it all adds up

Yesterday's workout at CrossFit 321 was deadlift work and a metcon of 3 deadlifts/6 burpees every minute on the minute. 
****A burpee can be described as a movement in which you hurl yourself to the ground because you have an inexplicable and sudden urge to do a push up.  Then you decide just as suddenly that you were mistaken so you launch yourself back up to your feet as best as you can with the bright idea of finishing all this indecision with a jumping jack movement, clapping your hands overhead because you need some positive feedback for what you just went through.  You feel so accomplished that you decide to do it all over again. :-) ****
Now, back to the metcon. 
This type of metcon is deceiving because, on paper, it looks as if you'll be okay because you'll have some rest after each set before the next minute begins. 

The deadlift weight is arrived at by either calculating a percentage of what you know to be your maximum lift, or by merely choosing a weight that will be challenging but doable for the entire metcon.  Like all CrossFit movements, the choices allow for scaling to your own ability.  I chose a percentage of my maximum deadlift, loaded the bar, and stood ready.  10 sets, 3-2-1 go....

The interesting point of all this is that after it was over, I was looking around at my classmates and wondering how many, if any, of them realized what an amazing feat they had just accomplished.  I'm guessing that foremost in their minds was that they had picked up that one barbell of a chosen weight a lot of times.  What they probably didn't see was the big picture.

Here's what my classmates really did during that metcon (using a 100# weighted barbell as the example):
100# barbell lifted 3x for 10 sets=
100# barbell lifted 30x=
3000# lifted in 10 mins!
That is 1 1/2 TONS lifted in 10 minutes!!! 
That is what these amazing people don't realize they've just done.  The didn't just pick up a 100# bar a lot of times.

The function of picking up a 50# child many times a day, or a 20# bag of groceries will merely be something they do while chatting or thinking about something else.  No big deal.  I mean, they just lifted 1 1/2 TONS in 10 minutes!  OH, and they threw in 60 burpees for a little extra challenge...amazing!!!