Mental Toughness
by Uran
It’s pretty widely accepted among CrossFitters that in order to get in better shape, you have to put your body under stress. And since the human body will continually adapt to stress, the constantly-varied programming CrossFit offers keeps us on our toes and keeps our bodies working to get stronger and fitter. It wasn’t until I joined CFM, however, that I heard of “mental toughness”. I had no idea that some workouts were designed not only to be physically challenging, but to challenge your will to get through them as well.
Don’t get me wrong – I’ve definitely experienced my fair share of workouts where I’ve had a lengthy mental dialogue with myself on how there was no way I could finish, and at times, even convinced myself that I needed to quit. But it wasn’t until I looked at mental toughness as a component of fitness that I really started to see those dark moments as something I could improve. Suddenly, it wasn’t something random and uncontrollable. Just like learning a lift or a movement in the gym, it’s something that can be managed and practiced (if and when it does hit), and that’s pretty damn empowering. So the next time you’re in the middle of a particularly nasty WOD that feels like it will never end, remind yourself this is an opportunity to overcome a mental obstacle as well. It might just give you the push you need.
Lindsay leads warm-up… good luck to Lindsay & Dyer, heading to their CrossFit Level 1 Certification course this weekend at CrossFit Downtown ATL!
Workout of the Day
A. Front Squat: 5 rounds of 6-8 reps @3010 tempo, every 4min
B. Pistols (one-legged squats): As many reps as possible in 5 minutes. Rest 5 min, then…
C. Double unders: As many reps as possible in 10 minutes.
Not great at double unders? Do as many as you can, or sub singles.
And coming tomorrow…
A1. Close Grip Bench Press: 4 rounds of 8-10 reps @2110 tempo, 60sec rest
A2. Wtd Pullup OR Pullup negatives: 4 rounds of 2-3 reps @2112 tempo, 2min rest
B. Every minute on the minute for 20 minutes:
odd – 15 pushups
even – 10 med ball slams
Urán, YES! The mental side of the WOD is something I continually struggle with. I think more so for those of us who weren't athletes (or athletic!) growing up, it's a completely new challenge.
Great article, Uran. The first beginner's class was awesome last night. First unbanded pull-up and first bar muscle-up were among the PRs achieved.
I hear you, Levy! I wasn't even the slightest bit athletic until joining the crew team in college, and the mental part was (and still is) the hardest part for me to overcome. Glad to know I'm not alone!
That's awesome!!!! Congrats to anyone who got a PR last night! I can't wait to drop into the new time slot on Tues/Thurs. 🙂