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Fitmas Day 9
GUEST BLOG from Coach Tia on mental toughness!
Please take the time to read this through as it has a lot of good information not only for this time of your but year round too!
Thanks Tia for your words and motivation everyday!
Mental Toughness and CrossFit
Hi Gang,
Coach Tia here, and writing my first Blog! So please forgive me if grammar isn’t perfect haha. My inspiration for writing this blog came to me this week as I’ve been hearing around the gym people feeling tired, disappointed, or frustrated with themselves that they aren’t hitting the numbers they want to be hitting, or aren’t able to Rx a workout, or things just aren’t feeling great. I’m writing this to tell you, you are not alone. Every person, and I mean everyone, has felt at some point frustrated with themselves when it comes to their workouts, even the best of the best, have bad days, it is normal, and honestly, it is what is going to make us stronger, in and outside the gym.
First off, I want you to ask yourself what is going on in your everyday life that is making you feel run down? You know it is that crazy time of year, we all have parties to go to, family functions, kids are probably hopped up on sugar, maybe you yourself have indulged a little bit more than normal this month? (which is totally okay!) You have to clean the house for the people you’re hosting this weekend, you still need to get that one gift for your Secret Santa, the list can go on and on this time of year. And probably due to this we are staying up later and not getting the best quality sleep because we are thinking about this stuff right up until bed time. It's a stressful time of year! If this is you, I challenge you for the rest of this month, and moving forward, to try and check that stuff at the door when you get to the gym, that hour class, that’s your time, that is what is going to keep you thriving, make you feel energized and keep you going through this time, try and make it the best hour of your day! Maybe it’s not 100% effort, maybe it’s only 70%, just do the best you can do that day, and be okay with it either way. Just stepping through that door, you’re a winner.
Secondly, pay attention to how you’re physically and mentally feeling. Since we’ve gone to 6 day a week programming, do you end up feeling guilty if you missed the WOD from the day before, are you trying to catch up on that on days you can, and then burning out? Do you feel recovered the next day? No, but the thought, “Grace is programmed I can’t miss that” and come to the gym anyways and then you’re disappointed with your time? If this seems to be a trend what can we do to fix this mentality. And I totally get, since being injured, this fear of falling behind or not getting to do certain movements, scares me, however, I know my body is telling me right now it needs to slow down and really focus on what it is doing. To get stronger and fitter, we need rest, mentally and physically. Try and enjoy this time, if you’re body is feeling beat up, take a rest day, catch up with a friend for coffee, go outside for a walk, read a book, do something you really enjoy so you feel refreshed and ready to give it your all next time you walk in the gym.
Third point, and probably the most important, stop comparing yourself to others and putting yourself down. It doesn’t change what you can do, but can get in the way of finding what you are truly capable of. And this all comes down to Mental toughness. I read this a while back from the CompTrain website and it has really stuck with me:
“We have more in common with Wile E. Coyote than you realize. We share the same mortal enemies; ourselves and gravity.The Coyote gets his ass kicked by the Road Runner on the reg. He never complains. He never quits. He learns and tries again. Think of how frican smart that dude is by now! He hasn’t figured out how to “win” yet, but look what he has learned. He’s an expert in rocketry, explosives, medieval siege weapons, newtonian mechanics, and self-administered field medical care.The Road Runner always wins. But he doesn’t learn anything except that he’s really fast. He’s playing in too small of a pond–it’s not a challenge for him, so he never learns. Hence his limited vocabulary (Beep Beep). You must finish behind to learn. You must learn to grow. If you do win, it’s time to level-up to the next challenge. Otherwise you’re just hanging out in the kiddie pool, and beating up on the proverbial Coyote.
Just like training, the efforts which take us beyond our reach and make us fall flat on our faces are where we grow. If you win, great. Appreciate the shit out of it, then double-down and go get beat at something really hard for you.
You always get something out of a full effort. You win or, you learn.”
“Mental toughness is the ability to remain positive and proactive in the most adverse of circumstances. Think about that for a second.”
Now Mental toughness comes into play with being able to accept a bad day and move forward, this isn’t just in the gym, but a bad workout is a great example as to learning about ourselves and how mentally tough we are. Did you have a bad workout and tell yourself “I suck” or start second guessing your abilities? Or did you accept and acknowledge it was a bad workout and move on with confidence that it’s something to work on and move forward? Just like any skill though, mental toughness takes practice, and recognize that the only time we get to practice it, is when we are having a bad day. So next time you catch yourself comparing yourself to others and putting yourself down, I challenge you, to say something positive about yourself instead. Maybe you didn’t get the time you wanted in the workout but maybe it’s “I did 5 kipping pull-ups strung together today!”, “I was able to keep moving and didn’t stop, even when my lungs were burning.” or maybe it’s just as simple as, “I got to the gym today, even though there was a million other things I could have been doing.” That is mental toughness, and that is what is going to make you a winner.
We are all human. We aren’t perfect, but what I love about Vic City, is that it can teach us so much on how to be the best versions of ourselves, it translates much much more than just what you did at the gym that day.
Happy Holidays everyone, enjoy this time of year and set yourself some goals for the New Year!
TRAINING FRIDAY
WARMUP
Rotating EMOM x3rds
30/30
Row
Bear Crawl
Db Snatch
WOD Warmup
Clean n Jerk build up
Go every 90sec
5-4-3-2-1-1-1
*Your first single rep should be your working WOD weight, and build past it for your last 2 single reps*
WOD "Grace"
RX: 30 Clean n Jerks for time (95/135)
FG2: 75/115
FG1: 55-65-75-95
CP1: 125/185
CP2: 155/225 or Double Grace