That's right. CrossFit has the innate ability to find and surface your weaknesses. I don't know if it was intentionally designed that way but it is uncanny how quickly it does. Greg Glassman (the founder of CrossFit) said, "We tend to fail when we are outside our comfort zone, so the goal is widen our comfort zone in all areas." Our weaknesses are outside of our comfort zone. But our comfort zone is not just limited to physical attributes. I have found that there are four areas where I find weakness. They are a progression that determines whether or not we can get outside of our comfort zone and turn the weaknesses to strength.
The first area is the obvious physical weaknesses. CrossFit quickly tells that we can be stronger. Physical weaknesses appear in every skill of fitness. Strength, endurance, stamina, flexibility, power, speed, agility, accuracy, coordination, and balance are unending wells of potential. How many times have you walked up to a bar with just 5-lbs on it and it just does not want to budge? Or unsuccessful attempts at a handstand walk? Or during a long run had to stop and walk? Personally, I can find weaknesses in each of the 10 physical skills that I could work on.
The second area is not as obvious but becomes increasingly apparent and that is mental weaknesses. Whether you have recognized it or not at some point in your Workout of the Day (WOD) your brain said, "STOP! I can't go any further." It is at that point that you can agree or keep going. Your body is much stronger then your mind gives you credit. Your physical body wants to move and wants to work. Its the mental side that says, wait a minute, you have limitations, you can't do that, you haven't done this before. That is the problem. You have put mental limitations on what you think you can do. That's one reason why I don't like to add up the weight on the bar until after I'm done. When the weight is on the bar it is a new personal record (PR) and you know the first thing that goes through your mind is I haven't lifted this much before. Now even before you have attempted it you have told yourself that you can't do it.
The third area could be considered a mental weakness but I feel it deserves is own area and that is commitment weaknesses. Fitness is a journey that takes time. It is not won or lost in a one hour session. Fitness is the life change that encompasses how I will use my time, spend my resources, and plan my meals. Each of these take a commitment that is bigger then what is happening today. For example, I have a physical weakness in handstand push-ups. Yet I haven't committed to actually trying to fix this weakness. I did one personal training session to fix this and then quit. I couldn't commit to working on it.
The fourth area is a social weakness. It is this sense of being uncomfortable and trying find comfort in being uncomfortable. What that means is being able to embrace the weakness that you find. Nobody likes to talk about their weaknesses, let alone change them to strengths. This weakness appears most in social settings. It is putting our weaknesses on display and letting people know that I have this problem. It is a problem now but I'm working it and will continue to work on it until I find a new weakness.
Now that we have fully encompassed our weakness, we can learn to turn these into strength. I will write more specifically on this next month, but it boils down to taking small steps toward being better then you were yesterday. If you PR by 1-lb, then you are done. You have done something that you haven't done before. If you can replace one unfavorable carb (bread, pasta, sweets, sugary drinks) with a favorable one, then you have done something better then yesterday. If you can commit to one new good habit, then you have done better then yesterday. Fitness is a journey, just be better then yesterday.
2nd Annual CFM 10 Skills Team Challenge
Congratulations to Nick O, Mark P, and Shannon R from CrossFit Macomb who took first place in the 10 Skills Team Challenge.
Schedule Changes
We have made two schedule changes this month.
We now have a 4:00 pm class on Friday
We also added a 9:00 am class on Saturday and moved the 10:00 am class to 10:30 am.
Our new schedule is updated on our website under the SCHEDULE tab.
Adventure WOD at Marissa's
On Saturday September 14th, Marissa (and Ken) have invited us over to their house for an Adventure WOD on their property. They have a great course to run through the woods, a pond, tires to flip, a pull-up rig, logs and hay bails to jump.
More information is posted at the gym. Please try to sign up on the board so that we know who may be coming. If you enjoyed the SwampFoot 4 Mile or missed it, then you will want to join us for this Adventure WOD
September Macombie
This month, the Macombie for the "Most Likely to get Dirty" goes to Joe D. Joe is our local high school wrestling phenom. The thing about him when he WODs is that he has the ability to get incredibly dirty. Most people get the chalk patches or dirty knees from doing burpees, but not Joe. He gets dirt everywhere, stomach, legs, and face. He doesn't let the dirt slow him down though. This year he gets to prove what he has accomplished over the summer at CrossFit Macomb on the mat. Go get 'em Joe and keep up the great work!
On Ramp
The next On Ramp will be in October starting on the 1st. If you are new to CrossFit this is a perfect opportunity to learn the fundamentals as well as get a well-rounded approach to health, fitness, and nutrition. The classes will be held for two weeks on Tuesday and Thursday at 5:00pm and Saurday at 9:00am. The dates and times are below.
October 1st, Tuesday, 5:00 pm
October 3rd, Thursday, 5:00 pm
October 5th, Saturday, 9:00 am
October 8th, Tuesday, 5:00 pm
October 10th, Thursday, 5:00 pm
Upcoming Events
September 14th: CFM Adventure WOD at Marissa's
September 14th: Lost and Found items not picked up will be donated
October 1st: On Ramp begins
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