Varied Not Random

- Dave Durante is a multiple time USA gymnastics national champion and was part of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Team as an alternate. He helped coachStanford University to an NCAA Team Title in 2009. Dave was a lead coach with the CrossFit Gymnastics L1 course from 2013-2015. He also wrote and developed the CrossFit Gymnastics Advanced Course. Dave is co-owner of Power Monkey Fitness and Power Monkey Camp.- Dave discusses his athletic background as well as what led him to CrossFit.- Pat, Adrian & Dave dive into why & how gymnastics plays such a vital role in a well rounded strength & conditioning program.

- David Osorio is the owner of CrossFit South Brooklyn. - This gym was established in 2007 & has undergone countless evolutions.- David shares some of the best practices he has developed over the years to optimize CrossFit in a group setting.- David does not assign an “Rx’d” load for his gym’s workouts. He also has 2 days a week when members have the freedom to choose parts of their workout. - He shares these ideas along with other aspects that make CF South Brooklyn unique & special. - Pat & Adrian discuss this topic.

- An athlete has bad shoulders & has undergone multiple surgeries. Overhead movements such as the push jerk seem to do more harm than good.- The athlete feels the movement should be avoided, but their coach believes otherwise.- When, if ever, is it appropriate to stop doing certain movements?- Pat & Adrian discuss this topic.

- A rowing athlete was told by their coach that in order to improve they needed to spend more time rowing.- This same rowing coach also told the athlete there was no benefit in strength training or high intensity training.- Pat & Adrian explore the validity of this claim.

- What are good substitutions for pull-ups if you don’t have a pull-up bar?- What are the differences & similarities between pull-ups & chin-ups?- Is one movement better than the other?

- If you have an occupation, like a 1st responder, that requires you to be ready to work at any time, with no warm-up how do you adequately prepare for this?- Should people in this line of work modify the manner in which they train?- Pat & Adrian discuss this topic & more.

- A VNR listener is concerned the programming at their gym is bad & wants to know how to fix the situation.- Pat & Adrian discuss how to evaluate programming.- They talk about the various aspects one should consider when discerning the effectiveness of a program.

- We’ve all had workouts where the weight felt extra heavy or it took much longer than expected.- Bad workouts can negatively affect your confidence, fill you with doubt & have you questioning your training.- What should you do after a “bad” workout to help get yourself back on track physically & mentally?- Pat & Adrian dive into this topic.

- Pat & Adrian discuss a CrossFit Journal article entitled “Foundations”.- This article was published in April 2002. It is full of useful information & explanations of methods that hold true even though 20 years have gone by.

Chris Hinshaw, a top endurance coach, discusses the benefits of running, the importance of coaching and learning, strength training for aerobic capacity, the benefits of CrossFit, and the significance of a 1.5 mile run program for first responders.