Working on it...

June 6, 2012

A few weeks ago I started really honing in on resting during a WOD. When I had my talk with M I realized a few things. Lets start with the negative (because its always fun to end on a positive note). My biggest problem is  mental block that I have, I have had it my whole life and once I get inside my own head I have a really hard time getting out of it. This goes for all things in life, not just WODing… but I will obviously apply it to WODing here. So I get started and I am off like a rocket, I work hard and push  myself as hard as I can, but once I sense myself hitting a wall specifically when it comes to exercises that I seem to struggle with most (usually more on the gymnastics side, pushups, dips, pullups) my confidence lowers and I let myself take a break. In my head I know I can go on, but my mind seems to block it.

Thinking about it now, it seems like whenever I have to do something that I can not do “unbroken” that’s when the breaks start to come longer and longer and more frequent. Clearly, if you are doing things unbroken your are technically resting, but what I mean by it is, the rest is longer than readjusting, or fixing my grip, or something like that, than once one break happens it goes downhill from there. Example… a few weeks ago “Bradshaw;” we had to do 12 pullups in each of the 10 rounds. The pullups were book ended by 6 deadlifts and 24 double unders. I got inside my own head and every time I approached the bar to do pullups I let myself rest too much, my time and performance would have been much better if I had just pushed through, did I need all the rest I took, no… but since I cant link 12 pullups together I would drop down and rest a little than jump back up… each rest seemed to get a little longer and as the rounds went on they became more frequent. Fast forward to last Monday and Murph, I powered through 20 rounds of 5 pullups (10 pushups and 15 squats) and was able to jump right back up between any of the sets that I couldn’t connect all 5 reps. There was a lot less resting time and a lot more working time… I wouldn’t let my mind overtake the fact that my arms weren’t really “that” tired… just jump up and do it! Its all in my head… I have to focus and push to get it done. I wont always have my coach screaming “get back up on that bar” to motivate me… but that helps a lot!

While that is improving, there is also a positive side to my “mental drive.” This is super apparent in both recent WOD’s and older WOD’s. When I am faced with a workout that I am 100% comfortable and confident with every movement in the WOD, I will plow through that bad boy (or girl) like nothing can stop me. I can be out of breath, my legs can be burning, my shoulders could be totally shot… but I know I will work till the end of the AMRAP time or the last rep, without any breaks. Its almost like I make up my mind before I start and say “I am not going to rest at all” and I just do it. What I have to do, is take that mentality and use it with ALL the WOD’s. The power of the mind is amazing.

I have really been working on this and today was no exception… the WOD consisted of hand stand pushups (which have gotten much better as I am dropping some more weight), alternating leg pistols (which I now do unassisted, from the help of M’s encouragement) and the dreaded pullup. I knew I could do the HSPU unbroken as well as the pistols so my only battle would be with the pullup bar, shocker. So, I put on my “no rest” attitude and went to town. I may not have linked each of the pullups together, but I made it a point to get myself back up on that bar as soon as I could between each rep I had to drop. There were a few seconds of rest here and there on them, but far less than usual. I have to overcome the mindset of associating not being able to link them with needing a break, I cant use pullups as an “excuse” to rest. Work work work… and practice practice practice… I was proud of myself and I know I am going in the right direction.

WARMUP:

3 Rounds

- 10 Burpees

- 10 Ring Rows

- 10 Walking Lunges

- 10 Shoulder Dislocates

Pigeon Stretch 2 Min Each Leg

Group: Burgener

WOD: "Mary"

20 Minute AMRAP

- 5 HSPU (kipping with 2 abmats)

- 10 Alternating Pistols

- 15 Pullups

(7 + 11)

SKILL/STRENGTH:

3 Position Clean

5 X 3 High Hang, Hang and Floor (85lbs)

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