Some CrossFit Observations

Having now coached several hundred athletes in CrossFit, here are some observations I have made in no particular order.  

1.  Most people will make huge gains in their lifting numbers at the beginning but then taper off the longer they train.  It could be pretty common to add 40 pounds to your deadlift in your first couple months of training if you’ve never lifted weights.  After six months, you should feel good about any PR on a lift, even if it’s just a few pounds.  After a few years of training, it might take six or seven months of work for just a small PR.  

Don’t be disappointed if you’re not making gains like you once did at the beginning of your training.  It simply means you’re moving out of a novice phase of your athletic and fitness development.

2.  Nearly everyone struggles with Olympic weightlifting.  Or to be more blunt, you suck at the snatch and clean and jerk, at least at first.  

These are the most technical lifts we do and they are perishable skills if not practiced regularly.  Be patient, accept that you’re going struggle with these lifts, and then do the Burgener Warm-up everyday if you really want to get better.   

3.  Treating every training session as a beat down will make you hard, it will then injure you, and then you’ll get soft because you can’t train at all.  Should you work at high intensity?  Yes.  But high intensity is a relative term; some days you can absolutely bring it, and some days you can totally bonk on a WOD.  

Poor sleep, bad diet, too much stress at work…life gets in the way, and some days you’re just not capable of doing a workout as prescribed like you normally do.  No biggie.  You’ll have good days and bad days.  But if you’re injured from overtraining, then we’ve gone from bad days to bad months with you sitting on the sidelines. 

4.  Consistency trumps talent and everything else.  We’ve had people with two left feet and no athletic background do pull-ups and handstands because they were consistent.  Consistency in practicing the squat, consistency in working on double-unders, and moreover, consistency in just showing up.  Making the commitment to come to class regularly is the best thing you can do if you want to improve and really change your life with this program of CrossFit.

New or old to CrossFit, what are some observations and truths that you have?   

Awesome times these last few days with our very successful ‘Bring a Friend’ days!  Thank you to everyone that brought in their friends and family.

Monday’s Workout

Intermediate Class

Skill: Overhead Squat

2-2-2-2-2-2

Workout:

For total time, including the rest:

400 meter run

15 push presses/jerks (115#/78# for women)

Rest 1 minute

400 meter run

20 hang power cleans (115#/78# for women)

Rest 1 minute

400 meter 

25 overhead squats (115#/78# for women)

Beginner Class

Skill: Thrusters

2-2-2-2-2-2

For total time, including rest:

400 meter run

15 dumbbell push presses

Rest 1 minute

400 meter run

20 dumbbell thrusters 

Rest 1 minute

400 meter run

25 dumbbell front squats