Don’t think. Just do.

I get to train with the Adapt crew on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Yesterday after the 5.30am session I hung around to clean up the coffee machine, hang out, etc. Sean ran the  6.30am crew through a warm up and then he got them to partner up, grab a bar and start working towards a 1RM power clean.

Everyone was pretty quick to jump on a bar except for Kate and Beck who were mucking about on their iPhones, trying to figure out what their last 1RM was and  deciding what weights would ‘feel good’ for today’s session. I’m don’t know the exact details of their conversation but I’m sure it went something like this:

Kate: I’m not sure what my old 1RM is – what’s yours?
Beck: Hmmm, I’m not real sure either – I think it’s in my phone somewhere…?
Kate: Actually I got this really great app for tracking workouts the other day…
Beck: Really? what’s it called? I’ve got another app tho…

OK so perhaps I don’t know what they said but I interrupted their banter “Just pick up some weight and move something”  I’m sure Sean would have said something if I hadn’t…

Now I know some people aren’t real morning people (who is?) but whenever Beck or Kate wander in for an AM session – it’s nothing short of zombie-esque, well that’s usually until I hook them up with a quick espresso. Eyes semi closed, slow moving, slurred single syllable words – If they had the appropriate make-up we could start filming Evil Dead 2012… No seriously 🙂

After their fluffing about subsided I decided to spend some time, coaching them through their lifts. I know Becca’s probabaly gonna be pretty cranky because I’m coaching on my day off but these guys needed a bit of a kick start.

A quick background on the girls

Beck’s one of our Saturday morning ‘boot-camp’ originals that used to rock up to sessions hung over because Friday nights were for drinking.  After competing with Kate in the 2011 Smash Clash I think something clicked for Beck and now she’s a certified pocket rocket – She’s built for CrossFit and her power to weight ratio is pretty dang impressive (when she’s firing).

Kate: Recently married and close friend of Beck (I actually think they live in the same apartment complex) has been training with us for over 12 months now. While she still needs the occasional gee-up to get started and travelling towards her potential, she’s only just starting to realise what she’s truly capable of. PS: Kate is the chick who did a pull-up in here wedding dress on Facebook…

Back to the power cleans: The girls quickly worked towards the 35-40kg mark where things started to slow down a bit. Beck was starting to over think the movement and Kate was doing the same. Slow, ground out wrist under the bar instead of ‘uppercuts’. Pulling high enough to drive a bus under but no completion…

I’ve watched these guys train for ages now and I can see that they’re capable of so much more than they think they are but at times they just can’t see it?! Beck and Kate have the physical strength and have performed these movements 100s of times before but there we go again – they start thinking… Whoa! Don’t think – just do.

I see it every single day in the gym: people over thinking their movements – they break down each individual part in their head and then get frustrated because the bar isn’t doing what they want it to – you see their faces strain, not from a maximal muscular contraction but from a cognitive break down – The coaches can see your brains, about to pop out your foreheads. I mean don’t get me wrong, Safety first: we want you to think about what you’re doing because some of the stuff we do is quite technical but sometimes you just need to monster-up, back yourself and just rip that shit off the floor.

After convincing the girls they should stop thinking and just do it already (with attitude, etc.) eg. rip. that shit. off. the floor! they did and both walked away with PBs: Beck nailed 42.5kg and Kate destroyed 50kg. I was pretty stoked? I mean it’ must have been my awesome coaching or something…?!

My advice

I guess what I’m trying to say is this: If you’ve been training with us (consistently: eg. 3-4 times a week) for more than 6 months now, chances are you’ve practised all the movements that you need to know and you’ve done them many times. Yes from time to time you over think what you do but it’d be fair to say that you’ve got the technique down pat.

If that’s the case then it’s time to start achieving your potential.

• Realise that you are stronger than you were yesterday.
• Realise that you’re faster than last week.
• Realise that you’re better than you were 6 months ago (or even 3 weeks ago).
• Realise that you are more explosive and start exploding already!

Stop thinking so much and start trusting your instinct! Beck and Kate did it yesterday and lived to tell the tail.  Go have a chat with them and I think they’ll back up what I’m trying to say here?!

Don’t think – Just do. Back yourself. Step up. Grip and rip that shit off the ground, throw it overhead or wherever you’ve got to move it. In the great words of Donny Shankle “Do it like you’re ripping the head of a god-dam lion!”

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B