Issue 16

The Right Split, 10 Things I Know, Simple Wins & NO PLAIN WATER

Quick Announcement: our conditioning challenge for our TrainHeroic teams (CXC & EVOLV) starts Monday July 1st and ends Wednesday July 31st. Anyone on a team that completes all conditioning work programmed for the month will be entered into a random drawing to win $250 to Amazon! All you need to do is make sure your results are logged each day. And guess what? We’re going to make this even easier for you to join a team if it’s something you’ve considered…use code ‘HEARTHEALTH’ at checkout for either team and enjoy 50% off your first month. Start the next phase of your fitness journey the right way. New athletes only.

>> Join EVOLV Full Body Athlete here

>> Join Conjugate X Conditioning Strength & Performance here

Happy Friday fam and welcome to to this week’s E-WOD! Today we’re covering:

• How to pick the right split 🗓️
• 10 Things I’ve known to be true as a coach
• How Dani got into her best shape at 39 👌
• Why you should never drink plain water again 🥛

Now, Let's dive in!

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THE WARM UP | HOW TO PICK THE RIGHT SPLIT

By Jason Brown

The right split can make or break the ability for you to get results.

Choose the wrong one? You either overtrain or aren’t motivated.

Choose the right one? You stay consistent and see gains over time.

It’s simple.

But knowing how to pick the right split holds a lot of people back.

Here’s my advice.

THE MAIN LIFT | 10 THINGS

 By Jason Brown

In business, I’m a coach before anything.

Coaching requires dealing with real people dealing with real things, many of them similar in nature.

Here’s ten things I have come to know as truth in the fitness industry:

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1. For results, most people need 80% of the basics, 20% customization. Customization doesn’t matter if the foundation isn’t there.
2. The best training plan is one you’ll stick to for a long period of time.
3. Overthinking is a pandemic. The person most limiting is yourself (and myself). Mental fitness paves the road for physical fitness and action- not overthinking- is the way to mental mastery.
4. Conditioning extends lives, and it extends your ability to stick with a good program, too.
5. Coaches that state that “this way is the only way” are either trying to gain a following, have little experience, or are not intelligent. Be wary.
6. When people hire a coach, it’s not just an exchange of money to value. It’s trust to results.
7. True high intensity isn’t as necessary as HIIT pushers would have you believe. High intensity is high stress on the CNS and life in the 2020s is already very stressful as it is. More people should prioritize low intensity to bring the body into parasympathetic state.
8. Results have a direct correlation to your mindset. A state of victimhood, blame and excuses won’t get you to where you want to go.
9. To that point, time is meaningless in the gym. Intensity and purpose are everything. I could cut most people’s time in the gym in half and get them a higher quality result…but that overthinking steps in…
10. Some people just can’t be helped right now no matter what support you give them.

THE PUMP | K.I.S.S.

By Dani Brown

Where do I hold extra weight?

Right in my midsection like most human beings.

For years it was my number one insecurity, especially when I owned a CrossFit gym. I was heavier back then and my number one goal was weightlifting so I ate a lot and trained a lot. But at 146lbs my abs weren’t visible…. so I did what most women do and constantly judged myself over it. 🙄

After leaving CrossFit I slowly dropped weight but still wasn’t at peak confidence. And then a couple of years ago I came across the Carnivore diet.

I always did well with less carbs so I decided to try it, losing about 15lbs easily. That proved to be a little too much-- I looked like a drown rat that didn’t lift.

So a few months ago I decided to look at my lifestyle like I would with one of my clients.

Like my husband famously says (Mark 😋), I needed to tackle the low hanging fruit, and I did.

The results have led to me being the leanest I’ve been since I was a competitive cheerleader AND feeling my best in years.

Here’s what I changed:

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1. I stopped drinking. If I have a drink, I have 3 drinks. Always. That then cuts into my sleep, my hormone levels, my mental state (hello anxiety), and of course, my workouts for at least 1-2 days afterwards. I can’t expect progress when I’m down in all those areas 3-4 days per week. Now my workouts on EVOLV are more consistent than ever.
2. I stopped skipping conditioning. I used to hate it, now I love it. My husband should have told me that was a good idea.
3. I made my protein goal non-negotiable. I have been eating 130g of protein every single day for 2+ months now. It WORKS. When it comes to nutrition, there’s a reason I focus on protein intake as Step 1A.
4. I ditched the ALL or NOTHING mentality. This is a big one. I’m the kinda gal that if I couldn’t fit my full workout in due to time scheduling, I would just call it. How silly! I can maintain 90% compliance in the gym for months on end, as long as I do something! Maybe I have to do 2 sets of everything instead of 4; maybe I turn my session into bodyweight only if I’m feeling a little run down. There’s always a way if you’re willing to commit.

Lo and behold, I am at a healthy 129-131lbs, I’m strong, my joints feel good, my sleep is great, and I’ve got definition in my belly that I’m happy about.

And it’s all sustainable.

Here’s a recent candid with no posing or angles:

We are currently working with several clients who came to us underfed, unable to lose body fat, and wondering what the heck they were doing wrong.

Today they have a custom training and nutrition plan with distinct phases that they are working through.

We are strategically adding much needed calories back into the diet, boosting daily protein intake, and making sure most food consumed is nutrient dense. Once we hit those targets consistently we move into optimization.

Struggling with this too?

Shoot us a message and let us know what’s going on.

We have the tools to help.

COOL DOWN | 🚫 PLAIN WATER

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Did you know plain water doesn’t actually hydrate you?

Or that milk, MILK, is more hydrating than plain water?!

Now you know.

It doesn’t matter how much water you drink in a day.

What matters is how much is inside your cells. And that amount depends on your electrolyte balance.

“Drinking too much water when you’re not thirsty will spike aldosterone to hold onto sodium and will cause you to excrete magnesium & potassium. isn’t based on how much water you drink. Someone who drinks more water can be less hydrated than someone who drinks less...” -CA

After learning this last year we switched to drinking our water solely with electrolytes.

There’s a ton of options on the market and our favorite (and the kids') by a landslide is Redmond Electrolytes, any flavor, and a second would be LMNT. 

COACHES NOTES  

1. Just for fun (this account is hilarious and I need to know who runs it!)
2. Best believe I’ll be touching on this one next week 🤓

As always, thank you for reading this week’s issue of E-WOD!

See you next week and remember, results are king! 

JB + DB 

PS - if you have a moment would you give us your opinion on E-WOD? There may be a free gift involved 😌⇩