Your asking the wrong questions
Q&A time at the numerous nutrition seminars we give is always a spectacle. Dyed in the wool activists voice their hearts, newbies glare, and followers applaud. Questions are by far the spice of how we learn, assuming we ask the right ones.
Recently a question came from a CrossFitter that had been asked hundreds of times. The question wasn’t special or unique. My response, on the other hand, was especially different. Mainly, because I feel I can never get the answer quite right. Then it struck me as I was mid-reputable. “It’s not my answer, it’s the question”.
Don’t for a second believe I am placing blame instead of absorbing it.I am stating that all too often, while searching for answers in the fountain of knowledge, we usually come up empty handed simply because we asked the wrong question. Questions that look like these:
Q. Is it better to eat 100% Paleo six days a week binging/cheating on the seventh, or “mostly Paleo” (if there is such a thing) everyday with a few things here and there?
The very question implies failure and lack of faith. I am well aware that 100% compliance is hard to ask for 100% of the time, but no one is comfortable with less than 100% results.
Switch around the very line of accusations. Who are you surrounding yourself with everyday that makes you want to give in to outside temptations? What stress are you daily or weekly trying to medicate through food until it no longer works well enough and you look for something harder? Ask yourself this; “What am I dealing with that is making me want to poison myself”, not how much poison is OK. Then, eliminate the answer.
Q. Why can’t I get stronger?
Stronger could mean circus tricks with heavy things. Stronger could also mean that aura others feel just by standing next to you. Strength is exhibited and exercised everyday by your behavior when everyone is looking, and more importantly, when they are not.
If your looking for WOD strong, ask, “What scares me?” Then do it. If your looking for the strength of a leader and a true friend ask, “would I want to be around me acting this way, or am I always up my own ass about my own ass”. The real question isn’t; “Why can’t I get stronger”, it’s “What am I doing that’s keeping me weak?”
Q. Will I ever get a Muscle-up/Pull-up/Double-under/whatever?
Every skill is a privilege and honor of life. Its our lack of practice/faith/commitment that makes them look more like a dream than a reality.
CrossFit is mostly natural human movement, thankfully we are naturally human. “Getting it” is nothing more than knowing you can and making your body do what it already was born to.
The real question is; “What am I doing right now that gives me the right too gain a new weapon in my arsenal?”
Q. Why can’t I lose weight?
You can’t lose weight because your still living in the 80′s trying to lose weight. If you really do weigh too much you will never weigh less if you us the scale as your one measure of success. Scales are for food, barbells are for humans.
The body conforms precisely by the amount of work you throw at combined with the amount of calories you don’t. This means girls don’t get bulky when they lift heavy, they get strong. This means you can’t fit into “normal people” jeans because “normal people” don’t have muscle and you do. This means focusing on numbers that have “PR” behind them, not numbers on a scale.
Instead of asking; “Why can’t I lose weight”, ask, “How much weight has my bar gained?”
Questioning is human. Questioning oneself is an art form. If practiced well, it pays off with the right answers.
Strength:
Front Squat
10@60%/8@65%/8@70%/4@80%/2@90%/2@90%
“For Time”
5-Rope Climbs
-Then-
100-Toe too Bar
*Perform (5) Burpees prior to a max rep set of T2B. Perform (5) burpees prior to every max rep attempt until (100) T2B are completed for time.
Post time and impression to comments.
Auxiliary:
Nordic Raises
2xMax Reps
*Grab a partner and alternate with two sets. Athlete A in kneeling position, athlete B holding the feet. A lowers as low as possible catching with the hands assisting in the recovery back to the start.
11:55
19:50
9:57(m)
Holy burpees that was rough. Even in my modded version!
24:13(m)
Not my best PCF moment this morning. My mental strength was completely absent (& unfortunately continues to be so even now). Thanks to my 5am crew for sticking with me, and an especially BIG thanks to Chas for reminding me to smile when I just wanted to cry.
Krissy-
Been there. It seems like there is a WOD about once every month or 2 that seem destined to become the demon inside of our collective heads. I imagine that today’s WOD is going to do that for a lot of people- I know that I heard a subtle laughing in my head every time I got up to do more burpees.
I wanted to say even before you posted this that your squats looked super strong this morning- I wish I had your tempo. Thanks for all the encouragement too.
Thanks, Joel! My squats felt great…it was after that when I got frazzled!!! Your squats, my friend, look amazing! Nice depth!!!
19:11
I have T2B envy…Mo!
5am-ers, I had know idea what a mental challenge this work out has shown it’s to be. I am logging it that any workout that is monostructural (for the most part) and a 100 of that one exercise, is going to be a nasty WOD! You all did fabulous!
Honorable mention go to most of you, but I want to highlight Teri Gulker, Kim Guirk and Carol who seemingly smashed the mental struggle of this one. Great rapid fire and deterination! Also, Monica, #10, and Doug who did start 5 minutes later in second Heat and caught the first heat. You guys stepped up to that challenge nicely. And Presley for a leg-less rope climb ever so close to the top and a great time on the finish.
It was great teaching you guys this morning, thanks for your hardwork.
19:35 m ropes good/T2B bad
Ran home for a quick workout…umm, not so much..wow!!
Mindy: No idea of my time….50 t2b and 50 situps.
Mitch: 20:?? with 10 rope climbs (our rope is half as long)
DNF!! @ 71 reps
Tore on first set of 15. Added tape. 5 burpees, tore some more. Added tape, 5 burpees, tore some more. Added tape, 5 burpees tore some more.
I know I wasn’t the only one to tear, so for all those out there that left a little blood on the bar and still finished, “Great Job!”
17:43 – holy forearms!
19:49
Humbling WOD… it went from being a WOD where you try to go as fast as you can to being a WOD where you just hope to finish…
27:02
29:30 (i think) (m)… hand ripped @ 75, finished last 25 as v-ups
11:13
15:32 (m)