Nobody Said It Would Be Easy

No, it doesn't ever get any easier. You wouldn't want it to either. Greg Glassman.

I admit I am a Crossfit junkie. Difficult, continually novel workouts that you never quite master and leave you gasping on the floor are somehow fun. As Marc Twight said "it doesn't have to be fun to be fun." While Crossfit has spread in popularity and garnered support among big name climber types - Will Gadd for example - Crossfit will never be for the masses.

Nor will the Crossfit corollary - the Paleo diet. Both run counter to conventional fitness and nutrition "wisdom". Imagine, not eating grains and eating fat - nuts, seeds, avocado, olives, all types of oils and nut butters, even butter - and fueling your workouts, climbing days, ski trips on a diet heavy on protein and fat and light on carbohydrates. Almost like asking the Pope to shack up with a couple of gay guys, practice contraception, and take off that ridiculous head piece he wears (he could ditch the robes while he's at it). Just ain't gonna happen.

For those of us that have been fully assimilated into the Crossfit work-out ethic and the Paleo lifestyle, we can't understand why people - particularly people who want to excel at their sports - don't train hard Crossfit style, eat Paleo, and find themselves crushing their sport. Probably there are a multitude of reasons, but a big one, I think, is not being willing to be humbled. Crossfit workouts are hard, you will suck at them - especially at the beginning - you'll have to learn a lot of new skills, most likely, you'll find that you aren't the big shot you thought you were. After all, a goldfish looks big swimming in a pool of tadpoles.

So don't come out with this excuse - or any variation thereof - "I can't do the workouts/moves/exercises, so I quit." No shit, Sherlock. No-one said it would be easy.

Starting A Sierra Ski Traverse, 7 day pack, skis, walking, 

good thing you did all those killer workouts