Workout with Tough Mudder Bootcamp #2: Curve Balls

Curve Balls are a part of life (including fitness), it’s how you react to them that matters.

My dad has always says, if you want something done, give it to a busy person. As a single mom who has worked two jobs, until just recent, this always rings true. 

I woke up at 3am to work 14-hour days, commuted almost 3 hours a day to and from my desk job, worked 6 days a week. So how was it I was always going, yet never getting anywhere? I was living in a reactive state. When my boss asked me to stay late to work on a project I stayed and frantically called to ask my mom if she could watch the kids. When the PTA asked for a school volunteer, but I couldn’t take off work to be there, I overcompensated by spending my one day off to make “pinterest worthy” crafts for the whole class. I never sat down to consider my goals and make a plan. Because I had no plan, I was reacting to everything. If we don’t know what we are working towards, then every damn time life throws us curve balls, we will react and change our swing to try and hit it. I became a single mom when my kids were 4 and 2. That was my curve ball. I didn’t plan for it, but really who does?

But the curve ball wasn’t where I went wrong.

I reacted to the curve ball and tried to change my swing to hit it. If you’ve never played baseball this reference might escape you so, let me shed some light. A curve ball is impossible to plan for and hit every time. It looks like it’s coming straight down the center and at the last second it breaks, usually out of the strike zone. You can hit a curve ball with luck. But the only way to hit curve balls every time is to plan to be reactive. You would have to plan for a break at the last second and try to change your swing to whatever direction it broke in a split second without being able to consider if it’s even in the strike zone. Because you were planning for an unpredictable break, you would miss the pitch that comes right down the middle- The pitch that you could take over the fence. Here’s where I’m going with this, leave the curve ball alone. Even if it strikes you out sometimes, don’t change your swing for the curve ball or you’ll miss your chance to hit a home run. 

Set your goals as well as actionable markers towards your goals.

Reassess where you are at those markers often so that when a curve ball comes it doesn’t change the course of your goals. What I do now is write my big goals in my closet so that I see them every day. I have professional goals, athletic goals, and relationship goals. The markers to get there are on my daily planner, so I am reminded of them as I build my daily to-do list. If you don’t have goals written anywhere, forget this workout! Use this 45-minutes to brainstorm and write them down. They can be big and lofty, but the trick is the actionable markers to get there. Assuming you have your goals written down read on:

For today’s workout I will give you your goal as well as markers to get to that goal. I will also be giving you some curve balls throughout the challenge. Don’t get derailed by the curve balls! Work until you get to your goal. 

Today’s challenge is a total body workout focusing on cardiovascular and muscular endurance.

You will need a set of weights 12 lbs. or above (if using household items two jugs of water work perfect). Your goal is to complete 10 rounds of three of the best total body exercises: ground to press, weighted burpee, and weighted double crunch. The reps will begin at 10 for each exercise. Each round will decrease by one rep. The curve ball will be 20 total lateral hop overs after every other round!