Be inspired!!
I got inspired, and here’s a little rundown of what, and why! The what?… well, it was the CrossFit games (And I have strong dislike of CrossFit).
Any of you watch it? If you didn’t, and have no idea what it is, here’s a quick rundown. Basically, it’s a huge competition based in America open to qualifiers from all over the world, with the aim to find the “Fittest Man and Woman on earth!” And it’s awesome and terrifyingly awful in equal measure!
First with the awesome. The Why! The way they push their bodies each day of the event is flabbergasting (Great word). As an example, on day one the participants had to complete 4 events. Event 1 was a tough 10 lap cycle of a 1.2-mile track as fast as possible. Event 2 was 30 muscle ups for time (check them out on google if you’re not sure). Event 3 was called the CrossFit ladder, a 1 rep max (Maximum weight you can lift for just 1 rep) of a Back Squat, A Deadlift and a Shoulder Press. And finally, after all that, a Marathon that’s right, 42,195km on a rowing machine! I mean come on… that is just madness, it makes it even crazier when you realise that they have 4 days of competition at that intensity.
Safe to say that just one of those workouts would be tough if not impossible for the average Steve. They’ve combined strength, endurance, skill, gymnastics, flexibility all into a day’s work, in competition mode, meaning everything was done as if it was the most important thing in their world! That is AMAZING! The amount of sacrifice, dedication and hard work these athletes are putting in every day, not just at the games is incredible. It made me feel like my gym routines were about as trying as Sir Steve Redgrave rowing a boat around the paddling pool at Markeaton Park! It made me realise just how much we can get our body to do, and how much I want mine to do more! I sat there, literally buzzing with excitement to get myself to the gym and try things I don’t normally do. To make myself uncomfortable and scared before a workout, it was great and exactly what I needed and wanted. The next day I rowed 10k, more than I’d ever done before and tried to learn new skills that were so foreign I nearly bashed my teeth out with a barbell! I WAS INSPIRED by the amazing men and women I saw!
So why do I dislike CrossFit? Well, the negatives in recreational CrossFit are very well documented, and a huge part of the fitness industry loves to put down the CrossFit community, like a cousin you don’t want to be associated with. Injury rate is high, and I’ve seen some horrific things out there that people are doing in CrossFit gyms and at low level competitions. Programming is poor, it’s basically just randomness drawn on the board by someone just trying to make horrible workouts. I also question the longevity of the body to this extreme training, I can see ex CrossFit athletes having numerous severe ailments when they come to the end of their career! HOWEVER, I also think with a great coach and a history of sports and athletic training, competitive CrossFit is awesome! But average Steve after a day on the tools trying to PB a snatch (again, google it if I’m talking gibberish) is flat out dangerous. But anyway, I don’t want to be too negative here, anything that gets people pushing themselves to be better and healthier is a winner in my book and as I’ve said before, the things these guys and girls can do blows my mind!
So, what’s the message? SEEK INSPIRATION! We all need that something to give us spark. You’ve all got something you love doing, and from personal experience you can’t do it alone, true, only you can directly change your own life but seek out the people that share your desire to be better and do the things you dream of doing! Whatever you choose, observe, ask questions and throw yourself into it, once you’ve done that I’m absolutely convinced you’ll move forward refreshed, renewed, motivated and ready to be more awesome.
Thanks, and see you all soon! #teamgymfit
JW
