Choose Tailored CrossFit Training
Before you make a decision about which CrossFit gym to sign up for, leaf through the webpages of each of your gym prospects. The CrossFit workouts posted online will give you an idea of whether the coaches care about the different abilities of the individuals they train. Box posts that show several different daily CrossFit workouts will tell you that the trainer cares enough to adjust to the person’s skill level.
Make Sure The Coach Trains AND Teaches
Different coaches have different styles of training. Make sure that your coach knows how to teach. If you have the opportunity to observe a coach at work, do so before signing up for a program. A good coach knows how to verbally describe each step and movement while performing it in slow motion. According to Brooklyn trainer David Osorio, a good coach must not make you feel confused and in a haze about the forms and techniques.
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It’s Not All About Winning
Get fit and perfect your execution. Start with smaller weights and perform at slower speeds. Gradually increase weight and speed later. Focus on perfecting your form before becoming more competitive. Coach Osorio says that the workouts should make you feel physically uncomfortable and must continually test your capacity, but they must also be sustainable.
Know What You’re Bad At and Improve It
Just because you don’t do well in a particular exercise doesn’t mean you should do less of it. A workout is designed to make you uniformly fit. Don’t avoid your flaw. Instead, go after it until you’ve mastered it. However, if there’s a movement that you think might worsen a particular issue, such as a chronic ankle pain, refer to your coach for alternative movements that will have less impact on the affected ankle.
Don’t Disregard Smaller Injures
Big injuries often start as minor pains; don’t disregard them. L.A. coach Andy Petranek says that minor pains are often the initial signs of bigger injuries and must not be brushed aside as insignificant. When pain or pulls suddenly occur while performing box jumps or Sumo dead-lift high-pulls, refer to your coach for some WOD adjustments. You can always do subbed exercises for those that might make existing issues get worse.
Don’t Let CrossFit “Mess You Up”
Set your mind on the next rep within the set, then the next, and the next. Coach Osorio says that there are workouts that will really test the muscles, the heart, and the mind. Focusing on the next rep will keep the blur away.
No Need to Set a New Personal Best Every WO Day
Every CrossFitter strives for a personal record or PR, as that’s how you determine your improvement in the box. However, it has also become the key to most injuries. Co-owner and coach Dusty Hyland of DogTownCrossFit says that it is advisable for athletes to limit the attempts they do to exceed their personal bests. They shouldn’t do the attempts more than once every 4 or 6 weeks; otherwise, they will be inviting injury.