Photo Credit: Kathleen Brandsma
~ Guest Post from Kath
Does Crossfit increase one’s belief in “I can”? Or does there need to be a fair bit simmering in the tank before you even pick up the bar? This weekend in Surrey, Zone athletes Lucas Parker, Lindsay McCardle and Adrianna Haffey competed in an Olympic lifting competition for CrossFitters and clearly showed that what might be obstacles for some, were markers of “don’t tell me what I can’t do,” for them.
Let’s start with Lucas – he had eye surgery two weeks ago. He was told not to work out for two weeks, and certainly lifting heavy was not on the “how to recover from surgery” list. On Saturday he Snatched 125 kilograms (275 lbs). His Clean and Jerk was 147 kilos (323.4 lbs). That’s two weeks post surgery, not having trained as he would have liked to! He could have chosen to forego this competition. He didn’t have to push the weight. But he did. In true Lucas fashion he stomped, grunted, feathered his fingers across the plates, and to thunderous applause he finished the day in first place overall.
Lindsay’s path to her silver medal in the 63 K weight class, and third place overall, wasn’t one she would have chosen. She Snatched 55 kilos, and will tell you that she wasn’t happy with her speed getting under the bar. Pre Clean and Jerk she was debating opening at 68 or 70 kilos. She went with 70. She didn’t make it.
Her second lift was 73kgs. She didn’t make it. Her third and final lift was again 73 kg – 6.6 pounds more than what she’d failed at moments before. She stuck it! Cleanly, a one kg PR. Ask her how sick she felt beforehand… Ask her what it took to step up to that bar, knowing that a third “no lift” would have her finishing at the bottom of the pack!
And as for Adrianna – she’s 19 years old (20 yrs on Feb 7th). She’s only been CrossFitting for nine months. She’s never entered a lifting competition before. She was in the 75 kilo weight class and Snatched 56 kilograms (4.5 kg PR), and Clean and Jerked 65 kg (a one kg PR). Was she excited on her PR’s? You bet she was! But, how did she sum up her day? Simply put, “It was fun.” And why had she entered in the first place? “Because it was going to be fun!!” Adrianna took the bronze in her weight class.
How loud was the “I can” in these athletes’ heads as their day progressed? I suggest that in order to do what they did on Saturday, it was pretty solid. Whether it’s “I can participate,” “I can PR,” “I can overcome,” or “I can have fun,” they nailed it. Did CrossFit help breed this in them or did they have it before? I don’t know. Ask them. Their recounting of their experiences may just lead you to ask yourself where YOUR “I can,” is at!
Reminder: Our Monday 7:00am class is a Level 1 class. For more info on the Level 1 class, check our previous post: https://crossfitzonex.com/new-level-1-classes
Today’s Workout:
Buy In: 3 rounds of 40 single skips, 5 wall balls, 5 goblet squats
* Have you retested your Max Pushups (January S.O.M) or Ring Dips (February S.O.M) yet?
WOD: “Skip, Run, Hop”
4 rounds for time of:
- 100 Double Unders
- Run 400 meters
- 10 Bodyblasters (burpee/ pullup/ toes to bar)
Zone 3 – Scale to 50 Double unders
Zone 2 – Scale body blaster to 10 burpees, 10 assisted pullups, 10 double crunch, and 100 single skips (if needed)
Zone 1 – Scale run to 200M, consider 2-3 rounds
* Save the middle bar for shorter athletes and the outer bars for taller athletes.
Cash Out – MWOD
- Roll out calves – 1 minute per leg
- Roll out IT Band (side to side rolling) – 2 minutes per leg
- Couch stretch – 2 minutes per leg
Great post Kath!
Results from Saturday are up here: http://www.bcweightlifting.ca/event/2nd-annual-cr…
Congrats!
On a side note, one of your fellow zones is on the mainstream. See if you can spot who it is
I see him there! I SEE CRAIG!!!! 🙂
I was just gonna post about that. You beat me to it 😉
Good job guys! Wow great work, proud of you all!
Great job guys!!! So proud of you, your hard work and dedication truly shows!
Nice work by all!
You 3 are so amazing! I am so incredibly proud of you. Way to represent and keep up the passion and hard work 😉
Thanks for the post Kath!
Great job with the lifts gang… And excellent write-up Kath!!
I am in awe of your accomplishments you three! Great write up Kath.
The 100 single skip scaling should actually be 300 single skips…..not getting out of it that easy
this week's mantra: "you're not getting out of it that easy"
It was the first weightlifting competition I'd seen, and I was blown away by all the lifters' efforts. Very fun day.
Congrats to Lucas, Lindsay, and Adrianna. Well done!
Watching these three lift was totally inspirational! Amazing seeing the different lifting styles/techniques and different body types. Super keen to watch another Oly lifting competition. And thanks for the comments on the post. Writing is a real passion, and I'm always looking for new venues.
It’s obvious in watching you three that you have a game plan with long term goals. You stay on task, even when others aren’t there to watch, encourage, or cheer you on. It’s that commitment to personal excellence that embodies the ‘I can’ and ‘I will’ attitude. Great job, your results were well earned.
Great work you guys! Getting stronger every day!
Absolutely incredible. The dedication you three possess is inspiring and contagious!
I’ve loaded your blog in 4 totally different internet browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot quicker then most. Would you mind contacting me the name of your web hosting company? My personal email is: aidanschreiner@arcor.de. I will even sign up through your affiliate link if you’d like.
Thanks alot 🙂
Howdy would you mind letting me know which hosting company you’re working with? I’ve loaded your blog in 3 different web browsers and I must say this blog
loads a lot faster then most. Can you recommend a good web hosting provider at a
fair price? Many thanks, I appreciate it!
If you want to obtain a great deal from this article then you have to apply these
strategies to your won blog.