Undisputed Championship

If you don’t know who I am, I’m Lorenzo Hernandez , owner and operator of Undisputed Fitness. I’ve owned Undisputed Fitness for the past seven years and couldn’t have done it without the incredible support and backing of people like you. Support comes in many forms, and for me, the most important thing is to believe in someone regardless of their past. I wasn’t sure about that last part when I was released from prison in 2013. However, I knew that I was on this path for a reason, and if others didn’t accept me for who I was, I knew that wasn’t the right fit for me. No part of my story happened by mistake or by luck. It happened because I believed in what I could do and have had the support of others who believed, and still believe, that I am always capable of achieving more.. Finding this motivation took a lot of self-reflection when I was in the clink. I did extensive work through therapy at my last location, considering why I chose to live a lifestyle that had put me there and why I should never return to it. I couldn’t have done the work to get myself to where I am now without these avenues of support. Many of my friends didn’t have this kind of support coming out and still don’t. Many do, however. After you read this, I hope you will understand the immense need for support from these fellows, ladies, and kids for people coming out of the system. Let me begin with a short story. I met this guy, Logan Gelbrich, through a great friend and former owner of Undisputed Fitness, Tait. . I was on Tait’s podcast many moons ago after I was released, so Logan knew my back story from Tait. Logan owns Deuce Gyma gym in Venice, CA, and used to write for BOX magazine, a Crossfit-type mag for readers. Somehow, this magazine got into the hands of an inmate serving a life sentence. James and I corresponded for months after Logan connected us, talking about workouts in the context of being locked up. James and I eventually lost touch, but the impact of our correspondence started something more significant than Logan and I ever imagined. Logan, since then, has become one of my most important mentors in coaching, business, and leadership. Without Logan, my coaching wouldn’t be what it is today. The coaches that have come after me at Undisputed Fitness have benefited greatly from training under the leadership I learn daily with Logan’s guidance in this craft. Later, Logan Gelbrich and Campbell Lillard connected through Logan’s educational seminars on leadership and chasing your dreams. Campbell, who served a 10-year sentence, had an itch to be the best of something and to learn the best from Logan. He couldn’t have seen what would come from this effort. Over time, Campbell grew into his new skin and was relentlessly curious about improving his place. He began coaching in TX, and mentoring/coaching for a sober, active community called The Phoenix (our Sunday yoga). Once he began seeing how he could improve other people’s lives through health and wellness, he leaped and applied for a position at Logan’s gym. Campbell embraced his journey into a new state with Logan’s high-performing team. He kept grinding, learning, and connecting with people who needed help- the kind of help he required when no one was there to support him. Once he began connecting the dots, he started to share the story with Logan and many of us about how to get to the people who are often forgotten or don’t have the community resources to get to a better place in life. This was when Campbell and Logan began Deuce Community , where there is always a seat at the table if you’re hungry. As Campbell and Logan started creating the board for the non-profit, Campbell and I built a relationship of trust and willingness, understanding we had both always strived to do the best we could with what we had. He asked if I would sit on the board since I had experience being inside and had found success after prison. He said when he was inside, he wished he had known success like this was possible on the outside because, at times, there is ZERO hope that things will be better on the outside. Deuce Community is creating a space where anyone affected by the system, substance, or housing can come to Deuce Community and seek a new way. The commitment requires a letter of intent from each person describing why they want to change to become something they’ve always wanted to be. After they are approved, they go through the Deuce Education of Coaches Prep and Business 101, a course that offers training in skills that will help them achieve their goals in life, whether as a coach in the gym, as a business owner, or even just to gain an understanding of how to become more, with the support of the mentors we had always needed growing up. Over the course of nearly 2 years, in addition to providing mentorship and leadership training, we have acquired a housing unit for individuals who meet the requirements to stay at this house. One of the biggest hurdles we encountered in running this program was that at the end of each session or day, participants would go back home to the neighborhood or housing they started in and be tempted by the old life, or with drugs and alcohol, which would bring them right back to the place they were trying to get away from. Deuce Community’s ability to offer housing exponentially increases the possibility of a new path forward for participants. As these last two years have passed, we’ve seen massive success in people’s recovery and have been blown away by the steps they have taken toward becoming more than they had ever thought possible. Many people like Joseph and David (stories linked below) have found success through this program. Now, my story about my connection to this non-profit comes full circle. Deuce Community’s mission speaks to me in volumes. Having been locked up myself, I understand the river you must swim up to succeed in not making it back in. I know the only way to make change is to help others who struggle like Campbell and I did. So many of us fail because we don’t have the right mentors to keep us safe and out of the way of our own destruction. So to have access to a program, especially when you’re on the way out of a bad situation, searching for higher ground, is crucial to the person’s sense of self-worth and ultimate success. In the end, our country’s system isn’t designed to correct or change us for the better; it’s made to create more criminals and more prisons. We need programs like Deuce Community, run by people with lived experience, to create a new reality for our system-impacted population. Together, we are on the path toward this change. If you would like to read more about Deuce Community, please check out the PDFs I’ve included and the videos of success stories. You can also visit the website at https://deucecommunity.org/. Thank you for reading, and please consider donating to support this incredible program!

1. What inspired you to get into fitness and pursue healthier goals? Life has a humorous way of encouraging you to make changes. For me, it took reaching a ledge where I had to make the choice of either continuing down a path that would lead to despair, or another where I could pursue healthier goals. 2. How do you stay motivated to push yourself to reach new personal records and achievements? Showing up is the first step, followed by doing a little better each session, each rep. 3. Can you share a challenging obstacle you've overcome on your fitness journey and how you conquered it? The inspiration to take on challenging obstacles came from taking my health seriously. After spending months in the hospital and a plethora of surgeries later, it became clear that the challenges of recovery had to be faced head on. 4. What is your favorite music to work out to? Anything rock/metal. 5. How do you balance your fitness goals with other responsibilities in your life? For the most part my responsibilities line up with my fitness goals. And as long as I make it to the gym, then balance is achieved! 6. What advice would you give someone just starting with Undisputed Fitness? First and foremost, show up. Second, try to be better than the day before. They’ll see the progress over time and thank themselves for making the effort. 7. What is your favorite WOD or movement, and why? Anything without burpees, that being said, I do enjoy any WOD with olympic lifts and more bench presses!! 8. How do you handle setbacks or plateaus in your fitness progress? These are natural occurrences, the best way that I've handled them is to keep trying. As for setbacks, we’re here to carve a better version of ourselves, sometimes you have to take a step back and recover before moving forward. 9. What personal achievement are you most proud of with training with us so far? Becoming the strongest version of myself so far, there’s still some technique work to refine and will get there eventually. 10. How do you celebrate reaching a fitness goal? Making my way to the best carnitas tacos in town from (El Chile Toreado) after the saturday morning class, 100% recommended and guaranteed to help with recovery.

Name: Kristin Muchmore Age: 44 Job: Bookkeeper. My husband and I were both born at the old hospital downtown. We’ve been married 17 years and have a 12 year old daughter. What are your favorite Physical activities other than training at Undisputed and how has training with us improved them? My marathon time has improved. Ha! What I’ve really been helped with is just life. I do cartwheels and handstands with my daughter. I squat down to get something off the floor rather then just bending over. I haven’t hurt my back moving big rocks in the backyard and that use to be a regular occurrence. 2. What is your why for your fitness or your who and how do you bring this intent with you to undisputed? Going to undisputed is one of the highlights of my day. My job is pretty mundane so I look forward to checking the WOD each night and seeing what I have to look forward to. The fitness aspect of it is just a by-product. Pretty much every week I’ve done something that I never thought I could do. That’s a nice feeling and why I keep coming back even when something looks scary. 3. Explain the what and why of something that you love about yourself. I’ll tackle just about anything. I’m a total introvert but I successfully sold cars for a year. I’ve replaced toilets, the innards of my computer and a washing machine pump. Oh, and flipped tires. Thanks Strongman! 4. If you had the chance to do your top three bucket list items what would they be? Charter a live-aboard dive boat to take family and friends wherever we want. See the northern lights. Live in London for a year. 5. What is one unexpected benefit that you have received from this community? Being so excited at someone else’s achievement. There were handstand walks the other day. It was really exhilarating seeing everyone from firefighters to grandma giving it a go. I walked out of that class with such a smile on my face. 6. What is something about you we don’t know? I was a scuba instructor in Hawaii and I’ve done over 500 dives around the world.

Grayson Schaffer , the man, the myth, and definitely the legend. We at 7am see this dude roll up casually in his mini semi truck of fun, coffee in hand, half asleep, no, mostly asleep, but kind and smiling and ready for something. Grayson has been a member here since 2015. I remember meeting him and having a peaked interest in what the dude did, but honestly didn’t find out until the day he strolled into Undisputed Fitness with the one and only, Lance Armstrong! After that, I had to find out. Come to find out, Grayson is an award winning, rockstar, senior editor and staff writer at Outside online . At the gym he maintains a calm presence and always interacts with everyone. You wouldn’t guess that he is the man along side extreme adventure seekers, the subjects he writes about and now films, in his many projects. Descending down wild rivers, hiking up Mt. Everest, or following a woman who biked around the world, are only snippets of the extreme thrills Grayson experiences and then artfully captures in his work. He’s there with them, maybe not doing everything they are, but to get the right shot, capture the right moment of emotion, he’s in the raw element. I’d bet he’s got into some very amazing and very scary situations. He’s got the dream job of what some of us extreme sport enthusiasts could only fantasize about. Currently he’s a partner in Talweg Creative , located here in Santa Fe. Grayson and Ryan create commercial documentaries and their current project is a seven part series on a down-and-out stock car racing league in Grants, NM. Keep an eye out for the teaser on that rad story. Here is one recent project of Grayson’s and his company. Click here to watch. Follow him on Instagram to see where he heads next!

This time reminds me of when I had to drive myself to prison. You know it’s there, you know you have to do it.. and you “willingly” follow along with this unforeseeable future. I remember walking in… being semi scared of everything and nothing. And I recall saying to myself, “get up and never give up”. This is the mantra along with others that would help me get through so much. It was a model my mom showed to us boys. If you get knocked down, get back up.. keep moving! Now, my mom (Kathy) didn’t say it in those words.. she showed it in her actions. We witnessed jobs and businesses lost, struggles of trying to make anything meet…the list can go on. The reason I am reminded of this, is because there is this time, we are all in. Where we may feel “confined” in our houses with an unforeseeable end. This can be daunting when you look ahead.. but do me one favor, look down at your feet, look at the nearest thing close to you. Your family, your kids, or your pets.. even just the ground. We cannot do anything about the future. We can only control the right now. What’s happened is gone and what is, isn’t clear. But what is clear is how we make the best with what we have. Its a space you may have been in before, or this could be a space that’s brand new. I say this not be unempathetic, but things can always be worse then right now. If we are healthy we have that, if we are breathing, we are blessed. IF we have support and love near us.. we are not alone. And hey, now if we have some weights.. we have so many more options for fitness! 🙂 We come out of this stronger as a person. Adversity isn’t easy, but the workouts you choose to put yourself through aren’t either, and you do them with better insights when you’re finished. You’ve been training for this the whole time. Today at 10am Lisa Roach will be putting on a Mobility Lab in FaceBook Live! Don’t worry, if you don’t have FB we will re-broadcast on our YouTube Channel! Also, if you can, GET OUTSIDE today. Just a tip for you 😉 And one more thing.. if you have weights.. try Friday’s workout we didn’t get to do! FOR TIME: 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 Box Jump Over 24/20 – Push Up Renegade Row 35/20 – DB Deadlift – Keep Moving! EMBRACE EMPOWER EXCEL – Lorenzo

WOW, can this time be any freaking weirder!? One saga is rolling and you find a groove, then you wake up and another one starts! At this point I’m excited to see what lies in the next day! You never know what it could be.. aliens, or even something more out of this world type thing?! What this does do is, keep you in a ready state. If you haven’t begun to think about this, you should take some time to reflect on what has happened and what is currently happening in the world as we know it. I, for one really didn’t pay attention much to the stories on the news because it seemed like it was always a shit show. Sure, more is being filmed these days than many years before. At the same time I (personally) feel like I’ve had a blinder on my eyes this entire time! Look, I have some education, and in this particular issue streaming the American soil right now I am completely blind and uneducated. Yes, I was raised in a biracial family and I am biracial as well with my own set of issues that I was raised with, but I have no clue what has really been happening. I am blind because I don’t know what it’s actually like, and I live in this small bubble of being uneducated in this trying time of America. I am sad because I wish I knew more. I posted this quote from Malcom X today, (You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom) and I was literally in tears when I read it. I feel heavy about freedom for a lot of reasons. The main one that really made me deeply feel it was the extremely small amount of freedom that was and is stripped away from me is a mere surface scratch compared to what my brothers father has experienced, along with many of my friends that are black. Again, being raised with so much color in my life I didn’t know a difference, it was part of my life. What I still don’t understand is the centuries of hatred and mis education that plagues this country. We at home are on a mission to educate ourselves more to help educate my family and also help me understand a very small amount more than I know today. I hope that if you feel yourself you don’t understand, read up on what we’ve been missing out on American history. Now let’s talk about who we are here and what our plan of action is going forward! Core Values Undisputed Fitness is a brand that lives on these core values: Community/Tribe Undisputed Fitness is a tribe of people who are committed to the cultivation of positive relationships within Undisputed (the gym) as well as our local, national and global communities of all gender, race or orientation through the avenue of health, fitness and empowerment. Community is at the root of our heart and soul. Commitment to excellence We are dedicated to upholding our integrity, honesty, fairness and ethical behavior in everything we do. We lead by example and concentrate on doing the right thing every time. Willingness to do what is right even no one is looking and being open minded to new ideas or critique without prejudice or defensiveness is imperative to our success. Empowerment The programs provided by Undisputed are designed to empower individuals to challenge themselves regardless of their physical fitness, skill level, athleticism. mental fortitude, or self imposed limitations. Member focus Undisputed belongs to its members. Our focus is to help our community reach their personal goals and strive for new ones. The members are the heart of Undisputed. Without them, Undisputed does not exist. We are dedicated to putting our members at the very center of everything we do and are committed to improving their quality of life, health and well-being. The members values we enforce are: To Embrace and Empower to Excel. Growth Constantly striving for the utmost quality and fluency, in technical skills and everything we do, from the movements in a class to actions in our daily lives. Being committed to educating ourselves so that we can better educate our members; we are never satisfied with average or “good enough”. We are committed to our personal and professional growth. Passion of Fitness We are passionate about meeting our members’ needs, helping them achieve their goals and delivering the BEST experience to them everyday. We are passionate about our sports and our passion will be delivered in every class experience. Undisputed is dedicated to creating an environment centered around fitness and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Standing up and cultivating a culture to dismantle racism – We stand for what is right, we will support those in need and swiftly act on matters that go against our core values at Undisputed Fitness. – We are creating a plan of action to give to the organizations that will be impactful not only in our local but also our global black and minority communities that align with our values. Once we have these set up we will communicate what our intention is with our donations going forward. We will have a set percentage per year from memberships and retail that will be funding such intentions. Affiliation Many of you know we have been affiliated with CrossFit Inc. for the last 10 years. The rites and privileges granted affiliates of CrossFit Inc. are limited to one thing: use of the CrossFit name. As of the last 2+ years we at Undisputed have been slowly edging away from the brand for many reasons. We stopped calling our CF class and changed to Strength & Conditioning . We’ve spent many years creating this brand as an umbrella to other programs we offer. Other reasons to stay was our effort to pay our dues and pay homage to the institution that provided so much inspiration, education, and paved the way for the ubiquitous prevalence of gyms like ours worldwide. We wouldn’t exist without Greg Glassman’s work. While CrossFit has changed the world, it’s no longer possible for us to represent the company. Our brand doesn’t align with what they offer any longer. After the frustrating and embarrassing actions of the founder, Greg Glassman this decision not only is simple, but also sheds light in the correct direction we have wanted to go for some time now. This changes nothing in what you’ve all come to know and love about this place you call home. What it could change is the knowledge that you understand we stand up strong together for equality. Mission Education has always been on the forefront of our goals. Now for us as leaders it’s imperative to stay highly educated in the history and compliance with organizations we are aligned with. If you have any concerns please reach out to me, my door is always open. Keep loving, keep moving and stand up for whats right Lorenzo Hernandez (505) 901-2337 lorenzo@undisputedfitness.com

Sometimes life knocks you in the head so much that you finally stop and listen. This is the story of how I got here today. I grew up in Santa Fe, tried to finish school, but in the end was your average high school drop out at the ripe age of 16. I dabbled in sports during some of my earlier years but never pushed myself to my fullest abilities. I had no drive and no ambition to better myself. Therefore, it’s no surprise my choices never led me back to school. Instead, it started me on my long string of dead-end jobs that supported my “I don’t give a fuck” attitude. I had no real goal, I just wanted to be the “cool” kid… the kid that everyone would go to… for something… anything really. I was hungry for attention, so eventually going to social hangouts and outdoor parties peeked my interest. I was finally good at something: socializing. At least good enough to get the attention I desired. The local fame was so good it carried on into my adulthood. I knew the whole town, I knew all the ins and outs of everybody and was constantly surrounded by impulse and selfishness… and I was directly in the center of it all. It was just the attention I had always longed for. But there was more to be had. So I crossed the line of the law and started pushing small weight around town. Lightweight eventually turned to heavy weight. My successes moved me from Santa Fe to Austin where the lavish lifestyle followed suit. My life was a 24-7 party which had no end in sight. Silly me… January 9th, 2009, you could say shit got real. That night, a very large package made it into the wrong hands: Those of the Texas Drug Task Force. That’s when the Federal Indictment started to slowly build upon me and my partners. I left Austin for San Diego in February of 2009 thinking I could fly under the radar, and just maybe the Texas DEA would move on. But I was already in over my head, I was just too blind to see it. Even still, my brush with the law was the wake up call I never saw coming. The one you can’t set your alarm for. I left the drug hole I was in, started to slow down on the booze and work a normal job. I began surfing and was enjoying life more than I ever had before. I was grateful for every little thing, and compared to the lifestyle I had just left, it was very little. But I was happy and I hadn’t felt like that in who knows how long. I was excited about getting healthy. Deep down inside I always knew I was a different man, I had just kept making the wrong choices and it had been leading me further and further away from the real me. In November of ‘09 I was introduced to CrossFit at US CrossFit in Encinitas, CA. My first thought was “Meh, this looks boring…” as I was already very experienced in traditional lifting. But I said “Fuck it,” and went to a class. I believe the first exercise we learned was the damn burpee! We ran a mile to the beach, made lines in the sand 25 meters apart, ran back and forth and did 10 burpees for 20 minutes. I was instantly hooked. You know sometimes when you’re going about your life and you start to daydream, you kind of wander off into visions of the future and different ideas or such? Well I would, and for some crazy reason I couldn’t see anything past the day that just happened. Just blank and desolate. Being that present was amazing but I knew something was missing… or coming. On June 28th, 2010 that blank desolate space from TX came smashing through my door looking for me. That was the day everything became very fucking clear. I was going to prison for 60 months. I spent the next 3 months in different facilities until I got bonded out and moved back to Santa Fe. I immediately ran into my dear friend, Tait Fletcher, and he offered to let me train at CrossFit Santa Fe until I had to turn myself in. So for the next 3 months I trained hard and heavy. I loved every minute of it. It helped me stay in the present moment and kept my mind off the inevitable near future. When you’re driving yourself to a 60 month sentence, the feeling really doesn’t register. I knew I was leaving my family, my loved ones, and my life, but I had to keep myself centered. I had to keep myself strong because the look on a mother’s face had wounded my heart deeply and I knew I had to make things right. My choice was to make a difference in my life and those around me. My desire was to be the man I knew I was deep down. So it began…I went in and started to figure out my daily routine. I figured out the lay of the land and began my WODs at the weight pile. The looks and questions I got from other inmates were wild, and I think a lot of people were actually concerned for me. It was quite funny. Eventually, other inmates came right out and asked me “What the hell are you doing?!” I explained what CrossFit was and the methodology behind it. As interest started to grow, I began teaching a few guys what I had learned at CrossFit Santa Fe. Interest grew and grew as the word spread, by the end of my first year in, I had 2 classes at Englewood FCI in Denver totaling about 14 men. The thing is, I had never really taught anything before. I mean, I had taught a few snowboarding lessons when I was younger, but that was nothing like trying to get structure and keep a bunch of imprisoned men engaged. But I said “Fuck it,” and took the leap. I read, studied, and then read some more about the different movements from my coaches at CrossFit Santa Fe and CrossFit Journal. I was constantly tracking the programs I would set up for the classes, and the progress the different inmates were making. We didn’t have bumper plates, med balls, rings or anything to the degree of what you have out in the real world. But we improvised and made it work. By the time I left in May of 2012, I had the whole yard stoked to watch us work out and even more people interested in trying. I got moved to another prison in Florence, Colorado. Needless to say, I started another crew and it blew up beyond belief. At one point I had about 30 men trying CrossFit. We had a tradition: when a buddy would be getting released, we would make a hero WOD for them. This way they would be sent off sore and remembering what they spent their last moments confined doing. Hopefully, this would remind them of the focus and drive they had to be better on the inside, which would then translate to their new lives on the outside. I sit here now and think about the impact I’ve made on the inmates I came into contact with. I created a sense of community, and not to say that community wasn’t already present in a house of confinement, but I gave these men something more to look forward to. Life is so redundant in all of those places. You literally remember the day you walked in and the day you walked out. Everything in between meshes into one. Nothing really ever changes… faces may, but life as a whole stays the same. The friends of mine who made it through my brutal WODs and long monotonous days are still to this day doing CrossFit, whether it be at home or in prison. My programs are still being used in the 3 prisons I was in. In order to have an actual functional fitness-type program introduced into prisons would be a long, grueling, government process that at the moment isn’t realistic. But the men I left my programing with still use it to this day. I am in contact with them on a regular basis and help to keep them motivated. In turn, they help to keep me in the present moment and remind me to never forget where I came from, as well as how long it took me to get to where I am today. Today I am me, the real me, the athlete I always knew was inside. Today is not a day to waste. Today I will be better than I was yesterday. I will strive to make a difference in someone’s life every opportunity I can. My dream and passion is to continue to bring smiles to peoples’ faces and to see that light in their eyes when they achieve something they never knew was possible. My heart thrives on becoming stronger, faster and pushing my limits on all my dreams and goals. CrossFit changed my life and I am grateful to have been able to pass this gift on to others in need of a community. One day I will run into these men and be able to witness their successes. It will be one of the most rewarding feelings ever to know that I have been a part of their journey to becoming better individuals, as they did the same for me.

Hey gang! Have you tried this November Challenge yet? This is one that takes a different kind of mental work than most of us in this arena are used to. But, pop in a movie, or book and get after it. Because the good thing is, after, any workout seems silly 🙂 . Winners will be announced December 1st. First place Female and Male will receive a $25 Gift Card to the Cafe! Good luck!

Rules: Everyday for 31 days pick one cardio aspect and one BW movement (all are strict).Switch it up or keep it the same for an amount of time then switch it again. This is not for time but, for quality. Cool benefit of this is that you will automatically get more efficient in all these movements. :slightly_smiling_face: Pick something you’re good at first week to get the groove. Then pick others that challenge you. There’s no prize in this except building character and discipline.Enjoy and good luck! P.s. please tag us in your stories or posts. Pick one each day: Row – 1600m Ski – 1600m Bike – 70cal Run – 1 mile Pair with one movement each day: Air squats – 100 Push ups – 100 Burpee – 50 Strict Pull Up – 50 Ring Rows – 75 Dips – 50 Toes to bar – 50 Pistols/Single leg – 50 Lunges – 100 V Ups – 100 Plank Hold – 2 minutes Hip Extension – 100 Hip Thrusts – 100 GHD Sit ups – 100 Strict HSPU – 20 Double Under – 200 Strict Muscle Ups – 20