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10 Reasons YOU Should Watch Roller Derby

There’s been a “12 Reasons you should watch roller derby” buzzfeed article floating around. Guess what, folks? Some of it they got right! Some of it they got eeeehhhhh…..

So I’m rebooting this blog! It was one my first popular article on Examiner.I’ve re-written some of the explanations, but I’ve kept the headlines the same. 2010 derby or 2015 derby, these are still the 10 reasons you should watch roller derby. (PS Most derby leagues still don’t have seating, so you may want to pick up a Coleman Stadium Seat for your comfort at the game.)

The WOW factor
How many of your friends watch roller derby? If the answer is “many”, then maybe there is something to this. Maybe they have an in on something. If your answer is “none”, you can introduce your circle to the fast-growing sport on the planet. How cool does that make you look? Roller derby is a completely unique, high-impact sport that is totally inclusive of age, gender, nationality, etc. It is an international phenomenon that grows every year. In 2018, the third Roller Derby World Cup took place in Manchester, England, hosting 38 countries, including the Czech Republic, Korea, and West Indies. Barcelona is the stage for the third Men’s Roller Derby World Cup in April 2018, where 24 teams, including Japan, Chile, and Denmark will compete. The speed, power, and finesse on 8 wheels is enough to keep you entertained, even if your local team isn’t allowed to sell beer!

Texas took on Missouri in the men’s championship of State Wars in December 2014, with hard hits and fast feet. Photo by Phantom Photographics.

The social works of derby teams
Roller derby teams are often non-profit organizations themselves; regardless you will find your local teams out at charity events and raising money for good causes at their home bouts. Tens of thousands of dollars have been raised worldwide for charities. Whether promoting suicide prevention, helping wounded animals, collecting for homeless shelters, promoting love as love, or helping a city rebuild after tragedy, derby has covered the spectrum of charitable causes. The Girls on Track Foundation was founded to keep young girls involved in the sport of roller derby, thus building their confidence, courage, and leadership skills. Locally, our own Tampa Roller Derby is involved with Big Cat Rescue and Girls on the Run,

Athletic prowess
These are athletes. Teams practice between two and six times a week, and the participants work out beyond their practice limits. Yoga, crossfit, powerlifting, Spartan Races, aerial silks… the cross-training of roller derby knows no limits.

Impressed by your favorite hockey player doing fancy footwork and scoring points? Wait until you see Lil Slinky of Stockholm duck and dance through the pack effortlessly. Get hyped up by your favorite safety playing all over the field defense? You will love seeing Alli Kat Scratch of the Tampa Tantrums crush the hopes and dreams of her opponents. The feats of agility and pure strength are display at any game (whether it’s the 500-person strong Rose City Rollers or 20 strong Twin City Terrors).

PHDiesel makes a lap for Team Florida at State Wars. Photo by Phantom Photographics.

“Any Given Sunday”
Just like in any other mainstream sport, roller derby has the “any given Sunday” mantra. The Oly Rollers came out of nowhere in their first season as a WFTDA* team, and took the Hydra as the underdog. It is possible for any team to sweat and bleed their way to beating a giant of roller derby. Tournament play has seen a lot of international teams come in and shock the world with their undeniable strength. Teams from the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia have been doing damage in WFTDA and MRDA** rankings the past few years.

Less expensive than a movie date
An American movie date can easily breach $75 (IMAX anyone?), and if you’re counting dinner, you can bet on a night breaking $100. Yes, there are some games that offer beer or full entrees (thank you Charm City). Yes, buying merch from Tampa’s Wrecking Mall might up your final cost for the night. However, most teams still play in roller rinks with small concessions and bake sales. A derby date can easily stay under $30! Derby encourages interaction and conversation, whether you are with one person or a group, and it’s way better than sitting awkwardly in a dark theatre with your Tinder date. Bring them to derby!

Who needs a movie when you can be next to the action? Photo by Phantom Photographics

Community!
The roller derby community is a very inclusive place; if it’s a tailgate kind of game (you can check with the league on their event page ahead of time), get a group together and hang out in the parking lot. My first team was notorious for cookouts and beer trading in the parking lot of the Olympic Skating Center before games. Groups often mix and mingle. Don’t know what’s going on during the game? Ask the people beside you (or look for someone with a “Ask me about derby” sign). Regardless of the side you are rooting for, everyone is super friendly and inclusive. You will make friends in the fans, the refs, and the league members themselves. Labels and judgement have no place in our house, so come one, come all!

Direct interaction with athletes
How many sports teams offer one-on-one time with their athletes? Every game and after party is a meet and greet, and leagues host events throughout the year where you can meet your favorite skaters. You can catch up with league scores from those directly involved, and can really feel like a part of the organization even as a fan. Websites like Flat Track Stats even gives you chance to follow how your favorite travel teams are doing, even if the team hasn’t received official sanctioning ranking. With the popularity of tournaments growing in roller derby, keep your eyes peeled to your team’s social media, it’s likely their travel games will be live streamed at some point. Then you can even watch them from home.

Junior derby is gaining momentum! Your son or daughter can play, or you can watch the future of derby at local events. Photo by Phantom Photographics.

Unique characters
Mainstream sports are chuck full of big characters, and roller derby does not disappoint. Be warned: It is not make-up and fishnets. It is the heart, soul, blood and tears that they pour into their work that make these athletes into giants and idols. Big characters in derby are the big hits, the big jams, and acrobats on skates. Whether your team matches in black compression pants, or dons old school mis-matched DerbySkinz and stickers on helmets, you will see the personalities on and off skates. It’s not just the skaters that make the game exciting: The announcers of roller derby are some of the most colorful characters you can imagine. Plus they are super knowledgeable about the game, so make friends with them.

You might find a new love
Skaters, refs, NSOs***, announcers, medics, and coaches have to come from somewhere. Often, they come from the audience. Fans, friends of the fans, and the munchkins of fans are the future of roller derby. Even if you never end up skating, your support is vital to your league. Being a fan and posting about the games, inviting your friends to the events, watching WFTDA.tv, watching the YouTube archives of bouts… it spreads the goodwill of derby to people outside of the community who may never have heard of derby before. Or, maybe they went to a game three years ago and “have been meaning to return”. Maybe you can be the one to remind them to spend a Saturday night at the rink.

Derby is always looking for more officials to help at games. Skates not required! Photo by Phantom Photographics.

It’s just plain FUN
The excitement is infectious. Regardless of your familiarity with the sport, the skill and strength of roller derby pulls you in. It is impossible to resist cheering as your jammer breaks through the pack. Try not to flinch when your team knocks an apex jump out of the air. The more you learn about your league, the more fun you will have each game. BUT the only way to learn more is to actually go!

Calling it off! Photo by Phantom Photographics.

If you have been pushing off attending a roller derby bout, it’s time to get off of Facebook and head to the rink. Friends, excitement, and real social networks await you. Youtube offers some great fan tutorials, or wait until you get there and inquirein person. Spend some time at your local games. You’ll be cheering more than at a Marvel movie, you’ll get closer to the action than nosebleed seats at Lincoln Financial, and you will build relationships unlike anything else you have experienced before.

*Women’s Flat Track Derby Association
**Men’s Roller Derby Association
***Non-Skating Official

Thank you Phantom for the photos used in this blog! Visit http://phantomphotographics.tumblr.com/ to buy prints and support derby

All Star, General, Mental Game, Photography, Training

Why we play

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Thunder City Derby Sirens
Photo by Phantom Photographics

What makes us want to be on a roller derby team?

I’ve been thinking about this topic for months. Tried writing a blog a few weeks ago and I couldn’t actually translate my feels into a coherent written structure. I’m not talking, “Why do we love the sport?” or “Why do we join a league?” But rather, what drives us all to make a travel team? Or be drafted to a home team?

Before my home league’s travel team votes on the charter, each skater gets to talk about what they had to offer, and why they wanted to be a part of the team. It was interesting to hear the answers from those dropping their name in the hat for the all-stars versus the b team. There was quite the difference in theme of statement from one team to the other. I realized that those going for the the all-stars had a much different theme of answer than those wanting to be on our b-team. It got me thinking more and more about WHY we want to play on teams so badly.

If you ask a derby skater why they want to be on a team, the most common answer you’ll probably get is: “I want to play in bouts!” (Or do I call them games in the blog now?) **winky face**

They want to travel. They want to play other opponents. They want to prove themselves. Playing in bouts is a bit about the attention of everyone watching you, but should also be about the practical applications of skills and drills. Bouts are the place we test ourselves against an opponent to see if we have improved. I have been on many teams at this point, and I can say that being in a bout means different things based on the culture your team builds.

Tampa Roller Derby on our way to Texas for a weekend of the derbs.

Some teams value bouts strictly as ranking potential.

Some teams just want to enjoy the fun of the sport; including all that boutfitting, production shenanigans, and after parties offer up as they play against your family from a different city.

Some teams want to try out what they have been drilling in practice, to see how their strength and mobility have improved.

Some teams play bouts just to raise money in their home venue and have their friends and family come and watch them do the thing that they love.

Some teams work really well together on bout day, and everything is low stress and fun.

Some teams may work together, but tension runs so high that benches become explosive.

Maybe a team just has that one player that yells at refs or complains about calls, and because they’re a “superstar”, the behavior isn’t squashed. That behavior spreads to the rest of the team, and the bench becomes a 3 headed monster.

Maybe the bench coach is that one superstar yelling.

Or maybe everyone loves each other and the sport so much that everyone is just focused on the fun of the game.

I should mention that teams don’t always take the time to create a culture. Some are self-aware enough to create a mission statement of culture to promote and strive for. Most derby teams, I have seen, do not even understand that a culture has manifested through coaching habits, attendance enforcement, and superstar treatments. Sometimes an awesome derby culture of fun and support is born organically through individuals gathering for a common purpose. Too often, I have seen leagues succumb to the expectation that certain players get praise and playtime, and those players can do and say no wrong. Everyone else are plebeians and must fall in line and teach themselves.

If you just had an ‘ah-ha’ moment, recognizing that your team has not given itself a Culture Goal (or worse, you’re in one of those cancerous league situations!), maybe it’s time to sit with your steering committee and decide on some core values for the league and individual teams.

Molly Rogers line up against the Rolling Renegades of Sarasota. Photo by Phantom Photographics

Many cultures have this idea rooted into their core values without realizing it: “You will play bouts when you are on the travel team, and we do this to play in bouts.” So the skater immediately begins lobbying for a spot on the travel team, despite dedication. Despite training. Despite safety. Despite their willingness to play on a team. Endgame, we are taught, is: PLAY IN BOUTS.

I have a radical suggestion for you, Roller Derby:

You should not want to be on a team to play bouts. You should want to be on a team to practice roller derby.

Wait, what?

You should want to be on a team to PRACTICE roller derby.

What do I mean?

I mean we need to adjust our mindset.

Bouts are fun, yes. Bouts are what count towards our ranking, absolutely. Bouts are the culmination of our practice time and work together, yes. But it’s just 60 minutes on the clock.

I am not saying we should undervalue bouts, or want to play in them less. Rather, I think we all need to shift focus to being excited for practice time. Most of Roller Derby practices at least twice a week. You are spending far more time with your team in drill, skill, and endurance situations than you are in bout situations.

I do my best to not even worry when my next bout is, because my intensity does not change from practice to practice. I do not show up with different intentions or drive when I know a roster is being decided that night. Every practice is 110%. I pay for this time on the track, so I am going to love it and use it. If I am put on a roster, great! If I’m not, it’s OK because I have practice again Sunday night. I know I won’t be short on derby for the weekend.

Too often skaters put so high a priority on bout day that all they think about is making the roster. They show up just in time, and with just enough intensity to play in the bout. If we could shift the prevailing thought in roller derby to be less “BOUT DAY!!!” and more “PRACTICE DAY!!” think of how many people would value their drill time more? How much would attendance change?

Bout day is a priority because Roller Derby puts an emphasis on it.

To me it is just as fun and invigorating to stop Tazmaniac in a wall drill in practice, as it is to stop her in a bout day situation. Putting our focus on the awesome of practice means more excitement, which means more bodies, which means more opportunities for strategy and teamwork. Which will, unsurprisingly, lead to MORE SUCCESS ON BOUT DAY.

Slayor Moon Rojo Grande, Pup, and Splatypus ready for the Molly Rogers jammer. Photo by Phantom Photographics

When practice time is the center of attention, you can focus on goals as an individual and as a team mate. You can put your energy into what is being practiced instead of worrying about making the next roster.

When your focus is practice, not bout day, you think about your daily cross training differently, and with the mind of making practice better. You know you’re going to be doing five minute jams at practice on Monday, so what can you do on your off day, Saturday, to improve your conditioning for it? Thinking about that every week builds into months and then years of cross training, almost by accident!

When you focus on practice, you get to struggle and laugh with all of your team mates in all the different situations. You get to love the sport and the nuance of the sport.

When our focus is bout day, we get caught up in the spotlight of it. We get caught up in the pressure of performance, but when we focus on practice day, we are all Superstars, and egos are left at the door because no one is watching. When our focus is practice, we work hard for two hours at a time. If we can work hard for two hours, we can definitely work hard for our piece of 60 minutes.

Practice is the proving ground for bout day.

Practice is where we get to push ourselves and learn.

Practice is where we get to high five our family and celebrate victories.

Practice is where we get to tell our friends that bad days happen, and that one bad practice will not equate to a lifetime of failure in the sport.

Practice is where we get to put our head down and do work.

If your heart doesn’t beat with excitement when prepping for training (sometimes up to 5 in a week), why are you in the sport?

Glory should come from within. Achievement should be felt when doing something awesome with your team mates. This is no longer an individual sport. No longer should we put the spotlight on those who have talent, who don’t come to practice or fundraisers or do committee work.The spotlight should be on the weekly warriors who sweat with each other and create the bonds that only practice time can.

Practice IS our sport. I feel like the leagues that recognize and promote that in their culture, have the most success over the long term.

Stop counting down to bout day. Start counting down to Monday.

Get more out of your mental game by training it. These books are a great start: The Mental Edge, Evolution: The Cutting Edge Guide to Breaking Down Mental Walls and Building the Body You’ve Always Wanted, 10-Minute Toughness: The Mental Training Program for Winning Before the Game Begins

Tampa Bay Men’s listening attentively.

For coaching and nutrition help for all athletes, or to ask questions, propose blog ideas, or just give feedback, leave me a comment, or drop me a line at DerbyAmerica@gmail.com. I’m always booking league coaching for all levels.

Don’t forget to visit Phantom Photographics’ Facebook to purchase photos and ask him about his cool shirts.

General, Life Stuff, Photography

The Reappearance of Khaos

So… my blog has been super quiet for a while. Sorry about that. It hasn’t been for a lack of wanting to write, or for a lack of material. I have about three blogs either outlined, or in the works including “balancing the zebra and the lion”, “creating the plan” (how to schedule your training and why), one about how to overcome the difficulties of transferring, and one about what it means to really be a part of a team.

It’s Why has my blog been quiet? I’ve been back to the life of the “real world”. I’ve lived in three places since I’ve been here in Florida and FINALLY have settled into a little town called Gulfport, and landed me a job at a place called Taco Bus. And quite honestly, when I get home from running around slinging tacos for 6 hours, I have a hard time mustering creativity.

Also, I have been skating 4-6x a week. Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday I train with Tampa Roller Derby. Currently I’m a blocker on the Bruise Crew and the Black Widows, and I hope that one day my team mates will see enough potential in me to make me a Tampa Tantrum, and I’ll get to wear a shiny WFTDA patch on my jersey again.

roller derby tampa — Bruise Crew 2015; Photo by Phantom Photographics

Tuesdays you can find me with the Tampa Bay Men’s Roller Derby. I’m officially recognized by the MRDA as a ref (woot!), and technically am TBMRD’s head ref. This rainbows into the other things I do on the weekend. Most Saturdays you’ll find me either making calls and wearing stripes, or you’ll find me playing on Team Zebra.

You can see me in the background there, all disguised in stripes; Photo by Phantom Photographics

When I’m not skating for Tampa, I’m usually at a fundraiser for the Bruise Crew, or a league appearance, or I’m straight up at the gym. I train 3-6x a week; 3 days of weight training, 3 days of conditioning (assuming my work schedule and traffic allows).

What else have I been up to? Well there have a few times that I started to write blogs, and then remembered that I have deadlines to attend to. I’m now writing a column for JAMMERLINE MAGAZINE out of Canada called “Below the 45^th, which is focused on US derby. I also have been asked by BLOOD AND THUNDER MAGAZINE to do articles and blogs concerning off skates training. I’m also piecing my book together. I had to rewrite a BUNCH of it since my perspective on training has shifted a lot in the last year and a half.

Mashing it up, and jamming through; Photo by Phantom Photographics

The last piece is Derbalife. I’ve gotten settled in enough that I have started my business of health coaching back up and I’m getting back to my roots of helping people with their NUTRITION. A bunch of us coaches had gone astray and gotten distracted the last few months, but now we’re locking arms and changing the world!

There is another reason I haven’t written much. And that’s because I had gotten a bit discouraged. Over the years, it has gotten more difficult to find photographs to use in my blog. I am not a photographer. I will not pretend to be one with my iPhone. I have too much respect for the craft. But I am also super wordy. ^^^ As you may have noticed. To have blogs without photos to break up the scheme, it’s really hard to read.

I, by no means, want any photographer to feel undervalued or that their work isn’t worth purchasing. That being said, I have been hand washing my clothing for the last 4 weeks instead of going to the laundromat just to have extra money for food, gas, and bills. This blog makes zero dollars. I write because I love to write, and because sometimes people like to read it.

The whole thing had gotten really depressed and defeated honestly. I didn’t want to write because I knew I wouldn’t feel confident publishing without photos. But … now that defeat has gone away. I’m super stoked that Florida has Phantom Photographics down here documenting all of the awesome that is happening.

Junior roller derby — Photo by Phantom Photographics

Florida derby is expanding SUPER quick, and the competition is getting very high amongst the teams. Phantom is one of the photographers that travels around the state and takes PHENOMENAL photos! MRDA, JRDA, WFTDA; he does it all. He does a lot of portrait work too, which I’ve always been a fan of.

At State Wars Roller Derby; Photo by Phantom Photographics

For those of you from the Northeast, he’s like having a Sean Hale, Prints Charming, Sir Clicks-a-Lot, Rick Odell, or Shutterfly. And he’s super nice. So… Go visit his page because he’s awesome. I’m so happy that he’s letting me use his photos in my blogs, and I feel confident in writing again. 😀 You should buy a shirt from him too. (PS if you’re a photog and you want me to feature any of your photos, don’t be shy in letting me know!!)

If there’s a topic you want to see me cover in an upcoming blog – drop me a line at DerbyAmerica@gmail.com ! Have you gotten your ticket to RC? I’m submitting to teach classes again. I hope to see you there at the WESTGATE!! If you don’t already, follow me on Instagram at KHAOS24FIT

Uncategorized

Pick Things Up, Put Them Down – Merry Khaos Notes

Like my EAT BIG PLAY BIG notes, this is not going to be a verbatim dissertation of what we went over, but more the bullet points of things we talked about and maybe some WHYs involved. We talked about nutrition too, but because I have my notes posted from EBPB up and running, why don’t you just check them out and get the full picture of the athletic nutrition.

WHAT I MEAN BY LIFTING WEIGHTS

Big lifts – Build all over strength and power, utilizes the full bar
Barbells – Build stabilization muscles and helps support big lifts, small movements, and quick twitch.

Free Weights – Barbells and bars; your body must do the work to keep things in place
Plate/Smith Machine – Training wheels; no real accurate measure of weight. Some plate machines are useful (like the leg extension) but usually you can pass by these.
Cable Machines – The baby of free weights and plate-loaded; there is some stabilization work done here.

For some gym comedy, and to learn ‘how not to use the Smith Machine’ I highly recommend some BroScience.

Free weights and cables should be used as your supplemental workouts. Like your vitamin and protein supplements, they are the extra stuff you do to support the mainline of work. They should not be your primary form of ‘weight lifting’. Mostly because you’re not really lifting weights when you do them.

WHY SHOULD YOU WEIGHT LIFT?

The easy answer is: Because you play a contact sport.

Gnat King Kill getting it done. Strength effects speed and control. It allows him to deal with fast skaters and bigger blockers.

Show me one contact sport that does not require their athletes to weight lift. If your coach tells you to do dry land drills, do you question? No. You question weight lifting because it’s different and new and super difficult. The resistance to lifting in roller derby is not because it’s not helpful or proven to advance skaters – it’s because it takes more effort to do it. And, honestly, it can be intimidating.

From the physics standpoint think of this reason why you should weight lift:

If you can only squat 130 pounds, that means you can only push that much weight (approximately) into your wheels. If you have someone who is 170 pounds hitting you, but you can only respond with 130 pounds – who is going to win?

This is a very basic, crude example, but hopefully you get the point.

Why bench press? I learned during Beat Me Halfway that if you have Magnum PIMP doing truck-and-trailer with you, your arms and core better be able to hold up to the resistance he’s giving you. If he then directs you into a full-speed Screecharound, your arms and body have to be able to deal with as much power as he’s putting into you to transfer to your skates, to transfer to Screecharound to take him all the way to the line.

Arm strength has just as much a place in derby as leg strength these days, as illustrated by the Mass Maelstrom blockers. Photo by Tyler Shaw – Prints Charming Derby Photography

PHYSICS!

(and also, I was so sore the next day)

If you can push a sled with 150 pounds on it, you can push through a link giving you 100 pounds of resistance.

WHAT IS CONDITIONING?

We talked a lot about lift days verse conditioning days.

Your lift days are just that. You’re picking up heavy weight. Your conditioning days involve cardio work, particularly HIIT. This is your tire flips, your hill runs, your wind sprints, your heavy plyometrics. If you do Crossfit, those WoDs should be your conditioning days … so the extra days. WoDs every day will not build your strength the way lift days will.

Myself and McJagged picked up heavy things and moved them around, jumped on walls, and moved around kettlebells for conditioning work

WHAT DOES THIS FEEL LIKE?

Like with derby, we have to adjust to a new feeling when we start weightlifting. If you’ve done plate machines in the past, then you are not used to what it feels like to have 180# on your back, or to pick up 200#.

It feels heavy. It feels miserable sometimes. It feels like you might hurt yourself. Just like it feels when you’re doing a new advanced skill on roller skates. Like those one foot “chomps” or one foot plows.. Picking your foot up and putting it down in front of you, with your toes turned in and your knees touching? That’s terrifying! I was sure I was going to break my leg. I didn’t. And you won’t break your shit just because it feels heavy.

It’s supposed to feel heavy. That’s the point.

DO I NEED SPECIAL GEAR?

Not necessarily.

I wear knee wraps because I can feel things shift around in my right knee when I squat and it’s weird and I don’t like it. With lighter weight, you don’t need belts, wraps, wrist grips. As you start lifting, talk to people around you about the gear they have. You’ll learn when you’ll need to get a belt, or if you want to get gloves.

Wear flat shoes or no shoes. Those weird toe shoes? They actually work really well for lifting. So do Chuck Taylors. So does nothing. Just like you wouldn’t buy Bonts for your first pair of skates, you shouldn’t go buy the special fit lifting shoes before you start lifting.

WHAT ARE THE LIFTS I SHOULD DO?

No questions asked you need to do:

Squat
Deadlift
Bench Press

Lifts that I think you should incorporate:

T-bar Row
Front Squat
Hack Squat
Incline Bench
Sumo Deadlifts (or Sumo/Russian)
Upright Row
Overhead Press

WHAT SUPPLEMENTAL LIFTS SHOULD I DO?

This one is tough. It depends on your programming. Ones that I make sure I incorporate:

Leg Extension
Glut-Ham Raise
Pull-Up
Hanging Leg Raise
Bent Over Row
Lat Pull Down
Seated Row

WAIT – HOW DO I KNOW WHAT TO DO?

Guess what? More reading for you!! What I recommend to EVERYONE is to pick up Mark Rippietoe’s “STARTING STRENGTH”. There is an app you can download called 5x5Stronglifts that will help you through the whole process.

Here’s the idea that I can pass on to you that I started with… 5×5. So you’re doing 3 lifts each day, 5 times, 5 reps. This does not include your 5 rep warm-up. When my plan was set for me, we did one lift for the upper body, one for the back, one for the legs.

My plan was this:

Monday – Back Squat, Bench Press, Upright Row
Tuesday – Front Squat, Overhead Press, Deadlift
Thursday – Hack Squat, Incline Bench, TBar Row
Friday – Back Squat, Bench Press, Sumo/Russian Deadlift

I then did 1 or 2 supplemental lists each day (unless I was crazy spent). Getting someone to help you set up a training plan around your skating schedule is awesome. I had a couple people helping me along the way. And don’t be afraid to tweak your schedule as you progress. After your first four weeks, you should be in a routine, but before that it’s ok to move things around and figure out what works best for you!

Learn form on your own through the BUFF DUDES series. They’re really a great, short series of tutorials.

HOW DO I KNOW HOW MUCH TO LIFT?

Again, having a friend that knows lifting is helpful here. If you don’t, go to your gym and find the biggest dude or lady who is both strong in the upper and lower body (or ask someone at the desk of who to ask), and humbly request help.

Think of it this way: If someone came up to you at an open skate and said, “Hey you look like you know what you’re doing. I’m trying to get into roller derby, but I don’t know how to plow stop, can you watch me real quick to help me?” You’re not going to tell them to fuck off. Lifters feel the same way about their sport. I promise they’ll be nice to you.

Step one is to find your personal record (PR), also known as your one rep max (1RM).

Do not plan on doing your 5×5 during max days. You also shouldn’t try to max out multiple workouts for the same body part. For example, don’t try to max out back squat and front squat on the same day.

To max out, do your warm up weight (people can help you figure out what that would be… for me, my deadlift warm up has ALWAYS been 135#, and my squat started at 100#, bench was 45# … these are good starting points). Do 5 reps. Your buddy can help you go up in weight. Do 3 reps. Then up in weight and do 1 rep until you can’t move it. Boom. 1RM.

Plugging these maxes into your 5×5 Stronglift app will create a nice little “oh this is what I lift today” guide for you. You can contact me if you want something more specific.

You call it extreme, I call it “what it feels like 185# on my back”

SO I JUST LIFT FOREVER NOW?

Things can change up, but yes, now you just lift. In a 5×5 program, I do like incorporating a deload week either on week 5 or 6. A deload week is when you do your lifts, but at 50% of your max. It gives your body a chance to recoup.

When I first started this program, I was going up in weight for some of my lifts each week, not up for others. The stronglift app helps you with that.

Setting goals will help keep you focused and your training tight so that way you don’t get bored.

OTHER NOTES

You will plateau. You will have bad days at the bar. It happens. Just like derby. Sometimes you have enough sleep, you’re hydrated, you’ve eaten enough, and you just can’t squat the bar the way you did the week before. It’s ok. It happens. Seriously.

This can be new and can be scary. Just like derby. Don’t be put off from lifting by yourself because “You don’t want to hurt yourself”. There is just as much risk for injury in this sport as others. If you play derby, you know that you can have someone there with you, you can be in the process of being coached, and you can do one thing and still hurt yourself. Don’t fear injury for the sake of fearing injury.

You are probably not going parallel on your squats. If you have never squatted before, start with BOX SQUATS. Your new gym bro can find a good box for you. It should be low enough that when you sit on it, your legs create an angle lower than 90 degrees.

Your back is going to hurt. That’s because this will be the first time you’re fully using your back for a lift. All the time I hear “Oh man, my low back hurts! I must not be deadlifting right.” Or you’re deadlifting exactly right and you’re using muscles you never have before. Your back is going to hurt.

If your back is weak, your squats will suffer. “What?? But squats are a leg lift!” Yes, but the bar is on your back. So if you can’t support the bar, you can’t squat it. It’s possible that your squats may be lighter than what your legs can handle at first, because your back is not strong enough.

RECORD YOURSELF SO YOU CAN SELF-CRITIQUE AND GET NOTES FROM FRIENDS. It seems super narcissistic, but you can correct between sets sometimes! You can send the video to your friends from around the country and say “Hey is this parallel?” or “what am I doing wrong?”

When you’re lifting, EYES UP HIGH! Pick a spot towards the ceiling, look at it. Do not look side to side. Keep your weight on your heels, you should be able to wiggle your toes.

I think that’s about it!

Drop me a line if you want some extra help or have other questions about setting up your program. Your offseason program is going to be different than your in-season program, so I can help you with that stuff too. When in doubt, read books! 531, Beyond 531, and Starting Strength are the ones that have been recommended to me. Drop me a message at DerbyAmerica@gmail.com with questions or if you have anything you want me to address.

Check out http://www.GoHerbalife.com/k.grey if you need some supplements to make your lifting program max the f*** out. You can also learn about our 24 line at http://www.Herbalife24.com

Go lift things!

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Overcoming Lethargy

I’ve done a series of articles in the past through the Examiner.com site about how to overcome lethargy and it’s a very very difficult thing to do. I wanted to revisit the topic and since I’m sitting here, partially wishing that my practice would be cancelled due to icy conditions, I thought this would be a great time to remind myself to ….

Rule #1: DO IT ANYWAY

Even if practice were to get cancelled tonight, that would just mean that I would have to go to the gym and get a workout that way. The rules of physics apply to our bodies as much as they do to inanimate objects. A body in motion stays in motion, while a body at rest … you get the picture. You don’t feel like it? TOUGH! There are plenty of people who don’t feel like it and are doing it anyway.

Rule #2: Nutrition nutrition nutrition

Sure you may think that Red Bull is going to make you peppy for the rest of the day, but what happens when you crash out because of the blood sugar drop? The only way to truly fend off lethargy is to have awesome nutrition and keep that carb count LOW. If you’re not taking multivitamins 3 times a day, if you’re not eating protein-intense mini-meals throughout the day, if you’re not drinking at least half your body weight in ounces of water a day… you really need to REBOOT the way you think about your diet!!

Rule #3: Sleep Now

You only slept 5 hours last night? Well no WONDER you’re lethargic! Why are you not sleeping much? If you find that you wake constantly through the night, your mattress, pillows or other support could be in need of updating.

Do you snore? Perhaps your septum is deviated and it’s blocking your air flow.

You just find that you have too much on your mind? End each day by writing down the five things that you need to do the next day, so that you have a plan when you wake up. Also, creating a daily routine and writing it down can help your nerves tremendously.

You work out super late and are too amped up? Make sure you are doing something for recovery when you’re done your workout, include sugar so that your blood sugar will drop and result in you getting tired. You can also get used to taking some calming herbs like chamomile, valerian root and jujube. (PS Herbalife has some great natural calming remedies that I can attest to their amazingness.)

Rule #4: Positive Thinking

What? Positive thinking? I’m going to ‘ think positively; about not being tired?

YES!

By maintaining a good and healthy attitude during everyday life, you will be naturally energized. Haven’t you noticed that happier people tend to have more energy? It’s cyclical! They’re happy because they have energy to use in happiness and they have energy to use because the happiness creates it!

Don’t believe me? For the next 7 days I challenge you to not complain and every time you hear anyone say anything negative, make it a point to move away from their negative energy. For the next 7 days do positive affirmations and be very self-aware. Every time you think anything negative or start to complain, stop yourself in your tracks and say to yourself “I will have a positive attitude.”

Maybe you think it sounds silly, but I have tons of energy thanks to doing all of the things on this list. So… I may be silly, but I can be super productive!
Feel free to leave comments below on what some of your favorite ways are to maintain energy or over come lethargy!!!

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The holiday season and health

Yesterday was the day of turkey and stuffing. And mashed potatoes. And biscuits. And sweet potatoes. And pie. And wine and beer .. lots of it. And if your family is like mine, lots of canned vegetables. Thanksgiving is the kick off to Christmas and all the goodies associated with it. Though, we can’t forget that we’ve been battling the pumpkin pie, gingerbread frappaccinos and chocolate treats for almost a month already.

How do we win the battle against the holiday calories? It’s easy, if you’re willing to try. No, seriously.

MOAR WATER!

Yes. More water is STEP ONE!! Why are you not listening to me on this one?? Water does a lot of things: it keeps your cells hydrated so they can do their job. It flushes toxins from the body. It keeps your nervous system in working order. It also is what makes up YOU.

Your body has no way of telling you that it’s thirsty so your body will send the only signal it can. So when you’re thinking, “Wow I’m so busy and hungry.. weird I just ate lunch … oh well, a cookie will solve it.” NO! BAD! Put the cookie down and pick up your water bottle.

Remember: Your goal is 1/2 of your body weight IN OUNCES of water per day for health. For weight loss, or on work out days knock that up a notch. “But bottled water is expensive!” … Yes, but a water filter is not. You can even get one for your office and fill up your filter in the office bathroom.

There are solutions everywhere if you’re just willing to look.

PROTEIN POWER!

Take a look at the meals you’re eating. How much protein is in each meal? Protein not only keeps you full, but your body needs much more in a day than we usually like to recognize. Also, proteins take longer for your body to burn. So, if you eat a Greek yogurt instead of the cookie, than you are not going to have a spike and crash in blood sugar the way you will after eating a carb heavy snack or meal.

Need protein on the go? Herbalife Beverage Mix kind of tastes like jello and mixes with water for a quick snack midday.

Beverage Mix - Wild Berry — Herbalife Beverage Mix is a great, quick snack for the middle of the day.

MAKE YOUR TREATS HEALTHIER

You won’t feel as guilty about grabbing that cookie if there is protein and fiber in them. When you make mashed potatoes, make it mashed cauliflower. Use stevia root as your sweetener instead of sugar. Crisp up kale or eggplant for your chip snack at night instead of potato.

This is just a small list of things you can do to make your daily consumption better. Something else that will improve your snacking habits? Get rid of the junk food. You’ve seen shows where they toss out everything that’s brown or high in fat. Yes. Do that. Trust me, it’ll be liberating.

Herbalife’s Personalized Protein Powder can be added to foods to increase the protein. Add the Active Fiber Complex as well to really pack a healthy punch.

SET SMALL GOALS THAT ADD UP & TELL THE WORLD

It’s very easy to set really lofty goals for ourselves. When we do that, it is very easy to become disappointed. Set small goals at first: To take your vitamins daily. To get in 20 minutes of cardio per day for 2 weeks. To do 10 push ups a day.

After you set a few goals, declare it to others! Post it on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr… If you are going on a journey of weight loss, start a blog (like this one!) so that you can keep an updated log of how you’re doing and what you’re doing. Take pictures, log your measurements and it will help keep you on track.

TRACK YOUR CALORIES

There are lots of great ways to track your calorie consumption or burn. I use iChange, and others use MyFitnessPal. There are lots of exercise sites too like Fleetly.com and Nike+. Whatever you want, use it. Not only will it give you a good idea of how much you are (or aren’t) eating, but it will show you your protein intake, fat and calorie burn. Also… you might think twice about that 3rd piece of pie if you know you’re going to have to tell the interwebs about it later.

For more on Herbalife visit my Herbalife Website!

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Attention brides and grooms!

I am beginning to attack the bridal market with Herbalife.

Having spent time in the bridal industry previously, I know that there is a lack of personal health and wellness offered for bridal parties and grooms. Everyone thinks about looking great on their big day, but often a membership to LA Fitness just isn’t enough.

I am looking for help building a portfolio!

I am looking for five brides and five grooms who are interested in getting on an Herbalife plan. Those first five of each will get a special opportunity to use the products for an especially discounted rate. In return, I would love to get before and after photos, testimonials and maybe even a bridal blog or two.

Contact DerbyAmerica@gmail.com for more information on the promotion. Pictures and testimonials will be featured at promotional tables and also on blogs and websites.

Brides and grooms need to have a wedding date of December 10, 2012 or later.