Are YOU AN ATHLETE OR A CROSSFITTER?
THE SECRETS THAT MASTERS ATHLETES AREN'T DOING THAT CAN IMPROVE THEIR PERFORMANCE
If you're a Masters athlete and your goal is succeeding at the SPORT of CrossFit, then listen up. It’s time to stop focusing on just “being good” at CrossFit. Yes, to be successful, obviously, you have to be good at the skills you’re going to see in the tests, but it’s time to start focusing on becoming athletic in a broader sense. The origins of CrossFit talked about play, movement variability, and constantly trying new things to challenge your performance and movement IQ. The Sport has taken away from those virtues because for the most part the tests are the same with little variation in the grand scheme of things. I would argue to the end of the earth that athletes who are just training sport-specific CrossFit are hurting their potential in the long term.
Train to be athletic, not just good at CrossFit.
The research is out, children who were multiple sport athletes growing up have a much higher athletic potential than children who specialize early in life. Yes, I understand I said this is for Masters athletes, but stay with me. Younger multi-sport athletes possess higher levels of movement IQ and physical resiliency simply because they were exposed to more. They had to adapt, problem solve, and expand their movement repertuar to find success. If you’re reading this you’re no doubt a few years - more than likely a few decades - past those childhood developmental years, but I would argue that those principles still stand true and exposing yourself to new demands will not only improve your athleticism, but your athletic potential as well.
It’s time to “step outside of the box” both literally and figuratively and put your mind and body in situations that you are unaccustomed to. When I say unaccustomed to I don’t just mean doing different CrossFit workouts; I mean getting out and playing new sports and activities that force you to be a student and beginner again.
Spending time as a student-athlete drives athleticism; it forces you to adapt and will continue to challenge your body mentall and physically in turn making you a better athlete overall.
Still don’t believe me? Here's more:
Mobility - New “tests” require new body positions, challenging your current state of movement. If you’ve only been doing “functional movements”, opening yourself up to new patterns brings awareness and opportunity to improve your movement quality.
Body Awareness - How aware are you of your body in space? It’s rarely talked about but having great perception of your body's position and orientation leads to improved efficiency and skill development.
Movement pattern exposure - Similar to the mobility section, new tests bring new movement variability. New movement variability helps breed physical resiliency because you’re loading your system in new ways.
Autonomy - No matter the game plan that you and your coach laid out prior to walking out on the competition floor, you, as an athlete, must be able to operate autonomously. Things are going to go haywire, sideways, and not to plan. It’s just a fact of life. When you’re used to being a student, you’ve spent time problem solving in the heat of the moment and won’t be so reliant on your coach.
Adaptability - What have you exposed yourself to in training? Being able to adapt to new environments is a staple in the Sport of CrossFit. You’re constantly moving to different venues, different environments, and different surfaces. Being able to transfer your skills anyplace anytime is what adaptability is and a cornerstone of athleticism.
Improved Movement Solutions - Problem-solving is a real skill in the Sport of CrossFit. If you watched the 2022 CrossFit Games and saw many athletes cursing the world during the crossover double unders, you’ll understand what I’m talking about. Athletes that have high levels of athleticism are better prepared to tackle new challenges because they have developed and trained their body outside of the confines of CrossFit as a Sport.
So, in closing, don’t limit yourself. Get out and exposure yourself to as much movement variability as you can. Challenge yourself and test your limits; it’s part of reaching your highest potential.
See you on the podium!