A few months ago, one of our long-time members, Leslie, started a fundraiser to raise money for a Rogue Echo Bike for CrossFit Dwell. We were thrilled when our members contributed the needed funds and Leslie found a bike that was being sold on Facebook Marketplace. Now, we have one more fitness tool in our facility!
Personally, I had never been on an Echo Bike before. I had heard they were very challenging, so I confess that I was a bit intimidated to give it a try. But, as one of the owners of the gym, I knew I had to take the plunge and use the bike.
I used it as part of my warm-up a few times when I needed a sub for running. Even in those short rides, I knew this was going to be a challenge. Fast forward to now, and I have used it quite a few times. It is a handy sub, for sure!
This morning, I used it as a sub for running in a workout. As I was pedaling the first round to get to 36 calories as quickly as possible, I was thinking how much I would have preferred to run or to row. This bike spikes my heart rate and my quads burn with every ride. It hurts! And mentally, it is all I can do to stay on the bike. When I am pushing for a quick time, those calories cannot roll over quickly enough.
Originally, I thought this post would be about why the Echo Bike is so hard. There may be another one about that. However, as I started to write, I realized there was something better to explore. It is: Why choose harder options? It would be so easy to choose the easier option…especially when I am working out alone.
I knew that this hard work would benefit me. It helps me be physically stronger. It helps me overcome things in my mind that seem too hard. It reminds me I CAN do hard things, so when hard things come to me outside of the gym, I am more mentally prepared to do them.It also helps me remember what it is like to learn something new at the gym. It reminds me how it feels to be a beginner.
It is interesting what a short ride on a bike can do!
We all face challenges. It may be a new movement we are learning at the gym. It may be a career situation or a family situation or any other life situation. Building the muscle we need to face those challenges takes intention. It doesn’t come easily. It takes a willingness to face the challenge and be the beginner.
Are you willing to try to do hard things? What have you tried lately that has challenged you? What have you learned from it?