There are so many strong ladies at XCF it almost makes me emotional at times. Listening to women cue each other on power cleans is right up there with puppies, the chocolate lava cake at The Met and double rainbows. Today as I was watching Hoit, Lerner, Dagger, and Vaughn work on their hang power clean turnover I thought about the hundreds of women who have balked at weightlifting because they were scared of getting bulky. What I want to say is “So what?” That isn’t very helpful so I refined my response. If they have a boyfriend who works out it is usually pretty easy because in all likelihood he isn’t as bulky as he wants to be. If not then they have at least one guy friend with a 10 pound tub of whey protein on top of his fridge and an LA Fitness membership. This guy hits the gym at least 4 times a week and has more supplements in his house than books. He is trying so hard to get big. He reads magazines, talks to his friends, searches on line for hints, and tips, and secrets to getting huge. He desperately wants to get bulky and he isn’t. He isn’t even that strong. He has spent hundreds of hours and probably thousands of dollars to get bulky and he looks the same and for some reason ladies think it is going to happen to them by accident. Jesse Ward from Lynwood CrossFit says something that I love. “You can’t teach big.” There is some truth to that. He is mostly talking about height but there is something else in there. There is a piece that you are born with. None of us are going to be as handsome, strong, or shredded as Tim. EVER. I am talking about black Tim. Although white Tim is making some sweet gains. Also to avoid confusion, and borderline racism we are going to be referring to black Tim as Chocolate Muscle from now on. Anyhow he works out for about 30 min a week due to his schedule. That’s right. All of that mocha colored man meat is just a product of good nutrition and charisma plus 6 squats and 4 push ups a week. He is just lucky that way. That doesn’t mean we can’t all be and strive for better than we currently are. It does mean though that much of what you are capable of you are born with and for the ladies in particular, bulky doesn’t just happen. You have to earn it and if you get it then that is your mom and dad’s fault and it is something to embrace instead of being embarrassed by. Maybe you can’t pull off a strapless wedding dress because your lats look like wings. So what. Handstand walk to the alter and strut your awesome stuff in some luon. There is also the fact that dudes with muscles often like ladies with muscles so if somebody tells you that you are took ” bulky” than it is probably because you can squat more than he can.

I dig the summer at the gym because we get a lot of visitors. I love this place and the people who train here and quite frankly if I only got to train with the people that are here now that wouldn’t be a bad deal. It wouldn’t be perfect though because we would miss out on the untold awesomeness that awaits us every time someone walks through the door. It isn’t all birthday surprises every day but there are some really interesting folks that come through this place. Giri is gone for 15 minutes reducing our Indian population back to zero and 15 minutes later we get two new ones. WIN! They are both computer programmers. Shocker. They both work at Amazon. Double shocker. They don’t know each other. Now that one really is shocking because as my man GT put it “don’t you all know each other.” He didn’t really say that.

Yes he did. Anyhow, there was a veterinarian conference here in Seattle and we had two vets throw down with us this week. Both women and as my man GT says, “women can be doctors?” I just found out that it is possible to spend 100,000 dollars on a stereo. Sanjay Patel of Ciamara moved heavy stuff with us this week and he is a provider of high end audio equipment. The high end that is two steps above the end you thought was the highest. Cool dude with a sweet job that takes him around the world and into our sweet muscle factory.

We even had some dude who was either a secret agent or a terrorist and either way he sucked because he behaved so suspiciously I couldn’t stop looking at him. Maybe he was just a racist and that is why he wouldn’t put his bag down because as my man GT says “it is a well known fact that black people steal.” So many opportunities to meet interesting folks. And you thought this was just a place to work out! XCF is a social club with barbells. You will never guess who said that one.

Also how awesome is Jame’s extension on that clean pull?!

Had a fun interchange with one of my favorite nutrition nut the other day about fish oil. Supplements in general can be a murky area for folks such that many don’t venture in for fear they will choose the wrong thing. Mike Kesthely from Dynamic Nutrition is one of the best in the business for defogging the undefoggable world of supplementation.

His summation on fish oil is definitely worth sharing. The discussion started with a comparison of different brands of fish oil. We were heading toward the construct regarding choice and how much the claims of potency, purity, and composition matter.

Mike had this to say:

“Lots of interesting pseudo-science on fish oil—especially from companies pitching it.  I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that [they] mention the fact it’s in triglyceride form, and the ratio of EPA to DHA.  To address these points:

• A vast majority, and all of the initial data was collected on the ethyl ester (EE)form; this is analogous to creatine monohydrate—still the solid standby, and the form all the research was done on.  Companies will try and modify forms to have a “cutting edge”.  This is not malicious, as they generally are trying to improve a product, but it usually turns out not to affect efficacy.

• EE vs TG:  Short term studies do show increased uptake of TG form…BUT, over the course of time, uptake evens out, and parameters measured show equal efficacy.  The study the rep might have cited was a two week study on triglyceride versus ethyl ester form…and points like fasting blood trigs won’t budge for 30 days.

• Ratio of EPA to DHA:  Lots of opinion on this….what is comes down to is that you can retro-covert DHA to EPA, so basically all ratios are moot.  There is some specific application to athletes having more EPA due to increased inflammation, but this is really irrelevant if you are just taking a decent fish oil product, period.”

Mike also writes a pretty sweet BLOG. Check at out at least once for the brilliant Running Man reference on his April 7 post.

“You know how when you are doing overhead walking lunges with kettlebells…”

It makes me happy to think about you guys starting conversations at work and at home this way. I don’t know if it is true but it is how it happens in my head. Nathan was at a budget meeting the other day and he compared the company’s fourth quarter earnings to the last :20 seconds of a 1:00 awesome cycle test. That isn’t true at all but I want it to be.

“Pessimists are usually right and optimists are usually wrong but all the great changes have been accomplished by optimists.”

Thomas Friedman

I don’t know how true that statement actually is but I like it. I would wager that if the notion were truly measurable world changes by optimists would outweigh world changes by pessimists. I believe that Seattle can be a different place by helping people to achieve a little more through a lifestyle that is inclusive of a grounded and thoughtful fitness program. I used to use the phrase “fitness centered lifestyle” a lot but then I realized how unrealistic that notion was. I see folks for 1 hour a day, several times per week. Even if we count the extra sleep that I want you to get and the extra money and time you spend on quality food as a portion of your “fitness program” it can hardly be considered the center. And if it truly was at the center I think we would need to have a different conversation. I think it should just be on the list.  The daily list and close to the top where you put the things that you really want to get done. I think helping folks make it a high priority is one of the ways that we can make our whole city better. How cool would it be if everyone in Seattle knew how much they could back squat and what their 1000m row time was? I want every woman in this town to do an unassisted pull up and I want every dude to squat ass to ankles without making a face like they are getting stabbed in the anus. We are definitely going to make a big dent in the fitness culture of the northwest and I am proud of the work we have done already. Homework: Get someone you know to pick up something heavy.

I was in an elevator the other day and a couple gets on the elevator and they are clearly having way more fun than me. I am going to conservatively say these folks were 80 years old. They were laughing and affectionate and I rightly assumed that they were married. I have found marriage to be the first, second, and sixth most challenging thing I have ever down so I am almost always down to glean some wisdom from folks who are way further down the path than I am. I figured these guys have been at it for twice as long as I have been alive so I am going to learn something incredible. I started a conversation with the dude (80 year old men loved being called dude btw) (they also love when you say “btw” by the way). (I don’t know if I am using parenthesis correctly here) Anyhow as we de-elevate I ask them how long they have been married. They said a little over a year. I was caught off guard by that and even more so by the follow up statement that they met e-harmony.com.  An avalanche of questions popped into my head at this point but we parted ways at the corner so I was left to reflect on the two surprises in as few minutes.  A line from a book I was reading today was “if you don’t laugh at fate then you don’t understand it” reminded me of that interchange. Our lives seem so random at times that it can make the hard parts seem meaningless and the good parts seem like luck. I think it is all adding up to something and sometimes it may take awhile before that something is apparent. In all likelihood those folks had been married before but what if she had waited 80 years for Mr. Right and then finally found him online through a dating service? That is a lot of years before parts of the puzzle become clear. If she were living her life for that particular moment than it would have been quite hard. What if instead she lived each day, for that day, guided by her highest values taking each occurrence as it came and making the most of it in those moments?

In the gym we are on a long term mission. We are pursuing an objective that is lifelong. I want you to be fully present for each milestone and only use the those lofty goals on the horizon and compass points and not daily metrics for success. I know you want abs all over your body like Kai. I do too. But today lets do everything we can to move toward that distant horizon on which our goals lie and be satisfied with the outcome regardless of what it is? Today is just one brick in the wall of the grand cathedral we are building and it would be foolish to say that because this one brick isn’t perfect then the whole building is going to fall down.

So we are currently experiencing a rash of people coming to XCF. Getting buff, and then taking their new found awesomeness and applying for epic jobs out of state and of course they are getting them because they are not only talented but now, thanks to XCF, also jacked. Dan is the 2nd one this month. He sent a note the other day describing his experience and I thought I would share it. I actually cried. My tears were carbonated. Thank you penguin.

“What sets Xplore apart from other Crossfit gyms is both the efficacy of the training as well as the camaraderie borne out of it. Jordan and the rest of the trainers are extremely talented coaches and do a phenomenal job of helping you reach as well as exceed your goals. In doing so, they also foster an environment where everyone is mutually invested in each other’s success, both in fitness as well as outside of the gym. Jordan refers to it as a “fitness-driven community.” I cannot think of a more apropos title for it than that, and I cannot recommend Xplore highly enough.”

Have fun in Boston Dan.

Have you ever been hit with a tidal wave of gratitude? This evening I was washing dishes when it happened to me. I had to sit down. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. I wanted to talk to friends I haven’t spoken to in weeks, months or even years. I wanted to call and thank every teacher I ever had. Some of the best teachers I ever had weren’t even teachers by trade. It is so random the places we receive our education. I wanted to hug my daughter, find some swings and push her until she got tired of it; which would be sometime next week. I wanted to watch a Disney animated movie made before 1995 and sing along to all of the songs. I wanted to go to Baskin Robin’s with my parents and taste 19 flavors before I settled on gold medal ribbon which is what I got every single time.  I wanted to jump in the ball bit at a MacDonald’s without fear of hepatitis. I wanted nothing other than the feeling that I was having at that moment and I also wanted it to end because it was somehow so intense it was hard to breath.

If it hasn’t happened to you then it may sound a bit strange but if you have ever experienced it then you know what I am talking about and just how powerful of a sensation it can be. It comes out of nowhere sometimes. It is almost painful but it is so wonderful.

It creates a perspective that is mind numbing in its clarity of vision. What obstacle in my life that seems insurmountable is just a story of triumph waiting to happen? What person do I want to punch today that I am going to hug tomorrow? This journey that we are on seems so complicated when we are in the middle of a given stage and so magnificently orderly in hindsight. Looking it back it is so easy to say “of course it was supposed to be that way.” I wish there was some way to maintain that sensation throughout every day. In these moments of gratitude nothing seems out of order. Work is still challenging, calling my insurance company is still a pain, there aren’t enough new episodes of Arrested Development but then again all of those things are somehow just as they should be.

Everyone at XCF is doing just the thing they are supposed to be doing to make that place everything that it is supposed to be right now. This is not to say that we aren’t going to be different tomorrow but whatever you brought today was just the thing we needed.

Even Mark.

P.S. Goodbye to Giri who is moving to California to continue his fitness journey as well as his evasion of immigration services. Thanks for throwing down with us and it has been awesome to watch you get jacked. You were already tan so you could focus your energy on weightlifting.

If you are like me then you  things that are awesome. You like the burger at Ma’ono chicken and whiskey, deadlifts, and Jack Reacher. I am big fan of Lee Child’s bad ass character but I am partial to Tom Cruise’s rendition as well. That’s right, I said it. Tom Cruise can be my vigilante for justice any day of the week. I watched the movie again last night and it rekindled my inner desire to have the ability to fight 5 people at once and shoot the tail off a squirrel at 1000 yards.  I am a big fan of awesomeness in all varieties. You don’t have to be the biggest and the best to blow my mind. You just have to give me your best. Today I got to see folks going the distance with nothing on the line but the chance to be better than yesterday. Amazing bench pressing, people getting their first pistols, and thousands of double unders. Lots of athletes breaking the 500 rep mark in our 10 min double under test. Big shocker, it looks like Blaze is going to be the first person to hit 1000 double unders in 10 min at XCF. Big benchers, smooth pistols, and double unders. 30k, 100k, I don’t care as long as you are getting after it. 10 pistols or 50. Maybe you can only do them on your right leg so far. No worries. Keep working on it. 1 double under or 717. Not really important if you gave 100%.

Continual learning is one of the core values at XCF. I want to keep learning as a trainer. I want you to keep learning as an athlete. I want to learn from you as well as facilitate your learning. This comes with a lot of questions. Mine and yours. I know why I am asking my questions. Do you know why you are asking yours? I get questions every day about my recommendation regarding some aspect of the training and after information has been dispensed as often as not I find myself back in a conversation with the same athlete about a problem that has arisen since our last exchange. As often as not it is a result of the recommendation not having been followed in the first place.

Real example:

AA: My _____ hurts pretty bad
JHo: That right there? Yeah it looks pretty effed up. You should stop doing that. Do this other thing instead
AA: That seems hard/boring/not what everyone else is doing.
JHo: No one else has an effed up ____ like you do.
AA: Well I am going to keep doing this and if it hurts I will stop.
JHo: You just said it hurts right now
AA: Well not enough to stop I just wanted to know if you think I should be concerned
JHo:…

Fast forward a day, a week, maybe even a month and now we are having a much harder conversation about ____. Why do you even ask? I am not excluded from this group. I have prescriptions at my house I never got filled. I have called my folks for advice I didn’t follow. I have rebate forms that I haven’t filled out. I think there is a part of us that just wants people to know that something is wrong so we can feel validated for having identified the problem before it got really bad. I often find I know what the answer is and I just want someone else to literally force me to take action. Is that why you ask the things that you ask to the people that you ask? So that they can be responsible if something goes wrong? I wager you know what needs to be done so do it. Stop doing that thing. Stop eating that stuff. Stop talking to that girl with the thing on her neck. Do the thing you need to do to get the thing you want to have and stop trying to get someone else to get you to do it or even do it for you. You are stronger than that.