When you are working online with a training program or coach (hopefully the latter if you have specific goals), it is important to keep your eye on these four indirect components of your training plan to yield the greatest return.

Know your priorities.

Unfortunately, too many people do not fully line up their priorities before starting an online CrossFit training program. Many people will be excited for a moment, and look to fulfill that moment right away by jumping into a program that their favorite CrossFit athlete is doing. What happens is that down the road, when things get tough or progress slows, they jump ship due to the fact that they never took the time to outline their “why”. It is so important for people to sit down, list out their priorities with training, and then talk to someone to make sure this program or coach can meet those priorities, which is taking ownership of your track and ensuring that there is no grey area around what you are doing. If you fail to really list out your priorities, then you are leaving your path to chance, and hoping that you are doing / following the right road. Now, by luck that may work for some, but nine times out of ten it will not.

Plan out your year in advance.

When you are going into a training block and you start down your path with online CrossFit training, you need to sit down and list out your year in advance. What I am referring to is a conversation with your coach to outline what events you are going to do, which of these events are check-ins and which matter. The CrossFit season is very much like the gymnastics season or track season. We all have one major peak or event we are training for and other various events that we use to check in with our progress, look to find out what needs more attention, and ways to add experience. The problem is this process requires intricate detail around programming, yet many people treat this like a fly by out seats type thing and jump in where they want to jump in. That act can derail training and prevent our main focus from evolving within our capabilities.

Steps vs. Events.

This one piggybacks on the above point. Throughout your training year, you have to realize what is your main event and which events are steps to that main event. The steps to that event cannot derail your performance mentally or physically. The steps are just that: moments in the training year for you to check in on where you are, gain experience and exposure, and see what needs more attention. I have seen too often that people approach these steps and turn them into the main event, questioning everything and second guessing everything if one workout doesn’t go their way. Keep in mind why you are training and what you are training for. Treat the steps as a game of “pickup ball” that gets you prepared for the real game, and don’t switch it around.

Play the long game.

When you get into online CrossFit training, get into it for the long game. Do not look for a quick fix. Do not search for something that promises to get you ready in one month. Anything quick is a method that will yield very small returns for when it matters. Play the long game, set your sights on what matters at the right time, and put in the work every day.

If you have questions or want to work with the best in the business for online CrossFit training, send us an email at help@conquerathlete.com. Set up a free consultation, and see how we can best serve you.

-Coach Jay