This post was originally written for use by CrossFit Jai
We live in a world populated by individuals afraid to get out of their comfort zones. Afraid to try things for the first time for fear they won’t succeed. Afraid to learn, afraid to grow. The antidote is simple- regularly seek novel and challenging experiences. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. At CrossFit Jai, we do this through the prism of athletic movement.
In the process of challenging our physical comfort zones, discomfort CAN (and likely WILL) result. As athletes perpetually pushing the limits of our physiology, we often come face to face with pain. The path of least resistance is to stop. To throw in the towel. To resign yourself to a lifetime of light jogging, dog walking, and pulling your hamstrings picking up the newspaper.
My challenge to you when faced with this barrier; don’t stop. Don’t quit. View it as an opportunity to learn. An opportunity to improve. An opportunity to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Nearly every injury presents a learning opportunity. Go back to the drawing board. Improve joint mobility and muscle flexibility. Record the challenging movement and analyze the video. Test, tinker, re-test. What can you change for the future? What can you learn? How will you become better? Develop a plan. Stick to it.
This is not to say that we should regularly seek to train INTO joint pain, to bang our heads repetitively against the wall as we try to punch square pegs into round holes. If a certain movement causes you consistent pain, stop doing that movement. Squatting hurts your knee but you can deadlift, bike, and train upper body without issue? Good! Train the hell out of everything you can while you address your squat.
We will all experience injury. Do we hope for pain? No. Can we improve it? Absolutely. Can we learn from it? Always. To set up a free 20 minute consultation to learn what you can do today to start feeling better and moving better, contact me at tim@crossfitjai.com.
Coach Tim