Linchpin Conversations

Tips to improve your public speaking. We all engage in public speaking every day, whether we earn our living from it or not. In this episode I share some lessons I have learned over the years from my experience as a professional lecturer at roughly 200 CrossFit seminars as well as the live television broadcasts I've been a part of for ESPN and CBS.

The 3 types of questions. After lecturing at about 200 CrossFit seminars around the world and interacting with roughly 10,000 people in the audience, I noticed a pattern of questions. Not always, but often, it seemed questions could be lumped into 1 of 3 categories. We discuss this topic.

With the arrival of 2020 we discuss goal setting. I lay out 4 areas to focus on: Physical goals, Intellectual goals, Spiritual goals and Social goals. Tips are given to help achieve them, keep you on track and get you back on track if/when you slip. I did not create these 4 categories of goals, they just happen to serve me well so I wanted to share them.

The decisions you make in sports, the military or the gym to "not complain & just suck it up" may catch up with you later in life. Every time you walk into the gym or open the fridge you have a decision to make. Remove ego and make beneficial long term decisions.

We answer a question from the community. Mike G. is a member of the Linchpin private track and asked if there was value in attending a CrossFit Level 1 Seminar even if he does not have an interest in being a trainer or opening a gym.

A discussion on how to program workouts. We talk about movements, rep ranges, loadings, time domains and much more. Questions from the community are also answered.

Extra lifting is not what most people need to improve their fitness. We discuss the "Theoretical Hierarchy of the Development of an Athlete" from the 2002 article, "What is Fitness?". What people want and what they need are often not the same thing. Assess your strengths and weaknesses honestly so you can make informed decisions on how to improve.

Just because you can do something does not mean you should. The definition of Fitness compared to the definition of Health.

Why it is okay not to time every workout you do. Tips for maintaining a solid pace in workouts. When and how to experiment with pacing.

I completely discuss all the benefits of the Linchpin private track for individuals and gym owners. A look into the nutrition track also takes place. 

Part 2 of a 12 part series dissecting the CF Linchpin 12 Tests. In this episode we dive into Linchpin Test 2. The Linchpin 12 Tests, aka, the Dirty Dozen are 12 benchmark workouts we created to help athletes and coaches assess their fitness across a broad range of movements, loadings, rep ranges and time domains. All 12 Tests can be found on our website at www. CrossFitLinchpin.com I also answer a...

I revisit an article I wrote in 2015 entitled "A Reflection on 10 years of CrossFit". The article lists 10 lessons learned. I review the article to see if I would change anything now that another 5 years have passed.

Questions from the community are answered: 1. What is the best way to get back into working out after traveling, specifically international travel? 2. What is the best way to get back into working out after being sick? -Tips for staying on track while traveling, staying in hotels and recovering from illness are provided.

We answer questions submitted from the internet: "How do you recognize the difference between your training helping you vs hurting you?" and "If a lack of strength is holding an athlete back, should they keep the rx'd loading & scale the reps, or is it better to scale the loading & keep the rx'd reps to maintain intensity?". And of course, we also went down a couple of wonderful rabbit holes.

Part 1 of a 12 part series dissecting the CF Linchpin 12 Tests. In this episode we dive into Test 1. The Linchpin 12 Tests, aka, the Dirty Dozen are 12 benchmark workouts we created to help athletes and coaches assess their fitness across a broad range of movements, loadings, rep ranges and time domains. All 12 Tests can be found on our website at www. CrossFitLinchpin.com

We discuss the 10 General Physical Skills from the foundational CrossFit Journal Article entitled "What is Fitness?", from October 2002. This topic was inspired by a question from a member of the Linchpin community who wanted to know about the various aspects we hope to develop when we work out.

Some people consider "Scaling" a bad word. Is it? Should another term replace the word "Scaling"? Should loadings be assigned to workouts, or should we only use words like "light, medium or heavy" and let people choose for themselves?

Should photos & videos of "less than ideal form" be reposted on social media? Why or why not?

Topics Discussed: The importance of technique. Classic definitions of Strength. CrossFit's definition of Strength. Examples given to promote thought and discussion.

We break down the math about how many CrossFit athletes walk around at 90% of max ability at all times and that is AMAZING! We use the classic benchmark workout "Nancy" as an example.

We walk through various ways to scale the 11.01.2019 CF Linchpin workout. The movements were the bike, dumbbell push press, ring dips and chest-to-bar pull-ups. 

How to avoid getting burned out in CrossFit. How to keep having fun while doing CrossFit year after year. Secrets to successfully doing CrossFit for 15 years. How much should you workout? How much intensity is too much? Accessory work, is it necessary? Remove Ego. Embrace Scaling. Shut the clock off every now and then. Ignore social media pressure. Work on personal development: reading, reflection...

"Murph" is not just a Memorial Day workout. Various ways to scale/modify Murph so you are not destroyed for the next few days. Ideas on various ways to break up the pull-ups, push-ups and squats to help improve your performance. Scaling/modifying Hero workouts in general. Does "Murph" have to be done with a weight vest? Questions from the community.

An interview with Travis Denman, the owner of CrossFit Guild in Fayetteville, NC. and his head coach, Emily. We speak about his gym, his clients and the culture/community they have created. CF Guild is in a very military town and Travis explains what that is like. We discuss why he chose to have CF Guild follow the affiliate version of the Linchpin private track for their programming needs. It is...

A member asked me if following the daily Linchpin programming would prepare him for the FBI Special Agent selection test. I also address physical preparation for SEAL training, aka, BUD/s and the Q-course selection for Army special forces. We talk about how following Linchpin programming will have you well prepared (over-prepared, actually) for anything life will throw at you, but...it can also be...