Deadlift 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

Yesterday was a motivating day at CrossFit Roots. The shoulder press progression WOD is no easy workout and it requires a significant level of focus on your part to attack 5 sets of 3 different lifts within a 1 hour window.

You shattered your shoulder press records, opened communication pathways from your brain to your hips, and eliminated faults and power leaks from your execution.

The successes during yesterday’s WOD were due in part to your preparation during warm-up and your attitude toward practice. Working through the press progressions with PVC pipe, each of you had two choices. You could have: A. Gone through the motions and daydreamed knowing that you can press WAY more than the 2lb. PVC pipe and questioned the efficacy of drilling through a movement for the 10th, 30th, or 100th time in your CrossFit career, OR, B. Acknowledged the improvement to be gained from practicing with PVC pipe and executed each drill and progression with vigor.  You choose B and for a coach, that is super motivating.

Author Daniel Chambliss calls what you did yesterday, “the mundanity of excellence.” Very little separates the mediocre from the excellent, the amateur from the unbeatable, and it all boils down to doing the little things very very well.  In the swimming world it’s doing a perfect turn off every wall, in the presses world it’s finishing every lift – PVC or weighted – with active shoulders.

Over the course of your CrossFit career, you might work one of the three press progressions 100-200-maybe 300 times!  You can go through the motions or you can gain something from every single one of those drill sessions. It’s up to you.