The Top 10 Myths about Cardio and Dieting...And How To Truly Change Your Body Forever!!

Too Old To Train?

Of all the excuses not to workout, "I'm too old" may be the worst. I can see how it would be intimidating to begin a program if you're 65 and never been in a gym, but what we're really talking about here are faulty belief systems...not reality.

Research has been done showing people in their 90's can still build lean muscle tissue, so if you're still alive and kicking, there's still hope for you...it's never too late.

To lessesn the intimidation factor, start training with a friend and choose a smaller, more intimate facility that offers more personal attention and world class coaching...like CrossFit Body Construction ; )

Lastly, choose a program that emphasizes functional, full body movements that focus on all of the 10 elements of fitness; those being strength, power, speed, endurance, recovery, coordination, balance, accuracy, agility and flexibility.

For todays lil' bit o' motivation, check out the video of this 81 year old man crushing it in the gym and in life. Notice that though he is overtraining by most people's account, he's blazing his own path and doing what works best for him.

Have a great and safe 4th of July everybody, and as always...

Live With Passion,

Roy

www.youtube.com/watch
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"Post 6am Workout, ready to start the day once feeling returns to extremities"
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Workout Of The Day "The Razor"
For Time:
3 Rounds of the following complex:
Using a Bugarian Power Bag, perform Around the Worlds, 10 left, 10 right, then 10 Overhead Swings followed by a 125 pound Sand Bag Drag for 100 Feet.
Then...
75 Dips supersetted with 75 95lb Sumo Deadlift HIgh Pulls

How Young Can Kids Start Training?

There exists a lot of controversy over how young children should be before they start exercising. Most experts say that no heavy weights should be lifted before the onset of puberty, as it could adversely affect their growth and cause internal damage.

With that being said, however, consider a pre-teen gymnast that can walk on her hands for 50 feet. She's supporting her own bodyweight of probably 50-60 pounds, roughly the equivalent of doing standing shoulder presses with a 60 pound barbell, and yet she'll develop just fine, but with a distinct athletic advantage over others throughout her entire life.

I've trained thousands of kids over the years for ever sport conceivable, and my personal belief is to start them young and make it fun. As they mature they'll learn the discipline and proper mindset to make it part of their lifestyle. As far as lifting weights, it's all about perfect form and technique and keeping their repetitions at about 70% of their 1 rep max or less.

Agree or disagree, one thing is for sure; kids today need a lot more exercise, and most importantly, they need to see Mom and Dad getting off their butts and working out regularly and intensely, setting a good example.

Post your thoughts: I'd love to hear some feedback on this one. In the meantime, enjoy this fascinating video of one mans quest to make his kids the strongest in the world.

Live With Passion,

Roy

www.youtube.com/watch

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Workout Of The Day
"Lung Implosion"
Deadlifts 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 supersetted with
Burpees  1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10
Performed ladder style as follows: 10 deadlifts-1 burpee, 9 deadlifts-2 burpees, 8 DL-3 Burps, etc until you finish both ladders.

Rough, Tough, Buff...and WET!

The day of this particular workout there was a lot of running required, but it was raining outside...hard. Most people would opt to run on a treadmill instead of going outside because they wouldn't want to get wet, but not my clients.

Every single one of my clients chose to brave the elements and run outside that day, and that makes me very proud, because that means they "get It". They understand that real training doesn't stop because of bad weather, or not having the right shoes to wear, or because you're too tired, sad, busy, bloated or any other lame excuse.

If you truly want to be in good enough shape to handle anything that comes your way, then you're going to need to train without creature comforts regularly.

Here are some suggestions for making your workouts more "real life"

1. Leave your cell phone in your locker - It's okay...they'll call back.

2. No I-Pod / No TV / No Magazines - Instead of trying to distract yourself, be in the moment when you train, learning to pay attention to your body and growing stronger by dealing with the discomfort rather than growing emotionally weaker by trying to hide from it.

3. Get outside - If you only train in air conditioning, you are delusional about your true level of fitness; you'll implode if you need to demonstrate strength and or speed if you're not use to the elements. 

Bottom line...bye bye outdoor sports and strenuous activities.

Solution: Start training outside for 5 minutes every day, adding a minute daily until you can train for 30 minutes straight in the heat. Hear me now and believe me later when I say you'll be a stronger, faster and more capable athlete by doing so.

Live With Passion,

Roy

Post Workout including a very wet run: Sarai, Ashley and LJ. Way to cowgirl up, ladies ; )
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Workout Of The Day " EVA"
5 Rounds For Time:
1/2 Mile Run
30 70lb Kettlebell Swings
30 Pullups

Stop Dieting Forever

Seven out of every 10 people are fat, that's a 50% increase form 20 years ago, right about the same time the government started putting nutritional labels on everything.

Now they're requiring the fast food joints to post fat grams, carbs, calories and salt on the menus themselves. I guess they think that if Billy-Bob walks into a Mickey-D's with his heart set on a double cheeseburger, large fries and 30 ounces of sugar water, that if he sees exactly how much damage his internal organs are about to incur, that he'll have a major epiphany and opt for the soy and seaweed combo on rice cakes instead.

Oh well, it just proves my point that we all need to be mindful of where we get our info, especially when it comes to our health and fitness.

You Crossfit-Roy-Faithful know that I will never steer you wrong, and today is no different. Check out this great video that reveals one of the secrets to controlling your body fat...enjoy ; )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNYlIcXynwE

       "Mommy, is that man really floating? "(close...these are called plyo-pushups, baby!)
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Workout Of The Day: "MURPH"
For Time:
Run a mile
100 Pullups
200 Pushups
300 Air Squats
Run another mile

FInish Strong

The training here at CrossFit Body Construction is quite challenging stuff; designed to illicit a strong response from your body so that you become rough, tough and buff.

To find that Promised Land, you should start your workouts strong, stay strong and most importantly...finish strong.

That requires you to maintain a strong mindset, and the best way to do that is to feed your brain with inspirational quotes and great stories of perseverance, desire and unwavering focus and will...like this one:

On August 1, 1914 Sir Ernest Shackleton set sail with a crew of 28 on an exhibition to the Antarctic. The mission of their expedition was to cross the Antarctic on foot - something never done before. Shackleton was a successful and highly respected explorer known for his faith, determination, creativity and conviction. He was knighted for his successful expedition to Antarctica in 1907-09.
 

In order to recruit his crew of 28 he took applications from 5,000 men. Many believe that he placed the following ad in a London newspaper to attract the applicants. While there is no evidence that this ad actually ran, it does quite appropriately frame the environment that Shackleton was trying to recruit for.

Men Wanted: For hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.

This expedition was going to be different than any other one that Shackleton had led. Five months into the expedition their ship, the Endurance, became stuck in the heavy ice flows near Antarctica. It was not uncommon for ships to get stuck periodically in the ice flows and Shackleton believed that the ice would eventually recede and free the ship.
His focus was on the expedition and he held fast on that course.

However, over the next three weeks the ship became solidly frozen in the ice. Attempts to free the ship were futile. At the end of February, 1915, the crew prepared the ship to become their camp for the remainder of winter.
At this point, Shackleton abandoned his primary goal for the expedition and turned his focus towards returning to England. His expedition had become a rescue mission.

By October, eight months after being stuck, the pressure created by the ice finally took its toll on the Endurance. The ship began to come apart and sink; making it uninhabitable.

The order to abandon ship was given and the entire crew began to salvage as many supplies as they could. They took the sled dogs, food, gear and three lifeboats and moved their camp to the ice flow next to their sinking ship. The temperatures were brutal; reaching -15°F on average.

For the next five months the expedition camped on the ice flow surviving on what little food they had left. In April the ice flow they were camped on began to break apart. Shackleton ordered the crew to take only essential supplies and board the life boats.

They fled the disintegrating ice flow and traveled seven days by sea to Elephant Island.
Elephant Island was a barren place to be stranded; made up mostly of rock covered snow with temperatures reaching -20°. For the next nine months, under Shackleton's leadership, the broken expedition remained loyal, optimistic, focused and faithful to their leader's belief that they would survive.

Ultimately, Shackleton knew that their survival depended upon his ability to reach a whaling outpost that was more than 800 miles across the most treacherous ocean seas in the world. Determined to save his crew, Shackleton set-out in one of the lifeboats with five crewmembers to make the journey.

The odds of making it were 1 in 100. Nautical scholars consider this journey by lifeboat to be one of the greatest nautical accomplishments in maritime history. Shackleton successfully made it to the outpost and returned to Elephant Island with a rescue party four months later. On August 30, 1916 after 22 months of being stranded on a barren rock in sub zero temperatures, the crew of the Endurance was rescued.

All twenty eight crew members survived the ordeal and most were quick to credit the strong faith of their leader as the catalyst in their survival.

What an extraordinary story. But wait, there's more.

When Shackelton landed on the island of the whaling outpost, they were on the opposite side of the outpost. He and his two companions had to hike over the mountains to reach the outpost.

In thirty five hours and sub zero temperatures and without any hiking gear, they made their way over the mountains to reach the outpost. A few years ago, a group of climbers retraced the path that Shackleton took over the mountain.

With modern climbing equipment and experienced climbers, it took 48 hours to retrace the steps of Shackelton - almost thirteen more hours than the trio did ninety years earlier. Now that's what I call finishing strong...

Live With Passion,

Roy


  Courtney showing great form on a knee-to-chest...go girl!
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CrossFit Body Construction's
Workout Of The Day

Warmup:
50 jacks
50 Pushups
50 PVC Overhead Squats
50 Double Unders
20 Pullups

"FreeStyle"
For Time:
50 Bench Press (185-m / 95-w)
50 Knees to chest
50 Hyperextensions
50 DB Swings (50-m / 35-w)
50 Box Jumps W/ 20lb Weight Vest
200 foot Walking Overhead Lunge (45lb bar-m / 30lb bar-w)
 

The Preachers Lesson

A preacher was walking through the desert and came across what appeared to be a magnificent garden. He thought it must be a mirage, but as he got closer, he realized it was real.

He approached the gardener’s shack because he wanted to speak with the gardener about who had truly created this garden in the desert. He knocked on the door and the gardener answered.

After he had introduced himself, the preacher said, “I just want to let you know that the LORD HAS DONE A GREAT JOB WITH YOUR GARDEN”.

The gardener said, “I totally agree, if it wasn’t for the magic of the sun, the seed and the soil, I wouldn’t have such a wonderful garden, but I’ve got to say, YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT WHEN GOD HAD IT ALL BY HIMSELF”!

You see, God provides the fertile ground (your mind) in which to plant your seeds, but if you don't tend to your garden, then any type of seed can, and will, take root there, such as the seeds of doubt, worry, fear, criticism, negativity, impatience and judgment.

Conversely, if you are vigilant about keeping out the weeds and truly take care of your garden, planting only seeds of love, hope, patience, passion, fun, creativity and gratitude, your life will be rewarded with abundance and happiness.

The moral of the story:

In all aspects of life, and certainly in your effort to become healthy, lean and strong, you will reap what you sow.

Live With Passion,
Roy

 

Ryan, working on his stems and getting some quality air time.
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CrossFit Body Construction's
Workout Of The Day
"Wall-Crawl"
Warm-up: AMRAP in 10 minutes of 10 reps each of 20lb Med Ball...
presses
squats
Pushps on ball
slams
jumping alt lunges (10 each side)
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5 Rounds For Time
20 20lb Wall Ball supersetted with...
100 foot Bear Crawl
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Cool Down: 1 Mile Run w/ 20lb Vest

How To Lose Weight On A CRUISE!

Of all the traits that can help to make you successful at changing your body (or anything else for that matter), I'd have to say that consistency of action is the main key. Intensity is very important also, because without those big efforts, your body won't have any reason to change.

But those big efforts have to come consistently, because then over time they become habits, and the quality of your habits will determine the quality of your life.

Consider this quote from Aristotle, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

And as much as I love talking about these concepts, what really puts a smile on my face is when a client actually begins to live them. Such is the case with Lisa, my client pictured in the photo below. She just returned from a 2 week European cruise and actually lost 2 1/2 pounds. What's mind-boggling is that the average person will gain 7+ pounds during a one week cruise!

At CrossFit Body Construction, that's what our world class coaching does for a person; teaches them how to enjoy life and still make eating right and exercise a part of their lifestyle.

That's food for thought ; )

Live With Passion,

Roy

  
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Workout Of The Day / " Oh, Oh!"

Three rounds For Time:  
30 Thrusters (75-M / 55-W)    
30 KB Swings
30 Burpees
1/2 Mile Run 

A "Carved From Stone" Mind-Set

When it's time to workout, how is your mindset?

Are you ramped up, excited and ready to leave it on the gym floor, or do you have a million other thoughts going through your head and your workout is just one more thing to cross off your to-do list?

Having spent a lifetime training myself and thousands of others, I can tell you that without a doubt, your mindset is the single most important factor when it comes to changing your body.

Going through the motions in the gym (95% of everybody in all gyms across America) without a strong mindset is akin to running on a treadmill; you're moving a lot but not going anywhere.

All training should be approached as if your life depends on it right then and there. Sub-par mental and physical commitment mean death. Anything less than ALL your effort will not suffice. This is a warrior’s mind-set, this is attitude.

A good workout is not one written neatly on a clean program card from the gym. A good workout is a quest; something that should give you butterflies at the very thought of what lies ahead. This is what develops real character, real conditioning.

You might start out soft with the attitude that you're fragile but you will end up being carved from stone. This applies to everyone from old ladies to elite athletes and fighters. Carved from stone means strong and resilient, resistant to fatigue and emotional breakdown, resistant to the common ailments of the general public.

Attitude is about thinking, breathing and behaving as if everything you do has purpose (because it should). Develop an attitude where, as Nike says, “impossible is nothing”, treat every day as if there was a victory lying ahead if only you apply all of yourself.

Every bead of sweat falling from your head, every weight you've pumped, every grueling challenge you have overcome…the history of all of that is in your eyes. This is attitude, this is dedication to the development of excellence.

In any situation for the rest of your life you should not have to think, “damn, I should have trained more”, instead you will be standing there feeling like a lion, like a king leading an army to battle. That is attitude, that is spirit.

Live With Passion,

Roy

Workout Of The Day/WOD

15 95lb Hang Cleans

12 Ring Dips

21 Situps

Ageless and Living Big

It's good to have role models, as they are generally people who walk the talk.

I like to study successful people, read their books, try their advice on for size and incorporate their success principles into my life.

So when I heard about Don Wildman a couple years ago, I was fascinated.

I don't want to say anything else cause' ya'll need to read this article to find out for yourself what makes this guy so special.

The article's a little long, but will give you a big dose of inspiration for not only how to take your training up a notch or twenty, but how to live big as well.

Post comments, please, as I'm curious as to whether you think this guy is as amazing as I do!

http://www.esquire.com/features/don-wildman-0508

Live With Passion,

Roy

 75 Year Old WIldman Knocking Out Some Pullups

Workout Of The Day "EVA"
5 rounds for time:
1/2 Mile Run
30 Pullups
30 11/2 pood KB Swings

June CrossFit Challenge Results

Congrats to Sarai and Ken, winners of our first challenge this past Saturday.

The challenge was "Barbara", which was 5 rounds for time of 20 pullups, 30 pushups, 40 situps and 50 air squats.

Each round was followed by a mandatory 3 minute rest, which is definitely needed, as this a big workout.

Each round was timed, and the winners were determined by the fastest average time per round.

The next challenge will be in August, and we'll be announcing details next week.

Live With Passion,

Roy

Workout of the day
"Thunder"
5 rounds for time of
21 95lb Thrusters
21 Double Unders