Baby Steps Are For Babys...

   "Absence from whom we love is worse than death, and frustrates hope severer than despair."

 A writer becomes an amazing reader and cultivator over time.The more I write for to keep my sanity, the more real everyone is around me. The more I care for them. The more I fell the need to speak out for them, not at them.

Writing, to me, ensures I never take people or their actions for granted because everybody in my life is another character to read. Another story to tell. Another plot that thickens. And let me tell you, my life's host to some awesome characters. 

Our life's sitcom often is set to re-run weather we like it or not. The Actors and Actresses don't change, and often they say the same shit, in the same place. And we all know watching something we have already seen means we know how it ends.

If your a new CrossFittter I wager your blood is boiling hotter than you could possibly imagine. You can't wait to rush to the gym and try the next new WOD. Perform the next perfect PR. You want the results, the weight loss, the fast times and health rewards and you want them yesterday, just like we all still do.

This beginner attitude is something we will do well to maintain and nurture all our lives no matter when we begin. That childlike ambition keeps us moving forward no matter whats in the way. Its never too late to change a bad habit. Its never to late to turn to words the light and avoid the darkness. Its never to late, but it can damn sure be too slow.

In the past week alone four CrossFitters (veterans, and newbies), have addressed me specifically about improving. All different forms of improvement, but improvement all the same. One newbie wants to keep those pounds rolling off, and be a CrossFit superstar overnight. One veteran wants to try a challenge never attempted. Another wants to get a check from Reebok next year.

Every re-run starts with their utter willingness, and excitement to do work. To put their fun WOD work in. Two WODs a day-"no problem". Extra mobility-"done". Technique training 4x a week-"I'm there". Whenever the recommendation is "WOD more" we are all in.

However my recommendation wasn't "WOD more" to any of these four athletes. It wasn't add activity. In fact, it really never got to a recommendation. My first response back wasn't an answer. I returned their question with a question. I asked that CrossFit ball of excitement ready to work their ass off on the gym floor, "hows your diet"?

Quickly the eyes of all four characters in my life's play lost a little lustre. The excitement waned. They had met their antagonist, and it was belief. Belief in themselves. Belief they could overcome, where others had failed before them. That is, to overcome the dinner table challenge, not the pull-up bar excitement.

We call it "Baby Steps" when we tread very lightly so as not to draw attention or ruffle feathers. This way failure isn't so painful because we never jumped all in. But these same "Baby Steps" that make failure less painful also prevent the blessing we would have been almost guaranteed if we lept, not stepped.

To be successful at CrossFit, at anything. To cure any disease, fix any deformity, fight any tyrant, we gotta commit. Take that leap in every area to succeed, not the baby steps that make us fall short. Start jumping so far into everything you feel strongly about, that you won't even remember what you were so afraid of running into in the first place.

Strength:

Every minute on the minute for five minutes

Front Squat 85/115
Lunge 85/115
Lateral Lunge 85/115
2+2+2 (lunges count as two reps per leg) 

For Score:

1min-Dumbell Ground To Overhead 35/55
1min-Deadlift 195/275
1min-Kness To Elbow 
3 Rounds
*If athlete does not reach 100 reps total, and at least 15 reps at each station, athlete will motivate to timeout in the corner. To leave timeout athlete has to do 50 burpees.

Auxillary:

Double Unders
2xMax reps

Single Leg Box Jump
2x10/leg 

Post impressions and scores to comments.

Comments

[Dave]

Awesome! Time out corner! I love it!

[kurt southam]

I spent time in the time out corner.. only got 82 reps, but at the box I train at we don't have 55# dumbells, so had to use 55# kettlebells.

Got the 50 burpees done in 3:30

[Teri]

97 reps modified with sit ups. 50 burpees, baby in corner! Then finally got my double unders! Woo hoo! All these small victories = happy girl !

[runmelrun]

71 reps - some day I will get the better of those 35# dbs instead of them getting the better of me
53/55 on DUs PR :)
shout out to Mo and 10 who both tested out of burpee class.
And woohoo Teri! So happy to witness your dus!!! great job!
now i am tired and late for work!

[Mo]

104
50/33 double unders
20" box single leg

Nice work Teri! Mitchell, remember you did just do 30 rds of Chief yesterday! ;)
Thanks Chas, great class!

10, you should feel loved. I chase you everyday! I'm just waiting for that pistol WOD lol

[Nicole]

Time out?? Bahahahaha

[Ken]

92 freakin reps (m-225DL, 35# DB's)
74 DU's (PR!) / 35 DU's - big miss on the 2nd set.
20" box single leg

[#10]

Mo, i sure do and i CAN wait for the pistol Wod!
This Thursday @ Piqua High School my girls volleyball teams will play Troy and it is going to be a great match. If anyone wants to come watch the JV match will start @ 5:30pm and Var match will follow. Come out and see how RY's work this summer helped them.

[jen w]

106 m
35/20 dus/ 20 inch box

[Mitch]

71(M) Deadlift @225
Did my time in burpee prison.
Thought about getting a prison tat.

Finally starting to get the hang of
real DU's. Forgot to count on the first try because I didn't expect to actually do them. Got 19 on second try.

[holly]

88

[Krissy]

84(m@155#DL, 25#db)
Practiced dus: 12 & 15 were best rounds for me
12" box
Way to go, Teri!!

[heather mc]

84 (m - 145lb dls) - and burpees
62/45 du's

[ASH]

THANKS JOSH AND CHAS FOR COMING OUT TO MY NEW BOX LAST NIGHT! AS ALWAYS, GREAT TO SEE YOU TWO!

MISS ALL MY PCFers!

[joey franchise]

113
73 straight du's pr

[vicki]

Congrats Terri on your DU's!

113m
15/9 DU's

Ash, congrats on the new place!

[Sammy]

103 just enough for no burpees!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for checking on me Foster. I was doing the one-leg box jumps and totally missed the box. FAIL!!

[Katie K]

104m but burpees still... And then all that auxiliary!!! Man am I pooped! Great class Foster :)

[k]

530...you totally humbled me tonight as a trainer. wow.

if you havent, stop for one second and reflect on what you accomplished in that 1.25hrs you were at the gym tonight. while im damn sure it occurred to you (more than once) to quit...during ANY part of it...you mentally committed (falls, grunts, cussing and all) to some challenging effort from warm-up to auxillary...forget burpee time-out.

i could actually post a positive about every single one of you this evening(yep, even you, sam-i-am, and darin...always the joksters)....but Im hoping I caught each of you live on something.

appreciate you spendin the time with me. great work.

[k]

ah...there was one quote of the evening worth posting:

"I think we should name tonight's wko after Murph's half-brother Ralph. Geez, that was hard."
-Jerry (correct me if I didnt get that quite right)

[Dana]

Skill w/ 75#
85 reps (m) for deadlifts @ 135#, & ground-to-overhead dumbbells @ 25#
Completed 40 total one-legged box jumps
77 DUs (48 + 29)

[Dave]

105m reps
225# DL and 35# dumbbells
76 DU (35+41)