Practice. Practice. And then go practice some more.

Correct form and movement is essential to crossfit training. This means learning and repeating movements over and over until you always get it right. This takes time. While trying to learn the body dynamics involved in the front squat, now is not the time to load up some weight. If so, it is a sure path to injury or at the very least, disappointment. In the front squat, focus in on:

1. Feet placement- under the hips with toes out 30-40 degrees

2. Knee travel- nice and wide and do not travel excessively forward

3. Hip/butt placement- back and behind the ankles, not on top of them; breaking parallel

4. Lower back- arch visible not rounded

5. Chest/elbows- pulled up high

Just focusing on the above is all the beginner need to do right now. We may start with a stick or empty 15, 33 or 45 lb bar. If the form is not sufficient, there is no point going faster or heavier. There are many, many movements to learn at our gym and you must learn to do them all correctly. Good news: many are related and of similar concepts. This is because our exercises are functional and involve universal motor recruitment patterns. This will make your task not so daunting.

Consistency Leads to Speed

Now that the movement is embedded in your muscle/mind memory, it’s time to start moving faster. As you do, you’ll notice that some form deteriorates. That is normal and is okay as long as it’s within an acceptable range (don’t worry, we got our eye on you, and we’ll let you know). If it is acceptable, you’ll progress to the next level, if not… you’ll be told to slow down and correct the movement deficiencies. Your training at CrossFit Evolution is not just about getting the workout done in the fastest time. It’s also about correct form and proper reps (no cheating, cause you’re just cheating your fitness level). Do it, do it right, and then do it faster.

Bring on the Weight

Now you’re ready to load up. The amount of the load is directly dependent upon your form and of course, your strength. Once the form goes, you don’t get to add more weight just for the sake of lifting more. We are here to help you become better and that means injury free and progressed properly with your performance improvement in mind. Your vanity and ego can stay at home. Your “trash-talking” and playfulness are welcome. Bring it on!

Keep in mind that sometimes the training stimulus for the day may be to elicit a particular response. Maybe you can do the super heavy Rx weight, but our planned 15 minute workout will turn into a 1 hour slugfest. You’ll become frustrated, possibly injured, may get Rhabdo from over-exertion, may be told to stop (and then you’ll really be pissed), or maybe you just won’t be able to train for a couple days. Remember the first thing I listed? This was a planned 15 minute workout. To take anymore than twice as long as expected, for a non-benchmark wod, doesn’t produce any desired outcome that we may be looking for, for your performance improvements. I think we fill up the hour well enough without going into any overtime.

Conclusion

Stick to mastering the fundamentals or basics first. Want it spelled out? I want perfect push-ups with chest touching the floor and full extension at the top. I want perfect pull-ups with chest (not the chin or neck, but the chest) to bar at the top and full extension at the bottom. I want perfect squats with the chest pulled upright, the arch clearly visible and tight, and breaking parallel without the pelvis dipping under.

We constantly strive to introduce everyone to more complex movements in bite size pieces, often. So don’t worry, you are not going to miss anything just because you’re new. Everyone gets exposure, the level of that exposure, just like the workouts, will be scaled individually.

Trying to speed up your advancement on your own will increase the chance of injury, delay performance improvements, and blunt the rate of return on your efforts. Why would you want to do that? You put your trust and money into us to coach you. Let us do it.