Mental Toughness

“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win”  - Sun Tzu The Art of War

I had a great conversation with Coach Jordan yesterday towards the end of his 6:30 class.  He said to me "you know it's probably important that everyone knows that the Coaches, as athletes, wanted to quit just as bad as they did today."

Mind blown... 

I walked into the gym at 8:30 yesterday for the 8:45 class to get the workout in myself.  I knew that it was going to be a tough workout - most hero wods are - and I knew that the 135# Rx thrusters were going to take a huge physical toll over the course of 100 reps.  What I wasn't prepared for, and certainly didn't have, was the clarity around the mental toughness that would be required for the day.

By minute 12 on the clock and roughly 60 thrusters in, my trunk went mash-potatoes.  I received the second thruster in the minute and I didn't have the strength/endurane to hold it together and lost it forward.  I had to step back and re-assess the entire situation and forced myself to accept that 3 thursters per minute was the best I was going to manage.. if I was lucky.

The next two minutes was a negotiation of not stopping and doing whatever I had to to get my 3 and not let form blow completely apart.  I was crushed - and on the following round took a zero - and in that minute the real battle began.

"Just quit this is stupid..." , "135 is too heavy for me anyway what am I doing?",  "This isn't fun" - just a few of the many things that played through my mind in the course of about 40 seconds.

And then simply.. "quitting a workout isn't an option PICK UP THE BAR". 

The remaining 10 minutes was a mental battle with myself on the whys I should or shouldn't quit - and I resigned myself to the fact that the workout isn't actually about the burpees or thrusters.. but instead all about my own mental fortitude.

I finished Kalsu at 25:28 Rx.  

Yesterday I was reminded of a couple of things that make me love CrossFit for reasons beyond just getting physically fit.  It teaches you humility and perseverance.. I think both things that honor our fallen men and women and celebrate their lives and the lives of the loved ones who remain.  It also reminded me that there is nothing quite as satisfying as finishing a brutally hard workout and being able to reflect on the growth you experience as an athlete in that space.

Get your $#!t together..

This will perhaps be a little harsh.. but sometimes it takes you getting to the breaking point..

You have to be selfish and place your wellness at a higher level in the priority list than you do.  For me the priority list is pretty straight forward:  God, Health, Family, Career, everything else.  I realize that not everyone places an emphasis on God (another conversation altogether) so let's just look at the rest of the the downstream priority chain.

Health above Family and Career - are you insane?!  No - hear me out.  If my health is poor, if I'm not doing the things I need to do to take care of myself then that leads to being stressed, sick, or otherwise less than optimal for my family - or worse yet eventually suffering a major preventable medical event.  Or I choose to bury my head in the sand and ignore my health and suffer an event that leads to the inability to work.. all of these things lead to a NEGATIVE impact on my family.


It starts simply enough - making the choice to re-prioritize and put yourself higher upstream in priority.  And trust me - I've been where you are - with the pull of career and life constantly trying to pull you down.  It's just too damn easy to get sucked down into the quagmire.  It's one of the main reasons I personally found CrossFit so appealing.  I have an entire community of people who have said enough and put themselves in the proper priority chain.  They hold me accountable.. and they inspire and motivate me.. oh and it's put me in the best shape of my life.. at 38.. not 18.

If you NEED the support system.. if you need the accountability.. if you need to get your shit together.. I can help.  The initial consultation is free.. but YOU have to make the choice to adjust the priority chain.

Choosing must

The reference is subtle.. or not depending on what circles you travel on the web.

Some of you do, and some of you don't, know that in June I will officially transition from being a part time gym owner, part time coach, part time dad, and full time executive to a full time owner/coach and full time dad.  Hopefully you're with me on that. :)

Somewhere along the way I traded my must for should because should was safe.  Should was the title, the house, the car, the tangibles and the reality.  I gave up on trying to do things that lead me closer to the must in sacrifice.

When I found fitness just after the turn of my 30's I really had no idea where the journey would take me.  I do know that I had some serious self body image issues I had to deal with (yeah that's a thing for guys too).  I also know that for the better part of the last 12 years I have had an overwhelming feeling that I was purposed to help people.  It took me a while to figure that out.. and it took CrossFit to show me my how and why.

Over the last 5 years I've coached countless people and helped countless more make important shifts in their lives and health priorities.  There is nothing else that I have done in my life that is quite as fulfilling as this endeavor and I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to become even more entrenched in doing something that I absolutely love.

This is just the start of an even more exciting time for not just me but for our athletes and clients at Fort Miami CrossFit!  We have a ton of new and exciting things in the works that I just can't wait to share with you.

Kelly and I are blessed to have so many friends and family that believe in what we're doing.  Thank you for all the love and support that you all have given along the way.

Please sign up for my newsletters to the right.  I'm excited to share knowledge bombs with everyone about CrossFit, Health, Fitness, and Life!