Recently we programmed Amanda, one of the classic CrossFit benchmark workouts:
9-7-5
Muscle-Ups
Squat Snatches
And attendance was a little lighter than usual. It’s summer. Vacations happen. Schedules get weird. I’m not sounding any alarms. But it got me thinking about something that’s worth talking about. If you open Wodify and see a movement you can’t do, that’s not a reason to skip the workout.
In fact, that’s one of the reasons you should come.
You’re Not Supposed to Be Able to Do Everything
Muscle-ups are hard. So are handstand push-ups, double-unders, toes-to-bar, heavy snatches and plenty of the other movements that occasionally show up in our programming.
You might not be able to do them yet.
That’s okay.
We’ll scale the workout. We’ll modify the movement. We’ll find a version that gives you the intended stimulus while also giving you an opportunity to work toward the actual skill.
That’s what coaching is for.
But there’s a bigger point here. And its tied to a recent Instagram post we had..
One of the best things about CrossFit is that you’re not supposed to walk through the door already knowing how to do everything.
You Need Something to Chase
Think back to when you started, maybe you couldn’t do a pull-up, then one day you got one. Maybe you couldn’t string together double-unders. Then suddenly you got five. Then 20. Then 50. Maybe you couldn’t imagine getting upside down, doing a toes-to-bar, snatching a certain weight or climbing a rope.
Then you started getting closer. That’s a huge part of what keeps training interesting. There’s always something else to chase.
Your first pull-up.
Your first toes-to-bar.
Your first double-under.
Your first handstand.
And once you accomplish one of those things, there’s another goal waiting for you.
That’s What Keeps This Interesting
We have members at CrossFit Conshohocken who have been training here for 10, 11 and 12 years.
Think about that. How many exercise programs can keep someone genuinely engaged for more than a decade? I think one reason CrossFit can do that is because there is always another level.
If every workout consisted entirely of movements that you could master during your first week in the gym, eventually this would get pretty boring. Instead, CrossFit gives you an almost endless list of things to improve. And when you have something to chase, you stay engaged.
You don’t need to master everything. You just need to keep getting better.
So Come on the Days You’re Not Sure About
When you see a workout containing a movement that’s outside your comfort zone, don’t immediately cross that day off the calendar. Come in, let us coach you. Practice the progression, do the scaled version etc..
Maybe today isn’t the day you get your first muscle-up. But maybe you finally get comfortable on the rings. Maybe you learn a new progression maybe something clicks.
And maybe six months from now, the movement that once made you consider skipping the workout is something you’re excited to see programmed.
That’s progress.
And that’s one of the best parts of CrossFit.
So when you see something on the board you can’t do yet, don’t think:
I can’t do that workout.
Think:
I can’t do that yet.
Then come to the gym and let’s work on changing that.