9.27.11

CROSSFIT TOTAL

As with most things, you have good days and bad days and...well today was definitely a bad CrossFit day for me.  

As a measure of progress, every three months we test benchmarks for our 1 Rep Max in 1) Back Squat, 2) Standing Overhead Press (Shoulder Press), and  3) Deadlift.  We are allowed 3 attempts to lift the most weight possible in  each lift.  The highest weight of each lift is added together to come up with what is called: The CrossFit Total.

My last Total was: 1) Back Squat = 195, 2) Shoulder Press = 80, 3) Deadlift = 230  TOTAL= 505

I came into this Total feeling unprepared because I haven't been training or lifting very heavy for the last few months.  I slacked off over the summer and then injured my knee when I started back, so my training has been spotty.

I wanted to employ some strategy and decided that I would warm up for each attempt with low reps and a fairly low weight.  Then I would attempt a PR on my first lift. This way I wouldn't tire myself out with warm-ups and attempts. I would go straight for a PR and then if I failed, I would drop it down to just over my previous 1RM which would feel lighter than my first attempt.

This worked great for my Back Squat. I warmed up to 165 and then took my first attempt at 200.  I was so close, but failed.  I tried again for 200 and I hit it!  I was so stoked!  I already had a PR in my pocket and one more attempt left so I went for 210 and failed.  But that was OK because I already hit a PR. Success!

On to Shoulder Press, ugh.  My Achilles' heel.  This is my weakest lift because it's pure muscle strength - my upper body strength is my weakness.  I warmed up with 55, then 65, and then 1 Jerk at 105. To PR, I went for 85.  Fail.  Dropped to 82.  Fail.  Yikes, had only one attempt left and felt like I needed to at least tie my last 1RM.  Went for 80.  FAIL.  I failed all three attempts!!!!

Deadlift.  I had it in my head that I wanted to hit 240.  So I warmed up to 195 and went for 240.  Big fail. I could not budge it at all.  Now I was worried so I dropped it down to 230 so I would at least tie my previous 1 RM.  Failed.  Wow, now I only had one attempt left, and I was too prideful to go any lower so I attempted 230 again.  FAIL, FAIL, FAIL!

Needless to say at this point I felt like, well, a F-A-I-L-U-R-E!

Now my elation over getting a back squat PR turned into a major deflation of my ego.  Not exactly what I had hoped for going into this.

What now?  After taking a day or two to lick my wounds, I analyzed what went wrong and came up with some thoughts:

1. Recommitment.  If you want results, you have to work hard for them.  I obviously haven't been working hard enough. I decided to recommit to setting goals and working towards them.
2. Strategy.  A blanket strategy did not work for all 3 lifts.  What worked great for my back squat, let me down on my other two.  I decided that with shoulder press being my weaker lift, I needed more warm-up sets than I allowed myself.  And dead-lift?  Definitely need to warm up to it.  My strategy needs to be tailored to my strengths and weaknesses.
3. Humility.  This goes hand in hand with recommitment and then strategy.  Did I really think I could walk into this unprepared and hit PRs?  I should have been more realistic and worked up to hitting my previous 1RM and then worried about a PR.  My ego dictated my strategy and cost me in the end.  

So I now have 3 months to work hard and try to redeem myself.  Let's hope that my next CrossFit Total ends up being a good day :)