One of the truly brilliant aspects of CrossFit is its inherent variety. We’re constantly challenged across a multitude of fitness domains, from strength and power to speed, agility, and endurance. This constant variation keeps things interesting and ensures a well-rounded approach to athleticism. However, this also presents a unique challenge: figuring out where to best focus your training efforts.
Think of it like this: you’re a Swiss Army knife of fitness, but some of your tools might be a little duller than others. How do you identify which tools need sharpening?
This is where benchmarks like the CrossFit Open and, closer to home, our Community Cup, become invaluable. These events aren’t just about testing your current fitness level; they’re powerful diagnostic tools that shine a spotlight on your strengths and, more importantly, your weaknesses.
As a coach, and in my own training, I use these competitions as crucial measuring sticks. They provide a clear snapshot of where I stand and help dictate where my training focus needs to shift.
Consider how CrossFit workouts, and especially the Open, often present specific “gatekeepers” – points in the workout that become immediate barriers to progression. For gymnastics, this might be the inability to perform a single pull-up, consistently struggling with toes-to-bar, or always facing a daunting box jump height. In weightlifting, it’s often hitting a specific weight that feels like an insurmountable wall.
This year’s Open workout 25.3, for example, provided some clear targets: 102kg/70kg Deadlifts, 61/43kg Cleans, and 43/29kg Snatches (for men/women). If you found yourself cruising through the deadlifts but getting stuck on the cleans, or vice versa, that’s valuable information. It highlights an area where your fitness might be lagging behind others.
The principle is simple: if your weightlifting numbers allow you to progress through workouts, but you’re consistently held back by your gymnastics limitations, it’s time to dedicate more focus to those bodyweight skills. Conversely, if you’re a gymnastics guru but consistently struggle with the barbell, that’s where your concentrated effort needs to go.
For most of us, capacity and endurance are ongoing projects. Consistent training and maximizing intensity in our workouts will always yield improvements here. However, the more technical aspects like strength, weightlifting, and gymnastics often require a more targeted and deliberate approach.
When we specifically look at gymnastics, the foundational pillars are strength, bodyweight control, and mobility. You can’t build a house on a shaky foundation, and the same applies to your gymnastics progression.
So, how do we determine where our foundation currently stands? It starts with assessing our strict strength. Strict strength is the bedrock that allows us to perform full movements safely and efficiently. While more explosive athletes might be able to “kip” their way through some movements, relying solely on momentum comes with a significantly higher risk of injury – a trade-off we believe is rarely worth it.
Let’s break down some key areas and how to assess your current strict strength:
- Rig Work (Pull-ups, Toes-to-Bar):
- Can you hang in an active shoulder position for longer than 30 seconds? This demonstrates basic shoulder stability and engagement.
- Considering toes-to-bar as an entry-level movement, can you perform a strict leg raise with control?
- Can you then progress to a strict toes-to-bar, bringing your toes all the way to the bar using only your core and shoulder strength?
- For pull-ups, after a solid active hang, can you perform a full, strict pull-up from a dead hang, chin over the bar?
- Inversions (Wall Walks, Handstands, Handstand Push-ups):
- Can you perform a full wall walk with control? This is often preceded by the ability to hold a straight-arm plank for over 60 seconds, indicating sufficient core and shoulder stability.
- Once comfortable with wall walks, can you confidently kick up to a handstand and hold a stable position for over 30 seconds? Can you also hold a headstand for a similar duration?
- The progression then leads to the strict handstand push-up (HSPU) before even considering a kipped version (unless you have a penchant for neck strain!).
I’ll delve deeper into specific progressions for these movements in a future blog. The crucial takeaway here is that we need to accurately identify our starting point before we can create an effective plan for improvement. This is where our free quarterly check-ins for our athletes can be incredibly beneficial. We can help you assess your current strengths and weaknesses and develop a targeted strategy.
Remember, CrossFit is a journey built on consistency over the long term. Once you establish your current level and begin to plan your attack on those weaknesses, be patient. Development takes time, and the timeline will vary depending on your training history, body composition, and natural strengths.
In my own experience, coming into CrossFit after years of training for golf and then focusing on hypertrophy, I had a decent foundation of strict strength. I could already perform a strict toes-to-bar, kick up to a handstand, and do pull-ups before my first WOD. Even with this head start, the journey to learning more advanced movements has taken time:
- Strict HSPU: 1 year
- Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups: 2 years
- Ring Muscle Up: 3 years
- Bar Muscle Up: 4 years
- Handstand Walk: 7 years
- Double Unders: 4 years
It’s important to note that I wasn’t solely focused on each of these movements for the entire duration. I generally concentrated on one or two at a time, ticked them off the list, and then moved on. And even now, having achieved these skills, I’m revisiting the basics of muscle-ups because as I’ve gotten heavier and stronger, my efficiency has decreased, requiring a proper relearning of the technique.
If you’re starting with a higher body fat percentage and less foundational strength, your timeline might be longer, but that shouldn’t deter you. Just be realistic with your expectations and celebrate the small victories along the way. The key to progress is understanding your starting point and embracing the ongoing journey of improvement that is CrossFit. It’s what keeps me coming back day after day, regardless of the previous day’s successes or setbacks.
Ready to pinpoint your weaknesses and start building a stronger foundation?
- Book a Free CrossFit Discovery Call: [Insert Link to CrossFit Discovery Call Booking Page on www.crossfitchiltern.com] and let our experienced coaches help you identify your sticking points and create a plan to overcome them.
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