CrossFit has taken the world by storm and has been increasingly getting more popular as the Games get bigger! There are two types of CrossFit models: One is the functional fitness we want to obtain at our individual boxes that consists of functional movements done at high intensity for the betterment of our health and fitness. The second is now the sport of CrossFit at a competition level among high level athletes.
Many athletes, especially those that are looking for the competitive edge after they out grew high school and college sports teams, feel they automatically will be good at CrossFit because they had success in their individual sport. Oddly enough, CrossFit is a humbling sport and it takes TIME and CONSISTENCY to develop the muscle patterns needed to succeed.
The first thing that you need to respect is learning to trust the process of the program. There is a progression for everything, and if true results are going to be achieved, then hard work and dedication are required. In the gymnastics of CrossFit, you must have the strict movements down first. A stable base of support and strong core stability must be developed before higher-skilled movements can be performed. If this is not developed to handle the workload injuries can occur. You also need to be practicing movements in correct form and not just making sloppy attempts to prove you can lift a specific weight or gymnastics movement.
So how do you get better and learn to trust the program ? First, listen to your body. If your body is telling you it needs to slow down or it needs rest, it probably does. Competing in CrossFit requires you to be good in ALL domains. If you learn to get good in all areas everything will fall into place. It is important to work on mastering more advanced skills but in order to get strong you can’t get caught up in lifting all the time. You must understand that to build strength, you must rest. Continuous training can actually weaken the strongest athletes. Recovery days are the only way possible to restore muscle tissue breakdown to make you stronger. You should never be in perpetual soreness. Listening to your body is crucial.
If you have an injury let it heal. The longer you ignore injuries, the longer it will take for them to heal. Don’t be too proud to scale or change a movement that may reactivate an injury and elongate the healing process. You are in this for the long haul and it is important to see the big picture. Think, “I want to work smarter, not harder.”
Understand the programming and how it works to keep you safe. Especially in regards to the amount of repetitions you’re doing of a given movement, the amount of load you are stressing your skeletal system with, and the movement combinations that you are hitting. Start keeping a journal of your workouts and your performance. Neuromuscular fatigue can last for several days and affect your workouts, leading to frustration for those with an upcoming benchmark or competition in which they want to do well. Learning how much volume your body can handle is also very important. In understanding all of these components you will be more in tune with your body !
Learning your body, how much you can do, and how much rest you need is imperative to the sport of CrossFit. In CrossFit, you have to be willing to crawl before you can walk. You can’t get caught up in the leaderboard or what others around you are doing. You must be willing to learn at all times, to take coaching advice, and to stick to consistent programming.Once you adapt to a given stress, you will require additional stress to continue to make progress. The only way to adapt to this stress is practice, repetition, and rest. In the gym is where you train, and in the arena is where you put forth in competition what you did in training.
Sometimes we all just need to stop and enjoy what it means to improve. Do not put pressure on yourself or think it has to happen now. HAVE FUN !!!!! Never forget this. This is why you love CrossFit. It is why you choose to go to class every day and put the work in. Put a smile on your face and work diligently towards your goals. If you do this, then you will find yourself in a satisfying place.