We are the heroes of our own adventures and the creators of expeditions. Capture the moment in the gear wherever you explore. Hashtag #everydayadventures and tag @virusaustralia

Hashtag #everydayadventures and tag @virusaustralia

Hashtag #everydayadventures and tag @virusaustralia

We sat down to speak to Jen at GW Performance in South Yarra, where she is also a coach, to find out exactly how she manages to balance following her passion as an athlete, whilst coaching the sport she loves.

Finding CrossFit

Jen first stumbled across the sport in 2014 when a personal trainer she was working with recommended she try it. She did a bit a ‘youtub-ing’ and was blown away by the female CrossFit athletes ridiculous strength and capabilities, not to mention their bodies, having had weight fluctuations of her own over the years.  While she was a bit intimidated, she was also extremely keen to try it out. After doing so and discovering how grueling it actually was, she had a ‘thanks-but-no-thanks’ kind of start. However she soon returned, coming back again and again, before deciding it was the sport for her.

Indeed it seems like her naturally competitive nature is what lit the spark for her.

Growing up, whenever someone told Jen she couldn’t do something, she made it her mission to prove them wrong. She began noticing with CrossFit, that would get that little bit better each session, being able to achieve what she previously thought she couldn’t do. In 2014 things were very different and it wasn’t as common for a female to compete in high intensity gymnastic events like those at CrossFit. She soon realised that this was something she wanted to be able to do, as a test her own personal limits.

While Jen had always had quite the obsessive personality, she found she’d often start things but never finish them. She wanted CrossFit to be different, to be the girl with all the potential who actually made it, instead of the girl just going in circles. She found ways to balance her busy schedule of working, studying and competing with good nutrition, recovery and sleep, to enable her to put her on the course to CrossFit success.

Defining moments

Jen’s defining moment in CrossFit came at the Australian Fitness Titles in Pakenham in 2015, her first ever CrossFit competition. It was a rather emotional finish, with Jen thinking she had absolutely no chance of winning the comp, only to find out, to her disbelief, that she had indeed won. Through this reaction, it became apparent to her just how serious she was about the sport, it clearly wasn’t just a Saturday hobby. This encouraged her ramp up her efforts, finding herself competing against the top 30 athletes in the Torian Pro in 2017, leveling up with the best.

In the 2018 CrossFit Open Jen decided to separate her work from her coaching and competed with the team from CrossFit SouthWharf, under the guidance of Mitch Sinnamon. This enabled her to have 5 weeks of shared experience with like-minded people, without it impacting her performance or her coaching responsibilities at GW.

To her dismay, just before the open commenced she fell ill, and then suffered a shoulder injury. She pulled out all stops and, incredibly, managed to make it in around the top 100 mark in Australia, her highest placing yet (results are still being finalised at the time of writing). Although she is first to admit that 5 weeks of competing do not define you as an athlete or person, it did prove to her just how far she had come, to achieve such a finish with the odds stacked against her.

CrossFit from a female perspective

Being a female in CrossFit is amazing, according to Jen, as it is a sport where she is NOT seen as second best. It is helping break down the stigma of women in the weight room, and perceptions of what the media would have us believe a woman SHOULD be. The community is equal, men and women can throw down together, have a laugh and congratulate each other at the end of tough session. It is empowering, this much is apparent just from being in Jen’s presence and hearing of her personal experiences and those of her clients.

This is one of the main reasons why Jen is also a coach. She relishes being able to have an impact, and help people overcome the limits they have put on themselves. In fact she screams louder than her clients do when they hit their successful first muscle up or clean.

Jen finds that by helping them realise their capabilities on the gym floor, it often translates to their life. They feel confident to go get the jobs they want, and do the things they’ve only dreamed of doing. The fact that she’s a woman means her female clients can relate to her, they are not alone and she is one of them, she can draw from experience.

Jen encourages any females thinking of taking up the sport, to do their homework, find a good coach, a good gym that will educate you, and to never settle for second best or feel forced into training where your friends train. Go with your gut, find the right place for you.

How she finds her drive

Being so driven, where does Jen draw her inspiration from? Indeed it is from the CrossFit community itself, especially all the competitors who have yet to get up on that podium but keep persisting their their sport, never giving up despite not getting the recognition of the big name athletes.

Jen credits a solid support network and her boyfriend, also a coach who understands the demands of the sport, for helping keep her grounded. She emphasizes the need to be surrounded by people with the right mindset to help keep her on track. At times, she’s struggled to relate to friends as it is hard for them to understand why she would endure what she has for the sport.

She also credits her sponsors True Protein and Virus, for not only supporting her vision but also treating her like family, constantly checking in with her. In fact she believes the Virus slogan, ‘The passion that defines you’ represents her own journey and struggles, fuelled by her passion to succeed in the sport she loves. She may also be guilty of owning our bioceramic pants, in every colour, but loves the fit, the thicker waist band and the fact they don’t ride down when she needs to perform. She’s also a fan of the Active recovery track pants, for the fact that she can chill in comfort while they help her recover faster.

And recovery is what she claims she will be focusing on for a while, that is, of course, unless she makes it to the regionals, in which case she will once again be throwing down with the best of them.

What does the future hold for Jen? Find out by following her on Instagram and Facebook.

Chris wasn’t always the driving force behind the Craigieburn CrossFit gym, in fact unlike many other athletes of his caliber, he grew up hating sport. In his early 20’s Chris’ competitive streak was reserved for video games, when he wasn’t busy working as a concreter or partying it up. However this lifestyle started to take its toll on his body, and Chris started to stack on weight. Chris started looking for a way to lose weight, trying out bodybuilding, boxing, boot-camps, any sport he could find, but nothing clicked. That was until one fateful training session with his brother, who put Chris through a CrossFit workout that he and his army buddies did for fun. Chris felt dreadful during that high intensity workout, consisting of 3 rounds of 400m runs and 50 air-squats, coughing up phlegm all the way through. It was like nothing he had ever done before, immediately he was hooked.

Excited by this experience, the following week he signed up at the closest gym he could find, Crossfit Victoria in Fitzroy. He aspired to be like all of the CrossFit ‘badasses’ that surrounded him. He adopted the CrossFit way, starting a Paleo diet, and with this his body changed. As he progressed up the ranks, he began to really appreciate the art behind the sport. He set his mind on mastering the skills and taking it to the next level soon moving to CrossFit Merciless, for an opportunity to train with a weightlifting coach. He got stronger, began an internship, got certified and levelled up.

He knew he didn’t just want to be a coach; he wanted to be THE BEST coach, and have his own successful CrossFit gym. He was struggling financially when a friend offered him an opportunity to coach CrossFit in Darwin. With nothing to lose, he seized the moment, made the move,  and knuckled down, saving as much money as he could while doing what he loved in the NT. He soon managed to save enough to move back to Melbourne on his own terms.

While Chris is now incredibly proud of Crossfit Craigieburn, it wasn’t always part of the plan. Upon returning from Darwin he struggled to find the right space to build his own studio from the ground up. By chance he heard the existing CrossFit Craigieburn was for sale, but wasn’t sure that he wanted to move into an established facility.

He decided to visit the gym anyway and fell in love with the place, the culture, and the people. The price was way above his range, but he managed to negotiate terms and take over ownership. Numbers soon grew from 45 to around 145-150 members. Chris didn’t make huge changes, just enhanced the essence of what he loved about the gym. To this day the former owners, who sold up to concentrate on raising a family, are still members of the gym and thrilled with the progress Chris has made.

Since opening the gym Chris’ athletic career has also taken off, so finding a balance between his passion, his baby (the gym) and his personal life is a constant challenge. CrossFit is always going to be grueling, so Chris credits focusing on physical and mental recovery outside of CrossFit as his saving grace.

Chris’ goal for this year’s open was to finish in the top 30 in Australia. When it gets to the grind and you’re doing the work past breaking point, he stressed, it’s not about the individual, the thing that keeps him going is his team. The ever-humble athlete wants for them to experience the regionals, have their names on the scoreboard, hear the music, see all the competitors doing what they love to do. And in order for them to do that, Chris would had to score big, always pushing for those extra reps, to push the team tally up the ranks. For Chris, whether he competes at the regionals or not was less important, than seeing his team thrive, and getting the Craigieburn Rhino banner up there. With the opens now closed and Chris ranking 23rd in Australia, it looks like he may just have his wish.

To stay competitive, cover off weaknesses and brush up on strengths, Chris has endured a massive training volume. 6 days a week training, 2x2hr sessions and 3x1hr. He explains that this is what everyone else is doing, 4 days off is 4 days lost, so he can’t afford to get complacent, its crucial to keep it dialed in.

To balance the load, he factors in stretching, rolling, massage, twice daily saunas and spas, twice weekly ice bath, quality anti-inflammatory foods, high levels of hydration, and Virus compression gear for recovery AND sleeping in.

How does he manage to keep up the hectic pace?
He knows his why, spiritually, and is willing to sacrifice the time, and pain, to get there.

His advice for those wanting to make it in the CrossFit world? Find good gym, a good crew, good coaches, understand movement, strength and conditioning, and be willing to put in a lot of time and effort. You will become stronger and more functional for your efforts.

He acknowledges CrossFit isn’t for everyone, much like ballet. For Chris, at it’s purest CrossFit is all about throwing down with some mates, loud music, a tough workout and bonding over a good laugh once the work is done.

You can check out Chris’ athlete stats at the CrossFit Games website or find out more by visiting the Craigieburn CrossFit website, Facebook or Instagram pages.

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Renown helmet manufacturer Bell are the first name in speed and the first name in helmets. When searching for the best fabric to line their revolutionary extreme-performance Pro Star series, Bell looked no further than Virus for a premium power mesh liner, to withstand the rigors of hard use.

Virus International’s Cool Jade technology offered exactly what their athletes needed, a high quality solution to enable them to keep a cool head when it mattered most, in extreme conditions. The anti odor and quick dry combination combats microbes, odor and increases longevity of product life with maximum comfort.

Luckily you don’t need to be a pro athlete risking life and limb to experience the benefits of Cool Jade technology. You can check out our range of Cool Jade performance gear here, and stay cool, dry and at peak performance.

We spoke to one of Australia’s top motivational speakers, Craig Harper, author of some of the best advice circulating the web via his ‘White Board Lessons‘.

Craig is no stranger to helping people stay the course when motivation is waning, or dropping the occasional F-bomb. Below we share some of Craig’s insights on how to stay proactive, productive and effective, when the motivation fades.

Recognise motivation is temporary

The first thing that Craig stresses, is that we should recognize motivation is a temporary emotion, it’s never going to create permanent results. Emotions, can determine our behaviours in good or bad ways if we allow them to. We get excited (motivated) but then when we inevitably become unexcited (lose motivation), we stop doing what we started and the results stop.

If we are able to live in alignment with our goals, our values, and our resolutions then we are more likely to achieve a consistent and favourable outcome. By doing this we will have more chance of weathering peaks and troughs of excitement/motivation. How to do this? Read on.

Set a realistic goal

Goals should be enough to motivate but not overwhelm, Craig recommends setting goals that are ambitious but practical. He also says to remember with goals that are personal, other peoples expectations are irrelevant. People-pleasing is a habit, a very destructive and exhausting one at that.

Identify your habits

Habits are our hard-wired, default behaviours. For this reason when asked how, at 54 years old, he finds the motivation and discipline to stay in such great shape, Craig says he doesn’t have to. He exercises everyday, a habit hard-wired in his subconscious.

Not being a drinker, Craig’s default habit is to NOT drink, so there is no need to abstain.

Craig says it’s important to take a hard look at what’s not working for you, whether it be health, career, finances, relationships, business, lifestyle and identify the less favourable habits. Acknowledge what’s holding you back with a sense of awareness and, he stresses, not self-loathing. Then think about where you want to be. Work on cultivating the habits that will help you get there, until they shift from ‘some-of-the-time’ behaviours, to ‘all-the-time’ behaviours, or your new defaults.

Create a process

Craig finds that being strategic and practical, and creating a timeline or process helps people follow through to their end goals. He also recommends building in an accountability system. Work with someone else, maybe a friend, a trainer, a nutritionist or psychologist, who-ever is best equipped to keep you honest.

Then start the doing, sequentially. For example, he states, if you want to run a marathon you start by running/walking a short distance, you don’t start by trying to run 42kms. Gradually over time you increase your distances, incrementally take more steps. You get good by doing or, as he puts it, you simply can’t master what you avoid.

Do the work, and do it early

Being productive early in the day, will help you get your tasks done. Research indicates that people are more effective early in the day, with better mental focus and emotional states.

Start with a to-do list, form clarity about your tasks to achieve for the day.

Prioritise the most important, non-negotiable tasks, and tackle them first. Be realistic about what you can achieve, avoid over-committing yourself.

What if you have done all of the above, yet disaster strikes?

As Craig puts it bluntly, shit happens. It is all part of the human experience. If you hit a road-block, press pause and assess. What is in your control? What is not?

Learn to manage the stress response. Stress is stress, not a solution. Craig likens this to when you drop a fragile item and it breaks. The damage is done, no amount of panicking will un-break it. Acknowledge the situation for what is and focus on a solution. One way to get better at this is by learning to be adaptable, i.e. improving your adaptability quotient (AQ).

A final life-hack from Craig…

When it comes to setting and accomplishing goals, Craig says to learn from other people’s mistakes, and not try to reinvent the wheel. Work smarter, not harder, but he stresses, don’t imitate, be a sheep, or clone.

Craig had his hand in innovating the self-help book genre by authoring one of the first motivational books with the F word on the cover back in 2010. At the time it was a bit funny, a bit cheeky, and perfect for the Australian audience. Now seeing that word on the cover of self-help books has become the norm, capitalizing off this innovation. So remember it’s still important to create and innovate.

To learn more from Craig and his words of wisdom you can follow him on Facebook, Instagram, or visit his website craigharper.net.

So how does one level up their athletic performance? We spoke to Carl Jennings, an expert in the field of athletic development with over 25 years experience as a elite level strength and conditioning coach working with the likes of Olympians, NRL Australia and English Premier League soccer, about the best way to achieve athletic success. Carl through his business Super 6 High Performance, helps athletes develop elite levels of physical and emotional resilience, enabling them to fulfill their potential.

The first thing that he stresses is that to make any significant improvements we MUST embrace change.  However this is not easy, as by nature we are relatively change-averse. In order to adapt to change we need to develop a realistic plan, or as Carl calls it, a ‘Map for Success’. Without this Carl equates setting out on a new sporting or fitness endeavour, to setting out on a journey through uncharted territory without a map, increasing the risk of going off course and giving yourself a significantly lower chance of even arriving at your destination.

So how do we set about creating such a plan? We discuss the essentials Map for Success below.

The Starting Point

Just as any journey has a starting point so too does an individual athlete or team. This is the point where an honest evaluation of the current identity and capabilities must take place.

Important questions to ask here are:
– what are your strengths and weaknesses?
– What processes and behaviours will move you forward?
– What behaviour and external pressures will hold you back?

Carl is a big believer in formulating a plan that focusses on ‘Strengthening strengths, along with a secondary focus of Weakening Weaknesses’. It is ultimately your Strengths that will drive you to sporting success, and it is these “Big Rocks” that you must spend the majority of time developing.

Once this is established, there is greater awareness of ones true nature, so it is easier to start putting together a more realistic and achievable plan. We can do this by breaking down the year into smaller building blocks, so that you can focus energies into specific areas of development over time, improving the overall picture. In the world of athletic conditioning we would refer to these as macro, meso and microcycles.

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel, you can draw from existing resources to plan your training blocks, however it is important to note that you shouldn’t take a one size fits all approach. Your plan should be built to work toward a summation of your individual strengths. He puts this best by stating, ‘ Work hard as getting very good at a few things rather than average at a lot of things’.

The Destination

It is easier to successfully reach our destination if we have a clear destination in mind! By building a clear picture of where your physical, tactical and technical ability needs to be at a certain point in time, then it is easier to map out the steps needed to reach this. It is crucial to prepare with the end goal in mind, and set regular check points within the map to measure if you are moving toward your goal as planned.

The Terrain

Having a clear outline of the sporting year ahead helps you fill in all the training variables. Is there off-season, pre-season, in-season or smaller events factored into your schedule? Once this is assessed, you can work out things like durations and intensities to allow for crucial adaptation to training stresses. It is also important to keep in mind the unpredictability of planning in advance, and here is where it crucial to have the right mind-set and structures in place to allow you to easily adapt, improvise and overcome obstacles.  Another important consideration is to set rest points, to de-load, and allow for adequate recovery to rebuild physical and emotional energy that will be needed when pushing your limits.

So there you have it, by building a Map for Success that enables you to prepare for the controllable, AND the uncontrollable factors you may face, you can give yourself the best chance of achieving your athletic goals.

If you would like to find out more about building your own personal map for success you can contact Carl via www.super6highperformanceprogram.com.au.

The extra kick that you might need is to have someone else going through it all with you. Here are the main reasons as to why you need to start training with a mate:

Motivation.
As described earlier, motivation can be one of the easiest things to lose but can be one of the easiest things to gain. Imagine training in the gym doing your usual workout, with your headphones in and the world blocked out.
Now, imagine you’re doing the exact same workout but you’ve got your killer gym bud next to you, doing the same workout as you, and working just as hard.

As humans, we are all naturally competitive, wanting to add extra kgs to a lift or 0.5 seconds faster to your run. With someone by your side, adrenaline will kick in and you’ll find that you will work harder.

Technique.
Technique is one of the most crucial components when training. If your technique is incorrect, it can affect your current workout and you may not be targetting the correct muscles. Incorrect technique can also result in an injury minimal or severe.
With your mate next to you in the gym, they will more than likely tell you if your posture, foot placement or overall technique is incorrect, just like you would do for them. This will result in you having and your mate having an overall better and more successful training session.

Change your routine.
If you’re sick and tired of doing the same old workout and the same old gym, then fear no more. There is a lifetime supply of gym buddy workouts flying all over the internet. Just hop on to Google and find your favourite one for the day. Not only can you do new, fun workouts you can change gyms too. If your friend goes to a different gym to you then most likely that gym will have different equipment, it might be just a few different machines but that’s all you need to change up a training session.

Company.
And last but not least, you’ll have someone’s company while training. And it’s the almost perfect chance to catch up, share your fitness journey and even your goals with them. They can keep in touch with your goals and journey to make sure you stay in line, this works both ways – where the two of you can bounce off each other and not just train but have an awesome time while doing it.

Get a gym buddy and tell us how it goes! 

Play it smart when training this summer, and reap the benefits of enhanced performance.