What I learned after the WOD
CrossFit is a lesson that never ends, school that is always in session. It will never stop teaching, we chose to stop paying attention.
The following is authored by: Joel Lyman
Sometimes it’s easier to be cynical than it is to be real.
It’s easier to dodge, deflect, and disregard your true feelings under the auspices of looking clever or witty. To have a laugh about things is to not let them bother you. To take seriously some things in life would require real change on your part, and that’s too much to bear. So let’s laugh instead.
So let’s be real for a minute: It’s been more than a year since my first WOD. I know I am stronger physically and mentally, but I cannot help but feel that I have held and lost something great within myself. Elephant in the room- I’m still fat as an elephant. My diet is a mess. I have used my injuries as a crutch, and instead of focusing on where I can improve, I’ve largely felt sorry for myself and that’s about it. Worst of all, I begun to lose focus on what CrossFit was really about.
And then, something changed.
I had the opportunity to WOD during a partner workout. I was heavily modified and worked on my own, and as I completed my wod, I watched the others finish. The first group finished an especially tough WOD in about 13 minutes. They both collapsed, breathing heavily- and after a couple of minutes, quietly fist bumped and put their weights away, to absolutely zero recognition of the amazing work they just did. Other groups finished much in the same manner- quietly, without much regard from those around. Folks who were done began to talk to each other about how tough it was. Eventually, 23 minutes from the start, 2 people were still going. Both looked beyond exhausted, inches away from quitting, and then something happened.
The crowd gathered around as they finished their burpees and went on to the last movement. People began shouting for them to keep going when I saw on their faces all they wanted to do was quit. And then, one of them is standing over and staring at the bar.
The bar had to have been beyond what either could, on paper, bear at that moment. Somehow, between the 2 of them, they finished their hang cleans, and dropped into a full collapse on the floor. But what happened next was a true CrossFit moment, and one I desperately needed to see.
Our box erupted in applause. Even the first group- both guys anyone would consider firebreathers, clapped loudest and smiled the biggest. Everyone gathered to acknowledge the importance of this moment: it’s not about finishing first or best. Hell no. It’s about finishing when you thought you couldn’t. When all odds were against. When all you wanted to do was quit but you kept going, through pain and sweat and good sense-you wanted to finish.
I doubt for me that it’s ever going to be about being the best, the fastest, or the strongest. What it damn well is about is being MY best, MY fastest and MY strongest.
And that’s what this is all about. Being YOU- the best YOU that you can possibly be. And if that means that you’re going to be last, struggling just to finish, all the better.
For Time:
“Heavy Fran”
Thrusters 95/135
Weighted pull-ups 25/45
15/12/9
-Recover 10 Minutes-
“Heavy Power Elizabeth”
Power Clean 135/185
Weighted Dips 25/45
15/12/9
Post impression to comments.
Well put Joel, this reiterates how awesome CrossFit is for those who take a chance and step in the door!
Joel Lynman…I dig ya. And I so believe in you.
LOVE THIS, JOEL!!!!!
great post! Thank you, Joel!
Love this Joel and the perfect read before Heavy Fran and Liz, bring it!
Great post Joel!
Fran 7:49
Liz 16:38 (m) cleans RX, modified dips no weight
Loved this
first 15 thrusters ub and all pu unbroken mostly butterfly felt good! Dips on the other hand…
8:29M – heavy Fran
7:51M – heave Liz
Love this post Joel. I welled up reading this last night knowing the stuggles a large person goes through. Keep at it, it does pay off.
11:56 Fran/9:31 M Elizabeth (m- 115 cleans and no weight on dips)
Not a good WOD for a bum wrist. Urgh!
no heavy Fran for me this morning…skill set: snatch and c&j up to 75%
8:40m for Elizabeth…95# cleans (15/12/9) and 14# med ball sit ups (30/24/18)
Didnt do Heavy Fran or Heavy Elizabeth….but I did some crazy stuff Chas created!!! (thanks Chas)
WOD 1:
20/17/14 Dumbell Squeeze Press @ #25
15/12/9 muscle up pull thrus
WOD 2:
30/20/10
55# push press (kinda strict)
12# wall ball- ground to overhead
12# wall ball sit-up to wall throws
Awesome read Joel!!! I’m sharing this with my staff!!!!
heavy fran and heavy elizabeth is horrible but add in a chest cold and it makes it brutal! thank u kara foster with the tutoring session at the end. im gonna get those power cleans, hand or no hand, i know i can do better
thanks again!!!!
no doubt about it. we’re gonna protect that back.
10:25 M Fran Jerk at 75# all pull ups with small weight vest
12.32 M Liz 80# PC 5 dips a round strict then banded
Clean pulls improved by the end. They should, actually, feel a little easier that way (if that’s possible for 36 of any Oly lift!).
9a… You know I dream about ya’ll, don’t ya? Whew.
Everyone made good choices given their abilities, injuries, body-talk today. These WODs are no joke alone!
Evie – you’re comin along like a champ. Best cleans yet.
Stacy – nice job with an unbroken first round of regular Fran.
King – you’ve gotta come in more than once a year to take on stuff like this!
Coby – I know Fran frustrated you but, damn, your cleans were fine.
Cassie – great extension on every clean.
Jill – you’re the only person I walked away thinkin’ I shorted today. you could’ve done more weight for Elizabeth, and I should’ve challenged you to! next time.
Tyrone, we missed you, but wow do you clean up well!
9amers did a fantastic job this morning. It was fun to watch and made me upset I couldn’t par take in any of it. But on a side note I got my Oly shoes today and can not wait to feel better and start lifting some heavy s*#%t!
Jill should have put more weight on that bar for sure. It looked waaay too easy for her.
Nice job everyone!
M. Fisher….you need to call me back asap! Please:)
I hear you about the weight
If you thought my technique looked good, i am ready for the challenge. Also, the back felt slightly out of whack after that boulder to shoulder craziness yesterday. I appreciate you and all the 9amers!!
10:06 M Fran ( 85#/small vest PU)
DNF ElizabethM( 105#/)
Gotta give major props to the lone Nooner today…stopped by and saw Patrick taking on these two Ladies solo!!!
That takes dedication….awesome job Patrick!!!
Nice read buddy! Just stick to the plan and jb will whittle you down and build you back up!
10:04(m) jerks instead of thrusters/ no weight on pu’s
8:48(m) @135/m dips
Fran Rx,d: 7:52
Elizabeth @75lbs and weighted dips: 11:41..?
Ohh Fran.
Will be going to softball starting tomorrow! Won’t Be here Thursdays and tuesdays, hope you guys have fun!
9:58m/7:41m
Rough but satisfying. Thanks everyone for the kind words.
Impressive to watch so many solid, weighted dips tonight. Yikes those are tough. Also dig seeing so many athletes readjust their form/technique even as they fatigue. Eyes up and an extra second to set up at the bottom can make the difference.
Jen – Nice to meet you. You did very well w these ladies for the first time.
Lori – cleans are really comin’ along.
Andrea Jones – arrrrrggghhh! you know why!
Honeycutt – if you didn’t make me laugh so much, you’d be a double argh.
Ken – so glad to have you back. let me know how those glutes feel tomorrow.
Nate – Mindy ratted you out. Never done Fran before!? You shoulda baselined it!
Alex – Good to see you fightin’ to loosen up those shoulders and hips.
Great work to anyone who challenged themselves -whether it was your first Fran or Elizabeth, or you added weight to a movement…even for a single round.
Wow, I can’t get away with anything with you two. Foster is like some type of super detective. She’s always trying to bust you for something. Loved this workout, was super excited about it all day at school : true statement- happy to RX this sucker!
7:54…10:50
Tonight was, trying to fun the right words…
Absolutly will testing….and awesome.
Worked on legit pull ups for the first time with thrusters and to that I say….holy shit that suuuuuuuucks! Lol
My PR on power clean is 130# ….tonight I did 115# for te heavy Liz….
Thanks to the guys yelling at me on my set of 9s…
Was standing there waiting for the bar to magically get to rack and your yells snapped me back to Liz Reality….
All in all…a great day….530 was awesome and to those thy we’re there cheering….thank you
that was not only hard physically but mentally!
Fran 10:01 (m)
Elizabeth 11:08 (m)
5:30 great class as always, the determination of everyone was an amazing sight to see
Thanks Ry for a great class