Stop Chasing the Dragon

For those of you not up to date on your Cantonese slang, ‘chasing the dragon’ refers to burning heroin or an opiate on foil and then ‘chasing’ the vapor with a straw to get your fix. It shouldn’t be surprising that a drug reference would apply to training in the gym when you think of the chemicals naturally released during exercise and when you hit that new PR (personal record). In this case, the ‘dragon’ is setting that new PR.

Getting Hooked

When we first start tra…

There is a person inside of you that is always rewriting history. That is always comparing yourself to others. That is constantly worried about what other people think. That prevents you from learning because it tells you that ‘you already know this’. That is sabotaging your future self by trying to stay comfortable now.

This is your Ego, and it is your biggest enemy.

(Read Time: 4:30) TL;DR Notes:

• Learn to tell you ego to fuck off.
• Become a student in everything.
• Document reality, not …

Cheating reps, fixed mindset, and ego. (Read time: 6:44)

Members shaving or cheating reps is always going to be a factor when recording scores. But why? Why is it that some people are known to ‘fudge’ and others don’t seem to care at all?  What does it say about someone that doesn’t like to record their numbers?

Fixed Mindset vs Growth Mindset

As educators and coaches we should be intimately familiar with the growth mindset. We know that if we put in the effort at the gym, we will get bette…

I am always surprised by how many “life” lessons can be applied to work and business. I am sure that this correlates directly to the fact that businesses and customers are generally comprised of actual humans… but I do think there are some principles that represent this more than others. 

A great article that came up on my feed was one from Lifehacker about  “The Biggest Wastes of Time We Regret When We Get Older”.  As I worked my way through it, it struck me that these ideas are VERY true fo…

Stop being a fitness masochist or what I like to call an: “Exer-submissive”

Beating your body into submission is not healthy. Going to war on your fat is not good for you long term. There is no enemy inside of you that need to defeat and punish.  It is not your (or your coach’s) job to exact retribution on yourself.

There are varying degrees of ‘Exer-submissives’ in the fitness realm, but I feel like there is an inordinate amount that gravitate toward CrossFit (and Bootcamps for that matter…

GREAT advice from Neuroscience:

• Ask “What am I grateful for?” No answers? Doesn’t matter.
• Just searching helps.Label those negative emotions. Give it a name and your brain isn’t so bothered by it.
• Decide. Go for “good enough” instead of “best decision ever made on Earth.”
• Hugs, hugs, hugs. Don’t text — touch.

Full article from Business Insider Here.

The full article is really good because it goes into the science a bit as well as talks about specific examples. 

Sometimes little things…

Discomfort: Seek out discomfort to coax development and growth, but do not confuse discomfort a sign of progress.

One of the most important things you can develop in your life is the ability to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.  Stepping out of our comfort zone to experience something new, to learn something hard, to meet someone different, or coax adaptation from our bodies… this is what makes people great.  Nobody ever achieved greatness because they chose the comfortable path. …