"What I need is someone who will make
me do what I can."Ralph Waldo Emerson
I like this idea. To do what you 'can' do you need to 'see' what is achievable and have a roadmap to get there. Doing what you 'can do' means doing what you are capable of, realising your potential. Why would you want to do this ? because the advantages we are born into make it close to immoral do anything other than achieve our fullest potential. These achievements don't have to be athletic but the habits of thought and action developed in athletic training translate remarkably well into any endeavor. Developing the mental fortitude to 'practice perfectly' and endure suffering makes you a stronger person in all facets of your life. as Mark Rippetoe says "strong people are harder to kill then weak people, and are more useful in general." But this is no easy path. I read the other day an advertisement to get fit 'without stretching yourself'. Nothing in the world comes without hard work. Jon Gilson of Again Faster says that "competence lies on the other side of slogging failure". Does this get acknowledged anywhere else in the fitness industry ?No one wants to talk about whats going on inside your head. The fitness industry is primarily concerned with how you look or how little or much you are going to suffer. Words, just words, like 'cardio', 'fatburning', 'body pump', 'low impact' and my favorite 'muscle lengthening' are being shouted from the rooftops, but it ain't no roadmap. So what is a roadmap ?
Constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity is CrossFit Darwin's roadmap. If you know nothing else this describes; my programming (constantly varied), the types of exercises (functional, those we have performed since birth designed to move large loads long distances quickly) and the way I am to approach them (high intensity). High Intensity brings me back to suffering for gain. Greg Glassman says 'performance is directly correlated with intensity. Intensity is directly correlated with discomfort'. You can achieve or you can comfortable, not both.
So we have have a road map which we will investigate in more detail in coming months, now; Want to see what you can do ? look around and absorb others achievements. Not just athletic ones, look at Steve Willis of Commando Steve fame and 4th place at the 2009 CrossFit Games ... a genuinely self made man, true he has natural physical abilities but he has translated his physical training mantra 'No excuses' to the rest of his life. Think life is tough ? have a look at the CrossFit Level one certifications being conducted at the 'Warrior Transition Battalion' in the US for amputee war veterans. The only limits on you are the ones you have imposed, nothing else.
So where do I fit in ? Making you do 'what you can' is a powerful concept. It has implications of coercion and force which sit uncomfortably in modern society. An alternative is the encouragement and support of others, at CrossFit Darwin we use only two types of communication; 'information' and 'encouragement'. This type of support is vital but there is another darker force which United States Marine Corp's Colonel P.B McCoy calls the 'virtue of shame'. There is no more powerful motivating force in human performance. Fear of shame is what stays men in battle. S.L.A Marshall reflects on this in 'Men against Fire' when he says 'When a soldier is .. known to the men who are around him, he .. has reason to fear losing the one thing he is likely to value more highly than life - his reputation as a man amongst other men." (forgive the gender specificness from Marshall's 1947 text) We don't talk about the virtue of shame much, we don't need to, but we use it, this is why we do the WOD as a group and record the results. We don't need to express thoughts that would shame others, we express encouragement and information but the fact that we are there and our opinion is valued enables the virtue of shame as an internal improvement mechanism. Know its there and use it.
I am not running a CrossFit affiliate to make money - I am making better human beings. Don't hate me when I ask big from you, I am only making you do what you can.
Massive improvements from everyone tonight. It is really great to see everyone working hard on their flexibility and range of movement.
Rhi demonstrating explosive power with a box jump.
.JPG)
