This weeks blog post comes from one of our members, Sheila Greenacre. Without any prompting from us Sheila started to write a blog recording her progress towards one of her fitness related goals, toes to bar. After reading the blog so far our coaches thought it was a great example of the work ethic, attitude and mindset we should all take towards our goals and decided to share it with you all. Thank you Sheila and enjoy dudes:
I read with great interest Tim’s blog about working towards goals. It talked absolute sense about pacing yourself, being realistic and breaking things down into key elements. So I decided to try and record my own goal of making Toes to Bar with a deadline of my next birthday in March 2020.
My journey so far:
September 2018: I joined Saxon CrossFit after hearing all about it from my daughter Niky. At this stage I could not even hang from the bar and it never even entered my head that it was a possibility.
Sometime in November: As part of the class Coach Els has us trying to practice kipping – a very strange movement when you first start! (kip swings are a tool we use to help athletes build towards higher level gymnastics movements) However, I did manage to hang from the bar with a great deal of encouragement from Heidi M, Niky and others.
A few weeks later: I managed to get my knees up (a scaling method for toes to bar) and within a relatively short space of time I managed a whole AMRAP (a type of workout) which included knees up as its scaled element. I was over the moon at this achievement but also amazed at how far I had come due to the encouragement of both coaches and members – you are all outstanding guys!
I continued to improve on knee ups but then in March this year I hurt my back. With the help of the coaches I was still able to train, albeit with some scaling! One thing that was ok though was knee ups so I continued to practice and improve.
May 2019: I signed up for Tim’s accessory class which focused on Toes to Bar and core strength development. Well, after the first session, just about every part of me hurt- even bits I didn’t know I had!!
Tim explained the components of toes to bar in a way that made real sense and we learnt how to do hollow holds and the arch holds (laying on your front like a beached whale) and to be rock solid in those positions. We also had to roll from back to front without using hands and the same in reverse- a lot harder than it sounds! Then there were some really scary movements that involved hanging off a bench both frontwards and backwards and having to trust your partner! Speaking of partners, you would not believe how bendy some peoples backs are (mentioning no names Amy P)!
We also learnt the correct technique for kipping and I feel I made some real progress in this. Again, I had thought I would never be able to do it, but I have realized you can always do more than you think you can.
So at the end of the accessories course, I found I could maintain a much more solid hollow hold and was making progress towards straight leg v-ups and proper kipping.
End of June 2919: I asked Tim for a programme so that I could continue to try and make progress and I am committed to doing that 3 or 4 times a week. It involves more hollow holds and rocks, more v-ups and leg raises from the bar, as well as practising kipping. I can now raise my knees nearly to my chest!
1st July 2019: as a teacher, I always encourage a positive mind-set and so, I don’t say “I can’t do it”, but “I can’t do it yet”! Watch this space.
Sheila continues to work hard towards her goal and understands that every little bit of progress is a goal achieved in itself. It’s easy to get disheartened when the end seems a long way off but remember to look back and see how far you have come – in this case from not being able to hang from a bar to being on the cusp of an advanced gymnastics movement. Awesome work Sheila.
(Our accessory classes are a good place to work get that extra coaching on movements you might want to hone. Our current focus is on rowing technique and pacing of longer workouts but so far we have covered – pull ups, muscle ups, the clean and toes to bar. Let us know what you would like to see next!)