Today was a heavy cardio day. One of our “WOD”s was three rounds for time of a 400 m row and 20 burpees followed by 3 minutes of rest in-between rounds. Well, if you know me, I hate rests. So I didn’t do the rests and instead I did 5 rounds with no rest. Needless to say, I was the only one doing my own thing.
This happens quite frequently actually. I’ll substitute a move or add something or do more rounds or come in and do something completely different. I am L1 certified so I know what I’m doing programming wise. But it’s more than that: I have my own goals. I have my own limits. And I don’t compromise.
Like kettle bells for instance. I HATE kettle bells. I’m always afraid I’m going to screw up my back. So today I subbed them out and did pull ups instead (in our WOD #2).
I also know what are my weaknesses that I need to fix for the CrossFit Open 2018 (and yes, I’m already preparing for it). One is pull-ups. I’m trying to learn butterfly pull-ups so I do them every chance I get. I’m also focusing on my double unders, handstand push-ups, and bar muscle-ups (which I don’t have yet). These moves are in the forefront of my mind every time I walk in my box.
Just because something is programmed doesn’t mean you have to do it. I also hate kettle bell snatches for the same reason: I’m deathly afraid I’m going to screw up my wrists with that move because I know my form sucks. So I don’t do them. According to CrossFit, that’s bad. I shouldn’t “cherry-pick” workouts. But this isn’t cherry-picking. It’s being smart about my limits, knowing them, and protecting my body, so I can continue doing CrossFit ten years down the road.
I just got over a calf injury from running. I know how much it sucks to be injured and you can’t do things. So I’m trying to prevent this as much as possible. Yes, I still do moves I don’t like doing (that’s the whole point of functional fitness and being constantly varied). But I’m smart about it. You can love me or hate me for that.
My Journey to the CrossFit Games 