Linchpin Conversations

This is from the "Ask Me Anything" we host every Thursday in the Linchpin Athletics private track Facebook group.

Questions/topics from the Linchpin community answered were:

1. Who was an influential role model or mentor in my life and what did I learn from them?

2. Should athletes over 35-40 years old attempt to learn technical movements like muscle-ups, handstand walking, etc? Why or why not?

3. What are the benefits of short sprint intervals, like the 100m dash?

4. What nutritional strategies have I experimented with and how do I currently eat?

How intensely should you workout? How does CrossFit define and measure intensity? Should you workout as hard as possible every day and end up in a pool of sweat on the floor?

This is from the May 28, 2020 "Ask Me Anything" we host every Thursday in the Linchpin Athletics private track Facebook group. Members submit questions and other members upvote them. The most popular ones get answered live each week. Questions/topics from the Linchpin community answered were:

1. Would I consider being an analyst for the 2020 CF Games in Aromas, CA.?

2. Should everyone do the barbell snatch?

3. How to do Intermittent Fasting and CrossFit.

4. How to stay motivated & consistent working out at home.

5. How to gain muscle mass.

6. Things to consider/change working out when you are 50+ years old.

A true story from a member is shared to help reinforce the importance of having a strong and supportive community. Also, the evolution of the Linchpin private track over the last 2+ years is discussed.

This is from the "Ask Me Anything" we host every Thursday in the Linchpin Athletics private track Facebook group. Members submit questions and other members upvote them. The most popular ones get answered live each week. Questions from the Linchpin community answered were: 1. How do you know if you are getting fitter? 2. If you had 2 extra hours per week to spend on fitness, what would you do? 3. What is CrossFit Health? 4. Why don't we bench press more? And other things.....

No barbell? No problem. With minimal gear, maximum fitness is possible. Our "Limited Equipment Option" provides a daily workout using dumbbells. This will not just maintain your fitness, it can INCREASE your fitness. The benefits of dumbbell training include by are not limited to variance, functionality, stabilization and breaking through plateaus. People all around the world were forced to stay home and workout due to COVID-19. If you ever have to "stay at home" in the future, make sure you have the gear needed to get fit, stay healthy and have fun.

The Sickness-Wellness-Fitness Continuum & COVID-19. We dive into a 2002 CrossFit Journal article entitled, "What is Fitness?". Four standards for evaluating fitness are defined. We discuss the 4th standard, called the "Sickness-Wellness-Fitness Continuum". We explain what this is, what it means, how to pursue it and why it is critical during a crisis like COVID-19.

Working long hours & only doing 3 workouts a week. We answer a question from the Linchpin community. One of our members works an irregular schedule on a 3-week rotation. Most of their days are 10 hour shifts with an hour commute to and from work. They also have 2 kids and countless other responsibilities demanded by life. They usually eat dinner around 9pm and get whatever sleep they can. They try to get in 3-4 workouts a week and want to know what is the best may to make such a difficult schedule work. We provide guidance and recommendations.

Workouts are not programmed for you to set a Personal Best. We provide a real life, true story of an athlete that did the workout "Randy" on 04.25.2020 and got his slowest time ever. A discussion of strategy, human behavior, expectations, and "why" workouts are programmed takes place to fill in the details of this story.

A question from the community is answered regarding if it is possible to be fit and healthy without squatting or hinging at the hip. The individual who asked the question suffers from intensely painful tendonitis. We discuss doing sled drags, pulls and other options. The essential nature of squatting and deadlifting is also covered. Lastly, some straight talk and tough love is given regarding some people's lack of motivation to workout now that most gyms are closed due to COVID-19.