The Tipping Point

The tipping point is defined in many ways. Some say it is the point at which an object is dispaced from a stable equilibrium into a new different state. Think of leaning back on a chair. Someone comes and barely pushes it just a millimeter farther, or you lean back just a little too far and your body jolts forward as you try to avoid crashing to the floor. Malcolm Gladwell wrote the book "The Tipping Point." In it he discusses how ideas dont just blossom instantaneously. Epidemics dont just cover the world overnight. They start small, and gradually pick up pace exponentially until the idea, the disease, the fear is so strong, so widespread, that it's nearly impossible to turn back.
My tipping point sits in the gym staring back at me. I personally have not pushed myself past it. The tipping point is where your body is begging you to stop, tortured in agony, screaming in pain...and your mind tells the body to push on through, rep after rep until the last rep is completed. Instead, I cower at the least bit of discomfort. I tell myself its 'ok' to rest for a second. It's ok to BE second. Mentally I am weak. Emotionally I strive to be stronger. I video most of my workouts. I look back on these workouts to plan different strategies, coach myself on form, and find out what I suck at. Example number one: Sectional WOD I, the Airforce WOD. During the WOD I felt as if I were crushing it. My body was uncomfortable but I kept pushing. My lungs burned but I kept going. I ended up finishing in the top 8 for the AFW with a 6:40 something score. Looking back at the video I realized I spent more time staring at my bar than I did lifting it. I could probably tell you every nick and scratch in the bar from studying it so hard as my hands rested on my knees. My wife screaming from the stands to pick up the GD Bar had no effect. Precious moments wasted. Seconds can separate a regional qualifier from an athlete going home. Fortunately I finished in the top ten at sectionals and went to Colorado for regionals. It was here that I truly realized how much I fold at the slightest discomfort. WOD III was three rounds of Row 500m, 12 OHS 115# and 50 DU's. I cruised through the first round in under three minutes. The second round was a little more difficult. And during the third round, I actually set the rower down for a second to rest while ten other athletes passed me. I was the last one finished in my heat. I was embarrassed. I watched the highlight video posted below from the 2010 CF Games. I watched how these unbelievable athletes push past their body's limits, something I strive to do. Below the video is a post written by Uli Gulji. It summarizes how an athlete feels after a workout. I always tell my athletes to empty the tank. Never let go of the bar. Dont look at the bar, just pick it up. I need to practice what I preach. I need to pass my tipping point.





For a moment time stops altogether.
The clock, the crowd, the sum of my efforts, everything comes screaming to a halt.
Everything but the pain; that stays, it's journey is nowhere near over.
And as the weights come crashing down around me, their fury echoing like thunder
I realize in this moment I'm alone with a body that's begging for mercy....
Sweat rolling in waves,my heart thumping with a racing cadence
all around me the sounds are muted by locomotive exhaust that is my own breath,
my lungs searing, desparate for sweet relief, grateful for a momentary respite.
I want to give my body the break it demands, but right now I can't,
because a battle continues to rage in my mind
and in that moment frozen in time, I wonder if I've pushed it past the red line.
One more. Just one more. Deep from within, was there one more left?
Then, as fast as it came, the moment was gone
And I was left.