When you’re a hammer, all you see is nails.  Just like when you’re a competitor, all you see is sets, reps, rounds, time, percentages…you get the idea.

But as someone who’s been in the sport for 15 years now, I know that those things I mentioned are only a small fraction of the entire pie.  When you’re in your 20’s (or even younger), some things may not be as important for you to focus on, but as age, volume, and priorities change, it’s vital to take a look at the whole picture if you hope to continue down the path of progress.

Though these aren’t listed in any particular order, they all have a huge impact on your training, your improvement, and your longevity.

Sleep

I find that the more I sleep, the better I feel – period.  Remember:  training only causes the stress & adaptation needed to improve.  You get better while you rest.  If you’re looking to be competitive in the sport of CrossFit, I’d say a minimum of 8 hours should be your goal.

Nutrition

You’ve heard it before, but it’s 100% true.  You can’t out exercise a poor diet.  Don’t believe me?  Go grab some fast food and then do sprint intervals on the Echo bike – not a recipe for success.  Maximizing your potential means maximizing all aspects of it – including what you eat.

Stress

We all deal with daily stress, but finding ways to mitigate it is key.  I won’t dive into anything specific here, but I do advocate doing something OTHER than CrossFit to de-stress.  Maybe it’s walking or hiking or even reading.  It doesn’t have to be a physical activity to do the trick.

Support System

This is an underrated aspect of training.  It could be your family, significant other, friends, or training partners, but having a network you can rely on can take some weight off your shoulders.  Why?  You’re going to have bad days – and on those bad days, having someone you can turn to just to vent or help you re-direct or just a set of ears to listen will make those days seem like less and less of a big deal.

So while the workouts may seem like the only part that matters in training, your ability to see the entire picture is what will take you from where you are now to where you want to be in the future.  

If you have any questions, want to make sure you’re on the right track, or want to learn how we work with athletes with our Individual Design coaching, email help@conquerathlete.com.  Or, check out our website www.conquerathlete.com and set up a free discovery call.

-Coach Jerod Gordon