SPEED OF STRENGTH PERFORMANCE
  • Home
  • About SOS
    • The Systems
    • Nutrition
    • Performance Session
    • SERVICES
    • Precision Nutrition ProCoach
    • FAQs
  • Coach Ash - Blog
    • Contact
  • 2 Week Strength Plan Locked

looking back to look ahead: 2020 and 2021 on

12/31/2020

0 Comments

 
Looking back to look ahead
Did you read any good books this year?

  • Yes, it was 457 pages.
How was training?
  • Great.  Biked 1,000 miles, Ran 500, Swam 10.
Hmm.

This is around the time for annual training mileages.  

In a year like 2020, where things are thrown sideways, it’s important to remember that we can measure miles objectively or subjectively.  The mile count is not as important as our ultimate goal and development.  Determine when and how to count your miles as a person and athlete. 

Growth has no destination.  Covid cancelled some events.  However, if we were fortunate enough to stay healthy and stable, it did not necessarily cancel personal growth.

If posting YOUR stats, it would be great to also see your highlights.  If Garmin was still being held hostage, what would you put up to describe the year?  What are the words?  And why do you choose them?  

Miles have different purposes

So, for me, I have no idea my “stats”.  And, frankly, I don’t care.  They’re part of the process, not the result.  Sometimes I don’t even use a watch because it doesn’t fit the process. 
But, here’s my year.
Coaching is my passion and this year I found a great home at Become.  Honestly, I love this place.  The people, culture, turf.  Sometimes you’re just in the right spot.

Coaching +1 = UML Rowing. My life dream has been to coach at UML.  And, we’re on pause or something now, but I have can’t wait to get back in the launch

Coaching +2 = Over ‘Covid’ I added several certifications and took all those courses I’d put on the parking lot list.  

  • USAT - 1 (the first virtual one, as my real one was cancelled)
  • Girls Gone Strong, Women’s Coaching Specialist
  • Precision Nutrition -1
  • Certified Functional Strength Coach
  • Exos - Absolute Speed
  • Exos - .10 second difference
  • Exos - Multidirectional Speed
  • Exos - Applied Neuroscience of Peak Performance
  • Altis - Endurance Events

And I geeked out with webinars from USRowing, Perform Better, and others (phenomenal, both orgs).  So much quality. One thing about the fitness industry - we are scrappy.  ‘Adapt and change’.  

It’s good science and business.

Coaching +3=
Now - I have two (at least ) online businesses.  Speedofstrength.com and fitcoach.us 

Both are remote coaching, via Zoom or Facetime, with simple set-up and guaranteed performance or fitness results when followed.  They address strength and efficiency for more speed at endurance sports, plus nutrition, personal training.  Yes, it's new.  Precisely.  Was your old way working optimally? And how do you know?

Coaching +n=

  1. I found a knowledgeable fitness business coach who has already been incredibly helpful and I look forward to more!!  Emily - can’t wait to keep learning and appreciate everything you’ve shared so far.

  1. In the stages of starting a triathlon club, called strongerthan.racing, for anyone who has used endurance sports to rebuild themselves.  This includes but isn’t limited to: trauma; mental or physical illness; addiction, loss; change in self/identity; physical change, etc..  Best part - collab with someone I look up to a ton. More info to come here… (and… Stronger?! Get it!!)

And the BIGGEST  BIGGIE:  In 2 weeks I’m a student again. A doctoral student.(WHAA) Liberty u.  Doctor of Strategic Leadership Program. This degree is essentially Coaching + Business combined, and they had a great tuition deal for business owners.

Coaching ps: The most important decision I made "over covid" was that MY OWN coach was a top priority for ME.  When every race is cancelled etc, that's the opportunity to lean in, learn, get better. Because, you need a person to push and challenge you (thanks KP, for insisting I go bike when I didn't yet love gravel cycling.)

So, that’s my 2020 lemonade roundup.

I’m all ears! What’s yours?  And if you want help making 2021 the best yet contact me here:

ashley@speedofstrength.com

Ashley Blake is a Certified Strength Coach, Nutrition Coach, and Women’s Coaching Specialist.  She is a USAT Certified Coach, and USRowing Level 2 coach. She’s worked in fitness and athletic coaching since 2005. 

Nutrition coaching here
Fitness Coaching Here
Performance Coaching Here

Picture
0 Comments

Never thought I'd post THIS. Warning, content.

12/8/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Warning:  Content.

“Ashley, we found vomit.”

These are the words that made my heart sink for 20+ years. 

Caught. Exposed. Horrified.

But, very painstakingly, I recovered from a severe eating disorder, improved as an athlete, and embraced nutrition.  And this is why I now coach: To help others reach their own potential, when they are stuck.  

Bulimia is sneaky and a liar. It forces you to do things rational you would never do.  You live a double life.  By day I’m rowing, promoting fitness, or training for an Ironman.  But later, I have this dirty secret that numbs some even deeper secrets. It actually hurt a lot, to extract things from your intestines, and my face looked like Mike Tyson punched me.  Every day I did this.  When I was 27, one associated experience left me unconscious in the ICU. That’s another tale.

In total, there were a few hospital/inpatients. One place took my shoes and laces.  Again, another tale.  Physically, emotionally -- not a walk through the park.  If there is someone good at torturing themselves, it’s me. 

What I really wanted was to be good - great - at all my “things”. Isn’t that what we all want?  To be good at the things we invest ourselves in?  But sometimes,  and maybe you agree, the goalpost seems to move? So, here we are, working really hard but not having much to show for it.

For me, those “things” were athletics, life, and feeling comfortable in my body.  Ironically, I never got ANY of those while sick.  

Mostly, I felt shameful, and judged.  Recovery, in medical terminology, seemed illogical and counterproductive to my goals.  So I didn’t trust it, buy in, or even believe anything was really all that wrong.  Eventually, I was so far in the hole, I thought I would never recover and just needed to live with the burden.  NOT TRUE.  What did I do?

I leveraged my PASSIONS to help myself, and accept help from others.  This took years, and happened progressively.  One thing I’ve learned working in fitness my whole life - speaking the same language that motivates your subject is POWERFUL.   I knew what motivated me.

  • I was fed up with feeling shitty, and underperforming despite having potential 
  • I had support and purpose directed towards sport  (thank you, every one of my coaches)
  • I took additional courses in sport and nutrition → to gain deeper understanding →  *in areas that LINED UP WITH WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO ME*. 
  • I looked into nuanced communication, and how people understand 
  • I applied this


Now, as a coach I help others:

  1. Improve themselves 
  2. Through support and understanding
  3. With communication centered around YOUR understanding and what’s IMPORTANT TO YOU
  4. And the belief that change is possible
  5. Challenging old methods that didn’t work, and exploring the processes that work for you

It doesn’t matter if you’re brand new to the sport, and tell me you want to be the world champion.  Roll up your sleeves, let's dissect how to make improvements.

Same with nutrition.  No judgements if there’s a time you ate 6 whole birthday cakes alone.  Guess what? So did I.  The point is where we’re going, and how we get there.  

Why am I sharing this?  Well, I want you to know that wherever you are, whatever goalpost keeps moving, there’s a way to reach it.  This could be with the help of a health professional, me, or another coach (and I’m happy to refer, I know a lot of very good ones).  

The points outlined above are my principles, philosophy, and reasons why I coach others. I know I couldn't have made progress without help along the way.  A coach is someone who brings you where you want to go, when you can’t get there on your own. (For real, that’s the origin of the word.  A coach. Like a horse carriage.  A coach brings you from one place, to another).

Second, I want to break down the stigma.  Athletes are more likely than any other population to develop an Eating Disorder.  Openness will lend to awareness.  Honestly, posting this publicly is terrifying.  And this isn’t even close to a tell-all.  Bulimia doesn’t have the same stoic nature as its counterpart.  This one is more ‘7 sins’, which is actually an appropriate description since it was a living hell.   But, a small ripple creates a tidal wave.  Here’s my ripple. 

Finally, I’m giving a shout-out to the power of life-long athletics and teams.  For me, these are Endurance Sports and Rowing.  The process of training for and completing 8 Ironman races was a huge bump in the recovery process.  To make an analogy:  The best drills I give are the ones people cannot do wrong.  EX/ Jumprope.  Do it wrong, point your toes, you stop doing it.  This is true with health, self care, embracing community, and Ironman training.  Fly straight if you want to soar.

______

Quick note on EDs, Recovery, coaches - In my experience, every head coach that has worked with me directly has been a positive turn of the dial.  All were supportive to the degree they knew I had any issues. Yes, I was stubborn and resistant, but they all chipped off a piece of the iceberg. Special notation - for Female Administrative leaders- the AD, Assistant AD, and Dean of Students at my University (all female, which is highly rare) recognized an issue, and were proactive with support and resources. (Clark University, Worcester, MA). My current triathlon coach, Kurt Perham, is phenomenal.

I was blessed with some amazing friends and teammates along the way, too.

For me, this was clinically diagnosed in middle school, and the disposition started much earlier. So, instead of coaches being NYT scandal cases, I argue the exact opposite. Nothing that was ever said to me ‘caused’ this.  

As coaches, athletes, and leaders in the community, we need more education and understanding.  We also need the right  people in roles that can move the dialogue and the culture, in this and MANY other areas.  We are barely scraping the surface of understanding, but scraping is how we get to the next layer.

Feel free to share this post, which is terrifying, but may help open dialogue.

_______________


If you or someone you know is having issues please contact the National Eating Disorders Association.  Go there for resources, or to talk, text, or chat.  (800) 931- 2237 (call or text) or https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/contact-helpline to chat.


Ashley Blake, MA, helps athletes maximize performance through strength and nutrition coaching.   She is a Strength Coach, Precision Nutrition Coach, and Women's Coaching Specialist.  She also coaches nutrition for health, wellness, and a better relationship with the body.

USAT-1, USAC-3, USRowing-2, USMS-2

www.speedofstrength.com
ashley@speedspeedofstrength.com
 

​

0 Comments

The Habit Advantage - Strength, Nutrition, Life.

11/30/2020

1 Comment

 

The secret advantages of habits


“I’m finding this very effective. I can actually feel it changing my mindset day to day.”
“I feel like I’m being led in the right direction, at the right pace.”
“Daily actions and tracking make a huge difference, and keep me thinking about the small changes I can make.”
“You are teaching us maintenance habits FIRST. Since we’ve all tried about 1,000 diets, this is so refreshing and powerful.”


– PN Client feedback on using habit-based coaching
Picture


​What is a habit-based program?

Habit-based programs, such as Speed of Strength Training, and PN Nutrition, focus on repeating small, short-term daily actions to work towards a long-term goals
We define a “habit” as a small task to complete that forms part of a larger, strategic set of actions.


By doing these habits daily, you practice changing.
  • act into change, rather than just imagining or wanting change.
  • practice change itself – have the experience of trying something different.
How does it work?

On day 1, you’ll be asked to reflect on YOU, your motivations, and goal.  If that goal changes, it’s ok!  Together, we work backwards to ask:
  • What behaviors will lead to that goal?
  • How can we break that goal into smaller, simpler pieces?

Those smaller, simpler pieces – small enough that most take only 5-10 minutes a day – are habits. These carefully organized habits make up the “core” of your training and/or nutrition plan.
Over time, those small habits will add up and become seamless. Eventually, you won’t have to think about eating nutritiously. They’ll just do it, automatically.

Why a habit-based program?

"I know what I should do, but I don’t do it.”

How often do you think that??

When it comes to change:
  • Action is more important than information.
  • Doing is more important than knowing.

​No matter how much you know, or want to change, only consistent, daily action creates change.

​
You change by doing and experiencing.

Most of us learn best by doing – through hands-on, real-life experimentation and experience.
We also change best by doing. Because change itself is a skill.

​

Habits help us:
  • learn and practice important skills;
  • integrate those new skills so that they’re automatic;
  • build a sense of self-confidence; and
  • become better at change itself.


More on this to come!! Stay tuned!!
 
Coach Ash

-adapted from PN Resources

1 Comment

The ‘Special Day’ Dilemma: Thanksgiving Nutrition Navigation

11/25/2020

0 Comments

 
How do I approach Thanksgiving??

Moderation, stick with my rhythm, or it’s a Holiday so free-for-all? 

Well, as a Nutrition Coach, I’ll give you my take.

It’s fine to have days that aren't perfect.  For most people, eating ‘pretty well’ about 80% of the time will get you to goals.  90% gets you there too.  99-100% is unrealistic, especially if you’re not paid for it.

So, what about the other 20%?  Is it a whole day? A meal? A meal that lasts all day??  

It could be any of those things.  The most important thing I urge my clients to examine is mindset around it.

  • Did you say to yourself ‘this is bad’?
  • Why the break?  Ex: Birthday/event or bad day? 
  • Planned, or no?
  • Did it set off a chain reaction?
  • How did you feel after?
  • Would you make the same choice again?
  • Was it a need or a want?

In a holistic approach to nutrition and health, nothing is off limits. We do not have Good vs Bad.  We have lives, and we are multidimensional people.  ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ is a little too Willy Wonka ‘Eggdicator’?  We will not send you down the same chute as Veruca Salt, because you ate a bad egg.  Enjoy your chosen days, in moderation.
Picture
Language matters.

“I’ve been good all week!!”  
“I deserve this reward”
or
“I ate something bad”

These statements are all-or-nothing thinking.  They subconsciously set you up for the *other* extreme.  I can't tell you how many times I've seen this in a Friday food journal "But I've been good all week!!".  The issue wasn't the food choice, but the mindset around it.  

Thinking on a spectrum can help to set you up for success long term.

EX/  My choices fell here
 
Eat Less of This ____________x________ Eat More of This

vs

Bad _________________________x_________Good 


How you think affects future actions.  In everything.  That's a separate topic, but just accept it.


This Thanksgiving

I urge caution in connecting food to all-or-nothing thinking, reward or association.  

If ‘Every Thanksgiving I have pie AND cake’, that is an association. 

Similar to ‘Every time I race I get a donut after’.  That is a conditioned reward.

Be your own boss.  You own your choices.  If you want the pie, go have it (in moderation).  My food for thought is having the pie just because it’s Thanksgiving.  That may not be the best reason to have pie.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving, and pie if you choose. On Friday, continue on with your life.  Thursday was another day.  Not a ‘bad’ or ‘cheat day’.  It was a day.  

Continuous motion is easier to maintain than new momentum from a dead stop.  Your mindset determines if Thursday - and the days after- are steps in your journey, or a halt.  Enjoy that day, and all of them.

-Coach Ash

For more info on Nutrition, drop me a line: ashley@speedofstrength.com.  I teach athletes how to use nutrition as a performance enhancer, and help all people with their food or body challenges.  Specializing in performance, women’s coaching, and body composition changes.   

Ashley Blake, MA, is a Strength Coach, Precision Nutrition Coach, and Women's Coaching Specialist. 
USAT-1, USAC-3, USRowing-2, USMS-2.

0 Comments

    Meet the coach​

    Coach Ash
    ​

    My name is Ashley, and I started coaching because of my experience as an athlete.  I always worked hard, and wanted to find every way  to turn it into performance.

    From rowing to strength and speed, I was determined to learn as much as possible.  It is my goal to share this with others, in a way that is easy to understand.  

    Name:  Speed of Strength

    1) Use strength, go fast.  Strength from muscles, body, mind, and self.  
    2) Apply strength FAST.  How quickly can you initiate power?  That's how fast you can go.

    Chances are, you have more speed in you.



    About me:

    BA/MA, Clark University. 4 year crew, 3 year captain.  Alice Higgins University Award for Achievement by Female Scholar Athlete.  

    Post-collegiate - Clubs: 
    Steel City, Riverside's High Performance Group, Merrimack River Rowing Association, and GMS.  Coached Junior and Masters rowers, and trained for USRowing Trials.  Selected achievements include: Two-time Head of the Charles medalist (1x), Canadian Henley gold (4x), USRowing club nationals - Multiple Medals/years.  LW and OW rowing.

    Endurance Sports: 8x Ironman, Many 70.3s, Qualifier 70.3 World Championships (2019), Marathon finisher, Boston Marathon Qualifier.

    Performance Certifications: Certified Strength Coach (NCSF), Certified Sport Nutrition Specialist (NCSF), Certified Functional Strength Coach, Precision Nutrition L-1, Girls Gone Strong Women's Coaching Specialist 

    National Governing Body Certifications: USAT L1, USAC L3, USMS L2, USRowing L2

    RSS Feed

    "How quickly can you initiate power?  That's how fast you can go."

    Newsletter Signup

Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Home
  • About SOS
    • The Systems
    • Nutrition
    • Performance Session
    • SERVICES
    • Precision Nutrition ProCoach
    • FAQs
  • Coach Ash - Blog
    • Contact
  • 2 Week Strength Plan Locked