Philosifizing

A lot of athletics, especially Crossfit athletes like to take things to the extreme.  Pushing their bodies to the point of collapse is often the norm.  They work as hard as they can to get every possible rep and finish that extra second faster. 

Competition makes us do crazy and often stupid things.  A few athletes at the Crossfit Games North East Regional had their bodies fail on them because of the immense stress that they were puitting on themselves. The elements played a part in this as the heat was relentless.  Many of the athletes were not used to working out at that level in that kind of climate.

Now I'm all for going balls to the wall, but at what cost?  I can see the reasons for pushing this hard when competing in an organized event such as the Crossfit Games, but should the average person working out at his or her box or in their garage or wherever push themselves to such extremes?

Underground Strrength Coach, Zach Even-Esh, preaches "get confortable being unconfortable."  Put yourself in situations your body isn't used to.  This will help you become stronger physically and mentally.  Get out of the air conditioned gym and go to the park in the heat or the cold and get some work in. 

The line between safety and intensity often gets blurred in the crossfit community.  Are those extra few box jumps or extra seconds on your Fran time worth your heath?  The answer is I don't know.  I was hoping to get some type of conclusion by the end of this, but there really is no answer.  Of course you should challenge yourself, of course you should test your limits, but be aware of your body and know your goals.  It's just a risk and reward thing. 

So I guess what I'm basically saying is, be careful guys...

Train hard on train smart.