The Woman in the Arena

  This week, I am moving from belt squats to squats with chains (5x3 with 40 lbs) to prep for eventual work with the safety bar Goals for next time: Stop the "Hunchback of Notre Dame" vibe I have going at the end of each rep, stay tight, and warm up with my feet halfway off of small floor plates to keep my heels from popping up, particularly on the left side Week 3 of the 4x8 with 90 lbs: Continuing to focus on maintaining an arch and pressing my feet to the floor, which is trickier on the left side because of my constant ankle inversion. Finding the right spot to plant my feet on the plates has been key. If I start to slide, I squeeze the bench. Goal for next time: Solid form from start. 

   “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena...who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.” Theodore Roosevelt, “The Man in the Arena” Although it was Teddy Roosevelt who spoke these words in 1910, it was author and researcher Brené Brown who introduced me to the concept of the arena, or the space created when people are faced with new challenges. Over the past year, the gym has become one of my arenas. Each week that I bench or squat, I bring my Cerebral Palsy along with me, sometimes as a partner and sometimes as an opponent. I am starting this blog to share very honestly what happens in my arena--imperfect form, occasional impostor syndrome, falling down (sometimes literally), and trying again. I hope that in the process of sharing, people take away something that helps them navigate through their own arenas.