Week 5: CrossFit Filthy Fifty

The Filthy Fifty is no joke it is a workout that pushes any athlete through multiple stages of wanting to stop.  Through the first few excercises athletes feel good about what they are doing and they think they can do the workout as long as they would like then comes the 50 walking lunges.  While the athlete feels as though the first 4 to 6 walking lunges are ok it is the next 46 to 44 lunges that they have to worry about.  As the athlete gets halfway through the walking lunges they start notcing their legs and mid section start to become weak.  With sweat dropping from their forehead the athletes push forward and prepare to take a break after the lunges.  Once done with the lunges the athletes take a few deep breaths and the trainers and other athletes cheer them on to continue and to keep pushing as the next step in the Filthy Fifty is knees to elbows.

Knees to elbos is a movement where an athlete hangs from a pull up bar and raise their knees to their elbows.  While the movement seems easy to manuever, many athletes hang there and try to reach their knees as high as they can and after about 15 to 20 their arms and their hand grip starts to become weak.  This starts t ocuase a problems as the athlete starts to have a difficult time holding onto the pull up bar which inturn makes it difficult to do knees to bar.  As the athletes push through the athlete next to them is pushing them along to push themselves harder than they normally would intend on doing.  Working to improve themselves and push themselves is what many strive to do in CrossFit. 

As the athletes are tired from hanging on the pull up bar from knees to elbows they now have to push themselves even harder as they move to 50 push press at 45 pounds.  While 45 pounds does not seem to be a lot of weight for many athletes after going through the beginning stages of the Filthy Fifty, their mental toughness starts to come into play and they question how much longer is this pain going to last.  As they struggle with the last few push presses, the sense of relief starts to kick in as they are able to move onto the next workout.  The GHD back extensions while the athletes go to the GHD machine it is a time for them to push themselves as during their workout their hamstrings and back will start to become fatigued and as now with each movement the sweat is being flung through the air creating a straight line of sweat on the mats lying beneath them.  

The final three workouts involve using the whole entire body as the next stage in the Filthy Fifty is the dreaded wall balls.  This is where an athlete takes a weighted medicine ball and has to toss the ball from 8 to 10 feet above a line.  With each catch of the medicine ball the athlete gets down in a squat tosses the ball in the air to only recatch the ball and do it again and continue the process over and over.  As the athletes push forward they have burpees and double unders to look forward to.  As the athletes start their burpees their bodies hit the floor and sweat angels start to form.  As their legs and arms start to tremble they have to deal with trying to keep rhythm and finish the last excercise with double unders.  This is an excercise that could cause bruises and pain to any athlete who is unaware of what they are about to get themselves into.  Those double unders with each swoop of the jump rope come closer to closer with each rapid swing.  Athletes arms and legs start to tremble and within the next few seconds the jump rope hits their shins and within seconds bruises start to accumulate across various parts of their bodies.  With all the stinging from the jump rope the athlete continues to push themselves as they know they have pushed themselves to be better and that is only a few things that the Filthy Fifty brings to all.