Anita and Jen discuss the load on the bar for “Fight Gone Bad.”
Rarely do I see women overestimate themselves.
We are excellent pacers. It’s like something intrinsic to our nature — some survival of the species instinct that almost forces us to go lighter, go just a tad slower, “save something” for the last round. We worry that our form is not right, that we’re not doing things well enough, that we should stay in the “minor leagues” just a tad longer before we’re ready to play with the big girls.
I saw it when I raced mountain bikes in California. The women’s “Beginner” category would be the largest, with a small Intermediate, and very few Expert or Pro racers. Even tough female mountain bike riders were reluctant to bump up from Beginner to Intermediate, scared that they were not ready for the next level. Over on the men’s side, the Intermediate cat was huge, with guys fighting to get into it, to prove themselves, to make it to the next level. The only men who stayed at the Beginner level were sand-baggers — guys with small cojones who wanted to dominate longer in the small pond with the little fish.
It’s time to get out of the small pond.
Women with the small weights on the bar and the extra gas left in the tank, I dare you to grow some cojones. Not literally. (Ewww.) But figuratively. Stop thinking of yourself as weaker than you are. Banish those “slow” or “old” thoughts from your head. Throw some mother****ing weight on the bar and make the lift happen. And run faster. And try for the extra pull-up and the handstand push-up. Maybe it won’t be perfect. Maybe you’ll fail. Maybe you’ll fail a bunch. I don’t care. That’s okay. You won’t die from failure here. More importantly, you’ll be living. Someone kinda famous once said to me: “You’re going to misstep and you’re going to find success. So what. I love you no matter how it turns out and most things are fixable (or not, so ****ing what).” This is the way to live life — with these thoughts in your head. Be bold, be brave, be invincible.
So, the next time you’re setting up your bar in a workout or you’re grabbing a kettlebell, go heavier. It’s worth a try. You might succeed, you might fail, but I’m going to love you no matter how it turns out.
(Words by Lisbeth Darsh of CrossFit Watertown.)
March 27th, 2010 at 7:29 am
Jason, is that you?
March 27th, 2010 at 7:30 am
Hola Jaime! And I want you to be my trainer! Everyone speaks so highly of you at your box — you are doing great work. One day, I will visit Peru!
March 27th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
Not in that picture, but I do often sit on the bowl reading playboy!
March 27th, 2010 at 10:46 pm
Um, okay, that’s enough sharing, Jason.
March 29th, 2010 at 10:49 am
Love this post! And, I couldn’t agree more. There is no better feeling in the world than lifting some heavy ass weight or finishing a WOD at the top of the pack. You can’t experience the glory if you never push yourself.
April 6th, 2010 at 8:39 am
I had been just telling my buddy about this. At last he’ll believe me! Haha
August 29th, 2010 at 3:08 am
I really think lose weight is not too hard once you exercise regularly and don’t ever eat the fast food. Unluckily, .
August 30th, 2010 at 10:02 am
If your diet is well balanced you can weight train and it will not affect your growth. If you want to build muscle you are going to have to exercise, there is nothing magical about it, different types of exercise may target different muscle groups, but the overall nutritional requirements for muscle growth and your growth in general remain.
October 14th, 2010 at 3:59 am
I bought this combination for myself. I have been using them since end of August. So far, I lost about 5-7 lbs which I gained over the summer while I was visiting my parents. I didn’t change my eating habit dramaticly, but I do pay more attention the food I ate. If anyone out there wants to loose the last five lbs, you should give a try.