Saturday 5.4

The Whiteboard Mentality Part 3

To Be Humbled...By Follow Up or By Competition 

     In my profession we have a saying "There is nothing more humbling than follow up"

     Some people think orthopods are just surgeon-gorilla brutes with power tools who say "Bone broke. I fix". They're sorta right. What they miss is that we are taught to pre-operatively plan. There may be 5 different ways to fix a fracture, there may be 50... we have to choose one... and it has to be the best one.

     When do you finally know if it was the best one? Usually at follow up. When does the family ask all the hard questions? Usually at follow up... and it is humbling.

     The last "Whiteboard Mentality" was about competing everyday. This one is about follow up, or tests with tangible grades/placing/evidence. It is about using competition to test yourself.

     The ebb and flow of the gym everyday can make it very difficult to gauge yourself. Lets say "so and so" is back squatting with their correct percentages and you just jump in and share the bar for his/her sets. You may walk away from that session thinking "I back squatted the same weight as 'so and so' today"...which is true. The problem begins when you tell yourself  "I lift as much as so and so". Most likely the scenario is this: "so and so's" 75% back squat is your 85%. but there is no hard evidence to dispute your new theory about your back squat as compared to "so and so's" back squat. You both wrote the same numbers on the board, so you are the same right? Not even close.

     It has been a while since some of you have taken a test, so think back with me. You walk out of the test and some of the other class members who are already done are talking. What did you get for "fill in the blank" and then they talk about what they might have put. Then you get nervous because you think "I didn't put that" or "I don't even remember that question". Here were my observations: Most of those people were trying to reassure themselves after a hard test. The people who were the most vocal about it were usually wrong. And, their squawking meant nothing because no of them knew their grades.

     What does clinic follow up have to do with little white board lies and post test squawkers... The truth will set you free (lots of cliches here and I will apologize about that now).

     My treatment choice with a patient reveals itself as being the right (or wrong) one in follow up.
     Post test squawking and analyzing means nothing,
          you know how well you did when grades are posted.
     You can trick yourself (or lie to yourself) as you evaluate your whiteboard.

     So how do you truly test yourself? Competition.

     This is Competition season. It literally begins tomorrow/today...and usually lasts through February. There will be lots of opportunities to compete. Competitions will have judged events and competitors from all over the state/country.

     We will not be "training" for these competitions, but we will be planning for them. We will pick a few competitions (e.g HOA, AOK, ACO, Fittest Games) that we will try to take multiple teams and individuals to. Some of you may be asked to be in divisions or on teams that you may not be happy about. Some of you may be asked to go individual when you want to go team. TRUST US!!...Please. We will have lots of reasons why we choose to do the things we do, and I promise we will have thought about it more than you.

     This is a time to test yourself. It is not a time to alter our training for these tests. Ultimately we are training for the Games Season. Ultimately we are training to send 2 teams to Regionals and send 1 team to The Crossfit Games.

     This "Whiteboard Mentality" is about putting yourself out there and testing where you are. It is great to be on the podium, but it is better to learn about yourself. To test yourself and come away more prepared for competition. The competition season is about exposing weaknesses. These competitions will give you judged tangible evidence about where you are and where you need to be.

     Step up to the challenge. Test yourself. Train ferocity. Learn.

5.4

GOAT WORK (As Warm Up, No more than 15 Minutes)

OLY STRENGTH (No more than 45 Minutes)

1. Snatch

15 Minutes to warm up to 80%, 1 @ 80%, 1 @ 85, Heavy single

2. Clean & Jerk

15 Minutes to warm up to 80%, 2+1 @ 80%, 2+1 @ 85%, Heavy single

SQUAT STRENGTH (No more than 45 Minutes)

      1. Back Squat

            6 @ 65%, 6 @ 75%, 2x6 @ 80%

      2. Front Squat

            5 @ 60%, 5 @ 65%, 2x5 @ 70%

      3. Romanian DL

4x3 heavier than last week

COMP WOD

1030 AM Meeting about upcoming competitions
11 AM WOD

     7 Min AMRAP of complex
          1 Power clean
          2 Hang Power Clean
          1 Push press into Front squat
          1 Split Jerk

10 min rest

     Partner WOD
          60 Pull Up
          60 Russian KB Swing (70/55)
          60 alternating KB Snatch (55/35)
          60 OHS (95/65)

10 min Rest

     4 min AMRAP
          30 M sled drag (90/45)
          30 M Farmer Carry (55/35 KBS)
          30 M Sprint

     1 min Rest

     4 min AMRAP
          30 M Prowler Push (140/90)
          30 M Farmer Carry (55/35 KBS)
          30 M Sprint

     1 min Rest

     4 min AMRAP
          30 M Partner Prowler Push (180/140)
          30 M Farmer Carry (55/35 KBS)
          30 M Sprint