#7… ~cpj 150713

Recently, an article has been going around about why your daughter should CrossFit. (hyperlink!)

A good piece…

But I would like to rephrase it, and let you know why your sons AND daughters should not only CrossFit, but engage in training (or exercise).

Just as the article points out, there are many positive ramifications of CrossFit, but as much as I agree… and as much as I love CrossFit… CrossFit in and of itself, is not a means to an end.  It is truly only a piece of the puzzle in achieving optimal health, wellness and performance.  Especially for our young ones!

CrossFit strongly resembles sport, hence the life lessons associated with it.  Strength and Conditioning, however, takes hard work, dedication, persistence and discipline.  Last time I checked, CrossFit is a Strength & Conditioning Program… but only when it's programmed as such.  What's really cool is that CrossFit is an avenue to introduce kids to strength and conditioning… those kids who may or may not feel all that comfortable on the field, court, rink or pool.  We can influence the youth of America via fitness, whether they are athletes or not.  You don't have to be a great athlete to achieve fitness or do CrossFit, but as you work to achieve it, you endure and experience the attributes I listed above.  Those attributes create confidence… in the classroom, on the playground… in life!

Which leads me to #7 in the article… Stand by what you believe in

When you read that paragraph, it's very inspiring.  However, it seems to be bias in regards to CrossFit (as a means to an end).  Let me speak to you from personal experience on this subject (#7).

Fitness is a journey, and it's an avenue to take to achieve some things in life.  Each of those things are going to be different to each individual.  CrossFit has done an incredible job creating awareness of what fitness can do for you, but it rarely is the same for everyone.  You can't just sit back and agree that if your kids don't do CrossFit, they will be missing out on very important life lessons and experiences.  It's their coaches in the gym… it's their teachers at school… their sports coaches… and especially their parents and grandparents that need to create awareness and communicate those life lessons.

Training to achieve longevity, maintain function, and improve health metrics… This exact thought is something I believe in, and I stand by it with conviction. I know it just isn't as sexy as bodyweight snatches, AMRAPs and 21-15-9 WODs every day… going 100mph all of the time… but I don't care!  This is what I believe in, and I stand by it… and I will teach it to whoever wants to learn and experience it… for life.

Balance in these 10 Physical Skills… how many CrossFit Trainers take these into account when teaching our kids to move, programming for our mature athletes, or even when testing themselves??  When is the last time you tested your accuracy under extreme oxygen debt?  Can you walk on a balance beam after your quads and calves are filled with hydrogen ions from a heavy sled push?  These are valuable questions to ask!  Why?  Because having balance in those 10 general physical skills contributes to your overall fitness, health, wellness and performance.  That is the stuff I truly believe in, and I want to give it to you.

As a 43 year old dude, I am totally OK with acting and feeling much younger.  Life is awesome, and I have been given many gifts.  Last Saturday I was able to navigate a downhill part of a trail on my mountain bike faster than I wanted to, but man… the focus I had during that ride was intense and gratifying.  Fitness!

Yesterday, I had time to get out into my driveway gym, and work on some fitness.  Barbell complexes followed by archery… taxing my nervous system, creating oxygen debt, and then forcing myself to focus, calm my breathing… and shoot an arrow at a target.  7 rounds, 7 arrows in the target… 2 in the bull's eye!  Fitness!!

Can I snatch my bodyweight?  Hell no!  I can't even consistently snatch 135#, but that's not important to me.  That specific ability and absolute strength isn't the balance I am searching for!  For me it's about function, feeling good and having fun with my fitness.  It's important to note that those are the things that are important to me!  If snatching the world was important to me, well then I would navigate myself down that path in an effort to reach that goal.

So to end my rant… I won't be loyal to CrossFit to a fault, but I will always remain loyal to the underlying principles of creating fitness, and improving health metrics via strength and conditioning.  I believe that CrossFit is a very important piece to that puzzle.

If you have specific goals that the daily/weekly programming is not providing to you, set aside some time to seek me out so we can talk about it!

You can't just show up every day and expect your goals to magically come to fruition.  You need a plan, and you need to do the work!  We are here for you when you're ready!