More Than Usual

JT Scott | 08/19/2013 | 9

“Unknown and Unknowable” is certainly one way to describe the challenges we may have had to face on any given day as humans throughout history. As residents of Theme Park America, safely inside the guiderails and with our arms inside the car at all times, our exposure to the Unknown and Unknowable is limited – but it can happen any time our routine breaks down.

Car trouble? Flat tire? Accident? Those are three easy ways to break our daily routine and force us to interact with our environment in a new and unusual way. By getting off the safe and patrolled paths, we quickly realize that the capability to interact with our environment in a strong and functional manner is a more vital skill than perhaps we believed before.

That’s what CrossFit does, ideally. That’s why military, firefighters, and law enforcement personnel were some of the first to recognize the enormous benefit of training this way. They’re the ones operating the machinery that keeps the rest of us safe inside the Theme Park – and they’re the ones who have to interact with the world to make it “safe” for the rest of us.

The capability to deal with the Unknown and Unknowable is a real and vital skill for them. If we ever plan to leave the Theme Park, it’s a real and vital skill for us too.

If you want “Fight Club” style homework, take this challenge:
Go to work by a different method every day this week.
Bicycle. Run. Drive. Take the T. Rideshare. Do it off-road. Take the path less traveled. Whatever it is, it can’t be what you normally do. You may find that forcing yourself into a bit of the unknown opens you up to unknowable experiences – and you may be better off for it.

Today we’re doing a little different: more rounds, heavier kettlebells. Is it different? Yes. It’s meant to be. Training needs to be constantly varied in order to prepare us for the unknown and unknowable.

Strength:
Overhead Squat
5-5-5-5-5

WOD:
10 Rounds for time
6 KB Swings (2/1.5)
12 Double-Unders