It almost goes unsaid, that there are some rules which are a given when you walk in the doors of your CrossFit Affiliate. Keep these 9 Unwritten Rules of CrossFit in mind and enjoy the journey!
1. Check your ego at the door.
No one likes a douche bag. Make sure when you walk in that door, you are willing to work hard, be apart of the community, motivate, support and have a good time.
This also involves scaling and modifying the workout when necessary. It’s important to work together with the coaches to remain safe and achieve the focus and purpose of each WOD. Although it would be awesome to RX every workout, be smart. Don’t try and go RX when those 10 rep overhead squats are your 1RM.
2. Avoid cherry picking your workouts!
Are you someone who stays up late the night before, waiting for the WOD to be published? Then, you see that it’s a WOD of Burpees and Thrusters. Instead of jumping out of bed for the 6am class, you keep the covers on as your alarm sounds.
Do the right thing, hit that damn WOD with intensity and show it who’s boss!
3. Don’t cheat your reps.
Didn’t quite get your chin over the bar for that pull up? Don’t count it! Those squats didn’t pass parallel did they? Don’t count it!
At the end of the day, it’s YOU against YOU! The only person you are cheating with your reps is yourself. Remember, that whiteboard is going to be a clean slate tomorrow so those extra few reps you added on to beat your nemesis don’t matter!
4. Put in the work.
Hard work pays off! Yes, it would be awesome but you can’t PR everyday. Instead, set some goals and work towards them.
Be patient as progress takes time. You will benefit in the long run and when you look back on how far you have come, you will be proud.
5. Eat well, sleep right.
You train hard, so do the right thing and fuel your body with good foods. You wouldn’t put cheap gas in your Ferrari now would you?
Fuel your body with high quality foods and get the right amount of sleep each night. Remember, gains are made while you are sleeping!
6. Work your weakness
We all have our weakness. Whether it’s gymnastics, heavy weights or running it’s important we strive to be a well rounded athlete. The nature of CrossFit workouts punish the specialist and rewards the well rounded athlete.
Make sure you take the time to work program in skill sessions and work those weaknesses so they become your strengths.
7. Celebrate a PR
Ring that bell, throw a high 5 and give a fist bump. Whether it’s you or your mate hitting a new PR get excited. Celebrate success, it makes the journey that much more enjoyable!
8. Put your equipment away
Are you one of those guys who finishes their workout and leaves your kettlebell out? Do the right thing and pick up the equipment, put it back in it’s rightful place. This makes it easier for your coaches and your friends in the box.
The other motivation for putting your gear away is so that you don’t have to suffer the punishment of burpees!
9. Have fun!
At the end of the day, we all enjoy hitting a workout and the benefits to our health, wellbeing and social lives. We will leave you on these wise words from CrossFit HQ’s Pat Sherwood:
“The goal is just to get fit, make it the best hour of your day, stay safe, turn up the music, high five some people, and blow off some steam. So remember that. Relax. Have fun. Work out.”
Check out The WOD Life for all your gear for your next WOD!
