Congrats to Will E., the winner of our Plank Race! We asked Will a few questions about the experience to see what makes him such a beast:
1) What was your mental approach to the plank challenge? Why do you think you were successful at it?
I used several approaches for this challenge. The first was keeping keeping in mind what the goal is and sticking with the plan. For me it was 45-90 seconds plank, 30 seconds rest. Sure, I lolly gagged and spent more time resting the longer the overall plank time went, but I just had to make sure I started the round again. The second was to stay distracted. I tried my hardest not to stare at a timer or think about what hurts. Instead I did things like listen in on other peoples’ conversations, count x number of beats to a song, or stare at a spot on the ground. The third was to think about finishing the round strong, which has the effect of breaking up the time. I did this by consciously re-engage the core, typically with 10-20 seconds remaining. I’m an avid cyclist who enjoys taking on ridiculously difficult bike rides. I was successful with this challenge because I was able to apply many of the lessons I learned about finishing a bike ride.
2) How has doing this extra work motivated you or improved your daily gym experience?
This challenge has reminded me about the importance of focus. I never thought I’d be able to plank for that long. In the beginning I told myself to just to do one at a time, and figure out a way to deal with it. Eventually I stopped thinking about the negatives and thought about what I needed to do to finish it. Also, I enjoyed seeing people put in the extra time to plank. Seeing how hard people were working motivated me to push that much harder.
3) It’s your call man! What would you like to do for our next Gym Challenge?
I just learned how to do a handstand, so I vote for the handstand challenge (if you can lean against a wall). If we were to do the squat challenge, I don’t think I’d be able to ride my bicycle for a month.
These chicas finishing up their epic 20 min #plank finale for a solid finish to the challenge! More to come from our winner, Will, who will choose the next challenge! @kristieham @zmonkee78 #crossfitcypher A photo posted by Cypher Health & Fitness (@crossfitcypher) on
