Hard work wins and the proof is in the results. We are all very proud of you guys.

From 'FYF' 8-24-12. Have a membership gives you access to 'FYF' videos.

Going hard hurts. In a good way of course.

Results for the relay above. The rules for the "Triathlon" team relay tonight were simple. Two, three man teams. One player does the 500m SkiErg then tags the next player who is on the AirDyne for 50 calories who tags the player on the rower for 500m. This is done three total times with each player getting a turn on each station. Today Jamie did the SkiErg in the first race, Michael did the AirDyne, and I did the Row. In the second race I was on the SkiErg, Jamie was on the AirDyne, and Michael was on the Rower. For the third it was Michael skiing, me on the AirDyne, and Jamie on the Rower. The other team consisting of Cody, McKean, and Enele did the same.

Straight Axle Bar

A new program entitled "Operator Fitness II" has been posted to the training section. it is available for Full Members Only.

An extraordinary effort by Nate today but he fell slightly short of his goal. He will get a rematch soon.

Preston was able to hit a new PR today on the AirDyne. It seems he hits a new PR every time he trains but I shouldn't be surprised. He is as focussed as anyone I have ever trained. Where he really shines is his focus outside of the gym. Showing up to the gym and being 'trained' is the easy part. The difficult part is going to bed on time, staying on top of recovery practices, eating well, keeping a log, etc. In other words "paying attention all of the time". With continued dedication he will continue to improve and continue to represent the standard.

A little teamwork was required for today's 'FYF'

One of the benefits of having a membership is access to our video library.

A new program entitled "Foundation (High Level II)" has been posted. It is available to Full Members only.

If you pay attention, work hard, and do things the right way without taking shortcuts then good things will happen. The formula isn't complicated but it is one that most people aren't willing to follow.

When it comes to getting strong you can do all the work you want but you must also rest.

On a job like this the long term satisfaction comes from seeing the work we have done appear on the screen, and in the way some of our students change their lives forever after having passed through this crucible. Short term satisfaction comes from the relationships we build during the process and from seeing the trainees we reach overcome themselves to do more work than they believed they could do. The relationships we build in the immediate often lead to long friendship, and ultimately this is why I do these jobs. Of course, I want to test what I have learned, and what I know, which makes me accept the work. But the coach-client relationship is really a teacher-student-teacher feedback loop that often has me learning as much as I am teaching. And this is why I am here.

The SL Squat

Jason South on the Podium at the 2012 IBJJF Masters & Senior World Championships

When you jump into every pull it allows bodyweight to spin the fan before any muscle is engaged ... but it's a Frog Hop with every cycle and after having done a fair amount of jumping earlier in the session the return on investment is as spectacular as it is brief.

Blaster bars

Iron Man decided to drop by tonight's FYF

Grip work

Today on the Members Site we posted a few workouts involving Dead Stop Back Squats, Goblet Squats, and Rowing Intervals.

When in doubt do some Farmer Carries

Racking the bar after the 100 Squat Challenge is eye-opening.

Purposeful, meaningful, practice. There's no other way.

Today on the Member's Site we posted four workouts. Two intervals workouts involving the SkiErg and the Rower, a strength workout, and a power endurance workout that utilized the AirDyne, KTE, Slosh Pipe, and KB Swings.

Today the guys in the gym did some Dead Stop Back Squats. Details are on the Member's site.

Sometimes it takes words and pressure and an example to help guys get through the work. 300 seconds of FLR on the rings offers many opportunities for the voice that says "quit" to win the negotiation. My job is to make sure it doesn't. Photo shot and mastered by @ClayEnos.

If you have a weakness and want to fix it the path isn't very complicated. Just work on it all the time. The single most important advice I can give to a person in the gym is to "take your weaknesses and work on them every single day". Pretty soon they won't be weaknesses anymore. It can be as simple as doing reps before every workout. As I stated before it isn't complicated. Maybe just difficult.

Jump...

One of the benefits of being a member is access to our video library.

Mountain Climber

The load must be heavy enough to enforce presence, to slow the pace, and to accumulate to a near-breaking point by the final set.

Last Night's FYF

One of the benefits of being a member is access to our video library.

At the end of the session be careful where you collapse because a photograph might imply you had your ass kicked by 5# DBs. Better yet, don't collapse at all.

"The Moment"

Rob Jones and his partner Oksana Masters.

There were a lot of Breathing Ladders done last week. We proposed both "hard" and "recovery" options. Invariably trainees chose the hard option. Clay went for a 1-15-1 ladder of Front Squat Push Press @ 2x25# DBs. t seems fine when you say it, when you choose the weights ... then, later, it seems like a fairly bad idea.

A great way to end the week

The 2012 Advanced Seminar Group

John Frieh using a Deadlift Rack Pull technique was able to hit a new Deadlift PR of 515#

Pieter made the trip to the Advanced Seminar from England. It is wonderful to see him here again.

Enele worked the Deadlift last last week and the practice exposed his weak point: he could pull more weight when the plates were sitting on 4" blocks than he could when the plates were on the floor. Being tall is disadvantageous for leverage in the fully compressed position but once the bar gets moving those long levers are an asset.

The "Triathlon"

Embarking on a new Deadlift Program

There were a lot of smiles in the gym tonight. A few of them stayed. Most disappeared.

"When you said Upper Body I didn't know you meant LUNGS."

When the smooth layer of fat disappears, the results of hard work are apparent. In the context of movie aesthetics leanness shows a dedication and discipline that size alone does not convey. And it is usually a sign of deeper commitment to the craft.

Brad, from Project Deliverance, is one of our assistants at the "Fundamentals" seminar this weekend. It's good to have a seminar participant back in a more formal role. It is incredible to witness first hand what they have learned since we first met them.

Mark sent tonight's workout over from Bulgaria. I was more than happy to give it to our friends visiting tonight especially our good friend Matt Owen from Project Deliverance.

There are a lot of changes. Look around.

"300FY" has become "400FY"

Clay's strength threshold for the DL is high (175# is only 40% of his 1RM) so these were easy. But the O2 demand caught up after six minutes. And any weight feels too heavy when there isn't enough air.

The psychological trumps all else

Let's Make A Deal

Great work Big Stew

A few seconds improvement can take months of work.

One of the workouts from last night's 'FYF'. The others are posted on the Salvation Site.

Single Leg Squat

Always leading by example. Congrats Johnny.