Sport and Competition

  This is the theoretical development of the athlete.Put together by Gregg Glassman the founder of CrossFit. He used it in the seminars he taught ( and they still use it at the level 1s) to explain how he developed the fittest athletes he could. Each Layer Builds on the one below it and with out a solid foundation you are severely limiting your potential. This is the reason behind our Performance based Nutrition challenges and why I am so adamant that you guys start to make healthier choices. Today Though I wanted to mention the other part of the pyramid "Sport" it is the most often neglected part of what we do in CrossFit, we all at least know we should be eating healthier and we come in during the week to work on the MetCon, Gymnastics, and weightlifting aspects, but very few of us remember to Challenge our selves in the Sport area. So lets break it down what exactly does Sport mean ?

It means you need to compete, I don't care if it is a CrossFit Competition, Pick up basket ball, a 5k race, or any other area that allows you to compete out side  our gym. I know some of us already do it or are making plans to begin. Some members are part of soccer clubs, our high schoolers nearly all play sports during the year and a few of us will run a race every now and again, and I myself decided this year was the year for me to start doing some local CF competitions to have some fun.

Why is it so important to compete in a "sport"? Few reasons actually.

Some CrossFit  Tulare Swimmers 

Open work out 12.1

First it is a fantastic test of what we do in the gym, yes we measure progress  vis benchmarks and testing on a continual basis, but some times we get so caught up in our gym goals that we forget to appreciate what our training has already given us. Every work out we do is Hard, really hard, and jsut when you think you are making progress a new on comes along and crushes your soul ( angie and cindy do it to me every time), this can be frustrating and discouraging, but when you go out and compete it brings not only a fun purpose to what you are doing in the gym, but also will show just how much the fitness we strive for in the gym transfers to what you do elsewhere. many times you find yourself less tired, more at ease, and more able to enjoy the experience instead of just trying to keep up. Each one of you has, along the way, shared a story like this with me, now it is time to go and search those experiences out.

Second you put yourself out there. It is hard to compete especially when you are not sure you will even do well let alone win, but that is part of it. CrossFit for all of us at one time or another has stretched our comfort zones. Remember that feeling when I first told you about 30in box Jumps or Hand Stand Push Ups or Muscle ups, or whatever it was/is that you were/are sure you would never do now take a look and see just how far you have come. Every one who has been here for any length of time now has the confidence to know that even if you are not able to do it now you can work towards and achieve those things. Sport is a different animal altogether the outcome will no longer rest solely on the work you put in and your dedication but also on that of everyone else in the competition. This will naturally lead to more struggle, more failures, but also greater victories.Sport is a great area to learn to fail, and still have fun, something that is super important in life.

Annual Kick ball tournament we take part in

Third you will inevitably do something you did not think you could. This is why I challenge everyone to register for the open each year, and why I am now challenging you to find even more avenues to pursue sports. "Men will die for points" is the quote by Coach Glassman and the reason we turn on the clock in our workouts, competition brings out the best performance you have even when you didnt know you had it. The Open is how I got my first muscle up, CrossFit for hope brought the longest string of C2B Pull ups I have ever put together and the Flag foot ball group I have played with occasional has me running harder and jumping higher than I ever would in a workout, you guys are all capable of so much more than you think and competing will help you realize how true that is.