CrossFit workouts incorporate movements I never would've dreamed of doing at a regular gym. Some of the exercises remind me of something a dude would try at a party after a few drinks just to show off. Whatever their origins or purpose, some CF movements are simply exotic, but nevertheless entirely challenging.
Take hand stand push ups, for example. Not long ago I was struggling just to crank out a few regular push ups, and the idea of doing them upside down with body weight and gravity working against my toothpick arms seemed downright impossible. Ahh but that's what I love about CrossFit. It busts down those barriers in the mind that tell us what is and isn't possible.
I first became intrigued by this exercise when I saw competitors at the Superfit games in Charlottesville struggling to do them. I also saw a girl doing them as a warm up, and she made it look easy. Jealously quickly ensued. My fiance pointed out that her short stature helped, because the shorter your arms are, the less range of motion you have to cover. This girl was doing them with a rubber plate, so she wasn't going down all the way, but none of that mattered. I wanted to learn.
Luckily I'm a natural at doing handstands. All my years of yoga have helped with that, and I actually love being upside down. I used to do a headstand while watching TV to practice my balance (which my family hated). Unfortunately, I'm kind of tall, so when I'm in the hand stand position it seems like I've got miles to go before my head comes anywhere close to the ground. Sooner than that, I inevitably reach the sticking point where toothpick arms go to jelly and I nearly crush my skull.
My approach to this exercise was to first just hang out in the hand stand position, usually for a minute at time. (This helped!). Then, I began to slowly lower myself until I couldn't stand it anymore, and promptly pushed back up. I keep doing it everyday, somewhere around 10-15 attempts after finishing the WOD. I use a thick piece of cushion for safety, and over the past week have been able to touch the crown of my head against the cushion. Woooopty do. It's a small success.
Check out this very excellent video from CrossFit kids that is both ego-crushing and inspiring. There is much to learn from and love about this video; the clever progressions, Duncan's dedication and tenacity, his little pair of high top chuck tailors, the dogs, and his early success. (I also LOVE that he's working out in what looks like a climbing gym. Very cool).
The video has inspired me to put myself on a 6 week program, and to try some of the progressions Duncan demonstrated. Right now I'm technically in week 2, which means I should be able to do a hand stand push up by about May 3rd. I'll keep you posted, and if successful, will be a happy CrossFit girl with a very cool party trick.
