Getting better at CrossFit is cool and fun, just like getting better at most things is awesome. But there is something that becomes more difficult, and I like to call that something the suck zone.
I could use a lot of different exercises or WODs to illustrate this point, but I think the back squat will make it easy to understand. When a beginner sees "Back Squat 5x5" on the board, they may do three warm up sets: one with an empty bar, one at 55#, and one at 75# before starting their work sets at 95#. When Coach Jason (I'll use him as my example today because he's working out 20 feet away from me as I type) sees "Back Squat 5x5" on the board, he has to warm up all the way to 275# before he starts his work sets. Of course this doesn't mean he does 8 warm up sets, he'll make much bigger jumps in weight, but the point still holds- he's gotta work harder to work hard.
We see this same theme in conditioning, skill and even recovery work. Becoming a better athlete is like climbing Mount Everest. The first 20,000 feet are easy and fun (that number is random and those adjectives are subjective,) the last 10,000 feet are strenuous and difficult as hell (when you get up there you better take a picture in a handstand or you're not a real CrossFitter.) As we enter deeper into the suck zone (I imagine a mountain turned ninety degrees, maybe it would be better to simplify my metaphors and just say "as you get higher up Mount Everest," but then this theme song wouldn't be pertinent (this is cool too)) there are a few things we must remember:
1. Lift heavier, do more, work harder is still the mantra, but you must be more conscious than ever to tear down then build up, to push hard then pull back, to kick ass then kick more ass. Not every day is a test of fitness, most of them are training for the next test.
2. The mind must be strengthened too. Focus is more important then ever: it allows you to take the next step up the mountain, but also because injury is more likely than ever before too.
3. There is a season for everything. With the multitude of variables that constitute the human experience, it is unreasonable to assume that everything is going to get better always. Track your ups and downs with diligence, and chill the fuck out when everything's not going exactly your way.
4. Victory can no longer be your only fuel. The first few months we spend CrossFitting are fun and exciting. You come into the gym every day just to see how much stronger and faster you've gotten (Matthew Chin calls this the honeymoon stage.) Suddenly one week the PRs aren't flying in and "damn, that WOD felt like shit." The good news is you've become an intermediate athlete, the bad news is you have to find a new reason to come to the gym everyday. I workout because I like challenging myself to become a better version of myself every day, why do you? (You can actually reply with an answer if you like. Warning: it may be shared.)
I think I'll add more to this post someday, but I'm going to cut it short because you all have to get back to work and I need to pee.
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