I started CrossFit training in September of 2007. It seemed like every workout crushed me for that first year. Even so, there I was every night hitting “refresh” on the CrossFit.com page waiting for the workout to pop up.
I was hooked and was “going hard.” Every WOD was another chance to try and “burn it down.”
Fast forward to 2014 and I’m still going hard. At least as hard as I can in my 40 year old body. I’m still improving but that “burn it down” mentality has given way to something else. Not every WOD needs a suicide pace. In fact, as we found out during the CF Games Open, pacing is everything. Go too hard to early in an AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) and you might go to a dark place you can’t recover from.
Then there’s the fact that 90% of our training is just that- training. Training needs to be differentiated from testing. Training sessions should help you improve for the “test” but every training session itself is not a test. Testing would be benchmark WODs- Fran and Annie are two that you’ve run into this week. Helen was last week. When those come up you have one goal- BURN IT DOWN!
Knowing this and sticking to that plan as you approach each day of work will keep you focused and improving. It will also have you coming back day after day to continue working toward your goals.
Now you know. And knowing is half the battle.
Dr. Chris Biles, DC is the head trainer and owner of CrossFit Waxahachie. Established in 2010, CFW is a premier strength and conditioning facility for athletes of all levels- beginner to advanced.