HERO WOD
Happy Veterans Day!
While much controversy exists around Crossfit, one of the reasons I think it is GOATed is the HERO WODS.
HERE is a list of all/most of them. They are workouts “meant to honor the memories of military service members who made the ultimate sacrifice and are no longer with us.”
My favorites include Murph & McGhee. And don’t get me started how excited I get when the gym announces HERO WEEK!
Murph was personally impactful because it was the first time I ever hit a wall in a workout where I knew I was 100% done… only to find that we have a reserve tank inside of us. It was impactful enough for me to frame my result. That frame still sits on my bookshelf today to remind me, in addition to the ceiling referenced above, how blessed we are to have brave men and women who volunteer their lives for our freedom.
McGhee hits a bit different. This workout honors Corporal Ryan C. McGhee pictured below. His mom worked out at Crossfit 865, the gym I was a member of at the time. We would kick off the workout with her telling the story of her son’s life. Then, we would play his favorite song, THUNDERSTRUCK, to kick off this amazing workout. When you hit a wall during this one, you just look over at his pictures and you find another gear. Every time.
Today is Veterans Day. My current gym, Clinch Valley Crossfit, is doing CHAD in honor of our military service members.
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Chad is simple.
1,000 Step Ups with a Weighted Vest On. Done.
I was telling Beau about it on the ride to school this morning asking if he wanted to do it too.
“I can’t even COUNT to a thousand Dad!” :)
But he is in. 500 step ups for him (lower height). And he said he will wear his school backpack for weight!
What I look forward to most is the dinner after. Where he and I get to talk about how lucky we are to live in America. How lucky we are to have people (and their families) who have laid down their lives in the past couple centuries so our lives get to look like they do today.
To close, I will quote one of my favorites, Jocko Willink:
THERE IS NO EASY WAY.
There is only hard work, late nights, early mornings, practice, rehearsal, repetition, study, sweat, blood, toil, frustration, and discipline.
Happy Veterans Day!
GO GET IT!
TGIT!
-Drew
