Michael Ashcroft

Some time ago I put together an article that descibed how the rowing stroke is executed and how you can go about improving your performance on the rowing ergometer.

A conversation I had today prompted me to go and look up the article and post it here for the benefit of everyone

Hope you enjoy it!

Click here to download the article: How To Improve Your Rowing In 20 Minutes

If anyone has any feedback regarding the article, please feel free to post it here in the comments section, or you can email me privately.

This post ties in (a little bit) with my last one, on 5 Reasons Why You Need CrossFit In Your Life.

CrossFit is great and I think that everyone can find their best fitness using its principles.  However, some people will stop short of joining a CrossFit gym, even though it might be exactly what they need.

Why?

Well, its pretty simple really.  CrossFit has an image problem.  While many of you know CrossFit inside out, newcomers do not.  To the newcomer, ‘CrossFitters’ often appear arrogant, elitist and belittling of others abilities.

Therein lies CrossFit’s biggest challenge.  For CrossFit to be embraced by all, it needs to ditch the arrogance.  Humility is far more becoming of someone who possesses a great gift – say, Elite Fitness.  We’ve all met someone arrogant in our lives; possibly even someone in the CrossFit community.  Its ugly.  Don’t be that person.  Its a waste and you’re giving the rest of us a bad name.

Michael Houghton, of CrossFit 951, has written a great article talking about the need for more humility in the CrossFit community.  You need to be subscribed to the CF Journal to be able to read it.  Its well worth the money if you’re not already signed up!

We need to recognise that the world of fitness does not begin and end with CrossFit.  Everything has its place – yes, even Bosu balls – and we’ve all come from different exercising histories.  Accept the fact that some people don’t want what you have. Be helpful, courteous and encouraging.  Don’t scoff and explain why someone’s routine has been a complete waste of time.  No one likes to hear that.  No one likes to be made to feel like an idiot.

If you don’t learn this the easy way (i.e. reading this post) you’ll certainly learn it the hard way – you’ll wind up with no clients.

Being humble is really simple – keep your mouth shut

At its worst, CrossFit arrogance can be almost enough to turn you away for good.  At its best, CrossFit it changes lives.

I know which I’d rather be dishing up.

People familiar with CrossFit will understand the common dilemma that presents itself when someone says to you, “So what’s this CrossFit thing you keep talking about all the time?”

CrossFit is notoriously difficult to sum up in just a one sentence reply.

At its essence, CrossFit is simply constantly varied, functional movement at high intensity.  However, in reality, CrossFit is many things to many people.  But regardless of why people get involved or what keeps them coming back, I think there are 5 fundamental reasons why everybody needs some CrossFit in their lives.

The list below is an attempt to crystallise exactly why CrossFit is so great and why you need it in your life.

1. You need functional capacity.  Of what use is your body if its not functional and capable?  Not much.  CrossFit strives to give you back your functionality.  Your body needs to move to be healthy and fit.  No other fitness program I know of places such a focus on having your body be a functionally capable tool.  And it makes sense.  After all, if the fitness you have is not functional, what is the point?
2. Results based fitness.  The exercise prescriptions and nutritional guidance provided by the CrossFit community is based on the observation of the effect of those recommendations on real athletes over time.  Experimentation is the key.  Things that work are kept, things that don’t get chucked.  CrossFit works because it delivers results.
3. The CrossFit community.  I can quite easily say that I’ve never encountered a community quite like CrossFit.  Forget the fact that just about everything CrossFit offers its community is free, that its international in its reach and that no other organisation has come close to pushing the frontier of exercise science as far forward as CrossFit.  More significant than all of that are the people who are at your local affiliate.  CrossFit members are supportive, driven and committed.  They help you and push you to get better.  The athletes themselves are more knowledgeable than 90% of the personal trainers you’ll encounter.
4. Normal gyms are boring! Running on the treadmill for half an hour and trudging through your weights routine, 4 times a week, listening to your iPod is boring as bat shit.  Its dull, lifeless and unimaginative.  And that’s exactly why its such a pain in the ass trying to stay motivated with that garbage.  Do yourself a favour and try something different.  CrossFit is different every single day.
5. It improves every aspect of your life, not just the physical.  There are two parts to this point.  The first one is obvious, the second is a little more profound.  The obvious part is that everything in your life is easier and more fun when you’re in great physical condition.  You’re energetic, motivated, confident and capable.  The deeper part is this.  CrossFit builds mental toughness, not just physical robustness.  You’ll find yourself in situations at CrossFit that test your mettle.  You’ll want to cheat.  You’ll want to quit.  You’ll want to cry, say you can’t do it, crawl up into a ball and piss your pants.  And that’s a good thing.  Better you find and push those boundaries in a controlled situation than when its crunch time in real life and find you’re not up to the task.  CrossFit builds mental champions, not just physical ones.

I’m one of those people that thinks CrossFit can suit everyone.  And it can – but many people are too closed minded, too afraid or too something-or-other to get into it just yet.  And that’s fine.  But the immortal words of Greg Glassman, “…our needs for fitness differ by degree, not kind…” still ring true and, someday, you’ll wake up and smell the Kool-Aid.

CrossFit will change your life.

For the past 2 months, I’ve been working for free.  Yup, gratis.

While I don’t intend to be doing this forever, dare I say that I can’t work for free forever, it has given me a new perspective on the concept of work and what it means to me.

For me, working for zip over the past few weeks has been a blast.  Admittedly, the finances have suffered a little, but not to the point that I’m a homeless bum (not yet, anyway).  The amazing thing for me has been that I’ve loved every minute of that work, even though there was no direct monetary payback.

Think about this for a minute – if your boss suddenly told you that you weren’t going to be paid for the next two months and that he wanted you to turn up just for the pure enjoyment of it, what would your reaction be?  I feel like 99% of you would tell him/her to ram that proposition straight up their ass and you’d quit on the spot.  Am I right?

And perhaps that should tell you something.  If your work isn’t fulfilling on its own (i.e. without monetary reward) then maybe you’re in the wrong game.

Don’t get me wrong – I won’t continue to give away my time for nothing.  I can’t.  After all, I man needs to eat!  Providing a great service to people deserves reward and in most cases, great service is rewarded with great money.

But the hypothetical situation of having to work for free can help to give you an insight into whether or not you really love what you do.

This is a question I’ve asked myself a few times, in addition to… “Does anyone really care what I have to say?”

I felt that these were valid questions that needed answering, since I am going to be putting time and effort into sharing my thoughts – I don’t want it all to be a huge waste.

People write for a lot of reasons.  But I think that if you’re going to write and publish it in the public domain, you’re writing because you want others to read what you have to say.  It follows, therefore, that if you want others to read what you’re writing, there needs to be something in it for them.

What you need to offer people is value.  You’re writing must be valuable to people. The best way to provide people value is to genuinely want to help them in some way.

So that’s it, right there.  I’ll be writing because I want to help others.  I’ll be writing because I want to help you.  Specifically, I’ll be trying to help you with:

• health, fitness and nutrition,
• the efficiency and effectiveness of your business practices,
• education and personal development,
• other useful resources on the web.

Everything I write may not resonate with you…but my hope is that much of the content I post here will help you in some way.  Whether it be a sentence that you needed to hear in order to take action, or a link to resource that helps you overcome an obstacle, or a photo that makes you laugh and brightens your day somehow.

That’s why I’ll be blogging.

Now…let’s see if I can help you