How to get better at CrossFit using Psychology
The most powerful instrument we own is between the ears
I’ve said it many times before. CrossFit never gets easier and it will constantly toss you into the flames. But hey, that’s why we love it right? However, there’s times where you feel like you’ve flatlined. You’re suddenly stuck in a PR, you’re unable to link more than two muscle-ups, yadi-yadi-ya. Do not fear, for your brain is here.
The same way a tree’s roots finds its way towards a stream of water, wherever it may be, your brain is the one that’s going to get you over yet another obstacle. The whole point of this article is to explain a few ways your mind can control your progress in CrossFit.
“You can only get smarter by playing a smarter opponent”
This quote is from the movie Revolver, among my brother’s personal favorites. Although the movie is quite complex – and I never really got it – this quote stuck with me. When applied to sports in general (or CrossFit in particular), this basically means you need to deliberately set yourself up for failure.
If a buddy from the box is a gymnastics master, try to follow them if the workout involves gymnastics. If you suck at endurance, sign up for the class when the WOD calls for rowing intervals. If you still trip during double-unders after years in the box, practice them more often. Get busy trying!
The more you face adversity, the more skilled you become at dealing it with efficiently. You brain will inevitably come up with more sophisticated solutions until it finds the right one.
Trust the methodology
The thing I love most about CrossFit is that I never stop learning. Its teachings are not just non-sensical babbling, no, they actually make sense once you try it for yourself.
- Mechanics – Consistency – Intensity
Pretty sure you’ve read this in your box or heard someone mention it. Well, it’s key to progress in this sport and an invaluable troubleshooting method. Too many times have I seen people with terrible front squats, throwing on more and more plates in their strength sets or male athletes who can clean and jerk 60 kg for three reps as a max effort, doing Grace as Rx’D. And every time, I’ve died a little inside.
If your front squat is terrible (you cave your knees, lift your heels, etc.), work on your air squat first. Master the mechanics and then go for consistency. If your clean and jerk mechanics are decent but you’re not consistent at 60 kg for a workout with high weightlifting volume, lower the weight as to where you can rep out 5 with excellent mechanics. Then, you move on to intensity.
Build your physical capabilities upon a solid foundation. Don’t blunt your progress from the start.
- The theoretical hierarchy of the development of an athlete
This was a recent revelation, actually. If you notice, nutrition and metabolic conditioning come first and foremost, meaning they should take up most of our time and effort. But that’s not the case for most CrossFit athletes. Each step is the foundation for the next and I’ve only realized that by seeing it with my own eyes.
This year, I’ve been focused on cleaning up my diet for the most part. I spend most of my time running and doing gymnastic work in the box, lifting only once or twice per week. However, my strength numbers have gone up in the squat, deadlift and press, I’ve PR’d every benchmark WOD I’ve attempted so far and I feel more athletic than ever.
If you want to lift heavier, do more gymnastics. If you want to run faster, eat cleaner. If you want to improve in your sport, respect the method!
Review your own videos
Don’t just use them for Instagram. Give them a more useful purpose. Ben Smith is known for teaching himself how to do CrossFit and how he did it was simple (but it requires a great deal of commitment). He would watch his videos alongside those of Olympic lifters and compare them, frame by frame. That way he sectioned the movements into its smaller parts to see where he was derailing.
The best way to know what you’re doing wrong is to see it for yourself, especially if you’re not a great listener. Once you spot the flaw, make sure to include that verbal cue in your internal monologue next time.
Follow your intuition
As both a coach and an athlete I’ve realized that there are certain things that can only be learned through action. I’m bombarded with tips on how to clean, how to do handstand pushups or how to do muscle ups and more often than not, I’ve found these tips useless. Not that they’re wrong, but they may not be a solution for the kind of mistake you’re committing. Everyone has their own flaw and they solve it differently. What works for others, will probably not work for you.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t listen to tips or advice from others, just know that ultimately, you’re the one who’s performing the movement. Listen to your body and it’ll probably reveal what’s going wrong.