Tough loss for Beaver Nation — and it came down to the fundamentals. Bad snaps, false starts… little mistakes that add up fast. Those small details can be the difference between winning and losing. Fitness is no different. Skip the basics, and progress stalls. Master them, and you’ll break through plateaus. Here are our fundamentals, straight from CrossFit’s founder: “Eat meat & vegetables, nuts & seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise, but not body fat. Practice & train major lifts: Deadlifts, cleans, squats, presses, C&Js, and snatch. Similarly master the basics of gymnastics: Pullups, dips, rope climbs, pushups, situps, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, row, swim, etc. hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports.” Before chasing “advanced” work, dial in these basics. That’s where long-term success lives. 👉 If you’re plateauing and want help breaking through, reach out for personal coaching or join our Elite Skool group for free analysis and discounted opportunities.

For most of us, training is the easy part. You show up, work hard, go home. Done. Nutrition? That’s the harder (and more important) piece of the puzzle. It’s not just about eating “healthy” — it’s about fueling your body the right way. Here’s a simple framework: 1. The 80/20 Rule Eat clean about 80% of the time, and use the other 20% for foods you enjoy. That balance keeps you consistent and sane. 2. Protein (non-negotiable) - Everyone needs it — and the older you get, the more important it is. - Goal: 0.7–1.0g per lb of bodyweight (up to ~1.4g/lb if you’re pushing hard for muscle). 3. Carbs (your training fuel) - Flexible, but aim for 1.8–4.5g per lb of bodyweight. - The harder/longer you train, the more you’ll need. 4. Fats (don’t skip these) - Essential for energy and hormones. - Shoot for about 0.4–0.5g per lb of bodyweight. Remember — you don’t need to overcomplicate this. Stay consistent with these ranges, keep the 80/20 rule in mind, and you’ll make progress without stressing over every bite. 👉 Want to dive deeper? I’ve got a nutrition course in the classroom — check it out if you want more guidance.

We hit a lot of heavy squats yesterday — Back, Front, and Overhead — all in about 45 minutes. Days like this are gold for strength, but only if you approach them the right way. Here are some keys to keep in mind: 1. Effort matters. If you’re not pushing at least a 7.5/10 RPE (challenging but not total failure), you’re not getting much out of the session. A 5/10 effort = wasted reps. 2. Have a plan. With so much volume and limited rest, you can’t go 100% on everything. Choose how to play it: - Prioritize your strongest lift. Go heavy there and let the others be “maintenance work.” - Prioritize your weakest lift. Save energy elsewhere and really attack what needs improvement. - Balance it out. Aim for at least one set of each squat variation at RPE 8+. 3. Know your level. - If you’ve got a “big” squat (300+ back squat for men / ~225+ for women), it’s probably best to focus on one lift — recovery between sets is the real limiter. - If your squat numbers are still developing, push hard across each set. Hitting 1–2 strong sets (7.5–8+ RPE) for every squat type is likely your best approach. At the end of the day, the squat marathon is less about chasing PRs and more about learning how to manage intensity, volume, and recovery. Squat smart, and you’ll get way more out of it.

Share with the gang your favorite meal you like to eat! And if you can, share the recipe with us so we can give it a shot one of these days!

Yesterday during class I noticed a common mistake in the power clean: jumping too early. Here’s what happens: as soon as the bar passes the knees, many athletes start driving their knees forward and leave the bar down on the lower thigh. The problem? You lose out on a ton of power. Instead, keep the hips and knees back as long as possible. Build tension in the hamstrings and glutes, then unleash it all at the very last second. Ideally, the bar should stay close and make its final contact at the very top of the thigh. 👉 Quick self-check: Stand tall with your clean grip and let the bar rest against your thighs. That’s the contact point you want to feel when you clean. If it’s happening lower, you’re cutting your jump short. 👉 Quick fix: Practice High Hang Cleans. Start tall, dip just a few inches, then jump hard and pull under. This teaches you to fully extend and use every ounce of power instead of rushing to get under the bar. I spent years skipping this final piece, and when I fixed it my clean went from “pretty good” to consistently in the high 200’s and even into the 300’s. Don’t waste the jump—use all of it. Do that and feel like this guy after hitting some big weights👍🏽