Are you going to the CrossFit Games?
Most of us use CrossFit to feel more healthy in our daily life
Or to enhance our performance in sports and hobbies outside of the gym whether that be football, rugby, swimming, hockey, rock climbing etc. However there is a group of athletes who use CrossFit as their sport and take the competitive edge of what we do every day in the gym to a whole new level.
While the upcoming CrossFit Games and all the media around it will hopefully expose CrossFit to a whole new audience it’s important to remember that we’ll be watching less than 0.02% of the normal CrossFit community!! They are the exceptions and definitely not the general rule!
There can be absolutely no doubt that the competitive side of CrossFit has played a huge role in the growth of the training methodology over the years.
In the first year of the CrossFit Open in 2007 26,000 people registered, we are about to watch the 40 fittest Men and Women battle it out for the title of 2017 Fittest on Earth having come through an Open season where over 380,000 people registered. Seeing Super Humans at the games has given thousands of people an interest in doing CrossFit! 
The world of social media tends to only show the highlight reels, PR’s and good days!
We don’t often see how many bad days, missed lifts, unproductive sessions and plateaus that go into making each and every one of those athletes at the Games. If we all had perfect ‘Instagram’ days like that all the time then everyone would be squatting 250kg and smashing out 100 unbroken pull ups for fun!
I know I’m certainly guilty of letting those occasional bad days training or bogey movements (snatches!!!!!) get to me but it’s so important to remember that everyone has those days, just check out this post from former Fittest Woman on Earth Camille Leblanc-Bazinet showing that even the best aren’t always perfect!
I think we’ve all got those athletes that we look up to!
The person in your gym who can move better, lift more or who are streaks ahead in gymnastic WODs (I’m talking to you here Perfect Dan!). In many ways the athletes at the CrossFit Games are the ultimate expression of this. It’s worth remembering that they are undergoing the most strenuous (and often unknown) tests at the absolute limits of human performance so yes, they might occasionally not move perfectly or make the odd mistake. After all they are spending four days under the spotlight pushing themselves to their absolute limits!
The CrossFit Games isn’t the only competition around!
As you may have seen some of our members have competed in small, medium and large CrossFit and fitness competitions. These people enjoy testing their fitness in a pressured environment and seeing how far they have come. Competing isn’t for everyone as it can be a daunting experience, so make sure you’re there to wish them luck and show them support!
CrossFit and The CrossFit Games are completely different!
For anyone whose first experience of CrossFit is the 2017 Games, remember it’s not the case that every CrossFitter can snatch 100kg+ or perform the incredible feats that you will see over the 4 days in Madison. Most CrossFit athletes are everyday people training in their own communities and using a little bit of fun, healthy competition to help themselves train better.
So soak up the CrossFit Games over the next few days
But remember, the true CrossFit isn’t what you see out there on the competition floor. The true CrossFit is athletes like you putting in the hard work to get better at those 13,000+ affiliates every single day. If you’re still plucking up the courage to step into a CrossFit gym then let the Games be a kickstart on that journey. Are you already immersed in the world of CrossFit? Then as Coach Jack would say,
“The wolf on top of the hill is never as hungry as the wolf climbing it”!!
Coach Ed
