By Mark Wood
As coaches, we are here to help you move properly, keep you safe and program effectively.
Whilst you can rely on us to guide you and provide the path, it’s up to you to do the work and develop good training habits.
As they say, “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink”.
Here are some tips that will help you develop the mental attitude to train effectively and enrich your experience at CrossFit Border
1. Prep yourself for movement
Every single person is different, with that comes different an individual approach on body maintenance.
Even 10 minutes a day can help keep you free of pain and fit. Once you arrive it’s time to get yourself warm.
Warm-up
Start with a 500m row at a moderate pace or grab a rope and skip for 3-4 minutes at a light pace. The goal is to get the blood flowing and the muscles warm.
Stretch/Trigger Point
After a couple of sessions you’ll start to learn what movements you have trouble with. Spending a few minutes with a mobility ball on some tight areas, you’ll be surprised how that shoulder niggle can disappear when you work on it. If you are unsure, approach the coach and ask how you can help improve your problem areas.
2. Log All of Your Workouts
Training without logging your sessions is like trying to find a destination without a map or directions. You have to know where you are, to be able to see where you’re heading.
It also allows us to work with you and make informed decisions with your workouts. You can log your results in your Member login through ZenPlanner.
On top of that you can add notes with how things felt, so when you come back to it you can remind yourself of what you need to work on, what felt good and any wins you had.
3. Start Slow and Maintain Perspective
There are a lot of movements you learn in your first 6 weeks of CrossFit and you’ll always be challenged with them.
It’s worth remembering that we should always treat these exercises with respect, otherwise they can lead to training plateaus or potential injuries.
When starting out, it’s important to know your limits. Start light, and build a strong, stable and safe base to build upon. Letting your ego control you can be unsafe and lead to problems.
In the first few months of CrossFit, intensity should not be you main priority. Whilst we will help adjust your training to suit your level of fitness so you get an awesome workout, we will sometimes have you working on lighter movements or adjust them so you develop properly.
Once you start hitting good movement, and doing it consistently, we can ramp up the intensity.
Training is a journey, not a destination.
Always remember you are here to build yourself up not break yourself down. By scaling your workouts, listening to your body and your coaches you will make this fitness adventure last a lot longer than any 30-day quick fix.
Overall though, just have fun. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Enjoy the wins, learn from the losses and make this the best hour of your day.