Define Yourself

John Doole takes a philosophical look at the things that make us who we are.

Changing the timing of when I was pulling the bar in a clean was incredibly difficult.

Cleans, like golf swings, are difficult to perform consistently well. Lats engaged, butt up, load the hamstrings, move the bar past the knees, slight re-bend, explode with the hips, shrug and bend the arms to move your body under the bar, elbows through, catch and recover.

Cleans are a great example of something we could all spend a lifetime trying to master but few of us will perfect. Getting better means practice, good coaching, lots of video and a willingness to change.

CrossFit training promises nothing to the athlete and expects everything in return. The only immediate deliverable of CrossFit is the freedom to confront ourselves, to find out who we are at our core—exposed, raw, uncensored. It’s during this time of confrontation when we can seize the opportunity to change. It comes at a cost as change is not easy and it’s always painful. How painful depends on how much we want to change.