The Meek (Not Weak) Shall Inherit the Earth

Just a friendly reminder, Open scores must be submitted by 8pm tonight. No late submissions are accepted by HQ for any reason.ย  You submit, we validate. See you on the Leaderboard!

Some words of wisdom from Coach Hyatt…

One of the unwritten rules of CrossFit is to โ€œLeave your ego at the door.โ€ Now this is much easier said than done. Letโ€™s face it, we all accomplish some pretty incredible things within the walls of this gym, and itโ€™s hard not to let it get to our head. I know Iโ€™ve struggled with it, especially within the realm of competing against fellow members, or in outside competitions. There are times when I have gotten too caught up in beating the next person in the workout and forgotten why CrossFit has been such a big part of my life for over two years now. Sure, winning is great, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with pushing ourselves in healthy competition. But I know Iโ€™m losing my head a little bit when it becomes difficult to congratulate the guy next to me who just beat me in a workout. Itโ€™s in time like these that I need to step back, and remind myself how itโ€™s more important that each and every one of us is here to support each other, and weโ€™re all working towards that common goal: to improve our lives through fitness.hyatt

Now the word meekness is often misinterpreted as weakness. To be meek is to be humble, to get down to work without worrying about receiving the recognition and the glory. I think it actually takes more mental strength to demonstrate humility as opposed to arrogance. Personally, I have the most respect for the athletes, in any sport, who are humble and deflect the attention away from their own success and point to other sources who helped them get there, such as teammates, coaches, family, friends, etc.. CrossFit is definitely different from any other sport, but I think the same principle can apply. I know when I get too focused on doing everything for myself, I come up a little bit short, a little bit empty inside. Thatโ€™s because as a community, we are a heck of a lot stronger together than we are as a group of individuals. I know that I wouldnโ€™t be where I am today if it wasnโ€™t for my fellow members and coaches in the gym, working with me and making me a better person, both inside and outside of CrossFit. Whether you have only been here for a few months, or you are a seasoned Burnt Toast competitor, we are all equal, and weโ€™re all working towards the same thing. No one person is better than another.

I do want to make it clear that I am in no way demeaning anyoneโ€™s personal accomplishments. Youโ€™re the one who puts in the work, achieving feats of fitness you probably never thought you could do before. And you should get pumped up when you hit that PR, complete your first RX workout, or get your first pull up or muscle up! Except maybe next time we congratulate ourselves for a PR, we can remember to celebrate twice as hard when the person next to us achieves one of their goals. And If I ever donโ€™t seem like Iโ€™m not practicing what I am preaching, please donโ€™t be afraid to call me out!

I realize that this post does not apply to everyone, and everybody may not agree with itโ€”I totally respect that. It is just a message that has become a part of me, through my own Christian faithโ€ฆOne last thing: another โ€œunwritten ruleโ€ of CrossFit gyms is that there are no mirrors allowed. And this is one of my favorite aspects of a community like ours. If you need a mirror, itโ€™s the person across from you, repping out those power snatches and going through the same pain that you areโ€”because thatโ€™s what makes us strong.

Hollow Rock Challenge
Week 9 – 90

Strength
Low Bar Back Squat
5-5-5-5-5
-Between sets roll and stretch the quads

WOD (15 min hard cap)
Ascending ladder for time
Thruster (95,65)
Kettlebell swing (2,1.5)
1-1-2-2-3-3-……,11,11,12,12!!

Level 2- Ascending ladder through 10
Level 1- Ascending ladder through 8

12 Comments

  • Ryan Gould

    03/04/2014 @ 3:23 am

    LB back squat: 165 x 5
    WOD: 10 + 5 (#75 thrusters and 1.25 pd)

  • Joel

    03/04/2014 @ 2:13 am

    10+2 @ 75/1 pood. A brutal welcome back from vacation.

  • JBo

    03/04/2014 @ 12:57 am

    Couldn’t beat my prior 14.1 score of 173. Got 165 during 4pm Open Gym. Had 35 seconds left when I finished the 4th set of dubs, but just had no more oxygen in order to get back on the bar. Oh well…I’ll get ’em next time.
    On the bright side, I did get a PR at the 5pm class…
    Low Bar Back Squat: 215×5 (new 5RM by 5lbs)
    WOD: 13:25 L2 (75lbs,1pd)
    There was a lot of good energy cheering everybody on during retests this evening. To echo Hyatt’s above sentiments, let’s all really come together in the next month during the Open. Cheering on and encouraging our fellow CrossFitters helps us come together as a community and pushes us to do our best. It’s a win-win situation.

    • JBo

      03/04/2014 @ 1:19 am

      I think I’m suffering from hypoxia from doing 14.1 again. Used a 1.5pd KB in today’s WOD. Thanks for proofreading for me, Alan!

      • Alan

        03/04/2014 @ 1:34 am

        No problem, Jeff.

  • Mike Quigley

    03/03/2014 @ 9:59 pm

    Excellent post Hyatt.
    Warmed up with the 5:30 crew then jumped over and re-tested 14.1 in the toaster. Went up from 292 to 313 thanks to Mike Brown letting me use his rope. HUGE camera crew at CFS today. They must have had 30 people there.

  • Alec

    03/03/2014 @ 9:51 pm

    Nice writeup Hyatt. Celebrating accomplishments together is def. the way to go, unless it’s massively excessive:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXEkZuwRBfQ

    Don’t forget to submit your scores if you are competing in the opens!

  • nicole dholakia

    03/03/2014 @ 4:06 pm

    Nicely said Coach Hyatt!

  • Shamwow

    03/03/2014 @ 3:33 pm

    Fantastic post, Hyatt. Your thoughts come perfectly timed with the start of the Open where keeping perspective and a sense of community are just as important as pushing your hardest in the workouts.

  • amy

    03/03/2014 @ 2:19 pm

    This post is truly amazing. Thanks Coach Hyatt. Very powerful thoughts and words.

    • JBo

      03/03/2014 @ 2:48 pm

      Yes, thanks Coach Hyatt, for offering a different and very insightful perspective. And I couldn’t agree more.

  • Jason

    03/03/2014 @ 1:31 pm

    235# 15:26 Rx
    Decided against retesting 20 hours later. Watched Ben and Quigs crush their scores and break into the 300s. Nice work men!!
    530HTK

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