Wednesday: Why Do You Do It?

Wed. Workout, 5:40a @ Bally's:

Warmup:
500m row (1:57)
0.5 mi run (7:00/mi)
Stretching, 1 set 10 HSPUs (unbroken)

DL:
135x6, 185x5, 225x5, 245x5, 265x5, 275x2 (grip slipped), 135x6

1 mi run (7:00/mi)

Double unders (didn't count, probably around 25-30 per set) superset w/ sets of HSPUs (10, 5, 5, 10).

I've decided to incorporate one or two movements in my morning workouts that give me trouble so I can get some extra practice in outside of the box. This worked with double unders and now I'm doing HSPUs, which are getting better. If only I had a wall ball...


Erin was asking me the other day how I get the energy to do 2-a-days regularly. My normal schedule since starting at CFC at the end of the summer has been to workout in the mornings at Bally's and then go to the box (usually on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday). I've been trying to incorporate extra strength work on the days I go to the box, so I usually do a 2-a-day on those days. I haven't been great at taking rest days, but have been starting to take Fridays relatively easy. I'm a bit used to multiple workouts--during senior year of college I wanted to drop down to a weight class I could be competitive in for boxing, so I went from 155 to 135 in a matter of about two months. This was definitely as awful as it sounds. I hadn't yet discovered Paleo so I was still eating grains (although I had a pretty clean diet minus weekends) and of course going out on the weekends like a normal college student.

To make up for this, I was working out 2-3 times a day--lifing and cardio before class in the morning, boxing practice from 4-6 pm each day, and then maybe another trip to the rec center for more running. If I wasn't working out or in class, I was probably sleeping since I was so tired all the time. That said, competing in the tournament was one of the best experiences I did while at school. I had started training both freshman and sophomore years, but ended up wussing out--I knew that if I didn't go through it my senior year it would be something I would always regret. I often liken the Bengal Bouts (ND's boxing program) to Crossfit, since I really enjoyed the community aspect of it. There more than 100 other guys competing, and part of what got me through the 2+ hours of practice each day was the fact that we were going through everything together, and for a greater purpose than just running into a ring and beating each other up (although this was pretty fun as well)--the club raises thousands of dollars for Notre Dame's Holy Cross missions in Bangladesh each year. I lost my one match during the tournament (although I contend I should've won haha), but it'll be something I never forget.

Trailer for Bengal Bouts film, "Strong Bodies Fight":



I got to thinking about how hard everyone has been training, and it's pretty cool to look back and see where your hard work has taken you and will take you, whether in CrossFit or life in general. Sometimes I think back on how I spent countless hours training for boxing and running outside in the freezing South Bend weather just so I could fight in a ring for a time that amounted to less than 10 minutes. It's something that I think is similar in how I've approached CrossFit over these last 6-7months. My friends often ask me why I go to bed / wake up so early, watch what I eat everyday, work out constantly, or why I spend so much money on working out. I'm definitely not knocking them at all, since I think you have to do whatever makes you happy and what works for you. That said, I don't even know if I can really explain why exactly I do all of these, other than the fact that I enjoy every minute of it (except maybe wall balls) and have been able to meet a solid group of new people. I think I'm pretty much finished with my long post, chipper workout tonight!