“Community…”
Shared by Breanne Smedley
A while back, I had a membership to 24 Hour Fitness.
My routine was to go in, hop on one of those machines (elliptical, bike, or stair stepper) and set out to burn as many calories as I could.
Sometimes, I would do my own thing with some free weights in the back.
Other times, I would attend a spin, yoga, or weights class. I always felt like I gave a little more when I was in a class. I wanted to keep up, and it would be pretty obvious if I was the only one not busting through my dumbbell curls.
I even felt like I was performing at a pretty high intensity when I would hit the gym. I mean, I would leave sweaty, feeling pretty good about myself.
My body “looked” how I wanted it to, and I weighed what I felt was normal for me. Mission accomplished, right?
So I thought. Until I was introduced to CrossFit in early 2015.
Like all who experience their first WOD (workout of the day), I finished gasping for air, laying on my back. Feeling like I had just completed the hardest workout of my life.
And that first workout was 8 minutes long.
Before long, I was motivated to get better.
I wanted to be able to do a handstand push-up, a kipping pull up, squat more than I had the week before, and improve times on benchmark workouts.
My motivation wasn’t to burn calories or get my body to look a certain way anymore.
Whatever my body was going to look like to get me up and over a bar, or PR my “Fran” time, is what I wanted!
The ritual of intensity, in a cohesive community is what makes CrossFit what it is.
Cohesive community.
Where people are just as excited about your PRs as you are.
Where you give everything you have in a workout and suffer through the pain together.
Where the sight of someone struggling through their final reps in a workout gives you the fuel to do the same.
My performance is heavily dependent on this community.
For example, today I am scared of the workout that is posted for our gym.
21-15-19
Shoulder to Overhead #105
Pull-Ups
Box Jumps
Rest 2:00
Repeat again
I don’t want to do it.
In fact, I have access to a weight room at our school that contains everything I need to complete this workout on my own.
I thought about just doing that.
Then I could do it by myself, with no one watching as I struggle through heavy overhead lifts. As I stare at the bar and wonder how I’m going to finish that many pull-ups.
And if it gets too hard, I can just stop.
It’s for that very reason that I must go physically to CrossFit to complete this workout.
The accountability, intensity, mutual “this is going to suck, but we’re going to get through it” is the only way I’m going to make it through this workout.
It’s the same reason that makes teams perform.
The sacrifice and level of intensity all rises when you are working next to your teammate. Giving everything you have, because it’s not just about you. It’s about the team.
As much as we think we can do it on our own, our potential pales in comparison to what we can accomplish in a supportive community.
I’ve never hit a PR lifting alone.
I’ve never been so exhausted after a workout on the elliptical that I have to lay on the ground for 15 minutes to recover.
The times I’ve done this have been in team settings.
Working out with my college volleyball team.
And working out in my CrossFit community.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence.
I think we need the community to perform our best.
#DaringlyResilient
#IntegrallyRelational
Comments
Post a Comment