06 Feb The G-Force Source: the 7 deadly sins of CrossFit
No one is perfect and we all give in to our inner vices from time to time, including the seven social sins by Frederick Lewis Donaldson. Sloth, greed, pride, envy, wrath, gluttony and lust… we’re all capable of these, some of those sins more than others. Funnily enough, each of those are relative to CrossFit and us as CrossFitters do each and every one of those things. Some days we’re as lazy as a sloth and don’t have the motivation to perform the WOD, we can be greedy in wanting results faster than they can come, we can have too much pride and forget to leave our egos at the door, we envy someone else’s results, we get wrathful with our results and take it out on the equipment, we have binge eating sessions like anyone else and become the glutton, and we have lustful hook-ups in the gym. No exaggeration, right?
In CrossFit, there are other sins that we’re all guilty for as well. Unlike the seven deadly sins mentioned above, here are our seven deadly sins of CrossFit.
How many times have you rolled into the gym (figuratively or literally due to fatigue from neglecting stretching) and had to jump straight into the class? How many times have you finished class and left straight after promising to stretch when you get home but not actually do it? Guilty! Mobility and stretching are fundamental to CrossFit. Our bodies are under immense load and strain. Failing to treat your body to a nice roll-out with a ball or roller and a nice long thirty minute stretch is going to have consequences.
We get it: our weaknesses are hard and scary because it brings on struggle. But how on earth do you expect to get better at them if you keep avoiding them? Turn your weaknesses into your strengths by chipping away at them time and time again. Focused and consistent work equals results. The second part of this point is avoiding working on technique. How many times have you decided to throw on extra weight at the expense of technique? Guilty! Never work at the expense of technique. That leads to a number of things: picking up poor habits which you’ll struggle to fix, unsafe movement, and a detriment to your body. If you’re not moving right at the lighter weight, take it back.
Do you know all of your one rep max, two rep max and up to five rep max lifts? Do you know your last Helen, Jackie, Fran and Nate times? Most likely not. Do you have a diary or online logging system where you can track all your scores? If you’re signed up to G-Force CrossFit’s SugarWOD, then you might have some help. If not, guilty! Tracking your progress is important for knowing if you’re progressing with your results, if you’ve plateaued, or if you’re declining.
Have you performed a WOD that should have taken ten minutes but took you thirty because you didn’t scale? Guilty! Going rx’d does not make you cool. We’ve got a previous blog post on that very issue. Scale workouts so that they’re relative to your ability and to the purpose of the workout. Some workouts are designed to be short burners and others are designed to be long grinders. There are always scaled options available to cater to your needs. Don’t be embarrassed or scared, and definitely don’t let pride–one of the deadly sins–get in the way.
During events like local competitions and the CrossFit Open, you’re going to get caught out if you like to cut reps. What is the purpose of cheating, skipping or cutting your repetitions? If the workout is on the harder side, scale it. There is a difference between scaling a workout and cutting your reps and claiming otherwise. Just like going rx’d not making you cool, neither does cheating reps.
This ties in with pride. Remember that you started somewhere and you come from somewhere that’s far less experienced than where you are now. Don’t dismiss people who aren’t as fit as you. Alternatively, support them, help them and make them feel part of the team. CrossFit around the world promotes the idea of leaving the ego at the door. Make sure you do.
Read our previous blogs because there are plenty about helping you set goals. One of our recent editions of The G-Force Source is all about SMART goal setting. If you don’t have any goals, why are you training? Surely there’s something you want to achieve. Something as simple as better eating habits, getting stronger and being fitter are considered goals. The way to track that is by tracking your progress which goes back to deadly sin of CrossFit number three. Set your goals and stay motivated in your training.
This edition of the Source is not designed to put a downer on your training. The idea is to make you aware of some of the main issues of CrossFit. We could probably go on for another twenty different sins of CrossFit because there are the same problems worldwide. Be aware of what you could be doing wrong and make changes to fix it.
This Saturday (11th February 2017), there will be a 7am session only and no 8am session. Instead, after the 7am session, we will be going to Lucy’s cafe around the corner from the gym for a group breakfast and social event. Go to the news board in the gym and place your names in the list so a booking can be made.
See you all in the gym.
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