However, saying that this workout regimen doesn’t have much to do with being technically sound is pretty far from the truth. The fact is that CrossFit is all about the right technique and performance improvement. In this article, we are going to discuss some effective ways to help you get better with your CrossFit program.
Work On Your Movements
Before starting with your Workout-Of-The-Day, ensure that your movements are optimized and perfected. For that, you will have to work on your form. Performing your workouts with an incorrect form will undoubtedly involve movements and lifts, but they do not prove fruitful in the end.
Another reason why you should be good at simple movement patterns is that these are like building blocks for more complex movements. You will need to be efficient with your complex moves because they demand the correct energy distribution throughout their duration. Hence, the right form will help you avoid energy wastage, which typically happens with imperfect movements.
It is worth mentioning that performing the right movements with the correct form may not be an easy thing straight away. Therefore, you will need to focus more on movements rather than getting the desired score.
Once you have perfected your form, now you need to work on your mobility, repetition, and observation. This is where you can use help from your coach.
Get Your Basics Right
CrossFit is different from other workouts as it mimics everyday movements and engages the muscle groups that are not generally used during other workouts. The movements involved in CrossFit fall into four core categories, namely:
- Squatting
- Pulling
- Overhead movements
- Hinge patterns
While all these movements hold a fundamental value, squats are the most important. About 50% of all CrossFit movements involve squatting, so perfecting this fundamental move is vital. Here is a generalized guide on how to squat properly.
- First off, drive your hips back and bring them lower than your knees. Your knees should spread out during this posture.
- Your feet should be little more than the hip-width apart.
- Make sure that your spine is in an upright and natural position when squatting.
- Ensure that your core is properly engaged during this move.
- When you push back up, drive your heels into the ground. Your heels should be on the ground when getting into the squat position again.
Enhance your Strength
CrossFit is all about exercising until you reach a competitive level. Initially, your challenge will be to move smaller weights quickly. Moving up, you will need to increase the amount of weight while making sure that you do not slow down. So, what is the factor that can help you deal with a large amount of weight? Simple answer: that’s strength. But when strength training, focus on your muscular asymmetries and imbalances and make sure that all the required muscle groups are being trained.
Improve your Endurance
With a good amount of strength, you can perform your workouts with the intended intensity. But what if you are unable to maintain this intensity throughout the set? Or even if you have completed the set with the required intensity, do you have to sit down and catch your breath for longer than usual? If this is the case, you need to improve your endurance.
To improve your endurance, you will have to raise your lactate tolerance as the most fundamental step. Working anaerobically leads to the production of lactic acid – a waste product – that prevents muscle contraction. In general, you can get energy from the anaerobic system for about four minutes until your aerobic system takes charge. The aerobic system doesn’t provide energy quickly and is not best suited for CrossFit movements. Hence, working on measures that lengthen your body’s reliance on the anaerobic system helps you continue with the required intensity for longer durations.
The best way to increase your lactate threshold is to train hard until you feel like you are about to slow down. This might mean working out for one to three minutes-long sets. This technique is a fundamental trait of interval training, the workout regimen more suited for CrossFit.
Train with the Right Mindset
You may feel like you have nothing more to spend in you during training. Yet you have to perform that one last set to reach your WOD goal. Your body may tell you to stop, but your brain will work in a different sphere altogether. Yes, we are talking about the right mindset.
You can achieve your CrossFit goals like a pro with a positive mindset. And the best thing is you can get in the right frame of mind at your will. But if you are looking for motivators, the best way is to track your performance. This way, you will strive for improvement.
Get Help from Your Phone
Your mobile screen can be your instructor during your CrossFit training. Several apps are available on the web to help you measure your performance. One of such apps is CapTime, the ultimate CrossFit timer app that enables you to track your performance. This app comes with programmed timers for different kinds of CrossFit workouts. The timers relay visual and voice alarms to help you know when to slow down or stop.
Another valuable feature of this app is its timer-based video recording capability. You can use this feature to create video clips of your sets and later analyze them to identify room for improvements.
