new kid on the block

Okay. So I'm not new to CrossFit, but this was the first Saturday WOD I have been able to attend with the group. I've been helping get things off the ground with our little CrossFit group; equipment, ideas, and planning. But I was out of town the past few Saturdays, and had to miss our first group WODs.

As my first Saturday group WOD, this was a great experience. I'm excited about what we are putting together. The group was small, there was 7 of us in all. But we did an exhausting work out, we had an official looking setup in the park, and a few people even checked us out and got some information. We've got plans, and it looks like things are heading in the right path. I'm already thinking about next Saturday.

Be there.

training, on the go

For most of us, an important part of training is routine. Some work out before work, others after. Some arrange their workouts around meals, class, or whatever gives structure to their day. But whenever you work out, it is probably a part of a routine.
Not only time, but location is another important part of our daily training routine. The damp smell of your home gym, or the familiar sites at the local park can be an essential part of your workout, something that helps you clear your mind and focus on the challenge ahead. Finally, our equipment is a part of the routine. When I go out into my backyard, I know exactly what my weight bar feels like, I know that my pull-up bar spins because I never mounted it correctly, and that the homemade rings give a little because I need to tighten the knot on the rope that runs through them. This is my gym. This is home.

So what do you when your entire routine goes up in smoke?

I'm at my parents house right now, trying to see everyone before school starts back up again. I feel like training has become a lifestyle, so instead of taking a break while I'm here, I'm continuing to work out. Yet there is a whole new challenging aspect to this, I have no schedule, no set place to exercise, and limited equipment means.

I'm sure everyone who works out regularly runs into the same problem. Unexpected things happen, forcing us out of our set schedule. In order to continue to train, we are forced to be imaginative, flexible, and dedicated.

I have a couple dumbbells here, no pull-up bar, and there's a YMCA down the road. I tried the Y, but there isn't much to work with. It was crowded and uncomfortable; I couldn't do the workout I had planned for the day because they didn't have the proper equipment. Instead, I did the "CrossFit Total", maxing out on shoulder presses, squats, and deadlifts, which isn't something I have done before. I also worked on back extensions, something I know I'm lacking in.

Today I was going to try the Y again, but it was about to close. Frustrated, I made up my own workout: 21-15-9 one-legged squats, each leg, and hindu push-ups. it ended it being a pretty good workout.

I've learned from this that when your workout routine goes out the window, you have to "go with the flow", and not get frustrated. Try something you don't usually do, or haven't done in awhile. Come up with a routine you haven't done before; a novel progression or combination of exercises. And even if you're in an unfamiliar gym or a backyard with no equipment, plow through your workout like you always do. you'll be a better man (or woman) for it.

Mind Over Matter?

On the main CrossFit Lombardy blog, it was mentioned that the person who goes last, always gets the best score. While this isnt always true, about 4 times out of 5 around here, the last person to go usually gets marginally better scores. Why is this? It can't always be that the person to go last just happens to be the better man that day, physically speaking. There's currently three of us doing WOD's on a regular basis here, and we each have our strengths and weaknesses. But the recent trend that "the person who goes last wins" show that the bottleneck in our performance often is not physical, but mental. When you go last, you see the suffering on your teammate's faces. But you tell yourself the whole time, that you can go faster. It doesn't necessarily matter who is a little stronger or who can run a little faster. When it's your turn to go, you know the time to beat. You tell yourself you wont rest as long, or at all. You know the pace you have to keep and you are determined to keep it. Driven by the will to compete and win, you make sure that you do.

But what is this really saying about any of us? It shows that in some cases, we lack mental strength moreso than physical strength. We all have the ability to make a superhuman effort every time. I'm sure everyone has finished a workout, and realized that they truly gave it their all, that they went without stopping, without thinking even. Yet each time, and it has been only a few times, that I have finished a workout and realized I gave it my all, I also knew that I had not done anything "special". The stars had not aligned giving me the power to push ahead. I gave myself the power, and it was not something I couldn't have done every other workout of my life.

Give it your all next time. I'll try to do the same.