I hope that each of you come to the gym each day with a desire to become better at CrossFit (if not we need to sit down and talk). There are a lot of things you can do to make this happen, and there are also a lot of things you can do to sabotage yourself. I’m going to share a few things I recommend you avoid that will hopefully help you in the pursuit of becoming the best athlete you can be.
Number 1: Avoiding Scaling
Don’t be afraid (or have too big of an ego) to scale a WOD. If a weight is too heavy and you feel your technique is turning into dog crap; lighten it up. Hammering out a bunch of reps with bad form is going to hamper your progress and possibly get you hurt. Efficiency is the name of the game in CrossFit and it will serve you well as you evolve as an athlete.
Number 2: Half-assing Your Training
There are a lot of factors that go along with this, but I will just comment on a couple. Try your best to be on time. I understand you all have other obligations, but being habitually late is disrespectful and it hinders your training. If you come strolling into class late you are likely going to miss the warm-up and not be prepared mentally and physically to give your best. Secondly, once you walk through the door focus on the task at hand. Try your best to let everything else in your life slip away for an hour and be in the moment. This will not only be of benefit to your training, but it will also help your mental well-being.
Number 3: Cheating
Whether it is range of motion, shaving reps, or fudging the numbers in some other way. This one should be self-explanatory but I still see it more frequently than I should. Hold yourself accountable and listen to your coaches when they tell you to squat deeper or throw the ball higher on a wall ball. The only way to legitimately improve is to be consistent and hold yourself to the standards of movement that we teach.
Number 4: Cherry-Picking WODs
This is a huge pet peeve of mine. If you aren’t good at something or dislike it, odds are you should probably be doing it more if you want to improve. You aren’t going to become a better runner or get faster if you don’t run. Your double unders won’t improve if you don’t practice them. Don’t shy away from your weaknesses; embrace them and make a lasting change.
Number 5: Running Before You Learn to Walk
I love when people are eager to learn something new. But remember, having a solid foundation is a necessary stepping-stone for advancement. This will not only help you to achieve your goals, but it will also keep you safe. If you want to do a muscle-up, lets make sure you have a solid foundation of chest-to-bar pullups and ring dips first. Be patient and put it the work; the rest will take care of itself.
