All of this is no less true for Tiffany Brooks who is a professional baseball player. She became the first female baseball pitcher in the 21st century to sign a contract with a professional American men’s baseball team when she signed with the Big Bend Cowboys of the Continental Baseball League on March 4, 2010. After successfully completing spring training in 2010 in Alpine, Texas, Brooks became the first female to make an American men’s professional baseball opening day roster since Ila Borders in 2000. She is a 6’1” right-handed pitcher with a full arsenal of pitches.

At age four, Brooks’ dad got her involved in t-ball. She says by age five she was already in love with the game. By eight, she was playing exclusively with boys as a pitcher and at first base. She played with a boys’ travel club team until she was fifteen. When she entered high school though, things changed. She was no longer welcome on a boys’ team, even with players she had played with growing up. In high school, she joined the girls’ softball team. Though Brooks loves softball – “a quick and reactive” game as she calls it – she has always been most deeply passionate about baseball. “I love the pacing of baseball,” Brooks told me. “I love the strategy. It’s hard to explain it. I love and respect softball, but I just love baseball more. It’s what I’ve always wanted and still want to play.”

Brooks finally got her chance to play baseball again in 2007 after getting noticed playing professional softball in Europe. She was picked up in the Netherlands by a third-division amateur all-male baseball league. “In 2007, I was given a chance to play baseball again,” Brooks said. “And I never looked back.”

Since then, Brooks has gained more and more attention in the United States. She is the first and only female to compete in the California Winter League (2011), the Arizona Summer League (2011), the World Free Agent Spring Training event in Florida (2012), and one of two females to ever compete in the Arizona Winter League (2010). Currently, Brooks is a free agent hoping to find a manager “forward thinking enough” to recognize how to use her strengths to a team’s advantage.

When I asked Brooks about the business of baseball and the sexism within it, she was careful with her words. It’s that spotlight again, the one that pioneers attract. The scrutiny she’s under is not for the faint of heart, but she also does not want to come across as someone who complains. She just wants to be a team player and get a fair shot. She does not have to tell me that it hasn’t been easy no matter how good she is.

But when I asked Brooks about the actual game of baseball, her demeanor changed. The joy returned to her voice and she told me about a new, fun pitch she’s working on, a raised finger fastball. “It moves like three feet!” she told me, as if the pitch is a new toy. “The movement is so nasty.” Her voice was open and light. I asked about her other pitches, and she gladly told me about them. She said that she’s had to become a smart pitcher out of necessity. At eighty-one miles per hour, her fastball is far from fast. Instead, she’s had to develop a lot of different pitches that are accurate, have a whole lot of movement, and keep a batter guessing. She has seven different solid pitches at her disposal. “Pitching nowadays has gotten away from finesse. It’s more about dominating the batter with just two or three different pitches. But I’m about changing speeds and moving the ball around. I’m just trying to get the batter off balance with a lot of variety.”

Instead of pressing her to tell me about the sexism she’s experienced in the league, I asked her if there have been players or managers who have surprised her with their acceptance. She told me she’s had the best experiences with catchers. “I’ve played with a few catchers who are the epitome of professionalism and have been one hundred percent supportive. They could’ve cared less what I was. They just wanted to know what pitches I had to get a batter out. Those were the best experiences – working together to get the job at hand done.”

Another thing about being a pioneer is Brooks’ self-appointed obligation to be a walking history book of women in baseball. This stems from her obvious passion for the game, but I get a sense that she feels she cannot let the history die. If she can’t tell it all, then who will be able to? From Brooks, I learned about three women who played in the Negro Leagues in the 1950s with men. I learned about a couple young women who are currently playing college baseball. I learned about a scarce number of women who have also had short stints in the independent baseball leagues. Though I wrote many of the names down, I was more touched by Brooks’ earnest appreciation of every detail, like she was the guardian of this knowledge and it was her duty to not let it be forgotten.

Finally, I asked Brooks what she wanted her legacy to be. She thought for a moment. “I just want to play baseball for the love of the game. No other reason could drive me this way. I wouldn’t have been able to endure all the obstacles.” She paused. “And because of this love, I’ve been able to mentor other girls along the way and hopefully give them hope to one day play. In the long run, if a few girls get just a few more opportunities because of me, it will all be worth it.”

On May 5, Brooks attended the Freedom Pro Baseball League tryouts at Goodyear, Arizona. She said she had a great tryout. “I was one of only four pitchers (out of fifteen total) who got my hitters out one, two, three. No hits, no walks. So between the two tryouts, I faced six batters and got them all out,” she said. “Hopefully that translates into a contract.” We hope so, too.

The post Tiffany Brooks: Blazing the Way for Women in Men’s Pro Baseball appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

The wild mix of kids attending my class was almost laughable: I had a seventeen-year-old, petite high school senior with blonde hair that fell to her waist who was excited that her arms looked more defined for her prom dress. There was a very driven fourteen-year-old, 5’10” aspiring wide receiver who could leap and sprint the lights out. I had a new student, a twelve-year-old tennis player with a bum shoulder that won’t heal because of overuse on the tennis court so her parents decided to enroll her in cross-training. I had a strong, well-rounded fourteen-year-old who now wants to win the CrossFit Games. I had a fourteen-year-old, former competitive skier who could put on a squat clinic, but trips and falls anytime she simply tries to get a drink of water. And I had a tiny, twelve-year-old runner who had just graduated up from our little kids CrossFit program. She smiled at me shyly and pushed her glasses up her nose.

I love these kids for all their differences and for all their very unique reasons for being there. All of their personal goals are different – often different from their parents’, too – and I appreciate it all. I try to cater to all their needs because I know all of their reasons are important, including their parents’. Couldn’t this class build strength, improve power and speed, give balance, be fun, help prevent injury in other sports, and still tip a hat to their ever-growing consciousness about their body’s aesthetics? Was their rising self confidence from a weekly shot of feeling accomplished worth it all? Without a doubt. My new tennis player smiled from ear-to-ear during the entire deadlifting session of her first class. I asked her what was making her happy. “I dunno,” she said, grinning, but I realized that no one had told her how strong she was before. She loved me telling her, “Put some weight on the bar because you can certainly handle it.”

Whether my students can pinpoint it or not I want them to feel like they are part of something, even if CrossFit is not necessarily like a regular team. My more experienced kids naturally tuck the new kids under their wings. They love to give tips and show the new students better form. They genuinely want to be helpful and ease new nerves, but it definitely has a dash of showing off, too, to which I say good for them. I nearly died with pride when one of my 5’2” girls showed the near-man football player how to put collars properly onto a barbell for the first time. He had no ego about it either. He was just glad he knew for next time.

Absent from my line-up last Tuesday was my fourteen-year-old student with severe scoliosis. Her condition was so bad that the bend in her back was visible as she stood, even more noticeable when she held the top of a plank. Her mother had come to me seven months ago, not without concern, to get her daughter stronger for when she would undergo surgery in April to have two metal rods placed up her spine. She believed more strength would help her recover faster and ease her pain. I agreed. The doctors told her the recovery from surgery would be long and hard, probably about eight months.

Though shy at first, this girl became my most faithful student. She was always the first kid to show up for class and the more she came, the more she opened up. She was embarrassed that in the beginning she could not do a single push up, not even from her knees, but I told her not to worry we’d get her there or get close. I scaled workouts to whatever she needed. When she felt pain, we stopped until she was ready again. Because she was working at the same time as the rest of the class, she never felt apart from the others. With her effort and spirit she was no different from any other kid in class, including the kids bound for collegiate sports glory. And every one treated her that way, too. By the time she had to leave for her surgery a few weeks ago, her push ups had improved one hundred percent and she nearly got a pull up, to which the entire class almost fell on the floor with excitement. The girl nearly burst with pride.

She had her surgery in April. It was a success. Her mother said thanks to her new strength she was able to pull herself up in the hospital bed easier and she was able to lower herself when going to the bathroom without help from a nurse. “Thanks to squats!” the girl beamed. And it’s those things we take from granted. Those moments are what are important. This wasn’t about crushing an opponent on the tennis court, improving a 100m sprint by tenths of a second, or even getting a pull up. For this girl, this was about living a better and stronger life filled with less pain. The doctors told the girl’s mother that they were thrilled with her recovery and the original eight-month downtime estimation had been upgraded to six. A couple kids from her class and I visited her after her surgery and all she talked about was how she couldn’t wait to get back to CrossFit. Her mom said it was the only thing she looked forward to. “Well, good,” I said. “Because we’re holding your spot on the team until then.”

CrossFit has become an avenue for many different kinds of kids to get what they need. On the surface, it’s a great way to get fit and in shape. It is also a terrific tool to cross-train and to get full-body conditioning for kids who are serious about a single sport. More and more studies are showing that’s exactly what kids need to help prevent the increasing number of overuse injuries. But from what I’ve seen in the classes I coach, CrossFit has become so much more. The fun, the camaraderie, and the sense of accomplishment, as well as all of the physical and health benefits, are the best of unexpected surprises for my students. They all have their own reasons for being there, but in the end they are one, bonded team making great strides together and individually.

Check out a CrossFit Kids program near you and look into getting your kids involved, too.

Photos provided by Danette “Dizzle” Rivera.

The post Why CrossFit Is for Every Kid appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

One great thing about being an athlete over forty is that I now understand that when I have zero excitement to work out, it’s time for a break. I no longer spend weeks trying to forcibly motivate myself back into it, or flog myself with endless insults about my lack of drive and determination. All the “come on!” and “just do it!” encouragements in the world are sometimes not enough – and are usually not what we need anyway.

I had hardly reached the more serious signs of overtraining, but the early signs were starting to subtly bleed through. Mostly notable was my loss of enthusiasm and I was starting to sleep worse. When I don’t sleep well, the fabric of my life starts to unravel. I was just tired, in general, and feeling “meh” about lifting anything.

So I took two weeks off completely from CrossFit. I vowed not to be lured into a workout no matter how fun things started to look or how many of my friends asked me to workout with them. Usually when I reminded them that I was taking a break, most of them said, “Oh yeah, good idea. Breaks are good.”

During the first week of my break, I had no trouble at all staying out of the gym, other than to coach. I ran a little, rode my bike, and played a little tennis. I even ran some stairs once, but other than having to put equipment away in the gym, I wasn’t even temped to lift a weight. In fact, when I had to demonstrate a kipping pull up for a beginning student in class, the thought that crossed my mind was: “But I’m on break!” My second thought was, “Uh oh, I hope I can still do one.” It’s funny what your mind will tell you when you make yourself rest completely. You will not lose all your strength taking a little time off. In fact, after initially easing back into your routine, you may feel stronger as your body has had time to actually recover. As Andrew Read says, “Training = work x rest.” Not work, work, work. Our bodies and minds just shut down after a while with too much work.

During the second week of my break, I concentrated a lot on re-cleaning up my diet. I tightened up the areas I had let slip a little. I think it’s always important to reevaluate your nutrition. Is it working? How do you feel? Did that last experiment work or bomb? I couldn’t pretend that my lagging energy was only caused by working out too much. Nutrition always plays a role. Always. And reevaluating only seems a natural part of the rest and recovery process.

During this second week, I was tempted to jump into a couple workouts. I didn’t, but I felt it was an encouraging sign that I was feeling better and wanted to get back in the game. In the past when I’ve become burnt out and bored with a particular type of workout, I’ve simply given it up and blamed it for not working well for me. That’s not to say the workout was working well for me or that it didn’t bore me after a while, but looking back I may have simply needed a break rather than proclaiming that it “wasn’t working.”

Today will be my first workout back in two weeks. I’m excited to go back, but I’m also a little nervous. I know to ease back in and not go for personal records today. I will spend today reconnecting with the fun and function of it all, which frankly is the point, right? Like many of you, I am an everyday athlete not trying to qualify for the Olympics or the CrossFit Games. I’m training for a great quality of life, prolonged health, balance, and fun. And to realistically achieve all of that, rest and a few breaks here and there must also play an integral part.

Don’t ignore the signs that you need a break or a rest – not even the early signs. Your body and mind will thank you.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Fighting the “Mehs” – When Taking Some Time Off Is Good appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Asprey claims: ”It can promote brain function, memory, and energy levels. It can serve as a massive source of antioxidants and is associated with all sorts of positive health outcomes … you never feel hungry, get low energy …”

I decide to check out The Bulletproof Excecutive site. I quietly sneak around in sites like these because though I’m interested in the content and gaining insight relative to my own life and diet, as a vegan I definitely get the message I’m an outsider or that because of my choice, I’m on the “wrong path.” But no mind, I’m used to that. I simply wanted to research for myself, especially when people I trust and like are raving about the particular benefits of Bulletproof coffee.

The Bulletproof site is also very testosterone infused, to put it mildly, which is another reason I skulk around. It makes me wonder if the health benefits they tout are actually meant for me. But just when I feel turned off by some of the ways Asprey gets his message across, I find nuggets that resonate highly with me. His definition of “bulletproof” is this: “A state of higher performance, resilience, and health. A state where your body, mind, and life are protected from illness, fatigue, stress, and inflammation.” Please, who doesn’t want that no matter who you are or what your personal plan is to get there?

The thing that made me most interested about Bulletproof coffee in particular was Asprey’s explanation of how he came about it. While climbing Mt. Kailash in Tibet, he was given yak-butter tea and was immediately rejuvenated. My mother has been on many expeditions hiking the base camps of the Himalayas and she said the same thing when she was fed this tea by Sherpa guides. It’s no mystery to most indigenous cultures or even families of lower-economic means that fat will sustain your energy. My Irish grandfather was raised with four brothers in the brutal winters of Saskatchewan in a poor household and they sustained on lard sandwiches. When he used to tell me those stories, I cringed, but now it makes sense, especially when there was so little else.

When I heard that some partakers of the Bulletproof coffee where using half butter and half coconut oil, I knew I had to give it a try using all coconut oil. I brewed 20oz of my favorite coffee, Trader Joe’s Ethiopian, which is fair trade, organic, and shade grown, and then blended in two tablespoons of raw, organic coconut oil. Just like with anything, high-quality ingredients will give quality results. Crap in, crap out is certainly a motto I live by.

When I turned on the blender, the black coffee turned to a rich, caramel color immediately. I had heard about the magic that happens after blending the fat into coffee – that it becomes instantly creamy. And it was true. I will say that for a beginner, two tablespoons of oil was rather aggressive. I liked the taste for about a quarter cup, and then I had to sprint to the toilet. The coffee went through me liked greased lightening. If you are just starting out, lower doses are recommended, about one tablespoon. I imagine this is true if you are adding butter, too.

I didn’t try the coconut-oil Bullletproof coffee again for a couple weeks. I was scared away by that first experience. But the second time, I added far less oil – one tablespoon – and it still blended beautifully. I’ve experimented with a couple sweeteners since. I tried liquid stevia, which seems to be the Bulletproof coffee sweetener of choice, but as much as I try to like the taste of stevia, I just don’t. I have added raw agave and raw coconut nectar, too, and since this is not ideal to the original, fat-burning intent of Bulletproof coffee, I recently switched to sweetening my coffee with Xylitol. Wow is it good. It tastes like heaven in a cup.

I’ve been drinking one cup of BP coffee every morning for a couple months now. I still only add about one tablespoon of coconut oil, no more. What I notice most is that I am very satiated in the morning without “coffee jitters.” I coach morning classes on Tuesday and Thursday, which start too early for me to eat breakfast, but end about 10:00am. The running joke at the gym was that after my last class, I’d run upstairs yelling “I’m starving!” I have not yelled that since I started drinking a cup of Bulletproof coffee before my first class.

I cannot definitely say that I’ve experienced spikes cognitively or performance-wise because of Bulletproof coffee. I haven’t had any notable loss of fat either. The way I approach my health as a whole contributes to all of that anyway – it’s never just one component. I can say that, though, that the drink is definitely satisfying and gives me an even amount of energy in the morning. Mostly, I really enjoy the taste of all coconut-oil coffee and I intend to stick with it.

Photos provided by Danette “Dizzle” Rivera.

The post Bulletproof Coffee: The Vegan Version appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Before I was in the fitness world, I was a semiconductor broker for twenty years. I hustled business in a snake pit of an industry, fueled almost exclusively by the question: “How Badly Do You Want It?” That’s what drove sales, the mentality that you should want it more than the next guy. We listened to speeches like Eric Thomas’s all the time, from famous coaches to gut-checking motivational speakers. We were made to believe that you had no passion if you didn’t want that brass ring more than everyone and anything else. Our industry was not unlike most – or even different than the mentality of most individuals – in that the only meaning of success was one’s ability to obtain wealth and power.

And with that idea of success as the sole motivation, coupled with the pressure of the next guy getting it before you, one starts to consider cutting corners and blurring the lines between right and wrong. I watched broker after broker get so caught up in greed and success that their practices became unethical. The last company I worked for went out of business because the CFO embezzled sixteen million dollars. My other boss was then caught giving bribes to our largest customer, which went on for over a decade. They are both now being indicted and face up to twenty years in prison each. They wanted success above everything else, even above the law and a sense of fairness and good character. They are certainly paying the price now, but their families, including their young children, are paying for it more.

Watching the seemingly inspirational video on Friday, I couldn’t help but notice that some of the athletes featured had also blurred the lines of ethics. They had become consumed with power or they were driven too hard by wanting success more than breath. I was once a huge fan of both Lance Armstrong and Oscar Pistorious. I was enamored and inspired by their determination and work ethic, only to be crushed that their by-any-means-possible mentality drove them to become liars, cheats, and in the most extreme case, an alleged murderer. Having been a broker for so long, I’m not sure why this surprises me. I suppose I just held athletes in a much higher regard than the corporate slime bag.

I’ve thought about Eric Thomas’s speech many times over the years, after first hearing it, and though the speech fires me up like it does most people, I can’t think of anything I want more than to breathe. I have felt a certain amount of guilt over that, like, my goals are flat and mundane. Even when I was a broker, I just wanted to provide a comfortable life for my family, nothing more. I didn’t want my kids to feel any of the stresses I did as a kid, and for that I’ve always worked very hard. The brass ring, however, never caused me to lose my breath.

I realize that what I fight for – what drives me most – is balance. I want stability and love and I want to provide those things, too. In the gym, I want steady progress even if that means slow progress. I want to keep a high quality of health. I want simplicity in a profound way. And every morning when I wake up, I fight hard for the equilibrium of hard work and play, of pushing my personal growth and inspiring others to grow, of honoring what I like to do best and giving everything I have to my family. This is what I want more than anything.

With that acknowledgement, one thing becomes not so different from the other. Within that equilibrium, nothing of my character is compromised, and it’s when I am most myself. Fighting for that balance, I realize that I don’t want it more than breath; it has simply become the same as breathing. The struggle and the race are gone. I just am. I can’t think of a better definition of success.

What you want badly does not have to be molded by anyone else’s definition of success. Not mine. Not your boss’s. Not the top athletes in the world. Passion is personal and can be as unique as you want it to be. The point is to find your own personal passion and be brave enough to live it. What is that for you? Please post to comments.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Balance is My Breath: Competition, Goals, and Character appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Throughout Maya’s life, we have tackled all sorts of big-life things: Be kind, be strong, be you, be safe, be smart. But there is another topic arising that only recently occurred to me. Her life as an athlete will no longer have a definitive course. Every since she was five years old, she has been involved in organized athletics. All she had to do was show up and participate to her best ability. There has never been a time since where she was not involved in a sport or physical activity.

Her senior varsity basketball season ended a few weeks ago after a couple rounds of mediocre California Interscholastic Federation action. She will not be playing basketball in college, which means the set course of her athletic days is now done. And frankly, I don’t think I’ve prepared her enough for this transition.

It is reported that only about five percent of high school athletes end up playing a varsity college sport. Only 430,000 college students in the nation are involved in athletics governed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), leaving over seven million high school athletes to continue their passion for athletics on their own. If they decide to continue, that is. Freshman year is notorious for being about bucking the life you knew as a kid – eating what you want and picking your own sleep (and party) schedule. For an athlete unable to make an NCAA collegiate team, it can also be a time to finally get out of a regular, rigorous practice schedule. It’s no wonder the stories of the Freshman Fifteen never die.

I’ve always emphasized that Maya make good nutrition choices for herself and to stay active on her own. I know the seed is planted and it’s up to her to make good decisions on her own now. She’s consistently had good examples of how to eat, but I’m now making it a point to introduce her to some good options to stay active. Or at least, put it in her head to explore this on her own and to not lose this side of herself just because there is no longer a set practice schedule or a parent keeping her on task.

As a CrossFit coach who didn’t start CrossFit until after I was forty, I hear so many stories similar to mine, of how people lost their way as athletes for years, decades even. College, work, and, family are excuses we all used to push our active lives off the priority list – and that never goes well. Often we regret letting so much time go by before realizing that it is still important to be active at any age. Almost 69% of American adults are overweight or obese, which means a lot of us have forgotten the importance of an active life.

I’m raising my girls to live without regret. And if Maya has been an athlete her entire life, I know she will not only regret not keeping the athlete in her alive, but she will not feel her best either. Growing up and going off to college is an exciting time, but it can also be stressful especially as kids start feeling the weight of grown-up responsibilities. Stress coupled with less sleep and maybe one too many pizzas can make anyone feel crappy. If I can encourage her to stay active, it will help her manage stress and the realities of becoming an adult, and she’ll just plain feel better.

There are a few good ways for an athlete to stay active when they go off to college even if they won’t be playing for a school team. These options don’t necessarily have to involve a less-than-engaging treadmill or elliptical machine. This time could be a great opportunity to explore activities that have always intrigued them. Maya has always loved to dance. Taking a dance class in school may pique new interests that could spark a life-long love. She also said she wants to get more serious about her CrossFit training when she goes off the college. We’ve already explored gyms in her school’s area to make that happen if she goes forward with this. She is incredible strong and already has great form, so of course I’m secretly rooting for this option.

Another great option is intramural sports. The National Intramural Sports Association (NIRSA) was founded in 1950 and has a presence in over 700 campuses and universities. Intramural sports are mainly student-run and initiated, with over 1.1 million intramural contests taking place each year nationally and over two million individuals participating. Their motto is “leaders in colligate recreation,” which implies the emphasis is on fun while maintaining the thrill of staying competitive. With intramural sports you can try all sorts of fun sports like floor hockey, dodge ball, kickball, flag football, and beach volleyball. Come on! That sounds like a blast.

But that’s the idea. If Maya can find something fun and engaging to keep her active, most likely she won’t want to hang up her athletic shoes. If I can encourage her to keep moving, I know there will be no stopping her.

How did you stay active in college? Do you have a son or daughter heading off to school?

Photos provided by Danette “Dizzle” Rivera.

The post My Athlete Child Is Going to College – How to Keep Her Active appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Like many CrossFitters, I’m thrilled for the event, and so is my gym. The Open has become a lively event for our community. We always encourage our members to register even when they balk at the idea. Reintroducing the idea of physical competition to someone often evokes myriad responses and emotions they probably haven’t felt for awhile. We keep encouraging though, because we know the thrill that waits on the other side of diving into the Open.

Here are four reasons I encourage you to do the same:

1. Yes, You Are Good Enough.

Even if you cannot do the exact prescribed weight of any or most of the Open workouts, you will most likely surprise yourself with what you are able to pull off. The Open is about calling on the best in yourself no matter your current level. Most likely you are physically stronger than your mind lets you believe. Two seasons ago, during my first Open, I had never done any CrossFit workout as prescribed (Rx) – ever. The first workout of the Open 2011 was the first achieved at Rx and it put me on cloud nine. I wasn’t able to do any other 2011 workout as prescribed, but it didn’t matter. Possibility had already been born.

2. It Gets You Competing Again.

Many of us competed as kids whether on an organized team or just racing siblings to the car. Some of you may have competed in college. When we become adults, we often feel like we need to retire that side of us. Sure, we compete for jobs and accounts and other “grown up” things, but more often than not, we have forgotten the thrill of physical competition. We may not be a win-at-all cost type – and this certainly is not the only kind of competitor – but there is something about putting yourself on the line that sparks inspiration.

I remember feeling so nervous and unsure before my first heat of the 2012 Open – asking myself, “What the hell am I thinking doing this?” I was confused by how fearful I felt because as an adult we shouldn’t be that terrified, right? Doesn’t this mean it’s time to bail? We didn’t grow up so we could fail at things, but what I eventually realized is that we did feel this nervous as kids before competition, we just didn’t recognize that the stakes were so high. As adults, we suddenly believe that we are not allowed to fail at anything especially things that are supposed to be fun, so we avoid the risk of putting ourselves out there. Without that risk, we might not experience the biggest thrills. The 2012 Open ended up being some of the most memorable moments of my adult life. Get in the game. It’s worth it.

3. It Gives You an Appreciation for the Best of the Best.

During the Open workouts, you get a rare opportunity to do the same exact workouts during the same week as the best CrossFitters in the world. If you are a fan of the top CrossFit athletes, it’s exciting to match your stats to theirs – until the stats start rolling in. It’s one thing to be stoked you finally hit fifty double unders in a row and quite another to find out that not only can the top athletes do way more, they have figured out ways to do it faster and more efficiently. Yay, we personally smashed a prescribed workout (chest thumping ensues), until you see the times or the number of rounds at the top of the leader board. The progression of the sport of fitness has grown to superhuman levels. Seeing their scores miles above mine only deepens my appreciation for their dedication, skill, and strength. I humbly bow down to their greatness.

4. It’s Fun.

No, really, it is. At our gym, we dedicate every Saturday afternoon to the Open workouts for all registered members. We assign heats, we print score sheets, we assign counters – we make it a big deal. But we also keep it fun. We chant unintelligible songs and we dance goofy, choreographed dances. It immediately bonds us because it feels like we’re going to battle together in a light hearted way. We’re all nervous, but when we put our hands in the circle and yell at the top of our lungs, it is our buy-in to the team. It roots us deeper into our community. I know they’re willing to give it their all and possibly fail or possibly triumph and man, if they are, so am I.

You’ll never know if what I’m writing is true unless you’re willing to throw your name up on that leader board, too, and go for it. Be open to exploring the best you have to offer right now, in this moment. More often than not, you’ll surprise yourself. And there’s no time like the present to find out. There is still time to register for the Open here.

Photos provided by Danette Rivera, Miguel Tapia Images, and CrossFit LA.

The post Four Reasons Every CrossFitter Should Participate in the CrossFit Games Open appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Have you ever gone into the kitchen and can’t remember why? Or you can’t remember someone’s name while speaking to them? You may have missed an appointment because it slipped your mind.

These kinds of memory lapses can happen at any age, but we tend to get more upset by them as we get older because we fear it’s only downhill from there. As I constantly comb over all areas of my health, cognitive health becomes increasingly important especially as I get older. Also, it seems wise to address this area of health now, while in my forties, as opposed to waiting until I forget completely.

Brain aging and memory loss were once thought to happen because neurons died or stopped functioning. Neuroscientists believed we were born with a certain amount of neurons and as we got older and little by little they were lost permanently.

New research shows that the neurotransmitter dopamine can trigger the formation of new neurons in adult brains. In fact, these dopamine neurons move directly to the brain associated with higher brain function and could be the basis of mature wisdom. There’s hope yet!

Even though we can form new neurons throughout life, it doesn’t mean our brains don’t change as we age. Over the years, brain weight and volume decreases.

Between the ages of twenty and ninety, the brain loses five to ten percent of its weight. But age isn’t the only contributing factor to brain shrinkage. Our lifestyle most certainly plays a big part. According to the Framingham Offspring Cohort Study, chronic health conditions such as diabetes and bad habits such as smoking accelerated brain shrinkage.

Other bad habits can trigger brain changes, too. Poor diet and lack of exercise can contribute to cardiovascular disease that reduces blood flow to the brain. An unhealthy lifestyle, in general, may increase our chances of developing dementia, including Alzheimer’s.

So, how can we stay sharp as we age? Here are six ways to help improve brain function:

1. Exercise your brain. Brain games and certain puzzles and brainteasers help create new associations between different parts of the brain, which keeps it sharp. Other exercises that challenge the brain are things like doing normal activities with your non-dominant hand like brushing your teeth or combing your hair.
2. Vary activities. Most of us here are already physically active, which is extremely important for brain health, but consider challenging your body – and brain – in a variety of ways from time to time. Mix up exercise routines, do something you haven’t done in a while whether it’s hiking or tossing a ball around. This variety is as healthy for your brain as it is your body.
3. Eat brain food. We all know that a good, clean diet will improve all areas of our health, but there are many studies and an increasing amount of evidence that certain foods slow mental decline. Topping the list of brain-boosting food is any food high in Omega 3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA, which has been linked to a lower risk of dementia and improved focus and memory. And you were just taking your fish oil to keep your joints from hurting.
4. Try new things outside of the gym. Take up a language, an instrument, memorize poetry. Asking your brain to do some new tricks keeps it active and able to learn.
5. Volunteer. Research shows that this can lower your stress levels and increase mental functioning. Volunteering adds to a person’s well-being and overall health. Not only does it feel good, but it promotes brain health by raising self esteem.
6. Socialize. We are social animals and according to a recent study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, we need a variety of brain stimulation, including social activity, to keep our minds sharp. This is especially true later in life, when aging takes its toll on memory and other complex neurological processes. In the study, older adults who were less socially active than those who were socially active had both cognitive and physical limitations.

Keeping our bodies fit is a great endeavor, but if our minds don’t stay sharp, how will we enjoy the benefits? We work hard for an enduring quality of life in all areas of health so throwing in some brain teasers along with your squats will only benefit us especially in the long run.

I can only hope that when I’m in my seventies, I’m as with it as Stephen Jepson featured in this video who has made life a fun playground that constantly challenges him.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Six Easy Ways to Enhance Your Brain Health appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

With the passing of Title IX over forty years ago, the participation of girls in sports has gone up ten times over that period. Yet, according to the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF), most girls aren’t playing sports past the age of fourteen, reporting that twice as many girls as boys quit sports.

As I watch my daughters’ schoolmates become distracted by fashion and make-up, it’s common to see them trade their cleats for heels, their caps for perfectly coifed hair.

When my daughter Mina competed in the CrossFit Teen Gauntlet, it was glaring to me how the participation of girls dwindled as the age category went up. And as a mother to athletes and a coach to teen girls, I often wonder how to keep girls in the game longer.

The WSF suggests that a primary reason girls leave sports at the cusp of adolescence is the societal bombardment that a girl’s looks is what gives her value.

The internet, television programming, songs, advertisements, videos, billboards, movies, and magazines that target tween and teen girls push an over-sexualized aesthetic that is disturbing. The average female is exposed to over three hundred ads a day.

It is hard to fight the never-ending onslaught of messages that nothing is as important or gains a girl power more than her looks – or more, a fabricated, cookie-cutter idea of perfection that is nearly impossible to obtain.

As a girl settles into puberty, the images of teen and adult female athletes fade. According to Images of Us Sports, women’s sports are only 8% of all print and TV sports media coverage.

The messages surrounding girls and the pressure to fit into a beauty-driven aesthetic can be overwhelming and often her athletic side doesn’t make the cut.

This is not to say a girl can’t be athletic and explore a glamorous side, but the rate at which girls drop out of sports suggests that they often do not choose both.

Another reason girls quit sports early is to escape ridicule. Middle school was so hard, wasn’t it? It still is. And now the wildfire that is technology has created a much more powerful form of humiliation via texts and the Internet.

Girl athletes are still labeled as “dude-like” or tagged as lesbian whether accurate or not. Don’t sweat too much, play too intensely, or, God forbid, beat a boy for fear of standing out and someone taking notice enough to crush you back into the fold with shame.

The brave few stick it out. The rest of us get swallowed up in our need to simply fit it. And this retreat is at the expense of our girls’ confidence and health.

It’s no secret that keeping and staying physically active has immediate and long-terms positive effects on our health, not just physically but emotionally and mentally.

Girls who participated in high school sports are more likely to complete college than those who don’t. The de-emphasis of women and girls to participate in regular activity is taking a toll not just on their health, but the health of our country.

According to Her Life Depends On It II, a comprehensive study by the WSF, girls and women who do not participate in sports are more likely to face heart disease, depression, substance abuse, cancer, obesity-related issues, eating disorders, suicide, teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, osteoporosis, and smoking – all of which accounts for much of the more than one trillion dollars spent on healthcare for treating these issues.

Heart disease is the number one killer in this country for men and women, but every year more women than men die of heart attacks and cardiovascular disease.

Among women, 38 percent die within one year of their first recognized heart attack, compared with 25 percent of men. Similarly, 46 percent of female and 22 percent of male heart attack survivors have a disability from heart failure within six years.

Despite this ever-expanding body of research, in general girls are still not encouraged or given the opportunities extended to boys to participate in sports and fitness activities.

Limited access to opportunities especially for girls from a lower economic background remains an ongoing concern and is complicated by schools cutting back on recess and physical education nationally. Persistent inequalities in school sport programs and community-recreation programs for girls widens the gap.

The expense on the country due to our failing health only increases in all areas, yet many reports from the Surgeon General to countless doctors site physical exercise as well as good nutrition as part of a preventative plan against these factors. But if only half the population gets sincere support to participate, we are doing our country and citizens a disservice.

The unconscious acceptance and bombardment to instead promote a better looking girl as opposed to a healthy girl plays directly into these issues at the direct expense of our girls.

So, how do we keep girls active? Here are a few suggestions to keep them in the game:

1. Support her. Let your daughters, nieces, sisters, friends’ kids know how cool you think it is that they are active or play a sport whether they are the star of the team or the bench warmer. Go watch their games. Bring your friends. Often, we are unaware of the digging comments that might be said to her at school. Hearing your consistent and positive support can often offset that.
2. Let her play on her terms. Your daughter may not have the killer instinct to crush her opponents like you do. It’s okay. Let her find her own way in sports or a physical activity. Not being great at a sport doesn’t mean she’s not reaping a ton of other benefits and setting up a lifelong love of being active. Conversely, if your daughter is a gym rat and crazy competitive – maybe unlike you – this is okay, too. If you let her, she’ll probably impress you to no end. Knowing that someone is on her side as opposed to trying to get her to either “Get the ball, God!” or be more “lady-like” will most likely create a more well-adjusted and balanced person than not. Be her cheerleader, however she expresses athleticism.
3. Give her role models. Take her to a pro women’s soccer game or tennis match. Or a women’s collegiate basketball game. Let her witness women in sports being celebrated regularly. Taking Mina to watch the SoCal CrossFit Regional competition helped her redefine what women were capable of strength-wise. She has wanted that for herself ever since. As her mom or dad, you are your daughter’s first role model. Let her watch you workout or play something or express your own love for dance or running or however you like to move.
4. Let her know that being athletic is beautiful, too. Talk to her about advertising and the pressure to look a certain way. Often, they don’t really want to look like everyone else. They mainly want to stop feeling pressured and if you discuss this with her, she’ll realize that it’s ok for her to want her own look, her own style – that being active is just as beautiful as anything else.
5. Let her try different things. When a girl wants to quit a sport, it might not be that she wants to quit being active all together. She might be bored with volleyball. She might not like a non-team environment. Consider activities you wouldn’t do yourself and let her try new things.
6. Listen to her concerns about being teased. Understand and identify with her fears and talk to her about them. Girls want to fit in and be accepted. Let her know that sports and being on a team can be all about belonging, too. Most of us remember how nervous we were in junior high and high school classes. Many of us also have funny stories to tell about embarrassing things that did happen and how we got over them. Ask her what her worst fear is. Maybe she’s nervous about wearing the gym uniform or having to climb ropes in front of her classmates. Once she identifies the worst-case scenario, you can discuss how you would deal with this, which can alleviate some of her fears.

Keeping girls active can benefit them in so many ways. How are the girls in your life staying active? How do you personally keep them in the game?

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Keeping Girl Athletes in the Game appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

In the CrossFit community, seeing KStarr is a celebrity sighting. Many of us have watched – and have been helped by – countless videos from his MobilityWOD site, which was voted a Top Ten Fitness Blog of 2012 here at Breaking Muscle. So having the opportunity to hear him lecture and painfully demonstrate techniques on us left us a little star struck. Having him twist my arm around into a correct, externally-rotated front rack position during one demo was certainly an honor no matter how reminiscent it was of a playground bully jacking your arm back to steal your lunch. Take my lunch, KStarr, I promise to front squat better.

Starrett exudes a charm laced with intimidation. He is funny, which is a relief because the fact that he is smarter and stronger than us would be too much to bear in straight doses. With ease, he speaks intimately to a room of a hundred people because he will say whole sentences while staring at you, at everyone. He burrows his knowledge-stare into your brain the same way, I imagine, he’d like to bury a lacrosse ball into your tender psoas until you weep. He seems nice, but you have to be on your guard or else he’ll slap you around for texting during the break while slumped horrifically in your chair. He’ll make you do burpees if you get up off the floor wrong. He showed us a beautiful photo of Rich Froning at the top of an effortless L-sit muscle up and then pointed out the five things wrong with Froning’s technique. By hour one, we weren’t sure if we were even holding our pens correctly to take notes.

As we tried to sit in our chairs straighter than we had in years, we hung onto every word Starrett said. We listened to every syllable because we know he’s right. Deep down we know we aren’t standing correctly or moving well enough. We know we are losing power to mechanics. After a couple squat demos, most of us came to terms with the fact that our technique, in general, sucks, and so does the technique of our students. Before the seminar, we had an idea that some of us might get injured some day, maybe. After the seminar, it seems that most of us are tracking injury in our not-so-distant sights if we don’t make solid corrections.

Yet the only thing that drove us to really listen to Starrett was the idea that our flawed mechanics affects our performance. Injury-sminjury, did you just say I could add forty pounds to my deadlift? The majority of us are not worried about getting injured. We feel pretty good minus the stiffness, aching, soreness, and general yelping when touched. We have six-packs for god’s sake, of course we can continue to lift heavy things, rounded back be damned. We are spontaneous warriors who have been doing CrossFit for months, maybe a couple years. Of course we can do things that Olympians have been practicing for many hours a day for many years, decades even.

It turns out we can’t. Or more, we shouldn’t without relearning some basics – maybe even learn them for the first time. I had come to this seminar hoping to learn more about mobility and healing because fixing stuff instead of preventing it is a deeply-engrained, misguided Western notion that’s hard to shake. But Starrett knows we need to take care of basic posture and movement first, which is why he wisely spent most of the day speaking on that.

During the lunch break, Starrett invited Jill Miller and her team from Yoga Tune Up to give a talk. Miller is the Kelly Starrett of the yoga world in that she tries to slow down and reeducate yoga practitioners who also drive too hard to master movements without proper technique. She did an amazing diaphragm-respiratory demonstration on us to help with our breathing. She had us use a soft volleyball-sized ball to self-massage our stomachs and lacrosse-like balls to dig down our thoracic vertebrae. (For the record, just because balls are inscribed with the word “yoga” and are dyed pretty pastel colors does not make them less painful.) Bringing Miller into the seminar was an incredibly insightful integration of practices to help us improve another crucial basic. I learned that breathing correctly is yet another hole in my game, right next to posture and the air squat. Awesome.

I know that tearing down to rebuild better is a great thing. Kelly Starrett did not ruin me, he just opened my eyes. I am grateful for any opportunity to do things better as an athlete and as a coach. I have to be willing to get it right from the floor up if I want to move better and if I want to help those training under my care to stay injury free and reach their best potential. Good news, guys: back to square one.

I’ll leave you with a few scratch-the-surface pointers from the seminar. Many of us might already know these things. Do we actually do them? After this weekend, I would bet a lot of money that we don’t.

• Set up well before you touch a weight. Get your back organized before you even look at the barbell.
• Squeeze your butt to eliminate an arched back. Squeeze your butt before you do anything in life. Ever. Or KStarr will make you do burpess.
• Before you lift, screw your feet into the ground externally without splaying them out like a duck.
• Push your knees out whenever you bend your legs. “Knees out” is forever embedded in my brain almost as maniacally as Ace Ventura’s “laces out” bit. I have an image of a room spray painted with the words KNEES OUT repeatedly. But seriously, save your knees on your squats and push them out. Squeeze your butt first.
• Shoulders back and down. Like, now. Don’t pretend you’re not slouched while reading this.

You too can take this Movement and Mobility seminar with Starrett. Check out the CrossFit seminar site for dates and locations, though this particular seminar sells out fast, for good reason. In the meantime, the MobilityWOD site remains an incredibly useful resource. Also, look for Starrett’s book, Becoming a Supple Leopard, due for release in April.

Photos courtesy of CrossFit, Inc.

The post How Kelly Starrett’s Mobility Seminar Ruined Me appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

The Teen Gauntlet CrossFit Competitions put on by CrossFit Kids are a series of national events meant to test the CrossFit skills of young athletes between the ages of 13-17. This Los Angeles competition was the second annual and this year attracted more than twice the number of kids as last year. Fifty-seven athletes in all competed, divided mainly by skill level: Novice, Junior Varsity, and Varsity.

The event was incredibly well run. Having taken my older daughter, Maya, to an endless number of Taekwondo tournaments, I know oh-too-well what a clustermess of a tournament can look like. Frankly, I haven’t seen a tournament run smoother. Every heat started on time. Briefings were clear. All questions were answered. All the competitors were gracious and sportsmanlike. The staff could not have been more accommodating and efficient. They made it a priority to keep athletes safe. Knowing a long day is ahead of you as a parent, athlete, or coach is tough, and the absence of unnecessary hiccups or delays was very much appreciated.

The workouts in the Gauntlet were nothing to sneeze at. I know every CrossFitting parent, spectator, and coach found themselves wondering how well they would fare in such a competition. The first workout of the event was to achieve as many rounds as possible in ten minutes of three handstand pushups, five pull ups, and fifteen air squats. The workout was the same for every division, however scaling options were allowed and sometimes required if athletes could not safely perform a movement no matter the division. The scores of scaled workouts would simply be placed behind the athletes who did the workouts as prescribed. The idea was to give everyone a chance to compete and enjoy the experience. Athletes who needed to scale appreciated getting into the action, as opposed to staring at the handstand wall for ten minutes, feeling embarrassed or less-than because they didn’t have this more advanced movement yet. Wisely, any athlete could scale any part of any workout throughout the day.

After the announcement of the first workout, I took Mina and Alana aside. I tried to gage the level of fear or excitement in their expressions. Mina, a born competitor, had done handstand pushups before but never in a workout and not without an inch mat under her head. But she couldn’t wait to give it a go in competition. Alana, my gentler warrior, gladly chose the scaled option of hand-release pushups because she needed to concentrate on her pull ups. She had just gotten her first pull up four weeks before. And though she was nervous to confront them in a competitive setting, I knew she was absolutely capable of handling the workout.

As the start time approached, their engines started to rev. I gave them a few tips to keep their shoulders as fresh as possible during the workout and a couple mental tips to stay in the game. I took each girl by the shoulders, catching them before they became too distracted by the internal chaos, and said, “Do exactly what you came here to do.” They both knew what I meant. We had talked about it for weeks. For Alana that meant pushing through the fear of not being able to do something on the spot. It meant giving all she could in that particular moment without being taken out by emotion. For Mina, it meant putting her competitiveness in a positive gear and letting her strength and skill take over, and also doing everything she could in that particular moment.

They stepped out onto the floor. Mina, visibly amped, stared at the wall against which she would do handstand pushups. Alana stared at the floor where she would do her pushups. She looked calm and not afraid. The noise and craziness of the surrounding fitness expo, where everything from Zumba shows and bodybuilding events were simultaneously going on, heightened in the huge hall seconds before the start. At “3, 2, 1, go,” Mina kicked up to the wall and easily banged out three handstand pushups like she was born to do so and Alana stuck to her exact strategy of doing one and two pull ups at a time to not waste reps or mental energy. The chaotic noise of the arena fell away and all I saw was the symphony of plan and movement strung together by mental strength. I choked up. They would be okay. They would be more than okay. These girls found a way to find their best selves when called upon. Can you ask for more from yourself, your student, your daughter?

It went on like this all day, through all three workouts over the course of a long event. I kept them rested, fueled, mobilized, moving, motivated, and every time they were called upon, they stepped up. The six weeks of dedicated training and preparing all paid off in their day to shine, and shine they did.

Lastly, I want to mention how prevalent the spirit of CrossFit was at the competition. Kids were congratulating each other between workouts. The staff was so supportive of the kids. The judges were serious, as if they were judging the stars of the CrossFit Games. A good number of my CrossFit friends showed up to cheer on the girls. And through my friend and Breaking Muscle’s own Dr. Lindsey Mathews, Mina got a phone call from her idol Lindsey Valenzuela – LINDSEY VALENZUELA – before her last workout. My tough warrior-girl beamed and shed a tear over the call. And that epitomizes CrossFit: the generosity of self to lift up others and better the community as a whole. If we give our all, then others give their all. It’s an amazing example to show our kids. We can’t wait for the next Gauntlet.

Photos provided by Danette “Dizzle” Rivera.

The post Our Amazing First Experience With the Teen Gauntlet CrossFit Competition Series appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Kenny calls the programming model “mind/body” training and the idea is to evoke specific adaptations to help develop us better and more efficiently. Plenty of other strength and fitness arenas know the benefits and efficacy of this type of mixed training. I’m thrilled Andy and Kenny are wise enough to try it on us.

Today was the first day of the new scheme. It was a competition day. As happy as I am to start such intentional training, I felt completely screwed after today’s workout. As I lay on the ground staring at the ceiling after a five-round race alternating between rowing and many toes-to-bar, I thought, “Do I even know how to compete?” During the workout, I tried to keep my sense of urgency without panicking. Athletes next to me passed me, one by one, and my urgency turned into a mind-fuck. I was trying not to get mad at my lack of whatever it was that kept me from being in the lead. This was a completely new feeling that exerted more energy than probably needed to be spent. And I can’t say I totally disliked it. It just felt foreign.

And so it goes. The first questions and reexamining of my training have arisen with the new programming. And it’s only the first day. Competition day has already backed me into a corner.

Though I’ve played competitively my whole life I’ve generally fallen into two categories: I was just better where no one else was nipping at my heels or I played the role of supporter and up-lifter for everyone else. I comfortably still play the support role. I’m good at it and I love it. The neck-in-neck, who-wants-it-more role is, I’m realizing, new and uncomfortable for me. I tend to want others to feel triumphant, like I don’t need to feel that to feel successful. I don’t need to win. I’m the nurturer, the workhorse, the steady rock. And though that may just be my personality, which is perfectly fine, I’m now interested to see if I can develop a more competitive nature.

I recognize that an underdeveloped competitive nature may be rooted in fear to some degree. It’s not that I’m afraid of giving my all or not finishing or showing up day after day, which is why training and mental toughness days will be my jam. I suppose I fear driving myself so hard, driving myself off a physical cliff, and then what? If winning is not a priority for me – and I’m not sure I’m interested in challenging this part of my personality – then what is the point of red-lining? Like many athletes, I’ve been known to push myself to a very raw, emotional place after going balls out. As cleansing as this can be, it’s a rough place to go. It can dig up some shit, can’t it? I’ve cried a few times after and during classes over the years. I’ve cried a few times on the spin bike, but sometimes it was either cry or vomit, and tears are easier to clean up.

Conceptually, I know that going balls out on well-appointed days will have physiologically advantages of which I’m not even aware yet. For this, I’m excited. I’m willing to give the new programming an all-in shot for that exact reason. I’m also excited for the prospect of learning how to handle competition days better mentally and emotionally. I’ll just trust Andy and Kenny on this because it turns out that trust is a big part of our development as athletes – and anything.

Here’s a quote by coach Kenny Kane from an interview he did for Breaking Muscle a while back:

The difference between the great athletes and what makes people really good and not so good is the willingness to let go of all the fear and the failure they had in whatever practices, put that behind them, and now trust that those new skill sets (from training days) are there and they’re going to be able to allow those skill sets to come through – not cognitively, but instinctively. That’s the distinction; you’re replacing the emotional component of fear with trust.

I wasn’t expecting to get tested so early in. It’s up to me now to figure out what kind of competitor I can become. Will I ever be an at-all-costs type? I doubt it. But can I learn to compete better with myself? Can I learn to drive the line and find a place that drives me physically more than I ever have without driving me insane? This interests me to no end. I can’t wait to report how it all turns out.

What kind of competitor are you?

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post What Kind of Competitor Are You? appeared first on Breaking Muscle.