Inspiration From An 8 Minute Plank
| August 20, 2013 | Posted by Sarah under CrossFit, Fitness, Inspiration & Reflection |
You read that title right…an 8 minute plank!
You know the plank right? Probably the best exercise to strengthening your core, where you hold your body stiff as a board while either in a strict push-up position or on your forearms. It looks easy, but once you start doing a plank you know how insanely hard they are!
So this brings me to tonight where I stood in awe and witnessed an 8-minute plank. On my best day, I think the longest plank I’ve held is 1:30…not so impressive. This was impressive. But there are a few other reasons why this 8-minute plank was so incredible.
First, it followed a full CrossFit WOD. This included 20 minutes of hang power snatch and power clean work building up to a 1 rep max and a 2 rep max respectively. We then moved into 7 rounds of 10 deadlifts and 7 burpees….no big deal right?!? Ugh! We then rested for one minute and went into a plank hold for as long as we could. You know how long I lasted? 30 seconds. Seriously…30 seconds…fail.
This is me…
Second, the woman who held this plank was 60 years old and she is seriously badass. I first met Peggy early on into starting CrossFit and I have always been in awe of her positivity, determination and strength. Earlier this year she broke her foot, but that didn’t stop her from still putting in the work at the gym. I even saw her doing burpee box jumps with a boot on her foot…what?!? I can’t do those on a good day! Oh and don’t even get me started on how well she can climb a rope…sigh.
So there she was after that insane workout, holding that plank. We were all out of breath and spent as we put our weights away and there in the middle of the room was Peggy, holding that plank. Our coach Gina got down and was encouraging her through it…counting down the minutes. A group of us circled around and cheered her on. The previous recored for the day was 7:35 at one of the morning classes, so Peggy set out for 8 minutes…and she got it! I can’t remember the last time I felt that inspired.
When she got up, a group of us told her how amazing that was and how we could NEVER do that in our wildest dreams. Ever humble, Peggy replied that she can’t lift like we can. And here is why I love CrossFit. We all have our strengths and we all have our areas to improve, but we all see each others strengths as a way to make ourselves better. Peggy has the core strength. Keira has mastered double unders. Kat can out squat anyone. Ari runs like the wind. Ashley bangs out the pull-ups. And I can kick some ass on the Air Dyne. We are all unique, yet inspire each other to be better everyday.
I left today’s class with a HUGE smile on my face and I can’t help but thank Peggy for that. She proved that no matter what your age is, you can do whatever you set your mind to. I can only hope to be that strong, both mentally and physically, for the rest of my life. Thank you for giving me a day to always look back on when I’m down to lift me back up again…you rock!
What inspires you??
how awesome is Peggy!? That is wonderfully inspiring. My plank lasts about 30 seconds!! lol
Jenny recently posted…Old Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies.
I’m in the same boat as you…
She’s is AMAZING!
How inspirational is that! I guess there’s no excuse for not trying. And i love that you all cheered her toward her goal.
Bonnie recently posted…Day Trip to Port Jefferson from Connecticut on the Bridgeport Ferry
There really is no excuse!
8 minutes?? Wow! I’d be happy to do one minute…
Jessie recently posted…Here It Comes… The Last Week of Summer
Right?! 1 minute is super impressive for me…8 minutes is unimaginable!
Wow!! That is very impressive. A little sick part in the back of my brain kind of wants to do it now 🙂
Ara Spellman recently posted…Swimming Upstream
I hope you do! Let me know if you get it!!
Awesome story! I haven’t tried CrossFit, but I’m a martial artist, and have frequently found myself amazed and inspired by my fellow practitioners.
Our bodies are each designed differently. It seems like spinning jump kicks will forever be outside of my comfort zone. However, there are some pretty neat things that I can do at this point that I couldn’t when I first started.
So, I have the double blessing of being inspired by others, as well as inspired by how far I’ve progressed.
When we choose to, we each have the opportunity to do that. So often, we compare ourselves negatively to others. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We can be inspired by what’s been accomplished and use that to motivate ourselves to be the best that we can be as well.
So well said! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
It’s quite amazing to look back at where you began and see how far you’ve progressed.
I think 1) i’m going to how long (as in seconds) I can last doing a plank and 2) I’m not going to tell anyone how long it lasted 🙂
Hahaha!That’s how I feel… #plankfail
Peggy is an inspiration!
Peggy is my mother, and she is a true inspiration. She is such a strong and determined woman… I can only hope to be half the person she is. Great job mom!! I love you
She is amazing and I’m so lucky that I have gotten to know her! Oh and if you’re the son who recently did the Ironman…CONGRATS!