2.2

     Prepared for the volume and level of training. 

     Many of you were collegiate athletes and have this "athletic background" that you hear CF coaches and and commentators talk about. These are the type of people who have trained for the majority of their lives.

     It never ceases to amaze me the type of people that walk around thinking "I could do what _____ does, if I trained all day". These are the same people who never put their money where their mouth is.

     I have asked a few of you to write about parts of your CF experience. The trials and tribulations that come along with your journey as a CF competitor. 

     I could go on for days about Kelsey. She has this "athletic background" that made it so easy for her to ramp up the training volume. She has the experience of competing in a team sport that is also an individual sport at a collegiate level. She was also one of the first OKCers to buy in to this experiment. 

     Her story, and others like it, are why we do what we do. 

     I asked her to write about her MU and CF competition journey. 

     This is what Kelsey has written for you . It is better than what I asked for. 

KD. Such Muscle Up. Much hair. So flying.

"Patience. Perseverance. Let It Drive You"

Kelsey Duncan

     Anyone who competed in sports in high school or college can understand what I am about to say… Once I graduated and was done with swimming, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I swam with a team all my life and now I was expected to work out on my own? Needless to say, that didn’t really happen. I ate, played video games and got super depressed. Finally, I decided to make a change in the Winter of 2011. I began running with a friend who was also a former swimmer. Yay, we had purpose again! However, my running career was short lived. After training for and competing in a half-marathon (wtf? how did I ever do that?) I realized running was about as exciting as staring at the bottom of a pool for hours a day.

     My Crossfit journey began in March-ish of 2012. I had read about it in a couple magazines and decided that it would be a great way to supplement my running. I quickly took to it  (and quickly stopped running) because it was the exact opposite of what I was use to…it had VARIETY! I found it exhilarating to master a new movement. First it was a clean, a deadlift, a push press, knees to elbow… everyday was a PR. I was becoming competitive in classes and my coaches began to take notice.

     Now, I was not at CFOKC. I was at a small gym in Florida. Competition was, at first, frowned upon. I was told many times that doing Crossfit competitions were a waste of time and that I should do this strictly to stay in shape. I didn’t like that. I didn’t listen. I signed up for a competition in Miami that was a few months away. When I asked if there was anything extra I could do to to meet the scaled standards, I was told there was not enough room in the gym for any outside work. (You guys realize how lucky we are to be at OKC, right?) After begging and pleading for a few weeks and talking a few other rebels into signing up for the comp, we finally got what we wanted...30 mins to work on standards before the 11AM class.

     We went to Miami and I ended up in 4th. I surprised my coaches, friends, Dan and more importantly… I surprised myself. I was hungry. I wanted to compete and be better and do great things. 

     Shortly after, Dan and I moved to Oklahoma. I had visited CFOKC a few times before I moved back and knew this was where I was going to get better. I met Ginny and soon after I met Kody. Some of my first interaction with Kody resulted in my very first pistol. He was watching me go to a 12’’ box for about 10 mins when he walked over and said “just do a pistol”. 

I said “I can’t”.

He said “Just do a pistol”

So I did. I surprised myself, again. He wasn’t surprised. I don’t think he ever is.

     Jump to early January 2013. "BHT Training Camp” We broke out into groups to work on skills. I started with toes to bar, moved over to pull ups and then wandered my way to the rings by the garage door. I watch Alex Cunningham and Bart Terrell get their first Muscle Ups. It was awesome. Everyone was cheering and screaming. I was just staring at the rings when Drew said “go try one”. 

So I did. I missed.

Bryan said “One more, try again.”

So I did. I missed, but I was closer.

“Bigger hips”

     I set my hands, picked up my feet and the next thing I know, I’m pressing out of a dip onto of the rings. I hear Ginny yell, everyone cheering, my eyes are filling up with tears and all I can think is “how the hell did that just happen”

     So I tell you about achieving my first pistol and muscle up… but reading this so far it looks like all these things just fell into my lap, right?

WRONG.

     Before I had left Florida, I began working on both of these movement. I began with a 20’’ box on pistols and slowly worked to a lower box. I was obsessed with getting one. I worked on them probably every other day for 6 months before I got one.

     Muscle ups were a different animal. They required so much more time and patience. I worked on pull ups and kipping nearly every day that my hands weren’t torn since the day I started Crossfit. I worked transitions, I did jumping muscle ups (a whole helluva lot), I did banded bar muscle ups, I worked my strength. I got frustrated. I never gave up.

     Those were my goals. Those were the skills that were eluding me and I attacked them. I set goals and I WORKED. 

      I wanted to share this with you all because I needed to share it with myself. It is easy to lose sight of what you are working for. You get frustrated. You see other people achieving what you want. I tend to be very hard on myself and it is easy for me to get upset when I fall short of my own expectations. 

     I envy the environment many of your are starting in. I wish I had started my Crossfit journey here. This gym inspires, motivates and encourages growth. I feel so lucky to be a part of it.

     Patience. Perseverance. Let it drive you. Let it push you to work harder. Sometimes it just takes a simple reminder of how far you’ve come. 

2.2

CFOKC CLASS

OLY STRENGTH

     1A. 3 Power Snatch + 1 OHS

          4x3+1 @ 75% 

     1B. Snatch Pull 

          4x3 @ 95% (of sn)

     1C. Glute Ham Raise

          4x10 (slow and with perfect form)

SQUAT STRENGTH

     1. Back Squat

          10 @ 60%, 8 @ 65%, 6 @ 70%, 6 @ 75%, 6 @ 80%

     2. Front Squat

          5 @ 60%, 5 @ 70%, 2x5 @ 75%

GOAT WORK