"3, 2, 1 Beep"
WOD: 9/22/16
Deadlift 5-5-5-5-5 reps
(Compare to last week’s deficit deadlifts)
10 minute AMRAP of:
10 Deadlifts 225/155
20 Wall-balls 20/14
“3,2,1 Beep”
By Thom King
“3,2,1 Beep”…how do you do what you do, you crazy little sequence of numbers? I think there are several stages that I go through when I know that the time is coming.
The first probably takes place I’d say 3 minutes beforehand. I’m either just finishing up a strength component, or walking away from the whiteboard. One of the coaches, in their ever contrasting styles (gentle, sarcastic, or get your shit together), tells the class we are starting in 2 minutes. At this point I’m starting to think “are they crazy, how am I going to get all this stuff setup in 2 minutes?”, but really I’m starting to get nervous about what’s to come. Typically the night before I’ve decided after a lot of inner debate how I’m going to do the workout as far as reps and rest. However, I usually scrap that overly optimistic, one glass of red wine, plan from the night before that I have in my head during this 2 minute mad rush for something a little more realistic…an unbroken set of 21 the night before quickly turns into 3 sets of 7. I also usually ask Travis, Cory, Amber, and Jesse (well until he became a 5am traitor) what their plan is going to be and gauge my plan against theirs. During this time I’m trying to put my stuff in as efficient a location as possible…sprint WOD I want things close, a longer WOD a little distance will actually help because I’ll use that as my rest rather than standing there. I never really thought too much about equipment placement strategy before, but after Derek kept kicking my butt I noticed he always did this, and the competitor in me decided I needed to do the same for some kind of edge. So thank you Derek!
Well I have my pull up station, my bar, my box, my jump rope, my wrist wraps on, my knee sleeves up, my gymnast grips on, my weight-belt close-by if needed, and what do you know I have a minute to spare. This minute before “3,2,1” I’m pacing in circles and have gotten kind of quiet thinking about the workout. I also have to get those last second things that I really need…something to count with and of course chalk. On a side note I think I use chalk way more to calm my nerves before the workout, and especially an excuse to rest during a workout, than I actually use it to keep my grip! So were getting close and I think “I probably should have peed, too late now, and it is probably nervous bladder anyway. Thom you really have to pee, but Caitlin will give you hell, everyone looks primed to go don’t make them wait, you’ll be okay”, which is probably more inner conversation about peeing than any one person should have. Apparently in the 30 seconds prior that I put on chalk my hands have sweated so much I need more, so mad dash to the chalk bucket (I mean rest bucket) before this things starts-up.
Everyone is ready to go, and I am as ready as I am going to get. We are about 15 seconds away from “It doesn’t have to be fun, to be fun” with my feet grounded and my nervous “what do I do with my” hands by my side. Coach Caitlin usually turns up the music and says okay “10………..5” and that 5 seconds has so much thought for me; I’m confirming my plan, I look real fast at my stuff, I give a quick glance towards my “rabbits”, and I look at the clock. Coach Caitlin yells “3” and at this point my mind goes blank with no thoughts other than “where will I grab the bar”. I hear the remaining “2,1”… my heart is racing, I take a deep breath, I am focused, my intensity has drastically picked up, and I’m inching my hands towards the bar. I hear “Beep” I grab the bar and what do you know I can do an unbroken set of 21 I just needed that “3,2,1 Beep” motivation. Maybe I should use “3,2,1 Beep” in my daily life b/c I sure surprise myself all the time with how much better I perform after that …I think we all should!