Spirit of Competition

Boxtoberfest is around the corner and I have to say that I am SO excited to not only get to compete but to also get to see so many of our member compete as well.

If you have an athletic background, you are probably no stranger to competing.  However, CrossFit competitions are a whole different animal.   I’d like to give all of you a little advice from experiences that I have picked up over the past couple of years.

1. Warm up!  I wrote a post about warming up for competition a few weeks ago, and to sum it up just make sure that you get your blood flowing, good mobility in your joints and muscles, and get some lactic acid flowing so that when you start your WOD you are ready to go at full speed!

2. Don’t give the judge a reason to question your range of motion on movements.  There have been standards given on depth, range of motion, etc. in standards videos and they will be reiterated at the standards meeting before the WODS.  Make sure that every movement you do is deep enough, or your chin is over the bar, or your arms are locked out overhead.  The better your ROM the easier it is for your judge to judge you and the less likely you are to get “no-repped.”

3. Don’t argue with your judge.  It will get you nowhere and they have a better view of what you are doing than you do.  Even if they make a mistake, remember that they are a fellow crossfitter who is volunteering their time for the event, so be nice!  If you keep getting no-repped, stop, and ask them what you are doing wrong.

4. Have a plan for your WOD.  Make sure to communicate with your teammates and decide on a rep scheme.  Maybe you will all divide reps up equally.  Or maybe the girls are stronger than the boys at one movement and can do more reps or vice versa.   Just make sure you have a plan of attack before the WOD starts.

5. Push the limits of what you think you can accomplish.  Every single member at our gym is capable of greatness.  Competition can show you things about yourself that you didn’t even know.  Go hard, leave it all on the table, and you just may surprise yourself.   You are all amazing athletes and I guarantee you that you will do things this weekend that you did not know you were capable of!  Don’t leave the WODS thinking that you could have given more- no regrets!

6. The most important thing- HAVE FUN!  Competing with a team is so much fun.  You experience all of the blood, sweat, and tears with each other.  Savor the moment and enjoy it!

So good luck, have fun, and if you have any questions about anything grab one of the coaches this weekend and ask us!   We are all looking forward to getting to watch all of you compete!