Finding your weakness

Thursday, January 24th, 2013

Don’t forget Swim Night tonight at 7:30 pm at Culver City Plunge!

Mobility/Warm up:

DROM
Banded Shoulder Distraction, 30 seconds per arm
Posterior Chain Floss, 30 seconds per arm

Group Warm up:

Review Barbell Complex

Barbell Gymnastics:

Every minute on the minute for 7 minutes:
1 Power Clean + 1 Hang Clean + 1 Jerk – Heaviest possible

     Notes:  You may work up, but there should be at least 3 reps performed at a true maximal load.  Classic athletes should stay at one weight for the entire 7 minutes.

Partner Conditioning:

3 Rounds for time of
40 Handstand Push ups
30 Partner burpees
200 meter Farmers Carry with Kettlebells or dumbbells

     Notes:  HSPU may be apportioned in any way, I.E. they do not have to be done in equal numbers amongst teammates.  Partner burpees should be performed like lateral burpees.  Each teammate should do 2 at a a time.  One rep would consist of a burpee, then a lateral jump over the teammate (lying face down on the ground.)  The 2nd rep would be the same, but jumping back in the opposite direction.  Teams must alternate burpees every 2 reps.  Farmers carry should be as heavy as possible for the team.

Cool down:

German hang, 30 seconds
10 Wall extensions
Samson stretch, 30 seconds

 
PCF Venice.

     Last week, Ariel asked me what the best way to prepare for a comp was, specifically the Saint Valentines’ Day Massacre coming up in 2 1/2 weeks (we’ve got 6 teams competing btw!)  My first instinctual answer was to attack your weakness and dial in your diet.  He then asked ‘How do you find your weakness?’  I thought, Damn, what a great question!  I’ve been doing this for so long I’ve taken for granted that people know their strengths and weaknesses.  I’ve forgotten this stuff was new to me once too.  

     So here is the classic answer to finding your greatest weakness, and fast.  Pretend you’re in your regular class of friends and one of us Trainers show up with a bright orange bucket and says, ‘Class, we will forsake the WOD on the board and generate a WOD at random.  In this bucket lies a myriad of different, random physical tasks:  Thrusters, pull ups, running, rowing, double unders, rope climbs, Fran, a Sprint Triathlon, roller blading, surfing, rock climbing, heavy back squats, deadlifts, dips, muscle ups, swimming repeats, yoga, running repeats, dodgeball, sand sprints, burpees, a long hike, Helen, Olympic total, CrossFit Total, Olympic distance triathlon, they can be heavy, high reps, or heavy, low reps, or moderate load/moderate reps, or light and high reps, and so on and so on.  I am going to start pulling tasks out at random and you guys will compete in them over the course of the next week.  He or she that can best, statistically, and on average, perform at multiple tasks, is fittest.’ 

     Think about this.  When you imagined the Trainers hand reaching into the bucket, where you excited about something you wanted to see come out, or petrified about something you did NOT want to see come out?  If you were excited about something you did want to see, then you are the Real Deal, because if you’re a mere mortal like the rest of us, you would be TERRIFIED of the thing you did not want to see come out of the bucket.  For me, it’s still 800 meter x 3 repeats.  Yes I’ve been working on them, and yes it’s made a difference in my performance.  But I still suck at them.  I still would not want to see them come out of the bucket.  If I’m standing around with my cohort of Joe, McCoy, Coondog, Diso, Steve, and every other bad ass in the box, the last thing I would want is a freaking running race against them.  And because that’s what I’m most terrified of, that’s where I should focus my energy.  The thing you are most terrified of IS your greatest weakness.

     See how easy that was to discover?  You all know mine now.  I’ll even give you my number 2 (5K Run) and number 3 (Full triathlon)  Let’s hear some of yours.