CrossFit, 7:30 AM
Today’s WOD: The Bear

I couldn’t get the 45-lb. barbell from the back squat to the shoulder press and I tried twice. So I had to pyramid down to the 35-lb. bar.

I wonder though if I could have done it if my feet were set wider than hip-width apart. In the video, none of the CrossFitters are adjusting their stance. Karen had us doing the cleans and presses feet hip-width apart, while widening our stance for the squats. I probably could have gotten more leverage with my legs if my feet were set wider apart.

Then again, I really have shoddy shoulders.

My first trainer, Christian Dominguez, called my attention to it back when I was working out at Clark Hatch when they were still at the InterCon. He said I had weak rotator cuffs. So I paid attention and, I’m not sure if this has any bearing on anything – it could be absolutely normal for all I know – but I could feel and hear them clicking whenever I did a shoulder press.

At Core Kinesis last year, my different trainers seemed to be amused by me. They liked it that, when they’d ask me to do a particular exercise, I’d try out the weight and, if it was too light, I’d ask them to increase it until I had to strain. Later, I’d catch them trying to add more weight than I had asked for, just to see if I could handle it. Kinesis emphasizes four functional movements: push, pull, lift and twist. I did well on all of them, predictably with the exception of the “lift” exercises. I could increase weight for all the other exercises save for that.

Because of my shot shoulders.

So I’ve accepted that I might never lift anything heavy ever, which is fine by me. That was never an ambition and that’s what porters are for. And it’s not like I have fat shoulders… Although a little bit of strength in them would be nice.