there, the reps are clean, and the standards are obvious. They don’t need a forgiving coach, a generous judge, a favorable camera angle or an asterisk.
So, If you’re regularly finishing in the top half of the leaderboard, your next challenge is not merely to stay there. It is to become the athlete whose performance removes all doubt. Move well. Meet the standard. Strengthen your weaknesses! Make every rep undeniable.
When you pursue virtuosity, there is no finish line.
Craig
#itsup2us
TS A BUSY MONTH!
BRING A FREIND DAY! Sat, October 10th at 11AM: We haven’t had one in a while. It’s always a very fun (and challenging) partner workout. Here’s your chance to recruit your family and friends to our cult! Just forward the link – registration is open now!
BRETHREN CROSSFIT THROWDOWN (11th Annual) – Sat October 10th. Our good friends at Brethren in Morgan Hill are hosting their annual throwdown on the 10th. This is a high quality competition with Open, Scaled and Masters divisions.
DIABLO INTRAGYM COMPETION – Sat, Oct 31st: 9AM – 2PM. Teams of 2 or 3… its your call. We’ll have Open, Masters and Scaled workouts built for 2… you choose your athletes. So grab your Ghoul Crew and get ready to register. Details to follow this week!
OG Of The Week – LUIS MORA
Luis Mora in 2010 and (3000+ visits later) in 2025.
Luis Mora has been a Diablo member since February, 2010 (at age 30) and averages more than 200 classes per year – always with a smile on his face and a friendly greeting for everyone in class. In 2024, Luis was the recipient of the “Tom Jones Award”, in recognition of relentless, enthusiastic and loving support of the Diablo Community. And, he tackles CrossFit every day with a prosthetic limb – unnoticeable to everyone. Learn more about Luis’ inspirational story – and his career as a prosthetist in this YouTube interview.
PROGRAMMING THIS WEEK:
- MON: Row, Pull-Ups, Running & Push-Ups
- TUE: Back Squat 2RM, Planks & Wall Balls
- WED: 1RM Jerk + Dumbbell Deadlifts, Lunges & Presses
- THU: Wall Walks, Strict Pull-Ups, Box Jumps & Sit-Ups
- FRI: Air Bike, Row, Single-Arm Thrusters & Toes-to-Bar
- SAT: Sandbag Carries, Air Bike & Power Cleans
- SUN: Hang Power Snatches, Overhead Squats, Box Jump-Overs & Running
The Diablo Way Podcast Guest Schedule:
- Friday, Oct 2: Diablo Mayor Dean Quiambao: AI and the Bay Area effect!
- Last Week: Did you catch our episode with Jet Pilot Jax?!
CRAIG’S LIST: Stuff I’m Watching, Reading, Using or Listening to:
NetFlix: Girl Climber – an incredible documentary about expert climber, Emily Harrington’s multi-year journey to become the first woman to free climb El Capitan’s challenging Golden Gate route in under 24 hours. This was a nerve-wracking, but incredibly inspiring story of determination, overcoming multiple fails, and narrowly avoiding death to become the first 24hr soloist woman on El Capitan.
IG Tear Jerker (must watch): 43yo Major League Pitcher and 3x Cy Young winner Josh Verlander officially retired from Major League Baseball yesterday in epic fashion. After his last pitch, his young daughter came to the mound to do the walk off with her Dad, hand in hand as he literally sobbed and the crowd showed their gratitude. So epic.
