Authenticity

I have hinted at this a few times before but have never come right out and put it all together. I have a theory, a belief more accurately, that we each have a certain kind of authenticity and when we live within that framework, we are at our best. In this belief I am far from original, but nonetheless it is what I believe. You hear thoughts along this line referenced constantly, especially in the sports world. The connotations of being "a half step off", "hitting their stride", or many other overused cliches all reference that there is a natural path that will serve an athlete best. Now while most of my thoughts have more everyday application on the concept of living authentically, one or two come to mind that are derby specific. First off, I think that every skater, especially jammers, have their own authentic skating style that includes the length of their stride, the way that they crossover, and especially the way they stop. The reason I mention this is that it is very easy to get caught up in other peoples styles, especially people who are we look up to. This is just my advice, but skate the way that works best for you, the way that your body feels at it's top, and don't concern yourself with emulating anyone else. Secondly, and probably more importantly, I believe that there is a rhythm by which a team works best and to be the best skaters you ca as individuals, you must find that rhythm as a team. I say this because there is no energy that does not also carry with it a rhythm, a wavelength that makes it travel most effectively through both time and space. This is the way that a skater should feel when they are locked into the tempo of the game with a team that is in perfect harmony, like everything they do is effortless as if in slow motion. You here people talk about this state as being in "the zone" or the space where everything is in clearer focus than you thought possible. I remember playing soccer with guys who, when they shot the ball, would pick a single hole in the net to aim at and let the ball rip. More often than not they would hit it too. How they did that from twenty two yards out through a maze of bodies is still beyond me but they did and it worked. I struggled hitting the ball, never mind the net. I digress. The point is that if you as skaters go out and remember why you skate, the way that it feels when you are skating in your authentic style, and look for the perfect line to appear in front of you I am willing to bet that it will. Not to mention that it will be amazing for both you and the rest of us. Now let's get to work!

5 min warm up
STRETCH
30 min moderate cardio
4x 100 meter sprints
4x 50 meters skipping for height
4x 100 meters skipping for distance
2x 25 meters frog hops for distance
4x 15 floor bridges
4x 15 side swishes (each side)
5 min cool down
Stertch

Enjoy!

J

Something To Listen To

Nothing relevant to write (as though that stops me) so I am Just posting a workout a and a playlist. Have Fun!

J

5 min. warm up
Stretch
3x 10 squat thrusts (burpees)
3x 30 sec. mountain climbers
3x 10 pushups
3x 10 inverted rows
3x 10 front raises
3x 10 tricep dips
50 squat jumps
4 planks to failure
2x 10 3sec. abdominal presses
5 min. cooldown
Stretch


Little Motels- Modest Mouse
Lights- Ellie Goulding/ Bassnectar
Everytime I Look For You- Blink 182
Maria- Blondie
Knife Party At The Niko- Deftones
Bad- U2
Rearview Mirror- Pearl Jam
Debaser- The Pixies
Such Great Heights- The Postal Serrvice
Another One Bites The Dust- Queen
Savior- Rise Against
Open Your Eyes- Snow Patrol
The Road I Must Travel- The Nightwatchman
I Want You To Want Me- Letters To Cleo
Kiss Off- The Violent Femmes

A Dogs Life

Truth be told, I really hate running, especially running for the sake of running. I am of the opinion that running marathons is for the birds. The first guy to run one was in a war and he died so why should we continue the tradition? In hopes that we may expire as well? I have run several marathons and I have to tell you the only thing that you are at the end is tired. No sense of accomplishment at the finish line. That happens three days later as you are recovering, followed quickly by more thoughts of what the hell was I thinking? The only problem with my outlook is that I have a dog that believes exactly the opposite as me. She is of the opinion that running is the only way to do things and everything should be done now. Sometimes I will fight her but then I realize that it looks a lot less silly running after a dog rater than negotiating with one and persuading her that running is not the best option. She doesn't care if it is a hundred degrees or not, she is going to run and it will probably take her at least 5 miles to stop. Unless she has to pee, of course, and then she will stop anywhere. So in the nature of making my dog happy, today we will be running!

5 min warm up
Stretch
20 moderate cardio
4x 100 meter sprints
4x 30 sec. planks
2x 25 neg crunches
5 min cooldown
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

Monday

Over the weekend I was realizing that it's been over a year since I started writing this blog and I've managed to write nearly everyday. In going back and looking through the posts, I realized that there had been almost no repeated workouts. It's one of the great things about working out in that you can constantly be changing things up and still make progress toward your goals. Over the past year a lot of things changed for us as individuals as well as for roller derby as a sport. We've seen the end of one season the beginning of another and a whole lot more visibility for the sport as a whole. For me personally, I've seen the end of a relationship,the start of many opportunities, moved three times, lost and gained a dog, and traveled the country with some of the most incredible women I've ever met. but what is it it's easy to let time slip by and the changes go unnoticed. Consider where you are physically 12 months ago and I promise you find many things have changed, hopefully for the better. Personally I'm not much of a believer in looking backwards, but occasionally a glance in the rear-view mirror is good to keep us grounded. That being said here to work out for today!

5 min warm up
Stretch
2-0-2 tempo
3x 10 wide grip push ups
3x 10 lateral raises
3x 10 single leg step ups
3x 25 meters lunges

1-0-1 tempo
2x 25 reg crunches
2x 25 neg crunches
4x 60 sec. planks
5 min cooldown
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

Space

One of the most difficult things that we as human beings have to face is the proposition of growth. I believe that this is because by nature we are creatures of habit, even those of us that embrace change the best. The only thing that may be more difficult for us to do is to allow other people the space that they need to grow without holding it against them and being personally offended when they are not at the same place or pace that we are. For me, this means resisting the urge to kill someone who believes that they are the only human in the world to deny natural scientific law and are to hold to one shred of self-discipline. The only reason that I have not started a mass genocide of mostly retarded clients is because I have been blessed in my life to have people that let me be a moron until I learned that, though I am completely one of a kind, I am seldom original. I am not the first one to believe that I am always right, to be this arrogant/stubborn, and for that matter to be wrong more than my fair share only to ignore my err and proceed as if nothing had happened. If I had had to deal with me as a third party I would have died young. The point of all of this is that as you look at a team you are talking about organizing (sometimes loosely) and uniting a group of people with different individual experiences, at different points in their own growth processes, around a common cause or goal. Some would say that takes a lot of patience but I don't have much of that so instead I recommend a healthy berth of space. Trust me, it makes things a lot easier to tolerate as you meet people that have a very different understanding of life than yours. Now forget all of this and go get some cardio done!

5 min warm up
Stretch
6x 50 meter sprints (100% capacity)
45 min moderate cardio activity (60- 65% of max)
4x 60 sec planks
4x 30 sec V-sits
2x 25 side swishies(each side)
5 min cool down
Stretch!!!!

Enjoy!

J

So It's Hot

This morning started with a fury and has not let up throughout the rest the day. You ever have one of those days when you just already know that things are not going to go the way you want them to? With temperatures approaching 100 degrees my car decided overheat as I was giving someone a ride to their own car. Standing stranded on the side of the road I realized that I had two choices. I could be upset and frustrated, as my passenger was, or I could see it as an adventure for the day. How can being stranded on the side of the road being adventure you ask? It's pretty simple actually. Think about it as an opportunity to cleanse your pores by sweating out all of the excess water weight that could possibly be in your body. You never know the kind of people you meet along the way looking your absolute worst, kind of like a wet dog it's been drowned in his own sweat. After making arrangements for the woman with me to get to her own car, I set out walking to find somewhere to get some car parts and try to get myself back on the road. You would not believe how liberating it is to be able to walk into a place and smile even when you look your worst and things are going so well. The point of all this fucking rambling is that sometimes you have to make your own way no matter what cards the day hands you. Here is the workout!

5 min warm up
Stretch
2-0-2 tempo
3x 10 narrow grip push ups
3x 10 bent rows
3x 10 tuck jumps
3x 10 lunge to overhead press

1-0-1
2x 25 reg. crunches
4x 15 sec ab presses
2x 30 sec. planks on ball
5 min cool down
Stretch

First Date Questions And Answers

Recently I have been getting back into the dating scene a bit and I have to admit it is miserable. I do relationships alright and I am a champ with single life but the concept of dating is nearly impossible. One of the biggest issues is that you are supposed to be on your best behavior when you go on first dates. It's almost like lying about who you are. The other night I was out in this girl asked me what I like to do for fun. First it was a bit confused, being busy enough that I'm not really sure what I do for fun. I just looked at her and said "I don't really know." After thinking about it for a second it struck me that everything I do is because I have fun doing it. If something isn't fun, I stop doing it. This made no sense to the girl across the table from me, the one for whom I was supposed to be on my best behavior for, as she thought that I was out of my mind for loving to work ridiculous hours and in bizarre fields. For the record I will not be seeing that one again and that is fine because she probably never would have gotten it anyway.

There is no way to say this without sounding arrogant and self serving but I am so fortunately blessed to be able to enjoy my life; the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful. I get to have a purpose that matters and more importantly some of the most incredible people to ever have lived as my friends and family. It's not a bad deal even if it won't land a second date.


5 min warm up
Stretch
3x 10 straight arm twist
3x 10 speed skaters( each side)
3x 10 burpees
4x 30 sec mountain climbers
4x 20 jumping jacks
5x 100 jump ropes
4x 15 quadruped (each side)
2x 25 bicycle crunches
5 min cool down
Stretch

Projects?

I was recently having a conversation with a friend of mine's father, an older gentleman at the point in life where he is reflecting back on the good and bad things he has experienced. "I wish that I had realized that there aren't actually projects in life" he told me. I wasn't exactly sure what he meant by this, especially since I have five or six projects going on at all times and am constantly taking on more. "No projects?" I asked. "None" he replied. "There are only extensions of your life, ways in which you express who you are, maybe different, maybe typical, always the same life." This thought blew my mind for a bit. I'm talking, left my brains under the coffee table. In the end I have decided that I agree. Looking at the roller girls I admire the most, their persona on the track is simply an extension of their everyday lives. Roller derby, not unlike anything else we do, is only another sentence in the way that we define ourselves. Whether we can conceptualize this and live authentically is another matter entirely. If you are finding some difficulty in balancing all of the projects in life, as I have been for some time, try re-framing your mindset with this mentality. I am beginning to realize that this may be the key to maximizing our efforts and maintaining enjoyment in the whole of life. Just a though.

5 min warm up
Stretch
2-0-2 tempo
3x 10 wide grip push ups
3x 10 inverted rows
3x 10 single leg straight leg deadlifts
3x 10 step up to overhead press

1-0-1
2x 25 negative crunches
4x 15 sec ab presses
2x 30 sec. planks on ball
30 sec mountain climbers
5 min cool down
Stretch


By the way, if you don't have access to a fully equipped gym their is no need for one with these workouts. For instance you can use your skates or a bag of books to complete the squat to overhead press. Make this as simple as possible and I will do the same!

Composure

The women's World Cup is going on right now and it has been an exciting series of matches. Many if the games have been close, some being decided by a last minute goal that seemed unlikely to happen. What is it that makes the difference in games that comes down to the wire? Soccer commonly refers to it as composure. This means the ability to set aside fatigue as well as emotion in order to get the task at hand done. You may still have butterflies in your stomach but they are flying in formation and are prepared to attack. Much of this is a mental discipline that is reached by training for a variety of different situations so that you are prepared when they occur. While I cannot go through all of the potential situations in a game of roller derby, or for that matter life, I can tell you that if you have a body that is not going to physically breakdown it is easier to maintain composure when the pressure is on. That is the focus of the workout today, pushing your body to a new threshold and recovering quickly. Without further adieu...


5 min warm up
Stretch
15 min moderate cardio (enough to break a good sweat and maximize circulation)
4x 100 meter sprints (30 sec rest in between)
2x 200 meter sprints (45 sec rest in between)
2x 400 meter sprints (60 sec rest in between )
2x 10 burpee pushups
2x 30 sec mountain climbers
2x 60 sec planks
5 min cool down
Stretch

Remember to stay hydrated and Enjoy!

J

Short and Sweet

This is the workout for today. Have a good one!


J


5 min warm up
Stretch
2-0-2 tempo
3x 8 wide grip push ups
3x 8 inverted rows
3x 8 single leg squats
3x 8 step up to overhead press

1-0-1
2x 25 negative crunches
4x 15 sec ab presses
2x 30 sec. planks on ball
30 sec mountain climbers
5 min cool down
Stretch

Growth

So last night I was out with a friend who is much younger than I am. I must admit, for her age she has a really good handle on who she is and for that matter is rather incredible. At her age I was a moron. Truth be told, most days I am still a moron but at least I understand that now. My point is that over time and with experience I have grown and come to know myself, both the good and bad traits that I possess. The same things apply as we look at our fitness levels and the way that we approach competition. At some point along the way winning, and just winning, is no longer the end all be all. Winning in a style that we want becomes more relevant. Winning with composure, panache, and as a team becomes more important for us than our individual stats. It's the funny thing about a team. More often than not a team cannot grow without spectacular individual performance but a player cannot mature fully unless they are amongst a rock solid team. This is what makes a great team, and what makes playing for one worth it whether you get to be the star or ride the pine. Just a few thoughts for you as you knock out some cardio!

5 min. warm up
Stretch
45 min moderate paced cardio
4x 30 sec. planks
2x 25 floor bridges
5 min cool down
Stretch

Enjoy!


J

Hell Yeah!

I overslept this morning and it was wondrous. I'm talking, missed my alarm by 2 hours kind of overslept and will be playing catch up for the rest of the day. The good news? I feel rested, nearly back to human, and that is phenomenal. Yesterday I spent some time with my favorite roller derby team basking in the afterglow of a game well played the night before. We laughed, ate some awesome food, and were productive. A great day to be certain. By the way, if you are in KC swing by Grinders. It may not be the healthiest food in the world but it is totally worth it! All that said, here is the workout today!

5 min warm up
Stretch
2-0-2 tempo
3x 8 dive bomb push ups
3x 8 inverted rows
3x 8 single leg squats
3x 8 step up to overhead press

1-0-1
2x 25 bicycle crunches
2x 25 ball crunches
2x 30 sec. planks on ball
10 burpees
5 min cool down
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

Mind Blown

Do you ever wake up and realize that you are not normal?I don't mean maybe a little off. I am talking about the kind of abnormal that requires more than a little off. For me that is every morning. Before I go any further, let me just say that this is not going to be another ego driven bout of arrogance that I can tend to pull off so well. Take yesterday for example. I woke up, got mostly ready, and rode down the elevator with a man in a cowboy hat and an Ed Hardy t-shirt who happens to run a gay prostitution ring 3 floors above my apartment. Just another day in the life. I grabbed a cup of coffee, of course, and headed into the gym ready for a day of training. My first client this morning is cartoon like in nature with a lip that would make Fat Albert look like a runway model. All he wanted to talk about was his smoking hot new love interest, a tuba player/ Buddhist bartender who is considering taking up rugby. My next client is an Ivy League genius with a touch of asperger's syndrome who is hell bent on terrorizing the HOA that he is the president of with new rules about parking spaces. After five minutes my simple mind is lost in words that have more than three syllables and ill timed laughter. The rest of the day is rounded out with a brilliant entrepreneur, an Asian dental student, and a man with cerebral palsy doing lunges. All three of these work there asses off and are an absolute pleasure to deal with. By evening I have spent more hours in conversation of the random garden assortment than I can truly even contemplate. The bright spot is a few of my favorite roller girls who are more than building some sweat equity and rising to every challenge that I can lay before them. Thank God because I may lose it otherwise. After 13 hours in the gym I swing by a local joint to grab some food and listen to some live music. My friend is at the piano and the conversation is always the same. Discussions of the randomness of the week and how lame we can be when it comes to actual life. I drive home only to find that there is a fight going on in the street between a feisty Italian woman and a young couple whom she nearly rear ended. Not wanting to deal with any further incident, I distract the young woman and allow the couple enough breathing room to bolt into there car and away from the would be brawl. The woman slurs something that on a more sober night may have been English for her and then asks if I would mind parking her car. I oblige and help her to her apartment before taking the stairs to my own. This is the point that it hits me again. My life is an adventure, one with a more interesting cast of extraordinary people than any movie could ever hope to top. Many of my friends would call this the strangest day of their lives but for me it is just a Thursday and I'm thrilled to death about it. If you were waiting for a point to any of this there isn't one other than I count myself blessed to be anything but normal. Here is Fridays workout!

5 min warm up
Stretch
4-2-1 tempo
4x 6 push up with rotation
4x 6 lunge to overhead press
4x 6 bent flys
4x 6 frog hops for distance

1-0-1 tempo
2x 30 sec. single leg plank (each side)
2x 25 negative crunches
2x 25 side swishes
2x 25 butterfly crunches
30 sec V-sit
5 min cool down
Stretch

Enjoy!
J

Restless

As the mercury rises I am finding it more and more difficult to stay inside. Air conditioning is nice if you are the type of person who is into amenities but I am not. I'd rather have a day out on the water, lose sight of shore and listen to the wind as it cuts across the glassy surface. This time of year is also when I begin to question my sanity living 1500 miles from the nearest ocean. I grew up on the water and miss it more than anything else. Somehow a river, even when it is flooding, doesn't do water justice compared to the way I have seen it. Why am I rambling on about the ocean? I am restless right now and in need of some adventure. The type of thing where the stakes are raised a bit, where the danger is real and so is the adrenaline. Something more than a pool on a roof to pull me through this glorious heat. By the way, here is your workout as this is still a workout blog I think...

5 min warm up
Stretch
4-2-1 tempo
4x 6 push up to row
4x 6 squat to overhead press
4x 6 bent rows
4x 6 frog hops for height

1-0-1 tempo
25 rockstar scissor jumps
25 meters of lunges with a hop
2x 25 side swishes
2x 25 butterfly crunches
30 sec V-sit
5 min cool down
Stretch

Enjoy!
J

Swagger

This is not what I planned on writing today. The plan was to go into all of the benefits of the new setup for the workout, and though they are numerous, I am going a different direction. There is a funny thing that I have discovered and put as simply as I can, many times the words write you rather than you writing words. Today this is what's writing me. For whatever reason this year has been a crazy one for me and many of the people that I care about. The one thing that has been clear is that change is going to happen for all of us no matter how we feel about it and often on the universes schedule rather than our own. My best guess is that the difference is in how we handle changes, good and bad alike. My favorite way to handle anything, no matter what it may be, is with swagger. Now I should mention that I can be an arrogant bastard, but I am not talking about arrogance. I am talking about that look in your eye where you and everyone else in the room is fully aware of just how fucking awesome you are. The type of swagger that needs no introduction, no words or definition. I am talking about the type of swagger that I have seen in so many women that I have had the pleasure of working with. Take a friend of mine for example. About a year ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her response? She scheduled a break in her treatments so that she could complete a marathon and then took up racing boats in Biscayne bay. The best part is hearing her talk about it though. She didn't want to be the girl who was sick and she was not about to be defined by the "C" word. The girls got swagger and I love it. She is just one example of the people I keep close to me and they all have one thing in common. Everyone that spends a few minutes with them understands just how fucking amazing they are without them having to utter a word. I am trying to be a little more humble, more like these juggernauts of cool that I am blessed to live my life beside. That said, lets get to work!

5 min warm up
Stretch
4x 10 burpees
2x 2min. of jumping rope
4x 10 jumping jacks
30 min moderate cardio (65-70%)
2x 25 negative crunches
2x 10 single leg floor bridges
5 min cool down
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

The Fourth Of July

Time for the next phase of workouts. This will focus on continuing to build strength while also increasing endurance. We'll expand on the concept more tomorrow. Here is the workout today!

5 min warm up
Stretch
4-2-1 tempo
4x 6 push up to row
4x 6 squat to overhead press
4x 6 bent rows
4x 6 frog hops for height

1-0-1 tempo
25 rockstar scissor jumps
25 meters of lunges with a hop
2x 25 side swishes
2x 25 butterfly crunches
30 sec V-sit
5 min cool down
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

Crazy

It has been nearly a full year that I have been putting out workouts and scratching out thoughts. It is hard to believe, not to mention how time flies. Today we are wrapping up the week and another phase of workouts. Monday will have some changes as we continue progressing so get a good one in today!

J


5 min. warm up
Stretch
4-2-1 tempo
5x 5 divebomb push up
5x 5 front raise
5x 5 bent fly
5x 5 frog hops

2-0-2 tempo
2x 30 sec. stab ball planks
2x 10 negative crunches
2x 25 straight arm twists
2x 10 stab. ball bridges
5 min cool down
Stretch