FEAR

Fear is a natural biological response to stimulus that protects us from possibly harmful or unsafe situations (both mental AND physical). It is a chemical reaction in our brain that can induce the “fight or flight” mechanism which helps us either stand our ground to face the danger OR run for dear life! While fear CAN guard us from hazards, it CAN and probably WILL also hinder us from reaching our full potential!

Last week the chalk board prompt was “I’m scared of…” I’m proud of everyone for digging deep and voicing their fears. When I looked at the board and pondered the answers, I realized that fears can be categorized in three different ways.

1) Fear that is derived from your own experience. Example: COMMITMENT! A past relationship hurt you and now it’s scary to think about devoting yourself to another person. Scary stuff.

2) Fear created by the situation of others. Example: BEARS! You’ve never been mauled or bothered by a grizzly but your Aunt Macey has and now you can’t handle going out into the wild without a giant can of bear spray in hand.

3) Unfounded Fear. Example: SPIDERS! You’ve never been bit and you don’t know anyone that has been bitten but they give you the biggest heeby jeebies!! (This is me….)

Let’s bring this topic back into the gym. I hear people say all the time say. “BUT I’m SCARED!” Whether it be box jumps, handstands, muscle-ups, or snatches…there is an athlete out there somewhere who is scared…and that fear is holding them back from being effective at that movement and improving as an athlete. As a coaching staff, we do everything in our power to keep ya’ll safe but your very own fear puts you right back in harm’s way. It causes hesitation, bad form, and unfocused thinking. If you’re worried about shinning yourself on a box jump, using up your mental energy to focus on that fear while jumping is only going distract you from doing it correctly and safely.

Next time you encounter a movement in CrossFit that you are uncomfortable and afraid of…please do this for me ---> Identify the fear, figure out where it comes from, voice the fear, and face it head on with us! We will work you through it with you and logically identify ways to conquer it together.

Always try to Face Everything And Rise!

STRENGTH
Press 5, 5, 3, 3, 1RM

WOD
For reps:
60 seconds of deadlifts, 225/155
60 seconds of handstand push-ups
45 seconds of deadlifts
45 seconds of handstand push-ups
30 seconds of deadlifts
30 seconds of handstand push-ups

161026 - CrossFit | Wednesdays with Coach Lauren