Bound News 5/16/2022
"Your experiences today will depend on your vulnerability....." James Clear, some speech he gave
Face it, you and I have a routine, and don't get me wrong routines and discipline are great. Both, bring out the best in us and give us direction and focus in our daily lives. But, doing the same thing day in and day out can be detrimental to our brains. In a study, doctors took a group of rats and divided them into two groups. One group of rats was given the same stimulus every day - they were released into the same enclosures, fed the same meals, and completed the same tasks daily. The 2nd group of rats was given different enclosures, fed different meals, and provided with a variety of problem-solving activities. What the doctors were trying to connect was the neural pathways between our prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a central role in cognitive control functions, and dopamine in the PFC modulates cognitive control, thereby influencing attention, impulse inhibition, prospective memory, and cognitive flexibility.
The Hippocampus is a complex brain structure embedded deep into the temporal lobe. It has a major role in learning and memory.
As you can guess, the rats that were given the same stimulus daily showed a decrease in brain activity and connections between the PFC and Hippocampus, than the rats given a new stimulus on a daily basis. What they concluded was that by challenging the rats with new stimuli the rats became better problem solvers and were able to adapt to their environments quicker than the rats that were given the same stimulus daily.
How does this pertain to us? We'll think about your day. You probably have a certain time you wake up, a certain routine in the morning with your families or getting ready for work, same breakfast, same lunch (or close to it), speak to the same people, take the same roads to and from work, you get the picture. Many of us are stuck in our comfort zone. Judith Bardwick says in her 1991 work Danger in the Comfort Zone: “The comfort zone is a behavioral state within which a person operates in an anxiety-neutral condition, using a limited set of behaviors to deliver a steady level of performance, usually without a sense of risk.” Within the comfort zone, there isn’t much incentive for people to reach new heights of performance. It’s here that people go about routines devoid of risk, causing their progress to plateau. Check out the 4 zones below.
Comfort - Fear - Learning - Growth
So how do we leave our comfort zone? Well, it sounds easy but in reality, it's quite challenging because of fear. More so by trying new things we have a feeling of being exposed and vulnerable. You can probably think of other reasons why you talk yourself out of new experiences. The fact is we need new experiences to grow. We need new goals and a vision to push us from the comfort zone into the fear zone. This will make us learn new skills, push our bodies and our minds to figure out the next step or new skill to succeed, then move unto the next goal.
Hero Month and what we do is all about new experiences, pushing our personal limits physically, mentally, spiritually, and socially. Setting new goals that seem out of reach but somehow trying to reach those goals we become better daily. Don't be afraid to push yourself cause in the end, you'll realize that most of what you think is impossible is quite easy once you set the mark you want to hit, eliminate all the distractions around you, face adversity, there is where you grow.
Bound Radio with Joanne Gossman
Joanne is full of life and gives nothing but positive energy. You know she's a thermostat when she walks into the room her positive energy is contagious and everyone levels up.
I'm thankful to have her own the podcast.
Bragging Board
We recently had 5 students graduate from Kennesaw State University. Big congratulations go out to all of them!
In the gym, we've had several PRs but not many of you are writing them down :( Your personal bests are important to celebrate. Be your biggest cheerleader :)
- Jussara Vincent 100lb Thruster for 2 reps
- Jennifer Valentine 1st Rope Climb
- Jamie Spratlin over a 1 min PR on Jerry
- Raquel Freitas put a 10 min PR on Jerry as well!
What's going on in the gym?
Another big shoutout to everyone kicking ass this month. Last week's program involved a lot of running and work, this week will be challenging but rewarding. Keep up the great work!
Right around the corner, we have some changes coming that I've been mentioning the past few weeks.
-Barbells and Brews class starts on Friday, June 3rd at 5 pm (we are dropping the 6:30 pm class on Fridays)
-Free Kids class this Saturday, May 21st with Emily Waldrep at 9 am. Classes begin Tuesday, June 7th at 9 am and will run on Tuesday and Thursdays during that time.
-Gymnastics Course on Handstands begins June 2nd and meets every Thursday for the month of June from 6:15-7 pm.
Journal Article of the Week - Defining CrossFit series *part 3 - Variance
Defining CrossFit, Part 3: Variance
The goal of CrossFit is to create a broad, general, and inclusive fitness: fitness with a general physical capacity that lends itself well to any and all contingencies; the likely and unlikely; the known, unknown, and unknowable. It is not enough to develop one capacity at the expense of any or all others. We do not just want you to be good in the gym or at one physical task; we want you to be good at life, sport, combat, and everywhere, at any time, for any duration, and in any environment. Achieving that requires variance.
We fail at the margins of our experience. This means that what, where, and how you train regularly determines your strengths but also develops the blueprint for your weaknesses. For example, if you only train low reps and heavy on certain days and cardio on others, you will find yourself at a distinct disadvantage when you pick up something heavy and run with it at the same time. Or, if you only ever stay in the 8- to 12-rep range, you will be at a disadvantage at anything outside that range. Or perhaps more relevant to CrossFitters, if you only ever train with a barbell, you will likely find any workout using dumbbells to be well outside your wheelhouse.
Since we are training for the unknown and unknowable (also known as life), we train in accordance with nature. Nature has no regard for the superficial distinctions we place on the physical tasks within a gym environment. Life outside the gym does not occur in expected set rep ranges or prescribed combinations of movements. If we do not train to vary as many factors as possible as often as possible, we will find ourselves woefully inadequate in the face of life’s challenges. Whether these challenges are excelling at sport, picking up a grandchild quickly to avoid danger, foisting a suitcase into the overhead bin, quickly getting up and over a fence because you’re being chased by an angry dog, or sprinting or buddy carrying to get help in an emergency, variance is the optimal strategy......
Continue reading this and the other articles relating to Defining CrossFit Journal articles by clicking the link below
Upcoming Workouts this Week
- Coffee
- Nickman
- Benjamin Reddy
- Nate
- Hoopes
- Hamilton
BPs List (What I'm reading, listening to, jiving to, etc)
- I have not read "Atomic Habits" by James Clear YET. But it's on my list. Some days/weeks I spend a lot of time in my vehicle so I listen to podcasts or youtube talks. I came across James' video 'The Surprising Power of Small Habits | James Clear | SNAPS Leadership Conference' and was blown away at how he presented his material. It's stuff we think about all the time but the way he organizes and presents brings what we knew all along to life. Now, this is long - 50 minutes - but worth it!
Go HERE to listen/watch
- 'Best of You' by Foo Fighters. This song goes way back to the early 2000s and throughout the years has helped me get through tough times. Below, you will read a portion of this song. Now they talk about breaking free from a person, but for me these chains can be anything holding you down, keeping you from moving forward. You've got to make the choice to resist or be the victim....time to break free from your chains and move forward
Everyone's got their chains to break
Holding you
Were you born to resist or be abused
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you
Full Song HERE
- "You should examine yourself daily. If you find faults, you should correct them.
When you find none, you should try even harder." - Xi Zhi, philosopher.
Remember to sign up for your Athlete Check-in / Goal Review Session if you haven't been in to see a coach in 2-3 months. This is an absolutely free service we provide you with your membership. Take the time to make sure you are staying on track with your personal goals. Allow our professional coaches to help you set and reach that next goal.
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Stay Strong Stay Courageous,
Brandon Phillips