Our CFW team had a great time at the Life As Rx Throwdown in Dallas last weekend. There we quite a few highlight moments for me. Don and T blasting through the first WOD like machines, trying to keep tabs on Britt, Phillip and Ben on WOD 2 as they jumped around (double unders and 30″ box jumps), and a PR snatch for both T and myself.
Outside of our team, it was cool to watch people pushing their limits. There were a lot of female competitors who could barely get at 53# kettlebell overhead in their swing but somehow they kept going. There was one particular effort in the final WOD for the men that was noteworthy. This WOD was a challenge for sure. It was a 12 min AMRAP that was a mix of movements like- front squat, toes to bar, wallballs, TRX push ups, and pistols. The kicker? You had to do 2 bar muscle ups between each movement. A bar muscle up is a gymnastic move in which you go from a pull up hang to a dip over the bar. Basically you go from below the bar to on top. If you want to go try one, go ahead. I’ll wait.
Glad you’re back. So this WOD was at the end of a tough day of competition and only a select number of individuals and teams moved on to this final workout. The tops. People with strength, skills and drive.
As the workout got started, the competitors tore into it- business as usual. Then something caught my eye. One guy couldn’t get the bar muscle up. He was stuck. Swinging, kipping back and forth and pulling himself up only to get partly up and dropping back down unable to get on top of the bar. He did it again. And again. And again. Other competitors moved on to the toes to bar and more muscle ups. They moved on to wallballs and back to muscle ups. And still he was trying to get his first one.
Then something happened. He found a way. He tried a different technique. It wasn’t pretty. In one movement he hoisted himself up and got his arms over the bar. From there he rested just enough to gain strength to bring his arms in and press them out. Success! This brought the biggest cheer from the crowd that I had heard all day. He just had one problem now- he had to do it again. We were all tuned in and willing him all the strength we could send his way. We wanted him to get it done again. Slowly, agonizingly he made his way back to the bar. He kipped and pulled his arms up and over again. It looked like he was pretty gassed as he hung there getting ready for the next move that would put him over the bar. He pulled one hand in. Then the other. And heaved. Yes! He did it! And we roared!
His consolation? 30 toes to bar. By the time he finished these, time ran out on him as he was attempting the next set of muscle ups. And in my eyes, this guy I didn’t even know who finished last in WOD 4 was a big winner.
That’s why I love CrossFit. We’re all trying to improve. We’ve all got struggles. And our fellow competitors, CFW box members, and anyone else that’s done this stuff has our back. We recognize and applaud effort. It’s not always about finishing well. Sometimes it’s just about finishing.
Next time you get stuck, just know that you can do it.
what an awesome story! wish we all could’ve been there!