An exciting question we receive from a lot of members is how they will know when they are ready for their first competition. Its an exciting time to consider testing your fitness in a competition, and we love having the conversation because not only can we talk about how to train and stay consistent in preparation, but all the good things theyve done that have brought them to this point!
But to get back to the question of how you will know if you are ready? We have come up with our very own shortlist of signs you might be ready for your first CrossFit competition!
At CrossFit Fringe, we believe strongly that the ability to perform the foundational movements consistently with proper technique precedes adding intensity to those movements. Whether you are working at an Rx or Scaled capacity in your daily workouts, you should be moving safely at a relatively high intensity with consistency. If you are still struggling with consistent power snatch technique or you struggle to hit squats to the proper depth, you may not be ready yet. You may need more time in classes and with your coaches refining your technique and understand what constitutes a good rep and where you need to improve to reach safety and efficiency.
You not only understand the foundational movements, but you do them without cutting corners or shaving reps. Theres nothing worse than getting a no rep on the competition floor, so make sure you are well versed on where movements start and end hold yourself accountable to every rep being your very best.
Have you been taking your nutrition and sleep/recovery seriously? You understand that fitness doesn't only reside in the gym and have taken steps to improve your quality of life outside the gym as well. You're eating well and managing your nutrition to correlate with your workouts and you aren't scrimping on other self-care factors like 8+ hours of sleep a night, planning rest days, and stretching and mobility to keep your body happy.
Don't know if you've optimized these areas yet? Grab a coach and swap some conversation and tips!
You not only love doing the workouts each week, you love the healthy competition between your fellow athletes and revel in strategizing and visualizing your workouts beforehand. You plan how you're going to move through each station or set of reps for optimal efficiency and you love digging deep on the particularly grueling and nasty workouts that Angelo and Tyler dream up.
These qualities translate perfectly to competition because understanding intent and what parts of the workout will be your wheelhouse and goat is critical. You need to be able to push through, think clearly, and be willing to push your limits.
Holding yourself to the standard and having fun while doing it! You love the community of CrossFit as much as you love CrossFit and thrive in and out of the gym on the positivity and energy generated by your box community. You love working with other athletes in team WODs and you are right there cheering on your fellow athletes to their very last rep. The community aspect of CrossFit forever changed the way you work out and you cant imagine doing it without friends. If this is you, the competition floor will only magnify these feelings. You stand shoulder to shoulder with other athletes and you cant help but cheer loudly, even for your competition.
The most important factor that we consider when were asked whether or not an athlete is ready or not for their first competition is that they are doing everything above and they are doing it consistently over a period of time. Its not enough to want the next challenge, you have to have done the work to prepare for it.
With these factors in mind? Do you think you're ready for a competition? Your next step is to find a competition! We have a competition for you to consider!
This August 18th, we have partnered with host MKT FIT and other co-hosts CrossFit CoMo to host The 2018 Granite Games Throwdown. Were excited because this unprecedented partnership is going to create the best competition we've ever been able to host in Mid-Missouri!
The Granite Games offers a unique opportunity to step into a competition with several different divisions to suit your skill level and interest.
August 18, 2018 from 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
MKT Fit (2900 Forum Blvd, Columbia, Missouri 65203)
Official Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/206281503515316/
The 3-person, same gender team format allows the challenge of competition without all the nerve-wracking anxiety of going it alone -- what could be better than competing alongside your besties!?
All of the workouts and registration information can be viewed here: https://thegranitegames.com/throwdown-compete/
Any questions, please email teammkt@mktcrossfit.com and cc: info@crossfitfringe.com!