One of the things Andy and I discuss with all new students during their intro sessions is “the cliff.” The idea that there is a zone of high intensity in which we as CrossFitters are required to work and that zone resides right at the edge of a proverbial cliff. Most folks out there in the Globo gyms either don’t have a clue that the cliff exists, or they want nothing of it. They’re fine off in the safety of their grassy plains listening to their music or watching TV, while we at Petranek remain right there, focused, on the edge.

The upside of being on the edge is that you must remain focused. For me, I always say it’s a Zen thing or a type of moving meditation. I have to be so focused on what I’m doing physically, that I can’t obsess over things going on elsewhere in my head, in my life or in the world.

Of course, the downside is, there IS a cliff. You can fall off the cliff! Certainly none of us at Petranek would encourage or desire for anyone to go over the edge – but it happens and we accept it as a possibility. Going over the cliff happens whether you’re a new student trying to figure out where your cliff is or an experienced CrossFitter pushing yourself to your limits. It can look like anything from headaches, to nausea, to rhabdo (I’ll let you look up that one on your own).

For me, the cliff looked like a broken rib. In the past, I’ve gotten migraines from workouts, and I’ve felt sick, but never thrown up, so I thought that was the extent of my “cliff.” I was wrong! A couple weeks ago, while doing the workout called the “Lynne” with Jonesy, I was doing a max set of pull-ups. In my head, before I even got up on the bar, I knew I was going to beat my old PR of 27 and was hoping to continue on for a few more pull-ups after that.

I got 27...then 28...then 29…and for these last few pull-ups, I could feel that my grip was slipping and I kept resetting myself between pull-ups. But now that I was so close, I was determined to go for 30 and 31. As it turns out, 29 was to be the number for the day, because as I kipped as hard as I could going for number 30, I lost my grip completely. My legs, from the force of my kip, shot out in front of me, I twisted to the side, and landed ribs first on the black box below me.

Now, it certainly can’t be disputed that 29 was indeed my true max! And in that same sense, it was also my cliff. And while the injured ribs aren’t fun, they’ll heal, and it’s not a bad thing to have experienced the cliff. It’s something that happens when you work out day after day at the intensity we do doing CrossFit.

To get the results CrossFit can bring, you have to work out with intensity, and you have to accept there are risks that come with that. If you were out skiing and hurt your knee wiping out, or crashed your bike while out riding, those would be known and acceptable risks in those activities. For all of us doing CrossFit, we know the cliff is there, but we do this stuff anyway because the rewards are well worth it. It’s like the X-Games of fitness!

Personally, I feel pretty honored to work out with the people I do at Petranek. I’ve never been around such a hard working dedicated group of people like all of you. Obviously I would never wish pukey or any other incarnation of the cliff on any of you, but I am inspired on a daily basis on how hard you all work and how willing all of you are to push yourself into that intense and uncomfortable zone right there at the edge. Most people couldn’t and don’t do what you guys do.

As soon as I’m healed up, I’ll be right back in there with you guys!

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Heal up fast!! I miss having you to chase in class!:-)
Your analogy of the cliff brought this quote to mind. I don't know who said it but it goes something like this, "if you are not living life on the edge you are just taking up space."

I read this about 3 times as I was finishing my final preparation for my "one hour swim" this week. While no cross fit workout, it is a grueling mental event. I pulled from this when I started to crack around the 40 min mark and got myself back on my goal pace. "Find the cliff..." I keep repeating. I swam further than my goal and 200 yards further than last year. You guys left an indelible mark....thank you. E