Perspective

 "Sometimes you're the bug, sometimes you're the windshield"

This quote has been with me for so long but has just recently began to re-surface. Literally its meaning is so simple yet so deep. This phrase reminds me specifically of our perspective inside the gym, I'm talking about our performances day to day. Some days you will feel like you're on top of the world and others just a big bag of worthless shit. How do we respond to these days when we feel like crap? How do we respond to those MOMENTS when we fail? When things aren't going our way or when everything is just flat out not working to our liking? Are we throwing a fit? Frustrated? Mentally defeated? Yes, these may all be feelings that we experience but it doesn't mean we can let them show and let them affect us. 

If I learned anything from playing professional baseball it was to have a short memory. This translates to everything in life. The most successful people in our time are consistent. That means they are performing more times than not and that also means at times, their performance is shit. Do you think those rare instances keep them down? Nope. They instantaneously forget and move on. How they respond to failure is the catalyst to their future successes. It is how you respond to those days that you are "the bug" that will affect your current mood, attitude, mindset and even future performances.

Remember that your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions and your actions become your habit. Don't let something as simple as a missed snatch attempt, a failed PR or a slower Fran time affect yourself as an athlete. There are times where your 1-rep max feels like 75% and at times 125%. Everyday will be different and it is all relative to the moment. There are way too many important things in life and I can guaran-damn-tee you snatches, clean and jerks and "WODS" aren't one of them. Know your priorities and whats important to YOU. Don't let a shitty performance define who you are. Not everday is going to be a personal best day. If and when those days come, stay positive, confident, and continue onward. 

"Failure is the fertilizer that grows character. Strong character breeds success"

Hater-ade

Looking back on some of these blog posts, I see that my last entry was in August of 2011! What the hell is wrong with me for waiting this long to re-post something or anything intelligent, thought provoking or just insightful for that matter? I've said this time and time again, but I believe there are WAY too many excellent resources in this community not to fully take advantage of the wealth of information, knowledge or just plain instantaneous thought that exists in the social media world of our CrossFit community. I read athletes blogs constantly and take something away from them each and every time I go about perusing their paragraphs. Regardless of who that athlete is, games caliber, elite-shmilete or just a solid all around coach trying to better their clients, they all have something to say and for the most part, it's good shit.

So with that being said, I have made a committment to re-vitalize one of the best blogs ever created, voted on by my family. A lot has happened since my last post and I have promised myself to re-vamp Train Hard Live Smart more often, starting now and into the future. Whether thats weekly, monthly or occasionally, I promise there won't be a 2 year hiatus before the next post. Scout's honor.

I'm going to use this first post to bring to attention something that's been bothering me the past couple months. I am not usually one to speak my mind on videos that I see on the internet, facebook and twitter, but lately there has been a decent amount of posted "accomplishments" that have become a bit silly. I'm talking about all the snatch PRs that athletes are hitting with the help of straps. Now, is this really a PR? Granted, you did move the weight overhead and proceeded to stand up with it, showing full lockout, but would that qualify as a successful rep in an olympic weightlifting competition? CrossFit competition? Any competition?

I think straps are a great addition to a weightlifting program, but in the sense that they're used to optimize technique without having grip be an issue. For example, they can be used for multiple reps of the follwing: snatch deadlifts, snatch pulls, multiple position snatches, snatches for reps. These are all areas where grip is less of a priority than techmique, so we can utilize straps to aid in holding onto the bar, maximizing the speed and efficiency of our pulls. All without worrying about if you're going to drop the bar or not. I'm not a professional weightlifter nor coach on this topic, but what I can acclaim is I've snatched a load with straps and then attempted to snatch that same load without straps. Needless to say the weight slipped from my hands initiating my second pull. It's a world of difference, plain and simple.

So, with that being said, congrats to the lifts that are being completed with straps, the fact you completed that lift is a feat within itself, but if you are going to publicize and consider it a "PR", let's remove the training wheels. Nobody's deadlifting 500lbs off the ground with straps calling it a PR. That would just be silly. Here is some random dude using a bit of old fashioned grip strength, doing it right:

On another note, overhead squat "PRs" without actually having to jerk the bar overhead is not a PR. Let's be real. It's like saying we can all dunk a basketball as long as someone hoists us up to the rim. That's not dunking, that's just silly. This is a real PR...

Now obviously all of this is thrown out the window if your previous PR is also with the use of straps, that in fact would obviously be a PR, sorry for being an asshole. But if that's the case, you should probably build that grip and start lifting without straps more often. Just sayin'...

2011 Games

After coming back from the 2011 Crossfit Games out in Carson, California it's hard for me to believe that anyone present at this years games including the athletes, vendors, spectators, judges and volunteers wouldn't want to return year after year. This sport is amazing and it's only going to get better.

I knew nothing about crossfit before 2010 but with my recent infatuation and obsession with the sport, its not hard to see the kind of progress and incredible attention that it has gained over the past few years. Looking back on some footage from 2008, 09 and even last year and hearing some of the veteran athletes talk about previous games, its pretty clear to say that the crossfit games have completely evolved within a remarkably short period of time...and this is simply from the outsider viewing in.

It was truly an overwhelming experience. From showing up several days in advance only to have Dave Lipson greet you at athlete check in to receiving 20lbs of gear from Reebok which included personalized attire, shoes, sweatshirts and even sweet ass compression calve sleeves that I happen to be wearing as we speak. Why, because they're awesome.

Those first few days really gave me the chance to teeny bop on all the crossfit celebrities before shit got real and man did I seize the opportunity. I think I went up to every athlete and called them by name, sadly they did not know mine, but that was where I simply told it to them and by the weekends end I was certainly the most popular crossfitter inside the Home Depot Center. Fact.

The events prior to the first "real event" on Friday that were set up for the athletes were almost as sweet as a 210m open water swim. Tuesday night we all gathered at the Marriot ballroom to have a special dinner that included only the individual athletes and the HQ staff. The buffet consisted of possibly the healthiest selection of foods possible. But I mean really, what are you going to feed 100 of the fittest athletes in the world? Suprisingly though, there were blue cheese crumbles that Spencer Hendel seemed to be devouring. I followed in hopes of equating a similar food selection with a similar performance that weekend. I was wrong. Dude is not human. Period.

As the night continued, Dave Castro spoke and recollected on the past games speaking briefly but specifically on each of the individual champions and we all had the opportunity to stand up and introduce ourselves considering we'd be spending most of the next week together. I stood up and said that it was my first games and that it was a privilege to be able to compete this weekend with the world's greatest athletes. It really was incredible to be in the same room with the type of athletes that were present. Everyone was so nice and so cool, very down to earth and real like J Lo.

Wednesday and Thursday were a bit more formal and consisted of some decently long hours spent at the Home Depot Center going over some prerequisites to the competition like standards, movements, a swim test and some cool media interviews. Before you knew it, Friday had come and the 2011 Crossfit Games had truly begun.

The events were extremely unique and ingeniously programmed. Just looking back at some of the workouts from the previous games, it seemed like the programming continued to evolve along with everything else. This year, workouts consisted of a higher technicality of skills and play intertwined within traditional style crossfit workouts making for 10 very uniquely varied WODS. From open water swims to sand runs to handstand walks, L-sits, softball throws, rope climbs, monkey bars and farmers carries, to say that the Crossfit Games was searching for the most athletic along with the world's fittest would be a statement not far from the truth. It was quite an experience to just observe the way some of these athletes went about their preparatory routines and pre-workout rituals. Superstitions wouldn't be the right word, but rather a simple warm-up routine that you could tell had been repeated over and over again in which would best prepare the athlete for success in whatever unknown lied ahead.

You'd be surprised how much technique and strategy went into some of the movements. With the announcement of the workouts literally an hour before the first heat began, it left little time for any true strategy to take place, so you saw a lot of guys feeding off one anothers tactics within their individual heats as well as exchanging practical advice that would assist in their own upcoming heats. That is why you can't beat this sport. Never will you see in any other sport, the type of camaraderie and companionship like that found in crossfit. Guys completing workouts high five-ing one's that are on their way to finishing, guys staying on the field after finishing cheering on the other competitors as they do the same, hugs, handshakes, exchanging of techniques and strategies. The competition is really only a small aspect of what Crossfit is as a big picture. It's meaning goes beyond fitness.


Last but not least, my support crew, my fam and my friends that came out to support me while I put my fitness to the test. They knew how much it meant to me to be there and they knew it meant just as much to have each and every one of them there in my corner. I wouldn't want anyone else there to share the experience with (except 1 who couldn't make it out, you know who you are!) and I certainly wouldn't want anyone else there to watch me punish my body like I did all weekend. You guys know who you are and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your support, encouragement and sheer presence of being. Sometimes support can be overlooked and taken for granted but not here. I want all you guys to know that everything you do is appreciated and it's the relationships developed with people like you that make life's accomplishments more enjoyable.

Overall, an unbelievable experience. I certainly learned a lot and can take that with me into 2012. I can't speak for everyone but it's an honor and a true privilege to compete at that level, the money's not what it's about. It's amazing being out there in that atmosphere because you realize you never want to miss an opportunity of getting back. Makes you hungry...real hungry. Until next time folks.

-Aja

Recap and Respect

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to take a small break from school to go and put myself on the pain train for a few days. I don't know if it can get much better than that. Not only was I able to participate in the 2011 South Central Regionals but I also had the opportunity to be with my family and close friends that I've missed so dearly in the past month or so.

I must commend all the participants this past weekend. The female individuals, male individuals, and team competitors did an outstanding job not only competing but enduring that Texas heat and showing unreal acts of camaraderie and sportsmanship. I can't forget about the judges, media team and staff volunteers as without you guys this event wouldn't have run as smoothly as it did.

First and foremost I want to congratulate Zeph Littleton and Andy Lewis, you guys were awesome and there is no one more deserving than the two of you.

I also want to thank everyone who came out to support me this past weekend. I met a lot of new faces and am overwhelmed with the support and community that exists in the South Central regional. It was an honor to simply be in the same area as all of the athletes competing. Congratulations to everyone that participated and a special congrats to the Crossfit West Houston athletes who really came in this year and did nothing but live up to their potential and open some serious eyes.

Leah Shullenberger placed 9th in her first standard competition. The girl was second guessing competing a few months out of sectionals, now she's the 9th fittest woman in the region. Sorry bout it.

The Crossfit West Houston team of Ryan Hopkins, Kristen Mullen, Garrett LeFevre, Papi Bejarano, Steph D, and Tricia Jackon did nothing but impress and represent West Houston to the fullest. They ended up taking 8th out of about 30 nasty teams in the region. Big ups to all of them as they truly left it all out there and showed what they were capable of.

And last but not least how can I forget about my brother, the big behemoth, Aryan Barto. The dude did nothing but impress all weekend. So inspiring to watch a guy his size move the way he does. He came into the weekend an unknown just wanting to have a "good time" and left with everyone knowing his name. He's big, he's fast, he's strong and he wears shirts with loosened neck ties. The dude keeps it casual but obviously from this weekend, he means business. It was a real treat to be able to share the floor with him on Day 3 and I have no doubt in my mind that he will be in contention for a podium position in the years to come.

Props to Bayou City Crossfit as they put one heck of a team together. An unreal balance of strength, speed and skill made for one heck of a team that will be fun to root for out in Cali at the end of July.

These competitions that come around every so often are a beautiful thing. It's not so much about going toe-to-toe with the fittest athletes that Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi has to offer but it's about the time spent with them in between workouts. The time spent just picking each other's brains, laughing, shooting the shit and having a great time is what I look forward to the most. What makes these athletes so valuable is that they're damn good people. I can't emphasize how great it was to catch up with all the old faces and meet a ton of new ones and I look forward to what the future holds for us all.

I want to give a special thanks out to my family. I love you guys and thanks for everything you do for me. Big Robert Exline and my West Houston family, thanks for coming out to show your support, I miss you guys dearly and wish you all the best. My newly acquired Crossfit NOLA crew, you guys killed it and I'm so proud of you guys. Syn and the NWA crew for the awesomely controversial gear that I will never stop rockin'. And lastly thanks again to everyone else for all the kind words, gestures and support that you showed my brother and I all weekend, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Crossfit would not be crossfit without you guys.

With that being said, I've taken a few days down to recover and by recover I mean not doing shit. I'm trying to let my body heal up a bit before I get back on the grind and get this thing going. I'm really looking forward to representing the South Central region out in Cali at the end of July. I really believe we've got some heavy hitters and I know this is the year we're going to make a name for ourselves. I'm going to do everything in my power to best prepare myself to compete against the best come July. I'm hungry to prove myself and ready to lay it all on the line for the South Central.

Here's an interview I did with ESPN 97.5 on Day 2: https://rcpt.yousendit.com/1153581145/9610a6fbaf8fa8aa481b32cd9fa2c765

Article on the Games site...

Big thanks to Allison Scahill for an excellent interview and write-up!


http://games.crossfit.com/features/going-flow-aja-barto

Are you hydrating properly? Enough? At all?

(Updated as of July 2, 2014)

HYDRATION is our valuable topic for this post. I know a lot of you at the box have heard Aryan and I talking about the importance of this topic and I'm hoping the majority (hopefully all) of you guys are applying this delicate information to your everyday lives. As the summer's hottest months approach, the temperature and humidity are skyrocketing and as we slowly melt away within our workouts, we begin to lose much more of our fluids then I bet we're taking in. 

One of the biggest cause for concerns that we see is just overall hydration in general. Just like sleep and caloric intake, we don't believe you guys are REALLY getting enough. We will break this up into 3 hydration components, pre, during, and post.

1. PRE - this is before you guys come in the gym. Lots of you have desk jobs and some of you have more active jobs. If you are sitting at a desk all day long, you should look to be hydrating consistently throughout your time there at the office. A good gauge is to be working towards 1/2 your bodyweight in fluid ounces (read more below). Those with more active jobs where you are up and walking around, outside, sweating, for every hour you are being "active", I'd add in 16 ounces. A little bit more is better here.

2. DURING - this is during the workout. Take note at what kind of "sweater" you are. If your drenched during our arm swings in the warm-up, then start hydrating early and throughout the hour session. I'd recommend a MINIMUM of 3-5 water bottles during your time at that class. Break it up throughout the hour and don't just take it in when you need it. Remember, if we are "thirsty" most likely we are already experiencing de-hydration. Really stay on top of yourself to drink water throughout the class period, even if you have to force yourself to do so. Drinking 1 bottle of water throughout the class just isn't cutting it. If you guys are using NUUN tabs, a good gauge is about 1-2 throughout your time at the gym. Just drop it in your water, let it dissolve, then drink.

3. POST - this is after your session, once in the car and at home. This is an optimal window for us to not only get nutrients in post-exercise (protein and carbs), but to begin our recovery process. Plain and simple, we need to replenish what we lost during our exercise. This will be a good time to add some salt to our food or even our water so that what we are drinking isn't just going straight through us. This goes for throughout the day as well, if you are pissing every 30 minutes, toss some sea salt or a NUUN tab in your next water so its not just running through you. Most importantly, we want to retain our fluids, there are some good examples below for further guidance.

Overall de-hydration can be a huge detriment to our performance and simply our overall health. Let's take a look at how important water and proper hydration can be:

-We can live 4x longer without food than without water.

-Our bodies are 70% water

-Every cell, tissue and organ within our bodies needs water to function properly.

-Water aids in our bodies temperature regulation, joint lubrication, digestion, nutrient absorption, waste disposal, heat dispersion, almost every damn thing our body does, water assists.

-Dehydration is even sometimes and MOST LIKELY the culprit for everyday physical nuisances such as:

-Sleepiness

-Fatigue/exhaustion

-Extreme thirst and/or hunger

-Headaches

-Dizziness/light-headed

These are just a few examples of how water works within our bodies. This list could literally go on forever. Don't wait until you're experiencing some of these symptoms before you begin to hydrate. Start early and continue to fill er' up. If you're wondering how much water to consume throughout the day, take your body weight (BW) divide it by 2 and take in that many fluid ounces of water DAILY.

For example, a 200lb man would need to consume 100 fluid ounces of water a day. Now, this only pertains to non-training days, continue reading for training day RE-hydration.

If H20 intake and proper hydration is this critical when it comes to everyday life, imagine how vital it must be to us fellow athletes and crossfitters? We tend to be much more active than the typical human being. We damn near base our lives around activity. If we're not properly hydrated, the symptoms I listed above are the least of our worries. Dehydration not only magnifies the problems I've listed above, but de-hydration also affects our overall physical and mental performance. A 2-3% dehydration rate can affect our performance by 10%. Let me say that one more time. 2-3% dehydration rate can affect our performance by 10%. Wonder why you are sucking it up today? Yep, you know the answer.

"But coach, I've drank a ton of water today!" A cup at breakfast and two water bottles downed before 5pm isn't sufficient...unless you are an 80lb, sedentary 12 year old. Remember, a good gauge is half your bodyweight in fluid ounces for a MINIMUM amount of water consumption for the day. I'd even go as far as to say this is MINIMUM for someone who sits inside at a desk, all day long with 0 activity.

So moving on, hopefully we've been hydrating throughout the day AND if we plan to exercise later on, preparing our bodies for whatever physical activity lies ahead. But, when we're talking about training, we don't just lose water when we sweat. We lose a lot more than that, with one of the most important elements being electrolytes. This is what leads to muscle cramps, fatigue and sometimes full body shut down. Sometimes when the heat approaches rapidly, our bodies really aren't acclimated to the conditions and it can sometimes be overwhelming in the beginning. Our sweat rate can get out of control and that means we lose more fluids and more fluids faster.

Here's an easy way to find out how much you're actually losing during your workouts. Hop on a scale NAKED before your workout, then simply hop on a scale NAKED after your workout. Take the total lb's lost and for every lb lost, drink 16 oz of water. So, 4 lbs lost = 64 oz of water. This is consumed ON TOP of our daily intake.

We can initially best prep our body to avoid these downfalls by hydrating properly (1/2 body weight in fluid ounces daily) and by also replenishing our electrolytes post exercise or sometimes, depending on the duration of our activity, during exercise and between exercise, which I would reccomend.

Most potent electrolyte loss begins when you're 90 minutes into activity (anywhere between 500-2000mg). Now, this can all change with the intensity of the activity and how much you are actually sweating. So, you're sweat rate will determine how much you're actually losing. If you look like you just took a shower in your clothes post-warm-up, then you better believe you're losing a lot and you better be replenishing. 

Here are a few simple solutions:

- Salt sticks (here at amazon.com, to be honest, these may be best bang for your buck, just purchased some of these, have been taking 1 capsule every 30-60 minutes and has been working well) - during/post

- Electrolyte tablets (NUUN tabs - this is going to be your best deal, don't buy them in the store as they are incredibly pricy) - throughout day/during/post

- Coconut water/juice (try and find an asian market, be sure to read ingredient list for 100% young coconut juice!) - during/post

- Ice water with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of sea salt - throughout the day

- Pickle juice (Picklepower.com, this stuff isn't for the faint of heart but LEGIT stuff) - post

With the NUUNs tabs, you can break those up and drop them in your water. They'll dissolve and replenish. These are really good throughout the day and during your workout. Salt sticks you can just throw back with some H2O, again, good here during the workout. Try the coconut water post-exercise. I've even tried a scoop of protein with coconut water and it tastes really good. It also serves as a decent protein/carbohydrate recovery beverage with a close 1:1 ratio of protein to carbs.

If you haven't heard, pickle juice is an excellent combative against muscle cramping. Possibly the best. With one of it's main ingredients being vinegar, pickle juice seems to do the trick better than any other water or sports drink in replenishing electrolytes and mineral replacement in the muscles. It's a fermented drink that has digestive and vitamin-enhancing benefits without the sweeteners, additives and processing like it's sugary counterparts (Gatorade/Powerade). The pickle juice sounds interesting. I have yet to try it but have only heard good things. Apparently they distribute to HEB! To be honest, I've tried the pickle juice and it certainly isn't pleasant. This should maybe be an "all else fails" option or maybe for extreme de-hydration, but if you prep early throughout the day, during your workout and afterwards, this option won't be necessary. FYI I'm pretty sure I've seen a pickle juice snow cone at Bahama Bucks as well!(http://www.picklepower.com/)

So, soak it all up and start drinking early. Replenish you're fluids on training days and if you're prone to cramping and excessive sweating, drink a gallon of pickle juice.

Train hard live smart gets deep...

Just a thought...

If and when we're lying on our death bed what do you think will be our final thoughts? Our final requests? Our final wishes? Few of us are likely to say that we wish we had accumulated more material things any more than we are likely to wish we had spent more time working at the office. Step past self-imposed limitations and create a life that is truly desirable. Don't settle. Don't go through the motions. Live life to the fullest because you only live once. This life is much too short to wonder what if.

"Stop wondering if you can and understand that achieving is as simple as trying"