5 Rounds for Time:
400m Run
Overhead Squat (95#/65#)
Results
Happy Birthday “Nancy”!
When programming a birthday WOD for someone it typically involves a few guidelines: it should mix exercises the person is not a fan of along with something they are good at, it should somehow reflect the birth date, age or year if possible, and it should be hard. For Curtis I threw some of those guidelines out and simply asked a few questions; what is hard and a weakness and something he has been targeting? His nemesis, the overhead squat. What would make it even more challenging? A benchmark with overhead squats. Last I asked, what would really get his goat? Picking my favorite benchmark WOD. So happy birthday! Don’t say I never did anything for you!
Tonight I was able to witness some cool PR’s again in the box. Some with heavier loads, full range of motion, or faster times for those who had done “Nancy” before. I watched Michelle PR (personal record) Nancy by over 8 minutes and go almost unbroken the whole way through! I was able to workout with the 5pm class and it helped push me to PR and also watch Pat get through the WOD RX’d after struggling with learning OH Squats only a little over a month ago. I watched as the late class improved tremendously on overhead squats. I talked with Pat about the topics of progress, setting personal records, and achieving athletic goals through CrossFit that continue to surprise all of us. From heavy deadlifts, to fast runs, to improving a dreaded lift with better form and less breaks. We talked about how you can never quit a WOD, never cheat yourself, and must always push through it to the end.
Curtis and I also talked after the WOD about setting PR’s. It was a good conversation that stuck with me and also reminded me of our collective journey at SnoRidge. Curtis was our first male client who took a leap of faith and joined SnoRidge CrossFit when we were a small garage gym with a barbell, med balls, a box, a rower and our daughter’s Barbie Car. Like many of you who started in the garage he watched as we grew and evolved and set new records with more and more clients. We in turn watched as he advanced and made progress in the gym both big and small. He got stronger, faster, and more skilled with both weighted and bodyweight movements. He slowly set PR after PR. It took time. It took patience. It also took impatience. He didn’t set a PR every workout or every other workout. Sometimes he was RX’d, many times early on he scaled back to work on learning and practicing correctly. But he always pushed hard.
Which brings us to now, where Curtis PR’d “Nancy” tonight. While it may not be RX’d, he improved significantly from the first time he did this with a bar to using a heavier load tonight. He scaled himself to a load that allowed for good form yet he did it fast. And he was stoked. Which brings me to the point I want to make. A PR is something to be proud of. It doesn’t have to be RX, blazing fast, crazy heavy, or a ton of rounds. It is simply a new record. An achievement for yourself to feel satisfaction knowing you earned it. With sweat, blood, sometimes puke or even tears, take note of how pushing yourself pays off with PR’s that are lasting and potentially life changing. Don’t take it for granted. Don’t think it’s easy or should just happen. Some days will be tough or even frustrating. It’s never automatic. Know that only through consistently hard work, rest, nutrition, and the persistence to ignore the inner voice we all hear each WOD will we each continue to raise the bar for ourselves and set a new personal best.
Travis and Curtis post WOD going for their max rep pull-ups. Both PR’d…
Notes:
Saturday Schedule: Affiliate team WOD will be at 9am. Class at 10am and 11am. Post to comments if you want the 10am Sat. class time. First 8 are a “go”!