I signed up for the CrossFit Open this past week. I have no idea what to expect for it really, but I am looking forward to it. And I celebrated by kicking ass on my last two workouts.
Tonight was a lot of fun--5 rounds of 3 TNG power cleans (TNG = touch-and-go, as in the bar is on the ground for less than a second before you start your next rep of the set), 7 burpees as fast as possible, and then a 200M sprint (with a 4 minute rest between rounds). I start with 155 pounds on the bar for the power cleans for the first round. It's typically a fairly heavy weight for me. I fly through the first set. Too easy. So I add 10 pounds for Round 2--I weigh 165 pounds so that is my body-weight. Still too easy. So I add another 10 pounds to make it 175 pounds total for Round 3. I had never done a set of 3 TNG power cleans at 175 pounds before today. I actually do it for Round 3 (new personal record) but it was challenging. I was tempted to drop back down for Rounds 4 and 5 but I decide against it. I put the weight on the bar, so I have to live with it. Anyway, I get through Rounds 4 and 5 with 175 pounds on the bar. Awesome.
I had an interesting interaction with a newcomer. He saw me bang out a set of muscle-ups and he said "I could never do that". I told him the truth--even though I got 6 strict in one set, a year ago I couldn't even do 1 muscle-up, not a single one, not even with a kip. And a year ago I still had been doing CrossFit for a year. So I was over a year into CrossFit before I got my first muscle-up.
My first muscle-up was in April 2011, and it actually pretty ugly with a lot of kipping and writhing. And I am still not even sure if it should have counted, because during my attempt, the left ring actually was a little loose and slid down maybe an inch or so. Maybe that inch that the left ring slid down was the difference that allowed me to get myself through the transition and settled over the rings. Still, it was a really cool sensation, finally getting through the transition and being above the rings like that. Anyway, to assuage my guilty conscience, I did go back in a couple days later and attempt it again, and this time the muscle-up was fully legit.
It was still several months after my first muscle-up last year in April before I actually became proficient in muscle-ups though. I used to attempt muscle-ups before (and sometimes after) class during the summer of 2011. Through August I usually would be able to get only something like 3 or 4 and that would be it. And they would all be singles--only one in a set--as in I could do one and then I would have to come down off the rings and rest before I could do another--and all kipping. I finally started to string them together in September, and then in October, I finally got them strict. By the end of October I could do 3 or 4 strict muscle-ups in one set. Now in February I can do 6 strict in one set. I hope one of these days to be up to 10 strict. When I get there, maybe I will post a youtube video.
Anyway my point of this is that time and persistence is a powerful ally. Improve 2% in a week, and you will improve 100% in 50 weeks which is about a year. Embark on a journey and if you stick with it, who knows how far it will take you.
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