IronTribe is awesome

The past couple months I have felt like I wasn't really progressing that much in my workouts at IronTribe. For the most part, that didn't really bother me. I had become complacent, but still proud, of what I was doing in the gym. I was still getting my butt kicked 4-5 times a week and pushing myself, to some degree. You see, I have a confidence issue. I have huge blinders on when it comes to looking at myself - I don't see my progress, yet others around me say I have progressed greatly in my year of IronTribe and eating Paleo.  Adam is my biggest advocate and I am so thankful that I have a constant voice of approval, motivation, and encouragement. He sings my praises; however, it is still hard sometimes when I don't necessarily SEE those improvements. Sometimes I just need something dramatic to get my attention for me to really see progress. And starting last week, that's exactly what I received. It was like the LORD had to shout at me - "are you kidding me??? You have been doing so great and I need you to be confident in who I have made you to be - let me show you."

Last week I accomplished something HUGE! I got my first handstand push-up!!!!!! I had never even attempted one because I "knew" there was no way I could do it. The only people that can do handstand push-ups are those rockstars at IronTribe - and I am far from that (notice my confidence issue). For whatever reason, I decided to flip up against the wall and give it a shot, totally expecting to fail. To my great surprise, I did it!!!!! Not only did I do one, I did handstand push-ups for the entire workout! That totaled about 25! That was one of my proudest moments so far at ITF. I still have some work to do on them but I gained confidence that day and I'm not stopping until I can do them with out any ab-mats under me (notice I have 2 in the picture).

Little did I know that another goal of mine would be coming to fruition just a couple days later. It has been my goal since I started IronTribe to get an unassisted pull-up by the time I had been doing Crossfit for a year. That year mark is at the end of August. Side note: The lovely thing about IronTribe is that EVERY MOVEMENT is scale-able. That means that if you cannot do a pull-up, then you get a box and do jumping pull-ups. The next step is to get a band (think really big rubber band) and use it to help you. There are various sizes of bands that offer various resistance. A couple months ago I advanced to the thinnest band which provided me with the least amount of help. Ever since then I have been trying every chance I get to get just one silly pull-up, to no avail. I was close, but still a couple inches away from getting my chin over the bar. I was beginning to think I wouldn't meet my goal of 1 pull-up by the end of summer. I was also beginning to get frustrated, and jealous! I mean, I was just looking for ONE pull-up. Not 5 or 10 - just one!! A couple of my other girl friends recently got their first pull-up and I was SO proud of them, yet jealous because I wanted to do it too!!! Then, last week, I was just "playing around" and I GOT IT!!!! I got my very first pull-up! I was thrilled - like a small child on Christmas Day. This was the moment I had been waiting on and looking forward to for almost an entire year! My coach, Zechariah, was also so excited for me and I loved that he was there to celebrate with me! He had been pushing me so hard and he believed in me the whole time. As badly as I wanted the pull-up, I know that it was my confidence getting in the way of my progress. After that first one, he ran and got the video camera and recorded me doing another one. And to my surprise, I did THREE!!!!! IN A ROW!!!! This time, I really couldn't believe it. Whoa! My confidence got a huge boost and now I can't wait for the next WOD that includes pull-ups! Again, I have some work to do to be able to do more in a row - but now I believe in myself (that was a lot of "to do"'s!)

And, my progress doesn't stop there.....this week I have RX'd two WODs! These have not been my first RX's, but both were really heavy days. The first one I had to over head squat 65# 75 times with some 400 meter runs thrown in there. Had it not been for my coach Luan and friend Chris, I don't know that I would have been able to keep the 65# going the entire time. They encouraged me the whole time and on my last set, were in my face cheering me on. I was the last one done, but I finished!!! This morning was another heavy day. We had to deadlift 155# 12 times, do 12 burpees, and run 400 meters....4 times!! That is 48 deadlifts, 48 burpees, and 1600 meters (a mile)! Once again, I didn't think I would be able to deadlift 155#, 48 times, but Zechariah believed in me and encouraged me the whole time - and I did it!!!

The human body is amazing. We are built to be pushed and that is what IronTribe does. You are pushed further than you ever think is possible (with great coaching along the way). It truly does work. And it doesn't just work for me. It can work for anyone. It does take time (obviously) and it does take commitment, but I believe it is the greatest gym ever. It changes your life and touches every aspect of your life. I am so thankful for what IronTribe has done for me and the relationships I have built because of it. Now, here is a picture and video for your enjoyment :)

(Shameless plug - if you are interested in IronTribe, leave a comment or message me on facebook. I would love to talk to you more about it. On June 30 from 9-10:30 there is a Bring A Friend Day that I would love for you to come to. It's a warm-up and workout that will give you a little taste of IronTribe. It is a ton of fun, and a FREE workout! No excuses.)

*I can't get my video to display.....I'm working on it*