Author Archives: scharles

It has occurred that the “something” I have been trying to express, that allows an athlete is to keep going under heavy physical stress, is knowing the difference between mental fatigue and physical fatigue.  That “moment” of discovery has been elusive for … Continue reading →

At some point, probably 2 minutes in, time started to stand still. It took longer and longer to get set up, and get the bar up and down. I could feel the strength leaving. And that’s where something else kicked in. A little voice saying “keep going. one more.” Continue reading →

The 2021 Crossfit Games Open is over.  Five weeks of competition to see what our Crossfit selves were made of.  Week one was burpees, week two snatches, week three presses, box jumps and toes-to-bar pullups, and week four was wall-balls, double-unders … Continue reading →

Crossfit East Sacramento has a lot of really, really talented athletes.  Young, old, big and small.  But certain ones catch my attention.  There are a couple of young guys, JS and BB in particular.  And a couple of young women, AL … Continue reading →

One of the innovations of Crossfit was developing a series of standardized workouts that allowed athletes to compare their level of fitness.  The workouts involve a combination of  many, many domains of strength, agility, and endurance.  So it’s a great way to make a comparison … Continue reading →

And that’s it, right there: the edge. If you’re not on the edge of your ability, you can’t improve. And yes I could do these workouts alone, but that nerve-racking stress, the noise, the chaos, the fear, is all part of the challenge. Managing the surges of adrenaline, all the hormones, all that emotion, is part of what must be done. Continue reading →

For me, and I suspect 90% of the people in Crossfit, the key to any workout is scaling. This means bringing the intensity down to the point where it’s not too intense but still enough to be useful. It’s a judgement call. Continue reading →