Posted by Andy Petranek : Tuesday, Dec 13, 2011

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Persistence & Consistency... Probably the two most important words when it comes to achieving anything significant in your life. But how long does it take? And when will you see the results? This question comes up a lot around various CrossFit skills, especially the handstand.

Results are NEVER linear. Don't think that by practicing 5 minutes every day this week, you'll have a better handstand next week. It might be, but then again, it might not. Easy to get frustrated? Absolutely. This is where persistence comes in. Stick with it... all of a sudden, when you're least expecting it, you'll have a breakthrough... and something will change or happen - you'll get something differently than you ever have before. And then you'll go back to your practice... and at some point it will happen again. Some 'ah-ha's' are subtle, some are huge... enjoy them, they are the fruit at the top of the fruit tree. Satisfying because they were a struggle and challenge to get to, and they only come with great patience, and lots of practice.

This is exactly how it happened for me with my handstand. Six years ago, I couldn't hold a handstand if you had paid me a million bucks. Literally! Then I started practicing every day. Took me a few years (I'm a slow learner), and way too many subtle breakthroughs to count. I remember that it seemed to take absolutely forever (think - at least a year) for me to learn to hold a freestanding handstand for more than about 3 seconds! For me, these little breakthroughs were enough to feed me, and keep me coming back for more practice. I did NOT like the rigorousness with which I had to practice, but I knew that to get the result I wanted, it was required. I was paying my dues. The "joy" is in the journey. Remember that as your practicing your handstands during the challenge!

If you have a story about learning something like this (dribbling, hacky sac, juggling, playing an instrument, or any CrossFit movement), I'd love to hear about it in comments!


Practice. Today's Workout
21-15-9 rep rounds for time of:
Dumbbell Thrusters (1/2 bodyweight / 1/3 bodyweight)
DB Renegade Rows
400m Farmer’s Walk