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3.12.2011

How I ended up half-dead on the sidewalk

 
So part of the reason that I got so into this Whole 30 stuff is Crossfit.  I went to my first class at Crossfit LA in April of 2010 thinking I knew all about everything.  I was fresh out of a respected NCAA football strength and conditioning program, and I thought I was a pro at anything that involved weights and rubber mats....bring it on, Crossfit, right???  Wrong.  I have learned more about myself in less than a year than I had in the previous decade.  Sounds like a little much, I know, but this gym has seriously changed everything for me.  Crossfit pushes you to push yourself harder than anything I have ever tried.  Love this stuff.

Sorry for the rant, there…you are probably wondering why I even brought it up.  Well, today was one more of many, MANY reminders that I have a LONG way to go before I am any kind of expert in exercise.  Today was the finals for a challenge that my gym, Crossfit LA, hosted (like a big competition).  These challenges are a big deal…close to 100 competitors, a DJ, a food truck, the LAPD (noise complaint on Saturday at noon…c’mon Santa Monica, seriously), and the same kind of energy you feel at a high school football game.  We had a preliminary workout nine weeks ago, and then we repeated that workout today.  This workout was called “330” and consisted of:

300m run,
30 reps of power cleans
300m run,
30 reps of shoulder-to-overhead (jerks or push press),
300m run.
*The ‘prescribed’ weight for men is 155 lbs. More on that later.

I try to do the ‘prescribed’ weight as often as possible for the workouts (maybe a bit of an ego thing, but I like to think it’s me pushing myself).  The preliminary round of the challenge happened to fall on one of my first days back to the gym after a knee injury that put me out for several months, so I opted to go a little easy and use 95 lbs.  This made my concerned fiancé very happy, but this round did not feel tough enough for me.  I consider maybe increasing my weight for the finals.

Nine weeks, many nights of boozing, some suspect food choices, and not enough preparation workouts later, the day of the finals arrived.  I was feeling GOOD.  I decided to jump up to the prescribed weight of 155 lbs (definitely ego).  My heat started at 10:15AM, and around 21 minutes later, I was regretting my 155 decision very much while lying flat on my back on Franklin Ave for the next 20 minutes feeling like I may die.  See below for a blow-by-blow pictorial account of how the 330 destroyed me. 

Let's go!
No problem...

K, kinda feelin' it...

Still okay...

Wheels are comin' off...
Ok, feeling bad now. Poor me.

Last couple steps...heading to the sidewalk for a nap.
To give you some perspective, the fastest time for the workout with 155lbs was between seven and eight minutes.  Most times with this weight were about 12-15 minutes.  My time: 20 minutes, 17 seconds…slowest of the day for that weight.  There was a time where the competitor in me would be pretty disappointed with that, but today, I can say that I am actually proud.  There were several times during the 20 minutes that I thought I should quit, but because of the people in my little Crossfit community either screaming at me to keep going or going through it right next to me, I finished that mf’er.  After I recovered, I had a nice Whole 30-compliant bowl of meat and guac from Chipotle with Alexis, and I felt GREAT.

There are a lot of things that we all feel like quitting, but when we don’t, the payoff is so big.  Whether it’s a hard workout, a 30 day nutrition challenge (had to tie this in somehow :-)), or anything else, YOU can finish it.  You are not alone out there!

2 comments:

Alexis Bessa said...

You did so great! Loved being there to support you, and I know you will beat your time next time with the help of your clean eating, hard workouts and discipline! xo

Michelle Life Buy The Beach said...

Wow Dustin.... you are so diciplined. You are gonna be in the best shape ever!