Thursday 01.24.13

Beth rockin' the tube top buff

 I think the following post from CrossFit L.A. speaks to a lot of us. I know I spent the better part of 2012 working on taking fewer breaks during WODs. I always have to remind myself that my mind will generally give out sooner than my body.

Top 7 excuses we make up to get a break during a WOD and let ourselves off the hook

On Friday, I blogged about taking a water break during a WOD. The day that article posted, we had a lot of conversation over the course of the day at CFLA about taking breaks during workouts - and what some of the things are that people do to trick themselves into getting themselves out of the intense discomfort they're feeling during a WOD.

What follows are the things your mind is telling you during a workout - and my commentary on each. As you read these and think of other, different ways that you do this during your workouts, please share with us your trick in comments. Remember that by doing so, bring it more into your consciousness so that next time, you may have a choice to "stay in the suck" and not let your mind get the best of you!

1. "My mouth is dry... I NEED a drink of water... bad." You know what? The Marines who stormed the beaches of Iwo Jima - who didn't get resupplied for days and fought in 90 degree heat for days on end... now THEY were thirsty and NEEDED water. You? 'Fraid not.

2. "Chalk. Chalk. Where's the chalk? I NEED chalk." Did you know that Graham Holmberg, CrossFit Games champion from 2010, trains without chalk? How do I know? He ran 3 miles to CFLA, did a kettlebell swing, row and pull-up WOD, and ran back... all with NO chalk. While it MIGHT be true at some point during a longer WOD, do you really NEED that fresh coat every round (or rep)? Probably not.

3. "Since I'm ahead of the person that I thought would be ahead of me, I must be going too fast - so I probably should slow down anyway." Again - could be true... but how would you ever know? What if you committed to keeping your lead? Don't buy into your mind's shenanigans.

4. "I've got nothing to prove. I'm good enough just as I am. My mom, dad, sister, wife, kids love me. What am I crazy? Who needs this anyway?" Who needs this? I'll tell you who - YOU. That's why you're here, dumb-ass (said lovingly of course). This is a cornucopia of excuses - do yourself a favor and cut 'em off at the knees!

5. "I'm so far behind the person/people/or expected time that I thought I'd be competitive with, screw it. I'll just take it easy." While you might not catch up, you'll never, ever know if you just give up. Reach down, grab ahold, suck it up and get yourself back in the game. If you want to see an amazing example of this - and not giving up, EVER, even with impossible odds, watch this.

6. "Coach. Coach. How's my form. Do I look OK on this?" Did you ever stop to think that your coaches at CFLA already KNOW who we're looking out for in a class? Believe me, if your form looks like it could actually do you harm during a WOD, we'll have stopped you long before you've realized your form is bad. If you're asking this question, you probably already know that your form looks good - you're just looking for acknowledgement from the coach. Pipe down. Get back to work.

7. "The weight is too heavy. Box is too high. Reps are too many. I can't... " This is a gut check. If you warmed up properly, tested the weight on the bar in advance of starting the WOD, there is a good chance it's NOT too heavy. If it is, take some off and get back to work. I can't? Pure BS.

Now let's get down to work, Warriors!

WOD

Strength

5 Rounds

3 Overhead Squat

(increase weight each round)

--

30 OHS (95/65)

40 pullups

50 KB swings (53/35)

60 wall balls (20/14)

70 doubleunders (or 210 singles)