I write this as we board our flight back from the 2014 CrossFit Games where Don King did us all so proud. He displayed exceptional athleticism and perseverance through each event. He battled a field of other competitors that was exponentially better than in previous years and held a final position among the top 10 fittest masters in the world. He did this with the same quiet professionalism you are used to seeing him display in our gym. After he completed each event, he stayed to cheer on his fellow competitors - another thing we've all gotten used to seeing in the gym.
After the Masters, Anja and I stayed to watch the full competition - even got to talk to some of the competitors about their performance and training. This next 6 weeks of our training will be informed by what I learned during this trip. Short answer: we've got to do more work on our movement efficiency.
For some of us, movement efficiency will be improved by increasing our strength range. This means first getting more mobile, then getting stable in those new ranges of motion. We saw dramatic examples of this in all divisions, but particularly in the Masters. Normal wear and tear of joints accumulating over our lifespan is additive, but can be slowed by some concentrated intervention. To this end, we'll add some mobility into our strength work, expanding the strength we already have into a new, fuller range.
For others of us, movement efficiency will be improved by increasing our midline stabilization. We saw great examples of success and failure of midline stability during the “Midline March” event. Strong men and ladies were beaten handily by smaller athletes who held their core strong. We'll be continuing a strong core focus.
If you watched the whole Games, another thing you may have noticed was a tremendous upper body focus. We will need to work up to this. Lower body and core form the foundation for all other skilled movements, so we will continue to focus on those areas. That's where we started at the beginning of the year, and it has paid off very well for many of you in PR after PR. In the coming weeks, we will shift some of our focus to the upper body.
As always, thanks for your patience and trust. We are developing and evolving a program just for you, our members. A program customized to your needs will always out-perform an off-the-shelf product, but it takes your feedback to keep it relevant. Please don't be shy with your questions and comments. Your feedback combined with the performance data we collect every workout makes us all better.
Finally, I'd like to publicly express my gratitude to Don King and Jonathan Brown. The experience I had with you both this training season was invaluable. The strength of body and will you both display is inspiring. You set the example for all of us to follow. For the next year, let's all resolve to do just that.
RLTW
By Jared on Sunday, August, 03, 2014