When I played basketball, we would run a lot of sprints. We ran drills sometimes, but we did a lot of sprints. Someone on the team would screw up a play and coach would line us up on the line and have us run suicides until we’d feel sick. There’d always be one or two team members who couldn’t keep up so we’d run more to make up for them. Someone would curse because we were running so much, so we’d run more.
When we finally finished, there was a mass exodus to the doors of the gym where we’d walk outside in the winter cold, contemplate puking, breath deep, hack up a lung, spit it out, catch our breath, grab some water and start running drills again.
I remember the feeling that I was going to puke distinctly.
It was almost as if your body was way out in front of you and you were breathing in frantic attempt to catch up with it. You knew you didn’t have much left, but you were trying to do the best to keep your breathing up and your body to slow down so you could ‘sync them again. But that was a while ago…
I haven’t felt like that…like I was going to puke for a long time…until recently.
Everyday I’m Hustling?
As part of one of my goals for the December Impossible Challenge going on in the League right now, I wanted to go to CrossFit class 20 times. Over the last 2 months, I’ve jumped in with both feet to CrossFit. Before this, I had heard a lot about it, but never really done anything so I found a Milwaukee CrossFit gym and gave it a go.
If you don’t know exactly what CrossFit is, it’s basically a bunch of high-intensity workouts focused on cardio-focused heavy lifting and endurance. If you’re still confused, the super-simple version is you basically life a lot of heavy weights very fast, for an extended period of time.
I don’t think I’ve ever consistently wanted to puke so many times in my life.
The overall sessions are usually an hour and the actual workout of the day (WOD) only lasts 10-20 minutes, but I can’t remember the last time that I’ve ever wanted to puke so much as the last two months of CrossFit.
But, that’s a good thing. I know when I have that puking feeling that I’m laying it all out on the line and I’m not holding anything back.
In a sick way, I think I like that pain. It reminds me that I’m human. That I’m alive and privileged to feel pain (this is a weird thing to feel thankful for, but think of all the people who can’t feel anything and you’ll start to realize why I’m grateful). It reminds me that I’m at the edge of my limits. And somehow I’m able to go further than I think I can…sometimes.
I’m never perfect. There are some points where my mind doesn’t think I can keep going – so I stop. There’s not a much worse feeling than being done at the end of a workout and realizing that I could have done more. That I could have pushed myself farther. That I still had something left. That I cheated myself.
Are you cheating yourself?
When’s the last time you wanted something so hard you were about ready to vomit? Sorry if that’s a disgusting picture to put in your mind, but when was the last time you worked so hard on something that you wanted to puke?
Personally, it’s really easy to say “I worked hard” or “I put a lot into it” but if I’m honest with myself, a lot of the time that even the things I put a lot of really hard work into, I don’t go all out. I’m telling myself those phrases to convince myself I went hard enough. But inside I know the truth. I know I still have something left. I know I lost an opportunity to get better. I know I’m cheating. I know, ’cause at the end I don’t quite feel like puking.
- When’s the last time you worked on your business so hard you wanted to vomit?
- Whens’ the last time you made a decision that made you feel naseous?
- When’s the last time you wrote something will so much passion that it made you sick to publish it?
When’s the last time you worked so hard at something you felt like puking? If it’s been a while, why are you cheating yourself?
***
I posted this a while back on my posterous site, but I think it fits in really well with this post. Just try to watch this and not run through a brick wall immediately afterwards.
How bad do you want it?
When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful.
[Click Through To Watch The Video]
***
I’ve been getting message from a few people who still don’t know about Impossible HQ. How has this happened? Go over and check it out if you haven’t realdy. Going forward, I’ll be making a few changes to the network of sites to make them better connected and easier to navigate between.
***
I’ve got something pretty cool up my sleeve for you guys. It’ll be available next Tuesday for free, but people subscribed via email will get a sneak peek this weekend. Thanks for being awesome. Have some eggnog this weekend and Merry Freaking Christmas :).
All I had to do was read the title to remember high school wrestling. I was a track star, but if we’re talking about puking, wrestling takes the cake.
I hated it, but I think now about how far my limits were pushed and how great of an experience it was. I don’t know about physically puking on my computer…probably wouldn’t be a great experience. But I definitely need to step it up.
Thanks for the fun post!
I think high school coaches are taught somewhere to make people want to throw up constantly. Dang, they were good at it.
It amuses me to no end, that the first comment I read talks about high school wrestling, since for me the last time I felt like puking was a few hours ago during my high school wrestling practice. I don’t mind though, haha, as it means I’m working to my limits and getting better and better. 😉
Somehow wrestling coaches tend to know how to bring out the “puke” in everyone :).
I know this feeling all too well. Not to sound arrogant, but I’ve always been blessed with just enough brains to get through what was expected of me on 80% effort. Sometimes, that’s ok – some tasks are just tasks and 80/20 is efficient. Other times, it’s meant that I only push myself as far as I need to to meet other people’s expectations. Meanwhile, I keep falling short of my own expectations. Been working hard the last couple of years to change that.
Hope you have a great holiday!
Joel,
I just realized that it’s easy to get that “worked so hard” feeling at the gym doing plyometric kind of workout. When doing physical things it’s easier to know that I’m working hard. But in other non-physical areas I probably sell myself short without realizing it. This post is a good reminder for parts of my life other than the gym! Thanks and Merry Ho Ho Ho Christmas 🙂
Kurt
I love that feeling of puking. I started working out 5 days a week with a trainer a few months back and I’ll always remember the first time I puked.
On the first day of training we ended the workout with a set of medicine ball burpee’s. No more than 30 seconds after I finished my last set I ran to the bathroom and puked up my breakfast. I laughed and haven’t looked back since.
The feeling of puking is a feeling that let’s me know that I’m pushing myself and my body past what it thinks it can do. It’s wrong. I can do so much more.
Thanks for sharing. Love your posts.
Ha, once you hit that first wall and keep going, things can really start changing. Thanks for sharing :).
it has been a while. I was cheating myself until now. from now on, I am going to search for the ”puking feeling”. thank you very much
Yeah, I remember the last time. It was this last week at crossfit.
21-15-9 cleans / ghd situps. Kind of cruel, but good for me. Left me panting at the end and wishing I could die. It’s a good feeling, actually. Makes me remember that my comfort dies every time I walk into the box.
CrossFit makes me want to puke way too much. I think that’s part of their unstated goals :).
Thanks for this reminder! I know I’ve had a good run, that I’ve pushed myself as hard as I could, when I feel like I’m going to puke. And know what? That feeling always passes. It’s temporary — a temporary discomfort for a lot of gain. I need to remind myself of that sometimes, that feeling discomfort is normal, and maybe even good.
Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays!
Well I never actually puked from pushing myself too hard.
I normally run for exercise and I did faint a number of times while running way longer than what my heart could take.
I wonder if that counts…
And I don’t recommend that to anyone by the way.
The explanation I was given was that the body decides to shut down in order to not have a fulminating heart attack.
If it is true, I don’t know but since I was told that, I pay attention to my heart monitor and I mean RELIGIOUS attention.
Sergio
I love the puke moments. 😉
When I was first starting to explore going out on my own I was working with a life coach who used to encourage vomit moments. Those moments when you get so scared and overwhelmed by what you are about to do you feel like you are going to throw up. Pushing through and doing them anyways not only opens opportunities for you and gives you a huge adrenaline thrill, it confirms that you are capable of doing things that seem Impossible to others.
I may need to re-visit this theory in 2012, though people were horrified (or at least thoroughly grossed out) to be discussing puke on my blog!
we’re doing 1000 reps of techniques each for the new year. i really hope i don’t vomit. any tips not to? its embarassing and messy
The last time? Yesterday, doing back supersets. I expect to happen much more as I enter contest prep. Why am I doing this at 57? Like you, in a sick way, I enjoy it. My gym keeps a “Yack Bucket” next to the power rack and Monolift. I’ve used it a few times in the past year. Squatting, Deadlifting, and any full body movement is most likely to induce it.
I remember wrestling team drills, too, and the Coach yelling “If you’re going to barf, take it outside” our overheated and humid wrestling room. We were proud to endure.
I’ve often said only bodybuilders and bulemics smile when they puke.
Great post and love the vid. Brick walls better watch out.
Brick walls ain’t got nothing on this…