CrossFit South Bay | Hermosa Beach, CA

We’re not all genetically gifted athletes. For most of us, the movements we do are challenging. They take strength, coordination, flexibility and endurance. We have strength imbalances, flexibility issues and coordination deficits. We practice almost every day to overcome these things. Our progress isn’t in leaps and bounds, it’s in fractions of inches and seconds. Every day we decide to do the WOD, we decide to endure pain and exhaustion and keep pushing harder (twss). Despite how well we’ve trained our bodies and minds, one of the hardest things to overcome is frustration.

Everyone experiences it. I probably do more than others. Last week I couldn’t find my double under rhythm doing Annie. Any time we have thrusters, front squats, cleans or push press I have to scale because of my shoulder flexibility. My knee and elbow randomly flare up. I’m gassed after running a 400 meter. I don’t recover after reaching failure on body weight rows. The C2 rower mocks me every time I walk in the gym. Yes these things frustrate me. They all make me want to punch a baby. The voice in my head tells me to stop doing those things and just do what I’m good at. Then I think, “What fun would that be?”

Next time you feel frustrated or feel like quitting remember this: You will make the most significant gains at the things you are worst at. The movements we do are not easy. Some people may make them look easy, but do not be fooled. It takes practice and conditioning…lots of it. Every tiny little adjustment will make a huge difference. Think about the movements that frustrate you the most and then try  these 10 tips:

1. Ask a trainer or fellow athlete to watch your form or ask how they make it look so easy. You will get helpful advice.
2. Take an extra 15 minutes after class to increase your flexibility or endurance.
3. Work on coordination by doing 100 reps of light weight of a complex movement (i.e. clean and jerk, squat snatch, etc).
4. Work on building up your strength by getting creative. For example, if you are deficient in hand stand pushups, start by doing 1 a day until you can build up to doing 15 unbroken. You will be surprised how quickly you progress.
5. Take a deep breath and remember how far you have come since you first started Crossfit. Be proud of your accomplishments.
6. Enjoy every single PR and gain you have. You deserve it.
7. Break down complex movements into easier ones just like the Burgener progression or the double under progression
8. Take a break. Sometimes it’s good to step away from the gym and do something you love whether it be riding a bike on the strand or playing a sport. We’ll be here when you come back.
9. Check your ego. I have problems with this too. We have some phenomenal athletes at CFSB who can lift a shit ton of weight. If you are struggling with something, it will pay off to get the movement down at light weight before adding more. I couldn’t do an overhead squat for 6 months because of my shoulder flexibility. I practiced and practiced and all of a sudden I was able to do 95 pounds and then all of a sudden I could squat snatch 145 pounds. Be patient, start low and work your way up.
10. Have fun! We are here to have fun. Your fellow athletes are never going to disrespect or discount you because of the weight you lift or how much you struggle. They will respect your effort and do everything they can to support you.

Take that frustration and focus it into motivation to kick ass the next time around. Big props to Quatro, Matty, Avelyne, Ryan #1, Girl Ryan, Lil’ Ryan, Tori, Charlie, D-Train, Wes and Jake for taking the time to focus on the things they are weaker in. Who knows? Maybe your Goat will become your favorite exercise.

WOD – 9.15.09

Freddy’s Revenge
5 rounds of:
5 Heavy Push Jerks
10 Burpees

Go as heavy as possible with the push jerks. The burpees should be the easy part. If you don’t fail at a few, you’re not going heavy enough.

Cash Out: Muscle Up Progession