So, when I opened, I set a rule that no one was allowed to
enter one of our CrossFit classes until he or she completed a proper CrossFit
introduction course. We call ours the
Fundamentals Program. In that Program, we follow the proper progression of
Mechanics, Consistency, Intensity. To do CrossFit safely for a long time, you
have to be taught the proper way to do the movement (mechanics); you have to be
able to reproduce proper movement multiple times (consistency); and only then
can you add weight, speed, time, etc. (Intensity).
Proficiency may come in the form of Consistency. Consistency is the name of the game in just
about anything you do. It isn’t helpful
to get something right once. You have to be able to get it right over and over
and over again. In CrossFit, we do a lot
of different kinds of workouts. Once workout might require you to do a lot of
repetitions of one movement. You need to
be able to move the same on rep one as you do on rep twenty-one. After we teach
you do the movement properly, we have to see you do it a few times to make sure
it looks great every time. We even come
back to review all of the movements multiple times in the Fundamentals Program.
Once you are able to perform a movement with consistent good
mechanics, only then should you start to add intensity. Intensity is the secret sauce to CrossFit and
comes in many different forms. You might start to speed up your pushups to do
more in a shorter period of time. You
may add reps to go for a longer period of time. You may even add weight to some
of your lifts, like a deadlift. Good Gyms in Scottsdale will monitor athletes
at all times to make sure that intensity doesn’t kill those consistent
mechanics. We often stop our athletes
and remind them how to move properly. We start this in the controlled
Fundamentals Program environment and continue it into our regular CrossFit
class. Those who get hurt in CrossFit, and give us a bad name, try to add this
element of intensity before worrying about consistent proper movement.
They say that successful businesses fill a gap that was
missing at the time of opening. When I
opened Industrial Athletics in 2013, I was trying to fill the gap of a safe CrossFit in the city of Allentown. I
wanted to show the Pittsburgh community, and the CrossFit Scottsdale community,
that there was a smart and safe way to do CrossFit that would actually make you
stronger and able to handle harder challenges for a longer period of time. Through Industrial Athletics, I was able to
carry out the purpose of trying to make better Scottsdale.
At the time I opened, there was a gap in the rest of the CrossFit Pittsburgh community following the proper progression to teach CrossFit to the general public. It was frustrating for me because when one attends the basic CrossFit Trainer course, CrossFit actually teaches you the proper progression. It’s like coaches came back from the Level 1 Seminar, forgot what they were taught, and throw new members into CrossFit classes without bothering to teach anything from a basic air squat to a complex clean and jerk.
At the time I opened, there was a gap in the rest of the CrossFit Pittsburgh community following the proper progression to teach CrossFit to the general public. It was frustrating for me because when one attends the basic CrossFit Trainer course, CrossFit actually teaches you the proper progression. It’s like coaches came back from the Level 1 Seminar, forgot what they were taught, and throw new members into CrossFit classes without bothering to teach anything from a basic air squat to a complex clean and jerk.
When you are looking for a Gyms in Allentown pa, be sure to
ask them about teaching you the proper mechanics first, how that gym will make
sure you are consistent, and when it is appropriate for you to add
intensity. That is the recipe that makes CrossFit safe.