Meet my son Emmett...
He was born right around the same time our gym got started, so it's been so fun to watch him grow along with our Box.
The other day when I was teaching him to ride his bike, Emmett reminded me of something we all need to remember in CrossFit.
Emmett is SUPER adventurous, and he was having an absolute blast on his bike. Unfortunately he has a competitive streak a mile wide and he let jealousy completely ruin his experience.
Every time his sister rode by, he would get all amped up and start screaming, "I WANT TO RACE SISSY!!!"...She would then blow past him like he was standing still, leaving him to jump up and down on his pedals in frustration, lose control, and collapse into a cloud of dust, training wheels, and tears.
At this point I would pick him up, and in a firm but loving tone explain to him that he needed to learn how to ride a bike before he worried about racing.
I tell you this story because it made me think of how some people (myself included) behave at CrossFit sometimes.
Our trainers urge us to learn the movements before we worry about racing, but oftentimes we whine about having to learn the basics, and BEG to be able to do the movements as RX'd even though it would put us at risk.
My 5 year old could pedal. He could turn his handlebars. He had enough balance to stay upright between his training wheels, but he was nowhere near race ready.
Just like my son, I can move my arms...I can lift weight over my head...I understand the basic concept of a Push-Jerk, but I have come to the conclusion that at some weights...I have no business racing yet. I need to scale the WOD, go back to basics, and put in more time doing drills.
Here is my encouragement. Let's all take a look at the movements we do that could use some metaphorical training wheels. Let's make sure we actually understand them, and perform them with excellence before we start ramping up the intensity.
Next time you start arguing with your trainer about a weight (out loud, or in your head) picture yourself as a 5 year old kid jumping up and down on your pedals screaming "I WANT TO RACE SISSY!" ... 'cause that's basically what we're all doing when we don't listen to our firm, but loving trainers :)
If we all take our time, and put in the hard work of mastering a movement, we'll be a whole lot stronger and safer when it comes time to ditch our training wheels.
Case and point...
When Emmett stopped trying to race his sister, and concentrated on learning to ride his bike, he made a lot more progress, wrecked less, and had a lot more fun...See ya later training wheels!
P.S. Speaking of practicing. Learning Dubs is SIGNIFICANTLY faster when you own your own rope... and if you're going to own your own rope, it might as well have stars or polka dots on it...right? Click below to make it happen :)
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