The workout at my beloved Crossfit Virtuosity was
CrossFit Open Workout 12.4
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 12 minutes of:
150 Wall balls, 20lbs/14lbs
90 Double Unders
30 Muscle ups
I have done this workout twice before and did about the same each time. I got to the muscle ups and did four the first time and five the second.
Today I was excited to “do better” which means more muscle ups. Obviously.
Ask anyone who knows me at the gym what my favorite movements are and they would (should) say – Deadlifts, Double Unders, and Muscle Ups.
Double unders are relaxing bliss to me.
I’m totally solid at them.
I have a special rope.
My mind clears.
Get me to the double unders.
Muscle ups just feel good to do.
I even like failing at them because they just fit on me.
I am no magic gymnast by any means but I am friends with muscle ups.
Wallballs. Does anybody like them? I can certainly do them…I find them a little heartbreaking.
But my attitude to the WOD today was
Get to the double unders. They are easy. Then muscle ups.
Which left my attitude towards the wallballs…
Forget you. I want to get you over with to get to the part I like.
12 minute AMRAP…145 reps. My Karen time (150 wall balls) is somewhere close to but under 8 minutes.
I had to laugh. I did laugh. What happened?
Spurred by my desire to get to my dear, sweet double unders my first set of wall balls was an impressive 35 reps. Which smoked me. Legs. Lungs.
My next set was 10 or 12 and I puttered along with valor sets of five and ten the rest of the way.
But my constant motivation along the way was “get to the double unders.”
I wasn’t angry. I wasn’t upset. I was just motivating myself by going to the future.
Totally. 100%. Out. Of. The. Present. Moment.
The reason many people meditate is for the peace. To connect to your higher/deeper/truest self.
We all want that.
The reason many people struggle with meditation is they hit impediments right away. Thoughts.
In our desire for peace we try to forcefully eliminate the thoughts.
My contention is that in our desire for this thing that we want we miss the medicine of present moment. That preferred future may or may not come but we can be gently and uncritically be with what it is.
Being present with the wall balls ten at a time from the start and letting that be the only reality instead of looking ahead was not only my downfall in the WOD, it actually extended the misery.
When we find ourselves doing a movement or exercise that we like (or one we don’t like) it is vital to stay with what is happening and not try to change it but be present to it so it can change and we can change with it.
In this way I missed an opportunity to be impacted in any truly deep way by the wall balls and changed by them from an exercise standpoint or a meditative one.