1) Olympic Weightlifting. Most boxes do a poor job in teaching their members Olympic Weightlifting. It wasn’t until I took the Olympic Weightlifting Level 1 Certification that I realized how ignorant I was. Find a reputable coach and learn from the best in your area.
2) You REALLY do need shoulder strength to kip and to prevent injuries. I wish someone would have warned me how horrible kipping is for your shoulders and arms. I wish my coaches would have prevented me from doing kipping pull ups until I could do strict pull ups. I wish someone would have warned me doing 100 pull ups and negatives were a bad idea the second month of CrossFit. Finally, after 2 years, I feel strong enough.
3) CrossFit will trump many other things in your life if it becomes your passion. I live for CrossFit. I put CrossFit above many other important things in my life (like sleep for example) because it is an addiction. A healthy one, but one I recognize nonetheless lest it turn unhealthy. A fine line to walk!
4) You’re devoted to your box because of the people, not the workouts. Some of my closest friends I met at my box and I get to see everyday. I’ve thought of going elsewhere to other boxes, but at the end of the day it’s the friendships that keep you going!
5) Rest days are harder than work days. I live for the box and when I’m on a rest day, it takes all of my might to resist going (especially if the workout is one want to do). Stick to the plan. It works.
6) Eating right is a daily struggle. Since I have kids having junk food lying around is a given. Will power takes on new meaning when you’re eating for performance. Again, stick to the plan, the diet, the nutrition. It works. When you deviate, you’ll pay in unwanted weight gain and in stomach cramps!
7) Ripping is a part of CrossFit that never goes away. You can shave your callouses all you want, you’ll still rip on workouts such as Murph or Angie. Do your utmost to prevent it but it’s as much a part of CrossFit as PR’s.
8) Muscle soreness is perpetual. It never goes away. Neither does having something tweaked. It’s a part of CrossFit I think that drives many to quit after 6 months. You either accept it or you don’t.
9) Your body will change. And drastically. I never thought I’d have “the CrossFit look” but one look at me and you’ll know. And I keep getting stronger and leaner and bigger. If you push yourself, this is inevitable.
10) Your self-confidence in yourself will grow and you will bloom when you never, ever thought you would. I can do things most women can’t physically. I work hard. I train hard. And my mind has worked just as hard and harder. I have grown as a person not just as an athlete. You will discover that anything in life truly is possible. You will find your life’s passion. You will succeed at anything you do. That’s a promise. That’s CrossFit.
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My Journey to the CrossFit Games 