Finding Your Niche As A CrossFitter!

leesa dl

When you first start CrossFit, it can seem like you are being thrust into a cauldron of seemingly unachievable exercises and workouts that you think will always bring up last nights dinner! All experienced CrossFitters know that these feelings pass, the weird terminology starts to make sense and the wacky outfits become far more tempting to invest in! But, what happens when you’ve been training using the CrossFit methodology for a couple of years, you’ve made some serious gains, but your progress is starting to slow down. It happens to everyone and there a few different ways this plays out:

1. You Quit!

This is obviously the worst and most irrational response to progress slowing down! Quitting any pursuit is never the answer when things aren’t going perfectly to plan, so lets move on from this option!

“The most critical decision is made when you feel like giving up.”

2. You Focus On Your Weaknesses!

Perhaps you are lacking in certain key areas and your overall performance is being affected by these specific weaknesses. It could be that your weightlifting is outstanding, but you still haven’t cracked a muscle up. Maybe, you can knock out 50 pull ups unbroken, but you still can’t Deadlift twice your body weight. Find your weaknesses, embrace them and then destroy them. Don’t be scared to take a diversion from the daily WOD for a month or two and ask your coach to prepare an 8 Week Strength program for you or perhaps you need to attend a Gymnastics clinic. Don’t become over-reliant on the daily WOD – trust that your coach will be able to program for your specific goals over a pre-determined time period.

“If you want something you’ve never had, then you’ve got to do something you’ve never done.”

3. You Diversify!

The alternative to the above is to start focusing your attention more clearly on the parts of CrossFit you truly love! Here at CFT, we have athletes who compete predominantly in Powerlifting and Olympic Weightlifting. We also have athletes whose sole purpose is to train specifically for CrossFit as a sport. Sometimes this can be the best decision you ever make – it takes the pressure off and allows you to focus on getting better at the things that matter most to you. We accommodate for that here by having a group of athletes who are trained specifically for CrossFit competition, a group of competitive powerlifters and weightlifters and a Barbell Club for those who are looking to get more experience in the two barbell sports.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking, and don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” Steve Jobs