Basics
Back in college, my coach used to encourage us to spend hours on footwork. This was substantially less glamorous than throwing the hammer, or power cleaning, or doing sprints, or really anything else we possibly could have spent time doing. It was boring, tedious, and not at all my favorite.
But, it was absolutely critical to throwing the hammer well, and the more time I spent focusing on doing it to the very best of my ability, the better I got at the more fun stuff.
So often in CrossFit, it's fun to focus on the complex lifts, or the muscle ups, or the times on the board, but similar to footwork in the hammer, we fail ourselves if we overlook the basics that will pay dividends in the long run.
The athletes who are best, particularly over the long run, are those who understand the boring (but critical) nuances of a hip hinge with a neutral spine, who distribute their weight evenly in their feet, and who hold a neutral rib cage while pressing overhead. They are those who train themselves to stop on a dime when they're kipping, and make sure to recognize when fatigue is setting in and their form is breaking down.
I hated working on footwork, but I'm so thankful that my coach made me do it, and that he impressed upon me the importance of the basics. Developing an appreciation for how valuable that time actually was has served me well in CrossFit of course, but also in regular life. Rob is a fan of the saying "how you do one thing is how you do everything" and I think that's true. Those who are meticulous in their technique from the first to the last rep, those who take the warm up seriously, those who treat even "for time" workouts as "for time with the best quality possible" are also those least likely to cut corners in their everyday lives.
Not a rant, just food for thought.
Don't worry, Rob will be back tomorrow so the blog will be funny and contain pictures!
WOD for 06-27-18:
"The AR Aerobic Animal"
5 Rounds for Time:
400m Row or Ski (or 25/17 Cal Bike)
30 KB Swings @ 70/53 lbs.
20m Handstand Walk