Beautiful strength

I wondered where my mighty May had gone as I struggled to hang in ‘skin the cat’ for 5 seconds last week.

May was mighty because every week at calisthenics resulted in a new personal best.

?? I pushed & pulled 100 kilos on the sled.

?? I did 40 pull-ups unassisted with the green and black bands.?

?? I skinned the cat for 25 seconds – three times in a row.?

And I did better at one or the other each week.?

Mighty.

And then life interfered.?

Sleepless nights. Early morning flights. Late night returns.?

My second bout of Covid.?

I was disappointed to only push 97 kilos on the sled.?

And for needing assistance to complete my pull ups.

And needing two hands on each monkey bar – like when I first started.?

My trainer, Alex, says calisthenics means ‘beautiful strength’*.

I couldn’t see any beauty in going backwards.?

‘You’re here,’ Alex pointed out.?

‘Do what you can. Do your today best.’

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See that? There. Right there.?

One of the reasons I’ve been going to the same cali trainer for 13 years.

He cares. And not just about the workout.?

Every week, I take what I do and what we talk about into my every day.

I take the strength, endurance, flexibility, coordination and balance I build in cali into my day, my work and my life.?

To swim in rough surf. To lift a heavy suitcase. To ride up a hill. To garden for a few hours. To carry shopping bags when I’m 80.?

And I take the insights from our conversations to my facilitation, even if I’m not at my personal best.?

‘Do your best today’ is truly all I can do with every workshop and every group. I wonder if that’s true for you too.?

I didn’t smash any PBs at my workshop later that day. But the workshop was productive and built connections and trust, and the group left with the outcomes it needed.

Beautiful strength.??

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If you’re still reading and would like to explore ‘beautiful strength’ at cali, please come and join me one Wednesday morning in North Melbourne.?

Alice Woodruff did and was beaming after a few minutes, ‘I’ve just tried eight things I’ve never done before!’ And returned for more under her own steam.?

??DM me ??

* Calisthenics?originates from the combination of two ancient Greek words:?kállos?(κ?λλο?), meaning ‘beauty’ and?sthénos?(σθ?νο?), meaning ‘strength’?

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Facilitation is an essential skill for life and work. I share content that shows its amazing impact and backstage tips to make you a (fl)awesome facilitator. Because if you’re (fl)awesome, you create real engagement.

To find out more, please visit?www.jacintacubis.com