Posts from — March 2010

Here you have philosophy’s starting point: we find that people cannot agree among themselves, and we go in search of the source of their disagreement. In time, we come to scorn and dismiss simple opinion, and look for a way to determine if an opinion is right or wrong. At last, we focus on finding a standard that we can invoke, just as the scale was invented to measure weights, and the carpenter’s rule devised to distinguish straight from crooked. That is the beginning of philosophy.

Therefore, the fact that someone holds this or that opinion will not suffice to make it true, any more than we are inclined to trust a person’s word in dealing with weights and measures. So is there no standard for our case beyond opinion? Is it only humanity’s most important values that are going to remain vague and subjective? There must be one. So let’s hunt for it, and once we’ve found it, let’s commit to never making a single move without reference to it.

Epictetus. Discourses.

Two things that you might never read in an “official” source that I’ve picked up after working with lots of people:

1. If your low bar back squats have been feeling “funky” or “slow” – take off your Olympic lifting shoes. It is super hard to drive out of the hole with a two inch heel under your foot. I’ve seen this mostly with intermediate women.

2. If you have shoulder issues, don’t lower the bar from overhead into the front rack position or to behind your neck during movements like heavy split jerks. Drop it every time and pick it back up. This particular motion KILLS people who have messed up shoulders. If you are doing a metcon, and feel like you have to lower it to score well, I’d recommend using Dumbbells. I’ve seen this mostly with men.

Having a little bit of trouble on the split jerk. I used to be good at these, but haven’t done them in awhile. I’d appreciate anyone’s comments on how to fix it.

I only need to add about 250 lbs to the bar to compete with these guys:

Newsflash:

Just because you took a Level 1 a couple years ago, doesn’t mean you are done learning as a coach.

Just because your athlete has never been “certified”, doesn’t mean he  knows less than you.

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What am I talking about? Mainly coaches who stop learning. Who think that they have enough knowledge to fake their way through movements and classes.

I learned this the hard way, but athletes can smell BS. They know when you don’t know exactly what you are talking about. Once you lose their respect, because you try to fake your way through something, it is supremely hard to earn it back.

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I get it, you are busy. Me too. It is hard to learn this stuff.

But if you are going to step up in front of a group of athletes, you better make sure you know more than them….right? They read the CF Journal too, so if that is your only source of information, you are in trouble. You need to be constantly learning and evolving as a coach.

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What is the solution? This should be obvious, but if it isn’t, the solution is to educate yourself. Get really good at something. Powerlifting? Sure. Mobility? Why not. Strongman? Sounds cool.

Seth Godin had a post many months ago that has stuck with me. Short, simple, and true:

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Do you know enough?

If not, what are you doing about it?

If so, who do you think you’re kidding?

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