Mechanics.  Consistency.  Intensity.

-Alexis and Michael Leasure (11 and 4) practice CF at the park

For many years, I taught children piano. I would often have novice students (or their overly ambitious parents!) request that they learn a favorite "Beatles" song or perhaps "Fur Elise". An instructor who merely wants to appease the student or parent might go ahead and let them learn the song slowly by ear, bit by bit...not really understanding the composition, and certainly not executing it properly. But they would be selling the student short in the long run. It would be a far better plan to put that piece on the shelf a while, and take the time needed to build up to it. First the scales, the notes, the finger agility, the rhythm patterns....then the Beethoven. Requires patience for sure, but learning and mastering the fundamentals of anything before jumping to the fancy stuff, is crucial.

It's not so different with CrossFit, or at least it shouldn't be. Perhaps one of the greatest mistakes within the CF world is placing weight before form. Our ego often gets in the way. In his article "Virtuosity", Glassman puts it perfectly; "What will inevitably doom a a physical training program and dilute a coach's efficacy, is a lack of commitment to fundamentals....Teaching a snatch where there is not yet an overhead squat, teaching an overhead squat where there is not yet an air squat, is a colossal mistake. This rush to advancement increases the chance of injury, delays advancement and progress, and blunts the client's rate of return on his efforts. In short, it retards his fitness."

Just like a house that is built on a crummy foundation will crumble at some point, the athlete who aspires to Rx weight and performance before mastering the mechanics will wreak havoc on their body and progression. Take the time to slow down and learn the skills step by step. We have the rest of our lives to get better at CF...don't cheat yourself by skipping the proper development.

Saturday @ Paradigm:

Skill: Max DU's

"Chipper":
round 1...farmer's carry w/ DBs, 20 DB push press, 4 rope climbs
round 2...run a lap, 15 DB push press, 3 rope climbs
round 3...100 DU's, 10 DB push press, 2 rope climbs
round 4...50 DU's, 5 DB push press, 1 rope climb