Attendance: Take The Test Below And See If Yours Blows....
Kara and Dustin...
“Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all.”
When the results we want are not coming, attendance is usually the first bucket we look in and check off, "Yup, I was there so why didn't it work coach?" The answer could be, "Your attendance just sucks". Attending ain't progressing, and when we confuse attendance with performance we realize showin' up just ain't good enough.
1.You Look Pretty
Those socks are cute and so are those short shorts, but damn it if they shouldn't look a whole lot of tattered and chalked come post-WOD. If you don't look like this side of "rode hard and put away wet" then your attendance may be in need of a drastic shock. It's not about looking good during the WOD. Look good after the WOD. And no need to worry about the folks trying super hard next to you. They could give a %$#@ about how cute your pig tails are, or how big your guns are.
The next time you end a WOD that you started by trying to stay presentable enough to go to the store afterword, keep your attendance to yourself. It only gets you more pissy when your trainer pushes you to the level they know you are capable of but that you're too pretty for.
2. Are You Talking?
Not "pre" or "post" WOD, but during-WOD. There are very few WODs where you should be able to respond with complete, audible sentences. A muffled grunt, derelict head nod, or "please save me" look is good enough.
If you find yourself in more than a couple WODs a month where you can actually speak, you are showing up not putting down.
3. You "Choose" To Modify, You Weren't "Forced"
I watched as a new female CFer addressed the white board for, maybe, her third time. She said to the veteran beside her, "Is there ever a day where we can just decide to go easy?" I am actually ok with this from a newbie, and I would have taken the time to explain why that shit just don't fly, but if a veteran CrossFitter ever "choice changes" the game then their attendance on that day was simply adding to the body heat of the box. It sure wasn't adding to their fitness.
Granted, there is something to be said for an athlete who knows what their body can handle but that sounds a lot like a rest day not a "shitty performance just show up" day. I am referring to everything being totally doable and within your scope and you still choose to "take it easy". Maybe days like that you should attend...but not WOD. Maybe that day you play Coach not athlete, and let the beauty of the community motivate you back to the game.
4. I Just Want To Finish
Sometimes you're the last man standing. Sometimes the only sound you heard during the whole WOD was everyone else shouting "time". Sometimes everyone is rallying you home because you're in last. It's times like these where you aren't just trying to finish. It's time like these when we should be trying to win the hardest.
Competition between others is fun, rewarding, blessed, and so much more. But inward competition between us and our soul is something much deeper. It's where we learn about ourselves. Where we become different people....better people.
It's easy to thousand-yard stare the entire room when you know you will "own" the WOD. It's a whole different monster to step up to a WOD you know you will not be good at. You know you may be last at. But instead of qualifying it with, "I will be happy to finish," you say, "I will win this." Then prove to yourself that you can do better than you ever thought possible. That is the only time when we can have the beauty of calling time last, and still being the winner. In truth, it's easy as shit to beat our workout partners. It's much more rewarding to win over ourselves.
5. You Can't Answer Why You're Here
We take for granted the people we love most. We expect them to tell us "why" because we fear answering hard questions on our own. It makes us too responsible for our own actions. It makes us accountable.
Attending everyday and ensuring we are performing to meet that twenty pound weight loss goal is one thing. Doing this same thing when you have told everybody else about it is a whole other issue.
You may not need a commandment written in stone, but if you can't tell whether or not you want to gain or lose twenty pounds, lift 70lbs more, run faster, or build others up with you then your attendance may not only not help you. It may hurt others.
Answering yes to one of the five is suspect. Any more than that and you may be too focused on attending and not performing. I love my CrossFit stress relief just as much as everyone else, but when it comes to CrossFit lackluster attendance is stressful. And once your name on the board means more than your time, your attendance blows.
Strength
Weighted Push-up
1,1,1,1,1
For Score:
"One Full Tabata Of Each"
-Power Clean 75/115
-DB Single Arm Overhead Lunge 35/55
Post weight moved, and total reps to comments.
My attendance defininately blows, sucks ass, whatever u want to call it. At first I wanted to look cute while working out but now I don't give a damn, if u don't like the way I look then eff u....watch me rock this wko tomorrow without high socks or those shorts that leave half of ur ass cheeks hanging out. All I need is my prosthetic and im good to go :)
Posted by: Angela | July 27, 2011 at 07:22 PM
Angela - ur hilarious!
Yep, my attendance is there, but I'm in 'survival' mode too often
Good post Josh
Posted by: jen w | July 27, 2011 at 09:19 PM
What's so wrong with looking good before your WOD? As long as you look like crap afterwards is all that matters then I'm good with that.
45# push up
89 reps tabata
Great class today Mindy!!
Posted by: Renee | July 28, 2011 at 07:10 AM
50 pu
131 tabata
great 6 also minders
have fun josh and chas
Posted by: holly | July 28, 2011 at 07:28 AM
Push up skill set
82 reps (m)25 # lunges.
Fun 6 am!
Angela - so funny :)
Posted by: Shelly | July 28, 2011 at 07:48 AM
35# PU
74m tabata(75#PC, 25#DB)
Great class!
Posted by: vicki | July 28, 2011 at 07:52 AM
50#
79
Min thanks for getting up early for us! and thanks for the instruction on the cleans. Definitely some relearning needed for me :)
Posted by: runmelrun | July 28, 2011 at 08:46 AM
45# pu
110 tabata
Josh, Chas, Nalin, Heather have a great time! Let the Games begin!!
Posted by: Mo | July 28, 2011 at 09:14 AM
45# PU
79m Tabata (75#PC and 25#DB lunges
Posted by: Nikki J | July 28, 2011 at 09:32 AM
Ok, when you say "A muffled grunt, derelict head nod, or "please save me" look is good enough." is that just a shot at the ol masters class dude when he's suckin for air??!! Sounds like direct quotes from the middle to end of most of my WOD's. just sayin. Miss our PCF family - see some of you Saturday?!
Posted by: Ken | July 28, 2011 at 09:47 AM
Skill set push ups. 42 reps with 65# and my prosthetic...still got my ass handed to me! I loved it ;)
Posted by: Angela | July 28, 2011 at 10:31 AM
90# pu
97 tabata
Posted by: HN | July 28, 2011 at 10:55 AM
"You look pretty enough to go to the store afterwards." - I've gone into the grocery a number of times post WOD with chalk everywhere, bloody hands, and sweat still beaded up on my forehead and could give a crap who starred at me!
Bonnie, I know you've todl me that you have been told by fellow coworkers "there's a CrossFitter in the produce isle." The pure fact that they know it's a CrossFitter is AWESOME!
Posted by: Ash | July 28, 2011 at 11:47 AM
5 and 6 am'ers- was great to work with you this morning. I've never been to a 5 am and now I see why everyone loves it, what a great group! 6 am- you guys are just flat out tough... the first two classes certainly set the tone on the white board for the rest of the day.
Interesting that today's blog is about attendance vs. truly working. I had to sit my athletes down today and tell them basically that its very clear when someone is working hard to better themselves, and when one is just going through the motions. How you do one thing is how you do everything. Those who take shortcuts in a wod will take them in life, and we have an opportunity through crossfit to push ourselves to become better everyday in some aspect. To let that opportunity slip by and just show up is a true shame, and a waste. Don't just try to finish.. strive to kick ass!
Posted by: Min | July 28, 2011 at 01:20 PM
72 Tabata (75#/ 25# DB)
Worked on skill set of pushup
Posted by: Carrie | July 28, 2011 at 06:19 PM
45#/94 reps
Posted by: jen w | July 28, 2011 at 07:56 PM
45#/102 tabata
Posted by: Jen D | July 28, 2011 at 09:29 PM
35# / 89 Tabata
Posted by: Dana | July 28, 2011 at 11:14 PM
65# pu/126 tabata with 25#
Posted by: Rachael | July 29, 2011 at 08:50 AM
Skill set push up, 74 m tabata
Posted by: Katie K | July 29, 2011 at 01:14 PM