“Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.” Sam Ewing
DIABLO UNITED – UPDATE One of our promised initiatives this year was to establish a membership scholarship program at Diablo in order to provide opportunities for underprivileged minorities. Coach Rick and I have been working on this program for the last several weeks. Last week we connected with a local Foster Care support group who provides services and support to traumatized and foster youth and their families. They are excited by our initiative and have asked us to present our plan to them as a resource for young adults who are transitioning out of the foster care system. Our goal is to introduce young adults to our fitness program, the CrossFit Coaching Certification program, and affiliate ownership opportunities. We’re a few weeks out from an official announcement, but Coach Rick and I are excited by the potential!
SOBER OCTOBER BUST Without much notice, I attempted to solicit interest in a “Sober October” pact among members in our FB group. The 77+ comments that followed were some of the funniest I’ve read on social media in a long time. Needless to say, due to world circumstances,support for the initiative was underwhelming. Admittedly encouraged by the 1st comment of “I’m In” – it was short lived when I remembered: she’s pregnant. Then, the real hilarity began. The “I’m Outs” made their point loud and hilariously clear. Kuang responded with a picture of the beer he was drinking at that moment. Julie Parks commented that Sean was “opting out right now.” Then came the qualification questions and modification requests: “how many drinks can I have and still qualify as sober?” Most were just straight up blunt: “Not a snowballs chance in hell”. Even the “Ins” turned coat and became “Outs”. So, it looks like it’s me, my wife (for now), a few noble supporters, a preggo, and a teetotaler. We got this. I think…
TEEN STRONG Starts Monday, Oct 12th and runs through Friday Nov 20th. We have two levels: Teen Strong and Advanced Teen Strong. Coach Stephen or I can help your teen select which is best for him/her. Register here.
DIABLO ONLINE We’re live MWF! If you have a current Diablo Membership, you can join in. Reserve class on our app. Check out our cool promo video by Coach Stephen Stover.
OCTOBER PROGRESSIONS – Are you subscribed to PRsAllDay? We’re in a new mesocycle! What the hell is a mesocycle? Check out Coach Jamie’s monthly preview.
- Primary Strength: Squat Clean/Snatch
- Secondary Strength: Back Squat (testing in November!)
- Gymnastics Strength: Unilateral Dumbbell Carries
- Notables: CF Girl: Gwen. Lift: Squat Clean & Snatch test. Open: 17.2
THIS WEEK’S WORKOUTS (check Sugarwod Track “Workout Of The Day”) Check out the videos on Sugarwod or on YouTube (PRsAllDay). Last week was a doozy! What’s up this week?
- Mon: Squat Cleans. Metcon: 6-10-16 – C2B Pull-Ups, Thrusters, Lateral Bar Hops
- Tue: 5RFT – 4 SHSPU, 12KB SDHP, 100m Suitcase Carry, 10/12c Bike
- Wed: A/B OH Carries & Lunges / Pull ups & T2B. Metcon: Rows & Sit Ups.
- Thu: Back Squat 5×3. Metcon: 3RFT -= 2–m Run, 12 Box Jumps, 9 Wall Balls
- Fri: Gwen
- Sat: Amrap 16m: 15/20c Bike, 25 Pull-Ups, 50 Double Unders, 15 SPress #75/115
- Sun: FT- 1000m row, 30 Pistols, 30 BJs, 750m, 20 Pistols, 20 BJs, 500m, 10 Pistols, 10 BJs
CRAIG’S LIST (stuff I’m reading or listening to.. or talking about):
- The Games Are Coming – Beginning October 19th, in Aromas, California
- Julie Foucher’s post re-shared by the CrossFit Games: Loved this. It’s important to hear an ex-athlete’s perspective on body image and fitness. Julie Foucher is an MD and an incredible CrossFit athlete. Her podcast, Pursuing Health is a must-listen.
LEFT 
Final event of the 2014 @CrossFitGames, training 5+ hours per day, thousands of people watching, edited professional photo
RIGHT Early Friday fall morning in 2020, 5 years out from Games training, doing at most one workout 5 days/week, after doing “The Seven” in my garage with my husband, iPhone no filter photo
I rarely like to post or talk about appearance, because I believe so strongly that true health and fitness is about what’s on the inside and appreciating what our bodies can DO rather than what they look like. This is one of the greatest gifts that the @crossfit approach has given me.
But not talking about it doesn’t mean that it’s something I don’t still struggle with from time to time. When I look at the picture from this morning, of course I have thoughts about wanting to look leaner like I did back in my competition days. There was part of me that really didn’t want to post this photo. But then I have to step back and put things in perspective.
Back in 2014 I was laser-focused on training and becoming the Fittest on Earth. Everything in my life revolved around maximizing training, nutrition, and recovery. Earlier that season I had done “The Seven” in 19:30 as just one piece of a several-hour training session, and the notes I wrote about the workout at the time said I was feeling “unmotivated, dreading this.”
This morning I did “The Seven” prescribed, unbroken, in 28:13. My diet is clean, but is it perfect? Absolutely not. I try to prioritize time for sleep, relationships, and self care, but I could always do better. My biomarkers indicate excellent health, and I’m happy and pursuing endeavors I’m truly passionate about. I’m on a lifelong pursuit of health that is often windy and not linear.
To all the women (and men) out there – PLEASE keep this in mind as you watch the amazing top athletes take on Stage 2 of the CrossFit Games in a couple weeks. What they do is nothing short of incredible and the focused work they have put in for YEARS to be able to be the best in the world is hard to fathom. Let’s cheer them on like crazy and be inspired by them, but let’s not allow ourselves to feel inadequate if our bodies don’t look like 
Make it an awesome week!
Craig
