Forge Philosophy 2-6-08

February 6, 2008 by jeff.

Today at the forge we did as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of 10 dumbbell swings (45), 10 pushups, and 10 situps. I hear frequently from athletes that they’re unable to remember the number of rounds or reps that they complete. This brings up an interesting training point that I’d like to share.

I submit to you that this mental challenge is part of the workout. Anyone who has studied crossfit long enough knows that survival fitness is a thinking man’s or woman’s game. That is to say that one must use every tool (including the mind) at your disposal in order to successfully complete the WOD.

In combat, when the body is in the midst of extreme stress, the ability to think clearly becomes difficult. We know, for example, that during a life or death struggle, one’s memory will distort and the ability to see things as they are becomes problematic.

This is, of-course, a bad thing.

How does one eradicate the fog of war? Stress inoculation - the practice of placing yourself in the closest simulation possible to the real thing. Then, when the real thing happens, the body and the mind are more able to respond - because they’ve “been there” before.

What in the world does this have to do with the WOD?

Every WOD requires one to work and think at the same time. This is similar to inoculating yourself to the stress that may come at a moment’s notice - up to and including a deadly force encounter. In other words, just by doing the WOD and focusing on form, intensity, and work completion - you train the body and the mind to work as a team more effectively under extreme conditions.

I encourage everyone not to neglect this opportunity to train your brain. Your ability to think clearly in a worst-case scenario may just be the one factor that saves your life - even in you have a sub-3 fran time.

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