Friday 120713

Strength

Deficit deadlift

10 x 2 @ 60% 1RM

WOD

Complete 3 rounds for time of:

20 sit-ups

Run 100m

20 Push-ups

10 Power cleans, 165#/115#

Rest 2:00 between rounds (start the rest period by rounding to the next minute: example you finish round one at 3:22, your start your 2 minute rest at 4:00. Easy math is awesome!)

Bear complex warm-ups!

Refresh!

How many of you wait up at your computer until Jon posts the WOD for the next day? You know you’re out there. Hell, we all did it with the Open or any time we are signed up for a competition – sitting by the computer hitting the refresh button. We want to know just what kind of abuse we are going to have for that next day. It may even dictate if we are going to come in that day. Maybe the WOD has a movement that we are not good at or something we despise.

This makes no logical sense if our true intent is to improve. We gain nothing from doing WOD’s or exercises that are manageable or easy for us. I talk about this when I do introductory sessions with our new athletes. Many come in not having ever done most of the movements we do. Some of the movements are complex and place a large demand on us both physically and neurologically. This can cause athletes (both new and experienced) to have feelings of frustration or fear as well as take you down a few pegs both on our motivation and confidence. If something comes easy to you your opportunity and ability to gain anything from that is limited. Granted, it makes us feel good and we gain some confidence, but it is short lived. These rewards are not near as long lasting or beneficial as achieving something completely new through hard work and sacrifice. The value doesn’t come with the destination but through what we learned in the journey.

See those physical, mental, and neurological road blocks not as barriers but doors of opportunity. In life, both inside and outside of the gym, we are surrounded by opportunities. We talked about this as the Evolve Team prepared for Regionals. People often see those doors of opportunity as wide open passage ways that we just walk right through. Typical Western Society belief is that everything should be handed to you in a nice package or even that we deserve or are owed something. Well, I am here to tell you that you are owed nothing and if you want something you must earn it. Those doors of opportunity are not wide open, they are shut, and actually require a ton of force to get open. We often walk by those shut doors because of that, losing out on that opportunity, that experience, and that growth.

Some gyms don’t even post their WOD’s and athletes just have to come in and see what is on tap for that day. We have even talked about doing that at Evolve at times. By not posting the WOD yesterday we wanted you to prepare mentally for your work in a more condensed time frame rather than having the luxury of hours of mental prep and strategizing and hopefully getting you in the door, not because of the WOD, but because you are confident that you can face any challenge fueled by your desire for improvement and greatness.

So, the next time that you come across that opportunity that sits behind that locked door, don’t walk away out of the thought of the amount of effort it may require or even if you question that you possess the ability, step back and donkey kick that thing until it opens.