Constantly Varied.... with Structure?

Do you remember the first time that you entered the CrossFit gym?  The now familiar shout of "3,2,1...GO!" rang in you ears, and then the gym began to move... A wave of athletes all began moving in seemingly randomly selected movements that you had never seen before.  Those same movements now familiar to you, are the crux of your day.  Every day as you enter the gym as I do, your anxiety and excitement build as you search for the WOD on the white board.  And every day, the workout is different.  Constantly varied, or so you're told.  But is it?  Believe it or not, there is a method to the madness!  I would like to share with all of you the CrossFit pyramid.  This diagram will reveal to you a hierarchy of movements that when balanced right, will lead to success in the gym.

At the base of the pyramid you will see nutrition.  Think of your food as the gasoline for your engine.  Without the gas, the car won't run.  If you put in a higher octane, the car may run a little faster.  This is why it is critical that we fuel our engines with the best nutrition possible.  The next level is your cardio component.  The heart is the pump that brings the nutrients and oxygen to your muscles.  The more efficient the pump, the faster the oxygen and glucose can get to your muscles for better performance.  It is critical to have a well conditioned heart before moving on to the next level, gymnastics.  Controlling your body in space is how we negotiate our daily environments without injury.  The gymnastic component of CrossFit allows our brains to connect with our bodies and develop a seamless transition between the various movements in your daily workouts. Activities like squats, push ups, pull ups, and lunges are all examples of gymnastic based movements.  Once we have established a sense of how to control our bodies in space, it's now time to attempt to control an external object in space.  Enter weightlifting & throwing!  Weight lifting and throwing although intimidating to many of you, is a critical part of strength development and in promoting bone density as we age.  EVERYONE should be weightlifting.  Once you have reached this level of the pyramid, it's time to think about a few sessions with a CrossFit trainer.  The one on one sessions that a trainer can provide are necessary to ensure you are maintaining proper form when moving the load.  The power generated from some of the Olympic lifts can be extreme and believe me, form matters.  I would like to share a bit of personal information with you on this topic.  When I first began to perform the snatch, I was working with a 75lb. load.  After one session with one of the trainers at the gym, my snatch went from 75lbs. to 125lbs.!  Form matters... be sure to contact your gym's trainers and set up a session or two when you are ready to take on the lifting component, you won't regret it.  At the top of the pyramid, you will see SPORT.  Yes, that's right, sport.  And here all along, you thought CrossFit was your sport/ activity.  CrossFit is preparing you for your sport/ activity.  When all of the components of the pyramid are met, from the base to the top, you will be able to perform your sport/activity without injury because you are now physically prepared for any situation!  CrossFit has changed the lives of many of our gym members and it has been a pleasure to watch my own life change as well.  I am stronger, faster, and more prepared.  I am confident in my athletic ability, my mental toughness, and my ability to recover from injury if needed.  I hope you will study the pyramid and if you have questions, bring them into the gym. Your CrossFit family will have the answers.
Stay Strong.  Stay Fit.