Training is a magical journey in human exploration.  It is a personal adventure in which you discover strange new worlds all inside yourself.   CrossFit’s methodology of constantly varied, functional movement, performed at high intensity puts you on this path of individual study.  And this study can lead down many paths that intersect or completely veer off course.  However, no matter the direction, your training is progress in a life-long endeavor.

Progress in a life-long endeavor

Let that sink in while adding in another thought.  To stay with the current theme, an explorer may fall from the rocky trail, but inevitably they will get back up and find a way to continue.  This continuation, no matter the setback, is still progress.   It is the continuation that should be the focus and not so much the progress.

Progress, so many times is measured numerically.  One benefit to the performance of CrossFit is that it is measurable and repeatable which gives you analytical data.  You need this data for individualized tracking.  Although, the efficacy of your training should not be fixated on the numbers.

It’s all about the “feels”

Quite frequently I see athletes base how a session goes simply by the numbers.  If a personal best was not made, then the day went wrong somewhere.  If the required reps were not completed, then the set is viewed as a failure.  If the athlete’s time was not fast enough on a workout, then they must be getting out of shape.  Numbers have a funny way of getting in an athlete’s head before, during, and after lifts and workouts.  Merely looking at the weight on the bar or calculating the weight to be lifted can mentally affect an athlete’s physical ability to complete the task at hand.  Number crunching around a workout can take the enjoyment out of the experience.  Fighting the everyday battle with numbers on a micro level can blind you from the progress being made on the macro level.

Story time.  Last year, around this time, I decided to try and qualify for Masters Nationals in the sport of Weightlifting.  This decision was made primarily because I love to lift and I wanted to see if I could get better at what I love to do.  This weightlifting cycle, with minimal “CrossFit” workouts, began sometime in November and lasted until Nationals held March 31^st.  I made some decent improvements in squat strength, overhead stability, speed, and proficiency in the Olympic lifts.  However, the workouts became more of a chore.  Expectations of numbers to hit became an intense focus that took away from the blessing it is to just have the opportunity and ability to pick up a relatively heavy barbell.  If anything, grasp this concept.

There should be joy in pulling up those stale knee sleeves, strapping on the heavy lifting shoes, taping your callused thumbs, and slapping on more chalk than is realistically needed.  A charge should go through your body once the weights are packed on and you hook grip the bar, rolling your hands over, and pulling back tight prepping everything to fire.   Once you do fire, hit or miss, you have made progress even on the smallest of scales in a journey that will last a lifetime.

The smallest of scales

Why do we tack such harsh expectations on ourselves?  What basis do we measure our improvements on?  Just yesterday I had an athlete upset with a five-pound increase on their back squat.  Recently, there was an athlete unhappy because they could only get three butterfly pull-ups in a row.  However, this is after only a few months stringing together a larger number of kipping pull-ups and past a time that I can remember this athlete unable to do any pull-ups.  As we as athletes press forward we must also remember where it was we came from.  How many times have I heard an athlete tell me that they would never do a double under, toes to bar, unassisted pull-up?  Or how many have said I never want to lift that much weight?  Then months down the road they are embracing more technical skills or cannot wait to put their hands to a barbell.  The scales of fitness are always changing.

As such, your journey is always changing course.  Perhaps your journey is not one that leads you to the competitive field of Olympic lifting, powerlifting, strongman, or adventure racing.   Your journey could be one that just has you living a more productive life.  A life in which you can play more with your kids or better enjoy more time with your spouse.

Packing for the journey

In this fitness quest of human exploration there are some questions to ask yourself.  Maybe the most important is, “Why are you on this trip?”  The why may change from time to time but it must be ever present to keep you engaged in the task at hand.  If you do not know why you come to train everyday then you absolutely will not have the resolve to reach your destination.

Next, “What is the destination?” When you have a goal identified, you now have something to strive for.  Little goals will build into bigger goals.  Think about a muscle up.  First, you must gain the ability to do a push-up or pull-up.  You must also have stability on the rings.  The little pieces will come together for the complete picture.  Now, “How are you going to get there?” Simply, if you don’t have a plan then you plan to fail.  Finally, “Who are you traveling companions?”  In any extended pursuit, you must pick wisely those around you.  Everyone brings individual skills and gifts that will be paramount to your success.  And as you succeed so do they.

In the end, measure your success not in absolutes but in distance from the starting line and by which attitude you finish.

Coach Jama

Recently some questions have arisen concerning the training of young athletes.  Personally those opposed to the concept amaze me.  Have we not advanced past the accepting of old wise tales and myths? The fear of allowing a prepubescent child to perform exercise under external load is ridiculous. That's the same as telling your child to not help with the groceries or carry the baby in from the car.  Even worse are the ones that have to bale hay.  Side note: how many strongmen and champion wrestles grew up doing just that? Don't even think about playing outside. The load put on the body running and jumping is tremendous. Ok, enough ridiculing.  There truly is a great deal of information concerning why a child should actually lift weights and zero scientific evidence against it.

I thought I'd have to write up a massive article but luckily enough the CrossFit Journal has one better written than I could hope to achieve.  I leave you with CrossFit Weightlifting tag line, "start them young."

CrossFit Journal Article- Start Them Young

"Where there is no vision, the people perish."  This is a partial verse from the bible meaning that if people don't have a hearing/reading knowledge of the scriptures they will fall away and perish, lost. This came to mind as I viewed an inspiring video with Arnold and the cofounder of Musclepharm Cory Gregory.  Arnold spoke of his rise to the top and how it all came about.  As well, he discussed three main factors to his success: urgency, visualization, and accountability.  These strategies can greatly increase your efficiency in and out of the gym.

Crossfit 2232 is ramping up this year’s Weight Loss Challenge.  As part of the challenge we are digging into the nuts and bolts of a healthy lifestyle like diet and exercise, but there is one other aspect of a healthy lifestyle that gets over looked.  . . . . Sleep

Today’s study will be part Coaches Corner and part Bending Bibles accompanied by a full chapter from 2 Timothy 3.  The key verses in this study are of 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and are as follows:

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

This little bit of scripture is powerful and perfect for a talk on training volume both training in the gym and training in the spirit.  However, when I opened up the whole chapter I was amazed at its’ context and relevance to what I wanted to accomplish in this study.  In a previous Coaches Corner article we had approached the question of “Why do we train?” As a person looking to increase our fitness/wellness and as a Christian trying to increase our faith we must also know “how” to train.  Possibly, a more important question is, “how often?”