Welcome to “The Week Ahead” – a quick review of Diablo programming & events for the coming week. Every week (well, almost every week) I publish a quick review of the coming week at Diablo along with some personal notes & reflections. I’ve been sending this to our Diablo team for several months and thought our community might like to have the same insight into what’s happening and what we’re working on. Also, our Coaches & staff, my friends and business peers often refer great podcasts, articles, blog posts and books, so I’ll share with you the best ones I’m listening to or reading. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy. Craig
“What is called genius is the abundance of life and health.” Henry David Thoreau
One Thing: Strength is the foundation for longevity and quality of life. Don’t skip strength days.
Strong for Life: At Diablo, building strength is part of the foundation of fitness. On Saturday afternoon, Yvonne and I were reminded that strength is also the foundation for longevity and quality of life. Our 73yo neighbor called to ask for help because his wife (late-stage Alzheimers) had a “spell” and he couldn’t help her stand up. She weighs about 110 pounds. She was sitting on the toilet when we arrived. It was a terrible, but very common scene. She could not get up. I had to bear-hug her and deadlift assisted her up. Yvonne and I then slowly carried her to another room. Every day, firefighters and paramedics around the Country repeat this scenario. How do we avoid this for ourselves or our parents? The answer is to train for strength with squats, deadlifts, presses & pulls.
A Quick Look Back: The Open is chaotic at Diablo and the CrossFit Games decided to make it more stressful by asking Moxie to host the Rory vs. Boz 18.3 event. Oh, and since Boz was injured, could we please have an athlete replace him? Coach Natalie and her team in San Jose rose to the challenge: they prepped the gym, rallied the fans and stepped in to compete head-to-head with Rory in front of 100k+ fans. Diablo CrossFit Moxie was thrust into the limelight with an amazing show, loud fans and two 1st-time muscle-ups.
Notable: The CrossFit Games staff was very impressed that Diablo reviews the workout standards prior to the workout. And, they were blown away when we told them our Open registrants also took the judges course. They’ll be back!
Resolve: 18.3 was a skill challenge for many. Yet, facing our weaknesses head-on builds character and often, resolve – resolve to overcome our weaknesses with hard work and discipline. The world’s best CrossFit athletes have ALL experienced humiliation at the highest level in front of the world: including Rich Froning, rope climbs, Sara Sigmundsdottir, HSPUs, Sam Briggs, Handstand Walks, Annie Thorisdottir, Murph, Jason Khalipa, 7mi run.. etc. What do they all have in common? They dedicated themselves to fixing their weaknesses so it didn’t happen again. So, if you experienced a little humiliation, then convert it to resolve. Listen: Good.
Programming: Check out the wod blog for this week’s wods & Strong workouts.
- Mon: Front squat & press super sets. Then, a classic: “Black & Blue” 5RT – 10 PCleans (95/135) & 10 Burpees
- Tue: Gymnastic strength. Metcon: 15-12-9 T2B, Box Jumps & Row (cals).
- Wed: 1 mi. run buy-in (yes, 1mi. run), then 5 Rope Climbs & 50 WB.
- Thu: Snatch strength work. Metcon: 3RFT of Sumo DLHP, FSquat, Push Press
- Fri – Sun: TBD & 18.4
The Intramural Open
Submit your score on the CFG site by Mon at 5PM!! Stay tuned to the DIO2018 Scoreboard for the lastest.
PRs are 2 points each this week for: 1st Pull Up, Muscle-up, or Bar Muscle-up.
As of 18.2:
- Purple Reign 221
- Silent Assassins 200
- 50 Shades of Bruised 188
- Green Machine 160
The crowds are getting larger!! Let’s keep the energy rolling into the last two weeks.
End of the Open Parties:
- March 23, last FNL at Moxie
- March 24, last SME at PHill
- March 30 7:30 PM “The Open is OVER!” at the Greenery in Pleasant Hill
Dates:
- Mar 15: 18.4 Announcement
- Mar 16: FNL at Moxie
- Mar 17: SME at PHill
- Mar 22: 18.5 Announcement
- Mar 23: FNL & Celebration at Moxie
- Mar 24: SME & Celebration at PHill
- Mar 30: “The Open is Over” at the Greenery
What I am listening to:
CrossFit podcast with Chris Spealler. Chris talks about his new book which covers his long career at the Games. But the best takeaway for me was Chris’ discussion on programming for his age: 36. He can’t do the same volume – he doesn’t recover like he used to.
Pat & Ro Show with Jim Baker. Jim Baker, age 70, has been doing CrossFit for 20 years! He was one of Greg Glassman’s original clients. This is a fascinating conversation on the origins of CrossFit and its rapid expansion. Jim is also a box owner and talks about training older clients. Great stuff.
