Check out this great blog (part 1) from one of our athletes Brian from his exciting experience out in the wilderness!
If ever you need a challenge outside of your local Crossfit gym, I highly recommend the Boulder Outdoor Survival School (B.O.S.S.) in Southern Utah. I was a student on the 7 day field course from Sunday, May 24 to Saturday, May 31. It was tough. Really tough. As the company website states,
“Welcome to Impact, the first phase on a BOSS Field Course. Our goal is to take you from a world of convenience and comfort and put you in a situation where you must go ” just a little bit farther” – past those false limits your mind has set for your body. During this phase, you will carry no food and minimal water – collecting only what, if any, you find along the way.
After Impact, you are given the following items to continue your journey: a blanket, a poncho, a knife, a compass, and some additional clothing. Watches, flashlights, tents, stoves, sleeping bags, and backpacks are not permitted.
Your destination on a BOSS Field Course is not a physical place; it can’t be plotted on a topographic map. Somewhere along the many miles of mountain forests, sagebrush flats, red rock canyons, and mesa tops of Southern Utah – somewhere between the thirst, the hunger, the exhaustion, and the sweat – you’ll discover the real destination: yourself.”
And was it ever true; while I learned some really great wilderness skills (e.g. creating fire, finding water, navigating, etc.), the greatest things I learned were about my personal mental, physical and emotional limits. I know now just how cold, hungry, thirsty and exhausted I can become. If ever faced with an emergency in the wilderness I know that I can drink from stagnant pools of (what looks like) water, can exist on nothing more than a handful of peanuts and raisins per day, can hike all day and night in the rain and hail and cold and heat and sand and can sleep frozen in a field with nothing more than the clothes I am wearing.
The goal was to push myself to the absolute limits. I recall stumbling blindly late at night as we continued to hike and the only way I could stay awake to keep my eyes on the person in front of me was to take my layers off…to keep me cold. My logic was simple – It is nearly impossible to fall asleep while hiking and frozen cold. I remember having trouble finding words (it literally took me about 20 seconds to find the word ‘Bandana’ in my vocabulary). I’ve been tired before; now I know what the word exhaustion really means.
Should we do a CrossFit Zone trip to Utah?
Stay tuned for Brian’s next blog!
Today’s Workout:
Buy In – 5 Shoulder dislocates x 3, bringing your hands in closer each set. 3 x Burgner Warmup. Practice shoulder press, push press and push jerk technique, working up to the weight that you are using in the WOD (4 sets of 5 reps).
WOD –
Elite: 3 Rounds
- 5 Shoulder Press (85/145)
- 10 Push Press
- 15 Push Jerk
- 100 Meter Sprint
Zone 3: Scale presses weight to 65/115
Zone 2: Scale presses weight to 45/75
Zone 1: Scale presses weight to 30/45
Cash Out – 10 Barbell rollouts x 3 sets
Wow, this is a great WOD! But even zone 3 seems heavy…95# might be just right 🙂
Yeah, this WOD looks tough. I was thinking like 110lbs Mehul.
My leg is pretty scary looking. It was still bleeding this morning. I got it wrapped pretty good now. Only one of my students asked about it :-).
Sean, what did you do to your leg?! Have your hands healed yet?
Yeah…what happened to your leg?? Box jump gone bad?
Definitely a heavy workout!! Especially if you maintain good form….by the second and third round, the shoulder presses want to turn into push presses.
Ummm Brian….that is ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My hands are pretty good now, although my chances of being hired as a hand model are slim :-).
I didn’t quite make one of the box jumps yesterday and ended up taking 3-4 inches of skin off my shin. It’s pretty ugly.
Did you make sure to really clean it well so you prevent infection?
Ouch, hope you heal quickly Sean!
Sean, that’s awful! Brian, I can’t believe you endured that. You have so much determination. No wonder you work so hard at your WODs!
It really shows you how Crossfit gets you ready mentally for all life experiences. Way to go Brian! Can’t wait to read the “Part 2”
Great WOD tonight everyone! It was a pleasure to workout with you 😉
Brian, great blog post – I too am awaiting Part 2! Has your experience changed the way you approach Crossfit workouts? Is there any reciprocation between the two?
I would say that Crossfit helped me get through the trip.
Crossfit mentally prepared me for the fight through the desert. While on the trip I thought many times about how to get focus on something and complete it…which is what CF is all about.