10 Tips on becoming an Elite Crossfitter

Crossfit is extraordinary in its breadth. The physical tasks we undertake are remarkable for their constant variation and immutable intensity.

To the beginning Crossfitter, the sheer size of the curriculum can be daunting. You'll learn Olympic lifts, gymnastics, sprinting, kettlebell swings, medicine ball work, basic nutrition, and a hundred other things. Crossfit has combined these modalities and a good dose of creativity to develop an inclusive model of fitness programming. 

In an effort to make Crossfit a little easier to deal with, here are the things you need to know to become an elite athlete. Everything else will come with time.



1.) Virtuosity: Do every rep correctly, every time. Virtuosity is the pursuit of perfection. Become a stickler for form, and you will reap the benefits of Crossfit extremely quickly.



2.) Consistency: Get out of bed. Go to the gym. Get in the habit of showing up.

3.) Intensity: Strive to minimize the amount of time you spend resting in the middle of each workout. The less you rest, the stronger you'll become. Your workout times will plummet, and your health will skyrocket. Go hard!



4.) Nutrition: Eat enough calories to support vigorous exercise. Not eating is not a solution. Avoid alcohol, starch, and sugar like the plague. Eat lean meats, vegetables, low-GI fruits, and good fats. Fat is necessary for athletic performance--get it from almonds, avocados, olive oil, and fish oil. The best way to maintain a good diet? Clear all the crap out of your cupboards, and never ever buy it again.

5.) Sleep: Sleep is essential to your athletic development. When you sleep, you heal. Progress is a constant give and take between breaking down and building up--exercise breaks you down and sleep builds you up. Give your body the fuel it needs to heal--lean protein and fat immediately before bed will keep you in a good physiological state to burn fat and build muscle all night long. Sleep at least 8 hours every night. Make it a priority.

6.) Rest: Don't exercise every day. You'll burn out. Schedule rest days after every two or three days of heavy training. You can speed up healing with ice, compression, mobility work, and good supplementation.

7.) Instruction: Spend money on quality trainers, reading materials, seminars, and certifications. A few hundred bucks here and there will accelerate your gains much faster than advice from the counter guy at Gold's. 



8.) Comfort: Stray from the known path. Approach new skills as an opportunity to learn, not an opportunity to fail. The best athletes in the world spend all day working on their weaknesses, not reinforcing their strengths.



9.) Goals: Write everything down. Set goals and work to meet them every day. Look back over your progress, and change what needs to be changed.

10.) Stress: Your body doesn't distinguish between training stress and life stress. Minimize life stress to maximize your progress.

None of this is earth-shattering. Incorporate these tenets in your training, one by one. Follow them 90% of the time, and you'll find yourself at the top of the scoreboard each and every week.

---

Jon Gilson is the founder of Again Faster.

WOD 9/16/13

WOD courtesy of Crossfit Torch

http://www.cftorch.com/index.html 

TEXANS VICTORY WOD

8 Man Makers
10 Burpees
23 DB Snatches
24 Front Squats
31 Push Press
38 Box Jumps
56 Sit-ups
80 Double Unders
81 Med Ball Twist
99 m Sprint

Elbow Position with Coach Burgener

9/12/11 WOD

Todays WOD comes from Crossfit EADO
     Strength
Power/Squat Snatch
4 @ 70%
3 @ 80%
2 @ 90%
ME Strict Pull Ups

      Metcon
10 Min AMRAP
3-6-9-12. . . .
Double-Unders
H.S. Push-Ups
Wall Balls, 20/14lbs

2013 EaDo Elite Open

               
           

***Registration opens Sept 12th @ 10am!***
Divisions:
Men's RxPlus+: 40 spots                                           RXPluse
Women's RxPlus+: 40 spots                                       Pistols
Cost: $100                                                               Muscle Ups
----                                                                              Snatch
Men's Rx: 30 spots                                              Handstand Walks
Women's Rx: 30 spots
Cost: $100                                                                    RX
Entry fee: Includes T-shirt                                  Kipping Pull Ups
Prizes:                                                                   Double Unders
Elite:                                                                      Rope Climbs
1st Place: $2,000                                               Handstand Push Ups
2nd Place: $1,000
3rd Place: $500
---
RX:
1st place $500
2nd place - $250
3rd place - $125

Visit CrossfitEado.com for more info!

"The Don" 9/11 WOD

"The Don" 9/11 Memorial WOD from Crossfit.com

For time:
66 Deadlifts, 110 pounds
66 Box jump, 24 inch box
66 Kettlebell swings, 1.5 pood
66 Knees to elbows
66 Sit-ups
66 Pull-ups
66 Thrusters, 55 pounds
66 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
66 Burpees
66 Double-unders

Stone Moves

       If you remember I mentioned something about being active and enjoying the body you work so hard for in the gym or box, and not to be one who doesn't drink his own kool-aid so to speak this weekend i went indoor rock climbing. This was interesting to say the least. I was not only excited but surprised at how much indoor rock climbing takes out of you. My forearms were shot after the first 5 min of climbing, and I'm sure my fear of heights didn't help when your half way to the top and slip because of sweaty hands. All in all it was a great time and actually finished up just in time to watch a competition start up. These athletes were amazing from their upper body strength to their grip strength it was a sight to see.
      If anyone is interested the place I went to is called Stone Moves the people are very friendly and will give you a lesson on how to climb if you have never done it before. The address is listed below and let me know how you like it if you visit!
 
     Stone Moves
6970 Fm 1960 Rd W
Houston, TX 77069
  (281) 397-0830