5.26.11 Persistence Trumps Talent: CrossFit Like Charlie Brown & His Kite

We have the tag line "Persistence Trumps Talent" on a website banner photo because it resonates so strongly with everyone.  No one is an expert at everything and CrossFit is about being component not an expert in the 10 Fitness Domains: Accuracy, Agility, Balance, Coordination, Cardiovascular Endurance, Flexibility, Power, Stamina, Strength & Speed.  So as a CrossFit athlete we can do anything we set our minds to and that is where persistence comes into play.  Because we all have strengths and maybe we are even experts in some of the 10 domains (for me - Cardio Endurance!) however in order for us to become competent in the other domains and become better CrossFit athletes we must be persistent in our training and do the things we do not like to do.  Get out of your COMFORT ZONE!

For me it was always the pull-up and push-up, but now I look forward to WOD's with those exercises, yeah I am not fast but I can now do them and I still have a ways to go on improving form & speed.  Last week my deadlift showed progress so my persistence is starting to pay off. This week we did Hang Cleans on Saturday, Hang Power Cleans on Tuesday and today Hang Power Snatch. Can you say out of my comfort zone and into my hell house?  Good news I actually liked the Cleans for once and could feel, not all reps, but it was there at times, the correct Clean.  Snatch well still a work in progress but parts were good and I felt so much better than before.  For me, I am going to add in my warm-up more snatch PVC practice.

So train like Charlie Brown and his kite.  How many times does Charlie Brown fly his kite and failure happens?  Too numerous to count. He runs into a tree and is carried off as a Warrior, his kite is blown up & destroyed in the sky or he flies the kite in the middle of winter and both Charlie Brown & the kit freeze.  But you know what .... Charlie Brown will always continue to fly his kite no matter what happens to him or his kite.

Isn't this how you should CrossFit train?