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Nobody said it was easy

Back Squat
Speed Doubles
2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2 Every minute on the minute for 10 minutes

Then for time:
Run 800m
Time stops when you perform your first thruster
10 min AMRAP of:
5 DB Thrusters 55/35
10 Box Jumps 24"/20"

Lget5010+homer-simpson-stupid-like-a-fox-the-simpsons-poster-card
    Who cares if you look stupid! Nobody told you CrossFit was easy. Its hard to learn new things as adults. It feels like everything was easier when we were younger. Being a school age kid it okay to look stupid because people assume that they don't know better yet and that's why we spend so much time being taught how to do everything. But being an adult, you're expected to know things, be responsible and be in charge. 

    So stepping up as an adult and realizing that you don't know everything takes some courage. You have to be brave enough to join our affiliate to allow yourself that amount of public examination. So good job to you. You made a very smart decision coming in here to learn from the experts. Anybody can be a chief in their own garage. 

Here are four ways to make the CrossFit learning curve much easier:

  1. Ask questions. Ask lots of questions. Don't feel stupid for not knowing but remember the answers to the questions you ask! Sometimes we all need more explanation so if you need to ask the "why" then do so!
  2. Learn to let go and look stupid. Just try it. Stop holding back or not coming on days that expose your biggest weaknesses. We are here to help you not look so stupid:)
  3. Be patient. Learning new things doesn't happen overnight. It takes practice and I mean lots of practice. 
  4. Check your ego at the door. If you've never done power cleans before it's probably not best to load up you bar as heavy as the guy next to you who has been doin this shit for years.  Open your ears to things you know nothing about. Stop talking and just listen. 

  Don't be that person tied to the treadmill because you're scared someone will laugh at you for trying something new. Here's the deal, we are going to embarrass ourselves and its going to be great!

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37 comments

  1. James M

    Lene’s my inspiration on this one – he doesn’t mind looking stupid on almost a daily basis! Just kidding buddy. Now go work on your squat depth.

  2. I totally RX looking stupid. Daily. 🙂

  3. Nothing like working out in a gym full of Bad Asses! It’s very motivating! You guys are awesome!!!

  4. Exactly, who cares. I just feel sorry for the coaches, hope I won’t drive you into deep depression, you’re doing everything you can. 😀
    Btw, I am wearing King’s t-shirt today – as bad as they are now don’t want to give them up.

  5. Olga… You’re my hero!!!

  6. Chris Lene

    If you all learn to laugh and have as good as time looking stupid like James clearly states I can… you will enjoy life 10 fold! James, eat some carbs so you can actually have a body weight worth doubling when you jerk!

  7. Alice K.

    WOD 5 is a blast!! Thanks Brooke for judging us yesterday. I wouldn’t want anybody else by my side as I bruise my colar bone and thighs, throw out my back and rip my hands!! These are the special times! Good luck everyone.

  8. brother mike

    Having ridden a bicycle for years in colorful spandex, I have mastered the looking stoopid!
    For some reason this post reminds me of “The Tao of Pooh”: while Eeyore groans and Piglet frets Pooh just is. Be like Pooh.

  9. If you don’t start out looking stupid how else are you going to get that awesome accomplished feeling when you finally get it!

  10. I like the smell of sweat — the smell of victory! All that huffing and puffing, grunting and groaning. Yeah! Stupid doesn’t matter when you’re baskin’ in the glow. Cheers.

  11. Sean, really?.. I am blushing =p.

  12. Leah B.

    Well said and very timely Brooke. One of my favorite quotes that I have in my house, that I need to read daily as a reminder…”What would you do if you knew you could not fail?”
    Always seems much easier said than done, for me at least, but when you give yourself the freedom to “fail” you actually open yourself up to learn so much!
    Also thanks to everyone I have met in the last few weeks for being so helpful and encouraging to all my “stupid” questions that I have had in my first weeks here at CF. It’s much appreciated!

  13. I always get the feeling of a distinct LACK of self-consciousness in the box… “wow, these people really don’t give a shit!” hehe, kidding! Of course, it’s very difficult to hide behind any pretense of perfection when you are totally gassed and might have ripped your shorts and are wearing a permanent pain/O face after a WOD… :O

  14. WOD 11.5 is awful, ,terrible painful never-ending, insane stoopid, and O-V-E-R. I will not be redoing that bullshit.
    Thanks to the cheering group at the 9:00 class. It may not have seemed like it, but I appreciated the support. Thanks to Brian & Cherie for judging and keeping time, you both did a great job on the WOD too!

  15. Ashley D

    Leah- I’m a complete quote junkie, and that one gave me my fix for the day. It was great meeting you this week!
    Letting go of fear and not taking ourselves so seriously that we can’t fall into the center of the tire whilst box jumping (true story) is what ends up producing ability and strength in more ways than one. Love this community! Good post Brooke : )

  16. LauraB

    Love this blog today, Brooke! Thank you! I am guilty of not wanting to looks stupid – which never fails to happen whenever we have gymnastic drills programmed.
    This is also perfect timing – yesterday I had planned to catch the Noon class, so I came to work in my workout clothes. My schedule went to shit so I didn’t make it. I had a few minutes between conference calls so I decided to do 3 rounds of 30 sec handstand holds. In the middle of the second set my office mate says “what are you, in 2nd grade”. I said “trying to be!”.

  17. Brooke, I’m inspired by your post to work harder on my butterfly pullups. I’ve been reluctant to practice them because I know I look like I’m having seizures on the bar, but I’ll just have to get over that.

  18. I though I was the only one that did Handstand holds at work. I do it in the lunch room while my lunch is heating up. Talk about looking stupid, but hey you gotta fit it in where you can right!! Practice Practice Practice

  19. Great post, Brooke. And speaking of embarrassing, can we have LeaderBoard back on the site? I miss seeing everyones scores. Just an idea.

  20. I don’t have a problem with looking stupid. That’s why I love Stupid Human Tricks! Yeah, I may look stupid attempting but what the hell, they are fun. And after practicing being stupid, the end result maybe not so stupid after all.
    Oh…and WOD5 made me feel stupid.

  21. Brian

    Ok…Brian pressing out power snatches..stupid, Brian attempting Rx handstand push ups..stupid, Brian trying to Rx 315# dl..stupid, Brian being convinced by Cherie to wear a costume while doing a WOD..stupid(sorry Cherie). Yeah
    I’ve mastered stupid. So, much that I might be stupid enough
    to try WOD 11.5 again.

  22. James M

    @ Lene – I don’t have a 2XBW deadlift at this point, much less snatch, so you might want to lower your expectations a bit.
    +1 on the leaderboard – it was motivational to see how far off top times/weights I was

  23. Darren

    Anyone feeling stupid should just watch me flopping around doing burpees next time we’re in a class together. Yikes! The thing is, it’s worth it. I couldn’t do 10 burpess 5 months ago, and did 60 bar facing burpess last Saturday (plus a few overhead squats). This post also got me thinking that we should all be thankful for Charles Barkley. I saw him on the TNT post game show last night talking about doing CrossFit (complaining about kettlebell swings). If Sir Charles’ CrossFit techniques are anything like his golf swing, he could take looking stupid to a whole new level.

  24. CrossFit has been a humbling experience

  25. Jen

    Josh.. everyone uses beyondthewhiteboard.com now.. 🙂

  26. But it’s not the same. I’m on BTWB. It was cool to see scores on the site. Motivating. Just throwing it out there and seeing what/who bites on it. I miss it.

  27. is there a way to us BTWB for Foundations workouts — or is it just for Level 1? Maybe I haven’t poked around enough in the help files over there but can’t wait to start tracking progress!

  28. Meg

    Being comfortable with being stupid means that you know something but it might just not be CF. Who cares? You’re not supposed to know CF, that’s why we have kick-ass coaches. Everyone has their niche. Checking your ego at the door is most important. Being stupid is not trying to be better.

  29. Jamie P

    John-I use BTWB for Foundations. Since we are typically a day behind level 1(sometimes with modifications), the WOD has already been entered and I just post my result to it.

  30. adam k

    My whole life, I’ve been doing “AMRAP – Look Like An Idiot” No wonder I love CrossFit so much!! Thanks Brooke.

  31. Jen

    Theres only a few of us that keep btwb up to date with the wods.. and I have to give Matt P. all the credit because he’s on it every morning
    The problem is, the blog doesn’t post the foundations wod to the website.. but Jamie is right.. You guys usually do the workout a day after level 1 anyway, so you have post to that workout, change the date, and make the modifications you need to it. Its very simple.

  32. Olga: Seriously. I am not able to make it to the box tonight, but I was planning on wearing my Kings shorts and shirt to help “Paint the town Purple” per se.
    I’m also incredibly skilled at looking stupid. If anyone needs some coaching on it, I’m usually at the 6:30pm class.

  33. Awesome thank you Jamie and Jen! Time to start getting metric on these WODs! (as a seriously right-brained person keeping track of the #s is incredibly useful :)) Thanks again.

  34. WELCOME to the Muscle Up Club, Ballas!!! I’m so proud of my Orphan!!

  35. So I met Justin Judkins of Crossfit Radio on the Cruise to Mexico last weekend. He said his Fran time was 2:15. I think he was pulling my leg. I said he looked like a 2:30. I mean, Justin is top at CFES at 2:30. He said he knows Blair…so maybe I should ask around. He seemed to have an ego, so he needs to read this post from Brooke. Admit to your real time bro.

  36. Ballas – Sounds like smaller print will be needed on the MU board. Congrats!
    Loren – nice Kenso on the pull-ups. My turn to Kenso you next…but not til the Open is over. Then it’ll be your turn. Still gotta get the fly though so back to that after the Open we’re back on it!
    Brooke – saw that you killed yet another WOD. SO AWESOME!!!!

  37. Joan

    Thank you for the post, darlin’ and for the encouragemet. Thank you, too, to my loving husband and our girls, Amy and Anne, Pat, Mary, and the Crossfit family for welcoming me after my “break”. It means a lot. The on-ramp class is awesome-such talent and determination!