PDXStrength News

Blog 26 – Confidence is a Habit not a Trait.

Getting closer, Strength Tribe. We are excited to see your smiling faces! (Masked, but smiling, and even if you won’t be smiling, we’ll just pretend.)

This blog will be a new attempt to write 500 word not directed at COVID-19 or racial justice (Yes, I recognize that I’ve already failed at both.), and more directed towards the alliterative strength science and fitness facts that I promised some weeks ago (For my benefit, let’s just pretend that “no blogs on pandemics” rule starts… … … … … … NOW!)

Kimmy and I were watching the new season of Queer Eye the other day. We noticed Karamo Brown, pop culture/life style icon (or whatever his title is), was wearing a shirt that resonated with us. “CONFIDENCE IS A HABIT NOT A TRAIT,” it read in big, block lettering. I hooted and wooo’d in approval. Kimmy said, “You should totally write a blog about that!” (I do realize that your personal perspective will determine if you read that as her yelling at me or exclaiming in support. I’ll let you re-read it both ways and determine which you find to be more enjoyable, for both are sometimes true and equally affective.)

I previously wrote a little blog about meditation and a term coined as “relaxed attention.” It championed finding more of opportunities within our hour together to focus on your self, relax your attention, and let your creativity flow. This all comes in the form of intentional use of your space. We will further that conversation by bringing in a few more concepts that deal a little bit more with deliberate actions for those of you who’ve scoffed at my world-class case for rest and meditation in the gym.

These concepts, also from the development world (Imagine that.), are generally called deliberate practice and a developmental mindset. The first, deliberate practice, is a mostly about process. It’s doing the same thing, at the same time every day. Artists, craftspeople, professional athletes, and all the like (generally) follow some sort of deliberate and routine practice. How does this relate to us? Well, most of us come to the gym at the same time on the same days every week. We also, most likely, do the same thing when we arrive, or work out in the same spot or with the same equipment, or we might even have the same internal conversations with ourselves. The deliberate practice being that we actively do the same thing regardless of the result – authors will often write just to write, knowing what they are just going to play wastebasketball when they are finished.

The other, a developmental mindset, is a psychological term that refers to the power of our own language to slowly, but surely, guide us to try again. It is this trying that will eventually lead us to success within the activity (Do you see where this is going?)… Dr. Carol Dweck implies this in her TedTalk, “The Power of Believing That You Can Improve,” by framing the conversations with yourself around the word “yet” (for example, “I don’t have a strict pull-up, yet.”).

Looping back to practiced mediation, it is often said that the only difference between opposite reactions is the breath between an action and your subsequent reaction. If we can deliberately practice a developmental mindset in this breath, then we can turn confidence into a habit. To put it into practice, create simple, and intentional, routines for communicating with yourself around the gym. For example, before you lift a heavy weight take a breath and say, “I’ve got this shit!” or something else that resonates with you OR if you fail the lift try, “Dang! I don’t quite have this weight (or skill), YET.”

– Coach Dylan

Blog 25 – Weekly Challenge – Thank You!

Short and sweet today, Tribe!

First, a quick announcement: It’s Week 13, and one week until we have the opportunity to participate in workouts in person. If you haven’t already, check out the temporary requirements that will be put in place on the website. This system will likely have its flaws, and may result in some uncomfortable conversations as a result. This is not by design, but because we don’t have all the answers. New information will likely result in changes to these protocols. Our number one goal is to keep our members as safe as possible. Please keep this in mind as we navigate this new process together. We have a coaches’ meeting on Thursday, June 11. Please let your coach know if you have additional comments that we can discuss. 

Lastly, we are so grateful for each member that has continued to support our community in various ways throughout this process. While we aren’t in the clear by any means, we have the confidence to move forward together through this. While the PDX Strength Community is managed by Jocelyn and her motley crew of coaches, it doesn’t get to this point without any of you; with each of you giving our community a little piece of shine, sparkle, joy, and maybe even a little grime. You’ve shaped our beliefs, our character, and our personality, and we are optimistic about us growing and evolving with you. And for that we appreciate you. 

This week’s challenge is to share gratitude with someone (or something) that has given you a little piece of sparkle by shaping your beliefs, character, and personality. It takes a community to raise a child, and it certainly takes a great support structure to challenge our beliefs, grow, and continue our own personal evolutions. To add a little bit of effort in this, let’s say that to earn an individual point you must do something like:

• Send a hand written note
• Send a gift
• Send flowers
• Anything with a little more formality than a text message or a phone call. 

So there you have it. Short and to the point. Thank you for being you. Please share your thoughts with your coaches so that we can talk through it during our coaches meeting.

Best, 

D

Blog 24 – Racism in Strength and Conditioning  

Hello folks, 

Believe it or not, after Blog 21 Kimmy (my partner, better half, and editor in chief) challenged me to avoid writing blogs regarding all things COVID-19; feeling that some of us (including me) have topic fatigue. “Let your blog be the place that members can go to take a break,” she said. And with that I gleefully wrote a blog about the how meditating increases GAINZ, BABY! I was on a roll. Ready to smash your brains with strength science and fitness facts for the entire month of June… And then… our attention shifted, and we have all been called to a higher cause. 

Blog 23 was written to be clear that PDX Strength as a business and its coaches believe that Black Lives Matter, and that it is our role as a community-based facility to lead by example. We also made the challenge to our members to get involved in capacities, which they feel comfortable. Fast forward to Blog 24, and we are learning just how impactful gyms can be within a person’s life. (It’d be this author’s contention that this is a reflection of a person’s chosen third place or safe space in their lives. When that place fails to follow through on its social contract, it creates great harm.)

My first example is here: https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/29275739/iowa-strength-coach-chris-doyle-put-leave-ex-players-voice-negative-experiences. 

The University of Iowa Strength and Conditioning Coach is accused of being at the center of a toxic and racist culture within the football program. While the head coach has not been met with the same accusations, all of the players acknowledge that team culture starts in the strength and conditioning facility. 

My second example, and a little more directly impacting our world is here: https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/gyms-and-brands-are-canceling-partnerships-with-crossfit-after-its-ceo-tweeted-an-insensitive-comment-about-george-floyd/articleshow/76251744.cms. 

While PDX Strength is not an affiliate and never has been, we are CrossFit-adjacent or -inspired; our programming is based on their methodology; many of our coaches are certified by CrossFit; etc, I, for example, started coaching at an affiliate in Denver and much of my formal education in the strength and conditioning space are through CrossFit’s HQ. Kimmy and I even met in a CrossFit gym. 

With all that said, we want to be clear that we do not condone the harmful, insensitive, and ignorant words and actions of Greg Glassman and will continue to challenge ourselves to make a more inclusive space for all people. 

It’s frustrating to now feel like I am just writing blogs denouncing racism. Not because that stance isn’t vitally important, but because our stance is being consistently undermined by large, racist influencers in our industry. As James Baldwin says, “It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.”

We understand that all of these conversations can trigger our members in different ways, and remain open to conversations that allow us to grow individually and together. 

Best, 

Dylan 

Blog 23 – Weekly Challenge… Black Lives Matter

Hello Strength Tribe, 

There are very few words that are appropriate to describe the events of the last week. We are sad, angry, and heartbroken that our country cannot pull its head out of our collective ass; feelings that do not compare to the pain and anger felt by marginalized communities across the country, nor do they give them justice. It is our hope that PDX Strength’s stance as a business is clear, and while not perfect by any means we invite the conversation from any member at any time to make our space more inclusive and safe. We opened as a gym for everyone, and will continue to do the work to stay that way.  

Our challenge for each of you this week is to take steps towards being an ally and understanding how this movement affects us individually. Not for points this week, instead for our neighbors, friends, and communities. We understand that each of us connects to this differently, so opportunities at various levels, include:

• Nationally
  • Read the Guide to Allyship (https://guidetoallyship.com/)
  • Find resources regarding the tenants of intersectionality (https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/5/20/18542843/intersectionality-conservatism-law-race-gender-discrimination)
  • Visit the Black Lives Matter website (https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/)
  • Donate to a national social justice organization
  • Read books by black authors
  • Follow black leaders on social media
• Locally
  • Work to better understand the planning/development of the City of Portland (https://beta.portland.gov/bps/history-racist-planning-portland OR https://prosperportland.us/about-us/#team)
  • Visit or support local businesses (https://mercatuspdx.com/directory/black-owned-businesses/#!directory/ord=rnd)
  • Donate to a local social justice organization
  • Protest by means which you feel comfortable doing so
  • Take the Census and/or urge others to do so
  • Call your local politicians/Vote
• Within the fitness industry
  • Explore Decolonizing Fitness (https://decolonizingfitness.com/blogs/decolonizing-fitness/what-does-decolonizing-fitness-mean)

Progress is not easy, and while we often don’t have control of our surroundings we do have control of our responses, actions, and intentions. We all have work to do. 

Blog 22 – Seriously, meditation? How is that going to get me on the GAINZ Train!? 

Well folks, I’m glad you asked. It should come as no surprise to any of you that I am quite the daydreamer. It’s probably one of the things I’m better at, actually. I like my space and my thoughts, and need that time throughout the day to feel more productive and focused on more task-oriented things. If I don’t get this time, I feel overly rushed, unproductive, and in a general state of anxiousness. This isn’t a “Dylan” thing, we all have some habit that creates space for ourselves whether we know it or not. Meditation is just the idea of intentionally creating time for yourself; setting aside the tasks at hand or external demand; and creating a space for your brain to critically think. 

In the book Creative Confidence (I don’t actually read as much as you’d think. I am just drawn to very particular topics.) by Tom and David Kelley, the founders of the company IDEO and Stanford’s d.School, the term “relaxed attention” is used in reference to creating an atmosphere where people are not so task oriented to solve problems with user-first design, and go so far as to quote research that suggests “our minds make unlikely connections between ideas, memories, and experiences when we are at rest and not focused on a specific task or project.” They go on to suggest that in order to solve the world’s hardest problems, you have to create time away from the problem. Now, I don’t know for sure, but I’m willing to bet that we’ve all experienced some sort of “AH, HA!” moment about something when we least expect it. In the middle of the night, making dinner, in the shower, on the thing next to the shower, etc. This to me is a farce of the 40-hour work week and the “busy vs productive” argument, if we are more likely to think of creative solutions to work problems away from work than at work. But that’s for another time, in another blog. 

So how in the world does all of this come back to GAINZ!? That is why we’re all here. Actually that’s the simple part. We come together for about an hour at a time, go through a warm-up, do some skill or strength work, do a little conditioning, and hopefully get a cool down in. I’m going to focus on a strength segment here with the hope that you can expand it to fit the entire work out. When we do strength work, something like a 5×5 (or some wild rep scheme that Nigel programs for 3 months that seemingly never gives our legs a break), the goal is always to work as heavy as possible for the day – Yes, this is me saying that it is ok to not work at 85% plus of a 1RM and instead work at 85% of what you have that day. Did you work day suck? Did you hike Forest Park or bomb Mt. Hood the day before? Did your kids wake you up every hour on the hour (a little parental EHOH)? All of those things need to be accounted for in your level of effort for the day. – In order to work as heavy as possible over the course of given sets, we need to maximize our rest periods (Do you see where this is going yet?). As the weight gets heavier the longer we need to be resting. This INCLUDES our warm up sets. At least 2:00 from the time rack the bar to the time we touch it again (some will need more rest). If we don’t rest the needed amount, we go into the next set with depleted energy, which compounds in each subsequent set resulting in less weight and less overall intention and ultimately less GAINZ. 

This probably isn’t that new of a concept to you, but what happens more often than not is that we feel a need/rush to get back to the bar. This forces us to take less rest than we need (Look, you can tell me all you want how much you rested in between sets, but I start a clock for a reason. A 5×5 strength session should take everyone almost the exact same amount of time.) or trying to fill time by “hitting some abs” between sets (This is also fine, but our need for rest actually INCREASES in this scenario). 

This is all to say that we can all get a little too task-focused in the gym. If we fill this time with more intention, we can approach our lifts the same way. And how do we get better at existing in our space with intention? “Buehler? Buehler?”… 

Not only will maximizing your rest period make you a better lifter, you’re also creating space for more relaxed attention so you can finally piece together where in the world your wallet went or an event space or your next design layout or the perfect gift to thank a friend. Now THAT’S productivity. 

CHOO CHOO, Strength Tribe! 

D