When I wrote out my new goals for 2016, most of them focused on fitness goals.
Running, lifting and double unders.
I just want to get faster, stronger and more coordinated.
But I also want to get out of my own head.
My last workout of 2015 wrecked me. It was, mentally and physically, one of the hardest workouts I have done in a long time. Don’t get me wrong, all the workouts we do at the Box are tough, but this one had me thinking I wouldn’t make it out alive.
The workout we did was the Hero WOD (a hero WOD is a workout in honor of a service member who died on while on active duty), Hammer. It was five rounds for time:
5 Power Cleans 65#
10 Front Squats 65#
5 Jerks (clean or split) 65#
20 Pull-ups
*90 second rest between rounds*
My weakest of those three lifts is the jerk. Anything that requires mostly arm strength is a struggle for me. I was skeptical when Trevor set the weights for me at 65# (Rx was 95# for the ladies) and even more so when I did a couple of practice lifts and struggled through them. Unfortunately, when I asked to drop weight to 55#, I was told with a smile, “No, Hammer died for you. You can lift 65#’s.” Awkward.
To say I struggled from the beginning would be a bit of an understatement.
I managed to do the first set of power cleans and front squats unbroken. But when it came time to the jerks, my arms already felt like jello. And the pull-ups, which I had been completing with black and blue bands were such a disaster, I had to switch to black and green bands. Trevor assured me that it would get easier as I got warmed up, but I wouldn’t exactly say that’s what happened.
The power cleans and front squats were o.k. The weight was fine, but the volume started to be a bit much after round 2. I continued to struggle with the jerks and had to drop the bar more times than I would have liked (each time I dropped the bar meant I had to do an extra clean to get it into the front rack position), there may have been a moment or two when I had to wipe tears and not sweat from my eyes and by the end….I have no idea how I managed to make it through the workout.
I finished the workout in 18:45 minutes (the 90 seconds between rounds didn’t count towards our final time). My time was a lot better than I thought it was going to be, so that was a nice surprise.
The best part about the workout though wasn’t that I finished it faster than my 20 minute goal. The best part is that it was one of the few workouts I thought about quitting before the end, but I didn’t quit. I managed to find something, deep down inside, that helped to push me through. And I’m looking forward to using that something to help push me through 2016.
Running, lifting and double unders.
I just want to get faster, stronger and more coordinated.
But I also want to get out of my own head.
My last workout of 2015 wrecked me. It was, mentally and physically, one of the hardest workouts I have done in a long time. Don’t get me wrong, all the workouts we do at the Box are tough, but this one had me thinking I wouldn’t make it out alive.
The workout we did was the Hero WOD (a hero WOD is a workout in honor of a service member who died on while on active duty), Hammer. It was five rounds for time:
5 Power Cleans 65#
10 Front Squats 65#
5 Jerks (clean or split) 65#
20 Pull-ups
*90 second rest between rounds*
My weakest of those three lifts is the jerk. Anything that requires mostly arm strength is a struggle for me. I was skeptical when Trevor set the weights for me at 65# (Rx was 95# for the ladies) and even more so when I did a couple of practice lifts and struggled through them. Unfortunately, when I asked to drop weight to 55#, I was told with a smile, “No, Hammer died for you. You can lift 65#’s.” Awkward.
To say I struggled from the beginning would be a bit of an understatement.
I managed to do the first set of power cleans and front squats unbroken. But when it came time to the jerks, my arms already felt like jello. And the pull-ups, which I had been completing with black and blue bands were such a disaster, I had to switch to black and green bands. Trevor assured me that it would get easier as I got warmed up, but I wouldn’t exactly say that’s what happened.
The power cleans and front squats were o.k. The weight was fine, but the volume started to be a bit much after round 2. I continued to struggle with the jerks and had to drop the bar more times than I would have liked (each time I dropped the bar meant I had to do an extra clean to get it into the front rack position), there may have been a moment or two when I had to wipe tears and not sweat from my eyes and by the end….I have no idea how I managed to make it through the workout.
I finished the workout in 18:45 minutes (the 90 seconds between rounds didn’t count towards our final time). My time was a lot better than I thought it was going to be, so that was a nice surprise.
The best part about the workout though wasn’t that I finished it faster than my 20 minute goal. The best part is that it was one of the few workouts I thought about quitting before the end, but I didn’t quit. I managed to find something, deep down inside, that helped to push me through. And I’m looking forward to using that something to help push me through 2016.
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