I know it’s an old cliche, but it is really good advice. CrossFit (and a lot of things in life), requires some mental fortitude to get through!
In a workout like Filthy Fifty (or any workout with a large number of any movement you don’t like), the number of reps can be overwhelming. This can cause us to shut down mentally and make the workout more difficult than it has to be.
Let’s talk about Filthy Fifty in particular because that is the workout we are doing at the gym today. But remember, this advice is good for any workout with a large number of reps, and/or reps of a movement you may struggle with!
“Filthy Fifty”
50 Box Jump (24/20)
50 Jumping Pull Ups
50 Kettlebell Swings (35/26)
50 Walking Lunges
50 Knees to Elbows
50 Push Press (45/35)
50 Sit Ups
50 Wall Balls (20/14)
50 Burpees
50 Double Unders
Let’s acknowledge that 50 of anything is a lot. Even eating 50 cookies is a challenge! How do we mentally deal with this?
(As a side note: elite athletes can knock this workout out in about 15 minutes. Advanced athletes should aim for under 20. For us Average Joes’ we’re looking at 32 minutes or less.)
First, break it down into smaller, bite sized, doable chunks. That might be different depending on the movement. This workout is a great example because your strengths and weaknesses and how long each rep takes will determine how best to break things up.
Let’s start at the beginning. 50 box jumps. A lot of reps, but you can just keep at them. Go at a slow, steady pace. I like to count by 5s and in doing so, every 5 reps I will change which foot I step down with. 5 jumps stepping down with my left foot, 5 jumps stepping down with my right foot. It helps me know where I am at and 5 at a time isn’t debilitating.
Jumping pull ups and knees to elbows – 10 at a time, jump off the bar, walk over to the wall and touch it, then walk back and immediately grab the bar and do 10 more reps.
Kettlebell swings at this weight might not be super difficult. Break them up into 2 chunks of 25. Do 25, set the kettlebell down, take 3 deep breaths and then pick it back up again. It’s good to have a set number of breaths to take, your body will get used to that over time and you will just know that after 3 reps it’s time to move again.
Walking lunges and sit ups are probably just a steady pace of moving. Try doing the lunges in pairs and counting half of them. Sometimes 25 sets of 2 are easier mentally than 50 total. So every set (right and left) equals 1. Then you only have to go to 25!
Push press, wall balls, and double unders are all strengths of mine, so for those (rare) movements that you are good at and 50 reps doesn’t phase you, break them up into 2 sets of 25, or even do all 50 unbroken, if you can.
Another way to break them movements that aren’t as difficult for you is to do 20 right off the bat, put the bar/bell down, take 3 deep breaths and then do 2 more sets of 15 each. Try and get the biggest set/most reps out of the way your first time. Then mentally you know the number is only going down from there!
Burpees are the movement I struggle with the most. The thought of doing 50 burpees just about shuts me down and brings me to tears. The task seems impossible. It is not. For those movements that seem overwhelming, break them down into small chunks.
Use 10 playing cards and knock out 5 burpees at a time. All you have to do is count to 5, just do 5 reps. Five is totally doable – it is a nice small number. Every 5 reps, flip a card. Try not to keep track of how many you have done or how many you have left. Just keep knocking out 5 at a time, flip a card, and then do 5 more. Before you know it, you will have eaten that whole elephant one bite at a time!
The best part is that you can use any of these strategies for any amount of reps of any movements in any workout. Figure out what works best for you to get through those things that are a challenge – good luck!