Behind

Every now and then we can have a tendency to find ourselves out of position. Sure we fo the best we can to prepare for any situation and try to read the play as it unfolds but even doing that is sometimes not enough. The trouble really comes in when we fail to re-engage immediately and lose a few steps in the process. If you can identify with this right now I am sure you are not alone. A little advice: now is not the time to start making cautious plays and holding back further. Remember your instincts, verify that they are still good, and take action. Truthfully there is no time for a rebuilding year in life so I highly recommend making adjustments on the fly which will improve your position and have you ready to go again at full steam. Lastly, and hopefully this goes without saying, never give up. quitting is the only way to turn a setback into a failure.

Enjoy!

J

5 min warm up

Stretch

10 burpees

30 push ups

30 lunges

15 inverted rows

20 jackknifes

5 min cooldown

Stretch

As fast as you can get through with perfect form

Timing

Have you ever heard the saying that timing is everything? I'm relatively sure that this is the truth and depending on where you a are at, it is either the best news or the worst. I remember as an athlete many situations that were made or broken by their timing and this is as true for roller derby. As a jammer, you have to be able to read a pack, time your strides, and make it through. Same for blockers who have to time their hits to coincide with the jammer coming through the pack. My issues with timing have always been somewhat extensive as it is not just how to execute your fundamentals, but when. If you come off the line with the rabidity of a pit bull only to find that you needed to allow the play to develop a little further you will no doubt meet frustration. The same goes for coming out lazy only to find the pack pulling away from you. One way to improve is to mentally prepare by visualizing different scenarios and how you will act appropriately. The key here is to have this done well in advance of game day so that you don't miss your opportunity by having to think about it while failing to act. Another way to prepare is to mix up the tempo of your workout so that your body is ready for whatever. Whatever you do make sure you remember the importance of timing.

Enjoy!

J

5 min warm up
Stretch
3x 12 alt db chest press
3x 12 upright rows
3x 12 jump squats
3x 12 back flys
2x 25 jackknifes
2x 25 straight leg crunches
5 min cool down
Stretch

Something That Nobody Wants To Admit

Most of us spend a fair amount of our time trying to appear as though everything is going very well. we want to come off as confident, well capable people who can handle any number of situations. The truth behind this facade that we put forth is that we are scared to death more often than we can admit. Fear is something that we all deal with differently and for that matter often don't recognize for what it is in the moment. I would venture that in every situation there is a measure of fear that we experience; some of them very insignificant and others overwhelming. This is something that has occurred to me more vividly in the recent past than at any other time in my life and looking back I can see many times that I confused my fears with anger or covered them with bravado. Now, more often than not, I see them for what they are. Basically I have identified two types of fear: Fear of something tangible and fear of the unknown. The first of these is not always a bad thing as long as you can be certain that it is validated fear. I think of this being the typical fight or flight response like when you have a jammer that is about to be crushed by a blocker. She should have enough fear of the collision that is about about to take place to decide whether to get out of the way or stand up to the hit. The second type of fear is the tricky one though because it is strictly an emotion. These are the fears and worries that feel as though we have no control over, often because the situations we are worrying about have not occurred and for that matter may never come to fruition. Am I going to get injured? Will I make the next all-star team? Am I able to do my best? Are my circumstances right? Am I "lucky" enough to... ? There is no answer for most of these questions when we begin to ask them because there is not enough information about them if there is any situation at all. As I have said before, the opposite of fear is love and we can probably all agree that roller derby is something we all love. A close friend of mine told me today that "Love is blind". I have always looked at this semantically as a negative thing meaning that I was overlooking some flaw that should have been clear because I was so enamored by it. He explained this common turn of phrase a little differently by saying " Love is having the faith to move forward even when you are stepping into The blindness of the unknown". This made complete sense to me with the concept of fear of the unknown and it's paralyzing abilities if left unchecked. To put a point on this rambling, don't get caught by fear but rather move forward remembering your love for something and pursuing it! Now here is a workout for you to build up some strength for the journey...

Enjoy!

J


5 min warm up
Stretch
3x 12 wide push ups
3x 12 db front raises
3x 12 stab. ball squats
3x 12 inverted rows
2x 25 neg. crunches
2x 25 stab ball crunches
2x 10 full pike crunches
5 min cooldown
Stretch

Workout With A Playlist

5 min warm up
Stretch
2x 15 single arm chest presses
2x 15 alternating overhead presses
2x 15 stationary backward lunges
2x 15 inverted rows
2x 15 box jumps
2x 60 sec planks
2x 25 reg crunches
5 min cool down
Stretch



Anna Sun- Walk The Moon
Cough Syrup- Young The Giant
Little Talks- Of Monsters and Men
It's Time- Imagine Dragons
Simple Math- Manchester Orchestra
Pure Morning- Placebo
Dancing On My Own- Robyn
A Million Miles Away- Plimsouls
Airplanes Part 2- B.O.B. feat Eminem
Punk Rock Girl- The Dead Milkmen
Call Me- Blondie
Runaway Baby- Bruno Mars

Enjoy!

J

Things To Remember

I have recently found myself very busy and letting some things fall through the cracks. Lack of time and increased stress has a tendency to diminish my ability to remember everything with perfect recall. For the most part, everything has remained intact but, ever the non-typical perfectionist, thats not gopd enough for me. Here are a few things I strongly recommend keeping in mind to help manage the rest:

Remember who you are.
Remember how you got here, where you came from, and where you are going.
Remember to let people know how much they mean to you.
Remember the fundamentals; the things that have made you what you are and continue to improve on them.
Remember to live the moment you are living.
Remember to have fun, to not be too serious, to laugh.
Remember that dancing is good for everyone whether they are good at it or not.
Remember to brush your teeth.
Remember the things that beneficially carry you through the day and don't neglect them.
Remember not to listen to much to the oona of others, even mine, but to find out for yourself.
Remember this is your life and it is all what you want to make it!

A new workout will be up Monday. Have a good weekend!

J

The Stigma

Who said that exercise has to be work? By nature there is exertion put forth, and it is commonly referred to as "working out", but does that make it work? Why can't exercise be looked at as fun? To answer the last question, it can and for that matter should be. If your idea of exercise is spending hours on end running on a hamster wheel in a gym that smells like sweat and cleaning products, then I get why this seems like work. It doesn't have to be that way though. For myself, my gym workouts rarely last more than twenty minutes these days. Sure there were years that I was there for two hours but that type of commitment is unnecessary for just staying healthy and looking great. The key to it all, especially cardio, is just to move. Studies have shown that you burn more calories cleaning a middle class home than you do jogging for an hour. The point is that as long as you are moving, your body will burn calories at an elevated rate, making it easier to build and maintain a body you desire. In actuality, most forms of cardio that don't involve a machine are far more beneficial for you. A few examples of this are anything that involves throwing, kicking, climbing, twisting, rowing, or jumping. Most activities involving the aforementioned activities resemble play rather than work. Try re-framing how you think about exercise and I will guess that it gets easier to want to do it. Just a few scattered thoughts...

J