ROD 062612
ROD
Tuesday, 26Jun12
@ 7:00 pm
Are You Ready for Anything ?
Our Super High Intensity Boxing Circuit class is a 1 hour ass kicking class that will leave you fatigued.
Your cardio-respiratory and muscle strength will benefit from our motivational, challenging and fun circuit training which is set to energetic music.
Push yourself and see what you’ve got!!!!
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@ 8:00pm
Three rounds for time of:
- 200m Sprint (as fast as possible)
- 25 Jumping Pull-ups
- 20 Ball Slams
- 15 Mtn. Climbers (l/r=1 rep)
- 10 Barbell Ground to Overhead Snatch Pulls (w/65lbs – m/ 85lbs)
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Conquer your fear of the “Box Jump” 🙁
by Coach Donald
At 67″ tall, with a 29″ inseam, you might think that I would be scared of a 20″ box jump: that’s a big height for a small guy. But I’m not. I have no fear of the box jump. Never have. I don’t know why. Maybe it was all those years of playing on the streets of New York City jumping parking meters and jumping from roof to roof, it seemed at the time, to no avail.
Anyway, I may not have a fear of the box jump but I know that some of my members do. Usually, they tell me outright but, with others, I can see it in their faces as they stand, hesitating, before the box, looking, edging forward, backing away a bit, seemingly waiting for courage to stand up and take their hands.
I can understand. Most of us don’t jump as adults. I get it.
We did as kids, but somewhere we put jumping to the side. It wasn’t very practical, I guess. Think about it. Outside of NLP, when was the last time you jumped as high as you could into the air? Maybe if you play basketball or you’re in the military, but for everybody else (particularly for women) the need to jump just doesn’t seem to come up that often. The last time you jumped as high as you could might have been at an age that ended in the word “teen” and so you might have some apprehension when the ROD calls for box jumps. So here are some tips for successful box jumping:
1.) Start small. It doesn’t matter if the ROD calls the standard is a 20″ box jump. If you’re not a comfortable, experienced jumper, then use the 12″ box and nail it repeatedly. Then move to the 16″, then the 20″, and beyond. Progress slowly if you have to — but continue to repeatedly challenge yourself and your limits.
2.) Focus on the top of the box at first. Stare at it and visualize your feet planted firmly in the middle of the top. Do this for every jump. As you progress, you can move your gaze forward until you’re jumping with the box in your peripheral vision but don’t worry about that at first. Just worry about planting your feet in the middle of the top.
3.) Get mad at the box. It’s a stupid piece of lumber and, if you’re scared to do it, that means the box is conquering you. It owns you. How pathetic is that? In my house, we have a saying: “Today, I will not be defeated by an inanimate object.” It sounds really stupid but, the next time you’re struggling with a stubborn jar lid, repeat this saying to yourself and you’ll find yourself twisting off that lid like you’re Superman.
4.) When you’re really tired, deep in the ROD, and you still have to box jump, revert to #2, even if you think you’ve licked this box jump fear. Fatigue can do funny things to your mind, as we all know. Focus and refocus and you’ll get through it.
5.) Practice your Box Jumps at home on the stairs . It doesn’t have to be a lot of jumps: just 10 at a time. Repeated exposure at low levels will help.
6.) If you fall, do it again right away. Jump immediately. Really. The more you postpone the activity, or avoid it, the worse the fear will become. It doesn’t matter if your shin has a bruise 3″ wide and you’ve left skin on the floor, jump again right away. Don’t wait.
Fear is a funny thing. Not “ha-ha” funny but you know what I mean. A couple of years ago, I was speaking with John Moore, a professor of Psychology at the College of Staten Island, and I mentioned the anxiety some of our members have of jumping on a box. “The more fear they have, the more compelled they are not to do it”. He told me, “Expose them more to their fears at manageable levels and eventually you will take away the power of their fears and give that power of confidence to them.” His point was that when you fear something you should do it again and again in a controlled manner, instead of avoiding it. Then, it won’t own you but you’ll own it.
Once you’ve mastered your fear of the box jump, it becomes addictive. You’ll want to jump more, and higher, and you’ll find that you no longer want to limit your jumping to the inside of a our gym. That bench at the park? Jump it. That chair in your dining room? Nail it. Climbing into bed at night? So much more fun than sitting down and swinging those legs over.
This obsession can, however, put you in an odd predicament as a jumping grown-up among those who no longer jump. People will look at you oddly so resist the urge to jump in public places. Really. Oh, what the hell. Might as well jump, it was a big challenge to get over your fear!