Nervous?

January 22, 2013

Do you get nervous before a workout?  

A common question from noobs… often wondering if that feeling of butterflies in your stomach as K and M get ready to start the clock, than proceed to count down the infamous 3…2…1… GO…. is going to last forever. 

The answer: YES! The feeling is still there for me… every single time! And I hope it never goes away!  

When I first started, the nerves were for different reasons, they stemmed from fear. The “fear of failing” in front of other people passed through my head plenty of times as I stood amongst people of all levels with the unknown in front of me. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself, fall on my face, get 1 round when everyone gets 4 or be the last person still working when everyone is done… but I began to  realize, every person in that room is thinking the same thing about themselves and those who aren’t, they have been there… they have let that fear go, they have other things to be “nervous” about. Those fears quickly diminished as I realized no one was going to judge me, laugh at me or roll their eyes at me if I didn’t do well as I began to understand then that “doing well” is totally relative to my own standards I set for myself.

Of course when I am in a competition, I get that blood burning, tummy churning feeling that I only have ONE shot at this… go big or go home. So its “understood” that I should be nervous. However, when it is all said and done, there is really nothing to be nervous about. I am there, I am qualified to be in the division I am in, I am not out of my league… so what gives? I think in my first few competitions I resorted back to that “fearful” mindset of not wanting to make a fool of myself. I would run through all the scenarios in my head and almost convince myself that I am not ready… but I knew that I was and I just had to prove it to myself. Over time, while gaining experience both at CFW and actually competing, my confidence has boosted and I am no longer afraid. I’ve been there, I’ve been “that” person (still am “that” person sometimes) and seen others be “that” person right before my eyes… the CrossFit community, whether at a competition where everyone is a stranger, or a WOD in the gym… is amazing. The encouragement, the cheers, the push to the last second never ceases to amaze me. There is nothing to be afraid of. Being “that” person is pretty freaking fantastic… lets face it, you finish strong and you finish proud. It dosent matter where you finish as long as you are there to play in the game.

Ok, so, if I am not afraid, why am I so damn nervous?! In the gym, at a throw down, at a competition… right before that 3…2…1…GO… I take each and every workout as a challenge. My nerves stem from accepting the challenge I have set forth for myself. It is no longer about anyone else in the gym… when the clock starts, it is me against myself. I do not fear what people think will think of me, however, I am looking to make my coaches, my teammates and myself proud and do not want to let them (or myself) down. I feel as if I invest my time in them and they invest their time in me, thus they have expectations and goals for me to reach. Understand, that these goals are mutual with my goals, not everyone who CrossFits has the same goals, my coaches know what mine are and will push me to reach them. The butterflies in my stomach are a reminder that I have standards for myself as well that I expect to reach for each workout. I know how I want to feel when I am done. It is good to be nervous, it is good to have that feeling. I don’t ever want it to go away…

You set your own goals, you set your own standards (talk to your coaches about your goals)… if you are nervous before a workout… you are not alone!

WARMUP:

3 Rounds

- 10 Lunges

- 10 Shoulder Dislocates

- 5 Pullups

- 5 Jumping Squats

- 10 Spiderman

- 10 Back Extensions

1 Min Squat Hold @ Rack

SKILL/STRENGTH

Front Squat (based off 215lb 1RM)

8 @ 75% - 155lbs

3 @ 80% - 165lbs

3 @ 85% - 180lbs

2 @ 90% - 185lbs

1 @ 95% - 195lbs

1 @ 95% - 200lbs

WOD: TABATA

- Double Unders

- 10m Shuttle Run

- Burpee

(148, 30, 53 Rx)

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