Build on Rock

Comfotable with Being Uncomfortable

(Erika and Emily take their Crossfit skills to the board)

Crossfit is all about getting comfotable with being uncomfortable. Life is faced with problems and discomfort , the same way we fight through a WOD translates easily into knowing how to get through life by perciviring and dedication. Growth comes with challenge...we encourage individuals to not turn away from challenges but instead view it as a means to grow. There is something really empowering about overcoming obstacles , the courage to not back down but stand up to the challenge is what breeds winners. Try stepping out of your comfort zone today , do something different , challenge yourself.

Fight Gone Bad IV

Fight Gone Bad 2009 was a huge success , raising 990,792 world wide! Crossfit Central along with the help of Crossfit Austin and Westlake Crossfit raised 31,934 all for Prostate Cancer Foundation and Wounded Warriors Project. So thrilled to be part of something so special. Special thanks to Crossfit Central for hosting such an amazing event!

Congrats to all our athletes who competed. You all represented big time!

Mariah getting busy! (3rd Place Females)

Willi Mo!!

Erika manages to smile through it all.

Devin rockin the SDLHP!

Jarrod on Wall Ball (2nd place Males)

384

One Purpose

Fight Gone Bad IV - Do It Right Now from Sportsgrants on Vimeo.

On September 26th, Westlake Crossfit along with CrossFitters across the nation will unite for the fourth consecutive year to honor and support our injured service men and women and the thousands of people fighting and living with prostate cancer: Fight Gone Bad IV. One day. One workout. One Purpose.

Fight Gone Bad IV benefits Athletes for a Cure and the Wounded Warrior Project. There's no stopping us from making a difference and I hope you will support our efforts with any contribution you see fit. Last year we raised $627,000. This year, we are going for $1million. This goal will be reached one dollar at a time, in amounts ranging from $1 to $1000.

To make a donation click here.

Westlake Crossfit

(Items in picture may appear tougher than they actually are)

"Most important, leaders can conceive and articulate goals that lift people out of their petty preoccupations and unite them in pursuit of objectives worthy of their best efforts."

Recycled Human Energy

Recycled Human Energy was developed as a means to use human energy expenditure to create goodwill and human welfare. The thinking behind this was sparked by the idea that it would be incredible if we could somehow capture all that effort we put into our workouts and use it for a good cause. One idea we've put into action is that we as a gym would track a clients energy output through caloric expenditure. Based on that calculation , for every calorie burned , we would donate 1 penny towards a charity (Food4Africa). For $1.70 a child can be fed for a month , as you can imagine the efforts put forth in workouts have profound effect on the lives of many. Good friend and business partner Joss Mckernan breaks down the energy flow as such :

1.You give off heat energy as you train. We can measure that in calories.

2.That energy is converted into money and then into food energy for kids

3.The kids give off positive energy from living a better life

4.You are then given back the energy in the form of motivation to workout harder. Now you know that the harder you work the more kids you feed, and the better the fitness results for yourself.

Recycled Human Energy can happen through any physical effort used for a good cause. We are trying to create awareness that our physical well being that we work so hard to maintain should be used not only for our own benefits but to benefit others as well.

Join me this Sunday at 10am for a 5k Town Lake Run and Animal Shelter Dog Walk!

Value = Success

Success - What is success? I guess success would mean accomplishing something you set out to achieve. this definition makes success very personal. This is important to me because I'm realizing that my idea of what it means for me to be successful is very personal and doesn't coincide with how most view success. Many would argue that success is about making money and not about developing oneself into a person who is valuable to others, but to me I think of success as quit the contrary. It just so happens that creating value rooted by Love usually delivers financial rewards. I was fortunate to have realized this early on in life..working as a institutional trader for a brokerage firm on Wall St. was pretty lucrative. But surprisingly this 3 and 1/2 yr span of my life was a feeling of unsuccessfulness and emptiness. I realized then that money along with any other "thing" didn't equate to a feeling of success for me, since then I've learned success for me was gonna come from passionately seeking out God's will. "Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of Love." Here are some definitions of success I've come across....


"Success is the result of steadily taking action on our most important goals. When we consistently focus our energies and our efforts upon what matters most, we can't help but be successful".

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; this is to have succeeded."

"Success is the completion of anything intended."

POSE Clinic

Don't miss out on your chance to improve your running. This Wednesday , Dr. Mike Maggio will be kicking off a four part POSE technique running series. POSE running is a technique designed to keep the body optimally positioned to create efficiency that allows for safety and better performance. Dr. Maggio has worked directly with POSE inventor DR. Romanov. I was fortunate enough to work with Dr. Maggio on several occasions this summer , his knowledge and ability to convey is remarkable.

When : 9/16 - 10/14 Wednesdays at 12pm
Where : Westlake Crossfit
Cost : $40 Total (includes videos analysis)

A Price To Pay

Why would anyone fear Greatness? Because being great comes with a price to pay. This, I believe is responsible for keeping people in mediocrity. The fear of making a commitment to excellence , the fear of holding yourself accountable for your EVERY action, the fear of being Powerful. Yes the journey for greatness will more than likely leave you open for review by others but the great ones are ok with this. Be courageous enough to raise the bar , even if this means your efforts will be open for critique. If its greatness you desire , go for it and go for it NOW! If you love mediocrity than keep yourself in that false land of "someday". No one has ever reached Greatness and said that the price they paid wasn't worth it. So to that I say risk your pride and be GREAT!

Hope or Doubt

I (Don't) Have a Dream... from Gateway Church on Vimeo.

Hope or Doubt? What are you guided by? Doubt keeps us shackled down like a fish stuck in mud. Yet this same doubt is all around us .. Unfortunately today's society is plagued with limitation. We unconsciously put these limitation on each other through expectations and judgments. I believe Martin Luther King Jr. along with many other great individuals did not seek to meet expectations or judgment from peers but rather seek to attain full "Being". It is from this place we can attain wisdom and compassion that doesn't need approval from others. There is no doubt in this place as we are fully trusting in Spirit.

Here is a remarkable passage from Marianne Williamson's - A Return to Love

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

The Edge

Being Crossfit is a sport...an athletes performance is determined by many different factors. Some of these factors play less of a role then others , but nonetheless have an impact on an individuals output. Lets take a look at some key factors that have a role in being an elite Crossfitter.

1. Ability : This is simple...How competent are you in each of the 10 general physical skills? Crossfit obviously doesn't have a place for the athlete who isn't complete. Crossfit has proven time and time again that well rounded athletes excel. Making your weaknesses stronger will make the area your strong in even stronger , whereas only working on your strong points do little to nothing for your weaknesses.

2. Preparation : One rarely accomplishes a goal or feat without preparation. With that being said , a lot can be tied into preparation. Whatever your preparation may be , it should be well thought out with a specific goal. Once that has been accomplished , committing to this process is essential.

3. Strategy : So it is now game time! How do I approach the specific task at hand? This is where experience helps a ton...knowing how to gauge a specific task is huge.

4. Efficiency : How well can you stay relaxed and stick to what you have been taught and trained to do?

5. X-Factor : This is where I feel elite athletes separate themselves from the field. The x-factor is a driving force that elevates performance. Its the ability to continuously work through pain and discomfort. Its the ability to stay focused when chaos is around you. Its when your so dialed in on your goal that nothing else matters. This unfortunately can not be taught, you either have it or you don't.