What do you think about during a wod?
Today I did that crazy Friday wod "happy holidays," you know the 2 mile ladder wod that every one nearly died doing. lol. I renamed it "Die" in my CF journal.
Anyway, when I was done I felt that what got me through it was my self-talk. All the coaches, were woding so I literally only had myself to motivate me. And I truly realized the importance of self-talk.
With long wods like this, you need to stay positive, the whole time. Break up the wod and truly focus only on what your doing. Lately I've been saying "pick a number, " Brandon taught me this. Even if its 2, or 3, depending on the movement. Today I had 20 pull ups. I know that I can do 10 but this number would be unrealistic for this wod, so i picked 5. Do 5, get off the bar, do another 5, get off. I realize that if you dont "pick a number" you will eventually do less. But heres the trick, you need to use your self talk to get you to that number. Always stay positive "you got this, 3 more" and you really need to focus only on those 3. Do not think that you have 10 squat cleans coming or that those HR pushups are going to kill you. Focus only on those 3 reps, and knock them out.And again, stay positive.
The best part of self talk, is that no one can hear it. So what ever works for you, do it. I knew going into today's wod, that those last 10 squat clean thrusters where going to be heavy. So I knew that I would have to use my self talk. Although I was dropping the weight after each rep, i still picked a number, because for me, getting to 5 is a lot easier than getting to 10. and between each rep, i would tell myself "you are not tired," "pick it back up." And although I had the bar ready to scale down, I didnt even let that into my thoughts. Instead of telling myself "you will not scale down," since that makes me think about it, I was telling myself "your not anywhere near failing," "you will not fail." So what im saying, is that its not only about telling yourself things that are positive and motivating, its also about keeping the negative ones away. which in my opinion is much harder.
The CrossFit journal has a great article about this, its by a sport psychologist named Wendy Swift, "Performance Psychology: Taming the Inner Voice" click here to go to it, email me if it asks you for a password to read it.
im not a very good writer but i will give this a shot. lol.
ReplyDeletewhen i first started crossfit, i didnt know anything. i was like a lost puppy in the streets; not knowing anything nor anyone. it was scary and intimidating at first. i was afraid of what others might of thougt about about me, especially coming from a person that had always been the nerd at school and bullied on....(yea coach j, that is one of the reasons y i walk with my back shrugged. im trying to walk with my head held high.:])
well anyways that didnt stop me. i started attending the cf classes about 3 times a week with my bf october 18, it was tough but i didnt give up. throughout my wods i wouldnt even think, sometimes i would lose track of what i was doing and have to restart from the beginning. i wouldnt even count at times. Man!! it was tough. now after coming for almost 2 months about 4-5 times a week, i have met great people, have been progressing better in my performance and now i am starting to be more confident not only about myself but my appearance. I have even lost about 15 lbs!!!
Now, throughout my wods i pick a number (as the coaches have taught me to do) and stick to it, i have also learned to talk to myself by saying,"come on monique you can do this, one more, two more..." i even say to myself, "come on you got to do this so you can look good in that bikin." lol. also throughout my wods there is usually always a coach by my side to push me harder and keep me in track of what is my next exercize.
i have to admit though, the coaches and other stormers have been and continue to be a huge help. they are whom keep me motivated and keep me going throughout my wods. i appreciate everything they do and i am very grateful to have found a box that is like family and get along so well.
i love crossfit and wouldnt trade it for a regular gym!!!
ps...maybe ill turn out to be as strong as you and compete one day. but its still too soon and my form isnt that good yet. i just have to keep working hard and continue to practice my form. but one day i will!! :)
Monique,
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your weight loss! thats awesome ! =]
I'm glad you stuck with it even if it was hard, that's what makes us tough Crossfit chicks!
And Yes, we have THE BEST coaches, they are always motivating and give us the best advice. I know its hard during a wod to actively listen to what they are yelling- but thats the best time to listen! when you are tired, when you are losing your form and they say "knee's out!" thats when you push your knee's out! muscle memory is great! and our coaches really know whats best for us!
Thank you SO much for sharing your story! its amazing and inspiring ! Keep doing great, listening to your coaches, perfecting your form, and you WILL get stronger than ever! Look how far you've come!
keep it up =]
:-) ur very welcome n thank you!
ReplyDeleteHello ladies, yesterdays WOD was my first one from almost a week out due to the holiday and a mini vacation with my family. When i saw the WOD and it said K2E i was like there is no way i am going today b/c i suck at them I look ridiculous swinging back and forth. My husband then said "come on babe you can do it" and I still was saying hell no. Then I started reading your blog and it helped so much that i called him and said "babe what time am i meeting you at the box?" I stuck to your "self Talk" and it helped me so much. I wasn't able to kipp but I was able to scale down to the bar and just kept staying positive. I have to say everyone is amazing and I have met amazing people at the box, but most of all I have the best supporter my husband, no matter what he is always there for me 100%. Janetssa, thank you so much for this you have no idea how much this help! Hope you and everyone have a fabulous day and can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for the ladies at CFS!!! xoxo!! :)
ReplyDeleteJenny, this is truly amazing! I feel like this sometimes too, and thats when I call on my girls for a "WOD date." Sometimes we need our support systems to push us to do things we don't want to, and to go outside out comfort level, but its ALWAYS worth it! SO THANKFUL and touched that a little blog I wrote could give you the confidence to kick those K2E in the butt! Thats why its here! So keep kicking butt and get ready for 2012- its a new year!
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