CrossFit Watertown, Oakville, CT

Rob fights his way into the bottom of the overhead squat.

For some folks, it’s not easy to get into the bottom of the squat. They have to work to get there. Their hips don’t drop easily down and their torso comes forward.

But for some folks, it’s easy to squat. They just plunk down and look like little ducks, chest upright, wondering what all the hullabaloo is about with squatting. It comes natural to them.

What’s easy for one may not be easy for the other. Give me any kind of squat and I’m a happy girl. Ask me to handstand, I can do it. Tell me to forward roll and well, I’m going to need a little time to myself in the corner because that’s out of my comfort zone.

Comfort zones are a nice thing we’ve all created for ourselves in our lives. The CZ is a beautiful place — warm, happy, full of stuff that makes us feel good about ourselves and in control of our world. Stepping out of that CZ is kind of scary.

But, see, here’s the cool thing about CrossFit: It makes us live outside of the CZ. For an hour a day, your CZ is gone. Demolished, destroyed, wrecked. It doesn’t exist. You’re out on the edge. You have to do stuff that makes you uncomfortable. And you have to stay there for a little while.

But then the WOD ends and you can go back to your CZ. But the cool thing is that you’re stronger because you went there. It might only have been a bunch of overhead squats, but you did them and you survived. Next time, you’ll do better and with more weight. You’ll get even stronger.

The CrossFit Zone is an entirely different place than the Comfort Zone. But you can have both, at different times in your day. Except you’re going to find that the CrossFit Zone is a lot more addicting than the Comfort Zone. Once you throw off the shackles of your fears, it’s easier to live life. And it’s a whole lot more fun. So, don’t wait for anybody or anything else to unlock your spirit. Set yourself free. Step out of your Comfort Zone and into the CrossFit Zone.

(Words by Lisbeth Darsh/CrossFit Watertown.)