Don't Let Them Steal Your Dream

No one can make you feel inferior without YOUR permission.

Is someone trying to knock you down? Are they jealous and think the only way to succeed is if you don't? Are there people that don't want you to succeed?

You BETTER BELIEVE that these people do and will exist in your life! They are lurking behind unsuspecting doors like a cockroach.

You probably think they are nice, ordinary people, but you don't know their thoughts.

Be careful who you share your dream with, because 99% of the people out there do not want to see you succeed because they think that if there is more for you than that means less for them.

The truth is there is more than enough to go around. We live in ABUNDANCE in this world.

If someone is trying to steal your dream. If they are putting you down. Telling you "You can't do it. What makes you think you'll succeed? That's too hard for you."

Look them in the eye and say "OF COURSE I CAN!"

Then shut the door on them and they leave and new champions walk into your life!

DON'T LET ANYONE STEAL YOUR DREAM! 

Don't Get COOKED in the Squat

When I was younger my mother was cooking biscuits. She pulled them out of the oven. One batch was no thicker than a quarter. I asked her, “What happened to them?” She told me, “You know those biscuits squatted to rise...this just ended up getting COOKED IN THE SQUAT.”

Ever had someone tell you this story?...

...I want to do it, I really do but you know what...

...right now is football season and you know you have to support the team, you just can’t start something new in the fall. Just let me get through this season and then I’ll start, just as soon as my schedule clears up...

...a few months go by...

...You know I know I said I would start, but right now is not a good time. Don’t get me wrong, I am serious about this, I am ready to do it, but you don’t understand, the holidays are coming up and there is just so much work to do around the holidays. Just let me get through the holidays and I will...

...a few months go by...

...you know the holidays are over but isn’t this the strangest weather we ever had? I can’t start something new with this weather, I just want to wait for the right time to start. Just wait until this weather clears up THEN I will get started and everything will be set and I can start right. You just don’t understand what this weather does to me...

...a few months go by...

...You know its spring time and Easter is coming up and spring is just so busy with the kids and I have so much going on. As soon as summer starts I will get started. Summer is the right time to start. No I WANT to do it, I just CAN’T right now. You don’t understand my busy schedule. Just give me a few more weeks and then I’ll be ready. In a few weeks, the time will be right for me to start...

...a few months go by...

...You know I’ve been so busy this past year I need to take some time to relax. You said yourself you can’t work all the time, you have to take some time off and take some time to yourself. Just let me hit the golf course and clear my head. THEN I’ll be ready to start...

...a few months go by...

...You know football season is coming up again and you know you have to support the team, you just can’t start something new in the fall...

...Ever heard that story?...

...or Someone who always NEEDS to start TOMORROW?...

...Well guess what?...

...Tomorrow NEVER COMES...

...Tomorrow WILL ALWAYS BE TOMORROW...

...it will NEVER BE TODAY...

...Those who are:

...The GONNA-DOERS...

...or ones who wait for the kids to move out...

...or wait for the weather to clear up...

...will always end up...

...getting COOKED IN THE SQUAT!...

...Don’t let yourself get COOKED IN THE SQUAT...

...Get started on your goals TODAY!...

...RIGHT NOW!...

...Why are you still reading this?...

...Go!...

...START!...

...YOU CAN DO IT...

...AND YOU WILL DO IT...

...NOW :)

Injury Prevention/Recovery Guide

Injuries happen. They happen to the best of us. They are not common, not uncommon either.

Does this mean you should stop doing CrossFit workouts?

Well, have you ever stopped eating after having a bad meal?

Did you stop dating after a bad relationship?

Did you quit school after missing a few questions on a big test?

It's nothing of which to be afraid. I can't promise you will feel good 100% of the time. You can't start CrossFit and expect to lose all that weight or gain all that muscle you've been waiting for without any hurdles. What I can virtually gaurantee you is this...CrossFit you will get results fast with a program that is safer than going out to the basketball court or getting in your car to drive.

So what do you do to prevent or recover from injury?

Here is a INJURY PREVENTION/RECOVERY guide.

By the way, if you have been injured at CrossFit, I wish you a speedy and safe recovery. We want to work WITH you. Please use this INJURY PREVENTION/RECOVERY guide as an inspiration to get better!

I have experienced injury myself when I was doing a max lift several months ago...

...I wanted that new PR, I went over my max by 5 pounds, put it up, felt something in my shoulder, and dropped the weight, unsuccessfully completing the lift...

...I put the weight up a second time and dropped it again, this time bending over in agony, my shoulder was in pain, I had completely dislocated my shoulder and couldn't move it...

I had a CrossFit competition only a month later and needed to be ready for it, so what did I do?

I SLOWED DOWN the INTENSITY for a FEW WEEKS and went LIGHTER on the movements that hurt my INJURED SHOULDER.

However, I DID NOT QUIT. I saw the injury as nothing more than a learning experience. A roadblock that I would use as a stepping stone to success, because the only way to the top is to climb there.

I took it easy on everything overhead, only using a PVC or the barbell and slowly got the weight back up. I participated in the competition a month later, taking 33rd place and completing 73 Overhead Squats with 95 pounds in one of the workouts, placing higher than half the men in my division. A MONTH AFTER POPPING MY SHOULDER OUT OF PLACE.

Why?

Because sometime a hurdle will appear to make you stop and think..."wait, slow down, the weight will come in time, I need to focus on my form and strengthening my body first." And that's exactly what I did, I strengthened my shoulder so that now it was back to normal. BUT DID I BLAME CROSSFIT? NO! IT WAS A RESULT OF MY OWN DOING THAT CAUSED THAT INJURY. CrossFit has made me who I am today, a strong, fit individual who stands out in a crowd.

At CrossFit, we understand that it is both our Coach's and Your Responsibility to prevent and rebhabilitate injuries. We want to work with you, but in order for that to happen we need you to take responsibility for yourself and agree to take the necessary steps to ensure a safe, functional program.

THE INJURY PREVENTION/RECOVERY GUIDE

1. Nutrition. Believe it or not, what you eat is what you put out. Those aches and pains in your body? Yes, they are the result of not only your workouts, but also your diet. Here's what to do:

-Eat Meats & Vegetables, Nuts & Seeds, Some Fruit, Little Starch, and No Sugar. No Dairy. Very little of any grain. No processed foods of any kind.

-Stay away from the freezer and canned aisle, SHOP the perimeter of the grocery store. Buy only fresh, organic, unprocessed foods. Your meat should come fresh, not packaged. For the best, go to a farm and buy GRASS FED and FREE RANGE Chicken.

-Supplements. You should be taking healthy, organic, natural vitamins and minerals. Shop around online for these. DO NOT go to Vitamin World or GNC. We have some amazing fish oil and protein from SFH at CrossFit. We only recommend and sell it because we take it ourselves.

2. Rest. Are you sleeping 8 hours at night uninterrupted? Are you taking time for YOU? and YOU ONLY? You must spend time sharpening your axe and resting your body!

3. Warm-up and Cool-down. We don't do enough of it in class because there isn't always time and everyone needs their own warm-ups and cool-downs. Know your weaknesses. Do you have a tweaked shoulder? STRETCH IT! Stretch it frequent and often, before, after, and during the workout. Come early to warm-up and stay late to cool down. Do some light movements at home on your off days, even if it isn't a full workout. Use our body weight workout guide to do workouts at home. (You can always find one that won't hurt you when you're injured)

4. Stick to it! Part of CrossFit is getting all around fit so that our body can take any type of physical activity that may come our way today, tomorrow, and when we are 80, 90, or 100 years old! By engaging in ALL of our movements and workouts in some form or another (even if its scaled) you will strengthen the body in more ways than one so that you heal fast and prevent the major and minor things that plague the sedentary population.

5. See a GOOD doctor. That's not just any doctor. Doctors prescribing drugs and radiation should be avoided. And by the way, if you're really sore from a workout, you don't need a doctor, you just need ice, rest, light movement, and the proper diet. We HIGHLY recommend a Natural-Path doctor.  We also HIGHLY recommend NaturalCures.com, a great resource for NATURAL cures to virtually any illness, disease, or injury.

6. Mentally Prepare Yourself. The methods to accomplish this are different for everyone. Pray. Mediatate. Rectite your Mantra. Whichever works for you, do it! 99% percent of injuries are ALL IN THE MIND. Refuse to have pain and YOU WON'T! First off, DO NOT WORRY about your injury. Worry is negative goal setting and only makes matters worse. Psychologists say that 99% of everything we worry about will NEVER happen. We recommend the following books to help you with this:

-The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

-The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

-The Magic of Believing by Claude M. Bristol

-Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz

7. Tell Us. We will work with you. Just as we scaled the workouts when you were a beginner (or still do), we will scale the workouts when you are injured. It may take you a little while to come back to full speed (1-6 months), but it WILL HAPPEN and YOU CAN DO IT. As long as you are willing to work at it and do our modified workouts to modify and strengthen your injured area.

We hope this helps. If you are healthy, use this INJURY PREVENTION/RECOVERY guide! If you are worried about injury, use this INJURY PREVENTION/RECOVERY guide! We pray that you will never be injured, but in case you are, use this INJURY PREVENTION/RECOVERY guide!

Use those roadblocks that come your way as a stepping stone to success. The only way to the top is to climb there.

The Talk

It sounds like a tall order, many of you may not believe it, most of you will read this and get nothing out of it. You will be saying to yourself, there's no way I will ever do that! I'm here to tell you that in order to be successful, this is a CRUCIAL step you MUST take.

You have to get new friends.

There, I said it. Shoot me.

We are all guilty of it at some point. I was too. I used to stick to my friends like glue. I would say, "no way, my friends are cool! They only mean well." Everybody only means well. But when you're friends are telling you,

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"

"LIKE YOU LIFTED THAT? YEAH RIGHT! HAHA."

"WHAT'S THIS WEIRD FOOD YOU ARE EATING? WHY DON'T YOU EAT REAL FOOD? HERE, HAVE SOME CAKE!"

That's when you know its time for you to have the THE TALK...

What kind of Friends Should you Keep in Your Company?

Here is a fact, "In 5 years your health, happiness and income will be the average of your 5 best friends."

If you are surrounding yourself by poor, sick, miserable people, you will never get out of the unsuccessful cycle. You have to have a talk with your friends and clean out your closet. Throw away that old bag of doughnets, turn off the TV, and say goodbye to your old friends because YOU ARE A CHAMPION.

You DESERVE better.

By the way, this might include your family.

But Joe, you're telling me to abandon family? No, I'm telling you to start hanging around people who WANT YOU to BE successful.

Let me tell you something, I know your friends and family are well meaning and they want the best for you. But when someone laughs in your face, or denies something you did actually happened, or they criticize you for something successful you've done, THEY ARE JEALOUS AND THEY WANT YOU TO LOSE!

Because if you win they lose right? WRONG. At CrossFit, we all know that EVERYONE CAN WIN. Without a single person losing.

Its not your job to try to explain this to them, its only your job to have The Talk. It is true that MOST people. MOST. Will not want you to be successful and when you do good, they are jealous and wish that you would have lost. They will act like they want you to win and they will cheer you on, but when you do it, they are JEALOUS of you.

At CrossFit, we do not get jealous of successful people, we embrace them, we get excited for them, we RECOGNIZE them!

SO WHAT IS THE TALK?

If you want to be successful and happy and healthy and wealthy, you need to walk home, open your arms wide, put a big smile on your face and say GOODBYE UNHAPPY PEOPLE!

Tell your loved ones that are Jealous of you that you love them, and because you love them, you need to let them go. And if they love you they will understand, ask no questions, and let you be on your own. You will contact them when you are ready again (which by the way will be when they decide to be successful with you).

Then, open your door, let the old, ugliness of the past out, and take some time to yourself. Then a few days later, step out...

...Open your arms wide...

...put a big smile on your face...

...and shout "COME ON IN ALL HAPPY SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE!"

And you will have new friends in an instant! Friends that will help you not hurt you. Friends that will make you feel good not bad. Friends that want you to succeed not fail.

You DESERVE TO BE A CHAMPION AND TO LIVE AMONGST CHAMPIONS!

"Getting Around-to-it."

If your goal is to begin your Journey at CrossFit Youngstown I've got some great news for you. The day to join is today! Not tomorrow....today! If you want to accomplish your goals and become successful you must come in and join today. You'll see why in a minute. If you are already a member and want to get your friends to join, print this article out for them. Read it and explain why the only reason they haven't joined yet is because they are holding themselves back. Well here is the great news, ready? You no longer are required to hold yourself back and can now start CrossFit right away! So come in and join today!

After reading this brief article you will see how the only thing that has been holding you back is YOU. After realizing that there is nothing to wait for, nothing to "get around to doing" you will see that the day to begin accomplishing your goals is today! The only thing you had to "get around to doing" is read this article. Now that you've done that you can go ahead and do whatever it is you were going to "get around to doing."

You should make it your goal to feel good and to start working towards your goals TODAY! Not tomorrow. Not when the weather gets nicer. Not when you get your promotion. Not when you have your baby. Not when the kids move out. Not when you find your soulmate. Not when you lose 5 pounds or 10 pounds. TODAY! Remember, successful people are always busy doing what other people are still talking about. 

We've all been there. How many times have you said you would do something once you finished another task? Did you ever get around to it? How many times have you told a friend about an activity you loved and they said they would try it as well as soon as they get "around to it?" I'm here to let you in on a little secret. Successful people are always too busy doing what other people are still talking about.

How many times have you failed at something and blamed someone or something else? We all make mistakes, it is how humans learn, and it is a wonderful process! You do something wrong, you see your mistake, and you fix it the next time. You never quit. When you get knocked down you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep moving!

Here is the next secret...are you ready? Listen closely...YOU ARE 100% RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT HAPPENS IN YOUR LIFE! How many times have you blamed the weather? Your parents? Your children? Your teachers? Your boss? Let me tell you something, successful people never blame others. You've never heard a successful man say that he had nothing to do with his success. You'll also never hear someone in depression whos struggling to make ends meet say that they only blame themselves.

I don't want to be the mean guy here, but in order for me to be honest with you, I'm going to have to be. If you haven't accomplished the goals you set out to complete, you only have yourself to blame.