Regionals Recap Dear Team South Bay

Mental Game

posted by Jenny
May 15th, 2012

          First, I want to say thank you to everyone who came out to support us this past weekend in Pomona.  The team and I appreciated all the shouting, tips and encouragement.  They can tell you as well as I can that there are moments when you are out there and in so much pain, are so hot and so tired, but seeing a familiar face screaming out our name can light a fire under our asses and keep us moving.
          Second, congrats to the team!!!  You guys did phenomenal!  I’m so proud of you and so happy to be a part of such an awesome group of athletes!
          Third, I apologize for those of you who only came out Saturday or Sunday and didn’t see me actually get a rep that counted on the 70lb overhead snatch.  I swear, I did well on Friday and had fun with the competition.  And for those of you who helped me try and try to get that stupid dumbbell over my head these past couple weeks, thank you. I did get pretty dang close!

So close! I feel like my arm looks like a toothpick and the dumbbell is a mini sausage.

So lets’s get into what today’s post is really about.  I went into the first workout of Regionals on Friday morning with my head together and ready to just have a good time out there.  I did just that as I hit a 2 minute PR on Diane, 21-15-9 deadlift at 155 and handstand pushups.  It was really fun and I was happy with finishing 2nd in my heat.  I held onto this good feeling all the way up until I saw Kristen Clever do Diane in 1:54.

Ok, ok, I know she isn’t exactly human and I’m not trying to compare myself to her.  The thing that I noticed, the big difference is her MENTAL GAME is just so on point! When her name was called she gave a little smile, waved, walked up to her judge, said a quick hello, did her one rep to show she was competent in deadlifting, and stared straight ahead taking big breaths.  You could see it in her eyes that she was ready to win.

What a Champ!

 

          I walked up to my bar and said to myself, “Ugh, this is gonna hurt.” I can guarantee you that is not what any of the top competitors think when first approaching the bar.  Lindsay Valenzuela set 2 world records in the same day! I wish I could spend a day in their brains and just steal their focus for a day to see what I could accomplish.
          Like any other sport Crossfit has a huge piece that happens only in your head.  I’m not sure if this is something you can learn, but it’s certainly something you can get better at.  It’s something everyone who has ever even tried crossfit has experienced.  You all know those days when the weight feels easy and you don’t have to think as much and can focus on just you and the bar.  You all also know those days when the weight feels heavy (though it’s light) and you can’t stop running every single cue that you have ever heard through your head and you can’t focus on any one of them, let alone lift the weight.

 

Kenny Leverich took 2nd this weekend.

How do we eliminate those bad days?  I don’t know right now, but I’ll take suggestions.  I hit a PR on my jerk today and honestly I thought about 2 things: 1) Katie Hogan screaming after she did that back squat at the OC Throwdown (do you guys remember that pic from the other week? Neck vein? No?  Anyway… and 2)  About where to jump my feet out to- when I fail I usually don’t go low enough or wide enough.  It was a bit messy and I forgot to punch up and I forgot how to recover once it was up but at least I made it.  In an environment where we encourage yelling and loud music to build hype and energy, it can be hard to focus.  It can be even harder to maintain that focus throughout an entire WOD.

If anyone watched Lauren Baer during the Final on Sunday you will know what I mean when I say, “mental game”.  She was so on point!  She was so focused, and she crushed!  Our whole team did awesome and they all wanted to win but no one more than Lauren.  I love having fun in the gym, I love working out everyday with friends and I’m sure all these top athletes do too- though they are able to switch off from laughing and joking, to crushing a WOD in 2.5 seconds.

 

The UNSTOPPABLE Lauren Baer!

          I envy that, and that is something I want to start working on.  I don’t mean we should take ourselves super seriously and get bent out of shape if we miss a lift.  I just think this is something we could all use some work on.  Think about the people you work out with regularly.  Is there someone who has been doing Crossfit about as long as you, usually lifts the same weights as you for Part A, but kills you on Part B?  That is an example of a good mental game!  Hollie kills me at this.  Her game is way better than mine.  I’m sorry if this isn’t really going anywhere as far as answers go, it’s just something I noticed this weekend seeing these amazing athletes just do what had to be done!  I hope I’m not alone in this and that you guys take some time to try to recognize some people in our gym that we can emulate and try to use their focus to harness ours.
          On a side note, I’m excited we are testing again this week!  If you don’t show up you are gonna get a serious talkin to from me, but this is a great time to test your mental game and to finally find out where you are at with certain things.  You will know what to focus on and see what has gotten better over the last few months here at CFSB.

Lindsay Valenzuela, world record setter! Rad!

 

 

 

 

 

fdgs

Workout of the Day 5/13/12

Level 1

A. “Mobility Test”
Hip Flexors
Groin
Hamstrings
Ankles

B. 2 Rounds (untimed)
High Knees
Butt Kicks
Carioca
Shuffle
Power Skips

then, Run 1 mile for time

C. 2x
200m Walk
10 Knees-to-Elbows

Level 2

A. “Mobility Test”
Hip Flexors
Groin
Hamstrings
Ankles

B. 2 Rounds (untimed)
High Knees
Butt Kicks
Carioca
Shuffle
Power Skips

then, Run 1 mile for time

C. 2x
200m Walk
10 Toes-to-Bar

Fundamentals

A. 3 rounds
10 Push Press
300m Run

B. Tabata Something
Push-ups
Squats
Box Jumps
Sit Ups
Push Press
Alt lunges (jumping opt)

Level 1 WOD

Level 2 WOD

Mobility WOD



  • Richie

    Jenny,

    Great article and what you talk about is so true and one that I have two close stories from.

    1) When in high school I rowed with three guys who now are training to row in the London Olympics. These three guys were not only from another planet when it came to their erg times, but they also knew how to win. So much so that if you were not ready to win with them, they would kick you off the varsity boat. Our rowing team always started training six months behind everyone else do to school rules. Because of this, our first few races were usually ones we lost and then would get better through out the season. In 2006, these guys decided that we were going to win from the get go and never loose a race. I and some of the other guys on the boat questioned how they could be so confident at which they would look at us and say, “If you don’t believe us then you do not belong on this boat.” That struck me so hard because for the first time I realized that these guys never had a plan B and they never excepted what would happen if we loose because in their heads winning was what would happen. Even if other boats got close to us, the second they let off for a stroke or slowed down for a beat, these three rowers would lead the entire boat and we would pass our opponent and make them regret they had ever shown any signs of weakness. In the end we ended up doing something no high school team had ever done and go undefeated that season. On top of that our second, third and fourth boats also went undefeated and no one ever questioned again if we could win every race of the season.

    2) My second story comes from this past weekend. I had the honor of judging Lindsay Valenzuela for the 5th snatch workout. Everyone including her knew this would be the WOD she would crush. Before the event, while she waited in line she casually talked with the other athletes, stayed loose and asked me to go through all the standards with her. Once we got closer to go time, she got quite, she looked straight ahead and her breathing slowed to a consistent controlled rate. The second they announced her name and she began that first round of double unders her face never lost that focus. In fact, she seemed so focus that at one point while I was holding my hand out to stop her, she high fived it since she was so jacked up with adrenaline from the crowd. The last time I saw her face loose focus was once the workout was complete when she looked at me and smiled for judging her through the event.

  • Scarlett Harris

    Even though Saturday’s wod must have been frustrating for you, your attitude on Saturday was great Jenny. While the dumbell snatch wod didnt go as you would have liked, I was so glad to see that you stayed positive and smiling -especially since some of the CFkids athletes were there watching ;) Very proud of what you and the team accomplished this weekend!

  • Scarlett

    CROSSFIT MOM:

    Take a look at this video on Pregnancy and Mobility:
    http://www.mobilitywod.com/2012/05/mobility-pregnancy-and-the-hypermobile.html

    The sound isn’t fantastic, but they basically discuss not going to the ‘end range’ of your mobility so as not to hyper extend your already overly mobile joints.

    Because today is focused on testing mobility, I would recommend that you focus on working on any pain/tightness/mobility problems instead of testing the limits of your mobility.

    For part B, do whatever feels comfortable and remember that you can always row instead of running.

  • Hilary Strong Petrizzo

    Jenny you are a total stud-ette! I kept checking my computer all weekend to see how everyone from CFSB was doing, and was really impressed and excited. Big congrats to everyone.

    Mental strength is one of my biggest goals for improvement. After some rough weeks at work I put up a post-it “One step at a time”. It’s a lot easier to get through the day feeling sick and dealing wtih coworkers when you focus on getting through an hour, or a morning, etc. I think thats why I love AMRAPs so much – it’s way easier to push yourself when you know it’s going to end in 15 minutes :-)

  • Vin

    Great work this weekend Jenny! Even though you didn’t get quite as far as you would have liked, you put it all our there and were ready to lay it on the line. Your hard work over the past few weeks preparing for Regionals was evident and your determination and perseverance for those DB snatches was inspiring. Nice work!

  • Adrian

    I know what you’re talking about, Jenny…those days that seem effortless and those days that seem like everything is heavy. I don’t know what the formula is on how to get to that effortless place, but it feels so good to be there. Those are the days that I smile after a workout instead of shake my head. Usually those days happen when I am rested and not in my head. I think it happens when I am totally present to what I’m doing in that moment. I get the feeling that it is more about letting go than trying really hard (in the mental aspect, I mean). Thanks for writing about this because, like you said, I think it is so important to being successful…at whatever we’re up to in life. It’s something I want to start paying attention to more in my growth at crossfit.

    Also, it is inspirational to see how much you guys put into competing. The fact that you were out there and fully going for it counts for a hell of a lot in my book!

  • http://chrisphotola.com Bob Christiansen

    It was great to watch alll the atletes this weekend. Elite levels of fitness for sure. One athlete who inspired me was Jenny, how she went out there and gave it all she had with the 70lb weight. It was an example of what makes Crossfit great. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being the best you can be at any particular moment and giving others the courage to do the same.

  • Ashley Merrell

    When I was in high school my water polo coach used to force us to meet in our team room for weekly meditation sessions – at first I thought he was CRAZY. At the time I did not understand how 50 girls locked in a stinky room and listening to meditation music would help us to prepare for our game and our goal to make it to CIF. After a couple of sessions I began to understand his philosophy – at any level of competition the team or individual that is going to win is the most mentally prepared. Since high school and after reading a number of articles on professional athletes and their mental preparation, I’ve learned visualization is very common and extremely helpful in keeping a clear, focus and positive mind. My coach recommended the “Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind” to better understand how to clear your mind, visualize the movements and see yourself winning, scoring the winning goal or getting that 70lb dumbbell overhead.

    Jenny your determination to get the 70lb dumbbell over your head was impressive and inspiring. You didn’t give up once. I’m very proud of you and Team South Bay.

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