Courage

I heard something yesterday that struck me. I was watching a youtube video where a coach was trying to get his athlete to drop under the bar on a snatch aggressively. The athlete was having trouble committing, as many newer athletes do. "You just have to be fearless!" says the coach. As I thought about this, I decided that I couldn't disagree more.

Nate the great, scared of nothin'!

There are only two fears that humans are born with- falling, and loud noises. Take a look at babies; they aren't scared of monsters, guns, the dark, or any of the other things that make many of us shudder. That means that all of our fears, aside from falling and loud noises, are learned fears. Somewhere along the road of life, we were either taught by someone or some experience that there are things worth being afraid of.

What this means is that we have to rethink what we do with fear. There is no such thing as being fearless- it is not as simple as just automatically being unafraid of the thing that terrifies you. Instead, we must take that fear and decide that we will not be controlled by it. This is the heart of courage. According to Websters, courage is the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. Courage is looking fear in the face and not allowing it do dictate what you do, but rather heading straight into the things that makes you most afraid. What makes you a man is not your lack of fear, but rather your courage in the face of fear. We see this in Christ our Lord on the night of his betrayal.

"And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying 'Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.' .... And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground."(Luke 22: 41-44). What Jesus was experiencing was fear and anxiety so great that it literally caused his blood vessels to rupture. In the medical world, this phenomenon is called hematidrosis, and is a rare condition that may occur when a person is suffering extreme levels of stress. Was Jesus fearless? Absolutely not! He was experiencing great levels of fear, but he did not let this fear rule him. He knew what his mission was, and chose to look that fear in the eye and move forward and "endure the cross, despising the shame for the joy set before him" (Hebrews 12:2). At any point he could have opted out. He was not forced to die; he said himself that "no one takes my life, but I lay it down voluntarily" (John 10:18). Courage is what allowed Jesus to press on.

We see this also in Paul. This is how he can continue to profess Christ even while being beaten. "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." (Philippians 1:20).

There are many areas of our life that we need courage. Maybe it's courage to drop under a bar. Maybe it's courage to do the right thing, even if the right thing is hard or socially awkward. Maybe it's courage to keep fighting for a dying marriage. Maybe it's courage to stand up for someone who can't stand up for themselves. Whatever it is, take courage in knowing that "we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness (and fear), but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4: 15-16)

One of my favorite lifters, a courageous fellow indeed.

Be strong and courageous.
Blessings.

Progress

It's funny how growth happens. You rarely see it, and almost never feel it, but it happens. There has never been a day of my life that I have woken up and felt taller, but that doesn't mean I haven't grown. Strength is the same way. It is a slow, meticulous process that takes months and years to cultivate. I remember one day last fall trying to clean and jerk 100 kilos. I tried 8 times before finally hitting it on my 9th attempt. Today, this weight is a warm up set. This could be said for almost all of my lifts. I didn't just wake up one day and magically lift 40 more pounds- it took lots of grinding, sweat, and frustration, but over time my body adapted and I can now lift heavier weights.

Here is a look at my PRs over the last year. Watch how the steadily grew.

Snatch

173# 9/27/12

177# 10/18/12

188# 11/29/12

208# 1/20/13

220# 3/17/13

Clean Jerk

221# 10/3/12

226# 11/5/12

231# 1/14/13

241# 1/22/13

265# 3/17/13

Hi hang snatch

198# 4/1/13

205# 5/3/13

210# 5/7/13

215# 6/3/13

Block Clean

245# 5/2/13

255# 5/6/13

257# 5/9/13

275# 6/13/13

Back squat

309# 1/17/13

385# 3/15/13

Power Clean

251# 10/2/12

261# 12/12/12
275# 4/15/13

                      

Front squat

241#x2 10/3/12

245# 10/26/12

225#x5 12/01/12

265# 1/16/13

305# 6/10/13

Jerk

226# 11/5/12

251# 12/4/12

265# 3/17/13

270# 5/2/13

We live in a culture in that promotes instant gratification, and we rarely have to wait for anything. Want a warm meal? Two minutes in a drive through line will get you one. Want to know whats going on in the world? One press of a button and you are watching CNN. Heck, we even get frustrated when it takes our iPhones 5 seconds to upload a page. So it is no surprise that most people don't have the patience or determination to stick with a program and get stronger. It takes to long! "You mean I can't get as strong as that guy in a month? Well then I quit!" This seems to be many peoples attitude. It should be noted that spiritual growth is the same way.

I often find myself comparing myself to spiritual oaks such as the apostle Paul or John, or guys like Matt Chandler. I beat myself down because I am not as "holy" as them (whatever that means). What I fail to realize though is that their level of spiritual maturity is something that was not achieved overnight. It took years of waking up and hitting their knees in prayer, of spending time with the Lord, of going through valleys and mountain tops. This thought hit me as I was looking through my study bible. The apostle Peter started following Christ in around A.D. 30- he wrote 1 Peter in about A.D 63 and 2 Peter in A.D. 67. Thats 37 years! I haven't even been alive that long! The apostle John became a follower of Christ in around A.D. 30, and did not write his Revelation until A.D. 96! 66 years of service to the Lord. A lifetime pursuing him, yearning to know him better and more fully. It's no wonder I look like a total scrub when standing next to them! Yet Christ loves me just as fully as he loved them.

Growth, whether in the gym, in life, or with the Lord, is something that requires perseverance and dedication. Don't get frustrated when it doesn't all happen at once. Commit to growing a little bit every day, and years from now you will have accumulated years worth of growth.

Rome wasn't built in a day. Neither will you be.

Blessings

Blind Spots

Then

Now

What you will notice from watching these two videos is that my setup now is drastically different than it used to be. This came about by my training partner Kyle giving me some great advice. After watching me do a few sets, he told me that I needed to get my shoulders further in front of the bar and my knees pushed back more to engage the hamstrings and simulate the second pull more accurately. I was hesitant, but dropped weight and began to work back up. What I was left with was a 20# PR. Not too shabby. Additionally, I have really struggled pulling from the floor lately, most likely because I wasn't in the same position at the knee as I had been during my block cleans. I anticipate to PR my clean sometime soon, now that I am in stronger positions.

I have been lifting for a while now, and thought that I was doing it right. What I failed to realize though is that you can always learn something new. Having Kyle watch me and give me healthy feedback was a crucial step in my journey to lift as much weight as possible. Sometimes, you just need someone to watch your blind spots- to give you a different perspective on you.

Proverbs 27:17 says that "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." This is true not only in weightlifting or crossfit, but in life. I have been lucky enough to have brothers in my life who watch my blind spots, who call me out when they see living in a way that runs contrary to the gospel I profess. Sometimes being sharpened hurts- in fact it almost always does. But I always end up better for it. If you don't have someone watching your blind spots, you will always think that you are in the right, that you are the best. Growing hurts, but it hurts so good.

Have someone you can sharpen, and that will sharpen you, both in the gym and in life.

Blessings

Priorities

People I love deeply

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us."
- 1 John 4:7-12

I was asked a great question yesterday after teaching day 1 of our Elements class. The Elements class is designed as a 2 week on-ramp class for first time crossfitters to introduce them to the movements performed in a typical crossfit class. Many of the participants are folks who have been sedentary for years (or decades) and have very little, if any, body awareness. Because of this, simple things like getting into the start position for a deadlift, or performing a simple strict press can be very difficult. I get quite a few deer in the headlights looks throughout the duration of the 2 weeks. They always end up doing fine though, and after a few weeks of elements and then regular crossfit classes, they are not only moving more efficiently, but more confidently.

The question I was asked by one of our interns was a profound one- "what is your overarching goal of the elements class?" I loved it. My mind started racing- proper mechanics, learning to push oneself, appropriate scaling... these are all good things, and goals for sure. But as I sifted through the question more, another more important goal rose above all others- to Love.

Coming into a crossfit class for the first few times can be intimidating. There are a bunch of athletic, in shape people with their shirts off going crazy slamming bars and throwing weight around, doing these crazy looking pull ups, willingly torturing themselves. For many first timers, the thought racing through their mind is "there is no way I will ever be able to do that." This thought is a lie, and couldn't be further from the truth. My highest priority of the elements class (and any class for that matter), even above good form, is the security of knowing that any time they walk through those doors, they will be loved deeply. They need to know that they are cared about as a person before they are cared about as an athlete, and that their souls are valued above their bodies. They may not squat perfectly- that is okay. They will learn, they will grow, they will develop. I am more concerned about their confidence level- something that can be bolstered by knowing that they have a coach that loves them deeply. If they know they are loved, they will continue to show up, and therefore continue to develop as an athlete.

As followers of Christ, we are called to love the world around us. Whether you are an auditor, a car salesman, a CEO, or a janitor, the call is the same- "take up your cross and follow me" (Matt 16:24). What we see in Jesus as he took up is his cross is an outpouring of Love for man. As we follow him, we are to do the same. Love your spouse, your children, your co-workers, your boss, your customers, your waiter, your neighbor, your athletes. Love. It's such a simple calling, but one we overlook.

Blessings

Pride and Joy

I have been blessed enough to experience much joy as an athlete, both in training and in competition. The feeling you get after hitting a PR is one of the best feelings you can get. Recently, I have discovered a new joy though.

Coaching provides me another opportunity to experience deep joy. On a daily basis, I watch my athletes push their bodies harder than they knew was possible, try things they never imagined they could do, and fight through their goats. It is truly humbling and inspiring to constantly be surrounded by people who courageously (though not always fearlessly- there is a big difference, but that's another blog post for another day) head straight into weaknesses and physiological pain. Sometimes, after struggling with something for a while, an athlete finally gets it. There is something about watching the light bulb go off in an individual that brings my heart a lot of joy. What I have discovered is that I get even more excited for one of my athletes when they hit a PR than when I do. 

The apostle Paul speaks of this several times throughout his epistles. Often, you hear him speak to the recipients with a great sense of pride and joy. "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?" (1 Thessalonians 2:19). You can almost hear the affection in Paul's writing. He has poured his life out into these people, and as a result is deeply affiliated with their successes and failures. He goes so far as to state that THEY are the crown in which He will glory in the presence of Christ! They are his pride, and his joy.

When you pour your life into a group of people, be it through athletics or through ministry, there is a deep sense of connection with them. The more you pour, the more you connect. As I move forward in life, I pray that I continue to be blessed with people to connect with, both on an athletic level and on a spiritual level.

Blessings