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8-Day Christmas Giveaway #2: Eight Greats by Michael Rutherford

“Coach Rut” should be a household name. Creator of the “Max Effort Black Box” method and DBWOD, Michael Rutherford has been around. He attended the first CrossFit “seminar.” He was one of the first Affiliates. He authored the first popular non-mainsite “CrossFit” training program (Max Effort Black Box,) which included a strength bias for the first time. In two weeks, you’ll hear from Coach Rut on TwoBrainRadio (“A Very Black Box Christmas” episode) and we’ll feature him in videos for Up-Coach clients in the spring. But we’re giving you a free sneak peak: eight sweet and salty Dumbbell Workouts from the mind of the master. If you’ve been looking to add dumbbell work (or, hell, you KNOW you need more unilateral work in your programming,) start here. Included are eight brand new workouts with full movement descriptions. Download here: Eight Great Dumbbell Workouts (You can download Rut’s ebook here, but it’s not free.) You’ll hear more about MEBB and DBWOD in two weeks. But for now, expand your programming to include single-limb work, and get started with the programming in the link!
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Episode 9: Brian Costello and the 8-Day Giveaway!

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"Drip" Education

We’ve spent the last decade studying the best ways to learn. Our IgniteGym project uses exercise to optimize learning with exercise. We know that lessons are BEST retained when they’re learned one at a time; placed into the correct context; tested against previous knowledge; and then taught to others. This is why we built our Up-Coach Program to provide regular education for fitness coaches. Traditional fitness education occurs in one of three ways: GOOD: Weekend seminar. Tons of great information in an engaging environment with peer feedback. High excitement, low retention. Coaches usually take away 1-2 great tips for application. BETTER: Online course with materials. Lots of great information that can be broken down into digestible chunks. Lessons can be repeated anytime. Medium excitement (if the course is done well,) high retention. Coaches can learn a lot IF they repeat the lessons. BEST: Online coursework learned in a peer group. Assignments for application and “reteaching.” Concepts that build on one another. Lessons that are repeatable anytime, and quizzes to gauge comprehension. Of course, the Up-Coach program delivers on “BETTER” and “BEST” only. Live seminars are necessary and fun, but long-term learning is optimized when lessons can be accessed on demand; reinforced in a group of peers; and anchored through coaching assignments.
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Building A Media Empire

To be a content-creating genius, you don’t really have to be smart. You need two things: consistency editing. First, you need to ship. Commit to delivering bad content first. No one is great in their first video. Everyone has typos in their first blog post. But deliver it anyway. Set a deadline. Tell your fans. Deliver, even if it’s not perfect. Need a clock? Use 750words.com to spur your creativity. Shoot for getting all 750 words in a day. Then try to get three days in a row. Then shoot for a week. Don’t try to do a full year. Block time off in your schedule (yes, pay someone to do a lower-value role, like cleaning or buying paper towels or even coaching.) Make art. Post it. My time for art is at 4am every weekday. Also coffee. Need a topic? Go to Wal-Mart. Look at the magazines. Write down ten headlines. Think, “I could sure clear up THAT lie!” or “I can’t believe people still think…!” And write the truth. Second, editing. These imperfect pieces of fabulous content should have the rough edges knocked off before anyone sees them. If you’re good at editing–or have an editor–it’s easy to produce content, because you’ll fix problems later.  Video: use iMovie or Corel VideoStudio Pro. Take a lesson online. Just drop your movie into the software, add your logo (if you can) and upload. Don’t wait until you know how to add your logo. Take your video with your phone, or a simple digital camera (I use a Canon T5i.) Want to get fancy? You can use a lighting rig and backdrop (eventually) Need a topic? Teach me how to squat in two minutes or less. Podcast: use Buzzsprout and link through iTunes and Stitcher. Matt Scanlon has a great instructional on 321GoProject.com. Record using a Blue Yeti mic (don’t forget the spit guard) and GarageBand or Audacity. Need a topic? ...
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TwoBrainRadio Episode 8: Brian Mulvaney, Strategist at CrossFit HQ

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Two-Brain Radio Episode 7: The Dave Tate Effect

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