by: Laura Meyer
photo by: Alexa Kay Photo
We all have an Alchemy workout that is eternally burned into our memories. Whether it’s because it was the day you finally nailed the 24″ box jump or the day you didn’t think you could possibly do one more push-up. Mine falls somewhere in between. The burpee-hang-cluster-pull-up one – you remember this one, right? The impossible to finish, can it be this insane, is this the day I lose all the skin on my palms, and who invented burpee hang clusters anyway, one? (Thanks, TQ.) The reps go something like, 21-18-15, so on and so forth. I have tackled this workout 3 times now, and I remember each time vividly. The first two times, I finished at exactly the same point. I’m not exaggerating, not one rep more or less – exactly the same. There was enough space and time between these two workouts that I thought I should have pushed along a little farther. I remembered feeling frustrated, a little defeated, and questioned the strength I thought I had gained.
This workout snuck up on us again on a Friday a couple months back, and biting back my initial dread, I decided I wanted to take a stab at it again. I wanted to clear the sets of 12. I was determined to get further than I had before, even if it was a margin of a few reps. An achievable goal, albeit a difficult one, I reassured myself. The workout began, and I had to enter that place where you aren’t thinking anymore – chest down, pick up the weights, squat, press, go. Find the bar, chin up, come down, repeat. And on and on and on. At one point I looked around the room and it was all-out mayhem – every single athlete pushing as hard as they could to conquer this insurmountable task. 20 minutes whittled away, and as we were coming up on the last minute, Coach Scott approached me and shouted, “Are you going to do it?” Do not look at the clock, keep moving, faster faster faster. With 18 seconds left, I cleared the sets of 12, and hung onto my torpedo to knock out some swings before the buzzer signaled the end.
To some folks, getting 18 seconds further in a workout probably seems absurd. 18 measly seconds, what’s the fuss? Ask any runner – 18 seconds; hell, 3 seconds – is an enormous feat. Those 18 seconds indicated to me that I had become stronger. That I could move my body the tiniest bit faster, string together pull-ups more smoothly, and not give in when my body was screaming at me to stop. As athletes, this is the sort of thing we thrive off of. These significant moments that make us feel more capable than ever before, where we can tangibly feel our strength. As a coach, I live for these moments. Watching a Member get their first un-banded pull-up never fails to make me choke up. Hearing someone say, “I’ve never used a 25lb torpedo for a whole workout, but I just did it today.” When back squat day in AStrong turns into PR city, forget it – there is nothing cooler.
Progress can feel slow. There will be times when you are sure you have plateaued, and can’t quite push past the block. There will be hard workouts, and even harder ones, and yeah; it can be frustrating as hell. Sooner or later (if you haven’t already), you will probably hit this point. Don’t give in. Keep pushing. Don’t back down from the shit that scares you or an A20 that could defeat you. Little by little, you will grow stronger, and I promise – that’s where the magic happens.
Keep pushing, every damn day. 365 days means 365 opportunities to crush your goals. Ready to go all in and make the magic happen? Membership is a click away. Your first month is just $95 with the code FIRSTMONTH – your Legend awaits.
Laura is a Coach and Operations Lead at Alchemy North Loop. When she’s not working she’s making breakfast food, killing the meal prep game (seriously, check out her Instagram), or training for her next half marathon. If you haven’t taken one of her classes, you need to get in and see what you’re missing!
