BOXROX Pro

8 Battle Scars that Only Crossfitters will Understand

CROSSFIT BATTLE SCARS

Big injuries are incredibly frustrating, especially if they put you out of action for months, but minor injuries are part and parcel of progress within most sports. Sometimes you just have to break through the pain barrier, grit your teeth and carry on until you hit your goal!

This is especially true of Crossfit, where we all know that incredible feeling of finally cracking your first decent set of unbroken Double-Unders, that elusive first Muscle-Up, or destroying a WOD in record time. When you finish the round, or put down the barbell after smashing a new PR, you look back at the small marks, cuts and bruises, and realise that they are small signs of victory, tiny reminders that you are becoming stronger, fitter and more mentally resilient than you were yesterday! They are battle scars.

Crossfit Battle Scars
Crossfit Battle Scars

‘Pain is temporary, Pride is forever’

1 PUSH JERK / PUSH PRESS

Sometimes happens if you are working at high speeds, and the barbell grazes you during its movement. This is one of those little scrapes that you never notice until afterwards!

2 KETTLEBELL

A Slight grazing on the forearm, caused by the metal of the kettlebell rubbing as you work with the weight. No big deal, it heals quickly and then doesn’t really happen again. Plus Kettlebells are especially good for you when you use them properly, and make you strong!

3 PULL-UPS / TOES-TO-BAR

Crossfit will really increase your grip and forearm strength, which comes as a handy extra benefit alongside all the other advantages that you will earn from these Pull-Ups and Toes-to-Bar. Increased upper body strength, muscular endurance, power, a harder and more efficient core, the list goes on. But hand rips are something that we have all experienced. They can be effectively treated, and / or gymnastic grips can be used to protect your palms and fingers as well.

Battle scars Crossfit
Battle scars from Toes-to-Bar

4 SNATCH / OVERHEAD SQUAT

Both the Snatch and Overhead Squat movements normally involve quite a lot of weight, and you use your great balance, strength, flexibility and technique to control the movement properly. Performing high repetitions (such as in the Workout Randy) can sometimes cause friction on the hands.

5 BURPEES / WALKING LUNGES

Good old Burpees, everyone’s favourite (or not)! These little grazes can be avoided by wearing knee sleeves; this also helps to counter the bump when you rest your knee against the floor during the movement of the walking Lunge.

6 BOX JUMPS

Now this one only happens when you miss the box, which sounds silly, but we ALL know that feeling when you have done so many, and are working so hard, that your legs are on fire and each and every jump feels like you have several hundred bumper plates resting on your shoulders! It’s normally one mistake that we don’t make twice! Wearing protection on your calves and shins can help to stop this from happening.

7 DOUBLE UNDERS

Now this might be one of the most universal and annoying pains from Crossfit. It is the brisk slap of the rope from a mistimed Double Under and gives you a short, sharp reminder that you need to get better at them. Double Unders require tremendous coordination and determination, but they will super charge your engine as well as increasing your timing and speed.

Double Under Crossfit MemeSource: someecards
Double Unders, practice makes perfect!

8 CLEANS

An awesome strength exercise, the sheer weight of the barbell on your upper body can leave bruising, but those fade, and instead, you are left with the strength of an Ox to use as you wish in your next WOD. Sometimes the shins can take a slight grazing from the path of the barbell (in the same way as a Deadlift) and you might have noticed those little marks on the tops of your thighs if you are working your way through bar complexes as well.

SHAKESPEARE AND CROSSFIT BATTLE SCARS

Even William Shakespeare, the famous English bard, would have got involved with the action (or perhaps pretended to, and then written about it later, from the safety of his bedroom) and wrote about the idea of battle scars. In his famous speech from the play Henry V, he eloquently described how the King encouraged his troops before the battle of Agincourt, in which they were greatly outnumbered, and reads:

‘And say “To-morrow is Saint Crispian.”
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say “These wounds I had on Crispin’s day.”
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day.’

The above version is written in an older style of the English language, so if you translate it into a contemporary style, and hear it from the mouth of your Crossfit coach, just before you begin a WOD, it reads as follows:

‘And say “To-morrow is rest day.”
Where we will strip our sleeve and show our scars,
And say “These wounds I had from the WOD.”
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But we’ll remember, with pride and strength,
What great PRs we destroyed that day.’


Featured Image © Nero @RX’d Photography

Meme © Some EE Cards

Image Sources

  • Double Under Crossfit Meme: someecards

Related news