CrossFit provides a method for a personal journey to constantly improve oneself physically, mentally, and spiritually. The intensity of the workouts often makes you question your physical and mental capacity. I heard Greg Amundson say that "The biggest improvement that CrossFit athletes experience is between the ears." The mind can allow us to achieve greatness or cause us to fail. There are only two ways to fail...quit or die.


Since starting CrossFit I have always had a deep appreciation for the Hero WODs. I grew up on various Military Bases as my Father served in the USMC as a helicopter pilot. I remember when we got the news of a helicopter crash involving his squadron while lifting off from a carrier off the coast of Okinowa. He lost good friends, most of which had their families living in Hawaii while they were deployed. I remember seeing these families pack up and move back to the mainland. I often wonder what happened to the children.


I was introduced to CrossFit by a fellow Police Officer back in 2005. "Fight gone bad" on my first day? Really Rochet? Well, I was hooked. "Murphy" came to be my favorite workout. I remember the days when every six months or so we would see a new Hero WOD. Now, I think it's almost three a month. I went to "Randy" Simmons funeral. (Hero Workout #10). I was a new SWAT officer myself at the time and was taken back at how he died. More so, I was incredibly moved by what type of man he was outside of law enforcement. He left two children behind that loved and admired their father. He led a group of inner city youth from his Church who were left without a great mentor.


My personal desire to become a better husband, father, and find some inner peace pushed me to find a way to appreciate life and honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice and to those left behind. Since opening my own CrossFit affiliate with my wife in 2009, I have missed completing many of the new Hero WODS. The Challenge I came up with for myself was to complete all the Hero WODs, as prescribed, in the order they were posted. To add to the challenge, I decided I would do one Hero WOD a day, six days a week, resting on Sundays. When I started the challenge there were 50 Hero WODS.

20110413

Wednesday - April 13th, 2011



U.S. Army Sergeant Json "Mick" McCluskey, 26, of McAlester, OK, assigned to the 27th Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade XVIII Airborne Corps, based out of Fort Bragg, NC, was killed on November 4, 2010, when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire in Zarghun Shahr, Mohammad Agha district, Afghanistan.

He is survived by his son Landen, and his mother Delores Olivares.

First posted March 01, 2011





Day 51 of the Hero WOD Challenge

"McCluskey"

Three rounds for time of:

9 Muscle-ups
15 Burpee pull-ups
21 Pull-ups
Run 800 meters

If you have a 20# vest wear or body armor wear it

Time: 29 minutes 45 seconds

16 Years ago today Officer Bob Henry of the Newport Beach Police Department died, but only after demonstrating that he had the will to survive for over a month after being shot on March 12, 1995.

Bob fought to live for his family and all of us.  He will never be forgotten. 



Set a goal.  Make no excuses, do not compromise, do not rationalize, just complete what you set out to do.  My goal today was to complete this Hero WOD in under 30 minutes.  Started to fall apart on the last round but stayed mentally strong today.  Last round I had to do singles on the muscle-ups.  The vest made the dip portion of the muscle up very difficult.  I thought the Burpee pull-ups was the most mentally challenging portion of the WOD.  I just thought of the run as a time to rest my arms.

Most impressive gains I've seen during this Hero WOD challenge is the mental side.  The confidence I have in myself to complete whatever I set out to do is priceless.  Yesterday afternoon I decided I wanted to get a 400 pound deadlift.  I have not broken the 400 pound barrier yet.  The old me would have made excuses about how I can't PR after working out earlier in the day and feeling so sore.  I didn't think of any of that,  I knew what I wanted to do.  I just started loading up the bar and kept adding weight after each successful lift.  Completed 405 pounds and decided to call it a day.  Felt great.  CrossFit works, and like I heard Greg Amundson say, "The biggest gains come between the ears."


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