I know "can't" and "won't" in Crossfit are 4 letter words
Dmkolls
Posts: 150 Member
All I'm going to say is that the probability is "highly unlikely" that I'll ever be able to do a handstand, much less a HSPU.
I took dance and gymnastics as a child, and that was the one thing my brain could never wrap its head around doing. Eventually, as a child instructors just kinda gave up on me.
As an overweight adult, I still can't see any possibility of me accomplishing that task, and I've tried to do a basic ones when they were a part of our WOD. No dice. :grumble:
Today's WOD is 100% handstands and HSPU. I know you can't cherry pick WOD, but I'm highly tempted to skip today and go tomorrow.
Anybody have the same problem as I do, but got over it and was able to accomplish this?
I took dance and gymnastics as a child, and that was the one thing my brain could never wrap its head around doing. Eventually, as a child instructors just kinda gave up on me.
As an overweight adult, I still can't see any possibility of me accomplishing that task, and I've tried to do a basic ones when they were a part of our WOD. No dice. :grumble:
Today's WOD is 100% handstands and HSPU. I know you can't cherry pick WOD, but I'm highly tempted to skip today and go tomorrow.
Anybody have the same problem as I do, but got over it and was able to accomplish this?
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I am the exact same way! ... There are 2 things in CrossFit, maybe 3 that I will never be able to do and have zero desire. Handstands (I get all starry eyed, blacky outty), box jumps on anything other than a small box (I do step-ups) and double unders (I'll keep trying on this one, but I think its kinda all for show .. no one has been able to explain to me why this is any better for you to do than single unders other than to "look badass").
Yesterday my WOD included HSPUs and the coaches absolutely insist that I do handstand holds instead of HSPUs on a box. So I tried .. I hate to disappoint anyone, so I tried. .. I got starry eyed, my hand slipped and I almost fell and I made a scene. It terrifies me.
I'm a runner, I do CrossFit to gain strength ... not to be "badass". Its not that I don't want to be good at things, but handstands and not important to me, they terrify me and I think there are viable options otherwise that will bring me the same strength gain. I love my box, my trainers and fellow CrossFitters and I know that they all just want to see me succeed but sometimes ... you know, its too much.
Whew! I'm sorry ... I turned your post into my rant.
My advice: go and do box HSPUs or regular push-ups.0 -
What is it specifically about handstands that you find yourself unable to do? Are you better able to overcome your issues (for lack of any better word) if you try to do them against a wall with no concern for tumbling *kitten* over tea kettle?
As for me, my biggest obstacle is box jumps. I quite literally freeze up and cannot get out of my head enough to bring my feet off the ground when faced with a 20" box. Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that I've busted my shins up and nearly busted up my face once upon a time when attempting to do something similar when I was much younger. That **** stays with you...
ETA: Scaling is sooooo important to avoid injury and whatnot, but I also think that nailing down the specific obstacle and working (if possible) to overcome it is equally important. I'm doing step ups on the 20" box for now, but I'm also working on adding height to the 12" box and jumping up on it every chance that I get. If the obstacle to handstands is psychological, there is merit in trying to work through it.0 -
I love the idea of an RX'd routing every day, but I think these should only serve as guidelines. Everybody is different and every person has limits. Just find the closest scaled version of the exercise that you cCAN do and work on that. Maybe once you master your scaled version you will gain more confidence (and strength) to move onto the next hardest progression of that move!0
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It is so important to scale every single time you need to and do moves and work on skills that will help build your body to be able to eventually do these harder moves like HSPUs. I don't think you or your coach should expect you to do difficult exercises without first building up to them. You should be doing other exercises to strengthen the muscles you need to eventually do the badass stuff
I still feel like a crossfit newbie after 6 months but am working towards the goals I want to accomplish within the next year like unassisted pull ups, HSPUs, tens of consecutive double unders, getting to the top of the rope, getting on the leaderboards for the strength moves that are hard for me like overhead squat and snatch, participating in a garage games, etc.
It's a journey and you have to acknowledge where you are with each exercise and go from there and push yourself a little each time so you can improve. Otherwise you'll wind up frustrated and possibly injured.0 -
@Eat2Live2Run - HA! It's a good rant, and I'm glad I'm not alone. I get really light headed as well, and I'm even doing a full one...it's the prep work! I tried to do my first box jump (12") and I literally face planted onto the floor and beat up my arm and both legs. Looked like someone took a baseball bat to me. I now do step ups.
@Tobi - It's a combo of mental "I'm upside down and this isn't right", and my arms can barely support a 8 lb weight, and me getting light headed. Oh, and the fact I have zero core.
@M00nflwr and melmkaty - I'm thinking perhaps I can work on my arm strength instead and core. Perhaps once I can master other items I may gain more ability and confidence to attempt seriously. However, right now there are other CF things I feel I should accomplish first to be able to master. Does that make any sense?
I would LOVE to be able to post those pics that I see CF do of handstands at various places.0 -
I would LOVE to be able to post those pics that I see CF do of handstands at various places.
I really want a handstand pic too! lol. I think they look so cool. I have been practising a lot just balancing in handstand position (against a wall), but I still topple over after a couple seconds.... I've never even tried a hand stand push up though...one day I will, but for now I just do them with my feet elevated on some risers or in a pike-like position...they are still so hard!!!!!0 -
i have this weird, rational/irrational fear depending on how you view it, of landing on my head and breaking my neck and being paralyzed for the rest of my whatever. Couldn't even do cartwheels as a kid. You just have to take baby steps to it. It will come with time. There are multitudes of modifications to get to you to where you need to be to achieve a handstand or hspu. You WILL get there! If I can get over my fear of it, you can certainly get your body to where it needs to be strengthwise to achieve it!0
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I am six months into CF. I cant do handstands againt a wall and sure cant do HSPU's. I have gauged my shins 4 times on box jumps and my nerves are terrible on the days they are part of a WOD. I go and i do what I can. I am over 40 and have never been an athlete. I'll leave the HSPU's to the youngsters, you will find me doing mine at a box. : )0
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@Eat2Live2Run - HA! It's a good rant, and I'm glad I'm not alone. I get really light headed as well, and I'm even doing a full one...it's the prep work! I tried to do my first box jump (12") and I literally face planted onto the floor and beat up my arm and both legs. Looked like someone took a baseball bat to me. I now do step ups.
@Tobi - It's a combo of mental "I'm upside down and this isn't right", and my arms can barely support a 8 lb weight, and me getting light headed. Oh, and the fact I have zero core.
@M00nflwr and melmkaty - I'm thinking perhaps I can work on my arm strength instead and core. Perhaps once I can master other items I may gain more ability and confidence to attempt seriously. However, right now there are other CF things I feel I should accomplish first to be able to master. Does that make any sense?
I would LOVE to be able to post those pics that I see CF do of handstands at various places.
I don't know what to tell you about the light headedness, but the strength is definitely something you can work on!! If you want that handstand pic, you can ABSOLUTELY get there!!! Go get it, girl!!!!0 -
I am quite sure your Crossfit coach can give you an alternative to HSPUs that will help you build your shoulders to the point where you can do them. There are many women who develop the strength to do pull-ups when they cannot initially, or push-ups, or whatever. I think that is kind of the whole point of Crossfit -- to train your body to do things it could not before.
Good luck !0 -
I hear ya on the hand stands - I am still building up towards being able to to do a hand stand against the wall. let alone doing a push up. It;s so scary for me and yes, i get dizzy too. I will keep trying though - maybe one day.0
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Handstands scare the bejeezus out of me, but I can (on occasion) stick one against the wall.
Get somebody else in your class to spot you, both on the handstands and the box jumps. It helps a lot with the confidence piece.
I find that box jumps are mostly a mental thing. Once I got my head around not killing myself on it I was fine. I still step back down, though. Don't know that I'm ever going to have enough faith in the floor being where I left it that I'd be willing to jump back down blind. I could barely do a 18" box when I started. Last week I was doing 24" box jumps with a weight vest (not during a WOD - I'm not that crazy!)
RE: double-unders - singles are NOT a substitute, unfortunately. I wish they were. Double-unders burn huge amounts more energy than singles ever will. It's not about looking bad-*kitten*, it's about burning energy. If you can't do double-unders well enough for a WOD, work on them during your buy-in and do tuck jumps during the WOD. They suck too but they'll build up the strength and the aerobic endurance so that you will be able to do DUs in your WOD once you get the technique down. Tuck jumps will give you the explosiveness to be successful with box jumps, too. See how that works?
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I have a little experience doing crossfit over the last couple of months and am building my strength gradually.
I found this article and thought it might interest you
http://www.crossfitlondon.ca/wp/zero-to-10-handstand-pushups-hspu/
The first time I stepped in the box I was amazed at how little strength I had. Sure, I 'can't' do most of the things in the WOD but it doesn't mean I 'wont' try. I can do more than I did the first time I went. I kept hearing people say 'Crossfit teaches scaleable constantly varied functional movement'.
HSPU's are scary and I had been looking for a progression to build up to the full movement. We did them for the first time on Saturday and I had a searing scary pain behind my left eye. I am under observation for a pituitary tumor and that did send alarm bells ringing but with through listening to the coach and a little research of my own online apparently this pain is not uncommon in beginners and relates to breathing and improving the performance of the movement gradually - another goal to work towards Everything was back to normal by Sunday morning.
I wish I could do it all straight away too 0 -
I have problems doing handstands as well. My coach makes me do headstands first, or try to...lol! I did a headstand at home yesterday! I think it's the fact being upside down that scares me!:grumble:0
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6 months into CF and I still can't do a handstand. I even took an extra Hand Stand Clinic taught by a gymnast/coach at our box. While it was very helpful, I still couldn't just throw myself into a handstand at all. I need to practice. I think it's all in my head (and maybe a little in my core). 0
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gonna try those tuck jumps. thanks0
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Whoa whoa whoa CrossFit WODs are scalable for a reason. Not everyone can (or should) Rx a WOD if they aren't physically able. Forcing someone to Rx is how people get injured and how CF gets a bad rap. Your coach(es) should know this.
I myself cannot do a HSPU. In fact I suffer from Vertigo so being upside down is not something I long to do. However the coaches at my Box are amazing at keeping people safe while pushing them to be better. They offer several scaled mods to HSPU... there's adding abmats under the head to reduce the travel distance, doing them with knees on a box, or even just simple dumbbell presses. They do suggest just practicing being inverted so our bodies can get used to it. Does this mean I will never do a HSPU? I will someday. It's on my CF Bucket List, but right now I know I'm not physically able to do one. Doesn't mean I suck, just means I need to be better. I enjoy watching others in my Box do amazing things with their bodies, but I also know that they have worked hard for it.
The difference between "can't" and "won't" is simple. I "can't" means there is some physiological reason that prevents you from doing something. I "won't" is an attitude problem and is usually fixed with a swift kick in the *kitten*.0 -
The difference between "can't" and "won't" is simple. I "can't" means there is some physiological reason that prevents you from doing something. I "won't" is an attitude problem and is usually fixed with a swift kick in the *kitten*.
:flowerforyou:
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