The Walk of a Winner

As a coach you tend to watch how people move. How they bend, squat and turn but especially how they walk. Do they pronate or supinate? Do they walk more on their toes? Do they hold their head up high or slouch over looking down at the ground? All these little things can tell you a lot about a person.

I spent my weekend volunteering at the CrossFit Games Mid Atlantic Regionals. I watched a lot of athletes, volunteers and spectators. There is one thing that really stood out to me: CrossFitters have a walk. I’m not sure if it is good posture, strength, an air of confidence or a mix of all three but there is something a little different about the way a CrossFit athlete walks. Their shoulders sit back a little more, they walk with purpose. Maybe it’s those amazing quads that make their gait just a little different but I think it’s something more.

When your mind and body are focused on a goal you have no choice but to find a way to succeed. The athletes that competed this weekend had spent countless hours honing their skills trying to find a way to win and it showed in how they carried themselves. From the top three finishers to the ones who could not finish, the way they carried themselves never changed. They all had the walk of a winner.

I saw this walk again today far from the competition floor. A group of CrossFitters gathered inside our gym. Some of you are newer than others. Some of you are older than others and some of you are just figuring out what this crazy thing is all about. And some of you weren’t sure what to expect from this Hero WOD. You doubted yourselves, your abilities. You weren’t so confident your bodies would hold up. But when you finished, when you were on the other side, you found that confidence that was hiding in that dark place deep inside. And when you walked out that door today, if I didn’t know any better, I would have thought I was right back in that coliseum watching those elite athletes again. With your shoulders held back and your heads held high you all had the walk of a winner.

Say what you will about us. Call us crazy, call us a cult, but I know the truth. This changes people and I am so lucky to see it happen right before my eyes.

Ciao Bella

A New Adventure

This past weekend I took the plunge and attended my first certification class. It was the USAW Olympic lifting training certification.

I LOVE the Oly lifts. They are so technical and take an immense about of focus to perform accurately. The lifts aren’t just about physical strength either. They take the most neurological adaptation that we have. They are fast movements and really take a lifetime to learn.

I was introduced to the lifts during my on ramp program through CrossFit last February. I remember thinking that “these are really cool lifts” but didn’t start focusing on my form until a few months ago. I started watching videos of people lifting. I knew the big names like Pendlay, Burgener, Greg Everett, Kendrick Farris and Dmitry Klokov. And as CrossFitters we’ve all seen the Chad Vaughan slow-mo videos. I think it was actually a combination of those videos and watching a video of Lindsey Valenzuela lift at the OC Throwdown that really made me think about how I move.

I’ve been told that I move well but for whatever reason I never truly believe people. It is a combination of thinking people are pacifying me and thinking that I know I’m not perfect and can always work harder. I’m not as strong as I think I should be and somehow relate my strength to good movement. I know, I sound ridiculous but I’m working on it. It all comes back to body image, but that’s for another day. So, anyway, I figured what better way to learn about the movements than to go to a certification on how to teach the movements.

The weekend was a great experience. I was more than a little intimidated because of the male:female ratio and as always, I was the biggest lady in the room. All the self-doubt crept in and took hold, until we got to the platforms. That’s where I feel comfortable and it only took a few minutes for me to relax. I quickly realized how grateful I was to Tim and Jenn at West End Crossfit for having me shadow so many classes before helping people. If you are seriously interested in helping to make yourself and others better, then you have to educate yourself. I take every opportunity I get to just watch people move. Everyone is different and you can learn something new from everyone. So when I got to the platform for the first time on Saturday I felt at home. I was there to watch and learn and correct. Easy.

As the day went on I continued to feel so much appreciation for my foundation. I learned a lot of new information but some seemed repetitive because we get taught well everyday. I want to be the best and give the best and it is great to know that I’m already surrounded by the same types of people.

I can’t say enough about our instructors John Filippini, President of Maryland & Potomac Valley LWC, USAW and Jami Brown Cat II USAW National Coach. They were open and very knowledgable. They clearly enjoy what they do. And thanks go out to Doug Esposito at Vanguard Gym in Manassas, VA for hosting the event; they have a great facility, check them out if you are in the area. The instruction was clear and well-organized. We had a lot of practical time and lots of feedback. If you are interested in increasing your knowledge base on the Olympic lifts I highly recommend attending a weekend. You can find one in your area here.

I received some really good feedback and have decided to put a little more focus on my lifting for the next little while. I have been hesitant to do so because I have been afraid of what others may think. I started this journey to make myself better and at first I thought that meant getting skinny. Then it evolved into becoming healthy and strong and there are so many ways to get to that goal I wasn’t sure which one to pick. I have known for a while how much I love lifting but have been too afraid to pick that road because I thought people would think I’m taking the easy way out. The perception I have of what others think is that I’m already relatively strong so lifting weights wouldn’t be that much of a challenge. First of all, I need to stop caring about what others think and secondly, those lifts are hard and require a lot more than brut strength. I have read multiple blogs about how following a training program isn’t flashy or necessarily exciting. One of the most difficult parts of Olympic lifting is battling through the mental games you will play with yourself. I read this post and this post by Greg Pendlay and they have stuck with me. Just today I asked Jenn, “I’m supposed to just trust the process, right”? I didn’t feel strong and had to push myself to finish all my sets. But I did because I know the only way I’m going to get better is to follow the path. It may not be shiny and paved with rainbows and glitter everyday but I know if I put forth the effort I will reap the benefits.

So my question for you today is “Do you know what you want and are you willing to work hard even when you don’t want to, to get it?” I hope so because you will be so much better if you do.

Ciao Bella

The View from……the Bottom

My husband and I competed in a team CrossFit competition yesterday. I didn’t anticipate ending up dead last because you never go into it saying, “I hope I/we end up in last place”.

My fifteen year old asked me, “If someone told you that you were going to end up in last place would you still have done the competition?” Without hesitation I said “of course!”

My background is in music, specifically voice. While actively doing that I was told I was very good. I won competitions, was accepted into prestigious programs and was even offered full scholarships to multiple undergraduate programs based on my vocal ability. I always thought it was nice to hear but felt I never really deserved the praise or recognition. It is a gift I was given. There is work that goes into perfecting that talent but ultimately I always thought it wasn’t hard work that kept me at the top. I was just lucky and blessed to be given a gift.

CrossFit has taught me how to work hard for things I want. I don’t have the natural gift or genetics like some of the athletes I work out with have. I don’t have the ideal body type for body weight/gymnastic movements. I don’t have age on my side. I do have the desire, the will and heart to get there though. I appreciate not being really good at something. I respect being at the bottom.

My view from where I sit is all uphill. Not in the “ugh, this steep mother fuckin’ hill is gonna suck” but more like, “Everything I do means I’m getting better”. If I’m at the bottom then any of the work I put in increases the chances of improving. When you’re at the top that perspective is harder to see because the gains are smaller.

Yes, we finished in last place. No, it wasn’t ideal but it just means we have a lot more to work on. We have so much room for growth. I could be really upset and could be kicking myself for not going faster on those burpees or pulling harder on the row or for the fact that I still can’t get my damn toes up to that bar. But I’m not. I’m proud that I actually did burpees instead of this “crawling, step by step” motion I did six months ago at my first competition. I’m proud of PR’ing my power clean at 125#. I surprised myself at how many overhead squats I could do because my back is still not 100% and I know it’s not one of my strengths.

I have so many things I can improve upon. I’m humble enough to say that I need to work and I need help. Every day I go into the box I am going to work hard. Not half assing the workouts, not shying away from the hard stuff, not making excuses, no pity parties . I am going to work hard so in December, after my next competition I will be just as proud of myself then as I am today.

I hope you have a way to challenge yourself. Set a goal and light a fire under your ass to attain it. Surround yourself with people who will challenge you and will tell you the truth even when you don’t want to hear it. Don’t forget the goal: to constantly be getting better. We only improve when we are stretched and tested.

So go out there and get uncomfortable. Allow yourself to get knocked down a few pegs because the view from the bottom isn’t really all that bad.

Ciao bella

Those Four letter words

I don’t really “Hate” anything. It’s a strong statement that is usually used in place of saying how we really feel, ie. “I strongly dislike”.

“Hate” implies that there are NO chances of positive feelings to develop. It signifies the most negative of negative thought processes. It’s right there, sitting next to “can’t”.

When you say or think either of these two words, you mentally shut off. You have ultimately said f’off to the possibility or potential of something good. You are telling yourself “I don’t need to try new things” or “I don’t need to challenge myself to find a way”.

By allowing yourself to think things are impossible or horrible you are denying the opportunity for the possible and beautiful.

For my friends that are participating in the Open 13.1, remember that YOU create the atmosphere for your success. It starts with your own self talk. Take out the “hate” in front of burpees and “can’t” in front of heavy snatches. Allow for the beautiful and possible and go kick some ass!

Ciao Bella

Confessions of a first time Crossfit competitor

You sign up for your competition almost 6 months before it actually happens. Just long enough for you to remember it’s coming. Then, all of a sudden, the weekend is upon you. You realize that you aren’t were you want to be; you can’t kip your HSPU’s(or even do one), your snatch or clean 1RM isn’t as high as you want, you can’t quite get those toes to bar or you are just hoping and praying there won’t be hundreds of burpees.

Then the workouts are posted and you get a pit at the bottom of your stomach. You start psyching yourself out. You go through all the negative talk, “I’m not ready. I’m going to make a fool of myself. People might laugh at me. I’m going to have to just stand there and try(and probably fail) for _ minutes.” But then that other voice inside tells you to “Lock it up. Get out of your head. You’ve got this. Look how far you’ve come.”

Athlete/Competitor #181

That’s who I was this weekend. I was a competitor, a Crossfit athlete. I gave it my all and fought through the pain. There were moments I thought I wouldn’t be able to go on, wouldn’t be able to squat again, didn’t think I could get up off the floor. But that was all in my mind. My body wasn’t ready for me to quit. I knew I had more to give. I had to prove that I can work just as hard as the lady next to me.

You see, I probably have a good 100lbs on every one of the ladies I competed with. With this extra weight comes a societal preconceived notion. Overweight/Obese people are more lazy. We don’t work hard. We give up easily. If we weren’t lazy and were ready to work hard we’d be able to lose the weight. Sometimes that is true but more times it is not.  So I feel it’s my responsibility to prove that this person you see on the outside in no way represents what’s on the inside. I’m strong and tough and willing to put in as much work as the person next to me.

This person you see is tough. She’s determined to do the best she can. She hurts but not enough to stop. And it was worth it when I was told that I tied for first place for the row portion. That’s amazing to me. I went into this with NO expectations. I just wanted to show up and represent my box well. This made the weekend for me.

I learned so much about myself this weekend. I realized that I’m stronger than I give myself credit for. I realized that I can push and know how to bring out the intensity. I realized that this crazy community of Crossfitters is amazingly supportive. They all understand the pain and jump for joy when you push through it.

I ended up #32 of 35 competitors in my division. I’ll take it! I couldn’t have done this a year ago. If you had told me back then that this is where I’d be I would have laughed at you. But I’ve come a long way baby! I’m not the thinnest, strongest or fastest but I do have a nice snatch and a good squat clean. Even my judge said so 🙂

If there is something you want to do, do it. Don’t worry about what someone else may be thinking. They aren’t in your shoes and haven’t walked down your path. Do something for you. Set a goal, do the work and reap the rewards when you accomplish it.

Ciao bella

Who you are when no one is looking

Have you ever been counting your reps and go “crap, I forgot where I was”. Yeah that has happened to all of us probably. When this happens what do you do next? I see it as a character choice. Sort of like standing in front of two closed doors. Do you go with door number one and say “I think I was on number 5 but not sure so I’ll do 5 again” or do you pick door number two and say “Eh, I think I’m close so I’ll just stop now”? Believe it or not this is a sign of your character, the foundation of the person you are.

I think of character as: the person I am when no one is looking.

I should be the same person, hold myself to the same standards, whether I have an audience or not. My actions should be the same and consistent. I should be predictable in a sense. My values never wavering. It should mean something to you that people see you that way. At least it does to me.

This weekend Crossfitters from local boxes in my area are competing together in Team Superfit. Competition is a serious thing. It highlights how strong we are and how much work we have put in. Competition is also a true test of character. It’s the ultimate audience. It will highlight if you’ve been picking door number two over door number one.

A friend wrote today about the probability of having to judge people from his own box during competition. He wanted everyone to know that he is taking his position seriously and will be making good calls even if it isn’t in the favor of his friends. I applaud him. This is a testament to his character and a true sign of the man we all know he is. Crossfit is filled with people like this and one of the reasons I love it.

So the next time you lose track of how many reps you’ve done or if you’re doing full range of motion on every movement or not, or something as simple as realizing that someone gave you too much change back, think of door number one and door number two and pick the one that holds you to a higher character.

Ciao bella