Remember the process…
There’s a learning curve!
I got a great question this weekend while teaching Basic Training. “Are you still progressing?”
I had to stop for a moment and really think about it before I just blurted out an automatic “YES!”
It force me to re-evaluate for that brief moment and take some quick inventory! Am I progressing? Are you progressing?
It’s uncanny, because just one day earlier, I got a quote… “I’ve been here for 2 years and I feel like I am going backwards.”
CrossFit is like any sport… it takes practice AND there are great accomplishments as well as minor setbacks. CrossFit is unique in that it incorporates skills that are actually their own sports… running, rowing, Olympic Lifts and gymnastics. The clean & jerk and the snatch take years to master, yet every average CrossFitter expects to master the movement within just a few sessions of Oly and some wisdom from their Coaches! Gymnasts train for most of their lives to master the rings, body control and relative strength, yet we think if we watch enough videos, we should be able to bang out butterfly pull-ups, muscle-ups and walk everywhere on our hands!
Truth is, there are no magic words we can use to make those things happen. It takes time to work on strength development, practice skills and then incorporate each of them in a highly intense environment.
There’s a process!
There is a time to train and a time to test.
There is a time to train and a time to rest.
There have been several articles/blogs written on this topic, and I have read them and said to myself… “well, duh!!!… everyone knows there’s a process!”. But that is not true, and it is ignorant for me to think so!
The little rhyme above is a good place to start.
Training is like practice… it’s taking the opportunity to use a WOD or training session to develop core strength, practice and master skills, and be completely OK with a slower WOD time because you were focusing on mastering a movement before adding the element of speed (remember MCI??).
Testing is when it’s time to put your strength and skill development to the test, by going fast and testing your physical and mental capacity.
Training and testing are two different things, and each are part of the process. The programming (WODs) and coaching will always provide you with the opportunity for both.
With that said, both training and testing require a high volume of work… which leads to rest. When rest is not part of the process, overuse injuries occur. You get a tweaked back, your shoulders and elbows ache, and/or your knees hurt. Those injuries are a signal, not a badge of honor… at which time the process becomes delayed, which leads me back to the original topic… “are you progressing?”
The answer to that question for me is “yes”, but in ways that might not jive with what you expect. I started this process in late 2007, early 2008. Back then I struggled with a lot of CrossFit stuff… like high volume Olympic Lifts, and some gymnastics moves. Over the years, I learned to master the skills enough to perform them safely and provide myself with an opportunity for longevity and, most importantly, a career. Am I progressing? Yes, but perhaps not in my athletic endeavors, but more in my pursuit of creating better athletes. My understanding of programming has progressed, my approach to teaching has evolved, and my attitude toward my injuries has matured. I have an understanding of the process, and I am trying like hell to impart that knowledge and experience unto you!
Don’t let ego stand in the way of your process!
Know when it’s time to train and when it’s time to test.
Know when it’s time to train and when it’s time to rest.
_cpj
