There is no crying in CrossFit

[clevermanka]

But I came really close this morning! Part of today's warm-up (I've come to dread the warm-ups more than the WODs) involved a 200m buddy carry, which means picking up someone in a fireman's carry and walking 200m. I have ISSUES with being carried. My ISSUES with being carried aren't quite as bad as my ISSUES with deep water and spiders, but they are very much still ISSUES. Being carried is (interestingly) the more taxing position since in order to help the person carrying, one squeezes into a ball to better balance the weight, and presses a hand into the carrier's lower back to help stabilize. This is a lot of work. And for someone who has ISSUES being carried and whose hands were maybe already shaking just at the prospect of being lifted off the ground...ugh. My poor partner had to put me down twice, and after the second one, I had to sit down. Outside. On the curb. My whole body was shaking and I was starting to hyperventilate. I barely made it back into the box, where I promptly sat down and put my head in my hands and did my best to avoid losing it completely.

GOD BLESS PROBLEMATIC J, who (it turns out) is actually a therapist. He came over and asked if I was okay and what happened. I told him I hate being carried and I thought I was having a panic attack. He asked if I knew what a panic attack was, and I said no, not really. He said, "A panic attack is just a fear of a panic attack. What you are is scared, and that's okay. You'll be okay. Just sit up straight and breathe." And then I almost cried. But instead, I got down on the ground and joined everyone else doing bear crawls.

I got my two-rep max push press up to fifty-five pounds. My weighted front squat is holding at forty-five pounds. I can lift more weight over my head than I can squat. If that's not enough evidence that mobility plays a huge part in strength, I'm not sure what else would convince you.

Here are the multifandom vids I said I'd post yesterday but never got around to it.

More multi-fandom vid love here, with a double dose of meta.

Comments

OHP>Squat!

[femfataleatron.livejournal.com]

Tons of male humans are this way. In fact they can squat not at all. There are also those who think squattin' is a slight bend in that lower limb-things (chopsticks? ) that they have.
ATG bitches! (Ass to Grass)
Normally I would say ab support, but this is not your case. I hate to say it but if you were at a "norma'" gym you could do a couple of rounds on the adductor and abductor machines...
Fortunately abductors are way easier to work. Fire hydrants for yoooo! Five an hour on the hour!
On a serious note: (and a weird one) get a medicine ball, get on all fours and try to "kick" it with your knee out to the side. Or kick a padded wall the same way. The idea is to use the muscles gently but explosively. My predict is that you find some performance asymmetries. plus it would be fun.

Re: OHP>Squat!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Fire hydrants for yoooo! Five an hour on the hour!

Totally doing this. No, really. I love having an office door that closes.

get a medicine ball, get on all fours and try to "kick" it with your knee out to the side

I'm going to find something at home that will work for this. I know I need to work on plyometric stuff.

Thanks!

Re: OHP>Squat!

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Punching bag will be perfect. Maybe the longer one...

Re: OHP>Squat!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Excellent!

Re: OHP>Squat!

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Plus you'll get practice with knee strikes!

Re: OHP>Squat!

[femfataleatron.livejournal.com]

now that you mention you're doing them in the the office.
A resistance band round the knees, you could abduct all day.
In the bottom of the squat, where it counts, you essentially use these muscles explosively thru the first 20% of the move till the quads take over. The range of motion (for those muscles) is pretty small tho. So, it's one of those combo isometric/plyometric deals. experiment accordingly.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Sounds as if you are getting all kinds of workouts there that you didn't expect! Including mental.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Yeah. That was pretty excruciating. Would like to not do that again anytime soon, thanks.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

Oh man. I can understand why knowing how to carry a buddy would be helpful in so many ways, but I'm with you on being carried. I have issues with it also. Not as yours with having my feet off the ground, but definitely trust issues. I've been dropped from shoulder height by someone trying that fireman's carry and it damn near fractured my cheekbone. *shudder*

But hey.. well done on the other stuff! And you made it through without reflexively kicking someone in the face. :)

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

you made it through without reflexively kicking someone in the face

I did maybe scream in her ear, before demanding she put me down immediately. Not cool.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

[fairgoldberry.livejournal.com]

I am transfixed by this kitty gif and cannot stop watching it.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

Inorite? tragic for kitty

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

I have a hard time even letting my husband lift me off the ground. Glad you won over fear, and that Problematic J was an unexpected blessing in the midst of everything.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Glad you won over fear

I think we'll call it a draw.



Problematic J was totally my hero today.

[alryssa.livejournal.com]

Hey, that's what matters. *hugs*

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

Nah...you stayed, and then kicked the rest of the workout. That's winning, in my mind. :)

A deleted scene from The Avengers

[gamera-spinning.livejournal.com]

Mark Ruffalo & Harry Dean Stanton. (http://youtu.be/fNhqVX8RksY)

[poincaraux.livejournal.com]

Nice job on the push press. The overhead press is my personal nemesis.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

My crazy-flexible shoulders really help with overhead presses. I'm lucky.

[fairgoldberry.livejournal.com]

I don't envy you facing emotional *and* physical exertion at the same time. Usually I try to stick to one or the other if I can.

Is it possible to say to the CrossFit folks, "Hey, I am not really comfortable with this bit, but I'd like equivalent *work*" and get a modified workout, so you're getting the exertion without the triggers? Like balancing yourself on a beam or a pillar in a similar position to get the 'being carried' effect and carrying a person-equivalent weight for the other part? You've talked about them being willing to accommodate some of your mobility issues before, so it seems like they'd be able to work around this too.

Also, I'm really glad that even if Problematic J is *usually* problematic, he had the right words to shift you out of the spiral this time. I'll have to remember that bit about panic attacks (I occasionally have to deal with people who are in crisis at festival).

Love,
Rowan

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I'm sure they would give me something else, but since this is just a mental thing, it's surmountable. I can get over it. It'll take a while, but I'll be able to do it. I'd like to limit my modifications to only things of which I'm physically incapable.

[pointoforigin.livejournal.com]

OMG, love the "Anything for Love" vid. Meat Loaf was one of the things that kept me sane when I first moved to Kansas. Thank you.

I know what you mean about being carried. I think physical effort sometimes makes one feel unexpectedly vulnerable. Things well up. I used to get that in tkd. I have my own triggers, though being carried isn't one of them because . . . well because nobody carries me! No way!!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

physical effort sometimes makes one feel unexpectedly vulnerable

I've heard of this happening in yoga classes, etc., but I've never experienced it. It was certainly interesting!

[siro-gravity.livejournal.com]

:O
no.

no no and more NO.

I could never do what you did.
Your story reminded me of something that happened in high school gym class. The teacher was trying to teach us about teamwork and trust. And we were directed to fall BACKWARDS into our partner's waiting arms.

OK? Like, NO.
I didn't do it, and if I were asked today to do it, I still wouldn't. Thing is, I don't really think I have issues. I just don't want to put my physical safety in the hands of somebody who might not be up to the task. oh and the feeling of falling? EEEEEK!!!!!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Since you mention falling, I'll add a part of the story I didn't include above. The woman carrying me kept saying "I'm not going to let you fall. Don't worry. You won't fall!" and I finally said "I'm not afraid of falling. I'm afraid of being carried and you have to put me down now!"

=D

I just don't want to put my physical safety in the hands of somebody who might not be up to the task

Yes, exactly. And sometimes? That somebody is ME.

[nataliesee.livejournal.com]

That sounds horrible. But good on Problematic J.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

It was not one of my finer moments.

[nottygypsy.livejournal.com]

Oh hard day, aren't help kitties cute? Hugs, you are a rockstar for all you are doing.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

ROCKSTAR!

\m/ >_< \m/